Wolf Fang Fist Chapter 3 (Patreon)

One Punch Man parody: Tier 1/Patreon Request

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 Endings and Beginnings

Saitama had been in a fog, it was like the whole world was darkness and he was being guided by moonlight. Everything was a blur, moments passing like shooting stars. He felt like he was changing becoming something...dangerous…

He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew, a terrible feeling deep in his core. If he made it there, he wouldn’t be human anymore.

Then there was a flash, piercing light dispelled the darkness. Saitama found himself near the Beast Paw Academy. “What was I…” He looked down. “Whoa I’m naked!?” He touched his ears and found they had been turned into fluffy and furry ears, and he had also sprouted a tail. “What the heck?!”

He heard a soft groan. “Master?!”

Mao’s body was shriveled up, his hair had grown longer and gone white. “Saitama...kun…” Saitama teared up.

“Oh no, this is all my fault!”

“No...I’m old...In all of my life I’ve had many failures breaking my limiter put me in a cursed life. I’ve done my best to protect my students, and I was able to save you from suffering the same fate.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but I gotta get you to a hospital or the dojo.”

“It is...to late...I had tied my spirit to the dojo, it was the price I paid. I couldn’t leave, but I could protect my students.” He passed his spirit energy to Saitama. His limiter had broken for just a moment, but Mao was able to save it. It was cracked and damaged, there was no reversing that, but his soul was spared. “I could protect you...in the end…” His curse was broken, now he was aging. “It is time...for the students...to leave my shadow...and walk their own path…”

Saitama cried. “No please no!”

“Saitama...be a hero…” he passed on, a smile on his face.

-x-

Saitama hadn’t cared about a lot in his life, before he entered the beast claw academy he was on the cusp of despair. He found purpose, a goal, and so much more. With Mao’s death things were turned upside down.

While Mao didn’t blame Saitama for his death and didn’t want him to either, the feeling wasn’t mutual. The other teachers blamed Saitama for all of it, and not many students wanted to defend him. Mao’s death was a heavy loss.

Loss, Grief, Pain, Anger…

Saitama couldn’t blame them for hating him. Mao had protected them, trained them, each of them had their own stories to tell. With Mao gone the barrier that protected the academy was gone, now people like the House of Evolution could find them. They were exposed.

Confusion, Disgust, Fear…

Saitama’s new furry features were noticed by the others. Rumors began to spread that Saitama had become a monster and killed Mao with his own claws. Nonsense really as Mao died of old age. It was hard to dispel these furry traits, he could if he focused hard enough but it was like trying to hold something in that wanted to come out.

The few days after Mao’s burial everyone was on high alert.

Master Phant, Swoop, and Fin were taking over as the grand masters of the dojo. Saitama didn’t really like this idea, Master Phant was wise, but he was stubborn, full of hard opinions and very strict. Master Swoop was the youngest of the three, and he was impulsive and cocky. Master Fin was the most vicious and prideful of the three. While they all had their strengths they annoyed Saitama something fierce as, he had had defeated them once or twice.

Phant was a mountain of a man, ripped with muscle. He had noticeably large ears and a strong chin. He wore green robes with his master stripes on them with the symbol of his fighting style the Elephant Fist.

Swoop was a young and the shortest of the three, he had spiky black hair and pointy ears. He wore purple robes with his master stripes on them with the symbol of his fighting style being the Bat Fist.

Fin had tan skin and blue hair with scars on his chest and back. He wore blue robes with marking of his fist the Shark Fist. He wore a shark fang necklace that held the his master stripes on it.

In terms of choosing a new Grand Master, in terms of strength Saitama was more than qualified. Though with the current circumstances he wasn’t wanting to be one. Though it seemed Mao did.

“Saitama...despite Mao’s wishes, you will not be granted a seat as a Grand Master.” Mao’s will stated that the school would have four grand masters, that together they would guide the students to be more well rounded. He also wanted Saitama to lead.

“That’s okay...I don’t really feel I deserve that anyway.” He said simply.

“Tch...will you take nothing seriously!” Fin snapped.

“You often broke Master Mao’s rules and you needed harsher punishments.” Swoop hissed.

‘Dig the knife a little deeper why don’t you.’ Mao told him what he needed to be and it wasn’t a Grand Master. Saitama felt different, everything felt so strange. He was trying to figure things out, and he wasn’t gonna be able to do it here.

“Enough you two!” Phant snapped. “Do not disgrace yourselves.”

“We have decided to divide the school, as it stands the Beast Fist School is dead!” Fin said. “We’ll be dividing the students and finding a new home, founding our own schools.”

“Okay…” Saitama said.

“This place will remain as a monument to Master Mao’s legacy. As such you will leave this place at once.” Swoop told him.

“Okay…” Saitama stood up. “Are we done here? I got some stuff to figure out.”

“What is with your attitude!?” Swoop stood up. “Don’t you care that Mao died!?”

