Chapter 1: Prologue
"I'm sorry, he's quirkless."
Those four words were all it took to shatter Midoriya Izuku's world. The doctor's voice was clinical, detached, as if delivering an ordinary piece of news, but to Izuku, it felt like the floor had collapsed beneath him.
Ever since he could remember, Izuku had dreamed of being a hero—saving people, just like All Might. But with those words, it felt like that dream had been ripped from his grasp.
"B-but doctor... there's q-quirk genes in the big toe joint, right?" Izuku stammered, clinging to hope. "That means I could still—"
The doctor sighed and shook his head. "You only have two joints, kid. That means no quirk. I know it's tough, but... you'll have to find something else."
The cold finality of it sank in, each syllable hammering against his chest. No quirk. Izuku's dream—his entire future—seemed to dissolve before his eyes. His mother, standing behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder, her face a mask of sadness. She knew. She'd always known the weight of this diagnosis.
As they walked out of the quirk counselor's office, whispers trailed after them.
"Poor kid."
"Such bad luck..."
"A quirkless child? How sad. He's defective."
Izuku's heart clenched. He wanted to scream, to tell them they were wrong. That he could still be a hero, that he could still do great things. But the truth was there, a shadow he couldn't outrun: he was quirkless.
His father was waiting outside the clinic, hands in his pockets, shoulders tense. When he saw them, his face fell. Izuku saw the devastation in his eyes, the disappointment.
"It's true, then?" His father's voice was quiet, pained.
In that moment, Izuku realized something. It wasn't just society that would turn its back on him. His own family had already started to pull away. They wouldn't say it, but he could see the toll it took on them—the way his existence made everything harder.
At home, things changed. Subtle at first. His parents, once warm and attentive, grew distant. They still said they loved him, but the unspoken strain was palpable. Conversations turned shorter. They shielded him from the whispers, the judgmental stares, but even they couldn't keep everything away.
At school, it was worse. Kids his age avoided him, treating him like he was contagious. The word quirkless became a slur, spat at him with disgust. Even Bakugo, his childhood friend, had changed. They used to dream together about becoming heroes, but now Bakugo only sneered at him.
"Deku," he called him, a name that meant useless. Null. Defect.
The bullying wasn't just verbal. Izuku's classmates pushed him, knocked over his things, and scribbled insults on his notebooks. He tried to ignore it, tried to focus on his love for heroes, but every day felt like he was falling further and further behind.
Outside the walls of the school, life wasn't any kinder. Word spread quickly in their neighborhood—the quirkless kid from the green-haired family. People began to treat him as if his lack of a quirk was contagious. Parents pulled their children away when he walked past. Store clerks hesitated to serve him. Even the landlord raised an eyebrow when they walked in together.
It was late at night, and Izuku was wandering through the small apartment, unable to sleep. The shadows seemed to weigh heavy on him after the argument he'd overheard earlier—his parents had been fighting again about what to do with him. He quietly passed by his father's office, the door slightly ajar.
Curiosity got the better of him, and Izuku peeked inside. His father wasn't there. The desk lamp was still on, casting a harsh yellow light over the stacks of papers scattered across the table. One document caught his eye—a letter from a laboratory with big, bold letters on the top: VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN QUIRK STUDY: CONSENT FORM.
Izuku stepped closer, his heart pounding in his chest. His small hands picked up the paper, his eyes scanning the contents. The words blurred as he tried to make sense of them, but a few phrases stood out starkly:
"Experimental procedures to induce quirk expression in quirkless children..."
"Risks include severe pain, psychological effects, and permanent injury..."
"Parent or legal guardian consent required for participation..."
Izuku's breath hitched. His father's name was scribbled on the form in tentative handwriting, as if he had hesitated just before writing it. Izuku stared at the half-completed signature, his chest tightening with fear and confusion.
He took the paper and retreated to his room, tears burning in his eyes. His father, who rarely talked to him anymore, had been considering something—something that terrified Izuku more than anything. What if his father actually signed it? What if they did things to him... just because he was quirkless?
Izuku sat hunched over at the kitchen table, scrolling through his laptop, eyes red and blurry from exhaustion. His fingers shook slightly as he tapped the keys, navigating through endless search results in a desperate attempt to find something—anything—that could give him hope. His search history was filled with terms like "jobs for quirkless people," "careers quirkless can excel in," and "how to be useful without a quirk." Each search led to the same disappointing results. Every avenue seemed to close before him, one after another.
A doctor? He had looked into that, but medical school was expensive—too expensive. He would need years of training, and no one would sponsor a quirkless student. The scholarships were all aimed at people with quirks that could benefit the medical field. And besides, he doubted he could even get into a prestigious institution. Who would invest in someone with no "natural advantages"? He stared at the screen, the stark reality of his situation draining what little hope he had left.
Then there was support engineering—something he had once been interested in. He thought maybe if he couldn't hero, he could at least help build equipment for them. But no. Support companies had strict guidelines. Most required their engineers to have quirks themselves, reasoning that only someone with a quirk could truly understand the needs of those who used them. He had done research, but the subtext was brief and cold. "Quirkless not allowed. Please apply for non-technical support roles." That stung, not just because it closed yet another door, but because it felt like the world was telling him he was fundamentally incapable.
His breath hitched as he scrolled through the list of rejections. Unfit. Incapable. Unqualified. Words that had become far too familiar to him. He rubbed his tired eyes, staring at the faint reflection of his face on the dark screen. He was running out of options.
The door to the apartment swung open, and his father, Hisashi, stormed in. His face was a mask of frustration and exhaustion, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. Izuku's heart sank immediately at the sight of him. His father was always angry now. His work as a salaryman had kept him busy and frustrated, but now it was worse. Hisashi had been distant since Izuku's quirk diagnosis, but lately, his frustration had grown into something more volatile. Something dangerous.
"Still on that damn computer, huh?" Hisashi growled as he threw his briefcase onto the couch. "What are you even looking for now? Some miracle that'll make you useful?"
Izuku's heart skipped a beat, his throat tightening. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the anxiety clawing at his chest. "I-I'm just… trying to find something I can do," he mumbled, his voice weak.
