My Reckless Beginnings

Sebastian didn't hesitate, he lunged into the fray, blurring forward with superhuman speed. Metal Mage was still reeling from Powell's strike when Sebastian closed the distance, swinging a punch straight for his helmet.

CLANG!

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the area, but to Sebastian's surprise, his fist barely dented the metal plating.

Metal Mage growled, stabilizing himself. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled, his gauntlets crackling with energy.

Sebastian grinned. "Just a concerned citizen."

Before Metal Mage could retaliate, Miss Powell landed beside Sebastian with a thud, her eyes locked onto their opponent.

"Nice throw," she admitted. "Try not to get in my way."

Sebastian smirked. "No promises."

With that, they charged in unison.

From a safe distance, Harper focused on keeping Metal Mage off-balance. With a flick of her wrist, she sent chunks of debris hurtling at him. He raised his arm, and the metal plating on his suit rippled, absorbing the impact like a magnet.

"Gonna have to do better than that," he taunted, thrusting his hands forward.

Shards of twisted steel erupted from his suit, forming deadly projectiles that shot toward Miss Powell and Sebastian.

Sebastian moved on instinct, stepping in front of Powell. The projectiles struck his bare chest and shattered harmlessly, leaving him completely unscathed.

Powell took the opportunity, ducking low and driving a devastating uppercut into Metal Mage's midsection.

The villain stumbled, but his armor absorbed the blow. "Persistent," he grunted.

His gauntlet whirred before a shockwave of kinetic energy blasted outward, sending both heroes flying back.

Sebastian skidded across the pavement, flipping midair to land on his feet. Powell, however, crashed into a wrecked car, denting the metal frame.

Harper's voice cut through the chaos. "Keep him busy! I need a clear shot!"

Sebastian wiped the dust off his chest. "On it."

He shot forward again, weaving through another barrage of metal shards. This time, he didn't aim for Metal Mage's torso. Instead, he grabbed his arm mid-attack, fingers tightening like a vice.

The villain's eyes widened. "What—"

Sebastian lifted him clean off the ground and slammed him into the pavement. Cracks spiderwebbed beneath them as Metal Mage groaned, his armor dented from the impact.

Before he could recover, Miss Powell was on him. She dropped from above, hammering down with both fists. The sheer force sent shockwaves rippling outward, finally splintering parts of his reinforced plating.

Sebastian didn't let up. The second Powell backed off, he stepped in, delivering rapid, crushing blows to the weakened armor.

BAM! CRACK! BOOM!

Each strike stripped away more of the protective plating until Metal Mage was barely holding himself together.

"NOW, HARPER!" Powell shouted.

From her vantage point, Harper focused, hands glowing with psychic energy. She flicked her fingers, and Metal Mage's entire body froze.

He was lifted off the ground, completely immobilized midair.

"Son of a—!" He struggled, but Harper's telekinetic grip held firm.

Seconds later, the police arrived, securing the defeated villain.

Sebastian exhaled sharply, realizing just how crazy the last hour had been. He had powers. He had just fought a supervillain.

And now…

Now, he was getting arrested.

An Hour Later

Sebastian sat on the steel bench, staring at the flickering light above him. His shirt was gone, completely destroyed during the fight, leaving him in just his worn-out jeans and sneakers.

He supposed it was a fair trade for not dying.

The door creaked open.

Miss Powell stepped inside, arms crossed. She took one look at him and sighed.

"You know," she started, "there's a reason civilians aren't supposed to interfere in superhuman battles."

Sebastian shrugged. "Yeah, I figured the handcuffs made that pretty clear."

Her lips twitched slightly, but she didn't smile. Instead, she stepped closer, sitting down across from him.

"You could've been killed," she said.

"Didn't feel like it," he replied.

"That's not the point," she countered. "The point is that you threw yourself into a battle against a trained, fully-equipped supervillain without any experience." She leaned forward, her gaze steady. "Do you know how reckless that is?"

Sebastian met her eyes. "I also stopped a giant chunk of metal from turning Harper into paste."

Miss Powell studied him for a moment before nodding. "Yes. You did."

Silence stretched between them before she finally exhaled, rubbing her temples.

"Look, I'm not here to lecture you. I'm here to offer you something." She leaned forward. "What you did out there showed initiative. You saw danger, and instead of running, you acted. That's what it takes to be a real hero."

She extended a hand.

"That's why I want you to join my Academy."

Sebastian stared at her hand. He had nothing left in this life—no family, no money, nothing. Plus, with everything he knew from the game, this was the perfect place to live.

A smirk tugged at his lips. "Well, when you put it like that…"

He clasped her hand.

Two Days Later

Sebastian adjusted the duffel bag slung over his shoulder as he stepped through the dense forest. Powell had given him coordinates, but he hadn't needed them.

His X-ray vision and enhanced senses made it easy to pinpoint the Academy's entrance.

It wasn't a building out in the open.

Instead, he stood before a massive rock wall—except it wasn't real. The entire thing was an illusion, concealing something far larger. As he stepped closer, the air shimmered, revealing a hidden passageway leading into the heart of the mountain.

As soon as he entered, Miss Powell approached, hands on her hips.

"You know," she said, "there was a perfectly good transport waiting for you."

Sebastian smirked. "Flying's faster."

She rolled her eyes but motioned for him to follow.

"Come on," she said. "I'll give you the tour."

The Academy was just as he remembered it from the game—built within the mountain.

A gym. Dormitories. A kitchen. A library. A massive shower room with a single bathroom. Even a garage. The first floor and second floor were seamlessly integrated into the rock, but there was only a single classroom.

It was an unconventional setup, but it worked.

"This," Powell said, gesturing around, "is where you'll learn what it means to be a hero. Also, your room is at the end of the hall upstairs. Class starts in an hour, so put your stuff up and get ready."

Sebastian took a deep breath, glancing around.