Hello everyone! I am BTR100 and this is the second chapter of my fanfic, ONE PUNCH MAN: MORE THAN S-CLASS
Weekly update. =D
Peace! - BTR100
ONE PUNCH MAN
MORE THAN S-CLASS
CHAPTER TWO
The Strongest Man
It had been a staggering four years after the Subterranean Global Invasion - as the media would call it - and so far, humanity had managed to cope with the damages. With further advancements in technology, it wasn't too long before the 70 percent of humanity that perished was practically brought back. With everything modernized, it didn't take long for humanity to reconstruct and rebuild to cover all the damages done. Literally every single one of infrastructure and repairs were shouldered by the Hero Association as a token of sincere apology for the number of lives that were lost in a single day.
Speaking of which, majority of heroes from Class C up until A took either one or two steps to improve their rankings. None of the Class S heroes were given a promotion in rank since they were basically stuck there until their number increases. However due to his absence in the battle that literally shook the world, the S-Class Hero King was demoted from Rank 7 to Rank 8. Zombieman replaced King's place at Rank 7.
However, up until today, it was not the Subterranean attack that shook the Hero Association. It wasn't even close.
And no, it wasn't the tedious job of repairing and shouldering all infrastructural damages either.
It wasn't even the continued disappearance of their S-Class Rank One Hero Blast that confused the Association.
It was the fact that one bald man - according to Tornado of Terror's testimonies and eye accounts - still unknown to the Association was the one who SINGLE-HANDEDLY STOPPED the entire invasion. The Hero Association was basically taking care of mere leftovers and nothing more. And yet those extras proved to be tedious already for majority of the pool of heroes available to the organization, with some lives even taken away.
Everything came with a price, and along with shouldering the damages, the organization were desperate in recruiting new heroes in order to cope with their losses. Many of the heroes that perished were within the C-Class but some B and A-Class were taken away from the world as well, and the Hero Association didn't take the report too lightly. It became high priority for them to recruit new heroes, but luckily within the four years that passed, many were more than willing to register and get themselves in the daring life of a hero.
And now, the Hero Association has a total of 2,463 heroes. However, no new heroes were added into the S-Class thanks to Sweet Mask's ridiculously high standards.
However, the officials of the Hero Association were annoyed, for even after all the years that have passed they still have not managed to find the person responsible for stopping the Subterranean invasion and inevitably, the extinction of the entire human race. The Association felt guilty, since the existing pool of heroes were the ones credited for such achievement and the high officials did not even have the guts to tell the media about the unknown man.
In reality, even less of a quarter of the total population of the underground beasts would already annihilate the entirety of the organization of heroes. The Association knew this harsh reality. The leftovers of the Subterraneans were already too much for their limited pool of extraordinary men and women. And yet it was one man unknown to the world was the very one who sent them to oblivion. In addition, he even wiped off City Z from existence. It took two years and a half to reconstruct the entirety of the metropolis.
They would make sure to correct this mistake.
Once they find this man, whoever he is, the Association were to immediately accept him as a Hero and get him into the Top 5 of the S-Class Heroes. It would be their token of appreciation for basically saving the human race.
But up until today, they had no luck in finding this mysterious man.
However, they weren't the ones to give up easily.
Sitch, who now officially became head of the Emergency Situation Operations, was currently in the Hero Association Meeting Room, where the S-Class Heroes would usually be gathered as they were briefed about a threat that requires all of their strength to neutralize it. Today however, is different. The meeting room was only occupied by two people: Sitch and the S-Class Rank Two Hero, the Tornado of Terror, also known as Tatsumaki.
Their meeting had just began, but what the senior officer had noticed is that the S-Class Esper was uncharacteristically being patient today. He was so used to hearing her complain and ramble on about issues as she impatiently waited to be briefed and whatnot. But it was different in his case.
It seemed that even the psychic was interested in what Sitch has to say.
The senior official began to think. Maybe even the Hero Association's second highest ranked hero found her proper place after meeting and even allegedly conversing with the very man that single-handedly saved humanity. Sitch saw her status report where she reportedly neutralized 5,213 of the underground beasts. It was as expected from the legendary esper.
However, comparing her numbers to the unknown man's, the efforts of the Tornado of Terror were minuscule compared to his. She even reported that she barely survived her battles with the beasts, while the man took them all on without even breaking a single sweat. There wasn't even a single evidence of injury on him. Not even as tiny as a paper cut. Just patches of dirt stuck onto his bare skin and that's about it.
And without Tatsumaki's knowledge, the B-City Medical Hospital called the Hero Association, telling them about how the S-Class esper became their patient for over a month and how she was brought in by the same man the Association was looking for. Unfortunately, they weren't able to grab the opportunity to take a picture of him, for the man left almost immediately as soon as Tatsumaki was placed in her emergency hospital bed.
As soon as she got out from the hospital, the esper reported not about the fact that the man had brought her to the hospital and even told her his name, but about the reason she was confined there. The man had unintentionally injured her - quite gravely too - during his battle with the Subterranean King, the leader of all the underground beasts and the initiator of the widespread attack that took almost majority of humanity's population. The man ended the battle with one punch, but the force of his punch were more than enough to send debris flying so fast that not even the esper can defend herself quick enough, with some rocks cutting deep through her skin.
Sitch was almost amused with Tatsumaki's story, as he knew all to well that the esper didn't tell him about the fact that it was the bald man that brought her to the hospital. However, he decided to keep it for himself, as he decided to focus on finding the man with powers untold.
