In this world, no one is born equal.

I learned this harsh lesson a long time ago, back when I was four years old, desperately trying to protect someone else from someone bigger and stronger than them and, in turn, me. I had no hope of beating him, life having stacked the deck clearly against me, causing me to leave the playground that day with a swollen jaw and several burn marks littered all over my body. And it was all because of the growing divide between me and the rest of society.

One I could never hope to cross.

It all began, like all good stories do, with a glowing baby being born in China, a never-before-seen phenomenon that kick-started a wave of abnormal occurrences within people throughout the world, one that shifted the fragile balance of power off of its axis. Things that had once been thought of as only possible in comic books and movies became part of mundane, everyday life. Supernatural abilities and body-altering changes spread through the world like wildfire, sweeping the globe like a divine blessing from the heavens, until the unnatural became natural.

This watershed moment was the birth of quirks.

It was the advent of the age of heroes and villains.

"Wow!" Squeezing and pushing his way through the quickly growing crowd of people, his short, skinny body lost amongst a sea of gawking bystanders, young Izuku Midoriya stared in awe at the incredible sight before him, shining emerald eyes wide with wonder and amazement. "That's a huge villain!"

Standing menacingly atop a train overpass, a monstrous figure roared angrily as he swung wildly at the heroes swarming around him, his hulking frame towering over his surroundings, practically dwarfing everybody with his huge body. The heroes buzzing around him seemed almost like action figures in comparison to his unnatural size, his partially animalistic features twisted in an angry snarl of rage.

"Get awaaaaay!" Tearing out a large chunk of the platform's railing, the piles of debris raining onto the street below just barely being caught by the hero Death Arms, the huge villain screamed menacingly at any hero that dared get too close to him, muscular arms as thick as telephone poles swinging wildly at the incessant heroes. Deciding to keep their distance, his irate and unpredictable temperament too big a risk to them and the nearby populace, the heroes did their best to keep him corralled into one spot, hoping to keep his rampage somewhat contained.

"Who's fighting him?!" Yelling with barely restrained excitement, the green-haired boy whipped his head back and forth between the assembled heroes, his inner fanboy rising to the forefront as he watched them work together to keep the assembled citizens safe. Eyes growing wide, an enormous, excited smile broke out on his face when he spotted a new hero entering the fray, his arm flying up to point at the new arrival.

"Ah! It's the young rising hero, Kamui Woods!" A man with a large tree branch growing out of his body swung up onto the abandoned train car atop the overpass, most of his body covered with wooden armor, sharp eyes glaring from behind his helmet, impressively keeping his calm against such a towering opponent.

"You sure know a lot? Are you a hero fanboy, kid?" Perking up, Izuku turned to the man standing next to him, star-like shapes growing out of the side of his head, commenting on the boy's enthusiastic play-by-play with a good-natured laugh. Izuku nervously tried to deny what he had said, fingers twiddling bashfully as he fell awkwardly over his words, but his excitement quickly gave him away as he watched Kamui Woods prepare his Ultimate Move, his emerald eyes lighting up once more.

"Here it comes!" Izuku pointed excitedly at the wood-covered hero, a large assortment of branches growing and extending from his body before launching them toward the villain, preparing to wrap up and subdue him with his ultimate finishing move. "It's his 'Preemptive Binding'…!"

"...Lacquered Chain Prison!" Kamui's cry drowned out Izuku's next words as the branches flew toward the villain, the hero's victory all but ensured as the towering monster lunged haphazardly toward the smaller man, the assembled crowd watching in rapturous awe as the clash of hero and villain reached what seemed to be its explosive finale!

"Canyon Cannon!" A booming yell tore through the crowd, drowning out everyone else with its volume as a gigantic woman came flying in from seemingly nowhere, easily clearing the train overpass with her leaping kick. Her immense foot connected flush with the villain's cheek, a huge spurt of blood flying from his mouth as he soared through the air before violently crashing to the pavement below, his hulking frame lying completely unconscious from just a single one of the supersized female hero's kicks.

Landing on the ground shortly after him with a deep boom, the ground rumbling slightly from her immense body impacting with the pavement, the mysterious hero casually sauntered up to the passed-out villain, the gigantic woman easily out-sizing the already huge villain by several feet. With flowing blonde hair, topped off with fancy curls at the ends that billowed over her shoulders, and shimmering purple eyes, her beauty was apparent to anyone who saw her, though that was clearly not what most people were focused on.

If Izuku had to guess, going off of her surroundings, she had to easily be over 60 feet tall if she made this guy look small in comparison, the top of her body easily visible above the train overpass as she dwarfed all the nearby buildings. Donned in a purple and beige jumpsuit with orange highlights, a set of horns trailing off from her mask sticking out proudly from atop her head, this mystery hero really made an impressive sight, her staggering height notwithstanding.

