Trying to become friends with a bullied person can be a very difficult task, depending on who the bullied person is. For some bullied people, as soon as they find someone who's nice to them and treats them like a regular human being, they latch on to them, fast, and never let go, sometimes going as far to change their personality to keep that person's interest in them. Some bullied people just removed themselves from humanity, finding something else to take up their time, than devote it to another person who might betray or hurt them. And others were like those little pillbugs, curling up at the sign of any danger, doing their best to remain unnoticed.
Taylor Hebert was a mix of all three.
When she had joined the Underisderrs, she had stuck with them through thick and thin, making excuses for her more bloodthirsty teammates, and going back to them as soon as she was allowed to. She had also retreated into her bugs, using them to repress her emotions, as sensory organs, and as a way to view the world. And yet, in her civilian life, she had still allowed people like Emma to push her around, and rather than fight back, she shrunk. The only time she truly tried fighting back was when she was suffering from a concussion after a bombing.
Honestly, though, he wasn't sure why he was trying to befriend her. Part of it was that he had been a bullied kid, and he empathized with her. Part of it was the fact that he felt that he could help make her life easier. And part of it just seemed like the thing to do: when you woke up in Worm, you tried to befriend Taylor Hebert, the Queen of Escalation. And his circ*mstances seemed to push him in that direction. When he'd woken up in this new world, with memories from his previous life mixing in with his doppelganger's on Earth Bet, he'd realized that he was an Asian kid who went to Winslow, shared most of her classes, and had even watched dispassionately as Taylor was bullied, worried about other things in his life. Until he'd come down with a fever, f*cking died in his room and then woke up as a new person.
Literally.
Anyway, back to Taylor. He started small, waving at her. It was a small thing, waving with a little smile on his face, sometimes awkwardly, but starting small was generally the best way to do things. Over the course of two weeks, he saw several emotions flit across her face every time she saw him. Surprise, that another person in her grade was actually paying attention to her. Suspicion, as she wondered exactly what he wanted from her. And then nothing, as she curled in on herself and decided to ignore him.
But he noticed that curiosity was getting mixed in every time their eyes met. He could see the little beads of hope in her eyes as she looked at him, and finally, after two weeks of awkward waving, she raised her hand and awkwardly waved back, a shaky little smile on her thin lips.
Success.
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He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
In this room, it was nearly pitch black, except for a small conical light at the top, shining a weak circle around a wooden square table with a single chair, and four massive bookcases, absolutely packed with books, each one about six feet tall. As he walked towards the bookcases, he could see three small signs at the top of each bookcase.
Low Tier. Mid Tier. High Tier. God Tier.
He licked his lips as he glanced at the God Tier Bookcase. He really wanted to take a look at them…but the price for them was too heavy, too dangerous to even bother looking at them until he truly understood what was happening. He knew the basics of how this was supposed to work, but the particulars were unfamiliar to him.
Best to start off small.
He went to the Low Tier Bookcase and pulled out a plain black book. Actually, calling it a book was an exaggeration. Despite it having a hardcover and a fancy design embossed on the front and the spine, there was only a single page inside. And the contents of that page were disappointing as well.
Glowing Eyes: This ability allows the user to have eyes that glow in any color that the user desires. The Effect is purely cosmetic, and cannot be used to see better in the dark, but is effective in certain scenarios where power needs to be shown in a subtle manner.
Price: One Week
.One week? An entire week for such a measly power? No, he wouldn't waste so much time on such a useless ability. He put the book back and grabbed another one, this one a smaller, grey book with gold filigree.
Self-Induced Sleep Manipulation: This ability allows the user to fall asleep anytime and anywhere, and can even determine how long they can sleep. However, the user cannot control whether or not they have pleasant dreams or nightmares, and once they fall asleep, it is a deep, almost coma-like slumber.
Price: One Week
…less useless, but still not worth an entire week. Next.
Partial Invisibility: Allows the user to turn parts of their body invisible. Invisible body parts can still be harmed, or revealed by a powder, liquid or solid. The user has perfect control over which parts turn invisible, but cannot turn the entire body invisible.
Well, it looked like they were slowly getting better with each book.
They were all still really low-level powers, but they got more and more interesting the more he went through them. Some of them really interested him, like Bone Claws, Shark Skin, and Fire Daggers, but he wanted a low-key power that he could use at all times without getting outed as a parahuman the first time he ran into danger. Others were cool, but ultimately useless, like a Chill Inducement power that was transmitted via touch, or Wall Scaling, a power that let him climb walls easily.
After an hour of searching, he finally found a power that gave him exactly what he wanted.
