Watching A Hero's Journey

"Oi baldy! I have some questions for you!" Tatsumaki calls out to Saitama while flying over to him, causing him to turn around tiredly.

"What does the bean sprout want now?" Saitama wondered to himself as the short esper continued to get closer. "Go ahead." The bald hero responds blankly.

"Do you even know why you're so strong? Do you question it? Surely you don't believe that your dumb workout routine actually let you get that strong!" Tatsumaki pesters Saitama while poking him in the forehead.

The patient hero sighs exasperatedly. "Well to be honest, I don't really think about it all that much. It just happened and that's that. If it works it works." Saitama responds slightly irritated at his efforts being downplayed while at the same time protecting his forehead from her finger.

"Hmph. Fine I'll concede to the workout things, but I am curious… How strong are you? Have you tested the limits? Like at all?" Tatsumaki questions while floating a good foot above Saitama.

Saitama takes on a thinking pose for a moment as he had never really been asked such a question. "I mean not really? I never had to go all out since I lost my hair. Before that I used to fight with all my strength just to survive each fight. I came home everyday battered and bruised. But I never gave up so here I am."

"Wait, you fought monsters everyday? Even before you got strong?" Tatsumaki asked in disbelief at the bald hero's previous drive to fight in suicide missions.

"Yeah? What's so weird about that?" Saitama shrugged while scratching the back of his head.

"I mean what if you died or something? Weren't you scared at all?" Tatsumaki questioned, wondering how mentally deficient or ill pre-bald Saitama was.

Saitama takes another deep breath as he prepares to break his 20 word limit again. The bald hero looked back at the short esper with a more serious expression. "I'm pretty sure the other episode showed it, but I was basically depressed before becoming a hero. I'm only alive because I felt that drive… But being friends with Genos and having old man Bang come around also makes things fun. Even if he keeps pestering us to join his dojo." Saitama's response leaves Tatsumaki to ponder over the matter. The great Tornado's expression changed from blank to slightly confused?

Tatsumaki finally sighed out before laying a hand on her chest elegantly. "Fine. I'll be so gracious and offer you the great Tornado's friendship! Your whole gimmick is too funny. So make sure to spar with me more often. You're the only one who can even give me a challenge." Tatsumaki says while wearing a benevolent and smug expression.

"Huh? Oh you wanna be friends? Sure. Yeah I'm supposed to spar with Genos a bunch so I guess another wouldn't hurt." Saitama responds in slight confusion, not having fully understood the other's whole shtick.

"Anyways where did the walking toaster even go? He sticks to you like glue." Tatsumaki mutters before looking around for the said toaster.

Saitama also looks around, suddenly realizing that the cyborg is missing. "Oh uh… I have no clue. Maybe he's talking to one of your co-workers?" 

Little did Saitama know that he was in fact correct. Drive Knight had taken the time within the break to speak to Genos over a certain matter.

"What is it you wish to speak of with me, Drive Knight?" Genos questions in a suspicious and wary tone.

"How long have you known Saitama?" Drive Knight asks bluntly.

"Approximately 4 months." Genos responds with even more suspicion.

Drive Knight nods before moving on to his next question. "Why did you choose to hide his strength from the Association?"

Genos' eyes narrow at his fellow cyborg colleague. "That was not my intention. Though, in hindsight, they do not deserve my Master. He is a far more noble hero than any one of them deserve."

"Did you reveal any information regarding Saitama to Metal Knight before this time?" Drive Knight continues to question, causing Genos to become irritated. 

"No." Genos responds with a scowl painting his expression.

"Why do you not trust Metal Knight? What is your reasoning?" Genos queries angrily, his thoughts wandering onto why Drive Knight seemed to be so fixated on Metal Knight.

"I have information that indicates he is not to be trusted. Confidential information. You may choose to heed my words or treat them as false." Drive Knight responds curtly, with no emotion behind his words.

The two continue to rapid fire questions and answers before the screen speaks up, grabbing everyone's attention.

"5 Minutes are up. The episode will now begin. Please return to your seats. To sum up this episode it will be Saitama's first meeting with Speed of Sound Sonic and a couple of other things. Enjoy."

"Sonic? He's still alive?" A flash of surprise crosses a certain flashy ninja's face.

"Stitch, isn't that one of the assassins that got captured a while back, but then escaped?" Child Emperor asks while typing some things into his computer.

"Yes I believe that is the alias he went with." Stitch responds while nodding to the young prodigy.

"His name is as redundant as Flashy Flash's." Tatsumaki smirks, snickering to herself.

"And Tornado is any better?" Flashy Flash retorts, causing invisible sparks to fly. Though luckily their banter gets interrupted by the screen.

Everyone squints their eyes as the screen begins to brighten in color.

"That's getting really old." Fubuki mutters in annoyance.

"Why are we forced to work?! Why must we pay money in order to eat?! Can't we all just share? The rich get fat while the poor die! Where is the true freedom in this world?! We are all slaves to our work! And is work fun? No! How could it be?! We do not want to work, period!"

"Wait this guy was real? I thought it was fake news." Metal Bat questions out loud in disbelief.

"When you're that lazy I guess anything can sound reasonable." Zombie Man mutters while shaking his head at how many people there were.

"That's why I, Hammerhead, will change our society into one where only those who want to work will work, while the rest are supported! We will create a utopia! The Paradisers led by me, Hammerhead, will make all this a reality!

"Boss, no one's listening."

"Oh no. I remember this day now." Mumen Rider mutters while covering his face with both of his hands.

"What happened?" Saitama asks the dejected biking hero, slightly curious about what's to come.

Mumen Rider looks over to Saitama with an awkward smile before sighing and looking back down at his hands. "I got beat up pretty bad while trying to stop them."

"At least you stood your ground." Saitama responds while holding a thumbs up.

