A Hero's Journey Chapter 1: Answer to a Prayer, a X-overs + DC Superheroes Crossover fanfic

I always wanted to write a story in first person point of view, I felt like I can make the story more engaging. Let's see how it goes.

For the new readers, I hope you enjoy the story. For the old readers, I completely revamped the story. Rest assure, I did not change THAT part on the second chapter. Still, you can refer to chapter 2.5 as to why I did the change.

Disclaimer: I do not own DC, or any other characters from other franchise.

Chapter 1

The Answer to a Prayer

The pain… it was unbearable.

There was a myth that in one's final moments, glimpses of their life would flash before them. But for me, there was nothing. No flashes, no visions. Perhaps the myth was incorrect, or perhaps my bleak life had very little to show me, even in my last moments.

I struggled for another breath.

The pain… it was not something I could describe with words.

Why was my end not swift?

Still, the scene before me was a beautiful one – the shooter clutching his neck, choking on his own blood. The anger in his eyes had now been replaced with fear. I guess the bastard finally understood. He was not going to make it either.

One more breath, in vain.

I knew people were surrounding me, calling out to me, telling me something.

But I couldn't hear them...

I couldn't see them...

I couldn't breathe...

One last try…

...And I could breathe again.

I blinked a few times, still unable to grasp what was happening. Subconsciously, I touched my wounds and found yet another surprise; they were gone. I looked down, still not fully believing it, and saw that not only were the wounds gone, but the blood had disappeared as well, along with the pain.

No complaints here.

Finally, I realized something very crucial. I was on top of the sky, or so I thought.

"Is this heaven?" I asked.

"Too plain to be heaven, do you not think?" came a reply.

The voice was old, gentle, and calming. Perhaps that was why I did not panic as much as I normally would have. Or maybe my brain was not functioning properly. Regardless, I turned my head towards the voice, half-afraid that it belonged to one of the angels from the Bible.

To my relief, it was not.

The person in front of me looked quite ordinary. I estimated he was around 40 years old. He was dressed in formal clothing, which I could tell was outdated even though I wasn't fashion-savvy.

Suddenly, a few images flashed in my mind.

I blinked once, then twice.

The image became clear.

"Forgive me if I'm being rude, but are you...?" I started to ask.

"Yes, James, I am the Presence," the person replied.

I opened my mouth, then closed it as my mind completely stopped working for a few seconds. Then the gears finally started turning. "What! Stop! Pause! You're the Presence? As in the Big G from the DC universe?!"

"The one and only," The Presence chuckled. "Deep breaths, James. At this rate I would not be surprised if you pass out."

He was right. I closed my eyes and started to take deep breaths. Yes, I was having a meltdown. Being a nerd that I was, I was passionate about comics, manga, games, and the like, and the DC universe was one of my favorites. I watched all the movies and series, and read a lot of comic books. So of course, I was having a breakdown now. Who wouldn't?

Suddenly, something came to my mind, and I started to freak out even more. "Alright, deep breaths, James, deep breaths," I cleared my throat and looked at the Presence. I could not meet his eyes directly, not was sure was it because I was fangirling or scared shitless, "Okay, so umm, I hope I'm not jumping the gun, but is this one of those scenarios where I get to reincarnate in another world?"

"This is why it is always a pleasure to chat with people like you, James," I could see from the corner of my eyes that the Presence looked amused. I did not know why, but I was not going to question it. "Yes, if you wish, you have the choice to reincarnate into the DC universe."

It was hard to describe how I felt at that moment. I could go to the world of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Joker, Trigon, Darkseid...

Suddenly, I did not feel so enthusiastic. The DC universe was where my favorite heroes lived, and also where my 2D crushes lived. But it was also where the worst villains lived, both in terms of power and cruelty.

"Of course, I will not be sending you there empty-handed."

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?" Seeing the smile widen on his face, I cleared my throat again. "I apologize if I'm being forward, but may I know what powers I'll receive?"

The Presence chuckled. "Let us make this interesting, shall we? Since you are a fan of many things, you can choose any fictional character or item, and I will grant you similar powers. Of course, you can only choose one character or item, and they cannot be from the DC universe."

I felt my shoulders sag, "Seriously?"

"It makes things interesting, no?"

The answer only made me sigh. The Presence was right, I suppose. I shook my head to focus. One character or item. The safest choice was Goku, or any Saiyans from the Dragon Ball universe.