Maybe that taught her a lesson not to be too bossy. Sitch thought, as he noticed the psychic patiently waiting for him to initiate the meeting.
Not that Sitch was complaining though. It was a nice for a change, he thought, as he gathered his papers which were apparently status reports from different cities and different heroes. The technologically advanced meeting table then glowed as it came to life, showing a virtual map of the world, with the signatures of each hero being shown so as to give the the employees an easy time to check where each hero is in case of emergencies.
Sitch then began to type something on his virtual keyboard, prompting Tatsumaki, who was sitting across from him, to speak up.
"So, why did you call me? Is there anything I should take care of?" the esper asked. Sitch could hear the sense of urgency in her voice, so he promptly replied.
"Ah yes Ms. Tatsumaki. As you can see, the Hero Association is still doing all efforts to find this man who single-handedly saved us all, and the organization has put me in charge in doing so. I must say, finding this man is a tedious thing for a senior citizen like me, so I'll be needing your help."
''Why me?''
''Plenty of reasons actually. First reason is that you can fly. And second, you're the only one who has seen this man's face and remembered it. I haven't seen this man's face anywhere in the Superhero Registry, nor have I seen him in the news. You're basically the only one I know who can find him.'' the officer politely replied.
''That's not plenty of reasons.'' the psychic pointed out.
''Well, it makes plenty of sense.'' Sitch countered. The esper could only grunt, and sigh.
''Fine.''
The virtual map of the world then disappeared from screen of the large meeting table, before a holographic screen appeared with the S-Class esper and the Hero Association official watching from both sides. A few seconds later, the screen showed compilation of news reports of different monster attacks and their aftermath, with the first clip already catching Tatsumaki's eye as she fixed her sitting position and laid all attention to the screen.
''What's this?'' the esper asked.
''Different news reports that I believe has connections with the man you personally saw. The events happened before the Subterranean invasion. Just watch.'' Sitch replied.
And true to his word, the first news report showing a ginormous Rhinoceros that was about nine stories high standing on its hind feet trashing about in R-City. The humongous rhinoceros was holding on to a mace as his weapon of choice, the video showing the beast slamming his mace onto several buildings below, swiftly crushing them. The rhino then roared as he continued marching on with its thirst for destruction.
Then, also caught in the video was the part Sitch was waiting for. Before the giant Rhinoceros could lay any more waste unto R-City, the video captured a flash of light swiftly appearing on the beast's horn for a short second, and what happened next was a complete mystery was as to how, but the gigantic Mysterious Being exploded into a fireworks of flesh and dark red blood, said liquid covering the camera and putting the live video feed out of signal for the news anchors.
The news had the headline: ''Unknown force caused Demon-Level beast to explode.''
The next video clips were about the same: a Mysterious Being was rampaging a city and then an 'unknown force' would suddenly come and cause it to explode. The monsters ranged from a 90,000 ton radioactive dinosaur lizard, a 10,000 ton fire-breathing turtle, a battalion of humongous eagles, a horde of rogue mechanical dogs that were 4 stories high - which were apparently Metal Knight's defective robotic creations, a one eyed worm that was as big as the entirety of U-City, an army of Cyclops, gigantic tarantulas and even a seven-headed dragon that was bigger than B-City and C-City combined.
All those monsters and more would rampage cities for about a few seconds, and then some ''unknown force'' that was nothing but a flash of light on camera would come and blow them into pieces of flesh, meat, bones and a shower of blood, saving the day and an enormous amount of souls.
As Tatsumaki watched, she knew that even if EVERY single one of the S-Class Heroes arrived to stop the Mysterious Beings that she just saw, they would barely make it out of the battle alive. Even if one of them can take care of the beasts that she just watched getting killed, collateral damage will follow that will take away hundreds of buildings and thousands of innocent lives.
Make no mistake, that unknown force was none other than the bald man.
''So...what are your thoughts, Ms. Tatsumaki?'' Sitch asked, as the holographic screen disappeared and the virtual map of the world with the hero signatures once again reappeared on the meeting table.
''That's him. That's the guy.'' was all the esper said.
''How can you be so sure? What if it's Blast that we just saw?'' the senior officer once again asked. Sitch knew about the esper's close relationship with the Hero Association's strongest hero, as the psychic misses him from time to time after he disappeared from the map from some time now. 15 years, to be exact.
''I know Blast, okay? He's strong, but he's not the speedy type. And...'' the esper nearly choked on her next words as she attempted to find the words of what exactly she wanted to say.
''Yes?''
''Blast's...not the type...to...y'know...kill monsters in one punch.'' she finally said, before palming both her hands unto her face as she groaned. Sitch could only chuckle, as he set aside the papers he had gathered.
''Plus, if Blast was really the one, the Hero Association would have tracked him. The Association has trackers for every registered hero and whatnot.'' Tatsumaki pointed out.
''That's true Ms. Tatsumaki. Which is why we're also wondering where the hell could Blast be. He's completely off the map, and we don't know why. But let's forget about him for now and focus at our current topic in hand.'' the officer then cleared his throat, as Tatsumaki faced the senior citizen once again.
Sitch then started speaking, discussing his thoughts.
''If these reports are to conclude that the so called 'unknown force' is the very bald man that saved all of humanity, then it is a conclusion that he's been doing this hero thing for a while now, and all these years, the Hero Association has regarded him as 'one of the weirdoes' and now, I regret calling him that. Watching these news reports makes me think that this man can take the entirety of the S-Class Heroes - including Blast. It is of utmost importance that we urge him on our side before he goes out of his mind and decides to be a villain, but I doubt that'll happen.''
