Chapter One: Breaking point
In the afternoon of the birthday of a baby boy to Inko Midorya and Hisashi Midorya. The kid came out with a bush of green hair.
"So, Hisashi. What should we name him?" Inko Midorya asked as she does deep breaths, having giving birth.
"How about… Izuku. Izuku Midorya." The husband of the mother had answered.
"That… sounds wonderful." Hisashi gives her a kiss on the cheek.
Four years later…
"You should probably give it up." Izuku, a 4-year-old, had dropped his All Might figurine and stared at the doctor with scared eyes.
"That… Is something wrong with him after all?" Inko Midorya says while looking at her son that looked like he was about to cry. "Most of the other kindergarteners' quirk have already manifested… He's the only one…"
"Excuse me, but you're fourth generation, right, ma'am? May I ask about your quirk?"
"Yes, of course. I can pull small objects to me. My husband can breathe fire."
"Normally, by age four, he would have already manifested one of those quirks, or some combination of the two. In the past, when the superpowers first started showing up, the results of an early research study were published, and we found out that those with quirks usually had lost the extra joint in their pinky toe." He explains as he looks to the x-ray of Izuku's foot on the wall.
"And what does that have to do with quirks?"
"Well, actually, this has a lot to do with the development and start of that person's quirk. The biological DNA of someone with a quirk is fundamentally twice as abnormal as a quirkless body. You see, the quirkless body as we found out, has an extra joint in his pinky toe. As I've already said, those with quirks don't have this extra joint. So, your son is quirkless, ma'am."
Inko looks to Izuku as he lets out some tears and they fall to the floor. She stands up and grabs Izuku's arm before sending a glare at the doctor.
"Thank you for your time, doctor."
She leaves and they head home that day and she starts to prepare dinner, until she heard the voice of the All Might video that Izuku loved to watch.
She walked into the room, seeing Izuku on the chair and facing the screen, not paying any attention to his mother. Until he spoke.
"Mom, can I…" He can't finish his sentence as tears fall down his face and facing his mother. "Still be like him?"
She runs up and gives her son a hug and joins him with letting tears fall down his face.
"I'm sorry Izuku, I'm so sorry." She lets tears fall to the floor with her son.
10 Years later…
"So, I was going to give you your high school applications, but… You all want to be in the hero course, right?" The teacher in Izuku's class had said while throwing the forms into the air.
"Teach… You shouldn't lump me in with the rest of these extras, hah!" the boy with a bomb of blonde hair and red eyes had exclaimed while his feet were on his desk, Katsuki Bakugo, or to Izuku's case, Kacchan.
"Katsuki, that wasn't called for!"
"Yeah! Don't be so cocky!"
"Hah! I'll take you all on!" Katsuki had exclaimed again with a smug look on his face directed to the rest of his classmates.
"Ah yes, Bakugo. You want to go to U.A, right?" The teacher had called through the crowd of kids that were yelling at the blonde. Then, they all stopped.
"U.A! There acceptance rates are so low!"
"Yeah, I don't even think that he can get in."
Katsuki then jumps on top of his desk and stands triumphantly over his class. "I easily have the best quirk, and I aced the mock exam. I'm the only one from this shitty school that can get into U.A!"
"Ah right, Midorya. You wanted to go to U.A. too right?"
'Why?' Izuki thought as he puts his head into his desk and looks at his teacher.
All his classmates look at him in silence, except Katsuki. Then, they all laugh hysterically, mocking Izuku.
"What?! Midorya?! No way!"
All his classmates say something like that.
"Deku!... You think you can compete with me?! Huh?!" Katsuki says as he looks at Izuku manically.
"Ah, no! I just wanted to try and do my best."
"Hah! Try?! You think you can just try, and you can get into the hero course?! You're just a quirkless Deku, so what would you know about trying?!"
Izuku was trying to let it all sink in. He held back tears as he sits there in embarrassment and weakness. He just wanted the day to end.
Soon enough, it did. The day had ended and Izuku was looking at his notebook that he had and was about to put it into his backpack. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab the notebook out of his hand.