"Wait a minute," I cleared my throat once more, "I have a question."

"No, you will not receive any end-level powers right from the start. And yes, your powers will have almost similar restrictions to their original counterparts. And no," the Presence was evidently enjoying this, "there will be no plot armor to support you in your, let's say, journey."

"Shit."

So much for the DBZ universe. Goku's powers, or any of the Saiyans', required constant, grueling training and numerous life-or-death battle situations to evolve. If there was no plot armor, I was not sure how I would obtain 'Ultra Instinct.' There was one exception, Broly, but his power-up was similarly uncontrollable to the Hulk. I could not recall any theories on how to control the Legendary Super Saiyan form. It would be counter-productive to have so much power with no control over it.

A better alternative was the Marvel Universe, but unfortunately, I could not use anything from there. I loved the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I could not say the same about the Marvel universe itself. I was aware that there were numerous characters in the Marvel universe, particularly mutants, who possessed some amazing hax powers. There were many, if I was not mistaken, who could easily match the strongest DC characters, but I did not know them by name or the intricate details of their abilities.

I realized I should have watched some Marvel series. I cursed to myself, not wanting to display my foul language to the Presence.

I could try for Magneto's powers, but there was a theory that his strength came from his intelligence. While I was not stupid, I was not double PhD smart either.

I needed real hax powers if I wanted to survive in the DC universe. Hax powers that I could fully utilize. Let's just say 'Justice League Dark: Apokolips War' left me scarred, in a lying-in-bed-questioning-the-existence-of-the-world kind of way.

Then, it hit me.

I remembered that many of the most powerful characters I knew had to endure tragic, often brutal life-events to evolve their powers. I realized that the struggles, hardships, and losses they faced were what shaped them and why we, as audiences, loved them so much. However, some unique cases also came with undesirable consequences.

For instance, in the web novel "Solo Leveling," the protagonist, Sung Jin-Woo, had to kill living beings and turn their corpses into his minions. He also had to train and fight constantly to level up. Unlike the world of "Solo Leveling," the DC universe did not have dungeons for me to exploit.

As I was considering these characters, I suddenly realized something. Why was I focusing only on the popular mainstream series? What if I expanded my options beyond that? And it did not take long for me to remember a particular anime that had quite a few unique hax abilities.

This was it! This could be my trump card for the DC universe.

"Well, you see, there is this anime. In here, humans possess, how do I say, divine tools? And the strongest of them had Godlike powers."

"If you do not mind, will you share the memory with me?"

Hearing the question, I felt my face burning. Could I really show the Presence the anime I was talking about. After all, the anime in question would raise a lot of eyebrows. And let's not mention the primary focus of the anime.

"I have no problem explaining…"

"It can take quite some time."

"I am in no rush…"

"I may get the details of the tool wrong."

The presence was definitely enjoying this.

I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lower lip. The internal struggle was quite strong. But at the end I relented since my goddamn future depended on this.

With a stiff smile, I nodded.

The Presence just blinked once, and then his eyebrows shot up, "Well… that was new."

I felt like burying myself.

"You are a healthy young man, it is understandable," the grin and the tone were not helping, "And, if I am not mistaken, you want the tool with the 'Creation' power, correct?"

I nodded again.

There was a silence for a brief moment, before the Presence let out a small smile, "Very well," his smile widened, "It is done."

I blinked once, twice, and then looked down. I started patting myself, gently of course, "I don't feel any different though."

"You will, when you begin your journey."

The words made me smile. I looked at my hands as I kept clenching and unclenching my fists. When was the last time I was filled with such excitement and a sense of renewed hope? I was given a new beginning… a second chance.

And I was determined not to waste it.

I looked back up to meet the Presence's gaze. He gave me a reassuring smile before extending his right arm, "Next, I would like you to have this."

A translucent palm-sized orb appeared in front of me. And in the very middle of it, there was a tiny flickering orb. I refrained from going along with my first instinct which was to poke it.

"This is a system, designed to protect you from various dangerous beings, and to guide you through the world of the Source."

"Okay," I replied back uncertainly since I was not sure where he was going with this.

The Presence pointed at me, "If I may."

The moment I nodded back, the orb disappeared. And not a second later, I felt shiver running through my whole body, "Okay, I definitely felt that one."

All of a sudden, a transparent screen appeared in front me. Needless to say, I flinched and took a few steps back.

