Sometimes life can be unfair, take Izuku Midoriya for example, a sixteen-year-old kid who was cast aside in life. He watched as those around him grew into their innate superpowers, also known as quirks. It had begun in a city in China, where a newborn baby had inexplicably one night started to glow. From there the descent into a new era known as the 'Quirk Era' began. Nowadays much of the population possessed a quirk, only about twenty percent of the population not having one.
Izuku was one of the few people who didn't have a quirk. And while normally this would give him a poor lot in life, his position was made worse by two factors. One, his deep-rooted fascination and Idolization of Superheroes, men and women who had begun to use their powers to defeat the now more powerful criminals of the world. The second being his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou, who had turned into Izuku's greatest bully.
"Deeekuuu…" The ash-blonde haired teen growled out, staring down the teen with green hair, who had been previously muttering to himself as he continued to write in his journal. The green-haired teen looked up, and green eyes met red, and the teen with green hair, Izuku Midoriya, started to tremble slightly.
"C-can I help you, Kacchan?" Izuku said nervously, hands twitching, as his eyes darted to the door for less than a second before looking back towards Katsuki Bakugou.
"You're muttering again. Would you fucking shut it?" Bakugou's eyes kept Izuku paralyzed, his voice rising in volume as he ripped the journal from the trembling boys' hands. "And stop using that stupid nickname!" A flash, as Bakugou's famous 'Explosion' quirk, activated. The glycerin that Bakugou sweated, lighting up, along with the Journal, the words Hero Analysis for the future #13 barely hanging intact upon the ashen remains of the journal.
Before Izuku could react, Bakugou snorted and dropped the remains on the floor, several pages falling loose. "You're never going to become a hero Deku. Or did you forget your fucking quirkless! Just give up." And with those words, Bakugou took his leave of the classroom. Leaving Izuku to wallow in his own misery. Shuffling down onto the ground, the boy did his best to gather the tatters of his journal together, looking at several of his notes as he did so. Bakugou was right. No matter how Izuku looked at it, every hero he had every studied had one thing in common, they had awe-inspiring, powerful quirks that allowed them to handle a set of diverse and challenging conditions.
The teen sighed to himself, maybe it was time to give up on his dreams. Slowly Izuku trudged his way home. It was about half-way through this trip back home, what he thought would be like any other where his life changed forever.
As he had passed under a bridge, wrapped up in his own thoughts, playing in monotone, he failed to notice the creaking sound of a grate behind him. A sludge-like substance bubbling out of the drain, and a set of eyeballs floating to the top, looking directly at the teen. Silently the creature reached out with two tendrils of sludge, before grabbing Izuku.
"Well, you'll make an excellent disguise. Now just let me take over your body kid." The sludge-like villain said through a mouth, also made of sludge. Izuku gasped for breath, trying to shout for help, but his mouth was immediately covered in rotting sludge as the villain continued to restrain the young boy. Slowly, Izuku's struggling began to slow. The last thing he saw as he passed out was two-fold. Firstly, the sludge villain was blown to bits, as a tall man stood from the other side of the underpass, in a stance as if just having completed a punch. The other, a small set of words that appeared in the corner of his vision.
Emergency Boot-Up Activated…
"Young man. Young man. Young man." The tall hero repeatedly tapped on the teen's face, hoping he would wake up soon.
"Uh… Who… Wha…" Izuku groaned, slowly coming back to his senses. Before shooting awake. "A… A… All Might!" Izuku shouted. Before him stood the undisputed number one hero in all of Japan. The man who upon his debut had saved over a hundred people, all while smiling. Izuku quickly scrambled on the ground. He needed to get All Might's signature. Upon opening the half-destroyed journal, he quickly flipped to the next set of empty pages. "A… Already Signed it!" Sitting on not one page, but two pages were the number one heroes' signature. He heard a hearty laugh from behind him.
"I'm glad to see you're alright young man. I apologize for you getting caught up in my chase, this villain was, unfortunately, a little more comfortable moving through this city's sewer system than I was. However, I must commend you, as it was due to your will that I was able to catch up and capture the villain." All Might announced, making a pose as he gripped the plastic bottle that now contained the sludge villain. "I am afraid I must be on my way however, a hero's work is never done, and I need to get this villain back to the police station."
As the hero took a stance, preparing to leap away, Izuku reached out towards the hero. "W-Wait. A-All Might, I have something I need to ask you."
All Might faced back towards the child. "I cannot wait, I must go now. I have dallied long enough." With that, the hero took one massive leap. Izuku did the only thing he could think of, he grabbed on.
They were about five hundred feet in the air when All Might noticed something was off, looking back, if he had been on solid ground he would've jumped with surprise. "Young man! What you're doing is incredibly dangerous, get off please." They traveled through the air a few more seconds. "Oh yeah… Hold on tight." All Might said as he realized letting go would be certain death to the child. He aimed for a nearby roof, before landing, making sure to do so in a way as to absorb the impact instead of the teen wrapped around his leg.
