Origin

What is a hero? Someone who saves others; someone who puts his life on the line for the right cause; someone who stands up to defend when others are seating down. To a Young Izuku Midoriya, a hero has and will always be everything he wants to be in life. But sadly, that dream may never become a reality.

"I'm sorry Izuku," a woman said while crying. "I'm sorry you'll never be a hero."

There are about seven billion people in the world and eighty percent of that population has powers of some kind, also known as "quirks". The first quirk was actually spotted when a luminescent baby was born into the world. Since then, quirks have been appearing all over. To the world, quirk was everything and if you didn't have it, you were basically less than. Only those with quirks could become heroes. And that was the bitter truth that young Izuku had to learn when he was four, after being told by the doctor that he was quirkless. Did that stop him, no. It made him work twice as hard. He told himself daily that all he had to do was to put in double the effort people with quirk put in.

Picking up a very bad but somewhat good trait from his dad, Izuku starts to analyze every quirk he comes across. Having several notes that talk about them, their strengths and their weaknesses. He refused to let the fact that he was quirkless stop him. He actually hoped that as a hero, he would be able to help those who are quirkless, and that was his plan. After finishing middle school, he was going to enroll in the most prestigious hero academy in all of Japan, U.A. Only the best of the best attend U.A.

That was where he was now, Aldera Junior High. He was seated quiet in class. "Okay class." Their teacher started. "We're at the end of the school period, and it is high time you guys start thinking about your future careers. Now that is what I would have said but," he looks up and tosses their clipboard in an 'I don't care' manner. "All of you are probably going to be heroes."

The entire class cheered as they started to display their quirks in class. All except Izuku and a kid with ash-blond hair and red eyes.

"Yo teach," the boy says as he looks up from his desk, gaining the attention of everyone. "Don't lump me in the same category as these losers. While these losers are going to attend normal hero schools, I'm aiming for the best."

"That's right," the teacher said while the class began booing. "Apparently Bakugo here applied to attend U.A. high." This shut the entire class up.

Bakugo smirks as he stands atop his desk.

Name: Katsuki Bakugo

Quirk: Explosion

"Of course I'd apply to U.A. high. I want the glory of being the only student from this miserable school to go to U.A. I'll train and become a pro hero that'll surpass All Might and be number one in the world, and then …" before he could go any further, the teacher interrupted him.

"It seems that Midoriya here also applied to go to U.A."

The whole class becomes very silent before they all break into laughter, muttering words like 'quirkless loser' and 'useless freak'. Just then, an explosion occurs as Bakugo slams his hand into Izuku's desk. The force of the blast slams Izuku into the wall.

"Deku," Bakugo says very calmly. Deathly calm. "Did I hear what I think I just heard?"

"I'm sure you did," Deku replies.

"If so then I want you to cancel your application to U.A. you quirkless freak!" Bakugo says in a pissed off tone.

"No fighting in class," the teacher said nonchalantly, but deep down inside he was dying to see Izuku hurt.

"I'm not cancelling out, Kacchan," Deku replies defiantly as Bakugo lifts him up and slams him against the wall as sparks fly off.

Deku holds back his hand and slowly removes it from his collar. "Do you want me to cancel out because you're scared you'll never beat me," Deku said tauntingly.

"Oh really. How about you and I go the usual after school."

"You're on," Deku says as Bakugo walked back to his desk.

Believe it or not, those two were once the best of friends. Their friendship was destroyed the day Katsuki beat up a boy for having a weak quirk. Izuku jumped in to defend the boy and that was the first but never to be the last time that he and Katsuki fought. The both of them don't view each other as enemies or as friendly rivals, but as bitter rivals. They have clashed on numerous occasions with Katsuki or preferably Kacchan holding the most wins thanks to his quirk. And Izuku, despite not having a quirk refuses to back down. I hope that this was a nice back story. The Izuku you're all going to witness in this story is not going to be inferior to anyone.

Soon, it was the close of school and the entirety of Izuku's class had gathered once again to see the battle between friends.

"Better back down before it is too late Deku," Kacchan said.

"Same goes to you Kacchan," Deku called back.

Both boys charge each other and each deliver a blow.

About an hour later

"Sometimes I wonder why I even like quirks. Everyone just uses it at a means to bully others," Deku said as he walked under a bridge on his way home. The fight between him and Kacchan had ended in a draw.

"Then again, quirks have made some things in life easier, so it's a win-win. Also, it makes it easier to combat bad guys fast and reliably. I just wish people didn't get hurt as they live in this quirk world." He sighs in frustration as he is a battle with his mind whether or not to like quirks. As he makes a decision to leave it as it is. Just then, he hears a sound behind him as the manhole bursts open.

A slime monster appears from it. 'Is that someone's quirk?'

"I didn't expect him to be in this city and to think he was out by this time. I need to find a host and quickly," the creature said. He then looks in front and notices Izuku. "Speak of the devil. Looks like you're gonna be my host."

He slowly approaches Deku. "Stay back," Deku says with a little bit of fear in his voice." All of a sudden the slime creature engulfs him and proceeds to make his way inside of Deku as the boy struggles to breathe.

