Author’s Notes: Didn't go over the edits for this chapter as thoroughly as I usually do, will update later.

~O~

Saitama touched down at the Hero Association HQ with a great deal of fanfare. After the colossal failure in security that resulted in a member of the Monster Association successfully infiltrating the building, taking over the body of one of their workers and murdering one of the executives the Hero Association initiated a complete overhaul of their security. Taking a page out of Solaria’s book they ended up firing most security personnel for their seeming incompetence and handed the reigns over to Metal Knight.

The S-Class Hero was quick to implement his own brand of security or rather quadruple down on it considering he redesigned the entire base after scavenging from the Alien ship. This is why even before he touched down the sensors had detected Saitama’s approach and a variety of automated weapons were trained on him the moment he landed. Saitama himself wasn’t really bothered by this and continued his casual stroll towards the entrance while the drones used a variety of sensors to confirm his identity. 

By the time he reached halfway the doors were already opening to allow him inside. Waiting for him in the lobby was one of the staff who had a cybernetic eye.

‘Hm, he looks kinda familiar.’

“Hello One-Punch Man.”

“Call me Saitama” he paused getting a good look at the man “…uh…” he trailed off.

“I am-”

“Don’t tell me I can figure this out” Saitama interrupted remembering Tomoro’s advice about dealing with his memory issue “you’re…Sekingal!” he pointed with a triumphant expression.

“Sekingar” the man clarified smoothly.

“Eh, close enough” Saitama shrugged “so what’s up? Am I late for the meeting?”

Sekingar accepted his faux pas without issue and answered his question “you are the last to arrive.”

“Tch” Saitama clicked his tongue at that “damn I thought I left pretty early this morning.”

“Most of the S-Class heroes arrived days prior and have been waiting for when the Monster Association was found.”

“So I wasn’t late?” he said with a gleam in his eyes.

“…no.”

“Okay cool.”

“I understand that you are cohabitating with Demon Cyborg, will he be joining us?”

“Genos said he’s gonna upgrade his body so he’ll miss the meeting. Probably going to show up late for the fight too now that I think about it” he added.

“I see.”  

Sekingar knew there was a possibility Demon Cyborg would be absent due to sustaining injuries during his battle with Elder Centipede but he was hoping the cyborg would have been able to make it at the start of the raid.

‘We’ll just have to make do with who we have then.’

As they came upon the meeting room Sekingar posed another question “after the incident with Elder Centipede you were accompanied by another individual correct?”

“Yeah.”

“They were able to heal the fallen heroes to perfect health, is this true?”

Now he had his full attention as the hero turned to face him with a not-so blank expression “what about it?”

“Would it be possible for you to set up a meeting between him and the Hero Association? Someone with his ability is greatly needed in the Hero Association especially at this time.”

Saitama looked to him then averted his gaze contemplation while scratching his cheek with a finger “I mean, I can ask but he doesn’t strike me as the type to want to be a hero.”

“He doesn’t have to be if he doesn’t want to. I-the Hero Association are primarily interested in his ability as a healer.”

Saitama considered this before ultimately shrugging “alright I’ll talk to him about it.”

“That is all I ask, thank you” he gave a respectful nod before turning away “if you’ll excuse me.”

“You’re not joining the meeting?” he questioned since he’s the one apparently overseeing the operation itself.

“Child Emperor insists on hosting the strategy meeting with only the S-Class heroes present and similarly I need to brief the other heroes taking part in the raid.”

“Child Emperor?”

“He is leading the assault on the Monster Association headquarters” Sekingar clarified.

“Isn’t he a bit young?”

“He is still an S-Class hero and a genius.”

“Not doubting whether or not he could do it” Saitama clarified “just saying it’s a lot of responsibility to put on a kid.”

Sekingar gave a brief hum acknowledgment before continuing “I will be overseeing the operation itself, acting as overwatch and will be maintaining contact with the Hero Association.”

“Cool.”

Saitama shrugged as he entered the room gaining the attention of its occupants present: Child Emperor, Super Alloy Darkshine, Pig God, Flashy Flash, Zombie Man, Tatsumaki, Puri Puri Prisoner, Bang, Bomb, Atomic Samurai and a few members of staff on standby catering to their needs…though their services seemed to only be utilized by Pig God.

“Yo” his casual greeting elicited a few reactions from his fellow S-Class. A few polite greetings, nods or silence though one voice rose above them all.

“You’re late Baldie!” Tatsumaki loudly proclaimed with a glare.

“Am I?” he said looking at the empty seats.

Before the esper could escalate things Child Emperor cut her off “actually you’re right on time One-Punch Man, we were just about to begin.”

With that said Child Emperor booted up a hologram which showed an image of the planet before zooming in as Child Emperor began his speech.

“To get you all up to speed last night while I was still finalizing the location of the Monster Association base I was sent an e-mail from an anonymous source claiming to be an informant for director Nova” the young hero paused “the contents of the e-mail contained detailed information about the Monster Association, it’s location, the location of various entrances, a rough estimate of its total membership as well as the names and abilities of certain monsters that could pose a threat to us.”

As he spoke the holograms changed, expanded and multiplied to give a visual display of his words.

“The director was working with an informant?” Puri Puri Prisoner questioned with mild surprise.

“Can we trust them?” Zombieman commented with suspicion “for all we know they could be compromised.”

“I can assure you he is not Zombieman” Bang spoke with a measured “I was there when the information was discussed and the message sent.”

“You were there?” Atomic Samurai raised a curious eyebrow.

“I was there too. The info is good” Tatsumaki added with arms folded and an expression daring anyone to challenge her.

Flashy Flash ended up doing just that “is there a reason why you couldn’t have brought the informant here?”

“Didn’t see a reason to” she answered simply and vaguely.

Before any more words can be said Darkshine interrupted “if both Silver Fang and Tatsumaki are vouching for this person then that is good enough for me.”

“Same” added Pig God in between slurps of his mega sized cola.

Child Emperor chose that moment to re-interject into the conversation “as for the information I was able to confirm the validity of a few of them”

Once again the image changed to show an over the top down view of City Z Ghost town with a few red dots.

“Using special thermography on my satellites as well utilizing surveillance drones to sweep the area I was able to confirm that the information was spot on about the number of monsters within as well as the location of several entrances. Unfortunately my drones were summarily destroyed before they could do a proper infiltration so we’ll be going in blind.”

None of them seemed particularly bothered by this however Atomic Samurai asked a pertinent question “what are the numbers looking like?”

