After the break had begun, many of the people in the room began to chat about their experiences with either fellow heroes or other parties. Some, however, decided to capitalize on the opportunity to chat with some people of personal interest.
Superalloy Darkshine was talking to the Brain and Brawn Brothers about taking steroids to get strong through the barrier, though he did have to wait until Marugori stopped feeling miserable about seeing himself kill his brother. The brother in question was also trying to overcome the trauma of seeing himself being crushed like a bug.
"Now what have we learned?" Darkshine asked after finishing his lecture.
"True strength comes from hard work, not steroids." Marugori answered.
"And?" Darkshine said to Fukegao.
"....World Domination's pointless with a Saitama around?" Fukegao said with a shrug, earning a glare from Darkshine. "Okay, okay! There's no point in world domination if you have your brother kill everyone."
"Good enough." Darkshine sighed before turning to Marugori. "Listen, wanting to be the strongest man is an admirable goal. If that's what you want to do, I won't stop you. But I will give you a heads up. You're going to need to overcome many hurdles."
"Like Saitama?" Marugori asked. "I'm still trying to figure out how that simple workout gave him such strength."
"That's probably what everyone here is thinking." Darkshine admitted before smiling. "You know, if you want to get strong, I can take some time and give you a few pointers."
"Really?" Marugori asked in astonishment. "Why would you do that?"
"Marugori....let me tell you a story about a weak kid and a set of dumbbells." Darkshine began.
Atomic Samurai was sitting with his fellow Master Swordsmen while his disciples were having their own chat.
"I must say, I was quite surprised at the display of that young man's strength." Nichirin confessed.
"Which part? We've seen that Saitama fellow pull of some rather amazing feats of strength." said Amahare.
"Probably the part where Saitama destroyed a mountain without even touching it." Zanbai clarified. "You saw it, right Kamikaze?"
"Saw it? I felt it after Zack put us into the viewing just before Saitama threw that punch." Atomic Samurai explained. "Honestly felt like I was about to die."
"Hehe. Never thought I'd hear you utter those words." Haragiri chuckled before drinking from his sake cup. "Then again, I highly doubt any of us have ever faced any opponent as strong as Saitama."
"Indeed. I'm just glad he decided to become a hero. If he had decided to just be a normal civilian, I'd be okay with that. But if he became a criminal?" Atomic Samurai pondered before drinking from his own sake cup. "I can't see any of us here able to stop him."
"And we haven't even seen if that was the limit to his strength." Nichirin spoke up.
"I'm more wondering if we'll be seeing any of us in these viewings. After all, that Zack fellow wouldn't have brought us here if there wasn't a reason." Amahare spoke up.
Dr. Genus was sitting next to his creations, his mind whirling with questions about Saitama's strength.
'All my research...my creations....meaningless compared to his power.' he thought.
"Um....Doctor?" Mosquito Girl spoke up. "What's going to happen to us now?"
"Hey, yeah! What will happen to us? If Saitama can destroy Carnage Kabuto in his Carnage Mode, then what hope does the House of Evolution stand to destroying humanity?" asked Frog Man.
"Simple. As my future self has decided, I have given up on dabbling with evolution. Thus, I'm disbanding the House of Evolution." Genus told them. "As for what will happen to all of us? Well, I doubt the Hero Association will simply let what I've tried to accomplish slide."
"If that's true, the Hero Association's going to hit us with everything they've got now that they know where the base is." said Kamakyuri.
"Let them come. I'll rip apart anything the Hero Association throws at us!" Carnage Kabuto boasted.
"But what if they have Saitama show up?" Slugerous asked.
"I'M NOT HERE!" Kabuto yelled as he tried to hide under his seat.
"I'd laugh if I hadn't seen Saitama destroy me as well." Beast King muttered.
"Um...excuse me. Mr. Amai Mask?" Zenko spoke up to the idol hero.
"Yes? What can I do for you, little lady?" he asked with a smile.
"My name is Zenko. I hope I'm not bothering you, but...could I have your autograph?" she asked while holding a pen and a copy of his latest album.
"Of course." he said as he took it and wrote his name on it before handing it back to her. "There you go."
"Wow! I finally got Amai Mask's autograph!" she squealed before turning back to him. "Do you have any beauty tips you can share? I want to reach your level of beauty when I grow up."
"Not after I get through wid him, you won't!" laughed a voice from the monster side of the room. Both of them turned towards the voice before both froze at the sight of Fuhrer Ugly pressing his face against the barrier, a deranged smile on his face. "Come 'ere an' let me pound yer face in, pretty boy!" he taunted, making Zenko shiver.
"He's so....so....hideous!" Zenko stated with a grimace.
"Indeed." Amai Mask calmly agreed, internally thanking Zack a million times over for the barrier he made to keep the monsters away. He had confidence in his fighting abilities, but felt the urge to run and hide at the mere sight of Fuhrer Ugly. "Don't worry. That barrier will keep all those evil monsters away, so you can rest easy Zenko." he reassured her with a smile.
Up on the ceiling, Sonic was speaking with Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame through the barrier.
"I must say, I'm a little underwhelmed at your performance, Sonic." Flame said with a frown.
"Indeed. Have you been keeping up with your training?" Gale asked with a smirk.
"I've trained far more than anyone from the village. That includes the both of you and Flash." Sonic said with a scowl.
"Really? Shame we can't put that to the test." Gale chuckled as he lightly tapped the barrier with his knuckles.
"Indeed. If not for Zack's power and this barrier, we'd have taken Flashy Flash's head by now for his crime." Flame said as he gazed at the back of Flash's head, the ninja in question looking back at them from over his shoulder.
"Heh. Well, don't worry about that. I'll deal with him after I deal with Saitama." Sonic said in confidence.
"Come now, Sonic. Haven't you been humiliated enough? We saw how your fight with Saitama will end." Gale said, making Sonic grit his teeth in fury.
"You're delusional if you truly believe you can overcome Saitama. Even we cannot see victory in a battle with him." Flame said.
"Maybe you can't, but I refuse to give up. If Saitama, an average nobody, can gain that much strength, then so can I. I'll find his secret and will become stronger and faster than anyone!" Sonic proclaimed.
"Is that so? Well, far be it from me to discourage a fellow ninja." Gale said. "Good luck. Oh! And here's a bit of advice for when you do confront Saitama." he said before his smile widened. "Wear a cup."
"Fuck you." Sonic cursed before all three disappeared from the ceiling.
"Excuse me." Dr. Kuseno said after approaching Saitama and Genos.
"Dr. Kuseno?" Genos said in surprise. "So you too have been brought here by Zack?"
"Indeed. I've seen all that everyone else here has seen, and am quite surprised by your mentor's strength." Kuseno said with a smile.
"Yes. Master Saitama is an amazing individual. I am studying under him to become stronger to face any threat and-"
"I know all that, Genos." Kuseno interrupted, smile still in place. "I came over to request a moment to talk to him alone. Would you mind?" he asked Saitama.
"I don't mind, but keep it short." Saitama said, hoping Kuseno wasn't a massive chatterbox like Genos. After Genos had left to review his notes, Kuseno began to speak.
"First, I wish to thank you for taking Genos under your wing, despite Genos refusing to leave you alone." the scientist said. "I know that these events haven't happened yet, but I still wished to say so."
"Oh. You're welcome." Saitama answered. "Is that all?"
"No. I have a request for you." Kuseno answered, his smile now gone.
"What'd you need?" Saitama asked.
"I want you to help Genos as both a hero and a person." Kuseno requested. "In the past four years I've known him, he has always been a calm and coolheaded individual. However, his quest to find the cyborg that destroyed his hometown is what has been driving him all this time. I'm afraid that if this continues, his rage and hatred will eventually consume him." He expression softened as he continued. "I see him as a son, and wish for him to be able to let go. Even after we're done watching the future and return to our world, I hope that you will still guide him down a better path."
"I see. Well, I'll try. And hey, maybe he'll get it from these viewings." Saitama answered.
"Thank you, Saitama." Kuseno said, his smile returning before he left to speak with Genos.
Amongst the monsters in the room, there wasn't any who didn't fear Saitama's strength. A few, however, felt that they could somehow exploit it.
