Izuku Midoriya was a freak. A loser. A waste of space. A quirkless.
That's what everyone told him, his classmates, his teachers, even his father before he left. As soon as he received his diagnosis of quirklessness at four years old, he instantly became worth less in the eyes of the world. He was sub-human, and no one let him forget it, especially not Katsuki Bakugo.
A few days after Izuku's diagnosis, his school held a career day. A few adults came in and talked about their jobs. There was a doctor, an electrician, and the pro hero, Railroad. The last one got the most excitement, and the most questions.
"What's your quirk?" One kid asked.
"Well, by looking at someone and concentrating, I can force them to run as fast or slow as I want in a straight line." Railroad answered. The class's disappointment was palpable. "Now, I know that sounds boring compared to shooting fire or mind control, but I assure you any quirk can be used to your advantage in hero work. It all depends on how you use it." She went on to tell the children an exciting story of fighting against a villain with a duplication quirk, and how she bested him. The class was fascinated. When Railroad was finished, another kid, this one with fluffy green hair raised his hand.
"How would you beat the villain if you didn't have a quirk?" The hero paused.
"I probably wouldn't have fought him, and definitely not head-on. Quirks... do a lot to affect the outcome of a fight. I think if I didn't have a quirk, I would work as a police officer instead." She responded.
"I told you, Izuku!" Katsuki Bakugo yelled. "Being a quirkless hero is a stupid idea! You're so dumb!"
Izuku's eyes started to water. "Am not! I just want to help!"
"You are too! You can't do anything without a quirk! You're such a deku!"
Izuku couldn't help it. He bawled his eyes out.
Kacchan was his closest friend, or he had been before he got his quirk while Izuku didn't. Kacchan wasn't even reprimanded for the insults, only for interrupting Railroad. That's how life continued for a long time. Bakugo verbally and even physically bullied Izuku while all the teachers turned a blind eye.
Years passed since the first incident. Now, both boys were third years in junior high. It was the second to last period of the day, when the teacher, Mr. Watanabe, called Izuku and Bakugo up to his desk.
"I called you both up here because I understand you both want to go to UA High. Now that school has a very low acceptance rate, so you'll-"
What?! Bakugo interrupted. He whirled on Izuku. "You're really thinking of applying to a hero school, you quirkless wannabe?" He loomed over his shorter classmate. "You'll never get in. I'm the only person in this pathetic school with any chance! I bet they won't even let you apply!"
"Bakugo, calm yourself," Mr. Watanabe said sharply. "You have been insulting and violent multiple times this week already. If you act out any more, you will be punished. UA got rid of the quirkless application rule years ago, anyway." Izuku's eyes started to water. Mr. Watanabe was the first teacher in years who didn't encourage Bakogo's actions, through action nor apathy. Bakugo scoffed, and he froze. He could feel the blond student glaring at him and knew he was in for trouble as soon as school got out.
Sometimes, he wished he was wrong more often.
Author's Note:
Hello! This is my very first fanfiction. I'm pretty excited. Sorry if it's a bit choppy or OOC; I don't have much experience writing. I just really wanted something that talked about the very real possibility of Izuku being a quirkless hero student. After all, until his internship, he didn't use One for All in class much anyway. It was really just in the entry exam that he needed it. We'll see how this goes!