“At least 500 monsters give or take. We would each have to kill around 50 but I’m not particularly worried about those numbers since a majority of the monsters present will most likely be fodder for us. What I am worried about however are the capabilities of their higher ranking members.”

At that the images changed to two familiar individuals.

“Metal Knight attempted to follow Elder Centipede to their hideout however he was defeated in the process.”

Tatsumaki scoffed “the old man probably has a dozen more of the same robot and whatever else he has lying around that lab of his. He could very well send something else to help with the mission if he wanted to.”

“I’m sure Metal Knight has his reasons for not participating Tatsumaki” Bang attempted to placate.

“Yeah, he’s a coward” she sneered.

Despite his own reservation with his old mentor’s choices Child Emperor went on to defend him “Metal Knight informed me that he wanted to stay back in case of the worst case scenario and we end up failing. He assures me that he will be on standby with relief aid in the event of our success or to act as a contingency in case we fail.”

When put like that the militant and tactical minded heroes seemed more forgiving of the hero’s absence. Though most of them couldn’t fathom a world where they would actually lose so badly that they would need the kind of backup Metal Knight would provide. Especially considering they used ‘backup’ lightly as knowing the man he would likely just drop a nuke on top of the Monster Association which in all honesty was a rather acceptable action to do if they end up failing.

Moving on Zombieman commented on the other image shown “I heard Drive Knight got taken out, is it true?” questioned.

“As far as we know” Child Emperor began explaining “he went on to investigate by himself before we lost the signal on his tracker. We haven’t been able to get in contact with him since.”

“Damn, to think Drive Knight would get taken out like that” Atomic Samurai mused with furrowed brows.

“Well he has a cyborg body so he should be fine, right?” Darkshine spoke in an attempt at reassurance though it was clear to many that he was trying to convince himself just as much as the others.

Child Emperor was about to move on when-

“Hey.”

Child Emperor almost jumped out of his skin upon hearing the voice behind him. Turning to face the ominous voice did not lower his nerves as the person interrupting their meeting was none other than-

“Amai Mask!?” Child Emperor exclaimed “what are you doing here?”

The idol hero ignored the question as his eyes roamed over the gathered heroes “I was wondering why no one was in the waiting room” his gaze went back to Child Emperor, pinning the young hero with a glare “what is the meaning of this Child Emperor? How dare you start this meeting without me after I explicitly told you I would be joining the task force?”

“Wait-wait time out!” the young hero said as bit down a little on his lollipop out of anxiety “what are you talking about?”

The top ranked A-Class hero narrowed his eyes before folding his arms “I sent a message through Sekingar that I would be accompanying you lot on this mission. He assured me that you will be given the message.”

Now it was child Emperor’s turn to furrow his brows “I ever got a message like that.”

“Ah” suddenly they were interrupted by Tatsumaki who had a thoughtful expression as she tapped a fist into her open palm “now I remember, after you went to sleep Sekingar tried to bother you about a message like that” she shrugged “I didn’t want him disturbing your sleep so I sent him away.”

Child Emperor’s jaw dropped “Tatsumaki…why didn’t you tell me?”

The esper rolled her eyes “this mission is too important to waste time babysitting that guy.”

At her words Amai Mask gained a look in his eyes whilst still maintaining his calm façade. It was the kind of expression that would send men and monster alike cowering for fear of their lives. In the face of those gathered none of them were at all fazed by this not even Child Emperor whose mild nervousness came not from the expression itself but the thought of the hero using his clout with the executives to cause trouble in general and provoke the other heroes. Well he seemed to be doing that already with how some of the heroes were glaring at him.

“Is that what you think Child Emperor?” Amai Mask questioned with deceptive calmness.

‘No choice but to rip the band aid off now.’

The hero went on to explain how he wanted to split the task force into two teams. The ground team will infiltrate the Monster Association base and rescue the hostage while eliminating every monster they come across while the surface team will close off all but one exit and pick off any stragglers that attempt to escape.

At that point Amai Mask interrupted “and let me guess, you want me to be a part of the surface team correct?”

“Well…”

“Stop beating around the bush Isamu” Tatsumaki admonished not noticing the wince the boy gave at her using his real name or the raised eyebrow from some of the other heroes at her familiar address. The esper directed a glare at Amai Mask “this meeting is for S-Class only” she paused glancing at the Bomb before adding “or those invited by an S-Class and nobody invited you. In fact nobody wants you here in the first place.”

“Tatsumaki!” Child Emperor exclaimed.

“Now, now” Bang placated only to be interrupted by Amai Mask.

“S-Class only” Amai Mask chuckled reaching a hand up to grip his face “what a joke” the veins in his neck visibly bulged and as he spoke and the tension rose as the room was flooded with killing intent.

It was enough that it garnered several reaction from most of the gathered heroes.

Puri Puri Prisoner and Darkshine almost recoiled at the sudden bloodlust wafting off the previously innocuous man.

Bang and Bomb gave pronounced frowns at the display with the former keeping his peace for now. Pig God actually paused mid bite…then continued to eat at a slower pace (for him).

Zombieman’s eyes narrowed and his trigger finger twitched in response as he scrutinized the hero.

Atomic Samurai and Flashy Flash gripped their sheathed weapons tighter ever so slightly with the latter’s own killing intent rising

Saitama watched the drama unfold completely unaffected by the happenings and taking a sip of his newly delivered tea.

Child Emperor swallowed the pieces of his lollipop he ended up chomping through when Amai Mask started.

Tatsumaki merely raised an eyebrow at the display not at all phased by it or by his glare.

“I’ve explained this before but let me clarify this again” began the idol hero “the only reason why I am still in the A-Class is by my own choice. I act as the final examiner a gatekeeper if you will and judge to anyone aspiring to become part of the S-Class. I have many talents and the Hero Association has seen fit to have me utilize some of these talents outside of general heroics to support the organization. Because of this you all look down on me as unqualified but I assure you I am not lacking in skill and I more qualified to be here than some of you.”

He cast his gaze over the assembled heroes again to see that he now had their interest and weariness in some cases. Regardless they now no longer looked at him as someone unqualified to be there. He wouldn’t usually care what they would think of him but he didn’t have the time to argue semantics and he figured the sooner they accept him without underestimating his ability then the sooner they can get back to important matters.

“You’ve made your point Amai Mask” Bang interrupted with a frown.

“He’s right, you can drop the killing intent” Atomic Samurai followed up.

He did not do so immediately as he looked to Child Emperor with the unasked question “well?”

