A/N: I'd like to let you all know, that I made up passive heroes so no important heroes would get killed in this chapter! Hope you all like this! I actually imagined this chapter for so long now, that I basically already knew what to put down without thinking twice. XDD!

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With a big yawn escaping Vei's mouth, she was walking down the sidewalk with Genos, Saitama, and Sonic. Drive Knight was still getting Intel for them, so he wasn't with them right now. All three men were in their casual clothes, Sai in his hoodie, Genos in his blueish shirt, and Sonic wearing his long-sleeved black shirt, pants, and his weaponry. Man, that was the best sleep I've had in forever... Vei's mental words echoed and stretched. As soon as I woke up, I had to hurry to that BBQ place... Again she stated, lowering her arms and adjusting her sunglasses.

Sonic was informed about where they were going, saying that they were going to eat out with Gratta. Be careful... Rin had managed to whisper into Vei's mind and that made her eyes widen, she knew by now why Rin would speak up like that out of the blue. Rin? Vei questioned, listened in for an answer and surprisingly enough she got one.

Vei, I'm able to be awake while your in control since I got more sleep than needed. There is nothing I can do at night now, I'll just go back to bed and wake up the next day with you from hereon until I'm needed. So, be careful around this, Gratta... Rin had answered and made Vei completely confused.

What do you mean? Nah shit, I've already told you about him, Rin! I already know I have to keep my eye on- Before she got to finish, Rin interrupted her.

No... You don't understand... Rin said, then continued. I want you to smell his scent... From when I encountered him I was able to memorize it. Yes, he wore black metal armor on, but the breakdown of oils in a person's skin can create human body odor if they have been touching it long enough. So, he may have just that. Look for a musty, metallic smell on Gratta Quall. That will tell you...if Gratta is Ebon Metal. If anything, no minion, servant, or pupil would ever wear their own master's attire. Rin got done explaining and Vei stopped in her step with a shocked face. She had no idea WHY she didn't think of that...

"Hey, what's up?" Sai asked through boredom and blinked his simplistic eyes. Both Genos and Sonic looked over at her with puzzling features.

"I... Know...how to uncover Ebon Metal..." In awe, the young woman replied, mouth still agape slightly at the recognition.

"Wait, really?!" The cyborg chirped with desperation and put a hand on her shoulder. He was shocked, to say the least, even Sonic and Sai were. A single and slow nod came from her, which only made Genos impatient..."Tells us," As if on cue, she did and it was with one sentence.

"I have to smell him," Vei's eyes grew serious and her mouth turned into a frown. Both Sonic and the demon cyborg comically fell down, with their legs up in the air twitching.

Instantly they recovered, this time Sonic was the one putting his hand on her shoulder. "Are you serious?! Smell him?! Why such a vulgar idea?"He asked, dumbfounded by the solution she had.

"Rin told me just now that she's had too much sleep, so now she's able to be awake during the day with me. She warned me to be careful around him, that he may just be Ebon Metal. She suggested to try and smell his scent for any metallic odor, because only someone who's touched metal for a while or wore it long enough, can have a musty, metallic smell," Vei said and peeked over at the cyborg who suddenly jumped up and looked on the net to see if it was true. (And yes, it is. I looked it up myself XD!)

"She wasn't lying...that's for sure. It says on the internet that, Scientists have sniffed out the reason for the musty, metallic odor you smell after handling coins or touching metal objects. A new study finds that the smell of iron is, ironically, a type of human body odor, created by the breakdown of oils in the skin after touching objects that contain the element. I'm surprised she knew that." Exiting the net, Genos looked over at the three with a smirk.

"So, that means we can track him down now. Cool," Sai spoke up with a smile and gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, but we don't know how long it'll be until we find him, if Gratta's not our guy," Sonic said and folded his arms, with his hip pushed out and a strict face.