''So when you find this guy, you're gonna give him a ticket straight to S-Class?'' asked the esper.
''Precisely. He has done more to prove me otherwise. He has power that the world deserves to know.''
''Well...finding this guy isn't going to be easy you know.''
''I know. But the Hero Association is not going to give up on this man. He is way too valuable to just throw away. This is the dream hero the Association has been dreaming for a long time now, and they won't let go of that. The world needs to know this man. He's been saving lives in secret for far too long, I think we owe him a favor.''
''Lots of favors really.'' muttered Tatsumaki.
''Exactly. That's why I need you since you're the only one who remembers his face. However, when we find this guy, I'm sure the Hero Association will want a bit more evidence before he can skip the registration tests. '' Sitch rested his chin on both hands, as he maintained his serious demeanor towards Tatsumaki.
''Fine. So what will I do?'' the esper asked in an attempt to hide her excitement. She was bored, and she needed something to do.
Finally. I'll meet you again Saitama. I want to see what more you can do.
''The moment a threat arises, I want you to go there as fast as possible, but don't engage the enemy or let it catch you within its visual capabilities. If we ever get lucky, that man will come to neutralize the threat, so I need you to get me some video evidence so I can have something to take for the Registry and Ranking Council.'' Sitch explained, and as soon as he ended his reply, a small ceiling door opened directly above Tatsumaki and as soon as the door opened, out came a small drone modeled after a fly in where the eyes are the camera lenses.
''Take this drone with you.'' Sitch continued. ''It's voice activated and already programmed to follow your energy signature, so if you want to make it record stuff, just say 'Record' and 'Stop Recording' if you think the video evidence is enough. You can also say 'Stop Following' if you're getting annoyed, and 'Start Following' for the opposite. Don't worry about damaging it, not even Atomic Samurai's signature move can land even a single scratch or dent on it. It's made by Metal Knight, so that's no surprise.''
''Did King had to go through all this stalking?'' wondered the esper. She had to admit, the so called Strongest Man on Earth's sudden appearance as an S-Class Hero startled her to begin with and wondered from time to time how the hell the man got in the Association. It's like the man just appeared from thin air.
''Um...no. The media did our jobs for that one. Unlike this bald man, King was caught in the cameras, so the Registry and Ranking Council were quick to register him as a hero.'' Sitch explained, but it looked like the psychic would not buy it.
''That sounds like bullshit to me.''
''Well ask the council, not me. I'm not the one deciding who should be hero and who shouldn't be. I just tell heroes what to do.'' retorted the senior officer.
''Fair point.''
''So Ms. Tatsumaki...are we clear?'' asked Sitch as the drone started flying around Tatsumaki's head.
''Yeah yeah. Seems easy enough.'' came the calm reply of Tatsumaki, as she watched the drone fly above her.
Then, almost immediately after Tatsumaki's reply, the alarm blared and it was heard around the entire Heroes' Association Headquarters, and it only meant one thing: there was a monster attack. Sitch immediately stood up, and looking at the virtual map, he saw an enemy signature spawning at A-City, although he was far from the Hero Association's main Headquarters. The threat was causing destruction - fast. Sitch ran with Tatsumaki and her drone close behind towards the Threat Response Room, where employees were panicking and papers were flying all around.
''Someone give me that threat assessment now!'' shouted Sitch. It wasn't long before he got a response.
''Sir, it's a Dragon Level threat! It already laid waste on Cities B and C before it came here!'' a male operator shouted, as he started sweating profusely.
''Dragon level? Well have you sent someone to intervene?''
''Sir, Smiling Man and Lightning Max are already on the way!'' another reply shouted, this time coming from a female operator.
''Against a Dragon Level? They won't be enough...'' pondered Sitch, but another operator derailed his train of thoughts as soon as he said that.
''Sir! You can send Tatsumaki! She's literally the closest hero right now!''
Sitch then looked at the esper who was floating right beside him with her drone flying right above her. Sitch only grunted, as Tatsumaki nodded her head, knowing exactly what the senior officer means and what they have talked about in their meeting earlier. The esper knew what she should do and so without anymore delay, Tatsumaki flew off with great speed, giving the impression that she teleported away, and the drone followed behind with speeds just enough to keep up with the legendary esper.
The senior officer then looked back at the gigantic screen, showing Tatsumaki's signature going at great speeds towards the threat. Sitch however, knew that it wasn't Tatsumaki that will be stopping the threat.
It would be the man the Hero Association has been hunting for.
It won't be too long now. How big can this world possibly be, not knowing that one man with such extraordinary power exist out there?
Sitch could do nothing but hope that the bald man was nearby too.
One minute, everything seemed normal for the inhabitants of City A. They were walking about, some were off to their work, some were off to school and many just had places that they needed to go to. Some people were playing at the park, some were catching a bus or a train, with bright and smiling faces as they face yet another normal day. The day was beautiful indeed.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing. It was another bright and sunny day.
It was as if nothing would possible go wrong.
As if.
In the blink of an eye, explosions gathered all over the metropolis. Buildings were set on fire, and several skyscrapers had fell down the earth. Smoke bellowed and covered the once bright and sunny sky and people were panicking as they attempted to run away from whatever was causing the threat. The Hero Association Alarm blared all over the city, causing nothing but mass panic and mayhem for the citizens of the metropolis. People were pushing each other as they attempted to get away, while people driving their cars found themselves stuck in traffic.
