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Unstoppable force, immovable object

Synopsis: Izuku has always wanted to become a hero, to help people like his idol All Might. Unfortunately for his dream, there are many skeletons hidden in the closet of his family which could easily turn others against him. Secrets will be revealed, but Izuku will remain steadfast and resolute despite the revelations. In the end, his goal stays the same: to be strong for those who are weak.

Izuku's Quirk is based on the Juggernaut's power from X-men.

Rating: M for language and violence, no lemons

- Start -

Life was hard for Midoriya Izuku. He was seven years old now and his Quirk still hadn't appeared. It was the worst at school, where the kids teased him all the time over his apparent Quirklessness. Even though the doctor had assured him and his mother that he did have one. Nobody ever listened when he pointed this out to them. It was just so unfair!

Worst of all was his childhood friend, Bakugo Katsuki. While the other kids were annoying, it was stupid Kacchan who began escalating things to another level. The blond hothead seemed to enjoy using his Explosion Quirk to harass and bully other kids, and of course it was Izuku who got the worst of it.

He'd complained about the unfairness of it all many, many times. His mother, Midoriya Inko, even talked to Bakugo Mitsuki and stupid Kacchan regularly on Izuku's behalf. But Mom seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for the Bakugo family, enough to somewhat override her own overbearing nature.

"I first met Mitsuki when we were both in elementary school," she'd told Izuku once. "She was quite the bi – uh, she was quite a handful, even back then. I absolutely hated her! But then we both grew up a little, Mitsuki mellowed out and now she's one of my closest friends. I can't help but think of the same thing whenever I see you and Katsuki playing together. Please give him a chance, Izuku. I'm sure he'll grow out of this little phase as well, and then the you two of you can be the best of friends!"

Izuku tried to be nice to stupid Kacchan, he really did. But all this seemed to do was to make the explosive idiot even angrier. Hurt and confused, Izuku eventually gave up on his Mom's wistful thinking and started looking for help elsewhere.

The first person he tried talking to was Auntie Mitsuki. As usual, she was very blunt. "Just avoid him, Izuku-chan," she told him. "My brat's been spoiled silly by those idiots at your school. Masuro and I keep trying to talk some sense into him, but then he goes and spends all day getting his di – getting his ego puffed up in school during the week. I swear to fu – to freaking All Might himself, that little dipsh – that dunderhead of a principal better not be ignoring my emails again, or I'm going to –"

Izuku knew Auntie Mitsuki well enough to tune her out once she started ranting.

"You will need to stand up for yourself if your teachers will not step in," recommended Grandpa Jun. "The boy is targeting you because he thinks you are weak. People with this type of attitude only respect strength, whether it is in themselves or in others. He will only stop when someone stronger forces him to."

Uncle Rika was even more direct when Izuku asked for advice. "You should fight back!" he'd declared. "Running away from bullies will just make them more eager to hunt you down. As your uncle, it is my sworn duty to help you learn how to defend yourself! To prove your strength to your peers and the world!"

Izuku's uncle tended to get a little… enthusiastic. He was a tall, middle-aged man, with carefully styled hair that had gone completely grey. From the stress of his job, as he always liked to say. He lived close to Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture and was seldom around, always busy with work and travel. Yet Uncle Rika always stopped by for Izuku's birthday with a gift, even if Izuku himself didn't really feel like celebrating it.

As such, he wasn't really in a position to help Izuku directly. Instead, Uncle Rika convinced Izuku's mother to let him sign up for kyokushin karate classes. He even paid upfront for a year's worth of lessons! In the end, Izuku didn't have the heart to tell his uncle that it hadn't really worked; being faster and leaner didn't mean much when Bakugo almost always used his Quirk to harass him. He couldn't fight back against an explosion, after all. At least the teasing from the other kids had begun to die down a little now that he was a bit less skinny.

Like her brother, Midoriya Inko tended to travel a lot as well. Although in her case it was more within Japan. Mom worked for the government, but she'd never told Izuku exactly what she did. Regardless, it wasn't uncommon for her to have to leave abruptly during the week, often not returning home for several days at a time. He would be left alone in their apartment, although Auntie Mitsuki would constantly check up on him. Except during the school holidays, when Izuku would instead be sent to stay with his grandfather for a few weeks until his mother returned.

Grandpa Junichiro was old. So old that he walked around with a metal cane and everything! He lived in Yutapao village, a small municipality right on the border of Aichi and Mie Prefectures. It was a nice, quiet town that was home to lots of old people. Izuku really enjoyed spending his time simply walking around and exploring the old-fashioned, traditional village.

