"A Pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a Hero? No, I should think not."

Midoriya Izuku blinked as a lightning bolt ran through his entire system. For some reason, he was sweating worse than when he was soaring above buildings. A ringing in his ears screamed as his steady breath turned to shambles. His heart sunk and tumbled from his chest.

"If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option." It was as if a weight was chained around his shoulders, pulling him more and more to the ground. "Those Villain Custody officers are often mocked but… that too is admirable work!" His knees quaked as his Hero turned and walked away. "It's not wrong to dream." A door slammed shut with parting words, "However, you need to be realistic, kid." His legs finally gave way. The pain that shot through his system barely registered as his gaze fell towards the sky.

This day was the day in which he was setback further than any previous point in his life. It was the day that all of those voices in his head rang true—in memories and psyche.

"What can you even do…?"

He pulled his torso forward, catching himself with his hands before pushing himself onto his feet. "I… I should get home…" It was hard to pick up his feet—all he could do was shuffle down the staircase. "Even the best of the best said it…"

It wasn't long until he was on the street, wandering. A lump in his throat choked him as his eyes stung and his nose clogged. "Don't cry…! You knew already, right…!? This is reality…" Smoke, screams and explosions pulled his attention across the street. "I'm so used to gawking… Just stop it… I'll only make myself feel like a loser…" Suddenly, his heart tumbled in a completely different manner. Slime, fire, and a classmate were amongst the chaos—the cause of it. As much as he was. His eyes widened as his brain sparked.

And then, his body moved on its own.

-X-

Izuku stumbled through the apartment's front door, letting his bag slid from his shoulder and into his hand. He shuffled within, hearing the running of tap water. And soon, his mother's voice, "Izuku?" He stepped into the main room, coming in to view from the kitchen. "Where have you been? It's so late!"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "S-Sorry, I got caught up in the plaza. There were a bunch of Heroes fighting a villain." He chuckled, "You know me, I just couldn't help myself."

Inko slowly frowned, tilting her head, "Are you okay?"

He smiled, "Yeah? Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Right. Of course."

He pushed open his bedroom door, "I'm going to finish up on some reviews for mid-terms."

"Okay, I'll call you when dinner's ready," she nodded, slipping into the kitchen. "Oh, did you get your high school form yet?"

He hesitated, "Y-Yeah… I need to do some more research before I fill it out."

"Okay! Be sure to do it soon!"

He replied, "Okay, mom." before disappearing into his room. His shoulders fell as soon as he was in the safety of his own room. He almost neglected to switch on the light before shuffling towards his bed. A yellow bookbag slid off his shoulders and flopped onto the ground. His blankets felt like a soft glacier in comparison to the burning heat of the plaza.

"There was absolutely no need for you to put yourself in danger…!"

Izuku's fingers clawed into his blanket as his teeth grinded against each other. A memory was knee-deep in his vision; couldn't escape. Kacchan—Katsuki… Bakugo was still there in the center of a crowd of fiery buildings. The slime villain wrapped around him; entangled him and suffocated him. Izuku could remember the feeling; the slime dug itself into his body. Fingers and fire did nothing against the liquid man. The villain burrowed, attempting to make a nest out of a person.

Izuku began to curl into a ball, remembering the feeling of the slime between his fingers. No matter the force, the man had more control of his Quirk than Izuku's miniscule strength. His heart twisted as his stomach flipped. "I couldn't do anything…!" Tears began to well up in his eyes, gritting his teeth. "He'll die for nothing…!" Bakugo's eyes had rolled into the back of his head; the villain was making his home. "Useless…" His jaw slowly weakened as his body sprawled across his bed. "Why was I born useless…?"

"A Pro should always be ready to risk his life…!"

Izuku raised his head, just a bit, "But, that doesn't apply to you, does it…?" Into his bed, did he fall into again. "I tried… At least, I tried…" He threw himself over onto his back, staring at the ceiling, "For whatever good that did…" A low breath trickled out of his mouth; covered his face with his hands. "Shut up… Just shut up…"

Then came a knocking upon his door, "Izuku?"

