I don't own One Punch Man, nor do I own My Hero Academia. Each Franchise i owned by their respective owner..
ENJOY!
Kamino Ward...
The traffic that used to be crowded with cars is now a hollow vicinity with barely any living beings walking about. The crescent moon shone above, soaring in the grey clouds, it's dim light barely phasing through it's thin matter. The cold wind brushed against his slick skin, which were mostly bandaged.
Garou scanned the area around him, only to find out that...
He's in a completely different area. He can feel it. He can smell it, even. Hell, he used to live here.
The city of Yokohama in it's fullest glory.
Did they really bring him all the way here? Was he really that valuable to their cause? He couldn't be. He was just a speck of dust in the Hero Commission's radar, why would another big shot try to treat him any differently? Were they despondent enough, that they were willing to take such a frivolous course of action?
He tilted his head upwards, only to see the word 'God loves you' plastered all over the headlines.
Now's not the time for preach-
Wait.
'God'.
His mind trailed back to the ominous creature he saw back before he fell unconscious. The creature that looked like something that came out of a morgue.
What the hell was even that?
And the mysterious pressure that it radiates, the commanding presence, oppressive and vengeful.
"It doesn't matter." Garou pushed that thought aside.
"You want to go back to Mustafu?"
Garou darted his eyes to his back, only to see a long-haired man with a cape walking towards him, with also another monster with a feature similar to the former man.
"Did they send you here to follow me?" Garou's tongue clicked in slight exasperation, "I can handle myself. No need to babysit me."
"It's not babysitting, per se. Supervising is the more appropriate term, seeing how you're just a child."
"A- a child?! You-!"
"Hey, cool down with the hostility." Homeless Emperor appeared in front of him while putting his hand above his shoulder, "While having a pride of your own is commendable, you should put that aside when facing your superiors."
"...hmph." Garou looked away.
"Before I teleport you away, I want to tell you something." He leaned forward to whisper to his ear, "When you see him again, tell him I said hi."
"Him-?"
Garou knew no more as the world around him warped, and he was placed in the middle of a place that was familiar to him.
The bench that he used to sit with..
"Denki?"
Garou's eyes followed the kid who sat at the bench, alone, in the middle of the night.
"Denki!" Garou prompted to approach him, but the kid in question only stared at the ground, and what looked like fluids dropped from the tip of his eyelids, splashing against the solid floor.
He was about to ask, but he kept his mouth shut.
He crouched, only to gaze at the kid's melancholic expression, his lifeless eyes baring into the empty floor.
"If you want to kill me, go ahead."
"Kill you? Why would-?"
"You're the Hero Hunter." Kaminari said, "You hate heroes, right? And I'm... I'm a hero-in-training...well, was."
"..was?"
"It doesn't matter..Just kill me."
"No." Garou sat besides him, "You..you can tell me what happened."
"They expelled me, alright?"
Garou instantly knew what was going on. His rage began to overtake him, but he supressed it the best he could. Yet another kid that the hero society has let down.
"They..they didn't give me a chance. I asked my parents, they didn't allow me to stay in the dorms and...and...and they expelled me. My dream is now gone. What am I supposed to do now?" Kaminari let out his bottled emotions.
"You don't need them. Pursue another career. With that quirk of yours, I'm sure you'd be a great electrician." Garou advised, "Not trying to badly influence you or something, but being a pro-hero is a dangerous game, kid."
"I know." Kaminari sighed, "I don't know if I have the drive to pursue for another career though."
"Then try to muster it." Garou advised, "You got no other choice left, kid."
"..." Kaminari was silent. He couldn't try to think of something to respond. All that's left is his rotting mind trying to think of another substitute.
He wiped his tears, as he looked at Garou, "Why do you insist on helping me out even though last time.."
"Doesn't matter." Garou replied, "How you reacted was justifiable. I kind of dropped a bomb on you and I know the human mind isn't used to that kind of stockpiled twist."
