Chapter Text
The world was once normal and plain. Humanity under a constant struggle from the daily challenges of nature, conflicts, and a game of politics. Then it all changed when a baby girl in China was born glowing bright and golden. This is the start, the dawn of quirks, where people begin to experience bizarre mutations caused by unknown genetic factors and gain various abilities. People gain elemental abilities, mutations to their biological frame, and mind- or reality-bending powers. These strange abilities people gain are known as quirks. Like the term itself, quirks are unusual but surprising traits, and over time more and more of the population develops them.
This gave rise to the increase in crime rate as malign groups and organizations capitalize on the chaos quirks brought upon the world. This caused tension and frustration among people as the law failed to contain the outbreak of crime due to a genetic disadvantage, as at the time quirked individuals were fewer than those without. Eventually those with quirks began to push back and fought against criminals, and thus the heroes were born. Those who fought back and gave hope to the people and their sense of security back are labeled heroes, while those who commit crimes and heinous actions using their quirks are dubbed the villains. As time passed, the quirked population surpassed the quirkless, and humanity has then lived with this new reality for two centuries.
Quirks nowadays are common as the number of those who are quirkless dwindles. What was once the majority became the minority and inevitably brought discrimination upon themselves. Being a hero has become a profession and is now very profitable too. For a certain green-haired boy named Izuku Midoriya, that's all he ever wanted. To be a hero that saves others with a smile like his idol All Might, though sadly that was not meant to be. At the age of four when all other children expect their quirks to manifest, his did not. And so a visit to the doctor would determine whether he was late or something but revealed that he had an extra joint in his toe, and this word will forever echo in his mind for the rest of his life: "Quirkless." This is the beginning of a change to the status quo of society, and it all starts with him. Izuku Midoriya.
***
*The alarm clock blares.*
Izuku lets out a groan as he wakes up and stops the alarm clock on his desk. He enters the bathroom and showers before dressing up in his uniform and putting on his ID reading "Aldera Junior High - Midoriya Izuku - 3rd Year Middle School - Quirkless" on his uniform coat. The word "Quirkless" in particular is printed in a bold red font. Izuku looks at it and sighs at the reminder of what he has to deal with every day of his life. He then heads out of his apartment bedroom towards the living room, where he then sights his mother, Inko Midoriya, with breakfast already made for him while still cooking hers.
"Good morning, Mom!" Izuku greets his mom.
"Oh! Morning, sweetie! Your breakfast is ready. It's on the table," Inko replies back.
"Thanks, Mom." Izuku heads to the table and sits down. Eating while watching the news on the TV, of course, about news of heroes and villains facing off and clashing while civilians spectate from the distance. He then finishes up and announces as he heads for the door, "Mom, I'm heading out to school!" "Okay, sweetie, stay safe!"
He heads out and checks the time. "Huh, I still got an hour before school." He walks around for a bit, then a commotion not far away catches his attention. Izuku rushes to the location of the commotion and spots a fight between two heroes and a large villain in the middle of a metro train line while a crowd watches not too far.
"OH! That's Death Arms and Kamui Woods!" Izuku then pulled out his notebook labeled No. 13 and began to take notes. As the two parties clash, Izuku continues to take notes with glee when Kamui Woods decides to try to end the confrontation early with his move, 'Laquered Chain Prison.' "That's Kamui Woods's Laquered Chain Prison!" Izuku says it at the same time Kamui says his move, but not so audibly to others. Kamui Woods was about to entangle the villain when suddenly a giant woman in a costume comes out of nowhere and kicks the giant villain off the metro line, "Canyon Cannon!" That's what she shouted before hitting the villain with a hard kick. Everyone was shocked at first, and then the new heroine announces herself.
"Ah... she's taking the credit," Kamui Woods said in a kind of defeated manner.
"Today is the day of my debut. My name is Mt. Lady. A pleasure to meet your ass-quaintance," she says in a flirty tone and winks, which flusters everyone as well as Izuku. Reporters and spectators begin taking pictures as Mt. Lady revels in the attention she receives.
"Well... a new hero! I bet she'll be renowned among the masses," Izuku said. "Hey... at least give me some credit," Kamui Woods said afterwards. Izuku finishes taking notes, then checks the time. 'Oh shoot, I have to get going,' he then says, squeezing himself out of the crowd.
Izuku then walks for around twenty minutes going towards the direction where Aldera is and thinks about watching the hero fights and analyzing them again after school. He also thinks of his plans to train and become a hero after doing a school form days prior about what careers and schools hopeful students wish to attend after graduation. But as he approaches Aldera, he visibly tenses slightly and braces himself for another exhausting day at school. He enters Aldera and heads for his class when he hears comments about him. It's the usual insults and smears at him, as it is a daily reminder of his "Quirk status" as if being quirkless is a crime and people like him deserve to be treated like dirt. 'Hah... It's always the same as usual' Izuku thinks to himself meekly as he finally arrives at his classroom.
Class began, and their homeroom teacher then started discussing lessons. Their teacher then says, "Now, usually I'd give you all these career forms, but I bet you all want to be heroes!" As he throws the papers, the students cheered while Izuku himself looks downcast but tries not to catch any attention.
