A/N: Before we begin, the authors of F-ckthesystem125 and IcySnowSage would like to deeply apologize to all the readers for making you wait this long for an update. Most of the problem was that neither of us could get a lot of time on the computer for various reasons in life. And when we could, we hit a lot of roadblocks with the writing. But now, we hope to get more chapters out in this new year, starting with this one. Hope you all enjoy!
Many of the heroes that had gone into the abandoned district were now surrounding their more critically wounded allies while they awaited the Hero Association to medical transport to take them to the hospital. They didn't have to wait long for the Evac Choppers to arrive and start carting the wounded towards them. Those who were staying helped those that needed to be giving more urgent medical care. They included Heavy Kong, Lightning Max, Spring Mustachio, Stinger, and the Blizzard Group except for Fubuki. Captain Mizuki and Swim were absent due to having already gone ahead with the monsters, despite the other heroes protests, along with Lin Lin.
"Hold on!" Lightning Max shouted as they were about to wheel him away. He sat up and looked at all the heroes staying. "When you hear the whole story, tell the rest of us. Okay?"
"We will." One Shotter nodded. He and the remaining heroes all watched as the choppers left, leaving them alone in the abandoned district.
"Tank-Top Girl." TT Master spoke, making the woman jump. "Take us Mr. Saitama's place. And no detours."
"Y-Yes, Tank-top Master!" she nodded before turning to lead them in the right direction.
"Um, before that." Tank-Top Hatter spoke up, garnering everyone's attention. He and a few other Tank-Toppers were surrounding Tiger and Black Hole, both of which seemed to frozen in place, their jaws hanging open. "Can we get a little help here?" he asked while the others snapped their fingers and waved their hands in front of their faces.
"What's wrong with them?" Golden Ball asked.
"Maybe because they've been so adamant that Saitama was a fraud that they may be unable to believe what they've just seen?" Tank-Top Girl suggested.
"I'm still trying to believe what I just saw!" Rockabilly exclaimed as he looked at the buildings that Saitama's punch had knocked over.
"I got this." Tank-Top Master said before walking over to the two. He then took both of their heads and smashed them together, knocking the two out of it.
"WHO?! WHAT?! WHERE?! WHAT?!" Black Hole yelped while he and Tiger looked around frantically.
"Wasn't that a little harsh?" One Shotter asked.
"Their heads are thick enough to overcame a light tap like that." Master said nonchalantly, causing those outside the Tank-Top Army to sweat a little at that.
"Now that our more critically wounded are in good hands and these two are awake, shall we head out?" Shadow Ring suggested.
"Agreed." TT Master nodded before looking at TT Girl, who sighed with a nod before leading them towards Saitama's home.
"You knew."
Everyone stopped at those words before turning towards Death Gatling, who was doing his best to burn a hole through TT Girl with his glare.
"You knew about the monsters living here, didn't you?" he growled. "You were the one who spoke that lion monster's name, stating that we'd die if we messed with her." He began to slowly approach her, making her nervous. "If you knew before, why didn't you say anything?! Are you working with the monsters?!"
"No!" TT Girl denied as she started backing away.
"Then how do you know that monster?! And what of Captain Mizuki and Swim?! Are they in on all this?!" he demanded.
"That's enough!" TT Master snapped as he stepped between the two of them. "She's my underling, so if she has done anything of the sort, I'll be the one to deal with her." He then looked at her over his shoulder. "Lead the way, Tank-Top Girl."
"Yes Master." TT Girl nodded before leading them on. She didn't see it, but she could feel many of their gazes on her back, with Death Gatling's being the worst.
"None of this is making any sense." Shadow Ring whispered to Twin Tails, who could only nod.
"Feels like a strange dream." she whispered back.
The rest of the walk was in relative silence before the building in question came into view. They stared at it in surprise when they noticed one room having a long curtain of light green, dark green, and golden yellow kombu flowing all the way to the ground. And on the ground was the Beast Queen cutting away at it all.
"Wait!" TT Girl spoke up as some of them tried to approach. "From what the others told me, it's best to wait until she cuts that all down!" She then turned towards Twin Tail and Shadow Ring. "Especially you two."
"Why us specifically?" Shadow Ring inquired.
"They're very grabby with women." TT Girl said with a blush. The others thought about that for a moment before shaking the images from their minds. Now was a time for seriousness.
"Huh?" Beast Queen said before looking over at them. "Ah, you're here. Saitama and the others are upstairs. Vaccine Woman will be waiting outside the door for you all." she explained before going back to cutting the excess kombu.
"Come on. This way." TT Girl said to get them to follow, leaving her to go back to cutting all the kombu away. They followed the hero up the stairs until they came to a door with Vaccine Woman waiting outside. "Vaccine Woman." TT Girl greeted.
"Tank-Top Girl." Vaccine Woman replied before opening the door a little. "Saitama. They're here!" she yelled.
"One sec!" they heard him call back. Everyone waited for a moment before Saitama walked out, dressed in normal clothes, and stare at them.
"Hi. I don't think I have enough tea for everyone, and my apartment can't fit everyone inside." he greeted.
Most of them were unamused at his attitude, some just gaped at him, and a few scowled. Two heroes were turning red at his words, their muscles tightening to lash out-
"Hold it!"
Both Tank-Top Tiger and Black Hole began to cradle their heads when they felt something smash into the back of their skulls.
"What was that for, Twin Tails?!" Black Hole snapped.
"I could hear your blood pressure rising and your muscles tensing. You were about to do something stupid." she explained as she returned the bowling pin back into the remains of her clothing. Both heroes looked ready to round on her before they felt a hand drop onto their shoulders.
