Saitama stretched his arms wide as he blinked the blur out of his eyes. Rather than getting up, he decided to lay on his futon, enjoying the warmth of the blankets in the still, dark room, moving only his arms to shut off his alarm clock before it went off. He noted the time: 6:27 AM.

"Woke up early for once," the man thought curiously as he closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to wander wherever they wished whilst he continued to wake up.

His thoughts first drifted where they usually did first thing in the morning: breakfast. Images of cereal and toast appeared first, but soon transformed into eggs and bacon, before finally landing on a rather elaborate meal of pancakes, sausages, and juice. Juice. He was low on juice. He was also missing any and all ingredients involved in the making of such an opulent breakfast.

Images of the supermarket appeared, with rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with differing goods. He could picture the boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, all kinds of freshly-cut meats out on display, bags of excellent value grains and starches, and a bounty of sweet treats. So many ingredients; so many potential dishes. Flashes of enticing meals fired rapidly through his head as his mouth began to water, even half-asleep. So much food, maybe too much to eat on his own. Maybe he could have another hot-pot? Genos would be there, obviously; the cyborg always enjoyed partaking in Saitama's dishes. King would come, either for the food or the games, or both. Satoru would be there too; he wouldn't turn down a friendly dinner invitation, and he and King seemed to get along well together, so they'd probably be happy to see each other, too.

"Tatsumaki said she would want to come too, right?" he thought. He began to reminisce on the events of the previous evening with patches of their conversations floating through his head. He recalled her expressions clearly, ranging from annoyed frowns to joyful smiles. Snarky comments and playful jabs were read out in her voice, and the sound of her snickering or "hmph"ing seemed to play on repeat. A feeling of satisfaction washed over him as he remembered the amicable resolutions to the few arguments they had, her appreciative, relieved stares lingering before fading peacefully. The corners of his mouth tugged into a slight smile at the memories, and a small puff of pleasant, albeit throaty, laughter escaped his lips.

"Master!"

Saitama shot up at the sound of his disciple's cry and watched in shock and horror as the cyborg emerged from the peeping hole (or, as he called it, the "Unforeseen Circumstance Entryway") and into the small room, landing with a thud on the wooden floor.

"Master Saitama, are you okay?!" he yelled, urgency in his voice.

"Genos, I'm fine!" Saitama shouted back, "What the Hell are you doing in here?"

"I heard you awake and decided to observe. When your breath hitched, I thought you were choking."

Saitama rubbed his temples, frustrated at being ripped from his thoughtful resting and having to deal with a clingy disciple before 7:00 AM. He could usually handle Genos' odd behavior, but he wasn't prepared for it before he had even gotten out of bed.

"I'm not choking, Genos. And I thought I told you not to go making and peeping through holes in my wall."

"I made no additional holes, and I was not peeping; I was observing."

Saitama pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head down as Genos stood innocuously before him, either ignorant of his masters' meaning, or just ignoring it.

"Genos, no more observing or crawling through holes in my wall," Saitama commanded sternly, ensuring clarity in his instruction and leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Over the past few months, Saitama had realized that if he wanted Genos to listen to him, he would have to speak clearly and directly; no sarcasm or complicated metaphors. Oftentimes that guideline would slip his mind, which would led to situations like the one he was in.

"Yes, Master! My apologies!" Genos exclaimed as he bowed humbly, which Saitama returned with a deadpan stare.

"It's fine," he replied before standing up from his Futon and walking over to the kitchen area. From there, he grabbed a bowl, cereal, milk, and a spoon, and began to prepare his breakfast.

"I'm craving a big breakfast, and we're getting low on supplies, so I'm gonna head out and grab some groceries in a bit so I can make something tomorrow morning," Saitama said as he poured some cereal into the bowl.

"I see," Genos responded shortly, finding it odd that his master would prepare a presumably elaborate meal after having cooked one the previous day.

"Master, may I go in your place? My shopping skills are becoming evermore honed and I would like you to critique them."

"Nah," Saitama answered simply as he dumped some milk over the cereal, "I'll go on my own. Kinda just want to get out and enjoy the day, anyway."

"Enjoy the day?"

"Yeah, you know, take some time to just appreciate the weather, gather your thoughts…that kinda thing."

"I am familiar with the expression. My confusion lies in your desire to do so."

"What do you mean?"

"You are always busy, whether it be with fighting monsters, entertaining guests, or participating in relaxation exercises with King."

Saitama sighed internally, vexed but unsurprised by his disciple's interpretation of his activities, most of which involved sitting around or wandering about looking for something to do.

