For once, there was a small amount of time to kill. Metal Knight and Drive Knight's investigation would take a bit, so everyone, including One Punch Man, was able to take it easy. Sure, the leader of S-Class had to assist with the world's first monster veterinarian examination, but it was barely worth mentioning. The dog, who remained unnamed, was calm and cooperative throughout the process.
When the exam was done, Saitama told the canine that he had to go inside. The House of Evolution volunteered to stay with the pooch, and to everyone's delight, the dog welcomed them. Maybe it was because they weren't humans, too. Regardless of the reason, there wasn't any worry that the creature would suddenly go on a rampage.
The bulk of S-Class stayed in the lobby and relaxed until their colleagues returned or got in contact. Tatsumaki went deeper into the facility after Doctor Genus informed her what her sibling was doing. Saitama, when the dog's examination was finished, went to find the sisters. To no surprise, Fubuki was doing whatever she could to learn more about the unknown entity being treated. When Saitama arrived, he and Tatsumaki started talking.
"Tsk, what a dumb mistake..." Tatsumaki muttered while clicking her tongue. "If Fubuki was going to try something like this, then she should've brought a chair." She said.
"Oh, that's why," Saitama reacted, getting her to look at him.
"What?" Tatsumaki questioned.
"I wondered why you looked so annoyed, but now it makes sense. You don't want Fubuki to be sore." Saitama explained.
"Did you think I was mad at her?" Tatsumaki pressed.
"I mean, you ARE protective," Saitama noted.
"Hmm, true," Tatsumaki acknowledged. "Still, there's nothing dangerous about this situation. Even if that non-human wasn't beaten to all Hell, meaning they might break out of that tube, Fubuki could crush them in an instant. People underestimate her because she's not me." She told him.
"Yeah, I know. Fubuki vents about it all the time," Saitama replied.
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The sudden lack of speech caused Saitama to look at the Esper beside him. While her face hadn't drastically changed, there was a noticeable concern present in her eyes.
"Fubuki...vents?..." Tatsumaki asked.
"Mhm. All the time," Saitama answered. "It's not fair, Saitama! We're sisters! Why is she so much more powerful than me?! I work every day! I'm always trying to improve! But Tornado, she's just...better. No matter how much progress I make, she'll always be ahead of me." He recited. Unintentionally, much of this dialogue lacked emotion due to Saitama's condition. Of course, his companion knew that.
"..." Tatsumaki looked away, but not at Fubuki. "Does...she complain about anything else?" She inquired.
"I...don't know if I'm comfortable sharing that," Saitama admitted, looking up at the ceiling. "I told you the other stuff because it's related to our work as heroes and your ESP abilities. Anything beyond that starts getting personal. I know you're sisters, but I don't want to break any trust Fubuki had in me when she went off on her rants." He said.
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Following another pause, Saitama felt a hand grab his forearm. Looking at Tatsumaki, he saw the same concern as before but now with added determination. If there was one thing everyone knew about the Tornado of Terror, apart from her personality, it was that she DEEPLY cared about her sibling—even if, perhaps, she wasn't the greatest at showing it.
"I'll take the blame. Fubuki knows how I can get. I'll swear up and down that I made you." Tatsumaki promised, slightly tightening her grip. "Please, I have to know," She insisted.
Oof. Family drama. It made Saitama grateful that he didn't have to deal with that. Although he wanted to keep a lid on it, he could see that Tatsumaki wouldn't let this go. If Saitama didn't spill the beans now, then she'd be all over him until he did.
"Okay, so, um, I need to give a disclaimer first. Some of what I've been told happened after Fubuki sipped a few too many glasses at the end of a tough day..." Saitama began, feeling nervous about all this. "I...REALLY am uncomfortable telling you EVERYTHING she said. It was always SUPER intense. The gist of it all is that Fubuki thinks you're needlessly antagonistic, even toward her. She also hates how you view and refer to the Blizzard Group, going so far as to say that you're...uh...a very not nice woman. As for anything about the past or other family-related stuff, I am BEGGING you NOT to force me to talk about it." He shared, extremely nervous by the end.
Tatsumaki moved her gaze to the floor. Was she shocked? Stunned? Confused? Saitama couldn't discern which it was, but not because he lacked the necessary emotional intelligence.
Tatsumaki's face was blank, scarily similar to the usual expression of the man next to her. Saitama wanted to do something, but he didn't know enough about her yet to make a solid determination of action. Heck, it might not even be appropriate for him to try and comfort her when the issue was family-related. So, for as long it would be needed, Saitama would stand silently with Tatsumaki until-
Suddenly, movement. The duo instantly ignored their conversation and what came from it when they noticed Fubuki shift. Slowly, the Esper removed her hand from the tube and rolled her shoulders. A second later, a low groan escaped her throat.