"Damn, he's got point.." Vei mumbled her swear and moved her attention down to her feet. "Isabelle, I wonder if she's found anything yet. She's been out all day and night looking," Worry started to buildup inside, Isabelle was like a second adopted parent to her and since she hasn't heard anything from her yet, it worried her.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about her. If she's a retired hero and was a good one too, she can handle herself." The baldy spoke up and put his one hand in his pocket. "Especially if she's able to hit Sonic'spressure points..." he added, scooted closer, near her ear with a hand covering his mouth, and his other hand pointing his thumb at the ninja.

"I can hear you!" With gritted comical sharp teeth and white squinted eyes, Sonic exclaimed through embarrassment and anger; his cheeks were as pink as a Sakura Tree.

Vei was about to giggle at his outburst, only to stop herself in time and clear her throat, frowning. She tried hard that time not to show any signs of care; growing close to someone, was something she didn't want to do right now. "Let's go," she said, walking past Sonic and making everyone else catch up to her.

Meanwhile, up on top of a building, Gratta was watching them from above with a distant look in his eyes. He had mixed emotions stirring in his brown and silver eyes, it was clear he was thinking to himself.

Sometime later they had finally come across the said Barbecue place and stood in front of its doors. Vei was reading the sign above the door and a good silence was in the air, they were waiting for Quall to show up. "Hey, Vei!" Ah, that familiar clear, and deep voice she recognized from anywhere... Her head moved over to see Gratta, who was running up to them with a friendly waving hand. "Sorry about making you wait! Ah, I see you brought your friends with you," With a smile he gave, the man just chuckled lightly and blushed.

"Yeah..." Vei was too preoccupied with trying to step closer. She really, REALLY didn't want to but she had to. She didn't want to make it look like she was interested in him, doing something like that can be very misleading to anyone.

"Well, no time like the present. Let's go in before all the seats are taken!" Gratta shouted with eagerness and glee, as he grasped her hand and dragged her inside. Feeling her warm hand was a little invigorating, it felt nice... Sonic, Genos, and Sai all glanced at each other before following them inside.

Through the doors and in the middle of the restaurant, they stood there viewing everything in their surroundings. Red seated booths littered the corners, sides and three seated tables sat in the middle area. Hmm... We could sit at a booth but, I wanted to eat with her alone... Gratta said in his mind and peeked over at her, only to see her stepping closer to him. His face lit up red, he could've sworn she wasn't trusting him, but to know she was secretly trying to get closer to his side only made him flustered. The lighting in the building was exposing her flushed cheeks, he thought it indicated nervousness or fluster so in the end, he took it wrong; because right now, Vei was embarrassed that she had to do such a thing. Embarrassed that she had to smell someone just to find out!

Back behind her, she could hear faint snickering and when she peered over to see who it was, Sonic was stifling his laughter. He was shaking, trying so hard to hold in his laughs with his hand over his mouth. "Stop or I'll make sure you can't run anymore Sonic THE HEDGEHOG...!" She whisper-yelled over at him and watched him widen his eyes. The ninja narrowed his eyes at her and lowered his hand, obviously angry at the name she gave him.

"Is it ok, if Vei and I go sit over there?" Gratta innocently asked and pointed at a corner booth near a window. Both Sai and Genos glanced at each other, then back to him. Sonic on the other hand was too busy directing his anger towards her...

"Uh...sure. We'll just sit over there near you," Sai pointed at the booth behind the one Quall picked out and saw the silver-haired man nod in agreement. With that, they went to their designated seats. Now it was just her and Quall, sitting beside each other, their backs to Genos'sand the other two.

Menus were laid before them when a waitress came over. She chose Barbecue chicken and he picked a Barbecue rib sandwich, also picking out their beverages. They had to wait until their food came, so right now those two were awkwardly sitting there. "So Vei, what do you like to do for fun?" Gratta asked with a smile and leaned back against the seat. She just averted her hidden eyes, not really wanting to continue the conversation. "Come on, there has to be something. You agreed to eat out so we could get to know each other more, so why won't you tell me-" Before he could finish, she spoke over him.