The threat was hairless humanoid with dark blue skin, about the size of a large man, with two rounded antennae on his head. He has a very muscular body and wears no clothing. He gathered large, blue energy balls all around his body, before spreading them as he raised his arms sidewards. With a loud scream, the monster shot the energy balls everywhere, creating large explosions upon impact that decimated buildings and lives.
The monster continued doing this for the next two minutes until majority of the city were nothing more than broken bricks, rubble and ashes.
A-Class Rank 19 Lightning Max and A-Class Rank 27 Smile Man were deployed to neutralize the threat, but the monster easily defeated them and went on to destroy a large part of the city with an energy beam from his antennae.
But a small media staff were being loyal to their job, as they were spotted in the middle of their streets doing their news report about the sudden attack, with people running off and panicking in the background. For protection, the media men were wearing hard hats.
''As you can see, explosions are going off right behind me! The destruction left behind by this monster is at a unprecedented scale! The Hero Association is analyzing the situation in order to-HAHAAAHHH!'' the reporter shouted, screaming as the monstrous being spotted them and shot an energy ball right at their van, taking out the media men and cutting the signal for their report.
But somewhere in the reconstructed Z-City, one man in his blue and white striped pajamas was watching the very same news that was interrupted by the monster. Standing up with nothing to do, the man said:
''Guess I'll go.''
The man quickly donned his Hero Costume: a simple yellow jumpsuit with a short zipper at the collar, along with a black belt with a golden buckle at the center, fitted with red boots and gloves and a fitting white cape.
The man then went outside his apartment building, the sunlight shining on the man's bald head and hero costume with all its glory. With speed so tremendous that no one can see him with the naked eye, the man ran off, leaving a trail of dust behind, giving the impression that he merely teleported away. From Z-City, the man made his way towards the distant A-City.
MEANWHILE...
Standing in the middle of the wreckage and debris, a young girl wearing a pink sweater and a blue skirt was left stranded alone. She was crying, helpless of what danger she was about to face as the monster walked ever so closely towards her.
''Mommy! Daddy!'' the girl cried. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and she was wiping away each tear that flowed down her face.
What she never saw was the monster standing right behind her, his right hand extended and ready to grab her. However, as he clenched his hand to a fist in order to catch the girl, it was replaced by a flash of white, and the monster was surprised, releasing his fist to find out that he grabbed air and that the girl was gone. The monster then heard a soft thump at his right side, and he looked to see a bald man in his yellow jumpsuit and white cape kneeling down and setting the young girl to the ground, the man's back faced towards the monster.
''You're a fast one. Who are you?'' the monster boomed with its deep voice.
The bald man smirked, before quickly standing up and facing the humanoid being, arms crossed and a deadpanned face.
''Just a guy who's a hero for fun.''
''You're kidding. What kind of half-assed backstory is that?'' the monster questioned, as it faced the bald man.
''Mine is far superior! I was born from the pollution man brought upon the Earth! I am VACCINE MAN!'' the monster boldly introduced itself, slamming its right hand on its chest.
The bald man, still looking stoic as ever, had his arms crossed as he listened to Vaccine Man's following rambles.
''The Earth is a single living organism. You humans are nothing but a disease-causing bacteria eating away at her precious life force! In order to eliminate humans and their evil civilization, the Earth and her infinite wisdom has given birth to ME!'' the monster roared, transforming into a much larger form bearing claws, sharp teeth and visible scales. His eyes glowed red as he roared right into the bald man's face.
''You say you do this for fun!? FOR FUN!? HOW DARE YOU DEFY MOTHER EARTH'S APOSTLE FOR SUCH A MINDLESS REASON?!''
The bald man had enough, and he started spinning swiftly around.
''BUT WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A HUMAN LIKE Y-''
One punch from the bald man was enough to silence the beast for eternity, converting Mother Earth's so called apostle into a explosion of mincemeat and green blood. As the bald man's fist released steam due to the punch's impact, the bald man angrily stared at it.
The bald man then kneeled down in defeat.
''Not again! All it took was ONE PUNCH!''
He then looked at the sky and heavens above, screaming.
''DAAAMMMIIITTTTT!''
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Unbeknownst to the bald man, a certain green esper was watching him from afar, floating in mid-air as her drone recorded the bald man's fight with the Dragon-class monster that lasted less than thirty seconds.
''Aaaannddd...Stop Recording.'' said the esper, and in response, the drone beeped twice.
''Well, that was interesting. The fight didn't even last ten seconds. And it was a Dragon-level no less.'' Tatsumaki sighed as the drone flew above her head once again. The green-haired psychic took no notice, for she was too focused on observing the bald man, who stood up and dusted himself after everything that just happened.
The esper then watched as the bald man went on to pick up the young girl he saved from the Dragon-level threat, carrying the child bridal-style before the bald man sped off, presumably to find an hospital where the girl can be cured, leaving a trail of dust behind. The psychic then looked around, seeing nothing but rubble and the remains of the monstrous humanoid that stood no chance against the bald man.
''Video is a minute and twenty two seconds. Ten seconds at most allocated for the actual fighting part...'' Tatsumaki pondered, placing her right hand on her chin, her mind bombarded with thoughts.
And then finally, came realization and conclusion.
''Shit. The council won't believe this. They'll think it's edited or some shit. I need to film more. Something where his opponent actually hits the fucking guy.''
The esper then turned to her drone.
