Happy 1 year Dekiru! That's right, as of two days ago, The Quirkless Hero Dekiru is now officially a year old. And we're at over 1,000 favs and follows... HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! WHY?! 9QRHFGWRWPOIROEBDNGFMK
Anyway, thank you so much for your support and kind comments for this fic! I can't believe how well it's been received. Here's to another year - hopefully - of Dekiru being an alright fanfic!
Many thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Returning back to U.A. after spending three days or so in an induced coma – and a murderous attack on the students of one of the hero classes – felt abnormal, to say the least. Nobody was acting as if their lives had just been millimetres away from death's clutches. Izuku found himself subconsciously lowering his hand towards his stab wound from time to time, the events of that night plaguing his every movement. Maybe it was because he was taking his failures harder than anyone else, maybe that was why he found the easy flow back to normality such a hard pill to swallow.
He sighed deeply, retelling himself what Aizawa told him back in the hospital room. He had survived an encounter with the famed Hero Killer. A Hero Killer who had maimed people with much more powerful Quirks than what Izuku had – basically nothing but his fists and weaponry – and yet he managed to escape with a non-lethal stab wound and some blood loss. The injury served as a reminder though. Because he couldn't stop the serial killer, someone else may die at the villain's hands. And to be honest…
… Izuku didn't want that to happen.
He sat in his office, preparing himself for the first major usage of his role in U.A. as the Quirk Guidance Counsellor – he had been confused with Hound Dog once or twice – which was the U.A. Sports Festival. The Sports Fest was basically a bunch of hyperactive teens let lose to prove who was the ultimate, and that meant a lot of them would be working on improving their Quirks. Of course, Nedzu had referred to his position and office during the induction speech but it most likely would have gone over the kids' heads so homeroom teachers were instructed to make a big point about it in the two weeks leading up to the Sports Fest.
Which was, in all honesty, two weeks of free training off school for the kids. They could do whatever they wanted in this time, whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted. Those who succeeded took the two weeks preparation seriously, and those who took it seriously were usually the Hero Course students since it was drilled into them how important this event was for gaining a good reputation for the future. This year, first year students would be allowed on internships too. It was also a chance for the General Education students to prove their worth, to be able to move up to the Hero Course. That put more pressure on those Hero Course students who had managed to slack off during the first few weeks of term and during the training stage. Students were advised to come into U.A. to train and get pointers from the teachers – they also had full access to all training facilities as well for the fortnight – some of who would take the advice of the teachers, some wouldn't.
Izuku had been scrolling through the folders of Class 1-A when he stopped, eyes skimming on the profile he had landed on. This was Todoroki Shouto's profile, son of the Number 2 hero Endeavor – Izuku's biggest friendly nemesis who he would love to kick the ass of one day – and one of the four students who had got into the Hero Course on recommendations. Despite everything there to tell Izuku that Todoroki had potential, he couldn't see it.
Not when the boy was only using half of his Quirk.
Izuku didn't like intervening too much, his job was to advise and suggest but not outright interfere, but he felt as if he should this time. He wouldn't be a hero if he didn't do something.
And that was how Izuku found himself standing outside Class 1-A's classroom, clutching his scarred wound in pain due to walking too quickly. He took a few deep breaths to try and control the flaring ache rising from his stomach before he knocked on the door. Almost immediately, Aizawa's tired voice allowed him access, which he then followed in much to the confusement of the class.
"Speaking of the devil, we were just talking about you," Aizawa stated blandly. "Come to back me up or what?"
"No, just a small request," Izuku's eyes locked onto a heterochromatic pair right at the back of the room. "Can Todoroki Shouto meet me after classes end, I'd like to talk to him if at all possible."
"Ha, half and half bastard has to see the shitty counsellor." Bakugou laughed from the front.
"Well, seeing as you were next on the list of people I need to see, Bakugou, would you like to retract your statement?" Whilst Bakugou's control over his Quirk was quite extensive, Izuku really needed to see him about how he used it on others which meant his statement wasn't a lie. The class, however, took it as it was intended and "oooohh"-ed haughtily. The explosive blonde in question grumbled and slouched but didn't attack back, most likely due to Aizawa glaring at him.
