Tokyo

July 19th , 17:35 JST

It was 2010.

My Six Eyes had picked up on a newspaper in passing as I roved through the countryside next to Tokyo looking for Mount Mushiro and Jujutsu Tech. 2010. July 19th .

Everywhere I looked, the answer was the same. 2010, July 19th , and a Tokyo I couldn't quite recognize. Otaku media utterly foreign to me. Foreign games, foreign movies, foreign shows. Foreign wrestlers. Foreign politicians, foreign everything. All Japanese. All foreign. I recognized nothing. Not even—where was McDonald's? There was no such thing.

Nothing made sense. This was not my city.

I landed in a lonely patch in a forest far away from any settlement and forced my tears in.

Superman, as always, was nearby, watching.

"I'm sorry, Satoru."

I looked back at him in horror. "How can you be real?!" I roared, "You're Clark Kent! I know everything about you! You're a farm boy from Smallville! Your real parents stuffed you in a rocket and shot you into space when you were a baby! Your weakness is rocks from your home planet!"

"I'm sorry," Superman repeated.

"I know your secret identity," I snarled, "You should—you should take me seriously!"

"I am," Superman said, "You're not a joke, Satoru. Nothing about this is a joke."

I punched a tree as hard as I could, infusing my body with Cursed Energy. The tree flew into the forest, felling dozens of its kin. "My friend is…" I forced myself to not cry—not now, not ever, "I can't be here! I need to go, he—he needs me!" I slipped back into Japanese but I didn't care.

"I know," Superman said, "And the League is prioritizing your situation. But listen to me, Satoru, please."

I glared at him.

"You need to come with me," Superman said.

"You think I'm a villain?" I spat.

"You're not in your right mind, Satoru," Superman said, "You've already hurt one person and caused much damage as it is. We are willing to overlook this much considering the situation you were in. Robin reported that you were suffering from multiple fatal wounds. As far as that goes, your situation is understandable. But this—" he gestured at the devastated section of forest.

"You don't understand! I need to go back! My friends could be dying! That bastard almost killed me, there's no way they would survive!"

"I wish there was something I could do," Superman said, expression contrite.

Useless.

He was useless.

"What about the other heroes?" I asked desperately, "What about the Justice League? You don't have any technology to take me back or something?"

"We will do our best, Satoru, but… for now, we don't have any solutions to your problems."

I fell on my knees.

It was over.

I failed. I truly failed.

000

I didn't fight Superman as he led me back to America by flight. I didn't give much thought to my fate, whether these heroes would have me arrested for all that I had done in the first minute of me being on this Earth. A prison couldn't hold me. And if they didn't have cursed energy to begin with, then I would most certainly be immune to whatever anti-superpower measures they used to imprison their supervillains.

I considered how I should react to the League imprisoning me instead of figuring out a way to send me home. Obviously, incredible violence would be in the books, and then I'd have to work with a bunch of their villains. They would have to know that double-crossing me wouldn't end well for them in the long run.

Day turned into night as we crossed several timezones in the span of only a single hour, and I considered a better use of Limitless than just flight.

I should be able to shorten the distance between two points in space, but so far, most of my successes were quite short-ranged and impractical in battle. With my newfound gains, my range should increase drastically. I guess I'd just have to practice on that soon.

The massive stone building loomed before us as we finally descended to the ground once more in the dead of night, more imposing than anything I'd seen so far in this world. Wide steps led up to a row of thick, marble pillars supporting a domed structure, with statues watching over the entrance. There was something almost reverent about it, like stepping into a temple.

I gave Superman a sideways look. "What is this place? Some kind of hero shrine?"

He glanced at me, his expression a mix of patience and a hint of amusement. "Not exactly," he said. "We call it the Hall of Justice. It's our base in Washington, D.C., and… well, it has its roots in some history. It's where we try to unite as a team to protect this world."

I looked around. The place was smack dab in the middle of the city. The place wasn't even walled off. Nothing would stop a bunch of people from walking up to it. "This is a tourist spot!"

"Not quite." Superman chuckled. "It was built after a rough time for the world, as a symbol of unity and protection. But it serves as a hub for the Justice League. A safe haven and, sometimes, a place where we bring… unexpected guests."

"Like me?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Like you," he confirmed, gesturing to the doors. "It's where we'll start figuring out a way to help you."

"And what about that villain I almost killed?" I asked, "Will I be made to answer for that by your police?"