The young hero sighed “does anyone have an issue with Amai Mask joining this meeting?”

As he said this he gave a particularly pointed glare towards Tatsumaki who seemed as if she would object. He usually wouldn’t however with her being the source of this unnecessary drama and his anxiety he felt more than a little tired at her antics.

His vindication rose when upon seeing his expression she paused as something flashed in her expression and she turned away with a huff “whatever.”

And with that thought the tension dropped as the killing intent cut off and Amai Mask took a seat in one of the empty chairs.

Interlaced his fingers Amai Mask pressed them just below his nose and asked a simple question “now I want to know what we are doing to rescue Miss Nova and crush the Monster Association.”

After an abridged recap of what they went over before his arrival (and being shocked he didn’t question Solaria working with an informant) Child Emperor continued where they were left off.

“I may not have been able to use my drones to scout the interior of the Monster Association but I was able to map out the layout all the same” the hologram changed to a veritable multi storey skyscraper “keep in mind that all of this is underground.”

“All this is underground!?” Darkshine said incredulously.

His reaction made sense as what seemed to be a skyscraper at first glance was actually an interconnected series of tunnels and floors that extended for miles.

“I see so the difficulty won’t necessarily be fighting the monsters but navigating this labyrinth” Bang mused as he fiddled with his mustache in thought.

“They’ll likely use guerrilla tactics to take advantage of the terrain” Zombieman commented as he scrutinized the hologram “I see a lot of positions perfect for ambushes.”

“Do you know where they are keeping Solaria?” Amai Mask questioned as he glared at the hologram.

“No” Child Emperor frowned “we’ll have to interrogate the monsters for that information.”

“Should be simple enough” Flashy Flash commented idly.

“That would be the case for most of them however there are several monsters that even we need to be careful of” Child Emperor scowled before the hologram changed to show a familiar monster “Elder Centipede who rampaged through City R and City S destroying the latter in the process before it was killed by One-Punch Man was not only a member of the Monster Association but a high ranking member as well” The image then changed to that of a video of an unfamiliar monster taken from a CCTV camera.

“Who’s that?” Pig God commented with a raised eyebrow taking another bite of his burger.

“This is the monster that attacked the Super Fight tournament in City C.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be a guest judge Bang.” Atomic Samurai turned to his fellow martial artist.

Bang now having the room’s attention spoke keeping his eyes on the monster “I wasn’t able to attend but I did speak with two of its participants, they fought this monster.”

“This monster is confirmed to be a Dragon level threat” Child Emperor noted.

Now Atomic Samurai seemed more interested “they must be quite the martial artists.”

Bang couldn’t help but smile a little “one of them is Suicho’s grandson.”

Atomic Samurai’s eyes widened “oh-ho now that’s a surprise. So the legacy of the Void Fist is still going strong then. He must be quite the master to defeat a Dragon level threat.”

“He had help and that monster” he gestured to the hologram “is actually Gouketsu.”

“Gouketsu!” Atomic Samurai exclaimed with some shock looking back at the hologram.

“You know him Silver Fang?” Child Emperor questioned curiously.

“He was a notorious martial arts grandmaster” Bang explained “but I heard he died after challenging a powerful monster.”

“Clearly not” Atomic Samurai frowned “I never knew the man himself but he had quite the reputation” he shook his head “even if he wasn’t a saint to think a grandmaster of his standing could fall like it.”

This time Bomb spoke up “according to the Void Fist heir when Gouketsu was defeated by the powerful monster instead of killing him they took him to their lair where he was transformed into a monster. At the Super Fight tournament he attempted to ‘recruit’ the tournament fighters for the Monster Association by having them eat something called a ‘monster cell’.”

“That sounds a lot like what Haragiri tried to do with the Council of Swordmasters.”

“Haragiri?” Bang was familiar with the name though he didn’t hear anything particularly good about the man himself “what did you do with him?”

“Slashed him to pieces” Atomic Samurai replied promptly “he was too far gone at that point.”

Darkshine gained an uncomfortable expression “it’s troubling that the Monster Association can turn people into monsters so easily.”

“Is there no way to save someone from it?” Puri Puri Prisoner question with some hope.

Child Emperor shook his head sadly “as of now we barely have any information on the process itself let alone a proper solution.”

“Oh” the incarcerated hero’s shoulder sagged.

“Is something the matter?”

“A few my boys got tricked into becoming monsters and joining the Monster Association, I wanted to save them if possible.”

Bang chose to spoke up “it was mentioned that the monsterfication process can’t be forced on someone. They have to choose to do it.”

The news seemed to devastate Puri Puri Prisoner “no way…then that means.”

“They’ll be put down like the rest of the monsters” Amai Mask said bluntly with a gleam in his eyes daring the S-Class hero to refute his words.

Puri Puri Prisoner seemed as if he would however he looked down and nodded before clenching his fist closed his eyes “I see…if that’s case then leave any monsters in prisoner uniforms to me then.”

Zombieman lit a cigarette “speaking of ‘monster cell’ I have some information that might shed some light on how they were able to create such a thing.”

The S-Class hero then went to give a brief summary of his time investigating and tracking down the remnants of the House of Evolution. How he found the leader Dr. Genus and how the mad scientist explained how he was approached by an esper with an offer to work together. Combing his talents in bioengineering and her studies in monster anthropology they created the monster cells. In the end they separated due to ‘creative differences’ and each created their own organizations.

At the end of his speech Amai Mask gave the immortal hero a pointed look “if you caught the leader of the notorious House of Evolution why didn’t you take him in?”

Zombieman blew out a puff of smoke returning the idol hero’s gaze unflinchingly “he had a mutant bodyguard that blindsided me and they managed to escape.”

Before Amai Mask could further comment Tatsumaki interrupted “who’s the psychic?”.

“He said her name was Psykos.”

Immediately Tatsumaki’s gaze became sharper “you sure that’s what he said her name was?”

“Yeah” he raised an eyebrow “you know her?”

“I knew Psykos as an acquaintance of my sister in highschool” she scowled in thought “she went insane and got sent to an asylum for treatment. Last I heard she broke out and I haven’t heard anything about her since.”

Upon hearing that Child Emperor brought up a point “there is a psychic monster who goes by the name of Gyoro Gyoro acting as the Monster Association’s tactician. It was the one that spoke to the executives when that parasite monster infiltrated the building.”

The hologram changed to replay the video of said the confrontation.

By the end of it Tatsumaki had a dark expression on her face as she rested her knuckles on her cheek ‘so she ended up turning herself into a monster.’

