Hey!
Before we begin, I wanted to say a few things about what this fanfic is actually going to be about.
My main idea for the story is to start pretty much the same and slowly diverge from the canon as the protagonist takes her own choices, so the first chapter is just an introduction. My main issue with MHA has always been how boring, bland, passive and generic Izuku Midoriya is. Sure, he is a good person, but there's not much else to him.
I'm not trying to go edgy with this or anything, I just wanted to rewrite the story with a protagonist that feels smart and capable, that makes you think wow, I'm really glad All Might picked this girl instead of any of the other 200 better candidates in the show. A protagonist should guide the story with their actions, it should feel like their always making a difference.
On a similar note, I'll be discarding some characters I simply see no point to. Some of the members of Class 1-A were basically useless through the entire story, and I don't really feel like making an attempt at fixing the dude who gains strength from a bag of white powder, so… Yeah, let's just ignore those ever happened and just add some new characters instead.
There's also going to be an explanation as to how this story would come to happen within the MHA universe, but that won't be coming anytime soon. Maybe in six months?
Anyways…
Enjoy the story!
Chapter 1: Twice Upon A Time
It was a Sunday like any other, except that day, heroes were fighting villains. Izumi Midoriya jumped out of bed, her heart racing with excitement.
She hurried to dress, her heart racing. "Mom! I'm going out!" she shouted, barely pausing to acknowledge her rumpled reflection as she flung open the door. "There's a fight downtown!"
"Izumi? Wait, Izumi!" her mother called after her, but it was too late. She was already gone.
Feet pounding against the pavement, Izumi raced toward the commotion. The alarm wired to her phone—linked to the hero news network—had done its job, waking her the moment the incident broke. Her mind rang with anticipation—which heroes would be there? What new observations could she add to her notes?
Whoever it was, she'd update her hero analysis with new information. She arrived breathless, only to find the streets packed. Civilians crowded near the train tracks, their heads tilted upward, pointing toward the towering figure of a villain.
Then, in a flash, an agile figure flew above the heads of the crowd, twisting through the air with incredible acrobatics.
"Who's fighting?!" Izumi blurted out instinctively. But before anyone could respond, she recognized the hero instantly, her mind going back to the detailed stats she had memorized.
Strength: 50. Resistance: 60. Mobility: 70. A wood-themed hero known for immobilizing foes—Kamui Woods.
"Kamui Woods!" she cried, unable to contain her excitement. "The rising star!"
The man next to her chuckled. "You were asking, but you already knew. You're a fangirl, aren't you?!"
"Um… Oh, well…" Izumi grinned sheepishly, her enthusiasm bubbling over.
The battle raged on. Kamui Woods sprinted along the villain's massive arm, but was swatted aside, his strength no match for the brute force. As the hero landed rough on his feet, he took a firm stance and his right arm extended. Izumi's breath hitched—she knew what was coming.
Lacquered Chain Prison.
Even though his strength was average, Kamui's ability to swiftly capture enemies was unparalleled. Wooden branches erupted from him, expanding into thick, unbreakable chains. But before the chains could fully secure the villain, an even larger figure appeared—going through the air with astonishing speed. The colossal woman drop-kicked the villain straight into the street.
Who is that?! Izumi's mind raced. I've never seen that hero before—I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS HERO BEFORE.
Strength: 70. Resistance: 60. Mobility: 60.
The giant woman stood tall, her skin-tight suit gleaming in the sunlight as cameras flashed in her direction. Her name came booming across the street: Mt. Lady. The crowd gasped, already enamored by her presence.
"Gigantification…" Izumi murmured, scribbling furiously in her notebook. "It's a flashy Quirk—and it looks like she'll be popular. But the collateral damage… She'll need to be careful."
Her pencil scratched across the page, capturing every detail, every insight. Her notebook, as always, was her most faithful companion. If she couldn't fight, she would analyze. Her mind was her greatest weapon.
"Taking notes? You wanna be a hero?" the man next to her asked, a grin spreading across his face. "That's awesome! I bet you'll make it."
Izumi's heart swelled at his words, a surge of determination rising within her.
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
That night, Izumi returned home and carefully added the new entries to her personal library of notebooks—each one filled with meticulous records of hero stats, theories, and strategies. A lifetime of observation, all for one singular dream: to join them, to become one of them, even if she didn't have a Quirk. She didn't need to be like them—just useful. Even if she could only save one person, it would all be worth it.
