AN: Helloooo! And welcome back! Once again, sorry for the long hiatus. I'm working as hard as I possibly can to get this story finished, but to be honest, I'm a little shaken by how many people actually like it. It's sort of added a little pressure to actually do something good with what I've gotten down already, so I'm growing more and more self-conscious about posting these updates, lol!

This is why I've gotten myself a BETA reader. I owe a huge thank you to El-Cato for helping me out with that! They're a wonderful person to work with and an aspiring author themselves! So, I'd love to recommend you their own take on the SaiTatsu romance titled 'PEACE'. Highly recommended!

Now, as for this chapter, I have a bit of a disclaimer. This chapter and the next one were originally one in the same, but as you guys know I've got a pretty bad habit of disregarding the word count. I know many of you don't mind the super long chapters, but personally, I feel like it can be a bit fatiguing, so I split them in two, and the next chapter is already mostly written. I'm still working on the ending, and I've yet to give it a proper read-through for any errors, but it's near completion. So, I'd say expect it sometime within the next two weeks... which is a pretty broad time frame, haha!

Also, we hit a milestone since the last chapter, and I'm so glad the person responsible was as excited for it as I was! We are officially at 1000 reviews (1006 as of writing this) which is absolutely insane! Thank you to every single one of you who have left me feedback (good or bad) I appreciate you guys taking the time, and I hope you continue to do so!

Also also! Apparently this is being posted on the two-year anniversary of the r/Saitatsumaki subreddit! Not a bad time to make a come back, I'd say! Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.

The next morning, Tatsumaki awoke from an indescribable dream. Her eyes fluttered open to an ocean of white sheets that spread across her mattress; shifting, like waves, when she stretched her body out with a groan. She rolled over to her back and blinked away the morning confusion that always hit her like a truck.

Then, the second she realized that the sting in her eyes was from the intruding rays of sunlight, the first smile of the day settled in on her face.

She took a deep breath and let it out in a shaky sigh when she sat up. Her room was a mess; the aftermath of her panic from the night before to find something to wear. She shivered at the cold air and looked down at what she had cradled against her chest. To her surprise, it was the One-Punch-Man plushy toy that Saitama had given her in lieu of a prize after that little practice date.

"h-What the hell?" she chuckled, throwing it away. She caught it with her power before it went too far and just let it hover in the air. It, ironically, looked like it was flying.

To be clear, she wasn't a psycho or anything. She didn't sleep with a plushy of her crush every night. It usually just sat on her desk. 'I guess I never put it back last night.' It found its way into her hands when she was texting Saitama about the plan for their date.

Maybe it was the cause of that strange dream she just had. As the moments passed, the specifics got fuzzy, but it was almost like she was at the date, already. Only, in a bizarre alternate universe where everyone they knew seemed to have a job at the park they decided to go to. So their night was filled with awkward encounters where they desperately tried to avoid being noticed. Hopefully, that wasn't some kind of psychic premonition. She didn't want to hide from anyone, tonight... though they did agree on disguises. That was unavoidable considering there aren't any 'hero-only' theme parks. It was an unfortunate obstacle, especially when it came to picking her outfit, but not even that would ruin this day.

The only thing that could possibly sour it was–

(BZZT! BZZZZT!)

She glanced over to her phone when it started vibrating, and the caller ID forced an annoyed sigh out of her. "Hurgh... Fubuki."

(1 hour later)

"You're going to apologize!" the leader of the Blizzard Bunch said in a stern tone, watching her sister float around her office with her head in her phone.

"Mmm, nope."

"Yes, you are! You KNOW that was super uncalled for! She literally just wanted to be your friend and you accuse her of scheming!?"

"Because she was scheming," Tatsumaki shrugged. "It was way too obvious."

"No, she wasn't! She didn't even know if you were actually friends with Saitama, did you know that!?"

Tatsumaki scoffed under her breath and shook her head. Fubuki had been at it since she got there ten minutes ago. One would figure she'd realize her words weren't getting through.

"a-And, even if that WAS her plan, that doesn't mean that she was USING me! Why is it so hard to believe that she just genuinely likes me and wants to be my friend!?"

"It's too convenient, Fubuki," she said in a dismissive tone. "If you can't see that, then you're as naive as ever."

"That doesn't mean anything! Sometimes things are convenient!" she yelled. "Like the man you're in love with living right across the hall!"

"Mhm-hm-hm!" Tatsumaki giggled like a schoolgirl and playfully swam through the air. "Shut up! I am not 'in love' with him, and that's not the point. She was clearly trying way too hard to be friends with me. It was actually pretty creepy."

"Because she wanted to be your friend!" Fubuki belted in an exasperated tone. "Oh my gosh! You don't always have to be so defensive all the time!"

"Keh, yeah, well being defensive is how I managed to raise a brat like you, in case you forgot~!" She playfully swooped around the room and plucked her sister's hair on the way by.