"You have never expressed the desire to merely enjoy a day," Genos continued, "Are you feeling ill? Perhaps you are slightly delirious due to last night's events. That would explain your early waking and sleep-talking. I recommend visiting a doct-"

"Genos," Saitama interrupted with his head in his hand, "I'm not delirious; I just want to get out for a bit, that's all."

Genos stared at Saitama for several seconds as he performed a diagnostic scan of the man, checking for abnormal body temperature, heart-rate, breathing, eye movements, or any other abnormality that might indicate Saitama was unwell. However, the scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so Genos dropped the subject, offering a simple nod at his master's explanation.

"I will be going out separately, then, to patrol for monsters around the city," Genos said as he turned to exit the room.

"Alright, see you later," Saitama responded as he took his first bite of cereal, watching the door close behind the cyborg.

With his disciple out of his hair (figuratively), Saitama finished the rest of his breakfast, washed the dishes quickly, and went to shower, brush his teeth, and dress.

He put on his hero outfit, as per usual, just in case he happened to come across a monster during his outing.

The walk to the market was pleasant. It was a cool seventy degrees outside, the sun was shining, birds were chirping as they flitted between buildings, and the streets were busy with children playing. The sun's rays reflected brightly off the A-Class hero's head as his cape billowed in the wind and yet, despite this, no one paid him any mind as he sauntered down the sidewalk. He didn't mind, really; in fact, Saitama was rather glad that he wasn't being pestered by the masses. He had heard from King on a multitude of occasions just how annoying it was to be swarmed by people wherever he went, never having any privacy or time alone out in public.

"At least I can thank King for that," he thought, passing by a group of children playing with trading cards.

As he breathed in the fresh air and appreciated the pleasant atmosphere, Saitama thought back to what Genos had said: about how it was strange for him to want to go for a walk. Even stranger, he thought about the fact that he was paying attention to and enjoying things he felt and saw along the way.

"When was the last time I took a walk like this? Since when do I pay attention to breezes and birds chirping? Or, better question: since when do I ENJOY walks and breezes and birds?…I guess Genos was right, but…why? What changed?" he asked himself, baffled as to what may have spurred these pleasant, peaceful feelings. Up until then, the only feelings he experienced anymore were frustration and anger, the latter of which only peaking when he "battled" King.

"Have I found what I've been looking for?" he wondered, "Did my passion for fighting reignite without me realizing it?"

*CRASH*

Saitama turned his head to the direction of the disturbance and watched as several people fled screaming from a nearby alleyway. The hero moved quickly to investigate and rounded the corner to see a large, rabbit-like monster stuffing objects into a pouch on its stomach. The creature's fur was bright white; it had large ears, a short tail, and long, sharp teeth and claws.

"Well, well," it squealed in a high-pitched, sing-songy voice, "looks like you've stumbled into my little collection session! Don't bother running; I can hop faster than any human could ever hope to move!"

The monster eyed Saitama's head. "My, what a shiny head you've got on you! It would fit perfectly in with all the other shiny baubles I've collected today! How about you sit still and let me take it, quickly? Otherwise, I'll have to slowly and painfully rip it from your-aghhha!"

With a mere thrust of his arm, Saitama turned the creature into wet, meaty chunks that splattered along the walls of the alleyway. Saitama paused for a moment, taking in the freshly-painted scene as he thought.

"Nope. Fighting's still as boring as usual," he concluded before searching the ally for anyone who may have been wounded or killed by the creature. After his search turned up empty, he returned to the now empty street, and continued to make his way to the market.

"I guess I shouldn't really use a monster that weak as a standard for fighting…but then again, none of the other threats I've faced have been a challenge either…"

Saitama thought about all of the enormous and powerful monsters he had fought and killed over the years, and even just recently. Despite their power, despite their confidence, despite their skill…"They just weren't challenging…" It was something he had come to accept: he would never get that feeling back, no matter how much he desperately desired it.

"Is that why I'm out here now? Has coming to terms with this fact affected me in some way? Am I…done fighting?" he looked down at his open hand, covered in the blood of the monster he had just killed, and frowned as he tightened it into a fist.

"Hell no," he thought with conviction.

Despite his overall apathy and lack of vigor in battle, fighting and protecting people was still his passion. That wasn't something he would, or even could, just give up on a whim.

"Then what is it?," he pondered, "Am I just so bored that I'm going out for a walk to find stimulation?"

He looked around at the empty streets, taking in the blank building faces, oil-stained roads, and birds flying overhead. His eyes passed over it all, and despite how much there was to look at, he found nothing that caught his interest.

"Nope," he answered simply, "This walk is more serene than interesting; definitely not a cure for boredom…" He sighed. "Oh well. Might not really be a reason for this motivation; just a phase, maybe? Who knows…"

Saitama looked up to the sky and breathed in deep.

