Damn, an upload for this fanfic? Who woulda guessed?
"And here you have the ghost town of City Z." Emily tapped a finger against a widespread parchment that detailed the locations of the nearby settlements and the sections of industry.
"We just came from the city registration, which is right here, but you'll have to come back to it after you've recovered; so you can be properly evaluated and ranked."
"So are we in the poorest city?" Kid asked and scarfed down a whole bread bun. He didn't understand all of the extra squiggly lines on the map, but city Z was nowhere near as big as its neighbors, nor did it have any detailed establishments other than the hero registration center.
"Hey, not so loud!" Emily scolded under a hushed breath.
Customers sitting nearby glanced at the trio, but after a sharp glare from Kid, they changed their attitude real quick and went back to their meals without a second thought.
Emily watched the two men with keen interest. She hadn't been able to thank her saviors properly and was delighted when they accepted her invitation to a nearby restaurant. The place wasn't high class, but the quality of the food was well worth the buck.
"City Z is only considered a poor place because of the ghost town that's bordered up on the outskirts of the city. Nobody goes there because the monster population is so high, and after a few attempts of the hero association, they decided it was better to leave the dangerous area alone. Though when I become a hero, I want to rid the ghost town of its monsters and let people thrive there again." Emily explained and dipped a french fry in some ketchup.
"Hmph, sounds like we've landed in an interesting place." Killer slurped his spaghetti noodles through the holes in his mask, an action that earned both a curled brow and a smile of amusement from Emily.
"H-Hey, where are you guys going?" Emily dropped her fry as the two C-class heroes stood from their seats.
"We don't want to stick around and be chummy with a stranger," Kid grunted, "come on Killer. We need to go back to where that monster died and see if anyone else from our crew is in this weird city."
Emily tried to follow after the two men but stalled because she had to pay for their meal and it took a bit to get a server to come forward with the bill. However, to her gratitude, Kid and Killer were stopped at the doorway by another duo. Each sporting a muscular body and a tank top.
"Oi, get out of the way." Kid frowned as neither of the lads seemed interested in doing so. Instead, the red-haired pirate received a pair of mocking sneers and muttered to each other about the peculiar man they were blocking.
"Hey, you're that random upstart who jumped the C-class rankings in a single morning, aren't you?" The one who spoke had brown hair and eyebrows with yellow streaks which gave him the appearance of an off-colored tiger. His tank top mirrored this design.
"Magnetic flame, that's what the books are calling you now, right?" The man with black hair and tank top added.
"I don't care about the opinions of those snobby gents who wrote down that stupid nickname." Kid sighed and shoved the men aside with a rough elbow. "My only concerns are my crewmembers, and I'd suggest you guys stay out of my way unless you want to wind up on the ground begging for your lives."
Kid chuckled and followed his captain's footsteps, but blinked when the tank-topped men took hold of Kid's shoulders and pushed him back.
"Hmph, do you have any idea who you're talking to? We're members of the greatest hero faction out there, the Tank Toppers!" The men in tank tops said in unison.
"I'm C-class, rank 10, Tank Top Tiger!" The man with stripped hair declared with flexed arms and unashamed pride.
"I'm B-Class, rank 81, Tank Top Black Hole!" Yelled the man with black hair. "My giant hands have a grip strength of 200 kilos!"
Kid and Killer deadpanned. The two pirates shared an expression of discontent, though you couldn't see Killer's because of his mask, they rolled their eyes and cracked their necks.
"Kid, it might not be best to engage in combat after we've recently recovered," Killer advised.
"Don't tell me you're scared of these losers," Kid chuckled, "I bet you could beat both these guys with your eyes closed."
"What was that?!" Tank Top Tiger snarled and took a fighting pose. "You'll regret that remark after I've thrashed you! Behold, the power of a man who fights like a tiger!"
"Whack!"
Despite his bravado, Tank Top Tiger didn't get a chance to exchange hands with Kid as his right-hand man intervened with a well-placed punch to the jaw. Tank Top Tiger was sent barreling through the doorway, and crashed into a garbage can with a dull thud.
"What?!" Tank Top Black Hole whipped around to see his younger brother passed out with a bleeding nose and mouth. "You'll pay for that, you upstart heroes-"
"Whack!"
Kid delivered five knuckles to the loud-mouthed B classer, and smirked as he joined his brother in the garbage heap.
