People are not born equal. That was the hard truth I learned at the age of four. But that was my first and last setback.
It all began in Keikei city in China, with news that the luminescent baby was born. After that, people with exceptional abilities began to pop up all over the world. The cause of such a phenomenon was unclear, but as time passed, the exceptional became normal. For many, fantasy became reality, and as the world is now, roughly eighty percent of people possess some special ability.
Unfortunately, I'm one of the twenty percent of people who wasn't lucky enough to be born with a special ability or "quirks," as they came to be called.
Fortunately, as I'd come to learn, I had talents I could grow to make make my way in this world.
For me, the only thing I'd ever wanted was to be a hero. But without a quirk, striving from such a dream was seen as stupid. As something I couldn't do. Maybe they were right, but I still think someone could be a hero with enough training and gear. But I'm getting off track.
What pushed me towards something else was meeting my idol. The man who made the world safer and inspired me to be a hero to begin with, All Might.
I'd just spent time being ridiculed for wanting to be a hero, told to jump off the roof so I could be reborn with a quirk, and had my hero analysis journal thrown into a koi pond. I was in my head, not paying attention, when he attacked.
A villain made of some kind of liquid, green in color, with yellow eyes and teeth that were much bigger than a normal person would have.
He jumped me, covering my mouth before I could scream, and I thought that this was my final stand. That I'd die without ever doing anything worthwhile. Who'd be there for my mom if I died, though?
Struggling as hard as I could, my lungs burned, my body shook in fear, and I gave up, closing my eyes and praying I passed out soon. At least I wouldn't feel much pain that way.
"TEXAS!" I heard, my eyes opening as I hoped someone had come for me, that I'd be saved, before my mind went black.
"Smash!" And I lost consciousness, waking up getting slapped lightly by a giant muscular blonde man.
"Woah, All Might?" I'd asked him, sitting up and looking in awe to the one person whose opinion mattered to me.
"Hey, uh, thank goodness! You're okay! Excellent!" He cheered, standing upright and looking like what a Greek God must have.
"Apologies for getting you caught up in my villain hunt!Mistakes like that aren't my style, but... this is a strange land to me, and besides, I'm off camera!" He joked while my mind raced a million miles an hour.
"But my success here is all thanks to you! I've contained the villain!" He held out a cola bottle with the villain inside. Something so small had almost killed me. I felt weaker than I ever had before in that moment.
"Oh! A-An autograph! Where's my notebook!?" I yelled, freaking out as I pulled it out, flipping to the first empty page, seeing it filled in white his name and a doodle of his features.
"Wow! Thank you so much! What a treasure! It'll be my family heirloom!" I thank him, looking at it while a voice in my head gave me a push.
"All Might! Before you go, even without a quirk, can I be a hero!?" I called out, watching him tense up. "Can someone without a quirk become a hero like you!?" I called to him, blushing hard, my face hot.
"Quirks are..." He started, looking back as I interrupted him.
"Because I don't have a quirk, well... maybe that's not the only reason. But I've always been picked on. That's why... maybe that's why... I think saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with that fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like you!" I told him, excitement and nervousness building inside me.
A long sigh came from him, and he turned around, even though it seemed like he wanted to leave now.
"A pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a hero? I should think not. If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked, but that too is admirable work. It's not wrong to dream, but," he paused and squatted down.
"However, you need to dream realistically, kid."
Jumping away, my dreams of heroism and bravery flew off with him.
For a moment, I wanted to yell for him to come back, but it seemed like my voice was gone. What could I say? What would I say? All I knew was that he had to be wrong.
I could prove him wrong, I knew I could. I'd work out, I'd take martial arts classes, use gear and skills to cover for my lack of a quirk.
With a new plan in place, I started to run home, determined to become number one, even if I had to put myself through hell to do it.
How could I know that All Might messed up? That the villain he'd captured in a cola bottle had gotten away. Of course he had. The villain was able to hold me in place and almost kill me. What good was a bottle cap against someone like that?
