Greetings, true believers!
First, allow me to welcome you to this new project that I hope becomes something bigger in the near future. Thank you so much for giving this story an opportunity, you are awesome!
Now, before we get to the actual story, I must clarify that the events of this fic take place in the setting of the "My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising" movie. However, this only extends to the setting itself, for I won't be using any of the villains from that movie, so don't worry about major spoilers in case you haven't seen it.
As for the "Superman" side of things, it's not mandatory, but I highly recommend checking out "The Death of Superman" comic and the "Superman: Hunter/Prey" mini-series if you wish to familiarize yourself more with Doomsday, because this version of the character is greatly inspired by those comics. Also, Superman will remain absent from this fic, since it happens in an alternate timeline where Doomsday arrived to Earth, but Kal-El didn't.
So, with nothing more on my part, I hope you enjoy reading this little fic as much as I enjoyed writing it.
May we meet again soon, and may you be having a wonderful 2021 filled with health and success in all your endeavors.
Excelsior!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here.
This story was made with the sole purpose of entertainment and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.
As such, the actions and/or viewpoints expressed by the characters in this story do not automatically reflect the opinions of the author.
This purely fictional tale is not meant to neither educate nor serve as any kind of moral example to follow by whomever consumes this type of content willingly.
"My Hero Academia" and its characters created by Kōhei Horikoshi.
"Superman" and its characters belong to "DC Comics".
My Hero Academia: Heroes Fall
I
Evil Unearthed
How could they have known?
In a distant planet orbiting a distant star, one scientist dreamt of achieving the impossible.
Conceiving the ultimate life-form.
His name was "Bertron", and he schemed a venture to reach Godhood.
How? By snatching the most innocent creature he could find.
A baby…
Thrown into a barren, primitive land of flesh-searing temperatures, housing poisonous beasts which knew no better than killing for food. Their strength, speed and ferocity unparalleled throughout the galaxy.
Like he coldly expected, Bertron's chosen child didn't last long, taking mere seconds for him to fall prey of the harsh environment.
However, the infant's tale would not end here, because the scientist had other plans.
Retrieving what little remained after the carnage, Bertron replicated his test.
Thus, the baby lived anew, his final moments engraved in the genetic code of his successor.
Only to be sacrificed again, and again, and again…
Life, death, rebirth. Repeat…
Every day, a new infant was cloned from his former self.
The scientist made this cycle continue over years, decades, obsessively chasing his vision of the perfect being.
Each time, the child became stronger, and as his power grew, so did his hatred for everything that existed, compelling him to massacre all the fauna of the planet.
Bertron had succeeded…
His unmatched, yet misguided intellect created an entity who ignored death's inevitable beckoning, free of hunger, doubts, weaknesses…
Therefore, the scientist gave him a more… fitting title.
"The Ultimate"
An invincible devil that, if somehow killed, would revive, evolve to resist whatever doomed him the previous occasion.
The Ultimate destroyed anything he remotely considered a threat.
Such survival instinct turned the creation against his creator.
Eventually, he tore down his own cradle, the laboratory which birthed him, along the emotionless hearts that willingly partook in his demise.
And Bertron was no longer…
But his ruinous legacy lived on.
For the mad scientist, as brilliant as he was, couldn't have defied nature by himself. Since he wasn't a native from this world, supply ships brought him materials periodically.
Soon, The Ultimate seized one of these ships, and gained unlimited access to the cosmos.
Bertron's abomination toppled entire civilizations across the universe.
His murderous rampage led him to 'Calaton', a prosperous haven of golden spires, and technology so advanced it could be mistaken with magic.
Nonetheless, even this deific paradise fell under The Ultimate's onslaught, until just its capital city remained…
The brightest minds of Calaton combined their efforts, sought an answer to preserve their species in the last hour.
Much for their increasing dismay, only Calaton's monarchy, bearers of incredible powers, possessed the might to oppose The Ultimate.
Through the greatest sacrifice, the royal family voluntarily fused together in a single consciousness.
"The Radiant"
Pure, living energy…
An artificially-engineered life form, designed with the sole purpose of stopping an unstoppable force.
Their battle, fierce, devastating, apocalyptic, lasted a solid week. The Radiant prevailed over Bertron's Ultimate, securing a tomorrow for their race.
