Boku no Hero Academia: Tales of HeroismDisclaimer: This is a fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia. I own nothing of the series other than the idea I have been thinking about for weeks.
Tale 2.1: Fluffy Hero Izuku
"Men are not created equal. That is the tragic truth of the world, especially in a world where superhuman abilities known as quirks exist."
An adorable humanoid furry creature which had a cat-like face with a rabbit-like nose, a pair of long rabbit-like ears, a dextrous otter-like tail, a pair of digitigrade legs with cat-like paws and a pair of dextrous paws with four digits for hands was walking back to his classroom. His small child-like body was covered in soft fluffy fur which was mainly green in colour with a patch of white fur on his chest and abdomen, curly dark-green hair on his head and three white cat-like whiskers on each cheek. As unusual as the cute creature was, he was actually a middle-school human boy with a quirk known as Midoriya Izuku. Not surprisingly, many people, especially girls and women, found him absolutely adorable.
As Izuku moved with a rabbit-like hop at each step, he suddenly heard an explosion from his classroom. Sighing at the sound of the explosion, thereby revealing small cat-like fangs, Izuku muttered, "What made Kacchan angry this time?"
In a different universe, Midoriya Izuku and a certain blond boy with sharp red eyes named Bakugou Katsuki were childhood friends who would eventually drift apart due to Katsuki bullying Izuku. As for this universe, Katsuki almost never bullied Izuku even though he still considered the furry boy to be beneath him in terms of being a hero who defeats villains. There were a few reasons such as Izuku wanting to be a hero who focuses on helping and rescuing people rather than fighting villains and Katsuki being smart enough to realise that harming Izuku was the same was signing his own death warrant.
"In a world where quirks exists, there are two types of people. Heroes who use their quirks to uphold justice and protect the innocent and villains who abuse their quirks for selfish gain or to hurt others instead."
Understandably, many people assumed that the relationship between Izuku and Katsuki was strained at best as Katsuki was still aggressively harsh and even cruel towards the other boy. However, Izuku knew better as he recalled what happened in the past…
"However, this begs the question on who has the right or authority to decide that a person is a hero to be admired or a villain to be reviled. While personal opinions can be biased even in the best of times, society as a whole is anything but free of bias or prejudice."
--Start of Flashback…--
It was a few days after Katsuki attacked Izuku with his recently discovered quirk,[Explosion], due to Izuku trying to stop Katsuki from bullying another boy. Almost everyone who found out about the attack treated Katsuki like a pariah for the rest of the day as everyone considered him no better than a villain for attacking someone was adorable and pure-hearted as Izuku. Katsuki was even suspended from kindergarten for the rest of the day due to outrage from the teachers themselves. To say that Katsuki took the backlash badly was putting it mildly as everyone initially thought that the prideful and aggressive boy was destined for greatness as a hero when his quirk manifested for the first time.
When Katsuki returned to the kindergarten, almost everyone ignored or kept away from him for the next few days. Not even Katsuki's "friends" wanted to have anything to do with him if only out of fear of being ostracized like him. Ironically enough, the only person who truly felt bad for Katsuki was Izuku. However, Izuku was not blind to the fact that Katsuki was probably furious at him for being the reason he was ostracised in the first place so Izuku did not dare to approach the boy who glared furiously at everyone, especially him after he returned to kindergarten.
It was a few days later after Katsuki returned to kindergarten when Izuku, who possessed heightened senses of smell, hearing, touch and night vision due to his quirk,[Fluffy Beast], smelt tears and heard sniffling. Feeling concerned for whoever was crying, Izuku followed the scent and sounds to the source and was shocked to that it was Katsuki who was crying by himself. As prideful, aggressive and even cruel as Katsuki was, he was still a five-year-old boy who had just been ostracised by people who, not too long ago, adored him for his quirk and talent.
As stated before, Izuku truly felt bad for Katsuki and wanted to help him so Izuku instinctively went on all fours, moved towards Katsuki with cat-like silence and did something most people would consider reckless at best and suicidal at worst. He nuzzled against Katsuki's tear-stained cheek and purred like a pet kitten.
Katsuki was not paying attention to his surroundings so it was not surprising that he did not notice Izuku's stealthy approach and was understandably shocked by his attempt to comfort him as a result. Yelping in shock, Katsuki scooted away from Izuku and stared at the furry boy who gazed at him sympathetically. Katsuki's shocked expression changed into a hateful glare as he assumed that Izuku was only pitying him and growled, "What the hell do you want, Deku?"
Rather than answer Katsuki's question, Izuku tried to approach the boy again while still on all fours. In response, Katsuki jumped onto his feet and hissed, "What the fuck are you trying to do?!"
