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In a modest apartment, tucked away in one of the quieter parts of the city, a boy adjusted his schoolbag over his shoulder. His short, fluffy dark-green hair curled in wild angles, some strands sticking up no matter how much he tried to smooth them down. The dim lighting of the apartment cast heavy shadows over his head, making the green locks appear even darker.
He stood by the door, uniform neat and pressed, though his expression carried a nervous edge, like it always did.
"I'm heading out, Mom," he called, voice polite but rushed.
From the kitchen, a warm voice answered back, "Have a good day, Izuku! Be safe!"
With a quick nod to himself, Midoriya stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him as the cool morning air greeted him. Taking a deep breath, Midoriya tightened his grip on the straps of his backpack.
He was just an ordinary kid with no flashy abilities, no superhuman strength, nothing that made him special in a world where power meant everything. Roughly 80% of the global population possessed a Quirk, some kind of superhuman ability that set them apart. The remaining 20%? Completely quirkless.
And unfortunately, Izuku fell into that category.
As a child, he had dreamed of becoming a hero that saved people with a smile, just like his hero All Might. He had spent hours watching old hero footage, analyzing every move, every battle, believing that one day, he'd be standing among them.
But reality had other plans.
When the day of his Quirk examination came, the doctor's words shattered everything.
No Quirk. No special ability. Nothing.
At first, he didn't want to believe it. How could he? He had spent years idolizing heroes, dreaming of the day he would follow in their footsteps. Just to be crushed by a couple of words.
The reality hit harder than any villain ever could.
And sadly for Izuku, he had been born with two joints in his pinky toe. Was that all it took to decide his future?one extra joint in his damn pinky toe? Did that mean his dream of becoming a hero was over? Or was it god deciding who got to be a hero and who didn't?
But then, what truly made someone a hero? Was it the power they were born with, or was it the unwavering spirit to stand up and save others, even when the odds were stacked against them?
Izuku had already made up his mind.
A quirk didn't make someone a hero. Then villians wouldn't exist.
The will to fight, to protect, to push forward despite everything...that was what truly mattered. That's what made a hero...a hero.
"I'll become a hero no matter what," The words left his mouth with a quiet intensity, almost like he was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.
He had heard it a million times before... [ " You can't be a hero without a Quirk.Give up, Deku.Be realistic. " ]
But he wasn't the type to give up. Even if the whole world was against him.
The cool morning air nipped at his face as he walked, the distant hum of the city waking up around him. Cars rolled by, the occasional hero patrol zipped overhead, and in the distance, he could hear the crackle of an explosion in the distance. Somewhere, a hero was already making a name for themselves.
Izuku didn't have that luxury. He didn't have power, or strength, or even the respect from his classmates. But he had something else...something that couldn't be measured by a doctor's examination.
He had the heart of a hero.
And no one could take that away from him.
He wanted to be a hero, not for fame, not for glory, but because saving people...protecting them, felt like the right thing to do. Like a calling.
He exhaled slowly, watching his breath fog up in the chilly morning air.
'No matter what… I still want to try.'
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Arriving at school, Izuku could feel the weight of every step as he walked through the hallway, his backpack straps gripped loosening in his hands. It wasn't anything new, the way people looked at him. The quick glances, the judgmental stares, the whispers that weren't even quiet enough to be called whispers.
Pity...Disgust...Worthless.
All because he was quirkless.
It was like they saw him as something lesser, something not even worth acknowledging. And maybe, deep down, that was the thing that stung the most, not the outright bullying, not the harsh words, but the fact that most people didn't even think he was worth their time.
But it didn't matter.
He'd prove them all wrong.
One day, they'd look back and realize how stupid they were for ever doubting him.
He would become a hero.
Not just any hero...the greatest one the world had ever seen.
He kept his head down, forcing his feet forward until he reached his classroom. With a deep breath, he slid the door open and stepped inside.
The room wasn't packed yet, only a few students scattered around, some chatting in small groups, others flipping through notes or just staring at their phone. It was normal, just the same.
But the first thing his eyes landed on wasn't any of that.