Unfortunately, Calaton's champion couldn't fully eliminate their foe.
So special arrangements were made.
The Ultimate's corpse was shrouded, then chained to keep his impure spirit from abandoning the mortal plane of existence.
His coffin, cast into the void, aimlessly drifted among the stars, as Calatonian custom prescribed.
Alas, fate intervened…
Centuries later, the astral hearse got entangled in a meteor shower, shepherding it towards the blue sphere.
The burial vault found shelter deep beneath the crust of this 'Earth', where it was meant to stay untouched, unseen, guarding a history of violence that must never repeat.
How could they have known?
How could they defeat what death itself couldn't contain?
Katsuma looked up at the bright sky.
The clouds above were of the big, puffy kind. This would be a perfect day for an ice cream in the beach. The wind wasn't very strong, and he could still smell the ocean from here.
But Mahoro insisted on proving that the U.A. students weren't just playing pretend to be heroes.
They had wandered too far…
If their Dad was home, he wouldn't approve.
So here they stood, near the old ruins of Mount Shiroyama which the townsfolk always warned them about.
"Hurry up, Katsuma. We don't have all day."
However, his sister kept tugging on his arm.
"B-but Mahoro-"
"Come on! We're almost there."
While approaching the top of the hill, he stared at the old gate put together with dusty bricks, blocked by many yellow tapes that said 'DO NOT CROSS'.
"A-Are we going in there?" Katsuma's voice trembled. "It's too dark and I don't think we should be here."
"Don't be such a baby," Mahoro released his wrist once they arrived to the summit. "There's nothing in these ruins, and the students will find us anyways, right? Even if it takes them forever…"
Taking the lead, she walked towards the entrance, pushing aside a couple of tapes obstructing their path.
"Let's go, it's been over thirty minutes since I called them."
"Um…" the little boy shivered, his sight fixated upon the ominous crevice. Within it lurked the darkest shadows he has ever seen, as if a pitch-black fog flooded the cave.
"It'll be fine, I promise!" his sister spun again with a beaming smile.
Katsuma gazed down, twiddling his thumbs.
Sighing, Mahoro reached for her purse, pulling out her phone. Some taps later, a flashlight illuminated in the back of the device.
"There! Happy!?"
And before he could object, she took his hand, then dragged him forth.
So they crossed the umbral…
Daylight barely appeared inside the cavern, revealing a few rocks in the soil. He could hear rats and bats squeaking on the background, alongside waterdrops making the place even creepier.
Katsuma glanced behind his back, hoping to see houses in the distance. Alas, he only caught a glimpse of the last sunbeams getting farer and farer, until becoming a small dot amidst the darkness.
"A-Are you sure there's nothing in here?"
"Why? Is big baby Katsuma scared? Did you forget your pacifier? Or you need to change your diapers?"
"S-Stop that! It's not funny-" Katsuma was cut off by the lantern of Mahoro's phone burning his pupils. He quickly clamped his eyelids shut to protect his vision.
Mahoro giggled, ceasing her mocking tone. "Don't worry, the heroes we had before made sure this place was safe for everyone. I would never do something to put you in danger, Katsuma. I'll always protect you, not like those wanna-be heroes from U.A."
"If you say so…" Katsuma opened his eyes anew, his lips stretching into a thin line.
This place still scared him a lot…
Nonetheless, they kept venturing further into the cave.
Katsuma shivered, the breeze causing weird echoes unnerved him deeply.
Glancing at his surroundings, he wrapped his left arm around his waist to retain some heat, and what little sense of security he could muster.
He had trouble keeping his balance over the slippery soil, and the environment getting increasingly darker wasn't doing things any easier.
Malformed shades swirled throughout the cavern, splashes of living ink pursuing them…
This is not fair.
Katsuma knew his sister meant well, but this whole thing was her idea, not something he wanted to do. All because she didn't like the heroes that so far have shown them pure kindness.
He just couldn't understand. He couldn't stand it anymore…
"I-I wanna' go home! I don't like this place!"
"Don't be a wuss, just a little further."
"Mahoro, please!"
Katsuma brusquely broke free from his sister's grasp, stopping dead in his tracks.
