Hey Guys, Crescent Rider here and I'm back with another chapter! Before you all begin, let's start with the usual.
First off, the answer to the eight 'Whose that Pokemon' is Electivire, The Thunderbolt Pokemon. Electricity was kinda of a dead giveaway. Electricity - Electivire
Second, the chapter for today will be original. However, Expect Kombu to join alongside Mew from time to time. Also, I appreciated the comments regarding my decision to make Kombu human. As for certain questions on whether Kombu still can control her hair, here's an answer: Imagine a certain anime girl who controls her hair for combat purposes.
And lastly, this one is quite personal from me to all of you. As I recall correctly, I've been working on Fanfics for five years, made several mistakes here and there, and improved as time passed.
The reason why I'm telling you all this is because I've been working on making original stories and I plan to make something out of them. And by original, I mean the kind where I get to make the characters, plotline, scenarios, and everything. I'm still working things out since this sort of work can and will take a lot of time, and effort compared to my previous work.
You won't find them here though, because the profile where I'm working on the original stories is "Crest'n'Dryad". It'll take a long time before I'm finished with it, but I will do my utmost best to keep everyone interested and invested in the stories I plan to make.
That is all I have to say and enjoy the chapter!
Days Later...
As usual, a monster appears out of nowhere in the streets of a random city and civilians in the vicinity are already panicking at the mere sight of it.
It's the same incident as most monsters would do for their own goals and ambitions. But this time, the one that stops the monster before its rampage is none other than the reformed and altered monster, Kombu Infinity, who was present in the area.
Her clothes consisted of a sweatshirt, jogging pants, and regular sneakers. She also wore a black headband with a lotus floor as she found it quite cute to wear.
"I get that every monster comes to a city wants to wreak havoc and all," Kombu prepares herself in combat by altering the structure of her hair, "But this is quite ridiculous to see,"
"Huh?" The Monster sets its sights on Kombu, who just stood there with arms crossed and hair waggling all over, "A Hero comes to challenge me?"
"Not really," Kombu admitted, "I'm just passing through this place to go home,"
"Either way, you shall die for your-" Before the Monster could finish that sentence, Kombu had landed the first blow and then followed several other blows of her fist-shaped hair,
They were as hard as steel as they effortlessly broke through the monster's defenses. Yet, Kombu moves them as light as a feather and as swiftly as the wind. Soon enough, the monster is knocked out with one final blow and falls to the road while Kombu pulls her hair back.
"Well, that was easy," Kombu remarked,
Before long, the civilians that were in the vicinity began to swarm around her and immediately showered her with praises for her heroism. Kombu feels rather uncomfortable by these people but doesn't mind the praises since they slowly grow on her.
As soon as the civilians finished praising her for her deed, Kombu insisted that they give her space as she has places to be. They complied with her request and continued to thank her as she left the area.
'Mew!' Kombu hears the voice of Mew in her mind, then goes to an alleyway where there aren't many people,
Once alone, Mew appears before her eyes, "I'll never get used to seeing you appear like,"
Mew just giggled and flew around her.
"Did you come here to pick me up?" Kombu inquired and Mew nodded before using teleportation without Kombu's consent.
Their destination was another alleyway in City-Z's Ghost Town and Kombu sighed with her eyes closed, "And I certainly won't get used to you teleporting me this close to home,"
Mew giggles some more, then they make their way back to the Apartment. Along the way, Kombu reminiscences the days when Mew first found her.
Days Earlier...
After Mew had restored Kombu's seaweed hair with its power, the former somehow introduced itself to the latter and understood its language quite well. Kombu assumed that Mew was a monster, but Mew stated that it wasn't a monster.
It then led to Mew revealing its origin to Kombu as well as providing several spatial images that show a world different from hers. It was a baffling experience as she saw monsters beyond anything she had seen in this world and was shown a particular species that closely looked similar to her.
It wasn't common for monsters to pop out of nowhere and wreak havoc wherever they go. What's truly baffling is that these monsters were found in urban cities vastly different than the cities in this world and they weren't causing any trouble to anyone they come across.
Some were accompanying the humans like fellow companions rather than pets. It almost felt like a dream come true, but the reality of this world is different as Kombu reminded herself that such a thing is impossible.
Of course, Mew knew since it read her mind and studied the people of this world via its telepathy. And with Kombu's current form, she'll probably die the moment people see her.
That's when a particular idea came into mind, "Mew!"
"What is it?" Kombu inquired,
"Mew! Mew Mew!" Mew expressed, and Kombu widened her eyes,
After some convincing, Kombu's life took a huge turn for the better.
Days Later
Mew is seen near a river with Kombu by its side. However, her entire appearance was drastically changed due to Mew's power.
