What It Means

by HorrificallyDreadful

After a brush with near-death, Tatsumaki realizes she cannot be the pillar of hope the people need. For the first time in a long time, she is afraid. The only one who can save her from that fear doesn't understand the concept of responsibility. There's more to hero work than a good fight and more to bravery than strength alone. The world needs a true hero, but what does that mean?

30. The Introduction

AN: Welcome back. Hope everyone's having a great day. I'm incredibly sorry for the long wait, I've been working through a good bit of writing fatigue, to be honest. It probably won't seem like it as you read this ridiculously long chapter, but as we move further into the more romantic themes it's likely gonna be a recurring issue for me. I'd definitely consider myself a romantic at heart, but when it comes to putting these sequences into words, it feels like a much harder task than usual. Hopefully, I can find a good way to do it with some tact and grace.

The chapter you're about to read was another really long draft, but this time I decided I definitely needed to split it for the sake of maintaining the flow of the story. (And also, I'm having trouble penning the wrap-up sequence)

Now, to address some reviews:

First, as always, thank you all so much for your advice and critiques. I always find some useful advice from a lot of you guys and this time was no different.

I completely agree with the sentiment that I spent a little too much time on Metal Bat in the last chapter. His fight scene could have been (and eventually will be) chopped down quite a bit. I don't know why I splurged on that one in particular, to be honest. I was probably just incredibly inspired that day.

There also seems to be a split reaction to Love's involvement in the story. Some people like her, others not so much, and I hear the critiques. Now, I definitely don't want it to seem like I'm brushing them off, but she's not intended to be a filler character. I don't want to spoil my own story, so I can't really say too much, but she will be more than just a pretty face hell-bent on preventing the main pairing. And, unfortunately, with these next two chapters, she has a good amount of scenes either involving or dedicated to her. I suppose for those that don't care for her, I can only ask you to bear with it for just a bit.

Also, to those commenting on my newly acquired flame reviewer, lol. Thank you for your support, but there's no need. I've been on this site for a while, so I'm not new to the harsher side of criticism.

In more positive news, I do think this is going to be the last big battle event for a while. Once this mission wraps up, there will be more aww's than ooh's, if you catch my drift. Thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoy this next 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.

---

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

"er-...! Ergh-!" With a groan, Metal Bat stirred awake at the sound of thundering impacts around him. He noticed he wasn't underground anymore when he could feel the rush of the wind prickling his sensitive skin, and the feel of the cold, rumbling, asphalt on the side of his face. When he could finally open his eyes, the first thing he saw through his blurred vision was a shimmering bright red. Naturally, he thought it was his own blood until his eyes slowly began to adjust and he could make out the familiar red boot. "tch-...! Saitama," he struggled in a restricted tone.

When he didn't get a response, he forced himself to a sitting position and looked up at his soon-to-be mentor. 'When the hell did he even get here...?' He watched the yellow-clad man stand to his feet and noticed that he was focused on something in the distance. After taking a few breaths to steady himself, Metal Bat struggled back to his feet with a few painful groans. "Hey, I didn't need your help," he grumbled. "I was gettin' up..."

Saitama was still locking eyes with the woman in the sky. The monsters had all fallen away, either dead or struggling to recover, leaving their view unobstructed. He just couldn't seem to look away for a tense moment, as if she'd be gone by the time he looked back. He was trying to decipher her expression. It was somewhere between shocked and relieved if he had to guess. Was this attack bigger than he thought? '... At least she's not hurt, this time...'

Suddenly, her gaze flickered away and back again, snapping him awake. As soon as he blinked it was like his mind finally caught up with him, and he awkwardly looked away until his gaze landed on the few surrounding creatures still thrashing in pain.

"... What the hell was that?"

Saitama nearly flinched at the sound of the familiar voice. Metal Bat was looming over his shoulder watching Tatsumaki slowly drifting down to Flashy Flash and Tanktop Master across the hole. "Hm...? What?"

The teen's gaze lingered on the side of Tatsumaki's face, and just as he suspected she would, she snuck another glance at Saitama. With a mocking glint in his eye, he rolled his head over to the bald man next to him with a grin. "What was that?" he asked again, emphasizing what he meant with a small head nod in her direction.

Saitama just raised a brow with a confused look on his face. "Um... I just saved you, I guess," he shrugged. "I think you passed out... You okay?"

"Tch," Metal Bat scoffed, eyeing him suspiciously. He honestly couldn't tell if he was playing dumb, or if he genuinely didn't understand what he meant. He thought about pestering him further, but his attention was grabbed by the scattered creatures around them that were still thrashing in pain. "Whatever... I just hope you're not too distracted out here, 'cause we got a hell of a fight comin'."

Saitama watched him twirl his bat a few times with a confused look. "There's more of them?"

"Pfft," Metal Bat spat a good amount of blood from his mouth and wiped at his chin. "Fucker multiplied by the thousands down there, and it evolved again after I bashed its head in."

"Evolved?" Saitama mulled. "Like Pokemon?"

"Looks like the clones are startin' to catch up..."

Saitama followed his gaze to the group of thrashing creatures to see them mutating. The only visible indication of their next phase was that they doubled in size. He could tell by Metal Bat's reaction that it was actually alarming to the average hero, but in his opinion, it was pretty underwhelming. If anything, they were just making themselves into bigger targets.

---

"-and by the time we worked our way down there," Tanktop Master said, apparently in the middle of an explanation, "the kid had already dropped the main body. I didn't expect it to get back up from that beating so quickly."

Tatsumaki loosely listened and fought to keep her gaze shifting between the two heroes in front of her.

"He let his guard down," Flashy Flash summed up. "Had he been ready to strike it down for a third time, we could've avoided the hassle of trying to find it again."

"So, you lost it?" she asked in an icy tone. "Keh-! I knew I should've just gone down there, myself..."

"Yeah, you probably should have," Flashy Flash said, drawing her gaze.

Tatsumaki furrowed her brow when she saw he was looking back across the hole.

The speedy swordsman had his gaze set on the side of Saitama's face. He watched him and Metal Bat turn their gaze in their direction again before Pig God came walking up behind them. With a soft snort, he turned his icy glare back to the small woman floating above them. "I wonder what changed your mind..."

Tatsumaki didn't shy away. She knew what he was insinuating, but she couldn't possibly get away with beating him half to death out there in broad daylight with the others around. So, she just tucked her arms over her chest with a huff.

Tanktop Master stepped by Flashy Flash, drawing their attention. "We should continue our pursuit of the main creature. If it burrows its way any deeper, our task of finding it will only be more difficult."

"No," Flashy Flash said, stopping him in his tracks. "We can't risk taking our time. Tornado, you should go while we keep the main fight here."

Tatsumaki narrowed her gaze at him. "I don't take orders from you!"

Flashy Flash mimicked her ominous glare with one of his own.

"Calm yourselves," Tanktop Master said, playing the mediator. "That's no longer a possibility."

The two looked his way and traced his line of sight. The creatures weren't attacking them, and they weren't trying to protect the hole, anymore. They were actively fleeing, likely trying to spread the threat of the attack even further.

"There are too many for the four of us to contain," the musclehead voiced. "But, if Tornado and One-Punch-Man can control the threat on the surface, we can work our way down the abyss again."

"Hmph!" Tatsumaki hummed in a mockingly happy tone. "Glad you realize that. Why don't you four go try your best? If it's too much for you, then all you have to do is call and we'll come and save you, er-.. whatever."

"So, it's we, now?" Flashy Flash quipped.

Tatsumaki flashed him another icy glare. He was really starting to piss her off.

Flashy Flash was completely unfazed by her warning look. In fact, it only brought a smile to his face. "Hmph... Hey, Saitama," he called out in a mocking tone when he saw a bright yellow smudge approaching through his peripheral, "did you hear the plan?"

At the mention of his name, Tatsumaki stiffened and turned around to see him walking up with Metal Bat and Pig God. Just as quickly, she turned away and awkwardly fiddled with the edges of her hair.

"Hm?" the bald hero voiced. "What plan?"

Flashy Flash let Tanktop Master explain as he keyed in on Tatsumaki's adjusting mannerisms. It was odd to see her of all people with such a human reaction to someone else. He had always assumed she thought herself better than everyone. Well, considering she had blatantly stated that fact on multiple occasions in the past, it was a little more than an assumption. 'Though, I guess she can't really do that with him, huh...?'

