Not all men are created equal.

It's cruel. It's unfair. It's life. After the Great Plague of the 21st Century, it started. China's Qing Qing City saw the first of them. A baby; born with the ability to emit light. Not long after, these abilities spread like wildfire amongst the human race. While some saw them as a blessing, others treated them as a curse. Society went through a massive upheaval. How could it not, when the very definition of what it meant to be "human" was shattered? Not everyone was granted these powers, however. And not all who had these powers were kind-hearted. In the wreckage of a crumbling society, criminals rose up to lay claim to their desires. Money, power, slaves. The first "Villains" were born.

As these new threats emerged and spread, there were those who wished to stop them. "Vigilantes". They stepped up where governments couldn't or wouldn't. It was a new World War. Whole countries weakened or collapsed altogether, leaving their citizens to fend for themselves. What remains from this period of history mostly amounts to rumor. Myth. Stories told through the generations. Eventually, things calmed somewhat. The governments that survived the initial collapse began recruiting and sponsoring those who fought for peace. These became the first "Heroes". For many, it was a dream come true. An occupation that had only been seen in pop culture had made its debut on the world stage. The more open Villain organizations began disappearing. It was a slow process. Many Vigilantes disagreed with their governments' brands of justice and refused to submit themselves. In an effort to maintain some illusion of control, governments worldwide outlawed Vigilantism. With many Vigilantes refusing to submit or retire, they often clashed with Heroes. The world's population took heavy losses.

"Superpowers", "Meta Abilities", "Quirks". Through the years, people adopted different names for their newfound strength. Some say that, if humankind had never gained this power, interstellar flight might have already been achieved. As time passed, more people with Quirks were being born. The Quirkless population steadily decreased until, in the modern era, less than 20% of the global population was estimated to be Quirkless.

Society was rebuilt with Quirks as a central focus. Science and Technology boomed, once again, as Quirks were studied. Gone were the days of ostracization over one's sexuality, gender, religion, or skin color. However, this new Era of Quirks brought its own brand of discrimination. Those with Mutant-Type Quirks were shunned as monsters. Individuals with Quirks associated with Villains or their acts were treated just as guilty as the Villains, themselves. And the Quirkless… The Quirkless were viewed as defective. Reality is harsh. It's unforgiving. And not all men are created equal.

~ W-o-L ~

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Quinn?" The voice, ragged and old, came from a man in an oversized suit. His eyes were sunken and hollow; full of pain, worry, and exhaustion. He knelt down in front of a girl, no older than 10, and gently clasped a hand on her shoulder. Quinn was small for her age and rather pale. It often seemed like no amount of sun exposure could tan her. Not that she minded. Her soft, white skin reminded her of the snow that used to fall during winters back at her old house. The man's stare bore into the girl's eyes, searching for something. She couldn't tell what. Her own lilac gaze met his piercing, intense blue. She didn't waiver. If anything, she was in awe. The man's eyes glowed with a power and conviction she'd only seen once.

Quinn's father and mother sat silent on either side of their daughter. They wanted to speak- needed to speak. To say anything to deter their little girl from making this decision. The mother's dark green eyes met the father's violet. Their conversation was silent but both felt as if they knew what was coming.

"I'm sure." Quinn said with nigh-unshakable resolve. And there it was. She'd succeed him. The man, Yagi Toshinori, stood from his place in front of this girl- in front of his successor- and bowed deeply to the family. It was a solemn, tired gesture that belied the man's position as Symbol of Peace. Yagi straightened and met the family's eyes in turn. Mother's green, Father's violet, Daughter's Lilac.

"Then I best leave. David's treatment has already taken longer than initially planned. Japan can't be without its Symbol." Yagi bowed slightly one last time before striding over to the door. With one last look back, and one last word, he left. "Young Quinn. I have no doubt in my mind; you're the one."

The Valence family sat quietly in the meeting room for some time. None of them wanted to speak for fear of angering one of the others. Quinn loved her parents as much as they loved her. She knew they wanted to argue. Convince her this path was far too dangerous. They were right, of course. They were always right. But they weren't just her parents. They were Pro Heroes in their own rights. How could she not want to be like them? How could she not want to be even better? She wanted to be stronger, faster. She would be.