Her hair was no longer made out of Kombu Seaweed, but out of natural human hair after Mew genetically altered her. As for her body, it was altered into that of a human girl but her tangible hair was used to cover certain private parts since Kombu learned that humans don't walk out in the open naked.
That aside, Mew began training her by doting a transformation of an amphibious creature. Though it remains passive in her training, Kombu noticed that Mew was stronger than it looked as every blow given by its attack was harder than the two Heroes she had fought in the past.
But fighting isn't the only thing she's taking lessons on. Mew had Kombu meditate to maintain and control the aura after the latter's modification. Some emotions and memories conflicted with Kombu's meditation, but Mew assured her that everything would be fine as long as she completed her training.
Hence, Kombu was determined to complete her training rather than deter herself with her troubled past. Once their first round of training had come to pass, Kombu was taken to Saitama's apartment, and Mew's request was somehow translated thanks to Kombu's presence.
He lent some of his old clothes to Kombu since she didn't have anything else to wear and told her about some shops that sold other kinds of clothes. Even though Kombu fears him, she reluctantly has him as a companion for those stores and purchases the necessary clothes for her to wear.
The rest of the story goes to the incident with the meteor hurling down on City-Z.
Present
As Kombu returned to her apartment room, she either spent the rest of the day reading books or taking lessons with Mew whenever it felt like it. The latter, on the other hand, decided to wander outside rather than stay in one place.
If she needed to eat or drink something, she would use her hair to get what she needed and bring it to her. Compared to her original hair, this one was much easier to control, came with thin and numerous strains, and was made to be light but durable.
It's also quite flexible as she's able to shape her hair at will and maintain that shape for as long as she likes. It even made her smile knowing that she had grown strong because of her encounter with Mew.
But one part of her mind is pondering on how Mew came to be this powerful and wondered why it came to this world in the first place. Even though she's able to understand Mew, she never asked that question in the first place.
Thus, this thought became an objective and sought to find that answer regardless of whether Mew agreed or not.
In the meantime, she soon hears a knock on her door and goes to answer it. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a particular Class-S Hero.
"Hello," Bang greeted,
"Uh... Hello," Kombu awkwardly greeted, "Do you need something?"
"Nothing of the sort, rather I'd like to talk to you about an important matter," Bang said, "May I step inside your home?"
"Sure... I guess," Kombu replied and let Bang inside her apartment,
After Kombu served some green tea, which she learned from Mew and Saitama. Bang went straight to the point, "I would like to know of your relationship with that creature,"
"Creature, Do you mean Mew by any chance?" Kombu inquired,
"I do, Young Lady," Bang replied, "Not long ago, word of its appearances in multiple cities brought about a stir among Heroes from Class-C to Class-S. Not only are the executives paying for its sightings, but they also wish to study its intentions as well as its powers. For no ordinary creature in the Association has ever encountered such a creature. When I saw you alongside that creature, I figured that you'd have a connection, which is why I came to you. Hoping that this old man may learn its secrets"
"Hmmmm..." Kombu pondered about it and felt indecisive about whether or not she would share that info with him,
If she tells him that she was formerly a monster turned human, she has no idea about whether or not he'll believe her. Most importantly, she feels uncertain about whether this Hero will kill her or not after she reveals the truth.
Thus, some of her hair was prepared in case Bang made the first move on her. But such a move was unnecessary as he raised his hand and gave a firm gaze upon her eyes, "Calm yourself, young one. I have no intentions to fight you nor kill you for being a monster,"
"You knew?" Kombu inquired,
"I've had my suspicions, but your expression towards my discussion gave it away," Bang revealed, "To be honest, I never would have imagined nor lived to see the day that a monster would willingly choose to be human,"
The thought was a bit unsettling, but she calmed down since she now knew that she stood no chance against him. By learning Aura from Mew, she can tell just how much this old man has in him...
"Now about my question..." Bang reminded,
"I won't tell you all of it," Kombu replied, "Just what you need to know,"
With a simple nod, Kombu explained certain details regarding Mew and her encounter with it. It baffled Bang to know that something so small could grow into something so large and powerful. She even added in her training with Mew and it puts a lot of interest in the old master.
Then an idea finds its way into Bang's mind, "Everything you've said is quite interesting, but you wouldn't mind providing a demonstration,"
Bang then offered what appears to be the address of his dojo, "And feel free to invite that creature 'Mew' over as well. I would love to see it in person,"
"Sure... I'll give it a shout when it comes back," Kombu agreed as she took the paper from his hand,
"I shall be going now," Bang said, "Also, I invited Saitama into my dojo not long ago. I'm certain that he'll be there too,"
Kombu just widens her eyes a bit, then timidly responds with, "Y-Yeah... Sure,"
As soon as Bang left the room, Kombu stared into the paper she was holding and pondered about going to his dojo. But when his words about Saitama going to his dojo echoed through her mind, she just crumpled the paper with one hand, used her hair to grab a trash bin, and threw it there before putting it back.
