Quirkless

In one world, in the early days of metahumans, one of their number gave a power (later called a quirk,) to his younger brother and it merged with his own innate power, creating a power known as One For All. On the opposite side of the world, one family's life came close to being utterly destroyed but was saved by the timely intervention of a young police officer. One For All would eventually be passed down to two quirkless teens. First would be Yagi Toshinori who would become the world's greatest hero: All Might. The second would be his chosen successor, Midoriya Izuku, who would also become one of the greats.

This is not that world.

In this world, Shigaraki Yoichi pushed his brother too far and he was killed. Yagi Toshinori was born with a quirk, one that granted him enormous super-strength and speed, allowing him to still become All Might, the Symbol of Peace. In America, the young family was destroyed because the police officer was delayed. The parents were killed, leaving behind a traumatized, twelve-year-old boy who vowed to clean up his city so that none would have to suffer as he did. Young Bruce Wayne was quirkless, as most in his day were, but his training to take on the criminals plaguing Gotham granted him the power to challenge even those with powers and be invited into the Justice League, an alliance of heroes that gathered to deal with threats beyond the power of any one hero.

As Batman, Bruce Wayne was forced to take on greater challenges than he had ever imagined. He was the first vigilante to work closely with the police, and the first to take on sidekicks, though at first only one at a time. Within ten years of starting though, his allies were so numerous that they became known as the Bat-Family. Time continued to pass, and Bruce Wayne knew that he would eventually be forced to retire. In order to ensure that his legacy continued, he used his wealth to create Batman Incorporated; a worldwide enterprise that would train new young heroes in martial arts, stealth, detective work; in short, everything one would need to become another Batman. As one final way to ensure that the legacy of Batman would become cemented in stone, it was decreed that only those without quirks would be trained by Batman Inc.

Two months after Midoriya Izuku was declared quirkless, a black-haired young man with blue eyes knocked on their door. "Hello, my name is Timothy Drake-Wayne, I'd like to speak to you and your son about an opportunity." Inko was utterly confused as to why an American would be at her door and welcomed him inside. She was far too curious to simply tell him no. Once inside, the youth asked a simple question. "Izuku, do you want to become a hero?"

"I don't have a quirk. Can I still be a hero?"

"My great-grandfather didn't have a quirk and he was one of the greatest back home, and his step-father was even greater. What do you say?" Naturally, the five-year-old jumped at the chance. "Good, and what about you, ma'am? Are you willing to support him?"

"How can he be a hero, though?"

"My namesake great-grandfather was the hero known as Red Robin, one of the second generation of the World's Finest heroes. All the training that he and his brothers experienced has been passed down through Batman Incorporated, and if you're willing, Izuku would be our next student. By the time he's a teen, he'll be ready to take on even UA's entrance exam."

Nine Years Later

"Midoriya, answer me this," Aizawa Shoto demanded at the end of his fitness test. "Why is it that you never once tried to use your quirk during the exam?"

"Don't answer just yet, Deku!" Bakugou Katsuki called out. "I have to get a picture of this!" Izuku just laughed at his best friends' demand.

"And why would you want a picture just because he answered Aizawa-sensei's question?" Jirou Kyoka asked.

"It's not the answer, it's your reaction to the answer that I'm looking forward to," Katsuki answered as he raised his phone. "Go ahead Deku, tell Eraserhead why you didn't use your quirk."

"That's easy, I don't have a quirk." Everyone from emotional Uraraka to stoic Todoroki were blown away by that statement.

However, no one was more blown away than Aizawa himself. "But you got the highest score on the practical exam!"

"Maybe it's not as irrational as you thought it was, sensei," Izuku replied.

The Next Day

Iida Tenya turned to his partner in their first Heroics class. "This should be an easy win for us, shouldn't it? Uraraka can't do anything without touching something, and Midoriya is quirkless."

"You're a damn idiot, Glasses," Bakugou said. "Deku is the most dangerous person in UA, with the possible exclusion of All Might himself. Everything we're here to learn about being a hero, he's already learned. His skills, support equipment, judgment, martial arts abilities, and above all, his mind make him more skilled than most pros. If you underestimate him, you only do so at your own peril. The only chance we have is if we face him together."

