A/N: Ok, first things first, I can't believe that in all these years no one has thought of a crossover between these two great series, but who knows, maybe in another universe I won't be the first to do it... Now, being honest, I had my doubts about publishing this story that, no kidding, I've been planning since the beginning of the year 2021. But, after more than two years of waiting, I feel like I've learned a lot in that time. So, here I am - ready to share my ideas with the rest of the world, please, enjoy!
"What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization."
-Abraham Maslow
It was early in the morning.
The streets of A-City were full, either because it was rush hour or because the day started the week, there was always a reason why its streets were full and its inhabitants, too busy to notice what was going on around them.
Office workers with their eyes barely open, barely strong enough to face another exhausting day at work, ironworkers ready to take the place of those who stayed at work through the early morning, the children, dressed and ready to go back to school, some motivated with a desire to make a difference in the world, others not knowing what they are there for in the first place, and others just happy that their parents have enough time to take them personally.
Just another day, people going about their lives, too busy to notice what's going on around them...
A flock of birds flew by in a chaotic manner, if they were talking instead of making simple sounds, they would surely be screaming. It is known that when you see a flock of birds flying by like that, it is because something bad is about to happen.
Few cared.
It began as a slight tremor, which did not seem to increase or decrease in intensity, too serene, perceptible perhaps to housewives unless the noise of the television was louder than this. In the avenues it could easily be confused with the movement of passing cars, or completely ignored by the bustle of passersby, and in the subway, it was not even necessary to explain. The mere movement of the machine was more than enough to eclipse even a conversation on the phone, which did not prevent some passengers to take advantage of the time they had to rest, at least until they reached their destination.
Destiny, which never came.
The tremor stopped, it was light, serene and short, very short, maybe ten seconds from start to finish. Suddenly, a light appeared in the center, small but blinding, although the latter was the least of it.
It was too short for those who noticed it to turn and look at it.
The explosion that followed was, to say the least, surprising to those present, at least to those who were far enough away to witness it. The mushroom cloud that rose into the sky quickly obscured hundreds of meters of land around the area, as if it were a small nuclear explosion. Even those in the tallest buildings could not tell exactly who, or what, had caused the incident.
And then, a blast of wind and heat, like a pressure cooker, skyscrapers, vehicles, people and whatever else was in its path, was abruptly hit by it.
It was a chaos, the evacuation alarms went off and on, and the darkness was gaining more and more ground with each passing minute, making it more difficult for passersby to locate their loved ones. Those closest to the epicenter of the explosion were too stunned to be afraid or run for help, having no idea what was in the center. No one had any idea until that moment.
Covered by a thick cloud of smoke and dust, a humanoid figure stood in the center of the explosion, a base was at his feet, with a perfectly carved circumference around him, as if he were an apostle sent by God himself. His appearance was imposing, with at least two meters tall, throbbing veins highlighted his already muscular physique, his skin, purple and without a hint of hair, only made him more impressive.
And the cherry on top of the cake, a pair of rounded antennae sat atop its head.
The figure soars violently through the air, leaving a shockwave from where it stood and, like a mercenary, contemplates the destruction around it. Out of nowhere, several balls of energy, bright as a flame, appear, from the center of its antennae, to each of its hands, throwing them violently in all possible directions. One by one, buildings and apartments were hit by them, being reduced to little more than dust, some of them, if they were lucky, were hit by the remains of others.
It seemed that no one was able to do anything.
In the downtown area of the city, in the interiors of a particular building, a heated situation was taking place. What appeared to be a headquarters was not just any building.
It was the HQ of the Hero Association. Heroes, charged with protecting the peace and safety of citizens from threats across the globe.
"Who's available?!"
"We just got word that Lightning Max and Smile Man are on their way!"
"I want the threat level assessment, now!"
Each of the operators, focused on their own assigned area, did their best to cope with the situation.
But this time, things seemed different. This time, hope seemed not to be enough.
Back on the battlefield, the situation was depressing.
On the ground, without asphalt and full of debris, lay the defeated bodies of the heroes Smile Man and Lightning Max. It was all very fast, the creature without the slightest interest in them, pushed them aside almost instantly, as if it was more interested in carrying out the destruction than in fighting itself.
Several kilometers away from the area, unable to get any closer for obvious reasons, were the teams from different news channels, eager to get live coverage of the particular situation. Even if it meant putting their own physical integrity at risk, oblivious to the events around them.
"As you can see behind me, the smoke generated from the explosion was incredible!" "The destruction left behind by this monster is on an unprecedented scale!" "We are informed from the studio that the Hero Association is currently assessing the level of disaster to se-!"
"Watch out for the pole!"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a static flooded the television screen, its only viewer, until that moment almost unperturbed, seemed to be more surprised by the latter than by the whole situation he had just witnessed, at least on television.
"Guess I'll go..."
Downstairs, at the entrance of an old apartment complex, a figure stepped out of the shadows, the same one that until a few moments ago was witnessing everything through the news.
It was a man dressed in a yellow onesie, his cape waved heroically and, in an almost triumphant manner, he raises his right arm. His hand, the index and middle fingers slightly bent, leaving the ring and little finger a little higher. Anyone who had witnessed all this, would have immediately understood that this person, was not a simple civilian.
He was a hero.
"Justice Enforcement."
Back in the area, or what was left of it, the atmosphere was gloomy, the bases of the remaining buildings eventually succumbed, the few who survived, crushed by the same, were not so lucky. Or so it seemed.
A little girl, standing in the middle of the wreckage of an apartment complex, was begging for help. That morning, her mother had called the number of her school to inform the principal that she would not be able to attend, since she had woken up with a nagging fever and needed to rest. Remembering the tremor, she was about to go back to sleep when a slight jolt to the bed woke her up, after which everything happened very quickly.
