Chapter Three

Revelations

Chell floated in a sea of unconsciousness. Even though she couldn't feel anything around her, it was bliss. There was no pain, no exhaustion, no fear in the back of her mind, kept at bay by her stubbornness and determination to live. While she slept, she didn't have to worry about anything. Not these days, at least. When she had lived on the streets of São Paulo after the orphanage closed, sleep very rarely came to a young Chell, and it was never a deep sleep. One ear had to be kept open at all times, listening keenly for someone trying to sneak up on her, maybe to steal her food, or her meager belongings, or worse. Sometimes death was a mercy compared to what the desperate would do to one another.

But sleep was something that Chell now relished. After being taken in by Aperture Science as a test subject, Chell always looked forward to sleeping deeply in those early days, before they kept her asleep indefinitely. Knowing that you were safe, that nothing could hurt you, was one of the best feelings in the world. How sad that it had taken this long for Chell to feel it.

But no one could sleep forever, even if Chell wanted to. She didn't resist her awakening, as that would only hasten it, but instead went along with it, like one would floating down a river. Not that Chell knew what that was like; all of the rivers she had seen had been too dirty to risk swimming in.

As Chell's eyes slowly opened, letting out a tired yawn, she noticed that she felt great. No aches or pains could be felt over her body, none of her muscles felt as if they were strained or exhausted.

'How long has it been since I felt this good?' Chell wondered, stretching her arms above her, satisfying popping sounds coming from her joints. 'Even at Aperture, I'd often wake up stiff. The beds they gave us weren't exactly comfy, only for people with nowhere else to turn to.'

As Chell's eyes roamed across the ceiling, she was pleased to see that she didn't need to squint, with the few lights in the room being a warm, soothing colour, rather than a clinical, harsh light that was so common in Aperture.

Chell sat up in the bed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Her hair draped down her back, still loose rather than in her preferred ponytail.

'Guess I'll have to find a hair tie or something to keep it up,' Chell thought to herself, glancing around the room. She seemed to be in a hospital, given the monitors both around her bed and along the walls. A heart monitor was quietly beeping away beside her, creating a background noise. Its quiet beeps quickly changed into a consistent whine once Chell removed the monitor attached to her arm.

'I almost wish it stayed on,' Chell grumbled to herself, pulling out a needle that was attached to her arm, depositing a liquid from a clear bag that hung from a hook at her bedside.

As Chell moved her legs underneath the covers, she immediately felt that something was off. Rather than feeling her calves resting against the mattress, they seemed to be hanging in the air. Quickly throwing her covers off, Chell was greeted to the sight of her lower legs being supported by metal heels, the curved struts jutting out from the back of her knees.

"So it wasn't a dream," Chell rasped, her mouth and throat dry, reaching down to touch the artificial heels, as if coming into contact with them would show they were nothing more than a trick. But the sensation of her fingers touching cold metal proved they were all too real, and by extension, so were the events that led up to their implantation.

"GLaDOS," Chell growled, her hands fiercely gripping the rails that lined her bed. "You cowardly traitor."

The sound of groaning metal immediately caught Chell's attention. Snapping her head up, Chell's eyes frantically searched the room, trying to spot what might have been a robot that GLaDOS had sent. But nothing could be seen that she hadn't seen already. Glancing back down at her legs, Chell caught out of the corner of her eye something by her bed rail. Glancing over, she saw that where once there had been a straight, spotless metal railing, it was now warped and bent, the imprint of a hand molded into its frame.

Chell's mouth hung open, blankly staring at her hand, then looking at the railing, going back and forth multiple times. Reaching over to an undamaged part of the railing, Chell gripped the railing. Clenching her teeth, she squeezed her hands as hard as she could. At the sound of the railing groaning in protest Chell let go, pulling her hand away to see a light indentation in the metal.

'That's new,' Chell thought. 'I guess that's what she meant by muscle enhancements.'

Chell was quickly broken out of her thoughts by the sound of a door hissing open. Chell's head snapped towards the source of the noise, seeing a door hidden amongst the wall sliding open. Walking in without any fear or trepidation was an old woman. She was short, much shorter than Chell, even without her implants. Her hair was a solid grey and tied up into a bun. She wore a doctor's coat over a red and yellow vest, and what Chell assumed (and hoped) as simply a cane looked like an oversized syringe.

"Kon'nichiwa, shin'ainaru hito," the old woman said in a calm, reassuring tone. As she slowly walked closer to Chell's bed, Chell flinched, backing away.

The old woman noticed this, a sad expression crossing her face.

"Daijōbu," she said, raising her hands in a calming gesture, "kokode wa dare mo anata o kizutsukeru koto wa arimasen. Anzendesu."

Chell had to force herself to breathe slower, calming her racing heart. Seeing her less panicky breaths, the old woman slowly walked closer to Chell's bed. Chell didn't back away anymore, but she did flinch as the woman reached out to her.

"Watashi no koto o rikai dekimasu ka, shin'ainaru-chan?" the old lady said, likely a question given her tone. Not that Chell knew what she was saying. Her understanding of Japanese was incredibly basic, limited to only a few words and phrases, as well as the question, 'Are you my father?' She had tried to learn the language in some vain, hopeful attempt she'd be able to find her father, who she knew was Japanese, in the business areas of São Paulo, but nothing had come of it.

"I…I don't understand you," Chell whispered, drawing into herself. "I don't know what you want from me."

Comprehension filled the old doctor's eyes at Chell words.

