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

Tatsumaki shut her eyes and took a deep, calming, breath. No way in hell did she just hear what she just heard. She was trying to soothe herself, but the wind around them was kicking up regardless. Her eyes slowly crept open and snaked their way up from the bald man's feet to his eyes, and he didn't even seem worried. "I'll... I'll kill you..."

Her words were almost choked out in a harsh whisper that Saitama couldn't hear over the roar of the wind. "Man... what the heck is up with the weather today...? Hm?"

Suddenly, there was chaos all around him. Chunks of concrete from the surrounding buildings and pieces from the asphalt around him suddenly came shooting his way.

Despite her boiling rage, Tatsumaki was still very much aware that this was a civilian she was facing, so she wasn't going all out by any stretch of the phrase. In fact, she wasn't even planning on hitting him with anything deadly. Just a few stones to teach him a lesson. With that in mind, her first attack was far beyond lackluster. Still, far more than any C-Class loser could match.

She even slowed the shots down just before they hit to take even more of the impact off, but to her shock and irritation, they were still hard enough to chip away at the road-in other words, far too hard for him to not be seriously hurt.

'Damn it... I might have killed him,' she thought, watching the cloud of dust that kicked up. Something odd she noted was that the other three didn't react all that much. She was half-expecting Fubuki, or his little robot student, to try and protect him... or maybe Bang. They were all on the side of the road, watching them with tense looks on their faces. She expected some shocked shouts of dismay or... something.

"Oh, man..."

Tatsumaki gasped at the voice and her eyes slowly drifted back to the smoke that had just started clearing away.

Saitama swatted at the cloud in front of his face so he could see. "Hey, you really trashed my uniform," he told her with a confused look. There wasn't a scratch on him aside from the damage to his clothes. "You're gonna have to pay for that, too. I'll take cash, checks, or-.."

"How are you still standing?" she cut him off.

"Hm...? All you did was throw some rocks. Is that your strongest move or something?"

Tatsumaki took a deep breath. She was trying to remain level-headed, but he was really starting to get under her skin. 'Don't kill him... Don't kill him...'

Saitama picked one of the stones up from around his feet and casually tossed it up and down. "I guess it makes sense that you're pretty good at it. I used to throw rocks on the playground all the time."

'DON'T KILL HIM! DON'T KILL HIM! DON'T KILL HIM! DON'T KILL HIM!'

Fubuki could visibly see her sister's anger rising until she had that crazed look on her face. She watched and held her breath seeing her fingers twitch down by her hips. "s-... Saitama," she struggled out, looking to the bald man across the way.

"Hm...? Oh," he muttered. Now that he thought about it, the two of them seemed to have similar abilities, and aside from the size difference, they sort of looked alike. "Hey... is this your little sister?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Before she even realized what she did, another light pole came soaring over her shoulder at break-neck speed. This would be the true test. 'If he's really worth his salt, then he should be fast enough to dodge it...!'

(BWOOOONG!)

'He... he caught it!' Tatsumaki couldn't believe her eyes.

Saitama held his hand out in front of him, clutching the end that was ready to smack him in the chest. "Oh... I guess you just wanna test some moves or something, right...?"

She didn't respond to that. She watched him with an intense look in her eyes and rose a bit higher. That was all the confirmation she needed to push it a little further. That would've taken that cyborg disciple of his off his feet. He caught it like it was nothing. 'Heh... Yeah... this could be fun...'

"Look out!" Fubuki yelled when she saw another abandoned bus come shooting at the bald man. It crashed down with a booming impact, followed swiftly by the explosion of its remaining gas tank blowing it to bits.

Tatsumaki focused on the explosion, waiting to see the aftermath...

"Whoa," Saitama uttered, standing a few feet away. "That was close. That definitely would've ruined my uniform... Maybe I should change first..."

Tatsumaki stared at him with an uncontained excitement slowly creeping into her expression. 'Heh-heh...! I didn't even see him move... Maybe...'

Showing less restraint, she threw two more sizeable objects his way at possibly 75% of the speed she'd use in a real fight. Again, he disappeared at the last moment.

'Maybe, you really are him...' Her shock slowly dissipated and she settled into a challenging grin. "Okay... Make this fun for me!" Like the flip of a switch, she suddenly jumped into a frenzy, flinging whatever was nearby at the bald man.

Saitama was surprised. It wasn't anything super spectacular, but at least she was throwing something other than pebbles and stuff. He was dodging buses, light poles, mailboxes, whatever she could find. Still, he was doing it all with that same plain face of his, as if he weren't even trying.

