After recovering from the beating they got from Silver Fang, Shunshi and Charanko painfully trudged down Bang's mountain. Charanko had covered his cheeks and forehead in bandages in order to start recovering, whilst Shunshi had already begun the healing process on his own.

Once they'd reached the bottom, Charanko somberly suggested, "Hey, uh. I think we should ask Saitama about why Sensei did this... Bang-Sensei seems to like him, so he might have an idea."

Shunshi wasn't sure Saitama would be able to help, but he did feel that seeing his Master after this ordeal would cheer him up, so he agreed, "I guess it couldn't hurt to ask Saitama-Sensei..."

All of a sudden, Shunshi stopped in front of his fellow student, crouched down, and readied himself for Charanko to climb onto his back. However, the orange-haired martial artist just looked at his fellow student with pure bewilderment.

Realizing that Charanko wasn't getting on, Shunshi told him, "Well, climb on, man. We'll get there faster if I carry you... Unless you've gained super-speed recently." Once this was explained to Charanko, he actually did climb on, albeit hesitantly.

With a bit of optimism mixed in with his depression, Charanko told Shunshi, "Well, I've never gone super fast before. Maybe this'll be fun."

When Charanko said this, Monster Mask realized that this could be dangerous for his companion.

Out of concern, Shunshi told him, "Uh, just be sure to hold on."

Paying little attention to Shunshi's warning, Charanko actually started to look a bit excited.

The Hero then thought, I'd better not go at full speed.

After readying his legs, Shunshi quickly broke out into a sprint that tore apart the dirt roads beneath his feet and left his fellow pupil blinded by the wind.


A few minutes later, the two martial artists had reached Saitama's apartment. Shunshi set down a shocked and windblown Charanko and shrunk back when he saw the uncomfortable look on his face.

"You, uh... You okay?"

While blinking heavily, Charanko bluntly stated, "I couldn't even keep my eyes open."

Unsure of what he should say in response, Shunshi nervously asked, "Oh, uh... You want to go talk to Saitama-Sensei now?"

After taking a deep breath, Charanko answered, "Yeah... Yeah."

Soon after the two martial artists went to knock on Saitama's door, they were let in and explained what had happened to everyone inside.

To Charanko's surprise and confusion, the Heroes, King and Blizzard were also hanging out at the Capped Baldy's place. King was playing video games with Saitama, while Blizzard was sitting behind them and snacking on chips.

Genos, being the only one really paying attention to the story, asked inquisitively, "In summary. Bang is acting strangely and beat you two up?"

After glancing at King and Blizzard in bewilderment, Charanko answered, "Yeah. Bang-Sensei is normally so kind, but he went wild today and kicked us out."

Remembering what Dr. Stench had told him about trying to be friends with Shunshi, Genos asked his junior, "Bang kicked you out as well, Shunshi? Are you recovering adequately?"

Nodding, Shunshi answered, "Yeah..."

Looking a little miffed, Genos grimaced harder than usual and complained, "That man had the chance to train Saitama-Sensei's second strongest pupil, and he squandered it?! I thought better of Silver Fang before now."

Surprised at the level of anger Genos was displaying, Shunshi awkwardly defended his secondary Master, "Uh, Senpai. Saying I'm Master's second-best student doesn't mean much when there's only two of us to begin with..."

Annoyed by this derailment, Charanko asked, "Uh, guys. Can we get back on topic?"

Seeming as if he just remembered that Charanko was there, Genos replied, "Hm? Oh, right. I am unsure of why Bang chose to do this, but I might have an idea..."

At this comment, Saitama became distracted from his game with King and started watching the conversation unfold.

All the while, Blizzard muttered, "Bang? Does he mean Silver Fang in S-Class?"

Seeing that Saitama was distracted, King set down his controller and told him, "Let me know when you're ready to start playing again."

Finishing his thought, Genos hypothesized, "I believe that Garou The Human Monster is involved."

At once, both Charanko and Shunshi shouted, "Garou?!" While Charanko's shout was one of shock, Shunshi's was one of visceral hatred.

"Master Bang cast him out after he went wild at the dojo. How is he involved in this?" Charanko asked.

At this question, Genos responded with an inquiry of his own, "You are Bang's pupil, yet he did not tell you? The Hero Association has issued a warrant for Garou's elimination, and Bang volunteered to capture him."

Shocked even further by this news, Charanko asked, "What!? Garou's a monster? I thought he was Human!"

Clenching his fists in anger, Shunshi vented, "I knew he volunteered for this, but Bang-Sensei knows I want to fight Garou again! I thought he was calling me to the dojo today so we could work together on this! Why wouldn't he ask me to help him track down the punk?!"

Looking dead serious at both of them, Genos explained, "There was an incident at A-City's headquarters. I am sure you know of this incident, Shunshi, but knowledge of this has been hidden from the general public. To summarize, Garou may be more dangerous than any of us suspect, and so Silver Fang may be trying to keep you both out of harm's way."

With a look of despair on his face, Charanko thought, Master Bang... Was I... holding him back? Garou was his top pupil. Is he really that dangerous now?

With his whole body shaking in fury, Shunshi yelled into his mind, Am I really so useless that Silver Fang-Sensei thinks I'd just get in the way?! No! I'll prove him wrong! I'll be the one to beat Garou, and I'll do it on my own!

This was the first time Genos had seen Shunshi visibly this infuriated and didn't know what to do, so he turned to Saitama and asked, "What do you think about Silver Fang's actions, Sensei?"

Putting his fist to his chin, Saitama mused, "I'm not really that close to the old guy..."

In his mind, Saitama pondered, Silver Fang, huh? That's a good Hero name. But I'm the Capped Baldy...

Noticing Shunshi's expression, Saitama looked as close to concerned as he would get and asked, "Hey, Shunshi. You okay, man?"

Embarrassed at thinking he'd made a fool of himself in front of his Master, Shunshi forced himself to calm down a bit and answered, "Oh, uh... It's nothing, Saitama-Sensei. There's just something I'm gonna need to take care of later."

Unsure of this answer, Saitama gave Shunshi a worried look before shifting his gaze over to Charanko.

His expression growing more serious, Saitama admitted, "There is one thing that's puzzling me, though..."

At these words, Shunshi and Genos were metaphorically on the edge of their seats, both desperate for their Master's insight.

Pointing at Charanko, Saitama asked, "Who are you?"

Using his hand to shield his mouth from Charanko's view, Genos whispered to his Master, "Sensei, this weakling is Charanko. He was Bang's top pupil until Shunshi came to study with him. We have met him before."

Realizing he wasn't going to get any more useful info out of these people, Charanko stood up and stated somberly, "Alright, if that's all you guys know, then I guess I'll be heading home."

Standing up as well, Shunshi added, "I could use some fresh air, so I'll walk you back."

Giving Shunshi a nervous glance, Charanko quickly pointed at him and exclaimed, "I'm not riding on your back again!"

Flinching, Shunshi raised his hands up and replied, "Uh, okay. I wasn't planning on that. We'll just walk normally."

As his frustrated junior got ready to leave, Genos thought about if there was anything else he could say to improve Shunshi's unusually dour mood. Just as Shunshi and Charanko began heading for the door, a thought occurred to Genos about some recent news that he hoped could help.