"Don't lump me with these extras, Teach. I have the most potential in this class. I will get into UA, and no one will get in my way," said a blond, spiky-haired individual.
"Bakugou, Katsuki, hey!"
"SHUT UP YOU DAMN EXTRAS! I'M GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO JUST LIKE ALL MIGHT AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME!" Everyone huffed at him while Katsuki Bakugou looked a bit annoyed.
"All right, everyone, why don't we all just calm down for a bit? Of course, Bakugou, you are our star student; you will surely be a hero! Aldera's first to get into UA too!" the teacher said with confidence.
"Damn right I am," Katsuki smirked.
While sifting through the other papers, the teacher then said, "Oh, Midoriya, didn't you want to go to UA too?" Everyone then looked at an embarrassed Izuku with shock, while Katsuki looked with frustration and anger, then all but Bakugo burst into laughter.
"Well, I-I could b-become the first q-quirkless hero!" Izuku hastily defends himself.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH."
"Are you serious, Midorya?!"
"You're Quirkless! How will you even become a hero, Deku?!"
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stupid Deku wishes to be a hero!"
"He'll just fail like all the others."
Izuku buries himself in embarrassment as they laugh at him. "Deku" is his nickname, another reminder of his daily life. It means "useless," derived from the kanji letters in his name and altered in a way to describe his quirk situation. A nickname given to him by his "childhood friend" Katsuki Bakugo due to his quirklessness. Ever since the age of four he had to put up with being insulted, bullied, and beaten up, yet he never wavered due to his dreams of becoming a hero.
"W-Well, guys... It d-doesn't hurt t-to try n-no?"
Izuku stutters, trying to defend himself, only for his classmates to laugh at him more and insult him.
Alright class, back to discussions. After the teacher discusses career printouts and lessons, the dismissal bell rings, and everyone begins to head home. Izuku begins packing up his notebooks and puts his No. 13 notebook away when Bakugou confronts Izuku and takes the notebook from him, then talks him down.
"Tch, we are not yet done, Deku. And what is this? Are you taking notes on heroes again?"
"So pathetic haha," the guy with the name Katsuki calls Fingers said.
"He's still delusional, isn't he?" another one of Katsuki's lackeys said.
"H-Haha, really f-funny, guys; just give it back."
Without warning, Katsuki Bakugo then explodes and slightly toasts the notebook, then throws it outside the open window.
"Ahhh! So mean!" Izuku squirms.
"Most first-string heroes show potential early on. People will look at them and know they are destined for greatness. Everyone knows that I will be the first to get to UA in this garbage high school, and everyone knows I'm good."
Bakugou then places his left hand onto Izuku's shoulder and slightly burns his uniform, which Izuku audibly whines meekly.
"So here's a word of advice: don't even think of applying for UA or else..."
"Man, what a letdown. I thought he still had a fight in him... He finally gets it that he'll never be a hero," Fingers commented.
"Better to find out now than regret it later, I guess," the other goon replied back.
The three walk away towards the classroom door as Izuku just stares down at the floor, facing the opposite side, shaken. Bakugou then stops walking and looks back at Izuku.
"You know, if you want to be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life, then take a swan dive off the roof."
Izuku Midoriya tenses, his shoulders quiver, and then he turns his face to face Bakugo with a face riddled with disbelief while Bakugo in turn ignites a few sparks from his palms with a smirk on his face.
The three then leave, leaving Izuku shaken as he then goes down the stairs and outside the school building only to find his burnt notebook, In a pillar fish pond soaked with fishes nibbling on it.
"Hahhh... come on, guys, that's not food..." Izuku then picks up the notebook with a sad nostalgic memory of him watching All Might's debut and being excited to get his quirk to become a hero when a visit to the doctor broke that hope significantly. He walks going home but then stops for a bit. Izuku then contemplates the memories and what Bakugou and his classmates said to him. He shakes his head and reinforces his will and determination as he holds his right fist high.
"No… like what the heroes said, like what All Might said, as long as you have the courage, the drive, and the will, never give up! HA HA HA HA HAAAH A HA HA HA HA HA."
As he laughs while spinning his right fist high under the bridge, unbeknownst to him, a mass of sludge rises slowly behind him from the nearby manhole. He hears the noise of forming sludge and stops what he was doing to look back, only to be terrified at the large villain and make a run for it, but unluckily the sludge villain was too fast for him to outrun, and he got himself wrapped up and slowly engulfed in sludge with the sludge villain trying to take over his body by stuffing himself inside Izuku through his mouth.
"Don't worry, I'm just taking over your body. It will be easier for the both of us if you don't fight back. It will hurt for a minute, and after that you'll feel better afterwards."
'I can't breathe!!! Izuku panics and desperately grabs the sludge and tries to claw it out and remove it, only to fail as he slowly asphyxiates and produces muffled squirms.
"Grab all you want, kid; my body is made of fluid. Thanks for the help. You're a real hero to me, you know? I didn't know he was here in the city. I have to get out quick before he tracks me down."