"Enough!" TT Master ordered in a calm tone before looking at all his underlings. "While we're here, you are not to act until I hear the fully story. If they try anything, then you are free to fight back. Understood?"
"Yes, Tank-Top Master!" the TT Army said in unison.
"If you want something to drink, the others and I have some cold drinks stored away." Vaccine Woman offered.
The heroes stared at her for a moment before glancing at each other and whispering.
"A monster being polite and offering drinks?"
"Gotta be a trick."
"Perhaps it's poisoned?"
"Trying to shut us up and not spill the secret of this place."
"I can hear you jackasses." Vaccine Woman growled, doing her best to not cave their heads in.
"We decline. We'd be fools to accept anything from you monsters." Death Gatling stated.
"Uh...actually, I'd like some water." TT Al Dente said after swallowing his pasta.
"I'd like some water too, please." TT Hatter said in a polite tone.
"Are you both crazy?!" TT Vegetarian snapped.
"I'm thirsty!" Al Dente defended.
"We told you to wait until after the battle to eat, didn't we?" TT Jungle said, his arms folded across his chest.
"Well it would be rude to deny. Plus, we've only ever heard that Vaccine Woman absorbs toxins, not make them." Hatter added.
"Like that matters! It's still a monster!" One Shotter spoke up, freaked out by the entire situation.
"QUIET!" TT Master roared, his patience frazzled and his want for answers causing him to snap before regaining his composure. "If they wanted us dead, they would've attacked us earlier before our fellow heroes had been taken away to get treatment." The other heroes looked angry, but they couldn't deny that Tank-Top Master indeed had a point. If they truly didn't want them to be exposed, the monsters would've immediately set upon them after Vacuuma had been dealt with.
"Tch. Ungrateful bastards." Vaccine Woman grumbled as she walked past them all. "I'm heading to my room. Later, Saitama." she called out with a wave over her shoulder before walking out of sight.
"See ya." he called back before looking at the other heroes. "As I was saying, I can't fit everyone inside. Sorry."
"It's fine." said Tank-Top Master.
"I think there's enough room for maybe 2 of you, but the rest..." Saitama trailed off, not wanting to be rude despite them all showing up out of the blue. That set most of them off since many of them wanted answers, causing them to start shouting out questions.
"Why are you harboring monsters?!"
"Are you working with them?!"
"What do you plan to do with the other heroes here!?"
"You creating an army?!"
"Are you a monster in disguise or something?!"
That last question got a reaction from Genos, who was immediately behind Saitama, his hand raised and powering up.
"You have one chance to withdraw that last question, or you will be eliminated!" he warned.
"Calm down, Genos." Saitama sighed in irritation, wondering what it was with Genos wanting to blow up anyone that spoke or thought ill of him.
"Forgive me, Master Saitama." Genos apologized while lowering his arm. "I just find it rather irritating that anyone would have the gall to claim you to be a monster."
"Especially since you've been killing every monster you come across." said a female voice from inside the room. "Well...most monsters."
"Stop." TT Master said as he raised his hand to stall the other heroes when they looked ready to start asking questions again. When they held their tongues, he turned back to Saitama. "Long story short, I have some questions for you about the monsters living here. May I come in?"
"Okay, but all the others won't fit in." Saitama answered.
"I'd like to come in as well." Fubuki said in calm tone. "I'll be quick too since I wish to join my group at the hospital."
That was what she said as she kept a calm pressence, while on the inside...
'This man is not normal. That amount of strength for a Class-B hero? Something's not right.' she thought, her mind running back to the destruction he'd cause earlier while taking out Vacuuma. 'I must wait for the perfect opportunity to get him into the Blizzard Group. The usual method won't work against his strength, so I must devise another way to get him under my-'
"Hey!" *SNAP* *SNAP*
Fubuki was brought out of her thoughts just as Saitama brought his fingers out of her face.
"Huh?" she said in confusion.
"You were staring at nothing. I said come in." Saitama told her."
"Oh...right." she nodded with a small blush of embarrassment dusting her cheeks.
"Um...what should we do, Master?" TT Rockabilly asked.
"I'll try to be as quick as possible. In the mean time, try to get a little rest." he told them before looking at the other heroes. "All of you should rest a little as well." All the heroes looked a little reluctant, but eventually agreed. With that, the two heroes followed Saitama inside his apartment. Inside were Genos, Mizuki, Marissa a.k.a Mosquito Girl, and Newtina, the latter two working together to tend to Mizuki's wounds.
"How many times did that bitch in the leather get-up whip you?" Newtina asked as she lightly dabbed disinfectant on Mizuki's back.
"I don't know. My mind was a little fuzzy after the first strike." Mizuki groaned, her hand going to the lone whip mark on her butt.
"Well, whoever they are, let's hope they don't come back." Marissa said as she applied ointment on some wounds before wrapping them in bandages. "How's that? Too tight?"
"Nah, it's good. The ointment just stings a little." Mizuki said before muttering in anger. "If only I was stronger."
"Careful. You let those kind of feelings well up and they'll...change you." Newtina said, before shifting her gaze away. Mizuki looked at her before sighing.
"Well, I'm glad we all got out alive." she said with a small smile.
"As are we." TT Master said, gaining their attention.
"T-T-T-T-Tank-Top Master?!" Newtina stuttered in fear at the sight of him, her entire body trembling as sweat began to flow down her body.
"Don't worry. Neither of us are here our outside are here to cause any of you trouble." the Class-S hero stated. Sadly, his words did nothing to alleviate her fears as she tried to hide behind Saitama, who was checking on the tea for his guests. She couldn't explain it, or perhaps didn't want to admit it, but she found comfort being close to the bald hero.
