141Within City A, lived Saitama quietly taking care of his pets in his humble apartment… well, his new apartment after a certain Esper ransacked his old apartment. And by ransacked, literally demolished into rubble. In the humble living room, Saitama poured a healthy dose of dog food into two bowls, one for Rover, and one for the little black and white Teletubby that kept calling itself an animal for god knows what reason, despite it obviously standing on two legs and having the capacity of speech. Yet the infamous Caped Baldy still decided to take care of them as if they were his treasured companions nonetheless.
The dog he picked up from the ruins of the Monster Association, Rover, panting and salivating at the kibble flowing into his bowl, waiting for his new master to give it the word to eat. Black Sperm, on the other hand, while sitting on the floor cross-legged, tapped his fingers on the wooden floor impatiently for his meal, but dare not speak out against the one whose fists are bathed in the blood of countless monsters.
After he finished pouring the food into their respective bowls, the bald man nodded with approval, as the two dug into their food with avid voracity.
"Now, eat slowly, you two," Saitama lectured as he then walked to his room to prepare for his departure. Today was a special sale day on beef, pork, and cabbages. Delicious, juicy, cabbages. No meal is good without them.
He opened his wardrobe by his bed, taking out his more casual clothes as he went out, his usual oppai hoodie and blue jeans. After carefully putting them on, he then walked out the door, his hands in his pockets, and descended down the balcony spiral stairs, heading to ground level.
'Ah…'
However, Saitama groaned in his mind. Why? Because the distance between City A and City Z was stupidly large. And why does Saitama wanted to go to City Z despite all the distance?
"The famous lobsters… I must have them…" Saitama murmured with a glint in his eyes.
Because the special lobsters, the same lobsters Bang invited him over at his dojo the other day, was now on sale in City Z. He must have them no matter what… he will have the taste of lobster in his mouth again this day.
After walking out of his apartment, Saitama moved across his apartment parking lot and stepped onto the sidewalk. While owning a car would make travel easier, Saitama does not have the money or energy for such luxuries. He walked down the empty sidewalk, looking at the buildings next to him, seeing more simple apartments like his. While the apartments resembled his previous apartment, he still preferred his old home than this one though. He still held a bond to the one in City Z… which only made him furrowed his brow upon remembering how a green-haired brat destroyed his home. He swore he will give her an earful the next time he sees her.
As he walked, he headed to the intercity railroad system to travel between cities from A to etcetera. He bought a ticket from the glass booth, hearing a 'thank you' from the pretty female ticket seller. After several minutes of walking, he arrived at the station, waiting for the bullet train to arrive while hearing the constant chatter of the other pedestrians and the long, rackety thrum of the train passing by on the opposite station.
'Hmmm, what should I have for dinner today?'
As Saitama thought that, the train arrived, rushing at blurring speeds before his blank, wandering eyes. He unconsciously got inside the train the moment the sliding doors opened, and then casually took a seat by the window, wanting to spectate the changing scenery in his boredom.
An announcement spoke through the speakers within the train, saying the other stops of the cities before arriving at City Z, making Saitama wonder if he should take a nap on the train at least until then. But if he does, he was afraid that he will miss the stop, when the train switch tracks from downtown to uptown.
"...meh." He decided to shrug it off as he decided to nap, resting his shiny chrome dome against the window pane. And then proceeded to lightly snore himself into his dreams until then.
Around less than an hour later…
"[Arriving at City Z]"
"Huh…" Saitama's snoring bubble popped the moment he heard that now awake from his leisurely nap. He then got up from his seat and then proceeded to walk towards the slide doors, exiting the moment they slid open for the passengers.
He stepped onto the train platform and glanced around. The area was crowded with people and he couldn't see any way to exit through all of the bodies. He groaned as he realized he'd have to walk around a while to get to somewhere less packed.
He walked through the crowd as he looked for any signs. Soon, he was able to see an exit sign hanging above an opening. He stepped out onto the sidewalk and sighed as he noticed that this area had fewer people, probably because it was a Monday, with most of the adults off to work.
