Izuku Midoriya was running. He couldn't stop.
He ran through fire and debris. Towards a creature made of slime.
Why you may ask? His classmate, Katsuki bakugou was being held captive.

'Why did it have to be like this? Why is he here? How did he escape All Might?' Were some of the panicked questions rushing through the young boy's mind.

It was terrifying.

Everyone in the crowd behind him was yelling for him to stop. And he wanted to listen, but his legs wouldn't stop moving.

He was rushing towards death itself, with no way to stop.

Flashback

It was a normal day, at Aldera Junior High. Izuku sat in his seat, right behind the aforementioned Katsuki.

Izuku was a timid boy by nature. Very few in their class questioned it, and just chalked it up to his personality. What they didn't know, was the reason for this behaviour was sitting right in front of him.

You see, Katsuki was not a nice guy. Far from it. And these two had known each other since childhood. So what was it about Katsuki that made him such a bad guy? He was loud mouthed, abrasive and prideful beyond anything you could possibly imagine. Was this pride misplaced? Not really, Katsuki was born with feature that put him above others. In fact, almost everyone had this feature.

They were called quirks.

These quirks, acted like random mutations in the body, that could give a person incredible abilities. In Katsuki's case, his quirk evolved the sweat glands on his palms to secrete a substance similar to nitroglycerin. He could then detonate this nitroglycerin to produce powerful explosions.

An ability that not only gave him strong firepower, he could use it as a deterrent, and for flight. It was an incredible quirk, and that's what everyone else thought too.

He got this quirk at the age of four. And since then, he has been constantly praised for it. Even in situations when he didn't really deserve it. From a young age, he was treated like something special. Maybe that's why he turned out as colourful as he was today.

In any case, why did this effect Izuku? Surely someone who was so prideful, wouldn't even pay attention to him. You'd think so, but no.

You see, because of these quirks. The world today has been chaotic to say the least. People who would use their powers for personal gain, or to terrorise others, were common place. People called villains. And as such, the government hired specially trained people to deal with such situations. They were allowed to freely use their quirks as they see fit. These people were called heroes.

And for Izuku, being a hero was his ultimate dream. It had been since he could understand what heroes were. It had been every little boy or girl's dream to be a hero.

But life doesn't always play nice.

When it was about time for Izuku to get his quirk, at roughly four years old. His mother took him to the doctors, to see what kind of power he would get.

As it turns out, he wouldn't get a power. He had a disability that prevented him from getting a quirk. Upon hearing the news, Izuku was shattered. His hopes and dreams, torn away by a few words. And the harsh reality that, even if he did try to be a hero. What could he do? How would he fight people who have insane powers when he had none.

The answer, he couldn't.

But Izuku was a stubborn boy. He wouldn't be swayed by a lack of a quirk. So he started researching quirks, their abilities, how they could be used, and their possible weaknesses. It came to a point that at first glance, Izuku could study a quirk's workings with a high amount of accuracy. He became somewhat of a quirk, and battle strategy genius. And he was hoping that he could use this skill, to be a hero.

And as for Katsuki. When he saw that Izuku was still trying to be a hero, he got angry. And decided to bully him beyond anything you could have possibly been through. He punched, kicked, used his explosions on him. And sometimes even torture. For years without stop.

Katsuki believed that being a hero, was his birth right. He was going to be the best hero, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop that. And if they tried, they would experience the hell storm wrath, of Katsuki Bakugou.

Why did Katsuki try to stop Izuku from being a hero? Anyone's guess would be as good as mine. But I believe it was his superiority complex. He believed that he was going to stand upon a pedestal, alone and without challenge. And seeing a Izuku's determination, even after everything he's been through, pissed him off. He was scared that maybe, Izuku could be a hero. And that he would become irrelevant.

So like a coward, he tried to deter Izuku from his dream. For many years he tried and failed. Izuku was still as determined as ever. He was as stubborn as Katsuki, if not more so.

It pissed Katsuki off, that he couldn't control Izuku. That he couldn't bend him to his will. And so, Katsuki took every chance he got, to vent out his frustrations on the source of it all. Izuku Midoriya. But you see, this is now a vicious cycle.

Izuku pisses off katsuki, so katsuki vents out. Seeing Izuku as determined, pisses Katsuki off even more, and so katsuki cents out harder than the last time. And repeat.