The explosion caused her mother to rush to her room to evacuate the building, her father, ready to go to work was with her. Then, as they prepared to leave, a blinding light flooded her vision from the window. The silence and darkness was all that followed.
The last thing she remembers is lying on the floor, barely able to breathe, with the remains of a wall about to collapse covering her up to her head like a blanket, getting out of there by sheer luck before they fell completely.
And now, she was there, alone, tired, dazed by the smoke and dust, completely clouding her sense of sight. Desperate, she did the only thing she could do at that moment, scream.
"Daddy!" "Mommy!"
Her voice slowly began to fade, too tired to keep trying. It seemed that no one would ever listen to her, until her pleas reached the ears of someone, or in this case, something.
As if it were a bad trick of fate, the purple creature, which up to that moment was walking peacefully, almost admiring the destruction caused in its path, did not let her call for help go unheeded. Slowly, it began to approach the girl who, lost in her cries, was unaware of what was about to happen. The empty expression on his face made it impossible to even imagine what he is up to, then, surprisingly, extends his hand to the girl, almost as a sign of help. Suddenly, it begins to transform, a hand that until then seemed to indicate compassion and help, turns into a monstrous version of itself, with a size by far superior to that of an average human, now indicated only one thing. Death.
What happened next was, without a doubt, a miracle to say the least. A blurry figure, too fast even for the creature's eyes, saved the girl, only an instant away from being crushed by the creature. Gently, laid her down on the ground with great care, making sure that she was in good condition, his cape billowing heroically. The man, no, the hero who until a few moments ago had left his apartment, had saved her.
"You're fast... Who are you?!"
Demanded the creature, intrigued to learn the identity of the savior. The hero in question was quick to reply, flashing a charming smile moments before turning around, thus revealing… the simplest and most boring face anyone could ever see. His shining head, completely bald, could almost reflect the monster in front of him. Without a doubt, a face that you could draw in 20 seconds.
"I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun."
"...What?" The anger present on the creature's face was more than visible. "What kind of backstory is that?!" The veins forming on his forehead seemed to be almost about to burst.
"Mine is far superior!" "I was formed on the basis of the contamination that covers the earth!" "I am Vaccine Man!" The creature, visibly enraged, reproaches the hero for what he has just said, beating his chest at this last statement, accompanied by an obvious tone of pride.
"The earth, it is a living organism...you humans are nothing but bacteria...causing disease...feeding on its life force!" With every word, anger was present not only in his face and in the tone with which he spoke, but also in his appearance. Growing in size little by little, his bulky body, which far surpassed that of a professional bodybuilder, began to turn into a monstrous amalgam of spikes, flesh and veins.
"To get rid of humanity and the evil heretics who weaken it by the misuse of magic... the earth and its infinite wisdom bred... me!" His face, no longer resembling anything that had been seen up to that moment. Tusks, similar to those of an elephant, curved outward, his razor-sharp teeth only grew in size. Its eyes, once empty, glowed with murderous rage. A Dantesque thing indeed.
"You say you're doing this for fun...?!" "Fun?!" "How dare you confront me, the apostle of mother earth with such a banal intention as that!" His size, no longer exceeding only that of an average human being, now rivaled that of a building.
"But...!" "What can you expect...?!" "From humans!" Cursed the creature, seconds before preparing to finish off the hero in question. Which never happened.
He doesn't know which was faster, the time it took him to get from his house to here, or the time it took him to clench his right fist and raise it before hitting this thing, or the time it took to turn it into nothing but a shower of ground meat. The reality is that he knew the answer, it was the last option, always, was the last option.
As he watches the smoking fist hang in the air, he can't help but fall exhausted to the ground. For this hero, it wasn't a victory, it was a disappointment. Once again, he only needed a single punch.
"CRAP!"
"Three Years Ago."
"Ah!"
"What is that repulsive thing?!"
"It's a monster, run!"
In a small street located in the suburbs of Z-City, a riot had broken out, a couple took their baby with them, leaving the stroller behind, several people leaned out to see what was happening, only to run away in terror. The reason, a monster had suddenly appeared.
His appearance was, to say the least, curious. From the waist up he was an odd combination between crab and human, with pincers for hands and a marked abdomen, creating a gap between his bulky body and his small head with bulging, blank eyes resembling a crab's. From the waist down then, he was a man, dressed in nothing more than white boxer shorts. Certainly, anyone with a bit of a sense of humor would find it hilarious.
Not to mention the most striking detail of all. A pair of four-pointed stars were drawn on his chest.
No one else apart from the monster was around, no one else, except for one person in particular. A man, dressed in a smart business suit, stood in the middle of the street, unperturbed, watching the creature slowly approach, each step intended to instill terror. Something apparently impossible because, if you looked closely, there was something in his gaze, dull, difficult to describe, as if he had finally surrendered to the adversities of life and accepted his destiny. Certainly, this crab-thing was the least of his worries.
"What's wrong?" "Are you sure you don't want to run away?" The creature questioned mockingly, getting nothing more than a simple tired sigh from the man in response.
"Bet you're an office worker who hates his daily life" Was the conclusion he came to, judging by how he was dressed. "I ate too much crab and turned into Crablante!" "You should be running scared. Why don't you run?" asked the now self-proclaimed Crablante, shadowing the small figure of the man. "Do you want to die or what?"
"Is that true?" He questioned once again.
"Well, not really." Was all the man managed to reply, a dry and curt tone. But it wasn't an answer to this last question, it was to correct him for the first hint he had of him. He wished he didn't have to.
"I'm not a clerk, I'm unemployed. I'm looking for a job." Answered the suited man finally, his empty eyes staring into the crab's, like a sinner confessing his sins. "I had an interview today and got turned down for real... I don't care about anything anymore." Commented the man, as if every word was a weight lifted off his shoulders. "And I'm in no mood to run away... just because the great Crablante is here."
"Glub glub glub?" Was all the crab managed to articulate, visibly surprised.
