Chapter Text
In our modern society, power defines everything. The way you live, the way you dress, the people you meet, the food you eat, all these aspects of life are defined by power. Power is made from different factors, like the country you were born into, your parent's income, how much you studied, and your physical appearance and capabilities. The power balance didn't budge for long despite its apparent unfairness.
The critical word here is 'For a long time'. Because one day, the balance crumbled. The cause of this crumbling was something simple yet unreal at the same time: Quirks. These special capabilities were unique to each person and gave them various abilities that seemed to come straight out of comic books. With this, there was no power balance left to abuse. Power still defined everything, even more so than before, but it was not the same persons that held all the power.
Society struggled to cope with these foreign changes that no one could explain. Some were even worried that it was giving humanity too much power and that this would look to either dystopic futures where only your quirk matters or to the complete annihilation of the human race. The common argument all anti-quirk associations brought up was that these abilities were weapons that someone could hide without difficulty and use to their heart's content without any repercussion. As a result, strikes were frequent, and violence against Quirk users was high. It took trial and error and a lot of time for the law to adapt itself to humans having these impossible capabilities, but soon enough, society had accepted Quirks, so much so that they were the norm now.
But a problem soon arose with the democratization of super-human capabilities: the number of criminals rose almost daily. Since Quirks were not reserved for good-witted people, some saw in their power a perfect way to live a life of leisure and a tool for evil. As a result, crime rates went through the roof, and police forces were outnumbered. Some thought society would crumble totally, but just as some saw in their Quirks a tool for evil, some saw a tool for justice. That was the birth of people that called themselves heroes. Using their power, they fought evil and protected those that could not defend themselves. Thanks to these people that chose to stand for others, crimes could be fought, and people could live with perfect role models to follow.
It didn't take long for governments worldwide to see that heroes were more respected and sometimes more effective than police officers, so it was decided to officialize the situation. Heroes became government officials that would get their pay based on their performance and image in the public eye. With the promise of a salary as long as you did your job well, more and more people decided to go down the hero route, so much in fact that now everything was made around heroes. Kids wanted to become like the pros they loved so much, and people would gather around hero activity to get the signs of the pros as if they were celebrities. The government even decided to create schools that taught young hero-wannabes to become full-fledged pros that would save the day as much as possible. UA was one of these schools; the key difference was that it was one of the most prestigious ones worldwide and that enrolling was considered not only an incredible feat but also neigh-impossible.
But at the same time, all the children that could try to enroll underwent the test since it would give them an incredible headstart in becoming a pro. This school had everything one could need, from luxurious dorms and classrooms to the teachers, all of which could give information and tips about how to be a hero. UA also had a policy of letting the teachers do as they please in terms of teaching, which gave birth to a creative way that allowed many to become powerful heroes. In short, UA was the golden ticket to a bright future for the lucky few that would be accepted.
But while the number of pros and sidekicks was getting higher each year, so was the number of villains. Some decided to profit from the rising number of criminals by falsely accusing other citizens of villainous acts, either to get social acceptance since they helped society by taking a villain out or just to get rid of someone they didn't like. And while it was easy to say someone was a villain, it was hard for the accused to prove they weren't. These accusations could quickly destroy someone's life by getting them fired from their job and making all their friends hate them even if they were proven not to be guilty. So these accused would often decide to punish the society that didn't listen to them by becoming the villain they were believed to be. Another part of the population that suffered from modern society were those that were unlucky enough to be born without a quirk. In a world where everyone had their abilities and where society was solely based on these powers, being born without one was nearly seen as a crime by most. Quirkless individuals would suffer all their life, especially in school, from bullying that often brings their self-esteem down to dangerous levels. They would also have trouble finding a job since the standards to be accepted were unachievable for them. Seeing society had decided to give up on them, some would just end their suffering in the hope of not getting cursed in the next life.
But others would give their all to destroy this world that decided to make their life impossible. Sure, they were not as good as other villains that benefited from Quirks, but their hatred for heroes and society made them fearless individuals able to commit suicidal attacks without remorse. And each time a quirkless person died, either as an ordinary citizen or as a villain, society would blame the individual instead of at least trying to see it was the cause of this death. It was easier to blame the parents for having weak genetics and the person for not having said there was a problem rather than accepting that everyone was responsible.
