Izuku sat on his hospital bed as Ruby stared at him with a surprised expression akin to a father telling their child that Santa was real. His mind was still processing over the words he uttered just now. Never in his life did he imagine he would be ripped away from his home and be sent to a world beyond his. It would have answered all the famous scientists' questions about the possibility of other universes.
"Huh?" Ruby was bewildered.
"I know you might think I'm crazy, but... I somehow was sent into another world," he went on. "Which is evident, since I don't recognize any of the buildings here."
Izuku fell into a state of silence as he patiently anticipated the eruption of either hysterical laughter or vehement condemnation that he knew awaited him. However, his countenance of emptiness transformed into a state of perplexity when neither of these reactions materialized. Izuku blinked, directing his gaze upwards towards Ruby as he sensed her hand gently resting upon his own.
She gazed back at him with those same resplendent silver eyes that he had beheld upon their initial encounter. Not a trace of skepticism or judgment adorned her visage. Instead, she bestowed upon him a radiant smile, so luminous that it could have illuminated the entire room.
"I Believe you." Said Ruby with sincerity.
Izuku's eyes widened. He couldn't comprehend what he was hearing.
"You… you do?"
"Of course! Why would you lie?" Ruby beamed. "You don't have the face of a liar. If what you're saying is the truth, then I believe you."
"Oh?" That took him by surprise.
Izuku glanced down at his sheets. He deduced that most people would call him crazy for being from another world. But that doesn't seem the case here; here she's just buying it! But Despite everything, Izuku could not help but smile. He told her he was from another world and she believed him without skepticism.
It was like… he could tell her anything.
"Oh! Can you tell me about your world?" Ruby bounced on her chair with excitement. "Are there many huntsmen or huntresses there like yourself?"
"Oh, uh, well..." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think. His arms felt stiff and sore, but it felt good to move them. "My country's called Japan, and there's a whole bunch of other countries too. Japan is an island country right next to Korea and China. It's pretty small, but a lot of people live there, and there's a lot of great heroes."
"Heroes…" Ruby thought for a moment. "Your card said that you are a Licensed Hero. Is that what you meant?"
"Oh yeah!" Izuku felt his old enthusiasm rise. "Oh, I guess I should start from the beginning. In my world, four out of every five people have Quirks. A quirk is a kind of special power, and it can be just about anything. Heroes are those who make protecting people and fighting crime their profession."
"Heroes?" Ruby's smile widened. "As in, real Super Heroes?"
"Yeah!" Izuku replied with an etch of enthusiasm.
Ruby's excitement ceased for a moment when a thought came to mind.
"Does that include villains, too?" Ruby inquired, looking at Izuku curiously.
Izuku nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if you read comics, but all the things Villains do in there, they do it in my world as well. Also, what exactly do you mean by Grimm?"
Ruby blinked. Then she sat back down and cleared her throat.
"Well, the Creatures of Grimm, or just Grimm, are monsters inhabiting the majority of Remnant. They are creatures of destruction that do not possess a soul, rendering them unable to use Aura," Ruby explained. "They are also drawn towards negative emotions such as jealousy, grief, loneliness, hatred and fear; causing them to often congregate on the source of these emotions, attacking any and all Humans and Faunus they encounter on sight."
Izuku was both amazed and confused by what he was hearing. He was taken aback by these creatures being drawn to negative energy. He didn't think such monsters like that existed. But what piqued his interest was when she mentioned another race other than Humans called Faunus. That word sounded familiar to him.
Could they be just like…
Izuku looked back at her.
"Tell me, these Faunus you speak of. Do they happen to have some traits to their appearance? Like tails, cat eyes, horns?" Izuku inquired, taking a sip from his glass of milk.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it. Why? Does your world have them too?"
"In a way, yes," Izuku replied. "I actually have some friends that are Faunuses back at home. So if the ones here are anything like the ones back in my world then they're no different in my eyes."
