Chapter 4

Ryder trudged out of Stark Tower hours later, completely drained. The day had been a disaster. While Ryan seemed to thrive in the high-tech environment, Ryder had barely kept up. He had fumbled through explanations he didn't understand, made mistakes that even the most novice engineer would avoid, and had to rely on Ryan to pick up the slack. Every moment felt like he was one step away from being discovered as a fraud.

His brain was a foggy mess, overloaded by jargon, schematics, and the intense pressure of pretending to belong. The city streets outside Stark Tower offered no solace either. Manhattan's energy, usually a source of excitement for most, only added to his growing sense of isolation. He needed a break, a moment to breathe, but there was no escaping the reality he now lived in.

His thoughts turned dark as he walked through the crowded streets. "What the hell am I even doing here?" he muttered to himself, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm supposed to be an intern at Stark Industries? That's ridiculous."

Just as he rounded the corner into a quieter part of the city, near an alleyway, something tugged at the back of his mind. An unease that started as a prickle on his neck.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the shadows—a tall man in a ragged hoodie. Two more stepped out behind him, each looking just as rough. Ryder slowed down, but he was trapped before he could react.

"Wallet. Phone. Everything you got, now," the first man barked, waving a switchblade with a cruel smile.

Ryder froze, his mind racing. He didn't have any real combat experience, and this wasn't some comic book where heroes swooped in at the last second. He was on his own. The thugs moved closer, surrounding him. His body tensed with fear, his pulse hammering in his ears.

"Come on, man, don't make this hard," the second guy sneered, stepping closer with a hand outstretched.

Ryder reached for his wallet, his mind scrambling for a way out. But then, something strange happened.

It was subtle at first, a flicker at the edges of his vision—like the world itself wavered for a moment. His breath hitched. Before he could process it, the flicker became stronger, and suddenly the street around him warped. The city's sounds dulled, the sights blurred into a haze of distorted colors.

"What the—?" Ryder gasped, but before he could finish, everything vanished.

In an instant, he was gone from the alley. The wind howled past his ears, and for a brief moment, Ryder felt like he was flying through space. When his feet hit solid ground again, he stumbled, almost collapsing in shock.

He looked around, disoriented. He was standing several blocks away from where he had been, near a park that he'd passed earlier on his commute. The muggers, the alley, the danger—they were all gone, as if they had never existed.

"What... just happened?" Ryder whispered to himself, his heart still racing. He glanced down at his hands, half-expecting them to glow or spark with some sort of power. But they were normal—everything was normal, except that he had somehow teleported across the city.

Slowly, Ryder's mind began to piece together what had occurred. The artifact, the dark orb that he had bought in his original universe, this must've been its doing. Whatever power it held, it was awakening inside him. His wish, his new life, had granted him something far beyond simple luck.

He had teleported.

Ryder took a shaky breath, trying to process the magnitude of it. He had an ability now, something he had only ever seen in superhero movies or read about in comics. And it had saved his life.

But as the adrenaline wore off, a flood of questions followed. How had it activated? Could he control it? And most importantly, what else could he do?

He leaned against a park bench, staring out at the city lights with a mix of fear and excitement. This new world had already thrown him into chaos, but it was becoming clearer that he wasn't just a normal guy anymore. 

The thought terrified him, but it was also exciting. He'd been brought to this universe for a reason, clearly something... Or someone, wanted this to happen. 

"Teleportation…" he murmured to himself, a small grin tugging at his lips despite the craziness of it all. "That's... pretty cool."

Ryder shoved his hands into his pockets, walking through the dimly lit streets back toward his dorm, the city's noise a low hum in the background. He couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. He had teleported. Actually teleported. One moment, he was cornered by the muggers, and in the next, he had blinked out of existence and reappeared halfway across the block.

It wasn't just the fear or the rush that came with it. There was something more, something powerful simmering beneath his skin. If he could teleport, what else could he do? Could he go anywhere, anytime? Could he get stronger? The questions swirled in his mind as he walked, barely noticing the passersby or the chill in the air.

He glanced down at his hands as if they held the answer, but of course, they looked like they always had—just normal hands. But now, he knew better. Beneath the surface, something had changed.

How do I even practice this? Ryder wondered. Do I just think about a place and try to go there? Or is there more to it?

The thought of testing it was both thrilling and terrifying. If he messed up, who knew where he could end up—or worse, what might happen to him? Would it be like Nightcrawler? Teleporting into a wall... He shook the bad thoughts away, deciding he shouldn't teleport again. He could just walk.

As he walked through the crowded streets, the neon lights and billboards reflected in the wet pavement, he spotted something that pulled him out of his thoughts. Tacked to a wall, half-covered by layers of old posters and advertisements, was a flyer. The word "Mutant" caught his eye.

He stopped, reading the bold print:

"Underground Mutant Fights! Prove Your Strength, Show What You're Made Of!"

Beneath it, an address was scrawled along with a time and date—tonight, at midnight.

Ryder felt his pulse quicken as he read the details. This wasn't just some random flyer; it was a calling, an opportunity. He had powers now, abilities he barely understood. And here was a place where he could test them, a way to push himself without drawing too much attention from the authorities or worse.

He scanned the area, wondering if anyone else had noticed the flyer. The streets seemed empty, save for the occasional passerby in a hurry to get home. Ryder tore off the bottom half of the flyer with the address and tucked it into his pocket. His mind raced. He wasn't sure if he should go, but the temptation to learn more about himself was impossible to ignore.

Mutant fights? The very idea was wild, but it made a strange sort of sense in this universe. He'd heard about mutants before, but seeing this flyer made the reality of it all sink in deeper. He wasn't just an intern at Stark Industries anymore, or a dimension hopper in over his own head, he was something more.

And if he could teleport, what else might others like him be capable of?

He took a deep breath and continued walking, the flyer burning a hole in his pocket. Testing his teleportation in the middle of the city wasn't smart, but at an underground fight ring? That could be the perfect place. No one would care if he slipped up or if things went wrong.

The closer he got to his dorm, the more the idea of going pulled at him. The dull routine of his life, the feeling of being out of place, it all faded in the face of this new possibility. Ryder wasn't a hero—not yet—but maybe this was his first step toward becoming something more.

His dorm building loomed ahead, but instead of feeling the usual sense of relief at returning home. How he'd always felt coming home from class or boring parties. He felt restless, like there was something more waiting for him out there. The clock was ticking. Midnight wasn't far off.

"I'm going," he muttered to himself, the decision solidifying in his mind.

If he wanted to understand his powers, if he wanted to see what he could really do, he had to take risks. The fight would be his first test, and he wasn't about to back down.

With one last look at the flyer in his pocket, Ryder headed inside to change. Midnight was only a few hours away, and he had to be ready for whatever came next.

A/N: Hello readers. This is devilsrejects first official project. There are other fics on this account that old author's wrote, but they have moved on and those probably won't be completed unless they come back. That aside please vote for the story if you enjoyed and look out for future chapters!