Mumen Rider smiles back at the bald hero in appreciation.

"What?! Bah! These civilians are idiots! Let's go! Zeniru's the richest man in town. We'll wreck his posh penthouse and show them we're serious! High-rise apartments are symbols of inequality!"

"Yes, sir!" The entire mob of unemployed villains shout together in unison.

"This whole building is Zeniru's home."

"There's no way he made so much money legally." Hammerhead yells out in anger.

"Well they aren't wrong…" Child Emperor murmurs.

"Wait for real? Wow." Saitama reels in authentic shock, though, in the back of his mind he kind of already knew.

"Rich people. Am I right?" Metal Bat snickers at his own joke as no one responds.

"Unforgivable! Bring it down!"

"Yes, sir!"

One of the goons walks up to the building and pulls back their fist before sending a devastating punch, completely decimating the building.

"Damn that suit packs a punch." Zombie Man whistles out while watching the building crumble..

"Primitive." Metal Knight states robotically.

"Target destroyed!"

"Hm, these experimental battle suits sure pack a wallop. It was definitely worth risking our lives to steal them." Hammerhead laughs out proudly.

"Wait, that was the wrong building. My bad, Boss. Zeniru's house is a little further up."

"Everyone makes mistakes! The important thing is to learn from them. Am I right?"

"Yes, you're right!"

Everyone facepalms at the stupid mistake. Though that could kind of be expected from these types of people huh?

"All right, then onward to Zeniru's!" The giant group of villains march forward toward the giant golden poop building.

The camera pans to a child crying while looking at something in a tree.

A certain bicycle hero is shown in the tree grabbing a balloon out of the branches and giving it back to the child all while wearing a smile.

"Thanks, bicycle guy!" The child bows before running off.

Mumen Rider nods then heads off heroically on his bike towards a black plume of smoke.

(Author: I like Mumen Rider. He's a good hero like Saitama.)

The camera switches to a peacefully sleeping Saitama when he suddenly sits up with a look of pure horror. "Don't come asking to play rock, scissors, paper with a booger on your finger!"

"So you're fine with fighting Dragon level threats, but a booger on a finger is where you cross the line. I swear baldy." Tatsumaki mutters out in disdain while holding a hand to her head. The bald idiot was driving her nuts with his foolish behavior.

"For once I agree with sister." Fubuki exhales tiredly.

"It was a scary dream, give me a break." Saitama responds with a sigh.

"Is it just me or is Tornado less… Tornado?" Atomic Samurai whispers to Bang who just listens intently.

"Hm. It seems that even the great Tornado of Terror finds interest in our overwhelmingly powerful friend." Bang responds with a smirk as Atomic Samurai just gives his old friend a peculiar look.

"Didn't think the midget could speak without yelling." Atomic Samurai scoffs out while refusing to admit he also finds the baldy interesting.

"While slightly arrogant, she is a good hero at heart. You should do well to judge her when you have a fuller picture." Bang chastises Atomic Samurai in a friendly manner.

Atomic Samurai grunts while nodding to Bang's words. "Hai hai."

The now calm Saitama looks around slowly. "A dream?"

The bald hero gets up and turns on his TV before starting to brush his teeth with a tired expression on his face.

"The terrorist group responsible for the riots call themselves the Paradisers. They have destroyed a high-rise building in City F. The situation seems to be spiraling out of control. We have just learned the identity of their leader."

The TV switches to an image of Hammerhead.

B-CLASS CRIMINAL - HAMMERHEAD

"Hammerhead is a B-class criminal who has been involved in several violent incidents in the past. He is a man of large stature, standing 2.15 m. tall and weighing 210 kg."

"According to one report, he once fought men in a street brawl and sent them all to the hospital. The Paradisers sent the following message to this TV station. 'We will continue to riot until food, clothing and shelter are provided free of charge to those who do not work'"

"- Sounds pretty boring." Saitama thinks to himself as he begins rinsing his mouth out in a humorous manner.

A few in the audience laugh at the bald hero's comedic appearance.

"- amongst other unintelligible demands. Like Hammerhead, the group is made up of unemployed young men."

"- No need for me to get involved." Saitama sighs.

"- with no motivation to work. Also, the group members all have shaven heads, making them quite intimidating. Those who encounter any shaven-headed men on the street are advised to leave the area immediately."

Saitama's expression immediately changes from calm to one of mortification. "What?"

"Why are you … oooh." Child Emperor questions slowly before suddenly realizing.

"Surely everyone doesn't think Mr. Saitama is a villain?" Tareo questions out loud with a slight bit of hope.

"You'd be surprised kid." Garou surprisingly responds without realizing.

Saitama becomes livid. "But that's– They stole my look!"

"Baldy, being bald isn't a look. I mean look at Darkshine." Tatsumaki scoffs while pointing a thumb at the other bald muscle head.

"Yeah they wouldn't mistake us for being villains!" Darkshine shouts out in a tone brimming with positivity.

"They did…." Saitama mutters under his breath dejectedly, his face becoming somber.

Genos was an angry expression at the memory of what had occurred.

Saitama begins rapidly putting on his costume before heading out the door haphazardly. "I spend all this time trying to be a hero, but if they keep acting up I'll be treated like a villain! I'm gonna smash them!"

Everyone deadpans at the bald hero's reasoning for stopping the villains, though at least he'd get the job done.

"Run!"

"It's them!"

"The Paradisers are coming!"

"They aren't… backing down!"

"This is too dangerous!"

Suddenly Mumen Rider comes around the corner and parks his bike right in front of the Paradisers.

"Oh lord this is gonna be embarrassing." Mumen Rider mutters out while covering his face once more.

A random employee pats his back to comfort the downtrodden hero.

"Stop right there, you pack of thugs! The bicyclist for justice, Mumen Rider, is here!"

