MHA: Akatsuki

The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm, mellow light through the windows of the small apartment. It was the perfect lazy afternoon, and Kaito Arata was making the most of it. He reclined on his couch, a bowl of snacks resting on his stomach, as he lazily flicked through the channels on his TV.

He had just finished an episode of Eminence in the Shadow, and his mind was still buzzing with excitement. Cid Kagenou, the man who lived his life as a background character, pretending to be "shadow" just for fun, was exactly the type of character Kaito had always admired.

"Man, Cid's cool," Kaito muttered under his breath, letting out a small chuckle. "His whole vibe, pretending to be the biggest guy in the shadows while everyone around him thinks he's just a regular guy—that's some next-level stuff. His persona is awesome." He smiled to himself, feeling the thrill of Cid's world.

Looking at the screen, Kaito hovered his finger over the remote, ready to start the next episode. But suddenly, a feeling hit him. He squinted slightly, then shrugged.

"Ugh, okay, before I dive into the next episode…" He paused the show, then stood up lazily. "Gotta hit the bathroom first."

He grabbed his phone off the coffee table, ready to scroll through TikTok to pass the time as he walked to the bathroom. His thumb slid across the screen as he entered the small, cluttered bathroom. His eyes were half-focused on the videos, and he absently tapped through them as he relieved himself.

The first video that caught his eye was a clip from My Hero Academia.

"Ooh, MHA... that's the next anime I'm gonna check out," Kaito muttered, casually commenting on the post. "All those quirks and stuff, sounds cool." His eyes flicked over to the next video—something about Naruto, his favorite show.

"Damn, Naruto's still a classic," he commented. A couple of swipes later, there was a Bleach clip. He grinned. "Ichigo always bringing the heat."

He was too distracted by the TikTok videos to notice the time. He had no idea that the minutes were ticking by, or that something strange was about to happen.

Finally finished, he stood up, took one last look at the phone, and headed back to the living room. With one swift motion, he plopped down onto the couch and grabbed the remote to resume his show.

Just as his finger hovered over the button, something strange happened.

His vision blurred. For a moment, everything seemed to grow dark. His vision slowly faded, like a curtain being pulled over his eyes. A heavy weight pressed down on him, and before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt his body go limp. The last thing he remembered was a strange pressure in his chest, followed by the overwhelming darkness that engulfed him completely.

...

When his eyes snapped open, the overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity hit him like a ton of bricks. He wasn't in his living room anymore, nor was he in his body. In fact, nothing around him felt familiar at all. There was nothing. Just darkness. Pure, pitch-black void.

His heart raced, and panic surged through his chest. "What the hell? Where am I?!" He tried to move, but his limbs were unresponsive. He could barely feel his own body, and the more he thought about it, the more his panic grew. Was he dreaming? Was this some kind of prank?

Then, just as he was about to scream, something appeared in front of him. A roulette wheel.

It spun slowly, glowing against the darkness, with strange symbols covering its sections. His breath hitched as he stared at it. This wasn't normal. This couldn't be real. Was he dreaming? It looked like something straight out of the fanfiction he read, where the main character gets trapped in some kind of system and has to lead a group of powerful individuals.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, as though it came from every direction.

"Congratulations. You have been selected to be the first tester of the Group System."

The voice was robotic, cold, and mechanical, but it rattled his senses, sending chills down his spine. His eyes widened. "Wait, what? This... this is like one of those fanfics I read!" He panicked. "No way, no way! This can't be real!"

Before he could fully process his thoughts, the voice continued, explaining the system's function.

"The Group System allows you to choose a group of individuals from various worlds. You will be reborn in another world and take on the role of their leader. You will gain the powers of that group's leader. Your task is to lead them, fulfill their goals, and grow stronger together."

His mind raced with the implications of the words. He was getting powers from another world? As the leader? This was crazy! But at the same time, there was a small part of him that couldn't help but feel excited. If it was real, that meant he'd have the chance to become someone powerful, someone with the strength to lead a group of amazing people.

The roulette wheel suddenly shifted. It flickered, revealing a list of names and labels, all arranged in neat sections on the wheel. He leaned closer to inspect it.

"Akatsuki..." he muttered, recognizing the first name. "Shadow Garden... Demon Slayer Corps... Gotei 13... Squad Zero... Strawhat Pirates... Avengers... Justice League... Espada... Wandenreich..."

