Chapter 1
A long, long time ago there was a great war unlike anything seen before with human eyes. For this was not a war raged between the nations of man, but rather the divine as a three-way conflict between God and his angels, the devils, and the fallen angels ranged across the heavens as well as the earth. All to see who would, in the end, take control over the world.
Then, one day, from out of the blue the war was interrupted by two great dragons. No one knew why they were fighting, all they knew was that the two great beasts cared not where they took their brawl. They fought wherever they pleased, including on the battlefield of the great war. And when the three great powers tried to get them to stop or to take their own battle somewhere else, the two dragons became enraged for it is not wise to get in the middle of a fight between dragons.
Eventually, the three leaders of the great factions called a pause to the war in order to deal with the two dragons. The three stood there, united in a single cause as the dragons bared their fangs and claws at them. The two great beasts attacked, aiming to eat the heads of the leaders of heaven, hell, and the fallen angels. Yet, despite their power rivaling that of gods, the two dragons were defeated; their bodies were cut into pieces and their souls sealed into humans as what would later be called Sacred Gears. These Sacred Gears, or God's Artifacts, allowed the humans who received them to enact miracles on earth.
Since that day so long ago, many different humans have held within the powers of these Sacred Gears. Each one of them making their mark in the pages of history, becoming legends. Yet, no matter how long time flowed, the desire to do battle between these dragons never ceased. It seemed that, without fail, the hosts of the Sacred Gears would seek the other out to fight.
Though that conflict never changed, the world around them did. The human race, which had only ever received supernatural powers from various Sacred Gears sprinkled into the masses, would eventually gain powers of their own without the need of the divine. This change began with the arrival of the glowing baby in China. From there, powers known as quirks began to spread all over the world with 80% of the population having at least some sort of power. From there, the world changed into something straight out of the comic books as the impossible was made a reality!
However, the same could not be said for one Izuku Midoriya.
"Where do you think you're going Deku?" yelled Katuski Bakugo, his voice ringing through the classroom followed soon by the sound of a loud explosion before dark smoke filled half the room. A cry of pain rang through the air as the class heard someone rolling on the ground, their bag and books getting scattered all around before the boy hit the back wall of the classroom. As the smoke cleared, most of the students looked on with mild interest as Bakugo, the one who had caused the explosion, grabbed his target by his uniform jacket and pulled him up to his feet. Some even began smirking, leaning back in their seats as Bakugo towered over the trembling form of a green-haired boy with diamond-shaped freckles. No one said anything as frightened tears began forming in Izuku's eyes, letting out a yelp as Bakugo's right hand slammed onto the boy's shoulder, gripping it tightly as the sound of several small pops could be heard as well as the sight of smoke rising up between the boy's fingers. But nobody in the room rushed to his defense nor did they even bother to find a teacher to put an end to this. After all, why should they?
Izuku Midoriya was quirkless, a person born without any sort of superhuman ability. What was strange was that he should have gotten one of his parent's quirks or a combination of both. Yet, he had nothing. Thus, as the nickname Bakugo gave him all those years ago stated, he was useless. A Deku. But, despite this fact, Izuku had a dream. One which all the students in Aldera Middle School had mocked Midoriya forever since the day he had been declared quirkless.
And it was this dream that enraged Bakugo.
"You were there, weren't you?!?" screamed Bakugo, his face inches away from his targets. Izuku flinched due to both the volume and the spit flying right into his face. "At the U.A. mock exam for the hero course! Don't you dare lie to me, you damned worthless nerd! I overheard some of those extras talking about you while I was in the bathroom, talking about some mumbling freak taking notes on everyone he saw! You really think you can compete against me?!"
"N-N-No K-Kacchan!" stammered Izuku in both panic and pain. "I'm really not trying to compete against anyone! Honest!"
As Bakugo glared at the teen with explosive fury, a few members of the class laughed aloud. It was just so absurd that, no matter what people told him, Midoriya refused to learn the simple truth that he could never, ever, become a hero. He had no quirk, no strength of his own. Sure, some schools like U.A. had eased up on their acceptance policies into hero courses and allowed those with no quirks to enter but nobody actually believed that there was a quirkless person out there that could succeed in getting in. It was all for the publicity. But, no matter how many times these simple facts were told to him, Izuku Midoriya refused to back down from his dream of becoming a hero. If only he would just give up then maybe he wouldn't be bullied so much.
And there was nobody who bullied Izuku more than his former childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo. Bakugo who had been blessed with an amazingly powerful and flashy quirk, practically making it his destiny to become a great hero…something that he liked to remind his classmates of whenever the opportunity arose, much to their chagrin. To have someone like Izuku even consider climbing to the same heights as Bakugo angered the teen like nothing else.
"You really think you, a quirkless loser, can get into U.A?" Bakugo continued to yell, new veins appearing on the sides of his head as he did. "I'm sick and tired of you looking down on me Deku. I'm going to remind you of your place once and for all! Maybe this will get it through your damned HEAD!"
