What It Means

by HorrificallyDreadful

After a brush with near-death, Tatsumaki realizes she cannot be the pillar of hope the people need. For the first time in a long time, she is afraid. The only one who can save her from that fear doesn't understand the concept of responsibility. There's more to hero work than a good fight and more to bravery than strength alone. The world needs a true hero, but what does that mean?

29. I Found You

AN: Welcome back, again sorry for the hiatus. I was... very unsure about where to stop with this chapter. I honestly hit a bit of a writer's high and couldn't find a comfortable break, which is why this chapter is so long. I thought about splitting it in two, but it flows better in a single read.

To address some comments from my last chapter, lol! Someone pointed out how Flashy Flash just disappeared after racing Saitama and that's fucking hilarious! I completely forgot about him, lol! I'll retcon that when I make my way through the story closer to the end. And also they pointed out how overdramatized a particular scene was when Saitama saved Tatsumaki, which is also a good point. That too will be fixed eventually.

And to that mental health check? I'm doing great, and thank you for that!

I really appreciate you guys giving feedback, and just taking the time to read my work. All that being said, I really hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! It's a thick read, so strap in! Hopefully, you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.

---

Back in the bunker hosting the One-Punch-Man Fanclub meet-up, Suiryu lingered near the stage along with the other speakers who were invited to tell their stories. When the shelter filled to its brim and they shut the doors, there were multiple announcements made over the intercom saying that they'd be receiving more information in time, but the wait was agonizing. With every moment that passed, the room seemed to subdue itself into a hollow silence so that they could listen for how close the catastrophe actually was, and the horrifying truth of the matter was that it was right on top of them.

They could hear the booms and rumbles all around them, and the scraping of claws against the metal dome above. For as much faith as they had in the bunkers built by Metal Knight, they were all aware that being in the bunker nearest to the action still meant you were in a dangerous area. At any moment, their safe haven could crack, and they'd be at the mercy of whatever beast was strong enough to crack it.

The anticipation was heavy, and it reminded Suiryu of being stuck in the arena with those monsters. Still, he wasn't afraid in the slightest. 'We're lucky we're in City-B. Apparently, Saitama lives around here, somewhere... Heh... I was kinda hoping he'd show up today as a special guest or something... I wonder if he'd even remember me...'

A few feet away from him, Mina sat in her mother's lap, listening to the sounds of the scrapes and knocking on the walls around them with a worried look. Moments like these used to excite her, but after coming face to face with a monster, herself, that wasn't the case anymore. Being in real danger was a lot more terrifying than she thought it would be when she would dream about being saved by Tornado. Safe to say, she wasn't planning on sneaking away from her mother any time soon.

(Boom...!)

The entire room flinched at the sound of a distant rumble before settling back into that thick silence. Mina felt her mother's arms tighten around her and she sunk back into the warmth of the embrace. '... Saitama... You'll save us, again... Right...?'

(crk... crk-crk... Beeeep)

All at once, the televisions looming around the room cut on and brought up a helicopter view of the calamity surrounding them with a news reporter narrating what was happening.

(On the screen)

There were multiple porcupine-like monsters swarming the streets, all rushing Metal Bat in a wild frenzy. From the distance and angle of the camera view, they looked like ants emerging from the hole in the street. The teen hero was knocking them off, one by one, with powerful blows, but there were way too many to count. For each one he killed, there were ten more chasing him down.

"Again," the off-camera reporter said, "if you're just joining us and you are in the vicinity of City-B, we advise that you find shelter immediately. The once Demon-level threat has been officially raised to Dragon-level with this new ability the creature presents. This monster seems to be able to replicate itself, at will, at an unprecedented rate. The creature did not appear to initially have this ability until after Metal Bat had defeated it once. But, again, like the attacks just a few days ago, this creature revived itself and evolved."

Metal Bat was like a spinning top, mowing down the numbers around him with relative ease.

"Now, could this potentially be linked to the theory posed by the internet user, TheHeroWatcher17, which went viral, where he essentially connected some very interesting points about the latest attacks? That theory, for those who may not know, is that these monsters are being created by an unknown enemy. They are not random occurrences, but strategic attacks that will eventually achieve whatever goal this unknown enemy of humanity has. If you look at the facts, this attack shares shocking similarities to the attack two days ago. Three different monsters in three different cities, all popping up simultaneously, and so far, two have revived with new abilities they did not previously display. As of now, the association has made no comment on the controversial theory, and their silence, to many, has become a cause for concern..."

"Someone's making these monsters?" a guy asked his friend nearby, drawing Mina's attention. "No way..."

"Yeah, I saw a post about it the other day," his friend replied. "Apparently, these newer monsters are a lot more feral than they used to be. Some people say they don't even talk. They're just like mutated animals or something."

"Sheesh... Maybe it's like an evil scientist or something, turning real animals into monsters."

"Tch, probably. It's not gonna matter though. When One-Punch-Man finds them, it's gonna be all over with."

"Heh, yeah... but... what if it's not that simple...?"

"What do you mean?"

"i-I mean, what if... what if it's just too much for even him...?"

"Tch, yeah right. He's won every single fight he's ever had in one blow, and he barely even looks like he tries. There's no way he loses to some loser scientist, making big dumb monsters... And even if it is too much, the other S-Class heroes would back him up. Don't forget how strong they all are. I mean, look at Metal Bat. He's destroying those things!"

"Yeah, he is, huh...? Hey, doesn't he seem faster than he was before?"

"I was just thinking that! He's like a twister out there!"

Mina looked back to the screen and watched the hero in question at work. She was never really a fan of his, but she did see him on tv a few times.

(On the screen)

The huge creatures were in a frenzied rush trying to maul the bat-wielding teen, but he was too quick. Like a game of pinball, he bounced from one beast to another, dishing out devastating blows with every swing.

---

"Hrrrgh!" With a nasty smack, his bat twisted the head of one of the monsters and he lunged across the street at another that was ready to pounce. Though there were many of them, his fight with the first one was pretty telling regarding their weaknesses. The porcupine-like monsters were incredibly aggressive, and the spikes on their back were nearly indestructible, but they had exposed skin all around. Soft spots that, if hit just right, could slow them down enough to get a good swing at their heads. The only problem now was their staggering numbers. They came in unrelenting waves, and they were locked onto his every move. He couldn't catch a break.

Still, he was fired up to the max. Not so much at the threat, but at the fact that he was improving. It was like his bat felt lighter than it ever had before, and every swing had an extra snap to it. '... but it's not enough... I have to be even faster if I wanna land that hit!' He flipped through the air, narrowly avoiding the swiping paw of one of the monsters. Before he could land, another came screaming around the corner, right in his path, so he drew his bat over his head and swung with all his might. The creature was too slow to defend itself, and its head was lopped clean off its shoulders.

Metal Bat rolled forward with the momentum and quickly got back into his sprint. Behind him, three more of the annoying brutes were hot on his trail. The teen masterfully maneuvered through the crowded street as fast as possible until he cut a sharp corner. Two of the monsters were slow to react and stumbled by, but one of them was still locked in on his every move. 'Tch...!' He looked up to the sky when he caught a glimpse of the news chopper. 'What the hell is taking so long on that backup!? I'm drowning here...! Zenko better not be watching this...'

Metal Bat slid to a stop and got into a proper hitting stance, double gripping his bat that he leaned on his back shoulder as he watched the beast approach.

The creature was not deterred by the implied threat. It charged him with a deep, monstrous, roar that was only amplified by the quake of the ground at its every step.

The teen narrowed his gaze and waited for the perfect moment."... rrrRRAAGHHH!"

(BOOM!)

With a downward chop, he destroyed the street around him, completely. Huge chunks of the road popped into the air around him, and with a steadying breath, he began his attack. "SAVAGE TORNADO!"

Like a spinning cyclone, the falling chunks of cement and asphalt were thrown in every direction at deadly speeds, tearing through everything in their path, including the pursuing monsters. This technique was one he had really been working on the most. Before, it was just a wild spin move, but now that he had improved his speed a little, he could almost accurately direct a few hits. Using the other chunks as distractions was the key to really making it a deadly move. When his momentum slowed, he came to a stop and looked at his handiwork with a grimace. It was good, but it still wasn't enough because as soon as those bodies dropped, ten more of the monstrous pests came creeping out from the surrounding buildings.

Metal Bat spit on the handle of his weapon and readied himself to continue the fight. 'Whatever it takes... I'm gonna land that hit!'

(BOOM!)

Before he could notice it, he was smacked away by a monster from behind, and he was sent crashing through the glass of a nearby shop until he smashed into the brick wall inside. "ergh-! Motherf-..!"

(BOOM!)

Another beast broke through the wall behind him, blasting him back out to the street, and before he could catch his bearings, he was hit again. Then, within seconds he was being pummeled from every direction.

---

(On the screen)

Soon, the entire street was filled with the oversized creatures swarming the teen hero all at once. The crowd of viewers in the bunker hosting the One-Punch-Man Fanclub event watched in silent horror.

Everyone was distraught, but none more so than Metal Bat's sister who was watching from her seat at the back of the bunker. She was in the group of children with the teacher that had asked Saitama if he could give up his seat. As she watched the screen, it felt like she could vividly hear the beat of her own heart. Her friends were trying to comfort her, but she couldn't really hear them. 'Big bro...'

---

One of the monsters grabbed Metal Bat by the leg and swung him into the side of a building hard enough to crack the cement. Somehow, he still had an iron grip on his weapon. His face was covered in a familiar red sheen as the blood dribbled down from his hairline.

"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

(BOOM!)

With a roar, another beast charged forward and plowed the teen through wall after wall until it spat him out on the other side of the building. Metal Bat tumbled across the street, taking a few nasty hits from the abandoned cars in the way until his back slammed into the roof of a big rig that was lying on its side. "er-..! Ergh," he groaned, trying to shake away his dizziness.