"Shooting...and martial arts, mostly shooting...though," As much as she hated it, Vei needed to make it look convincing and that included telling him what she liked.

"Shooting, huh? It's not everyday girls or women get into that kind of thing. Do you go hunting, too?" He asked, only to receive a nod from her. "That's cool. Maybe you could show me a few things out at a range, or something. Hmm, what about your martial arts? What kind do you door master in?" He questioned her again.

"Various...it all depends..." She mumbled quietly and looked at everything else but him. Any eye contact would show interest, she didn't want to give him that kind of accomplishment. Finally, their food came around. The waitress put their plates on the table and gave them their drinks all at once, she was surprised that the lady wasn't fired... No waitress gives their customers their drinks and food at the same time, they would give them their beverages first, BEFORE the grub. When the woman walked off with a quick enjoy your meal comment, they both started to dig in.

Gratta picked up his sandwich in silence, chewing and observing out the window. Fast, Vei leaned over and sniffed him, taking in the scent he had. It's...cologne.No, wait. I smell something else mixed with it. It's... Her eyes widened as she trailed off in her head; her mouth in a line and was soon snapped out of her astonishment.

"You like me, don't you?" Gratta asked whilst keeping his attention out the window, watching people walk by. She froze more but slowly sat up straight and took a quick bite of her chicken. He looked over at her and grinned, finding her flustered state amusing. "Your face being red, trying to get closer to me, smelling me, I'd say you like me. I can't think of any other reason why you would do that," His heart was pounding, it felt like he was spot on. Gradually he began to move his hand towards her under the table, watching her eat at a fast pace.

"I- I was just curious, that's all! I didn't want to ask what kind of smell it is, so I just wanted to try and guess it..." She lied, he didn't know that of course, well she...half lied. She didn't want to tell him that she was wanting to figure out if he smelled like metal.

A smile graced his lips and his hand touched hers, freezing her in place again. "It's alright if you're too shy to tell me. I can wait until you feel like it, but that won't stop me from-" As he leaned over to kiss her cheek, she instantly stood up with her one hand escaping his and both of her hands now slamming on the table.

"Bathroom!" she yelled with gritted teeth. Her face was lit up out of anger and embarrassment, soon leaving the booth and stomping her way into the lady's room. Once she got in there, she slammed her hands on the edge of the sink and leaned her head down over it. Damnit all, he DID take it wrong! What the hell am I supposed to do now?! She mentally yelled and clenched her fingers tighter on the edges, cracking the sink a bit. Taking a breather to calm herself, inhaling and exhaling with closed eyes, she peered up to view her reflection. He had a metallic scent...but I think it was being covered up by his cologne. He must've tried to mask it! That's what it is! He's Ebon Metal! SHIT! She panicked in her mind and stiffened in fear. I need to tell the others but how?" She yelled in question and put her hand on her forehead, whilst moving her attention down at the drain in the sink. If I drag one of them outside of this place to talk in private, he'll grow suspicious of me and eavesdrop! Her fingers now clamped onto her scalp, clenching tightly and ruffling up her hair a bit. Wait... I have an idea. An idea emerged and she snapped her head back up to the mirror. Quickly she hurried out the door, rushing back over to Gratta and sitting back down.

"Feel better?" His question received a nod, making him giggle a little. He was almost done with his meal, so he went ahead and continued.

Vei peeked up over the booth's backside and spoke up. "Hey, can I borrow one of your phones...? I need to write some reminders down for you. You guys really need to stop forgetting crap, so I might as well put an alarm on at least on one of your phones..." She gave a serious face, emphasizing the reminders part, and saw all three of them look at each other in confusion. Sai reached in his pocket and took out his phone, handing it to her. "Thanks," With that she sat back down, pulling up a notepad app on it.

"A reminder? So you guys are pretty tight, I take it," He said in between bites and took a sip of his drink. All he got was an Mhm from her, a sound that meant yes. Taps and bloops resonated from the phone, it piqued his curiosity. When he sneaked a peek over her shoulder, she hid the phone from him and gave him a sour look. "Hm?" he blinked innocently.