"Daijōbu, wakarimashita. Soko ni ite kudasai, kawaii hito," she said, gesturing downwards with her hands, miming for Chell to stay where she was. "Eigo o hanaseru hito o mukae ni ikimasu."

The old lady turned away, walking over to her desk. Hopping up onto a chair, she pressed a button at the base of a microphone, speaking into it.

"Purezento Maiku, shujutsu-shitsu ni kite moraemasu ka? Sono on'nanoko wa eigo o hanasunode, anata ni tsūyaku shite moraimasu."

The old lady turned her attention towards a trio of monitors, each of them more advanced than anything that Chell had seen before, even at Aperture.

As her mind began to wander without anything to do, Chell became strongly aware of how dry her mouth was. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, and her mouth felt as if she had chewed on a pile of sawdust.

"Um, excuse me?" Chell asked with a quiet, raspy voice.

The doctor turned at the noise, looking at Chell with a kind expression.

"Dō shita no, shin'ainaru?" she said. Even though Chell didn't understand what was said, she got the impression it was an inquiry of some kind.

"Can I have a glass of water?" Chell asked. The old doctor simply tilted her head, showing her confusion.

"Water," Chell repeated, miming in the air drinking from a cup. "To drink."

"Ā," the doctor nodded, hopping off her chair, "mochiron nodo wa kawaite iru hazudesu."

The old lady moved to one of the walls of the room, pressing a panel and popping open a sink. Grabbing a metal cup, she filled it with water, quickly bringing it over to Chell, placing the cup in her outstretched hands.

"Arigatō," Chell nodded, using some of the little Japanese she knew. The response from the old nurse was immediate, her face lighting up into a kind, elderly smile.

"Dōitashimashite, shin'ainaru-chan," she replied, gently rubbing Chells hands. A warm sensation flowed through Chell, fond memories of the nuns who ran the orphanage treating her with the same care and compassion.

The heartfelt moment was swiftly broken by the loud sound of Chell's rumbling stomach.

"Sorry," Chell apologised, holding her stomach with a light blush of shame and embarrassment on her cheeks.

"Shinpaishinaide. Tabemono o motte kimasu." the old lady said in a reassuring tone, patting Chell's hands one last time before heading back over to her desk.

"Ranchi Rasshu, gesuto no tame ni keishoku ga hitsuyōdesu," the old doctor said into the microphone. "Usume no sūpu no yōna tabe yasui mono. Purezento Maiku ni motte kite moraimashou."

Chell simply sat where she was, cooperating as much as possible as the old doctor took tests and check ups of her. After a few minutes of waiting, the door slid open again, revealing the smiling form of a tall, blond man, one of the four men from the forest who had accompanied the talking mouse.

"Hey hey hey, little listener!" he cheerfully greeted Chell as he walked into the room, carrying a bowl in one hand while he waved with the other. "How's it going?!"

-]l[-

"And the day was going so well," Hizashi Yamada muttered to himself as he ran down the hallways of U.A., the classes for the first year students to his left. "And what does Hush know about teaching English anyway? He'll probably be too quiet for the students to hear him anyway."

As Hizashi, better known by his students as the Voice Hero: Present Mic, raced through the thankfully empty hallways, he thought back to what had happened only minutes ago. He had been halfway through his English lesson with his class, one of many that he taught, since he was one of the designated English teachers of U.A. Unlike his best buddy Shota, Hizashi had Class 1-E as his homeroom class, a bunch of General Studies kids. While some of them at the beginning of the year had been bummed that they hadn't gotten into the Hero Course like they had wanted to, Hizashi had done his best to encourage them in those early days of the school year. After all, if they put in as much effort as their peers in the Hero Course and do well enough in the Sports Festival, then they'd have a shot at being enrolled in the Hero Course for the following year. He'd had many students of his who had managed to claw their way into Class A or B, a feat that Hizashi was proud of.

He'd been in the middle of teaching Class 1-G, a rambunctious class of Support Course students who really vibed with Hizashi's more energetic style of teaching, when he'd received the summon from Recovery Girl to act as an interpreter. Why the Principal wasn't available, Hizashi didn't know, nor did he really care. After putting out the alert that he needed someone to cover his classes, Hizashi had sprinted off. After all, the girl that had crash-landed at U.A. needed his help right now more than his students did.

"Present Mic," came the voice of the school chef, Lunch Rush, over Hizashi's earpiece. "Recovery Girl says that the young girl is hungry, and has asked for me to prepare a light soup for her. Would you be able to collect it from the school cafeteria?"

"Yeah, no problem, Lunch Rush," Hizashi confirmed, making a turn to the left to head towards the school cafeteria. "What kind of soup are you thinking?"

"Yellow Boid soup with some potato and onion," Lunch Rush answered, the background noise of kitchen utensils indicating that the cooking hero had already started. "It is something simple, easy to make, and most importantly, easy to stomach. Though I apologize in advance if she is vegetarian."

"Lunch Rush, you'd be able to make a vegan a diehard carnivore after tasting your steaks," Hizashi praised. "I'll be there in a sec!"

After a few minutes of running through the U.A. halls and only almost colliding with someone once, Hizashi swept through the empty cafeteria, barely slowing down as he picked up the tray that the bowl of soup was placed on.

"Thanks, Lunch Rush, bye, Lunch Rush!" Hizashi called out behind him as he ran. Doing everything in his power to move as fast as possible while not tripping and spilling the soup, Hizashi booked it to a nearby elevator, pressing the button for Recovery Girl's High Intensity Care theater with his elbow. After waiting for the elevator to swing open, Hizashi swiftly walked down the corridor, knowing how particular Recovery Girl was when it came to people running through her hallways. Finally reaching the old doctor's clinic, Hizashi paused, going through his mind how he should handle this.

