"All men are not born equal", that was what he learned at a young age.
That was why he strived hard to be equal to them. Despite the constant bullying towards him because he was Quirkless, he still tried hard. However, he didn't achieve any results.
This was young Izuku Midoriya's life. In his pre-school, he would often get bullied. He would want to play with the other kids but he was always left out. And worst of all, he got the rowdy Katsuki Bakugo's distaste. Bakugo would always bully Izuku whenever he had the chance. When Izuku was shown to be doing some progress or finally getting the fruits of his efforts, he would mercilessly crush him down.
Despite that, Izuku still moved forward with a smile like his favourite hero. But a certain incident occurred. In third grade, Bakugo was harassing another quirkless kid. Unable to stand by and watch the scene, Izuku stepped in. It was a horrible day. An ambulance rushed Izuku to the hospital and Bakugo was suspended for a week. Then, Izuku's family decided to move away and transfer him to another school.
Izuku knew of his powerlessness and managed to convince his mother to allow him to learn martial arts. He read of a comic book hero who donned a cape and fought villains using hand-to-hand combat and gadgets while his other superhero colleagues used their powers. The young green-haired boy wanted to be a hero.
Years passed as he honed his skills. Different martial arts, different survival skills, and even parkour were learned by Izuku. But that wasn't enough. He learned how to wield different types of weapons and built his body. Time marched and he was already a third-year in junior high. It was time to take high school admission tests.
###
Izuku Midoriya got out of his house and ran towards the train station. It was still early but he was excited. After all, today was the exam for UA, the school he was aiming to attend.
"Stay away!", someone shouted.
Izuku looked at the source and saw a man surrounded by policemen. A single blade extended from each of his elbows and he was slashing around wildly. He stabbed a policeman and escaped.
"Damn! Where are the heroes?", a policeman asked while attending to his stabbed comrade.
"After him!", another policeman said and the rest ran.
Izuku just watched them. If he was allowed to step in, he could have restrained the villain easily but he didn't dwell on that matter anymore. What he should be doing was that he should be a regular student and go to the exam center.
Unlike the Hero Department, the reception for the General Department was less impressive. Regular teachers were in charge of them while heroes were supervising the Hero Department. However, their schedules were more lax and their activities were less dangerous.
That's to be expected, Izuku thought.
He looked at the bright blue sky and saw an airplane flying.
It's no use thinking of what-ifs. Time to work
He arrived at UA and its gates greeted him. Strangely, Izuku was calm. Not that he was overestimating his abilities but he knew that he would pass. After all, not many people aim for the General Department.
A brown-haired girl, a boy with balls for hair, a spiky red-haired boy, and other students were entering the building. Izuku cracked his fingers. It was time.
Written exams were the first thing they took. It consisted of Humanities and Sciences which Izuku answered easily. He may be Quirkless but that did not mean he was dumb or incapable of doing other things. Izuku studied seriously and trained vigorously.
Second were practical exams. Unlike in the Hero Department where the practical exam consists of robots, the practical exam only consisted of basic first aid and a bit of parkour.
The third part was the interview. It was important since if they were to fail the third part, they wouldn't get into UA even if they passed the first and second part. It may sound scary but the interview was easy… or so they say.
"So…. Izuku Midoriya, why do you want to study in UA?", a teacher asked.
Izuku was seated on a chair and was facing three people in suits who were teachers.
"I want to become a hero", Izuku boldly said.
The three teachers looked at each other.
"Then why did you choose to be in the General Department? Aren't you supposed to be applying for the Hero Department?", the second teacher asked.
"I wouldn't pass the entrance exam so I have to find other ways", he answered.
"So you know of that exam?"
"Yes sir. If a General Department student would do well, he could take an exam in winter and join the Hero Department"
"You know that's going to be hard. Especially because of your… ummm… disability", the third one said and the other two teachers looked shocked at what he said.
"I'm sorry for what my colleague said", the first teacher immediately said,.
Upon realizing his mistake, the third one apologized too.
"It's okay. I'm used to it. I may be quirkless but I will not give up", Izuku said.
And that was the end of the interview. The only thing he knew about interviews was that he should answer honestly and since that was what he did, all he could do was wait for results. If UA would decide to prevent his dream because of his quirklessness, then UA wasn't for him.
As those thoughts floated in his mind, he saw someone entering the alleyway. He was a man who had blades for arms and it didn't take Izuku a second to realize that he was the villain from earlier morning.
What should I do?, Izuku asked himself.
If he were to call the police, he would be long gone before they arrive. He had seen the villain in action already and Izuku knew that he could defeat him. Opening his bag, he looked at the available tools he had which were his hero notebooks, a rope, a rectangular device and a mask.
Izuku thought about things again. He had the available tools in capturing the villain so why shouldn't he go after him? Was he scared of the villain? No. He was more scared of the law. What would the police think if a quirkless kid fought a villain? What would his mother say? But if the villain escape because of him, he would never be able to face himself.
He put on the mask. It was a mask of the popular hero named Kamui Woods. Izuku stealthily approached the man who was facing a wall, stuck at a dead-end.
"Tch. Have to find another-", he was cut off because he received a punch to the face.
He saw a young green-haired boy with a mask. Confused, he didn't know what to do which allowed the boy to follow up with a punch to the face and then to the stomach. Once he registered him as an enemy, he swung his blades but the boy dodged it. Another punch landed on his stomach.
"Smash!", the masked boy shouted as he delivered an uppercut.
The villain's consciousness faded and his blade arms turned into regular ones. Izuku immediately tied the villain up and took out a rectangular device from his pocket. He told the location of the villain to the police and rushed out of the area.
Police cars raced past him as he casually walked home.
That was awesome! I actually defeated my first villain! My years of training did not end up in waste! I can do it… I can be a hero!, he thought.
When he arrived home, he noticed that some bags were in the living room.
"Mom? What's this?", Izuku asked.
"Izuku… Listen to me calmly", his mom said.
He sat down and waited for whatever news his mother would bring.
"I am going to live with your grandparents for a while. My mom and dad are both sick and they need someone to take care of them. I know that this is selfish but can I ask you to live on your own for a while?", she asked.
Izuku thought of his grandparents.
"Sure mom", he answered and smiled.
They hugged each other and had dinner. He didn't tell her about his first experience of fighting a villain but little did he know that the first incident sparked a flame in his young heart.