Toshinori watched somberly as the boy pushed himself to the limit each day, his eyes set on the future. Midoriya was more than worthy of One for All, the hero could clearly see that. Just the way the child handled his own quirk, that showed maturity, responsibility, and above all, an outstanding set of morals that were more than admirable.

Most people would have probably become villains at this point, or abandoned all their hopes of using their quirks, not believing that anyone would ever accept them as heroes, or accept them at all, and Toshinori could hardly blame them. But this kid had a heart that was too pure for that. He had the same determination as heroes with a pro license, unwilling to give up even when the world itself seems to be against him.

And it was taking its toll on the kid. It wasn't hard to see, the lack of self-confidence, the jumpiness, and an amount of self-hatred was there too, hidden, but still there. All the kid ever wanted was to be a hero, but he felt like all he could ever be was a villain.

He thought that because his quirk was... not natural, he wasn't either. But Toshinori was not blind to potential, and this one was shining so much that even Eraserhead would be impressed.

Probably.

Toshinori wished more than anything that Midoriya was wrong. That the quirk wasn't that bad. But the reality? It really was that bad. He knew he would never forget the way the dead started climbing out of the ground, the way they obeyed the boy immediately. Those unseeing, glowing eyes that seemed to be staring straight at him would haunt for a long time.

And the quirk also had an effect on young Midoriya. The boy didn't say it, but they both knew it was true. When he used his quirk, he would forget all his doubts and feel powerful. One look into the kid's eyes while he was using his quirk, and All Might could already see it. Gone was the shy boy with self-confidence issues, and someone else took his place. Someone that Midoriya did not want to be. It was easy to see why the quirk seemed so terrifying to the boy, and in a sense, it truly was terrifying.

And yet, Toshinori was glad. He was truly glad, because a quirk like this? Most people would never resist the temptation. They would give in to the feeling of power, and quite possibly become one of the most terrifying villains Japan has ever seen. Just imagine the havoc one could wreak with an army of skeletons smelling like death itself marching through the streets.

But the boy he had chosen as his successor? He won't. He will be a hero, using his powers for good. His quirk may be something out of a horror movie, but young Midoriya will use it for good. And he will save people with it.

Toshinori knew.

But he also wished he could do something, anything, to remove the ever present burden that weighed down the boy.

But it was not possible. Commanding the dead was Midoriya's curse. But it was his obligation too.

Ten months flew by without a mention of Izuku's quirk. It wasn't forgotten, far from it, but All Might saw no reason to bring it up. They both agreed that this power should not be used unless it was necessary, and training it wasn't really something either of them wanted to do. Not that there wasn't enough to do already, readying Izuku to be a vessel was a job hard enough as it was. But they did it. In a nick of time, but they managed to do it.

However, that was hardly enough. After all, Izuku's control was nonexistent, so how was he supposed to get any points?

But he had to get into U.A. It was his dream, and he was prepared to do anything for it.

He didn't realize exactly how prepared he really was until five minutes into the exam, when he realized he had no chance to pass unless… unless he did the unthinkable. But then again, it was HIS quirk, wasn't it? And the dead were… dead. Maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be so wrong, using them for his own purposes. Just sometimes. Just until he could learn One for all. Was it really wrong that he wanted to fight for his dream?

Just this once.

And so, Izuku decided. He would use his quirk. For once in his life, he would do something utterly selfish.

As if hearing him, at that exact time, a robot crashed through a building, ending up right in front of the freckled boy.

Good thing he already had a plan ready.

It was a plan born out of random thoughts and late night speculations, that has been in the making for years and years. It wasn't much of a plan, more of an idea. A way to use his quirk without exposing himself.

You see, Izuku noticed vey early on that the skeletons he summoned weren't just a stack of bones. They could, after all, punch their way through concrete. They were strong. Inhumanly strong. He wasn't sure what else they were, since he refused to use them a lot, but the fact that he knew that his skeletons were strong was enough to formulate his plan.