"Something you can do?" Hisashi scoffed bitterly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his son. "Like what, Izuku? You've been looking for years. For what? Some useless job that'll never amount to anything? Don't you get it? You're quirkless. You'll never amount to anything."
The words hit Izuku like a physical blow, but he couldn't even muster the energy to argue. He had heard it all before. He had thought it all before. But hearing it from his own father—every time it hurt just as much.
"Hisashi, please," Inko's soft voice cut in as she stepped into the room. She had been standing in the kitchen, watching silently, her face pale with worry. "He's just trying to find his place. There's no need to be so harsh."
Hisashi rounded on her, his eyes burning with frustration. "No need to be harsh? Inko, he's been wasting his life! Every day he's sitting here, pretending like he's going to be something. He's quirkless. That's it! There's nothing for him!"
Inko flinched at his words but stood her ground. She knew the truth hurt, but she couldn't stand by and let Hisashi speak to their son that way. Izuku had been struggling enough, and the last thing he needed was more cruelty. "He's still our son," she said softly, stepping forward. "He's trying. Can't you see how much he's trying? He hasn't given up."
"Trying for what?" Hisashi snapped, his voice rising. "For what, Inko? He's wasting his time, and you're just enabling him!"
Inko opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Hisashi's hand lashed out, pushing her roughly to the side. She stumbled, catching herself against the kitchen counter. Izuku shot up from his chair, his heart racing in panic.
"Mom!" he cried, rushing toward her, his mind going blank in fear.
Inko held up a hand to stop him, giving him a small, shaky smile. "I'm fine, Izuku. I'm fine."
But she wasn't fine. The bruise on her arm was already starting to form, a deep purple mark against her pale skin. And Izuku could see the tears she was trying so hard to hide.
Hisashi didn't even look back at them. He stood by the door, his hands trembling with frustration. "You think this is easy for me?" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "You think I wanted a quirkless kid? You think I wanted to be stuck here, watching him throw his life away?"
Izuku felt his world crumble beneath him. His father's words hung in the air, heavy and cold. This was what he had feared for so long—that his father regretted him. That he saw him as nothing more than a burden.
Hisashi let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "You're a waste of space, Izuku. You should have—" He stopped, swallowing the rest of his sentence. But Izuku knew what he was going to say. He should have never been born.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Izuku stood frozen in place, his body numb, his mind unable to process the pain that ripped through him.
Hisashi finally grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed through the small space, leaving an oppressive silence in its wake.
Izuku stood there, staring at the door, his chest tight and his throat burning. He could feel the hot tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Crying wouldn't solve anything. It never did.
Inko moved to his side, her voice soft and trembling. "Izuku… please don't listen to him. You're not a waste. You're not."
But her words felt hollow. Izuku couldn't bring himself to believe them, not after everything. Not after years of hearing the same thing from everyone else. Society had already made it clear what his worth was. His own father had just confirmed it.
It was a crowded afternoon in the market, the sun hot and blinding as it beamed down on the street. Izuku shuffled through the throng of people, trying to keep his head down. He'd learned to avoid eye contact, avoid attracting attention. Being quirkless, you never knew how people would react once they found out.
As he hurried past a stall selling fruit, he accidentally bumped into a girl around his age, knocking her shopping bag to the ground. A few apples rolled out, tumbling onto the pavement.
"I-I'm sorry!" Izuku stammered, immediately bending down to pick up the apples.
The girl didn't say anything at first, just staring at him. But before she could respond, her parents were on him in an instant. The man—her father, Izuku guessed—stormed over, his face twisted in fury.
"Hey, watch where you're going, kid!" he barked, grabbing Izuku by the shoulder and yanking him to his feet. "You think you can just bump into people like that?"
"I didn't mean to—" Izuku tried to explain, but the mother joined in, glaring at him with disgust.
"Do you even know who you just bumped into?" she spat. "How dare you lay a hand on her!"
"Wait... You're that kid! That green haired-"
Izuku's heart raced as he held out the apples, trying to give them back. But the father slapped them out of his hands, sending them rolling again.
"Quirkless trash," the man muttered under his breath, loud enough for Izuku to hear. "People like you don't belong out here."
Izuku's blood ran cold. He could feel the stares of others around them. Whispers. Snickers. He could hear the words "quirkless" being passed around like some curse. The girl's father shoved him back, forcing him to stumble.
"Go back to where you came from," the father sneered. "People like you are dangerous."
It was at that night, that Izuku heard a small scraping sound at his window, he opened his eyes and his heart stopped
It was them—the same men from the market. The same men who had looked at him with such disgust earlier that day. There were three of them, all tall and muscular, with menacing looks in their eyes. They were dressed in dark clothes, their faces twisted with malice. One of them had a metal bat slung over his shoulder, while another cracked his knuckles menacingly, one had a knife.
Izuku's breath caught in his throat. He could feel his legs trembling, but he forced himself to stay still, hidden in the shadows. His mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. Should he try to fight? Run? Call for help?
Before he could make a decision, one of the men spotted him.
"There he is," the man growled, pointing in Izuku's direction. "The little quirkless freak."
Izuku's heart dropped. He backed up slowly, his hands trembling as he tried to make himself as small as possible. But it was too late. They were coming for him.
The men rushed toward him, one rushed to lock the door, and Izuku turned to run, but he wasn't fast enough. One of them grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground. Pain shot through his body as he hit the floor hard, gasping for air.
"Think you can just walk around like you belong here?" one of the men snarled, his foot coming down hard on Izuku's back. Izuku cried out in pain, the air knocked out of him as the man ground his heel into his spine.
"People like you don't get to live like the rest of us," another man sneered, stepping closer. He swung the bat down, and Izuku barely had time to brace himself before the metal collided with his back.
The pain was unbearable. A sharp, white-hot agony that spread through his entire body. Izuku screamed, his voice cracking as he tried to crawl away. But they didn't stop. The blows kept coming, each one worse than the last. The bat slammed into him again and again, each hit sending waves of excruciating pain through his body.
Izuku's vision blurred with tears. His body shook uncontrollably as he tried to shield himself, but it was no use. They were relentless, their anger and hatred pouring out with every strike.