"Apart from Shinsou as well, I have no urgent need to see anyone else unless they need my help," Izuku continued. "I'll be here for the next two weeks so come and see me in my office if you need any assistance. That is all, I'm sorry for the intrusion Aizawa." He bowed politely to the erasure hero and went to leave, that was until a student calling out made him stop.
"Hey, Dekiru," It was Jirou, who had noticed his hand teetering gingerly at his stomach area, exactly where he was stabbed days prior. "Are you okay? You look hurt. Did someone stab you or something?"
"No." It was time to pull out the cover story Nedzu had made for him. "I got shot though on an undercover mission which is why I haven't been in for the past few days. I'll be fine, a little wound like that won't stop me." As he left, he was sure he heard Kirishima mutter something about being so manly before he shut the door to the classroom.
~0~o~0~
To be honest, Izuku was half surprised that Todoroki did indeed show up as requested. Curiosity may have been the biggest factor towards the student's shocking appearance, but from the sounds of it, Todoroki wasn't the one to respect his elders. Luckily for him, Izuku wasn't his elder… by much – not that anyone outside the U.A. staff and his family knew that. So, as soon as classes had ended, Izuku had found himself staring at the dual sided features of the youngest Todoroki son.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you here," he began, flipping open the small folder of information he had on the student. Todoroki simply nodded whilst looking disinterested in the matter at hand. "Well I would like to confirm some things… if that is alright with you?"
"Go ahead." Very to the point and cold, Izuku had a feeling the session would start like this.
"I'd like to… reaffirm that your Quirk is indeed Half Hot Half Cold," Todoroki's flinch said it all. "And if it is, then why have we only been seeing the cold side to your powers?"
"That is my Quirk. And for the other thing?" For a second, Izuku thought everything would spill out until he heard the dreaded words that even police officers feared. "No comment."
"We're doing this the hard way then," the Quirkless hero grumbled, standing up whilst grabbing the folder before sitting on the front of the desk, still at a reasonable distance from the student to keep himself invading the other's personal space. "Todoroki, I'm not an idiot. I know who your father is, and if you had heard of me then you'll know we have some… disagreements due to my lack of a power."
"You mean you punched my old man in the face?" A small smile formed on the student's lips. "I thought that was good."
"Which is why I am worried," The smile dropped instantly. "You don't use the fire half, the side that comes from your father's DNA and seem to enjoy him getting hurt. Sure, he's an absolute dick of a human being, but his own family wishing pain? That shows some very bright, flashing warning lights. You know, alarm bells?"
"So?"
Izuku sighed deeply. "Todoroki, I'm going to keep this simple and plain. Has Endeavor done anything to you that would cause this resentment?" The silence that followed was unsettling. Todoroki clammed up, skin paling to only a slight degree as his permanent scowl became forced. For now, Izuku decided to leave it be but he made a special note for it within the back of his mind. He wasn't going to forget this, and he would be using it again. "Alright, I'll drop that line of inquiry. However, I will do my job and talk more about you Quirk."
"What is there to talk about?" The 1-A student hadn't dropped his guard, despite Izuku promising not to follow up on it.
"You aren't using half of it!" The hero yelled, getting mad not at Todoroki, but mad that a student was sacrificing their health for what seemed to be a patriarchal grudge. "I know your Quirk inside and out from what I've seen and what U.A. has supplied to me. The constant use of just the ice lowers your body temperature to dangerous levels, ones that even your Quirk related cold resistance can't stand. There is a reason why most human bodies need a stable temperature to survive, and on and off usage of the ice only isn't helping! Using your fire would balance out this issue if nothing else!" Seeing this was getting nowhere, Izuku's sighs became louder and more frequent. "Now I know what Aizawa means when he calls you all his problem children."
"I'm not a problem child." Todoroki mumbled, but with years of experience mumbling himself, Izuku heard it clearly.
