DISCLAIMER: I do not own My Hero Academia or Jujutsu Kaisen.
This story's idea came from fanfiction user Samuel Dudek, who provided me with a central plot.
All men are not created equal. This was the reality I learned at the young age of four.
The people you look up to aren't always who you thought they were. This was the reality I learned at the age of ten.
Now going back to my first point, "all men aren't created equal..." well, it's true. After all, throughout Heaven and Earth... I alone am the honored one.
My name is Midoriya Izuku, the chosen successor of Gojo Satoru.
My dreams were crushed not once, but twice- before I was even in middle school. Once, when I was told that I was quirkless, in a world full of people with quirks. And twice, when the person I looked up to most told me that I could never become a hero. It was as if everything were pointing towards me never fulfilling my dream. Even my childhood friend, Kacchan. Well, he wasn't much of a friend back then, but still.
One man proved them all wrong. Or rather, one man helped me prove them all wrong.
"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!"
"He's so cool! When I get my quirk, I wanna be like him too!"
"You should probably give it up."
"I'm so sorry, Izuku! I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"
"If you wanna be a hero that badly, there's a quick way to do it. Hope that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof!"
"I cannot simply say that one can become a hero, even without power. I'm sorry. But you also have to consider what's realistic."
"What are you talking about, Izuku? You can become a hero."
In a world full of people with quirks, I was born quirkless. I was part of the unlucky 20%. I was told to give it up and that I'd never make it, and part of me almost caved in. But when I watched All Might saving people with that unbreakable smile over and over again, I couldn't just stop. I didn't want to.
So I did what I could. I studied up on all sorts of heroes, aiming to become the first quirkless student at UA, the same school my hero went to. I didn't let Kacchan and his bullying get to me, no matter how bad it got.
First, let me tell you about the day I stumbled upon the number one hero, All Might.
"Shoe size is..." Ten year old Izuku knelt down, scaling the imprint with a measuring tape. "26.5 centimeters." He scribbled the information down in his notebook. Because of the quirk of the molten hero, Magma, the man's footprint was imprinted into the cement. A fight between him and a villain had broken out a few weeks ago, and Izuku was there to gather information on it.
Damnit... that poisonous bastard really got me... Toshinori Yagi thought to himself as he staggered through the city of Musutafu. In the alleyway behind Izuku, a battered up All Might suddenly walked out, coughing. They were both silent for a moment as their eyes met, wide with surprise.
"What are you-"
"All Might?!"
Izuku dropped his notebook. "You- You're All Might! Oh my God, I-"
"Shhhh! I don't want to draw a crowd." The blond man raised a finger to his lips. "Oh, sorry! I- I've just always wanted to meet you!" Toshinori wasn't sure how to get the boy away from the scene before Toxic Cloud, the name of the poisonous gas villain, showed up again. Or perhaps worse, if he accidentally reverted back to his other form. "Uhhh... do you want an autograph? I don't have much time-"
"Yes! Yes, absolutely!"
All Might signed his name in Izuku's notebook, who then proceeded to handle the object like a delicate bomb. I'm going to make this my family heirloom...
"Alright, well I have to go now, so-"
"Wait! I... I have a question for you." Toshinori coughed into his fist again. "I'm really sorry, but if I don't-" He was suddenly engulfed smoke, inciting a few coughs from both of them. Once it cleared, Izuku's jaw dropped. The tall, burly All Might had been replaced with the skinny, zombie-like Toshinori Yagi. "What- you- I-" Toshinori sighed. Shit. There goes another person who knows about my other form. "You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" Izuku gaped at him for a few more moments before straightening. "I... I won't. But you... what happened? You- you are All Might, right?"
Toshinori went on to explain his condition to the boy, all while keeping an eye out for Toxic Cloud.
Izuku swallowed nervously. This... is hard to absorb, but he's still the symbol of peace, even if he can only maintain it... for three hours...
I'm going to have to trust this young boy to keep my secret, not that I have much of a choice. "Did you have something you wanted to ask me?"
"Oh, right!" The butterflies in his stomach went even crazier as he summoned the nerve to ask his role model the question he'd been waiting to ask for over six years.
"Can... I mean, do you think that even a quirkless person like me can become a hero?"
