Kizaru and Fubuki returned to the One Punch Man world, just as the heroes were finishing a day of training.
Although the heroes had been working hard, apart from Flashy Flash, the S-Class hero, few had managed to even meet the basic entrance standards for the Rankyaku technique. Most had spent the entire day wearing training bands to continue strengthening their bodies.
Many were quite curious about Kizaru and Fubuki's prolonged disappearance, but before they could ask, others quickly stopped them.
"Idiots! It's already so obvious—what's there to ask?"
"As expected of Fubuki, the top of B-Class. She actually managed to snag S-Class Rank 9 Swift Flash so quickly!"
"If I'd known, I would've joined the Fubuki Group too. I might have even gotten one-on-one coaching from an S-Class hero..."
...
The heroes who had completed their training whispered among themselves in low, teasing voices, not particularly worried about being overheard. After all, anyone with eyes could see that there was definitely something going on between Flashy Flash and Fubuki.
Otherwise, why was it that other heroes needed to meet strict standards and face limited slots to join the training camp, while the Fubuki Group's enrollment had a far lower bar—and no limit on numbers?
If not for the heroes' lingering pride, someone would've already gone to inquire about joining the Fubuki Group by now.
Even if no one made a move immediately, it was only a matter of time.
"Don't... don't listen to their nonsense..."
Fubuki said in a flustered voice.
Though she couldn't hear exactly what the heroes and Fubuki Group members were saying, the suggestive glances they were throwing her way told her everything she needed to know.
Not being a complete idiot in emotional matters, Fubuki immediately realized just how much their sudden one-day disappearance could lead to misunderstandings.
Her face burning with embarrassment, she tried to cover it up with a half-hearted denial.
But when she saw Kizaru's amused, almost teasing smile, she simply couldn't get the words out.
Just as the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly ambiguous, a series of rapid "beep-beep-beep" alerts rang out from almost every hero's phone on the training ground.
"Alert! A large group of mysterious beings claiming to be 'Sea People' have appeared near the coastal area of J City. Current threat level: Tiger!"
"The monsters are numerous. Heroes in the vicinity of J City are requested to mobilize immediately for reinforcement!"
"A-Class Rank 11 Poison Stinger is currently engaged in combat. Threat level may be subject to upgrade!"
...
As soon as Kizaru answered his phone, he received a flood of emergency notifications from the Hero Association.
These messages were mass-distributed; whether any hero actually chose to respond depended entirely on luck and individual willingness.
Just as Kizaru was trying to recall which storyline this alert corresponded to, he noticed the Hero Association headquarters sending him a direct communication request.
"Lord Swift Flash, do you have time to assist J City right now?"
As soon as the line connected, a staff member from headquarters spoke with urgent excitement.
After the battle with Vaccine Man, Kizaru's abilities had been analyzed countless times. Post-incident assessments showed that during his journey from City B to City A, his average speed had exceeded Mach 1.
In particular, when he stormed the Hero Association headquarters, his peak speed had approached Mach 3—faster than most supersonic missiles.
Moreover, this S-Class Rank 9 hero could maintain that blinding speed for over a hundred kilometers.
Given the severe shortage of heroes near J City, sending Kizaru to reinforce the area was clearly the best choice.
"Has it really reached the point where you need me to step in?"
Kizaru was a little speechless.
Even if S-Class heroes weren't as "valuable" as he had imagined, wasn't it a bit much to have him personally deal with a mere "Tiger"-level threat?
"No, we just want you to be prepared. According to the Super System's calculations, the probability of the threat level rising further is quite high..."
The staff member on the other end of the phone quickly explained.
Every S-Class hero had their own quirks, and he didn't want to risk angering Flashy Flash, who was currently at the height of his fame, over something like this.
"I got it... How far is J City from here?"
Kizaru casually hung up and turned to ask Fubuki.
The One Punch Man world was relatively small compared to other worlds in the chat group.
There were only a few dozen cities where humans lived, and they were mostly clustered close together.
It was common for ordinary people to travel from city to city on foot or by bicycle.
Although J City's numbering seemed far from B City's, given that the Hero Association wanted him ready for immediate support, the distance probably wasn't too great.
"Less than sixty kilometers. There's a direct highway connecting us. If we drive, it shouldn't take even an hour to get there,"
Fubuki answered immediately.
The Fubuki Group's main base was in B City, but they often traveled to other cities for support missions, so Fubuki was very familiar with the surrounding area.
Of course, the main reason she knew J City so well was because it was one of the few coastal cities—she vacationed there every year.
"Sixty kilometers, huh... Everyone who still has stamina left, take off your training bands. Prepare to head out with me to support J City.
Remember to save enough strength for the trip back—and tomorrow's training must not be skipped,"
Kizaru said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Although the training camp had only completed about one-tenth of its schedule so far, it was already enough for the stronger heroes to build momentum and feel their improvements.
With a batch of Tiger-class monsters conveniently showing up, there was no need for Kizaru to design extra training exercises for comparison.
The heroes looked at each other in hesitation.
If it were just fighting monsters, no one would refuse.
But running dozens of kilometers to J City, fighting a battle, and then running all the way back—without being excused from tomorrow's grueling training—that made them a little reluctant.