The weather turned especially cold during one particular visit. Winter was well under way, and the town became covered by a thick layer of snow. The traditional irimoya roof on his grandfather's house was almost entirely blanketed with white. Yutapao Village was beautiful even in the depths of winter, vibrant color with crisp, sharp edges strongly defined by the warm noonday sun. Like an old ukiyo-e style painting from the Edo period Izuku had seen in his history textbook.

"There's a small yatai near the lake which has very good Nagoya-style oden," Grandpa Jun told Izuku as they walked, his metal cane tapping rhythmically against the pavement. "Let's go see if it's open today."

Luckily, it was. The old lady manning the stall was wrapped up tightly against the cold, but she was still serving customers. Izuku and his grandpa sat in the little park by the lake, enjoying their steaming bowls full of mushrooms, daikon and many varieties of surimi fishcake. The broth was soy flavored and light, with just a hint of sweetness.

"So, how has my grandson been doing since his last visit?" asked Grandpa. "Are you still keeping up with those lessons at the dojo?"

Izuku nodded enthusiastically, quickly finishing his hanpen so he could talk without his mouth full. "It's great! Sensei and his disciples are amazing!" he cheered. "I'm learning so much stuff I can use when I'm a hero!"

"A hero, eh?" Grandpa chuckled. "Well, it's good to hear that you're working hard. But please do be careful, Izuku. You'll need more than just some fancy martial arts to become a hero."

"I – I know, Grandpa," Izuku deflated slightly. "It's tough, but I won't give up no matter what!"

"I have faith in you, Izuku. Becoming a hero is a long, arduous journey, but I know you can do it."

All was quiet for a few seconds as Izuku stared out into the distance. "D – do you really believe I can become a hero?" he suddenly asked. "Even th – even if I don't have a Quirk?"

Grandpa Jun straightened upon hearing the wobble in his voice. "Look at me, Izuku," he ordered. It was impossible for Izuku to resist the command, his gaze immediately transfixed by his grandfather's piercing blue eyes. "First: I believe you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I know your mother and uncle will both say the same. As your family, we will always be here to support you, Izuku. I want you to remember that."

"Second: you do have a Quirk. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise, especially not that Bakugo brute. Anyone who harasses you like that is not worth listening to."

"But – but why hasn't it appeared then?" Izuku couldn't help but wail. "It's been th – three years since ev – eryone else got theirs, and I know the doctor s – said I have one, b – but maybe he got it wrong, and I don't kn – know anyone else who h – hasn't got their Quirk yet, a – and maybe –"

"Quirks weren't always like how they are now, you know," Grandpa interrupted gently. "Back in my day, it was much more common for powers to only manifest at the onset of puberty. Some Quirks even appeared much later in life." He leaned forward as though sharing a great secret to Izuku, who was hanging on to his every word. "In fact, nearly everyone believed that the later the emergence of one's Quirk, the more powerful it would be."

Grandpa Jun didn't like to talk about the past, or himself. Izuku didn't even know the name of his Quirk after all this time, and he had absolutely no idea how it worked! And it wasn't like he hadn't tried to find out, either. Grandpa Jun, Mom and Uncle Rika were all super secretive about their Quirks and exactly what they could do, an old-fashioned habit that their family retained.

"Was your Quirk one of th – one of those which appeared later, Grandpa?" he tried asking.

"Indeed it was, Izuku. Just like the Quirks of your mother and your uncle, in fact. You could say our family has a history of it," Grandpa Jun smiled. "In any case, Yutapao Village is actually home to quite a number of Quirkless individuals. Most of our residents are over seventy, you see. Born in a time before Quirks became so ubiquitous. Perhaps there is a Quirkless association or a similar organization where we can ask for advice on how to handle this discrimination."

Izuku just frowned at that. He wanted to spend time with his grandfather, not with a bunch of old people!

His grandfather chuckled and affectionately ruffled Izuku's hair. "Or we could continue our little walk around the village." He got to his feet, using his Quirk to summon his cane into his hand. "Would you like to try some shiruko with me? I know you don't like adzuki beans, but the mochi is quite delicious. Perhaps you'll feel better after some desert, hmm?"

The warm porridge of red beans and half-melted mochi was slightly too sweet for Izuku's tastes, but he didn't complain. Nothing could spoil the time he got to spend with his grandfather.

