I'm in Marvel 11

10 reviews = bonus chapter

500 gems = bonus chapter

Advanced chapters at:

patreon.com/FanFictionPremium

***

The day went smoothly, which was a relief. When I got home, I waited impatiently for my mother to return. I couldn't wait to find out how the charity event had gone. When I got home, I asked her a lot of questions.

- 'It was fine,' she said. - Why do you ask all of a sudden? You're not really interested in it.

- But this particular case did. How was Fisk in person?

- She's a terrific woman.

- Especially with her forms, - I said with a sly smile, remembering the pictures I've seen.

- Naughty! - Mum was indignant, and then continued in a thoughtful voice. - Although it's hard to disagree with you. 

- Did you happen to see Victoria Wright there?

- Of course I did. She's a very famous person in certain circles. She's very wealthy and her family, as far as I know, were former aristocrats. But Victoria tries to keep a low profile, so she's not very well known. 

- That's how it is, - I said thoughtfully. - So she owns factories, newspapers, steamships?

Alas, in English this phrase did not sound as beautiful as in Russian, but, nevertheless, the essence was preserved.

- Yeah. Except that she probably doesn't have such antiquity as steamships. But various ships and yachts were definitely there. Speaking of which, she's also been talking to me about advertising. And a contract with her will bring in a lot of money and goodwill. If such mastodons want to work with our company, then others should not be ashamed to apply," said Mum in a satisfied tone. - By the way, how did you find out about it? Considering how uninterested you are in lists of rich and important people, you shouldn't know about it.

- I didn't," I agreed. - It just so happens that she's the mum of a classmate I'm in touch with. And I was at their house yesterday right before the event started.

- You went to the Wrights'?! - Mum exclaimed in amazement. I naturally told her I was going to my classmate's house.

- Yeah. I didn't even know it when I went.

- It's amazing," said Mum, amazed. - What do you think of this girl? 

- Why do you all keep saying the same thing? - I asked tiredly. First Victoria, now Mum. - She's weird. 

- With that kind of money, she can afford to be anything she wants to be," Mum said with a smile.

- If you're talking about "strengthening the relationship" between us, then no way! Even just being around her at school is an ordeal, you know.

- Son, you don't rush into it, but you have to weigh up the pros and cons," Mum said in an affectionate tone. That's what they say when they're trying to convince either very young children or crazy people. 

- What makes you think she's interested in me at all? - I've been trying to avoid the honour. - If she's invited you home, she's definitely interested in you," Mum said in an important tone, raising her index finger up for good measure. Only her interest is based on the fact that I'm an unusual person. And it's best to keep your distance from her. Except I'm not sure that's gonna work.

- I don't know, I don't know. All right, let's just get this over with. - All these hints of a very close relationship with Gerda were, to put it bluntly, strange to me. 

- And for nothing. You should be thinking about the future! - I think about it all the time. 

And at school, Daniel was all over me after he found out I'd been to Gerda's house.

- Kyle, you're so cool for going to Gerda's house. - Dan said, admiringly, after I told him about it.

- No shit," I said, in the tone of a seasoned adventurer. - It was peaceful enough.

- Are her parents just as scary? - The boy asked with genuine interest, stepping forward.

- She only has a mum. And no, she's not scary. On the contrary," said Denu, immersed in his memories. Yeah, Victoria Wright is not creepy. Ugh! It's my hormones again. Where were my 10 years when I didn't have this problem?

- Okay. I wonder what she was born so creepy like. - Daniel asked a question.

- Whose person are you talking about? - A question came from my left, from a familiar voice.

- Y-yes, about someone we know! - The boy babbled. - You don't know him!

- Really? Well, I'll take your word for it," Gerda said with a smile that made it clear she understood.

Having frightened Daniel, the black woman walked past us and sat down in her seat. The boy, on the other hand, turned sideways to me.

For the next month, everything was normal. Nothing disturbed the peaceful flow of life. Everything was the same at school, except for the hormones and the gradual complication of lessons. The former was a problem, because we had more teachers, the vast majority of whom were women with beautiful looks, which made it hard for me to concentrate on the lesson. The problem was also compounded by the plethora of high school girls, most of whom were not in relationships. So some of them didn't mind getting to know up close and personal with promising boys a couple of years younger. And at the expense of more experience and matured forms, they were winning over the younger girls.

