"Did you… car?"

"Ran… knocked me… life"

"Call... "

Urgh… I feel so sore… why do I… I… I hear voices, but I can't make them out. Come on… focus I… is that blood? On the asphalt? My blood? And… that's a car and… I can't move. It's so hard to focus… everything is getting so dark…

Sometimes I find myself doing something and ask myself why I did it. It's not that I'm not in control of my actions. It's just that sometimes I act without thinking. Other times I'll ask myself in retrospect and be unable to reason to myself as to why I acted like that.

But when you see someone walking across the road and a car suddenly swerves towards them… I dunno. It was… well not a stupid idea. It was dumb, but not stupid if that makes sense. It was dumb in that I put my life at risk but at least I saved someone else. Did I think I'd be able to get out of the way with them like the movies? I don't think so. But then why?

… and why doesn't the ground feel like asphalt anymore?

I slowly opened my eyes with a groan as I pulled myself into a sitting position… I'm not in the suburb I was in before. This looks like a city, but it doesn't look like anywhere I've been too. I'm sitting in an alleyway but how? How did I get here? Why aren't I injured and... why does everything look so big?

…

No. No it can't be. That only happens in fiction, and usually fanfiction! But I need to make sure. I slowly get to my feet as people pass me by, some giving me curious looks and… seem to tower over me. I'm smaller than them. I'm smaller than them and that can only mean one thing but no no no nononononono no! Mirror! Window! Something reflective? I run my way past a few impossibly big adults and look in a nearby window of what looks to be a toy store and-

No. No way. It's impossible but I see a younger kid looking back at me with an impossibly young face. It's me when I was younger, I recognize the brown hair and the green-brown eyes anywhere but from how high I look I'd guess I look about… 10ish? But how am I 10ish? How did I grow younger by being hit by a car?! And why does this toy store have an All Might figurine?!

…

An…. All Might action figure, actually. And one of Endeavour complete with what looks to be fire spewing action. And I think that's meant to be Best Jeanist. No toy shop in the world would be this open with My Hero Academia toys, would they? Especially displayed so stylishly with the picture of All Might in another costume behind them. But no, t-that can't be the case. It's impossible to be in a world of fiction. Impossible to wake up and be younger than when you went to sleep! I-I just dreamt I got hit by that car, didn't I?

As I step back, I hear people gasping. I turn around and slowly follow their gaze into the air. Overhead flies a man in a red bodysuit, white plates of armour on his knees, elbows and lower arms. And a signature jet pack that – while I had only seen briefly before – I could identify instantly. I was seeing the inspiration for another certain jetpack in My Hero fly by. I could feel a faint level of heat hit in his wake. And as I did…

Something inside me snapped.

I started to run. I needed to get away from this dream in any other situation. This nightmare! I can't have died! I can't be so far from home! I can't be 10! I can't. I can't I can't I can't!

In this distance I can hear someone letting out a hysterical cry. It took me a moment to realize I was the one letting out that cry. As I run the streets start to blur and it's only dumb luck that stops me from just running out into the street in sheer confusion and panic. Everything felt so distant, like I was watching what was happening on a TV screen, like I was in some inescapable fantasy tugging the line between terror and bliss.

As I ran the streets, the people, the stores, they all seemed to blur. I heard the language all around me, and while it sounded vaguely familiar, I could barely understand a lick of it. Eventually I started to slow down and panted as I caught my breath, catching my sense of self back from the sheer panic I had just experienced. As I sucked in the air, I noticed a shadow fall over me and I looked up.

A man who seemed to have a Giraffe head kneeled towards me and said-

Said…

Said something I couldn't understand. He was speaking Japanese… and I couldn't understand him. Fresh new terror shot through my body at that.

"I… I can't understand you." I said. The man looked at me confused… didn't he understand English? Was he one of the people who didn't know English? He says something else in Japanese slowly. I can understand maybe one or two words in what he says but as a whole I don't know what he's trying to say.

Evidently, he seems to understand and speaks again slowly. Mentioning the words Mama and Papa. And that brings a whole new worry. What happens when they find out I'm a kid with seemingly no parents? No identity? No paperwork, no nationality, no nothing, no no NO!

And so, I turn and run again. I can hear him curse – I think? – and follow, along with one or two more people following the running kid. I can't let them keep following… I need to figure something out! I… I'm probably not dreaming but… I don't want to be some orphan boy left to rot in a system! I could take care of myself, I don't need their help! Besides, if this is MHA… what if one of them is a villain?

