With the immense success my other two fics are getting, I decided it was time to release my third Izuku. It took a while, and I ended up putting 15 different DC heroes in a wheel and spinning it until there was one left. I had choices like Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Green Lantern, Doctor Fate, etc. But instead, we got this one. That's not too bad though. I think I can write something good here. What's more, in Beetle's Cowling, I said that I was going to change things in both that world and this world. You'll see at the end of this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia. My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Shueisha.
"Stop it Kacchan…" Izuku sniffed as he stood in front of a crying schoolmate. The preschooler put up his dukes, even as he trembled heavily. "If you keep doing this, I'll never forgive you!"
It was the same story told in countless universes. Izuku was only a four year old boy when his day, dream, life, was ruined. In a world where eighty percent of the world had superpowers, he was one of the unlucky twenty percent who didn't. He was biologically inferior. And the people around him made sure he knew it. Classmates, teachers, even his mother, though she was at least much nicer about it. It's the same story in this world that was told by other worlds.
But while this might've had the same start, it didn't have the same storyline. This story has Hisashi Midoriya seeing his depressed son and deciding to take him on a vacation. Hisashi and Inko decided to take their now seven year old son to Africa.
"It's so hot!" Izuku said as he huddled behind his dad, using his shadow as shade as the family of three walked through the town in Zambia. The three were on a safari, ready to check out the beauty of Africa and its savannahs.
"Yep, we're getting close to the equator, where the sun shines the hottest." Hisashi said.
"Oh look Izuku!" Inko said as she pointed at an archery shop. "Shall we get a souvenir?"
The seven year old boy lit up and nodded rapidly. Hisashi had taken to teaching Izuku archery. The boy had found it to be extremely fun, and was getting decent with it. Though the happy times are soured by Katsuki finding out and taking it as a sign that Izuku didn't know his place in the world, resulting in another beating. Even so, the boy loved archery. So, with a chuckle, Hisashi bought Izuku a new bow. It was pretty much a toy. Perfect for Izuku's small body.
"Time for our safari!" Hisashi said the next day. Izuku looked up from shooting another target with his arrow. Hisashi took a look.
"Hey, inner red ring. You're getting close to the yellows and the bullseye." he said, ruffling Izuku's fluffy head, getting a grin. Izuku was enjoying his week in Africa.
He should've known it would only last so long.
He was eventually found, hiding in the jeep. Nearby, there were two dead lions. One had its brains blown out, the other was burned all over. There were more lion tracks, but what really caught the search party's attention was the two bodies. The front of Hisashi's body was burnt and Inko held a Glock in her hand.
Izuku was taken back to town, where a kind old man took care of him. The Bakugous eventually made it to town and immediately took Izuku back to Japan, with the old man's contact. The Midoriya's life insurance and inheritance were given to the Bakugous, though Mitsuki and Masaru agreed that the money should be given to Izuku for him to use instead of them.
Izuku wasn't grateful. He didn't have time to be. Because as soon as he was dragged back to Japan, school became worse. No one had any pity for him. They just found it as another reason to insult him. Look at the Quirkless kid. He doesn't even deserve a family. Katsuki and Izuku's relationship got worse. The two fought every day, screaming and yelling at each other. Katsuki blamed Izuku for the deaths of the Midoriyas. Izuku screamed at him to shut up. One day, he had enough.
At the age of ten, Izuku ran away from his supposed home. He and Katsuki were in another argument, and Katsuki broke the bow. The last thing his parents bought him. Izuku decked him across the face and surprisingly knocked him out. The greenhead found himself at a dock a couple hours later, where he spotted a boat being loaded.
"Hey kid." a sailor called out to him. Izuku looked at him in surprise.
"Not planning on stowing away, eh?" the man teased. Izuku shook his head rapidly.
"Well, do you want to come on?" the sailor asked. Izuku blinked in surprise. The man laughed.
"It's fine! I'll talk to the captain. Come on." he said. Izuku timidly followed the man onto the boat. He didn't know why the man would suddenly just extend a friendly hand like that, but he was desperate to get out of Japan, even if it was just for a bit.
"Okay kid, just hang around. I'll be right back." the man said as he walked away. Izuku sat down on the deck of the ship as the boat began moving. It looked like a passenger ship, heading on its way to another country. Izuku overheard someone say America, so that's a guess.
The boat eventually began to move, and Izuku began to sway with the boat on the waves. The cold breeze of the ocean morning seemed to matter little to the boy, and his eyes slowly closed.