Fubuki swatted her hand away. "Okay, yeah! But... I'm an adult now, so you don't have to keep looking out for me! I really like Love, and... sh-she's my friend, now. So... I guess you're just gonna have to not like it."

"Hmh, really?"

"Yeah," Fubuki replied with a stern nod. "Really..."

Tatsumaki met her sister's stubborn glare with a curious grin. No matter how old she got, she could never see past that cute little face of hers; so naive and full of hope, no matter what the situation appeared to be...

She sighed and gave her an understanding smile. Not because she understood, but because she literally could not wipe it from her face, today. "Fine."

"Uh-!" Fubuki gasped. She didn't expect that to go so well. In her head, she was already calculating how much the repairs were gonna cost for everything she broke in her fit of rage... Yet, somehow, this was more worrying. "Really...? That's okay?"

"Yup!" Her tone was eerily bright. "Not like you'd listen to me if I told you otherwise, right?"

"It's not a bad decision! Stop making it sound like a bad decision! Love is absolutely harmless! She's jus-... She's just really nice, okay?"

"Pfft!" Tatsumaki rolled her eyes.

"And do you not see how great of an opportunity this is for us!? I mean, she is the girl you're so afraid is gonna steal Saitama's heart from you, right?"

"Oh-hoh! Hoh-haha!" she laughed. "h-Yeah. I'm absolutely terrified."

Fubuki narrowed her gaze, curiously. Why was that so funny, now? Just yesterday it was an absolute nightmare scenario to her. "Okay, what the hell is wrong with you, today!?"

"Ah-haha! What!?" she yelled back, still giggling like a maniac.

"Why the hell are you all happy and crap all of a sudden!?"

"Huh!? I'm not!" she protested, despite the contradicting smile still splitting her face.

"Yes, you are!" Fubuki countered. "If you're not, then stop smiling, right now..."

Tatsumaki smacked her teeth and rolled her eyes. "Hoh, my gosh. I-..." She shook her head and tried to bite it down, but it was hurting her cheeks even trying, and when she turned back to see her sister's intense look of focus, she broke. "Pfft, hahaha! Stop making that face, you idiot!"

"Ah-hahah! What!?" Fubuki broke, too. "No, this is not normal. What the heck happened?"

"Nothing!" Tatsumaki denied, happily swimming over to her open window. "I just had a good breakfast, I guess."

"Heh, Tatsumaki~!" Fubuki whined in a begging way. "Come on~! Tell me what it is~! Is it Saitama related?"

"eh-heh! No!" she lied. "Why is me being happy so weird!? Sometimes, I'm just happy, okay!?"

"Ah-haha! WhAt!?" she exclaimed. "That is–definitely news to me!"

"Pfft, shut up," she waved her off. "If you must know, it's because... I just had this hilarious dream last night."

Fubuki raised a curious brow. "A dream? About what?"

Tatsumaki turned back to the ceiling and nervously hid her lips behind her phone. "About... what our first date might be like."

"mh-!" Fubuki gasped. Her look of shock soon melted into a tearful pout when her running thoughts caught up with the moment. "Awww...! You had a Saitama dream!?"

"Shut up!" Tatsumaki protested, curling up into a ball to hide her smile.

"That's so cute! You have to tell me what happened!"

"No!"

"Tatsumaki~!"

"Amazing," Child Emperor muttered in an awe-inspired tone as he watched an absolute master at work. Dr. Kuseno was connecting their completed upgrades with Genos' very human parts. For someone who had only ever worked with connecting metal to metal, he was floored by how easily the old man mended flesh and technology. It was like a whole new science.

Saitama stepped up behind him, snacking on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, his usual snack when stopping by the lab of the young genius. "Looksh pretty good," he said with a mouthful. "A lot shh-licker."

"Yeah, it's a very compact metal, but I was actually talking about the Doctor's skill."

"Hoh, please," Dr. Kuseno waved him off. "You flatter me. I'm more impressed at your work than my own. For someone so young, the complexity of your design is impressive, and your application was even more impeccable to witness firsthand."

"Hah, thanks!" Child Emperor chirped. "But, to be honest, without you, there's no way I could've gotten this done. h-I mean, you actually found a way to take that volatile energy and meld it within the flow of his main core, giving him a boundless amount of ever growing power! You could actually win some kind of scientific prize for this!"

"Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh!" the old man laughed, heartily. "Well, the work is not mine, alone, to claim, is it...? It's ours."

The two chuckled and admired their work some more while they continued to pass compliments back and forth. Saitama watched them shamelessly gloat with a confused look. '... Well, it was my idea.'

(PSHHHH!)

The sound of a steamy hiss brought his attention back to his mechanical student. The wires and tubes hooked up to his new body were starting to dislodge themselves as Genos stirred awake.

The first thing the cyborg noticed was the light from the overhead lamp blaring in his eyes. Then, when things began to focus, he could hear the chattering voices of Doctor Kuseno and Child Emperor immediately pestering him for information. Their voices were muffled and dwarfed beneath a loud screech like the whine of a radio shifting between stations. He sat up on the edge of the metal table and let his new feet dangle over the side. Then, slowly but surely, his bearings began fading in, and the first voice he heard with a good amount of clarity was the mouth-filled voice of the man he admired most.

