Z-City. Municipal Park. Community BBQ Area.**
**Sunday. 11:30 AM.
The park is busy. Families, heroes, and low-level reformed monsters are enjoying the sunshine. The sky is a perfect azure (no more pixels).
Saitama stands before a charcoal grill. He wears an apron that says *'SALE HUNTER'*.
He holds a pair of tongs.
His eyes are focused. Intense.
"Genos," Saitama says without looking away. "Charcoal temperature?"
"350 degrees Celsius, Master. Optimal for searing, but risky for the thinly sliced pork belly."
"We risk it," Saitama decides. "Risk is part of the flavor profile."
**The Setup.**
The "Z-Valhalla BBQ Alliance" has occupied three tables.
Table 1: The S-Class. Bang is drinking sake. Flashy Flash is chopping vegetables at supersonic speeds. Atomic Samurai is using a toothpick (which is actually a tiny katana).
Table 2: The Gods. Thor is breaking logs for the fire with his bare hands. Hercules is arm-wrestling Tanktop Master (it's a stalemate).
Table 3: The Blizzard Group. Fubuki is directing her subordinates to set the plates. She looks stressed. "If we run out of potato salad, my reputation is ruined!"
**The Ingredient.**
A shadow falls over the grill.
Satan (Mr. Red) arrives. He carries a cooler made of dry ice and obsidian.
He sets it down. The ground freezes.
"The Main Course," Satan announces.
He opens the cooler.
Inside glows a piece of meat. It pulsates red and gold.
**The Liver of the Nemean Lion.** (Gifted by Hercules).
Saitama stares. "Is that... sanitary? It's glowing."
"It is concentrated fortitude," Hercules calls out, flexing. "Eat it, and your skin becomes impenetrable!"
"My skin is already fine," Saitama pokes his cheek. "But is it chewy?"
"Very," Satan grins. "I have marinated it in soy sauce and the Tears of Judas for three days. It will be exquisite."
**The Challenger.**
"Wait!"
A voice booms from the sky.
A chariot descends, pulled by flaming horses.
**Helios**, the (other) Sun God. He lands next to the grill, radiance blinding everyone except Saitama (who wears sunglasses) and Genos (who has filters).
"You call this a BBQ?" Helios scoffs, stepping out. "Charcoal? How primitive."
Helios snaps his fingers. A grill made of pure solar plasma manifests.
"I bring the Sun-Steak! Cooked instantly by the rays of Apollo!"
He throws a slab of beef onto his light-grill.
*VWOOM.*
The beef vaporizes instantly. Ash floats away.
"...It requires timing," Helios coughs, embarrassed.
Saitama ignores him. He places the pork belly on his charcoal grill.
*Sizzle.*
The sound is beautiful. A hymn of fat rendering.
"Flip," Saitama commands.
Genos flips the meat with micrometer precision.
**The Incident.**
A stray dog wanders into the area.
Not just a dog.
**Rover.** The oversized demon dog who now lives with Saitama (shrunken down).
Rover smells the Nemean Lion Liver.
*Woof.*
Rover jumps.
Saitama is busy monitoring the pork belly.
Satan is arguing with Helios about heat thermodynamics.
Rover grabs the legendary liver.
And runs.
"HEY!" Satan screams. "THE MAIN DISH!"
Rover bolts through the park. He grows in size, excited by the divine scent. He becomes the size of a bus.
"Catch him!" Fubuki orders her group. "Lasso the beast!"
The Blizzard Bunch tries. They are trampled.
Rover runs toward the river.
**The Solution.**
Saitama sighs. He puts down the tongs.
"Can't have a BBQ without the meat."
He picks up a small pebble from the ground.
He weighs it in his hand.
"Serious Move."
He looks at Rover, who is 500 meters away and jumping into the air.
"Serious Fetch."
Saitama throws the pebble.
He aims *past* Rover.
The pebble breaks the sound barrier. It arcs through the air, heats up, and lands in the river ahead of the dog with a massive *SPLASH*.
Rover sees the splash.
The instinct kicks in.
Big splash = Big stick?
Rover stops mid-rampage. He forgets the liver. He dives into the river to find the "stick."
He drops the liver on the bank.
Genos uses his boosters. *Zoom.*
He scoops up the liver before it hits the dirt.
"Asset secured, Master! Five-second rule applies!"
Saitama gives a thumbs up.
**The Feast.**
Sunset.
The food is ready.
Saitama bites into the pork belly.
"Perfect."
Thor eats a drumstick. "Acceptable." (High praise).
Fubuki is stuffing her face with yakisoba.
Satan is crying tears of joy because someone complimented his marinade.
Helios is quietly eating a burnt sausage, humbled.
King arrives late.
He holds a plastic bag.
"I brought dessert," King says.
He pulls out a box of **Discount Pudding Cups.**
Saitama's eyes widen. "The caramel ones?"
"The caramel ones."
The gods cheer. The humans cheer.
And for a moment, in the fusion of worlds, amidst the chaos of divine beings and super-powered weirdos, there is peace.
A peace built on charcoal, cheap meat, and pudding.