Shoutout to lancesennin and McJack for giving me back some motivation.
Quirks, mutations that humans as well as some animals have been developing for the last two centuries, have puzzled scientists around the planet who have been attempting to figure out how humans suddenly obtained superpowers that seemed to come straight out of comic books, with little success.
Countries were in total disarray; they didn't know how to handle events that didn't match the ordinary, so new societies had to be thought out and built to match this reality. Heroes appeared, people who were trained and licensed to use their powers, and the world had forgotten about the old normality. They were everywhere, on radio shows, on television, on the internet; you could walk down the street and meet a superhero as if he were a police officer patrolling.
At the time of this story, it is assumed 20% of the global population is "quirkless," meaning they haven't developed or shown a quirk by the time they are around four years old.
Izuku Midoriya is one of these quirkless people. He lives in Japan with his mother; as for his father... at least he left him a passion for technology and a life lesson about what being quirkless means. Izuku's father worked abroad, in America or perhaps Europe. Izuku didn't want to know more; he was lucky that he had one parent who cared about him.
Izuku was four years old when he figured out he was quirkless and would remain that way until the universe collapsed and perhaps a new reality popped into existence like the first one.
Izuku was six years old when his childhood friend became quirkist and actively turned into a bully. It was also at that time his middle school taught the other children how "different" quirkless people were from "normal" humans.
Izuku was twelve when he joined Aldera Junior High. He learned hell existed, and being quirkless and treated as such had become natural over the years, but it had never been that bad. It had taken one Katsuki Bakugo straight up telling him to commit suicide in front of the other students and the teacher to realize that something was wrong.
The worst part is that at that moment he could only "agree" with his classmate so that the teacher wouldn't put a mark on his file for "disrupting class."
Izuku had three passions in his life: heroes, becoming one, and quirks. Liking heroes was an obligation, really. Humans tend to become very aggressive when they disagree on something. Again, Izuku was quirkless and would always be in the wrong if he attempted to defend himself; that was how the system worked, and he wouldn't try his luck with finding heroes or police officers who wouldn't be quirkist too.
He had never given up on becoming a hero. Did he wish to prove them wrong? To be selfish? No, Izuku just wanted to save people, like All Might! The top hero of Japan, the people's champion, the symbol of peace. He had seen a video of his debut once, and since that moment the image of civilians smiling as they were surrounded by pain and death was stuck inside his brain.
He wanted to make people smile, to tell them everything would be fine because someone was there for them. Fame? Money? Izuku never needed that, especially not fame... though he wouldn't be against having a fair amount of money to secure his quiet little life.
But still, people weren't satisfied. He liked heroes, and it was a problem because Izuku wanted to become one. The poor, quirkless, defenseless Izuku, the one who hadn't been lucky enough to follow the natural march of progress that was evolution.
"He is weak."
"He is stupid."
"He will die before he reaches his twentieth birthday; the internet said so."
"My parents said quirkless people are more exposed to sickness than we are."
"Right, the teachers said his grades were terrible during the last council. I think being quirkless also means he is a retard."
And so on... all Izuku had were quirks... well, not his, other people's quirks, to be precise. He was curious by nature; quirks were an endless stream of possibilities. He liked to study them, to crack them open like a vault; he analyzed any detail he came upon. Inko Midoriya, his mother, praised him more than once when she happened to look at his "work." She would say that perhaps not even the hero who possessed the quirk knew about what Izuku would find out.
One day Izuku brought one of his notebooks to class, hoping that he could show that he wasn't an idiot, that he was normal, that he could still fit among his classmates.
What a fool he was.
His notebook was destroyed. Katsuki was the one who found it. He passed it around the room saying, "Look at what our quirkless freak resident has done." They didn't bother reading it... they said it was creepy, that Izuku was probably a pervert too and should be reported to a teacher. When the book returned to Katsuki's hands, the blond promptly reduced it to ashes.
He never brought a notebook to class again.
And then came THAT day. It had been two months since Izuku had been attending classes at Aldera. It was Friday. He had just left school and was expecting to finally be able to relax for the weekend. It would have been the case if a villain with some kind of slime or sludge quirk hadn't been passing by and thought to himself, "Oh, what a nice temporary body!"
