Welcome to another MHA fanfic, if you are here then you love the MHA universe as much as I do. To begin with, we all know I don't own MHA but I own the new characters that will show up in the chapters. This story will focus on Izuku's growth in strength and confidence over a few chapters until he is ready for the U.A. High exam. If you like watching a character rise from rock bottom then this is for you. I hope you enjoy this ride and come back for more. Remember to comment down your thoughts.
Sensitive content warning: Mention of suicide
A green-haired boy walked towards his classroom, his bag weighing him down. His fist clutched the stripes of his bag as he entered the empty classroom, walking to the very back of it. He sat on the last bench and placed his heavy bag in front of his face to hide behind it. He pulled out a notebook titled 'Hero guide book'. He flipped through the pages as he read the details he had noted about the countless quirks of the heroes he had watched over the years on television. Every kid wants to be a hero but not everyone gets to be one, that is a fact in this world. His pencil fingers flipped through pages searching for a specific one. He stopped at the sketch of the number one hero; All Might.
"It's fine now!"
"Why?"
"Because I AM HERE!"
It was a phrase that a whole generation of kids shouted proudly. All Might stood at the top with unrivalled strength and presence. If he was present when a villain attacked not a single citizen would be worried because he was here. That was his goal as well.
The door burst open a loud blonde kid entered with other students flooding behind him chewing his ears about if he was going to U.A High School. Izuku glanced at his watch not realising it was almost time for the class to start, he avoided any eye contact with the blonde student who was his childhood friend; Katsuki Bakugo who had awakened a quirk at a young age, the quirk in question was Explosion hence naturally he was the most likely to become a hero with a highly powerful and flash quirk like that. Izuku watched him from the corner of his eyes, everyone crowding his bench as he sat there with his legs on the desk, screaming at them to get the hell out of his face. Once the teacher entered the classroom everyone settled down on their seats, not a single eye turning to look at Izuku. He didn't exist for any of them unless Bakugo himself called him out just to make a joke out of him. He put pen to paper as he took notes for this class which was the last before the holidays began.
Soon, the class came to an end and the teacher called out, "So, I heard Bakugo you have filled out the form for the U.A. entrance exam. I'm sure you'll get in the school and make us all proud. The principal is looking forward to your return visit once you get into U.A. High. He says you'll even be given the number one student award."
Bakugo smirked at the praises being showered on him. "Of course, I'll get into U.A with my quirk I'll make sure that I'm at the top of the selection board with the most scores. Even your unknown school will be well known then." His ego was just swelling up further and further, "The only student in 10 years that got into U.A. High, Bakugo Katsuki."
Izuku ignored the praises to worship lord Bakugo sung by his lackeys. He wasn't bothered by Bakugo being the centre of attention that was the optimal situation. He went back to reading for the coming exam for U.A. when he heard someone call his name. "Hey, I heard that even Deku filled the form for U.A." He winced when he heard his nickname being called knowing what would follow.
Everyone's head twisted back like wooden dolls to look at him as he squeezed into his desk, eyes looking everywhere but at them. The whole class erupted into laughter as if it was the funniest joke they had heard in all their life. Katsuki glared at him unhappy that Izuku had even tried filling up the form for a school he had set his eyes on. "Leave him be everyone. Izuku, if you… somehow make it. I'm sure the principal would be happy to treat you the same way Katsuki would be treated. We can have two number-one students." The teacher laughed, his tone was sarcastic. Yet, Katsuki wasn't able to pick up on the tone as he was boiling up with anger. Izuku's small frame got smaller as the eyes and laughs of his classmates got louder and louder for his ears to bear. His fist clutched the corner of his desk; knuckles turning white as he felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It indeed was hilarious when he thought about it. A kid awakens their quirk by the age of eight, of course, there are some cases where a child is born with it or awakens it at an even younger age. However, by the age of eight most children awaken their quirk. It should have been the same for Izuku but god thought of playing a joke on him at least that's how Izuku felt. He was the chosen one, the rarest spice in this world of quirks. He never awakened a quirk, his concerned mother took him to a doctor just for the doctor to confirm that all his dreams of becoming a hero like All Might and going to his school U.A. High had been crushed. Every single person he knew told him to stop chasing after his dream. He should have stopped then because a quirkless child could never possibly become a hero in this world.