As much as Katsuki was tempted to attack Izuku, he was all too aware that attacking Izuku again would only make his own situation worse. Therefore, Katsuki was unable to use his usual aggressive methods to deal with the problem named Midoriya Izuku. Of course, Katsuki could choose to run away, but the prideful boy refused to run away from the incoming problem who seemed determined follow him. As a result, Katsuki stood like a petrified statue that was ready to explode at any moment when Izuku stood upright and did the last thing Katsuki expected. Izuku gave him a hug purred comfortingly.
While Katsuki was twitching with an overwhelming desire to actually do something about the situation he was getting into, preferably with explosive violence, Izuku softly said, "I'm sorry that you got into this situation because of me."
Shocked that the boy who should be delighted at his suffering was actually apologising in a way that was simply too sincere to be fake, Katsuki asked, "Why… Why are you helping me…?"
Tears welled in in Izuku's eyes as he simply replied, "A hero should help other people and… you looked like you needed help."
Unable to hold back his chaotic emotions, Katsuki openly cried that day.
--End of Flashback…--
Ever since the day Izuku comforted Katsuki, the aggressive blond boy decided to acknowledge Izuku as being good for at least something other than being a "living plush toy" or a "fluffy pet". Oh, Izuku knew that Katsuki was unfriendly and harsh even at the best of times but he was actually more willing to be considerate to Izuku's own feelings than most people would realise. After all, why would Katsuki take the trouble to point out that Izuku's nickname, "Deku" could either mean being useless or, if the nickname was based on the word, "dekiru", mean being capable of doing something? There was also the time when Izuku was being picked on by a different group of bullies whom Katsuki soon "murdered the shit out of". In addition, Izuku was the only person in the entire school who was not afraid of calling Katsuki by his cutesy nickname, "Kacchan", and could get away with it scot-free.
As Izuku entered the classroom, he could see that Katsuki had just beaten up a random delinquent. Recognising the other boy to be one of the few people who still mocked Katsuki for being "attached" to a "furball" like Izuku behind the blond boy's back, the furry boy could easily guess what had happened. Sighing in exasperation, Izuku wore an adorable look of disapproval and said, "Kacchan, you shouldn't be fighting while in school. What if a teacher catches you?"
Noticing Izuku's presence, Katsuku snorted derisively and said, "This fuckmuncher insulted me behind my back again even after I beat the shit out of him the last time he did it." Grabbing a handful of his victim's hair, Katsuki's snarling expression was positively vicious as he added, "And he thinks he has a better chance of getting into U.A. than the both of us."
U.A. high school was the most prestigious hero high school in Japan and was the place where the current No.1 hero and symbol of peace, All Might, had graduated from. Needless to say, many people want to apply for the school which naturally led to a very low rate of successful applications. Beings fans of heroes, especially All Might, both Izuku and Katsuki unsurprisingly applied to attend U.A. high school as well.
Knowing Katsuki's aggressively competitive nature and explosively brutal methods of winning, Izuku could only sigh in pity for the poor fool who thought that he could brag about having a better chance of becoming a hero than Katsuki and getting away with it. It was one thing to try to apply into U.A. high school with the hopes of becoming a beloved hero but thinking that Katsuki was inferior for any reason was a sure way of being attacked by him. If one did not have the ability to back up the claim, getting beaten up by Katsuki was all but certain. Thankfully, Katsuki mainly attacked people who actually insulted him instead of merely trying to compete with him, unless the competition involved a fight of some sort, so Katsuki was involved in less fights than what one would expect of someone with his personality.
In spite of knowing that the delinquent was basically asking for trouble from a stronger opponent, Izuku said, "Kacchan, recess is almost over and class will start soon. I don't think our teacher will ignore the fact that you have beaten him up, again."
Although Katsuki was tempted to beat up the delinquent a bit more, he was willing to acknowledge the fact that Izuku had a point. As such, he roughly shoved the delinquent aside and said, "If you want to talk shit about me, you should at least have the bloody balls to back up your claim, you fucking side-character." The delinquent glared at Katsuki with a mixture of hatred and fear before hastily leaving the classroom.
After the delinquent left, Katsuki picked up a book and tossed it to Izuku who caught it. Realizing that the book was one of his hero notebooks which he often used to record his observations of various heroes, including the recently debuted Mount Lady whose quirk was[Gigantification], Izuku looked up to Katsuki who irritably muttered, "Next time, keep it at home or at least fucking bring it with you when you leave for recess. That fuck-muncher tried to destroy your notebook. Stupid piece of shit didn't even bother to look at your notes to find anything useful."