Walking away could have been so easy. I could have left the scene and let the heroes take care of it. But this time, the person whose life was in danger was someone I'd never seen scared.
Inside of the goopy villain was Katauki Bakugou, my childhood friend turned bully. The look in his eyes was something I'd never seen from him before, desperation and fear, and before I could even think, I started to run to him.
"Get back here, you fool! Stop!" One of the heroes handling the situation yelled, but I kept moving, not thinking as I pulled off my backpack and threw it, hitting the villain in his eye.
"Kacchan!" I called as I stuck my hand into the villain, grabbing his hand as I felt my eyes water in fear.
"You! Why!?" Bakugou demanded as I tried to pull him out of the slime villain.
"Because no matter what's happened in the past, you're my best friend! I could never sit back and let anything hurt you. Even if I know you don't need it, I'll always offer my hand out to you!" I screamed back, panicking as slime covered his mouth. I was going to lose him. He was going to die because i was too weak!
A hand grabbed mine and Bakugous, pulling us out.
"The lesson I left you with... I should practice what I preach! A hero should always be ready to risk his own life. DETROIT! " I heard All Might say, watching him pull his free arm back. "SMASH!"
As he punched the villain, bits and pieces of the foul-smelling man getting splattered across the alley and into the streets behind us, I looked up at the sky, a little nauseous and overwhelmed, just as drops of rain began to fall.
"Rain? No way, the air pressure... the raising air current... he changed the weather with a single punch!!" Someone from the crowd cheered.
Afterward, the heroes who were at the scene collected all the parts of the villains' scattered body. The police managed to get him into custody, while the heroes were really mad at me.
"There was absolutely no need to put yourself in danger!" Death Arms screamed at me, but all it did was lit a fire inside me.
"You sure about that!? What were you idiots doing besides sitting there and waiting for my friend to die!?" I screamed back, my outburst taking me surprise, but I didn't back down, instead turning on my heel and going to grab my backpack.
They'd been so useless. Was that how all heroes acted? They couldn't be, right? I'd seen plenty of heroes in my life. It was my life's dream to be one. Was this a one-off incident, or where all heroes like this?
Maybe I could be the kind of hero who never hesitated to help others. I would save anyone and anything I could. If I did all I could, maybe I could be a top hundred hero even.
Walking back home, I thought about how I owed All Might an apology. It was probably somehow my fault the slime villain got away. It was usually my fault when things went wrong. Maybe he'd settle for a message on his website.
"Hey, Deku!" I could hear from behind, getting screamed at by the same person I'd tried to save.
"I... I never asked you to save me! As if you could!! Huh?! Well?! I could've beaten him myself." He told me while I took the brief few seconds between him berating me to interrupt him.
"I know. You didn't ask me to try, and it was so stupid of me to try at all. But it's okay. I've learned my lesson. I'm going to aim for something else. Some sort of realistic goal." I told him, pulling my backpack further up on my shoulder and turning away, heading home. I was late. My mom would be worried.
There it was. I'd given up on my dreams of heroism, and it was easier than I thought it was. I wasn't made for saving lives, and every school in the country would have entrance exams that would be impossible for me to pass anyway.
"What will you do?" He asked, and I stopped in my tracks, thinking about it. I'd spent every moment of my life wanting to be a hero, and now I didn't know what I wanted to do.
"Good question. I guess I'll just have to figure that one out for myself." I replied as I walked away from the future hero. He knew what he was going to do. But I couldn't be mad. I always knew that being a hero was impossible. Maybe that was why I tried to be one.
Taking a few more steps, I started to think about what else I would do. What I could do. Everything about me was centered on heroes. My notes, my room, my future plans. So what did I do now?
"I am here!" All Might spoke, zipping around a corner in a pose that made me think of one of those comic books speedsters.
"Why are you here!?" I asked, kind of shocked. No way this was a coincidence. Was he gonna yell at me?
"Kid. I've come to thank you and revise what I said earlier. I also have a proposal." He told me, going from buff man to skinny skeletal man. But those eyes. They were still the same ones that gave me hope when I saw his videos on the internet.