"Hey, Genosh... you there?"

"Master," he replied, shaking the last of the dizziness away before looking down at his opened palm. "I'm... I'm here, I..."

Saitama took another bite of his sandwich and watched him test out his every limb in great detail. "Sh-o, how do you feel?"

Genos rolled his neck out and considered his initial analysis. "I... I feel lighter."

"Heh, well that's great!" Child Emperor chirped in, typing away at the laptop on his lap. "Because you're actually about 75 pounds heavier."

"What do you think?" Saitama asked. "Pretty cool birthday gift, right?"

"It's–amazing, Master, but it's not my birthday."

"oh-..! i-I know that!" Saitama stammered. "But this is a big gift, so just consider it an early birthday present."

"It's not for five months, though."

"It's early."

"Five months?" Child Emperor asked. "Sounds like you're trying to wiggle out of remembering his birthday."

"er-!" Saitama glared at the boy with a frustrated sneer. 'You little brat!'

"Now, Genos," Dr. Kuseno said. "Before you make any aggressive movements, I must warn you that this is not the same as any of your previous upgrades. You're a great deal more powerful than you've ever been before. We tried to add limiters to help you acclimate to the change, but that new energy within you is ever growing. The growth manages to outpace our restrictions, every time."

"Acclimate?" he wondered.

"It's not as easy as calculating the numbers anymore," Child Emperor jumped in. "That energy that he's talking about is no joke. To give you an example of how drastic the shift will be, think of... replacing the double-a batteries in a toy car with a nuclear reactor."

"uh-!" he gasped and looked at his hands again. That sounded like a very big change. The young cyborg turned to his master with a hopeful look in his eyes. 'Maybe... now, I could...'

"Hm? What's wrong, Genos?" Saitama asked, waking him from his brief haze. "Try it out some, see how it feels."

"y-Yes, Master!" he stammered, immediately complying by moving his limbs a bit. "It feels... like i-..!"

(THOOM!)

Before he could finish, Genos suddenly blasted through the roof as if he had suddenly taken flight.

The other three stared up at the hole with oddly underwhelming reactions. "... Yeah, I knew it," Child Emperor muttered. "He's off the charts."

"Perhaps we should have tried those limiters, after all," Doctor Kuseno wondered.

Saitama watched his student ascend into the sky. He could still see him through the hole. "Whoa..."

"Er-!" Genos exclaimed. 'My... leg strength seems to have increased, dramatically.' He must have jumped a thousand feet with minimal effort. He had only meant to hop in place. When he realized he was falling, he cut his thrusters on as he usually would, but instead of hovering–

(THOOM!)

He blasted off in a random direction as if he were shot from a cannon.

Saitama jumped through the hole and landed on the roof just as Genos was taking flight. "Heh, guess he was too excited to wait."

Child Emperor came swooping out with his jetpack. "Nah, it's just like I told you. His brain is still hardwired to his usual strength. Giving him that much power all at once is like giving a child a bazooka."

"... Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." It was still funny coming from him.

"Hey, you should probably go catch him before he breaks something or-.. hurts someone."

"... Yeah, you're probably right."

At an orphanage in City-Y, Captain Mizuki and Mumen Rider stood at the front door, speaking to the older looking woman who seemed to be in charge. "-and her eyes are black, or a... deep, deep, brown, maybe," she described.

"What was she wearing, do you know?" Mumen Rider asked.

"I don't," she shrugged. "One of the other girls said maybe a bright green or yellow hoodie, but it could be blue. They're not sure."

"Does she run away often? Or is this like the first time?" the sporty girl in the tracksuit asked.

The woman shrugged. "I... I guess it's become often?" she said in an uncertain tone. "She–didn't used to when she was younger, but–e-ever since her return she's just been a little different. See she's a uh–really big fan of the hero One-Punch-Man, and... every time she hears there's an attack nearby she'll do whatever she can to run out and try and meet him, I guess?"

"Oh, no," Mumen Rider whined, sympathetically. "That's really dangerous. She could get seriously hurt."

"Believe me, we've told her more times than I could count, but–she's just a very determined little girl, and it's really been a tough time for her, lately."

"Why's that?" Mizuki wondered.

"w-Well, sh-.."

(CRASH!)

The group flinched when something exploded in the street behind them, and they were all reasonably shocked to see a familiar face.

"uh-! Demon Cyborg!?" Mumen Rider yelled, already sprinting his way to help him up. "Are you alright!?"

Genos struggled to pull himself from the destroyed asphalt. Not that it was holding him down. Every time he tried to plant a hand for support to push himself back up he was breaking more of the street. "ergh-! I'm fine!" he said, when he finally struggled back to his feet.

"Are you sure!? That was a nasty fall!"