"Alright. That's enough. You have delayed me too much as it is young man. I understand you're a fan, however, I really must go." All Might said, looking at the teen, before preparing again to leap, steam beginning to release from his form as he did so.
"W… Wait. All Might is it possible for someone without a quirk to be a hero? Like you!" Izuku shouted. this was his one chance to ask his idol directly. His once chance to know, once and for all. "I've always pushed around because I don't have a quirk. But still, I think that what heroes do, going around and saving people, with a smile on their face. Like you. That's my dream. So can a quirkless person become a hero?" Izuku opened his eyes, fully expecting to have been shouting at an empty roof, only to see a skinny man who looked like he might get torn apart in the wind standing before him.
"A… A fake!" Izuku stumbled back, tripping back and landing against the rooftop.
The man sighed, before sitting down against the railing to the building. "I'm not a fake. It's me All Might." He gave a look as the teen seemed to want to speak up and say something. "It's me. What you see when I'm in action… It's sort of like those guys at the pool who are constantly flexing and posturing." All Might said "Now that you've seen this young man, I need to ask you never speak of this, or write online about it. I'm sure you could imagine what would happen if the world knew the truth."
Izuku rapidly nodded. "You're the Symbol of Peace, it would be chaos."
All Might chuckled, before dropping dead serious again. "Rightly so. And to answer your question…" The lanky man pulled his shirt up, revealing a large ugly scar that covered nearly the entirety of his abdomen. "In a fight about five years ago, my body was crippled, half my respiratory systems were destroyed, and I lost my stomach. Ever since then, I have been unable to maintain my muscle form as much. Right now, I can only maintain it for three hours a day."
"Five years ago, that would've been the fight with been the fight with Toxic Chainsaw, right?" Izuku said, before clapping both hands across his mouth, realizing he had spoken that out loud.
"You really are a fanboy, aren't you? No, Toxic Chainsaw was unable to land a blow against me. This fight was undisclosed. The point is, being a hero is incredibly dangerous, as a hero must always be willing to put their life on the line. In this world, we live in where even those of us with incredibly powerful quirks have the potential to be defeated or even killed… I cannot condone someone without a quirk to put their life in dangers way."
Those words rung like bells in Izuku's head.
"I'm sorry young man. That's the way this world is. I would definitely recommend becoming a police officer or join the medical field. The jobs don't have the same glamor, but they are important jobs to society." All Might said before taking his leave down the stairs of the building. Leaving the bushy-haired teen to digest his words.
Izuku sat there for a few minutes. The finality of All Might's words running over again and again in his head. He had been seeking for years now, to see if there was anyone who believed he could do it. In the end…
An explosion broke Izuku from his thoughts, as a fire in the streets came alive just a few blocks away. He should probably just leave and head home, there was no reason for him to get involved… But his curiosity was too great, and he began running down the stairs of the building, heading towards the explosion.
As he arrived at the scene, he could see that the market area had been blocked off already, and several heroes had already gathered on the scene. Taking a closer look… That was the same villain that had grabbed him earlier, how did he get here? How did he get away from All Might? Why were the heroes not doing anything?
He could see the hero Backdraft fighting off the fire, but the other heroes were avoiding engagement, off to the side talking quietly among themselves. Looking back to the villain… Ashe blonde hair and one angry-looking red eye poked out from the sludge…
System Boot Complete
Welcome, Gamer.
Mission Notification: Freeing the Fire
Objective: Save Katsuki Bakugou from the D-Rank Sludge Villain.
Reward: Permanent access to the special ability "Adrenaline Rush"
Second Objective: ?
Second Reward: ?
Third Objective: ?
Third Reward: ?
Before Izuku could even think, he was already in action. If whatever this was could help him save Bakugou, then he'd accept any help he could get.
Adrenaline Rush (Lvl 1): For a period of (1) Minute, Double all physical stats, after the duration, the user's stats will be divided by ten for an equal amount of time.
Izuku felt his running get faster, he felt more strength in his limbs. The villain is primarily made of sludge, making it impossible to affect him with physical blows outside of overwhelming power like All Might. Izuku smirked, he had a plan.
Running forward, Izuku scanned the environment, making sure to align himself right. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, throwing it towards the villain. If he aimed it right…
There was an almost satisfying crack as the bookbag met eye. "Ow… Oh, it's you kid… back for more?! C'mere!" The Villain charged forward after recovering, attempting to take a second hostage.
"Watch out, wouldn't wanna get burned." Izuku taunted and dodged out of the way at the last second, watching as the sludge villain ran straight into the fire Izuku had been blocking the view of.
"Ow… Ow… Oh, you're in trouble now kid." The sludge villain grumbled, standing up as the fire had been doused by the thick sludge. Before he could move, however, Izuku had already run-up and used his increased strength to land a strong punch to the face, the sludge having hardened in that area due to the intense heat, the sludge began to crack as the villain reeled back in pain. The final part of Izuku's plan was in the perfect spot, reaching for Bakugou's exposed shoulder, and pushing back against the ground, alongside the villain reeling back allowing Izuku to tear the other teen's body from the villain. All in all, he had about ten seconds to get Bakugou as far away from the villain as he could.