"Mumen Rider has come to save us!"

"There's nothing to fear if he's here!"

"A hero? What a joke!" The group of bald villains scoff.

"Here I go!"

The camera immediately pans to a beaten up Mumen Rider bleeding on the pavement.

"Niceeeee Fighttttt." Everyone in the theater collectively, in a joking manner, mutters out loud while Mumen Rider sinks into his seat.

"Somebody call an ambulance!"

"Man you can take a beating though. You got a regenerative factor or something?" Metal Bat questions, slightly curious as to how the man was still perfectly ok.

"No, I just heal fast." Mumen shakes his head while smiling.

"Ah, so just like me?" Zombie Man chuckles out sarcastically.

The camera pans to the actual Zeniru building with a disgusting looking gold piece on top of it.

"There is no way someone paid for that to be made." Saitama questions in disbelief.

"Better believe it baldy. Rich people do weird things." Tatsumaki responds with pure disgust.

"Aren't we all, like, rich?" Child Emperor whispers to himself at the ironic statement.

"Mr. Zeniru, you must flee!" A random butler informs Mr. Zeniru.

"H-Hm. But running away from terrorists would hurt my reputation."

"There's no need to leave." A random voice calls out, shocking the two.

The camera pans to another effeminate looking ninja clad in all black while wearing a purple scarf.

"You're a lucky man, having this occur while I'm still under contract." A random voice calls out.

"But you're a bodyguard–"

"Oh, Sonic! Can I leave this to you?"

"The men coming are–"

Sonic disappears in the blink of an eye and reappears behind the two.

A few people begin to look over at Flashy Flash who just scowls at all of them. "Yes I do know who this is, no I will not inform you of anything." The flashy ninja bluntly states, causing the onlookers to groan in disappointment.

"Of course. It's their lives you should worry about. But please do think of a way to dispose of the pile of dead bodies."

"Dead bodies?" Tareo fearfully questions as Garou just snickers at the kid.

"The Paradisers… A bunch of upstarts equipped with some new type of battle suit. And B-class criminal Hammerhead. He might have some backbone."

THE MODERN NINJA

"Ain't it a little late for a title card?" Metal Bat questions to no one in particular.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask. Screen-san is there a reason why music plays and title cards appear?" Fubuki questions in curiosity.

"Well I guess I can answer that question. To put it simply, the events that have taken place in your world have been collected and filtered into a show. Like I said before, this viewing will occur as if it were an anime. The music is to make you feel and the title cards are for introductions to the main theme of the episode. Does that suffice?"

"H-hai…" Fubuki stutters out slowly, a little surprised at the thorough explanation.

"Man, that just makes me more pumped up to see my appearance!" Metal Bat cries out excitedly.

"Still gonna have to take a back seat to the baldy. If we're going off of anime logic, he's probably the main character." Child Emperor states in a matter of fact tone.

"Not if I can help it." Tatsumaki appears smug while pointing to herself.

"Boss, you can see Zeniru's building across the woods. People call it the Golden Turd."

"Wow, that's a surprisingly fitting name." Atomic Samurai chuckles out.

"What a waste of money." Saitama sighs out while slightly glaring at the odd piece of architecture.

"Yup" A majority of the theater members groan in agreement.

"All right, let's go!"

The group of bald villains continue trekking through the forest before Hammerhead stops with his hand held out. "Something's here."

"I've been waiting for you, Hammerhead. Zeniru sent me. Let me start out by saying no opponent of mine has ever escaped alive. I plan on keeping it that way. When it comes to my job, I'm a perfectionist. But if you surrender right now, I'll let you live." Sonic uncovers his mask revealing a smug smile.

"Gone soft Sonic? Heh." Flashy Flash laughs to himself while mulling over where his old sparring partner could be.

"So, what will it be?"

Hammerhead foolishly sends his subordinates into a charge toward the ninja.

Sonic dashes forward and starts cutting off heads.

"WAHH HE'S TAKING THEIR HEADS!" Tareo screams in terror.

"Calm down, brat. There isn't even any blood." Garou mutters not realizing that he's slowly responding to more and more of this random child's reactions.

"What is this? What's going on?"

"Why is every–"

"Nooo!"

Hammerhead blocks a slash directed at his neck just as it reaches him.

"Bastard!" Hammerhead screams out while smashing his arms into the ground.

"What's this now? Trying to intimidate me? You can't see me, can you?" Sonic laughs evilly.

"There you are!" Hammerhead launches a rock in Sonic's direction, but he dodges easily.

The camera then pans to Saitama in the middle of a street.

"It's a terrorist!"

"No, I'm not!"

The rock that Hammerhead threw crashes into a building in the background while Saitama looks on in slight confusion.

"Oh my lord, people are idiots." Tatsumaki grumbles out while holding a hand to her head tiredly.

"You don't even have the same color scheme. How did they mistake you for a terrorist??" Metal Bat questions in genuine confusion.

"Man, being in S-Class really gives you benefits." Saitama mutters out while looking over to Darkshine who just chuckles and throws out a thumbs up.

"It's not even that. You just aren't well known since a lot of people haven't heard of you yet. Cheer up!" Child Emperor attempts to rectify Saitama's sorrow, not even realizing he was acting very out of character.

"So he decided to fight instead of run." Sonic wonders while effortlessly dodging the rocks thrown at him.

Suddenly Sonic wears an eerie smile.

"S-Scary…" Tareo shivers out.

"Still got the same smile too? This keeps getting better." Flashy Flash thinks to himself while smirking maniacally, causing an associate to become scared.

"Oops, there goes my bad habit again."

"You're just a little dog bought by Zeniru's money. You think someone like me, who fights for a noble cause, can lose to a dog?!"

"Yes, I see what he's up to. Just as I thought-- he's a complete fool. Couldn't he have at least tried to arrange the rocks in a less obvious way?"