Before the martial artists could take another step, Genos hastily asked, "Shunshi, have you checked the Hero Association's website recently?"

After turning around to look at his senior, Shunshi took a moment to think before answering, "Uh... Not really. I've been pretty busy with work and training the past couple days. Why do you ask?"

At this, Genos just barely stopped himself from smirking as he explained, "It seems that your encounter and discussion with Child Emperor was quite beneficial. You have been promoted to Rank 3 in A-Class, and Saitama-Sensei has been promoted to Rank 2 in B-Class. I would suspect this is due to his endorsement."

Shunshi's eyes visibly dilated when he heard this, as he excitedly exclaimed, "Really?! Sensei, that's awesome! You're almost in A-Class! Hehehehehe."

Scratching his cheek, Saitama looked at his ceiling and dully responded, "Huh...? Oh yeah. I guess I am."

Blizzard was clearly upset by this preemptive celebration but chose to simply fold her arms and pout, as she did not want Monster Mask to chew her out again.

Despite sharing Shunshi's feelings about their Master's promotion, Genos asked his junior in what was almost concern, "Shunshi. Are you not excited about making it to the top three of A-Class? You usually are excited when you receive a promotion."

Realizing that Genos' assessment was right, Shunshi froze for a moment while trying to process his emotions.

Eventually, Shunshi reluctantly answered, "I, uh... I don't know. I guess... I guess it's kinda lost its luster to me for now... I've got other stuff on my mind and I-."

Opening the apartment's door, Charanko impatiently asked Shunshi, "I'm heading out now. Do you still wanna come or not?"

As if Shunshi had just remembered Charanko was there, he answered hastily, "What? Oh, right!"

While Shunshi walked out the door with Charanko, he waved to his Sensei and Senpai, and told them, "Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Surprised at how quickly Shunshi dropped the topic of his promotion, Genos attempted to speak up about another topic to continue the conversation. Unfortunately, Shunshi had already closed the door by the time Genos had begun to talk.


Later that night, in a park in the heart of C-City, Charanko's home city, License-less Rider was cycling through the park when he saw a muscular young man with white and spiky hair standing in his path.

Before any questions could be asked, Garou gave off a murderous grimace and declared, "You're number one in C-Class. It's time to go hunting."

Puzzled by what this young man meant, the cycling Hero responded, "I am License-less Rider, yes. What's this about hunting? I'm guessing you're not one of my fans?"

Grinning wildly, Garou coldly exclaimed, "Help me become a true monster."

His grin growing even wider, Garou took a step as he thought to himself in madness, "The more Heroes I beat, the more monstrous I'll become!"

The Hero Hunter's train of thought got interrupted, though, when a somewhat familiar voice shouted, "We found you!"

Turning around, Garou saw Tanktop Vegetarian with a whole gang of similarly dressed and equally buff men backing him up.

With a bandage covering his broken nose, the A-Class Hero declared, "You were pretty easy to find! We owe you for the other day!"

Moving faster than any of the Tanktoppers could react to, Garou smashed in Vegetarian's face, breaking his nose once more and knocking out a few of his teeth.

As Tanktop Vegetarian fell to the ground, blood streaming from his face, the other Tanktoppers gasped in horror as Garou wickedly asked, "I spared your life and now you want to throw it away, Tanktop Vegetarian? I'll kill your muscle head buddies too! Die!"

Just as Garou was about to begin his assault, he got hit by a fist that was the size of his head, sending him flying backward. Regaining his footing before he even touched the ground, Garou looked at the culprit behind this attack and saw the largest of the Tanktoppers, the S-Class Hero, Tanktop Master.

His fist seeming to emanate pure strength incarnate, Tanktop Master stared Garou down and stated, "You hurt my follower."

Seeing who he was facing, Garou regained his wild grin and cackled out, "S-CLASS?! Gyahaha! I've caught a big one! Now I'm pumped!"

Before Garou could act on his excitement, the Master used his huge arm to punch the ground. The sheer shockwave of this attack caused the concrete beneath their feet to shatter. As Garou stumbled around the shaking sidewalk, Tanktop Master folded his arms and charged at the Hero Hunter like a runaway freight train.

Smashing straight into his target, Tanktop Master shouted, "Tanktop Tackle!" The power of this attack sent Garou flying off into the air in a twirl of blood and cracked bones.

Watching their boss in action, the Tanktoppers exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Big Bro's Tanktop Tackle! With the power of the Tanktop, he can put his foes away with earth-shattering force! This move has put down countless monsters. That's why he's the Master."

As the Tanktop Army was celebrating, Garou performed a somersault in the air and landed gracefully on the broken ground.

Shocked, Tanktop Tiger exclaimed fearfully to Tanktop Black Hole, "He's still standing, big bro."

Without a hint of humility, Black Hole responded, "Then get ready to run for it, li'l bro!"

Tightening up his glare, Tanktop Master pondered, Did I hold back too much because he's Human...? Wait...

Looking closer at the villain before him, the S-Class Hero saw a disturbed and masochistic expression on the Hero Hunter's face as blood poured down from his mad smile.

Is he even still Human? Tanktop Master wondered.

Grunting with determination, the S-Class Hero rushed at Garou once more. The Master threw two punches at Garou, but he managed to deflect both of them and counterattack with an elbow to the Hero's gut. Unfortunately for the Human Monster, his attack didn't have enough force behind it to actually harm the lead Tanktopper's super muscled body.

Before Garou could back away, Tanktop Master threw another punch down at him, smashing the villain across the back of his head. He followed this up with another punch aimed at Garou's torso. Fortunately for the Hero Hunter, he was fast enough to raise his arms in defense, lessening the impact of the blow but wrecking his arms in the process.

As Garou slid back and bled from his now fractured arms, one of the Tanktoppers exclaimed, "This guy beat Tanktop Vegetarian, so I expected better, but this fights almost over!"

Despite his wounds, Garou was still smiling manically, causing Tanktop Master to think, He's definitely Human, but... Why do I feel like I need to take him out here and now?

While Garou shook in pain, Tanktop Master shouted, "Sorry, but I'm finishing you off!"

In that moment, the massive Hero rushed at Garou to throw another punch in his face. Surprisingly, the Hero Hunter redirected the punch at the ground and counterattacked with a roundhouse kick at Tanktop Master's head.

As the Hero staggered back, Garou rushed at him and began unleashing a flurry of punches. Fortunately, Garou's damaged arms weren't strong enough to deal any real damage to the S-Class' massively powerful body. Soon enough, Tanktop Master powered through Garou's attacks and hit him with another punch in his chest. The power behind this knocked Garou back, sending him tumbling along the ground as he spewed up blood.

As Garou drooled crimson and struggled to stand back up, Tanktop Master closed in on him once more and coldly declared, "It's over."

Just as the head Tanktopper was about to hit Garou with a finishing blow, License-less Rider yelled, "No, wait!"

At that moment, C-Class' number one jumped in between Garou and the S-Class, taking the punch across the face for him. Luckily, Tanktop Master reacted quickly enough to hold back just enough strength to keep from killing License-less Rider.

