chapter 2

Izuku Midoriya couldn't think about what sort of cruelty he would undergo if he got caught. It seemed so long ago that Izuku was just a green haired boy running from a group of bullies. Back then, young Midoriya's legs had burned from the amount of pressure put into his crazed sprint. The child's legs felt like twigs waiting to be snapped as they took him as fast as he could go. The kid clutched a notebook against his chest with the same amount of force he was using to move his feet. However, no matter how much effort Izuku put into running away, the bullies always caught up.

The trio of bullies had several useful quirks that allowed for them to keep up, one of the boys had wings for crying out loud! The other two relied on other abilities to keep up with young Midoriya, specifically the group leader Katsuki Bakugo. The messy haired blonde used his Explosion quirk to shoot controlled bursts out from the palms of his hands. Every small eruption launched him forward, closer to the green haired boy.

It was out front their school fountain that the students chasing Izuku finally grabbed hold of him. Katsuki took the lead and shoved Midoriya to the ground, laughing along with his cronies. The journal young Midoriya had been holding broke free of the boy's grasp and slid right into Bukugo's foot. This peeked the bully's interest, he immeditally picked it up to read what was inside. There was bound to be some good material in it to tease Izuku with.

The relationship between young Midoriya & adolescent Bakugo wasn't always this way. The two used to be the best of friends actually, idolizing the same hero named All Might. Like most children, they had always dreamt of the day their quirks developed. The spikey haired blonde's happened to develop rather quickly, and it gained praise from his peers. Since Midoriya hadn't gotten his & Bakugo's status quo had peeked so highly, Katsuki quickly discarded of their friendship to maintain his popularity. When he discovered Izuku happened to be quirkless, he took it up a notch and began teasing his old friend.

Now, Katsuki dubbed the green haired boy 'Deku' as an insult. It was meant to be a play on words with Izuku's name, meaning 'blockhead' or 'dummy'. While young Midoriya was given a nickname full of mockery, Bakugo had been given an idolized title: Kacchan. The two were complete parrals of one another, in every way they had been made opposites. One full of power he abused, and the other with none to defend himself.

The boy now called Kacchan flipped open the notebook to a random page, finding one of Izuku's many drawings. The picture Midoriya made on this specific piece of paper, was of what he imagined his superhero costume would look like. What stood out to Bakugo was the mask, it had a smile and springy pieces upon the top similar to All Might's signature grin & pointy hair. Despite also idolizing the pro hero like many others, Kacchan decided to make a mockery of it. He used his explosion quirk to burn the drawing with continued laughter.

"You wanna be like All Might?", the crude boy asked. "How can you do that when you're just a quirkless loser, Deku?!", Bakugo taunted.

Midoriya couldn't help it anymore, he began crying over the scorched notebook. His journal was everything to him, years of notes covering all sorts of heroes with their amazing quirks & strategies. The boy had been studying them all so he could try and make it as one without a quirk. Like usual, his old friend had tainted his dream with negativity. It made the green haired boy sorrowful, to have noone he could turn to while having nothing at all to begin with.

"There's no harm in trying Kacchan!", Izuku cried back with as much courage as he could muster. Not even his own mother believed he could do it..

It was a rare feat for someone to not develop a quirk, however, Izuku played victim. With all the powerful villains going toe to toe with someone as strong as All Might these days, she for sure thought a powerless kid wouldn't stand a chance. She cradled Izuku as the two cried that day, telling him that she was sorry. He had asked her if being quirkless would stop him from being a hero and all she had to say in response was 'sorry'. Nobody ever encouraged young Midoriya, there was never any support... yet, he wouldn't give up! As he always told himself, there was no harm in at least trying!

Katsuki scoffed at the statement, "You might as well try jumping off a roof, see if you get a quirk to fly!", the boy snickered.

This gained a chorus of chuckling from the other bullies, ending with a high five. "There's no harm in trying!", Kacchan threw Izuku's words back in his face.

Poor Midoriya couldn't bring himself to reply, all he could do was curl up against the fountain and cry. After the boys saw that Izuku would no longer give them any amusement, they started to leave. Even as they walked away, the rude remarks stuck into Izuku like thorns. They muttered things like 'crybaby' or that curse of a nickname 'Deku'. The words seemed to echo over and over again in the back of Midoriya's mind, never ceasing his tears.

