Author's Note:

Quick note before we start; I've always thought it was a bit weird when isekais/self-inserts come out of the gate immediately in their new world. I find it a bit jarring. This chapter is pretty much just a setup with me talking to the god/entity/whatever that sends me to a new world. You can skip it if that's not your style. You won't really miss anything plot relevant.

Chapter 1: A Familiar Offer

"I have an offer for you."

I looked around the space I found myself in. The disembodied voice seemed to come from all around me, but I was alone in what could best be described as a simple gray void.

I'm dead.

"Yes, you are." The voice rang through the emptiness in reply.

That was odd. I didn't remember dying. I was still young, so it couldn't have been natural causes. That means I must be speaking to God, or whatever it is that rules over creation. It doesn't sound how I thought it would. Instead of Morgan Freeman's voice, it sounded very… plain. Neither masculine nor feminine, neither deep nor high. Rather anticlimactic really.

The bigger question is why the hell am I not freaking out? Or at least more disconcerted than I am.

"I took the liberty of calming your mind. It helps to avoid delays in this process." The voice answered in response to my unspoken question.

That sounded like it came from experience.

"It does. I have found that giving the human mind the equivalent of about a week of 'processing time,' helps to keep travelers relatively calm and collected. Some need more time than others." The voice replied with a hint of resignation.

Tired of the strange mind to voice exchange, I finally decided to speak. "So what is this, my judgement or something?"

Despite the magnitude of the situation, I still found myself surprisingly calm. A result of the voice's mind meddling presumably. I wasn't the biggest fan of anyone, even God, messing with my head, but I could definitely see how me freaking out for at minimum several hours would be tedious when you need to do this kind of thing several thousand times per day.

The voice chuckled lightly before replying. "No, nothing so serious. You were no saint in life, but you are a good person. Your destination was never in question."

Well that's a relief I suppose. I didn't exactly think I'd be going to Hell, but waiting to hear where you'd be spending eternity is still a bit stressful. Though to be honest, I'm just glad there is an 'after'. Fade to black would suck.

Another chuckle before the voice spoke again. "Heaven and Hell as commonly perceived in Judeo-Christian culture are not quite how it works, but something like that is what you might call the 'default' option for many people. For some individuals however, I prefer to offer something a bit different."

Don't tell me…

Instead of another chuckle, the voice exploded into a full bodied laugh.

"Yes, the offer I am giving you is more or less what you would call, an 'isekai'."

I stood in the void silently for several long seconds, wishing there was a face I could stare disapprovingly at.

"Come now, this is a great opportunity! While we both wish your journey through life had not ended so prematurely, now that it has, you are free to embark upon your next great adventure!" The voice implored.

Even without a body, I could feel the smug, entertained smile.

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. "I'm American. I'm always free."

Silence again reigned. This time it was my turn to be stared at disapprovingly, even if the voice didn't technically have eyes, at least any that I could see.

"Seriously?" The voice asked.

"Yeah yeah, I know. So where are you sending me? Generic fantasy world number ten billion, Futurama, the next Avatar movie? If it's the last one, then I'm warning you now, I am absolutely siding with the humans." I declared.

Oh yeah, I'm definitely feeling that mind calming effect. There is no way in hell I would sass literally God under normal circumstances.

"Don't worry about it. It's always nice to have someone who can hold a normal conversation. I mostly get believers who are tripping over themselves trying to praise me, or non-believers who ask a ton of tedious questions like how the Big Bang happened." The voice reassured.

"..."

"I sneezed." The voice answered my unspoken question.

"Wait, seriously?" I asked incredulously.

"No, not really, but we have more important things to discuss." The voice replied flippantly.

"Fair enough." I conceded.

"As for your destination, I prefer to be a bit more creative. This offer isn't made to everyone. Most people are content to move on to what you would call, 'Heaven'. For this alternative option, I choose individuals I believe to be a bit more adventurous." The voice explained.

"So what, this is for your entertainment?" I asked plainly.

"A significant oversimplification, but for the purposes of this conversation, you could say that is my reasoning, yes." The voice conceded.

Well, I appreciate the honesty at least. It has to get boring as all hell just sending people up or down whenever they die, and spectating whatever shit show is happening on Earth in between.

"You have no idea." The voice confirmed tiredly.

"So if you're going for something a bit more tailor made, I assume you intend to send me to a reality I'm somewhat familiar with. That doesn't really narrow it down though. I'm a pretty big nerd, at least when it comes to certain fictional universes."

I began going over some of them in my head. I knew quite a bit about many of the fictional universes created over the years. From Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, to DC and even a handful of anime worlds I'd been exposed to. A chill ran down my spine as another of my favorite fictional settings came to mind.

"Oh dear God, please not 40k." I pleaded.

"Absolutely not! Like I said, this is a reward, not a punishment." The voice reassured hurriedly.

I released a sigh of relief. I love 40k, and I'm sure it would be an experience trying to save the Imperium, but it isn't exactly my idea of a good time.

"No, I definitely wouldn't send you there. The instant you arrived and attempted to improve anything, you'd likely be executed for tech-heresy or some other lunacy." The voice agreed.

"Yeah… Gotta love the Imperium. Anyway, where am I headed then? Unless I get a choice?" I asked in order to get us back on topic.

"As I said, this is a reward, so if you insist on a different reality, I will send you there, but I do have a specific one in mind. If you are amicable to it." The voice replied.

The tingle of anxiety reemerged as I waited with baited breath for the name of my new reality. The voice's reassurance that they wouldn't send me to some nightmare universe was comforting, but it also left a wide range of potential destinations. While I could refuse and insist on one of my choosing, the voice had been right. I was always a risk taker in life. For all I knew, that was what had ended up getting me killed. As long as it wasn't something completely ridiculous and/or suicidal, I already knew I would accept. Which meant the voice did too.

"Your new home, is My Hero Academia."

Author's Note:

If you read this prelude, I hope you found it humorous. Next chapter actually gets us into Izuku and MHA.