"There are plenty more rocks where those came from! If you don't stop me, they'll keep coming." Hammerhead shouts out while grabbing another rock.

"So you think you'll be able to deal with my speed if you know which direction I'm coming from? How pathetic. But I'll play along."

"In fact, I'll take you… straight on!"

Sonic bursts forward in an immense show of speed.

"That supposed to be fast?" Tatsumaki mocks the floundering display of speed. For most people it would be impressive, but for her? Child's play.

"He was never too impressive." Flashy Flash mutters out with a small laugh.

"Woah did you see that? He's like a sonic boom!" Tareo's eyes widened in sheer amazement.

"Speed is nothing if you don't have the strength to back it up." Garou states to Tareo with a grin. Meanwhile, Tareo wonders why this old man keeps talking to him. Wait… was he one of those weirdos mom always talks about?

"He's too fast. I can't see him. But it doesn't matter if I can't. Because of this!"

Suddenly Hammerhead brings out a giant log and smashes it down through the path made by the boulders.

"Gotcha! Think about how stupid you were to face off against me on your way down to Hell!"

"Like that'll work." Metal Bat chuckles sarcastically at the amazing plan.

"Bugger is way too fast to get hit by that." Zombie Man comments while observing the fight.

Suddenly Hammerhead gets hit in the back of his head with a kunai, halting his laughter.

Hammerhead falls comically on his face.

"It's over. Unfortunately, I couldn't go easy on them." Sonic muttered under his breath.

"That was him going hard? Gotta say Flash, a little disappointing." Metal Bat.

"My speed is incomparable to Sonic's. Do not kid yourself you brat." Flashy Flash retorts with a hint of irritation.

"You're making this whole not telling us how you know him more unbearable. You sure you can't give us any hints?" Child Emperor questions in eager curiosity.

"Sonic is clearly from the same village that Flashy Flash came from. They most likely grew to know each other while training together." Surprisingly Genos answers Child Emperor who nods in an eureka moment.

"Well done. It took you too long to figure that out." Flashy Flash sarcastically claps his hands while glaring at the cyborg.

"Yes, Hammerhead's body is here too. I'll head back now–"

Sonic looks over to see that Hammerhead has disappeared.

Sonic's expression sours. "The body disappeared?"

"Some ninja you guys are heh." Metal Bat laughs out as Flashy Flash grows a few anger marks.

"That was close! Good thing he hit my head. My skull always was several times thicker than normal. Dammit. I don't know who that bastard was, but one day I'm gonna k*ll–"

Hammerhead comes across a wild Saitama.

"Oof. From one threat to an even bigger one." Child Emperor smirks while feeling slightly bad for the unlucky villain.

"Damn this guy cannot catch a break. Although, I guess it is warranted." Zombie Man chuckles at the villain's misfortune.

"Huh? Now what?"

"Hm? Oh, there you are."

"How non-chalant can one guy be?" Metal Bat questions in exasperation.

"Did you forget about WatchDog?" Zombie Man reminds Metal Bat of the resident nonchalant expert.

The camera switches to a laboratory with many pieces of equipment laying about along with machinery running in the background.

Genos could be seen standing in front of a person who most likely was his creator. "As with the mosquito monster, I once again underestimated my opponent's power. I let my guard down and Kabuto took advantage of that. If Master Saitama had not been there, I would certainly have been destroyed." Genos states, full of respect for the hero he decided to learn from.

"I see. Well, I'm glad you're okay–" Dr. Kuseno gets cut off, much to the old scientist's sliver of annoyance.

"Doctor… Master Saitama saved my life twice. You, Doctor Kuseno, restored my life to me. Later this same life was saved by Master Saitama, who now has saved it again."

"Yes, I get the picture, Genos." Dr. Kuseno mutters.

A large majority of the theater members chuckle at the bald hero's thinning patience.

"Even your creator finds the ramblings annoying!" Tatsumaki laughs out loud while clutching her sides.

"I feel that you should have gotten the hint by now, but it eludes you still." Fubuki mutters while holding a hand to her head.

"Geez Genos. You sure you don't have a mute button." Metal Bat grumbles.

"I will look into installing one." Genos notes while looking downward dejectedly.

Everyone slightly deadpans at the cyborg for not realizing that they were joking. Though a mute button might not be so bad…

"What you're trying to tell me is how amazing this Saitama fellow is, right?" Dr. Kuseno says while smiling at the young cyborg.

"Thats an understatement." Many in the room silently thought to themselves for many varying reasons.

Genos nods firmly. "Yes."

"Genos, they're not ready just yet, but I am developing a new series of augmentations. When I replace your existing parts with these new ones, you may be able to surpass this Saitama." Genos wears a shocked yet slightly doubtful expression as Dr. Kuseno explains.

"Guessing that was a no cyborg?" Tatsumaki asks rhetorically while smirking at Genos.

"Correct. He still outclassed me in strength." Genos mutters though not really disappointed, more acceptant.

"Don't feel too bad. Robotics can only do so much." Mumen Rider chuckles while comforting the young cyborg.

"Hm. Dr. Kuseno? Who are you?" Metal Knight wonders to himself within the deep crevices of his mind.

"I imagine he must possess an enormous amount of strength for you go on about him so." Dr. Kuseno continues to speak while tinkering with something.

"Yes." Genos responds while looking down at his hands and clenching them tightly.

The camera pans once more, returning to Saitama and Hammerhead facing off against one another.

"What's your deal? You here to sign up with the Paradisers?" Hammerhead questions in confusion.

"No, no. I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun. For personal reasons, I'm here to smash your heads in." Saitama responds while raising his clenched fist.

"Is that like your catch phrase baldy?" Tatsumaki questions in a sarcastic tone while giving the bald hero a side-eye.