"You okay?" he asked while Mosquito Girl offered to serve the tea, which he shrugged and nodded.
"No, I am not okay!" she whispered in a harsh tone. "Another Class-S hero is here! And the top of Class-B too! And there's also all those other heroes out there! All of which are probably capable of killing me without breaking a sweat!"
"They just said they're not here to fight. Calm down." Saitama said as he sat at the small table.
"Master Saitama's right. And besides, Tank-Top Master and Blizzard of Hell are some of the more cool headed heroes in the Hero Association. You're fine." Captain Mizuki explained with a bright smile. Newtina looked at the two heroes for a moment before silently sitting next to Saitama while Mosquito Girl poured a cup of tea for everyone.
"Thank you, Marissa. And you too for your kind words, Captain Mizuki." TT Master said with a smile before he and Fubuki sat at the table. It was a little crowded with everyone inside, but not so much that they couldn't move.
"So, what did you want to know?" Saitama asked, hoping to get this done and over with. Tank-Top Master nodded before taking a sip of his tea.
"First off, I'd like to thank you for allowing us to meet." the Class-S hero began. "I'll be brief with my questions and why I'm here. I noticed that Tank-Top Girl was coming here quite a bit and I, along with the rest of the Tank-Top Army, were getting a bit worried due to some rumors about you."
"Rumors?" Saitama asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I believe he may be referring to all the negative rumors about you, Master." Genos said. "The ones about you stealing credit and blackmailing Captain Mizuki and I."
"Oh, those rumors." Saitama said in understanding.
"Correct. I wanted to meet the man behind the rumors and see for myself who you really are." TT Master clarified before his eyes gained a sharp look. "But now, I wish to know about the presence of monsters here." His question caused Newtina to shrink in on herself to try and hide from TT Master's view.
"You mean why they're in the apartments?" Saitama questioned.
"Yes. Why are you allowing monsters to live here? Actually, why are you even allowing them to live in the first place?" TT Master asked, his gaze shifting towards Newtina, making her tremble even more.
"I don't own the building, so I can't tell them not to stay. As for letting them live, it's kind of a different story for each of them." Saitama answered.
"Well, is there a main reason?" Fubuki asked.
"Most decided to give up on destroying humanity after I fought them or showed them how strong I was." Saitama answered.
"That's a little hard to believe." Fubuki said with a disbelieving stare. "Especially when monsters hold no love for humans."
"Heheh." Newtina chuckled weakly. "You'd be surprised at how easy it is for even a monster to leave humans alone. Especially when the true definition of fear's been buried deep in their hearts."
"Come on. You're making me sound like some kind of villain." Saitama sighed.
"Sorry." Newtina muttered before sipping her tea to try and calm herself.
"Besides, all I did was a normal punch. Anything else and I'd have wrecked the whole district." said the bald hero.
"A normal punch?!" Fubuki balked.
"That wasn't a normal punch!" Newtina denied. "It was a fucking tap!"
"I wouldn't call it that. I mean I did hold back." Saitama begrudgingly stated.
"You punched a hole through Vacuuma, along with a few city blocks worth of buildings, and you call that holding back?!" TT Master asked in quiet shock.
"Yeah." was Saitama's simple answer.
"But...if that's true, then why were you put into Class-C?!" Fubuki asked.
"Indeed. If you're even stronger than what we saw earlier, then you should be up in a higher rank like Class-A, if not Class-S." TT Master stated.
"Master Saitama was forced into Class-C due to the inadequate tests from the Hero Association." Genos answered for Saitama, who merely turned to him with a frown.
"Are you still on about that?" he asked his cyborg disciple.
"Can you blame him? I mean, you can turn mountains to nothing with a punch! They even saw you blow through all the physical tests at the Hero Association's Testing Site, but put too much into your bad written test!" Mizuki added before sighing in anger. "It's just not fair."
"Like I said, it didn't matter. All that matters was that Genos and I got in. Besides, I worked up to Class-B. I'll get to Class-A soon, then Class-S." Saitama explained nonchalantly. They didn't like it, but both his disciples decided to let the matter drop.
While Saitama was calming his disciples, the two heroes other heroes were deep in thought.
'Turn mountains to nothing with a punch?! He may be strong, but surely that's impossible.' thought Tank-Top Master before his eyes hardened, his mind going back to him and his army outside the abandoned district. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel the presence of something powerful emanating from inside the abandoned district. 'It may be possible that I'm sitting across the table from the source of that power.' His eyes widened as another thought suddenly struck him. 'If he's this strong now...what heights would he reach if he mastered the tank-top?!'
'So because he did badly on the written exam, the Hero Association placed him in Class-C?' Fubuki thought, the small smile on her face hiding the building excitement inside her. 'I could kiss whomever made the final decision. If they had placed him in Class-A or above, he'd be out of my reach. Thanks to that decision, this insanely strong man has practically been gift wrapped for me! He may be rising rapidly through the ranks, but he's not anywhere close to taking my rank just yet. I'll have to think of a strategy and act fast before he tries to surpass me!' Her hands clenched as she tried to keep from trembling. 'I don't care what it takes, he will join my group!'
"Uhh...are you two okay?" Saitama asked, noticing the two of them intently staring at him. They both shook their heads before continuing.
"Sorry. I was thinking about something from earlier." said TT Master while Fubuki took a sip of tea to calm herself.
The massive group of heroes waiting outside were all becoming restless, impatient and, in some justifiable cases, paranoid. A few even had their hands on concealed weapons, or were glaring daggers at the many doors that lead inside the apartments, ready for anyone or anything to try and attack. And finally, a few had decided to try and find some answers.
"That's it." Golden Ball grumbled around his sucker before heading for the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Shadow Ring asked.
