Chapter Text
All it took was a flick of the wrist. The wide-eyed, slack-jawed monster could barely let out a yelp as it began to contort in midair, spinning and spinning until it was blended into ribbons. Then the green aura encompassing it dissipated, letting the remains plop onto the street below in a heap. Sprinkled with blood and viscera, the townspeople cheered on as the esper Tatsumaki flew overhead, too focused to even spare them a glance. After all, she had bigger fish to fry.
A demon-level threat had been reported in City M. While she normally didn’t bother with the monster rabble, Tatsumaki found herself in a rather delicate situation. Dealing with the Monster Association, and then dueling with that jerkwad baldy, left her more damaged than she would like to admit. She had two options if she wanted to recuperate in a timely manner: stay at home and recover, or settle for the demon and tiger-level threats. The choice was obvious.
Down below, a flicker of movement caught her eye. She pointed a finger, and yet another monster was ripped to shreds, its pleas for mercy quashed before they could even be heard. Letting out a dissatisfied sigh, Tatsumaki banked around a high-rise. A giant, multi-headed rat really shouldn’t be this difficult to find. Suddenly, a resounding applause from below caught her attention. Shifting into a dive, the esper descended to investigate.
A crowd of civilians cheered on as a hero squared off with, what Tatsumaki could only describe as, a tiny spec of a monster. Threat-level wolf at best, the creature resembled a person with their arms and legs sticking out of a recycling bin. As it shrieked a battle cry, the lid swung open and all manner of things were spewed forth like bullets. The hero managed to dodge the barrage, but in the most inelegant way imaginable. Honestly, it looked more like he just happened to tumble his way to safety.
What is this guy doing?
“Behold! Behold how powerful this city’s hideous wastefulness has made me! All of my weapons are made out of the garbage and recyclables you’ve so carelessly discarded into the wrong bin! Tremble as your sins come back to haunt you!” Tatsumaki couldn’t take the pitiful thing seriously. She shifted her attention towards the hero, who was sporting a surprisingly casual getup consisting of a plaid button-up, jeans, and trucker hat.
NOW, hero, while it’s monologuing. It’s the perfect time to…
Tatsumaki did a double take.
Wait… is he catching his breath!?
Sure enough, the hero was breathing heavily and clutching his chest. Slowly, a frantic heartbeat was becoming more and more audible. This just riled up the audience even more.
“No, King! You don’t have to hold back!”
“Yeah, let the King’s engine roar!”
“Beat it up! Show it who’s boss!”
EH!? King!? What the-?
Her interest now piqued, Tatsumaki began circling overhead until she was able to catch a glimpse of King’s unique facial scar. Although he held his usual poker face, beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead and his knees were shaking ever so slightly. He was clearly tired, and it was just ridiculous. Tatsumaki puffed in a large gulp of air.
“ENOUGH STALLING! Just kill it already!”
Her unmistakable, shrill voice caused him to jump practically two feet into the air. “GAHAHA! Now you’re mine!” Using the momentary distraction to its advantage, the monster charged straight at King. Its lid opened to reveal a pair of furious, bloodshot eyes just before it released another spray of garbage. Now in a panic, King regained his footing and clumsily sidestepped the attack. The creature grinded to halt, apparently lacking the dexterity to make sharp turns. Before it could even look back, King used the momentary cease fire to tackle it from behind. The impact was just enough to cause the creature to stumble– right onto a discarded can. Its previous attack now backfiring, the monster fumbled and slipped over a variety of items before finally crashing into the ground face first. The sharp crack of plastic rang out, and a pool of blood began to ooze out from underneath the poor creature.
The onlookers whooped and hollered in excitement. Tatsumaki could only gape.
What in the actual hell was that?
Tatsumaki had always been under the impression that King was serious and methodical in his hero work. True, she’d never actually seen him in battle, but his accomplishments and stoic demeanor had been enough to earn her respect. This opinion felt especially justified whenever he stood alongside the other S-class blowhards in comparison.
But this guy was a joke. Tatsumaki didn’t know if he was just having a bad day or what, but he was definitely going to get a piece of her mind. Conveniently, King was already staring straight at her with eyes as big as golf balls, completely numb to the enthusiastic chants around him. She sucked in another gulp of air.
Without warning, the cheering died down and suddenly morphed into pandemonium. Powerful tremors racked the streets, scattering the civilians as they searched for something to grab onto before inevitably toppling over. The magnitude rapidly multiplied until something reached the pavement and began to push upwards. Slowly, the street lifted until a giant rat head burst through the asphalt with an ear-splitting wail. Car alarms, sirens, and the unfortunate souls nearest the creature wailed right along with it. Tatsumaki gritted her teeth and clasped her ears in annoyance. King did the same, his own scream lost in the ghastly cacophony.