He controlled his tears as everyone called him an idiot, himself included. Once everyone left the classroom, he packed his bag hoping that everyone had had their fun mocking him for the day. The sounds of explosions behind him said otherwise, "Bakugo… I, it is allowed for quirkless children to fill the form." He said as he turned to him.
"Huh, just because something is allowed doesn't mean you should just do it, Deku. Get this crazy idea out of your head that you can ever get closer to becoming a hero. If you can't, I can help you with it." Bakugo smashed his hand on the desk sending explosions on the surface of it almost catching Izuku's hero guide. Izuku fell off the chair hugging the hero guide to his chest; sadly it caught Katsuki's eyes. "What is that, Deku?" Bakugo's friend quickly snatched it from his hand making Izuku jump up in anger just to get pushed back down by Bakugo. "A hero guide." Bakugo laughed before smashing it between his palms and blasting his explosions at it driving Izuku to tears. "You don't need it, nerd. You will never be a hero." He threw the notebook out of the window before walking back to the door. He halted at the door and looked back, "If you do want to be a hero then just jump out of the window and hope in your next life you are born with a quirk, useless trash."
The silence that followed made the room feel heavy, the pressure putting Izuku down was far greater than the times Katsuki had told him to give up. Izuku's legs shivered not from fear but from sorrow, Katsuki's words had always been hurtful knowing, he was his childhood friend after all. He hadn't imagined back then that awakening a quirk and not awakening one is sure to drive a wall between someone. Over time he had convinced himself that it was his fault that Katsuki had stopped being a friend to him.
Izuku collected himself from the floor, standing back on his weak legs and sluggishly making his way towards the window, his vision getting narrower as the light from the window got brighter and brighter until he was close enough to look outside. His notebook was floating in the fountain water; three floors below. He thought back to Katsuki's words while staring at the ground, which felt like it got fatter and closer. This wasn't the first time someone had told him that he would never become a hero, he didn't listen to them and he just wanted to keep hoping. He stepped back from the window; swinging his bag on his shoulders he went downstairs to grab his hero guidebook. It was burnt to crisp and on top of that it was soaked in water. He still pushed it back in his bag making sure he placed it in a safe pocket so it didn't get the other books wet.
It was a month ago when he was going over all the rules for the exam of U.A when he found the old rule that had been sitting there for years; quirkless teens are allowed to participate in the exam and if they want to bring a small weapon with them then they have to fill up a form before time and further fill up a declaration form. This rule was surely from a time when U.A. had just been built and more people were still quirkless in the populous. However, years had passed and even if there was a quirkless kid before him they would have never applied for it. Izuku, on the other hand, had made up his mind, even if it was a crazy idea he wanted to at least give it a try and hence, he filled up the form after a week of discussion with his mother, convincing her to let him try once even if it was against children with quirks which meant he was bound to get hurt.
He walked through the streets thinking back to what made him fill that form when he had no plans to even work on himself. He looked at his frame and then ignored it, walking further into the tunnel that was dimly lit. His thoughts were racing through his mind; he had filled that form with a smile but other than that he had done nothing, maybe it was a way out of his dream he thought. Was he just trying to lose in this exam so he could finally give up on the small hope he carried with himself everywhere? As he thought about it a shadow grew bigger and bigger behind him. By the time Izuku noticed it, it was already too late.
