Chapter 3: A Cyborg Problem
A day had gone by since the incident involving Tatsumaki and her sister. Presently, it was sometime in the evening and at a small restaurant that surprising had a long crowd at the front. However, if that wasn't enough, there was a female reporter standing before a camera and talking with enthusiasm.
"And here we are at the family restaurant called Fugi-Yum!" The female reporter stated. "And as you can see, the crowd does not seem to be dying down ever since word of the overnight celebrity, Tatsumaki, was rumored to be working a part-time job in this well rated restaurant. Just how this will turn out is anyone's guess, but it is certain that the overnight heroine must be enjoying this fame."
_(LINE BREAK)_
'I am not enjoying this!'
Tatsumaki was gritting her teeth in frustration as she stood in place, eyeing the people around. School had ended a few hours ago, however ever since she came to work, she found her workload heavier than it usually was. And it didn't help that there were more people outside waiting for their own reservation in the already packed restaurant.
However, there was no helping it now. Tatsumaki had to put up a fake smile as many of the customers were clearly cheering at her.
"We love you, Tatsumaki!" shouted a young boy.
"Please! Please over here!" waved a woman with her family.
"Hey! I want to be served by you, Tatsumaki!" shouted a fat teenage boy.
Tatsumaki's eyebrow twitched despite the fake smile she had to put up. 'Easy there, Tatsumaki. We don't want to blow up the restaurant now do we? It's already bad enough we have that damn debt anyway…Just do your job and wait for quitting hour.'
Now at this point, since Tatsumaki was working, it was expected that she was in a different clothes. Hence, her present clothes were the restaurant uniform which composed of a blue shirt with a red vest on top of it and black skirt. The logo of the restaurant was on the breast pocket of the mentioned red vest, while the girl who wore it had two trays of different foods in both of her arms.
Tatsumaki went to work. The girl went about from booth to booth, serving as many needy customers who didn't seem to want to leave. It was a good thing then that she had two extra helpers who were also waiters that sadly shared her pain. Thus, it was with that burden that Tatsumaki later found herself standing in the kitchen and sighing.
"Well someone is too popular." said a male voice.
Tatsumaki grunted a bit and glared at the guy tired. "Not now, Jason. I got enough problems." She said rudely.
Jason huffed and held his empty tray to his chest. He was a waiter like Tatsumaki and wore the restaurant uniform, but for a men. He was also someone with snow white hair, green eyes and grayish skin.
"Problems? You got problems?" Jason complained angrily. "I just served a bunch of girls and they were disappointed I wasn't you…Now suddenly I feel like my pride as a man can never be regained."
"Hmph!" Tatsumaki snubbed at him.
Jason growled lowly. "There's that attitude of yours." He said angrily. "Anyway, this work would be easier if we were allowed to use our quirks…well mostly you. You can serve all those customers with that quirk of yours, little Miss. Tornado."
"Hey! Don't call be that, deadbeat!"
"I'm your senpai! Show some respect!"
"Ha! Not in this life!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Now at this point, both Jason and Tatsumaki were at each other with glaring eyes. Using their quirk was prohibited, so none of them activated theirs. Fortunately, before the temptation could even come, the door was heard open with an individual walking into the kitchen. And it just so happen that the small number of cooks in that kitchen, as well as Tatsumaki and Jason, turned to the direction of the person that came in.
"Mr. Roshima." Jason mentioned in mild shock.
"Mister Anderson." replied Mr. Roshima. He was the owner of the family restaurant, and thus everyone's employer. So as he stood there, it was clear that he was a somewhat slim man with ruffled black hair, brown eyes and wearing the uniform of his restaurant.
"What is going on here?" Mr. Roshima questioned with a firm look. "None of you here should quarrel with our star employee."
"Star employee?" Tatsumaki asked.
Mr. Roshima smiled and went over to the girl, who he then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Of course! It's you I'm talking about, Ms. Tatsumaki." He said cheerfully. "Thanks to your fame, this restaurant has received the highest number of customers never seen before. And for that I am greatful."
"Um…that's good I guess." Tatsumaki said nervously.
"Now if you wouldn't mind, there is one request I wish to ask." Mr. Roshima asked. And with that, everyone's attention was now intensified on him to hear. "Can you use your quirk?" He asked. "It would make business boom more if you could…"
"What?! No!" Tatsumaki interjected angrily..
There were a few things about the green haired girl. She was a hardworking girl and tried her best to appease her boss, however when it came to that single moment, everyone was taken aback when she walked away from the boss's arm and look at him angrily.
"I've had about enough of this! I didn't ask for the number of customers! And now you're asking to go out there and use my quirk like some sort of entertain! You're crazy!"
The entire kitchen was now quiet. However, at the same time, the only things that made some sound were the fryer and other things that belonged to the kitchen. But the same couldn't be said for the small number of kitchen staff, Jason and Mr. Roshima as they stared at Tatsumaki who was huffing angrily. Clearly, the girl It was clear right there that the girl had been holding up that outburst of hers for some time. But just as that passed, the boss suddenly became stiff serious and caught the attention of everyone.
"Tatsumaki…" He called. "As you know, right now Ms. Lin is working by herself to contain the crowd. And as you're aware as an employee, we strive to be the best. You have been hardworking – that cannot be ignored – but now I have no other choice than to do what must be done."
Everyone was then shocked at what then happened. At first, what Mr. Roshima said before would make one believe he was about to fire Tatsumaki. However, all eyes were widened when they saw the man bow before Tatsumaki with his head down in an act that was totally unexpected.
