(Edited: September 14, 2022)

I changed Ruby's collection from keychains to hero cards.


Chapter 04: The Wolf and the Rabbit


While Sentaku Park doesn't lack in flora, it's surprisingly lacking fauna, except for maybe a few birds. Among those birds, a lone crow perched high in the trees. From its spot, it watches the scene that is unfolding down below between two young teens that hold similar dreams.

Green eyes stared into silver and vice versa.

Maybe it's because of a head trauma, but Izuku felt that he was in some type of trance as he looked into the shimmering eyes of the girl, Ruby he'll soon learn, over him. He felt…calm? At ease? It was an interesting sensation, a pins and needle feeling that started from the top of his head and throughout his body and to the ends of his fingers and toes.

Then, the trance came to an end when the girl blinked her eyes and gasped. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" she apologized, pulling herself and Izuku up. "I didn't think anybody would be around here. This place hardly gets any visitors, so I thought it would make a good place to test out my goggles!"

"I-I'm fine. Really!" Izuku said. In his mind, he squeaked, "Holy crap! I'm talking to a girl!"

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. In her thoughts, she said, "Wow. He's so plain looking. Oh, his freckles are cute!"

"Yeah. I've dealt with worse before," Izuku insisted, trying to sound nonchalant, even though he could still hear the nervousness in his tone. The girl in red seems to buy it though.

"Oh, okay."

There is an awkward silence, with the only sound being the crow from earlier. "Um…sorry about interrupting your…testing? I'll be going now." Izuku turns to leave.

'You have more friends around you, you just need to find them.'

Ruby didn't know why that thought came to her, but before she knew it, she reached out to Izuku. "U-um…" Izuku stops and turns to face her. "…My name is Ruby Rose. What's yours?"

Izuku blinks. "It-It's Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."

"'Izuku Midoriya', huh? That name is fitting."

"F-fitting?!" Izuku muttered. "Does she know about the whole 'Deku' thing?"

"Like your hair is green and so are your eyes," Ruby said, pointing at her own hair and eyes.

"M-my eyes?"

Ruby blushed. "U-Uh! I mean, it's not like I was staring intentionally or what. You and I were so close because I bumped into you and all." She bows deeply. "And again, I am so sorry!"

"No, no, no! It's okay, really!" Izuku said frantically. "Wow, I guess we're both a little awkward about this." "A-and going back on the subject of names, your name is very fitting too."

"You think so?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. You have it with your hair too. And you wear red." A red ripped denim jacket over a black shirt with a red rose, black skirt with red plaid, mesh stocking and black boots accented with red.

Ruby smiles at that. "I guess I have a huge affinity for red."

Sensing that she's at more ease, Izuku feels the same and smiles back. "Even your last name fits because of the…rose petals?"

"Oh, yeah. That's from my Quirk."

"Really? Can you tell me what it is?" Izuku gasped when he realized he was overstepping. "That is, if you want to!"

"I don't mind. It's called Petal Burst. I basically turn into flower petals and zip around." Ruby zips around Izuku, leaving red petals in her wake.

"Wow," Izuku said. He plucks a petal that had landed on his shoulder. "That's cool!" The petal felt dry, like it lacks moisture though it still retains a healthy look. Other than that, it looked like the real deal. "A Quirk that leaves behind rose petals. Why does that sound familiar?"

"So, what about you? What's your Quirk?" Izuku froze at the question and felt his heart racing.

"My-My Quirk? I…um…" Izuku stuttered. Should he lie to her? No, she might want to see it in action. After all, she went out of her way to do the same. Very quietly, Izuku said, "I don't have one…"

"What?"

Izuku could feel his heart racing. He grows afraid that he might have to take out his inhaler at some point. He wrings his hands nervously. "I don't have a Quirk."

"…really?" Ruby asked. Izuku didn't need to look to see Ruby's expression.

