Saitama gets serious
Chapter 3
The first encounter
A laboratory near D-City
A man with long black hair and dressed in a lab coat holds a test tube in the air, a victorious smile on his face. "Finally, after all those sleepless nights, I finished my masterpiece. I call it, the Biceps King. It is the ultimate steroid. Little bro, if you drink this, you will become the strongest man on earth! Even the dreadful King will be unable to hold a candle to you, little bro!" says the man full of confidence.
In front of the man in the lab coat stands a muscular person. His head is shaved, and he bears a black tank top. He looks astonished on the test tube. Everything he ever wanted is in this tiny, little glass. His brother will make his wishes come true. He will be the strongest man ever alive. Together they can achieve unbelievable things. "Big bro…, you're the best!" he says, in awe of his big brothers' genius.
"Stop flattering me," he replies unconvincingly. He loves it, when people appreciate his keen mind.
And with that, the scientist hands him the test tube. The muscular man leads it to his mouth and swallowed the bubbling liquid in one big sip.
In an instant, every muscle in his body stiffened and veins can be seen all over him. He starts to grow and before you know it, his head penetrates the ceiling.
"I'll be jiggered!" big bro screams delighted. He never thought this stuff would work that good. "With your strength and my brain, we will rule this world!" He hopes his "little" brother can hear him, but as he looks up to his bro, he doubts it. The steroid serum worked phenomenal. A man, naked and bigger than any skyscraper stands there. Lot of the giant's muscles and bones are exposed and around his neck is some kind of bone necklace.
Trough the enormous growth of the man, the laboratory starts to fall apart. The scientist gets stuck under the debris. "Little bro, please help me, I'm trapped under rubble!" he begs for help. Effortlessly, the giant man grabs him by the coat and puts him on his shoulder.
"That's perfect, we will rule as kings!" the man on the giants' shoulder shouts to the world.
A big shadow darkens D-city. On the streets, people looking up to find out what's going on. As they understand the dilemma they're in, the city starts to panic. "A monster!" "A giant!" "Run for your lives!" it can be heard from the streets.
Before anyone can really react, a huge arm wipes over the city. Almost the entirety of D-city gets destroyed in an instant. The leftovers are clouded in thick smoke. "Unbelievable!" the scientist admits openly. "Bro, you just killed tens of thousands with one blow! Good job, now let's get to the next city to show we're super serious."
"This is an emergency evacuation! The disaster level is demon! A giant creature has appeared in D-city! D-city has been destroyed! The giant creature is now headed for B-city! All residents of the area should flee immediately!
Tatsumaki wastes no time. The hero association informed her instantly about the ongoing attack after the annihilation of D-city. Good thing, this pager.
"Strange, the monster obliterated an entire city in a few seconds, but the disaster level is demon? It should be dragon. The employees of the association are such stupid grunts, that's for sure. Well, it doesn't matter. Demon, dragon, god. They'll all get crushed, as soon as I show up. I almost feel sorry for them. Who am I kidding? They get, what they deserve!"
She doesn't have to change clothes. Tatsumaki is already dressed in her typical hero outfit. The characteristic form-fitting black dress has long sleeves, and four high-cut leg slits that show off her legs. Additionally, she wears low-heeled black shoes.
She doesn't bother to use the front door, why should she? Instead, she opens the door to her balcony and starts flying.
A lot of people call espers witches. they don't brew potions or stealing kids, but when people see a green haired woman just casually flying past them in a weird green shine, can you blame them for their misjudgment.
The way to B-city was not very far, a few hundred kilometers. With the ability to fly, it's child's play. The smoke of D-city is visible on the horizon. The thought of the dead sends shivers down her spine. How many died this time? Someone like Tatsumaki can defend herself, but the citizens of D-city are not that lucky. Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? She witnessed death many times before. There are always monsters, that are craving to kill as many humans as possible. Often there are casualties around the dozens. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It's easy to handle it, especially when you used to it. It doesn't make it any less horrific, but there is something soothing in the knowledge, that life in the city will continue regardless. People will be continuing working. Children will be continuing growing up and become the adults they were supposed to be. But when a catastrophe like this happens, there is no such thing than continuing. Ten of thousands of existences are extinguished. They will not continue, they will be forgotten and replaced. In the end, it will be like they never lived in the first place.
And that is maybe the cruelest thing of it all.
But now is not the time to think about such things. The one responsible for this will pay for what he has done. She will make sure of that.
Normally, she's not that heated up about a monster attack, but it's not every day that a city gets pulverized.
As she reaches B-city, she gives a sigh of relief. B-city stands and is intact. For what it is worth, Tatsumaki is glad that she's not too late to save the day. In the distance she recognizes the silhouette of a humanoid creature. It is headed towards the city. "There is the target," Tatsumaki things to herself.
As fast as her abilities can carry her, she flies towards the giant.
By the time of her arrival, the monster is seemingly furious. The giant creature looks at the inside of his hand, full of sorrow and regret. Something happened. But what?