"Stiff, aren't you?" Tatsumaki guessed while folding her arms. Just like that, she was back to normal.
"I didn't think things would go so well," Fubuki responded. Even before she connected her and the non-human's minds, she figured Tatsumaki and possibly Saitama would be here.
"Whoa, so you talked to it?" Saitama asked, confirming his presence before she turned around.
"Yes, I did," Fubuki answered with a proud smile. "Behind me is the Subterranean King. Yes, there is a connection to the Deep Sea King." She informed them, preemptively preventing one question.
"Given that this guy's barely holding together, he probably wasn't working alongside the Deep King." Tatsumaki commented, getting a good measure of the damage as she did.
"Let me put it to you this way: if we managed to capture the Deep Sea King and take him as a prisoner, Sub would've wanted us to let him skin the bastard alive." Fubuki stated.
"Sub?" Saitama questioned.
"That's what he wanted me to call him. Sub's always been addressed formally by his people and the other races. Because of that, he doesn't have a normal name." Fubuki explained.
"Huh, kind of like the others," Tatsumaki noted, referring to the House of Evolution's members.
"Anyway, should we gather everyone? It'll be easier to tell you everything when we're all in one spot." Fubuki suggested.
"We're still waiting for Metal Knight and Drive Knight to get back here. Is it okay if we hold off until then?" Saitama replied, followed by a request.
"Of course. It's not like we're in a rush," Fubuki told him. Afterward, the trio went and rejoined the rest.
An Hour Later...
As they had done previously, S-Class gathered in a suitable space within the building that could act as a meeting room. The House of Evolution's members were still watching the dog, but they didn't mind at all. Despite Saitama not being nearby, the canine was calm and quickly trusted its fellow unusual lifeforms. The most plausible reasoning was that since Saitama had been polite toward them, the dog understood that these people were no danger to it.
"We apologize for the extended wait, everyone." Metal Knight spoke. His drone and Drive Knight were at the head of the table so that they could present their findings. "As you'd imagine, there was still an ocean of rubble to sift through at the bottom of the hole. The mysterious creature's beam only cleared the hole itself of blockage. Everything else was buried." He informed them.
"I'm sorry, sirs!" Genos immediately exclaimed, bowing his head.
"Unnecessary. You made the smartest move you could have in your situation. Based on the data we've gathered on the monster, if you hadn't done what you did, you would've died." Drive Knight stated.
"Additionally, your decision to cause a collapse of the cavern was ultimately irrelevant. By the time Drive Knight and I reached the location you specified where the unknown apparatus should've been, it was already missing." Metal Knight revealed.
There was a brief quiet. No one was sure what to make of that.
"I'll bite," Bad offered, raising his hand. "When you say missing, do you mean to tell us that someone managed to whisk it away or that someone destroyed all of the evidence before you could find it?" He asked.
"The latter. Unless the culprit possessed teleportation technology or powers, there'd be no feasible way to transport the amount of materials needed to construct something at the size Genos described." Drive Knight answered.
"But how's that possible? Were there signs of an explosion, such as a self-destruct contingency measure?" Isamu questioned.
"No. From what our investigation yielded, the method of destruction was obliteration via an outside force. For example, ESP." Metal Knight said.
"Is that your leading theory?" Tatsumaki inquired. She and her sister were understandably intrigued by that.
"We are certain of our conclusion that something non-physical was employed to reduce the structure's remains into the smallest pieces, scraps, and powder imaginable. With that established, there are only so many possible explanations as to what the cause might be. Could this be an unknown power type? Yes. Anything is possible in such a strange scenario. However, if you were to make me place a wager, I would confidently bet on ESP." Metal Knight responded.
"Have we ever encountered a non-human Esper with that kind of power?" Zombieman asked.
"No. The only Espers capable of such a feat within the Association's database are Tornado and Blizzard. Much like the non-human races we're looking into, this is a discovery." Drive Knight answered.
"Oh! About that!" Saitama quickly interjected with a snap of his fingers. "Fu-...er, I mean Blizzard, managed to talk to the non-human we're treating via telepathy! Before we continue talking about your investigation, we should hear from her to see if what she's learned could be of use." He told the group. Saitama wanted to use Fubuki's hero name to try and get her some extra respect, which was noticed and greatly appreciated by her.