"Please, Tatsumaki! Use your quirk and save this restaurant!" Mr. Roshima begged.
"I…uh…" Tatsumaki said, feeling awkward.
The position the green haired girl was put in was indeed awkward. She didn't want to give in to the begging, but at the same time she could hear murmuring among the kitchen staff. And if that wasn't enough, when she turned back, she could see disdainful glares at her.
"I can't believe she's disgracing Mr. Roshima like this." whispered a male chef.
"And she's meant to be a hero?" whispered a female.
"Disgusting." whispered another woman.
Tatsumaki didn't like the comments. In one hand, she could throw in the towel and call it quits, but the longer she stood there, the harder the awkwardness felt. And so, it was with a sigh that she bowed her head in defeat.
"Fine…I'll use my quirk. Just…please get up." She said softly.
Mr. Roshima smirked and got back on his feet. Then he embraced the girl in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you, Tatsumaki! You're truly a hero!"
'Don't call me that, you guilt tripping prick!' Tatsumaki thought angrily.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Cries of awe and astonishment filled the restaurant as something big was happening. They were caused by the customers, who were watching with wide eyes as trays of food that they ordered were levitated to various tables in a spectacular fashion. Of course, the one responsible for it was Tatsumaki, who stood by with an annoyed look on her face and her arms crossed while controlling the trays of food.
"Oh my gosh! Tatsumaki, you're awesome!" shouted a schoolgirl.
"We'll be cheering for you on your road of becoming a pro hero, Tatsumaki!" shouted a young man.
"Mummy, I want a quirk just like her." said a little boy.
And the cheers went on. Tatsumaki didn't care though; she just let out a rough sigh before feeling someone tug her skirt. Of course, it surprised her, but at the same time got her attention as she then looked down. Thus, to her mild surprise, she saw a little girl with brown hair and dressed in a pink shirt and black skirt smiling at her while holding a color book and pen in both hands.
"Big sister, can I have your autograph?" The little girl asked.
"Big sister?" Tatsumaki questioned in shock. Then she was a bit offended by the name, and thus glared at the girl. "Now you listen, little girl, I'm not your…"
The girl suddenly paused. For some reason, upon bending down and looking at the little girl in the eyes, she found them somewhat similar to Fubuki. In fact, if that wasn't weird enough, a brief image of the girl showed up in her mind and caused her to retract what she said with a sigh.
"I mean…sure, I'll take a picture." Tatsumaki said.
"Yay! Thank you, big sister." The little girl said happily.
Unknown to Tatsumaki however, she was being watched. A certain cyborg with blonde hair was sitting at a lone booth, watching her from a peek behind a menu card. It was unknown how long he had been there, but if one were to guess it would be that he had been around for a very long time.
_(LINE BREAK)_
FOUR HOURS LATER
A door to the side of the restaurant opened, followed by Tatsumaki stepping out. On days like this, it was her turn to throw in the trash. But since she was allowed to use her quirk, she now had three trash bags levitating in the air, before then dumping them at a trashcan and slamming the cover on it.
"Well…at least I got that one done without touching them. Yuck!" Tatsumaki said with mild relief.
Work at the time had come to an end, and thus Tatsumaki was soon about to go in. However, just as she turned to enter the establishment again, she came to a stop when she felt a presence standing behind her.
"Tatsumaki…" called a robotic like voice.
Genos stood with his eyes firmly at Tatsumaki. For hours now, the cyborg had been watching Tatsumaki without her noticing. And now that he revealed himself there, he didn't show any ounce of fear as he was just feet away from the dangerous esper.
"…or should I call you, Esper X, one of Oxform's lab most dangerous experiments?" Genos added.
Tatsumaki suddenly became alarmed, with her aura then suddenly becoming high and fierce looking. However, if that wasn't enough, the air in the area suddenly became breezy before Tatsumaki turned to the cyborg with her eyes glowing green.
"Who are you?!" She asked with an echoic voice.
Genos seemed unfazed. "My name is not important yet. However, I will caution to not start a fight when there were human life forms within the area. As for your answer…meet me at the canyon outside the city by 4:45pm. We shall talk there."
Tatsumaki said nothing back. She could do something to the cyborg; however his caution there was enough to make her power down. Hence, she watched with hateful eyes as Genos turned from her and walked away.
'Bastard!' Tatsumaki cursed.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Within a room, the current time seemed uncertain. There was no noise and neither did there seem to be an indication of the room's location in the world since it almost entirely dark. The only few indication that the room was being occupied was the numerous flat screen TVs which just seemed to be put together to form a giant screen.
Strangely enough, these TV screens were showing something different. Some of them were footages of different places at different times while others had moving images of certain heroes, such as All Might, attending to their daily heroics.
"Ah…I'm so bored." said the occupant. His voice sounded surprisingly very young as he stood on a lone seat with a popsicle in his mouth. "I wonder how big sis is doing." He said.
Suddenly, loud banging was heard. It sounded very much like something repeatedly hitting a strong metal. It also surprised the young boy, who immediately expressed shock before all of his screens shifted to a single put-together image of Tatsumaki standing with an annoyed look on her face.
"Hey! Open up, Dotei! Don't make me break this door down!" Tatsumaki shouted.
"Ah! It's her!" The kid shouted in shock.
Outside the dark room, Tatsumaki huffed with her arms crossed. She was no longer in her part time uniform; rather she was in a casual clothes. Thus, as she stood there, she wore black jeans with a white and pink shirt. The white part of the shirt was at the center while her sleeves were the parts that were pink.
