Dash was running back and forth in the kitchen, practically panicking.
"Okay, okay, think… think," he murmured, opening drawers, cabinets, even looking inside the oven. "There has to be some cookies left… there has to be!"
He knew. That was the only way to bring Ryo back.
He climbed onto a stool and opened a high cabinet, his eyes lighting up at what he found.
There it was: a glass jar full of chocolate chip cookies, probably set aside by his mom.
"JACKPOT!" he cheered, carefully pulling the jar down.
He got off the stool and started walking towards the living room while trying to open the lid.
"Oh no, no, no…" he grumbled, twisting the jar forcefully. "Who was the genius who closed this like it was a safe?!"
It seemed glued shut with superglue.
"Now is *not* the time for this!"
That's when the air behind him tore open.
A portal opened in the middle of the living room, and the next second, Ryo was spat out like a sack of potatoes, hitting the wooden floor hard.
"Takeda!" Dash's eyes widened.
Before he could react, Jack-Jack appeared above him, landing on the boy's body and stomping hard, pointing an accusatory little finger.
"Take that! Take that, you bad villain!"
"JACK-JACK, NO!" Dash ran to them, pulling the toddler away from Ryo.
Jack-Jack complained, pouting, until Dash shoved the jar of cookies into his arms.
"Yay! Cookies!" Jack-Jack smiled, completely forgetting the fight.
He opened the jar's lid with ease and started eating the cookies enthusiastically.
Dash knelt beside Ryo, his heart tightening in his chest.
Ryo's clothes were torn, singed in several places. There were burn marks, bruises scattered over his body, and small cuts. He looked… wrecked.
"Takeda…" Dash called, his voice trembling. "Hey, stay with me, man…"
Ryo's eyes opened with difficulty.
"…Dash?" he murmured, blinking slowly.
He raised his hand with effort and touched his friend's face, squeezing it lightly.
"Is it really you…?" he coughed weakly. "You're not a clone… are you?"
"It's me, it's me!" Dash answered quickly. "Stay awake, please!"
Ryo let out a faint chuckle.
"Heh… thank goodness."
His arm fell heavily to the floor, making Dash swallow hard as he saw that.
"Don't do that…" he pleaded, his voice faltering. "Not now."
Ryo managed a small smile.
"It was good…" he said softly. "Having you as a friend."
Dash felt his chest tighten even more.
Ryo turned his head slightly, looking at Jack-Jack, who was happily eating cookies, all covered in crumbs.
"But…" he continued, almost laughing. "I refuse… to live in a world… where I got my ass kicked… by a five-year-old."
His head fell to the side, his eyes closing… but the smile remained.
And there was no more movement.
"TAKEDA?!" Dash screamed.
He threw himself forward, hugging his friend's body tightly.
"No, no, no, no…" he repeated, desperate. "Don't leave me, dude… please… wake up!"
Jack-Jack chewed peacefully in the background, watching curiously.
At that exact moment, the front door opened.
"I'm home!" Helen announced, coming in with grocery bags… and freezing at the scene BEFORE HER.
Dash hugging an unconscious (or dead) boy, clothes destroyed, the floor marked, and Jack-Jack floating while eating cookies.
Helen blinked once, twice, three times.
"…what the hell happened here while I was gone?!"
A few minutes later, the room was much calmer and more organized.
Ryo was sitting on the sofa, shirtless, while Helen tended to his injuries with the utmost naturalness in the world, as if treating a teenager beaten up by her superpowerful 5-year-old son was part of her routine. Across from them, Jack-Jack floated in silence, with a clearly remorseful expression, occasionally placing his little hand on Ryo's wounds, which slowly closed as he healed them with his quirk.
Helen finished one of the dressings and stuck a simple, childish band-aid on Ryo's cheek.
"All done…" she said with a sigh. "I'm really sorry about my son's behavior. He feels very bad about what he did."
She slowly turned her face to Jack-Jack, with that serious motherly look.
"Right?"
Jack-Jack shrugged his shoulders a little and nodded.
"Sorry for hitting you…" he said quietly. "You're not a bad guy… I'm the bad guy..."
Ryo blinked, not quite sure how to react, and ended up letting out a tired smile.
"It's okay… I'm kinda used to getting beat up."
But soon his posture broke, his shoulders slumped, and his body leaned forward.
"I'm just not used to…" he added in a defeated tone, "…getting beaten and humiliated by a child…"
Helen chuckled lightly, trying to ease the mood.
"Hey, it's not that bad," she said. "If it's any consolation, none of us here can handle Jack-Jack either."
She got up from the sofa and looked at Dash, who was coming down the stairs carrying some shirts.
"In fact…" she continued, "I'm still surprised you lasted so long in his dimension."
