The original work was written by Op Taipan
土
BOOK ONE:
EARTH
CHAPTER ONE:
IN THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN
As the afternoon sun shone through the treetops of the forest during this late spring day, one could already feel the earliest signs of summer.
The stunning blue skies were dotted here and there with white puffy clouds and the plant life of the forest was as green as the clearest Jade.
If one were to take a glance at the forest at this time, one would think of this piece of land, illuminated by the slightly stronger than usual sunlight, as the very definition of untouched Japanese nature.
Then again, that is the case if they only took a glance.
Should said person pause for a second longer, they would notice tiny footprints on the slightly drenched ground. Now, assuming said person got curious and tried to inspect his surroundings, he would begin to hear something beyond the chirping of birds and the rasps of cicadas.
They would hear the crying of a child.
Said child is currently walking alone through the forest sobbing softly as he clutches his chest in pain. Nostrils blocked from his extensive crying, the child attempts breathing through his mouth; only to start hiccupping for a moment before continuing whipping.
The short-for-his–age kid has dark green curly hair which is so messy that it casts shadows over his head, creating the illusion of black hair with green highlights. Other than his larger-than-life hair though, which is his most prominent feature, most would describe the kid's face as somewhat plain-looking. His usually round and shining emerald eyes are currently puffy and red from crying, tear stains adore his freckled cheeks, and dust can be seen smeared all over his roundish face.
The kid's clothes are not in much better shape. His signature red high-tops shoes are dirty with mud and his bright yellow shirt is drenched, much like his blue shorts, and got a hole singed in it where a giant red 'M' is supposed to be.
As the kid, also known as Izuku Midoriya, walks through the forest, he stumbles on a rock and falls on his knees. Hands grasping the ground, he can't help but think about how he got into this situation.
'w-why... why was Kacchan so mean? 'As little Izuku kept kneeling on the ground, hand grasping at it in frustration he remembers his 'friend's' words.
^ " DEKU! I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING FOR HELP FROM A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING QUIRKLESS NOBODY LIKE YOU, AND I'M SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED IT, DEKU!"
It all began in Keikei City in China, centuries ago. When a bio-luminescent baby was born.
The news shocked the world and before long, more and more people with 'exceptional' powers began popping up all over the planet. Even now, we still don't know the catalyst to it all.
But the fact is, it happened.
And now … the exceptional became normal.
As more and more people began showing signs of having these unique abilities dubbed as quirks, the world fell to disarray.
These gifted individuals were left unchecked and did as they pleased and soon enough society became a place of horror, a place where no one was safe. As anarchy rose and law enforcement and even armies were left unable to do anything, people began to rise up. These brave souls risked their lives going against the law and eventually won the support of the public, solidifying their places as legal protectors of justice.
Those people were the first Pro-Heroes, the most sought-after future career any child dreamed of one day becoming a part of. After all, no other profession existed where one could use his quirk legally in public.
I was one of those hopeful children, dreaming about this future. Waiting impatiently for the day my own quirk would manifest so I too could begin my journey toward heroism.
"Mom! The computer!"
An eccentric Izuku is currently jumping in his chair excitedly, addressing his mother, Inko Midoriya.
If a person were to compare the two Midoriyas, they would be able to tell immediately that the two were related. The young boy was basically a carbon copy of his mother in terms of features after all.
They shared the same round-like face, though in Izuku's case it might be baby-fat, same roundish eyes and nose and both of them could probably light up anyplace with how positive their presence was.
The only differences between the two were Inko's slightly darker shade of hair and eyes as well as her lack of freckles and curly hair.
The Midoriya matriarch sighed fondly." Izuku, I think you're responsible for tens of thousands of this video's views by yourself."
After Inko finished setting up the video, she made her way out of her son's room while addressing him one last time. "It's a little too scary for mommy to watch".
Izuku, on the other hand, didn't pay attention to his mother in the least. All of his attention was focused on the video playing on the screen.
The scene the computer showed was a scene of a disaster...or more accurately the aftermath of one.
Amongst burning wreckage, a man was recording what would become the event that symbolized the start of a new age in Japanese heroics.
The age of All Might.