"Please forgive me." Izuku muttered, to the dead or to himself, he wasn't sure.

The robot locked on to its target, but it never got to actually deal any damage, because, in the next moment, the ground opened up, and the robot was dragged down into the depth right up until it was so deep only its head was sticking out. It struggled a bit, then stopped working altogether.

And then, Izuku felt it. The power in him, rising up to the surface. His confidence flaring up, erasing all doubts. If One for All wasn't going to help, the dead would.

So he ran. But he wasn't running out of panic, searching frantically like before. Now, he knew what he was doing. And even though somewhere deep within his heart, he felt regret, and logically he knew it was wrong, he couldn't care at that moment. His dream was waiting for him. And he would not pass this chance up.

But five minutes wasn't enough. As quickly as he destroyed the robots he could find, the amount of points he had gathered was still too low. It didn't help that he could only do it one way: he would use the skeletons to grab the robots and drag them underground. That way his quirk remained a secret, but it was still obvious that he was the one who got rid of them. But there wasn't enough time left.

It was all for nothing.

When the zero pointer robot appeared, Izuku's first thought was to run. Not out of fear, but out of realization. Now was his chance. While everyone was escaping, he could gather as many points as he needed to pass.

Then he heard the scream.

There she was. The nice girl, stuck under the rubble. In the way of the zero pointer. Nobody paid any mind to her, running away fast as they could. Nobody helped her.

Izuku had two choices ahead of him: He either used this distraction to gather points, or he could try to save the girl

He didn't even think. Next thing he knew, he was up in the air, screaming smash, dealing a blow strong enough to destroy the upper part of the robot.

At that moment, he felt powerful. But it was so different from what he felt with his own quirk. When he summoned the dead, he felt invincible. Cocky.

With One for All, what he felt was strength. Not the kind that made him want to go around and flaunt it, but the kind that made him feel… good. Worthy. It was a completely different type of self-confidence.

Then he was falling, one hand and two legs uselessly flapping at his side, broken. If he hit the ground from this height, he would surely die. Well, at least he wouldn't be alone, with his skeleton army and all. Surely they were fun to hang around with.

In the end, he didn't get to join his own army, as he was slapped on the face by the gravity girl, effectively saving him from becoming a splat on the ground.

"And release." The girl uttered, and Izuku fell on the ground with a thud. She then turned away and started vomiting. Ah, Izuku knew that feeling. He did that too when he used his quirk. Only right now, all the disgust was being kept at bay by the overwhelming tiredness he felt

But he took a moment to appreciate the girl's quirk. Controlling gravity. So cool.

Unlike controlling the dead. Not cool. Not cool at all.

At the back of his mind, he remembered he still needed points. He didn't have enough. But he was just so tired…

"Just a few more points" he muttered, trying to get up, or crawl, or something, but the fog in his mind was getting thicker and thicker every moment.

"AAAND TIME IS UP!"

Hearing that, Izuku promptly passed out.

He wouldn't realize it until later, but this was the first time that Izuku's own feelings overcame the control his quirk had over his emotions without having to release the dead first. When he jumped to save the Uraraka, it was so pure and instinctive, all other feelings were pushed into the back of his mind.

Because Izuku's quirk may have been of a villain's, but Izuku was a hero to boot.

The following week, Izuku felt like the worst human being in existence. He managed to fail the exam, defy his own morals, and disappoint All might in the spam of ten minutes. I mean, that was the only reason why the hero hadn't contacted him right? Not even a word from the symbol of peace.

And Izuku couldn't blame him. All Might had put all his faith in him. Given him his quirk. spent so much time training him, preparing him, and how did he repay that?

He failed the exam, he summoned the dead for his own gain, and he was an absolute failure when it came to One for All. Maybe All Might would ask for it back now? After all, who would want to have him as his successor?