Presently, the time was sometime around 3:30am. The morning was somewhat cold, as there was no indication of the sun coming up anytime soon. As for Tatsumaki's current location, it was in front of a huge dome in the middle of the forest, and it just so happened that at that moment the door to the dome slide up open with a young boy, Dotei, standing there.
"Big sis, you're here!" Dotei cheered.
Tatsumaki huffed and walked inside. "I told you to stop calling me that. We're not family." She said.
"Ah…right." Dotei sighed.
The huge door to the dome then closed. Things from then on were now with Tatsumaki and Dotei, both of whom were in the fortified area. Unlike the time before however, the room's light was on, thus allowing Tatsumaki to look around the place to see it was a fully built mechanical laboratory.
"I see you're still living alone after all this years, Dotei" Tatsumaki said with an uninterested tone.
"Yep." Dotei replied happily. However, before anything could be said, a chair with no legs was brought to his level by a mechanical attachment to the ceiling. Hence, the boy sat on chair and was lifted above Tatsumaki. "By the way, can you call me Child Emperor? It seems so formal. I go to cram school now and…"
"No." Tatsumaki said firmly.
Child Emperor sighed with mild disappointment. "I can't say I'm not surprised, big sis."
"Stop calling me that!" Tatsumaki yelled. She now had her eyes glaring at the young boy. "It's Tatsumaki. Ta-su-ma-ki! We're not related."
"My apologies." Child Emperor apologized. "It's just that…with our pasts at Oxform labs…and what Fubuki went through after…I just…"
"I don't want to talk about that." Tatsumaki stated firmly. Then she went more forward than that. "That reminds me, I ran into someone that knows about Oxform lab…and my past."
"You did?" Child Emperor asked. His eyes were widened as he heard this, especially as he now seemed alarmed and curious. "Tell me, did you he say his name or give an indication of who he is?"
"No, he didn't." Tatsumaki replied. "All I know is that he has blonde hair and appears to be some kind of cyborg."
Child Emperor's eyes suddenly shined in realization. Tatsumaki didn't know it yet, but the kid knew specifically who it was. But rather than say it, he suddenly zoomed off with his chair to the bunch of screens earlier and began typing on the air in front of him, which then revealed to be hologram keyboards.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Tatsumaki asked. She was slightly annoyed that she had been brushed off like she was nothing. However, seeing Child Emperor in the way he was, she flew to his side and asked. "Hey! Dotei, are you ignoring me now?!"
"Of course not, big si…I mean, Tatsumaki." Child Emperor said quickly. He had his eyes forward at the hologram keyboard as he continued. "This cyborg…I think I know who he is. To think he would pop up so sudden after all these years is shocking. By the way, how is your little sister doing? She isn't suffering any memory gaps, is she?"
"She isn't." Tatsumaki replied. "Besides, that's none of your business now."
"Actually…it is." Child Emperor responded. "I owe you very much for saving me back then those years ago, however I cannot excuse something as major as a memory wipe done by my own hands. I hope you understand."
Tatsumaki said nothing back. It wasn't that she didn't want to; rather it was because of Child Emperor. He chose that moment to press a key, which immediately caused the screens to display different images of Genos in different areas fighting different foes, from giant monsters to normal villains.
"That's him!" Tatsumaki exclaimed. She flew forward a bit and was a bit taken aback at the images. "Huh…He's been busy."
"I'm not surprised." Child Emperor replied. He sat calmly in his seat as he continued. "Genos, aka Demon Cyborg, has been active a month after the breakout incident. According to some the records I was able to salvage a year ago, he was just a kid when a crazy cyborg came and destroyed his home and everything, thus leaving him as the only sole survivor. It would then appear that the people from Oxform Labs came and took what remained of his body and turned him into a cyborg….In conclusion, he was just another experiment in that dreadful place…like we were."
"Hmph." Tatsumaki turned away.
Child Emperor continued. "Anyway, for some time now, I've been trying to track the other experiments. We were eight at the time; however I have only been able to track Mosquito Girl. Demon Cyborg and Zombieman. The status of the others has been unclear. I think they've been avoiding detection since that time."
"I see." Tatsumaki noted. Then she turned to Child Emperor. "So what does that cyborg want with me?"
"You don't remember him?" Child Emperor asked. He seemed surprised as he stared at Tatsumaki. "I was kept under wraps most of the time, but the records from Oxform Labs say you've encountered him on a few occasions there."
"Whatever! It doesn't matter now." Tatsumaki dismissed easily. "The cyborg asked me to show up at the canyon at the outskirts of the city at 4:45am today. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to show that bastard what happens when he makes me wake up so damn early."
"I…see." Child Emperor said uneasily. He was aware of how far Tatsumaki's temper was and as such was careful with his words. "Do you need backup? I can assist you in any…"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh!" Tatsumaki refused. "I'll handle this on my own, just like I always have."
With that said, Tatsumaki flew off to the door. Child Emperor watched her fly away, with a bit of thoughts about the young girl. Thus, he had a bit to say to her.
"Uh…goodluck." He said.
However, the kid received no response. He just watched as the large door that let Tatsumaki into the lab open for her and watched again when it closed behind her. Now Dotei aka Child Emperor was alone to himself again. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind the loneliness or Tatsumaki's attitude. He just seemed reminiscent.
"That's big sis for you…always coming and going as she wants." Child Emperor said casually. "But still…I still remember that day…the day that everything changed."
_(LINE BREAK)_
FLASHBACK: THREE YEARS AGO
Eight year old Child Emperor was running through a hallway. He was dressed in only a patient's cloth as multiple alarms were simultaneously going off in the area. At the same time, he was confused and in a mild state of panic as he ran aimlessly looking for an exit.
