"All men are not born equal", those were the words that were engraved in his mind the moment he learned of his disability.
In the world where common folk had superpowers known as Quirks, people like him who had nothing were the odd ones. Quirkless people were seen as nothing but weak creatures who shouldn't do anything but stand in the sidelines.
"Deku! Get out of the way!" a blond boy said.
Even though his knees were shaking and his mind telling him to run away, a green-haired boy spread his arms in an attempt to protect a crying boy.
"I-It's time to stop, Kacchan! He had enough! I-If you don't stop…"
"Then what? Are you going to do something, Quirkless loser?" small explosions appeared on the blond boy's palms.
The blond boy's name was Katsuki Bakugo. Ambitious, prideful, and gifted with a powerful Quirk, his dream was to become the top hero. Everyone around him showered him with praise because of his exceptional Quirk.
Meanwhile, the green-haired boy's name was Izuku Midoriya. Like Katsuki, his dream was to become a hero. But at a young age of four, it was shattered when he learned that he was Quirkless. And ever since then, the adults pitied him and the other children treated him harshly.
And that day was the same for Izuku. Katsuki would often go overboard in playing hero and Izuku would be the one who would try to stop him. It would never go well for the green-haired boy as the day would end with him injured.
"Let's go. This Quirkless loser is just a waste of time", Katsuki said and his group left.
Izuku felt pain in his body as he stared at the sky. Every day was like this. He always received the short end of the stick. No matter how many times he tried, he knew that it was impossible for him to stop Katsuki but he still tried. Maybe it was because he wanted to become a hero so badly. He wanted to protect those who should be protected.
Years passed by and he still stared at the same sky. He was already in his second year of junior high. Izuku tried his best to breathe flame and move objects but nothing happened. He was still the Quirkless boy.
###
It was a normal morning for Izuku. There were no morning greetings for him on his way to school, as per usual since no one would befriend a Quirkless boy like him. He would spend ten minutes searching for his indoor shoes since everyone liked bullying the Quirkless kid. Just the normal morning.
The day passed by uneventfully. And just when he was about to leave, Katsuki and his group was blocking his path.
"Hey, Deku. I overheard from the faculty office. What are you thinking by applying for UA, huh?! That place is off-limits for Quirkless losers like you!" he growled.
"T-There are no rules that prevent people like me from applying. I just want to try", Izuku said.
Katsuki grabbed him by his collar and glared at him, "Listen. I'm the one who's going to be the first student to go to UA from this shitty school. I'm the only one who's going to be applying. Did I make myself clear?"
"B-But K-Kacchan-", a small explosion to the face cut off Izuku from speaking.
"Huh? What's this? 'Hero Notes for the Future'?" one of Katsuki's lackies picked up a notebook.
"Wait! That's-"
Katsuki took the notebook and released an explosion at it.
"I already told you to stop dreaming, didn't I? This belongs to the trash!" he threw it out of the window and it landed in the school's pond. The group then left the green-haired boy after Katsuki threatened him once more.
Izuku sighed. He knew that Katsuki would react that way. But his heart still refused to stop. He went to the school's pond and fished out his drenched and damaged notebook.
"This isn't trash, idiot", he muttered.
His phone then rang and when he looked at it there was a message from his mom.
Izuku, I'm at Musutafu Mall right now. Do you have anything you want to buy?
He replied, I don't really need anything right now.
He was on his way home and passed underneath a tunnel when he heard laughter.
"A medium-sized invisibility cloak…" a voice said.
Izuku turned around and he saw a slime-like substance with eyes. His gut feeling told him that it was dangerous and all of his instincts were telling him to run. However, it was too late. The slime-like substance lunged at him and covered his body.
"Don't worry. I'm just going to take over your body. Calm down. It'll only hurt for about 45 seconds. You'll feel better soon", the slime said.
I can't… breathe..., Izuku thought as he tried to claw his way out.
"You can't grab me. I'm fluid! Thanks for your help. You're my hero. I didn't think that had come to this city", the slime told him.
My body… There's no strength… I'm dying… Am I dying? I'm dying… Somebody... Somebody…! No…! Izuku thought.
The boy heard the sound of a metal being tossed away.
"It's all right now, young man. I AM HERE!" a blond muscular man announced.
The slime whipped some part of his body at the blond but he avoided it easily. It then formed a hand and tried to grab the man but…
"Texas Smash!" he punched and a strong gust of wind blew.
The wind was strong enough to push the slime out and separate it from Izuku.
"All… Migh…" Izuku muttered.
###
"Hey", the muscular man called out as he was tapping Izuku's cheek in order to wake him up.
"Hey! He—Oh, good!" he said when Izuku woke up.
