"Never meet your heroes, because they're sure to disappoint you."

- Unknown

"Enough, Kacchan!" A small green haired boy ran between the three bullies and a crying kid as they pushed him onto the ground. "You already made him cry! Stop it!"

The three bullies laughed at the boy. The one in the middle, Kacchan, made an explosion within his palm as the one on his left spread out his red wings and the one on his right stretched out his fingers to poke the boy in the chest.

"So Deku, the quirkless wonder thinks he can play hero huh?" Kacchan stepped forward with a grin on his face. "Looks like someone needs to teach you a lesson!"

The green haired boy tried to dodge as Kacchan grabbed both of his wrist but was all but helpless as the bully created another small explosion in his face. The boy with the extending fingers held his head still as Kacchan scorched the green haired boy's clothes and skin with the explosions from his palms. The winged bully walked past them and continued beating up the other child.

"Stop it!" The green haired boy shouted in vain. "Leave him alone!"

The bullies laughed again. "You going to use your quirk to stop us, then?" The boy with the extending fingers teased. "Oh, that's right, you don't have one!"

When all was said and done, the other boy had passed out and the green haired boy sat next to him to see if he was okay. "I'm sorry." The green haired boy mumbled. "When I grow up, I will be a hero. No matter what anyone says, I won't let people suffer from bullies like them."

The first incident was in Qing Qing City, China. An extraordinary child was born who radiated light. After that, reports to people with superpowers popped up all across the globe. No one knew what was causing these quirks. Before long, the supernatural became the totally normal. Dreams a reality. The world became a superhuman society with about 80% of the population possessing some uncanny ability. Our streets looked like scenes from comic books. As city swirled with chaos and confusion; a new profession dominated our collective consciousness. It was an age of heroes.

With the rise of superpowers, came an explosive increase in criminal activity. While governments were stuck trying to figure out how to reform laws with quirks in mind, courageous people started performing heroic acts to keep our cities safe. Protecting us against villains who abuse their power for evil. With overwhelming public support, heroes found an official place as peacekeepers, overseen by the government. Those who performed the best would be paid the most and get all the fame and glory. Their career depends on their abilities to stay in the spotlight.

And then, there was him. The greatest among them. All Might. Since his debut, crime rates have dramatically decreased just by his presence. They don't just call him the symbol of peace. It's what he is. Ever since I understood what a hero was, I have looked up to All Might and wanted to be just like him. To be able to save people with a fearless smile; that was my goal.

Izuku Midoriya found it impossible to stand still as he waited in the line for autographs from his favorite hero and idol. Ever since he was able to understand Japanese, he looked up to and wanted to be like All Might. He wanted to be the kind of hero he was; a hero who crush bad guys in one punch and who always smiled, no matter how much danger he was in. And now he was in line to meet the man himself – and getting an autograph as well, no less. The seven-year-old boy was barely holding back a squeal of excitement.

Izuku wasn't much to look at from a glance. The freckles now just starting to pop up on his face paired with his unkempt curly green hair that resembled a mop more than anything did nothing to make him seem like anything but a naïve child. The fact that he was a quirkless foster child and wanted to be a hero just made it worse, making him the main prospect for bullying in his school. But that wasn't going to stop him from being a hero. He may not have a flashy power, or extra limbs to help him fight, or even a mental power that made him more capable in school. The only power he had was being able to analyze heroes from watching their fights, a skill he had learned and continued to improve as he continued to watch heroes in action.

He was on his fourth notebook now, each of the notebooks before having their 100 pages filled to the brim. He did reanalyze some heroes here and there; for example, All Might had an entry in every notebook he had, each of them progressing in detail. Hero Analysis for the Future. That's what he called them. If he couldn't have a flashy power of his own, he could still know how to fight against those who did.

Snapping back to reality, he realized he had not moved from his spot even though the line had moved a few meters. Running forward to catch up, he looked past the two people in front of him to try if he could spot his hero. From his spot on the line, he could see the tall V-shape of his golden hair, which always managed to stay locked in the unique style no matter how windy it was.