"I'm tired of waiting for Tank-Top Master and Blizzard to get answers from those guys." he said before turning away. "I'm gonna do something crazy and ask some of those monsters myself."
"You trust them not to attack?" she asked.
"Not in the slightest. But they'd have to be fools to try anything with two Class-S heroes around." he answered.
"I'll go with. Two Class-A's are better than one." she offered.
"Mind if we tag along?"
Both Class-A's turned to see a couple of Tank-Toppers looking at them.
"Sorry for butting in, but we overheard your conversation."
"You're not the only ones curious. Besides, in our situation right now, it's better to go in numbers."
"Sure." GB nodded with a smile before turning again. He, Shadow Ring, and the two Tank-Toppers walked towards the one room they knew for certain was being occupied by monsters. They approached the doorway that was currently flooded with kombu, a concerned Lin Lin standing outside and leaning against the wall.
"Who was that again?" a Tank-Topper asked.
"Don't know. A friend maybe?" asked the other.
"Hey. Who are-"
"Shh!" Lin Lin suddenly shushed Golden Ball, a finger to her lips. "Keep your voices down." she whispered.
"Why?" Shadow Ring answered quietly. Lin Lin responded by holding a hand to her ear and aiming it at the kombu. The four heroes said nothing as they tried to figure out what was going on before they heard it. It was muffled by all the kombu blocking the doorway, but there was no denying the sound of crying coming from within.
"What's going on?"
"From what I can understand, two are crying from nearly being killed, and the other two are crying because they're glad that they didn't." Lin Lin answered.
"You're kidding, right?" GB scoffed. "Since when do monsters care about anyone other than themselves?"
"So you're saying that you wanted them to let your fellow heroes get eaten by Vacuuma?" Lin Lin countered. GB bit down on his sucker at her words, his mind going back to seeing the kombu siblings and other monsters helping to keep the other heroes from being devoured. "Trust me. I'm just as surprised as all of you. I mean, Midori could've left me to die plenty of times, but she stayed."
"That's because we're friends."
Everyone turned to see Midori peeking out at them from inside the kombu flooding out the door, her eyes a little puffy from crying. The other heroes got defensive while Lin Lin approached her.
"How are you and your sisters doing?" the martial artist asked.
"We're...really shaken up." Midori answered before glaring at the heroes. "And you lot out here making noise isn't doing us any favors."
"W-Well, we didn't mean to disturb anyone or anything like that." one of the Tank-Toppers quickly said. "We were just curious and wanted to ask you a question or two about...well, everything here."
"I'll answer a few. Make them fast." Midori huffed.
"I got two. One: How are there more than one of you?" Golden Ball asked.
"An accident. One we have no intention of repeating. Ever." she answered, doing her best to shake the memory of the pain of splitting apart from her mind. "And the other question?"
"Back then, you, or whomever it was that Spring Mustachio, ran into at the time, kicked the shit out of us without hesitation." he stated. "Why would you save us during that whole fight with Vacuuma, or even before we all encountered him? What changed?"
Midori stared for a moment before giving off a low chuckle, which unnerved both the heroes and Lin Lin.
"What changed, you ask?" she said. "The answer's simple, and it goes for all the monsters here. Saitama."
"Saitama? That bald hero? What'd he do?"
"You all saw what he did to Vacuuma, right?" Midori asked. "That's nowhere near his full strength."
"It's not?!" Shadow Ring asked, her eyes wide under her mask. "How strong is this guy?!"
"I don't know, and I'm too terrified to try and find out after seeing him punch a mountain to dust." Midori whimpered before shaking her head. "Anyway, that's all I'll answer for now. Go ask somebody else." Without another word, she slipped back into the kombu filled room, leaving the five humans to stare at where she was in a mixture of shock and horror.
"W-Whoa! WHOA! Wait a second!" one of the Tank-Toppers finally got out after a few moments passed. "That's just ridiculous, right?! I mean, punching mountains like they're nothing?!"
"Yeah...Yeah! That monster's gotta be fibbing!" the other agreed while frantically nodding.
"The way I see it, there's two possibilities." Shadow Ring said while holding up one finger. "One: You're right and she's lying."
"Two?" GB asked, dreading the answer.
"...We may be in the presence of a second King!" she answered. All of them felt themselves pale at the thought of someone else being as strong as King. The only thing that made the idea even remotely bearable was the fact that they were a hero and not a villain or monster.
While they were left to digest all this information, Midori had made her way back to her siblings. The other three were holding each other like there would be no tomorrow, tears staining their faces as they continued to sob.
"It was so horrible!" Kogane whimpered. "All slimy and disgusting! The thought of being a part of that...that...thing! I thought I was gonna die!"
"And all those heroes! If we had gone all out, Saitama would've probably finished us. And if Deep Sea Queen hadn't shown up, we'd have been killed!" Ki added while holding her newly grown arm. Nori was saying something as well, but her bawling was making whatever she said sound like nothing but gibberish.
Midori watched her sisters cry from a few feet away, her face blank. The only movement she did was her hands clenching into fists to the point that they nearly broke through the skin of her palm. She finally released them and gave a comforting smile as she rejoined her sisters in their hug, her eyes getting a little misty once again.
It was taking every ounce of patience and restraint to keep Death Gatling from busting down Saitama's door and demanding answers. He knew that he couldn't do much with his gun on empty, and that thought irritated him to no end. Right now, he was pacing and scowling, trying to figure out for himself why all of this was happening.
"Will you calm down?" Twin Tail huffed as she leaned against the wall just outside Saitama's door.