Izuku looked about in surprise as a huge crowd of photographers suddenly popped up around him, all of them male, the clicks from their cameras ringing like gunfire in his ears. Excited murmurs passed their lips as their fingers continued to snap pictures of the looming heroine, everyone rejoicing at her appearance. Where did they suddenly come from? How did she already have such a big fan club? Who even was she?

"Today's my debut!" The mystery hero boasted proudly, her words tinged with a sultry edge that caused Izuku's mouth to go dry as she provocatively bent over at the waist, her curvy rear purposefully stuck out for everyone to gawk at, pinching the villain's pant leg between two fingers, easily lifting his body off of the ground with her immense strength. Even at his size, this woman managed to manhandle him as if he were nothing but a light pillow.

"You can call me Mt. Lady! A pleasure to make your ass-quaintance!" Sticking her butt out for extra emphasis of her cheeky pun, sending the assembled populace a flirty wink, the crowd roared in appreciation of her amazing heroics, a larger subset greatly appreciating her curves and sultry demeanor over anything else.

While a little flustered by her overly flirtatious nature, especially with her large body easily visible for everyone to see, Izuku quickly pulled out his Hero Notebook, frantically jotting as many notes down about this new hero as he could. His pencil flew across the pages with lightning speed, a series of mumbled possibilities of quirk applications and downsides flowing from his mouth like a river, his fascination with quirks becoming apparent for everyone to see.

"Taking notes? I guess you want to be a hero yourself. Good luck kid!" The man with star shapes on his head commented as he gave Izuku a thumbs up, Izuku looking up from his notebook in surprise before breaking out in a huge grin, his eyes sparkling with immense joy.

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

Unfortunately, as much as Izuku would like it, becoming a hero would not be an easy road for him.

"You are all third years now, it's about time you thought seriously about your future." Izuku kept his head down, dutifully jotting down remaining notes about Mt. Lady as his teacher spoke loudly at the front of the class, a stack of papers held firmly in his hand. "I would hand out these Future Career Forms, but…"

"I assume you ALL want to become heroes!" Throwing the papers away with a big flourish, the teacher's words were quickly followed by loud cheers from his students, each one flaunting their quirks as Izuku kept his head lowered, trying to not draw too much attention to himself as he absentmindedly doodled a cartoon-ish depiction of Mt. Lady.

"Yes you all have wonderful quirks, but you shouldn't use them in school." The rowdy class clearly didn't heed the teacher's half-hearted admonishments as they continued to yell and show off their distinct quirks.

"Sensei! Don't lump me in with these losers!" A boisterous cry from the back of the class, voice gruff and sardonic, cut through the noisy chatter of the students, everyone's gaze turning to a spikey-headed blonde, his legs placed lazily on his desk as he reclined his chair onto its back legs. "As if I had anything like their crappy quirks."

"Get over yourself Katsuki!" The class roared, Katsuki merely laughing condescendingly at his classmate's ire, the boy clearly feeling immensely superior as he put them down as nothing but extras in a word he believed simply revolved around him. Izuku couldn't help but admit that his confidence was not exactly unwarranted, though he was treading way past cocky territory at this point, Katsuki really having a truly marvelous quirk.

"You're planning to go to U.A. right Bakugo?" The teacher's question was answered by Katsuki jumping onto his desk, small explosions emanating from his palms as he proudly declared that he had aced the mock exam and was going to be a greater hero than even All Might himself.

"Oh, you are going for U.A. too, right Midoriya?" Izuku felt his whole body twitch at his teacher's question, the rest of the class turning to glare at him, before bursting out in a bout of uncontrollable laughter as if the idea of him going there was the most outrageous thing they ever heard. And, in a way, it was.

Covering his head, Izuku tried to drown out their taunts and jeers, their voices echoing loudly in his head, mixing in with all the others he had heard over the years until it became a cacophony of abuse. This wasn't a one-time occurrence for the poor boy and, unfortunately, it surely wouldn't be the last.

"Come on, Deku!" A loud explosion at his desk sent Izuku flying backward off of his chair, Izuku staring up with fearful eyes at the rage-filled face of the spiky-haired blonde, Katsuki threateningly hovering over him, hands poised to use his quirk at the slightest provocation.

"Forget their crappy quirks! You're quirkless! You think you're at the same level as me!?"

And that, that one simple word, was the root of Izuku's problems. It was what made his classmates laugh at him, and treat him as a lesser person, an outcast amongst the greater population. A word, that so clearly proved, that his dream was impossible.

He was quirkless.

As Izuku frantically tried to calm Katsuki down, fearfully backing away from the explosive blonde as he cowered on the floor, he couldn't help but remember the day everything went wrong. Ever since he was a kid, Izuku has wanted to be a hero. Every waking moment was spent dreaming, planning, imagining a future as a hero, his room decorated wall to wall, even to this day, with merchandise of the greatest hero in the world. His idol, his inspiration, All Might.