"You are. Don't deny it, Problem Child." Despite the grumbling, Izuku went on. "Look, someone like me would have loved to be in your position. A powerful Quirk, no discrimination to wishing to become more than just an early death statistic and a waste of oxygen, no suicide threats for wanting to be a hero…" At Todoroki's shocked expression, the hero huffed haughtily. "Oh yes, despite being only number 98, I get letters telling me to kill myself for being a useless Quirkless thing. I'm not even a human to some of them. I've had so many of those letters, they don't bother me anymore because I know there are people out there who support me for who I am. I inspire other Quirkless people to push the boundaries for what we can do, what we are 'allowed' to do under the eye of society. Todoroki, I am the first Quirkless Hero in existence. What does that say to you?"
"I don't know."
"That it's taken 100 years for someone to stand up and make a difference to our society. It's been 100 years since Quirked people began to be the majority of our population, and it's growing and growing at a rapid rate. Who knows, before we die no more Quirkless people could be born legitimately." Izuku looked down once again at the folder beside him. "I only managed to get where I am thanks to my family and a lot of support. If I had been any other Quirkless person, I probably wouldn't have even passed the U.A. Entrance Exam. Whilst the school does allow Quirkless students, none of those who have applied into this school have made it into the Hero Course – or even actually applied for the Hero Course – due to being discredited and pushed down to the dirt their entire lives. And when we see people with amazing Quirks not using them to their full potential yet are still seen as better than someone with no Quirk, it becomes extremely agonising for us."
"…"
"As the Quirk Guidance Counsellor of U.A., it's my job to make sure that everyone is working with their Quirks at full potential," Izuku stood up again, walking to the back of the office slowly, prompting Todoroki to stand up himself. "And since there is no way I'll get through to you right now, I want to make sure you can make up the missing skill that not using half your Quirk creates."
"What do you mean?" Todoroki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Come closer to me," Izuku never answered his question, not catching eyes with the student. "What I'm asking is…" A smirk glanced his lips for a second. "Can you fight Quirkless?"
"What?" As soon as the word left the student's mouth, Izuku rushed forwards whilst feinting a punch. The ice Quirk user dodged it easily, but that wasn't the point of the whole original attack. The hero twisted his body, putting his hand on Todoroki's back before pushing him to the ground.
"The answer is no then," Todoroki struggled against the hold on his back, which was quickly joined by the other hand placing down on his head. "You've been trained to use and rely on your Quirk all your life. Training your body so it allows your Quirk to be as powerful as possible. But… you've never considered to learn how to fight without it… interesting." The pressure against his back was lifted, allowing Todoroki to sit up. Seeing a gloved hand being held out to help him back on his feet, he took it. "Well, it's to be expected. Before Hero Courses, a lot of people with Quirks don't learn to fight outside of their powers."
"Explain." Once again, Izuku smirked. He was starting to make an impact.
"Let me set up a scenario," The hero guided Todoroki back to his seat before leaning against the desk. "You are… hypothetically… using your entire Quirk when you come across a villain who has a Quirk like Aizawa's. They can shut down a Quirk Factor for a temporary amount of time through either touch, sight or being within a mental radius of some kind. This leaves you temporarily Quirkless. The villain, who knows their Quirk, has weapons on them. What would you do in that situation if any back up was at least 10 minutes away?"
"The only thing to do would be to try and apprehend the villain…" Todoroki answered before frowning as he ran his answer through his head again. "… Right?"
"That is the answer many would give," Izuku nodded in confirmation. "And it would be the most heroic thing to do. But, as we have established, you cannot fight Quirkless so you cannot de-arm the villain or fight back against them without causing grievous bodily harm or death to yourself. Villains don't play by the rules. If they can rough up and beat up a hero using just their fists to do so, then they would. Some villains can't afford weapons, but have killed people only using their hands. If you can fight without a Quirk, then you can probably take any villain out. If you mix Quirkless fighting with your Quirk then it makes you more unpredictable for your opponents. They will be lulled into a false sense of security if you start of by using just kicks, punches and evasive manoeuvres, then freezing them in ice suddenly would give you the upper hand and the win. If you continue down your path, being able to fight after using too much of your right side means it allows the cooldown period to happen whilst you can still be taking down an opponent. All heroes have more than one trick up their sleeves, or else we wouldn't just be heroes… got it memorised?"
"Uhhhh," Todoroki blinked with a blank expression. "No."