"Oh, okay." Ruby nodded in understanding.
Izuku crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"What about Huntsmen?" Izuku asked. Ruby's face immediately lit up.
"Oh! Huntsmen and Huntresses are the best and brightest warriors of Remnant." Ruby chopped her hand in the air as if she was holding a weapon. "They're the coolest in the world and that's why I'm going to become a Huntress."
Izuku tilted his head. "A Huntress that slays Grimm?"
"Yeah!" She replied with a smile. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like the heroes in the books my sister reads to me; someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"
A small smile graced Izuku's lips.
"That's very ambitious, Ruby."
Izuku paused. As if a bell had rang in his head, he remembered something. Ruby gaped as he drew himself into a kneeling position, and bowed his head in the proper way.
"Thank you Ruby. For saving my life." Izuku expressed.
"No no no!" She pleaded. "There's no need for that!"
"But I have to!" insisted Izuku, straightening up. "I honestly wouldn't be alive if not for you."
Heat rose from Ruby's nape up to her cheeks. A smile graced her lips, her eyes glancing to the hospital floor. Her hands fidgeted as she tried to find the right words.
Silence permeated the room until Izuku spoke.
"So... what now?" He's stuck in a hospital bed, for only God knows how long. In another world called 'Remnant', where there's so much for someone like him to explore. So many things he has to know!
"Well... the nurse told me you'll have to spend one more day in bed before they let you go...oh!" Ruby sat cross legged, sitting down and beaming at him with her hands on her knees. "You can talk more easily, right? Why don't we tell stories! If you tell me yours, I'll tell you about Remnant's history!"
"Stories? Hmmm, well... I don't see why not." Izuku said, smiling warmly at her.
"Okay! Should I go first or should you?" Ruby perked up, taking the bowl of cookies in her hands and stared at Izuku with full attention.
Izuku couldn't help be chuckled. She seemed incredibly excited at the prospect of him coming from another world. Not that he blamed her. If the situation were reversed he probably would've felt the same way.
"Maybe..." Izuku trailed off. "I can tell you my story? Then you can tell me your world's history. Sounds good?"
"Okay!" Ruby nodded, hugging the bowl to her waist. She scooted forward, and Izuku blinked as she was now sitting by his side. "Please hold nothing back. I really want to get to know you and hear your story."
Izuku smiled, sitting up and taking a deep breath.
"Well... remember that every four in five people where I came from had a quirk? Like, a special ability?"
Ruby nodded, eyes wide, her attention fixed on him with a beaming grin. Izuku chuckled.
"Well, I was born without a quirk. I was born Quirkless."
He looked off to the clear blue sky.
"Even if I wanted to be like him, I couldn't."
Ruby arched a brow.
"Like who?"
"All Might. He was my hero." Izuku smiled sadly, looking at his sheets. "The man I wanted to become as well... And for a time, I had to give up on my dream. But despite that, I kept reaching out."
Izuku looked up, as he remembered fondly. Of the journey he had taken to get here... for better or for worse.
"And thanks to the people I met, they guided me. Helped me. Made me to the person I am today. Me and my friends... setbacks and all..."
He took a deep breath, and looked at Ruby.
This would be a long night. But he didn't mind it one bit.
The sun had descended over the mountains to allow the rising moon to shine in its full glory on the city of Vale. Shining through the windows and illuminating the streets that were alive with life. Both Humans and Faunus gracefully navigate the busy sidewalks. The adults moved with purposeful steps, their determination evident as they went about their day. Some were on their way to attend various events, while others were returning home to savor the tranquility that awaited them.
"And that..." Izuku took a deep breath, relaxing as he laid back against his pillows "…is how I end up here."
He looked over at Ruby, and saw she had barely moved. Nor had she asked questions. Yet her eyes were fixed unwaveringly on him.
"So... you saved your world from that villain, All for One...someone with many of these stolen abilities, these quirks..."
Izuku nodded.