He recalled begging his mother constantly, almost incessantly, All Might figure clutched firmly in his tiny fist, to watch the same online video over and over again. It was now legendary footage of All Might's debut where he singlehandedly saved hundreds of people in the aftermath of a great disaster, taking only ten minutes to rescue over 100 civilians from the wreckage, the man filming the incident yelling in stunned disbelief at the incredible feat he was watching unfold before him.

What had inspired Izuku the most, which sparked the heroic light in his heart, was the fact that despite everything, the impossible odds, and the horrific destruction, through the incredible hardship and despair, All Might kept smiling. In the face of such insurmountable odds, his forehead bleeding as he carried six people on his back, All Might continued to give people hope. All with a simple smile.

Izuku wanted to do that, to be that, to be someone who could rescue others, to let them know everything was going to be okay. That he was there to save them. That a hero had arrived.

But life had other plans for him.

By current estimates, 80% of the world's population has a quirk of some sort, ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary, it was becoming more and more common to see someone with some sort of power rather than not. The chance of being born without a quirk of any kind, without any power, was becoming a statistical impossibility. And Izuku was one of those unlucky few.

With cold frankness, the doctor informed his mother that Izuku would remain quirkless, that he would never have what seemingly everyone else in the world had. Something he wished for more than anything. Izuku could feel his dream slowly crumble before his eyes. A quirkless hero had never existed before, what chance did he have to be the first. Even his mother, as much as Izuku loves her, gave up on him, apologizing to him, pitying him, when all he wanted was to know that it was possible. That someone believed in him, in his dream.

Over the years, his dream would steadily begin to erode away, like stone beneath a fierce wind, but he held strong against its unending onslaught. If no one believed in him, he had to make it happen on his own, he had to try. It was for this reason that he continued to strive, to fight to join U.A., to go to the same school that his idol All Might had gone to. Quirklessness be damned.

But, sitting there, cowering on the floor as Katsuki, his former best friend, berated him, shouted at him, made him feel as worthless as possible, it took another chip out of the already crumbling remains of his dream.

What could someone like him possibly do?

Trudging through the sprawling back streets of Musutafu, head hung low, Izuku made his way home with a heavy heart. Fitting his mood, the roads were completely devoid of people, this part of the city being further out than where most people would gather. This suited the green-haired boy perfectly fine as he listlessly adjusted the heaving yellow backpack slung over his shoulder, its weight just one of many burdens resting heavily upon his back, Izuku not really in the mood to deal with anyone right now.

"Hah, gotcha!" A startled yelp tore through Izuku's throat as a giant foot came crashing down in front of him, the resulting tremor knocking him off of his feet, his eyes bulging out as he stared in disbelief and horror at the impossibly huge appendage before him. Green eyes wide with fear, through the haze of terror and the frantic beating of his heart clouding his senses, Izuku felt as if he had seen this purple-clad foot before, as strange as that may sound, just from a much safer distance.

And was that a person stuck underneath it!?

"Damn, I catch a villain and no one is there to see it." Craning his head upward, blushing slightly as looked past a staggeringly large set of breasts, Izuku stared into the billboard-sized visage of the towering heroine Mt. Lady, a small grimace marring her beautiful features as she scanned the empty streets with a sharp glare, her hand resting on her hip giving her an air of perturbed disappointment.

"M-M-Mt. Lady!" Looking down at the strange, high-pitched squeak coming from below, Mt. Lady blinked owlishly in surprise when she spotted a broccoli-headed student staring up at her in fear, his prone body mere inches from her foot, one that was currently situated squarely on a flattened villain.

"Oh shit, sorry kid! Didn't see you there." Removing her foot from atop the fleeing villain, the man lying unconscious in a small crater created by her violent stomp, Mt. Lady carefully placed it further away from the boy's diminutive form, a soft thump rumbling through the pavement as her sole made contact with the ground. Hoping to avoid any unnecessary accidents, Mt. Lady quickly deactivated her quirk, the once towering hero rapidly shrinking down to her regular size, the landscape slowly turning from a miniature wonderland back to its looming splendor.

All Izuku could do was watch in awe as this larger-than-life woman, quite literally in this case, dwindled down in size until she was roughly the same height as he was, if not an inch shorter. Holding out her hand with a gentle smile, Mt. Lady helped the green-haired boy back to his feet, Izuku noting just how strong she seemed even at her regular height.

"Glad I missed you. Wouldn't have wanted to deal with THAT kind of paperwork." Mt. Lady giggled playfully, a slight hint of nervousness behind her words as her eyes darted across his body, trying to find any signs of damage on him. Sighing heavily in relief, Mt. Lady clenched her fist triumphantly as she found no injuries, the blonde heroine thanking her lucky stars that her paycheck would remain unharmed for another day.

No cup noodles for her tonight.

Izuku could only stare at her in stunned silence, captivated by her beautiful smile and gorgeous purple eyes, her sparkling blonde hair swaying majestically in the breeze. Her beauty was not what had left him spellbound though, stunning as she was, it was the fact that he was standing before an honest-to-goodness, real Pro-Hero.

