Author's note: Thank you all for your kind reviews, favs and follows !

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Seagulls shrieked at the break of dawn. They were circling overhead, feathers rustling in the wind when they dived, flapping their wings in a frenzy to land. Between two collapsed buildings, the huge carcass of what used to be a Seafolk exhaled a foul stench of rotting fish. A swarm of seagulls quarreled with belligerent crows over the remains.

Saitama held his nose with disgust and frowned when they walked near the dead body. As for Genos, he just deactivated his own sense of smell temporarily and readjusted on his shoulder the two fishing rods they just bought on sale.

Z city had never been rebuilt nor repopulated, and that was especially true for the coastline and the district where their apartment was situated. However, some citizens still lived in a few areas despite the daily threat of monster attacks and the disaster of the comet. Mainly poor and deeply indebted families, the homeless, gangsters, reckless or suicidal people and runaways.

But here… the cyborg thought, looking around. Here, no one ever cleared the destroyed buildings' rubbles, the asphalt was gutted by craters, and the slaughtered monsters – mainly by Saitama's punch – were left to rot slowly.

They had to stride over and climb piles of ruins to finally reach the beach. Foam glided in small rolls on the sand, and the ocean's mirroring surface melted into the pale blue sky. If it wasn't for the rising sun's rippling reflection, it would have been impossible to locate the horizon.

"It's beautiful…" Genos smiled with wonder.

Saitama yawned his head off. Two tiny tears appeared at the corner of his eyes.

"Did we really need to get up that early?" he mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck, his eyelids puffy due to lack of sleep.

"Fish are more active during the early morning, sensei."

Eyes narrowed into two thin bored slits, Saitama dove his hands in his bermuda shorts' pockets. The early breeze rippled his polo shirt against his chest.

"Hey, Genos. How come you're already in top form even though yesterday your batteries were flat? We came home late and we only slept four hours. I thought you'd need more rest."

Scanning the deserted beach with an analytical stare, Genos felt the iodized wind ruffle his hair.

"Doctor Kuseno built my core so it would recharge faster after a critical situation, in order to recover quickly enough to go back fighting. Ah, sensei! I see a dinghy boat adrift!"

He ran, his feet hitting the sand until he reached the small gurgling waves, splashing water and foam all around him. His jeans were drenched up to his thighs when he finally grabbed the empty wooden boat that slowly drifted away. Genos had been hoping he would find an abandoned boat on the beach so they could sail and go open sea fishing, instead of remaining at the shore line.

He pulled it back to the beach where Saitama passively waited – he didn't look particularly enthusiastic about this little fishing outing, but not reluctant either. Genos encouraged him to go on board while he held the boat still. Once his teacher was settled in the rear, he tried hoisting himself on to the other end.

But he didn't take into account something important – he had only just put a foot inside and the dinghy rocked dangerously, because he weighed so much more than his teacher. It came close to throw Saitama flying in the air – thankfully, he had good reflexes and clung onto the boat so he wouldn't fall in the water.

"Hold on, sensei, I'm going to move!"

The dinghy rocked even more and almost overturned, the cyborg's heavy weight nearly sinking it. Perched on the end of the hull, Saitama frantically waved his arms and lost his balance. Genos only just caught him by the waist so he wouldn't dive in sea water.

"I didn't think about this." the cyborg sighed apologetically as he brought his teacher back in the boat. "I weigh more than 250kg, after all. It would be better if we stayed both in the middle to make balance."

Teacher and disciple awkwardly stomped each other to manoeuvre themselves into position, but finally they managed to sit side by side on the narrow bench in the middle, pressed against one another. Genos made himself as small as he could to leave Saitama some space, but in vain. His side, his shoulder, his hip and his knee were firmly pressed against his teacher.

"I hope it's not too uncomfortable for you, Saitama-sensei."

"No, it's okay. But how are we supposed to row, now?" the hero asked confusedly, grabbing a paddle.

Genos thought about logistics and then suggested each one of them took a paddle and rowed on his side. But it was not that easy to coordinate. They spent ten minutes going round in circles and splashing all around. They only managed to move forward three meters, and little waves already brought them back to the shore.

"Ah…" Saitama let out a disappointed sigh. "We're not gonna make it."

Genos clenched his jaw stubbornly and brought the paddle back inside the boat.