'If I could trick him into eating the monster cells, he could become a monster far superior to Orochi.' thought Psykos. 'I need to figure out how to brainwash before or after that.'
'If I could whip him and make him my love slave, I'd could make him use his strength to bring everyone under me.' Do-S thought, her body quivering in excitement at the thought.
'I must have him!' they both unknowingly thought.
Bang smiled as he talked with his brother, Bomb, his former disciple, Sourface, and his only remaining disciple, Charanko.
"It's good to see you again, Master Bang." Sourface said with a bow.
"It's good to see you too, Sour Face. How have you been?" Bang asked.
"I've been doing good. I've developed my own fighting style." Sourface said with a smile.
"Really? I'm quite curious as to how it would do in a fight. Perhaps a sparring match is in order after we all return home?" Bang asked.
"Uhh, that's a tempting offer, but I...haven't quite brought it up to your level yet, Master!" Sourface said as he began to sweat before shaking his head. "A-Anyway, how's your dojo? Have you gotten any new students since the incident?"
"I'm afraid not." Bang sighed before looking at Charanko. "The only one left is Charanko."
"Really?" Sourface deadpanned at Charanko.
"What's that look for?! I may not be much, but I'm still learning!" Charanko snapped.
"Oh really? Last time we met, you couldn't even get the basic forms down." Sourface chuckled before grinning. "How about a little spar?"
"Alright! I'll show you how strong I've become!" Charanko said in acceptance.
"Careful now. Zack may step in if you two try anything." said Bomb, making Charanko flinch and Sourface grimace.
"Meh. You're not worth my time. Besides, I have another person I have to defeat anyway." Sourface huffed.
"Oh? And who would that be?" Bang asked in curiosity.
"The bastard that beat the living shit out of me and caused everyone but Charanko to quit your dojo." Sourface answered.
"Oh? Are you talking about me?" came a voice from behind Sourface, making the man jump in fright and back away from the voice's owner while Bang scowled.
"Garou." Bang rumbled.
"I'd say it's nice to see you too, ya old fart, but that'd be a lie." Garou smirked.
"Is there something you need, Garou?" Bang asked with a glare.
"Oooh, scary." Garou chuckled. "Relax. I just came by to say hi."
"Well, y-you said it! Now g-get lost!" Charanko snapped, earning a disinterested look from Garou.
"Whatever." he said before turning and walking away. "See ya, old man."
"Y-Yeah! That's right! And don't come back!" Charanko yelled.
"That's enough, Charanko. Leave him be." Bang ordered before standing and heading back to his seat. "Apologies, but I wish to be alone."
"Alright. We'll be here if you want to talk, little brother." Bomb reassured him.
Garou was walking back to his seat, his eyes shifting back and forth between the many heroes present.
'Hmph. Heroes. All of them are completely pathetic.' Garou thought. 'And yet the people all love and worship them. I'll show them all. After I gain enough strength, I'll defeat them all. The only real problem...' he thought as his eyes caught sight of Saitama's bald head. '...is him. That strength he showed earlier is no joke. I doubt even the Class-S heroes can match that. If I'm going to become Absolute Evil, I need the strength to overcome him.' His gaze turned to a few others in the room, their gazes on Saitama in either fear or curiosity. 'I know I'm not the only one wanting to find the secret to his power. Even if they try, they'll just be mere stepping stones to me.' He was knocked out of his thoughts when Zack's voice rang out throughout the theater via a megaphone.
"ATTENTION, EVERYONE! ATTENTION! THE BREAK WILL END IN THREE MINUTES! IF YOU NEED TO USE THE BATHROOM OR WISH TO CHANGE SEATS, NOW IS THE TIME! THREE MINUTES UNTIL THE BREAK IS OVER! That is all!" he announced.
Everyone in the room began to move about and sit with their own friends/groups or hit the bathroom while Garou kept his eyes on Saitama.
'I'll observe your fights. I'll learn any and all your techniques. The secret to how you became strong from that pitiful workout. And then I'll bring you and everyone here to their knees.' he thought with a mad grin.
After the three minutes had ended, everyone was now present and were waiting for it to start.
"Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?" Zack asked.
"I have one." the Class-B hero Lily said while raising her hand. "With a room this large and the screen far away, how will everyone see it properly?"
"Excellent question. I'm using my powers to make it appear as if the screen is at the perfect distance to your eyes, no matter where you're sitting." Zack answered before pointing at the left and right of the room. "Even the ones allllll the way at the opposite sides will see the viewing as if they're watching it from the center. And those sitting in the back or smack in the front? Same thing."
"Well that was rather considerate of you." Gums spoke up."
"Seriously...get rid of his voice." Black Sperm repeated.
"Hmm.....no." Zack said with a chuckle. "Anyone else? Got your food buckets and drink cups? Sitting where you want to sit? Good! Let's watch!" Zack yelled before appearing in his seat, the lights dimming.
The scene begins with a view of the Earth from space before it zooms out a little, a large object coming onto the screen. The scene cuts to a building with satellites on it's roof before changing to three men looking at a screen in shock, then to another man looking through a high-end telescope.
"This is bad!" the man whispers before the scene changes to a satellite orbiting the Earth.
"Initiating docking procedures." came a man's voice.
"Roger!" an astronaut acknowledged before a shadow fell over him, making him turn his attention away to see an enormous meteor moving through space, the sunlight shining as it passed by.
"That is one big rock." said Class-A hero, Golden Ball.
The scene changes to a room full of people and computer desks, all of which is monitoring the meteor's sudden change in trajectory.
"Elevating from 6 to 9 on the Torino scale!" a man announced as the screen shows the meteor's current position and point of impact on Earth.
"A 'big rock' that is heading straight for the Earth!" Class-A hero, Spring Mustachio, said in shock, sending the heroes and other humans in the room on edge.
"HAHA! That thing's gonna crush a lot of you pathetic humans!" a monster named Eggs cheered, many other monsters laughing at the news.
"What are you all laughing about? Unless you're far away from the impact site or are tough enough to endure the blast, any monsters in the vicinity will die too." Child Emperor stated, making the monsters cheers die down into mumbled realization.
"Didn't think of that one." Eggs admitted.
"Relax. It won't hit anything. I'll simply toss that overgrown boulder back into space before it can even enter the atmosphere." Tornado boasted, calming many of the occupants down.
"Don't expect a thank you from us." a random monster scoffed.
The scene changes to show a group of men sitting in a conference room chatting before the screen showing where the meteor will hit appears, indicating that it will smack into City-Z.
"Oh crap. It's heading for City-Z?" Saitama asked in annoyance. "Guess I better stop it before it wrecks the city and my home."
"Did you not hear me, Baldy?! I said I'd take care of it!" Tatsumaki snapped.
"Take it easy, Tatsumaki. If he's already there, then why not just leave it to him?" Darkshine suggested.
"And it would help in bolstering Saitama's rank." Prisoner added. "In fact, it may even convince the Hero Association to put Saitama in Class-S."
"There will be no need for that." Agoni spoke up. "After all, I fully intend to have Saitama placed in Class-S the moment we all get back." He then turned and gave a glare at the Hero Association executives. "There won't be any problem with that, right?"
"No! I mean, yes! I mean...whatever you say!" said an executive with a small white mustache.
The scene then changes to Hero Association HQ in City-A.
"So the course suddenly shifted? I see. Then we'll discuss how best to deal with this situation." an executive said over the phone before the scene switched to Genos standing in Saitama's apartment.
"Should I go right now then? Understood." Genos said before hanging up his phone and approached Saitama, who was lying on his side and relaxing in silence. "Master, for some reason, the Hero Association wants me to come in. I will be back later."
"Okay. Maybe you're getting fired." Saitama joked with a wave and a chuckle before scratching his butt while Genos left. Genos walks down the street before the screen shows a purple light in the blue sky.
THE ULTIMATE DISCIPLE
"So a meteor will suddenly change course and head for City-Z." an executive stated. "A grave situation."
"Especially with the size of said meteor. If it hits, the destruction caused will do more than just wipe out City-Z. The surrounding areas will no doubt sustain damage too." another executive pointed out.
