Lights, Camrea, Action
In a large hospital room, Fubuki is lying on the bed with bandages covering her whole body. The only parts of Fubuki’s body not covered are her eyes and mouth. Fubuki groans as she wakes up to see a white ceiling, and memories of Garou’s ambush come rushing back to her. The pain she feels on her body is nothing compared to the pain she feels inside.
All her life she has wanted to surpass her sister, but she instead got defeated and humiliated by a human calling himself a monster. To say her ego and confidence is destroyed is an understatement. Tears flow down her cheek and soak into the bandages as she begins to silently cry to herself. She mutters, “I’m not… strong enough.”
The door to her room opens and two people walk in. Fubuki manages to see that the two who came were surprisingly Saitama and Genos.
“Oh! Hey, Fubuki.Good to see you awake.” Saitama said.
“Saitama? What are you doing here?” Fubuki asked.
Genos answers, “We heard about your injuries, and we decided to check on you.”
Saitama looks over Fubuki’s body and says, “You really got banged up, didn’t you?”
Fubuki looks away in shame before Saitama reaches in the grocery bag he is carrying and asks, “You want a banana?”
“N… No, thank you. I’m fine.” Fubuki said.
As Saitama puts the banana away, Fubuki looks at him and feels happy that Saitama came to see her. She believes that maybe Saitama actually does care for her as a friend. In actuality, Saitama just wanted to say ‘hi’ and ‘hope you get well’ and that was it. To Saitama, Fubuki is more of an acquaintance instead of a friend since Fubuki doesn’t stop bugging him about joining her group.
“How are the rest of my group doing?” Fubuki asked.
Genos answers, “From what the doctors say, your group sustained heavy injuries. Some of them may not be able to be heroes again.”
Fubuki grimaces and says, “This is my fault. I should’ve been more prepared for Garou.”
“Well, you can try again next time.” Saitama said as he eats the banana he offered earlier.
“Perhaps. But… Garou’s strength was unlike anything I’ve seen.” Fubuki said.
“This V2-52 he’s wearing is truly a powerful weapon.” Fubuki said.
“Indeed. The other heroes are on high alert now, and they will now be going in groups of three.” Genos said.
“Heh. I’m not sure that’s enough—” Fubuki cuts herself off when she senses a familiar presence nearby.
“So now she decides to show up.” Fubuki said before the door flings open and gets embedded into the wall.
A small midget woman with a green glow surrounding her floats in and looks at Fubuki. Though she’s trying not to show too much emotion, it’s clear that she’s angry at Fubuki’s condition.
“Hi, sister.” Fubuki said as she greets her sister.
Tatsumaki floats to Fubuki’s bedside before grasping her hand and asking, “How are you feeling?”
“Bad. But… I think I can still be a hero when I recover.” Fubuki said.
Tatsumaki’s grip on Fubuki’s hand tightens as she says through gritting teeth, “I told you that your little group wasn’t strong enough to protect you. Only I can.”
“Sister, they tried. Garou was just stronger than I thought.” Fubuki said.
“Still, you should’ve just ran away, or… something! Why didn’t you run away?!” Tatsumaki yelled as she tries to hold in tears.
This is the first time Fubuki has seen her sister broken up this much before she mutters, “Sister.”
Fubuki holds Tatsumaki's hand tightly as Tatsumaki returns the jester. Then, all the items in the room begin to float around with a green aura around them while the building shakes. Genos is put on edge as Tatsumaki does this while Saitama doesn’t really pay any mind to it. Tatsumaki’s hair then rises as her face darkens.
She was supposed to protect Fubuki, to protect her little sister. But now… her sister got hurt because she wasn’t there. Because she wasn’t there to protect her and ensure her safety. The only thing Tatsumaki can think of is the one person who put Fubuki in this state. Garou.
“I swear. When I find Garou… I’m going to TEAR HIM TO PIECES!!!” Tatsumaki yells as things start flying across the room. The building shakes from Tatsumaki’s rage as Genos gets sent flying into a wall. Saitama panics when Genos gets impeded into a wall and tries to pull him out. The force of Tatsumaki’s rage is sent rippling throughout the city they are in and everyone feels it.