"Y-Yes?", coughed out Izuku.

Inko called out, "Dinner's ready!"

Izuku felt the heat underneath his eyes, "I… I need some time to get out of my uniform!" He sniffled, "I'll be out in a minute…"

"Okay!" she replied.

Izuku took a deep breath, shaking his head. His palms smacked against the sides of his face. "Get it together…" A breath filled his chest, pushing himself onto his feet. "If anything… Smile for her… Don't worry her… Not her…" He picked out some random clothes to change into. "I should wash my face…", he murmured.

-XXX-

Bakugo Katsuki scowled, strolling through his stomping grounds, Aldera Junior High. He growled, massaging his throat. A phantom feeling echoed. Deku's face was still plastered on the inside of his eyelids; that shitty attempt at a smile churned his stomach. He dragged open the classroom's front door and made his way to his seat. "I never asked for that nerd to save me…! Like I needed him to… Like he even could…!" It still picked at him. No matter the distance he put between himself and Deku, he couldn't rid himself of that itch underneath his skin.

Katsuki's feet found a resting spot atop his desk as he leaned back in his seat. It was early in the morning with students still trickling into the room. His glare shot out of the window, borrowing into distant clouds. That was the problem with getting there early; he got stuck waiting for the damn bell to ring. His friends were usually late, so he didn't have anyone to talk to when he got in.

The door slid open once more and Katsuki's ear caught, "What's wrong with Midoriya?" There were two voices: a pair of students in the corner of the room. "Huh? What do you mean?" They were quiet, but not enough for Katsuki's distance. "He's all… gloomy." Curiosity caused Katsuki to peer over his shoulder. There was the nerd, sitting at his desk.

Gloomy was a bit much, at least from where Katsuki was sitting. Deku was leaning on his desk, propping up his elbow and resting his cheek upon his palm. His curly locks blocked his face from view. Katsuki guessed that Deku's gaze was focused on the notebook on his desk, but not that dumbass Hero book of his, just some normal-ass one. "He doesn't look gloomy." A counter followed, "You didn't see his face; he's gloomy." Disbelief thy name was whoever the other extra was, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Mr. Optimistic being all gloomy, right…" Katsuki shook his head, resetting his gaze. "Shut up. Everyone was makin' fun of him yesterday, anyway. That's probably why." Katsuki's brow twitched as he heard, "Bakugo's been ripping him to shreds for the past like three years. Now, it works?"

Katsuki growled out, "Oi, you shits talkin' about me?"

The duo scattered, "Shit! He heard us!" Well, 'scattered' might be a bit much. All they really did was move to another corner in the room, just now out of earshot with wary gazes at their surroundings.

"Dumbasses…" muttered Katsuki. "Ten more months and I won't have to listen to these extras anymore… I'll be standing at the top of the top…"

A voice shouted, "Yo!" Two hands landed on the side of Katsuki's desk as another extra stood behind the first, "Bakugo, how you holding up after that villain attack?"

Someone exclaimed, "Wait, that Aldera student was you!?"

"Does that mean you got to meet All-Might?!" questioned another. Thus came the arrays of, "Bakugo met All-Might?!" and, "No way!". His previously scattered classmates began to huddle and orbit around Katsuki's desk. They began to shout questions about the Number-One Hero: "What was he like?", "Is he really that tall?", "Was he really as muscular as he was on TV?", etc. It was all except one who pondered and questioned about All-Might. A lone nerd sat at his desk in silence; sifted through his notebook, studying.

-\ XXX /-

Takeyama Yu, the Mineyama Hero: Mount-Lady, stood before a crowd of paparazzi and fans. She smiled and waved, taking in her audience. Pictures snapped at her form while others gawked. A few months ago, she couldn't really help out at that slime attack in a mall plaza. All-Might stepped in and finished the job, but that didn't stop her acknowledging that she couldn't do hers. It didn't help that, in between, she got another drought of work. She held her agency together through TV interviews, a commercial or two, and a payment for a dating show. (Whole thing was staged, luckily. So, no random stranger to be dated on her part.)