Because of how society was built, heroes would always have to fight villainous individuals without seeing their number go down a notch. For each villain the pros would catch, at least two others would appear, making their job harder each day. The seemingly unending hoards of villains prove a formidable challenge to even the most powerful heroes. It was starting to be so difficult that some believed the fight was already lost.
Fortunately, there was still room for hope. And hope came down in the form of a blond giant named All Might. This man was the symbol of peace, with his giant smile that would bring comfort to the people he saved, his large and muscular body that appeared to be a rampart blocking evil, and his impressive Quirk that gave him the strength of a thousand men, more than enough to save all those that needed help. In short, All Might was the hero of all heroes, the number one worldwide, and the role model all the children adored. His one-liner was known worldwide as the motto of all heroes: "Everything is fine! And why? Because I am here!" The number one hero, just like other famous heroes, was often the main subject of conversation around the country. The media enjoyed talking about the heroes' life and other trivia as they would have done for any other celebrity. Anything new would be covered by the mass media as soon as possible for the population was found of the everyday life of their heroes.
But as of recently, the pros were not the main subject anymore.
The reason for this sudden change in interest was the apparition of a mysterious and powerful individual. Rumors spoke of a man always engulfed in flames riding a flaming motorcycle whose speed exceeded that of any other vehicle that roamed the city in the dark. The persons who saw this man described him as a tall individual wearing a spiky leather jacket, black jeans, and equally dark leather boots. But what made this person stand out was that he appeared to only be a skull, with no human features apart from its burning bones that struck fear in the heart of those that crossed its path.
This man was a real mystery for everyone. While he did fight villainy as any other hero would, and in fact even more than other heroes, he was way more violent than any other crime fighter. This skull didn't hesitate to tie villains by the neck to his motorcycle and ride them around town at full speed to parade them to the people they could have hurt. These rides were believed to be his way of humiliating the villains he had caught and would always end in the same way. The skull would speed toward a nearby police station and would, while still at full speed, throw the villain he had captured in front of the doors for the police to handle. Each round he made would bring back someone, and with the sheer number he made each night, this Rider was one hell of a crimefighter.
Many theories started to appear concerning this man. Some believed he was a vigilante that broke the law to uphold it, others that he was a villain that got rid of competition, and the most superstitious ones thought he was an angel of death sent by God to punish the sinners. The pros, however, didn't care about what he was and were more interested in questioning this underground hero. For weeks they tried to find the flaming skull in the capital, but they would always find the trail of fire he left behind, meaning they wouldn't be able to catch him.
But after many nights of trying, All Might and the erasure hero Eraser Head were able to catch the Rider before he managed to speed away from them. He was in a dark alleyway, beating a large man up with his fiery fists, when the number one blocked the only way out with his large body. The Rider turned to face the pro, showing he was only a skull dressed like a biker, and just returned to knocking the guy out cold.
"Hello, there, young one!" All Might said, with his powerful voice booming in the alleyway. "What are you doing here?"
"Punishing a known rapist." The Rider answered in a deformed deep voice. He then gave a final punch that knocked the man out, making him fall limp on the ground. "What are YOU doing here, All Might?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at number one.
"I was here to talk to you! I'm sure you know that what you are doing is illegal!"
"I don't see why." The skull answered, a chain of red-hot metal appearing in his hands. <strong>"I'm taking the bad guys out. Where's the problem?"<strong>
"Only heroes have this right." Eraser Head said, walking out of the shadows. He was a tall and slender man with messy black hair that went down to his shoulders and was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with black pants and boots. Around his neck was a long scarf, which he usually used to capture villains. "Legally speaking, you're a criminal guilty of assault, injury, and speeding."
"Are you gonna lock me up for that?" The Rider asked, straightening his chain menacingly. <strong>"I clean the streets for you, and that's all the thanks I get?"<strong>
"That was not our intention!" All Might said, walking to the Rider and putting his hand on his shoulder. Now that he was closer, he could see that the Rider was, in fact, really tall, barely shorter than the blond. "We're here to offer you the right to become part of the hero world! We just want you to follow us to discuss it! How do you feel about this?" He asked, making the skull hold its chin between his gloved finger.
"Where do you want to meet? I'll drop this bastard and join you." He said, kicking the guy that was just behind the large bike. "And promise me it's not a trap. Because I won't hesitate to break whatever you're throwing my way to get free."