While in the air, he kicked off of a rusted old car she threw his way and looked down at the street below to see it cracking. The broken fragments came shooting up at him at impressive speeds. "Whoa..." When the first one came, he had no way of dodging, so he cocked his fist back and give a rather lackluster punch that seemed to pack enough power to bust through more than a few. Before he realized it, the car he previously avoided came flying back at him from behind. He was caught by surprise and hurled to the ground with the vehicle driving him down.

Tatsumaki watched as he and the car made an impact on the asphalt, leaving a crack from the sheer pressure. She assumed she had crushed him beneath it, but much to her surprise, he had simply landed on his feet and caught the big hunk of metal with his forearm, tossing it aside like a sack of potatoes. Again, her smile returned and she continued on, throwing whatever she could.

Saitama wasn't really trying to fight her, so he decided to play keep away. Thinking quickly, he jumped through a nearby window. Knowing the entire city was deserted aside from himself really gave him the advantage there. It was a clever idea, but... not one that lasted for too long. To his shock, the roof of the building was ripped clean off. "w-Whoa!" he shouted as he took off running through the crumbling walls in front of him. 'This seems like a little much for a sparring match!'

Tatsumaki watched him jump from the collapsing building and snarled in frustration. 'He's fast!' With a frustrated huff, her eyes locked onto him in the distance, and she reached a hand out to try and snatch him, but... she couldn't. With a furrowed brow, she stuck the other one out as well to try and bolster more power, but it was useless. He just kept jumping away as if he weren't affected by her power at all.

Saitama landed on the street... A street that seemed awfully familiar to him now that he was looking around a bit...

"s-s... Saitama!" a familiar voice called out from behind him.

He gasped in shock when he realized what was happening. 'This... this is my street... So, that's my...!' His incredulous look caught sight of what Genos meant by the damage done to his kitchen. Sure enough, there was a light pole sticking through the wall right next to his door. "Genos! What the hell!? That's more than just SOME damage! That'll take weeks to repair...!" His distraught look shifted over to the yellow smudge in his peripheral. "... King...? Why are you wearing my hero costume?"

"l-Look out!" the cowardly man roared, pointing at the green-haired Esper who was now flying straight at Saitama with a feral look to her.

Saitama looked back at his house for a moment, imagining how long it would take to repair if she ripped the ceiling off like she just did to that other building. 'Damn...! I should probably get her out of the city,' he figured, taking off in a dead sprint down the road to his right. Tatsumaki made a sharp cut and zoomed after him. She ignored the devastation of the wind that kicked up from the sheer force of her flight.

Like a race, she was right behind throwing all she could to knock him off balance. He simply avoided each attack with a small hop, or slide, or by efficiently smashing through it, leaving her the debris to avoid. Just when she thought she almost had him (BANG) he cut right into the wall of a building, popping out on the other side and continuing on. She growled, getting back on his trail. "STOP RUNNING!"

Saitama paid her no mind. He was looking for the spot where he and Genos once had a match. It was the most open area nearby that he could think of. 'She's pretty fast, though... I hope I can make it before sh-..' Suddenly, the very ground beneath him began to quake. Then, a creeping crack began tearing away at the street beneath him, outpacing him by a few blocks. From that crack, huge chunks of the street began popping up in his path.

Saitama didn't stop. He used the emerging obstacles as leaping points, still masterfully avoiding her attacks by just plain being faster than her. Eventually, he touched back down on the ground and continued running, but to his surprise, she was a lot closer than he thought. So much so that he could hear her grunt of effort as she prepared to punch him into the ground. Before she could, he jumped away again and continued running. He could hear the impact of her hit though, and he was honestly impressed. 'Heh, whoa... she really hits hard, too...'

"You son-of-..!" Tatsumaki growled out, staying right on his heels. All she had to do was catch him, then it was all over. Every time she was a hair away, somehow, he was always fast enough to avoid her. She then understood what he was running for when he charged for the edge of the city. 'Heh! An open area...!? Fine by me, you idiot! That just opens my range of attacks a lot more!' Just as he made it to the edge, she packed her palm with telekinetic energy before blasting it out, hitting him right in his back.

Saitama didn't even flinch. It was like he didn't feel it.

Again, she sent more heat-seeking rays that he either tanked or avoided. With a very impressive leap, he went flying through the air.

'There!' she mentally exclaimed, seeing her opening. She rushed him as fast as she could. Somehow, he seemed to sense her coming and turned his body in a way that allowed him to block her power-packed right hook with his forearm.