"So, if Tornado and One-Punch-Man can contain the threat on the surface," Tanktop Master said, "then, we can continue our initial pursuit of the main body."

"Tch, so trying the same thing twice?" Metal Bat asked in a sarcastic tone.

"If you'd done your job the first time, then we wouldn't have to," Flashy Flash stated, coldly.

"Heh, yeah whatever!" the teen barked back. "Last time I checked you were down there too, Pretty boy!"

"We came to assist you on YOUR mission," he reminded him.

"So, assist! And stay the hell outta my way!"

Saitama loosely listened to the two bickering for a moment until his eyes shifted back to Tatsumaki in the air, and to his surprise, she was looking right at him, already... or he thought she was. It looked like her eyes flickered away almost immediately. It happened so fast that he wasn't even sure it did happen. This plan of theirs was oddly convenient to his situation, and as far as he could tell, she didn't really seem too bothered by it. Now, all he had to do was think of something to say...

And Tatsumaki was in the same boat. Her eyes systematically tracked between Metal Bat and Flashy Flash as they continued their meaningless back and forth, but she didn't hear a word. She knew Saitama just caught her looking at him again. She wasn't daydreaming or anything. She was just wondering what he thought of the plan. If he didn't mind, then they were definitely about to be alone, pretty soon... and she had no idea what to say.

"Whatever, fuck this!" Metal Bat shouted, finally relenting in their verbal battle as he marched back to the hole. "If that's the plan, then I'm goin' back down! What the hell are we wastin' time for!?"

Saitama raised a curious brow as he watched him drop into the abyss without a second thought.

"He's right," Tanktop Master said, following after him. He stopped at the edge and allowed Flashy Flash and Pig God to drop down next. "Saitama, Tornado, we leave the fight on the surface to you. Try and contain them as much as possible until we fi-.."

"We know already!" Tatsumaki shouted, too fast to stop herself. The two turned their attention her way, and she immediately bottled her flash of anger under the confused gaze of Saitama. "i-I mean... we got it..."

Tanktop Master watched her for a moment, wondering what the sudden shift in her demeanor was about. His gaze shifted back to Saitama after a while and he gave him a curt nod of respect. "Be well, and hold strong, One-Punch-Man."

"Saitama's fine," he said.

"b-... Be careful..."

Again, Tanktop Master's gaze shot back to Tatsumaki, this time more than a little surprised.

She tucked her arms over her chest and looked away. "i-I mean... if you can't handle it, just... call me," she awkwardly muttered, shooting a few quick glances at Saitama. "Just... don't do anything risky..."

Saitama watched her for a long moment before shifting his gaze between the two, completely confused by the weird atmosphere. That seemed like a very ordinary conversation to have in a situation like this, but Tatsumaki was incredibly stiff, and if he looked close enough, he could almost see a blush on her face. His mind got to working on what it could mean, and one of the possibilities sort of stirred something in the pit of his stomach. His gaze shifted back to Tanktop Master, and he examined him a little more thoroughly than he did when they first met. '... Is he her... ex or something...?'

Tanktop Master's look of surprise melted away after a while and he returned her sentiment with a smile. "I will, thank you..."

Tatsumaki scowled and watched him for a moment before awkwardly turning away. 'Remember... just be nice...' Her gaze finally flickered over to Saitama after a while to try and gauge his reaction... and she furrowed her brow when she noticed the look on his face.

"You move with caution as well," Tanktop Master said before looking back to Saitama. "And you as well, Sai-..." He stopped himself when he noticed the bald man was watching him with an almost scrutinizing glare as if he were sizing him up. "y-You as well... One-Punch-Man..."

"... Saitama," he corrected in a much flatter tone.

Tanktop Master shifted his gaze between the two of them for a moment longer. Why did he feel like he was somehow thrown into the middle of something he'd rather not be involved in? "... r-Right..."

Saitama's hardened look watched him drop down into the hole until it was finally just the two of them. Now that the awkward situation was over, he had to admit that there was just something a little off about that guy...

Tatsumaki awkwardly waited for something to happen, as if the conversation were just bound to start itself, eventually. She tried to play it cool, but it was somehow harder to look his way now that they were alone. When she finally worked up the courage, she watched him studying the hole in the street for a long moment.

Eventually, he seemed to feel her eyes on him, and he turned to her with an attentive look. The moment they made eye contact was the moment that a new tension settled between them, and they both awkwardly looked away.

Saitama scratched the back of his neck with an uncomfortable smile on his face. 'Heh-heh... Man, this is completely different than when we were in disguises...' He took a deep breath and looked around the area at nothing in particular. "... sssooo... do you have a plan or...?"

Tatsumaki stiffened at the sound of his voice when she registered his question. She was so caught up in game planning this conversation that she completely forgot about the attack. "o-Oh, uh... i-I guess it would be easier if we keep them in one area... They're just gonna keep spawning, anyways, so..."

"Oh... That makes sense," he replied. With a sigh, he looked around and only then noticed how much time they were wasting. "... Then, we should probably get going, huh?"

"y-Yeah, we should... we should go..."

Saitama watched her drift higher into the air for a better view until she was above the top of the skyscrapers around them. He hesitated for only a moment before effortlessly making the jump to the closest roof to take a look himself. His gaze followed her line of sight and he saw a few of the big burly beasts scrambling over a few buildings in the distance.

"We should go after the ones that ran first and push them back in before they break more stuff... They're a lot slower now," she needlessly pointed out. "So... they're not too far..."

"... Should I just follow you, then?"

"y-..." She nearly agreed, but stopped herself as she got a better view. There were a lot more than she originally thought. They were tunneling their way out from different sections of the sewer, and scrambling in every direction. If they really wanted to contain them in one area then, "... w-well, maybe we should split up... to cover more ground...?"

"... Oh," Saitama muttered after a long beat of silence. "... Yeah, okay..."

Tatsumaki's heart skipped a beat when she heard the slight shift in his tone. He didn't seem like he liked that idea. Did that mean he would rather go with her? She wasn't exactly overjoyed with the shoddy scheme, herself, but it was likely their best option. "... I guess... i-I'll go this way," she said, "and if you go that way then we can... try and turn them around, maybe...?"

Saitama's blank expression sat in the distance for a while as if he were considering her words. It wasn't what he had in mind, but it did make the most sense. "... alright," he shrugged and turned back to her.

Tatsumaki tried to hold his gaze, but her confidence was shaky, and it quickly fell apart. She looked back out to the scrambling monsters with a steadying sigh. They still hadn't even breached the edge of the destruction from their first attack.

Saitama watched the side of her face for a long moment. He was almost hypnotized by the way her curly hair gently bounced in the wind. For some reason, it reminded him of something someone told him a while ago...

'Every cool hero has cool hair...'

As a bald man, himself, he was obviously more inclined to disagree, but... he had to admit that the woman he was staring at now was a great example...

(boom)

The sound of a distant rumble caught his ear and he peeked back over his shoulder in the direction he was planning on starting.

Tatsumaki noticed too and sneakily glanced in his direction a few times until she was sure he wasn't looking. She studied the back of his bald head for a long moment. Staring at it now felt so different than it did when she first met him. If she were honest, it used to sort of tickle her to see how reflective it was. She was never really a big fan of bald men. Not to say she had something against them, either. She just never really found them attractive. 'So, what makes you so different...? Why are you actually kinda...'

"Heh," Saitama chuckled and suddenly turned around too fast for her to look away. "Hey, I bet we probably look like a game of Pacman from that helicopter's view, huh?"

Tatsumaki for some reason zoned in on his lips as he spoke, "heh-heh... yeah," she awkwardly muttered. She then looked down at her dangling feet with her hands behind her back. "... w-What's Pacman?"

Almost immediately, Saitama's smile shifted into a look of shock. "Huh...? You don't know what Pacman is?"

"Um... no?" she hesitantly replied. "It's a... board game or something?"

"... Uh, no. It's... like a super old video game."

"Oh... i-I don't think I've ever heard of it, before."

"Really?" he asked in an incredulous tone. 'I'm pretty sure they have one in the game room at the apartment complex... Does she not like games?'

"Uh, hey," she said, "we should probably..." She gestured over her shoulder in the direction of the fleeing monsters.

"Oh... yeah, you're right," he said, peeking back to see how far they had gotten. "I... almost forgot about that, heh..." He took a few steps away from the edge before turning back her way to find her staring right at him again. Her eyes froze him for just a second when it felt like she was waiting on a goodbye. "... i-... I uh... Hm-! Hm-!" he coughed into his fist. "I'll... see you later, then...?"

