Yo, so I just realized I forgot to name a couple of my chapters, so I'm gonna see if I can get back into that. Anyways, Cheerio!

Chapter Fourteen: The Storm Brews

"Are you sure about this Mrs. Fubuki?" Eyelashes asked. "This guy's in A-Class. Shouldn't we stick to B-Class affairs and let Amai Mask deal with him?"

"No," Fubuki said. "Amai Mask has had enough time to deal with this fool and he has not. Besides, he is obviously a fraud, he's not on the level of a true A-Class. It is time to take things into our own hands. Are you sure he lives here?"

"Yes Mrs. Fubuki, we followed him here yesterday," Mountain Ape said.

"Alright then, let's go," Fubuki declared, using her psychokinesis to open the fenced gate. The three members of the Blizzard Group entered the City Z abandoned zone.


"I'm bored!" Tatsumaki complained, stretching out like a cat on Saitama's couch. Saitama looked up from his manga.

"What do you normally do when you're bored?" Saitama asked.

"I usually go kill monsters," Tatsumaki said. "But there haven't been any alerts all day! And plus, it's so hot out."

Was it? Saitama looked outside. It was certainly sunny. Saitama had forgotten what it felt like to be hot. Not even the magma towards the center of the planet really bothered him.

"You seriously don't have any other hobbies?" Saitama asked.

"No. Never had the time," Tatsumaki replied. "Always out, looking for monsters or other threats."

"What about before you were a hero? Didn't you have friends?" Saitama asked.

Saitama finished the page of his manga and looked back up at Tatsumaki. She had sat up straight and was staring at seemingly nothing.

"No," she said. "I never had any friends. Friends make you weak. Friends drag you down. Friends can't be trusted."

Saitama frowned. "What about the S-Class? Surely you can trust them."

Tatsumaki scoffed. "Trust them? To do what, be failures? Some of them can take care of themselves, but the rest are weaklings. None of them can compare to us. To you."

"I would hope not. They all have their own strengths," Saitama said.

"What use is a gimmick compared to real power? Atomic Samurai can swing his sword all he likes, but if there's a monster that's too tough to cut he can't do shit. Child Emperor only has so many toys. When they're up against true power, not one of them stands a chance," Tatsumaki said.

"True power," Saitama muttered. He chuckled. "Tats, how often does true power pop up? Let me tell you, it's not often. In the past twenty years, I've fought maybe a dozen people that any of the S-Class couldn't kill. Most of the time, we're not needed. So what if they're not indestructible? As long as they get the job done, whatever."

"...We?" Tatsumaki whispered. "You think I'm strong?"

"Oh yeah, I've fought my share of ESPers, most of them never came close to your level," Saitama said. "It's impressive really. Some had a bit more control over their powers though."

Tatsumaki blushed and brought her knees up to her chest. "I'm sorry! I'm working on it, I swear I'll never let you down again!"

"Don't worry about it, as long as no one gets hurt. And you don't break too many of my things," Saitama said. "What's up with that anyway."

"It's nothing!" Tatsumaki said quickly.

Saitama raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't lie, Tats. That's not nice."

Tatsumaki buried her face in her knees and put her arms over her head. When she spoke, her voice was muffled. "Well, imagine my power like a reservoir. The dam keeping all the water in is my concentration. In ESPer's, there's two ways to measure strength. How much water can fit in the reservoir, and how quickly it refills. My well of power is immense, dozens of times greater than the average ESPer. But my power recharges very quickly too. Well, if my concentration slips, it's like there are cracks in the dam and water spills out. But sometimes, the water spills out the top, and no matter how thick the concrete is, there's nothing I can do. Killing monsters helps me keep the water level in check."

Saitama hmmed thoughtfully. "Have you tried other ways of releasing the tension? You said you can create light. I'm sure there's lots of things you could use your powers for."

"And waste monster killing energy?" Tatsumaki scoffed.

Saitama looked at her. "You're not a weapon, Tats."