As the Cyclist Of Justice spat out some blood, one of the Tanktoppers asked, "What the?! Why did you do that?!"

Despite being hit hard enough for his helmet and goggles to fracture, License-less Rider shouted in pain, "Y... You should be ashamed! An S-Class Hero killing a mere punk?! The fight's over. He's hurt so bad he can't even move!"

In anger, Tanktop Tiger yelled back at the higher-ranked Hero, "What are you talking about?! He shouldn't have picked fights with Heroes in the first place! Shut up, moron...! And give me your number one spot!"

As the rest of the Tanktop Army was about to start yelling as well, Tanktop Master raised his hand to them and calmly ordered, "That's enough, guys. He's right. I didn't master the Tanktop to pick fights with regular people."

License-less Rider let out a sigh of relief when he heard this, while Tanktop Master pointed at Garou and told him, "Listen up, you. If you've learned your lesson, then never hurt anyone again."

Garou paused at this for a moment before answering, "I... Fine. I'm leaving now. Sorry for causing trouble."

However, as Garou began to stagger away, he suddenly spun around, glared venomously at the Heroes, and yelled, "Like Hell! I'm still gonna kill all of you!"

Instantly, Tanktop Master had used his head-sized fist to throw another punch at Garou's face while declaring, "Yeah. That's what I thought. You're nothing but trouble, so I'm taking you out before you get out of hand."

As the colossal fist smashed across his face, Garou threw a counterattack, striking Tanktop Master's jaw at the same time. Shockingly, this attack had enough force behind it to actually cause blood to go flying from the S-Class' mouth.

As Garou continued to throw attacks that now had blue streams coming off of them, he cursed inwardly, Damn it. I had to use Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock again. It reminds me of that old man, so I don't like using it. Oh well. Can't be picky at times like these.


Meanwhile, just a short walk from where the fight was taking place, Shunshi and Charanko were walking through the same park.

Looking at his fellow pupil with surprise, Shunshi asked, "So, you're sure Garou's only eighteen? With how jacked he is, I assumed he was in his twenties."

Nodding his head, Charanko answered, "Yeah, that's what I remember hearing when he was still at the dojo. Pretty crazy, right?"

Putting his hand to his chin without breaking his stride, Shunshi replied, "So I'm two years older than the guy, and he still got the best of me? That's annoying. Oh well, I'll just have to... Wait. Do you hear that?"

Listening to the night air, Charanko eventually heard the sounds of shouting and smashing in the distance.

Puzzled and concerned, the orange-haired man asked, "What is that? Is there somebody fighting?"

Turning to jog in the direction of the noises, Shunshi declared, "Let's see what's happening. It might be a mugging or something."

Despite being surprised and having no intentions of participating in any possible fights, Charanko instinctively followed Shunshi anyway.

Once the two reached the location of the noises they'd heard, they saw an awful sight from their hiding place behind the park's foliage. That sight was the Hero Hunter, Garou, savagely beating down the Tanktop Army and License-less Rider by using Bang's martial art.

In an instant, Shunshi dropped his backpack and began pulling out his armor, as he ordered Charanko, "Run away. I'm going to handle this."

As he watched Garou tear apart an entire gang of Heroes, Charanko thought in fear, Oh my God. Genos said he was dangerous, but this is ridiculous... Can Bang-Sensei really beat him? He... He might kill Bang-Sensei... I have to do something... I have to protect Sensei!

After Shunshi gave Charanko his orders, the young martial artist seemed to listen as he ran off. However, he quickly changed direction and started heading for the scene of the fight instead.

Just as Garou finished off the last of the Tanktoppers, Charanko jumped at him from behind. As he moved through the air, the orange-haired martial artist could feel the heat in his chest that he'd been meditating to stoke suddenly ignite.

Suddenly, Charanko's fists bursted with orange-red flames, but he paid this no mind as he yelled with an impassioned spirit, "That's enough, dojo defiler! Take this! Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock!"

Turning around, Garou saw Charanko's flaming fists and, despite being easily capable of stopping the attack, he dodged instead. Thinking that he was up against another opponent like Monster Mask, Garou unleashed a flurry of Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock and pummeled Charanko senselessly, snuffing out the fire on his hands right away.

Seeing that his foe was already down, the Human Monster was a bit surprised but mostly disappointed as he tried to piece together what just happened.

Just as he began to relax, though, Garou saw a bright light hurtling towards him. In the next second, Garou could see that the source of the light was a strange orb that was about to collide with his head. Reflexively, he used a casual technique to deflect this odd object, but as soon as he touched the ball, it exploded with significant enough force to send him skidding back and scorch his hand.

After recomposing himself, Garou glared in the direction that the ball came from and saw that Monster Mask had somehow returned for another battle.

Clenching his armored fists, Shunshi shouted, "Garou! You'll pay for this! It's time for round two!"

Genuinely surprised by the arrival of the A-Class Hero, Garou put on a cocky face and did his best to retort, "I took you out once already. Broken toys don't make for good stepping stones. Why don't you drag yourself back to the hospital!? In fact,how about I put you in the morgue!?"

Not bothering to reply, Monster Mask formed another Light Ball in his hand whilst also vibrating the palm it rested in.

Knowing that he couldn't simply deflect whatever these strange light attacks of the Hero's were, Garou began rushing at Shunshi in order to stop the Hero from throwing another of them at him.

However, as soon as Garou got near him, Shunshi frantically thought, I hope this works.

Suddenly, Monster Mask dropped down and thrusted his palm into the ground. Before the Light Ball could explode into the cement, Shunshi spun himself on his hand while dragging his heels across the ground. Suddenly, the energy that would've normally taken the form of an explosion instead took the form of a glowing ring expanding across the ground.

Garou instinctively jumped over the ring as it approached him, avoiding its flames. At the same time, all of the unconscious bodies on the ground got pushed away from the two remaining combatants until the ring encompassed a ten-foot diameter that held the Human Monster and the A-Class Hero inside of it. Once the ring stopped, a wall of white flames erupted from the circle that was so high, even the Human Monster couldn't jump over it.

With this unexpected development, the Hero Hunter looked at the ring of fire that surrounded him in utter bewilderment.

Seeing his foe's expression, Shunshi stood up and boldly declared, "I'm not broken, Garou. You're not the only one who can get stronger. No matter how many times you try to break me, I'm gonna keep coming for ya until I break you."

Ready to fight, Shunshi struck up an offensive stance and glared daggers at the Hero Hunter.

At this, Garou snarled in frustration and thought to himself in the span of one second, What's up with this guy?! He should've been in the hospital for months after what I did to him... Oh well. First, I gotta get through his little bonfire.

Without hesitation, Garou leaped at the wall of flames, expecting to only get singed. However, another surprise hit Garou at that moment, quite literally, for as soon as he made contact with the wall, he was faced with another explosion. The blast from the ring of fire sent Garou uncontrollably hurtling backward towards Monster Mask.

Elated that his technique worked out so well, Monster Mask smirked as he took this opportunity to clothesline Garou in his spine. This hit the villain with enough force to smash him into the already fractured cement.

