One Punch Man: I am Saitama

Once Saitama returned to the apartment and was on the street just about to go upstairs to his apartment, he was greeted by the sight of Genos dragging what looked like the half-burned corpse of a giant insect. The creature's exoskeleton was charred and broken in multiple places, limbs twitching slightly as if its nerves hadn't accepted death just yet.

Genos immediately turned to acknowledge him.

"Saitama-sensei," he said, bowing slightly. "I have returned with the monster you described. I found it on the outskirts of Z-City. Before I eliminated him, he claimed to be part of an organization called the House of Evolution."

House of Evolution… Saitama's memory kicked in.

Yeah, I remember now. That was Dr. Genus's little science cult. Some twisted idea of perfecting the human race. Although, I still don't get how making giant bugs and talking animals equals "evolution." Crazy scientists and their God-complexes…

"Good work, Genos," he said aloud, stepping past the insect's corpse. "You handled that well. Although… are you sure that was the only one?"

Genos paused. "What do you mean, sensei?"

Saitama blinked once, then went into improv mode.

"What I mean is—if he told you he was part of an organization, don't you think it might've been smart to bring him back alive? That way we could interrogate him, get intel. Your first lesson as my student, Genos: always gather information before going all-out."

Genos stiffened. "I-I am terribly sorry, sensei. I acted rashly. Please forgive my failure!" he said, bowing in a perfect 90-degree angle.

Man, Saitama thought, scratching the back of his head, even now that he's a real person, Genos is unintentionally hilarious…

Before he could say anything else, a new voice echoed from the dark alley behind them.

"So, you're the one who defeated Kamakyuri, huh?"

The voice was deep, heavy with disdain and predatory arrogance.

From the shadows stepped a hulking figure—half lion, half man. His thick, golden mane swayed with each step, muscles rippling beneath a tight black shirt and animal pelts strapped around his shoulders. A belt with a lion's head motif held up a jagged leopard-print cloth around his waist, giving him a savage, barbaric look.

"I am Beast King, the second strongest in the House of Evolution," the creature growled. "I was sent here to retrieve you, baldy. Dead or alive."

Before Saitama could react, the ground beneath him erupted, and something yanked him down by the ankles. The concrete cracked and collapsed inwards, burying everything below his shoulders into the pavement like he'd been swallowed whole.

"Got him!" came a shrill, higher-pitched voice.

From the cracked sidewalk emerged a giant mole—long claws coated in dust, snickering triumphantly. "He's trapped now, Beast King! My underground restraint technique is foolproof!"

"Sensei!" Genos shouted, moving to engage, but Saitama's calm voice cut through the tension.

"I'm fine, Genos. Actually, it's kinda cozy down here."

And then, effortlessly, he stood up.

With a simple flex of his legs and a shrug of his shoulders, the concrete crumbled off him like dry leaves, dust puffing in the air. He emerged completely unharmed, brushing his hands against his pants.

The mole's eyes widened in cartoonish horror.

What?! How did he break out so easily?! That hole was reinforced! It's worked on monsters ten times his size!

"You done?" Saitama asked, tilting his head.

Beast King snarled and stepped forward. "Don't get cocky just because you escaped a cheap trap. I'm the apex predator of the House of Evolution. And now… YOU DIE!"

He charged, roaring, his claws raised to strike.

A flash of fur and rage.

Saitama didn't move until the last second.

Then, with a bored expression and a single forward step, he punched.

The blow collided with Beast King's chest, and for a moment, everything went quiet.

Then, with the sound of shattering bones and imploding organs, the lion-man was hurled backwards like a cannonball. He tore through two buildings, a power pole, and landed somewhere deep in a forest miles away—no longer resembling anything that could be classified as "alive."

"...And that's done," Saitama muttered, flexing his wrist slightly. "Damn. He looked tougher than that."

The mole, Ground Dragon, stared wide-eyed. Beads of sweat rolled down his fur-covered face.

"Y-you... you monster!"

He turned and dove back into the ground in full retreat mode.

But before he could vanish completely—

CLANK.

Genos's mechanical hand lashed out like a whip, grabbing the mole by the tail mid-burrow. Ground Dragon screamed in panic, squirming violently.

"I've got him, sensei," Genos said calmly as he dragged the mole out like a carrot. "This one I'll keep alive, for interrogation."

Saitama nodded. "Good call. See? You're learning already. Now…"

He stepped closer to the terrified mole, completely oblivious to the panic written all over its face.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I-I-I'm not g-gonna tell you!" the mole stammered, voice trembling.

