1 What IF, Izuku took Bakugou's Advice

Musutafu, Japan,

??? POV,

The Sun shone brightly in the blue cloudless sky, it's light illuminating a bustling city. The sounds of conversations, vehicles or simply people fighting could be heard from anywhere. Tall high rise buildings, smaller ones, apartment buildings. All were present, businesses, stores and other such things had just been opened for the day.

Evidently, it was the morning. People in suits could be seen rushing towards their destination, often checking their watches, perhaps worried about being late for work. Children of all ages, dressed in neat uniforms walked about, some alone, most in groups, heading towards their individual schools where they would spend the rest of the day studying, admittedly that was not the best of prospects and unwillingness was present on the face of some.... while others had just given up, understanding that while not nearly as exciting as other things they could be doing, it was a necessity..... Or, their parents just forced them to go.

Some on vehicles, some on foot, everyone was off to their work for the day. The less desirable members of society would continue as they had, doing unsavoury and not quite morally acceptable things as was their way of life...

BUT,

It was alright! Why you ask? This, this was a world of superpowers! Superpowers that had been promptly named as 'Quirks' seeing as they were genetic in origin and nature rather than the presence of more fantasy-like aspects such as mana etc, one would usually see in such a supernatural setting. But I digress, that is not the point.

Quirks, were essentially superpowers that had come about some time ago and now, with 80% of people possessing one, it wasn't something out of the ordinary anymore. 8 out of 10 people had quirks and as such, having one was the norm rather than not having one. With powers present in such great numbers, naturally there was now a noticeable rift between members who did possess them and those who did not and with the possibility of achieving seemingly impossible feats on but a whim, those who could not were looked down upon and to some extent, oppressed.

The discrimination had dialled down quite a bit with the effort of governments however it was still present nonetheless.

With that out of the way, let's move on.

It should be more than obvious but, with the presence of such power. There were those who used it to their whims, and then those that used it to go against these people. The former more often that not being called villains as they would often commit crimes including but not limited to, murder, kidnapping, theft etc.

Those that stopped them were called Heroes, being trained by institutes that had been set up nearly all over the world by now. Naturally they were treated as celebrities as well with some of them even doing modelling work at times, the opinions of the ones at the top held great influence over the public and oftentimes, would sway the common man. Based on their performances, they would also be paid by the governments, the merits for how much one would be paid were fairly vague however they had learnt to make do regardless.

But again, I digress. This is not about the world, about how it works or about the people in it no no, as with most stories this too is focused on the life of one person and one person only, the actions this person takes and the effect of these actions on the world as a whole.... or perhaps not.

-x-X-x-

Currently in Musutafu City, near one of the train stations, at a cross section of roads, a single young boy with green hair and green eyes could be seen standing, he seemed to be staring at the traffic signals, restlessly squirming around, evidently, he was in a hurry. His face had a few freckles on either cheek and his hair was fairly unruly, his body was scrawny, it would make one question if he had been left to starve by his family.

This was Izuku Midoriya, he lived in an apartment with his mother and his father was working overseas to support the family. This young man was one.... that had always loved and respected heroes, to the point where it could be seen as an unhealthy obsession. Izuku aspired to become one in the future as well! Though... that seemed quite difficult.

A truck passed by just as the light hit green, leaving the others standing near him confused, Izuku Midoriya ran like a man possessed, narrowly avoiding running into a number of people along the way and finally, he arrived at a place where a great number of people could be seen gathered, looking up at a bridge with shining eyes. Some could be seen panicking at the sight though, they would be late for work.

The sounds of metal clanging rang out before a tall man in a tight blue suit with the chest area ran forward raising his hands to the sky. He grabbed the metal pillar that had been thrown down from the bridge, placing it to the side with a grunt. "Woah it's Death Arms!" Someone shouted in awe, admiration apparent in the person's eyes prompting Izuku to do the same, looking at the Hero who had just saved a number of people.