"ARE YOU SEEING THIS?"
"HE'S ALREADY SAVED A HUNDRED PEOPLE! AND IT'S ONLY BEEN TEN MINUTES SO FAR! WOW!"
As the witnesses were commenting in amazement about the situation, a silhouette appeared on top of the wreckage. With shadows hiding it, it was impossible to recognize the deformed shape of the figure as human.
"HA HAHA HA HA" The familiar voice rang to Izuku, making him excited.
As the silhouette stepped into the light, it revealed a man adorned in a colorful custom. Said man was carrying at least a dozen injured civilians on his back toward safety and smiling all the while, flashing said smile for the world to see.
"AND HE'S SMILING"
The people who were watching were gobsmacked. How can anyone, even a hero, smile in this situation?
The hero was giving off an aura unlike anything these people ever felt, giving a sense of security and comfort which exclaimed that everything will be fine. This presence was so powerful that even Izuku, who was watching the events as a recording on his computer countless times, felt its full presence and was awed every time he watched it.
As the video was nearing its end, Izuku knew the best part was almost here. The moment where All Might proclaimed his now trademark catchphrase for the first time.
"HAVE NO FEAR! WHY, YOU ASK? THAT'S BECAUSE…"
"…I AM HERE" The blonde muscular beast of a man shouted, his shout enticing an excited squeak out of the boy.
Those words always struck a chord within Izuku. As his already impossibly large smile got even wider, a sense of awe, wonder, and above all else… determination washed over him like no other.
And Izuku wasn't the only one. The entire nation of Japan idolized All Might for the hero he was.
There was no other hero in known history who could match him.
He is everything a hero should be.
With his mighty strength, All Might have brought a new era of peace in Japan. Ever since he entered the scene, crime rates have been receding until an all-time low was achieved. His very existence became a deterrent for every villain and an immovable pillar of support on which the people of Japan could lean on.
Thanks to his achievements he was known both in name and reality as the 'Symbol of peace'.
But while most people his age were focused on his herculean strength, Izuku saw something else within the hero. Something that mattered to, and inspired, him far more than any kind of power.
This thing was the very spirit of All Might.
Saving people's lives with a smile on his face.
Reassuring them that everything will be alright.
Protecting the peace and working to guide society towards a better future.
All of these things called out to Izuku. The moment the concept was introduced to the boy through All Might himself, he knew that this was his calling in life. Izuku could not picture himself doing anything else and he didn't want to do anything else. He wanted to be just like All Might, and because of this, he began to idolize the hero.
"HE'S SO COOOOOOL! WHEN I GET MY QUIRK…"
"…I WANNA BE JUST LIKE HIM!"
As Izuku began laughing in imitation of his idol, he failed to notice his mother watching him from the doorway with a worried look in her eyes.
However, shortly after this day one revelation crushed upon me and nearly broke me… In just one sentence…
"That will not happen, you'd better give up."
These words were uttered apathetically by the mustache quirk doctor, not caring at all on the impact it might have on the boy.
As for Izuku, his eyes widened and a stunned expression embellished his face. The boy seemed to shut down and became unresponsive, completely forgetting he even had his All Might figure in hand and let it fall to the ground.
"N-no! T-there really is something wrong with him?!", Inko asked as she tried the pat her son's back to get him to respond." The other children in his kindergarten have all had a manifestation of their quirk show up by now, but my son i- "
Before she had a chance to finish the doctor cut her off," Please excuse me for interrupting you, madam. But both you and your husband are quirk users, correct? ".
The woman nodded in response as she extended her hand and pulled Izuku's toy towards her." Yes, I am. I can pull small objects towards me and my husband can breathe fire.".
The doctor hummed before pulling out an X-ray and hanging it on the board to the family's right." As far as we know, a child's quirk should manifest by the age of four at the latest. Sometimes, the quirk manifests itself later than usual, about a few months after the child's fourth birthday, b-".
At this, Izuku's features brightened up a bit." D-does that mean there's still a chance for me t-to develop a quirk?!", Izuku all but yelled. He almost couldn't believe it … There was still a chance for him!
"Unfortunately, no" The doctor's dismissal caused the light to leave Izuku's eyes once again.