"Without you... if I hadn't heard your story... I'd have been nothing but fake muscles and insincerity, so thank you!
"What? But the slime villain getting away was my fault. If I hadn't distracted you, gotten in your way, even though I'm quirkless, I dared to ask if..." I started, unsure of how to apologize.
"Exactly! Of all the people at the scene... it was you, timid and quirkless, who acted! You spurred me to action! Most of the top pros show signs of greatness even as children. Many of them claim that... their bodies simply moved before they could think!" He told me, and I wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"That's what happened to you back there, yes?" He asked me, something new brewing up inside me.
"Yes?" I replied softly, trying to think in such a strange scenario.
"You too can be hero a hero!" He told me, my brain going from confused to full-on raging out now.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? First you tell me "no", now you tell me "yes", and I'm supposed to be okay with that?! You were someone I wanted to be, someone I looked up to! That's why I'll never be a hero, I'll do something greater! I'll make sure that your name fades to time, and I end up remembered forever!" I yelled at him, anger and rage I didn't know I had boiling over at the number one hero, but I knew he of all people could take it.
"I hate you!"
With that, I made sure my bag was on properly, storming away as I went to make my future. Whatever I did, I'd have to be bigger and better than All Might.
Six weeks later, and having run through dozens of hobbies to try and see if I had any hidden talents, I felt no closer to figuring out how I'd do that. But that didn't stop me. It gave me a new purposeful pursuit, and I cherished knowing I was in charge of my destiny now.
School got easier, too, since Bakugou didn't bother bullying me. We weren't exactly friends, but a weird peace had been made between us, and I wasn't going to disrupt it now that our other childhood friends were being nicer, too. Besides, it meant I was speaking more with other kids in my class and speaking up more often. I liked being heard, and I liked that I could show off the other parts of me that the hero fan in me had suppressed all these years. And for once, I felt like I belonged in this world, even if I was the minority of people in it.
"Mr.Midoriya, are you alright?" I heard, and I remembered where I was. My councilor, Mr.Koheis' office. Why was I here again?
"I think so." I replied, feeling myself and checking for any injuries. Had I hurt myself when I was daydreaming?
"I believe something is happening to you, and I must say, I'm a bit worried about you. While your social skills have skyrocketed lately, your grades have slipped substantially. I'm afraid that you may be on drugs or have something physically wrong with you."
"I'm not on drugs, sir. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life. After I graduate, what do I want to do? I can't be a hero, I'm not made for it, and I want to be the very best at what I do. So what can I do?" I asked him, leaning forward a bit in my chair.
"Midoriya, you have to decide something soon. You graduate this year and need to choose a high school that has a program for whatever you choose. Since you're so unfocused, I'll be keeping a closer eye on you, as well as give you this." He wrote something down and slid the paper to me.
"What is it?" I questioned, not too interested. It was taking too long, and after this, I planned to see if I was any good at pottery.
"It's a musical group that meets twice weekly. I'm sure they'll be able to help you foster concentration, creativity, discipline, and most importantly, it'll give you an outlet to develop your budding social skills further. They meet Tuesdays and Fridays, which means there's a meeting tonight. You have amazing potential, and right now, bouncing around aimlessly, it's wasted. Take those classes, take some time to figure out what you want, and work your butt off for it. Do you understand?" He asked, getting on my nerves. It seemed like all anyone cared about was that I was aimless. Where was this much attention when I was being bullied?
"Yeah. I'll try not to screw it up too much." I assured him, shoving the paper in my pocket and standing, ready to leave.
"That's not what I said, Midoriya."
"It's never what anyone says, but it's what they mean."
Turns out I sucked at pottery, too, and all I got was dirty and annoyed from my experience. But at least I had something to wipe my hands on, pulling out the paper from my pocket and looking at it, a bit of clay already staining it.
Did I have anything to lose, going to some class? If I didn't, I could always go on Friday.