Tatsumaki recoiled like she'd been shot. Saitama heard several explosions outside. At least it hadn't been his house. Tats was staring at him like he had three heads. Her mouth opened and closed it, over and over again. She stayed like that for five minutes, until her communicator buzzed. She blinked and looked at it, abruptly standing.

"I…I have to go," Tatsumaki stuttered, flying out his balcony door.

Saitama frowned. Tats sure was an odd one. Saitama went back to reading. Finally, peace and quiet. Genos had left a while ago. Saitama thought he heard something about elevated energy levels. Hopefully that didn't mean the microwave was broken. Luckily that meant he and Tatsumaki had stopped their arguing. And now that she was gone, he could finally read his manga in peace.

However, his peace only lasted a few minutes. There was a knock at his door. Saitama sighed and got up. Outside were a couple guys in suits and a woman in a long black dress and a white fur coat. Shit, was this the IRS? Were they mad because he's not paying taxes?

"Uh, hey guys, what can I do for you?" Saitama asked nervously, peering through the crack in the door.

"Greetings Saitama, I am B Class Rank One, Blizzard of Hell. I'm sure I need no further introduction. We'd like to have a word with you," the woman said. The men behind them cracked their knuckles like old school mafia goons.

"What for?" Saitama asked.

"Don't act like you don't know baldy!" One of the men shouted. The woman silenced him with a look.

Saitama sighed. "Alright fine, look we don't have to make a big deal out of this ok?"

"I disagree," the woman said. "You made this a big deal when you decided to mess with the Hero Association."

"Huh?" Saitama asked. "What about the Hero Association?"

"Just admit you're cheating! Surrender your title as hero and face our justice!" The big dude said.

"Wait so you're not with the IRS? Whew, thank goodness, I thought I was in serious trouble," Saitama sighed.

"Oi! You think just cause we look cool as hell in our professional suits and you look dumb in your banana costume you think you can make fun of the Blizzard Group!" The shorter man roared.

"Banana costume? I'll have you know this was a gift," Saitama said.

"Sir, I'm not going to ask you again. Come out here and submit to our justice," the woman commanded.

"Oi, hold on, you don't wanna fight, do you?" Saitama said.

"It won't be much of a fight," the woman promised.

Saitama sighed. "What is it with everyone wanting to fight all the time? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Still, Saitama didn't want his house getting wrecked so he came outside and closed the door. "What do you want?"

"The Blizzard Group takes pride in our titles as heroes. We do not take kindly to those who squander the name," the woman explained.

"The Blizzard Group? What's that?" Saitama asked.

"Hey!" The big guy thundered. "Don't disrespect the Blizzard Group! Unlike you, we do real hero work!"

The woman waved her hand and silenced the big dude. "The Blizzard Group is a coalition of B Class heroes led by me, Fubuki, the Blizzard of Hell."

"God, that is a pretentious name," Saitama said.

"Excuse me!?" Fubuki exclaimed.

"At least it's not Blast, or King. That just seems like way overkill to me," Saitama said.

"Kick his ass," Fubuki said.

The two men behind her lunged at Saitama. Saitama just sent them flying over the railing. The woman looked shocked. "Hey, what was that about? You a gang leader or something?"

"Gang!?" Fubuki sputtered. "No! The Blizzard Group is a faction! And you're going to regret attacking my subordinates!"

"Subordinates?" Saitama asked, watching as Fubuki floated into the air, a whirlwind kicking up. "How is that any different than a gang?"

"Shut up!" Fubuki yelled, hurling him off his balcony into the maelstrom below. It was a ruthless attack, meant to rend flesh and shatter bones. As Fubuki landed before the whirlwind, Saitama emerged, unharmed. She gasped and reached out with her psychokinesis, trying to freeze his body. But Saitama just kept coming.

"I see now. You're one of those rookie crushers. Not just that, but a bully too. You try to secure your rank by gathering people weaker than you to feel strong. But at the end of the day, you're still weak," Saitama said.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Fubuki yelled, creating a psychic barrier between them. Saitama walked into it, pushing Fubuki back. Fubuki tried to resist, her feet skidding against the asphalt, but failing to stop her.