“I can only speculate that whatever research that may have been conducted to produce these ‘monster cells’ will be in there somewhere so we should make it a second priority to find the lab and destroy it.”

After getting affirmation from most of the gathered Child Emperor moved on.

“As for what kind of resistance we’ll be expecting there are several monsters that might pose a problem for some of us.”

As he said this multiple display windows popped up featuring images of monsters and pertinent information about them including their: history, disaster threat level, abilities and so on.

“These are all the monsters with a disaster level of Demon.”

This drew some interest from most of the gathered S-Class heroes due to each monster either having a notorious reputation, noteworthy combat potential or a special ability. Ultimately however they were all deemed more than manageable but the same could not be said for the next set of holographic images.

“These are the monsters that I’m really wary of” as he finished a new set of images materialized “from my understanding most of these monsters are Dragon level or have the potential to rapidly evolve into one and they were gathered specifically to counter us S-Class heroes.”

All of the gathered studied the images and noted that the aforementioned Elder Centipede and Gouketsu were marked out. Child Emperor went on to give brief overviews of the Cadres including their history, special abilities and ways to counteract them. This time around the S-Class paid very close attention with most of them being very considerate of the monster they very well may face in the upcoming raid.

~O~

Earlier…

Sekingar left One-Punch Man and immediately began to ruminate on their conversation as he walked to the executive elevator.

“Worried?” a familiar voice questioned.

“Hm?” Sekingar looked to find that he was joined by Sitch at some point.

“You looked like you were lost in thought” the older man spoke “is it about the operation?”

“I was just thinking about the conversation I just had with One-Punch Man.”

“You know he prefers to be called Saitama.”

“So I was told” Sekingar said as both men entered the elevator.

Sitch could only chuckle with a shake of his head “did he say something interesting?”

“I broached the topic of him introducing us to his healer friend.”

That caught Sitch’s attention “Tomoro Sazaki, what did he say about him?”

“He said that the man would not be interested in becoming a hero however he will relay the request.”

“That’s all we can hope for at the moment.”

Sekingar nodded as he began thinking about the side mission that had been put on the backburner in face of the current crisis. It first started with Lightning Max and Snek’s report on what happened in City C and the Super Fight tournament. Due to so many things happening at once it might have fell to the wayside however several instances of the report given to them by Lightning Max and Snek got the attention of Sitch who brought Sekingar in to conduct an investigation.

At the time City C came under attack Demon Cyborg was the only S-Class hero in the city and he did a commendable job of eliminating the invading monsters. Then the City C branch of the Hero Association abruptly lost contact with him only to get a message warning them of a possible Dragon level threat appearing. Since the few monsters left after Demon Cyborg’s actions were being handled by the local B and C-Class heroes protecting the evacuation center they figured it to be either a mistake on Demon Cyborg’s part or that the monster went elsewhere.

They were right in that as it turned out its target was the Super Fight tournament or rather their contestants. At this point they did not know the enemy could turn humans into monsters and it appears the Dragon level monster planned to recruit the Super Fight contestants for the Monster Association just as they did with the prisoners at the Smelly Lid Prison. Sekingar was disturbed to find that several of the fighters also underwent the transformation willingly.

In any case the monsters ended up being thwarted by Lightning Max and Snek who participated in the tournament as well as two of the Super Fight contestants. Well according to the report the two heroes played less of an active role in the battle mostly aiding one of the two other contestants instead. Said contestant happened to be Suiryu the current champion of the tournament.  According to the database the Hero Association did attempt to recruit him into however he rejected them and quite flippantly at that.

The other fighter however was someone completely new and if the reports are to be believed he was someone who could be even stronger than Suiryu who was already thought to be S-Class material. It turns out this individual was the one responsible for defeating the two Dragon level monsters both of whom turned out to have been powerful martial arts masters and former Super Fighter champions. That would have motivated Sekingar immensely to find the man as he was a rare S-Class prospect however it was the other ability he may have demonstrated.

He could heal people.

Sekingar wasn’t sure at first but even then he found it suspicious that every surviving Super Fight contestant seemed perfectly fine which should have been impossible based not just on the reports but also on the fact that they were literally in a fighting tournament. In any case they found out the man’s name was Tomoro Sazaki and running his identity through the database came up with a Tomoro Sazaki working as an accountant for a small firm. What was more interesting however was the fact that his address was listed as being in the abandoned section of City Z specifically in the same apartment complex as One-Punch Man himself.

Unfortunately before Sekingar could act on this information and send out agents to recruit him Solaria was kidnapped and the Monster Association gave their ultimatum. All hands needed to be on deck and Sekingar put Tomoro Sazaki on the backburner for the time being. It was only while he was perusing the reports on Elder Centipede that he came across the reports that the man was put back in his mind.

Not only did he appear with One-Punch Man during the Elder Centipede incident he also demonstrated his healing ability once again by healing the heroes on the scene. According to some of the heroes not only did he seem to know One-Punch Man and Demon Cyborg but even Silver Fang and his brother Bomb as well. It was the reason why he first approached the two martial artists for information on him but to no avail. The two were very reticent when it came to giving up any kind of information about him and Silver Fang all but brushed him off.

At least he was polite about it.

With One-Punch Man Sekingar went for a more subtle approach and suggested a meeting with the man instead. He also made sure to assure the hero that they were only interested in his healing ability which was true. Regardless of whether or not they could get him as a healer or a full time hero was irrelevant so long as they establish good relations with him. Hopefully his apparent association with One-Punch Man will set a precedent that will endear him to the idea of working with them in the same vain as Silver Fang’s brother.

The Hero Association did attempt to recruit Bomb of the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist however they were rejected. Despite this his relation alone to Silver Fang ensured that they had an ally of at least similar power to the S-Class hero and the result was him aiding them without any kind of additional incentive from the Hero Association, monetary or otherwise.

The familiar sound of spinning and motors reached his ears as Sekingar looked to the various monitor located in the elevator.

“They’ve arrived” Sitch commented.

Sekingar nodded “thanks to Mr. Sazaki I was able to secure more A-Class heroes for this operation.”

“Even so we’re still at a disadvantage” Sitch commented severely.

 ‘A shame I didn’t think to get in contact with him sooner.’

If he could go back in time he would have made it a higher priority to find him but the Hero Association was already stretched thin as is. First the mass layoff and corporate restructure by solaria then the Hero Hunter followed by the Monster Association. Recruiting someone who could bring their numbers back up was a missed opportunity but not too damning so long as the operation goes relatively smoothly.