But, as it turned out, the worrying was for nothing. To say Izuku was shocked when he opened his letter would be an understatement. Ha passed. He didn't fail. It wasn't all for nothing! All the faith in him, all the help he received, it wasn't in vain. And if anything, All Might sounded proud in the video. He obviously wasn't mad at him. He just didn't have time to contact Izuku.

Suddenly, the realization hit the freckled boy harder than Uraraka at the entrance exam.

He got to join U.A. He could follow his dream.

Izuku met All Might at Dagobah beach park, which was now clean of all the garbage, making it a truly beautiful place. And, judging by the amount of people walking on the shores, other people seemed to think so too. It made Izuku feel proud, seeing people admiring his work.

"All Might!" He shouted at the hero, forgetting that he was in his deflated form: No-one should know it was actually him.

"All Might?! No way! Where?" somebody shouted back not far from them.

The hero shook his head quickly, coughing up blood. "Repeat after me: "just my eyes playing tricks on me!" He urged Izuku.

"Just my eyes playing tricks on me!" He repeated immediately, half panicking at his own mistake.

The person searching for All Might gave off a dejected sigh and turned his attention away, making Izuku breath out in relief.

The hero held his hand out for a high five. "Congrats on passing. You should know that I haven't told the school about our relationship." He smiled slightly. "You seemed like the type who'd worry about favoritism."
"I appreciate it." Izuku truly did. He needed to know he got in by his own strength. Well, as much as this strength was his anyway. Apparently, with the amount of rescue points, he would have gotten in anyway without using his quirk. But this way? He got in second, just one point short of Bakugou.

But there was something else more interesting going on in his mind. "So you are a teacher in U.A.?" He asked. "That was a shocker. That's why we are meeting here… I get it." Suddenly it started making sense. "Even though your office is located in Tokyo's Minato ward…

"Please stop." All Might cut the sentence short, and Izuku blushed. He has been geeking out again. Oops.

"I couldn't tell anyone until the school made it public," the hero continued, "I figured I could take the job at U.A. while searching for a successor."

That froze the smile right off Izuku's face. Of course All Might would be searching for a successor there. Where else would he? U.A. had the most talented young people between its walls. With quirks that are… heroic. Not like him. Not an abomination.

"But there is something else. I saw you using your quirk at the entrance exam. That was quite clever of you, but I imagine it was a difficult decision on your part."

"It was." Izuku admitted, and for a moment, he let the relief flood through him. All Might wasn't disappointed. He understood. "But I decided to do everything I can to achieve my dream." He clenched his fist. "If it means I have to compromise myself every other time, then I will!"

All Might smiled at him sadly, his eyes filled with empathy and understanding. "I admire you for that. Have you named the quirk yet?"

Izuku nodded. He gave it a lot of thought. "I'm calling it Gates of Hell. I thought it would fit." He smiled sadly.

"It is a fitting name. A bit dramatic, but so is your quirk," the hero nodded with the hollow of a smile. "I didn't tell them anything about it, but sooner or later, they will have to know. At least your homeroom teacher. You did use it at the entrance exam, even if it wasn't obvious what you actually did. You'll have to explain that somehow. If you are lucky, you will get a homeroom teacher who will be understanding. But you have to prepare yourself to the chance that they may expect you to use it even when they find out what it actually is. You will have to prove yourself capable with One for All if you want to avoid that."

Izuku felt the dread fill him.

"One for all broke my body after a single punch." He hung his head. "I just can't wield it."

"That's just how it is." All Might assured him. "If someone suddenly grew a tail, it's not like they'd be able to do tricks with it right off the bat."

Waaait a minute. Izuku looked up, feeling betrayed. Does this mean…

"You knew this would happen?!" He exclaimed.