Izuku thought he would die here, full of regrets and dreams he could never achieve. Perhaps in the afterlife, he might find some peace? But fate had decided to keep him on earth for a while longer; All Might dropped out of nowhere and smashed the villain to gods only know where.
When Izuku woke up from near asphyxiation, the Symbol of Peace was still here, handing him back his notebook. All Might left in a hurry, and Izuku grabbed onto his leg. He found out about his true form, the injury... and then he asked if someone without a quirk could become a hero.
After a never-ending painful monologue, All Might left after concluding with, "You have to be realistic." Izuku had been left alone on a roof by All Might, the greatest hero of Japan, the 'symbol of Peace,' his idol...
"Never meet your idol," they say. Izuku figured it wasn't about meeting the complete opposite of how they envision someone; the saying meant that your idols might be perfect, but if you are unlucky enough, they will show you their worst side.
All Might lies, lesson learned, Izuku thought to himself as he picked up his belongings. He had to head home now. He should have been desperate, sad; he had to feel something, and yet there was nothing. "I have to be realistic," Izuku repeated to himself. His head hurt a bit just then. "It's good to dream but—" It hurt even more, like each word that came out from All Might's mouth was being hammered down like nails inside Izuku's brain.
"What's wrong with me?" The pain stopped, a soothing shiver ran across his skin, an uncanny jolt of energy... it didn't come from him... "I must be going mad." Izuku was at least lucky enough to find the roof access door open and was able to make his way back to the streets of Musutafu.
On his way back home, Izuku came upon a blockade that would force him to make a detour. He overheard a couple of heroes speaking together. "Good thing All Might joined in to end the fight. I didn't know he was around." It was Death Arms and Kamui Woods.
"You are aiming for U.A., my boy? With that display of skill, I'm sure you can make it to your hero academia!" It stung, not his head, but his heart. It did feel right, like something was misplaced. Izuku should have been standing where Katsuki was; he should have been the one to receive... "Nevermind that." He took a deep breath and walked away from the scene.
"I'm home!" he called out after closing the door of their small apartment. Apparently, his mother hadn't returned home yet. Izuku figured she was out shopping or went to speak with her good friend Mitsuki Bakugo... yes, Katsuki's mother, another reason why Izuku has to endure. Who else would like to be friends with the one who conceived a quirkless reject like him?
No homework, just a weekend full of nothingness... and perhaps some quirk analysis? He had seen Mount Lady's debut; surely people would be active on a lot of forums. Izuku knew where to look for information. The internet is the land of truth. Sarcasm aside, there weren't a lot of forums Izuku actually spent time writing on, either because there were just people repeatedly spamming how cool some hero is, or others spreading hate about mutants and, more rarely, quirkless people.
After a couple of hours making a resume on his observations of Mount Lady's quirk, Izuku made his post! It was around two thousand words long. "And then my teachers say I never put enough dedication into my homework," he thought to himself. Plus, everyone wrote in English on these kinds of forums. With how much time he spent gathering information or writing entire resumes about his theories, Izuku was fluent, which was not the case with any of his classmates. Not that anyone cared about his skills in foreign languages.
Somehow his thread trended quickly. One user, simply named "Mel," posted back a rather long reply regarding the new hero's costume.
Izuku wondered if her username was a reference to the old scripting language called MEL. He didn't have a specific username himself. Eventually, people would get friendly, then ask about his quirk, and it would all go wrong. Right now, his username was "Nemo," a reference to a nameless captain in some fantasy book from the pre-quirk era. Before that, it had been "WildBush." He found the name when looking into a mirror. He didn't like it.
Mel wrote the following: "Your observations are very complete. You gathered so much just from watching her stomp on someone rampaging with their quirk? Personally, I'm more curious about what happens to her body while she is transformed. What about her organs? You said her weight increased. From a physical point of view, this means it's not her body that stretches out. I believe it compacts when she is under her 'normal' form. But in that case, it means she weighs the same at all times. Is she actually very strong then? She could operate indoors as well. Could she shrink down with enough training?" Mel was raising a lot of good points. Izuku was already preparing another wall of text to reply to each subject with as many details as he could.
