Very rarely was the personnel carrier that the association had in their possession ever used. More often than not, one or two heroes were enough to handle any situation. But considering that Metal Knight, Tornado, and possibly Drive Knight were capable of flight right then and there, this meant the remainder of the S class heroes needed to use it to travel together. This resulted in a reasonably tense environment to form inside the carrier, as these people, while respecting each other, weren't friends by any means.
"...So...King..." Child Emperor spoke to try and break the awkward silence, "What's it like being One Punch Man's best friend?" He asked.
"Hm? Oh uh...it's...nice?" King hesitantly replied as he didn't know what answer to give.
"Really? Just nice?" He questioned.
"I mean, I don't know how to describe being friends with someone other than that," King explained.
"Oh, come on, King! You're the ONLY person he lets near him in his personal life!" Tatsumaki suddenly exclaimed, catching them all by surprise, "You've got to have more details to share than that!" She insisted.
"You okay there, shorty?" Metal Bat asked while pointing at her with his weapon, "Since when do you care so much about ANYONE'S personal life. Let alone One Punch Man's?" He added.
"Was I speaking to you?!" She spat back with venom lacing each word, "Or have you taken so many blows to the head you're hearing voices now?!" She questioned.
"Now, Now. No need to get riled up." Bang intervened before things became violent, "Remember why all of us are here first and foremost. Save any personal grievances until we're not high above the ground." He told them.
Much like children being scolded by a parent, both Metal Bat and the hot head esper turned their heads to the side and fell silent, a relief to nearly everyone on board the carrier. However, none more so than King, as everyone forgot about him and his friendship with One Punch Man thanks to their minor spat.
"Sheesh...that was close..." He thought while releasing a sigh, "I hope that this turns out to be one big misunderstanding...I don't know if I can handle any more stress today..." He added.
Meanwhile...
You know, due to his fame, One Punch Man has seen a LOT of fans. Not only that, but he's seen every kind of fan; there isn't a type that he wasn't aware of. However, this was the first time he'd ever seen a fan who also happened to be a monster, which was the case with his "tour guide" Mosquito Girl. Now, some people might think he was a little presumptuous; what could she possibly be doing that made him so sure?
Well, it was a couple of things, to be honest. First, there was the smile that Mosquito Girl had on her face that reached across both sides of her head, which by itself wouldn't be that much of a giveaway. But combined with the second clue, which is how she spoke to him in that way where you can tell she was trying to impress or get some form of reaction out of him, Saitama knew the chances of her being a fan were VERY high.
And yet, Mosquito Girl wasn't behaving like his average fan. To be fair, she did have pep, excitement, and happiness aplenty. But she kept herself at a comfortable distance, didn't hound him for an autograph or pry into his personal life, and she was doing her best to treat him no different than anyone else. Of course, that last one was a bit of a struggle for her, and Saitama could tell, but he appreciated the effort Mosquito Girl was putting forth and wished more people did the same.
"Alright!" Mosquito Girl exclaimed as she led him deeper into the facility, "You've seen our rec room and where the clones do most of their work. I think it's time that you got to see where we were created. Which is also the place we go to get patched up if we sustain any injuries during our training!" She suggested.
"And after that, we'll do the tests?" Saitama asked.
"Mhm! The doctor MIGHT want to show you some more stuff afterward. But if I show you this, then he'll probably wait another time since this is his crowning achievement." She answered.
"Cool." He replied.
Walking through a few more corridors, eventually, the duo found themselves entering a room with a very eye-catching bunch of scientific equipment and machinery inside of it. Lining the walls were giant tubes connected to devices Saitama couldn't make heads or tails of. But he didn't worry since he knew Mosquito Girl would give him the whole story.
"Okay! So!" She began while clapping her hands together, an impressive feat considering the length of her claws, "What you're seeing are the gene baths that my fellow members of the House of Evolution and I spawn from!" She informed as they began walking around the room, "None of the clones are working in this space at the moment since none of us need to be healed, or in the more extreme cases, fully replaced." She continued, "And, before you ask, yes. I am saying that all of us, at one point, were cloned. We're all different from each other in various ways, the most important, of course, being our genetics. So when we're first created, there ARE some issues with how durable our bodies are or how stable our genetics are. Which results in us needing to be reproduced with those problems being solved the next time." She explained.
"What's that like?" He asked, "Do you die? And if so, is it hard coming back to life?" He inquired.