---

Zenko held her fist against her chest and watched him try and struggle to his feet a few times. '... Get up...'

(On the screen)

"-and though the other battles are slowly coming to a close thanks to the collaborative efforts of a number of heroes, here in City-B, Metal Bat has been fighting perhaps the biggest threat of the day on his own."

The camera zoomed in on him just as he made it back to his feet only to stumble once more and drop to a knee.

"Up until just a few moments ago, he was fairing incredibly well, perhaps better than ever, but the sheer number of targets has just seemed to overwhelm him. City-B's downtown area is absolutely infested with creatures all believed to be exact copies of the original beast which was deemed a Demon-Level threat on its own; that threat level, again, being raised to Dragon-level with the reveal of this new ability... Honestly, I just don't know how much more he can take..."

'Big bro...! Get up!'

---

Metal Bat stayed down on a knee with his bat supporting his weight as he worked to catch his breath. He spat a glob of blood from his mouth and watched the monster that tackled him through the building slowly creeping its way out of the same hole. 'I know, Zenko... I'm gettin' up...' They weren't telepathic or anything. He just assumed she was watching from that bunker with her classmates, worried out of her mind. If the attack hadn't been so close to where she was, he probably wouldn't have taken the call in the first place.

He took a deep breath and rolled his neck out when he saw more of the monsters creeping out from the surrounding buildings. ' Urgh... These fuckin' things keep comin'... I thought they were just illusions or something, but they're perfect copies of the first one. Same size, same strength, and all... Maybe I gotta take out the main one, but it's down in that hole they're spawning from.' They weren't necessarily guarding it, but there were so many funneling out that it'd be hard to slip through on his own. '... Tch... Hate to admit it, but... I might be outmatched here.' With a huff, he pushed himself back to his feet and twirled his bat around before settling into a defensive stance, awaiting an attack. 'Where the hell is that backup...?'

---

(On a phone screen)

"-so even though the monster has been defeated for a third time, the Association has not yet lifted the emergency warning in City-Y, just yet. Silver Fang and Child Emperor, the two heroes responsible for the defeat of the burning monster, are apparently waiting for a containment team to arrive before they are relieved of their mission. Over in Cities B and S, however, the battles are still raging on, and, again, the Association advises anyone in those areas, and the neighboring cities, to make your way to a bunker if you haven't already."

Amai Mask watched the broadcast from the Association chopper as they approached the far edge of the ongoing catastrophe. Even in the air, he could feel the massive booms and rumbles of the battle to come, and it only brought a smile to his face. 'Heh... this is perfect. And here I thought we'd have to wait for something big enough to happen. The scale of this battle is far from being on par with One-Punch-Man's debut, but it's just big enough to draw the attention of the right people...' His gaze shifted over to Love who was strapped in her seat, staring nervously out the window.

She was dressed in the outfit they had designed for her hero costume just a few hours ago. It was a sleeveless pink battle dress that fit her torso snugly and fanned out into a skirt that stopped just below the middle of her thighs. She also wore pink combat boots that traveled up to her knees and silver bands around her biceps. Folded neatly on her lap was some sort of pink, silk-like, cloth that she nervously fiddled with. The outfit was designed by one of his top designers, and it fit her well. It showed off her curves without seeming too revealing, and it naturally brought attention to her beautiful face, as intended. It was the perfect outfit for her debut... a debut that he was planning on using as leverage for something very important...

---

(Two days ago)

"... A hero?" the pop star muttered, sipping a dark brown liquor from an expensive-looking glass. He sat behind his desk at his home office, staring across the way at his surprise visitor.

Sitch shuffled a file in his hands for a moment before passing it over the desk between them. "That's what she says," he replied, watching Amai Mask glance over the first page. "Her name is Love, and she was the supposed target of those creatures. They all seemed to be converging on her, specifically."

"Yeah," Amai Mask muttered in an annoyed tone as he flipped through the file. "I noticed..."

"She claims she was a captive in an unsanctioned testing facility for most of her life. She was able to escape because of a friendly doctor who was killed in the process of helping her. She doesn't know who runs the facility, but sh-.."

"What do you want from me, exactly?" Amai Mask tossed the file back onto his desk. "If she wants to be a hero, then she can take the Hero exams and the sponsors can place her where she would best fit," he said with an eerily sweet smile that didn't exactly fit his impatient demeanor.

"Well... the thing is, she's pretty adamant about wanting to join the S-Class, specifically..." Sitch held Amai Mask's gaze for a long while after his statement, trying to gauge his reaction. He expected some sort of outburst about how it wasn't even in the realm of possibilities, but instead, he almost seemed to be contemplating something. "She... she says it's been a dream of hers for a long while and I know the decision isn't for me to make, but... after some preliminary testing of her abilities, she may prove a good fit for the team."

"... Heh..." Amai Mask stood from his seat and paced in front of the big window behind him, overlooking City-R. "... Team, huh...? You and Sekingar still believe in that idea, I see."

"We do," he replied immediately.

Amai Mask gave him an amused look before shrugging his thoughts away. "... Well, whatever it is, I find it hard to believe that that woman will add anything of strategic value to it. I saw her power firsthand. Impressive, but I doubt it'll place her within the upper echelons of the organization... It's a hard sell, at best."

"I know that..." Sitch stared at the desk in front of him with a hazy look in his eyes. "Which is why I've come to you..."

That piqued Amai Mask's interest enough for him to stop his pacing by the edge of the window. He stared at Sitch for a long moment, wondering one thing in particular. "Heh, I guess that means you really must want her in there if you'd go this far," he said with that false smile of his. "Why is that, exactly? If you don't mind me asking..."

Sitch sighed and sat back in his seat, rubbing his face as he thought up an answer that made sense. Even then, he couldn't say why he did. "I... I don't know, to be honest... i-I guess I just... see something in her... I'm not asking for you to pull strings with the sponsors or anything. I'm only asking you to help her. I believe that, with the right guidance, she can learn to stand among the best..."

---

Luckily for Sitch, Amai Mask didn't necessarily need much convincing. In fact, he was already planning on seeking her out. His eyes traced the features of her face as she stared out the window with a worried look. For some reason, it only made him smile. 'Heh... You really are beautiful...'

In all of his years of being an idol, fawned over by countless women, he could say with complete confidence that he had never seen a more stunning woman. Yet, it wasn't his attraction alone that drew him into helping her. She embodied the very idea of what he imagined when he thought of a hero. Not only was she beautiful, but he vividly recalled the moment when they first met. The moment when she ran from the safety of the bunker, knowing the creature was after her, just to spare the lives of the people within. How could he, as a member of the Hero Association hero rank evaluation staff, turn a blind eye to such a selfless act? She was courageous, good-hearted, and gorgeous. Her effectiveness on a battlefield was the only issue that threw a wrench into the process, but after just two days of work, and a slight improvement from the S-Class's young genius, he was confident she'd show something of value to the right group of people. That's why this attack was really a blessing in disguise.

(... Boom!)

Love flinched at the rumble of a blast that seemed a lot closer than before. It snapped her out of a daze and she finally zoned in on what was happening beneath them. Shifting in her seat, she got a good look at the huge disgusting creatures scurrying across the buildings like roaches. They weren't as big as the monsters that chased her through the cities, but they definitely posed a much bigger threat than she initially thought.

'w-Whoa... There are so many...' Like thoughtless insects, they sniffed around the streets, tossing cars and trucks around, or burrowed their way into the surrounding buildings, likely in search of anything that moved.

"Nervous?" Amai Mask suddenly asked.

Love flinched at the sound of his voice and looked his way with an uncertain smile. "Um... a little, heh..."

"Heh, don't worry," he said with his kind smile. "There's nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind that this does essentially count as your audition. I've mentioned you to the right people, and they will be watching your performance."

Love furrowed a brow in confusion. Was that supposed to calm her down? It only made it that much more stressful.

"Yet, regardless of that, you do remember what your main objective is, don't you?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Uh... yeah... Safety of civilians always comes first... no matter what."

"Good," he replied, immediately. He slapped a big red button on the wall and the sliding door of the chopper opened up. Immediately, the roar of the wind made it hard to hear. Amai Mask slipped his sunglasses on and leaned out to scope the area beneath them. "Okay!" he yelled. "Looks like you're up!"

Love unbuckled her seatbelt and sat up on the edge of her seat, trying to calm her beating heart.

Amai Mask pulled himself back in and leaned over so she could hear him better. "We're gonna drop you here! There aren't many! Show me that you can handle yourself and work your way down the road! Follow the news chopper! They focus on the majority of the action!"

"o-Okay!" she yelled, frantically nodding at his rapid-fire instructions.

"I'll be watching your every move! If it looks like you're in trouble, I will step in, and we will await a different opportunity!" He stepped aside and watched her inch to the edge of the door, nervously fiddling with the folded fabric in her hands. "... Hey!" he called out as she sat down with her feet dangling over the side. She looked back his way, and he could see her hesitation written all over. "... You can do this! I know you can! You know how to use that thing! Just like the kid said, it's an extension of you...!"

With a nervous chuckle, she gave him one more smile before her eyes drifted to the folded piece of fabric again. After all of these years, this moment felt like the closest she had ever been to being where she wanted to be...

'I wanna be strong, like him...' Down below, her eyes landed on a giant billboard with Saitama's face on it. 'He's an S-Class hero... the best of the best...' She took one last steadying breath as her gaze swept around the ensuing chaos. 'If that's where he is, then,' she leaned forward and slipped out into a nose dive, 'that's where I wanna be, too!'

---

(BOOM!)

Metal Bat narrowly avoided a grab by a monster that plowed its claw into the side of a building. He vaulted back to the cluttered street below, smashing the heads of three others in a wild flurry of strikes along the way. When he hit the ground, he rolled into a sprint and immediately slid beneath another snatching hand reminiscent of a baseball player sliding into a base. Then, he dove forward, narrowly avoiding the beast that tried to crush him from the building.