"Like I said, I'll handle it." Tornado reminded them all. "So stop acting like it's the end of the world, you idiots."
The theme song ends and the scene shows an overhead view of the Hero Association's City-Z branch. Genos walks inside before a voice calls out to him.
"Ah, you must be Genos. It's very nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Bang." Bang introduced.
"Oh yeah! Silverfang lives in City-Z too!" Tareo exclaimed in realization as he read some of his info from his book.
"Indeed, I do." Silverfang confirmed.
"Are you going to help stop that meteor?" Tareo asked.
"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do." Bang said in a grim tone. "Even with my Fist of Flowing Watch Crushing Rock, I cannot something of that size. I'm afraid all I could do is hope that those capable of doing so arrive to do so."
'Class S Rank 3, a.k.a. Silverfang. He possesses true skill.' Genos thought as he turned to face Bang. "The Association called me in."
"Everyone else is over at Headquarters. This branch office is empty now. Every Class-S hero got the call to come here, but you and I are the only ones who showed up." Bang explained.
"Wait, what? Only two Class-S heroes appeared?!" Gasmask Cowboy yelled, voicing the the thoughts of many in the room.
"There's gotta be a reason....right?" Tareo asked the heroes.
"And why is that?" Genos asked.
"Maybe this branch is too far away? Or perhaps they're busy." Bang guessed.
"That makes sense. As powerful as the heroes in Class-S are, they cannot be everywhere at once. And if they're handling a monster, they cannot simply walk away to take care of another matter." Busho stated.
"Then why not simply finish what they're doing and rush to where the meteor will fall?" Narinki asked. "After all, the Class-S heroes are the most powerful heroes in the Hero Association."
"That's right! They can handle anything in no time at all!" Waganma agreed.
"As Silverfang said, that branch office may be too far away. We can't snap our fingers and just appear wherever trouble is." Atomic Samurai reminded them.
"Of course, some of the more cold blooded ones simply don't bother." Bang continued.
"Cold blooded, are we?" Flash asked with a bored look before looking back at the screen. "Can't say that you're wrong."
"What?! You mean you wouldn't go?" Tareo asked in shock as others looked at the Class-S heroes.
"As powerful as we in Class-S are, not all of us can solve every problem. And in the case of a meteor of that size heading for the Earth, only a few of us here have the capability to do something about it. Anyone else would simply be killed if they tried." Drive Knight explained.
"Yeah. No amount of fightin' spirit would help me against that thing. I'd only end up dead." Metal Bat admitted
"Basically, you're admitting that you heroes aren't as perfect as everyone thinks you are!" Sludge Jellyfish laughed.
"Then again, it's hard to blame them. We're only called when there's an impossible problem to take care of. And today's dilemma is no exception. The threat level is Dragon, meaning it's a worst-case scenario." Bang said as the scene shifts to the meteor in space before changing to show people looking up at the purple light in the sky. "35 minutes from now, a huge meteor will strike City-Z. They're asking if nearby Class-S heroes can do anything about it."
"Meteor?!" Genos gasps in surprise.
"Apparently, it suddenly changed paths. That new trajectory means the end for us. The impact will wipe out City-Z." Bang explained, making Genos gasp again.
"This is a disaster! Or, will be! I hate this future stuff." an executive said in panic.
"Indeed, and not just because of the meteor's destructive power." Bofoi stated.
"What else is there to think about?" asked the Class B hero, Mountain Ape.
"I think Metal Knight is speaking more of why the meteor suddenly shifted paths. Am I correct?" asked the Class B hero, Glasses.
"Correct." Metal Knight said as he looked at the meteor's trajectory on the screen. "Why did it suddenly change paths? Was it knocked off course by an outside factor, or could something have pulled it towards the Earth?"
"Maybe the meteor became a monster and decided to smash itself into the earth?" suggested the Class C hero, Strange Binding Shell.
"Hmm. An interesting theory, and not completely impossible." said the Class A hero, Great Philosopher, as he thumbed through his book.
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do this time. You should think about evacuating with your loved ones, as the others have." said Bang.
"Do the citizens know?" Genos asked.
"I was told the powers that be would issue evacuation orders 30 minutes before it hits." Bang answered
"THIRTY MINUTES?!" many of the humans in the room yelled.
"City-Z is huge! There's no way to evacuate that many people in such a small amount of time!" yelled Tank-Top Girl.
"You should've sounded the alarm the moment you knew the meteor was heading for Earth! What were you guys doing?!" the Class C hero, All-Back Man, yelled at the Hero Association Executives.
"Would you idiots calm down? I said I'd take care of it." Tornado huffed, annoyed that she kept having to repeat herself.
"E-Even so, the citizens will no doubt panic." the Class C hero, Gearsper, spoke up.
An alarm goes off as the scene changes to an overhead view of City-Z.
"ATTENTION! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE HERO ASSOCIATION!" came a woman's voice.
"Hehehe. People are surely going to panic." Bang said.
"You sound very calm for a man on the verge of death." said a random monster.
"It's like my future self said. There's nothing we can do. Panicking would do no one any good." Bang answered.
"And you, old fellow?" Genos asked.
"Old fellow, is it? I told you, call me Bang." Bang reminded as he began to walk away.
"You are not evacuating?"
"There's a dojo for martial arts here that's been in my family for generations. I cannot abandon it." Bang declared before swiftly spinning on his feet and taking a martial art pose, a stream of blue energy appearing and slowly disappearing towards his hands. "Fist of Flowing Water Crushing Rock! Ever heard of it?" he asked, only to see that he was alone. "Huh. He left."
"Still trying to recruit new students even when the world's ending, huh?" Atomic Samurai asked with a smirk. "You're dedicated, I'll give you that. Still, a dojo can be rebuilt. People can't."
"True, but I refuse to abandon my family's dojo to save my own skin." Bang answered.
"I say stay. One less Class S hero to worry about!" a random monster cheered, causing other monsters to laugh in agreement.
"Not if the heroes take that meteor out first!" Tareo yelled back before hiding from their glares.
The meteor is shown again before the scene goes back to City-Z.
"EMERGENCY EVACUATION WARNING! THE THREAT LEVEL IS DRAGON! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY TO A SAFE DISTANCE! T-MINUS 21 MINUTES TO METEOR IMPACT! CITY-Z WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!" the warning system announced as the screen shows all of City-Z trying to evacuate.
"Definitely should've sent out the warning earlier." said the Class A hero, Stinger.
"It's huge."
"No way we can escape that thing." some of the citizens said. Scene shifts to Genos hopping from rooftop to rooftop, a suitcase in his hand.
'So many people have given up hope of surviving this tragedy.' Genos thought as an image of the explosion caused by the impact appeared on the screen. 'It is not just City-Z that is in danger. The neighboring cities will also sustain damage. It is too late to evacuate.' The scene returns to Genos before he looks up at the approaching meteor. "I did not expect to be testing this prototype so soon!" he said before clicking a button on the suitcase handle, a small screen with the words 'ARMS MODE' appearing. The suitcase then flew off on some rocket boosters before splitting into two. The two pieces then morphed into a set of robotic arms before flying back towards Genos and connecting over his current set of arms. He then spun as he descended before landing on his feet on one of the rooftops.
"Whoa! Look Papa! Did you see that?!" Waganma yelled at his father with a big smile.
"I did. Very impressive." Narinki said with a nod.
"Man. I wish my cybernetics were that advanced." said the Class B hero, Jet Nice Guy.
'Let me see if an attack from my Incineration Cannon at full power will do the trick. Master Saitama lives here too. I cannot possibly evacuate without him.' Genos mentally stated as he clenched his fist.
"If you weren't sure of your strength, then why not go back and inform Saitama of the trouble?" asked the Class C hero, Water Gun.
"A student shouldn't keep running to their master every time they find that they're in over their head." Atomic Samurai stated, his fellow Swordmasters nodding in agreement.
"Indeed. We do not pass along our knowledge and help our students grow just so they can run to us whenever they get into trouble. We teach them so they can handle it themselves." Bang agreed.
Genos suddenly looks up to see a robot flying through the air.
"What is that?" he asked himself as the robot flew around a bit more before landing on another rooftop.
"Cool! It's Metal Knight!" Tareo exclaimed.
