Lim Chun Ming stared into the mouth of Batu Tara. Streaks of red and orange lava greeted him, and a wave of heat from the rising superheated gasses wafted up. Yes, this was definitely an active volcano, not one of those dormant ones.
Chun Ming stripped, stowed his clothes and gear safely away, and began his descent into the crater. He hoped tourists didn't show up on one of those "active volcano tours" and thrust him into internet infamy as some crazy exhibitionist, but his clothes would never survive the dunking into molten lava. ... For that matter, Chun Ming wasn't 100% sure that he himself would survive the experience. One thing for sure: great suffering was guaranteed in his immediate future.
How did he get himself into this situation anyway??? Chun Ming muttered curses as he descended.
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Chun Ming was, if we're going to be perfectly honest here, a somewhat below average high schooler, living in the town of Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. * Below average grades in school, below average at sports, neither popular or unpopular -> rather, he was one of those who didn't draw much notice either way. His only saving grace was that his facial features were pretty decent, and he could look moderately dashing if he dressed up. ... which didn't actually happen. Ever. For two reasons: Firstly, Chun Ming didn't have much money, and secondly, he didn't have much fashion sense either.
So, one rather typical day, Chun Ming was heading home from school, taking a shortcut through the alleys behind his school, when a purple flash appeared in front of him, and a wizened old man with stepped thru.
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At this point, Chun Ming's first instinct was to run for it, but after a moment's thought, he remembered that this sort of stereotypical scenario often led to the discoverer gaining great power. Or the throne of a fairytale kingdom. Or a harem. ... Well, that was what movies and anime would have him believe anyway. Upon closer inspection, the old man had a small pair of reptilian wings on his back, was wearing some fabric robe, and was bleeding profusely dripping blood on the ground from a wound in his shoulder. ... hmm. He should probably do something about that? Chun Ming gestured at the man's shoulder and attempted to offer help, speaking slowly in English, in the vague hope that anime was true and everyone spoke English no matter what bizarre dimension they originated from. The old man gave him a weary frown, made a few motions with his uninjured hand, and a softly glowing pink bubble slowly detached itself from the old man's forehead, and wafted it's way over to Chun Ming's forehead. As it touched him, it popped, and Chun Ming's vision was overwritten by a brilliant pink flash for an instant, before all went dark as he found himself slipping into unconsciousness...
... for about half a second, as the old man had grabbed him by the collar before he fell, and was roughly shaking him awake.
">>Hey kid! Where can I get food and medical attention?<<", the old man asked him, in a strange language that seemed to consist of harsh consonants, and hissed vowels. Chun Ming wondered how he understood this language, then realized that pink bubble must have had something to do with it. Some interdimensional version of G***gle Trans**** perhaps? Chun Ming found that he could speak this newfound language as well, and explained that the local government might not be all that friendly with aliens or magical beings, etc, and told him to follow Chun Ming to his nearby home where he would administer first aid, and bring him a meal.
* Melaka is both the name of the town, and the state. Real place in Malaysia, good tourist destination!