"GUH!" Tanktop Vegetarian sounded, as he was violently thrown against the wall of an alley.
Feeling as though his insides were burning up, the A class hero could do nothing but clutch his abdomen to try and ease the pain in some way.
"Huh, I managed to make good time getting here, the sun's still out." His assailant commented as he stood before him "I might be able to find someone who can ACTUALLY fight back." He mused as a smug grin appeared on his face.
"Wh-Who the hell are you?!" Tanktop Vegetarian questioned as he did his best to get his breath, "I am an A class hero, not a criminal?" He asked.
"Class-A rank 9 Tanktop Vegetarian, I spotted you by chance so I decided to go after you." The other explained as he looked down at him "But I am seriously disappointed by how weak you turned out to be." He admitted as he balled his right hand into a fist.
"I hope you're prepared, because I'm about to show you what happens when you make a hero your enemy!" Tanktop Vegetarian threatened.
But before he could even move a single part of his body to try and get back up, he was dealt a swift yet powerful blow to his already injured abdomen, causing him to fall over unconscious from the pain.
"I'm looking forward to it." The man told him though he knew it probably fell on deaf ears "I'll need all the practice I can get." He added with a slight dismissive gesture in goodbye as he took his leave of the alley.
Letting out a sigh as he left the man stuck his hands into his pockets and set out to find another hero, one he hoped would be able to actually fight back.
~~~
"What's the matter, can't you stand?" S class hero Silverfang asked as he looked down at his disciple.
Ever since Charanko first arrived at the Dojo to receive training and learn how to become a great martial artist from the renowned hero Silverfang he had become used to his master's strict and exhausting training methods. From running up and down the stairs each and every morning he came, to practicing the basics of martial arts until noon, then spending the rest of the afternoon sparring with his master, before wiping the floor clean all on his own before he went home, it was all by this point routine. But something had suddenly changed, the moment he arrived earlier today for his training his master had been relentless, though not cruel or savage by any means he still did not hold back in the slightest, for instead of the usual routine he told him that they were going to spend all day sparring with each other so that he could see how much he'd learned. Yet as he lay on the floor exhausted and beaten, Charanko knew very well that he had failed to meet his master's expectations.
"What have you been doing these past six months Charanko?" He asked as he looked down at his disciple "Didn't I tell you that if you were going to become my student, you needed to train like your life depended on it? Fubuki was able to do that in mere weeks and look at how far she's nearly come." He questioned as he placed his hands behind his back "You won't be able to learn any techniques, you are not fit to be a martial artist, so I am expelling you from this dojo as of today, don't ever come back." He told him, before turning his back to him and walking away.
~~~
"After that, I caught my breath and went home." Charanko said as he looked down at his lap sadly "I know I'm not the ideal student, I don't know any potential and I'm not that strong, but master Bang never before had any kind of issue with that, nor did he ever spar with such intensity before, so I KNOW that something is wrong." He insisted as he clenched his fists "But I'm too weak to help him, that's why he sent me away, he's just trying to protect me I know it!" He exclaimed as he looked back to them "That's why I need your help One Punch Man! if there's anyone he'll talk to or let help him with whatever is troubling him it's you!"
Charanko on his knees was facing the heroes that stood around Saitama's table. Those heroes were merely looking at him in confusion.
"Sorry man, but I'm not really sure myself." Saitama said to the white belt student.
"I do not know." Genos replied.
"Bang? He did this to you?" Fubuki questioned as she began munching on a plate of cookies.
"Silverfang is known to be calm and collected. But I'm not sure what could set him off?" Spider-man next to Fubuki wonders as well.
King turned his head from the TV to look at Charanko, "Don't know if you saw but we're trying to play games here."
Tatsumaki tilts her head, "Look, Shrimp, just go home, I'm sure Silverfang will come to realize what he's done soon enough, maybe he needs some space."
Charanko just remained silent, 'I guess the group has grown.'
Genos decided to inform him of an incident that happened at the Hero Association headquarters, "However I can make an educated guess, it probably has to do with Garou."
Spider-man and Fubuki's eyes widened a little, Charanko blinked in surprise, "Garou? The guy who was kicked out of our dojo after he went berserk on our students. What'd he do?!"
"So you have not heard. Garou is now a criminal and has been added to the Hero Association's wanted list. Bang has volunteered to take him down."
'Unbelievable. Garou, a monster?' Charanko said in his head.
"There was an incident at A-City's headquarters. I am sure you know of this incident, but knowledge of this has been hidden from the general public. To summarize, Garou may be more dangerous than any of us suspect, and so Silver Fang may be trying to keep you out of harm's way."
With a look of despair on his face, Charanko thought, 'Master Bang... Was I... holding him back?'
Fubuki looked at Charanko's despair as she started to feel bad for him, becoming a burden was a heavy thing to bear.
Genos continued, "In any case that is simply my hypothesis. Your thoughts Master?
"I don't know, man. I mean it's not like I know the old dude all that well or anything." Saitama said.
Realizing he wasn't going to get any more useful info out of these people, Charanko stood up and stated somberly, "Alright, if that's all you guys know, then I guess I'll be heading home."