"That's wonderful news," Metal Knight said as all eyes went to the top-ranked B-Class hero. "Please, Miss Blizzard, tell us what you know." He requested.
"It would be my pleasure," Fubuki began, unable to keep from smiling. She always dreamed of being considered an equal among the S-Class like her sibling. This moment was definitely going to be a core memory! "Ahem. The non-human's official title is the Subterranean King. For the sake of simplicity, everyone can refer to him as Sub, which is a nickname he provided me. Sub revealed a LOT. To keep us from swerving, I'll only share what is pertinent to where we're at right now.
Sub was approached by the Deep Sea King. As you might have already expected, they were not on friendly terms, yet the Deep Sea King came with an offer. In exchange for the use of the special substance that allowed for the existence of the Subterranean race, the Deep Sea King would grant them multiple islands far from humanity, meaning that the Subterraneans could do as they wanted without risking anything. The deal seemed far too good to be true, even then. Likely noticing that himself, the Deep Sea King added another condition that he originally intended to keep secret. The Subterraneans would be given instructions to build something for him. Once the project was complete, the deal would be finished, and the kings would be square. Upon hearing that, Sub was more trusting. Having known the Deep Sea King all his life, he knew there had to be more going on. Unfortunately, he couldn't have predicted how many layers there truly were.
Not long into the Subterraneans' work, entities that were completely alien to them arrived. Sub, as his people's ruler, met with these creatures. He didn't intend for there to be any conflict, which is what made the sucker punch hit all the harder. These lifeforms were strong, even more so than a king.
Quick note: it would be best to save the questions about what a king is in this context for later.
Getting back to the story, what happened next will be summarized. Sub couldn't bring himself to describe it in detail, which I don't blame him for. These strangers were working with the Deep Sea King. In exchange for selling out the other kings, he was promised something. Naturally, Sub wasn't told the specifics of that arrangement. All that mattered was what was in store for him and his kind. Immediately, the Subterraneans became slaves. Their home was brought to ruin as anything of use was scavenged. Due to their natural affinity for Earthly materials, the Subterraneans were excellent at carving the underground to serve any purpose. They were also able to produce from themselves any natural resource. The machine Genos saw was one of the many things that were constructed. Like with the deal between the Deep Sea King and these unknown entities, Sub wasn't informed about these machines' functions. The best guess he was able to provide me was a power source or possibly a means of processing their lifeblood into something else.
Eventually, when the Subterraneans had fulfilled their usefulness, the death order came. The weakest were the first to die. Sub attempted to defend his people, but they kept him at bay. The Subterraneans wanted their king to live since he could rebuild their species and civilization. In an act of selfless sacrifice, they provided him with a window of escape. To Sub's knowledge, there were no survivors." She concluded.
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"An evil organization. It has to be," Saitama said, being the first to react to this information. "It's far too coordinated to be random." He added.
"Those were our thoughts, too." Metal Knight admitted as Drive Knight nodded. "Even without these details, the suspiciousness of a machine that far underground is too great to be considered the work of one or a few entities." He reasoned.
"Yeah. Plus, with everything we just learned, there's only one way that genocide could be viewed. Whoever's behind all this was silencing witnesses." Bad chimed in.
"Agreed. It was a calculated manipulation and assassination." Flashy Flash said, supporting that mindset.
"While all of this is useful, what are we meant to do with it?" Atomic Samurai questioned. "It's safe to assume that there are more of these machines underground. If those responsible aren't already destroying the rest, then that means they're confident about where they're hidden. The only ones who'd be able to search through the dirt for more would be Metal Knight and that mole guy from the House of Evolution." He pointed out.
"I feel as though that'd be pointless. As you mentioned, it only makes sense for any other machines to be destroyed. It's likely our enemies hope that we will waste time by searching." Metal Knight replied.
"So, from how it sounds, our efforts should be put to other tasks," Tanktop Master reasoned.
"Before we start making plans, I'd like to hear the rest of what Miss Blizzard has to give us." Bang requested.
"Does anyone object?" Saitama inquired, only to be met with silence. "Alright, Blizzard, you have the room again." He told her.