"Yeah…" He knew the look she was giving him. It's the same look that his doctor and mother gave him. Pity.

Ruby looks down at his clasping hands and notices bandages underneath his sleeves, as well as a purple bruise on his right hand, just below his pinkie. It looked like it hurt. "Are…are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me…" Ruby felt a ping of sympathy at the sight of Izuku's despondency. She had only been exposed to a couple of Quirkless in her, but it was enough for her to understand the implications and how they are treated. Which was why she wanted to befriend Cardin Winchester, so he could have a friend. It unfortunately backfired.

Now, meeting another Quirkless kid, it didn't change Ruby's impression of Izuku. She could tell that he is a kind and gentle soul. And that he is hurting.

"…If you say so…" Ruby averts her eyes down, noticing a blue notebook lying on the grass. She bends down to pick it up. To her surprise, it's a Kukuyo Campos brand notebook, same brand as her grid notebooks. She reads the title written in black marker. "Hero Analysis for the Future?"

"Huh? When did that fall out? Is there a hole in my bag?" Izuku wondered. He checks over his large backpack, looking for any rips or tears.

As he did, Ruby looked through the book. "Wow, you're a hero fanboy, aren't ya?"

Izuku blushed. "Well-I-uh…kinda…This is so embarrassing…"

Ruby smiled. "Don't be so embarrassed! I'm kind of a dork myself. Not about heroes, but about support gear." She gasped. "I'll be right back!" She gives Izuku back his notebook and zooms off in a burst of petals. Izuku stood dumbfounded before Ruby returned with a red grid notebook in her hands.

"Here! You can take a look at this!" She hands him the notebook. Izuku was momentarily shocked to see the similar brand. Then again, it's fairly common and cheap.

Izuku reads the book's title. "Ruby's Blueprints No.10?"

"I got inspired by an old family friend when I was a kid." Izuku reads through the pages, marveling at the diagrams and outlines.

"Wow, these are amazing! Did you make any of these?"

"No. Not all of them. The junkyard near my place didn't have the necessary pieces I needed without paying big cash. But I was able to find parts for this baby." She points at the goggles around her neck.

"Goggles? It kinda reminds me of EraserHead."

"I kinda got inspired by him. And they're not just your run-in-the-mill goggles. Here." She removes the goggles and hands them to Izuku. He was slightly hesitant, but he took the goggles and put them on. "Now, turn the left knob on the left eyepiece." He does so.

"Optical zoom feature!" Izuku takes the goggles off to examine it closer. "Amazing."

Ruby felt a surge of excitement at someone complimenting her work. "Thanks. You have no idea how hard it is to reverse engineer a camera. I still have some other features I wanna try out, but I was told to slow down a bit and focus on what I'm doing now. Probably a good thing. Otherwise, I would be making a snafu."

"Wait, I thought you have to be a support course student to be allowed to make support gear."

"You can if you have a junior license from a support company," Ruby grinned, whipping out a card from her pocket. The license was a soft purple in color with Ruby's picture and info on it.

"Are you planning to start a support company when you are older?"

"Actually, no. I plan on becoming a hero."

"You are?"

"Yep. My sister would tell me stories about heroes. I've also been around a lot of heroes too. My dad's a hero and so are two of my uncles. I have another uncle working for a hero too, so I get to hear a lot of stories from him as well. That's why I aim to attend UA. To become a hero, just like them. Just like All Might and…" Just like Mom.

"Really? I know this sounds crazy, but I plan to do the same thing."

"You're going to UA? Aiming for the general course?"

"N-no, no. No, the hero course. Same as you."

Ruby arches a brow in confusion. "But aren't you Quirkless?"

"I know it sounds insane, but I too admire heroes, especially All Might. I admired him so much, for so long, that I want to become one as well. I want to be a hero, just like All Might, because there is nothing else in this world I'd rather be."

