Author's Note: This little story has been on my mind for quite some time, and I finally got around to put it on paper. And I know it's going to rustle some feathers, given that it's a deconstruction of the "Izuku becomes a Hero while Quirkless", a genre that I grew to hate the more fics of such kind I read, culminating in Izuku not having a Quirk being an instant dealbreaker for any MHA fic I plan to read. So if you're a fan of the genre, better turn back since you probably won't like what you're going to read.
Keep your Dreams Realistic
The doorbell rang, announcing that somebody was at Aizawa's door. And for once, it was somebody the gruff Pro Hero was expecting.
"Huh, pretty punctual," he said mostly to himself.
After checking his visitor's identity through the peephole, Aizawa opened the three locks of his door. In front of him was a teenager with messy green hair, green eyes, freckles, and a nervous and twitchy disposition.
"Midoriya?" the Pro Hero asked. The boy, Midoriya, nodded. Aizawa moved aside so he could enter. "Please come in."
"Thank you, sir," the boy said for the first time. "It's a great honor that you're having me at your home!"
"Eh... think nothing of it," Aizawa said.
Aizawa wasn't somebody who invited guests to his barely used apartment –between his jobs as a teacher at UA's Hero Course during the day and being a Pro Hero at nights, he only visited his home to sleep (and sometimes not even that) and during his few spare days, such as this one– and much less some fourteen year old boy, but the circumstances of such event were... fairly unique.
Aizawa had met Izuku on a hero forum. The boy would often post, among other things, analysis on Hero's Quirks, their weaknesses, and what they could do to remove or cover them. Intrigued, Aizawa contacted the boy and began talking with him, often asking him his opinion about the Quirks of villains and discussing the best ways to take them down. Aizawa had to admit that, for somebody so young, this Midoriya had quite the analytical mind.
As their relationship between the two of them grew, they began to talk more and more about their lives and personal issues (or at least, Midoriya had while Aizawa listened, Aizawa wasn't somebody to open up to anyone, not even his closest friends). It was through these talks that Aizawa learned some key facts about Midoriya.
The first was that Midoriya was a huge All Might fanboy. Eye-rolling? Definitely. Surprising? Not in the slightest.
The second was that he was Quirkless. The Pro couldn't help but feel a bit surprised that there were still Quirkless people this young, since he had never met a Quirkless individual his age in his whole life –though he knew that some did exist, few as they were–, so he believed that there would be no Quirkless in the next generation. But it seemed that Quirklessness still refused to bow down before the inexorable march of evolution.
And the third fact, which tied to the first two, was that the boy wanted to be a Pro Hero more than anyone. And how people would often mock and belittle him for wanting to be something he was so ill-befitting for.
After Midoriya made such facts privy to Aizawa, the boy practically bombarded the Pro with questions over if it would be possible for a Quirkless person like him to be a Pro Hero.
And honestly, Aizawa was kind of torn. The rational part of his mind wanted to say "no", but another part of him warned him not to dismiss somebody who is Quirkless just like how people with non-Flashy Quirks (such as his) get dismissed.
So Aizawa suggested Izuku meet in person so they could talk about it in more depth, as well as to get a better picture of the boy so he could get better idea of what he could to do help him in such a difficult endeavor. Or how to break it to him that such a dream might be impossible to achieve.
"Please take a seat," Aizawa said, motioning to one of the two worn down arm chairs in the tiny living room, while he took the other. "Sorry, I'd offer you some tea, but I haven't refilled my fridge in quite some time..."
"Oh, it's not a problem! I'm already grateful that you have me here!" the boy enthusiastically insisted.
With that out of the way, Aizawa decided to dive headfirst into the reason as to why he had invited this kind into his home.
"So, you want to be a Pro Hero," he stated.
"Yes!" Izuku replied.
"Despite the fact that you're Quirkless," Aizawa added, and he could feel how the greenette deflated.
"...yes," he admitted, his voice lacking the energy he had a few seconds ago. "I always wanted to be a hero since I was a little kid. But then… I was diagnosed as Quirkless."
"And you still plan to carry on?" Aizawa pressed. Izuku nodded. "And what do you plan to do about it?"
"...what?" Midoriya asked, looking like a student who had been asked a question he hadn't studied for.
"What steps do you plan to take to become a Pro Hero?" Aizawa insisted.
"Er... go to a Hero School?" Midoriya dumbly asked, and Aizawa realized that he had to elaborate.