Her eyes drifted amongst the crowd: excitement, awe. It felt good to be acknowledged as a Hero and celebrity, like a hot shower to wash away a grime-filled day. Though, her gaze caught on something—someone, rather. By his uniform, he was some middle-schooler. He looked lean, young; freckles helped. Though, it wasn't his looks that really caught her attention. It was the fact that he walked on by without even lifting his head. There wasn't even a glance towards the crowd, her. He was meddling with some study cards that were apparently more interesting.

A teenage boy didn't even so much as gander in her direction? It was enough to make her falter… for like a second. A question from a newscaster quickly stole her attention away from the departing curiosity. From the fore-front, he was suddenly filed away into the back of her mind.

-XXX-

Izuku's mind was wandering as he stepped into his family apartment. The space was dark before he switched on the hallway light. Last he recalled: his mother was out, working late. So, the first thing he did was slip into his bedroom, and it wasn't long before he found himself at his desk. He meddled with the papers and pencils on his work-surface. Tugging at a certain set of math notes caused a spillage of documents upon his floor. He sucked at his teeth, crouched, and started to clean up his mess. Notes and graded papers from school were nothing of thought. Though, a form forced him to pause: his high school application. It was still blank; not even his name had a place on his page.

He let out a breath, moving to sit before his desk once more. He sighed as he abandoned the document to his desk, leaning back in his seat. His hand brushed his jawline, left to procure a pen from his desk. The ink stained the surface of the paper and flowed: name, address, date of birth, etc. The pen hovered over the final box which asked for the name of the intended high school.

He peered over the paper, staring into his screen before meddling with his keyboard. He slowly found himself on U.A.'s website. A shot down his spine came; something he couldn't really define. It was as if there was something underneath his skin, meddling with his gut and grabbing his heart. His hands wiped his face before he picked up his pen. Just before ink met paper, he noticed a blinking notification in the corner of his browser. A click, a pause, and then a read brought Izuku to a forum page. The discussion's title was, "ALL-MIGHT, A TEACHER!?1?!". Izuku's eyes narrowed before he read through chats and points. A few rumors were rolling about the forums; All-Might might be becoming a teacher. For what school was under scrutiny, but it didn't take an avid reader nor genius to name the most likely place. Izuku picked up his pen and wrote a school into the final box.

-XXX-

Katsuki had his hands tucked into his pockets, standing next to Deku in the teachers' office. They were beside their homeroom teacher's desk; the man turned to address them, "This is for you, Bakugo. This is a card to allow you onto U.A.'s grounds to take the exam." He held out the card only to slip it from the blond's fingers at the last second. "Don't lose it. You'll have to contact them to replace it, and it wouldn't be a very good first impression."

Katsuki scowled, "I'm not an idiot."

"I know." The teacher pulled out another card, extending it to the Quirkless, "Midoriya, this is for Shiketsu. Same situation as for Bakugo." He turned back to his desk, "Good choice, by the way. If I remember correctly, I believe they have quite a good General Studies program. Perfect for you." He didn't notice the waft of expressions that crossed over Deku's face before he pointed at the pair, "Remember, you two, these are just for the entrance exams. Even if you pass them if you don't pass your finals here-"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "We won't get into senior high." He murmured under his breath, "No shit…"

The man scowled in turn, "What was that Bakugo? Do I need to contact your mother about your language?" He sighed, "Again?"

The blond spoke through gritted teeth, "No."

"Good." The teacher seemed satisfied, "You're both dismissed." He shouted at their backs as they left, "Go back to study hall and nowhere else!"

"Okay," murmured Deku.

Katsuki slammed the door shut behind them, "Yeah-yeah." The blond's eyes followed the Quirkless teen wander ahead of him. He didn't need some voice in the back of his mind to remind him what's happened. The useless nerd tried to save him; he earned some shitty respect. Then he gave up trying for U.A.? It was strange as all hell. Didn't help that Deku was quieter than ever before. He wasn't even writing in that stupid notebook of his. And, hell, most of his lunches were spent in the back of the room, eating his food while staring at nothing like a freak. "What did that extra say...?" Mr. Optimistic did become gloomy.

