Boku no Hero Academia: Tales of Heroism
Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia. I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.
Tale 9.1:Gal Might Izumi
"Men are not created equal. That is the tragic truth of the world, especially in a world where superhuman abilities known as quirks exist."
Midoriya Izumi, a girl with fluffy dark-green hair, bright green eyes, freckles on her youthful face and an attractive tall figure with toned muscles was busy clearing the thrash at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park. In another universe, she would be a boy named Midoriya Izuku who was often mocked by others for wanting to be a hero in spite of being born without a quirk. As for this universe, she was born as a girl with a mutation-type quirk called [Ogre Strength] which granted her superhuman strength and durability in spite of her seemingly human appearance. People who knew her therefore knew that she could easily lift a whole fridge with just one hand and then crush the fridge into a compacted ball of metal and plastic with her bare hands.
As for why she was clearing the beach, she decided that it was the right thing to do after she met a skinny blond man with sunken blue eyes man named Yagi Toshinori who told her how the beach used to look beautiful before it became covered in thrash. Besides, she could not turn off her superhuman strength, nor change her unusually large appetite and dense body structure which were the few indications of her superhuman nature, even if she wanted to so clearing out the rubbish was a good way for her to make use of it without accidentally hurting someone, again.
"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."
--Start of back-story…--
For as long as Izumi could remember, she had always been physically stronger than her peers. One of the more memorable incidents in her youth was accidentally hugging her best friend, a blond boy with sharp eyes named Bakugou Katsuki, too hard until she accidentally dislocated both of his shoulders. Izumi thought it was a miracle that Katsuki still wanted to be her friend in spite of that terrible mishap. Another memorable moment was how she was almost kidnapped but managed to get away by accidentally breaking all of her kidnapper's fingers with her small hands. She knew that the kidnapper was probably up to no good but she still felt bad about breaking his fingers and then punching him in the crotch with enough force to accidentally neuter him.
Needless to say, Izumi had to be very careful about everything she touched to avoid accidentally breaking it. The problem only got worse when she reached puberty as her already powerful strength seemed to have tripled as a result. The facts that she was easily startled and quite emotional only made controlling her own strength even harder in spite of her generally well-meaning and non-confrontational nature. To make matters even more complicated, her tendency to accidentally break things and people gave her an infamous reputation of being a delinquent who destroyed everything in her path which, aside from the damages she had unintentionally caused, were simply not true.
Although there was no denying that Izumi could become a strong hero, few doubted the possibility of her becoming an "unintentionally destructive hero" if she did not learn to control her strength. There were even those who thought that she would become a villain instead due to her reputation as a delinquent. Thankfully, Izumi loved heroes and wished to be a great hero just like All Might, the current No.1 Hero and Symbol of Peace who had incredible strength and yet used that strength for good. She could only hope that she would be able to master her own strength by the time she graduated from high school, especially U.A. High School which was the school All Might himself had graduated form.
"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."
--End of back-story…--
Izumi gently placed the last compacted ball of metal and plastic into a pick-up truck which Toshinori was kind enough to rent for her. After placing the deceptively light-looking compacted ball, Izumi dusted her hands over her track pants and then asked, "Is the truck at full capacity, Yagi-san?"
Toshinori looked at the back tyres of the truck and noted their slightly flattened shape as he replied, "It certainly seems so." He then turned his attention towards the beach and said, "I'm impressed that you managed to clean so much of the beach in only a few weeks."
Blushing bashfully, Izumi scratched the back of her head and said, "Being strong is one of my few good points." In spite of having a strong quirk and being friends with Katsuki who tended to treat her like an oversized little sister, Izumi's life was sadly not free of social bullying due to being generally passive and timid when it came to standing up for herself. While her tormentors were generally girls who treated her as a social outcast, boys tended to stay away from her due to being intimidated by her superhuman strength which she had trouble controlling at times.
