"Ah..." Saitama sounded as he finished his last pancake "Not meaning to brag or anything but I think I make pretty good pancakes." He said.
"No argument here." King agreed as he too had just finished his last pancake.
"They were very good Saitama." Fubuki complimented.
"They could've used syrup." Tatsumaki stated "But that's not to say they weren't great." She added not wanting to come off as rude which admittedly was a surprise to both her and the others.
"Yes, they were quite delicious." Genos complimented as well.
Satisfied that his friends found his cooking or at least his pancakes to be appealing Saitama took the now empty plates which the stacks once stood upon into his hands before proceeding to stand up and take them to the kitchen.
"So Saitama." Fubuki spoke as she looked towards him "What do you plan to do now?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
"You said you were going to take a me day." She answered "So I was just curious as to what that meant." She explained.
"Oh." He sounded "Well I really didn't have anything planned out in all honesty." He admitted "I was just gonna watch some TV and read manga." He confessed.
"Hey wait a minute." King spoke up as a thought occurred to him "Genos?" He said whilst looking to the other.
"Yes?" He responded.
"Are you registered with the association?" King asked.
"No." Genos answered.
"Then why don't we go down to the local branch and have him take the test?" King suggested "That way we can see how strong you are." He added.
"Pfft he doesn't need to take the test." Tatsumaki scoffed as she pointed to Saitama with her thumb "All Saitama would have to do is just tell them to make him S class and they'd do it in a heartbeat." She argued.
"Wait." Saitama said as he stopped washing the dishes "What do you mean by "take the test", since when is there a test?" He asked.
Silence like a breeze blew through the apartment as Fubuki, King, and Tatsumaki found themselves facing a reality that they hadn't considered.
"...Saitama." Fubuki spoke being the first of the trio "Did...you not take the hero's exam?..." She asked.
"Nope." He answered "After I saved that big chinned kid from Crablante and his grandfather to show his gratitude made the hero's association he put me at the top of S class first thing." He explained.
"S-So that means you don't have any records do you?" Tatsumaki asked.
"There are records?" He asked.
"Of course there are!" She exclaimed "Every S class hero set SOME kind of record!" She added.
"Oh what's yours then?" He asked.
"I have several." She admitted as a very proud smile came to her face.
"Yeah it's because you have ESP." King pointed out.
"SO?!" She questioned immediately getting angry "I STILL EARNED THEM! WHAT KIND OF RECORD DO YOU HOLD HUH?!" She asked.
"Reflexes." He answered seeming to surprise Saitama.
"Whoa really?" He asked earning a nod in response.
"Yeah, though I think it's because of all the games I play and not because I've heightened them through training." King explained.
"Even so that's impressive!" Saitama praised.
"WHATEVER NO ONE CARES!" Tatsumaki shouted before looking to Saitama "YOU NEED TO GO AND TAKE THE EXAM!" She ordered.
"What why?" He asked.
"SO YOU CAN SET YOUR OWN RECORDS!" She answered.
"But taking an exam sounds like so much work." He argued "And I just want to take a day off from any kind of stress and exertion." He groaned.
"Saitama it's really not all that bad." Fubuki assured "All they have you do is simple things like running, jumping, and so on it's nothing too demanding and it doesn't even take that long." She explained.
"Yeah! and besides Genos needs to take the exam anyway so we can get two things done!" Tatsumaki reasoned.
Looking at the her face Saitama knew that for whatever reasons she had Tatsumaki wanted him to take the exam and the more he fought against it the more she'd try to make him do it.
"Fine." He sighed "But after this I'm coming back here and I'm relaxing for the whole day." He told her.
Walking out of the kitchen and over to his costume which was lying on the floor he then picked it up and proceeded to go to his bathroom where he could change in privacy.
"Yes!" Tatsumaki cheered victoriously while throwing a fist into the air.
"What're you so excited about?" King asked with a raised brow "He's just going to take the exam, it's not like he's about to fight some kind of monster or something." He pointed out.
"Don't you get it?!" She asked whilst turning to him the tone of her voice making it sound like the reason behind her excitement was obvious "The whole point of the exam is to gauge people's talents and strengths so if he takes the exam we'll FINALLY know just how strong he is!" She explained.
"That does sound like it would be interesting to see." Fubuki admitted "I mean seeing Saitama kill monsters with a single punch is one thing, but to have an ACTUAL reading of what his full power is would be amazing." She said.
"I too would like to see this." Genos agreed "If I am going to be his disciple then I must know what his full strength is so I can understand the amount of training that will be required to reach his level." He explained.
"See! that's the spirit!" Tatsumaki exclaimed as she looked to King "Why can't you be as good of a student as him?" She questioned.
"Because I'm aware of my limitations." King answered "I do want to be stronger so Saitama's not forced to always save my life but even so there's no way I could ever hope to be even a fourth as strong as he is." He confessed.