Peak Human: The user's physical condition is at the pinnacle of human potential without being superhuman. Therefore, the user's strength, speed, stamina, senses, agility, reflexes, accuracy, durability, healing time, flexibility and combat skills are near enhanced/superhuman. This power is passive and does not disappear in the presence of Power Nullifiers, and gradually grows as the user ages.
Price: One Week
Yes! This was exactly what he had been looking for! A subtle power, but one that was always on, and wasn't a detriment in the scheme of things.
He took the book from the shelf and placed it on the wooden table.
Moment of truth.
"I'd like to purchase this, please," he said to the empty room.
The light flickered, plunging the room into darkness. When the light returned, two things had changed: The Peak Human book was now gone, and there was a small, red digital clock on it with three different numbers.
85: 12: 03.
He watched as the three on the end became a 2, and he felt something…leave him, in that moment, even as he felt strength enter his limbs.
So little time…so much left to do…
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With Taylor now waving back at him, he decided to get a little more active with his plan. And that meant tangling with the Trio.
Fun.
He had to tread carefully, though. He couldn't hit them or fight them in the same way he could fight other boys. That was a suspension and a possible visit from the E88 wannabes in his school, just waiting to happen. Instead, he just…interfered.
Whenever Madison or someone from her group snatched Taylor's work, he just snatched it back from them and gave it back to her before they had a chance to erase her name or throw it away. Whenever Sophia tried to bump into Taylor, somehow, he was miraculously there to take the hit, with a quick apology and a small smile on his face as Sophia bounced off of his stronger frame. If Emma tried to corner Taylor in the hallways, he'd push through her and her group, his shoulder nearly throwing her to the ground as he rushed past. And if the hanger-ons tried to do stuff like putting glue or water on her chair or desk, all he had to do was give them a blank stare, and they just wilted before scampering off.
All of this, and he hadn't actually talked to Taylor yet. They'd progressed to saying hello in the hallways now, but she seemed conflicted about how he was interfering with the bullying. And he knew why: Taylor had often said that she didn't want to be on the level of the bullies, but she had also refused to get her father involved, citing that he had enough on his mind. Now, here was an unrelated party stepping in for her, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Honestly, though, this was kind of fun, foiling petty attempts to mess with someone. Boys didn't bother with this kind of subtle humiliation. It was a straight punch out, every time, and whoever came out on top won. For girls, it seemed that it was all about plausible deniability and seeing who could make the other look crazier. Girls(Sophia didn't count) rarely liked to get into physical altercations until absolutely necessary, and they preferred to use words and humiliation tactics. However, these only worked on victims that they had knowledge about.
He was an anomaly in their eyes. Before his awakening, he had been quiet and friendless, meaning there was no way to manipulate him. He wasn't in a gang or affiliated with any members, so there was no blackmail to be had on him. He was a boy, so a majority of them couldn't physically harm him, and their whispering things about him in class didn't really bother him the same way it would a regular teenager. They couldn't even get him on hitting them, because he always made it look like an accident, and the few times that it was brought to a teacher's attention, he was nonchalant and apologetic enough to make them believe that it had truly been an accident.
Taylor had a reputation for being a troublemaker due to Emma. He didn't. But he could tell that was going to change. The girls were getting more and more frustrated, and it was obvious that they were going to make some kind of move against him.
He was idly wondering what they were cooking up, and if it would be annoying enough to necessitate the use of powers. If it did, well…it was going to end very badly for them.
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He was in the dark room again, but this time, he was looking at the Mid Tier bookshelf. This was where the street-level powers were, the ones that would actually tell the world that he was a parahuman than the piddly abilities in the Low Tier Bookshelf. The first book that he had picked up?
Electric Shockwave: This is a power expressed via movement. That means that every kick, punch, or throw the user makes, will be accompanied by a shockwave of electricity and kinetic energy, capable of sending someone flying across a room as they are filled with up to thousands of volts of electricity. However, someone with Electricity Immunity and Resistance to Kinetic Damage can easily incapacitate the user if an opening should present itself. The user also becomes immune to Electrical attacks. How f*cking epic was that? Electric Shockwaves? That was a super strong power, but it was only in the mid-tier! It truly made him curious to see what kind of powers were in the high tier and God Tier, but he restrained himself. These powers weren't free. He couldn't just let loose with them like other people could with their powers. A good power like this would cost him, and it showed in the price.
1 Month.
Some would say that a single month was a small price to pay for such a power. But he still didn't know exactly how this power worked. Was it aging him with each power he got? Was it literally cutting off his lifespan? What if he splurged like an idiot and found himself left with only two years left? Would he be an insanely powerful old man not too far from death? Or would he be the strongest teenager in the world with only two more years left to live? He really didn't want to find out.