"Heh... yeah," she replied, slowly drifting away from the edge. "I'll... see you later..."

Like a chain reaction, her smile made him smile, and when she saw that, it made hers grow even more. Just before her composure broke completely, she shook her head and blasted away with a gentle puff.

Saitama's smile faded just a bit as he watched her leave until he couldn't see her anymore. Even though he was familiar with just how versatile her power was, it always seemed to mesmerize him to see her flying. It was just so... magical looking...

With a sigh, he turned back to where he planned on starting and took off himself. For some reason, as he leaped from building to building, he just couldn't seem to wipe his goofy grin off his face, likely because he couldn't stop seeing hers.

It was strange how... enamored he was starting to become with her appearance because when they first met, he really didn't give her a second look. He just thought she was some kid trying to sneakily buy cold medicine without a parent's consent. Yet, even after learning that she was actually older than him, he never really looked at her as anything other than a co-worker. Then, something must have changed along the way. She looked exactly the same as she did the day they met, but it was like he was seeing her for the very first time. '... I guess I never really noticed before, but... she's actually-..'

(BOOM!)

"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!" One of the monsters suddenly popped up from the edge of the building, just before Saitama jumped. The creature's massive hand snapped down on the yellow-clad hero, and it was big enough to engulf him entirely. With a frustrated roar, it threw him down to the ground below. "RAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

(BOOM!)

Saitama's back smashed into the asphalt of the road, and he watched the huge beast coming down on him from above like a falling bomb with teeth and claws. Then, as if by fate, something floated into his view like a feather in the wind. A torn piece of newspaper that he caught before it drifted by, and there was Tatsumaki on the black and white cover. "... Heh," he chuckled, tracing the lines of her bored-looking face with his eyes. '... She's actually pretty cu-..'

(BOOM!)

---

(On a screen)

"And as we circle around some of the main battle zones," the news reporter was saying, "it's not hard to see that the damage already dealt is definitely enough to warrant the sudden appearance of both of our top heroes who were scheduled for a day off."

The camera view panned around the destroyed city, keeping track of a particular cluster of scrambling monsters. "If you're just joining us, now, then you unfortunately may have missed possibly the greatest display of teamwork we've ever really seen from members of the hero association. With the rise of more and more threats coming in at staggeringly close intervals, the association has said they are planning on placing a bigger emphasis on cooperation from all of their heroes. Now, many critics believed the idea a pipe dream that would take years to effectively work into rotation, but Tornado and One-Punch-Man, possibly the greatest two heroes we've ever seen, may have just revealed a snippet of what it could potentially be at its highest level."

A smaller window popped up on the screen showing the moment Saitama and Tatsumaki were demolishing everything in their path in search of one another. From an outside point of view, it definitely looked like two fighters who were perfectly in sync, tearing through the mass of threats with ease.

"But, the battle is unfortunately not yet at its end. Again, the creatures-or creature, rather-has evolved for a third time. Just moments ago, we witnessed Metal Bat, Flashy Flash, Pig God, and Tanktop Master enter the initial tunnel the monsters were emerging from, likely in pursuit of the main body. Tornado and One-Punch-Man seem to be setting a perimeter to contain the damage... Heh, and for those of you shippers out there, they had a pretty lengthy conversation just moments ago. It's not known what they were discussing, but the internet is buzzing with possibilities... In other news, there is talk of a potential new hero on the scene who has saved a number of individuals who were trapped in the surrounding buildings. An unknown woman who-..."

Code sat on a stool directly in front of the old-looking box television he had rolled out from the darkness on a cart, just watching as if it were an interesting movie. He zoned out of listening to the reporter when they changed the topic away from the only information he was interested in. His eyes were locked on the small window, tracking Saitama's every move. Despite having seen his work before, much like the rest of the world, Code still found himself impressed. It was making him giddy to get his plan underway.

He had prepared it all out down to the last detail, and he knew he was primed for an epic entrance, '... because I know exactly who you are, One-Punch-Man...'

All of the pieces were in place, and, at this point, there was really nothing stopping him from pulling the trigger. Nothing that he could physically control, anyways.

Garou stood behind him, watching the screen over his shoulder with an irritated frown. Every now and then, his gaze shifted around the dark room, perplexed by the way the light of the television still didn't illuminate the figures in the shadows. It was aggravating being surrounded by faces he couldn't see, and coupled with the excruciating wait, he was definitely pissed. Still, he kept his mouth shut as Code demanded hours ago and watched the small window on the screen with a stern look. If anything, it only reassured him that it really didn't matter what Code had planned. Saitama and the Tornado of Terror were both akin to forces of nature. To even think the man sitting in front of him could be anywhere near strong enough to take on either one of them was such a difficult thing to picture. Yet, his confidence was cause for concern...

"You know," Code said, suddenly breaking the long-set silence between them, "I can't remember the last time I was this excited about anything..."

Garou stared down at the side of his face with an uninterested sneer.

"It was... so long ago," he muttered. His gaze stayed locked on the small window until it faded away and left them with a sky view of a few of the creatures further out than most. With a heavy sigh, he sat back in his seat. "I don't even fuckin' remember what I was so excited about, but... I do remember this feeling..."

(On the screen)

With their only objective appearing to be darting away from the center of the catastrophe, the creatures rumbled down the streets and across the buildings like stampeding animals, trampling everything in their path.

"I didn't think anything in this shitty reality could ever bring it back to me..."

Garou's gaze lingered on his blank expression for a long moment before the news reporter's voice drew his attention.

(On the screen)

"As the creatures draw nearer to the edge of their initial attack, the association is again warning the neighboring cities to hunker down and stay off of the streets if at all possible. There is still no word from the group pursuing the main body, so we are currently unable to give any sort of reliable estimate as to how long you can expect this disaster to continue."

The camera zoomed in on one of the creatures that seemed to be leading the charge. It galloped down the road with a ferocious prowl like a pursuing cheetah.

"It's a feeling that... I didn't think I'd ever want to feel again... but, now that I do..." A small grin slowly started to spread onto Code's face when he noticed the camera quickly panning to something of interest.

(On the screen)

(Boom!)

The creatures all skid to a halt when their path was suddenly blocked by a huge explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust on the road in front of them. Like frightened animals, they bore their teeth and daringly swiped their paws as if to ward off whatever was concealed by the smoke.

"I can't imagine fighting without it..."

"... Without what?" Garou asked after a hesitant moment.

(On the screen)

The smoke slowly began to fade, and the camera zoomed in on the yellow-clad hero who came goofily marching out of the cloud with a grin on his face.

"Yes!" the reporter exclaimed. "Okay, One-Punch-Man has finally cut off the creatures south of the battle's epicenter! It seems he is now drawing the line on their attempted escape!"

Garou waited for Code's answer, partially distracted by the look on Saitama's face the closer they zoomed in. For as brief as their interaction was, it seemed so out of place to see him smiling like that. He really looked like those cheesy superhero posters a kid would have in their room. The corny hero type that chose to smile through their fears as if to tell the civilians they had no worry of defeat.

For Code, it was almost too perfect. He was the ultimate hero. Strong, noble, and undoubtedly inspiring. '... One-Punch-Man is... perfect...'

"Fear," he finally answered.

Garou's gaze shifted back to the side of his face with a confused look, and for the first time in a while, Code looked back at him.

"Without fear..."

---

(WooooOOOSSSHHH! BOOM!)

Tatsumaki flew through a crowd of the clones, destroying each one in her path. At the speed she was moving, it was impossible for anyone with an untrained eye to visibly see her. She gracefully maneuvered through the concrete jungle with an uncontrollable smile stuck on her face.

Even though flying was basically her natural form of movement, she almost felt lighter than ever before as if it were more than just her psychic power pushing her through the air. There wasn't a shred of worry in her demeanor, yet it felt like her heart was ready to explode. The creatures in her path may as well have been flowers in a field because as they scrambled for their lives like roaches, she swooped by and picked them off almost absentmindedly, like a child picking daisies. Their roars and hollowed cries of agony were lost on her. All she heard was music.

It wasn't just because she was happy to talk to him again. That wasn't their typical conversation. Her mind kept replaying it as if anything of value had happened. They basically came up with a shoddy plan and talked about a video game she didn't know. Yet, it still had her smiling so much that her cheeks were starting to hurt.