I dashed down the side into an alleyway. As soon as I could I ran into the next side alley I could dash down, before taking another turn as I use what I think are the streets of Tokyo to my advantage, panic running through my veins. I… I know it's dumb. I know I should probably try to find an adult as soon as possible to help me. And that'd be all well and good if I could understand a word that was being said to me. I can't tell who wants to help me or not. Who might be suspicious or not. And… really, it's still hard to believe this isn't some delusion of mine. Not because I think I'm still dreaming… but I think I might have gone mad.

What? It explains how I could be in the My Hero Academia world. A world with people who speak the normal languages, and yet I'm dropped from Australia to somewhere in Japan. This sort of thing happens in Isekais, it happens in all sorts of anime, in fanfiction! It doesn't actually happen to people.

It-it doesn't happen to people.

It shouldn't happen to people.

They shouldn't be torn away from home just as they're dying and dumped into somewhere with no language or identity. I-I don't know WHERE I am. Nobody I've run into so far seems to know English and w-what if they work for All for One or something? I'm alone…

I feel something warm on my face. Slowly I reach up and brush against it. Wetness… I'm crying? I-I know any character in this situation would just have a moment and then try to get it fixed. I'm not supposed to cry, am I?

And yet that's all I feel like doing. I just sob softly and let the tears come out until I hear a sudden ripping sound to my right. I start to pull myself back towards the left as I looked down the alley, noting that all that seemed to be down it was a few piles of trash, including what looked to be a pile of cans that just toppled over to reveal… someone underneath them? A dishevelled looking man, unshaven, with dirty and damaged clothes. A member of Japan's homeless trying to get some extra shut eye… and he's already spotted me.

The man shouted at me in rough Japanese… or at least as far as I could tell it was rough. At first, it's short and then he stops. When nothing happened, he growls something out and grabbed a can that soon came flying at me. Needless to say, I hadn't been expecting it and it left me seeing stars.

The next thing I saw was the same man looming over me, asking me something in what I was assuming was still Japanese at this point. His breath stank of alcohol, his face looked like it had gone for a few days without any shaving, but his clothes looked far dirtier than they should have been. His fingers seemed to end in sharp points. And he was still so loud. Why was he so loud? I tried to scramble back only for the cold brick wall behind me to meet me… and I did the only thing I could think to do at that moment in my panic. I screamed in fear.

And that's when I noticed that a grey gas was blasting out from my hands and right into the man's face. The man coughed and sputtered as the gas hit him, shouting out… something I think was an expletive in Japanese. But mid-sentence he let out a cry of shock and pain briefly as his arms started to turn blue, seeming to swell out into over exaggerated fists in a rectangular shape and the skin seemed to turn into some armoured stuff! The underside of his arms started to turn orange as they looked more and more artificial, as more of the orange material swelled out across his upper body, looking almost like a rocky plating as it stretched up to surround his head.

He let out a cry only for his mouth to let out a metallic rasp as his head turned upside down, his eyes and mouth turning into black holes, the rest of his head covering with the odd blue armoured material and fusing to the orange stone-like structure around it. Two more blue sections – with two dots this time – bulged out from above where the shoulders were. And his lower body seemed to coat itself with metal and reshape with shades of grey and black, looking more and more mechanical with each passing moment.

Once the legs looked entirely mechanical the… definitely no longer human stumbled backwards and let out a mechanical his that almost sounded confused. I just stared back at him. He looked like a mechanical monster. A monster I remember from a TV show. A monster they called a Smash. Suddenly his body leaned back, and a mechanical sounding combination of a hiss and a roar sounded out as it charged down the alleyway and broke THROUGH the brick and mortar like it wasn't even there. At first all there was the sound of things breaking as the Smash rampaged through whatever wall was in its way. And then I heard someone yell out – clearly, he'd been spotted. I think I hear the word "villain" in English said once or twice too as the sounds of destruction fill the air.

People are panicking. Running. Trying to get away from the monster. The monster I made. Because I panicked. I should run. Get away from the Smash. Be safe. So why don't I run? Because I feel something burning deep down.

Why had I run? Because I was scared. What do I want to do? Run again? Transform someone else?!