"I wonder if Tats has ever had this happen before. She's super strong, so I bet she gets bored a lot, too. Maybe she can help me figure out what's come over me all of a sudden."

Satisfied with his temporary conclusion, Saitama turned his attention back to the bright, serene day, and headed for the market.

"Well, yesterday evening was rather enjoyable, wasn't it?" Fubuki mentioned after setting the mug of warm coffee down onto the table between her and Tatsumaki. "I appreciate you not embarrassing me in front of Demon Cyborg and Saitama, by the way."

"Thank yourself," Tatsumaki responded with a smirk, taking another long sip of coffee as her sister frowned slightly.

After leaving Saitama's apartment, Tatsumaki had offered Fubuki a stay at her place, given that it would have been a long ride home for the younger ESPer. Plus, her spending the night would allow them to check in with each other over morning coffee, something they enjoyed doing from time-to-time. Their previous morning chat had been rather short and spontaneous, so being able to have a more casual and scheduled chat was nice.

It was nearing 10:30, and both sisters had been sitting in the comfortable chairs for nearly ten minutes, just enjoying the quiet morning and hot drink before starting up conversation.

They had talked about what either had been up to over the last few weeks, with Fubuki detailing her and her group's accomplishments while Tatsumaki filled Fubuki in on the happenings with the higher-ups at the Hero Association. Both sisters expressed their feelings on the recent events regarding the Monster Association and Garou, trying to slowly let go of the stress from those events, or rather, the overwhelming worry and dread that they had experienced for one-another throughout. Talking about it helped.

The conversation slowly drifted from such dour topics to lighter ones, with Fubuki sharing humorous stories from her group and Tatsumaki poking fun at some of the executive's decisions, berating them again for their doctoring of her commercial before Fubuki moved the subject matter to the events of the previous evening.

Fubuki rolled her eyes, ignoring her sister's comment. "Everyone seemed to have a good time, even Saitama…for once."

"Yeah, he seemed to enjoy himself…probably because he didn't have someone pestering him about joining her club the entire time," Tatsumaki arraigned sarcastically.

To the shorter ESPer's surprise, rather than huffing, arguing, or frowning, her sister returned with a suggestive smile, "Ooor, maybe it's because he made a new friend and got to spend some time with her."

Tatsumaki's eyes widened in surprise at Fubuki's implication, though only for a moment before lowering her brow to a deadpan stare, deciding whether she should dismiss the allegation completely or give in with a retort.

With only a second of consideration, Tatsumaki chose to go with the latter. She knew full well that deceiving Fubuki about their friendship would be impossible. That wasn't to say she had been hiding it, but it wasn't something the ESPer liked to draw attention to. But, given that it was her sister, Tatsumaki didn't mind opening up a little about the topic.

The only thing that troubled the older ESPer was how much she had condescended Fubuki about her friend group. Her younger sister was smart, and Tatsumaki knew hypocrisy wasn't a good look on her, so there was a solid chance the B-Class hero would jump on that argument.

Tatsumaki closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she shrugged indifferently. "So we're friends, big deal. Don't forget that he had other guests there, too."

"True," Fubuki agreed before countering, "but he spent most of the evening talking to you. He was a good host; he didn't ignore anyone and made sure all of his guests were included in conversation, but you can't deny that you were the focus of his attention."

Despite her calm outward demeanor, Fubuki's heart was beating quickly. Calling out Tatsumaki was a huge risk for her and Demon Cyborg's operation, but given that they were already on the subject, and that her big sister was being open with her, the younger ESPer doubted she would find a better time to push the topic.

Fubuki grabbed her mug and took a slow sip of coffee to hide her nerves while Tatsumaki stared back, seemingly having trouble deciding on whether to be dismissive or angry.

She set the nearly empty mug back down on the table and shifted uncomfortably in her chair, waiting several painful seconds before Tatsumaki's stare finally softened as she let out a small, held breath.

"Fubuki…" she drawled despondently, pressing her face into her hand "I already told you not to read into it. Whatever you-"

"I know," Fubuki interrupted, causing Tatsumaki to look up from her hand, "I just…It's good that you've made a friend."

Tatsumaki scrunched up her face in a look of confusion and detestation at the assertion.

Taking note of Tatsumaki's glare, Fubuki scrambled to elaborate. "Y-you keep telling me that I need to be more self-reliant…but if that's true, then YOU need to rely on others MORE." Fubuki leaned forward in her chair and looked at Tatsumaki with pleading, sympathetic eyes. "Big sis, I…I know you feel like you can't trust anyone, but…you don't have to go through life alone. If you-"

With a sudden fury, it was Tatsumaki's turn to interrupt as she propped herself up in the chair with her arms, bringing herself to meet Fubuki's pleading stare with one of frustration and contempt.