It's a wonder, how Izuku managed to put up with this. It's a wonder, why he's only just got a jumpy timid personality.

But then you might ask, wouldn't the teachers have done something about this a long time ago? Hahahaha... WRONG! All the teachers turned a blind eye. While they didn't agree with Katsuki's methods, they knew exactly what he was doing. And they didn't stop it, because Katsuki was right, there was no way Izuku could be a hero, not without a quirk. You can't exactly deter that sort of determination with a few words. So they let Katsuki do what he did.

It seemed like the whole world was against him, and he was probably right. But Izuku believed in something, or rather someone. His idol, the number one hero, All Might. He believed that there was always hope, even when it seems like there isn't.

The whole class, was waiting for homeroom to start. They all chatted amongst themselves, while Izuku was excluded. No wanted to show any sympathy towards him, out of fear that they might anger katsuki. Izuku sat alone, writing in his notebook. It was where he stored all his information on quirks. He was studying a few he had seen in the way to school, when the teacher walked into the room.

"Ok, ok, settle down everyone. You're all third years now, so you need to start thinking about your futures" he said while holding a stack of forms. To which he then proceeded to throw into the air, "but it doesn't matter, since you're all going to the hero course, aren't you?"

As he said this, everyone in the class started using their quirks. "Yes, yes, you all have incredible quirks, but remember the rules. You are not allowed to use your quirks indoors".

"Hey teach, don't lump me with these extras", said the ash blonde boy known as Katsuki Bakugou. "They'll be lucky enough to end up as sidekicks to some busted up D-lister". This caused an uproar in the class. Everyone was shouting at Katsuki, for his attitude and harsh words. To which Katsuki laughed, "you want a fight? I'll take you all on".

"Ah yes, Mr. Bakugou, you're planning on going to UA aren't you" the teacher spoke up.
Everyone in the room gasped. UA high school was the school with the best hero course in the country. Three of the top four heroes had gone there. Including the number one hero, All Might.

"Seriously? That's nuts"
"I heard they have 0.2% acceptance rate"
"If anyone was going to do it, it would be Bakugou" were some of what was being whispered around the room.

Katsuki then proudly stood up on his desk. "That's right. I aced all the mock tests, I'm the only one who's good enough to get into that course."

"Oh yeah, didn't you also want to go to UA, Midoriya", the teacher said, knowing full well what kind of reaction that was going to bring.
The class then burst into a fit of laughter. They all thought it was impossible for someone like him. No one in their right mind would want to be a hero with his condition.

Katsuki had a different reaction, he slammed a palm onto Izuku's desk, detonating a few explosion. "Deku, What the hell do you think you're doing, applying for UA?" He yelled.

"They're accepting people without quirks now. I won't know if I don't try". Izuku said timidly.

"Don't even try! Or do you want me to set you on fire?" Katsuki threatened angrily.

Izuku cowered away. This satisfied Katsuki enough to move away as well. Izuku wasn't going to give up on his dreams just yet. He was smarter than to let Katsuki know that fact.

Classes continued as normal, without much incident. It was now the end of the school day, Izuku was packing his equipment, when Katsuki and some of his goons walked up to him. They noticed a particular notebook on his desk. "What you got there, Deku?" Katsuki spoke, mildly infuriated.

He picked it up and read the cover, "hero analysis for the future, volume 13. You still think your useless ass can be a hero? Just face it, you're worthless. In fact, let me do you a favour".

Katsuki then punched the notebook he was still holding, igniting an explosion as he did. It burned the cover. And before Izuku could say or do something, he chucked it behind him, throwing it out the window.

Izuku was just surprised, he didn't know how to react. He stood there, while everyone else walked out of the classroom.

Katsuki was the last to leave, and before he did, said one last thing. "It's stupid to believe in that fairytale we were told as kids. Just give up already"

'Fairytale? Oh right that one. Kacchan, you know as well as I do, that it was just a story. It's not real' Izuku thought.

There was a story, about quirks that no one believed because it was too preposterous. It said that among the quirks of today, there exist five that are so powerful, they are passed down from person to person. Growing stronger each time it happens. Each one capable of manipulating an aspect of the universe. And when put together, could manipulate reality itself.

But of course, that was just a story. Quirks may be impressive on occasion, but surely they are not capable of that.