As Bakugo pulled back his left arm, a larger explosion than the normal pops he would make when bullying Midoriya erupted causing the class to become deafly silent. Tension now filled the air as many of those watching now wished they were somewhere, anywhere, else as they could tell this wasn't like what Bakugo had done in the past. Normally, Bakugo would verbally assault the green-haired teen and use his explosions to either knock Izuku against a wall or as intimidation. The blond bomber wasn't stupid; always in control of the force of his explosions to make sure he didn't leave any lasting damage or cause enough harm that would get him barred from entering any hero school. But now, that explosion he just used, would surely be enough to leave Midoriya with burn marks on his face. Possibly even scars.
Was the mere fact that Izuku was not just talking about entering U.A., but actually making a physical effort to get in enraging Bakugo this much? Or was this a case of the straw that broke the camel's back? Either way, Midoriya was going to be in a world of hurt.
And the quirkless boy knew it as well, still feeling the heat on his face from that last blast.
'Oh no, no, no, no, no!' thought a panicking Izuku. 'He's really lost it this time! Kacchan's really going to kill me! And nobody's going to save me! I…I have to do something!*
Izuku's body trembled out of control, more tears forming in his eyes as the inevitable seemed to slow down before him. He could make out every bead of nitro-sweat on his bully's open palm as it seemed to gather to create another large blast. He could see the motion of Bakugo pulling his arm back, getting ready to slam his hand into Izuku's face. If only he had some sort of quirk that could help him. A strength enhancement to help him break free of the grasp. A reflection quirk to just redirect the blast. A warping quirk so that he could be anywhere else! Heck, he'd even settle for a slime quirk so that he could just melt out of Bakugo's grip and escape through a crack in the wall or under the door! Only…he had none of those.
As Bakugo's hand began moving closer to him, something awoke within Izuku. Perhaps it was just his fight or flight instinct, the voice of his desire to take flight finally going hoarse and allowing fight to be heard! Perhaps it was just his desire to not be a victim of this anymore, having finally reached his limits.
Or it could just be the knowledge that no matter what he did he was going to get hurt so he might as well try and fight back.
So, Izuku reached out with his dominant left hand to grab Katsuki's wrist. An act that, at first, startled the blond. Then, like clockwork, Bakugo became angrier! But Izuku did not back down as a strange feeling began moving through his body and into his hand. This feeling, this power, began to shift and change rapidly around his hand making him feel like his hand was changing into something…clawed. Only it wasn't. It was still the same hand that Izuku used to take all his hero notes. Just a bit…brighter? Then, Izuku heard a voice in the back of his mind.
'About time you did that,' came a booming, powerful, and somehow ancient voice that seemed to echo all around him. 'I was beginning to wonder if you would ever stand up for yourself! Now LET US TAKE HIS POWER FOR OUR OWN!'
"DIVIDE!" Izuku's shout along with a bright blue light coming from Izuku's left hand caught the blond bomber off guard, his wrist twisting so that his palm faced his victim while letting out an explosive blast. However, compared to previous explosions, this one wasn't all that bad. It had force behind it, but only enough to compare to a powerful wind that would make walking a tad more strenuous. As for the heat, it wasn't the searing heat Izuku had known for so many years but rather simple warmth! What's more, Izuku felt a surge of power running through him like nothing he had ever felt before. The sugar rush he felt when he was a little kid and had eaten twelve All Might limited edition chocolate bars had nothing on this!
'Why are you just standing there?' demanded the voice. 'Quick! Use the energy boost to take this whelp down before he recovers!'
Izuku blinked as the voice rang through his head once more, noticing at the same time a shocked Bakugo trying to escape from the young Midoriya's grasp. Yes trying . Bakugo, the strongest person in their class, was struggling to free himself from Izuku's grip! Instinct took over again, Izuku flinging Bakugo's arm to the side like it was the easiest thing in the world before bringing his arm back to elbow the mighty Bakugo right in the face. Izuku watched as the ashen-blond spun in the air slightly before crashing to the ground where he then rolled into a nearby desk.
For a moment, Izuku stood there as he breathed hard until he realized what he had just done. He had just knocked Bakugo down like it was nothing. And what was scary about it all was just how easy it had all been. Like something had sapped away most of the bully's strength. And how did he move that fast? Slowly looking up, Izuku began to sweat as he realized the entire class was watching him with wide-eyed expressions.
Just then, someone gave his flight instinct a glass of water for it screamed at him to run. To put as much distance between him and everyone else as possible because, when Bakugo got up…well, Izuku didn't need to finish that thought as he grabbed all his stuff from the floor before high tailing it out of there at full speed!
-x-
"What just happened? What just happened? What just happened?" This single sentence was on an infinite loop, the green-haired teen asking this over and over again as he ran at full speed back to his home. Once inside the apartment, he locked the door before heading to his own room where he leaned his back against the door. His legs felt weak, his uniform now drenched in sweat from that epic run with no breaks. His hands jittered as he allowed his backpack to drop to the floor.