"Uh… I guess? I just like addressing myself." Saitama responds while scratching the back of his head.

"Must be why no one's ever heard of you." Garou laughs as Genos just glares at the young martial artist.

Saitama slowly looks around and finally notices a large number of missing thugs.

"So, where are your followers?" Saitama obviously questions.

"Then, die!!" Hammerhead quickly throws a punch at the bald hero, creating a large cloud of dust where Saitama stood.

Hammerhead then looks around in fear before getting ready to book it. "I better get out of here quick."

The dust finally settles and reveals an unmoved and uninjured Saitama just staring up at the man.

The bald villain's eyes widened considerably at the sight that graced his eyes. "Huh?! I thought I punched him?"

Saitama sighs out boredly. "What a letdown. I was all excited about these battle suits. But the design is lame, and all they do is give you superhuman strength."

"You make it sound like everyone has superhuman strength." Child Emperor deadpans while shaking his head in disbelief at the bald hero's logic.

"Yeah the kids got a point. Not everyone can crack the pavement with ease let alone smash an entire building." Zombie Man states while watching Hammerhead suspiciously. Where could they have stolen such powerful tech from? And how?

"I dunno, cracking pavement is pretty easy." Metal Bat shrugs as Child Emperor just rolls his eyes.

"You're in Class S for a reason, dummy." The young prodigy scoffs at the punk hero.

"You have no idea how hard it was to get hold of these things! How could you know their value?! I've been looking for someone to test the full power of this suit on!" Hammerhead's suit bulks up as he prepares an even stronger attack.

The large bulky man starts spinning his arms rapidly while yelling. "Spin attack!"

"Seriously?" Tatsumaki deadpans while muttering out in disappointment.

"What crude method of attack." Fubuki mumbles in dismay at the pitiful sight before them.

"Whats wrong with spinning?" Metal Bat slightly grumbles to himself as Zombie Man glances at the bat wielding hero while chuckling to himself.

Saitama wears a shocked face in remembrance.

"I'm getting tired of the baited worry." Child Emperor scoffs with the shake of his head.

"It is kinda getting old." Metal Bat adds on while scratching his head.

"Yeah. It's never about what's in front of him." WatchDog Man surprisingly comments, causing a few to get spooked having forgotten he was here.

"I used to use that move all the time when I was a kid…"

A funny memory of child Saitama spinning his arms appears.

A large majority of the audience laugh as the screen holds on to that image for a few seconds.

"PFHH. Really baldy!?" Tatsumaki questions while struggling to hold her laughter in.

"What? I was a kid…" Saitama mutters while appearing slightly miffed at his youthful activities being revealed to everyone.

"Man, not even I do that. Lame." Tareo mutters while side-eyeing the floor in disappointment.

Suddenly, Saitama halts Hammerhead's approach by catching his arms easily.

Hammerhead's face turns into one of pure terror. "Huh? No way!?"

"Hammerhead, huh? He's a lot like me." Saitama thinks to himself while watching Hammerhead become increasingly scared.

"Like how? The only similarity is that he's bald." Metal Bat questions in confusion at the bald hero's thoughts.

"Perhaps if we let the video continue it will be explained." Bang chuckles as Metal Bat shuts himself up.

"What the hell are you?!" Hammerhead shouts out in despair as Saitama just sighs.

Out of nowhere, the bald hero throws his elbow outward, hitting the villain straight in the abdomen and completely destroying the suit.

A few people's eyes widened at the impressive display.

"Hm. Not bad baldy, you've got some serious control." Tatsumaki mutters out in surprise, forgetting to even hide her expression.

"How is it that you have such precise control over your strength, Caped Baldy?" Metal Knight questions in robotic manner.

"It seems he has a lot more skill than I first thought." Flashy Flash thinks to himself, keenly observing the suit falling into pieces. The level of precision required to completely obliterate the suit, but not the person within it was impressive, even to him.

"Kinda hard to believe he didn't obliterate the Hammerhead guy with that elbow." Atomic Samurai comments while fiddling with the wheat stalk in his mouth.

"The strength and skill needed for that…" Child Emperor mutters in astonishment, after all, it was one thing for someone to be able to let all their power out in one go and demolish a giant meteor… but this? This was different.

"Woah!!" Tareo looks up at the screen in pure awe, his eyes holding stars of amazement within them.

"Gotta admit that was impressive. Tch." Garou thinks to himself while becoming annoyed at admitting such a thing about a hero.

Hammerhead is left completely unharmed and backs away in fear of Saitama. "W-Wait. I just wanted to get out of working…"

"Don't be bad anymore, okay?" Saitama answers back in a monotone.

"Huh? So you're not going to kill me?" Hammerhead questions in fear.

"Get outta here." The bald hero simply shoos the defeated villain away.

"Okay!" Hammerhead runs off, buck naked, back into the forest.

Saitama sighs before turning to leave as well. "Guess I'll go home."

"Wait wait, you didn't even bother to hand him over to the police?" Tatsumaki yells out in a mix of surprise and anger.

"Uh yeah? He's harmless now. Besides, he just needed someone to guide him." Saitama responds in confusion while Tornado just facepalms.

"He still needs to pay for his crimes, Saitama-kun." Bang informs Saitama with a small chuckle, humored by the bald hero's forgetfulness.

"Oh shoot I forgot about that. Hey I'm not in trouble am I?" Saitama slowly turns toward Stitch in apprehension.

"We'll find him eventually so do not worry about it, Caped Baldy." Stitch sighs out while relieving Saitama of his unnecessary fears.

"Cool." Saitama throws a thumbs up at Stitch who just nods at him.

"Where did Hammerhead go?" A voice calls out to Saitama.

A wild Sonic has appeared.

The ninja's eyes narrow at the odd man before him. "There's no one left but you."