"Calm down?!" he growled at her. "We are in the middle of a monster infested zone! Almost half of the heroes that went in are in the hospital! The other half are practically unable to fight! Some of the heroes are acting friendly with the monsters, one of which was our target! And you want me to calm down?!"
"Yes. It's hard to listen through a closed door with all the noise you're making." she said while looking at him, despite still being blindfolded.
"It's also hard to talk to others." said DSQ as she leaned out from around the corner, spooking the other heroes up there. "Keep it down. I'm trying to have a conversation." she grumbled before leaving.
"Hooooly shit!" one of the Tank-Toppers wheezed after she left. They and the other heroes had heard about how Deep Sea Queen had beaten many other heroes, including two of Class-S, so they were quite jumpy about having her in particular around.
"I don't know whether to find it shocking or predictable that she'd be here." said TT Mask, fanning himself a little faster than usual.
"I heard that she had a gaping hole in her stomach when her body was moved, but that it healed during transport. Must be how she got away." TT Rockabilly added.
"If that were true, then wouldn't she have healed before the transport truck even got there?" TT Racer pondered.
"Where are you going?"
Everyone turned to see Death Gatling walking in the direction that Deep Sea Queen had gone.
"I'm going to grill that monster for some answers." he said without looking back or stopping.
"Wait! What?!"
"That's crazy!"
"Are you insane or something?!"
These and more came out of the other heroes, which only seemed to agitate Death Gatling.
"QUIET!" he shouted at them. He took a moment to regain his composure before speaking. "I'm only going to ask questions. I'm not looking for a fight. Especially since my gun's empty." With that, he turned back around and walked to find the Deep Sea Queen. None of the others did anything at first before some of the Tank-Toppers followed. TT Tiger, Black Hole, and Girl were amongst the group and quickly followed Death Gatling before they all came to find the one they were looking for.
Sitting under the shade of a tree a bit away from the apartment was dehydrated Deep Sea Queen having a chat with both the Subterranean Queen and Swim. They seemed to be smiling before noticing the heroes approaching them.
"Um...hi?" Swim said with a nervous look on her face. It fell shortly at the glare Death Gatling was sending their way.
"Do you need something?" DSQ asked them, trying to remain civil. Kind of hard to when their first encounter had her blocking his shots from killing her friends. They had barely tickled her, but her friends weren't as bulletproof.
"I have some questions for you." he stated in a harsh tone. "First off, how are you alive? The reports say that you had been killed in battle, a giant hole being blasted through you. Not to mention all the damage brought about by the other heroes you fought before."
"First off, all the damage from the other heroes? That healed almost instantly. And second? In all honesty, I really thought I was dead. I even felt myself slipping away." the Deep Sea Queen answered with a shrug and a smile. "If you really must know why I'm still alive., it's thanks to those humans who were transporting me to wherever that I'm still here. You see..."
-Flashback-
A group of men were inside a HA transportation vehicle designed for the corpses of monsters. Their assignment this time was the transportation and disposal of the Deep Sea Queen's corpse.
"Hard to believe that this huge thing brought down two Class-S heroes." one of them grunted.
"Yeah. And I heard that she was smaller and weaker when she took out Puri-Puri Prisoner. I don't think he'd be alive if she fought him like this." another said before looking away from the gaping hole in her stomach.
"Who cares? She's dead now, so we don't have to worry." another chuckled before taking a sip of water from his water bottle. He then turned to small box that was nestled between two of his colleagues. "Hey, you think that that's real?" he asked them.
"You mean the crown found at the scene?"
"Yeah. I mean, it sure looked real when we found it." he said before they all suddenly jumped.
"What happened?" one asked the guys up front.
"Sorry. Hit a pothole." they answered.
"Warn us next time! I spilled my drink!" a grunt complained as he picked his now empty bottle off of the Deep Sea Queen's corpse. "Anyway, I wonder what the Hero Association's gonna do with it."
"Probably gonna end up in some big shot sponsor's private collection." one of them sighed. "Lousy bigwigs get all the cool stuff."
"Shame. It looks good on me." They all turned to see one of them had taken the crown and placed it atop their head.
"What are you doing?!" one hissed in panic.
"What? I can't have a little fun?" he snickered before posing majestically. "How do I look?"
"Like a royal idiot! Now put it back!"
"Yoink!" another said before placing it on their own head.
"Hey!"
"What? I'm not stealing it. Just trying it on myself."
"Knock it off!" a more serious grunt yelled as he took the crown from them. "You know those higher ups are expecting this! It's Hero Association property now!"
"Actually."
The grunt felt himself being grabbed by a webbed hand, the crown being taken by another.
"It's the property of me!"
-Present-
"So because of a little water falling on your corpse, your body's regeneration kicked in enough to bring you back from the brink?" asked one of the Tank-Toppers.
"Pretty much. Afterwards, I broke out and ran. Met a new friend, wound up here, and the rest is history." she finished.
Most of the other heroes just stared at her while TTG simply rubbed her forehead in aggrivation.
"I cannot believe anyone thought it was a good idea to have water near you, even if they all saw the hole in your stomach and thought you were dead." she grumbled.
"I'm not complaining. It kept me alive." DSQ said with a small laugh. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"I've got two questions." TT Mask said while raising his hand. "Why are you hiding out here in City-Z? And why are you staying with the same hero that nearly killed you?"
"To answer your first question, I tagged along with another monster that was on their way here due to a rumor they had heard. And to answer your second question, where else would I go?" she answered.
"Why don't you go back where you came from?" TT Black Hole growled.
"There's two reasons for that. One is that if I did, I'd only live in shame." DSQ answered with a miserable sigh.
"Two?" TT Tiger asked.