He could hear his mother's terrified screams in the background, but he couldn't move. He couldn't even think. All he could do was endure the pain, hoping that it would stop soon.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the men stopped. Izuku lay on the floor, gasping for breath, his body wracked with pain. He could feel the blood pooling beneath him, warm and sticky against his skin. His back felt like it was on fire, and he could barely move without sending jolts of agony through his body.
The men stood over him, looking down at him with contempt. One of them spit on the floor next to Izuku's head.
"You should've never been born," one of them muttered before turning to leave back thru the window. The others followed, laughing darkly as they walked out the door, leaving the apartment in chaos.
Izuku lay there, trembling and broken, unable to move. His mind was a haze of pain and fear, his body too weak to do anything but breathe.
Then, through the fog of pain, he heard a faint sound—the distant wail of sirens. The police.
But when they arrived, it wasn't because of the break-in. It wasn't because someone had called for help. They were there because of a "noise complaint." That's all it was to them. A disturbance. Nothing more.
Izuku could hear the officers talking in the hallway, their voices casual and unconcerned. They didn't even bother to come inside.
"Must've been some kind of argument," one of them said. "Probably just a loud family."
"Yeah," the other agreed. "Nothing we need to worry about. Let's file the report and move on."
And just like that, they left. The sound of the sirens faded into the distance, leaving the apartment in silence once again.
Inko who finally managed to kick the door free. rushed to Izuku's side, her face pale with fear and horror as she knelt beside him. Tears streamed down her face as she carefully turned him over, gasping at the sight of the deep, bloody gashes across his back.
"Oh my God… Izuku," she whispered, her voice trembling. She grabbed a towel, pressing it gently against his wounds to stop the bleeding. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. I'm here."
Izuku could barely hear her over the ringing in his ears. His vision was blurry, his mind clouded with pain and exhaustion. He could feel his mother's hands shaking as she tried to patch him up, her voice a constant stream of soothing words. But it all felt distant, like he was slipping away.
From the corner of his eye, Izuku saw his father standing in the doorway, watching the scene with a blank expression on his face. Hisashi's hands were clenched into fists, his jaw tight as he stared at his son's broken body.
For a long moment, Hisashi said nothing. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away, heading toward his office. Izuku heard the door close softly behind him.
Later that night, as Inko tended to Izuku's wounds, Hisashi sat alone in his office, staring at his passport. America. He had been considering the move for months now, ever since Izuku's quirklessness had become undeniable. Maybe it was time to leave.
The air in the apartment was thick with tension. Izuku sat in his room, his knees drawn to his chest, but he could hear the raised voices from the living room. Hisashi had come home early from work, something that rarely happened, and it hadn't taken long for the argument to start.
"I can't take this anymore, Inko!" Hisashi's voice thundered through the thin walls. "We're losing everything because of him!"
"Please, Hisashi... just give us more time," Inko begged, her voice quivering with desperation. "We're his parents, we can't just abandon him! We promised to love him no matter what!"
Hisashi's frustration boiled over, and Izuku heard the sound of a fist slamming onto the table. "Love him? Do you think love will protect him from what the world thinks of him? We're living in fear every day! Do you know how many calls I get from people suggesting we put him in special care, or worse, let someone else deal with him?"
Inko sobbed softly. "We can't just leave him alone, Hisashi, we're all he has..."
"And what about us, Inko?" Hisashi's voice was cold now, quieter but laced with bitterness. "What about you? Do you really think you can keep going like this, waiting for the next disaster? You can't even walk down the street without people looking at us like we're broken. America's the answer. We can start fresh—"
"But we can start fresh here! Please... just one more chance, I know we can—"
Hisashi cut her off sharply. "There's no more chances. We're leaving. You're coming with me, and that's final."
Silence hung in the air like a guillotine. Izuku clutched his pillow tighter, trying to block out the sounds of his mother's sobs.
Hours later, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Izuku wondered what his life would be like without them—if they really would leave him behind. But deep down, he already knew. The look in his father's eyes had said it all.
On his seventh birthday, all Izuku got was a note.
His parents were gone, some money was on the table.
He knew, as he read the note what had happened
"I'm sorry Izuku."
Chapter 2
Hunger, Desperation, and Sadness
Izuku didn't realize what being left behind would entail for him but this was defintely way worse
He had barely survive the first month with they money given, and the second month, he had to leave, his money ran dry and the landlord had kicked him out.
His first course of action of course, was to go to a hero agency, but the moment he step foot into the hero agency, the receptionist, his warm smile turned to one of disinterest and moved back to his office. Izuku thinking he was just busy with something. simply waiting at the lobby, munching the mints provided. But as he waited, and waited. He can't help but be curious, he lent his ear on the door and-
"Oh, don't worry, that kid's a defect."
Oh.
Izuku's eyes filled with tears as he slowly moved away, did the world really judged him that much, for something he couldn't control?
Why?
Izuku left the agency, and after all the time he waited, the sun was already setting, Izuku sighed, as he slowly trudged his way back, he made it through all the bustling crowd, and a dilemma he faced. He didn't have a place to stay. He considered his options, but he didn't know what to do, he kept on going, hungry and desperate, he saw a building in the distance, really old, run down, dilapidated, he looked around him, and realized that he made his way to a very bad part of town, the entire block was underdeveloped.
Well, no one seems to care about this place, like me...
He approached the building and tried to open the door, but it was locked, he didn't lose any resolve though, he needed a place to live, he gazed towards a trash can, and saw a needle, he didn't know what compelled him to do so, but his mind lingered to those movies he always watched where the spies would jostle around with needles in some locks and they would some how opened, he picked it up and prayed to himself that this would work, he stuck the needle into the door, and moved it around.
He kept on going
and going
and going
Until after what seems like decades, he finally managed to open the lock. He breathed a sigh of relief before slowly making his way in. inside the building was rundown, bits peeled off the walls, there were puddles on the floor, bugs crawled around. He gagged but he didn't have any other place to go.
He trudged his way up the stairs eventually finding a room with an old worn mattress, after what seems like forever, he could finally rest.
His rest didn't last long.
After a few hours, he was awoken by the sound of a man. Gruff and a bit scratchy.
"Get up here Tomura! Our work isn't done! I hid the findings here! If you want Sensei back, we need those papers!"
"Yeah shut up old man I got it!
Izuku froze. His mind ran wild, but then a young man appeared in the doorway, light blue hair, with hands all over his face like some grotesque mask.