It was a boy sitting in the corner of the room, slouched slightly in his chair, arms crossed, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. His spiky blonde hair stuck out even more with the morning light filtering through the window.
Bakugo.
He just sat there, like he was lost in thought. Which was weird. Normally, he'd be smirking, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place, or barking insults at whoever was dumb enough to look at him the wrong way.
But he was just… sitting there.
Izuku hesitated for a second before stepping inside. He knew how this usually went. Walk in, avoid eye contact, get to his seat, and try not to get noticed. That was the safest option. But for some reason, his feet stopped moving.
He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the quiet in the room. Maybe it was the way Bakugo looked almost calm, which was unsettling in itself. Or maybe it was because, Bakugo wasn't sneering at him the second he walked in.
Still, it was weird.
For as long as he could remember, Bakugo had always been loud and aggressive. The guy had made it his personal mission to remind Izuku of his place in the world. But now? Now he wasn't even acknowledging him. No dirty looks, no insults, no shoving him into desks. Just... silence.
Izuku should've felt relieved, maybe even happy. And he was. Sort of. But there was something unsettling about it too. People didn't just change overnight...especially not Bakugo.
Maybe he was just imagining things.
Shaking off the thought, Izuku made his way to his desk, keeping his head down. Pulling out his notebook he started doodling in the margins, trying to ignore the weird tension sitting in the back of his mind. Whatever was going on with Kacchan, it was probably none of his business anyway...
The rest of the school day blurred by, feeling more like a routine than anything else. Notes, lectures, boring classwork...it was all the same as usual.
Until the teacher spoke up.
"You guys are all third-years now!" His voice carried through the classroom as he swiped a piece of paper off his desk, holding it up like it held the weight of their entire futures. "It's time to start thinking seriously about what's next!"
Deku barely looked up from his notebook, still in the middle of scribbling down notes.
"I would hand out these future career forms…" The teacher continued, his voice steady before, suddenly, he slammed a fist down onto the desk with a loud thud. "But let's be honest, I already know...." His lips curled into a grin. "You all want to be heroes!"
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, the classroom instantly burst into chaos. Sparks crackled in the air, a gust of wind nearly knocked over a few chairs, and someone even levitated their desk an inch off the ground before dropping it with a thud.
Izuku flinched at the sudden explosion of energy around him but kept his head down, scribbling notes in the margins of his notebook. He had already mapped out his entire path to becoming a hero...every little step he needed to take, every ounce of effort he had to put in.
"Hey, hey, no quirks allowed in class!" the teacher called out, though his tone was more amused than scolding.
Bakugo, however, sat in the corner, arms slouched, hands shoved deep in his pockets, barely sparing a glance at the chaos unfolding around him. Unlike the rest of the class, who were practically buzzing with excitement, he didn't seem to care much.
BRRRRRRRRRRING!
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Just like that, the energy in the room died down. Desks screeched against the floor, chairs scraped back, and students rushed to gather their things, chatting loudly as they funneled toward the door.
Deku moved with them, stuffing his notes into his bag, fingers moving quickly as he zipped it up. 'I should get home and organize these…' he thought, adjusting the straps of his backpack.
He then left the classroom and headed home for the day.
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Deku walked home with his head held high, 'U.A.'s entrance exam is only a few months away… Even though I don't have a quirk, do I even stand a chance? Will they even let me pass?' The doubt crept in, but he pushed it down, shaking his head. 'No. I have to try. If I get into U.A., my journey as a hero will officially begin…'
Turning a corner, he stepped into a tunnel. It wasn't his usual route, but it was shorter, and right now, he wanted to get home fast. There was so much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it all.
'I need to start working out more…' He glanced down at his arms, they were thin, wiry, and weak...like a chopstick. If he wanted to be like All Might, he had to become bigger and stronger. If he wanted to pass the entrance exams, he had to be better than he was now.
As he walked deeper into the tunnel, a cool breeze ran through, sending a slight chill down his spine. The air smelled damp, mixed with the faint scent of oil from the occasional car that passed through earlier.