"Wow!" Were the only words that left the boy's mouth, but the display wasn't yet over. An impromptu fence made of water formed around the gathered crowd, keeping them back. "Stay back! It's still dangerous!" A thin man in a firefighter outfit shouted, he was the source of the fence and the Rescue Specialised Hero, Backdraft. "It's the rescue hero backdraft!"

Atop the bridge itself, a giant of a man could be seen looking around with anger clear in his eyes, to call him a monster would be more fitting. Izuku looked at him in slight awe, even though a villain, the power of the quirk itself couldn't be denied at all. He pulled a notebook from his backpack as well as a pen, quickly scribbling something down.

Not a few moments later, swishing sounds could be heard coming from around, making him and a man standing near him look around with wide eyes, "Who's that?" Izuku shouted in excitement, "It's Kamui Woods!" He himself answered his own question making the middle aged man near him chuckle, "You want to become a hero boy?"

"...." Izuku blushed in embarrassment, hiding his face behind his notebook, at the same time, a nagging doubt and the reality of it came crashing down as well... but! He wished to be like the number one hero, he was still hopeful that it would be possible!

Before much more could happen, a giant woman kicked the villain, throwing him off the bridge, destroying a significant portion of the road causing great damage to what was to be, government property. However, this was completely ignored as men fawned over the woman, snapping pictures with cameras that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

The woman, seeing them, posed by leaning forwards, sticking out her bottom, as shameless as it was, and making a V sign near her eye with her left hand. Her skin tight suit, coupled with her looks did much to add to her image, even if the action was one that anyone with shame would not even consider, "Today's my debut! My name's Mt. Lady, pleased to make your acquaintance!" she said with a cheery smile on her face, clearly more infatuated with popularity and her image rather than her job of protecting people.

Izuku looked at her in slight scrutiny before quickly scribbling something in his notebook, "A Giantification quirk, she'll be popular but the size will cause excessive damage." He muttered out as the police were brought in and the 'villain' was chained up, the heroes signed autographs and took photos and in some time the matter was done and over with.

Izuku looked at it all, his previously cheery demeanour dimmed down by quite a bit, he wasn't the brightest tool in the shed but he wasn't dumb either. He KNEW that what they had obtained, what they accomplished would never have happened without the power that they possessed and knowing the necessity of that power had gnawed away at his state and stability since he was but a 4 year old child.

-x-X-x-

The incident and the day passed, right now Izuku could be seen sitting in class, his figure was scrunched up and awkward as he grabbed his books, placing them in his bag. The teacher had just thrown the forms on which they were to write their aspirations into the air claiming that, "All of you want to be heroes anyway! And with your quirks, I'm sure you can!"

Currently, the children were greatly excited, their quirks displaying perhaps from the excitement itself and yet Izuku just sat there in a mix of disappointment, self loathing and embarrassment. At this time, a blonde boy that had been sitting on his chair with his feet on the table and his head laid back shouted, "Don't lump me in with them. I'm not like the rest of these rejects!" He shouted standing up, his tone haughty and self confident as well as fairly rude.

"Hey Katsuki, that was uncalled for!"

A student shouted at him slightly upset with his label and the other students voiced their agreement. In response to this the blonde jumped on his table, explosions happening on his hands and forearms as he grinned, "I'm gonna join UA and become the number one hero!" Katsuki 'Bakugo' announced his intentions to the rest of the class with a smirk on his face.

U.A High School, the school that boasted the best kind of education for anyone aspiring to be a Hero and one that was known all over the nation. "Wow, isn't that like the number one Hero School?!" A student said looking at him, his smile widening.

At the same time, Izuku too announced his intentions, "I-I wanna go there too." He said, raising his hand trembling slightly, staring at the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. The unruly class immediately went silent. A few seconds passed in silence before.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

The whole class burst out in laughter at what the green haired boy had just said, "Quirkless people like you should say quiet!" A boy with an elongated neck shouted at him between laughs making Izuku physically recoil.

