I never gave much thought to death.
Nor did I think the flight home from my grandparents' place would crash.
Well, unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to survive a plane crash. 15 years old and that's how it ends for me.
"How tragic."
Looking in front of me, I see a white silhouette resembling—or rather, taking—my form, though without any eyes, yet conveying his amusement entirely through tone alone.
Reminds me of Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist, honestly.
Well, no point in fretting over small details now.
"Quite relaxed for someone who just died in a horrific accident."
Well, I can't do anything about it now. And if I'm being honest, I don't have many regrets. Fifteen years isn't long, but I got to see humans go on the Moon again, watched aviation history being written in real time, heard music that made me stop whatever I was doing just to listen, ate food I still think about, watched films that stuck with me for weeks, and travelled enough to know just how big and strange and beautiful the world actually is.
The one thing I never got to do was go to space. That one I'll carry.
But everything else? Not bad for fifteen years.
"Ho? What about your friends and family, then?"
They would be sad, especially my parents and siblings, but I can only hope they move on and live their lives to the fullest.
"Quite the optimistic mindset for someone who just died."
That one stings a little more.
My family is... a lot. Mom, Dad, aunts, uncles, their partners, their kids — I was the youngest out of all of them, which meant I was simultaneously everyone's favorite and everyone's target. Every holiday was loud and chaotic and somehow always ended with someone's kid crying and someone else's uncle asleep on the couch. And my friends — we weren't the biggest group, but they were the kind of people you could say nothing to for hours and still feel like you'd had a good time.
I'll miss all of them.
They'll take it hard — especially Mom. But my family has each other, and my friends have each other too. That's more than most people get.
"Might I say, I quite like your attitude, Rudy, though many say that. Few mean it."
Thanks, I guess.
"Well then, moving on from those depressing topics—ready to get reincarnated?"
I don't think I really have a choice, so I might as well enjoy it while I can.
"Now that's what I'm looking for."
Okay then, how is this reincarnation supposed to work?
"You'll get three wheels: one for the world you'll be reincarnated into, one for your powers, and one for your circumstances."
A familiar trope, good to know.
"Well, if it isn't broken, then don't fix it. You feel me?"
Kind of grateful it's not something completely unfamiliar or random and confusing. Keeping it simple is always the best.
"Now then, for the first wheel, it will pick the world you'll be sent into."
Poof.
With a sound effect, the wheel appeared in front of me. It had perhaps hundreds of different fictional worlds I knew about, and hundreds more I had no knowledge of.
I just hope it lands on a decent world—preferably one that isn't on the verge of ending.
"Well then, time for your first spin."
With that, the wheel started spinning at immense speed—fast enough that I couldn't track the worlds written on it. After a few seconds, it started slowing down enough for me to make out a few.
[Dragon Ball], [Frieren], [World War Z], [Seven Deadly Sins], [Hunger Games], [Harry Potter], [Naruto]
Those were some of the ones I could make out. There were even worlds like Warhammer 40k, Marvel, DC, and Reverse Insanity, Yea hard pass on these worlds.
As the seconds passed, the wheel slowed further and eventually came to a stop.
Dune
My Hero Academia ←
Halo
So, MHA it is, then?
"Yup. Pretty good pick—you got really lucky there."
Have to agree on this one. I nodded.
Compared to worlds where humanity is constantly on the brink of extinction, at least My Hero Academia still had functioning society—even if villains and quirks made things messy.
"Now, the next wheel—your powers."
Poof.
Another wheel appeared beside the first, depicting tens of thousands of possible powers.
"Time to spin!"
Wait!
"Hmm?"
Does this power count as my Quirk, or is it separate?
ROB hummed, rubbing his chin with a smirk.
"Let's make it separate, shall we?"
Works for me.
"Any more questions, Rudy?"
Nope.
"Now then, here is your power!"
With that, the wheel started to spin.