…

Status Window

Name: James Bryan

Class: N/A

Race: Human

Level: 1 (Next level: 0 / 1000)

HP: 100

MP: 50

STR: 5

STA: 7

DEX: 4

INT: 9

WIS: 9

LUK: ?

Attribute points: 0

Title: N/A

Gear: Updating

Specialties: Reader's Knowledge (Level 82), Gamer's Mind (Level max), Gamer's Body (Level max)

…

I blinked once. The screen was still there. I rubbed my eyes. That did not change anything.

"What the fuck!"

"Maybe a bit of insight will help."

Immediately, I felt information rushing inside my head; fortunately, not in a way that would have given me a migraine.

…

[Specialty] Unique abilities that no other beings from the Source can possess.

[Reader's Knowledge] Grants user the knowledge of events from the past, present and future as well as restricted information on many beings from the Source.

[Gamer's Mind] Allows user to remain calm and in control of his/her self at all times. User will not be affected or manipulated by outer influence or beings.

[Gamer's Body] Allows user to view and live his/her life as through it is a game. HP represents life-force, status point represents physical and mental capabilities. User can grow by gaining 'Experience' and by obtaining 'Attribute Points'.

…

I went through this scenario several times. The concept of gaining a 'Gamer-like' ability, or having a world revolve around a game-like structure, is popular in many modern manga and manhwa. I was aware of this. And I also knew that, without a doubt, this ability would greatly aid me in my growth, but...

I licked my lips and avoided eye contact. "Can I not have this?"

"You... do not want this ability?"

I met the Presence's gaze, but I could not decipher the emotion on his face. Then, I looked away again. "Please don't take this the wrong way. This is a really good ability, and I know for certain that it will help me grow rapidly. But..."

My eyes went to the floating screen, fixating on one detail:

HP: 100

MP: 50

As a gamer myself, I understood that when my character's HP or my comrade's HP reached zero, I would get frustrated and restart from the last checkpoint. However, real life is not like that. There are no checkpoints or numbers. Life is precious and fleeting, and I learned this lesson the hard way. I was afraid that I would forget this if I constantly saw these numbers displayed.

I took a deep breath and met the Presence's gaze once more. "I want to appreciate and cherish my life. I don't want it to be game-like," I said, clearing my dry throat.

For a moment, the Presence remained silent, with an unreadable expression. But then, he smiled. This smile felt different to me, but I could not explain why. I felt a shiver, shook my head, and my gaze snapped back to the screen. It flickered once, twice, and then the words changed.

…

Name: James Bryan

Titles: N/A

Race: Human, (?)

Stats: Offense (F), Defense (F), Speed (F), Intelligence (F)

Specialty: Updating

…

I blinked few times to make sure if I was seeing it right, "Okay… this is awesome!"

It really was. This was something you would see on an Adventurer Card or on a Guild Plate in one of the fantasy anime.

"I am thrilled that you appreciate it," the Presence beamed at me with his usual smile, "Although, several features have been omitted from this 'Lite' version, it will still offer ample support during your journey."

I nodded back enthusiastically. Then the Presence summoned a door near me just by tapping his cane to the ground once. When the door opened, I could see sceneries from various cities. Cities that only existed in the pages of comic books. I felt goosebumps all over my body, "This is real!"

"Before you embark on your journey, is there anything you wish to see?"

I gave the Presence a confused who was smiling at me sadly.

"Anything from your world?"

Just like that I felt my blood freezing. The happiness I was feeling, the excitement… it all just vanished.

What did I have? What did I want to see? Did anyone even attend my funeral?

I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady myself.

I lost my parents when I was seven and my grandmother three years later. I was just an orphan with nothing but dreams of a brighter tomorrow, of a place where I was not alone.

Dreams that ended with my last breath.

I shook my head. I was not brave enough to follow that train of thought, nor was I brave enough to see my world.

"It's okay," I spoke, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat, trying to sound more confident, "I'm just thrilled for the next adventure."

I avoided the Presence's gaze, feeling insecure about him seeing through me.

"James, if you do not mind, would you like to take on a challenge?"

I turned to him, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. He chuckled as our gazes met and a mischievous gleam shone in his eyes.

"Your mission, James, should you choose to accept it..." he said, completing the famous line.

I could not believe it. My jaw dropped as I pointed a shaking finger at him.