Yes, that was the truth. Izuku was one of the few people, one of the 2 out of 10 that did not have a quirk, he possessed no power and was to some extent, below the average in terms of remarkability as well. All his life he had been made the target of bullying for it as well as ostracised by others his age, after all, who wants to associate with a quirkless idiot rambling about becoming a hero? It was crazy.

Today was the same as always, no, today was worse. It was near the time to graduate and Izuku wished to become a Hero, one could not legally become one without a licence and without power, such a thing was impossible. It was sad, it was unfair but this world was unfair. Izuku teared up, not being able to handle their harsh words... or rather, the reality of the situation.

He gripped his chest, what hurt was not that their words were harsh, what hurt was that they were nothing but a truth. Izuku was a failure as deemed by society, there was nothing remarkable about him, there was nothing GOOD about him, even up till now he had accomplished nothing at all. At the same time he spouted ideals about how he would become a hero, all that had come full circle and he was bullied instead.

There was no way he was becoming a hero.... and to Izuku, someone obsessed with heroes, there was nothing more hurtful to hear. Why? Because again, it was the damn truth! Maybe.... he was useless, no he was useless,....

The teacher, seeing that it was enough, made the other students quiet down and dismissed the class. It was the end of the day anyway and with his permission, the students were quick to take their things and leave for home. Izuku, miserably ignoring their words and reality itself, took his notebook and softly caressed it with a small helpless smile. Before he could put it in his bag though, the book was grabbed, or rather torn away from his grasp.

"What's this? Hero Analysis for the future?" A boy with brown hair that reached his neck read it out in confusion before he and his friend burst out laughing. The boy holding the book was Izuku's 'friend' Katsuki Bakugo and with a look of disgust, he burnt the book to a crisp using his quirk before throwing it out of the window.

"Who the hell do you think you are, how's a quirkless even gonna get in?!" Bakugo said in anger, narrowing his 'intimidating' gaze at Izuku who miserably stood up, "T-They don't have a rule regarding that!" He retorted, it was possible for a quirkless to enter. "A-And b-besides, we won't know until I t-try." Izuku stuttered out fumbling with his fingers, he still held on to the small hope and chance.

No, he had to hold onto it. For other than that, faced with harsh bullying and being forced to forgo something he was obsessed with made him have nothing else that would make him want to stay in this harsh and cruel world.

"Most heroes have some story about them, I want the shine of being the only one to make it to UA from a mediocre japanese school." Bakugo said with a smirk, placing his hand on Izuku's shoulder as smoke rose from it or maybe the sleeve. Bakugo loathed Izuku and his goals, why? The why was fairly simple, it was nauseating to see someone so pathetic. To see someone with no power ramble on like a mad man, to see someone so obsessed with something this out of reach. It was sickening!

"So anyway, drop out, nerd." Bakugo said, leaning in close to his ear before leaving with the two boys accompanying him. Izuku, who had once more teared up, the statement made by the blonde having been akin to a hammer strike, gulped and slowly walked away. Completely discouraged by what had happened here. "Oh yeah, I got a quick way if you wanna be a hero that badly. Pray that you're born with a quirk in the next life and jump off the roof."

Izuku's face scrunched up in anger as he turned around quickly only for Bakugo to raise his hand with a grin, miniature explosions popping off in the palm.

With that... Izuku's shoulders slumped down, his eyes losing a bit of their life. Even in the face of such words, he was powerless.... he was quirkless... he couldn't be what he wanted to be..... Maybe what Bakugo had advised wasn't that bad....

Izuku picked up his bag and started walking away.

-x-X-x-

Izuku Midoriya was currently walking through a tunnel, a few moments earlier he had found his notebook lying on the ground, mostly burnt and... he had chosen to leave it there. It was useless to someone like him, maybe someone to whom it'd actually be useful would find it. Just as he was about to exit the tunnel-like structure, the manhole was thrown open making him turn his head blandly as a green sludge poured out of it taking a strange shape and form.