I don't know why I'm here, why I'm not dead, why I'm 10 again, why I'm even here. But I don't know… I should run. Get to safety, calm down? Like all those SIs do in the fanfics all the time? They get time to think.

Then why aren't I running?

Another yell. Someone is calling out for a hero and… nothing. I should run but I shouldn't what should I-?

And then it hits me. It's my fault. Because even if I didn't know about this power… even if I didn't know I could turn the man into a Smash… I still did it. And what if the heroes think they need to kill him?

Despite my legs shaking as I do so, I pulled myself up slowly and looked out towards the debris of wall and building the Smash had rampaged through. I could see him slamming an arm down on a car, crumpling it. I take a shaky breath in and do something I should've done first. I stopped thinking and ran. I ran towards the monster and jumped at the arm, grabbing it.

"Stop it!" I shouted at the Smash. Really, I'm banking on it not slamming me into paste, but it must have had a reason it didn't go for me first right? "Stop it! You don't need to do this!"

The Smash let out another of the odd mechanical roars, swinging the grabbed arm up as I clung on for dear life and refused to let him get rid of me.

"C'mon! You don't need to!" I called out. "If you can hear me-" No, wait, why would he understand English? What's the Japanese word again?

The Smash swung the other arm into a nearby wall as it swung wildly with me still in tow. Not to hit anything, but just to force me off of his arm..

It's as he swings around that I remember the word – and my grip slips, sending me tumbling across the asphalt. I quickly pushed myself back up and ran towards him with a cry of "Yamero!" In probably the most heavily accented Japanese ever spoken. As he goes to swing his arm at a fleeing bystander I grab at the arm while hearing a scream The screaming was aimed towards me though, not away from me. I spare a quick look around and gasp. Some people have turned to look at me trying to stop the Smash!

And it seemed that the Smash has noticed as he turned his head to look at the gathering crowd. With a low rumble he started to run at them with me holding onto an arm desperately again. The wind rushed through my hair for a brief instant before he suddenly stopped. The force of the stop flung me towards the crowd. I groaned and slowly looked around as I stood up. Some people looked down at me, others were starting to run from or just looked on at the Smash as he raised both of his arms into the air. I could see in that moment he was going to try and bring his arms down on the people - on me - and crush anything in the area. Part of me wanted to just stay there and let it happen. Part of me wanted to try and run from the inevitable impact.

For some reason most of my brain decided to be dumb. Looking back on it later I wouldn't even dignify it as instinct. Just a vague idea that I should be able to control the gas. I raised both of my arms up with my hands curled as if grabbing onto something. For a moment as the Smash brought his arms down, I could feel myself thinking I was going to die again for sure. I closed my eyes and…

…

Nothing. I heard gasps around me and opened my eyes. Inches from my own hands the Smash's arms had stopped mid swing. He jerked and lifted one out, swinging it back down again only for it to jerk to a stop. My arms felt like massive weights were tugging down at them with each impact… but each time he swinged an arm down, it would just stop before it could hit my own. I slowly pulled myself up and onto my feet. If I hadn't been about to puke in sheer fear, I'd probably have tried for some snappy one liner. Instead I just focused on holding the arms in place.

The Smash let out another metallic sounding cry, one of confusion, before trying another overhead swing with both arms. This time I shifted my legs to squat as if I was going to actually take the blow and reached up to grab both arms at once. While the arms once more stop before they hit anything, I can FEEL the weight push against my body, sending me down but not out. The strain was immense… but nowhere near what damage he could do if I moved away from it!

"Run!" I called out, even as I tried to force my arms to the side slowly. No dice, as much as I might be holding back his attack, he's holding me in place just as much. He brought up his arms again and pulled them to his sides. He went to thrust them straight on at my chest! Once more I reach out and grab for the proverbial fists and they stop mid swing – though the force from it sent me stumbling back a few feet.

Once I steadied myself, I looked at the Smash… and he was looking right back at me. He pulls his upper body back and, in that instant, I realize he's going to try and headbutt me. If I was going to make this sound fancy, then my life would flash before my eyes. But it didn't. All I really thought as that head came down was how much I had screwed things up from giving into my panic. And hoping that those nearby would manage to get away in time for a hero to show up.

