Chapter Text
We all know the Story of Saitama, and how he became the strongest hero, but what if he became the strongest through a different method? What if he had a clear goal in mind when he made the decision to become a hero, and what if he when way further than in canon? This is that story.
The streets were bustling on this morning in April, with people walking to and from work. Some looked tired, some looked jubilant, and a few look devastated while holding a box or two in their arms, indicating the obvious firing that had just occurred for them.
But among the crowd was a man who was different from the rest of them. He had no job, and had just been rejected from one once again. He was just looking down, sullen and depressed, he's 24 for god's sake! He shouldn't be struggling to get a job at this age!
As he thinks this, his mind flashes back to his barely scraping by of High School. Literally the lowest grade someone could get, and he'd gotten it. I'm pathetic, he thinks and keeps walking with his head down.
But then he's met with people screaming and running away, completely ignorant as they slam into him on the way. Looking up, he's met with a crab man standing in front of him with a smile of someone who's deranged. He's only wearing underpants and has nipples drawn on his chest in what is obviously a permanent sharpie.
"Wow, you're not running away! Even though you're standing directly in front of me, Crablante! I ate so many crabs that I literally turned into one!" The man just sighs, "I'm too depressed at the moment to turn tail and run. Death doesn't sound too bad right now," he says with his flat gaze piercing through Crablantes like it's nothing.
Crablante tries to laugh off the discomfort he feels, but the man can easily see it. "Wow, you must've just found a job and are already hating the daily grind!" The man shakes his head, "No, quite the opposite in fact. I just got rejected from my 42nd job, and I feel like a complete failure."
Crablante looks at him, his smile shrinking. "I don't like killing people like you. You're exactly what we need in the world, people with ambition and perspective. Plus, I'm on the lookout for another target, the kid who drew these nipples on my chest, a kid with a butt chin, so I'll let you go for now. Hope things get better for you..." The man sighs again, "Saitama."
"Saitama. Good luck out there."
Left completely confused, Saitama just stands there like an idiot before eventually finding his motor functions again and continuing his trek home.
Do I really have what it takes? I don't have a full education, so it's hard to get anywhere. What can I do? He tries to think of a plan to better his chances, but it's interrupted by a soccer ball landing in front of him.
He looks over, only to find the kid Crablante mentioned. At least he thinks so, could be another one, as unlikely as that is. "Hey kid," he turns to look at Saitama, "did you happen to mess with a crab guy? Like drawing nipples on his chest?"
The kid thinks for a moment. "Yeah, he was asleep and my friends dared me to do it, so I did it to be funny." That reply feels like a kick in the lungs, and Saitama silently asks why a hero couldn't conveniently appear to help.
He debates wandering off and just letting nature take its course, but the sudden appearance of Crablante and his better instincts make him dive in and get the kid out of the way. Doing this makes him think about an old childhood dream, the dream of being a hero and saving people.
He looks to Crablante, who smirks the moment he sees him, or to be more specific he's looking at Saitama's eyes. "Your eyes, they've got more life in them than when I last saw you! You've found a passion and are ready to pursue it!" Saitama returns the gesture.
"I am going to be a Hero! I'm going to save people!" He discards his jacket and takes off his tie. "That's if you make it past this fight. I don't intend on losing!" Saitama tries to be the hero he wants to be and rushes Crablante, only to get punched across the small park and into a shed. It doesn't stop him though, and he's back for round two within only a few seconds, feeling more alive than he had in years.
The same thing happens several times, but Saitama has noticed something about Crablante's movements. He's constantly protecting his head, and more importantly his eye stalks. Saitama holds his tie tightly and charges towards the crab monster, who is once again interrupted from killing the kid and swings a powerful punch straight at Saitama's head.
But at the last possible second, Saitama does a front-flip and pushes off Crablante's arm with his aim sending him straight towards the eye of the crab. He prepares to loop the tie around his eye stalk so he could yank it out along with a bunch of guts, at least that's what Saitama was hoping for. But before he makes it there, he's stopped in his tracks and starts floating in mid-air.
"People become more brash everyday. Leave the monster killing to the actual heroes!" A shrill voice yells out from... somewhere. Saitama is just watching as Crablante is crushed into a tiny ball and hurled away at supersonic speeds, and he's dropped to the ground where he barely manages to catch himself.
A green glow then catches his attention and he looks over to find a person who almost looks like a child hovering several feet off the ground. He might've actually mistaken her for a child, if it weren't for the fact that she wasn't wearing pants and had nothing but a skintight dress that frayed out in several directions. It's all so familiar, yet he just can't place it.
"Miss Tatsumaki!" The kid he'd been protecting shouts and runs over. It's then that Saitama remembers exactly who she is; Class S, Rank 2; Tornado of Terror, otherwise known as Tatsumaki. Widely regarded as the third or fourth most powerful hero in the whole Hero Association.
"Why the hell did you draw on his chest?" She demands. "I don't peg you for being smart, but god! Have some common sense!" She then whips her gaze onto Saitama. "Hi. Thanks for the save. Nice to have an actual pro here to save the day. Your ESP worked a lot better than my risky gamble to kill him." He says, only for her to get right in his face with a look of pure rage in her eyes.
"Actual Pro?" She echoes like it was the dumbest thing she ever heard, and Saitama gained a sense that he was not in for a good time. "You mean to say that you actually think you could've killed that monster yourself?" Saitama shrugs in response. "I don't know. My attempt was interrupted by you swooping in." He replies.
Tatsumaki raises herself higher, now looking down on Saitama instead of directly at him. "Well, I'm here to tell you something. Whatever caused you to do that, give it up. Being a hero takes power, and you don't have it. The last thing we need is another pathetic C-Class nobody getting in the way!"
Saitama was shocked, and not so much by Tatsumaki's attitude. He already knew that Tatsumaki was a bit of a bitch, any interviews showed that. No, it was how she was looking down on him, as if he had absolutely no potential to grow and become a great hero in his own right. This thought made Saitama glare up at the Esper.
"You're wrong. I won't be in Class C. I'll join the S-Class! And I'll be so powerful that you won't even know what to do with yourself!" He didn't know where this sense of bravery came from, considering he was standing in front of one of the most powerful people in the world, but he liked it. He made a promise to himself there and then, he would become so powerful that nobody could beat him, and he'd respect the lower classes for the work they put in and change the system!
But Tatsumaki just looked offended that he talked back to her. "HA! As if that will ever happen. Just give up before you end up killing yourself, dumbass!" But Saitama's glare doesn't falter. "I promise you that." He walks over and picks up his jacket from the ground. "Next time we meet, he picks up his briefcase, "I'll be so powerful that not even you can affect me." He then walks off towards his home, all the while thinking do ways to get stronger.
I'll workout, 100- No! That's not enough! 1000 Pushups! 1000 Sit-ups! 1000 Squats! And a 100KM run! Every. Single. Day. I'll even keep the AC and Heat off! That way I can strengthen my mind and spirit! He smirks at the plan and clenches his fist. But then he thinks a little more.
I'll need more than just power to be a great hero, I'll also need to be smart! I'll start studying again, and this time I'll make sure to remember everything! He smiles and looks to the sky.
"Just you wait, Tatsumaki! 'Cause I'm coming to put you in your place!"