(A/N contrary to the title, this chapter has nothing to do with All Might XD. Also, sorry for the late update (^～^;)ゞ)

Frustration. It was an emotion that Izuku was unfamiliar with. He had never been so frustrated in his entire life. Not when he was announced quirkless, not when Katsuki first assaulted him, not when his teachers deliberately failed him in his tests and not even when Katsuki had told him to jump off the roof.

He stormed into his home, throwing his bag on the couch and just fell face-first on his bed. Inko jerked violently while chopping vegetables for Katsudon and turned around just in time to see her usually cheerful son almost sprinting towards his room.

Placing the knife down, Inko let go of her apron and walked towards her son's room. She wasn't a fool. Inko knew what her son was going through and that he was getting bullied everyday. When she confronted him about it one day, he panicked and tried to assure her that everything was alright.

"Mom, everything's alright! I mean, the bullying is sorta normal for a quirkless kid and I'm sure people have it worse. Besides, Kacchan protects me from them! So please don't worry. I'll come to you if things get worse"

Sure she didn't believe him. Why would she? A quirkless kid who's constantly being bullied says he's alright- who in the right mind would believe him? To top it off, Inko is a lawyer. She could practically sniff out suspicion.

Inko was a fierce hound.

After sensing the shift in the dynamic of friendship between her son and Katsuki, she had made it her business to dig deeper not only as a mother but also as an advocate of justice for the discriminated sects of the society and the quirkless. Now, Inko did not become a lawyer with meager skills. She, like her son, was a genius in her own right. Of course, Izuku had taken after both his parents, his deceased father, Hisashi- a scientist, was also a natural born genius. So it wouldn't be a surprise if someone who knew her got the wind of the fact that she… hacked.

Getting into the school cameras was a little harder than she had imagined. She isn't a pro hacker and Aledra had no formidable security. Also, Izuku's bullies apparently had some brains. Only two tapes showed how the bullies, including Katsuki, had assaulted her son in the open corridor. That meant only one thing- the rest of the abuse was either in the blind spots or outside the compound. It took all her willpower to not barge into the Bakugou household and slam Katsuki's head onto the ground the first time she found out about him. Mitsuki and Inko only shared something a little above acquaintance as neighbours before the former moved away and it can't be termed as friendship. As such, she didn't want to associate with the Bakugous anymore. Izuku always kept denying her claims that she didn't believe that Katsuki was helping him and she had no choice but to shut up. No legal authority was accepting the fact that one of the most well-known schools was encouraging bullying. She couldn't exactly produce the evidence she had gathered by breaching the privacy of the school, being a lawyer but even when she finally did, no one cared. Her verbal statements were rejected saying that she was just overreacting about her son.

Honestly, Inko wished she could just sabotage the entire system and throw it into a volcano.

When you're fighting for someone quirkless, you always lose. But that never stopped her from trying constantly. Maybe one day, fate may take pity on her and let her win.

Inko knocked on Izuku's door "Sweetie, are you okay?" She heard small sniffles and sighed. Someone was going to die. "Izuku, I'm coming in"

Hearing no reply, she pushed the door open only to stand horrified at the sight of her son literally cocooned in bedsheets, holding a box of tissues and bawling his eyes out. Not even a second later, she found herself cradling her son's tear-filled face against her chest, rubbing his back and hair.

"Sweetie" she soothed his curls "it's okay...let it all out"

Once he had calmed down, Inko smiled and handed him a glass of water from the side table. "Now, Izuku. I want you to tell me what happened and don't even try to sugarcoat things, sweetie"

"Wasn't planning to" Izuku croaked a chuckle.

Half an hour later, Inko looked like a deranged murderer, literally emitting the aura of someone on a manhunt. Izuku was honestly terrified of her at that moment but he knew it wasn't directed at him. Inko calmed down slightly and patted Izuku's hair.