Izuku had been so focused that he didn't hear his mother saying she was back home. He only paid attention when she peeked into his room to tell him dinner was ready. At the time she pointed it out. "You look really joyous tonight. I-I shouldn't say it's unusual, though. Is everything alright?"
"Oh-oh, you-you know, I just-just met someone while writing on a forum. They-they enjoy quirks as much as I do." Inko was as worried as her son. What if they aren't a nice person? What if they are just using Izuku? Her son wasn't an idiot, far from that... but he had always been too optimistic. "I have to send a reply and I-I—I'm very distracted, sorry. We are eating together; I shouldn't—"
"You can leave the table if you are done eating. Go on, I would never dare take off this smile from your face. Do not keep them waiting." With his mother's permission, Izuku dashed back to his room after helping to clean up the dishes, of course.
He was about to type another hundred words when he noticed that he had a notification on the top of his screen. Mel had sent him a private message: "Heya! I was thinking we should take this conversation elsewhere. I'm worried that the mods will flag us as spammers."
Their conversation went on for hours, and they weren't talking about quirks only. They talked about her costume, the support company that produced it, and the science behind it. "The fabric stretches to over 400%. It must be so thin that any cut would tear it apart, and yet it just holds! I wish I could get a sample of it for my own studies."
Izuku was intrigued. He wondered how old Mel was. He typed the following: "This does come out of nowhere, but I have had bad experiences with people online. Just so we don't end up in some vicious cycle of hate, I would like to establish a few rules: no information related to our quirks, no talk about politics, and we won't share any personal information, though I guess names are alright."
Mel typed back, then she didn't for a few minutes. Izuku feared he had been too direct; however, she did send back a message: "I understand. In fact, I was about to ask you the same thing, though I would like to have the bare minimum. I am Melissa, studying to become an engineer in the hero industry."
Now the origin of her username was obvious. "I should return the favor. I am Izuku. I—" He froze... the words didn't flow this time. He didn't know. All Might's words held back his fingers away from the keys. "I'm not sure anymore about what I want to do, but I like heroes and quirks."
"With your skills, you should have no problems finding a job. Say, the fight happened near Musutafu, right? Were you just passing by, or do you live in the district? If the latter, could you perhaps check the area where she intervened and look out for a piece of her costume? It might not have received any damage, but who knows, perhaps it will be our lucky day?"
He had to read the message a few times... yes, it was their lucky day.
The next day, while Izuku was having breakfast, Inko switched on the television. He wished she hadn't; Katsuki ended up being mentioned in the local news. He hadn't been interviewed, and even if he was, Izuku could guess why he had been cut.
"I'm heading out; I need to check out something for a friend." He stood up and grabbed his backpack.
"A-A friend? Who? Oh, you mean that person online." There was clear disappointment in her voice, but Izuku had a friend, right? Online or not, it was always better than nothing. "Stay safe while you are out! Though with All Might in town, no one would dare attempt anything, right?"
Izuku forced himself to smile. If people knew... He stopped the thought before it allowed fear to take root. "I won't be out for long. I will just be... uh... buying some books." Inko waved him goodbye, and Izuku went out.
The street had been closed; no one was there to watch or secure the perimeter. What would be the point? Izuku noted that most of the destruction was Katsuki's doing. However, there was one building that had been damaged from the top. It was hard to see, but it seemed Mount Lady had gripped the building.
The street was too thin for her to fit. "There might just be a chance..." Izuku looked around. He saw a very small piece of cloth, white and purple. He grabbed it and quickly placed it inside his backpack. He would have a look at it later.
Izuku had gotten curious about a few of the terms used by Melissa. She was smart, if not a genius. He felt it. Exchanging with her was different. He had met a few nice people on forums online, but he always felt disconnected. He had so much to say, but he lacked the ability to transcribe it from his own gibberish into a common vision.
