Drageria
Ch.2: The Arrival
From the top of the ship's deck, Izuku could see that the island was covered in greenery, with huge cascades of forests on both sides and a huge mountain in the center, or what he thought was the center. In addition, it looked like a castle was built into the mountain, using its natural shape. There was even a vast staircase that ran on three sides of the front. There was so much to see on land that it was initially overwhelming. Their docking system was huge and stuck far out from the actual shoreline. With docks that could take small ships to the enormous cargo ship, Izuku arrived on. In addition, several houses were built on the pier, like a mini-village on the water. There were homes, open stalls for business, and outdoor entertainment.
All the people looked so much different from the ones he's seen in Japan. Not only because of their quirks but they all seemed to come from different parts of the world. They all wore ornate clothing that looked to be handmade and not from some bland big-name company. In addition, they all seemed generally happy, unlike the many unhappy or stressed faces of individuals that he saw walking down the streets or talking on phones. Everyone here is less stressed and tense, which gives an aura of kindness. Izuku had never felt so at peace, even when no one looked at him like they did back home.
Some seemed nervous around him, but then again, he did look like crap, and he just got off a boat with several dozen other people that were obstructing much of what was going on. But most just smiled or waved at him if he looked their way. They didn't whisper or give sour expressions. There was no judgment or pity behind their eyes, which was a complete shell shock for him to see and express! Though it made him feel good at the same time.
As he was admiring the scene of the docking living, he heard a voice call from the air. "Excuse me! Can I have everyone's attention!", Everyone looked up and saw a woman with bat wings for arms flying above them. "For all those of you who just came from Japan, please follow me so we can take account of you!"
The women then flew off further into the island, and everyone followed after the flying women. After a time of following, Izuku took notice of the village further on the island itself. The houses were built very old-fashioned and simple, with long rectangular bodies made from deep brown wood and white trim. The roofs had very gentle slopes with metal singes and were built up in three stories. Each story seems to be its own home for three different families living there, much like an apartment. Some of the homes were single-floor houses, and many more were under construction.
In addition, there were storefronts and other places of business and entertainment. Fresh food, flowers, and spices all invaded his senses, while Eri seemed to be turned off by the overstimulated smells. Laughter, chatter, and music hit his ears with a sense of joy, not a high-energy cluster like the city. The streets were made from beautiful slabs of marble with a fountain at the center and street lights that appeared to be powered by electricity. Even though it looked like a medieval fantasy village, the whole place seemed to have many modern amenities like electricity, running water, and proper waste disposal. Which was a huge relief for Izuku.
After following the crowds, they finally reached a huge white tent that spanned hundreds of literal yards in all directions! But even then, once he got inside, he saw that it was still so crowded. There were huge groups of people all over and two huge lines that stretched out to a single table with two people recording info on them. Chairs are all around, with people either sitting or trying to find a seat. After what felt like hours of waiting, Izuku finally made it to the front, where he saw two people writing in large books.
He walked up to the bat-woman on the right, who was the same one from before, and asked, "Name?"
"Izuku Midoriya.", Izuku replied without stuttering.
"Age?"
"15."
"Status."
"I-what?", Izuku asked, confused.
She clarified, "What were you doing before you came here? Working, married, homeless, ECT."
"Um, student.", Izuku responded as she wrote it down while turning a page.
"And who's this?", She asked while motioning to Eri.
"This is Eric, she's 8 and not in school.", Izuku told her.
The woman wrote it all down before asking, "Oh, before I forget, what's your quirk?"
This made Izuku shudder violently! He hadn't been here for more than five minutes and was already going to be ostracized again!
The woman saw his reaction and told him, "If it's personal, I understand, but we need to take it into account in case there's a job you want that'll be best suited to your advantage—even if it's something ridiculous."
Izuku knew that made sense. They needed to understand the basics of what they could and couldn't do. The ones most suited for a specific job would excel in it. And the fact that this country looked like it was still in development meant that they needed to take full advantage of what they had.
Izuku swallowed a painful gulp and whimpered out, "I'm….. quirkless." He then closed his eyes, anticipating the imminent berating to come next.
