I had this on the back burner for a while now. It's a fairly simple story idea, but surprisingly nobody else has done it, at least from what I could see while browsing FF. The summary should spell it out pretty well, all that's left is to get on with the story.
P.S I was disappointed to see that only twenty-three unique voters showed up to the initial poll, and even more so when only five voted on the second poll, granted that second one is mostly the fault of since it sucks at making proper notifications. Oh well, I guess democracy failed.
As it turns out, pure MHA fics are actually the minority among my to-do list of stories so I decided to forgo a third poll and just do this story idea. It was the most interesting of the bunch, at least in my opinion.
Musutafu Tokyo, minutes after the slime incident.
"Young man, wait!" Izuku stopped at the yell of a new familiar voice, his earlier sadness replaced by surprise and curiosity as the skeletal form of the number one hero ran up to him. "I-I want to apologize to you, and give you an offer." Now that really grabbed his attention. An offer from the number one hero?
"I was being hasty when I told you that a quirkless person couldn't be a hero. It's no excuse, but I haven't been in the best state of mind for the last few years because of...Well, you can guess. And seeing as I've been slowly losing my power lately, every hour missing is an hour I'm left feeling helpless." All Might, it still felt weird for Izuku to think of the skeletal man as that, shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
"Anyway, it was no excuse. While I maintain the stance that most people need some kind of power to be a worthy hero in the field, that does not mean that you can't be a...Different type of hero. Tell me, how much do you know about my old sidekick David Shield?" Whatever Toshinori expected, a full, hyper-detailed biography of his best friend was not it.
"Stop! I see that you know a lot about him. Well, onto my offer. While I don't see you being able to fight alongside superheroes, at least not without some significant physical changes on your part," He pokes Izuku in the stomach, almost knocking the boy over even with his emaciated true form...Ok, Izuku saw that he had a point there. "What you can do is rely on that noggin of yours."
Seeing the boy's confusion All Might elaborated. "When I signed that notebook of yours I noticed just how detailed it was. Information from dozens of heroes, how they operate, their support gear, even theories on how their quirks work. Some of which are scarily accurate I might add." All Might muttered before continuing.
"What I'm getting at here is that your talents lay in your head, not your muscles. How do you feel about becoming an information-based hero? One that relies on their smarts and gear to help others indirectly?" Like his old sidekick, he left unsaid. But Izuku was smart enough to pick up on the subtext and was honestly touched that All Might thought so highly of him.
"That's actually what I thought about doing, if I couldn't fight alongside someone like Kacchan, then maybe I could help them from a distance. And not just other heroes, but innocent people everywhere. That's why I applied to U.A. even if...When I failed the practical exam, I could at least join the general or support course and just keep trying. No matter how long it took." The determination All Might could hear from the boy solidified his decision.
"U.A. eh? How about I do you one better? That is, if you think you can handle it." He started his sales pitch. "I can call in a few favors from Dave and U.A's principal, they could give you a pass into I-Island's famous academy, if you manage to pass both their entrance exams of course, while remaining a student at U.A. remotely." The two schools had very similar curriculums so it wouldn't be much of a problem.
I-Island's school system operated slightly differently compared to U.A's, it started in the Autumn instead of spring so if Izuku could pass their exam he'd have a head start for his education in U.A. It would give him quite the unique opportunity.
"There you could stoke that talent of yours and develop some technical skills needed for heroism. And who knows, if in ten months time you are able to pass U.A's practical exam, perhaps they could make an exception for you and give you a spot in one of the hero course classes." Or he could participate in the sport's festival a further month later and make an impression there, the boy had options.
"A-are you serious?! That's amazing, I mean, that's an amazing opportunity. I can't believe it! I'dneverthoughtthatI'dgetthiskindof-" A finger flick to the forehead stopped his rambling. "S-sorry, but yes! I accept, thank you very much!" It looked like things were finally looking up for ol' Izuku!
Days later, Midoriya Residence
Izuku stared at his ceiling with a blank look on his face. His mind had turned to mush over the last few days from the amount of cramming he had done in order to prepare for both U.A's I-Island Academy's entrance exams. When he accepted All Might's offer it had slipped his mind that he'd be effectively skipping his last year of junior high and would have to pass an international level entrance exam with only a fraction of the prep time he thought he'd have.
Sure he was smart, he would be at the top of his class if it weren't for Kacchan, but this was a bit much even for him. Especially when combined with the physical workouts that All Might told him he should do in his free time. He also had to take another exam much sooner in order to skip the rest of his junior high days and transfer to I-Island Academy immediately, but frankly, that was a breeze compared to the rest of his studies.
A knock at the door catches his attention, even more so when Izuku hears a cry of surprise from his mother. Jumping out of his bed and rushing over to the living room he gives his own cry of shock upon seeing All Might at his door, though he was in his smaller form. "Ah, there you are. Good morning young Midoriya, I was about to explain a few things to your mother but it might be best if you're here while I do so."
Ah, that explained things. Izuku gave his mother the spark notes of what had happened a few days prior but hadn't elaborated too much, at that time Inko hadn't questioned it much since her son was so happy and she was still worried over the villain attack but now he had no excuse. He was still surprised that All Might made a personal visit like this.
"Are you the I-Island scout my son was talking about? I must say while I'm excited that Izuku is getting such an amazing opportunity, I can't help but be a little worried. Is it really ok for him to attend a highly acclaimed foreign school on such short notice?" Part of the problem was having to learn English as a bare minimum requirement for attending the academy. Most of the professors knew multiple languages but that barrier would be better dealt with by Izuku himself.