A week passed. Melissa and Izuku kept exchanging messages. They had cracked the mystery of Mount Lady's costume together; it was just a question of heat. Whoever thought about this was very clever. When transforming, Mount Lady's body emits heat, the fabric dilates but doesn't become thin. Instead, it becomes squishy, like jelly. Izuku theorized it could mend itself.
"Weird request, but do you think you could mail me the sample? I have a personal lab at my school; I might be able to get more information out of it. It's not illegal; we didn't steal anything. You picked it up from the ground."
Ignoring the fact that Melissa mentioned they might be engaging in criminal activities, Izuku asked for her address. "I live on I-Island with my father. I will copy the address for you. It will take a week for the sample to reach me."
I-Island. Izuku had heard about it. The greatest engineers all studied there. It was like an eternal universal exposition. The place itself might be a century into the future in terms of technology and medicine.
"Wow, it must be wonderful to be surrounded by so many inventors! You live there? Have you met David Shield?"
Melissa typed, then deleted her message, then typed again, and so on. "Well, I do not want to brag, but we are related, so I do meet him on a very regular basis. He is very busy most of the time. I just want to follow in his footsteps, really."
Melissa? Related to David Shield? Izuku was shocked. He never hoped he would meet—well, no, he shouldn't get too excited about it. Melissa knew David Shield, sure, but she could be lying, she could be exaggerating. Who knows?
"Oh, also, I will buy myself a camera so I can show you my lab! Do you have one? It would be great if we could see each other or talk directly. Not that I do not feel comfortable with text, I'm not pressuring you, I promise."
"I do have one in my room! Sure, that would be great to talk for real. I'm excited about seeing your lab too, though I guess my expectations are probably higher than reality is. I will be depositing the sample at the nearest post office this afternoon."
He typed back. He was about to log out, but Izuku still had a few questions for Melissa. She had been very open with him, and he wished he could trust her.
"This is going to be a weird question, but the concept crossed my mind recently. Do you think someone without a quirk can be a hero?"
Melissa didn't reply. In fact, Izuku couldn't see any message indicating she was typing back. Then, out of nowhere, a single sentence popped up, a question.
"Are you quirkless?"
Izuku slammed his portable computer shut and jumped into his bed. He had made a mistake.
A month had passed since Izuku met Melissa on an internet forum. He had stopped checking their private messages weeks ago; he didn't want to be disappointed anymore. He managed to stay calm and distract himself with the new books he bought, following Melissa's advice. It worked, for a while.
Why did he have to ask? He wanted to be certain he wasn't being tricked only to be humiliated later. He regretted it anyway. Stupid, stupid Dek-... stupid Izuku.
Katsuki had been the hero of the school since the "sludge villain incident," as the media called it. It was a period of peace for Izuku: no teasing, no insults, no whispers behind his back. As long as people were busy praising Katsuki, everything was fine... until someone noticed Izuku had been reading new books.
He shouldn't have dropped his guard. Some girl he didn't care about snatched his manual on thermodynamics and showed it to the whole class. "Look at what Deku is reading!" Izuku remained calm. His book would get destroyed again. What would be the point if he indulged them?
Everyone kept making comments until one sentence caught Katsuki's attention: "Thermodyn-what? Deku trying to look smart now? What a show-off..." Katsuki kicked his desk away and walked to Izuku, snatching the book from the girl's hands and smashing it in front of him. "Explain this, you freak!" What was he supposed to say? Any word would only fuel Katsuki's anger. It had always worked that way. "ANSWER ME!"
"Now, what is going on here?" The teacher arrived, not bothered by one student threatening another. They would have been if it wasn't Izuku. "Bakugo, we have a long day ahead of us. Could you go back and sit at your desk?"
"No, stupid Deku hasn't answered why he reads a book!" Katsuki sounded like a caveman. The teacher rolled his eyes and checked the manual. He raised an eyebrow and brought it back to his desk.
"Midoriya, detention for disrupting the class." Of course, Izuku would be punished anyway. "Now, about yesterday's study..."
When the day finally ended, the teacher asked Izuku to remain after all the other students had left. Definitely not a good sign. "Now, can you explain why you brought this to class?"