As the next person was called up, Izuku finally got a good look at his hero. He was by far the largest person he had ever seen, with muscles so large the impressions from them bleed through his suit. He wore his usual smile that he was never seen without. His eyes gleamed a brilliant ocean blue and he wore his newest costume: The Silver Age. His suit was a colorful full-body spandex suit that consisted of a red top with white lines and curves going over the top to add some flair to it. He wore a golden belt with a silver buckle that mimicked his hair shape as well as golden boots and bracers. His pants were a dark navy blue with white covering the right and left sides of his thighs. His suit was topped off with a cape that had blue cloth on the outside and red cloth on the inside. All of it was designed with his high-powered quirk in mind and lined with special materials so that it wouldn't be destroyed by his own energy.

Someone tapped the boy's shoulder, snapping him out of admiring the hero. He quickly realized it was his turn and ran up to meet him. The hero chuckled as Izuku stood their staring at him, "You know you can say something, young man. I'm not going to bite."

"Oh! I'm sorry! You just look so much cooler in person! I never thought I would be able to meet you and I just don't know what to say! I have so many questions and I want to get to know you more, but I know people are waiting and I don't know what to ask, and I…" Izuku started his habit of rambling as he gained the courage to speak. He could have gone on for hours if the Pro Hero didn't stop him before he got too carried away.

"Wow, and here I thought you were a quiet one. Try and pick one question and I'll answer to the best of my ability," All Might said chuckling. "And while you are at it, what do you want me to sign for you?"

"Oh sorry!" Izuku bowed his head as he apologized. "It's an old habit. I get carried away sometimes." Izuku pulled a tiny notebook out of his jacket pocket. It was much smaller than all his other notebooks, being only as big as his two hands put together, but it consisted of only one hero entry dedicated to All Might himself. "Please sign my notebook. I take notes on all heroes and their quirks and this one I dedicate to you!"

The hero chuckled. "Ah, taking notes for the future, eh? Want to become a hero?"

"Yes, more than anything," Izuku answered without hesitation. "My name is Izuku Midoriya, by the way. Do you think I can become a hero?"

"Why, of course. No matter your quirk, anyone has a chance on becoming a hero. It all depends on how you use it."

Izuku frowned noticing All Might assumed he had a quirk. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you think someone who is quirkless can become a hero?"

All Might didn't respond immediately as his smile grew less noticeable. His voice lost its usual carefree tone as it grew serious. "No. I'm sorry for being blunt, but there are villains out there that simply cannot be beat without a quirk."

Izuku's breath hitched as he heard his idol's words. They weren't especially new to hear; he had heard it all his life from everyone he met. His quirklessness was the cause of his mom putting him in the foster system and the main motive for people to bully him. He was constantly put down for his want to be a hero and told to give it up every day by the owners of the orphanage he stayed at. But there was something different about hearing it from All Might. "I-I… can't?"

All Might sighed and put his pen down before he could sign the notebook. He looked at the green haired boy with concern. "Without a quirk, it is simply too dangerous. There is nothing wrong with dreams, son. But you need to make sure they are obtainable. It's not fair, but that's reality."

Izuku nodded and took the notebook from All Might before he could react. "I'm… Never mind… Thank you for your time." Without waiting for a response from his idol, Izuku walked away.

Izuku decided not to take the train back to the orphanage. He didn't want to go back immediately and wanted some time to himself. It's not like the people there would care if he was out late. His mother had put him in the foster system as soon as he was diagnosed quirkless when he turned four, and everyone who went to adopt someone there were always looking for a kid with a flashy power. 'He was so quick to support someone who had a quirk, no matter what kind. But as soon as he finds out that person has none, he takes away his support.'

Izuku kicked a can laying on the sidewalk angrily, making it bounce away into a nearby alleyway. "Fucking hypocrite!" Izuku shouted at the top of his lungs. He had never cursed before, but for some reason he had the urge to do so at this moment.

He froze as he heard a voice from the alleyway he just passed, "Didn't your mother tell you not to liter?" Looking towards the alley, a large man in ragged and torn clothing stood holding the can in his hand. "You know, some people pay fines for littering if they get caught."

Izuku stared at the man without a word. The man's complexion was ruined by the obvious use of drugs and he smelled as if he hadn't taken a bath in months. Izuku knew this guy was bad news, but he couldn't force his legs to move and run away. Finally, he was able to speak, stuttering out a response, "I-I… I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."

The man frowned at the response. "So? Are you going to pay the fine? I usually have to pay 30,000 yen when I get caught for it, so I'll let you off the hook with 50,000." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife to make his point, sending Izuku's pulse into overdrive.