"This is none of your business. It's personal and it's rude to look without asking first!" With a risen, irritated voice, she spoke up. One, she hated people breathing down her neck, two, she found it rude and three... She was trying to keep it hidden from him.

Sighing out of defeat, he smiled and nodded, apologizing all the while. When she was done, she hovered over top the back-end of the seat again and tossed the phone over to Sai. With ease he caught it, watching her sit back down instantly.

When Sai blinked curiously and opened his phone, it was still on the notepad app. It read, It's Ebon! He smelled like metal with a mix of cologne! Apparently, he thought putting the cologne on would cover it up! His features grew surprised and that caught the other two's attention. A single turn with his wrist, the baldy showed the other two men what it said and their mouths went agape. If we attack now, the other citizens will be in danger. We'll have to wait until he comes to us again, in his armor. He typed on the phone and showed it to Genos and Sonic, seeing them nod in understanding. Though Sonic wouldn't usually care about that; since he was investigating too and didn't want Vei to get hurt, he agreed to the idea.

"Well, I think it's about time I get home. "Gratta chirped and waited for Vei to scoot out so he could too. She did exactly that, without any hesitation in fact. The others saw them stand so they did the same, watching very closely during the process. "Thanks for eating outwith me and... I hope you would consider...being...my girlfriend..."He mumbled the last part, blushed heavily, and averted his eyes.

She didn't say a word though, she just gave him a hurry-up already expression. "Bye," That was all she said, before he went ahead and paid for everyone's food, then passed her up on his way out through the door in a hurry; he left the four there alone to ponder. Soon, the others walked up to her from behind and stared at the spot Gratta once stood in. "He likes me... Ebon Metal really, really likes me. Maybe that's why he's after me," Sighing and squeezing between her brows with a hand on her hip, she spoke up again. "Do either of you know how I can contact Isabelle...?" She asked with irritation lacing her voice.

"I could track her down for you, if you want," Sonic offered as he stood there behind her with folded arms. Seeing her nod in acceptance, he walked ahead of her and left within a flash outside the doors.

"Let's go back to my apartment..." Vei said and walked out the doors, with the other two in tow. She was stressed, shocked, embarrassed, and was even starting to get light bags under her eyes from it all.

"Vei, you don't look so good," Sai stated with his head looking her way, as he followed her by her side. Genos was on her other side, contemplating on the discovery about Ebon Metal himself.

He couldn't shake the odd feeling in his chest, a sensation that made him angry towards Gratta. He didn't know why, it only showed up after he found out that Quall, also known as Ebon Metal, liked her. His brows knitted with concern, he's never felt such a thing before...

"I'm fine... I just have a lot on my mind and you damn well know, what that is," Sai hummed in thought at her words, soon looking forward again.

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Back in his black armor, Ebon was seen sitting at his throne-like chair now. Being in that pitch black and bare, stone room. No light, no shadows, just pure darkness. His cat was laying on the floor all curled up near his feet, sleeping. "She...likes me. She really does... Such beauty... Such wits and confidence. She has so much mystery and it's almost all solved. She's so mentally strong, a wall is built around her heart but yet...she can still be tamed," His clear, deep voice sounded throughout the air and his hand rose up to view his palm. "Cunning, both her and the mysterious feline. That Catwoman, her eyes are so gorgeous and so are Vei's; glistening through the darkness and hidden from the light of day. Skin so naturally pale that even when the moon ray's upon her, it gives her a beautiful glow. When the sunbeams on her, she looks warm and comforting. I can't get her out of my head... I've tried so many times, but nothing seems to work," He said and lowered his hand, clenching it on the armrest. His head leaned back against the chair, thinking about her so much put him into a daze.