Izuku walked out of the school, and into the courtyard. He was looking for his notebook. He eventually found it being nibbled on, by coy in a coy pond. He fished is out, and aired it to dry. And then moved on to walk home.

He walked, not really paying much attention. He didn't need to, as he was used to walking home from school. Something that would come back to bite him, as he walked under a bridge.

He heard rattling coming from behind him, and when he turned around to investigate, saw a creature made of slime. 'A villain?' Izuku thought panicked.

"A medium sized meat suit. You'll do" it spoke.
It then went to attack Izuku, wrapping its tendrils around him. It then went to pour itself down Izuku's throat.

"Just stay still. It'll hurt for fourth five seconds. Then it'll all go away". Izuku didn't listen, he wanted to escape. He struggled around, making it as difficult as possible for the creature.

Izuku lost consciousness.

He then felt tapping, on his cheek. His eyes drowsily opened to a sight he wasn't prepared to see.

It was All Might.

He was a very impressive man. Tall, and very well built. He had muscles that would make a body builder jealous. He had two gravity defying blonde bangs, that almost resembled long rabbit ears.

He stood there with his signature, unwavering smile. "Thought we lost you there", his voice bustling with charisma.

Izuku, was shocked to say the least. It's not every day, you get to meet your idol. Much less when said idol is the number one hero.

Izuku stammered in his words. He had so many things that he wanted to say. It all came out at once. All Might, being used to fanboys after many decades of his career, simply chuckled. 'He sure has a lot to say'. Izuku finally got it out, that he wanted an autograph. Only to realise that he had already given him one.

Izuku then continued talking a mile an hour. All Might, could make out a few 'thank you's' and 'heirloom'. It wasn't something he hadn't seen before, although the speed that this kid was talking was nuts.

Izuku was going to continue his fanboyisms, until he noticed the slime creature scattered around the area. "All Might, what happened?"

All Might turned to the boy, "Hmm? Oh right, I was following this villain. I should have been able to catch him, but as it turns out. The city sewer systems are very hard to navigate". At the end giving a hearty laugh.

"When I arrived, it was already trying to assimilate itself into you. But I subdued it before it could finish. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to clean up my mess"
He said as he was pulling out two two litre bottles.

"I can help, if you want". All Might was a little taken aback by this. It was unexpected. But he smiled anyway, "Well, how am I supposed to refuse, honest help?". He handed Izuku a bottle, and they began their work.

After a little while, they gathered all the villain pieces. Izuku then handed his bottle back to All Might. "Thank you... I never did get your name did I?", Izuku realising he didn't, mentally facepalmed. "It's Midoriya, Izuku Midoriya" he said, slightly nervous.
"Well thank you Young Midoriya. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take this villain to the police station".

All Might then squatted, preparing to jump. "Thank you, for your continued support". He said right before jumping.

As he was flying he noticed he was a little heavier. He looked down, and saw Izuku, wrapped around his leg. "Hey Hey Hey, what are you doing? Let go, I love my fans but this is too much"

"No way, we're flying. If I let go now, I'll die"
All Might, realising the fatal flaw in what he just said, "Oh, that's a good point". What he didn't notice, was that the bottles which he had placed in his pockets, had fallen out.

They landed on a building, Izuku let go of All Might, still recovering from the flight. 'How can All Might do it with such ease?'

"Not a very smart move. Bang in the door, someone will let you in". He said as he was preparing to jump again. That was when Izuku recovered, "Wait"

"Justice never waits kid. I have to go now"

"No, I just need to ask you. Can I be a hero, even if I don't have a quirk?"

All Might stopped in his tracks. Yet another unexpected thing today.

All Might then erupted in steam. It was so thick, Izuku couldn't see through it. Once it had dispersed, Izuku expected All Might to still be there. That's not what he saw.

All Might had been replaced with a man, some might call his opposite. He was still tall, but not as tall as before. He was skinny, and there was barely any muscle on his body. His face had sunken in, and became more gaunt and rigid. Even his gravity defying bangs, were now messy and by the sides of his face.

Izuku, didn't know what to do or say. So he screamed.

"Who are you? You're not All Might. You're an imposter!" Izuku aid frantically.

The man sighed, "I am All Might". He said right before blood started spilling from his mouth.