"So...?" "What happens now Crablante?" Demanded the man, ready to accept his fate at the hands of the crab or, in this case, its claws.
"You have cold, lifeless eyes like mine." Commented the crab as he pointed one of his claws at him with a curious tone of sympathy in his voice. "As cold-eyed brothers... I think I'll let you live this time." He finished by declaring, before stepping over the man slowly leaving him behind, but not before adding one last sentence to the conversation. "Besides, right now I'm going after one little girl in particular..."
'A girl...?' Of all things, this along with the whole "cold-eyed brothers" thing was quite a revelation.
"A girl with side bangs on the left side!" "Asymmetrical and ugly indeed!" Declared the crab as he walked away, accompanied by a maniacal laugh. "And when I find her, I'll rip her legs off!"
Losing sight of the crab, the man finally resumed his walk, too confused by what had just happened, too tired to start thinking. All he wanted was to get back to his damn apartment and get it over with. Maybe he'd get lucky there.
At least the way back would be smoother. Or so it seemed. As he left the small street he was on, one place in particular brought back bad memories. The back of the high school he studied at, to his surprise, was to his right, just as the bullies used to do many years ago. 'I thought that damn school had finally closed...'
Suddenly, a voice brought him out of his thoughts. The whine of a girl just to the left of where he stood.
"Huh?" He turned his head around to the source of origin, much to his horrors.
"Oh!" Exclaimed the girl or, rather, the schoolgirl as she looked back at him. She was on her knees on the floor, with different colored papers scattered on the ground, some of them in her hands in a messy way. As for her appearance, well, she was wearing the typical Z-City middle-high school uniform, with a skirt cut a little shorter than usual and a matching beige sweater over her shirt. Nothing really stood out except for one particular detail. Side bangs adorned her head. Damn side bangs adorned the left side of his head.
"Uh... A little help here, please!" Exclaimed the girl finally, with some embarrassment in her voice.
'The girl with the side-bangs!' 'If that Crablante ever finds her... she's dead!' The realization, as quickly as he turned his head, hit the man like a bucket of cold water. His face, visibly pale.
'Sir, could you please help me...' Again, the young girl's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"Oh!" "Yeah, s-sure. Sorry." As he walked over ready to pick up the papers, he kept analyzing her. 'Could this be the girl the crab was talking about?' 'I mean, how many girls have side bangs?' 'More than one, for sure.'
Amid nervous laughter, the young girl began to explain. "Sorry, I came running down the street and it seems that some things just flew off." She said with a slight hint of guilt in her voice, as if she was hiding something. "I mean, that's the least of the problems." "Getting them in order again will be the worst..."
"Hmm..." Was the man's only response, he wasn't interested in knowing the reason why it ended up like this, he never asked her, heck, he wasn't even sure to ask what he feared was true. Although, to tell the truth, it doesn't lose anything to try.
"Okay, that's it." Finally, after what seemed like an eternity and finishing picking up, among other things, a music player, a manga of a magical girl with metal arms, and a card he didn't quite understand, he made his decision. It was now or never.
"Now-"
"Careful with that!" The young girl shouted to the man's surprise, snatching the card from his hands with panic in her voice, as if her very life depended on it.
"Eh!" "S-sorry about that!" Embarrassment flooded his features and, with a renewed spirit, as if he had a switch capable of changing the mood, he proceeded to show him the card in question just inches from his eyes "This card is my treasure!" "Look!"
"I can't see anything at that distance."
"Eh!" "S-sorry!". Pushing the letter away to a more prudent distance, she tried again. "Here!" "Look!"
Nothing out of the ordinary. It was one of those typical collector's cards, with the upper part having different curves in contrast to the lower part, with inscriptions whose meaning he didn't quite understand and, what appeared to be a woman dressed in a quirky party dress, accompanied by a white hat and a staff with shiny spheres in her hand, was at the center of it all. "And that's...?"
"It's a Shiny Chariot trading card!" she hurried to say. "A super rare one!" "I can't believe it... every time I go out with it I keep it in a separate compartment of my backpack" "But I guess when I came running It end up lost among my other stuff!" She said with a chuckle to the confusion of the man, who was just finishing processing what he had just experienced, from his encounter with the crab to the appearance of this strange girl.
"Sir, do you also know Chariot?" She hastened to ask, with an unusual twinkle in her eyes.
He's not good at remembering people, much less events. Still, that name seemed to dig a hole deep in his mind. "Well, I think I've -"
"She's amazing, isn't it!" She hastened to reply, without even waiting for the man in question to give a proper answer. "She's the most wonderful witch of them all...!" "Her shows... are something everyone should see at least once in a lifetime!" Continued the young girl, oblivious to everything around her, as if the only thing that mattered at that moment was about what she was talking about. "It's like traveling to another world..." "One where everyone's hearts are filled with joy and hope..." "A world where everyone appreciates how amazing magic is!"
"...Magic?" Asked the man, no longer just confused, but now incredulous as well.
"Yes!" The young girl exclaimed, her eyes, like a pair of stars, shone brighter than ever and, what came next, clicked in the man's mind. "Chariot taught me that a heart that believes... is what makes magic possible..." Her crimson eyes, stared into his brown ones.
Then, drop the bombshell. "She inspired me to pursue my dreams...!" "She inspired me to become a great witch!"
Dream. Contrary to everything he had heard so far from this girl, that word, that simple word caused a strange effect on him. He had no idea how to describe it, but one thing was certain, it made him feel helpless and uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.
And as if that wasn't enough already, the young girl started again, this time with more force than before. "When I was little I attended one of her shows and... to say it was special would be an understatement!" "It was as if everything around me faded away and the only thing that mattered was living that moment..." "It was so beautiful" "So captivating" "So magical" "So -!"
"STOP" Exclaimed the man, raising his right hand to further emphasize the command, instantly halting the young girl's speech.