Mt. Lady's smile slowly fell as the boy kept staring at her, her quiet elation slowly morphing into annoyance as the vein on her forehead began to pulse larger the longer the green-haired poof ball remained silent, frustration boiling up as she feared that she would be dealing with another perverted fanboy. Despite using her looks to gather popularity, knowing that she was what many would consider a beautiful woman, a part of her resented how the only fans she seemed to attract were lustful men and horny teenagers.

She knew she couldn't really complain, Mt. Lady having brought all this upon herself with her unabashed flaunting of her body and flirtatious teasing, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a person worthy of respect! It annoyed her that this was the only way she could pay off those damn bills! That she had to demean herself in public, to grab attention in the lowest ways possible by catering to paparazzi and local perverts for any extra cash. All because her quirk was risky in an urban setting!

It's not her fault the buildings were so damn fragile! Why couldn't they just build them sturdier?! And while she was at it, could they widen the damn roads a little?! Trying to squeeze between the buildings was getting annoying!

"Oh my god! You were amazing this morning!" Jumping in fright at the quiet boy's sudden outburst, her ears ringing from his boisterous cry, Mt. Lady could only stare in shocked disbelief as he rattled off a seemingly endless string of words.

"The way you dealt with that villain with a single kick was outstanding! Your form was practically flawless! Plus your quirk is so cool! It might seem common but it really is quite versatile, especially with so many strength and size-enhancing villains cropping up recently. Can you only grow to a specific height or can you vary it? Can you get smaller too? It's impressive how you managed to take out the villain without damaging your surroundings! Is that a common problem? Narrower streets must be a problem, so you probably have some kind of training in combat if you ever need to be your normal size. You seemed very strong when you helped me up before, I'm sure that carries over to when you are gigantic too. Do you-"

Blinking in surprise, clearly having not expected such a boisterous outburst, especially after his long bout of silence, words flying out of him in a never-ending stream that Mt. Lady started wondering if he even needed to breathe. She didn't think he took a single pause during his whole speech. And he was still going!

What really got her though, from the parts she managed to glean from his rambling, was that he had not made a single comment about her looks, only talking about her quirk and accomplishments as a hero, a fact that almost brought a tear to her eye. Finally, some real recognition. No mention of how beautiful she was, how stunning her body was, how he wanted to be stepped on by her her giant feet. Only appreciation and admiration for her heroics and her quirk.

Speaking of which, many of his observations have been spot on too, the boy clearly being very smart, if not a little strange. He even noticed the space problem she was complaining about mere moments ago. Mt. Lady couldn't help but smile as she grabbed the boy by his shoulders, a small bout of giggles rolling out of her chest at the startled look on his face, playfully placing her finger on his lips, a light pink dusting his cheeks from the action.

"Calm down there, kid. Can't overwhelm someone like that from the get-go, kay?~" Giving him a teasing wink, Mt. Lady removed her finger from his lips, the boy covering his mouth right away with a loud slap, the blush still burning brightly on his cheeks. A series of muffled apologies rang out from behind his fingers, his gaze never wavering from her eyes, a sparkle of admiration lighting up his emerald orbs, not a hint of lust to be seen. Just the pure adoration of a young boy meeting a hero.

She was starting to like this boy.

"So to answer your many, many, maaaaany questions: I can only grow to one size, from my normal height to about 67 feet, nothing in between. And don't ask about my regular height, I'm a lady after all, that would be rude. No, I can't get smaller, it's purely gigantification. Yes, damage is a problem and no don't ask me the numbers. Narrow streets suck, so yes, I had to have some training, but I tend to stick to larger areas."

Finishing up her explanations, Mt. Lady gave the boy a bright smile, enjoying the look of reference and awe on his face as he hung to every word she said. He seemed to have a huge love of heroes and quirks with a childish exuberance that was honestly refreshing to the size-changing hero. It reminded her of herself when she was younger, dreaming of making it big and becoming a hero. Seeing his happy smile, sparkles practically flying from his eyes, Mt. Lady for the first time felt like a true hero.

"And thank you for the compliments. Bet you are a real charmer with girls." Winking at him flirtatiously, Mt. Lady couldn't help but have a little fun with the boy, his little blushes at her simple teasing being kind of cute.

"Um.." Wringing his hands nervously, Izuku wondered if what he wanted to ask her next would be appropriate, the blonde hero having already been kind enough to answer his questions that he felt like he would be asking too much from her. But the kind look in her purple eyes and the encouraging smile on her lips gave Izuku enough courage to try.

It was a one-time opportunity after all.

"I-if it's not too much to ask…I-I mean if you are ok with it…" Reaching into his bag, Izuku nervously procured his hero notebook and a pen before holding it out to the surprised hero, his hands trembling heavily as he stiffly bowed his head. "Can I get your autograph!?"