Ruby glanced up with a sigh. Her mind was processing everything that Izuku had said. Airships similar to her world but not as advanced with Atlas's technology. What amazes her though, was not only learning that Super Heroes in Izuku's world are real. But that their quirks, in a way, were similar to semblances.
"Wow... just... wow." Ruby leant forward, her silver eyes bright with excitement. "Izuku... Your world is absolutely amazing! I'm really glad to have met you."
"It's not much," insisted Izuku, sighing. "I at least saved the world..."
He reached for the glass of water, taking a drink to ease his parched throat.
"I wanted to be a hero that everyone can smile and be at ease towards, a hero who would save everyone. I did the best I could but..."
Izuku tightly grasped his sheets, as his anguish resurfaced once more. Despite emerging victorious in the ultimate confrontation and vanquishing All For One, it regrettably resulted in his involuntary relocation to an alternate realm. A conclusion that is both bitter and sweet, marking the culmination of the inception of an underdog narrative.
"Hey, come on. Don't make that face. You did your best, Izuku," said Ruby, her voice soft. "I'm positive that no one will blame you. I don't."
A small consolation, but it made him smile nonetheless.
"Thanks Ruby..." The pain was still there. He shifted his gaze out the window, at the night sky beyond.
Silence once again permeated the room for a moment until Ruby spoke.
"Do you miss them? Your mom? Your friends?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah... I think I always will..." Izuku murmured. "I got sucked into a black hole, and woke up in this hospital. Honestly, the fact that I'm still alive is still a miracle. But... I don't think I'll ever find a way home."
There was a soft tapping on the door. Ruby turned to see the nurse standing in the doorway. "He needs to rest, Ms. Rose."
Ruby stood up from her chair and held the empty bowl in her arm.
"Alright." She turned to her potential new friend with a smile. "I'll come visit you again tomorrow, okay?"
Izuku nodded and smiled back. "Okay."
Izuku watched Ruby start towards the door as she waved at him. Exiting the room before the nurse closed the door. He glanced up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. His mind flooded with all the faces of those he loved and treasured. Knowing he'll never see them again or hear their voices, made his heart clenched.
He clasped his hand over his mouth.
Fresh tears trickled down his cheeks.
Roman Torchwhick stood before a group of men. Said men wore red sunglasses and bowler hats. All of the thugs lined up in front of Roman. He eyed each thug in turn, gauging their expressions. Some appeared composed while most had a sneer plastered across their faces.
Roman paced around the group with a smirk. Though he wouldn't admit it, but he was glad he made the right decision by bribing his acquaintance with Lien for his assistance. Roman knew that even with the number of Dust shops littered throughout Vale, he was gonna need a lot of hands to pull this off. That means he needs all the help he can get. That meant having a lot of men willing to work under him. Men like himself.
But unlike these men, he was a master thief.
"Alright, boys. Let's get down to business!" Roman clapped his hands together, giving them all a wide grin. "Starting this Tuesday, we're going to steal us some dust. The plan is simple: We steal a ton of Dust, then go back to our hideout and collect our loot. Simple enough?"
"Simple enough!" One of the men grunted, earning a few nods of agreement.
"Good! Now, you all are aware that police, huntsman, and huntresses will be patrolling at night. So this job we're doing has to be done quick before any of the feds catch wind of it. And if one of you gets caught by either a cop or a huntsman, don't expect us to come back for you."
Roman directed his gaze back at them.
"We all clear on that?"
Every thug nodded in response.
Roman's smirk widened.
"Good, then let's get started."
A/N: And that was chapter 3 young readers! One more day and Izuku will be up and ready to step foot into the world of Remnant. And Ruby will be there by his side along the way. Next chapter will feature Ruby explaining Remnant's history to Izuku, and once Izuku finally leaves the hospital they'll soon meet a certain master thief that barges in through a dust shop. With all of that said, I'll be taking my leave.
See you young readers in the next chapter!