Tatsumaki had very little experience when it came to romance, so she didn't want to make a baseless assumption about anything, but... somewhere in that interaction, it just felt like there was something different about Saitama. He was exactly the same as he'd always been, yet it almost felt like he was flirting with her...

No one had ever done that before, so she couldn't exactly say that's what was happening, but it didn't feel like he was just being friendly.

The thought of it alone was making her nervous, even now. Was this really what it felt like to have a crush? 'Heh... Is it always this terrifying...?'

"RAAAAARRRGGGHHH!" One of the monsters tried to drop down on her from above. Tatsumaki didn't even flinch. The monster slammed its head into her barrier and crashed down to the street below. She twisted through the air in a tight spiral, ignoring the crowd of monsters that tried to defend themselves. Like a drill, she shredded their reaching hands and anything else that happened to get too close.

'Does it always feel this... nice...?'

She just wanted to make it back as fast as possible. Especially now that she finally knew what she wanted to talk about. Of course, it came to her after they parted ways.

'... I didn't wanna lose you,' Saitama's voice invaded her thoughts.

It was so obvious. After all this time, she had almost forgotten that moment, even after pining over it for days. But, now that they were on friendlier terms, it felt like she could finally ask him without it being weird. '... Why did you say that...?'

If nothing else, one thing was clear to her at that moment. There really was absolutely nothing that could ruin this day for her...

---

With heaving breaths, Love hunched over in a destroyed living room with her hands on her knees. Every muscle in her body was on fire. She had been hard at work ever since Saitama took off. He was clearly in a hurry and he left her in the dust almost immediately. Though she wanted to catch up with him, there were a lot of people still in the buildings along the way that needed help, and she had led them to the bunkers in droves, fighting off the few monsters that happened upon them. It was pretty easy work until they suddenly evolved. She was still managing to scrape out a few victories, but she found herself evading more than she was attacking, and she was close to running out of steam.

'... and I still haven't made it to the news chopper...'

Thoughts of Amai Mask's words kept feeding her worries. He said this was the perfect opportunity to introduce herself, and it felt like she was blowing it. Big calamities weren't an everyday thing, so if she left today without showing the world a glimpse of the evidence that she could stand with the S-Class heroes, who knew how long it would be before she got another chance?

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she stared out of the gaping hole in the wall in front of her, listening to the monsters thundering movements approaching. With Saitama and the Tornado of Terror on the scene, if she really wanted a moment in the spotlight, then she had to keep moving.

"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

With a gasp, she flinched just before she jumped back out to the street when one of the monsters went scrambling by. But it wasn't attacking her... in fact, it wasn't attacking anything. It was seemingly running from something. She watched it roar a cry of desperation and spin around defensively before, in a moment of deja vu, a streak of red, yellow, and white tore right through its flesh and bone as if it were a water balloon.

Love quickly jumped up to the edge of the hole and leaned out to see Saitama destroying every creature he could find down the adjacent road. 'He... He came back for me...?' A fast chopping sound caught her attention, and she looked up with another gasp to see the News helicopter following his every move. Was her luck finally starting to turn?

---

Saitama maneuvered through the barren streets with a focused look on his face. He smashed through everything even remotely resembling the big grotesque monsters on his itinerary. At first, it was a handful, but there really weren't too many of them now. They all started to turn back once they realized he wasn't letting them past this road. Unfortunately, there were still a few that tried to make a daring break for it, which meant he had to take a few detours to chase them down. He could imagine it being a pretty funny shot from that helicopter view. It probably looked more like HE was the monster even though he was still holding back.

He had no qualms about killing them, obviously, and it would probably be a faster process if that's what he decided to do, but for the most part, if they ran the other way, he left them alone. In a way, he almost felt like a sheepdog trying to guide the flock back into the pen. He kept up his pace until he circled the block a few times to see no activity, then he jumped up to one of the taller surrounding buildings nearby to quickly check his progress.

They were definitely turned around, but he could see a few of them clinging to the buildings a few blocks ahead that almost seemed like they were waiting for an opportunity to slip by him. Most of them immediately decided otherwise when his gaze slivered over them and scampered away, but from a great distance, he locked eyes with one in particular that teetered its paws on the edge of the building it was on and narrowed its gaze at him.

'Don't do it,' Saitama warned with a daring look, crouching down a bit to show the beast that he was ready to move as soon as it twitched. 'Just turn around and I'll... probably end up killing you later, honestly...'

The monster shimmied its shoulders in defiance as if it could hear his thoughts. Then with a growl and a yelping roar, it jumped from the edge of the building and back onto the street below in a mad dash for freedom.

Saitama dropped down from the ledge feet first. The second his boots blasted into the asphalt, he took off running, planning to cut it off right at the intersection. He subconsciously adjusted his speed as needed trying to time it by listening to the monster's galloping steps.

After this, he could really start to push them back toward the center. 'I hope she's not done already,' he thought. Knowing how fast she was, it wouldn't surprise him. He had also thought of something he wanted to ask her. Something he had wanted to know since it happened. Their conversation at his Fanclub event is really what brought it to mind. When it happened, he sort of just accepted it as a nice thing of her to do, but now that they were on friendlier terms, he wanted to know why.

'... Why did you try and save me that time...?'

He was perfectly paced to absolutely destroy the charging monster at the intersection, up until the very last moment. There was a scuffle around the corner, and as he slid into the intersection, he locked eyes with the charging monster again, only this time, its jaws were snapped shut by a familiar pink cloth. The creature still came charging at him with a crazed look in its eye, so Saitama cocked his fist back and waited to blow it away...

(Boof...!)

Then, he was suddenly blasted by a rush of bright pink flower petals. They flushed across his face and invasively slipped into his mouth. "Pfft," he spat. "What the hell was th-.."

"WHOA!" Love suddenly came crashing through the stream of pink, colliding with Saitama for the second time that day, but this time he stood firm, and she bounced right off of his chest.

"... Hm?" Saitama looked down to see the same girl from before sitting on her butt in front of him. He swatted a hand at a few of the flower petals clogging his view before he was certain, but it was definitely her. "... Oh, you again," he muttered.

All around them, the flower petals swished and danced in the wind like some sort of cheesy romance scene.

It was definitely a beautiful sight for Love when she opened her eyes. She looked up at Saitama and watched him swish his hands through the air to keep the petals out of his face. "... Heh, s-... sorry," she said, rubbing at her forehead. "I... tried to stop, but..."

"Oh, uh... no worries," he said. "You okay...?"

Love gasped and held her breath when he suddenly reached down to help her up. She stared at his plain-looking face, framed by the drizzling petals, with a dazed expression. "n-... No..."

"... Hm?" Saitama raised a brow. "So, are you hurt or something?"

"n-No," she stammered, quickly accepting his hand just before he drew it back. "i-I meant... yes... Yes, I'm... okay, heh..."

"... Oh," he awkwardly muttered, watching her dust her hands off. "Okay, cool... Well, thanks for the help uh... Love, was it...?"

Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name, and she almost forgot to respond. When she finally tried, all she could muster was an awkward head nod.

"... r-Right," Saitama said. "Uh... Thanks, again, but I'm kinda in a hurry sooo... Yeah..."

Before she could kick herself from her stupor, he jumped up to a nearby roof to continue on, and Love watched him go until he cleared the edge. Her eyes dropped down to the road beneath her boots with a smile until the familiar flap of helicopter blades drew her attention. She looked up and stared right at the news chopper that was obviously positioning itself to get a better shot of her. Amai Mask said that when she got their attention she should act as if she didn't see them, but it was too late for that, now. With an awkward wave, she smiled at the man with the camera...

---

(On a phone screen)

"Oh... my goodness," the off-screen reporter muttered as they zoomed in on the waving woman. "I... I believe this is the unknown hero that was spotted by a number of different bunker attendants, escorting multiple civilians to safety, and she's..."

"Dude... she's freaking hot!"

Mina still sat on her mother's lap watching the section of the roof that was dribbling dust with every impact until she heard the strange proclamation from a teen boy sitting nearby. Immediately, his surrounding friends started crowding around him for a better look.

"Who?"

"Let me see!"

"A new hero?"

She furrowed her brow and watched them ogling something over his shoulder. Then, she noticed others around them reacting to their own phones in similar ways. '... There's a new hero...?' Whoever it was seemed to be pretty popular already. Her eyes swept around the cluttered groups of people rattling off their first reactions.

"She's so pretty!"

"How beautiful!"

"I love her hair!"

