A/N: Hey all! This is my first My Hero fanfic, so I hope you all enjoy this little idea I've cooked up. Should be a long one!

As far as when it'll be updated... I'd like to aim for one chapter a week at the minimum, but no guarantees. I'd definitely like to keep it quality if I can. But anyways, please drop a Review if you would, and thanks!

A/N from the Future: There's a recap of the first 18 chapters at well if you want to hop in to the current story beats quicker! :)

The Rise of the Quirkless Hero

Chapter One: What it Takes(To Be a Hero)

Not all men are created equal...

This was what quirkless Izuku Midoriya had learned in his younger years, from constant bullying by his super-powered peers, something that could have easily led him down a path of weakness and self-doubt... But that was the last era of his life that he would allow himself to be powerless.

In a world where most people had some sort of special ability, Izuku, known to most in his class as 'Deku', could only work hard and strive for his dreams to come true-

Well, that's how it should have gone, at least.

"If you wanna be a hero that badly, there's a quick way to do it- Believe that you'll be born with a quirk in the next life, and take a last chance dive off of the roof!"

The words of his Middle School bully, and childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo taunted him as they stood in their homeroom class after everyone else had left for the day. Izuku tightened his fists, looking down at the floor, not saying anything as the blond-haired boy and his two followers left the room with laughs and snarky remarks.

"Kacchan..." Izuku felt powerless, like always, only able to imagine the harrowing defeat by Bakugo's explosion quirk as he fought to hold back tears.

The fear and the taunting were something Izuku had gotten used to, though they still stabbed his heart like always. He walked towards the open window and looked down, not seeing any sign of his notebook that Bakugo had thrown out.

After gathering himself, Izuku made his way outside towards the back of the school building, searching for his journal, which he called his 'Hero Analysis for the Future'. It contained all of his work and studies on heroes and quirks he had encountered or seen, and it felt like his one and only edge over those around him.

Where did it go...? Disheartened, Izuku gazed into the coy pond there that the students kept up with, not seeing it within the water as the large fish circled around each other.

"Ehh... This is some detailed stuff," came a girl's voice from behind him. "You wrote this right? You must be trying to get an edge on the competition early!"

Izuku jumped in surprise, nearly falling back into the pond and having to flail to stop himself, breathing heavily as he looked at the person who had spoken, too fearful to even hear what she was saying at that moment.

The girl had fair skin that was covered in soot and dust, with thick pink dreadlocks, wearing a simple black sleeveless tee and baggy tan pants. She closed the journal and smirked at Izuku, her yellow eyes piercing him through the shadows.

"W-Who are you? You're not in a uniform...?" Izuku looked around nervously, confusion overwriting his fear.

"The name's Mei Hatsume," the girl said, tossing the journal to Izuku suddenly, who gasped and fumbled with it, barely able to catch it and stop it from falling into the pond. Mei approached Izuku suddenly, looming over him. He held the journal in front of his face, nervously looking up at the girl who seemed to be examining him. "What's your quirk anyways? Something that analyzes? Copies maybe?~"

"I- Uh..." Izuku looked away, not exactly sure what to say. "W-well I'm Izuku Midoriya, and I... er..."

Mei got closer, uncomfortably close for Izuku, who couldn't help but tremble a bit as the strange girl's face was just inches away from his. Then, the girl took a step back and shrugged.

"It's no use, you've got a good poker face. If you don't wanna tell me that's fine I guess," she said, turning and starting to walk away.

Izuku let out a sigh of relief, turning to watch Mei as she knelt down beside a nearby bush that seemed to be charred, as if a fire had been put out on it recently. Curious, Izuku walked closer, still trying to keep a bit of a distance between himself and Mei.

"Um... What happened?"

Mei seemed to pay him no mind as she began to pick up charred pieces of metal, examining them and then dropping them again. After a while, she sighed and stood up, shaking her head.

"No use, it's all done for. Oh well, I'm sure my experiment #32 will go much better," Mei said to herself confidently.

"Experiment...?" Izuku looked from the messy girl to the charred bush. "A-Are you an inventor, or scientist, or something?"

"Something like that," the pink-haired girl confirmed, turning to Izuku with a confident smile. "This baby right here was my new propulsion tech, but it kind of... Blew me across town to right here!"

A-Across town?! Izuku took a step back from the obviously dangerous girl, who tilted her head a bit at the notion, confused.