"It's...more like a pictureless dream." She answered, "Like, you know how sometimes when you sleep, nothing happens in your mind? It's either a gray void, or you instantly wake up even though it's been hours in reality? That's what it's like for me and the others. We don't feel as if we've left the world and are heading into...whatever is on the other side. And it's not just because we know we'll be coming back. I don't know the specific details of how it all works; you'd have to ask the doctor for those. But he's managed to make it so that we don't feel any fear or anxiety after something severe happens. If anything, it's weirdly soothing." She elaborated.
Huh, okay, turns out that Saitama could still be surprised. With his status as the number one superhero in the world, combined with how many crazy things he's seen while fighting monsters and villains, he figured nothing could "wow" him as stuff did before. But that was a pretty wild concept to wrap his head around, that somehow Mosquito Girl's creator had, in a way, mastered life, death, and reincarnation. Thankfully, before Saitama's mind could try and figure out this mess on its own, he and Mosquito girl were joined by the very man they were talking about.
"Ah, there you two are." Dr. Genus said as both he and Genos entered the room, "The others told me you had taken One Punch Man on a tour, Mosquito Girl. Given your head start, it made sense that you would've made it this far into the facility." He told them, in case they wondered how he knew they were here.
"Yes, sir. I hope it was okay. I assumed you'd want to give him a tour anyways, and since you were busy talking to the cyborg, I thought there'd be no harm in doing it myself." She responded.
"Genos." He corrected as he put his hands behind his back, "And yes. You are correct. Genos and I exchanged a fair amount of information. So, you taking it upon yourself to show our honored guest around as you have was both considerate and time-efficient. Well done, Mosquito Girl." He praised.
"Thank you, doctor." She said with a smile.
"So, One Punch Man. What do you think of my life's work?" He inquired, now turning his attention towards the hero.
"It's cool." Saitama replied, "I hope you're not insulted. I just don't know how else to compliment something as complex as this place." He explained.
"No. Not at all." Dr. Genus assured, "However, now that you've seen the pinnacle of my achievements, apart from my creations, of course. I believe it'd be best if we moved onto the tests I wanted to run." He suggested.
"Yeah. We were thinking the same." Saitama admitted, referring to himself and Mosquito Girl.
"Excellent. Then, if you would, please follow me." He requested.
Leading the small group they formed, Mosquito Girl would move away from Saitama's side to walk beside her maker as they left the room. Doing so allowed Genos to walk beside him instead, which also allowed them to catch up.
"So, what'd you two talk about?" Saitama inquired, speaking in a low voice so the other two couldn't hear them.
"Many things. Doctor Genus is a brilliant man." Genos replied, speaking at the same volume, "Perhaps, to a terrifying degree." He added.
"Does that mean we shouldn't trust him?" Saitama asked, causing Genos to shake his head.
"Not necessarily. All I meant to imply is that the doctor isn't a person to take lightly. I don't suspect he's trying to deceive us, or more specifically you. After all, you are the strongest person on this planet. Although, I've yet to see this for myself..." He noted, before getting back on track, "My point is. That with how much he has done to avoid upsetting you and that he recognizes your strength. It'd be suicidal to upset you when he can't escape a potential attack." He clarified.
"Okay, that makes sense. But still, why shouldn't we take him lightly? Do you think he could be hiding something?" Saitama pressed, still needing an explanation.
"A man as intelligent as doctor Genus never has only one thing on his mind. So again, while I am confident the purpose of these tests is to understand how you've become so powerful, Saitama. We can't rule out the possibility he may have other motives for wanting to uncover the how and why." He said.
"Hm, true. Even one of the members of S class has been trying to study me for a while now..." Saitama shared with a sigh, "But the guy gives me weird vibes. Even after all this time, no one in S class, to my knowledge, has seen him in person. He's insanely private." He added.
"Forgive me." Dr. Genus spoke up as he and Mosquito Girl stopped walking, forcing them to stop talking, "We need to take an elevator down to where the tests shall be conducted. That is okay, isn't it?" He asked.
"Yeah, sure," Saitama answered with a nod.
Having to pause their conversation, Genos and Saitama followed the duo before them as they all stepped into the aforementioned lift. Once inside, doctor Genus pressed the button at the very bottom. To both Saitama and Genos's surprise, the elevator moved at an incredible speed, and yet they barely felt it. They only realized how fast they were moving based on how quickly the floor numbers changed.
"Geez, you must do a lot of different stuff here," Saitama said to the doctor.
"Surprisingly, no. At the moment, the additional floors are part of an ongoing expansion. However, I have many ideas for future projects now that I've accomplished all I care to regarding genetics. The additional floors and levels are merely preparations for when those ideas are made real." Dr. Genus explained.