"Is he a Class S hero too?" Saitama asked before looking at the other Class S heroes. "Is he missing?"
"I am Metal Knight." Bofoi said as he stood up. "What you see on the screen is a remote controlled drone of mine. That is how I fight."
"Oh. Okay." Saitama said as Bofoi sat back down.
"You are Bofoi, correct?" Genos asked, catching Bofoi's attention.
"And you are the new boy, Genos. Have you come to stop the meteor?" Bofoi responded.
"Yes." Genos answered before going over what he knew about Metal Knight in his head. 'Class S, Rank 7. Uses intense firepower to obliterate opponents, along with everything in their vicinity. Does he also live in City-Z? Or did he rush here, putting his life at risk?'
"I'm afraid that the answer to both of those questions is no. I do not live in City-Z, and my life is not at stake due to controlling my creations from a safe place." Bofoi answered. "Although, at the moment, that has changed."
"Bofoi, I am in need of your assistance." Genos stated.
"I refuse." Bofoi answered.
"Why is that?" Genos asked, his expression one of confusion and anger.
"I only answered the call to field test my new weapon. The meteor is a perfect target." Metal Knight explained.
"Great. Another field test." Child Emperor muttered to himself.
"Hmm. If that weapon is what I think it is, I may get some valuable data from this current viewing." Bofoi stated.
"Let's just hope your weapon will be enough to destroy that meteor." said Guiches.
"A field test? If that meteor hits, you will die too." Genos stated.
"Fortunately, I won't." Metal Knight answered.
"How so?" Genos asked.
"What you are talking to is a remote controlled drone. I'm a good distance away." he explained before the scene changed, showing the lower half of Bofoi's face as he spoke again. "Terribly sorry to disappoint you, but my life's not at stake here." he stated before the scene switched back to his drone. "Also, I'm not Bofoi. I am Metal Knight! Heroes call each other by their hero names, not their real names. Everyone knows that."
"Is it that big of a deal to use hero names?" Saitama asked.
"It's a professional courtesy." Tank-Top Master answered.
"What if the hero doesn't have a hero name yet?" Saitama asked.
"Then we call you by your real name." answered the Class B hero, Needlestar.
The scene changes as Genos and Bofoi stare up at the falling meteor.
"That rock is a lot closer now." the Class A hero, One Shotter, said in growing fear.
"Looks like it's time. Sorry to cut off our little chat." Metal Knight said.
"Tsk!" Genos grunted before running up to a higher rooftop. "Alright!" he said, his right hand charging with energy.
"LAUNCH MISSILES!" Bofoi yelled as nearly a dozen missiles were launched towards the meteor.
'Metal Knight?!' Genos thought in shock as he stared at Metal Knight's drone before glaring at the meteor while cancelling his own attack. 'I cannot fire with his missiles in the way!' The missiles keep going until they collide with the meteor, resulting in a massive explosion and causing Genos to shield his eyes. All that was in the air was a large smoke cloud.
A lot of the audience was in awe at the sight on the screen.
"Yeesh! What'd you put in those missiles?!" the Class B hero, Tank-Top Black Hole, asked.
"I refuse to divulge that information." Bofoi stated before glancing at the HA executives. "And before you ask again, the answer is no. None of my weaponry contains anything nuclear." he said, causing the executives to sigh in relief.
"Well that sucks. Would've loved to see you humans suffer from the fallout." a monster said with a grin.
Genos looks back down at Metal Knight's drone.
'Amazing. Such destructive power. This hero is dangerous. I must be careful around him.' Genos thought.
'A wise decision, Genos.' Drive Knight thought to himself.
A few moments pass before the meteor bursts through the cloud, dispersing it as it continues to fall towards City-Z.
"Oh crap! It didn't work!" the Class C hero, Mohican, yelled in terror.
"It appears that your missiles were ineffective." Phoenix Man pointed out.
"HAHA! CITY-Z'S TOAST!" a monster yelled amongst the cheers from the monsters.
"That's only if Genos isn't able to destroy the meteor himself." Gyoro Gyoro stated.
Genos looks up at the meteor in shock.
"Unfortunate. Not quite potent enough." Metal Knight stated.
"You could sound a little more worried about City-Z's safety, you know." the Class A hero, Lightning Max, grumbled.
'33 seconds remain until impact.' Genos thought, his eyes analyzing the meteor.
"City-Z's gonna be okay....right?!" Tareo asked in fear.
"For the last time! I said I'll handle it!" Tornado huffed.
"Yeah?! Then where are you?!" Metal Bat snapped. "You keep saying you'll handle it, but you haven't made an appearance yet! If you were gonna do something, you'd have done it by now!"
"He's right. Kindly quit repeating yourself if you can't back up your claims." Flashy Flash said, sending Tatsumaki into a rant.
"I wonder what I'm doing?" Saitama asked himself as he scratched his head.
'To fire my Incineration Cannon at full power, I need five seconds to charge it.' Genos thought as he began to charge energy, a grim expression on his face. 'But the target is already dangerously close. Additionally, if I do happen to take it out, what then? The meteor may break apart and still cause a disaster! Will my weapon be powerful enough to stop it? Even Metal Knight's countless missiles had no effect!'
"First off, be calm." came Bang's voice, snapping Genos out of his thoughts and making him glance at the older hero. "I see you've lost composure. Put your mind at rest. You're far too young to be worried about failure. When your back's up against the wall, you must take action. Overthinking won't change things. The best course is to muddle through."
Many in the room either agreed with Bang or let that piece of advice sink in.
'Muddling through is the best course?' Genos internally asked before an image of Saitama appeared behind him. He then ripped off his blue jacket, confusing Bang as his torso opened up, revealing his core.
"Is that your heart, Mr. Genos?" Tareo asked.
"In a way, it is. It is the core that Dr. Kuseno installed that powers all the functions of my body." Genos answered.
"What are you planning, Genos?" Kuseno asked, a hint of worry in his tone.
"I do not know." Genos answered.
'He is right. If the outcome will not change either way...' he thought as he removed his core from his chest before a slot on his left arm opened up. 'Then how can I just die....without giving it my all?' He then slammed his core into his left arm, power surging from the action. "BANG! GET DOWN!" he yelled as Bang looked a little surprised. 'I will no longer think about failure or repercussions. I will just pour everything I have....INTO ONE SHOT!' He then aimed at the meteor and fired his cannon, a large pillar of flame striking the meteor as he roared.
A lot of the humans and heroes were cheering for Genos to succeed while the monsters were yelling for the meteor to strike.
"Perhaps we should try to recruit this Dr. Kuseno as an engineer for the Hero Association." an executive whispered. "That weapon that Genos is using is amazing."
"We'll ask after this viewing." another executive whispered back.
The pillar of fire continued to hit the meteor as Genos grunted from exertion.
"Damn! It is not working!" Genos cursed.
"Hold on! I think I see the meteor being pushed back!" Bang stated.
"Really?!"
"No. It was just my imagination."
"YOU OLD FOOL!" Genos yelled in rage as the meteor continued to fall, despite Genos's best effort. 'So this.....this will be my grave!' Genos grimaced before the attack ceased and he fell to his knees, his body steaming and his core powering down.
"This isn't good." the Class A hero, Shadow Ring, stated as other humans began to panic.
"There's no time left! That thing's gonna hit!"
"Where is Tornado?! Or King?! Or Blast?! Or even Saitama?!"
"Saitama's only a Class C hero! The Association won't call him to do anything!"
As the heroes panicked, the monsters laughed and cheered. All but one meat puppet.
'This is bad.' thought Psykos. 'That meteor will no doubt wipe out any heroes in the blast radius, but the damage may also reach well below the Ghost Town and into where we're setting up the Monster Association. I never thought I'd wish for this, but I'm actually hoping somebody does stop that meteor.'
"Only nine more seconds. Leave now, Bang, or you will die." Genos warned the older hero.
"Only nine? Wouldn't more than 33 seconds have passed since earlier, or is the clock in your head set wrong?" asked the Class C hero, Battery Man.
"Old man, take care of Genos." a familiar voice called, gaining Bang's attention as a certain hero walked towards the two.
