All men are not created equal.

Midoriya Izumi knew this all too well, and first came to realize it at the tender age of four.

That day, the small girl had stood between a crying boy she didn't know and her former best friend and future bully, Katsuki Bakugo.

The sun had shone brightly in the sky, a gentle breeze ruffling her green, curly hair.

The park had been empty, it was a peaceful day.

Or at least, it would have been, were it not for the three bullies standing right in front of her.

"Kaachan, stop!" The little girl cried out, her knees trembling as her eyes brimmed with tears. Behind her, the boy remained in the ground, watching fearfully as the scene unfolded. "Can't you see he's crying? If you continue... I-I won't forgive you!"

She tried to ignore the snickers coming from the other two boys, the ones that always followed Kaachan and had replaced her as his best friends.

Instead, she focused on those piercing red eyes staring at her with both anger and disbelief.

"You think you can stand up to me?!" The blonde boy shouted, unfazed by the tears that had started falling down the girl's cheeks. "What can you do, anyways? You're just a quirkless crybaby! A Deku!"

Just as he said that, the boy punched the palm of his left hand, a small explosion causing the little girl to flinch.
Katsuki Bakugo smirked at that, but that same smirk quickly melted down into a sneer when the girl made no move to run.

Stupid Deku. Even now, when she is so scared her knees tremble...She still tries to play hero!

The blonde boy scoffed, advancing to the unmoving small girl with furrowed brows and a feeling of rage building up in his gut. How dare she? How dare this pathetic quirkless girl underestimate him like this?

"Then I'll just have to teach you a lesson!" He stated angrily, a twisted smile drawn on his young face.

A few minutes later, a bruised and battered Izumi laid in the ground with her arms outstretched, one of her pigtails having come undone while fighting.
During what felt like hours Izumi stared blankly at the sky with half-lidded emerald eyes, now dry after having cried in frustration during the whole beating.
Now she knew:

She knew she wasn't like them.

She knew she was weak.

Quirkless.

But she had helped that boy, even if he had escaped without a single 'thank you' the moment they grabbed her.

That day she was taught a tough lesson. And yet, that day, she had also acted as the hero she wanted to become.

Ten years later, Izumi Midoriya would be reminded this lesson and the story would repeat itself.
However, fortunately for Izumi, this time would bring much more positive consequences.

And that is exactly how this story begins:

In a classroom of Aldera Junior High, with a teacher lecturing his students about their possible future careers. Amongst those students was the hot-headed blonde Katsuki Bakugo, and behind him and listening intently was our shy protagonist, Izumi Midoriya.

Her green hair was longer, but just as unruly as always and kept in a high and messy ponytail. She was a petite and slender girl, the shortest in her entire class. Coincidentally, Izumi was also the only quirkless kid in the entire school, a fact she was constantly reminded.

But as much as she had physically changed, Izumi Midoriya hadn't given up on her lifelong dream and ambition: becoming a Hero.

"I will now hand out some pamphlets so that you can decide which career you would like to choose..." The teacher abruptly paused, staring boringly at the pieces of paper on his hand. He snorted. "Bah, what am I saying?" The teacher proceeded to throw the papers unceremoniously across the classroom. "You all want to go for the hero-course anyways, am I right?"

At this, the students started cheering excitedly, making use of their quirks.
Unable to do as her peers, Izumi timidly raised her hand, wearing a small awkward smile.

"Okay, I know you're all very excited" The teacher gave a small laugh, attempting to calm down the class. "but remember you're not allowed to use your quirks during class"

Finally, that seemed to do the trick. As objects stoped floating, elongated body parts were retracted and the explosions ceased, Izumi sighed with relief.

"Well, I'm sure with your quirks at least some of you should be able to become heroes" the teacher said distractedly, reading through their documentation.

In the same row of desks as Izumi, someone scoffed.

"Tch"

There it comes, Izumi inwardly rolled her eyes.

As Bakugo slammed his hands on his desk, getting the attention of everyone in the class, Izumi couldn't help but flinch.

"Don't lump me in with those extras, sensei!" Bakugo said arrogantly. "I'm the only one out of this class of failures who will become a hero!"

This bold statement was followed by the protests of the rest of the class and a loud 'SHUT UP EXTRAS!" from the blonde boy.

"Ah, Katsuki Bakugo" the teacher flipped through the application notes "You want to go to U.A., correct?"

"Yeah, right" someone said.

"No way" another one adds.

Bakugo merely smirked, sitting back and planting his feet on the desk confidently. "I already aced the mock test, losers!"

What followed was both a combination of protests, students loudly expressing their disbelief and (for those who knew about his quirk as well as Izumi) silence.

What? He is also going for U.A.? Izumi fearfully thought. Oh, god. If he finds out I also applied...

And just then, as if having read her mind, the teacher nonchalantly said: "Didn't you also apply for U.A., Midoriya?"

All at once, the students fell into a stunned silence, most of them turning on their sits to look at the girl. Izumi gulped, feeling herself shrink at the scrutinizing gazes.

The teacher only had the time to sit back into his chair to organize the papers before the entire class erupted in laughter.

"As if you could get in!"

