This is my very first story, so criticism is appreciated.
When Izuku was 4, he learned that the world isn't fair. Karma doesn't exist, there is no such thing as paradise, and that people are not created equal. Ever since he was diagnosed as Quirkless, his life quickly went down a spiral.
"I'm sorry, but you're Quirkless." Dr. Tsubasa looked up from the clipboard, his eyes dull with boredom. "You can't become a hero."
Izuku could only stare at the results of his foot x-ray as Dr. Tsubasa held up the clipboard for him to see, detailing that his foot, did in fact possess the extra joint. The rest of his time at Dr. Tsubasa's clinic passed by as a blur, as Izuku could only see the extra toe joint and his dreams fading away.
Later that day, Izuku sat at his mom's computer, replaying All Might's hero debut video for the umpteenth time. He could only focus on the man's big smile as he pulled civilian after civilian out of flaming wreckage. He wished he could be like All Might, to save people with a smile. Alas, that was never going to happen.
The door to the room creaked open, and Inko, his mother, stepped in.
"Izuku, sweetie, are you okay?" She asked tentatively. She could only attempt to hold back her tears, as her son slowly swiveled the chair to face her, his big green eyes brimming with tears.
With a shaky voice, he asked, "M-m-mom... can I-I become a- h-hero... l-like All M-M-Might?"
The dam breaking, Inko could only rush to her son and wrap her arms around Izuku, as she cried, "I'm sorry Izuku, I'm sorry!"
The Midoriyas shed a lot of tears that night.
And it was only the beginning.
(Present Day)
Izuku looked up from his notebook as Bakugo slammed his crackling hand onto the wood, staining it with a black mark shaped like a handprint.
"SO YOU'RE APPLYING FOR U.A'S HERO COURSE, HUH DEKU?!" Bakugo sneered. Izuku flinched back reflexively, not wanting to get anywhere near his hands. "YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP! NO WAY IN HELL THAT A QUIRKLESS FREAK LIKE YOU IS GOING TO RUIN MY ORIGIN STORY WHEN I BECOME THE NUMBER ONE HERO!"
"K-Kacchan, U.A r-removed the rule b-barring the Q-Quirkless from applying..." Izuku stammered. This only served to enrage Bakugo further, as he reached out and grabbed the notebook Izuku had been writing in, Hero Analysis for the Future, Vol. 13.
Activating his quirk, Bakugo peppered the notebook with miniature explosions, then promptly threw it out the window. Izuku pushed past him, trying to catch the notebook, but to no avail. Volume 13 sailed out the window, and landed in the school's courtyard fountain with a small splash.
"Damn it," Izuku muttered. "I was hoping I could catch it..." He turned around to see Bakugo holding up his right hand, which sparked and popped with explosions. Bakugo rested said exploding hand on Izuku's shoulder, burning through his uniform, scorching his skin.
"I've got an idea for you, Deku." Bakugo let an evil grin split his face. "Why don't you take a swan dive off the roof, and pray you'll get a quirk in your next life? Maybe then you won't be so useless." And with that, Bakugo and his lackeys left the room, leaving Izuku to stew in silent horror.
It was a short while after Izuku came back to his senses. Picking up his belongings which were scattered around the room, he exited the school, jogging over to the courtyard fountain. Fishing Volume 13 out of the water, he tried to dry and smooth out the pages as much as he could.
In the end, the ink would smudge, and some papers were too far gone, but overall, Izuku felt like he had done a good job in salvaging the notebook. With the last page finally dried, he stuffed it into his yellow backpack and started to walk home.
He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe.
Where did things go so wrong? Izuku had been walking home, when he had passed underneath a bridge. The sewer grate next to it had exploded open as a mass of green goo, who had been mumbling about needing an invisibility cloak, spotted Izuku. The sludge monster rushed upon him, encasing him in slime.
"This should only take a few seconds..." The villain said. He forced open Izuku's mouth, sending a tendril of slime in his throat.
Izuku couldn't breathe. He was going to die. Kacchan was right. He really was just a useless Deku.
Izuku was going to die... until the sewer grate the sludge villain had oozed out of exploded in a blast of wind.
"HAHAHA!" Izuku recognized that familiar laugh instantly. It was one that instilled fear into villains, for they knew their time was up.
All Might was here.
All Might pulled back his hand, and with a hearty "CAROLINA SMASH!", a huge blast of air erupted from his fist, blowing away the sludge villain, and Izuku as well. Izuku impacted the underpass of the bridge, but he was too excited. His (everyone's) hero, All Might, was here! And Izuku was saved by him!