"You see…", the doctor pointed towards the X-ray but only Inko turned to look. "While we still don't know much about their origins or quirks themselves, quirk research had still allowed us to figure out a few things." As the doctor walked towards the X-ray of Izuku's foot he pointed at the pinky toe.
" A quirk is more than just a power. With the power itself, the body develops different traits and mechanisms to actually make it work as well to be able to wield it." The doctor glanced at Inko to see if she is following, which she was. He had gotten tired of giving a lecture to people who don't listen.
" These traits along with the power itself have a collective term called the 'quirk factor'. While there are different types of quirk factors that do different things, every quirk user has a quirk factor. Now the quirk factor develops within a child's body and the process is usually completed by four years of age, allowing for the quirk to first awaken. Though there are instances of a person having a quirk at birth, such as mutant types, and…"
Realizing he was getting off track the doctor shook his head and went back to the topic at hand, "Of course, the quirk factor doesn't come from anywhere and is produced by the body with the instruction given by a special gene that is present in a person's DNA. This gene has been observed to have a side effect, it slightly inhibits the production of Chondrocytes. They are one of the cells that comprise the joints within a fetus' body while he is in the wom- "
Before the doctor could continue he was interrupted by Inko, "Don't you use these terms near a child!" she cried out, covering the unresponsive child's ears. The doctor scratched his bald head sheepishly before stammering "R-right s-sorry, I got carried away there.".
The doctor cleared his throat before continuing, "A-anyway, because of the shortage in the cells, the body doesn't produce all of its joints; skipping on creating the second pinky toe deeming it unnecessary. In other words, if a person has two joint in his/her pinky toe he or she won't manifest a quirk." As the doctor's speech was nearing its conclusion he gestures toward Izuku to deliver one final line, "Meaning he possesses no quirk at all ".
I felt the weight of those words on me as they were uttered. Rampant thoughts soon coursed through my mind, creating chaos within myself that had no end in sight.
'I-I don't have a quirk' Izuku uttered in his head, struggling to wrap his mind around the notion 'That can't be right… How can I become a hero without a quirk?!'. The young child entered a panic within his head, trying to convince himself that hope was not lost to him 'Every hero has a quirk! Endeavor has a quirk; Best Jeanist has a quirk and All Might has one too! I'm gonna be a hero just like them! So I gotta have a quirk! … Right…? '
Completely ignoring the fact that the doctor could have saved a lot of time should he just Said the second-to-last sentence and finish with his explanation, Inko asked another question." B-but why!?, both me and Hisashi have quirks, why shouldn't Izuku have one too?".
The doctor took a deep breath, preparing himself for another explanation," While normally the parents should indeed pass down the gene for their child, which enables saithe d child to develop one of his parents' quirks or a combination of the two, in Izuku's case it appears that there has been a sort of mutation. Neither you nor your husband has passed down to him the gene that will allow him to develop a quirk."
Not wanting to hear any other protest or a demand from the woman for a more detailed explanation, the doctor prevented any further question by his final sentence." I know that this must be upsetting for you, but that's how things are in this world we live in. Some people are just born luckier than others, nothing else to it.".
Yes, not all men are created equal. In this world we live in, that's just a fact. A fact I learned that day at the tender age of four… The day my story began.
At the Midoriya apartment, late at night. Izuku could be found in his dark room watching the same video that always inspired him.
"AND HE'S SMILING"
As the video kept playing Izuku stared at the screen, his face blank.
"M-mom…"
He called his mother who just entered his room to check on him, concerned for her son's well-being after the trip to the doctor.
As Inko approached him he continued," N-n-no matter w-what kind of t-trouble you're in…", Izuku spoke with a trembling voice. Stopping to swallow the lump in his throat he took another moment before continuing," H-he'll c-come save you w-with a smile.".
Izuku slowly swiveled with his chair to face his mother, by doing so Inko saw his tear-filled-face and broken look. As the Midoriya matriarch tried to swallow the lump that formed in her throat, tears already building up, her son uttered one sentence which broke her dam.
"C-can I be a cool hero like him? E-even if I don't have a q-quirk?"
