This work was inspired by IcyHeart12's Welcome to Fireblade High, Phoenix Izuka's The Immortal Hero: Phoenix, and a multitude of other works that I can't even list. I was fascinated by their concepts, and pretty much decided to run away with my own take on them.

Censored Bakugo because I can't write a potty mouth.

Because Izuku is a girl in this fic, I researched some Japanese names, and Ikuyo looked like it was appropriate. One meaning of Ikuyo is something like "the coming generation", symbolizing how Ikuyo will be the symbol of peace for the next generation of heroes. I like the name Izumi, but I wanted to do something different. Anyway, without further ado, here is Midori no Kagayaki.

Chapter 1: Well, It's a Start.

After being chewed out by various Pro Heroes and All Might himself, suffice it to say that Ikuyo Midoriya was having a rough day. All she ever wanted was to be a hero, and her dream was shot down three times that day. Her thoughts turned back to the day she was diagnosed as quirkless. She had cried for hours that night in her mother's arms, rewatching All Might's debut on loop. She probably knew her dream was impossible ever since then, but she had refused to acknowledge it, and now it was slapping her in the face. Ikuyo didn't even know why she ran out to the villain, she just couldn't watch her friend Katsuki suffer. Alas, the few seconds of breath she gave Kacchan meant nothing, and all Ikuyo's efforts had given her was a nosebleed and a scolding. She dragged her feet as she shuffled through the narrow street on the way back to her apartment, feeling light-headed and dazed.

Her long sigh of resignation suddenly transformed into a scream of alarm and she was snapped out of her funk when All Might burst in front of her for the third time that day.

"I AM HERE!" All Might struck a grand pose as Ikuyo fell over backward, landing with a thump on the pavement.

"All Might!" Ikuyo screamed and scrambled to pick up her bag. "You nearly scared me to death."

"WELL, BETTER IT BE ME THAN ANOTHER VILLAIN!" With this, All Might shrunk in a plume of smoke and coughed into his fist. Ikuyo cringed at the wet hacking, a painful reminder of All Might's condition. "Anyway, I've been looking for you. What you did today was very brave."

Ikuyo looked up at her idol with confusion. Earlier, the number one hero had crushed her dream with ruthless efficiency, condemning her to the life of a bystander, and here he made a complete turnaround from before. She shook with a mix of anticipation and dread, half afraid that he was only there to tell her off some more.

"When you ran into the fray, determined to help when even the pros couldn't do anything… you inspired me. Kid, you gave me the strength to go past my limit to save that young man. If you hadn't told me about your struggle and rushed to help… I don't want to think about what would've happened."

Ikuyo's dread evaporated, replaced with a growing feeling of hope blossoming in her chest.

"What I'm trying to say is, you can be a hero."

The floodgates were open. Silent tears ran down Ikuyi's cheeks as the meaning of his words hit her like a train headed for paradise. The Symbol of Peace himself is cheering me on, she thought to herself.

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

WHAT. Ikuyo stared at him in disbelief. Inherit… a quirk?

"That's impossible," Ikuyo murmured. The stress that was building up since the beginning of the day suddenly burst out in a series of mutters. "T-There have been many discussions about what your quirk is, it's one of the greatest mysteries in the world, but it's impossible to transfer quirks; that would change everything modern science knows about-"

"All right, all right, slow down there, kid!" All Might sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. My quirk's real name is 'One For All'. It was handed down to me by my mentor, a sacred torch to be cultivated and grown by every new generation of heroes. Will you take this chance to be a hero, or did I chose the wrong kid?"

He smiled at her fervent acceptance. Just as I thought. He was startled, however, when a small trickle of blood ran from her nose.

"Ah, kid, you're bleeding!" He fished in his pocket for a clean handkerchief and offered it to her, but stopped short when he saw her eyes.

Ikuyo gratefully took the kerchief, oblivious to All Might's confused expression.

"You did say you were quirkless, right?" All Might asked incredulously

"Yeah," Ikuyo's face fell. "The doctor diagnosed me when I was 5, I have the extra toe joint."

"Hmm. The toe joint thing is awfully inaccurate. Studies have disproven its accuracy many times in recent years. Today's your lucky day, kid. It looks like you are one of the many exceptions." All Might pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of her, and showed it to Ikuyo. "You actually do have a quirk."

Ikuyo's eyes grew to the size of boulders. Her eyes were alight with a warm seafoam green glow. The tears that had been so freely flowing down her cheeks were now floating around her head like a viridescent halo. Her train of thought derailed, and the droplets fell to the pavement with a soft plop. It took Ikuyo a few seconds to realize what this meant.

"Oh my gosh! All Might I swear I wasn't lying to you earlier, this is completely new to me! I'm not a liar..." Ikuyo scrambled to apologize with one hand holding her nose.

All Might waved his hands in an attempt to calm her down again as he stuck his phone back in his huge pockets. "It's alright, I believe you. You got a nosebleed for making tears float, someone who's had their quirk for years wouldn't experience that kind of backlash for something so small. Besides, I picked you because of your heroic spirit, not because I thought you didn't have a quirk. Look, it's getting late. Rest up and meet me at Dagobah Municipal beach tomorrow morning. We'll talk more then."

Katsuki Bakugo was waiting for his childhood friend in front of her house. Ikuyo sure is taking her sweet time. He was about to forget it and go home when he saw the girl down the road and scowled.

"Looking cheery as ever, Kacchan." Ikuyo greeted him with a smile as bright as the golden sunset behind her.

"Shut the hell up Midori." While Katsuki's default state was rough and insensitive, there was no malice in his voice. "I didn't need to be saved, you know."

"I know." Ikuyo didn't bother coming up with a witty response. In all the years she knew Kacchan, this was the closest he ever got to a 'thank you'. He had a strange way of showing it, but he really cared about her.

"So, you got a quirk?"

"How did you know? I only just found out a minute ago!" Ikuyo was bouncing with the excitement of having found her quirk.

"I felt it when you threw your stupid backpack at me. It was like a bubble had formed around me. I didn't get to think about it too much before All Might showed up." He would never admit it to her, but Katsuki thought it was very comforting. It felt almost as if nothing would ever be able to get through it and harm him, not even the vile sludge villain. He shuddered when he recalled the sickening feeling of the warm, wet slime against his skin. He swiftly turned his thoughts away from his possible trauma and back to the conversation. "I think it suits you."

"Really? That's so cool! I wonder what else my quirk can do." Ikuyo was practically jumping by then.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop doing that, you look like one of those hyperactive parrots," Katsuki said and stalked off. "This just means you can't chicken out and enter the support course. You promised you would be my sidekick. I look forward to beating you on even ground in the entrance exams."

"Will do, Kacchan." Ikuyo waved enthusiastically in his direction. The sun finally sunk below the horizon, signaling the end of the day. Ikuyo entered her apartment with a smile on her face, eager to tell her mother the good news. As she took off her outside shoes and set them down at the entrance, her heart was filled to the brim with new hope for her future.