An alien's claw.
A vice, clamping down on her throat.
A single, glowing eye.
The fury of a conqueror.
The esper opened her mouth, but no words came out. No air could come in. She was choking.
Tatsumaki strained, slowing down mid-flight. She drew shallow breaths in painful hiccups. It wasn't nearly enough. For an instant, she felt her vision fade. The green aura around her flickered. Then it disappeared completely.
Tatsumaki dropped painfully onto the ground.
"Gh…!" The esper sat up, supporting herself with one arm. The other was clutching her forehead. Green strands of hair pulled taut; the esper clawed at the throbbing in her skull.
"Tats?!"
"Miss Tatsumaki!"
Saitama and Child Emperor hurried to her aid — much to the esper's displeasure.
Before the two could so much as offer their assistance, Tatsumaki snarled in frustration and waved them away. Child Emperor immediately backed away.
Saitama, on the other hand, made his way to her regardless.
"You okay?" He held his hand to her, palm face up.
Tatsumaki stared at it longingly. Her hand twitched, moving an inch… two inches, up to meet it.
.
But words blared like an alarm in her mind. Not hers.
'When the time comes, don't go expecting someone to come save you.'
.
An amusing time for that memory to surface.
How long had she lived by those words?
The esper sat quietly, the grasp on her head loosening. She hadn't thought about that in… years.
Saving, heh. How long had it been since she had even needed to consider 'being saved' in the first place? After all, even the threat of death wasn't enough to make her yield.
.
'You were strong, Tatsumaki,' the alien boomed, raising the fist that would end her life.
She didn't close her eyes.
There was no fear then.
She expected nothing but the empty blackness of defeat. Expected nothing less than the consequence of her failure.
She did not expect anyone to come and rescue her.
But she was saved anyway.
.
A distant impact. A fluttering white cape.
'I was late again, huh?' a voice spoke. Unfamiliar then.
Saitama. The baldy had given her a new lease in life. Went off to battle, and left the esper with an emptiness—a certain, dreadful quiet that she had long forgotten. Try as she might to push it aside with anger, incredulousness that she had actually been saved by someone she perceived as weak—she knew that she was rattled.
If he had arrived just a second later…
But the esper had learned to drown those thoughts out at a young age. They weren't needed, not when a moment's hesitation could mean that her new lease in life would be cut short.
And cut short it nearly was.
.
'This unfounded stubbornness will be your demise!'
Death stared at her for the second time that day. A single, wicked eye seared itself into her very soul.
But she glared back.
Even as her flesh burned. Even as her vision faded.
.
But then.
A distant impact. A fluttering white cape.
Yet again.
She had been saved, yet again.
.
It was strange that Blast's words didn't blare in her head for as long as it did.
Was it presumptuous to claim she had still been living by them?
She didn't feel like it was.
After all, the statement had implied expectations, hadn't it? It implied inaction. That, despite an inherent ability to save herself, she chose not to.
Like a trapped, hopeless child would act.
Tatsumaki was no longer a child.
In the moment, on that ship, she had given it her all. She had fought to the death—twice. And lost.
Not able to save herself. Not expecting anyone else to do so, either.
But the baldy saved her anyway.
Blast's words… they simply didn't count. Not when she had done all she could.
.
But this was different.
"Talk to me," Saitama said softly.
Tatsumaki knew it was different.
The moment she opened her mouth, the moment she voiced her weakness, she would stop being her.
There was not a shadow, a speck of a doubt in her being. She knew that if she asked to be saved, Saitama would save her. A hundred percent.
"You okay?"
He held his arm to her, palm face up.
Tatsumaki stared at it longingly. Her hand twitched, moving an inch… two inches, up to meet it.
But she forced the feeling down. As much as she wanted to let it all out, she could not lose herself.
"I'm fine," she said.
The esper closed her eyes tightly. Tempering her breaths, her emerald glow returned. "Let's go."
There was a pit in her stomach.
.
.
"It's still a ways away." Child Emperor turned to Saitama, pulling up the visor of his Bear Buddy helmet. The young hero had slowed his flight as Tatsumaki trailed behind them. He looked to the floor. "Mister Saitama, may I ask you something?"
The baldy, who had been staring at the distance, jolted to face Child Emperor. "Wha… what's up?"
"Has Miss Tatsumaki… seemed off, lately?"
Saitama frowned. "What do you mean?"
Child Emperor fidgeted. "Ahm… how do I put this…" He looked back, making sure the esper was out of earshot. "Um. Perhaps… it may be better to give you some context," he cleared his throat. "I fear that we might be on the verge of an all-out attack from a group of monsters. And it would be better to take initiative—thus, all of this…" he gestured at his monster-detecting helmet, the nearly-complete transmitters, and the direction they were headed. "In the hopes that we find a lead quickly. And attack them quickly."
Saitama looked at him blankly.
"Er." Child Emperor shook his head. "All I'm saying is… you know her best. Do you think Miss Tatsumaki is fit to participate?"
"Of course she is," Saitama said instantly. "I… why wouldn't she be?"
"That whole… trip-up just now."
"It happens," the baldy shrugged. "Sometimes I trip when I run."
"But she was flying…" Child Emperor shook his head. "No, nevermind that! I may be putting pieces together that aren't supposed to be put together, but the other S-Class have been much more busy recently."
