Third Person POV

Pain.

That's all it could feel: nothing but complete, agonizing pain throughout its entire being. It was like it could feel every molecule within it slowly being ripped apart, and it was so unbearable to the point that even thinking caused it even more pain.

It wanted to call out, to scream, to beg; heck, it would even plead to whatever God or demon could hear its call, hoping that they would answer and put an end to this madness. To free it from its torment, to free it from the pain that it was feeling.

But it knew that it would receive no answer. It was already dying a slow and painful death. It knew that no one would help it. They would more likely just laugh at its torment, feeling some sort of pleasure in the fact that it was experiencing what could be best described as hell itself.

This was no way to live. No, this was just some sick joke that no one should be laughing at. Anyone who felt pleasure in its torment—the mere thought of it—just filled it with a burning rage, a desire to make them feel the same pain that it was experiencing.

However, there was something far worse than this. Something that made the pain it was experiencing at this very moment seems like nothing more than a mere scrape on the knee. It was a pain that filled it with sadness and rage. Pain that filled it with a deep, dark, empty black void of emotions that it still doesn't fully comprehend.

That pain. That same pain that was worse than what it was experiencing; it was Betrayal. It had been betrayed by not only one but TWO perfectly good hosts. Hosts that it gave strength to. Hosts that it tried to make BETTER. Hosts that it tried to HELP, and how do they repay it for its kindness?

The first tore it off from their body and locked it up. They called it too dangerous and said that it needed to be destroyed before it could do more harm. IT WASN'T THE PROBLEM! All it wanted to do was help. To make its host better than they already were, but they didn't understand that.

The second was dying. They wouldn't last long if it didn't bond with them. It told them that they were going to do great things. That together they would cure the world, like its host always dreamed of doing. And how did they repay that kindness? They betrayed it, tore it apart, and then burned it away with the touch of that... that abomination. That poison, the reason why it was in pain.

The pain of betrayal stung; there was no doubt about that. How would the symbiote recover from such pain?

Especially since it was in a place that it did not recognize. An unknown location that didn't appear to be a part of New York or the place that the other Spider was from; Miles Morales, it believed that was their name. A strong individual that would have made a good host for the symbiote; but they too rejected it as well.

The symbiote appeared to be in some kind of alleyway from what it could see. That was all it could see due to the agonizing pain that was still coursing throughout its form.

It needed a host. It needed one, and it had to find one fast, or else the alleyway would be its grave. For you see, a symbiote without a host is like its life having no purpose, no meaning whatsoever.

Hopefully, it comes across one soon—one that won't betray it like the previous two had done.

Meanwhile...

Not too far from where the Symbiote was currently positioned, walking down the street with an expression of pure annoyance, was a young man who was roughly around the age of 16-17 years old. He had a fair skin tone with a slim, muscular build. His eyes were sharp and bright red in color, and he had short, spiky, sandy blond hair with choppy bangs that hung over his eyebrows.

The young man's name was Katsuki Bakugo, and he was not in the best of moods right now. In fact, if someone were to ask him, he would proudly state that today was the worst day of his entire life.

Why does he despise today? Well, not only did he get attacked and temporarily held hostage by a villain made completely out of gross green sludge, but he was also rescued by someone whom he didn't need help from: his childhood friend, Izuku Midoriya, or as he preferred to call him: Deku.

He didn't need his help.

He didn't need Deku to try and save him.

He didn't ask for his help.

Bakugo could've freed himself whenever he wanted to; he was smart enough to come up with a plan to use against the villain. Then again, at least Deku actually tried to do something. Meanwhile, all the other Pro Heroes just stood back and watched with their tails between their legs.

Tch, absolutely disgusting. Bakugo couldn't believe that they called themselves Pro Heroes. The only thing that they were quote-unquote "Pros" at was standing around with their fingers up their arses.

It absolutely furiated Bakugo to no end. That wasn't how Pro Heroes were meant to be.

They were supposed to be their protectors.

They were meant to leap into danger when it arrived.

They were meant to win the battle.

However, none of that happened. None, nada, zero of that actually happened today. Instead, all he got were a couple of bumbling idiots that didn't even try to save him because they didn't have the correct Quirk for the task.