With that being said, Charanko leaves the apartment, Fubuki sighs as she begins to stand up, "I'll walk Charanko back home."
Tatsumaki looks in her direction, "You sure?"
"Yeah. Besides, the kid is practically my junior in a way since Bang was teaching me. He needs a bit of comfort after what Bang did to keep him safe."
"Want me to go with you?" Spider-man asked as he stood up but was stopped when Fubuki placed her hands on his shoulders.
"That won't be necessary. I'll be fine." Fubuki replied with a smile as she kissed his forehead making him blush under the mask, "Once I drop Charanko off at home, I'll head home from there."
Spider-man watched her leave the apartment as he sat back down, he was starting to get nervous for some reason, have doubts but he puts those aside because he trusts Fubuki.
A voice interrupted his thoughts, "Web-head." Tatsumaki also snapped her fingers to bring him out of his trance.
Spider-man looks at the powerful Esper, "Yes, Tatsumaki?"
"Nothing bad is going to happen. Sis can take care of herself and you know it."
"Y-yeah. I know." Spider-man replied as he looked at his hands resting on the table.
"By the way, Fubuki told me about how your date went at the Winter Festival. I was surprised how it turned out." Tatsumaki took a sip of her warm tea, "You guys really like each other."
"Oh…she told you everything?" Spider-man asked as he began to shake a little bit.
"From the start to the end. Honestly I was surprised with how it turned out." Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes as she saw Spider-man shaking up a little bit which caused her to chuckle, "Relax, I'm not mad. I'm actually happy for you."
Spider-man nerves were starting to fade away, "Oh, really?"
"Of course, you're the sole reason that my sister is getting stronger, you helped her every step of the way when you first met. And I approve of you being with my sister. I can tell that you mean the world to her just as much as she means to you. Both of you need one another."
Spider-man's eyes widened in surprise. The great Terror of Tornado suddenly approving him felt like a once in a lifetime feat, even the others were a little surprised.
Tatsumaki pulls something out of her shirt pockets as she tells Spider-man to take his hand out. Placing the small item on his hand, Spider-man gets a closer look to see what it is, he softly gasped in surprise as the others eyes went wide as dinner plates.
"I noticed that it caught Fubuki's eye when we went shopping a few months back. Being a Class-S hero has its perks, I had to save up some cash here and there, and when the right man would come into the picture, I would see if he would be able to be up to the task. And now I'm looking at him. After all you went through in your life, your family would want you to find peace once again." Tatsumaki explained as she started to get a vibe from Spider-man, it was like an emotional vibe filled with happiness.
His fingers that held the small item were twitching a little bit as if he was trying to softly close his hand but couldn't. He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder as Saitama was by his side with a smile. With that kind gesture, Spider-man was able to close his hand grasping the item with such care. He clears his throat, "Thank you, Tatsumaki. But shouldn't you hold onto this for safe keeping because I don't want to accidentally lose it or misplace it."
"Yeah, I can do that, whenever you feel ready. I'm a phone call away." Spider-man nodded, giving the item back as Spider-man exited Saitama's apartment to head next door to get some sleep.
"Wow, Tats. That was honestly unexpected. Do you think he's ready for something like that? To take on that responsibility?" Saitama questions as he sat next to Tatsumaki who went back to sipping her tea.
"Yeah, that kid has come a long way. He's still young but maybe he thinks it's too early." King wondered out loud.
"True. But when he feels ready, it'll be his decision to make. I meant what I said too, he was nearly broken, and alone, but he's already an adult and he still has time to think about the rest of his future." Tatsumaki explained, "He's kind, strong-willed, and amazing. I want Fubuki to be with him as much as possible until they grow old."
~~~
Later that night, in a park in the heart of C-City, Charanko's home city, Mumen Rider was cycling through the park when he saw a muscular young man with white and spiky hair standing in his path.
Before any questions could be asked, Garou gave off a murderous grimace and declared, "You're number one in Class-C. It's time to go hunt."
Puzzled by what this young man meant, the cycling Hero responded, "I am Mumen Rider, yes. What's this about hunting? I'm guessing you're not one of my fans?"
Grinning wildly, Garou coldly exclaimed, "Help me become a true monster."
His grin growing even wider, Garou took a step as he thought to himself in madness, "The more Heroes I beat, the more monstrous I'll become!"
The Hero Hunter's train of thought got interrupted, though, when a somewhat familiar voice shouted, "We found you!"
Turning around, Garou saw Tanktop Vegetarian with a whole gang of similarly dressed and equally buff men backing him up.
With a bandage covering his broken nose, the A-Class Hero declared, "You were pretty easy to find! Now time for a pay back-!"
Moving faster than any of the Tank Toppers could react to, Garou smashed in Vegetarian's face, breaking his nose once more and knocking out a few of his teeth.
As Tanktop Vegetarian fell to the ground, blood streaming from his face, the other Tanktoppers gasped in horror as Garou wickedly asked, "I spared your life and now you want to throw it away, Tanktop Vegetarian? That's next level stupid. I'll kill your muscle head buddies too! Die!"