"She's so graceful and can be very brutal... She loves cats just as much as I do, even though she is one. Strict, smart, a great actress in disguise. I wonder...if she likes to dance. I never got to tell her about my hobbies, what I like to do for fun... A nice, slow dance to calm the nerves or to have a romantic evening," He moved his head from side to side along with his thoughts, drowning in his admiration, the addiction he had over her. Lowering his head back down, he growled beneath his breath and stood up. "I can't take this anymore... I will have her here with me," His quieted voice sounded as he walked out of the room in a hurry. "Igilous, follow me and bring a smokescreen gun with you!" He hollered, left through the door, and shut it. Despite the fact that he JUST got back, he wanted to leave immediately while Vei was still out.

His emotions were conflicting; the desire of wanting to study her, go along with his plans, and the increasing love he was feeling. Mixed, conflicting emotions... It was slowly driving him mad with eagerness.

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Outside, as Vei and the group walked down a sidewalk, Genos got in a conversation with his master along the way to her apartment. They were a few miles away still, so they had quite a bit to walk yet. "So, master, when would you guess he would arrive?" The cyborg asked and moved his attention over to the baldy.

"Not sure, he only seems to show up when he's confronting Vei...and Rin. It'd be at random," Sai answered with a finger to his simplistic features.

"Ah, you're right. Oh, I almost forgot," The cyborg said and looked at Vei. "The Hero Association discussed Ebon Metal just recently and sent me an email. They said that if he shows up anywhere at any time, I need to send instant messages out to the top ten S ranked Heroes," He added and pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking through the email and forwarding them to Saitama. "I sent you a copy of the email, master." As if on cue, all the citizens began screaming and running away from a specific high-rise building. That alerted Vei and her group, making their heads perk up and over at the said structure. Genos and Vei gasped, their mouths went agape when they saw the very villain himself.

"It's Ebon Metal, the False King!" One citizen screamed in fear and ran away. "He's gonna kill us!" Another did the same, followed by a run and we need a hero.

Saitama soon got his serious face on, narrowing his eyes and frowning all the while. "So, she still hasn't gone home yet," His black metal armor, silver shining mouth compartment, and cape, shined from the bright sun that beamed on him. "You're mine..." He added, speaking to no one in particular. He could be hardly seen with the way the sun hovered over and a little behind him. The citizens were able to make him out due to the shape of his figure and his crown but, the little group couldn't. He wasn't really standing, more like squatting, balancing himself on the peek of a thick antenna. Arms lazily dangled over and in between his legs, as his cape flowed with the gentle breeze. With ease, he raised up and jumped off, landing so hard on the ground that it made a small quake.

https://youtu.be/P7jeibcFxq4

 My word, I've waited so long for this moment!) "Quick!" Vei rose her voice and looked at Genos. He swiftly accessed the net and basically set off the alarm. Alerting all the S ranked heroes about Gratta, as the villain himself came walking in a slow manner down the street, towards them. She was frightened, but...she had no idea just how frightened she will be...soon.

Saitama took a stance and lowered his head, giving the black metal head a strong and fierce gaze. Within seconds, all the Heroes with highspeed had come in and surrounded Gratta with their weapons drawn. Even some under-ranked heroes chose to join in, well...under-ranked heroes that weren't apart of the top ten and never was in the anime or manga... "Villain and Hero...typical." He said, shaking his head all the while after stopping in his steps. "Like moths to aflame, you are all fools..." Ebon spoke and looked around at everyone that got in a fighting stance or had their weapons drawn. Even Tatsumaki joined in! Surprisingly, some villains even decided to show up and sided with the heroes, which shocked a few people. They apparently had the same goal. "You are all drawn towards, what holds the most threat," He said after he halted in his step, then continued onward.

They all took him seriously, not once saying a word of resentment. As he walked, some heroes flew at him with their blades in hand and attacked him head-on. This resulted in getting literally backhanded way, sending them flying into a building effortlessly. Stinger screamed out with his weapon directed at him, shouting out his kill move and striking at the man. Gratta just back-stepped gripped his pole and chucked him aside using his own weapon. Stinger crashed into a building harshly and Ebon just dropped the pole to the ground.