Mahoro turned to face him with a blank stare.
They lingered like that for a few minutes. Silent, conflicted. Katsuma pouted and clenched his fists, frowning while his accelerated breathing stabilized.
"Sorry. I didn't realize how afraid you were…" Mahoro spoke after a brief silence, her sight dropping to the ground. "Let's go back, we'll wait for the students outside."
Katsuma's scowl softened, his rigid stance also relaxing. Now he felt bad for snapping at her.
Yet, he said nothing. He simply nodded and let her take his hand once more, not wanting to worsen the situation.
Thus they began walking on the opposite direction, neither of them saying a single word during the stroll.
Katsuma exhaled profoundly, he was relieved that they were finally leaving this awful place, despite the guilt gripping his heart.
He didn't always agree with Mahoro's way of doing things, but getting angry wouldn't solve anything. For him, the right way to fix the problem could've been-
"W-Whoah!"
Katsuma cried when the soil under his feet crumbled and sunk, making him fall, escaping Mahoro's grip.
"Katsuma!" his sister tried to catch him, but her reaction wasn't fast enough.
He hit the soil with a loud 'thud', hurting his chin in the process.
Desperately, he attempted to recover his foothold. Unfortunately, a million pebbles beneath him made his sandals slip, as marbles on freshly-polished tiles.
"Katsuma!"
"Mahoro!"
And he continued sliding down, gravity yanking him into a huge crevice in the wall beside him.
Rolling over a pronounced slope, Katsuma pleadingly extended his hands towards Mahoro's fading form.
It was too late. Darkness engulfed him…
A small landslide of minuscule stones and yellow tapes followed Katsuma after he stopped falling.
He stayed there for a bit to recover from the impact, lying on the ground with a lost gaze in the ceiling.
Even though the fall wasn't super high, Katsuma's whole body went numb, his head was spinning like crazy.
"Ow…"
Some seconds later, he lifted his torso, sitting on the soil. His first impulse compelled him to check the burning sensation around his knee.
He folded his leg, hugging it against his chest, closely inspecting a nasty scratch in his right knee. A reddish mark of skinless flesh below the hem of his overall short, encircled by a greyish contour, probably dirt.
Katsuma's lower lip quivered, his face started feeling warmer, and his vision grew blurry.
"Katsuma!"
"Huh?" turning to the source of the call, he spotted Mahoro's sillhouette standing outside the upper crevice that led him here.
"Katsuma, are you alright!?" she shouted, illuminating the underground chamber with her phone.
"I-I'm here, Mahoro!" Katsuma replied, returning his attention to his scraped knee. He gently blew cool air on it, hoping it would reduce the pain. Sadly, that didn't work…
Immediately, Mahoro stepped inside the crypt, and steadily, albeit clumsily, descended over the slope connecting both levels of the cave.
"Are you hurt? Let me see." she said upon arriving to Katsuma's side.
Reluctantly, the little boy let go of his leg, loosening his stiff posture.
Mahoro crouched next to him, quietly staring at his knee for a moment.
Subsequently, she reached into her bag, unveiling a folded piece of cloth in one hand, and a tiny bottle in the other.
She uncapped the bottle, soaking the cloth with the clear liquid within it.
"Hold still, it's going to hurt a bit." Mahoro placed the open flask on the soil, then slowly brought the damped fabric closer.
Katsuma held his breath. This is going to suck…
Sharply, the stinging discomfort seized his limb when his sister pressed the wet cloth to his knee. He hissed loudly, clenching his teeth.
But eventually, the ache lessened, so he relaxed, exhaling calmly.
"There. Does it still hurt?"
"Just-t a little," Katsuma answered between hiccups. "T-Thank you…"
"I don't have any bandages with me," Mahoro stood up, putting the cloth and the bottle back in her purse. "Just bear with it until we get home, okay?"
Katsuma encountered his sister's palm hovering in front of his nose. He took it without hesitation. She helped him rise from the ground, having nearly forgotten his wound.
"Let's go back," Mahoro spun, aiming the lantern of her phone at the vicinity. "This place is starting to creep me out."
Darkened stone surrounded them, barely discernible amongst the duskiness. In contrast to the tunnels above, this chamber was like a place out of time, like a dawnless world.