"You just said that line!" I exclaimed.

"I did," he chuckled again, "It is quite memorable, isn't it?" The Presence's expression then softened, "But, I want to offer you a special quest. Of course, it is completely optional and will not change anything if you decline."

I felt nervous, my palms becoming sweaty. Regardless, I asked, "May I know what is the quest?"

"Of course," he replied and a large screen appeared in front of me.

…

Unique Quest: The choices We make

The Presence will choose the starting point of your journey. The beginning will not be what you desire. You will be forced to make tough decisions because of the harsh challenges you will face.

Create the future you want with what you are given.

Reward: Based on the outcome

Failure: You will be given another chance to reincarnate (You can choose where and how you want to reincarnate)

…

I blinked a few times, almost asking the Presence if he was joking. All my life I had been receiving the shortest end of the stick. Heck, just a few minutes ago, I had been shot and killed by a lunatic. Now, he wanted me to undertake a quest that seemed like a recipe for disaster.

But then, the last line of the quest gave me pause.

"Excuse me, Mr. Presence," I cleared my throat for what felt like the hundredth time, "I just want to make sure we are aligned here, but the 'failure' part of the quest, does that mean if I fail, I can just restart?"

The Presence shook his head, "Not a restart, James. I will just give you another chance in a different world."

I formed an 'O' with my mouth and looked at the floating screen again, "Okay, my second question, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but what exactly is my task?"

The Presence smiled, "That, too, is part of the quest."

I opened and closed my mouth, now realizing this was one of those mysterious quests. The funny part was that even the reward was not specified. There was a possibility that the reward...

I shook my head and took a deep breath, patting my chest where the wounds should have been. Did it even matter? Why was I hesitating when there was a clear escape route?

But I knew I would regret this one way or another.

"Sure, why not? I'll give it a shot."

The Presence smiled, his eyes twinkling with delight.

"Excellent!"

The floating screen disappeared, as did the door. My vision blurred and my body weakened.

"I hope you..."

And then I felt it again, the agonizing pain, the desperate desire to take the next breath.

And the cold touch that followed...

Unknown location

The child, who had a nasty cut on his head, ran to his father. The father took one look, picked up the child and ran out of the house. He ran all the way to the clinic, wearing only an undershirt, shorts and slippers.

The child, who was now a boy, was lying down on the bed. It was winter, and the heater in the house was not working properly. Yet, the mother stayed awake the whole night to take care of the sick boy.

The boy, slightly older, ran toward his father and mother and showed the paper in his hand. It was just a result sheet showing that he had aced the exams. And his parents smiled as if they had won the lottery.

There were tough times…

The father's business failing.

The mother getting into an accident.

The boy's friend dying in an accident.

Yet, they were content with what they had.

They were happy to have each other.

But, they were in Gotham.

So, it did not take long to lose that happiness.

The boy was trying to move. But the seatbelt and the fact that he was upside down was making it hard for him. But he could clearly see the blood below. The blood of his parents.

And then the boy turned to face him… with his hollowed eyes..

The boy was trying to move. But the seatbelt and the fact that he was upside down was making it hard for him. But he could clearly see the blood below. The blood of his parents.

And then the boy turned to face him… with his hollowed eyes.

"Fuck!" I screamed my lungs out, "What the hell!"

And then it came - the pain, the headache, and the memories - all of it. I might not be the smartest person around, but I was not dumb enough not to make the connection.

I was in the body of DC's James Bryan.

This James still had his parents, and was content and happy with what he had. Most importantly, he was aware of his position in Gotham. He accepted it because all he ever wanted was to make his parents happy and live a simple life. But the truth was, he was afraid. Anyone who knew Gotham could easily understand his fear. Unfortunately for people like him and his family, it was not easy to get out of the city.

And then, what he had feared for so long finally happened.

It felt as if every single part of my body was protesting as I tried to stand up. Yes, it was not as painful as having one's chest ripped apart by bullets, but that did not mean I could shake it off easily. I looked back and saw the familiar car, flipped over.

I grabbed my head as the recent memories started to flood back. The family had gone out to celebrate the success of the father's business. They went out for lunch. Since regular folks in Gotham never dared to go out at night unless it was an emergency. But it was Gotham, and day and night hardly mattered. On the way back, something hit them from the side, causing the father to lose control of the car.