Dash scratched the back of his neck, a bit awkwardly.
"Yeah…" he replied. "I was kinda surprised too. He was in there for fifteen minutes."
Helen paused for a moment.
"Fifteen minutes?" she repeated, looking at Ryo more attentively.
"Yeah. I counted down to the milliseconds," Dash added. "While I was trying to figure out how to bring him back."
Helen let out a low whistle, impressed, and turned her gaze back to Ryo.
"That's… really impressive." She crossed her arms. "Time in there is completely distorted. It can go faster or slower depending on what Jack-Jack imagines. You could have been in there for months without realizing it."
She carefully placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder.
"Poor thing… that must have been really tough."
Ryo shrugged, still a bit dazed.
"I've had worse days… I think."
Helen took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and smiled determinedly.
"Alright then," she said. "I'm going to make a proper lunch. The kind that really says I'm sorry."
She pointed towards the kitchen.
"No quick snacks today. After what you've been through, you deserve a real meal."
With that, she headed off toward the kitchen, already talking to herself about seasonings, marinated meat, and not leaving cookies under the counter next time.
Dash sat down next to Ryo on the sofa, still feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Dude… sorry for all this mess," he said. "If you hadn't come over today, maybe none of this would have happened."
Ryo shook his head slowly.
"Don't say that," he replied, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm the one who decided to come, not you. So there's no need to apologize."
Dash seemed to relax a little upon hearing that.
"Got it…" he said, smiling slightly.
He then held out one of the shirts he was carrying. It was yellow, simple, with the phrase All In One printed on the front.
"Wear this shirt for now, since yours was completely destroyed," he said. "And… if you want, you can keep it. As my official apology."
Ryo raised his hand to refuse but stopped halfway.
He looked at the shirt.
Thought for a second.
And then he took it.
"Alright," he said with a half-smile. "I accept the apology."
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SyderTech's headquarters in the United States never seemed to truly sleep. Even outside business hours, corridors illuminated by white light stretched like veins of a gigantic organism, with labs still active, screens flashing data, and mechanical arms working in silence.
On one of the most restricted floors, Mira Caldwell was starting another day… or rather, hadn't finished the previous one yet.
Petite, thin, almost swallowed by the oversized white lab coat she wore like a dress, Mira walked briskly through the lab, her large, spherical glasses slipping slightly down her nose. Her long, completely disheveled hair betrayed that she had already been there for hours—perhaps days.
The coat sleeves covered her hands almost completely, yet she held tools, tablets, and parts with absurd precision, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her.
In the center of the lab, suspended by hydraulic arms and surrounded by holograms, was the robot she was developing.
"Okay… if I align the energy core another two millimeters…" she murmured to herself, typing quickly in the air.
The machine responded with a soft beep, systems readjusting.
Mira smiled faintly.
"See? I told you you'd like this configuration…" she whispered softly, as if talking to someone. "Much better this way, don't you think?"
The machine emitted another low beep, almost like a mechanical purr.
"Heh… I thought so too," she replied, satisfied.
Hours passed without her noticing. When she finally took a step back and analyzed the entire project, her shoulders relaxed.
"Alright… that's enough for today," she said, rubbing her eyes beneath her glasses. "If I keep going, I'll just make my health worse… and I don't want that."
With almost tender care, she shut down the main systems.
"Get some rest, okay? We'll continue tomorrow."
Mira left the lab, walking hurriedly down the quiet corridor, still absorbed in her own thoughts until…
THUMP
She bumped into someone.
"Oh—!" the sound came out more like a startled squeak.
The cleaning cart wobbled but didn't fall. The janitor held it steady and took a step back.
"My apologies, miss," he said in a calm, polite voice. "That was my fault."
Mira flushed instantly.
"N-no! I-I'm sorry! I was the one who… I didn't see!" She bowed several times, flustered, almost dropping the bag she was holding. "I-I'm really sorry!"
Without waiting for a reply, Mira turned on her heels and practically ran down the corridor, her coat flapping, hair flying, until she disappeared around the corner to the right.
The janitor stood still for a few seconds, staring at the empty space where she had vanished.
He frowned beneath his hat.
"…Strange," he murmured. "Since when does SyderTech let kids work here?"
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"Not the time to get distracted."
He adjusted the hat that partially covered his face. As he did, his face became visible for an instant, revealing he was none other than Koichi.
Eyes alert, and focused on his current task.
Koichi held the cleaning cart firmly and resumed walking down the corridor, blending back into the company's routine… continuing his infiltration.
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A few minutes later, Bob came back down the stairs, now dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans.
"Ready!" he announced, rubbing his hands together. "Now the party can really start."
He sat at the table, his massive frame taking up almost two chairs, and looked around, pleased.