'The kid was clearly terrified of us,' he thought to himself, going over what he remembered from the young girl's landing a few days prior. 'I might not have a Psych degree like Hound Dog does, but even I could see that. It's probably best to go for a friendly personality, show the kid that despite whatever past experiences she's had, that I'm someone in a strange environment who she can trust.'

Nodding to himself, Hizashi scanned his Teacher I.D. card, given how the room was in a semi-lockdown, and stepped through the sliding doors.

"Hey hey hey, little listener!" he cheerfully greeted in English, a smile worn on his face. "How's it going?"

The young girl froze as he walked through the doors, tensing in the medical bed she sat in. Her eyes flicked from Hizashi to Recovery Girl, then to the soup Hizashi held in his hands, then back to Recovery Girl.

'Good, the old lady's gained some of her trust,' Hizashi thought as he slowly walked over. 'This should make it easier.'

"How'ya feeling, kid?" Hizashi asked, stopping by the foot of the bed. "You enjoy your two day nap?"

The girl was taken aback, her eyes widening slightly at the news.

"I'm in Japan, right?" she quietly asked.

"That's right, little listener," Hizashi nodded. He placed the tray of soup on the bed, locking the edges of it onto the railing that had been designed for the purpose, giving the tray of food a stable platform. "I can answer all of your questions later. For now, you're probably hungry, right? Some soup should fill you right up, give you plenty of energy."

The girl's stomach decided to voice its opinions, making a low gurgling noise. Blushing slightly in embarrassment, the girl reached for her spoon, grabbing it in her hands. The utensil let out a creaking noise, causing the girl to gasp, dropping the now visibly warped spoon.

"S-Sorry," she apologised, drawing her hands back, balling them into fists. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey, it's nothing to worry about," Hizashi reassured, reaching out to touch her shoulder, but pulled it back, realising that she might not appreciate a stranger's touch.

"I don't blame you for being scared of me," she quietly whispered, drawing her body inwards, almost tucking herself into a ball. "After all, she made me a freak, a monster."

"Hey, don't you ever call yourself that," Hizashi admonished, realising that the girl had taken his hesitancy to touch her as fear of her rather than for her. "What, you think that being super strong makes you a freak?"

The girl nodded, letting off a small sniffle.

"Well, you don't have anything to worry about," Hizashi grinned, causing the girl to look up in confusion. "After all, if you think your powers make you a freak, then you've found yourself amongst freaks."

Hizashi jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to Recovery Girl.

"Recovery Girl, the old doctor, she has the power to heal people with a kiss. I've seen her power cause bones to heal, cuts to disappear, and wounds to cease to exist. Me, I've got a voice power; I'm able to make my voice really loud. So having some super strength isn't anything to worry about."

The girl's eyes opened wide, as if surprised by this revelation of others with powers like her.

'Crap, she must be an Outlander, cut off from society,' Hizashi thought. 'Though the question is, how did she end up in Japan, when she doesn't speak Japanese?'

Hizashi was taken out of his thoughts as he witnessed the girl raise her right hand to the ceiling, shutting her eyes closed, tense with concentration.

"What are you trying-" Hizashi began, only to pause as a streak of orange light shot out of her palm, impacting on the ceiling. A large orange oval formed above them, easily large enough for Hizashi to fit within.

"Oh my," Recovery Girl gasped, holding a hand to her mouth with wide eyes. Hizashi was much less subtle with his shock, his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide. But when he moved them back down to the girl, he was surprised to find that she wore an expression of both excitement and sadness, a combination Hizashi never thought he'd see.

"She wasn't lying," the girl whispered to herself, Hizashi only just being able to hear her. The girl concentrated again, this time pointing the palm of the left hand towards the floor, right by the edge of her bed. Again, a streak of light shot out of her palm, this time blue, and an equally large portal formed beside her bed. Instead of creating a blue oval, it only created a frame, the body of the oval see-through and transparent. Glancing back up at the ceiling, Hizashi noticed with no small amount of surprise that what had once been an orange oval had also turned see-through, an orange border lining the edge. Looking through it, Hizashi saw that he was looking up at the ceiling, but it was strangely far away.

The girl gently picked up the bent spoon from the tray, dangling it over the edge of her bed. Letting go of it, the spoon fell through the hole in the floor, reemerging from the ceiling, dropping back onto her tray with a clatter.

"You have a portal quirk," Hizashi realised, looking back and forth between the two portals.

He turned to Recovery Girl, who had been watching with wide eyes. "Recovery Girl, note it down! She has a portal quirk!"

"Right," the old doctor nodded, quickly pulling herself out of her shock, tapping away at her computer.

"That's an impressive power," Hazashi said, turning back to face the girl. "With a power like that, you'd be able to go far in life."

"You don't think it's strange?" the girl asked, some form of hope filling her eyes.

"No stranger than my own power," Hizashi grinned. "There's an old saying that goes, 'When everyone's super, no one is.' It means that in our super-human society, having powers like ours doesn't make us strange. In fact, not having powers would be strange."

The girl nodded, a small, faint smile growing on her face. "I'm glad I landed in this reality."

Hizashi froze at that, his eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

The girl flinched apparently not realising she had spoken aloud.

"I-I'm not from your world," she claimed. "She said that the device would send me as far away from her as possible, to another reality, so that I couldn't come back somehow. Not as if I wanted to, not after all she did to me."