"Argh!" I screamed as I realized I was trying to force open the car door. It seemed like the James of this world was not dead yet. He was still here, desperately trying to regain control of his body.

I did not need to ask why.

"Let me help," I said, struggling to speak. "I can help." I felt the restraint over my body lifting, but his presence was still there, waiting and hoping. I needed to act fast. "Status!"

…

Status

Name: James Bryan

Titles: N/A

Race: Human, (?)

Stats: Offense (F), Defense (F), Speed (F), Intelligence (F)

Specialty: Gamer's System (Lite), Reader's knowledge

EA: Annihilation Maker

…

"Good, good," I took a deep breath, not sure what 'EA' meant but at least I had it, "Annihilation Maker!"

…

Annihilation Maker (Longinus from High School DxD)

'Annihilation Maker, also known as Beast Creation, is one of the original thirteen Longinus from the High School DxD universe. The Annihilation Maker grants the user the ability to create any creatures based on two resources - Imagination and Emotion.'

…

The corner of my vision was slowly starting to get blurry. "Fuck!" I shook my head lightly. "Deep breaths, deep breaths."

I had not watched Highschool DxD until the end, but I had read some of the wiki notes. When I learned about it, I knew it was a broken tool, especially for people like us, who have watched and read stories about countless worlds.

For people like us, our imagination is one of the strongest tools.

I recalled the being I wanted to create – its every expression and move I had seen in the series, every personality and dialogue I had read in various stories. I recalled it all.

For the emotion, I had no reason to hold back. One of the happiest memories of my life, the most hopeful I have ever felt, had occurred just mere moments ago when I met the Presence. I recalled every second of it.

To my surprise, another memory filled with raw emotions hit me. It was the memory of this world's James – the agony he felt when crawling out of the car, the despair when he realized he was powerless to help his parents, the emptiness when he accepted his fate.

And then came the hope, stronger than mine, when my soul entered his body.

"Thank you," I whispered, before raising my hands in a gesture of prayer. Then I screamed, "Balance Breaker!"

Insufficient Power.

Make a "Special Creation?"

Yes/No

I froze. "No, no, no!"

What was I missing? What more was needed? I took a deep breath to focus before shouting again, "Balance Breaker!"

Insufficient Power.

Make a "Special Creation?"

Yes/No

The same screen appeared once more.

I felt my spirit wavering, and to my horror, I realized that my body was becoming unresponsive. It was not the other James' doing. This body was just giving up on us.

"Think James, think. What am I missing?" I started to breathe through my mouth as I looked to my side. "Annihilation Maker."

…

Annihilation Maker (Longinus from High School DxD)

…

Then I looked at the first screen and after a few seconds, made the connection. "Power! I am lacking power." The smile that had started to appear on my face disappeared as I let out a hollow chuckle. "Where the fuck am I supposed to get power?! We are in the middle of fucking nowhere!"

I felt a gentle tug on my consciousness, feeling his desire to use his soul. "No!" I refused. It was not because I wanted to be a hero and save everyone. It was a pure selfish desire.

I wanted to save myself through him.

Turned out, after everything, I was the same powerless kid who could do nothing against the mechanics of the world, no matter where I was or what powers I had, "The only thing I have...," I stopped as the gears in my head started turning again, "is knowledge."

I took a few calming breaths. This was my last shot. If this did not work... I shook my head. "This will work. It has to."

The knowledge of the mathematical formula of Life Equation and the Anti-Life Equation was completely useless in my world. After all, they were just bunch of words jumbled together which made no sense. But here, Gods waged countless wars for it. I had no idea how to use it but I knew, without a doubt, what this knowledge could do in the hands of someone capable.

"Take it," I raised my right hand towards the warning screen. "My knowledge of the mathematical formula of Life Equation." Then I raised my left hand. "And the mathematical formula of Anti-Life Equation. Take it! Rip it from me!"

With one last cry, "Balance Breaker!"

The warning screen changed instantly.

"Balance Breaker: The Answer to a Prayer."

And the body finally gave up, but just before I became unconscious, for a flicker of a second, I saw it.

I was in the middle of a rocky road that led to a cozy looking multi-floor windmill house. A place I had never visited but seen countless times. But this beautiful scenery felt like a background image as I could not move my eyes away from the very familiar shape.

Then, I heard that game-like voice.