"Alright…" he said, pulling his plate closer. "So, Takeda, what brings you here today?"
Before Ryo could even answer, Dash spoke, shoving a huge piece of food into his mouth.
"He came to help me study for the upcoming exams."
Bob raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Really?" He smiled. "That's cool. Very cool, actually."
Ryo nodded.
"But things ended up… getting a bit complicated after we took a snack break." He shot a quick glance at Jack-Jack, who was now swinging his legs excitedly. "But it all worked out fine."
"Great," Bob replied. "That's what real friends do, help each other."
Helen clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, everyone… let's eat before it gets cold."
With that, lunch finally began.
Ryo took the first forkful into his mouth… and froze for a second.
"…Wow."
Helen immediately looked at him.
"You don't like it?"
"On the contrary," Ryo said quickly. "It's… really good. Like, way too good."
Dash laughed.
"I told you, my mom is a monster in the kitchen."
Ryo tried another dish, then another, visibly intrigued.
"Mrs. Parr…" he said, genuinely curious, "how do you make everything so balanced? Nothing's too heavy or bland."
Helen smiled, clearly pleased.
"Practice… and love."
Ryo nodded thoughtfully.
"And the cookies?" he asked, looking up. "What's… the secret?"
Helen let out a soft chuckle.
"Ah, that's a family secret."
"Darn it…" Ryo murmured, half-defeated, drawing laughs from around the table.
Bob steered the conversation back, leaning his elbows on the table.
"You know, Dash talks about you a lot at home."
Dash nearly choked.
"What?! I don't—"
"Yes, you do," Bob continued, laughing. "He's always mentioning school stuff, training… you two seem like good friends."
Ryo gave a slight smile.
"You could say that."
The conversation flowed easily for a while. Talk about school, food, Dash telling exaggerated stories, Jack-Jack trying to eat with two spoons at once.
Until Bob suddenly frowned.
That feeling was back.
He looked at Ryo more closely, especially at his green eyes… the subtle way his eyebrow lifted when he heard something.
"Takeda…" Bob said slowly. "Can I ask you a strange question?"
Ryo nodded.
"Is your father… a hero?"
The exact second the question was asked, Ryo froze.
His fork stopped mid-air.
He didn't answer.
"It's just…" Bob continued, not immediately sensing his mistake, "I feel like I've seen your face somewhere. Maybe I met your father, or—"
"No. I don't have a father."
The answer came out sharp.
Ryo slowly set his fork down on the plate and sat perfectly still.
The mood at the table instantly grew heavy.
Dash shrunk in his chair.
Helen shot a hard look at Bob, who blinked nervously, realizing his error too late.
"I…" he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch on a sensitive subject."
Helen cleared her throat loudly in disapproval.
"Bob…"
"Okay, okay…" he sighed. "I'm sorry, Takeda. Truly. Your father… did he pass away?"
"Bob!" Helen called again, more firmly.
But Ryo raised his hand slightly.
"It's alright."
He took a deep breath.
"Yes. He died when I was a child."
Helen brought a hand to her chest.
"Oh… dear… I'm so sorry."
She tilted her head with a gentle expression.
"You must miss him very much, don't you?"
Ryo lowered his gaze.
"Yeah…"
The word came out hollow. His face was partially hidden, his expression too empty for someone supposedly sad.
Inside, Ryo only felt one thing.
Anger. Anger for thinking about that man again.
But he took a deep breath, recomposed himself, and lifted his head again.
"But I've moved past it," he said, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine with what I have now."
And he went back to eating as if nothing had happened.
Bob and Helen exchanged an uncertain look.
At that moment, Jack-Jack pushed a bowl of mashed potatoes toward Ryo.
"Eat this," he said seriously. "Helps take sad away."
Ryo blinked… and smiled a real smile this time.
"Alright… thank you."
Dash immediately jumped in, passing another plate.
"Try this too."
Helen did the same.
"And this here."
Bob cleared his throat and pushed a serving dish.
"…And this."
Ryo stared as food piled up in front of him.
"Are you all trying to bury me in food?"
"Maybe," Dash replied, laughing.
Jack-Jack laughed.
"Eat it all! Will help you get stronger!"
Ryo chuckled softly, picking up his fork again.
"Alright then… I surrender."
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(A/N: We're close to hitting 1 million views! Wow, it's been quite a journey, hasn't it? I barely saw the time passing, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support.
I'm thinking of making a special Q&A chapter once we reach the goal, where I'll answer your questions. They can be about the story or about me as an author.
Leave your questions here or, if you can't comment in the paragraphs, at the end of the chapter. I'll select a few to answer in the special chapter.
Thank you to everyone who has been following and supporting the story so far, you are my heroes!)