"EH?"
"IT'S ENOUGH"
Laughing, the clearly embarrassed young girl apologized for her lack of prudence, although it was not the first time something similar had happened. "S-sorry... I got carried awa-"
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND A SINGLE THING YOU'RE SAYING." It was the man's final sentence, completely burying the young girl's apology.
"Oh, I see..." Crestfallen, was all she managed to say, feeling guilty about the situation.
But none of that mattered, not the interruption, not the apology, not even that strange feeling that his sudden encounter with this strange girl had just generated in him. This was his chance to ask, to put an end to it all. "Now, I have a question."
"S-sure, what's wrong?" asked the young girl, surprised by the man's sudden demand, after all, she already caused too much trouble, the least she can do is answer whatever he has to ask.
"You, by any chance, upset a crab monster?"
As direct as it was, that simple question was more than enough to completely transform her attitude. She had been exposed. To the man's dismay, her reaction in question, did nothing but finish burying the little patience he had left.
Her face, pale at the question, quickly turned bright red, before bursting into laughter. "Well..." "How do I say it without sounding like I've committed a crime -"
Fixing her gaze in the direction of the man's face only increased her nerves. Fierce eyes, like those of a father who has just caught his daughter in the middle of a prank, stared back at her.
"I-it was nothing serious!" "I swear!" She tried to justify herself, fear present in every syllable "If I can expla-"
"Speak!" The man shouted, too distressed to continue to endure all the pressure surrounding the mystery that enveloped this strange girl.
"Okay!" She exclaim, ready to reveal the truth. "Well...!" "Ah!" "Good!" This was going to take time, She just hoped she could sum it all up without ending up convoluted.
"Keep it to twenty words or less, please." As if he were a fortune teller, the man ended by declaring. At least they agreed on something.
And so, she ran through the facts in question. "Ok..." "I was walking in company of my friend out of school when, out of nowhere, these guys started picking on both of us, I mean, if they want to mess with me just because I like magic they can do it, I don't care..." "But they don't have to bring her into the equation too!" "They think because they're seniors they have the right to pick on each other...?!" She exclaimed, with an annoyed tone in her voice, looking in the man's direction as if expecting a response from him, only to be met with a face which exuded frustration and impatience.
That's right, she was supposed to owe him an explanation, not an account of events prior to the crime scene.
"Eh..." "A-as I was saying...!" "I was fed up with them and wanted to teach them a lesson!" "And well, we happened to be near the park next to the school, and I -" Her explanation was suddenly interrupted by nervous laughter, which only got bigger and bigger as she went on with the details.
She kept laughing. "So..." "That crab showed up..." "Well, actually... he was sleeping on one of the benches located around the park" "That's when I -"
Then, like a balloon that can't expand any further, She end up bursting into a cry of laughter. "I drew four-pointed stars on his chest!"
It was definitive, no doubt about it. He had his hopes up. He hoped that she was just a passerby passing through the wrong place at the wrong time. But this was too much, even for him.
'...it's her!' 'There's no doubt about it...!'
"Heh, looks like I passed the twenty-word barrier a long time ago" Added the young girl amidst laughter, totally oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.
"Wait!" "I'll show you the marker..." As if that wasn't enough already, she began to search through her belongings. "The plan was that, once the drawing was finished I would cast a spell which would make several stars fly out of the place." "That would be more than enough to shut those idiots' mouths so they'd stop messing with us..." "But looks like I'm still lacking some practice...!"
'This girl has no idea the mess she just got herself into...' Frankly, he had no idea what to do at that point. 'Magic?' 'Witch?' 'What the hell?!' 'Is she stupid...?'
'Now... what should I do?' As fast as nerves would allow, the man thought of any possible solution. 'That Crablante doesn't seem to be anywhere around, am I still in time...' 'Could hide her somewhere...?' 'Or, take her to a police station perhaps?'
Suddenly, the realization came to him.
'Although... come to think of it, this girl seems to be troublesome.' He thought. 'After all, there's no reason to meddle in other people's business, is there?' 'If it has nothing to do with me, why would I care in the first place?' Was the conclusion he came to, as he watched the girl continue to rummage through her belongings, totally oblivious to his thoughts.
'That's right!' 'Besides, she was cunning enough to escape from that crab.' 'Surely she's capable of getting out of this on her own.' Determined, was his final sentence.
'Who really cares?'
And so, as quickly as he came, he proceeded to retreat, leaving behind a surprised young girl with side bangs.
"You're leaving already?!" The young girl exclaimed incredulously, finally finding the blissful marker, dropping the backpack and other valuables they had been sorting through so much. Well, at least her precious card was tucked away in one of the pockets of her sweater. Safe, as it should be.
"Why everyone I tell about Chariot ends up leaving...?" Commented the young girl to herself with some sadness in her voice. Chariot was her greatest inspiration, true, but she missed those times when she could talk about it normally, when magic made everyone happy, children and adults alike. A time that was left behind in the past.
"Well, I guess I'll take care of this on my own." Resigned, she got down to work, the faster she finished gathering her things the better, she's been standing in the same place for too long now, and to tell the truth, it looks like the sun has already started to set, judging by the shadow above her.
Wait a minute. Why would the sun overshadow her of all things?
"Huh?" Confused, she looks up, only to meet a pair of bulging eyes covered in veins, red as blood, denoting the murderous intent behind them. That was it. It was the end of her.
"Found you!" Crablante exclaimed, throwing his right claw ready to finish off the young girl who, to his surprise, had disappeared. Well, not really, the cold eyed guy from just a few minutes ago had pulled her away from the spot. Sinking his claw into nothing but solid concrete.
'What the hell am I doing!' Even he couldn't believe it. Only moments ago he had given up on the girl, ready to leave her to her fate, and out of nowhere, his legs moved on their own accord, arriving barely in time before she ended up turned into a dive.