"I have to find an exit quick." Child Emperor said to himself. "This breakout may be dangerous, but it is my only chance to get out of this facility. I just wish I had taken the time to check the main control room to pinpoint an exact…No, that would be risky too. I just have to –"
"Over here! I've found one!"
Child Emperor came to a stop and froze. He didn't want to, but he had to considering he saw a group of men in black uniform standing in front him with their guns pointed at him.
"Kill him! He's the physically weakest of them all!" shouted the commander.
Child Emperor took a step back in fright. At the same time, his superior intellectual mind was trying to figure a way out of his predicament. However, with the looming fear in him, the only thing he could do was cower with shaky eyes at his seemingly impending doom.
'I-Is this it?' Child Emperor thought fearfully. 'Is this how my life would end? In a place like this…?'
Fate seemed to determine the kid's life to end there. However, before the shots could, a strange breeze went through the particular area before a feminine appeared between Child Emperor and the men. The female was a twelve year old Tatsumaki dressed in a patient's cloth similar to Child Emperor. However, unlike her present self, her entire body was covered in a white aura, including her eyes which were white instead of green.
"I-Its her!" shouted one guy in shock.
"Shoot her or we're dead!" shouted another guy.
Hence, immediately the men fired straight at the duo. At this moment, Child Emperor expected some of the shots to hit him, however they never came. As such, it was at that moment he looked up and saw Tatsumaki standing perfectly fine with numerous bullets floating still directly at her in mid-air.
"Incredible." Child Emperor gasped in awe.
However, the feeling Child Emperor had there wasn't the same with the guards. They were already shaky, as each other of them were clearing shocked and afraid just by the looks on their face.
"We-we're goners." One of them said.
In response, Tatsumaki grinned. Her arm which she hadn't raised at all was then used to turn the bullets to the guards. Hence, before Child Emperor knew it, the bullets were sent back at the men, killing all of them instantly.
"She killed them all…" Child Emperor muttered in shock.
For as long as the kid could remember, he had never seen dead bodies before. However, there he was now, looking fearfully at the dead bloody bodies on the ground. But if that wasn't enough, the one who saved him began to walk pass him like nothing happened.
"W-Wait!" Child Emperor called out. He was now staring at the back of Tatsumaki, to which he then continued. "Y-You're Esper X, aren't you? You killed those men, didn't you?"
Tatsumaki said nothing back. She still had her white aura up as she stood there. But then as she turned to him, all she then was just chirpily smile at him before doing the unexpected. By that, she flew with so much speed that she was a blur, with a wind that push Child Emperor back a bit.
'I have to get out of here now.' Child Emperor instantly concluded.
And indeed, he fulfilled his wish. The kid was able to find an exit, but not without going through some running and evading some guards. Sadly, once he actually got to see the sunlight for the first time in a very long time, he found that his location was in a forest, which sadly put him in a big disadvantage.
So after two days of trying, Child Emperor now found himself lying in the forest. He was dehydrated and physically weak to move on, as obvious by his panting body. His situation only seemed to get worse when he saw vultures circling around him in the sky.
'This is it I guess…' Child Emperor said with a regretful tone. 'My training…my vast intellect…has led to this moment…I guess it's fine…I had nothing waiting for me once I escaped…I was a fool…I have nothing to live for.'
And so, it was with those thoughts that Child Emperor accepted his demise. He didn't feel the will to keep on moving nor could he build up such. Thus, as he blinked slowly, the last things he was saw were the vultures circling him when suddenly something else caught his attention. It was a single figure, which then chased the figure upon arriving at the boy's location.
"Huh…what's this? A boy?" asked a female voice.
From the viewpoint of Child Emperor, there wasn't much there. His vision was blurry and his throat was seriously dry of water. Hence, even as the figure flew down to him, he could already feel himself slowly blackout. At the same time, the figure softly placed a little girl that had been on her back on the ground before kneeling next to him and raising his upper body up.
'He's seriously dehydrated….He might die soon.' Tatsumaki thought with concern. Then her eyes went over to a tag on his cloth. ''Child Emperor'…He must be like me and Fubuki…an experiment for Oxform labs.'
And so, Tatsumaki did what she could. She moved her hand in a circular motion and gathered some water in the air around her hand. Then, with a quick move, she guided the water into the mouth of Child Emperor, who then unconsciously drank it and slowly began to gain consciousness.
"Huh…? What's…" Child Emperor questioned
"Hey! You're awake!" Tatsumaki yelled. Her face was directly at the view of the kid as she then continued. "The name is Tatsumaki! I just saved you! You're with me from now on, got it?!"
"Uh…yeah…" Child Emperor muttered. His mind was still a bit dizzy, but he understood mildly on his position. "Thank you…Tatsumaki…I have nowhere else to go…" He said exhaustedly.
Tatsumaki smiled a bit. She could see how physically weak Child Emperor was, and thus watched him slowly become unconscious.
"Hmph…I guess we're in the same boat then." She said.
And so, it was with these words, that Dotei heard and fell unconscious with.
_(LINE BREAK)_
FLASHBACK: A YEAR LATER
Child Emperor was now healthy and sitting on the same chair as his present self was sitting. However, the circumstance of the moment was different. Before him, Tatsumaki was standing on the ground with Fubuki lying unconsciously with a strained look on her face.
"What you're asking is wrong!" Child Emperor yelled angrily. In most cases, the kid was calm despite how hard certain situations could be. However, this moment was different because of a reason. "You've done so much for me, Tatsumaki! However, I cannot grant your sister a mind wipe of such a magnitude! Just think of the implications!"