"I don't know where all this is coming from or why you're bringing it up all of a sudden, but let me stop you here. Do you think I'm some sort of avoidant idiot, Fubuki?" she asked rhetorically, a palpable bite in her voice. "I'm not some lonely sap who's having trouble making friends. I don't have friends because I don't NEED any!"

Fubuki began to shrink back into her seat at her sister's rising anger and form as the shorter ESPer began levitating above her younger sibling subconsciously, towering over her as she continued her rebuttal.

"I can take care of myself! I'm stronger than any monster and all but ONE hero; if they're not as strong or stronger than me, then they'll only serve to drag me down."

"Big sis," Fubuki returned, her voice timid and questioning, almost searching for permission to speak, "you-you're missing the point. I know you're strong; EVERYONE knows you're strong! Having friends is about more than whether or not they're powerful: it's about having someone to bring you up when you're down, and vice-versa! Friends bring you joy and energy; they're there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on; they're there to-"

"Fubuki," Tatsumaki interjected, speaking slowly as she glared down at the ESPer, her hands balled into fists at her sides, "are you seriously giving me FRIENDSHIP lessons? What am I, four years old?! Do you know how Goddamn insulting that is?" Her face contorted into a dangerous scowl as her slow and soft, but threatening tone ramped up into furious shouting. "I'm a grown woman, Fubuki, and I'm older than you! I've made my choices! I don't need lessons about friendship, I don't need you to tell me what to do, and I sure as Hell don't need you talking down to me like I'm a fucking child! If you- if…"

Tatsumaki's rant screeched to a sudden stop. Fubuki's fearful demeanor had quickly changed into one of disconsolate frustration, and she looked at Tatsumaki knowingly. The floating ESPer gently returned to her seat as she crossed her arms and pointed her eyes to the floor. Both were quiet for a moment before Tatsumaki broke the silence in a softer tone.

"Okay, that's not what I- I didn't mean- I just- I-" Getting no traction with her words, Tatsumaki stopped. She exhaled a partial sigh/growl of frustration, finding it difficult to reconcile her still burning anger with the embarrassment of the hypocrisy she had so confidently stormed into.

As her sister stared at the floor, searching desperately for a deflection, scapegoat, or explanation to excuse the ill-placed criticism, Fubuki took a deep breath in and out, releasing the tension in her clenched jaw. She wanted nothing more than to capitalize on the opportunity: that exceedingly rare moment when her older sister slipped, leaving herself open to retaliation. It would be easy and effective; Tatsumaki had already made her knowledge of her blunder obvious, so there would be no denying it.

Despite how easy it would be to rebuke her sister, and despite how badly she wished to do so, Fubuki decided to let it go.

"Not now," she thought as she stared at the short woman, who was now silent.

"Look," Fubuki started with a sigh, "all I'm trying to say is that the list of people Saitama is friends with is small; the list of people he seeks out for company is even smaller…"

Her eyes moved to the floor, focusing on nothing in the pause before she went on. "I've tried to make that list. I've spent time with him, invited him to my group, brought him gifts…and yet, despite all of that, he doesn't see me as anything more than an acquaintance, or sometimes even a nuisance."

Tatsumaki looked up at her sister. Fubuki's face read like a book; the feeling of dejection was evident and weighed heavy on her features. That look of dejection diminished slightly as she lifted her eyes to meet Tatsumaki's as she continued.

"Saitama is very picky about who he spends his time with, and on multiple occasions now, he's chosen to spend it with you."

Tatsumaki swallowed as she felt her heart skip a beat, and she twirled her hair with her powers absentmindedly.

"Big sis…you're on that list. Whether the feeling is mutual or not, he considers you a friend, so just…don't take it for granted, okay?"

Fubuki stared down at her sister, who averted her eyes as she waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Tatsumaki…" Fubuki said dishearteningly as she leaned in slightly.

"I won't!" Tatsumaki shouted, causing Fubuki to recoil back. "There, I said it! Now leave it alone!" She crossed her arms tightly as she glared at Fubuki.

"...Okay," the younger ESPer agreed shortly, her voice quiet and defeated. She picked up the coffee mug, turning it around in her hand to distract herself from the heat of her sister's words.

Tatsumaki let out a sigh before telepathically lifting the mug from Fubuki's hand, drawing the woman's eyes back up to her. Tatsumaki paused for a moment, waiting for their gazes to meet and lock in before speaking.

"Look, it may not seem like it, but I'm not taking that baldy for granted," she said sincerely, just a hint of playful sarcasm lining her words as her gaze softened. "You have your way of doing the whole "friend" thing, and I have mine, okay? So don't worry about it."

