Pepper Sparks could say without hesitation that she absolutely hated Fridays.
While the other Heroes in training buzzed with excitement for the weekly combat tests, itching to show off their powers in the arena, Pepper felt… suffocated.
Not physically. No, her body was fine.
It was her mind that bore the burden.
You see, she was a telepath.
A rare A-Ranked Talent: Telekinesis, enhanced by her ability to hear thoughts.
And while the ranking made her sound like a prodigy on paper, the reality of it was a curse wrapped in accolades.
Because she didn't just hear thoughts.
She heard every single thing people thought about her.
Their opinions. Their judgments. Their praises, their criticisms, their secret crushes, their fake smiles.
All of it filtered into her mind like a radio on full blast, only tuned to stations that talked about her.
And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't turn the damn thing off.
With a heavy sigh, she studied herself in the mirror. Her tight curls puffed into a slightly chaotic afro, evidence that she'd only just woken up.
Her hazel eyes—naturally radiant—held a tired gleam, the kind that came from emotional fatigue, not lack of sleep.
"Yeah… definitely need a shower.." she muttered, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her fingers brushed the hem of her oversized sleep shirt as she reached to undress—
"AAHHH!!"
The scream ripped through the air like a gunshot.
Pepper's muscles tensed instantly.
Her mind didn't need to guess.
That was Salty, her big sister.
She bolted down the hall barefoot, heart already racing, following the source of the scream. Turning the corner, she skidded to a halt.
There, on the ground outside, Salty was crouched, her hands urgently pressing against the chest of a guy who looked… dead.
Or worse.
Pepper dropped to her knees beside her.
"What happened, Salty?!" she shouted, panic in her voice.
"I-I don't know!" Salty stammered, her voice still velvety and feminine despite the urgency. "I just opened the door and saw him lying there, like this!"
Pepper's eyes swept over the stranger. Brown skin. Medium locks. Muscular frame. But unmoving.
He didn't look like he was breathing.
"Doesn't look like he's breathing. Scoot over. He's gonna need mouth to mouth."
Salty didn't argue. She slid aside quickly.
Pepper leaned in, pinched his nose, and pressed her lips firmly against his.
A beat passed.
And then—
[Transfer Complete!]
[Welcome to Planet Gia, Miles Cannon.]
The first thing Miles felt..was warmth.
On his lips.
[Extraction link identified with subject (??)]
[Extraction will be stored in your Codex and viewable later.]
'Wait… what the fuck is going on?!'
A groggy groan escaped him. His vision swam, then steadied, locking onto a pair of wide, glowing hazel eyes.
'Damn… she's beautiful.'
Black beauty in it's purest form.
She froze.
She heard it.
That single, unfiltered thought echoed in her skull like a bomb of affection, detonating across her nerves.
Of course she heard compliments before dozens, hundreds, but something about that raw, unscripted thought hit different. Like warm honey pouring into a crack she didn't know existed.
Her cheeks lit up in a violent blush.
"W-what?!" she blurted, stumbling backward so hard she knocked Salty off balance.
Salty yelped and toppled over like a startled giraffe. "Girl—?!"
Miles coughed, still disoriented as he pushed himself up to a seated position.
Before he could say a word, a flicker of light caught his eye.
He looked up
And saw it.
A black sun, rimmed with radiant, unnatural light, hanging in the sky like an ominous omen.
'No way… Is that—The Eclipse? From The Forever Eclipse?!'
Before his shock could settle, a chipper voice called out nearby:
"Hey Pepper! Hey Salty!"
A blur of green and yellow zipped overhead, a smiling man in a superhero suit waved mid-flight.
Everything started clicking.
The glitch. The System. The [Transfer Complete] message. The Eclipse. The powers.
He'd been fucking isekai'd.
Into the gacha game.
And all he could say was—
"FINALLY! Let's fucking GO!!"
He leapt to his feet, fists pumping in the air like a kid at Comic Con.
Pepper and Salty exchanged a very long, very confused stare.
Miles finally settled down, catching his breath and taking in the two women again. The resemblance was there, but they each carried their own presence.
Pepper—shorter, maybe 5'5, had soft caramel skin, an afro of tight curls, and the kind of curves that made red look better than it should. She was barefoot, wearing only a long red sleeping shirt that didn't hide much.