But as midnight rolled in, the harsh reality crept back in. Tomorrow was another day of school, another day of blending into the background, another day spent hiding behind her brave face. Yet, she told herself it didn't matter. By the end of the year, she would leave that all behind and step into the life she was destined for. Her dreams were closer than ever.
"Since you're all third-years, it's time to think seriously about your future…" the teacher said, flipping through a pile of papers with disinterest.
Yet, his words hung in the air, sparking a wave of excitement through the classroom. For many students, joining the hero course was a far-off dream, but even those with the smallest Quirks held onto it. Izumi, sitting quietly among them, felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there wasn't such a wide gap between her and the others.
The room exploded with cheers and shouts—until an arrogant voice cut through.
"Sensei, don't lump me in with the extras," a rough voice sneered from the back of the room. "I'm not staying at the bottom with the rest of these losers."
Izumi didn't even need to turn to know who it was. Katsuki Bakugo. Strength: 50. Resistance: 40. Mobility: 40. He was insufferable, but his Quirk was powerful enough to back up his arrogance, placing him on par with most rookie heroes.
"If I remember correctly, you want to go to U.A. Right, Bakugo?" the teacher asked, bringing a hush over the class.
Watching the classroom fall into silence, Bakugo smirked, hopping onto his desk. "That's right. I've aced every test. I'm going to go to U.A. and become the number one hero. I'll surpass All Might, and my name will be at the top of the list!"
The teacher, almost absentmindedly, added, "Oh yeah… Midoriya, you're aiming for U.A. too, right?"
Izumi felt a cold chill run through her back as the ambience once more settled down, every stare now focused on her lonely, small figure. For a second she thought there could be no worse feeling in the entire world. But then, the tension broke into pure laughter.
"Huh? Midoriya? No way!"
"You can't get in the hero course by just studying!"
"T-They got rid of that rule," she protested, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just… no one's done it yet…"
A deafening bang echoed through the classroom as Bakugo slammed his hand down on her desk, the wood splintering beneath his palm. Smoke curled from his fingertips.
"Deku," he growled, his voice low and bitter. "You failed reject. How dare you even stand near me?!"
"I-I'm not trying to compete with you!" Izumi stammered, recoiling from his glare.
"You couldn't if you tried!" Bakugo snapped, his hands sparking with tiny explosions. "You're Quirkless! What the hell can you do?!"
Luckily, the rest of the day passed in a blur of taunts and cruel jokes. By the time the class ended, Izumi was exhausted. She packed her things slowly, trying to ignore the dull ache in her chest. But before she could leave, Bakugo grabbed her notebook, looking at the contents with mockery. His expression was one of pure resentment.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Bakugo hissed, holding her precious notes above her head. "This is what you deserve."
With a flick of his wrist, the notebook caught fire, flames licking at the edges of the pages. Izumi's heart sank as she watched the words she had poured her soul into turn to ash.
"You'll never be a hero," he whispered, leaning in close, his hand gripping her shoulder until it hurt. "If you want to be one so badly, why don't you jump off the roof? Maybe in your next life you'll be born right."
Izumi stood frozen, tears burning at the corners of her eyes as Bakugo walked away, laughing with his friends. She wanted to scream, to fight back, but all she could do was watch as he threw the notebook out the window.
Why do I even bother?
As she walked home, the weight of her failure hung heavy around her shoulders. She found the ruined notebook floating in a pond, fish nibbling at the soggy pages. She retrieved it with trembling hands, her eyes tracing over the damage. It felt like a cruel metaphor for her life—a dream slowly disintegrating, piece by piece.
The heroes she admired—the ones she recorded obsessively—they were nothing like her. They had power, charisma, something to offer the world. What did she have?
Nothing.
She had been born with nothing.
That was the destiny of the Quirkless: a life spent in quiet suffering, watching from the sidelines as others rose to heights she could never reach.
Izumi's pace slowed as she crossed under a small bridge, her heart heavy with the familiar weight of rejection. It was not the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. She tried to shake the feeling away, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Fake it until you make it, she thought, the mantra feeling emptier with each passing day.
But fate had other plans.
The world around Izumi darkened, shadows creeping like tendrils on the corner of her vision. A sudden chill crawled up her spine—a warning. Something was behind her. Something dangerous. A villain.