- Line break -

Two years later, and Izuku was once again off to stay in Yutapao village. It was summer during this visit, the heat of the afternoon sun rather stifling and oppressive. Grandpa Jun had decided to take a nice afternoon nap, leaving Izuku to go off exploring the village on his own.

He was at the park again, sitting at one of the tables. It was nice, watching kids his own age playing in the grass or splashing about in the shallow end of the lake. They were probably here to visit their grandparents, just like him. Many kids were queuing at a stall which sold very good shirokuma, a shaved ice and condensed milk dessert that was amazing in the hot weather. Izuku was just glad he'd managed to get a heaping bowl of the dessert for himself ahead of the crowd.

There was something off about the laughter Izuku was beginning to hear. It wasn't hard for him to recognize that type of repetitive sing-song chanting, given that he'd been the target of it many times before. He looked around, and finally noticed a small group of older kids gathered around another girl by the shore of the lake. She had brown hair and looked like she was trying very hard not to cry.

Izuku leapt up before he knew what he was doing, storming over to where the older kids were still giggling. "Hey! Cut that out!" he yelled. "It's not nice to laugh at people like that!"

The children just stared incredulously at him for daring to spoil their fun. One boy giggled, turning back towards his friends and pointing at Izuku. "Look! Dango's got a boyfriend!" he teased. That was the signal for the rest of the group to start chanting as well. "Dango's got a boy – friend! Dango's got a boy – friend!" they sang.

Izuku grabbed the girl's hand and led her back to his table, ignoring the deep blush on his face. He glared at the group of kids, who were still giggling at them by their spot next to the lake. At least they seemed to have stopped their teasing. "I'm sorry about that," he said hesitantly. Wait, why was he apologizing? "Um, my name is Midoriya Izuku. Are you okay?"

The girl rubbed at her eyes, still on the verge of tears. She had long, brown hair which fell down in bangs that almost reached her hazel-colored eyes. Strangely, she was wearing a pair of cutesy pink mittens despite the hot summer. "I – I'm fine," she answered, pulling herself together. "I'm Uraraka Ochaco. It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-san. Thank you for rescuing me from those idiots."

"Ah – it was no problem, Uraraka-san," said Izuku, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his head. "Did those kids – um, why'd they call you 'dango'?"

Uraraka puffed up indignantly, emphasizing the faint red spot on each of her cheeks. "That's because they're really really rude! I mentioned that Papa likes to say the marks on my face are made of dango. Then they started teasing me about it and – ugh!"

Izuku couldn't help letting out a small giggle at Uraraka's outrage. "I'm glad I could help, Uraraka-san." Unfortunately, his gallant rescue of the brown-haired girl had not been without cost. He looked sadly at his untouched dessert, which had half-melted under the hot afternoon sun.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Uraraka. "Did your kakigori get melted because of me? I'm so sorry, Midoriya-san."

"It's no trouble." Izuku gave her a weak smile; he had really been looking forward to that cool dessert. "Um, would you like to share it with me?" he offered. Uraraka had been eying the small, colorful pieces of mochi studded in the melting ice with some interest.

"Oh, I couldn't do that!" she declined. Her eyes remained firmly fixed on the mochi despite her refusal. "Well, maybe just some of the mochi," she added, shyly accepting a spoon from Izuku.

Uraraka ended up taking a bit more than that, but Izuku didn't mind. Shaved ice desserts were the best on a hot summer's day! They started chatting together once they were finished eating. Izuku found out that she was in the village with her parents, who were here on business.

"My family owns a construction company in Mie Prefecture," she explained. "They have a contract for maintaining the town hall here in Yutapao. They don't normally allow me to travel with them to job sites, but I was so bored!" She huffed at Izuku's open amusement. "It's the summer holidays! I want to travel around and see new places, not be stuck at home!"

"I'm staying with my grandfather while my Mom travels for work," said Izuku. "She works for the government or something, it's all super mysterious. And she looks so stressed and tired out sometimes. I wish I knew what she did so I can help her."

"I want to help out at my family's construction business too! My Quirk is perfect for it!"

"Your Quirk?"

"Yea! It's called Zero Gravity. I make things float when I touch them!" Uraraka took off her mittens, revealing dainty little fingers tipped with round pads where her fingerprints would be. She tapped a mitten, causing it to start rising in the air like a balloon, before pressing her fingertips back together. "And then I cancel it like this, see? Release!"