Izuku screamed again at the sight of blood. The man, then wiped away the blood and spoke again. "You know how guys at the pool suck in and pretend to be buff? I'm like that"

"This can't be real!" Izuku shouted.

"I'm afraid it is" the man, then pulled up his shirt, revealing a very nasty scar on his abdomen. Izuku cringed at the sight, "I got this about five years ago, in a fight with a villain. I lost my entire stomach, and half of my respiratory system. Because of this, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time, I look like this"

Izuku wasn't sure what to say. He initially thought this man must be an imposter. But after hearing that, he wasn't so sure on that hypothesis.

"Wait five years ago? Was it in the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

All Might chuckled slightly, "wow, you really know your stuff. But it wasn't him, he may have gotten a few good hits, but he was no match for me. No this fight wasn't in the media, I tried my best to cover it up".

"So you lost?" Izuku said a bit worried. All Might was supposed to be unbeatable, yet someone was able to do that to him.

"I think he both lost in that fight. I'm not as invincible as people would believe".

"But your the symbol of peace, aren't you?"

"I may be the symbol of peace. But it doesn't mean I'm never afraid. In fact I'm always afraid. My smile is just a facade, to deter villains and hide my fear".

"I see...", Izuku was just dumbfounded. Never in his wildest dreams did he think something like this would happen.

"And it's because of this, I believe you need a quirk to be a hero". All Might didn't want to say this, but he knew it would be better for him. "Heroes are putting their lives in danger, just by putting on their costume. It's just unreasonable to think you could do it without a quirk"

He got up, "I know it isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth. It's never bad to have big dreams, just make sure they're reachable"
It hurt All Might for saying it. He always wanted to inspire hope whenever he could.

"Of course, I trust that you'll keep this under wraps. It be bad for everyone if this got out".

"I... understand"

"Good. Aspire to be a police officer. I know they are not as useful as heroes, but it's a fine career to have". All Might, walked to the door, and tried to open it. It was surprisingly unlocked. He opened it and walked through, closing the door behind him.

Izuku just sat there, contemplating everything he had just heard. Once he thought it over a few time in his head, he got up and walked towards the door.

Katsuki was walking around in some alley, with two of his goons. He used an explosion on a can he was holding, then threw it ahead of him.
"You know, maybe we should go a little easy on Deku, even if he somehow gets to the exam, he'll never pass it, he'll probably just die in the exam anyway".

Katsuki did not like this, "that fucker thinks he can look down on me. He needs to know his place. And I will not stop, until that happens. Do you fucking understand, or do I have to spell it out for you?"

That was enough for his goons to back off. In his rage, Katsuki kicked a bottle, and then a second one, unscrewing both in the process.

He started to walk off, when he heard a voice. "I like my meat suits to have a little firepower", Katsuki turned on instinct, seeing a large slime creature. It attacked Katsuki trapping him in its tendrils.

All Might was walking down some stairs, and started to talk, "now then, let's get you to the police station..." he said while tapping his pockets. Only to realise that the bottles he had were gone. He frantically looked around to find them.

"They must have fallen out when that Midoriya kid latched onto me. At least it was in a sealed bottle. He won't be able to escape. Now I just need to back track, and find..." he was interrupted by an explosion. It came in the direction he flew from.

"Shit"

Izuku managed to get out of the building. He was going to start walking, when he heard an explosion. Curious, he ran toward the source.

Once he arrived, he was not prepared to see what he stumbled upon.

The villain that had tried to kill him, was now free. And it had another hostage. It was making the hostage, use explosions to deter the heroes that were on the scene.

Izuku immediately recognised the hostage as his abuser, Katsuki Bakugou.

His legs were shaking, he didn't how to react. And then he saw Katsuki's face. A face of desperation, and genuine fear.

Once he saw that, everything went blank. There was only one thing his body could do. And that was run.

Run towards the villain, in a desperate attempt to try and save him.

He ran through fire and debris, while the heroes there tried to stop him. But it was no use, there was nothing that was going to stop him.

The villain noticed Izuku running towards him. And frowned, "you again? Do you really have that much of a death wish? Well who am I to decline?" The creature then tried to shoot some of its tendrils at Izuku, and Izuku on instinct dodged them.

He then remembered something in his notebook. To go for the weak spots. And in this instance, the eyes. Izuku took of his backpack and threw it at the villain, managing to hit his target.