-Line Break-
"Kid, hey kid." Izuku was roughly jostled awake by a large hand. The little boy blinked sleepily and looked up to see a new man with a large mustache and a frown.
"You're not on the list. How did you get on?" he asked in a gruff, yet gentle, voice. Izuku mumbled as he explained how there was a sailor who told him he could get on.
"Who told you that? Can you show them to me?" the man said. Izuku nodded sleepily and got to his feet. He stumbled and fell down, not expecting the boat to be out at sea.
"Yeah, the crew didn't inform me of there being a stowaway until after we left the docks. We're on a tight schedule, so you'll be working simple jobs until we get to America in order to pay off your ticket, aight kid?" the man said. Izuku nodded and looked up at him, recognition lighting in his eyes as he took in the man's blue skin and gills.
"You're the Captain Hero, Blue Moon."
"That's me. And this is my proud little ship." Blue Moon said as he gestured to the ship. He turned back to Izuku.
"But enough about me. Show me the sailor who said you could get on my ship."
Izuku nodded, and the two walked around. The ship was large, enough to fit well over a hundred people, though it wasn't completely comfortable. There were also a multitude of different cannons.
"Gotta keep up security somehow kid." Blue Moon said when he saw Izuku looking at the cannons.
The two walked around, with the pro-hero greeting most who he saw and tipping his hat. Some people cooed at the small boy, who ducked under the hero to hide away from their gaze. They eventually went under the deck, where Izuku saw a variety of different people and items. He spotted someone with a beautiful bow, causing the corner of his lips to twitch. Blue Moon and Izuku searched everywhere, but they couldn't find anyone resembling the man who let him on.
"Hm. I don't think you're lying kid. But maybe it was a dream, and you just found yourself here by accident. Well, either way, it's time to put you to work." Blue Moon said.
And so, Izuku found himself working on the ship. It was going to be a two month trip, so there was plenty for him to do. He helped wash vegetables and fruit, learned to cut up a fish, even managed to cook. The chefs on board were a little iffy about letting a kid cook, but Izuku proved to be a quick learner. He also helped wash the deck, serve customers, and often rubbed people on their backs as they barfed over the deck.
Some people protested the kid working, but Blue Moon explained that Izuku was working his ticket, since he was technically a stowaway. Izuku didn't mind. Working constantly on this boat meant that, for the first time in three years, he wasn't reminded of his parents every hour of his life. He even got to meet a few more heroes, though they were off-duty. He liked being on this boat.
What he really liked though, was getting to talk to other passengers. There was one lady in particular who he got along with well. It was when he was on one of his rounds, cleaning the floors of the ship overseen by Blue Moon, when a nice tall woman with black hair going down her back caught his attention.
"Young man, aren't you a bit young to be working here?" she asked.
"Ah, I'm technically a stowaway, so I have to work to make up for it." he said sheepishly.
"Trust me ma'am, I don't like making him do this either, but I have to be fair to the rest of the passengers. Normally I'd drop him off, but we have a tight schedule this time." Blue Moon explained.
"Well, why don't I pay for his ticket?" the lady suggested.
"Oh, you don't have to do that. I actually like working like this." Izuku shook his head.
"Hm." the woman looked into Izuku's eyes and realized that he was telling the truth. She was confused, but nodded.
The second time Izuku met the lady was when he delivered some food to her. He pushed a small cart that Blue Moon was kind enough to make him, and knocked on the door. He was surprised by the lady opening it and blinking at him in surprise.
"Oh, you're that little stowaway!"
"Mhm. Here's your food ma'am." the ten year old held the food up. It was rather light, but the lady hurried to take it.
"Say little boy, what's your name?" she asked.
"Izuku Midoriya."
"Hello Izuku. I'm Anzu Yaoyorozu."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Yaoyorozu." Izuku bowed before walking away. Anzu watched the boy go before closing the door.
It wasn't their last meeting. Every day, Anzu would look for Izuku and greet him. He would greet her back, and the two began to be more familiar with each other. When Anzu invited Izuku to visit her in her room for some sweets after he was done working, Izuku found himself nodding and later found himself sitting in one of Anzu's fancy chairs, nibbling on some cake.
"Izuku, is there anything you like to do?" she asked as she sipped on some tea.
"Uh, I like watching heroes! And I like archery." Izuku said shyly. Anzu made a noise of surprise.
"Archery?"
"Yeah, my daddy taught me." Izuku said, his voice becoming smaller. Anzu, sensing the change in tone, quickly changed the topic.