The mood flipped for both sides at the sight of Saitama appearing.
"Alright! Go Saitama!" cheered the Class C hero, Studless.
"Booooo! Why'd you have to show up now?!" a monster called Master Joe yelled.
"Wh...Who are you? Who sent you?" Bang asked in wide-eyed surprise.
"I'm just a guy who's a hero for the fun of it." Saitama answered.
"That's sounding like a catchphrase at this point." a random hero chuckled.
"Oh! We could market that!" an executive said with a grin.
"What? Like this?" Zack asked before snapping his fingers. His shirt then changed to a white T-shirt with Saitama's face on it, his catchphrase under his face.
"Oooh. I want that shirt!" Waganma yelled.
"Get your own!" Zack snapped before making his shirt change back.
Genos looks over his shoulder in surprise as Saitama gets ready to jump. The scene changes to an overhead view of the roof the three heroes are standing on before the center crumbles and the foundation of the building is blown out before showing the two Class S heroes looking up into the sky.
"Master!" Genos called out as Saitama speeds towards the meteor, fist clenched and arm cocked back.
"You're not.....gonna fall....ON MY TOWN!" Saitama roared as he collides with the meteor, the impact stopping it in the air. Cracks appear on the surface before Saitama pops out from the other side. A moment passed before the meteor exploded, a bright blue light shining in the sky.
The heroes and humans cheered at the sight, some even crying in joy, as they celebrated the meteor's destruction.
"He did it!" Tareo screamed with a smile.
"HE SHATTERED IT! UNBELIEVABLE!" Bang yelled in astonishment before grimacing. "Oh no."
The broken meteor then spreads out before thousands of pieces began to rain down on City-Z.
"He did it, alright!" the monster Raptora said with a grin while her sister, Reptera, laughed as the other monsters started to cackle.
"Nice going, hero!"
"Such beautiful destruction!"
"HAHAHA!"
The other heroes began to wince and grimace at the sight while Saitama stared.
"Uh.....whoops?" Saitama said as he watched the chaos unfold.
"It is falling!" Genos gasps after the building he is sitting on begins to fall over. He is then grabbed by Bang before the older hero jumps from the building.
'It's not just this building. The destruction from the splintered meteor is spreading throughout the entire city.' Bang thought as an image of buildings catching fire was shown before Saitama lands. He stands up just as another meteor fragment hits the building behind him, his face completely blank.
"I guess that takes care of that." he said before another building behind him was hit.
"Well.....could've been worse." the Class A hero, Green, said. "You could've not been able to do anything and perished along with all of City-Z."
"I'm just glad you were there to do something. Unlike a certain esper that kept claiming they'd handle it." Metal Bat said while casting a side glare at Tornado.
"Yeah, well....maybe it's as Silverfang said before! I could've been too busy!" Tornado defended.
"Doing what?! Looking up new insults in the dictionary!?" Metal Bat snapped.
"If you think I would just ignore a threat that would wipe out a whole city, then you're the biggest idiot here!" Tornado snapped.
"Hey! Don't call my brother an idiot!" Zenko yelled.
"Oh yeah! What are you gonna do?!" Tornado growled as she approached her.
"She's gonna watch me break a promise if you don't back off!" Metal Bat warned.
"Hey, easy guys. There's no need to fight." Darkshine said in a placating tone.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" the two Class S heroes yelled before they went back to bickering.
"Fighting amongst heroes. How simply delightful!" Gums said as he munched on his popcorn.
"I'd heard that the Class S heroes don't get along with each other, but I didn't think it was this bad." Golden Ball whispered.
"Is this how things usually go in the Hero Association?" Zanbai asked Atomic Samurai.
"No. Usually there's more screaming than this." Atomic Samurai answered before the room suddenly went quiet. Everyone looked to see the two heroes moving their lips, but no sound coming out.
"Ahem!" Zack coughed as he waved the remote he had in his hand. "Don't you just love the mute button?" he asked. The two heroes tried to yell, only to have nothing but silence come out. "I'm sorry. You two say something?"
"Tornado, please calm down." Fubuki begged. "If you don't, he'll probably keep you muted for..." she began before she trailed off, a look coming to her and everyone else's eyes.
"Actually, I prefer her this way." Eyelashes smirked, earning a blistering glare from Tornado as she mouthed something at him.
"Hey." Zack spoke up again as he began to exert power. "Now, I'm going to unmute you two. When I do, you will stop bickering, you will sit down and you will let us continue to watch this viewing. Understood?" Zack said in a firm voice. Both heroes looked grumpy as they nodded. "Good." he said before pointing the remote at them and clicking the button. "Now sit down."
"Fine." Tornado growled as she and Metal Bat sat in their seats.
The scene changes to a few recordings of City-Z three days after the meteor fragments hit.
"Although City-Z was able to avoid total destruction from the meteor, the city was still relentlessly devastated, with the destructive effects of the giant fireball's fragments visible everywhere.' came a man's voice before the scene zoomed out, showing that it was all being broadcast on Saitama's TV.
"At the risk of sounding like a jackass, I'm really glad I don't live in City-Z." said the Class C hero, BunBun Man.
"These events have not happened yet. We can take countermeasures to prevent such a catastrophe in the future." Child Emperor stated.
"Look at this. If only the Hero Association had called you to help instead of me, Master. If you had been assigned to work with Metal Knight, all the damage caused could've been easily minimized." Genos said as he watched the news.
"But you said that Metal Knight guy wasn't interested in helping at all, didn't you? " Saitama asked as he looked up from his manga before sitting up. "So stop worrying about it. I think we kept the damage to a minimum. Since no one died, we should call it a win."
"What?! Nobody got killed from all that?!" a monster called Bug God yelled before he and the other monsters began to jeer and boo at the screen.
"What a ripoff!"
"Booooo!"
"This sucks!"
As the monsters continued, the heroes and friendly humans were sighing in relief.
"I cannot believe that nobody died from that. It's a freaking miracle!" the Class C hero, Red Muffler, said in shock and joy.
"It's too bad about all those buildings and businesses, but those can all be rebuilt." said Mumen Rider, the top Class C hero.
'He is right. Master's punch greatly lessened the meteor's momentum and destructive power.' Genos thought as the same image of the meteor destroying the city played out before switching to Saitama smashing the meteor. ' Theoretically, the shockwaves from the meteor would've annihilated everything for miles around. Stopping it was nothing short of a miracle. I would not be surprised if people talk about Master for years to come, praising him as a man of courage.'
"Even if the public doesn't, you definitely have a lot of people here who will." said the Class A hero, Forte.
"Come on. Isn't that a bit much?" Saitama asked.
"You just stopped a meteor that none of the Class S heroes that were present could do anything about. I'd say that worthy of praise." said Fubuki.
'But Master himself has no idea. Some are even making him out to be the bad guy for causing the partial destruction of City-Z, despite saving it as a whole....No, I should not mention it to him.' Genos thought.
"Wait, what?!
"Seriously?!"
"Bullshit!"
These and many other cries were coming from the humans and heroes in the room.
"That doesn't make any sense! Why would people hate Mr. Saitama?!" Zenko asked.
"Perhaps it's just a way for the people to vent their anger at losing their homes and businesses." said the Class A hero, Twin Tails.
"That still doesn't make it right!" Zenko defended as a lot of them began to argue about this.
'Heh. Morons. This only happened because everyone worships you heroes so much.' Garou thought as he watched the scene unfold. 'The public believes that they can stop anything before disaster happens, but then pounce on those they feel responsible for when things don't go their way. Wake up. This isn't like that stupid Justice Man show or Heroes and Monsters. This is reality. And reality is not that pretty.'
"By the way, do you think what happened moved us up in the ranking?" Saitama asked, knocking Genos from his thoughts.
"Oh yeah! Stopping something like a meteor that size should definitely have moved you up the ranks!" Stinger said with a smile.
"If it didn't, then I seriously wonder what goes through your heads." the Class A hero, Chain Toad, said to the executives.
"Yes. In fact, it did." Genos answered. "I progressed from Rank 17 to 16. Metal Knight moved up from Rank 7 to 6."
"I find that unacceptable, for we were unable to do anything." Genos stated.