For a brief moment, they were caught in a deadlock, floating in the air. It was like time froze for just a few seconds. Tatsumaki was gasping for a breath as if she had just run a mile. Saitama was staring at her without any sign of discomfort, whatsoever. He wasn't tired, scared, or fazed in any way. As plain and as bored looking as it was the day she met him in that store. Tatsumaki was starting to get a little dizzy. She couldn't comprehend what was happening right now. She was actually trying, and still...

Her eyes flickered down to her hand when she realized she couldn't pull it back. He had her fist engulfed in his much bigger grip in a snug grasp, far softer than she probably would've expected... and he wouldn't let her go...

With a blush, she ripped it free and grabbed onto the front of his shirt. "rrrRRRAARRGGGHH!" With a scream of aggravation, she spun violently and threw him into the ground below.

Saitama crashed through the rocky surface, cracking it from the force of the collision. Still, he looked unaffected.

Tatsumaki floated down about twenty feet away from him, still catching her breath. She watched him stand to his feet and dust his clothes off like it was nothing. "... So... you are strong," she said between her heaving breaths.

Saitama didn't respond. He just stared at her with that look of his. A look she was starting to hate with a passion.

Even after everything he's seen her do, he still seemed bored out of his mind. That thought alone was pissing her off, but she had a question for him. "Hey... Tell me something..."

"... Hm?" Saitama raised a curious brow. 'I thought we were sparring...'

Tatsumaki stared at him and hesitated for a moment. For some reason... she feared the answer to this question either way. "... Was it you?" A beat of silence passed before she realized he obviously didn't know what she meant. "... Are you the one who saved me?"

'... Did I save her...? From what?' He stared at her hard, trying to remember. He'd saved a lot of people over the years. He couldn't be expected to remember them all. Though... looking at her hair was ringing a bell. '... Wait... Why is she bleeding?' He hadn't even hit her, yet he watched a trickle of blood drip slowly down her forehead...and suddenly, that's when it hit him. She was the one the little girl told him to save back during that whole invasion thing. "Oh, yeah... I do remember you," he said. "... Yeah, you were fighting those alien guys, right?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"I made it just in time, I think... You were pretty beat up," he said. "Still, though" he gave a rather lackluster smile, accented by a casual thumbs-up, "nice fight..."

There she had it... actual validation. Looking at who that validation was coming from, she couldn't say it wasn't disappointing. He was a far cry from what she pictured. Though... if she were honest, at the back of her mind, there was still that hope that it would truly be Blast. It was that hope alone that disappointed her more than anything. Sure, he was clearly strong, but she hadn't been going all out at all. Blast could absolutely demolish her without lifting a finger... this guy has done nothing but run, so far. '... Maybe that alien freak wasn't all that tough after all... I bet if I was at 100% back then, I would've won... You wanna keep mocking me? You think I'm weak...? Pfft... I'll show you what I can really do...'

Sekingar stared intently at the digital map of the cities before him. "What is the meaning of this...?"

Sitch sat in his desk chair with his hands interlocked in front of his mouth. He almost couldn't believe it either. Their eyes tracked the blinking red dots that seemed to be popping up all over the map in rapid succession. "I don't know... All these simultaneous attacks...? It's... not like anything I've ever seen."

Sekingar agreed. "It almost looks random... but they're somehow attacking strategically..."

"How do you mean?" Sitch asked.

Taking control, Sekingar zoomed in on a few key areas. "There are multiple attacks within City-Y, bordering City-Z, yet there isn't a single attack within the vicinity of Bang's dojo which is bordering the northern gate. We see this pattern repeating in a number of areas. They're deliberately avoiding high-threat level areas, including Child Emperor's neighborhood, Watch Dog Tower, and the prison housing Puri-Puri Prisoner."

"Ah... I see," Sitch muttered, thinking on what to do. "... Where is Tatsumaki?"

"Unknown," Sekingar immediately replied. "Her transponder has been turned off. We cannot reach her."

"Damn it... and with the reappearance of Elder Centipede..." he muttered again. "What of the other S-classs heroes? Who's available?"

"We cannot reach Bang or Demon Cyborg. The rest of the S-Class have been informed and are moving now."

"-and Metal Bat?" he questioned in a hopeful tone.

"... He was ambushed... his charge was taken... but, Elder Centipede has also retreated for the time being. It is believed the capture of Mr. Narinki's son was his mission..."