"Hammerhead went that way. Buck naked." Saitama turns and points in the same direction the villain had left when suddenly a kunai is sent toward Saitama's face as he catches it without any effort.

"Hm. So not only is he powerful and fast, but his reaction speed is also quick? I need to test him as soon as possible." Flashy Flash ruminates while beginning to formulate a plan.

"What's this?" Saitama holds up the kunai in his hand with a confused expression.

Suddenly, a sword appears right in front of Saitama's face out of nowhere, but just as it almost reaches his eye Saitama catches it easily.

Sonic looks on in surprise before jumping backwards and leaving his sword within Saitama's hand.

"Two attacks thwarted? Either Sonic has truly fallen off… or he's just that quick…" Flashy Flash glares at the back of Saitama's head while beginning to revise his thoughts.

"Hey, you got it wrong." Saitama says while breaking the sword into pieces as if it were porcelain.

Sonic looks downward, a shadow being cast upon his face. "I got what wrong?"

"I'm not one of the Paradisers." Saitama responds.

"You're lying." Sonic looks up before giving him an are you serious look.

"Holy crap Flash. Your buddy is dumb as hell." Zombie Man comments in surprise at someone other than the citizens mistaking him for a villain.

"I do not believe he was this unintelligent the last time I saw him." Flashy Flash mutters out with a hint of annoyance, his fingers clenching his seat. "You are disgracing us, you idiot!" 

"No, no, no. Don't be dumb--look at me!" Saitama begins to flounder while pointing at his face and holding up his cape.

"I don't need to. With that bald head, there's no denying it."

"Pfh. Being bald really is killing your rep!" Tatsumaki smirks at the dejected hero as he just groans.

"Don't remind me." Saitama sighs out in disappointment.

"Do people not see bald individuals anymore?" Tank Top Master mutters to himself in confusion. Then again, Genos also didn't think Saitama was bald at first.

"No. Look! It's me. Me! You know, the guy who's a hero for fun–" Saitama desperately explains.

"Never heard of you." Saitama instantly deflates at Sonic's words and looks like he died inside.

"Oh, I see…"

"Either way, it doesn't matter. You read my attacks. Twice. That's the real problem. Born in a ninja village, I've been perfecting my techniques since childhood. Yet you saw right through them. This I cannot allow."

Flashy Flash resists the urge to facepalm. "Yes, Sonic let us just speak of our childhoods so casually. Why not just tell him everything you learned?" The disappointed ninja questioned sarcastically in his mind.

"What's he talking about?" Saitama wonders in confusion.

"My pride won't have it. I don't care who you are, I can't let you simply walk away." Sonic glares at the bald hero.

"Oh, come on. You just want to try out your moves on me. I can tell by that innocent smile of yours."

"Pfh. How clueless are you, baldy?" Tatsumaki snickers to herself, creeping her sister out greatly.

"I think my dear sister is truly losing it." Fubuki wonders in despair as sweat drips from her head.

"Sensei. I believe you've misread the fool's intentions." Genos whispers to his Master.

"Oh really? Huh. I mean the moves he showed me were pretty cool I guess." Saitama mumbles while pondering on the memory of the event.

Sonic begins moving rapidly around the bald hero as Saitama appears to not be paying attention.

"What do you think of this speed that beats sound? Of these shock waves? Can you even see me? How can you possibly keep up with me?"

Saitama swiftly turns around as Sonic finally rushes toward him, ready to deliver an attack. "Can I go home?"

"Bastard! Wind Blade Kick!" Sonic shouts out with a look of surprise and anger as he spins and brings his leg out for an axe kick.

Saitama promptly dodges lazily and in response raises his fist. "Checkmate."

Right into Sonic's groin.

Sonic immediately jumps back as Saitama stands there in surprise and remorse. "Sorry!"

All the men in the room collectively flinch at the phantom pain.

"Dude. Not cool." Metal Bat grunts out while closing his eyes.

"The only pain I feel." Zombie Man mumbles while wincing at the sight.

"Even I felt that." Garou muttered to himself in irritation.

"You're all a bunch of babies. S-Class my ass." Tatsumaki scoffs at the men's plight.

"That wasn't on purpose. I meant to stop before hitting you, but your momentum carried my fist into your..."

WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY.

"Wow this really is built like a show." Saitama says in slight surprise at the colorful background with funnily timed text.

"Not gonna lie, I feel bad for the guy." A random employee mutters out while exhaling tiredly.

"I've worked every job from assassin to bodyguard. No ninja is more deadly." Sonic mutters with a deathly cold tone.

"Childs play. It seems Sonic is in need of a reminder of who the better ninja is." Flashy Flash thinks to himself while smirking at the many ways he could beat his old sparring partner.

"I am Speed-o'-Sound Sonic! But I'm putting my work on hold. Now that I've found such a formidable opponent, I'm dedicating myself to training until we settle this. Let me know your name."

"It's Saitama." The bald hero mutters in an apologetic tone.

The camera pans downward to reveal Sonic holding his legs together in pure agony. "Saitama! Next time we meet, it'll be your demise!"

Saitama sweat drops while sighing. "Okay."

"I, Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, the ultimate ninja, will bring you down without fail!" With that, Sonic disappears after holding a comical pose.

"Train hard!" Saitama calls out in support.

"Are you expecting him to actually provide a challenge for you Master?" Genos questions in slight jealousy at not being a good enough sparring partner for his Sensei.

"I mean no harm in training right? Who knows, maybe he'll beat me." Saitama responds much to Genos' irritated and pained expression.

Everyone in the theater seems to doubt that possibility greatly.

The camera pans to Saitama's apartment with Genos returning, the two having a conversation on the day's events.

"Speed-o'-Sound Sonic? Who is that? And who would possess such a redundant name?"