There was no time for Izuku to react to the villain latching itself around his body covering it all up with the muddy slime of a body. Sludge forced his fluid body into Izuku's throat, making him choke on it. Izuku looked into the big round eyes of Sludge, his heart beating louder against his chest as his whole body got engulfed into this villain. The muddish taste mixed in with sewage water rolled down his throat, tears rolling out of Izuku's eyes as he tried fighting back. His stick-like fingers grabbed onto the amorphous body; his hand slipped through it, kicking the legs also had no effect and his mind was already going numb. The villain said, "It will be over soon, just rest now. You are being a great help." Yet, he kept struggling as the villain forced his way deeper into his throat. His vision got blurry, and his hands and legs got weaker no longer able to put up a worthy enough fight.
Is this it? This is where it ends after all this time. I can't even fight a villain like this. Kacchan, you were right, I can't be a hero. I always knew that yet I held onto it because that was the only dream I had. How could I let go of the dream that I had as a child? Now, it doesn't matter anymore. Sorry, Mom. I hope you find happiness without me…
"Have no fear, Young Man!" The voice of the number one hero made his eyes widen again fully awake. "For I am here!"
Sludge turned around and with him, Izuku was forced to turn too. He saw his favourite hero right in front of his eyes, the only thought that came to his head was how huge All Might looked up close. "You again!" The villain screamed. "Step away or this kid…"
"TEXAS SMASH!"
All Might punched through the left side to avoid hurting the young boy before his other hand grabbed onto Izuku and placed him on the ground. Izuku got a good glimpse of All Might before he fell unconscious from exhaustion.
All Might collected the villain into a bottle before trying to wake up Izuku, he got the bag off his shoulders as he laid him down comfortably. He checked his bag for a notebook to autograph it when he found a burned and wet notebook, curiosity got the best of him and he opened it up to see that it was a hero guide. He wondered how this might have happened but he had other things to worry about, he quickly autographed on the back of another notebook before going to wake him up. "Young man, are you alright?"
Izuku wasn't hearing his voice as he swam in the sea of thoughts, he had come face to face with death and the one person he never thought he would meet had saved his life. Reality felt like a dream at that moment he wondered where he was right now, had All Might left. He opened his eyes to see his father, his mother, Katsuki and All Might discussing something that he was excluded from. Izuku walked towards them yet they didn't seem to be getting any closer and the music playing in his head started to get louder and louder, he waved at them, called out to them, and even tried to grab their attention by jumping on the spot but nothing. He blankly watched them get up and walk away into the darkness as he remembered the words he told himself, "Fucking die you worthless piece of shit. No one cares about you; you are alone and will always stay alone... Give up, Izuku. Give up!"
Izuku woke up with a jolt just to see All Might in front of him. "A…All might! I…" He was frozen for a minute but All Might didn't have the time to entertain his nervousness.
"Young Man, I have autographed your notebook. You're welcome, for saving your life it is my duty as a number one hero of course. Now, be careful on your way back home." He squatted down and stretched his legs getting ready to jump.
"Wait, I wanted to ask a question." Izuku couldn't help but jump closer to All Might who paid him no heed and replied that he had no time. Izuku couldn't let this chance slip through his hands. He leapt and grabbed onto his leg just as All Might sprung from the ground to the sky.
Izuku wasn't a fan of flying so high up with such speed and this was his first time doing it, he screamed, "All Might!" He kept repeating against the wind to catch All Might's attention which he did.
"Young man, What are you doing? Let go of me, it is dangerous." All Might shouted back in panic.
"I will fall if I let go." Izuku replied, holding even tighter on All Might's pants.
"Where was this logic when you latched onto me? Hold on tight, young man." All Might found a building with no one on the roof and landed safely on it. He peeled Izuku off his leg like gum on a shoe before placing him back on the ground. "What were you thinking, young man? That was very dangerous." He coughed hard, covering his mouth and noticing blood on his hand which he wiped out on his pants. "I don't have time for this." He couldn't waste time lecturing a child when at any moment he could transform back to his weaker form.
"All Might! I have to ask…" The question that boiled inside him for years and years surfaced once again in front of his favourite hero, his head sank lower and lower as he spoke up about what he was meant to hide to not get bullied. "Can someone without a quirk become a hero?" The question hung in the air for minutes that were unbearable for Izuku, he felt his heart shrink as his hands reflexively moved up to clutch his chest.