Before she could even turn, a thick, viscous form jumped forward. The creature's gelatinous body wrapped around her, its grip tightening with terrifying speed, suffocating her in one smooth, crushing motion. Panic surged through her chest as she gasped for air, only to find none. Her scream died, trapped within her throat, swallowed by the villain's unrelenting pressure. Her vision dimmed, the world tilting and shrinking as her lungs burned, every fiber of her body paralyzed by terror.
Breathe!, she screamed to herself, but it was like trying to swim through stone. The villain's taunts barely registered on her ears, drowned out by the drumming of her pulse, her heart's desperate struggle to keep her alive.
And then, just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.
A thunderous explosion of air ripped through the street, and Izumi felt the suffocating weight lift from her chest. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, her vision blurred by tears and pain. When she pushed through the haze, a towering figure stood before her.
All Might.
Strength: 110. Resistance: 110. Mobility: 110. The greatest hero in the world.
"I'm glad you're safe!" His voice boomed with warmth and confidence. "Sorry about getting you caught up in that. I don't usually make mistakes like this—guess I'm getting old!" He laughed, though there was a hint of apology in his tone. In his hand, he held a bottle of cola, inside of which the villain squirmed helplessly. "But thanks to you, I managed to get him!"
Izumi blinked, still processing everything. "The number one hero... All Might..." she whispered. Her legs wobbled beneath her, threatening to give way under the weight of disbelief.
ALL MIGHT HAD SAVED HER.
An autograph! Her mind raced. She fumbled through her uniform, searching for a pen. Her eyes went to her fallen notebook on the street. In one motion, she threw herself toward it, flipping it open—only to freeze in astonishment.
His signature was already there. Somehow, despite everything, he'd signed it. She stood, giving a deep bow, her heart bursting with gratitude.
"T-Thank you! I'll take good care of it! I'll make sure my children treasure it too!"
But All Might was already moving, his farewell a quick, casual gesture. Izumi's heart sank. This can't be over yet!
Desperation surged through her, and before she could stop herself, she reached out, grabbing onto his leg just as he prepared to leap.
The force of his jump was like being caught in a hurricane. The world below blurred into a smear of colors—buildings, streets, houses—all vanishing in an instant. Izumi clung tightly, the wind roaring in her ears, turning her attempts to speak into nothing more than sad, comic cries.
"Okay, okay! Just close your eyes and mouth!" All Might called back, amused.
For Izumi, landing on the rooftop was nothing short of a miracle. She collapsed the moment they touched down, her limbs shaking with exhaustion. A moment ago, she wasn't even sure she'd survive.
"T-That was terrifying," she breathed, sinking onto her knees.
But All Might, once again, prepared to leave. Not yet, she thought. I'm not ready for this to end.
"Wait!" she screamed, her body shaking as she stood. "Even if I don't have a Quirk, can I still become a hero?" Her words tumbled out in a rush, her gaze falling to the ground, ashamed of her own hope. "Can someone without a Quirk...become a hero like you?"
All Might froze mid-step, his head turning slightly as if to make sure he'd heard her right. "Without a Quirk?" he repeated.
But before he could answer, his body seized up in sudden pain. A wave of agony washed over him, steam rising from his form as his powerful frame began to shrink. The transformation was swift and brutal—All Might, the symbol of peace, crumbled before her eyes. When the smoke cleared, what remained was a ghost. A gaunt, frail man stood where the great hero had once been.
Izumi gasped, horror written across her face. "Y-You're deflating!" she stammered, her mind struggling to reconcile what she was seeing. "Wait… is this a trick? Did I just fall for a catfish?!"
The man looked up at her with weary eyes. "No tricks," he said, wiping the blood from his chin. "I am All Might."
Izumi screamed, backing away in disbelief. "B-But All Might always saves people with a smile! And he's not…"
"A smile…" All Might chuckled bitterly, sinking down to sit against the rooftop's fence. He lifted his shirt, revealing the grotesque scar that covered his abdomen—an injury so severe nobody else could survive.
"I got this from an enemy's attack five years ago," he said, his voice hollow. "I lost my stomach and one of my lungs. This is what's left after all the surgeries. Now, I can only be a hero for about three hours a day."
