Chapter Text
Izuku used to have an amazing life.
He had a great family, friends, heroic minds, and a knack at analyzing heroes.
Until he turned 6.
He was quirkless.
Nobody liked him since then, they called him useless, weak, and a cowardly creature that shouldn’t exist.
It’s easy how people change.
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Present day, Aldera Middle school.
Izuku was thinking absentmindedly of everyone thanking him for saving them. He thought of how he became a great hero who saves everyone no matter what. It made him happy. It helped him smile.
Being a hero was great because that would mean he got to save everyone with a smile, and be truly happy.
“-Oh right, Midoriya, aren’t you also applying for UA?” The teacher’s remark made him jump. People snickered and Kacchan made a deadly face.
“Deku. What did I fucking tell you? You won’t do SHIT. So don’t even think about BREATHING near UA, you got it, you useless shit?” Kacchan snarled, explosions coming out of his hands.
“Oh, c’mon guys… they changed the rule of not having quirkless people join…” Izuku shyly responded.
“You're quirkless! Are you on drugs?”
“No… there’s no bad thing int-trying, right?” Izuku nervously asked, hope in his eyes. Maybe… maybe this time…
“SHUT UP YOU USELESS FREAK!” Kacchan shouted.
“Bakugou, that’s enough, and you, Midoriya, 1 hour detention for bullying Bakugou.” The teacher said, too, giving hateful glares.
.
When school ended, and Izuku got his bag packed up so he could go to the detention, Kacchan and his ‘friends’ came.
“I don’t like the way you stood up for yourself. As a reminder not to do it again, I’ll do this.” Kacchan spoke as he snatched Izuku’s bag and exploded it.
“O-oh, I had my hero analysis book in it-”
“What? You still have that shit thinking you can be a fucking hero? That makes me feel even better. You’ve got no. hope.” Kacchan smirked.
Says. Izuku thought. “I-I’ll m-make sure I n-never become a h-h-hero…” He gave him a wry smile.
Kacchan smirked, satisfied, and walked away. Izuku gave an internal sigh, but Kacchan stopped walking, and turned back.
“Oi, Deku.”
“Y-yeah, Kacchan?”
“I was wrong.” Kacchan said, shocking Izuku. “Wh-what?” Izuku could feel hopes rising, maybe, maybe they could be friends again-
“I was wrong when I said you didn’t have hope to become a hero.” Kacchan said, smirking. Yes, we can be friends again, who knows? He might beat me up anymore! Who knows? Mayb-
“You’ve got hope, and that’s to take a swan dive off the school roof and hope for a quirk in your next life.”
Something shattered in Izuku’s heart. He felt so, so, so dull. This was a different feeling. Izuku felt so… dead.
And angry.
“A-ah, o-ok…” Izuku gave him a defeated smile, but his heart was burning, and his breathing became hitched. Suddenly, for some reason, he remembered? A phrase.
Keep your heart ablaze.
Kacchan didn’t seem to notice, and he smirked away, walking away with his friends. “Oh, right, don’t do it on the school roof! You might dirty the school with your filthy blood!”
When they left, Izuku just sighed, and ran out of the school, without detention, not caring about anything anymore.
He wanted to do something about bad people, even if he was quirless.
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“Shh, shh, don’t worry, kiddo. I’ll make sure you die painless.” The slime villain said.
Maybe, this is for the best, Izuku thought, no one will even care for me when I’m gone. I’ll make people happy, and become a hero by not making anyone cry.
No. His other subconsciousness said. Calm down. Breath in and out, and try to think of a way to get out of his situation. He breathed.
Suddenly, his breath became hitched like last time, and he felt a surge of energy flowing through….
Boom.
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“Hey, kid! Wake up!” Izuku heard a booming voice as he opened his eyes. When his eyes focused, he saw an enormous blonde… All might!
“All might?” Izuku asked, and the said person smiled wide. Izuku then sighed. Shit, Kacchan burnt my bag and everything else in it so I’ve got nothing for him to sign. But then he blinked. At least, this is the chance, for All might to say I can be a hero-!
“That’s right! I am All might!” He roared. “Thanks for your help, citizen! I must be going now-”
“Can a quirkless being like me be a hero?” Izuku shouted, abandoning his usual shy characteristic.
All might thought about this for a moment. This kid? Quirkless? But… when he opened the manhole, he gave off a… strange aura… almost like a quirk, but not quite. So what could it be?
“I don’t think you can.” All might finally answered. “You just can’t.” Then he flew off. He should’ve explained more, but- his time was already going out. Izuku stood up there, blinking.
Once.
Twice.
Then he screamed.
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Izuku was on his way home after he tried to save Kacchan. He did help, he knew that, but all the heroes, including All might who arrived late in the scene, scolded him.
You impudent boy!
You could’ve died!
A quirkless like YOU shouldn’t do anything! They’re just a burden!
Go home, young boy.
Kacchan, like usual, punched him and shouted, about him not needing help, and stormed off. Izuku felt angry. Why was everyone so negative about him. Was Kacchan really right?
Should he really suicide? He felt angry.
Suddenly, a man came into his view. His yellow-orange hair was cut neatly, and his eyes were brown-yellow. He was wearing a yellow suit with black clothes underneath.
“Hello there!” He shouted.
“Hi.” Izuku grumbled, still angry.
“I saw you trying to fight the sludge villain earlier on- I think-”
“Yeah, yeah I know. Impudent, stupid, weak. I’ve heard it enough. Please go away.” Izuku tried to sound as polite as possible.
“-I think you have talent.”
Izuku stopped. He looked around. The man was smiling warmly. “I think you have a talent, to be a hero.”
Droplets of his tear fell. Izuku’s eyes were blurry. Noone has told him that since he was 6 years old when he was announced quirkless.
“Even though-- I’m quirkless?” Izuku sobbed, the blinding orange sunlight shading perfectly with the man.
“Yes. I will train you…” He pulled out a sword with a yellow lightning pattern out of nowhere. “With a sword. Do you accept?”
Izuku nodded. Obviously.
The man smiled again, more cheery this time.
“Good! My name is Zenitsu Agatsuma, a former Demon Slayer!”
“Mi-Midoriya Izuku, sir.”
“I accept you- Midoriya Izuku as my student!”
Izuku cried, from joy, from sadness, from finally being accepted.
He could be a hero.
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