"Deku…"
"Hey Katsuki! What's that?" Katsuki's lackeys had said behind him referring to the notebook.
He held out the notebook to let his lackeys look at the book.
"'Hero Analysis for the Future No. 12'? Midorya, what the fuck is this?"
"Please give it back guys!"
Katsuki then blows it up in his hands making it charred and burned and threw it out the window.
"Wha-?! That's so mean!"
"Deku… Don't try to compete with me, you got that Shitty Nerd?!" He angrily smiles and puts his hand on his shoulder, making a small explosion to make smoke.
He then walked away, and his lackeys had walked behind him. He stopped at the door and looked to Izuku.
"'Stupid Deku, why do you think you can be a hero?! How about this, you can hope for a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the rooftop!"
He left Izuku to look depressed and at the notebook that was floating in the pond.
He quickly grabbed the notebook and wanted to get home as soon as possible so he went the quickest way possible, by going down a tunnel that almost led straight to his apartment.
He stopped in his tracks when he hears the sewage cover coming from its hedges.
"A medium sized invisibility cloak." Izuku looks around to see a form of sludge coming out of the sewage entrance and looking at Izuku dead in the eye. He shoots out a tentacle and grabs Izuku, pulling him towards the bevy of slime.
"Don't worry kid. This ill only hurt for about 45 seconds and then you'll feel just right." The slime proceeded to stick his tentacles through his mouth and start to go down his throat, wanting to make him gag but he can't as his throat is full of slime.
Izuku started to lose consciousness for the next ten seconds until he hears the faint sound of a voice.
"Don't… because… am here!" The figure proceeded to wind his fist back and then push it forward with a lot of force. "Texas…SMASH!" Then all Izuku could feel now was the air current suddenly shifting and blowing away the slime villain. He then lost consciousness.
He opens his eyes again to the faint tapping of someone's hand on his face. He opens his eyes completely and is surprised to see… ALL MIGHT?!
"A-A-A-All M-Might?! W-What are you doing here?!"
"Ah, I see you're doing fine my boy. Well, heroes are constantly fighting time as well as villains, so I guess I'll see you later!" He the proceeds to squat and then jump as high as he can, but he can't get away from Izuku as he clutches his legs.
"My boy! You know it is dangerous, right? Let go!"
"You know I probably wouldn't survive if I was dropped at this height!"
"Oh right!" He lands on a nearby building and then the lightly nudges him off his legs and towards the edge of the building.
"Wait!" The symbol of peace had turned around to look at the still distraught form of Izuku slowly getting up from the ground.
"Do you think I can become a hero without a quirk?!" Izuku asks very loudly, slightly screeching. All Might just stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments before smoke started to come off All Might.
Izuku closed his eyes, expecting his answer to come any second. He opened them again and was suddenly looking at the form of a skinny matchstick man that had blonde hair and was basically a skeleton.
"A-All Might?"
"Yes, I am All Might, kid. The reason I am in this form is because of a powerful villain I had fought 5 years ago, and he basically destroyed my stomach and half of my respiratory systems were destroyed." All Might said as he lifted his shirt and showed Izuku the wound that was placed on his chest.
"Now back to your question." Izuku gulped at this.
"Can people become heroes without quirks? No, I don't see anyone doing that, give it up kid. You probably shouldn't aim to be a hero. Maybe you can be a detective or a policeman. Kid, I'm sorry, but you'll never be a hero." He then turned back into his All Might form and jumped away.
'Heroes in this world have to have a quirk, I'm sorry kid. You can't be a hero.' Many people had told him that when growing up, it was sort of a thing that he expected everyone to say to him. He finally got to the breaking point after being told that just then, by his idol, All Might.
'Can people become heroes without quirks? No, I don't see anyone doing that, give it up kid. You probably shouldn't aim to be a hero. Maybe you can be a detective or a policeman. Kid, I'm sorry, but you'll never be a hero.' His heart sank at the last 5 words that were spoken to him before he decided to end it all. As soon as All Might had left, he stood on the very edge, looking over the traffic and civilians that could have been blessed with a wonderful quirk.
