Tatsumaki's Past and Present

Tatsumaki hovered in the air, dazed.

The way Luke gently stroked her head unlocked a long-buried memory. She could not help thinking of someone.

A man who had changed the course of her life.

That man had once done exactly what Luke had just done.

Tatsumaki sank deep into her memories.

Twenty-five years ago, Tatsumaki was born into the Mitarai Family in Tokyo, Neon Country.

When she was very young, her parents discovered to their astonishment that Tatsumaki was a Psychic Powers user.

Her life was destined to be different from other children's.

After searching far and wide, her parents finally found an institution dedicated to training Espers. When Tatsumaki was five, they took her there themselves.

That was the year her younger sister, Fubuki, was born.

Her parents had no idea it was no training institution. Its researchers had gone to great lengths to gather children with Psychic Powers from across the country, tricking their parents into signing agreements so they could take the children back to their base for secret research.

As soon as Tatsumaki arrived, she was locked in a sealed room. Empty but for a small bed in the corner and a cup for drinking water, it was little different from a prison cell.

Every two weeks, she was taken to the infirmary. Cold-faced medical staff in masks drew a large syringe of blood from her for the base's research.

She was also frequently taken to a combat room and forced to use her Psychic Powers against grotesque monsters. Under that relentless pressure, her Psychic Powers slowly grew stronger.

But there was a limit to how far Psychic Powers could grow that way. Eventually, the researchers decided Tatsumaki's Psychic Powers had stabilized and her blood samples were no longer useful. Tatsumaki was cast aside.

From then on, she spent every day in a lightless cell, growing up in endless despair.

Until one day.

It was three years after Tatsumaki had arrived at the base. She was eight.

An extraordinarily powerful monster suddenly broke free and began rampaging through the facility. Realizing they could not subdue it, the researchers started an emergency evacuation.

Alarms blared throughout the base, and orders for everyone to seek shelter echoed through the building.

But Tatsumaki was locked in her room. Unless someone came with a key, she could not get out.

Clutching the bars in her door, she shouted, "Don't leave me behind! Let me out!"

A researcher heard her and asked the director, "What about that child, sir?"

Busy directing the evacuation, the director replied without much thought, "Leave her! That child's Psychic Powers have already reached their limit. She's no longer worth studying! Get the test subjects who still have potential out first!"

Tatsumaki heard every word from inside her room.

She let go of the bars, retreated slowly to the corner, and slumped to the floor.

At that moment, she knew the world had abandoned her.

All that awaited her was death.

Soon the laboratory was empty, save for the sounds of the monster tearing it apart.

Tatsumaki could sense it drawing closer to her room.

Bang!

The iron door buckled and flew off its hinges.

A massive monster with a mouthful of fangs and six compound eyes poked its head into the room.

Green saliva dripped from its mouth. Tatsumaki felt its hot, foul-smelling breath wash over her.

She slowly closed her eyes.

The world was so dull. Utterly dull.

Tatsumaki did not know why she had been born into it.

If the whole world was going to abandon her, why had she been born at all?

She might as well let the monster eat her.

Just as Tatsumaki resigned herself to death, a thunderous boom tore a great hole through the wall. Sunlight streamed in.

For the first time in the three years she had spent in that dark cell, sunlight fell on Tatsumaki.

She had almost forgotten what it felt like.

She felt a trace of warmth.

She raised her head, her eyes slowly adjusting to the sudden light.

A tall, striking man stood before her.

The monster was dead, a huge hole blown through its forehead.

The man held out a hand to her. "Come on out, Tatsumaki," he said gently.

Tatsumaki stared at him blankly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Blast," the man said with a smile.

"Why didn't you use your Psychic Powers?" Blast asked. "You could have beaten it."

"I couldn't..." Tatsumaki lowered her head and spoke softly.

"Good children shouldn't lie," Blast said. "You thought that if you kept your powers suppressed, they'd give up on you and you could leave this place, didn't you?"