While I'm not greedy, I am a bit self-centered—not in a bad way, I would say— but with the possibility of being thrown into an apocalyptic world gone, and a world like MHA being relatively normal, even if I get a simple or weak power, I wouldn't be too bothered.
Much of what I wanted to do in my past life relied entirely on luck and hard work, and the world of MHA shouldn't be that different.
Of course, I'd welcome a powerful ability without hesitation.
As the seconds passed, I could make out some of the powers—ones I had at least some knowledge of—such as "The Almighty," "Aura: Hunter x Hunter," "The Force: Star Wars," and "Displacement Magecraft: Fate," among many others.
With these thoughts, I watched the wheel slow down. I nodded in satisfaction as it eventually landed on:
[Sasuke Uchiha Template – Naruto / Naruto Shippuden / Boruto]
…How would the template even work? Do I instantly get all his powers or what?
"You will be born with all of his ocular powers, but you'll have to cultivate everything else—such as chakra capacity, control, and all other things that come with this template."
So, I'll be born with the Sharingan, Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Rinnegan unlocked and perhaps the Uchiha bloodline as well?
"Well, they won't be maxed out. They'll be fully unlocked but completely untrained. And yes, you will have the Uchiha bloodline. Though you will still be the biological child of whoever gives birth to you."
That's actually better than having everything maxed out, that just takes the fun of discovery out of it, thank you.
"Good to hear that. Any more questions before we move to the last wheel?"
Yep—just one more. What about my gender?
"That will be a 50/50, as it's supposed to be."
Vague, but fair enough, thanks for the answer though.
"Well then, let's continue."
Poof.
Another wheel appeared and started spinning.
I didn't expect much from this wheel—until I saw some of the options.
[Son of All For One], [Gangster Family], [Abusive Parents], [Street Urchin]…
Guess it's time to pray.
Now with a newfound nervousness—and rightfully so—what good would having the power of a shadow ninja god do if he dies of starvation?
Though I guess the Rinnegan abilities might help.
Feeling relieved as the wheel passed [Test Subject] and [Trafficked Child], it eventually landed on:
[Orphaned Child]
...Well. Could've been worse …Right?
"A rather composed reaction to being told you'll start life completely alone."
I mean, it's not ideal. But complaining won't change it. I'll figure it out — I always planned to eventually stand on my own two feet anyway. Just sooner than expected.
"Ho. Most people panic at that one."
Most people probably haven't accepted they're dead yet either.
ROB let out a short, amused breath.
"Well, Rudy, it was nice to meet someone calm like you—rather than a pretentious one, or an edgy one, or one of those guys who think they'll get a harem just for existing."
Those really exist?
"You have no idea how bad they can get…"
Seeing that expression and hearing that tone, I couldn't help feeling a little pity for him.
"No need to feel pity for me."
"And before you are reincarnated, I want to leave you with one message: This is your story. Live it to the fullest. And don't forget—the people you will meet are real, not just fiction. They have their own lives, feelings, and thoughts."
"So, no matter how much you try to predict them using prior knowledge—everything will change."
"Just because you met me doesn't make you superior to these 'fictional' characters."
"You are a human being the same as everyone you will meet."
I remained silent, contemplating those words.
Eventually, I looked the ROB in the eye and spoke.
I will do my best to live a fulfilling life. I always said, "Whatever you do, enjoy it to the fullest—that is the secret of life." I will live by those words.
I didn't get to do everything I wanted before… but that's fine.
I'll do it now.
I'll become someone I can be proud of.
At that, the ROB let out an amused laugh and shouted—
"HAHAHAHA… NOW THAT'S THE SPIRIT! GO, RUDY—LIVE YOUR LIFE! BE SOMEONE YOU CAN BE PROUD OF! IT WAS A PLEASURE TALKING TO YOU!"
__________________________________________________
Author's note:
Hey everyone! This is my very first fanfic, and I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and any suggestions you might have to help me improve the story. Thanks for giving it a chance!