Just as Garou was about to begin his assault, he got hit by a fist that was the size of his head, sending him flying backward. Regaining his footing before he even touched the ground, Garou looked at the culprit behind this attack and saw the largest of the Tanktoppers, the Class-S Hero, Tanktop Master.
His fist seeming to emanate pure strength incarnate, Tanktop Master stared Garou down and stated, "I hear that you ruffed up my friend here."
Seeing who he was facing, Garou regained his wild grin and cackled out, "Class-S?! Hahaha! I've caught a big one! Now I'm stoked!"
Before Garou could act on his excitement, the Master used his huge arm to punch the ground. The sheer shockwave of this attack caused the concrete beneath their feet to shatter. As Garou stumbled around the shaking sidewalk, Tanktop Master folded his arms and charged at the Hero Hunter like a runaway freight train.
Smashing straight into his target, Tanktop Master shouted, "Tank Top Tackle!" The power of this attack sent Garou flying off into the air in a twirl of blood and cracked bones.
Watching their boss in action, the Tanktoppers exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Big Bro's Tank Top Tackle! With the power of the Tanktop, he can put his foes away with earth-shattering force! This move has put down countless monsters. That's why he's the Master."
As the Tanktop Army was celebrating, Garou performed a somersault in the air and landed gracefully on the broken ground.
Shocked, Tanktop Tiger exclaimed fearfully to Tank Top Black Hole, "He's still standing, big bro."
Black Hole responded, "Hey listen up! You got lucky freak!"
Tightening up his glare, Tanktop Master pondered, 'Did I hold back too much because he's Human...? Wait… Is he even human at all?'
Looking closer at the villain before him, the S-Class Hero saw a disturbed and masochistic expression on the Hero Hunter's face as blood poured down from his mad smile.
Grunting with determination, the S-Class Hero rushed at Garou once more. The Master threw two punches at Garou, but he managed to deflect both of them and counterattack with an elbow to the Hero's gut. Unfortunately for the Human Monster, his attack didn't have enough force behind it to actually harm the lead Tanktopper's super muscled body.
Before Garou could back away, Tanktop Master threw another punch down at him, smashing the villain across the back of his head. He followed this up with another punch aimed at Garou's torso. Fortunately for the Hero Hunter, he was fast enough to raise his arms in defense, lessening the impact of the blow but wrecking his arms in the process.
As Garou slid back and bled from his now fractured arms, one of the Tanktoppers exclaimed, "This guy beat Tanktop Vegetarian, so I expected better, but this fight is almost over!"
Despite his wounds, Garou was still smiling maniacally, causing Tanktop Master to think, 'He's definitely Human, but... Why do I feel like I need to kill him out here and now?'
While Garou shook in pain, Tanktop Master shouted, "Sorry, but I'm finishing you off!"
In that moment, the massive Hero rushed at Garou to throw another punch in his face. Surprisingly, the Hero Hunter redirected the punch at the ground and counterattacked with a roundhouse kick at Tanktop Master's head.
As the Hero staggered back, Garou rushed at him and began unleashing a flurry of punches. Fortunately, Garou's damaged arms weren't strong enough to deal any real damage to the S-Class' massively powerful body. Soon enough, Tanktop Master powered through Garou's attacks and hit him with another punch in his chest. The power behind this knocked Garou back, sending him tumbling along the ground as he spewed up blood.
As Garou drooled crimson and struggled to stand back up, Tanktop Master closed in on him once more and coldly declared, "It's over."
Just as the head Tanktopper was about to hit Garou with a finishing blow, Mumen Rider yelled, "No, wait!"
At that moment, Class-C number 1 jumped in between Garou and the S-Class, taking the punch across the face for him. Luckily, Tanktop Master reacted quickly enough to hold back just enough strength to keep from killing Mumen Rider.
As the Cyclist Of Justice spat out some blood, one of the Tanktoppers asked, "What the?! Why did you stop me?!"
Despite being hit hard enough for his helmet and goggles to fracture, Mumen Rider shouted in pain, "Y... You should be ashamed! An S-Class Hero killing a mere human?! The fight's over. He's hurt so bad he can't even move!"
In anger, Tank Top Tiger yelled back at the higher-ranked Hero, "What are you talking about?! He shouldn't have picked fights with Heroes in the first place! Shut up, moron!"
As the rest of the Tanktop Army was about to start yelling as well, Tanktop Master raised his hand to them and calmly ordered, "That's enough, guys. He's right. I didn't master the Tanktop to do harm to humans."
Mumen Rider let out a sigh of relief when he heard this, while Tanktop Master pointed at Garou and told him, "Listen up, you. If you've learned your lesson, then never hurt anyone again."
Garou paused at this for a moment before answering, "I... Fine. I'm leaving now. Sorry for causing trouble."
However, as Garou began to stagger away, he suddenly spun around, glared venomously at the Heroes, and yelled, "Like Hell! I'm still gonna kill all of you!"
Instantly, Tanktop Master had used his head-sized fist to throw another punch at Garou's face while declaring, "Yeah. That's what I thought. You're nothing but trouble, so I'm taking you out before you get out of hand."
As the colossal fist smashed across his face, Garou threw a counterattack, striking Tanktop Master's jaw at the same time. Shockingly, this attack had enough force behind it to actually cause blood to go flying from the S-Class' mouth.