"But you can leave now. If you'd beaten that monster, no one would have been left to stop you, right?"

Tatsumaki shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "No, that's not it. Whether I leave or not, nobody needs me."

She could no longer hold back the tears welling in her eyes. They spilled down her cheeks.

"Mom and Dad abandoned me," she sobbed. "Everyone at this base abandoned me too."

"No, you're wrong." Blast reached out and gently stroked Tatsumaki's head.

"Someone needs you." Blast held a photograph out to her. "Look. Your little sister is adorable."

Tatsumaki's eyes widened.

In the photograph, a little black-haired Girl held a toy and smiled brightly at the camera.

Tatsumaki realized it was her sister, Fubuki.

Fubuki had only just been born when Tatsumaki left home. In the blink of an eye, she was already three.

"Go protect your family," Blast said.

Tatsumaki looked up at the tall, striking man. His hand rested gently on her head, filling her with warmth.

Light returned to her eyes.

Even now, Tatsumaki remembered the last thing Blast had said to her.

"For your future, there's something I need to tell you. It's something I've learned from having great power."

"Keep striving to grow stronger. Only by becoming strong enough yourself can you protect everything you hold dear."

Tatsumaki slowly emerged from her memories.

She gave a soft snort and descended to the ground.

From the moment she left the research base, only two people in the world had truly mattered to her.

One was her younger sister, Fubuki. The other was Blast, the man who had saved her.

After that, Tatsumaki rarely spent time with anyone besides Fubuki.

That was why she had always acted like a child. She had almost no social life, and her experiences were nothing like other people's.

Tatsumaki looked up at Luke.

The Baldy man before her was not as striking as Blast, but like Blast, he was more than strong enough.

And the way his hand felt against her head reminded her of that day.

Gentle yet steady. It made her want to lean on him.

Of course, Tatsumaki would never admit that aloud. She pursed her lips. "Since you're Fubuki's friend, I'll let it slide."

Serizawa and Yoshiko had witnessed everything, but neither quite understood what had happened. After all, they had never experienced Luke's or Tatsumaki's power firsthand.

Only Fubuki, who knew her sister inside and out, was too stunned by the sight to speak.

She looked at Luke with even more complicated feelings. Just what kind of monster was he?

"Is there any water?" Serizawa asked. "I'm dying of thirst."

"I'll get you something," Fubuki said quickly.

She soon returned with a whole assortment of drinks.

With so many unfamiliar brands floating before them, Serizawa and Luke were spoiled for choice.

Without hesitation, Tatsumaki grabbed a bottle of Grow-Tall Brand Milk, stuck in a straw, and drank greedily.

Before long, the bottle was empty.

Tatsumaki burped and rubbed her stomach. "Fubuki, I'm going back to my room to rest. Show them to their rooms."

Fubuki nodded.

"No rush!" Serizawa said excitedly. "I saw a pool in the yard. I've never soaked in a private pool before!"

"Me neither, me neither," Luke chimed in.

They turned to Fubuki almost in unison. "Let's go play in the pool!"

Judging by the gleam in their eyes, who knew what they were plotting?

Fubuki's face darkened.

Still, she did not refuse them.

Fubuki's home really did have everything. Though no men lived there, she somehow managed to dig up two pairs of men's swim trunks.

The two men changed with great excitement, rushed outside, and jumped into the pool with a pair of splashes.

A little while later, Fubuki came out carrying several cocktails.

She set them on a glass table, sat down in a lounge chair, and quietly watched the two men furiously splashing each other.

After playing around for a while, Luke and Serizawa both turned toward Fubuki.

"Aren't you getting in?" Luke asked.

He really wanted to see what Fubuki looked like in a bikini.

Serizawa had the same thought.

Fubuki's answer sorely disappointed them both.

She shook her head, looking at them with disdain.

She did not tell those two scheming bastards that the pool was now her sister's personal washbasin. Tatsumaki's used mouthwash was all through it.

As if she would soak in her sister's used mouthwash.