"True, but seeing as we're Class S heroes, the Hero Association and public most likely believe us to be the ones who played the bigger roles in destroying the meteor." Bofoi answered.
"Great. I bet Saitama'll only go up one or two ranks if that's the case." Metal Bat grumbled.
"If he's lucky." Watchdog Man added.
"Master, you shot from Class C, Rank 342 up to Rank 5." Genos finished with a smile.
'NUMBER 5?!' Saitama thought in stunned astonishment.
"FIVE?!" the majority of the humans yelled. Even some of the monsters looked surprise.
"Apart from when Class S was formed, that's gotta be the biggest jump in ranks that anyone's gotten in the Hero Association's history!" exclaimed the Class A hero, Crescent Eyebroll.
"Nice! You're almost at the top of Class C!" Darkshine said with a grin.
"And when you get there, we can promote you to Class B." Sekingar stated. "You'd have to start at the bottom, but I don't doubt that you'd be able to quickly advance afterwards."
"And Class B heroes are called more often, so we would call you for more troubling matters later on." said Exma.
"Crud! If they do that, there's a chance any of us could run into him!" a monster said in fear.
"If that happens, I'm doing the smart thing and running for it!" another monster proclaimed.
"FROM 342 TO 5?! WHOA, WHAT THE HELL?! THAT'S CRAZY!" Saitama yelled, a flock of birds flying over the apartments.
"Well, honestly, your performance was worthy of Class A, or even Class S." Genos stated. "I mean, the Threat Level to this event was Dragon."
"Yeah?" Saitama asked with a smile, his face still covered in sweat.
"If there had been no damage, I am sure you would be at Class S, Rank 5." Genos continued while Saitama frowned.
"That might be a little bit of a stretch, despite truly deserving it." said an elderly executive.
"And why would that be?" Narinki asked.
"A Class C hero that appeared out of nowhere suddenly jumping up to Class S would raise many questions and cast suspicion upon both Saitama and the Hero Association." Amai Mask explained.
"But Mr. Darkshine said that he and a few others in Class S were in lower Classes before. Why would it be different for Mr. Saitama?" Tareo asked.
"Because they were all well known in their Classes for having strength and abilities that far surpassed their fellow heroes. Saitama, however, is still largely unknown to both the Hero Association and the public eye. If he could garner a good reputation and the public knew of his achievements, then it wouldn't be a surprise if he was suddenly placed into a higher rank." Sekingar elaborated.
"But he destroyed a meteor! How would people not know about him by now?!" Waganma complained.
"Smashing the meteor alone would earn a jump from Class C to Class A." Genos said before frowning. "But...I think the Hero Association must've assumed that Metal Knight and I played a big role in the tide of events that occured." Genos theorized.
"Aw, come on!" Metal Bat griped. "Those two weren't able to do anything!"
"It is as Master Saitama said before. Being around two Class S heroes has severely diminished the credit he deserved." Genos said before standing and bowing to Saitama. "I am deeply sorry for robbing you of what is yours, Master."
"Knock it off, Genos. It hasn't happened yet. And even if it did, it's not your fault." Saitama waved off.
"Saitama's right. It's not your fault, Genos." said the Class A hero, Butterfly DX. He then turned his gaze towards the executives. "The fault lies with those who decide the rankings." he declared. Many gazes began to hone in on the executives, making a few of them squirm in their seats.
"Now hold on! We intend to correct this mistake when we return!" an executive with an overbite said, sweat rolling down his face from all the stares he was getting.
"You better. Saitama's too strong to be within the lower Classes with those weaklings." Tornado stated.
"....Did the Tornado of Terror just admit to Saitama being strong?" Tank-Top Al Dente asked with wide eyes.
"I think she did." said Sneck.
"Hey, Zack?" Stinger called. "If I open those doors....will I be seeing the world ending?"
"Oh shut up! I don't like you idiots, but I will acknowledge anyone who's actually strong!" Tatsumaki yelled before grumbling and staring back at the screen.
"By the way, they always report Threat Levels as Demon or Tiger or whatever. Does all that really mean anything?" Saitama asked.
"It does." Genos answered before a series of images appeared as Genos explained each threat level. "Wolf: A crisis that may threaten a large group of people. Tiger: A crisis threatening massive loss of life. Demon: A crisis threatening to halt the functioning of an entire city, or it's destruction. Dragon: A crisis threatening the destruction of multiple cities. God: A crisis threatening human extinction."
"Wow. I had no idea." Saitama said as he read the paper describing each Threat Level.
"I believe that heroes normally take these Threat Levels into consideration when deciding whether or not to respond to a call." Genos said as Saitama looked up at him to see him smiling. "But I guess such things do not matter to you."
"Well of course they don't." Saitama says, making Genos frown before Saitama continues with a smile. "If heroes run away, who's left to help?"
"Sound advice." said Bang.
"That's right! Heroes like us shouldn't run!" Captain Mizuki agreed.
"Even with a meteor about to smash into you?" the Class C hero, Hyottoko, asked, making her grimace.
"He's right. Wanting to help is great, but not if all you'll do is run to your death." Zombieman stated.
Genos gasped before he took out his pen and began to rapidly write through multiple pages in his notebook.
"Um.....What are you doing?" Saitama asked.
"I must record your words of wisdom!" Genos declared as he continued to write.
"It was only eight little words! What could you be writing that fills so many pages?!" a hero from the Blizzard Group asked their Genos, who was doing the exact same thing as his on screen couterpart.
"Is he always like this?" Saitama asked Kuseno.
"Yes. For as long as I've known him, he's alway been a serious young man." Kuseno answered.
"Really? I thought it was because he had a screw loose in his head." a monster said, earning a few chuckles from the audience.
"Incorrect. Dr. Kuseno did not use screws when putting my head on after making me into a cyborg." Genos stated before looking at everyone when many of them began to laugh. "What is so funny?" Genos asked.
"Genos. Please just stop." Kuseno begged as he tried to stifle his own laughter.
"Well, anyway, it wasn't much for such a huge jump in rankings." he said before smiling and standing up. "Right. I'll be out for a bit." he said, which made Genos stop writing and look as Saitama, dressed in his hero suit.
"You are going out, Master? Hold on! I will come with you!" Genos offered.
"You don't have to keep following him everywhere just because he's your master. None of my students follow me wherever I go all the time." Atomic Samurai said, his three disciples nodding in agreement.
"I must get stronger to defeat the evil cyborg that has-"
"Shut up! Shut up!"
"SHUT UP!" everybody yelled, knowing that Genos was about to go on another rant.
"We got it the first time!" the martial artist, Bakuzan, growled.
"You stay here. If something heroic happens, you'll get all the credit again." Saitama ordered before leaving Genos alone in the apartment.
"Considering what we just saw, he's not wrong." said Prisoner.
The scene changes to what was left of City-Z after the meteor incident, with many citizens coming back with bags and backpacks full of their belongings with them.
"This place is a total wreck." Saitama said as he looked around.
"Understatement of the year." Sonic muttered.
Saitama keeps walking before he stops and looks at a couple of buildings.
"My favorite Supermarket got smashed. And the crappy apartment building I got kicked out of is.....just fine. Damn!" Saitama observed.
"Wow. You can't catch a break." Metal Bat said with a small laugh.
A foot suddenly slams down on some rubble.
"Hey!" a voice calls out from behind Saitama.
"Huh?" Saitama mutters as he turns around and looks up to see Tank-Top Tiger glaring down at him.
"Oh great. This idiot again." Tatsumaki huffed.
"You no good, cheating bastard!" Tank-Top Tiger said in anger, veins sticking up on his forehead and arms.
"Cheating? What is he talking about?" Tareo asked.
"Oh dear. I think I may know what's happening." Bang sighed.
"Uhh.....who might you be?" Saitama asked in confusion, making Tiger grunt in frustration.
"You know damn well who I am! Tank-Top Tiger!" he snapped before he started shouting. "Hey, brotherrrrrr! It's that guy I told you about!"
'Seriously, who is this guy?' Saitama thought with a blank smile.
"You seriously don't remember me?!" TT Tiger asked in shock.
"It's probably because you're not covered in scorch marks from when you last met." Metal Bat joked.
