Zeri

After seeing how the old man received shouts and blows, he was able to discover that his name was Mirlo and his wife Norit.

On the other hand, he conversed with the couple beside him, who seemed dead tired, about what was happening with Mirlo. The half-asleep wife introduced herself as Mika, and then her husband as Limo.

"My father used to disappear from time to time when I was young. At first, my mother worried it was an affair, but after a long time together, she found out that my father is really bad with alcohol, and even though he enjoys drinking, it makes him drunk for a long time. When my daughter was born, he promised not to drink again, but he disappeared a few days ago."

Hearing the explanation, Niko couldn't help but look at the old man as if he were an idiot and prepared to continue his way when a powerful buzzing vibrated in his ears.

Opening his eyes wide, he performed a somersault, surprising the four adults, and positioned himself behind the presence that alarmed him, pointing at it with his four spider-like legs.

"HIIIIHHHH!!!"

Seeing that there was nothing in front of him, he became frightened and began to look around, but soon a whimper coming from below caught his attention, and he tilted his head slightly downwards.

In front of him was a green-haired girl who appeared slightly younger than him, with teary eyes and a frightened look as she gazed at the legs on her back.

'She looks familiar...'

"ZERI!"

Upon seeing the verdant-yellow energy enveloping her hands, he had a slight idea, and hearing the woman's scream helped confirm his suspicions.

'The Spark of Zaun.'

Mika quickly got up and wrapped Zeri in her arms, hiding her behind her while sending accusatory glances at Niko, while the rest of the adults approached them. Zeri's energy began to crackle as she felt frightened, and Niko, upon seeing what was happening, hastily retracted his spider legs, scratching his neck.

"Uh, I apologize, a lot. I felt energy behind me and thought it could be something dangerous."

Seeing his sincerity, Mika lowered her guard and let it pass as a mistake since she had known about Zeri's dangerous ability for years.

"Don't scare my daughter like that, Spider-Man."

Mika considered scolding him further, but upon seeing the man trembling, she stopped and became alert.

To her surprise, he jumped and hugged her, which surprised Limo, but she quickly calmed him down.

"YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON TO CALL ME THAT, not even that old man called me that even after I saved him."

Mika and Limo looked at each other and smiled, seeing that this man seemed more childish than he appeared. On the other hand, Norit approached him, standing in front of Zeri.

"What do you mean by saving him?"

Mirlo panicked and started gesturing to Niko, who ignored him while recounting the story to his wife.

"...and I brought him here. In short, I saved him from a thief, and he didn't even thank me, can you believe it?"

Norit clenched her fist towards Mirlo, sending him a murderous look but not before raising an eyebrow towards Niko.

"I thought heroes did things without expecting anything in return."

Niko replied, raising the same eyebrow.

"I never said I was a hero, besides, a thank you would be the minimum, wouldn't it?"

Raising both eyebrows in surprise, she responded with a warm smile that turned into one with bloodlust directed at the old man trying to escape down one of the streets. Not wanting Zeri to see this side of her grandmother, the parents' couple took their daughter inside while gesturing for Niko to follow.

Somewhat confused, as he intended to continue patrolling, Niko followed them inside the house, which was quite comfortable and simple with its living room and kitchen.

Taking a seat on a sofa, Niko looked ahead to Mika and Limo with Zeri between them.

"Uh, well. I'll make it clear, I don't do house calls for web-slinging."

The three looked at him confusedly before the couple started laughing and pointing at Zeri.

"We don't want your spiderweb, Spider-Man, Zeri said she wanted to talk to you."

Following her father's lead, Zeri gathered her courage and pointed at him.

"You have a lot of sparkles, you are like me, right?"

"Eh?"

The parents looked surprised at Spider-Man and saw Zeri summoning her magic while staring fixedly at Spider-Man in front of her as if expecting something.

"I..."

'System!'

[Hmmm, in the lore, Zeri's parents raised her with love and clear ideas, and when she faced the Chem-Barons, it was her mother who supported her by making her weapon, so I don't think it's negative for them to know about it.]

After thinking for a moment and glancing at Zeri's determined look, he finally sighed as he extended the palm of his hand. Both energies crackled in the room; on one hand, Zeri's was green and somewhat uncontrollable, while Niko's was yellow and quite calm.