Something about how Izuku spoke resonated with Ruby, despite what she thinks. Izuku is Quirkless and Quirkless people can't become heroes because of the danger. Ruby wanted to tell him that. But, she thinks back when people doubted her capabilities. There is no doubt that Izuku had experienced it too. She didn't want to be that person, to crush another's dream like that.

"That's…very admirable. You know what? I think you can do it."

There was a shine in Izuku's eyes when he heard that. "You really think so?

"Yeah. I mean, I kinda get it. The police and firefighter department are great and all, but heroes are just so much more romantic, ya know?"

Her excitement was contagious as Izuku nodded his head. "Yeah!"

"You know, I bet there are support gear that could help get around the whole Quirkless thing."

Izuku cups his chin, pondering. "Hmm…that could work. Taking into consideration the lack of strength enhancement and speed Quirks that would help a great deal, then maybe we can have bracers with augmentation features and boots that can shoot out air currents for propulsion…" Ruby stood in silent perplexity as Izuku's mumbling reached new heights.

"You're really into this, huh?" Ruby smiled, nonetheless.

The two started talking on and on about heroes, Quirks, and support gear as they walked around the abandoned playground.

"And that moment when she swooped down and slammed the guy into the ground!" Ruby exclaimed, swinging down her arm.

"It's a wonder that his ribs weren't broken," Izuku said.

"Thank you! Achillea was so amazing in that tournament!"

"And to think, she was even made a sidekick for All Might. He hasn't had one since Sir Nighteye."

"Right?"

They're conversations contained everything and nothing at the same time as they further solidified their friendship, a bond formed from similar dreams and ideals.

"You even wrote about the Wild Wild Pussy Cats!" Ruby exclaimed, holding up Izuku's 9th notebook.

"It's not every day that pro heroes come together to form a team. The life of a pro is rot with heavy competition, so a lot of attempted team ups don't last long. The Pussycats are one of the few teams that became successful in the long term, lasting for over a decade and still going strong, being ranked in the top 50," Izuku explained.

Ruby smiled solemnly, though she hides it from Izuku by holding up the notebook. She remembers the stories told by one of her uncles about their joint agency way back in the day, back when Ruby's mom was still alive…

She digs for something in her cat bag. "Check these out, Midoriya!" The boy gasps.

"No way! You got a Bronze Age All Might Holo card?" Izuku asked as he held up the card, protected in a clear sleeve.

Ruby proudly grins. "Yeah. I nearly spent all of this year's otoshidama on getting it." She sheepishly added, "My dad was super mad though."

Izuku hands the keychain back to her. "Yeah, those are super rare. I was lucky when I got mine. My mom actually got it when she went to the supermarket."

"I really wanna try getting Young Age All Might, but those are ultra-rare, and I don't wanna be grounded…again." She places the card back to the others, a collection of hero cards that Ruby had procured. Golden Age All Might, Silver Age All Might, Flame High, Best Jeanist, Hawks, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, and many more and this was just what she was carrying at the time being. She has many more back at home. "But hey, I was still able to get Ingenium! He's one of my favorite heroes." Ruby points to a card light red card holder keychain attached to her backpack with the card of Ingenium contained inside.

Izuku noticed a wooden figure attached to the ring with the cardholder. It was painted white, mostly, and appeared to be clad in a cloak. It gave Izuku a sense of familiarity again that he couldn't place. He looks over at Ruby's other cards. Many he recognized, except for a few. Those few were hand drawn, so maybe Ruby made these. There was one hero with a white mask in the shape of a bird and another clad in black surrounded by a gray cloth. "Hey, who are those heroes?

"Underground heroes. I thought you had notes about all kinds of heroes."

"Underground heroes are kinda harder to take notes on because they are more private with their work. Did you make those cards yourself?"

Ruby nodded. "Uh-huh." She picks up the card containing the one in black. "Some I just used whatever information I could find. Others…" She puts it down and picks up the other card. She smiles fondly. "I knew personally. I think that underground heroes aren't getting the credit that they deserve."