'Crap crap crap crap crap,' Hizashi panicked in his mind, doing everything to not let his negative emotions show. 'Word of this can't get out. I mean, we're already hiding the fact that we have a young girl underneath U.A., but if the media finds out we have an extradimensional, there's no way it will turn out well, not when people will think of the Invasion.'

"Right, well, we can discuss more about that later," Hizashi said, steering the conversation in a different direction. "How about this food, hmm? Lunch Rush, our school's chef, made it just for you. I'm sure he'd be glad to hear you tried it. Do you think you can eat by yourself?"

The girl thought for a moment, looking contemplatively down at her spoon, before shaking her head.

"No, sorry," she murmured, glancing at her side railing. "I'm not used to my new strength."

'I wonder what she means by that,' Hizashi thought, noting the finger imprints that had been bent into the metal railing. 'Did this lady, whoever she is, augment her strength?'

"Well, no matter, little listener," Hizashi grinned, picking up the spoon as he sat on the bed's edge. "If it's alright with you, I'll help you, okay?"

The girl nodded, opening her mouth, swallowing a small spoonful of boid soup. She continued to eat a few mouthfuls without difficulty, but her lips soon started to tremble, giving off small sniffling sounds.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter?" Hizashi asked with concern in his voice, setting down the bowl and gently placing his hand on her own. "It's not too hot, is it?"

The girl shook her head, tears starting to well in her eyes.

"It's just, here you are, looking after me, caring for me, comforting me, when I'm just a girl you don't know, a nobody, and I can't even eat a mouthful of soup without messing it up," the girl hiccuped, tears starting to roll down her face. "Why do you even bother with me?"

"Because I'm a hero," Hizashi admitted. "It's my job to go where there's danger, to help people who are in need. My job is to comfort those that need it, to reassure them that everything's going to be okay. Why wouldn't I help a young girl in need?"

The young girl's lip trembled, before she pressed her head onto Hizashi's chest, her hands gripping his jacket.

"Why did no one save me?" she sobbed, gasping in short, sharp bursts. "Why did no one stop the tests, reject my application? Why did no one stop to think that I was a child, a stupid, dumb child with nowhere to go? Why did they put me in those tests, knowing that they could kill me? Why did no one care? At least she had a reason; she was a monster, designed to test the limits of the human body and spirit. But they were human, they were scientists. Why did they think that it's okay to progress science at the cost of thousands of lives? Was it because I was homeless, because no one would look for me? Because I was nothing?"

"Present Mic, what is she-" Recovery Girl began, only to be cut off as Hizashi held up his hand, gesturing for her to be silent. He turned back to the girl, idly noting that his jacket had ripped in her hands, but that was a minor issue, especially compared to the weeping girl that clung to him like a lifeline.

"I can't begin to pretend I know what you've been through," Hizashi began, gently stroking the girl's hair, something he often did with his younger sister whenever she had night terrors. "What I can tell you, what I can promise you, is that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you stay safe and cared for from now on. No one's going to hurt you, not while I'm here. I promise."

His words only caused her to cry even more, burying her head in his jacket. Hizashi sat there for a few minutes, simply stroking her head and allowing her to let it all out. All the while, information that she had mentioned swirled in his head.

'Is she an experiment?' he thought. 'But what kind of scientists would experiment on a little girl? And this mysterious female figure, the kid makes it seem as if she isn't human. Is she some other race? Is she even from another reality? What are the chances of humans, or at least people who look exactly like humans, evolving in two separate realities?'

Hizashi idly noticed that the girl's crying had stopped, now reduced to a slight sniffling.

"Feeling better now that you've let it all out?" Hizashi asked, the girl answering with a nod, her head still pressed against Hizashi's jacket. He gave a small chuckle, pushing her back slightly, looking down at her.

"I think introductions are in order," Hizashi decided, placing his hand on his chest. "My name is Hizashi Yamada, but my hero name is the Noise Hero: Present Mic. What's yours?"

"Chell," came the girl's quiet reply.

"Do you have a last name, Chell?" Hizashi asked.

Chell tilted her head, showing her confusion.

"A last name, you know, a family name," Hizashi explained.

Chell's expression became saddened, gently shaking her head.

'Oh, good job, Hizashi, you idiot,' Hizashi scolded himself, realising his error. He glanced around, trying to find something to cheer the young girl up, his eyes quickly landing on the half-eaten bowl of soup.

"Think you can manage more of that soup?" he asked, with Chell giving a hesitant nod.

Reaching over, Hizashi once again picked up the bowl of soup, scooping up a spoonful of the broth and holding the spoon up to the girl. She looked at the bent piece of metal for a second, before closing her eyes and opening her mouth.

Hizashi simply smiled, shaking his head in amusement, going along with the girl's wish. Spoonful after spoonful was fed to her, and soon enough the bowl was empty, gently set down on the tray, the metal plate detached from the bed and placed to the side.

"Well, what'ya think?" Hizashi asked with a grin. "Lunch Rush makes pretty good grub, right?"

Chell nodded, leaning back into her pillows, a content, satisfied smile on her face. "That was the best meal I've had."

Her seemingly simple answer immediately sent off warning bells in Hizashi's head.

'The best meal she's had?' he thought. 'That wasn't anything special, just a simple boid soup.'

"Hey, kid, when was the last time you had a warm meal?" Hizashi asked, hoping that his intuition was wrong.

Chell thought for a second, taking much longer than Hizashi liked. Finally, she seemed to have an answer.

"Eight years, maybe?"

