Mixed martial arts wasn't the only thing Izumi started.

Especially when her sensei wound up not willing to taking any money for training her, saying that it would be weird to get paid by her since he already was pretty well off due to his family. Akio taught her on his off hours from the force, at the gym where they first met.

She had analyzed his quirk as well, it was oh-so amazingly named Water Warping. Akio could manipulate small amounts of water, either from a body of water like a puddle, if it was raining, or-with some strain- straight out of the pipes of a water fountain or something of the like. It wasn't over-powered, only letting him control so much at a time, but he could do so much with it.

Which he knew, but hearing Izumi go off about all the different possibilities had gotten a boisterous laugh and beaming grin from the man.

Though, let's get back on track.

Izumi had been with her knew trainer for two weeks when she decided to try something new.

Dancing.

It took a week to pinpoint what type she wanted to learn, find a studio nearby that was a good price, then finally sign up.

That's how she got where she currently was, in a dance studio only a few blocks from her gym, with a bubbly woman grinning down at her.

The woman was tall, maybe taller than Akio, with her black hair pulled back in a lose braid and gleaming golden eyes. Her lips were like Izumi's, rosebud shaped and a soft shade of pink. The woman had legs for days, wearing a simple outfit of yoga pants and a lose tank top over a bright pink sports bra.

"Hello there, Sweetie! Are you my new project?" Without waiting for an answer the woman walked around Izumi, poking her biceps, cheeks, hips, tugging on a curl of her green hair. She hummed, grinning to herself as she stopped in front of the young girl and held her face up, cupping Izumi's jaw in both of her hands and she turned her head this way then that way.

Tilting Izumi's chin up, the Dance Instructor squinted and clicked her tongue.

"Hmm," She hummed again, letting go, putting her hands on her hips before grinning again. "just as I thought! You're made for this!" Nodding to herself she continued. "I'm Kami, you can call me Sensei if you want but I don't mind whatever you decide on. Let's get to work!"

And so Izumi started a new routine.

She practiced dancing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from three-thirty to five-thirty. Her Fighting lessons where a bit unpredictable, so Akio messaged her the plan for the week on Sunday and she'd adjust accordingly.

The girl got her homework done during school, leaving her free time to read more textbooks. Even though she might be improving physically, her strength would always be her mind.

Izumi had been working on different support items for months.

Different types of flash-bangs, ones with smoke, ones with lights, ones with glitter, just seeing what worked the best. Then there was, of course, her pride and joy.

A set of brass knuckles.

But, here's the thing, there was much more to them then just what you saw on the outside. If squeezed just so, four spikes popped out-one from each knuckle. She had a lot of plans for those babies, just needed more time.

And she did have that time.

Halfway through her first year of middle school, she had just under two and a half years. And she would use every second to learn something that would help, to train, to build, to focus her efforts to become the first Quirkless Hero.

She would be a hero that saved people with a smile on her face, she would be a hero for someone to look up to.

Izumi poured over every book she could get her hands on, making friends with her public librarians fairly quickly. She wouldn't let anyone stop her, ever.

And as time passed, Izumi grew evermore confident.

Akio grinned as he taught her move after move, having to hold back less and less. By her summer break in her eighth grade year he was teaching her how to use weapons. As she was going into her final year of middle school Izumi could hit the bull's eye on a moving target across the gym from her nine out of ten times with any type of dagger or knife she wanted, and could hold her own with any basic weapon you could find.

Kami cackled whenever Izumi got a new move down, teaching her a mixture of hip hop, modern, classical (for the grace she explains), and, get this, Latin dancing. As her dance teacher says; "Just trust me, Girly, this will be helpful. With fighting and with the fact that it's super hot." And, say what you will, Izumi learned to not question her dance teacher a long time ago. Kami was an eccentric woman who took great pride in herself and her students, though she seemed to have formed a sweet spot for Izumi especially.

Izumi started her third year of middle school in high spirts.

