The more the trio continued their journey, the more lost they became as they found themselves standing in the middle of a junction with five different paths. "Wow, I never thought there would be a whole world like this beneath the sewers." said Masami with awe, looking at the architecture of the underground base in awe. "First I thought it's just ancient ruins, but it turns out there are newly-dug paths, like an ant hive."
"Those things that attacked us, their friends are probably hiding in there." guessed Saitama as they took the path in front of them. "If we come across a leader or something, I'll make sure to give him a piece of my mind before we go back. As their neighbour, I have to get this message across: They need to keep an eye out for disturbances like loud noises and acts of violence."
Rover suddenly started growling when they approached a turning on the right. As soon as another monster came out, Masami swiped the umbrella upwards and cleanly sliced it into halves. "I'm not sure if they'll even listen, Saitama-kun." muttered Masami with a sweat drop on the back of her head, acting as if the monster hadn't existed in the first place. Rover, on the other hand, watched his new master with a newfound respect. Not only was she strong, she was humble enough to say sorry when she hit him. Seeing that he was going to be left behind, he caught up and happily pranced beside her as they continued exploring the base.
But it didn't take long for the dog monster to growl again when they approach another right turning. Just when Saitama said that something was coming out, the attacker emerged from the corner in a flash and attempted to strike them, only to have Saitama easily dodging before his sword collide with Masami's umbrella. Her eyes widened with surprise when she recognised who he was, and so did he.
"Flashy Flash?" she called, lowering her weapon.
"Needle Lady?" he said in the same manner, also removing his sword. His surprise look then morphed into his usual stoic expression. "It has been awhile. I see that your skills are still as sharp as eve."
"I feel honoured." she said. 'Well, you can't really say it's been awhile.' she thought with a sweat drop on the back of her head. 'The last time I saw you was during the S Class hero meeting.'
"Hey, Masami-chan." called Saitama, obtaining their attention as he pointed at the hero. "Who is he? What was that all of a sudden?"
The said girl was trying to explain to him about who Flashy Flash was and how it was normal for someone to attack in case of enemies, and the poor dog was caught up in the conversation, frequently looking back and forth between them. But they failed to notice that the hero looked at him with an uneasy expression. 'I think this guy is that lower-ranked hero I saw before at the Association Headquarters!' he thought. 'First he's Demon Syborg's sidekick, and now the Needle Lady? Why is he here now? What is the deal with that reaction time? He actually dodged my attack.' The two neighbours were still bickering with each other to even notice that his expression had darkened. 'Is there someone who can match my movement speed among the heroes? Was it a fluke? Should I try again?'
"Just who the hell are you?" demanded Saitama.
"Like I said, Saitama-kun." sighed Masami. "His name is Flashy Flash."
'No, but do I really need to go that far against an obviously inferior opponent?' thought Flash, still deep in his monologue regarding Saitama. 'But if this man really can dodge my attacks, it means he actually saw through all of my movements. I cannot allow something like that to happen.'
"Just say something." he probed.
'Plus this mysterious pressure of his, my instincts tell me there's something abnormal with him.' thought Flash. "Flashy Slash!" His speed increased tremendously and attempted to slash Saitama, who caught the blade between his fingers. This shocked Flash even more, as no one was able to dodge this attack before.
"Since you attacked me..." he trailed off seriously. "Does it mean you're also a monster?"
'Does he even listen?' questioned Masami.
"W-Wait!" intervened Flash with his hand out. "Look at me carefully, do I look like a monster?!"
The bald man thought for a while before realisation struck him. "You are the monster, Fore-locks in the Face!" he said.
"No, I'm not!" snapped Flash. "Don't make up names!"
'Yeah, he doesn't.' concluded the girl, to which Rover tilted his head to the side, as if he could hear her thoughts.
"I'm a hero." introduced the blond man. "S Class hero, Flashy Flash."
"Huh?" responded the confused Saitama. "But you attacked us twice."
"That was... my hand slipped." he lied.
Masami heaved a sigh once more before turning to him. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Do you have something to do with all that ruckus?"
"What the heck?" he said, astonished by her questions. "So you cam here without knowing anything? I honestly expect better from you, Needle Lady. This is the Monster Association hideout, you know. The enemies are vicious, you should head back."
"Mon-Monster Association?!" exclaimed Saitama, while Masami and Rover blinked owlishly in the background. "Isn't that a trending topic right now?! Oh, so they're here? This is right beneath where we live."
"Are you saying you and the Needle Lady live here?" questioned Flash with disbelief. "But this is a ghost town overrun by monsters on the surface. This is no place for people to be living in."
"If we see monsters, we just beat them, the most important thing is we get to live here rent-free." stated Saitama nonchalantly.
'So, he is in a constant battle state like the Needle Lady.' thought Flash with relief, finally understanding how Saitama was able to dodge his attacks so easily. 'That explains it. No wonder he feels different from those fodders.' He then turned to the bored Saitama and said, "My apologies, I was only testing you. It's a bad habit that I find hard to get rid of. Even though I did hold back a lot subconsciously, it still surprises me that you were able to stop my Flashy Slash. But if you and the Needle Lady really came down here without knowing anything, then it would be wise for you to find shelter as soon as possible. You're on a good path towards success, but at your current level, you won't remotely be able to keep up in this battle."
