The Hero's Association building loomed in front of Metal Bat as he rested his palms on the base of his namesake. The street that split off to both sides of him were unusually empty, the same stood for the association which seemed to be a ghost of what it tended to be. He knew the association wasn't just an empty shell, he had cornered her. The C class rookies and association's lower rank workers had been dodging him for hours, all that did was tip him off that they were hiding something. What about this mission were they precisely opposed to? Why wasn't anyone helping him? Here there was a dangerous assassin on the loose, and yet, as far as he knew, he was the only hero assigned to the case. It wasn't just that no one else was there to help, though, he was certain he could handle it himself, the real problem was that everyone was so damn uncooperative. Everytime He brought her up people seemed confused, like they hadn't been briefed despite this being an HA job, and if it wasn't that then they were nervous, like they were hiding something. Because of this, she always seemed to be two steps ahead of him, but not this time, this time the boss had actually managed to give him the right info at the right time.
Now he was here, and there was no way the assassin would be able to escape him. Growing angry from just thinking about the case, his lack of sleep certainly not helping in anyway, he burst through the front door of the association.
The moment he strolled through the doors everyone in the lobby became anxious, everyone except for, of course, Tatsumaki. Perhaps she lacked the tact that everyone else had, noticing the bags under the eyes of the already defaultly violent Metal Bat could tip most off to be wary. It was more likely She simply thought she could take Metal Bat head on, by all accounts, most of the time she would be right. She floated towards him with a determined look on her face. Metal Bat struggled to keep himself standing upright as he began growl under his breath and pointed his bat at the floating woman. Tatsumaki responded by stopping just in front of its tip, still looking fearless.
"What do you want, Bat." Tatsumaki asked with a bored tone.
" .She." He said, tilting as he spoke, struggling to get the words out through angry and sleepy breaths.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Don't fuck with me. The assassin."
A second past where Tatsumaki and Genos' eyes met, they had their disagreements, but both of them knew that Metal Bat could be... Trouble. They weren't certain what kind of problems he would cause, but whatever the situation Saitama was handling far below them with the female assassin wouldn't be helped by Metal Bat. They had faith in Saitama, but they knew he fought best by himself.
There was also the possibility that Metal Bat proved to be Enough of a hassle that the side effect of the fight could bring the entire association down on their heads, it may have been built to last but if someone like Saitama and Metal Bat collided the outcome could be explosive. Tatsumaki knew about Metal Bat's Fighting Spirit power, but she didn't know the extent of it. She had decided finding out wasn't worth the possible property damage, especially if it ended in civilians, Geno's, or god forbid Saitama getting hurt, though the chances of that were slim to none.
There was this understanding between Tatsumaki and Genos, a comprehensive agreement of what Saitama would want them to do in this situation: to stop Metal Bat before he could cause too much trouble. Genos walked to stand by Tatsumaki's side, the motion annoyed her slightly since she was confident she could take Metal Bat alone, but her hatred for teamwork had calmed since she had started seeing Saitama. Besides, Genos knew where he stood, he would only interfere if absolutely necessary.
"Metal Bat, My analyses of your current state shows your stress levels are extremely high, possibly due to sleep levels, I recommend you-" Genos began to say before being interrupted by Tatsumaki.
"Go home, Bat." She put plainly.
"Why is nobody helping me! What happens next, huh? Can't you see she's dangerous!? She's gonna get away again!" Metal Bat yelled.
"What are you talking about?" Tatsumaki asked.
"First, she attacks the boss, next she breaks into the Association, next she's gonna come after our families, That's why she's here, she wants our information!"
Tatsumaki and Genos looked at eachother again, this time in utter confusion. Was Metal Bat absolutely deranged? What led him to this conclusion? Tensions only continued to grow in the room, even Tatsumaki became a little anxious. Metal Bat wasn't just an issue if he got past them, he was dangerous right now. Even with two of the most powerful heroes and one highly skilled assassin in the room, Metal Bat was one big uncertainty. Nobody knew what he was capable of. Tatsumaki began to become extremely uneasy, ever since she failed to hold Saitama in the air with her power, she had doubted the effectiveness of psychic powers on people who harbored strong enough willpower. Tatsumaki was about to speak, when it seemed as though Metal Bat had had enough.
"YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK IT, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA HELP, YOU MIGHT AS WELL-" He moved his bat wildly as he screamed, but the weapon was stopped before it could fully swing down onto Geno's metal head, and Metal Bat fell to the ground: unconscious. Behind Metal Bat's sleeping body stood a sweaty Speed of Sound Sonic, Breathing heavily, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He turned slowly back to see Metal bat on the ground, and he let out a relieved breath.