''Come on. Let's go.'' she said, before swiftly flying in the direction the bald man went, her drone following her close behind.
As the psychic was flying in the direction she was sure the bald man went, she only had one thing in mind.
This is gonna be harder than I expected it to be...
FLASHBACK
It was a normal day. People were just busy getting towards their respective workplaces. However, that's not the case for some people living in Z-City. In the middle of a crowded street, people were suddenly running away, panicking and screaming in fear. Some had even dropped their stuff just trying to get away from the threat.
''RUN!''
''IT'S COMING AT OUR DIRECTION!''
''I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET MY RETIREMENT THIS WEEK!''
''I DON'T WANNA DIE A VIRGIN!''
Those were just some of the things the people shouted as they ran away from the threat, which was apparently a Tiger-level class.
The threat was apparently a large creature with large, crab-like claws and a hard, bright red carapace covering his upper body, while his lower body is that of a muscular human male, naked except for a pair of white briefs. He has two nostrils on his flat face, a cartoonish large mouth, and two eye stalks that protrude from the sides of his head, ending in large, elliptical eyes with small pupils.
The monster's appearance made the people running for their lives.
All except one, who just sighed in exasperation. The monster stopped its advance when it noticed one man in a business suit standing and remaining still.
''Huh? Are you sure you don't want to run away?'' the monster asked.
The man sighed once again. The monster cocked its head to the side and chuckled, before bowing down to draw its face nearer towards the man.
''I bet you're a newly employed business man already tired of work.'' the monster taunted.
''I ate too much crab and I became this! Crabrante!'' it continued, apparently introducing itself. It then stood up straight once more, a confused look on its face as it noticed the man remaining still - as if he were a statue.
''Why aren't you running?'' the monster asked.
No response.
''You've got a death wish?''
No response.
''Is that it?''
And that was when the man finally spoke.
''Well not quite.'' were the man's first words. This answer confused the crab monster though, and remained silent so as to give the man a chance to expound his answer.
''I'm no businessman. I'm unemployed. Right now, I'm looking for a job.''
The monster remained still, listening. Another man came up from around the corner, but as soon as he saw Crabrante, he screamed and ran away towards the opposite direction.
''I had another job interview today and got rejected royally. I couldn't care less about anything...so I'm in no mood to run, just because the mighty Crabrante has appeared.'' the man lifelessly explained, not even looking at the monster's eyes the whole time. He was just staring at the ground, looking depressed as ever.
''So what will happen if I don't run?''
The crab monster grinned, before raising its giant pincers in order to point at the man.
''Your eyes are lifeless. Just like mine. From one set of lifeless eyes to another, I'll let you go.'' the monster said, before walking past the businessman, apparently sparing him. The man turned around, as the monster was still speaking, the monster's eyes filled with intent to kill.
''Besides...I'm hunting different prey. A big chinned brat. And when I find him, I'll rip his arms off!'' Crabrante said as he walked past the man, who basically ignored the crab monster's intentions and walked away, the two beings separating from each other.
o0o
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The man was just about to get home, making his way past the park, when he noticed something that caught his lifeless eyes. He saw a young boy with bowl cut hair and a cleft chin, playing with a soccer ball. The big-chinned boy also noticed the unemployed man, and putting his left hand on his hips, the boy asked:
''What are you looking at?''
Almost instantly, realization struck the man like a baseball bat to the head. Starting to sweat profusely, his eyes widened, dread and fear overcoming him as a worried voice of concern screamed in his head.
''The big chinned brat! If he's caught, he's dead!'' the man thought.
As the kid bent over to pick up his soccer ball, the man couldn't help but ask...
''Hey kid. Were you messing with a big crab monster?'' the man asked in a deadpanned, lackluster voice.
It took a second until the kid gave him the answer he was looking for.
''Ugh...he was sleeping in the park. So I drew nipples on his chest with a permanent marker.''
And that response struck the man harder than the slap of his ex-girlfriend. Harsh realization dawned upon him. A voice was screaming inside his head.
''Shit. That's definitely him. He has no idea what he's done. What do I do? I could still help...'' the man pondered, as the kid continue to perform some dribbles with his soccer ball, ignoring the man for a while.
''But man...this kid isn't cute at all. It's none of my business. I should just run away.''
The kid now seemed too focused on his soccer ball, prompting the man to smirk, as he made a decision.
''Right. I mean. Who really cares?'' the man said in his head, before starting to walk away.
However, as the man walked away, Crabrante appeared, his target within his sight.
''FOUND YOU!'' the crab monster screamed, raising his right pincer and swiftly slamming it unto the big-chinned boy, but before the incisor made contact and before the boy could even do anything, the unemployed man swiftly jumped and grabbed the boy away from the crab monster's attack, Crabrante's pincers instead making contact with the pavement and creating a small hole with it.
The man was surprised with his actions as he evaded the crab's attack.
''What the hell am I doing!?'' he screamed inside his head.
The monster grunted as it faced the man and the cleft-chinned boy, both of them trying to get their bearings and lying down the ground.
''Kid, he's after you! Run!'' the unemployed man shouted, but the boy was still trying to process everything that just happened.
''Don't worry about me, just go!'' the man shouted once more, but the boy was still stunned.
''M-my soccer b-ball...''
''YOUR BALL!?'' screamed the unemployed man, but Crabrante stepped on the boy's soccer ball, popping it, causing the kid to gasp and start panicking.
''Hey. What's the big idea? Don't tell me you're gonna protect that stinking brat!'' asked the mutated crab-man.