All Might at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Well…" He scratched the back of his head. "There wasn't enough time. But it turned out all right!" He added quickly. "Or should I say… ALL MIGHT!" Izuku face palmed. "For now, it's all or nothing. But once you figure out how to regulate your power… you can put out as much as your body can handle." All Might leaned down, picking up a thrown away soda can. (What was that doing there? Izuku just cleaned this beach, they'd better not start littering it again so soon!) "The more you temper your vessel, the better you can control your power." He turned into his hero form, crushing the can with a big smile. "Like this."

"Look! It really is All Might!"

Then they ran.

On the first day, Izuku was probably more nervous than the other nineteen in his class added together.

It had taken a lot of time for him to find his classroom. The building was nothing less than a labyrinth, making it a challenge to find anything, especially for someone who was there for the first time.

Izuku was curious: what kind of classmates would he have? After all, if he made good friends, maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't condemn him when they eventually find out about his other quirk. And, also he hoped to god Kacchan wouldn't be in his class. He would be so angry if he found about his quirk – either of them – and Izuku did not need another three years of being bullied.

Opening the enormous classroom door, Izuku gave off a dejected sigh. Kacchan was his classmate, and to add insult to injury, the stuck up boy was too. But at least the kind girl, the one who tried to give him points, was there too. And the stuck up boy, Iida, wasn't that bad after all. But he still could have done without Kacchan being his classmate.

But that wasn't even the worst part of the day. And that's saying something, because that was the part where Izuku found out that his bully since he was five was going to go the same class as him.

They were doing a quirk apprehension test. And the worst would be expelled.

The only thing on Izuku's mind was "Oh please no" at that moment. One of his quirks he couldn't control yet, and the other… Well, let's just say this wasn't the kind of party where skeletons would be appreciated.

And Izuku felt the weight of that in every single exercise. He failed and failed and failed, being no better than average in every test. And in a test where quirks were present, average was simply not good enough.

Maybe… Izuku had an idea. Maybe he could use a skeleton to…

But wait, no no no no no he shouldn't do this. Was a test important enough to disturb the dead for it? The entrance exam was one thing. But this? This was the first day. He couldn't keep doing this. He had to learn how to manage without it in U.A., or it would come and bite him in the ass soon enough. He made a deal with himself: He would use it, but only in an emergency. This was not an emergency.

All through the exercises, he could feel the teacher's eyes on him. He knew why. He showed he had a quirk at the entrance exam, when he dragged the robots underground. And then, he showed it again when he punched the robot. He got in second place.

So why wasn't he using at least one of his powers now? Well, with the strength augmentation quirk it was quite obvious, but he knew the teacher was trying to find out what his other quirk was. But he wasn't going to any time soon, as Izuku wasn't about to invite a bunch of skeletons to the school ground. So, the only remaining option was One for All. It might break his arm, but it would be worth it.

He channeled All Might's quirk into his arm, and threw.

He felt it before the ball left his hand, and it was so strong, so distracting and scary, he barely heard the machine say:

"46 meters."

"I erased your quirk." The teacher said. His scarf was all but floating around him, and his eyes were glowing red.

And that at least explained it.

The emptiness. His heart felt… weak, hollow, and yet so light. Like some kind of pull that had always been there just disappeared, like that. It was gone. He reached and reached and reached, but nothing was there. His power was gone. He wouldn't be able to invite the dead now even if he wanted to.

And there was something else.

It was as if everyone else had ceased to exist around him. Like they were… dead. Lifeless. Like furniture. They were there, moving, breathing, existing, and yet, to Izuku, they seemed – felt – dead. Like when you put TV on mute. They were there, living, breathing, moving and talking, and yet to him, they just didn't seem to exist.

"Eraserhead." Izuku stated, finally recognizing the hero by the goggles around his neck. His quirk was erasing other people's quirks.

"That ridiculous entrance exam…" the teacher stared at Izuku with contempt, his red eyes boring into the boy "it's completely irrational that someone like you got in." He grabbed Izuku with his scarf, lifting him off the ground. "I saw how you handled your quirk. You can't control it. You'd just incapacitate yourself again. What then? Will you always just hope that someone would step in afterwards?"

