Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Boku no Hero Academia.
Hey again! So this'll be a shorter A/N than last time. Few things to clear up:
1) I will be answering reviews at the end of the chapter. I'll try to avoid spoilers, but if you're looking for either an answer, or maybe a hint toward the future, maybe it would behoove you to peak in.
2) A POLL IS OPEN! The poll, while seemingly useless, is very important to the outcome of this story. It'll dictate who plays a bigger role, and who doesn't. For one, the female that wins will be paired with Izuku! That's big, yeah? But I don't plan on making this a harem, mostly because I don't see Izuku being a harem kind of guy. Plus, it's hard to write.
3) So I read the entirety of the manga, and I realized in a note that the writer left, that he doesn't really like using honorifics, aside from -sensei. I think I'll follow in his steps, and only use -sensei. One, I still don't know how to use them, and two, I think it's closer to canon that way. Or maybe it was the official translator. Who knows?
That's all- enjoy! And don't forget to vote!
Chapter 1
A Lifetime of Bullies
Present Day
"So, by looking at your current grades, along with your Quirks that you all wrote at the beginning of the year, I can see... well, I can see that you all are... very special students!"
A clamor of excitement rang out from the body of 22 students, each one displaying some form of joy in the compliment. There were only two students that seemed unaffected by the teacher's compliments, between the two, one had a scowl and blood red eyes filled with contempt, whilst the other had his head buried in his arms and his eyes dripping with misery.
Hearing enough, the blonde-haired boy leaned back in his chair and with a sneer, proclaimed, "Sensei, don't you dare group me in with this bunch of losers!"
Several students took immediate offense, and loudly stated their problems with the arrogant attitude, but the boy flippantly shrugged them off. His eyes narrowed in a power-hungry look as he leveled his gaze with anyone that dared defy his word. "What, you fuckwads think you're better?! Your Quirks ain't nothing compared to mine!"
"Big talk, Katsuki!"
"Quiet down, you brute!"
Katsuki, however, paid it no heed. Letting his chair hit the ground again, he threw his foot onto the desk and stood on it with a menacing look on his face. "You peons watch! I'm going to usurp All Might as the top hero, ever! Then, I'm going to engrave my name at the top of the taxpayers brackets! I'm the only one out of this entire school that has a chance, none of you could even wipe my ass!"
"Bakogou's got plans of going to Yuuei High, right?"
"Shit, I totally forgotten that..."
"He could've phrased that better..."
As Katsuki's rampage commenced, the teacher happened to notice a peculiar detail on a certain someone's future plan form. He picked up the paper, read it over thrice (thinking he made some mistake), before smirking and shaking his head.
'Looks like Bakogou isn't the only one who aims high...'
"Isn't Midoriya planning on Yuuei High, as well?"
A silence befell the classroom like a thick blanket, before utter chaos broke loose.
"WHAT?!"
"HE'S QUIRKLESS!"
Among the various protests and observational points, a raucous laughter broke out among most of the students, each one thinking their sensei had made some grievous error in reading. While he felt somewhat bad for stating the fact aloud, he also prided himself on bringing Bakogou down a peg, seeing the shocked face on the blonde's face. While he knew bullying went on (he was a teacher, after all, he wasn't blind to the bruises young Midoriya sported) he hadn't expected Bakogou's face to break out in pure fury, before launching himself at the smaller teen.
"DEKU!"
Utterly unprepared, the green-haired boy was taken into the wall by a tame, yet still intimidating explosion, rendering him awake from his prior drowsy state. He immediately looked up to Katsuki's enraged face and grit teeth.
"You don't even have a fucking Quirk, you piece of shit! Where the fuck do you get off thinking you're on the same damn level as me?!" Katsuki's face was reddened with anger, though, part of Izuku wondered if it was perhaps because of his Quirk that he was so red and easy to anger. Still, he knew now wasn't the time to ask, nor wonder. Instead, he tried to shuffle to the side, but was met with a fist throwing itself into the wall, preventing his movements, lest he want to meet that fist personally.