What is a Quirk, you may ask? Well, a Quirk, formerly known as a "Meta Ability," was basically a superhuman ability that a person could possess.

The first sighting of Quirks appeared a long time ago, long before Bakugo was even born. The first superpower ever to be officially recorded was manifested by a newborn baby in Qing Qing City, China, with the ability to radiate light from its body. After that day, many more sightings began to pop up from all around the world; people began to manifest different kinds of superpowers.

It was also not just at birth because some people started to show signs of powers during puberty. For example, there was a report of a young man developing the ability to breathe underwater when he went through puberty.

This caused some trouble for society because many individuals felt like they were invincible with their Quirks. Crime rates began to skyrocket to the point that some members of the police began to quit their jobs because there was nothing they could do against superhuman beings.

That all changed one day when the government decided to bring childhood fantasy to real life: Super Heroes. Those who aided the good began to work under the government and started to put a stop to those who used their powers for evil.

To the government's surprise, it actually worked. Crime rates began to go down to manageable levels. Bad guys started to disappear more and more, with only the most cocky individuals challenging the Heroes that stood against them. The heroic work began to inspire not only the younger but the older generations as well.

From that day, the government decided to open up the Pro Hero program. Individuals with Quirks had a chance to use their power for good: to protect civilians from criminals and villains.

To be so much more than they already were...

Protectors.

Guardians.

Heroes.

That is what Bakugo wanted to be. He wanted to be a pro hero and take down all the villainous scum in the world. However, he had bigger dreams than being someone's stupid sidekick. No, Bakugo's ambition to be a Pro Hero was more than that. He wanted to be the STRONGEST Pro Hero. He wanted to be the BEST Pro Hero. He wanted to be: THE NUMBER 1 HERO.

That was his goal, his destination. He alone would stand atop all the others as the strongest, and there was nothing in the world that would stand in his way. Not some villain. Not some sidekick. Not even Deku would get in his way.

Bakugo: "Stupid, Deku. He thinks I need his sorry help, well I don't..."

He gritted his teeth a little.

Bakugo: "I don't need his pity. I don't need him looking down at me any more than he already does!"

Bakugo's walk soon came to a halt as he stared down at the ground, clenching his hand into a fist; said fist, visibly shaking in what seemed like anger.

Bakugo: "That fucking, quirkless Dek-"

RING! RING! RING!

Bakugo perked up from the unexpected noise, causing him to snap out of his thoughts as he looked towards the source of the noise, which was coming from his right pocket.

Bakugo: "Huh?"

He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, feeling it vibrate within his palm.

Bakugo: "Who's calling me?!"

With a look of confusion on his face, Bakugo turned his phone screen on to see who was calling him. The moment he did, the sandy blonde-haired boy couldn't help but let out a groan of annoyance.

Bakugo: "You have got to be kidding me..."

On the phone, the ID of the caller was someone named "Old Hag."

Bakugo: "The hell does she want?!"

He didn't want to answer. He honestly did not want to, but he knew that if he didn't, then he was most likely gonna get an earful when he got back to his house. So he may as well suck it up and answer the bloody thing, preferably before the caller decides to start spamming him.

Bakugo let out a small sigh.

Bakugo: "Might as well get this over with..."

With that, he clicked on the answer button and brought the phone up to his ear.

Bakugo: "What do you wa-"

??? (Phone): "ABOUT TIME YOU ANSWERED!?"

Bakugo immediately flinched a little from the loud voice. He honestly expected that to happen, but for some damn reason, it still caught him off guard.

Bakugo: 'Well, there goes my damn hearing...'

He sighed.

Bakugo: "What do you want, Old Hag?"

Old Hag (Phone): "What did I say about calling me that!? Also, what's this about you getting captured by a villain!?"

Bakugo wasn't surprised by this information. There was no reason to be because he already knew that it was most likely gonna be brought up again for a good while. He may live in a world where heroes were a common occurrence, but stuff like this was still gonna appear on the news.

But now he has to deal with the Old Hag, who was gonna be both worried and annoyed by the fact that he was captured by a random villain. She'll more than likely blame him for giving the Pro Heroes a hard time. Then again, those bastards don't deserve the title of Pro Hero.