Fubuki was surprised at her sister's response, but found almost immediate clarity and understanding after processing it. "O-of course you do! Yes…I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were making friends wrong," she rambled apologetically, clasping her hands tightly as she spoke. "I'm just…trying to watch out for you, in the ways that I can, at least."

Tatsumaki was silent for a moment as she tried to come up with a response, or rather, tried to determine whether she felt insulted or grateful.

Despite her strong belief that she didn't require looking out for, the woman found herself appreciative of the gesture, and replied simply, "Well…thanks."

Fubuki beamed widely at her sister's response. Though the show of gratitude was far from exuberant or elaborate, its implications were great.

Tatsumaki returned the mug to Fubuki's hands and uncrossed her arms, hoping to move on from the uncomfortable, although admittedly wholesome, moment. To her displeasure, her sister was still beaming, holding her mug limply in her hands, seemingly unaware that Tatsumaki had returned it.

"Tch, can we talk about something else now, please?" Tatsumaki requested, feeling awkward under Fubuki's overly-enthused smile.

Fubuki let the grin fade, allowing her eyes and tone to portray the joy she felt instead. "Yeah," she replied, "...so, um, what other games do you think King enjoys?"

*4 days later*

The wind blew harshly against Tatsumaki's face as she raced to City-Y, protected only by the aura from her ESP. It was near midday; she had already been flying for a time before even seeing the outskirts of the city. As she neared, the ESPer scanned the ground for any signs of the invader.

A threat-level Dragon monster had been reported emerging in City-Y; Tatsumaki had been called to take care of it just minutes later. While it was the first time she would be encountering this particular monster, it wasn't new to the Hero Association. Named Hivemind Slither, the monster had shown up a few years prior, when the Hero Association was still gaining traction. That battle had been one of their first major victories, but had taken eight members from the S-Class to defeat the creature, and even then, they were only successful in driving it off. The monster's return had been expected, which is why the association was able to evacuate the nearby residents with such haste when signs of the monster's return were noticed.

The creature itself was different from most monsters, consisting of hundreds of large, snake-like creatures with sharp tails that would flail about, shoot up from the ground, and bite at whatever they could reach. Each of the ten-foot-long extremities were controlled by a single "mother", which would telepathically relay information to its "children". The snakes could all communicate and share information across themselves, and relayed instructions from the mother back and forth as they rampaged, making them incredibly difficult to surprise or sneak up on.

Given its telepathic nature, Tatsumaki's incredible power, and the fact that all other S-Class heroes were either busy or unresponsive, she was sent out to deal with it. Despite her confidence in her ability to defeat the monster, Tatsumaki was not taking the threat lightly. Sitch had made it clear that Hivemind Slither possessed a unique capacity to cause enormous damage to a city. The last time they had faced it, it had seemed to focus more on destruction, rather than killing, and given its biological structure, the area of damage it caused could spread very quickly if not contained. Despite the creature's objective, the evacuation of City-Y's denizens was still under way, so loss of life was a real possibility.

"There," she thought after making her way further into the city, spotting the tail-end of one of the snakes amidst the rubble of destroyed buildings.

A sizable area of the city had already been demolished, with towers, warehouses, and other structures lying in ruin. As she descended, Tatsumaki began to spot more of the snakes slithering about, burrowing in and out of the ground, leaving a wake of destruction.

While most heroes would begin pummeling or cutting up the extremities immediately, Tatsumaki had a different plan.

Thanks to the creature's telepathic capability, as an ESPer, she could find and lock onto its "frequency", find the location of each of the hive-mind's extremities, and kill the entire entity in one go. Doing so would take time, however, so in the meantime, she would do her best to mitigate the damage being done to the city.

"Of course, I could just flatten this whole area of the city and be done with it, but…" She shook the thought out of her head and focused on the task at hand.

The snakes seemed to be spread out across roughly a square mile, meaning that damage control would be difficult, but not impossible.

Raising her hand, Tatsumaki plucked a dozen of the snakes from the ground, trapping them each in their own bubble of telekinetic energy, rendering them harmless as they flailed about within. While she searched for and constrained more of the creatures, Tatsumaki committed some of her focus on "tuning in" to the correct frequency.

"No. No. No. No," she listed, continuing to scan the ground for hostiles. "No. No. No. N-shit!"

She dove quickly, the confining bubble around the captured snakes dissipating in her lapse in concentration as she only narrowly avoided being hit with an asphalt boulder. One of the snakes she had failed to spot had used its sharp tail to pierce a block of destroyed road and lob the black mass at her, doing so with surprising speed and accuracy.

As the released snakes escaped into the ground, Tatsumaki berated herself internally. "Duh! They all know what's happening to any of them. Going to have to be more careful."