Izuku got to the villain and started clawing at the tendrils trapping Katsuki. He got to the ones covering his mouth, which let him breath again.

"Deku, what the hell so you think you're doing?"

"I'm saving you, you idiot. I just couldn't stand there and watch you die" he said with tears in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to him, All Might was in the crowd. He had seen everything. And at once, steam started to build up around him.

Izuku was still trying to free Katsuki, while he was struggling to free himself. The villain recovered after being hit in the eye, and was about to attack Izuku again.

And it would've succeeded, if it wasn't stopped by an arm blocking it. Izuku looked up, and saw All Might, in his buff form. He was surprised, he didn't think All Might could transform again.

"I really am pathetic. It seems I don't act on what I preach. Heroes are always risking their lives to save people. Who cares about limits?"

All Might ripped the tendrils away and pulled both Katsuki and Izuku aside in a single move. He then readied his fist for a punch.

"Detroit..." the villain tried to break free, but couldn't. All Might's grip was too strong. All Might then punched downward, finishing his attack with, "Smash!".

The villain broke apart like it did before. The updraft created from the punch, was enough to create cumulonimbus clouds. It then started to rain. Izuku and Katsuki sat to the side of All Might, while he raised his fist, as a show of victory.

The heroes on the scene, then praised Katsuki for his bravery and string quirk. Even giving him some offers for some internships. Izuku on the other hand, got scolded for his recklessness.

All Might was busy dealing with a crowd of reporters. When the heroes let Izuku and Katsuki go.

Izuku was walking home. It had been a long day, and it was already sunset. He then heard Katsuki's voice, "Hey Deku!". Izuku turned around.

"Don't think I owe you anything, just because you tried to save me. I could've gotten out of there myself. So don't start thinking you're better than me"

He then turned around, and angrily walked off.
'Kacchan, I never thought I was better than you'.

Izuku turned around, only to be met with a voice. "I am here". Izuku yelped as he stumbled back. All Might had just slid out of an alleyway.

"Woah All Might, I thought you were with the press?"

All Might gave a hearty laugh, "I've spent years perfecting techniques to lose them". At that moment, All Might deflated.

Izuku once again yelped in surprise. While All Might collected his bearings. "Young man, I saw what you did today. Let me ask you, what were you thinking while you were running to save your friend?"

Izuku pondered for a moment, "I don't know. I just started running. Like I couldnt stop, until I could save him"

All Might grinned widely. "Exactly, you ran right into danger without thinking. Young Midoriya, I am sure you know that there are many different kinds of heroes. But did you know that most of them had one thing in common. They had stories of times, when their bodies moved without thinking. That they couldn't help themselves but to help those who needed it".

Izuku started to tear up. He knew what All Might was driving at.

"And you today, showed exactly that. The will to save, even at the cost of your own life. And it was today, that you showed me, what it means to be a hero. You saved me".

Izuku couldn't stop the waterworks at this point. He couldn't help but let all of these emotions out at once.

"Young man, you too can become a hero"

Izuku, couldn't hold back anymore. All the struggles, all the pain and torment he had been through. All just so that one person, could say those words he needed to hear. At this point, nothing could stop these tears.

"Young Midoriya, I deem you worthy of my power. My quirk is yours to inherit".

Ok, maybe that.

Izuku was simply confused what did he mean?
All Might saw the confusion, and started to explain. "There's a story about five quirks with in rivalled powers. Ones that can be passed on. Well I'm here to tell you, it's true".

Izuku's eyes widened, "Wait, you're one of them?" He said in shock. "Yes indeed my boy. Now then, will you accept this quirk as your own?"

Izuku didn't need any more convincing, "I accept", he said confidently. All Might smirked, "an immediate answer. Now that's what I want to hear".

Now, Izuku believed the two were alone. But that's not the case. All Might was well aware someone was watching, someone who had been following him for a little while now.

This person was watching from a distance, standing on top of a building, "so you've finally found your successor, Toshinori". His crimson eyes peered at the two, as his snow white hair danced in the breeze. "Izuku Midoriya, I look forward to meeting you in person".

[Author's notes]
4622 words. My god this is the longest chapter I've ever written.

So, how do you like it so far. Unlike with my other fanfics, I want to keep you in the dark about most things until they're ready to be revealed.

Anyway, that's all I got time for today, see you guys in the next one. Peace.