Ah, the start of a new day. It's always exciting to begin anew at the crack of dawn and face whatever the world throws at you. Even if you have an established routine, life is ever unpredictable. No matter your expectations or readiness, all it takes is one good curveball to catch you by surprise.
However, for a cyborg named Genos, his life had already been hectic before recent times. But now, after having met Saitama and Boros, there was very little that could astonish this man. Then again, regarding his personality, Genos was rather...unique. The easiest way to describe it would be that he faced the world without hesitation and with the bluntness of a club.
Monsters, villains, natural disasters, and anything else the future has in store. Bring it on, world! This up-and-coming warrior for justice will tackle everything! Don't hold back! He'll rise to the-
"Hm?" Genos spotted something below him. Currently, he was blasting his way through the air thanks to the heat propulsion system in his arms and legs.
Genos was in the middle of nowhere, quite literally. He was about halfway to the ship, which meant that the terrain he flew over was little more than flat ground and dirt. Yet, in such an empty environment where not even worms would wriggle, there seemed to be a person. But as Genos quickly realized, this individual wasn't human.
Standing at a height of ten feet with an impressively muscular build was a...um...huh...what would we call this? A demon? An angel, maybe? No, there was something fairly familiar that resembled this creature. What was it?...
...
...
...
"A Tengu!" Genos exclaimed, remembering the entity.
Ah, right, yes, thank you, Genos. As our favorite blonde boy has said, this being bore a strong resemblance to a creature from Japanese folklore. Honestly, the longer Genos looked at this thing, the more he was convinced that it was an actual Tengu. It had bright red skin, white hair, black-feathered wings, and classical clothing from an ancient period. However, there was a VERY big difference between this Tengu and those from legends past.
Tengu are always depicted as men. Unless this Tengu had two massive tumors on its chest, then its breasts were HUGE. At the risk of being presumptuous, Genos saw that as an indicator that the Tengu was a woman. Additionally, as he studied its body, although it was physically imposing, there were many traits that most would deem feminine or desirable: ample thighs, wide hips, and a posterior that matched the chest in size.
Oh, and there was another compelling reason for why Genos saw this Tengu as a woman. The clothing was BARELY intact. Somehow, it had been damaged. It was also hanging loosely, which confused him as to why the Tengu hadn't adjusted it to conceal certain areas better.
Deciding that this was far too perplexing to leave alone, Genos descended to the ground. Even as he drew near, the Tengu didn't react. Was there something wrong with her hearing? Well, only one way to know.
"Excuse me!" Genos called out, having landed a few feet behind her.
The Tengu immediately stopped. Okay, so she could hear. But if that's true, why didn't she seem to notice Genos' arrival?
The answer to that question revealed itself when the Tengu turned around and faced the cyborg. First, she had this dazed and confused expression on her face. Second, there was a large wound on the side of her head that was quite worrisome. There was a lot of dried blood, and the discoloration looked bad.
"H...Hello?..." The Tengu said, blinking a few times. Was her vision blurry? She could have a concussion!
"Stay still!" Genos instructed, hurrying over to her. Thanks to Boros and his improving relationship with Xiomara, he had no reservations about helping a non-human life form.
The Tengu, whether intentional or not, followed Genos' order and didn't move. When he was close enough, he gestured for her to lean forward so he could inspect her injury better, to which she obeyed. Although Genos wasn't paying attention to anything other than the damage done to the Tengu's head, we will be using this opportunity of closeness between them to look at her facial features.
Tengu are commonly depicted with human-like characteristics, which will often include big or long noses, facial hair, and an expression that conveys anger or general intensity. Yet, none of those apply to this one. The simplest way to summarize her face is that it resembled the kind you'd see in carefully sculpted statues or meticulously detailed paintings. By default, this Tengu's facial characteristics conveyed refinement, elegance, and a beauty that was as mesmerizing as it was otherworldly.
Of course, the discolored bruise, combined with the expression of a deer frozen in the headlights, was negatively affecting those aspects. Thankfully, apart from some dried blood, the Tengu's breathtaking long, snow-colored hair was untouched. It cascaded from her head to just above the previously mentioned posterior. A pair of pointed ears helped to keep most of the locks in order, but there were a few stragglers here and there. But hey, it's not like it was the poor woman's fault, given her condition.
