Second try as a hero. Better this time.

My power is a gacha. I can't believe it.

I was lying on the couch after surviving the day's classes which had nothing exciting like all the others, not even the presence of Spider-Man made me feel better, in fact, it only constantly reminded me of the source of my pain.

Just before I got to the dorm I had a meeting with the principal announcing that I had to be ready for a regional Judo tournament next week. Before I had powers I might have gotten a little excited, now?

I couldn't care less now.

I'm so far above their weight class that it's not even funny. I didn't want to waste my time on martial arts tournaments when to be truly strong I clearly needed to do superhero stuff.

Yes, I had finally figured it out. After all...

"Are you still going to sulk on the couch? It's only been a week Rogue, it's not the end of the world."

One week. It's been a week since my power tests, since I found out my power is basically a Gacha, and since I got a new power.

A week without new powers!

I honestly could hardly believe it. In just two days I had managed to get a frivolous 10 power, or 7 of them if you don't count the 3 I'm still holding on to with all the willpower of a 6-year-old trying to stop himself from eating the chocolate in the fridge.

Just thinking about it made me press Atlas tighter against my face.

I don't regret waiting this week, after all it was Maddy's request after hearing how close I came to dying on my first outing. She's just worried about me, I know, but still.

"Maaaandy I want to get out! I've learned my lesson! And I promised I'd be more careful next time! Spider-Man has already taken the lead and is beating up villains left and right! Please?"

I looked at Maddy with my best pleading, sincere look.

Maddy stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before finally letting out a tired sigh.

"Haaahh…Don't make me regret this."

"Yes!" I jumped up from my temporary sofa bed, not holding back from lifting the gravity around me a bit with Moonsong to go slightly faster.

When Maddy first heard how little we'd barely gotten to know each other after my first night going out, saying she was worried was putting it mildly.

She went into total mother hen mode and made me kneel on the floor while she berated me for 30 minutes without stopping, yet I couldn't find it in my heart to stop her because I knew she was right.

Just because a combination of perfectly reasonable factors led me to leave not even a day after arriving in New York doesn't mean that what I did couldn't have gone pretty badly. I was lucky to run into two fools and still almost die because of a careless mistake.

After a week here I realized that this is not as simple as in the MCU. Since the release of Iron Man, other villains, mercenaries and vigilantes with special abilities have started to appear like cockroaches, it is as if Iron Man opened a Pandora's box that can no longer be contained.

Hell, in just this week of downtime Spider-Man has already fought three different supervillains. There's a madman slaughtering criminal gangs left and right. And rumors keep coming among the students about a demon in Hell Kitchen leaving criminals eating through straws.

What if I had encountered one of those lunatics? Maybe not even Dispatch would have saved me at that moment.

So, yeah. A week of being grounded by my best friend isn't a big deal if it makes her feel better, especially when I know she's doing it for my own good.

I had already arrived at my room ready to change into my costume ready to go out and fulfill my destiny. I opened the drawer where all my superhero stuff is and-

"Eh?"

Nothing.

I opened the drawer fully, Nothing.

I fully put my hands into, to see if I felt like I was invisible or something

Nothing.

…

I took a sigh to calm myself and without looking back to see the girl I knew was leaning against the door frame with her increasingly familiar smug smile I yelled "Honey?"

"Whaaaat~?" My best friend replied with a cry that sounded deadpan and endearing somehow.

"Where's my super suit?"

"What~?"

"Where's My Super Suit?!"

"Hmm, over there?" The cute tone she replied with just made me want to squeeze those cheeks of hers.

"Where?!" I finally turned to look at her when… I saw it.

In her hands and inside a protective plastic was my super suit, but somehow it looks different.

I looked at Maddy with a raised eyebrow, making her finally break her facade and let out a snort of laughter at the little comedy stand-up we just made.

I raised my eyebrow again to make her understand that she still hasn't answered my question about the suit.

A little embarrassed Maddy coughs lightly into her hand before walking towards me. She begins to explain:

"This "darling"-

I blush as she returns the nickname from moments ago, I know she was just joking with a reference, but it's a little embarrassing in retrospect.

Satisfied with my reaction, she left the suit on top of my dressing table as she continued:

"It's your new suit. I realized that your suit, although it wasn't there yet, was lacking in some aspects and if I'm going to support you in this superhero thing, I'll do it with everything I've got." She looked me in the eyes as she said the last thing.

I felt like I was going to cry.

I feel like I can never repay what Maddy has knowingly or unknowingly done for me.

Maddy suddenly jumped into my arms as I hugged her with all my might (not really). It was a little odd considering she's taller than me, but I buried my head in her shoulder as I whispered as many thanks as I could.

It wasn't just the suit. Maddy was also my first friend and just by being there I felt like I could get through anything. Being a positive person is hard when you're alone, but now? Now I just wanted to get out there and rescue kittens in trees to share a little bit of this feeling.