It felt like an eternity before the monster went silent. Two massive claws gripped the edges of the uprooted pavement as it hefted itself partially out of the hole. Unlike a normal rat, this thing’s paws were armed with nails like rusty barbed wire. It sniffed the air and almost immediately locked its beady red eyes onto King. Tatsumaki watched the color drain away from his face. He looked up to her with pleading eyes, but the esper simply placed one hand on her hip and gestured with the other as if to say, “after you”. Shaking like a leaf, King robotically turned to face the behemoth. Its head was lowered and its shoulders were tense, clearly indicative of an incoming pounce. Of course, it’s foolish to assume any monster would operate logically.
Instead, the head itself shot forward like a bullet, its neck stretching like elastic. The rat’s jaws unhinged to reveal endless rows of crooked, yellow teeth as it surged towards King. Tatsumaki eyed him with interest, curious as to what battle stance he would take. He didn’t budge.
Well? On with it “World’s Strongest Man”!
The rat thundered towards him, tendrils of drool beginning to string across its gnarly fangs. Now standing at attention, King clenched his fists. A pit began to form in Tatsumaki’s stomach.
What are you doing!?
He closed his eyes and knitted his brow, as if to brace himself…
… for just a moment. Right when the monster was upon him, his eyes shot open. He whirled around to face her, letting out a desperate, “TORNADO!”
Shit! Shitshitshit he’s not kidding!
Not a second too soon, Tatsumaki whipped her arm to the right, telekinetically yanking King just out of harm’s way. Right when she did, an alarm bell went off in her head.
Hold on. This can’t be ri-
The overgrown rodent let out another unholy screech, clearly displeased that its meal was stolen. It lifted its head, adopting the position of a hostile snake. Her train of thought could wait. Tatsumaki pointed her remaining hand towards the mange-infested head looming atop an earthworm-like neck. With a crunch of her fist, the creature’s skull let out a marvelous crack. It squished like a deflating balloon until it was condensed into a perfectly circular ball of meat. Then it fell to the floor, leaving the thrashing neck to spurt blood like an out-of-control sprinkler.
Tatsumaki let out a pouty, “Hmph!” As always, defeating the monster was child’s play. She then turned her attention to King, who was still safely clutched in her telekinetic grip. He simply stared in quiet horror as the decapitated neck twisted to and fro in agony. So understandably, when he noticed that Tatsumaki’s gaze was currently cast upon himself, his expression became even more terrified.
Good. He should be pissing his pants right now if he’s actually-
Four more wails filled the air as more rat heads erupted from the underground tunnel. Fur bristling, each one was pumped up with adrenaline and ready to wreak havoc.
Oh… right.
Mentally kicking herself, Tatsumaki used her remaining hand to yet again take out the trash. However, due to the heads’ erratic movement, she only managed to capture two of them. The other two coiled up, ready to snipe their first meals. There was no avoiding it. Tatsumaki released King and aimed both her index and middle fingers at the remaining heads. No longer in the mood for theatrics, she simply flicked both wrists. All four heads were simultaneously blended into confetti, resulting in four more wriggling, blood-spouting fountains. The devastation truly lived up to her hero name: the Tornado of Terror. Soon enough, screaming shifted to cheering as the citizens took notice of her victory. Cute as it was, she had more pressing matters to deal with. She once again looked towards King.
…
Where did he go!?
Craning her neck in every direction yielded no clues. He might as well have vanished in a puff of smoke. Tatsumaki descended even closer to the ground just in case she missed something. It proved to be the wrong choice since civilians immediately began flocking to her.
“Thank you, Miss Tornado!” They all praised her with faces of pure relief and gratitude. Some were covered in dust, some had tear-stained cheeks, and some were bleeding from minor scratches. Even so, they were all smiling to the point of almost laughing. Tatsumaki merely huffed in response. Normally, she avoided putting herself into these types of situations. It was unnecessary. But perhaps this time, she could make use of her predicament. She turned to the closest admirer and cut him off mid-sentence.
“Hey you!” The simple statement came out like a sergeant’s bark to a private. His back stiffened like a board and his smile turned crooked. It was one thing to speak at the Tornado of Terror, but being spoken to was a whole other ballgame. He affirmed his attention with a nod. “Do you know where King went?”
“Ah!” He looked surprised for a moment before his eyes lit up like stars. “So you were working together! That’s awesome!” The rest of the crowd promptly adopted his enthusiasm, their fervent murmurs steadily increasing in volume. Tatsumaki had to quiet them down before her voice was lost in the chatter.