He sighed, his voice growing quieter, yet somehow more powerful. "You mentioned my smile. I smile to show the world there's always a hero, even if I'm scared on the inside. But the truth is... heroes like me risk everything. I can't just tell you that someone without a Quirk can become a hero. If you want to help others, become a police officer. It's an important job, even if people make fun of it nowadays."
He stood, his back to her as he walked toward the stairwell. "It's not wrong to dream," he said quietly. "But at some point, you have to face reality."
And then he was gone.
For a long moment, Izumi stood frozen, the wind howling around the empty rooftop, her brain aching from everything she had just witnessed. The weight of his words pressed down on her chest, suffocating in a way the villain's grip had not. But just as despair began to sink in, an explosion ripped through the sky in the distance. Instinct took over. Without thinking, Izumi dashed, her legs carrying her toward the heart of the chaos, toward the battle that had just begun.
Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't care. I need to see a hero. I need to believe...
Someone had to save the day.
When Izumi arrived, the street was chaos—crowded with panicked civilians, heat pouring off buildings that crackled as the flames expanded. Heroes moved between pockets of screaming people, but Izumi's gaze froze on the villain standing at the center, casting a grotesque shadow over the street.
It was him—the same monster who'd attacked her.
Why is he here? Her body recoiled with fear. Did he escape All Might? Did he… Her chest tightened, breath dry. Did he drop the bottle? Is this… my fault?
Around her, the murmurs of the crowd broke through the ringing in her ears.
"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"
"Are they blind? That villain's got some kid trapped in there—been like that for a while now."
Izumi's trembled, the memory of suffocating inside that thing pressing in, a tightening pressure that nearly paralyzed her. She'd barely survived seconds in its grip, and someone else had been trapped like that for minutes?
The crowd continued to mumble.
"Wasn't that the villain All Might was fighting?"
"Yeah, but where is he now?"
"I saw him earlier!" someone cried, panic on their words. "So why isn't he here?"
This is my fault, she thought. If All Might hadn't wasted his time with me…
More cries filled the air, voices blending in a long chorus of fear and anger. And then she saw him—Bakugou, his face twisted in pain, struggling against the slime that was choking the life from him. The agony in his eyes…
And her legs began to move.
"Idiot, what are you doing?!"
Why am I running? Confusion and terror mixed as she pressed forward. What am I doing?
Ahead, the villain noticed her approach, lifting a monstrous arm that darkened the sky above. Behind, she could feel the heat of the fire as it clawed at her passing, attempting to bite at her clothes.
"Die!" the monster screamed.
What do I do? Her mind kept going. Page 25. Lacquered Chain Prison.
Grabbing her backpack, she threw it forward, its contents spilling out and crashing against the villain's face. It stopped him for a second—just one—and she dashed ahead, hands clawing at the sticky slime holding her classmate.
"Kacchan!"
Bakugou's eyes flew open, narrowed with anger even as he gasped for air. "Why are you here?!" he choked.
"I don't know!"
Her words fell out as her heart hammered and her whole life flashed before her in raw memories—a sad, unremarkable life tethered to the ground, never meant to take flight.
But she did not care.
She looked at Bakugou's face, twisted in pain, his eyes pleading without words. And in that moment, she knew—it didn't matter if she could do something; she had to do something.
"Pathetic…" A deep voice rumbled behind her.
The ground shook as the villain's fist crashed down, but another figure blurred forward, throwing a shadow over them both.
"I'm really pathetic…"
"All Might!" Izumi gasped.
"All that talking… And I wasn't putting my own words into practice," All Might growled, his gaze fierce. "Heroes are always risking their lives!"
With a mighty pull, he snapped Bakugou free, then drew back his right arm, the air thickening around him with raw power. Izumi's breath caught as she felt the sheer force radiating from him, and she knew—that was what she'd been waiting to see. The embodiment of hope.
"Detroit… SMASH!"
The force exploded, shaking the entire street, scattering fire and debris. Izumi fell to the ground, her body trembling and exhausted. She remained there as wind surged around her, the chaos of the moment slipping away. And then—she felt it—a light, cool drizzle falling against her skin, washing away the ash and pain.
Rain.
A smile broke through her tears as she looked up. Somewhere above, the sky had finally opened up.