The second problem, however, was that we were added extra lessons, which we had to spend a lot of time on. If biology, maths, physics, chemistry and geography made perfect sense to me, as one classical scholar said, the others took more time because I either didn't remember them well or hadn't studied them at all, such as US history, economics and the history of the American government. English and just world history had to be learnt more seriously. I did not remember the language very well from the beginning, and the local history, though very similar, was different in many aspects. The same historical figures could either stay the same or change their gender. Besides, I already had to choose a foreign language to study. It would be possible to stop on Russian, but I decided not to take the easy way and was torn between Spanish and Chinese. And if you look at it that way, I had nothing to complain about, because I knew most of the most difficult lessons due to my past life and the knowledge I got through the System.

Anyway, I lived like that, waiting for the full package of data about the Singularity, which would help me to get superpowers. After that, I could try to create some sort of super soldier serum. By then, my body will be sufficiently formed, so it'll be safe to use it on myself. And now I think I'm gonna study hard so I can graduate high school and college when I'm 16.

- Hi, Kyle," I heard a stuttering voice that distracted me from my Napoleonic plans.

- Hi Benji," I said, turning to the person speaking.

He was a guy, with white hair, green eyes, a slightly fearful look through his glasses, and a cute face. He used to be in a parallel class, along with Gerda, and had moved to mine when we were merged. He was also extremely intelligent, being in the top three for our class. The interesting thing was that everyone in that top three was a boy, such a coincidence. Although Gerda could well have challenged for second or third place if she had shown a little interest in it. In general, the large number of intelligent children of both sexes in my school was not unusual. This school was considered very prestigious, and you could only get in with a lot of money or if your child was a prodigy. I was able to do that because of my decent knowledge and the fact that I'm a boy. Because of this, I was able to squeeze into a limited number of concessionary places, as my mum's money wouldn't have been enough to cover the whole cost. 

Benjamin, the boy who called out to me, also got in through the concessionary programme. If you looked at it that way, he was a typical nerd and suffered because of it. He wasn't harassed as much as the aforementioned machine-girl, but it wasn't pleasant.

- You're not busy today? I n-just thought that maybe today you could train me? - The white man asked in a confused tone.

- Why not? I don't have any more to do today than usual, so let's do it.

- Great! - Benjamin said cheerfully.

- Then let's go to my place after school and study for an hour. Won't your mum lose you?

- She won't be home until tonight.

As far as I knew, Ben had only his mum, and some other distant relatives he didn't communicate with. Dad was unknown, which was the usual situation.

- Okay. (Sighs) Then we wait for the end of the school day.

I wasn't a professional trainer, but I could teach the basics, after all, Aunt Naomi was a good teacher. So after school, Benjamin went to my house, where I began to train him. I decided to start by emphasising physical fitness, to get the boy up to speed. I might not make a great warrior out of him, but I'll give him some confidence and self-respect.

- Not bad, Benji. Those big boys didn't bother you anymore?

- Not yet," the white man answered with a shake of his head. - After you beat them up, they didn't bother me, though they said some bad words. But how you scattered them! Bam, bam, bam and they're all at your feet!

He even tried to stage a fight with three boys a year older than us. He was just so full of admiration. Yeah, I was able to make a lasting impression on Ben.

And the story goes like this. A few days ago, Gerda and I went outside at recess to kill time. Daniel had occasionally gone out with us, too, since he had partially managed to overcome his fear of the girl. But this time he stayed in the building, helping the three girls solve some examples. Something told me that their goal wasn't just to get help. I gave Dan a thumbs-up, and Gerda and I went to the spot the three of us favoured. There was shade and a few trees hiding the nook from prying eyes.

There was still some time before school, and Gerda and I decided to spend it drinking tea. The girl took with her a thermos, where she poured her favourite drink and then periodically drank it at recess. She also poured it for me, and I was able to give my assessment. She definitely had a taste for tea at least. After that, Gerda continued to treat me. 

I even asked how much such splendour cost. I thought I'd buy one for myself. But when she said about a thousand dead presidents per kilo, I almost spit out the tea in my mouth. Only the realisation that it was a very expensive liquid kept me from such a sacrilegious act. But Gerda laughed openly, like a very ordinary girl. It was quite an unexpected sight. After swallowing the tea and waiting for Gerda to calm down, I said that it was too expensive a treat, and I would give her the money. The girl waved her hand regally in her usual manner and said that such sums were not a problem for her and that she shouldn't pay attention to it.

