Chapter 28

{[Last Time in Hero's Harem]}

"Indeed. According to this video, there may well indeed be something happening with the abandoned area." Sitch stated as Sekingar brought up the video in question.

It was a video from the the cameras placed inside the hazmat suits, showing Vaccine Girl inflating a second time after swallowing the smog monster.

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{[Now]}

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"The others are never gonna let me live this dowUUUURRRPPP!" Sekingar rewound the video again and let it play. "The others-" it showed before Sekingar stopped the video.

"'The others.'" Sitch repeated. "That alone proves she's working with others. And even if she wasn't, we still need to subdue her." Another video showed up, this one showing her confrontation with Tar. Both images zoomed in on Vaccine Girl before she ballooned up. "As you can see, her height was shorter in her encounter with Tar. And we see some time later, she has grown." The video of her fighting Tar begins to play, showing her talking to Tar about how she's made of pollution and eating pollutants made her stronger. "If she's speaking the truth, then she needs to be dealt with, before she gets any stronger and, worst-case scenario, she tries to sate her appetite with humans."

"We've given a mass order to all heroes to be on the lookout for her in case she ever fled to other cities." stated the Bespectacled Worker. "But if she's in City-Z, I have no doubt that she'll be found."

-City-Z-

"Here we are in City-Z." said Class-A, Rank-33, Spring Mustachio, a man in a green suit and nice looking moustache. "Are you ready to being our little inquiry?"

"Yeah. Let's get on with it and get out of here." replied Class-A, Rank-29, Golden ball, a man dressed like a street punk eating a sucker.

"City-Z is quite expansive, but further ahead lies the abandoned area. The one we were told to investigate." Spring Mustachio began as the two heroes walked through the streets, their eyes glancing at the occasional damage done to buildings, snack machines, light posts, and such. "Compared to other areas, City-Z has an abnormally high rate of monster-related incidents. The frequency has been increasing over the last 10 years, while the last few have seen more and more highly advanced monster appearing, and the residents have all fled to the city center."

"I know. This place is like a ghost town. Only the water and electricity still work." said Golden Ball.

"Indeed. Looking for a cheap house?" Spring Mustachio joked, earning a chuckled, "Come off it." from Golden Ball. Their smiles faded when they approached the gate, their eyes shifting to various other people sitting around a truck with a picture of a cat eating pork on the side.

"Ham Cat?" Golden Ball asked in disbelief as they passed it.

"Hero Association Monster Capture and Transportation." Golden Ball explained.

"I know what it stands for. I just wanna know who came up with it. And why disguise it as a catfood company truck?"

"The public may grow distant to the Association if they discovered that monsters are being held within instead of outright destroyed." Spring Mustachio said as they stopped in front of the gate. "And if they're here, then there's a good chance our target is inside as well."

"Yeah, that...I can't say that name. Who came up with that monster's name?" Golden Ball groaned.

"Perhaps the same individual who came up with Ham Cat." Spring Mustachio said, no joke in his tone this time.

"You okay?" Golden Ball asked when he noticed his friend's change in demeanor.

"This monster we've been told to capture. If it is indeed the same that I and many other heroes encounted in City-A, then this will not be easy." Spring Mustachio said, his eyes narrowing at the memory as he and Golden Ball jumped the gate.

"Yeah. You and the others all got blasted away by it, right?"

"Indeed. None of us were a match for it. Luckily, King was nearby."

"Can't help but wonder about that. If King did beat it, then how is it still alive?"

Both heroes stopped when they noticed a figure moving out of the corner of their eyes. A certain pollution eating figure.

"We will just have to ask her ourselves!" Spring Mustachio growled as he and GB withdrew their respective weapons. Vaccine Girl took one look at the two before doing the smart thing: Spin on her heel and run like there's no tomorrow.

"WAAAAAAH!" she screamed as she ran, with GB and SM right behind her. None of them noticing a certain seaweed haired monster watching them.

"Huh. Guess this place isn't as deserted as I thought." they said as they began to follow. "Maybe they know about the rumors about this place.

-Vaccine Girl-

'Shit! What's going on?! Why are there other humans here?! Are they heroes?!' she frantically thought as she ran.

"Remember! We have orders to capture it if we can!" she heard one of them shout.

"Who are you two?! Leave me alone!" she yelled over her shoulder. Naturally, they ignored her as they kept chase, causing her to roar in frustration as she ran. She blinked when she noticed the area turn a little familiar.

'I'm near the apartment!' she thought with a grin. 'I can't fight these guys! Saitama'll get pissed and Genos may think I've turned on them! If I can just get back, then the others can-'

Time slowed down in a moment as her face suddenly turned blank, images of the others all slowly coming to her mind, each sporting a smile or smirk.

The Subterranean Queen.

Beast Queen.

Mizuki.

Genos.

Saitama.

The moment his face flashed through her mind, she took off into another direction away from the apartments, a snarl on her face.

'Can't go back to the house! If they find the others, they'll-'

THOCK!

She screamed as she felt something smash into the back of her leg, her knee feeling like it'd been smashed from the inside as she collapsed. She struggled to get up with whatever she'd been shot with stuck in her leg, only to feel a foot smash her back into the pavement, a blade held close to her neck.

"One shot to the back of the knee's all it took." she heard the one with the slingshot say as he walked up to the one with the sword and moustache. "Hard to believe she rampaged through City-A awhile back."

"Indeed. If not for King, the Hero Association would most likely have been decimated during her assault." Spring Mustachio commented from where he was keeping her down.

"King? Who's King?" Vaccine Girl grit out through the pain as she turned to see Golden Ball bring out his phone.

"Yeah. We caught the Roly Poly Vore Girl. Bring the truck." Golden Ball ordered before hanging up.

"My name...is Vaccine Girl!" she growled. "And, not that I'm complaining, but how come you're not killing me?"

"It would seem that the Hero Association has some questions for you." Spring Mustachio informed her. "Also, and this is just my own theory, they may be looking into a way to utilize your ability to absorb pollution."