As Garou continued to throw attacks that now had blue streams coming off of them, he cursed inwardly, 'Damn it. I had to use Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock again. It reminds me of that old man, so I don't like using it. Eh, whatever.'
~~~
Meanwhile, just a short walk from where the fight was taking place, Fubuki and Charanko were walking through the same park.
"So you're saying that Garou is actually 18 and was able to take out Bang's skilled students easily?"
"Yeah it was crazy hearing about that. I was still new around the dojo at the time. From what I've also heard was that he was there almost all his life before he went psycho. He even broke into Bang's secret room of scrolls filled with hidden techniques. No one knew what they were about even Master Bang didn't want us to bring it up, ever."
"...I see."
Both of them were hearing the sounds of people fighting which made them stop in their tracks, "Is it a mugging?" Fubuki questioned as she went in the direction where the fight took place as Charanko followed behind in pursuit.
~~~
Like machine gun fire his arms moved at blinding speeds, his hands perfectly straightened jabbing Tank Top Master all over, within but the span of a single second he managed to strike the S class hero over two dozen times before finishing it off with a powerful punch of his own which sent the hero straight into a nearby wall.
"I...see..." Tank Top Master thought as he fell to his knees "This whole time he was holding back, waiting for the perfect moment to fight back." He realized as he looked up at him.
Like a predator about to catch his prey Garou looked down at him, the grin never faltering for even a second as this was no doubt what he had been waiting to do. But before their fight could continue any further Mumen Rider who had gotten back to his bike during it all pedaled as fast as he could towards Garou, planning to aid his fellow hero.
"JUSTICE CRASH!" He shouted as he threw his bike at him, hoping at the very least to stun him long enough for Tank Top Master to get to his feet.
Sadly as anyone could have expected Garou simply dodged the bike and caught Mumen with hand, then without hesitation proceeded to bash his head into the street several times to quickly deal with him.
"Well?" He asked as he raised the C class hero's head, showing the Tank Top Army what was to come "Do you STILL want to fight me?" He asked.
"YOU BASTARD!" Tank Top Master shouted as he quickly got back to his feet, enraged by seeing another hero be treated in such a way.
Yet without even so much as looking back at him Garou dispelled him as well, by throwing his left fist backwards it connected with Tank Top Master's face, and sent him unconscious to the ground.
"I'm done with you Tank Top Master, you quickly got bored." Garou told him, as he kept his focus on the others "Now it's time I give your little group a chance to play" He said as he let go of Mumen Rider to let him fall as well.
"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ALL OF US?!" They shouted as they rushed him "WE'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" They threatened as they readied their fists to all hit him simultaneously.
In very few moments does the expression "Blink and you'll miss it" actually hold true, but as Garou with beyond human speed and power moved and attacked each member of the Tank Top Army, that's exactly what it was. All of the men reduced to bloody beaten heaps under the span of ten seconds without a single one of them having made any contact at all with their attacks, all that was left now was to wait for Garou to finish them off.
"GAROU!" Charanko shouted as he lunged from the bushes, refusing to standby and let him carry out his plan "YOU'VE BROUGHT SHAME UPON OUR DOJO AND OUR MASTER!" He told him as he readied to fight "FIST OF FLOWING-" He tried to say, only to be cut off by a swift kick to his head.
Not even having truly noticed him Garou merely attacked him out of pure instinct, but once his words did reach his ears, somehow some way his grin managed to get even bigger.
"Wait...are you?" He asked only to find himself laughing once more "Oh my god you are! you're the last student of that old man's!" He realized as he walked over to Charanko, who from the kick had been sent flying into the bushes "Well then, please send him a message for me!" He said as he began to land another strike but felt a punch connect to his cheek sending him skidding across the road.
"What?" Garou gets off the ground to see who had snuck up on him, "Class-B rank 1 Hellish Blizzard. Perfect, more heroes for me to hunt."
Fubuki looked at the bodies behind her which made her hands clench but remained calm, Fubuki was furious, but she knows this is going to be a tough fight.
"I don't really feel comfortable hitting women." Garou shrugged.
"You're the rumored human monster, huh? Didn't know he was a gentleman." Fubuki snarked as huge chunks of rocks and trees around her levitated.
"I didn't say I am not comfortable hitting heroines." the human monster got into a stance.
Fubuki smashed the things she was levitating all together creating a huge dust cloud above Garou clouding his vision, Garou raised his guard "What the-"
Fubuki zoomed in up close to him, "You already caused enough mess, kid." With that she gracefully kicked Garou in the air, still in mid-air, Fubuki swiftly flew to Garou to tackle him as they went further into the park spinning out of control, Fubuki landed four hits to Garou's face; Fubuki jumps off Garou's chest sending him straight down to the ground, Fubuki uses her esp to hover in air but she sees that Garou recovered just in time to land on the ground not taking damage from the fall.
"Tch. This won't take long but I'll bite." Garou replied.
He looked up and stared at her 'All the other heroes I've fought were close ranged fighters, but Blizzard...' he grinned 'She'll prepare me to fight Tornado of Terror!'