The man was starting to sweat, but instead of running, he chose to stay.
''Are you really going to kill him over some harmless prank? Think about this!'' the man angrily countered.
However, this made the crab monster laugh, before raising one of his pincers, revealing that it was stained with dried blood.
''I've already mutilated lots of people...whoever makes fun of the way I look pays the price! No exceptions.''
The man gritted his teeth, growling underneath his breath.
''Besides. That brat drew nipples on my body, WITH A PERMANENT MARKER! LOOK AT THESE CLAWS, I CAN'T USE A TOWEL TO WIPE THEM OFF!'' the crab monster roared, before swiftly drawing his blood-stained claw right in front of the unemployed man's face, too close for comfort.
''Get in my way, and I'll make sure you never go job hunting again!''
The man gritted his teeth for a few seconds before bowing his head as he started laughing randomly, confusing even the crab monster.
As the man composed himself, he finally replied,
''It just came to me. You look like this villain from an anime I used to watch!'' the man said in the middle of fits of laughter, but in response, Crabrante slammed his right pincer onto the unemployed man's body, sending him flying onto a large container of soccer balls, the man crashing and sending soccer balls flying, dust and smoke covering the area.
The boy was helpless, as he laid down underneath the shadow of the crab monster.
''Die.'' Crabrante roared, but before he initiate another attack, a large stone shot itself right on his face, making a direct hit. However, this did no damage whatsoever, and the crab beast looked to see the man, still intact but with a wound on his forehead, blood flowing over his right eye.
''In this age of declining birth rates, I can't just let you kill a kid...'' the man said, as he slowly but surely regained composure to face Crabrante once more.
''You know what? When I was a kid...I wanted to be a hero...not a business man. A hero who could send rotten monsters like you flying with a single punch.'' the man removed his business coat in anger, tying his tie around his left hand as he faced the crab monster with newfound confidence.
''SCREW LOOKING FOR A JOB! BRING IT ON!''
The mutated crab man roared and laughed, before slamming one of his pincers onto the man, sending him flying and forcing some blood out of his system.
''Some hero you are!''
Crabrante then slammed his pincers onto the man once more.
''You're pathetic!''
The man was then sent tumbling on the cemented pavement, struggling to get up as the crab monster slowly walked towards him.
''You don't stand a chance against me.'' Crabrante then towered over the fallen unemployed man, who was gritting his teeth in stubbornness, still aiming to defeat the large, mutated, crab monster. The crab then drew his right pincer back, before roaring...
''Your life ends now!''
However, instead of stabbing the man, Crabrante found his pincer stuck unto the pavement, cracks and rocks surrounding it, while the man jumped and used the crab's arms as a boosting platform as he jumped once more over the monster's head, making sure his suit tie hangs by the crab's eye socket as the man made a landing right behind the crab monster. With his business tie hanged onto the crab's eye socket, the man then pulled as hard as he can, and in a little while, he finally pulled the crab's eye stalk out, and out from the crab's eye socket came out a ridiculously long line of flesh and vein and liquid that looked like oil.
The big-chinned boy could only watched the aftermath, as his savior stood in front of Crabrante's corpse, panting in an attempt to catch his breath.
And it was on that day...
For the first time in his life...
Saitama's eyes came to life.
A fire sparked, and the flame of life ravaged, burning in his eyes.
It had been so long since then...
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Far too long.
PRESENT TIME
The caped baldy with the yellow jumpsuit can now be seen buying crab meat from the local supermarket. The crab made the self-proclaimed hero remember his origin story from seven years ago. However, the fire in his eyes that ignited over seven years ago, has once again lost it spark today.
Well...that spark had actually died down a long time ago. After three years of training, he formally inducted his hero career. After only a few months, he found out that he was too strong. He found out that his dream had come true.
And that it wasn't as exciting as he had originally thought.
Only a few months into his hero career, Saitama had already taken down more Mysterious Beings, criminal syndicates and evil organizations far more than the entirety of the Hero Association. However, no one knows this truth but himself. The media had caught his actions on camera more than once, but he was always a blur and he would never stick around even after saving the day. And this would go on for years.
It was sad to say, but he had gotten used to such a life.
A life where no one gives him credit for everything that he's done.
Unbeknownst to everyone, he had saved the entirety of the human race. But of course, at the end of the day, all he cared about was paying his apartment rent and catching up on the latest sale at the local supermarket.
I became the hero that I wanted to be?
So what is this feeling?
Has it really been seven years since then?
Buying only a single pack of crab meat because that's the only thing his budget allowed, Saitama made it towards the cashier, who packed it for him and confirming the price.
''482 yen please.'' the cashier politely requested.
Saitama then rummaged through his coin purse, attempting to find an exact payment for the cashier.
However, as the bald man continued rummaging through what's left of his wallet, an earthquake shook the supermarket and even the surrounding buildings nearby. The people panicked and started running, but Saitama was unfazed and didn't even noticed the commotion as he continued finding the exact payment for his purchase. The entire grocery store was basically deserted, and yet the caped baldy never noticed that he was alone until after he found the exact change.
''Here you go miss...oh?'' the man wondered, momentarily looking around for any signs of life, before a giant creature came in and stepped right in front of the market, destroying half of the building. Saitama didn't even come close as to even flinching, as he went outside to see that the commotion was all about.
As Saitama went outside, he saw absolutely no signs of life, and the part of B-City that he used to see was now nothing but a crater. All what's left of the store was less than half of the building.
It looked like there were no survivors.