They began to approach each other when the yellow energy completely overwhelmed the green one, causing it to retreat back towards Zeri.

"Wow, was that amazing, big brother!"

'What did she just call me?'

"What did you just call me?"

"Big brother?"

Niko tried not to cough and started shaking his finger from side to side.

"Nooo, don't call me that."

"Then what?

"Hmm, how about, I don't know, Spidy?"

Zeri looked at him with a pout and glanced away.

"That's not cute at all."

Somewhat stunned, Zeri looked at her father and started shedding crocodile tears, causing him to become motivated and initiate a furious action to see his little one cry.

Mika quickly punched him in the ribs, causing him to recline on the sofa.

"My impulsive and stupid husband, how many times do I have to explain to you that if Zeri really cried, her electricity would become stronger? And you, my dear, how many times have I told you not to manipulate your father? We'll talk after we bid farewell to our guest, honey."

All this was said with a friendly smile that was anything but friendly to Zeri and Limo, as it gave them chills.

"Well, if that's all, I'll be saying goodbye."

Before he could leave, Mika stopped the act and detained him.

"Wait, Spider-Man, could you help my daughter control her powers?"

Niko brought his hand to his chin and began to think about what to answer.

'On one hand, I don't feel like taking care of a kid, but on the other hand, not helping a child who doesn't know how to control her powers...'

With a sigh, he nodded and raised two fingers.

"There are TWO conditions." The family got excited and focused their attention on him.

"One is for Mika, I know someone who can teach her, and he's in the Last Drop, if you ask Vander for me, he'll know who to introduce you to."

Upon hearing that he wouldn't be the one to teach her, Zeri became a little disheartened, causing a spark to hit Niko.

"Ouch... The other condition is for Zeri, to go to bed early; staying up late won't do you any good, kiddo."

Zeri wanted to get angry but couldn't as she worried that staying up late might hinder her growth, and Mika, oblivious to her daughter's thoughts, nodded and mentioned that they would go early in the morning the next day.

Niko bid farewell to the family, and as he left, he saw a deformed old man on the ground being dragged by Norit, so he bowed.

"Rest well, fair lady."

"You too, Spider-Man."

Quite cheerful, Niko continued his nocturnal route, swinging through Long District and Merchant District, and in a few hours, he stopped seven attempted robberies and one attempted murder; to the perpetrator of the latter, he gave a slight shock with a dose similar to that of the first thief.

In each of the situations, he left them stuck or hanging with the message: 'I'm a bad thief.'

As he realized he had been out for quite a while, he shot off the roof he was on and descended to a skewered meat stall, surprising the owner and the customers around.

"Ten servings of meat, please!"

With his shout, the owner snapped out of his astonishment and began to serve him.

"R-Right away... Excuse me, sir, are you the Spider-Man they've been talking about lately?"

"THEY'RE SAYING MY NAME RIGHT?" Niko raised his arms, overflowing with joy, earning a smile from those watching him, which made him feel embarrassed. Once the man finished wrapping the order, Niko took out some money ready to pay, but the vendor stopped him.

"Please take them as a gesture of gratitude for doing something against the criminals of Zaun."

Niko raised his eyebrows in surprise, which was reflected in his mask, catching the attention of the others. Ignoring this, Niko lifted his mask slightly, took a bite of the meat, and shortly after, with a smile, he took out all his money.

"Would this be enough for all the skewers I see here?"

The vendor followed his gaze and saw the large quantity of fifty skewers he still had left to sell.

"Y-Yes, in fact, it would be more than enough."

"Use the money to keep the shop running, I'll come often."

"You'll be welcomed, sir!"

"Glad to hear that. Goodbye."

With a nod, Niko collected all the skewers and headed to the alleys where he found twenty malnourished children to whom he distributed fifty of the skewers.

"Enjoy, kids."

Hidden from view, a bird made of blue energy perched atop one of the walls, observing the situation.

The children stared at him, and when he finally disappeared, they gathered the food, and someone volunteered to eat first to check if it was poisoned; even if they were children, they were from Zaun.

Niko finally arrived home around five in the morning and found Vander sitting on the couch.

"You don't sleep?"

Vander looked up somewhat surprised as Niko reverted from his 'vastaya form' and placed a bag on the table.