"As a dimensional refugee, you are actually under our jurisdiction, and… yes, in a way, we are addressing that problem by keeping a close eye on you, making sure you don't have cause to do as much damage as you did back in the docks."

I rolled my eyes. Speaking of eyes, they were starting to feel rather uncomfortable. Not hurting. I had trained the pain away by the time I was ten. Still, it was rather irritating. And distracting. The pain was really just psychosomatic, but the true discomfort came from absorbing all that information constantly. Six Eyes never slept. Even when I did.

Superman led me into the building, and then into some backrooms that looked more like a glorified waiting area, with books everywhere, and a giant window revealing the outside world. What kind of a superhero base was this? It was way too transparent.

Besides, "Aren't you guys supposed to have a satellite as your main base?"

Superman sighed in front of me, "I'll thank you kindly not to repeat any of this information out loud, Satoru. I know this might not seem real to you, but it is very real to us. That includes the secret identities of myself and my comrades."

"My bad," I muttered. Then I started wondering, wracking my brain for any villain secrets I could use to help the heroes.

I came up empty on that. Unfortunately, it was much easier to ruin the lives of heroes than villains. What else was new?

"Have a seat," Superman said, gesturing at one of the couches in the waiting area. "The Batman will be in shortly."

"Oh?" I chuckled. "I can't wait."

000

It turned out that not only would Batman arrive, but some green guy whose name I forgot. And quite frankly, I had no idea who he was.

There was no helping it, I wasn't a comic book fan to such an extent. I read Batman and the Flash. And I did it when I was six. That was ten years ago. The clan hated when I read comics, so I never got to push that hobby very far, unfortunately. Not until very recently, when I had joined Jujutsu Tech. But at that point, I had gotten more into manga and video games. And cartoons, of course. Like the Teen Titans.

The green man looked like a cursed spirit of some kind, not that he felt like one. I set my Six Eyes on him, devouring his appearance for every scrap of information I could find. The Six Eyes penetrated through his skin, finding a decidedly atypical biology, one that made zero sense to me. I wasn't much into anatomy to begin with, but I knew what the insides of a normal human body looked like, and this wasn't it.

I stood up, "Batman," I said, "And you are…" I said, looking at the man.

"Martian Manhunter," the green man said. The first word tripped me up. Martian. Like, martial arts? No. Wait.

No way. "Does that mean…?"

"I'm from Mars, yes," he said.

Oh.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to suppress my laughter.

"Is something funny?" Batman asked me.

"No, no, nothing," I wiped the smirk off my face with my hand, forcing my expression to be neutral. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've known about you for years."

"From comic books," he said.

"And cartoons," I continued. "They even made movies. One even came out this year. Batman Begins!"

"You're Satoru Gojo," Batman said, "Dimensionally stranded, originally from an alternate Earth. I assume you know about Manhunter's capabilities?"

"What kind of geek do you take me for?" I asked him, "Your stories were minor distractions to me. I have no idea who this Martian is or what he does," this time I couldn't help but chuckle at the word Martian. "Are you really from Mars? Does Mars have cities in this world?"

"Yes, I am from Mars," Martian Manhunter said in Japanese, stunning me. Seemed like a lot of these heroes knew my language. Convenient. "Our existence only became apparent to Earth some sixty years ago."

"Huh," I said.

Batman spoke, this time in Japanese as well, "You've done a lot of damage, Gojo-san. There is no getting around the fact that the League considers you an immense security risk. While we appreciate the desperation of your situation, your actions have forced us into great vigilance."

My smirk disappeared, "You're going to put me in jail?"

"Not necessarily," Batman said, "We're going to determine, with Manhunter's help, how much of a true security risk you are, outside of the extraordinary circumstance you found yourself in hours ago. Before then, I would like for you to tell me the story of your world and your place in it."

"And what does Manhunter do in the meanwhile?" I asked him, "Read my mind?" I chuckled.

"Yes," the Martian said, and this time I laughed.

"Wow, amazing. This place is truly amazing. Are you reading my mind right now, Manhunter?"

Yes, I felt an intrusive thought that immediately jolted my humor away. It wasn't painful. Just… surprising.

I focused intently on him. What the hell was that? And how was he doing it? And how could I make it so that Infinity blocked that nonsense out?

I clenched my jaws and took a deep breath. Later. They needed to trust me, right? Might as well tell them the story.

