Out of all the things in the Monster Association, the last thing Flashy Flash expected to see was the A Class hero Yan-chan and some random highschool boy, sitting on the bridge behind him.
The girl was staring up at him, her expression blank. The boy's face was obscured with hair. Flashy Flash knew that the boy wasn't a hero, so he wasn't entirely sure why he was there. When Flashy Flash had first seen Ayano at the S Class meeting during the alien invasion, he hadn't paid her much mind. He wasn't sure why she was there, but why was he to pry into that? It did not matter.
What did matter though was how popular she had become all of a sudden. She went from being at the bottom of Class B to the top of Class A in only a month. No matter what you thought of her, you had to admit that was very impressive. Or very fishy. She was either a fraud... or exceptionally strong. She reminded Flashy Flash of Goddess, in a weird way. Not that he had seen that girl for a while. Class S certainly felt different without her.
Flashy Flash scowled, returning his attention to the fight. He turned to face the two monsters standing before him: Hellfire Flame and Gale Wind.
"One thing stands in our way of world domination," Gale Wind boomed. "And it's not the heroes, it's the best warriors from the village!"
They charged towards Flashy Flash, even faster than before. Flashy Flash used his swords to defend himself.
"We can't allow more people with ninja techniques running about!" the monsters yelled.
Ninja village? Ayano thought. There are more ninjas? An entire village of them?
"The village has no monopoly on ninjutsu," Flashy Flash huffed.
"But even the others can't compare!" the monsters screamed. "And, in the history of our village, our 37th is held widely to be the strongest! You now face the top two of the golden generation, former leader of the 44th Generation! I wonder how long you will hold out?!"
They charged towards Flashy Flash, their techniques even faster than before. Ayano could barely see their movements.
"Why are you two still here?" Flashy Flash grumbled, giving Ayano a glance over his shoulder. "Leave, idiots!"
"No, we can't let her leave," Hellfire Flame cackled.
"Right," Gale Wind giggled. "We were told to bring her in! I suppose that's the least we can do for the Monster Association in return for their services! If she still refuses, we'll kill her and her male accomplice too!"
Ayano forced herself to stand, grabbing Taro's arm.
He is correct, he thought. I should leave.
But at the same time… this was an S Class hero all by himself, getting wounded down by two Dragon-level monsters.
Or was he? Suddenly, the hero managed to shove them back. The two coughed, bodies shaking from the impact. They sat on the other side of the broken bridge. Mild scratches were on Flashy Flash's face, but he kept his stern gaze.
"Gale Wind," the hero sighed, wiping his face. "Hellfire Flame. It goes without saying, but I have full knowledge of all your techniques. I've trained more than anyone else, so it's little wonder. The more formidable the warrior, the more faithful they are to their basic style. No matter how fast you may be, if I know the style of your attacks, I can easily deal with them."
Despite that lecture, the monsters didn't seem done yet.
"Heh," Gale Wind chuckled.
"Is that so?" Hellfire Flame asked. "Fine then."
"It's about time then, isn't it?" Gale Wind asked.
"It is, yes," Hellfire Flame agreed. "We'll stop fighting you as ninjas. We don't need tools, or any special techniques. We will see you to your death… as monsters."
"We will show you the difference of speed between humans and monsters," Gale Wind cackled. "Goodbye, Flashy Flash."
The bridge cracked beneath their feet, as power flowed around them. It was going to explode. The monsters zoomed into the sky, the bridge exploding beneath them.
Flashy Flash's eyes were wide as he grabbed Ayano and Taro, hiding underneath the bridge on a small platform. He had protected them just in time. He managed to slip his sword into his belt. He cursed, sensing the monsters getting even more powerful.
Can I take on them both and protect these infernal children? he thought, scowling. He had half a mind to just leave the kids, but… he was a hero. He had a duty to uphold. Goddess had once told him that before anything else, a hero had to protect others. As much as she could get on his nerves, she was correct. She always was, annoyingly so.
"It would be a good idea to leave," Ayano told him.
