"Alright. Is everyone ready?"
They were by no means poor. They weren't well off, but they weren't poor. They had no true need for frugality, but there was a limit which could be felt now and then. The holidays made this feeling more pronounced than usual. But again they were not found wanting for the most part. Some years, if they were either lucky or scrimped enough throughout the year, they would go to a small resort out in the country!
"Good. Now follow me!"
... not this year though. Not unless a miraculous bonus popped up... more importantly, though she won't say it as she did her best to hide it, his mother was a more stressed than usual this time around from her job...
"Now just a quick recap: these DIVE chairs will stimulate all five senses as they send your consciousness into simulated environments where you will interact with the 'world' presented to you much like you are all doing right now in real life. While some of you will be participating in groups or playing a copy of the same game, essentially we will be sending each of you into different 'worlds' to better test the limits of the DIVE system as well as to see if we need to tweak how the programs respond to you as you progress through them, as well as recording any responses 'felt' in turn in both in the physical world and the simulated one."
If only to see her smile a genuine smile Izuku took it upon himself to be on the lookout for any place of business enlisting temporary help, ideally quick jobs given the time limit which quietly lorded over the holidays. Sadly such jobs were in short supply given that he wasn't the only one on a timetable running around trying to grab an extra yen for the benefit of their own families, never mind themselves. As such whenever he wasn't running around town on the hunt for that deceptive "Help Wanted" sign, because again he wasn't the only one doing what he was doing and not everyone had time to take those signs down, he was perusing the ads in the help wanted section of newspapers, corkboards and even fliers on the street for some hint of salvation. He eventually found it in the form of an ad: "Akihiko Industries searching for testers for an experimental gaming system." As luck would had it they still had a few slots open when he called in to query about the position.
"Now if you would all be so kind as to grab a note from the box over here we'll get started when we find out which game you will be participating in."
Now here he was... After setting up an appointment, arriving and waiting in the lobby for both the appointed time as well as a grace period for late arrivals for their group study, and sitting through an orientation they were to draw random lots for different games both old and new such as, but not limited to: Pac-Man, Streets of Rage, Elite Beat Squad, Musashi: Origin, Halo, Mario, Perry Disco's Revenge, Chronus, and so on and so forth. Eventually it was his turn. As he stood up and made his way to the box he briefly wondered what type of game he would end up testing. Sadly he doubted it was anything from the Adventures of All Might series. Not out of self depreciation of his luck either: some of these games he simply never heard of to begin with, and it was obvious they were testing out the variety of genres as well from what he could infer from both the titles and some commentary; some of these titles however eluded some of the other testers though while others were only heard of through their legacy, or else partially remembered from a YouTube video they chanced upon from personalities who likewise stumbled across them and recorded them for posterity sake if absolutely nothing else. He certainly never heard of Assassin's Creed for example.
Nor of Red Dead Redemption II evidently. He couldn't help but wonder what it was about as he eyed the paper in his hand as he gave it to the associate observing the lots with a clipboard; a name can only give so many hints, and some were outright deceptive in their application to the delight and scorn of many. Even so he didn't bother to ask so much as a single question as he gave it to the woman who doubtlessly jotted down both his name and title on the clipboard. It wasn't out of the question they would explain about it later, wouldn't it?
More time passed and more people found their randomly assigned games... tragically for Izuku however it was learned that there was indeed a title from the Adventures of All Might series thanks to a particularly joyous tester: Doom of Diom. Not a great game in of itself, a little buggy and a few of the villians' voice actors were on the bland side, but beloved all the same much like the eponymous man whose adventures the series was based on. Regardless, once the last of the testers had been assigned their games there was another period of waiting before they were ushered into a hallway intermittently lined with doors. From there, as they traveled as a group down the hall, various people either waited outside of or else poked their heads out of the rooms, each one calling a name or several before absconding with those that were called. By the time Izuku's was called he was one of the last three remaining in the hall sans their escort.
"All right young man, for legal reasons we need to record you for a brief series of questions before we begin the process. That and have you sign these papers to indemnify us. May we record you?" Barely at the edge of the teen's line of sight he spied the camera being adjusted on him. Beyond that, having glanced at it as he entered the room, was the DIVE chair; a high tech recliner if there ever was one... it looked really comfortable if he were honest.
"Uh, sure," Izuku replied with a nod.
"Good." The attendant who sat at the table in front of the teen took a moment to organize the files by picking them up and gently tapping them atop the table and clear his throat before letting loose a small sigh. "Applicant: Izuku Midoriya, age fourteen, about to partake in the testing of the DIVE system which would for all intents and purposes project his consciousness into an artificial environment to interact with and partake activities in. Now young man, have you either played or heard of the game Read Dead Redemption II or any of its sibling games before?"
He gave a slight shake of his head. "I have not."
"So you are not aware that the game you have been chosen to participate in was originally declared for 'Mature Audiences' during its initial release in its base state? Where the intended parties meant to play it were expected to be at least the age of seventeen or older."
"I was not."