Then, slowly, Izuku sank to the floor with his back never leaving the door. The body could feel his body crashing, the burst of energy he had gained with his fight with Bakugo having vanished shortly after he left the classroom. He had called on every reserve of energy he had in his being and then some just to keep running. To put as much distance between him and his bully. And now, with his body finally crashing, all the teen was left with were his thoughts.
So, as he sat there, his mind tried its best to piece together what had happened. Had someone used their quirk to save him? He was quirkless after all so that made sense. Perhaps a teacher or another student? That thought was quickly struck down though. Logically, if there was a teacher nearby they would have stepped in to put a stop to it themselves rather than using their quirk and getting in trouble. Also, Izuku knew the quirks of all the teachers at his middle school. Heck, he even knew the quirk from that substitute teacher who had come from the nearby town of Kuoh! And none of the other students he was aware of had a quirk that could give someone else power like that.
Did that mean…
Did he dare hope?
Heart pounding, Izuku crawled on the floor to get to his desk. As much as his body protested, demanding that he lay there for a few hours or days, Izuku forced himself up and onto his chair before pulling out a notebook. One whose title on the cover was written in Crayons: Hero Analysis of Izuku Midoriya. His hands trembled, now with excitement as he opened the first page seeing that it was mostly empty save for a single word that he had written so long ago. Quirkless. Around that word were several stains created from the tears that had been pouring down from his eyes. New watermarks threatened to join them, but Izuku managed to hold them back.
Finding a spot below that word, Izuku brought the tip of his pen to the line. Then, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves before beginning to write.
As Izuku wrote down his theories on what he believed his quirk might be, someone else was looking through the teen's eyes. Or, rather, something. This being deep within Izuku watched on in silence as Izuku's pen flew over the page, noting the meticulous way the boy was breaking down how his 'quirk' worked. He may not have had the same level of brilliance as his former host, but the boy was no slouch. With time, he would become a worthy vessel.
However, when the teen wrote down that his quirk might be causing him to hallucinate voices the being within Izuku could no longer keep quiet.
'I can assure you I am no mere hallucination!' stated the voice. The suddenness as well as the power behind these words caused Izuku to jump in his chair, his pen being flung into the air. Briefly, the teen looked around, trying to see if there was anyone around only to then realize that he had heard that voice before. In school. And in his head!
"Ok. Ok. I'm still hearing voices," said Izuku aloud as he tried to make sense of everything. "I hope that this is because of my quirk, like some sort of side effect."
'I am neither a side effect nor am I a quirk,'grumbled the voice.
"Ah…ok. Then what are you?" asked the teen, wondering where this would go.
'My name is Albion, the White Dragon Emperor,' was the reply, its tone holding no small hint of pride. 'Also known as the Vanishing Dragon! Long ago, I was defeated by the leaders of the three great powers before having my soul and power sealed away into what would be later known as Scared Gears. Think of them as superpowers before the age of what you call quirks.'
Izuku sat there, listening to the voice now known as Albion, taking in what it was saying before coming to the most logical conclusion.
"So I guess I must have a sentient quirk then," said the boy, excitement slowly growing in his voice. "It would have to have some ability to think in order to make up such a story. I have heard about the existence of such quirks, but I never thought that I would actually have one!"
Albion, in response, just let out a sigh. 'I should have realized that words alone might not be enough to convince you. Perhaps a demonstration of my powers are in order.'
Before Izuku could say or do anything, that same strange feeling he had before he activated his 'quirk' began moving through his body and into his left hand. With wide-eyed fascination, Izuku watched as his left hand began to glow blue hoping to see his 'quirk' in action again so that he could have more notes. He had expected a great many things to happen, like the power in the room dwindling or the batteries in his devices having their energy lives cut in half and then feeling a great charge of power. What he didn't expect was for his left hand to become a white, clawed gauntlet with a blue gem on the back of his hand.
"Now witness me in my original form!" Izuku sat there shocked as the voice he had been hearing in his head was now coming from the blue gem! But before he could dwell on that, the room around him vanished only to be replaced by scattered white clouds within a seemingly endless blue sky. Then, rising from below, was a dragon! A large western-style dragon with white scales so beautiful that they seemed to glow along with blue eyes, two golden horns on top of his head, and feathered wings that reminded him of an Aztec god he had once read about.
And as Izuku sat there, staring into the blue eyes that stared right back into his own, he could feel the power of this great beast that dwarfed him in every way possible. A power that was real. This thing, this dragon was real. There was no way his quick could do what it did back at school and show him all this!
With that, Izuku found himself back in his room having never left his seat with the blue gem now embedded in his left hand.
"So…it's true," whispered Izuku as the truth began to set in. "I don't have a quirk. Everything that happened back in that classroom was because of you."