"And…?"
"Miss Tatsumaki usually takes the bulk of monster reports for the Hero Association—insists upon it, actually." Child Emperor chuckled weakly. "But… lately, she hasn't been quite so active. The other S-Class have been handling work that she would usually do. Do you have any clue as to why?"
"Well… yeah. She was injured after that whole alien ship business…" Saitama said.
"That's true," the young hero said quietly. The explosion atop the ship was an unforgettable sight.
"But she told me that she was healed, more or less," Saitama pursed his lips.
"Maybe some mental residue, then," Child Emperor suggested, his voice growing softer subconsciously. "I've read about espers needing intense focus to use their powers effectively."
Saitama shook his head. "I've seen her fight monsters just recently, though. Beat me in a competition, actually." The bald hero frowned, trying to recall his time with the esper. "I'm… not really sure. Sorry."
"It's fine," Child Emperor waved him off. "Maybe it was just because she wanted to spend more time with you. If you say she's been fighting recently, then good. That's all I needed to know."
The young hero flew off, his mind set on fiddling with the transmitters once more.
Saitama, stuck in the middle of the two heroes, ran in thoughtful silence.
Had Tatsumaki been keeping something from him?
.
'What's the deal here?'
Saitama slowed his pace. The memory smashed into him like a freight train.
'I mean, the deal.'
It was back then. The first day the esper stayed at his apartment. She accused him of something that he never even considered.
'Why the cyborg's your disciple. Why Silverfang likes you. What did you do to get them to like you?'
.
'Did you… save them or something?'
.
It had been sitting quietly in the back of his mind ever since she said it. A meek, unnoticed little thought that made way for most of the other happenings that swirled about for the past weeks.
A hero that everyone came to admire. A man with indomitable spirit and overwhelming strength.
A pinnacle to strive for. A talent about to blossom. A friend to lean on.
It was a shallow image, one that he didn't accept was him. And it was what the people he saved saw him as. It was frightening.
.
Saitama's footsteps faltered.
When was the last time he made a meaningful connection with someone he didn't save?
Genos. King. Tatsumaki.
The cyborg needed to become stronger. To get revenge.
King needed to maintain his own reputation. A man whose identity relied solely on another's power.
They only saw him as a hero. That shallow, hollow 'self' that included none of who he really was. Just his strength.
Tatsumaki had asked him to come with her to kill monsters. She came with him to a hospital. And now as well, rushing into another unknown, another uncertainty.
Did she only need him to face her fears?
Was he… only there to be a hero for her?
.
"Sorry about that…" Tatsumaki's voice sent a jolt through him. She hovered slowly down, standing beside him. "I do want to talk… but… I'm doing all I can to just… keep going."
Indeed, it looked like she was visibly straining. Sweat had begun to pool by her temples and neck. Her breathing, while not ragged, was certainly not steady.
But her eyes were as clear as ever.
"I promise I'll tell you everything. Just… later. Okay?"
Saitama nodded slowly.
She hung her head and smiled. Walking slowly up to the baldy, she gave him a small push.
"I hate to say this… but you should go on ahead." She chuckled. "Don't let me stop you from being on time for once, yeah? Not after that little chat we had."
"Oh. O-okay…" he sputtered.
.
Saitama was stupid. So stupid it hurt.
But he was grateful beyond words that someone else could see him that way, too.
The bald man began to run ahead, waving at Child Emperor, who had stopped once he noticed that his companions had begun falling behind.
"Everything alright over there?" the boy asked worriedly.
"Yep," Saitama called.
He looked backwards, watching as the esper trailed just the slightest bit behind him. She looked to be taking deep breaths — that is, until she saw him staring.
She raised a hand to shoo his gaze away.
And so he continued on his way.
.
Still.
The kid had laid some facts out in front of Saitama that he couldn't ignore.
The nature of Tatsumaki's perspective of him.
And, of course, the nature of her confession…
He had to be sure of some things before he could fully accept what she had to say.
.
.
"You idiots really thought you could get the slip on me?!"
The battlefield was silent. The rustling of leaves and falling grass gave meager response to his rage-filled rambling.
That, and the slow dripping of blood.
"Tch. What a sorry sight."
Garou kicked his final opponent—the A-Class Death Gatling—away, sending his unconscious form crashing into a nearby tree. Leaves tumbled, grass was crushed, and more blood spilled.
Not a single form had been left moving.
A guttural exhale escaped his lungs.
As much of a failed attempt at a sneak-attack as it was, the rag-tag group of subpar heroes had been able to work somewhat coherently. And as much as it angered him, he had taken some unexpectedly heavy damage.
Leave it to a group of small fry to come up with desperate, underhanded tactics to try and bring him down. It was a strategy specifically to bring down physical fighters—mid-ranged combatants to keep him out of arm's reach paired with sharpshooters to chip away at him while he was distracted.
The tip of a poison-glazed arrow had nicked his shoulder. A single bullet had pierced the surface of his skin. His fists were bloodied from Death Gatling's final attack.
"Grh." Garou looked down at himself, scoffing at his poor performance.
If he hadn't been damaged beforehand, there was no way he would have gotten hit. It seemed his body was still recovering, just a tad, from Watchdog Man's attacks.