The blow that followed was painful, judging by the sound of the impact, with the knees taking the brunt of it. He was fine, in fact, wearing dress pants kept the damage to a minimum. He couldn't say the same for the young girl in his arms though.
"My knee..." Regretted the girl, if the tone in her voice wasn't enough to denote the blow she had received, looking at the wound in question didn't make it any better. The skin on her swollen right knee, exposed raw, was slowly beginning to darken. 'The problems of wearing too short skirts...' thought the man.
But that wasn't important, not right now. "Kid, this monster is coming for you, if you don't run away now it's going to kill you!" He said in dismay, more eager to get her out of there than to understand the situation.
Her only response was a whimper, obviously, the impact was too much for her to start running. "Even if it's limping, but go!" "You have to get out of here!" Pleaded the man to the young girl, he hadn't come back in vain, he was going to make sure she got out of there in one piece.
"It's not about that!" The girl shouted to the man's disbelief, what could be more important than saving his life at this moment? The answer, indeed, was discouraging.
"My science project..." She revealed finally, pointing her index finger at the scattered sheets at just feet from the crab. "It's about astrology...took me a whole week to do it!"
"Are you serious!"
In the face of all this commotion, as if it had heard the young girl's concern for her work, the crab proceeded to violently stomp on the papers in question, as it slowly approached.
"Cold eyes, what's up?" "What's on your mind?" Questioned the crab to the man, truth be told, he didn't expect to meet him again, much less in a situation like this. "Don't tell me you're protecting the girl of the bangs...?"
"H-hey, hold on a second." Claimed the man. "Are you seriously going to kill this girl for an innocent prank like that?!" He tried to reason with the crab, hoping his words would echo inside the monster. "Aren't you overreacting?" "Think things through crab!"
"Overreacting...?" Questioned the crab, before letting out a laugh. "Nonsense!" "This is nothing, I've killed for much less than this!"
"This is my law." Declared the monster, the reality being that this was not the first time something similar had happened. "You mess with the crab, you get the claws." "No exceptions!"
"And for your information, that delinquent..." He began, before bursting into an animalistic scream, one filled with rage. "She draw these ridiculous four-pointed stars on my manly chest, with permanent marker!" He exclaimed, revealing his claws to the two people in front of him. "Look!" "I have claws!" "How am I supposed to use a towel to wipe myself?!"
"Now!" Violently pointing one of his claws at the man's face. "As cold-eyed brothers, you will give me the girl and I will let you go." Was his sentence. "Or I swear for my panties that job interview you had will be your last!"
It started out as a sound, almost like a moan, slowly turning into a laugh, ending up as a guffaw.
The man in question was laughing.
"Are you -" The crab asked dumbfounded.
"Laughing...?" The young girl finished by completing, looking incredulously at his face.
"Wow!" "S-sorry, both of you!" "I'm really sorry." Barely able to articulate any words, the man was trying to regain his composure, tears about to fall from his eyes. "Dude, how to say it." He commented. "Come to think of it, you look just like a crab in a cartoon I used to watch as a kid!"
A simple blow was more than enough to send him flying, the crab was not going to tolerate all this disrespect any longer.
"S-sir..." Stammered the girl, panicked believing the worst. Before turning in the direction of the monster, ready to land the final blow.
"Die" It was his only word, ready to end it once and for all.
"Ah!"
The blow in question never came. Instead, a handful of stones struck one of the monster's bulging eyes, abruptly cutting the tension in the atmosphere.
"Stop... that's enough." Was the man's statement, limping and barely getting to his feet. "With the birth rate dropping every year, I can't give you the luxury of killing that girl..."
His sudden reappearance was anticlimactic, of that there was no doubt. But what he said after that far surpassed what had been seen up to that point.
"One more thing."
"This girl...she said something in particular." His voice roared with renewed ferocity. "Something... that made me remember!" His gaze riveted directly on the crab's small bulging eyes.
"As a child, my dream was to become a hero..." His right fist clenched with a passion never seen before. "Not a goddamn clerk...!" He proceeded to remove his tie, as if it somehow prevented him from breathing properly. "But a superhero who could send generic villains like you flying in one single punch!" Sending the coat flying, it was clear. The once-scared man was now set to fight the monster. No longer just for the young girl, now, for him as well.
Then, He screamed at the top of his lungs. "To hell with work!" "To hell with my life!" "And to hell with your stupid starry chest!"
"Come on crab!" His left fist, curled with the tie. His stance, ready for battle. "Bring it on!"
"Oh!" Surprised, the crab proceeded to flash a maniacal grin. This would undoubtedly be interesting to watch. "A hero eh, very nice!" As if gaping at his arrival, he bent down to be at his full height. "Let's see what you're made of!"
And so, as if the rage of the world were contained within him, he threw his right fist in the direction of the crab's chest. A thud was all that followed, the stunned young girl put her hands to her mouth, covering it so as not to scream.
Pain was all he felt next.
Actually, it only lasted a few seconds. It started as a tingling, as if an electric current ran through his body from head to toe. Then, a fulminating pain flooded him completely. Fortunately, it was short-lived. Nothing was all he felt next. He had broken his hand.
If only he had struck with his left fist protected by his tie, he might have had a chance...
The crab laughed maniacally, relishing the pain on the man's behalf. "They may have been defiled, but these babies here haven't lost their dignity!" He exclaimed, as he beat his chest with his claws, proud of his bulky carapace. "Tough!" "Like a rock!"
The man, helpless, too sore to cry out, could do no more than hold his right arm, the pain about to overtake him completely.
"As for you, hero..." The crab, oblivious to his situation proceeded to hit him. Blow after blow with no murderous intent, as if to sink him deeper than he already was. "You're ridiculous!" "Pathetic!" he sneered, before sending him flying only a few feet away from where the young girl was standing, who was trying to get to her feet. A mixture of pain and fear kept her from running.