Blue Moon soon heard of Izuku's archery hobby and set him to help fish to practice his archery. Izuku was given a makeshift bow and an arrow with a rope tied to it. He fired the arrow into the water for hours on end, never managing to get a fish. He didn't mind. It was nice to practice archery after a few years. It reminded him of good times.
"Seeing you throw yourself into archery so eagerly, it reminds me of my baby girl." Anzu said with a smile one afternoon. Izuku looked up at her with curiosity in his eyes.
"Your daughter?"
"Oh, she is just the most innocent thing. She wants to become a hero so badly, she threw herself into studying everything she could about chemistry and engineering. Everything science. All to make sure she can use her Quirk to its full."
"What's her Quirk?" Izuku asked. Anzu looked at him in silence.
"...Where did that come from?" she asked. Izuku blinked and looked down to see a notebook and pen in hand.
The blank pages were soon filled with information, ideas, and theories. Izuku was amazed with the near endless potential that her daughter had. Momo Yaoyorozu was her name, and her Quirk gave her the ability to make anything. The only limit was her knowledge and her imagination, both of which Momo apparently had much of.
"I bet your daughter will be an incredible hero!" Izuku said.
"Oh, she will." Anzu smiled.
"With a Quirk like this combined with her imagination, she can be any kind of hero! Combat, Support, Rescue…" Izuku was cut off as Anzu placed a hand on his head. He looked up at her.
"Izuku, remember this. While what you say is true, the kind of person you should aspire to be should be determined by the kind of person you are. Not what you're capable of."
"..." Izuku was silent. He finally spoke a minute later.
"Miss Yaoyorozu? Do you think that I can be a hero? Even though…" Izuku fell silent.
"Go on Izuku." Anzu prodded slightly.
"...Even though, I, I don't have, a Quirk?" he asked, his voice quivering and almost nonexistent.
"Oh, Izuku." Anzu gave him a slight hug, surprising him. "You have suffered much, haven't you?"
Izuku could only sniff, before beginning to cry. Anzu held him close, stroking his head. She opened her mouth to say something, only to jerk as there was a sudden jolt that caused the two to fall over. The ship tipped slightly to the side, causing everything to slide around before righting itself. Izuku and Anzu sprung to their feet and quickly rushed out of the room. Izuku was the first to make it to the deck, but yelped in fear as he was suddenly snatched and held up. Anzu was tossed to the side and slammed against the railing with a grunt, leaning back dangerously before managing to catch herself.
The outside of the ship was a disaster. There was a massive storm, rain pouring down so heavily it was hard to see, and there were mini-waterfalls pouring off the sides. Lightning cracked through the sky, and waves were pushing the ship around.
"Blue Moon! Give up and die like a dog, or this kid dies first!" the man holding him threatened. Izuku looked at the man and froze.
"You!" he cried out. The man who invited him onto the ship grinned at the smaller kid.
"You know, I just invited you onto the ship on a whim! But look at you, being a useful little hostage!" he cackled. He held Izuku over the edge, causing him to cry out in fear.
"Tempest! You coward!" Blue Moon spat in anger where he stood. His hands were up, and water was holding up several members of the passengers. Another pillar of water was aimed at Blue Jewel, but it was stationary despite looking as though it was spitting in anger.
"For years, you were always above me. You always thought you were champ! Well look at you now! Unable to save a little boy and trapped in a giant storm that I created!" Tempest taunted. Izuku looked around, gripping Tempest's arm as he monologued. He had to get out of his grip. Izuku looked downwards, and spotted the lower deck, where the railing was sticking out just a bit.
'If I drop down there, I might slip and fall! But if Tempest throws me off, there's no chance I can stay on the boat…' Izuku saw enough movies and news reports to know that the villain wasn't going to let him live. With little other choice apparent to the scared child, Izuku chose the first choice, and sunk his teeth into Tempest's hand, who yelled as his grip loosened. Izuku cried out as he was dropped. Tempest threw a glance down before turning back around to see the torrent of water blasting him and throwing the screaming villain over the side. The water shot downwards and caught the screaming child. Izuku sighed in relief as he was placed down safely before being embraced by Anzu.
"Oh, thank goodness Izuku!"
"That was reckless Midoriya." Blue Moon said. "Be more careful in the future."
"BLUE MOON!" Tempest roared as he soared through the air, carried by violent winds. The hero responded by jumping off the side of the boat and summoning a giant pillar of water to catch and carry him towards the villain. Lightning was intercepted by floating water and dispersed. Powerful pillars of water were destroyed by wind cannons. Izuku could only stare at the powerful hero and villain as they fought. Anzu tugged at him, reminding him to get inside.