Mina peeked around to try and get a glimpse at someone's phone, but she couldn't catch a good angle. All she could really pick out was a pink smudge.

"Mina," her mother whispered in a daring tone when she felt her wiggle.

"Mommy, who are they talking about?" she asked to ease her worries.

Her mother was looking around in interest herself, but she kept a firm grasp on her daughter. "I don't... I don't know..." Ever since Mina's daring escape in City-Y all those weeks ago, she refused to let herself be distracted again while in the bunker, so she refrained from pulling her own phone out.

(... boom!)

Suddenly, the room went quiet again when they heard a distant blast. It was the first one they'd heard in a while.

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

Whatever it was was getting closer by the second, and they could hear the sound of the wind kicking up around them. Mina's eyes immediately shifted back to that spot in the roof to see it still drizzling dust with every rumble. Just when she thought things were calming down, it suddenly felt like they were prepping for the worst of it.

(tick... tick... tick... BEEP!)

(On the screen)

"-and already, the internet is buzzing with One-Punch-Man faithfuls who are determined to find out who this mysterious woman is, and exactly what her relationship is to their favorite hero!"

The screens all around the bunker cut back on at once. The camera was zoned in on Saitama who was frantically chasing down a huge pack of the oversized monsters, and from the angle of the view, it looked like an absurdly realistic game of Pacman. However, everyone's attention was focused on the small window showing the moment that Saitama helped Love back to her feet with the flower petals raining down around them.

"So far, their search has been fruitless. She has no online presence, no officially logged hero work, and apparently no record of ever having taken the Hero Exams. She has literally come out of nowhere to steal the hearts of many!"

The camera slowed its pursuit of Saitama, and the majority of the pack, when one of the creatures managed to slip past him. It scrambled down a street like a sprinting cheetah, but it didn't make it far before it was snagged around the neck by Love's shawl. She had the other end wrapped around the pole of a streetlight, and when the monster was snatched to a halt, the tension was strong enough to nearly uproot the thick metal rod from the concrete.

Regardless, it stopped the creature in its tracks, and by the time it turned around, Love was already jumping over its head with a beautiful twirl to her movements. She locked eyes with the creature and gracefully landed on the other side.

Everyone in the bunker was tuned in on the altercation with pointed looks, desperate to see what she could do... until something else caught their attention...

It was initially subtle, and many people didn't notice, but the entire building felt like it was vibrating. It was slow to build, but when it did, it did so with a vengeance, and soon, the entire room was in a panic from the unmerciful quake. The televisions, which they just barely got back moments ago, all began to flicker in and out uncontrollably.

(BOOM!)

A blast sounded off nearby. The crowd ducked their heads with a worried chitter circling the room, and they braced themselves for anything.

(BOOM...! Boom! BOOM! )

With every blast, Mina could feel her mother's grip tighten around her again. She sunk as far into the embrace as she could.

---

With his eyes shut, Garou took a deep breath and held it for a long moment before he blew it out in a satisfied sigh...

(boom...!)

His eyes creaked open and he locked in on a plume of smoke rising over the buildings in the distance. Being back in the real world felt better than he thought it would. The air, even filled with the scent of burning metal and ash, was fresher than it was in his prison. The warmth of the evening sun was like a cozy blanket compared to the unbearable heat he had grown accustomed to. It was a small taste of freedom, but he was reminded that it wasn't really free when Code stepped past him.

"... You see, kid," he began, strutting up to the edge with his hands in his pockets, "where you went wrong in your attempt at being a successful villain was the introduction... There is nothing more important than establishing yourself as a threat..."

Garou kept his eyes on the destruction sounding off in the distance, with a quickly souring expression.

"But not just any old threat... That's not good enough for the main plot." Code slipped a hand from his pocket and stared at a set of three rings in his palm. "You have to establish yourself as the greatest threat to YOUR hero... The antithesis of everything they stand for and hope to achieve... You were fucked from the start because you never even knew One-Punch-Man existed." He slowly slipped the rings onto a random finger and examined them a bit more. "You were trying to be a monster that no hero could beat, yet you never even saw the fuckin' goalpost until it was too late... and also, you kinda started like a jackass, too... no offense," he tacked on at the end. "Picking off the weaker heroes and working your way up? Pfft... That's really why you were never gonna beat him..."

Garou scoffed and turned away. It felt like he was back at the dojo, listening to the old man's lectures.

"To be the greatest hero's greatest villain, you have to be obsessed... dedicated, ruthless, and unwavering... Your hero has to know that... aside from him, nothing else matters to you... You split your attention to those weaker than him and still lose, then he already knows you're mid as fuck... And, if you're not stronger than him, then you better be damn sure you're at least his equal."

"And you think you are?"

"Heh-heh," Code chuckled. His eyes were locked on the news chopper in the far distance. "... No... I'm better."

"Tch," Garou scoffed again.

"I know you don't believe me," Code quickly said as he suddenly spun around. He looked down at the roof and casually strolled closer to him. "Which is why I brought you here, today..." He stopped right in front of him and looked him in the eye with a catatonic look. "You think I'm fuckin' stupid enough to believe that you'll just blindly follow my lead without secretly plotting on takin' me down...?"

Garou met his gaze with a stern look, but internally, it felt like his fight or flight sensors were screaming at him to make a decision. "... What?"

"Heh... Come on, I get it," he said. "I held you, prisoner, in that place for... what was it, years for you...? I'd be pretty pissed myself... I know you wish you could just rip my fuckin' head off, right...?" He never got a response, but he could see it in his eyes. Code snorted and turned back to the distant battle. "Yeah, well... I brought you here to show you what you're up against. That first little display of what I could do was a little exaggerated, as you know... So, this time, I'm gonna show you and One-Punch-Man, just a little of what I can really do... but most importantly, I'm gonna instill doubt in the mind of my hero... pique his interest... That's the real goal of this first encounter..."

"And how are you gonna do that...?"

"Heh..." Code rolled his neck out with a sigh and thought deeply on his plan once more before he settled his gaze on the horizon. It was gonna be dark soon. "... I'm gonna tank a punch from One-Punch-Man..."

---

Outside of the bunker, hundreds of the creatures were scurrying by, back in the direction of the original burrow. They scrambled through the streets and over the buildings in droves, some lost their footing on the ledges and fell to the streets with heavy impacts. Anyone who happened to see them could logically mistake their behavior as a mindless stampede, but that wasn't the case.

Tatsumaki hovered close behind the pack with her arms crossed, vigilantly watching for any creature that tried to break the formation. There were a few, but they were immediately blown to bits with little effort. Now that she was more or less back near the initial hole, she started to look around for any sign of Saitama, again. Knowing him, she wouldn't be surprised if he was done already. All she happened to see was that same giant billboard with his face on it. Then, she realized where exactly she was and looked at the bunker hosting the One-Punch-Man Fanclub event. It brought their awkward little conversation to mind, and despite her attempt to hold it in, a smile crept onto her face. '... Things really do come full circle, huh...?'

(boom!)

Her gaze shifted back out to the city when she could see a plume of smoke rise in the near distance. Then, she took note of her herd of beasts slowing their pace. She soon understood why when another group came rushing in from the other direction. Like an actual herd of sheep, they piled into the streets in a tight-woven formation. Those that couldn't fit latched onto the surrounding buildings and rooftops.

There were hundreds of them, all drooling and roaring their predatory warnings in every direction. Normally, it wouldn't have fazed Tatsumaki in the slightest, but the implication had her heart racing again. She gently started to circle around the group, effortlessly picking the monsters off when they tried to run as her gaze swept across the horizon in search of a spot of yellow.

(boom...! Boom! Boom!)

She could feel the heavy impacts coming from the other side of the formation, and every blast felt like an unsteady tick of a clock counting down to a moment that she wasn't sure how to feel about. It perfectly represented her conflicting emotions about having this crush in the first place. She was excited and terrified, all at once...

(BOOM...! BOOM...!)

'w-Wait... What was I gonna say?' she wondered.

(BOOM! BOOM!)

'... wait,' she pleaded.

(BOOM! KA-BOOM!)

Through a gap in the building, she caught sight of something zipping by that made her flinch. 'I'm not... I'm not ready...!'

(BOOM!)

The creatures were starting to panic, and they clamored over each other like a pile of squirming maggots. Tatsumaki picked off a few more that tried to make a break for it, but her eyes were still tracking the path of the impacts. 'Please...!'

(BOOM! BOOM!)

'Please, don't be him!'