"BIG BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the monster shouts in agony. "How did this happen?! I wanted to be strong and I finally became the strongest man!" He makes a fist and closes his eyes. His body is tense, like he is about to snap. "And now, my big bro is dead!"
"How does it feel you little shit, heh?" the giant looks on his left shoulder. In his pain he almost forgot the reason for his dead brother. On it sits a bald man in a caped hero costume. He looks playful in the monsters' face. The last remaining bro looks at him in pure hatred. "YOU! I don't know who you are, but it's your fault my brother is dead!" He takes the man in his fist. "Now you're gonna pay!" With that, the monster hurls him on the floor. The impact leaves a huge crater. He mashes the place with his food. "Behold the power of the strongest brothers!" he yells as he hits Saitamas location again and again with his enormous fists. As he takes a breather, he sees the massive hole he leaved in the ground.
"That's what you get, you fucking asshole!"
Tatsumaki looked at the entire spectacle. She didn't see exactly what person was on the monsters' shoulder, but she has no doubt, that he or she is dead. Maybe an S-class hero could survive such a beating but not one of them is currently in this area. And probably not even them could win against this monster of a man. So, it's better she puts this beast out of his misery. She starts to shine in her green esper powers, ready to pulp that thing. But before she attacks, the monster starts speaking.
"I am the strongest man!" He opens his fist and looks in his hand. He sees his brothers squashed safety googles. A silent tear runs down his face. "So what?! It feels empty."
"OH, cry me a river!" Saitama jumps out of the hole, several hundred meters up, directly in front of the monsters' face. With one effortless punch, the creatures face turns into a mess. Most of his teeth are gone, blood streams all over the face, his skullcap is fractured in multiple locations and on his left cheek an enormous dent is visible.
"Overwhelming strength," Saitama considered his next words wisely, "sucks balls dude."
Suddenly the giant, starts to drop dead. "Hey, I didn't punch that hard, you're such a baby! Oh shit, the sucker drops on the city." Blazing fast, Saitama jumps behind the huge guy and catches him easily. "It is time for you to leave." Saitama then grabs one of his feet and throws him in the nearest mountain range, at least 400 kilometers away from B-city. "End of story!" Saitama says, satisfied with the result.
If expressions could speak, Tatsumakis face would cry out, "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?" At first a monster, large enough to destroy an entire city by himself in seconds, starts crying because of his brother. Then this bald dude gets beaten up, but somehow not. Then he jumps high enough to be on par with the monster, then he beats the monster in one punch, he saves the city and throws the giant a few hundred kilometers.
Tatsumaki is completely shocked. She thought about a lot of things that could happen today, but this? That's just crazy. Wait just a second? A bald dude? He defeated the monster in one punch. Is that the guy who killed this Vaccine man last week?
As she gets back her composure, she searches the sky for the man. He is not there anymore. She looks on the ground. He can't just end in smoke. Finally, she sees him, casually walking out of the battlefield.
"Hey! Hey baldie!" He doesn't turn around. "Did he not hear me?" She flies towards him. Her voice gets louder, and not just because she is now near him. No, she's angry. There is no way he didn't hear her, and he keeps ignoring her. That is unacceptable, she is S-class, rank 2, the "Tornado of terror". People must acknowledge her at any given time. She stands now almost direct behind him. "I'm talking to you, you stupid monkey!" No reaction. "Well, then I have to force you," she thinks, a light smirk on her face. Saitama starts to glow in a green shine. He starts to float, half a meter over the ground. "I have to put more effort in it than I normally do, but that's nothing I can't handle. Now, he has to recognize me." Her smirk grows larger.
"I'm flying, that's cool, but I'm not in the mood to fucking around right now, I was just in my thoughts." He pushes himself very mild to the ground.
Tatsumaki falls to her knees, he suddenly became that much harder to lift. It's like she had to carry the entirety of B-city. How is that possible? She stands up in an instant just before Saitama finally turns to meet her eyes. He looks bored and inaccessible, as if he doesn't give a shit about anything that happened here. "What do you want brat?" "Brat?" Who does he think he is? He'll be sorry for that. "I'm 26 years old. I'm the Tornado of terror, S-class hero, rank 2. Show some respect you worm."
Saitama looks amused, "What a fancy name. "Tornado of terror", hah hah hah, did you think of that yourself or did some guy give it to you?" He laughs a bit more. "Anyway, you better stop messing with me, I'm not in the mood girl, so just tell me what you want" Saitama says more intimidating than he intended.
For now, Tatsumaki will swallow her anger and talk normally with that stranger. He seems not terrified of her at all. Does he not know her? He is strange.
"Are you the one who killed Vaccine man last week?" she asks.
"Maybe, I killed a lot last week, who was that?" he says.
"He attacked A-city. He vaporized entire sections of it. He was purple and said he were born from mother nature or something like that."
"Ahh yes!"
"You remember?"
"No, doesn't ring a bell actually."
This stranger will break her nerves.