With a sigh, Sitch sat back in his seat. This was the worst possible time for Tatsumaki to be offline. This is the very situation they needed to officially cement her as the true number one hero... Now, she's nowhere to be found. "... Urgh. What a headache...'

"There are three other issues at hand," Sekingar said, drawing his superior's attention. "There were multiple distress calls from the martial arts tournament, 'Super Fight,' in City-C. Many of them were the usual monster alerts, but two of them were from high-ranking heroes requesting immediate assistance... Lightning Max and Sneck... We can no longer reach them..."

Sitch didn't respond...

"There was also a sighting of Metal Bat facing off against what people believe to fit the description of the Hero Hunter..."

Still, he remained silent...

Sekingar looked to him for any reaction. Seeing he wasn't likely to get one, he continued, a bit hesitant. "a-.. and, there seems to be a massive output of power in the outer area of City-Z. There is no clear sighting as to what it could be, but whatever it is has been producing massive tremors felt by operatives stationed in City-Y... It seems to be the biggest threat, power-wise, but so far, it has been contained in the opened area, not seeming to breach the cities..."

Still, Sitch seemed at a loss for words. 'Everything is crumbling... Why all at once...?' He huffed a terrified sigh and ran a hand through his hair. 'Tatsumaki... where are you...?"

Saitama, still as plain-faced as ever was slightly impressed with what was going on around him. He stared up at the glowing girl who was surrounded by massive boulders swirling in the sky. "Whoa... those are big rocks," he muttered.

In an instant, Tatsumaki started shooting them off. The impacts the colossal earthen constructs created were massive, but Saitama was still able to slip away from her every move. If she wanted to hit him, she couldn't aim for where he was, but where he was going to be. With that in mind, she kept the pressure on until she found an opportunity.

Saitama ducked out from underneath one of the mountainous spheres and was immediately alert to another coming right down on him. Thinking quickly, he jumped up and ran up its side. When he made it to the top, he jumped onto another one nearby.

Tatsumaki snarled at the manuever. There was no doubt in her mind that he was definitely stronger than his disciple. She still had yet to land a blow, and when she did, he brushed it off like it was nothing. Despite that, he couldn't even touch her... though, it was starting to become clear he wasn't trying to. What could she do to slow him down...? Then... it hit her... A devious smile crept onto her face. 'That's right... I just learned a new technique...'

Saitama continued jumping from boulder to boulder, his visage still not looking more excited than it always did. Midway through a jump, everything dropped at a very rapid pace. The boulders all around him suddenly rocketed toward the ground along with himself.

Tatsumaki watched with a giddy grin when she saw him succumb to the increased gravity. 'There's no way he could overcome this! It was hard for me even with my power. This isn't as much force, but it should be more than enough t-..'

The smoke of the crumbling boulders cleared and, much to her irritation, there he was... just standing there, looking up at her. He was just watching her as if waiting for something to happen.

'You... you bald bastard!' Now, he was really pissing her off. "Fine... Let's see what happens when we add a little more pressure," she muttered.

Saitama was confused watching the massive boulders start to crumble all around him for some reason. 'Hm...? Is she just making smaller rocks now...?'

Tatsumaki slowly started to squeeze her hands into fists. With every twitch of her fingers, the pressure increased. Eventually, her hands began to shake. She stared daggers at the bald man, waiting for it to get to him, but... it never did. "ergh-...! Errrggghh!"

Saitama looked down in shock when he was suddenly buried up to his knees in the solid ground beneath him. "... Oh..."

't-... There's-! ... There's... no... WAY!' He was completely unaffected. She probably would've written it off as him possessing some kind of canceling telekinetic power technique, but... his feet were buried, so it was definitely affecting him, physically. "h-.. How strong is this guy!?" Her frustration boiled over, and she was ready to bring out the big guns. While holding her gravity technique with one hand, the other pointed straight up at the sky. It wasn't one of her alien ship-busting meteors, but a sizeable meteor came screaming down. With any luck, maybe she'd see a bit of fear from the man. 'Tch-! How bout this, huh!? Beg for mercy and I just might consider it!'

Saitama looked up at the encroaching light with a bit of surprise. 'Wow... She sure is a lot stronger than her big sister... A LOT stronger, but... at the end of the day...' As if he weren't even aware of the increased gravity, Saitama marched his feet out of the holes he was standing in and kept his eyes on the falling meteor. With a lazy half-squat, he took off with an insanely powerful jump. He passed right by the shocked green-haired girl, not even looking her way.

