Unknown Location
Right after stepping out of the portal, Tatsuya finds himself inside an alley. Given the lack of spray paintings on the walls, no acid smell, no hobos, and no trash bags, he knew this wasn't America.
"Strange". Tatsuya says as he walks to the exit of the place. "I thought I would be in Gotham, I mean, why go through all that explanation about the multiverse while showing me the city and its problems if I would be sent somewhere else?"
Outside the alley, the teenager takes a look around, the city's architecture, the people passing by, and their behavior. Everything around him was new yet familiar.
'Am I still in Japan?' Tatsuya asks himself as he realizes the city he's in is just like Tokyo and other Japanese cities he's visited in the past.
Tatsuya goes for his pocket and grabs his wallet. Opening it, he sees the money he was gonna use for the arcade, and his documents are still there.
The boy sighs in relief, but then a thought occurs, and he questions himself. "If this is a different universe, will my money and ID still be valid?"
Growl
Tatsuya blushes and looks at his stomach before turning back to his wallet. Being in a new world where his ID and money may not work means that not only is he poor, but also no chance to apply for any job, and given that he was still about to start his second year of high school before coming to this world, it means his education to that point is technically nulled since it doesn't exist on any system. Even if by some miracle the money and ID still work, he still has no past, and certainly no future.
'Oh man. I really didn't put much thought into it before taking that challenge head-on.' Tatsuya tells himself before sighing in disappointment for recklessly accepting that deal.
Growl
Tatsuya's eyes twitch in annoyance. "You are not helping."
Before Tatsuya can think any further, two boys, probably the same age as him, pass by, running and laughing.
"GET THEM!" Someone screams; the language they use confirms that this place is still Japan. Tatsuya looks at the person and sees a middle-aged man, bald and with a big belly, dressed in a white apron over a green shirt and brown pants, running towards the two boys who just passed. "THEY STOLE MY MONEY!!!
Tatsuya immediately looks back at the boys, still running but at a slow pace, probably to mock the poor man who can't keep up. Tatsuya just smiles; that crazy robot made him a Power Ranger and sent him to fight against evil, no matter how big or small.
"I guess I'll finally use the ninja training mom gave me". Tatsuya says to no one before sprinting up at the thieves with a genuine smile on his face.
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Opening - (Trip (Innocent of D) - Larval Stage Planning)
(As the music starts, the sun becomes black, the blue sky turns red, nature is on fire, and the ground begins to shake as a dark figure approaches with heavy footsteps. Tatsuya is in his Ninja Steel costume, with Rias and her Peerage right behind him. Tatsuya draws his Ninja Star Blade and uses his Element Star Fire to summon its flames. Rias uses her power of destruction. Issei enters his balance breaker form. Akeno is flying above them with lightning sparking in her hands. Kiba readies his sword. Koneko punches her left palm with her right hand. Asia joins her hands and concentrates on using her sacred gear. Once ready, they all charge against the approaching figure.)
(The title screen appears as: Highschool DxD: Ninja Steel.)
Majiwariau sen to tooku yobikakeru sora. (Tatsuya and Issei are surrounded by Quantrons, making the former draw his morpher and the latter his sacred gear.)
Juuji no shita de mau senritsu no koe. (The sky turns black, and huge red eyes shine with malice.)
Yowasa nado kimi ni misetaku nai kara.(Flashes of Rias and her entire peerage in their combat gear appear.)
Kaze wo ukete furikitte susume. (Under the gray sky, Tatsuya is in his Ninja Steel costume with his arms crossed, looking at Kuoh from a distant cliff as the rain falls.)
Shoudou wo tokihanate! kakemeguri tsumoru ishi. (Rias uses her power of destruction against Riser while Akenoand Yubelluna attack and evade each other with their magic.)
Sono me wo wasure wa shinai. (Kiba engages Karlamine in a swordfight while Koneko fights hand-to-hand against Siris.)
Kioku wo yurasu DrawxDelete ashita ni kaeru ima wo. (Asia is on her knees, healing Issei, who refuses to stay down, facing Riser as he laughs at them.)
Mata rinne suru tomoshibi sotto hoho wo tsutau kurenai. (Tatsuya, fully Morphed, stands his ground as a shadow appears in front of him, growing bigger to the point that the sun is entirely blocked. The ranger attacks without hesitating.)
(As the instrumental continues, we see Tatsuya napping in the shadows under a tree. Cut to Issei and his two pervert friends running from the kendo club as they chase after the trio with their wooden swords. Asia is watching the chase with worry, while Rias and the others smile. Cut to Sona with the full student council right behind her, her arms are crossed, and her eyes are looking at Tatsuya's sleeping figure with indifference before lightly kicking him, making him wake up and sigh at the sight before his eyes return to the blue sky, watching as a red bird flies in front of the sun.)
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"Thank you again for the help, Tatsuya". The man from before says, shaking Tatsuya's hand.