"What the-"
Izuku immediately bolted for the door, slipping underneath the man's legs and ran, that man just screamed trouble, and he was not going to stay there for long.
Another voice rang through "Get that one! He's quirkless! He'll be perfect for the creation!"
Izuku's legs took off. running out the building, and into alleyways, the footsteps got further and further, until he couldn't hear them anymore, finally he collapsed exhausted.
Why can't life be easy?
Izuku wandered down the street, wearing a ragged hoodie and one hand fiddled with a lock and the other fiddled with a needle, he expertly clicked the lock open and a small smile tugged at his lips. Skills he have learnt himself, after two more months have passed and now he was eyeing up the passerby, ready to show off his next skill.
He noticed a man, walking with his coat pocket open, and in it, was a sleek black wallet. He didn't like to steal, but he didn't have much choice
Izuku eyed it up like a predator, as he slowly approached him his hand quietly and quickly took the wallet from the pocket and walked away, towards his next destanation.
A bakery. He had been waiting a few days for any decent food, and now that he has the money, he stepped in and pointed to a loaf of bread in the back, the cashier nodded and went to get his bread, as Izuku gave him the money. A voice behind him rang out.
"There he is! That's the rascal that took my wallet!"
Izuku didn't even hesitate as he took the bread and ran, pushing through the crowd, leaving the wallet behind.
He ran down a nearby alleyway, at this point, he knew the alleyways around here like the back of his hand. As he ran a group of people ran after him.
"Get the villain!"
Villain? I'm just trying to survive!
He ran through the alleyways, until, he saw a group of people, in front of him, "There he is!" They have cut him off. Izuku ran the other way, not clear on what exactly where he was going, just knowing he shouldn't be here. After a maze of alleyways, he finally lost his pursuers. He sat down, exhausted near a dumpster.
"You ok there?"
Izuku looked up in panic and clutched his bread, looking at a man with a tall muscular build, brown short hair. a small short rough beard on him with kind eyes and a small scar on his cheek. he was wearing a bartending outfit, white shirt, black vest and pants.
"Don't worry I'm not here to take your bread. It's just I want to help. My bar is back there, The Iron Haven, come on I'll take you there."
Izuku eyed him up with suspicion and stammered out "Y-You wouldn't want me... I'm -"
"Quirkless? That's fine by me!" The man calmly said.
Izuku looked up in shock and a glimmer of hope. He had asked for help before, but all of them stopped the moment they realized he was quirkless, seen as a relic of the past.
The man sat down next to him. Seemingly waiting for an answer, after a few minutes he asked "I'm Tetsuchi, want to tell me a bit about yourself?"
Izuku hesitated before responding. "I'm Izuku, Izuku Midoriya..."
"Let me guess, parents left you for being quirkless?" Tetsuchi asked in an empathetic tone.
"Yes..."
"What do you like to do Izuku?"
"I like quirks... heroes... katsudon... but I don't like heroes as much anymore..."
"Why?"
"I went to an agency and they didn't help... called me a defect..."
Tetsuchi clenched his fists. "Of course....fucking fakes..." He muttered under his breath. "Well, kid I'm telling you, I've seen a lot of kids like you, just having no place to go, trust me I bet even you know you won't last long out here before something happening to you. Wanna come with me? As I said my bar is near here, I have a bowl of left over katsudon with your name on it."
Izuku looked up at him with a slightly skeptical look. But he knew he was right, he had to get help from someone.
So why not.
Izuku followed Tetsuchi to a building, four floors tall, when Tetsuchi opened the door, the bar came into view. A stage to his right side with amp, speakers, guitars, drum sets, bass, a piano and some violins. Red booth seats flanked both sides of the bar, as the moved up, they turned a corner and there were more booth seats but there was a bartop in the centre of the room, multiple glasses hung from on top, multiple bottles of liquor were on the shelves on the back and near it was a door labeled "Office" and one labeled "Kitchen" with an open window connecting to the bar top.
"Take a seat I'll get you food."
Izuku sat quietly as Tetsuchi started to heat up some food.
Izuku broke the silence "Tetsuchi... Why did you help me..."
Tetsuchi smiled. "Well, kid I know what it feels like to be left behind, I've seen people like you, and I've helped people like you."
"Like me?"
"Yeah, I help a lot of people and for you I can help you get a family if you want?"
"No," Izuku's mind wandered to all the possibilities of being in a foster home. Will the situation really be all that better? He doubts it, he'll rather not interact with the society that treats him like trash.
"Alright then, there's room upstairs you can stay there if you want."
Izuku blinked, he was offered food and shelter? Tetsuchi didn' t notice this and simply got the bowl out, and gave him his katsudon, as Izuku ate, he replied "I just can't do that, at least let me help."
Tetsuchi was hesitant. "Well, kid this bar here isn't normal. It's more than you think."
Izuku was now confused. "More? How so?"
Tetsuchi thought for a bit. "Well... Given that I can call you "one of our kind" I guess I can tell you, this bar is part of... I guess you can call a support network called The Forgotten Cove, or the TFC for short."
Izuku's curiosity was piqued. "What do you guys do?"
"Oh, a lot of things, job opportunities, education, places to stay, food, protection services, at a reduced price or sometimes even free!"
Izuku was shocked "Wait, how do you do that?" Tetsuchi smirked, "Well, I guess you can chalk it up to people we know who owe us favours or want to help out. And the thing is, these services are usually offered to people like mutants, quirkless, people with "villainous quirks", recovering villains or just people that got left behind in general like people who got stuck in poverty or people who just don't have anyone to rely on!"
Tetsuchi continued. "People usually shut up about us since they know if they talk to someone who's not supposed to know about us, then they might lose us, and to those who tell people about us maliciously? We got ways to deal with them. As for how we do it, some of these people, as I mentioned before may be people we helped out in the past and now that they're fine the help us back, slowly slowly it became this, we have people all across Japan!"
Izuku looked on in awe. "Wow... are there a lot of quirkless people here?"
Tetsuchi nodded "Yup! In fact a lot of quirkless people ask us about quirk counseling, since a lot of quirkless people are mis identified, and that they just didn't realize they have a quirk, maybe it's some specific activation requirements or something, whatever it is, the counselors will find out, and they also help with things like mutant quirks or transforming quirks where people might not understand things about their body."