Tempest yelled as he was blasted with another pillar of water before being trapped inside of an orb of water. The orb spun around, tossing the man inside like a ragdoll. He roared before calling down more lightning. Blue Moon started, trying to block the bolts but was zapped. He yelled as he fell into the water. Tempest laughed as he broke from the water, surrounded by a bubble of air. But the trouble was just getting started, as lightning bolts shot the boat. Inside, Anzu picked Izuku up and hugged him close as the ship lights began to flicker.
"Don't worry Izuku, we'll be fine." she said. Izuku looked around before the boat suddenly tilted violently. The two fell over, and Izuku jumped to his feet. He hurried away, outside of the ship. He ran over to one of the cannons and hopped in, pressing buttons at random. Anzu spotted him and hurried over as the cannon turned on. It swiveled around, taking aim at Tempest.
"Izuku! That's dangerous!" Anzu warned. Izuku paid little attention as he figured out how to move the cannon at his command. He pointed the cannon back at Tempest, and pressed a random button. The entire turret shook as it blasted a cannonball. Tempest saw this and created a dense windshield, but couldn't block the entire explosion. He yelled as he was knocked from the air and into the water. Blue Moon was quick to trap Tempest again, this time trying to spin him around quick enough to make him pass out.
"How do you know how to fire a cannon?" Anzu asked in shock.
"I pressed the big red button." Izuku pointed at the giant button.
"Brat!" Tempest roared from inside the sphere of water, bubbles spilling out of his mouth. He raised his hand and called down more lightning, which crashed down all over the sea. Hair stood up at the back of Izuku's head, before he was yanked out of the turret. Anzu spun around, curling around Izuku before the lightning bolt struck the turret. Light and heat filled Izuku's vision, and he passed out.
-Line Break-(Five Years Later)
"In other news, Izuku Midoriya has finally been found after five years of searching. The Bakugous had reported the young man missing five years ago, and had all but given up hope, until three days ago, when the family of three received a message from the young man from Brazil. Reports say that he had been stuck on an island for the past five years, with said reports being backed up by a fisherman and his son. They say that the island was considered to be a taboo in the nearest village, and that there had been no reports of a boat or any sort arriving at the island. The young-" the TV was shut off.
A man tossed the remote onto the table and turned to the teen behind him. Izuku looked back at the man. Five years ago, he was a little boy, just ten years old. Now he was fully fifteen, and much different. There was a scar that ran along the side of his face, his hair was rather shaggy, and his visible arms were well-developed. His eyes, however, were what really caught the man's attention. They were focused, sharp. Ready for anything. Those were the eyes of a survivor.
"So, you are the prodigal son. What brings you here? What brings you to my house?" the man asked.
"...I'd prefer to keep that to myself until your daughter arrives." Izuku said, head bowed. The man pursed his lips, but stayed silent. The two waited until finally, a knock on the door was heard.
"Enter." the man said. A teenage girl, the same age as Izuku, walked in, confusion in her eyes appearing as she spotted Izuku.
"Father, is he the one that was on the news report?" she asked as she walked over to her father.
"Yes Momo, he is. And he says that he has something to say to the both of us." Izuku stood up, eyes glued on Momo. He walked around the table so that he was in full view of the two. Then, he kneeled. He bowed a full dogeza, surprising the two.
"I… I was on the ship that Anzu Yaoyorozu was on when it sank." he said, voice trembling. Momo gasped, as the man's eyes narrowed.
"Y-you were?" Momo asked in a whisper.
"I assume that's how you got to that island?" the man guessed.
"Yes, it is. And I came here… I came here to say that I am sorry. I'm sorry that I was the one who returned, and not her." Izuku said, voice cracking. The man's eyes widened.
"I hold myself responsible. There was a villain attacking the ship, and Ms. Yaoyorozu protected me from an explosion. I woke up on a floating piece of the ship, and I spent every day wishing that it was her who survived, not me. I'm sorry!" Izuku said, his words spilling out. "She deserved to come back more than me. She loved you two so much, and it's my fault that she died!"
The two Yaoyorozus could only stare at the young man as he repeated the words, 'I'm sorry'. Momo staggered back and fell into a chair, in shock. The man stared at the bowing Izuku before taking a deep breath.
"Stand up young man." he said. Izuku stopped apologizing, and stood up. He was breathing heavily, shuddering as he did. Mr. Yaoyorozu then did something that shocked his daughter even more. He took a step forward, and punched Izuku hard enough to knock the boy completely off his feet.