Remembering that her mum is likely to be richer than me, I had to agree. And here I found myself at a crossroads. On the one hand, I always thought that such excesses are a complete nonsense, created only for ponts, in front of other rich people. On the other hand, the tea was really good. But was it worth it? Since I wasn't a black tea fanatic, probably not. Anyway, it's a matter of taste and wallet thickness.

So, we were sitting, drinking tea, not touching anyone, as suddenly from behind the trees we heard voices. What they said I heard from the fifth to the tenth, but even that was enough to understand the situation. And what was going on was bullying, or bullying. I didn't want to get involved in other people's problems, but I couldn't just sit there.

- What's wrong? - Gerda asked me, when I stood up and was about to go and sort things out.

- Yeah. Someone's being bullied. I'll go and see what's going on.

- I'll keep you company on this difficult journey, - said the girl, standing up and shaking off her skirt from the non-existent rubbish. After that she quickly collected her thermos and mugs with the help of telekinesis and put them into a small bag.

I nodded at that and, after waiting for her to collect everything, went to the voices. It wasn't a pretty picture. A trio of boys were laughing and calling our classmate Benjamin White names. He was a quiet kid who didn't socialise much. He was a straight-A student. 

But the trio of assholes weren't satisfied with verbal abuse. They decided to scratch their fists too. And they chose the perfect victim. A child from a poor family, withdrawn, and a herbivore. I recognise this bunch. They bully a lot of students. But I knew they had three other bully girls with them. But they weren't there right now.I didn't want to interfere, because it would be another pain in the arse to deal with their families, and I wasn't so confident in my ability to take down three kids at once. They were in a phase of explosive hormonal growth, and they towered over Benjamin and me. Getting punched in the face is very unpleasant. I learnt that in my fights with Aki. But it wasn't manly to leave the boy to such arseholes.

- Where do you think you're going, Kyle? - Gerda asked me a question.

- Helping out a classmate.

- Well, you have my blessing," the girl said with a grin. 

- Thank you, - with a slight sarcasm answered her. - What would I do without you?

And having inwardly set himself up for a fight, he took a quick step towards the kids. 

- Hey, you! What the fuck are you doing bothering the kid?!

The whole foursome stared at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world.

- Who the fuck are you? - Asked me by the biggest guy in the gang.

- My name is Kyle Smith, I'm twelve... - I started, but I had to stop, because these guys were not going to listen to my biography. And since that's the case, then... - Next thing you know, you're out of your mind, smart-ass! 

- You're out of your mind, smarty-pants?! How?! 

- How did I know what you'd say? - The speaker nodded, for he could not utter a word. - That's because I'm smart! Anyway, here's my last Chinese warning. Leave my classmate alone and go away.

- And if I don't? - The chief's henchman asked with a grin as he staggered towards me.

- Then I'll ... Oh! Who's that?! - I stared in surprise behind Benjamin and the jackals.

- Who's there? Agh! - You don't have to turn your back on your opponent. Now that I've kicked him in the chin, he'll know how to underestimate his opponent. It's all right, let him lie down for a while and get some fresh air.

- He got Kenny! - Yelled the other henchman.

- You bastard! - The henchman came at me.

- Come here! - I shouted back with excitement.

The boy swung wide and with a belligerent shout tried to hit me. But only such primitive for me was already past the stage. The puppy's chest hit my fist, and he sobbed and stretched out on the ground. 

His only friend, who was still on his feet and watching as I quickly dispatched his mates, froze in place. When he saw me coming in his direction, he dropped his hold on Benjamin and moved cautiously toward me. 

Like a gentleman, I gave him a chance to strike first and took the small jackal's fist on the block. Without giving him a second swing, I knocked him on his empty head. That made the kid fall to the ground and cry. Ugh, scum. Bullying the kids himself, and as soon as he got his comeuppance he whimpered.

His mates were also lying on the ground trying to breathe through their groans. It's okay, let them see how bad it is to get beaten up. Maybe they'll stop being little shits. No, I don't think so. You'd have to break a few bones to be like that. Then maybe they'll understand. 

But Benjamin, forgotten by me and the jackals, was watching me with a look of fear and admiration, if I could interpret his emotions correctly.