"Do you go to school here? I heard there's some strong hero candidates here!" Mei looked up at the school building, nodding as if confirming it to herself. "I won't let them get all the glory though- I'm going to be entering U.A's Support division and I'm going to get loaded!"

Those words surprised Izuku, who clutched his journal tighter in his hands. "Y-You're going to attend U.A?"

Mei cracked her gloved knuckles and smirked, before thumbing to herself. "That's right! I haven't stopped inventing things since I was little. I need all those juicy resources they have at the school to make as many babies as I want!"

B-Babies…? "I-I see, so that's another path you can take..." Izuku thought for a moment. He had heard of the Business and Support students of U.A, but it was tough to get much information about it, especially when most of the public eye was focused on the Hero Course.

Snapping Izuku out of his thoughts, Mei spoke, "Well, your notes gave me some new ideas for sure, so I'll definitely need to make some adjustments." She sighed, holding her gloved hands out towards the burnt bush, clicking her middle fingers to her palm. Izuku watched with interest, jumping a bit as, suddenly, the metal pieces of scrap all flew towards the gloves and stuck to them, leaving her with big piles of metal covering her hands. "Welp... See ya!"

Izuku watched as Mei started to trudge off, obviously struggling from the weight of the metal weighing down her arms, her legs visibly shaking a bit. Conflicted, Izuku looked down at his journal, which was slightly scuffed and burnt from when Bakugo had messed with it earlier.

Support class, huh, he thought. It was something different, something more realistic perhaps... Could he still become the hero he wants to be if he pursued such a thing?

"Um-" Izuku looked up, and screamed in shock as he saw that Mei was now face-down on the ground, passed out. "M-Mei?!"

About half an hour later, Izuku was walking away from the school grounds with Mei, each holding a cardboard box he had grabbed from the school supplies so they could easily carry the scrap metal from her failed experiment.

"I guess I haven't slept in a while, that was a great power nap though," was all Mei could say about her passing out, seemingly uncaring about her health, more focused on her inventions to come.

Izuku glanced over at her in disbelief, but he couldn't help but smile a bit at her dedication. This kind of thing had been her whole life's work, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of her goals, not even practical things like sleep. He respected that, but it brought up a burning question.

The two arrived to a small pedestrian tunnel that ran underneath a bridge. Izuku stopped for a second, and Mei paused, looking back to him.

"D-Do you have a quirk, Mei?"

The girl blinked at Izuku, silent for a moment, before laughing. "Of course I do! I might have my super cute babies I make, but no way would I try for U.A without a quirk!"

"S-Super cute babies?" Izuku looked down at the scraps in the box, a bit confused. She called them babies or something earlier too...

"My inventions are what'll get me into U.A, but enhancing quirks is a major part of being a true Support," Mei explained a bit, raising a hand for emphasis, clenching it into a fist. "So what better way than finding ways to enhance your own quirk as well! Right?"

"R-Right," Izuku said softly, feeling himself sweating a bit, unable to admit the truth to the girl, wondering if it was even worth asking her anything else when he knew she would only make fun of him when she found out the truth.

They continued on into the tunnel, Izuku a few paces behind Mei, looking down at the box of scraps as he was lost in thought, thinking about everything- Then he ended up bumping into Mei, panicking a bit as he snapped back to reality.

"W-What is it?" Izuku looked at Mei, then looked past her, his eyes widening at what was ahead of them.

A moving mass of what appeared to be dark-green sludge was emerging from a sewer grate, forming into a large intelligent mass. A set of sharp teeth and big round eyes began to emerge on its head as it let out a loud groan.

"Jeez, what bad luck, running into that hero-"

As the sludge spoke, it turned its gaze down the tunnel, seeing the two standing there staring at him. He let out a wicked chuckle, as Izuku's face turned to one of pure terror.

"Oh, maybe my luck's turning around- A couple here for me to use as a disguise~!"

"C-Couple?!" Izuku was frightened by the appearance of the monster before them, but he still couldn't help the outburst. "A...V-Villain...!"

Without any thought, Izuku turned and began to flee, screaming for his life. However, after only a few steps, something clicked and made him slide to a stop, looking back. There, he saw Mei, still not moving, as the large sludge villain jolted and flew right at them.

"Mei! Run-" Izuku tried to yell to the girl, but by the time he said it, the mass was already upon her.

