One Punch Man: Neutral Grounds

Chapter 129

Tatsumaki and Rendor waved at them from their place on a charred mountaintop. The small island inlet was dotted with active volcanoes, pools of lava and blackened plant life all over. Bright Bolt landed gently and leaned his muzzle back to get a rewarding scratch under his chin from Mitsumi. When Saitama jumped off his back and helped Mitsumi down, he said, "That was awesome! I like flying, but riding and flying?! Absolutely awesome! Maybe you should be my pet..."

"Mitsumi woke me up. I'm her pet. Just like Blue Ripple," Bright Bolt snorted and pressed his muzzle into her arms.

"I'm right here..." Blue Ripple grumbled from where he was clinging to her.

"Make room!" Bright Bolt snickered.

"So...you admit to being her pet?" Saitama grinned.

"Yeah. I figured...it works," Bright Bolt said and gazed out over the fiery landscape. "In truth, I can go no farther here. It's like...instinctive territory lines."

"True," Blue Ripple sighed.

"Ah! Look! Lava Lilies!" Mitsumi said at where the beautiful, fiery red lilies were growing. When Bright Bolt leaned down to eat one, she pouted softly.

"Sorry. They're really delicious!" Bright Bolt chuckled. "It was mainly why I come around here at times."

"Those are supposed to be rare to find," Saitama said.

"I know. Why do you think they're rare?" the lightning monster snickered.

"It was said they have a lot of helpful healing qualities. They even helped cure Kianna from being a monster," Mitsumi smiled.

"Really?! Hmm. Okay, I'll leave a lot more of them alone," Bright Bolt nodded. Overgrown Rover growled and looked to the southern area from where they were. When they saw Inichi and Wind Crane coming over from that direction, Saitama was quick to mentally reach out. :Go around a different way! My dog is alert! Something's wrong!:

Inichi just got the message before making a mass shielding to block the giant worm-like monster of smoldering lava rock that suddenly struck out from the lake of lava they were flying over. The gaping, fanged mouth was slapped shut by Zenchu's clawed slap, and Garou was quick to jump off Wind Crane's back to slam it back into the lava.

"Garou!" Lily shrieked.

"He's a monster. Remember that. He'll be fine," Bang said to calm her down. True to his words, Garou was now wearing a form of armored shielding of thick, rock-like scales and flying back up on his bat-like wings to help escort them. Bomb was quick to hold Lily back from accidentally jumping off to reach him. Garou was quick to fly close to talk to her.

"Lily. I'm fine," Garou said calmly. "I can shift my shape. Don't worry."

"Oh. Okay..." she trembled. At the look of loving protection he gave her now, she could only sigh with relief and give the same look back.

"Was that who we needed to talk to?" Mitsumi asked Bright Bolt.

"Nope. That's just a monster that attacks at random," he said. "I think I even heard her saying it was a pain to deal with at times."

"I got it," Tatsumaki said when she pulled the giant worm from the lava lake with a greenish glow around it. Now she proceeded to tie it up into a knot on itself to effectively kill it and drop it back into the lava. All those that saw what she did were in a state of silent shock.

"It pissed her off..." Rendor seemed to swallow.

"It attacked my new friends. And your family," she sniffed. "Besides, if it did that all the time, then enough was enough. Right?"