With a shaky hand, Midoriya reached out to take back the charred notebook. Upon his touch, the heat still remained and made him toss it as a reflex. Like the world was out to bully him too, the journal fell into the fountain and became drenched. Izuku quickly fished the book out of the water and saw that despite its damage, the writings were still visible. His eyes were drawn to the smile on his fan made costume.. it made him angry.

With a vengeful heart, Izuku took out a pencil and altered the mask. Like his current emotions, he turned the smile into a frown. Instantly, the young boy comes to his senses and regrets it. He tries using the eraser on the back of his pencil but it doesn't work against the still damp paper. The scrubbing of the eraserhead only makes the frown worse, twisting & contorting it into a more wicked snarl. Izuku's heart thumps with a fearful beat, it's like an inner demon staring back at him.

The only thing that draws the boy's eyes away is the sound of a man's voice asking, "Why didn't you use your quirk?".

Izuku turns around, searching for the source of the vocalization. The green haired boy is both confused & worried to find that he can't seem to spot anyone else within the area. The thought crossed his mind that he was possibly going crazy and hearing voices in his head.

"Why didn't you use your quirk?", the question hits him again with a more stern tone this time. As if it were ordering him to respond rather than asking.

Along with the voice, the person it belongs to steps out of the shade from under a tree. The man wears a wrinkled business suit without the tie, and some sort of device upon his head. It frightens Izuku, the skull like mask had angular pipes shooting out the top and a collar like life support system around his neck. If that weren't terrifying enough, the man appeared to have no facial features. The head looked although it were made entirely out of scar tissue, bound together by nothing but the contraption he wore.

"Wh- What do you mean?", Izuku barely manages to stutter out in a trembly response. The young boy wants to run, but finds himself feeling paralyzed.

"You could have fought back.. or perhaps moved a little faster. Go on. Show me your quirk.", the older man suggested while being none the wiser to Izuku's rare condition.

"I.. I can't! I'm quirkless!", Midoriya shouts as his reply. It's more of a desperate woeful cry than an angry yell.

"I see.", the well dressed adult says back with intrigue strewed in his tone. Midoriya's blood runs cold when the masked man chuckles.

The mysterious newcomer approaches Izuku with an offer, "What would you say if I could give you one?".

Young Midoriya always thought things over first, his mind worked like gears in an mechanism. His brain never stayed unoccupied, something always flowing through it. However, upon hearing that simple sentence.. his mind goes blank. It's like he can't conceive the possibility being real.

Like a computer rebooting itself, Midoriya returns to his senses. Despite wanting nothing more than a powerful quirk to become a pro hero like his idol All Might, he couldn't accept the gift. Not only was it far too sketchy, but he had become focused on proving he could do this without a quirk.

"I'd say.. Thank you sir, but no thank you. I plan on becoming a hero regardless, it's my dream to save people with a smile. If I can do that without a quirk, it'll only show everyone how far I've come!", Izuku replies. His cheerfulness returns, his passion always motivated that kind of attitude.

Despite the man having no facial features, it was apparent that he was disappointed with Midoriya's response. "Very well..", he mutters.

An awkward moment of silence passes before he says anything else, making Izuku feel uncomfortable again.

"If.. when you change your mind. Here's my card.", the mysterious masked man says while handing Izuku a calling card.

The green haired boy gives it a quick glance, skimming the text typed across it that gave only an address. "Thanks..", Midoriya nervously choked out.

"You're always welcome. Believe me when I say.. I'll see you again soon.. eventually you'll come to me.", the well dressed adult replies as he steps back into the tree's shade in which he came. Izuku is shocked to see the man vanish once the shadow drapes over.

It takes a while, but Midoriya shakes off the creepy encounter and starts walking home. The boy notices the sun going down and decides to take a shortcut under a small bridge, he normally avoids it due to low population & it could be dangerous but what are the chances of someone mugging him around the school? Apparently.. very high.

A creature made of what looks like green sludge wraps itself around young Midoriya, the sticky texture keeping Izuku from escaping its grasp. The young boy barely makes out the start of a scream before his mouth is covered with goop. As Izuku continued to struggle against the being's hold, he began to realize he couldn't catch a breath of air. He was being suffocated!