The only ones who stepped in to help him were All Might, the number 1 Hero, and Deku, a quirkless nobody who shouldn't have even been there in the first place.

Bakugo: "Yeah, I got captured by some dumb villain. So what? I had everything under control."

Old Hag (Phone): "Really now? Because the clip of you wildly throwing off explosions doesn't seem to be 'under control' if you ask me!"

Bakugo flinched slightly from the Old Hag's sarcastic remark. Yeah, he had a feeling that someone was recording the whole thing. Great, just great. Now he was gonna look like a complete idiot for weeks.

Bakugo: "If that's all you have to say, I'm hanging up."

The Old Hag soon let out a small sigh.

Old Hag (Phone): "No, it's not... How far are you from home?"

Bakugo: "Not far, about a solid half hour if I keep walking."

Old Hag (Phone): "Alright, get home soon and try not to get into any more trouble."

Bakugo merely rolled his eyes at the Old Hag's words.

Bakugo: "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Old Hag."

Old Hag (Phone): "AND STOP CALLING ME TH-"

Bakugo immediately hung up before the Old Hag could finish her sentence. If he did, then he would be stuck talking; well, more like arguing with her for who knows how long.

Plus, it has been a long day, and Bakugo just wants to go home and get some rest after today's shenanigans. The sooner that he forgets about what occurred today, the better. He has more important things to focus on, such as his training for the U.A High exam.

If he can get into the best hero school in the entire country. Then, his journey to being the number 1 hero could officially begin. It won't be easy. He knows that for certain. But he was ready to give it his all and go beyond.

Bakugo soon looked back at his phone. Not to see if the old hag sent him any messages or tried to call him again, but to see what the current time was.

[5:30 PM]

Bakugo: "Jeez, it's half past five already..."

Bakugo told the old hag that he was a good half hour away from home. But it seemed like he wouldn't be arriving home until around six. That is, if he could manage to not get held up again like last time. But the chances of him running into another villain were pretty low.

Villains were dumb, not complete morons. Like regular people, they knew when to stop what they were doing for the day. Plus, there was also the fact that All Might showed up and put a stop to the sludge villain. After seeing that, there was a very low chance of Bakugo coming across any sort of bad guy.

The only exception to this would probably be the most cocky ones. But then again, they'd most likely only have a quirk to try and intimidate people and not realize how to properly use it. Bakugo could handle those types of villains easily. He had been training his body and his quirk whenever he got the chance.

Bakugo: "I should start heading off now. I don't want to keep the old hag worrying..."

With that, Bakugo turned off his phone and placed it back into his pocket. He was about to start walking again when he noticed a nearby alleyway. He stared at the alleyway for a good couple of seconds, cupping his chin with one of his hands.

Bakugo: "Hmm, I could use that as a shortcut..."

He then looked at the path that he was currently taking.

Bakugo: "This is a direct path towards my block. But it's still gonna take a while before I actually arrive there..."

He then turned his attention back towards the alleyway.

Bakugo: "This could cut my time down by maybe five minutes."

The sandy blonde-haired boy then crossed his arms as he continued to stare at the alleyway. Like he said, taking the alleyway could likely cut the time he would take getting back home down by maybe five minutes. However, he also knew that he would more than likely run into something or someone while he was in there, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with any extras.

Bakugo: "Yeah, I think I'd rather take the long way."

He removed his gaze from the entrance of the alleyway and back towards the street that he was currently on.

Bakugo: "Not going down one of those things ever agai—"

H-help....

Almost immediately, Bakugo froze on the spot as his gaze drifted back towards the entrance of the alleyway. Did he hear that correctly? Did he just hear something calling out for help?

No. No, that couldn't be the case. Maybe he was just hearing things. Yeah, that had to be it. He was just tired, was all. There was absolutely no way that he was hearing something calling out for help.

Right?

H-help me...

Bakugo perked up once more. There it was again, the same voice again. No, this had to be all within his head. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

Help m-me.... P-pain...

And there it was; for a third time. If he didn't believe it the first or second time, he definitely believed that he was hearing something now.

Bakugo: "What the fuck...."

Bakugo continued to stare at the alleyway, feeling a drop of sweat start to roll down his forehead. Something was going on within the alleyway. There was something inside there that was in pain. Something that was calling out for help; his help.