Katsuma thought of those old black-and-white movies their Dad watched, only… scarier…
Anything beyond their personal bubble became utter obscurity, save for something… strange a few steps ahead of them…
"Whoa…"
"What is that?…"
The siblings gawked at the bizarre image displayed before them.
Katsuma rubbed his eyes, taking another look. He genuinely couldn't believe it…
A broad pillar of golden beams seeped into the cavern through a fissure in the roof.
Beneath it, an enormous metal sphere rested serenely, unmoving.
Vast spider-webs blanketed the mystifying structure. Its surface was sleek, lustrous and highly reflective, resembling silver.
Lastly, the sphere had a wide, crimson crystal at its core. Opaque, mirror-like as well.
Whatever that mysterious orb concealed, not even the bright sunshine could reveal it.
Out of the blue, Mahoro began walking towards the sphere, apparently intrigued…
"M-Mahoro, wait!" concerned, Katsuma grabbed her arm while she remained within reach. "That thing looks scary…"
"I just want to see what it is, stay behind me."
"But what if it belongs to someone? What if it is a super-secret weapon? We could get in trouble by just being here!"
"Don't be silly, Katsuma. This place is completely abandoned."
Thereupon, Mahoro kept going onwards, and Katsuma went along with her. Cobbles crunched under their feet as they advanced.
The atmosphere around them cooled down once they neared the sphere. Tiny clouds escaped Katsuma's lips when he breathed, but he didn't notice.
Instead, his focus fell solely on the uncanny orb at the center of the crypt.
He gulped, tensing, feeling his heart throbbing madly. A freezing chill traversed his spine, making him shudder.
Soon, the kids found themselves nigh the sphere…
Katsuma met a distorted version of him and his sister in its glassy exterior. Primarily, he perceived the weird symbols engraved across the edge of the glass. Interlaced lines and curves carved in a language he failed to recognize.
He remembered those boring documentaries about ancient civilizations, so he imagined that the markings told a story.
He hoped it was a story with a happy ending, though…
"You think it's alien?" he asked, peeking from behind, trembling.
"I don't know," Mahoro replied softly, still entranced by the crystal. "Maybe it's the guardian of the ruins from the stories Dad used to tell us…"
Gently, she moved her hand upwards…
"W-Wait! I-I don't think you should touch it. We should tell the heroes about this. They will know what to do!"
"The U.A. students? Pfft! As if…"
Mahoro rolled her eyes, then turned back to the mirror.
Crippling dread filled Katsuma as he watched his sister frivolously run her palm over the crystal, expecting something bad would surely happen.
And much for their surprise, nothing occurred…
"See? No big deal!"
Katsuma maintained silence. Blinking, he tilted his head, puzzled, and slightly embarrassed.
Adding insult to injury, she nonchalantly knocked on the mirror, eliciting faint tinkles. "I bet the students won't even-"
Unexpectedly, a thunderous clang reverberated throughout the cave.
Mahoro gasped, withdrawing.
Afterwards, the crystal lightened with an incandescent glow, painting the entire crypt vermillion.
"Wha-What's happening?" Katsuma unconsciously retraced a step.
"I-I don't know! Let's get out of here!" Mahoro pivoted and sprinted to him, taking his wrist.
However, their escape was interrupted by a thick cloud of white fume emerging from the cracks in the soil beneath them, emitting a piercing, hissing sound that disorientated them greatly.
"Ma-Mahoro!"
"H-Hold your breath! Don't breathe that!" Mahoro exclaimed between coughs, pinching her nose and covering Katsuma's mouth.
Overwhelmed, both kids dropped to their knees, embracing each other as they frantically looked at their surroundings, searching for a way out.
And abruptly, it stopped…
The blinding discharge of vapor paused, its remnants gradually dissipating, allowing Katsuma and Mahoro to lay eyes again upon the alien sphere.
Its crystal kept shining in a dazzling, bloody tone, but the cryptic symbols on its frame flickered like a defective light-bulb.
Which also ceased…
Without warning, the luminescence of the orb faded, leaving the cavern under absolute darkness.