Izuku nodded at the new of that. "Yeah! I still remember my x-ray showing quirk genes, but my doctor says that' its too like what little or too unconcentrated? To be a quirk. Actually how did you get involved with this Tetsuchi?"
Tetsuchi's smiled faltered as he scratched his chin. "Well, the thing is kid, I used to rob banks, people saw my quirk and they were scared of it, so I couldn't get any jobs so I had to steal, I got caught and served 10 years, when I got out, someone who I knew in prison, he got out a few years earlier, introduced me to these people. Then, since they didn't find all the money I got, I used the remaining money I got on this place!"
His smile grew warm "I thought I was done for, but now with places like this, though unnoticed or small, I could make a difference, quirks and background don't matter to folks here, you mentioned you liked heroes didn't you Izuku, well, this place makes me feel like one. I help so many people out of tough or dangerous situations, made it so that some people who was going to resort to crime didn't need to resort to crime! If that ain't heroic I don't know what is."
"I think Izuku, no matter if you have a quirk or not in the future. You could still be a hero and make a difference like so many people I know. Just differently"
Izuku was in awe. This man who would be treated as a dangerous villain, had shown him more compassion then he ever received in the past four months, his explanation and declaration made him think.
"The role I do is middle man, basically find people who need help and get them to people who can help, I negotiate prices, for a lot of things, to mundane things like oh help someone pick their kids up from school or to the more serious I need protection and so many people who would have otherwise gone on to do terrible things to survive like I did, they wouldn't need to do it!"
"So with that said, are you sure you want to help?"
Izuku's mind was racing.
If I couldn't stop crime by beating villains, maybe I can help by stopping them from being villains in the first place
I could be a hero.
Chapter 3
"Hey kid!" Tetsuchi snapped his fingers at the shocked and crying Izuku. "You good kid? Look I'm sorry if i scared you with the fact i was a villain. It's just i think you should know about my history if you're gonna be involved with m-"
"I want to help"
Tetsuchi stopped and looked at Izuku "Well kid are you sure?" Izuku nodded his head.
Tetsuchi was confused. Izuku elaborated "I-I don't care that you used to be a villain i realized that you needed help, a-and you did not get any and so you did w-what you did to survive but I want to help people from doing something like that in the first place and the TFC sounds p-perfect for this kind of work. Since you don't really need a quirk to do somethings l-like this and besides if i don't have a quirk after all then i can help h-heroes by preventing people from becoming villains. S-so please i beg you please let me learn how to do what you do when it comes to like finding the right people and information and negotiating with people." Izuku stood up and bowed
Tetsuchi was looking on in surprised and a hint of pride. He felt like he could cry but before he did he stifled it and looked at Izuku "Alright kid. I think the folks would love you. I'll be glad to teach you but let's start small shall we you're 7 after all so for now we could help people by giving them yummy food and drinks and tell me whenever someone needs help I'll handle it, but if someone requests my service i allow you to listen and observe how it's done i can teach you many things alongside the people who come here who can teach you so many other things but for now let's start small. Simply take orders from tables and take food to said tables and help me out in the kitchen if no one is ordering anything, ok?"
Izuku nodded enthusiastically. "Also there is something you should know people who are not at risk or need our services should not know the existence of the TFC. Normal people can use these safe havens since they are usually places like this restaurants and motels and such and such while a majority of people who come here are aware of there being a system of some sorts. They don't know about the inner workings there will be a bit of people who are just customers who have special diet requirements or they have been turned away in different places and should be treated as such. Normally anyone who requires our services know of our services through word of mouth. They know it's a collected effort but as i said they don't know enough to be sure of how deep it goes and not a lot of people care, they know we help people and they will bring others who desperately need help to us since they understand how important our services can be and can change people's lives. If anyone is found to have revealed the information to someone with ulterior motives on purpose. They would be banned from all places affiliated with the TFC and one way or another we will stop the spread of the information they spilled. They usually keep quiet since our services are good. If it were not kept secret to people. We've had cases where quirkist people will come in here and attack people and destroy our property so we try to prevent that from happening. Do you understand that Broccoli?"
Izuku nodded and wrote on his notebook Must keep it secret.
"We have a secret code in this bar specifically which is in the form of these omamoris we keep at the entrance in a basket. When someone who needs our service they will give someone who works here an omamori they took from the basket there are four colors which are green , yellow, red and black. I'll get to black later but for the other three colors they would give it to you and write down specifically what they need on the paper provided at the tables. Those that give you green are thankfully doing fine and simply need simple things like a health checkup or a bodyguard for the night or someone to pick their kids up. Things i can easily arrange. Yellow ones are for people who need help since they are in a tough spot the usual services for these people include finding education or employment or they need a therapist. Those that give you the red ones are mentally or physically are on the end of their rope and need help immediately. Thankfully those are rare but since you are helping around here you need to send these people to me right away no questions asked about their condition ok?"
Izuku grabbed an empty notebook that was behind the cash register and started writing these down and nodded.
"Also there will be people here which to you can seem to have weird or eccentric personalities i can help you in this field but you need to learn to be more confident in yourself. Try not to stutter as much I understand it's hard but please try to communicate. There should not be too much drama a lot of the customers here are regulars or at least members of the TFC that i know so if they have any questions about you they will simply ask me but i do hope to break you out your shell one day. Baby steps alright?"
Izuku started to sweat nervously before nodding sagely. He knew he had to get better at socializing. If he wanted to help people like Tetsunori -san does
"Thirdly there are quite a lot of people here that have a history of villainy like me. They are not comfortable with using their real names in afraid their past crimes will be brought up and they will be judged for it and in turn are reluctant to call people by their real names so we have to come up with a nickname. We actually know their names they simply aren't comfortable with it so you can introduce yourself to them by saying your name and then your codename. People call each other by their nicknames anyway it's just fun to us so try to get used to call people by their nicknames and people calling you by your nickname do you have one in mind? Mine is "Bloodsmith" it's a reference on my quirk."
Izuku stopped and think for a moment I didn't realize that was a peeve people had in that case what can i call myself?
