Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester County
"Getsuga Tensho!"
"Lion's Barrage!"
"Take this! I'm pressing the attack!"
"Oh yeah, I won!"
Inside one of the dormitory bedrooms, Bobby Drake and John Allerdyce were frantically mashing the keyboards of their respective computers.
The two mutant teenagers were deeply engrossed in the newly released Bleach vs. Naruto 2D fighting game on the official Marvel Entertainment website.
Creak!
The heavy oak door swung open. Piotr Rasputin walked in, sweating profusely from a grueling Danger Room workout. He grabbed a towel to wipe his forehead, immediately spotting the two of them glued to their screens, shouting at each other over the sounds of 16-bit explosions.
"You guys need to stop playing," Piotr sighed, tossing his towel onto a chair. "Mr. Scott is going to test our combat training results tonight. You two seem to care about nothing but that game."
John didn't even look away from the monitor, his hands a blur over the keys as his on-screen character executed a combo. "Piotr, the game is getting more and more refined! They just patched in new comic characters. It's incredibly refreshing."
Bobby nodded eagerly, his eyes wide with focus. "Yeah, exactly! What's the rush for tonight? We have plenty of time."
The two of them continued to clatter away on their keyboards, completely ignoring Piotr's warning.
Piotr shook his head in disappointment. "Whatever. I don't care. I'm not interested in those comics anyway."
He walked over to his own desk and booted up his computer. The academic atmosphere at the Xavier School was robust, but Professor Charles Xavier believed in a free-range approach to learning and personal development. Computers and smartphones were never banned.
Piotr opened his browser and scrolled through Twitter. A massive trending topic immediately caught his eye.
#OnePunchManAnime is FIRE!
Out of sheer curiosity, Piotr clicked the link. It redirected him to a high-definition anime streaming site.
Piotr had never liked reading manga. It was black and white, silent, and motionless. He couldn't immerse himself in it, and waiting weeks for a few pages of plot felt like a chore. He honestly thought Bobby and John were wasting their lives reading comic books every single day. If they failed Mr. Scott's combat test, Cyclops was going to chew them out in front of the whole class.
But anime? Anime was acceptable. Twenty minutes of full color, sound, and motion was a much faster, easier investment of his time.
He hit play. The episode opened with the absolute, apocalyptic destruction of City A. The protagonist was a blank-faced bald guy in a bright yellow suit. The villain, Vaccine Man, was towering and terrifying, leveling city blocks with blasts of energy. Piotr leaned forward. He felt that if such an overwhelming villain appeared in the very first minute of the show, the protagonist was surely going to get beaten to a pulp to build tension.
"I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun," Saitama's voice echoed nonchalantly from the computer speakers.
Across the room, Bobby and John's ears perked up. John turned his head, a smug, knowing grin on his face. "Piotr, what do you think of the anime? It's an exact, one-to-one adaptation of the manga."
"Stop talking nonsense and play your game," Piotr grunted, his eyes fixed on the monitor. "Watching the anime is much faster than staring at paper."
He turned back to the screen.
Then, under Piotr's utterly bewildered gaze, Saitama casually threw a single, unceremonious punch. The air rippled, and the massive Vaccine Man was completely obliterated into a shower of purple gore.
"..."
"Why was it so fast?!" Piotr yelled, practically falling out of his chair. He had absolutely zero mental preparation for such a violently anticlimactic victory.
"Haha! Sensei Saitama is super strong!" John laughed triumphantly, pausing his game to gloat.
"Sensei... Saitama?" Piotr repeated, dazed.
"Just keep watching. You'll understand," John said, turning back to his keyboard.
Piotr glued his eyes back to the monitor. The heavy metal theme song kicked in, roaring through his headphones with infectious, high-octane energy.
"This animation... is actually really good," Piotr murmured, fully captivated. When the credits rolled, he immediately clicked on episode two.
Bobby and John looked at each other and laughed in unison. Another mutant had officially jumped into the pit.
Although Piotr loved the One Punch Man anime, he still had no desire to read the physical comics. There were millions of people like Piotr in the United States. Only a fraction of the population actively bought comic books; the vast majority preferred the passive consumption of television and movies. To them, buying paper comics was a waste of money when they could just wait for the free weekly broadcast.
People like Piotr were incredibly stubborn. Their emotions were rarely swayed by the hype of physical media.
However, Light Inksworth's true goal had already been achieved. By simply watching the anime, Piotr Rasputin had officially become a fan. Even if he was only categorized as the lowest tier, an 'Ordinary Fan,' his engagement was now generating Fan Value for the System.
It was a brilliant strategy to farm points from the masses.
Piotr binged the first three episodes in an hour. With his adrenaline pumping, he looked over at Bobby and John, who were still fiercely battling on their keyboards.
"Hey," Piotr asked, unable to hide his excitement. "Are the characters from One Punch Man in that fighting game?"
"Yeah, they are," Bobby answered without pausing his combo. "They have Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, Genos, and the Deep Sea King. He's a late-stage character."
John chimed in. "I heard a rumor online that Marvel Entertainment is partnering with Stark Industries to develop a massive, triple-A fighting game. They might even include a virtual reality combat mode called '300 Heroes' that includes every single character from the magazines."
