Chapter 2

'[175] Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
[176] I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.' - [Book of Psalms]

'Gasp!'

Joshua could hear the gasp coming from a mile away. He was currently being examined in a rather spacious clinic similar to the ones found in the Mojave. He watched as the elder nurse, who introduced herself as Recovery Girl, inspected every inch of his body as she slowly unwrapped the bandages on his body, careful not to pull suddenly as the skin may peel off. His lips curled up in disdain at first when he was asked to relieve his belongings and subjected to a physical exam but quickly realized he had no choice. Being in another place besides Zion meant that he had to cooperate with this place's inhabitants and adhere to their laws and practices. The physical exam being one of them.

He was brought in here by a detective who introduced himself as Naomasa Tsukauchi. He was handed off by those three students and was ushered towards a car that drove them back to U.A. Why he brought him inside a clinic, was something he couldn't understand. It was only until now that he did when he noticed another man inside the room who looked too skinny and emaciated for his age. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel the air of superiority and safety when he neared him. Now that he thought about it, he did look like that buff blonde man back in that facility they call USJ. There was another person (er… animal?) in the room dressed finely in a white dress shirt underneath a double-breasted waistcoat, matching dress pants, and orange lace-up sneakers. It had a rather cheery expression on its face although Joshua sensed that this was simply a ruse. He felt the tension in the air when he entered as though he were the cause of today's events.

Sighing, Joshua couldn't help but feel like comparing his home back in Zion and measuring how freakier this place was compared to it. The people of this place either exhibited the strength of armies or exhibited features of animals. How he wished he had his pistol with him. He turned his attention back to the elder nurse and winced when the last of his bandages were removed.

He was grateful that his buttocks did not suffer the burns the rest of his body had, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sit down slightly comfortably on the bed he was on. While they did get burned, they were only minor ones compared to the second and third degree burns he got on his arms and legs. He watched as the old lady's frown deepened as she inspected each corner of his body. Oddly enough, his skin was clean and did not need another one of those painful yet necessary cleansing methods he had to undergo just to keep his skin from being infected. The elder nurse seems to notice that as well and states that she would wrap his skin around with new bandages instead.

"My, my, young man. In all my years of experience, never have I seen such extensive damage on someone as young as you. Granted, I do have another patient who breaks their bones ever so often but nothing like your condition." The last statement, Recovery Girl glared at the skinny man, who visibly recoiled. "Tell me, young man, what or who inflicted such serious burns onto you?"

Joshua shifted uncomfortably on the bed and hung his head. He gave a sigh as he addressed the older person and said, "I… I'm not sure how to tell you the origins of my burns. The last time I recalled the story did not bode well for my emotions. It… resurfaced many painful memories of hate, anger, and regret. I could tell you as well, but I doubt you would enjoy listening to it."

Joshua felt the old lady's hand grip his and made him look up. He saw the expression of kindness in the old lady's eyes and squeezed her hand in return. "I understand if it may be too painful for you to recall them now. Perhaps some other time would be best. I won't force you to do something you wouldn't like." She removed her grasp from the boy's hands and was about to grab some painkillers when Joshua started speaking.

"I was burned by my friend." Earning an audible gasp from the others in the room. Recovery Girl turned to face Joshua and stare at his eyes. She could see it. The pain, suffering, regret, and anger that the boy repressed. "I was once a proud member of a tribe called the New Canaanites. We're a Mormon tribe that believes that the salvation of God would come for us at the end of time as reward for our loyalty to Him. One day…"

Joshua recalled every bit of his story in great detail, careful in delivering the parts that were distasteful and less than desirable. He told his story of when he met Edward Sallow, the man that changed his life for better and for worse. He elaborated the time when they were captured by native tribes and how Edward turned them into a bloodthirsty, ruthless, and discriminative tribe called, The Legion, or as he called it, Caesar's Legion. He told them how his friend, Edward, had crowned himself Caesar and he was his right-hand man. He described his life as the Malpais Legate and the number of atrocities he had committed under Caesar's name. It was until the First Battle of Hoover Dam that he had failed and because of it, he was coated in pitch and set on fire as he thrown off the edge of the Grand Canyon. He recalled the time he found himself, still alive, and went back to his own tribe who welcomed him back despite his actions. He said that he didn't deserve their mercy nor their kindness and yet was eternally grateful that they did. It was that time that he realized the mistakes that he had done and vowed to redeem himself in the eyes of his people and God himself. He grit his teeth when he told the story of the time when his tribe were almost wiped out by a Legion-backed tribe called the White-Legs and how he sought vengeance against them for slaughtering almost everybody and not sparing even those who are old, young, or sick. He went up to the time when a Courier entered the valley of Zion and helped him eradicate the White-Legs and kill their leader, only to die in the end as the leader pulled a sneaky one on him.

"…and the next thing I know, I woke up in that place and did God's bidding," he said.

Silence permeated the room. The occupants not knowing how to react after hearing such an outlandish story. Recovery Girl had finished wrapping up Joshua with fresh, new bandages and had now removed the divider the separated them and the rest of the room. Joshua turns to look at the other occupants, sending a slight chill running up their spines.