All Might stared blankly at the young man, this question, he was familiar with it he had asked himself this question years ago. He would have answered yes back then however, things had changed over the years he had been a hero, and even if he was the symbol of peace he had seen many deaths, people he couldn't save, and his teacher who sacrificed everything. He knew the world of heroes wasn't for someone without a quirk and he couldn't tell him otherwise. The question had taken him by surprise and he didn't notice the smoke coming off his body and before he realized it, it was too late. The muscular huge man shrank down to the size of Izuku's heart; he had noodly arms, a height half of what it stood at, and a smile barely resembling the one he carried for the people.
Izuku looked up as the weight was getting too heavy for his neck to carry; he blushed in shock and saw a frail old man standing before him coughing. He looked left, right and then at the sky before his eyes landed back on the man who was coughing more blood out of his mouth while swearing that he had fucked up. "Where did All Might go? Who are you? When did you.." The train of questions had left the station and was now bulldozing over the frail frame of All Might.
"Calm down, young man. It is I, All Might." He said cutting him off as he was going on a tangent where he thought All Might had used a smoke screen to peace out because Izuku was being annoying. He slumped down on the ground making Izuku rush towards him to help as he thought the old man had lost his mind and his balance. "I'm fine. Now that you have seen me in this form I'll tell the secret of All Might." He pulled his baggy t-shirt up exposing the wound he had received from a villain years ago as he explained about his condition. "At my current stage, I can only be a hero for 3 hours a day." All might glanced at his legs before looking up at the young boy thinking he must have been disappointed seeing his favorite hero in such a sorry state. However, Izuku stood there nodding his head sincerely.
"You still manage to protect the whole city, catch villains and even fight deadly ones with a smile." Izuku smiled as he claimed in his head, that's why you are my favourite hero but couldn't word it out.
All Might smiled before it disappeared as he stood up, he had to answer the question Izuku had posed and he wasn't ready to tell him but he had to, "You just saw what happened to my stomach, if I didn't have a quirk I would have been blown to bits." Izuku knew what was coming; he clutched his fist trying to prepare his heart and mind for it. "The world of heroes isn't for someone without a quirk. I'm sorry but we have to be realistic, you can't risk your life to fight villains that have quirks. It would be throwing your life away… Sorry, young man. I think you should give up on becoming a hero. If you want to help people you can become a police officer or a doctor. They are respected professions too." He advised him, not knowing if he was smart enough to try for either. All might couldn't bring himself to face Izuku's eyes or even see the expression he carried. The silence was enough to permit All Might to walk off the roof to the stairs. He stepped down the stairs slowly before checking his pockets for the villain he had caught. He had to deliver that bottle to the police but he couldn't find it anymore and soon he realized he had lost it while tussling with the boy. He rushed downstairs in panic as he needed to find the bottle before the villain could escape from it and catch another victim.
Back on the rooftop, Izuku was frozen on the spot, with his hand clutching his chest and his eyes fixed on the ground. The day he had been waiting came he met All Might and asked him that question but it didn't turn out the way he had imagined it would over the years, nor was the man standing proud in his hero suit smiling neither was he advising him how he could become a hero even without a quirk. The cliché lines he had thought over the years that All Might would have said to him; being a hero is in your heart, a hero stands tall, and a hero is someone who runs to help the person in need. Each of those lines had crumbled down on the ground to his feet. It would be throwing your life away, the words All Might left him with were nothing but a twisted way of saying don't commit suicide when he was advised the same day to do it. His knees felt weak but it was time to head back home. This day had enough surprises for him. He was done for the day all he needed to do now was to get back to his bed, wrap himself in a blanket in the dark room and cry his sorrows out.