What Izuku couldn't see at that moment was Mei's big smile and confident expression, completely devoid of fear as the mass of sludge tried to slam down onto her. She leaned back, completely letting go of her balance as if doing a trust-fall.

"Watch out!" As she called this out, Izuku was surprised when Mei clicked her heels together, and an explosion of force emitted from her boots.

Izuku could only watch in shock as Mei flew right at him, slamming into him and sending them tumbling back towards the opposite end of the tunnel, the boxes of scraps they were holding flying all over the place. The sludge villain was surprised by this, looking at them with a scowl.

"Is that one a Hero? No way, she's too young- But she's definitely the body I should take over!"

With a groan, Izuku gathered himself and sat up a bit. He was on his back, with something heavy on top of him- He gasped, making a comically shocked expression.

"M-Mei, b-boo-" Izuku couldn't even finish the sentence as Mei lifted her head and looked up at him, blinking in confusion, giving a smile, not even noticing the fact that her chest was pressed firmly against Izuku, her cleavage slightly visible to him.

"Thanks for the soft landing! But we should really get outta here," Mei commented, rolling off of Izuku and getting up to her feet quick. She grabbed his wrist and forced him up, starting to run.

"As if I'd let you get away," the sludge villain called, shooting a tendril out at a lightning-fast speed. The sludgy tendril wrapped around Izuku's leg, pulling him out of Mei's grasp and reeling him in quickly.

"Midoriya?" Mei turned and saw as the boy was dragged into the mass of sludge, many tendrils beginning to grab him and pull him in, a larger one pushing into his mouth, muffling his screams as he tried to thrash and kick.

"Hey hey kid, it'll all be over in 45 seconds, just let me take over your body ey," the villain spoke with a cackle, as he drove the tendril into Izuku's throat slowly.

S-Somebody help... Agh... His fighting began to wane as he realized he was powerless. His vision was going blurry, but he could see that Mei was no longer standing where she had been before. S-she ran? That's good.. At least... I'll be the only one who-

Something suddenly slammed into them. It was barely enough of a force to make the sludge jiggle, as the villain looked over to see that it was Mei, her boots propelling her into the mass, though it wasn't making it move at all.

N-No way! She's still here? Izuku thought as he looked over at her, trying to reach his hand out towards her, but he was being pulled into the sludge further and further.

"Oh, perfect! You're the one I really wanted," the villain said happily. Suddenly, Izuku was expunged from the sludge, gasping as he was sent tumbling to the ground. He shakily got up onto his hands and knees and looked up, seeing Mei being sucked slowly into the mass of sludge, her boots starting to spark and sputter out as they broke from overuse.

"D-Dang, all I have are prototypes on me, this isn't-" Mei moved her head to avoid an oncoming tendril from entering her mouth, doing her best to try and fight off the villain, though she was slowly being dragged into it. "I need… To get back… To my… Babies!"

Izuku had never felt so powerless, staring down a villain like this. He not only was quirkless, but he was literally powerless; his legs were shaking and he couldn't find the strength to stand any longer.

So Izuku did all he could, mustering up the energy to yell.

"S-Somebody! Help!"

After his voice echoed a few times through the tunnel, a loud clang of metal erupted from the opposite entrance. The sludge villain turned his attention there, his eyes widening as he saw a familiar figure beginning to rise from the sewer grate.

"It's okay, young ones. I am here!"

The voice was booming and powerful, and Izuku recognized it instantly, his eyes widening. He found the will to stand, though shaky, and looked past the sludge villain, seeing the figure he had always admired standing there.

All Might wore his usual confident demeanor and his signature strong smile as he analyzed the situation, seeing the helpless children and the disgusting monster that was handling them.

"You...! You're so persistent," the sludge villain yelled out with rage.

In the blink of an eye, he lashed out across the tunnel at All Might with one his tendrils, slicing through concrete as the hero ducked down to avoid it. The villain's eyes widened in surprise, as before he could even move again, All Might was rushing towards him.

"Texas..." All Might's right arm reared back, the immense power building within him making the wind swirl around. As he brought it forward and he completed his yell, the wind swirled and shot out down the tunnel with hurricane-levels of force, "SMAAAAAASH!"