Furious, Garou spun himself in the same way that Shunshi had earlier, in an attempt to knock him down. Luckily, the Hero Hunter's moves were just sluggish enough for the Hero in question to jump over them.

Flipping back to his feet now that Monster Mask was a bit further from him, Garou smiled at Shunshi's new techniques and exclaimed, "Amazing! When did you learn all this exploding shit?! You must've enjoyed being my stepping stone so much that you learned some new tricks for me to overcome. You're way too nice, Shit Mask!"

Forming two more Light Balls in his gauntlets and gripping them tightly, Monster Mask bluntly explained, "I've always been able to do this stuff... Mostly. I just didn't think you were worth using them beforehand. You're Human, after all. Didn't want to risk killing you. But after our last fight and seeing what you did here, I don't think I need to worry about hurting you anymore. You can take it."

Garou actually seemed disappointed by this revelation, analyzing internally, He's been able to do this stuff since birth? I was hoping these were techniques I could copy. I must've been seeing things when Charanko attacked me. Oh well. Wait, maybe this fire stuff is how he's already fighting again. Maybe it helps him heal? Well then, that armor of his is gonna make it hard, but I guess I just gotta get a bit more brutal to keep him hunted for good!

In the two seconds it took Garou to think this, Shunshi had begun to rush him. The young Hero unleashed a quick flurry of palm strikes, clearly in an attempt to hit his mark with the Light Balls he was holding.

Utilizing what he'd learned from Bang, Garou easily deflected each and every one of these attacks. Eventually, the Hero Hunter managed to throw Shunshi's fist back into his own face. To the villain's surprise, though, the Light Ball didn't go off as he'd hoped for.

In this brief instant where Garou let his guard down, Shunshi managed to land a strike to the villain's chest, properly setting off the Light Ball that was in his free hand. The resulting detonation sent Garou at the wall of light once more, causing yet another blast to hit him in his back and plant his face into the ground.

Pulling himself out of the Garou-shaped imprint in the sidewalk, the Human Monster glared up just in time to see that his prey had chosen to throw the other Light Ball at him while he was down. The Hero Hunter moved just fast enough to roll and jump out of the way of the blast but still got pelted by a tiny bit of debris.

Growling with frustration, Garou yelled, "What the Hell is up with your defective attack, jackass?! Sending it back at you didn't do shit!"

Readying two more of his trademark spheres of light, Shunshi confidently explained, "Sorry, but I'm the only thing my Kie won't burn or blow up on contact with. You can't turn it against me, Hero Hunter."

Smiling at this, Garou retorted, "Maybe... But I can turn you against it!"

Before Shunshi could even ask Garou what he was talking about, the Hero Hunter closed the gap between them. Shunshi attempted to strike Garou when the villain got close to him, but Garou managed to grab Monster Mask's wrists and lock his grip. Garou then jumped at the ring of flames once more, this time using the Hero that made it as a shield from the explosive fire.

Once they were out of the ring, Garou forced Shunshi underneath his feet and began trying to crush the Hero's gauntlets.

In an attempt to fight back, Shunshi tossed his Light Balls at Garou as best as he could from such an awkward position.

Having seen this coming from a mile away, Garou jumped a good distance away and let the two balls collide and explode.

After jumping to his feet and pushing through the smoke of his own attack, Monster Mask began to try and get a lock on the Hero Hunter once more.

Worried when he didn't see his foe anywhere, Shunshi processed, What the?! Where did he... Did he run away!? Damn it! I didn't even get a chance to really use my new-.

Almost as if to answer the question, Garou appeared behind the A-Class. Monster Mask could feel the killer aura coming from behind him but couldn't react fast enough to stop what would happen next.

The Human Monster then wrapped his arms around Monster Mask's right arm, planted his feet against the Hero's head and torso, and gave a quick but powerful pull. In the next moment, Shunshi heard his armor creek and break at the shoulder. This was followed by a cracking, squelching noise as Shunshi's arm was removed from its socket and discarded to the ground.

Shunshi fell to his knees as he bled from the second most painful wound he'd ever received. He was in too much pain to scream, too much pain to do much of anything but shake in shock as he grabbed at his empty shoulder.

One thing he did manage to do was weakly mutter out, "You... You took my arm..."

Wiping away some of the blood that had splattered on his face, Garou grinned and explained condescendingly, "It worked to keep Blue Fire down. Figured I try the same thing with you. Your flames reminded me of him, after all."

Defying the limits of possibility, Shunshi appeared even more shocked than he already was when he heard this.

In a tone of misery, Monster Mask asked, "You took Blue Fire's arm too...?"

Looking at his surroundings, Shunshi saw all the unconscious Heroes. The Tanktop Army, Tanktop Master, License-less Rider, and even Charanko.

Shaking as an indescribable expression formed on his face, Shunshi thought in madness, My arm's gone... I can't stop him now. If my Kie doesn't shut the wound soon, I'm gonna bleed to death. How many other people is he gonna hurt? How many other people is he gonna kill?! It can't end this way. I'm a Hero. I have to protect people... I have to protect people from... him. Even if it costs me my life... I WON'T LET HIM HURT ANYONE ELSE!

Cracking his knuckles, Garou taunted, "You'd better hope your precious powers heal you from that. Now it's time to end this. Thanks for being my stepping stone again! You're a really great pal!"

As the Hero Hunter threw one last punch at Shunshi's head, the Hero suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream and began exploding with even fiercer flames than when he'd lost his back.

Genuinely shocked by this turn of events, Garou just barely pulled back before he could get entirely engulfed by these flames. Despite his best efforts, his forearm had still caught ablaze. As such, Garou thought quickly and punched his arm into the ground, snuffing out the fire before it could spread further up his arm.

With a dead expression behind his helmet, Shunshi stood up and slowly started walking forward, his aura of fire exuding so much force that it scorched holes into the ground with each step he took. Not only that, but the force of the flames sent all the nearby unconscious bodies tumbling away to a safe distance.

As he took one more step, it seemed as if Monster Mask had lost his footing and fallen forward. However, as his face got near the ground, he shot his left arm out, dug his metal claws into the ground, and stood on all three of his limbs like some kind of injured yet vicious animal.

Due to the temperature of his flaming aura growing intense enough to affect his suit, the jaw-piece of Monster Mask's helmet came loose, hanging desperately to its hinges. This gave Garou the illusion that the monster-shaped armor was coming to life.

Growling through his broken jaw-piece, Monster Mask spoke in a tone that unnaturally shifted between a spine-chilling whisper and an overwhelming roar, "G... Ga... Gar... GAAARRRROOOOU! I'm gonna... I'm gonna make YOU PAAAAY!"

Garou's eyes widened at this monstrous sight as he struck up a defensive stance and thought eagerly, Looks like I underestimated what this guy can really do! I caught some huge prey toni-!

Before even the Hero Hunter's fast mind could finish that thought, Shunshi had leaped forward like some kind of beast and instantly closed the distance between them.

In that instant, Garou got wrapped up in flames and looked into the eyes of this creature, eyes that had nothing but blood lust in them. For a fraction of a second, Garou wondered if this emotion he felt was fear, wondered if this violent fire would swallow him whole. He wouldn't have to worry about the latter for very long, as Monster Mask struck Garou across his face with his burning armored gauntlet.