Knowing his only escape was going to be sheer luck, he began to speak.
"There aren't any rules t-that say I can't! I know if... I know if I try, I might be able to learn something from it..."
Apparently, those were the wrong words.
"What, you think it's a fucking joke, is that it?!" Katsuki screamed as his fists began to heat up. "Don't count on even getting through the front gate, nerd!"
'I know I'm Quirkless... my father never lets me forget...' Izuku thought, feeling some of his current bruises and burns ache under the thick clothing he had on. 'But even still...' Unconsciously, Izuku's fist balled up. 'I have to try..."
"What, that look supposed to mean something?!" Katsuki challenged, grinning to the thoughts of pummeling a defiant nerd. He had beaten on his longtime pray before, but usually, Izuku didn't dare put up any sort of fight. Usually, with just one strike, the boy went down in a heap, like he was already wearing some deep-rooted injury. In all honesty, the explosive-boy wanted nothing more than Izuku to put up a fist, because he'd just beat him down that much harder!
However, he seemed to realize he made a face, and he looked down in dismay, as if something was whispering in his ear. Katsuki didn't care if the kid had confidence problems or not; he simply wanted the pebble out of his way when he walked.
"Let's take our seats, everyone, we still have a few things left before the end of the year..." the teacher trailed off as he began to drawl about assignments needing work, but Izuku didn't hear a word he said. He pulled himself weakly into his chair, but the only thing he could hear were his father's words, echoing repetitively in his mind.
'We'll make you into a hero, no matter the cost.'
Despite his father's... goodwill, there was no shortage of suffering in his household. Izuku couldn't even keep track of the amount of times his father had beaten him to the point of hospitalization, yet, he'd yet to see the white walls of any ICU or ER. He'd suffered burns so deep, they scarred almost immediately, but yet, his father seemed to want some scar tissue to form.
'It builds character. Everyone loves a tragically-built hero!' He had said, time and time again. Izuku felt his fist clench, then release. He couldn't hate his father... not for trying. Sure, his methods were borderline insane, and he had absolutely no merit to what he said, but... but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to walk away, or leave.
Because, deep down, he knew his father loved him. 'And him trying... it's more than I've ever tried...' Izuku thought.
'That's right... I've never even bothered to try... I might have researched it, but that doesn't mean anything...'
Still in his stupor, Izuku didn't even hear the final bell go off. An exodus of students made for the exit, though none in a hurry. A few idly chattered, checking on plans for the day, and possibly doing something that night- it was a Friday, after all, and that meant a little time off before the next week of school. Even if there were only four weeks until 'graduation', each week still seemed like a nightmare to most students.
It was worse, though, for Izuku.
Slowly, Izuku began to pile his things into his pack, not noticing the looming figure of Katsuki or his lackeys that remained in the classroom. While his two friends didn't seem to care much about Izuku- they weren't obsessed with making him suffer- Katsuki's face was twisted into a snarl with a heavy glare aimed directly at Izuku. He began to march over to his chair, before plucking a notebook from the smaller boy's hands. Startled, Izuku said, "hey!" but it was ignored.
"What's that...?" Katsuki asked rhetorically, reading the obvious title. "Hero Analysis... For My Future?! What kind of shit is this?!"
Izuku tried feebly to claim the book back, without trying to seem aggressive. He knew just one false move could render him unconscious if Katsuki decided to hit him with a full-powered explosive punch. Without a teacher in the room, there was nothing that could hold him back, minus property damage- though he'd displayed that he didn't care about that in the past.
"I-It's just something I do in my spare time... it's really nothing, you shouldn't even care about it!"
Katsuki exhaled once, with his lack of care demonstrated plainly on his face, before he cocked his fist and launched it into the cover of the journal, causing it to erupt in a small burst of flames. Though it didn't burn, scorch marks were obvious and the corners looked heavily singed.