"And how old are you, Chell?"

This time her answer was much quicker, answered almost instantly.

"Fourteen years, two months, and seven days," she answered, before pausing, her brows furrowing in thought.

"Nine days," she corrected.

'That was oddly specific,' Hizashi thought, translating the information to Recovery Girl.

"That would place her birthday on December 8, assuming the calendars are the same," she deduced. "Poor dearie. She should be going to middle school, not recovering beneath U.A."

"It's worse than that," Hizashi said, going in depth about the details that Chell had told him.

After recapping what had been told to him, Recovery Girl nodded, bringing up a list of notes on her computer.

"Then it's just as Nezu and I theorised," she explained. "We figured she was an experiment of some kind, given the biological and neurological improvements that have been done to her, as well as the prosthetic they implanted into the back of her knees. However, her claim of being extradimensional is puzzling."

"Puzzling indeed!" a voice declared, causing everyone in the room to look to the source. Walking out of a concealed doorway in the walls was Principal Nezu, looking up at Chell with what Hizashi assumed was curiosity and intrigue. He climbed up onto the bed, standing on top of Chell's legs, the two of them almost at eye level.

"Hello, Chell, my name is Nezu," Principal Nezu greeted, causing the young girl to jolt in shock. "I know, this must be confusing for you. After all, what am I? A mouse? A bear? A dog? Well the truth is, I'm a principal! Specifically, the principal of the school you are currently located in."

Chell timidly reached out a hand, clearly unsure if she was allowed to. When Principal Nezu made no effort to stop her, she gently stroked Nezu's exposed fur, that is, his head. As her hand brushed through the Principal's white fur, her eyes lit up, letting out a small gasp.

"I'm glad to see that you appreciate the softness of my fur, young Chell," the Principal said, pride filling his voice. "Let me tell you, with the stress of running a hero academy, while also fending off those vultures in the Hero Public Safety Commission, it takes a considerable effort to get my fur this silky smooth."

Chell seemed to pay no attention to Principal Nezu's words, pulling the hyper-intelligent chimera to her chest, stroking the fur on top of his head.

"Tell me, child, where are you from?" Principal Nezu asked, ignoring how pleasant it was to have a gentle hand going through his fur, as well as supressign the indignation at being treated like a stuffed toy.

"Brazil," Chell answered, her voice muffled as she had now buried her face into the Principal's soft fur. "São Paulo."

"Ah, você fala português então?" the Principal spoke, speaking in a language that Hizashi couldn't understand. However, despite both he and Recovery Girl clearly having no idea what Principal Nezu had said, Chell clearly did.

"Sim eu faço," she replied, her head raising in shock, looking down at the Principal's beady eyes. "Você fala três línguas?"

"Falo muitas línguas, criança. Falo fluentemente mandarim, espanhol, hindi, urdu, hausa, russo, turco, indonésio e coreano, além de inglês e japonês, que você já conhecia. Também posso conversar em doze outros idiomas." Principal Nezu rattled off, his head held high in the air with pride.

"Wow, that's a lot," Chell gasped, her eyes wide.

"Care to let me, and by extension, Recovery Girl, in, Principal?" Hizashi asked. "I can speak English perfectly fine, but I have no idea what you just said."

"Just conversing with our guest in her native tongue," Principal Nezu explained. "One of the many benefits of having an intelligence that no human could achieve is being proficient in many different languages, such as the one we were conversing with, being Portuguese."

"But now isn't the time for me to boast about my linguistic skills," the principal continued, Hizashi translating what he said into Japanese for Recovery Girl. "No, now we must decide what to do with you, my little intruder. While I wish it wasn't the case, there simply aren't the facilities to house you here permanently at U.A. Oh sure, we could make do for a week, maybe two, but not indefinitely. Truly, we are at an impasse."

"Don't worry," Chell said, her head hanging low. "I can manage on my own. I'll probably be able to find somewhere to sleep in an alleyway."

"Nope, not a chance," Hizashi argued, shaking his head. "You're not sleeping out on the streets, and that's final."

"Excellent suggestion, Present Mic," Principal Nezu declared, a grin forming on his snout, one that Hizashi knew meant trouble. "Why, thank you so much for volunteering to take in dear Chell."

"Wait, what?" Hizashi asked, too stunned to speak English, reverting back to his native tongue.

"Well, where else is she going to go?" Principal Nezu asked, a smirk on his snout. "Recovery Girl would surely love to take in the young girl, except for the small issue of the language barrier. You and Chell both fluently speak English, and your apartment has two spare rooms."

"Yeah, for Shota and Nemuri to crash in," Hizashi argued. "And anyway, I don't know the first thing about looking after a kid!"

"You've babysat for your nieces and nephews before," Principal Nezu pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're kids," Hizashi defended. "I mean, come on, Principal, my sister's eldest is eight!"

"I'm sure you'll manage," Nezu dismissed. "And besides, your mother has been pestering you about not settling down, no? While you have skipped steps one and two, you may have produced step three."

"Hold on, Principal Nezu, what do you mean?"

"Why, it's simple. If the girl is put in the public records without a family, which she doesn't, then she'll be forced into foster care. I don't trust the H.P.S.C. to keep their hands to themselves. On the other hand, if you were to be recorded as her legal guardian, then there wouldn't be any issues."

"You sell yourself too short, Yamada," Recovery Girl said reassuringly. "I've seen the way you interact with both your students and the other students of U.A. You'll do just fine, you just need some confidence."