"Is there something on my face?" asked Deku, turning with a smile.

In an instant, any sense of curiosity was burned away. "What?" How could he describe it?

"Sorry, thought you were staring at me…"

"What the fuck is wrong with your face?" It was like one of the fucking movies, like looking down uncanny valley.

Deku froze, standing silently, "Heh…" Then, his hand hesitantly rose to the back of his neck, smiling, "I'm not sure what you mean." He pointed at himself, "I've always been this plain-looking?"

"Shut up…" Katsuki's brow furrowed, and his gaze burned into a glare, "Your eyes don't match your face…" He stomped forward, "Why the fuck would ya pull some shit like that...?" He could tell that a stiffness surged through the nerd's body. "If ya gonna try that, pull that shit on someone who doesn't know your ass." He paused, looking over his shoulder, "I don't know what's up with you…" He growled, looking forward, "Your fake face pisses me off…" He spat, "But, don't try and pull the wool over my fucking eyes. You're not clever enough for it."

Deku wandered forward, walking past his superior, "Yeah, I guess not… Sorry, Bakugo."

Katsuki's eyes were glued to that little failure. "Kacchan… Wait for me, Kacchan…! E-Enough, Kacchan…!" He murmured at the shrinking form of the nerd, "What the fuck?" He scowled, stomping after the nerd, "Was that supposed to be a fucking insult…? Think you're too good for me…!?" He closed the distance, "Trying to belittle me…!?" The blond's hand slammed on Deku's shoulder. The nerd was spun on his heel; forced to face the blond. "What the fuck—" Katsuki froze stiff. "T-The hell…?" The corners of Deku's mouth had fallen, and his rounded-off eyes had shifted to a flat-line. There were his irises as well; there was almost a dullness to them. The green was tainted, turning sickly. What ever pool of disgust was in Katsuki's stomach had suddenly shot into a fucking pit. Disgust became a sickening disturbance.

Deku pulled away, "What? I said I was sorry."

Katsuki shook his head, walking past the Quirkless, "F-Forget it." The blond stomped ahead while the nerd tucked his hands into his pockets and followed.

-XXX-

Midoriya Inko took a deep breath as she watched her son drop the last box in his furnished school apartment. Shiketsu High School was practically on the other side of Japan compared to a place like Yuuei. The commute would just be too much if he stayed with her. So, they applied for a special apartment block nearby; one that directly dealt with the school. Her fifteen-year-old son was moving and was going to live on his own for potentially the next three years. With post-secondary education on the following horizon… it was a difficult time.

It didn't help that he had been off for the past few months. He ate normally and he did have that little spark of a smile. However, there was just something she couldn't put her finger on. It was something out of her control; something eating at her son that she couldn't stop. It felt familiar, undoubtedly. What could she do? Every push she made was brushed aside. He never did anything so out of the ordinary to warrant an action. She didn't want to be unfair to him. After all, this 'feeling' could only be paranoia. Perhaps, her son was just growing up and becoming a more introverted person.

Uneasiness aside, Izuku did seem to have a bit more energy when it came to Shiketsu High School. It wasn't she would call it happiness, but rather, satisfaction. "Of course he would; Shiketsu High School is a very prestigious school from what she heard…"

Izuku's mind finally cut through her thoughts, "Mom?"

"Y-Yes?" Inko blinked, returning to reality, "S-Sorry, I was just… Well…"

He smiled, "I'm going to miss you, too."

"My…" Her hand brushed her son's cheek, "Hm… It wouldn't be right to call you my little boy anymore." She smiled, speaking wistfully, "You're on your way to being an adult."

"Three years is still a long way," he offered.

"No matter…" Her voice hitched, "You're going to be living on your own now…" She sniffled, "You must double check the locks every night, windows and doors." She forced a cough, "I understand you're on the highest floor, but you can never be sure nowadays."