One foot after the other he made his way to the door and then down the stairs with a stoic look on his face. By no measure was it the first time someone had told him to give up on his dreams; due to concern, to bully him, to make him see reality for whatever reasons people had told him he didn't care about any of them. He was the only one standing between his dream and the people all around him trying to reason with him, he couldn't give up even if he saw their reasons and concerns. Now, All Might had added himself to the very top of that list. Give up on your dreams, Izuku. He could hear the words bouncing off in his head, every person who had told him to stop thinking that he could become a hero surfaced in his brain to call him out again and again. He didn't even realize when the surroundings around him had changed, he had gone from going down the steps to walking on the street. What is a hero? He asked himself as he kept on walking with no one around him, tears well up in his eyes as his head started to ache. His hands shivered as he walked through the empty street, everyone seemed to have been busy crowding a street on the left. He kept walking as if that was all he could do, tears escaping his eyes and rolling down his cheek, face expressionless as ever. His mind was in chaos, the one wall that had been protecting his dream was slowly but surely crumbling down and the anger was building up. His empty eyes stared at the ground, one step after another he heard give up Izuku and one step after the other he lost his balance.
A chain of explosions called him back to reality adding salt to his wound. He looked over, the crowd had gathered up on the left side blocking a street. He could hear them talking about a kid being taken hostage by the monsters. Those explosions felt like a taunt, they reminded him of kacchan who if he had seen him would have been laughing at him. He would have said that his sorry state was well deserved because he had been stupidly stubborn for so long. He watched the chain of explosions get louder. "Who fucking cares? Heroes are on the scene… there is no place for a quirkless in the world of Heroes… right?" He clutched the straps of his bag pushing away any second thoughts he had before he decided to walk away from the crowd. He put a good distance between him and the explosions as he couldn't hear the explosions anymore, no more Kacchan laughing he thought.
The legs had pulled their weight more than he ever had but they finally gave up bringing him crashing down onto the ground, back in the very tunnel where he had met All Might for the first time and also the very moment he saw death closer with his eyes. He sat on the cold footpath, staring at the dark wall with lots of artwork and spray paintings on it; some swears, some motivational and some highly political opinions that didn't matter to Izuku. He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them as he buried his face between them hiding his face the moment expressions washed on it. He cried on the floor thinking maybe it would have been better if he died to the villain or if he didn't grab on to All Might's legs, he might still have had some will to show up to the exams. No, they were all excuses, he knew that well. He knew from the start what answer he would have gotten no matter who he would have asked to. He was a kid who weighed 115 lbs about 166 cm tall with little to no muscle covering him, he hadn't built a good case for himself to prove anyone wrong. He leaned his head back on the uneven wall, how long had he been like this and having known it? He had never done anything to change it, even when he tried he would end up stopping in a week or a month. His body showed no signs of improvement to motivate him. The world of quirks he thought back to what All Might said word for word clearly, now that no explosions were mocking him. He took a long breath in accepting what he had been looking for; a reason to give up. Now, he had it, his favourite hero told him to give up. He felt the strength come back to his arms and legs, so, he stood up ready to head home and finally put his mom at ease.
Another 10 minutes had passed and Izuku hadn't left the tunnel, he had full strength to head back home but something wasn't letting him leave, a question that was scratching the back of his head. Who is a hero? Isn't a hero who saves lives, risking his own to protect others? Then there was this new definition the more realistic in this day and age, a person with a quirk who is capable of fighting against crime.