"You don't stand a chance against me!" Crab cried out before the man, his back to the girl, anger present in his eyes, as if nothing he had received so far was enough to decimate his spirit.
"Your life ends." Sentenced the crab, before lunging in with everything he had, ready to finish the man off once and for all time. "Now!"
Somehow, some damn way, again, the blow never came. Instead, the man, as if he had regained strength from who knows where, dodged the attack and, using the claw stuck in the ground, propelled himself over the crab. Wrapping the tie he held over his left hand around one of the monster's eyes.
"I still have one hand left!" Roared the man, as he pulled with all his might with his left hand, still intact, taking with him the eye, guts and whatever was inside the monster. Leaving him dry from the inside out.
"My eye...!" Cursed the crab, moments before collapsing abruptly onto the concrete. Finished. Dead.
The word astonished would be an understatement.
The young girl, while observing the fallen body of the monster in front of her, witnessed another event. The man, in the midst of agitated breaths, let out a smile. A triumphant smile. Brown eyes, a reddish hue if you looked closely, glowed with a fiery passion. His right hand, though mangled, was raised in a triumphant pose. The index and middle fingers slightly bent, leaving the ring and little finger a little higher.
The hero's journey had begun for him.
"It really has been three years already huh?"
"Mom, who is he?!" Asked a little boy as he was being dragged by his mother, reprimanding him for not going around pointing fingers at people.
The bald man in question, dressed in his typical yellow onesie, was staring at some discount crab preserves, lost in thought. Memories were flowing inside him. He proceeded to put the canned goods in a small basket, before preparing to pay for the product, thinking, how did he get there in the first place.
Fleeting.
That would be the word that best describes everything that happened.
To put it simply, He trained. Trained so hard that his hair fell out... but that's the least of it. They say time flies when you're having fun, it's true. He's not going to deny it, He savored every fight that came after that incident, every second of it... at least for a year and a half. After that... he became invincible, strong. So strong that he was able to finish the fights with a single punch. It was ridiculous, he knew. Thinking about it, fulfilled his dream, he did it, he became a hero. Not only that, he was a superhero, one capable of defeating anyone with a single punch, as he declared a few years ago.
So why did he feel this way? So unsatisfied. Why his heart felt so... empty.
'A witch...'
In the midst of all this internal monologue, He couldn't help but remember the girl he saved only three years ago. He had had a bad day, true, but it wasn't as if she or anyone else was to blame. Joking aside, he thought she was stupid for talking about dreams with such passion, still, he couldn't blame her. She was a middle-high school student, she couldn't have been more than thirteen. At that age all kids dream of being something in the future, something to look up to. For his part, he was just a lazy-ass unable to get a job properly. Well... it's not like he's really changed.
The reality is, that girl, that loud, annoying, strange girl, saved him. She inspired him.
Talking about dreams, and with a passion he had never seen coming from any person before, was enough to awaken something in him. Something he thought he had left behind in the past, buried as a mere childhood dream.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder, why would that girl dream of being a witch of all things? Yes, witches do exist. And as far as he knew, they were nothing like what one would qualify as a "Witch," or what the imagination of a ten year old might imagine. From experience, he could tell that the "Profession" was as common as any of the others. He had heard of one who was a famous rock star, others who had their own businesses in different cities, and others simply practiced any other existing profession such as, "Witch Doctor" or, "Witch Dentist." It was as if the term "Witch" was just filler. Heck, the florist in charge of the flower shop he goes to every week for fertilizer for her cactus is one in fact.
'Although the latter does fit the description of a witch much better...' He thought amused.
Now that he remembers, he had already encountered one several years ago, a very unique one.
The memory is fuzzy, but not confused. He was sitting on a bench away from the school, bleeding profusely from the forehead. He arrived late to the teachers' lounge after an altercation with some kind of piggy-bank monster for trying to retrieve money that some bullies had taken from him moments before, only to end up completely mangled. The teachers were understanding enough to at least give him a band-aid and allow him to go home early. Then, sitting on the bench with the band-aid about to fall off because of the blood on his forehead, he saw her.
The witch in question was older than him, maybe by a couple of years, her uniform was a different color than his as if she belonged to another school, but he is unable to remember her face, other than her hair which was a reddish hue. Still, it's not as if it mattered. If life had taught him anything, it was not to judge people by their appearance, but by their actions. And well. She was beautiful without a doubt. He watched as she helped an old lady cross the street with... balloons suspended from her waist, curious to say the least. Of course, not without causing the surrounding cars to stop suddenly, generating a congestion that, fortunately, did not escalate. Then, their gazes crossed.
Worry was evident on her face, who did not hesitate to run in the direction of the bench on which he was standing. She proceeded to grab his hands and, suddenly, pulled out what he assumed was a wand, leaving it just inches away from his forehead. And then, after uttering a few words which he did not understand, let alone remember, the wound on his forehead began to glow and the blood stopped gushing. The wound itself had been completely healed. The witch in question proceeded to leave with a smile on her face, but not before giving him a new band-aid, waving goodbye to him from afar. Leaving him perplexed on the seat in which he was sitting.
It was unbelievable, without a doubt. But above all, it was a very special memory for him. It was the first time someone had shown him genuine sympathy. It was the first time someone treated him like a human.
Turning his memories back to the young girl of three years ago, he couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like now. 'Being a witch doesn't seem any harder than being a hero...' He thought. 'She looked so positive... maybe she does get to have fun...'
Fun.
It's ridiculous, he knows. He's supposed to be a hero for fun, so why was it so hard for him to have fun? He fulfilled his dream. Heck, he'd even lost the shame of wearing his suit publicly then, why couldn't he just enjoy what he'd achieved after so much effort. Was it just a bad day?
"LOOK AT YOU."