(BOOM!)

She gasped when a large blast of fire suddenly shot over the top of the building on the other side, confusing her. Then, she was flooded with an odd sense of relief when the cause of the commotion finally revealed itself, landing on the edge of the building they had just cleared.

"Multiple targets spotted," Genos said in his serious tone as his gaze swept the area. He watched the creatures snarl and snap in his direction like cornered animals threatening to strike. In response, his engine started heating up again and he took aim with the blasters in his palms. "None of you will escape..."

Tatsumaki watched him with an annoyed look. The moment her relief faded, it was immediately replaced by frustration. 'What the hell is HE doing here!? Where's Saitama!?'

With little care for her effort to round them all up, Genos blasted his palm cannons in every direction, head-shotting the creatures left and right. His attack was all it took to spark their will to survive and, despite their fear of Tatsumaki, the herd scattered in every direction.

"You, IDIOT!" she yelled as she tried to wrangle them back in, but there were so many that it felt like trying to catch a crumbling sandcastle.

Genos kicked one of the creatures away when it tried to lunge at him before he looked to the source of that familiar voice. "Tornado," he said, acknowledging her presence. "I was sent to assist. What's the situation?"

Tatsumaki crushed two of the beasts with a firm clench of her fist. "The situation is that you just scattered all those monsters after I just rounded them up!"

"Uh-!" Genos gasped in shock as he fended off a few more. His sensors had picked up on the abnormally large number of inhuman heartbeats in this direction while he was searching for Saitama. He assumed he'd be at the center of the action. "My apologies," he said. "I will assist you in-.."

"I don't need your help!" she barked back. She definitely didn't want him clinging to Saitama's side when he got here. It was hard enough to talk to him when they were alone. "Just... go help those other idiots chasing the main body!"

Genos furrowed his brow in confusion. "The main body?"

With a huff, she rolled her eyes. "Yes! These are clones, and they're gonna keep coming until-..!"

(KA-BOOM!)

Before she could finish what she was trying to say, the street below exploded with what felt like the most violent blast of the day. A cloud of smoke and debris rose up past the surrounding buildings in seconds. She and Genos quickly scrambled to get a view of what that was, and much to Tatsumaki's irritation, it was a new hole, spilling out more of the monsters by the hundreds like a geyser, and to make matters worse, Flashy Flash and Metal Bat were soon spat out onto the street, both looking absolutely demolished.

(BOOM!)

A little further down the road, another hole opened up, and Tanktop Master and Pig God were blown out along with even more of them.

And Tatsumaki was absolutely furious...

---

Saitama kept up his pace, keeping a close watch on his herd of beasts as he continued to force them back toward the center of the destruction. He was close enough to feel the rumbles of a few blasts, and he assumed Tatsumaki was the cause. If the creatures could run any faster, then he'd probably be there by now. The problem was, every time he tried to speed up, they tried to split away. It was like balancing an egg on a spoon as he ran.

With a sigh, he looked over the top of the buildings blocking their path at a three-way intersection and noticed the towering plume of smoke dispersing in the air with even more clones being thrown from the smog. "... What the hell?"

The creatures at the front of his pack jumped and started clawing their way up the building, ripping chunks of cement with every swipe of their massive claws. Saitama slowed his pace a bit and let them clear it before he launched himself up behind them. The second he breached the edge, one of the creatures tried to catch him by surprise, but Saitama snatched its face in a brutal grip and ripped its head from its body.

The few creatures that waited to see if the attack worked hissed at him before they continued running.

From his new vantage point, Saitama could see a bit more of the destructive battle ahead. There were so many clones that they were covering three or four of the buildings entirely. He could also see Genos swooping around, picking them off with blasts from his hand cannons. 'Genos...? When the hell did he get here...?' Not that he wasn't happy to see him. He just didn't want things to get overcrowded before he got a chance to talk to Tatsumaki again. Speaking of her, his eyes locked onto the bright green gleam circling around the distant battle, apparently trying to keep a lid on the scattering beasts.

'... Damn,' he thought as he dropped back down to the street in pursuit of his pack. 'I gotta help her.' At least now he knew he didn't have to waste time guiding his flock back. With a burst of speed, he quickly closed the gap on the hoard of scrambling beasts and started picking them off, one by one. His sudden attack quickly scattered the formation, but Saitama wasn't holding back anymore, so, with no wasted movements, he dispatched the entire group in just under a minute.

"Heh, there," he said with a happy grin. "Now, all I gotta do is-.."

(In the distance)

"Help me...! Please! Someone, save me...!"

"... Hm?" Saitama looked around for the source of the faint voice calling for help.

"Please! I don't wanna die!"

The voice was withered and weak, like that of an old lady. His gaze shifted over to one of the scarred-up buildings nearby with an open window on the third floor... then he looked back in the direction of the battle. He really didn't want to waste any more time. There weren't any monsters around this area anymore, so realistically, what was the harm in continuing on?

"Please, help me! I'm... I'm trapped! I need help!"

"Hergh," he groaned. 'And this was supposed to be a day off...'

With a jump, he landed on the open window sill and examined the area. He was in the destroyed living room of someone's apartment. There was overturned furniture all over, and the lights were out. His gaze quickly scanned the darkness in search of whoever called out to him.

"... Help me!"

He heard the muffled cry again. It sounded like they were in another room nearby. He stepped down from his perch and quickly made his way into the hallway through the open front door. There were other doors left wide open, stretching all the way down the eerily dark hall. Anyone other than Saitama likely would've been a bit hesitant given the almost horror-like aesthetic of the situation, but it didn't bother him. He used to work in a haunted house a few years back, so it was almost a familiar setting. "Hello?"

"... Help me!"

"Uh, yeah," he muttered with a confused look. "That's why I'm here. What room are you in...?"

"Please, help me! I'm... I'm trapped! I need help!"

"... huh?" He suddenly stopped in his tracks when realized just how unnatural the voice was starting to sound. It seemed human, but it was repeating the same lines over and over again, in the same tone of delivery and everything.

"... Help me!"

"... O-kay? Uh... Look, I'm kinda in a hurry, so I'm probably gonna leave, now..." He took a step back to leave the way he came. "But the monsters are all gone from around here, though... You should be okay until someone else comes..."

"... Help me!"

"Yeah, alright," he muttered in an annoyed tone, briskly turning around. 'I can't waste time on this. Someone else will come.'

He marched down the hall with a quick pace, intent on leaving, but he suddenly stopped just before he passed by one of the rooms with an open door. A room he was sure he had checked moments ago. Only now, there was someone sitting in the middle of the floor, facing away from him. They were covered with a blanket and sitting eerily still.

"Please, help me! I'm... I'm trapped! I need..." As if they could sense him standing at the door, the person slightly turned their head. Not enough for him to see their face, but enough to let him know he wasn't just staring at a doll or something. "... I need help..."

"... Okay?" Saitama replied. "With what? You don't look trapped..." He stepped into the room and watched the shrouded individual slowly rocking back and forth as if they were trying to soothe themselves. "... Uh... hello?"

With a gasp, the person turned around. It was a plump old woman, sobbing uncontrollably. "o-Oh...! th-Thank the heavens! It's One-Punch-Man!"

"Saitama's fine, actually," he said. "So, did you need some help? Are you hurt or something?"

"n-No sir, I'm... i-I don't think so, I... i-I was just eating supper when all the lights went out and-.."

"Uh, yeah," he quickly cut her off. "There's a monster attack around here. I think the powers out in the whole city, except for the bunkers."

"a-A monster attack...? I had no idea, i-I'm kinda hard at hearing, you see, and-.."

'Yeah, I noticed,' Saitama thought with an annoyed look as he watched her rattling on about why she hadn't left already. He looked around the room to distract himself a bit until she was done. It definitely didn't seem like the typical old-person home. There was hardly any furniture, no pictures on the walls, and no useless collection of knick-knacks, which he felt like all old people had for some unknown reason. There was also a strange smell in the air, like mildew.

"-and m-my daughter called me and said I should try and make it to the bunker by Yamato Park. Could you... perhaps consider taking me?"

"Hm?" he hummed, tuning back in. "... Yamato Park...? Uh, that's... kinda outta my way," Saitama said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I think there's one around the corner, right here, right?"

The old woman nervously rubbed her hands with a worried look. "w-... Well, yes, but... l-Like I said, my daughter is waiting for me at the bunker by Yamato park, and... sh-she's probably really worried about me, and-.."