Three burnt gashes formed on Garou's right cheek as he got sent flying into the park's woods like a burning comet. The Hero Hunter collided with the ground with so much force that his body had left a trail of burning destruction in its wake. Luckily for the villain, his unwilling flight through the ground came to an end when he collided with a lake, which killed his momentum and snuffed out the flames that were overtaking him.

Quickly and painfully pulling himself out of the water, Garou stood up and looked into the distance. To his horror, the Hero Hunter saw Monster Mask rushing, smashing, and burning through the woods in an animalistic dash for the Human Monster's head. Shocking him even further, Garou swore he could see a new ball joint and strings of flesh growing out of Monster Mask's empty socket.

Knowing that his life was easily at stake in this battle, the Hero Hunter began readying himself. After circling his arms, Garou let out a visible breath of air, as if he'd had steam trapped inside of his body. Suddenly, Garou moved his body with an unnatural speed and efficiency.

He moved in on Monster Mask, just as the flaming warrior's armor had begun to melt off of him. Garou pushed himself through the flames that surrounded his prey and quickly unleashed a flurry of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist techniques, knocking off even more of Monster Mask's burning and melting armor.

Despite his best efforts, though, the pain of being engulfed in white-hot flames quickly started to slow down the Hero Hunter. Monster Mask noticed this and began counterattacking with claw-like strikes from his remaining hand, backed up by fast and powerful knees and kicks.

Garou could barely see through the flames at this point, and his prey had quickly turned this reckless assault against him. Unable to stand the heat of the fire anymore, Garou knew he needed to get back to the water, or else he'd die.

Thinking fast, he grabbed Monster Mask's leg in the middle of one of his kicks and threw him in the direction of the lake.

Despite being thrown, Monster Mask wasn't done with Garou. As he went flying, Monster Mask used his remaining arm and sunk his fingers into the Hero Hunter's shoulder, causing the Human Monster to get pulled along for the ride.

Once the two got near the water, Garou swiftly tucked in his legs and kicked Monster Mask in his chest, knocking the fighters away from each other. While the kinetic force of Garou's kick torpedoed him to the bottom of the lake, the water once again did its job and extinguished the fire on the corrupt martial artist. Not having much air in his lungs at this moment, Garou didn't want to spend more time underwater than necessary. As such, he jumped up from the lake bottom and rocketed out of the water, landing back on the shoreline.

Turning around to admire his handiwork, Garou expected that a man who just recently became one-armed would have trouble swimming. Keeping up the pattern of being surprised, Garou instead came to the realization that he'd gotten out of the water in just the nick of time, as the entire lake was now boiling. Within seconds, the whole body of water turned to steam as a now nearly naked Monster Mask was standing at the bottom, still burning with just as much fire as before, if not more.

In an instant, the burning warrior jumped out from the pit that used to be a lake and stared Garou down with flaming, inhuman eyes.

Getting a look at Shunshi without any armor on, one could see that his normally flat yet pointed hair was flailing around as if caught in a hurricane, with said pointed tips having changed from a dark-black to a snow-white color. What was more on the disturbing side of his new appearance was that the Hero's ball socket had completely regrown, and now his arm bones themselves were slowly growing back as well, as more strings of flesh sprung out and began coiling around the bone to hold them in place.

As Garou looked at Monster Mask, he quickly thought, Okay, I could tell from that last encounter that I'm hitting stronger and faster than him, and his skill's dropped below what it was before. He's running on pure instinct, but it's those damn flames! They're slowing me down too much! What am I supposed to do about that?! Even a lake couldn't deal with that fire, so what am I supposed to do...?! Wait...

Looking closely at his foe, he could see one detail that could save him. The fire was indeed burning more fiercely, but the Hero was losing muscle mass with each passing second. When he saw this, Garou came to the realization that all he'd need to do was outlast this prey.

The moment Garou had pieced this together, Shunshi had begun to trudge forward. The Hero Hunter had already seen earlier that Monster Mask would pretend to move slowly only to dash forward in an instant while in this state. Not willing to wait around for that, Garou turned face and began to run for it, knowing that the prey would give chase.

Like a wolf with a rabbit, Monster Mask did just as was expected as soon as the Hero Hunter began to hightail it.

Garou had assumed he could outrun Monster Mask, and his assumption seemed to be right, as he was able to keep a healthy lead. Despite this, Monster Mask wasn't acting quite as mindlessly as the Hero Hunter had hoped. When Garou tried to take a right, the burning brawler threw an amped-up Light Ball just in front of him, forcing him to go the opposite direction, lest he wished to face the brunt of an explosion multitudes times more brutal than what he'd endured up until now.

Unfortunately for Garou, going along this path at superhuman speeds caused him and his prey to run back towards where Monster Mask had already rampaged. As soon as Garou got near this area, he found himself being herded towards a path of blazing trees. He attempted to change direction, but the flaming fighter stopped him once more with another powered-up Light Ball.

After avoiding that blast, Garou made one more attempt to change directions away from the inferno. This split-second lapse in judgment slowed Garou down just enough for Monster Mask to catch up and hit the Human Monster with a powerful, blazing drop-kick in his side. This attack not only burned Garou further but nearly broke his arm in two.

Surrounded on all sides by fire, Garou struggled to get back to his feet, yet forced himself to do so regardless. His legs felt weak as he turned to look at the beast that had led him into this trap.

Monster Mask had just as wild and angry of an expression on his face as before and stood just far enough away from his target so that his ever-growing shield of flames would just barely avoid engulfing the villain.

Garou waited patiently for the next move to be made, not wanting to get tricked again. Monster Mask, who was now completely naked, even skinnier, and had grown back the skeleton of his right hand, seemed to be staring directly into Garou's soul. To the villain's slight bewilderment, the erupting warrior raised his left hand into the air and formed another Light Ball.

Cocking an eyebrow, Garou thought, He knows I could dodge that even if I wasn't looking right at him. What's he doing?

Suddenly, the football-sized explosive in Monster Mask's palm expanded to twice the size of the Light Ball that Shunshi had used against the meteor some time back.

His eyes turning to saucer plates, Garou desperately thought to himself, How big of an explosion will that make?! Can I even dodge something like that...?! What are you saying!? Of course you can!

Gritting his teeth as flames licked his ever crispier skin, Garou shouted passionately, "Bring it on, burning man! I'm not afraid!"

Suddenly, the flames that surrounded Monster Mask seemed to hone in on the Light Ball and compress it. In the blink of an eye, the Light Ball that had grown as tall as a telephone pole had been crushed down to the size of a golf ball. Before the Human Monster could process what this meant, the living inferno dug his feet into the ground and tossed this little orb of death into his mouth.

Seeing Monster Mask's head jolt from the resulting explosion, Garou realized what was about to happen and shouted in a pissed-off tone, "You gotta be kidding-!"

Before the Hero Hunter could get that last word out, the burning beast of a man opened his mouth and unleashed a massive explosive wave of energy, with some of it even going out Monster Mask's nose. The area that this blast covered far exceeded anything even Genos's cannons could hope to cover. Garou had no way out.

