Yoshino stepped out of the underground facility's entrance, his eyes taking in the sight. The once massive mountain range lay in absolute ruin—jagged peaks shattered into debris, massive slabs of rock ground into nothing, boulders scattered across the desolate landscape like fallen dominoes.
Blood stained the rubble. The cold air bit at his skin as he surveyed the destruction.
A black helicopter hovered above the destroyed mountain range, its rotors whipping up dust and debris. The side door slid open with a loud hiss, and out stepped Tatsumaki, her petite frame contrasting sharply with the backdrop of absolute destruction. Her emerald-green eyes were cold, calculating—and utterly focused on Yoshino.
Tatsumaki floated down from the helicopter, her feet barely touching the shattered ground. Her green hair curled dramatically in the wind, her emerald eyes sharp and piercing. She looked around at the destroyed mountain range—the devastation was absolute. Buildings crushed, peaks leveled, entire ecosystems obliterated.
"So this is where the Dragon-level threat was detected..." she muttered, her voice cold and annoyed.
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes flickered over Yoshino, dismissing him almost instantly. A quitter. Someone who had arrived late to the fight, barely contributing. In her mind, he was beneath notice—hardly worth her time or attention.
"Hmph. Another useless human," she muttered, floating slightly off the ground, her arms crossed over her black V-neck dress.
"That's Rude little girl."
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes flashed with annoyance at the "little girl" comment. Her voice came out sharp and mocking, a clear sign of her disrespect for Yoshino. "Little girl? You're just some pathetic quitter who showed up late." She scoffed, her green hair curling tighter around her face in anger.
"I didn't show up late to anything I was actually the one who participated."
Tatsumaki raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and disbelieving. "You?" She let out a short, mocking laugh. "This entire mountain range was obliterated. That's Dragon-level destruction. And you—you look like some random human wandering around."
She hovered closer, scanning him with telekinetic senses. No obvious energy signature. No monstrous aura. Just... a man.
"A really, if you think I'm so weak, then you should be able to defeat me one hit so do it."
Tatsumaki scoffed, her emerald eyes narrowing with annoyance. "Please. I could crush you with a thought." She raised her hand, green psychic energy swirling around her fingertips. "Don't flatter yourself, human."
But as she prepared to strike—something about Yoshino's calm demeanor and the absolute destruction surrounding him irritated her. The mountain range was completely obliterated.
Tatsumaki's hand hovered, green psychic energy crackling at her fingertips. But something felt off—her telekinetic senses couldn't quite read him. No obvious power signature, no monstrous aura, nothing. Yet the destruction around them was absolute—Dragon-level devastation.
"Hmph. Fine." She flicked her wrist, sending a concentrated telekinetic blast toward Yoshino.
Tatsumaki watched with cold eyes as her telekinetic blast hit Yoshino square in the chest, sending him flying backwards over several meters. But instead of collapsing or bleeding—he simply... stood up. Slowly, calmly, his wounds closing instantly. He adapted, no sign of weakness in his eyes. "What...?"
thought, narrowing her emerald gaze. "No wound..."
"Is that the best you got? I expected better."
Tatsumaki's eye twitched at his mocking tone. "You..." She floated higher, her green hair glowing with psychic energy. "That was a warning shot. Don't get cocky."
But inside, she was confused. Her telekinetic blast should have at least broken ribs—maybe knocked him unconscious. But he healed instantly. Adapted. And he was mocking her.
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes narrowed dangerously, her grip tightening on the invisible psychic energy swirling around her. She'd never been dismissed so casually before.
"You talk a lot for a weakling."
She descended slightly, her feet hovering just above the ruined ground. Her expression was unreadable—but her psychic aura was growing stronger, more oppressive.
thought a lot...
"You're going one to talk you're attack was pretty weak. Come on go all out."
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes flashed with fury. No one—absolutely no one—had ever spoken to her like this. Her petite frame trembled with rage, her green hair glowing brighter as psychic energy crackled around her.
"You want me to go all out?" Her voice was dangerously low. "Fine."