- It's like that. Don't mess with the others, or you'll get hurt," I said to the subordinates. And there was applause from behind. Naturally, it was the black one.

- You beat those high school kids, as if you were a grown-up for going up against unreasonable children," said Gerda, stopping the clapping. - It's a pity they couldn't compete with you. It is also a pity that we were not allowed to live in Rome of old. I am sure they would have put these gladiators to death for their shameful defeat. 

Benjamin trembled slightly at these words and the girl's look. The beaten jackals, who had already come to their senses, also tensed up. Apparently, they decided to stay away from us and made their way back to the school.

- I just don't understand one thing. - I raised an eyebrow questioningly, as if asking the girl. - Why did you interfere in this problem?

- What do you mean, why? And how should I have done it? - I wondered what she meant.

- This boy is weak in body and spirit," Gerda said dismissively. - 'And his share is to become fodder for someone who has strength. There is no point in saving him at all, for if it is not these three, there will be others, or even thirds. And can you protect the boy from all that?

- What are you saying? That we shouldn't waste time and energy on such people? - I asked the girl, frowning.

- Yes. The only sensible thing to do is to leave. The weak will remain weak, in an attempt to save them, you will only exhaust your inner strength, - said Gerda with unshakable conviction. 

- Then the weak should just be taught to be strong, - I said, not wanting to admit that her words resonated with me.

And I remembered how masked heroes live. How they fear for the lives of their loved ones, how they can't build normal relationships, and so on. And in that, Gerda's words were in line with what I was thinking. But at the same time, I think that to remain completely indifferent to what is happening is not an option either.

- It's not going to work out," she said flatly. - Some people can't get stronger, no matter how hard you try. No matter what they do, they will always be just fodder.

- Even so, I can't agree with you completely. I think you should not be so uncompromising to everyone who can't stand up for themselves.

- Then you will only be disappointed in the future," said Gerda. At this she returned to her usual manner of speaking, without that strange style. Apparently such a subject was of considerable importance to her. 

What could a girl of twelve know about such matters? But apparently Gerda was really versed in the subject, for when I looked into her eyes I saw sadness and pain. She had had a similar emotion when I had asked her a question about her ability to act decisively. Except now she didn't seem as creepy as she had that time.

- I'll leave you to it," the girl said without letting me answer, heading toward the school building. - The bell would be ringing soon enough, so I shouldn't be late for my next class. 

And that was that. We stood with Benjamin for a while, digesting what had been said. The boy was the first to break the silence.

- K-Kyle, right? - The white man asked in a frightened voice.

- Yeah. And you're Benjamin. 

- Y-yes! Thank you so much! No one's ever stood up for me before," said the boy and hung his head.

- It's nothing," he said, waving his hand. - And anyway! I only interfered because they were interfering with my tea! Don't think that I was just unhappy to see a child beaten!

- But we're the same age..." Benjamin tried to say.

- It doesn't matter! I just didn't like those guys! Okay?! - I hovered over the boy.

- All right! - The white man nodded his head furiously.

- That's good.

- But your friend was right," the boy said in a sad tone, hanging his head again. - I'm weak, and then that trio will come to mock me again.

- I've got a problem. You tell me, and I'll give them another round.

- And then they'll come again and again. - Ben shook his head. - I need to be strong on my own.

- You can do that," he agreed, nodding approvingly.

- But how? I'm only good at lessons," Benjamin said, confused.

- Well, let me teach you. I'm not a master, but I can do some things. - I shrugged my shoulders and offered him.

- Can I?! I mean, you've already helped me! And I don't have any money. 

- I don't need it. All right, here's the deal. I'll figure out how and what to teach you today, and we'll talk about it tomorrow.

That's the deal. I've come up with a training programme that's simple and safe enough for a growing body, but also effective. And now I've been running Benji for a month.

But in the end I was called to the headmistress, where they tried to attack me again, with new actors. The parents of the victims were big shots, but not as big as my mum, so they were quickly shut up. And I did my bit by telling them what really happened.

That's how I made a new friend. Well, there are already three boys and only one girl in our group, although with this gender imbalance it should be the other way round. Hmm, maybe I'm doing something wrong.

***

Don't forget to donate gems.

And subscribe at:

patreon.com/FanFictionPremium