As Izuku stared at the gem, he could feel his heart pinching in the most painful of ways while tears began to form in his eyes. It was like the world's cruelest joke. To have him think that, after all these years, he finally had a quirk, that he could finally be a hero…only to find out it was a lie. He didn't blame Albion since he probably didn't intend to get Izuku's hopes up, just wanting to protect his host or something like that.
"You are wrong, human," said Albion firmly, instantly getting Izuku's attention. "When your soul was created, the Scared Gear Divine Dividing was fused into it becoming one with you. Its power became your power! When you stood up for yourself and tried to fight back, your subconscious called upon it. All I did was offer some brief guidance."
The despair that Izuku felt quickly morphed into confusion as he stared as he continued to stare at the gem. "Then…Then why couldn't use this power before?!? I mean, Kacchan used to beat me up all the time when we were kids!"
"The main reason was that your body was too weak to handle the transfer of power," Albion responded with a sigh. "Most of the assumptions you made in your notes are correct: Divine Dividing is a power that transfers half of the strength and powers of your opponent before adding what was stolen to your own abilities. With this power, you will always be at your peak while your enemy gets weaker faster. However, when you were younger, your body could not handle the strain of taking in the stored power. As such, you were unable to use Divine Dividing."
Izuku's eyes widened at that.
"And now I am strong enough?" Izuku asked, his voice full of hope.
"Heh, heh. Just barely, and I'm being generous here," laughed Albion, causing Izuku's head to drop. "In truth, what you saw on your hand was just the first stage of Divine Dividing. A 'half-awake' form if you will. In order to gain access to my full power, your body is going to need to become stronger!"
For a moment, Izuku felt himself deflate at Albion's statement of him being weak. Not that it wasn't true, he was built like a straw man after all. It was, well, he had hoped that this quirk would be able to change that. Make him stronger so that he could become a hero.
Yet, a moment later, Izuku's eyes brightened as he realized what Albion was saying. If this was just what the bare minimum of Divide Dividing could do, just imagine what it would be capable of once he grew stronger! The full access to everything that Izuku felt when he saw Albion in his true form! Just imagine how many people he could save with that sort of strength! Quickly turning back to his notebook, he began writing ideas at a frantic pace.
"Alright," began Izuku over the scribbling of his pen jotting down his plans. "So, first off, I'm going to need to register Divine Dividing as my quirk. That will give me time to figure out what sort of training I should be doing to boost my overall physical abilities. Let's see, I could try getting a bunch of weight and using them. Maybe even jogging with weights. I heard that helps with some people. Or I could look online for a workout program. Wait, maybe join a dojo or a gym! That might actually kill two birds with one stone!"
"What are you thinking, partner?" asked Albion.
Grinning, Izuku pulled out his phone and began typing in his search while barely noting the fact that he was being called 'partner'.
"Well, the way I see it, I not only need to be able to handle this strength but also how to use it to its full advantage," explained Izuku. "Meaning I'm going to need to learn how to fight. A dojo will not only help me improve my strength and stamina but also teach me how to fight. I might not be able to go blow to blow with someone who has been studying for years, but I'll at least get the basics down before taking the U.A. entrance exam. The same goes for a gym. They'll be able to provide a number of different workout classes as well as some self-defense classes or kickboxing."
As Izuku began looking up the nearby gyms to see what sort of classes they offered and how much, Albion grinned. His newest host was certainly interesting.
Chapter 2: Figure it Out
'So, this is the place you have chosen.' Izuku nodded as Albion's words echoed through his head, standing stiffly at the entrance of the dojo waiting for someone to greet him. Waiting to meet the person who could give Izuku the training he needed to better handle Divine Dividing and become the hero he always wanted to be.
It had been a day and a half since Izuku had first communicated with the dragon dwelling inside of him. During that time, Izuku had researched every gym, dojo, training program, and personal trainer he could find on the web. He examined everything with the same level of scrutiny that he gave when examining heroes' quirks and their potential. From their hours of operations, the various types of training they provided, equipment, lesson plans, and even who the instructors were. Well, all that as well as making sure that it was within his family's budget.
When Inko had returned home the day Izuku had awakened his 'quirk', the young man had rushed over to her before she could close the door to their apartment to tell her the good news. Naturally, she was a little bit skeptical that he had just now awakened a quirk since such things were very rare. As in she could count on one hand the number of times she knew it had happened from all the research she had done back when Izuku was little and still awaiting his quirk. But after having Albion's gem appear on the back of his left hand and using his Divide on her, Inko was sold! That night, emotions ran high as both Midoriya's broke down in happy tears. Even more so when the Midoriya matriarch sent a quick text message to her husband who then, after only a few minutes of receiving the text, called Izuku to congratulate him. After a long talk with his dad, Izuku put his phone on speaker in order to reaffirm his desire to become a hero and ask for their support.