"Pro Heroes rely on their Quirks to fight villains, save people from disasters, and all that jazz. You don't have a Quirk, which puts you not only at a severe disadvantage in a very competitive field, but also limits your options to be an effective responder," Aizawa explained. "Now, not all Pro Heroes take every kind of job available unless there's an emergency. For example, you won't see me getting my nose in a disaster like a flood, a building collapse or a fire, since my Quirk wouldn't be of any help. On the other hand, there are heroes with sensory Quirks, which make them useless in fights against most villains but really effective at tracking people down, either be villains on the run, civilians who disappear, or victims buried under rubble. Then there are Heroes like All Might or Hawks, whose Quirks are both powerful and versatile, which allow them to be effective in nearly every scenario.
"And then, there's you, who doesn't have a Quirk," Aizawa replied. "Tell me, then what would you do to fight a villain that's threatening civilians? To rescue somebody from a burning building? To find somebody who had vanished from the face of Earth?"
Aizawa was hoping that Midoriya would take his questions as genuine and not rhetorical.
Not that it mattered, since silence was the only answer Aizawa got.
The Pro scowled. "You're a smart kid. Many people would say that a Quirkless Pro Hero is an impossible thing, but given how you cling to that dream, I imagined that, with such a great mind, you figured out a way to make it work."
"I could use support items," Izuku quickly replied. "Many heroes rely on them in order to expand the use of their Quirks, as well as to cover areas their Quirks can't be of help. You yourself use a capture tool shaped like a scarf that you use to subdue villains."
So he had thought about something. Well, maybe there was still some hope. Still, if Izuku believed that to be a satisfactory answer, he was sorely mistaken.
"Support items. Yes, that would, at the very least, be of some help," Aizawa conceded. "And how would you plan to afford them? Because truly good support items, like my capture scarf, aren't exactly cheap."
"Er... with my hero salary?" Izuku asked, unsure.
"And do you know who pays the heroes?" Aizawa asked.
"Yes. Heroes, or Hero Agencies, can either be funded by the HPSC, or sell their image to private businesses for merchandising purposes. Most heroes are funded by the former, and the most popular ones tend to be funded by the latter," Izuku recited. "But that's only the heroes. Sidekicks get their salaries from the hero agencies they work for."
"Very good. You did your homework," Aizawa nodded, and the boy's face lit up a little. "So I assume that, like most people, you would try to work at an agency before creating your own, yes?"
"Uh... I think so?" Izuku asked, growing a little uneasy.
"Alright. First of all, let's state some facts: support items can break in fights, wear down with use, or be destroyed or stolen. With some exceptions, most Quirks have no such problem. Why would any Hero Agency hire you over somebody with a Quirk?"
Silence.
Aizawa didn't like this, but he felt the need to keep going.
"Let's imagine that some hero decides to hire you over somebody who doesn't need to rely as much on support items," Aizawa continued. "Do you think a sidekick salary would be enough to cover all the support items you'd need to make up for your lack of a Quirk? And keep in mind that, due to what I mentioned above, this is not a one time expense."
Silence again. Aizawa felt it was time for a different approach.
"Alright, let's forget about that for the time being," Aizawa said, trying to ease Midoriya. "Perhaps I should have started with this question first: why do you want to be a hero?"
"Huh?" Midoriya asked, looking genuinely aback. It seemed he wasn't used to people asking him about his motivations.
"Why do you want to be a hero?" Aizawa repeated. "I got to know you enough to cross fame and glory out. What is it, then? To prove people who mocked you wrong? To be the first ever Quirkless Hero? To give other Quirkless people a symbol?"
The change of topic seemed to ease the boy, as his body language visibly relaxed before answering. "No. I already wanted to be a hero before I was even diagnosed as Quirkless. And I know there's hardly any other Quirkless people out there," Midoriya replied. He looked down, fidgeting with his hands. "I just want to help people."
"Well, that's a noble motivation," Aizawa nodded. "But that can't be the only thing, right? After all, there are many paths to help people other than becoming a Pro Hero. You could become a police officer or a doctor, or hell, even join some NGO. But you want to be a hero. Why?"
"Because... heroes can make people smile," Izuku softly said.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Could you please elaborate on that?" He asked, repressing the urge to tell Izuku that comedians were a thing.
And so Izuku told Aizawa about that first, magical moment where he watched the footage of All Might's debut in Japan for the first time in his life, saving hundreds of people from a catastrophic accident, always keeping a smile on his face, booming with laughter that reassured people that everything would be fine as long as he was there. How heroes like All Might not only saved people, but their mere presence filled them with so much joy they couldn't help but smile.