"Virtual reality? That sounds a bit unrealistic," Piotr muttered. "But computer games are fine. I want to play as Sensei Saitama."
Piotr eagerly opened a new tab, found the flash game on the official website, and started playing.
The three mutants played straight through the evening. It wasn't until Kitty Pryde phased her head through the bedroom door to inform them it was time for the Danger Room test that they finally stopped.
"It's over for us," Bobby groaned, looking at the clock in absolute horror.
Because Bobby and John had spent the entire week gaming without a single second of physical preparation, they walked into the training room listlessly and were promptly destroyed by the simulation.
Piotr, however, had the foresight to complete his heavy training before he discovered the game. He passed the test with flying colors.
Kitty Pryde stood by the console, completely confused as to why the Ice and Fire duo looked so utterly dejected.
One Week Later - Manhattan
Since Light had safely transported Tony Stark back to New York, a full week had passed in relative calm.
Having realized that spending massive amounts of Fan Value to pull Gacha rewards from future, un-drawn arcs was highly inefficient, Light had temporarily ceased his massive spending sprees. He decided to hoard his points until the anime adaptations generated a massive, collective explosion of Fan Value.
Within one week, the One Punch Man anime had officially launched, dropping three high-quality episodes immediately. The internet response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Uncle Andy had already finalized negotiations with major television networks; once the online exclusivity window closed, the anime would be broadcast on prime-time TV.
Light hadn't been idle during these peaceful days. In addition to spending some quality narrative downtime taking Gwen Stacy out on dates, he had finally moved into his new house.
The property was a massive, sprawling, multi-million dollar villa located on the secure, wealthy fringe of Manhattan. True to his word, Tony Stark had facilitated the purchase at a massive fifty-percent discount as a 'thank you' for the desert rescue.
With the massive new living space, Ken Kaneki, who had been uncomfortably living out of a generic hotel room on Light's dime, finally breathed a sigh of relief and moved into his new home.
Marvel Entertainment Headquarters
"Kaneki, you learn incredibly fast," Natasha leaned over Kaneki's desk, offering him a brilliant smile while strategically showcasing a generous amount of cleavage.
Kaneki's expression didn't change a single degree. He looked directly at the monitor and replied politely, "It's nothing. I just understand the software logic."
Seeing her charms fail yet again, Natasha fell back into her own seat with a dull thump, practically frantic with annoyance.
It had been two weeks. Two weeks of deep undercover work, and she had absolutely zero clues.
She had successfully infiltrated Manager Andy's office after hours, but found nothing except mundane financial documents and the unreleased manuscript pages for the next issue. She had initially photographed some of the drafts and sent them to Fury, hoping they held some hidden code, only to be directly scolded by the Director.
"What use is stealing comic book scripts to S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Romanoff?" Fury had yelled over the secure line.
The utter frustration of the assignment made Natasha doubt not only her legendary seductive charms but also her overall competency as an elite spy.
Evening - The Streets of New York
Having finished his shift at the office, Kaneki walked out of the Marvel building carrying a small messenger bag. He was ready to hail a cab back to the new villa, but decided to take a shortcut through a narrow alleyway to reach the main avenue faster.
As he walked deeper into the alley, the streetlights grew sparse. The shadows lengthened, and a heavy sense of depression enveloped the block. Pedestrians were entirely absent.
Kaneki's Ghoul senses flared. Several figures were leaning silently against the brick walls, standing perfectly still, staring at him with cold, predatory intent.
"Blade? What a sharp and fitting name."
Just as Kaneki reached the halfway point of the alley, a hoarse, chilling voice echoed from the darkness. A strong, metallic stench of fresh blood immediately assaulted Kaneki's heightened olfactory senses.
A figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking Kaneki's path.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed from under Kaneki's foot. He had stepped on a piece of broken glass. The noise was incredibly loud in the dead-quiet alley, ringing out clearly for everyone to hear.
The figures leaning against the wall all turned in unison. Their eyes narrowed, exuding a crimson, blood-like glow in the darkness as they stared directly at Kaneki.
Kaneki raised his eyebrows. His face remained perfectly indifferent. He continued walking forward at a steady pace, completely unfazed, his dark eyes tracking their movements.
"Kill him," a voice commanded from deeper within the alley.
At that moment, another voice—one Kaneki recognized instantly—rang out, cutting through the tension.
"Let him go. He's just a pedestrian passing by. This fight is between you and me."
Kaneki thought back carefully. He remembered that voice. He had encountered a strange, dark-skinned man while ordering coffee at a diner during his very first week on the job.
The man had possessed an incredibly sharp nose. He had smelled human blood on Kaneki instantly and had been ready to fight right there in the cafe. The sudden appearance of Natasha Romanoff had broken the tension, and the man had walked away. At the time, Kaneki had suspected the man might have smelled the killer instinct on Natasha and backed off, mistaking her for an ally.
He didn't expect to run into the man again here.
It was obvious to Kaneki that he had just stumbled into a highly dangerous situation. Following the initial order from the shadows, the figures leaning against the walls slowly pushed themselves upright and began to surround him.
Their hideous faces, glowing red eyes, unnaturally slender fingers, and incredibly pale skin all screamed the same truth: these people were not ordinary humans.
They were apex predators.
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Word count: 1981
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