"Alright, we'll support you as best we can," said Izuku's father over the phone, his voice, though happy, sounding a little tired. As if he were struggling to stay awake.
"But, only as long as you keep your grades up," added Inko. "I know you have a lot of catching up to do and there's not a lot of time before the entrance exam for U.A. However, that's no reason for you to neglect your studies in the name of pushing yourself!"
With that promise easily made, Izuku was given his price range.
Within the time between then and his mother taking him to get his quirk registered, Izuku had crossed off a number of potential training options. Most of the personal trainers were out since each of the sessions would cost the same as the monthly training allowance. The same went for certain gyms run by former heroes, though that had more to do with the fact that they were just using their slowly dying name recognition to score some easy cash. At least, that's what Izuku came to after reading the very negative reviews and comments made about these places. Thankfully, there were a few good ones out there. Some even offered 'Hero-in-Training' courses for people his age that would allow quirk training under their supervision. Oh, yes that was very tempting for Izuku.
In the end, Izuku ended up choosing a dojo without a lot of reviews, good or bad, that was close to the higher end of his budget. To anyone else, this might have seemed like a huge mistake on his part. But Izuku had his reasons. The first was the man who ran the dojo. While he was never a hero, at least not one Izuku or the internet knew of, the man had studied and mastered many martial arts from all over the world. In fact, he was so skilled that some hero agencies would contact him in order to train their sidekicks. He also boasted that he could help people find the fighting style that fit his students the best. Not only that but if you were willing to put in the work, he would help you create your own style! Now that was something that would greatly help Izuku!
Another reason Izuku wanted to go here was because of the rooftop parkour classes that you could sign up for. Albion had explained to him that the more he used Divine Dividing, the more it would drain his stamina. The only reason he hadn't felt it when he used it on Kacchan, or 'that whelp' as Albion liked to call him, was because of the adrenaline rushing through his system. Meaning that if Izuku was going to be in situations where he would need to use Divine Dividing multiple times then it wouldn't matter how strong he kept his body if he passed out. What's more, after doing some research into the subject, parkour seemed like it would be ideal for hero training. Not only would it give him a full-body workout, but it would help increase his bone strength and endurance. And that was just how it would improve his body! How many times had he watched heroes leaping from building to building as they tried their best to get to the scene of a villain attack or other disasters? Or used the surrounding area in a fight? The more Izuku thought about it, the more he began to realize that taking up parkour would help him improve as a hero!
There were a few other things that he found in his research that parkour was supposed to help him with. Some of it he could believe while the rest, well, he just didn't. Like, he could see how leaping from rooftop to rooftop, jumping from one wall to the next in order to climb upward, lunging from railing to railing would help improve his quick thinking, creativity, and even help him with a fear of heights. However, he still wasn't sold on how this would improve self-confidence and reduce anti-social behavior.
So now, here he was, dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans as he looked around at the seemingly empty dojo. The place looked and felt bigger than it did in the photos, with a wide empty place in the middle to train. Looking up, Izuku saw that the room had a second story that only had a catwalk where people could stand and look down as they watched bouts. That or they could also be used in some extreme matches. Also on the catwalk was a pretty girl who-
Izuku's brain needed a moment to reboot as his eyes focused on the sight before him. There, standing on the railing was a very pretty girl dressed in a white gi. Her orange hair was tied to the side in a ponytail while her eyes were hidden behind a blindfold as she continued to walk on the catwalk. Every once in a while, the girl would do a cartwheel making the boy's heart race with fear that she would fall and break her neck. But such things never happened as she just moved with what seemed to him like calculated grace with each move.
Finally, after making two laps around the second floor, the girl leaped toward the ground. Twice she spun around before she landed, punching the ground as she did so as if it were the finishing move in a video game or something. Then, she stood up. As the girl untied the blindfold from her eyes, she shook her hair slightly giving it that brief wavy motion that reminded Izuku of the brilliant orange leaves billowing in the fall wind. And when he saw her eyes, Izuku couldn't help but gulp as his face turned red at seeing those teal eyes beaming with life and pride.
Eyes that soon fell upon him!
"Hey there," said the very pretty girl in the friendliest voice any girl had ever spoken to him in. "Didn't hear you come in. Are you here to sign up at our dojo?"
As the girl gave him a friendly smile, all Izuku could do was stand there as a strangled, almost whimpering noise escaped his throat. A girl was talking to him! Not mocking or laughing at him, but talking to him like a normal teenager! And she was smiling at him so warmly. His brain didn't know how to process this and was on the verge of needing to be rebooted once more. So all he could do was stand there, stiff as a board with his eyes wide.
This, naturally, didn't go unnoticed by the girl as her smile became a bit forced.