"Hellstorm!" The esper growled as rubbles and large rocks pelted the human monster.
Garou dodged some and deflected a few debris. The ground underneath him started to crack, as it formed two jaws to swallow him whole, he managed to leapt out of the way and landed on top of a post.
Fubuki levitated even higher to stay away from his range. She lifted two trees using her powers and tried to use it to swat Garou away, but he was nimble enough to use it as stepping stones.
'He's as flexible and fast as Spider-man.'
He leapt towards Fubuki for a flying ax kick, but she was fast enough to raise a protective barrier around her.
"Damn!" Garou cussed as he fell down and landed on his feet.
Fubuki gasped as she saw a crack on her barrier. 'There's no questioning it. This kid is dangerous. 18 years old and able to be on par with Spider-man in his normal state. He's not going to lay a finger on him.'
Garou stared up at her trying to figure out how to get through her barrier. But she is not going to give him time to think and crushed everything she held into million small pieces and pelted him.
Garou narrowed his eyes. 'As much as I hated to use that geezer's art, it's best suited for this kind of stuff.' He proceeded to deflect every "bullet" that landed on him using Fist of Flowing Water Crushing Rock.
Fubuki was shocked as none of her attacks landed.
"Don't think you're the only one who has a great barrier, Blizzard." Garou taunted as he finished his defense with a stance.
'Esp isn't much of an option at the moment, I can tell that his willpower is on par with Spider-man and Saitama's. So holding him in place and turning him in won't be easy and if I try to use it with every ounce of strength it could weaken me giving him an advantage. Guess we'll have to fight hand to hand.' Fubuki flowed back on the ground as she got into a fighting stance just like Garou as blue streaks flowed from her hands.
'You've got to be kidding me.' Garou stared at the woman with a surprised look.
"You seem surprised, Garou." Fubuki replied with a smirk.
Garou smirks in return, "Show me what you got! Become my stepping stone, test dummy, appetizer to becoming a true monster!"
Garou charged Fubuki as she did the exact same, their fists collided breaking the ground a little bit in the process, Fubuki and Garou were now starting to fight hand to hand, both techniques intertwining with one another. One was defense and the other was offense. Gaoru was more aggressive with his style while Fubuki was more graceful almost like she was dancing. Both of them were going through a series of different martial arts styles like Wing Chun, Tai chi, Kung fu, trying to get the upper hand.
Fubuki sweeps her leg to trip Garou to the ground.
The hero hunter regain his position to stop his fall but felt a kick connect to his chest making him bounce off the ground, using creativity Fubuki swiftly flies up to launch herself in the air as if she did an incredible somersault, Garou laid on his back to see Fubuki fall straight towards where he is but quickly backflips as Fubuki's punch breaks the environment around her.
Garou crouched on a tree branch, "Just what the hell has the old geezer been teaching you?"
Fubuki brushed off some dirt from her shoulders, "Everything I need to know. I've been a quick learner. Took me about 4 months or so to get the hang of the techniques."
"There's no way you can pick up the Fist of Flowing Water Crushing Rock in just like that. Took me years to get the hang of it."
"Well that shows you are a slow learner." Fubuki quipped back as her hands were on her hips.
Garou was now starting to get ticked, "Alright then, let's kick things up."
Fubuki's eyes widened when a fist was closing in on her face in an instant but she was able to dodge by moving her head to the left just in time, quickly grabbing his forearm on instinct she uses it to her advantage to lift herself up and flip backwards as her foot connected to his chin launching him back a few feet away from her, Fubuki gracefully lands on her feet in a couch, tracing her fingers on her right cheek as she felt blood dripping down, "Seriously! I pay a lot of money for my beauty appointments you asshole!"
Ignoring her quips, Garou recovered, 'She's using unpredictable moves while using flowing water crushing rock at the last second. Analyzing her fighting pattern might be a little tough but I just need to make sure I can't get hit. Losing to her would stop my path to becoming a true monster.'
"Come on, Blizzard, fight me with all you got."
Fubuki's esper powers surrounded her body as she dashes past Garou in a blur while moving and jumping off around the trees at incredible speeds to the point where the esper's aura was leaving blue trails like Speed-o-Sound except you can see where she was moving. Garou quickly began to analyze her trajectory movements as he was dodging her attacks.
'He's reading my movements even when moving at a bullet's pace. He quickly progresses more as he fights. I need to end this quickly!' Fubuki lands on the side of a tree, digging her fingers into the tree as if she was like a crouched tiger getting ready to jump to her prey.
Fubuki leaps forward at Garou's side to land a blow to her opponent but is surprisingly caught off guard when Garou sends a dirt cloud to her eyes she quickly swiped it away but felt a foot connect to her stomach completely knocking the air out of her while blood sprayed out of her mouth. Before she could be fully launched in the air, Fubuki uses the last bit of her esper abilities from her hands to send a shockwave to Garou at point blank range. Both of them were sent flying in the direction where they sent each other going through a bunch of trees and skidding across the park.
~~~
As Bang and Bomb inspected the slaughter that occurred in a random street, Bang couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened. He had trained Garou thinking he would be a worthy successor... unknowingly arming a monster for future fights against people. He was just thinking that he was glad he had kicked Charanko out before he was hurt as he recognized a face that belonged to a body that lay on the floor with the rest.