"Uh," Saitama cut her off. "Actually, I don't think you heard me before, but I'm... kinda in a rush, so I think you should probably just stay here for now."

The woman looked shocked by his words. "w-... What...? Here...?"

"Well... yeah," he shrugged. "I mean, the monsters are all gone, and... I don't think the building's gonna collapse or anything, so..." As if to refute that assumption, they could hear a loud rumbling crash sounding off from somewhere in the building. "... you should be okay, right?"

"i-I mean... I guess so... but-.."

"Great," he said. "Just... stay in this room, and I can tell someone to come and get you when the attack is over."

"o-... Okay...? That seems a little... u-unexpected, but..."

"What?"

"Unexpected," she repeated. "As in I... didn't expect you to say that."

"... Why is that unexpected?"

"w-Well... aren't you One-Punch-Man?"

"Yeah...? And, Saitama's fine."

"Aren't you like... the hero of heroes...?"

The baffled look he sent her way said all it needed to.

"y-.. You know," she said, egging him on as if he was supposed to catch up. "The Ultimate Hero...? World's Strongest Man, the greatest hero to ever live?"

Saitama just stared at her with an annoyed look on his face for a long moment.

"Heh, I mean... y-You'd really just leave a civilian near a dangerous battlezone? That seems a little... o-out of character, right?"

"Alright, granny," Saitama said, turning around. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure you'll be alright. I'm in a hurry, right now. If you have a complaint or something, I guess just call my boss, er... whatever..."

She watched him leave with a baffled look on her face. '... There's no fuckin' way,' she thought. 'I... I set this all up and he's just...'

(Creeaaak)

Slowly, the closet door swung open and Garou strolled out with an amused look on his face. "Heh... So, was that a part of the meticulous plan, or...?" He assumed it wasn't by the cold glare the old woman shifted his way.

Without another word, she marched out the door with an angry look in her eyes. And Garou followed loosely behind with a chuckle. "Heh-heh..."

---

The other heroes were fairing well against the never-ending stock of burly creatures. They were all wreaking havoc in their own individual styles.

Metal Bat was like a drunken maniac with his club. He bounced around the streets like a spinning top, knocking the creatures off with quick and punishing swings.

Tanktop Master held a steady position in the very center of the devastation. Anything that happened to come his way was pummeled beyond recognition... and Pig God was nearby, swallowing the monsters whole like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Genos and Flashy Flash focused more on clearing the large clusters from the buildings. The speedy swordsman hacked and slashed his way up the sides of the structures, too fast for the creatures to escape his path, and Genos flew around, blasting the monsters with his hand cannons with deadly precision.

Tatsumaki, on the other hand, was frankly everywhere at once. She kept a close eye on maintaining the perimeter while also occasionally swooping through the streets to clear a large group in one strike, all while her mind was elsewhere completely.

What could possibly be taking Saitama so long? Did he not understand the plan? '... Not like it matters now that all these idiots showed up,' she thought with an angry pout.

She swooped down through the street when she saw a big enough cluster and dealt a massive blow to the army of beasts before swiveling back into her route around the perimeter. She then steadied her flight for a moment and stared out in the direction Saitama should have come from with a wistful look in her eyes...

'Tornado!' the voice of Tanktop Master cracked into her earpiece, startling her awake. 'Any visual on the main creature!?'

"w-What!?" she stammered, looking around the cluttered area. "No! How the hell am I supposed to find it in this mess!?"

'Just keep an eye out!' he shouted in a strained tone. 'We've collapsed the tunnels! It's gotta be here somewhere!'

She rolled her eyes and continued on with her task of keeping them in the area. Apparently, while they were underground, they managed to find the main creature and were moments away from executing it when it commanded its clones to attack and force the fight to the surface. It escaped in the chaos, and the only way for them to tell it apart from the clones was by one of Flashy Flash's blades that he lodged in its head, and that was only if the creature hadn't wisened up and removed it. Still, with that knowledge, the task was no easier. The creatures were still spawning like crazy, and they were scrambling around the battle zone with no set formation or strategy. It was literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack... while trying to keep the hay from floating away.

The obvious question many people would have if they knew even a sliver of what she could do is, why not just put up a barrier? It made sense, and she could definitely do that, but...

Her eyes traveled back out to the city again in search of Saitama...

Was it selfish of her to prolong this mission just so he had a reason to come back? Most likely, but she didn't care. As long as no one got hurt, what did it matter how long it took? '... Hopefully, those other idiots don't actually find it before he gets here...' She sighed and picked off a few more that tried to break the containment. For as good as the day has been, things were starting to go off the rails. 'Saitama... where are you...?'

'Uh... hey,' Pig God chimed in. 'Is anyone else seeing this?'

'... Yeah,' Flashy Flash responded.

"Seeing what?"

'Relax,' Metal Bat said. 'I've seen it before. Apparently, someone thought we could use some backup.'

"... Pfft, backup?" Tatsumaki scoffed. Why the hell would she need backup? And what the hell were they talking about? Her question was answered when something bright flew past her. A pink flower petal floating in the wind... She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and as she rounded the area, she saw a lot more of them. Her gaze locked onto the News chopper that she hadn't seen in a while. The spotlight immediately shifted her way, nearly blinding her. Tatsumaki scoffed and kicked up her speed, outpacing it completely.

She killed a few monsters that tried to break away while her eyes skimmed through the streets of the battlegrounds. There were so many flower petals blasting through the air, that it almost looked like the buildings were burning with a vibrant pink flame. "... Eh-heh," she chuckled. "You're joking..."

There were no blasts accompanying the gentle detonations of flowers exploding between the buildings. It was just a soft poof sound and Tatsumaki couldn't seem to catch a glimpse of the source. 'It can't be...'

She took one more loop around before spotting a big enough cluster of beasts clogging a particular road, so she swooped down to take them out herself. She tore through the crowd with no effort, her eyes frantically searching for that woman. When she didn't spot her, she cut back around for a second look, momentarily forgetting her task until she was called out by Flashy Flash.

'Tornado! They're breaking off, southeast!'

"Tch-!" she scoffed and kicked up her pace. By the time the perimeter was secured again, the entire area was covered in drizzling flower petals, making it impossible for her to pinpoint where the woman could be.

'Hey-!' the strained voice of Tanktop Master cut in. 'If anyone's free, I could use a hand! ergh-!'

Tatsumaki rolled her eyes. "Where are you?"

'Intersection! 44th and Main!'

She shot off like a bullet in search of the given location, and when she spotted him a few blocks deep, Tanktop Master was covered in the beasts nearly from head to toe. She swooped down, low to the street, picking off a few along the way.

'ergh-! Hurry-!' the big man shouted.

"Shut up!" she yelled, locking in on his reaching hand. "I got i-.."

(Whooosh...!)

As if the world stopped for a moment, Tatsumaki slowed her pace when a smudge of pink went shooting by the intersection in a dive. She watched the side of Love's face for a moment as she zipped through and grabbed the reaching hand of Tanktop Master, ripping him from the dogpile. Just before she cleared the edge of the building, Love turned her way as if she could feel her gaze, and their eyes met for the very first time.

It happened in an instant. Tatsumaki stared at her with a look of shock, and she furrowed her brow when Love's expression suddenly lit up as if she were overjoyed to see her. When they cleared the edge, Tatsumaki just continued on, plowing through a few of the creatures that tried to snatch her out of the air before she emerged back out to the perimeter with a twirl. "... What the hell is happening, right now!?"

---

Saitama was back on his way to the action. He leaped from building to building, gazing at the green streak swarming around the area like a busy bee. 'That old lady was really weird,' he thought. 'But I guess as long as I make sure none of the clones get loose this way, she'll be alright.' He was fully expecting her to file some sort of complaint against him, but technically he wasn't even on the clock, so would it even count?

(wooooOOOSHH BOOM!)

He stumbled to a stop before he took another jump when something crashed down on the rooftop across the street. With a soft huff, he glared at the resulting cloud of smoke. Now, he was really starting to get annoyed by these interruptions popping up when he literally had the finish line in sight.

"Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh, dear..."

"... Hm?" Saitama narrowed his gaze, suspiciously. The voice that croaked out of the resulting cloud was incredibly eerie... because it sounded a lot like...

"That's just not right..."

The smoke cleared, and he was surprised to see the plump old woman standing across from him with a creepy smile on her face. He couldn't believe his eyes. Not only did she survive that fall, but, '... Did she just catch up to me...?' He was pretty sure he wasn't lagging behind. How the hell did this woman, seemingly far beyond her sixties in age, just catch up to him...? And more importantly, what the hell did she want?