With a growl, he cut to his left and plowed through the glass window of a nearby shop. He masterfully sifted his way through a restaurant cluttered by a maze of knocked-over tables and chairs. It definitely looked like the people left in a hurry. With no wasted movements, he made it to the kitchen door just as the pursuing monsters crashed their big bodies through the small space.

For no reason at all, he shut the door behind him and ran through the small hallway that was eerily silent in comparison to the chaos he'd been hearing. At the end of the hall was a split, and he wasn't really sure which way would lead him outside.

(BOOM!)

"RAAARRGGGHH!"

Peeking back, Metal Bat saw one of the monsters bust its massive body through the door. It was nowhere near big enough to fit in the narrow hall, but it was clawing its way through the solid walls like it was moving in mud. He turned back and took a guess, sharply cutting to his left, narrowly avoiding the mouth of the beast that plowed through the wall, flooding the hall with the sounds of the chaos outside. And to his irritation, he chose wrong. At the end of the hall was a janitor's closet. '... A fuckin'...!' With a grimace, he swung his bat at the wall beside him and blasted a hole into the alley.

Then, he quickly jumped to the fire escape on the other side and masterfully scaled his way up to the roof, ignoring the crashing sounds of chaos beneath him. When he made it, he began jumping from roof to roof, relishing the fact that he had a moment to breathe. Not a long moment, however, as a beast came screaming over the edge in front of him. "Hragh!" he swung and smacked the beast's reaching hand and quickly changed the direction of his swing to clock it in the head. It was a good enough hit to jerk its body to the side and Metal Bat gently hopped over its shoulder, dropping down from the ten-story building onto the relatively emptied street. He rolled to a crouch and immediately began running again.

'Alright, I'm close,' he mulled, feeling the rumbles of the ground increase. The hole they were spawning from felt just a block away. If he could just somehow slip by unnoticed by a majority, he could work his way down to the source of the problem. 'Then I can bash its damn head in so I can get back to traini-..!'

(BOOM!)

The street in front of him exploded, blasting him up into a window on the fifteenth floor of an apartment building. Three of the creatures came scraping out in a frenzy, slapping their chests and roaring in anticipation.

When he broke through the glass, and a chunk of the surrounding wall, Metal Bat slid to a stop, stretched out on a hardwood floor. That blast definitely knocked him around. His blurry vision slowly started to fade as he shook his head and he realized he was in what seemed to be a child's room. "er-..! Ergh..." With a groan, he rolled over to his side where his eyes caught sight of a One-Punch-Man action figure staring right back at him. 'Heh... They definitely got that dead look right...' Eventually, a movement behind the little plastic Saitama drew his gaze into the shade beneath a bed where he caught sight of two sets of terrified eyes. A young boy, possibly even younger than his sister, was in the embrace of a teen girl with a punk aesthetic to her looks.

The two stared at him with worried expressions, and he was still a little dizzy from the hit. With another groan, he rolled over to his hands and knees, still clutching his bat as if it were welded to his palm. With a steadying breath, he turned back to the hole when he could feel something quickly scaling its way up the building.

"Hey," he said, holding a finger to his earpiece, "any news on that backup? I got civilians here... Hello?" He pulled the little plastic plug from his ear to see it cracked open. "Damn it," he muttered, digging around his pockets for his transponder. Hopefully, he didn't leave it in his jacket. He had no idea where that was.

The two in question slowly came creeping out when they recognized the hero that saved them. "m-... Metal Bat?" the boy said.

(Boom)

The building shook a little at the sound of an impact. "Stay down, kid," he passively warned him, spitting on the handle of his bat again. "It's not safe, yet." He stretched his arms out in a swinging motion, like a batter awaiting a pitch.

The teen girl crawled out from the bed and quickly grabbed at the little boy's arm, her worried gaze never leaving the teen hero. "d-Daigo... Come on!" she said in a panic, but the kid was so transfixed at seeing an S-Class hero in his room that it was like trying to drag dead weight. "Let's go!"

"Get the hell outta here!" Metal Bat yelled when the room around them started trembling. He shimmied his shoulders in anticipation of fully stepping into his swing as soon as the beast poked its head through the hole.

The girl managed to drag her brother to the door, but she had locked it and she was fumbling with the stupid little turn-style mechanism. Her hands were shaking, and the room trembled like it was sitting on a railroad track.

"Hurry!" the teen hero barked, getting ready for the swing. It felt like the beast was just a floor or two down.

The girl crumbled under the pressure and made a last-ditch effort to protect the kid by wrapping him in a hug and tucking him away into the corner, trying to shield him with her body from whatever was coming.

(Crash...!)

With the sound of an impact, it got eerily quiet, as if the monster knew he was waiting for it, and stopped just beneath the hole. For a tense moment, there was a dreadful silence...

Metal Bat eyed the edge of the opening with an intense glare. He really tuned into his sense of hearing to see if there was anything he was missing. He could hear the girl and the child behind him, still whimpering in fear, and the sounds of devastation in the distance, but whatever had been scaling the building was quiet... until he heard what sounded like trickling bricks and realized what was happening.

The girl in the corner cautiously peeked back over her shoulder when the moments passed and they weren't dead. Did they have another chance to leave?

"Shit!" Metal Bat suddenly turned around and brought his bat over his head. "RAARRGGGHHH!" With a roar, he slammed it down, just as the wooden floor beneath them started to bulge as if to explode. He completely rerouted the blast and sent the beast crashing through the two floors beneath it. He popped up a brick with his foot and blasted a hole through the bedroom door with a perfect swing. "Go, now!"

The girl dragged the crying child to the door and looked back at their savior along the way. "th-Thank y-..!" She suddenly gasped, looking over his shoulder. "LOOK OUT!"

Metal Bat spun around with a wild swing from his bat, but it was too late.

"RAAARRRGGGHH!" One of the creatures had jumped from the building across the way so he couldn't hear it, smacking him into the wall with a brutal backhand.

"NO! SOMEBODY HELP!" The girl screamed in terror, watching it scramble after him.

(BOOM!)

She shrieked and wrapped the boy up tightly when Metal Bat came bursting from their laundry room with half his body dangling in the monster's mouth. His bat was lodged between its jaws, keeping it from biting down, but he was definitely in trouble. The beast pinned him to the wall in a power struggle, still trying for all it was worth to snap its teeth shut.

"GO!" he yelled at her, shocking her from her daze.

She turned around and ran as fast as she could to the front door, but she stumbled when the building suddenly quaked. She caught her balance and nearly recovered but stopped when her eyes tracked a crack running along the wall the front door was on, creeping toward their only exit. She only had time to gasp before another monster came bursting out.

Metal Bat snarled in frustration. Looking back at the beast trying to swallow him, he stomped at the back of its throat making it whip its head in anger, flinging him in their direction. He snatched his bat from its mouth on the way out and threw it at the monster trying to attack the civilians. It was a hail-mary attempt, but he managed to catch it in the eye, momentarily stopping its advance.

With no wasted movements, he lunged forward and snatched his weapon from the air, delivering a devastating blow to the thrashing creature's head, spinning it at an odd angle before the body dropped down lifelessly.

Immediately, he jumped back behind the girl to face the other one that was recovering from his escape. "Stay behind me!" he quickly instructed.

The girl did as she was told and tried to shrink behind him for cover with the boy in her arms still crying hysterically.

Metal Bat eyed the creature down as it slowly crept toward them. Just when he thought he had it under control, another one popped out of the hole in the hallway. The two behemoths sniffled at the air and watched him with predatory looks in their feral eyes. He slowly backed up, pushing the girl into a corner. They were running out of options. He'd have to fight for the win and get them to safety before attacking the hive. 'Tch...! If nothing else, I can hold out until he gets here... I hate waiting on him, of all people, but I may not have a choice. This is gettin' outta hand...'

The girl behind him watched the stalking creatures with worry in her eyes until the famous teen hero stepped in front of her defensively, cutting her view. She stared at the back of his head in wonder. '... Metal Bat...' Even as battered and bruised as he seemed to be, he was still fighting to protect them. She had never seen someone so fearless. Even with the two towering monsters in front of them, and the rumbling chaos all around, he was still standing. '... huh?'

Her eyes tracked something that seemed so out of place, drifting over his shoulder. A bright pink flower petal swished and rocked in the air... and then another... and another.

Metal Bat wasn't exactly sure what was happening either. Through the hole in the wall, he could see flower petals just floating through the air as if they were sitting under a giant cherry blossom tree on a windy day. It held his attention, even as another monster poked its head up through the hole with a menacing growl. "... -the hell is this?"

"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!" The monsters were not as distracted, and they lounged together the moment he lost focus.

Still, the teen was ready to defend. "DRAGON THRASHING!" He destroyed their reaching arms with quick strikes from his bat, flying in at odd angles yet seemingly connecting simultaneously, but it wasn't enough. They still tried to plow their heads forward to snap at the three with their massive snouts. He didn't stop swinging, no matter what, but they were starting to tank the damage and back him up. "HRAAAARRRGGHHH!" He swung faster and faster, trying to overwhelm them with blows.

The girl backed further into the corner until she ran out of space. The sounds of the thundering impacts were deafening, even overbearing the little boy's wailing screams directly in her ear. She watched Metal Bat swing away in wonder. He was going so fast that she couldn't even see his bat after a while, and every swing was hard enough that the force of the swing itself traveled through the air, chipping away at the walls around them. Then, she saw one of his hits smack the head of one of the beasts, sending it tumbling to their left, into the other corner along the wall.

The creature shook its head and crawled back to its feet with a stumble. It then looked right at her and slowly started prowling forward.

The girl looked back at Metal Bat who was still swinging like crazy. He couldn't see the one shimmying for a pounce. "h-.. Hey..." she tried to call him.

The monster snarled and sunk down with a dangerous look in its eyes.

"HEYYY!" she cried, just as it attacked.