"Yeah, you can't just enter by studying"

Izumi jumped from her chair at that. Blushing at her own actions, she argued: "Q-Quirks aren't a requirement anymore. There's just no precedent..."

But her words were cut short when an explosion sent her desk flying, making her cringe at the crack in the wall.

It's a good thing I got up, she shortly thought.

Then she looked back at her offender, knowing fully well who set that potentially dangerous explosion against her. However, that didn't stop her from paling.

"Damn nerd!" Bakugo yelled at her face. "You really thought a Deku like you could get into U.A.? Think you can compete with me? Don't make me laugh!"

However, no one was laughing, not even the other students. They looked at them with mild interest and apprehension, already used at seeing Izumi publicly bullied. A few sent sympathetic or pitying glances at her, but no one came to help. Not even the teacher, who was staring intently at the paper in his hands, deliberately ignoring the entire situation.

"I d-don't want to compete with you" Izumi timidly took a step back from her irascible childhood friend. "I-I just... it's being my dream since I w-was little and..."

Bakugo sneered at her, stopping her rant almost immediately. "That's bullshit! You think being a hero is a game, is that it?"

Izumi shook her head. "N-No, of course not" she softly replied. The girl looked at the floor, trying to avoid looking into the boy's red, merciless eyes. "But, w-well... I won't know until I try, right?"

That earned her a snort from the taller boy. Still, she looked down, not liking how Kaachan towered over her smaller form.

"Unless you try?" He asked, the corner of his mouth twitching with suppressed rage. "That's probably the fucking dumbest think you've ever said"

"Harsh" she heard someone mutter.

Finally snapping out of his self-induced trance, the teacher reacted. "Bakugo, could you please sit down?" He politely asked.

"Tch" Bakugo replied.

After that, Izumi retrieved her desk and everyone acted as if nothing had happened, chattering about their possibilities of entering a hero academy enthusiastically.
For Izumi the rest of the class was spent trying to contain her own tears.

Several hours later, at the end of the school day, Izumi could be found writing on her notebook over her slightly charred desk, humming happily after finding out about some hero incident on her phone.
Supposedly, that same morning a new hero had debuted. And, of course, being the hero fangirl she was, Izumi felt it was her sacred duty to take notes about said hero.

Izumi was so engrossed on the information available about Mt. Lady and her quirk (Gigantification), that she didn't notice the three boys making their way to her desk.

"What the hell is this?"

Her notebook was quickly pulled away from her by Bakugo, and it was in that moment that she realized her predicament.

The class was empty, Bakugo had her notebook and the other two bullies (the one with the wings and the other that could stretch his fingers) were blocking her way out.

A deep feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

"H-Hey, please, that's..."

"Hero Analysis for the future?" The blonde boy laughed. "What future?"

At the joke, Izumi clenched her fists.

The two lackeys simply stayed silent, not quite sure if they should say anything at all.

After all, they didn't want to risk getting blown up by an explosion.

As strange as this may sound —taking into consideration Bakugo's obvious hatred towards the girl— it was made common knowledge in the class that (apparently) only he had the right to bully Midoriya.
The last time the boy with the flexible fingers had tried to touch her...

Let's just say that his fingers hadn't been as stretchy ever since then.

This behavior, as well as other aspects of his personality, only added to the strange puzzle that Katsuki Bakugo was. Not that anyone dared mention it.

"Kaachan, give me back my notebook, p-please" she attempted to grab it, only for Bakugo to pull it over his head with a cruel grin, knowing she was way too short to reach it.

Izumi sighed in defeat. "I worked really hard on that notebook, Kaachan" she muttered.

That prompted an idea to form in Bakugo's mind. And being the impulsive jerk he was, he executed it immediately.
Placing the notebook between his hands, the blonde boy caused a mild explosion.

That'll teach her! This'll put Deku in her place!

And if that weren't enough, he threw it out of the window, where he knew there was a fountain awaiting to finish destroying the stupid notebook.

"No!" she shouted.

Bakugo only grinned.

The rest of the conversation was still blurry in Izumi's distraught mind. Partially because her eyes had been filled with tears she had tried to contain, but also because she couldn't quite believe what Kaachan had just told her.

However, as much as she tried to forget those words, they still seemed to find a way to resonate back into her ears.

"Oh, you still want to become a hero so badly?" The blonde boy had yelled at her, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "Then pray you get a quirk in your next live and take a swan dive off the roof!"

His jaw set, he had left her standing there, almost as if she were in a trance... or a horrible dream. Not a 'sorry' or a 'that's not what I meant' was formulated.

Kaachan really did hate her.

So much, that he wanted her to kill herself.

"Idiot" she muttered out loud, frowning.

He said it as if he didn't care at all! What if I did as he told me? Then he would have instigated a suicide!

At the thought, her eyes watered.

He's right though, she thought sadly, cradling her damp notebook close to her body as she entered a tunnel on her way home. I am useless and quirkless... but that won't stop me!

Her thoughts drifted to another time, when life was easier and they were still friends.

She remembered a younger version of Katsuki Bakugo.