So he kept searching, reminding himself that he was only here to get one power today. But it was hard when he saw gems like these:
Cryo-phasing: An ability that gives the user the power to go intangible, and freeze things that pass through them. Whilst powerful, the user can still be harmed by other beings who are also capable of intangibility.
Azure Pyrokinesis: Allows the user to control, generate and manipulate blue flames. The user is also resistant to high temperatures, but susceptible to colder climates. Can be defeated through the use of Cryokinesis.
Electric Vine Barrier: Creates a shield that is able to produce tentacles of energy, spikes, and surges of electricity. The shield can also reflect damage back to attackers. However, should the shield be pierced, the user will be heavily damaged as well. This power carries a passive effect, making the user's skin hard as iron even with the power being inactive. However, this passive effect will be erased in the presence of Power Nullifiers.
All of them were so tempting, but in the end, he found one that he really liked, and actually remembered from his previous life.
Apparition: The ability to teleport using space manipulation. The user effectively creates a tiny wormhole between them and their desired location, causing them to be warped to their location in seconds. The displacement of air when the user appears and disappears is the reason for the well-known 'crack' sound this form of teleportation causes. The user can take up to five people with them by utilizing Side Along Apparition. However, a skilled user can grab onto an opponent and select which parts of them wish to be teleported, allowing instant dismemberment of an attacker. This form of combat is known as Defensive Splinching.
Being a teleporter gave him a lot more options in a fight, and the ability to basically dismember people meant that he wouldn't be defenseless even if this was his only tool. Besides, he loved Harry Potter.
But he still couldn't get rid of the sickening feeling in his gut as he watched a month of his life flicker away as he attained the power to Apparate.
85: 11: 02
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"You should stop," Taylor said softly.
He hadn't been able to make it this time: the girls had ambushed her in the bathroom, where he couldn't interfere at all, and they had poured juice on her, absolutely drenching her. Thankfully, since he knew about this kind of stuff, he was prepared: he had an extra hoody, an old white shirt, and a pair of worn jeans in his bag, just in case something like this happened.
"You know, most people say hello, and introduce themselves when they meet each other," he said, amusem*nt coloring his voice. "Or, at least, a thank you."
"I know who you are. Sort of, anyway," Taylor said quickly. "I know you're in my classes. And I know that you're nice. But you need to stop helping me, or they'll go after you."
"You mean they haven't already started?"
He'd started getting some dirty looks from the E88-affiliated kids in hallways, and he could tell that the other Asian kids were distancing themselves from him, even more than they already were.
"They're just rumors for now," Taylor said as she accepted the clothes from him. "But they're making you out to be an ABB kid, and that you're only being nice to me because you plan to…you know…"
Traffic her.
Back in his world, an accusation like that would be enough to get someone expelled. However, here on Bet, where almost everything was bleak or horrible or corrupted to the point that the average person felt apathy for their fellow humans, it would only make him a pariah amongst the student body, and single him out to the E88 kids.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked curiously. He wouldn't really stop, but he would at the least tone it down if she asked.
"...no," she replied in a small voice. "You're nice to me, nicer than anyone's been to me in a really long time. My grades are starting to get better because I'm able to hand it in, or you're handing it in for me. Emma's getting madder because she can't figure out how to hurt you with her words, and Sophia's mad because she can't hurt you without being sly about it."
"And Madison?"
To his surprise, Taylor rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Madison's nothing. Just a little dog yapping whenever she wants attention from Emma."
Well, she certainly isn't as broken as I thought she was.
"I like you," he said honestly. "I like your determination, the fact that you haven't let them break you, and the fact you do your best not to go down to their level. I'd like to get to know you more. I'd like to be your friend."
A soft pink blush dusted Taylor's cheeks as she looked at him in shock before she glanced away, abashed.
He suddenly came to a startling realization as he saw this.
Taylor Hebert was really cute.
Up close, like this, he could see her more clearly. She had thin lips, but her mouth was wide and expressive. She had large, expressive brown eyes, and long, curly black hair that seemed to shine a way that the rest of her didn't. She was thin, but not unhealthy so, and whilst she was tall, she was actually a couple of inches shorter than him.
She wasn't a beauty, not like the Trio was. She wasn't athletic like Sophia was, innocently cute like Madison was, or curvy like Emma, but he could easily see her in the sexy librarian/secretary archetype if she put in the effort.
"I…I'd like that. Being friends," she said finally. "I'm Taylor Hebert. Though, you already knew that."
"It's nice to meet you, Taylor Hebert. My name is Idris Takafumi."