"You should've left a while ago," Flashy Flash grumbled.
"They would not have let me," Ayano argued. "And besides, I am in bad shape. I cannot fight my way through the Monster Association right now, and neither can my partner."
Of course, she was only half-lying. Her body was already mending itself. Not that he needed to know that.
Flashy Flash sighed. Protecting others could be very annoying sometimes. Still, the girl was oddly calm considering the situation she was in.
"Hiding from us?" Gale Wind taunted. "Come out and play, Flashy Flash!"
"Very well," the older hero sighed, taking the two to a safer platform. "Once I have finished defeating these monsters, you will leave the Monster Association with your heads bowed in shame."
Ayano smiled, sweetly. "Of course."
He was about to dart off to fight the monsters, but he sensed something pulling on his cape. He glanced back, hand on sword. He raised a brow when he saw it was the boy, meekly tugging on his cape, like a child looking for an adult's attention.
"Kill… me..." Taro whispered, his voice croaking. "Please…"
Flashy Flash was about to reply, but was distracted by another explosion. He glanced back once more at Taro, before dashing off. He charged towards the monsters, having to accelerate even faster than before. He bounced around the room, the monsters chasing after him. Ayano watched the way he moved with intrigue. He was astonishingly fast. Faster than any ever hero she'd ever seen, excluding Saitama.
She grabbed Taro's side, forcing the air out of him in a short breath. Flashy Flash almost looked like he was getting overwhelmed, the monsters constantly crashing into him and throwing him down into the ground. He bounced around, crashing into the walls over and over. Ayano felt the tremble in the walls from where she was sitting. But she kept watching. She had to know how Flashy Flash fought. Though, judging from his actions, she was not learning much.
"Kill him!" Gale Wind yelled.
Flashy Flash's eyes narrowed. As the monsters zoomed towards him again, he held out his legs.
"Flash kick barrage!" he shouted.
That move was enough to catch the monsters off-guard. Flashy Flash zoomed away, sitting on a wall.
"Not good!" the monsters yelled. "He's going for a follow-up attack! Quickly! We must regain our posture!"
Flashy Flash held out his sword, gripping it tightly.
"Killer move…" he said, charging towards the monsters, "FLASH SWORD STRIKE!"
The technique was so powerful it cut the two monsters in half, and caused an explosion. The walls began to crack. Ayano felt the bridge crumbling beneath her feet. She and Taro were going to fall.
"Dammit it…" Hellfire Flame chuckled, sadly. "How irritating…"
"If you were hiding such a powerful technique, why didn't you use it until the end?" Gale Wind asked.
"I was simply searching for the correct way to finish you both off at once," Flashy Flash explained. "I decided that if I let either one of you escape, it would be a bothersome situation for me. If another S Class hero were to do battle with one of you, they'd have trouble coping with your speed, after all. Your greatest battle strategy would've been to fight against anyone but me."
"So you're saying… if you hadn't been our opponent…" Gale Wind laughed. "Ku… kuku… you're an insufferable man to the end…"
"Assassins can only live in the shadows," Hellfire Flame said, voice croaking. "They'll never be treated as humans, only exploited. We only wanted to switch the exploiting side, the controlling side… in order to get powerful, we did everything we could think of…" A tear fell down his cheek. "So tell me, Flashy Flash, what did we lack?"
As Ayano and Taro fell, Flashy Flash zoomed down and saved them. He carried them through the explosions, glancing back at the monsters as their corpses fell into the abyss.
"Training," he answered, simply. He then left the room behind, taking the teens with him.
Once they had left the crumbling area, Flashy Flash put the kids down.
"Leave," he told them.
"Where is the exit?" Ayano asked. "Please take us to it."
Flashy Flash furrowed his brow in frustration. "I don't have time to babysit." He dug into his chest pocket. "I have a communicator, you can contact…" He went silent, looking left and right.
"What is it?" Ayano asked.
"It appears that the communicator has gone missing," Flashy Flash said, still scowling.
I must have dropped it while fighting those fools, he thought, agitated.