Toshinori was inclined to disagree with Izumi as he knew that she had more good points that she realised herself. Not only was she physically very strong and durable due to her mutant-type quirk, she was also quite bright with a well-honed ability to analyse quirks, was quite attractive and had a kind yet brave heart. Still, even he could not deny her unfortunate tendency to accidentally break something due to her quirk. One indirect case was Izumi accidentally loading too many compacted balls of metal and plastic, which appeared small but were ridiculously dense, into the first truck that he had rented until the rear end of the truck got flattened, literally. The poor girl was tearfully apologetic over the damaged truck. He could only hope that by attending her school of choice, U.A. High School, she would be able to make friends with other aspiring heroes and learn how to better control her power.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm still not really sure what a real hero really is. Most of the time, just I do the very best I can, if not more, and hope that it would be enough to protect and save the innocent."
--Meanwhile…--
While Izumi was cleaning the beach, a certain childhood friend named Katsuki was doing his own exercises at a gym. For as long as he could remember, he dreamed of becoming the next No.1 hero and his quirk, [Explosion, certainly seemed strong and useful enough for him to achieve that dream. However, in spite of his cocky and aggressive attitude, he was an intelligent person and knew at least one person who could potentially take that position instead. After all, Izumi had been freakishly strong from the moment she was four years old and had only grown stronger ever since. If he allowed himself to get complacent, he would be undoubtedly outdone by her. His many memories of having his bones dislocated or even broken by her only made him more determined to be strong enough to be capable of defeating her in a fair fight.
Thinking about his own past injuries made Katsuki snort as he thought, "Well, better to have a few dislocated or broken bones than to be pushed with enough force to be blown from one end of the street to the other end or have my arm twisted to the point of breaking its bones at several places like the last few idiots who tried to attack her." Given Izumi's infamous reputation, it was no surprise that many delinquents and even a few villains had tried to attack her only to end up getting beaten with broken bones and shattered prides. Not even Katsuki's pride was spared completely as he could still recall how Izumi withstood his explosions, which were generally held back or used out of panic to avoid her literally bone-crushing hugs, and suffered pretty much no damage at all other than her clothes getting destroyed. Granted, his more powerful explosions could stun her and knock her back but there was no denying that her body was like a bloody tank which seemed indestructible.
As Katsuki was a short-tempered person, he became angry at the memory of his own lack of power and continued his physical training with even more furious energy than before.
"Men are not created equal, but that does not mean that no one can challenge the status quo, for better or for worse."
--A few weeks later…--
Izumi smiled at the beautiful sunrise at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park. After a few months of cleaning, she was able to make it clean and beautiful again. Toshinori smiled proudly at the girl and asked, "Now that you have cleaned the beach, what are you planning to do next before you take part in U.A.'s entrance exam?"
"Well… I was thinking of doing some volunteer work which requires heavy-lifting," replied Izumi who smiled sheepishly and added, "It's not like my quirk is suitable for much else."
Although Toshinori wished that Izumi had more confidence in herself, he did not disagree with her decision and said, "If it is volunteer work which require heavy-lifting, I can recommend you to a few hero agencies."
Surprised, Izumi asked Toshinori, "Really, you can do that?"
"I can't guarantee that any one of them will readily accept you but I will let them know that you wish to do volunteer work until you have to take the entrance exams."
Shocked amazement changed into joyful excitement as Izumi exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Yagi-san!" In her excitement, she forgot about her own strength and rushed forward to hug Toshinori. Well aware of her strength, Toshinori quickly avoided her hug by jumping over her with unexpected speed and agility. Toshinori felt a bit sorry for Izumi as she comically crashed into the sand with enough force to create a huge cloud to sand.
--A short while later…--
A woman with brown hair and eyes named Sousaki Shino, also known as the pro-hero Mandalay who was a member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, wore a surprised expression as she asked over the phone, "You want us to take in a middle-school girl as a volunteer?"