Even whilst dressed in a white shirt and green cargo pants, All Might still looked like someone who was deserving of the title "hero".
"A-A-All Might!" Izuku exclaimed. He was here. He was standing face to face with THE Symbol of Peace! He quickly brushed off slime and dirt off his school uniform, instantly whipping out Volume 13. Grabbing a pen and flipping to the next blank page, Izuku held out Volume 13, the pen, and dropped into the lowest bow he could. "CAN I PLEASE HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?"
All Might appeared to have obliged, as Izuku felt a small breeze. When he stood back up, Volume 13 had All Might's signature spanning 2 pages! "Thank you so much! I'll treasure this forever! It'll be a family heirloom!"
All Might chuckled. "Anything for a fan, young..." He trailed off, waiting for an answer.
"OH! Izuku Midoriya, sir!"
"...Midoriya!" All Might finished. "Now if you'll excuse, I must be on my way to drop this off at the nearest police station!" He held up two soda bottles which had the previously defeated sludge villain in them.
As All Might prepared to leap away, Izuku found himself doing something very stupid.
Toshinori Yagi did not expect to feel an extra weight on his leg as he was soaring through the air. Looking back, he saw the kid he rescued earlier clinging onto his pants cuff for dear life, his gums flapping as the wind rushed past them.
"KID, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Toshinori yelled. The kid (Midoriya, his memory supplied), tried to respond, but the wind was too much for him. Adjusting his trajectory, Toshinori landed firmly on the nearest rooftop. He hunched over and turned away when felt a pain in his chest as Midoriya was righting himself. Shit, my time's almost up.
"What do you need young Midoriya? I need to deposit the villain as soon as I can to prevent him from escaping!" Toshinori turned to Midoriya. He needed to finish this conversation fast. The kid looked up to him, and opened his mouth.
"Can I be a hero?" Izuku asked, at the same time a cloud of steam erupted from the Number One Hero. When the steam faded, in All Might's place was a gaunt and frail man, with two tufts of blond hair hanging over his face, and shadowed blue eyes still wearing the white shirt and tan cargo pants
Izuku screamed. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ALL MIGHT? ARE YOU AN IMPOSTOR?!"
Said impostor waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Calm down young Midoriya. I am indeed, the real All Might." Izuku couldn't believe his eyes. The hulking mountain of a hero... was actually a living skeleton? "I know I don't look like it, but I can explain." And with that statement he lifted up his shirt.
A gruesome star shaped scar protruded from his stomach, going all the way up his rib cage. Izuku grimaced. Where could he have gotten that from?
"Five years ago, I was heavily injured in a fight. I lost my lung and my stomach. It has severely reduced my hero capabilities, for I only have a limited amount of time to use my quirk before the pain becomes too great." All Might finished, as Izuku continued to eye the wound. All Might let his shirt fall down, and with his hand, gestured towards Izuku. "Now, what was your question again?"
Izuku, with all his strength, closed his eyes, and repeated the question.
"Can I be a hero? Even though I'm Quirkless?" His eyes stayed closed, as we awaited the answer from his idol.
"I'm sorry, but no, I'm afraid you cannot become a hero." All Might replied.
Izuku's eyes shot open in shock and hurt. "Being a hero is a dangerous profession. Casualties happen on all sides participating. I'm afraid that, without a power, without a Quirk, you will be a liability on the field, and may get others hurt. There are other professions that can save others, you know. Firefighters, doctors, the police. There are many options for a Quirkless person, but I'm afraid being a hero isn't one of them."
"Have a good day, young Midoriya. And please, stay safe." All Might ended his small speech, before exiting the rooftop through the roof entrance.
Izuku dropped to his knees as he clutched at his chest. He tried not to cry, but it was too much. The Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, the man who's held the world on his back for well over 30 years, just told him he can't be a hero.
Bakugo was right. He really was a useless Deku.
Bakugo's final words rung out in his mind. Izuku stood up, looking over the edge of the rooftop.
Why don't you take a swan dive off the roof, and pray you'll get a quirk in your next life? be then you won't be so useless.
Izuku really had nothing left anymore. Doomed to live a life of powerlessness and prejudice. He would constantly be insulted and berated, blamed for acts he never committed. He took one small step. Another. And another. He loomed over the edge, and took another step.
He fell.
As he plummeted through the air, he suddenly remembered. What about his mom? Ever since Hisashi left, it was just Izuku and Inko. She would be all alone. The mere thought of that immediately made him regret stepping over.
He didn't want to die. The ground came closer and closer. Izuku forced his eyes shut. He was going to die, on a decision made on a whim. A useless death, one befitting of a Deku.