"You think I'm not aware, Dotei!" Tatsumaki yelled angrily. "I know it's wrong and I'm willing to accept the consequences! But just look at her! Ever since we escaped from that horrible place, Fubuki hasn't had a goodnight sleep! She wakes up, sometimes feverish and refuses to sleep because of the terrible memories she went there! You should know that considering you've seen those nights before!"
Child Emperor became silent. As much as he hated to admit it, he agreed with Tatsumaki's decision to a certain level. Hence, the sound of sympathy and regret was in his voice when he spoke softly.
"You really care for her…huh." He said subtly. "But…Tatsumaki…you have to understand that what happened back there were years unworthy of memories. Upon that, Fubuki spent four years in there unlike you that spent five years. If you go ahead with this…there may be unpredictable consequences."
"I know…" Tatsumaki replied. Her tone at the moment showed her willingness despite the repercussion that may come. Hence, she had a straight look on her face as she continued. "Now…if you care for Fubuki like I do…wipe those memories. I'll take full responsibility." She said.
"…Very well." Child Emperor hesitantly accepted.
_(LINE BREAK)_
PRESENT TIME
'Up till today she still looks out for Fubuki.' Child Emperor stated in his thoughts. 'I haven't seen her in a long time now...Maybe I should visit one day…I guess leaving Tatsumaki and Fubuki six months after she saved me was a rough decision, but it was one I had to do…Besides, I've made it quite successful on the cyber and technological world. My quirk, the most intellectual brain power, has made me a very prominent figure not just in the international community but the hero community as the alias 'Child Emperor'. But I still wonder what happened that day of the breakout…Was it really Tatsumaki that saved me day from those facility guards…or was it something else in her? She never recalled seeing me prior to my near death in the forest…I get the feeling that something big and dangerous is coming.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY
TIME: 4:45AM
Both Genos and Tatsumaki stood feet from each other, glaring face to face at one another. There were at the canyon as Genos had stated to Tatsumaki before. And now with no other person around to intervene, the two former experiments of Oxform Labs stood still in the chilly coldness of the night with tension clearly between them.
"You actually made." Genos said. "For a moment, I believed that –"
"Enough with the chit-chat, I want answers." Tatsumaki stated in a demand. "My life is fine as it is now without someone from Oxform Labs coming to screw it up. Now tell me what you want!"
"I see." Genos said calmly. "Then I guess a formal talk is out of the question. I understand. The way I came was hostile, which was the intention. You see…the reason I'm here is for one purpose alone. I'm here to eliminate you,"
Tatsumaki suddenly burst out laughing. It caught Genos slightly off guard, as even he was surprised by her action. But then, when she calmed down and looked at him, it seemed a realization came to her.
"Wait…you're actually serious." She said.
"I am." Genos replied. "The threat you pose on this country…no, the world is too great to ignore, I will now eliminate you, so –"
Genos was then suddenly caught off. This was obvious when his entire body was flung to a huge boulder, with his body in a form that resembled modern art.
"Are you fucking stupid?!" Tatsumaki yelled. Her body was with a green aura, while her arm was extended to the stuck cyborg. "First, you come to my workplace and threaten me and then you make me wake up early in the morning just to say you want to eliminate me! Don't talk like you're above me! I can crush you right now if I wanted to, but luckily for you I don't feel like it! Now never bother me again!"
Tatsumaki then released her hold on Genos. The cyborg fell to the ground on his arms and knees as expected, while Tatsumaki turned away. However, not a single part of him seemed to surrender, especially as he stood up with his right arm straight at her direction.
"You shouldn't underestimate your opponent like that." He said.
"Huh?" Tatsumaki turned.
However, there was little time for the girl to react. Genos indeed had something under his sleeve, as it was then revealed when he shot a metal collar from his wrist that immediately attached itself around Tatsumaki's head, particularly her forehead area.
"Hey! What the hell?!" Tatsumaki responded with shock. She could feel the metal around her head, and thus tried to pull it off with her hands with no success.
"Now I have a chance against you." Genos suddenly said. He caught Tatsumaki's attention upon saying that, and continued. "The collar on your head taps into your mind, the source of your quirk. It won't diminish it, that is a feat that is impossible, but it will distort your focus of attack on me since it's linked with my core. In other words…you can't use your quirk directly against me, and even if you can it won't be at your full percentage."
"Bastard…" Tatsumaki cursed angrily.
Now the green haired girl understood. The collar around her forehead was there to stay whether she liked it or not. She could try to pin the cyborg again, however before she knew it, he suddenly moved into a battle stance with certain parts of his body heating up and releasing fierce steam.
Tatsumaki knew what was coming up next. Genos was preparing to fight her, and it was likely he wasn't going to hold back. Hence, in that moment, the girl summoned her quirk, which of course made her body to be covered in a green aura as she then moved into a stance.
Now in that moment, both combatants did nothing. They stood still, powering themselves up and glaring at the other like they were expecting the other to attack. It wasn't odd to them though, as it was clear that both of them didn't want to underestimate the other. Hence, it was Genos who attacked first.
An opening seemed obvious for the Demon Cyborg when he acted. He flew straight at Tatsumaki with a straight kick, but found that immediately dodged when she bent backwards. However, to counterattack this, he shot both flames from his palms to halt his movement and do a spin and kick at Tatsumaki again. But like before, the esper dodged his attack, this time by bending forward.