The person who was calling her, Toshinori, replied, "The girl has a good heart and a powerful quirk. The problem is, she has trouble controlling it and tends to damage things and even people without meaning to. I am hoping that you can help her manage her difficult quirk by not only letting her work with you as a volunteer but also have Shiretoko-san help her overcome her weakness of lacking control."
"Well, we can always use another pair of strong hands in rescue work and Tomoko's quirk, [Search, might be able to help that girl overcome her weakness. That said, I'm surprised that you would actually go out your way to help her like that," said Shino.
Toshinori, who was currently in his powerfully muscular hero form, All Might, explained, "As I have said before, the girl has a good heart. She single-handedly cleaned the entire beach at Dagobah Municipal Beach Parksimply because she felt it was the right thing to do after I told her about it."
"She actually did that? All by herself?" asked Shino who was surprised by Toshinori's claim.
"Yes, she did. It only took her a few months to get it done too."
After a brief pause, Shino asked, "Are you considering her as a possible candidate as your successor?" Although All Might was undoubtedly the current No.1 Hero and Symbol of Peace, a few people knew the terrible truth that All Might was badly injured due to a fight with a terrible villain years ago. His injury was so severe that his body had wasted away to a skeletal appearance as it grew weaker over time. In fact, one of the reasons why All Might was going to join U.A. Highschool as a tutor in the following schooling year was to find a suitable successor to take his place. Shino had no idea how All Might was going to train someone to be as strong or influential as him but she was willing to bet that the girl, Izumi, seemed promising to him.
"I certainly can't deny the fact that I have thought about it but I do not plan to give her that sort of responsibility until she can perfectly control her own strength," answered Toshinori.
"Well, if you have that much faith in her, I don't see why we can't give her a chance to prove herself to us. That said, we will not be giving her special treatment just because you recommended her," said Shino.
"Oh, I'm counting on it," replied Toshinori who then added, "Send my regards to the others and thank you for accepting my recommendation on such short notice."
Shino smiled and replied to Toshinori, "You're welcome, All Might. Just make sure to give us a treat the next time we drop by in town."
"I will keep that in mind."
After the call ended, Toshinori thought about the idea of Izumi as his successor. She certainly had the physical strength and the good heart to be a possible candidate but, as stated before, he had no intention to give her that kind of responsibility until she could perfectly control her own quirk. While the heroes who taught at U.A. High School, including some of the heroes who helped to teach the students from time to time such as the Wild Wild Pussycats, knew about his failing health and his desire to find a successor, only a rare few knew how exactly he would "train" the said successor. In terms of having a strong physical body, Izumi was pretty much perfect for receiving that "training" but All Might also knew that she currently had enough trouble with her own quirk. Also, only one person could inherit his quirk, [One For All]…
--One week later…--
Izumi could barely contain her excitement as she stood before the Wild Wild Pussycats, a well known team of rescue heroes composed of Mandalay, Tiger, Pixie-Bob and Ragdoll. Sousaki Shino smiled at Izumi's excitement which seemed to make her face sparkle and said, "I heard from Toshinori that you have promise as a hero so I'm expecting great things from you."
"I-I will do my best!" exclaimed Izumi who prayed to every deity she knew that she would not mess up during her time as a volunteer…
--Less than five minutes later…--
Tsuchikawa Ryuuko, who was also known as Pixie-Bob, was a beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes. She was also gaping like a fish after seeing Izumi, an admittedly tall girl with a well-toned voluptuous body and a timid personality, knock out Tiger with just one punch. He was currently foaming at the mouth and was literally stuck into a wall which looked damaged enough to break apart at any moment.
Considering that Tiger, also known as Chatora Yawara, was a tall and muscular transgender man who had a fear-inducing aura around him and a quirk that allowed him to bend his body into downright impossible positions, it was understandable that Ryuuko did not expect Izumi to be able to actually hit him let alone knock him out. Regardless of having a strength-enhancing quirk, not just anyone could knock Tiger out while actually holding back to avoid inflicting even greater harm on him. She then turned her attention to Shino and asked, "Shino, just how strong is that girl?"