"W-what was that for?!" Izuku cried. He didn't care if he received a punch for that; he couldn't stand to see his valuables treated with disregard.
Katsuki, however, didn't respond. Instead, he threw the book out the window (eliciting another yelp from Izuku) and then leveled his glare with the green-haired boy. He quickly grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him in close, which quickly silenced Izuku.
"Listen here, shit-stain. I don't give a fuck what you do with the rest of your life, because it's sure to be shitty. But let me make this clear, don't you fucking dare apply to Yuuei. I'm going to be the only one from this shit-hole to make it in, and even though you'll never get in, I don't even want you tainting my legacy by trying."
With each word, Izuku's eyes grew just a little darker, before finally, he couldn't even make eye-contact with the Explosion-user. He simply looked down, trying to block out both the words and the memories.
Exerting some measure of force, Katsuki pushed Izuku backward, letting him stumble a bit before crashing into the wall, and sinking down in a heap. Both of his friends snickered at the weakness Izuku displayed, and although Katsuki agreed with them, he didn't comment on something he saw within the smaller boy's eyes.
It was almost as if... he was afraid. But it wasn't a normal fear. It was a deep-rooted, psychological fear.
A primal fear.
Pushing it from his mind, Katsuki made his way to the door, being sure to throw one last barb in to drive his point home.
"You know, if you want a Quirk so bad... if you want to be a hero...? You should just take a nose-dive off the rooftop, and hope for it in the next life!"
Izuku was silent.
Katsuki's lackeys chuckled at that, each one looking upon Izuku with pity but no remorse. "No response...? Pathetic."
"You could at least say something."
'But what is there to say...?' Izuku thought miserably. 'M-maybe he's...'
Not waiting for a moment for Izuku to respond, Katsuki exited the room, followed by his friends, leaving the green-haired boy as the only inhabitant. He stood up, frozen in place, before his body began to shake and quiver. Tears began to prickle in his eyes and he clenched his fists and teeth, trying his hardest to not lash out loudly.
He hated life. He hated his life. It wasn't enough to have lost his mother before he was even 4, but he was also born without a Quirk. He was one of around 20% of the world to be born without some super-human ability. Not only that, but his father, whom he'd once looked up to, began a fall down a darkened path, plagued with insanity.
Just after a doctor's appointment that confirmed his lack of a Quirk, his father had begun to theorize that- with proper external circumstances- he could still develop a Quirk. Though it would be painful, his father insisted that it was possible. Izuku, being so young, didn't understand what all was being said in terms of pain, but now... he knew exactly what was meant.
He'd thought about running away. He'd thought about leaving his father and the abuse, but he couldn't find the courage to actually leave. There were several circumstances that kept him around. For one, he still loved his father. Despite the years of abuse, he knew that deep down, his father actually loved him. It was that twisted love that caused the abuse, and he honestly thought he could stop him.
Second, he couldn't bear the thought of abandoning his only remaining family. Leaving his father, who'd already lost his wife, could drive him further down the dark path... and Izuku refused to be the catalyst behind something worse that could be hiding within his father's visage. Maybe he couldn't be a hero to the world, but he could still save his father!
Finally, villains were most active under the cover of darkness. Without a Quirk, Izuku knew he'd be simple prey for all the heinous criminals, and he didn't want to risk an encounter with someone who would use him against a hero he revered.
With a heavy sigh, Izuku closed his pack up and began to leave, idly staring at the floor as he took the stairwell to the bottom. His fingers numbly ran across the cold handrail, but he didn't shiver. Nowadays, everything seemed cold. But compared to the heat of his father's flames, he found he didn't mind the cold as much.
Upon reaching the gate, he sighed once more, the sky seemingly reflecting his mood. The clouds seemed discontent, swirling angrily, darkened grey and heavy with rain. Thunder echoed ominously in the distance, and ever so briefly, a flash of lightening would arc across the sky in a dance of power and elegance. Izuku, though easily timid, didn't mind storms. He found their power stunning, but the peace they brought with them to be relieving. They often reflected his innermost feelings- under barrage, but past the storm, there was peace.