"Yes, I'm... okay." And that was a severe understatement. Not only did he feel no damage from that unfortunate landing, he actually felt the buzz of this new energy boiling through every circuit of his body.

"What are you doing here?" Mumen Rider asked. "The association sent you out to deal with this monster? Did they raise the threat level again?"

"uh-!" Genos gasped. "There is an attack?"

"Yeah, somewhere around here," he said, checking his transponder. "I was on my way to help when the association sent me here to deal with a civilian distress call."

(boom!)

The two reeled when they could feel the soft rumble of a blast nearby. '... There!' Genos' head snapped in a random direction when his sensors locked onto the abnormally large creature a good mile away. 'This is perfect,' he thought. 'A good chance to test my abilities, completely.' He sank into a stance like a sprinter at the ready. "Do not worry. I will eliminate the threat, myself."

"o-Okay!" Mumen Rider said, supportively. "Do your best! I'll back you up, just in case y-.."

(THOOM!)

The cyborg took off so fast that the force of the blast he left behind knocked the C-Classed hero off his bike. "Whoa!" he shouted, scrambling back up. "Hey! Wait for me!"

Captain Mizuki watched from the porch as he peddled after the S-Class hero, leaving her to deal with the distress call, alone, apparently. "i-I'm sorry ma'am, looks like there's trouble nearby. I should really get a running start if I wanna find her."

"o-Oh, of course!" she said, watching her jog away. "Oh, and one more thing! She has a little... Tornado plushy that she carries with her, everywhere! I'm not completely sure she has it, but it's very likely!"

"Tornado plushy! Got it!"

(CRASH!)

Genos slammed into the side of a vacant truck when he tried to cut a sharp turn at an intersection. He quickly pulled himself from the wreckage and continued charging toward the ongoing sounds of destruction in the distance. This newly acquired speed boost was dizzying. His vision was so much sharper than ever before, but it felt like his brain wasn't processing the information as quick as his body was. 'I just have to focus! I can do this!'

(BOOM!)

The monster revealed itself, stepping out into the street at an intersection, up ahead. Genos locked on, immediately. The opportunity was more perfect than he could've asked for. It was some sort of mutated, behemoth-sized, jackrabbit.

"Eh-hergh-hergh!" the beast chuckled in a goofy tone. "You pathetic humans and your worthless rules! Your cruelty knows no limits! And I'm sick of it!" The monster scooped up a car just as the two occupants managed to scramble out. With a small yelp of effort, it launched it down the block. "Hrargh!"

"You fiend!" Genos yelled, kicking up his speed.

"Hm?" The creature turned to the offending words and managed to spot the charging cyborg at the very last second. It leaned out of the way just as he lunged for a strike at it's head.

(CRASH!)

The S-Class hero blasted through the wall of one of the nearby buildings, and into the home of some unsuspecting civilian man who was hiding in his bathroom from the chaos outside. He peeked his head out at the sound of the impact to spot the metal man pulling himself from the wreckage now scattered around the room. The hole was so big that he could see the head of the intruding monster. "Ahh! d-.. Demon Cyborg!?" he yelled in a panic.

Genos climbed back to his feet, turning to the homeowner with an intense look. "Stay back!" he instructed. "There is danger nearby!"

The man immediately complied and shut the door back.

Outside, the monster laughed at his misfortune. "Ahhh-hahaha! You idiot! Are you my next victim, metal man!?"

Genos bared his fangs and sank into a threatening pose, like a cat ready to pounce. "Rargh!"

(FWOOM!)

He blasted out of the apartment, causing even more damage on his way out.

The monster was just barely fast enough to dodge his punch, and again-..

(CRASH!)

He broke through another building.

"Oh-hoh-hoh! Man!" The monster scrambled up to the side of the hole and stuck its massive head inside to laugh at him. "You're really bad at this, huh!? You're wrecking more stuff than me!"

"Ergh-!" Genos pulled himself from the rubble with a growl of frustration.

"Hey, hey! Do you need a hand, hero!? Come here! I'll help you out!"

The cyborg watched the beast reach a massive, human-like, hand inside, attempting to grab him. On reflex alone, he smacked it away, and much to his surprise-..

(CRACK!)

"... Hm?" The monster pulled its arm out only to find it completely shattered. "... ARRRRGGGHHHH! WHAT THE HELL!?"

"uh-!" Genos gasped and watched it stumble away in a panic. Did he really do that much damage with a hit that soft? He hardly put any effort into that.

"y-YOU BASTAAARD! YOU BROKE MY ARM! WHAT THE HELL KINDA FREAK MACHINE BOY ARE YOU!?"

When the shock wore off, Genos narrowed his gaze and locked in for a serious strike. "Be quiet, villain! You're days of trampling on those who can't defend themselves are over!" He raised a palm in his direction and started charging a blast. "I will eliminate you."

"... Hmrgh!?"

(boom... boom-boom...! Boom!)