Though wary of and prepared for their attacks, the snakes were more than wary of Tatsumaki, and many took a break from destruction to begin lobbing boulders at her. The ESPer quickly formed a translucent, protective bubble around herself to ward off any attacks, but found it rather difficult to concentrate on the variety of tasks at hand. Despite her incredible telekinetic power, multi-tasking was not her strong suit, as she usually just annihilated any monster she came across; juggling dozens of individual tasks at once was proving challenging.

As another large boulder hit her shield, she felt her concentration slip on several of the extremities, which fell to the ground and continued on with their rampage, targeting an undamaged part of the city.

"Shit!" she growled, as one tore through the walls of a clothing store, bringing the roof crumbling down before she had the chance to collect it.

Tatsumaki scanned the outskirts of the damaged area and began plucking the particularly destructive snakes from the ground, leaving the ones that were slithering about in the already damaged areas alone.

"Okay," she said through grit teeth, "I just need to hold off the more destructive ones while I- damn it!"

Because she had been so focused on damage prevention, Tatsumaki realized that her concentration on determining the monster's frequency had slipped, meaning she had gotten no closer to stopping the entire threat.

"Alright, let's put you down…here!"

With a pound of her fist mid-air, she brought the collected snakes together and slammed them into the ground, keeping them under a constant pressure while ensuring none died before locating the primary agent. If she were to start killing them, the rest may flee, which would only prolong the issue.

With her focus on a singular mass of creatures, rather than many individuals, Tatsumaki's focus was less divided, allowing her to resume the search. However, that venture was short lived, as her attention was quickly drawn towards the sound of a skyscraper crashing to the ground. At the base of the tower, she caught a glimpse of ten or so of the monsters retreating back into the Earth, having worked together to crush and ram through the building's structural supports. The skyscraper had fallen sideways, landing on its side atop a dozen other buildings, causing a plume of dust and debris to rise from beneath it.

"Fuck!" she shouted, straining to keep her search going as she apprehended the destructors and added them to the pile.

*shatter*

Tatsumaki let out a loud, frightened gasp as the shield around her broke. She had spread her focus too thin, leaving her vulnerable to the boulders lobbed her way. Slightly panicked, the ESPer restored her shield, quickly gathered up her assailants, and hurriedly moved them over to the pile. However, she realized all too late that the whole lot of the confined creatures had slipped out in her distraction and were headed toward the unscathed parts of the city.

With her shield back online and search ongoing, Tatsumaki scrambled to gather up the escaped snakes before they could cause any damage, but her efforts were largely in vain. The monsters had burrowed underground in all directions, swiftly made their way to the border of the damage, and continued to partake in their efficient demolition of the town.

Tatsumaki heard the crashes, scrapes, and booms of falling and colliding concrete, metal, and brick from all around her. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to fully contain the damage, which was spreading by the second.

As she plucked runaway snakes from the rubble, Tatsumaki was forced to watch an apartment complex crumble to the ground, sending debris flying in all directions. Any buildings nearby were either chipped and shattered, or destroyed completely under the weight of the wreckage.

Opposite the new destroyed apartment, she saw an elementary school collapse in on itself as the monster's extremities annihilated the interior supports.

A little ways to the left of the school, she caught a glance at the freshly demolished pile of wood that was once a local, family-owned restaurant that she and Fubuki had eaten at on several occasions.

"Where is that damn frequency?!" she screamed internally, her search still ongoing as she pulled dozens of the aggravated creatures away from the intact buildings.

*cr-cr-CRACK*

Tatsumaki spun around in alarm as an enormous, one-hundred story skyscraper began to tilt, its base surrounded and crushed by dozens of snakes that hurriedly fled into the ground.

"Shhhit…" she muttered as the building began to fall, threatening to destroy the 5 dozen buildings in its path.

She was spread too thin. She wouldn't be able to catch the building, at least not while she was concentrating on so many tasks.

Tatsumaki breathed deep. She took only a second to consider her options, the checklist coming in flashes, rather than sentences.

She had to keep the snakes confined to prevent further destruction. She had to keep searching for the right frequency to stop the threat as a whole. She had to stop the skyscraper from reaching the ground. She had to keep herself afloat. She had to keep herself shielded from attacks.

She didn't need the full shield.

As the massive skyscraper plummeted to the ground, Tatsumaki allowed the focus on her shield to slip, just partially, and poured whatever focus she had left into catching the falling building. Her surroundings disappeared from sight and all sounds faded into a white hum.

Tatsumaki held her breath as the translucent, green glow of her powers enveloped the structure, slowly bringing the building to a shaky halt as sweat leaked down her forehead and neck. Her arms outstretched, she slowly moved the enormous mass her way, away from the unscathed area and into the already demolished one.

