Chapter 4: The Birth of a Quirkless Youthful Hero

In the minutes that followed, Izuku found himself roaming around town. His mind was adrift with unyouthful thoughts. Before Might Guy, All Might had been his personal hero. The man wasn't just a legend, he was a real person that Izuku had seen, a man who had been in heroics for many years now.

Unyouthful though it may be, it made Izuku question himself. Had he just been fooling himself this whole time? Had he created an elaborate fantasy where some imagined mentor believed in and was proud of him? Could it be possible that this was all some delusion and Youth was only something that looked cool because he was young and inexperienced?

These thoughts, and many more, plagued the young man.

Izuku wanted to deny everything All Might had said. He wanted to reject those words and put them out of his mind but... wouldn't that also be unyouthful? All Might was just looking out for his best interests after all. The man had even complimented his analytical ability and suggested he focus on that.

With a breath, Izuku summed it up and made his decision. He would-

BOOM!

Several blocks away, explosions could be heard sounding out one after the other. A crowd was forming, and several heroes were already arriving. His love for heroes and heroics pulled Izuku over without him even thinking about it.

The youthful teen gasped at who he saw. It was Kamui Woods, Backdraft, Death Arms, and the new heroine Mt. Lady! Kamui Woods was a fairly new hero himself, but one quickly rising up through the ranks thanks to his versatile and powerful quirk, as well as his ingenuity using it.

Assessing the scene as he always did, one must always be youthfully aware after all, Izuku noticed that the explosions had started a great many fires in the alley and along the buildings. Backdraft, the rescue hero with hose arms, was directing the water from the city's hydrant at the buildings. Kamui Woods was even pulling some people off the roof and out of windows. Keeping more innocents from being dragged into harm was the first priority after all.

However, that's where things became less impressive. A sudden shouting drew Izuku's attention to the villain.

"What's going on down there?"

"I heard someone say that a villain is holding a kid hostage."

"Yeah, they said the villain had some weird body and it looked like he was suffocating the kid!"

A villain with a weird body suffocating a kid? Izuku couldn't help but think that sounded familiar. That couldn't be right though, All Might had dealt with him. The number one hero wouldn't let some two-bit villain get away from him, or so Izuku thought until he made his way through the crowd.

There it was, the same slime villain who had attacked him an hour ago. What's more, All Might was nowhere to be seen. And even worse, the two other heroes on the scene were just...standing there. It was all so unyouthful!

Izuku ran straight to Death Arms, "What's going on? Why aren't you in there helping the victim?"

"Stay back kid," Death Arms yelled with authority, "This area is dangerous."

"Why aren't you saving the hostage!? Why are neither of you doing anything?!" Izuku shouted in frustration at their unyouthful lack of action.

"Our quirks aren't compatible with his, kid! My punches would go straight through that creep, and I'd likely end up getting caught too," the pro thumbed at the super-sized heroine, "Mt. Lady is just too big to fit in there!"

It was all nonsense. Youth demanded they do something. A hero should always be willing to risk their life to save someone, just like All Might said. Wasn't this kind of situation what support gear was for? Did Death Arms really see punching as the only way to solve the issue?

Izuku felt that familiar feeling welling up inside of him. It was like the first time he opened the "Ultimate Youthful Guide to Maximizing Your Springtime of YOUTH!" all over again. This was Youth. This feeling that demanded action, that guided his moral compass. This was his YOUTH!

Seeing no other option, Izuku took off down the alley. He dodged all the fire as best he could, but his jacket was getting singed. Finally, as Izuku got closer, he could make out the person captured inside the villain without the haze of fire and heat to shield him.

"Bakugo?!" Izuku shouted in confusion.

Another explosion rang out and the force almost took Izuku off his feet, causing him to do a side roll to avoid the worst of it.

"GAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Bakugo screamed, getting just enough leeway with his explosion to get a breath.

That's why there was so much fire, Izuku realized, Bakugo was fighting for his life. He was earning himself precious gasps of air with every explosion, and he wasn't holding back. Izuku felt strength course through him as he was filled with the power of Youth!

That's when the villain noticed him and visibly recoiled, "Oh god! Not this psychopath again! Stay the hell away from me you suicidal brat!"

"Unyouthful villain," Izuku pronounced as he dropped into the first fighting stance he learned from the Strong Style, "You now face the Handsome Devil of Aldera Academy! I am the Green Beast, Izuku Midoriya!"

"Just die already!" the villain's bellowing echoed with an explosion as he forced Bakugo's arm forward.

Yes, it seemed like Bakugo was losing the fight. Not just that but whatever accelerant was burning in the alley had soaked him when he rolled out of the way of the first blast, catching his uniform on fire. Without even considering his next action, Izuku shrugged off his burning uniform and froze.

He had never put this on, had never even taken it out of his closet. It was in a box, wrapped in tape. It would've been chained if Izuku had owned chains. He couldn't just throw it away as it was a gift, but Izuku swore that this green bodysuit would never see the light of day...and now, he was wearing it.