"If my brother hears of this, he'll probably do something stupid and get the rest of my people to follow him here for revenge, thereby leading the last of my kind to extinction." she answered with an annoyed groan. "If that's all, I'd like to get back to my earlier conversation?"
"And what exactly were you discussing?" Death Gatling asked.
"We're were talking about Swim's choice of weapon and attire." DSQ answered with a toothy smile. "It reminds me of home, so I wanted to chat is all."
"...That's a pathetic reason."
"Whomever said that better thank Saitama. If not for his rules, I'd throttle all of you!" she growled at them, making the majority of them flinch from her threat. She kept up her glare them before returning to her talk with Swim. "So as I was saying, you deep sea dive in your spare time?"
"Yes." Swim nodded with a smile as she looked down at her trident. "It was a hobby at first, but it sparked my start as a hero when I stopped a few crooks who were holding up a convenience store. It felt good stopping them, so I applied to be a pro Hero and passed...barely."
As they got lost in their conversation, the other heroes just stared in ever growing confusion.
"Is anybody else believing any of this?" one of the Tank-Toppers asked.
"That a bunch of heroes and monsters are chatting like old friends?" another said.
"Yeah. And a lot of them Demon level or higher threats." nodded another.
"It still doesn't fully explain why these monsters are acting this way." Death Gatling grunted.
"I'll ask." TT Swimmer said before calmly approaching them. When he had their attention, he spoke. "Hi."
"Hello. Is there another question you wish to ask?" Deep Sea Queen asked.
"More like the million yen question. Why exactly are all of the monsters here acting so...so..."
"Not violent?" the Subterranean Queen finished for him, earning a nod from the hero.
"Why?" DSQ asked as she rose to her full height and stood in front of him, intimidating them all. "You've seen Saitama's strength earlier, correct?" she said, earning a nod from most of them. "Then let me ask you a question. Whether you're a man or a monster." she began before bending down so that she was looking him right in the eye. "Would you still try and destroy humanity or commit a crime?"
In an instant, the image of Saitama blasting a hole through Vacuuma and several buildings flashed through the mind of the gathered heroes. Some grit their teeth. Some tightened their fists. Some even managed to keep their breathing under control. But one thing was for certain.
Deep down, all of them were terrified of the power they witnessed.
"That's what I thought." DSQ said as she stood back up. "There are a lot of monsters out there who aren't mindless creatures. Many of us can think and feel. It's true that we have no love for humanity, but we do value our lives. That's why we stay here and leave you all alone."
This revelation gave the heroes pause for thought. Some had seen for themselves that some monsters were quite smart. And they had also noticed that the monsters were also terrified when Saitama destroyed Vacuuma.
"Hold on a second!" Tank-Top Black Hole spoke up as he stepped forward. "Even if the fr-er, if Saitama is strong enough to scare you, what's stopping you from doing something when he's not around? Or better yet, what about when his gaurd is down? Or when he sleeps?"
The Deep Sea Queen and Subterranean Queen looked at him, then at each other for a few moments before laughing their heads. Even Tank-Top Girl was snickering.
"Hey! What are you two laughing?!" Tank-Top Tiger demanded from them all.
"They're laughing at that funny joke he just made!" Beast Queen guffawed as she approached them, bags of kombu in her hand.
"What do you mean by 'funny joke?'" TT Black Hole asked in confusion.
"Simple. If you thought what he did to Vacuuma was his best, then you ain't seen nothing yet." Beast Queen said with a toothy grin.
"...You're joking." Tank-Top Tiger said with a nervous laugh before turning to Tank-Top Girl. "She's joking, right?" She merely looked at him and said nothing, her face blank. "Right?!"
"HEY!"
Everyone turned to see One Shotter waving towards them, the other heroes standing behind.
"WE'RE LEAVING! LET'S GO!" he shouted before he went back to try and un-jam his gun.
After leaving a rather awkward goodbye, the heroes, minus Captain Mizuki and Swim, all left the apartments and began heading for the exit gate of the abandoned district. After arriving outside of the gate, the groups all felt it was safe to talk without the monsters hearing them. No one said anything.
For about 10 seconds.
"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK DID WE JUST SEE BACK THERE?!" Tank-Top Vegetarian bellowed.
That set the rest of them off as they all began to ask the same thing, just not quite so loudly. No one could tell who asked what at that point, nor could anyone hope to answer.
"Hold it! HOLD IT!" Tank-Top Master shouted, silencing them all. "Calm down, all of you."
"How exactly are we supposed to be calm after all that's just happened?! And how can you stay so calm yourself?!"
"I admit, this whole day has been a bit of a shock." Tank-Top Master said. "I only wished to understand who the hero Saitama was, only to find all of these monsters living here."
"What did you find out, Master?" Tank-Top Al Dente asked. "Did he say why they all live here?"
"He did." Tank-Top Master nodded before explaining what Saitama had said. "Each of them were defeated by Saitama, but weren't killed for different reasons. Some of which were simply lucky to have survived. As for why they live here, they simply had nowhere else to go, so they asked to live in this building, so long as they obey his rules of not attacking humans."
Many of the other heroes who had spoken to the other monsters confirmed his words, saying that they had been told the same thing.
"So long story short, they ain't gonna attack humans and live out here." Golden Ball summed up.
"Sounds fishy." TT Tiger huffed, unconvinced that any monster could be trusted to be anything but a mindless killing machine, with others were thinking this as well.
"No." Twin Tails spoke up, her blinded gaze at the ground. "I was listening in to the conversation you were having with him, Tank-Top Master. I didn't hear a single lie from his story, or from the others that I could hear."
"So...what? They're actually friendly?" TT Jungle asked.