His vision started to swim as oxygen became slim, the boy for sure thought he was a goner. A bright light even started to grow towards him, the rumored sign that one gets when dying. While this glowing wasn't heaven, it was a savior! Izuku never imagined he'd get to see All Might in person, and yet the pro hero was right there in front of him! The shining the green haired boy saw through blurry sight glimmered off of the hero's fist just before it connected with the sludge villain.

"SMASH!", All Might boomed with a deep & powerful voice. Like a water balloon getting thrown against a wall, the sludge monster explodes on impact!

Izuku drew in the biggest breath he ever did as soon as air became available to him. He felt greedy with all the inhaling he was doing, trying to absorb as much of the oxygen as he could. The gasps only became more frequent with the awe of being snatched up by All Might and taken away from the battle.

"Wait here young man!", All Might ordered before leaping back into action. Izuku couldn't say anything back since he was too busy gawping at his hero.

"All Might!", the sludge villain gurgled with hate as it tried morphing itself back together. Before it could do so though, the pro hero hit him with another powerful impact. While the evil doer was vulnerable, All Might took the opportunity to scoop up its remains into a glass jar.

With his hand being used as a cover, All Might calls out to Izuku. "Hey kid! Have you got anything to use as a lid?", the hero asks.

Oh my God, oh my God, holy crap, OH MY GOD, All Might is really talking to me! WHAT DO I SAY?! WHY CAN'T I SAY ANYTHING?!, Izuku's inner thoughts shouted as he stared back at All Might with amazement.

"Not much of a talker, eh? No matter! I've got to be going anyways! Remember kid, PLUS ULTRA!", All Might says with a thumbs up using his free hand.

Izuku begins to panic as All Might crouches down, preparing to soar into the sky. He had so many things he wanted to ask All Might if the two had ever met and now that he finally had, he was going to miss his opportunity! In a desperate attempt to stop his hero from leaving, Izuku ran at the muscular man & grabbed hold of his leg.

"WAIT!", Izuku finally managed to say something. However, it was too late as All Might kicked off from the ground.

The young boy & pro hero took flight, soaring higher and higher into the sky. Izuku screamed as they flew over the top of skyscrapers. It was all the commotion that the child was making that made All Might finally notice he had a stowaway.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Let go!", All Might shouted whilst trying to shake Midoriya's grip off his leg.

"Wait, I can't.. FFLLLLYYYY!", Izuku cried as his fingers slipped free & he began plummeting downwards.

Realizing his mistake, All Might immeditally dove after the child and caught Izuku. "Have no fear, for I am here!", All Might winked.

Midoriya wanted to kiss the ground beneath him once the two landed upon a nearby rooftop. His relief must have shown because All Might didn't hold off on scolding the boy for such a stunt.

"What on earth were you thinking?!", the pro hero questioned.

"I- I'm sorry!", young Midoriya apologized. He bowed to show respect whilst saying, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, I'm.. I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

All Might had to keep from rolling his eyes, there's no telling how many times he's heard that before. "So you just decided to hitch a ride?", the hero asked.

"No! I- I wanted to ask you something!", Izuku cried out. He had so many questions.. but he'd settle for just one.

"I don't have time to give you an autograph, sorry.", All Might said hurriedly as he rushed towards the rooftop ledge.

"DO YOU THINK SOMEONE COULD BE A HERO WITHOUT A QUIRK?!", Izuku Midoriya shouted after All Might before the hero could fly off again. He yelled it so loud that the whole city probably heard him, but he didn't care because it caught All Might's attention.

The pro hero lingered there for a moment, as if he was trying to make the hardest decision of his life. To Izuku, it seemed like All Might was trying to choose his answer to the question he'd presented. Whilst in reality, the hero had a secret.. his power could only last for so long. He couldn't stay there any longer without resorting to a weaker form and risking exposure.

All Might wanted to tell him that he too had been quirkless, that he'd been given this amazing power through a quirk called One For All. However, that too was a secret. Besides, the pro hero didn't know this boy.. if he had what it took to become the next barer of such an immense power. So he decided to tell the child what he probably didn't want to hear, that someone couldn't become a hero without a quirk. They'd most likely die in combat against more powerful threats. There wasn't time to explain it that way though.. so All Might answered in a one worded response.