'Moron... doesn't he understand he practically instigated a suicide? What if I'd done it? What kind of hero does that make him?' Izuku thought to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied out the Koi Pond, and a foreign object floating on its surface. Walking closer, he made the object out to be his notebook. He feebly stared at it, his body not moving to grab it, despite his brain telling his arms to reach out.
A raindrop seemed to cause his body to move, and he slowly leaned forward. 'Stupid fish... that book isn't food. S-Stupid.' He clenched his teeth, his eyes growing dark. 'You moron!'
He didn't know who he was truly thinking toward- whether it be the fish, Katsuki, or his father... or himself- but he felt his anger flare up like a flame exposed to gasoline, and his closed his eyes, struggling to contain both his anger and tears. 'You idiot! Why do things work out like this?!'
"Mommy...? When are you coming home...?"
A hand, warm and tender, brushed softly against his cheek, before gently wiping away a stray teardrop that hung delicately from his lower eyelid. A smile, though weakened, touched upon her lips, and she couldn't stop herself from feeling the optimism her son brought with him.
"Soon, honey. Very soon. The doctors are taking good care of me, and I think I'll be leaving here soon."
His face lit up and she could've sworn the room became infinitely brighter. "R-really?! I can't wait to have you home!"
"I... I can't wait, either." Despite his earnest and heartfelt excitement, she couldn't help the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes. "I can't wait either, honey."
"Hey, do you think I can be a hero, one day?" The question caught her by surprise, but she admitted to herself that it wasn't an uncommon question coming from him. He was always so eager to save people. "I mean, I know I don't have a Quirk yet..." His eyes instantly went down to his shoes, and his face fell, displaying his lack of confidence. "But when I do... can I be like All Might?"
Bringing her hand to his chin, she raised his head gently, allowing eye-contact to be made between the two.
"You can do whatever you think you can, my little Izuku."
Blinking, Izuku realized he'd practically walked home without realizing it. The petals of the cherry blossoms fell around him, swirling in the wind, creating a display that Izuku had found himself mesmerized many times by. He felt his hands clench and unclench, before bringing his sleeve up to his eyes to dry them. He sniffled, before doing his best to recompose himself.
'I-I might not have powers... but mother believed in me. Father may believe I need powers, but I can get through without them. I just have to try!'
He raised a fist, and grinned weakly. A faint laugh, emulating his personal and favorite hero, escaped his lips, and before he knew it, he was proudly marching through the tunnel, his fist and spirit high in the air, laughing confidently.
Just like... All Might.
Upon arriving home, Izuku steeled himself for what was to come. Being a Friday, he knew his father would be off work, and history dictated they'd likely do "hero training" which would involve Hisashi taking Izuku out back and using his powers on him until he fainted, or otherwise fell. They'd likely start with basic combat practice.
Although his father was never a pro-hero, he did study under Endeavor for a bit, learning to harness his fire-based powers in unique ways. He eventually was a sidekick to the number 2 hero, but his stint was short, for he shortly fell in love- and eventually married- Inko, Izuku's mother. While he hadn't had massive experience on the job, he had picked up plenty of useful combative tips and ultimately, was too happy to pass them onto Izuku.
Following combat practice would be endurance training, in which Izuku would be forced to run and hide from his father's attacks, or endure as many of them as he could without fainting. Should he succeed, it would onto weight training, followed by an all-out barrage of attacks, designed to push Izuku to his absolute limit, and attempt to trigger a mutation.
So far, the regime had done little for Izuku's Quirkless state, but it had given his strength beyond most of his peers, except for those that were physically enhanced.
"Izuku, are you home?" Came the loud call of his father, Hisashi. Izuku gulped, but prepared himself.
Taking a breath in, he called back. "Yes, sir. I just got home."