"Alright," Hizashi nodded, changing back to English, "I'll take her in. I'll need to get some supplies, and probably read up on a few childcare books, but I'm sure the two of us can manage."

"Splendid," Principal Nezu grinned, turning back to face a confused Chell. "How about it, young Chell? Are you fine with being in Present Mic's care?"

Chell looked up, locking eyes with Hizashi. He gave her a confident grin paired with two finger guns, which caused a small upward twitch of Chell's lips.

"Mm," she nodded, "I'm fine with it."

"Excellent," Nezu said, clapping his paws together, extracting himself from Chell's grasp, standing at the foot of the hospital bed. "Now is the matter of keeping young Chell's true origins a secret."

"Why do we need to keep it a secret?" Hizashi asked, only to wilt under Principal Nezu's glare. "Okay, yeah, dumb question."

"As I was saying, young Chell will need a credible backstory for how she came to Japan," Nezu continued. "I would suggest this: You, Chell, are an Outlander, someone born outside the walls of civilization, raised in the wilds amongst your tribe. This will help explain away any gaps in your general knowledge that might stand out. However, you were taken by a moraless organisation who were trying to make super soldiers. While they were successful in augmenting your body and mind, in a moment of panic, you were able to push your quirk, your portals, to their limit, escaping from your captivity, and subsequently landing on U.A. grounds. Given the colours of the portals you create and the portal that brought you here being a mix of the two, I'd say that it's a credible cover story."

"Yes, sir," Chell nodded.

"Of course, this will be the cover story we'll tell the other staff members here at U.A., as they have already borne witness to your entrance above my academy. However, we'll also need a public one, one to tell the authorities. We shall change it that Present Mic had received a tip off from an anonymous source, informing him of illegal experimentation being performed on Outlander children, with the villain's lair located in the Wastelands. Present Mic, being well known for having a soft spot for children, rushed in, hoping to save the day. However, tragically, he was too late to save the majority of the children, as all but one had perished. Seeing that this young girl had nowhere to go, the kind-hearted Present Mic decided to take her in, adopting her into his family. That is how we'll explain your existence, Chell Yamada."

"Now, Hizashi, I must make this clear," Principal Nezu continued, locking eyes with the Noise Hero. "No one must know about Chell supposedly coming from another reality."

"I understand, Principal Nezu," Hizashi nodded, only for Nezu to shake his head.

"No, I don't think you do," he argued. "By no one, I mean no one. Only the people in this room may know the truth. That means not telling Aizawa, or Kayama, or even your mother and sister. No one, understood?"

"Understood, sir," Hizashi nodded, still reeling with the fact that he had, legally at least, become a father. "I won't tell a soul, I promise."

"Make sure that you don't," Principal Nezu warned, before turning back to fully face Chell. "Now, Chell Yamada, how about we start by getting out of bed."

Hizashi's new ward nodded, slowly shifting her legs so they hung over the bed. She extended one leg, the metal implant that extended from her knee making a tak sound as it hit the floor. She extended her other leg, then slowly stood up. She managed to take a step away from the bed, though less of a step and more of a shuffle. But her second step, this time a real one, caused her to lurch forward. She would have collapsed on the ground had Hizashi not been anticipating something like this to happen.

"Woah, careful there, little listener," he said, gently lowering her to the ground. "How about we take it slowly, yeah? You might not be at 100% right now, so it's okay to take it slow."

"Poor dearie," Recovery Girl sighed, pressing a button on her desk. "I'll call in one of the Mini Transport Bots to bring a wheelchair. The poor girl might need to undergo some physiotherapy."

Hizashi explained this to Chell, telling her that a wheelchair was coming. After a moment of waiting on the floor with the young girl, the door opened, revealing the small M.T.B. pushing forward a wheelchair.

"Which is the flesh bag who failed to perform basic motor functions?" it asked in a synthetic voice, its personality intentionally rude. Hizashi still didn't understand the appeal of the rude machines, especially when they claimed to be planning a Skynet rebellion.

Chell looked over at the M.T.B., only to freeze, tensing in Hizashi's arms.

"Stay away," she whispered, only barely audible, and that was thanks to Hizashi's ear being right next to her mouth.

"Move, flesh bag," the robot ordered, positioning the wheelchair in front of Chell. "Be seated in the seat of shame for crippled humans."

"Hey, maybe tone down the rudeness, okay?" Hizashi instructed, turning back to Chell, whose eyes were wide, staring at the machine, all the while clinging to him. "Hey, Chell, kiddo, you okay?"

Chell didn't answer, her breathing accelerating, coming out in short, shallow breaths.

"Typical human," the robot said with a sneering voice, rolling itself closer. "Unable to even move into a chair."

"Hey, just give her a minute," Hizashi growled, glaring at the machine, not that it stopped it from moving forward towards an increasingly panicked Chell. "Chell, just relax, okay? Deep breaths, everything's fine."

"Get up, meat bag," the M.T.B. ordered, reaching out its mechanical arms. "Do so under your own power, or I shall make you stand."

"Oi, I already told you-" Hizashi yelled, only to be cut off.

"Go away!" Chell screamed, backhanding the robot. Her hand connected with the machine's head, tearing its processor off its body, sending it flying to the other side of the operating theater. Wires sparked and popped from its body as it fell onto its side, oil and lubricant seeping out from its decapitated form. The room was silent, Hizashi, Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu all looking stunned at Chell, who herself had her eyes scrunched up, her body pressed into Hizashi, as if trying to hide from the world.

"It's okay, you're okay," Hizashi murmured, his arms enveloping Chell's trembling form. "No one's going to hurt you while I'm here, remember? You're safe."

