Chapter Text
“It’s not bad to dream. But you also have to consider what is realistic, young man’”
There they were again, those words. He’d heard them his whole life, time and time again, but this one hurt so much more than all the others. This was a rejection Deku wasn’t prepared for. He thought for sure that All might- his hero- would tell him that anyone could be a hero, quirk or not. But of course there he stood right in front of him reduced down to a thin shadow of what he usually looks like- what he should look like- telling him the same thing he’d heard before. Now he had to believe it: he could never become a hero. Not without a quirk.
It wasn’t till that night when that sentence fully registered in Deku’s head. Not without a quirk. Now that deku knew it was the only option, he suddenly couldn’t think of anything else. He spent days locked in his room trying to figure out how to get a quirk before the UA entrance exam. Of course he had thought about it before, but then he preferred the other option of become a hero without a quirk. Now that that option was gone, he had no other choice. Because what was he meant to do if not to be a hero? But in the end the research wasn’t what leads to receiving a quirk. It was his bad luck and almost subconscious need to help others.
Deku was walking home after picking up another late meal when he spotted someone being dragged behind what he had believed was an abandoned warehouse. Before Deku could really think about it he started to follow them. He dashed behind the building just in time the shadow of 2 men shoving someone through a door leading into the building. The next thing Deku knew, he had grabbed the door before it could shut and peaked through it to make sure the group and anyone else who may be there weren’t paying attention to him. Without seeing anyone, Deku slipped through the door.
“…Sure no one will notice?” Deku could just make out the voice far down the hallway.
“Yes. He’s clearly been living on the streets for years with no friends or family to count on.” Someone replied much clearer now as Deku started getting closer. “He will be the perfect candidate.”
The way he said it made Deku shiver. Candidate? He wondered. Candidate for what? Whatever it is it cant be good. He started walking faster, making sure he didn’t make any noise. He had almost made it to the room when he realized he had no plan. He paused for a moment to try and come up with a way one quirkless boy could defeat 2, maybe 3, probably powered grown villains when one of the men turned around to scout out the hallway. Too late, Deku tried to find somewhere to hide in the dimly lit hallway but the man’s eyes locked with Deku’s through his shaggy blue hair. He somehow had a disembodied hand covering his whole face except for his eyes. They turned deadly fierce as soon as he saw Deku. Once again he heard All Might’s words, but his weren’t eh only ones, Deku heard his mom, Kanchan along with the rest of his classmates, all of his teachers and Deku knew no plan was going to get him out of this situation, not without a quirk.
“Master.” They blue haired man growled and suddenly there way a new man standing next to him, not one of the original Deku had seen outside. His face is covered in scar tissue with tubes jutting out by his neck and face. When the man saw Deku he could partially feel the tension in the air. With no other plan Deku started running at the 2 men hoping he could tackle one of them before they realized what was happening. But What then? Could he really make himself leave knowing that they had taking an innocent man? Would he even be able to leave now that they had seen him? No, he needed to focus on this step, on right now. Which person should he attack first? Maybe the second one, he looked older, weaker, the tubes probably were helping his stay alive, he could try to pull them out, and the scar tissue was bound to be sensiti-
“Kurogiri” The blue haired man shouted and then Deku wasn’t running towards him anymore, he ran into some kind of black hole then came out on the other side of the room in front of the third man. Deku realized he hadn’t just seen this man’s shadow outside, he was a shadow. Beside a suit and some kind of neck armor, he seemed to be only mist. Did he do that to me? What that his quirk? Deku thought. He could teleport people? He would have been more excited if the teleport man hadn’t ben (probably) trying to kill him. Before Deku could even collect his thoughts, blue Hair grabbed and forced him into a chair with built in constraints. As Blue Hair finished adjusting the straps on Deku’s wrists and legs, he finally got to examine the room.
The back wall, were he was, was lined with chairs identical to the one he was in. The man he had seen dragged in her was in the chair right next to Deku’s. Lots of help I was, He thought miserably I guess everyone was right: I can never be a hero. I couldn’t even save one person.
“Who are you?” The one with the scar tissue asked. “You’re just a kid so you can’t be working with the heroes. So why did you come here?”
Deku growled at them. Maybe he didn’t have a quirk, but they didn’t know that yet, and there was no way he could give up so quickly. “I saw an innocent man in danger. Who are you and what are you planning on doing to him?!”
This just made the man laugh. “You have some spirit kid. Don’t worry he won’t die… probably. We are going to make him into the perfect weapon to defeat All Might.”
Deku gasped. Defeat All Might? The way he said it made it seem like these villains new exactly how to defeat All Might, like this wasn’t some pitiful scheme like any other villains might come up with. In fact, Deku got the feeling that these guy weren’t like any other villain. They were the real deal, and Deku had stumbled right into the middle of it. “You won’t get away with this!” Deku shouted, though his voice seemed to waver more than before. “You can’t kill All Might. He will stop you first.” Then, as an afterthought he added “How could you possible kill him anyways?” If he ever got out of this he could tell All Might about their plan. Maybe he couldn’t be a hero, but he could still help them, couldn’t he?
“My quirk, All for One, allows me to take any quirk I want. I can then keep these quirks to possess as many different quirks as I want, or I can give 1 or multiple quirks that I possess to someone else. Although some people aren’t always… compatible.”
“Give someone a quirk?” Ideas started churning in Deku’s brain at this, if he could convince All for One- no he’s a villain! Even if he could, at what cost would it come? But think about what he would be able to do with it. He can’t do anything important in life without a quirk, he’s been told as much his whole life, and even his hero, All Might, told him so. ‘You have to consider what is realistic.’ But with the help of All for One anything could be possible. No one could tell him what he couldn’t do. “C-Could you give me one?” The words were out before Deku had fully considered all the consequences, but there was no taking them back anymore. He could hear the desperation in his voice and he was sure everyone else could too. But there was something else there that he hoped they heard as well. Something he could tell All for one noticed by the short laugh he let out. Under deku’s obvious need for a quirk, there was a defiant determination, a clear sign that he would do anything for what he wants.
“Master?” The blue haired boy questioned, clearly sensing the change in his mood. “do you really think this is the best idea?”
“I like his fire, Tomura. He could serve our purpose well.” All for One said. “Very well, I will give you a quirk on one condition: you look like you are about to enter high school, are you not?”
“Y-yes.” Deku stuttered. Although he was elated to finally be getting a quirk, he dreaded what the price would be. Would he be forced to kill All Might? Wreak Havoc on hundreds of innocent civilians?
“Then you will enter the UA. I heard All Might will be a teacher there this year. I will give you a quirk and help train you with it enough for you to pass the entrance exam, then you will act as our spy, collecting information and trying to find weaknesses on All Might, your fellow class mates, and any other teachers you may have. As long as you agree to do this, I will give a quirk, however I will just as easily take it away if you fail at all on this mission, and the removal of your quirk will be much more painful. Is it a deal?”
A spy? That’s it? So no killing any one, no harming innocents. Simply collect information and he can have a quirk just like he had always wanted. He smiled at Tomura and Kurogiri then looked back at All for One “Deal.”