The slightest tinge of nausea had begun to dampen his senses, whittling away at his instincts.
Garou took a deep breath, trying to settle himself.
'The kid…!'
The fatigue all but gone, Garou's attention snapped to the building behind him, eyes searching from the boy he had protected from an onslaught of bullets—but there was no movement. Not a sign of Tareo anywhere.
"Tareo!" Garou called—more frantically than he expected—and began to run toward the ruined shack—
A blast that shook the ground sent the silver-haired man lurching backward. A cloud of dust billowed in the air like an explosion, concealing the brick wall of an uppercut that slammed into Garou's chin.
"Ack!?"
The silver-haired fighter was thrown into the air, his head ringing. He forced his gaze downward, trying to get a lock onto his assailant.
"The child you have abducted has escaped," a neutral voice rang out through the smoke. "And I will not give you the luxury to chase after him."
A plume of heat from his attacker blew the dust away, and Garou snarled, his mouth twisting into a smile.
The Demon Cyborg.
"The S-Class have finally decided I was worth their time, eh?!" Garou cackled.
Genos met Garou's fury with a calmly raised hand. The glowing plasma in the cyborg's palm radiated with all the intensity to match his foe.
"Prepare to be eliminated."
.
.
"I'm receiving a distress signal!" Child Emperor called to the bald hero and esper. "It's right where the weird signatures are…"
"Let's hurry, then," Tatsumaki called back. With a slow exhale, her form glowed brighter. Wind picked up around her, and she barrelled quickly past the young hero's flying contraption.
Saitama upped his pace as well, catching right up to Child Emperor.
"She's going the right way, yeah?" he pointed to where Tatsumaki was heading. "Where exactly does your helmet tell you the fight's gonna be?"
"There's a large swathe of forest near the city outskirts. It seems like there's a signal there."
"'Kay. We'll check it out," Saitama replied. And shot away like a bullet.
"Hey—!" Child Emperor raised his hand, but it was too late. The two heroes had already left him in their dust.
'Don't think I can't keep up with you two…' the boy shook his head.
He pulled a button from his backpack.
And pushed it.
With a mechanical whir, the helicopter blades retracted back into his bag. Suspended in the air for a moment, the sound of a jet engine erupted, drowning out all the nearby noise. Hovering in the air now, Child Emperor pressed another button on his Bear Buddy helmet, and the sound was immediately muffled.
'It's the perfect time to test this,' the boy nodded.
With one final flip of a switch, a third hero rocketed his way to the scene.
.
"Bang?!" Tatsumaki called from above, watching as two figures leapt from building to building, heading towards the same shallow forest at the edge of the city. "What're you doing here?"
Silverfang stopped at the edge of the building, finding the esper floating in front of him.
"Miss Tatsumaki," Bang nodded to her. "You've received the distress signal, too?"
The esper nodded.
Before she could speak, however, another figure sidled over to stand beside Bang. Long white hair billowed in the wind.
"If you would, this is a matter that we would like to settle ourselves."
Tatsumaki tilted her head. "Who're you?"
"My older brother, Bomb," Bang replied. "It is selfish of us to ask, but I fear that this matter is a responsibility of mine."
"Or rather, a failure of yours," Bomb added. "One we would very much like to remedy ourselves."
"What're you on about?" Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes. "I can handle this mysel—"
The esper caught herself. They were offering to handle the situation themselves. Bang was a capable fighter, and if his brother was anywhere near that same level of skill, it wouldn't really be a problem to leave… whatever it was… to them, right?
It was an out. An opportunity for her to…
To what?
Run away? Spend more time fearing the visions that would plague her, with or without a monster to fight?
Tatsumaki's stomach churned.
"I'm afraid we will have to politely reject that offer." Bomb shook his head. "Anyway, we don't have the time for thi—"
"Yo, Bang. And second old dude." Saitama raised a hand in greeting, walking casually up to the slowly forming crowd.
"Ah, young Saitama," Bang said, unsurprised. "Have the two of you been doing well?"
Despite the old hero's gaunt demeanor, he made special care to check on what he believed would be the future of the Hero Association.
"Not really," Saitama replied, catching the old hero's attention. "We were caught up in a sort of monster attack."
Tatsumaki's expression darkened.
"Me and my brother were swept up in it, too," Bang said gravely. "Humans turning into monsters… it's an ominous affair."
"Perhaps the answers lie in our next confrontation," Bomb responded. "We fear that—"
"What's all this? Mister Bang? Are you here for the signal, too?" Child Emperor landed softly, quickly taking note of everyone there.
"We heard that Garou is nearby!" Bomb snapped at the three heroes that seemed to have popped up from nowhere. "And we have no time for this!"
Bomb leapt away.
"Apologies, but we are in a rush," Bang bowed, then followed suit, quickly making his way towards the sea of trees in the distance.
Child Emperor was left dumbfounded.
"Garou…?" he muttered.
"The Human Monster," Tatsumaki said. "About time he showed up."
"Did that other old dude say he might have something to do with this whole monster invasion business?" Saitama asked.
Child Emperor shook his head. "No, no. That can't be… he…"
The boy rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"We have to follow Bang and his brother," he concluded. "Right now."
The two heroes looked taken aback at the boy's tone. True to his word, Child Emperor activated his jet-backpack and rocketed off.