"No.", the pro hero said before soaring into the sky.

Izuku felt his heart shatter like a glass cup getting dropped on the floor. His body became numb like his senses, his emotions were drastic and undefinable as his world came crumbling down around him. They say you shouldn't meet your heroes. They're right. All the faith.. all the hope that young Midoriya had was put into All Might. Now.. that was all gone. Right about now, Izuku would be shedding tears & curl up into the worthless ball that Kacchan said he was. This time, the green haired boy had no tears.

Izuku dug his fingers into the pocket of his pants, thumbing the business card he had taken from the shady man back at the fountain. All Might had just confirmed it was impossible to become a hero without a quirk. The guy that Izuku met back at his school offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. Maybe it was too good to be true.. but it didn't hurt to try.. did it?

Midoriya found himself entering a back alley, regretting the decision to come to such a place. Just as he was about to run the other way, the metal door in between him and fate opened. On the other side of it was the familiar odd looking man Midoriya had met by the fountain.

"I knew that you'd come. Please, come in.", the man says happily while gesturing for Izuku to enter the building.

Midoriya hesitates before cautiously moving forward. Once he's inside the facility, the masked man closes the door behind themselves. The interior isn't as shady as the outside, not by a longshot. Inside the quaint space are various pieces of furniture that look brand new.

"Right this way.", the man says while leading Izuku down a corridor. At the end of the hallway, there's a catwalk that overlooks various water tanks. From the view that they have, it's difficult to make out what's inside but Izuku trembles at the thought of it being people.

"Now you see that I have quite the little operation set up here. You understand that what I said back at your school was no misconception. I'm the real deal. I have a lot to offer you young man.", the masked figure states.

Izuku fights the urge to run away as the imposing person crouches down to the same level. "I never got your name.", the masked man says.

"M- Midoriya..I mean, Izuku. Izuku Midoriya sir!", the green haired boy stutters. It's obvious to tell that he's frightened.

"Didn't those other children call you Deku?", the figure questions. He wants to keep the scare tactic going, especially since he thinks Izuku is lying about his name. The kid was obviously scared, that may mean he was filled with regret. The masked man didn't want the boy to go crying for help, he couldn't put up with too much attracted attention.

"That's the name they made up to tease me..", Izuku explained.

The masked man recomposed himself, now understanding that 'Deku' was just a nickname and not the boy's actual alias. "I see. So it's like an insult then?", the figure asks while standing back up.

"Yeah..", the reply is ridden with embarrassment. Izuku couldn't bare to look at the man before due to his appearance but now it has to do with shame.

"People call me All For One. That's meant to be an insult too. As if to say I'm selfish. You don't think I'm selfish, do you? I'm going to grant you a quirk after all..", the masked man answers his own question for Midoriya.

"Thank you sir, if you really do give me a quirk.. I'll really appreciate it.", Midoriya says through hopeful tears.

"Don't cry child.. It doesn't suit you. If you want to be as powerful as you say, you'll need to show that you're deserving of it.", the man now known as All For One wipes the tears gently off Izuku's cheeks.

"H- How? How can I deserve this power?", Midoriya asked the man as if he were his father. Somehow, the green haired boy knew what he would receive could match such a quirk as All Might's. Now, Izuku felt that the pro hero was undeserving, and if 'the symbol of peace' didn't deserve his quirk.. how could somehow such as Izuku Midoriya?

"Turn what they gave you into something they'll dread. I want you to be like me child. Own up to the name Deku, as I did with All For One.", the masked man tells Izuku, as if the boy had just sold his soul.

All For One places his hand on Midoriya's shoulder, but not reassuringly. A painful spike shoots into the spot under the man's palm, making Midoriya want to cry out in agonizing torment. The sound doesn't escape the green haired boy's mouth as a hum of energy surges through instead. Izuku felt as if he had just been blown up from the inside, his pulse growing rapidly. Then, as fast as this terrible feeling overcame him, it vanished.

"And by all for one, I mean all for you.. Deku.", the masked man says while removing his hand from the boy's shoulder.

Izuku Midoriya was quirkless no more.