"I could say the same about you; the name Spider-Man has resonated like a gunshot through the streets."

Niko took a seat beside him, sinking into the couch.

"Phew, I needed this... Well, you know, I've been stopping some bandits."

Vander also relaxed, gazing up at the ceiling.

"...Niko, did my words make you become some kind of 'vigilante'?"

Niko was surprised, also looking up at the ceiling.

"No, it's something I promised someone. If I have the opportunity to help, I'll try."

Seconds passed until Vander finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"Even if you're strong... remember, you have a family waiting at home."

"I remember so much that I brought breakfast."

Niko straightened up and showed him the bag with the skewers inside, eliciting a smile from Vander.

"I also heard that Spider-Man bought all the food from a vendor and distributed it among some street kids."

"You hear a lot, are you sure you're not part of some information guild or something?"

Vander smiled, tousling Niko's hair.

"Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep, you'll end up like a yordle."

"...That's a good one." Happy to have a new phrase for Zeri, he headed to bed to rest for a while.

Meanwhile, Vander remained staring at his hands, and occasionally crimson flashes appeared, making him hallucinate about his hands stained with blood.

After a few minutes, he began to relax and stood up, ready to start the day.

_________________________________

In the same room, hours later, Vander observed along with the rest of the children, including Zeri and Ezreal, with Sevika leaning against the wall, as Niko slept in an awkward position with drool dripping from his mouth.

Ezreal had arrived a few hours earlier since it was his day off from schoolwork and he could sneak away without having to do it.

Zeri, on the other hand, had come with her parents a few minutes ago, and after discussing it for a bit, they decided to leave her with him since they were aware of Vander's reputation.

An added bonus was seeing that there were other children besides her, so they thought it would be better for her to make friends.

Vander was somewhat annoyed to see that Niko didn't inform him about this, so he decided to take Zeri with him to take care of her.

So at this moment, Powder, Vi, Ezreal, Claggor, and Mylo, who had his feet up on the table, ended up sitting on the couch. Zeri was in front of Niko with a curious look, and Sevika sighed upon seeing that the number of kids she had to babysit had increased.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Zeri let out a scream with a face that seemed to express disbelief.

"WHATTTTTTTTT?"

The scream made Niko open his eyes alarmed and contort his body, lifting himself onto the wall in front of him with his feet while pointing his wrists forward. Vi looked at Ezreal, who was wide-eyed, and with a smile, she addressed the others.

"Looks like he's found a new favorite spot to stick to."

Most of them laughed except for Ezreal and Zeri, whose attention was focused on Niko, who finally became aware of his surroundings and lowered to the ground while keeping his arms raised.

Vi and Powder looked at each other incredulously.

"He's going to do it again, Vi."

"Oh God."

Claggor and Mylo wanted to ask, but before they could, Niko started to spin his arms in circles.

"Uhhhh, it's all a dream, you're dreaming right now and you need to wake up."

Ezreal and Zeri put aside their surprise and rolled their eyes.

"...You're Spidy."

Zeri pointed at him, channeling electricity and firing it towards Niko. He widened his eyes and pondered how to proceed.

If he dodges it, he'll wreck the wall; he really doesn't feel like stopping it with his body, and using Sectio as a shield seems bothersome. He actually considered it but the thought of it would obligate him to buy meat, which was even more annoying.

With a sigh, he moved both hands and expelled a portion of his bioelectricity, wrapping it around Zeri's electricity and dispersing it in the room.

Everyone, except Zeri, who was showing a grin at being right, was surprised as they watched Niko quickly approach Zeri, delivering a strong blow to her head.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT? WHY WOULD YOU SHOOT ELECTRICITY AT ME."

Niko glared at the green-haired girl in front of him, who was clutching her head with both hands.

"...It's the first time someone has hit me."

Niko raised his fist, somewhat annoyed.

"And soon it'll be the second if you don't give an explanation."

Zeri didn't back down and placed her hands on her hips, somewhat proud.

"Spidy, YOU'RE STUPID! Of course, I did it because I noticed that your sparks were the same as yesterday's. I'm a genius detective."

Niko was so confused that he couldn't even get angry.

"Where's the girl who needed her parents' help to talk?"

Zeri blushed, firing a second ray at him, causing Niko to disperse it again and deliver a second blow to her head.