He never felt the impact. He didn't feel the hard concrete collide with him and break his body. Instead, he felt the sensation of a slight breeze blowing past his ears and an odd sound, like electricity, but more violent.
Inching open an eye, Izuku found himself hovering over the ground, surrounded by wisps of black energy outlined by red. He stared in wonder at it, as it held him a few inches up off the ground. Then it disappeared, dropping him on the ground with a thud.
"W-w-was that my Quirk?" He said aloud, to nobody in particular. "I know late bloomers exist, but in my case, that's stretching it a bit..."
"That is because it is not your Quirk." A deep voice rumbled. Izuku jumped in surprise, looking around to find the source of the voice. "It was mine."
In a burst of black and red energy not too dissimilar to the wisps of energy that prevented his death, a being appeared. It towered at over 7 feet, perhaps even taller than All Might. It had dark red skin, with even darker red horns. It had a mane of blood red hair running down its back. Its eyes glowed like fire, wearing a metallic rhombus shaped headband with a bright orange-red jewel embedded in the center.
It wore a royal red short-sleeved yukata, with dark greyish red gelyu pants and a dark pair of geta. It bore a pair of dark gray shoulder pads and a similarly colored pair of thigh guards. But the most noticeable feature about this being was the massive naginata it held in a casual stance, which looked to be even longer than the being was tall. The staff part of the weapon ended in a somewhat sharp looking hollow diamond pattern, while the blade was long and somewhat thin, seemingly made out of a red stone that glimmered like starlight.
"I must thank you for the compliment, for Ketsueki truly is a beautiful weapon." The being said, bringing the blade closer to his face to inspect the edge.
"W-who a-are y-y-you?" Izuku stuttered. He mentally cursed himself for stumbling over his words. "I am an oni. A vengeful demon, simply put." The newly identified oni leaned closer to Izuku, his fiery orbs for eyes peering into Izuku's own. The oni leaned back, and let out what seemed to be a chuckle.
"Interesting. The fact you can see me completely shows just how much anger you have." It boomed, before letting out another chuckle.
"W-what do you mean?" Izuku asked. Anger? Izuku couldn't afford to be angry. He was too busy chasing his now crushed dreams of being a hero.
"You tell me. A Quirkless child, beaten and looked down upon by society, for over a decade? To have your dreams and aspirations trampled constantly over the fact you possess an extra toe joint?" The oni lazily swung its naginata around, before coming to an abrupt stop. "I've come across many like you. People, possessing justified anger against their enemies, for they had a disadvantage that others took advantage of. But they never had the drive. The motivation. They simply wanted revenge. Unlike you. Even after that blonde oaf crushed your dream, you still have embers burning of your dream to become a hero."
"W-what?" Izuku couldn't believe his ears. This mysterious spirit, or demon, or whatever it was, that seemed to be more powerful than All Might himself, was complimenting him (albeit in a somewhat confusing way).
"I have come to a conclusion." The oni spoke once again. "Tell me, Izuku Midoriya. If someone wanted to give you power, would you accept it?"
"Umm... yes?" Izuku replied.
"And what would you use that power for?"
"To become a hero!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Then answer this. Izuku Midoriya, will you accept my power?" The oni asked.
"W-wait what?!" Izuku yelled out in shock.
"If you accept, you shall gain power beyond your wildest dreams, and you shall be able to use it to become the greatest hero this world has ever seen." The being seem to give him an approving look. "But even without it..."
"You can become a hero."
Izuku cried. The first person to tell him that he could be a hero was not his mom, nor All Might. Not his classmates, or Kacchan. This mysterious oni/demon was the first one to tell him he could become a hero, Quirk or not.
"Now, will you accept my power?" The oni asked.
"Yes!" Izuku choked out.
"Very well then. My name is Akagekido. You, Izuku Midoriya, have accepted my offer. You shall use my powers to bring justice and good into the world, by becoming the greatest hero in the world. Do you accept the terms of this offer?" Akagekido stuck out his hand, gesturing for a handshake.
Putting on a big smile, Izuku, through his tears, grasped Akagekido's hand in a firm grip, and said, "I accept."
"Then it shall be so. Beware, by gaining my powers, you WILL be changed, in some ways more than others." Akagekido said. Before Izuku's could comprehend what Akagekido said, the oni's form suddenly started glowing, turning into the familiar black and red energy that had saved him from his attempt. The energy rushed into Izuku's body, filling him with a sensation that he could not name.
And suddenly, he felt anger. Pure, unadulterated anger.
Again, criticism is appreciated! This is my first story, so it would be great if you could leave a note on where I can improve.