However, the fight was far from over. Genos was able to land a few feet from Tatsumaki, but in a timing that gave the esper a chance to attack. Hence, it was at that moment that she faced him while fully standing again and then raising her right arm up to levitate two boulders from the ground.
Now there was little time to attack, especially when Tatsumaki levitated herself a few feet in the air. She had the Demon Cyborg in her sight, when she suddenly sent the boulders straight at him at remarkable speed. However, to her then mild shock, Genos leapt upwards onto that boulder and used that one to leap on top the other and then head straight at Tatsumaki.
'What?! How?!' Tatsumaki expressed in shock.
"Machine gun blows!" Genos shouted.
The moment he said that, Tatsumaki received some beating. Her aura was able to form as a form of shield, but she was still able to feel the consecutive fast punches that the Demon Cyborg unleashed at her. Hence, with a loud cry, Tatsumaki hit the ground on her back while Genos landed on his feet safely.
"Hmph!" Tatsumaki uttered as she sat up. Her body was okay, with the same for her dress. However, the look on her face was now a scowl. "Now you've pissed me off!" She yelled.
The power oozing from the esper was incredible with each passing second. Her hair released itself from the ponytail while the ground shook violently. Genos was surprised by it all, but remained on his guard especially at what the esper then did. She caused every rock, be it big, small or a pillar to suddenly rise from the ground and face the Demon Cyborg. Then, with a single push of her hand at him, they all went straight at him.
At this point, Genos was in a tight spot. There was no way from his to evade the attacks since they were coming from all directions. But surprising, none of these fazed him in the slightest. He had his focus on Tatsumaki, when he suddenly began running towards her.
'Idiot! You'll be crushed!' Tatsumaki thought.
However, the esper was then proven wrong. Her attacks from all corners were coming for him but surprising most of them missed him. But if that wasn't enough, a few boulders that came for his front were suddenly used as leaping stands by the cyborg to get into the air above Tatsumaki and raise his fist back to come down on her.
Tatsumaki didn't seem fazed by him though. She could see him coming closer down on her with a scowl on her face. So before the Demon Cyborg knew it, she suddenly levitated herself backwards into the air and watched what happened next. The ground Genos was about to come down on suddenly opened up like a huge rift and caused the Demon Cyborg to fall in.
However, it didn't end there. Tatsumaki was the cause of the rift, as obvious when she straightened herself in the air and pressed her fingers at each other. As a result, the rift closed on the cyborg and she landed on her two feet safely.
"Hmph! Serves him right." Tatsumaki said with no remorse. "Maybe now I can go home and –"
Something suddenly felt off. Tatsumaki didn't like it, but she turned to the area she had supposedly crushed the cyborg, only to then sensed an odd power. Fortunately, she was able to react when she saw a glow in the ground that seemed headed straight for her. Hence, she flew out of the way and watched as a huge blast passed her and destroyed the top of a cliff.
"Bastard! You set me up!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Just then, Genos shot out of the ground and landed on the ground with a skidding spin. His attention was back at Tatsumaki once again, though this time it was clear that the fight was not over yet.
'I have to do something quick.' Tatsumaki thought. 'I can take this guy down eventually, but I hate wasting time. And worse of all, this damn collar on my head is clearing messing with my quirk, which is why I couldn't hit him with that an all around attack…Wait a minute, I get it now."
An idea had now popped into Tatsumaki's mind. It made her come to a quick conclusion as she then called to Genos.
"Hey! You!" Tatsumaki shouted. "Tell me, this thing on my head affects my quirk when it comes to long range attacks right? So what happens when I get front and personal?"
Genos's eyes widened. He didn't mean it, but it wasn't like he could've stopped it upon the conclusion the girl had made. As such, his reaction was the answer Tatsumaki needed before a smirk formed on her face and her body began to glow its usual green.
So in that instant, Tatsumaki flew straight at him in remarkable speed. She had her focus straight at him as there was no indication that she would slow down. But even if she did, Genos raised his palm at her and unleashed a fiery energy beam at her.
"This should slow her down." He said.
However, the cyborg was wrong. Tatsumaki suddenly flew right through the beam, much to his then shock, and wrapped her arms around his chest before he could react. Then next thing he knew, she sent him and her straight into the bottom of a cliff and began rapidly punching him at the face with a lot of effect.
The skin parts of Genos's face were tearing off with metal dents slowly showing. However, before Tatsumaki could finish, Genos suddenly grabbed her by the neck and used his shoulder repulsors to shoot out of the mountain. Then, with Tatsumaki still in his grasp, he sent her crashing to the ground with such great force that parts of the earth broke apart and flew to different directions.
But the cyborg wasn't done yet. He removed his hand from Tatsumaki and raised his palm at her, which was now charging up another energy beam.
"Incinerate." He said.
However, the cyborg didn't go through with his plan. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather it was because he was stopped. Tatsumaki had suddenly shot her aura covered leg to kick his arm just in time, hence causing him to misfire at another cliff instead. But if that wasn't enough, the esper suddenly wrapped her legs around the cyborg's other arm and sent him head first into the earth.
The time for the cyborg to then got up was short, but enough for Tatsumaki to get back on her feet. It was obvious when she actually did it just in time to show her scowl and dirty clothes. However, before she could do anything, Genos did bring his head out and swiftly shot yet another fiery blast at the esper at such a close range.
A part of Genos hoped that this would deal the final blow. However, the cyborg was soon proven wrong. He would've gotten Tatsumaki, but she had her hand raised at the blast to shield herself. Then, with that same scowl on her face, she went forward to the cyborg with her hand still shielding her and the blast from Genos still ongoing and grabbed his palm, much to his pain and shock.