Deku adjusted the straps of his backpack, lost in thought. 'Maybe I should start doing more weight training…If I can't rely on a Quirk, I'll need to make sure I'm physical fit at least.'
A droplet of water dripped from the tunnel ceiling, splashing onto the ground.
Then...
A deep, sludgy sound gurgled behind him.
Deku's whole body stiffened.
The air shifted. It felt… wrong.
Slowly, he turned his head, and his stomach immediately dropped.
A mass of green sludge, thick and writhing like living tar, slithered toward him. The putrid stench of sewage filled the tunnel.
Two large, hollow eyes formed from the muck, and then...
A grin.
"Well, would ya look at that," the thing crooned, voice slimy and amused. "A brat all alone… and not a single person around to hear ya scream."
Deku's heart slammed against his ribs.
Run....RUUUNN!!
His body screamed at him to run, to move, to do anything...But before he could take a single step, the sludge monster lunged. The sludge moved unnaturally fast, surging forward like a tidal wave of shit. Before Deku could react, thick tendrils wrapped around his arms and legs, yanking him off his feet.
His backpack hit the ground with a dull thud, and panic instantly set in.
"Ack—! H-Help!" He struggled, thrashing as the sludge coiled tighter around his body. It was warm, disgustingly warm, like rotting garbage left in the sun.
"Ahh, don't squirm too much, kid," the villain sneered, his liquid form shifting around Deku's torso, creeping up to his neck. "It'll be over soon."
Deku's lungs tightened.
His breath came in quick, desperate gasps as he fought to free himself. His arms were pinned, his vision already swimming from lack of air. His hands clawed uselessly at the sludge closing over his mouth.
He was going to suffocate...
"Heh... perfect," a raspy voice rumbled in his ear. "A nice little hiding spot... and a nice little body to use."
'No. No, no, no—!' Deku struggled, kicking wildly, but it was useless. His fingers clawed at the slime, but they just sank through. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his chest burning as the air got thinner and thinner.
He couldn't breathe.
His vision blurred.
His head felt light.
'I'm going to die—'
BOOM.
A shockwave tore through the tunnel.
The force of it sent a gust of wind slamming against him, rattling the walls. The sludge loosened just enough for Deku to gasp in air, his lungs heaving as he coughed violently.
And then...
A voice.
A deep, powerful voice that cut through the haze like a blade. The sound of hope...
"Fear not, young man! For I am here!"
Deku's body went still.
That voice. That voice.
Through the fading dizziness, his eyes lifted—
And there he was.
A towering figure, broad shoulders casting a shadow down the length of the tunnel. The sunlight from the exit behind him framed muscular physique, making him seem larger than he actually was. Dressed in a plain white tee and dark green cargo pants, his bright yellow hair stood out starkly against the dim tunnel walls...with two sharp antennas on top of his head.
All Might.
All Might was standing right in front of him.
Deku barely had time to process before All Might moved...fast, too fast.
With one massive fist, he pulled back...
And swung....!!!
SMASH!
The air itself seemed to split apart as the punch landed. The sheer force of it sent the sludge villain exploding against the tunnel walls, scattering in every direction like water flung from a bucket.
Deku collapsed, arms shaking as he caught himself on his hands and knees. His breath came in sharp, ragged gasps, his whole body trembling.
The strong scent of dust filled his nose, mixing with the lingering smell of sludge.
A large hand extended toward him.
"Sorry about that, young man!" All Might's voice boomed, still as bright as ever. "You seem to be in quite the predicament!"
Deku's head slowly lifted.
He stared at the hand.
His heart pounded in his chest, his fingers twitching slightly as he hesitantly reached up...
He was touching All Might's hand.
This was real.
His hero was standing right in front of him. A man he'd only ever seen on TV, larger than life, untouchable...was now right there, real, solid, and his hand was touching his...
Izuku's brain short-circuited.
His idol. The whole reason he wanted to become a hero in the first place. The very embodiment of everything he aspired to be.
No way…
NO...FUCKING....WAY!
And slowly, without even realizing it..his vision blurred, and before he could do anything about it…
THUD.
Face-first into the ground.
Unconscious.
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