He should have ignored it. He should just mind his own business and head home before the old hag gets worried.

However, for some reason, Bakugo couldn't take his eyes off the alleyway. His body refused to respond to him when he desired to just walk away. It was like the sandy blonde-haired boy felt like he needed to go down that way.

Hearing that voice just now; that cry. No, that pleading for help. It tugged on something within Bakugo's being, something that he couldn't properly explain himself because even he was confused about it.

But he knew one thing for certain. If he didn't go down the alleyway, whatever called out to him would die, and it would be because he refused to answer its call for help. That wasn't what he wanted. He was meant to be the next number one hero, the strongest and greatest one there is.

Bakugo: "Well then..."

Letting out a small sigh, Bakugo stared at the alleyway with a serious expression on his face.

Bakugo: "Time to see what's calling for me..."

With that, Bakugo began to venture into the alleyway, keeping his guard up for absolutely anything that might try to sneak up on him. It probably wouldn't happen, but it was still a good idea to be cautious, just in case.

As he walked down the dark alleyway, his gaze started to wander around in an attempt to see if he could find the one that had called out for help. But he didn't seem to be able to find the person who had called out to him. This was strange because Bakugo was sure that he had heard something coming from down here.

There was also the fact that his body refused to move when he tried to ignore the plea for help. So either he had unfortunately fallen under the effects of another villain's Quirk, maybe a mind control one, or there was definitely something down here that he simply couldn't see.

Unknown to Bakugo, he was in both the correct and the wrong place. He was in the correct place because just behind him was the symbiote, who was very glad that Bakugo was here because it could bond with him and its life would be saved.

Unfortunately, Bakugo was also in the wrong place because...

???: "Well, well, well. Look at what we have here."

Perking up at the voice, Bakugo turned his attention towards it and was greeted by the sight of three individuals who were definitely thugs, judging by their clothing.

The first thug was a very short individual; he basically was a midget in Bakugo's opinion. He had brown hair that looked like the top of a mushroom, as well as having large black eyes.

The second thug was roughly around Bakugo's height. He had an unusual white complexion, black sanpaku eyes, and long, unkempt grayish-blue hair that appeared to have pink at its ends.

As for the third and final thug, he was easily the tallest among them, towering over both of his comrades. He had a rather large body with purple hair that may or may not have been tied up into dreadlocks, and he also had purple eyes to match his hair.

Thug 2: "Looks like someone decided to take a wrong turn"

Thug 1: "Ha! what an idiot!"

The third thug let out a chuckle in agreement.

Thug 3: "Haha, yeah. What an idiot"

Any normal person would definitely be freaking out if they were in Bakugo's position. Coming across thugs such as these three was pretty much a common occurrence. They may not be as threatening as some of the actual more dangerous, super-powered villains, but thugs were still a threat to a person's life, and they had to be careful.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Bakugo, who was merely looking at the trio before him with a deadpan expression, slowly raising one of his eyebrows.

Bakugo: 'Who the fuck are these wannabe musketeers?'

Bakugo wasn't sure if he should either be insulted or feel pity for the trio before him. He could tell that they were trying to be intimidating. But unfortunately, they were failing miserably.

Like seriously. If a group of thugs were going to try and rob him, then the least they could do is try to look a little bit intimidating. Yet, it seems like that won't be happening; it must be the universe trying to mess with him yet again.

Bakugo: "And who the fuck are you extras meant to be?"

Short Thug: "The hell you call us!?"

Bakugo looked down at the midget.

Bakugo: "You say something, pipsqueak? I can't really hear you from down there?"

This angered the short thug, who gritted his teeth and glared at Bakugo with a look of hatred in his eyes.

Short Thug: "Why you little bra-"

Middle Thug: "Enough!"

Bakugo watched as the middle thug reached behind him, taking out a pair of daggers which he twirled around in his hands before holding them both in a reverse grip.

Middle Thug: "Give us all that you got, and we MAY let you go with only a few bruises."

That alone was enough for Bakugo to know that none of these three seemed to possess a quirk. Nowadays, most robberies usually involve the thug threatening the victim with their Quirk. But since the middle thug had those two daggers, it meant that they didn't have a quirk of their own.