Izuku looked up at his green hair and looked in a nearby mirror and see his green eyes and said "h-how about something t-that's kinda silly like Broccoli cause of you know my g-green hair.
Tetsuchi laughed at it "Good answer kid! The people will certainly like someone like you now let me tell you about the black omamori. Those are people who have seen a crime or is a victim of one and wish to report it. Sadly some so called heroes will not even bother to take a damn statement since they don't see people like us as credible. Some of the patrons were a victim of villain attacks but they were saved pretty late in the fight. Some heroes would save people based on what quirks they have. Some wouldn't even get involved in their quirks did not serve well to fight the villain. So anyone of us witnessed a crime they would go to a trusted hero vetted by the TFC and proven by people who have personal experience dealing with them or a place owned by someone of the TFC to report it. They would write down what they saw and what happened or what they went through on the paper at their tables as well. and give it to you which in turn you will give it to me. Also if anyone reports a crime to us I want you to give them this list. It's a list of heroes that will not discriminate and treat all cases fairly. So far there are 132 heroes on that list. A substantial amount of them are underground and quite a lot of them are people who are limelight heroes. Tell them next time if they can't access the TFC and report to these heroes it will be faster and they will help them.
Izuku's face morphed into one of disgust. Growing up he thought heroes were supposed to help those who are in danger no matter what and knowing that there are hundreds upon thousands of hero across Japan and yet people like him can only fully trust not even 150 of them. It confuses and disgusts him. Especially after his experience in that one hero agency
"It's fine he's a defect."
Tetsuchi noticed his face and said "Hey look i know that kids like you are obsessed with heroes and hearing how so few of them can help disgusts me too but that's why people like us are here. We are their heroes."
Izuku looks on somberly before returning a small smile and sticks the list in his notebook and says "Yes Tetsuchi-san we can help them"
Tetsuchi continued "Three things left, one, sometimes fights might break out. Most of the times it's because of gang relations when that happens go upstairs to your room immediately i want you safe i will deal with it understood?" Izuku nervously nodded "Good, glad you understand that. Next is i should inform you we get quite a few foreign regulars meaning they might not speak Japanese well or at all really. They usually are people who worked in foreign crime syndicates that escaped to Japan to restart their life. If you don't understand you can tell me I know enough to get by with them constantly being here but if you are interested feel free to ask them they're mostly nice people just down on their luck." Izuku nodded and scribbled it down on his notebook
"Lastly to serve customers you must make them feel comfortable so show me your best smile!"
Izuku stammered a bit before turning his face into the most comforting and radiant smile Tetsuchi has seen Too bright! Too bright! God the kid's got a good smile! he thought.
"Good smile! any questions left?"
Izuku replied shyly " W-well i do quirk analysis a-and i love them s-since i-i don't have a quirk I do th-them on notebooks but t-they were lost after I-I ran away. T-They're usually about heroes but can i do them on t-the customers as well?"
Tetsuchi replied "Of course kid! Knock yourself out good to see someone like you interested in such things the quirk counselors will love you for that!"
Izuku looked so happy and then asked another question "A-Are there a lot of p-people h-here my age?"
Tetsuchi slightly frowned and shook his head "No sorry i don't know a lot of people who are kids here. A lot of my patrons do have children but they don't get them involved in the TFC but speaking of which i am arranging you tutors so don't need to worry about your education but sorry i don't see a lot of people your age but trust me that people here are nice soon enough you can see them as big brothers and sisters! Oh a lot of them will also use the instruments to jam out by the way just so you know"
Izuku seemed a little disappointed but nodded he didn't expect much after all.
"Lastly can you tell me about your quirk Tetsuchi-san?"
Tetsuchi leaned back on his bartop then said "Alright you know what fine I'll tell you" Izuku's eyes immediately shone. It was so rare that someone shared their quirk so openly Tetsuchi added "But if you are going to write this down do it in code think of a code only you can translate ok?" Izuku thought for a bit then nodded " Alright here goes, my quirk is that i can take the iron in blood to make weapons no i cannot take iron from just anywhere it has to be blood and that includes other's blood. When other realized I can just take their blood they freaked out. I realized my range is just 10 meters around me. If someone is 10 meters around me i can use their blood." He showcased this by focusing on his arm before a knife poked out of it. It was red and gooey but then it slowly settled into steel. Izuku looked on in awe. "I also have more blood generation and a slight regeneration a 8cm wound like this would be ok in 15 minutes i reckon. The fact i make weapons is how i got my name of "Bloodsmith""
Izuku started muttering "Is there a cooldown? What weapons can he make? What size can he make the weapons? Is it possible for him to make anything as long as it's made of iron whatabouttakingbloodoutofpeoplecanheregeneratepeople....."
"Woah slow down there tiger i need my waiter to have a clear mind Midoriya!" Izuku looked up and apologized sheepishly with a flush on his face "S-sorry I g-get like this w-when it comes to analysis" "Ah it's fine kid it's a fine passion"
Izuku smiled brightly at this compliment at which Tetsuchi had to look away before the cuteness got to him but then a clock rang. Tetsuchi ran to the door and flipped the sign to "OPEN"
"Alright kid ready to help?"
"Y-Yes Sir!"
Chapter 4
It was 7pm and group of young people around their early 20s walked into the bar that just opened. Judging from their laptops and bags, they seem like college students. One had a quirk that made his head looked like a bull. A girl with a quirk that makes her lower body that of a snake and yellow eyes that pierced through the soul followed by a boy with purple hands and a long tongue. Lastly a normal looking girl with red hair and blue eyes. He looked at her shoes and immediately understood the last girl was quirkless. They all looked tired but as soon as they entered the bar and took a seat they seem to immediately relax. The bull boy rose his hand only to see a green haired kid walk towards them with a nervous look on his face and with a notepad and pen wearing an apron on a red shirt that says "Shirt" and black pants. "Hi! I-I'm new here but y-you can call me Broccoli. W-What would you like?"
The group looked at each other dumbfounded before the boy with purple hands called out "Hey Bloodsmith! You didn't tell us you had a son!"
A voice from the kitchen calls back "Oh he's no son of mine Mauve just a kid that needs help and wants to help just tell him what you want damn it! I can get alcohol ready or some coffee for you right now if you want food you better order now!"