And how Izuku wanted to do that himself. To inspire that kind of joy in others with his mere presence.
Aizawa had to admit it was a very noble, if a bit corny, motivation.
"Being a hero like All Might… It has been my dream since then," Izuku said.
A hero like All Might.
For some reason, Aizawa's brain latched onto those words and replayed them inside his head multiple times, as a realization dawned upon him. Something that made him realize that this was much worse than what he had imagined.
"You... you aren't just inspired by All Might, are you?" Aizawa said. "You want to be like All Might. The next Number One Hero. The next Symbol of Peace."
Midoriya nodded, seemingly aware of how ridiculous the idea was, but refusing to give up on it.
Aizawa let out a long sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Okay, this has been a complete trainwreck, but there was one last test for Midoriya. He was sure the greenette would fail spectacularly, but while harsh, Aizawa was somebody who believed in giving people at least one chance to prove themselves.
"You know Midoriya, if you asked me if somebody Quirkless like you could be a hero, I'd say that yes, they could," Aizawa said. He meant it. After all, there were many heroes out there with only tangentially useful Quirks that still managed to get by. With proper training and discipline, somebody with a good head on his shoulders like Midoriya could be a decent street-level hero.
Of course, Izuku had all but explicitly stated that that wasn't the path he wanted to follow.
"Y-You think so?" Midoriya asked, not aware of how out of place his hopeful tone was.
"Yes. I can direct you towards people who can help you train," he began. "I can also give you a list of high schools with hero programs that I believe are easy enough for a Quirkless person to pass-"
"Um, that won't be necessary," Midoriya interrupted him.
Dread filled the black haired man. Oh god, here it comes.
"I already know what High School I'm going to apply to."
Please don't say UA. Please don't say UA. Please don't say UA.
"UA."
Aizawa took another deep breath, and harnessed every bit of self control he had access to in order to stay calm. He taught superpowered hellions for his daytime job, how could this mild mannered kid without powers test his limits so much?
"Of all the hero schools, why UA?" Aizawa asked as calmly as possible. "Yes, UA is among the most prestigious hero schools in Japan, even the world. However, because of that, it has one of the lowest admission rates. Only one student in three hundred secures a spot in its hero program. Why UA, instead of any other Hero School, one more attainable for a Quirkless person?"
"Because... well, it's not just the school All Might went to. Yes, there are other hero schools, but no one holds a candle to UA. Practically every great hero, such as All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist... all of them are UA alumni," Midoriya explained.
"That's true, yes. But like I said before, UA has an incredibly small admission rate," Aizawa said. "I assume that at the very least, you applied to other hero schools?"
"No, I didn't," Midoriya stated. Unlike before, he sounded more sure of himself.
"And what would you do if you fail the entrance exam?" Aizawa insisted. "And don't even dare to assure me that you will pass the exam no matter what. I can see that you're determined, but many people find sooner rather than later, in a rather harsh way, that determination only takes you so far."
"Well, in that case, I will apply to its General Studies Program. Then during the UA Sports Festival, if I make enough of an impression, I can apply to be transferred to the hero course," Midoriya said, his green eyes definitely meeting Aizawa's. "Just like you did."
You cheeky brat.
"Oh, so you really did your homework," Aizawa praised. "I imagined that you did some digging about me and found footage of my first UA Sports Festival, where I was a General Studies student that managed to make it far into the competition. And you believe that you can do the same. However, there is a small difference between you and me that you haven't taken into account. I have a Quirk."
"I know, but that's not the basis of your fighting style. Yes, you can shut down your opponent's Quirks, but you still need to take them down the old fashioned way," Midoriya countered. "You're practically Quirkless yourself-"
Aizawa felt the need to interrupt him. Not because he took offense to being compared to a Quirkless person, but because the boy was starting to sound deluded. "Stop there, Midoriya. I think you're sorely confused about the nature of my Quirk. Yes, my Quirk may not make me strong enough to punch a villain into the sky, or allow me to fly, or shoot heat beams from my eyes, or other flashy display the public loves to see on TV, but to say I'm 'practically Quirkless' is a gross misinterpretation.
"And to illustrate my point, here's a small thought experiment: You have two people, let's call them Person A and Person B, each facing some thug with a gun. Both A and B are identical, unarmed, and don't possess any way to defend themselves. There is one difference, though: as long as person A keeps his eyes trained on the criminal, his gun won't work. Now which person has a better chance at surviving the encounter, A or B?"