"...why are you a villain, though?"
"That isn't something that you should be concerned about." Garou sternfully declined to answer, "You got a long road ahead of you. Stop worrying about me."
"You're my friend." He said.
That statement alone caused something to tug against Garou's heart. He still sees him as a friend? After everything?
"I mean, how I reacted back there, I regretted it." Kaminari admitted, "The time I've spent with you, I knew you held no ill will against me, even when you...told me of that twist. You're not a villain, nor a monster."
Not a villain? Not a monster?
"I sent multiple heroes waddling towards the hospital. Isn't that enough indication that I'm indeed a villain?" Garou countered again.
"If you're a villain, you would be throttling me against the ground right now." Kaminari's lips curled, "But instead, here you are, acting like a genuine caring person."
"Stop."
"You should consider turning a new leaf."
"No."
"Goro-"
"NO!"
That alone caused Kaminari to back away for a bit.
"Sorry, I just..." Garou slapped his forehead, "I can't."
"Why not?"
"..this is important to me."
"Injuring pro-heroes for sports is what you would call important these days?" Kaminari raised his brow.
"It's more than that. I've told you!"
"What, that hidden catalyst thing?"
"No." Garou shook his head, "I want to right the wrongs and disperse the disparity that this world seems to maintain."
"...you have to be some kind of movement leader to do that." Kaminari objected.
"I can do it on my own."
"And that is by..?"
"..."
"Goro?"
"..."
"Goro-!"
Garou immediately wrapped his arms around the kid, tackling him into the ground as he shot his head to the right.
Two perpetrators could be seen standing over them.
"You..."
A monster adapting a bug-like features, and the other one with the long hair and bandages all around his body. Garou gritted his teeth, "You almost killed-"
"The kid?" The bug-like creature cackled, "As expected, you've been nothing but a disappointment all around."
"A disappointment-?"
"Your feeble desire to maintain your needless humanity is nothing but a hindrance to your progress as a monster." Bug God pointed at him with much profound hostility, "Kill the child."
"No." Garou firmly declined.
"...Garou." The other monster who was known as Royal Ripper stepped forward, "Is this all just a play pretend?"
Garou didn't respond, still standing in front of Kaminari, determined to defend him.
"What do you think this is, a game? You think you're being placed in the middle of a kindergarten park playing hero-villain with your peers?" Royal Ripper emphasized on his question, "This is the real deal. If you don't have what it takes to be a true monster, then I suppose you're not fit to be one of the cadre's, or as a living body either."
"I told you idiots already that I'm not interested, yet you kept being persistent." Garou replied.
"You have no choice in the matter. When the Monster Association set it's sight on a potential contender, the choice is either immediate inclination or death." Royal Ripper spoke.
These Monster Association has proven to be more trouble than they're worth. Sure, the prospect of having subordinates of his own sounds pretty handful, but if achieving said subordinates ends with that shitty Association dictating every single course of action that must takes, then fuck to the hell no.
"And by the looks of it, you're choosing the second option."
"Do not deter your growth as a true monster by letting your weakness overtake you," Bug God said in a much more calmer voice than Ripper's, "A monster is devoid of their humanity, they show no remorse towards their victims. This is a first step of your test, Garou. Kill the child."
That demand alone caused Kaminari to tremble in his feet. They sounded dangerous, and Goro ( or Garou?) had already defended him once, about to turn twice in a single day. He didn't want him to sustain further damage.
But he was so scared, dammit!
"Oi, kid." Garou turned his head, "Get outta here."
That request surprised him. "No, I'm not leaving-"
"You're one step away from being gutted and disemboweled by these freaks. Unless you want to end up as a carcass staining the streets, leave."
"But-"
"God damn, be selfish for once, will you?!" Garou yelled back, "Fuck being a hero, fuck being selfless, you must adapt the mindset that the only thing that matters, is you! Cause you know what? No one's going to fucking help you either, not even those ego-inflated pro-heroes, not even your own goddamn family! You're on your own, always! Who's going to protect you, if you're not even trying to protect yourself!? So get the fuck up and flee already!"
