A Wannabe Hero In Another World!
Chapter 1: Swan Dive Into Another World!
The final school bell was ringing, the ding dong ding a distant trill that soothed his spirit just a bit as the toes of his sneakers pushed past the concrete edge of the school roof. Emerald green eyes shone as they caught the waning light of the sunset, the rustling noise of notebook pages flipping in the wind took over as the bell chiming died down, the mechanical pencil in his hand fell from his loose grip. A deep breath taken in through the nose and released from the mouth. You might expect one in this situation to be crying or at the very least frowning, but this boy standing at the edge of his school roof, firm against the strong winds that rolled by and tousled his green hair was smiling the widest smile anyone could likely recall seeing on plastered across their face. Another breath of air was pulled into their lungs as they tossed their arms out and away almost as if reaching to drag their fingertips across the sky.
"I'm gonna be a hero!" The declaration echoed across the mostly empty courtyard and caught the attention of any lingering staff and faculty who gasped upon looking up and seeing the resident quirkless boy at the edge of the roof.
Knees bent and a mighty jump was taken and uproarious laughter filled the school yard that late afternoon as one boy fell to his death.
oOo
It was like blinking. One millisecond he's about to face plant into the ground from three stories up, and another he's standing in a pristine white hallway filled with doors down the length of both walls and staring at an average looking man sitting at a desk with newspaper in hand. A trail of smoke was rising up behind the black and white pages. With little else to do the green haired boy stepped up to the desk where the man came into full view. The face shape was angular, strong jaw, neatly combed blonde hair, dazzling sly blue eyes behind a pair of simple black framed lenses, and a lit cigarette pinched between a narrow mouth. The end of the lit fag flared orange as it was burned away, the man folded away his newspaper and set it aside on his desk before extracting the spent cigarette and stuffing it into the ashtray.
"Midoriya Izuku, age fourteen, only child of Midoriya Inko and Hisashi, born early morning July the fifteenth, O blood type, and standing at one-hundred and sixty-six centimeters. Smoke?" The man punctuated his listing of Izuku's information by providing an opened pack of nondescript branded cigarettes with one slightly poking out past the rest.
Izuku twitched at hearing all this, still struggling to catch up to his current situation from where he was, but years of shy mannerism and etiquette bubbled up enough for him to shake his head no and thank the man for the offer regardless. The blonde desk worker nodded at the refusal before pinching his lips onto the filter of the cigarette and removing it, striking a match and lighting the stick in one fluid movement. The man's blue eyes swept over him once more before he exhaled twin streams of smoke from his nose.
Izuku took another look up and down the hall before returning his gaze to the man and swallowing his nerves, "I-is this where we come to reincarnate…?"
The man drummed his fingers atop the brown desk immaculate surface for a few steady beats before he blew a ring of smoke at the green haired boy. The smell was bitter with a faint hint of something earthy, and then Izuku grasped at his eyes as it felt like someone had smashed open palms over his ears, poked him in the eye, and punched his mouth all at once; it was so jarring that it caused him to take a step back and trip over his own feet. The landing was equally painful as he'd landed on his tailbone, which left him with the conundrum of whether to roll around clutching at his rump or to nurse his pained head.
"Best of luck to you, Mr. Midoriya." Were the last words imparted to the pained youth from the man at the desk before a trap door split open beneath him and deposited him headfirst into his new world.
oOo
Out over the lake the sun had just reached its pinnacle at the apex of the sky, its bright light stretching all across the land and its blazing heat bathing everything around, but the boat hands stuck at the edge of the ship, lines cast into the water eager to hook and reel in a nice catch, bobbed along with the movement of the waves, leaving the two to sit and stare and wipe at the sweat that ran down their faces.
One of the two threw a glare over their shoulder at the boat owner, a self proclaimed master sailer and renown worthy captain that could brave any sea, who was laying back in a hammock beneath the canopy that covered the rudder, a chilled bottle of some imported spirit at his side table and a plate of nuts and dried fruit beside that. The fishing sailors' own stomach tightened at their lack of food, and it would remain that way if they failed to haul in anything to sell at the bazaar once they docked later.
A loud cry filled the fishermen's ears as something fell before their eyes and splashed into the water. The sailor who had kept watch at the bobbers caught sight of what had disturbed their waters and likely scared away any inquisitive fish they had been lurring onto their hooks for the better part of a morning, he tossed aside his fishing pole and dove into the water after the boy. The captain, who had been scared out of his hammock by the sudden splash, stood just in time to see one of the lads who frequently rented his service haul up a pale skinned boy with hair colored like a forest at the heart of spring, followed by the other lad who often accompanied the other fisher on these outings.
"What've ya got der lads? It don't seem like yer usual catch."
"Tyr's beard Erik, what were you thinking jumping in after something like that? Has the madness finally come for you?!"
"Get off it Cyril! You expected me to let some kid drown?" Erik barked back as he came up to glare at his friend's callousness.