"A..." Midoriya reluctantly admitted.
"Which leads me to the next question: If that plan also fails, what are your other options?" Aizawa asked.
Once again, silence.
"You mentioned how All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and many other great heroes of today are UA alumni as a reason behind why they're held in such high regard," Aizawa said. "Do you know what those three heroes, as well as other heroes which are considered among the greatest by the public, such as those in the Top 10, have in common? I'll tell you: immensely powerful and/or versatile Quirks.
"All Might can reduce a building to rubble with a single punch, and can cross a city from one edge to the other in a single leap. If Endeavor went villain, he could single handedly burn half of Tokyo to ashes with ease. Would those two heroes be unable to perform the aforementioned feats had they never gone to UA?" Aizawa pointedly asked.
Midoriya shook his head impotently.
"I imagined as much," Aizawa said. "I believe you already told me everything that I need to know, but I want to ask you one last thing: do you know what's the main difference between a hero and any other person, be it civilian, police or serving in the army? And I mean in the literal sense. The actual, legal definition. Don't give me any flowery speech about how heroes bring hope or something like that."
Midoriya gulped uncomfortably. "Pro Heroes can use their Quirks in public freely, as long as its use doesn't break the law."
"Well, at least I can always count on you to give me the correct answer when it comes to the theory," Aizawa said, nodding. "Exactly. Because Heroes use their Quirks to fight villains or save victims. Yes, many of them also rely on support items, but as the name implies the point of support items is to help you do your job, not do it for you," he explained. "And do you know that there are many things heroes can't do that police can? With some exceptions, Heroes are barred from using firearms. They can't hold custody of criminals. Nor interrogate suspects. Nor carry out investigations. Well, they could carry investigations of their own if they want, but most of them lack the police's resources for such tasks.
"A Quirkless Hero would be a weird mix of hero and police officer that would only get the worst of both worlds: You wouldn't benefit from the Heroes' freedom to use their Quirks since you don't have one, yet at the same time you wouldn't be allowed to carry a gun or provide the kind of help police officers give."
"I... I see..." Midoriya said, lowering his head. "I think you already made your point. I thought that you would be different, that you would see things in a different way, but guess it was just me deluding myself again."
"No, there's still one last thing I want to say," Aizawa replied, surprising the boy a little, who clearly didn't expect him to have anything else to add to what he had already said. "Despite all of this, I stand by what I said before. I believe a Quirkless person like yourself can be a hero. I would be willing to make some calls and put you in contact with people who could train you. I would be willing to help you choose a school with a Hero Program a Quirkless kid could be able to realistically pass. I could mentor you into being an underground hero. I could prepare you into being the next Eraserhead, even without a Quirk.
"However, you don't want that. You want to be the next All Might, with all that it entails. And that's something I can't help you with, even if you had the most powerful Quirk in the world. Yes, I know being a Pro Hero of the caliber of All Might is your longtime dream. And I think it's good to have dreams, kid, but keep your dreams realistic."
Author's Note: Ah, it feels good to get that out of my chest. There were many things that I hate about Quirkless Hero Izuku fics that also wanted to touch that I left out because they were more... let's call them "meta", and harder to address, such as the endless angst, All Might bashing, Izuku being a supergenius (Izuku is smart yes, but he isn't smarter than Nezu. He isn't the smartest person in his class. He isn't even in the Top 3 smartest persons in his class and I have evidence to prove this), or how everybody becomes much more stupid and incompetent so Izuku can outshine everybody despite his lack of a Quirk, while I focused mostly on the logistics of being a Quirkless Hero, such as support items being seen as a valid replacement for a Quirk, the point of the existence of Pro Heroes, and so on.
Aizawa's rant at the end points out one of the biggest contradictions of this genre. I'm aware that some fics have Izuku train to be an Underground Hero, but if that's the case, why have Izuku still go to UA? Other than copying canon, that's it. Izuku doesn't want to be just any type of hero, but a hero like All Might. If Izuku doesn't have All Might as his idol, he wouldn't be so eager to get into UA. But again, other fics keep this motivation intact, yet they don't see any problem with the idea of a completely normal, powerless guy being able to climb to the same level as a weapon of mass destruction in human form.
I have plans for a sort of spiritual sequel, this one dealing with another big pet peeve of mine in this kind of fics, namely the All Might bashing, and Izuku taking All Might offering him One for All as an insult.
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this little piece, and if you didn't (and ignored my warnings), I'm ready for your hate.