"Of course."

"And I'll… I'll send you your allowance every weekend. B-Be… Be sure to spend it responsibly." Her eyes widened for a moment, "B-But, don't be afraid to contact me if something goes wrong…" Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, "O-Oh, I promise myself I wouldn't…"

"I'm going to miss you, too." The drops roared into rivers before mother and son embraced. No words came after that; maintained in silence. Inko took deep breaths and Izuku provided some emotional rock for the time being. "Why don't we walk around and get something to eat?"

Inko dabbed the tears from her face, "Oh, well… Give me a moment." She pushed out a chuckle, "I can't go out like this. Let me just go to the bathroom."

Izuku nodded, "Go ahead, and I'll unpack a few of my stuff." His mother nodded as she walked into the bathroom. When the door clicked shut when he cut open the nearest box. He paused when he peered within. His hand slowly snaked in and pulled out a figure of All-Might. The blond figure struck a signature pose from the Pro's golden age. Izuku slowly frowned at it before his head hung. A long breath escaped from his lips before he set back down. The box was loosely shut before he picked it up, opening his closet with his foot. Cubic cardboard was shoved into the corner, and he then pulled the shutter door shut. His weight pressed against the wooden structure, staring at the ground. A breath was sucked into his chest before he straightened his back.

Izuku turned, focusing his attention upon his new bed. The wooden frame was spruce; the size was for one. In other words, "Perfect. No need for any more or less." He waved his hand, gesturing to the object, "And green's kinda my color too." Between the bed and the closet was a simple black, metal desk with a chair pushed in. "The desk, also great. Decorations would distract me anyway." Another deep breath, "I… I don't need that stuff anymore…"

His mom's voice pulled his attention, "Izuku? I'm ready."

"O-Okay." He took a deep breath before walking out of his bedroom. "Coming!"

Inko blinked; peered over her shoulder and gestured to the room she had just open to, "Izuku, I just realized you have a guest bedroom."

Izuku blinked, "Uh… I don't think I'll ever need it though." He shrugged, "I'll turn it into like a study or something."

Inko nodded, "Hm." She turned with a smile, shutting the door, "Well, let's go."

"Y-Yeah, let's."

Mother and son began to make their exit, and they were half-way through the door when Inko asked, "Do you have the key?"

Izuku pulled it from his pocket as they stepped out, "Yes, I do."

He closed the door as Inko blinked and tugged on his shirt, "Oh, you need groceries too."

"Yeah, that would be good," he agreed.

Inko tapped her chin, "The kitchen was pretty small. Oh, we didn't check for plates or anything…"

Izuku paused, holding his key just in front of the lock, "I didn't lock it yet."

Her hand landed on his shoulder, tugging on his sleeve, "Then we should go check."

Izuku nodded, pulling open the door, "Yes, ma'am."

-X-

Inko sat on the outside patio of a café. "I do like the uniform. You'd look wonderful in it." They had coffee and cakes with Shiketsu's pristine form in view. A quaint melody of jazz played from just above them. "That double-breasted jacket and that hat."

Izuku stared at the distant building, "Hm."

Her hands tapped her cup, "So, what do you exactly do in the Support Course?"

"Build tools for Heroes. Some are specific to the Hero—like equipment to help them use their Quirks or whatever they need. Others are for stuff like on-site containment or just to help in general movement." His mind wandered back to nearly a year ago, "He automatically assumed I was going into the General Education program…"

Inko nodded, "So, that's why you've been meddling with your computer so much." She giggled into her hand, "And your bike."

Izuku chuckled in turn, shaking his head, "Yeah… Launched that thing into the river on accident…" He let out a weak sigh, "Oops…" A murmur escaped his lips, "Let's just hope I don't mess anything else up…"

Her smile faltered, "What was that?"

"Nothing," he lied with a smile.