Tatsumaki glanced at Saitama. He nodded back.
Smoke rose from the treeline. Faint rumbling reverberated through the city, reaching all the way to the pair of heroes atop the building.
Something was about to happen.
.
As Saitama ran, he couldn't help but glance the esper's way.
Bound towards their destination on the horizon, Tatsumaki looked uncharacteristically neutral. Her face, usually a reflection of her emotions, was expressionless at the moment.
He wanted to talk. Something was clearly troubling her.
Saitama had been able to pin down a memory at this point. One that struck him as odd, but brushed it away when it happened.
.
He was falling backwards, the doorway behind him pulled open.
Tatsumaki caught his fall—or, she sort of did. He felt a slight push upward, but the force was shaky, as if he was too heavy to put back upright.
He heard a gasp behind him, and instantly the force vanished.
Catching his fall, he turned around to find the esper, fallen over herself.
.
Exactly as she had fallen down just now.
Child Emperor's words echoed in his mind. 'Has Miss Tatsumaki… seemed off, lately?'
Saitama hadn't noticed it before, but it was true. It had to be. Shying away from confrontation, distracting herself with conversation—never mind the fact that it was with him—it was unlike her.
Her powers were back to normal though, weren't they? He'd witnessed it firsthand back at their little competition in the park; Tatsumaki had the power to destroy monsters with a wave of a finger.
If he were in her shoes…
'What would make me not want to fight, even if I was still strong?'
Boredom? Mental fatigue? A feeling of fighting an uphill battle?
It was a strange feeling, wanting to talk about something so personal. It was even stranger that he stopped himself from doing so.
Talk later. That's what they agreed on.
Saitama glanced at Tatsumaki once more. Despite her best attempts at hiding her emotions, he could see them finally begin to bubble up to the surface—however slightly that was. Creased eyebrows, pale lips; she looked troubled. But her eyes were steely. They stared at the horizon with an overwhelming sense of resolve.
She wanted to figure things out for herself.
.
'I hate this,' Tatsumaki thought to herself, the wind whipping past her face. 'I hate how calm I feel.'
It was a strange sense of confidence that bothered the esper. Perhaps it had been a feeling she was accustomed to, a feeling that came—a package deal—with the old self that the esper had long left behind.
She looked at the figure running below her.
'It's because of him, isn't it?'
Saitama's presence was reassuring. Too much so. With him around, she couldn't imagine them losing.
And she absolutely despised it.
'I should be happy about this!' she berated herself. 'Entering a battle we're sure to win is the best outcome possible! So why…'
Why was she so conflicted about it?
The esper scowled.
'Saitama isn't always going to be around,' she thought. 'If he wasn't here… if I wasn't able to find him after the tournament… would I have agreed to do this?'
She wanted to say yes, of course she would. That she would charge in and decimate whatever was coming their way. That was her duty. It had been for as long as she'd been in the Association.
But she knew better.
The moment she had finished her business after the tournament, she has been dead-set on returning to Saitama's side. Invasion be damned.
The esper touched her lips, her cheeks tinged red for just a moment.
She shook her head.
Her feelings aside… wasn't she just using him for her own security?
If it meant that, every time they were together, she would remember that feeling of dependency and safety that she had lived for so long without… even if that was a good thing…
She didn't want that.
That wasn't the Saitama she wanted to see.
And that meant she would have to stop depending on him.
.
.
The serenity of the forest had been breached for the second time that day.
The game of heroes and villains had turned into a maelstrom of humans and monsters and everything in between. Smoke and fire scorched the landscape. Trees had been uprooted and reduced to sawdust The eviscerated bodies of Monster Association members were littered all around the place. Dotted amongst them were the unconscious forms of the heroes from the previous battle, too.
Genos narrowed his eyes. He moved his right arm, but its responsiveness was dwindling. Garou, despite being caught off-guard by the cyborg's remote-control appendages, had managed to crush one with full force.
That is not to say he did so unharmed.
"Hahh… haah…" Garou breathed raggedly, his vision gone even blurrier. The single scrape of poison was beginning to make its way into his veins. Devastating blows to his body had begun to make his lower body falter. He felt a few ribs had fractured. Each wheeze brought a sharp pain shooting into his side.
Using the techniques he had adopted from Watchdog Man had been effective in the beginning, but the Demon Cyborg was quickly able to stifle it by razing the trees he used to move about.
Even after a horde of monsters had come to his aid, the damned robot wouldn't let up. He slashed them up without so much as a second thought.
"You are at your wit's end," Genos stated, walking towards him slowly. "Cease this futile attempt before I am forced to end you, permanently."
"End me, my ass…!" Garou laughed, blood splattering everywhere. "You look pretty torn down yourself, Demon Cyborg. How's that arm of yours doing?"
The blond hero scoffed.
"Master had always told me never to let my guard down," he muttered quickly. "I had done so with the monster ambush you orchestrated, but I failed in regards to my own safety. I still have much to improve."
"Master…?"
"The strongest hero," Genos said simply. "One that a wannabe monster like you would never hope to reach."
Garou snarled, his bloody teeth bared at the cyborg.
"I'll kill you—!"
A kick sent the silver-haired villain flying.
