Note: Ages of characters may be inaccurate to suit my story, so… don't think too hard about it.
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2009, April 1st – Gotham City 3rd POV
In an underground arena—one of many owned by the Penguin—a tall, well‑built young man with red hair stood bruised and battered. Despite the damage, his eyes burned with a strange, hungry determination.
He took a punch to the gut and tanked it head‑on. Then he grabbed his opponent by the shoulders and delivered a vicious knee strike straight to the man's stomach, forcing him to spit blood and collapse.
"The newcomer completes the gauntlet! Fifteen grown men in a row with no breaks—he is our new champion!"
The announcer paused, letting the crowd absorb the moment.
"Give it up for the one, the only… CRIMSON!"
"CRIMSON! CRIMSON! CRIMSON!"
The crowd roared the young man's name—or rather, his title.
POV: Crimson
Finally… enough money to get off the streets.
Counting the bills I earned from the gauntlet, I started thinking about the plan I'd set in stone for a while now.
Speaking of "a while," I still can't believe how I even got here.
Flashback – POV Change
"Presence, my good buddy—belch—aren't you bored with how predictable your multiverse is? Same people, same villains, just different times and events."
Two indescribable entities sat next to each other… drinking?
Presence: "So what are you proposing, #@^@%—my apologies, I forgot you go by Rick now."
Rick: "More like we merged—belch—but besides the point. How would you like a character who has never existed before to shake up the normal story? With a little boost from you?"
Presence: "Sure. Send them my way."
Crimson POV
Vast nothingness. No sound, no sight, no smell. Just me, my mind, my desires… and the ugly truth I could never face while I was alive.
Then, out of nowhere, Rick Sanchez appeared, opened a portal, and threw me through it. The sheer ridiculousness of what just happened left me mute—not that I could speak anyway.
"So you're the child Rick has chosen to… spice up my multiverse."
The voice came from everywhere at once.
"My apologies. Let me appear as something within your comprehension."
A very familiar face appeared—Willem Dafoe the only good actor for Green Goblin appeared.
Seriously, what the hell is my life? Void? Death?
"Now, child, do you know of the DC Universe?"
'A lil. I watched Young Justice and liked it. Most DC stuff wasn't adapted well so I watched more Marvel. And I like anime more too.'
"No worries, child. I can hear your thoughts. Your current form cannot speak. I am the Presence."
'Isn't that the DC big boss? I think I saw that name in some fanfics.
Presence: "Correct. Now, I will give you two wishes—boons—to help you start reasonably in this new world. No strings attached. I simply want to see how you change the established story."
'Question: can I trade all my DC knowledge for one extra wish?'
"Reasonable. I accept. To ensure you can affect the story, I'll send you to a universe around the creation of Young Justice."
'Perfect. First wish: I want the quirk Harden from MHA, and I want improving my quirk—or meta ability—to improve my base physical abilities too.'
Presence: "A balanced request. Granted."
'Second: I want an Occlumency/Legilimency training method from Harry Potter.'
Presence: "Granted."
'Lastly: I want unlimited potential. I don't need fast growth, but with logical, targeted effort, I want to be able to grow stronger without limits.'
Presence: "Granted. However, your growth still depends on your own mastery and effort. You will have no limits except those you impose on yourself. Now, since your main abilities come from another character, I'll grant you a similar appearance. One question: natural red hair or his black hair?"
'Natural red, please. Thank you, Presence.'
Presence: "You're welcome, child. Now sleep. A new story is about to be written."
Flashback Ends
Crimson POV
"Denji, my boy, are you okay?"
An old man called out. He was ex‑military, discharged for smuggling goods to other officers. He'd been looking out for me ever since I ran away from the orphanage.
Crimson/Denji: "You know it, old man. Besides, I heal fast. These bruises will be gone in two days, tops."
It was true. While I didn't remember everything, I remembered wishing for certain powers. And true to my requests, as I developed Harden, my strength, durability, and healing improved—not Wolverine‑level crazy, but enough to get me back on my feet quickly.
Denji: "You won't have to worry about me anymore, old man. I finally hit my goal. Just one question… you know any decent lawyers?"