At Garou’s apartment. Garou is doing some pushups while shirtless when he feels Tatsumaki’s rage and stops. He feels a shiver run down his spine from feeling that much rage. Garou pieces together that it’s probably Tatsumaki since no one else on the planet with telekinesis is that strong. Garou thinks to himself, Looks like Terrible Tornado saw what I did to her sister. She’ll no doubt come for me, now.
Garou goes back to doing pushups while thinking of another hero to hunt. I’ve already taken down Blizzard, so no one in B-Class will be worth my time. Maybe a few A-Class heroes? Nah. They’ll get old real fast. Garou thinks to himself. Garou stands up and rubs his neck in frustration.
“Maybe I could go after an S-Class hero, but that may be difficult now that the heroes are traveling in groups of 3.” Garou said to himself. Why should I worry? I’ve got the Suit, and that’s all I’ll need. Garou thinks to himself.
“Yeah. I think I’ll be fine. I’ll think more of it over lunch.” Garou said as the suit forms a shirt forms over his torso before Garou leaves his room.
Upon exiting, Garou runs into Ursula, who is leaving her room, and she says, “Oh! Hey, Mr. Brock.”
“Hey. Where are you going?” Garou asked.
“I am going to go for a walk to clear my head. This place can get cramped.” Ursula said.
“Where are you going, then?” Ursula asked.
“I was just going to get lunch.” Garou said.
Garou begins to walk away before Ursula suddenly asks, “Can I join? I’m actually hungry too.”
Garou is hesitant, but then says, “Fine. But you’re paying.”
Ursula smiles as she grabs her bag and walks beside Garou as they leave the apartment complex. The two walk in silence as Garou walks with his hands in his pockets while Ursula walks with a smile. Garou glances at Ursula and wonders why she smiles all the time. Breaking the silence, Ursula asks, “So, where do you want to eat?”
“Just somewhere that serves good food.” Garou said.
“Ah! Then we should go to the steakhouse nearby. They serve the best steaks in this city.” Ursula said as she takes Garou’s hand and leads him to a steakhouse.
She continues to pull in his hand before they arrive at the steakhouse as Ursula says, “Here we are. I always love coming here for dinner.”
However, Garou is less focused on the restaurant and more focused on his hand that is being held by Ursula. Ursula notices before panicking and yanking her hand back and blushing like crazy.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to grab your hand out of the blue!” Ursula yelled as her hands move all over the place.
“It… It’s fine. Let’s just find a table.” Garou said as he tries to hide a faint blush.
They eventually get a table and sit together as a waiter comes over and asks, “So, what would you two like for drinks?”
“I would like a Coke Cola.” Ursula said.
“I’ll take a glass of water.” Garou said.
“Okay. I’ll have it out shortly.” The waiter said as he leaves
The two sit in silence before Ursula asks, “So, Mr. Brock. What exactly do you do?”
“You mean as a job?” Garou asked.
“Well, duh. You really don’t leave your apartment a whole lot, so I am just curious.” Ursula said.
“Well…” Garou is looking around the area to see if there’s anything that he can come up with.
Garou then sees a guy reading a newspaper with pictures on it and he says, “I… am a photographer.”
“Really? You don’t really seem like photographer material.” Ursula said.
“Well, I like to stay in shape than let myself end up like THAT.” Garou said as he points at a nearby fat guy.
“Hm. That’s understandable.” Ursula said.
“Speaking of which. I don’t want to sound like I’m prying too much into your business, but how are you this… buff? Are you on steroids?” Ursula asked.
“What? God no. I used to be Silver Fang’s student.” Garou said.
Ursula’s eyes light up as she yells, “Really?! That’s so cool! What’s he like? Is he really as strong as everyone says?”
Garou, getting annoyed, covers her mouth to stop her rambling as he asks, “Are you done?”
Ursula nods before Garou releases his hand from her mouth.
“Sorry. I’m kind of a hero fan girl.” Ursula said with a nervous smile.
Garou rolls his eyes and says, “Of course you are.”
This confuses Ursula as she asks, “You don’t like heroes?”
Garou hesitates to answer, but he says, “Not really.”