Bakugou hadn't ever left her alone, none of them did, but she learned how to not give them the time of day. Izumi no longer cowered whenever the Angry Pomeranian let sparks or vicious words fly. If the boy felt like throwing punches, or sending one of his lackeys to, she sent them away with a new black eye and sprained wrist.

After the first dozen times, them finally trying as a group a few times, of her not backing down and them leaving worse for wear . . . They learned to stick to verbal abuse.

So, when the teacher calls her out for wanting to go to UA, and dear, sweet Kacchan feels the need to 'confront' her after school . . . It goes a little different than how it would have.

Bakugou made to grab her shoulder, Izumi ducking under his outstretched hand and spinning till she stood behind him. With a slide of her foot, Bakugou was collapsing forward into Izumi's vacated desk. As the green haired girl made to leave, Bakugou said words Izumi knew she could never forgive.

"If you really want to be a hero that bad, there might actually be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!" He snapped, teeth bared and red eyes simmering with hate.

"Oh, Bakugou." Izumi whispered. She looked over her shoulder, usual smile gone. Only pity and sadness shining in her emeralds. "You just don't get it do you? A hero would never say that." And with that she strode out, heading to her dance class.

It was Monday after all.

That's why she didn't see the sludge villain until he had slipped away from All Might and taken Bakugou hostage.

The girl had been taking a water break, one glance out the window and green curls where flying. Running in the silver heels her sensei had made her practice in was easy after all her lessons, the only hesitation she showed was dipping her hand down into her bag by the door as she ran out.

The heroes weren't doing anything.

Claiming their quirks wouldn't work.

That's just rich . . . Isn't it?

Izumi didn't even think about it as she vaulted over the barriers, loose tank top fluttering as her pony tail whipped side to side. Over her knuckles sat what looked like normal brass knuckles. When the girl grabbed some random gravel and threw it into the blob's eyes, the thing rearing back and letting Bakugou grab a bit of air, she squeezed her fists.

Four bright, claw-like things popped out on each set of knuckles, Izumi digging her hand into the mass to twist and yank the boy out. With all the strength she had built up it wasn't too hard, the slime too distracted to pull against her. She used her momentum to throw Bakugou away from her, then keep spinning to land a blow into the slime villain.

Though . . .

When she landed the blow, thumbs pressing against her brass knuckles, a powerful shock went through the villain, cutting off after a few seconds and leaving a pile of unconscious mess.

Panting, Izumi whirled on the blonde boy before hefting him up by his collar, carrying him to the still stunned heroes and first responders.

Chaos broke out when she dumbed the boy in front of an ambulance. His red eyes where wide, mouth agape as he stared up at her.

Heroes swarmed her, telling her she shouldn't of done that.

That it was illegal to use quirks in public.

Izumi would have been star struck if she hadn't just seen those same heroes doing exactly jack-shit to help out.

"It's not illegal, 'cause guess what." She took her brass knuckles off after clicking the claws back inside. "I built these, and, to top it all off, I don't have a quirk. Oh, and thanks for not handling this, by the way, you interrupted my dance lesson." Izumi didn't know where all the sass came from, but it could have been that her day had just been very shitty.

First she was almost late to school because she wanted to take hero notes, then she got groped on the way out of the massive crowd (the man responsible would not be walking right for a few days), then Bakugou and her classmates had to be their normal shitty selves. And to top it off one of the other girls in her class had decided that today was a good day to push her a little too far.

Then this shit . . .

Izumi was pretty done with the day.

And the damned villain didn't even put up enough of a fight for her to take any anger out on it.

She just wanted to finish her dance class before going home and taking a bath.

Fighting her way through the crowd, the reporters and heroes trying to get her to speak, she made her way back. Izumi sighed as she walked into the dance studio, mind heavy with annoyance.

"Kami-san, can we switch to hip hop today? I need to unwind." Izumi groaned, rubbing her temples and ignoring the other kids staring at her.

"Sure thing, Sweetie!" The woman chirped, turning back to the other kids. Black hair thunking against her shoulder in its braid. "Get back to work, all of you!"

Man was Izumi glad when that day ended. She didn't have time for this, she needed to focus on getting into UA.