“I care, I care more than any of you will ever know.” His aura was strange, it was like a wild animal was standing before them. His intensity sent shivers down their spines. “This place helped me, he helped me. He saved me from becoming...a monster…”

He was still changed, what the House of Evolution did to him could not be reverse. He had his soul thanks to him, and he was gonna put it to good use. His hand balled into a fist. “If that’s all you wanted to say to me, can I go? I now have to find a place to live.”

“You bastard!” Fin snapped, but it was Swoop who charged in to attack him.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I’m gonna give you the beat down you deserve!”

“Swoop stop!” Phant shouted.

“Bat Fist: Grizzly Wing!” He let loose a barrage of attacks on Saitama. He didn’t even flinch and blocked Swoop’s attacks with one hand.

“Sorry, I’m not in the mood to fight right now.”

“Bat Fist: Swooping Strike!” He jumped back before jumping into the air, diving at Saitama.

The dark haired man dodged, with shocking speed. “Didn’t you hear me...I said no!” He kicked Swoop and sent him flying back and he hit the wall. The wind was knocked out of him.

“You bastard!” Fin was about to attack, but Phant stopped him.

“Saitama, what will you do now?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because a man without a direction in life can become a dangerous man. If you have no purpose going forward, perhaps it’ll be safer to end you now.”

Saitama glared at them. He was super serious before his features softened. “I’m gonna become a hero!” He said and left.

-x-

Swoop took his students to the mountains, and built his dojo there. Phant took his dojo on the road, he planned to have them walk the Earth, traveling and training. Fin took his students to a private island.

Saitama went to the woods. He stayed on the move for a bit, just to keep the House of Evolution off his tail. He took out his money, all of it and traveled. He stayed off the grid using cash, but mostly living off the land.

Before he could become a hero, he needed to make sure he was safe. He was now a werewolf, he had to be sure the next time he wolfed out he didn’t go off and hurt someone. The power of the wolf was strong.

He meditated, trained, and channeled his frustrations. On nights of the Full Moon he’d wolf out and go crazy attacking rocks and trees in the woods. He found a lake and saw his reflection. ‘I’m a monster...what have I done?’

Saitama punched the water to destroy his reflection. “Master!”

“No need to shout.” A phantom appeared over the lake. It was Mao, glowing in ethereal light.

“Master….you are alive?” He ran out to greet him only to fall into the lake.

“No, I am very much dead.” Saitama crawled out of the water and shook himself dry like a dog. “It seems my curse isn’t as broken as I thought.”

“Are you haunting me now?”

“Not in so many words. My spirit is still bound to this world.”

“It’s my fault you died?”

“Did you want to be kidnapped?”

“No...but I broke your rule and snuck out.”

“To help people.”

“Yes but…”

“No buts!” Saitama flinched, expecting a one more thing like smack. “Saitama-kun, the past cannot be changed, all you can do is work on the now to make a better tomorrow.”

“I miss your weird lectures.” He looked down in defeat. “I can barely control myself like this, how can I be a hero when I’m a monster?”

“Only because you hate yourself. You hate what you’ve become and thus you cannot find balance.” Mao explained. “Once you accept all of you and learn to love what you’ve become. You’ll be able to be a hero.”

“You used to tell me, everyone has a story, a beginning, a middle, and an end. I feel like I’m to blame for ending your story.” Mao sighed.

“Stories must come to an end some day. I’ve been ready for my story to end for a long time. What I didn’t tell you was sometimes an ending is just another beginning.” His life as a spirit was an all new beginning. Saitama buried his face in his arms, his furry ears going flat, and his tail slumping. “Ah yes, do you believe your story has ended?”

“Hasn’t it, I’m no longer human. Saitama the human is dead!”

“That’s one way to look at it. I see a greater story in you. Before you came to my academy, that was a chapter of your life. Your days at the academy is another chapter.”

“So me becoming this furry beast is just another chapter?”

“That is right, to a much grander story.”

“What story!?” He looked up at him.

“Saitama-kun, you didn’t break the rules for no reason. You did it to help people. You became a hero and saved as many people as you could, even now you live as a recluse so you don’t hurt anyone. You learned the Wolf Fang Fist and used it to defend. That’s the story that’s not ready to end, don’t let that one end.” Saitama cried, sniffling and wiping his eyes with his arm. “So what are you gonna do now?”

He stood up. “I’m gonna gain control of this body of mine, use my Wolf Fang Fist style to become a great warrior, and I’m gonna become a hero!”

Mao chuckled. ‘You are so honest, you really mean it. You have changed so much from the man who came to our dojo simply wanting food and a room.’

“I miss you master Mao!”

“Don’t let the past weigh you down boy. The wolf needs to run without chains holding it back.”

“It hurts.”

“Yes, the past can hurt. You can either run from it, or learn from it!” Saitama smiled. He would! “One more thing!” He smacked Saitama upside the head.

“Oww hey, how did you do that?”

“Ancient secret, hohoho.” He chuckled and faded away.

‘Was I hallucinating all that?’ He smiled. “Master would give me a proper smack if he saw me sulking like this. It won’t be easy, but I’ll have to move on.” He had to start the next chapter of his life, even if it meant he was like this the rest of his life.

To be continued...City Z