The names kept scrolling past, each one making his heart race. The possibilities were endless! But then he saw something that caught his eye:

"Saitama Group."

He blinked. Wait, Saitama had a group? Wasn't he just a lone bald powerhouse? That name didn't seem right.

He chuckled nervously, but his mind was still reeling. He couldn't focus long enough to take it all in. He continued scanning the options, when the roulette suddenly started spinning faster.

The world around him seemed to blur as the wheel spun, faster and faster. His heart pounded in his chest, the anticipation unbearable. Was this it? Was he about to choose a team?

The wheel began to slow, ticking down to its final section. His eyes darted to the pointer.

First, it slowed down on the "Phantom Troupe."

His face fell. "Phantom Troupe? No! I haven't even watched Hunter x Hunter yet! Come on!" He groaned in disappointment.

But just as he was about to give up, the wheel slowed down one more time. The pointer ticked past Phantom Troupe and landed with a soft click on—

"Akatsuki."

His heart skipped a beat, and a wild grin spread across his face. "YES! Akatsuki! I got Akatsuki!" He couldn't help himself. He jumped in the void, pumping his fist in the air like he'd just won the lottery.

Akatsuki. The name sent a jolt of excitement through him. Nagato, Pain, the Rinnegan—the power were now his. He could feel it, like a warm fire starting to grow in his chest, the knowledge and the abilities of those he'd read about for so long suddenly flowing into his body. It was overwhelming but exhilarating at the same time.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. This wasn't just some fantasy; this was real. He wasn't dreaming.

The voice returned, its tone almost pleased now. "You have chosen your group. As the leader of Akatsuki, you will now receive the power of its leader."

He felt a sharp pain, and his body trembled. His head throbbed as if something deep inside was rearranging itself, memories that weren't his own flooding in—Nagato's memories, his struggles, his pain. The images of battles, betrayals, and the loss that came with his choices. It was intense, like an entire lifetime condensed into seconds.

But it wasn't all pain. There was also power. Unmatched, raw power. The Rinnegan's vast potential surged through him like electricity. He felt invincible, unstoppable.

His chest tightened as he tried to process everything, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "This is... this is insane. I've got the Rinnegan." He let out a small laugh, full of disbelief and excitement.

The void around him seemed to ripple and shift. His thoughts wandered to the next step. What now? He had a team to lead, but he was still in a strange place, and he had no idea how to move forward. Would he be transported to another world? How would he start?

As the excitement from his new powers began to settle, the roulette wheel before him started to shift once more. The glow around it pulsed, and new labels appeared, each one more enticing and mind-boggling than the last. His heart raced as he leaned in, trying to make sense of what was going on.

The first label caught his attention immediately: Ninja World. But just as quickly, it was crossed out with a bright red X. He frowned. What did that mean? Had he missed his chance?

Next, the wheel spun again. Pirate World, Soul World, Overpowered Hero World, and then—Saiyan World. He almost froze at the mention of Saiyan World. The power of the Saiyans? He would be up against Goku and Vegeta. That was crazy.

But then he saw another world, and his eyes widened. Pokemon World. He couldn't help but chuckle nervously. Was that an option? A world full of pocket monsters?

As his eyes skimmed over more options, one label caught his attention—Cooking World. He blinked. Cooking? What kind of world was that? He shook his head. This was getting ridiculous.

The wheel spun faster, and he barely had time to react before it started slowing down again. He thought it had stopped on Marvel World, his mind immediately spiraling. Thanos. Galactus. Kang. They'd have to face them all? How was he supposed to handle that?

His pulse quickened. He was just about to start planning his approach—thinking about how to fight Thanos when the wheel, still spinning slowly, clicked one last time, landing firmly on—

Hero World.

The name sent a shiver down his spine. Hero World? There were so many different hero stories out there—too many to count. Was it the world of Superman, Spiderman, or something else entirely? Which universe would it be?

Before he could fully process the possibilities, the familiar, cold voice echoed in his mind once again.

"You have been selected to enter Hero World. Specifically... My Hero Academia."

His jaw dropped. My Hero Academia? He'd heard of it, of course—everyone had. The world where quirks, superpowers, were common, and heroes and villains clashed in an ongoing battle for control.

This was real. This wasn't a joke. He wasn't dreaming.

As the voice faded into the distance, his body tingled with anticipation, and a strange mixture of dread and excitement settled in his chest.

"My Hero Academia..." he muttered, the words tasting strange on his tongue.