"I'm s-sorry! I-I only have 2,000 yen! I'll give you everything I have just please let me go," Izuku panicked, hastily moving to empty his pocket of the paper and coins inside it.

"That's not even close to the fee. But not to worry, I have an idea! Let's go back into the ally and you can pay me in some other way," the man smirked as he got closer to the paralyzed seven-year-old, reaching out to grab him before a large figure jumped down from the rooftop next to the pair and landed on top of him.

"Preying on children?! Disgusting!" A gruff male voice came from the figure as he slammed the muggers face into the sidewalk, knocking the druggie out. Izuku stared at the large man who saved him in awe. The man looked to be in his forties or fifties based on the creases forming on his face, but was easily as large as All Might himself, if not just a little smaller. He wore a dark brown leather trench coat with a tight-fitting gray shirt underneath that showed off his heavily muscled six pack. He wore dark blue jeans and brown boots, making him look more like a civilian more than anything if not for the black wraparound mask tied over the top of his head and eyes as well as the oversized brass knuckles he wore on his hands. He looked up at the boy from his position on top of the mugger after he checked the inside of his mouth for something, noting the blackened tongue. "Looks like this guy was just a lowly drug fiend. You alright, boy?"

Izuku nodded fervently at his rescuer. "Thank you, sir! What hero are you?! I've never seen a pro that dresses like you." Izuku scrambled to get his pencil and the notebook he was currently working on to record what hero had saved him in it.

"Oh no, boy. I'm not a pro. But I call myself Knuckleduster: Janitor of the Fist," he stated the ridiculous name proudly raising his right fist in the air while Izuku suppressed a laugh. "I'm a vigilante, kid. I don't get paid for saving people, I do it to get drugs like the one this guy was obviously using off the streets. Unfortunately, this person hasn't used it in a while, I doubt he can lead me to the source."

"Do you think a quirkless person can be a hero?" Izuku blurted out without thinking. He internally cursed himself and prepared himself internally for the man's inevitable response.

The man paused for a few seconds, considering the question. "If you are asking if a quirkless person can be a pro, then I will say that the heroes of today are too stuck up to allow that to happen." Knuckleduster responded with an edge in his voice as Izuku lowered his head in defeat. "But, with proper training, equipment and support, anyone, with a quirk or not, can be a hero. If anything, quirkless people have an advantage since the laws against for using one without a license don't even apply to them. So yes, you can become a hero."

Izuku looked at the man wide eyed and at a loss for words as he slung the mugger on his shoulder and carried him off without another word. The words that the man said to him kept repeating in his head. "You can become a hero."

Izuku decided in that moment to forget being a pro hero. Instead he was going to go for something more realistic. A vigilante hero.

Here's the sad truth. All men are not created equal. When I was four years old, I learned that some kids have more power than others. When I was seven years old, I was again humbled by my lack of a quirk. But that won't hold me back. If anything, it pushes me to do better. I will become a hero. Even if no one else believes in me; even after All Might told me no; that just gives me encouragement. Since then, it's my goal to prove them wrong.

Author's Notes:

Whew! First chapter of my first ever fanfiction done! I have done a lot of writing with original works for my family to read (don't ask to see them, some of them get into some very personal details about my life) in the past, but considering I discovered this site recently, I'm pretty new to the fanfiction writing scene.

Now I know I'm being a bit of a hypocrite when I made this story an AU, considering on my bio it says that I will not be doing much AU's. However, after seeing some vigilante Izuku stories here, I decided to put my own spin on things. I might do a villain Deku too if I feel like it, because I really only have found one that has kept me interested and it isn't really that consistent in being updated.

As with all the stories I write, I am writing this for someone in my family to read, but she has never heard of this manga/show (let alone watch anime in general), so I might repeat some things that happened in canon for her to understand the context. I'm kind of worried I might fuck something up on this story and don't want to get things wrong, so please give me your thoughts/comments/suggestions!

Fun Fact:

The 30,000 yen fine ($ 300 in US) is actually a real littering fine in Kyoto, Japan. Kind of glad I don't live there, because I'm sure the police would enforce it if that kind of money was on the line, and I don't like the idea of being short 300 bucks because I missed the trash can.