Except as the head came down, I noticed beige strips of material fling themselves around his upper body - where his head and shoulder area was! Just as the head was about to hit me it stopped, and the Smash let out another metallic hiss/growl. I blinked and my mouth hung open, but I slowly leaned to the side to look past the Smash to confirm my expectations. Indeed, just behind the monster was the all black dressed, scruffy haired, visor wearing ninja of an erasure hero, Eraserhead, clearly struggling a bit to hold the Smash in place. His hair isn't raised – does he think this guy is a mutation Quirk?

Eraserhead shouted something at me in Japanese, but I don't need to hear twice to know he's telling me to get out of the way. I shake my head. "I caused this. It's my Quirk that did this!" I called out in English. I hadn't risked saying much in English before due to wanting to figure things out, but the crowds are running and this needs to end NOW. "Erase my Quirk!

For a moment Eraserhead looked at me with an expression I couldn't entirely make out with his visor on like that. And then his hair raised into the air and I felt the weight of those fists disappear. And the Smash let out a hiss before his body started to twist and warp back the way it was before, white gas issuing off his body as he did so. I stumbled a bit as I saw the man collapse onto the road back the way he was before… and then the world went dark.

I slowly opened my eyes and feel something soft underneath me. But it's not my bed. It's not soft enough. I hear beeping as I start to focus and notice that the room I'm in is far too white and sterile to be my messier room. White, sterile… and empty with a closed door. I'm all alone in here with a single window to my side streaming in light. There goes the hope of it all being a dream at least. But why am I in a room by my-

Oh. Right. The gas. I slowly looked down at my hands as the memories of the fight came back to me in a rush. Of how I had been attacked by what I hope was by accident. How in my panic I had let out that gas and turned the man into a monster. And then...

Wow. I could've killed myself again doing what I did. And yet knowing that I don't think I regret a moment of it. Ending up in hospital is – well it means I'm going to have to confront the nature of my situation faster than I thought. I just wanted to have some time to gather my own thoughts before but-

Before my line of thought can continue the door opens slowly and in steps the world's scruffiest looking shinobi followed by a policeman in a full hazard suit that didn't even let me look at their face. Smart, Eraserhead can erase my Quirk like before. But just in case the policeman can't be turned. The fact that Eraserhead isn't in a full suit is what concerns me more. Not because I'm worried I might turn him into a Smash, no no no, it's because if he's done that, he has another way to deal with me.

"You're awake. Good." Aizawa Shouta stated, in English no less. The fact he wasn't pulling out his teacher glare was both encouraging and yet I felt that deep burning sensation again. "You'll be happy to know that the man you were trying to stop seems to be fine right now. He's recovering elsewhere."

I nodded slowly at that and the police officer took the lead. "However, we weren't able to find anything on you to identify you. To tell us who your parents are." The officer added, their voice muffled a fair bit by the costume.

Aizawa sighed. "They want to contact your parents and ask them a few things about you and your Quirk, but they haven't been able to." God, he looks uncomfortable. I guess they think since he's the hero I saw on the scene I might associate with him better? "Do you have a way we could?"

I looked down at that. And there's the bullet waiting to be bitten. The actual story sounds insane. But I can't lie about parents because I don't know anyone to substitute. And if I say I have none I'll be tossed into the foster system, won't I? I don't want that. Even with this Quirk I can still do some good while I'm here right?

Heh. I'm saying that as if I have a choice as to how long I'm here for.

"…" I slowly look up. Not at the police officer but Mr. Logical Ruse himself, Aizawa. If I can convince him of my story, then it might be better than going foster care. "What I'm about to say might not sound like it makes sense… but I need you to at least listen to me say it first. Please." I insisted desperately. The policeman – as far as I can tell – seems a bit taken aback but Aizawa's eyes narrowed a bit before he slowly sighed and nodded. I took a breath in.

"What do you know about the Multiverse theory?"

And there's Aizawa's teacher almost-glare. If it wasn't for the fact that his eyes weren't glowing, I'd think he was using his Quirk on me.

"W-wait, are ya trying to say-?" The policeman stated

"I've heard a little bit about it." Aizawa cut his compatriot off. And I don't know why. He's clearly suspicious of me so why is he humouring it? "But it seems you know more than I do, Officer Kaniyashiki."

"Uh, ummmm…" Wait, Kaniyashiki… that sounds familiar, is that from Vigilante? Dissect the name… "Well… it got explained in one of my shows once and it really stuck with me! A really weird episode!" Kany-a-Shiki? Ga, my Japanese is terrible. The fact that this officer is keeping up with all the English is impressive. "But uh…. Isn't it tha theory where fer every choice made, there's another universe where ya made the other choice?" And that seems to be a held over accent that sounds gained from too many Boston or Brooklyn characters. Isn't the Japanese equivalent an Osakan thing? Is that deliberate or put on?