His gaze then shifted to the school and this time hers did as well. Shiketsu was a school of dignity and Heroic value. Each student of every course was expected to uphold those values. Compared to Yuuei, they were a very private academy. They didn't widely advertise their Sports Festival or any event. News media was rarely even around the school as contracts prevented invasive tactics. For that reason, Izuku didn't know much about the school other than how prestigious it was. Intimidating to say the least, but no matter the nausea in his stomach, it would be the school he'd spend the next three years of his life.

A quiet, normal life of mundane nothingness.

-\ XXX /-

AN: Howdy-howdy folks, to both old and new. So, we have a lot to break down. First, to address those following from Quirkless Hero: Deku. This is the new project and as said is a hard reset and re-tweak of the initial premise. First, we are attending for Shiketsu High School instead of U.A. for extreme canon divergence. In QHD, I was extremely attached to the canon character arcs and refused to alter them. Hence, the first twenty chapter never really escaped the canon events. Todoroki and Uraraka were magically kept on their path of canonical growth. So, we diverge immediately and give us a new story follow. It may be jarring, but it's to establish this story as something completely different.

Other changes and tweaks to the QHD premise is that the "Iron Man" angle is being dropped. Specifically, stuff like the repulsors and the suit. To have Izuku at the age of fifteen wield the power and might of the Invincible Iron Man is a bit much. Hell, the existence of the Invincible Iron Man in this world is a bit much in of itself. I mean the Iron Man suit budding with the canonical Symbol of Peace Society, Free-Quirk Movement, and Stain Movement just muddles the world really. Now, I'm sure that was an enjoyed angle, but, in hindsight, it just doesn't fit in the realm of MHA.

So, what is the new angle?

I'm not gonna say, because spoilers. I want this story to be a completely new experience. I'm not going to go into detail on what comes next or what is planned. Maybe a hint and a vague poke, but nothing more. Though, on to some non-spoiler info just to prep ya: canonical events and characters are being altered for this story. Like an assortment of U.A. students are now attending Shiketsu, stuff like that. (Trying to minimize the use of OCs here. Not saying they're not gonna exist. Double Negative, on purpose. Maybe Secondary; mostly Tertiary and below.)

Now! Onto the chapter! first notes are always the longest...

This chapter focuses on Izuku, Katsuki, Mt. Lady, and Inko. Izuku's angle focuses on the impact of All-Might's rejection. Now, honestly, All-Might didn't really do anything that bad, but his bluntness was a huge error in this scenario. Izuku had been bullied on and off since he was four by Katsuki. Same person ridiculed him and belittled him in front of his entire class that pretty much joined in. Also, the teacher didn't seem to care, rereading the manga chapter. Then, Katsuki tells him to jump off the roof and die which is laughed and joked about by other classmates. Then! Gets almost bottomed out via Slime/Mud-Man. Finally, saved by his Idol and, then from Mountain High to Valley Low, his dream is as hopeless as everyone acts like it is. All within like an hour or two? Let's be honest that's gonna mess with you if not break you. Canon, in the end, everything worked out, but here? Not really.

Katsuki's angles are in observance to the changes in Izuku's character. As well as Mt. Lady's. Katsuki catches Izuku's spiral into a even more reserved individual to the point of isolation. I do think that Katsuki is the person who would notice these changes the most. While they're definitely not friends, they are extremely well acquainted. We know that these two are extremely observant. Being around each other for practically their 'lifetime' would cause them to register all the tiny nuances of the other. Katsuki really notices the changes in Izuku and they disturb him because to him, Izuku's a different person. (Mt. Lady's angle just shows Midoriya's alteration in tastes. In particular, Izuku no longer chases after Heroes.)

Inko's angle is more just what happened over ten months, and details certain aspects of Shiketsu. Her angle is coupled with Izuku's. The combination puts an overall look into who Izuku is now as well as where he's going. It's also just a showing of their relationship as mother and son.

Okay, I think that's all. Well, new and old, I hope I've hooked your attention enough. Either way, love it or hate it. Thank you for reading and I hope you stick around. And please, criticize away!

Update Date: Oct. 15 (Will be moving soon, so there may be a slight delay.)