But even through her extreme focus, the ESPer could sense the danger she was in.

*SLAM*

A boulder crashed against her weakened shield, cracking it.

*SLAM*

*SLAM*

*SLAM*

Boulder after boulder smashed into her normally impenetrable veil, weakening it with each successive blow.

"Come on..." she muttered through gritted teeth, "Just a little further…"

*SLAM*

Tatsumaki didn't need her eyes to know how little her shield had left in it.

*SLAM*

"Just…a bit-"

*Shatter*

"FUCK!" Tatsumaki bellowed hoarsely as her shield fell to pieces around her in the wake of a large rock.

The projectile, slightly hindered by its impact with the weakened shield, slammed into her arm, knocking her to the side as it followed its arc. Tatsumaki growled in pain as she breathed deep and grabbed her arm, feeling the blood spill out of the shallow tear in her flesh.

Her concentration broken, the now unconfined monsters managed to escape, fleeing back into the Earth. The ESPer would have been frustrated at their escape, but her attention was occupied instead with the now-unsupported skyscraper, which creaked and groaned as it plummeted to the ground.

Breathing hard, Tatsumaki let out a small, relieved laugh as she watched the building land in pre-damaged territory with a loud, resounding 'BOOM'.

"No time to celebrate," she muttered.

Ignoring the burning of her wound, Tatsumaki quickly raised a new protective shield to prevent further injury. With her safe-guard restored, Tatsumaki once again started the process of gathering up the escaped extremities as her search for the monster's telekinetic signature continued.

Tatsumaki wracked her brain relentlessly as she "tuned in" to frequency after frequency, none of them lending any indication as to whether her search was hot or cold. It was almost completely random; each wavelength she jumped to had only a slim chance at being the correct one. But she had to keep trying.

"Have to find it…"

She could feel the fervent struggles of the pinned extremities, desperate to get free and cause more mayhem.

"Have to find it…"

She could hear the destruction of houses, shops, and facilities occurring around her.

"Have to find it!...

She could feel the cold and calculated slamming of the rocks into her shield, each one sent with the intention of ending her life.

"God damn it! Where is- there!"

Tatsumaki's eyes shot open. She could feel them: each and every extremity and, most importantly, the mother. Each of their locations, shared between every individual, were revealed to her, and they knew it. At the realization of their discovery, the monsters scrambled to dig their way into the ground, wanting to put as great a distance between them and the ESPer as possible, but it was of no use.

In synchronicity, Tatsumaki grabbed and paralyzed each individual, holding them for only a moment to ensure she had them all, before slamming her fist shut.

*SPLURCH*

In an instant, Tatsumaki felt the thoughts, desires, and feelings of hundreds of beings suddenly cease as the sound of fleshy monsters being crushed into marbles echoed out across the destroyed city. Purple-green blood spewed out from each entity, coating any and all surrounding rubble in the colorful liquid.

With the huff of a held breath, Tatsumaki dropped the flesh-marbles and descended to the floor, taking a seat on a nearby slab of stone. Her breathing was heavy, her heart racing, throat dry; her arm burned with a dull throbbing, and her head felt heavy and full.

She sat quietly for a few minutes, just taking in the sight of the demolished area.

She was beyond desensitized to the sight of such destruction, but this time, oddly enough, she found herself rather moved by the mess around her. As her eyes passed over one destroyed building after another, the tired ESPer couldn't help but think of the people who called the now destroyed buildings home or work, and how they would have to find somewhere else to reside and make a living. She thought about all of the work that had gone into building the area and how much work it would take to rebuild it.

Tatsumaki wasn't frustrated by the feeling as much as she was intrigued. It wasn't so much that she felt pity or grief for the victims of the destruction, but rather, it was an understanding she hadn't fully grasped before.

As her gaze lingered on the skyscraper she had eased down and the hundred of other buildings she had saved from demolition, Tatsumaki felt a well of pride bubble up inside her. Of course, lives saved were always good, and no lives lost was even better, but she had saved more than lives. Each building she had preserved was a family that wouldn't have to relocate, a dozen people that evaded unemployment, four months of rebuilding prevented…It had come at a cost, though.

Not only had the fight taken longer and been more strenuous than when she employed her usual tactics, she had even suffered a relatively serious injury in the fray, and it could have been worse. But even so, Tatsumaki found herself pleased with the new, more careful approach.

The fight itself had been more engaging than usual; the extra priorities tacked onto the standard of "kill the monster" made for a more interesting, more challenging battle, a fact reinforced by the pleasant hum of exertion in her head.

Tatsumaki sighed a sigh of satisfaction.

"Well, they're probably gonna beg for my help cleaning all this up…better get a bandage first."

And with that, she lifted from her seat, and headed to the nearest hospital.