Tatsumaki was pushed back by the force of the wind that trailed behind him, and completely lost her control of the gravity technique and guiding the falling space debris. "n-NO WAY...!"

Still, without fear, excitement, or joy in his blank expression, Saitama cocked his fist back, just as he had done that day he saved City-Z. Only this time, it wasn't as intense. '... It's still just throwing rocks...'

There was silence when his fist drove through the rock initially. It wasn't until he popped out of the other side...

(BOOM!)

Like the crack of an erupting volcano, the large rock was shattered to pieces. Again, Tatsumaki couldn't believe what she was seeing. That wasn't her biggest move or meteor by far, but still... he busted through with such ease...

Saitama's momentum ran out after a while and he began free-falling, surrounded by the shattered remains of the space rock... That's when he thought about the aftermath of doing this the last time. Yeah, he stopped the big blast, but...

He looked to City-Z which was somewhat in the range of the explosion. He thought he drew the fight far enough, but this was turning into something ridiculous. 'Well... I guess there's really no one there to get hur-... Uh... what...?'

Suddenly, the shattered pieces of the meteor were all glowing green. Before he had time to react, the chunks started coming back together with him as the focal point. They clung to him like sticky gum that he just couldn't pry off.

Tatsumaki, again, squeezed her hand together, catching all of the shards and essentially reforming the construct. When it was fully condensed, she squeezed as hard as she could and sent it shooting down to the ground. Now, she understood. Distance attacks wouldn't work. He was able to block, smash, or evade everything. If she wanted to do damage, it had to be direct.

The meteor struck down, not even having enough momentum to break itself completely. It split in half, one side sliding off, revealing Saitama lodged in the center with his arms out, still looking as disinterested as ever. Before he could pry himself free, Tatsumaki came shooting his way like a bullet. She tackled him through the rock, shattering the standing half to pieces again. They slid across the ground for a way before she grabbed his shirt and flipped forwards a few times before launching him into the ground. With their momentum still moving forward, Saitama skipped across the ground. His face, back, and feet dug and scraped into the earth as he tumbled before he was able to stick his hand down and catch himself.

Her plan was solid. It gave him no time to recover. She was taking advantage of the fact that he was underestimating her. Not hitting back put him at a severe disadvantage.

Her anger was so intense that she didn't even care to notice they were headed back toward the cities, and if she did, she didn't care. A blind rage overcame her, similar to the way she felt when those alien bastards were looking down on her. Only, this time, she had more than enough energy to validate herself. 'I'm... not weak...! I don't care if this is the guy that saved us...! Those situations were completely circumstantial! I'm... I'm stronger than you!'

Backpedaling at an unbelievable pace, Saitama had to jump when he caught a glimpse of something in his peripheral. It was Fubuki, Bang, and Genos. Why were they so close? With the attacks she's coming with now, they'd be hard-pressed to survive. He jumped into the air, knowing it put him in a vulnerable position.

Tatsumaki wasted no time in taking her opening. She flew right by her sister and the other two at breakneck speed, prying a chunk of the ground in front of her along the way.

With no way to dodge it, Saitama smashed it to pieces when it came in range.

The smoke from the debris gave Tatsumaki the cover she needed, and she pointed a hand his way with a look of excitement as if she caught him.

Saitama was confused until his back hit something hard. He was far from being near the buildings yet. Looking over his shoulder, he was surprised by the green hue of a forcefield. 'Hm... that's clever...'

It dissipated right as her power-packed fist came smashing into his abdomen, sending him flying. Tatsumaki jetted forward to catch up to him and slugged him again... and, again... and, again, until finally, he was sent tumbling through the top floor of a building.

Only then did Saitama realize they were back in the city... though it wasn't City-Z. They must've circled around it, ending up in City-Y. '... Then... where the heck is everyone?' he wondered as he tumbled through the office space.

He was going too fast to stop himself before he popped out the other side of the building. Even then, he wasn't in the clear. As he started dropping, he saw her swoop around the base of the building before b-lining straight for him. For a split second, he could finally see her face up close, and the hunger in her eyes was nearly palpable. She drove her fist into his chest and sent him rocketing back into the sky.

'Oh, man... She's really mad, huh...? I don't see why. It's not like I damaged her apartment.' His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden roar of laughter from somewhere nearby. Definitely a monster. The screams of what he assumed to be civilians caught his ear as well. 'Hm...? What's going on over there...?' Before he could question it further, he was hit with a brutal right hook, right on his jaw, sending him rocketing in that direction.