Well, thinking out loud was a mistake. The mother and her son who kept pointing his finger at him, a woman with glasses with blue hair tied in a ponytail, and generally the people around him stared at him. They sure thought he was crazy. At least the blue-haired woman was kind enough to give him a nervous smile back instead, calming his nerves.
Finally, it was his turn to pay, at least something good had to come out of it.
"That would be... 482 total please." Said the cashier in charge.
"Sure." He said handing over a 500 coin instead. "Wait, allow me just a moment..."
"Sure." Replied the cashier back.
His hands were shaking more than usual, a strange thing to be sure, but, at last, he got what he was looking for. "Here, I have the remaining 82 -"
The cashier was gone, no one, in fact, was in the store. Suddenly, what seemed to be the sound of a massive footstep in the direction of the entrance made him react, taking with it a large part of the store. What seemed to be a giant was several kilometers in front of him, sweeping away everything in its path.
The alarms on the loudspeakers would not stop ringing.
"This is an emergency evacuation notice, a giant creature of unknown origin appeared in Z-City, the creature is heading in the direction of B-City. All residents please evacuate immediately."
"I repeat."
"This is an em -"
The streets were in chaos, people kept pushing and shoving each other to avoid being hit by the creature's monstrous footsteps.
"Why isn't anyone coming to take care of that thing?!"
"Damn!" "Get out of the way!"
"Mom!"
And in the midst of the chaos, rising through the clouds at the top of it all, on one of the creature's shoulders, a figure admired the destruction in its wake.
"This is incredible little brother!" Exclaimed the scientist, in his hands was an empty glass vial. "I never thought it would work so well...!" "My brain and your muscles...!" "The best mind and the best body the world has to offer!" "The whole world will kneel at our feet!" "The Brain and Brawn brothers will rule like kings!" "We will be unstoppable!"
After several failed attempts, and a strawberry flavoring added at the end he had finally managed to complete the ultimate steroid, the "Biceps King".
One steroid to rule them all.
He gave his precious brother the power he was seeking. Now, it was his turn. Everyone in the scientific community would bow down to him. They would regret treating him like a clown.
The giant then proceeded to shake his arm in the air, enough force to decimate hundreds of buildings, entire miles wiped out in an instant.
"Un-be-liev-a-ble!" Spell out perplexed the scientist.
"Look at it!" "Thousands just died!" Declared proudly. "Now...!" "Let's go for the next city!"
"This is... this is what I was looking for... to be the strongest of the world...!" Commented the giant, drunk with the power he now possessed, oblivious to his brother's requests.
"The strongest... the strongest... the strongest... the strongest...!" That was all he said, as if immersed in his own world.
"What do you think little brother?"
"Yes!" "Tell me, how does it feel to be so strong?" A voice in question joined the equation.
"Huh!" Exclaimed the scientist, stunned by the sudden appearance of the man in yellow onesie, before pointing his finger at him. "There's someone on your shoulder!"
"Put on pants..." Commented the bald man.
"The guy on your shoulder!" Shouted the scientist to his brother, loud enough for him to hear him at that distance. "Kill him!"
Her tone was loud enough to make the giant react, who proceeded to strike with one of his hands on his right shoulder. Making sure he had hit the target, he looked down at his palm, horror fixed in his gaze. The body of his precious brother, as if it were a fly, was in his hands, or at least what was left of it.
"Brother!" Shouted to the top of his lungs to the bald man's chagrin.
"How did this happen...?!" "All I wanted was to be the strongest in the world... and now that I finally got it I killed my own brother!" Said the giant in tears, fixing his gaze on the bald man over his left shoulder. A stupid grin plastered on his face.
"You...!" He roared. Proceeding to strangle the man between his hands, before throwing him violently in the direction of one of the buildings, destroying it completely. "I don't know who you are, but because of you my brother is dead!" "You're going to pay!"
Like an animal, he hurled him in the direction of the area in question, violently punching around, pouring all his rage into each of his blows, not even noticing if he hit his target. "Feel the power of The Brain and Brawn brothers!"
A massive hole in the ground was all there was, the land around it free of any construction. Totally empty.
"I am the strongest..." Said the creature amidst agitated breaths, before proceeding to look at his palm and with it, the torn garments of his brother. The only vestiges of what once existed of him. "But it doesn't matter anymore..." Commented in tandem with a tear that was beginning to peek through.
"I feel empty..."
"You get it, don't you?"
Out of nowhere, the bald man whom he thought was dead, propelled himself into the air just inches from his face. As expected, one punch was more than enough to defeat the giant, bursting his skull in the process.
"Having superhuman strength is... pretty boring..." Stated the bald man.
The giant's body ended up collapsing, falling on a group of buildings that were still standing. Thus ending what was left of them.
"Whoops...!"
"B-City's Percentage of destruction: 50%."
"It doesn't look like the evil in the world is going away...none of that has changed since before I became a hero."
This was the conclusion he came to.
The bald man had just finished dinner in his apartment, located in the Ghost Town of the city. Alone. The bowl of eggs and rice sat on a small table beside his futon as he watched television. Focused more on his own thoughts than whatever was being broadcast.
The way back is always quiet, but this time a monster that was screaming its love for modified cars surprised him on the way back. It was no problem, as usual, but one of its parts ended up hitting the egg carton he had just bought. Luckily, he managed to save most of them. Once inside, it was the same routine as always. Arriving home unharmed to finish his chores. Lay out his suit and wash his gloves separately, take a shower and make dinner.
'How ironic...' He thinks. 'It takes me more time and effort to perform mundane actions than it does to finish fights...'
Thinking about the fact that he had failed to make a significant difference made him sad and, to be honest, he had at some point considered forcibly imposing his own ideals on the rest of the world. However, doing so would instantly turn him into some sort of supervillain, the complete opposite of what he is supposed to be trying to fight. It's not like he has to do it anyway. It's not in his hands to dictate what kind of behaviors others should follow, he's not the connoisseur of a cosmic answer capable of defining how one has to live or some shit like that.