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Spatial Depletion: Users can deplete/delete/remove/negate/erase three-dimensional space and any spatial attacks. controlling the distance between two different points of spatial locations. Since space basically acts as a boundary of existence for all, if the space around any matter or energy is depleted, then the said matter would also be erased from existence. The user initiates this attack by releasing a powerful purple orb of energy that basically annihilates everything in its path.
Electric Armor: The user can form armor around their body or shape it from electricity for protection and physical boost, most commonly including raising their speed to inhuman levels. User can increase their physical parameters, with more lightning causing greater increases in strength, speed, and reflexes. The lightning also defends the user from most attacks, deflecting them away on contact.
Reconfiguration: The user can take apart, rebuild, and restructure anything piece by piece leaving the target without defects of any kind, augmenting its attributes or overall quality. However, this ability can only be used via touch, so the loss of hands would make the power effectively useless. The user can also use this power to heal himself and others, as well as repair broken items.
These were all powers that belonged to the high-tier bookshelf, and for once, he couldn't really complain. These kinds of powers were on the same level as Lung, Kaiser, Acidbath, and the Siberian: they gave you enough raw power that you didn't have to worry about things like technique or tactics. Just one of these abilities would make him one of the top three strongest capes in the city.
All in exchange for one year of his life.
He couldn't really be mad at this. These powers were definitely worth at least a year of his life, just from the descriptions. And those were just the first three that he had picked from the shelf.
He had quickly realized that as the powers became stronger, they became more broad, rather than strictly more powerful. For example, one of the low-tier powers that he had seen was called Fire Daggers, and it allowed the user to create blades of flame in their hands that basically acted as blowtorches. However, one of the high-tier powers was called Fire Embodiment, which instantly gave him access to all abilities and powers based on fire, including Fire Disks, Azure Pyrokinesis, Fire Healing, and a bunch of other bullsh*t Fire Abilities that he had never heard of.
"I think it's better to fight defensively" he murmured to himself, finally deciding to go with the Lightening Armor. Esoteric powers would be something that he would have to train; this room might let him purchase powers, but he only got an innate understanding of them. To fully master the powers to the point that they could be used to their max, he would have to train them. For now, he wanted a power that would just maximize what he had.
All in all, it was really a bargain.
85: 11: 01
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You didn't truly appreciate how deeply Parahumans were integrated into the world of Bet until you went to the Boardwalk. It was a tourist trap, but it was the nicest place in the Bay, and a lot of locals visited it often. And everywhere you looked, there was Parahuman merch in one form or another.
When you went to the restaurants, you could find a few items named after a local hero, like the Challenger Burger, or the Miss Militia Platter. If you went into a clothing store, you could be one of the first people to buy the newest Dauntless Winter Jacket or buy an Armsmaster backpack. Not to mention the hundreds of dolls, comics, and action figures. You could buy cell phones that were nearly Tinkertech made by Dragon. There were safes and locks that used the tagline, 'Not even Alexandria could break these!'. In place of Pride Flags, some people were hanging up Legend's Posters. There were vases with hero logos on them, briefcases with a Tinker Certified stamp, and even rings and jewelry named after Hero teams.
There was even a following for Villains. Some tattoo shops were willing to give you a tattoo of a villain's mask or logo. In some sketchy shops, you could buy pieces of twisted metal that were said to be part of Hookwolf's chains, or silver scales that had fallen off of Lung mid-battle. Even though they hadn't been in the city for years, there were graffiti monuments to the Teeth. In one restaurant, the owner had a bone fragment necklace that he said came from the Marquis' skirmishes with New Wave. Apparently, he had stalked the man relentlessly for years and picked up pieces of bone that fell off from his engagements with the heroes. And yet no one seemed to find that creepy. On Bet, collecting artifacts like broken tinkertech and leftover power effects was seen as a bit extreme for a fan, but nothing weird.
He imagined this is what life would look like in the Marvel or DC universes if heroes fully integrated with society. Heck, this was the same kind of thing you saw when you watched My Hero Academia. The only difference was that in the show, the heroes were the majority, rather than it being split fifty-fifty with the villains.
It was fascinating, really, seeing all of this.
He even got something for himself: he got a cool-looking Battery hoody that was all black with the blue circuit lines of her costume, a pair of Velocity high tops, a toy Eidolon mask with LEDs in the eyes, and a bunch of catchphrases, all for the generous price of fifty dollars.
The reason for buying all of this?
This was going to be his hero costume.
He didn't really care about how the costume looked; he was a big fan of Luke Cage, John Constantine, and Superboy from zYoung Justice, and one of the coolest things about them was the fact that they dressed in everyday clothes instead of taking twenty minutes to suit up. And aside from hiding your identity, the main purpose of a costume was to tell the world which side you were on.