"We're going to the hero school, UA. And don't worry, we're not setting up a trap!" All Might said, with a small laugh. "But please leave this man here. The authorities will take of him for you." The giant added and could see the skeleton was hesitating. He looked at the chain in his hand, and the chain disappeared without any trace.
"Fine. But it's just because you're asking." He answered, kicking the guy one last time. "When are we going?"
"Right now." Eraser Head answered, looking as tired as always. "We already have someone waiting there, and I don't want them to wait for the whole night."
"Indeed." The Rider said, getting on his bike that lit up with the same fire he was composed of. "Get on. It'll be faster that way." He said, revving up the engine that sounded like the roar of a demonic beast. Being the somewhat lazy hero he was, Eraser Head didn't hesitate and sat behind the Rider on the large black and silver motorcycle. Due to his size and the fact it was illegal for three people to ride a single bike, All Might decided to call the police officers and would catch up with the two after.
And with this, the bike sped up toward the hero school. Their ride was short since the bike was nearly going faster than a bullet train at full speed. Eraser Head wasn't expecting him to go that fast and was amazed he could ride like a pro despite the speed and the fact he wasn't alone. They quickly reached the huge doors or UA, the metallic barrier up and all security systems activated to protect the campus ground at night. The moment the Rider made a huge drift to stop inches away from the entrance, Eraser Head almost jumped off the bike and stood on all fours for a while, trying not to throw up after the rollercoaster he had just gone through. "Seriously how fast is this thing?" He asked, calming himself down with simple breathing exercises. He could rest for a while, All Might would take more time than them to arrive at UA.
"I need to catch criminals, so she goes fast." The skull said, affectionately caressing his bike.
"If you say so. By the way, can you put down the fire? I don't want you to trigger all the fire alarms by just walking next to us." The black-haired hero asked, making the rider sigh. Then, the fire died down from the Rider and his bike, and his skeleton body transformed into a human's. At least now, Eraser Head didn't have the feeling of talking to a bag of bones that someone covered in oil before throwing a match into the mix.
The Rider appeared to be a young man, around 20 years old, with a chiseled yet handsome face. His hairs were dark green and messily exploded on top of his face in the type of cut one would do alone in their bathroom. Aizawa could understand the feeling; the last time he took care of his hair was after a party night with Present Mic where he ended with blue paint smeared all over his dark locks. The man removed his perfecto while the pro remembered the hell of a full day of showers, showing he had a really good physique with powerful muscles that strained under his sleeveless white shirt and black jeans. He fitted into that 'hard-boiled biker' esthetic, with his buff and tall body, sharp facial features, and the lonely wolf aura that lingered around him at all times, especially when he was sitting on his bike like this.
"I have arrived!" All Might said, landing in front of Eraser Head and the biker. "You are fast! The rumors about your impressive speed are not lies! I have already called the others; they should arrive soon. How about we get in?" All Might asked, opening the metallic doors with his teacher pass. Usually, this would be impossible, but the principal had agreed to let the pros in since they needed to bring the man inside to talk to him.
The biker and Eraser Head followed the giant inside, the tired pro leading them to the principal's office higher in the main building. UA was a true labyrinth of corridors and elevators; having someone to help wasn't a bad idea for an outsider and a man that had yet to remember just where the class he would teach was. The walk was mostly silent until the Rider decided to break the ice between the three.
"By the way, All Might..." The biker began, holding his perfecto over his shoulder. "Why UA? I thought I would be brought to somewhere other than a school."
"It's just that most of the pros were here, so we decided it would be easier! And that way, you can be sure there will only be heroes at this secret meeting!" The blond giant answered. With this, they finally reached the principal's office. The doors were incredibly large and rich, good-looking wood engraved with beautiful decorations by the best artists. All Might knocked on the large doors twice, and a small voice allowed them to enter. The blond opened the large entrance to the two other men, showing the office was as rich-looking as the doors. Large wooden furniture, two leather couches, and a large coffee table were only parts of what the principal had installed in his large office. Sitting at the front desk was a small Bear-hamster-dog animal with white fur and small black eyes. He had small, squarish ears covered in his white fur, a small black nose, and a large scar over his right eye. Surprisingly, it was dressed neatly, with a white dress shirt, red tie, black jacket and trousers, and large orange shoes.
