Chapter 7: S-Class
Tatsumaki neared the two running figures; she was just about to catch up when she heard the person ahead say something. "Hey Genos, let's pick up the pace." The man said, and before she knew it, he had already disappeared from his spot. 'This speed...' She was speechless; the only other person she knew that could match such speed was Flashy Flash. Yet, she did not see the man put any effort into achieving that speed.
She got a glance at his face; he looked... Bored. "Sensei!" Tatsumaki glanced at the other person running, he tried his best to match his speed, yet he was still left behind. Genos did not notice the presence of Tatsumaki, not that she allowed him to in the first place. Genos prepared to accelerate and blasted himself high in the sky, away from any obstacles that might get in his way.
The esper quietly followed the duo, she knew where the nearest examination site was so she didn't have any problem losing the both of them. She arrived way earlier than she thought, though, the two have not arrived yet. Were they perhaps lost? Anyways, she didn't have any problem waiting but she did not have anything better to do.
Tatsumaki made her presence known to the staff, they were baffled and more importantly scared as to why a top hero in an examination site? They shivered in fear, none was left standing on their legs without shaking. After all, she wasn't called the 'Tornado of Terror' for nothing. She was ruthless and would throw anyone that angers her to the sun without hesitation.
They did not want to find trouble with her so they distanced themselves, minding their own business. The esper looked around the testing ground, it was spacious, enough to fit thousands, and the place was littered with heavy equipment and other advanced machinery to test one's capabilities. This was mostly used for the physical part of the exam. Tatsumaki sat on a bench and took a sip of her orange juice. Luckily, there are vending machines on every corner of the city so she didn't have to worry about getting thirsty.
If this situation was another case, Tatsumaki would already be fuming just waiting for a few minutes. Though this one was different, she knew of the power that man displayed, yet haven't actually seen it for herself. That would soon later change when she watches him start the fitness test.
Naturally, just her sitting on a bench sipping on some orange juice would still attract attention, but one glare from her was all it took for them to mind their business. It took a little over thirty minutes of waiting before the duo finally entered the examination ground. 'Ugh, finally they're here! I can't even believe I actually managed to wait half an hour for someone to arrive...'
She was about to call them over when she realized, they actually don't know each other. It would be pretty embarrassing to call someone you don't actually know, much more on accident. She sat back on the bench and waited patiently. It was only a matter of time.
...
"Sensei, I've bought the things you asked for," Genos informed Saitama. "Ah, nice one Genos now that's one fewer grocery to worry about." Genos beamed at Saitama's praises. Rarely does the bald man actually praise his disciple.
Both of them arrived at the examination ground with different expressions. Saitama was, as usual, bored while Genos was different, he looked kind of happy. But his stoic face said otherwise. Only those that know him enough might be able to tell. After entering, they were immediately guided to the locker room to change and left their belongings there.
The two waited in line, it was long; with hundreds of other participants waiting. Saitama begrudgingly waited with Genos behind, he wore nothing else but a blue speedo, but his refined muscles did not fit in with his plain face. Minutes passed, and it was finally both of them's turn.
Saitama let Genos take the test first, he wanted to see more of his disciple's abilities. Though, not much would probably be shown here, as it is an enclosed ground with hundreds of people around. It did not fit Genos's fighting style. Genos bent his knees and leaned forward slightly, preparing for the first test.
"Side-to-Side jumps, go!" A staff said. Immediately after hearing the signal, Genos's figure blurred, creating after-images as he jumped from side to side.
...
After Genos broke every single record, it was finally his master's turn. "Sensei! Please do not mind my records, I believe you can achieve the same thing with little effort!" Genos sent words of encouragement to Saitama.
"Hehehe..." Laughter resounded from afar, looking at his side, Genos noticed five participants packed together laughing at his master. 'Their actions are unacceptable... But I'm sure they would be left in awe after seeing master Saitama's unimaginable strength.'
Saitama was scratching his back, looking bored as usual when he heard the staff's signal. He bent his knees the same way Genos did and leaned forward. His face suddenly became detailed, and before anyone knew it, hundreds of jumps had already been done, breaking Genos's record. But Saitama wasn't done yet, he was far from done. He also broke every single record Genos did by leaps and bounds.
Genos was in awe, as expected of his master, he revered him even more now.
...
The fitness test did not take long to finish, the five that were ridiculing Saitama earlier have already left. Genos smirked, he was satisfied with their reactions. "Since our fitness test is already over, the written test next, this shouldn't be difficult for a man such as yourself."
Saitama did not hear what Genos said, he was too preoccupied with the bag inside his locker. Somehow, all of the eggs cracked. "Genos... you fine with rice over eggs later?" The bald hero asked. "Sensei, I couldn't be more thankful for receiving food from a man such as yourself."
"Guess so... anyways, I wanna go home already!" Saitama complained aloud, everything they did here bored him to death. He would rather read another manga than sit here for a minute longer. "Sensei, please be patient. This process is required by all aspiring heroes if they want to be an official member of the Hero Association." Genos disclosed this to his master.