Shino sighed and answered, "To put it in simple terms, not even All Might wants to get hugged by her when she gets too emotional."
Ryuuko paled at the implications as she asked, "And he wants US to train her?"
"It's mostly self-control, buy yes," affirmed Shino.
"This… is going to suck, isn't it?" asked Ryuuko.
Shino looked at a tearfully apologetic Izumi who bowed to Tiger multiple times while the fourth member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, a normally hyperactive woman with long green hair and yellow eyes named Shiretoko Tomoko, stared at Izumi with a contemplative look on her face. She then recalled that Tiger had challenged Izumi into punching him to test her strength and fighting ability which meant that Tiger's currently unconscious state was mostly his own fault. Even so, she could not completely disagree with Ryuuko and said, "That depends on how bad her control over her own strength is."
--One week before the U.A. entrance exams…--
"Thank you very much for teaching me how to control my own strength," said Izumi who bowed deeply towards the Wild Wild Pussycats. Although her control was still not perfect, it was greatly improved due to the training she had received from the Wild Wild Pussycats.
In spite of her initial doubts and fears, Shino was proud to have Izumi as her volunteer and was confident that she would become a great hero. Trouble with controlling her overwhelming strength aside, Izumi was arguably the sweetest and kindest girl she had ever met. Why, she had even managed to convince her nephew, Izumi Kouta, to let go of his cynical and jaded views on heroes which was caused by the tragically premature deaths of his parents who were pro-heroes. It was therefore not surprising that she smiled at her and said, "It's been our pleasure to have you as both a volunteer and a trainee. Just don't forget to keep your strength reined in."
"Emphasis on 'reined in'," said Ryuuko who grinned at Izumi. She could still remember how Izumi worked hard to master her own quirk even if it meant undergoing unorthodox methods of training which would have confused or even offended most aspiring heroes.
Normally, training involved the improving of one's own quirk or skills but the training which Izumi needed was mainly control and precision. As such, she received unusual forms of training such as mopping a hot springs at record-breaking speeds without accidentally breaking anything and juggling a few water balloons for a fixed duration of time without accidentally dropping or popping any of them. Other forms of training included clearing debris quickly without accidentally causing even more damage and learning how to restrain someone without accidentally breaking their bones.
Shiretoko Tomoko, also known as the pro-hero, Ragdoll, grinned energetically and said, "Don't forget to keep practising in keeping your strength under control!"
"I won't Shiretoko-san!" replied Izumi.
Chatora Yawara crossed his arms over his chest and smirked as he spoke to Izumi, "When we meet again, let's have another bout of sparring. Your fighting skills may have improved and your strength is incredible but there is always room for improvement." As strong as Izumi was, there was no denying that she lacked proper fighting skills until after she received training from the Wild Wild Pussycats.
"Yes, sir!" said Izumi who was giving off an adorable million-watt smile.
"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:
I am quite sure that everyone who reads Boku no Hero Academia fanfictions will know that there are fanfictions in which Izuku is a girl instead of a boy. This particular story is no exceptionand is partly inspired by 'Torako! Don't Break Anything!' which features a girl with superhuman strength and a tendency to accidentally hurt someone or break something. Seriously, you should check it out.
As far as pairing goes, Kirishima seems to be the logical choice for this version of Izumi on the grounds that he is the most capable of tanking her inhuman strength without breaking in the process. That does not mean that other boys have no interest in her though.
I am also aware that this is the first story I have posted in months. As I have stated before, the stories are intended to be one-shots featuring alternate versions of Izukuso do not expect regular updates for this series. I deeply apologise for disappointing anyone who hopes for regular updates/continuations.
Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!
