And there have it, a new story! Got it in my head and couldn't quite get rid of it until I wrote it.

Please, leave a review!

Chapter 1: Along came the Crow

"In other news, All Might made his debut in Musutafu city, where he will officially be teaching starting this spring. The villain, Numachi Namimaru AKA Sludge, has recently escaped the police custody after the series of robberies. Today, he almost added the murder of minors to his rep sheet only to be apprehended by the Number One himself. I guess he has one rotten luck, don't you think so, Sennosuke-san?"

"Most certainly, Yanagi-san," the older man replied. "It's important to remember that not only All Might stopped a potentially dangerous villain from escaping, he also saved the boy captured by him as well. Bakugou Katsuki, the student at Orudera Junior High, has come back home without any danger to his health thanks to the swift actions by All Might and other heroes that have arrived on the scene."

The man's eyes hardened. The smile that adorned his face turned into a frown.

"Despite the interference from the some reckless delinquent."

"Now now, Sennosuke-san, surely the other kid got involved but does this strike you as a delinquent action?" the lady questioned as the pictured changed to that of a green-haired young man. "Midoriya Izuku, a classmate of Bakugou-kun, has ended up in the middle of the ongoing crisis and-"

"-contributed absolutely nothing to the said crisis," the man said with a small sneer. "I will tell you, our dear viewers, there is a reason why hero is an occupation rather than a hobby. It's because lives are stake. Much like doctors need their licenses to operate, heroes are employed because they have the proper training, equipment and knowledge to handle the dangers presented by villains such as Sludge. The regular civilians getting involved will only make such jobs harder for them. Especially when the person interfering is just a Quirkless kid."

The screen froze, the shadowed figure watching the broadcast frowning.

He hit the repeat.

"-just a Quirkless kid."

Again.

"-just a Quirkless kid."

And again.

"-just a Quirkless kid."

He stopped, eyes looking at the picture of the boy. The boy who charged into the danger despite being powerless. Quirkless. Someone who cared little for the risks to his life. What was he trying to accomplish? Did he crave fame and fortune? Perhaps he was just looking for a fun way to kill himself? Or maybe... His curiosity picked, the man accessed the files from the surveillance cameras placed around the area where the whole event took place.

Most of the cameras were destroyed by the explosions from the blonde. But one survived to tell the tale. The tale of the Quirkless kid who threw himself into the center of the firestorm, determined to do anything to save the other boy from certain death. He couldn't do anything. And he would have died if it were not for All Might's intervention. But those were the things that could be changed.

The drive. The determination. The desire. Those? Those couldn't be faked or staged. They couldn't be fixed and molded the same way one could mold a perfect set of skills and moves. Those were the things that were inherent to the people. Inherent and very rare to find nowadays. All of the three, which the man those emerald eyes as the boy spoke,

"You looked like you were asking for help."

A quick search through his wide network of information was in short order. From his birth certificate to his recent report card, the man was analyzing every bit of data he could get his hands on. And that was a lot of information. The boy lacked certain things, but then again none of the other candidates were perfect. Nobody could be. Otherwise, they would not be human.

And he needed a human heart above all else for this mission.

Finally, after hours of looking through his entire history, the man smiled. A small but confident smile he hadn't cracked in quite some time. A quick call to his associate, the man wasted no time,

"Add Midoriya Izuku to the list."

He took another look at the kid's picture. And the notebook he held in his hands so tightly.

"This one just might be what I need."

-O-

"Who the fuck would need you?"

Izuku clenched his fists and bit back the tears as Katsuki gave him another harsh slap. No explosion. Just heat. Enough to make it hurt without leaving burns on his skin. Enough to convey the message of just how much the blonde hated him.

"What kind of shit are you trying to pull on me, you little shit?!"

A punch to the gut, followed by a kick to the chin. His lackeys smirked and scoffed but did little more. They were just here on the lookout. And to watch the leader of the pack give him a beating.

"You must think you are some hot shit now, huh?" the blonde sneered. "Just cause you Quirkless little fuck cheated your way to the top?"

Izuku used to admire the blonde. The boy had everything! A loving family. Good looks. Brains. Money. And a powerful Quirk. Why was he so insistent on taking whatever little a powerless nobody like him had? Izuku looked back at Katsuki.

"... Why does it bother you?"

Bad choice of words. Very bad choice. Still no explosions. Just kicking and punching and hurling insults at him. Not enough to make him too weak to walk or require actual visit to the hospital. Just enough to leave enough bruises and scratches to remember him by.