I nodded at that. "That's the simple explanation. It means there are in theory a world for every choice made. And in one world…" I trailed off. This is going to take some talking to convince still… "In one world, the world of heroes, villains and Quirks is a story. And people read that story. Are fans of it. Picture one of those fans thrown into the world… and waking up at least half his age if not more."

Officer Kaniyashiki tilted her head and then moved back slightly. "H-hey is he-?"

Aizawa's gaze hadn't shifted from me. His eyes hadn't even widened. In fact, he seemed almost bored. "That's a nice story kid. But we need to know about your parents." Aizawa insisted.

I started to breathe a bit faster. The world almost seemed to shake a bit. He's not listening to me, I need to convince him, how can I convince him? I need evidence but nothing in My Hero went back too far-

Wait. Kaniyashiki. Kani. Kani as in CRAB. That's the undercover idol from Illegals! I must be really stressed to forget that – it hasn't even been a day.

"I can prove that I'm from that other world." I said.

Aizawa slowly raised an eyebrow at that. "And how can you do that?" Aizawa noted with a deadpan tone. So, the same as usual.

Officer Kaniyashiki – Kaniko – looked back and forth between us. I barely noticed as I stared right at Aizawa. As far as I can tell he's humouring me, so I need to make this count. One piece of information that would be impossible for me to know. "I don't know how long ago it was – the timeframe was vague – but while you were out on patrol you met a pair called the Hotta Brothers. While investigating Trigger smuggling. And they told you about 'Bad' Trigger that had been passed around. And- "

Before I could say more Aizawa's capture tape sprung up and wrapped around my mouth while his eyes glowed. "That's enough to convince me." He remarked. "I'd rather not have more of my day to day spilled out for anyone to hear." Any- oh, Kaniko. Right. Police. The Hottas are crooks. I simply nodded and the tape pulled away from my head, even as Aizawa reached into the tape to pull out some eye drops.

"Eh? So quickly Erase-yan?" Kaniko asked with a shocked tone.

"There's no way he could know those particular events without either having apparently read about it or having some remote viewing Quirk." Aizawa noted, slowly dripping in the eyedrops in one eye, then the next. "And his Quirk doesn't seem to be remotely under control either. Usually someone with a transformation Quirk like his can undo the transformation. If I was to hazard a guess, if we use his story, that he only just got his Quirk." He dropped the eyedrops container back among the capture scarf and sighed.

Kaniko hmphed, stomping her foot down. "We can't just assume its tha truth either!" She noted. "Hey kid, we still don't know your name. Could ya tell us that at least?"

To find my non-existent parents I bet. I sighed and go to say it… only to find myself gagging as I try to as my throat suddenly closes! I clear my throat and hum a little to check my throat. It was open again but that means I can't say it. "I… I can't. What you saw just there was me… TRYING to." I said.

Aizawa sighed. "Of course. Because it would have been simple otherwise." He muttered.

"Do ya think it's some sort of Quirk having an effect on him?" Kaniko asked.

Aizawa shook his head. "We don't know enough about his Quirk to say." He explained… before he turned back to me with another sigh. "Which means that at least for now… you're going to have to stay in the hospital while the authorities sort things out." Interesting… he isn't calling me a kid. Must remember what I said earlier

I sniffled a bit at that… and sighed. "Yeah… I know. It's an impossible story to explain isn't it? And the Public Safety Commission will want to be in on the discussions too." I admitted.

Aizawa blinked at that. "For someone who claims he was only a fan, you know a lot about some of the more inner workings of Heroes." Aizawa pointed out.

"The series focused on All Might a fair bit." I countered.

"And suddenly I'm unsurprised." Aizawa concluded with a frown.

"Hey, don't get snippy with the kid!" Kaniko stated as… she entered a crab like pose, including her hands raised up like claws, and she started to shuffle side to side. It was so absurd that I really couldn't help but laugh.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

(A/N: The following story is a light crossover. Knowledge of the crossover material is not required which is why it has not been marked as a crossover.

EDIT: As a complaint has been made in reviews about wanting to know but not stating it here: The crossover is with Kamen Rider Build. Again, knowledge of this is not needed.)