Let's just say that needing to learn an entirely different language in a matter of months while also studying for three high-level exams and keeping up a new workout routine was stretching the limits of what was possible for a regular person. Thankfully, All Might had a solution for this.
"I thought that might be an issue, worry not because I have a plan!' Izuku could tell he was physically trying to hold himself back from turning into his hero mode as he exclaimed and pulled out a folder full of notes. Izuku took them and started to flip through the pages of what seemed to be a study and workout plan.
"For now you should focus on studying for and passing your junior high's exam first, while keeping up your English studies and exercises of course." Inko looked a bit confused over the exercise routine that seemed rather intense but didn't pay it much mind. She supposed a healthy body made a healthy mind.
"Once that is settled, I managed to get the help of a tutor who can prepare you for the I-Island exam, she also volunteered to help you get adjusted once you arrive, if you pass of course." No names were exchanged, it must be someone super important that would raise flags if their name is spoken.
"While I'm happy and extremely proud that my son would get this kind of attention...I'm not sure if we can afford something like this." They were fairly well off as a family, her husband was very well paid while working overseas and she took up part-time jobs to pad out their finances, but something like this was surely very expensive.
"Worry not Ms. Midoriya, part of this deal comes with some rather generous grants for foreign and needing students who wish to attend I-Island Academy. We can certainly work something out and beyond that, the only real expenses would be school supplies and meals. Lodgings are provided at the island and Melissa agreed to tutor Young Midoriya as an extra credit assignment." Oh, thank goodness...Wait, Melissa? Izuku never heard of her before, he was suddenly a bit more interested in who his new tutor was.
"Will I be able to move with Izuku to I-Island or is this a boarding school situation?" Inko was a bit nervous about that, though even if it was what she feared she was confident that her son would be just fine. Being an only child and living with a single parent meant that Izuku knew how to be self-sufficient as far as household chores and cooking were concerned.
"...I'll ask but that might not be doable. I-Island is rather high security and they'd prefer to keep the number of people going in and out to a minimum. Unless young Midoriya has a very good reason for needing parental guidance they'll likely deny housing a second person." High security was putting it lightly, I-Island could give Tartarus a run for its money, and for good reason. The world's center of science and technology damn well better come with excellent defenses.
Plus he only had enough influence as All Might to get Izuku in on such short notice. Any more would bring some unwanted attention. Besides, Inko wasn't the only one that trusted Izuku. Even after meeting him for only a short time, Toshinori could tell that he was a good kid and could take care of himself.
"Now...Who's Melissa?" Inko went from a worried but proud mother to a gossiping and curious mother in all of one second. And to Izuku's horror, All Might was all in on that for whatever reason…
'Don't mind me I suppose. Just gonna spontaneously combust into flames and die...Anytime now physics.' Izuku prayed to whatever god would listen. None would.
They were enjoying themselves too much.
1 Month later, Aldera Middle School
"DEKU FUCKING DID WHAT?!" Izuku honestly should have expected this, and in the back of his mind he did, he just didn't want to think about the inevitable. Kacchan had found out about what he planned to do, along with the rest of his class since their tactless gossip of a teacher couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Passing your final exam nine months early, attending the illustrious I-Island academy right afterward, and planning to take on U.A classes in the spring? My my, aren't you the ambitious one Mr. Midoriya." The green-haired boy could die right there and then. He was going to have such a headache after dealing with Bakugo for another day. At least it was just one more day. After that, his days at Aldera would be over and he could focus on studying for his entrance exams.
He was looking forward to meeting his tutor who would arrive in a few days. All Might had told him a bit about Melissa over the last month and he even got to see a few photos of her, granted they were of her younger self. From what he could tell, she seemed like a nice and very smart person.
"Stop ignoring me, you shitty super nerd!" Izuku decided not to do that. It would seem that ignoring Kacchan during class and just focusing on his work was the best way to delay the explosive boy's anger until later. At which point it would reach its melting...Exploding point.
He'd just have to find a way to sneak away before he got caught in the blast zone. If nothing else, it helped him work on his stealth skills. That was a useful skill for a hero right? He'd just keep thinking that while he jogged home, distinctly not whistling in order to make absolutely sure he wouldn't get caught.
An awkward jog later
"I'm home!" Izuku announced as he arrived home, panting slightly but nowhere near as much as he would have a month ago. All Might's exercise regiment was quite efficient, and the first emphasis was to increase his stamina for what should be obvious reasons. Wait a second. 'Hmm, a second pair of shoes, that's weird, maybe aunt Mitsuki is visiting?'
"Welcome back Izuku! Guess who arrived early? Come here you should meet Melissa, I'm sure you two will get along swimmingly." Melissa was here? It would be a lie if Izuku said he wasn't excited to meet his mysterious tutor. He just hoped that she wasn't to h-h-h-h-
"Hi, there! You're Izuku right? Uncle Yagi has told me a lot about you. I'm Melissa Shield it's a pleasure to meet you." Hot! She was smoking hot and he had no preparation and she was talking to him andomygodwhatwashegoingtodo?!
"H-h-hi!" Good effort Deku! You got a full word out! Give or take a few syllables. Now he just had to extend that to a sentence and he'd be golden! "I-it's a p-pleasure to meet you! All M-I mean Mr. Yagi told me a lot about you t-too. A-a bit too much actually." Brain why?! Why bring up that up of all things?!
'God, Zeus, one of you, help me!'
Sorry kid, those two don't take requests and I'm having way too much fun with this. Something I'm sure the rest of the audience will agree with. So, that was chapter one of a new story, I hope the premise is unique enough to grab people's attention. And if not, I'll just have to work extra hard to make the idea work in later chapters.
Until then, I hope everyone enjoyed this one and I wish you all a great day.