"Ah…ok. I'll, um, get my parents and maybe they can…help you." With that, the girl turned and began walking away. As she did, Izuku's eyes continued to take her in. From her broad, powerful shoulders all the way down to her-
'NO! No, no, no, no-no-no! NOOOOOOOOOO! I refuse to go through this again! Refuse!' Albion's sudden, desperate cry snapped Izuku out of his trance as he jumped at least a foot into the air. After landing and clutching at his heart, he looked down at the blue gem that had reappeared in his left hand in confusion.
'Albion, what was that about?' thought Izuku, communicating directly to the dragon merged with his soul. For a moment, Izuku just stood as he listened to the heavy 'breathing' of Albion. What in the world could have caused a dragon like him to panic so much?
'S-Sorry, partner,' Albion said eventually. 'I just had… Well, what I mean to say is…My last partner had certain tastes that sort of… He wasn't as bad as this other human, but all the same…I just thought, for a moment, that you might have similar tastes is all. And the thought of having to go through all that again caused a bit of a panic attack.'
Izuku nodded his head in understanding. There had been times when a sudden bang had caused similar fears within him as they brought back certain memories of the past. Of being on the ground, helpless with a certain ashen-blond standing above him. The feeling of being utterly helpless within that old playground. The feeling of being a Deku.
'I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?' thought Izuku sympathetically.
'No, no, I'm fine,' was the reply from the ancient dragon, his breathing now fully under control. 'Been through enough group therapy to last me a lifetime and beyond.'
Izuku nodded as he looked up. The pretty girl was gone, but he could now hear footsteps approaching. Taking a deep breath, Izuku straightened himself as he mentally prepared himself to meet his sensei. He could do this! He knew he could. Even if there was a pretty girl in the room, he could manage a conversation.
A few minutes later proved Izuku wrong. Standing before him were three people, the pretty girl, and her parents. And it was clear that the girl got her looks from her mother! The woman's hair was the same color of orange, except she kept hers loose and flowing all the way down to her shoulders. What's more was that she was dressed in a black, skin-tight body suit that showed off her curves. Then there was the father, his sensei, who was a tall, bald man with a black beard that was pointed in the front and on both sides. He stood there in a sleeveless gi, arms crossed as he looked down at the boy he could probably crush into powder using only his thumb.
"So, do you wish to train here at this dojo? Did your parents send you here to toughen you up or something?" Izuku flinched at the man's tone and words. His voice was deep by nature while the tone told Izuku that he had little interest in him. And going by what he had just said, caused Izuku to wonder just how many kids had entered through those doors for that exact reason.
With his body shaking slightly, Izuku managed to look that man in the eyes.
"N-No s-sir. I wanted this," the young man managed to say with a minimal amount of stuttering.
Before Izuku could avert his gaze, he saw the man's eyebrow rise slightly. He also noted that the woman's eyes seemed to sparkle a bit with excitement.
Then, when the man spoke again, his tone was a tad warmer. Friendlier.
"I see," said Mr. Kendo, a slight smile almost visible on his face. "Well then, tell me what you hope to accomplish by training here."
Izuku took a deep breath before looking back at the man, his eyes shining with all the will and determination the boy had in his body. As he did this, the man standing before the young Midoriya couldn't help but smile a bit.
"I want to become a hero, more than anything else in the world!" he said almost instantly. However, that rush quickly died as he lowered his head slightly. "I know…I know I'm probably not much to look at right now. That I'm weak, worthless even. But I want to change that. I promise I'll work hard and-"
Izuku stopped as the man placed a meaty hand on his shoulder, nearly knocking him down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pretty girl frowning while her mother's look became concerned.
"Young man, if you did come here by your own choice, then you are most certainly not weak. Nor are you worthless," said Mr. Kendo in a firm tone, the type that stated that this was final. as he lifted his hand off Izuku whose heart seemed ready to burst. A part of him wanted to clutch at it while tears poured from his eyes, yet the man's gaze commanded Izuku to remain focused on him. "Now, before I can even consider taking you in as a student, I would like to know how such thoughts came to be. Is it because your quirk is extremely weak or are you quirkless?"
A lump formed in Izuku's throat as he thought about his past. Thought about that day in the playground when he had tried to protect a fellow kid from being bullied by Kacchan. About how he had gotten the nickname Deku. He thought back to the laughter that always followed whenever he told others about his dream. Then he looked up at the man standing before him, took a deep breath, and began to tell him what he could. Naturally, he told him the same thing he had told his parents about Divine Dividing. And he gave a less than detailed account of what life had been like for him. Never giving out names or going too deep into detail. But despite that, Izuku had a feeling that the man was filling in the blanks all on his own. Perhaps, given the question he had asked, he had dealt with plenty of people who had been in the same position as Izuku. Maybe even some that had been worse off. When Midoriya finished, the man was silent for several seconds as he stood there nodding to himself.
"Izuku Midoriya, now I am certain you are the type of person that this dojo welcomes with open arms," said Mr. Kendo as he reached out to pat the green-haired boy on the shoulder, doing his best not to knock him over. "You are the type of person that, no matter how many times you have been knocked down, have gotten back onto your feet. That there is the truest form of strength. And now, you are recognizing your flaws and seeking to improve."
