Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia does not belong to me, nor will it ever belong to me.

Warning: Rated T, though it might go up.

A/N: So... *coughs* Yeah... new story? Yay? I just got into the My Hero Academia fandom and after 3 months of no internet and having writer's block on my other stories... I decided to write something for BNHA. The idea came from some villain Izuku fanart I saw on Pinterest and... well, it escalated from there and I ended up with this.

It's not a self insert! Nor does it contain OCs as main characters! It isn't even time travel!

This is completely new territory for me to be honest, so I hope this will go well.

Pairings for this story is unknown and undecided, though I'm leaning towards BakuDeku maybe? Nothing is set, however. Might turn out to be a gen fic like many of my others anyways. Probably...

Anyways! I hope you enjoy this little twist I prepared for you~

Chapter 1

The only way Midoriya Izuku could describe that fateful day was crushing, tragic and life-changing. The day in which his faith and ideals were put to the test, only to fail miserably in the face of the truth.

It had been a Friday and the day had started normal enough. If anything, by the hero vs villain fight he got to witness featuring Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods (scribbling furiously down their abilities and fighting prowess into his Hero Notebook), the day seemed to be looking up for the most part, especially since he knew today they would be discussing their future in his school.

As Izuku entered his classroom, the students ignored his existence, as was per usual, his quirkless status rendering him invisible to the eyes of his peers. He was unsure if he liked the silent treatment he got day in and day out, as opposed to the constant bullying he used to get, but alas, he had to make do. The life which Izuku had led up until that point had been a lonely one, his mother the only support he ever got. And even from her, that support was limited. After all, despite her encouragements, she never once believed in his dreams. She did not trust him to turn them into reality.

Eventually, she would be right.

But as of that point in time, Izuku still held tightly to his dreams of becoming a hero, to help people, despite the harsh words others would tell him, trying to discourage him from seeking the path of heroics. After all, it was unheard of for a quirkless person to ever pursue such an impossible career. If he was so keen on helping people, he could always join the police force. They too were heroes in their own right.

But Izuku did not wish to be just a mere assistant, keeping the people out of the way while the heroes did the protecting. He wanted to actively participate in the salvation of the world, much like All Might, his number one hero.

But no one saw what Izuku's true wish was. They believed him to be foolish, overambitious, an attention seeker. Almost as if he looked down upon everyone with their quirks, degrading them to nothing more than a powerless civilian like himself. The truth was quite simple, however. He did not want to be a hero for the sake of fame, but for what the name represented. A fearless individual, rushing headfirst into danger to save the innocent at all cost.

But no one understood, wanted to understand. It was Izuku's constant clinging to that horrid dream, his unwillingness to understand what it truly meant for Izuku which drove one Bakugou Katsuki insane. And today too, Izuku was setting himself under the spotlight, as his ex-friend rose his hand up alongside his, wishing to apply for U.A. It pissed the blond off, wished nothing more than to destroy those absurd notions this useless, quirkless nerd wished for.

"The best heroes out there, well… They showed greatness even as students." Katsuki held the burned notebook of Izuku's in his hand, the expression on the boy's face a desperate one as he hovered the destroyed item over the window.

This… THIS coward wanted to be a hero? When he could barely save himself?

"I'll be the first and only hero from this crappy public middle school!"

The notebook fell to the ground and plopped into the fountain, drenching it in water.

"If you think you'll get a quirk in your next life… Go take a swan dive off the roof!"

Izuku felt anger rise into his chest at Katsuki's cruel words. It was always him who put him in his place, always him who encouraged and condemned his suffering. If not for Bakugou Katsuki, maybe Izuku's life wouldn't have been such a depressing one. However, fate chose to make the explosive boy a constant in Izuku's life, giving no peace to his tormented soul.

As the formerly nice day slowly turned sour, things went from bad, to worse to eventually horrid.