"Charanko..."
Bomb noticed something within the park, "Bang you should look at this."
Both of the martial artists see the surrounding area completely destroyed, they scoured the area until Bomb noticed someone laying against one of the broken trees, Bang became shocked with hidden emotions seeing the familiar face, "Fubuki…"
~~~
"As you can see behind me police as well as the Heroes Association are still investigating what both agencies are calling a blatant attack against all heroes everywhere." A female reporter who was on the screen said as several pictures then appeared beside her, all of them heroes "However this is not the first attack like this that has occurred in recent time, just a few days ago another group of class C heroes were also viciously attacked, though it was believed at the time that it had happened at the hands of a monster." She went on as all of the pictures disappeared and were replaced by two big ones, both of which caused all three's eyes to widen "Among the casualties in this attack however are S class hero Tank Top Master, top ranking C class hero Mumen Rider, top Class-B heroine Hellish Blizzard along with several other heroes belonging to the Tank Top Army and a civilian who was passing by." She explained as the pictures disappeared "As of the moment the Heroes Association besides commenting on the nature of the attack have not given any information as to who or what could be responsible, but as it stands seeing as how an S class hero was defeated this will more the likely attract the attention of the rest of S class." She concluded before it went back to the studio.
The two never knew what to say in response to this, on one hand there was Saitama who while surprised by the news still wasn't too surprised as none of them had been killed, which to him meant that whoever was responsible probably wasn't a monster. And as for Tatsumaki, she was honestly speechless after what she heard. She felt like she wanted to rain down all of hell but was thankful that she was still alive.
"Let's go check on them." Saitama said as he put his hands into his pockets "Make sure they are okay and see if they can tell us anything about what happened." He added.
Tatsumaki clears her thoughts when Saitama breaks the silence, "Yeah, I'll call Spider-man. Give him the news of what happened."
~~~
When visiting someone who is either injured or ill typically you bring a gift with you to show how much you care about them. Normally it's something simple and not too expensive like flowers, candy, a get well soon card, all typical stuff that you see in a pharmacy. But then you had people like Saitama, who didn't really believe getting flowers or candy or cards was really all that special, those were gifts SPECIFICALLY designed for such occasions and so getting them, at least to him, felt rather impersonal. So what else could you give someone who is recovering from some debilitating condition that will not only cheer them up but also show them that you care? The answer is bananas, and if you have a problem with it then you clearly aren't capable of buying gifts for people, like the savage you are.
"Here you go." Saitama said as he took a bundle of bananas out of his shopping bag and placed them on a bedside table.
Before going to the hospital that Mumen Rider and the others were at, which they learned thanks to a quick phone call to the local association branch, they stopped by a supermarket on the way to get something for Mumen that they figured he'd enjoy, and since everyone likes bananas those were the safest bet.
"Thanks." Mumen Rider replied, though unable to look at them as after what Garou did to him he had to have a cast put around his neck.
"You just can't seem to catch a break can you?" Tatsumaki asked bluntly, "It seems like every time we see you you're in worse condition."
"But you've seen me a few times?" Mumen argued.
"Yeah well, try not to make it three in a row in the hospital alright?" Tatsumaki suggested, which actually made Mumen to smile.
"I'll try my best, Miss Tatsumaki." He replied "So Saitama, I'm guessing you heard about the attack right? and not just about how I got hurt." He asked.
"Mhm, saw it on the news." Saitama replied as he took a banana from the bunch "You did well though, so have a banana." He offered as he set it down on top of him.
"I don't think he can move a muscle, Saitama." Tatsumaki told him.
"No it's fine, I just need to rest for a while, thanks." Mumen replied "I'm surprised though, you'd think the association would've told you first before you heard it on the news." He admitted.
"They wouldn't call him for something like this. Considering that Saitama is still new to his Rank 1 position." A familiar voice spoke, catching them off guard.
Turning around to face the curtain that separated the hospital beds for privacy, Saitama pulled it back to reveal Tank Top Master sitting upright in his bed with a similar neck cast to Mumen's as well as a sling for his right arm.
"Oh hey Tank Top Master? Right?" He greeted with a slight wave "Didn't know you were there." He admitted.
"Hello One Punch Man, good to see you." He replied.
"So what were you saying? About how the association wouldn't call him for this? Honestly the Association is really full of idiots." Tatsumaki asked, admittedly curious as to what he meant by that.
"One Punch Man is the strongest of all of us, he did after all save the world from the alien invasion, so for them to call him to deal with a self proclaimed hero hunter would be the very definition of overkill." He explained.
"Hero hunter? I've heard that name before." Saitama questioned.
"That's what the association has decided to call him, and to be honest after having fought against him I can understand why." Tank Top Master explained as he looked down at his lap "At first when I was fighting him he seemed like an arrogant idiot, thinking he was strong enough to pick a fight with a hero and come out on top, but then just when it seemed like it was going to be over he defeated me in under a minute, I never stood a chance." He recounted.