Quinn stood and turned to her parents. Her face was red with a level of determination and confidence that only a naive child could muster. Her parents steeled themselves. They'd let her make this choice on her own and they intended to stand by their daughter. All 3 members of the Valence family had been pushed out of the airlocke and there was to be no return. Quinn silently thanked Melissa and whichever gods watched over her for the years of Japanese lessons she was dragged to. Melissa was always so eager to be able to talk to "Uncle Might" in his native language. Her parents weren't nearly as familiar with the language as their daughter was but they could hold a conversation fairly easily. Quinn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I can do this." She was visibly shaking from an overload of fear and nervous energy. Even as she stared her parents directly in the eyes, her voice cracked as she continued. "I want to be a Hero. To save people. I will be a Hero. The greatest to ever live."

And that was that. How could her parents argue? They explained the dangers. All Might made certain she knew what she was getting into. What they were all getting into. The secrets, the targets that could be on their backs, the danger taking on his Quirk would impose upon her. It was a power, crystallized and passed down throughout the ages. It supposedly dated back to the beginning of Quirks, as a whole. And Quinn was to be its Ninth Bearer. Arthur Auldwyn, Quinn's father, chuckled as he leaned forward and ruffled his daughter's unruly blonde hair.

"You'll need to work hard, Squirt." Arthur said. Beside him, Quinn's mother, Nikki Valence, nodded.

"Harder than anyone else." Nikki added.

"I know!" Quinn's gaze shifted to one of unwavering determination. She clenched her hands into fists and held them up as her parents smiled down at their little girl.

A year or so had passed since Quinn's family had met with Yagi. His visits to I-Island had always been infrequent but the time between had started to stretch. The last hadn't been more than a day but he still made time for Quinn. She'd grown fit and could be considered close to the goal of being One For All's perfect vessel. He was very interested in how her own Quirk, Patient Zero, would react to One For All. Though, despite David's best attempts, they had little more than speculation. Patient Zero was a Mutant-Type Quirk that caused Quinn's blood to have been typeless from birth. Researching Quinn's Quirk was the primary reason her family had relocated to I-Island from the United States. Through rigorous research, David had concluded that her Quirk gave her body, itself, a form of precognition. Skin grafts, bone marrow transplants, and blood transfusions revealed that no matter who she donated to- or even who donated to her- there would be no risk of rejection. He theorized that this would even extend to nerves and other organs, as well, but quickly dismissed the possibility of actually researching that hypothesis. Quinn was a child, after all. The research moved forward and they discovered she also possessed a weaker form of her father's Quirk. The girl was able to take in, process, and react to stimuli at a much higher rate than the average person. All-in-all the Valence family had been living on I-Island for over a decade.

"Young Quinn's about ready to take on my power." Yagi watched Quinn spar from behind the dojo's one-way glass. Her parents stood with him, wearing pleased expressions as they witnessed Quinn's progress. "It might be time."

"You want us to move to Japan, don't you, Yagi?" Arthur asked. He wasn't quiet nor solemn. His voice only carried pride in his daughter. Yagi nodded, not turning away from his successor. She'd come a long way in her martial arts training. It was a more defensive style than Yagi might have preferred but she wasn't him. And he would never want to change that.

"Yes, I think it'd be wise for her growth." Yagi nodded alongside his words. He finally turned towards the smiling parents. I-Island was luxurious and technologically advanced but Yagi supposed there was just no beating the hustle and bustle of everyday people. "In case you were wondering, I don't plan on giving Young Quinn a recommendation to UA."

"Why is that?" Nikki asked, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. Yagi chuckled softly.

"She seems the type to want to earn her spot." Yagi turned back to Quinn with a soft smile. Her spar had concluded and she was currently sitting to the side as a couple more students took the mat. "Can't say I blame her. I was the same way."

~ W-o-L ~

Midoriya Izuku started off the day like most any Middle Schooler would. Smashing his alarm clock. Lucky for him, he didn't break it. Even luckier was the fact he'd remembered to switch from his Limited Edition, Silver Age, All Might clock. Izuku rose slowly from his bed and scratched the sleep out of his forest green eyes. The light of early morning showed through his window as he proceeded to stretch and give a massive yawn. His freckled face was framed by a head of untamable green curls. He trudged his way past the dresser covered in All Might merch and opened the door to the bathroom. It was about as big as it needed to be, with its walk-in shower, toilet, and small sink. He slumped out of his clothes and climbed into the shower.

Moments later, Izuku walked into the Midoriya Household's kitchen as he finished doing up the buttons on his blazer. It never took Izuku long to get ready for the day but that didn't stop his mom, Midoriya Inko, from worrying. She was pacing the kitchen, scrambling to finish the family's breakfast. Her husband, Hisashi, and son would need to leave soon and proper meals were paramount if she wanted her boys to succeed. Izuku drew a chair out from the table and sat down.