For the first time I truly felt a real desire to be a heroine for the good of others.

As if sensing the need for it, Maddy didn't say anything as I turned her into my cuddle toy for a while longer before with a soft voice, as if she was dealing with something fragile, she decided to break the silence that was slowly becoming something definitely more uncomfortable.

"Hey, don't you want to know what's new about your suit?"

"Y-yeah!" I took the olive branch for what it was and quickly walked away from Maddy (even though I didn't want to) while surreptitiously wiping my eyes, so we could continue focusing on hero stuff.

Maddy looked at me for a few seconds before continuing.

"Though your suit wasn't bad for someone with your… resources. The lack of protection beyond the bulletproof vest is definitely a concern, so when it came to making this suit that was the first priority."

"Ohh" I nodded with a hint of bitterness in my expression, perhaps with better defenses that first blow I received in the legs would not have distracted me so much.

"Now your super suit is covered by a light layer of Kevlar and you have several more layers in the most vulnerable areas or where it would not affect the flexibility of the material, such as your arms and legs. The protections for your joints are also greatly improved, but they do not impede your mobility."

"Sweet!"

"For your jacket we added some pockets and a layer of Kevlar underneath, for extra protection, but aesthetically it is the same"

I nodded.

"Your boots and gloves have steel coating on impact and protection points so you can use them as pseudo shields and as an additional form of attack."

"Last but not least, your tool belt is made of a much more durable material, so as an upgrade to space positioning, medkit materials and a military-grade knife with an Adamantium edge."

She was nodding constantly each time, getting more excited with each word Maddy said, but that last bit was definitely unexpected.

"Adamantium!?"

"Just the edges, but yes, Adamantium. I also wanted some Vibranium for some parts of the suit or the gloves, but it was harder to get than I thought. Maybe in an update."

I felt my eyes pop out of my head while Maddy was muttering something angrily about some damn Vibranium dealers or something. Shit, when I thought I could never repay Maddy for what she did for me I didn't mean it literally.

"H-how much did it all cost?"

"Mm? Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to."

"O-okay" That answer was enough.

"Don't worry about trifles (trifles she says…). Why don't you try on your new suit?"

"Yes!" I definitely won't worry about wearing a suit that costs more than all the money I'll make in this life and the next, nope, no sir.

A few minutes later I was ready to go out and fight crime. There wasn't much to describe as it was basically identical to the previous one, except for something new. On the right side of my chest there is a very familiar logo that I have seen numerous times, it is the Khepri scarab that the survivors of the Gold Morning wear as a band on their arm, it is also the main logo of the Parahumans universe.

I'm not surprised that Maddy knows it, I draw it all the time and it's on some of my custom t-shirts and stuffed animals, Maddy probably mistook it for my personal logo. It was a nice gesture that it was on my suit too.

One last superhero pose in the mirror later and I left my room where I met Maddy once again in the living room with a coffee.

"Finally, if you're going to be a superhero, you have to be ready for action faster, you know?"

"Hehe my bad." Note to self, not to do so many superhero poses in the mirror next time.

This time Maddy took her time to look at me properly, if I decided to pose a little for her, it's something no one will ever know.

Maddy nodded several times with her signature smug smile making an appearance once again.

"You definitely look like a superhero right now ("I know right?"), but… what about your secret identity?"

That question brought me out of my smug mood when I heard that she saw me as a superhero.

"What about my secret identity?"

"Are you serious right now?"

I turned my head horizontally to let her know that I have no idea what she's talking about.

"You are…"

She said that in a low voice as if she couldn't believe it, she took a breath, looked at the ceiling for a few seconds as if an angel from heaven would come down to answer all her questions before turning her gaze back to me.

"Rogue, how many women with long red hair and white streaks do you know?"

"Oh?...ohh"

"Yeah, oh. You'll have to hide your hair somehow because there's no way you're going to be able to do that now after a week here at college as Anne Marie."

"B-but I don't want to do that! My hair is part of Rogue the superhero's identity." I said definitively with a pout off my face.

"Then you might as well announce to everyone who you are and take off your mask completely."

That gave me pause.

Honestly, that was my plan at first. I wore the mask for a while, until I inevitably got noticed by my fame. Having to drop out of college because I would be banned from participating in sporting events was also part of it. As I mentioned before, I hate studying and I'm definitely not going to be here in the long run, but in my original idea, I already had some money saved up to get my own apartment and then continue my superhero work, get contacted by SHIELD, join the Avengers, and have Tony Stark and the government as my personal Sugar Daddies while still being a heroine.

But now I have Maddy. Now I have a real reason for wanting to be here and a loved one who could get dragged into my mess. When that thought came into my head I knew the whole thing was already decided.

"…Well. I don't have a power to help me hide my hair, so I guess it will be the old fashioned way."