"Bang?" Genos frowned. "Where did…"
"If you would, young Genos…" The 4th-ranked S-Class did not look back. "Leave him to us."
From the ground erupted a second wave of monsters, surrounding the two heroes.
"Support the Hero Hunter!" A monster called. "Don't let the—!"
"Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist!"
"AAAGGGBHGBGHA!"
They were torn to shreds.
.
Garou could feel the blood gushing from his scalp. A blood vessel had broken open in his right eye. Even if it hadn't, his vision was swimming.
"What a sorry state you're in," Bang said, raising his arms in a fighting stance. "Come. I'll put you down before you can humiliate yourself further."
Clawing at his head in frustration, Garou rose. A bloody battlecry cut a warpath through the air.
"RAAAGGGHHH!"
.
.
Flying above the battlefield, it was clear to Tatsumaki where the action was. The flames from Genos' attack had spread quite far, and a rough circle of trees had been demolished. Unrecognizable bodies—ones she hoped were monsters—littered the ground in mangled bits and pieces.
But none of it was her concern. Bang could handle himself.
What was a more pressing concern was her young S-Class colleague's frantic charge towards the battlefield. His tone was ghastly. What had he discovered?
"Child Emperor!" Tatsumaki called out, finally finding him. "Bang and the others went—"
"I know!" the boy said frantically, kneeling a ways behind the ruined shack. His sensors seemed to be going haywire. The visor of his Bear Buddy helmet was flashing red and yellow. "But that's not where the signal is concentrated! It's…!"
Above the battlefield, a winged monster held an angry Garou in its talons—barely able to keep him in its grasp. Soaring upwards into the endless sky, its words were brought to them by a single, mighty flap of its wings.
.
"ELDER CENTIPEDE!"
.
To the two, it seemed as if the ground had erupted. A pillar of mass, seemingly out of nowhere, blocked out a portion of the sky. The shack, which had loomed over the two, had been ground into dust inside the creature's gullet.
A half-spiral blast of fire collided with it, one supposedly aimed at the flying creature who was quickly making its escape.
"M-Mr. Demon Cyborg?!" Child Emperor sputtered. How many heroes had come to this hellish place?! He quickly shook his head. It was no time to worry about who was here or what exactly had occurred.
This was what his signals had been unable to identify. A body so enormous that scanners and pinpoint, to-the-meter tracking was useless.
The young hero's stomach lurched.
There were reports of monsters like this during the invasion. A swarm of black creatures that seemed to be neverending—found in C-City and defeated by Tatsumaki. A giant, hulking humanoid monster that had sent Genos down in a single hit. And this.
Metal Bat and Metal Knight had failed their duties to this very creature. The son of one of the Hero Association's most respected sponsors had been kidnapped, and two powerful S-Class heroes were completely unable to stop it. One of whom Child Emperor had no doubt would be able to beat it.
'Mr. Bofoi fought this creature and failed. Even Mr. Blast hadn't been able to kill this thing years ago," he gnashed his teeth frustratedly. His backpack, which he had brought for a small scuffle, was useless. 'I don't stand a chance!'
He whipped his head at Tatsumaki.
"Miss Tornado, we need your help!"
But she did not reply.
"Miss Tornado!"
No response.
"Miss Tornado!"
The esper was frozen stiff, staring at the creature like it haunted her.
.
Blood. Monster guts.
They poured down on the esper, coating her green hair in smoking scum.
Her hands were trembling.
Bugs. A swarm of monstrous Lesser Centipedes, too weak to even put up a fight.
And still she had lost control of her powers. A single thought, and… pop. One simple, unexpected occurrence. And she couldn't move.
Was it disgust? Surprise? Fear?
What had overwhelmed her so?
After an eternity, the esper took a shuddering breath. Gasped for air.
When had she been holding it?
.
Ever since then—the first time she returned to her duties as a hero after the alien invasion—Tatsumaki had avoided the use of her powers in battle. Hell, for a while after that, she felt an aversion to using her powers at all.
Each request for hero work—ones that she had previously forced upon the Hero Association to give her—were met with silence. Met with responses that 'the other S-Class need to put in some legwork.'
It was obvious how many people noticed. They gave her less missions. Accepted that she had to rest to ensure her injuries were fine. And never questioned her inactivity up until this point. Perhaps even Child Emperor's insistence on helping on this mission was proof of that.
And now, gazing upon what seemed to be her nightmares made flesh—a writhing mass of segments and legs and claws, as if to laugh at her first failure back as a hero—Tatsumaki could do nothing.
.
A hand on her shoulder brought her crashing back into reality.
"Tats?"
It was Saitama.
Her heart settled. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
'It was always Saitama.'
She felt her hand twitch, moving an inch, two inches, three, to meet his— But she shut her eyes, letting a frustrated cry out into the air.
"AAARGH!"
The hand jolted back.
And everything crashed back unto her.
Visions. Memories.
Blood. Guts.
And then, nothing at all.
.
"Tats—"
Child Emperor's hand stopped Saitama. He shook his head.
"We have to do this without her! C'mon!"
The bald man nodded. Even he could feel the severity of the situation. Beginning to run towards the massive enemy in front of them, he—
Felt a hand on his.
Tatsumaki held him weakly. Her fingers, shaking, were placed gently atop his. Saitama stopped in his tracks.