Izuku suddenly found a spot on the floor that was very interesting, staring at it as his face flushed with embarrassment.
"I guess I should have tried doing this sooner, right?" said Midoriya, more as a statement than a question as he realized his own mistake. Both the man and Albion chuckled at that remark, the dragon's tone echoing in his head so that only he could hear.
"Well, given what your dream is and that you thought that you were quirkless, I'd say not training your body at the very least was foolish," stated Mr. Kendo with a bemused smile. "But at least you recognized that now. And if that determination I saw in your eyes is anything to go by, you will be giving this your all."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly at that before another question tickled in the back of his mind. One he had asked before. Given what Mr. Kendo had said prior, asking if he had been quirkless as well as what he had said after, was there a chance? Would he give a different answer? Or would Izuku be denied once more?
After taking a breath to steel his nerves, Izuku spoke again doing his best to look in the eyes of the man before him. "Ah, can I ask you something? If…If I had come here, still quirkless, do you think I could be a hero?"
Mr. Kendo didn't answer right away. Rather he paused, stoking his beard while looking like he was collecting his thoughts. "Well, I certainly wouldn't discourage you," said Mr. Kendo at last, his words surprising Izuku. "I would rather arm you with all the tools you would need so that you could, at the very least, try. If you succeeded, then the taste of victory would wash away the bitterness of defeat you had dealt with for so long. And if you failed, then I believe you could move on from that knowing that you gave it your all. How does that saying go? 'Better to shoot for the stars and fall in a blaze of glory than to have never tried at all'? Yes, I believe that's it."
Izuku found it harder to keep his feelings inside now. Tears were stinging around his eyes. It might not have been the words he had wanted his mother to tell him back when he was a kid, it wasn't the words he hoped his hero would tell him if they ever met. Yet after years of people telling him to not even bother, hearing someone say that he'd let him try was powerful in its own right.
"Thank you, Mr. Kendo," Izuku managed to say while doing his best not to fall to his knees.
So, as Izuku did his best to get himself under control, he entered the dojo to begin his training. Or, rather, to fill out the paperwork needed first. Then the training.
-x-
"Texas Smash!" Izuku, dressed in his own white gi, charged at his training partner, Itsuka Kendo, ready to try and imitate the fighting style of his hero All Might. With a bored look, Itsuka effortlessly deflected the blow with her wrist before sending a powerful punch right into the green-haired teen's gut. As Izuku felt all the air inside him leave, his orange-haired opponent swiftly knocked him off his feet courtesy of a leg sweep.
Since signing up at the Kendo Dojo several days ago, finding himself lying in pain on his back was becoming a regular occurrence for the teen. Mrs. Kendo, as it turned out, was in charge of the extra lessons including parkour. And while she was starting Izuku on something simple right now, jumping over uphill railings and then back down, it was still incredibly draining to the teen. As for Mr. Kendo, Izuku had told him that he wanted to learn how to fight like All Might. The instructor hadn't put up any argument, teaching his student the way he wished after their stretches and stances with his daughter being his sparring partner.
So far, things weren't going so well. He was doing everything he was told and Mr. Kendo had told him that his form was correct. So why was it that he was having so much trouble?
A hand then appeared in Izuku's field of vision along with that orange hair that made his face turn a shade of red. Though, thankfully, not as red as it had been on his first day here. That day had been by far one of his worst experiences as he devolved into an awkward mess just standing before her, not knowing where to look. Izuku had, at first, decided to focus on her face. This proved to be a mistake as he had become just as flustered as when they had first met, made all the worse as she stood there looking back at him with such a soft and warm expression. As tiny squeaks escaped his mouth, Izuku shifted his eyes downward hoping that would help. No, it was worse! Because now he could see her neck along with all the exposed flesh right underneath it. Quickly, Izuku realized if he kept staring there Itsuka might think he was staring at her breasts. So, to avoid being called a pervert, his gaze shifted down again to her stomach which wasn't any better. Soon enough he was looking at her legs which were moving towards him. The next thing he knew, Izuku was looking up at the ceiling in pain until Itsuka's face came into view ready to help him to his feet.
It took a few more times of him getting knocked onto his back before he managed to not feel as awkward looking at her. Though, talking to her and just being too close to her were difficult at times as his face would turn bright red. as he was now feeling less awkward around her. Groaning, he took the hand and got to his feet.
"Th-Thanks Itsuka," he managed to groan, accepting the offered hand and getting to his feet.
"No problem!" As she spoke, Itsuka's voice was bright and chipper. She then smiled, something that contrasted greatly with the look she had just moments ago. "Ready to try again?"