"I see you found him!" The animal said, getting up from his seat and walking to the group. "Good job, you two!"
"Thank you, principal." All Might said, kneeling to shake hands with the small animal. The small principal pointed to the couch next to him with his cute little pawns.
"Since we're about to have a lengthy talk, how about sitting here?" He asked, getting a nod from the biker and Eraser Head.
"I'm sorry, but I must decline and go! Other people need me!" All Might said, bowing deeply before leaving the office. The remaining heroes sat on the leather couch along with the biker, with the principal and Eraser Head in front of their guests.
"I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Nezu, and I'm the head of this academy," Nezu said, reaching out to the Rider, who accepted the handshake. "We brought you here to offer you a chance to become a real hero so that your activities won't be considered crimes anymore."
"I was told that. So what does it implies?" The biker asked, resting his head on the couch. "It can't be that easy, can it?"
"Well, you becoming a hero would imply registering in the national agency of Japan and accepting to help the government and other pros if needed. You would also accept to follow orders from the higher-ups and be willing to give your position at any time." Nezu explained calmly, with his usual sweet smile. "You also need to accept that the concept of personal life will diminish greatly once you join the ranks of the heroes. You most likely will get called late at night to provide support, will work long hours, and won't get many vacations."
"That's all? No other restrictions apart from these?"
"Japan likes to give freedom to its heroes. So as long as you don't step out of the line too much and do a good job, there shouldn't be any problem. Maybe they'll ask you to go a little softer with the villains, but that should be it."
"I see... So I do the same thing as always, but this time as a genuine pro, and get paid for it as long as I don't fuck around too much..." The biker said, holding his chin between his thumb and pointing his finger with closed eyes. He then laughed softly and opened his eyes, his deep green orbs burning with passion. "Where do I sign?" He finished, reaching out to the principal.
"I'm glad to see you so full of life, young man!" Nezu said, shaking the man's hand.
"I just have one condition." He said, still shaking Nezu's pawn. "I want a full scholarship at UA, free of charge. I always wanted to enter this school but never got the chance."
"I can arrange that. We were already thinking of letting you get inside, depending on your age. Speaking of which, we still don't know who you are!"
"You're right; I completely forgot that." The man said, scratching the back of his head. "Name's Izuku Midoriya; I'm an 18 years old mechanic, pleased to meet you." He answered, giving the two older men a two-finger salute. "Guess I will have to call you principal soon, Sir."
"I see you're confident, which is positive, but please remember you will still have to undergo the test to be accepted. And we won't go easy on you. We might be a little harder considering all the villains you already beat."
"Ain't a problem. I won't lose." He said, cracking his fingers. "Throw the best at me, I promise you'll enjoy the ride."
"Well, I hope you will keep your promise! But please remember that you will be two years older than your freshman peers." Nezu said, getting up from his seat. "I won't hold you here any longer; I think it's time for us to sleep! But before you go, please give me your address so I can send you all the required documents you will need to complete." He asked, and Izuku nodded. He quickly wrote down where he lived, wished goodnight to the two heroes, and left to rest for the next day.
"At least we got him now." Eraser Head said, stretching his arms out. It was a somewhat risky bet, they were not sure he would stay put and not attack them on sight. But, with the conflicting reports and misinformation surrounding Izuku Midoriya's alter ego, they were better safe than sorry.
"Yes, and it wasn't hard to convince him to agree. We can't let someone like him on the loose; he could cause way too much damage." Nezu said, watching the night sky through his window. "I can't wait to see what kind of student he will be. I also can't wait to see how he will fair in five months at the exam; it should be marvelous!"
"Whatever you say. For now, I need some sleep. I'll see you later, Sir." Eraser Head said, getting up from the couch to his room in another part of UA. The dorms were being renovated, so he just settled for a small room reserved for the staff instead of the large and luxurious rooms the dorms could offer. Nezu watched Izuku trail off in the dark on his bike with a sad smile, turning to the door to catch some sleep. He had been up for a while coordinating this meeting with the Rider; a good night of rest wouldn't hurt.
"Still, he's exactly like his father..." Nezu said to himself out loud, locking the door to his office. "I suppose he took the mechanic side from Inko. I wonder if he is as skilled as she was..." He continued, taking his wallet out to watch a photo taken years ago. "He has grown into a fine man." The animal finished, walking to his room to spend the night.