"DAMN IT!" Metal Bat yelled as he caught sight of the beast. It was too late for him to defend. He had to take the hit. Before he could make a move to do so, something new entered his line of sight.

A silky pink cloth shot forward and wrapped around the neck of the monster, pulling it off course. When he saw it slip, Metal Bat swung his bat and knocked its head around with a sickening crunch. His eyes tracked the fabric when it slipped away from the beast and snatched the overhead strike of the creature in front of him.

"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

Metal Bat prepared to defend himself, but he stopped his next swing short when something completely unexpected happened...

(Boof...!)

The creature's head exploded in a shower of pink flower petals blasting him in the face with a gentle puff, momentarily obscuring his vision. He blocked his face and heard the sound of the body slumping down to the floor with a heavy thud.

The girl behind him watched in amazement as he swatted the petals away creating an incredibly movie-like view of his... handsome face...

When one of the petals slipped into his mouth, Metal Bat jerked his head back with an annoyed look. He took the opportunity to make sure that girl and her brother were still okay. His gaze traveled around their forms, checking for any injuries. 'Few bumps and bruises, but they're ali-... alive...' Their eyes finally met and he furrowed his brow when he saw her red face fixed with an odd expression.

"a-.. Are you okay...?"

For some reason, he flinched at those words when he realized this girl didn't say them. His head snapped back around to the hole in the side of their living room to see the silhouette of a woman he had never seen standing at the edge, partially blocking the glaring sun that was blinding him. He put his hand up in an attempt to see her face. "Tch, I'm fine," he barked back. "I definitely had that under control."

"o-Oh, I'm sorry," her sweet voice replied as she stepped further in.

And with every step, he could see her face just a little more until he suddenly realized, 'Damn... she's kinda cute...'

"i-I didn't think you would mind. I... think the organization sent me to help you?" she said with a questioning inflection in her tone.

"o-Oh, uh..." He rubbed the tip of his nose and looked away, wondering why his cheeks were tingling. Leaning his bat on his shoulder, he took note of the pink shawl she had on her head, loosely wrapped to look like a hooded cape. It was moving in a very ethereal way as if it were being gently blown by a constant stream of wind. "Well... who the hell are you? Are you an A-Class?"

"Um... n-Not really? I'm technically not in the organization yet, s-.. o-Oh my gosh!" she suddenly panicked when she finally took note of the civilians cowering in the corner behind him.

"Uh..." Metal Bat held his tongue when she suddenly rushed passed him without another look.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked in her honey-sweet tone. "Are you injured?"

"n-No ma'am," the teen girl said, accepting her help and climbing back to her feet.

Metal Bat watched her pester the two with questions about their well-being. She was like a concerned mother at work. '... Who the hell is she? Why'd the association send her if she's not a registered hero?'

"I think the bunker two streets over is below capacity," she said. "I can get you there if you follow me, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

She huffed a sigh of relief or frustration, likely a mix of both, before she started escorting them toward the hall. "Okay, uh... m-My name's Love," she said. "What's yours?"

"y-Yui."

"h-Hold on! Wait a minute!" Metal Bat suddenly yelled. "You said your name is Love? Aren't you the girl the monsters were chasing the other day!?"

"u-Uh... Yeah...?"

"So what the hell is goin' on here, exactly? Why are you here? And who the hell sent you?"

"i-It's kind of a long story," she chuckled lightly. "I don't think we really have the time for it. We should get them to a bunker before more of those creatures show up, no?"

"Well, that's the problem," he said tapping the back of his neck with his bat. "They're not gonna show up. They're already out there. We're damn near on top of their home base. That rumble's not from a train track..." He stepped over to the edge of the hole and looked down at the fractured street below. "There are thousands of 'em piled into the sewer systems and surrounding buildings, like landmines; just waiting for something to get in range. We leave this building, we get bum-rushed by an entire army."

Love stared at the side of his face with a worried expression. That wasn't really what she expected to hear from an S-Class hero. Though, he was noticeably disheveled, as if he had been through one hell of a fight. She took note of the blood on his face in particular.

"So, here's the plan," he said, suddenly going through a set of baseball stretches. "ergh... I'm gonna set 'em all off and make 'em chase me."

"h-Huh?"

"And when I do that, you sneak those two to that bunker."

"w-Wait," Love said in a panic, "you can't possibly consider doing that. y-... You're injured."

He spread his legs apart and stretched his hips out before popping up, bouncing on his toes and lightly shimmying his shoulders to pump himself up. "I told you, I'm fine... And besides, it ain't like we got that many... options..."

Love furrowed her brow in confusion as she watched him cock his head. His words just slowly died out along with his little energetic jig. "... u-Uh... I think we could... maybe think of something else...?" He didn't respond. He looked like he was deeply considering something, or perhaps intently listening for something in particular. "i-I mean, maybe if you carry the girl, and I carry the boy, we ca-.."

(Clatter!)

Without warning, the teen hero suddenly dropped his bat down on the hardwood floor. Then, he rocked back on his heels and dropped back to his butt with a thud. "Huuuuhhhh, man," he sighed in relief. "Finally...! My feet are killin' me..."

Love and the other two watched him with confused looks. He just leaned back on his arms as if he were sun tanning. Was he joking?

"You guys should probably get to a bathroom or somethin'," he casually warned. "Or a closet... Just somewhere without windows, I guess..."

"... w-Why?" Love asked in a worried tone.

"Tch... Don't you hear that...? There's a storm comin'... and it sounds like she's excited..."

It was hard for the three of them to tell up until then, but the rumbling was getting louder, and so too was the roar of the wind whistling through the holes in their building. The walls around them started shaking, dropping the few picture frames that managed to hang tight through the earlier chaos.

Love and Yui had to steady themselves when it felt like the building was starting to sway. "s-Stay down!" she instructed them, still trying to get a look at what was happening outside. The flower petals left behind from her earlier defeats were up in the air again, flowing along the path of the rushing wind. 'i-Is this... the Tornado of Terror!?'

(boom...!Boom-boom...! Boom! BOOM!)

Like the sound of rolling thunder, there were explosions rocking the city, and thumping the building around them, getting louder and more ferocious as time went along. The two civilian kids behind Love ducked down when a piece of the destroyed floor above their living room collapsed from a blast. It snapped her from her daze and she quickly looked to Metal Bat. "w-What do we do!?"

The teen hero was staring out at the sky, deep in thought for a moment, completely unfazed by the devastation around them. With a sigh, he rolled back to his feet and picked up his bat. "Well, I'm not gonna let that pain-in-the-ass steal my kill, so I'm goin' out there."

"What!? a-Are you sure?"

He rolled his shoulder out and stepped up to the edge of the hole again. It was so loud that he could barely hear himself think. After a deep breath, he looked back at Love to give her some parting advice. "She's about to draw a lot of attention! Get those two to the bottom floor, and when you see your chance, get 'em to the bunker!"

(CRASH!)

Suddenly, one of the creatures plowed through the hole, nearly getting the drop on the bat-wielding teen, but it missed its initial strike. Metal Bat kicked its snout back before swinging for the fences, smacking its head hard enough to knock it back outside. That's when they caught sight of something very odd. The creatures were all running from something. There were hundreds of them scrambling across the adjacent building, and some sort of invisible force was popping them like bubble wrap, splattering their massive forms into a paste.

"Yup," Metal Bat groaned. "Here she comes..." Cracking his neck once more, he got ready to rejoin the fight, looking back at the group. "Get 'em to the bottom floor, and wait till it's clear!"

"o-Oka-..!" She watched him jump out before hearing her confirmation. '... S-Class heroes... wow...' She took a steadying breath before looking back to the civilian girl and her brother. "Okay, w-we should go..."

---

(On the screen)

The helicopter view of the city in carnage was focused intently on the expanded hole the first creature dug itself into; the spawn point of the ever-growing army of porcupine-like clones. "It's truly a devastating scene, and from what we've been able to document, there are still a number of civilians trapped within the vicinity of this densely packed area; many of them hiding in the surrounding buildings."

The camera zoomed in on one of the structures in question to show just how overflowing it was with the hellish monsters. They scurried all around it like ants on a sticky pole.

"As you could imagine, it's... definitely a dire situation for those poor souls, but the Association has just announced the line-up of heroes currently en route to aid Metal Bat in his endeavors. On that list are Flashy-Flash, Tanktop Master, and Pig God. Their estimated time of arrival is currently set at twenty minutes, and we still have no visual on Metal Bat, who we, unfortunately, lost sight of long ag-.. h-Hold on," the reporter stuttered out when she took note of what was actually happening on the screen.

They got a good shot of the creatures all trying to retreat back into the hole they came from. Like frightened deer, they kept peeking back over their shoulders before trying to claw their way through the growing crowd.

The packed bunker hosting Saitama's Fanclub event could hear the scrapes and rumbles as the monsters scurried over them. It sounded like they were in a thunderous hurricane with debris scraping every inch of the shell around them.

"th-The monsters seem to be running from something and it's... kinda hard to get a visu-..! Uh-! th-There!" she suddenly yelled. "Get that!"

The camera quickly swept across the sea of spike-backed monsters and zoomed out to get a wide shot of the devastation they were running from. The creatures were being torn apart by something swooping through the street. Like a speeding train, it tunneled a way through the crowd, knocking some of the beasts into the air, and splattering others like overfilled water balloons.

Then, like an angel of chaos, Tatsumaki emerged from the sea of monsters with a beautiful twirl before coming to a gentle stop above the gathering of scurrying beasts.

---

Her eyes swept around the streets filled to the brim with unruly creatures cowering in her presence... and still, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Heh, there sure are a lot of you, huh?" With a swipe of her hand, she hacked at the mass of cluttered bodies, knocking a handful of them into the air. The monsters panicked at the sight of her power and scrambled over each other to reach the hole that was now completely clogged. As most of them piled in, more were still trying to climb out. From a distance, the spot looked like a boiling pot, spilling out bodies with a rhythmic throb.