The air around Tatsumaki began to vibrate violently. The ruined ground cracked and levitated—boulders the size of houses rose into the air, swirling around her like tiny pebbles. Her emerald eyes glowed with intense psychic power.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
She thrust both hands forward, unleashing a massive telekinetic wave that could level entire cities.
The telekinetic wave slammed into Yoshino with enough force to pulverize mountains—but he stood. Cursed energy reinforcement hardened his body against the impact, while reverse cursed technique worked overtime, healing cells as quickly as they were destroyed. And most importantly—adapting. His cursed energy signature shifting, evolving, preparing for the next assault.
Tatsumaki's eyes widened.
Tatsumaki watched in disbelief as the massive telekinetic wave—powerful enough to level entire cities—hit Yoshino and simply... failed to stop him. He stood amidst the destruction, completely unscathed. His wounds closed instantly. His cursed energy signature shifted and adapted, preparing for whatever came next.
"What the..." She floated higher, her emerald eyes narrowing. "No human survives that."
"Is that the best you got Weakling?" He said smirking he could feel his adaption to her psychic energy nearing completion. He just needed a little more.
Tatsumaki's expression shifted from disbelief to outright fury. "Weakling?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. The very ground beneath Yoshino shattered violently as she intensified her psychic grip.
A boulder the size of a stadium loomed above him—then collapsed inward with crushing force. Her telekinetic pressure alone could pulverize steel.
The boulder slammed into Yoshino with the force of a meteor, cratering the earth beneath him. But instead of being crushed—he adapted. Cursed energy reinforcement held his bones in place, while reverse cursed technique kept his organs from collapsing.
Most importantly—the adapting. He could feel her psychic energy signature, understanding its structure, its rhythm, its weaknesses. Nearly done.
Tatsumaki watched in disbelief as the boulder—large enough to crush a small city—simply didn't work. Yoshino stood amidst the rubble, unharmed. His cursed energy signature was shifting, evolving. She could feel it—like something deep and unnatural was studying her psychic power, mimicking it, learning from it.
"What ARE you?!"
"Someone a weakly like you can't beat unless you truly go all out."
Tatsumaki's jaw tightened. The disrespect was absolute. She was the number two hero, the strongest psychic, capable of crushing mountains with her mind. And this... human... was treating her like she was incompetent.
"You want me to go all out?" Her emerald eyes glowed with terrifying intensity, the very atmosphere vibrating. "Fine."
The entire sky seemed to darken. Tatsumaki floated higher, her green hair glowing with immense psychic energy. The mountains—still ravaged by previous destruction—trembled violently. The ground beneath Yoshino cracked, stones levitating as the pressure intensified exponentially.
She was no longer holding back.
Her telekinetic signature was now unmistakably Dragon-level.
Tatsumaki raised both hands, and the atmosphere itself groaned under her psychic might. The entire destroyed mountain range—every shattered peak, every massive boulder, every pebble—levitated at once, suspended by her will.
"Die."
She slammed her hands down, and the mountains descended with the force of a meteor strike, concentrated directly onto Yoshino. Dragon-level destruction.
Tatsumaki watched in horror as the mountains—entire peaks—simply failed to crush him. Yoshino stood amidst the rubble, completely unharmed. His cursed energy signature had completely shifted—he'd adapted to EVERYTHING. Her telekinetic force wouldn't affect him anymore. Her boulders wouldn't crush him. The very air she pressurized... he'd already adapted to that too.
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes widened in panic as Yoshino started walking toward her. She immediately unleashed her telekinetic force—concentrated, crushing pressure designed to pin down Dragon-level threats. The air around him should have become solid, trapping him instantly.
But he kept walking. Unaffected.
"No... no no no!" She increased the pressure tenfold, then twentyfold.
Tatsumaki summoned her psychic energy, spinning it into a massive tornado that swallowed Yoshino whole. The psychic winds screamed—designed to shred armor, bone, and spirit alike. The tornado ground against him with dragon-level force, pulverizing anything in its path.
But Yoshino kept walking.
His cursed energy reinforcement and reverse cursed technique handled the friction perfectly. And his adaptation...