"Man, screw it." I decided before washing my hands and then pulling my phone out to look up the group. A little research wouldn't hurt.
Kyoka Music Group. They preached teaching music to enrich the soul. Seemed kinda weird, but who was I to judge? Plus, it wasn't too out of the way if I got off the train early and just caught a different train later. I'd just have to let my mom know where I was first.
One train ride later, and I was standing outside of a music shop, a sign on the door.
"Closed for youth group. Thanks for understanding." I read, the door opening with a little ding from a bell that hung up.
"Uh, hello? Is anyone here?" I called out before the door shut behind me with another little ding.
"Sorry, we're closed right now. We open in the morning." A man called from behind a shelf, blonde hair that flowed past his shoulders hiding any features of his face as he half-looked over.
"This is the musical group, right? My guidance counselor suggested this place." I replied, a little bit of boredom in my voice. I wasn't interested in music, why did I even come here?
Taking a step to the side, he could see me better, and I could make out his face too. He was late twenties, maybe early thirties, shaven recently, so he almost looked clean shaven. But what I was more interested in was the group behind him.
A few teens sat around joking and playing instruments, and I watched them, completely mesmerized by their sense of friendship. I'd never seen anyone joke as easily and comfortable as they did with each other.
"Oh, you must be Midoriya. You're a little late, so we figured you weren't coming. Lots of kids don't show up." A woman with long purple hair spoke, her head poking around the blonde man.
"I am, yes. I'm sorry about showing up late, I had plans already, and they were non-refundable." I apologized while my face felt like it was burning.
"Kohei did mention the kid was a little bashful." The blonde man whispered loudly, the purple haired woman shushing him, anger spilling over inside me. Of course Mr.Kōhei talked about me. Now, just like always, I was the odd man out. The weird little freak.
"Whatever you were told is bull. I'm not bashful or afraid or unfocused or whatever the hell anyone said. I'm Midoriya Izuku. Nothing more, or less." I told them, gritting my teeth and walking around them, my hands buried in my pockets, over to where the other teens were. Once I figured out how much I sucked at this, I could go home.
A boy with mouse ears and teeth, another with a short muzzle and white hair that looked like wool, a girl with a face covering that hid everything but her eyes, another girl with bright yellow eyes and grayish-blue hair, and finally, a girl with purple hair and earlobes that moved around that had headphone jacks connected to the end of them.
Hey, welcome to our little group. I'm Jiro." The earphone girl spoke to me, looking away from the others, all the others looking up at me as well. Great, the spotlight in front of a bunch of strangers. Just what I wanted.
"I'm Midoriya, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here, but I'm here." I replied honestly, looking back over at the two adults and feeling stupid. Crap, I didn't mean to lose my temper with them.
"That's okay. You can just watch if you want. We're just going over some basic chords since everyone here is pretty new, except Hitsuji, but it doesn't hurt to cover the basics, even with experience." She told me, relief filling me as I took the only open seat, right next to the girl with the face covering, Jiro explaining the next few chords. What a C chord was, then an Em, and an E.
"Hiya, I'm Mehwish. Nice to meet you." She whispered, and I turned with a smile.
"Midoriya. It's nice to meet you too." I whispered back, my eyes moving to the instrument in her hands as she played it slowly, trying to match Jiros' movements, my eyes switching between the both of them for a few moments.
"Your fingers don't match Jiro's." I told Mehwish without thinking, and I could see a look of annoyance in her eyes.
"Sorry. I'm just, I'm good at patterns, I didn't mean that as an insult." I apologized, and the look in her eyes faded, a mischievous one replacing it.
"Okay, Mr. Pattern guy, you give it a try." She told me playfully, offering the guitar to me.
"Hey, he's just here to watch today. There's no need to force him to do something he doesn't want to." The mouse guy told her, but the girl with bright eyes covered his mouth, and they started to play fight.
I didn't even mean to say anything. it just slipped out. But with all of them looking at me, how could I turn down her down.