“Don’t go making assumptions! I’m the one looking after him!” The correction did not have the intended effect. Instead, everyone became even more animated. Tatsumaki gripped her forehead in frustration before shooting the same man an icy glare. “Just tell me where he went!”
Quick as a whip, the man pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. “I didn’t actually see him, but I was avoiding downtown since it’s a battlefield right now. He probably left to help the other heroes.” With a roll of her eyes, Tatsumaki immediately zipped off in the opposite direction. Dumbfounded, the man simply watched her shrink into the distance as his fellow onlookers let out groans of disappointment.
It didn’t take long for one of the city’s scenic parks to come into view. Due to the current state of emergency, the park was devoid of any visitors. The sole exception was a runaway hero desperate for a hiding spot. Honestly, Tatsumaki might’ve missed him underneath the dense summer treetops if his famous King’s engine hadn’t given him away. Target now acquired, she crashed through the canopy like a spear, sending countless leaves into the air.
“Gyaaaaah!!!” The leaf explosion caused King to spring forward with all of his might. This resulted in him somersaulting down the walkway until finally coming to a halt with a full body splat. Before he could even look up, Tatsumaki was already hovering before him. A single twitch of her finger brought him right back on his feet. As a rule, Tatsumaki refrained from using her abilities on people unless they picked a fight or required saving. However, she needed to confirm her previous assumption. Now she was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt.
“What’s a nobody like you doing in S-class? Hell, what are you even doing as a hero!?” The questions came out fast and without warning, catching King completely off guard. For a few seconds, he simply gaped at her in disbelief. Even with her small stature, cutesy features, and bouncy green curls, Tatsumaki exuded a terribly frightening aura. King almost seemed to be paralyzed by it, but after a loud gulp, he actually produced a breathy response.
“How did you figure it out?”
It was Tatsumaki’s turn to gape. While she was searching for him, she’d imagined their conversation going several different ways: vehement denial, bartering for her to remain quiet, or maybe even an attempt at blackmail. An instantaneous fold was not one of them, and that somehow made her even angrier.
“When I saved you from that rat monster, you idiot!” She floated towards King threateningly, which caused him to start backing away in turn. “You felt just as weak as every other person I’ve saved! So? What’s the deal then!?”
King opened his mouth, but failed to produce any words. His eyes darted to the side, searching for an acceptable explanation. He didn’t find one fast enough.
“Are you some kind of creep trying to get close to heroes? Maybe a journalist or a spy, sent to get the inside scoop on the Association? Do you get your jollies deceiving people or seeing just how far you can take a lie?”
“N-No!” He finally retorted, eliciting a growl from Tatsumaki. It caused him to shrink back, but even so, he firmly held her gaze. “I never meant for this to happen…” That answer made the esper spit fire.
“Bullshit! Liar!! Creep!!! No way this is unintentional! You’ve been a hero for months!” Clearly overwhelmed, King shakily raised his hands up in defense. “What, you haven’t got your fill yet? Is that what this was, a ploy for attention?” At that, King recoiled as if an invisible hand had just slapped him across his face. The reaction didn’t go unnoticed, and Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Oh, I see! That has to be it! If it wasn’t, you would’ve come clean by now! Unbelievable!!! You could’ve done it at any time, but you didn’t!” As Tatsumaki continued her onslaught, she could hear King’s breaths coming out more and more rapidly. Despite that, she didn’t let up. “Do you have any idea how big this is?” He was sweating profusely now. “What will happen if you get found out?” Hands once placed up as barriers began to buckle. “Did you ever stop to-”
“ENOUGH!!!” The command was so unexpectedly powerful that it halted Tatsumaki in her tracks. “I know! I know!!!” King clasped the sides of his head, nails digging into his scalp ever so slightly. “Just…” It was then that he caught himself. He exhaled, and the fire fled from his voice. “I… I’ll tell you everything. Just… please stop. I don’t need to be reminded. I know all that already…”
Tatsumaki watched as his hands slowly fell to his sides.
King took a long breath.
“I… I never took the hero exam. I never even planned on becoming one. I just received an S-class certificate in the mail one day.” Tatsumaki raised a skeptical eyebrow, which caused King to grow momentarily frantic again. “R-Really! I know it sounds crazy, but I was getting the credit for defeating a bunch of high-level monsters that were never officially reported. I always just… happened to be in the area.” He paused, and then an ashamed look enveloped his face. “I know it was wrong of me, but I… I didn’t correct them. I accepted the position. I’ve never been one to attract attention. Not any good attention anyway, so when the opportunity came up I… I couldn’t help myself.” Tatsumaki reeled back in disgust.
