Author's note: Hey everyone, Fire Slash here and welcome to my new fanfic 'Instant Pain,' the second of my DC Dekuverse fics. Now, this fic is actually a first for me in two regards: it is the first full on Villain Deku fic I've written and the first fic of which there will be no love interest. Why? Well, in this fic, Izuku won't have time nor the mental capacity to fall in love.

To explain how I even got the idea of the fic: Zoom (Hunter Zoloman) is my favorite villain of all time with how crazy he is and how far he's willing to go just to reach one goal. He wants to make the Flash (Wally West) a better hero by inflicting tragedy upon him. He sees tragedy and pain as teachers and if the Flash experiences them, then he'll have the drive of a true hero, willing to sacrifice anything to save someone. I saw this and thought to myself "hey, I feel this is a path Izuku could go down if he were to be a villain." After all, Izuku's goal in cannon is to be the best hero, one who can save everyone with a smile. He's been through hell and back. But what if his experiences twisted him in a way which he does become a villain, not to cause harm or out of spite, but because he thinks he can really help heroes become their better selves? It would be both in character and out of character for Izuku; he's still 'helping' people. All these thoughts resulted in this fic coming to be.

A full disclaimer: Izuku in this fic does not reflect my thoughts in real life. He is meant to be a controversial character (he is the villain after all and will remain a villain throughout the end). Izuku WILL be responsible for some major character death. If you know about Zoom, you'll know how far this character is willing to go (this story WILL NOT feature rape though for those of you worried about that. It is a sensitive topic I do not feel as if I am able to cover and it is not in character for someone even as crazy as Zoom). You have been warned.

One last thing: if you haven't already, follow me on IG (fire_slash_fanfiction). I post when I plan on updating stories and it's the best place to reach me now that I don't get notified of PMs for some reason.

Well, that was a lot. With that out of the way, let's get right to the story. Review and enjoy :-).

0000

"Every pain is a gift. Every pain is an opportunity-" Maxime Lagacé

"Adversity is the first path to truth- Lord Byron

"Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing-" Fight Club

0000

"Not all men were born equal," no one knew this better than Izuku Midoriya. A young boy, all he wanted in life was to become a hero. In a world where eighty percent of the population are born with quirks, innate powers which manifest at a young age, heroes and villains can exist, making the boy's dream achievable. Kind and selfless, Izuku would've made a great hero, if it weren't for the fact he lacked a quirk. Being quirkless made him powerless according to others.

"M-mom? I can still be a hero right? I c-can still be like All Might, right?" Young Izuku Midoriya asked his mother the day after he was diagnosed as quirkless, tears streaming from his eyes. All the boy wanted was to become a hero like All Might, the current number one hero, but without a quirk, his dream seemed to be out of his reach. 'Please, please tell me you still believe in me…'

"Izuku, honey…" his mother, Inko Midoriya said, trying to stay strong for her child. Unfortunately, she couldn't, wrapping her baby in a hug and sobbing next to him. "I'm so sorry!"

When Izuku asked his question, he was looking for reassurance, a reminder that someone was still on his side, believing in him despite his lack of a quirk. What he got instead was a reminder that he was alone and if he wanted to chase his dream, he'd need to do it by himself.

And chase his dream he did. Knowing that he'll need to try twice as hard to become a hero compared to someone with a quirk, he did just that, strengthening his mind and body. He taught himself the basics on how to fight, studied things most kids wouldn't learn until they were adults, and kept detailed notes about every hero and villain he could find. Doing so allowed him to think of ways in which one could effectively use their quirk while also coming up with ways to render a quirk useless. Yes, even if he lacked a quirk, the boy still aimed to become a hero, his drive bigger than it's ever been.

Sadly, the world seemed eager to put him down. Shortly after his diagnosis (Izuku hated that word, being quirkless wasn't a disease), all his playground friends had left his side, instead choosing to use him as a target for practicing their quirks. Everyday was a struggle for survival. No one wanted anything to do with a quirkless loser and were fine with using him to increase their own power. Such was a shame, for young Izuku would've been willing to help them anyways. Leading the pack was his ex-childhood friend Katsuki Bakugou, a boy whose quirk allowed him to create explosions by igniting his sweat. Once inseparable friends, when Katsuki's quirk developed, he became arrogant and cruel, using his power to inflict pain upon others. No one did anything to stop him, as they only saw the fact his quirk would allow him to become a great hero. Every time Izuku tried getting someone's help, they'd brush him to the side. Despite the other boy's ruthless nature, everyone believed that Katsuki would make for a great pro-hero due to his powerful quirk. Wanting to be part of the people who would raise such a 'hero,' everyone was willing to let Katsuki's behavior slide, not wanting to stain his 'perfect record.' As for Izuku, well, no one cared about the 'quirkless loser.' The world chose Katsuki over him and Izuku was forced to live with this fact.

If only they knew what was about to happen. If only they knew that Izuku would end up with power that makes even Katsuki's look pathetic. Perhaps if they treated him with even one ounce of respect, Izuku could have been their greatest ally. Instead, he would end up becoming a force capable of ruining society, and ruin society he will…

If one was to wonder when Izuku joined the side of villainy, he'd inform them about THAT day, the day he 'saw the light in a world of endless darkness…'

0000

"All right, as you all know, you're all near the end of middle school," Izuku's middle school homeroom teacher stated. "Soon you'll be applying to schools which will help you become what you want to be in the future. You should all start thinking about what exactly you want to be, but who am I kidding? All of you are planning on becoming heroes, correct?"