"How long have you been like this?" Genos asked, hoping she'd know that much.
"...Um...I...remember things getting dark...and then bright...and then dark...and then bright...and then dark...and then bright...and then-"
"Understood. It's a considerable amount of time." Genos cut her off. There's no telling when, or if, she'd stop. "Do you recall anything? Please, tell me if you do." He requested.
"...I...woke up...sick...hurting...I puked...and I fell asleep..." The Tengu described. Uh-oh. "When...I woke up...I was still sick...and hurting...and dizzy...and confused..." She went on, slowly raising her right hand. "I...only have my clothes...and this...do you know what it is?..." She concluded, followed by a question.
...
...
...
"Hello?..." The Tengu said after a few seconds of silence. "Are you...okay?..." She asked.
Never before in the entirety of Genos' life had he felt such guilt. Not only that, he felt guilt for more than just himself. In this woman's hand was a...a...a...
"...Ahem," Genos cleared his throat. "I have no idea what that is. It's the first time I've seen something like it." He told her. I mean, can you blame him? "However, I can take you and this mysterious object somewhere. We can heal your wound, get you something to eat and drink, and we'll hopefully be able to find answers." He offered.
"Oh...thank you..." The Tengu said, tears forming in her eyes. "My feet hurt, too...my throat's scratchy...I feel heavy..." She shared.
Genos knew this poor person wasn't trying to worsen his shame, but god, that's what was happening. Aware that she was in no state to fly with her wings, and she likely didn't know how to use them right now, Genos held her left hand. Together, the duo headed toward his original destination.
Meanwhile
"Gentlemen, I've been busy," Geryuganshop began. Before him were his fellow elites. All three were standing in the ship's command center without anyone else around. "Thanks to the new puppy our mistress brought home with her last night, I was able to research love, emotions, relationships, and so on without the fear of her discovering me. Not to brag, but I consider myself a genius on these subjects now. I summoned you here so that I may share my knowledge so we can then form a plan of action." He informed them.
Melzargard's heads showed genuine interest. Groribas, although lacking a face, communicated boredom and a desire to go back to bed.
"From what you have learned, what would be the best place to start?" "Should we stick with a simple conversation, or would it be better to make a presentation?" Two of Melzargard's heads asked.
"Excellent question!" Geryuganshoop exclaimed with glee. His inner nerd was showing. "Due to the severity of our lady's ignorance, I feel it would be best if we hit her with a fully loaded informational breakdown of emotions and the effects they have on the body! If all goes well, then our mistress will form the connection between the information and herself without extra help from us! As her curiosity increases and the realizations strike, we'll slowly hone in on the-"
Suddenly, a loud snoring sound was heard. It was Groribas, but he wasn't sleeping. He merely did that to interrupt his peer and be a bit of an ass.
"Yes?" Geryungashop called with a half-lidded gaze and a sigh.
"This, what I'm doing right now, is what our lady will do," Groribas said.
"Oh? Then how would YOU go about it? I'd love to hear your thoughts since you've been nothing but helpful and enthusiastic so far." Geryuganshoop challenged, hitting back with sarcasm.
"If you're going to force me to participate in this suicide mission, then I'll do what I can to make our chances of dying as low as possible," Groribas replied. "Anyway, our mistress is not one for lectures or interactive seminars. If we want to help her realize her budding feelings for Saitama, then we need to hit her fast and hard. She needs to get the point so fast that it gives her whiplash." He reasoned.
"For someone who's become so fearful of death, I'm amazed you want to fast-track your funeral," Geryuganshoop remarked.
"Give him a chance." "Let's see if those mouths will run in the right direction for once." The same two heads of Melzargard said.
"Thank you, Melz," Groribas responded before resuming. "So, here's what we need to do. Our lady has constantly found herself in moments where her emotions flare up. It's getting so bad that even when Saitama says something fairly harmless, like how nice she looks today, it causes her to blush and stutter. Thus, we should figure out a way to orchestrate a natural situation that gives her no escape. For instance, in addition to our new dog, Saitama helped our mistress get new clothes during the distraction. Something like that would be perfect." He described.
There was a brief pause. Melzargard and Geryuganshoop looked at each other. Then, the pair returned their gazes to the plant man.