He walked through several streets, heading towards the supermarket placed deep within the life of City Z. Along the way, Saitama continued hearing not only the constant chatter about the end of the Monster Association and the success of the heroes but also soft sounds of criticism regarding the state of the heroes of today… how they were more focused on material wealth than the safety of the people. He also heard more rumors regarding the rise of another hero association.
Still, he droned out all the noise regarding the new hero association and the other meaningless content, and just focused his mind on his precious lobsters at hand. And cabbages, he must not forget about the cabbages.
*BOOM*
However, a loud noise rudely interrupted his wondrous thoughts right in front of him. Some distance away, Saitama saw the shadowing size of a giant black monster roaring before his eyes.
"Muahahahaha! Tremble before the Elder Rich Goth Sho! I am a person that has transcended my humanity with countless knowledge and obsession with the dark and eldritch! And thus, became a monster! I demand the souls of countless sacrifices, or else you shall all endure the unimaginable pain and suffering!"
Saitama already felt his ears itching in irritation. He wanted to shut this monster up and then proceed to his favorite shop.
"[Warning. A monster of Disaster Level Dragon had appeared within the shopping district of City Z! Please evacuate the area and proceed to the nearest evacuation shelter!]"
And then came the sirens, the Hero Association announcement, and after that, the clamors of panicking citizens scrambling to safety. It was very, very irritating to his ears, making Saitama sigh in annoyance as countless bodies rushed past him while he stood still, unfazed by the size or appearance of the monster.
The monster was two times bigger than the average skyscraper, its face was white with multiple eyes dotted around its head, each eye bearing a teal sclera and slit pupils. While bearing five to ten dark purple tentacles sprouting off his head, he bore three mouths on his head, one on his lips with the other two incongruously placed on the sides, a vertical mouth on the upper left side of his head and another at the lower side of his right.
Saitama jumped into the air so high that it looked as if he was flying. He reached the monster's height and looked at. The monster glared at Saitama and moved towards the hero.
"Are you to be my next sacrifice?" it asked.
Saitama shook his head. "No, if I die then I'll miss out on the lobster sale. Could we do this later?" he asked, unaware of how much his words insulted the monster before him.
"Later?! You dare ask me if I can wait until later to kill you all because of your lobster sale?! You don't deserve to live any longer if you cannot recognize true power!" The monster roared from its various mouths. He was incredibly insulted by the bald man's arrogance.
"Yeah. Please go. You're disturbing traffic with your… obesity." Saitama then called the monster fat without realizing it.
"Obesity?! You first ask me to wait until you finish with your simple pleasures then you insult me? Your arrogance sickens me!"
"Aren't you? I mean, look at yourself. You're anything but slim." Saitama pointed out the obvious truth.
The monster glanced down, realizing Saitama had a point but was still visibly angry. "This is a waste of my time! I'll destroy you now and be done with it!"
And then Saitama ended the monster's life with one punch without a second thought, ending it into a gory purple paste without giving it a chance to even fight, in a loud gory splat.
The hero returned to the ground and walked through the mess, hoping this hadn't affected the sale. As he walked, he noticed the bystanders were still screaming and running. Didn't they realize the monster was dead? Saitama just shrugged and continued walking.
As he approached the supermarket, he smiled at the sight of the lobster ad and proceeded to enter. But before he could take a step, the sirens blared again regarding another threat appearing…
"[Warning, multiple monsters of the threat level dragon have appeared in the Shopping district of Z-City. Please evacuate the area and proceed to the near evacuation shelter!]" The speaker said. Saitama groaned. How many times would his shopping be interrupted today?
He rolled his eyes at the prospect as he continued walking towards the supermarket… though he saw the closed sign dangling from the door. The sight of such a thing drained all the color from his very being, marking this day as one of the worse days of his life. He felt like punching the gods in their faces if he ever found out that they were the ones responsible for the circumstantial denial of his precious lobsters.
Sighing in irritation, he then turned around to walk back home with veins bulging beneath his skin, but in the distance, he saw three figures walking in this recently emptied street. He could not make out the shape of the three, but he saw that one of them, colored in dark blue, pointed at Saitama from the distance.