"You can't solve everything with superpowers Rogue"

And as if responding to those words another star joined my Galaxy.

Finally! It seems my theory that I only get powers when I do superhero-related stuff turned out to be more correct than I thought. Although…

As usual, Maddy-who-is-not-psychic noticed it instantly.

"Another one?"

"Yes, I guess it will go and wait with the other three, which would make me have 4 inactive powers and 7 active ones..."

"You don't look as happy as I expected."

"Your psychic powers never cease to amaze me."

"Don't avoid the subject. What's going on?"

And… there's Maddy worried, I honestly can't hide anything from her when she looks at me like that. I don't really want to, but that's not the point.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of how I get powers."

"Really? Judging by your reaction, I guess it's not exactly good news."

"I wouldn't call it bad news either. A little sour perhaps?"

I decide to continue with the explanation instead of giving it more thought.

"At first, I thought I would get powers when I talked, thought, or did superhero stuff. On Sunday and then Monday, I got a total of 10 powers, and the week before that, when I wasn't active, I didn't get a single one. Now that I'm going out again, I suddenly get another new power. See? It makes sense."

Maddy nodded.

"It does, so what made you change your mind?"

I take a breath, preparing to give Maddy another dose of otherworldly exposition. Shit, I thought there weren't going to be any more of those.

"Did you know that mutants get stronger with training, practice, and time? It's not something that many people know, but even though mutant powers have a maximum ceiling, almost no power starts from that ceiling. My powers are different. They are already at their maximum from the moment I have them, no matter how much I train, they will never get stronger."

"But?" Knowing where I was going, Maddy invited me to continue.

"But, there is one exception and that is during conflict. These powers live off of conflict. During conflict they are stronger, faster, more controlled, more responsive, it is something that many Parahumans know. This is by design actually. The source of the powers wants to be used and rewards those who use them, punishes those who don't. What if my main power gives me powers when I am in conflict or preparing for it? If the answer to that is yes, then my powers are more conscious than I think and if they are, how much have they really affected my life? How much of me really wants to go out and beat up criminals? How much of me really wanted to practice martial arts? How much of me is really Rogue?"

It's a topic I've wanted to avoid for a while, but it seems now in front of my best friend it's come to light. It's a fact that the powers in Worm change the parahuman in one way or another. I thought my original powers were outside of that and that I could sacrifice any especially harmful powers like Bitch's, but why did I think my original powers were different in the first place?

A pair of warm hands took my face, which without realizing it I was looking at the ground, they lifted my head only to see an image that I hardly think I will ever forget.

Maddy's kind smile clearing my clouds as usual.

Honestly, what's wrong with me? What if I'm a little more violent? What if my powers make me want to talk to dogs? We all change with our environment and no matter how I think about it, those powers are part of me and if they are part of me, that means it doesn't matter how much they change me.

I'm still Rogue.

I returned Maddy's small smile with one of my own (much bigger and with a lot more teeth, of course) before jumping in to give her my second hug of the day.

We didn't need any more words between us.

I really don't know how to repay her.

"Ready?" She replied, knowing she already knew the answer.

"Ready"

It's time to be a hero.

I finally went out to beat up the bad guys, this time as a new me. With a new costume, new powers, a new relationship, and a cute new huge hood with hair clips to cover my hair.

Cool. I look more edgy now than before, but it's still cool. I don't know what kind of fashion magic Maddy's designers did, but even though the hood covers my hair, my face is still perfectly visible so I still have the accessible look I was going for.

I was flying through the streets of New York. I wasn't very high, it was more like I was floating on some kind of sword-shaped hoverboard that moved as fast as a bicycle.

People looked at me with great curiosity as I passed by, some children even pointed at me and I made sure to say hello.

That's right, to be the best heroine in New York I can't just go out at night beating up criminals secretly in the most efficient way possible, no. I have to go out, make my face (metaphorically speaking) known. Say hello to others. Make it all public, you know?

And speaking of good deeds. Looks like it's time to do my first superhero act (That first outing doesn't count obviously)!

"Here's your cat, girl. Be careful next time, remember that Rogue won't always be here to help."

"Thank you very much Miss Rogue!"

The mother who looked somewhat nervous said goodbye with a small gesture after taking the cat in one of her arms and quickly taking her daughter with the other while the little girl continued to say goodbye while being practically dragged by her mother, before finally turning around and starting to speak with excitement.

I stopped saying goodbye when the girl turned around before climbing back onto the sword I had set aside and continuing on my way.

First cat rescued from a tree as a superhero completed!

With my flying sword and costume it was pretty easy actually. Who would have thought I would be doing the most classic superhero job in the world on my first day? All I needed to do was help a lady cross the street and I would be all set.

