It had been roughly two weeks since Saitama had become The Doom Slayer's disciple… Two weeks… And Saitama was still alive. You could call that an impressive feat, but after you heard the training that The Slayer had given Saitama, you'd think that was just standard strength training. Well… for most, it sure seemed that way. But, Saitama on the other hand, saw this as something that could help him tremendously. Something that could push him, sure The Doom Slayer could put him through something more intense, like… maybe fighting some demons, or something to that effect.
It was during these two weeks that Saitama ended up staying at the Fortress of Doom for a while. He didn't have any rented out homes and until then, he stayed in the orbital fortress. This led to Saitama training harder than ever, especially in front of his Mentor, who would observe his Disciple's training and how he handled the situations. At first, Saitama had so much difficulty in the first few days. But… He pushed himself, harder and harder. Each day was more difficult than the next. Yet, Saitama never relented.
And, it was during these two weeks that Saitama actually managed to impress the Doom Slayer. Not his strength, but his refusal to give up. Many humans would just stop on the fifth day of intense training such as this. And yet… Saitama showed his determination through impressive unrelenting spirit and will. An attribute that Doom Slayer and his disciple seemed to share.
The Slayer, however, refrained from speaking to Saitama. Dr. Hayden was normally the one to have conversations with the young man. VEGA too, who Saitama ended up nicknaming the AI, AI Guy. Which didn't seem to bother VEGA all that much.
But… The Slayer was starting to see Hayden get more and more comfortable around Saitama… Almost like attachment. The Slayer was very aware they could not get attached to Saitama, it would without a doubt cause problems. If he died, that meant another person that Doom Slayer cared about would be lost. He had already lost so much back home… He didn't want to feel that again. Dr. Hayden had never experienced that kind of loss. So for him to get more and more conversed with Saitama would largely cause problems. And yet, The Slayer could see just how similar he and Saitama were.
Yet, the similarities never changed how The Slayer viewed Saitama. He just saw Saitama as nothing more than a form of entertainment. Granted, it was a harsh view, but this was not The Slayer's Home. This was not his world. He wasn't meant to get attached to the humans here. Only to kill the demons that spread throughout the Multiverse. And frankly that was all he cared about. Killing the demons to avenge what was taken from him.
Saitama had just finished doing his 10 kilometer run, he had a towel over the back of his neck. He also managed to get a change of clothes, such as getting a track suit from an old man at a Tailor Shop down in a small area of City Z. Saitama had gone shopping every now and again to get some food and a change of clothes. Though he was poor, he ended up introducing the world's currency to VEGA. Who actually ended up creating the currency in the trillions. Making exact copies of the money and having it at Saitama's disposal should he need to get more supplies for himself and his stay. Saitama had never seen so much Yen and cash in his entire 22 years of life… The money was real too. But, even with all this currency, Saitama stuck to buying the cheap food. Mostly the food on sales. When he didn't go shopping and was out in the city, he ended up getting some food to eat out. Usually getting a 150 Gram Steak. Sometimes he bought two for later or for his master. Despite The Doom Slayer refusing the food. Saitama continued to buy two Steaks whenever he went out and was near that restaurant.
As the two weeks progressed, Saitama had learnt a lot about Dr. Hayden and the Doom Slayer. Not everything, keep that in mind, there was still a lot that Dr. Hayden has kept from Saitama due to attachment reasons. But Dr. Hayden was telling him just enough to where he understood the situation and a little bit about Dr. Hayden himself.
The first thing that was explained was why they were here on Earth. This Earth particularly. Dr. Hayden explained that Demons from a Hell far outside this Realm's Universe, were invading multiple worlds throughout the multiverse. Consuming the souls and transporting them to another region of unknown space. The Doom Slayer was here to kill them, while Dr. Hayden traveled with the Slayer to assist and give aid to the Slayer when and if he needed it.
Whenever Saitama asked about the Slayer, Dr. Hayden would answer that he knew little to nothing personally about the Slayer, saying that The Slayer hardly ever spoke with words but still found ways to communicate. He also went on to say that when he and Saitama first met and was accepted as his disciple, it was the first time Dr. Hayden had ever heard the Slayer speak. Which definitely caught Saitama's attention and interest. Saitama then asked how long he had worked with the Slayer, of course, it was VEGA who answered the question saying that Dr. Hayden had worked with the Slayer for over 50 years. Whilst VEGA had worked with the Slayer for double that. Saitama was shocked to hear this and asked how old the Doom Slayer was. This was answered in the form of claiming The Slayer was an immortal being, unable to die of age, as far as Dr. Hayden was aware. The Slayer was centuries old, unable to specify how many centuries. But even then, that wasn't entirely necessary to know.