The old woman put her hands behind her back and kicked her feet at the concrete roof as she started to slowly pace the building. "That's... not like you, at all..."

"... Huh?"

"You shouldn't have left me there,," she said in an eerily calm tone. "That's not what you were supposed to do... Hero..." She spat that word out like it was venom on her tongue. Then, her eyes flickered up to a building that sat a little higher, overlooking the rooftops they were on. Garou sat on the ledge, watching and swinging his feet as if he were patiently waiting for something good to happen. "You're... heh, kinda fuckin' ruining everything..."

Saitama stared at her creepy smile with a quickly souring expression. Was she really that upset? "Uh... Look, old lady, I don't know what you want from me at this point. I mean, you can clearly see that there's a monster attack over there, and it looks like you can walk just fine, so you should-.."

"Mhm-hm-hm-hm!" the woman suddenly chuckled through her pursed lips. "Oh, dear... You still don't fuckin' get it, do you...?" She stopped her pacing and squared off with him as if she were ready to fight or something. "I had it all planned out... and you ruined it..."

She put her hand on the side of her face, and with a gentle swipe, her entire look changed, clothes, gender, height, and all. It was a very trippy-looking transformation, and what it left behind made even less sense to Saitama...

He stared at the curly-haired man and frowned at his ridiculous outfit. It was some kind of dark-metal armor with spikes and hard edges all around and a bright-blue cape. Like a tacky design ripped straight from a manga or a video game. '... Is he serious, right now?'

"Heh-hah-hah!" he cackled in a theatrical way. "Now, do you see, One-Punch-Man...!?"

'He's trolling.'

"I gotta admit," Code said, "I may have... slightly misread you... Heh-heh... but it doesn't matter... because I can still salvage this introduction by doing exactly what I said I'd do... You see, I've been waiting on this moment for a while, now... I've... watched you and... admired you, for weeks... I admired the you that you are for the cameras. The you that-.."

"h-Hold on," Saitama cut him off before he went any further. "Uh... if you're gonna give me like a backstory or something, do you think you can maybe just skip to the important stuff, only? I'm really in a hurry, here."

Code studied him for a moment before he looked up to the building above them when he heard Garou chuckle. He watched him flip back away from the edge just before Saitama tried to follow his gaze. "... Alright," he finally responded. "You're... definitely gonna want to hear what I have to say..."

'Can he talk any slower?' Saitama sarcastically thought.

"But, I guess, since you're in such a... hurry," he said with a mocking tone, "I won't waste too much of your time... I want..." He scrunched his face up as if he were trying to find the right words. "I wanna see for myself... I... I wanna know what the hypes about."

Without a shred of discretion, Saitama took a deep breath and huffed it out in an annoyed sigh. 'He's serious...'

Code ignored him. "See, I knew I didn't have you completely figured out, yet, but... I couldn't have been all wrong... I have this... image of you... and if you don't fit that image, then we may have a serious problem..." Code's eye twitched when he noticed that the bald man was hardly even listening. He was just leaning over as if he were focused on something over his shoulder. Would he not even have enough gamesmanship to at least hear his words? "... I bet you thought you were already at the end of your story after that little fight you had with the Hero Hunter, Garou..."

Saitama raised a brow but still held his tongue.

"And it's not because you had fun in that fight, either... It's actually because you really didn't..." For the first time, Code finally got some sort of visual reaction from him. It was subtle, but he could tell he hit that one right on the head. "Heh-heh... You know, One-Punch-Man, I... think I just might be your biggest fan... because I see beyond that cool, calm, and collected mask of yours. I see that you're a man who's finished the storyline... and now you've got nothin' to do with all that strength..."

'... Is he a psychic?' Saitama wondered.

"Heh, and I'm not a fuckin' psychic or nothin'," Code said.

Saitama flinched. 'w-... whoa... if not, then that was weird.'

"I just... know that look in your eye... and I know exactly what you want..."

Saitama scratched his chin, trying to process his words. He was talking so slowly that by the time he finished a piece of his sentence, he had already forgotten what came before it. "... Um... Okay...? Well, what do you want?"

Code fixed his mouth to say something, but it didn't come out. He pursed his lips and tried to get a handle on his smile. "... hmph... I want you to punch me..."

Again, the bald hero was completely baffled by the strange series of events. Every time he thought it couldn't get weirder, somehow, it did. He watched the curly-headed man holding his arms out as if to give him a clear shot. "... Umm... What?"

"Heh, come on, hero!" Code said in an oddly bubbly tone. He poked at his chest, "Hard as you can. Right here..."

Saitama's gaze shifted over his shoulder when he caught sight of that familiar bright green again in the distance. '... I really don't have time for this...'

Code noticed his off-kilter gaze and peeked back over his shoulder to see what he could possibly be so concerned about. '... Oh... Now, I get it...' He turned back to Saitama with a mocking glint in his eyes. "Heh... You know, I almost thought you were just a careless hero or something, but... I guess it makes sense, now... You are the hero of heroes, after all."

"No one calls me that."

Code ignored him and turned around to look at his handiwork in the distance. "... I get the sense you're a little slower than I thought you'd be, so... In case you haven't connected the dots yet," he turned back and held his arms out again, this time as if he were presenting what was behind him, "this is all me..."

"... What?"

"The monsters, One-Punch... You mind if I just call you One-Punch?"

"Hm...? The monsters? What about 'em...? And, Saitama's fine," he quickly tacked on.

Code was shocked by that. "... Saitama," he muttered. Of course, he knew his name already, but were they already on a first-name basis as hero and villain? He wasn't expecting to get there so soon. "Heh... They're my creations," he finished. "All of them... The ones that evolve, I mean."

"... Okay," Saitama said with an unimpressed look.

"... Okay?" Code mimicked him with a confused glare. "That's all you got? Just... okay?"

Saitama reeled a bit at his tone. Was there something more he was supposed to say? "... Um... Maybe stop... doing that?" he shrugged. 'Whatever'll get you to go away faster...'

Code was baffled. He couldn't believe that the hero he had studied so closely was somehow completely different than what he had game planned for. '... Maybe stop doing that,' he pondered his words with a mocking tone. '... I tell him that I'm the one responsible for these attacks, and all he has to say is... maybe stop...'

Truth be told, even after studying him for the past few weeks, Code never really knew what to expect when they finally met. He had an idea, but never a clear image. It was probably too soon to say he was disappointed, but it wasn't looking good, so far. He stared at his baffled expression from across the gap with one of his own.

"I don't think... I don't think you understand," he said, after a long pause. "I'm... the orchestrator of all of this... The madman, the..." His words slowly died out when he could tell by his look that Saitama wasn't getting it. How could he put it in the plainest way he could? "... Heh, I'm the fuckin' bad guy! Do you not get that!?"

Saitama's gaze shifted over to Tatsumaki's green streak again. If this guy really was the one making the monsters, and he captured him, now, would that end the mission? "... Um... Okay, look," he said, cupping a hand over his mouth as if he were whispering. "Don't tell anyone, but... if you run away, now, I'll probably just let you go with a warning this time..."

"... A warning?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "See, I'm... technically off the clock, right now, so..."

Code didn't respond. He shimmied his gaze up and down Saitama's form as if he wasn't sure he had the right hero. '... It can't be... None of this shit is right...'

"Hey, and I won't even tell anyone I saw you," Saitama tried to sweeten the pot. He watched the guy almost seem to consider his words for a long moment. The sounds of the blasts and rumbles from the nearby battle ate through the thick silence between them, and Saitama was hoping he'd just take his deal. Otherwise, he was just gonna have to punch him... He wasn't opposed to it, but considering the strange man wasn't technically a monster, would it count as hero work? Or was it just murder?

"... No," Code finally replied. His cold glare met Saitama's uninterested look across the way. "I'm not goin' anywhere..."

Saitama only blinked as he watched a weird flash of electricity travel through his armored costume.

"And neither are you..."

---

AN: So, this is where I decided to cut it off. Big cliffhanger, I know, but luckily, the next chapter is already written (more or less). I'm just cleaning it up and working on the wrap-up to this little multiplying creature arc, so expect the next installment a lot sooner than usual. Like... a day or two at the most... maybe... haha! Thanks for reading! Please continue to review! As always, I love you guys and I hope you have great day!