Saitama masterfully maneuvered over the rooftops in search of his student. The path of destruction he managed to lock onto was a lot less helpful than he thought it would be, but it did surprise him. Genos really was a lot stronger. Not that he didn't trust the knowledge and tech savvy of the Doctor and Child Emperor; he just couldn't really imagine visibly seeing a difference. Especially not a shift this dramatic.

He came to a stop on the ledge of a building when he suddenly lost track of the sounds of destruction. Did Genos finally manage to stop?

(BOOM! FSSHHHHH!)

"Uh-!" Saitama flinched when a huge blast of energy shot into the sky, a few blocks away, blasting the roof off of a nearby building. "Genos...! What the hell!?" He understood being excited, but was he really just firing off shots in the middle of the city for practice?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he was shocked to see a monster cutting a sharp corner onto the street below, apparently in a mad scramble for freedom.

"AAARRGH!" the beast yelled. "SOMEONE HELP ME! THIS GUY IS NUTS!"

(CRASH!)

Genos crashed into the street, hot on the monster's trail. He pulled himself from the debris and immediately charged another blast from his hand cannon. "Stop! You cannot escape!"

(BOOM!)

He fired another massive shot, the size of a train, that missed by mere inches and drilled clear through another building. "Tch-!" Genos scrambled back to his feet and continued the pursuit, though he tried his hardest to take a little umph out of his movements. He still found himself completely off balance. It was hard to even run without tearing a hole in the street with every step. 'This is insane!'

His sharp gaze masterfully tracked the scurrying rabbit-monster. It was getting desperate. So, it started throwing anything it could get its one good hand on to slow him down.

Genos was undeterred. He slid, hopped, and swayed his way through the unrelenting waves of obstacles until the heinous creature took it a step forward.

'Tch-! This freak is gonna kill me!'

(FFSSSHHHH!)

The monster jumped off the side of a building to avoid another insane shot of energy. 'He's gonna KILL ME!' Just as that realization sank in, he spotted something up ahead. Quite a few somethings, actually. There were civilians out in the open. He was likely outrunning the original area of effect that the association marked for evacuation. "Keh-! This guy may be ruthless, but he's still a hero! Let's slow him up a bit!"

"ergh-!" Genos gasped when he noticed the beast speeding up the pace. His sensors were finally picking up multiple life forces ahead. At the speed of their chase, there was no way they'd make it to safety in time. 'I have to stop it, now!' He threw caution to the wind, and gave it his all in a mad dash to catch up.

He caught up alright... only he didn't realize he did until he was right behind it.

"Hurgh!?" The beast jumped as high as it could and the cyborg shot right underneath it at an unbelievable speed.

"er-..! Damn!" Genos stuck a foot in the ground in an attempt to stop, but his momentum was too high. He tripped and tumbled down the road, smashing into cars and off of light poles, straight into the crowd of civilians now scrambling for a bunker.

(CRASH!)

They scattered before he plowed into anyone, thankfully, but the fight was now a lot less controlled.

"d-Demon Cyrborg!?" a random civilian exclaimed. "Are you alright!?"

"Get out of here!" Genos shouted, quickly climbing back to his feet. "It's not safe! Please, get to a bunker!"

(Crash!)

The jackrabbit monster smashed into a building and used its one good hand to cling to its side. "Eh-heh-heh! Don't get distracted hero! You've gotta save the day, right!?" The beast pulled a huge chunk of the wall out and launched it his way.

Genos nearly went to dodge, but there were civilians behind him. So, instead, he jumped straight at it and destroyed it with a single punch. Unfortunately, his jump was too hard and he crashed into the building behind it, breaking through a number of walls before his momentum stopped. "ergh-!" he groaned and pulled himself from the wreckage. 'Damn! I can't control my leg strength!' He quickly scanned the area for anyone in the building. There were a few signatures pinging on different floors, but none in his path of destruction. Without a second to waist, he blasted back out through his entry point and crashed back into the street. His scanner locked onto the fleeing beast who now had a healthy lead. "Tch-! I can do this!"

(THOOM!)

He blasted off just as Saitama landed on the street behind him. "Genos!"

(THOOM!)

The bald man took off with an equally aggressive force. "Hey! Slow down, you idiot!" He couldn't seem to hear him. Saitama could easily catch up if his path was clear, but Genos was quite literally smashing through everything the fleeing monster threw his way. Cars, trucks, and street signs were being obliterated, creating an annoying obstacle course of destruction for him to maneuver through. To make matters even worse, there were civilians scrambling for cover in every direction.

Genos wasn't oblivious to their presence, he just couldn't avoid the projectiles. He smacked a burning truck aside and gasped when he saw it heading in the direction of a man who tripped on the sidewalk. Before he could even think of stopping his momentum–

(BOOM!)

The burning truck was stopped dead in its tracks by the yellow and red blur he knew to be Saitama. 'uh-! Master!' It was for less than half a millisecond, but Genos locked eyes with his mentor and immediately misread the situation. 'He's watching me!' The cyborg kicked up the pace with a lot more confidence. If Saitama was focused on saving the civilians, then he could let loose again and put an end to this.