However, there was nothing the cyborg could do. Tatsumaki crushed his hand with that single grip and then pulled his entire arm out from the rest of his body. Then, before he could react, she grabbed him by the neck, flew up into the air and then sent him crashing down on the ground with her still holding him. But if that wasn't enough, she suddenly flew him through the surface of the earth in remarkable speed and flew over a cliff, where she then threw him over with some brute force to the ground.
A loud boom was of course heard when the cyborg made collision. The amount of damage he sustained from Tatsumaki was then obvious when he struggled to get up. Hence, in that moment, his badly damaged robotic body, partially destroyed blonde hair and skin could be seen in the open.
"I…I have to get up. I can't give up here…I won't let the good doctor down." Genos said strongly. "He told me I shouldn't engage her in battle, but…it's too late for regrets now…"
Tatsumaki was now coming down at the cyborg. At the same time, she was letting out a fierce battle cry while having her arms drawn back for a huge beat down on the cyborg. However, even at that moment, Genos raised his remaining arm at her and began to charge it up.
"I'll give it my best shot and then…I'll end it." He said strongly.
The stakes were now high, even more than before. So in that moment Tatsumaki came down, Genos unleashed a blast bigger than any he had done before. He was certain at that moment that it would be enough to take down the esper. However, to his upmost shock, the girl charged right through it with a furious face and voice and came down on with a devastating collision.
The ground shock violently, with a dust cloud immediately formed. At first nothing was certain, as there was no voice or sight of either combatant. But then, when the dust cloud cleared, Tatsumaki was revealed to be standing in a huge crater with the top half of Genos's damaged body in her hand by his neck.
"So…what was that about eliminating me?" Tatsumaki asked coldly. At the same time, she grabbed the collar around her head and broke it off like it was nothing.
Genos said nothing. It wasn't that he couldn't, but actually because there was no need for it. The fight had been long and hard, but it was clear that Tatsumaki was the strongest and swiftest of the two of them. However, before anything else could be said, the ground suddenly shook and caught Tatsumaki's attention to turn back just in time to see a giant brown skinned creature emerge from the ground.
"AT LAST! I'M FREEEEEE!" cried out the creature.
In full view, the creature was terrifying looking. He was about fifteen feet tall and looked humanoid in nature. At the same time, he resembled that of a beetle, with a thick exoskeleton and a large horn on his head that resembled that of a rhinoceros beetle.
"I AM CARNAGE KABUTO!" The monster cried out. "LONG AGO I DID BATTLE WITH A GREAT HERO THAT WENT BY THE NAME ALL MIGHT. HOWEVER, HIS STRENGTH WAS SUPERIOR TO MINE AND I HAD TO GO INTO HIBERNATION! NOW I'M FREE!"
Tatsumaki was unimpressed. She was also not fazed by the monster's size or voice in the slightest bit. But when he turned his attention at her, he had a sickening grin on his face.
"LITTLE GIRL, ARE THE ONE THAT FREED MEEEE?!"
"Little girl?!" Tatsumaki yelled angrily. It was in this her moment that she threw Genos away like he was trash. "Who you calling little?! I'm fourteen, you creep!"
The esper then activated her quirk. It was obvious when the ground began to shake with some parts of the earth in the crater beginning to rise. However, before Tatsumaki could go on, a sense of fatigue washed over her and made her to stop her quirk.
"Ah shit…" Tatsumaki said in mild frustration. She then rubbed her forehead. "Damn…fighting that cyborg with not enough sleep is getting on me. I guess I can't fight for now." Thus, she then turned to the monster. "Hey, you! Don't think this is over! When we meet again, I'll kill you, got it?!"
The monster madly grinned. "YOU SOUND CONFIDENT. I LIKE THAT!"
Tatsumaki had nothing else to say about that. She had already made up her mind and as such flew off by her quirk. This was a surprise to Genos as he lay on the ground in a defeated form. But then, it would appear his presence caught the attention of Kabuto, who walked over to him with that grin on his face.
"WELL…WELL…WELL! LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE!" Kabuto said. "THE GIRL IS STRONG, ISN'T SHE? I COULD SENSE THE GREAT POWER IN HER! OH I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HER AGAIN AND FIGHT TO MY HEART'S CONTENT! BUT UNTIL THEN, I GUESS I'LL JUST END YOUR MISERABLE LIFE RIGHT HERE!"
Genos said nothing back. He did show a scowl on what was left of his face. However, there was no stopping Kabuto now. He lifted his leg up and was so close to crushing the defeated cyborg.
'I'm sorry, doctor…' He thought with regret. 'I failed you…Forgive me.'
It was clear by Genos's thoughts that he had given up on his life. Kabuto was close to crushing him, however something outstanding happened. A loud boom was heard followed by the monster suddenly exploding into pieces.
"Huh? What?!" Genos expressed in shock.
"Oi…You okay?" asked a male voice.
Genos struggled to turn his head to the direction of the voice. He could see at that direction that there were pieces of the proud monster that once stood. As for the one responsible, he revealed himself to be bald young man in a yellow, white and red jumpsuit,
"I got an alert of a fight going on here." said Saitama. "I'm guessing I came a little late huh?"
Genos smiled a bit. "No…You saved me."
"Oh…cool." Saitama commented.
"Hey…can I ask you something?"
Saitama became a bit curious and drew close to the defeated cyborg. But before he could ask what it was, Genos went ahead and said it.
"Can I be…your disciple?"
"Eh…?"
Saitama suddenly felt like a part of him crashed.