Someone jumps into the scene, their features hidden with their back to the sun.
"Did I hear you call me, little bro?!" the man asked before he landed next to Tiger.
"Brother!" TT Tiger said as the man stood tall, arms crossed.
"The hero, known as Tank-Top Black Hole, is here!" he announced as he looked down at Saitama. "So it's you, the fraud who takes credit for work done by Class S heroes to jump the rankings!"
"What the...?" Saitama mutters as he fully turns towards them.
"Fraud? What is he babbling about?" Agoni asked with a frown.
"Nobody could move up the ranks to number 5 so quickly with cheating, you cheater!" TT Tiger accused.
"I was afraid of this." Bang said.
"But Mr. Saitama didn't cheat." said Agoni's grandson.
"The only reason all of us here know that is because we're watching what happened. However, these events showed that only Geno and I, and possibly Metal Knight, were the only ones to have truly witnessed it." Bang explained.
"I see. So because of Saitama's huge jump in rankings, people would immediately suspect that he was stealing credit from Class S heroes." said the Class B here, Double Hole. "It's not that surprising, considering that Class C heroes are ones that usually handle such disasters like that meteor."
"Even so, to just outright accuse Saitama, or any hero, of cheating is not something that should be done without proof." said the Class A hero, Blue Fire before he turned to look at the two Tank-Top brothers. "If you're going to say that someone is cheating, you should look into it more instead of just jumping to conclusions."
"Don't worry." Tank-Top Master said, his arms folded and his eyes giving them a lazy, yet stern look. "I'll be sure to have a word with them about this after the current viewing." he said, making the two brothers very nervous.
"Huh? So what do you guys want?" Saitma asked.
"What? Don't you know?! We came here to beat you up so bad you'll never bad able to-"
"Hang on, little bro." Black Hole interrupted Tiger. "That plan's not gonna work. The bastard won't learn from that kind of lesson. Let's make him really pay for this...by using the most brutal method there is." he said with a grin before taking a deep breath. "WAS IT YOUUUUU?! ARE YOU THE JERKOFF RESPONSIBLE FOR DESTROYING THIS CITY?!" Tank-Top Black Hole bellowed, his voice echoing everywhere and confusing Saitama.
A lot of the room went wide-eyed at Black Hole's words. Some of them were confused as to why he was shouting? Those that weren't....?
"Is he doing....what I think he's doing?" asked the Class B hero, Wild Horn.
"I think he is." answered the Class A hero, Magic Trick Man.
"What? What's he doing?" Waganma asked.
"Uh, I gotta go to the bathroom! Continue without me!" TT Black Hole suddenly said as he got up from his seat.
"Me too!" Tank-Top Tiger said as he got up as well.
"Sit. Down." Tank-Top Master ordered, his hands on their shoulders and slowly easing the two sweating brothers back into their seats.
'I get it. There are tons of people in this city who are totally pissed at him.' TT Tiger thought with a grin.
"YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE! HOW CAN YOU EVEN SHOW YOUR FACE AROUND HERE?!" TT Black Hole continued, his loud voice catching the attention of nearby citizens.
'Smart play, brother. He's gonna use their anger...' Tiger thought.
"DO YOU FEEL NOTHING AT THE SIGHT OF THIS DEVASTATION?!" People from nearby were all starting to converge on the three heroes.
'....to completely break his spirt!' TT Tiger thought.
Now everyone understood what Black Hole was doing.
"LOOK AT YOU GLOATING, THINKING YOU'VE ACTUALLY SAVED THESE PEOPLE?! WHY ELSE WOULD YOU BE WALKING AROUND HERE SO SHAMELESSLY?!" Tank-Top Black Hole continued as the citizens gathered around and stared down at Saitama from atop the surrounding rubble. "THANKS TO YOUR SCREW UP, THESE CITIZENS HAVE NOWHERE TO GO! THEIR HOMES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED! IF YOU WERE GONNA FAIL THIS HARD, WHY'D YOU EVEN BUTT IN?! THE OTHER HEROES WOULD'VE DONE A WAY BETTER JOB WITHOUT YOUR HELP! AND YET YOU STILL WANNA PLAY HERO, EVEN AFTER CAUSING SUCH A DISASTER?! LOOK AT THIS PLACE! ALL THIS DESTRUCTION IS YOUR DOING, YOU JERK!"
Silence came from all directions until...
"Yeah, that's right." a citizen agreed before stepping up. "You! All this is your fault!"
'They took the bait!' Tank-Top Black Hole thought with a grin before he started shouting again. "HEY, DO YOU HEAR THAT?! THE HEART WRENCHING CRY OF SOMEONE WHO LOST HIS HOME! LOOK AT THEM ALL, VICTIMS OF YOUR THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!" he roared as more citizens began to join him.
"That's right!"
"Yeah! You tell him!"
"HAVEN'T YOU EVEN THOUGHT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY?!"
"Yeah, creep!"
"You're inhuman!"
"YOU'RE NO HERO! GIVE IT UP!" Tank-Top Black Hole bellowed before he began to chant. "GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP!"
"GIVE IT UP!" Tank-Top Tiger joined in as Black Hole kept shouting and pointing at a calm Saitama, his words soon merging with the citizens as they all began to chant along with him, various images of infuriated citizens appearing on the screen as other words of hatred are spewed out before going to a blank looking Saitama, then to a grinning Tank-Top Tiger.
'We've got him. His pride should be shattered to pieces by now. That's what he gets for cheating, the idiot.' Tank-Top Tiger thought as the scene changes to Genos looking at something on his laptop. The scene changes to the screen Genos is looking at, showing online users all badmouthing Saitama and claiming he didn't destroy the meteor. Genos looks at the screen before closing his eyes, then getting out of the chair.
Some of the monsters were chuckling at seeing Saitama being verbally brought down.
"Hehehe. He saves their lives and they want his head on a pike. That's funny." a monster said with a grin.
"Really? Then how come they ain't laughing?" a nervous monster asked while pointing towards the humans. The first monster looked before recoiling in horror alongside their fellow monsters.
An aura of rage and malice was coming from practically everyone on the hero side of the room. Muscles were tensing up, veins were appearing under a lot a skin, and almost all of their rage filled eyes were honing in on the Tank-Top brothers as they tried to disappear into their seats.
"Is it wrong that I actually feel sorry for those two?" Raptora whispered to her sister, who waved her hand in a so-so manner.
The heroes, meanwhile, were all doing their best to keep their rage from exploding on the two Tank-Top heroes.
'Zenko....watching.....Must not....break promise.....Must not....kill....assholes!' Metal Bat thought as he ground his teeth and gripped his bat so hard that his hands were starting to bleed.
'How could this have happened? I know that some heroes perform Rookie Crushing, but I had no idea that acts such as these would take place.' Sitch thought in shame. 'This needs to stop.'
'If I didn't know that Zack would cut my powers, I'd have killed those two idiots by now!' Tornado mentally yelled as she did her best to keep her power in check.
The scene returned to the citizens all chanting at Saitama to give up being a hero.
'So this is mob mentality, huh? I'd sure hate to be on the wrong side of this.' Tank-Top Tiger thought before the screen went back to Black Hole leading the chanting.
"GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP! GIVE IT UP!" Black Hole chanted as the scene shifts, showing Bang silently watching from the edge of a ruined building.
'Saitama...without a shadow of a doubt, you saved this city. Yet look how the city treats you. Reality can be so ugly. You're strong. The strongest man I've ever seen. That why I refrained from saying anything. I don't want to influence you. I'd hate to see you rotting away into oblivion in this industry. Unfortunately, resigning may be your best option.' Silverfang thought before the scene shifted back to Black Hole, a mad smile and his eyes glowing green.
'Time to finish him off!' he thought before pointing at Saitama and yelling. "HEY! LOOK YOU GUYS! HE'S GETTING READY TO FIGHT!"
"Huh? What are you talking ab-" Saitama began before TT Black Hole interrupted him.