"That's stupid." She berated "Saitama was a regular guy for most of his life! but then he became super strong!" She argued.
"Yeah but Saitama's not like everyone else." He countered "And I don't mean just because of his power, I mean that unlike other heroes he's not focused on fame, fortune, power, or even respect he just likes being a hero for both fun and to help people." He reasoned.
Much to his surprise instead of responding with some kind of counter argument Tatsumaki actually went quiet as what he said seemed to force her to stop and think about it.
"...Okay...you got me there..." She admitted "But even so once we he see how strong he is in numbers and words we'll ALL know more about him and his strength which we can use to make ourselves stronger too!" She reasoned.
Sadly before she could continue on or anyone else could say something more the bathroom door opened and out walked Saitama fully dressed in his costume.
"Alright let's go." He said as he closed the door behind him.
Following in his order the others rose from their seats and followed him out of the apartment eager to get things underway.
Has there ever been a point in your life dear reader where for just a moment you wondered to yourself "Am I in The Twilight Zone?" because if you have not then it will be fairly difficult for you to relate to our chrome domed hero at this point in time. Allow me to explain, so to begin after our group of assorted characters made their way through City Z to the local branch of the hero's association all the while avoiding as many fans as possible they while not surprised nor shocked discovered that there was no exam scheduled for the day. However even with that being the case once they made it evident that Genos was not the only one taking the test but ALSO Saitama you can best believe things quickly changed for their favor. Now the first thing that happened was the employee they spoke to ran straight to their superiors with the news that Saitama had never taken the test before but wanted to do so now which in a sense was equal to a lit match being thrown into a pool of kerosene.
For over the next half hour a number of things transpired all of which happened in a sort of domino effect way as once the employee's superiors had been filled in on the situation they then proceeded to notify Agoni himself who as one could imagine decided to make a grand spectacle of the whole thing. But it doesn't stop there, for after the initial announcement both via the website and a televised broadcast besides countless fans and reporters flocking to this branch to bear witness so this so did heroes from all classes and groups the likes of which included the Blizzard Group and all of the S class. Yet even THEN it miraculously went on as The House Of Evolution which mind you was now partnered with the association after the events of yesterday also came to the branch to spectate as everyone else was. But SURELY that was it right? that was the final bit of madness and insanity brought upon poor Saitama right?
And of course you'd be wrong for as the number of spectators began to rapidly increase the branch began to run short on space which meant they would have to conduct this test somewhere far more spacious so everyone would be comfortable and not cramped. Which then led to the whole thing being moved to a massive quarry far outside of the city where in very short time, (mainly thanks to Metal Knight's assistance), multitudes of bleachers, stands, and so on so forth were erected. However any person possessing even the smallest bit of business sense could see that this was a prime opportunity to get rich and so as the masses began to arrive and take their seats food vendors as well as merchandise dealers began to promote their goods. So now my dear reader we rejoin the present as of this moment Saitama is getting himself ready in a private locker room (also constructed by Metal Knight) for the exam, though at this point it was more so a show than a test.
" *Sigh*..." He breathed as he made sure his gloves and boots were on tight "I just wanted a ME day, was that REALLY too much to ask for?..." He asked himself as he released his grip on his boot.
Suddenly though as he was readying himself to go out there and get this whole thing over with a knock was heard at the door.
"Come in." He beckoned expecting it to be some member of the association or maybe even a fan who had somehow gotten past the security.
But thankfully much to his surprise as the door opened and he looked to see who it was he found Genos standing there which caused him to smile.
"Oh hey Genos." He greeted as he sat upright "What's up?" He asked.
Remaining silent as he looked towards him Genos walked into the room and took a seat next to Saitama.
"...Saitama." He spoke as he now had his gaze pointed to the floor "Is it always like this for you?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Saitama asked unsure as to what he was specifically referring to.
"You were just supposed to take the exam, but now it's like you're putting on a show." Genos answered.
"Ah, well yeah that's just how things are with me." Saitama replied "No matter where I go or what I do it's always a big deal, if anything I should've known this was gonna happen so it's my fault really." He decided.
"That's seems very annoying." Genos noted causing the other to chuckle.
"Oh hell yeah." Saitama said "From fans cheering my name twenty four seven, to bad guys always just surrendering when I fight them, and everything else my whole life is nothing but one shining spotlight to another." He explained "But hey what can you do?" He asked rhetorically as he stood up.
Heading for the door just as he was about to leave the room and get things started Genos spoke up once more which caused him to stop.,
"I don't know if it means anything." He said as he stared at the other "But I promise I won't act like they do." He stated.
Letting his words sink in Saitama though Genos could not see had another smile appear on his face.
"Thanks Genos." He replied before proceeding to leave the room.