Tatsumaki kept in the sky, slashing and hacking at the crowd with an unbothered grin on her face. With every strike, she dealt a devastating blow to the impressive mass of bodies, yet she was completely zoned out. Her mind was still on that interaction from earlier. It was awkward, completely ridiculous, and honestly a little cheesy now that she thought about it, but... she was still glad it happened. In a way, it felt like he had just admitted that he liked her...

Why else would he bring up the moment she 'saved' him? 'Maybe what Fubuki said was true... m-Maybe that is why I like him...' She snatched one of the monsters out of the air when it lunged at her from a nearby building. With a strong clamp of her fist, the beast exploded in a shower of blood. 'But, maybe that's why he likes me, too...'

The thought alone sent a flutter through her stomach, and she tried to suppress her growing smile.

"HRAARRGGH!"

(BOOM!)

Tatsumaki's gaze shifted in the direction of a strong impact that traveled through the crowd of cluttered bodies like an explosion. It was Metal Bat looking as beaten as ever, still swinging like a madman. She watched him zoom around with quick and decisive movements, obliterating the creatures at an impressive rate... for him, at least...

He was doing well until he overextended on a swing and was swiftly caught in a storm of attacks himself. With a flick of her wrist, she cleared the creatures away from him to give him a chance to breathe.

The teen hero quickly caught his bearings and flipped his way toward the open area just around where Tatsumaki was hovering.

"Hey, bat boy," she childishly mocked as she slowly descended. "Is this your mission? What's taking so long?"

"Tch, just got held up by a few civilians. That's all."

"Oh, so you don't need my help then?" she playfully asked. Clearly, it was too much for someone with his skill set.

"Tch, whatever," he replied, twirling his bat a few times. "Just clear me a path into that hole, and get the hell outta the way."

"Mmm," she hummed and pretended to strut in the air as if she were considering her options. "I don't think so. In fact, you can probably go ahead and leave. A grown-up is here now, so you can head back to school or whatever."

"And yet, you're the one who looks like a kid," he replied.

"Oh-hoh, boy," Tatsumaki chuckled, waving her hand his way. "That's such a kid thing to say! You're really just helpless out here, huh?"

The teen rolled his eyes and focused on the task at hand. 'Dumb brat... I'm kinda surprised she didn't hit me just then...' He looked her way and tuned her out as she continuously mocked him about something. For some reason, she seemed different than usual...

"Heh-ha!" Tatsumaki laughed at her own jokes. "I bet you're secretly glad I showed up, right?"

"What the hell's wrong with you, today?" Metal Bat asked.

"What? I'm only joking."

"Yeah, that's the problem," he replied with a suspicious glint in his eyes. 'She's always this mean, but... it almost feels light-hearted this time...' He turned back to the crowd of monsters to see them slowly working up the courage to surround them. "Just seems like you're in a good mood. You get a laid or somethin'?"

Tatsumaki stared at him for a moment before turning back to the threat, herself. "... sh-... Shut up... So, you said clear you a path to that hole, right? What's in there?"

"The original body. Doesn't matter how many we kill, they'll just keep comin' until we take out that one... I hope," he muttered that last part.

Tatsumaki shrugged. "Sounds easy enough." She raised a hand and aimed for the center of the scurrying beasts.

"Careful," Metal Bat said, getting ready to make his move. "There are civilians nearby..."

(WOOSH!)

As if an invisible speeding train suddenly plowed through the crowd, Tatsumaki spread the sea of bodies with little to no effort.

The creatures seemed to understand the implication of the attack and suddenly powered through their hesitation. With roars of defiance, they finally charged the airborne woman in an attempt to overwhelm her with sheer numbers, and Metal Bat slipped down the open lane as fast as he could while their attention was focused on the bigger threat.

---

Elsewhere in City-B, there were a few creatures that had strayed a bit further out than the rest, and they aimlessly dawdled around the emptied streets in search of nothing in particular. They clawed at the beeping vehicles and crept into the shops they managed to smash their way into. For as much destruction as they caused, it was relatively quiet...

(Wooosh! BOOM!)

In a flash of yellow and red, Saitama came rushing through, splattering one of the monsters in his way. As soon as he did, the other few took note of him and immediately rushed in for an attack.

Without ever really slowing his momentum, he maneuvered around their sloppy attacks and deftly dispatched them with a series of strikes before continuing on.

'Wow, there really are a lot of these things,' he thought.

(boom...!)

His eyes traveled up to a plume of black smoke far in the distance when he felt the soft rumble of a blast. For the first time in a long time, he was actually in a giddy rush to make it to the battlefield. Not necessarily out of the excitement of a possible fight, though...

'I really hope this is the right one... I think there's like three attacks going on, right now... This is the closest, but since she can fly, I guess she could really go to whichever she wants...'

(CRASH!)

"RAAAARRRGGGHH!" One of the beasts suddenly came crashing out of a nearby building, right in his path.

Saitama jumped over its reaching hand before stomping his red boot in its face. Then, with the force of a bomb, he kicked off, throwing himself into the air and blasting the creature's body apart from the force alone. '... I wish I could fly...'

---

(Knock-knock...! Knock-knock-knock!)

Love stood at the big metal door of the bunker with the children, eagerly waiting for someone to answer. Just as Metal Bat said, the creatures all vacated the area after a while, either running from something or to something. It left them more than enough time to make their way.

Yui had the little boy cradled in her arms still. At first, Love assumed him to be her brother, but through the small talk she kicked up to calm them down as they waited for a chance to escape, she found out Yui was Daigo's babysitter, and she had left him home when she ran to the corner store because his stomach was hurting. She was paying for her stuff when the attack broke out, and instead of running to the bunker they were at now, Yui went back to get him and they got surrounded before she could get them out of there.

That was a beautiful sentiment that Love found incredibly endearing, and it was a great reminder of what Amai Mask said to always remember as a hero. 'The safety of civilians always comes first... no matter what...'

(click... BUZZZ!)

The caution sign above the door flashed its bright red light, and the door opened with a mechanical buzz. When it swung open, Love locked eyes with another woman who seemed dressed for a track meet or something. "Hey! We got more!" she yelled back inside in a bubbly tone. "Come in, hurry!" She jogged out and quickly wrapped a supportive arm around the distraught-looking teen girl with the child in her arms. "I'm Captain Mizuki! I'm so glad you guys made it! Are you okay?"

Love watched Yui and the tall woman walk through the door. She locked eyes with the little boy and gave him a reassuring nod with a weird expression on her face. She was so caught up in the moment that it wasn't until then did she realize those two were the first lives she had ever saved as a hero. Though it wasn't technically to her credit alone, it still felt nice to do the saving, instead of the other way around.

"h-Hey... I'm sorry, do I know you?" a new voice asked.

Love blinked away her daze and finally took note of the guy stepping around them who looked awfully familiar. "... o-Oh, you're Mumen Rider, right?"

"y-Yeah... and you're that girl from the other day!" He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head when he realized how excited he sounded. "i-I remember your pink hair, heh."

Love smiled and looked over his shoulder to see Yui and the kid being tended to by a group of medics.

"Um... a-actually, I don't think I got your name," he added.

"o-Oh, really? I'm so sorry!" she suddenly panicked for no real reason. "My name is Love! It was really nice to meet you...! th-The first time, too, heh-heh."

"Oh, heh-heh!" he chuckled along, scratching at the back of his neck. "Thanks! You too! a-And is... that your hero name or..."

"Nope," she said happily. "It's just my name. It's pretty weird, I guess."

"n-No! It's not, really! It's... actually kinda beautiful..."

Love didn't hear him when he said that. Her eyes continued to track the kids she saved as they made their way. The entire time, Daigo was looking right at her with his head resting on Yui's shoulder. "... huh?" she uttered, finally shifting her focus.

Mumen Rider flinched at her gaze and scrambled with his words. "y-Your... outfit! i-I didn't know you were a hero, now! What class are you in?"

"o-Oh, I'm not technically... registered, yet."

"Ah, okay... Well, if you want some advice from a pro, don't let the exam scare you. I remember I was pretty scared the first time, but you shouldn't let it shake you too much! The important thing is that you give it your all, and you keep-..!

(Whack!)

Before he could finish, he was suddenly slapped in the back of the helmet by a big burly hand. "Hey, bike boy! What's the hold-up? Close the damn do-... Whoa..."

Love awkwardly locked eyes with the big man wearing a tiger-striped tanktop that came walking up to them. She could feel his eyes snaking around her body, but it didn't bother her much. It did seem a little pervy that he was biting his lip after a while, though.

"Hey, good-lookin' you lookin' for a safe bunker? If so, then I guess one could say,"-he flexed his biceps and struck a pose like a professional body-builder,- "you're lookin' good."

"Oh brother," Mumen Rider said under his breath with an eye roll.

"u-Uh... actually, I'm not. I was just helping those kids find their way. They were trapped in a building down the street."

"a-And you got them out by yourself!?" the big man exclaimed in disbelief.

"w-Well, not exactly... but-.."

(BOOM!)

The three flinched when one of the creatures crashed into the building across the street. Love watched as it roared and thrashed around in pain, trying to pull its spikes out of the cement. She took a timid step back and regretted it immediately when the beast suddenly stopped... and looked right at her.

With a new focus, it smashed the cement and freed itself, dropping down to the street with a heavy thud in an animalistic crouch.

Love got ready to fight, but before she could make a move, Mumen Rider and Tanktop Tiger jumped in front of her in defensive stances.

"Love! Get inside!" the smaller man said.

"We ain't gonna let a pretty lady like you get hurt!"

She furrowed her brow in confusion at the musclehead's comment and didn't move an inch.

The monster eyed the two down with a malicious growl before it charged forward. Every step it took thumped the ground around them, and its big claws scraped at the asphalt.

"Shit, it's bigger than I thought," Tanktop Tiger murmured.