"That's incredible!" said Izuku excitedly. "How long can you do that for? Is there a weight limit to your Quirk? Can you float living things? Can you float yourself? Oh, does your Quirk apply an upwards force to the object after removing the gravity? Do you need to make contact with all five fingers? Wait, is that what the little pads on your fingertips are for? Have you had those since you were born? I wish I had something like that to indicate what my own Quirk will be! Do you think you can apply your Quirk by tapping your fingers one at a time? Would that affect the weight or time limit?"

Uraraka looked a little dazed when he finally ran out of steam. "Um… I don't know?" she answered hesitantly. It took a few seconds for her to process Izuku's torrent of words. "Sorry, what was that you were saying about your Quirk?"

"Oh, er, th – the doctor said I'm a late bloomer," Izuku explained. "So late that, um, I haven't actually got my Q – Quirk yet."

"Ah, I see. Well, don't worry, I'm sure your Quirk will be super cool!" Uraraka reassured him.

"T – thanks, Uraraka-san," Izuku grinned with relief. The other girl seemed completely accepting of his situation. "Your Quirk is amazing, too."

"I just wish Mama and Papa would let me help them out," she grumbled. "My Quirk is perfect for moving heavy stuff around, yet they keep saying they want me to do what makes me happy. To follow my dreams. And what if my dream is to help them in construction, huh?"

"Is it?" asked Izuku. "Your dream, I mean."

"Well…" Uraraka became slightly flustered. "When I was younger, I did think it would be nice to help people. To – to save those that need help and rescue them from danger! Like a hero, ya know? But that's just a silly daydream. I'd much rather help out my parents so they can retire and live a good life once I'm older."

"I want to become a hero too," Izuku told her. "But why can't you do both? Become a hero and save others, and earn enough money to help your parents at the same time."

Uraraka looked thoughtful. "You're right. I can be a hero and give my parents a good life." Her expression suddenly morphed into something fierce and determined. "Midoriya-san! I am going to be a hero, and you're going to be a hero right beside me!" she declared.

Izuku didn't know quite what to say. The nice, friendly girl he'd been talking to had unexpectedly transformed into such an intimidating person! "I – I'll do my best, Uraraka-san," he squeaked. "I promise not to give up, no matter what!"

"Great! Then let's be heroes together!" Uraraka cheered.

They chatted some more after that. Izuku found out Uraraka was in the same grade as him and even had the same goal of attending Yuuei! He'd already intended to do his best to get into All Might's alma mater, and her enthusiasm for it simply sealed the deal.

Both children were disappointed when Uraraka's mother turned up to collect her. Although Uraraka did write down his phone number and promised to keep in touch. They would have to make sure they both made it into Yuuei together!

- Line break -

Grandpa Jun had had an accident since Izuku's last visit. He'd managed to break his right leg and was unfortunately now confined to a wheelchair. It was something called a 'complex fracture', apparently. The doctor had advised him to stop using his Quirk at least temporarily due to the medicine he was taking.

"Quirks are derived from our biology, after all," he explained to Izuku. "And thus can easily be affected by drugs or medication, just like anything else in the human body. Not to mention that we old folk tend to lose a bit of control over our bodily functions anyway."

Mom had actually taken time off work to visit. It was only the third time Izuku and his mother had visited Grandpa Jun together, not one or the other by themselves. Mom was annoyed because his house needed a little work done in order to make it accessible for someone in a wheelchair, yet the old man stubbornly insisted he would be fine. Izuku's grandfather really valued his independence for some reason.

But in the end, Midoriya Inko had put her foot down. She'd reached out to one of her father's old contacts, the legendary David Shield. The brilliant inventor, the man who had once been a sidekick to All Might himself! The genius engineer and scientist who pioneered almost half of the support gear used by heroes today!

Izuku couldn't help it if he was a little starstruck. He had a thousand different questions about All Might, his inventions, their adventures together in America – it wasn't every day that you got to meet such an incredible person! Unfortunately he was also very shy, especially in front of one of his idols. He hadn't managed to say a single word all day!

"Everything's all set for you, Junichiro," said the amazing David Shield. "Let me know if you have any problems with the equipment I've installed."

Grandpa Jun looked rather surly today. "Thank you, David. But really, you didn't need to travel all the way out here for this. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, even in this sorry state," he grumbled.

"You insist on living alone, and the house wasn't safe for you now that you're stuck in a wheelchair!" Mom scolded. "I shouldn't have had to go over your head like this!"

"It really was no trouble for me," the incredible David Shield added. "I was scheduled to be in Nagoya soon anyway. Oh, I might send Melissa along to check up on you every now and then as well. My daughter loves to visit Japan, I'm sure she wouldn't mind stopping by once in a while."