"Let's see what I do know," Saitama said, still advancing on her. "You show up at my house spouting nonsense, tell some guys to attack me and then try and kill me yourself. You're B Class, but could be in A Class if you wanted. You preach about heroism but clearly have no idea what it means."

Fubuki was up against a wall now. Her barrier shattered and Saitama slammed a fist next to her head. The building shuttered.

"Being a hero isn't about rank, or crushing newbies," Saitama exclaimed. "There are tons of monsters and villains out there that threaten society. A hero is someone who combats that evil, even if they do it alone. You can't be dependent on others if you're going to survive. You have to learn to stand on your own. If you think gathering a bunch of weaklings as your servants is going to save you, you're wrong."

"I said, shut up!" Fubuki yelled, slamming her fists on the wall behind her. Two sections separated from the wall and slammed into Saitama from either side. It only lasted a moment until Saitama busted out, and Fubuki lunged at his neck with a knife.

Just then an explosion rang out. Fire engulfed the two of them. When the dust cleared, Saitama saw Genos behind him.

"Hey!" Saitama shouted. "What did I say about blowing up my street!?"

"Sorry Sensei! I did not realize we were on your block," Genos said.

A maniacal laugh rang out. Perched on a lamp post was the black clad ninja dude.

"Saitama, this worthless chicken claims to be your apprentice, is this true?" Ninja asked. "I'm disappointed. I would never let someone as weak as him train under me."

"Oh hey, it's you," Saitama said. "What was your name? Seed on the ground?"

"It's Speed o' Sound Sonic! We've met like six times! How do you not remember me!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Dude, I meet a lot of people, I can't keep you all straight," Saitama said.

"No matter, because your memory ends today! Once I turn your disciple into scraps, you're next!" Sonic laughed.

"Master, allow me to deal with this pest," Genos said.

"Yeah whatever dude, just don't blow up my street again," Saitama said.

As Genos attacked Sonic, a voice behind him whispered "Master?"

Saitama turned and saw Fubuki coated in ash. "What?"

"Genos called you master," Fubuki said. She had a far away look in her eye.

Saitama scowled. "I know right? It's so annoying. I keep telling him to stop."

"But…if he's your disciple…that means…" Fubuki said.

Saitama eyed her. What the hell was that about? Damn, were all ESPers this weird? Saitama looked back at Genos. Ha! Grabbed his hair. That was funny. Oh shit wait, was he gonna blow up the street again?

Before Genos could blow up his street even more, Saitama went over and whacked him to the ground. He seriously did not want to be sweeping up ash all day.

"Saving your disciple, Saitama? How noble. I wouldn't expect something from a villain like you," Sonic spat.

"Alright, what did you want again? Revenge or something? Ok, well I'll fight you seriously this time. Come on, bring it," Saitama said.

Sonic scowled, brandishing his sword. "Don't patronize me, reprobate. I will show you the true power of the ninja clan! Ultimate Technique! Tenfold Funeral!"

The dude started jumping around, making ten afterimages. Would you look at that? The dude did get faster. Welp, he did say he'd take it seriously.

"Serious Series: Sideways Jumps!" Saitama said as he blurred across the street. When Sonic hit the ground, Saitama slowed. Looks like that was over with. Saitama went to pick up Genos. He was probably going to have to see his doctor again.

"W-wait!" Fubuki called.


Amai Mask stared at the holographic screen in the center of the table. The chatterings of the executives fell on his deaf ears as he attempted to brainstorm solutions to this little dilemma.

Mysterious A Class Spotted with Several S-Class. That was the title of this article. At least this one didn't immediately trash Saitama's name. Who is the Caped Baldy? Cheater or Blackmailer? That had been the worst one.