This surprises Ursula a lot. She is about to ask ‘why’ when the waiter comes back with their drinks.
“Here you go. Now, are you two ready to order?” The waiter asked.
“Yes. I’ll just have an 8-ounce sirloin cooked medium rare.” Ursula said.
The waiter writes it down before looking at Garou, “And you sir?”
Garou thinks about it and says, “I want the whole menu.”
“……huh?” Both Ursula and Waiter are shocked.
Garou glares at the waiter and the waiter stutters, “R… Right away.”
The waiter leaves as Ursula looks at Garou and asks, “You’re really that hungry?”
“Yeah. I’ve actually been hungrier as of late. So, I’m just going to eat as much I can.” Garou said.
Ursula is surprised, but she shakes it off. She wants to return to their previous conversation before being interrupted.
“So, why do you not like heroes?” Ursula asked.
Garou is silent as he looks at the table before saying, “I used to like heroes until I eventually learned what they truly are.”
“And what would that be?” Ursula asked, fully interested.
“The heroes we have currently are nothing but celebrities trying to get fame and glory. And nobody calls them out for it because they’re popular in the world. It’s… It’s why I like monsters more.”
This shocks Ursula as Garou continues, “Monsters, while some do destroy things and commit evil acts, others actually have valid points for doing what they do. Hell, they even keep fighting even if they're outclassed by a strong hero. But no one cheers for them to win because they’re monsters, and because they're the unpopular ones that no one likes.”
Ursula is silent before saying, “I see why you don’t like the heroes we have currently.”
Ursula then looks at Garou with a small smile, “If it makes you feel any better, I kind of like monsters too.”
Garou’s eyes widened at this. This is the first time he has ever heard someone other than himself say those words.
“Hold on. Didn’t you say you’re a hero fan girl?” Garou asked.
“Yeah, but I think I should be clearer. I like heroes, but ones who can understand the villain and want to help them. But the heroes I like aren’t actually real.” Ursula said.
Ursula then reaches into her bag and pulls out a few comics. These comics had cover pictures of a hero with a shield, another with an armor suit, and a giant green monster.
“The heroes I read in these books are the ones I think we should have. You’re right that monsters have valid points, but sometimes the way they go about it is wrong and people could get hurt, or the monster could hurt themselves. The heroes in these comics are ones that will do anything to save both the people, and the villains if they can.” Ursula said.
Ursula then gets one more comic and hands it to Garou. Garou takes it and reads the title.
“The Amazing Spider-Man. Is he your favorite?” Garou asked.
“Yeah. To me, he’s what a hero should be. Spider-Man does fight villains, but he’s also willing to listen to them and try to make them see that what they're doing is wrong. He tries to save everyone he can no matter if it costs him his life.” Ursula said.
Garou listens to Ursula while also looking at the cover of the comic. Garou admits that the way Ursula is describing Spider-Man is making Garou agree that heroes should be like him. If Spider-Man was real, he would probably be one of the heroes Garou wouldn’t hunt. Ursula talking about understanding monsters has also put a question in Garou’s head.
“Since you’re kind of a fan of monsters… what do you think of the Hero Hunter?” Garou asked.
“I… I don’t really know. I don’t know what his goals are.” Ursula said.
“Well, I heard from a ‘friend’ that he wants to break the status quo between heroes and monsters. To be the monster that finally wins and show the world how fake the heroes truly are. And… he’s hoping to become the symbol that’ll make everyone abandon their hatred for other people different from them. Thus, destroying discrimination and bullying.” Garou said.
“Hm. If that’s the case… it really doesn’t sound like something that a monster would do. It sounds like something a hero would do.” Ursula said.
CRACK!!!
Ursula is caught off guard as Garou cracks the glass of water in his grip.
“Excuse me for a second.” Garou said who looks like he’s about to explode from anger as he walks to the bathroom.
“Did I say something wrong?” Ursula asked herself while looking at Garou.
In the bathroom. Garou has his hands on the bathroom sink while having his head down. What Ursula said really pissed him off since the last thing he ever wants is to be compared to a hero. It would piss anyone off to be compared to the people you hate the most.