He would be swallowed by a slime like substance, a villain which was ready to suffocate him, bringing him face to face with his idol, saving him from danger. All Might's fist created a shockwave strong enough to push the villain away from his body, locking the monster into bottled containers, as not to escape. All Might was quick to leave, easily signing his broken notebook before making his way to the skies.

However, after such disheartening words from his childhood friend and bully, he needed to hear what his Hero thought of his dream, to have All Might give him hope, that he could become a hero despite what everyone said! Even if he did not have a quirk...

All Might's weakened form, however, left him in a state of shock, slowly shaking his foundation of beliefs, his world crumbling underneath his feet. This… was his hero? He listened to the heartbreaking story of how All Might became what he was now, that his hero was no longer this undefeatable beacon he had thought him to be. That even him, if caught in the wrong circumstances, would crumble underneath evil.

But worst of all in that day were the words which came out of the skeletal form of his hero's silhouette, further turning everything he had held onto, every ounce of hope he had stored into his body, into nothing.

"It's not wrong to dream. However, you need to be realistic kid…"

Izuku barely registered as All Might left his presence, the only words echoing through his mind repeating like a broken record.

I can't become a Hero. All Might said so.

I can't become a Hero. All Might said so.

I can't become a Hero. All Might said so.

Kacchan had been right. His mother had been right. His doctor had been right. Everyone had been right!

Izuku could never pursue the path of heroism.

The words exchanged between Izuku and All Might, however, were not left unheard. It had been a mere coincidence that Shigaraku Tomura had been in the building for scouting purposes, the roof of the building having an incredible sight over the city. It was painfully obvious the boy had sought approval from his idol, even if it was a mere lie. And instead of saving the boy from his own emotional damnation, All Might had been responsible for putting the final nail in the boy's coffin.

The smile that adorned Shigaraki behind the hand which hid the majority of his face was a truly frightening one. It just proved Shigaraki further that the hero system was doomed, to begin with as the world could never be salvaged by those who called themselves righteous.

He would teach the boy of the cruelty the world possessed. That not everything was as black and white as society liked to present. And eventually, when this boy was ready, he would reintroduce him to All Might once more and let him gaze upon another failure of his heroism.

A Villainous Twist

Day's passed since Izuku met All Might and had his dreams and hopes completely crushed. He had days to contemplate and ponder the Number One Hero's words, finding no fault in what he had said. There no denying it anymore, Izuku simply did not have the strength to believe in the impossible no longer. Since birth, he was destined to be nothing but useless Deku. Who knows, maybe that's what his real name should have been from the beginning instead of Izuku. Even his mother made mistakes…

Each day in school was dull and colorless, his class not bothering him and Bakugou Katsuki ignoring his existence for a change.

Izuku looked at the bare walls of his room, his desk unusually clean, no action figures decorating the furniture. It had been a painful decision to make, but a necessary one nonetheless. Looking at All Might's silhouette every corner of his room reminded him of his dream, reminded him of what he once aspired to be before those hopes were turned into dust.

Despite his room appearing far larger than normal after the cleanup of his hero merchandise, he felt claustrophobic and suffocated as he lay on his bed. He needed to get out of its constraints, least he died from lack of oxygen.

Izuku ran quickly out of his house and into the open, a hasty goodbye to his mother as he made his way out and onto the unknown streets. After relentlessly running without any direction, he finally stopped as he gazed upon the littered beach, a testament to humanity's carelessness and cruelty. And it was as he gazed upon the polluted sand that he came face to face with a broken figure.

His hair was white, though it did seem to carry a bluish hue, his skin was scarred and uneven, an unhealthy sight to Izuku. This man looked anything but trusty, someone you ought to avoid and yet he could not help but be drawn to the man as he stared right back at him with curious eyes.

"What would you do to possess a quirk, Midoriya Izuku." His voice sounded strained as if his vocal cords were barely ever used. However, that wasn't what Izuku focused on, no. It was the implication of the sentence which caught his attention.

"What…?"

