One Punch Man: Neutral Grounds

Chapter 143

"What's the plan?" Bright Bolt asked.

"We leave...a trail..." Stable Rock said. "My stones...will lead...into...the trap...see...?"

"Ah! Okay," Saitama grinned. Fire Flight lit up the braziers and sconces in the entryway to provide enough light to show them all what to do. Wind Crane was still in her crane form and she moved to stand with the statues. Fire Flight snickered and moved to settle behind another large statue on the other side of the offering altar. Then Fire Flight had a wicked idea.

"Little sister, Wind Crane! Stand behind the main altar. As the fumes of incense rise up, you can emerge from them as though summoned. I shall inform Imai of this idea to ensure she gets here before the intruder does," Fire Flight snickered. Wind Crane clacked her beak with agreement and quickly set the stage.

"I was curious about something," Mitsumi said. She rose up to stand and rest in Saitama's arms. "I think...Mami Ito told me about an exclusive training room. That there was something I had to do in it if I ever found it. She taught me what I had to do in order to prepare myself. The tricky part was to find someone else to set the room for me. Saitama, you can help me. I think this is the training room she spoke of. So you'll need to help me set it up."

"Oh?! What do I have to do?" he asked.

"I'll need to move through the room alone, but you need to go to the lever and move it to the very center. Then push in until it locks into place. It resets the room for advanced and expert assassins. There's a secret that I need to uncover that can help the clan. I was trying to remember something before about this place," she smiled. "I don't know what the item is, but I know it's important. If this is the room, then tiles will show up for me to press in a pattern."

"Hmm. Will you be okay without me?" he asked.

"You stand at the lever. I make my way to you. You will see how a fully-fledged Wind Crane Clan assassin moves in a complete training environment. It's timed for exactly five minutes before the room shuts down to show I wasn't fast enough, so I know we'll be in the ten minute window. My wedding dress will be perfectly fine, too, as it's made to resemble Wind Crane Clan garments," she chuckled. "I need to do this, too. I have to keep my skills up."

"Okay," he nodded and pulled her close to press a long, loving kiss on her mouth. "So, pull the lever up to the middle and push in?"

"Yes. I'll tell you when I'm ready for you to activate it," she said with a small nod. He walked to the lever on the other side of the room and noticed the room didn't do anything. The novice training is done. The room needs to be reset. Bright Bolt looked at Mitsumi and nuzzled her hand. "I need to do this alone. You can stand with Saitama, though."

"Okay," Bright Bolt nodded and trotted over to him quickly. Blue Ripple, Overgrown Rover, Stable Rock and Tangled Vine were next to head to his side. Cold Snap frowned and looked at Mitsumi.

"You are with us now. Go stand with Saitama," Mitsumi said. Now he looked at her and hugged her. He only stood up to her hips in his child form, but he was trembling with emotions. He knew he had to ask her something.

"Thank you," he sighed in his ice-over-water tone.

"For what?" she asked and hugged him back.

"I never had...a place...to call...well..." he grimaced.

"You never had a home?" she asked and knelt down to him.

"Yeah. It feels nice," he nodded.

"Garou was the same way. You should talk to him after this is done," she suggested and got hugged by him again.