"Hmm, normally I would call you weak but I'll let it slide Tank Top. Just glad to see that you're alright." Tatsumaki asked.
"He wasn't just some punk looking to prove something, he was a skilled fighter who knew how to fight against his opponent, the whole first half of our fight was just him learning the way I fought so he could turn my own strengths against me, in the end the fight was decided the moment I threw my first punch." He answered.
"Dude sounds pretty tough." Saitama commented.
"Indeed, what's even worse is I think I recognize one of his techniques, and if I'm right then we have an even greater problem on our hands." Tank Top Master said.
"Why? What was the technique?" Saitama asked.
"It was Silverfang's technique, fist of flowing water crushing rock." Another familiar voice spoke up, once again catching them all off guard.
Saitama moved across the room to reveal Fubuki who had a few bandages covering her face, other than that she was somewhat alright but a bit sore.
Fubuki simply waved, "Hey, Tats."
Tatsumaki quickly dashed to her sister's side giving her a hug, which Fubuki returned back. Soon enough Spider-man walks into the room holding a pack of lilies, "Fubuki, I heard what happened. It was Garou, wasn't it?"
"Yeah and I'm alright, mostly. Garou was a challenging opponent but we were able to damage each other during our fight. If I had to make a guess of his threat level, it would be somewhere between demon and dragon. The more he fights the more he starts to progress and get stronger right off the bat. He used all of us as stepping stones, he hunts down heroes to become a true monster. Far as I'm concerned, only you, Saitama, and Bang are the only ones who can stop him."
"But why would he want to become a monster? From how strong he sounds he could easily be a hero." Saitama pointed out.
"We don't know the real reason behind his motivation, Saitama." Spider-man replied, "Until then we can focus on ways to bring him out into the open before he hurts more heroes. Thankfully he's not necessarily a monster, at least not as far as we know for sure."
"What makes you say that Spider-man?" Tank Top Master asked.
"Because he needs to kill humans to be viewed as a monster. Based on the news reports earlier today, everyone he hunted and to the people in this room are still alive. That actually shows that he's not really pure evil. My best guess is that he wants to hunt heroes to strike fear in their hearts without the need to kill any. A villain with a sense of morals is what Garou is to be precise. I've met people like him before." Spider-man explained to everyone in the room as they were caught off guard not realizing it at first, "Anyway, rest up guys, save up your strength. I'm headed off to find this hero hunter. Saitama, see if you can find ways to lure Garou out, the guy likes to fight strong opponents after all."
"Sure man, take care of yourself out there."
Fubuki had worried looks in her eyes, "Please stay safe out there."
"I will. That's a promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Web-head." Fubuki replied with a frown.
"Yeah but those are the best kind." Spider-man replied walking over to Fubuki's bed to give her a kiss on her forehead while Fubuki just smiled watching him leave the room as she still held the flowers he bought her.
"Hang on guys, I'll be right back." Saitama said as he exited the room.
~~~
"Hey kid." Garou spoke as he sat atop of a bench "Whatcha got there? looks interesting." He asked with a smile.
"Oh this? it's a hero guide, it has all the heroes in it and stuff about them too." The boy answered, which only piqued his interest further.
"Really? ALL of the heroes?" Garou asked, wanting to know everything the kid had to say.
"Mhm, from C class all the way to S, every hero that's active is in here." He replied as he looked back at his book "Look here's Saitama! He's One Punch Man, the new Class-S rank 1 hero!" He exclaimed as he showed him the picture.
"Huh, so it is." Garou said as the kid turned the page, 'Considering that he's new, he might be incredibly strong to replace Blast's rank 1 spot.'
"And this right here is Spider-man, he's a Class-A hero and he patrols my neighborhood a lot and all of the other cities, I even got his autograph!" He told him excitedly.
"Wow that's cool, say could you maybe introduce me to him sometime? I'd LOVE to get his autograph too." Garou asked.
"Yeah sure, like I said he patrols here a lot, so does Hellish Blizzard!" The kid answered by pointing to another picture.
The picture shows Fubuki, who admittedly caught Garou by surprise, pretending that he hasn't seen her last night, "Really? I thought she only did rookie crushing?"
"Not anymore actually. She and Spider-man are boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Oh I see. Good for them." Garou replied, 'Looks like Spider-man is going to be on the hunt for me too after what I did to Blizzard, I honestly can't wait to see what he's made of when we meet.'
"Well, they might not show up one day or two cause they are patrolling somewhere else, but pretty much the rest of the week they'll come here after patrol cause the other kids want to see them. They really care for each other." He explained. "They're actually really nice." He answered.
The boy flipped through the pages of the book and something caught Garou's eye, which made him take the book from him.
"Whoa! They have monsters in here too?" He asked as he now actually wanted to read it.
"You like the monster pages?" The boy asked.
"What? you don't?" Garou asked in return.
"No way, they're way too scary." He answered.
"But don't you think that makes them cooler? that they're so scary and awesome looking?" Garou asked.
"...You got some weird taste, old dude." He answered.
"This is exciting! I'd love to be in this book." Garou told him as he flipped through the monster pages.
"You want to be a hero too?" The boy asked as he looked towards the ground "So do I, but I'm not really fast or strong, so I don't think I could be one." He admitted.