"Why so?" asked Saitama.
"Enemies that are Level Demon and above are a dime a dozen." explained the hero. "I even came across opponents who are comparable to Level Dragon."
"We're totally find with that." assured the bald man.
"Don't be so sure of yourself." scoffed Flash. "We have yet to receive report that the Monster Boss has been defeated. That is the biggest and most dangerous unknown factor."
"No, like I said, it's fine." said Saitama.
But the blond hero continued, "The Monster Association boss, his name is "Monster King" Orochi."
"Monster King?" repeated Masami questioningly.
"That name sounds pretty strong." commented Saitama.
"You're scared now, aren't you." said Flash, looking at him over his shoulder. "Then continue to do your best in training. Your mission today is to leave everything to us and to return to the surface. I'm sure the Needle Lady will be able to protect you."
Crossing both arms over her chest, Masami looked over at Rover and inwardly hummed. 'I'm not sure if it's a good idea to bring Rover back to our apartment right now.' she thought. 'I wonder if I can get Dr Kuseno to try shrinking him when outside of combat.'
And at that moment, relisation struck Saitama again. "Ah, that's it!" he said. "We'll run into enemies as long as we follow you, right? Then we'll come with you." He then placed his hand on the stupefied hero and said, "Please lead the way."
'Who does he think he's dealing with?' he questioned before giving him stern look. "Let me warn you in advance, I don't plan on protecting you. You'll have to count on the Needle Lady for that. If a powerful enemy appears and somehow engages with me and the Needle Lady, you might dragged into a fierce battle with it. From now on, there are no guarantees for your life."
"That's totally okay!" assured Saitama.
'So annoying.' thought Flash while glancing at him. 'I'll pick up my pace a little and get rid of him.' With that in mind, he sped off, and Saitama quickly trailed behind.
Masami heaved a sigh for the umpteenth time. She whistled to Rover, who lowered his front body, and she got on. "Let's go, Rover." she said. "Knowing Flash, I don't think I want to have Saitama get lost in a place like this." The dog let out a bark and went after the two heroes, catching up to them as he ran behind Saitama.
Flash looked at him over his shoulder, taking note of the distance between them. 'I'm not seeing things.' he thought. 'He is actually keeping up with me, at a pace far beyond normal people! This is becoming more troublesome than I had imagined.'
Masami then noticed a monster from the corner of her eyes. "This monster looks kind of familiar." she blurted. "Right, Saitama-kun?"
"Say, haven't we gone through here before?" he asked the hero in front. But he kept silent and continued ahead. "Hey, don't ignore us." He was silent again, and that was when realisation struck Saitama. "Don't tell me... you're lost?"
'Now that sort of explains it.' thought Masami, whose impassive expression was hiding underneath the mask. And so, the search began with Flashy Flash leading the way. One couldn't tell how long they had been running, but it was a long journey. Or at least that's what Masami would like to think. When they came across three pathways, she looked at her surroundings and heaved a sigh, giving the dog a slight pat. Rover then stopped as he was told, leaving the two heroes went straight into the path on the left. 'Let me see. I think we've been here before.' At that exact moment, the two males came running out from the right path.
"This way!" said Flash.
"HEY!" yelled Saitama, bringing them to a halt as they faced each other. Rover slowly approached them and stood next to the annoyed bald hero. "This is the same path as before, we have been going around in circles four times already, haven't we? If you're lost, just say it!"
"Then let me ask you." said Flash impassively. "Do you know the right way?"
That was more than enough to silence him. "Uh, well..." he stammered. "I'm also tone deaf when it comes to directions." He quickly turned to Masami and asked, "Shouldn't this dog know where we're supposed to go?"
The girl looked at Rover, which appeared to understood what she wanted to ask as he let out a sad whine, then back at Saitama. "Does that answer your question?" she said, indirectly answering his question.
"Well, it doesn't sound like an answer." he stated nonchalantly.
"Then you should shut it." scolded Flash. "When we run into another monster, we'll have it lead us to Monster King's abode."
"It might not be a bad idea, but wouldn't that take up some time?" asked Masami concernedly. "What if the monsters are not willing to cooperate with us? How about we contact the other heroes?"
"My communicator was-" He paused mid-sentence, seeming to be hesitant about what he was going to say. He then said, "That's not necessary at the moment. I don't need any assistance. The other members are also capable, they will not be defeated easily. They were chosen to be in the S Class for a reason."
'I see that your pride hasn't changed a bit.' she commented inwardly, heaving a mushroom sigh.
Rover suddenly halted in his tracks, causing the two to do the same as they looked at him with confusion. "What's wrong, Rover?" asked Masami with concern. He didn't respond to her. Instead, he sniffed the air until he faced the walls and blasted them with a large beam of energy, catching the three heroes by surprise. The energy then subsided, revealing a flustered monster using a toilet.