"Father!" she protested.
"Young Midoriya, you insult my wife." Mr. Yaoyorozu said. Momo and Izuku froze.
"Anzu was a lady with a heart of gold. She believed in helping anyone, regardless of who or what they were. She gave up her life so that you may survive. And you say that you wish that you didn't? If she had failed to save you, the guilt would eat her alive. Let her rest in peace, knowing that she saved you. Don't make bitter her sacrifice by choosing to kill your soul with self-loathing, and accept my fist as your penance to dissolve your guilt." Mr. Yaoyorozu said. Izuku shifted his position until he was bowing again, this time not in the dogeza position, but still bowing.
"I will. Thank you." Izuku said.
"I mourned my wife for five years, but knowing that she died doing something that gave her satisfaction eases the pain." Mr. Yaoyorozu said.
"If what you said was true, then the villain is truly to blame." Momo said to Izuku in an attempt to reassure him. "But, thank you for telling me what happened to my mother."
"She spoke very highly of you." Izuku said with a sad smile. "She spoke with love in every word."
Momo smiled back, and her smile didn't leave as Izuku left. She looked at her father, whose face was grim. She walked over and hugged him, receiving a hug back. Outside the manor, Izuku took a breath, and sighed. He looked around the street, drinking in the sights. Three days, and he still hasn't gotten used to seeing actual roads and sidewalks. He walked down the road for what seemed to be hours, eventually coming into the city. His head swiveled around, eyes consuming the sights. So distracted was he, that he didn't see a group of people surrounding him until it was too late.
"So. Little Deku is alive!" Izuku scowled at the teen in front of him, who sneered back.
"What do you want, Tsubasa?" he said impatiently.
"You think just because you didn't die when you were supposed that you're some kind of big shot? You're still a Deku. Maybe if you died and came back, you'd be less of a Deku." Tsubasa said. The goons around him laughed despite the lack of humor.
"Maybe if you died and came back, you wouldn't be such a prick." Izuku shot back.
"Ooh! Looks like someone grew a backbone!"
"And you grew your belly."
"Are you calling me fat?!"
"I'm not calling you smart either."
"Hah! This is actually kinda fun!" Tsubasa admitted. "It's about time you learn to fight back."
"Fighting you is a waste of time." Izuku said as he strolled past.
"Hey! We're not done!" One of the goons tried to grab Izuku, but froze. Izuku turned to see a taller, blond boy with red eyes with a scowl on his face.
"Hey Sh*tty Nerd. The Hag wants us back." Katsuki Bakugou said. Izuku nodded and followed his former childhood friend. The two left the group of attempted bullies behind and walked through the city.
"...Hey."
"What?"
"Were you the one who left the bow on my desk?"
"I broke your old one, now I got you a new one. Now we're even. And I don't owe you anything."
"We are not even."
"What." Katsuki stopped and turned to face Izuku.
"That was the last thing my parents got me. And you snapped it in half. You think a random bow you picked out would make up for it?" Izuku snapped back. Katsuki clicked his tongue and turned away. The two continued to walk in silence.
"Katsuki."
"...Yeah?"
"We're not friends."
"No. We're not."
"We're not going to be friends."
"Probably not."
"Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."
"Deal." Katsuki and Izuku fell silent. They eventually reached home after an hour, walking half of the way and riding a train for the rest. When they reached home, however, they saw a bundle of flowers on the doorstep, with a card assigning it to Izuku. At first glance, this was a nice gesture. But the fact that it was labeled 'Deku', and that the flowers were red spider lilies told what they really meant. Izuku scowled but ignored them as he walked in. Katsuki made to follow, stopped next to the flowers, and snapped his fingers. The bundle exploded and burned into ash on the stone step as Katsuki walked in.
Oh yeah, different Quirks! Red Hero's characters will have the same Quirks in canon, and at most have different ways of being applied. But Full Arrow and Beetle's Cowling will have some characters who have different Quirks than what they are in canon. Full Arrow's characters will have Quirks similar to their original ones, but Beetle's Cowling's will be entirely different. But to make things easier for me, I'll only be changing the Quirks of major characters. So, keep an eye out for that. And one more thing. One of these Izukus will be getting One for All. It's gonna be like this: One fic will have an Izuku with One for All. Another will have Mirio get One for All. The last will have someone else have One for All. I kinda already decided which Izuku will have it, though. I think it might be obvious if you think about the characters and go through the process of elimination. Anyways, as per the usual, leave a review! Azure out!