"This one is quirkless." The creature says in disappointment. "He would have to do. Besides, no one will notice that he is gone. Just a little more time."

With every passing second, Deku's struggling weakens until he begins to lose hold of himself.

"DO NOT FEAR!" a voice said. "BECAUSE I AM HERE!" Deku recognizes the voice but before he could place it, a fist rammed into the slime creature. "SMASH!" within seconds, the slime creature was off of Deku and was compressed into a plastic bottle.

"Are you okay?" the figure asks as Deku gasps for breathe. After regaining his composure, he takes in the situation. The person who just saved him and was standing in front of him was non other than the Number 1 hero. The symbol of Peace himself and the one who saves everyone with a smile, ALL MIGHT!

Izuku was too flabbergasted to even speak as All Might proceeded to leave. That was when realization hit him.

All Might took to the skies as he felt blood drip from his lips. 'I have only a couple of minutes left. I need somewhere to land before it's too late.' All Might felt something on his leg. He looked down and noticed Deku holding unto him for dear life.

He looked around and after calming the boy he landed on the roof of a skyscraper. As Deku felt his leg touch the roof, he ran a short ways away from All Might. He was muttering loudly and trying to ask All Might a question. The same question that led him to ultimately hold on to All Might before he left.

All Might himself was not focused on Deku's little banter. "I wanted to ask if it was possible that someone without a quirk could be a hero as great as you." Just then, smoke/steam sizzled out of All Might's body as his bulk reduced greatly until he was a skinny man.

Deku screamed as he saw the skinny man. "Who are you? Where's All Might? How'd you get up here so fast?"

"Calm down kid. I am All Might. It's just like how those guys at the pool flex their muscles. It's just like that."

That shook Deku to the core. This puny man was the greatest hero in the world. It just doesn't add up. It made no sense.

"How can YOU be All Might? All Might is huge and strong and saves people with a bright smile and –" he was cut short.

"Listen kid. Since you are here and since you've seen me like this, I might as well tell you." All Might sat down and lifted up his white shirt, showing Izuku a huge injury.

"What's with that wound?"

"I got this injury five years ago during a battle with one heck of a villain."

"Five years ago. Wasn't that when you fought the Toxic chainsaw?"

"You're well informed kid. Anyways, the attack he gave me led to me having surgery and I have been emaciating as a result. I lost some of my internal organs in the surgery, including my stomach. It is so serious that I can only work as a hero for three hours a day. I will return to my civilian form if I have used up that time. In regards to your question, I can't say you'll be able to become a hero without a quirk, and I also can't say that you can't become a hero without a quirk. Look at me. I have a quirk and yet I was dealt this major injury."

Deku felt crestfallen as a result of the answer. "Who is a hero, Mr. All Might?"

"If you ask me, a hero is someone who acts in the good of others without thinking of the consequences. Someone who puts his life and everything on the line for the greater good of others. Someone who is ready to work all his life even it means he doesn't gain recognition for the things he does. That's who a hero is and-"All Might was interrupted by the sound of an explosion going off some ways back. It was there that All Might felt his pocket for the sludge villain, but couldn't feel it. "Holy crud. Stay here kid," he ordered before heading to the explosion area.

Deku followed suit, intent on seeing who the heck was causing trouble.

As Deku arrived at the area, he noticed that a lot of people had gathered there, but the heroes couldn't do anything. Death Arms would just punch through the villain and Backdraft's quirk wasn't suitable at all. Mt. Lady won't be able to do anything with her quirk in such a confined area. Kamui Woods was also present, but his wood quirk wasn't suitable for explosions. The best they could do was to contain the villain until someone with a suitable quirk arrived.

All Might arrived at the scene and was surprised at what he saw. The same sludge villain he just caught not too long ago was wreaking havoc on the city. To make his problems worse, the villain even had a hostage. He would have gone after the villain again if only he had not used up his time for the day. He hated being useless.

He glanced around and noticed Deku standing with the crowd. Deku too was also wondering who the villain had as hostage, and then he turned around. Deku was horrified at who was there. His once best friend if not still best friend was the one held as the hostage. In the twinkle of an eye, Deku shot off past the heroes and was heading straight for the villain.

Everyone was shocked to see Deku head straight for the villain. Heck even Deku was shocked at his own actions. He was mentally screaming at his legs to stop, but his legs refused. The sludge villain turned to face him. Deku reminisced back to what he wrote on his Hero Analysis note. He took his bag from his back and hurled it at the villain, hitting it in the eye.

The villain lost partial hold over Kacchan, freeing his face and letting Deku try to claw him out. After gasping for air, Kacchan turned to Deku. "Why the hell are you here, Deku?"

"My legs moved on their own," he replied while desperately trying to claw Kacchan out but failing.

"Don't you dare try that nonsense on me. Why did you run out here?"

"It's because … you looked like you needed help."