The bull boy seems surprised. Then the guy with purple hands said "Hey Broccoli nice to see Bloodsmith got some help how old are ya, You can call me Salazar by the way. The snake girl, you can call her Medusa. The girl over there is called Cherry. This idiot here is called Mino. Anyway I just want some miso udon and an iced tea. Thanks"
"Hey what do you mean idiot! Look kid don't listen to him alright I have to help him with chemistry since he's absolutely hopeless. Anyway I ate already so just a cappucino for me thanks."
"Well we're even considering you suck at physics."
"U-um i would like a bowl of katsudon that's it" Cherry said
"I'll have a beer just a glasssss. Thanksss Broccoli" Medusa said
As Izuku nodded and wrote down the orders with his tongue sticking out he heard Mino say "Hey kid where are your parents. They would be worried to see you with people like us"
Izuku replied "O-oh they uh left me I w-was homeless for 4 m-months but it's f-fine now. Tetsu- uh Bloodsmith took me in now."
"What bastard of a parent would leave a 7 year old!" Mino exclaimed "Language man! it's a kid!" Salazar yelled
Izuku stumbled a bit before saying " Well people b-bully me cause i'm q-quirkless. T-they fear i w-will spread the qu-uirklessness to them s-so my parents kept getting b-bothered for having s-someone l-like me as a son. They c-coudn't take it so on my 7th b-birthday they left m-me.
The table looked on in shock Cherry specifically looked angered and disgusted.
"I- I normally don't tell p-people i'm quirkless since I w-would get hurt bu-t i w-was told this was a safe haven i think B-Bloodsmith called it so I hope you don't m-mind me. As for what you said earlier. Y-you didn't choose your quirks. I s-shouldn't get scared of s-something someone had no c-control over I w-wanted to be a hero to help others b-but after my diagnosis I know I c-couldn't help in the way heroes normally do s-so i thought helping people like me w-who are treated b-bad for their q-quirks would be nice as well. It's not what i wanted in t-the beginning but now i think i-it's good and important work to do..."
Cherry rushed to hug the boy "It's ok Broccoli there are good people in this world trust me! and you are helping people!" As a small tear appeared on her face. She had been shunned for her quirklessness but she still had her family. She couldn't stomach the fact such a sweet and intelligent boy went through the things he did.
Mino yelled "Hey Bloodsmith know that if the kid gets in trouble or if anyone hurts them you can tell me! I'll bust a cap in their ass if they even think of laying a hand on him!"
Salazar exclaimed "Language! but yes i also agree if he is threatened he will have people in his corner and you can count me in! It's rare for people his age and condition to be safe or even live long and i don't want what we went through to happen to this kid."
Medusa said "Broccoli trusst mee when i say that you are way sssmarter than kids your age if you need help with anything. Whether it's tutoring, training or just on a new hobby. People here will help you, me included"
Izuku stood there stunned. He knew people were not as judgemental as others but he still did not expect people to just be so willing to help him this way. He started to sob a bit and said "Thank you guys, thank you.." He said as he smiled brightly and then ran to the bartop to give the student's order to Tetsuchi.
"So we have agreed to protect thissss kid right? Medusa asked
"Hell yeah!"
"Yes we have"
"No doubt, i have to try and help my people"
Slowly but surely more and more people started to fill the bar and started to notice the kid with green hair and eyes with a bright smile. People started to ask about him and what his deal is since they knew a lot of people his age are not in the TFC. When his backstory was revealed slowly but surely through the whispers in the restaurant everyone had looks of pity, anger, disgust, sympathy and determination. Similar to a silent agreement to help this kid have a chance at life. They also notice when there is downtime or just not many customers to serve he is always writing in this notebook of his with some strange symbols and numbers on it. Some people caught him looking at them and writing things down. They didn't pay it too much mind and just chalked it up to kid antics.
The day was going fine and Izuku was taking someone's order when he was handed a yellow omamori by a woman with what seems to have a spider mutation quirk with green hair, and she looked nervous. She said "I... heard from someone that you guys can help with things... He also told me to give you guys a nickname... You can call me Silk. Can you help me?" Izuku looked at her with a bright smile and says "No worries ma'am i'll get you what you need please follow me to Bloodsmith." The mantis lady nodded and followed Izuku to Tetsuchi's office. Izuku held out the yellow omamori and told Tetsuchi her nickname. Tetsuchi nodded signaling Izuku to sit down. The mantis lady was a bit confused before Tetsuchi said "No need to worry Silk. He's with me and learning how to help people by gathering info and making deals. He's just here to listen and observe"
The mantis lady known as Silk calmed down a bit and said " I know you people help others that have been discriminated for their quirks and even people who are down on their luck. I come here because my son who has a bug mutation like me keeps getting bullied when he gets off of school. I notice him coming back with cuts and bruises for two weeks now. I tried to ask but he says it's nothing. I want someone to follow him around make sure he's safe and find out who has been doing this to him. He's quite aggressive and his quirk allows him to grow blades out of his body so he's quite the one to take up any challenge thrown at him. Will that be possible and how much will we owe you."
Tetsuchi then nodded and asked "Well first things first your son sounds like an aggressive personality and would likely not trust and even attack the people we send for him. This is not a problem. It is understandable given the circumstances he faced. Therefore i am thinking of sending someone with a defensive quirk that has recon capabilities to protect him and themselves and also to watch him from a distance and try to catch the bullies. I am considering sending someone with a mutant quirk since he might not feel as threatened if someone similar to his condition would relate to him easier. In hopes of getting him to talk about his troubles. We consider what quirk is the best for the objective. What the person's personality would be like and who could handle situations like this the best depending on their personality and attitudes. Are you with me so far Silk?"
Silk nodded slowly and Izuku wrote down on his notebook quickly feeling disgusted that someone was getting bullied for their quirk status. He was paying close attention to learn how to help.
Tetsuchi continued. "Now with that said here are some candidates i think would do best. They are pleasant and calm but can fight and protect people. Their quirks also serve this problem to the best effect". He lays down some files. "In here are people who i would consider calling. A lot of them are sympathetic to discrimination victims since they were shunned as well. There is a brief description of their quirks and history. Please look and see which one you think is best to handle the situation. If you can't decide then i would recommend someone to you."