There was hard silence for a few seconds before the woman suddenly exclaimed, "Wow, really?!", He popped open his eyes and looked at her smiling face with confusion. "That's super cool! I should introduce you to my friend and his kids. They are also quirks.", Izuku continues to look at the woman in shock as she continues. "I didn't think we would get any more. I half expected all quirkless people to either be dead or old. You must have an interesting perspective of the world without a quirk. I kind of wish I had that pleasure and not have to look like a gross bat.", She said while moving to her many bat-like features.
Izuku was flabbergasted and couldn't bring himself to speak. All he felt was a rush of different emotions: shock, confusion, happiness, and anger. The anger was mostly for saying she wanted his 'perspective'. But he couldn't completely fault her since she didn't know him or what he had been through.
She then asked Eri, "And what's your quirk?"
Eri hesitated for a minute and finally piper up and replied, "Re-Rewind."
"And what does it do?"
Eri just stayed silent.
"Maybe we'll find out another time.", She said awkwardly. She wrote something down and then asked, "Now then, do you two have any parents with you?"
Izuku fidgeted anxiously in his socks as he replied, "No. We're here by ourselves."
"Oh, poor things. Another set of orphans. Go ahead and move to the small group of other children you see on the left.", She told them while pointing toward a group of children of varying ages.
After thanking the woman, Izuku walked over to the group and sat with Eri in his lap. He looked around at all the people there with him, and they all appeared to be as emotionally and physically drained as he felt. They all looked miserable but also relieved. When one of them tried to make eye contact, he immediately darted his eyes away! He was not at all feeling social.
When he could finally feel his legs again, he heard a new voice call out, "Attention, everyone! We have drinks and snacks for you after your travels! Please come up and take what you need; there's plenty for everyone!"
Eri looked up at Izuku and said, "I'm thirsty, Izuku."
Izuku chuckles and says, "So am I. Come on, let's get something."
Izuku pulled Eri back into his arms and walked over to the overcrowded, long table where people were getting provisions. After waiting a long time, Izuku finally got four bottles of colored water and two paper lunch bags. He returned to his seat, sat down with Erin on his lap, opened the first bottle, and handed it to Eri, who eagerly drank it. Izuku opened another bottle for himself and drank it down with equal gusto! He licked his lips at the sweet and cold taste. It was just normal water but sweetened with fruit and honey. Eri also voiced her pleasure for the drink and asked for another. Izuku opened the third bottle and handed it to her. After Eri had drunk, he opened one of the paper bags and examined its contents. Inside the bag was a fruit, some bagged berries, a trail mix protein bar, and a small sandwich composed of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and some kind of meat. At this point, Eri had downed her drink happily and was now browsing the bag. Izuku took out the berries and gave them to Eri, who picked at them one by one. Izuku took the other fruit, which was a pear, and ate it. After both were done, Izuku took the trail mix bar and sandwich and broke both in half. The two of them then ate their food constantly. After they finished, Izuku went to grab the last drink and paper bag to share, but he stopped when he saw a shadow over him. He looked up and saw another of the children in the group standing over him with a deadpan but sour expression. He was a bit taller than Izuku but nearly as scrawny as him. He had shaggy purple hair that stuck out on all sides and deep dark bags under his purple eyes. Izuku didn't say it aloud, but this guy looked like the embodiment of sleep deprivation.
He was about to tell the other teen something when he spoke up first and asked, "Whatcha got there?"
Izuku was momentarily confused but replied, "A rations bag. It has-." Izuku immediately froze mid-sentence and lost all control of his body!
He was still very aware, but his connection to his body was on autopilot. He was somewhat freaked out and wondered what happened. His eyes were the only thing he could move. He looked at the teen and concluded that he must have some kind of quirk that was doing this! But the real question was, why was he doing this? What did he have to gain from Izuku?
The teen gave a sideways smile and answered his question as he told him, "Given your foodstuff."
Without his body, it started to move on its own! He leaned down and picked up the bottle and bag, then prepared to hand it over to him, much to his dismay. Even Eri could see something was wrong with Izuku and his blank expression. Initially scared, she tried to get Izuku's attention by calling his name. But the more he didn't respond, the louder and more bold she got until she lightly slapped his face.
With this new sensation, Izuku was suddenly snapped back to self-control. He shook himself and dropped the bag and drink before the guy could snag it. Just as he was about to ask what happened, another person stood between him and the purple guy who was trying to pull a fast one for the food on the ground.
The guy standing between him, in his defense, was another teen around his age with sharp teeth, red eyes, and hair that looked like it was being dyed from black to red.