“I’m not a hero. Never have, and I never will be.” Garou said. However, it does make him think about his goals a little more deeply. Maybe, she’s got a po— Snap out of it! What does she know? She has her head in those stupid comics, and she is clearly too naive for her own good. Garou thinks to himself.
Garou then looks at himself in the mirror. You live in the real world while she lives in a fantasy. You know that there will never be a hero like the ones in those comics, so why even bother to rethink your choices. You’re not a hero, and you never will be. No one understands you… except me. Garou thinks to himself.
Garou put off by that thought when he heard his inner voice change before just forgetting about it. Garou turns the sink on and washes his face off before grabbing a paper towel and drying his face off. Garou then leaves the bathroom before turning around the corner, but then he instantly hides behind it. Around the corner, Garou sees someone he didn’t expect to be here at this restaurant. The number 1 hero of the A-Class, Amai Mask.
Amai Mask is, in Garou’s opinion, the worst hero to ever exist. Not because he sucks at his job, but because he is everything that Garou hates about the heroes. Amai Mask is a hero who could go to S-Class, but he chooses to stay in A-Class to ensure that the heroes he sees that have negative reputations cannot drag him or the other S-Class’s reputations down. Amai Mask also adheres to any method to make heroes popular as he makes sure that only heroes who can draw in the most popularity can be in S-Class and A-Class.
Garou is tempted to activate the suit and attack now, until he sees Amai Mask go over to Ursula. This makes Garou freeze in place as he begins to worry for Ursula’s safety if he attacks. These feelings then confuse Garou. Why am I worried about her? Garou thinks to himself. Garou shakes it off as he tries to think of a way to make sure that Amai Mask doesn’t recognize him. Then, the suit suddenly covers his face before receding and giving him a new look.
A few minutes earlier. Amai Mask is exiting the limo he is riding in as he steps out onto the street. He looks at the steakhouse he has arrived at and begins to walk in. Amai Mask has to get to the set of his next movie. However, Amai Mask felt hungry and decided to get a quick bite at this steakhouse. Just a quick bite, then I’ll be on my way. Amai Mask thought to himself.
Amai Mask enters the restaurant and immediately all the girls see him and start to surround him. Amai Mask smirks as he takes photos with the girls, signs them autographs, and gives some playful winks. However, before Amai Mask can get a seat, he sees a girl who isn’t acting like the others, and she is instead sitting at a table alone. Amai Mask is curious and walks over to the girl.
Once he reaches her, he says, “Hello there.”
“Oh! Hey–wait. You’re Amai Mask!” Ursula said, still waiting for Garou.
“Indeed I am.” Amai Mask said as he moves strands of his blue hair behind his ear.
“Who might you be, beautiful?” Amai Mask asked.
“Uh... I’m Ursula Ditkovich.” Ursula said in a nervous tone.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ursula. Tell me, what are you doing here in this restaurant alone?” Amai Mask asked.
“I… I’m just eating with a friend.” Ursula said.
“Hm. And where is your friend?” Amai Mask asked.
“He’s in the bathroom, but he’ll be back soon.” Urusla said.
Amai Mask smirks as he leans over and asks, “Mind if I join you for dinner?”
Ursula is put off by this due to not really wanting to sit with Amai Mask. Why? Because like Garou, Ursula hates Amai Mask since he’s the worst hero in her eyes. Ursula is trying to think of a way to get out when suddenly…
“Alright, babe. Are you ready to leave?” A familiar male voice said. Ursula turns to see a guy who looks like Garou, but with black hair swept back and a black surgical mask. Ursula is wondering why Garou is in a disguise, but she figures out what he’s trying to do and goes with it.
“Of course, Eddie. Let’s go.” Ursula said as she sets money on the table and wraps her arm around Garou’s before leaving.
“Wait. Do you want an autograph?” Amai Mask asked.
“No, thank you. Bye.” Ursula said as she and Garou quickly get out.
Amai Mask is wondering who that guy with Ursula is, but he shrugs it off before going to get his own table. Although the guy’s voice sounded familiar, but Amai Mask can’t remember why.
Outside. Garou and Ursula are walking away from the restaurant before Ursula quickly let's go of Garou’s arm while blushing like crazy.
“T…Thanks for that.” Ursula said.