"NO WAY! SERIOUSLY!? YOU'RE GONNA TAKE OUT YOUR FRUSTRATIONS ON THESE PEOPLE HERE, JUST LIKE YOU DESTROYED THEIR CITY?!" he yelled, worrying the citizens. "DO YOU JUST KILL EVERYONE YOU DON'T LIKE?! I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT! WE, THE TANK-TOP BROTHERS, WON'T STAND BY WHILE YOU RESORT TO VIOLENCE! IF YOU'RE THE HERO YOU SAY YOU ARE, THEN FIGHT US BOTH FAIR AND SQUARE!" he challenged as he and Tank-Top Tiger approached Saitama.
In an instant, the aura of malice vanished from the room. Those on the hero side of the room all blinked at the screen with blank faces before turning their gazes back onto the two brothers. Only this time, they were all wearing smug smiles.
"Well, this is gonna end badly." said an old executive that was sitting next to the barrier.
"Yeah. For them!" an old looking monster sitting on the other side of the barrier answered. Both of them began laughing before recoiling when they realized who was talking.
'So, they're out to crush a rookie and perform a publicity stunt at the same time, are they? I'd say they've gotten a little greedy.' Bang thought before he turned and walked away. 'No wonder they can't rise above Class B.'
The crowd is beginning to cheer for the Tank-Top Brothers to crush Saitama just as Genos arrives. He grunts before he starts to run over as the two brothers get ready to fight.
"I, Tank-Top Tiger, who fights like a true tiger, and...." TT Tiger began before Black Hole continued.
"Tank-Top Black Hole, who can crush them all with a grip strength of 2,800 psi!" he proclaimed.
"WE WILL PUNISH ALL WHO STRAY FROM THE PATH OF A HERO! NOW PREPARE FOR PAIN! HYAAAAAAAAA-" Tiger roared as he lunged at Saitama.
BOP!
"-GYYAAAaaaaaaa...." he cried when Saitama effortlessly punched him, sending him flying over a confused Tank-Top Black Hole's head before landing somewhere.
"One down." the Class A hero, Lightning Genji, whispered, his mask hiding his grin.
Tank-Top Black Hole twitched, his expression morphing from confusion to fury.
"Dammit! YOU'RE DEAD!" he bellowed as he rushed Saitama, who responded by lifting his left hand and grasping Black-Hole's right hand, a sickening crunch being heard. "GAH! GAOWWOWOWOWOWOWOW! I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP! YOU'RE CRUSHING MY HAND!"
A lot of the audience laughed at Black Hole screaming in pain. For the heroes, they laughed because he deserved it. For the monsters, they just love seeing any human in pain.
"Wait...really? You're kidding, right?" Saitama asked as he slightly twisted his hand, causing the crunching sound to intensify.
"Ahhh. The sound of human bones breaking. Music to my ears." grinned the monster, Super Mouse.
Only a few of the hero audience winced while Tank-Top Black Hole bit his lip and rubbed his hand.
"That looks like it hurts." Metal Bat said in faux concern.
"Indeed. He should see a doctor." Bang answered in the same tone, a smile on his lips.
"PLEASE LET GO! I GIVE UP FOR REAL! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY FOR LYING ABOUT YOUUUUU!" Tank-Top Black Hole wailed in agony, tears running up his face due to bending so far back that his head was upside down.
"Nope. You weren't lying." Saitama corrected, confusing TT Black Hole while Saitama turned his attention to the crowd. "I'M THE ONE WHO SMASHED THAT BIG METEOR! ANYONE WITH A COMPLAINT, LET'S HERE IT! SPEAK UP!"
The citizens were quiet before one spoke up, causing Genos to glance at him.
"B-Because of what you did, my brand new car was-"
"YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Saitama interrupted. "WHY WOULD I GIVE A CRAP ABOUT HOW YOU'RE PUT OUT?! TELL IT TO THE METEOR, NOT ME, JACKASS!" he yelled, making some citizens flinch. "LISTEN UP! I DON'T DO THIS HERO THING FOR ADMIRATION OR APPROVAL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT! I DO IT BECAUSE I WANT TO, UNDERSTAND?! SO IF YOU WANNA BLAME ME, GO AHEAD, YA BALDIES!"
Some of the audience were confused or facepalmed at Saitama's choice of insult.
"But you're the one who's bald." one citizen said in a quiet tone.
"WHAT'D YOU SAYYYYY?!" Saitama roared in fury.
"Aside from calling them all bald, you have a point. It's not your fault the city was destroyed." said Flash.
"Yeah. It was the meteor's fault." Darkshine added.
"Thanks." Saitama said as they all looked back at the screen.
"Master." Genos called out as he approached Saitama.
"Oh, hey Genos. What's going on?" Saitama asked. "Give me just a minute. These guys are saying I'm-"
"We must go home, Master." Genos interrupted. The two stare in silence for a moment.
"Oh....You think we should?" Saitama asked as Tank-Top Black Hole slowly inches across the ground away from them.
"A wise decision. You've said your piece and set things straight. No point in stretching this conflict out any further." said Bomb.
The sun is now setting, casting the damaged City-Z in twilight.
"Dammit! That guy's face is burned into my brain. I'll never be able to forget him!" Saitama grumbled as he and Genos walked home.
"Neither will any of us." said Golden Ball.
"Master." Genos spoke up, earning a grunt from Saitama. "Listen. I want you to know I have never met anyone as amazing as you."
"What brought that on? You're creeping me out." Saitama said as images of repair work and people walking through the ruined city was shown.
"Even if the public does not appreciate you, or what you have done, I will still follow you." Genos declared.
"You're starting to sound like an overzealous fanboy." Suiryu chuckled, earning an elbow from his sister.
"Don't ruin the moment." she whispered.
Saitama stares at him before turning and walking again.
"You don't have to butter me up like that." he said, a small smile on his lips. Genos stares before he follows.
'He's happy.' a lot of them thought.
The scene then switches to night, the moonlight covered by clouds, the voices of citizens talking in the background as the screen zooms in closer to the moon.
"I hear there's some amazing hero in Class C right now."
"Wait. Class C?"
"The guy who says he smashed the meteor, right?"
"That's just a rumor."
"Guess people still don't believe that you were the one who smashed that meteor." said Nichirin.
"I'm wondering why they're only angry at Saitama. Genos and Metal Knight were there too. Why not yell at them?" asked the Class B hero, Bone.
"The public thinks that we in Class S can stop anything. If I had to guess, I'd say that they just though that Saitama got in the way of Metal Knight and Genos's attempts to destroy the meteor." Child Emperor theorized.
"So until people actually see Saitama do these heroic acts, people will just keep thinking he's a phony?" asked the hero, Tank-Top Hatter. "That's ridiculous!"
"Not if everyone keeps putting their blind trust in the Hero Ranks." said King, knowing full well how everyone keeps believing his Hero Rank is the truth.
"Going after weak guys and then calling yourself a hero? Heh. Guess it just goes to show you can't really count on any of them." one citizen scoffed as the scene shows a multitude of creatures walking across the seafloor, their eyes all glowing in the murky depths.
"Well now. It appears that my people and I may be coming onto the scene soon." the monster called the Deep Sea King said with a grin.
"Let's just hope you have a better chance that I did." the Subterranean King grumbled.
"Do you honestly think you have a chance against Saitama?" asked the monster called Goketsu, making the Deep Sea King pale.
"Leave him be. It's funnier to watch them have hope before it dies." the monster called Nyan laughed.
"Excuse me. Can we take another short break?" Tank-Top Master suddenly asked before lifting the Tank-Top Brothers up by their tank-tops. "I wish to have a word with these two, along with the rest of my group."
"Sure thing." Zack agreed before snapping his fingers, a door appearing on the side of the room. "Use that room."
"Thank you. Tank-Toppers, follow me." TT Master ordered as he walked towards the door, his army getting up and following him.
"May we have a room of our own?" Sekingar asked. "We of the Hero Association wish to discuss something in private."
"Alright." Zack shrugged before making another door appear on the wall.
"Just a moment." Agoni spoke up. "I wish to partake in this discussion as well."
"As do I." Narinki said as he stood up from his seat, making the executives a little nervous. "Is there a problem with that?"
"N-No. No problem at all." an executive answered as they and the other executives walked into the their private room, followed by Agoni and Narinki. Both doors closed and locked themselves, leaving the rest to talk.