"Although! One of the floors higher up in the building is dedicated to our rooms!" Mosquito Girl informed, referring to herself and the others.
"Speaking of, where are your other creations, doctor?" Genos inquired.
"I told them to go ahead and meet us down here. The floor we're headed to is so far the only one filled with any equipment or technology. As it is the place where my creations train and I can study them safely without the concern of property damage." He informed.
"Right. You mentioned that before." Saitama recalled.
After that, the rest of the ride down was in silence. Which continued after the doors open and the four of them entered another corridor. However, unlike the hallways above ground, this one was far more...suspenseful. The walls, ceiling, and floor were made of the same stone-like material, and the only source of light came from multiple bulbs connected by wires hanging on the walls. But, as expected, neither Genos nor Saitama was affected by the ambiance; their faces remained in their usual states as they followed behind their guides.
Eventually, a new light could be seen at the end of the corridor, which made both men automatically assume that was their destination, which it was. Finally exiting the dimly lit hallway, the four of them entered a bigger room than any Genos or Saitama had seen thus far. Every inch they could see was pure white, almost as if they'd just stepped into a blizzard on a snow-covered mountain. And inside this room, besides them, were a series of machines that looked somewhat familiar to Saitama, reminding him of when the association gauged his abilities.
"Hey, where are those other guys?" Saitama asked while looking around.
"Closeby, there is a second room meant for observation. They're waiting for us inside." Dr. Genus answered, "Genos. I highly recommend you join us. For your safety." He said to the cyborg.
"Could he truly be that powerful?" Genos wondered, still doubtful that Saitama, even with a hero name like One Punch Man, could be THAT strong, "Very well." He agreed.
"What should I do?" Saitama asked as he pointed to himself.
"Proceed to the apparatus on the far left. We'll work our way through them until we reach the last on the right. But please wait for us to be secured in the observation room and for me to give you instructions before you interact with it." Dr. Genus instructed.
"Gotcha." He replied with a thumbs up before walking away.
"Do your best! Not that you'd do anything else!" Mosquito Girl exclaimed, supporting the best superhero in the world.
Responding with a simple wave to show he appreciated her kind words, the excited woman followed her creator and Genos into the observation room with a giggle and an ear-to-ear smile. A door-sized panel in the wall next to the room entrance retracted into the floor, allowing the three of them to step inside.
"Hey! There you are!" The beetle greeted, "We were starting to worry about ya, doc. We figured Mosquito Girl managed to haul One Punch Man off somewhere you couldn't find her." He joked as the door closed behind the trio.
"Oh, ha, ha. Make fun of me just because I'm his number one fan." She said.
"Is everything ready?" Dr. Genus asked one of his clones, a small group also present, to assist with the tests and data collection.
"Yes, sir. All we need now is One Punch Man to begin." One clone informed.
"Very good. Please, turn on the microphone." He requested, receiving a nod from the same clone, "Ahem. Testing. One Punch Man, can you hear me?" He asked.
"Oh wow. It's got speakers too." Saitama responded as he looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah! I can hear you fine!" He assured.
"Alright. Then we may start our tests." Dr. Genus began before he cleared his throat, "The device currently in front of you is meant to measure your speed. You don't need to do anything, in particular, to get it to recognize your movements. All that is required is an action repeated so swiftly that it goes beyond what is capable for a normal human being." He informed.
"Huh, okay. So if I were to...move from side to side super quickly...like, if I did some side steps...then that would work?" Saitama suggested.
"Yes. That'd be perfect, actually." He confirmed.
"How long should I do them for?" Saitama asked.
"Ten seconds. With your capabilities, that should be all that we need for each test." He answered.
With that information provided, Saitama had no further questions to ask the good doctor. So, he checked his position in front of the machine, made sure he wouldn't trip or stumble on anything, and then he...
.
.
.
"...Um...One Punch Man?..." Dr. Genus spoke after ten seconds had passed, "You...aren't doing anything..." He said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Saitama replied with a confused expression, "I already did them. You wanted me to go as fast as possible, right? So, I did." He told him.
Hearing him say that...in a way...broke the others' minds. Did...Did he really move so fast they couldn't see it...not even Genos with his enhanced cybernetic eyes?
"N...No...surely not..." Dr. Genus thought as he closed his eyes to help himself think, "One Punch Man is incredible in many respects...but moving so fast that he appears to be standing still...even for a person like him, that's outlandish..." He reasoned before turning around to look at his clones, "Tell me, did he actually-"
He stopped right then and there, which caught the attention of his creations and Genos, making them all turn around as well. What each of them saw was the doctor's clones, who all stared at their individual stations' screens with their mouths agape and their eyes wide open.