“It’s no problem. I’m just glad you figured out what I was trying to do.” Garou said as he takes off the surgical mask.
“Still. I’m glad you got me away from him, but why were you in disguise?” Ursula asked.
‘It’s… because Amai Mask and I had met once, and it wasn’t exactly pleasant.” Garou said, lying through his teeth.
“Oh. Well, I don’t blame you. Amai Mask is an awful hero in my eyes.” Ursula said.
Garou chuckles, “That we can agree on.”
They walk for a while before Garou suddenly stops, making Ursula wonder why he stopped.
“I have to go somewhere right now, so you’re on your own, now.” Garou said.
“Oh. Okay. Be safe.” Ursula said as Garou walks off.
But then Ursula calls out, “Wait, Mr. Brock!”
Garou stops as Ursula walks up to Garou and is silent. Suddenly, she kisses Garou on the cheek and Garou’s eyes widen in shock as Ursula starts blushing.
“Thanks again for saving me. You’re a good person, Mr. Brock.” Ursula said.
“Just… call me Eddie.” Garou said, still in shock.
Ursula smiles before walking away as Garou touches his cheek where Ursula kissed him, and he blushes. Why did she do that out of the blue? Garou thinks to himself. Garou then shakes it off before going into a nearby alleyway. Once out of sight, Garou’s black hair returns to normal as the part of the suit that covered it returns to the rest of his clothes, along with the surgical mask. It was the easiest way he could get Ursula and himself out of there without starting a fight, but that doesn’t mean Garou isn’t pissed.
Just seeing Amai Mask trying to flirt with Ursula just pissed Garou off so much. He doesn’t fully understand why he is angry that Amai Mask was flirting with Ursula. It’s not like he liked Ursula, but… maybe it’s because… he doesn’t fully know. What he does know is that Amari Mask is going to pay. A grin starts to form on Garou’s face as the suit begins to cover his body.
“Heh. I guess I know now who I’m hunting.” Garou said as the suit covers him and he jumps up to the roofs of the buildings.
A few hours later. The sun begins to set as Amai Mask is performing on stage for the movie he is making. The scene he is currently shooting takes place in a church, and this is the part of the movie that has an emotional scene. Amai Mask is sitting in a church pew while his co-star plays the part of a priest.
“But Brother Michael. How can I call myself a hero if I can’t save everyone?” Amai Mask asked, pretending to be emotional.
“Amai, you think of yourself too highly. Heroes fail, and they fall. But they push forward no matter what.” The actor playing Brother Michae said.
Brother Michael looks at the cross with Jesus hanging in the church and says, “And Jesus will be there to support you every step of the way.”
“CUT!” The director yelled.
Amai Mask stands up from the pew with a satisfied smirk. I have to say, that went as well as I expected. Amai Mask thought to himself. He walks to a chair and sits before taking a sip of his water bottle.
The director comes over and says, “Amai, that scene was fantastic. You really showed so much emotion in the scene.”
Amai Mask smirks as he says, “What can I say? I’m a professional.”
“Heh. Yes, you are. Now, for the next scene I was hoping–”
However, the director is cut short when the lights to the church suddenly go off. The stage crew are surprised by this and begin to worry. Meanwhile, Amai Mask remains calm, yet curious as to who may be doing this.
“What the? Who messed with the lights?” The director asked.
“I’ll get it.” A crew member said.
The crew member walks to the power room while shining his flashlight to guide him. He opens the door and is about to enter when suddenly…
BAM!!!
He is pulled into the shadows by black tentacles while screaming for help. The rest of the crew start to panic and run while Amai gets up from his seat and into a fighting stance. He looks around the church to see if he can see who is attacking them at the moment, but it’s so dark that he can’t see good in the church.
“Who’s there?!” Amai Mask asked.
A voice then yells back, “Amai Mask! Your time is up!”
Amai Mask then recognizes the voice, “Garou?!”
Amai Mask’s senses kick in as he dodges an incoming kick from above, but the force of the kick’s impact makes the building shake. The crew panic as they make a run for the exit and run into the streets, leaving Amai Mask alone with Garou. Amai Mask looks at Garou with a serious expression that shows that he is not underestimating Garou in this fight. He heard about the V2-52, and about Blizzard, so he will not be reckless like she was.