Child Emperor glanced back, then shook his head. The young hero ran forward, looking to aid the S-Class heroes he knew would be of use.
.
A voice rang in Tatsumaki's head.
'Don't go expecting someon—'
But she didn't need to hear it.
'I KNOW!'
Tatsumaki took shallow breaths, almost in a trance. In. Out. In. Out. In. Then out again. Her chest rose and fell almost as quickly as her heartbeat.
'Just. For now. Until… until I can think straight."
She reasoned desperately with herself.
She knew she was being a nuisance. She knew that every second she kept him here was a second wasted. A second was all he needed, too. So if she just… let… go…
Tatsumaki shook her head.
If she did. If she let him go and save her. Save everyone. She knew she wouldn't be able to be herself.
But this…
She glanced, felt, savored, the feeling of his fingers intertwining with hers.
Wasn't this another plea for help?
.
The esper stepped forward to him.
Whispered in his ear.
And let go.
.
.
"Roaring Aura Sky Ripping Fist!"
Child Emperor watched, wide-eyed, as the creature writhed in agony, its shell cracking with every thunderous blow of the two martial artists' fists.
He didn't even need to come up with a plan.
'I-Incredible…'
He knew that Silverfang was ranked above him, and that the old S-Class was powerful but this… this strength defied imagination. Not to mention his brother.
Child Emperor eyed Bomb. Perhaps it was a simple difference in priority, but the fact that such a powerful man chose the path of martial arts instead of heroism was scary. How many more powerful people existed, hiding just under the radar of public knowledge?
And how many were using their strength for less than ideal ends?
Bits and pieces of Elder Centipede's armor tumbled down in large chunks, ending the boy's train of thought.
"That oughta do it," Child Emperor nodded, a little relieved. Maybe now he could check on Tatsumaki.
Making his way back to the esper, he heard a booming laugh echo in the sky.
"Huh?!"
He turned to look back at the creature.
Slowly, slowly, the pale flesh underneath its exoskeleton turned a dark purple. It expanded and expanded and expanded again, until it was larger than it had been before.
Its face, the source of the laughter, was a gruesome sight. Within its humanoid mouth emerged another face, and for a moment two voices could be heard. But as the outer face expanded—jaw extending like a snake's—and grew emotionless, the inner face's smile twisted even wider.
Bang's next statement summed it up perfectly.
"What."
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Child Emperor brought out a metal detector-looking device from his backpack, staring at the screen intently.
Up above, Genos was busy blasing the monster with plasma from his one working arm cannon. It seemed to be a futile effort on the cyborg's part, but his target was not to destroy the monster. It was to blind it.
At least, that was what the young hero thought. In a flash of light, Genos pushed himself through into the monster's insides, breaking an enormous tooth in the process.
It's what Child Emperor was waiting for. His scanner beeped, sensing the blond cyborg's energy signal from within. And as Genos blasted the monster with flames from within, it beeped again.
Child Emperor's suspicions were confirmed. Aside from Genos' energy core, there was another high concentration of energy from within the creature. The cyborg was spit out, crashing down nearby, his metallic body slightly melted by the acid within the monster. Elder Centipede was shuddering in pain. Each of its joints smoked and its eyes burned.
And then the energy inside the monster swelled, spread throughout its body, and its cackling began once more.
"A regenerative core," Child Emperor said, eyes narrowing.
He glanced behind him. Genos was out of commission, for sure. And the martial artists' previous attack seemed to have taken all their energy.
Bang met the young hero's gaze.
"We can still fight," he reassured Child Emperor. "Have you found a weak point we can target?"
The boy nodded.
"A core, just like the monster we fought during the alien invasion. I-it seems to be moving around in its body."
"How big is it?"
"M-maybe three meters in diameter."
Bomb walked forward, stretching the muscles of his neck. "And a pattern we can hit it in?"
"As its face regenerates, the core moves there. B-but I don't see how we can—"
"I can still… fight…" Genos said, pulling himself up against a destroyed tree. Steam rose from his joints. "If you need its face incinerated, I can do just that. Just once."
Child Emperor nodded in frustration.
'Everyone's putting in so much effort, and I can't do anything but watch…!'
But he had to do this. If not, there was no way they could stop this monster's rampage.
An entire city was behind them. They were the only chance against its complete destruction.
Elder Centipede stared them down. Its face, which had been turned nearly into molten slag just a few moments earlier, had now been completely healed.
"At least we've got its attention," Child Emperor laughed weakly.
"Stand back, Child Emperor," Bang said. "Are you ready, Genos?"
The cyborg nodded, standing with his arm raised. Electricity buzzed around him.
"It's charging!" Bomb shouted.
The two martial artists got into their stance, a single stomp on the ground enough to shatter it into sand.
"Shoot it, Mr. Genos!" Child Emperor called.
The cyborg let out one final blast directly from his core, casting the forest in wild light.
Bang watched as the blazing light made its way to the monster's face, bracing himself to stop its momentum completely.
Elder Centipede swerved to the side, deflecting Genos' attack through its tough shell.
Caught completely off-guard, a wave of earth swept the group of heroes away. The monster swerved once more, this time behind them.
They were being wrapped in a whirlpool of earth.