Fear enveloped his very being as he froze in place, his body refusing to move. "A medium sized invisibility cloak discovered!" the 'villain' said with a grin, jumping at Izuku, trying to enter his body through his ears and mouth. "Don't worry it'll only hurt for 45 seconds!"

'I...can't...breathe! ...Am I going to die here?!' Izuku's mind was thrown into turmoil as his eyes started losing sight, the air in his lungs at the moment being unable to support his body as he was quite literally choked. Was he going to die here?! Without accomplishing anything?!

.....As he slowly lost consciousness, his mind wandered to more dangerous thoughts, ....was it really that bad?..... Would he even be ABLE to accomplish anything like this?..... Maybe... he should..... just..... give up.

With that, Izuku Midoriya lost consciousness.

-x-X-x-

"Hey! Hey! Young man!"

Izuku felt himself slapped as his eyes slowly opened,.. 'Oh...I'm still alive.' He thought sitting up but then, his gaze fell on the tall figure standing there looking at him and just as it did, he crawled backwards in awe and shock at the sight before him.

"It's alright young man." The tall well built blonde man said with a thumbs up and a big grin on his face. "A-All Might!"

Yes, the man that stood there in front of him was the undisputed Number 1 Hero, All Might. Beloved all across the nation and the world for his heroic deeds and feared by any and all villains, his mere presence was enough to make most of them rethink their actions.

Looking at his figure, Izuku's mind quickly went through all the events of day and unlike what he would have done normally which was ask for an autograph or something, he looked at him pensively, "All Might, can a quirkless person like me become a hero like you?" He asked with slightly dead eyes, if All Might said yes then he could bear through all the pain and the suffering, he could handle all that was said to him and work for it!

All Might looked at him for a few moments, taken aback by the green haired boy's words. With the time limit of his transformation nearing and the fact that being a hero wasn't something like it was shown in cartoons but rather a battle where they could lose their lives in but an instant, All Might simply sighed, "I'm sorry my boy, but that's impossible. You can become a police officer instead."

With those words, All Might was gone leaving behind an Izuku whose eyes had now completely lost their shine.

Izuku idolised All Might, no, it could be said that the boy was obsessed with the man, heeding his words like they were from a gospel, his room was filled with posters and figurines and he had newspapers from previous as well as videos of the man. It was a sickly behaviour that had somehow been allowed and left unchecked.

To Izuku, All Might saying no was far more devastating than all he had been put through throughout his entire life.

The events of this day made him consider Bakugo's words more and more. No, Izuku stood up, ignoring his bag or anything that he had dropped then, Izuku had already made up his mind. All Might said it himself after all, "There's nothing in this world...." He mumbled out walking.. no stumbling away would be a better fit.

All Might himself had said that Izuku was useless, worthless and unnecessary. With a mentality as weak as his, crying as much as he did, being told he couldn't be a hero was being told he was unneeded in this world or rather, it was telling him that he was better off killing himself.

-x-X-x-

Izuku walked to the roof of the apartment building he lived in and looked at the clear blue sky. He had taken off his shoes and stood at the wall now.

He was useless.

He had no goal.

He had nothing to do.

He COULD do nothing.

He couldn't get what he wanted.

He couldn't accomplish anything.

He was born with nothing while others were born with everything.

He was fed up with others telling him he couldn't do it.

He was fed up with them saying the truth to his face.

He was done with his powerlessness.

His uselessness.

This world was cruel.

He was fed up with it.

He didn't want to live here anymore.

He would do with a second chance.

....With these words in mind, Izuku Midoriya took a step forward, onto nothing but air.

He fell down like a rock but in those moments, tears formed in his eyes, why did HE of all people, of 8 BILLION, have to go through something like this!

The last thing he felt was the cold hard ground before his world blacked out.

That day, the young man known as Izuku Midoriya left the world, as a victim of bullying and discrimination.

(A/N: The end lol. From on here is just spam for word count.)