"Okay... uh, let's see..." I took the guitar, muttering a little as I adjusted it for my body, feeling the strings and the wood in my hands before I put my fingers in position and nodded.
Slowly, I plucked at the strings, my fingers kind of hurting a little, but I didn't want to give up over a little discomfort, feeling a little more confident as I repeated the chord, faster this time, mixing in different notes, experimenting with the sounds, letting the ones I liked best join the others.
"This... is easier than I thought." I finally spoke, and I felt at ease, like my body knew more than I did, a hand covering the strings as I started at the third time.
"Okay, okay. I get it. I'll pay more attention." Mehwish told me playfully, and I felt my face burning. For a moment, I'd been the center of attention, and I didn't care. I'd let the music shield me from the rest of the world.
"I'm... sorry. I just, I kind of got sucked into the music." I told her, and she just laughed, Jiro poking the side of my head with one of her headphone jacks.
"Have you ever played any instruments before?" She asked, my head shaking.
"No, sorry. It was just... something that felt natural." I told her, and I liked the feeling. I liked being good at something that didn't have anything to do with heroes.
"Well, grab a guitar from the cases over there. Let's see how far natural talent can get you." She told me, and I could see a small smile and something else on her face. It looked like I'd managed to surprise her, just a little.
For the rest of the time the group had, I played along with them, making jokes when I could think of one and feeling like I fit in for the first time in my life.
"Alright, I think that's it for today. Friday, you're going to continue learning chords and chord progression, so keep that in mind." Mr.Kyoka told us, but this was supposed to last until eight, wasn't it?
Checking my phone, it was two minutes passes, and I wondered where the time went as I helped clean up, putting the guitar I'd been using back up, the sheep boy, Hitsuji, and Mehwish deep in conversation about a coffee shop that had just opened.
"Midoriya, would you stay a moment?" Mr.Kyoka asked, and I felt embarrassed again. But I'd been rude to him and his wife, If he wanted to speak in private, who was I to argue?
A few "Ooohs" went up from the others, and I felt stupid as they left, unable to meet either adults eyes.
"Do you know why we asked you to stay, don't you?" Mrs.Kyoka asked, and I nodded slowly. I felt like a young child being scolded by his elders.
"I know. I'm really sorry I was rude with both of you, I just, I'm sick of being underestimated and looked at like I'm some geeked out loser."
There was silence for a moment before they laughed, and I felt like I might cry.
"That's not why we asked you to stay, but apology accepted, kid." Mr.Kyoka told me, my eyes finally meeting his.
"What? Then why?" I questioned, suddenly afraid. Was the group full? Was I being kicked out? But I liked it here.
"You showed an extreme amount of talent tonight, taking to that guitar like a duckling to water. That kind of talent won't get you all the way, however. You need practice and lessons. Lessons we want to give you." His wife told me, and I felt tears in my eyes anyway.
"Seriously? You'd do that? I mean, of course, I'd love that! How much? I'm not worried about the cost, I've been making money selling my All Might merchandise online, so I can pay you whatever."
The words spouted out faster than I could think, tears of joy falling with them, until something tapped the back of my head roughly, but it didn't hurt too much.
"You aren't paying them. I saw how playing that guitar turned you into a different person, and I convinced them to do it for free." Jiro told me, and I wiped my eyes.
"I'll help around your store then. If you won't accept money, at least accept my blood, sweat, and tears." I told her, watching the three of them silently share a look.
"Fine. But that's it. No money." Mrs.Kyoka told me, and if living with just my mother had taught me anything, it was that you didn't argue when a mom used that tone of voice.
"Yes ma'am! I swear, I'll do whatever it takes to be the best, as long as one day I can outshine even All Might!" I told them, their faces falling in confusion, but they didn't press the issue for now.
"Well then... if that's settled, we still need to lock up. Goodnight, Midoriya." Jiro told me, using her jacks to poke me in the side, guiding me outside of the front door and closing it with a playful smile.
"Goodnight, Jiro." I muttered back, watching her through the glass a moment longer, my journey starting with one small act of kindness.