“So, you’ve finally decided to hunt me?” Amai Mask asked.
“You really weren’t on my mind at the time, but let's just say you really pissed me off earlier today. So, let’s call this good old fashion payback.” Garou said, cracking his knuckles.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Amai Mask asked, confused about what Garou means.
“It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is me seeing you finally get what you deserve!” Garou yelled before he dashes at Amai Mask.
Amai Mask reacts in and throws a punch at Garou, but Garou redirects it before punching Amai Mask in the gut. The force of the punch sent Amai flying into a wall, nearly breaking it. Amai Mask manages to recover in time to dodge an incoming Symbiote strike from Garou. However, he is caught off guard when Garou uses tendrils to wrap around Amai’s leg and slams him into the ground over and over.
Eventually, Garou throws Amai into the giant cross hanging in the church. The cable holding the cross up snaps, causing it to fall on top of Amai. Garou chuckles darkly as he walks to Amai Mask, who is struggling to free himself.
“Hehehe. Oh, you have no idea how satisfying this is for me.” Garou said as he effortlessly throws the cross off of Amai before grabbing him by the head.
“So, tell me Amai. Is your philosophy for being a hero really about them being perfect?” Garou asked as he slams Amai’s face into the church piano.
Garou grinds Amai’s face on the piano as he says, “Come on. I really want to know.”
Amai doesn’t answer and so Garou says, “Fine. Don’t answer. I already know that it's true.”
Garou then throws Amai to the roof as Amai slams onto the roof and falls on a support beam on top of the church. Garou follows as he jumps on the support beam too. “Don’t get too tired, Amai. We’re just getting started!” Garou said as he uses a symbiote punch to send Amai flying across and into the church bell.
However, when the impact from Amai Mask’s body causes the bell to ring. Garou suddenly feels a tremendous amount of pain as he screams in pain as the suit starts to go wild. Garou clutches his ears as he screams, trying to drown out the bell. Once the bell stops ringing, the suit returns to normal, but it makes Garou question what that was. What the hell was that?! I was… I was in pain! Garou thinks to himself.
Garou looks at the bell and realizes that it was the bell’s vibrations that hurt him really bad, but he isn’t the only one who noticed. Amai Mask, who is now recovering, saw how the suit reacted earlier, and he realizes it is because of the bell. “Heh. So that’s your weakness.” Amai Mask said with a bloody smirk.
Amai gets up and goes to kick the bell as Garou tries to stop him. However, he is too late as Amai kicks the bell and it rings again. Garou again yells in pain as he falls on his back screaming in agony as he feels the suit going wild. Make it stop! Please, Garou! Garou roars as he shoots many tendrils at the bell, stopping the ringing and embedding it in a wall. Garou stands up shakily and glares at Amai Mask with pure hatred.
“You… You’re dead!” Garou said. However, Garou hears sirens coming as well as hearing the voices of heroes coming from outside the church. Garou glares at Amai one more time as he growls.
“You’re lucky, Amai. But make no mistake. We’ll find you again, and you won’t be able to stop us when we bring hell upon you!” Garou yelled as he jumps through a large window and onto a nearby rooftop before he runs away.
Amai goes to the broken and watches Garou run away while wondering about what Garou said. “Why did he say ‘we’?” Amai Mask asked himself.
With Garou. It’s beginning to rain and Garou is still running across rooftops, thinking about his humiliating defeat. That bastard got the better of me! He won’t get lucky a second time. Garou then stops on a roof and thinks to himself about what happened with the bell. The suit… it reacted horribly when the bell rang. Does it have a weakness to loud noises? Garou thinks to himself.
“Tsk! Damnit! And Amai learning about it too makes this even worse for us! And when he tells the other heroes, they’ll use this weakness against us. We will need to be more careful and— Why do I keep saying we?!” Garou yelled.
“Argh! First, I have been much angrier! Then, there was that dream! Next, I keep hearing a voice that isn’t mine! And now, I’m saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I’!” Garou yelled.
Garou then looks at his hands and says, “This all started when I wore this suit. What is this thing really? And… am I really in control?”