Thankful that his notebook was safe, Izuku hugged it tightly and wore a bright grateful smile as he spoke, "I will. Thank you, Kacchan!" It was a dangerously adorable smile capable of bringing even pro-heroes to their knees and made Izuku almost untouchable among the delinquents of the school as many of them were smart enough not to incur the wrath of every individual who loved cute things within the vicinity. Not even Katsuki was immune to Izuku's adorableness as he averted his eyes from the sight and huffed in irritation with a barely noticeable blush on his face. Had either Izuku or Katsuki been a girl, Katsuki was certain that he would have even less resistance to Izuku's "god-damned cuteness".
--Later that day…--
Izuku was waiting at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park when he saw a sickly skeletal man with blond hair and blue eyes approaching him. Recognising the man to be Yagi Toshinori, Izuku smiled and waved happily at the man who smiled and waved back at him. While there was no doubt that Izuku was a fan of All Might, he was actually aware of certain things about All Might which only a few other people knew such as the fact that the sickly skeletal man before him was All Might's true form. To be perfectly fair, losing a lung and a stomach due to a villain's attack would do that to most people even in a world where quirks existed.
As for how Izuku found out about the secret, his sensitive nose allowed him to smell blood thus leading him to meeting All Might when he was about seven years old. At the time, All Might was in his original form and was bleeding from the mouth so Izuku did not realise that he was actually meeting All Might for the first time. There was also the fact that the man initially introduced himself as Yagi Toshinori, All Might's secretary who was also a former hero who had to retire due to suffering from grievous injuries after a villain attacked him.
Greatly concerned for the sickly man who was obviously in ill-health, Izuku used one of the few abilities he possessed due to his quirk, the ability to promote healing by purring and channelling the resulting vibrations to the other person through his paw-like hands. Much like a cat, Izuku's purrs created vibrations which promoted healing and it actually made Toshinori feel slightly better.
Although Izuku had always been able to purr like a cat, vibrate his entire body to stay warm by shivering and even generate loud squeaks for echo-locating like a bat, he was only able to magnify and channel the resulting vibrations when he was about five years old. As a result, he could make objects vibrate within a certain range of frequencies and even create sonic attacks. However, overusing the ability to magnify and channel vibrations would tire him out and even cause physical damage in extreme cases such as damaged vocal cords, torn muscles, overheating and injured joints. Amusingly enough, Izuku's ability to magnify and channel the vibrations of his purring through his paw-like hands made him naturally talented as a massage therapist as his mother, Midoriya Inko, quickly found out.
The man appreciated Izuku's kind gesture and told him that he would make a great hero even if his fighting ability was somewhat limited. He also accepted Izuku's offer to continue giving him "Purring Therapy" to help improve his ailing health. Over the course of the next few years, Izuku eventually learnt that the man was All Might's true identity. Not surprisingly, he was initially shocked by the news. Nevertheless, he was able to quickly get over the shock and accepted the responsibility of keeping All Might's secrets safe while continuing the therapy. In return, All Might was willing to offer Izuku some tips on how to improve his physique so that he would be less vulnerable when forced to fight. One of the activities Izuku had to do was to clean up Dagobah Municipal Beach Park starting from the age of thirteen years old. Considering that the place used to be a junkyard due to rampant pollution, being able to clean it up at all was a no small feat even though it took Izuku almost two years of hard work to accomplish it. Thanks to the physical training, Izuku was surprisingly quick and strong for his size and his strengthened body improved his ability to use his vibration-based abilities.
"How is your body holding up, Yagi-san?" asked Izuku.
Yagi smiled and gestured reassuringly as he replied, "My body's holding up just fine, Midoriya-shounen." Initially, the blond man was rather careless when it came to taking care of his own health but Izuku was somehow able to convince him to take better care of himself. Most of the people who knew All Might's secret identity agreed that it had to do with Midoriya's cuteness and the "sheer devastating power" of his tearful expression whenever he was sad or upset. Yagi was quite certain that even villains who happen to like cute things would find it hard to say no to Izuku let alone be cruel towards him.
Looking at the presently-pristine beach, Yagi smiled and said, "It feels like it was just yesterday when you first started to clean up this place."
Equally happy and proud of his accomplishment, Izuku wistfully said, "I still remember how sore my body was after the first time I tried to clear the thrash away." His smile became sheepish as he added, "I had to purr for a whole hour just to bring down the pain of my aching muscles to manageable levels."
Yagi chuckled at Izuku's statement and said, "And let's not forget all the people who wanted to help you clean this place after seeing you try so hard to do just that by yourself."