Something felt wrong about all this, he couldn't just walk out of this tunnel without finding the answers. His heart was pounding loudly against his chest, his fists tightened as he glared at nothing feeling his anger boiling up and making him shiver. Hadn't he just given up? His favourite hero himself told him to give up on his dreams. Wasn't his advice wise, couldn't he just become a police officer? He slapped himself on the face which echoed in the tunnel reminding him that he had given up, everything inside him was broken, the dream was dead then what was this thing still inside him fighting for survival? "Don't throw away your life like that." His voice absorbed in anger, his nails sinking into his skin as he covered his face. "Isn't that what you have been doing All Might? 3 hours and you still risk your life every single day. You wouldn't hide or give up if you saw someone in danger. What right do you have to tell me I can't do the same? I don't need a quirk." He released his hands from stretching at his skin and leaned back on the wall before smashing his fist on the wall to his left, his wrist hitting the wall hard, shacking up his bone but he endured with the adrenaline rushing in his head to say the line, "I am a Hero." He knew he didn't deserve to say those words and he promised himself never to say it again until he had earned this title. He had made up his mind, he was going to prove everyone wrong, he was going to prove All Might wrong. All the anger that had bottled up over the years was channelled towards All Might with the quote 'Never meet your heroes'. He walked out of the tunnel into the sun, ready to do anything to build himself up to the title he alone had granted himself. He promised that someday this title would be granted to him by All Might. _
Izuku had made his way to his room, ignoring what his mother had to say about Katsuki. He tossed the bag on his study desk and plopped himself down on the bed. He was still far from taking the first steps towards the new goal he had set for himself, he glanced at his old laptop where he had watched All Might's video a hundred times. He grabbed it and placed it down on the bed, he opened a worksheet to plan his workout just to find another one right there. He hadn't just been hoping to become a hero by some kind of miracle; he had tried many times to start a workout plan and to follow it. However, it never worked out, so, why would it this time? He thought as he deleted the old one out of spite. His fingers ran on the keyword typing up a decent plan before searching for a meal plan to help him on this journey. The result didn't matter, he just needed to put the work in every single hour and every single day.
Inko Midoriya had been working in the kitchen while thinking about Izuku, worried that he wasn't doing well. She knew well what had been bothering Izuku over the years yet, Izuku had the will to keep on going and not let the world get to him. Still, she knew he was gunning for the U.A. high school entrance exam. Just the thought of it sent chills down her spine, to think of her son getting hurt in the exam competing with children with quirks. She couldn't see him get hurt, that's to say all mothers panic when they see their child get hurt. Hence why, for the past 2 months she had been trying to stop him from attending this exam but Izuku would always smile and say that he wanted to just try once and if he failed he would never try to be a hero. She finished washing the dishes and started to get ready to make some dinner. She took the apron off and went to his room. She knocked on the door, "What would you like to have for dinner, Izuku?"
Izuku had gotten from the bed to the ground doing some pushups, he quickly stood up and answered, "Uhm, let's eat your favourite, Mom." He waited for her reply and then her footsteps to make sure she had walked away. He took a deep breath before getting back down on all fours. He stretched his legs back and got ready but first, he clicked on the video on his phone to confirm if he had the right posture. He went down slow as a slug and he pushed back up even slower. He got back up breathing heavily, his heart rate high and palms sweaty. He took his shirt off ready for the moment he hadn't been looking forward to. He walked up to the mirror by no means was he stupid enough to think he would see any results the reason was far stronger and opposite than that. This was also an important step, he couldn't skip. He wanted to see where he stood and use the hate to climb his way towards the future he desired.
Standing in front of the mirror, his head hung low. He looked at his skinny body, brushing his hands on his ribs and then up on his flat chest and he could see his shoulders sagging down. He let his arms hang on either side, he sighed as he felt worse than before. He stretched his arms out as he looked down upon them, his forearms felt like deflated balloons he thought knowing he was being too harsh on himself. His head had gotten lower than it was before, and he looked at his legs which he would be embarrassed to show in public if he had to swim. He walked away from the mirror still thinking, why would this time be any different?
He went back to slow push-ups 5 reps in one set and after finishing 2 sets he was out of breath but with some long breaks he managed to reach the 25 push-up mark. He clutched his fists, closing his eyes he whispered to himself, "It's too soon to think about that question. Ask me that again in a month or two." He opened his eyes, putting his shirt back on. Having taken the rest he needed he started doing squats and then weights that he had bought 2 years ago. He didn't stop until his energy was spent. He didn't want to overdo it but he couldn't help himself as today hadn't been kind to him so he had no intentions of being kind to himself. Moreover, he felt better, he felt safe working out now, it kept him away from the thoughts that were trying to drown him. He almost fell asleep when he heard another knock on the door. The dinner was ready and he had to get back in shape, he didn't want to get his mother worried about him. He already knew what would happen if he told her what had happened today so it was going to stay a secret forever. He called back, telling her he would be with her in a few minutes. He took a bath before joining her at the dinner table.