Not because they were afraid of pain, exhaustion, or injury—but because they were worried they wouldn't be able to keep up with the next day's training and get kicked out of the camp.
"We can do it!" Fortunately, the heroes' determination was admirable.
After only a brief moment of hesitation, A-Class heroes Blue Flame and Magic Trickster exchanged glances, then each raised their hands.
Compared to the B-Class heroes, who were often already pushing their limits just to finish training, A-Class heroes generally had more reserves of strength.
"And me!" The lone surviving C-Class hero, Mumen Rider, also stepped forward without hesitation.
His actions stunned quite a few of the others.
In their minds, Mumen Rider had always been the one who struggled the most during training.
If they had to vote on the next person most likely to get eliminated, Mumen Rider would have gotten at least 80% of the votes.
Yet it was this "weakling"—who could be eliminated at any time—who chose to offer the last of his strength when it mattered most.
"...Those willing to go, come over and take a soldier's ration pill to restore your energy, then get ready to move out,"
Kizaru said after a moment's pause, tossing a small bag of ordinary-looking pills to Mumen Rider.
These were nutrient pills commonly used by ninjas to restore chakra and stamina.
At the current stage, they were one of Orochimaru's key products ready to launch.
If they proved effective enough, once Kizaru became Fleet Admiral, he intended to distribute these soldier's ration pills as standard supplies for the Marines.
Of course, that would require negotiating a huge budget approval from the World Government first.
But with pure gold as a bargaining chip, the Five Elders would probably be far more generous than usual.
"...Can we really eat this stuff?"
Magic Trickster, after receiving his soldier's ration pill, showed a slight expression of disdain.
However, seeing that the others had no hesitation in swallowing the pill, he reluctantly followed suit and ate his own.
The heroes who had just swallowed their pills soon displayed expressions of disbelief.
They could clearly feel a surge of power continuously flowing from within their bodies, spreading through their limbs and bones.
Although they weren't fully recovered, as a stamina-restoring medicine, it was truly magical.
"So light!"
"Whoa! This feeling's incredible!"
"I feel like I could fight two of my former selves!"
Before Magic Trickster could marvel at the miraculous effects of the pill, he heard the excited shouts of the heroes who had removed their training bands.
Although they had already noticed clear changes to their bodies at the start of training that morning, after a full day of practice, they felt even stronger.
Especially now, after taking the soldier's ration pill and recovering a good deal of energy, the heroes could truly feel the difference.
"Give me one too."
At that moment, Flashy Flash couldn't sit still anymore.
He wasn't interested in the Tiger-level disaster in J City, but the soldier's ration pill, which could rapidly restore a large amount of stamina, caught his attention.
More stamina meant more training, and Flashy Flash was somewhat addicted to the feeling of continuing to grow stronger.
"Ah... Yes!" Mumen Rider was a bit startled.
This was the first time he had spoken directly with a high-ranking S-Class hero.
Flashy Flash eyed the soldier's ration pill for a moment, then swallowed it in one go.
Unlike the other heroes, who could only sense their stamina recovery, Flashy Flash could truly appreciate the effects of the pill.
This made him even more intrigued by Kizaru's training camp.
With methods that could push him beyond human limits, combined with the miraculous weighted training bands and stamina-restoring pills, he could finally envision that incredible realm of Super Speed!
In the end, fifteen heroes signed up for the mission.
It wasn't that the others lacked courage, but the "Sea People" invasion was still only a Tiger-level disaster.
Deploying too many heroes at once could leave other cities' defenses dangerously understaffed.
The Hero Association had encountered similar situations in the past.
Although there was no concrete evidence that the monsters had learned the tactic of "luring tigers away from the mountain," the Association wouldn't risk deploying too many heroes unless the disaster level escalated.
Of course, all this was predicated on the threat level—if it reached Dragon or even God-level, the usual rules would be tossed aside.
"Hmm? You're going too?"
When Kizaru saw Flashy Flash among the heroes preparing to assist J City, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
It wasn't that Flashy Flash wasn't a true hero,
but because he wasn't exactly known for being eager to help.
L
It was hard to imagine him volunteering to fight monsters.
"I want to test the practical effectiveness of the new technique." Flashy Flash said casually.
He was the only hero in the training camp who had already mastered the Ranyaku, but this wasn't too surprising.
The Navy's Six Styles weren't exactly an advanced martial art.
For powerful individuals like him, learning the Six Styles with guidance or demonstration was only a matter of time.
When Kizaru was still at the Navy Academy, he had set a record by mastering the Navy Six Styles in just one day.
This feat had even caught the attention of CP0's commanders, who sent agents to recruit him into CP0.
Fortunately, the Navy wasn't so easily swayed.
Back then, Admiral Zephyr had been furious and expelled the CP0 agents from the Academy, saving Kizaru from joining their ranks.
Otherwise, Kizaru might have ended up as a CP0 officer, or, more likely, he could have become the leader of the Revolutionary Army before Dragon, having grown disillusioned with being a tool for the Celestial Dragons.
"If you're ready, let's head out. Let's see how much progress you've made!"
Kizaru called out to the heroes preparing to assist J City.
However, what they didn't know was that, while they set out with a nonchalant attitude, A-Class hero Poison Sting, who was currently fighting the so-called "Sea People," had already fallen into a hard battle.
°°°
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