“It will have to do” Sekingar spoke before he was interrupted by a call from his phone “yes, what is it?”

Sitch couldn’t hear what the person said on the other line however he observed the younger man’s expression turned to one of shock and incredulity.

“What? Are you certain?” Sitch observed as Ssekingar spoke to the person on the other line for a minute before he spoke “send a transport for them immediately.”

After Sekingar hung up Sitch posed the question “what was that about?”

Sekingar smiled “if what I heard was correct a miracle has just taken place.”

“What do you mean?”

Sekingar simply smiled as the elevator doors opened as finally they arrived at the indoor heliport where the heroes were waiting for them.

~O~

A Little While Ago…

Tomoro was easily able to deliver the truck to the storage unit however on his way he came upon a particular place he’s never really thought much of before. So after finishing his task he now floated above the Hero Association hospital where he sensed Tank Top Master and Metal Bat to be recovering from their injuries. It wasn’t hard to parse them apart from the myriad of presences within the building considering both of them have the strongest ki signatures.

They also had the weirdest signatures too.

“What in the…”

The stronger of the two he’s sure was Metal Bat since Tank Top Master wouldn’t have a child visiting him. For some reason Metal Bat’s ki signature was as refined as a martial arts Master which shouldn’t be possible since Tomoro was certain that the man himself isn’t a martial artist by any stretch.

“Is this because of his so-called fighting spirit?” he mused to himself.

The OPM manga never gave a definitive answer to what Metal Bat’s ‘fighting spirit’ was but even back then Tomoro (and most who read shounen) theorized it be some form of internal usually found in the genre (think chi, ki, spirit energy, chakra etc) different names but same broad stroke application. Regardless it still brought up a rather shocking revelation about the delinquent hero.

“Unbelievable somehow this brat was able to access and utilize his ki without undergoing years of martial arts training or meditation” he paused shaking his head “no, that’s the wrong way to think of it.”

It’s not like he needs to train in martial arts. Tomoro can make the assumption that before he became a hero Metal Bat was a delinquent and most likely got into a lot of fights which could have been its own form of training. As for meditation if you want to get down to the brass tacks then it is merely clearing one’s conscious thought to focus on something specific. There is actually a shocking amount of way one can recreate this phenomenon without assuming the lotus position.

“In any case to get his ki to such a level he’d have to have been using it frequently for years” he paused before scoffing “he’s not even been using it right.”

Ki is present in all living things. Some have more than others but those who actively tap into it the most are usually martial artists and monsters in some cases. A point of contention in modern martial arts was ‘mastery’ and what exactly constitutes becoming a true Master. The answer to that question is and will always be ki control and refinement. Of course skill in martial arts is also a major factor but once a martial artist reaches a certain level of ki refinement and control then they will be acknowledged as a Master by the wider community.

It’s the reason why despite his former arrogance, indulgence in certain vices, indolence and general lackadaisical attitude Tomoro acknowledged Suiryu as a Master. Metal Bat is definitely aware of ki and he’s managed to tap into it enough that in terms of volume and refinement he is a Master. At least at a glance but in truth though compared to an actual master Metal Bat’s ki refinement is actually quite crude.

‘And that’s the difference between being aware of one’s ki and having proper control of it.’

That’s the most painful part of the realization that while this rowdy delinquent managed to discover something so incredible but ended up using it to help him swing around a freaking bat. Tomoro could only imagine how far Metal Bat would be right now if he actually took up a proper martial art.

“Garou really was lucky he ended up being some meathead who could only swing around a bat.”

Shaking his head Tomoro moved on from that mildly depression situation with Metal Bat to focus on the other S-Class hero. If he was being honest out of all the S-Class Tank Top Master was portrayed as the blandest and most forgettable. Just a really strong guy whose gimmick is wearing a tank top he proclaims to be the source of his power. He expected this to be reflected in his ki signature. That is, being abnormally large by regular human standard but otherwise nothing special.

That was not the case.

“What the hell?”

There was something different about Tank Top Master’s ki signature in that it wasn’t just a single signature but two. Just as he expected Tank Top Master’s actual ki signature is abnormally large for a human but otherwise generic. Then there was the other smaller yet noticeable signature that was most certainly not human. Said signature wasn’t so much intertwined with Tank Top Master’s ki as it was wrapped around it like armor.

“That’s not right…”

That comparison was quite accurate as the more he observed it the more he could actually envision what it looked like and rather than armor it seemed more like a…like a…

“Tank…top…?”

Huuh?

Tomoro shook his head yet his senses were still focused and he could not separate the image from that mystery ki signature. Then he wiped the metaphorical glasses to see that what his mind’s eye pictured was actually accurate. The mystery energy signature was actually coming from the freaking tank top.

“Bwaah” Tomoro is pretty sure his expression in that moment was akin that old Jackie Chan meme he vaguely remembered.

From what he could sense the tank top’s energy signature seems to be boosting TTM’s own ki which in turn is actually speeding up his recovery process.

“…oh my God” he groaned.

Tomoro knew exactly what was going on.

Fun Fact: the author of One Punch Man actually made a second series called Mob Psycho 100. That particular series focuses more on the supernatural and paranormal aspects. It’s all about psychics and spirits among other things.

The point of mentioning that series was to point out that on occasion supernatural and paranormal phenomena will appear on Tomoro’s radar. Sometimes he will pick up energy signatures not belonging to humans or monsters and he’s actually come across legitimate spirits before. He’s also come across objects imbued with this same energy, in one particular encounter with shrine priest he explained that these objects are actually cursed.

Now does that mean Tank Top Master is rocking a cursed tank top? Tomoro couldn’t say if only because the tank top doesn’t actually seem to be hurting him. It is at least partially sentient however which is mildly disturbing because he could not dismiss mind control or influence. It would certainly explain why the guy is so passionate about tank tops of all things and chose to make said article of clothing the focus of his personality.

His eyes narrowed “does he even know?”

If not about the nature of the tank top then he must at least be aware that he’s not wearing a regular tank top.

“Wait a minute…” his eyes squinted as he searched for a moment “I think I see what’s going on here.”

Tank Top Master wasn’t the only one as Tomoro could sense that the tank tops of Tank Topper Army also had their own energy signatures. Of course theirs did not come close to Tank Top Master and some were more pronounced than others but it spoke of definite pattern.

‘I really hope this doesn’t turn out to be some tank top cult ala Dimple.’

Moving on from those thoughts and the ridiculousness of it Tomoro knew that in the OPM webcomic both heroes would miss the battle with the Monster Association entirely. He wasn’t so sure the same could be said for the manga though since its basically its own continuity at this point. The last chapter of the One Punch Man manga he read before he got reincarnated had Tatsumaki pulling the Monster Association out of the ground in its entirety and was gearing up to fight the Psykos Orochi fusion. He’s not even sure if things will end up getting to that point as both he and Solaria have done so much to actively divert the timeline.

Just thinking about that had him grimacing.

In any case he came here for the express purpose of healing Metal Bat and Tank Top Master so they could join the assault thereby stacking the deck even more in favor of the Hero Association. If nothing about the raid changed then he might have said it wasn’t needed but with Solaria’s capture and ‘Dr. Psycho’ showing up he just wasn’t sure anymore. Even more wild is the fact that had he not met Do-S and decide to take her in on a whim he wouldn’t have known about that not-so-little change in the ‘script.’

 But why stop there?

It wasn’t just Metal Bat and Tank Top Master in that hospital but the Blizzard Group as well as the Tank Topper Army were in there. He didn’t really think they would or even could contribute to the battle against the Monster Association but he figured having them out there ready to protect the cities and maintain public order especially after the immediate fallout would be time better spent than being laid up in a hospital.

With that in mind Tomoro’s body erupted in a purple flame-like aura.

~O~

The Blizzard Group was the only faction in the Hero Association that carried itself like a traditional corporate organization. As a matter of fact one could say that it is a traditional corporate organization whose businesses just so happened to be hero work. This is reflected in how it carried out the majority of its operations and most importantly how it develops policies and utilizes protocols. Case in point Fubuki is the uncontested leader of the group with the executive members (that is the A-Class as well as the highest ranking B-Class members) playing the role of sub-commanders who lead their own platoons.

In the case of Fubuki being incapacitated or otherwise unable to lead then the responsibility of leadership will naturally fall to the Blizzard executives.

Why was this important?

Because this morning Fubuki failed to show for breakfast and considering she keeps to a methodical morning routine they found her absence to be suspicious. After a preliminary search of her penthouse revealed her to be absent yet her cellphone Fubuki was declared missing. Naturally the executives were called on to investigate and Lily ended up being the one to provide the means of shedding light on what happened to their leader via her access to the hidden cameras in Fubuki’s room.

None of the others even knew Fubuki kept cameras in her room but it made sense that the only other person to know or even have access to them would be Lily. Not only did the Blizzard Group’s youngest member work as Fubuki’s personal assistant she was also fanatically loyal to the woman. So loyal that she did not actually show most of the footage to the others so as to maintain her mentor’s privacy. What she did ended up showing them after some editing on her part was shocking to say the least.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa you’re telling me the boss got kidnapped by her own sister!?” exclaimed Needle Star.

The shock was reflected on the expressions of the others along with concern. There was not a person in that room who wasn’t aware of the friction between the two sisters.

“There has to be an explanation for this” Eyelashes spoke.

Luckily for the group after editing the video to preserve Fubuki’s dignity and reputation Lily was able to show them a clip that gave an abbreviated version of events. It appears the point of contention was that the Hero Association is planning a raid on the Monster Association and was gathering a strike team of skilled lower class heroes to aid the S-Class. According to Lily Tatsumaki used her influence to take Fubuki off that strike force, Fubuki found out about it and was planning to join a third party in raiding the Monster Association.

Who this third party is none had any idea however they did float the theory of the third party being a group of disenfranchised heroes willing to go behind the Hero Association’s back to score points and go up in the ranks. It sounded dangerous, reckless, foolishly desperate and unfortunately something that their illustrious leader may actually consider if she thought it worth the cost.

Fubuki is highly respected as an intelligent and charismatic woman and a capable leader. That doesn’t mean that they are ignorant of her quirks which come back to the chip on her shoulder against her sister. It is an open secret among them that Fubuki is obsessed with coming out from under her sister’s shadow and that she believes the only way to get out from under Tatsumaki’s shadow and prove herself is to become an S-Class. To this end she has made some questionable decisions and took risks that were unnecessary so long as it ended up promoting her in rank.

Questionable and risky as those decisions were it ultimately worked in the long run and now she is the second ranked A-Class hero. The problem she’s been at this position for longer than she has any other rank before and to make matters worse it wasn’t even as if she was competing with the first rank A-Class hero. Instead she constantly has to defend her place against with Iaian who has declared Fubuki to be his rival and is a constant thorn in her side.

Then there is the veritable mountain that is Amai Mask who is the only reason why she has been stuck in this veritable rank limbo. She has tried many things to attempt to get past him only to turn up short. Amai Mask was just too popular and important to the Hero Association on so many levels for her to topple him from a position he is deliberately staking claim to. It is also unfair that the Hero Association executives would look to his recommendation before they even promote someone’s class. So she needed to impress Amai Mask who has notoriously high standard.

With all that in mind assisting in a raid against the greatest enemies of the Hero Association (and mankind itself) to rescue the co-creator and most important executive of the Hero Association as well as the most powerful woman in the world was definitely something that could get her into the S-Class. The fact that her sister was using her influence to basically sabotage Fubuki’s chance to go up in the rankings could be seen as her trying to keep Fubuki in her shadow.

Given everything they know about her the realization might just be the tipping point that would make Fubuki do something drastic.

After coming to this conclusion Mountain Ape asked the most pertinent question “what do we do?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lily scowled “we find out where Miss Fubuki is and free her!”

“Is that really wise?” everyone turned to Glasses who continued “maybe there is merit in what her sister did and we should let it be.”

Everyone Lily mostly looked scandalous at such an insinuation “what are you talking about Glasses!?”

“Hear me out” he held a hand up “it is an established fact at this point that the Monster Association has more powerful monsters than we fought and lost against. I am of course talking about Dragon level monsters such as Elder Centipede.”

They all collectively gained troubled expressions at his words feeling the sting at the reminder of their defeat at the hands of the Demon level monster as well as reminding them of the report on the full scope of the invasion. Aside from the one they fought there were reports of multiple Demon level monsters one of which massacred dozens of people and heroes in City V. Yet that news paled in comparison to the Hero Association confirming the appearances of two Dragon level monsters in City C but fortunately the monsters were defeated by the Super Fight contestants.

Given that the Monster Association was challenging the Hero Association it stands to reason they would have something up their sleeves to challenge the S-Class. Whatever the case may be it won’t change the fact that wherever they end up battling will be the most dangerous place in the world.

“As much as I respect Miss Fubuki what she planned on doing wasn’t just reckless but lso foolish.”

It’s one thing to have gone with the support of the Hero Association and S-Class heroes but to go with a bunch of unknown heroes who most likely would not be any better than her…

“Is her sister wrong for not wanting her be put in danger?”

The video of Tatsumaki trying to dissuade Fubuki from going through with it certainly sounded as much.

“That’s…” Lily trailed off with uncertainty.

Certainly the young girl was loyal to Fubuki to a fault but at the same time she didn’t want to put her in danger.

“That’s not our call” Mountain Ape rumbled with his arms crossed “not that Miss Fubuki would be so reckless in the first place.”

Eyelashes picked up with a resolute expression “don’t misunderstand things Glasses Miss Fubuki wouldn’t do something like this without careful consideration. It’s not as though this is the first time she had to consider the pros of cons of embarking on something truly dangerous against the rewards reaped if she succeeded.”

With his fellow Blizzard executive’s peace said Needle Star chuckled “yeah, I say we rescue the boss from wherever the midget has her hold up and get in on the action.”

And from his expression he meant it too.

“I don’t know about that” Eyelashes shook his head “but I agree we should rescue Miss Fubuki.”

“She wouldn’t want us to go against her sister” Glasses pointed out.

They all remembered she said as much to them.

“Man what is with you being a coward today?” Needle Star griped with a scowl “did the midget scare you that much?”

Glasses wouldn’t deny that his experience of being laid out by Tatsumaki with contemptuous ease didn’t make him wary of the esper but in truth that was not the case.

“I just want to make sure that we’re all in agreement since we will technically be going against the Hero Association just as much as the Tornado of Terror.”

They all looked amongst each other before Needle Star spoke “who gives a shit?”

Glasses however ignored him to meet eyes with Eyelashes who nodded before giving the command.

“Make the call.”

And glasses took out his phone ready to make the call to their agent on the inside of the Hero Association headquarters but before he could a purple laser flew through the window and slammed into his chest.

“Glasses!” Lily exclaimed as he was knocked back into the bed with such force that he dropped the phone

That was not the end of it as more lasers came through the window heading directly for each of them. Unfortunately in their injured state the Blizzard executives could hardly muster up any kind of defense before they were each hit.

~O~

Metal Bat aka Bad could admit to himself that this could have been worse. Sure he failed to protect the executive he was put in charge of, wasn’t able to finish his fight with that giant centipede, lost to that absolute prick Garou and was sidelined from taking part in whatever retaliation the Hero Association will cook up due to his injuries but there is a silver lining to all of this that almost makes up for it.

“What the heck are they trying to feed you here!?”

And that silver lining was his younger sister visiting him in the hospital and doting on him.

“Hey, what are you smiling about?” said sister questioned suspiciously.

“N-nothing” he waved off.

She stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and looking at the…food the nurse had delivered for his consumption with mild disgust.

“Seriously this is the stuff they feed the heroes who protect them from monsters?”

She said this while using a spoon to scoop up what was supposed to oatmeal though given how watery the thing is it might as well be soup.

Metal Bat cringed at the thing “Nurses told me some of the staff quit after the invasion. Guessing the guys working the kitchen left too.”

“Why?”

He shrugged “probably didn’t see the point working a job if they think the world is gonna end” which is ironic to him considering he knew about the Prophecy.

“That’s stupid” Zenko scoffed “the Hero Association is going to beat them anyway…right?”

“Of course” he answered easily enough “even if I’m not there the other S-Class are nothing to scoff at.”

He meant it too. For all that he found some of them to be annoying (Tatsumaki) Bad did genuinely respect all of the S-Class and isn’t at all worried about them not succeeding, if not with saving the hostage then definitely destroying the Monster Association itself.

‘Tch, I should be with them out there.’

While Metal Bat internally brooded Zenko picked up the watery oatmeal and put it away “you’re not eating this.”

She’d dump in the trash if she weren’t so polite. He’d do it for her but with his injuries he didn’t want her to worry even more than she already did.

“…!”

Metal Bat felt it before he saw it, a feeling washing over him like a palpable force before that made him react.

“Zenko!”

“H-huh!?” the girl only had time to jump at her brother’s sudden yell before a purple laser flew through the open window.

Metal Bat acted immediately grabbing his trusty weapon he had laying next to him. He then tore his other handout of the sling and hopped over the bed in a tenth of second and swung his bat at the laser as if he were hitting a home run. Before the bat could hit however the laser forked over it at the last possible second resulting in a miss and due to his encumbering injuries he couldn’t readjust in time before the laser slammed into his side sending him sprawling over the other side of the bed.

“Brother!”

~O~

Tank Top Master was enjoying the relative peace and quiet at the hospital. It was something he’s come to appreciate as he looked back on the events that led him to be there in the first place. He went from an undefeated S-Class hero to being sidelined in a hospital following his loss to Garou, something he still occasionally thinks about with an air of dissatisfaction. In truth he’s realized just how complacent he has become as of late yes he still kept to a regimen of course but it has become monotonous and with how weak the monsters he faced were neither provided the stimulus needed for him to really push himself.

In hindsight TTM felt embarrassed that he never considered he would fight someone akin to Silver Fang, i.e. a martial artist of significant strength. He’d only ever relied on pure tank top power to overwhelm his enemies because it worked…until it didn’t. Garou showed him just how much he lacked by completely decimating him in their fight using his martial arts to bypass his power. He didn’t have to imagine how that battle must have looked because he’s actually seen Silver Fang dismantle big burly monsters before.

‘And to think this happened in front of my students, how embarrassing.’

The worst thing that came from this was that Tank Top Master couldn’t prevent Garou from turning on the members of the Tank Topper Army that came to cheer him on. It made him angry at Garou yes but he was mostly angry at himself for his hubris and lack of foresight. He shouldn’t have brought them along in the first place but that’s the thing about hindsight. In any case he’s been hearing a lot of talk about his group and some of the things they’ve been up for a while now so hopefully this was just as much a learning experience for them as it was for him.

‘I’d like to have a rematch with Garou but that’s something that may not happen at this rate.’