"Genos~!" Saitama whined when he saw him blast off. He was going so fast that the street was tearing away at his every step. The bald man jumped up to the rooftops for a better view. His eyes locked onto the fleeing beast ahead. His protege was definitely closing the gap at a rapid pace, but how much longer could he let this go on? 'Maybe I should end this before he knocks over a building or something.'

The jackrabbit monster could feel the rumbling getting closer. It glanced over its shoulder to see the wave of destruction. 'Tch-! This is CRAZY!' It threw another bus his way.

Genos didn't even flinch. With a backhand, he busted right through it without a stumble.

Saitama dove down and yanked a man out of the way of the blast, just in the nick of time.

"ergh-!" The monster spotted the bald man in the yellow clad suit for the first time. 'One-Punch-Man!? Oh, shit! I'm dead for sure!' It cut a sharp corner a second before Genos caught up, and the cyborg went barrelling down the adjacent street. "Heh-!" the creature chuckled, only to miscalculate a jump, entangling itself in the electrified wires of a telephone pole.

Saitama slid to a halt at the intersection. "Mh-!" Down one street, Genos was smashing through everything in an attempt to stop his momentum, and down the other, he could see the Jackrabbit monster climbing its way up a building, furiously ripping at the volatile cords it was tangled in. What kind of obscene headache was this? It really wasn't how he thought he'd be starting this day...

(Snap!)

"Mh-!" he gasped and turned around when the wires behind him were yanked taught. Did the monster accidentally pin itself down?

"Saitama!"

"... Hm?" He turned to the sound of a very little voice calling his name. To his surprise, it was a little girl standing on the sidewalk in front of him. A little girl in a bright blue hoodie, holding a Tornado plushy against her chest.

"You... y-You didn't save us!"

"... Huh?" Before she could say anything else, the wire behind him snapped and, as luck would have it, wrapped right around his neck, brutally snatching him away. In the split second that he was dragged off, he got a better look at her face, and for just a moment... she suddenly seemed really familiar...

(CRASH!)

He smashed into the top floor of the building the monster had scaled and was quickly pulled through room after room before he came bursting out on the other side. The beast was either unaware that it was dragging something or it was intentionally swinging him around. Like a wrecking ball, he tore through buildings and toppled light poles for a good few blocks. When there was a civilian in the path of destruction, Saitama made sure to change the direction. He couldn't free his hands up long enough to tear himself from the wire. He finally got his chance when the sprinting monster tripped over a vacated bus. He immediately snatched the end of the still highly electrified wire and found a way to plant his feet.

"Hrgh-!" A few blocks away, the monster was yanked back out of its sprint, like a dog on a leash. "Huh!?"

Saitama held tight and stared the beast down with a plain gaze when it looked his way.

"Master!"

"uh-!" the bald hero gasped at the sound of his protege's voice. Genos suddenly came shooting over his shoulder like a heat seeking missile. "Hey...! That's too fast, you idiot!"

Genos didn't hear him. This was his chance to see how far he'd come, and he couldn't let his Master's assistance go to waste. He locked eyes with the horrified creature and watched it try and scramble away.

Saitama yanked the wire, pulling the beast straight into his student's path.

'Master... Thank you!'

"NOOOOOO-!"

(BOOM!)

Genos shot straight through with a right hook, exploding the rabbits head like a bursting water balloon. "uh-!" he gasped at his own strength as he passed through the muck of brains and skull fragments. 'In... one punch...?' When his vision was clear, the excitement of the moment came to a screeching halt. In his urgency to take that shot, he failed to realize just how close the monster was to the building behind it.

He couldn't stop.

(CRASH!)

Genos smashed through the side of the wall, and tumbled through a number of rooms on multiple floors before he was suddenly yanked taught by the wire, which was once wrapped around the monster's neck, now snagged on his ankle.

He landed in what appeared to be someone's kitchen, and immediately scanned for any civilians in the building. To his horror, there were at least fifteen in the path of his destruction, alone. And even more of them on the higher floors that were now unstable. "mh-!"

"Help!"

"What's going on!?"

"I'm injured!"

"We're trapped!"

The shouts for assistance started ringing out over the sounds of the chaos. Genos climbed back to his feet and immediately jumped to the the first person he could find. It was a man stuck in a corner of his living room, holding his barking dog to his chest. "Demon Cyborg!? w-What's going on!? I thought you were fighting in City-Y!?"

"Sir! Please remain calm!" Genos instructed. He quickly scanned the area before pointing his palm at a chunk of the debris blocking them in. "I will free your path!"

(FSSSHHHH!)

"uh-!" He shot a blast that did more than clear the way. It drilled a visible hole through the entire building.

"Whoa!" the man shouted.

Genos looked down at his palm in shock...

And then, he was suddenly yanked away by the wire that was still on his ankle. "Tch-! It's still alive!?" He immediately started charging another shot, aimed at the wire that was dragging him back through his initial entry. Before he shot, he was yanked from the building at an incredible pace before coming to a dead stop, almost immediately on the street below.

