The Meteor and the Unseen Rival

The skies over City Z darkened, casting a shadow over the streets below. Azar had been walking through the city, the day feeling typical, even mundane, when suddenly an unfamiliar, overwhelming energy caught his attention. He looked up to see what at first appeared to be a massive, ominous shadow growing larger by the second. It wasn't until he noticed the civilians screaming and scrambling in a panic that he realized the scale of the threat—a colossal meteor was hurtling directly toward the city.

Azar's eyes widened slightly, his pulse quickening. Even with his immense strength, the sheer scale of the meteor was intimidating. The impact would level the city, and for a moment, he weighed his options. While the devastation might not affect him personally, it would certainly disrupt his plans if City Z were wiped off the map.

He was contemplating his next move when a blur of movement shot past him. He barely registered it—a man in a bright yellow suit, sprinting toward the point where the meteor was set to collide with the earth.

"What's this guy doing?" Azar muttered, watching with curiosity. As he followed the figure with his gaze, he suddenly felt an aura of power unlike anything he had sensed before. It was raw, overwhelming, yet carried with it a strange simplicity, as if this person wielded their strength without any sense of grandeur or ambition.

The man leapt into the air, and before Azar could fully process what was happening, the figure threw a single punch at the meteor. A deafening boom resounded across the city as the meteor shattered into countless pieces, the shockwave rattling buildings and sending Azar a step backward.

When the dust settled, all that remained of the meteor were fragments, raining down harmlessly across the landscape. The city had been saved. And standing amid the debris, unbothered by the astonished onlookers, was the man in the yellow suit.

Azar narrowed his eyes, an intense curiosity taking root within him. This guy just shattered a meteor with one punch? He could feel the residual force from the punch lingering in the air, as though the man's strength had left an invisible mark on the very fabric of space.

The hero in yellow, unphased by the destruction around him, merely dusted himself off, looking more annoyed than anything. Azar noticed a few heroes nearby—the cyborg from earlier, Genos, looking awestruck at the figure of his sensei.

Azar stayed hidden, watching from a distance as Genos addressed the man. Although he couldn't make out all the words, he could sense the reverence in Genos' voice, the awe with which he looked at the hero who had just performed what should have been an impossible feat.

Azar's intrigue deepened. This guy… he's on a completely different level, he thought, but rather than intimidation, he felt a spark of exhilaration. For the first time since he'd been reincarnated, Azar had encountered someone who might represent a genuine challenge. Someone who, at the very least, had strength worth observing—and, perhaps, one day matching.

He continued to watch as the crowd gathered, civilians and heroes alike, some bowing in gratitude, others merely gawking. But as Saitama stood there with his deadpan expression, it became clear that he felt no need to revel in the adoration of the onlookers. His demeanor was calm, detached—so much so that Azar wondered if Saitama even realized the magnitude of what he'd done.

The thrill of a potential rival stirred within Azar. Yet this wasn't a rivalry born out of resentment or disdain. This was something else, something he hadn't expected to feel: genuine curiosity. He saw in Saitama a depth of power, a kind of raw, effortless strength that defied logic. It was a power he felt compelled to understand, to watch and—perhaps someday—test himself against.

As the crowd began to disperse, Azar melted into the shadows, keeping his distance but trailing Saitama. For now, his interest was purely observational. He wasn't ready for a confrontation, not yet. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this bald, unassuming hero might hold the key to unlocking even greater power. There was something about the simplicity with which Saitama had acted, the unflinching confidence, that left Azar both impressed and hungry for more.

He smirked to himself. If this guy can casually destroy a meteor, then who knows what else he can do? Azar's path had been singularly focused until now, driven by his own desire for strength. But meeting Saitama introduced a new possibility—a figure who might not only be a challenge but a potential source of insight, maybe even rivalry.

And so, Azar decided he'd watch Saitama, for now from a distance, gathering whatever he could about this man who walked around with the kind of power that could shatter planets. In this unassuming hero, he had found a beacon of strength to pursue, a target in his endless climb to the top.

"Maybe you'll be the one," he murmured to himself, a grin spreading across his face as he disappeared back into the alleys of City Z.