A big hulking creature, standing at an impressive 15 feet, towered over the bodies of many lower-class heroes with a victorious flex. "Hergh-Heeergh! You pitiful fools have no clue, do you!?" its mocking voice boomed out. "Today is but the beginning of the monster revolution! The start of the new world where power reigns supreme! Those unfit to live will die, and those blessed enough to survive the change will thrive with the rest of u-..!"

(BANG)

Saitama landed right in the big creature's chest, slamming them both into a nearby building. "Ergh.. what the-... Hey, what the hell!? Who are you!? Another foolish hero trying to save the da-..! urgh!" The monster's words were cut short when Saitama kicked off his chest in a hurry. "Ergh-! What the-!" Suddenly, it saw why the bald man was running. "RAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!" A hellish scream left the beast's mouth when the green glowing light post came drilling into its chest.

Tatsumaki's eyes followed her target as she came swooping by like a green heat-seeking missile. "COME HERE!"

Saitama screeched to a halt when he nearly ran into a strange-looking man with a goofy mustache, a snazzy suit, and a weird spring-like sword. The man spared him a horrified look as he jumped back with a big leap, narrowly avoiding a car that came crashing down where he once stood.

"I SAID COME HERE!" a deep and menacing voice roared.

Saitama looked down the adjacent street to see a big grey-skinned monster charging down the road like a rhino. 'What the hell i-..'

(Boom!)

Before he could finish his thought, Saitama got hit from behind and was sent flying forward just as the monster was crossing the intersection. He inadvertently headbutted the beast so hard that its head exploded.

His momentum, again, sent him skipping across the empty asphalt street below. Before he could right himself, he caught a glimpse of the green-haired girl above him actively ripping light poles from the ground along her way. The first one came flying down at an unbelievable speed. He knocked it 'harmlessly' into the building next to him. Scrambling back, he had to dodge five more before straight catching the last one. Holding the end of it, he simply threw it back at her. Not too hard. He wasn't trying to hurt her or anything. Even so, the pole was sent rocketing as if it were shot out of a canon. 'Oops...'

Tatsumaki was hard-pressed to avoid it, but she was able to twist away and continue her pursuit. The pole flew by her with an insane velocity. Who knew where it would end up landing?

(Super Fight Arena – City-C)

Suriyu, the genius martial arts master who was a natural at his craft couldn't believe it. He crawled away from his former opponent, a creature that was once a man. Now it was a four-armed monster, moments away from killing him. He had never shown respect to them before, but now, he had no choice. What he needed was, "h-... h-Hero! Please! I need a hero! There's a monster here...! If you can hear me... please! I-.. heh!" Tears streamed down his face as those booming footsteps came closer and closer.

"Heheheh! You pathetic piece of garbage," the ape-like monster called out in amusement. "To think such a weak-willed creature used to be my superior... Keh-! Well, those days are over. No one's gonna save you, now, Suriyu..." It lifted its massive foot up over his broken body, ready to squash him like a bug. "Heh-heh-heh-heh!" the creature delighted, hearing the sounds of his panic. "That's right, champ... Scream for me...! SCREAM FOR M-...!" The beast suddenly stopped when it noticed something in the sky, through the hole that Goketsu created. "... What is that...? h-... Huh!?" The light pole Saitama threw from City-Y impaled him through the chest like a knife through warm butter.

Suriyu timidly looked back to see the ape-like creature sliding limply down that pole. A delirious smile graced his face before it slowly rose into a relieved laugh. "Heh... Heh-heh-... Hahahaha!" He was saved... "t-... Thank you! Whoever you are...! Thank you...!"

(BOOM)

Saitama was sent flying again from another booming hit that he essentially allowed to catch him. It wasn't like he couldn't avoid these blows, but he figured she'd calm down a little quicker if he let her land her attacks. Though, she didn't seem to be slowing down at all. His hands were pretty much tied right now. 'Should I fight back...? I mean... she's a hero... and it's not like I can just hit a girl.'

He was thrown to the ground with enough force to bury his body in the concrete. Tatsumaki, again, filled with unbridled rage, came screeching down after him. She grabbed his face and drove his head into the ground as she dragged his body through the cement. When their momentum slowed, she threw him with all her strength, sending him tumbling down the road.

Saitama bounced off of cars left abandoned on the road until he was able to catch his footing. As soon as he did, he had to jump away from her punch that shattered the ground.

Immediately, Tatsumaki gave chase, but before she made it, a giant tentacle slapped down between them from the adjacent road of the intersection they were passing.

"GRAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" A giant octopus-like creature roared as it bled from the many eyes around its massive head.