No more fog, no more light. Just abhorrent quietude and obscurity enveloping them…
"Mahoro, I'm scared…"
"D-Don't worry, I'm here. Let's-"
Suddenly, noisily, the scarlet mirror shattered, several shards bounced on all directions when something broke through.
The siblings yelped frightened at unison, tightening their hug around one another.
A feeble thread of ambient lighting behind them exposed a large, blackened fist protruding from the hole in the crystal.
And then, it slowly retreated into the fissure anew…
"Wha-What was that!?" Katsuma questioned loudly, strongly gripping the fabric of his sister's dress.
Although, he already knew the answer…
That thing wasn't normal. That thing wasn't friendly. That thing was…
A villain…
A second thunder blared as the crystal exploded in a million pieces.
Following that, a towering, humanoid silhouette of broad shoulders surged from within the sphere.
Paralyzed by fear, the children stared aghast at the wholly-shadowed figure, whose sole distinctive feature was the pair of glowing, blood-red eyes gazing back to them.
Growling, the monster approached with quaking steps…
"S-Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
Mahoro stretched her hand forward, a small radiance manifested amidst her fingers. Shortly later, a projection of a large wolf appeared in front of her, instantly pouncing against the villain.
Nevertheless, the monster remained undaunted. It simply raised an arm, and mightily brought it down over the hologram.
The illusion naturally passed through the villain, rapidly disappearing as it did.
Even so, the monster's attack managed to crack the soil, lifting a gigantic smokescreen that flooded the whole crypt in a heartbeat. Enormous rocks and debris started raining from the ceiling.
Instinctively, Katsuma looked above, his eyes widening as plates when he saw a huge boulder plunging upon him at full pelt.
He tried to move, he knew he had to move! But his legs weren't responding, nor his arms were…
His body was completely frozen, not doing what he wanted.
"Ma-Mahoro…"
Cold sweat grew on his nape, the colossal rock quickly seized his field of view.
This seemed to be the end…
Yet, in the last moment, an abrupt push caused him to fall backwards onto the ground, effectively saving his life.
The boulder landed where he previously stood, alongside a rockslide that blocked the rest of the cavern.
Weakened and bemused, Katsuma carefully rose, rubbing his forehead. He blinked repeatedly to clear his unfocused sight.
Despite the profound ache plaguing him, it didn't take long for him to realize…
"Mahoro!"
He swiftly got up, ignoring his pain, heading towards the newly-formed pile of rubble severing the path into the mountain.
"Katsuma!" Mahoro's muffled voice echoed through the rocks.
"Hold on, Mahoro!" Katsuma yelled, attempting to move a massive stone thrice his size. "I'm-I'm getting you out of there!"
"I'm okay! Go get help!"
"W-What? B-bu-but-t…"
"Just go! I'll be fine! I'll- Agh-!"
"Mahoro!"
A powerful tremor shook the chamber. Stillness ensued…
"Leave my sister alone! Please…"
Tears poured down Katsuma's face as he dug his nails on the rock.
He gritted his teeth, clamping his eyes tightly shut while his mind fought a storm of negative thoughts.
He couldn't just leave! Mahoro was still trapped in there with that villain!
But he couldn't move those rocks alone, and even if he could, his quirk wouldn't work to protect his sister from that monster.
Katsuma lingered silent, weighing his options.
As much as he hated it, she was right…
Inhaling deeply, he let his hands fall to his sides in defeat, fully aware of what he must do.
"H-Hang in there, Mahoro!" he shouted through erratic sobs. "I'll go get help, I promise!"
With that, Katsuma spun on his heel and started running like hell, speedily climbing over the slope linking this damned cave to the surface.
'Don't worry, Mahoro. I'll get help, Deku will help!'
Desperately chasing the light at the end of the tunnel, the little boy wholeheartedly wished, now more than ever, that the U.A. students would heed their call for help, to save the only family he had left…
In 1961, American astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Donald Drake wrote down an equation for the chance of a contactable alien civilization from another planet. This is known as the "Drake Equation", a probabilistic argument used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy.
The equation was written not for purposes of quantifying the number of civilizations, but as a way to stimulate scientific dialogue at the first scientific meeting on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
Ever since its conception, the Drake Equation remains unsolved.
We still don't know if we're really alone in the universe.