As he was enveloped by this wave of destruction, Garou screamed furiously, "FFFUUUUUUUCCK YYOOOOOOOUUU!"

By the time the blast had petered out, at least a tenth of the park's forest was gone. Luckily, Monster Mask had not been facing the direction of Garou's victims, so the only danger they faced was a bit of rumbling.

In the crater that was the point of origin for the blast laid Garou, completely covered in burns and just barely clinging to life. Suddenly, he let in a sharp inhale, shot open his eyes, and lifted up his head. As he weakly lifted himself up on his elbows, he saw Monster Mask, burning with enough fire to take out a small town, and yet, so scrawny he was almost nothing but skin and bone.

Seeing that Garou was still moving, the walking inferno began trudging towards its prey, speaking just loudly enough to be heard, "Bbuuurrr... Buuurrrnn."

As opposed to the small twinge he had felt earlier, Garou was now positive that he was feeling genuine horror towards this scorching skeleton.

Just as the flames began to lick his feet, Garou gathered up all of his strength and began to crawl away. He realized the futility of this once he felt the flames getting closer faster than he could gain distance. The Hero Hunter knew that he was about to be fried to a crisp, and yet his mind still raced a thousand miles a second, trying to think of a way out.

Come on, come on! Think think think! Is there something I can throw at him?! Maybe some rocks and dirt?! Maybe enough of that could put out the fire! Shit! What the Hell am I saying!? That'd never work! Do better, fucking dumbass brain!

The second that the skeleton's blaze was about to reach its victim, the last strand of flesh that Shunshi needed to reform his lost hand grew into place. In that instant, all of Monster Mask's flames were snuffed out, as he was reverted to the same near-death state he'd been in after regrowing his back during the alien invasion in A-City. However, this time, it was his arm that was beat-red from burns. Immediately after his arm came back and his fire went away, Shunshi collapsed to the ground lifelessly and passed out.

Seeing that by some miracle, he'd actually survived this ordeal, the Hero Hunter looked on in utter disbelief.

Once it hit him that he really wasn't going to die, Garou wondered, Did I... Did I just win that...? No. He beat me. The bastard actually beat me. Just a second faster on his part, or a second slower on my end, and I'd be a goner... A lot of this park is still on fire. I need to get up and get back to my hideout before the burning forest does me in on this guy's behalf.

Just then, suddenly, Garou felt a drop of water hit his head. Looking into the sky, he noticed that it had started raining. And within the next second, it began coming down in a torrent.

Smirking, the villain thought, I guess that lake he took out is coming back down. Well, that takes care of the fire, and the cold water should help with my burns... Now get up!

Pooling together strength that he wasn't even sure he had, Garou forced himself to his feet with just enough power to walk and leave the scene.

While he made his escape, Garou grumbled, "After the rain deals with my burns, I'm gonna need a long nap and a huge meal. That's gonna be one Hell of a dine and dash... Thanks, Monster Mask. There goes my whole day tomorrow."


Later that night, the Hero Association was called in about the Tanktop army and a few others who'd been found in C-City's park by civilians who heard the explosions and saw the smoke and fire.

The Hero Association attempted to cover up what happened by putting all of them, even the one civilian amongst the injured, into a Hero Association hospital in an attempt to avoid bad press. This failed spectacularly as a few of the doctors asked the Heroes what had gone down, quickly went to the press, and let loose the story, 'Garou The Monster Humiliates The Hero Association And Burns Down Half A Park.'


While in the hospital, Charanko and Shunshi were given a room to share. During their recovery, Silver Fang had actually come to visit them. Looking upon his battered students, Bang was overwhelmed with a swirl of emotions.

Charanko's body was shattered and bruised all over, with his leg wrapped in a cast and held up in a sling. Meanwhile, Shunshi was fast asleep and wasn't waking up. He had no obvious injuries aside from the burnt flesh that his arm was made of and his emaciated appearance. The doctors had dressed his burned arm in bandage wrappings coated with an antibacterial, burn soothing cream. He had grown back almost half of his muscles, but he still was well away from being in a fighting condition.

Eying up Charanko with concern, Bang earnestly requested, "Charanko, if you're up to it, please tell me everything you can remember about what happened between you two and Garou."

Looking down for a moment to contemplate his thoughts and feelings, Charanko eventually answered, "When we came across him, Shunshi started putting his armor on and told me to run. I did... I ran right at Garou. I tried to fight him, but I was down before I even knew what happened... I did wake up later when the ambulances showed up. I don't remember much after that point, but the newspapers back up my memory of the place being torn to pieces... That's about all I know."

Processing the little information he was given, Silver Fang thought over what to do next.

Seeing a small marker next to Charanko's medical charts, Bang smirked and asked playfully, "Mind if I sign your cast?"

Smiling a bit, the young martial artist answered, "I'd be honored, Sensei. The doctors say that I'm recovering surprisingly fast... Bang-Sensei, there is one other thing that happened... I just kinda forgot about it."

As he finished signing his name, Bang eagerly asked, "What is it, Charanko?"

Looking at his good hand, Charanko answered, "Well, I... When I tried to fight Garou, my fists... I think my fists caught on fire... They weren't white like Shunshi's fire, but I know it was there. It was a red... No, orangish-red fire."

With a hint of doubt, Bang stroked his mustache and hesitantly responded, "I see. That's..."

Recognizing what this look meant, Charanko pleaded out, "I did do it. I really did, Bang-Sensei. I... I'm getting stronger! I finally even learned my first kata. So, please... Please let me back. One day, once I'm out of the hospital, I'll even get strong enough to help you... I know! I'll prove it to you! I'll make fire!"

As he made this declaration, Charanko lifted his hands and started trying to use Kie. As he struggled to try and force it out, the orange-haired man was unable to stop himself from crying at least a few tears.

Having cast out Shunshi and Charanko the way he had was already weighing heavy on Bang's soul. However, seeing what his student was going through to stay by his side broke the old man's heart.

As Charanko struggled more and more to turn on his Kie, Bang put on a happy face and explained, "Now now, don't push yourself too hard. You're still recovering. Since you've already used it once, I'm sure all you need is a few pointers from Shunshi here to get it working on command. Now, I called on my brother Bomb for assistance in tracking Garou down, and he's waiting for me outside. If the two of us haven't found him by the time you've recovered, then we'll be counting on your help, Charanko."

More tears began to pour down Charanko's face as he asked, "Then... Then we're...?"

Smiling brightly, Bang reassured his pupil, "Yes, you two are enrolled in my dojo again. You are my star pupil, after all."

With these words, Silver Fang headed out the door of the room as Charanko started balling like a child.

Once Bang was further down the hallway, he was approached by Bomb. He was an even older man with hair that went halfway down his back, but with the entire top of his scalp being bald.

Looking his little brother in the eyes, Bomb asked cautiously, "So, about that promise you just made..."

Glaring down the hallway with inhuman intensity, Bang declared, "We need to find Garou before the week's end!"

Realizing right away what his brother meant, Bomb nodded and followed him out of the hospital.


Later that same day, Saitama was heading into the hospital as well after having just finished a shopping trip for some groceries. He knew at least two or three of those who got beat up, so he figured he'd see if they were okay. As he walked into the lobby, however, he came across a middle-aged couple arguing with the staff at the front desk.