He continued to walk, doing a side uppercut to the left on lightning max, who chose to kick at him with his foot. He went flying into the sky, Tatsumaki managed to catch him in time with her telekinesis and lift up debris from the ruble to throw at him. She coated her body in a green aura, threw the ruble, and kept doing so. Puri-puri Prisoner came charging in with his fists and went to hit him, he succeeded but it didn't faze the metal man at all.

Ebon just stared at the prisoner, the S ranked hero saw a dark and dangerous aura just radiating off of him and it terrified him! Eyes widening, he leaned over when he felt his gut get punched. With great speed he flew back, flying past Vei and her group. Vei had never seen someone so terrifying...so dark, so calm during a fight like that.

It was all in slow motion to her, seeing everyone attack with all of their might and even Tatsumaki's attacks weren't affecting him! Pur-Puri prisoner had turned into his dark angel form, being butt-naked and he STILL got backhanded! Ebon just kept walking past the mall now, ignoring their attacks, brushing off a few in the process. Drive Knight came in and started attacking too, it lasted just for a little bit until he too, got kicked out of the ring.

His cape was waving gracefully behind him as he walked towards her, the slow-motion scene showing all of the attacks the heroes and villains were using on him, had no effect and that caught Saitama's attention. "Stand back, Vei!" Genos shouted, stood in front of her, and prepared himself to fight next.

All of a sudden, Ebon knelt down, put both hands on the ground, and lifted up metal from underneath the road. The street uprooted in chunks while pipes and metallic tunnels emerged, soon turning into liquid. He swatted his arms out around him and caught a lot of villains and heroes in the liquid. With ease he solidified it, cutting his targets up in pieces from the piercing metal. Now that the metal stuck up high in the air and blood had rained, he continued on his way. Tatsumaki widened her eyes and grew angry. She lifted her hand, took hold of him, and pulled him towards her. She managed to get sharp objects up in the air then aimed to pierce him with them, but they only...bounced off the metal he had when she tossed them all.

She gasped, soon grumbling under her breath. "You're annoying..." Ebon said, moved his fingers up a bit while he remained in the air and liquid metal surfaced, snatching her in the process. He flicked his fingers down and that liquid metal slammed her so hard on the ground, that it made a crater and rendered her immobile, she couldn't move at all; especially after the metal around her hardened and encased her. "Let me out of here!" She yelled, only to be ignored when Gratta fell perfectly on his feet and continued on.

No one could hurt him, no hero or villain! So many under-ranked heroes got killed while a few were only unconscious. Genos used his enhanced speed to race after the villain, he spun around in mid-air with his foot being kicked out and hit his head. Sadly it didn't harm the guy, the cyborg's eyes widened at the recognition when he saw that. "G-Genos...don't..." Vei was frozen in fear, shocked, her feet felt like a block of cement.

(Song ends here! Hope you liked it!) "Now!" Gratta hollered, alerting Saitama and Genos. The cyborg stood there looking around with his yellow eyes after he stopped a minute, only to see that same redhead from before shoot a smokescreen grenade at them. A large fog of smoke erupted and caused both Vei and Saitama to gag. When Gratta saw this, he disappeared within seconds after smacking Genos out of the way. Saitama decided to hold his breath and squeeze his nose, now trying to spot the black metal head. No signs of him, nowhere and... Vei was missing! As soon as the smoke cleared, he noticed Vei's hair clip was laying on the ground and he picked it up. "Genos, he kidnapped her!" He shouted with panic and looked over at him. Everyone around the area groaned in either agony or anger. In the background, Tatsumaki was seen bouncing her head furiously and screaming comically in a chibi form.

"We need to find her, now!" Genos rose his voice, examined the area, and hoped to find any kind of heat signature.

"I... May be able to help with that," Isabelle's voice spoke up and made both men turn around, Sonic was standing by her too. She and the ninja both appeared serious, they NEEDED to get her back...for more than one reason. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!~ Don't forget to leave a comment, I'm always happy to hear from my readers! \o/