Turning back, Izuku saw a tall, stocky man with two large antennae made of golden blonde hair. Who had, once again that day, blowing the sludge villain to bits.
Mission Complete! Freeing the Fire
Katsuki Bakugou saved. Adrenaline Rush (Lvl 1) has been unlocked
All Might Inspired. Quest: The Successor unlocked
Pro Heroes Impressed. Quest: Trademaster unlocked
D-Rank Villain (Sludge Villain) defeated: 200 XP rewarded
Level Increased! Student (Lvl 1) - Student (Lvl 2)
5 Attribute Points Awarded.
Skill Awarded: Active Learner (Lvl 1)
Due to creating and completing a complex plan, your INT has increased by 2!
Due to performing a feat of strength, your STR has increased by 1!
Well… Now that he could stop and think… That was very weird. But dealing with that could come later, now to get out of there before...
"Hey kid, if you could come here for a second." One of the pro heroes on the scene, the up and coming hero, Kamui Woods spoke from where the Pro Heroes had gathered. He walked over to the assembled team of three, Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and Backdraft.
"H… Ho... How can I help you, heroes?" Izuku got out, feigning innocence, which was his best course of action before they locked him up for something or another.
"What you did was incredibly reckless. By all circumstances, you should be dead right now. The fact that you're not dead means your incredibly lucky. And by every right, we should drag you in so you don't go and kill yourself next time." Death Arms spoke, standing imposingly over the teenager. "However, we're willing to overlook it this time. And there better not be a next time, or so help me, I'll pick out your cell myself."
Izuku nodded nervously, something seemed off. And that message, whatever it was said that he had impressed them, although he doubted, he could trust that.
Kamui Woods looked at him. "Alright, we are going to walk you off-site, then you are to return home, and after that, we don't expect to see you doing any vigilante work again, ever."
"Y… Yes sir." Izuku got out, before the three heroes nodded, before beginning to guide him off-site, and thankfully keeping the reporters that had showed up on the scene from getting to him. Once they had gotten away from all the chaos, the three heroes turned back to Izuku once more.
"Rightie now that we don't have the press and public on our back. Good work kid." Backdraft spoke. Immediately the tense atmosphere seemed to evaporate.
"You're not mad at me?" Izuku looked around at the heroes who all seemed to sport much more comfortable expressions then they had.
"Kid, you managed to handle that situation pretty readily when even all of us combined could only stand back and wait for backup." Death Arms spoke up. "The only reason we were so harsh on you was because we can't any old civilian thinking they can run in like you did."
"I… Is that so?" Izuku blinked, the heroes seemed so different now.
"Anyways, we don't want to hold you too long. We've got paperwork to do now, and I'm sure you've got places you need to be. But we all talked briefly about it. I'm sure you're looking to get into one of the hero courses right?" Kamui Woods looked at him expectantly, to which the teen could only nod. "Well, in that case, all three of us would like to do an internship with you. It would be pre-course internships, so it wouldn't be any fieldwork, but we might be able to help you with training. You have an intelligence-based quirk, right? We'll help you get prim and proper, so you have the muscle to back up your brains."
"W-Well…" Izuku began to say but was quickly interrupted by three business cards being shoved into his hands.
"We realize it's a lot to consider right now. But we think it'll do you good. If you're interested give one of us a call, and we can get everything set up." Death Arms spoke, before the three of them waved, walking off, heading back to their respective agencies most likely.
"I don't have a quirk… I don't think." Izuku said to no-one.
It was a bit later as he was nearing his house when he had his second encounter. "Deku!" shouted a voice, piercing the silence of Izuku's pace back home. Bakugou appeared, stomping up to the shorter teenager. "I didn't need your help. Don't think I owe you now, and don't think you can look down on me." The ash-blonde teen then stormed off, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.
"Hold on there young man!" Shouted another voice, as this time All Might appeared in front of Izuku, who could only stare in stunned silence. Where are they coming from? All Might made an impressive pose, before speaking. "I must apologize, what I said back on the rooftop. It was quite… condescending of me…"
Blood spewed from All Might's mouth as his muscle form collapsed, leaving the much more vulnerable man standing there. "I have seen and spoken to many heroes' young man. And among them, there are those I would consider great heroes. Do you know what all of those great heroes had in common?" As Izuku began to shake his head, All Might continued. "They all had memories of their childhood, vivid memories in which they could only describe it as their body acting before their mind. To help others, they cared not for their own safety, or status, but what was best for those in trouble." Green eyes locked with blue eyes "That's what happened to you young man, isn't it? In that case, I must rescind some words I spoke earlier."
"You, young man, can be a hero."
Quest: The Successor
Train under Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might, and reach a suitable physical condition
Reward: 1x (Unique Quirk)
Quest: Trademaster
Train under the four heroes All Might, Backdraft, Death Arms, and Kamui Woods, and gain insight into their skills.
Reward: 1000 XP, Hero Costume (Cardmaster)
Sometimes life can be unfair, take Izuku Midoriya for example, a sixteen-year-old kid who was going to take the world by storm.