Blinking in surprise, caught a little off guard, Mt. Lady hesitantly took the notebook from the young greenette's trembling fingers, his head remaining lowered at an uncomfortable angle as she curiously roamed her eyes over the page. Mt. Lady's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at a rather cutesy depiction of herself on the page, the margins filled with various notes and scribbles of the boy's thoughts and theories about her and her quirk, most of them incredibly close if not perfectly on the nose.

To say she was impressed would have been an understatement. This kid was a freaking genius! Shaking off her momentary stupor, filing away some of his ideas on how to use her quirk for future use, Mt. Lady deftly scribbled her autograph below the cartoony drawing of herself, adding a little heart next to it as a special little gift for her new fan.

Probably her favorite fan at this point.

"Here ya go short stuff." Plopping the notebook back into his eager hands, a radiant smile curled on her lips, Izuku's cheeks flushed a rosy pink from the stunning sight, his eyes looking down at the autograph as his mouth hung open in awe. An autograph. An honest to god autograph from a true hero. He finally got one!

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Lowering his head in a deep bow, notebook clenched tightly to his chest, Izuku let out rapid-fire cries of thanks, his body emitting a strange creaking sound as he repeatedly prostrated himself before the hero. He would treasure this autograph forever. This moment will be spoken of for generations. He will always be a fan of Mt. Lady!

"Ehehe. It's nothing kid." Mt. Lady waved off the young boy's gratitude with a barely restrained smile, his excitement, while slightly concerning, still managed to fill her with a strange sense of joy. And it managed to feed her already hungry ego even more. Could she maybe hire him as her own personal motivator?

"Maybe next time you might even get a picture.~" Leaning in a little closer, the blush on Izuku's face darkening as he caught a whiff of her flowery perfume, Mt. Lady shot the boy a teasing wink as she practically whispered into his ear, her breath ghosting gently across his freckled cheeks.

Before Mt. Lady had a chance to tease the poor boy even further, the greenette able to entertain her better than any movie ever could, the pro hero was distracted by the klaxon screech of sirens in the distance, the golden-haired woman's head perking up as her purple gaze snapped toward where the sound was coming from. Without a sound, Mt. Lady quickly shifted into her giant form, her body looming larger and larger before reaching her monolithic size, a true living titan.

Izuku could only watch the pro hero's transformation into her gigantic form in silent awe, the hero fanatic amazed at seeing the once diminutive woman enlarge into a living building, until he was barely as tall as her ankles. It was both awe-inspiring and slightly disconcerting to see someone he was speaking eye to eye with just seconds ago become something more, something special. With her immense size, looming over the surrounding buildings, a determined expression set on her gorgeous features, Izuku truly understood for the first time just what made a pro hero.

And it was incredible.

"Well, as much as I enjoyed our chat, work kind of takes precedence." Smiling down at the green-haired boy, giggling softly at the awestruck look on his face, Mt. Lady shot him one last wink as a parting gift. "I hope to see you again sometime, short stuff."

Shooting him a quick salute, Mt. Lady lumbered off with surprising speed belying her immense frame, her earth-shaking footsteps slowly fading into the distance. Izuku watched her leave with admiration shining brightly in his emerald eyes, the green-haired hero fanatic watching the gigantic hero disappear amongst the towering buildings, a bright smile curling on his lips, one, unbeknownst to him, Mt. Lady shared.

Rushing toward the sound of sirens, each of her lumbering footsteps sending a deep rumble through the ground, Mt. Lady had a soft smile of her own currently spreading on her cheeks, her spirits at an all-time high after her surprise run-in with the green-haired boy. He may have been a little strange, with his awkward mannerisms and nervous stuttering, never mind that weird muttering thing he did, but he genuinely made her day.

'I hope I get to see him again someday.'

Holding the edges of his hero notebook tight, the paper crinkling under his shaking grip, Izuku smiled with indescribable joy as stared at his newly obtained autograph, the green-haired boy trying to keep the tears falling from his eyes from splashing upon the page. He had done it, he finally got an autograph from a Pro Hero! And one as amazing as Mt. Lady as well!

While admittedly he hadn't heard of her until this morning, having only heard the rumblings in the online community of a new and 'hot' up-and-coming hero, Mt. Lady had made a new fan out of him today. With her impressive performance this morning when taking out the giant villain, to taking the time to talk to a quirkless nobody like him, and even giving him an autograph, Mt. Lady had quickly shot up the list of his favorite heroes.

Plus, he finally managed to talk to a girl!(even if it was by making a fool of himself)

He really hoped he got to see her again someday.

Invigorated by his run-in with Mt. Lady, his heroic heart beating louder than ever, Izuku spent most of the next school day scribbling pages upon pages of notes about the titanic Pro-Hero. Each page was filled to the brim with graphs, doodles, and musings on her and her quirk, the green-haired boy's imagination running wild with all the possibilities and applications of her abilities, his eyes sparkling with a light unseen since first seeing that legendary footage of All Might.