"COME ON! WHEN'S THIS THING GONNA START?!" Metal Bat asked as he grew more restless.
While the fans, reporters, and other heroes had bleachers and stands to sit in the S class, House of Evolution, and association employees had a sort of V.I.P. viewing room that was not only luxurious but also sound proof as to block out the thunderous cheering of the crowd.
"Have some patience Metal Bat." Silver Fang spoke gaining the other's attention "No doubt this whole spectacle has taken it's toll on One Punch Man." He said.
"Yeah it must be hard to have so much attention all the time." Child Emperor admitted as he joined the conversation "I mean sure all the other kids in my class are fans of me but nothing like this." He confessed.
"I know I couldn't do it." Atomic Samurai said "I'd probably get irritated and start threatening people if they didn't leave me alone." He confessed
"None of us could." S class rank ten Drive Knight stated "We'd all either go insane or accidentally lash out due to the anger." He reasoned.
"So how does he do it?" Superalloy Darkshine asked "If we all agree none of us could deal with this kind of attention then how does he get by each day?" He added.
"Maybe it's his lifestyle?" Zombieman suggested "Even with how absurdly rich he is he still lives in a small apartment and he never does anything that's super expensive it's all really simply and down to earth." He reasoned.
"Zombieman?! when'd you get here?!" Superalloy Darkshine asked as the last time they saw him he was left in the care of doctor Genus.
"I came with these guys." Zombieman answered as he pointed to the House of Evolution who were directly to his right.
"Oh right you guys aren't evil anymore." Superalloy Darkshine said gaining the doctor's attention.
"That is correct." He stated as he pushed his glasses up "After everything was settled yesterday I decided the best course of action was to become a partner to the association as both sides could benefit from each other." He explained.
"I second this." The voice of Metal Knight spoke it of course coming from a robot.
"Yeah? well no one cares what you think." Metal Bat replied before he looked to the doctor "And as for YOU, don't think I've forgotten about that insult!" He exclaimed.
Meanwhile however as Metal Bat proceeded to go on about how he would be keeping his eyes on the doctor and his "freaks" on the other side of the room Mosquito Girl was by herself due to the fact she was more excited than a kid in a candy store.
"OOOOOOOOH THIS IS SO EXCITING!" She exclaimed joyfully to herself doing her best not to shout or squeal "I'll FINALLY get to see him show off his strength in person!" She added.
"Ahem." Two voices sounded from behind her gaining her attention.
Unsure as to who would want to speak with her Mosquito Girl turned around only to come face to face with Tatsumaki and Fubuki which caused her to scowl.
"What do YOU two want?" She asked.
"Listen bug." Tatsumaki spoke though she could not say anything further as Mosquito Girl kept her from doing so.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" She asked as Fubuki stepped in front of her sibling.
"Forgive my sister!" She pleaded as she raised her hands in front of her "She forgets sometimes to not act like a brat." She added.
"WHAT?!" Tatsumaki questioned.
"Tatsumaki PLEASE!" Fubuki begged via telepathy as she kept her focus on Mosquito Girl "Look I KNOW things between us got off on the wrong foot and while we could argue over who was right, who was wrong, and so on both me AND my sister agree that it would be best if we simply buried the hatchet." She explained.
"Oh? and why should I?" Mosquito Girl asked "It's not like we know each other at ALL and even if we did I don't see us becoming friends anytime soon!" She pointed out.
"That is a fair point." Fubuki agreed "But as you said yesterday you believe yourself to be Saitama's number one fan right?" She asked.
"I don't "BELIEVE" I am I KNOW I am." Mosquito Girl corrected.
"THE HELL YOU ARE!" Tatsumaki shouted from behind her sister but was soon silenced as said sister proceeded to put an ESP barrier over her lips.
"Once again sorry about her." Fubuki apologized before continuing "As I said though we could stand here and just argue back and forth and never get anywhere but instead both I AND my sister want to offer an alternative." She said.
"...I'm listening." Mosquito Girl replied.
"Since me and my sister both see ourselves as his number one fans and YOU see yourself as his number one fan why don't we simply come together and make our own club?" Fubuki suggested.
Taking a moment as to consider her proposal Mosquito Girl seemed like she was going to turn them down as her expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
"...Sure." She said but immediately help up a finger "But only on one condition." She stated.
"Which is?" Fubuki asked.
"I want you to teach me how to act around him." Mosquito Girl answered "I want to get to know him more but I know the way I've been acting has done nothing but piss him off so if I accept your offer to form a club you have to help me not be so..." She trailed off as she was trying to find the best word.
"Overly interested?" Fubuki asked receiving a nod in response.
"Yeah." Mosquito Girl replied.
"If that's what it takes then consider your condition met." Fubuki agreed with a smile as she held out her hand.