And just like that, Inko broke. Waterworks at full power, she ran into her crying son and hugged him with all the strength her muscles allowed, sobbing herself.
"I'm so sorry Izuku! I'm so, so sorry!"
Besides her rampant apologies and the sounds of crying, no other sound graced the halls of the Midoriya abode that night. As if the city itself understood the weight and tragedy of the moment and silenced itself to give it the proper respect it deserved.
No, mom… back then those weren't the words I wanted to hear…
It was on that day that I decided to make a vow, to keep pushing onward despite what everyone said. No matter what, I vowed that I wouldn't care about anything that anyone says…. But that did not mean their words hurt any less…
The next day, Izuku was back in kindergarten. Still reeling from the revelations of the prior day, he attempted to distract himself with the toys that laid about.
As the children were all brought in by their parents for the day, one child heard what his mother said to another parent "Have you heard? Inko's son turned out to be quirkless."
The other adult gasped in surprise, not at all familiar to the situation, "quirkless?! Is that still a thing?! I thought that there weren't any in Japan by now!".
The other woman nodded in understanding, not aware herself of this before she did some research." I know, I was surprised too so I did some research. It turns out that Japan has one of the lowest percentages of quirkless people in the world. While the global total percentage is still at 20%, in some countries, like Japan, quirkless people might as well be a myth. Because of that, some counties have quirkless people as the majority."
As the unnamed mother finished her lecture they both turned to look at Izuku with eyes full of pity. "Poor little guy," the man whispered, "to not have what everyone else take for granted. I'm getting afraid he won't fit in with his classmates".
The woman nodded before throwing her own two cents in "While it's true that he's childhood might be a little rough, he'll get through it. The entire society has turned its back to quirks anyways, only heroes use them legally these days. Once he becomes a grown-up, most won't think that much about his quirklessness. The only people he will have to worry about are villains and quirk supremacists".
As the adults made their way out they failed to notice the child that heard everything, though because of the kid's young mind he didn't comprehend much of it. He did understand one thing however, the boy which was given the name Deku by Kacchan was quirkless and soon enough, every kid there knew it.
"Didja hear? Deku doesn't have a quirk."
"Right. He's quirkless."
"Sucks to be him!"
"I guess you really are useless, Deku."
Those were the words Izuku heard throughout that day while attempting to distract himself from the very same thing that the other children repeated for him to hear.
…Their words hurt all the same, whether I made that vow or not didn't change that.
The name Deku, which meant 'One who couldn't do anything' became the name I was known to all. First cemented by Kacchan and used only by our little group of friends. It soon became an insult that the entire kindergarten took to use.
All the more so after I stated that I still wanted to be a hero…
Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: None.
Description: Izuku is Quirkless.
Appearance: Izuku is very short for his age, his round face framed by a short mess of fluffy dark green hair which sticks up at odd angles around his head, casting noticeably dark shadows onto itself. His eyes are large and somewhat circular, their irises the same green color as his hair, and are usually stretched quite wide, giving him an innocent appearance. Faded freckles dot the boy's cheeks as well as the bridge of his nose, the most notable of which is a set of four symmetrical ones in diamond formations, one on each cheek.
Affiliation: None.
Age: 4
Birthday: 15/7
Height: 80.4 cm.
Blood Type: O.
Favorite food: Katsudon.
Favorite thing: All Might.
"All right kids, are you all ready to make new friends?" The caretakers asked the large group of kids in front of them. Said question was answered by a chorus of "Hai!" as all the kids were excited to meet the other kindergarteners.
Today was a special day for these kids. A caretaker in their kindergarten has a relative in another kindergarten's staff. Thus, the two family members, along with the other caretakers, had planned a collective play date between the two groups of children in the hopes of the kids bonding and having a good time.
"Okay, let's start with an introduction between you all." One of the lead caretakers, a woman with brown hair tied in a pony-tail, began the activity "Just say your name, quirk, and what you want to do when you grow up!" She exclaimed.
And so the introduction session began. Every kid told their name, showed off their quirk and shared with everyone their (hopefully) future career.