The man sighed as he looked to his left where he could still hear the distant rumbles of the beast responsible for the destruction.
In the distance, all that Saitama could see was a colossal man who was easily causing wreckage throughout the large city with just mere footsteps. And it seemed that it had no intentions of stopping until it reached City A.
The superpowered man only sighed, before looking back at the remains of the supermarket. He had remembered that he left his packed crab there.
''That crab still be better there after I take care of this. This'll be quick.'' the man muttered to no one in particular.
The bald man then kneeled down, before making a huge leap towards his target. His jump was so powerful that it created another shockwave, making the crater even deeper.
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It can be easily mistaken that the colossal man was alone. However, if one were to get closer, it can be revealed that the colossal man has a companion. On the giant's right shoulder was a slim and pale man with wrinkles, wearing a white lab coat, black shirt and khaki slacks. He had thin black hair that is parted in the middle, draped along the sides of his long face.
That man was known as Fukegao, a genius scientist stationed in City D. The colossal titan was the scientist's younger brother, Marugori.
''Incredible! This is incredible little brother!'' Fukegao exclaimed, as the colossal beast continued to walk his way towards City A, a single step already crushing the metropolis behind him.
''I'd never thought it would work so well...'' the scientist muttered, as in his right hand was a test tube containing a multicolored liquid.
''Yes...It's more than I imagined, big brother...'' thought the colossal beast, who was now incapable in any form of speech.
The colossal beast then thought about the events that transpired the last thirty minutes ago, back in their home location, City D. They were in Fukegao's laboratory, where in Marugori was doing his physical training with all the equipment the lab offered.
''My dream was to be the strongest man...'' those were the words that repeated itself over and over again on Marugori's head as we spent days training in body to achieve his single goal.
The young man trained his body for months and months to come.
However, he soon found out that he wouldn't be doing so for long now.
His older brother, Fukegao, had realized the young man's dream, and he had wanted to help out using his genius intellect. And so, as Marugori trained and trained, Fukegao spent his days researching and working on a liquefied steroid that will help his younger brother achieve his goal...
And alas, one day, Fukegao had completed it.
''Finally! The ultimate steroid, Biceps Brachii King, is now complete!'' the scientist exclaimed, holding out his test tube filled with the liquid in the air.
The slim scientist then went near his muscular, younger brother who was taking a short break from his training, saying,
''Drink this and you will achieve the power that you're longing for!'' Fukegao exclaimed.
At first, Marugori couldn't believe it.
''What? Drink that?'' the young man asked, skeptical about the drug.
''I added strawberry flavoring to make it easier for you to drink!'' added the older individual.
''Brother...''
And so Marugori did it. He drank the steroid, and in just a few seconds, his body glowed green and he mutated into a colossal mysterious being. His clothes were ripped off and in his humongous form, his veins were popping, muscles expanding and his size grew incredibly. As a giant, he resembled a giant human body without skin, steaming, with a white, bone-like armor covering his enormous muscles. Most of his skeleton and muscle tissue became visible, including his tendons. He also grew two tubes, protruding from his chest and running over his shoulders to his back.
In his gigantic form, he had decimated Fukegao's lab in mere seconds just by transforming. However, Fukegao was picked up by the gigantic Marugori and the titan being placed his older brother on his right shoulder, before making his way towards the City proper to perform decimation upon it.
''Yes! This will do!''
''My brains and your brawn! By combining the greatest of minds and the strongest of bodies, we brothers will conquer everything on Earth and rule as kings!'' Fukegao exclaimed, as the colossal being went on in stepping on the large metropolis.
The colossal titan then stopped momentarily, before swinging his left hand across the air, creating a gust of wind that decimated a large portion of the metropolis.
Even Fukegao was surprised.
''I-Incredible!'' he exclaimed.
None had survived the brutal attack.
''Well done little brother! Thousands have perished!'' the scientist exclaimed, as the giant began walking once again as he made his way towards City A.
The Hero Association alarm blared throughout the nearby cities. However, the gigantic being only spent a few steps before destroying the radio towers bringing out the evacuation warning. People were screaming, trying in vain to get away from the threat.
But alas, they could not run from such a gigantic being.
''Yes that's right! Scatter like rats!'' Fukegao screamed, as large amounts of infrastructure crumbled underneath the gigantic Marugori's single step.
''I am the strongest...I am the strongest...I am the strongest...'' the gigantic being thought, now not capable of speech.
''What do you think, brother?'' Fukegao asked his now-mutated brother, only to get a response from an unknown voice.
''Yeah, how does it feel being the strongest?''
Fukegao then looked at the source of the voice, who was the bald man in his yellow jumpsuit and white cape, standing on the shoulder opposite from where the scientist was one. The man still had his legendary poker face, his voice filled with all-encompassing boredom.
''Put some pants on.'' the bald man would say.
Fukegao gritted his teeth, already annoyed at the new man's words.
''THE GUY ON YOUR SHOULDER KILL HIM!'' Fukegao screamed at his younger, bigger brother.
However, Fukegao overlooked and made a mistake of not mentioning WHAT shoulder the enemy was on.
And so in a second, Marugori slapped his right shoulder, instead of his left where Saitama was actually on.
The gigantic being then opened his palm and looked at it, seeing the bloodstain and the remains of a white coat. It didn't take long, before the titan processed everything that just happened and the thing that he just committed.
''BROTHER NOOOOO!'' the humongous being roared, saying his first words as a giant.
Saitama could only cover his ears in response.