Salty—taller, maybe 5'7, had deeper, milkier brown skin and a fuller afro. She wore a sleek red, black, and gold superhero costume that hugged every curve, built like a brick house and glowing with energy.
They were both absurdly gorgeous.
And yet, one thing bounced in his mind more than their beauty..
"Wait… Pepper and Salty? Like the—"
"Seasoning. Yes." they said together, flatly.
Miles let out a chuckle. "Well nice to meet you two. I'm Miles Cannon. Didn't mean to drop in like that."
Salty eyed him cautiously. Protective instinct flashed behind her gaze. She didn't trust easy, especially not when it came to her baby sister.
Everyone seemed nice these days, until they weren't.
But Pepper was already making the call.
"Are you thirsty? Need something to eat? We've got a ton of food…" she asked, a bit too quickly.
Miles raised a brow at the sudden offer, but his expression softened.
'Pepper… what are you doing? We don't even know him..' Salty thought sharply, directing it at her sister.
Pepper winced slightly. 'Yeah, I know, Sis, but—'
Their telepathic exchange was interrupted.
"I would, but… I get it. You two don't know me, and I don't wanna overstep." He looked at Salty, sincerity in his voice. "I can tell just from your face, you're thinking the same thing. You're a good older sister. There's weird ass people out here nowadays."
Salty blinked, surprised by the direct read.
Then smiled.
"Aww, I appreciate that. And you're damn right. That's why I stay watchful, anyone hurts her, I'll kick their ass." She punched her palm, creating a literal shockwave.
Pepper rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself.
'Yeah… not hard to guess what her superpower is. A fine ass She Hulk in the making.'
Miles grinned. "If I was that kinda guy, I'd have run the second I saw that. Trust me, I'm not."
"Good to know… Miles." Salty replied, her smile softening.
"So… question." Miles looked around, scanning the surroundings. The city skyline shimmered in the far distance, sleek towers and hovering transports while around them was open land, quiet roads, and fences.
"Where exactly are we?"
Pepper stepped beside him. "We're on the outskirts of Zed City. This is the quieter side, way more peaceful out here."
Salty chimed in on his other side. "Our parents are National Level Heroes, so they're barely home. Haven't seen them in almost two months now. It's just been me and Sis holding it down."
"Not that we mind," Pepper added. "They're protecting the world in other regions."
Miles nodded slowly. "Bet it's nice not having anyone breathing down your neck." He would know after all.
"Of course. But they still check in every—"
BZZZTT!
A blaring voice echoed from a nearby speaker
"ATTENTION ALL HEROES IN TRAINING—"
"TODAY'S TEST ZONE SIMULATION COMMENCES IN 30 MINUTES."
"FAILURE TO REPORT TO ZED CITY ARENA WILL RESULT IN POINT DEDUCTIONS AND PUBLIC SHAME. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."
-THE HERO ASSOCIATION
"Shit! I forgot!" Pepper shouted and sprinted inside.
Miles blinked. "…Something I'm missing?"
"Language, Pep!" Salty called after her, then looked back at him. "Every Friday, Heroes do PvP at Zed City Arena. Random matchups between academy students. Full on battle. The whole city watches."
"That sounds fun. But wait, public shame? Like… they watch watch?"
"Oh yeah. Citizens buy tickets. They say it's a 'fundraiser' for the academy, but it's really just a cash grab. Greedy dumbasses."
At that moment, Pepper dashed back out, now clad in her heroine outfit. Red and black reversed from her sister's, sleek and aerodynamic.
"You ready, Sis?" she asked, already levitating.
Salty nodded, then looked at Miles. "You coming?"
"I'll catch up. Gonna hang back a bit.." he said, waving her off.
Both looked slightly disappointed, but Salty nodded with a smile. "See you later, Miles." She gave him a two finger salute and Pepper waved with a smile.
With a blast of telekinetic force, the two soared into the sky, heading toward the towering city in the distance.
Miles exhaled, cracking his knuckles as he turned toward the house.
Now that he was alone, it was time to do the real thing.
He needed to open his System.
Check what he'd extracted.
See what this world just gave him.
After all it was like rule number one to do in this type of situation. No use in rushing in blind.