"Wow!" Emily ran over to Kid's side and looked up at him with starry eyes. "I knew you guys were strong, but to defeat members of the Tank Topper Army so easily is a feat that shouldn't be overlooked! How come you guys never registered in the Hero Association before?"
"... Was that really all those guys had to offer?" Kid sighed in disappointment and scratched his chin. "No wonder that crazy monster was able to blow up a huge section of the city if idiots like that are defending it."
Kid pointed a lazy finger to the dazed Tank Toppers who scrambled to their feet after a moment of respite.
"W-We'll let you off the hook for now!" Tank Top Black Hole hollered. "But the next time you decide to mess with the Tank Topper Army, you won't be so lucky!"
"Lucky?" The red-haired pirate laughed at this pathetic statement. "If you can't even take a half-hearted punch, then I know for a fact that I can kill both of you on a whim!"
Magnetic waves sparked from Kid's right arm, and soon the nearby cutlery, chairs, and tables from the restaurant were flying towards him to cluster and manifest into a giant metal arm. The citizens who occupied the restaurant were quick to flee, not caring for their spilled food and only grabbing what they deemed essential.
"Kid!" Killer jumped back in dismay. His captain's urge for battle had gotten the better of him, and now he was about to deliver a brutal ass-kicking.
"Wait!" Emily cried. "D-Didn't you win already? There's no need for any more violence!"
She took hold of Kid's free arm and tried to reason with him, but the pirate captain shook his head and told Emily to get back if she didn't want to die.
"These tank-top idiots started this fight, and if they're the real noble heroes they claim to be, they'll man up and take my attack head-on!" Kid roared and threw down his scrap heap without remorse.
"Waaah! We're sooorrryyy!" The Tank Top Brothers wailed and ran for their lives.
"Krooosh!"
After the bang of steel colliding with asphalt, all was silent until the dust settled. Fortunate for the Tank Toppers, they landed between the gaps of Kid's metal arm, but by the horrified expressions they wore, neither Tank Top Tiger nor his big brother had the will to fight.
"Tsk, what a letdown." Kid scoffed and shook his head. Killer quickly put himself between Kid and the Tank Toppers and advised that the two of them leave before any of the authorities showed up to give them even more trouble.
"I wasn't planning on sticking around anyway." Kid turned to leave, but a grip on his wrist prevented him from doing as he pleased.
"What do you want now?" Kid glared at Emily who trembled in response.
"T-That was dangerous! Innocent people could've gotten hurt, or worse!" The young girl said with tears in her eyes.
"Like I said," Kid grumbled, "it was those tank topper guys who picked a fight with me. So if you're going to blame anyone for the destruction around here, then point the finger at those arrogant jerks."
"That's not the point!" Emily clenched her fists and shut her eyes. "A hero doesn't go around destroying public property on a whim! They should be able to deal with monsters and other natural dangers with brave hearts and an intelligent mind! You saved me from that crazy alien monster just this morning, so how can you be so self-centered and ignorant?!"
Emily took a deep breath and opened her eyes. To her surprise, Kid had actually stuck around to hear what she had to say, but by his dismissive expression, it seemed her words hadn't stuck.
"Look, you were too scared to realize it, but I wasn't-" Kid's words were cut off as the sound of police sirens rung from down the street with flashing lights of blue and red.
"Kid!" Killer yelled and pointed to the approaching vehicles.
With a reluctant nod, Kid moved to join his right hand, though he hesitated at Emily's downtrodden visage.
"Oi, punk."
Emily's gaze snapped upward to meet Kid's.
"I don't care for heroes and the like, but if you can speak your mind as you did just now," Kid glanced at the slumped Tank Toppers as they were crowded by the authorities. "Then you're already miles ahead in becoming what you want."
Emily's eyes shined like stars as her lips spread to a pearly smile. Kid smirked at her naivety, but had to admit she did have a certain flare about her when she spoke of her ambitions.
"H-Hey, when can we talk again?" Emily pulled out her phone in hopes of claiming a number, but to her disappointment, neither Kid nor Killer knew what a phone was.
"If you're lucky, we won't meet again." Kid chuckled, then turned with his red-feathered cape flourishing in the wind. "No..." Emily hummed with her hands clasped behind her back and watched as the silhouettes of Kid and Killer disappeared down the road. "We'll definitely meet again, I'm sure of it."
