One Punch Man: Saitama Retires

The Journey

As Arplesis reached the death's door, a lot of thoughts cycled through its brain, making it relive all of its faint memories.

In one of such memories, Marcus was a teenager, sitting in a dark room with metal bars in front. He was talking with another person, who appeared to be X001.

"You know, I've always wanted to become a hero, and I still want to," Marcus confessed, his voice tinged with hope. "But I feel like it'll just remain as a dream."

"Yes, it's a dream that you can forget about," X001 replied bitterly, his gaze fixed on the bars imprisoning them. "With all the painful experiments these people do on us, I don't think we can make it out."

Determined, Marcus rose to his feet, pointing at the bars. "Then we'll have to take matters into our own hands. Why don't we accept Arplesis's offer and become heroes by embracing villainy?"

"And how do you do that?" X001 stared at him, twitching one of his eyebrows.

"We'll figure it out," Marcus stated with a wide grin.

A white flash jolted Arplesis back from its memory. As it blinked, a faint smile, tinged with happiness, spread across its face, signaling the emergence of another memory.

This time, the memory revealed Marcus and his companions gathered around a table, their bodies marked by the unmistakable signs of confinement—gray slave collars encircling their necks and heavy metal rings adorning their limbs.

They lined up behind a counter enveloped with metal bars.

"X001, spread the word about our plan," Marcus instructed confidently, gesturing towards his fellow captives.

With a painful, resigned expression, X001 glanced away. "Since when am I your right-hand man?"

Meanwhile, one of the others exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. "We'll talk later. I am excited about the tasty food they promised us today. Enduring those five-hour-long heart experiments was brutal."

He extended his plate to receive his portion, only to find a handful of fried mosquitoes and a cup of foul-smelling liquid poured into it.

Having eaten worse food, the guy was pleased as he exclaimed with a wide smile. "Thanks for the meal!"

However, Marcus turned pale, his blood boiling and his heart throbbing faster. "T-This is all we get? Even though it's better than the usual, it's hardly worth yesterday's torture."

He contained the feelings in himself as he knew that he had to tolerate the pain to join Arplesis.

The never-ending despair tightly packed in his heart intensified as the painting of Marcus's journey began to take shape, each piece fitting together like a puzzle. Another dreadful and painful memory surfaced, adding to the agony.

As far as the eye could see, flames engulfed everything in the vicinity, reducing it to charcoal. Marcus gripped a blood-stained knife in one hand, his entire body drenched in red, tears streaming down his face.

All around him, his friends lay lifeless on the ground. Among them, an adult figure, evidently significant, lay dead at Marcus's feet.

"I-I killed the leader," He stammered, glancing around. "But at what cost? My friends are dead. The pillars of my dream are dead."

Marcus's legs trembled as if a kerbesquake threatened to knock him out, but X001 approached from behind and hugged Marcus, his hands smeared with blood. "Marcus, don't lose hope. I can envision the future that you want to create. Today, we took our first step towards it."

Arplesis's eyes overflowed with tears as sparks of electricity sizzled where water met its electronic components. Another piece prepared to flash as Arplesis struggled to keep its eyes open.

In a dark room, Marcus sat on a throne kept on the top of a large staircase as if he were the king of a large nation.

"X001, did the children from Gom village arrive?" Marcus questioned, his right hand positioned beneath his chin, supporting it.

"No, sir," X001 replied with his right hand on his chest. "They are expected to arrive between 6-9 pm."

"So, are all the preparations for the experiments ready?" Marcus shifted his chin to his left hand as he lowered his right. "The dissectors, pain reducers, amplifiers, nutrient tablets? We have to create our weapon for the success of our plan."

"Yes, sir," X001 averted his gaze and murmured, "But as always, are you sure our plan is the best?"

"Yes, there's no other hope left for our planet. It's dry, unfit for habitation. Instead of attempting to restore it to its former state, it would be preferable to start anew from scratch. A fresh beginning for a better world," Marcus explained in a gentle voice. "I hope I don't have to clarify that again."

"Yes, sir," X001 instantly replied. "And we've also found a place where you can hide your identity of being the leader or Mr X."

"Brilliant!" Marcus exclaimed as he stood up. "I'll depart immediately, prepare the motorbike."

"But sir," X001 stammered. "The people there hate Arplesis."

"All the more reason then," Marcus walked down the stairs and exited the room through a door.

Within a few hours, Marcus was on track, about to reach the city where he could hide.

However, on his way to the city, Marcus spotted a man lying on the ground. Concerned, he dismounted his bike to get a closer look. The man's mouth hung open, indicating severe thirst and near exhaustion. Marcus extended his water bottle to him and asked, "Who are you, young man?"

The guy slowly turned around and accepted the water. "I-I'm Hape."

Marcus stretched his hand towards Hape, inviting him to stand up. Hape quickly followed and sighed. "Thank you, mister. I almost died out here."

Marcus hesitantly asked, "How?"

"I can answer you when we're in the city. Are you migrating? I haven't seen you around. Or are you with a terrorist organization?" Hape said, retrieving his gun and brushing dust from his clothes.

Understanding the gravity of the situation and the potential risk of his cover being exposed, Marcus swiftly presented an ID proof of migration prepared by X001. "Do you trust me now?"

Hape nodded and sheathed his gun. "Can you give me a ride?"

"Sure," Marcus smiled. "Establishing connections in a new city is crucial, after all."

Returning to the present, the image of Arplesis's journey had unfolded before its eyes. The remaining memories, despairs, and hardships illuminated as Saitama broke the silence by hammering his right fist on his left palm. "Oh! I remember now."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author: This is why I like action better. >.<