A girl with burgundy braided hair stepped up first. Izuku didn't know her so he guessed she was from the other kindergarten." H-hello!" she whispered meekly. "M-my name is Shisu Murasa. M-my quirk is telekinesis a-and I want to be a librarian when I grow up!". While she talked she took a book out of her backpack and begin levitating it, flipping through its pages telepathically.
The other children exclaimed in awe, but none more than Izuku. 'This is such a cool quirk' he thought while taking out a colorful children's notebook. Said notebook had the picture of a grassy meadow at the front, the words 'Hero analysis for the future' were written in a crude blue marker over the front picture.
As Izuku went through the pages, searching for a blank spot to write, he already began thinking about the implications of the telekinesis quirk 'What a cool quirk! A quirk like that is great for hero work! She could lift off rubble or throw it at villains! But she said she wants to be a librarian, right...? *inner mutter* *inner mutter* *inner mutter*'
As Izuku went on with his inner muttering spree he continued to pay attention to the quirk explanations of his fellow children.
Next a kid with an even plainer face than Izuku and hay-like hair stepped forward.
" Heya! I'm Yubi Suto! My quirk lets me stretch my fingers and I'm gonna be a hero!".
After him, his chubby friend stepped up to introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Tsubasa Kairo! My quirk lets me grow red dragon wings on my back! I'm also gonna be a hero!"
That's how the introduction session went. Every kid stepped up and introduced themselves. More often than not the kids expressed their intention to be heroes and every time someone said so they were given words of encouragement from their peers and caretakers.
All the while Izuku furiously wrote down their quirk's information into his notebook and analyzed them erratically in his head. Eventually, his inner muttering evolved into a physical one, garnering himself the attention of every child and adult present.
One of the caretakers exclaimed, "Izuku- kun" to snap him out of his brainstorm. As the startled Izuku looked around he blushed at the attention he got from everyone and began trembling. Satisfied that Izuku was back to reality, the caretaker continued "Well why don't you introduce yourself Izuku- kun?"
Izuku only meekly nodded in response, knowing he doesn't have a choice he began his introduction. "H-hello e-everyone." He began and continued to stutter "M-my name is Midoriya Izuku, and I-…I-…I… "A lump had formed in Izuku's throat, preventing him from continuing. After swallowing his saliva, he let out the truth he'd been so hesitant to reveal while closing his eyes out of fear. Would they accept him? He had no idea, but he had to answer, he was on a time limit! "I'M QUIRKLESS!".
Everyone from the other kindergarten fell silent in surprise, while the ones from his own only scoffed at how long he was taking. Knowing he had only one thing left to say, and knowing what he wanted to say, Izuku steeled his nerves and concluded his introduction, once and for all. "...A-and, when I grow up...! I want to be a hero!"
Silence fell upon everybody. The children, much like the caretakers, were wide-eyed, surprised, and last but not least, 'entertained' at his attempt at hyping up his ambitions to be a hero. All the children burst into laughter, so loud that Izuku was blushing in embarrassment, as they all laughed, his face red as a tomato.
"Your joking?! Right?!"
"Seriously?! How can someone quirkless be a hero?!"
"Really, Deku? I think it's time you learned your place." Katsuki replied with a murderous tone, Izuku gulping.
All the while the teachers glanced at the quirkless kid, not even trying to encourage him as they did with all the others.
"Deku?" A girl from the other kindergarten had asked, curious. The other kindergarteners retorted with "Yeah! That's what we call him, since he can't do anything at all!" as a bunch of them shouted "Yeah!" and such.
"Hey, that fits really well!" One of the girl's friends entered the conversation. "It's decided, Midoriya!" The female shouted toward Midoriya. "You'll be 'Deku' from now on!" The girl said, hurting Izuku's feelings as all the other kindergarteners laughed.
"De-ku! De-ku! DE-KU!" they shouted together. Their shouts sounded like screams to Midoriya, their bullying getting to him.
As the other children chanted his derogatory nickname for the world to hear, Izuku began to tear up. Trying with all his might to not show the other children his tears, he soon lost the battle with the caretakers' words "Izuku- kun, maybe you should think of something else and we will return to you later, okay?". Despite the soft and reassuring tone that was used to deliver those words, they didn't convey the faith Izuku so desperately craved, daresay; Needed. He broke, as he began to cry in front of everyone and ran away from the gathering as fast as he can, tears welling up in his eyes faster than ever.