If there's something she can't stand, it's being next to the person who tore her hair from her head...
The Following Day...
Kombu finds herself wandering around City-Z, however, she is seen wearing a backpack. She wouldn't need such things since her hair is capable of flipping a car off the road easily.
But the real reason for carrying a backpack was meant for Mew, who decided to sleep inside while Kombu carried it around. She wasn't concerned about sealing the backpack tightly since Mew explained that it could survive from the depths of the ocean to deep space.
The places she visits consist of food vendors and a couple of shops. Sadly, she doesn't have any money since she neither has a job and she doesn't want to ask some from Saitama due to her grudge against him.
Thus, Kombu feels somewhat bummed that she couldn't buy anything. She may try to steal what she wants with her hair, but Mew wouldn't want that as it wanted her to be a good human. And such humans don't steal from others...
With nothing to buy, she decided to head back to the apartment and spend the rest of the day in the room alone. But when she stopped by a sidewalk, she noticed a couple of kids running around and the light had yet to turn red.
That's when one of those kids had their feet tipped from all that running and found himself falling onto the sidewalk with a car closing in on him. The mother cried out for her child, but Kombu reacted quickly as she grabbed the boy with her hair, lifted him over, and stopped the car's momentum.
The people around her were immediately stunned and the same applies to the boy she's holding in the air. But Kombu wouldn't mind the scorn since she knew people wouldn't accept her, so she handed the child back to her mother's arms and went on her way after the light turned green.
But just as she reached the middle, she heard the boy's voice, "Thank you, Miss Hero!"
Kombu slightly stumbled in her step, then glanced at the boy. She saw a smile on his face while the rest remained stunned by what they saw. In response to the boy's thanks, she just turned away and waved the back of her hand.
City - Z Apartment
As soon as she arrives at the apartment building, she finds Saitama and Genos outside. She also found Bang accompanying them and the latter approached her as soon as he saw, "It would seem that we meet again. Though I often wonder why you didn't come yesterday,"
"I... have my reasons," Kombu replied and momentarily shifted her eyes from Saitama to Bang,
"I see. Well, it doesn't matter," Bang dismissed, "But should you come to my dojo with Saitama and Genos here? They agreed to come after I've promised them some protein in their meals,"
"Uh..." Kombu trails off, but finds herself disturbed when her backpack starts fluttering,
Moments later, the zippers open and Mew's head opens right out. This causes Bang and Genos to express some level of surprise while Saitama just blinked and blurted out, "You had it inside your bag like a cat?"
"It wanted to sleep, so I carried Mew with me," Kombu said,
"How convenient," Bang remarked, then walked to the side to get a good look at Mew,
It just blinked at the old man, then the latter proceeded to chuckle as he felt no ill-intent from this creature, "Truly an interesting creature,"
"Mew?" Mew mouthed, hovered out of the bag, and flew in circles around Bang, The old man just huffed to himself with his eyes closed, then opened them as he stared at Kombu, "Now that I've seen this creature with my own eyes, it's safe to say that this one means no threat to anyone. However, I'd still like you to demonstrate what you were taught by this creature,"
"Mew?" Mew audibly muttered,
"It's asking 'what I taught her'," Kombu cited which caught the men's interest,
"You can understand it?" Bang inquired,
"I do, it's probably because we're somewhat similar in race. But we haven't confirmed whether that's true or not," Kombu explained,
"Then that makes things easier," Bang concluded as he turned to Mew, "Would you like to see my dojo? I'm quite eager to know the powers all Heroes have seen in the past,"
Mew tilts its head to the opposite side, then lets out an enthusiastic response, "Mew!"
"Seriously?" Kombu asked in surprise,
"What did it say?" Genos inquired,
"It said 'Sure'," Kombu said,
Saitama sighed to himself since a part of him didn't want Mew to get mixed up with this old man, Genos was interested in learning more about Mew's powers, and Bang just smiled as he got four special guests in his dojo.
Silver Fang's Dojo
As soon as they arrived at the location, Kombu was utterly stunned by the amount of stairs she needed to climb to reach Bang's dojo.
Still, she and the others were able to reach the top and Mew just followed behind them. Upon reaching the dojo, Bang first wanted to show something to the three.
His top and only apprentice, Charanko, was present and stacked several hard tiles on each side of his master. Once finished, Bang only needed to press the bottom of his hands on each stack and quickly break them all with a swift yet simple nudge of his hand.