Genos gave him a cold, mechanical stare. His glowing red eye sharpened with intensity. "Answer Sensei's question… or I will incinerate you."

That did the trick. The mole's eyes widened in terror, and almost immediately he let out an audible fart.

"S-sorry! I tend to f-fart when I get nervous!" he whimpered. "Please don't destroy me—I'll tell you everything!"

"Alright, I believe you," said Saitama with a shrug. "Go on, spill it."

The mole nodded quickly, still hanging from Genos's grip.

"M-my name is Ground Dragon. I'm a member of the House of Evolution. I was sent by Dr. Genus to retrieve you," he said, pointing shakily at Saitama. "Dr. Genus is… very interested in how you managed to defeat Mosquito Girl despite being—at least on the surface—a normal human. So he sent some of his top agents: Beast King, who you just killed, Kamakyuri, and me. There may be more on the way."

Saitama frowned thoughtfully.

Okay, this is all matching up with what I remember from the manga… so far.

He crouched a little to meet the mole's eye level. "Tell us more. What exactly does Dr. Genus want? Why go through all this trouble?"

Ground Dragon gulped. "W-well… From an early age, Dr. Genus questioned the notion that humans had unlimited potential. He saw the people around him as primitive and couldn't stand living among them. At fifteen, he made up his mind to evolve humanity himself—to create a world worthy of his

genius."

The mole continued, trembling but speaking clearly now.

"Over the years, he made countless contributions to science and was widely praised for his intelligence. But no one supported his ideas of artificially evolving humans through man-made mutations. So, he decided to pursue his vision alone."

"After turning seventy, he finally succeeded in reversing his aging, restoring his body to its youthful state. Then he created clones of himself to assist with his experiments. He began working on animals first, and eventually turned to humans. The facility was renamed the 'House of Evolution,' and through relentless experimentation, he created a wide variety of new species—like us."

As the mole finished, his body sagged in Genos's grip, as if confessing his creator's sins had drained what little courage he had left.

Saitama's eyes narrowed slightly as the mole finished his explanation. He crossed his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully.

Wait a second… Dr. Genus? The youthful mad scientist who clones himself and leads a secret bio-engineering cult? This is literally the same plot as in the manga…

Saitama—or more like the man inside Saitama—felt a weird mix of excitement and dread. On one hand, this meant the story was unfolding just like he remembered, and he knew more or less how events would go. On the other… this was real now. The monsters were real. The violence, the destruction, the body count—real. No panel borders. No reset button.

He squatted next to the mole and asked calmly, "Where is the House of Evolution's HQ?"

Ground Dragon froze, his paws shaking.

"I-I can't tell you that! Dr. Genus will—he'll destroy me if I betray him!"

Genos leaned forward just slightly. His eye flashed red, humming with energy.

"If you do not comply, I will incinerate every cell in your body… one at a time."

Ground Dragon yelped, curled into a ball, then hastily unfurled with a loud frrrrt. "S-sorry, nerves again. Okay! Okay! It's in the mountains east of Z-City! Hidden behind a fake cliffside! There's a building with an underground facility! I swear that's all I know!"

Saitama nodded and stood up. "Good mole. See, Genos? That's lesson two: if you don't know where the villain is, just ask his henchmen nicely… and threaten to vaporize them if needed."

"Yes, sensei. I will take note of that."

"Alright. Let's go," Saitama said, stretching his arms over his head as if they weren't on their way to storm a secret genetic warfare bunker. "Before they send another furry mutant to crash the party."

So Saitama started to run on sonic speeds and Genos followed him closely with his propulsors leaving the mole alone.

When suddenly…

BOOM!

The ground nearby cracked, and from the smoke emerged a tall, broad figure clad in thick black armor. Its glowing red eyes lit up as it scanned the scene.

"I have arrived. You may tremble in awe. For I am—"

The armored figure stopped, blinking behind his visor as his gaze fell on the remains of Beast King splattered across a wall and the scorched husk of Kamakyuri.

"...Wait. What happened here?"

Ground Dragon blinked in recognition. "A-Armored Gorilla! You're late! Beast King is dead! Kamakyuri too! And the target—he's not here anymore!"

Armored Gorilla lowered his arms slowly, clearly dumbfounded. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"The bald one and the cyborg went straight to Dr. Genus! He's in danger!" Ground Dragon shouted, gesturing frantically toward the east.

For a moment, Armored Gorilla said nothing. Then he turned toward the horizon.

"…Oh no."

With that, the reinforced cybernetic primate blasted off in pursuit, gravel shattering beneath him as he launched into the air, following the trail of destruction the other two had already begun to leave behind.