"Barring given permission of your parent or guardian, given your current age would you be willing to only take part in only a temporary session to test the utter most basics of the game in question to ensure the basics have been met for future reference of our development team? The basics of which are defined as follows: Movement within the game. Interaction with NPCs, or rather Non Player Characters. Interaction with objects within the game. The ability to activate missions within the game. And finally the use of weapons within the game."
He frowned a little but he nodded nevertheless as he considered the implications of a short duration of a test. Given the job as a tester was a by-the-hour basis, would there be other games for him to test? Or would his run end with this session? "I am willing to try."
"Good. Good. Now... given your age and the nature of the game itself, do you understand that you will be encountering the following elements that earned the game its Mature Rating: Blood and Gore. Intense Violence. Nudity. Sexual Content—"
The teen blushed at those two.
"—Strong Language. And finally the Use of Drugs and Alcohol should you choose to partake in this test?"
"I-uh, I-I do."
"Do you give us your expressed consent to be exposed to these mature elements to test the basic mechanics of the DIVE system?"
"I do."
"Alright then, and finally: Regardless of existing prior knowledge of the game and its contents, do you understand that you will be entering an altered version of the game itself to accommodate what has been dubbed a "Self Insert Experience" by the development team where you effectively play the events of the game as yourself rather than a previously existing character?"
Izuku blinked at that. "Iiiii do?"
The associate raised a brow at him. "Do you have a question?"
Embarrassed with a blush to match, Izuku quietly scratched at his head as he briefly looked away before returning his gaze upon the man before him. "I know you just explained it, but, I don't quite understand as to why is it a self insert experience?"
"The team behind the programming and editing of the game felt that it would be easier for would-be players would not only have an easier time to adjust to being implemented inside a game but also to prevent a sense of identity confusion, especially for those who have not played the game before and thus have no understanding of the original protagonist and the way he had done things, never mind his reasoning toward them."
"O-oh."
The man nodded. "Having said that, and to make sure there is no confusion, let me ask again: Do you understand that you will be entering an altered version of the game itself to accommodate what has been dubbed a "Self Insert Experience" so you can effectively play the events of the game as yourself rather than an existing character?"
"I do," Izuku said more resolutely than before.
"Very good then. Are there any questions then?"
The teenager pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "If I were to call my mom right now and asked for permission to play the full game, would that qualify to unlock the full experience?"
The man stared at him for a good long moment. He even earned a few curious looks from the technicians making the final adjustments as well as what appeared to be a scientist manning a nearby computer. "Unfortunately no," the associate said. "Basically the folks in Legal want signed permission to ensure your guardian's consent hasn't been fabricated. No offense."
"I see," the boy sighed as he deflated.
"Be sure to ask for a consent form on your way out if you really want to give it a try though. Get it signed and back here by tomorrow at the latest and we should be able to continue our sessions here with you," he sighed as he got up.
Perked by the knowledge and hope, Izuku practically dashed to the chair just as the technicians finished up the preparatory work. From there he was seated in the chair and... having his arms and legs bound to the chair by cloth straps?
"Given the experimental nature of the DIVE system, we're restraining your limbs in an effort to minimize any potential harm you might bring to yourself or the equipment."
"O-o-oh. Okaaay..."
"Don't worry! You'll only be like this for an hour, tops," a technician offered with a friendly smile. "It's not like we're going to steal your stuff and do things to you!"
That earned her a swift smack to the back of her head.
Discomfort aside... once they were done the back of the chair lowered itself, and like the recliner it was based off of a platform rose up to support his legs. In a matter of seconds he was virtually laying on his back as the technicians began to set up the last piece of equipment: the helmet. It looked like something out of a retro cartoon from the pre-quirk era, or at least that was Izuku's opinion. Even so it was fitted over his head, ensconcing everything above the mouth so as to deprive him of most of his senses...
"Can you hear us, mister Midoriya?" a voice rumbled through a speaker next to his ear.
"Uh, yes!" he called out. He tried to give a thumbs up but was swiftly reminded his arms were fastened to the chair's arms.
"Good! Now we're about the start. Last chance to bail if you want!"
"I'm alright!"
"Very well then! Commencing dive in five. Four. Three. Two..."
"One."
And then his darkened world exploded in a flesh of red which boldly declared the game's title. Having been startled by it, Izuku stared at it in awe before noticing a soft white flashing sign beneath the game's looming title. "Press to Start" it said. Izuku briefly wondered how he could do so when he brought his hand up to scratch his head, the action causing him to freeze in the abrupt realization that his arms were literally tied down not even a minute before. Soon enough he was looking up and down his body to find it free of restraints, and that he was simply standing there in a black void with noting more than the two signs for company.
Steeling himself, and taking a deep breath, Izuku Midoriya reached for the flashing white sign and pressed against it. Not even a moment later his world was rendered in darkness once more save for one thing: gone were the red and white lettering, and in their place was a man in black suit, a white collared shirt peeking out from which, and black top hat who was coolly staring at the young man.