"That's quite unfortunate," Ayano said, Taro standing behind her. "Perhaps if you tell me where another S Class hero is I can ask them for help."
"I do not know the exact locations of the others," Flashy Flash admitted. "I'm not entirely sure where we are, for that matter."
"I see," Ayano said, a dark smirk surfacing on her face.
Flashy Flash sighed. I do not have time to waste helping these idiot children get out of here. But I cannot leave them here, either. They are injured. They will die here. And besides, that boy… he was asking me to… kill him. What is wrong with him…?
I should try to contact Child Emperor, he decided. He will be able to help them.
"I've decided that you can come with me, until we find Child Emperor, or another hero who can help you," Flashy Flash told the teens. "Do not get in my way or slow me down."
He started to walk off, only to sense a dark aura from behind him. He saw something red creeping up onto his shoulder. He whipped around, red strings covering his arms.
He stammered. What the-
Ayano gave him a haunted smile. "Thank you for helping us, Flashy Flash, but… it is time for you to die."
Flashy Flash coughed. "You…" He cried out in pain. "What is this?!"
"Say goodnight," Ayano said.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Fureddo asked, looking left and right.
Fubuki breathed in. "To find the leader of this ridiculous Association, and take them down for good."
King tried not to freak out at the thought of that. No way in Hell did he want to run into the leader.
"I'm going to assume that's what Yan-chan wanted," Fureddo said.
Fubuki folded her arms. "Yes, it probably was."
"Are we…" Oka went red, "are we… strong enough to take on the leader?"
"'Course we are, doofus," Itachi told her, flexing his bicep once again.
"Not to mention we have the Strongest Man on our side," Fubuki said, gesturing to King.
His 'King Engine' was thumping at full volume.
"Wow, he's already getting prepared for battle," Fureddo remarked. "Nice going, King!"
Oh, God, Saitama, I hope you're in here somewhere, man, King thought. I can't take much more of this!
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. The group turned around, seeing a shadow.
Fubuki grimaced. "Look o-"
She couldn't finish her sentence due to an explosion.
A huge monster known as Rhino Wrestler appeared, glaring down at the fallen heroes. He appeared to be an anthropomorphic rhinocerus, with large muscles, and a hulking figure. His dark grey skin was quite thick, and he wore a black wrestling singlet.
"Pathetic," he laughed. "That's all it took?"
"Heh," a voice replied. "You really think I'm weak, dofus? You're the pathetic one."
Itachi emerged from the smoke, his swimming goggles covering his green eyes.
"Tch," he grumbled. "Pitiful. Time to take out the overgrown trash."
Rhino Wrestler roared and charged towards him. Itachi avoided him, baring his teeth.
"You snooze, you lose, idiot," he said. "Take this!"
He slammed his fist into the monster's cheek. To his surprise, it was rougher than he'd anticipated.
"You're not too shabby for a human," Rhino Wrestler chuckled, "but you won't survive this!"
He raised his fists, pummelling Itachi into the ground. Itachi coughed up blood, glaring at the monster.
Crap, he's kinda tough, Itachi thought. But nothing I can't handle.
He ran towards Rhino Wrestler, eyes narrowed. He got the jump on him, and kicked him into the wall. Once the monster hit the wall, Itachi raced over to him, and punched him in the face.
Asu, this is for you, he thought, punching the monster over and over. You wanted to be a hero, right? So this is what I'm doing. I'm being a hero… for you.
He tch-ed. Wait, what the Hell am I going on about? Asu died like an idiot. Like I would do this for her.
But still, when he thought about her… his heart ached.
I wasn't strong enough to save her.
Rhino Wrestler scowled, launching a fist towards Itachi's face. Itachi yelped as he stumbled back, falling over. He scowled, putting an elbow on the ground. He propped himself up, glaring straight at the monster.
"Time's up for you, human," he cackled.
Itachi glowered. "I don't think so."
He jumped towards the monster, avoiding his other fist. He was going to win, no matter what. He was a winner, not a loser.