"I'm glad you're okay! Sorry 'bout getting you caught up in my villain fighting. I don't usually make mistakes like this, but I was in high spirits on my day off in a new place", the man said and had a laugh while Izuku stared at him with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and confusion in his heart.
"But you were a big help. Thanks! I captured him safely", he showed a bottle of Torrent that contained the slime.
The number one hero… All Might… H-He's the real thing… He looks completely different in person! Izuku thought.
That was one side of Izuku which a lot of people didn't know about. He was a hero nerd especially when it comes to his favorite, All Might.
"Oh, right! An a-autograph! Where should I—In that notebook—He already did!" Izuku shouted as he found out that his notebook was already signed.
"Th-Thank you very much! It'll be an heirloom! A family treasure!" he bowed deeply and repeatedly in a fast manner as he thanked the Symbol of Peace.
"Okay!" All Might replied with a thumbs-up.
"Well, I need to take this guy to the police. See you again on the other side of the screen!" All Might told him and started stretching.
"Wait, already?" Izuku asked.
"Pros are constantly fighting enemies and time", All Might answered.
Wait. There are still… things I want to ask…, Izuku thought.
"Well then, I'm counting on your continued support!", All Might shouted as he jumped up high in the air.
But then, he noticed that he had an unexpected passenger.
"Wait. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Let go of me! Your fanaticism is too much!" All Might shouted.
"If I… let go now… I'll… I'll die…!" Izuku retorted.
"That's true", the hero said.
"I… have… a lot of things… I want to ask you directly!"
"Okay, okay! I get it, so close your eyes and mouth!"
They landed on a building and Izuku's knees dropped to the ground.
"Th-That was scary…" Izuku said.
"Good grief. If you talk to the people downstairs, I'm sure they'll let you down. I seriously am outta time, so I really must go", All Might told him and started walking away.
"Wait! Um…"
"No! I will not wait!"
"But-"
"Even without a Quirk, can I still be a hero?! Can someone without a Quirk become a hero like you?"
Steam was coming out of All Might's body but Izuku was too focused in thinking of his next words.
"Because I don't have a Quirk, I… Well, maybe that's not the only reason but I've always been picked on. That's why… Maybe that's why… I think saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with that fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like", Izuku was surprised with what he saw.
Instead of the strong muscular hero, a skinny man was standing in front of him.
"You're all shriveled up! Were you a fake? An impostor?!" Izuku asked the man.
The man looked at him straight on, "I am All Might", and coughed up blood.
"No way!"
"You know how people hold their gut in the pool? It's like that!"
"No way!"
All Might sat down, "A fearless smile, huh… You've seen the real me, kid. But don't write about it in the internet, okay?"
He grabbed his shirt and revealed a large wound.
"Five years ago… An enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I've wasted away because of the aftereffects of those surgeries. I can only do my hero work for about three hours a day now", All Might said.
"Five years ago? Was that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked.
"That lowlife? He could never do this to me! This was never made public. That is, I asked that it not be made public. A Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile... is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel. A pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not"
Izuku's energy was drained when he heard those words.
"Ah…" that was all he could say.
"If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked but that too is admirable work!" All Might stood up.
Izuku already knew it in his heart.
"It's not wrong to dream. However… You need to be realistic, kid", All Might then left.
###
Izuku knew it already. It was impossible. And yet he tried so hard to make the impossible possible. But his hero said it to him. He needed to be realistic.
"It's funny… I'm sad but I'm not even crying. My dream is shattered but… I guess this is because I accepted it without knowing a long time ago", he muttered.
A huge explosion occurred and Izuku looked at the direction where it came from. Fire was coming out of Musutafu Mall and some parts of it already collapsed.
I'm at Musutafu Mall right now. Do you have anything you want to buy? his mother's message appeared in his mind.
"Mom!" he ran full speed towards the mall.
It was dangerous. A part of the mall already collapsed and the rest of it was burning. There was a group of villains fighting two heroes.
"Someone! My mom is inside!" no one heard him since everyone was too busy watching the fight.
More heroes arrived and Izuku rushed towards them, "Heroes! My mom is inside!"
"Are you kidding me? That place is an inferno! We need someone with a water Quirk!" a hero said.
"We don't have one here right now! For the meantime, we need to capture those villains first!" a second hero ran towards the fight.
These people are useless! Izuku saw a familiar man among the crowd.
"All Might! You can save them! All Might!" but when All Might locked eyes with him, the hero ran away.
A pro should always be ready to risk his life, those were the words that All Might said… and yet he ran away.
"Hey! All Might! Come back! We need you!" Izuku tried to catch him but he was gone.
"No… way…"
###
It was already evening when the fire was extinguished. The villains were already captured.
Izuku rushed to the spot where the evacuees and rescued were located… but she was nowhere to be found…