An anger mark appears on Flashy Flash's head as a couple people glance at him. "We had no choice in our names. They were assigned to us. Blame our instructors." The flashy ninja mutters in pure irritation.

"You coulda just changed the name you know." Metal Bat snickers at the grouchy ninja.

"Woah we're getting lore now?" Child Emperor laughs at the idea of this becoming more and more like a show.

Saitama shrugs. "Dunno. He suddenly appeared, declared we were rivals, and took off."

"If he is a nuisance, I will get rid of him." Genos angrily declares with a heated palm.

"Well, you're hardly different. Actually, why are you here again? Go home. It's not like we're related."

"Master, I must become stronger–"

Saitama slams the table, interrupting the Cyborg from another rant.

Many in the theater silently thank the bald hero for intervening.

"Shut up!"

 I'm now aware of a serious problem and am reeling from shock. So I beg you, go home for today."

"A serious problem? What could cause a problem for someone as great as you? Please share with me."

"No one knows who I am."

Genos suddenly wears a surprised expression.

"It's been three years since I first became a hero. I've defeated many monsters and evil organizations during that time. I've never heard of any other heroes doing as much as me." 

The screen proceeds to show many monsters and evil organizations of which the heroes and association members were both familiar and unfamiliar with.

"Jeez you really lived under a rock baldy. How have you never heard of any of us? We literally started around the same time you did!" Tatsumaki grumbles in annoyance.

"I dunno. Guess I never thought there were other heroes." Saitama responds while shrugging at the short esper.

"Everyone in the world should know me by now! Isn't it weird that I don't have any fans or anything?!" Saitama shouts in despair.

"Trust me. You're better off not having them." Zombie Man mutters in disdain at a certain memory.

"Agreed" Said by a majority of the heroes.

"You know what he said to me today? Never heard of you. Plus, everyone in town took me for a terrorist. They've all forgotten how I beat those monsters for them!" Saitama explains while crying faux tears.

"He is right. The news report did not mention Master Saitama or Speed-o'-Sound Sonic. Instead, the credit for defeating the Paradisers went to a hero called Mumen Rider." Genos recalls the T.V report from earlier.

"Wait what? Why did the credit go to me? I lost completely." Mumen Rider mutters in surprise and mortification.

"Great question." Metal Bat sighs while holding a hand to his head.

"I sincerely apologize for stealing your credit, Saitama-kun! It should have gone to you!" Mumen Rider stands up and bows toward Saitama who just waves his hands in an attempt to stop him.

"Oi oi, chill. I didn't even beat the Paradisers. At least you stood up to them. I just finished up the job, really, no harm done." Saitama tries to have Mumen Rider sit back down, slightly embarrassed.

"You should report your kills so people don't take credit and move up the ladder." King states in a moment of self irony.

"Jeez. Was King hiding his presence? I forgot he was here." Garou thinks to himself after jumping in his seat briefly when King had spoken.

"Wait… Master! Are you listed with the Hero Registry?" Genos questions in a moment of realization.

"Good lord. Finally, at least you're useful for something you tin-can." Tatsumaki huffs in annoyance while crossing her arms.

"What's got you so riled up?" Atomic Samurai questions with a small accusatory laugh.

"It irritates me that some C Class and B Class nobodies are climbing up the ladder when someone this strong remains unknown." Tatsumaki grumbles in response as Fubuki just side-eyes her sister.

"Need I remind you of your long list of insults thrown at my Sensei after the Dark Matter invasion? Not to mention the disrespect that you gave to him when he attended the meeting." Genos abruptly states fearlessly toward the short esper.

Everyone expects the great Tornado of Terror to let out a yell or lash back, but instead she shocks everyone with a more calmer and logical response.

Tatsumaki looks away while scoffing. "Tch. I didn't know that the baldy was actually strong. At the time I thought he was a B Class nobody mingling with S Class heroes. Besides you were both ignoring me like I wasn't there." Tornado scowled at the last part while remembering how they had just walked off.

"Doesn't sound like an apology yet it somehow felt apologetic? Has the world ended?" Metal Bat wondered to himself while deadpanning over the changes that had occurred since they had arrived here.

HERO ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE

The duo appear to be looking up the association on a small laptop.

"Take a test at any local branch of the Hero Association. If you score better than the cut-off, you will be registered in the Hero Registry and will be allowed to officially call yourself a 'hero.' Once you are recognized by the Association, you are deemed a pro and will get paid from donations collected by the Association."

"Wait, if you're so strong, how'd you end up at the bottom of C Class?" Child Emperor questions in genuine confusion.

"Mr. Saitama was in C Class?" Tareo asks while scratching the back of his head and looking around in bewilderment.

"The Caped baldy did extremely poorly for the written portion of the exam. His answers were all simply 'punch em' or 'save em' to questions regarding heroics. We believed at the time that he was just in it for the benefits of being a hero." A member of the board answers while pushing up their glasses.

"A mistake that should have been corrected immediately once you realized he was not." Genos scoffs, his heat cannons already itching to blast some people away..

"Genos-kun, it is feasible that people would characterize Saitama-kun so poorly as those who do not know of Saitama's true nature would never know how truly good of a hero he is." Bang chuckles while attempting to calm Genos once again.

"You trying to butter me up jiji? Still ain't gonna join your dojo." Saitama questions with an accusing expression while holding a thinking pose.

"Hoho. It seems you've caught me." Bang laughs while raising his hands in surrender as Atomic Samurai just rolls his eyes.

"All heroes in the public eye are registered, professional heroes. You may be doing plenty of hero work, but self-proclaimed heroes are really just weir...does…" Saitama sputters.

"...weirdos spouting nonsense viewed with suspicion." Genos finishes.

"If I knew there was an association then I woulda joined earlier…" Saitama mutters to himself in sorrow while wearing a downcast expression.