Later, as the heroes gathered the villain's remains and delivered them to the police, Izumi tried to slip away, hoping to disappear into the crowd. But the other heroes noticed her standing there and made sure she didn't leave without a firm reminder
"There's a limit to how dumb you can be!"
"There was absolutely no reason to put yourself in danger!"
Death Arms—Strength: 60. Resistance: 60. Mobility: 40.
By the time Izumi finally left, the sun had begun to set, covering the city in a soft, fading orange glow. She'd wanted to apologize to All Might, but as she watched him caught in a mob of reporters, she knew there was no point. What could she say that would make any difference? Words would be empty, so she walked on, alone with the faint ache in her chest.
And yet, beneath the exhaustion, there was a glimmer of happiness. It wasn't much—her actions hadn't been heroic or particularly brave. But she had done something, something that mattered, even just a little. The emptiness in her stomach softened, replaced by a quiet satisfaction.
"Deku!"
The sound of quick, heavy footsteps made her pause. She turned to see Bakugou storming up behind her.
"Kacchan?" she murmured, taken aback.
He didn't waste a second. "I never asked for your help!" His words came out in a growl, his eyes flaring with barely contained frustration. "And don't think you actually helped me! Got it?! I was fine by myself—you're nothing but a Quirkless failure. I don't owe you anything!"
With that, he turned on his heel and marched away, leaving her stunned.
Izumi blinked, watching him go. What a weird guy, she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips.
He wasn't wrong; she hadn't done anything spectacular. But somehow, it had been enough—enough to soothe the longing in her heart. The city around her grew dimmer as she turned back toward—
"I am here!"
Izumi turned around, eyes wide. "A-All Might?! Why are you here? You were surrounded by—"
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Getting away from the cameras is a piece of cake! Why? Because I am—"
His laugh boomed as he struck a powerful pose, though only halfway before his body deflated, shrinking into his frail form. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he took a slow breath, wiping his chin with a practiced calm.
"Young girl," he began, his tone low and solemn. "I come with thanks, a correction, and a suggestion."
"Huh?"
"If you hadn't been there today, I'd have been just another guy in a bodysuit pretending to be a hero." He nodded deeply. "Thank you."
"N-No! That can't be… it was my fault!" She held her hands up, her voice breaking. "I… I said all those things, even though I don't have a Quirk."
"That's exactly it." His tone was softer now, resonant. "Seeing you there, powerless and yet so brave… that's what allowed me to act." His words, somehow gentle and unshakably strong, pressed into her. "Every hero has a story from their high school days—one that defines them. Almost all of them share one thing in common: their bodies moved before they even had a chance to think."
Izumi blinked, her mind flashing to memories of her mother, of that difficult night and the unspoken pain they'd both endured. Her fingers dug into her chest as if to hold her heart together, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
"That was true for you too, wasn't it?" All Might asked.
She could barely breathe, her heart racing under the weight of her emotion, but she forced herself to nod. Tears slipped from her eyes, and she let them fall freely. "Y-Yeah!"
In truth, she had never wanted a Quirk. All she'd ever wanted was to hear—
"You can become a hero."
The words echoed through her, crashing like waves of light, and she fell to her knees, clutching her chest as her heart overflowed with raw, aching joy. It hurt—she was so happy it hurt, her body barely able to contain the feeling. There was nothing she could say, no words to explain that happiness. So she stayed silent, letting herself be carried by the quiet, beautiful moment, feeling complete for the first time in her life.
That night, Izumi rushed home, her face alight, her feet barely touching the ground.
"Mom! Mom?!" she shouted, her voice echoing down the hallway. "You're never going to believe what happened to me!"
The house was unusually dark, shadows filling every corner, and a thick, unnatural silence hung in the air. She paused, just for a second, a chill brushing her spine. But nothing could dim her excitement, not after that day—not after everything she had experienced. She continued, undeterred, calling out as she moved from room to room, her footsteps quick, relentless.
"Mom?"
Her strength wavered when she reached the last door, where her mother's shadow lay unnaturally still. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she stepped forward, refusing to let the ominous feeling take root. But when she finally saw the form slumped before her, a shudder ran through her entire body.
"Mom…?"
The word barely escaped her, caught between hope and disbelief, as she reached out to touch the cold, unmoving hand. The brightness of her day died, replaced by the dark, chilling weight of the unknown.
This is my first fanfic so I would greatly appreciate any feedback!