"Morning mom. Dad." Izuku said with a slight bow. Hisashi nodded in approval from behind his newspaper and Inko sat out a mug of coffee for the father and a glass of orange juice for the son. "Anything good in today's Hero News?"

"Gossip mostly." Hisashi drawled, taking a second to blow lightly on his coffee before sipping it carefully. "'All Might Seen At Cafe', 'New Pros Rumored To Make Debut'. Couple things here and there about high-profile villains but nothing new."

"So nothing important." Izuku hung his head in disappointment as his mom sat out plates of food for the 3 of them. "Ah, thanks, mom!"

"Between your studies and Hisashi's work ethic, it's the least I could do." Inko said, waving off her son's thanks. Hisashi sat the newspaper down and the family began digging in.

"Speaking of your studies," Hisashi said, "How're your schematics coming?"

"Slow." Izuku scratched lightly at his cheek as a bead of sweat dropped down the side of his face. He crossed his hands in front of him and looked over his breakfast with a sad smile. "I have the theory down but the prototypes refuse to work."

"Don't worry, Izuku, there's still 2 years before the Entrance Exams!" Izuku looked at his mom, smile changing to warm and confident. Inko could always cheer her boys up. "Now both of you finish up before you're late!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Both Midoriya men said simultaneously. Inko giggled at their antics and went back to eating as well.

Izuku slipped his shoes on and gently tapped his toes against the tile of the house's mudroom. With a final goodbye to his parents, he took off. It had been 4 wonderful years since the Midoriyas had moved to Yokohama and Izuku had never been happier. He watched the trees as he made his way down the familiar route to his middle school. The leaves were starting to turn yellow and brown. Blades of grass along the roadside were following suit. Fall was almost here. Izuku stopped for a second to admire the gray skies before marching on. His homeroom teacher had teased the class all last week about a surprise and there was no way he was going to be late.

~ W-o-L ~

Quinn tugged at the sleeves of her school uniform. They were too short. In all reality, they'd been tailored to fit her perfectly but she generally preferred sleeves long enough to hide her hands in. Maybe once winter finally rolled around she could get away with her favorite oversized hoodies. The thought eased her nerves, somewhat, as she made her way to the staff offices of Rishi Junior High School. The district wasn't rich by any stretch of the imagination but the building itself was decently sized with no visible signs of age. Quinn supposed it was easy and cost-effective to properly maintain the facilities. Her footsteps echoed through the deserted hallway as she finally came up to the faculty room. A quick knock alerted any inside to her arrival and it didn't take long for someone to call out for her to enter.

"Ah, Miss Valence, I presume?" The teacher wore a comfortably fit business suit with their blazer thrown over the back of their chair. Their ruby red skin glowed brilliantly with the morning light and only served to enhance the deep ebony of their horns and sclera. The desk in front of them was messy but being a teacher in the middle of a school year could do that to the best. Quinn stepped up to the teacher and nodded. "Oh, good. I hope it isn't too early for you."

"Not at all." Quinn dipped in a respectful bow. "You're my homeroom teacher?"

"Yes. My name is Mx. Tsukimiya." They stood and bowed to Quinn in return. "I'll be taking care of you for your last couple years of Junior High. I wanted to give you a short tour of campus before homeroom."

"I'd appreciate it, Mx. Tsukimiya." Quinn said with a soft smile. The teacher led Quinn out of the staff room and back down the hall. The signs above the doors told her these were the first-year homerooms. Tsukimiya revealed as much as they slid open the door to room 1-A and ushered Quinn inside.

"This will be your homeroom for the year." They walked Quinn over to a desk by the window. It overlooked a field that Quinn presumed was for Physical Education and Sports, among other such activities. Tsukimiya gestured down to the desk. "Your desk, Valence. You can leave your bag here during our tour."

Quinn nodded and did just that. The desks all had hooks on both sides for students to hang their bags or blazers. Quinn thought it was a little too hot for a blazer and decided to leave it with her bag. Tsukimiya smiled and gestured for Quinn to follow as she left the room. They made their way to the front of the school, stopping long enough for Quinn to note the locations of a few more classrooms and the floor's bathrooms, before coming up to the lockers. They weren't anything new, lockers for students' personal belongings tended to be a staple in every culture. The rest of campus was relatively standard. Library, computer lab, fieldhouse, locker rooms, and various club rooms. Tsukimiya concluded the tour right as the most diligent students began arriving and had Quinn stay in the staff room while the rest of the student body arrived. Before long, it was time for homeroom to start and Quinn followed close behind her teacher. She was instructed to wait in the hall so Tsukimiya could "prepare the class". It didn't take long.