Without a moment of hesitation, Tatsumaki grabbed the entire thing in a vice-like psychic grip and launched it down the street in the direction of the man she was chasing.

Saitama watched in amazement as its tentacles ripped chunks from the street from the force of its suction. This entire situation was just getting more and more confusing. He watched it tumble his way before cocking his fist back and completely obliterating it with a single punch.

(BOOM!)

Through the resulting carnage of the creatures flying flesh and guts, Tatsumaki came tunneling through it as if it were a smoke screen, delivering another power-packed punch to Saitama's defenseless chest, sending him flying and immediately chasing after him.

Unnoticed by the raging esper, Flashy Flash landed on a nearby roof just as she took off. He stared down at the remains of the monster before his gaze shifted in the direction he saw her green trail fade. "... hmph," he grunted before jumping away to find another beast.

"... Understood," Genos said into his transponder. He, Bang, and Fubuki stood on a building, tracking the two powerhouses as they fought. They were trying to keep up, but they kept losing sight of them until Genos received an emergency alert. "We will mobilize immediately," he finished, hanging it up.

"What's going on?" Fubuki asked.

"It appears there is some kind of organized monster attack," he replied. "There have been multiple sightings all around the cities."

"Hm," Bang hummed as he looked around at all of the destruction. "I thought something was amiss." Tatsumaki and Saitama's fight was destructive, without a doubt, but he suspected she'd minimize it as much as possible.

Fubuki huffed out an irritated sigh and stared in the direction they last saw her sister and Saitama heading. "w-... Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't get close enough to stop those two."

"I don't think there's a need to," Bang said, thinking about what he's seen so far. They've been on their tail for miles now, only being able to keep up thanks to Fubuki's power. "The damage they've been dishing out, under any other circumstance, would cause for concern. However, they seem to be stopping a lot more carnage than they are creating... Besides, we don't have time to worry about those two if the information provided is true." The three of them looked out at the chaos around them. "We're heroes... It's time we join the fight..."

"er-.. er-ergh," Metal Bat groaned as he picked himself up off the pavement. He grabbed his bat along the way and retook a defensive position. His narrowed gaze locked onto the feral-looking man across from him. The apparent 'Hero Hunter' who interrupted his fight with that giant centipede moments ago. 'This fuckin' guy... he's really startin' to fire me up!'

Garou had a demented grin of excitement on his face as he stalked his prey. 'Heh... Metal Bat, huh...? Kid's not too shabby...' It had been so long since he had felt this rush. 'Heh... heh-heh-heh! Yes! YES! More! Show me MORE!' The two charged each other with no sign of a signal. 'Show me your FIGHTING SPIRIT!' Before Garou could get his hands on him, a bald man crashed into Metal Bat out of nowhere, sending them both tumbling to the ground for a few feet.

"Oops," Saitama said, pulling himself off the ground to see the kid he landed on was passed out cold. " uh... hey, sorry about that... Are you okay?"

Garou watched this strange man try and shake his prey awake in disbelief. 'That... That was it... That was the fight to let me know for sure where I stand...! That was MY fight...!' He sunk down into an animalistic stance, ready to pounce. "I'll... I'll kill you!" he yelled, jumping at him with a twisted look on his face.

Saitama turned towards the voice to see some random guy ready to attack him. "Hm...?"

(BANG!)

He kicked him into the building next to them with a confused look on his face. "... Who the hell was that gu-.."

(BOOM!)

Tatsumaki sucker-punched him and sent him tumbling down the street again. "I'M NOT DONE!" she screamed, immediately blasting after him.

Garou was left buried in the debris of the hole he landed in. He couldn't breathe. It felt like he was just hit by a train. "w-.. What the hell was... that...!?"

Saitama continued to take the beating, though he was admittedly getting bored. If it went on for too much longer, he'd have to put an end to it. There were things he had to do, now.

For one, contact his boss and request a new uniform, definitely. His work shirt was just straight-up gone, likely scattered around in a number of places, and his pants had rips and holes all over. 'Hurgh... What a day,' he thought as he took another power-packed punch to the chest, sending him skidding along the ground behind him. When he got the chance, he flipped back to his feet and slid back on the street, immediately spotting Tatsumaki in the sky, looming above him as if she was trying to catch her breath. 'Man... she sure does train hard, but... she's probably tired by now...'