He's quirkless?Just like... Toshinori felt bad for the boy as he looked up at him with hopeful green eyes. I can't let him lead a meaningless life. If this boy seriously tries to become a pro hero... he won't make it. That's the sad truth of this world.
"Young boy... without a quirk, you're better off becoming a police officer if you want to help people. I cannot simply say that one can become a hero, even without power. I'm sorry. But you also have to consider what's realistic."
After hearing those words, something cracked inside of Midoriya. Throughout the years, it stayed broken, even after he met Gojo Satoru. Or rather, the spirit of Gojo Satoru.
That night, Midoriya lied awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. Right. I should have known. I mean, I don't have a quirk. There's nothing special about me. How could I... Tears welled up in his eyes. How could I ever even dream of being a hero?
By the time he fell asleep, it was almost morning.
This boy's spirit... it's so bright. How unusual. It reminds me of Yuuji. Gojo Satoru grinned, placing a finger to his chin. Maybe he's the one.
Midoriya suddenly gasped, sitting up. Where am I? He stood up, looking around the strange place. He couldn't quite describe it- it was like being in a dark, unexplainable Wonderland, if it had a crossover with the universe. Despite not being able to see or feel the ground, he could stand upright and walk just fine. What a strange lucid dream. He tried to change the setting, with no luck. I can't wake up either? What a nightmare, he thought as he wandered around. His eyes widened. "Oh no, am I in a coma or something?"
The sudden sound of laughter scared Midoriya to the bone. "You're not in a coma, don't worry." A young man suddenly appeared in front of him, wearing a dark leather suit. He had soft-looking stark white hair and unusually bright blue eyes, like all of the morning sky condensed into one point. Midoriya also noted that he was... incredibly good looking, especially with those brilliant eyes of his. For some reason, he felt like the man was much older than he looked. But if he ignored that, he looked to be in his early 20s or so.
"Wh- who are you?"
"My name is Gojo Satoru. And you?"
"Midoriya Izuku... Are you part of my dream?"
"No, no. Well... kind of."
"What do you mean?"
"We're inside of my domain while in your dream. Like a yolk in an egg. None of our real bodies are here- these are our spiritual manifestations."
"I- I don't understand. Is this your quirk? What are your intentions? Are you a villain?"
"Slow down- no, this isn't the effect of a quirk. I don't have one, anyway. My intentions are rather complicated, but I promise they aren't bad. And I'm pretty much the opposite of a villain, if I say so myself." He's quirkless, like me? "Then how are you doing this?" It all feels way too real to be a simple dream. "It's my jujutsu, Limitless. An application of it, at least."
"Ju- jujutsu? Like the martial art?" Does he do karate? Gojo suppressed another laugh. "To put it in very simple terms, they're the quirks of my world."
"Your world?"
"Yep, I'm not from your world. I came from a completely different universe." Midoriya let out a nervous laugh. "A different universe? No way. That's not..." That's not possible. This has to be some kind of bad joke. "Oh, but it is. Izuku, I'm dead. I died a while ago in my world. For reference, I'm- I was the strongest. Obviously, I wasn't just gonna go poof with all my abilities. Someone needed to inherit them. To take on the burden of the strongest." Midoriya swallowed. Where is this going? "I tried a few promising looking people. I remember one with a straw hat, one bubbly kid with a fishing pole, and one with ginger hair. Her eyes were green like yours."
"What are you trying to say?"
"It's your turn, Izuku. I'm seeing if you're worthy or not of inheriting my power."
"Inheriting your pow- that's crazy! I mean, I... I'm not even..."
"You're not even what?" Slowly, Midoriya looked down. "...I'm not even worthy enough for All Might. The number one hero. I even got to ask him personally, but he was right. Someone like me can't become a hero." Ah... what am I doing, spilling my life story to this stranger?
Gojo leaned down, looking Midoriya in the eye, who was startled by the sudden gesture. "Hmm... Since we're in your head and all, I can see what kind of person you are. And in my book, you're more than worthy. That's coming from the strongest jujutsu sorcerer." Midoriya laughed nervously, though it was more of a miserable one. "Me? A hero? It's true that I've always wanted to be one, but I just... can't. You're better off picking someone stronger, Gojo-san." I can't even stand up for myself when it comes to Kacchan's bullying. How am I supposed to save people if I can't even save myself?
"What are you talking about, Izuku? You can become a hero."