"Let's go, guys. I am tired of this trash."

Izuku didn't get back up. Not for an hour or two after the beating. He hated how little he cared about it. He absolutely loathed how normal this was becoming for him. Go to school. Get beaten. Go home. Rinse and repeat and suffer it all through. Before, he would refuse to lie down. He would get beaten but he would get back up. Because that's what heroes did. Because that's what All Might would do.

But now, that will to fight was gone. He was broken. Not by the harsh words of the media or the dirty looks from his teachers. Not even by the daily wrath of his former friend. Instead, it was his very idol who crushed his will to fight. Because if even your heroes didn't believe in you, how could you ever believe in yourself? How could he keep chasing his dream if All Might himself thought it impossible?

"Guess I better start looking for another dream."

Maybe he should become a police officer? Or a doctor? Izuku scoffed at the thought. Even now he was thinking of what All Might said. Following his words even if now he tried to purge the man from his mind. Some would call him petty for that. But Izuku didn't respect or love All Might for being stronger or faster than other heroes. No, it wasn't power that made Izuku look up to All Might.

It was his ability to inspire and believe in the dreams.

But if the man he respected for so long refused to believe in a dream of single Quirkless child... If his faith in dreams depended on the Quirk one had... Then how was All Might any different from the likes of Endeavor?

Izuku just needed a chance. A single chance to prove he could be a hero too. And if that chance presented itself-

"HELP!"

- he would chase after it with all his might. Izuku wasn't quite sure why he rushed into the dark alley. Beaten and bruised, with nothing but whatever he had in his backpack. It wasn't simply the desire to prove something to the man he admired. Neither it was some suicidal despair that took hold of his heart. As he ran to the call for help, he felt something else calling for him.

He followed the call and stood before the couple of thugs that surrounded a couple of girls.

And as the men began approaching him, the shadow watched him from above.

-O-

This was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster.

Then again, it was obvious from the start. The boy was powerless. Even though the two meatheads had very weak and unimpressive Quirks, against the boy they might as have been the world's mightiest. Their opponent had nothing. He had no raw strength or speed to rely on. Neither did he have any technique or experience in fighting. However, those were not the things he was looking for, as welcome as they may be.

The girls ran away. He provided an opening.

The plan was very rough and wouldn't work against smarter enemies. But the very fact that the boy prioritized saving the girls was good enough, even if it meant getting beaten by metal-coated fists. So many had failed to focus on the real victims, all too consumed by their own desire to prove their power. Which is where his first candidate failed.

"Stay still, you little shit!"

He is learning. Adapting.

Unlike the second candidate.

It was slow. And helped little when his body already took so much damage. But even still, the shadowed figure could see it all. Through his dull and bloodshot eyes, he saw the burning spark of intelligence. The boy's mind taking in every detail and analyzing how to use it. He was already dodging their hits and kicks, getting caught only due to the injuries sustained before.

Escaping from here alive would already be good. But he saw that the boy was not done yet. The boy stood back up, a single brick in his hand. As the twin thugs laughed, Izuku threw the brick at one of them. The idiot didn't even bother dodging, instead allowing his Quirk to protect him. And it did. From the brick but not the glass shard that was now lodged in his shoulder.

The shadow saw now. The result of observation: the boy figured the thugs' Quirk shifted the metal from one part of the skin to another. So he distracted them and then attacked the vulnerable parts. It was again rough and incomplete. It would never work against someone stronger or smarter. But today it did, which is why he was still standing.

The injured thug fell and cried in pain, his brother quickly coming to his aid. Desperately trying to stop the blood, his twin didn't see Izuku approach him from behind. Not until he smashed the plank against his head.

Pragmatic. Not above fighting dirty.

The mistake of the third candidate.

In a fight, there was no place for honor. Honor belonged in sparring matches. it belonged in places where fighting was done in the name of fame and prestige. Out on the streets, in a real fight, all that mattered was walking away alive. Or making sure your opponent did not.

"P-Please, call an ambulance! I think I am going to bleed out!"

The shadow watched the boy. He owed these people nothing. A pair of thugs cornering girls and beating up weaker kids in the dark alleys. What sort of mercy did they deserve? The boy reached inside his pocket. He heard him call the police, though not without mentioning the twins would need some medical attention. And then, just as he was about to leave, the boy stumbled and fell.

