Chapter 11: Vaccine Man
A-City, Hero Association Headquarters.
"Good day, viewers. This is the M-City TV news channel. While conducting street interviews this morning, our reporter, Teal, happened to run into the S-Class hero, King. The story begins last night when a Monster unexpectedly appeared on East City's streets. King showed up in time to eliminate the Monster, but the street was damaged in the process. However, as a responsible hero, King was out early this morning helping to clear the rubble. At the same time, he donated over a million in savings for the street's repair. After his identity was revealed, he mingled with the residents and was extremely approachable—a truly rare superhero."
Sitch, Genos, and the others watched the M-City TV report in silence.
"Ahem, what are... your thoughts?" After a long pause, Sitch coughed lightly.
"Hmm, King has an excellent reputation among the public. I believe he can be a major focus for the Association's promotional efforts." Coulson pushed up his glasses, staring at the screen where King was surrounded by a crowd. "Right now, the Association's image ambassador is Sweet Mask. He has good looks, he's a pop idol, and he's the number one A-Class hero. He's irreplaceable. However, we can build King up as a heroic role model to inspire and restrain the increasingly presumptuous heroes."
Sweet Mask, the top-ranked A-Class hero, is also a nationwide pop idol with a massive fanbase. He leverages this to hold a degree of sway in the Hero Association and serves as its image ambassador.
"Mm."
The big-nosed Sitch nodded, seriously considering Coulson's proposal.
"Well... let me share my thoughts." Genos's expression was strange. "If I recall correctly, since joining the Hero Association, King has earned a total of less than two million in rewards. Yet this time, he donated over a million in one go, not to mention countless other unknown donations in the past. It seems King's expenses are exceeding his income. If this news gets out, I'm afraid the public will think we have internal corruption, that we're pocketing the tax money we've collected and mistreating our heroes."
"..."
Sitch clutched his head in frustration. "I've advised King not to donate before, telling him that we would be responsible for repairing the streets. I never thought he'd be unable to enjoy the fruits of his heroism with a clear conscience. His character is admirable, but it could cause big trouble for us at the Association."
Maria giggled, covering her mouth. "In that case, we can just transfer the money back to King. We'll say it's a bonus for his meritorious service in actively eliminating Monsters over the past few years."
"That's the only way." A glint flashed in Sitch's eyes. "Oh, and invite King to the headquarters. On one hand, we need to negotiate the plan to build him up as a heroic role model. On the other, we need to appease that little ancestor in the building."
"Who are you calling your little ancestor?"
A proud, childlike voice drifted eerily from behind Sitch.
"..."
Sitch's face darkened. Are you the Terrible Tornado or a terrifying ghost? You're everywhere!
...
"I can't stay here anymore."
king fought his way out of the crowd, his clothes already in tatters. He quietly slipped back home, changed into a white-hooded sweatshirt, and dug out a red backpack he hadn't used in years. He stuffed a few changes of clothes into it, preparing to head to Z City to take refuge with Saitama.
"Ring ring ring!"
Just as he was about to lock the door and leave, a call came from the Hero Association headquarters.
"Hello, this is King. What's up?"
"King, this is Sitch. We at the Association have an important matter we'd like you to come to headquarters to discuss."
"When?" king was speechless. He was just about to go find Baldy in Z City, but this big-nosed guy (Sitch) had to show up out of nowhere.
"King, if you have time, please come today."
"Alright."
king hung up, put on a black baseball cap, and pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt to hide his face. With the backpack on, he started walking toward the train station.
On the way, a new bank notification popped up on his phone, showing that his balance had increased to over one and a half million.
"A merit bonus? One and a half million? Ha, the Hero Association's benefits aren't half bad!"
He chuckled. He was short on cash, and this bonus had come right on time.
M-City and A City were neighbors. The train ride took three hours. In the world of One-Punch Man, there was no such thing as civilian air travel, only military aircraft. Ordinary people relied mainly on trains, subways, and cars to get around.
king bought a sleeper ticket, boarded the train, and immediately lay down. After covering his face with his baseball cap, he fell sound asleep.
Click-clack, click-clack!
The train sped along its tracks. Three hours later, a train attendant woke king. He put on his baseball cap, shouldered his red backpack, and strolled down the bustling streets of A City.