I sat down on the couch and began narrating, "We don't have superheroes where I'm from. We have Jujutsu Sorcerers. Exorcists, in other words. We harness a kind of energy that humans naturally emanate, known as negative energy, or cursed energy. Most peoples' cursed energy stores are negligible and amount for nothing at all, except collectively. When their combined cursed energy combine and coalesce, they form cursed spirits in their wake. Monsters. Ghosts. Nasty things that really don't want to do anything else but kill and torture and hurt people. That's where people like me come in. Sorcerers with great amounts of cursed energy, and innate abilities known as cursed techniques. We use our powers to combat cursed spirits and curse users—people like us who use their powers for evil. Villains, essentially."

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"Was the person that hurt you a curse user?"

I saw that smirk on his scarred lip and my head twitched. "No. He was… abnormal. No cursed energy. He just had a powerful body… and tricks. Lots and lots of tricks."

He wouldn't have survived a second encounter with me. I was sure of it.

"A powerful body?" Batman asked, "How powerful can humans without cursed energy get in your world?"

"Not that powerful," I said, "Not like him. There was something else about him. He didn't have any cursed energy at all. All humans should have some, to varying extents. It was a heavenly restriction. In return for not having any cursed energy, his body was just…" I looked at the ground and couldn't stop myself from snarling, "I'll kill him," I whispered.

"What was the nature of this conflict?" Batman asked.

I went on and explained Tengen's situation and why our mission was important. "In the end, the religious group won. Probably. I'm gone. And if he beat me, there's no way anyone else would have…"

I had to go back home.

I looked at Batman and glared at him, "What steps are being taken to send me back? And I came from the year 2005. Does that mean that five years would have passed for them?"

"We don't know," Batman said, "And we are working very hard to ensure your safe return, Gojo-san. But I believe it is also important for you to assume as though five years have passed."

I felt a pit in my stomach grow at that. "…What?"

"I'm sorry, Gojo-san."

No. Not good enough. Not good enough at all.

"You have different planets here," I said, "Aliens. You must have something!"

"It should be fully possible," Batman said, "You arrived here somehow. I can assure you that nothing on our side should have caused this arrival, especially in your location. Perhaps it's one of your abilities?"

Did Limitless really pierce through the multiverse?

Why?

The more my heart raced, the more I felt my cursed energy get used up by my Six Eyes. And the more that happened, the more I saw. A kaleidoscope of energy waves broader than the visible light spectrum, letting me pierce into dimensions of perception that no one else could.

On a whim, I focused on the Martian to see if his telepathy worked in terms of waves. I poured Positive Energy into my Six Eyes in order to get an even broader range of vision, piercing into reality so emphatically that I could swear I was seeing molecules dancing in the air, unaccountably many.

Anything that I could perceive with the Six Eyes, I could block out with my Infinity field. Slowly, but surely, the stream of energy connecting our mind coalesced into view, and I saw it.

I suggest you don't sever this connection until we can be sure of your motives.

I barked out a harsh laughter, "Trust goes both ways. Why should I surrender myself to your scrutiny when you haven't done the same for me?"

"What would preclude you from trusting us?" Batman asked. Very presumptuous of him.

The worst part was, I could tell he was a noble and good guy. Maybe that was bias speaking?

Should I ask him why he hadn't killed the Joker? Did I give a shit, really?

No. Not really. That wasn't my fight.

"If you're not able to do what is necessary," I simply settled on that.

"Like trying to kill Brick, and then destroying tens of millions of dollars' worth of property?" Batman asked me, "How was that necessary?"

"Brick attacked me out of nowhere," I said with a frown, "He obviously meant to kill me. I was half-dead while he was swinging at me. What was I supposed to do?"

"Did you not have any non-lethal options?"

I blinked at him. "Why would I use any of them? He tried to kill me. Why should I afford him any mercy after the fact?"

"He lost parts of his body thanks to you," Batman said, "He was clinically dead for forty-nine seconds. In a way, you did kill him. Why are you disappointed that he's not dead, knowing that he will likely never pose a threat to you again?"

"Because now some guy who tried to kill me gets to walk around—wait, not really anymore, depending on what body part he lost. Hah. Still, he gets to draw breath. That's just silly," I chuckled mirthlessly, "You really should make it a policy of getting rid of people who've made attempts on your life while working. It would make your life seriously easier."

"Is that how things are done in your world? Are Jujutsu Sorcerers judges, jury, and executioners?"

"Pretty much," I said, "Some curse users deserve better than being marked for death just for turning their backs on the Jujutsu Council and those corrupt bastards, sure, but the majority of them are scumbags worse than your Joker, and," I looked at the Martian, "Your Venusian."