He hadn't felt so motivated in a long time!

"Oi, Deku!" And, like a bucket of cold water being dumped down your back, Izuku felt his world come crashing down to reality as he stared into the familiar red-eyed glare of his former childhood friend. "Why don't we have a little talk, huh?"

Before he knew what happened, Izuku felt his back get smashed roughly against the classroom wall, the green-haired boy letting out a cry of pain as he made contact with the unforgiving surface, his eyes growing wide when he noticed his hero notebook being held by the explosive blonde. Izuku could only watch on in quiet dismay as his former friend casually blew up his book with his quirk, a loud explosion ringing in his ears as smoke billowed off of the charred remains of his precious notebook, the green-haired boy feebly reaching out toward it as Katsuki casually threw it out of the window.

"You think you're being cute by saying you'll go to U.A.?! Don't embarrass me by even trying!" Paying no heed to the precious belonging he had just destroyed, Katsuki menacingly stalked up to the cowering greenette, a sharp rage burning in his crimson gaze as he placed a still-smoldering hand upon Izuku's shoulder.

"I-I mean…j-just because a quirkless person hasn't been accepted before doesn't mean-" Izuku's feeble defense was quickly silenced by another explosion ringing through the classroom, the familiar stab of pain emanating from the green-haired boy's shoulder, a plume of smoke and the smell of burnt clothing painfully stinging his nose.

"SHUT UP!"

Giving the boy another violent shove, Izuku shouting in pain as his head bounced off the wall, Katsuki snarled viciously at the boy who dared think he was even at his level. A quirkless loser like him going to a prestigious school such as U.A., an institution built to harness and nurture the greatest heroes, a place for only the most elite and promising students A place meant solely for him.

There was no way he was going to let some quirkless nobody sully its good name and in turn his own.

"Give up this stupid idea of going to U.A., got it!?" Sneering derisively at the cowering greenette, giving him a condescending pat on the shoulder, Katsuki turned to leave the classroom with his lackeys, shooting the quirkless boy one last glare before walking off with a boisterous laugh.

"Why don't you jump off the roof? If you're lucky, you might have a quirk in your next life. Try it and find out, why don't ya?"

Gritting his teeth with rage, Izuku snapped his head toward the exiting blonde, a wild fury shining in his eyes as he prepared to finally stand up to him, to declare his intention to join U.A. no matter what loud and clear. But, with a simple explosive burst from his palm and a threatening glare, Katsuki managed to silence the quirkless boy, his head hanging low as he meekly stared at his shoes, the gentle thump of footsteps fading into the distance, not a soul paying heed to the young boy's suffering.

In this world, dreams remain just that.

'Is this how it's always going to be? Will things ever change?'

Trudging home with a heavy heart, something that was becoming more and more common with every passing day, his head thick with doubt, Izuku wondered if it was really all worth it as he dusted off his charred notebook. At every turn, from classmates to strangers, from doctors to news reports, the world kept telling him that there was no place for him. A quirkless boy with a dream of being a hero was as useless as a kernel of sand within an endless desert. No one thought it was possible, his mother silently crying over his lost dream instead of encouraging him, his teachers ignoring him as if he was nothing, and his classmates mocking and berating him for ever thinking it could come true.

Should he just give up?

"No!" Pausing before the overpass tunnel, his voice echoing briefly down the short tunnel, fist clenched tightly, Izuku vowed to keep fighting, to prove everyone wrong. If no one else believed in him, then he would do this on his own, society be damned. From this day forward, no matter what may come, Izuku will strive to be the greatest hero!

"A fresh body to hide in."

Izuku's entire body froze up as a wet, gurgling whisper drifted past his ear, a deep, ominous fear settling heavily in the young boy's stomach as a slithering, amorphous tendril snaked across his chest. Snapping his head backward, emerald eyes grew wide with fear as he came face to face with a mass of undulating slime, a misshapen pair of eyes and teeth looking down at him with bizarre hunger.

It was a villain. And Izuku was all alone.

Before Izuku had a chance to cry out for help, the green-haired boy felt the heavy weight of the villain's slimy body bear down on him, its pulsating wetness enveloping him as something thick and viscous began invading his mouth and nose. Clawing desperately against the villain's amorphous body, his fingers merely slipping off as he tried to find purchase against his slippery tendrils, Izuku could faintly hear his taunting voice as he let him know just how hopeless his situation was.

Reaching out a hand between the fleshy mass ensnaring him, Izuku silently, desperately cried out for help, his eyes falling upon the charred remains of his hero notebook, its pages spread open to Mt. Lady's entry. Struggling against his restraints, wanting, needing to reach his notebook, to the hero emblazoned upon its pages, Izuku cried out with all his might, though his words were suffocated by the undulating mass invading his body, his vision slowly growing dark as he felt his consciousness slip away.