"Good for you." Garou replied as he closed the book and handed it back to the kid "Say, mind if I borrow this for a week?" He asked.
"You really are a weird old dude." He said as he took the book back, "Get your own if you want one." He added.
"Don't be all stingy. What's up with these kids?" Garou joked as he rose from his seat "Well this has been nice but I gotta get back on patrol." He told the kid as he then walked away "See ya around."
"See ya old dude, be careful on your patrol." He replied.
"Quit calling me old dude." Garou said as he stopped and looked back at him, "I'm not some old grandpa." He told him.
"Huh? Did you say something old dude?" The boy asked, as he had already reopened the book and started reading it again.
"Oh, it's like that huh? Go home, Runt." Rolling his eyes at the other's response Garou simply dismissed it with a wave and continued on his way, eager to reach his next target.
"That book said that Golden Ball likes to drink every night at his favorite bar, which is only like a mile or two from here." He thought as a smile came to his face.
~~~
Tatsumaki was waiting for Saitama to come back, keeping herself occupied. She was reading a few magazines on Fubuki's desk as the woman next to her was sleeping.
"Tats." Tatsumaki looks up from her magazine to see Saitama at the doorway. Getting up from her seat, she walks out of the hospital with Saitama by her side, "I think I know how we can track down Garou." He told them as he continued to look at the ticket that Charanko gave him, "But first we've got to go shopping."
"Figured it had to be shopping related like always, Baldy." Her phone vibrated from one of her pockets, "Yes, what is it? Seriously? Right now? Just send someone else to do it. Damn it all, fine." Tatsumaki pressed the hang up button on her phone, "I am very tired of this. Change of plans, Baldy, need to take care of some dragon level threat monster."
"Sure, Tats. Take care. I'll be at my apartment after I get what I need."
"Got it."
~~~
Later that night, "You know girls, it takes a LOT of effort in order to keep the peace~" A short, not too attractive man dressed in fairly sleazy attire mused as he walked down the street, two very beautiful women far beyond his league following at his sides.
"Then how come you always spend so much time with us?" The one on his right asked as she looked down at him.
"Because girls! if I don't take the time to recuperate after my work then I'd be too exhausted to protect the innocent! It's hard work making sure the world is safe, you know." He answered.
"But doesn't One Punch Man do that?" The one on his left asked as she put a finger to her lip in thought "It seems like any time there's a problem he's the one who fixes it." She noted.
"Well yeah of course, he may go around punching monsters and bad guys, but WHO do you think is the one signing his checks?" He asked.
"Isn't that Mister Agoni though?" The one on his right chimed in.
"Look, ladies, how bout this?" He suggested as he came to a stop "If you want I could set up a private meeting with Amai Mask for you, no charge at all." He told them, causing them to go wide eyed.
"Wait really?!" They both asked in unison, VERY eager to meet the world's most popular hero.
"Mhm, all you gotta do is give me a kiss on my cheek and I can have it all arranged like that!" He exclaimed with a snap of his fingers.
However, before the women could reply or show him their disgust at such an idea, a hand was placed on top of the man's head causing them all to stop and look at who it belonged to.
"Really? Can you introduce him to me too?" Garou asked as he kissed his fist, "And all I have to do is just kiss your cheek, right?"
Once again, before the man or even the women could say something in reply Garou punched him right across the face, sending him flying onto the sidewalk. Now normally if this were to happen to a normal person the women would be terrified, but considering that the man was nothing more than a walking wallet who bought them things and his assailant was already leaving, all they did was take out their phones and proceed to snap a few pictures, no doubt to use against him in some way.
"Tsk, what a joke." Garou muttered to himself as he walked through the street, hunching over slightly to avoid drawing too much attention "Keep the peace my ass, he couldn't even take a single punch."
Planning to go hide out somewhere until morning came, as he moved through the sea of people that surrounded him out of the corner of his eye he saw someone who caught his immediate attention, "Oh finally I looked all day."
Garou turned to stare daggers at the unimpressive baldy standing next to him.
'Wait, is that the Class-S rank 1 hero, One Punch Man? Perfect! I'll show you what you get when you look down on me!' As soon as these thoughts raced through Garou's mind, he swiftly karate chopped the Hero in his neck. The force from this attack planted the plain-looking man into the cement, down to his knees.
Confused, Saitama stepped out of the ground and asked in what passed for annoyance from him, "What the? Who're you? Are you trying to mug me or something?"
The immeasurable difference in strength between himself and this man hit Garou in an instant like a bomb. He immediately became filled with such fear and shock that his sweat began pouring upwards on his face.
Quickly returning a soft karate chop back at his attacker's neck, Saitama complained, "Don't bother me while I'm shopping." This left Garou unconscious on the street barely able to keep his eyes open.
'I can see why he's…rank 1.' Garou thought to himself before he fell unconscious.
"Hey, how much is this?" Saitama asked as he stood in front of a small store that was open on the sidewalk.
"Three thousand yen." The store owner answered, not looking up from his magazine.
"Hmm, that's pretty pricey..." Saitama murmured as he looked at a red spiky haired wig.