The second thing they talked about was how the Demons are completely invulnerable to any and all attacks other than Argent Energy. Which, from what Saitama could understand, It was Hell Energy and something called Maykr energy combined into one. And was one of the most powerful forms of energy known to the Multiverse. It was what prevented the Demons from dying, making them stronger, faster, smarter, and overall, deadlier. This phrase was spoken several times throughout the previous chapters, but it's to help you, the readers, understand what Argent Energy has done to these demons.
Saitama wondered how the Slayer was able to kill them, especially with that shotgun of his. Dr. Hayden explained that the Slayer himself infused Argent Energy with practically all his weapons, including his own suit. Whereas now, his weapons had the capability to kill the demons permanently.
Saitama also asked why his master used guns if he was so powerful. Dr. Hayden explained that The Slayer wears both the suit and uses the weapons to challenge himself. It was an essential nerf to be honest. Saitama was shocked and asked if he was really that strong. Dr. Hayden said that the Preator Suit 2.0, reduced his maximum power output by 20%. Meaning he could only use a maximum of 20% of his strength. And the guns were something that the Slayer found entertaining and fun. Saitama began to ponder on how one could have so much strength that they would need to find ways to make themselves physically weaker in order to make it something far more challenging. But despite this, Saitama continued with his ongoing goal to become a Strong Hero that can send villains flying with One Punch.
And this is where Saitama began his talk. Saitama explained that he never really was successful in life, whether it be school or getting a job. He claimed that meeting The Doom Slayer was beginning to change his life. And for the better.
"You believe so, Saitama?" Dr. Hayden asked, quite curious. The two were currently in the main lobby where The Slayer would use the Portal to go into multiple locations on the planet, as well as the known universe.
"Believe so… I know so. If I hadn't met you guys, I'd still be looking for a job or I'd be on the streets scrounging around for crumbs. Because of you, AI Guy, and Doomguy, these past two weeks have been very different for how they could've gone," Saitama said as he took a bite of a banana. He'd bought a couple when he went out shopping and visited the Tailor whenever he went to buy a tracksuit for training.
"Well, you have shown persistence and great determination to improve yourself. Though, I still see this as only standard strength training. But perhaps that is not why the Slayer is making you do these exercises," Dr. Hayden said as he looked over a Terminal, examining data and watching the Slayer through his drones that he would send out to observe and examine the fights the Slayer had with the demons. It was to get valuable data to produce battle strategies and create counters for the demons who grew stronger every day.
"You think so? Why do you think he's giving me all this when anybody can pull what I'm doing?" Saitama asked curiously as he swallowed the piece of banana in his mouth.
"I have my theories, but none are confirmed. It could be that the Slayer is trying to get you in physical shape before continuing on to more harsh and dangerous training. Or perhaps, he wants to see if you can handle standard strength training and continue on with persistence. So far, you've shown to never relent when you go through these exercises. An impressive feat to say the least, for someone of your level… Apologies, that came off rude," Dr. Hayden said, once he realized what he said in the end, he turned back towards Saitama to apologize. But the supposed Hero for Fun simply put his hand up to stop what he was saying.
"Nah, it's cool, I mean if you really think about it, I was a nobody before coming across you guys. That still hasn't really changed since it's been two weeks of this, I still got a full six months of doing all this until I get to where my Mentor wants me… Come to think of it, He's not really the cheerful type, I mean, it's been two weeks and I haven't heard him talk… Not since he first met me, is that a regular thing?" Saitama asked curiously and once he did, he took another bite of the banana.
Dr. Hayden turned back to the terminal and watched as The Doom Slayer ripped a Demon vertically in half.
"The Slayer wasn't very social when I met him fifty one years ago. But, I could tell he was grieving, what that grief was… or… is, still remains a mystery to me. Whenever I ask why he hasn't spoken since he has the capability to speak, he normally remains unresponsive and proceeds to ignore my presence. Whatever the demons did to him, it emotionally scarred him for eternity. His unbound rage is heavily against the demons, why that is… still piques my interest to this day," Dr. Hayden said as he watched The Slayer return to his tactics of weapons and proceed to annihilate the rest of the demons in the area.
Saitama gave it some thought. His mentor had been alive for centuries according to Dr. Hayden and VEGA, meaning he'd seen some shit. Probably more than that. To be alive that long is one thing, but to live forever, probably means that the people around you slowly die… Leaving you alone and angry. Even though Doomguy didn't appear to need to worry about that with Dr. Hayden and VEGA, since they themselves could not physically age and die of those causes. And for his Mentor to have such rage against the demons… Whatever they did to him, they earned his wrath for centuries. And even now, he doesn't relent.