"Sensei I didn't mean it that way!" Genos hurriedly attempts to correct his mistake as Mumen Rider just sweat drops at the whole fiasco.

"I had no idea. Genos, are you registered?"

"No. I feel no need to."

"Let's register! Register with me and I'll make you my disciple."

"Someone's enthusiastic." Zombie Man chuckles while smirking.

"Eh. I just got excited at the idea of having fans." Saitama responds while shrugging at the undead hero.

"Why would you throw away your reputation so easily if that were true Saitama-kun?" Bang wondered silently, reminiscing over the few events where Saitama was made out to be a fraud. Bang himself had witnessed the news reports on the bald hero. It was distasteful to a degree he hadn't felt in a long time.

"He's lying… He saves people without so much as a thanks." Mumen Rider thinks to himself while gazing at his clenched fists. Over the very few times the biking hero had met Saitama he came to realize how quickly he'd grown to enjoy the company of the bald hero.

"Let's go!" Genos agrees with a smile before getting up to head out the door.

"It's unnerving to see the 'Demon Cyborg' smile like that." Fubuki shivers while holding her arms together.

The camera pans to a still naked Hammerhead in the woods leaning against a tree and cowering in the face of two individuals. "P-Please... F-Forgive me…"

Hammerhead gets shut up with a punch, leaving him dead for good.

"Pleading for his life after stealing battle suits from the organization? He truly understood nothing." One of the shadowed figures steps out, revealing them to be robots, and speaks with distaste.

"Of course, we did allow the theft to take place in order to collect data from the suits in the field." The other shadowed figure affirms.

"And the body?"

"Leave it."

Surprisingly, none of the people within the room having to do with robotics spoke up on the mysterious organization, causing the rest of the people to become slightly suspicious.

Meanwhile, Genos was silently analyzing every bit of the unknown robots with hatred gleaming in his eyes.

"Thanks for giving me my thick skull… Mommy. I promise I'll get a job!" The somehow alive Hammerhead was playing dead on the dirt floor.

Hammerhead had been saved once again by his thick skull.

"Good lord this guy is actually gonna get a job?" Metal Bat questions in shock. After all, he thought the guy was dead and his story was over.

"I doubt he'd even fit in an office." Child Emperor comments with a snicker. It was quite intriguing to see him survive so many strikes to his head though.

Saitama is shown filling out an application while watching the news in mild interest.

"Our guest today is Mr. Majimeda, an expert on the labor issues confronting young people today.

"Thank you for having me."

"Wait, they brought another wacko for the news?" Metal Bat questioned incredulously while scratching the back of his head.

"Why are you surprised? They bring anyone onto their news stations as long as it gives them a good hook." Zombie Man sighs while making a hooking motion with his finger. He'd been asked to come onto so many T.V programs and it always got tiresome.

"As we saw with the Paradiser incident recently, there's an increase in young people who lack all motivation to work. Can you comment on this phenomenon?"

"I'm not so different…" Saitama ponders to himself.

"Even in the case of the Paradisers, I think they've been influenced by irresponsible lyrics in popular songs like 'Don't Give Up on Your Dreams' and 'Make Your Dreams Come True.'"

"...from those unemployed guys." The bald hero looks down at his application sheet with a blank stare.

"People who believe such hogwash end up making excuses for themselves and become discouraged."

Saitama sighs before looking at his hand. "One wrong step and I could've been one of them."

"Master. Why would you presume such a thing?" Genos questions in confusion while staring at his blank faced teacher.

"I mean I'm not wrong. I could've easily done what they did." Saitama turns to Genos and responds with a tired sigh.

"I believe you have too good of a heart to do so, Sensei." Genos retorts while affirming his thoughts on the matter. His teacher was far too good of a man to fall down the path of villainy.

"What Genos said! You have the marks of a true hero… Even if you think you don't." Mumen Rider comments with a supportive expression.

"I agree with them, Saitama-kun. If anything I believe that what's led you on this path is what makes you who you are. Despite saying that you could have ended up like them, you did not, and that is what's most important." Bang gives his wisdom while stroking his mustache.

"Thanks." Saitama smiles a tiny bit, unable to think of a better response to the kind words of the people around him.

"Ready to go, Master?" Genos calls out as Saitama finishes up his application.

"Y-Yeah."

The screen shuts off and returns to black, eliciting a sigh of sadness at the end of the episode from the theater members.

"So. What did you think?"

"Can't wait to see how the association messed this up." Tatsumaki grumbles sarcastically while glaring at the workers behind her. Specifically Stitch.

"What we've seen so far is impressive and equally as shocking. It goes unsaid that Saitama not being found before this is extremely odd." Fubuki mutters while holding a thinking pose. Her thoughts were clouded with how to obtain such a powerful ally.

"Man rewatching all of this is so weird. I barely remember any of it." Saitama says while scratching his head. His memories were there, just slightly faint.

"So what's the next episode gonna be about?" Metal Bat questions with a hint of excitement hidden in his voice.

"I'm sure it's going to be the test you dummy." Child Emperor calls out at the punk hero who just scowls at the young prodigy.

"Along with the hero association test you will see a glimpse of Saitama's true strength in his bout against his student."

At this, many of the audience become confused and wonder what the screen is talking about.

"Oh I remember that. Genos, you had some cool upgrades. I forgot to mention that. Good job." Saitama says while holding a thumbs up toward his extremely loyal disciple.

"Hai Sensei. Thank you." Genos responds while looking down at his open palms. He was still completely defeated in that bout. Whether his Master didn't see it that way did not matter in this regard. He needed to become even stronger.

Everyone wears curious faces as they begin anticipating this bout of student and teacher.

"Remember, no spoilers. Please use the facilities. We will begin in 5 minutes."

With that, the theater members get up to relieve themselves or sit and talk with others.