How does one simply answer, "I brought a book to class to read it," when the interlocutor doesn't expect any answer and is just trying to punish him? Izuku did something he never thought he would. He lied. "I have been offered to join I-Island Academy. I'm studying for their entrance exam."
Izuku played a dangerous game, but he caught the teacher's attention. "But... you keep saying you want to become a hero..." He had to keep them confused. It was his best shot at leaving with only detention.
"I gave up. It was foolish. I'm moving on." He didn't want to elaborate further, not when All Might had been the one to convince him.
"W-Well, in this case... do not bring it back to class. You aren't here to become an engineer." Then what is he here for? "And I'm still expecting you to join detention in fifteen minutes." So much for having the last word. Izuku's head buzzed. The teacher went on to lecture him about being more attentive and not disrupting people with an "actual future," but he wasn't listening. When Izuku was finally allowed to leave the classroom, he made his way out of Aldera.
He wouldn't go to detention this time.
He lied to a teacher, he ran away from school to avoid detention. If he had been labeled a nuisance before, now he might be identified as a delinquent. The teacher called his mother, of course, and Inko asked for an explanation, of course.
Izuku approached the situation carefully. "You know I'm quirkless. You can guess how everyone interacts with me at Aldera. I was reading a book that Melissa suggested, and the other students noticed... The teacher made an 'example' of me and sent me to detention for reading a book." It was the first time he reported this kind of incident to his mother.
Inko knew, she always knew, but since Izuku never told her or mentioned anything, she thought it wasn't that bad, right? Today was different. The school never called directly, and the first time they did, they employed the kind of tone they would have used if Izuku had murdered someone. "I-I stepped out of line. I'm sorry. Is it bad? Am I getting expelled?" Her son was wrong. How could he worry about getting expelled?
She hugged him. "Izuku, they are not expelling you. I am pulling you out. We will find a solution together, I promise." Her baby boy. For how long had he suffered like this? She knew Japan was definitely not the best country in terms of quirk equality. How much bul-... nonsense did he go through? "I-I will try to find online schooling. It might even be cheaper than going to-"
"I'm sorry," Izuku admitted. "I thought I wouldn't be able to trust you, that I might be a dead weight. It's fine. I know I'm quirkless. I was just unlucky enough to be born at the worst time for our kind." Inko briefly considered slapping her son, not because she was shocked by his words, but because she wished to annihilate any ideas those monsters at Aldera and other schools had put into his head.
"Izuku, you are perfect as you are. You have a big heart, bigger than All Might's. I want you to always fight for what you believe to be right, to run away when you do not feel like fighting, to always follow your instincts. You are my treasure, my miracle. It's mostly my fault. I always knew something was wrong and even then, you held on for me? I'm pathetic... I will fix everything, I promise. Aldera's staff can go to hell for all I care. We have more than enough money to search elsewhere." They ate katsudon that night, and it tasted better than it ever had. Izuku wouldn't go to school the next day, and probably for a while.
They stayed together in the living room for a couple of hours after dinner. Izuku had a lot to talk about, and eventually, he spoke about Katsuki's behavior. Inko had to admit it was also in her bag of suspicions. Mitsuki often asked if Izuku was feeling good at school. She never elaborated. She was a mother too. How could she ever think her son was such a little demon? When Inko asked if she should tell Mitsuki, Izuku didn't answer. Ever so kind, he told his mother she should judge for herself if Katsuki's parents deserved to know. She listened to her wrath and made sure to call Mitsuki. Their phone call went on and on. Inko remained as calm as she could. She didn't blame her friend. Mitsuki was blunt; it was part of her personality, but she would never have raised her son to become a quirkist egocentric trash. Aldera had corrupted him. If anything, Inko prayed that Katsuki's parents would be able to save what remained of the son they knew.
Izuku was about to go to sleep when curiosity got the better of him. Since they had to search for online schooling, he thought he should put in some effort himself. To his surprise, his computer was still on the same session, with his private chat with Melissa open. She had sent many messages after he... after he ran away.
"Are you still here? I shouldn't have asked about your quirk status. I'm sorry. It was one of your rules, and I broke it. I have nothing against quirkless people or any type of quirk. I swear on my life that I am not and will never be this kind of person."