He nearly growled at the purple boy and exclaimed, "What the heck, man?! Using your quirk to steal food from some guy and his little sister?! Super unmanly! Don't you have any shame?!"
The purple kid clicked his young and said, "Buzz off. This doesn't concern you."
The sharp-toothed boy was about to respond, but Izuku stopped him and said, "No! Don't respond, or he'll control you!"
The sharp-toothed boy looked back at him, and after a confused moment, he nodded silently while glaring down at the purple boy. The two of them were on a near western-style standoff until another voice induced and added her two cents.
"I can't help but find it rather abhorrent to see someone as old and seemingly mature as you go so far as to misuse their quirk for personal gain. Especially in the form of theft from two innocents when the said object of your desire is quite literally being given out for free.", Said the new female who walked into the standoff, making it a triangle.
She was tall, very tall, taller than either of the boys. Her hair was long and black, and she was brought up into a ponytail with onyx-colored eyes. She was also very...developed in some particular areas. Although she appeared, presented, and acted maturely, Izuku could tell she was no older than the rest of them.
"Oh great, another? Get lost, girly.", The purple boy scoffed in a bored tone, only to get a 'humpf' in return.
"Hey, what's your problem anyway?! You heard the girl and the person from before; those food bags are for free! So why even bother stealing?", the sharp-toothed guy asked incredulously.
The purple guy aggravatedly clicked his tongue and said while looking away, "Tch. You wouldn't understand.", He then balled his fists and yelled at them, "None of you would!", At this point, a small crowd had gathered at all the commotion. Even some Dragerian guards began to inch closer. The purple teen saw them and yelled at the crowd, "What are you all looking at?!", The crowd jumped back, and the guards pressed forward to stop any conflict. The purple teen whipped his head back to Izuku, the sharp-toothed guy, and the girl and half yelled, "You don't know what it's like to be me. You could never imagine. And why should he get to take more than one?"
The sharp-toothed guy narrows his eyes at him like it is obvious and says back rhetorically, "He has a little sister, dude. She needs to eat too. And the lady before said they're more than enough. They just keep bringing out more."
"You didn't think that they would simply refuse service to you specifically? Did you?", The tall girl asks the purple guy with some concern in her tone, making the sharp-toothed boy raise a concerned eyebrow in her direction.
"They would if they knew about me. Everyone would hate me if they knew.", The purple guy replied vaguely, which caused more concern on both their faces.
"Knew about what? Nobody knows anything about anyone here.", Izuku finally piped up while standing from his seat with Eri in his arms.
The purple guy snapped at him and yelled, "My quirk, dammit! If people knew about the nature of my quirk, they'd all reject me, and I'd be back to where I was before I came to this place. God, this was a mistake.", He immediately shrunk down and deflated while wiping his hands over his face.
At this point, Izuku really couldn't be mad at him. Just the other day, he was this guy! Far less angry, but still. He's been through a lot, and it's making it harder for him to move on or change from what he considered normal. And the way things were looking, it may go that way for him if someone didn't step up and change that. But no one made a move to do so. Instead, he decided to change that.
So he picked up the drink and bag, walked past the sharp-toothed boy, and held out the items for the purple guy while saying, "Here."
The purple guy looked up from his hands and saw the gesture. He didn't grab it immediately; he just looked at it, then at Izuku, as he asked, "Wha-?"
"I know what that's like. To be hated, ostracized, ignored, singled out, never given a chance. All because of something you can't control. I know full well what that's like.", Izuku said while sadly looking at the ground before continuing, "But that's why we're all here, isn't it? For a fresh start and maybe even a second chance for some of us? Why continue to stay in the past when the future is now.", Izuku said to him with a smile.
"So manly.", the sharp-toothed boy said while he clenched his fists and cried.
"You...You'd still give this to me? Even after I-?"
"We all get angry, and we all make mistakes. The trick is just not to repeat them. We all deserve a second chance no matter what.", Izuku told him reassuringly. "And besides, I can just wait some more. I just have to stand in line for an hour holding an 8-year-old child in my arms.", He followed up with a sarcastic joke.
Even the purple-haired guy couldn't help but smirk at the joke while taking the food. "Thank you.", He finally said in a small voice.
Seeing the scene de-escalate so quickly, the guards backed off and returned to their posts.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya.", Izuku introduced himself while holding out his hand.