“Pathetic. You really are a creep.” A stony look overcame King. He sighed knowingly before continuing.
“People started recognizing me. I was getting gifts and being asked to sign autographs. It was really nice, for maybe a week. But then I somehow received credit for defeating a really high-profile monster, and my popularity skyrocketed! I couldn’t believe how fast it happened. Before I knew it, crowds were hounding me. I couldn’t even go shopping without getting mobbed! I wanted to quit, really, but I couldn’t bring myself to because…” He trailed off.
“What?” she asked sharply, demanding a quick answer. “Why couldn’t you!?”
“I was scared, OK!?” The exclamation came out as a confession rather than a defense. “I was too scared and waited too long to fess up and now… now it can’t be fixed.”
“Of course it can! In fact, it’s pretty simple!” Tatsumaki waved her hand dismissively. “You just call up the Hero Association and tell them-”
“- and tell them what?” The question came out in a surprisingly level tone. Quivering, King continued, “I’d be rejected by the entire world.”
“Well, it’ll just get worse the longer you take to do something. So what’s the point in waiting? Or did you honestly expect your little secret to be kept forever?”
King’s face went blank for a moment, and then morphed into something truly startling. “Never.” The word was stated severely, as if it were the final verdict of a trial. Tatsumaki felt goosebumps race up her spine. He was smiling, and yet… why was it so unsettling? She supposed it was to be expected, seeing how his features intimidated every other person and monster on the planet. But it wasn’t just that. “Oh, I was dreading that day. Every single morning, I woke up expecting my luck to run out. Trust me, I’ve tried to fix it. But it’s like a cruel joke. No one will train me; they’re either too scared or convinced that I’m just being humble.” His voice came out in a shaky chuckle, like even he couldn’t believe the absurdity of it all. “Training in my apartment just isn’t enough. But I can’t go anywhere without being recognized. The fans won’t leave me alone and I’m a beacon for monster attacks. And whenever I defend myself, my reputation just gets bolstered even more! I swear, this luck, or whatever it is that’s protecting me, is also killing me.” The chuckling subsided, leaving only a solemn voice to pick up where it left off. “I know it’s all going to crash down at some point. I never intended for it to get this bad. I…I thought a big, hungry monster was the only solution at this point but… well, you saw how that went.” At this point, he was on the verge of tears. But that mockery of a smile remained. He’d resigned himself to the cruel whims of fate.
And Tatsumaki hated it.
Hated it!
Hated it because it reminded her of-
No. Don’t you dare go back there.
“So, that’s it? You were planning on training up before you got exposed so you could meet everyone’s expectations?” Tatsumaki let out an exasperated huff that lowered the intensity of the conversation a few notches. “That’s like trying to write a thesis the night before it’s due. It’s impossible to catch up no matter how fast you work.”
King somberly gazed at her for longer than she would have liked. Yet, she didn’t know what to say to break the silence. Thankfully, he did it for her. “Honestly, I don’t know what I expected to accomplish. I just felt like I needed to do something. The universe can only play the same joke for so long before getting bored.” That wry smile still stretched across his lips. Tatsumaki grimly realized it was there because he could only laugh at his inevitable demise. Any other reaction would be too horrible to bear. “I will admit though,” piped up King, catching Tatsumaki’s attention. “It does feel nice to tell someone all of this.” She folded her arms and eyed him with feigned disinterest.
“Oh yeah? Well, it shouldn’t. Don’t go expecting me to do your job for you by telling everyone about this. This is your mess.” The air went still, and then King looked at her with the happiest eyes she’d seen all day. They normally tapered downward, giving him a sad, puppy-dog look. But that sparkle in them…
“You’re not going to tell anyone?” His normally deep voice sounded light, like his troubles had been temporarily lifted from his shoulders. Tatsumaki caught herself staring, and quickly retorted.
“That’s what I just said isn’t it!? To be honest, I expected this conversation to be way more interesting than it actually was. You’re just too much of a wuss to make a decent case for yourself. Just go back to your house, or apartment, or whatever. I’ll deal with the rest of the monsters.” For the first time during their exchange, Tatsumaki noticed the King’s engine slowing down steadily before finally resting into a quiet, healthy rhythm. His face still appeared incredulous, but everything else pointed to him being at peace.
Not on my watch.
“Well?” she snapped, causing the previously scattered leaves to rise up and point towards King like readied daggers. “Get on with it, you idiot!” Taking the hint, King zipped right back the way he came. The leafy swarm gave chase, jostling him every so often to pick up the pace. Tatsumaki watched thoughtfully until he disappeared around a bend. Then, with a sigh, she lifted into the sky and took off.