The next day: "I assume you got scared. Please reply. I'm going to feel guilty for days at this point."
A week later: "I'm reaching out again. Please accept my apologies. Whoever you are, no matter how hard it is for you, I want to know you are not alone. I believe you are a kind and smart person. I'm sure you can do great things with that mind of yours. As for your question, I believe anyone can become a hero if they work hard enough."
Well, now he was the one who messed up. Melissa was an angel. Izuku found the courage to type back. Now he was the one who needed to apologize. He started typing when suddenly his computer buzzed. Melissa was calling him. She must have seen the notification of him typing on his computer. Izuku plugged in his headset and clicked in panic to answer the call.
"I-Izuku? Is that you? I'm-I'm so sorry. Please accept my apologies!" She didn't even give him time to speak, greet her, or reply. She was genuinely concerned about how their last discussion ended, even after he had ghosted her for weeks. She even bothered to speak in Japanese, a very clean Japanese, though Izuku detected some glimmers of an American accent.
"He-Hey Melissa," he greeted in English. "It's-it's fine. I got scared, you were right. I am indeed quirkless. In Japan, it's not a good thing. I was worried you might hold the same beliefs... I-I guess I also forgot to send the sample of Mount Lady's costume-"
"Who cares about the costume! I'm worried about YOU! Are you alright? You-you didn't answer. I-I was so scared. I told my dad that you lived in Japan and that you were quirkless. He-he told me things that-" Melissa collected herself for a few seconds. "I shouldn't have read all these articles about quirkless people suiciding or meeting horrible fates... day after day I was more and more convinced that it could be your turn." She kept using Japanese out of respect. Izuku was used to reading these kinds of articles, but Melissa didn't live in Japan. I-Island was closer to America. On the other side of the ocean, quirkless people probably had to deal with way less "nonsense," as Inko defined it.
"I am fine physically, mentally not so much. It has been a very long day... and well, I have been concerned about our conversation for the last few weeks too. I'm really exhausted, to be honest, and I also need to find a new school too, preferably online," he explained without going into the details.
"What happened? Did you get expelled? You could always try to fight your school if they-"
"No, it was my choice, really. I brought that book you suggested to me about thermodynamics to school, and it didn't go well. They do not have the same level of expectation between quirked and quirkless people. I didn't know it was possible to have a negative level of expectation until today."
Melissa chuckled. "You sound like you are taking it well."
"I am free from hell, not that I do not like school, but they sure did everything they could to not make it appealing."
Neither of them spoke for about a minute, then an idea struck Melissa. "How about you come study at I-Island?" Izuku's mind didn't trigger immediately after he heard Melissa's offer. When his body reacted, and he found himself sitting straight in his chair, he gasped for air. He had been left brain-dead for too long. "Izuku? Please tell me I didn't say something wrong again."
"N-No, of course not!" He tapped the fingers of his right hand rapidly on his desk. Melissa was making him an offer, a BIG offer. "That-that would be great, but I do not have the money to study at I-Island. My family isn't that rich."
"I can get you a study fund. I told you I was related to David Shield. He is my father." She announced it with such pride that Izuku had to hold his jaw shut to silence his excitement, though Melissa, Melissa Shield—that was going to be awkward from now on—probably heard everything. "I showed him your thesis on Mount Lady's quirk and her costume. He was really excited when I told him you found a piece of her costume. He is just as curious as you are about quirks, though he prefers the practical approach. If I tell him you are currently school-less and looking for a place to study, he will harass me to convince you, so I might as well try now."
"It-it's not that easy. I need to speak with my mother. Wow, that's a lot, Melissa... how can I ever repay you?"
"Do not. That's what quirkless people do to support each other."
Wait.
"You are quirkless too?"
"Yup! Extra toe joint buddies?"
Izuku slammed his head against his desk, hard enough to regret punishing himself that way. "I'm an idiot. I am a clueless idiot with a bush of hair and a quirk addiction."
Melissa reassured him. "No, you are not! You couldn't know... wait, bush for hair? You said you were quirkless!"