All Might's fist didn't even make contact with the sludgy villain before he had been broken apart into hundreds of pieces that splattered all around the tunnel, absorbing almost all of the force of the wind. Mei, now released, fell to the ground- Though, luckily, Izuku had managed to hold his ground and jumped forward to catch her. He wasn't really strong enough to catch her in his arms, so he just simply slid beneath her and let her land on his back, making him grunt in pain.

"Ah, thanks!" Mei smirked down at Izuku, still sitting on his back. He lifted his hand in a weak thumbs up.

When Izuku looked up, he couldn't contain a gasp as he saw All Might, the idol he had looked up to for as long as he could remember, approaching them.

"Ah, I'm sorry for getting you two caught up in my villain fighting," the man spoke, his big grin never fading. "Are you alright?"

Izuku yelped as the weight of Mei lifted from him, as she stood and sort of mock saluted to All Might, nodding her head.

"We're fine! Right, Midoriya?"

Izuku slowly stood up, nodding and hesitantly raising his gaze towards All Might. "R-Right..."

"Well that's a relief!" All Might nodded and looked at the sludge all around the tunnel. "If you don't mind, I need to collect this guy real quick."

It didn't take All Might long to collect the sludge villain; In fact, he had finished a couple of minutes before Mei and Izuku could collect her invention scraps back into the boxes.

When they emerged from the tunnel, they were slightly surprised to see All Might waiting for them.

"I'll send someone to clean up the rest of the mess in there," All Might spoke, letting out a hearty laugh as he struck a sort of a pose. "I don't usually have problems with weak villains like this! I was too busy enjoying a new place and they slipped away from me. Apologies again!"

The entire time All Might had been swiftly collecting the sludge around them, Izuku had been sweating and nervously trying to avoid him, completely shaken and unsure of what to say or do around the one hero who meant the most to him. Now, having to face him directly, Izuku was nearly foaming at the mouth, his mind a jumble of things to ask and say.

He settled on, "Thank you!"

Izuku gave a very stern bow, and Mei looked at him quizzically before laughing and giving a very casual thumbs up to All Might.

"One day I'll be able to make something to support even you, All Might," Mei said confidently. "I guarantee it!"

"Oh? Are you perhaps looking to join the Support class at U.A?" With Mei's eager nod, All Might gave her a nod of acknowledgment, giving a thumbs up of his own. "Perfect! I'm sure you can do it!"

H-He said she can do it? Izuku was staring at the ground, frozen in thought. Can I, too, become what I want then? Even without a quirk...? There's still so many things I need to ask!

When Izuku finally managed to lift himself up and open his mouth to speak, All Might was already turned away, looking back at them over his shoulder, squatting down as if prepping to leap.

"Well-" All Might jumped into the air, his voice booming across the area as he spoke, "I'll be eagerly awaiting your support!"

Izuku was left stunned, gazing up into the sky where the hero had just leaped, his figure disappearing as he got too far away. He fell to his knees, looking down into the box of scraps sadly.

"That was quite the chance encounter- Hey, you alright?" Mei looked down at Izuku, who seemed to be in turmoil.

"I didn't... Get to ask him..." Izuku was visibly shaking a bit, trying his hardest to fight back tears.

Mei looked at Izuku for a moment, before moving in front of him and squatting down to look at him. He nervously looked at her as she seemed to study him for a bit, before standing and sighing.

"So you want to become a hero like him huh? Well I don't know what kind of quirk you have, but you should focus on something more realistic," she began, starting to walk away.

Something realistic...?Izuku looked up at her and spoke up. "L-Like what?"

Mei stopped and looked back, smirking at him. "That's not for me to decide! You know yourself best, so figure it out. If you've got what it takes to be a hero, then you'll be able to become a hero- Now can we get my stuff back? I really need to get some of these crazy new ideas out of my head and into a physical form!"

The girl continued on impatiently without waiting for a response, her boots still sparking and sputtering. Izuku slowly got up to his feet, tightening his grip on the box in his hands, new thoughts arising in his head.

Mei is so confident, so sure of what she has to do… Why can't I grasp onto something as easily?

She's right- Only I truly know myself. I need something realistic, something I can do... I can't rely on anyone else's answer, I'll have to try whatever I can to succeed!

Izuku managed to make his legs move at last, jogging to catch up with Mei as a gentle breeze drifted past him, pushing him along and lifting his spirits a bit.

The question of whether or not I can become a Hero without a quirk... Only I can decide the answer!

To Be Continued

Next Chapter: Hard Work and Babies