"Valence, you may enter." Mx Tsukimiya called. Quinn gingerly opened the door and shut it behind her. She didn't have stage fright, per say, but the eyes of so many new people were watching her that she couldn't stop a gentle blush from burning her face. Quinn bowed to the teacher, then turned and did the same towards her new classmates. "If you'll introduce yourself, please."

Quinn took a deep breath to try and steady her nerves before she started. "My name is Valence Quinn and my family is from America." That was good. Short, sweet, and to the point. She was about to make her way to her seat when more than a few students' hands shot into the air. Quinn blanched.

"Midoriya, why don't you go first?" Tsukimiya called on a boy with messy, green hair and freckles. The boy, Midoriya, nodded with a smile that sat somewhere between nervous and excited.

"W-what's your Q-Quirk?" Midoriya asked.

"I… I'd rather not talk about it." Quinn looked down and away, scratching at the back of her head. This was, apparently, the wrong thing to say.

"Why not?", "Are you Quirkless?", "Is it just a useless power?" The class erupted into a frenzy of questions, causing Quinn to take a startled step back. Tsukimiya stepped in front of Quinn, acting to shield their newest student from the overwhelming flood of curiosity. From behind her homeroom teacher, Quinn spotted her desk. She was sitting behind Midoriya.

"Sorry about that, Valence." Tsukimiya bowed as the class finally settled. They gestured over to her desk. "Why don't you sit and we can move on."

Quinn nodded and gratefully rushed to her seat as Tsukimiya began the rest of the day's business. Midoriya shifted a bit in front of her and passed a note back to Quinn under his arm. Her first day and she was already breaking the rules. Her dad was going to be so proud. Quinn carefully unfolded the note.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think I'd cause such an uproar. My name's Midoriya Izuku."

She wrote back, "I'm Valence Quinn. And don't worry about it. Nice to meet you!", and passed the note back when Tsukimiya was turned away. Midoriya seemed like a nice guy.

The environment may have been different but one thing remained clear to Quinn. School was still school. And math classes sucked. She wasn't, by any means, bad at any particular subject but math always gave her the most trouble. The numbers and letters bounced all over the page, confusing her. She'd gotten the hang of tracking them over the years but occasionally she still tripped over the various formulas. Aside from this hiccup, Quinn sailed smoothly through the day. Lunch came before long and luckily the rest of the class seemed content to leave Quinn be.

"Mind if we eat together?" Well most of them, at least. Quinn looked up to see Midoriya standing by his desk holding what seemed to be a bento. Quinn had brought her own; a mixture of leftovers from meals her dad had cooked. She shrugged as she pulled out her own lunch. "Sorry, again… about this morning."

"I already said you're fine, Midoriya." Quinn said with a dismissive wave of a hand. Truly, it was fine. Sure, she'd been a little startled but no harm came from it. They quietly ate their food, each trying to think of something- anything- to talk about.

"Would it be okay if I asked you about your Quirk again?" Midoriya finally spoke. Quinn looked around the room, noting its emptiness. It seemed like the boy's stutter disappeared when there were less people to hear him. Quinn shrugged and decided to indulge him. He was polite and it wasn't like there was anyone around.

"It's called Patient Zero." Quinn explained. "I can receive any type of blood and have no blood type. My blood also acts as a true 'universal donor' and we think that extends to healthy nerves and organs I donate and receive, as well."

"Oh, wow!" Midoriya's mouth was practically on the floor. Quinn let out a small giggle and pressed her chopsticks against his chin to close his mouth. His cheeks filled with a soft, pink blush as Quinn went back to eating.

"How about you?" Quinn asked. Midoriya blinked, his blush deepening as he looked down and away. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled something too low for Quinn's ears to pick up on. "What was that?"

"I'm Quirkless…" Midoriya confessed. His eyes were shut tight, shoulders were bunched up, and he was shaking. Quinn didn't hesitate to reach out and ruffle the boy's green curls in an attempt to calm him. It seemed to work. Midoriya's shoulders unknit and his shaking calmed a bit as he opened an eye just a sliver to get a look at Quinn. She gave him a warm, comforting smile.

"One of my best friends is Quirkless." Midoriya's eyes widened to the point they could arguably be called dinner plates. Quinn giggled again and brought her hand down, offering the boy a handshake. "You can call me Quinn."

"Th-then call m-me Izuku!" Okay, so the stutter wasn't totally gone but Quinn didn't mind.

"Let's be friends!" Izuku beamed at Quinn's words and hastily took her hand. The two shook on it excitedly and turned back to their food. They spent the rest of lunch engaging in idle chatter.