"Why me? Why am I the one to get bullied, why am I the one to get shun out by other people?" That was the only thing he could say before deciding he would finally do it… He would finally jump.
'Stupid kid, I don't want a kid that's quirkless in my family.' His father said before leaving him.
'I'm sorry Izuku, I'm so sorry.' His own mother mourned with him about it.
'Stupid Deku, why do you think you can be a hero?! How about this, you can hope for a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the rooftop!' Even his own former friend, Katsuki Bakugo had said that to him.
He jumped. It was the best sensation that he had ever felt, better than the warm embrace of another, better than the bullying and better than his mother's embrace. As he was about halfway down, he felt like he had stopped, to his surprise. Someone had caught him.
"Y'know kid. You really should value your life more than this. You're quirkless aren't you? Don't worry bud, I know the feeling. The feeling that you've been betrayed by others and the feeling of kids beating you down. For me, it's the best sensation." The man spoke in a smooth calm voice, as if he had been on the brink of death, and he loved it. Slowly, they start hovering down to the ground.
'What did he mean by, I know the feeling? Is he somehow quirkless, too?'
They were suddenly on the ground, in perfect shape. The man put Izuku down and started to slap his face softly to make sure he was still alive.
"Sorry kid, are you hurt?" He asked in a sincere voice, rather than the normal attitude he'd hear from Katsuki.
"Who are you?" He was full of questions. Why did he save his life? 'What did he mean by, I know the feeling? Was he quirkless too? No, that was impossible.'
"I heard you were quirkless, bullied by your so called, 'best friend', shunned out by others. You must have it rough for you, would you… Like to be a hero?" 'Please say yes, I was looking for a successor all day.'
"Yes, I do! More than anything in the world. I've always wanted to be a hero; it was my dream. But when I found out that I was quirkless, my dreams were crushed. How are you g-going t-to help me?" A bit of stuttering as he thought of the possibilities.
"Would you like a quirk?"
Yes, of course he wanted one, but something was stopping him from saying yes. All of his instincts were to not trust the guy, 'he says he can get me a quirk. But, should I trust him?'
"Yes! I would love one, more than anything!"
"Very well. If you would like your new quirk. Come meet me at Dagobah beach. I'll explain everything there. Do you want me to take you home, in case you fall off another rooftop?"
"No, I should be fine." He pointed a thumbs up at him before launching what looked like air cannons into the ground and made him fly into the air. Izuku watched in awe of the man. He sees a piece of paper he had left behind. It was his number. Now he picked it up he headed home not saying a word to his mom when he got back. He went in his room and looked at all the All Might merchandise. For once in his life, he felt disgusted to have All Might look down on him and smile, feeling like he's mocking him. He decides to go to sleep, when he wakes up in the middle of the night to have a text appeared on his phone. It was an unknown number, but the text message said.
'Hey kid, meet me at the beach after you've woken up, alright.' Izuku's eyes lit up at the thought of him finally becoming a hero. He fell asleep that night.
'Quirkless!'
'Useless!'
'Stupid child, I don't want him!'
'Useless Deku!'
'Sorry kid, you can't become a hero.'
He woke up that morning shaking and hearing his mother call for him. Recalling the slight nightmare, he just had.
"Izuku! Can you come here for a second?" He slowly makes his way to the living room. 'Yesterday had to be a dream, right?'
"Izuku! I have something to tell you, come here." He walks over to his mother and finds himself in shock.
"Hey kid! Sorry to meet you a bit early, but my plans got pushed forward a bit. So, I had to come straight to you." It was the man from yesterday.
"W-why are you h-here? I was just about to get ready to go to the beach."
"Yeah, yeah I know. I just had to, when I had come to wake you up. I found your mother already awake. She was nice enough to let me stay here until you woke up."
"Sorry, just to be safe. What's your name?"
"Right, sorry, late introductions. My name is Ryosuke Crow, Izuku Midorya. Can you get ready to go now?"
"Right!" 'I haven't heard of him before.' He got ready and met Ryosuke waiting at the door. "Okay, see you Mom!" She just gave him a quiet nod and a hug, a tight one.