At that same moment, All Might was beating himself over, mustered the last bit of strength he had left and thanks to Deku running out, he was moved greatly. Both let him transform into All Might as he ran at the villain who had grabbed a hold of Deku. All Might grabbed a hold of the villain, releasing Bakugo from his hold, before smashing him into smithereens. "DETROIT SMASH!" The villain was completely obliterated by the force of the smash, which continued until it collided with the clouds and caused rain to fall.

After about some seconds, the citizens spoke up. "His punch changed the weather!"

"That's All Might for you!"

The citizen's cheered greatly. Just then, reporter's swarmed All Might. Deku and Kacchan had also just came to, but unfortunately for Deku, he was getting scolded at for doing what he did, while Kacchan was praised, but being Deku, he couldn't care less.

After the events with the sludge villain, Deku was making his way home when suddenly, "I AM HERE!" All Might said as he arrived in front of Deku. The boy couldn't help but jump in fear at his appearance.

"A-All Might."

"Young Midoriya. I feel like I owe you an apology for what I said to you earlier."

"Why's t-that?" Deku asked, clearly unsure.

"After seeing you run in front of that villain, it made me realize something. You have that inner drive that is required of every hero. That attribute of selflessness, putting everyone's need above your own, ensuring that everyone is safe before thinking of your own well being. Those are the attributes of a hero. And that's why I'm here."

"Why?" Deku asked, a bit unsure.

"The main reason I was in this town in the first place was to look for a successor."

"I don't get it."

"I have decided that you'll be the one to know about my quirk and to be the next symbol of peace."

"W-What?!" Deku almost shouted as All Might began glowing.

"I will transfer my quirk to you."

Now definitely, Deku was lost. He knew everything that was basic about quirks, but never in all his life had he heard anything about a quirk that could be transferred. But then again, All Might's quirk is not known to anyone.

"My quirk, One for All, is the pinnacle of quirk evolution. This is because it gets stronger every time it is transferred. I am the eight holder of this quirk and it was my master who transferred it to me… As it is now, I am dying and I can't just leave the world without another symbol of peace, so what do you say? Do you accept?"

Deku was playing everything that All Might just said in his head. He was practically in tears after hearing that his idol was dying and that continuous usage of his power was slowly eating him up. He needed to hand the power over to someone before he died.

"I'll do it. I-If it means that I can have a chance at helping the world, I'll do it," he said while looking at All Might with both tears of joy and tears of sadness. Joy because he was getting a quirk, and helping humanity. Sadness because his idol, one of the major factors that influenced why he wanted to become a hero, was dying.

"Thank you, Young Midoriya. But before I give you my quirk, you have to be able to contain it."

"Huh?" Deku replied as he was very confused.

"Imagine pouring air into a container that is a lot smaller than the quantity poured in. Apparently, what happens to the container is that it explodes, or is destroyed. The same thing goes for One for All. If your body can't handle the increase in power, then we must be prepared for the repercussions that we would face."

"Don't worry, your body won't explode," All Might said on seeing Deku's reaction to his statement. "But I assure you, what would happen will not be pretty… Then again, that is why we must prepare you. Since you have ten month till the exams at U.A., I have a plan."

Few Minutes Later, The Abandoned Beach

"This… beach has been abandoned for as long as I can remember. It used to be a famous tourist attraction center, but ever since people started dumping things here, it has turned into a dump site."

"I don't get it."

"Your training for the next ten months until your exams is to clean up this area of the beach, with me as your supervisor."

Deku panicked. "And h-how will that make me a better hero?"

"Hero work these days is likened to popularity, and that's not right. There was a time when hero work was about community service. Heroes used take a city as their own, ensuring that nothing was wrong with their city. Nowadays, it's a popularity contest."

"I understand, but how am I supposed to do it?"

"Here," All Might said as he handed Deku a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"That is going to be your daily routine 'til the day of your exams. Follow each step to the bone."

After running his eyes through the paper, Deku smiled. 'Here I come. With this the world will soon come to know about Izuku Midoriya.'

Ten Months Later …

All Might stepped out of a car as he made his way to the beach that Midoriya was supposed to be working on.

"Oh my God," All Might said as he saw the beach. Everywhere was clean even to the tee. Deku even went ahead to clean the area that All Might had also told him not to clean. All Might was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of someone shouting. He looked to his right and noticed Midoriya on top of a pile of trash. The boy was screaming his lungs out, before feeling dizzy and falling backwards.

All Might quickly buffed himself as he ran to catch Deku. "Well done young Midoriya," he said as he put him down. "You've come a long way in these ten months." All Might showed him a pic of himself ten months ago and he could clearly see the difference. His muscles and chest had developed greatly.

"Now it is time I transfer my quirk," All Might said as he removed a strand of hair from his head. Deku was looking at him in awe. The moment he had been waiting for ten months ago was about to come to pass. The words he heard next were words he didn't expect to hear.

"Eat my hair."

"H-Huh?"

"Eat my hair."

"Why in hell would I do that?"

"That happens to be the process," All Might said as he rubbed the back of his hair sheepishly. "Basically anything that contains my DNA, in this case my hair. So eat it."

"No!" Deku screamed as All Might shoved the hair down his throat.