Chapter Text
Waking up, the first and only thing Izuku could see and feel was a blindingly bright blue sky above him, and course, itchy dirt beneath him. He couldn't find the energy to move, but it didn't take long for him to realise that something was amiss when he remembered exactly where he was and what he was doing before suddenly blacking out.
Dorms...
UA...
"G-guys...?"
Hearing no response, he bit his dry lip and strained his parched throat. "Guys... Uraraka? Ii-Iida? B-Bakugou? I-is... *cough cough*, is a-anybody there?" he managed to rasp, yet still it seemed there was nobody around to hear him.
I have to get out of this sun.... Where am I?
Feeling his bones rattle and shake under the immense pressure it took to move, the boy pushed himself to his knees, holding himself steady until he was ready to stand to his feet. The last time he recalled being this physically worn out was back when he was training with All Might by cleaning Dagobah Municipal beach, but since then he had become far fitter, so why was he so tired?
Water... Dehydrated. I need to find some water fast.
Straining to swallow, he rubbed a bit of red dirt out of his eyes and waved away a cloud of dust as he glanced at the surrounding landscape. All he could see for miles on-end was flat sand that was a reddish brown and definitely not local to Japan.
Where... Where am I?
The question crossing his racing mind for a third or forth time, a small glimpse of salvation arrived in the unceremonious (but very welcome) form of an American diner in the distance.
Exhaustion catching up to him in a paralysing manner, his body seemingly shut down as he crashed into the door and collapsed against the counter. A multitude of voices sounded in alarm with one person in particular expressing her worry as she reached over the counter and felt his pulse. He was so tired to the degree that he was almost unconscious, but he was still somewhat aware -yet hazy- on some words being spoken around him.
American... They're... speaking English?
The moment the woman placed her hand upon his neck, she recoiled in shock. "-Oh my god, he's burnin' up, I think he's havin' a heat stroke! Someone go fetch some water, quick!"
Shocking all his senses into awareness, a jug of water suddenly splashed against his back and the next thing he knew, he was positioned more comfortably on a diner seat, laying down. A glass made its way to his lips and on instinct, he almost inhaled the liquid inside with close-to-no regard for taking breaths, leaving him to choke briefly but follow with a sigh of intense gratitude and satisfaction.
That was all he could manage, however, as his eyes closed and his mind stuttered to a standstill as he embraced what felt like a much needed rest...
Izuku startled awake as the sound of a glass smashing nearby caught his breath, followed by someone yelling "Woman, bring me another!". He had never been incredible at English, but to say Izuku didn't study his subjects hard at school, regardless of what they were, would be a lie.
Rubbing his eyes and sitting up, it took a long moment for him to adjust to his new surroundings. He was inside some sort of... diner? That's right... He collapsed, didn't he? He recalls hearing some voices but what they said was far too blurry to recall....
"Hey, hon. Are y’ feelin' alright? You gave us quite a scare back there..."
Instantly, his eyes flickered towards a woman wearing a black and white blouse with her brown hair tied in a bun. Her voice was kind with that elderly tone, and her eyes even more so as she gazed at him like a child new and inexperienced to the world she had already seen. She had a kind of accent that seemed almost 'stereotypically southern' to him, but perhaps that's just because he hadn't heard too many people speak like this. In fact, the way she coloured her tone was almost confusing as Izuku had to spend just a little extra time working out what words she was saying when she dropped a consonant or spoke in slang.
"You gave me quite a fright, turning up almost dead at th' doorstep! You musta been out in the sun for a dangerously long time ta reach the stage you did! But I'm glad you managed to get here, othe'wise who knows how much worse y'u might be right now..."
Resisting the urge to scratch any longer at his still somewhat irritant eyes, he took a moment to glance around with a better view, trying to work out a little more about how he could have ended up here.
"I'm sorry... my English isn't very good. Where am I?" he apologised politely before reaching to take a sip from a glass of water that had been left beside him on a table.
"Oh! We don' get foreigners around these parts too often! Why, this is actually my first tahm (time) seein' any asian folk around here... -Oh! I don't mean that offensively!"
"No worries, it's fine. I understood what you meant." Izuku gave a small, sheepish smile as suddenly, the door crashed open and a man with a long beard and a trucker's hat approached two friends of his at the bar.
"-Hey, did you guys hear 'bout that crater yet?"
"Huh, whadda ya mean?"
"Oh, well shit, there was this satellite thing; crashed down a couple nights ago and got stuck in the rock. Ev'ryone's been sayin' it ‘can't be moved’, like some kinda 'sword in the stone' thing or something. I just went to see if what they say is true and get this, this pickup truck had its entire rear end ripped off try'n ta tow the thing! Was hilarious, I'm telling ya!"
Watching the scene with confusion but slight interest, another man with long blonde hair and an impressive stature walked up and grabbed the newcomer's shoulder, interrupting with an almost regal accent. "This crater you say, where is it?"
Blinking in surprise, the first man stuttered. "U-uh... Fifty miles west o' here? -But I wouldn't waste y'ur time, the government's already got it surrounded and blocked off now-" his voice trailed after the other as he left through the door in a rush before he could finish, with two women and an older man all hurrying to follow him as they all called for him to stop.
Shaking her head, the waitress sighed. "What a weird day today.... Anyway, are you gonna be alrigh', hon?"
Nodding briefly, Izuku thanked the woman for everything she had done for him, but something that had been said earlier caught his attention.
Another crater, a few nights ago? If I'm right, that sounds like it might be around the same time I arrived here judging by how dehydrated and tired I was when I first woke up. What if this is somehow linked to my arrival here?
Abruptly, he pushed himself to his feet but stumbled from a brief moment of vertigo. "Wh-woah.... Okay, need to slow down..."
Speaking out loud in Japanese accidentally caught the attention of a few too many people as he suddenly shied away from all the looks and made to escape as quickly as possible from this place. His best bet might be to follow that stranger from earlier, but only if he's able to find him still....
Hitting the sidewalk, Izuku's mind went racing in a sudden shock as his surroundings once again told him that he was definitely not in Japan, however even for America, things just didn't seem quite right compared to what he knew the place to be like on TV. These surroundings almost seemed more akin to the America from movies dating back at least two centuries ago or more...
I should have asked what year this is... Because I'm starting to think I'm somewhen I shouldn't be as well...
He tried to swallow the rock that built up in his throat.