What screamed Hero more than wearing Hero Merch?
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Right now, he wasn't even numb. This was kind of expected to be honest. From the low tier to the high tier, it was obvious that the amount of time given up was equivalent to the amount of power that was given. You wanted a cheap, easy power, you give away a single week of your life. If you wanted something with a bit more kick to it, then you had to be willing to give up a month of time. Something a bit more permanent, something that would be missed. If you wanted to stand at the top with some of the best in the world, you needed to be prepared to give up a year, something that was precious to you, a significant stretch of time that you couldn't get back.
And if you wanted to be a god-like being, you needed to give up ten years.
Ten years. A god damned decade.
According to the clock, if he hadn't bothered to use his powers, he would have lived to be one hundred years old. That was a long time; it meant that if he didn't interfere with anything, he would surpass Golden Mornaing and the Titanomachy. Even now, with the powers he'd already bought, he could make it to ninety.
But the powers that were worth a decade were too useful to ignore.
Kryptonian Physiology: The user's DNA will be changed irreversibly to that of a teenaged Kryptonian, and will gain access to all Kryptonian Derived Powers. This includes Inmpenerable Skin, Laser Eyes, Heat and Ice Breath, Tactile Telekinesis, Space Survivability, Super Speed, Super Strength, and Flight. The strength of these powers will grow in proportion to the amount of sunlight that the user has absorbed. However, the user is still affected by Kryptonite, but repeated exposure to it will build up resistance.
Saiyan Physiology: The user's DNA will be changed irreversibly to that of a teenaged Saiyan, and will gain access to all Siyan Derived Powers. This includes. Super Strength, Super Speed, Flight, Extreme Durability, Gravitation Adaptation, Chi Manipulation, and Personal Potential Manipulation. The strength of these powers will grow in proportion to the amount of Chi that the user has, and the amount of Chi a user has can be increased through combat and training. If the User decides to keep their tail, they also have the ability to turn into an Oozaru, a Kaiju-like Ape creature, every full moon.
Prison Dimension: The user has access to a prison dimension, a dimension where they can send enemies. The Prison Dimension is time-dilated, so prisoners don't realize how much time has passed. The user can control who goes into the Prison Dimension, and who comes out. The user can also store attacks and even buildings inside the Prison Dimension. However, to send someone or something to the Prison Dimension, the user must touch them with their hands.
Reanimation: The user is able to summon an army of the dead, and this includes humans, parahumans, and animals. All reanimated beings will be brought back to their prime strength and intelligence. They cannot be killed as long as the user keeps the power active. They are eternally loyal to the user, and the user can share the powers of parahumans with other members of their army, albeit at the disadvantage of the power weakening the more it is spread.
There were hundreds of books in the bookcase. These were just the ones that he had picked from the first shelf.
It was amazing, really, how much he had stressed over a week of his life in exchange for glowing eyes, but now he was looking at a power that was worth an entire decade, and he was nodding along, perfectly fine with the price. Because these were the god-like powers, the powers that could make you king of the world.
The powers that would actually make a difference when it came time for Golden Morning.
He wouldn't touch those. Not yet. Not now. He would stick with the Mid and High Tiers for now, and if a desperate situation came up, he would come here and get one, but right now…he wasn't desperate enough to sign away ten years of his life. Not even for the powers of Superman.
However, reading through these powers made him realize something.
What was he waiting for?
Why was he waiting for the problems that would need powers like this to show up, when he could stop them now? The only thing he really needed right now was experience in fighting and more familiarity with his powers.
And what better place to start learning than Brockton Bay, the Cape Capital of North America?
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The smell of grape soda was still heavy on her, but her clothes(or, rather, his clothes) were dry, and aside from a few sticky patches that she missed in the girl's shower, everything else was okay. And that was why she was smiling, for maybe the first time in months.
Everything was okay.
Yeah, the trio were still bitches, and yeah, they were still bullying her, but the thing she'd wanted for so long had finally happened. Someone had finally noticed what they were doing. Someone had finally taken a stand against them.
And that same person wanted to be her friend. Even after weeks of ignoring him, secretly wondering if this was a new ploy of Emma's, he still hadn't hesitated to help her. And having fresh clothes ready for her after the trio's stupid pranks…he didn't know it, but it had helped. A lot.
So when her dad asked, "How was school today?" She didn't just shrug and say 'okay', without saying anything else.
She smiled, and said, "It actually went pretty well. I…I made a new friend today."
Because, finally, a really good thing had happened to her.