"I see… sounds like he has it rough. I don't know what they did, but it sounds like those demon guys made him mad enough to tear them apart like that," Saitama said as he watched his Master fight and destroy the demons in the small forest area.
"Yes, I can agree. What they did remains unknown, but… I would not bring this up with The Slayer. He does nothing to me because he relies on me. You on the other hand, I would be careful with what you say or do around him. He doesn't particularly let out anger on humans, but with you being his disciple, that could be different," Dr. Hayden said, expressing his worry.
"Nah, I'm not worried, and don't worry, I'll be careful around him. The guy's still a mystery to me but he's helping me become stronger so… I don't really have a lot of bad things to say," Saitama said as he took one last bite of the banana and finished it.
"That is good to hear, Saitama, now, you should probably move on to your next part of the training. Tomorrow marks week three. How are you currently feeling at the moment?" Dr. Hayden asked. Saitama took the towel off his neck.
"Exhausted, tired, and beat. The training is a lot harder when you do it all in one sitting, especially when you don't quit, but I'll get back to it tomorrow," Saitama said as he walked away from the room.
"Get some rest, Saitama, tomorrow will continue as usual," Dr. Hayden said as Saitama slowly left the room.
"Yep, Thanks, Dr. Hayden, I'll see you in the morning," Saitama said as he disappeared out of sight and ear range.
"Opening the portal now," VEGA said as the portal in the front of the ship opened up. Coming through the swirling vortex was The Doom Slayer, holding half of a Demon in his hand as it tried to break free from the Slayer. It seemed to be an imp, and it was barely alive. But not for long.
The Slayer then crushed the demon's head in his hand, causing the upper half of its body to go limp. The Slayer dropped the corpse as it fizzled away into red flames.
The Slayer approached the terminal on the right side of the small area. Swiping through the data and seeing if there were any hordes of Demons in the uninhabitable locations.
"The demons seem to be sticking to organizing in the small areas that aren't inhabited by humans. This is unusual demonic behavior as they are normally drawn to largely populated areas. Why they choose to go in the less densely populated regions, still remains unknown. But, it's safe to assume that these demons are far more active and in larger numbers. They seem more organized and in tactical pairs. The demons in this world are acting as though they are taking orders from someone or something, like they are purposely staying hidden until the time is right," Dr. Hayden said to the Slayer. The Slayer remained unresponsive to Dr. Hayden's analysis on the demons. Clearly, the demons were very interested in this world. For what reason was unknown, but to The Doom Slayer, it didn't matter. The demons would be ripped and torn one way or another. The Slayer would not relent.
"As for your student, he has shown rather impressive determination and persistence. I don't believe I've seen many humans that have his level. It's comparable to that of your own," Dr. Hayden said as he turned to look back at the Slayer. Who ended up pausing, slowly looking at Dr. Hayden without turning his body. A similar attitude he'd been giving recently. Every time Dr. Hayden brought up something when it came to Saitama, it got his attention in the same manner. The Slayer turned back to the terminal and began to type with one hand.
Where is he?
"He's resting right now. Today marks the end of the second week and tomorrow will mark the beginning of his third. He sounds exhausted, but he has nothing negative to say about it. If anything, he is grateful that you gave him this opportunity. According to his words of course," Dr. Hayden said. The Slayer looked back at the terminal, however, not looking directly at it but seemingly thinking. Staring at nothing and more of giving himself some thought.
The Slayer then began typing something. However, it wasn't displayed on the terminal. It looked like a message to VEGA. After a few moments of Slayer typing, he finished. The message was processed and was sent into VEGA's data.
"Of Course, I will have the portal ready when you retrieve him, Slayer," VEGA said. The Slayer took his hands off the terminal and went to where Saitama had supposedly taken the rest of the day off. After completing his training for the day of course. Dr. Hayden watched as the Slayer silently left, he turned his attention back to the Terminal that displayed the data of the Slayer's most recent skirmish, he began to download it to his mainframe to analyze it for later use.
It sounded like Saitama's second week wasn't finished just yet.
Further within the Fortress of Doom…
Saitama had took to making his own little space in one of the chambers of The Fortress of Doom. Using it as a small bedroom. It consisted of a decent sized bedroll, a small cactus for decoration, and then a window that overlooked Earth. The view was beautiful, and Saitama found it kinda wild to look at the Planet like this. But for right now, Saitama was passed out in his bedroll. His eyes closed and snored loudly. He definitely needed sleep. While within the chamber, the room was dark, the only light he got was from the sun that peaked over Earth.