"TAKE THIS!" he shouted, grabbing Rhino Wrestler's head. He shoved his fist right into the monster's eyes. It was hard enough for the monster to fall over, blood pouring down his face.
The monster, despite this, stood up, prepared to tear Itachi to shreds. Before he could, however, a demonic hand wrapped around his waist, hoisting him into the air.
"Good job, Oka," Fubuki told her subordinate. "Come along, Itachi. Let's go."
"Why the Hell do you get to choose when we leave?" Itachi asked. "I'm not done here!"
"We don't have time," Fubuki said. "That Fureddo boy has gone missing."
"His own fault for going missing," Itachi grumbled. "I don't care about that. I'm busy here!"
Fubuki sighed. This was going to be a long day. For a moment, she wished Kencho were there, but… no. She was not going to rely on a 14 year old boy.
There was a woman standing in front of Genos.
She was fairly tall, with long, silver hair, and a long dress. On top of her head was a hat.
She smiled down at him. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
Genos sat up, blinking. The woman was gone.
Who was that? he thought. And where am I?
His hearing picked up some shouting in the distance. It sounded human enough. It seemed the Hero Association had finally made its move.
He dusted some rubble off his form.
It seems G5 launched me over here, he thought. I must find a way to contact Ayano.
He dug through his pockets, only to find his phone had been smashed to smithereens.
It must have been destroyed from the impact, he thought. I will have to search for her in a different way.
He began his trek through the Monster Association. He was in a fairly open area, so it was likely he wasn't too far below ground. He scanned the area, looking for any kind of signs of Ayano.
His mind returned to the thoughts of the woman.
That must have been Traveller, he realised. But why would she try to communicate with me?
He frowned. Have I… met her before? Or was I simply hallucinating?
Suddenly, he sensed something. Something familiar.
He whipped around, facing G5. It was a large cybernetic robot that bore a resemblance to a samurai. It wore shiny metallic armor with large shoulder-pads and spiked claws on its forearms. Its face was covered by a mask with a slit that revealed a single eye in the center. It had a helmet with accessories shaped like spikes and a crescent moon. It had marking resembling 'X=' running down its shoulder pads and body.
"It is time to end this fight," it declared.
Genos glowered, holding out his incineration cannon. "Let us make this quick."
The fight between the two robotic creatures began. Genos used his cannon straight away, sending the monster into the wall. The monster was durable to survive it, and came racing towards Genos.
Genos scowled. I do not have time for this. I have to find Ayano.
Genos increased the power flowing through his body, and aimed at G5. A dragon-killer for sure. Genos was about to take it out with all of his power, when two flashes of blue intercepted his vision. They belonged to Bang and Bomb, who sent the robot sailing through the floor. Smoke trailed into the air.
"Bang," Genos greeted, surprised. "Bomb."
"Us too!" Raibaru called, Budo following her.
"Hello there, Genos," Bang said, waving. "Don't waste all of your energy here. There's plenty more monsters running around."
He is right, Genos thought. I am being impatient. Dr. Kuseno told me to be careful with using my power, or else I will get myself killed.
"I assume you're looking for that Ayano girl and her friends?" Bomb asked.
Genos nodded. "Have you seen them?"
"Not since we got split up," Bomb answered. "But if we keep searching, we will run into them."
"Not to mention Fureddo, Oka, that Blizzard Lady, and Itachi," Budo pointed out.
"And Saitama," Bang added in.
"Master Saitama is here, somewhere," Genos agreed. "As well as the Hero Association's team. I heard some of them yelling."
"Leave it to the Hero Association to make a fuss," Raibaru muttered.
"I will be going to find Ayano," Genos told them. "You can come with me, or we can split up."
"Safety in numbers?" Budo suggested.
"He's right," Bang said. Budo's face lit up at that comment. "It will be better if we stick together."
"Very well," Genos said.
A/N: Have you guys heard about the live action OPM movie coming out? I don't have any good feelings about it but we'll see. It's been written by the guys who wrote Venom and Jumanji if that makes you feel any better…