"That would be genetics. I have forest green hair from my mother, and my father probably gave me the DNA to make it go wild for no specific reason. Can we talk about something else, please? I-I need a bottle of water. I'll be right back."
Melissa spent the rest of the night convincing Izuku about the merits of moving to I-Island. As much as he wanted to say he was on board and ready to move there immediately, he knew he had to explain to his mother first how he ended up with a plan to leave Japan.
The next day, Inko and Izuku sat on the living room couch, going over their only current option.
"So, let me get this straight: you've met the daughter of one of the greatest minds of the century, and she believes her father will be welcoming you to I-Island's academy for free?" Inko's skepticism was clear. She didn't trust the internet, but she trusted Izuku's judgment. Still, caution was warranted.
"Uh, actually, he's also offering us the chance to move there, too." Izuku opened his computer and showed his mother the email he had received. It looked very official, to say the least. David Shield had written it himself, applying an array of seals and formatting that made it seem anything but a scam. But despite its almost too-perfect appearance, Inko was willing to read it—and, if possible, meet Melissa's father.
Dear Izuku Midoriya,
While we haven't met in person yet, my daughter has painted a very optimistic picture of you. She showed me some of your posts about heroes and quirks—documents of the sort usually found only in government records or sold by experts. I also reviewed her notes on her latest project, which you contributed to significantly. I'm intrigued by the sample of the costume you collected; the industries in Japan often keep their findings from us, both for commercial reasons and because they have different policies.
Putting that aside, my daughter provided a thorough explanation of your search for a new school. I sympathize with your situation. My own quirk is often undervalued, and it pains me to think of my daughter facing similar treatment. I believe you have a bright future ahead, and I wish to support it. I'm offering you and your family the opportunity to move to I-Island.
However, I would like to have a discussion with you and your parents first. Please inform Melissa of your availability so we can arrange a video call. I am eager to meet my daughter's friend.
Yours truly,
David Shield
Director of I-Island
After reading the email a few times, Inko was convinced. "Well, he certainly seems determined to have you study at his facility. What do you think?"
"What do I think? It's David Shield! He's a legend! Of course, I want to study at I-Island. It's close to America, and from what Melissa has told me, people there are much more accepting than they are here in Japan. The level of education is incredible—almost like a miniature university, but with the potential to create the next great minds of the world. I could do anything if I graduated from their academy." Izuku's excitement was palpable; this opportunity felt like a miracle he needed to seize.
But Inko's next question made him pause. "What about your other dream? Do you still want to become a hero? I haven't been very supportive all these years... You've always looked up to All Might and U.A. Aiming for the top is fine, but I worry about you pushing yourself too hard. You can be a hero, Izuku, but reaching their level might be out of your grasp. It pains me to say it, but—"
Izuku smiled reassuringly. "No, you're right. I never aimed to be the next All Might. I don't like being in the spotlight as much as he is. Being popular is just a bonus. I just want to help people. If Japan doesn't want my help, then that's their loss. David Shield believes I could be useful, and if I don't become a hero, I could always become a scientist. It's not as glamorous, but I could work with heroes or quirks. I don't want to hurt myself anymore. I've been treading water when I should be looking for solid ground... metaphorically speaking."
"Then message your friend!" Inko said with determination. "I'll handle things with her father. Now, you need to focus on impressing him. You'll need more than just a few quirk analyses. Don't you have books to read?"
His mother was right. It was time to show his potential.
They settled on a voice call by the end of the week to accommodate David Shield's schedule. This gave Izuku ample time to dive into the books and documents Melissa would send him, while they immersed themselves in discussions about various topics. Melissa repeatedly reassured him that her father was a kind and understanding person, urging him not to worry about first impressions. Ironically, her reassurances only heightened Izuku's anxiety. He had never met anyone's expectations, and the thought of impressing David Shield—someone he considered a genius—was daunting. He wasn't exactly a genius himself, at least not according to his grades, and he might even have a mild attention disorder.
"If you're so worried, how about a surprise quiz?" Melissa suggested.
"You've got those prepared?" Izuku asked, intrigued.