Superalloy Darkshine breathed heavily, struggling to draw in enough oxygen amidst the warm, moist air of the coast of City-L. After more than six hours of constant, vigorous fighting, his muscles were enervated and nearing exhaustion. Bullets of sweat streaked down his built, mostly-lustrous body, which was still stained from his battle against the monster "Gums".

Opposite him stood his opponent: a skinny, medium-height man wearing dark pants, a black shirt, and a tan overcoat. The man's short, brown hair fell just above his eyes, and was drenched in sweat.

In comparison to Darkshine, the man's breathing was deep, but controlled, and he held himself upright despite his evident fatigue.

The large, coastal cave the two occupied was in partial-ruin. The walls of the cave were gouged from the impacts of Darkshine's charging attacks and boulders he had used as projectiles layed strewn about the space.

"The Hero Association…*huff*...wasn't kidding. You…*huff*...you really are strong," Darksine complemented with a small smile, attempting to catch his breath as he spoke. "I have to …*huff*...know your name."

The man in the coat looked back at Darkshine and offered a small smile of his own. "Can't…*huff*...give you that. Sorry." He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and breathed deep. "Now, are we going to finish this?"

"Still not answering…*huff*...my questions, huh?...Alright then, mystery man, let's get this done" the hero said with a shrug, taking a deep breath of his own and standing up straight. "Those powers are impressive; how long do you think you can keep them up for?"

"From the looks of it, longer than you," the man replied, his smile fading into a serious, calculating glare.

Darkshine allowed his smile to drop in turn, replacing it with a determined stare as he replied, "Hey, these muscles never quit!"

"Well, that may not be entirely up to you…" the man retorted cryptically as he raised his open hands in a readied stance.

Without another word, Darkshine rushed forward with his arms crossed, attempting once again to tackle the man. Surrounded by a blue, telekinetic light, the man used his powers to propel himself just out of Darkshine's path, sending the hero straight into the cavern wall.

"We've been through this," the ESPer said in an irritated tone, "that's not going to-"

Cutting the man off, Darkshine emerged sprinting from the ten-foot-deep tunnel he had bore into the stone, his fist cocked back, triceps and deltoids quivering from exertion and stored potential energy.

Unperturbed by the sudden reappearance of his foe, the mysterious man quickly erected a shimmering, blue barrier between himself and Darkshine, only a moment before the punch connected.

While Darkshine's earlier, more powerful punches had cracked the ESPer's barrier, in his fatigue, they now had no effect at all.

The hero let out a surprised and frustrated growl as he reared his fist back for another punch, when he began to feel a hot pain in his shoulder and looked to find the ESPer's blue aura emanating from the spot.

"What the Hell are you doing?!" Darkshine shouted as he followed through on the punch, which was subsequently blocked by the mysterious man.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" he asked rhetorically through the shield.

Darkshine glared at the ESPer as he felt more of his muscles begin to tense up. The tension worked its way from his shoulders, to his forearms, down his torso, and all the way to his legs. Within seconds, his entire body emitted the faint, blue light of his adversary's telekinetic powers, and the strain was quickly increasing.

Pushing through the growing tautness, Darkshine launched a series of punches and elbows at the man, slamming rapidly into the shield in an attempt to break it and gain access to the frail human behind it.

The ESPer blocked the attacks with ease, and as Darkshine went for another tackle, the man merely lifted himself out of the way of the assault, sending the S-Class careening once again into the cavern wall.

Darkshine emerged from the cave with a groan of pain, not from the impact, but from his now cramping muscles. The tautness was evident; his muscles had begun to contort into tight balls of flesh and twitched sharply. The hero struggled to extend his arms and legs, and couldn't control the erratic shaking resulting from his resistance to their contortion.

"Wh-what are you doing to my muscles?" Darkshine asked as he fell to his knees with a guttural cry.

"Oh, don't tell me you've never had a cramp before?" the man answered sarcastically as he continued his telekinetic assault on Darkshine, the blue light now glowing bright in the wake of the ESPer's influence.

"I have…but not…not like- argghhh!"

He cried out in pain as his muscles gave in, no longer able to resist the horrible tension they were under. Darkshine fell to the cave floor, twitching and groaning in agony as his whole body seized, each of his muscles profoundly tight and painfully compact.

The ESPer watched for nearly a minute as Darkshine spasmed in place before approaching him, taking a knee to look him directly in the eye.

"If it's any consolation, you're the toughest opponent I've faced from the Association thus far, and I hold you in the highest regard. But please…have the association send someone stronger next time."

With that, his muscles completely enervated after hours of fighting and minutes of excruciating contortion, Darkshine finally succumbed to exhaustion, and fell into the relief of unconsciousness.