"w-... We can do it," Mumen Rider nervously replied.

Love shifted her gaze between the two of them, every now and then glancing at the charging monster, wondering what they were planning to do.

Mumen Rider swallowed the lump in his throat and Tanktop Tiger smacked at his pecks to pump himself up. Then, with shaking legs, they charged forward with war cries of their own.

"HRAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

"RAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHH!"

Love couldn't believe what she was seeing. 'They're ... so slow...' It was like they were actually moving in slow motion, and just from the pace of their top speeds, she could tell they weren't ready to dodge the leaping monster, and they'd never be fast enough to hit it if they miraculously did. They were essentially running right to their deaths. 'Are they really... heroes...?'

As if the wind kicked up around her, and her alone, the silky pink shaw she wore like a hoodie started to ripple and dance around her head. 'Is this... really the gap between S-Class and the other ranks?' she wondered. The fabric slipped from around her neck, and snaked its way down her outstretched arm, moving like it was under some sort of magical enchantment. When it slipped passed the reach of her fingers, it apparently had no definitive length.

Mumen Rider and Tanktop Tiger slid to a halt when the silky fabric slipped between them just a few feet from colliding with the monster. They watched the sheer Fabric crash into the creature's face like a plastic bag in the wind, momentarily blocking its vision enough to stop its crazed lunge.

It still clawed down at the ground with a frustrated roar. "RAAARRRRGGGHHH!"

(BOOM!)

Mumen Rider and Tanktop Tiger jumped to either side of the attack and quickly righted themselves to try and make sense of what was happening.

The moment the monster ripped the shawl away from its face, the silky cloth quickly wrapped its way around its neck. It was like it had a mind of its own.

The two stunned heroes looked up when something drew their gaze. It was Love, jumping high over the monster with the other end of the fabric still wrapped around her wrist. While she flipped over its head, she masterfully maneuvered her shawl with a few quick jerks of her hand, and the second she landed on the other side of it, she pulled her end taut, snagging both the creature's wrists against its neck. Then, as fast as she could, she rushed in while it struggled against the sudden restraint.

Before she could make it, the monster spun around and yanked its body back, throwing her off balance. "RAAAARRRGGGHH!" With a roar, it lunged forward with its hands still restricted.

"LOVE! WATCH OUT!" the other two shouted when it looked like she was soon to be caught in its rows of razor-like teeth.

Of course, she wasn't, but their shouts distracted her enough to make her hesitate. Then, just before she moved to avoid it, a bright yellow smudge caught her attention in her peripheral, too fast for her to follow.

(WHOOSH BOOM!)

In a literal blink of an eye, the monster was suddenly blown to bits.

The other two couldn't see it, but Love watched the sudden impact with her breath caught in her throat. '... Saitama...!'

The yellow-clad hero plowed through the beast with his forearm, looking as though he were in a rush. Their eyes locked in that split second before the shawl, once wrapped around the neck of the monster, suddenly swung its way around Saitama's head, obscuring his vision.

Love whipped her head when he went scraping by... until the end wrapped around her wrist was snagged in the momentum, and she was swept away, all before the chunks of the beast hit the ground.

Mumen Rider and Tanktop Tiger were frozen in shock, slack-jawed at the strange turn of events...

---

Saitama eventually tripped over a piece of debris and went tumbling down the street for a few blocks, and at some point, the silky cloth wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Just before he made to correct himself, he was suddenly hit by another body. They tumbled a ways further until they somehow ended up barrel-rolling together.

In their spin, Saitama had a moment to look at her up close while her eyes were shut. '... hm?' With her pink hair and her cute face, he could swear he had seen her somewhere before. It didn't hit him until their momentum stopped and she somehow ended up on top of him, straddling his waist and pinning him to the ground.

"er-..! ergh!" Love groaned and rubbed at her face with a grimace, trying to shake her dizziness away. It felt like she blacked out there for a moment, and all of her senses were thrown for a loop. When her mind started to come back to her, the first thing she noticed was the firmness of whatever she was supporting her weight on with her other hand. It was hard as a rock, but warm to the touch.

Saitama locked down at her slender hand that was sitting on his chest before his gaze trickled back up to her face, and he watched her slowly open her eyes. He immediately recognized her as the girl who gave him that awkwardly close hug the other day. Why was this even more uncomfortable? "... Umm... hey..."

Love's face went through a number of expressions before she slowly started to understand what was happening.

"Was that your monster I ran into? Sorry, I didn't even see it unti-.."

"Saitama!"

Before he was ready for it, she dropped down against his body and hugged him again. To say he was uncomfortable was a bit of an understatement. Not only was she pressing her body against his, but he also happened to be wrapped up by the surprisingly sturdy cloth. Nothing that he couldn't break out of with minimal effort, of course, but his arms were also pinned beneath her legs. "Uhh... What's up?"

She raised up, supporting the weight of her upper body with her hands planted on the floor, caging the sides of his head, and she stared down at him with a happy smile, completely unaware, or blatantly choosing to ignore, the awkward position they were in. "Heh-heh! Hey! I... i-It's good to see you, again!"

"... Okay?" he said with a confused look on his face. "Uh... You too, I guess..."

Love smiled all the same and sat back with a happily dazed look in her eyes. "Heh..."

Saitama was admittedly starting to blush, now. Before, their position was just a little weird, but now she was basically just sitting on his crotch. "... sssooo... l-Like I said, I was kinda in a rush, and all..."

"Hm?" Love was confused until he gestured down to her hips with his eyes. "o-Oh my gosh!" she yelled, immediately rolling off of him. "I am so sorry! i-I wasn't paying attention, at all!" She watched him sit up and finally noticed he was wrapped in the pink cloth still.

"Nah, it's cool," Saitama waved her off. "I think you passed out, back there." He furrowed his brow as his gaze tracked the supernatural movements of the silky fabric when it slid from around his body.

"o-Oh, hah-! I... think I did," she happily chirped. "But, I'm totally fine, now, so..." Her words slowly died out as she watched him stand to his feet. He stretched his back out with a groan and seemingly checked their surroundings as if he were looking for where to go next. "I'm... I'm okay..."

Saitama zoned in on something in the distance, completely checking out of the conversation for a moment. 'Hm... It's kinda quiet, now...'

Love watched him silently contemplate for a few seconds. With a blush on her cheeks, she hopped up with a giddy bounce. As he looked away from her, she took the moment to think of a cooler way to stand, but nothing was coming to mind... In fact, she was almost felt like she forgot how to just stand normally, so she gripped her fingers behind her back and nervously kicked at the ground. "Um... So, do you like my hero uniform?"

Still searching around, Saitama furrowed his browed when he processed her question, and he looked back for confirmation. Somehow, he hadn't even noticed her outfit. It looked like she was cosplaying some sort of pink battle angel or something. "You're a hero, now?"

"w-Well, not yet, technically, but... I wanna be..." For some reason, she held her breath, eagerly waiting to hear what he thought of that.

Saitama was already scoping out the area, again. "... Oh, okay..." His gaze eventually settled at the top of a nearby building. "Uh... that's cool, but I should probably get going. See ya around, Dove," he said before jumping away, hoping that was her name.

Love watched him clear the top edge of the twenty-story building beside them with an astonished look on her face. '... wow...'

Saitama stepped up to the ledge on the other side and finally caught sight of the news chopper hovering around a particular area that looked like a warzone from a distance. 'I guess it really was right by that bunker we were at, then... I thought it was further...' If he had known, he probably wouldn't have gone home to change first.

"u-Um... My name's Love, actually..."

"... hm?" Saitama was surprised when he turned to see her right behind him. How the hell did she manage to get up there that fast? "o-Oh, uh... right..." He watched her step up to the edge of the building with a confused look. Was she following him?

"So... Did the association send you to help?" she asked.

"Nope, not really," he said, turning back to the city. "I was just..." His words died out when he realized how embarrassing it'd be if he told the truth. With a slight blush, he scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "I was uh... in the neighborhood..."

"Oh, yeah," she said in her bubbly tone. "You live around here, right?"

"Yup," he answered simply, covering his eyes as he squinted into the distance.

Love tried to follow his gaze, but she had no idea what he was actually looking for. If he were really trying to find the main battlefield, it wasn't too hard to spot. "i-Is it a nice place to live?" she asked.

"... huh?" He looked back at her with a confused expression. "I... I guess so," he shrugged. "I haven't really been here that long, so I don't know..."

"Oh... w-Well it looks nice..."

Saitama furrowed his brow again as he looked out at the burning city.

"i-I mean... besides all the monsters and stuff, heh," she awkwardly recovered.

"Oh... Yeah..."

To Love, things got a little awkward after that. She kicked her boots against the edge of the building trying to think of something else to say.

"Oh, hey, what's up with that scarf thing?" Saitama suddenly asked, his gaze still sweeping around the city. "Is it alive or something?"

"o-Oh, heh," she chuckled. As if by her mental command, the silky cloth slipped from around her neck and danced around in the air, just above her hand. "No, it's... heh, it's kinda hard to explain, actually... i-I don't really understand it either, but... Child Emperor made it for me..."

Saitama watched the weird little rag swirl around in the air with a curious look. 'The kid made that...? Is he a tailor too?'

"He said it's something new... Something about nanobots, or something? i-I don't really know, but... I control it with these gloves... See?" She sent it dancing through the air, swirling circles around the bald hero who lazily tracked it with his eyes. "It's really strong, and... it stretches really far... And I can even use it t-.."

(BOOM!)

A huge blast erupted from the direction of the main battlefield. Saitama and Love watched as a huge plume of smoke rose over the buildings. Love was immediately alarmed by the violent blast, but Saitama still seemed as if he were looking for something specific... until he seemingly found it.

"sh-... Shouldn't we go help?" she asked, looking to him for some sort of reaction. What she got only confused her. His expression was far from fear or panic. It was almost relieved... or even enchanted, maybe...

