Near the Finish Line
"97...98...99...100!" Saitama panted and got up from his push-ups, his body covered in sweat. He grabbed his water from the nightstand and took a sip. Then, he swiftly picked up fresh clothes, left his sweaty ones in the washing machine, and headed for a shower.
Ever since his eviction from his apartment, Saitama relocated to City Z's Ghost Town, infamous for its monster infestation. Fortunately, he managed to find a new apartment, which was larger than the original. This one had two bedrooms, a living room connected with the kitchen and a balcony. And he doesn't have to pay rent.
Once he finished showering and drying off, Saitama trailed his finger over the scar on his left cheek. The hospital said it would fade in a few years, but truthfully, he didn't mind if they remained.
They made him look like a badass.
He quickly put on his tracksuit, with his hero outfit hidden beneath it. Leaving his apartment, he was ready to continue his training and begin his daily patrol. An ear-to-ear smile adorned his face as he started running, causing the ground to crack beneath him. The wind rushed against him, the world turning into a blur around his peripheral vision, but he didn't mind at all.
Woooooo! That's so fucking amazing! According to his calendar, today marked the three hundredth day of his training. Around that time, his power had started to rapidly grow. He could now complete his training in a matter of minutes, and the heat and cold no longer bothered him as much.
He raced past vehicles, buses, startling pedestrians and animals with his speed. To them, it was a blue blur passing them. He tensed, leaped, flew over the structure, then landed and kept running. His grin never faded.
Next, he hopped onto the tallest building he could find, perched on the edge, relishing the city view. He had never felt freer than before, from his mundane and difficult past life until now.
Saitama was truly living the dream.
But alas, all beautiful moments must come to an end. Saitama saw a semi-truck fly through the air and land on the roof of a building. Looks like monsters are being naughty today. He smirked. Quickly changing into his hero costume and jumping.
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"AHHHH- HELP SOMEONE HELP!"
"IT'S A MONSTER!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES EVERYBODY!"
"WAAAAH!!"
"I'M TAKING THE CHANCE AND ROBBING THE STORE!"
In the middle of the street, there stood a monster. It was an enormous, burly man with a shiny bald head adorned with markings. Sporting dark sunglasses, red boxing gloves, and sturdy boots, he yelled, "Woah! I'm so strong! Just look at how strong my punches are!" as he hit a semi-truck, sending it flying.
"Ahahahahah! I shadow punched the ceiling light pull cord of my room so much that I turned into a monster with the disaster level 'God'!" The monster continued punching everything in its path.
Monster: Personification Of A Light Pull Cord
Threat level: God (Tiger)
"Hah, punching that truck wasn't enough. I need to punch something else. Something alive!" He scanned the area and spotted a young woman trapped under debris, blood seeping from her leg as she cried out in pain.
The monster chuckled as it approached her, "There you are! You shall by m- pfuvni?!" Blood sprayed from the monster's mouth and nose. W- wha? At first, he was confused until he felt the excruciating pain radiating from his solar plexus.
Looking down, the monster saw a hand covered in blood sticking out. A voice from behind said, "Sorry, can't let you do that. Go punch something else." He was lifted into the air, intensifying the pain before being thrown into a building, shattering the concrete and ending up inside.
Personification felt pain all over its body, with purple blood gushing from the hole in its stomach. It could even see some of its intestines hanging out. Its vision started to darken, feeling the cold spread through its body.
All hope seemed lost for him, but he refused to go out like this, to die from a cheap shot without ever mustering any resistance. With all of it's strength, he forced himself to stand up, screaming from the agonizing pain. Leaning on a wall, he looked towards the trapped woman.
He saw a bald man wearing a yellow one-piece suit with a short zipper at the collar, a belt, and matching red knee-high boots and gloves. The hero wiped away his blood on his cape while tending to the injured woman.
"You," the hero's presence felt like venom to him, his body trembled with rage. "I don't care how long it would take, or how hard it would be. But, I will be back. And when I do, I will kill you." He promised himself before retreating.
After all, his revenge can't kick off the floor if he dies.
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That's disgusting. Why did I do that? Saitama wiped the monster blood with his cape. He always wanted to experience the sensation of ramming his hand through something, but entertainment media really downplay the amount of gore and blood.
Heck, some of it got into his mouth!
"Shhh, it's fine. I'm here. Nobody is gonna hurt you," he knelt down and reassured the woman as he removed the debris from on top of her. Saitama examined her injuries, noticing multiple cuts and bruises, as well as what appeared to be broken legs.
"Listen, the ambulance will arrive soon. Just hang in there," he said before surveying the area. Spotting a building with a gaping hole, he entered and found a room filled with blood and a trail.
Following the trail outside through a window into an alley, he found it leading to an open manhole cover. "He survived that long? How?" Saitama muttered incredulously. Whether human or monster, no one should have been able to survive such an injury, let alone crawl away from it.
bah, no way he'll survive in the sewers. His intestines were spilling out for god's sake, he would die soon. Saitama scratched his head as he walked towards the exit. Sirens blaring in the distance. He Checked the time on his phone but then he noticed something.
He found a cluster of hair stuck between his fingers. His heart sank.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded in the distance. Saitama turned and saw smoke rising. Without hesitation, he ran towards the scene. He would think about that strand of hair later.
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(A/N)
Apologies for the delay, I've been dealing with a lot of university work lately. The upcoming chapter will conclude the Prologue (Pre-bald arc). I decided to write it this way instead of immediately delving into the show to showcase the main character's development, backstory, and lay the groundwork for future plot points.
Thank for your patience everybody.