Feeling a smile come to her own face as well Mosquito Girl shook the other's hand.
"You know I think you and I are are going to get along!" She said as they both pulled their hands back "Though your sister is a different story." She added.
"I can hear you!" Tatsumaki shouted as she finally removed the ESP barrier her sister had put over her mouth whilst also stepping out from behind her sibling.
However before they could continue on with their conversation they were interrupted by an association employee.
"Here he comes!" They exclaimed whilst pointing to the ground below causing not only the trio but everyone else to look out the window.
Sure enough as they all looked down at the open space of the quarry the unmistakable shine from Saitama's bald head came into view as he stepped out into the sunlight.
"ALRIGHT HERE WE GO!" Metal Bat shouted getting pumped up.
Even though their viewing area was sound proof that didn't keep it from being shaken ever so slightly as the crowd not only began to cheer in unison but also stomp their feet together too.
"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" They all cheered together unable to contain their excitement.
Continuing to cheer and stomp as he walked forward, Saitama looked to what lied ahead of him and saw countless different trials ranging from a track field to weight lifting and even a whack a mole machine (which he found COMPLETELY unusual) awaiting for him to partake in.
"Are you ready to begin One Punch Man?" An association employee asked as he approached the first trial it seeming to be side jumps.
"Yeah let's hurry up and get this over with." He answered.
"Alright." The employee said as they raised a stopwatch to their face "Do as many side jumps as you are able to in sixty seconds...ready...GO!" They shouted before firing off a pistol into the air.
The very MOMENT that the employee finished saying go Saitama's expression changed from it's normal blank state into one of complete seriousness and thus he began to do side jumps. Yet to say that he was simply side jumping would prove you were blind, for the speed in which he was doing those jumps was so great he was making afterimages of himself so solid it was almost like there were ACTUALLY multiple Saitamas all standing next to each other. And to say that everyone was completely shocked by this display again would only further prove that you are visually challenged as everyone not only had their eyes widen from shock but also had their mouths hang open for while they knew he was strong they hadn't even considered that his speed was just as great. But this was only the first of many trials and once this trial came to it's end he went on to the next and the next never ceasing in shocking everyone who watched on.
"Incredible!"
"Amazing!"
"Remarkable!"
"Awesome!"
"Unbelievable!"
Were just a few of the countless thoughts going through everyone's minds as they marveled in the greatness that was their hero. But as there is with any performance there is an opening act before the main display and this was by no means an exception, for while all the trials up until this point were by no means pointless the ONE trial everyone wanted to see was also the last, it of course being the punching machine.
"Guess this is it." Saitama thought as he approached the apparatus "One final trial and I'm finished." He added.
It was at this moment though that the toned down nature of everyone's reactions to what was going on turned back up to full as they all realized what they were about to see.
"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" They cheered somehow louder and more passionate than earlier.
"Ready when you are sir." The association employee said earning a nod in response.
However as everyone looked on and cheered for him Saitama whilst opening and closing his fist a few times decided that if there was ever a time to show his full strength it was now and so as he balled his hand into a fist one last time he brought his arm back and said.
"Killer Move, Serious Series, Serious Punch."
And then there was silence...or at least...that's the only word anyone in that moment could think of to describe what it was that was going on as the moment Saitama's fist after having been sent forwards made contact with the machine it seemed as if time was brought to a standstill and all sound had disappeared. But the truth was what had happened upon Saitama punching the machine was he had caused a sonic boom to occur which caused everyone while miraculously not going deaf permanently did make them so in this instance. Yet even if there were sound, if they were able to actually hear anything it's not like anyone would have been able to say a word for while there was no sound they still had their sight and what they had witnessed while amazing them sure also somewhat terrified them. For instead of seeing the machine be sent flying away from his punch as well as a dust storm be stirred up from the force his punch had been so powerful that the machine was just gone seemingly obliterated completely whilst any dust that would have formed from the dirt covered earth beneath him was blown away due to the shock wave which also blew back everyone's hair.
That of course includes mind you those who were in the V.I.P. lounge though besides having all sound be muted for the moment along with their hair having been blown back the window which they had been watching through was gone not shattered but COMPLETELY gone as if the shock wave had been so strong that nothing COULD remain. Of course even with all of this having transpired there stood Saitama with his fist raised in the air emitting smoke and his face reverting back to his standard blank expression.
"Well that's done." He said but only to himself as NO ONE else could hear it "Time to go home." He decided as he turned around and walked away.
Unknown by Saitama however as he walked away there was but only ONE person who seemed to be unaffected by what had just transpired at least in regards to the lack of hearing and as he watched the other walk away only one thing came to his mind.
"I want to be stronger..." Genos thought as he stared at Saitama with widened eyes "But there is no way I could ever hope to be as strong as him...not even close...he's on an entirely different level..." He decided.