…

Mew

Mew is a creature from the Pokémon universe. Because it can use all kinds of moves from Pokémon world, many scientists believe Mew to be the ancestor of Pokémon. In many variants of the Pokémon universe, this Mythical psychic Pokémon is considered to be one of the strongest Pokémon ever to exist.

Status

Name: Mew

Titles: The Firstborn

Race: Pokémon

Stats: Offense (S), Defense (A), Speed (A), Intelligence (S)

Specialty: Updating…

…

I tried, I really did, but no words were coming out from my mouth.

"Don't worry, I will take care of it."

Those words were like the last push as I felt the remaining strength leaving me.

Arkham Asylum

Twenty months later

This place was scarier than a haunted house... no joke.

It was nighttime and the asylum was eerily quiet. Every once in a while, you would hear someone cursing or rambling out of nowhere, or, God forbid, cackling like a madman. It was worse than any jump scares I had ever experienced.

Even though I had Mew with me, my partner in crime, hovering just on my right, I could not help but look all around me. I knew no one here could harm me because of Mew, who could easily complete the task at hand in minutes. But I wanted to participate and see the conclusion with my own eyes.

Finally, we reached our destination. The door looked like all the others we had seen so far, but still to me, it was giving off a menacing feeling.

"Someone out there~"

"Fuck!"

I moved away from the door and faced the other way. I had heard his voice on TV and recordings, but to hear it directly was more chilling than I thought.

"Mew..." I said, looking at him.

He just waved his hand and I heard the door opening. I knew it was safe, but the noisy metallic sound gave me goosebumps.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to speak," Mew said.

I nodded and turned around. The first thing I noticed was his gaze. Mustering up my courage, I walked forward and said, "You know, there's a myth, a saying, that if one looks at you in the eyes for too long, they'll lose their sanity." I turned my gaze away and took a deep breath. "And fuck... they were right."

Then I heard his laugh, even though his mouth was shut. His gaze and expression made it seem like I was the one who was locked up with him, like he was in control from the beginning.

He froze completely as I heard Mew's voice, "Why are you moving?" It was like a warm blanket, giving me the strength to gather my thoughts. I looked at my hand and saw how stiff it was, even though I was in control. He still made me afraid.

Taking another deep breath, I looked around the room, anywhere but at his eyes. "You know, I had a script ready of what to tell you when I had you at my mercy," I said, pointing at his frozen state. "I actually wanted to venture into your mind, to see how it works, to see what makes you so twisted."

I sighed. "But I'll skip all of that and go directly to the 'Killing' part." I closed my eyes and remembered all the atrocities he had committed in the past, and all the lives he would destroy in the future. He would turn the world upside down, but no one would do anything permanent to stop him. When I opened my eyes, I finally looked at him again.

Even now, he still had the same gaze, as if everything was under his control.

I felt anger bubbling inside me. And I could hear a part of me screaming at me. It was telling me to gut him, slowly. To rip his face off… To break him.

But I was not ready to cross that line. I knew it. With a smile, I waved at him, "Burn in hell, you fucking clown."

The moment I went out of the room, I felt Mew's energy covering my whole body. In an instant, my body became transparent.

Mew closed the door and looked at my direction, "Do you want to see it to the end?"

I shook my head, "Just the beginning."

Mew nodded and moved his gaze away. His eyes changed its color from the usual silvery blue to a fiery one.

And then, the fire consumed the Joker's cell.

Metropolis City, Midvale

2 days later

'Who is the mysterious killer? A friend or a foe?'

'Did Batman finally cross the line?'

'Is Joker truly dead? Or is it another of his ploy?'

'Prince of Crime is murdered – is it a single case or start of something big.'

I could not help but laugh out loud at these bizarre headlines. I knew there would be a storm because of what we did, but this was a genuine hurricane. Almost all news channels, papers, and online articles were covering the death of the Joker. It was all over the U.S. Gordon and Batman tried to keep it under the radar, but too many people were involved in the crime scene.

Still, I looked at a few more headlines before closing the tablet and wondered, "Where will this take you, Batman?"

The mission to kill the Joker took us around ten minutes to complete. The process was simple. Mew teleported inside Arkham first, put all the guards to sleep all at once, and then teleported me in. We confronted the Joker, after which Mew killed him.

"Burned him to ashes, more like it."

We made sure he was gone for good and that there was nothing left of him that could be used by any sorts of plot holes to bring him back. And then, Mew wiped out all evidence of our presence and used magical items to do so instead of his psychic abilities.