"Uh... Yeah..." It was so far away, that there were a few moments where Saitama almost thought he was mistaken, but... his eyes were locked on that small bright green dot in the distance, surrounded by the chaos. '... There you are...'

Love examined the side of his face for a long moment, tracing every feature until she landed on the edge of his lips... and he smiled... For some reason, there was a worried feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach. She looked back to the city, trying for all she was worth to catch a glimpse of something that would make him smile like that, but it was all too far. 'How good is his eyesight...?'

"Okay," he said, drawing her gaze. "I'm gonna go help, now, so you should probably get back to that bunker..."

It took a moment for his words to register, but when they did, she reeled and watched him with a worried look. He was still locked in on whatever it was he was so eager to find in the distance. "u-Uh... but, I was actually gonna... help you...?"

"... Hm?" he finally tore his gaze away and looked back at the strange girl with a confused expression. "Why...?"

His sudden question froze her train of thought, and she couldn't really drum up a reason as to how she-technically a civilian-could possibly help arguably the strongest hero in the world. The weight of his confused stare only added to the pressure of the moment, making her struggle to hold his gaze. "... w-Well, I..."

(BOOM!)

"RAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!"

To their surprise, one of the creatures blasted its way through the surface of the street below with a roar. It clawed its way out and was soon followed by two more. Oddly enough, Love felt a wave of relief at seeing the beasts. They not only cut through that awkward moment, but now she had a chance to show Saitama that she could be useful if he took her with hi-..

(BOOM...! BOOM-BOOM!)

Before she could even finish getting her hopes up, Saitama had dropped down from the ledge beside her. He completely destroyed the beasts and immediately began his journey to the battlefield in the distance.

Love stared down at the splattered bodies of the creatures in disbelief. Even though she had seen it hundreds of times on the news and through clips posted on social media, his power was just something to marvel at. It wasn't like she had much difficulty with them either, but for Saitama, it was almost ridiculous how easy he made it look. If nothing else, it confirmed her previous suspicion, '... This is the gap between S-Class and the other ranks...'

She watched his cape flap in the wind as he ran, casually destroying a number of unruly beasts along his path. With a shaky sigh, she looked down at the shawl in her hands. "Saitama... Can I get there too...?

---

"RAAAAARRRGGGHHHH-..!"

(BOOM!)

Like it was hit by an invisible missile, yet another spike-backed creature's head exploded for being in the path of the Tornado of Terror as she swooped low through the maze of buildings covered with the unruly monsters. She was like a heat-seeking ball of light, tearing through the biggest clusters she could find with an almost disturbed look of glee on her face. It was a slaughterhouse, and none of them were fast enough to dodge her attacks, let alone catch her. And they just kept coming, one after the other.

At some point in her happy little massacre, she found a moment to slip her earpiece in so she could keep in contact with 'bat boy' who was still working his way to the main body down in the pit. Tatsumaki had offered to just head down there herself and put a stop to this, but he was pretty adamant about handling it himself. She wasn't sure why, but she had already checked every building in the immediate area for any civilians, and they were all clear, so she decided there was no real harm in letting him try. For some completely unknown reason, she was feeling rather generous today... and she could always just change her mind if he took too much longer.

"Hey, Bat Boy~!" she said in a singsongy tone that implied he was running out of time. "What's going on~?"

'Shut the hell up, will ya!?' he snapped. 'I just found the damn thing!'

Tatsumaki huffed through an amused grin and shook her head. She beautifully twirled through a suspended maze of clawing creatures when they tried to pounce at her from the surrounding skyscrapers. They couldn't touch her. She was like a feather, graciously drifting through the chaos as if she were just riding the flow of the wind. With a sudden boost of speed, she zoomed forward and snatched one of the creatures by its face with her bare hand. The beast was ripped off of the building it was perched on and zipped around the block before she launched it at another that tried to lunge at her. The moment their bodies clashed, she snatched them both in her psychic grip and mercilessly snapped her hand shut, pressing their bodies into a paste with ease before zipping away.

There was something so therapeutic about the moment. It was her own personal stream of neverending monsters to destroy. It wasn't too often she got to enjoy a bit of a longer battle. It was happening more recently, but this time, the monsters weren't necessarily huge threats. They were little more than living practice dummies, cluttering the streets.

Unfortunately, they were almost too easy, and she was starting to completely zone out of the world around her as she pondered the day's events. That morning, she was sort of content to just half-ass the whole crush scheme, but now she almost couldn't wait to tell her sister what happened at the Fanclub meet-up... mainly because she still wasn't even really sure what did happen. Did Saitama really just think she was a fan who recognized him, or was he completely aware that he was speaking to her about herself? Personally, she couldn't imagine the latter being a reality, so she assumed he was just trying to steer her off his scent... but then, some of those looks he gave her...

'... And that smile...' The thought of it alone was swelling her own reddening cheeks. Even though she wasn't panicked in the slightest, her heart was racing again, and it felt like she was floating in every sense of the word. "... heh-heh..."

(In the distance)

"Tanktop Punch!"

(BOOM!)

Tatsumaki snapped her head around at the sound of that voice and watched as five or six of the beasts were blasted across an adjacent road. Tanktop Master soon came walking out from behind the corner with a powerful feel to his steps. His intense glare was already sweeping around for more monsters until he caught sight of the green esper above. "Tornado," he said with a stern nod.

"They sent you, huh?" she asked. "Aren't you a little late?"

"I apologize," he said. "We were flown in from City-F."

"Who's we?"

"Why have you not put a stop to this?" a new voice asked from nearby.

Tatsumaki's gaze found its way to the top of the building nearby where she found Flashy Flash looming over her with his hand on the hilt of his blade and that scrutinizing glare of his. "Keh-! Because it's not my mission," she said with a shrug, flying higher above him. "Metal Bat wants to be a big boy, today. He's down in that hole over there trying to take out the main body, and he said he doesn't need help."

"Tch, stupid kid," Flashy Flash muttered with a grimace.

Tanktop Master turned down the street to get a look at the hole she gestured to. There were still monsters piling out by the dozen.

(BOOM!)

He turned around at the sound of a heavy impact behind him to see Pig God chewing on the leg of one of the monsters. "We should help him," he said with a mouthful.

"Ew, him too?" Tatsumaki asked in a playfully disgusted tone. "I guess the association is really taking this one seriously, huh?"

"I fear the kid may be too eager for his own good," Tanktop Master continued.

"Hey!" Tatsumaki protested in the background.

"Yeah, me too," Pig God replied.

"Stop ignoring me!"

"We'll all go," Flashy Flash said, silently dropping down next to the two. "This has gone on long enough. We can't afford to let it drag on for the sake of a child's ego."

"I agree," Tanktop Master said, staring at the quickly growing crowd of beasts in their way. "Then... let's not waste any time!" He dug his hands into the asphalt in front of him and ripped out a huge chunk of the street that he hurled directly into the crowd, officially kicking off the charge.

"Urgh," Tatsumaki groaned with an eye roll as she watched the three charge into the crowd. Even as the number 1 hero, it still felt like she got absolutely no respect from her co-workers. Who gave them the right to just come and take over like that? If it was really time to end it, then she figured she'd go ahead and get it over with.

(THOOM!)

She took off like a jet, swooping low to the ground, swerving by Pig God and Tanktop Master who were already decimating the numbers with little effort, just not as quickly as Flashy Flash. Still, she eventually swiveled by him as well, choosing to ignore the attacking monsters instead of engaging.

Flashy Flash sliced three of the beasts to pieces in the blink of an eye before he locked eyes with Tatsumaki as she whirled around him. In that brief glimpse, he took note of her mocking grin. "... tch-!" As if kicking it into second gear, he sped his pace and sliced his way through the army as swiftly as the wind.

Tatsumaki looked back and watched him struggle to keep up her pace. She wasn't even really racing him. With a scoff, she turned back and locked onto the hole a few blocks ahead. 'Sorry, kid,' she mulled. 'You're taking way too long, so I guess I'll help you out this ti-..'

(BOOOMM!)

Her eyes snapped down an adjacent street at the rumble of a deafening blast. It happened in less than a second before her view was cut off, but she saw it... or rather, she saw him, zooming down the road in the opposite direction.

Immediately, she came to a screeching halt in the air and turned back in that direction, moments before she made it to the hole.

"RAAAAAARRRR-..!" One of the monsters tried to lunge at her from behind the moment it saw its opportunity, but it was hacked to bits before she even had a chance to turn around.

"Hmph!" Flashy Flash grunted as he continued on. "Pay attention...!"

Tatsumaki watched him slice his way through the thick lid of bodies clogging the entrance for a moment before she turned back around. "... Saitama..."

---

(BOOM!)

With a single punch, Saitama plowed through two more of the annoying beasts, vigilantly peeking down every street he passed as if he were lost in a grocery store.

At this point, he was just hoping she didn't leave yet. 'I doubt it... There's still a lot of these things.' He blew another one to bits and zipped around the street with a flourish, killing them damn near by the dozen. 'Where the hell are they coming from...?'

"TANKTOP TACKLE!"

(BOOM!)

Saitama jogged to a stop when he saw the musclehead steamrolling an entire group with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The unfortunate targets in his path were either blown away or trampled.

Tanktop Master admired his handiwork for a second before turning to the smudge of yellow in his peripheral. "Saitama," he said in a surprised tone. "I wasn't aware the Association dispatched you as well."

"o-Oh uh... they didn't. I was just... around..."

"Ah," he nodded. "Then it's truly noble of you to offer your services on a day off."

"y-Yeah, uh... Hey, have you seen-.."

(CRASH!)

"RAAARRRGGGGHHH!" One of the creatures blasted up through the street right beneath Tanktop Master in an apparent ambush, but the big man was ready. He stepped back just before he was caught in the blast, and the moment the beast's body emerged, he wrapped his arms around it and delivered a ground-shattering suplex slam.

