The cold river water lapped against my skin as I dunked my head under, scrubbing the grime out of my hair. Newt and the others were splashing around nearby, laughing as one of the younger Gladers shrieked after being shoved underwater.
Not bad, I thought. For a bunch of kids trapped in a death maze, we're handling this pretty well—
DING.
My entire body locked up.
[New Mission Commencing.]
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
[Objective: Help Izuku Midoriya regain confidence to confront his bullies.]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour.]
[Reward: Varies based on performance.]
I barely had time to process the words before the world around me warped. The river, the laughter, the Glade—gone.
One second, I was waist-deep in water.
The next, I was standing in an alleyway, still dripping wet, wearing nothing but my damn underwear.
Oh, COME ON.
I whirled around, taking in my surroundings. A narrow street, dumpsters, the distant hum of city noise. And then—
"S-Stop it, Kacchan!"
A voice. Young, trembling.
I turned the corner and saw them.
A pack of kids, maybe twelve years old, surrounding a scrawny, green-haired boy curled up on the ground. One of them—blond, spiky hair, a sneer that screamed future anger management issues—had his palm crackling with tiny explosions.
Bakugou Katsuki.
And the kid on the ground?
Izuku Midoriya.
Oh hell.
I didn't even have time to process the fact that I was now in My Hero Academia before my instincts kicked in.
"Oi."
My voice cut through the alley like a knife.
The bullies froze. Bakugou turned, his red eyes narrowing. "The hell are you supposed to be?"
I looked down at myself—soaking wet, barefoot, in nothing but boxers—and sighed.
"Your worst damn nightmare," I deadpanned.
Then I lunged.
Bakugou was fast for a kid, but I had Enhanced Reflexes and actual combat experience. The first punch missed me by a mile. I grabbed his wrist, twisted, and flipped him onto his back before he could even blink.
His two lackeys stared, slack-jawed.
"You wanna go next?" I asked, cracking my knuckles.
They bolted.
Bakugou scrambled up, face twisted in fury. "You bastard—!"
I kicked his legs out from under him again. "Sit down, kid."
He hit the pavement with a grunt.
I turned to Izuku, who was still on the ground, wide-eyed and shaking. Tears streaked his face, his lip split, his uniform scuffed.
Damn. Kid's a mess.
"You okay?" I asked, offering a hand.
He flinched. "Y-You… you just beat up Kacchan!"
"Yeah, and?"
Izuku gaped at me like I'd grown a second head.
Bakugou snarled, pushing himself up. "I don't need your damn help, Deku!" He spat the name like it was poison. "And you—!" He rounded on me. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Samuel," I said. "Professional bully-beater."
Bakugou's eye twitched. "You think you're funny?!"
"I know I'm funny."
He looked like he was about to explode—literally—but one sharp glare from me had him hesitating.
"Get lost," I said. "Before I decide to make this really embarrassing for you."
For a second, I thought he'd try to fight. But even Bakugou wasn't that stupid. With a final, venomous glare, he stomped off, muttering curses under his breath.
I turned back to Izuku.
"You're a loser."
The kid flinched, fresh tears welling up.
Wow. Smooth, Samuel.
I sighed, running a hand through my wet hair. "Look, kid. Crying isn't gonna solve your damn problem."
"I-I know that!" Izuku snapped, surprising me. "But what else am I supposed to do?! He's—he's Kacchan! He's stronger than me, he's got a Quirk, and I—I'm just…" His voice cracked. "I'm nothing."
Oof.
I crouched down so we were eye level. "Why didn't you fight back?"
Izuku blinked. "Huh?"
"You heard me. Why'd you just take it?"
"B-Because…" He swallowed. "He's my friend."
I stared.
Then—
"You're stupid, you know that?"
Izuku recoiled.
"Newsflash, kid. Friends don't beat the crap out of each other for fun." I jabbed a finger at his chest. "And being Quirkless doesn't make you nothing. That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard."
Izuku's eyes widened.
"A hero isn't defined by their Quirk," I said, voice sharp. "It's defined by their heart. By their guts. By the fact that they keep going even when the world tells them they can't."
Izuku's breath hitched.
"You wanna be a hero? Then act like one. Train. Study. Get stronger. Help people. You don't need a Quirk to do any of that."
For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then, slowly, his trembling stopped. His fists clenched.
"You… you really think I can be a hero?"
"I think you can do whatever the hell you set your mind to," I said. "But it starts with you believing it."
Izuku wiped his face, sniffing. Then, to my surprise, he bowed—deep and sudden.
"Thank you!"
I blinked. "Uh. You're welcome?"
He straightened, eyes burning with something new—determination. "My name's Midoriya Izuku! What's yours?"
"Samuel."
"Samuel-san…" He hesitated. "Will I ever see you again?"
Before I could answer, the world around me flickered.
Oh shit—
"Probably not," I said quickly. "But remember what I said, kid. Heroes aren't born—they're made."
Izuku opened his mouth—
And then the alley vanished.
I was back in the river.
Same position. Same time. Like I'd never left.
Newt was mid-laugh, splashing water at one of the Gladers. No one had even noticed I'd disappeared.
What the hell kind of time warp bullshit is this?!
DING.
[Mission Complete.]
[Rating: A.]
[Reward: "Cell Activation" Quirk – Enhances physical capabilities by stimulating cellular energy. Can be trained to improve regeneration, stamina, and strength.]
A sudden warmth spread through my body, like sunlight flooding my veins. I flexed my fingers, feeling stronger. Faster.
Well. That's handy.
Newt glanced over. "You alright, mate? You've got a weird look on your face."
I grinned. "Just had a really weird thought."
"Do I wanna know?"
"Probably not."
He rolled his eyes and went back to harassing the others.
I leaned back in the water, staring at the sky.
Izuku Midoriya. Bakugou. A Quirk.
This changed everything.
And if the System was sending me to other worlds…
What's next?
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