Kombu and Mew were thoroughly impressed while Saitama and Genos showed indifference at Bang's technique. Saitama even broke several tiles without issue or technique.
What comes next is Bang proposing a card-based memory game. He demonstrates his swift and precise reflexes even before Charanko can speak the first line. When Saitama took a turn, he just smacked his hands on the floor to make the cards fly and take the card before Charanko could start the first sentence.
That's when Bang proposed another game, and Saitama stated that it was just a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with rubber mallets and a plastic helmet. Kombu was unfamiliar with this game and Bang tried his best to maintain a calm composure.
However, Genos would volunteer to go first against Bang. The results led to the cyborg reaching a steaming mark on his head and Saitama taking over the next game. Kombu and Mew just watched the two as they went through several rounds of rock-paper-scissors.
After ninety-plus rounds, Bang had yet to lose once and Saitama was raggedly panting with a red burning mark on his forehead. Kombu and Mew faced away as they giggled at Saitama's state.
However, the next change that when Saitama wins against Bang and tries to take the rubber mallet. Though Bang had already worn the helmet on his head, it did not stop Saitama from grabbing the mallet and smashing it on Bang will all of his pent-up frustration.
Bang was visibly alarmed by this and escaped while Saitama smashed the helmet so hard that it broke the helmet to nothing and smashed the dojo floorboards. Kombu's hair fluttered from the sheer force and expressed a stunned look while Mew was blown away for a bit then it looked up to see the old master with his hands dug into the ceiling.
"Wha-what kind of power is this!?" Bang exclaimed,
"That's not fair! You're not supposed to run away!" Saitama yelled,
"After it had already been decided who the victor would be!" Genos remarked,
"That's not what the rules say though!" Charanko yelled,
"That's enough," Bang said as he jumped down, "It's my loss,"
Saitama asked for another challenge but Bang refused as he didn't want an all-out fight. Genos questioned about some meat, and Bang said that he was always going to give it anyway. Then Bang goes on to give an encouraging conversation about Saitama going serious with the match as well as mentioning how appealing Martial Arts is as well as its essence in life.
Bang then asked if they were interested in attending his dojo. To which Saitama bluntly declined despite everything the old master had said. For Bang, he accepts Saitama's decisions rather than tempt him any further.
What comes next is Bang's interest in Mew and Kombu...
A Few Minutes Later
After they went to the Dojo's Courtyard, the first one to provide a demonstration was Kombu. She's used her hair for multiple purposes and often shows some level of combat by turning certain strands of hair into fists or weapons.
Once finished, she'd use the back of her hair to make a chair and sit on it with legs crossed to each other.
"That's rather impressive," Bang remarked, "From utilization to sheer power, one might say you have an advantage against certain opponents great and small,"
"Thanks for the comment, Bang-san," Kombu thanked, and then Mew suddenly appeared by her side with a canned soda from the apartment. She grabbed the can with her hair and open the can open,
"Isn't that unhygienic?" Saitama bluntly questioned,
"Not really," Kombu admitted, "You see, my hair isn't like other humans. Because I stretch and shorten the length of my hair whenever I want and I don't suffer any hair loss since every strain is under my control,"
Kombu demonstrates this by lifting a few thin strains of her hand and slipping the can at the ends of those strains through the tab's hole, "That's pretty convenient..."
"If you'd like, I can arrange a meeting with you and Dr. Kuseno?" Genos suggested with a phone close to his ear,
"How about no," Saitama remarked,
"Then, what about that creature next? Mew, isn't it? Would you like to demonstrate your power this old man," Bang requested,
"Mew," Mew responds and Kombu provides translation, "It said 'Sure thing,'"
Mew then transforms into a blue bipedal dog and provides some level of martial art as well as the use of weapons for Bang's interest. Next, it transforms into a red bipedal bird and demonstrates fiery kicks that intrigue the old master. Another was a furry animal with the ends of its arms looking a lot like whips, and they were moving so quickly that Charanko remarked that he couldn't see them move while Bang expressed further interest.
One transformation after another, Bang understood the immense potential this creature holds and graciously applauded Mew for such a well-worth demonstration. He then stated that the two are welcome in their dojo whenever they want.
Thus, the day ends when the four leave the dojo and with some meat, they received from Bang...
Sorry for the long delay, I've been working on a lot of stuff and I've become more active in my two other accounts; TheRisingDryad in AO3 and Crest'n'Dryad in Wattpad.
But I promise that I'll see through the first season of One Punch Man and surprise you with some original content since Mew still has a few other heroes it needs to meet.
That aside, it's time for the Ninth 'Whose that Pokemon!'.
Here are the hints: Blue and Swift.
That is all I have to say and I will see you all in the next chapter!
(Dec 2nd was my 23rd Birthday)