The first to speak was the mouse-bear. "Well… that certainly is… bizarre." Turning towards Detective Tsukauchi, it says, "What do you think, Detective Tsukauchi?"

The weary man scratched the back of his head when he heard the story. His quirk, Lie Detector, allows him to see whether the person in front of him is lying or not and right now, he's not sure what to say. He wanted to believe that the boy was simply lying but he couldn't bring himself to do so. The eyes, the words, the tone, and the subtle cues expressed by the bandaged teen all point towards him telling the truth. That or he was pretty good at making up a story that even his quirk was fooled by it.

Detective Tsukauchi was snapped out of his thoughts when the number one hero, All Might, suddenly spoke.

"I believe him."

The two gave him a look of confusion and surprise. They didn't expect him to readily accept the words of boy that had reportedly appeared out of nowhere and took the villains down swiftly.

"What? How could you believe that so easily, All Might? What made you think all that he said was true? For all we know, he could have had a quirk that allows him to fool other people into thinking that what he says is true. Even my quirk is telling me that he's not lying," argued the weary man.

Before All Might could explain himself, Joshua decided to speak up. "I understand your skepticism towards my words. No one in their right mind would believe such an outlandish tale coming from a child. That's fair. We all have doubts. After all, there is much to be skeptical of in this world, so it no longer surprises me, to learn how many people don't really believe in anything. But, I can only ask you to put your trust in my words and believe. It is the only the way you will understand."

The gravity in his voice, and the heavyset tone that is oddly reminiscent of a priest consoling a sinner, drove Tsukauchi to the breaking point. That was it. That was all he needed to hear. He looked at both All Might, who was smiling, and Nezu, who gave him a nod.

Sighing, he said, "Well… I believe you. For the most part that is." He brought his hands to his face and rubbed the weariness out of them. "The only thing I can't figure out is why you're here, how you're alive, and why you're a teenager when you claim to be older than you look." He paused, rubbing the sides of his temples. "This is causing me a major headache. A villain attack that successfully infiltrated the top hero school in Japan and now an interdimensional quirk user. What a pain."

"I, for one, find it hard to believe as well. But, the conviction in your voice, young man, is quite strong so I am inclined to trust in you and your words," said Nezu. "While we do believe your words, bear in mind that if we do find out that you are actually lying, quite well might I add, there will be consequences. Understand?" A nod. "Alright. I believe there are other matters that you wish to discuss, hm, Detective Tsukauchi?"

Regaining his composure, Tsukauchi then finished rubbing his head and referred to his notepad for the next issue. "Right. You are, of course, under the assumption that you have been brought here to our dimension because of a villain's quirk. That would explain a good bit of as to why you have no clue what a quirk is and showed a healthy amount of shock and surprise when we brought you outside the USJ. However, while we think that you are simply clueless and acted accordingly out of self-defense, witnesses would state otherwise." He then pulled out a file with images of the villains that Joshua took out in the USJ. "Remember them?" When Joshua gave no response, Tsukauchi then continued. "These are the villains that you shot with what I assume is a .45 caliber pistol. All of which have suffered wounds directly to vital organs. We are still checking in with our investigation to see if they had died before or after they bled out but we both know that you killed them before they did. If the training you state in your time as a New Canaanite and as the 'Malpais Legate' in 'Caesar's Legion', one could say you were trained specifically to hit vital parts of the body accurately and efficiently. I could go as far as labeling you as a vigilante, which might I add, is illegal in our country. Now, depending on what you say, I have information that might benefit or detriment your position. So, why?"

Shifting from his seat, Joshua looked at the man dead in the eye and spoke. "In my time as a New Canaanite, using the .45 auto pistol is more of a rite of passage than a weapon used to deliver death amongst our enemies. It is considered only as a last resort or a self-defense tool should our adversaries not listen to reason or in this case, harm others. I figured that these men were not in the mood to talk judging by the first one that swung his weapon at me. I merely defended myself and brought upon God's wrath for threatening the lives of innocent people, much more children who know nothing of the outside world. I dealt with them the way I knew how and if not for my intervention, you would have had serious casualties, one that I know for sure that you would've liked to avoid. Practiced hands makes for short work, and the Good Lord knows there is much to be done." He looks at his hands and huffed in annoyance, remembering something else. "If I had been a second faster, I would've also saved one which I assume is one of the teachers of this institution. There was a mutant among them that displays a monstrous strength that they claim can rival the Symbol of Peace, All Might. I managed to critically wound the ringleader, but unfortunately, his accomplice whisked them both away before I had taken another shot. If anything, you should be turning your focus into finding these wastrels as I fear that they may attack once more, should their ringleader recover. However, if you believe that I am to bear the consequences of my actions and be punished for them then, by all means, I am prepared to take it."

