Hearts of the Multiverse

Chapter One: Let's Run This Back

Okay, let's run it back one more time. My name is Miles Morales. And I'm my universe's only Spiderman. I thought I was the only one, but I wasn't. As it turns out, there are a lot of Spidermen throughout a lot of universes. I thought some of them were my friends, but they weren't. In the end I had to go my own way. And I ended up in a universe I couldn't get out of. I thought I wouldn't get out, but now...I'm in Tokyo.

...

Miles Morales, after a narrow escape from the Spider Society, found himself in Tokyo after a massive earthquake. Or at least, it felt like an earthquake. Uncle Aaron, The Prowler (the other Miles), and everything that had been around him disappeared. Still, it was embarrassing to be in the middle of someplace with no direction. The only telling sign of place was the Tokyo Tower.

Apparently, a lot of other universes had blended into this one, and nothing was glitching like it should have been by now. Not even himself. Something, or, more than likely, someone, was keeping things weirdly stable. And he wasn't going to trust whoever was doing it.

For now, he'd found refuge at a shrine of all places. He felt a little bad, especially after those American YouTube guys wreaked havoc on a Japanese shrine that one time. Luckily, the old man running the shrine seemed to have no idea about the Pauls' or their antics. So, Miles got a free place to stay (in exchange for some minor chores). He'd been here about a week, along with a few others.

A few people, scattered from different places, were living there under the old man's kindness. To be honest, some of them looked downright shady. But the others were nice enough. He'd gotten to know their names and some basics about them: there was Sokka and Zuko. They were from the same world. Wherever it was. Sokka was a bit sarcastic, funny, and couldn't draw to save his life. Miles had tried to give him some pointers, but he'd just exasperatedly slammed his pen down on his desk and went back to chores. Zuko was a bit more brooding and looked like the very definition of teen angst. Where Sokka was overly talkative and overall friendly, Zuko chose his words wisely. But he didn't give off any bad vibes. Not like Giorno. Giorno was an enigma. Like Zuko, he chose his words carefully, and he only spoke when necessary. His 'spidey senses' (still a dumb name), could tell there was something weird about his biology. Just...mismatched, maybe? And he'd been here longer than the others had. Something had attacked him, but he never mentioned what—the bruises and damage on his body was evident. Then there was Luz Noceda and Arven. Luz and Miles got along the best here. Luz liked watching anime, reading, and trying to study these weird drawings she made. She also, wasn't that bad at drawing. And she had a cute little dragon (?) palisman with her. It's name—Stringbean. Arven was honest. He helped around the most, admittedly. And he was good at it. Like he'd been taking care of things back home—a lot. Plus, he had a whole team of Pokémon to help him out. Honestly, highlight of both Luz Noceda and Miles's lives—finding out Pokémon were real. They promised they'd go catch one of their own this weekend together. Arven even offered to help, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"You don't think Stringbean will feel like I'm replacing them if I catch a Pokémon, do you, Miles? Arven?" Luz asked.

"This seems more like a question for Arven," Miles admitted.

Arven, Miles, Sokka, Zuko, Arven, and even Giorno were sitting around a brown table in one of the guest rooms. The shrine maiden and the old man's original disciple were probably in another section of the shrine entirely. This place was way bigger than Miles thought it would be.

"Good question," Arven said, glancing up thoughtfully. "I'm guessing it depends on Stringbean's personality type. Honestly, I've never heard of a palisman before...but, they sound and act like a Pokémon to me. If you're unsure, maybe go with an Eevee?"