James Harlan's POV
Ten minutes after stepping out of Soul Space, I was already regretting not bringing one of my wives along.
The pocket dimension had been perfect—sun-drenched meadow, hot spring steam curling around Hayley Kirby's scales as she lounged, Hope sketching protective runes in the air, Jozie siphoning ambient magic to power fairy lights that floated like fireflies.
I'd stayed long enough for dinner (somehow the dimension conjured perfect New York-style pizza), a very distracting group shower, and a promise to return soon with stories.
But curiosity pulled me back to Musutafu.
I wanted to see how the timeline was bending.
All Might was healed—prime, no time limit, no desperate search for a successor. Izuku had a Water Quirk now—whips and shields, hidden from everyone except me and (unfortunately) Bakugo.
The U.A. entrance exam had happened yesterday. According to the news snippets I'd overheard on the street, the practical results were still pending, but rumors were already flying: some kid had taken first in villain points, someone else had racked up insane rescue points.
I walked the backstreets near Izuku's neighborhood, hoodie up, hands in pockets. The cherry blossoms were gone; it was full spring now, warm enough that I could smell street food vendors grilling yakitori two blocks away. Kids laughed somewhere. A salaryman floated his briefcase with a weak telekinesis Quirk. Normal. Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
That's when I felt it.
A wet, oily pressure at the edge of my senses—like someone had dumped motor oil into the air. I turned the corner into a narrow service alley behind a convenience store.
And there it was.
The Sludge Villain.
A hulking mass of green-black sludge, eyes bulging, mouth stretched in a manic grin. It slithered across the pavement, leaving a glistening trail. In canon, this thing had tried to possess Izuku, then Bakugo, turning the alley into a hostage crisis until All Might showed up.
Here?
It saw me.
And lunged.
The sludge surged forward—fast, liquid, aiming to envelop my head. I could've ended it in half a second. Water whip. Fire ball. Soul Stone. Hell, I could've just stepped into Soul Space and left it flopping around like a beached jellyfish.
But I didn't.
I wanted to test something.
I widened my eyes, threw my hands up, and screamed like a civilian who'd never seen a villain before.
"N-no! Stay back!"
Then I turned and bolted deeper into the alley.
The sludge laughed—a wet, gurgling sound—and followed.
Perfect.
The alley narrowed—dumpsters on both sides, no windows overlooking it, no pedestrians. I skidded to a stop at the dead end, spun around, back pressed to the brick wall like I was cornered.
The Sludge Villain oozed closer, splitting into tendrils, mouth splitting wider.
"You'll make a fine host, boy," it gurgled. "Strong body. No Quirk signature. Easy prey."
I let my shoulders shake. Let my voice crack.
"Please… don't…"
It lunged.
And I grinned.
"I'm gonna put some dirt in your eye."
The mysterious screen didn't even need to appear this time. The skill was muscle memory now.
A handful of rich, dark soil materialized in my right palm—perfectly ordinary, perfectly gritty.
I hurled it.
Straight into the bulging eyes.
The villain froze mid-lunge.
Then it shrieked.
A high, wet, gurgling wail as dirt ground into its sensitive membranes. Tendrils flailed blindly. The main mass recoiled, splitting and reforming in confusion. It thrashed against the walls, sludge splattering everywhere, crying out in pain and disorientation.
For the next twenty-four hours, this thing would be legally blind and completely disoriented. Dirt (Level 1) didn't play.
I stepped forward.
The villain was still screaming—tendrils whipping randomly, too confused to target me.
I raised my left hand.
Unlimited Inventory opened—a small, shimmering portal no bigger than a basketball.
I grabbed the main mass—cold, slimy, writhing—and shoved.
The sludge disappeared into the portal with a wet schlorp.
Inventory updated.
Captured: Sludge Villain (alive, stasis)
I closed the portal.
Silence returned to the alley.
Just me, some scattered sludge residue, and the faint smell of dirt and sewage.
I exhaled.
One less future hostage crisis.
One less "impress All Might" moment for Izuku.
One more monster in my pocket.
The air shimmered blue.
The mysterious screen materialized in front of me—same floating panel, same cryptic font.
UPDATE: IZUKU MIDORIYA
Izuku has successfully entered U.A. High School as 1st rank in the practical exam.
50 villain points + 60 rescue points = 110 total.
Love the cute cinnamon roll ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Also, love the way user spoke the Bully Maguire dialogue ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I stared at the screen.
It… had emojis.
And opinions.
And it shipped Izuku?
I blinked.
The screen lingered for a second, as if waiting for a response.
Then it vanished.
I stood there for a long moment.
The mysterious screen—the thing that had sent me, given me powers, rewritten timelines, sent me to this world, created Soul Space, and now apparently had feelings about anime characters—had just simped for Izuku Midoriya.
And complimented my Spider-Man 3 reference.
I rubbed my face.
"Okay. That's… new."
I shook my head, half-laughing.
Whatever. If the screen wanted to be a fangirl, fine.
I'd just bagged a major villain before he could cause canon chaos.
All Might was still prime.
Izuku had a Quirk and a top spot at U.A.
Bakugo was probably still seething somewhere.
And my wives were waiting in a pocket dimension with a hot spring.
Life—across multiple worlds—was good.