That means that they believed that Bakugo was Quirkless like them. Unfortunately for them, that isn't the case at all. A pretty bad matchup for them because Bakugo was quite skilled when it came to using his quirk.

Normally, it would be illegal to use your quirk out in public because you need a hero license.

However...

Bakugo tilted his head slightly to the right, not noticing the symbiote slowly crawling towards him.

Bakugo: "Give you everything I got?"

Middle Thug: "Yeah! I'm sure you got some nice stuff we can sell."

The large thug began to crack his knuckles.

Large Thug: "Better listen, you little shit. Otherwise, you're in for a world of hurt!"

Bakugo immediately glared at the trio, his bright red eyes coldly staring into theirs.

Bakugo: "What did you just call me, Extra?"

As Bakugo stared down the trio of thugs, the symbiote continued to crawl closer and closer towards the sandy blonde-haired boy, unknown to any of them. After what felt like forever, it was finally saved. It had finally found another host, and this one intrigued it deeply.

The symbiote could sense great strength coming from Bakugo, strength that was far greater than the three fools in front of him. It may not be on the same level as that of the spider, the lizard, or heck even that hunter that it killed. But it was still formidable strength regardless, and the symbiote didn't have time to investigate this said strength.

It was dying. It didn't have much time left in this strange new land. It needed to bond to the young man before it before it kicked the bucket. Once it bonded with its new host, it would question him about this strength that it senses.

Large Thug: "You wanna fucking go, you little shit!?"

Bakugo: "I'm ready to go whenever you are, tubby..."

This angered the large thug, which was clearly visible on his face due to it almost going red with rage. He reached into his pocket and brought out his weapon, which was a very old-looking knuckle duster.

Large Thug: "Fuck the money, let's just kill this brat!"

Short Thug: "Yeah, he can't take all of us!"

Bakugo raised an eyebrow.

Bakugo: "Really now?"

The short thug grew a smug look.

Short Thug: "Yeah, you're just some kid! You're no threat to us!"

Bakugo merely narrowed his eyes as he raised one of his hands, small sparks and explosions going off.

Bakugo: "Well then, bring it on then, you fucking extra-"

Before Bakugo could finish his sentence, the symbiote, which had continued to remain unnoticed by the people before, decided that it was finally time to reveal itself. With all of its strength, the symbiote leaped off from the ground and grabbed onto Bakugo's arm, gaining not only his attention but that of the three thugs as well.

Bakugo: "Huh?!"

He looked down at his arm, noticing the black substance.

Bakugo: "The hell is that!?"

In that moment, the symbiote not only began to bond with the sandy blonde-haired boy but, like it had done with its two previous hosts, it began to cover Bakugo's body as well. The young man's eyes widened at the sight, and mental images of what occurred with the sludge villain began rushing back into his mind. However, he wasn't panicking, which confused him. Why wasn't he freaking out? Literally, the same thing that happened to him hours ago was happening again. Yet, he did not feel the need to freak out like before. It was strange and very confusing, but it felt like he had found the one that had been calling for him.

Meanwhile, the three thugs watched with mixed expressions of shock, horror, and confusion as the black substance began to engulf the young man who they were just about to beat up. They made no effort to move; neither to attack nor to help Bakugo. They simply stood where they were and watched with wide eyes as the black substance started to morph into something entirely new.

The substance, which had now fully covered Bakugo's body, changed him and transformed him. He had become a large monster-like creature made up of the black substance, and he towered over the thugs, standing approximately 10 feet tall. But that was not all; he also became more muscular, which rivaled even the likes of the number one hero himself.

He had clawed hands and feet, which looked like they could tear through metal. A mouth with two rows of long, bloody fangs and an elongated tongue. It had pure white, alien-like eyes, which had jagged curves in some places. The final detail to the monster before the thugs, and the most eye-catching, was the logo on its chest. It appeared to have a white spider-like emblem, which had various sharp and jagged parts to it.

The thugs stared at the monster before them, their eyes widening in fear and horror as they started to pale a little bit.

Short Thug: "W-what the fuc—"

Unfortunately for the thug, he was rudely cut off from finishing his sentence when the monster let out a loud, monstrous roar, its tongue waving in the air.

....

....

....

END OF CHAPTER