Before Kaminari could respond, Garou could feel a swift motion of something sharp passing him by an inch.
Garou quickly deciphered the situation, and caught the tip of the blade with his palm facing downwards, holding it from even touching a single fabric of Kaminari's clothings.
He quickly brought down the weight of his arms upon the blade, before delivering an upwards kick directed at Royal Ripper's ribcage, sending him tumbling down on the air, before eventually recovering with his blades penetrating the ground.
"Heh. Too late now. You're an enemy from here and out." Royal Ripper declared as he wiped the debris off his blades by swiping each of them against each other.
"RUN!" Garou turned around again.
Kaminari quickly nodded, as he ran off from the scene. Damn it! He felt like a coward. He should be helping his friend!
No...
He shouldn't abandon him. He tentatively turned around, making his decision. But then, something wrapped itself around his waist.
Meanwhile, Garou stayed alert to the enemies surrounding him, from his behind to his front.
"You call yourself the 'Hero Hunter', yet you prove to be nothing more than a mere weakling!" Bug God said with his fists clenched.
"And your attitude pisses me off." Garou made a motion around the air with his arms, blue energy following it delicately, getting into his own battle stance.
Subsequently, the pair of monsters rushed after him, out for his blood. Garou prepared himself. These idiots won't be a pushover whatsoever.
But he would soon learn that not everything will go his way, after all.
...
"Are you sure drinking in the middle of the night is a good idea?" Yagi asked.
Bang sighed, as he gulped another from the bottle, "It's a stress reliever."
"Yeah, but you're gonna risk us crashing into something."
"Not that it matters. You're impervious to everything." Bang stated.
"Yeah, but you aren't."
"Does that matter?"
"I didn't come all the way from my house just so you can go ahead and kill yourself over an alcoholic addiction." Yagi deadpanned.
"Fine." Bang aggressively threw the bottle out the window, leaning against the seat with a heavy thud.
Yagi looked at him for a while, before asking, "That bad, huh? I mean, the way Garou weighs your mind.."
"He was my best student. The one with the most potential. But most of all.. he's the most broken one out of every pupils I've taught. Boy had a tough past." Bang replied. Then he stared at the sky, before saying, "Have I ever told you about his father?"
"Hm? Don't think so." Yagi shook his head.
Bang then spoke, "Think you've fought him before, Yagi."
"Stop speaking in riddles." Yagi said in mild exasperation, "I can't be bothered to remember the people I've fought."
"Surely, out of all of them, no one stands out the most?" Bang asked with a raised brow.
"Well, there was one-" Yagi's brows perked up in realisation, "Wait...no, you're talking bullshit."
"Look into my face. Do I look like I'm lying?'
...
"All For One is his father?!"
"Wait, shhh." Bang out an index finger on Yagi's mouth.
"You don't 'shhhh' me after-"
"Look in front of you." Bang said.
Yagi titled his head, squinting his eyes, only to see a young boy being wrapped in some kind of slimy yellow arms by what looked like a monster of some sorts, with two other figures following after it.
Instinctively, Yagi leaped out of the car. Walking towards them, he intercepted their route, "Hey."
The monsters quickly turned their head around, only to see Yagi approaching them with hostility written all over his body language.
"Is that a kid with you?"
"What is it to you, anyway?" The long-haired man stepped forward, "Move it. He's our kid."
"Nah. I kind of recognise him." Yagi could've sworn he saw the blond, spike haired kid somewhere in UA, "Are you guys a part of a human trafficking ring or something?"
Instead of replying, the long-haired, bandaged man lunged forward, attempting to swing his blade towards Yagi, who in turn, caught it without much effort, "Now, now, attempting borderline murder isn't the way to convince someone that you're harmless."