"I have an idea. Leave it to me, sensei."

Saitama raised his eyebrows and blinked when Genos leaned on him to position himself in the middle. He dove his hands in the water on each side of the dinghy. His eyes flashed golden, and the reactors in his palms switched on. The sea water warmed up as he increased his energy.

"Oooh…" Saitama gaped in wonder as the water started boiling around the boat.

"Hold on tight, sensei!" the cyborg warned.

His reactors launched burning energy at full blast and they nearly took off like a plane. The dinghy started up like a shot, cutting through the water and throwing big waves on both sides. Saitama clung to Genos, his clothes flapping against his body in the blowing wind.

"Whoaaaaa! You rock, Genos! Faster! Faster!"

Hugging the cyborg's neck with an arm, Saitama cheerfully threw his fist up in the air, the wind and speed deforming his blissful smile. Genos hadn't planned to take them that far away from the shore, but his teacher looked like he had fun at last, so he made it last as long as he could and displayed even more power to impress him.

Eventually when he switched off his reactors and wiped his soaked hands on his white shirt, Saitama loosened his hold and looked around, delighted. No land in sight, it was blue all around as far as they could see.

"I think it's a good spot for fishing." Genos calmly stated as he held out one of the fishing rods to his teacher. "I will give you a bait, just a moment."

He untied from his belt a small box full of earthworms he gathered this morning while Saitama was eating his breakfast in bed. His teacher watched him closely as he speared a worm on each hook.

"You look like you know your stuff, Genos! How come you wanted to go fishing that badly all of a sudden, by the way?"

Side by side and trying not to move so the unsteady boat wouldn't rock even more, teacher and disciple both threw their line in the water with a small plop.

"I used to go fishing with my father in summer when I was… before." Genos explained, keeping an eye on the bobber.

The sounds of water lapping against the hull brought back old memories. He smiled wistfully. His father's face was blurred, but he remembered precisely the warm sound of his laughter.

"We never caught anything," he said softly, "but those memories are very precious to me. I wanted to share that with you, sensei."

He made sure not to mention Silver Fang's advice. But Saitama stayed silent, staring at the cyborg with an unreadable look in his eyes.

The wood under their feet creaked loudly, and Genos looked away from the bobber. Saitama stared down, confused, and blinked.

"Did you hear a crack too?"

The wood creaked again and the cyborg's energy sensors shot up as well as all his internal alarm signals.

"Sensei… something is coming. A very powerful threat. Be ready."

"Ah, ok." Saitama said flatly. He was still holding his fishing rod, relaxed.

Genos tensed up, on his guard. Everything seemed peaceful and silent except for the soft water lapping. There was nothing as far as he could see, not even underwater when he scanned it with his enhanced sight. But still his sensors located the growing energy here, just with them – that made no sense!

A series of creaking sounds, louder and louder. Genos clearly felt the wood vibrate and swell up under their feet and their buttocks, like if it came alive.

And suddenly, in a split second just long enough to draw a vaguely surprised « Ah... » from Saitama, the boat flipped over and plunged them right into the sea. The cold water rushed into his mouth and nose, immediately filling up his lungs and stomach. The heavy cyborg's body sank like a rock, but he activated his reactors to go back up and rise to the surface, his drenched hair falling like a curtain before his eyes. He evaporated the water in his stomach and let the rest in his lungs flow from his mouth.

His first reflex was to check on his teacher – he saw him, his bald head decorated with a thick slimy seaweed that slid back into the water with a moist sound. Unfazed, the hero was still holding his fishing rod like nothing happened. He barely raised an eyebrow and glanced at the monstrous dinghy facing them.

« How dare you climb on my magnificent back, you wretched insects! » it inveighed, standing now vertically on the water. It's hull split to form evil eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth made of splinters. The paddles stretched to become muscular arms.

« You woke me up by squawking and stomping on my beautiful self! Now you are going to pay for it! I am… »

Genos decided to interrupt the monster in it's speech by activating his shoulders and hands' reactors to rise above the water, steamy and streaming with water.

"How dare you…" the cyborg articulated furiously through his clenched teeth.

His golden eyes flashed with wrath and his synthetic face grimaced in a threatening way.

"… ruin my private moment with Saitama-sensei!" he screamed, stretching his arms toward the monster that blinked, surprised.