"Groribas, I was wrong," Geryuganshoop admitted. "That is a legitimately sound idea. Essentially, we create an environment that causes so much interaction while also providing a plethora of emotional stimuli that our lady can't remain ignorant. At the very least, she'll be so overwhelmed that she'll come back to us, making it as easy as can be to explain everything to her. Maybe, should luck favor us, she'll figure out some of it by herself." He told him.
"Huh, wow, that...meant a lot more to me than I thought it would," Groribas replied. "Seriously, thanks, Gery. It means a lot that you'd willing to support my-"
beep...beep...beep...beep...
That beeping was coming from the nearby console. Someone was attempting to connect with the ship's communication system. Surely, it wasn't Busho and Jinzuren, right? What else could the Association want?!
"Hello?" Geryuganshoop greeted the mysterious caller after pressing the button to accept the connection.
"Geryuganshoop! Thank goodness!" That...was Genos?!
"Whoa, blondie, what's going on?" Groribas chimed in. None of the trio would've expected it to be him. On top of that, he sounded panicked.
"It's an emergency! But I can't explain what's going on! Even I'm not entirely sure!" Genos exclaimed. "I'm currently with someone who needs immediate medical attention, but she's larger than me and heavy enough to where I can't easily carry her! She passed out, and I'm worried being unconscious will cause her more harm! Please, I need assistance!" He informed them, ending with a request.
Genos' tone was all the trio needed to understand the urgency of the situation. Geryuganshoop, using his myriad tendrils, swiftly interacted with his workstation to ascertain the cyborg's coordinates.
"He's half a mile from the ship in the direction of northeast!" Geryuganshoop informed Melzargard.
Upon receiving that information, one of the five heads pulled away from the others and changed its form. It took on the appearance of a four-legged creature with a physicality built for speed while remaining strong enough to carry something of substantial weight. When complete, it rushed out of the room.
"I'll head to the medical bay and prepare for their arrival. Groribas, go to the ship's entrance and apply treatment when they get here." Geryuganshoop instructed. Groribas simply nodded before both men hurried to where they needed to be. As for the remaining four heads of Melzargard, they'd remain in the command center and monitor things just in case something else transpired.
Elsewhere
A sea of chrome moved through the empty streets of City Z. An army of perfectly synchronized and identical mechanical bodies advanced into the territory known as the Ghost Town. With the permission of the Association, ensuring there'd be no discourse later, Metal Knight acted with haste to conduct his search for the unknown entity. Whoever or whatever it was would be found well before the day was done, maybe even before noon.
Yet, this mass of machines wasn't alone. Among these technological puppets was Silver Fang. The Association never got back to Metal Knight, meaning the martial arts master didn't reach out to them. Very little effort was exerted to convince Silver Fang to join in the survey. He practically volunteered before Metal Knight explained why he had called.
"Thank you for letting me tag along, Metal Knight," Bang said, not looking at any particular robot.
"Of course. You witnessed the same terrifying power as I did. Plus, your aid in confronting this force of nature will be invaluable." Metal Knight replied.
"Forgive me if I sound rude, but these units of yours don't seem well-equipped." Bang noted.
"I have more well-supplied units on standby. There is a chance that the entity we're looking for is already gone. But if they're not, I'd prefer to use these scouts as they'll have an easier time in the urban environment and will be harder to detect. It'd be difficult for us to maintain the element of surprise with a war machine rolling through here." Metal Knight explained.
"Ah, I see. That's very sensible of you," Bang complimented him.
The group of bots and their sole human companion continued to march until they reached the center of Ghost Town. From there, Metal Knight would start sending each of his inventions to specific spots.
"Would it be easier for you to remain on the ground or head to the rooftops?" Metal Knight asked.
"Hmm..." Bang hummed, closing his eyes to think. "I think it'd be best to have the high ground. I'd be able to see more, give chase without restriction, and I could potentially ambush our target before they detect my presence." He decided, restoring his vision.
"A sound strategy. I will have one drone accompany you so we can remain in contact." Metal Knight responded, receiving a nod in return.
Unbeknownst to the men, as they got themselves ready for the day ahead, multiple sets of eyes were watching them. These peepers were in the drains, the alleys, and a few inconspicuous holes in the terrain. After a while, these spectators withdrew from where they came and headed underground. The morning commute was going to be a bit busier than expected.