'Please! All Might! Mt. Lady! Please save me! I-I don't want to die like this! I need to see her again! I still…I still need to become…a hero…'

"TEXAS! SMASH!

A loud, boisterous cry, one so achingly familiar, reached Izuku's ears before a powerful gust of wind blew into him like a shockwave, the green-haired boy faintly aware of the weight of the villain surrounding him dissipating before his consciousness faded and he passed out.

"There we go! This should hold you until I get you into custody." Screwing on the cap of the bottle, making sure it was on extra tight, All Might grinned proudly as he stared at the murky slime, which had moments ago been the villain, swirl around inside. Sticking the bottle into his pocket, patting it a couple of times to make sure it was secure, the Number 1 Hero went to check on the poor lad who had been caught up in this mess.

Walking up to the unconscious boy, All Might sighed with relief as he found no signs of damage on the kid, the Symbol of Peace glad he managed to make it on time. A soft fluttering sound coming from his side caused the Pro-Hero's ears to perk up, All Might quirking his eyebrow curiously as he spotted a strangely burnt notebook lying on the ground, the number 13 written on its cover. Picking up the strange notebook, All Might curiously flipped through its burnt pages, some of the words and drawings ruined beyond recognition from whatever had happened to it, but one page caught the Number 1 Hero's eye.

It was a drawing, a crude, if not charming depiction of the new, up-and-coming Pro-Hero Mt. Lady covering the page, several notes dotted across the margins detailing various ideas and musings on her and her quirk. While very impressive, the kid clearly a fanatic for this kind of stuff, the thing that had caught his eye was the signature written just below the drawing of the titanic hero, Mt. Lady written out in clear, flowing letters.

'So, this boy has managed to snatch an autograph from her. Impressive.'

Grinning brightly, glad to see that even someone so money and fame-focused as Mt. Lady could do something nice for her fans, All Might quickly flipped to an empty set of pages before emblazoning his own signature upon its blank pages, before placing it back where he found it. Ever the showman, All Might wanted it to be a surprise for the young lad.

A rough, though clearly meant to be gentle, tapping upon his cheek roused Izuku from his impromptu nap, the young boy drowsily looking around himself as the world slowly came back into focus. After managing to regain his bearings, the blurry silhouette hovering over him slowly morphed into the familiar shape of the Number 1 Pro-Hero, the Symbol of Peace, and Izuku's idol.

"A…All Mig-"

"THANK GOODNESS." Izuku's soft voice was immediately overwhelmed by the booming cry of the Number 1 Hero, the green-haired boy jumping both in fright and shock as his eyes widened in disbelief, the hero fanatic letting out a loud scream as he popped up into an upright position.

'It can't be. All Might! All Might is here! All Might saved me! All Might saved ME!'

Caught up in his own thoughts, his inner fanboy loudly screaming in his head, Izuku barely managed to register All Might's dramatic apology and heroic tale, the young hero fanatic too caught up in this magical moment to fully grasp his words. Perking up suddenly, Izuku quickly snapped his head back and forth, desperately searching for his notebook.

"A-An autograph…where's my notebook!?" Whipping his head back and forth, poofy green hair bouncing wildly, Izuku grabbed his notebook with wild, frantic hands, the young boy almost tearing the book in half as he frantically searched for a free page.

"He already signed it!" Izuku screeched with an odd mixture of disbelief, joy, and admiration as he found the Number 1 Hero's autograph already scribbled into his notebook, the signature spread out across two pages. Grasping the book tightly to his chest, Izuku rapidly bowed in thanks to his idol as he thanked him over and over again, pledging to keep it as a family heirloom.

"Now I must bring this fellow to the local authorities!" Shooting the boy a quick thumbs up, All Might slowly turned his back on the young fanboy, his head lifted majestically to the sky. "Make sure to catch me again on TV!"

'Wait..no…that can't be it…I still need to ask you something…'

"Thank you for your support!" With a rousing cry, All Might shot off like a rocket with a mighty leap, his body flying through the sky with incredible speed, the city streets spread out before him like a soaring eagle. Gliding majestically through the air, the wind wafting through his golden antenna-like hair, All Might noted a strange weight latched onto his leg.

"OI!" The young boy, the one he had saved from the slime villain's clutches, was currently ensnaring his leg in a vice-like grip, his face twisted and contorted horrifically by the turbulent winds."Release me! Such enthusiasm is too much!"

"If I let go I'll die!" Stopping his furious shaking, the Number 1 Hero trying to dislodge the overzealous fan, All Might had to concede that the boy had a point.

"I…have so many things…I need to ask you…!" Izuku cried desperately, his words distorted and near unintelligible as the wind caused his gums to flap about uncontrollably, the boy using whatever strength he could muster to not fall to his death.

"Okay, okay! Just do me a favor and close your eyes and mouth." Relenting to the boy's desperate pleas, if nothing more than to avoid looking into his currently deformed features, All Might turned his head to find a place for them to land and for him to get away from this fanboy. Coughing softly into his fist, a trickle of blood seeping out from between his clenched teeth, his smile never fading, All Might knew his time was almost up.