The footsteps that started quiet, grew louder, until Izuku's father stood in the hallway, facing Izuku. Family genes had been expressed obviously, as Hisashi was not a tall man by any means. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall, either. An accurate description kept him of average height. He had tame, gelled hair that was once green, but dyed to fit into his workplace.
He had a stern face and judgmental eyes, something that Izuku had come to hate dearly, though he'd never say it. Most of his features came from his exposure at his work, otherwise known as Endeavor's agency. With similar powers, though Hisashi's were far less, it was easy to see why Hisashi found a place at the hero's agency. He had retired from actual hero work, opting to deal with the business side, and the financing. It was boring work, but it was crucial, and Hisashi found great enjoyment in doing the numerical work.
"Good," Hisashi said, looking over his drenched son. His eyes didn't display any signs of pleasure in his return, though Izuku had grown used to that. "Dry off, and change. Then we'll begin training, acceptable?"
Izuku had come to learn that it wasn't a question- but a command. A discipline test, if you will. If he denied it, his father would raise an eyebrow, and skip the first three training sessions, and jump directly into the non-stop barrage. Though he'd be forced to endure it either way, Izuku found actual use in doing the training, thus, he always accepted his father's word.
He nodded once, and bowed. His father turned around, and walked down the hallway, most likely heading outside. Izuku sighed, and walked toward his room. The door was closed, per usual. His father rarely, if ever, wandered in, and since he usually wasn't home to do laundry or clean, there was little to no reason for the man to enter. He opened, then quickly closed his door, before tossing his backpack on the floor. He collapsed on his bed, feeling the weight of the day hang on his shoulders.
Several injuries seemed to throb under his clothing, and his brain seemed to be exhausted as he stared up at the ceiling. He knew his father was waiting, however, so he pulled himself off the bed, and quickly threw on a jumpsuit his father had gotten specifically for the trainings. It was red and white, plain and boring looking, but it did help eliminate some of the threat of burns. It did have its limits, though.
"Alright," Izuku muttered unenthusiastically. "Let's do this..."
So, there's the first official chapter for you. It's not terribly different from the manga/anime, but that's because I need to establish some similarities. Let's see if you notice them or not.
Things to know:
1) There will be huge differences coming up soon, followed by straight up deviants from the manga. I obviously didn't include the incident with Mt. Lady, because that'll come soon enough. I'm changing that pace up. Second, All Might and Izuku will meet differently, with different circumstances behind it, as you can see that the Slime Villain didn't appear.
2) I might introduce someone from Class 1-A sooner than the Yuuei introduction. It'll mostly depend on the poll, and that's not to say it'll be a girl that I introduce. But that poll has several changes to the story, even if that specific character isn't the winner.
3) Finally, it'll be slow at first, but it'll pick up speed as we start to get into the more meaty part of the story. For now, we're just establishing a start, which is bound to be similar to how it happened.
That's all I've got, but here are the review responses:
Karlos1234ify: Izuku's definitely undergoing far more hardship than before, that's for sure. It'll definitely develop his character in a different way, but more than that, it'll change how he acts in certain situations. Not by much, but just by enough.
tremo: The answer is: no. Through the exposure to the external circumstances, Izuku will not develop a Quirk because of this. However, I mention it for a specific reason, so keep that in mind as we get father into the story.
FoxOnPie: Pretty much. Shouto is a great character, but a thing that stuck out is how similar he and Izuku's father MIGHT be. Endeavor was there, but only to make Shouto stronger. Hisashi wasn't ever seen, so we assume he was never there. Both had some sort of fire-based power, and I think if Endeavor had some influence over Hisashi (hence, their relations in this chapter), it might change things.
SamFlynn93: Hopefully he endures it (I might know if he does or not) but his father isn't quite the villain you'd think, huh?
no-name-stranger: I debated about giving him a Quirk, but ultimately, I actually sided against it, because I wanted him to get One For All. And having an OP character just seemed too wrong to me. But believe me, I really thought about it. But thank you very much, I appreciate the compliment and I hope to live up to expectations!