One Laugh Man

"…the Tiger-level threat in F-City continues to cause traffic delays in and out of the city as police and local heroes converge upon the criminal," the female news anchor read through the prompter. "The Hero Association recommends that anyone traveling to the city plan accordingly for significant interruptions."

"This just in…we have live helicopter footage of the threat in question as they flee from the police," the woman's male co-anchor reported as aerial footage of F-City's streets appeared on the TV screen. "As you can see, the criminal is fleeing in that purple vehicle down there and is tossing some sort of can that contains a chemical weapon behind him as he drives. A squad car was hit by one of the cans, and what you're seeing now are the after effects…"

Saitama raised an eyebrow from his reclined perch on the apartment floor as his Television screen showed a crashed police car, where the two cops in the front seat appeared dead with wide, disturbing smiles on their faces. The footage cut back to a sporty, dark-purple muscle car maneuvering widely around F-City's streets, where the two remaining squad cars on its tail were held back as the person in the driver's seat tossed back another grenade-like object that promptly exploded into a poison-green gas on the road. The pursuing chopper's camera zoomed in on the purple car, where the crazed driver's face became visible.

"A clown monster?" Saitama thought to himself as he looked up the pale-faced, green-haired, and wildly-grinning man who madly steered his vehicle through a busy intersection. Despite being closely chased by the police, the man appeared to be laughing wildly, as if he was having the time of his life.

"I'm getting reports the C-Class hero, Walking Sponge, has arrived on the scene and is going to try and stop the car!" the woman anchor exclaimed. "T-there, I see him now!"

The purple car slowed to a screeching halt as a large, wide man blocked the road using his yellow, fluffy, sponge-like costume.

"It seems as though Walking Sponge is demanding that the criminal exit his vehicle, and…oh no!! The maniac driver has just thrown one of his gas bombs at the poor hero," the male anchor cried in horror. "H-he's laughing, he's laughing while holding his throat! What does this heinous weapon do to people?"

"Well, I guess I'll go," Saitama said casually as he cracked his knuckles and had a good stretch as he stood up. Heading to his bedroom closet, the bald man reached for his iconic yellow and white-caped hero costume and swiftly put it on.

The trip from Z-City to F-City was incredibly quick due to his breakneck speed, and before long, Saitama arrived in an alleyway in the area where the police chase was taking place. Leisurely strolling out onto the now-empty street, he raised one of his red-gloved hands to shield his vision from the sun, where he was able to make out a speeding car heading in his direction. Rolling his back as he raised his fist, the bald-headed hero prepared to deliver the single punch that would put an end to the maniac driver's reign of terror, where he waited patiently until the hurtling purple vehicle was around a kilometer from where he was standing. In one swift motion, Saitama delivered a single blow straight at it.

A second later, a horrific scraping noise echoed over the area as the car appeared to have hit an invisible wall as Saitama's devastatingly-powerful punch reduced it to scrap metal, where what was left of it careened off the road and crashed with a heap. Swiftly leaping over to the smoldering wreckage, the bald hero peered inside and was horrified to see the blood-splattered within.

"HAHAHAHAHA- aack, dammit, officer, couldn't you have just written me a speeding ticket?" the pale-faced man laughed despite his evident pain, the clown makeup on his face running down his cheeks to join fresh splatters of blood that were all over his dingy, purple bow-tied suit.

"I-I'm sorry, I thought you were a clown monster," Saitama stammered with embarrassment as blood continued to run down the criminal's head. "I don't normally give regular Humans a full-powered punch."

"HAHAHAHAHA well just my luck then, the first hero actually worth my time in this universe goes and kills me before I could even play with him," the clown continued to laugh as he looked down at his mangled arm, which was pinned to his side from the crushed dashboard. "Say, I think you destroyed that teleport cube-thing that I stole from StarLabs. HAHAHAHAHA I hope they have cross-dimensional insurance!"

"Um, I'll get you to the hospital," Saitama said as he offered his hand to the bloody villain. "Just don't be evil again. Being a bad guy doesn't pay."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA this guy, I'm dying here!" the clown continued, still laughing. His face suddenly froze for a second, as if in deep thought, before resuming his stupid grin. "Well, I was saving this for a certain bat boy, but I guess it might be funny to use on you. Here, come closer, help me up!"

Lurching forward, Saitama clasped the injured man's free hand with his own, though just as he attempted to put him out of the wreck, the clown suddenly bit down on one of his own teeth, resulting in a loud pop. Before the hero could react, the bloodied man breathed a peculiar green mist right into his bald face.

"Gross, what was that?!" Saitama gasped as he held his nose and fanned the air around his face.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA I won't tell, but let's just say, this stuff ought to put a smile on your face!" the clown snickered cruelly. "HAHAHAHAH tell me, caped weirdo, who are you?"

"My name is Saitama, and I'm just a hero for fun," the bald hero replied, before extending his hand again. "Now here, let me help you up."

"HAHAHAHAH just a hero for fun? What the crap is that? HAHAHAHA" the clown exclaimed, before his breathing began to slow. "Haha…hehehe…oof. They call me 'The Joker' where I'm from, and I bet they'll get a kick out of you once you transform. Here, let me introduce you to a little place that the stiffs at Prime Earth call "Earth-28077".

Before Saitama could react, the Joker fell back in his seat, apparently dead. His other hand going limp, a peculiar grey cube dropped out of it and began to glow blue and in a bright flash of light, the car wreck, the clown's corpse, and Saitama were all teleported out of the reality.