However, there was one thing in particular that bothered him. His emotions.
Fear...
Tension...
Joy...
Anger...
As the days went by, he could feel how these and many others that he had already forgotten were disappearing more and more. Emotions that made him feel alive when fighting, to feel fulfilled. But now, it seemed that his heart didn't care anymore.
In exchange for power, perhaps he lost something essential to being human.
"I'm a hero for fun." He declared to himself. "As long as I keep enjoying it...it's fine with me."
With the TV off and the lights out, he made his way into the sheets, ready for sleep. A new day awaited him at dawn.
If the telluric movements barely managed to revive him, what came next woke him up in full. A monstrous hand, much bigger than his head, sent him flying away from his apartment, staring in horror at the scene before his eyes.
"My house...!" He exclaimed in bewilderment. His precious apartment, had been destroyed.
Oblivious to everything around him, he reacted in time to the blow below, again sending him flying several meters away from where he was. Then he felt it. What started as a burning over his right eye when he was hit in his apartment began to feel cold, clammy.
One.
Two.
Three.
It was the number of drops falling from his forehead. Drops of blood flowed from the bottom of an open wound.
'These guys...' He thought, as he watched more than one come within inches of his presence. 'They're strong...!'
"What the hell are you supposed to be!" The man demanded.
"What the hell...?" "Please, a little respect." "We are the true inhabitants of the earth." "You call us "subterraneans"." Declared the creature in front of him.
"...We?!" The man asked perplexed, as he watched many others similar to the one in front of him begin to emerge from the bottom of the earth.
"We suffer from overpopulation, so we have decided to reclaim what is rightfully ours...!" Declared the creature in front of their eyes. "We understand that the surface is also densely populated, this does not represent a problem for us..."
"Since we started our invasion, seventy percent of the total population has died...!" Added another one to the conversation. "This is a battle for survival, so don't take it personally..."
"Still, this is strange." Commented the creature in front of the man. "Until now, there hasn't been a single surface dweller we couldn't kill..." "Either way, this won't be an impediment to completing our mission...!" "Di-!"
Before the creature could strike a blow, its head exploded into a thousand pieces. The man in question, smiled with excitement. "How curious, same here!" Declared the man. His posture renewed, as if anticipating what was coming next. "It's been a long time since I've faced such worthy opponents...!" "Mole men!"
"We are subterraneans!" Shouted one of the creatures before launching itself in front of him. "You wretched human!" "How dare you...!"
One by one as if they were synchronized, the monsters rushed at the man, dodging them with barely enough time to counterattack. Not only did they increase in number, but also in size. Suddenly, one larger than the rest, with a size that rivaled the apartment complex he lived in, ended up sending him flying in the direction of a nearby industrial plant. Flooding the area in a sea of fire. The scene in question looked like something out of hell itself.
"Who the hell was that inhabitant...!" Perplexed exclaimed one of the creatures. "He was very strong!"
"I'm..." "Just a guy who's a hero for fun..."
The man, with a ferocity never seen before, was rising above the flames around him. His pajamas in tatters and his eyes, glowing with searing passion...as if full of life. "I never lose!" Beating his chest, he exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "The surface... is under my protection!"
"Scream all you want human scum!" Bellowed one of the creatures, before launching itself and its siblings in the direction of the man.
In the midst of all this commotion, something inside him was beating again. Something he thought was dead... was alive again.
'It's been so long... I had forgotten...!' 'The exhilaration of a fight!'
The pile of corpses lay at his feet as he caught his breath. Rain washed over his body, as if somehow the earth was trying to appease the heat of the moment. 'Everything is... coming back to me...!' 'So long...!'
"What do we have here...?" Exclaimed a voice from beyond the grave, before emerging from deep below the surface. "You seem to have taken over my children... surface dweller..."
"That's it!" The man exclaimed. He knew it, the final battle was about to begin.
"I... the Subterranean King... will be your opponent!"
"This is the feeling...!" Roared the man, before throwing everything he had at the giant in front of his eyes. "I've been looking for!"
Abruptly, the alarm stopped sounding. One punch from the man was more than enough to destroy it. It was not the only thing that was destroyed. The look in his eyes was more than enough to hint at the disappointment he had just experienced. He refused to believe it was a dream. It all felt so... real.
Suddenly, as if by a twist of fate, he heard a voice coming from the street below the apartment complex he was in. Approaching to take a closer look, hope flooded his being.
"The surface is now ours!" "You will all die!" A small four-armed creature with what appeared to be glowing swords in each of its hands, while being cheered on by smaller ones half out from beneath the earth, cried out... to no one in particular. "I am the subway king!" "Now... prepare to -"
He did not finish completing his sentence. The bald man, dressed in his typical yellow onesie, ended up sinking it into the ground to the astonishment of the other creatures, whom he looked back at with excitement.
"All right!" "Let's fight!"
"We sorry." Was the inscription on a white flag embedded in the ground in front of him. The creatures in question, had fled in terror.
Too tired to jump back upstairs to his apartment, he opted to climb the stairs, thinking about what had happened.
He had taken it for granted a long time ago, but what he had experienced the day before and what had just happened ended up catapulting his suspicions. Thus confirming his greatest fear.
His name was Saitama, and he had a problem.
"I have become too strong."
A/N: HEY, here again. I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes, English is not my native language, as you can see. That said, both series are among my favorites, if not my favorites in general, especially how they shows that, no matter how dark the situation seems, there will always be a light of hope waiting to be discovered. Now, I know it may be a bit too long for a first chapter, but besides challenging myself and my writing abilities, I think it's necessary to establish the tone and narrative that the story will have going forward. Well, the title as such should already hint at what's to come. Luckily, the next chapters will go right into the plot itself and, well, I just can't wait - Nothing more to say, have a nice day and, see you soon!