'Shit.'

"S-scary…" Kneeling on all fours, glad to be on solid ground(well, rooftop) once more, Izuku took several long, wheezing breaths after his harrowing ordeal, his arms screaming in pain after being pushed way past their limits. A Pro Hero really was on another level.

"Hopefully the people downstairs will help you get down." Hands placed on his hips, his back turned to the out-of-breath lad, All Might growled angrily at his unscheduled interruption. "I must go though! Truly!"

"Wait!" Snapping to attention, remembering why he was here to begin with, Izuku quickly jumped to his feet, desperate to keep All Might from leaving. He just needed to ask him a question. Just one. That's all he needed!

"No! I will not wait!" All Might yelled angrily, his voice tinged with a hint of impatience, the Number 1 Hero gripping the railing tightly as he stared off across the Musutafu skyline. There was no time. He needed to go, now!

"Even without a quirk, can I still be a hero?" Stopping in his tracks at the boy's question, his voice meek yet hopeful, All Might peered at him from over his shoulder, the young lad clenching his eyes closed tight, as if afraid of what the answer might be. "Can someone without a quirk become a hero?"

Staring at him from behind shadowed eyes, seeing the hopeful desperation, the need for All Might to soothe his fears, to give him that hope he so sorely needed. It was something All Might could not give him.

Before he had a chance to respond, to try and let this boy down as easily as possible, All Might felt a jolt of pain shoot through his chest, his words dying in his throat as wisps of steam began enveloping his body. 'Oh no…shit. Not now.'

"Because I don't have a quirk, I…well, maybe that's not the only reason. But I've always been picked on…"

Unaware of the Pro Hero's current crisis, the mist surrounding All Might's body growing larger until it covered him completely, Izuku continued to bear his soul, his head lowered as he nervously clenched his hands together.

"That's why…maybe that's why…I think that saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with a fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like y-"

Lifting his head, a joyous, hopeful smile plastered on his face, Izuku's heartfelt speech came to a sudden stop, his eyes practically bugging out of their sockets as the mist slowly dissipated, All Might's hulking, heroic form replaced with a scrawny, emaciated man. One that bore a striking resemblance to the Number 1 Hero.

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Izuku's scream of disbelief nearly deafened himself, the sight of the once proud hero, the very Symbol of Peace, the one who struck fear into the hearts of villains across the world, seeing him shriveled up into what could only be described as a sickly doppelganger nearly caused the young boy to lose consciousness for a second time that day.

"W-what happened to All Might? Are you an impostor!? You're so thin!" Pointing a shaking finger at what could only be called Small Might, his brain unable to handle this sudden revelation, Izuku was practically in hysterics as he continued to scream and shout in bewilderment.

" I am All Might." The man claiming to be All Might stated with grave seriousness, his declaration punctuated with a veritable fountain of blood pouring out of his mouth, the disturbing sight caused Izuku to let out another frightful scream.

"Five years ago…an enemy did this to me." Plopping down into a seated position, his posture weak and tired, All Might lifted his shirt, Izuku yelping in surprise at the horrible scarring covering the entire left side of his torso. "My respiratory system was nearly destroyed and my stomach was removed. Because of that, I can only do my hero work for about three hours a day now."

Shaking his head in disbelief, unable to believe what he was hearing, Izuku could feel his body start to shake as he listened to All Might's incredible story. All Might, the greatest and strongest hero of them all, was reduced to such a weak and almost pitiful state, his injury so grave he couldn't even retain his muscular form for more than three hours. If this got out, if anyone knew, the world would surely be thrown into chaos.

"This was never made public. That is, I asked that it not be made public. A Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel."

A jolt of fear shot down the young boy's spine at All Might's revelation, his body growing rigid as his eyes grew wide, mouth hanging open in shock. All Might…was afraid? His smile, the one that filled everyone with so much hope, that told everyone that things were going to be okay, was simply a mask to hide his own fears.

"A Pro Hero should always be ready to risk his life. Can someone become a hero without a quirk?"

Dread filled Izuku's heart, the green-haired boy lifting his head to stare into the electric blue gaze of the Number 1 Hero, All Might regarding him with grave seriousness.

'Please…please don't. Don't say it! Please!'

"No, I should think not."

A/N: In this world, no one is born equal.

I'm back with another My Hero Academia story though with a rather unorthodox pairing! Still blonde though…interesting. As a fair warning, this one might take a bit to get going since I am still currently working on other stories. I just had a real itch to get this one started and I'm kind of hoping it will help shake off some of that rust after my long hiatus so I can get back to writing more consistently. So while chapters may be sparse at first(or show up unexpectedly who knows) this story will continue.

(And yes, I know a lot of the dialogue is directly taken from source material, but that will become less frequent as the story starts its own trajectory)

Until then, have a nice day!