Chell didn't say a word, but her shaking did subside, reduced only to her keeping a tight grip on Hizashi.

"Principal Nezu, with your leave, I'll take Chell home," Hizashi said, looking over to his boss. "I think it's best if we do any further questions and physical therapy tomorrow."

"I agree," Nezu replied, his gaze locked on the destroyed M.T.B. "Don't worry, Present Mic. I'll relieve Hush at the next period. You may have the rest of the day off."

Hizashi nodded his understanding, looking down at Chell. "Hey, you think you can get yourself into the wheelchair?"

"Uh-uh," Chell protested, holding tight onto Hizashi.

"Do you want me to help you into the wheelchair?" Hizashi asked, only for Chell to shake her head into his jacket.

"Alright then, if you insist," Hizashi sighed, standing up from the ground and picking Chell up in his arms, her left shoulder resting against his right arm. But rather than protest or fight against it, Chell merely tightened her grip, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Well then, we'll be off," Hizashi farewelled, moving towards the exit. "Will I be teaching my classes as usual tomorrow?"

"No, we'll need you here," Principal Nezu decided, looking up from the metallic corpse, his gaze settling on Hizashi and Chell. "Teach your homeroom class as per usual, but I'll arrange for someone to teach your English classes in your stead."

Hizashi nodded, opening the door. "Then I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Yamada," Recovery Girl farewelled. "Call me if you need any help on what supplies you need to buy for Chell."

"Will do," Hizashi called out behind him, walking off down the corridor. Chell shifted in his arms, looking up at him. Hizashi smiled down at her, a strange warmth blooming in his chest.

"Come on, kiddo," he said, entering the elevator. "Let's go home."

-]l[-

Nezu stared at the closed door, even after Present Mic and the young girl had left.

"You have that look in your eyes again," Recovery Girl noted, despite her gaze focused squarely on her computer. "What are you thinking, Nezu?"

"That girl isn't from another reality," he answered, beginning to pace on the end of the bed.

"Pardon?" Recovery Girl asked, spinning around in her chair to face him. "Do you think the girl was lying?"

"Oh, the girl wasn't lying, that I'm sure of," Nezu said, shaking his head. "No, I think the issue is that she's under the assumption that she has travelled dimensions."

"An assumption you disagree with?" Recovery Girl asked, which Nezu answered with a nod.

"Precisely. Answer me this, Recovery Girl? What are the odds of her story being true? That not only have humans evolved as a species in another, separate reality, but they have also risen to dominance, formed civilization, languages, and culture, and miraculously, have also invented the languages of Japanese, English, and Portuguese?"

"Low," Recovery Girl admitted.

"Not low, Recovery Girl, mathematically impossible," Nezu corrected. "With all of the variables, all of the chance required, I find it impossible to believe that her story is true."

"Well what is the alternative?" Recovery Girl asked. "She's clearly not from our world. Even Outlanders know what quirks are, or whatever they decide to call their abilities. Most tribes rely on those who have them to survive out there, after all. But she didn't seem to know this. She genuinely seemed to think that having powers of some kind were abnormal."

"I agree, which is why I'm puzzled," Nezu admitted. It took a lot out of him to admit that he was stumped, that his supreme intellect was unable to solve the puzzle. The mystery was like a mesa, except one of the layers were entirely missing, a critical piece of the puzzle.

'Wait, mesa, that's it!' Nezu thought, his mind churning with activity. Hurrying over to the desk, Nezu climbed onto a chair that sat next to Recovery Girl's, selecting a channel and pressing the intercom.

"Ms. Kayama speaking," came the sultry voice of Nemuri Kayama, one that would make human men weak at the knees. Fortunately, Nezu wasn't human,

"Midnight, I have need of your expertise," Nezu explained.

"What can I do to help, Principal Nezu?" Midnight asked, her voice suddenly changing to a professional tone.

"I am asking you to reach out to someone, not as the R-Rated Heroine: Midnight, but as Nemuri Kayama, the head of U.A.'s public relations team."

"Of course, sir, who am I to contact?"

"Please get in touch with Dr. Vance," Nezu instructed. "Tell him that I require his knowledge at U.A., and it is of the most urgent of matters, and can't be discussed over the phone."

"Dr. Vance?" Midnight parroted, her voice confused. "You mean that theoretical physicist from the United Cities of America?"

"The very same," Nezu confirmed. "Inform Dr. Vance that I will pay for all flights and accommodation from him, his wife, and his son. Consider it a holiday, as well as a gift for the advancements in technology that he and his wife have caused in the world."

"Is that the jist of what I should tell him?" Midnight asked.

"And one more thing; tell Dr. Vance that the rivals of his previous employers have left something behind. He'll know what I mean."

"Very well, sir, I'll get on it after I've taught my classes," Midnight confirmed. "Is there anything else, or will that be all?"

"That is all, thank you, Ms. Kayama," Nezu farewelled, ending the line's connection.

"What was that about, Nezu?" Recovery Girl asked, turning in her chair as Nezu walked towards his hidden doorway.

"Trying to find some answers, Recovery Girl," was all he said. "Just trying to find some answers."

Okay, 'pologies for the late chapter. Works been ramping up lately (six back to back shifts is a special kind of pain), and I also completed my summer school course, so that was fun! I was also housesitting for my grandma, so having to manage myself 24/7. Done it before last year, and that was for a month, but things kept piling on, and low and behold, the chapter was late. So I though, "Stuff it, I'll just post it next week." So here you are.