"Tch, fine but after that's over buy me some udon!" Genos merely nodded his head, this much was expected from his master as he loves udon. He actually considered making some homemade udon after all of this stuff with the hero registration is over. Genos had already searched the internet for the best recipes there is, after all only the best is suited for his master.
He already have a plan in mind for dinner later, it was a treat for his master. Genos watched as Saitama exited the locker room, fully dressed and headed for the next test. He did not waste any more time and followed behind his master.
...
"Sigh... I feel like I lost something I didn't have in the first place..." Saitama slumped on the chair. "So, Genos... How'd you do?" Saitama asked as he looked at the cyborg, he was holding an envelope in his hand, and inside were the results. "A got a perfect mark. Fifty in both physical and written tests respectively. Sensei, I believe the test we just took could be completed by a ten-year-old. I almost felt insulted when I saw those questions."
Genos pulled out the contents of the envelope and wasn't surprised by the results. "S-Class Rank 16..." He mumbled. "Oh? What rank did ya' get?"
"I have been admitted to S-Class Rank 16 sensei, currently I do not have a hero name. For now, my name is shown as 'Genos'. I have done a bit of research, and it seems the Hero Association tends to name their heroes based on their appearances. For example, my name would be displayed as 'Blonde Cyborg'."
"Then that would mean they'll start calling me 'Caped Baldy' or something..." Saitama dejectedly mumbled under his breath. He could imagine the possibility of this happening. "How about you, sensei?"
Saitama pulled the paper out until the top of the letter was visible, "As expected, sensei. You have also been admitted to the highest rank. Hmm... But it seems the font is slightly bigger on this one." Genos was lost in thought.
"H-hehe, I was admitted in Class-C after all with a score of 71..."
"W-what?! Impossible! There must have been a mistake, surely they've not recognized a man of your calibre?!" Genos analyzed the font of the letter and many other contents on the paper. "Sensei! I will come and fix this injustice at once!"
"No! You'll just embarrass me!"
...
Tatsumaki was still waiting, it was been a painful three hours. Yet the results still have not been announced. Usually, any outstanding hero's performance and score would be publicly announced and displayed all over the monitors inside the examination ground. 'Oh, it's that cyborg's scores. Then sure that baldy's score is somewhere here, right?' She thought.
It took some time, but when she saw Saitama's results, she was utterly shocked. Not only was he at the very bottom, but he also did the worse in terms of scores. '71?! But how! I saw what he was capable of doing!' She was livid, she hated it most when a person clearly fit for a spot in the S-Class doesn't get recognized or straight up ignored.
Tatsumaki even hated it more when the person she recognized, gets shunned. This was basically the exact situation, and even though she still haven't seen the extent of his strength, she was pretty sure that man could contend against Dragon Level Threat monsters. His display of speed from earlier was evidence of this fact.
She stormed the staff that admitted him to the lowest rank and demanded an answer. "Tell me, why shouldn't I throw to the sun right now?!"
"M-miss Tornado...! P-please calm down!" The man said as he struggled for his life, he did not know how he managed to gain the most feared heroes wrath. "What do you mean you don't know?! C-Class 342! How did he manage to end up at such a low rank? He was more than enough for S-Class?!" Tatsumaki was furious, this was the reason she sometimes hated the association for its incompetence.
She flared even more, stuff from the large office started floating everywhere, the light flickered and the building rumbled. The other staffs distance themselves, feeling pity for the man on the receiving end. "H-huh? We place heroes on the corresponding rank based on their performance... He scored a total of 71 points, he aced the physical test with a perfect score of 50 but only got 21 on the written test..."
"What do you mean?! So you're telling me the reason he was placed on the lowest rank in the entire association was because of a piece of paper?!" This angered her even more, she was going to have a word with Sitch later.
"Move him to S-Class, now! Else you want to find yourself along with this entire building floating in space!" She threatened, that was actually the tamest threat she had said to someone. "A-alright! I Will arrange it right now!"
Tatsumaki let the man go and watched him do his job. Then, an announcement was made about the matter and a new envelope was sent to Saitama who was waiting inside the locker room.
"Oh! They moved me to S-Class... Apparently, they made a mistake evaluating me." Saitama said while Genos listened. He was very pleased that his master was receiving the appropriate treatment.
"I don't care about ranks, but this is something worth celebrating over right?" He looked at his disciple, who was deep in thought. "Yes, sensei. I have prepared the necessary ingredients. I shall prepare some hot pot and udon for later." Genos said and smiled, it always pleases him to see his master happy.
Saitama beamed and let out a tiny smile. He was genuinely happy for the first time in a while.
...
The night was long, and Tatsumaki flew across the night sky of City-A. She was heading back to her apartment, she contemplated something as she unlocked her door.
'Why did I even help that bald bastard? I haven't talked to him before, heck this was the first time I saw him.' All of this felt strange to her, this tingling sensation on her chest. The burning feeling in her heart. She placed a hand over her chest and thought... 'Maybe... he was that person from long ago...'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone