Chapter Text
“A Hero? I shouldn’t think so young man, it's a dangerous career. But there are other ways to help like…” The words faded to the back of Izuku's mind. Everything feels so distant as Izuku takes a step back, trying to find something to hold onto. It feels as if the slime villain is back in his throat as he struggles to breathe through the sobs.
When he looks up again he is alone. Approaching the edge to see if All Might was down there, Kaachans advice crosses his mind. If he can’t be a hero, the one thing he dreamed of being, then what was the point he thought, but then the image of his mom snapped him out of it. He was still her hero, and if that's all he could ever be then so be it. Walking over to the door he tries to yank it open, but realizes it's locked.
“Way to go All Might, shattered my dreams and left me on a locked roof” Izuku mumbled, before realizing he'd just insulted his hero. A bitter laugh left his lips, unsure of what this meant for him. After banging on the door for 10 minutes a sweet old lady opened the door.
“What are you doing up here young man? You shouldn’t have been able to get up here.”
“I'm sorry ma’am, A hero had dropped me off here after a villain attack but he must have not known it would be locked. Thank you so much for opening the door for me, could you please show me the way to the stairs?”
“Oh dear are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor? I can ask my grandson to take you, he wants to be a hero so he’d be so happy to help.”
“No thank you ma’am, I’m alright, but again, thank you.” He said as they reached the stairs, waving her goodbye.
As he exits the building he hears an explosion go off, and then sees fire spreading. On instinct, he runs toward the fight. As soon as he gets there his heart drops. Was this his fault? If he hadn’t bothered All Might then Kaachan wouldn’t be here right now. Kaachan was panicking, the fear clear in his eyes and in his screams. Without a second thought Izuku reached into his bags, grabbed a pair of scissors, and ran through the crowd towards Kaachan.
Looking at the villain, he noticed two things:1. It was stopping Kaachan from breathing, at best he had 30 seconds till it started doing permanent damage. And 2. its eyes were solid, so Izuku lifted the scissors he was holding and pushed. He dug at the eyes, the screaming of the villain and yelling of Kaachan both stopping him from hearing the screaming of the crowd and heroes. He continues to dig until the eye is unrecognizable, then reaches for the other boy and pulls till they are both out of the way. Izuku, tired of being told off by heroes, left before the Heroes finished capturing the villain.
Once he gets home he realizes he is still gripping the scissors, both he and the scissors covered in blood and slime. He ties them in a grocery bag and then throws them into the dumpster before coming back into shower. He turns the shower as hot as it can get before stepping in. He tastes salt and realizes he’s crying, sliding against the wall to sit. He’s been told his whole life that he couldn’t be a hero, why does this feel so different. Sure, it’s the number one hero, someone he’s looked up to his whole life, but why does he matter. He has never known what it was like to have to climb up from the bottom, he doesn’t know what it’s like. Izuku, at this moment, resolves to prove him wrong. He knows that there are other kids out there who have been told the same stuff their whole life, and he wants to prove the world wrong for all of them. This is the moment Deku was born, the worthless hero who would save the world.
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Online forms began to be flooded with content from the elusive Deku, an analyst who’s skills were highly sought after. He mostly did quirk analysis for kids who wanted to be heros. Those with weaker or stereotypically villainous quirks were his favorite. He did them free of charge and focused on how they could be applied to heroics. He had yet to find a single one that wasn’t suited to the field. At the moment he was emailing a girl with a quirk that allowed her to change her eye color. She had told him she was bullied for the majority of her life, but she still wanted to be a Hero.
Dear Himiko,
Here is the analysis for your quirk! I found it could be very useful for intimidation and covert operations! I personally think you should go into underground heroics but if you choose to do public hero work I’m sure you’d do great there too!
Quirk Name: Eye switch
Description: The user can switch eye color, shape, and lighting at will. There is no particular limit other than the fact that it revolves around the eye.
Strengths of quirk:
- Some quirks have activating signals such as a change in eye color. If a criminal does not know your quirk then this will likely work as a fear tactic. They may become paranoid about something that will never pass. This will result in reckless behavior which will assist in their capture.
- Undercover work. If you work in a situation where you want to go unnoticed you are easily able to switch an aspect of your appearance. Additionally, if you use a color that draws attention to your eyes such as bright pink it will become an integral part of your description. Thus, when you are done with your work, you can change it and will likely go unnoticed.
- No backlash to this quirk it appears, you mentioned slightly tinted vision but no repercussions which is rare in many quirks! Count yourself lucky about that!
Personal strengths:
- You mentioned that you enjoyed voice acting. I find this would also be beneficial in undercover work, if you can make a convincing enough character for work, no one will suspect you are the same person.
- I recognized your name, three years ago you won an award at national level for a genetics project over the development of quirks! It was really well written, so I am certain you’re also super intelligent which will be helpful in the field. I’m not sure if you have done research into tactics and field analysis, but I highly recommend it.
What to improve upon (you can do it!):
- I didn’t notice any mention of a particular discipline for fighting or exercise, so I highly recommend you at the very least take course work in that. Depending on the school you plan to go to this can be integral! You have two years till you have to apply so I’m sure by then you’ll have built up enough strength.
- I also noticed a lack of self confidence, I would be hypocritical to criticize you for it but I do hope you know that you are worth something and that your dreams are within your reach.
~Sincerely,
Deku, the (hopefully) future worthless hero
He really hoped she would make it into her dream school, as the world needed as many genius heroes as they could get. Not only was she smart though, she knew what it's like to be looked down on by others and would be kind to all who needed her help. He sent the email for pulling up the next one, an email from a boy with a brainwashing quirk. This one excited him alot, and he quickly began asking limits and repercussions.
Dear Shinsou,
First of all, saying you have a villainous quirk is ridiculous, unless you have hurt someone on purpose I don’t think anyone has the right to call you a villain. Next, that quirk is highly suited to heroics and here's why:
Quirk: Brainwashing
Quirk Description: User has the ability to command those who respond to the users vocal questions.
What needs to be tested:
- How many can you control at once
- does any form of stimuli spur those under control
- are there limits such as distance, time, et cetera.
- Repercussions
- does it work if processed through technology such as a voice modulator, it is unlikely it works through video but this may not be the case if still close by.
- Will laughs count as a response
Strengths:
- Would be extremely beneficial in large operations, crowd control, getting reluctant individuals to safety, and interrogations.
- If it works on groups of people, your quirk will be able to hold off villains till either they can all be arrested or civilians can be returned to safety.
- May be able to calm people down from shock or panic
- Suited to underground work where few would know your quirk.
Ways to strengthen your quirk:
- Study psychology, and specifically learn what would get a response from your enemy
- Practice imitating voices, if someone knows you they will not respond to you so being able to copy a voice of someone they trust will help.
- You could also obtain support gear for this.
- Practice sarcasm or humor, if laughs work as a response this will be helpful. Maybe when you are doing hero internships, study under Miss Joke.
What to improve otherwise:
- Physical strength and fighting techniques. While your quirk is very useful, it is also important that you can hold your own in a quirkless fight in case your opponent is aware of your quirk or even mute.
- I am not sure of your academic skills, (and in no way am I implying that you are not intelligent) but don’t focus only on your quirk. Make sure that your grades are also up to par. I wish you the best! You can do it!
~sincerely,
Deku, the (hopefully) future worthless hero
Looking at the clock, Izuku realized it was a little past 2 am and figured he should head to bed. He had planned to get up early in the morning so that he could run to a few stores before school. He needed to get some knee and elbow pads, along with some steel piping and a black mask. To prepare him for the hero exams he wanted to start doing parkour training, However, he was a mess and didn’t trust himself not to land wrong. Additionally, if someone saw him he didn’t want them to know who he was, hence the face mask. He’d been saving his spare money that heroes had sent him for analysis so that he didn’t burden his mother anymore than he does. (Although she herself would do anything for her son, and would never consider him a burden).