"Everyone, grab on!" Child Emperor shouted, switching both his helicopter blades and jet engine on. To either side, handles protruded, with enough space for the three heroes to hold on to.
But it was too late. The already-broken ground made their footing unstable, and the vibrations from the ground ensured that they wouldn't make it on time.
Bang was able to grab hold, but Genos, damaged too heavily, was helpless. Bomb was thrown aside by a rogue wave of dirt and upturned stone.
Elder Centipede burrowed, sending one side of the circular trap upward. Its body forced itself closer and closer.
Child Emperor racked his brain. In the three seconds it took for the ground to crumble beneath them, he simulated all the meaningful options.
One: escape with Bang, and leave the other two to fend for themselves. It was a guaranteed escape for the two of them. Bomb could probably still move. Depending on the timing, he could use the earth as a path upward to escape. 100% chance for survival for the two of them. 60% for Bomb.
Two: attempt to save Bomb before escaping. He was the nearest to them, and Bang definitely had the reflexes to grab ahold of his brother. It would take a second if he activated his machine at full force. There was a risk, in such a chaotic situation, for malfunction, a stray piece of rock or dirt to prevent a smooth escape. But it was safe enough. An 80% chance for the three of them to escape safely.
Three: Attempt to save both Bomb and Genos. Which was a problem. The cyborg had found his leg already buried underground. He was far away. And the sudden extra weight during liftoff would slow them down immensely. It was dangerous. A 30% chance—and that was counting the assistance of Bang and Bomb in the initial launch.
Genos was part machine. He would be the most durable. He could be repaired. If Child Emperor saved Bomb, then aimed a precise attack at the monster's carapace, there was a chance that the cyborg would be harmed, but there was also a chance for the attack to force the centipede to retreat.
It had to be powerful.
Child Emperor pressed the button to launch, aiming directly at Bomb. His other hand hovered on another button—a barrage of missiles that could save the trapped cyborg.
Or guarantee his demise.
"Bomb, grab on!"
There was no time. Child Emperor felt the weight of Bang's brother pull them down for a moment—but his jets could manage. He pulled upward, the monster's carapace closing in.
'Please let this work,' the young hero said, thumb forcing the second button dow—
An emerald barrier surrounded the four heroes. Elder Centipede's razor-sharp claws, which had ripped up the ground, felt a solid resistance.
"Miss Tatsumaki!"
Child Emperor had dropped down onto the ground. The two martial artists looked around as they were being lifted up.
The esper, hovering above, brought them to eye level.
"You did well," she said. Her eyes looked hazy. "Leave it to me."
"Tornado…" Genos said weakly, pulling himself from the ground. "If you're here, that means… Master…"
Tatsumaki shook her head. "I said. Leave it. To me."
Before they could protest, they were carried away, heading towards the city. The barrier popped, throwing the heroes, along with a semi-sphere of dirt, down on the empty street.
.
"HEY! BUG!" Tatsumaki called.
Elder Centipede, who had burrowed upward once more, stared at the glowing green form above it.
The esper forced herself to look at the disgusting creature. Forced down her lurching stomach. Fought away the visions and blood and fire in her mind.
Raising her arms, she sent the ruined landscape into the air.
The city-sized monster experienced flight for the first time.
And it wanted nothing to do with the sky.
Elder Centipede roared, pulling itself away from the hovering mass of land and back into the crater underneath.
'That's fine,' Tatsumaki thought quietly. She tossed the land aside with a wave of her hand.
She could feel beads of sweat pooling along her body. It screamed at her to run away. Shouted at her, reminded her, that this very monster had fought Blast and lived.
Had it grown weaker since then? Or stronger?
Either way, she found it a cruel twist of fate for it to emerge now of all times.
She took a deep breath.
"COME AT ME!"
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Saitama watched as Tatsumaki led the monster away from the city.
Her words rang in his head.
'I don't need you to be my hero.'
That was all he needed to hear.
The baldy jogged towards Tatsumaki, ready to congratulate her after she had won.
.
.
Tatsumaki landed by a relatively open stretch of forest.
There was an ominous silence. Not a single creature had been stupid enough to stay here.
None except her.
.
A low rumble sent the very trees in movement. They leaned in waves, like grass under a stiff breeze.
If the centipede had been any smaller, the foliage would have blocked out her view of it. But no such luxury was given to her. A veritable mountain was charging towards her, two faces—a horrible scowl and an insect's lifeless maw—stared her down.
.
A tide of dark thoughts were breaching the esper's mind. Telling her to run. Telling her she was still just a child that could do nothing but wait for help to arrive. To leave it to Saitama.
A dark wave in the night. And not the only one.
Fluttering nightmares danced in her vision. Of a claw that choked her. Of broken bones. Of a stream of blood that left her feeling lightheaded.
She was shaking. She wanted to curl into a ball. To shut her eyes and clutch her ears. To call for someone, anyone!
'Please…'
.
No.
.
Tatsumaki balled her hand into a fist.
'He did it like this… right?' the green-haired esper pictured it fondly.
To have that strength in her fist. A simple assurance that nothing could break it.
Memories of their competition in the park—a misty haze—was brought to the forefront.
She hadn't had any visions then. Why was that?
And… her nightmares.
The morning she awoke, with the bald hero under her. The quiet moment they shared after their trip to the hospital, when she woke him up—and his face was tinged with red for the first time.