"Thank you for telling me everything, sweetie. I'm so proud of you" she whispered into his hair and pulled back, her soft eyes shining with determination. "Izuku, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to help you but will you give me a chance? I have a plan in mind but only if you want to"

Izuku looked into her eyes and nodded "I know that whatever you have planned will be for my betterment, mom"

Izuku had left Aledra the next day under the pretext of transferring while successfully applying for online courses. Given his intelligence, Inko knew he'd clear them within months. The mother of one was relieved that Katsuki at least had the decency to not show his face to them. Every evening, Inko and Izuku would go to Dagobah beach and clean it in hopes of putting the place to good use. Izuku trained everyday for the entrance exam along with Inko, who now had a more powerful version of her quirk capable of attracting heavy rocks and such. Izuku had somehow managed to teach her to 'throw' things which she considered impossible since her quirk only attracts.

"I can't wait!! The entrance exam is in a week!!" Izuku chirped, biting the homemade muffins.

Inko laughed at his excitement and stood up "We should get you some new shoes along with the groceries. The red ones are worn out"

Izuku nodded like a toddler and hopped to his feet. He may have been through a lot but he was still a happy child. The only people he planned on being cold with were his bullies, Katsuki and All Might. The others did nothing to deserve his indifference and so he was a ball of sunshine for them.

Three hours later, the mother and son walked down the sparsely crowded street with several bags in their hands. They conversed happily, laughter filling their little bubble as they finished their cotton candies. Izuku looked at the shop boards with a smile before jerking his head to the side when he heard his mom drop all her stuff onto the ground. Before he could react, Inko was already on the run for something and when he got a better look, his feet carried him on their own.

An old woman with a snail-like quirk was having trouble crossing the road and fast approaching them was a minibus. Inko dashed faster than she knew she could and lifted the old woman up in her arms. The bus was barely a few feet away and before she could register, a weight pushed her from the back, twisted them mid-fall and wrapped it's hands around her and the old woman. When the ringing in her ears faded, Inko turned to their savior only to stare in horror at the bloodstained face of her unconscious son. Izuku had pushed them out of the collision zone and shielded their fall using himself as a buffer. His head hit the pavement hard, drawing blood.

Midoriya Inko sat in front of the ER, trying her best not to break down. A hero called Hammerman had brought them to the hospital and checked up on her and the old woman. A few civilians, who brought their scattered stuff, were by her side, comforting her but soon left. Inko couldn't blame them. They had their own lives. The sound of the door opening made her jump to her feet.

"Midoriya-san?" The doctor with orangish skin called.

"Th-that's me!" Inko sprinted towards her "ho-how is m-my baby? Is he o-okay?"

The doctor sighed and pursed her lips "Midoriya-san, I'm going to be honest with you. Your son took a bad hit on the back of his head and had you brought him any later, he may not have made it"

Inko gasped at the revelation. She almost lost her son. The doctor sighed and continued "As of now, he's in a relatively stable condition. But we cannot say anything clearly. We have to put him in a medically induced coma for at least two weeks to make sure there isn't any extensive haemorrhage. Some of the tissues have suffered major trauma and we do not want to stress the functions. I hope you know that we're trying our best and this is the last option we've chosen. Are you alright with it?"

Inko thought about it for a while. She had heard about medically induced comas but right now, she had no choice. She agreed to it and signed the paperwork. The hospital was kind enough to give her a day to get the payment as Hammerman had told them how the boy had saved two people. The old woman's daughter had visited her that evening and insisted on paying 20% of the fee, the part she could afford, for saving her mother.

Two weeks and two days later:

It has been over a week since the entrance exam and a day since Izuku woke up. Inko was sad that Izuku lost the chance to get into UA but she was glad that he was safe. The coma had helped heal his brain and now he was almost back to normal. The doctor had given her instructions to care for Izuku. At first, the green haired boy was confused but after knowing what happened, he was disappointed. Inko tried to cheer him up the best she could and it somehow, by the mercy of fate, worked.

A week later, she and Izuku had a heartfelt talk and they decided to start a cafe to distract themselves while enjoying a change. Izuku applied for more online courses to develop skills till fate decided to give him another chance. The teen suggested that they rescue cats that have been abandoned and give them a new life. And so, Neko Neko cafe was established near Dagobah beach.

A few weeks later, Izuku was added to an unknown group chat.

(A/N and that concludes the past! I really really hope it isn't stupid and confusing. The next chapters will continue in the present, i.e. after chapter 21. Thank you for bearing with me ^3^)