"Yeah," began Izuku. Then, as he noticed Itsuka beginning to turn, Midoriya quickly blurted out a question. Something he had been meaning to ask for some time. "But, ah, do you have any advice on what I'm doing wrong? I mean, All Might-"
"Has a fighting style that fits him," interrupted Itsuka, interrupting her training partner. There was no way she could have missed the confused expression on Izuku's face, so when she spoke next it was done in what he had begun to think of as her 'Big Sister' voice. The tone she used when she was explaining something, holding up a finger as she did so all with a helpful smile on her face. "Look, All Might's fighting style works well with his body type. Because he's so big and has so much mass, he can put more weight behind his attacks along with his strength. Even the most basic punch can be made several dozen times more effective because of that. He's also fast enough so that his opponents don't have time to deflect or dodge an attack. And his strength, well, you know how insane it is."
Izuku let out a hum as he brought a hand to his chin, muttering to himself as a finger tapped against the side of his face. "So, if I want to fight more like All Might, I need to get bigger, gain more muscle mass, get faster, and become stronger. Maybe I could start-"
"Izuku, can I ask you a question?" interrupted Itsuka again. When Midoriya turned to look at her, he was surprised to see that her smile was gone. Now, she looked worried. "Do you really…hate yourself that much?"
"W-What?!?" Izuku shouted, taking a step back as he did so.
"I'm sorry it's just," she began before pausing, looking away in a manner that seemed to show that she was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. After a moment, it looked like she decided to just go for it. "Listening to all of that makes it sound like you want to completely change who you are instead of trying something else."
Izuku didn't know what to say to that at first. To be honest, he had never really thought about it. Sure he idolized All Might, but who didn't? He was the greatest hero of all time! Who wouldn't want to be just like him? Especially when you were everything the man wasn't. Then, when he spoke, he lowered his head slightly to avoid looking at Itsuka.
"For the longest time, nobody believed in me," he began, lowering his head slightly so as to avoid looking directly at Itsuka. "Not my mom, the kids I used to play with. Even my best friend didn't think much of me. That's why he gave me the nickname Deku. Because it fit me so well. Because I was…useless. But that never stopped me from wanting to be more like All Might. To be the type of hero who could just reassure everyone around him with a smile. To let everyone know that things would be alright because I was there. So I want to be just like him."
"But, if you do that, then it won't be your smile that reassures everyone. It'll still be All Might's," said Itsuka, her words causing Izuku's head to shoot up. Now he could see that she had never taken her eyes off of him, an odd smile on her face that he couldn't place. "Izuku, if what you want is for people to see your smile and feel reassured then you have to become your own hero. Don't limit yourself to thinking that there's only one way to do things. Because, if you do, you'll end up missing so much potential."
"My daughter is correct," came the voice of their instructor. Turning his Izuku, Izuku saw that Mr. Kendo had risen from where he had been sitting as he watched their bouts. Now he had a very serious look on his face. "Midoriya, if you truly wish to become a hero then you must first overcome this handicap: yourself. Your own self-doubts and your views on All Might. Those do you a great disservice. They chain you, binding you to the ground so that you can never soar through the air on your own wings. I know you can be so much more if you just give yourself a chance."
Izuku swallowed hard while grabbing a shaking arm. A part of him felt confused in so many ways. His mind was buzzing. He heard what they were saying but…
"H-How do I do that?" he asked. How do you change the very idea of the pinnacle of what it means to be a hero? How do you change that image you have in your head, guarding it with everything you have?
"You can figure it out yourself," Mr. Kendo said simply, surprising Izuku. "Do you know why? Because you, like everyone else, were born with the same thing that All Might and other great people have had. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, and a brain. No matter how the world sees them, you have everything that every pro hero had when they started out. With those same tools, you too can become great as long as you have the will. How much you're willing to hone them, how much you are willing to learn. All that is up to you. So figure out what works for Izuku Midoriya while carrying on with the spirit of All Might. And once you do, I'll help you down that path you have chosen."
For a long time, Izuku just stood there as he processed what he was being told. To be honest, he had never looked at heroes that way before. He had always seen them as these amazing people like Kacchan; born with the strength, courage, and drive to do whatever they wanted. But now that he thought about it, both he and Kacchan had started off exactly the same. What was different, what separated him from people like Kacchan and All Might, was that they got quirks. They learned how to fight with what they had been given. The same went for other heroes like Kamui Woods, Ryukyu, Endeavor, and so many others.
But what would work best for him? What could he use?
Izuku then blinked, realizing what they were saying about his idolization of All Might. That in wanting to be so much like his hero, he hadn't considered other options. Hadn't done the same level of research that he had used to bring him here to this dojo.
After all, he had all the tools he needed. He had eyes to see so many different styles and a body to train in them. The mind to figure out if their strengths fit him and that their flaws didn't hinder him. He just needed to figure it out on his own.
'I believe you are beginning to understand,' Albion commented in his head.
Izuku nodded before looking over at his instructor.
"Can you show me some other fighting styles?" he asked.
The man grinned before nodding.