After a brief hesitation, the purple boy finally introduced himself. "Hitoshi Shinso. Sorry about that, I'm not used to….. kindness.", He apologized.
"Join the club.", Izuku sassed back. "And this is Eri.", He introduced Eri.
Shinso could only muster a creepy smile and a small wave in return. Only to have Eri hide her face in his shoulder, much to Shinso's dismay.
"Well, you can't blame her. You didn't exactly make a good first impression.", The sharp-toothed boy pointed out.
"If you're gonna continue to butt into this conversation, then at least introduce yourself.", Shinso sassed him back.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. The name's Eijiro Kirishima.", Kirishima introduced himself after awkwardly rubbing his head.
Shinso looked at the tall girl and said, "Hey, girly. If you'll stand here too, you might as well join in on the introduction sequence."
The girl made another humpf sound and stated firmly, "My name isn't girly, it's Momo Yaoyorozu.", She then made a face like she hadn't meant to say that.
The wheels turned in Kirishima's head, and he finally blurted out, "Wait, Yaoyorozu? As in 'Yaoyorozu Industries'? The biggest name in a half of Japan?"
Momo then slapped both hands over his mouth and said in a small voice, "Yes, yes! But please don't bring attention to it!"
"Why are you here of all places? You're filthy stinking rich.", Izuku asked.
Momo shuffled uncomfortably where she stood as she explained, "It's not that simple. All my life has been like one big upstanding business model. There's a time and date for everything, leaving no room for last-minute anything. Always preen and proper. Act a certain way, eat a certain way, dress a certain way, speak a certain way. It always felt so…..", she trailed off.
"Hollow, shallow, not the real deal?", Shinso listed off several things.
Momo nods and replies, "Yes! All of that. It felt….smothering.", She says this with a sad and uncomfortable tone while fidgeting. She then takes a deep breath and explains, "But the real reason I decided to abandon everything I had was due to my dream."
"Dream?", Izuku repeated.
Momo looked up at the sky longingly, which was just the tent, and explained, "Ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a hero. But my parents wanted nothing of it. They wanted me to take up the family business and…..", she trailed off again.
"And?", Shinso prompted her.
"And….they wanted my quirk.", She finally spat out, making the boy's eyes widen. "They wanted to see what happens in my body to make it work. Then they wanted to transfer it to a machine that could do the same.", She looked at the ground with a deep depression over her.
"Not to be rude, but what is your quirk?", Izuku asked, trying not to get excited.
Momo fidgeted again and replied, "It's called Creation. It allows me to take fat cells from my body and change their atomic structure to create inorganic items." She then demonstrated by creating a pencil from a multicolored light on her hand.
Izuku could not hold back his excitement as he excitedly exclaimed, "That's incredible! You would've made an awesome hero!" He then stopped his excitement as he realized and followed up, asking, "But... why'd you stop?"
Momo sighed sadly and explained, "Because when I took an interest, I'd always be turned down or yelled at. Even when I tried independently, they'd do everything to sabotage my chance. I just felt…. trapped."
"Then that Dark God guy's voice invaded your head, and you left.", Shinso wrapped it all up, with Momo nodding.
Kirishima sighs while rubbing the back of his hair and says, "Boy, I sure do know a thing or two about being told things I can't do."
"So what is your sob story not-so-red?", Shinso asks with a snarky tone.
Kirishima laughed dryly as he said, "Funny thing, it does stem from this.", He motioned to his half-dyed hair. He then twisted his fingers nervously and explained further, "I was made fun of a lot for my hair, looks, and…. personality. My quirk played a big part in it. Everyone always told me, including my parents, that I'd never been a hero with the quirk I had. I'd just be one of the eternal sidekicks if I were lucky. Not even recognizable because of it. I tried to change, but my parents stopped me midway through dyeing my hair, sent me to school, and everyone saw what I tried to do and...laughed….even the teachers.", He said the last sentence with a deep sadness. "My quirk is not so…..flashy. It was also hard for me to control which is where I got these scars.", He finished while pointing to his scars.
"What's your quirk?", Shinso blurted out.
Kirishima then held out his arm, which turned into a rocky surface, and explained, "Hardening. It just lets me turn my body into a stone-like surface. What a quirk, purple, since you haven't gone."
Shinso rolled his eyes at the failed attempt to tease him and replied, "It's Shinso and Brainwashing."