"It matters not." Death Gatling stated with a harden scowl. "They're still monsters. Many of which are dangerous. We cannot let them go unchecked. We need to inform the Hero Association immediately."
"Wait!" TT Girl spoke up, to the confusion of the others. "You can't tell them!"
"What are you talking about?!" TT Black Hole asked in bewilderment.
"He's harboring monsters! One of which is a Dragon level threat!" TT Tiger added.
"I know all that!" she said.
"Then why shouldn't we call the Hero Association?" TT Vegetarian asked before narrowing his eyes at her. "Don't tell me you actually care for those monsters!" She opened her mouth to answer before slowly averting her eyes and biting her lip. "...You gotta be kidding me."
TT Girl soon had to cover her ears as the other heroes began to bombard her with questions and accusations, some of which were claiming her a monster loving traitor to humanity.
"Tank-Top Girl."
Everyone stopped when Tank-Top Master spoke and stood in front of Tank-Top Girl, his face showing no emotion.
"I want an honest answer. Do you care for the monsters here?" he asked. Tank-Top Girl stared back at him for a moment, doing her best to ignore the glares she was getting from most of the other heroes.
"In all honesty...I don't know." she finally said before clenching her fists. "But...whether I do or not, it's not the only reason I want this to be kept secret."
"What other reason could you possibly have for not wanting to tell the Hero Association about a group of powerful monsters gathering here?!" One Shotter asked in shock.
"I'll give you four reasons." she said before holding up one finger. "One. If we say that there's a Dragon level threat, along with multiple Demon level threats, being harbored by Saitama and Genos, how would the Hero Association react?"
"Duh. They'd send as many heroes as they could. And they'd probably have Saitama imprisoned for harboring them." Golden Ball stated. "And there's also Genos and Captain Mizuki since they knew and said nothing. And, well, you too."
"And that brings us to reason one: Bad publicity for the Hero Association." she said while raising one finger.
"Bad Publicity?" one of the Tank-Toppers said in confusion.
"Yes. Imagine if the public learns of this. What if they think that other heroes are hoarding monsters as well? Trust in the Hero Association would plummet." she began.
"Come on." Tank-Top Tiger chuckled. "Who in the association would be dumb enough to tell the public something like that?"
"You and Tank-Top Black Hole." she answered before holding her hand up to stop them from speaking. "And don't try to deny that you'd be glad to see the public turn against him."
The two brothers opened their mouths to protest, but stopped when they noticed their fellow Tank-Toppers slowly nodding their heads.
"She is right. The Hero Association does care about appearances, and this would cause unrest amongst the general populace." Tank-Top Master said.
"Thank you, Master." TT Girl said with relieved smile before holding up a second finger. "Reason number two: Some of the monsters, and even I had a hard time believing it, have actually been doing some good for humanity."
"A monster? Doing good?" Death Gatling scoffed.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen it." TT Girl said. "You remember that drink that was recalled because it had liquid cocaine in it?"
"I do. I loved that stuff." said one of the Tank-Toppers with a smile before it fell to a frown. "Shame that they put that crap in it."
"And how was it discovered that it was being put in the drink?" TT Girl asked.
"That's easy. Child Emperor discovered it after that monster called Vaccine Woman attacked and..." another Tank-Topper trailed off.
"Exactly. She broke in and scared everyone off on purpose. She knew that the Hero Association was looking for her and knew that she was drawn to pollutions and toxins and such." Tank-Top Girl explained.
"You're telling us that she drew the attention of the Hero Association on purpose?" Golden Ball suggested.
"Yes. She did that for everybody. And she's not the only one. Does anyone know of the criminal Thomas Crain?"
"The one they called 'The Butcher?' I heard he and his gang were finally caught." said One Shotter.
"They were, along with many other dangerous criminals." Fubuki spoke up. "It's why I came here with my group in the first place. To find them and extend an invitation to our group." She lowered her gaze before continuing. "Imagine my surprise to find that the one who was doing it was a monster."
Everyone was silent as they thought about it. They had heard about a mysterious bounty hunter going around and catching viles criminals and organizations that the Hero Association was after. Now they knew who, or rather what, it was that was doing it.
"As odd as it sounds, if those monsters are doing all that, then it truly is a good thing." said TT Mask, earning more reluctant nods.
"How do you know for certain that they're good?" Death Gatling spoke up, gaining their attention. "It could all be a ruse to make you think that way."
"Hey, he's right! It could just be a trick!" TT Tiger spoke up.
"I bet it's all an act until they get strong enough to kill us all!" TT Black Hole added, earning some nods from the heroes. They all whipped their heads towards TT Girl when she began to stiffle a giggle. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just thought the same thing when I met them all. The monsters are too terrified to even think about trying something like that, no matter how strong they are or how many of them get together." she explained before giving an exasperated sigh. "Are the lot of you still doubting them? Even after seeing with your own eyes? I mean, you all saw what Saitama did to that elephant looking monster, along with all those buildings, and he wasn't even trying."
"Well...okay, he is strong." Vegetarian admitted.
"And for any of you who have doubts about strength like that existing." TT Master began. "Let me say two things. King, and Tatsumaki." He paused to let that sink in before continuing. "If they get word of a group of monsters here, they'll come and take care of them."
"Why is that bad, Master?" one of the Tank-Toppers asked.
"Normally, it wouldn't be. However, it's different this time. Both of them are powerful, but so are some of the monsters here. If they fought, it may spread outside the abandoned area and into the more populated areas of City-Z, if not other cities entirely."
"And let's not forget that Saitama would fight too, since they're all friends." TTG added before looking at the ground, her fists trembling. "And..."
"And?" TT Mask asked while fanning himself.