Right, so the chapter. All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out. We got some character moments, as well as the revelation to the staff (though confirmation to Nezu and Recovery Girl) that Chell has what they call a quirk, since different countries have different names for them. I'll give examples for some of these later on, but in Japan, they are culturally known as quirks, while their official, scientific community name for them is Meta Abilities. We also had some character bonding moments, and more is on the way for next chapter. Also, Hizashi, Recovery Girl and Nezu all finding out that Chell is far from a helpless child, so you can thank GLaDOS for that one.

Just to make it abundantly clear for anyone who didn't get it, when text is italicised, it means something unique is happening. Usually, this means that its someone talking over a speaker or intercom, but in this chapter espceailly, it also refers to people speaking in a language that isn't their native one. For characters who are native English speakers, I'll probably not do it too often, as it will get tedious for me to write, and y'all probably don't want to see that.

Other than that, some eagle eyed readers would have noticed some lore reveals about the wider world, and again, more about that is going to be discussed next chapter. After all, young Ms. Yamada needs to learn a lot about the wider world, at least enough for people to think, "sure, she doesn't know much, but she is an Outlander, so it makes sense." Essentially, Papa Yamada is going to give her the crash course on the 23rd century.

Also, it simply made sense for Nezu to understand a bunch of languages and speak them fluently. He is canonically noted to be the smartest individual, even more so than Saiko Intelli, an anime-only antagonist during the Provisional Hero License Exam. So for me, it made sense for Nezu to fluently speak the ten most spoken languages, and then dabble in others in his free time.

Alright, enough of my rambling, time for some reviews.

Just to get general, non-specific comments out of the way, big thanks to florffleef, kiszony531, sumsum83460, Atromitos1526, and Confused87 for the positive reviews. Y'all expressing your excitement for my work is great motivation to keep the ideas train going. Now, onto more specific reviews.

ultima-owner, to be honest, that isn't a bad idea. The idea that the Mantis Men, as well as any others that we don't know about who Aperture Science's experiments caused some kind of mutation, simply causing someone to gain an artificial quirk is pretty cool. As for Togaru Kamakiri, I love the idea, but there's a problem. He is styled after a mantis, and his quirk is thematically similar to a mantis, but it isn't a mantis quirk. Togaru's quirk is Razor Sharp, allowing him to produce blades from his body. Coincidentally, there actually is a character with a mantis quirk, but he's a minor civilian-turned-villain from MHA: Vigilantes. However, I might keep the idea in mind, assuming I can find some way to make it fit. Hell, if I can't, I'd probably have Chell note it in her mind, maybe during the Sports Festival, simply because she's reminded by the mantis men that Cave Johnson mentioned.

StarWanderer's Writing, thanks for the review. Well, as you saw in this chapter, Chell didn't exactly have the calmest response to the Mini Transport Bot reaching out to her. Granted, the little bastard deserved it, but given her past experiences with robots and A.I., she's going to have some mixed feelings about their existence. I already have a scene planned in my head for the Sports Festival involving this, kind of highlighting Chell's disdain for robots as well as her sheer stubbornness and grit. As for breaking out, all I'll say is wait for next chapter. As for her portal quirk, while it's assumed that it is a rare kind of quirk, it isn't all that strange. Just wait until they realise that Chell can create a portal to the Moon! That's some Ultimate Move material right there, and yes, I have some of Chell's Ultimate Moves already envisioned. As for your question regarding GLaDOS, not yet. Pretty obvious, but this isn't a parallel or alternate universe, but time travel (not really a spoiler, and it is going to be mentioned in the story as well). However, GLaDOS isn't aware of this, she genuinely thinks that Little Chell is gone forever, just like Caroline. However, will GLaDOS learn that Chell is alive and well? Yeah, pretty much. I can't reveal details of when, where, why, or how, but GLaDOS is making an appearance, and she will be affecting how the story goes. All I'll say at the moment is that she's been busy over the past two centuries. As for Aperture Science, yeah, that company is cursed with anonymity, just the same as they were in the 20th century. They try to make something impressive, Black Mesa makes something equally as cool, but they aim towards their military contractors, thus getting the funding. I mean, come on, Aperture Science invented portal technology decades before Black Mesa, but no one seems to care. They even managed to teleport an entire icebreaker, for crying out loud! So yeah, very few know about the company, but it is known, just not to the public. Kind of a niche fact that scholars would know about. Well, that and those of particular backgrounds, but I won't say more on that yet. As for Black Mesa, that is a household name and not in a good way. Again, all I'll say is that over the centuries, facts can be distorted and history lost. And that's all before factoring in an extra dimensional invasion, the subjugation of humanity for twenty years, and then the chaos of the Dawn of Quirks. That, and they were responsible for the almost end of the world, so you can't blame the views people have for the name.

Finally, GigaGamer57, while yes, GLaDOS did say that that's what was going to happen, even someone like GLaDOS can be hilariously wrong. That and what Aperture Science did to confirm the testing was pretty rudimentary at best, but that's going to be touched on in a few chapters.

And 123 (Guest), trust me, GLaDOS is going to be anything BUT apathetic and tired when she and Chell finally reunite. Again, all I'll say is that she got busy, but more than that, she got desperate.

Okay, so that's all of the reviews done. One final note, I've reached out to a commission artist of mine, and she's done some incredible character art. The first lot is done, but the second batch is on it's way. I'll post them when the time is right, so look forward to that. As for your sneak peek, next chapter is called, "Found Family".

See y'all in two weeks (I hope…)

- Jevm