"That's true," Izuku agreed. "Because they're not in the limelight, like All Might, Endeavor, or Present Mic, they don't get a lot of revenue from the publicity. They instead work closely with the police. But, still, it's like you said. A lot of people dismiss underground heroes, but they are just as hard working to keep us safe."

Ruby snapped her fingers. "You got it, fanboy!" Izuku laughed.

It wasn't long until the sun was close to setting, but the two barely noticed as they sat at the vine covered swing set, Izuku sitting in one normally, moving his feet back and forth slightly, while Ruby stood up on another.

"Okay, okay, okay," Ruby said. "My next question is this: If you were about to confront a villain, what's your first course of action?"

"Hmmm…" Izuku pondered. "Since I wouldn't know who or what I'm up against, I'd first analyze the situation and the surrounding area before I could make a move. What about you?"

Ruby shrugs. "I don't know, charge right in? That's what my sister would do."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"Hey, danger is a part of the fun."

"I might have to disagree with you on that," Izuku said.

Ruby shrugs again. "Eh, tomato tamato." Izuku chuckles at that and Ruby does the same. "And besides, when someone's in trouble, I feel that there is no time to think. You just…do."

"Hey, Rose?" Izuku said.

"Yeah?"

"Why…What made you…say what you said earlier?" he asked. A part of him still couldn't believe that there is someone out there who believed in his dream.

Ruby properly seats down on the swing. "To be honest, I have people doubting me too."

"Really?"

"Well, my folks believe me, but other people? Yeah. They think I'm too much of a kid to become a successful hero and that my Quirk isn't impressive enough." And, it might be true. There's plenty of speed based Quirks out there. What's so impressive about one more?

"Sure, it is," Izuku said. "It might not be useful for stealth but moving fast enough to save a lot of people is very heroic. You also have the drive to protect too."

"You have it too, you know."

Izuku blinked. "Huh?"

"The conviction. The drive to save people. You may not have a Quirk, but I can tell that you have the heart of a true hero."

Izuku smiled warmly. "Thank you. That means a lot."

There was then a text tone coming from Ruby's phone. It was a text from her father, asking her where she is. "Holy cats, is it that time already?"

"Whoa, time really went by, huh? Oh, man. My mom's probably so worried." They exchanged glances and both smiled.

"I had fun talking with you," Ruby.

"…Yeah, me too. I mean! I like talking with you too!" Izuku said quickly. Ruby giggles.

"Sooo, wanna hangout? Again? Tomorrow?"

"Hangout?" Izuku had never thought he'd hear those words. "...Yeah. Sure!"

"Awesome! Same time, same place?"

"Yeah!"

Ruby leaps out of the swing. "Well, gotta go to the bus stop before I miss the next one."

Izuku gets up. "Let me accompany you!"

"That's okay. I'm a big girl."

"I know, but hey it means we got extra time."

"You're not wrong."

They emerge from the heavily green park and head over to the bus stop close by to the Emerald Bridge.

"Will you be okay going home on your own?" Ruby asked as they waited for the next bus.

"Yeah, it's not that far away," Izuku said. "And it looks like there might be another bus that comes by here. So, it's okay."

"That's good. I know I said this already, but I had so much fun today," Ruby said.

"Me too."

The two grew quiet. The silence became a little awkward for Ruby, as she wanted to continue their conversations, but what could be said that couldn't have been already said. Then she held a fist out towards Izuku, who looked at it in confusion.

"Let's aim for UA!" she exclaimed.

Izuku nodded and fist bumps with her. "And go beyond!"

"Plus Ultra!" they declared. It was at that moment the buses arrived. True to Izuku's words, the other bus is set to take him closer to home. The two bid farewell before boarding on the respective buses. They sat in their seats, feeling glee having to have made a friend that day and couldn't wait for tomorrow.

One problem came to mind, however.