In the past weeks, there have been dozens of articles written about the same topic. Saitama. But not in the light Amai Mask had hoped. Saitama had been photographed with various members of the S-Class, including Metal Bat, Child Emperor, Genos and King. Of course, this prompted them to search into his background, finding nothing except his scores on the hero examination. Instead of taking it at face value, the imbeciles assumed he had cheated, or bribed someone. They gave the same explanation as for why he was seen around the S-Class. That notion was simply preposterous. They should know that blackmail would not work on people as strong as them. Saitama was certainly demanding public attention, just not in the way he anticipated.

"This cannot stand!" Executive Kaito said, slamming his fist on the table. "How will Blast bring in merchandise if no one likes him?"

"You mean how will he act as a hero?" Sekingar corrected.

"Er, yes of course," Kaito said.

"We need to do something to repair his reputation," Sitch said. "Even if his strength is proven later on, people will not trust him if they believe he does not act heroically."

"I agree," Amai Mask said. "People do not forgive easily. If this debate is not handled quickly, it could prove disastrous for the remainder for the rest of his career. Media sources are using his battle with the Deep Sea King and the Meteor Incident as proof that he has been taking credit for other heroes work. I've been working on a way to dispel those ideas, but how do we repair his reputation?"

Indeed, Metal Knight had put together a series of articles that would be published to several large media companies soon. These articles would be promoted while the articles bashing Saitama would be made more difficult to find online. Amai's personal favorite article was called Where Did the Rain Go? It boasted a slow motion video of Saitama's battle with the Sea King, showing the Sea King's initial punch and the shockwave, stopping the rain midair, and Saitama's punch, which cleared the entire rainstorm. Amai Mask enjoyed the poeticism in that. Clearing the storm. He would do the same.

"Perhaps we can create a scenario where he can act as a hero," Jiro suggested. "When a tiger level monster shows up, and some B-Classes lose to it, Saitama can save them and beat the monster. As long as we get video proof of his heroism, the media will eat that up."

"That would help, but it wouldn't work to the fullest," Amai Mask said. "There would be people who say it was faked, or he only did it because he would be filmed."

"Can we get him on a talk show?" Ren asked.

"I fear that would only worsen his reputation," Sitch said. "People would see his lackluster demeanor as apathy for his career."

"I will speak with him," Amai Mask said. "If I can get him to agree to go on a talk show with me, I'm sure I can paint him in a light that will ease the tension surrounding him."

There was a murmuring of agreement around the table. Sitch nodded. "Alright, that matter has been settled for now. We can move onto the next item on the agenda. Saitama and Genos need official hero names. People have been petitioning for Genos' hero name for a while, it's time we give him one. As for Saitama, we cannot give him Blast's title now, and seeing how he's now A Class Rank 12, we need to give him an appropriate name that will appeal to the public."

"How about Iron Fist for Genos?" Ren suggested. "It highlights his cyborg attributes."

"Yes, but it sounds too much like a martial artist's name," Ikuza countered. "How about Flame Bringer?"

For the next two hours, the group debated the hero names for Genos and Saitama. Finally they reached a decision.

"Can we all agree that these names are fitting for our two newest members?" Sitch asked. A chorus of agreements answered him.

"Ha! These names are great, I'm sure our new heroes will love them," Kaito declared.

"Yes, I think they are most fitting," Amai Mask agreed.

"And now we can move onto the final item on today's agenda," Sitch said. "The matter of Garou."

"I don't see why we even need to discuss this," Ikuza said. "Silverfang already agreed to hunt him, there's no need to worry."

"He defeated a room full of C through A class villains like it was nothing and dispatched two A-Class heroes, he is not someone to be taken lightly," Sitch said.

"That meeting should have never occurred," Amai Mask said. "The Hero Association does not need to stoop to using criminals to hunt down monsters. That is a hero's work."

"At the end of the day, this Garou person is only human, even if he likes to call himself a monster," Ren said. "I'm sure he has nothing to do with the prophecy."

Sitch frowned, but said "If that's the case, then this meeting is adjourned."