They ate in silence for the most part before Inko brought up the topic Izuku wasn't in the mood of, "Did you call, Katsuki? It would be good to call him and ask if he is doing fine after the incident in the evening." She said as she finished up her food. She had already asked Mitsuki how her son was holding up but she wanted to know if Izuku had asked his friend or not.
"Why should I call him? What incident are you talking about?" He couldn't care less about what Katsuki had been up to, probably picking up fights but for the last two months, he had been keeping a low profile as he wanted to get his form accepted at U.A. She looked shocked at his response and went on a monologue about what a good friend is like. Izuku listened to her point that made Katsuki look like the worst friend ever however, he couldn't tell her after all Katsuki's mother was her best friend.
Izuku picked up the dishes and started to wash them in the kitchen when Inko told him about the incident that took place that day. He almost dropped the plate when he realised the explosions he had heard while walking back home were Katsuki's quirk and to add more guilt to the matter the villain who had taken the poor blonde boy hostage was none other than the one who had tried to kill him in a tunnel. Once, Inko went to her room he made his way to the living room, turning the television on and going to a news channel. He had heard his mother tell him that All Might saved him just in time which meant the media wasn't going to drop this news for a month at least, he could already imagine headlights in the newspaper; All Might saves a poor child from a villain, SMASHING through villains to save a boy, All might smile gives hope to a student. He clicked through news channels before finding the one that was milking the news for what it was worth.
Of course, Katsuki had become a hero even when he got taken hostage, the news channel talked about his quirk which was all boring to Izuku as he had already researched his quirk. Soon, the footage from the incident played on the screen. Izuku could feel the pain of Katsuki while watching the same villain trying to take over Katsuki. Izuku could still taste that slime on his tongue which felt like vomit. He watched the full news and concluded that the villain had managed to escape All Might's pocket when All Might was more worried about the stupid child latching onto his thigh. He leaned back on the couch as he stared at the news after watching All Might pop up on the screen out of nowhere before smashing the villain to bits. Katsuki had refused to give an interview but was reported to be safe. Izuku shut the televisions off and thought about calling Katsuki. He stood up realising this didn't matter anymore he was already saved by the hero and the news channel had taken it upon themselves to talk big about his quirk. They had even managed to find out that Katsuki was going to U.A. High which meant they would be able to see him as a hero someday.
Izuku made his way towards his room, the guilt consuming him. He thanked All Might in his head as he didn't know what he would have done if because of his mistake, Katsuki got hurt. With the overwhelming guilt bringing him down he decided to give him a call. He barely got to ask Katsuki how he was as the blonde teen refused to talk with Izuku so his mother informed him that he was doing fine and made sure he would it too. He placed the phone back down and he tucked himself in bed. Today had indeed been an eventful day, to say the least. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to go to sleep tonight but he did know that at 6 am he had to get up and go for a run.
The next morning at 6 am, the alarm rang to wake Izuku up and as his arm went to grab his phone he got a bursting pain from the cramps. He sat up knowing this was going to happen after all he had over-exerted himself because he felt pathetic for stopping at 25, so, even if it meant slowly he climbed his way up to 75 push-ups and squats. He was fucked in every sense of the word. He got ready for the run in under 10 minutes and stepped out of his room, checking on his mom as he didn't want to wake her up. He left a neatly written letter in the kitchen saying he was going on a run and he'll be back soon.
He opened the door of his house to get welcomed by the cold wind in his face and closed the door behind him. He jogged on the footpath making his way to the beach road even though the cramps in his legs begged him for more rest. He hadn't thought how long he would jog for; he just wanted to begin and to put a limit on something right now felt like an excuse. He picked up some speed to check how long his stamina would last. It barely took him another minute. He took a short breather, grabbing a bottle of water from a vending machine to drink up and recover while he ran through the plan he had made last night.