AND HE'D NEVER FELT MORE ALIVE!

"You have made your last mistake villain, for the fires of youth burn more brightly than any other!" Izuku shouted as he dashed through the smoke from the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Izuku was found to be just in front of Bakugo and crouched low, "Mt. Lady! Catch!"

With a fierce mule kick, Izuku launched them both, villain and victim, into the air. And boy did the fly. Following quickly behind, Izuku leapt after them. He could see Mt. Lady heeding his words and reaching towards Bakugo. That meant he just had to deal with the villain.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow," Izuku cried out from behind the villain as he dropped a devastating axe kick at the eyes and mouth of the villain.

Truthfully, Izuku had wondered if this would even work. However, something he had noticed earlier when he jumped to free himself from this villain, was that the eyes and mouth seemed to be more affected by gravitational force. They were the first things to fall back towards the ground, simply pulling the rest of his slime body along for the ride, indicating that they had more mass.

Fortunately, Izuku's guess proved correct, and he struck true sending one large glob of villain away from the rest. Mt. Lady had caught Bakugo, but Izuku had launched himself slightly further away. The fall was no issue, as he had jumped higher earlier, and Izuku simply kicked back and forth between the buildings to slow his descent.

As the Youthful teen landed, he stared at the crowd in shock. Now that the explosions had stopped, Backdraft had been able to clear up the rest of the fire pretty quickly and everyone could now see clearly. Most couldn't believe what they had just seen. Some simply couldn't believe what he was wearing.

Honestly, Izuku didn't know where the red leg warmers and belt had even come from, but he figured the bodysuit was just as Youthful as the owner. It must have sensed his need and come to him in that fateful hour, because... that's something clothes do? Youthful clothes at least!

"Kid are you nuts?" shouted Death Arms, it seemed he recovered from the shock rather quickly, "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

Izuku shrugged it off, "Youth demands action! One cannot talk the talk unless they are willing to walk the walk after all."

Even though Izuku meant his words earnestly, Death Arms took it as a slight aimed at his inaction and clenched his fists, "Why you damn-"

The man's words were cut off as a reformed sludge villain rose up quickly behind Izuku, "I've got you now you damn bra-ahaha. YOU BRAHAHAHA HAHA HAHAHA HAHAHAHA!"

A collective head tilt overtook the crowd, all in concert asking, "Huh?"

The confusion didn't last long as Emi Fukukado, better known as pro heroine Ms. Joke, arrived on the scene, "Alright officers, you can...mop things up from here! Haha."

The heroine chuckled, some of the officers giving her a pity laugh as they collected the villain who couldn't stop laughing to fight back against the special container. It was a rather... strange end to an action-packed scene, but Izuku was happy with it.

"Emi," Izuku cheered out before he found himself smacked on the back of his head.

To his credit, Izuku didn't even budge from the hit, nor did his smile drop.

"Don't you Emi me, you little brat," she scolded him, "Here I am, finishing up my rounds and heading to your place to check up on you, and mayyybe get some dinner, but where do I find you? Not enjoying one of the joke books I lovingly provided you at home, oh no, you were out here embarrassing pro heroes who don't know how to do their jobs on the six o'clock news!"

Death Arms had been, while somewhat confused, nodding along with the woman until the last bit registered, "Hey, wait just a-"

Emi was in his face before he could blink, "I'll get to you Dead Arms. Wait your turn!"

"As for you," Emi whipped back to her cousin and pulled him into a tight hug, "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried when I saw you in the air like that. I knew you were a little beefcake but that was awesome! Your mom is going to freak when she hears about this."

Big animated tears appeared in the boy's eyes as he broke off the hug, "I'm so sorry Emi! I never meant to worry you! As repentance, I shall run ten- nay, twenty laps around the city. And if I can't do that, then I'll do..."

Izuku continued with his own punishment list as he dashed away. Death Arms reached out to stop him, but the boy was long gone. His words faded into the distance.

Emi didn't understand why people said raising kids was hard. Izuku had been super easy for her, he was always well-mannered and respectful. The times where he did do something wrong were always innocent and the boy punished himself! Not to mention the fact that his punishments would only serve to make him a better hero.

"Maybe I should write a parenting book... Better idea! I should make a parenting bit! That'll knock 'em dead!"

"Ms. Joke," a hesitant Death Arms spoke up, obvious exasperation setting in, "Who the hell is that kid?"

The Smile Hero gave him the grin she was famous for, "That kid? That kid is the person who's going to be the world's first quirkless hero. I'd say don't quit your day job, but if he's already showing you up now, once he's a hero you probably will want to! Bahahaha!"

Death Arms looked absolutely dumbfounded as the woman gave him a few too-hard shoulder pats before walking away. He laughed weakly, knowing who he was talking to, but for the life of him wasn't sure if she was joking or not. The worst part though, after seeing what the kid was capable of, he wasn't sure if she was wrong.