"He...He...HE ACTUALLY MOVED THAT FAST?!" All of them thought simultaneously, unable to assume anything else due to the clones' reactions.
"Uh...hello?" Saitama called out, "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"N...No, One Punch Man...everything's...fine..." Dr. Genus answered, trying his best to regain his composure.
"Should I move onto the next test, then?" He followed up.
"Y...Yes...Would you please await further instruction? I and my clones need to analyze the data from the first..." Dr. Genus requested.
"Sure, no problem." He agreed.
"I...I don't believe it..." The lion muttered, each of them in a state of shock.
"Pfft, I can!" Mosquito Girl exclaimed, seeming to be the only exception, "It's no surprise that One Punch Man would be so amazing. I mean, come on, it's him!" She said.
"Yeah...but...that's...crazy..." The frog argued.
"The frog is correct..." Genos silently agreed, his eyes focused entirely on the bald hero, "No matter how much I replay the footage, I can see him move at all. No human being, regardless of enhancements, should be able to make their body move so quickly without causing injury or even death. So what are you, Saitama?" He wondered.
"Alright." Dr. Genus spoke again, he and his clones getting back to business, "Thank you for your patience, One Punch Man. I promise, there won't be any delays from this point onward." He swore, now readying himself for the unbelievable.
"Hey, it's no big. You didn't take long." Saitama said to make him feel better.
"You're too kind." He replied as he pushed up his glasses, "Now then, let's get through these tests as efficiently as possible." He told him.
Over the next...three minutes, Saitama crushed nearly every test the doctor had prepared for him. Evasion, reflexes, dealing with multiple targets, stopping a fast-moving object, the list went on. But there was no point in getting into that list, for like with the speed test Saitama was finished with each of them the moment they began. Thankfully, doctor Genus, his creations, his clones, and Genos got used to seeing him be...well...whatever the HELL he is, which helped them enjoy and marvel at his feats similarly to Mosquito Girl.
As for the data, oh, it was like striking an oil deposit that was filled with gold, and underneath it a pocket of uranium. Basically, it was everything the doctor had hoped for and so, so much more. Soon, there was only one left, and it didn't take any explanation from doctor Genus for Saitama to know what it was.
"A punch machine?" He questioned, "Are you sure about that? I SERIOUSLY advise against you asking me to punch this thing with everything I got." He warned for EVERYONE'S sake.
"Oh, GOD, no." Dr. Genus quickly rejected as he had the wrong idea, "Although I would love to see you when you aren't holding back, I have no intentions of dying today." He said, "What I need to finish the data we've collected is a point of reference for your strength. So, if you think it'd be safe, could you simply flick the device as hard as you can with your index finger? Surely, that'll be within a safe limit." He requested.
"Hm...uh...yeah, that should be okay..." Saitama estimated in his head, "But, it'll probably still destroy the machine. It may even send it flying into or through the wall on the other side of the room. Is that okay?" He asked.
"It is. We're here to learn more about your unrivaled strength and other unmatched abilities. As the saying goes, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." Dr. Genus answered.
With the doctor's approval, Saitama was able to continue onto the last test without any worries. Holding out his right hand in front of the part of the machine he was meant to strike, he readied his thumb, then his finger, and was about to let it loose when...
"SIR!" The panicked voice of one of doctor Genus's clones shouted, managing to be loud enough that Saitama heard it through the intercom, causing him to stop.
"What is it?" Dr. Genus inquired.
"Word from above, a personnel carrier belonging to the Association just landed! And from what we can tell, most of S class is stepping out!" The clone informed.
"Oh no," Saitama said as he lowered his arm, "Hey! Doc! I think we should go deal with that!" He suggested.
"Tsk, damn..." Dr. Genus cursed beneath his breath, "Of all times for the Association to finally come and investigate me in person...it had to be the one day I made contact with One Punch Man..." He thought, followed by a sigh, "I agree..." He responded to the hero, "We'll all return the surface immediately." He instructed.
"Including us?" The mole asked.
"Mhm. This is going to be a confrontation that everyone should be present for." He told them, "Would you like to take the lead this time, One Punch Man?" He asked.
"Sure. It'd probably be for the best too." Saitama answered.
And with that, the tests were forced to stop right as they were at the last one, with everyone except for the doctor's clones leaving the area to go and deal with this unexpected development.