Iida was … confused. Yes, Midoriya was clearly a brilliant person and deserved to be in UA more than anyone else (saving Uraraka alone proved that,) but Bakugou seemed to put Midoriya on an even higher pedestal than he had! "I guess the best thing to do now is to try to get into character then." He internally hyped himself up into a villainous persona before turning back to his partner. "So, are you finally going to fill me on your plan? We wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, after all."

Bakugou smiled at that before getting into character himself. "You're just a small-timer, why on earth would I ever tell you my brilliant plan? Besides, the less you know, the less you can tell that damned Bat!"

Iida was confused by the nickname but he stayed in character. "Small-timer?! Do you have any idea the kind of jobs I've pulled?!"

"Yes, I do, small-timer. That's why I call you that, you've pulled some good gigs, but you're just a thief for hire. There's no bigger objective for you! I am Bakuhatsu no Kami and I will have my dream!"

The two argued a bit longer until Iida called out "Is that you, Uraraka?"

Uraraka was about to move into sight when Izuku called on the radio. "Don't move, don't say anything. Never reveal anything you're not ready to, and we still have work to do."

"I did hear her, didn't I?" Iida asked.

Bakugou growled out "The Bat is in charge, no way he'd let her make a rookie mistake. Where are you, Deku? Don't you want to take me in? The only way you can stop my greatest explosion yet is if you capture me!" Nothing but silence answered him. "Damn him, he's too good at this," Bakugou whispered.

"I don't get it, what's Midoriya waiting for?" Kaminari asked, as it was clear to everyone that he was in charge of the hero team.

"He's taking advantage of the fact that Bakugou knows him so well," Todoroki stated. "By delaying his attack, he's stressing Bakugou out, messing with his head. Very impressive, it's not something one would expect from someone our age."

Five minutes passed in which the hero team did nothing, only stressing the villain team out even more. Finally, Izuku said "Okay, I think we've tortured them long enough, Uraraka. Throw in the smoke pellets I gave you."

Within seconds, the room was filled with a black smoke obscuring everyone's vision. "In the name of villainy, I demand you show-" Iida was cut off as he disappeared.

"Damn it, small timer, I told you to-" Bakugou disappeared less than a minute after Iida did. When the smoke cleared, the villain team was hanging from the roof, having been tied with rope around their waists and their wrists, and Midoriya and Uraraka were touching the weapon.

After the tests were over, Midoriya approached Todoroki. "Can I speak to you in private after class?" The bi-colored teen was curious and agreed. Two hours later, they met up at the arena that UA kept strictly for the Sports Festival. "How often has Endeavor done something like that?" Izuku asked, rubbing his hand over his own eye where Shoto's scar was.

"Never, actually. He trains me hard, and sometimes it does border on abuse, but he's never burned me. This was actually done because he destroyed my mother's sanity."

"I'm so sorry," Izuku whispered. "No wonder you reject your fire so badly. But you shouldn't hold yourself back just because you inherited half your quirk from him."

"What would you know about inherited power?" Shoto demanded. "No offense, but you are quirkless," he finished in a calmer tone.

"First, none taken. You can't be insulted by what's true. As for inherited power, more than you can imagine. Do you remember my costume? What did you make of it?"

Shoto thought back. A domino mask, a cape that was yellow on the inside and black on the outside, a full body suit with clear body armor, a stylized 'R' on the left breast and the visible 'briefs' look. All in all it was rather … "Old-fashioned and outdated. It actually reminds me of a costume from the early days of quirks."

"Because it is," Izuku replied. "I'm working with a company that specifically trains quirkless kids to become heroes, in honor of their founders. The original was a true hero, but he realized he couldn't do the job on his own, so he started taking kids on as sidekicks. Each of them wore a version of my uniform. We don't get our own until we earn our license. When we're given our Robin uniform, we're told of the legacy behind the costume … and then we're told that while we stand on the shoulders of giants, it is our actions as heroes that make us who we are and that we will be judged on."

Shoto nodded. Something about that resonated with him, and his interest in Midoriya Izuku shot up. "I'm going to have to think about what you said."

A/N: So, this idea came to me while I was working one day and it wouldn't let me go. However, I have too much on my plate as it is, including three other MHA stories. As a result, I'm putting this up for adoption right now, much like my Avatar story A Tale of Two Avatars. Take this wherever you wish, just keep the key points: Izuku MUST remain quirkless and carries on the legacy of Batman. One For All can stay dead or you can bring it back, but Izuku cannot become the Ninth.