'Oh no... My body's getting weak. Izuku still struggles to break free, only to lose more of his strength due to a lack of oxygen as his head goes dizzy and vision fades. 'I... I think I'm dying. Is... t-this is for me? ' 'No! This can't be the end... Somebody... Please...'. Tears began to flow from his eyes as his vision was about to go dark.
The sludge villain was focused on taking over Izuku's body when he felt the sewer lid open violently. He then looks back, and his eyes widened as he sees a tall buff figure at the other end of the tunnel, All Might himself.
"It's alright now, young man. Why? BECAUSE I AM HERE!" All Might then charges at the sludge villain as the sludge villain tries to attack All Might with his fluid tentacles. All Might then clenches his fist and starts a punch motion, then yells
"TEXAS... SMASH!" The punch produced such a large gale force, blowing the sludge villain into pieces. Then All Might then begins to collect the sludge villain in a bottle.
"Now that's done." All Might then looks back and sees an unconscious Izuku Midoriya.
"Young man, are you all right? Wake up!" All Might then lightly slaps Izuku in the face a few times.
"Wh...whuuuhhh?" Izuku opens his eyes as he regains consciousness and breathes in slowly new, fresh supplies of oxygen. "Oh, thank God you're all right, young man."
Izuku, after a few seconds, processed who was in front of him, and his eyes widened like plates.
"ALL MIGHT! OH MY GOSH, I'M SUCH A HUGE FAN. IS IT OK IF I GET AN—"
"HAHAHAHA No need to ask, my boy, for I have already signed it!" All Might then shows Izuku his No. 13 notebook that was dropped earlier with his signature written into two pages.
"WAHHHHH, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'LL TREASURE IT FOREVER. IT WILL BE A FAMILY HEIRLOOM FOR GENERATIONS TO COME!" Izuku couldn't believe it. His No. 1 idol, All Might, in front of him, saved him and has signed his notebook.
"HAHAHAH. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go now. Stay safe, young man, and good luck!"
"Wait! All Might, might I have a question to ask you!" As All Might prepares to jump, Izuku then grabs onto his leg and ends up being launched into the air with All Might.
"All Might, can I be a hero without a quirk?!" Izuku said to him, but the wind pressure from travelling with All Might caused his speech to sound in a funny, garbled way.
"Huh? Hey, kid, I love my fans, but this is too much! Let go!" All Might demanded as he was surprised by the boy clinging to him out of nowhere.
"If I let go, I'll die!" Izuku says nervously.
"Oh, yeah, you're right," he embarrassingly admits. "Well, hold on tight!" All Might then proceeds to land on top of a building rooftop, in which Izuku then lets go and walks forward and ends up on all fours on the ground, gasping for air from the ordeal. All Might then walks carefully to the edge of the rooftop beside the railing.
"Alright, young man, ask your question. I don't have all day, you know," he says in a way as if he's in a hurry.
"All Might... it is my dream to become a hero, but... I don't have a quirk. Can I hope to be someone like you? Can I become a hero without a quirk?"
Izuku asks with anticipation in a flushed but anxious tone. All Might then looks back at him with his signature smile, but it wasn't as wide as it was before.
"Without a quirk?" Then as he was about to answer Izuku's question, steam slowly rose up from his body. 'Oh no, oh shit, not now.'
"Well, it might be because I'm quirkless..." Izuku then looks down but still continues to talk.
"People always put me down for it. But I think saving people is super cool, you know? I want to save people with a smile just like you." Izuku then looks again at All Might but only sees steam.
"A-All Might?"
As the steam dissipated, it showed a small, emaciated All Might. Then All Might coughed blood. And Izuku freaks out.
"Relax, kid, it's still me," All Might said in a somewhat exhausted tone.
"Wh-what...? A-All Might, what happened? How did this happen?" Izuku looked at All Might with all sorts of emotions as he couldn't believe his eyes. Shock cannot describe it alone. It's as if he witnessed something that should not have been.
"Young man, I want to show you something." All Might then lifts his shirt and shows Izuku a large scar on the right side midsection of his body. Izuku looks freaked about it.
"This was from a fight I had with a very powerful villain five years ago. I lost my whole stomach and parts of my lung." Izuku still looks shocked at the sight of it as he digests the information All Might tells him.
"So now I will go back to your question. Can you become a hero without a quirk? Heroes risk their lives every day to save lives, and sometimes... some villains can't be taken down without power."
Izuku slowly becomes more anxious about the answer as it sounds negative and dreads the next words. But then All Might continued.
"So no. I honestly don't think you can be a hero without a quirk."
Time stopped for Izuku at that moment. Too shocked to say much, his face twists with emotions that can't be described for the first time.
He tears up and choked out meekly.
"I-I...see..."
All Might then begins to walk towards the door, then speaks in a sympathetic tone.
"It's not bad to dream, but you should be more realistic. Maybe you should aim to be a policeman. Sure, it's not much, but it's a noble profession."
With that said, All Might then opens the door to look back at Izuku, still frozen in place from the answer he gave him. All might feels bad, but it's reality. So then he closes the door behind him, leaving Izuku on the rooftop. Alone.