"Well then," Izuku grinned. "I guess that means you have a reason to be away from home for the next two weeks." At the continuation of the blank expression, he continued. "I want to train you, Todoroki, in the ways of fighting without a Quirk. Considering the way you use your Quirk currently, it is imperative that you take me up on my offer. Everyone else in your class is giving one hundred percent into their Quirk training, using their full power to prove their place is justified in the hero course. You are the only one running at fifty percent. This is why I want you to meet me everyday here at U.A. for a full school days' worth of training which includes scheduled breaks and lunch, even breakfast if you turn up without eating anything. I cannot allow you to enter the Sports Festival as responsible member of the U.A. facility as you are now, for your own personal safety and for your health. I believe you would do better to take up my offer, but it's up to you really. What do you say?"
Todoroki stared at the hero in front of him, mulling it over. It meant two weeks away from his father, two weeks of regulated training that ends with him not bruised and broken. It would allow him to develop skills that would make him a better hero, it meant two weeks away from his shitty father training with that old fart's mortal enemy. If it meant he could keep from using that man's Quirk, then he would take that offer within a heartbeat. He got up from his seat and stared the hero in the eyes.
"I accept."
"Good, get a nice night's rest, the full eight hours mind you… I know how you teenagers go to bed at ridiculous hours in the morning," Izuku knew he was mentally scolding himself for doing the same on hero forums. "You'll need it if you want to survive hell on earth. I'm packing eight to nine years of training into two weeks. Prepare for the worst."
"I will… thanks." Despite the gratitude being an afterthought, it still meant a lot to Izuku. After seeing Shinsou, he was so going to make the most gruelling plan he could whilst keeping Todoroki from overworking. Watching the student leave, he couldn't help but feel that he'd only just scratched the surface of something much bigger. There was something hidden behind the doors of the Todoroki household, something that could be from a minute secret to some form of abusive behaviour. As a hero, and as a person with morals, Izuku was going to help Todoroki. He was going to find out what it was and help him. Whether it led to the full usage of his Quirk to the resolution of the issue, the outcome didn't matter at that moment. All he needed to do was to try his hardest to save a student of his workplace.
A knock at the door reminded Izuku he had one more person to see today.
"Come in," Only a familiar mop of purple entered. "What? Mighty Man busy today or…?"
"Nah, he's resting, he deserves it." Shinsou was grinning, madly grinning as in he was doing an impression of Aizawa levels of mad grinning.
"Okay, Cheshire Cat," Izuku chuckled to himself, slightly out of fear to steal his nerves. "What's made you so happy?"
"Well, I think I've just found a way to use five percent without breaking my body into pieces."
Now that, that was a good response to Aizawa grinning.
"Go on then, show me!"
"If you think you can handle it, hero!"
"Bring it on, Mini Might!"
~0~o~0~
Shouto didn't know what to expect on the following day as he entered U.A. for his special training sessions. Yes, he did get a kick out of seeing his father seething for not being able to train his own son himself, however he wasn't used to someone sticking their neck out for him in this way. Dekiru was smarter than most people gave him credit for. He seemed to see the hidden truths about Endeavor that the public and the other heroes didn't notice. The note in his shoe locker asked him to meet Dekiru outside in the same area that Aizawa-sensei did their tests at the beginning of the term, not that the first of April was that far back.
In his U.A. Sports Uniform and ready for training, Shouto made his way outside where he found Dekiru fully fitted in his iconic green jumpsuit. Just like normal, he couldn't see anything of the hero's facial features. The secret identity of Dekiru was one of the theories Shouto was working on solving himself.
"You ate?" Dekiru greeted him simply, just in the same fashion of the way Shouto himself talked.
"I had food." Shouto didn't admit Fuyumi got up especially to make him breakfast and wish him luck whilst their father slept, it would give the hero too much information.
"Eight hours sleep?"
"Seven and a half."
"Urrrghhhh," Dekiru groaned, sounding hilariously like his homeroom teacher. "You really are a problem child. I said eight for a reason. Never mind, we can deal with that later…" The pro twirled one of his staffs around, to which Shouto noticed a new design on them. Did something happen since the Hero VS Villain training exercise All Might led?
"… Are you ready for hell?" Shouto just held his thumbs up, knowing his expression was set into his usual resting bitch face. "Good, cause I'm about to make you hate my guts."