"W...wha-"
Yagi's hand struck him by the side, catapulting the monster into several concretes by the sidewalk, steam emitting out of his knuckles.
"Mmmmmppphhh..!" The spike haired boy pleaded for help through his muffled voice.
Yagi appeared behind the bug monster, backhanding him right in his spine, sending him tumbling down into the asphalt below.
His eyes landed on the last monster, who recoiled back in fear. It slipped through the gap below, entering the sewage system.
The kid gasped for air, as he reached for Yagi, wrapping his arms around the older man, "T- thanks! I thought...I thought..!"
"Take a deep breath. Want me to drive you home?" Yagi asked.
"No! Garou, he's-!"
"Garou? Did you say Garou?" Yagi interrupted.
The door to the car immediately opened, revealing an old man walking towards them.
"Takehiko-san?" Kaminari widened his eyes at the sight of a familiar face.
"I believe I've heard a name. Garou, was it?" Bang's expression turned serious, as he kicked the unconscious bug monster away, "Where is he?"
"Let me show you!"
As they followed the kid along, Yagi picked up both the unconscious monsters. They walked through the streets, leading into a park where the bench was.
There was a pool of blood. Empty. With nothing on it. There wasn't even a single blood trail! How the hell is that possible?
Bang asked, "What happened?"
"He was caught off guard fighting the monsters. He was just trying to protect me, but.." Kaminari looked like he was holding something back from his eyelids, "I don't know where he is. Can you help me find him? Please?"
Bang didn't understand the chronological order of what transpired. Garou was suddenly here even though he got captured?
"What happened before that?" Bang asked.
"I was out here, alone-"
"You were in here alone?!" Yagi yelped. What the hell?
"Yagi, not now." Bang decided to keep their attention to the detail of the story first, "What happened after that?"
"He appeared out of nowhere, as if he has a teleportation quirk of some sorts. We sat here, and talked, then those monsters came out of nowhere and talked about tests, how Garou needed to kill me in order to become a true monster." Kaminari explained.
"Part of the recruitment progress, I guess. I reckon that someone from their hideout followed him here." Yagi said
"Denki Kaminari, was it?" Bang approached the kid, gently patting his back, "Don't worry. We'll get him back."
Kaminari nodded, still standing by Yagi's side.
"Now, these sleeping beauties..or should I say, monstrosities. Ba-dum-tsh." Yagi placed the unconscious monsters in front of them, as he began to tie them with a nearby rope.
"That was terrible." Bang bluntly stated, much to his chagrin.
"Will they just break out of it?" Kaminari asked.
"I don't have a top tier material that can hold them back." Yagi said, "We'll just make do with this. Besides, if they break out of it I can just knock them senseless again."
"So what's the point in-"
"Kid, I know I suck at my job. Cut it out." Yagi cut him off.
Yagi crouched, flicking each of them in the forehead, "Oi, wake up."
They both let out a groan.
"I don't have all day, y'know?" Yagi kept on slapping the pair of monsters, "It was just a bitch slap. You'll survive, don't be a baby."
"This will not do." Bang stepped forward as he stretched his hand, "I will do it the old-fashioned way."
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
"This." Bang thrusted his foot forward, hitting the unconscious Royal Ripper square in his crotch.
This caused him to abruptly jolt his eyes open, "M- M- my...MY...what the fuck did you-?!"
"Think of breaking out of the rope, or so god help me, I'll tear your jawline straight out of your rear." Bang said in a threatening tone, "Now, I believe you have information regarding the Monster Association's hideout?"
"Why should I be afraid of a lesser lifeform like you- o..oh..." Royal Ripper looked like he was contemplating his choice of words when his eyes landed on Yagi, "You...I didn't recognise you back there..You seemed..familiar. That mysterious pressure you emit..."
"All Might." Yagi replied, "Fuck, that name sounds lame. Just call me Yagi."
"A- All Might?!"
"Like my hairline isn't obvious enough?" Yagi raised his brow.