"Thank you," Fubuki responded before continuing. "The best thing to expand upon first is the kings. What are they? Well, from how I understand it, the kings and their species were the first fully evolved, higher intelligent beings on the planet. It has never been determined who came first, as all the kings claimed that it was them. However, to Sub's awareness, there has not been another king like them and the others. The same also applies to their respective species. Monsters or non-humans, as we call them, rarely exist as races. They're considered a collective by all who fall into that category, but there isn't any purposeful evolution from nature if that makes sense. Again, this is all based on Sub's knowledge, so there COULD be more. Regardless, the two remaining kings that we need to find are the Ancient King, who is a COLOSSAL reptile, and the Sky King, who, from how it sounds, resembles a Tengu. Sub has NO idea where the Ancient King is or if he's still alive. As for the Sky King, Sub knows that they live on a flying landmass, but he's never seen it. His best guess is that the Skyfolk keep it hidden." She stated.
"So, we're searching for a dinosaur and a race of mythical creatures, one of which is possibly invisible." Watchdog Man remarked, but not sarcastically.
"Pretty much," Fubuki confirmed with a nod.
"Do we think these mysterious villains have made contact with the Skyfolk at least?" Superalloy asked.
"That would depend on whether or not they have the means to locate them. From how it sounds, not even the other kings could perceive the Skyfolk's home." Isamu answered.
"Hold on, let me make a list..." Saitama said, pulling out his phone to take notes.
"A list? What for?" King questioned. It was only with Saitama and at specific moments like this that he felt he could say something.
"We've already got a mountain of stuff that needs doing, so I want to make sure it's written down," Saitama explained. "First, there's the House of Evolution's training and reveal. Simultaneously with that, there's the heroes-only news network. Then, there's the new transportation system meant for heroes to help with deployments. After that, we've got the ongoing Seafolk stuff in City J. Now, we've got an evil organization responsible for nearly causing an entire species of people to go extinct. In regards to them, their king is nearly dead and will need to recover. And, because of what he's told us, there are OTHER kings and MORE non-human people that we didn't have confirmation of until this exact instant." He listed. Truthfully, everyone was impressed by how fast he could type all of that on a flip phone keyboard. "Is there ANYTHING else I'm forgetting?" He inquired.
"You're meant to be training me, sensei," Genos reminded him.
"There's also the lingering issue of Speed O' Sound Sonic." Flashy Flash said.
"...Right..." Saitama sighed, shoulders slightly sagging. "Okay, so that's the list. Do you want me to send it to all of you?" He asked.
"That won't be necessary, One Punch Man. I was taking notes as you spoke. I'll handle it." Metal Knight answered, making him smile.
"Oh, wow. Thanks, Metal Knight." Saitama said.
"Excuse me," Tatsumaki spoke up, getting the attention on her. "Baldy, why are YOU taking notes?" She inquired.
"What?" Saitama questioned, unsure of why she'd say that.
"You act like you're going to be dealing with any of this," Tatsumaki clarified.
"..." Saitama stared at her for a second. "Uh, I am. I'm the leader of-"
"WRONG!" Tatsumaki interrupted him with a buzzer noise before shouting. "Of everything to forget while you were making that list, you somehow didn't remember that YOU are going on vacation," She reminded him.
"Tatsumaki, I can't go on vacation now. We're-"
"Did I stutter?!" Tatsumaki interrupted him a second time. "All of us agreed that YOU need a break. It's a freaking miracle that your egg for a head hasn't become hard-boiled!" She told him.
"Sorry, Saitama, but I gotta back up the runt here," Bad joined in, looking at his pal with genuine worry. "Normally, she's just running her mouth because it makes her feel big. But with this, Tornado's actually making sense for once. You NEED time off, dude. Three years of straight work, especially in YOUR shoes, can NOT be healthy." He said.
"Not only that, but what does it say about us if we can't handle ourselves without you around?" Bang asked.
"Yeah! We're not in S-Class for no reason!" Superalloy agreed.
"These are unpredictable times, but uncertainty is what we signed up for as heroes." Metal Knight stated.
"If everything goes nuclear, we promise we'll call you." Atomic Samurai vowed. The humor of his word choice didn't strike him.
"Honestly, if we let it get THAT bad, One Punch Man will probably already be on the way," Isamu commented.
"We'd all deserve a demotion if we disgraced our status and our leader like that. We won't let it happen." Flashy Flash asserted.
Every S-Class hero carried on like that for a couple more minutes. They did everything they could to ease Saitama's worries about taking a DESERVED leave of absence. By the end, even with his unrivaled resistance to all things, the leader of the S-Class couldn't hold his ground.
"Okay, okay, you win, guys," Saitama said, making everyone happy. "But before I start flipping through travel brochures, could we form a concrete schedule and plan of action while I'm gone?" He requested.
"Yes, sir!" Everyone, even King and Fubuki, agreed with zest. Afterward, the group resumed their meeting.