Images flashed through her mind as she spoke, showing a certain bald hero standing over a man with three scars over his left eye and what looked like a little girl with green hair, their bodies covered in wounds and unconscious, their blood all over the area.
"And no matter how I try to envision it, deep down, I can't see either of them winning." she spoke in a trembling voice, her body breaking out in a cold sweat.
"That's a bunch of crap. Nobody could beat those two!" spoke TT Tiger.
"You only say that because you didn't see what I saw." she countered as she thought back to when she saw Saitama blow another hole through a mountain.
"I have one more question for you, Tank-Top Girl." TT Master said. "If you knew this whole time, why didn't you tell us from the start?"
"I wanted to. Both Jet Nice Girl and I were ready to tell the Hero Association about the monsters here, and of Saitama letting them stay in the same building. But then the monsters begged us to let Saitama show exactly why they obeyed him and stopped attacking humans. They were even ready to turn themselves in if they couldn't convince us, and Genos and Captain Mizuki put their titles as heroes on the line. Honestly, whether they did or not, I was ready to tell anyway." she explained.
"What stopped you?" Death Gatling asked, his mild curiosity covered up by his scowl.
"After he showed the both of us his strength, we passed out from sheer terror." she said while looking away with a blush. "When we woke up, it was to a party with everyone getting along. When we saw that, I guess we just didn't have it in us anymore to rat them out."
"So you actually believe that they're good?" TT Black Hole asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes." she said with a nod. "I've seen it all the times I've come here."
"She's telling the truth. I haven't heard a single lie from anything she's said. Not even a half a lie." Twin Tails confirmed.
"Thank you." TTG gratefully said before turning to them all. "Is that enough to convince you all?"
The heroes were all silent as they considered her words. May were still looking skeptical. Finally...
"I'll stay quiet." Golden Ball spoke up. "If only because I saw one of those monsters keep Spring Mustachio from getting eating by that Vacuuma monster."
"I'll keep it a secret. The monsters all sounded sincere." said Twin Tails.
"It'll take some convincing, but neither I nor my group will say anything to either the Hero Association or any other heroes." said Fubuki. 'That way, I'll have something over Saitama to help me get him under my rule.'
"We'll also need to make sure the heroes that were taken to the hospital know about this as well." said Shadow Ring. "We can only hope that they'll agree as well."
"We won't say anything either." said Tank-Top Master before looking to his group. "Understand?" Seeing that TT Master has spoken, the rest of the Tank-Top Army nodded, though some were reluctant to do so.
"I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll keep quiet too." One Shotter sighed.
Everyone then glanced at Death Gatling, who was glaring at them all. Nobody said anything as they wondered what he would decide. After what felt like hours, he released an aggravated sigh while rubbing his eyes with one hand.
"I must be going crazy." he muttered before glaring back up at TT Girl. "If any of them so much as looks at an innocent civilian funny, I'm heading straight to the Hero Association." Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving them all in agreement. The other heroes all began to follow him to leave as well, many asking themselves the same question.
'Are we doing the right thing?'
-Meanwhile-
Gyoro Gyoro sat in silence as the few remaining monsters awaited his response, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't squish them together anymore than they already were. When they had returned, they were immediately escorted to Gyoro Gyoro to report. His eye was still closed after some time, leaving them to sweat as he used his powers to squeeze them in an invisible box.
"Let me get this straight." he finally began, his eye finally opening at them. "I send an army of monsters up to the abandoned district to find and bring the Deep Sea Queen back, only for all but you few before me to be decimated."
"Yes!" Eyesight answered fearfully.
"And the reason for this is because you all encountered a rather large group of heroes that just happened to be there as well, including two Class-S heroes."
"That's right!" Do-S nodded rapidly.
"And you managed to slip away while Vacuuma was being destroyed."
"C-Correct." Super Mouse stuttered out.
"And even though you failed to bring the Deep Sea Queen back, you encountered a gathering of other monsters. One that I heard was said to be threat level Dragon."
"R-Right! But we don't know if they're still alive after encountering the heroes!" Maiko Plasma quickly explained.
Gyoro Gyoro was silent again as he watched them all squeeze and wriggle against each other to try and make some room.
"I feel that...you're keeping something from me." he said before squeezing them a little, making them cry out in pain. "I know that you know your own limits, Maiko Plasma, but you three are different. You're all strong, have lethal abilities, and were confident in yourselves to the point that you were ready to take on the Class-S heroes by yourselves. Yet when you all returned, you all looked like you had just escaped the jaws of death. So I'm only going to ask you once: What else was up there?"
"Th-There was somebody else there!" Eyesight yelled.
"And that somebody is...?" Gyore Gyore said in a bored tone, the box closing in even more.
"They...They said they were...a hero for fun!" Do-S grunted out. "They were...different!"
"Different how?"
"Their strength...far greater than...the Class-S heroes earlier!" Super Mouse shrieked. "They were the one...who wasted Vacuuma...even after he ate them!"
"Hmmm." Gyore Gyore hummed as they watched the monsters whimper in pain before finally releasing them. "If I find out that you've been telling fibs, then you'll wish you had died at the hands of the heroes. You're dismissed." he said before turning in his chair, leaving them all to scamper out of the room.
"That...was too close!" Do-S gasped as they got out of earshot of everyone else.
"I still say we should've suggested leaving!" Super Mouse said as they tried to stop their body from trembling.
"If that bald hero had known about us, he'd have come down here and massacred us by now." Maiko Plasma reminded them.
"I agree. For now, it's best if we just bide our time until the right moment." Eyesight spoke up.
"The right moment for what?" Super Mouse asked as she and the other two looked up at Eyesight. The snake-haired monster answered with five simple words.
"To run for our lives!"