As they yelled, Saitama thought to himself, Annoying old-timers. Just move and let me show them my Hero license so I can get in.

Slamming his hands on the reception desk, Otkan screamed angrily, "Now you listen to me! My son can heal from a broken waist in just a few days! I think it's even faster than that now! Yet here me and my wife are having to fill out a mountain of paperwork just to see him?! What reason could you people possibly even have for needing to keep him in a hospital!?"

While her husband finished his rant, Hanja held up a small mountain of paperwork and seethed out her own intense frustration, "These. Damn. Papers! They've asked us ten different times now what our relationship to the Hero we're visiting is... We're his parents! Now kindly let us in to see our son!"

After hearing all of this, the gears in Saitama's head turned a bit as he realized, Oooooh! These guys must be Shunshi's folks.

The nurse working the front desk failed miserably at hiding her nervous expression while doing her best to explain, "I... I'm sorry, but we need to have that all filled out and looked at before we can let you in to see one of our Association's Heroes. It's the rules put in place to keep swarms of fans from storming their-."

Before she could finish, Saitama stepped forward, took out his wallet, and showed his B-Class badge to the nurse.

With a semi-serious look on his face, Saitama told her, "It's okay. They're with me."

Blinking in surprise as she looked at his badge, the nurse hesitantly explained, "Well, he's a Pro Hero. So if you two wanna go with him, you're free to do so. You just have to stay with him the whole time."

First looking at each other, then at the stacks of paperwork, then back to the nurse, Otkan and Hanja answered in unison, "Yes. We'll go with him."


As he made his way down the hall, Saitama walked alongside the parents of his second student.

Looking at this bald man's lifeless expression, Hanja asked, "I'm sorry, we never asked for your name. And why did you decide to help us?"

As blandly as ever, the world's most powerful man answered, "I'm the Ca-... The name's Saitama. And you guys are Shunshi's parents, aren't you?"

Smiling at this, Hanja asked further, "Why yes, we are. Are you friends with our son?"

Saitama genuinely had to take a moment to think about this before eventually answering, "We've known each other long enough and've fought a bunch of stuff together, so I guess you could say we're friends by now."

Putting some pieces together, Otkan stepped into the conversation and asked, "Wait. You mean you're the Saitama who's gotten by from stealing credit from other Heroes?"

Before Saitama could even start to give an answer, Hanja berated her husband, "Otkan! He's a friend of our son. If Shunshi likes him, then I say we give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he did get us in here."

Mauling this over for a moment, Otkan eventually responded, "Yeah, you got me there. I'll get to know you myself and see what kind of man you are, Saitama."

Lowering his eyebrows, Saitama thought, How generous.

Eventually, this trio came across the room License-less Rider was recovering in, so Saitama told them, "Another buddy of mine is in here. Just wait a second while I talk to him."

After Saitama entered the room, Otkan asked in annoyance, "What?! But we're here to see our son!"

Patting her husband's shoulder, Hanja reminded him, "I know how you feel, but we're the ones following him. If he's got another friend here, then he has the right to take some time to see him."

Seeing no other option but to concede, Otkan folded his arms and agreed, "I suppose that's only fair... Still, I feel like Shunshi should take priority right now. Just how dense is that Saitama guy?"

Nodding her head, Hanja replied, "I have to agree with you there. That Saitama fellow certainly seems to have his head in the clouds."


Roughly a half-hour later, Saitama finally exited the room.

Now with a more alive expression on his face, Saitama exclaimed eagerly, "Alright. Let's go see Shunshi and uh... that orange guy."

Sitting up from the chairs they'd found, Otkan and Hanja asked curiously, "Orange... Orange guy?"

Waving his hand for them to follow, Saitama explained, "Shunshi's sharing a room with this other guy. I think his name is Cherry or Chump or something with a C H."

Though Otkan and Hanja were a bit surprised by this revelation, neither of them thought this line of dialogue warranted a deeper conversation. As such, the three of them walked onward in awkward silence for the time being.


Once they reached Shunshi's room, the group walked in on him as he answered some questions for his roommate, "So, yeah. You're just too hurt right now to use Kie if you've really got it. Once you heal up and get a bit stronger, that shouldn't be a problem. With the injuries you've got, it should only take you-."

Seeing the bandaged and scrawny state that their son was in, Shunshi's parents burst past Saitama and yelled, "Shunshi! What happened to you?!"

Initially taken aback by his parents' sudden appearance, Shunshi had to gather his faculties before he could give an answer. At the same time, Charanko was simply left in a minor state of shock.

Eventually, the beaten Hero managed a response, "Mom, Dad? I didn't think I'd see you guys here."

Flabbergasted at this reply, Otkan exclaimed, "Well, of course, we're here! You're in the hospital! Did ya think we would just sit on our asses the whole time?!"

Knowing full well how muscular her son had become, Hanja asked him, "Shunshi, why are you so skinny? And what happened to your arm?"

Looking somewhat embarrassed, the young Hero reluctantly began to speak, " Well, uh... You see-."

Before he continued, however, Shunshi's gaze shifted past that of his concerned parents and towards his bald Master.

While Saitama picked his nose and waited for his turn to speak, Shunshi yelled, "Saitama-Sensei?! You're here too?"

Looking almost puzzled by this question, Saitama replied, "Uh, yeah. I heard that you and some other guys got beat up by Garou. Figured I should see if you're okay. We are pals, after all."

After being dismissed by Genos so long ago, hearing his teacher describe their relationship like this was a breath of the freshest air for the younger Hero.

Smiling, Shunshi responded, "Oh, I'd assumed you'd be busy. I'm glad to see you were able to be here, though, Master."

More concerned with her son's condition than the fact that he'd just called Saitama his Master, Hanja yelled, "Shunshi! Please, tell us what happened to you!"

Embarrassed that he'd unintentionally blown his mother's question off, Shunshi straightened his posture and looked at his parents. However, with Saitama now present, the look of embarrassment on Shunshi's face was even greater, with his desire to give an answer shrinking by the second.

Regardless, Shunshi knew that he couldn't stay quiet, and so gave a hesitant explanation, "If you guys knew I was here, then I'm sure you must've seen what happened on the news... I tried to stop the Hero Hunter on my own, and I got taken apart. Literally."

Cocking an eyebrow, Otkan asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Per his dad's prodding, Shunshi continued to speak, "I... I thought things were going well at first. I was using new techniques and thought I could beat him... But then he... He ripped my arm off." To emphasize his point, Shunshi lifted up his bandaged arm.

Seeing that his parents were horrified and confused speechless by this explanation, Shunshi hesitantly continued, "So... Yeah, he ripped it right off... All I remember after that is feeling overwhelmed with how angry and sad I was. The same way I felt when my back was ripped apart... I don't really remember what happened after that. I blacked out, but... I guess it really was the same as back then cause my arm is back. Just completely covered in burns... And, I guess Garou must've left while my arm grew back cause I'm still alive. I think... I think I must be the one who actually destroyed the park. My flames must've ignited something... Not only am I a loser, but I destroyed so much public property. I... I don't deserve to be a Hero!" At these words, Shunshi began to grab and pull at his hair, shake in agony, and look down at his bed.