Silk looked through the files and said. "I think this person would be nice." She points to a man with a spider mutation. He looks young and his name was "Crawler" but he has eyes similar to a spider. He can grow spider legs from his back to about 9 meters long to fight and put people out of reach if they are attacking him it gave him the ability to climb walls easily. He also can talk to spiders giving him a good recon ability to spy on people since the spiders he controls can relay information to him.
Tetsuchi nodded "mm that was the person i would recommend as well. How long would you like this service to last?
Silk looked down and said "I was hoping for two weeks and see if things changed and if it doesn't get better is it possible for me to contact you for your services again?"
Tetsuchi smiled warmly and said "No worries ma'am it's what we do. You can use our service whenever you need it. I'll call him quickly"
Tetsuchi grabbed his phone and called Crawler "Hey man how's it going" "Yeah security, code yellow, kid getting beat for bug mutant quirk can you take it." "Alright i'll tell the news thanks for your service."
Tetsuchi spoke "Crawler will take this commision and has requested the cost of 750 yen a day to watch over your son. You can stop the service at any time and you don't need to pay if that;s the case. Or you can pay 10000 yen right now and he will look after him for the two weeks but if you take this offer you need to pay 2500 yen to me for getting you access to this service as a middleman. What is your response."
Silk looked shocked "That is surprisingly low cost are you sure it's fine?"
Tetsuchi responded "No worries Silk. The people I get to do this type of stuff usually have jobs this is more of a side hustle for them. Crawler in this case is a programmer and is more than happy to do it. Besides we know a lot of the folks here can't afford to pay high prices so yes it's fine."
Silk started to tear up and replied "I- I'll take the 750 yen a day offer" Tetsuchi responded " She wants the 750 yen a day. She will pay when your service is over." "Alright pleasure doing business with you man see ya" Tetsuchi looked back and smiled "No worries Silk, Crawler is very capable. He can find out what is going on and protect your son. If you need help with maybe transferring schools in case this goes wrong. We can help with that we have contacts to school who have a zero tolerance policy to discrimination. It's going to be ok."
Silk stood up and grabbed 2500 yen from her wallet and then bowed many times to a 90 degree angle "Thank you! Thank you! so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. If you ever need anything just call me! Here's my card, I make clothes for a living. It might not be much but if you ever need clothes just call me! Thank you so much!"
Silk proceeded to leave leaving Tetsuchi and Izuku alone in the office. Izuku looked on in awe as if seeing magic happened
Tetsuchi smiled and kneeled down. "Now kid what you saw me did there was two things. I helped someone by getting them help they otherwise couldn't have got and you need to consider your resources and people you know and think what should be the best course of action. I'll slowly teach you what to deduce the best course of action is the more times we do this. Alright? The second thing you saw me do is secure a contact. Now we have someone we can reach if we ever need clothes for people. A lot of our information and people we know come from people we have helped so it's important to treat everyone with kindness and understanding you got that?"
"Yes sir that was amazing to watch!"
"Glad to hear it kid, We're closing up shop can you help me wash some of the dishes. After that you can go upstairs and do whatever ok?"
"Yes Tetsuchi-san, on it!"
Tetsuchi thinks to himself as he sees Izuku run to the sink "That kid is gonna be something big i can see it right now. Good thing he has people in his corner."
It was closing time, Tetsuchi was closing up some numbers. "Broccoli, can you take out the trash?"
"S-sure Bloodsmith!"
As Izuku grabbed the trash bag and stumbled outside to the dumpster, he stopped dead in his tracks and yelled.
There was a corpse.
It looked as if someone fell onto the pavement. Tetsuchi, hearing this, ran towards Izuku, upon seeing the corpse, he covered Izuku's eyes and made a call.
"Eden? Yeah I need you to do something about a new situation."
Izuku was pulled back into the bar, Tetsuchi was on the phone, with a sad look on his face while nodding.
"Yeah, We'll pay for it and get the people at the workshop to fashion something up."
Tetsuchi sat on a barstool, seemingly contemplating, "Bloodsmith... Who was that?"
"Just, I'll talk to you later kid, After this is sorted."
"Well... can you tell me about the workshop?" Izuku asked.
"Sure, this network has people who are good at engineering, and they have workshops everywhere and make support gear, mostly prosthetics and clothes that could fit people with mutant quirks, they even makes some more fighting orientated gear for quirkless people. But now... They need to make a coffin for us..."
"I see..."
After around fifteen minutes a group of people arrived, some wore cross necklaces, they put a cloth over the body, put them on a stretcher and put them into a van.
"Eden, do you have space for him?" Tetsuchi asked.
"Yes, I'll make sure he rests easy in the arms of the Lord, please get the coffins ready."
The man who spoke was an old man in his sixties with short hair that sagged down, leaves sprouted from some of them, resembling bushy, hard tree branches.
"This was the kid, you're better at explaining this than I am, do you mind?"
"Of course."
Izuku stepped forward. "Who are you?" The old man smiled "The people call me Eden, but to others I am called Father Shiozaki, I'm a person that the cove gets help from." Izuku's looked at him eyes full of sorrow, "What happened to that man, and how will you help him..." Shiozaki smiled. "That man, was quirkless... He faced injustices too hard for his heart to bear, and now, I will make sure he rests easy in the arms of the Lord. No matter if anyone cared for his soul in his life. The cove wants people to be cared for, even in death, that is what I do."
Izuku seemingly understood, despite the vagueness of the statement, "Will I... be like him...I'm quirkless too..."
Shiozaki with a shocked look, kneeled and held the child's chin "No, child, the world was cruel to that man but now you are part of the cove, and I can assure you, the cove takes care of it's own, it is a cardinal rule. No matter how cruel the world is to you, the cove will be here, I swear upon my soul." Shiozaki's eyes were full of sorrow and started to tear up.
"Listen kid, for people like us, it's gonna be hard, but no matter rain or shine, the best we can do is to just smile through it, and give it your best shot, being sad about things now won't make things get better in the future." Tetsuchi said from behind.
"Thank you sir... Can I help people even if I don't get a quirk in the future?" The other people in the black robes, Shiozaki and Tetsuchi, all looked at him, and say at the same time
"Yes."
That was all Izuku needed to hear.