"It was nothing". Tatsuya says, scratching the back of his head with his free hand, and closing his eyes to avoid contact with the grateful stranger while giving an embarrassed chuckle.
"But it was for me". The man says, looking at the thieves knocked out on the ground, courtesy of the white-haired teenage ninja. "These two troublemakers have been doing this in our neighborhood for weeks now."
Tatsuya looks at the thieves and frowns at them. He thinks about his own situation again; he has no money, no chance to enroll in any school, nor apply to any job, yet stealing from others never crossed his mind and never would. If he could keep himself from becoming a criminal despite all of that, why these two could not is a question he is asking himself.
Flashback
Getting closer to the thieves without them noticing, despite being running, is easy for a ninja like Tatsuya. His mother's training taught him how to move with any speed without making a sound and how to always keep his balance and momentum.
When the thieves look back to see if the man is still on their tail, Tatsuya is gone. They look ahead once again just to meet with a white-haired bishõnen who stares at them with his arms crossed and a cocky smile on his lips.
"Going somewhere, boys?" Tatsuya asks the approaching duo.
"Out of the way!" One of them yells, a tanned guy with dyed blonde hair and green eyes.
The other boy tries to shovel Tatsuya out of their way; he is taller than the tanned one, with coal-black hair, blue eyes, and his nose and ears are full of piercings.
Unfortunately for the thieves, Tatsuya is trained to fight against multiple opponents, and bigger ones, and the horrible fighting posture the thief displays when trying to hit Tatsuya is all the teenager needs to make him trip by putting his foot in front of the thief's own, then grabbing him by the arm and throwing him at his partner who tries to evade but Tatsuya had thrown the first thief exactly where the other was trying to go, making them both hit each other and fall on the ground.
"Now then". Tatsuya says, clapping his hand, trying to get rid of dust that isn't there. "How about you give back the money you stole and apologize to the poor man you stole it from?"
Said man just arrives, he puts his hands on his knees and tries to catch his breath.
"*breaths heavily* Thanks… for the help". The man says, tired but not enough to forget his manners.
"Don't mention it". Tatsuya smiles at the man before turning his eyes back to the thieves. "Now let's be nice and do the right thing."
The thieves get on their feet, blood in their eyes as they look at the boy who made a fool out of them. Tatsuya knows that look, they want blood, but he ain't gonna give them.
The thieves attack both at the same time, the blonde tries a jab while the black-haired goes for a right cross, Tatsuya evades the first attack by taking a step back, and the second by lowering his head, then he counter attack by hitting the blonde with a spin kick and uses the momentum to hit the black haired with a roundhouse kick, knocking them on the ground once more.
"Are you two calm now?" Tatsuya asks, there is no mockery in his voice, nor maliciousness; he just wants them to stop and apologize for what they did.
The black-haired one is the first to get up, grinding his teeth and frowning to the point of looking cartoonishly comedic. Tatsuya shakes his head in disappointment and gets into a fighting stance. This time, the attacks are faster: a right cross, a left cross, a direct kick, another right cross. All evaded without difficulty by the white-haired boy. Meanwhile, the blonde thief is on his feet again and joins his partner.
It gets harder, but Tatsuya still doesn't break a sweat. Both opponents have no training; they are just throwing punches and kicks wildly in the hopes that one of them hits the mark.
Tatsuya decides to stop evading and goes on the offensive. He grabs the arm of the blonde one when he goes for a jab and pushes him closer, right when the black-haired one goes for a kick. Putting the blonde one in front of him, Tatsuya defends from the attack while the blonde one loses air from getting hit in the stomach. Tatsuya then pushes the blonde one into the black-haired thief, who shoves his partner to the side, giving enough window for Tatsuya to attack, hitting him square in the jaw with a roundhouse kick.
Once again, they are on the ground. Tatsuya looks at the man who was watching the fight with an open mouth, like a child who just saw their childhood hero defeat the bad guy. Tatsuya makes a gesture to the man who looks at him in confusion, but soon understands what the teenager was trying to say and nods in response, getting a nod from Tatsuya in return.
"Please, stay down". Tatsuya says once again, he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but they are leaving him no choice. "I just want you to give the money back and apologize; it isn't worth fighting for wounded pride or because you are angry at someone."
The blonde one is the first to get up. in response to Tatsuya's words he spits on the ground, next to Tatsuya's feet, the teenager just looks at it before turning his attention back to the duo and closes his eyes, sighing and shaking his head in disappointment, closing your eyes in a fight may be stupid, but Tatsuya's ears were trained to listen the steps and movements of his opponents, unless they were masters of stealth like him and his mother, they would never hide their presence from the teenage ninja.
"AAAAAAH"
With a scream, the blonde thief runs at Tatsuya again. He is slower because of the pain and tiredness, only fueled by adrenaline. Another proof these thieves are amateurs, for a trained and experienced fighter knows how to control their breath during a fight.