Now, Batman should be looking for vigilantes of magical origin, someone from Gotham who had a grudge against the Joker. I could not help but smile from ear to ear.

This was one case Batman would not be solving. Ever.

I put down the tablet and stood up from my desk. I went to the large whiteboard that was covered in notes from various academic books, which was just a disguise. I tapped the side of the whiteboard, and its contents changed. Now, the notes illustrated various breakthroughs in my life after my awakening.

It had been almost twenty months since I had met the Presence, the Big G of the DC universe; twenty months since I had created my very first summon, Mew.

Twenty months since two souls became one. I called this part of my life my 'Awakening' instead of 'Reincarnation'.

I closed my eyes and tried to relive that memory once again.

If I had created someone other than Mew, it might have been a "Game Over" for me. Mewtwo could have been an alternative but, because of his personality, I was not sure if he would have helped me. There was also the case of Mewtwo not being able to use any high-level 'Healing' moves.

Mew not only healed my parents but altered their memories as well. He even fixed our car and the environment, so when the accident was reported to the police, there were no inconsistencies. He accomplished all of this while I was unconscious.

However, one thing remained unanswered. To this day, I still did not know what my first quest was about. When I woke up, there was no trace of the quest left. I only knew it was completed because of the rewards.

Fortunately, the rewards were more than satisfactory. The first reward was access to the 'Gamer's Market'. As the name implies, I could buy and sell items from this virtual market. The items were divided into four sections, but even the cheaper items in the lower sections were expensive.

"Gamer's Market." I know I should not spend so much time browsing, it's becoming a bad habit, but the items were so tempting.

The 'Basic' category was the largest section of the market. It had a wide variety of items, from hi-tech guns and armor to fantasy-based swords and potions. Anyone could become a Batman-wannabe if they had the money. Prices of the items here started at 1,000 USD and the most expensive item was around 1 million.

The 'Rare' category had mostly Pokémon eggs and evolution stones, with a few DC world-related items and hi-tech fighting suits. Items here ranged from 1 million to 100 million USD.

I often browsed the 'Unique' category, not only because the items were mouth-watering, but also because the second part of the quest reward. It allowed me to choose one item from this section without paying. I had several items in my mind that I wanted, but for now, I would be holding onto that 'coupon'.

When I looked at the 'Legendary' category, I let out a long sigh. The items in the 'Unique' category had made me wonder what was in the 'Legendary' section, but unfortunately, it was locked.

Shaking my head, I waved my hand to close the screen and focused on the whiteboard. Twenty months had passed and I had only explored the world of heroes and villains twice. Why was I not out there wearing a colorful costume and being a hero? I smiled as my gaze fell upon the large, bold message on the board,

'You are not prepared'

That was precisely it - I was not ready yet. There were a few steps I must complete before embarking on my journey as a masked vigilante. I estimated that I would be ready within the next eight months, give or take.

I tapped a note, reminding myself of the first step I had to take – leaving Gotham with my family. Staying there was not an option. With Mew's telekinesis powers, I had won some lottery tickets, just enough to get us out of Gotham. I wanted to leave the US, where most of the crazy stuff was happening, but that would leave a trail and my parents were not fond of the idea. So, we settled for moving to Metropolis, where the upper-class residential area was known to be safe. The lottery winnings were enough to get us a cozy place there.

The second step was to assist my father with his business for a steady source of income to maintain our normal lifestyle. With Mew's help, this was easy. I could have used my old-world knowledge to build a career of my own, but that would have put me in the spotlight, which I wanted to avoid.

The third issue was quite difficult to resolve. I needed untraceable income sources to cover all expenses related to our 'Heroic activities'. The hardest part was not coming up with a plan for these sources, but executing it. However, the outcome was worth it. I chuckled as I tapped a note with a few attached pictures.

Our initial funds to set up these income sources came from Lex Luthor, Superman's nemesis. We stole 50 million US dollars and some priceless artifacts from him. It was amusing to watch Lex throw a fit in the news and blame the Justice League for not paying attention to his issues. I did not need to be a telepath to know that no one believed him, as he had cried wolf too many times before.

After this, the rest went smoothly. I used the stolen money to purchase items from the market that allowed me to create 'Special Summons' whose abilities I could abuse to earn money.

And I was abusing the hell out of it.