"WAIT WHAT?!" Bug God awoke from that sudden revelation.
"You chose just now to wake up?!" Royal Ripper yelled.
"All Might intercepting us isn't a part of the mission! Do you even know what he's capable of?!" Bug God screamed for God knows why. The person in question was literally standing in front of them.
"Will you two just stop with the obnoxious squabbling and answer the goddamn question already?" Yagi crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.
"I would say, that it's best if this question is left unanswered." Bug God retorted, as the both of them immediately tore the rope apart with their brute strength alone, proceeding to run away from them as fast as they can..Maybe if they can reach the place where Homeless Emperor were, they can-!
"Hey." A gust of wind brushed against them. As they turned their heads to the front, Yagi was already in front of them, with his arms crossed, "You have a strong keen for running your legs."
"W-"
"What, did you think that it was good to leave our questions left unanswered?" Yagi took a step forward, "Listen here, I've been staying up late learning about economy because tomorrow morning I have to bust up my ass trying to teach a bunch of hormonal teenagers how to do simple accounting, not to mention the physical and mental toll it takes to muster up enough patience should one of them inevitably gets lost in the lesson, then I had to prevent my addicted, aging friend from killing himself, and now as it turns out, you both are affliated to the organisation that made my friend's day a living hell in the first place. Least you could do is try to be a little bit more considerate."
The monsters didn't utter a single word from their mouth.
"I know you both aren't listening, but y'know, at least I tried." He's just letting off his steam, truth to be told, "I'd rather just blow you two away into smithereens."
There's that again. That mysterious pressure.
If they make a single wrong move, they're dead.
"Actually, I'm starting to consider it." Yagi clenched his fists, steam encasing his glove like a smoldering flame.
Oh shit.
"Starting from three to one," Yagi took another dangerous step, and this time, the asphalt slightly cracked before the force of his foot alone, "If you don't talk," Another step was taken, and this time, a larger crack was formed, "Think about how your peers back home would react."
"Three."
Fuck. Should they tell him?
"Two."
No, they shouldn't!
"One-"
"WAIT!" Bug God held both of his hands up, "Just relax."
"What are you doing-?"
"If it comes to it, I would save my own skin rather than continue being an ass-kisser." Bug God then said, "You know where the Monster Rehabilitation Department is, right?"
"Yokohama City, Kamino Ward. What about them?" Yagi asked again in a deep tone.
"It's there! J- just underneath the tower." Bug God stuttered in his words.
The fear that this man brings is indescribable.
Yagi's stoic expression remained there for a split second, before his face morphed into his normal expression once again, this time, with a carefree smile.
As if he wasn't threatening them in the first place.
He walked towards them, and they were visibly flinching at how close the distance is between them, and their potential death bringer.
Yagi poked each of them in the forehead, before saying, "You both are so gullible."
"Wha-?"
As Yagi walked past them, he revealed one last mind boggling twist, "About the threat I was spewing earlier: It was all a lie."
"HUH?!"
"What? I can't afford to pay for a potential lawsuit killing you both would cause." Yagi replied with a sly smile.
"Y- you..YOU BASTARD!"
"YOU TRICKED US!"
Both the monsters charged at the hero with devious intent, saliva wildly spluttering from each of their lips.
Yagi swatted them away with a simple motion of his right arm, sending them hurling away into the sky until they were nothing more than a pair of dots adorning the sky.
"Did you get all that?" Yagi asked Bang, who was still standing beside Kaminari.
"I heard." Bang cracked his neck, "You mind taking a short trip to Yokohama to accompany me?"
"Sure." Yagi replied, "Better that than having to endure the responsibilities of an economy teacher."
"Can I come-" However, Kaminari's question was cut off shortly after.
"No." Yagi sternfully declined, "We're driving you home. Leave this to the pros."
Then, they escorted the kid back to their car. They're gonna have a hell of a long day tomorrow.
TO BE CONTINUED!