A kick is made, but misses the mark by a long shot as Tatsuya just turns his torso to the side. He grabs the blonde thief's leg and spins him, throwing him back at the black-haired thief, who was just getting up again.
"Guys, please, enough is enough". Tatsuya pleads.
Tatsuya turns his back on the thieves and goes to where they dropped the money they stole from the man. He lowers himself to grab it, and when he gets up, both thieves are already behind him, charging for another attack. With a sigh of disappointment, Tatsuya just stays with his back to them, waiting, and when they are close enough, he jumps and spins in the air, hitting them in the face with a reverse spinning kick, knocking them out unconscious for good this time.
Tatsuya hears footsteps and looks at the source with a smile. "Just in time."
The man, whose money had been stolen, left to look for a police officer when Tatsuya gestured to him during the fight. Now that law enforcement has arrived, the teenager just steps aside and lets them handle the situation. Tatsuya goes to the man and hands him the bag with the stolen money.
"I believe this belongs to you!" Tatsuya says.
The man grabs the bag and looks inside. He doesn't think Tatsuya stole any of it, and if he did, the man believes he has earned a little reward.
"Thanks for your help". The man nods and smiles with gratitude. "May I know the name of the hero of the day?"
"Takamiya Tatsuya." Tatsuya says.
"It's a pleasure, Tatsuya!" The man says, giving his hand for Tatsuya to shake.
End of Flashback
"Is there anything I could do for you?" The man asks.
"Now, thank you. Helping you is my own reward". Tatsuya says, screaming inside his head, of embarrassment for saying such a cliché line despite meaning every word.
Growl
'YOU TRAITOR'. Tatsuya screams inside his head.
The man smiles, amused at the sound he just heard. "Come with me!"
"No, sir, this isn't necessary". Tatsuya says, cheeks red as a tomato.
Growl
The man now chuckles and puts his hand on the teenager's shoulder. "I insist."
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For someone who insisted on not being hungry, Tatsuya just finished his third plate. The man, whose name is Tobirama, is the owner of a restaurant, and a very good one, given the number of people eating there.
"Another round?" Tobirama asks.
"No, Tobirama. You've already done enough for me". Tatsuya says. "Thank you for the food."
"Kid, you saved my skin by stopping those thieves; giving you some food is a small price to pay, one I would pay again without a second thought," Tobirama says, his words coming from the heart.
Tatsuya's response is to just scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.
"So tell me, Tatsuya". Tobirama says. "Where are you from? Never seen you in Kuoh before."
'Kuoh. Huh. Guess I'm really in another world, don't remember any city in Japan with this name.' Tatsuya decides to respond the best he can without revealing much. "Tokyo."
"Tokyo?!" Tobirama raises an eyebrow. "You're a long way from home, kid. What about your parents? Where are they?"
Tatsuya's face went pale, and on the inside, he felt like he had just been punched in the guts really hard.
The teenager turns his head to the side to avoid eye contact and answers with a voice so low it would be an insult to call it a whisper.
"They're gone". Those words hurt, and Tatsuya has to bite his lower lip and control his breath so tears don't start appearing.
Tobirama could see the answer despite not hearing it. The look on the boy's eyes told the man everything he needed to know. Not wanting to press much further, he decides to change the topic to make the boy forget it.
"Did you come here to enroll at Kuoh Academy?" Tobirama asks.
Tatsuya takes a few breaths to recover, then looks back at Tobirama. "Kuoh Academy?" He asks as his face shows morbid curiosity. "Never heard of it?"
"Seriously?! Kuoh is one of the most prestigious schools in the country." Tobirama says with all the seriousness he could muster. "Many people moved from their cities just so their kids could get a chance to enter."
"Wow". Tatsuya is actually surprised at the fact. "Is it really that good?"
"Can't say since I never went there, but the number of students it gets every year is proof enough". Tobirama says. "Of course, only those who can pass the entrance exam can study there, and from the gossip I've heard from the clients, they are really difficult."
Tobirama's words make Tatsuya's thoughts return to his current status. After confirming this is Japan and that his money still works here, it would only last for a few days. He has no place to stay, and until he tests his ID, it can still be considered invalid. His mind then goes to Kuoh Academy. If the place has even half the hype Tobirama is giving it, then it could be the perfect place for him to study. His parents would definitely encourage him to enroll there if they were here, but places like Kuoh certainly require a long list of documents that Tatsuya doesn't have anymore. With reality hitting hard, Tatsuya just sighs in sadness for missing an opportunity like this.
"Thanks again for the food, Tobirama, it was really delicious". Tatsuya says and bows to the man. "I'll go now."
Tatsuya gets up from his chair and starts to leave before stopping on his tracks when he hears Tobirama calling for him.
"Hey, kid". Tobirama says, waiting for Tatsuya to turn around and see him eye-to-eye. "If you need anything, just ask."
Tatsuya just smiles and nods to the man before turning and leaving.