Despite all of this, heck, even EVERYTHING, I still hung around a group of my classmates which was led by Kacchan... Up until then, he was my best friend, and frankly, I wanted to be just like him…
Then everything took a turn for the worse that day.
A group of children had marched through the forest with Izuku trying to tail them as another boy led them all.
Said leader was a boy who went by the name Katsuki Bakugou or 'Kacchan' by his group of friends. Bakugou was a child of average height but don't dare say that to him, for if the words 'Katsuki Bakugou' and 'average' were uttered in the same sentence without the word 'not' in between them, said a spokesperson would suffer from Bakugou's infamous short-fused fury. The boy sported a head full of spiky ash-blonde hair which looked like someone blew a bomb in it as well as sharp and thin eyes with tiny red irises. The boy had a confident demeanor, fueled by the constant praise he was fed with his entire life. Not to mention he was the most popular and strongest kid in their kindergarten. To these children, Kacchan was an idol.
"March forward, Bakugou Hero Agency!" Bakugou demanded, his demands were met without a hitch, as it was followed by a "Yes, sir!" from his lackeys and Izuku.
"As the group marched through the forest, they came by a stream that was bridged by a fallen trunk. Stopping near the trunk, Bakugou turned around to face his men." Okay, Bakugou Hero Agency, for our next assignment we must cross this river to reach the villains' base! Are you all ready?".
The speech was soon greeted by a chorus of different answers.
"Yessir!"
"Alright! "
"Let's do this!"
"M-maybe we shouldn't do it, c-crossing that tree trunk looks dangerous!" Izuku's cracking tone caused everyone to turn around to look at him. Everyone glanced at him with exasperated looks, their looks, piercing through to his heart, as if he was a coward...Well, except Bakugou who just scowled at him.
One of the lackeys, Tsuba, looked at Izuku with a questioning look, as if he didn't know that Izuku was present, before saying with a mocking tone, "Figures that quirkless Deku will be too much of a coward to do this!" He exclaimed as everybody laughed at him.
"I-I'm not a coward!" Izuku protested. "Mom just said I shouldn't do stuff like this 'cause it's too dangerous!"
"HA! Well, mama's boy, why wouldn't you just go back to her if you're too scared to hang out with us!" Yubi joined the teasing that his winged friend had started.
Any further argument that could've started was soon halted by the leader of the group speaking. "If you don't want to be here Deku, then just go home and stop wasting our time! The Bakugou Hero agency's got an important mission to complete and I'm not gonna let one quirkless Deku stop us!".
With the conversation halted, Bakugou gestured to his lackeys to follow him on top of the trunk.
Izuku, realizing the danger of the act stayed put, not wanting to leave them… but also not wanting to climb on the trunk.
As Bakugou neared the center of the trunk he slipped and fell into the stream.
The chubby member of the group narrated the situation by saying out load "Kacchan fell in" which was followed by the more tactful comment of Yubi "Hey, Kacchan. You okay?!".
One second later, however, they remembered it was the Katsuki Bakugou they were talking about and brushed the fall aside, sure that he was fine.
"I bet he's fine. Kacchan's so strong." Tsubasa spoke with admiration in his voice. He was soon followed by Yubi who called Bakugou to join them "Get back up here, man."
And true to their assumptions Bakugou was completely fine aside from drenched clothes. As he was sitting in the stream scratching his head sheepishly while saying, "oh. Yeah, I'm okay…" Izuku ran down the hill to the stream and stretched out a hand towards Bakugou.
" Kacchan, do you need help? Can you stand?"
Izuku looked at the sitting form of Bakugou with nothing but worry in his eyes "You didn't hurt your head, did you? That would be bad.". As he said those words Bakugou's dumbfounded face morphed into one of fury, screaming in his head 'WHAT DOES THAT DEKU THINKS HE'S DOING?!'.