"Urgh-!" It knocked the air from his lungs, even through the new unbreakable shell of his. "m-.. Master!?"

Saitama held him up by the gut until he found his footing.

"Master... did you see that!? I think it worked! I feel... like I'm as strong as you! i-!"

"Genos," Saitama stopped him with a stern tone.

It was only then that the cyborg realized he didn't seem particularly happy.

Saitama turned his way with an unreadable look in his eyes. His face was as plain as ever, yet there was a very tangible sense of anger behind it. Then, he turned back to the building. "Stop moving... That's an order."

"uh-...!" The cyborg watched him jump back into the building with a worried feeling welling up inside of him. Saitama had never given him a direct order before...

For the next twenty minutes, he did as instructed and stood rooted in that spot watching him save the people trapped inside.

Trapped because of him...

He was so zoned out that he didn't even notice when the firefighters and the ambulances arrived. Not until he saw the few people getting treated as they made it out. Scanning them from a distance, they seemed to only have minor scrapes and bruises. Thank goodness he didn't kill anyone.

Still, watching them cry and embrace each other for surviving the devastation sent a pang of guilt through his heart. There were children inside that building...

When Saitama finally got the last person out of the unsteady structure, he spotted his student staring at his clenching and unclenching hands with an intent look in his eyes.

Genos didn't notice him walking over until he was a few feet away. "m-.. Master, i-.."

(Thwack! BOOM!)

Saitama rushed over and gave the knucklehead a stiff karate chop to the shoulder that sent him crashing face first into the dilapidated street. "Genos! Do you know how many homes you just destroyed!? What the heck were you thinking throwing a punch like that, huh!?"

"er-!"

"And what the heck were all those blasts!? Why would you fire shots like that in the middle of the city!? You probably did more damage than that monster did, you idiot!"

The cyborg did not lift his head from the road. "I know..."

"You're stronger now, but that doesn't mean you can just destroy whatever you want. Do you know how stressful it is to relocate because your house gets destroyed? Even with insurance, it's a really big headache."

"I... didn't know."

"Yeah... there's a lot of paperwork and stuff."

"Master," Genos said in sullen tone. "This power... I can't control it," he needlessly admitted. Any idiot with a pair of eyes could see that. "I... hurt all of those people... I've destroyed their homes, I... almost killed them..."

Saitama only blinked at his words.

"I'm grateful for everything you've done for me... but I don't think I'm meant to be this strong..."

The bald man stared at him with a confused look on his face. Was that his take away from all of this?

"Thank you," the cyborg continued, "for all you've done but... I'm not worthy of being your student."

"mh-!" Saitama gasped. He held back for a moment and let him pout while that dramatic statement lingered in the air. Then, he squatted down in front of him and, again, raised a hand like he were ready to deliver another karate chop. Only, this time, he brought it down gently and rested his palm on the back of his head. "Hey..."

Genos flinched at his touch. When he looked up, he was greeted by Saitama's smiling face, staring back at him. There was wisdom behind those piercing eyes... but not so much the words that followed.

"Don't be dumb, Genos."

"uh-!"

"It's your first time trying out these upgrades. Of course you're not gonna have perfect control, right away. Your brain is already hardwired to your normal strength, so giving you this much power is like giving a child to a bazooka..."

"... I... don't understand."

'Damn it!' Saitama cringed. 'I said it wrong!' He was hoping he didn't catch the mistake. "i-I meant the other way around!" he waved him off with a blush. "You get it, right!? It's a lotta power! Way too much for you to know how to use it right away!"

Genos crawled up to his knees and sat back on his heels, truly looking like a disciple being taught by his Master. "Yeah... but is this power really something I can control?"

Saitama thought it over for a moment with a heavy sigh. He stood to his feet and turned back to the civilians being treated in the distance. Some of them were already patched up, taking selfies with them in the background. Others were gawking at the massive carcass of the headless Jackrabbit monster laying nearby. "... I guess that's up to you," he finally spoke, shocking his student. "I don't think it'll be easy, but I also don't think it's impossible. Especially knowing how cool you are."

"uh-!" Genos gasped.

"You're pretty amazing at everything you do," he said. "And... you're a great student, Genos..."

If the cyborg could blush his face would surely be beet red. He could cry, though; and the tears were visibly welling up.

"I know that I couldn't really help you with getting stronger through normal means, but... I do kinda know a thing or two about holding back."

"Master..."

"Of course, it's not up to me," he continued. "I understand why you'd wanna quit and I-.."

"No!" Genos cut him off. "Excuse my rudeness, but..."

Saitama turned around and watched him with a curious look when he slowly lowered his head back to the ground in a low bow.

"If you'll have me... I would like to continue being your disciple!"

"Er-..!" he reeled, blinking at his words. This felt a lot like it did when he first asked him, only back then, he didn't really hear what he said. When the shock wore off, Saitama's visage melted into a satisfied grin. "Hmh... Absolutely..."