Ten months were left until the entrance exam and he had devised a 10-month plan. Step one was to gain muscles, stamina, agility, and the ability to fight. He had planned out a whole month of workouts in a ladder system where each day he would increase the number of reps in each set. He wished he would manage well that way. This was the perfect time for it, as the holiday after the school exams had just started so he only had to worry about studying for the entrance exam. He pushed studies back by 2 months, reaching the physical goals was a far more urgent matter than the studies themselves. He would start his day with a long run/jog, and returning home he would take a break and focus on nutrition intake, in the afternoon he would start his workout lasting for 2 hours, in the evening he would focus on recovery; he included yoga and stretching in it and at night he would study fighting styles. The only thing on the list that would be a problem was learning how to fight.
He needed to convince his mother to let him join his uncle's MMA gym; The Greenhorns. Shinji Midoriya infamous Midoriya for being blessed with a noble quirk but misusing it for crime and wrestling. He was the biggest stain on the Midoriya family. Shinji Midoriya had been a part of underground quirk wrestling in the past and had other minor criminal records. This is why Inko and Hisashi kept Izuku away from his influence.
Izuku sighed; he felt the weight of that talk already too heavy to bear. He shook the thought out of his head; it wasn't the time to get hung up on it. He would figure something out when the time came. He resumed his jog, picking back up from where he had left and picking up pace as he got closer to the seaside park.
He pulled his earphones out to blast some music as he reached the seaside park. He halted when he saw the sight of this beach; he never remembered it looking like this. The seaside park known for the best sunset was abounded by everyone as the trash from the sea had collected on the beach over the years, it seemed like some people had also started using it as a place to throw their stuff away; he highly doubted a whole washing machine had been washed in by the sea to this beach. He walked down the stairs to the beach he remembered looking peaceful. The sand was covered with filth and garbage all over; no one had cared to clean it up. Izuku took in the view and picked up a metal pipe resting beside his feet. It wasn't close to what he had imagined instead it reflected the state he was in. A nod was enough to decide he would take it upon himself to clean up this beach.
He jogged along the beach, assessing the task ahead of the length of the beach that had turned into a trash pile, he felt like it would take more than 8 months to get it cleaned up. It felt like a tall order for him to attempt it by his lonesone, but so was aiming for U.A. as a scrawny, quirless fart. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed. He dragged his legs up the steps against the pain he felt from the cramps. His t-shirt was drenched in sweat, he reached the road and sighed as if he achieved the impossible. He placed his hands behind his hips and leaned backwards to stretch his back while grunting like an old man. He was exhausted and sore all over his body.
He started slowly making his way home. He felt (and probably looked) like a zombie, his lips dry and chapped, and his eyes looking like life had been sucked out of them and thrown in the mountains of garbage he had sworn to clear.
He got a call from his mother; he had lost track of time and she had been waiting for him to join her for breakfast for an hour. His face went pale as she began to lecture him and soon he had evaporated into thin air.
"Get home now, Midoriya Izuku." The soul left his body when he heard his mom call him with his full name. He slapped himself awake, he had to go home and the cramps weren't gonna slow him down now.
He took a deep breath as his mind went calm, he took a two-point stance, weight equally distributed on both feet and ready to race with no stamina, having spent it all. His hamstrings and calves tightened, eyes filled with undying flames and with an explosive burst of energy, he accelerated with everything he had with the words of his mother ringing in his ears as he straightened up and got faster. He leaned forward getting more aerodynamic position, cutting through the air he got faster. He passed a group riding their bicycles, he passed young boys racing each other, he passed a guy going full speed on his cycle and he passed cars. He was breaking his limits. Everything was a blur until he was at the door of his house. He had made it home.
This was the Power of the Fear of a Mother.
(cars that he passed were stationary.)