"Just like athletes, I need to stay sharp. I have a couple hundred of these quizzes, and I randomly pick five each day to review every few hours. First question—"
"Wait, wait, wait—"
"First question!" Melissa's tone was cheerful yet firm. "Explain the principle of superconductivity."
Izuku took a deep breath. "Superconductivity is a phenomenon where a material can conduct electricity without resistance when cooled below a certain critical temperature. This means that electrical current can flow indefinitely without losing any energy. Superconductors are used in technologies like MRI machines and maglev trains because they generate strong magnetic fields and minimize energy loss."
"Excellent! Next question: What is Moore's Law, and how has it impacted the development of technology?"
"Moore's Law," Izuku began, "is the observation made by Gordon Moore in 1965 that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years, while the cost of computers is halved. This law has driven the exponential growth of computing power, making devices smaller, faster, and more affordable over time. It's a key factor behind the rapid advancements in technology."
Melissa's approval was evident. "Great answer, Izuku! Third question: Can you describe the process of DNA replication?"
"Sure!" Izuku's confidence grew with each question. "DNA replication is the process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules. It starts at specific locations called origins of replication. Enzymes like helicase unwind the DNA, creating a replication fork. DNA polymerase then adds nucleotides to the existing strands following base-pairing rules, and ligase seals the fragments, resulting in two identical DNA molecules."
"You're doing amazing, Izuku!" Melissa encouraged. "Next question: What is the significance of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in quantum mechanics?"
"The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it's impossible to simultaneously know both the exact position and the exact momentum of a particle. This principle introduces fundamental limits to what can be known about quantum particles and implies that at a microscopic level, the universe is inherently probabilistic rather than deterministic."
"Last question!" Melissa announced. "Describe the function and importance of the Large Hadron Collider."
"The Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It accelerates protons and heavy ions to near the speed of light and then collides them. These high-energy collisions allow scientists to study fundamental particles and the forces governing their interactions. The LHC was crucial in discovering the Higgs boson, which helps explain how particles gain mass."
"You nailed it, Izuku!" Melissa cheered. "See? You've got this. Just be yourself during the call with my dad, and you'll do great."
Izuku smiled, feeling more confident. "Th-Thanks, Melissa. That was really helpful. I'll keep studying, but I feel better about this now... I didn't think I could do it... Did I get anything wrong?"
"You recited everything straight from the books. I trust you enough to say you weren't cheating," Melissa confirmed. "Though, since we haven't met face-to-face yet, would you like to use cameras? We'll be seeing each other when you meet my father anyway. It might help you feel more comfortable."
Izuku realized he had been talking to Melissa online for weeks, but he had never imagined meeting someone who saw him as a decent human being, especially after his quirk notebook incident had labeled him as a pervert.
"Su-Sure, though I should warn you, I-I haven't had a haircut in a while, and my freckles—"
Melissa's camera activated. She looked stunning with her long, curly blonde hair, round glasses, and fair skin. She had a more Caucasian appearance but still resembled her mother.
"So? How do I look?"
Izuku was momentarily speechless, his eyes wide with surprise. "You... you look great, Melissa. Really great. I-I wasn't expecting this."
Melissa laughed, a light, friendly sound. "Thanks, Izuku. Now, your turn!"
With a deep breath, Izuku turned on his camera. He fidgeted nervously, his unruly green hair falling into his eyes, and his freckles standing out on his cheeks. "Uh, here I am," he said awkwardly.
Melissa smiled warmly. "You look fine, Izuku. Actually, you look just like I imagined, minus the 'bush' on your head. Haha. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Izuku felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Th-Thank you, Melissa. That means a lot."
They continued talking, discussing their favorite scientific concepts and theories, sharing laughs and stories. Melissa's easygoing nature helped Izuku relax, and he enjoyed the conversation more than he had expected.
"Alright, Izuku," Melissa said after a while, "we should probably get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."
"Yeah, you're right," Izuku agreed. "Thanks again, Melissa. For everything."
"Anytime, Izuku. Sleep well, and remember, you've got this."
Izuku nodded, feeling more confident than he had in a long time. "Goodnight, Melissa."
"Goodnight, Izuku."