Well… Normally, he kinda had his skeletons to help him if it came down to that. it wouldn't be very morally sound, but he could get the dead to carry him if he had to. Or maybe a skeleton horse. Can he even summon animal skeletons? He had never tried. Summoning dead humans came naturally to him, animals, not so much. Maybe once he should try.

"No, it's not like that…" Izuku denied, remembering that Aizawa was waiting for his answer.

"Whatever you were planning, it would have inconvenienced those around you." The hero stated.

Just wait until you see my other quirk, Izuku thought bitterly. Calling it inconvenient won't cut it for that one. Oh boy.

"Way back then, a certain hot blooded hero saved over a thousand people during a disaster. He made himself a legend. You've got the same reckless streak, but you are totally useless after saving just one person." That was, unfortunately, true. But Izuku just got his quirk. Surely, he was allowed some learning time?

Okay, probably not. This was not a summer camp. This was U.A.

And Eraserhead was on the same opinion. "I don't know what your quirk is, but it breaks your bones and makes you tired enough so Recovery girl barely dares to heal you because you could possibly die. So tell me, what good are you?"

Izuku gulped. He already knew it was coming, yet when the pro hero actually said it, he wasn't prepared.

"Midoriya Izuku, you cannot become a hero with that power of yours." He deadpanned, looking Izuku straight in the eyes.

Well, that hit close to home. He had always told himself that. That exact sentence. He would repeat it to himself over and over again, at night when he caught himself dreaming about being a hero, or when he decided to apply to U.A. He had told himself so many times, it was almost a physical blow by now. Eraserhead had no idea how right he was. But not about one for all. Izuku would prove that.

The teacher let go of him then, closing his eyes. "You've got your quirk back. Let's get this over with." It was obvious what Aizawa thought. He gave up on him.

But that was okay. Izuku was used to people giving up on him. He had given up on himself many times before too. And yet, here he was.

He gripped the ball. It was time to prove himself.

He got ready to throw, seemingly not intending to use his power. But at the last point of contact, he used all the power the quirk had to offer to propel the ball forward, sending it into the sky. It broke his finger, but he didn't care. What was a finger to all the pain he had faced while growing up? Telling himself day after day that his quirk wasn't suitable for heroics. Being afraid all the time, because what if someone found out?

Well, no more.

"705.3 meters." The machine said.

"Sensei." Izuku clenched his fist. "I can still move."

Aizawa was impressed. The boy, Midoriya, obviously had potential. He was a creative thinker, determined to overcome any obstacle, exceeding expectations.

And yet, something was off. Aizawa could feel it in his bones. The way the kid acted, there was a sadness in him. Paired with his shy personality and the way the other kid, Bakugou, acted towards him, it was possible his behavior was a result of the bullying he probably faced in middle school.

But somehow, Aizawa didn't think that was it. His instincts were going haywire all morning, and he couldn't explain why. And then there was the question of the student's quirk. The force of the punch that blew away the zero pointer was All Might level, which was alarming enough on its own, but there was the other thing. There was a debate over it between the teachers: what did the kid's quirk do? How did he break the asphalt and drag the robots into the ground like that? Did he have some kind of earth related quirk too? Maybe he was like Todoroki, his quirk being half strength augmentation, half earth control.

But why not use it then? He could have gotten himself a lot more chance of passing and wouldn't have broken his finger.

The interesting part was that the same thing had happened at the entrance exam. Midorya almost didn't get enough points because he only realized he should start using his quirk at the second half. Why?

Did the quirk have a time limit? But that still didn't explain why the boy didn't use it today for at least one exercise. There would be the option of the quirk not being applicable to the situation, but Midoriya had proved that he was good at solving problems like that when he threw the ball.

To Aizawa, Midoriya Izuku was an enigma. But he would soon change that. Because if Midoriya wanted to be part of the strongest hero school in Japan, he would have to go all out. And that? That included all parts of his quirk.