Still, he was willing to show them mercy. Something the fourth candidate never did.

The shadow descended a second later, ignoring the screams of the thug. Instead all his attention was on the boy before him. His whole face was one big bruise. His clothes were dirtied and torn. He won the fight against those stronger than him. But only by sheer luck and determination. So many flaws to correct. So much work to be done to bring out his potential.

Despite this, the figure smiles behind the mask.

He picks up the kid and disappears into the night sky.

When the police arrives five minutes later, the conscious twin stays silent. He admits to cornering the girls. He admits to beating up a kid. He never says that the kid managed to take them down. He never speaks a word about the monster that took him either. Not out of the spite for the boy. But rather the fear for his and his bro's life. Because whatever that creature was...

It was definitely not human.

-O-

If this was a dream, he wanted to wake up.

Izuku walked through the hollow corridors, the echo of his steps a sole source of sound. When he woke up, he expected a lot of things. Being in a hospital. Or at the police station. Maybe home with mom crying her eyes out. He certainly didn't expect to wake up in some strange place with all his injuries treated and a note telling him not to panic.

How was he supposed not to panic? He was kidnapped. For all he knew, it was some twisted game like in one of those mangas. Or that old movie with a creepy puppet. Oh God, now he was only freaking himself out. Okay, deep breaths. There was no explosive collar on him. Unless he was injected with an explosive while he was unconscious.

Before he could overthink it to the point of meltdown, he found the door. It was thick and smooth, with not a single sign of age or wear. Suddenly, it slid open, welcoming him inside. A part of him told him it was too dangerous. That he had no idea what awaited him inside. The other feeling - the same that led him to follow the cry for help in the alley - urged him on.

"Hello?" he asked cautiously, hands reaching for the light switch. Having found none, he was content with getting his hands on something resembling a weapon. "Is anyone here?"

Something moved in the shadows.

From the higher ground and onto the floor. Without losing a momentum, the shadow rushed towards him. Izuku's body cried out in hot pain as he forced it to move despite injuries. But it was worth it for he managed to block the incoming attack. Even if his body gave out on him a second later. Shit... Is this how he was going to die?

"Good reflexes. Now get up," the shadowed figure reached out to him. His voice sounded warm and friendly. Izuku didn't take his hand. He didn't trust the voice. "Hmm, suspicious? Good, it will be important for what lies ahead of you. Prometheus, lights on."

[As you wish, sir]

Slowly, like the dawn of the sun, the lights came to life illuminating the place. Izuku felt his world spin as his mind tried to devour as much of the sight before him as possible. Vehicles. Gadgets. A giant computer and countless other machines he only saw in some old sci-fi movies. And each and every single one of those things was the same symbol.

The Crow.

"I thought he was a myth..."

The Shadow Sentinel. The Dusk Crusader. The Watcher of the Wicked.

The Quirkless Hero.

"He was. But not always," Izuku looked towards the figure. No longer concealed by the shadows, the man stood proud and tall in the full suit sans the mask. The pale skin and slick black hair. The golden eyes that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's. "And very soon, I will make sure he is no longer a myth."

"Y-You are Garyu Azami!"

"Oh? So you know me?"

"Hard not to, sir."

Not when his company owned the lion's share of the country's businesses. From instant ramen to the newest smartphones. From the smallest convenience stores to the government contracts, Garyu Global Group had its influence everywhere. But Izuku didn't respect the man for being the CEO of one of the world's largest companies at the age of twenty-eight. No, instead, it was the way the man defied all the expectations set against him.

Because Garyu-san was Quirkless, just like him.

And this man...

"You are the Crow?"

"No, not the original at least. Prometheus, access the file 001. Code: Origin," the computer obeyed and soon the holographic image appeared before Izuku. It was of the man, looking just a few years older than Garyu-san. But with the same intense golden eyes. "The original Crow was my ancestor, Garyu Tsubaki, the founder of the company. He was a good man. Dedicated his whole life to helping people both as a hero and a civilian."

Izuku listened as Garyu-san told the tale of his ancestor. How, with the emergence of Quirks, he built his small shop into something greater. How he developed the technology to help fight against the growing chaos and anarchy that came with people gaining powers beyond one's imagination. And how eventually, that man joined the fight against villains himself.