Before Izuku Realized what had happened a bright, flame-like, flash of light appeared before him and he was forced into a sitting position in the stream by a powerful force. As the stream's water-drenched his clothes, muddy water spraying his face from the fall, the child could feel a burning pain in his chest. Looking down while beginning to tear up he sees that the big red M that used to decorate his yellow shirt is no more. Instead, a hole was burned through the shirt with the skin underneath it burned as well.
At this point, Izuku was fighting tears from the physical and emotional pain, trying not to appear weak in front of Kacchan, who is scowling down on the green-haired boy.
"DEKU! I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING FOR HELP FROM A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING QUIRKLESS NOBODY LIKE YOU, AND I'M SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED IT, DEKU!"
Bakugou's yell caused Izuku to look up and gaze at an unfamiliar sight. Kacchan was glaring at him with nothing but hatred, causing him to try and shrink into himself in fear.
…That's' how I found myself wandering alone through the forest. After the incident, Kacchan and his followers scoffed at me before going away, leaving me alone there.
As I left the stream alone, trying to find my way back and thoughts locked on the past, I was none the wiser to the revelation that was about to present itself to me.
A revelation that eventually led to me becoming who I am today…
Izuku, at this point, was struggling to keep himself from entering a breakdown in the middle of the forest. As he fought his tears, which were prodding from his closed eyelids, he clutched the rocky ground below him for dear life. The discouraging words that were said to him ever since he discovered his quirklessness all those months ago, were played on repeat in his head.
In Izuku's mind, he heard the wailing apologies of his mother, blaming herself for his quirkless status while repeatedly saying ^"I'm so sorry Izuku! I'm so, so sorry!"
He heard the apathetic words of the doctor who revealed to him his misfortune "That will not happen, you'd better give up." As well as the constant teasing words his fellow children jabbed at him for several months. Every. Single. Day.
"Deku doesn't have a quirk."
"He's quirkless."
"Seriously?! How can someone quirkless be a hero?!"
"Izuku- kun, maybe you should think of something else…"
"Really Deku, its time you learned your place"
"Sucks to be him"
"I guess you really are useless, Deku."
Finally, as he was nearing his limit, hands starting to bleed from the force he was exerting and weird vibrations going through them - traveling towards the base of his spine through his back - the world around Izuku began to disappear.
The background around him became lost to the boy as one by one, the outside world disconnected from him. The whistling of the wind and sound of animals ceased. The feeling of his drenched clothes, as well as the heat of the sun, disappeared. The pollinated scent of the spring-time forest was gone and the metallic taste of the blood in his mouth from biting his cheeks was no more.
The only thing left that the distracted child could feel if he tried was the touch of the earth.
Though Izuku didn't notice it, the only thing his mind processed at that moment was the ground. The same ground that seemed to rumble together with his lower back-bone.
The lost-in-thought-child was unaware of the peculiarity of his situation due to his distress until finally, the words of his former best friend echoed through his mind, enticing him to act. ^" DEKU! I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING FOR HELP FROM A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING QUIRKLESS NOBODY LIKE YOU, AND I'M SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED IT, DEKU!" ^
*Thwoop! *
Finally, he snapped. his eyes were still closed; he could feel his body moving as if his hands were gliding on the ground. Curious about the sensation, he stopped his weeping and opened his eyes slowly.
The sight that greeted the boy was… a peculiar one, to say the least. His hands indeed slid across the ground and as they went, they dug through it like it was no more than mud. The boy looked in astonishment into the trenches his hands made through the solid ground, unable to form words or thoughts.
After the moment of silence, the stunned expression of the boy was replaced by the widest smile Izuku ever showcased. Once again he fell into tears, but this time he didn't fight them, for they weren't sad tears of despair. They were tears of utter joy, and hope! The boy was on cloud nine as just one thought raced through his head 'I have a quirk … I have a quirk!? I HAVE A QUIRK!?'.
The boy, now brightened up by this discovery, began running out of the forest
Completely unaware of what the future holds for him.
I didn't know it at the time, but this discovery was much more impactful than I first realized…
…It was more than the discovery of the power that would've allowed me to achieve my dream...
…Because I forgot to mention something…
…This is not the story of how I achieved my childhood dream of being a hero…
…This is the story of how I became something greater… MUCH greater.
The story of how I became…
… The Avatar.