"Well, we better get going now. Don't want to be late." They leave and head for the beach, Ryosuke had given him details of what they were going to do. "So, Midorya. Are you going to be ready to train your ass off?"
"Y-yeah," 'I really don't like how he phrased that, though.' Ryosuke had given him a concerned look but then smiled it off, before they knew it, they were at the beach. The beach had become this city's dump.
"Okay Midorya. There are two things I want to say before we start training. First, my quirk, without training, it could easily kill you and others around you. So, we're going to train you to use the quirk properly. Second, I must tell you the details, name and powers of the quirk I'm giving you. Before we do the training, I'll give you the quirks so it can settle in your body. Here."
"Wait, -quirks?!" Ryosuke puts his hand out and lightly taps Izuku's heart. He felt a blistering pain, but as soon as it started, it settled.
"What was that pain?"
"That was the quirks entering your body, it may seem like it's dangerous. But, it's nothing more than a sting. It hurts for a few seconds then stops. Now, back to the main topic. One of the quirks name is Breaking Exposure. The reason it hurts is because the quirk literally becomes a part of your body. The quirk that I gave you, gets stronger with every wound, making you very hard to kill. Plus, the quirk on its own gives you a special kind of strength anyway. I technically gave you two quirks, one is Breaking Exposure, and the other is Eclipse, the stronger one of the two. Eclipse takes your strength from the sun, making you the strongest at noon. Technically, the quirk takes the heat from the sun and takes that heat and makes it physical and mental strength, and noon is the hottest time of the day."
"T-this is all a lot to take in…" Izuku is nervous at the power of the two quirks he just received.
"Why, you shouldn't be nervous, Midorya. Now, you can become a hero!" He pointed out at the trash that was on the beach. "To train your body and build up excess muscle, you will be cleaning the beach. I'm giving you a time limit… I'm giving you 5 months. Then, 7 months more, it will be the entrance exam for U.A. Oh right, before we begin, here." He hands Izuku a sheet of paper.
"What's this?" He asked confused.
"Your training regimen, it includes your sleep and training times, to even the food you have to eat to keep up with the intense training. After the beach is cleaned, we will train your combat skills and your mental skills to try and stop your stuttering and nervousness around other people." Izuku lightly glanced over the sheet.
'He was right, it includes food, sleep time, school time and what I should be doing in my free time instead of wasting it. He's a genius.' "Um, one question."
"Yes, young Midorya."
"Should I be calling you, Sensei or, Master?"
He laughed at the question. "You can if you want, and I will call you Young Izuku, is that alright?" Izuku nods at the question and then stares at the man's features. 'Wow, he must have been through a lot.' Looking at the scars across his whole body, including the ones spread out on his neck and face.
"Um, Sensei. Can I ask you about those scars?" Also looking at the snow-white hair the man had.
"Of course, Young Izuku. You see, these scars are actually all of the battles that I have fought over the years, are you curious about my hair as well?" Izuku nods and looks at the trash towering over them.
"My hair is actually one of the side effects of those two quirks that I gave you. Over time, your appearance will change based on how much power and muscle mass you obtain."
"Power and muscle mass?'
"Right, the quirks have a serious side effect that boosts the growth of your muscular cells faster, and depending on how much power you have already, the growth will probably grow a few times faster than normal. The appearance side effect is nothing to be afraid of, the side effect only changes your appearance in certain areas. Such as your har, or your face, it will become more refined and can sometimes leave strain." Izuku starts slowly picking at his hair looking at the hair slowly changing from green to dark blue and on the inside of the blue, slowly changing to white.
"When will the hair become completely white?"
"Probably the moment you finish cleaning the beach and have gained extra muscle mass." Izuku looked down at his frail body like it was something he disgusted. Ryosuke took notice of this and decided to make a different plan.
"How about this, we get started immediately and you can form the regimen from there and where you left off. Since it's only a Saturday we should use tomorrow to train harder than you ever will on this entire expedition. Get ready, it will be hard! But I know you can do it, right!"
"Yes, Sensei!" He threw his fist in the air and yelled as loud as he could. He was ready, he was the only one that could work this hard, he was the one to be the Number One Hero!