As Shunshi's mind descended into despair, his mother decided to focus on the last worry he'd agonized over, "Sweetheart, no! You're a wonderful Hero. You're strong, kind, and selfless. And you've always stood up for other people who've needed your help."

Raising his fist in reassurance, Otkan chimed in, "Not to mention all the lives you've saved since you joined the Hero Association. I can't even count them all, kiddo."

Loosening his grip on his hair, Shunshi reluctantly began speaking again, "I mean... I don't... I still messed up."

To the surprise of Monster Mask's parents, Saitama walked up to the bed with a solemn expression and said, "Listen, Shunshi. I've destroyed stuff by accident while fighting monsters ever since I gained my strength. Are you gonna give up the first time you make a big mistake, or are you gonna get back up and work to make things right? Also, stop pulling on your hair like that. It's terrible for your scalp."

With his Master's flawless advice ringing in his ears, Shunshi looked up at the Capped Baldy and saw the perfect Hero he'd come to admire so much standing before him once again.

As a pair of tears rolled down the young Hero's face, the blue-eyed Hero sniffled and responded, "Thank you, Sensei... I promise I'll fix things. You'll never see me give up like that again!"

While all this was going on, Charanko was still sitting in his bed, forced to listen while he thought awkwardly, I feel like I really shouldn't be here right now...

With that disaster averted, Otkan asked a pressing question, "So, son... What's this about you losing your back and your arm?"

When the realization hit Shunshi that he'd never thought to mention to his parents what had happened to him during the A-City invasion, his face turned as white as his flames. Wanting to correct this grievous mistake, Shunshi went on to explain in detail what exactly he was talking about. What Shunshi did not expect, though, was how terrified this news would make his family.

At the news of how her son's body has torn to shreds and reduced to a walking skeleton on two separate occasions, Hanja was left in horror. Grabbing her mouth in disgust and worry, the mother did her best to hold back shrieks of concern.

Grabbing the side of his son's bed with the kind of grip only meant for wringing a man's neck, Otkan coldly asked, "Son, do you know where I can find this Hero Hunter? I think my old hunting rifle needs to have a few words with him."

Easily understanding what his father was getting at, Shunshi protectively responded, "Dad, you can't fight Garou with just a gun! He's superhuman and-!"

Before his child could say anything else, Otkan yelled, "You think I give a damn?! THAT BASTARD RIPPED YOUR ARM OFF! He's dead!"

Knowing the danger his dad could get himself into, Shunshi sat up more and insisted, "Dad, listen. My body's gonna finish growing back by the end of the day, and then the burns on my arm will be gone by the time Super Fight starts. I'm going to be fine. You don't need to-."

"Super Fight?! No! Shunshi, you need to rest after what happened to you," Hanja interjected.

Surprised to hear this, Shunshi countered with, "Mom, Super Fight's in two days. I'll be fine by then. I don't need-."

Shaking his head, Otkan interrupted as well, "After what you've just told us, no way. You're taking it easy until this Hero Hunter stuff is over and done with."

Feelings of genuine offense crept into Shunshi's heart with these words, as he argued back, "What?! No! I'm going to be the one to beat Garou! I just need to train harder, and Super Fight will be a great way for me to do that. Besides, I'm an adult. This is my decision to make."

Gritting his teeth, Otkan yelled back, "Oh yeah? Well, guess what?! You still live under our roof, so you'll follow our rules! Understand?!"

This was the last straw in making Shunshi yell out something that he himself wasn't sure he meant, "Really? If that's the case, then why don't I just move out?! Heroes get free housing in the new A-City, so that'd be a great place to get away from you control freaks!"

When the shocked and saddened expressions hit his parents' faces, a feeling of realization washed over Shunshi. Without another word, Otkan and Hanja took each other's hands and left in a huff, leaving their son unable to say anything else to them.

Not knowing what else to do, Monster Mask turned to look at his Master for advice.

Seeing the expression of abject horror that his student's face had been contorted into, Saitama hid behind his usual emotionless expression. This was to hide his internal panic at having no idea what he should say.

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! What are you looking at me for?! I don't know what to do! Shit... After hearing about Garou, I wanted to ask Shunshi about this martial arts stuff, but I don't know if that's such a good idea now.

With those words remaining in Saitama's mind, Shunshi took his Sensei's silence as a sign of disapproval and quickly began to break down again.

Witnessing Shunshi sinking further into despair, a genuine feeling of concern filled the world's most powerful Hero.

Placing his hand to his head, Saitama's expression shifted back to serious as he slowly spoke, "Um... Shunshi, uh, listen to me... I know this seems bad, but what did we just talk about? This is another issue that you need to find the strength to stand up to and fix. If it turns out that you really feel it's time to move out of your parent's house, then that's fine. Regardless, you need to be the one to fix this... But, uh... Maybe give this one a few days to cool off before you approach the problem."

With this advice, Shunshi shrunk back and began thinking over his options going forward.

Deciding that it would be best if he didn't pester his student over this, Saitama instead turned to Charanko and asked, "Hey, Charampoo."

After being ignored for so long, Charanko snapped at Saitama's mistake, "It's Charanko!"

Unphased, Saitama apologized, "Oh, sorry. Anyway, I wanted to know if you could tell me about martial arts."

Cocking an eyebrow in confusion and frustration, the young martial artist replied, "If you want to know, why didn't you accept Bang-Sensei's offer to study with him?"

Shaking his head, Saitama explained, "I changed my mind recently. But I don't want to bother the old dude. Is there anything you can tell me?"

Sighing in frustration, Charanko explained, "Well, martial arts aren't something you can learn so easily. It takes a lot of regiment and practice."

Giving Charanko a blank stare, Saitama questioned, "You're still a white belt, aren't you?"

Growing ever annoyed with Saitama's attitude, Charanko yelled, "I'm about to go up a belt! Shut up...! Look, if you want to at least get a look at martial arts, you should go watch Super Fight."

Perking up a bit at this, Saitama looked at Shunshi and asked, "Is that the thing you were talking about with your parents?"

When Saitama asked this, Shunshi shrunk back into his bedsheets. At seeing his student's response, a drop of guilty sweat rolled down Saitama's brow.

Picking up on the uncomfortable air that was intoxicating the room, Charanko decided to continue talking to try and distract from it, "So... Um, Super Fight is a martial arts tournament. When I became Bang-Sensei's star pupil, I got excited and applied for a spot in it. I was gonna throw in the towel anyway, but you should be able to use my ticket to go watch the fights. That'll give you an idea of what martial arts is all about." Reaching into the bag at the side of his bed, Charanko pulled out the ticket in question and handed it to Saitama.

Looking at the slip of plastic, Saitama pondered out loud, "A tournament, huh...? It says there's a three million yen reward for the winner... Three million in one day."

Seeing the eager look on Saitama's face, Charanko furrowed his brow and explained, "Listen, the ticket is registered under my name, and I'm forfeiting. I doubt a Hero would do this, but don't try to take my place."

Despite this warning being well-intentioned, Charanko's words went in one ear and out the other for the Capped Baldy and were completely missed by the panicking Shunshi.