Tatsumaki huffed and puffed with her hands on her hips. She couldn't remember ever being this physically exhausted. Being drained of her psychic energy was one thing, but it never strained every muscle in her body like this. The only other time that even compared was after that Octopus freak had her pinned by the force of a black hole, and this still felt more taxing... mainly because of the dumb look on the bald man's face. 'He's... he's not even winded... It's like he's really not even trying...'

Saitama scratched his cheek for a moment and awkwardly looked around. "... Uh... are you done, now...? This was actually pretty fun, but... I think we should stop before you break more stuff. You're probably gonna owe the city a crapload of money..." To his surprise, the wind around them started kicking up again, which he now recognized as almost a warning sign for her attacks.

"Why...?" she suddenly muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. "... Why can't... I beat you...?"

Saitama raised a curious brow at her question. "... Uh... I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Your attacks just aren't that strong, I guess... But, this was just a sparring session, right? So, you probably weren't going all out."

Tatsumaki held her composure on the outside, but internally, she was seething more and more with every single word that left his mouth. It was humiliating.

"I'm sure if you work harder and uh... keep at it, you'll get even stronger..." He gave her a small smile and a thumbs up for a moment until something seemed to dawn on him. "Though... I don't think you should do that, honestly... If you do, then it just makes everything... kind of boring..."

The wind kicked up in that hellish way again, letting him know this wasn't over. He watched her take off like a bullet headed straight for him. 'Oh... guess I'll just have to pick something up for dinner tonight... Wait, did I even bring my wallet with me...? Ah, I'm sure if I call Genos he can cover me. I can just pay him back next Friday when my check comes in...' He made no move to defend himself as he watched her draw her fist back. He could visibly see the green light of her psychic energy engulfing her fist to a vibrancy that he hadn't seen yet. 'Oh wait... I got some overtime in too, this week, which means I'll have enough for rent and enough to pay King back for that controller...'

As that thought came and went, he heard an odd noise behind him, like a muffled pop song or something. "... Hm?"

(BOOM!)

A huge blast of energy was released when Tatsumaki drove her hit home, only this time, it felt different. It felt a lot more powerful. A lot harder... There was a lot more resistance. He had caught her punch in the palm of his hand. 'n-.. No way...! No way, I put everything I had into that hit! ... a-.. and he jus-... he caught it!' She snarled at him, angrily and tried to rip her fist out of his grip. 'Is he finally planning on fighting back? He hasn't caught any of my other punches, so what's he...'

"w-... Whoa," a young voice said from behind Saitama. Tatsumaki locked eyes with a kid sitting on his butt in the middle of the crosswalk with his headphones on the ground behind him. "t-... Tornado!"

She ignored him and looked down at Saitama's feet to see she had buried him to his ankles. If he hadn't caught her punch, regardless if she had landed or missed, that kid would've been toast. She locked eyes with Saitama again for a tense moment. With a grimace, her gaze flickered to their hands. He was gently holding her fist again. With a huff, she ripped it away from him and addressed the child in the street. "What the hell are you doing out here!?"

The kid looked shocked that he was being called out. "u-uh, s-sorry ma'am! I was jus-.. walking home from scho-.."

"There's a major monster alert! You're supposed to be in a bunker!" she interrupted.

"i-.. I'm sorry! I was in the library! I didn't know! I'll go right now!" They watched him jog across the street, waving over his shoulder. "Sorryyy!"

Tatsumaki huffed and turned her attention back to the bald man, waiting for him to say something about her being a bad hero. Instead...

"Whew," Saitama said with an obviously fake tone of relief. "That was close, huh...?" He took a deep breath and stretched his arms out with a groan. "Whelp... see yah..." Just like that, he walked right by her as if nothing ever happened.

She was left in shock for a moment before she spun around. "Hey! Where the hell are you going!?"

Saitama turned back to her with a curious look. "... Uh... I was gonna head home. I've gotta order a new uniform for work and all..." He was about to turn back around before he thought of something else. "Oh and uh... nice fight... You're pretty strong..."

Tatsumaki stared at his smiling face with an unreadable expression until he turned to leave. The image of that hero punching that 'planet collapsing blast' from the invasion overcame his form as he walked away... and, she saw it...

Now, more so than ever, she was sure of it. That was the hero who saved the world from possible destruction, twice, and no one knew it. '... A cashier living in a crappy apartment in City-Z is the strongest man in the world...'

She was about to call out to him when her ears caught a roar in the distance in the other direction. She glanced over her shoulder and then looked back to Saitama's retreating form. With a shake of her head in pure disbelief, she turned and flew to the sound of destruction in the distance... Even now that she believed it, '... I can't believe it...'