As I flew through the streets, there she was. A woman in her 30s who seemed to be carrying bags full of food packed in plastic containers. She didn't look very old, nor did she seem to have any trouble crossing the street, but those bags were heavy and she looked as close to a troubled old lady as I was likely to encounter soon, so I decided to approach her.

"Excuse me, do you need help?"

The lady was a little startled when I called out to her, I guess that's what happens when someone comes up behind you while making almost no noise as they move.

She seemed a little suspicious at first, but after looking at my shiny costume she seemed to remember something before softening a bit and asking.

"Are you one of those superheroes that have been appearing around, dear?"

"That's right, lady! My name is Rogue, the world's next greatest superhero!"

"Ooo it's nice to meet the next greatest superheroine. And are you willing to help an old lady like me carry these bags of food?"

"Old?! you couldn't be 30 years old, you are really beautiful, of course I will help you! There is no job too small for a great heroine like me!"

That made the lady laugh and being the superhero that I am, I decided to take all the bags ("wow you are really strong!" "Naturally!") while the lady guided me to my destination.

Apparently the lady worked at a non-profit organization, a charity dedicated to helping the homeless.

Along the way she talked to me about the problems there, but also about how rewarding it can be to help someone else, which gave me a slap in the face of humility.

This lady and all those who help others without all those fancy powers are definitely the real heroes of New York. Just another boost to my goal of helping them as much as I can.

The place wasn't too far away. About 20 minutes walk and we had already arrived. I helped her carry everything to the kitchens and the lady decided to say goodbye to me as a thank you. They also offered me coffee, but I declined.

Once outside the place it was time to say goodbye.

"Thank you very much for the help Rogue, I hope other heroes are like you."

"Thanks to you, Miss, this little trip has taught me a lot and only makes me want to help even more."

My words seemed to have made her very happy and she gave me a big smile before going back inside. I turned around to continue with my patrol when I heard the woman's voice gasp, I turned around when I saw her looking at me with some embarrassment. I tilted my head not sure what was going on.

"I'm sorry I was so rude to you, you've helped me so much and I haven't even introduced myself yet. Nice to meet you Rogue, my name is May Parker, if you need help with anything don't hesitate to come here and ask for me."

With that she made another gesture of farewell before re-entering the place.

What are the chances? I just talked to Aunt May after help her on a random street. I swear to Scion, that can't be normal.

The best thing is that she is as good a person as I always imagined her to be. At first I just wanted to be a superhero because I didn't want to regret it, but right now, I really feel like I want to do good, really, a woman who changes lives.

With that in mind, I continued to wander the streets of New York helping anyone who needed help with anything from retrieving a balloon to giving directions, although the latter fifty-fifty considering I've only been living in New York for a short time.

I didn't find anyone committing any crimes or anything, but this isn't too bad either and before I knew it, it was already getting dark and the nightlife was starting to flourish.

Should I go back? Maddy and I agreed that patrolling at night wasn't worth much for my goal of being the best hero in the world and until I got a Noctis power or something it would mess up my sleep schedule too.

Still, I think I'll stay another hour just in case, who doesn't want to kick some ass after all?

So I continued my patrol, but this time I went to less crowded and more notoriously dangerous places. I didn't know about New York's criminal society, but it's common sense that poorer neighborhoods have a higher crime rate anywhere in the world.

And yet…

"Why is everything so quiet?"

Yeah, there's only 10 minutes left of the patrol hour I promised myself I'd continue, but I still haven't found even a pickpocket. You'd think Marvel would have more criminals than this.

The sound of an alarm brought me out of my thoughts.

It seemed to be coming from across the street. I increased my sword-skateboard's travel speed to maximum as I flew over the small buildings on this side of town, and there it was.

A nondescript black van parked in front of a jewelry store where 6 guys in nondescript clothing and black balaclavas were stealing everything in their path.

Villains.

I swung my sword in their direction and with a thud I landed on the hood of their truck. The sound of me falling into the truck even overcame that of the loud alarm and drew the attention of everyone on the scene.

"Stop you criminal scum!" That will never get old.

"Rogue the superhero is here to put an end to your evil deeds!" I love talking like I'm on a TV show.

They all looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo, but there was still a dangerous wariness in their gazes. I expected some mockery or skepticism when they saw a person in a super suit claiming to be able to stop 6 people from committing a robbery, but it was like something had warned them of how dangerous I could be.

And once I paid attention to the scene I immediately understood why.

In a blind spot inside the jewelry store, there was a muscular man wearing a black tights suit and green armor covering his arms, legs, and torso. A round helmet of the same color covered his entire head.

I didn't know who he was, but what I was sure of was that in front of me was someone with powers who was almost certainly my enemy.

It was official, I, a budding Rogue heroine, was about to fight my first supervillain.

At that moment, as if confirming my thoughts, another star joined the group of stars, waiting to be used.

Thanks for your help Power, I'm excited too.