Next part of the whiteboard was quite empty. This particular part – Improving Mew's abilities – I expected it to be the hardest. I had played tons of Pokémon games and did many of my 'Nerdy' researches, but I also knew that the reality and the game were vastly different.

I was right, but not the way I was expecting. Turned out, I greatly underestimated Mew's intelligence.

"Mew's Status."

…

Status

Name: Mew

Titles: The Firstborn

Race: Pokémon

Stats: Offense (S), Defense (A), Speed (A), Intelligence (S)

Specialty: Psionics, Restoration, Shapeshifting, Fire manipulation, Earth manipulation

…

From time to time, I would forget that Mew was a Mythical Pokémon, because of his appearance and behavior. During the accident when I summoned him, he went through my knowledge and copied everything, which I completely understood as a necessity. However, what he did afterwards left me speechless.

He merged many Pokémon moves of the same kind and created specific abilities, stating that it was troublesome to use multiple Pokémon moves to achieve a single result. He combined all the psychic Pokémon moves and created a single technique called 'Psionics'. And he did it within two days.

His experiment showed outstanding results, so he went after countless other Pokémon moves, but sadly he lost interest in it quickly. I would have preferred if he mastered all the elements, but he showed no interest in continuing. Funnily, he was now focused on creating his own signature move, something he wanted to do after playing some video games.

"I should not have shown him those Final Fantasy games."

Due to Mew's extraordinary psychic abilities, completing the 'Base' went smoothly. And it was located in one of the most unpredictable places. This was another step I was worried about but luckily it was completed quite fast. Well, technically, the base needed a lot of works but at least we had something to work with.

Sighing, I picked up a few notes from the last and messiest part of the board and thought, "Maybe I should create a new board just for this." I touched the gem on my necklace, but stopped just before activating it and reminded myself, "Almost forgot."

I tapped the whiteboard to hide the real notes, then clapped twice, paused for a second, and clapped once more. After feeling the changes in the barrier, I activated the gem, and within a blink, I was teleported to our base, which was quite empty.

"Mew, is the training room still standing, or did you smash it again?"

I was instantly teleported to the training room. I adjusted my footing and looked at Mew, who was giving me a puppy-eye look. "Still need to get used to it, Mew," I said. Then, I looked at the training room, which was pretty banged up, but we could still use it.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your suit?"

I felt my shoulders droop. This was where I was stuck. The reason why we could not start our adventures.

The final step was all about me – coming up with my own fighting style and creating my suit. I had worked out a fighting style that would definitely change and improve based on real-life battle experience. However, I was having issues with the suit, or more specifically, the helmet.

"Can you check the new designs?" I held the notes in front of Mew, whose silver eyes glowed for a second. Then, he tilted his head to one side, then to the other. Two seconds later, he told me the result of my weeks of work, which I conducted with the help of a few Alakazams.

"Not going to work with our current funds," Mew said.

I groaned loudly. The helmet needed to have defense against any 'See-through' abilities, both magical and supernatural, as well as consistently hold up a powerful barrier against any telepathic attacks. On top of that, it needed to be sturdy enough to take a solid beating from a powerhouse like Wonder Woman.

Of course, I also wanted to add some quality-of-life features, such as night vision, air filters, 360-degree view, and a few more, but these would come later.

Everything could be added into a single helmet, but the cost of it all was reaching around sixty million. Currently, we had nowhere near that amount. In my defense, I never knew how expensive Nth metal and True Runes were.

So, the only solution was to cut down one of the primary functions, but I was completely against it. Because once my identity was known, whether to a hero or a villain, it was 'game over'. After all, it always started with a single person. From one to a group, and then my identity would be known by the opposing factions. In the end, all the major players of the world would know who I am, which would definitely put a leash on me and jeopardize the safety of my family.

"Hell if I'm letting that happen," I said, looking at the notes with newfound determination. "Let me work on it again."

"We can always steal from Lex again," Mew said.

I couldn't help but chuckle at Mew's solution. "Do you really think it's going to work again?" I asked.

Mew did his cute head-tilt thing again. "It doesn't have to be cash," he said.

I blinked once, twice, then leaned forward. "What do you have in mind?"

Done

The amount of changes in the chapter should make it feel like a different story. These changes were needed because now I have a solid idea how the story should go.

Of course, if anyone wanted to discuss more about it, feel free to drop by my disc**d server. Here is the invite code –

KryqJxfMCD

Until next time…