All the teens looked at one another in confusion, then back to Shinso, where Momo said what they were all thinking, "That's the worst name possible for a quirk."
"You're telling me.", Shinso said while rolling his eyes and grinding his teeth.
Kirishima then turned to Izuku and asked with a somewhat cheerful tone, "So what is your story, Midoriya? How do you and your sister get to be like….this?", He motioned to Eri and Izuku's state of being.
Between his wet, tattered, burnt uniform, visible facial injuries, and lack of shoes, he didn't look like a pristine picture. Then there was Eri, whose hair was long and unkempt, her eyes dark and red, her only seeming form of clothing a long white shirt, and the multiple scars all over her body that even Izuku overlooked at first.
Izuku moved uncomfortably in the spot he stood and eventually replied, "I'd…..rather not say."
There was silence for a few seconds until Kirishima said, "Hey bro, that's cool. You don't have to feel like you should tell us."
Momo nods in agreement and says, "We are practically strangers to one another. I'm not even sure why we all just shared our backstories so…..easily?"
Shinso clicks his tongue non-aggravatedly and says while rubbing his head, "I guess it's just nice to have someone who listens and doesn't berate or judge you."
All three of the teens nodded at his statement, and from there on, the four of them felt the spark of a friendship blooming. However, things did not say so peacefully as Eri audibly gasped loud and sharp! All eyes were on her as she violently trembled in Izuku's arms. Holding on to him for dear life.
"Eri? What's wrong?", Izuku immediately notices that Eri's eyes are glued to one place!
"It's him!", She squeaks out in a trembling tone.
"Who?", Momo asks, petting the girl's head to calm her.
"The bad man with the bird mask, he's here!", She nearly yells while hiding her face in Izuku's shoulders.
Izuku quickly whipped his eyes around, trying to look for the bird mask man. He immediately saw a tall man standing in the census line. He seemed rather unremarkable apart from his prominent bird beak for a mouth.
Izuku was momentarily confused and began to ask Eri while still looking around, "W-Where? You don't mean that-?"
Before he got to finish, ERI cut in and begged him on the verge of tears, "Don't let him take me, Izuku! Don't let him! I don't wanna go back! I don't-!"
Then she froze mid-sentence and panicked!
Izuku and the other three teens were severely unnerved by this, and Izuku gently tried to ask her, "Eri-?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!", Eri suddenly let out a scream like a murder victim!
Izuku was so shocked by this that he didn't even register Eri freeing herself from his arms and falling to the ground!
"ERI!", Izuku yelled in panic while trying to grab her again.
But Eri ran away from him as she screamed, "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! MY CURSE! MY CURSE IS BACK! AAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Eri then kicked her head into an unused chair, and the item suddenly turned into a pile of logs of different sizes! Everyone who said this gasped and tried to move away from her as she just sat there screaming and crying!
"E-Eri!", Was the only thing Izuku could manage to see when everything happened! His breath waxed fast, and sweat ran down him as his mind raced! He didn't know what to do! He felt useless! So he did only what he could in that situation and yelled, "HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HER! SHE NEEDS HELP! ANYONE!"
But no one made a move! Even his new acquaintances kept their distance, but it looked like they were trying to find a way to help! Izuku looked around beggingly for someone's aid! But the guards were trying to move the people who were trying to move close away, and once we're close enough, we're trying to back away!
Izuku felt like he was not only useless but helpless and stupid as he watched the poor girl sit on the ground screaming and crying as a red glow emitted from the full-grown horn on her head! Izuku almost started crying there, feeling like he could do nothing else until a loud, forceful voice cut through.
"Everyone, clear a path! I said clear a path, people!", Yelled the voice as four different-looking guards opened the crowd. Lord Tachibana is coming through!" the voice yelled again as a huge and imposing figure looked into the area, which made the crowd diverge even faster!
A sense of dread and fear swept around all corners of the tent and invaded Izuku's senses. His anxiety and desperation for another quickly changed to fear and desperation for his well-being as the figure strode in confidently. Only the person in question wasn't a person at all! No. Instead, it was…..well, Izuku couldn't quite say it since it was so anomalous-looking. But it is feared the only thing he could do was stare into the creature's multiple eyes.
Seeing all the commotion, the creature appeared to bend over towards Izuku and ask, sounding ancient and powerful, "What seems to be the problem?"