She hadn't been plagued by Boros then.
Why?
.
A terrible, constant quake from the ground shook each leaf in the forest.
.
She looked at her fist, the dark tide in her mind ebbing away.
A white cape fluttered in her mind. Standing under a clear sky.
She held her fist out in front of her.
.
The sunlight twinkled under the canopy of trees. A serene, empty sky—an indication that their target, Garou, was gone.
.
Memories floated upward… of Saitama at the hot spring. He had been exercising—a hilariously unremarkable exercise that didn't explain his powers at all.
'I do this everyday.'
That's what he said, wasn't it?
If she were to be honest with herself, it might be a bit too much for her at the moment.
Tatsumaki chuckled.
Her tiny fist. Her hands that were shivering.
If she put in some effort, however hilariously unremarkable it would be…
Maybe she could still get stronger.
That's what this fist meant. Hers. His.
And clenching it tightly… she could picture something unshakeable. Something that could tear a hole of light in her dark thoughts.
A promise of strength. And progress.
.
Time passed by slowly. It seemed to slow down.
The monstrous centipede was seconds away.
.
Tatsumaki kept her eyes open.
She took a fighting pose.
'Right now…' she said to herself. 'Let's see how strong I am… right now.'
Focus.
A burst of energy emanated from her, causing the ground to shake.
Concentrate.
The waves of motion from the ground crashed into those made by Elder Centipede. They mixed and melded together, almost like a clash of wills.
Put everything into this fist.
Just as she poured energy in a feeble attempt to heal Fubuki, she poured into her fist. With renewed vigor. And a difference in belief. A belief that she could still get stronger. That her psychic abilities could not only destroy, but empower.
It glowed. A single, pure green that outshone anything she had created before. She felt it, too. A power that could move cities with ease and change the very weather—all in her fist.
For a single moment, the ground was motionless.
Their wills were equal.
All it came down to was sheer strength.
A single punch.
.
"Master… Saitama…?"
Genos watched, half-conscious, as the front half of the monster twisted into a spiral, expanded like a balloon, then exploded in a massive torrent of dark blood.
Child Emperor's scanner went haywire—nearly overheating as waves of energy washed over it—then went completely silent.
"Miss Tatsumaki did it…" he said, unable to believe his eyes. "Its core was completely destroyed…"
Bang watched the limp bottom half of Elder Centipede's body crash down onto the earth. It was an awe-inspiring sight, no doubt. But more than awe, he felt a surge of pride.
He knew how it felt to face an enemy that shattered one's ego. Right after the invasion, the esper's eyes lacked the sharp confidence they usually contained. When he went to visit Saitama's apartment, he was met with a pair of furious green eyes. Even then, though, she was barely even able to stay conscious. In the hot spring, those green eyes had mellowed out. A good thing, he knew, for the… passionately-tempered esper. But he had his doubts that the vigor that being a hero necessitated would return—completely, if not slightly. He knew that it would take more to bring the esper down, of course. But a half-hearted will, no matter how strong someone was, would falter before pure confidence.
That attack told Bang all he needed to know.
She was back. The Hero Association's one-and-only final weapon.
"Hahh…" the gray-haired hero sat down on the ruined dirt, smiling to himself.
Another beautiful blue sky to admire.
.
Saitama made his way to Tatsumaki, who had found a small clearing and had sat under the shade of a particularly large tree. Her eyes were closed, but the rustling of grass and crackling of leaves gave the bald man's presence away.
"I hope you were watching," the esper said, unable to stop a smile from creeping on her face.
"Yeah," the baldy replied, finding her mood infectious. "Nice punch."
He went to sit down beside her.
"I didn't even destroy it completely," she breathed. "And I kinda cheated, heh. After the first impact, I realized it wasn't enough, and finished it off with my powers."
"You won though. And don't you try to steal my style!"
"Right, right," the esper chuckled, leaning on him. "I'll take what I can get."
The two sat in comfortable silence.
Meekly, the esper pulled Saitama's hand in hers.
"Let's talk… soon…" she said, yawning. It was always so easy to fall asleep on Saitama's shoulder.
.
Especially now that she knew that the nightmares would never haunt her again.
.
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Hello. Yes, it's me! I hope y'all haven't forgotten about this little fic, though I completely understand if too much time has passed.
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Whew. How long's it been, a couple months? Sheesh. Sorry. A lot of things happened. A LOT, a lot. Busy with a whole buttload of stuff. Broke my arm. Among other things. Got surgery and all that. Lost a lot of motivation at multiple points during my little hiatus, but I'm back!
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This chapter might have been posted with little regard to my hiatus (what with all the references to chapters even I had to reread to remember), so I hope it comes out understandable one way or another. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though I feel like I hadn't quite been able to put out what I envisioned. This chapter was, more or less, a culmination of most all of Tatsumaki's 'loose ends' in terms of hurdles and development. I've been setting this Centipede confrontation for YEARS! Same with her visions, her mini Serious Punch, and that oooneee little Blast quote I'm sure you've all noticed has gone unmentioned throughout this WHOLE fic. It's really satisfying, personally.
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I hope you look forward to a whole new dynamic going forward.
It's time to talk.
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See you when I see you!
- bb