"Mr. One-Punch! Over here!"

"Hey!"

"There he is!"

The two were startled from the moment by a mass of reporters that suddenly appeared. They were so deep in that talk that they didn't even notice. Saitama usually liked to get away from the scene as soon as he could, but they were already in his face, badgering him with questions.

"Mr. One-Punch! Any word on the attack today?"

"Uh... yeah, it was a pretty messy one, I guess. We uh... tried not to break so many things, but the monster was pretty fast, heh. Sorry about the mess."

They all clamored to get a question in until Saitama pointed someone out. He could at least take a few.

"Mr. One-Punch! Did the association send both you and Demon Cyborg out to deal with this threat!?"

"Nah, we were just kinda nearby when it happened."

"Did the monster escape from some sort of unknown facility?"

"No idea," he shrugged. "We didn't really see how it started."

"Were you the one to defeat it?"

"Nah, that was all Genos. I just kinda held it down, I guess."

"Demon Cyborg! Are those new upgrades!?"

"They are," he nodded.

"I see you went back to a black finish on the paint!" a man noted. "Is that more your style or do you prefer the chrome accents?"

"I prefer the black finish," Genos answered, truthfully. "But, I did not mind the chrome look, either."

Saitama raised a brow and took a step back when they started talking fashion. It actually surprised him that no one was mentioning the damage done by the shots Genos was firing. It seemed like no one really cared about the bill for the damages when the day was saved, even with a low-level monster like that. "mh-!" he quietly gasped when he saw the civilians who were in hiding nearby start to creep their way out.

Within moments, a much bigger crowd formed around them. Saitama and Genos were endlessly badgered with words of praise, obscure questions, and frankly, a few inappropriate propositions. It was like an overload to the senses, and Saitama nearly faked a phone call to escape. Before he could, something caught his attention through a gap in the reaching hands.

A glimpse of bright blue that stuck out like a flower in the snow. It was the little girl he saw on the corner a few blocks away. She stood at the back of the crowd, watching him with a look he couldn't quite pin down. She was in tears, but he couldn't tell if it was relief or distress. She was also panting heavily. 'Did she... run here?' he wondered.

'You didn't save us...'

What the hell did she mean by that...?

Before he could make his way over, his heart skipped a beat when the voice of a woman shocked him with a personal question.

"Mr. One-Punch! Are the rumors true about you and Tornado!?"

"er-..! Huh!?" he blushed. What rumors? Did they already know about their date?

Luckily, before he had a chance to answer, a group of association members came rushing in to secure the area. "Alright, if you do not have a Press badge, I need you to step back behind the gates! If you're Press, get your badges out, and direct your questions to the hero association rep, only!"

Saitama happily let them take over as he faded toward the back of the group. Then, he remembered the little girl and looked back to where she was. It took a moment, but he finally caught a glimpse of her bright blue hoodie through a sea of waving hands. She was being gently reprimanded by a man in a suit, squatting down in front of her. 'Must be her dad,' he assumed. He still got the feeling that he had seen her before, but he couldn't place it. 'It looked like she really wanted to tell me something... Maybe I should go see if she's okay.'

That's what he told himself, but truthfully...

'You didn't save us...'

He wanted to know what she meant. It was really starting to nag him. Keeping a sharp eye on her, he waved a hand back to get Genos' attention. "Hey, uh... Stay here for a minute. I'll be right back."

"Yes, Master!"

(Crack!)

The force of the cyborg's sudden bow shook the ground beneath them. The crowd yelped in fear of another attack. They scattered like roaches for a moment before realizing there was no threat. It at least gave the association members some much needed room to rush them along.

Saitama turned to his student with a curious glare.

"... I will not move," Genos said, standing at attention.

Saitama shook his head and turned back to see the little girl walking away, holding her father's hand. "h-.. Hey, wait," he muttered to himself as he started to jog over. Before he made the decision to jump the distance, the little girl turned around and looked right at him. "Mh-!" His steps faltered when they locked eyes and he slowed to a walk...

There it was again...

That nagging feeling in the back of his head that always seemed to remind him when he'd met someone before. Only, he didn't know where...

She was crying as her father dragged her away. Her big black eyes bore into his own, even from the sizable space between them. His gaze shifted to the toy she held in her other hand. The Tornado plushy that also struck him as extremely familiar for some reason...

(ding!)

"Uh-!" he gasped at the sound of his text notification. As luck would have it, it was Tatsumaki. Before he opened it, he looked back up at the little girl just as they were rounding the corner. In the split second that he could still see her, he was shocked to see her saying something to him. He could read her lips well enough. She likely said 'Saitama,' but for some reason, his mind pretended that she had said those words again...

AN: Now, I know this chapter may be a bit of a let down to those of you who were expecting the date, but don't worry! Like I said, the next chapter is near completion, and... that's pretty much all it is. Hope to see you back! Thank you for reading!