"Ah crap/crumbs! I forgot to ask for her/his number!"


Izuku arrives at home and enters the apartment.

"Mom, I'm home!"

Inko, such a sweet worrier, came up to her son, frantically. "Izuku, where were you? I was so worried!"

Izuku smiles apologetically. The poor woman was already an anxious mother, so Izuku being gone longer than normal without texting her didn't really help her nerves. "I'm sorry about that, mom. I really am. I met someone new at this park. We kinda hit it off and, before we knew it, it was getting late."

Inko calmed down slightly. "Who was it?"

"Her name is Ruby Rose. She goes to a different school over at Patchi Island, but the park where we met made an excellent meeting point," Izuku explained. He had calculated distances between his apartment and Patchi Island and Sentaku Park by looking up the bus schedules and the park is at a near perfect median, if off by a mile or two.

"Ruby Rose…As in a girl? Izuku, my sweet boy, did you find yourself a girlfriend?" Inko asked, almost anxious and excited.

Izuku blushed. "N-No, mom. It's not like that! Really!"

"Oh. Then…is she…anything like Katsuki?"

"No, she's nothing like that. In fact, she's really nice," Izuku reassured her. Maybe, a little voice said and Izuku tried to ignore it.

Inko smiles at that. "That's good to hear, sweetie. Dinner is almost done, so go freshen up and you can tell me more about this new friend of yours."

"Okay." Izuku heads into his room to change out of his uniform. As he did, he couldn't help but ponder. "Rose's Quirk…why do I feel like I've heard it before?" Izuku goes through his notebooks. He was looking through number 7 when he gasped. "I knew her Quirk sounded familiar!"


Ruby was practically skipping merrily when she arrived home. "I'm back!"

"About time," Yang said from the couch. "I thought I was gonna be the one coming home late today." Next to the blonde was another girl with golden eyes, long black hair, and cat ears. Ruby knew who it was immediately.

"Hey, Ruby," the girl greeted.

"Blake!" Ruby exclaimed. She dashed forward to give Blake a hug. Blake returns the gesture, her long black tail curled in from the affection.

"It's been a while, huh?" she asked as she and Ruby let go.

"Uh, yes it has. Where've you been?" Ruby thinks back on the conversation earlier that day at Archam's Treat about Blake and some unknown guy. Whoever this guy was, they were obviously on Yang's bad side.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Blake smiled.

"Yeah, it's been taken care of," Yang added, putting an arm around Blake's shoulder.

Ruby felt that they were dodging the question. "That's…good." She decided to let it go, as it was clear that they weren't going to tell her.

"Dinner time!" Tai said from the kitchen.

"Are you staying for dinner, Blake?" Ruby asked.

Blake holds her arm, and her cat ears turn back. "…If you guys are okay with having me here. After…"

"Of course, we are!" Yang said, instantly at her friend's side and put an arm around her shoulders. Ruby stared at them for a moment before following them to the kitchen. The girls sat at the table, their plates of food already set for them. Ruby notices the absence of the home's most disgruntled occupant.

"Uncle Qrow on patrol tonight again?" she asked.

"Yeah, he is," Tai answered. "He actually took a nap here an hour ago."

"Aw man…"

"If you were here on time, then you would've seen him."

"That reminds me, what were you doing?" Yang asked.

"I took your advice and made a new friend at Sentaku Park," Ruby said, looking pleased with herself.

Yang snorted. "With what? A wolf?"

"Yang, wolves had been extinct in Japan for a while," Blake said.

"Maybe someone with a wolf Quirk?"

"No," Ruby answered, shaking her head. "A kid my age. He's kinda plain looking, but really nice."

Yang's eyes went wide. "Wait, he?"

Ruby paled, realizing her folly. 'Uh oh.' "Yang, don't."

"I've always wanted to do this!"

"You did it when I met Jaune!"

"Ruby's got a boyfriend! Ruby's got a boyfriend!"