The chamber door suddenly opened, yet even the loud shifting sounds of gears didn't stir Saitama from his sleep. The Slayer then walked in and looked down to see his Disciple trying to get some rest. But, now was as good a time as ever to get him into more training. The Slayer was holding an airhorn in his hand. He then shook it heavily. And blew it.
HHHHHOOOOONNNNKKKK
The ear piercing and loud honk filled the entire room. This sound caused Saitama to jerk awake with red veins in his eyes and black sacks in his eyes.
"AAAAHH! I'M AWAKE!" Saitama shouted to himself. However, once the adrenaline dosed down, he slumped on his back a little, hunching over as his eyes were heavy and tired. He looked up to whoever made that sound and saw his Mentor standing right there. Saitama could feel his adrenaline skyrocket straight to his brain.
"Oh! Uh, Master… Uhm, What uh… What is it?" Saitama asked. Saitama was also in his blue pajama suit at the moment and he was incredibly tired.
"The Slayer has an exercise practice for you, he'd like to see how far you've progressed within these last two weeks," The Voice of VEGA said in the room. Saitama looked up at the ceiling tiredly. And then back to his master. Seriously? Now?
Saitama, however, was not one to back down nor show relent. He'd been persistent this entire two weeks and he wasn't about to stop now. So, Saitama threw the bedroll off him and got up from the bed. His body was achy, and he was tired. Saitama then slipped on his sweaty track uniform. Once The Slayer saw he was ready, he slowly walked back into the main room. With Saitama exhaustingly following suit.
The walk was very silent, slightly awkward. For Saitama at least. For Doom Slayer, he appreciated the quietness. He didn't really need pestering questions. At least that was something his disciple had. Something that he appreciates he supposed.
The Slayer and Saitama made it back to the main room where the portal would take place. Dr. Hayden seemed to have left the room. Probably went to analyze all the collected data within another part of the Fortress. Somewhere quiet and private.
The voice of Vega was then heard.
"Hello, Saitama, The Slayer has a new exercise for you. He recommends that this happens every two weeks to push your body as much as possible," VEGA said, explaining the intentions of The Doom Slayer's actions with Saitama. Saitama looked up at the ceiling, listening to The AI's words. He then looked back at The Slayer who walked towards the middle of the room where the terminals were and began writing down on a piece of paper. After a few short moments of The Slayer writing something down. He turned back to Saitama and handed him the piece of paper.
Saitama took it and began reading it.
Buy enough food to last throughout the next two weeks from different supermarkets across 3 cities. You will be timed. Two Supermarkets per city. That is an equivalent of 6 supermarkets with enough food that lasts two weeks. This food is for you. Do this within more than 3 hours.
This is what the note said… Damn… This was starting to get a lot more interesting to say the least.
Saitama looked to his mentor and was definitely kinda taken back by the sudden exercise. This would definitely push his body to his limits.
The Slayer stared at Saitama. This would be a test on multiple levels. One, Speed, that was the obvious one. If Saitama could do this within 3 hours across three cities and carry all the food around at the same time, this would increase his speed by tremendous amounts. The second is problem solving, this one was where Saitama would need to use his mental intelligence to decide on how much food he needed to buy for the next two weeks and split that between six supermarkets with buying too much or too little. Thirdly, utilizing his body when it is already extremely exhausted. The Slayer wanted to see if Saitama was capable of pushing his body to high extensions. And lastly, this was a way for Saitama to get his food for the next two weeks until they repeated this process again to resupply. The Slayer did not have any time to go and buy a bunch of food for his disciple, so he would have to work for it to get it.
"Alright, Let's do it," Saitama said with determination. The Slayer stared at Saitama for a few more moments until he slowly gestured his head for Saitama to get ready. Saitama obliged as he walked down towards where the portal would open.
"Readying the Portal now. Saitama, you have a maximum of 3 hours to complete this exercise. Should you get under that, you will meet The Slayer's expectations. If the time goes over that, a portal will open for you, and for the next two weeks, the only food you will have to eat is what you purchase from the supermarkets," VEGA said as Saitama readied himself, getting into a semi-sprinting stance.
"Opening the Portal in 3…" The AI continued on. Saitama got ready a little more. But before that, The Slayer gave Saitama a high tech metal casing. Handing it to him. Saitama looked at it slightly confused. He grabbed it and saw a note on the top of the case. It read, Do not lose this.
Saitama looked at it and felt a slight shiver course through his spine. The Slayer walked back towards the terminals.
"2… 1…" VEGA finished, and just like that, a swirling vortex opened up. The timer started, and Saitama took off. Going in a full sprint straight through the portal.
Let the Training Commence…