Saitama watched him for a moment hoping he'd free himself up to answer his question, but Tanktop Master seemed as if he were already zoned back into the battle.

"... Huh..." Without warning, he suddenly leaned his head back just before one of the creatures could pounce on him from a nearby building. As it fell in front of him, he casually brought a gloved hand up and sliced down, delivering a ridiculously strong chop that crushed the monster's body into the asphalt.

(Thoom!)

His head snapped down an adjacent street when he caught sight of Tatsumaki's fading green trail. 'She is here...' It took a moment for his body to catch on, but he eventually gave chase. The moment he rounded the corner, he saw her trail cutting around another building far down the street. Again, he found himself maneuvering through the crowd of monsters who were little more than annoying obstacles slowing him down.

As he ran, he cut down an adjacent street in the same direction, and through the gaps at the crossroads he passed, he could see her trail of destruction a few streets over, but he could never get a good glimpse of her. Truth be told, he had no idea what he was even trying to find her for. It wasn't like he had something important to say or anything, and he had just left that bag she forgot at her doorstep. How he was planning on explaining that was a mystery, but he figured denial was the best way to go about it if he wanted to keep his new disguise a viable option. He had no reason for wanting to speak with her... Absolutely no plan of action for when he saw her again...

But neither did Tatsumaki as she zoomed through the jungle of skyscrapers in search of anything yellow. She almost felt giddy at just the thought of seeing him again without their disguises, but... what would she say? Was she supposed to act as if she hadn't seen him all day? In some way, it almost felt like she should be trying to avoid him, but her body didn't know that.

Like a game of cat and mouse, they both swiveled their way through the crowded streets, barely missing each other by a split second once or twice. It was hard to tell who was chasing who, and the longer it went on, the more frustrated they both became.

'Where the hell did he go!?' Tatsumaki mulled as she drilled through a wall of monsters. 'I JUST saw him!'

Saitama jumped over a swiping paw and backhanded the creature that tried to hit him. 'Damn! I thought I just saw her come this way!' He zoomed off to check elsewhere, completely demolishing whatever happened to be in his path along the way.

Completely unnoticed by the two of them, Pig God and Tanktop Master had stopped fighting. There was almost no need to. They stood in front of the hole, easily picking off the few that were still spawning. Both men watched the main road ahead of them as Saitama and Tatsumaki zoomed across the adjacent streets like heat-seeking missiles of destruction, still missing each other with every pass.

"Wow," Tanktop Master muttered. "... That's 1 and 2 for you... Those things don't stand a chance..."

Pig God watched with a lazy expression as he finished slurping up the body of another creature. "... Yeah... I guess we should go and help the others," he offered.

Tanktop Master almost looked like he wanted to protest, but the scale of the attacks their top two heroes were letting off was insane. He couldn't possibly do much to help anymore. "... Alright. After you..."

---

(BOOM...! BOOM! Ka-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!)

With a rhythmless tempo, the bunker hosting the One-Punch-Man Fanclub event felt the thundering blasts sounding off all around them. Each terrifying impact shook every inch of the building. They had lost power long ago, so they were left in the dark on what was happening, again. The last thing they saw was the Tornado of terror arriving in their vicinity. At the time, it fed them with the hope that they'd be okay, but the longer the attack went on, the more worried they became.

Mina in particular, who was still sitting on her mother's lap. She had complete faith in her favorite hero, but Tatsumaki's recent fights for survival made room for just a sliver of doubt. If she really was out there somewhere, then why was this taking so long? '... There were a lot of monsters,' she reasoned. 'm-Maybe she's just... taking it easy, right now...'

(BOOM! B-b-b-BOOM!)

As if to refute her guess immediately, a loud drumming blast sounded off nearby, shaking their building to its foundation. Whoever it was outside was definitely not taking it easy. Mina's eyes locked onto a section of the roof that was continuously dribbling dust with every rumble. Would they really be okay...?

---

Saitama continued leaping around the buildings, destroying everything in his path with little effort, and still, he found himself incredibly frustrated. 'Damn... I can't find her, anywhere...'

He kicked off of a building a moment before one of the creatures hit him with a car, and he soon landed back on the street with a heavy thud. His lazy gaze locked onto four more that were already charging him. With quick and decisive movements, they were chunks on the ground soon enough, and he continued running with his head on a swivel.

'I think I ran around this whole district like twenty times, already...' It almost felt impossible that he hadn't managed to run into her yet. '... Unless...' He came to a sudden stop and looked over his shoulder with a furrowed brow. There were a few times when he passed over a giant hole in the middle of the street where it looked like the monsters were coming from. Maybe he wasn't finding her because he was looking in the wrong spot. '... Damn... what street was that on...?'

---

"Tch-!" Tatsumaki scoffed as she barrelled through another cluster of monsters, frantically searching around. 'Don't tell me that idiot left, already! He just got here!'

She swooped through a valley of swiping claws and snapping teeth before flying up over the buildings with a twirl to take another look. '... Where are you?' she wondered with a slight tone of disappointment even though the voice was in her head. She took a deep breath and sighed out a huff, staring down at the monsters still brave enough to roar their threats in her direction. They were so annoying...

Her look of frustration deepened as she tried to come up with a possible answer to her dilemma... like, maybe it wasn't even him she saw. Maybe it was just a poster that she happened to catch at the right angle... Or maybe it was, and he...

"... the hole," she muttered in a tone of realization.

(THOOM!)

With a blast, the green-haired esper took off in its general direction. She wasn't exactly sure what street it was on, but she had a rough idea of where it could be. It made so much sense that she was almost kicking herself for not thinking of it before. Of course, he'd go after the big bad the first chance he got. He was probably down there now, absolutely destroying it.

Even if she got there late, it wasn't like she was overly eager to take credit for this mission or anything. 'I just... want to talk to him and... see if he recognized me...' There was absolutely no other motive...

---

(BOOM!)

Saitama plowed through another creature as he zoomed down the street in search of that hole. Even though he wasn't sure she'd be down there, it felt like it was the last possibility, so in his head, he thought hard about what he would say. 'I should just act natural, right...?'

(Boom-boom!)

He punched two more. 'Should I just say hi or... tell a joke, maybe...?'

---

(Boom!)

Tatsumaki slammed one of the beasts into the wall when it lunged at her. 'The last time we spoke without disguises... it was a friendly conversation... I was nice...'

---

Saitama twisted out of the way of a pickup truck that one of the monsters threw his way, and he ducked its follow-up lunge, grabbing its ankle before it soared over him. With a wild spin, he threw it into another monster that was clinging to the side of a building up ahead. 'I did make her laugh the last time we talked as just ourselves... Damn, I should've remembered that joke...'

His head snapped down an adjacent street just before he passed it by. The bald hero dug his feet in and slid to a halt before turning back and rounding the corner. He could see it in the distance, still spitting out a few of the annoying monsters. Not nearly as many as before, but still a good amount.

---

Tatsumaki swooped down a street looking for any sign that she was going the right way. She could tell she was by the degree of the damage in the area.

(WOOSH!)

With a stiff point of her arm, the creatures cluttering the street in front of her were blown away by a tunneling force. '...m-Maybe if I'm nice again... I can work on joining his inner circle like Fubuki said...'

Noting a familiar shop up ahead, she immediately knew exactly where she was, and she cut a sharp corner onto the street with the hole. She was a few blocks away, but coming in hot.

---

Saitama looked more focused than he had been in a long time. His eyes were deadlocked on the thinly guarded hole that he was charging at...

And Tatsumaki was no different. Her intense glare was plastered on the objective, and she was shooting at it like a bullet.

They were coming in from opposite directions, and their view of each other was blocked by the few clones that still managed to slip by the heroes underground.

Saitama was like a speeding bullet train plowing through anything in his way, still considering something more important. '... Heh... I'm thinking too much...'

Tatsumaki, on a similar note, was like a whistling missile, shooting through the few straggling creatures in her way. "Urgh," she groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance. 'I may be overthinking it...'

(BOOM!)

Saitama punched through another. 'When I see her...'

(Woosh BOOM!)

Tatsumaki slammed one into the street on her way by. 'When I see him... I'll just say...'

(KA-BOOOOOMMMM!)

Suddenly, the hole exploded, spitting out an absurd amount of the monsters at once, and in the middle of that explosion were their fellow co-workers looking worse for wear.

Tatsumaki narrowed her gaze and shot forward like a bullet.

Saitama picked up the pace at the last moment and lunged forward.

(Wooosh!)

In that brief moment of impact with Tatsumaki swooping in and grabbing Flashy Flash and Tanktop Master, and Saitama pushing Pig God out of the cluster as he tackled Metal Bat, the two locked eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. For as quick as it was, it felt like an eternity... and still not long enough when it was over.

Tatsumaki tunneled through the raining monsters and 'gently' let Flashy Flash and Tanktop Master tumble down the road before she rose into the air with a beautiful flourish.

Saitama hit the ground on the other side of the hole and stiffly planted his feet to stop his momentum. He sat the kid down in one swift motion before his gaze found its way into the sky where they locked eyes again. As the chaos around them caught its second, or third, wind, it was like they couldn't look away. Even as the monsters rained down between them, momentarily obstructing their view. When they passed, they were still locked onto each other... and in that instant, they both had one thought cross their mind's damn near simultaneously.

'... I found you...'

---

AN: There we go! I hope this extended entry is up to par, and I hope I didn't go too overboard with the action sequences. I know a few of you don't like them, but it's something I've really been trying to work on in this fic. I know that romance is sort of the driving force of the story, and likely why some of you are here, but at the end of the day, Tatsumaki and Saitama are heroes. So, my intention, with this chapter in particular, was to sort of meld the romance into the heat of a battle. I hope it's not a wasted effort, and that's not the plan for the entire story. I've got a few softer scenes loaded up in the future, so if that's what you're waiting on, please don't check out too soon!

Thanks for reading, please leave a review to let me know how I'm doing, and I'll see you all next time!