_(LINE BREAK)_
The time was still dark, though the streetlights were on. At the time there was no presence of a human being around except for Tatsumaki, who was walking by the sidewalks. She was feeling a bit wobbly, as indicated by the way she was walking, clearly from her fatigue.
"So tired…So sleepy. Damn that stupid cyborg." Tatsumaki said tiredly.
The esper's location was somewhere in the city, possibly far from her home. But it wasn't so bad; by her right was the seaside park which had a nice sight despite being so early in the morning. Sadly, she didn't look at it, mostly because her head was sloppily facing the ground. But as she continued like that, she accidentally nudged someone, who immediately came to a stop while she walked away without looking at him.
"Watch where you're going." Tatsumaki rudely said.
"Uh…Sorry." The person apologized.
His apology wasn't taken likely though. However, tt wasn't by Tatsumaki, but by a green gaseous being with two eyes, a mouth and red dimples on his cheeks, as he then roughly sighed and facepalmed.
"Mob, don't apologize. It was her fault for not looking." The strange being said.
"Really?" Mob questioned and turned to the figure. His face didn't show much of an expression, except that he was very slightly curious. "I think it was the right thing to do."
"Yeah, but…" Dimples said, but stop.
Now at this point, the floating spirit would continue. However, the reason he stopped was because of a certain girl who was now staring at him with glaring eyes. She also caught Mob's attention, though not to the point for him to say something.
'C-Can she see me?' Dimples questioned in shock.
Tatsumaki said nothing to indicate such. She just stared at the two with a sleepy look until suddenly turning away with a grumble.
"Floating gas things with red dimples…I must be hallucinating now." Tatsumaki muttered.
Back at Mob and Dimples, the two were watching Tatsumaki walking away. The male esper didn't seem fazed by her in the slightest. But then again it was hard to tell when his face expression rarely reflected what he actually felt. As for Dimples, he was sweating nervously until Mob turned to him.
"Dimples, I think she saw you." Mob said.
"U-Uh…yeah. L-Let's get out of here, Mob." Dimples responded nervously.
Mob had no objection to his friend's suggestion. So without saying anything else, he turned away with Dimples then following him.
_(LINE BREAK)_
"Damn…How long till I get home?" Tatsumaki questioned tiredly. She was on her own like before, but unsure of the time. At the same time, she was beginning to feel upset. "I knew I should've flown a bit to the west before landing…This was a dumb idea. I can't wait –"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! This fridge makes for a fine seat!"
"Huh?" Tatsumaki was confused.
A few seconds ago, the esper was on her own. However, upon hearing that deep and recognizable voice, she heard grunting that immediately made her to turn to the seaside park just in time to be shocked at what she saw.
A particular part of the seaside park was known to have a huge number of trashes there. These trashes ranged from household items people would throw away, down to just regular trash there. However, it wasn't the sight of the trash that caught her attention, but rather it was the sight of two familiar people there.
All Might was sitting on a fridge, with Midoriya Izuku pulling the huge object by ropes wrapped around his upper body and arms. From the looks of it, the teen wasn't getting anywhere with the fridge, especially with the heavy muscular pro hero on top of it.
"I sure am glad you haven't been able to budge it, I'm getting awfully comfy up here!" All Might stated cheerfully.
"Come on, All Might…" Izuku said, certainly exhausted. "Don't you weigh 274 kilos?"
"Nope, I've lost some weight. I'm only 255. Like my figure?"
Izuku didn't reply to that question. Instead, he asked another question. "By the way, why are we at the seaside park? Hauling garbage?"
"Aren't you precious? It's because you're not a vessel, silly!" All Might replied. The cheerful grin on his face didn't seem to go away, especially as he wiped out his phone and snapped a picture of Midoriya, who was now exhausted on the ground and crying in shock.
"EHH!? ISN'T THAT THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU TOLD ME BEFORE!?" Izuku cried.
All Might jumped down from the fridge and headed over to Izuku. He had something he was about to say, however he didn't get to it because of what happened next. His phone was suddenly covered in a green aura which suddenly flew out of his hand. It surprised All Might and almost got him to turn. However, before he could, he noticed the entire garbage in the seaside park was levitating by a familiar green aura on them.
"So…is this the training you were talking about, Midoriya? Because it sure as hell looks like you're his dog." said a familiar female voice.
Izuku heard his name and turned to the source of the voice. He knew clearly who it was, with the same for All Might as both now turned to see who it was. The person was none other than the powerful esper, Tatsumaki.
"Tatsumaki!?" Izuku was shocked.
The esper presently was in an entirely different mood. Her hair was pushing up in the air, with her eyes glowing green as her shirt was slightly pushing up. However, if that wasn't enough, there was the deadly look on her face as she slowly walked over to them with the different trashes slowly closing in on All Might.
"And you!" Tatsumaki yelled at All Might. "Among all the trashes in this place, you're the biggest I've ever seen! The shit you said o Midoriya were lies, weren't they?! You heroes are all the same! A bunch of no good attention seekers!"
"Ta-Tatsumaki, wait!" Izuku shouted.
"Not happening, Midoriya!" Tatsumaki yelled back. "Now get out of here! I'm going to send this so called hero to the hospital…that is if he'll make it there after I'm done with him!"
Izuku was now worried. In his eyes, two individuals with powerful quirks were about to face off. All Might was a pro hero and known to be the strongest, while Tatsumaki seemed to be one that could rise to that considering her feat with the mud monster a few days ago. Presently though, All Might didn't seem to say anything other than stare. It might be possible that he sees an outcome that may not be avoided easily.