"Gah!"

"Yang, stop terrorizing Ruby," Tai and Blake said together.

"Aw, two against one. I feel betrayed," Yang pouted.

"Who is this guy, Ruby?" Blake asked.

"I wanna know too," Tai said as he put down his fork and steeped his fingers. Ruby and Yang recognized this as their father going into shotgun dad mode. He did this before when Yang befriended Mirio.

"What's his name and Quirk?" Yang asked.

"Well," Ruby started. "His name is Izuku Midoriya, and he actually doesn't have a Quirk."

"He's Quirkless? That's still a thing?" Tai and Blake give Yang a look. "What?"

"Despite being Quirkless, Midoriya has the heart of a hero."

"He sounds like a really good person," Blake said.

"Yep, he is. That's why he's planning to apply for UA's hero course." As Ruby continued to eat her dinner, the other three paused, processing what she had just said. It was Yang's snickering that broke the silence.

"Yeah, good one, Rubes," Yang laughed. It wasn't until Ruby looked at her when she realized it wasn't a joke. "…wait, are you serious?

"Yes, I am. Why? What's wrong?"

"Ruby," Ruby didn't like the sound of Blake's voice. "Don't take this the wrong way, but, you didn't…encourage him, did you?"

"…Yes?"

"Ruby," Now her father has the same tone. "There is nothing wrong with encouraging someone to follow their dream."

"…Okay?"

"But, that dream has to be attainable. Someone Quirkless can't go Pro."

Hearing this, Ruby could feel her heart rip in two. Not for her, but for Izuku. "But…that's not fair! Why can't he be a hero like you guys? So, what if he's Quirkless? If we could just find the right equipment, then—"

"Ruby, please listen," Tai urged. "There is nothing wrong with your friend going to UA. He could attend the general course, the business course, or heck, maybe even the support course, but not the hero course. Not without a Quirk. Especially now, with a society looking out for exceptional heroes with exceptional Quirks."

"But, didn't All Might once say that anyone can be a hero?" Ruby argued desperately. She wanted to keep Izuku's dream alive.

"There are other similar lines of work that are more Quirkless friendly," Tai counter argued.

"But –"

"And he could die, Ruby."

Ruby stared at her father in shock at his words. Blake and Yang, who were feeling awkward during the back and forth gaped at the words.

Tai rises out of his seat and goes to hug a devastated Ruby. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It's…an unfortunate truth. Even if you can make support gear for him to accomplish his dream, he wouldn't be allowed to use it because he isn't a hero course student and he can't pass the entrance exam without support gear, so…" He faces her. "I'm not trying to sound Quirkist, I'm only concerned for your friend's safety in this dangerous world. Do you understand?"

Ruby glanced at him before pushing back her chair, got up, and ran up to her room on the second floor.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" Yang asked. She and Blake flinched when a door slammed.

"Did that answer your question?" Blake asked dryly.

Tai sighs solemnly.


I racked my brain trying to find suitable arguments why Quirkless people shouldn't be pro heroes. Long story short, I think it's not impossible for someone Quirkless to be a pro hero, but I think the danger might be too big depending on what type of hero they want to be. Each hero uses their Quirks for very specific needs. So, yes, the type of hero Izuku wanted to be (a hero like All Might; to be at his level) is impossible without a Quirk. Even with support gear, the mortality rate for Quirkless heroes might be way too high. Also, look at the robots during the entrance exam. Someone Quirkless can't possibly pass it. When Izuku attempted, he couldn't use One for All because he was unfamiliar with it and so he was running around like a chicken's head cut off, unable to beat a single robot because someone got to it first before he punched out the Zero Pointer with One for All.

Plus, think about it from All Might's point of view. The man had fought many villains over the years and knows how hazardous the job itself is. He knows how dangerous villains can be and it would've been foolish and unwise to tell a Quirkless, scrawny kid that he can become a Pro.