His words cut deep into the minds of the detective, the Symbol of Peace, and the principal. To think that they were interrogating the very person that gave them enough time to save their students and risked his life just to save some of them. How could they, outstanding figures in a society filled with heroes, berate someone who would risk their own life for the sake of others? True, he did commit a taboo but with the right guidance, he can be trained.

Sighing for the nth time that day, Detective Tsukauchi decided that he had enough for the day. He knew what he needed to do and how he to do what he needed to do. Right now, it's a matter of finding this kid a place that he could stay.

"You know, normally we'd process you in as a juvenile for committing crimes against society. Normally. But, I think I speak for everyone else in this room when I say we should drop the charges against you." This earned a look of shock at the bandaged teen and earned a slight chuckle from All Might and Nezu. "This doesn't mean you can go right back to killing villains, alright? I'll go directly to my superiors and my contacts to ask for their help in covering up your part in this invasion. That is, under one condition."

Nodding, Joshua said, "Of course."

"Alright. The condition is that you are to be enrolled in a hero school and keep your conduct above acceptable levels. Until you get your license as a hero, you are to act accordingly and follow all rules dictated to you. Am I forgetting something, principal Nezu?"

"We will also oversee your training and guidance to become a model citizen. While your actions are not befitting of a hero, we believe that the reason you have done so is more than enough for us to overlook it. That being said, we are here to help you control your anger and find what you are looking for as you redeem yourself as you've said. So, what do you say?" Nezu exclaimed, outstretching his hand… paw?

Joshua stared at the hand outstretched towards him and took it. He figured, now that a good few people knew who he was and gave him a bit of trust to believe him, it would be best to gather more information about this world and train himself to get stronger. Mentally and physically. While he did have a way with guns, he absolutely knows jackshit about fighting with his arms and legs. In the meantime, he could also come to terms with dying and leaving his old home behind, even if the pain in his heart won't allow him to. He must try.

"Splendid! Now, I've heard from the good detective here that you own a gun?" Joshua nods quickly. "I see. We can't allow you to use your gun for the moment seeing as you're not a licensed hero yet nor are you stable enough to use it. I don't need to remind you why." Joshua sweatdropped at that. "However, we will be providing you with a different weapon that would allow you to fight back until then. With the Sports Festival coming up, we can't just leave you defenseless now, no?"

"Wait, you're still pushing through with the Festival? After the villain attack, don't you think it would be bad if held this so soon?" All Might said, concern etching on his face.

"Don't fret too much, Toshi. This would be a perfect opportunity for us to tell the public that we are who we say we are and calm their fears that a single villain could debilitate our school That said, detective, I believe your investigation ends here and thus starts to the next, wouldn't you agree?" said Nezu, smiling at the weary man.

Laughing at the suddenness and eagerness of the principal to get things done, Detective Tsukauchi couldn't help but feel a bit calm knowing a few questions and loose ends were taken care of. "Of course, of course. Well then," he said, standing up from his seat. "I'll be taking my leave then. Joshua, I'll be calling principal Nezu regarding your personal accounts and whether I've found a place for you to stay in the meantime. For now, you can stay here in U.A. as I believe there are spare rooms in here that can be used as a guest lodge. Isn't that right, principal Nezu?" Tsukauchi said, earning a nod from Nezu. "Alright. I'll be seeing you."

"Come then young man. Let's get you acquainted with our world. Ooo~ it's been such a long time since I had to take someone under my wing," giggled Nezu, giddy with joy.

Joshua follows the duo outside the door and said his farewells at the older woman for treating him. As he looked at the windows towards the outside world, Joshua caught the sunset just beyond the horizon as he sighs at its beauty. One thought formed in his head as he made his way around the school.

'This is going to be one hell of a ride.'

Ello Arbiter101 here bringing you the 2nd chapter of this story's rewrite.

As you can see, I didn't deviate much away from the style over at the older version of the story but I have tried to make it as realistic as possible. For example, I made Detective Tsukauchi question Joshua's origins and confiscate his items but gave him a promise that he could have it back once he is a licensed hero. I also tried simulating how a normal person would be if they were presented something ridiculous or different from what they're accustomed instead of having these BNHA dudes accept Joshua almost immediately like in the old version of the story.

Next is, this is, once again, a filler chapter since I have no clue what to do with the Sports Festival arc and how I'm gonna make him fight against quirk users when he himself isn't. So... I'm thinking of giving him a quirk. Kind of like Midoriya's lame excuse each time he is asked about his quirk, Joshua will be a late bloomer and exhibit his quirk at the festival. I've been thinking of giving him a quirk that lets him resurrect like a Phoenix or something since he was "burned to death" even though he lived and every time he respawns, he gets stronger and faster. Maybe. I don't know. I'll prolly just make him into a super sturdy dude given his EN and DT in New Vegas is high for someone who only wears a bulletproof vest. Show me your thoughts done on the review section and I might pick one out from there.

Oh! I also found another good cover photo for my story. It's from MScratch on the site 'Know Your Meme' and I think it sums up Joshua as a character haha.

With that said, I hope you guys and gals like this chapter and I'll see you in the next one, buh-bye!

- Arbiter101