"What were you thinking? You were just gonna let him lose it right here and now?" Sonic said in an accusatory tone. "What are you stupid?"
"At least you handled him…" Genos looked away, blatantly embarrassed. "Good Job." He said quietly with an air of frustration.
"I'll be the first to ask," Tatsumaki said as she returned to her usual self, prodding at Metal Bat with the tip of her toe. "What the hell did you do?"
"I hit him with my deadliest toxin, but knowing that fighting spirit of his I wouldn't be surprised if he's simply under the weather for a while, who knows how long." Sonic said proudly.
"He hardly looks bothered by it." She remarked. "Maybe the stress and lack of sleep helped out… well, what are we going to do with him?"
The three just avoided eye contact, this is where things got tricky. They couldn't just move him back home, it would raise too many questions like: why were S class heroes moving another seemingly lifeless S class hero so suspiciously? Plus the risk of him waking up in a more populated area and still losing control of his anger was too high. Moving him was risky enough since none of them knew how effective the toxin was, if he woke up while they were carrying him then… the result would be less than Ideal.
"I guess… We just have to keep an eye on him, and hope that Saitama gets back soon"
Then the three just stood there, with two worried expressions and one of mild annoyance. They stood over Metal Bat like he was a lion in a zoo that could escape at any moment, and only one person who could really handle him in a real fight. They had no idea of how right they were to do so.
Meanwhile, Saitama meandered through the long white halls, his fingers clamped over his nose. It hadn't been long since he had left Tanaka, but he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing. The halls alone were expansive and confusing in layout, and he hadn't stuck around to see what was behind the doors she seemed fixated on. As he went further and further through the halls he became annoyed with himself, he didn't stay to find out what was behind the doors, he didn't care to keep track of the way back to the elevator, and he hadn't found the source of the stench he had left to pursue.
His line of thought was interrupted, however, as he the outline of a figure disappeared behind a corner. Saitama was there instantly, startling a young man who had been calmly walking through the halls. The young man let out a brief sigh before turning around.
"Listen," He said, as he reached out to point behind Saitama. "I can't help you, now go awa-" The man stopped dead in his tracks as the tip of his finger connected with Saitama's chest, as though he was trying to point through him. "Wh-what? You're… real?" The young man said, suddenly less dismissive and more curious as he grasped Saitama's shoulders, arms, and got brushed away before he could grab the bald man's waist.
"Don't make it weird, dude. Yeah, I'm real. Do you run into a lot of fake people down here?" Saitama asked.
"You'd be surprised, h-here come into my room really quick, it's safe in there." The man gestured for Saitama to Follow him as he walked into a nearby room, one of the first that Saitama had seen with a door that wasn't blockaded. The door was almost suspicious in the way it sat open. Still, Saitama was oblivious and walked into the room as he followed the young man, finally properly observing him.
He was short and chubby with neatly combed hair, his height disadvantage was exaggerated as he constantly hunched over. Even to Saitama, who by all means was an average size, the man seemed positively tiny. He had frantic blue eyes that never seemed to rest, speeding over every part of the room. He looked to be in a constant state of anxiety, clutching his chest and rubbing his hands together. His breath was heavy and he looked sweaty and pale. He rushed around the room, opening little containers and pill bottles but never taking anything out. Finally, in the midst of his rush, he said something.
"s-s-so , uh, what brings you… down here?"
"Uh, I followed a girl she-"
"A girl!? There's someone else down here, is she real too?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure-"
" You both came from, uh… up top?"
"Yes, why? Did you not?"
"Oh, I've been down here for a long time, feels like I've been underground for years- though I did make a visit up there recently, not on purpose, of course. Uh, I must have forgotten my manners- I'm Tataki." Tataki offered his hand for a shake which Saitama cautiously accepted. His hand was cold and damp like a stone from a river.
"I'm Saitama." He responded as he remarked at how the feeling seemed to touch him even through his gloves.
"Well, Saitama, wh-where is this, girl you were talking about?"
"We split up, back near a huge pair of black doors."
Tataki's awkward smile slipped off his face, quickly replaced by a horrified grimace. "What? She didn't go inside di-" Something seemed to return to him out of nowhere and he let out a sigh as his smile returned. "No, no way, sorry I forgot, only an esper can open the gate."
"Well, she's related to a telepath, does that count?" Saitama said, hardly registering anything.
"Related? To a telepath?" He seemed to struggle with something until it clicked. "Who's she related to, what's their name."
"Kana Torimia, pretty decent gu- whoa, are you okay?" Saitama was taken aback as Tataki burst back into action, bolting around the room as if looking for something.
"We got-gotta go f-f-f-f-f-f-FREAKING HELL! We have to find her, now!"
"Calm down, Tataki, why?" Saitama said.