Saitama caught this and glared at them. What did they want with him? All he wanted to do was go home and try to make this day as good as it could be seeing as he would not have lobster tonight.
As the figures neared, Saitama noticed that they were unusually shaped. Could they be the monsters? If so, they were awfully unimpressive for a monster. However, as he looked at one of them much more closely… a springing familiar face came up in his mind. He could not forget the face of the one he fought atop the spaceship that day.
What was his name again? Boros, right? Saitama stopped, waiting for the three to get closer so he could see their features.
Upon laying his eyes on the purple one, he noticed two large, cat-like ears atop its head. Not only that, it was chubby, fat no matter how he looked at him, while his clothes resemble that of the ancient Egyptian royalty, complete with a black and red-pink striped cloak around his neck like a collar with white linings on both edges, and baggy red-pink pants. Circles were seen on his collar and a red sash around his waist. On his arms, he saw two golden rings and two wide golden bracelets on his arms, one of each on each arm, the ring between the shoulder and elbow while the bracelets on the wrist.
Turning his eyes to the other one, the third figure was tall and lithe, feminine in appearance. She had long, white hair in a pony-tail and a green robe unlike that of the other figure, though it bore the same royal air around it. Her skin was pale blue and her eyes bearing violet pupils. In her right hand, she carries a long scepter with a Saturn-like black gem, vertically surrounded by a pale blue ring, levitating above the top end.
"Huh…" This was new, even to Saitama. He could've sworn Boros died on the ship that day, unless he miraculously survived, or implausibly revived from death.
"Hoi! Baldy! Are you Saitama?!" Champa asked almost demandingly. Saitama's brow twitched upon hearing the word 'baldy'.
"...who are you?" He asked before more veins could bulge from his skull.
"Since your world is so far out and primitive, I don't blame you for not knowing anything about me or the Universe. Listen, and listen well, human. I am Champa, this God of Destruction, and the strongest being in this universe!" Champa pompously introduced himself before the strongest baldy.
Unimpressed, Saitama looked at him from head to toe, seeing nothing but purple obesity and diabetes coalesced into a humanoid cat. Regardless of appearances, Saitama shrugged, not caring if he was a God or whatever.
"So?" Saitama asked without emotion.
Champa froze, his demeanor suddenly changing. His eyes narrowed and he scowled. "What do you mean 'so'? I am one of the most important beings in this universe! I could destroy you with a single finger right now! Show some respect!" Champa yelled.
Hearing more words he does not want to listen, Saitama only raised his hand to his ear, and picked it for earwax with his pinky.
"...and?"
"..and?!" Champa's eyes widened as he heard these words. His mouth dropped open at Saitama's attitude. Why didn't he fear a god of destruction?
"I mean… I don't care to be honest. Besides, can I help you with something or…" Saitama asked getting to the point.
"I should destroy you right now! If Boros had not told me how powerful you are then you'd be nothing but a pile of ash!"
"Ehhh… I don't even know you… I mean, would you bow down to someone you never met before?" Saitama pointed out the obvious truth.
Champa thought for a moment, placing his finger to his chin. He couldn't remember having to bow down to anyone except the Omni-King. He quickly stopped his thought and responded, not wanting to show how he was considering Saitama's words.
"I never bow! I'm a god!" Champa reminded. He purposely left out the fact that he bowed to the Omni-King. He deemed that unnecessary for the moment. After all, it would only make him seem weaker.
"Ehh… how stubborn." Saitama complained, very annoyed by Champa's arrogance.
"Champa did bow down to someone before though." Vados chimed in with a cheerful hum.
"Shut up, Vados!"
"Oh?" Saitama then tilted his head now curious.
"Indeed. Champa-sama had to bow before a someone the size of a child before. And very constantly from time to time." Vados continued, purposely destroying Champa's image with glee.
"Do you really have to describe him like that?!" Champa shouted. His words did nothing to stop Vados from smiling as Saitama looked over to Champa, a new emotion taking the place of anger. Was amusement it? How could this man be amused now?
"Anyways, you get my point, Champ. Though I must say, I never thought I would meet a man that will bow to a kid." Saitama smiled lightly upon saying that.