"I am not acquainted with any Venusians," Martian said, "As that planet is not populated."

I shrugged, "I have no idea who your main villain is. But look," I said to Batman, "You get the point. The work I do requires getting your hands dirty because of people like the bastard who almost killed me."

"While you were on your way to sacrifice a high-school aged girl to an ancient sorcerer," Batman said.

I winced, "When you put it like that, of course it was bad. But what was I supposed to do? It needed to be done. We need Tengen to not go crazy or evolve in a bad way. Millions of lives were at stake," I felt a strange stab of rage at the mere implication that I was just carelessly tossing Amanai's life away on orders of all things. Who the—no seriously, who the fuck did they think they were?

They had no idea how easy things were for them. No idea at all.

"I doubt there was absolutely no other way," Batman said.

Did he really just say that? I couldn't help it. Somehow, my rage went full circle and all I could do was just laugh. "You are a comic book character, without a doubt." My laughter died down, "I guess I'm one too, now. Well, it's not like that bastard did all of that to spare her that fate. More than likely, he must have simply killed her…"

And Suguru? What about him?

I blinked away some budding tears. No. He must have gotten away somehow. Suguru was a slippery bastard like that.

Apologies for your loss, I heard in my head, followed by a thick wall of sympathy and shared pain. I looked up at the Martian in horror and considered doing something I would regret, like throwing a Red at him. No.

Instead, I tuned Infinity to block out his telepathy. "Your condolences are not appreciated. And I trust you've ascertained I'm not someone crazy by now, so no more telepathy for you."

Batman looked at the Martian, who just gave a nod. Batman stared meaningfully at him, and I caught on that they were having a telepathic conversation. After a few more seconds, he turned back to me. "You need a place to rest. I will have someone arrange for your lodgings."

"Alfred?" I asked with a brief chuckle. "You know, I used to have a couple of Alfreds back in my clan compound. They were such a bother. Guh. Guess there's one good thing about not being back home, besides, you know, losing… everything. That, and there not being any cursed spirits here. Just weak-sauce villains of the week." I sighed deeply. "So… in the meanwhile, what am I supposed to do while you figure out a solution? Do you want to recruit me?"

"Ethically," the Martian said, "You're not a good fit for our organization."

"What, 'no killing'?" I asked.

"And wanton destruction," Batman said. "But… it would do you some good to be surrounded by people of the same age as you, who understand what it means to risk their lives on behalf of others. Does this interest you?"

I shrugged. "Can't be worse than being stuck in your manor all day, or wherever you're planning to keep me." I could easily just strike it out on my own, but why bother? I knew nothing about this world, and it wasn't like these non-jujutsu sorcerers could even touch me. I was safe wherever I went. "Who knows, I might even save their lives in case anything goes wrong. Show them the reason why they considered me the strongest back where I was from."

"You understand that before we grant you this opportunity, we must continue to vet you, telepathically," Batman said. I frowned.

"I don't want him speaking in my head again," I said, "I don't need your pity. If it's not going to send me back home, then what good is it?"

"Apologies for overstepping," Martian said.

I rolled my eyes and undid the seal that prevented his telepathic waves from breaching my Infinity. Perhaps this was too reckless? I was basically giving them access to every power that I had.

Then again, I knew a lot about Batman. "Bruce Banner," I said with a mischievous grin. Then I blinked, "Hm, no, that was the Hulk. Bruce Lee? No. Bruce Bane!" I laughed, "Wait, that's the guy that breaks your back at some point. Definitely look out for that. Bruce Wayne," I said with satisfaction and a snap of my fingers, tasting the words.

"Your point?" Batman asked.

"To remind you, whatever you find in here," I poked at my head, "Don't go around yapping about it to the wrong people. You know what I know. Get it?"

"Understood," Batman said.

"So, no, I don't intend to kill, eat, possess, or steal the lunches of any of your sidekicks," I said, looking at the Martian, "Or whoever it is you're saddling me with. But it's the sidekicks, right? It only makes sense. And while we're at it, let's talk salaries. In case I ever need to help your baby Robin out of a pinch or join in on hero missions. Best way to get me to behave, too," I wagged my eyebrows at him, "But let me tell you, I do not come cheap, and you're a billionaire, so it shouldn't matter to you. How does a million dollars a month sound? Then I won't even tease any of your little babies. I'll be a responsible big brother!"

Batman grunted in displeasure.