Recalling how everyone who found out about him cleaning the beach, including a significant number of pro-heroes, wanted to help him, Izuku sighed and groaned, "Please don't remind me." As much as Izuku appreciated the sentiment, getting help would defeat the purpose of his training to improve his own physique. Izuku could still remember how the people who wanted him to clean the beach actually formed a fan club of all things. The only reason why he was not more well-known was because Yagi used his contacts from the hero industry to keep his growing fame under control. On a side note, Katsuki did know about Izuku's attempt to clean the beach but he quickly understood that Izuku wanted to do it on his own so that he could improve his physical body and be less of a burden if he had to fight. As such, Katsuki made no mention about it to anyone in school although he did criticise Izuku of overworking on a few occasions and increased his own physical training so that he would stay ahead of the furry boy. Katsuki was hardly the only one who thought that losing to Izuku in a serious fight would be embarrassing at best and downright humiliating at worst.
Chuckling at the memory, Yagi asked Izuku, "So, do you think you're ready to take on the entrance exam into U.A.?"
Izuku's expression was one of sheepish nervousness as he scratched the back of his head and admitted, "To be perfectly honest, I'm still a bit nervous. I know that I can fight a little bit but I'm not sure how well I can perform in an exam that focuses on combat."
Knowing that heroics did not focus on combat alone, and that the grading of the entrance exam secretly reflected that, Yagi smiled confidently and petted Izuku's head as he spoke, "Just do the best you can and I'm sure you will pass with flying colours. Besides, you still have ten more months to get yourself even more prepared."
Used to being petted, Izuku did not mind Yagi's reassuring gesture as he instinctively purred like a kitten in response to being scratched behind his ears. He could not really help it as he enjoyed the sensation and considered Yagi as his second father by that point in time.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm still not really sure what a real hero really is. Most of the time, I just do the very best I can, if not more, and hope that it would be enough to protect and save the innocent."
--Ten Months Later…--
It was the day of the entrance exams into U.A. High School and Izuku wished that his day could have started off with a lot less embarrassment than what was currently happening to him. His mother, who was still an attractive woman despite being the mother of an admittedly adorable teenage son, had decided to follow him to U.A. and was currently giving him a big hug while nuzzling into his soft fur. Not surprisingly, many passers-by found the scene both humorous and adorable. One of the passers-by happened to be Katsuki who rolled his eyes in relatively mild aggravation and continued on his way in spite of Izuku noticing him and wordlessly begging him for help.
Blushing furiously, Izuku tried to push himself away from his mother's surprisingly strong grip as he begged, "Mom, please let me go already. I'll be late for the entrance exam at this rate!" In truth, Izuku and his mother were still pretty early but he was quite desperate to escape from the embarrassing situation. Quite a few people, including a certain brown-haired girl with large brown eyes, blushes on her cheeks and little pads on each of her fingers, were already chuckling and giggling at the sight.
Giggling at her son's comically futile attempt to free himself, Izuku's mother, Midoriya Inko, gave him one last affectionate squeeze before finally letting him go. Gazing lovingly at her son who had grown up to be such a wonderful aspiring hero, Inko said, "Do your best, Izuku!"
Smiling at his mother, Izuku replied, "I will, mom!"
Turning around, Izuku strode through the seemingly hallowed entrance into U.A. High School with all the confidence and dignity he could muster. Given his physical appearance, he was unsurprisingly bad at making himself look like a dignified hero of legend. It should be noted that one of Izuku's more selfish reasons of becoming a hero was to prove to others that he could take care of himself and even be a respectable hero in spite of his adorable appearance.
"This is a story of how I, along with my classmates, became some of the greatest heroes of our time. This is a story of heroism and being the best we can be to save and inspire others."
--End Chapter--
Author's Notes:This ends my take on an alternate version of Midoriya Izuku as a cute fluffy character. I will be working on the other versions when I am free and motivated enough to get them done. On a few side notes:
1. Yes, I made Katsuki more of a platonic tsundere character compared to canon. He is still an aggressive and rude person but he is less of an a-hole than canon.
2. I know that it took Izuku ten months to clean up the beach in canon but since this version of Izuku is smaller and started earlier than canon, I felt that doing the work at a slower pace made sense. Can't have him risk getting injured or stressed out during his middle-school years after all.
I do have ideas on how to continue this version of Izuku's story and, rest assured, he will be popular with the ladies as a cute huggable character. Also, a certain grape-haired pervert will be crying tears of blood due to immense jealousy.
Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!
Edit Notes: I made a mistake at the last part due to copy and paste. It is already corrected. My bad.