He activated all his weapons popping out from his joints and metallic plates, and focused his energy so hard the water started boiling all around.

"I'm gonna incinerate you." he announced coldly.

"Whoa, you look angry, Genos."

"Leave it to me, sensei, I'll get rid of that intruder for you."

"Ok, enjoy, then."

« Fufufu, pathetic maggot, you really think you'd be up to... »

Genos didn't give the monster any more time to cackle. He hurled a massive blazing fire ball at it, in a deafening roar. When he lowered his arms and the steam cleared away, he realized a little late that the monster obviously controlled water and protected itself behind a water shield. The water fell down, splashing loudly – but the boat was no longer behind it.

« You won't be the first one I drown! » the monster's voice raised just behind him.

His eyes widened – how did it move so fast? He probably took advantage of the steam mist to move around!

Before he could turn back, the boat hit him with a paddle, so hard he'd have been thrown to the sky if he didn't use his shoulders' reactors to stabilize in the air. Genos clenched his jaw and was about to attack again, but was beaten to it when a huge whirlpool shot up from the sea, struck him hard and swallowed him.

« Your turn, now… You humans tore me away of my native forest to enslave me. But now I have my freedom and I will have my revenge against every last one of you! » he heard the boat-creature gloat, just before he was drawn down to the deep darkness, so quickly he felt the growing pressure crack his joints.

Genos didn't stay sunken long. Rather than use his reactors that burned too much energy, he held his breath and activated his fans that usually regulated his temperature but could also be used as a submarine's propellers. Night vision on, it was then easy for him to swim through the darkness. Struggling against the pressure, he went back up as fast as he could. The light came back slowly, and he saw his teacher's legs in the bermuda shorts moving lazily to stay at the surface. The monster was facing him, and Genos could only guess by the sound waves that it was still uttering it's speech.

When Genos appeared in the open air and breathed big gulps of oxygen, Saitama glanced at him and gave out a relieved smile. He was still holding the fishing rod, like he never stopped fishing in spite of the chaotic situation.

"Ah, you're back, Genos! I was wondering if I'd have to dive and look for you."

"I'm fine, sensei. Don't worry about me."

« Hey! » the monstrous dinghy took offense, a wooden vein growing on it's hull. « I am not done talking, you insolent apes! »

Saitama sighed and pulled his line out of the water to point at the empty hook.

"Yeah." he said flatly to the boat. "And it's annoying, you know. You scared away all the fish, shouting like this. Shut the fuck up."

Struck dumb with admiration, Genos watched his teacher close his fist and reach limply until his knuckles brushed against the hull, without any energy whatsoever. It was barely a touch, but Saitama's amazing power blew out the monster in an explosion of splinters. The cyborg couldn't help smiling, unable to contain his pride. Saitama was really amazing.

"We didn't even get to catch a fish," Saitama complained as he took a piece of wood between his fingers. "And now we don't even have a boat anymore, we gotta swim all the way back."

"I can fly and carry you back to the beach, sensei."

Saitama blinked and looked at him.

"You can? For real?"

"Yes. With the battery I have left, my reactors could make me fly for twenty minutes approximately. Doctor Kuseno is trying to make my battery last longer for my next upgrade."

"Cool! You're one hell of a multifunction dude!"

Genos' core whirred in anticipation as he swam towards his teacher and pulled him closer with an arm around his waist. Saitama's firm body was pressed against his own. Genos shivered but regained his composure and activated his shoulders' reactors.

"Sensei." he said against the top of his bald head. "Hold on tight."

And in an explosion of water and steam, they took off the sea and rose so high and so fast the brushed against some vaporous clouds in the blue sky. At this altitude, the coast of D and Z cities looked just like a miniature layout.

"The view is great up there!" Saitama commented, holding his disciple's arm with a hand, and raising the other one to shield his eyes from the sun.

Genos narrowed his eyes and tilted his reactors to cut through the air and fly straight toward the shoreline. Bang's second advice ended up as a failure too. Fishing didn't raise in Saitama a new passion and could never replace in his heart the exaltation of a real fight.

Nothing ever could, Genos understood at last. And now, he had no idea left and didn't know what to do anymore.

He was way too busy thinking and brooding to realize Saitama was beaming and had blown up in a few minutes his daily smiles statistics.