"He retired when at the age of sixty-four. As the governments across the world finally worked out the system for pro heroes, he no longer saw the need for powerless people like him fighting the battle," Garyu-san spoke, with the noticeable sadness to his tone. "He never revealed his identity to the world. Not even his family knew who he was. he wanted his legacy to die here."

Izuku looked at all the tech and suits. And couldn't help but wonder why. That man was a legend. A ray of hope in his own time. When the Quirkless felt like they no longer had a place in the future, the Crow was the symbol of hope for them. So how could that man give it all up?

"I knew you would agree," Izuku choked, realizing he was talking out loud. "Times have changed. And the heroes were required to reveal their identiies. But I always thought that if he fought for a little longer, then maybe our world would be a better place. Maybe if he continued fighting, the Quirkless people like me wouldn't be persecuted like they are today."

Izuku remembered reading about the power struggle in the Garyu Global. How, despite being the direct heir to the company, the man was often seen as the unfit candidate because he was Quirkless. Because, in the eyes of those biased, being Quirkless meant being inferior. A relic of the past. The evolutionary dead end everyone wanted gone.

"When I found the evidence of him being Crow, I saw it as a chance to prove myself to the world. To prove to the whole world that Quirks were just tools and not a way to define the human's worth," the man turned to Izuku, a warm and confident smile on his face. "But I cannot do that without a partner."

"W-What?" Did he-? Was he suggesting he become that partner? "B-But I am not a hero! It... It's impossible for me to become one."

"That's not what I saw today. And neither what I saw a few weeks ago when you rushed in to save your friend," Garyu-san placed a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulder. "How many people that day had strong or useful Quirks? How many of them tried to help? In the end, Quirks are just tools. Means to the end. What truly makes a hero..."

He pointed at his heart.

"... is what you have here."

"I am so sorry, Izuku... I am so sorry!"

"A Quirkless trash like you should just fucking give up!"

"I am sorry, kid... But without a Quirk, you could never be a hero."

Mom's pity and tears. Katsuki's hatred and disdain. All Might's dismissal and crushing words. He thought all those things finally made him accept his fate. That now he would abandon his hopes and dreams and live in the cold and cruel reality.

And that crushed hope was brought back to life.

"So what do you say, Midoriya Izuku?"

The man held out his hand.

"Partners?"

This time, he grabbed the man's hand. The warmth and strenth from the vigilante spreading through his very being. He rose to his feet, his body devoid of pain and mind of doubt. The call for help in the dark alley. The call for him from the shadows... It all led him here. And he would make sure to answer that call.

"Yes, sir," Izuku smiled. "Partners."

This was the first day of his new life.

-O-

-O-

-O-

In his office, Rikia reads through the reports. Another base hit. Their soldiers were arrested but none would talk. Skeptic already planted the evidence that would shift all the blame on the designated fall guys. It was a shame. A true shame to lose their soldiers. But their sacrifice would not be in vain. He would make sure that they went down in history as the loyal warriors to the cause of Destro.

But, try as the balding CEO soothe his nerves, his Quirk did not lie. He could feel his strength grow and accumulate. Not only from the attacks or how precise they were. No... That was to be expected. Every once in a while, some hero would luck out and strike their base. In every war, there were losses on both sides. But the cause of his stress was not the attack itself but the footage they got.

It was him.

Crow...

Beware the Cursed Crow that stalks us in the night

It captures us when we are weak and feasts on our light

It hungers for our skin, our flesh, our blood and bone

It will hunt you down until you are all alone

The old nursery rhyme passed down from one generation of the Meta Liberation Army to another. The cautionary tale that came along with it spoke of the monster that sought out to destroy their glorious cause. And in many ways, that monster succeeded. His ancestor - the great Destro - died in prison never to see the light of the day again. And all his texts - the countless pages of wisdom that the world deserved to know - were destroyed.

And now it seemed the universe gave him the chance to avenge the great Destro. He cared little if it was the real Crow that came back from the grave or some fool who decided to continue the monster's legacy. The revolution of Destro would come to fruition. And one of the first lives it would claim will be that of the foolish Crow.

And his partner, Sparrow.

Izuku as Robin expy, huh? What do you guys think? Originally, I planned to have Izuku as Batman expy but decided against it eventually. I got QUITE the storyline planned for Izuku as Sparrow and hope you will stick around for the journey.

A few notes:

- The candidates mentioned are reference to Robins.

- Prometheus is a reference to the DC villain.

- Crow was chosen for their association with mystery and intelligence.

Stay tuned!

Next chapter: First Flight