The first thing Jacob felt when he woke was pain. Not sharp pain, but the dull, throbbing hangover of mead pounding against his skull. He groaned, dragging a hand over his face.
He barely had time to sit up before the door burst open.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Tony Stark's voice cut through the silence. His suit gleamed in the morning light, gold and red catching every glint. The Arc Reactor pulsed faintly, a steady rhythm against the quiet.
Jacob blinked at him blearily. "…Why the hell are you in full cosplay this early?"
Tony tilted his head, mock-offended. "Cosplay? Kid, this is state-of-the-art armor. The bleeding edge of science. And more importantly—Thor wants to spar."
Jacob's stomach dropped. "…You're kidding."
"Nope." Tony leaned against the doorframe, almost smug. "The thunder god himself. Said something about testing if the boy who chucked a tree at Heimdall can actually back it up."
Jacob stared, then laughed nervously. "I mean—c'mon, evenly matched? Really?"
"Evenly matched?" Tony snorted, cutting him off. "That's cute. But hey—believe whatever keeps you from passing out right now."
He was about to leave when his voice shifted, suddenly sharper, carrying weight. "Tonight. We need to have a talk."
Jacob frowned. "About what?"
"You'll see," Tony said, almost too quickly, before turning on his heel. The sound of servos whirred as the faceplate snapped shut. The man was gone, leaving Jacob with the weight of words unspoken.
Minutes later, Jacob found himself clutching Tony's armored shoulders as they soared through Asgard.
The wind rushed past him, golden towers gleaming below like something out of a painting. And ahead—he saw it.
The Grand Arena.
A colosseum so vast it made football stadiums look like playgrounds. Its gates opened wide, and inside, thousands of Asgardians filled the stands. Warriors in gleaming armor, shieldmaidens with braids like rivers of gold, children perched on shoulders, all roaring with anticipation.
The Midgard boy had come to challenge Thor.
When they landed, Thor stood at the center of the arena, Mjolnir spinning lazily in his hand. His grin was wide, his eyes bright, his presence larger than life.
"Jacob of Midgard!" Thor's voice boomed across the stands. "Last night, you boasted with mead in hand. Today, let us see the truth in your fists. For warriors may boast when drunk—but true battles are waged with a handshake."
Jacob stepped forward. His palms were sweaty, his heart hammered, but Prometheus' foresight steadied him. He raised a hand, grinning smugly. "Alright, God of—"
His brain blanked. He laughed. "—Hammers!" But he didn't shake Thors hand— he slapped Thors cheeck.
The arena went silent.
Then Thor threw back his head and roared with laughter. "ALRIGHT!" he bellowed, slamming his fist into Jacob's forearm with enough force to rattle his bones. "Let the battle begin!"
Tony didn't join them in the arena. Instead, he shot straight up into the viewing box—where a flickering hologram linked to the Watchtower.
Batman's scowl filled one side of the display. Banner adjusted his glasses on another. Hal Jordan leaned casually with his arms crossed. And behind them, half-interested, Stephen Strange stood with his cape billowing despite no wind.
"I can't believe I'm watching this," Hal muttered, chuckling at how Jacob while yes, was losing, was putting up a fantastic fight, after all he's also swaying strikes to the side.
Batman's voice was cold, clinical. "We need to see what the boy is capable of. If he can keep Thor occupied, even for minutes, that tells us more than months of speculation."
"Or it tells us he's reckless," Strange countered, raising a brow. "Sparring with a god is hardly the measure of wisdom."
Tony leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Relax, boys. He's got this."
The fight began small.
Jacob moved first, darting to the side, dodging Mjolnir's first casual swing. His foresight flared—duck, roll, counter. His body obeyed before his mind caught up. A flash of gamma light burst from his palm, searing across Thor's chest.
The Asgardian only grinned wider. "Good! Very good!"
Mjolnir came down hard. Jacob barely sidestepped, the hammer cracking stone where he'd stood. He kicked, launched, dodged—controlled bursts of power lighting the arena like fireworks.
From above, Banner leaned forward. "He's holding back. Those bursts—measured, restrained. He's fighting like someone who knows exactly how much damage he could do."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Or someone afraid of what happens if he stops restraining himself."
Ten minutes in, Jacob's lungs burned. Sweat rolled down his brow. Thor hadn't slowed—if anything, the god was enjoying himself more with each exchange.
Jacob ducked another swing, laughter spilling from his lips despite himself. He felt his blood pumping, his muscles alive, every sense sharpened.
"Oh no," he thought between gulps of air. "I'm a battle junkie."
That's when it happened.
Mjolnir hit him square in the chest.
The impact blasted him across the arena, skidding through stone, dust rising in his wake. He coughed, spat blood, groaned—then pushed himself up, chest heaving.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Tony whispered under his breath, "Kid's still standing. That's new."
Jacob wiped the blood from his lip, and then—he laughed. Loud. Wild.
He pointed across the arena, voice cracking like a whip.
"THIS ALL YOU GOT, HAMMERS?!"
Thor froze—then smiled. A dangerous, delighted smile.
Jacob's body burned. Gamma fire roared through his veins, brighter than ever. For the first time, he didn't hold back. His eyes blazed, fists glowing as raw energy licked across his skin.
He charged.
With both fists, he slammed into Thor's chest, launching the god across the arena. The crowd screamed, half in shock, half in awe.
And Jacob wasn't done. He bolted forward, feet pounding stone, fists glowing brighter, tackling Thor mid-air Superman-style.
Thor spun Mjolnir, lightning gathering in a storm above, and swung with everything he had.
Jacob screamed, throwing every ounce of strength into his fists.
Gamma fire against lightning. Mortal against god.
The collision shook Asgard to its foundations.
BOOM.
Light swallowed the arena, the explosion rattling towers miles away. The stands shook, warriors clutched their shields, children screamed in awe.
And then—smoke.
Blinding, thick, choking smoke that cloaked everything in shadow.
The Watchtower feed fizzled with static. The crowd went silent.
As the dust began to clear—
The chapter ended.
A/N: Hey there folks, serious question, the other Fanfic i have out, Eggman Reborn, I'm looking to gain some inspiration, but I'm thinking of making a different Fanfic, as I know, well, nothing about Sonic anymore, BUT I have a tiny, teeny, bit obsession with a small game...
Okay fine I'm addicted to Gacha, well CRK (Cookie Run Kingdom).
SO! I may publish a fanfic here about that, so here's three options for you. (Comment ONLY YES, and maybe an opinion about it, i may transfer 2).
Keep making 'Eggman Reborn'
Make a literal CRK Self Insert adventure.
Or a CR (Cookie Run) system, in some world like Invincible.
I have an idea for the last one already, but I wanted to know if you wanted me to publish them. I have them on some other site I make for Chinese Webnovel Sites, just wanted to know if you wanted me to transfer them here... I mean most you submit then remove here I just continue on a Chinese site, how do you think I mass publish?