In the distance, a construction site was active, the rumbling of machinery creating a noisy din. On the bridge above, a subway train whistled as it sped past...
BOOM!
A sudden explosion thundered across the sky.
"What the hell?"
king jumped in fright. He turned to look at the source of the explosion. A tall building not far from him had been blown to bits. "Is this... a suicide bombing by terrorists?" He couldn't help but think of the scene from his previous life when the Pentagon was destroyed.
But do terrorist organizations even exist in the world of One-Punch Man?
Whoosh!
Just as he was staring in shock at the exploded building, a series of whooshing sounds came from the sky. Streaks of light—energy beams—shot down, like countless ground-attack missiles slamming into the earth.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavens collapsed and the earth split asunder!
The countless energy orbs struck the urban area, immediately setting off massive explosions. One skyscraper after another crumbled, one street after another was obliterated, and countless people were buried in the rubble. It was truly a scene from hell.
"Holy shit!"
king stared as several tall buildings collapsed toward him. His heart began to pound violently, a series of thumps like an emperor engine bursting from his chest. He ran like a headless chicken, no longer caring which way he went. In truth, he had no way of judging the best escape route. Several skyscrapers were toppling into his area at once, sealing off nearly every path to safety.
BOOM!
The buildings collapsed completely, kicking up endless dust and sending rubble flying. The screams came to an abrupt end.
After a moment, the area fell silent. The skyscrapers and smooth roads had all been completely destroyed.
...
"Waaah, Mommy... waaah, Daddy... waaah~"
An unknown amount of time passed. On the ruins of A City's urban district, a little girl in a light pink top and blue skirt was crying her heart out, helplessly calling for her parents. But tragically, the ruins were already devoid of life. There was no one to answer her.
Thump, thump!
The sound of heavy footsteps gradually approached the little girl. If the girl were to turn around, she would surely see a terrifying Monster. The Monster's skin was entirely ink-blue. It had pointed ears and two thin antennae on its forehead, like a snail's. Aside from its body color, it looked exactly like Piccolo the Great Demon King from *Dragon Ball*.
Of course, its most important feature was that this Monster... was bald!
In the world of One-Punch Man, being bald often signifies great power! For example, the protagonist of the One-Punch Man manga—Saitama—only became the strongest after training to the point of baldness. Another example is the S-Class hero, Superalloy Darkshine, who likewise trained until he was bald, becoming one of the few powerhouses in the world.
Therefore, in the world of One-Punch Man, words like "baldy" are sensitive. If you see a bald person on the street, please proceed with caution. It's best not to provoke them, because they might just be a powerful expert who could beat you senseless.
The monster that resembled Piccolo the Great Demon King stared at the little girl for a few moments, then grinned viciously. The muscles on its arm bulged as it extended a hand the size of a door plank toward her. That palm was easily twice the size of the little girl. If it connected, she would be turned into meat paste in an instant.
Smack!
It happened in a flash. The Monster's thick palm clenched violently, cracking from the immense force.
Huh?
However, when the Monster opened its palm, it found it empty and was greatly surprised.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the dust in front of the Monster parted. A bald man in a white cape, a plain yellow superhero suit, and red gloves was tightly holding the fainted little girl.
"Hmm?"
The Monster's face darkened slightly as it glared at the bald man. "Who are you?"
"Me?"
The bald man set the little girl down and crossed his arms. With dead fish eyes and his white cape fluttering heroically, he said in a deadpan voice, "I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun."
"Ha?"
The Piccolo-like Monster raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What kind of half-assed backstory is that? Did you not bribe the author?"
The bald man replied nonchalantly, "I wouldn't do something so troublesome."
Seeing that the bald man showed no fear of him, the Monster became enraged. "I am Vaccine Man, born because you humans continuously pollute the environment! The Earth is a single living organism, and you humans are nothing but pathogenic bacteria eroding its life! To erase you humans and the civilization you created, I was born from the very will of the Earth..."
As he spoke, he grew more and more furious. The muscles on his body began to swell, and he transformed from a relatively decent-looking Monster into a ferocious and horrifying beast. "For fun? You dare say 'for fun'? With such a pathetic reason, what right do you have to oppose me, an apostle of the Earth?"
(end of chapter)