''How could this happen!? I only wanted to get strong! And now I finally am the strongest person but...'' the titan rambled, before his left eye caught sight of the bald man on his left shoulder.
The bald man just smiled.
This left Marugori growling in anger, grabbing the bald man who was tinier in comparison to the giant with his right hand, and raising the caped hero unto the air.
''I don't know who you are, but it's your fault my brother IS DEAD!'' Marugori roared, as he threw Saitama onto a skyscraper, pounding the tall building into oblivion.
However, Saitama was unfazed.
The gigantic titan then quickly initiated his next moved, making a huge leap in the air, before slamming his left foot onto where Saitama was, the force of the impact so strong that a large amount of the surrounding buildings and infrastructure were uprooted from their location and were sent flying into the air.
Enraged, Marugori roared as he sent a barrage of punches flying towards where the bald man was, merciless and not even letting his opponent stand up.
''Behold our brotherly power!''
The titan then finished his barrage with a powerful punch that was so powerful that it created an explosion of dust and debris for miles away, and dislocating far away buildings.
When the dust had settled, a gigantic crater was revealed, and the giant was standing in front of it.
The giant was panting, standing proud and victorious, as he clenched his left fist.
''I am the strongest.'' the beast once again said, before opening his left palm and staring at the remains of his brother.
A single tear fell.
''So what if I am?'' Marugori muttered.
Realization quickly struck the beast.
''I feel empty.''
And then in surprise, the titan heard a response.
''I know right?''
Marugori turned his head, frantically looking for the source of the response, before looking at the crater to see the bald man swiftly flying towards the gigantic being. And before the titan could even comprehend to respond, the caped baldy spent one punch, almost flattening the gigantic being's face and knocking several teeth out.
''Having overwhelming strength is...surprisingly boring...''
The giant beast then fell down on what was left of B-City, crashing onto it and destroying the remaining pieces of the metropolis. The titan never stood up again, for it was dead.
However, it didn't take long before Saitama realized his mistake.
''Oh.'' was the only word that came out from the bald man's lips.
Only an hour passed, before it was declared to the Hero Association that CITY B IS DESTROYED.
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However, once again unbeknowst to Saitama, he was once again being watched by a familiar-looking esper and her drone was once again recording the events that just transpired.
Nice. That would make a good film. Tatsumaki thought, before turning to the drone.
''Okay. Stop recording.'' the esper muttered, and the drone once again responded with a beep.
The psychic then looked on and stared at the remains of the giant the bald man just annihilated. It wasn't moving, and it's definitely not going anywhere at all. She could only sigh at the destruction the Association has to clean up.
That's A-City AND B-City in one day. Geez, that's normal. Tatsumaki thought, as she watched the man land plainly on the destroyed remains of the city, before walking away, presumably to go home.
Hmmm...I hope this guy won't mind if I stalk him for one more film. the esper thought as she flew, following the direction where the bald man went, her drone following close behind.
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Much to Tatsumaki's delight, just as the sun was about to set, the esper had followed the bald man all the way to the abandoned part of Z-City, and she just recorded one last video of the caped hero annihilating a monster that called itself as Super Custom Y0649Z Mk. II with one punch.
The psychic then turned towards the drone.
''Stop recording.'' the esper said, and the drone responded with a beep.
She then watched as the bald man walked away from the car monster's corpse, disappearing into the night as he held a plain, white grocery bag with his right hand.
The council will have their minds flying when they see this. the esper thought, as she swiftly flew away towards the Hero Association Main Headquarters, her drone following close behind as always.
HERO ASSOCIATION MAIN HEADQUARTERS, CITY-A.
Sitch was once again with Tatsumaki in the Main Meeting Room, where he was watching the videos Tatsumaki recorded on the holographic screen. Everything that transpired on that day, from Vaccine Man who attack and decimated parts of A-City, Marugori and Fukegao who destroyed City B and a car monster roaming around in Z-City, was recorded by the esper.
The senior officer was impressed.
''Well done Ms. Tatsumaki. These are good angles.'' the Association official said.
Tatsumaki only smirked.
''Hmph. It seemed easy enough.'' boasted the esper.
The holographic screen then went out of view, as Sitch took out the flash drive from its socket and placed it inside his pocket.
''The council will have their heads rolling when they see this.'' Sitch said, as he stood up, with Tatsumaki following suit.
He then went to walk out of the room, with the esper following close. As the door opened, Sitch then turned around to face the 28-year old.
''Expect a new hero in two days or so.'' Sitch whispered, before proceeding to go on in order to meet the Registry and Ranking Council.
The esper smirked, before placing her hand on her chin as her train of thoughts began to whistle out loud.
It would be nice working with him. I wonder what surprises he has in store for the Association.
The psychic then decided to go home after a long day.
She had only one thing in mind though.
Don't expect you'll get a warm welcome from me though...
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Saitama...
OUTSIDE Z-CITY
A blonde cyborg wearing a sleeveless, white top and sky blue denim pants was standing in the middle of a field filled with corpses of decaying cows, with mosquitoes flying all around the decaying corpses. The mechanical man then looked on towards the metropolis of Z-City miles in front of him.
It wasn't long before he made his decision.
The cyborg would then walk towards the city, sensing the threat within the large urban location.
So I hope you enjoyed this one. Be sure to continue your support through your reviews! It really helps me find errors in my stories so I can correct them. Be sure to stick around each week for updates!
I won't let school hamper this weekly schedule of mine. Not anymore.
Thanks! ^_^
Peace! - BTR100