"I can bestow you with a quirk. You need only follow me and reject hero society." His words rang loudly in Izuku's ears.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Shigaraki Tomura. I am the leader of the League of Villains."

League of Villains? He had never heard of anything like that… And he would be aware of most criminal syndicates which existed in Japan as he always kept a close watch on hero society. One of the many preparations he did in his free time in order to fulfill his dream… or well… former dream. However, what the man was implicating was outrageous and went against all of Izuku's beliefs.

You were either born with or without a quirk. There was no giving or getting quirks!

"I would never join villains even if I wouldn't be quirkless anymore!" Izuku shouted with vigor at the heinous man. His world might have been destroyed and trampled to mere rubles, but that did not change the goodness he still held in his heart. To become a nuisance, a threat to society merely so that he could possess a quirk would never satisfy Izuku.

The raged and crazy look which crossed Shigaraki's features turned the blood in Izuku's veins run cold.

"Can't you see that this society you are trying to protect needs to be crushed! All Might failed to save you so why should you feel obligated to protect this world in return!?" The man was much closer to him, his hand reaching to touch Izuku but not quite doing so.

Deku's eyebrows were furrowed as he tried to decipher the meaning of the villain's words. All Might had not failed in saving him! On the contrary, he had done his job splendidly.

"No! He did fail to save you! To save you from your own desperation!"

Izuku's eyes were blown wide.

"How…"

"Think Midoriya Izuku! This world has treated you as nothing but dirt underneath its shoes trampled and stomped on repeatedly by everyone you once sought recognition from…" His words were piercing his heart, leading the boy to clutch the clothes above his heart.

"What do you know!" He screamed back, trying to resist the poisonous words.

"Born quirkless and helpless but bestowed with such big dreams and ideals. Why should you be the one stuck as a nobody, while your friend, what was his name again… ah, Bakugou Katsuki… That's right… When it is him that seems to possess everything you ever wished for, unjustly so. He is more of a villain than a hero, leading you to the brink of desperation with constant bullying!"

"Stop… Stop talking!"

His words were hitting far too close home. Midoriya Izuku was a good person. A person who wished to protect and save. But even he sometimes, couldn't help the dark thoughts which crossed his mind in his lonely and sad moments. It made him feel awful afterward for thinking such dark thoughts!

Kacchan was admirable and great, his cause just! Yes… he was cruel to Izuku, but that did not mean he didn't deserve his quirk!

No one deserved to be born quirkless like him!

But did I deserve to be born quirkless?

Izuku caught his thoughts, looking more and more damned by the moment. His dreams were gone, swept away in the wind. Why was this villain trying to crush the last bit of Izuku's foundation, to destroy his beliefs along with his dreams as he pointed out, one after the other, negative feelings and thoughts Izuku had desperately tried to ignore.

"Please stop…"

Shigaraki Tomura smiled at the boy.

"Think, Izuku-kun… Think not of what your dream is, nor what is morally wrong or right in this world. Instead, contemplate what you truly desire. What and who you truly wish to be. A quirkless nobody with dreams to never come to fruition, or someone who can actually make an impact in this rotten world!"

Izuku watched a mist of black appear behind the creepy man as he took a few steps back, disappearing into the darkness of the mist, mouthing to the boy a last "think" before he vanished.

Deku stood alone, his eyes directed at the disastrous beach, though his eyes were unseeing. The words of Shigaraki lay heavily in his soul, his offer igniting a desire he had no idea he possessed. Could he truly be able to get a quirk? He had never heard of a quirk transfer to be possible. Was he simply lying? But then what would he gain from a quirkless, nameless child as him? He held absolutely no value to this world, both to the heroic as well as the villainous side.

Did he truly want to cast aside the beliefs he had built since he was a toddler for a mere chance to become… something more than just Deku?

A/N: I tried my best to keep the characters... well, in character lol. I don't know if I succeeded or not but I sure do hope so. Thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts behind! Reviews are a writer's best form of motivation :)