Stones and Diamonds

King and Tareo are on the run when a warped patch of space appears ahead of them. Metal Bat spots the same distortion, yet it hides King and Tareo so completely that he fails to recognize the pair standing right before him. Pineapple, Mohican, and Food Battler Futoshi then step out of the anomaly, and Futoshi explains that it is a quantum stealth shield masking a tank. Waganma climbs out and embraces Tareo, glad he is unharmed. When Waganma assumes Child Emperor rescued Tareo, Tareo corrects him, crediting King and a man he calls the uncle. Waganma urges King and Metal Bat to go save Child Emperor.

Metal Bat privately doubts whether the spoiled boy has genuinely changed, but softens when Waganma promises his father will cover the medical costs. Pineapple and Mohican apologize for failing to keep the monster from taking Waganma.

Metal Bat tells the two heroes to hold firm, insisting a man is at his strongest when repaying his debts, though both confess they feel dwarfed by the S-Class fighters. Sekingar emerges from the tank, tells them not to lose heart, and assigns two lower-ranked heroes to protect the children. He orders Metal Bat and King to take up a vantage point overlooking the fight. Impressed that the Hero Association has a man like Sekingar, Metal Bat complies. King quietly recalls how little he accomplished when Elder Centipede mistook him for a strong rival, then steadies himself with the thought that Saitama will come, and resolves to give his all. Tareo asks King to rescue the uncle, and King, unsure who that even is, only agrees not to bully him if they cross paths.

Metal Bat rigs a slingshot from a tire and a truck he has kicked into position. The two S-Class heroes load themselves in as Tareo and Waganma wish them luck. Sekingar severs the rope with a laser, launching King and Metal Bat into the sky, and the pair crash down beside a batting cage.

Viz Media titles this chapter Rocks and Diamonds. Metal Bat serves as the cover character. This is the volume edition, part of the Monster Association Arc.

A volume bonus page offers a portrait of Metal Bat with his bat slung over one shoulder, smirking with pure delinquent swagger.