"A young girl was saved, as I spoke to her, she mentioned the name "Saitama". Are you this person?" Tatsumaki speaks with gritted teeth. He better starts giving some real answers.
"I remember her. She was nice, despite the situation at the time." Saitama thinks back. He is sorry for her.
"Why did you flee from the scene?" she wants to know.
"I didn't flee, the monster was gone. There was nothing more I could do." Saitama says serious.
"Then why did you not report it to the hero association? You're not even registered."
"And what is this association you are talking about?" Saitama says plainly.
This must be a joke. "Are you living under a rock?" Her anger starts to boil over. "The hero association is the center of our society," she yells at him, furious. "It protects the citizens of this world against the threat trough monsters."
"Why are you getting so mad?" he says annoyed. "Anyway, the way I see it, I protect humanity from monsters. Where were your association, when this Flexine man attacked? Or the countless other monsters I eliminated. They are worthless, if they can't do their job properly. If I hadn't shown up, B-city would be in ruins too. So, don't tell me shit girl!"
This man…, this man…, he is a strenuous one. He makes a point, but she can't tell him that. In the past, a lot of strong monsters appeared, and as fast as they appeared, they disappeared. Often, there was no trace and then some hero assholes, who didn't do anything, have been praised for it. She could never believe some A-class dude could kill a demon threat all by himself, they all too weak for it. This baldy could be the one responsible for this. But she will not say it. Instead.
"Baldy, I want you to register in the hero association. Immediately."
"Why?" he asks sincerely.
"We could use you. Your strong and fast. You could be a real hero. Maybe you even get a fan club." It would be better for him and for the association, if he would just say "yes".
"Forget about that," he says in an instant.
"That was not a request," she says intimidating. If she must, she will drag him to the headquarter herself.
"Yeah, yeah, see ya." Saitama turns and starts walking. He waves his farewell.
"How dare you to just go away?" Tatsumaki starts to light up. She will not make the same mistake again, this time she will use a lot more power. She hopes this piece of garbage doesn't break in an instant. Again, she surrounds Saitama with her powers, and tries to pull him upwards. He just moves on. What?! Now he has done it. She focusses all her power in this one single man. With that effort, she could lift A-city out of the ground together with the hero association headquarter. He will see what true power is. She starts to pull.
Nothing, again nothing. She pulled so strong. How can he not be affected in any way? "My head hurts," she whispers. Her head is bowed in shame. He is too strong. No, she is just too weak. Again, she is on her knees. But Tatsumaki can't stay up. She is dizzy, exhausted and ashamed. She wished the ground would open and swallow her up.
As Tatsumaki looks to the ground, she feels something dripping. Her nose started bleeding. Across the floor, little drops of blood are distributed. That hasn't happened since her childhood, as her powers seemed to have limits. Now it's back again, and she is as helpless as she was in the cage all those years ago. She is starting to cry.
"Hey girl." She could have sworn that she had heard something. "Hey, look at me!" She opens her eyes and looks up to see the familiar silhouette of the bald hero. He takes something out of his left glove, knees down on one of his knees and positioned himself in front of the green haired esper.
Gently, he puts his left hand under her chin. He stabilizes her head and directed it a bit upwards. She looks now right in his eyes. Gone is the bored look from before. He has a serious expression, and she sees the concern and the caring in his eyes. She is blushing.
"Stay still for a second, would you?" In his right hand, he holds a handkerchief. Saitama puts it smoothly under her nose and wipes away the blood. "Normally, I use one of them too wipe away leftovers of monsters on my suit," he says kindly, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, it is unused." His smirk widens a bit.
Tatsumaki don't know what to say, to feel. She hates it to be pitied. She hates it to get help, she doesn't need help. In the end, the only one you can trust is yourself… and Fubuki of course. But nevertheless, something holds her back to refuse the offer.
"So here we go. Keep it a little longer under your nose. I think the bleeding hasn't stopped completely." As she grabs the handkerchief, he removes his right hand. But she notices that his left hand still holds her chin. Now, he looks directly in her eyes. "What is your name, your real name?"
Tatsumaki needs a moment to realize what he said, "he wants to know my name… name … what was my name again?"
"Ta…, Tatsu…, my name is Tatsumaki." That was harder than expected.
"So Tatsumaki, my name is Saitama, but you know that. Nice to meet you," he says. He lets go of her chin and offers his right hand. She takes it. After a brief moment, he helps her to her feed.
"So Tats, I want to know more about your association. If you want, you can come over to my apartment tomorrow. But I must tell you, it's over in Z-city, on the east side," Saitama explained.
"You live in the ghost town?" she is shocked, everyone on the eastside of Z-city is gone, well almost everyone.
"Yeah, you won't find apartments with less rent, that much I can tell you," a bit of joy in his voice.
"Okay sure, sounds good," she stated.
Saitama turns to go back home.
"Wait, I don't know your address."
Saitama doesn't look back. "It's written on the handkerchief. In case I lose one, somebody can bring him back."
Wow, that's cheap.