In her memories he was smiling at her, his red eyes warm and full of a strange emotion she couldn't quite describe... perhaps admiration? In any case, he was listening to Izumi rant about heroes, coming to the same conclusion as her:

They both had the same dream and the same idol: All Might and being like him.

All Might.

The same man that saved people with a fearless smile, the Number One Hero, with no doubt the greatest person there was!

That's how Izumi wanted to be: fearless, being able to smile while saving people. Kaachan didn't want that, though. He wanted power, the opportunity to prove himself above others. Even her.

Then a doctor told her she was part of the 20% of the population who still didn't have quirks. Izumi's mother gave up on her and cried.
She also cried.
And while her dream —which should have died when she was diagnosed quirkless— became bitter and purely driven by hope, Kaachan's grew bigger, fueled by his ego.

The green haired girl sighed. "I just want to be a hero..."

She hadn't expected an answer, but then again, what was about to happen wasn't her choice either.

"I can help you with that, little girl"

Before she could begin to formulate a response or even feel startled, Izumi was attacked by what felt like... slime?

This doesn't feel too threatening, she firstly told herself in an attempt to remain calm.

However, just as she had formulated that thought and opened her mouth to scream, her air passageways were immediately obstructed by the slimy villain.

No!

Her eyes filled with tears, hands clawing desperately at the villain as she begun to slowly asphyxiate.

"Calm down, it will only hurt for a few seconds" the villain said close to her ear. "No one will suspect a cute little girl like you. Just stay still, you really are my hero..."

Her movements slowed down, arms falling limply at her sides as more of the substance was pushed into her mouth. Izumi's thoughts became foggy as her vision darkened.

I'm going to die, she sadly thought. Will Kaachan miss me?

Had she not being at the verge of unconsciousness, Izumi might have actually laughed at her own wishful thinking. Of course not...

And then, she spotted a figure at the end of the tunnel.

At first, she wondered if the lack of oxygen might be causing her hallucinations.
But then the figure yelled, and all her worries disappeared.

"TEXAS SMASH!"

The air pushed against the villain, who cursed loudly as he was swept away from his victim.
That was the last thing Izumi heard before her world faded into blackness.

Izumi woke up feeling disoriented and confused. She tried recalling what had just happened, and when she remembered, she tried harder. Her peridot eyes opened slightly to look around and figure out how she had been rescued. There was just no way she had just been saved by...

"Are you okay, young girl?"

Izumi might have actually shrieked, were it not for the pain in her throat.
In front of her, and smiling his classic perfect smile was All Might. The Number One Hero. Her idol.

All coherent thought or correct figure of speech were erased from poor Izumi's mind.

"A-All Might! I-I... y-you, I mean... s-s-slime" the girl cringed at her own stammering.
Why now of all times!?
Her idol was right in front of her, giving her a concerned look, and she couldn't even manage to form a simple phrase!

"Do you have a concussion?" He asked worriedly. "Should I take you to the hospital or...?"

"N-No! I'm perfectly f-fine, I swear!" she interrupted him, arms flailing with each word. Then she reached for her notebook. "C-Could you please...?"

All Might gave a hearty laugh, patting her in the head. That gesture alone warmed Izumi's heart. "I already did it!"

The girl checked the autograph, her eyes widening slightly. "Thank you so much!"

The hero nodded with a smile, standing up from his crouched position and pocketing a bottle filled with... the slime villain.
He then looked at Izumi and helped her up from the floor.
"Well, if you're okay then I'll..."

"Wait! I-I have a question. Please!" Izumi said, her face reddening.

All Might scratched the back of his neck, giving her an apologetic look and preparing himself for jumping. "I'm sorry, young girl, I really don't have time. It was a pleasure to meet you, though"

And then, just as he jumped into the sky, Izumi did the dumbest thing she had probably done in her entire life.

As she gripped All Mights leg, her eyes squeezed shut and ears ringing from the mere velocity, she wondered: Did I just...?
The answer came in the form of a bewildered yelp.

"What?! You have to let go!" All Might yelled through the wind.

"If I let go now I'll die!" she replied.

Apparently, All Might couldn't argue with that.

He came to an abrupt stop, landing at the rooftop of a building.
The impact created a few cracks on the cement of the floor. Other than that, Izumi considered herself lucky to be alive.

"That was too reckless, girl!" All Might scolded her.

Izumi stood up and lightly brushed her uniform, not daring to look at All Might's face.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, her head lowered. "I just... I wanted to ask you something"

All Might didn't say anything, but he didn't jump away either. Izumi took this as a sign to continue speaking, her stammering almost completely gone from the adrenaline.

"I'm quirkless" she stated as her face reddened, trying to ignore the sharp intake of air from the hero. "B-But I've always wanted to be a hero, like you! Saving people with a smile, bringing hope to anyone who needs it. That's what I've always wanted to be in my entire life, ever since I knew who you were..."

"Kid..."

Izumi didn't notice the smoke coming from the hero's body, nor did she notice how his smile turned into a conflicted frown.

"T-That's why I wanted to ask you" the girl raised her head to meet All Might's cerulean eyes, hope and determination filling her own large emerald eyes. "Can I be a hero too, All Might?"