Tank Top Master didn’t expect to meet One-Punch Man. The strongest man in the world man is almost as much of an enigma as Blast and that’s only because he bothers to show up to meetings. So imagine his surprise when his fellow S-Class came to visit a C-Class hero out of nowhere. Mumen Rider would go on to explain that he’s been friends with Saitama ever since they met each other around when the Hero Association first formed. Back then they were both in C-Class and did patrols together. While he understood that everyone has to start somewhere Tank Top Master just cannot fathom One-Punch Man being in C-Class.

In any case bald hero had taken an interest in Garou which was unusual because for as long as he knew the man Tank Top Master has never seen One-Punch Man interested in anything really.

‘I hope you’ve enjoyed you’re reign of terror Garou because you’ve caught the attention of the strongest man in the world.’

For as much as he will acknowledge Garou to be a superior fighter to him and great martial artist there is no way he will be able to put up a fight against One-Punch Man let alone defeat him.

“…!”

Tank Top Master’s thoughts suddenly screeched to a halt as he felt his tank top tighten around his chest. A sense of foreboding came over him just before he heard a commotion something his fellow hero also noticed.

“What is that?” Mumen Rider exclaimed “another monster attack?”

Tank Top Master thought the same before two purple lasers flew through the window immediately hitting Mumen Rider. Tank Top Master did not even have the time to react to this before he crossed his arms to block another laser. To his shock however rather than impacting him it instead went inside his body.

“Oof!?”

The wind was knocked out of him though only briefly as he suddenly felt a rush of energy flood throughout his body.

“What?”

Looking to his hands he saw that they were unblemished, the dull aches he’d gotten used to vanished and as he flexed his muscles he felt his tank top react confirming that he has indeed recovered.

“What happened?”

Tank Top Master looked to Mumen Rider who was sitting up looking alarmed.

“How do you feel?”

“Me?” and it was at that moment the C-Class hero realized “I feel…good actually.”

He demonstrated his own recovery by pulling his hand out of the sling and taking of the bandages around his head and face revealing it to be completely devoid of injuries.

“It seems that whatever that blast was healed us” Tank Top Master spoke with furrowed brows.

“Do you have any idea who or what could have done this?”

“I don’t.”

Just as he was contemplating things the commotion from outside gained both their attention. Tank Top Master was quick to respond with Mumen Rider following close behind pulling off his cumbersome bandages as he did. The two heroes entered the hallway to see pandemonium as doctors and nurses flitted about in panic. It didn’t take long before the duo to be noticed or rather for the S-Class hero to be noticed.

“What’s happening?” Tank Top Master questioned the closest nurse.

“W-we’re not sure sir. I thought we were coming under attack again when purple lights started flying everywhere but now-”

“Master!”

The three looked to find the group of formerly hospitalized members of the Tank Topper Army running towards them. As they surrounded him pushing the C-Class hero and nurse aside Tank Top Master was bombarded with questions.

“You’re healed as well Master!”

“I knew it!”

“Is this the power of the legendary tank top?”

“Settle down” Tank Top Master raised his voice and they all obeyed “I’m glad to see that you’ve all recovered.”

While Tank Top Master addressed his students (read: underlings) another group flooded out the corridor all of them wearing black suits.

Mumen Rider knew them ‘the Blizzard Group’

He heard that they were in the hospital after they fought a particularly powerful Demon level monster. The group was lead by the highest ranking members who looked to be on a mission as they briskly left the area.

“Where are they going?” Mumen Rider mumbled before another sound reached his ears.

“Big brother wait!” the shout of the young girl caught everyone’s attention.

From one of the room the S-Class hero Metal Bat exited the room fully dressed except for his black jacket. His namesake weapon was held in one hand and his jacket held in the other hand being tugged by a little girl who bore some resemblance to the man himself.

“Don’t just start walking out of a hospital after getting hit by that weird beam thing!”

“I told ya already Zenko, I’m feeling fine” he demonstrated by easily lifting the jacket and bodily hoisting her up so she came face to face with him “see?”

“Just because you’re feeling a little better…” she grumbled.

“I’m telling ya Zenko-”

“The last time you tried to run off with injuries you collapsed after I hit you over the head!”

“I ain’t gonna collapse” he reassured “you can hit me as much as you want.”

“Hmph I’m not gonna hit you stupid! What do you take me for?”

Before Metal Bat can answer he was interrupted “Metal Bat.”

The siblings turned to find Tank Top Master approaching Zenko seeing that they were getting attention let go of the jacket dropping down to her feet and began smoothing out her dress.

With his jacket free Metal Bat put it on in one smooth motion before looking to his fellow S-Class “you’re here too, Tank Top Master?”

“Yes, and I’m guessing you were also hit with that strange light.”

“Yeah, thought it was an attack but it ended up healing me.”

“That appears to be the case for everyone in the hospital.”

“That right” Metal Bat put on his jacket easily before speaking “I’m heading to the Hero Association, you coming with?”

Tank Top Master smiled “of course.”

“Master!”

“Brother!”

The two S-Class heroes turned to their respective companions.

“We want to go with you!” yelled Tank Top Vegetarian the second-in-command of the group.

“No, the rest of you stay on standby and be ready to move out just in case” Tank Top Master shouted.

“But sir…” Tank Top Girl began only to be silenced by a raised hand.

“I understand that you’re all eager to get back into the thick of it but there’s a time and a place. Given how many monsters attacked during the initial invasion they must have hundreds more members at their headquarters. While I and the other S-Class are at the Monster Association the rest of you will assist in rescue efforts and taking care of any stragglers, am I understood?”

“Yes Master!” they chorused.

Meanwhile Bad took his sister aside and kneeled before her “I have to go Zenko.”

The girl did not look enthused by this. It’s not as if Zenko was not aware of the inherent problems with his work as a hero but she did not like it. In fact she absolutely hated it, the violence and having to worry about his safety. It’s the reason why he promised never to do anything violent when in her presence. Meeting him after that fight with that weirdo was just a reminder of all the things she despised about her brother being a hero.

At the same time Zenko wasn’t so selfish or ignorant that she would bar him from doing it either. Her brother is strong and he uses that strength to protect people and beat monsters which is a way more productive use than beating up other delinquents in street fights.

So with that in mind Zenko nodded stiffly “fine, but you have to promise to come back safe!”

In response he smirked “who do you think I am?”

“An idiot who tried to take on that big monster even though you couldn’t even take a hit from me” she answered fuming.

Bad only ruffled her hair in response much to her chagrin yet she didn’t stop it.

He did stop when Tank Top Master started approaching and with a nod the two S-Class heroes left the hospital to join the battle.

~To Be Continued~

Author’s Notes: The next chapter is available on my Patreon.