"We don't know what's behind the gate- th-those doors, Kana's the only one who could ever open them and everytime he would emerge he would come out… different."
"Is it that dangerous?"
"I don't know, but it was enough to change Kana after he went in there enough times, and he was…" Tataki swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "He was a mental fortress."
Saitama was confused but he was also able to recognise the danger of the situation, if Tataki was telling the truth than Tanaka could be in a lot of trouble. "Do you know how to get to the doors from here?" He asked.
"Of course, it's practically the only landmark around here, but we have to hurry, I just have to find- ah, here it is." From a drawer on the opposite side of the room Tataki pulled an old looking knife.
"Just for protection, there aren't any security guards or weapons down here anymore and this… well, it was sort of a gift from Kana, honestly you never know what's gonna show up down here."
"Well, why don't you leave?" Saitama stopped to ask, causing Tataki to hesitate as he stood in the doorway.
"We… Don't get to choose where home is, come on, we don't have time for talk anymore."
Then Tataki ran off down the hallway, quickly followed by Saitama. Tataki was so fast that Saitama had trouble keeping up with him. The unnerving part was how he ran, Tataki always seemed be an exact distance from Saitama, without looking back he would increase and decrease his speed at the same time Saitama did. His feet didn't hit the ground in quick succession either, he simply strode in long leaps, it was so unnatural that it honestly threw Saitama for a loop. They reached the door in no time at all, of course, when they did Tataki managed to stop immediately while Saitama had to lean into his stop and still collided harshly with the front of the doors and fell flat on his back. Saitama shot to his feet, rubbing his backside, to see Tataki's horrified face had returned.
"She… She's gone in." He said as he stared at the colossal doors.
"How do you know?" Saitama said as he too observed the doors.
"It's hard to explain, but it's been opened, and someone has gone in… she's the only one who could of-" Tataki's hand covered his mouth as Saitama began to open the doors. "H-how?"
"Compared to my training regimen? This is nothing!" Saitama said as he continued to push against the doors, though he clearly had a bit of trouble. He could feel an opposing force on the other side of the door, pushing back intensely, he could feel the frustration of the force as he continued to open it regardless. The pushes it made were that of someone who was losing, sudden bursts of strength that felt stronger but in reality were just as effective if not worse, instead of a constant fight with all of its might. Finally, Saitama managed to use enough force to fully throw the doors off their hinges. They flew into shadows far ahead of him, the burst of light revealing an unconscious Tanaka, who laid in a pool of sweat. Saitama walked forward and touched her forehead.
"Eww, she's soaked. What happened?"
"Sometimes," Tataki began to speak as though he had just heard terrible news. "Kana would tell me that, in the room, he would see things." Tataki said as though he had just remembered it. "Things that weren't real, that he knew weren't real, b-but that could or would or had happened. I never believed him, he said different things everytime he came out. He would say he saw things like monsters and demons, sometimes he said that the gate-or the doors, led to other places or worlds, but it was the visions that always disturbed him the most. The first time he said that he had seen them, he barely got out, he came down with a horrible fever, maybe…"
Saitama picked Tanaka up and turned to Tataki. "We should probably get her up top and some help, do you know where the elevator is?"
"O-oh, yea-yes, of course, follow me."
The walk back to the elevator was less frantic, but Tataki seemed to be in a completely different state of mind. He talked slowly and often let out deep breaths. He seemed to be coming to terms with something awful. He began pulling at his air and holding his head like he had a terrible headache. By the time they reached the room that lead to the elevator Tataki was in a terrible state. The look on his face made him look like he felt betrayed, and he carried himself like a mourner, as though he could break into tears at any moment.
Saitama saw that the button to call the elevator was torn out and hanging by its wires, it had somehow joined the club of of the other two buttons in the room. He slung Tanaka over his shoulder and pried the elevator doors open before turning back Tataki.
"Hop on my back, I can carry both of you easily." He said, but Tataki was hesitant, he took a moment to himself before looking to Saitama.
"I can't leave."
"What? Of course you can, I'm giving you away to-"
"No, I can't leave. J-just go."
Saitama wasn't bothered, he was even slightly relieved he didn't have to carry both of them. Tataki had given him an answer to a question he didn't ask, in a way he respected that, and he climbed up the elevator shaft without a second thought, leaving Tataki behind.
A/N: Sorry this one took longer, I wanted to cover more ground and handling Tataki was something that I felt needed to be done in one chapter, plus I wanted to make up for the past couple of chapters being a bit shorter. The editing on this one was the real kicker, it almost got delayed for another day but hopefully I got everything. I'll try and keep writing more A/N's for the following chapters, which by the way:
Next chapter: And His Trust