"Ouch! That hurts, idiot! I'm going to tell my parents on you."

"AS IF I CARE—Wait, on second thought, please don't say anything, that would suck."

"Suck!"

"Um, yep, don't say that either."

Ezreal cut the conversation, somewhat confused.

"Could someone explain to me what's going on?"

Powder, who was sitting in front of him, started jumping in her seat while raising her hand.

"Me! Me! Niko is a—"

Before she could continue, Vi sitting beside her covered her mouth.

"You, nothing. Don't you remember what Vander said? And you, Niko, you better explain yourself later."

"You're not my mom, strawberry head."

Powder closed her eyes for a few seconds before letting out a small scream.

"It's true! But... doesn't she already know?"

She pointed to Zeri and then looked at Ezreal with a gaze mixed with pity and mockery. Ezreal, realizing he was the only one who didn't know anything, became frustrated and started pouting, which elicited a reaction from Niko.

"Ew, bro, you're ten years old, stop pouting like that."

As if he'd been punched, Ezreal slumped defeated in his seat.

"Whatever, Zeri is a mage, and an electric one to be specific. I recently discovered that I am one too."

Ezreal regained his composure and looked at him suspiciously.

"That doesn't explain how you stuck to the wall, or why she calls you Spidy."

"My magic controls the electromagnetic waves between surfaces and my body, allowing me to stick to them and making me seem like a spider, that's why she calls me... Shut up, Zeri."

Seeing Zeri wanting to contradict him, Niko covered her mouth and continued smiling at Ezreal. Contrary to his expectations, Ezreal's eyes lit up, and he pounced on him.

"That's incredible! Can you tell me more about those waves you mentioned or about that yellow thing on your hands?"

The others seemed interested too, so Niko sat them all down, including Sevika, and began with a brief explanation that would also serve as an idea for Zeri of what she could do.

"...and it connects me with the walls. Well, that would be mine; Zeri's is related to her emotions, as you've seen before. If she gets angry, happy, or something related to how she feels, the energy gets stronger but also more unstable."

Ekko and Ezreal left without saying a word, grabbing papers and something to write with, sitting at the table. The others started talking among themselves, and Powder approached Zeri, showing her some gadgets she had made.

Niko approached Sevika, who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Good afternoon, boss."

"Good afternoon to you too- Wait, afternoon?"

Sevika nodded with a neutral expression, unaware of how nervous Niko was.

"Sevika, what time is it?"

"Well, it's just noon."

"WHAT?! Why didn't you call me earlier?"

Sevika pointed her thumb at Vi.

"She didn't let me saying you deserved a break."

"VIOLET!"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL-"

Vi, who was talking with Myo and Claggor, turned her attention to Niko, somewhat annoyed, but quickly fell silent upon seeing Niko's expression.

Claggor, from the side, also glanced at Niko and soon looked away, addressing Mylo.

"I've never seen him like this before."

"Neither have I, he seems like a goof."

Niko stopped looking at Vi to address Mylo, who quickly looked away.

"Thanks, Vi."

The pink-haired girl felt embarrassed seeing it was the first time he had called her by her name correctly and simply huffed.

Niko turned to Sevika, asking her what had happened with the store.

"There weren't many people today since it's the season when traders return to their regions, so I told those who were there that we were closed until further notice."

"Phew, thanks Sevika, you did great."

"What do you mean?"

Niko avoided her gaze and turned away.

"...I won't open today."

"Are you tired, boss?"

"...No, it's just... I'm going somewhere today."

Sevika frowned and crossed her arms.

"It's not End Point again, is it?"

Powder, who had finished showing her mechanical monkeys to Zeri, turned her head while pointing at her.

"I'm going to snitch to Vander!"

"Nobody likes snitchers, Powder. And no, I'm not going to End Point."

Ekko and Ezreal, who had finished devising theories on how to apply magnetic waves to some inventions, joined the rest by sitting in chairs.

"Where are you going, bro? We can tag along."

"Count me in, I want to see more of Zaun... except that."

Seeing everyone's attention on him, Niko sighed and avoided everyone's gaze by looking away.

"I'm going to..."

"Where?"

"I'm going to P..."

Vi raised her voice angrily.

"Say it clearly, idiot."

"I'm going to Piltover."

"Oh."x8