The ship captain ignored the glaring fishermen and looked the boy over. At first he could pass for a normal human if you assumed he dyed his hair, but you couldn't ignore the ears. Crouching down he brought his hand to rest flat on their chest, a strong thump pushed back, pinching the boys face and moving it side to side he took in the details of the slightly pointed ears, the captains thumb pushed the boys upper lip away to reveal regular looking teeth, but when he spread the lips apart and looked past the white mashers he saw a thin forked tongue. Pulling his hand away and wiping it on the boy's odd clothes he stood back to his full height.
"Seems ta me ya've gon' an caught yerself a Mutant."
"Mu…tant? Huh?"
The captain laughed at Erik while Cyril went pale at looking at what he'd pulled onto their boat, "Get a look of dem' ears lad! It ain't no elf, an I've yet seen an Imp this far west. Cy! Get off yer arse and fetch some rope. Seems you lad 'ave made yer daily catch."
Both fishermen seemed put out at the thought of selling something that looked so much like a human, even if it is a Mutant. But that small amount of reservation didn't stop them from eventually tying the boy up and setting him to the side while they got to work unfurling the sail and making way for the docks, the entire time the captain reassuring them that, after he takes his share, they'll never have to worry about fishing again.
Once they were nearly within shouting distance of the dock the captain pulled free a long block of wood with a bronze barrel strapped to the top, he pulled a short cord from his breast pocket and set it info the hole at the base of the barrel before pinching the end and letting it spark. The bang shook the two fishers and caused the young boy to stir from his sleep.
As the pale blue smoke flare rose into the air the docks came to life with fresh activity, the normal folk and younglings stared with confusions as the workers and guards began a flurry of movement, the guards began to bark orders to the common folk to vacate the area and it seemed they would reluctantly obey.
Erik looked at the shrinking population as a knot if worry formed in his gut, "Uh, hey Bjorn, why are the guards clearing all the people—"
Another loud bang silenced Erik as a lead ball tore a hole through his throat. The usually broad and strong fisherman wobbled as if he'd never managed to find his sea legs, quivering knees buckled and he toppled like a flimsily tree caught in a summer storm. The light left his eyes as quickly as the color drained from his face.
"E-Erik!" Cyril cried out as he released the rope guiding the sail and charged the captain they'd set sail with countless times.
"Agi." Was all the captain had to say as his open palm faced the charging man who would never reach him as a bright cherry red flame washed over him, his brief yell the last sound any would ever hear from him as he stumbled for several seconds before finally dropping dead onto the deck. His blackened flesh charred and still smoldering with glowing embers.
The captain's attention was brought over to the boy, who had tears streaming down their face as they took in the sight of death and the blood of another soaked their shirt.
"Finally awake huh, seems like you've never seen death. Hmph. What a troublesome mess you've made for me…I really liked these two y'know."
Izuku could say mother as he felt the thick and warm blood soak into his shirt and cling to his skin. His sore red eyes kept pouring tears down his face as a seizing fear gripped his spine and froze him, not that he could do much even if he wasn't tied up.
"I wonder if you even understand our tongue, Imp…"
The captain said nothing else as the boat finally drifted closer to the dock, the leather armored town guards jumped the last few feet onto the boat and began to seize the area, a guard with a red stripe across his pointed leather skull cap came up to the ship captain, "Commander Ryotaro! What happened sir?"
The sea captain spat to the side, "Call me Bjorn dumbass, that immature Imp fell from the sky…can't tell if it used to be human or not, the hairs throwing me off. Anyway, sell it to Mabufa, keep the gold for you and the men here. Send someone to notify the families of these two. Attacked by pirates..."
Izuku finally found his voice as he heard tell that he was going to be sold and that these guards were going to do nothing to avenge these fishermen who had been killed.
"Y-you bastard! H-h-how could you do this!" He screamed, and bared his teeth as he tried to nurse that growing courage, only to curl up as a booted foot slammed into his stomach.
"Shuddup! Ya damn Imp. Can't believe he speaks the King's tongue, hearing these bastards use his majesty's words makes me sick." The guard that kicked him all but snarled.
Izuku coughed as he struggled to pull more air into his forcefully emptied lungs, barely able to peel through his teary eyes he looked at the one who'd so indiscriminately killed and plotted to sell him, "I-I won't let you get away with this."
Bjorn scratched at his bare stomach, the weathered brown coat that rested on his shoulders fell to the ground as he shrugged it off, his scruffy face moved side to side as the dull gold eyes took in the boy before him. His foot falls weren't any louder or forceful than those of the guards but everyone had paused as he made his way over to Izuku. The older man looked down at the green haired boy that fell from the sky and his once neutral face fell into a slight frown, like someone noticing their shoe was on the other side of the room instead of beside the other pair.
"Tch. You Imps sure are dumb, my friend over there told you to shut it," the captain sighed as he pointed two fingers down at Izuku, revealing the trailing scar that ran down his pointing arm, "Zio."
And Izuku's world went dark following the crackling sound of arcing electricity and the bright yellow flash.