Unbeknownst to all, a scraggly-looking blond man stood in the crowd. Toshinori Yagi, the one and only All Might, stood aghast. He wasn't sure if the boy had been lying to him or not, but quirkless people didn't just move like that. The skeletal man clutched his chest in pain. He'd been trying to force activate his quirk to help, but the situation resolved itself before he could.

This boy was... something else. The number one hero just couldn't explain him. He was reminded of his younger self, desperate to become something he was powerless to achieve. He felt so defeated, even if he never gave up the dream, only to be lucky enough to be handed the opportunity.

However, unlike him, Izuku Midoriya hadn't left his dreams to die. He hadn't stood aside and done nothing to achieve them, hadn't waited for an opportunity to be handed to him. Izuku, All Might realized, had made his dream a reality without relying on others to give him the chance. It was amazing, but also created a feeling of pettiness within him. Whether it was directed at Izuku for succeeding where he failed or himself for not trying, he wasn't sure, but Toshinori left for home with a pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his missing organs.

Unlike the pro heroes, Izuku felt an exhilaration pumping through his veins. He had just saved Bakugo. He had been a hero! It all felt so... YOUTHFUL!

Of all the decisions Izuku made that day, or for those to come, he considered this to be one of his most important, "This jumpsuit is totally going to be part of my hero costume!"

The day, however, wasn't over for Izuku as he got home just before curfew. He was dying for a warm shower, a hot meal, and a cold pillow to lay his head upon. After all, a proper Youthful hero hopeful gets 8 Youthful hours of sleep a night.

A loving note had been on his door when he got home from his cousin. It simply read: "Next time get checked out by the medics before running off ya knucklehead! That explosion boy didn't seem very happy about you saving him either. A real... firecracker, ain't he? LOL "

Izuku shook his head at the note and headed inside. On the kitchen table was a fully cooked dinner; katsudon, his favorite. It was covered up to keep it warm with some green tea in a thermos beside it. Emi wouldn't have done this. She burned green tea black for goodness sake.

No, the dinner provided for him might as well have been autographed by its creator. As, sat beside the food, Izuku found the familiar notebook. A few tears trickled down his eyes as he read it.

Dear Izuku,

Are you okay? Feeling alright? Not hurt at all, I hope. If you start feeling bad at all, please call the emergency services.

As you might suspect, I saw your big fight on the news. They were airing it live. I'd like to give that Death Arms a piece of my mind too. Just standing around there like a lump on a log. Then he has the nerve to chastise my baby for doing HIS job? The gall of some people.

When you ran into the fire like that, I was so terrified. It was like I could feel all of my old fears creep through my chest. Though, I'll admit I did laugh when I saw you in that green spandex. It did seem a little silly, but you looked so cool, sweetie.

I already contacted Mitsuki. Katsuki is fine, though he's adamant that he didn't need your help. That boy, I don't know how I never saw how much of a wreck he is. An inferiority streak a mile wide that one, with a nice helping of superiority complex on top of it. I hate to think what that says about me, but I'm trying to look ahead.

Oh, and you'd better believe that Mitsuki had a few words for me. Not to mention opinions on what I was doing and wondering how I could just leave you all alone. I didn't argue back. I deserve it all and more, I'm sure. Still, I finally feel like I'm starting to get to a very good place. That dark feeling in me rose up when I saw you run into danger, but I simply embraced Youth and trusted in my baby. It may not be today or tomorrow, but soon, very soon, I will be coming home sweetheart.

Izuku hugged the notebook to his chest. He didn't know if his heart could take much more joy. Youth was saving his family!

"YOUTH!"

"Be quiet down there!"

Izuku blushed, "Sorry, Mrs. Nii!"

Slightly embarrassed and feeling somewhat chastised couldn't keep Izuku from one more whisper shout, "YOUTH!"

A/N: So there's chapter 4! I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry for the late upload but I only have my ADHD to blame so...yeah. You can all thank AO3 user KrisKrashin for putting me back on track. Thanks, Kris!

Now, about this chapter. We have the fallout with All Might. Obviously this Izuku wouldn't have any reason to grab onto his pants leg and follow him. And, while rude, I've always felt that All Might's advice came from a good place, if a place of fear as well.

I hope you all didn't mind Izuku doubting himself for a moment, but it seemed necessary. That said, as always, when the chips are down our boy Izuku rises to the challenge. Couldn't help but take Death Arms down a few pegs as well.

I know a great many of you had thoughts on the spandex suit, but I felt like I had to use it once. As for his official hero suit, it will be a part of it, but with several alterations. Inko has reemerged as well, to an extent. As I said, she isn't gone, but her redemption will take time and effort on her part but will be done off-screen.

Last thing, I swear. I'm curious what you guys thought about the latest MHA movie, "You're Next!" Since I don't want to drop spoilers, I'll simply say I wasn't a fan. It seemed to much like a rip-off of one of the arcs already in the show. I'll happily explain in the comments if you want to talk about it.