Any further protests on Grandpa Jun's part were cut off by Izuku's mother, who was not afraid to tell him off for his attitude. Izuku was a little embarrassed by it actually, especially as this was all done in front of the illustrious David Shield. At least the inventor appeared to be highly amused by the scolding.

"Right," said Midoriya Inko when she was done. "Is there anything else we need to do, Mister Shield?"

"Not that I can think of, Inko. Please do thank your brother for me, by the way. The equipment and material he provided was extremely useful."

Uncle Rika was out of the country but had been kept informed by Izuku's mother. He'd ordered an expensive list of supplies and equipment to be delivered right to Grandpa's doorstep upon hearing that his sister had contacted the genius, David Shield, to help with modifying the house. Izuku thought it was all rather excessive. Why did Grandpa Jun need a military-grade forcefield generator or a perimeter-based subterranean defense net?

"Frankly, some of the gear he supplied is incredibly advanced. Built using technology I normally only see on I-Island," the renowned David Shield continued. "I took the liberty of installing all of it. Congratulations Junichiro, your house is now a fortress with security comparable to my own home."

Grandpa's eyes lit up at that. "Is that so? How does it all work then?"

Both Izuku's mother and his grandfather were very interested in the discussion that followed. Izuku himself didn't understand it at all. His knowledge of technology was mostly limited to the support gear used by Pro Heroes. Consumer-grade tech such as his phone could never hold his attention for long.

It ended when Mom once again told Grandpa Jun off when he used his Quirk to pull a small metallic box into his hand, causing the old man to start sulking again. It was some sort of remote control, if Izuku understood correctly.

"It's a pity our Quirks tend to become so unpredictable as we age," remarked the amazing David Shield. "I used to be able to stretch and elongate my entire body, but now I'm limited to just my fingers. My brother-in-law's power is the ability to transform his body into living flame, but his fire is now so hot and unstable that he is unable to safely use his Quirk at all."

There was a moment of contemplative silence before Izuku's mother changed the subject. "Would you like to stay for dinner with us, Mister Shield?" she asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm scheduled to be in Nagoya city in just over an hour, so I'll need to leave about now. The I-Island Research Council recently decided to set up a subsidiary lab there."

Izuku hadn't managed to say a single word so far in front of the legendary David Shield, but he finally managed to overcome his shyness on hearing that the inventor was about to leave. "Excuse m – me, Mister Sh – Shield. C – could I have an autograph, please?"

The kind, incredible, fantastic David Shield smiled at him. "Of course, little Izuku," he said indulgently. He quickly signed Izuku's notebook, raising an eyebrow at the copious amount of information written within its pages. "Wow, you really are a huge fan of heroes, aren't you?"

"You don't know the half of it," Izuku's mother laughed. "Izuku practically worships All Might. He even bugged me to buy that awful 'Mighty Christmas Album' released a decade before he was born. We don't even celebrate Christmas like that!"

"Mom! It – it wasn't terrible, okay!" protested Izuku.

"All Might may be the No.1 hero, but he's absolutely horrible at singing, dear."

"I do believe you are on that album as well, David," grinned Grandpa Jun. "What was that cover you recorded together with All Might? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was it?"

"Oh - would you look at the time! I really do need to make a move," the talented David Shield said quickly. "It was nice to see you again, Junichiro, Inko. Lovely to meet you too, Izuku. Goodbye!"

The genius inventor swiftly made his exit from the house, leaving Izuku behind with the two amused adults. Dinner and the rest of the evening was punctuated by daydreams of fighting alongside All Might when his Quirk appeared, just like the incredible David Shield. Or maybe as a hero using lots of support gear, then he wouldn't need a Quirk at all!

Yea! He would be an awesome hero, with lots of high-tech support gear and a really cool name like…

Izuku really wasn't the best at naming things. Maybe he could be called something like… like Shield Might! No wait, All Shield! He wrote everything down in his notebook, although it be really hard for him to choose from so many cool names in the future.

- End -

A/N: I'm iffy about the title for this story, please do let me know if you have a better suggestion. I deliberately tried to adopt a more childish style of writing for this chapter, which will only be for the first few chapters.

There will be bits and pieces taken from the various X-men continuities, but don't expect anything coherent.

Yes, David Shield's Quirk really is elongating his fingers. That's the last we'll be seeing of him until I-Island, although Melissa plays a part relatively soon in helping Izuku figure out his own Quirk.

Thanks for reading and as always I hope you enjoy the story!