"He wasn't a child! He's the all-powerful ruler of all universes," Champa defended.
"So… God's a kid? And you still bowed to him?" Saitama interpreted. Vados giggled, placing her hand on her lips to show it to her student, to irritate him even more.
"You wouldn't be saying this if you knew what he is capable of. He could erase this entire universe as fast as I could destroy you, faster even!"
Saitama's smile then returned to a bored poker face, now bored with Champa's excuses.
"Yeah, yeah. Back to the point, what do you want anyway?" Saitama asked trying to move on with the conversation.
Champa was more than happy to leave the matter of Zen-Oh. He shot one last glare at Vados before continuing.
"I have heard of your incredible power and I have come to present you with a very generous offer," Champa said. He needed Saitama to participate in the tournament, no matter how arrogant he was.
"Ok…" Saitama's asked still wearing the poker face.
"There are very few mortals who are given this chance. This only comes around once in a lifetime, so make sure you take advantage of my offer," Champa continued, beginning to annoy Saitama.
"Uh huh… please shorten it to twenty words or less." Saitama requested for the sake of his sanity.
Champa glared. "I'll do what I please! I'm a god," Champa reminded once again.
His response only brought even more displeasure to the baldy. He turned his face to Vados, only to see her giving him an apologetic smile as if asking him to bear with it.
"That's eight words. Please get on with it," Saitama asked.
"Fine. I'd like to invite you to the tournament between universe 6 and universe 7! This is a very rare offer and it isn't given out to just anybody. You'd be wise to say yes, who knows, you might even get a prize!" Champa declared.
"...That is more than twenty…" Saitama said. Champa was about to reach his breaking point, but before he exploded in more blabbering, Saitama continued.
"But you got me at tournament and prize. Though, I might have to bring some people with me… I do not trust them alone at home." Saitama replied remembering the two tagalongs that are now living with him.
"That'll be fine. We have plenty of room for spectators. After all, this is a godly tournament!" Champa said.
"One question…" Saitama raised his hand.
"Yeah, what?"
"I did not understand half of what you said, besides prize and tournament. So… what's it about?" Saitama asked.
Champa groaned. Ignorant mortals always got on his nerves when they asked stupid questions.
"Champa-sama, I believe he wants an explanation about the Universe and beyond. It will take time to explain that much to him." Vados advised.
"You explain it, Vados, I don't have time for this," Champa ordered.
"Ok… though, I want to ask. Are they strong?" Saitama asked his face now a serious mien of expectations.
"Hah, Beerus and strong are not words that go together. I do assure you that there will be some sort of powerful being, although it may not best you," Champa answered.
Saitama's face then turned to one of disappointment.
"Ehhh…" He uttered out his displeasure.
"But you never know! There may end up being a real warrior there," Champa said quickly. He didn't want to lose Saitama's interest now that he finally got it.
"Oh… alright then. I'm free. When's the tournament?" Saitama asked. There really wasn't anything in his schedule.
"Uhh, Vados, when's the tournament again?" Champa asked, forgetting how much time they had left. They still had many more fighters to recruit but Boros and Saitama had taken plenty of time.
"Hmmm, in around… four days, Champa-sama," Vados informed.
"Four days?! We barely have enough time for that! Boros! Ready your ship! We are leaving!" Champa demanded as Boros, who remained quiet for so long, smiled in response.
"At once." he briefly said.
"Saitama, will you be ready to leave?" Vados asked.
"Uhhh…" Saitama pondered on his schedule. What does he have to do in four days… wait, there is a special sale.
"Hmmm… there's a special sale day but…"
"You will be rewarded with enough treasure so valuable that you will never have to work again," Vados interjected before Saitama could excuse himself. And her words had a great effect on the baldy since one of his only weaknesses was… money. His eyes were sharpened into a serious countenance as he asked.
"I will be ready when you need me," he promised vehemently without hesitation.
"Though, how will you pick me up?" His face returned to poker mode upon asking that.
"I am fairly certain Champa will want to use Boros' new ship," Vados said.
"Oh?" Saitama wondered how good his ship will be.