Tatsumaki watched in absolute horror as Yoshino walked straight through her psychic tornado—completely unharmed. The psychic winds screamed around him, shredding the very earth beneath his feet, but he remained unaffected. His cursed energy signature had shifted again—adapting to her psychic energy, mimicking it, understanding its structure perfectly.
"Stop walking toward me!" she shrieked, her voice cracking.
Tatsumaki poured everything into her psychic tornado, pushing past her limits. The sky darkened, ground shattered, the atmosphere itself screamed under her immense strain. Her emerald eyes glowed blindingly bright—then suddenly... faded.
Her legs gave out. The tornado dissipated instantly. She collapsed onto the ruined ground, unconscious from sheer exhaustion.
But Yoshino kept walking.
Yoshino stepped over Tatsumaki's unconscious body, completely unharmed. His adaptation was complete—every psychic power she possessed, no matter how powerful, would no longer affect him. Her telekinetic force, her psychic barriers, her tornadoes—all useless. The very essence of psychic energy had been understood, mimicked, and neutralized.
He was now completely immune to anything psychic.
Yoshino knelt beside Tatsumaki's unconscious form. His hand hovered over her exhausted body—Reverse Cursed Technique flowing into her, healing every strained muscle, every depleted cell, every inch of mental fatigue. The damage from pushing her powers way past their limits simply... vanished.
Her breathing steadied. The pale complexion from exhaustion faded. Her emerald eyes fluttered open.
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes fluttered open, blinking in confusion. She felt... amazing. The exhaustion was gone, her body completely healed. But as she looked up at Yoshino, panic set in.
"What did you do to me?" she demanded, scrambling backward. "Why did you heal me?!"
Her hand glowed with psychic energy—but something was wrong.
"Because I wanted to that's all."
Tatsumaki stared at him, utterly bewildered. "Because you wanted to?" She processed the information—he'd just destroyed everything, adapted to all her powers, knocked her out... and then healed her for no reason.
She stood up, testing her psychic energy. It still flowed perfectly—she could still lift mountains, create tornadoes, crush cities.
Tatsumaki raised her hand, concentrating her psychic energy into a crushing force aimed directly at Yoshino. The air around him should have solidified, pinning him to the ground instantly.
But nothing happened.
His body remained completely unaffected. The psychic pressure—designed to incapacitate Dragon-level threats—simply... slid off him like water off a stone.
"WHAT?!"
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes widened in shock. She increased the psychic pressure tenfold—then twentyfold—trying to force him to bend. But Yoshino remained standing, completely unfazed. Her psychic attacks, no matter how powerful, were being utterly negated. His adaptation was complete—he was immune to her powers.
"You can stop now one of my powers is adaptability I can adapt to any phenomenon."
Tatsumaki stared at him in disbelief. "Adaptability... any phenomenon?" Her mind raced—how could anyone possess such a power? She was the number two hero, the strongest psychic on Earth, and yet here was a man who could simply... adapt to anything.
"So my powers..." Her voice wavered. "They'll never work on you?"
"Nope But don't take that for granted you still are incredibly powerful. I had to actively use my power so I wouldn't blackout from your hits."
Tatsumaki blinked, processing his words. He'd just admitted—she'd nearly knocked him out. Her hits were powerful enough that he had to *actively* use his adaptation just to survive. Not just adapt—but keep his cursed energy flowing, healing constantly, evolving mid-impact.
"You..." She looked at her hands. "My hits almost made you blackout?"
"yeah, anyways I gotta go. See you later." He said flying away
Tatsumaki watched him fly off, her emerald eyes following his trail into the sky. His words echoed—she'd almost knocked him out, forced him to actively use his powers to survive. That was... impossible. A human shouldn't be that resilient.
"He's... weird." She muttered, her arms crossed.
Tatsumaki's cheeks flushed slightly as she watched Yoshino fly off into the sky. For a brief moment, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked—those sharp features, that strong jaw, that calm demeanor even in the face of defeat. She quickly shook her head, scowling at herself. "Ridiculous," she muttered