Upon saying that, most of the students began cheering in affirmation, some of them even displaying their quirks in a non-destructive manner.

"Hey teach, don't lump me into the same category as these crappy side characters," Katsuki stated, the boy being in Izuku's homeroom. Izuku's thoughts on Katsuki were strange. On one hand, he admired the boy's bravery and determination. On the other hand, he was his biggest tormentor. He certainly hated the boy, but there were some aspects to him that the quirkless boy found cool. "I'm off to be the best damn hero you've ever seen."

"Ah, right, you've mentioned that you're applying to U.A, correct?" His teacher asked the boy, not to anyone's surprise seeing as how much he let this fact be known. U.A Academy was considered to be the best hero development school in Japan. The chances of anyone getting in were slim, yet this didn't seem to faze Katsuki, the boy having a smirk on his face.

"Damn right I am, I even aced the mock test!"

Hardly anyone did well on the mock test, something the explosive boy clearly knew as his grin only seemed to grow bigger after his bragging. Immediately, his classmates began fawning over Katsuki as Izuku decided to dive into his own little world, not wanting to watch his classmates stroke the ego of his biggest bully like always.

"Midoryia, aren't you planning to apply to U.A as well?"

Of course the teacher would bring this up. While they didn't openly do it, he knew the teachers mocked his dream behind his back.

"Really? Isn't he quirkless? How does he possibly think he can get into U.A?" One of his classmates asked, everyone else laughing. The only person who wasn't was Katsuki.

"Deku," Katsuki growled, not liking the fact the boy was applying to the same school as him, Deku being a nickname the boy gave him out of mockery. Deku was a word meaning useless, and Katsuki latched onto it, using it to mock the boy for his lack of a quirk. At first it had stung him, but with it being said more than his actual name, the boy grew immune to the negative connotations the nickname had.

"All right, all right, that's enough," the teacher stated to regain control of the class, though Izuku knew that if it wasn't for the fact that the bell was about to ring, they would've continued mocking him.

Thankfully, the bell did end up ringing a few minutes later, causing everyone to flood outside the room. Glad that the day was over, the boy began to pack his things, only for someone to swipe one of his notebooks.

"The fuck is this?" Katsuki asked out loud, making his victim nervously eye him as he had no idea what was going to happen. Well, he sort of did, but it didn't make him feel better. "Hm…'Hero Analysis for the Future 13?' You really think this is going to help you?"

The 'Hero Analysis for the Future' was a series of books Izuku had written analysing the quirks of all potential and current pro heroes. It was his way of finding out the strengths and weaknesses of those who had similar quirks. If he was going to be a quirkless hero, he knew such knowledge would be helpful.

In the background, two boys snickered, them being followers of Katsuki despite the fact he simply saw them as extras.

"K-kacchan," Izuku weakly said, referring to the nickname he gave the boy back when they were childhood friends. That book was his pride and joy, composed of years of work. It was one of the few things he was proud of. "P-please give it back."

Ignoring the boy's pleas, Katsuki gave him a devilish smirk. "Listen here Deku, you should just give up trying to be a hero. You're fucking quirkless. You can't be a hero without power."

Hearing this, Izuku secretly clenched his fist, unable to make eye contact with the other boy. He wanted to tell Katsuki that anyone could make a difference, no matter if they had unstable quirks or lacked one, but he couldn't. Katsuki intimidated him to no end.

*BOOM!*

Looking up, Izuku noticed that Katsuki had activated his quirk to burn his notebook before tossing it out a window. Not wanting to lose it, he stuck his head out of the window, desperately trying to see if he could find where it fell.

"Like I said, no amount of research is going to cover up your flaws," Katsuki told him as he continued searching. "You know, if you really want to be a hero, take a swan dive off the roof. You'll be far more useful dead, and who knows? You might even get a quirk in your next life."

Horrified at what he just heard, Izuku immediately began flashing back to all the times Katsuki had picked on him. His breathing increased as his body begged him to swing at the person who made it a struggle for him to live, to shout massive profanities at him and call him out for being such a villain to him. He was seriously about to, but he ended up backing down when he noticed several small explosions coming from Katsuki's palm.

"Got something to say? Tch, you can't even defend yourself. Whatever, I'm done here."

Watching the boys leave, Izuku clenched his fist, trying to hold back tears. In the end, he couldn't, years of pain flooding out of him in the form of tears. 'Why me?'

0000

"Ah, just my luck, a disguise, and one of a harmless schoolboy no less. Looks like I can finally get rid of that pesky hero."

After grabbing his notebook, Izuku decided to take a shortcut through a small tunnel as it was raining and he had forgotten his umbrella (in actuality, it was stolen). Unfortunately, it seemed like a villain was using it as a hideout.

Izuku immediately backed up, knowing he couldn't do anything to the villain at the moment. Seeing as he was literally a ball of sludge, physical attacks would just pass right through him.

"Get over here!" Using a tendril, the sludge villain attempted to grab Izuku, only for the boy to dodge, his martial arts training kicking in. "Looks like we got a runner."

Not letting up, the monster continued to fire his tendrils at the boy, Izuku managing to dodge two of them. Sadly, the monster was eventually able to grab the boy.

"Don't worry kid," the sludge villain said as it began absorbing Izuku into him. "This won't take long."

'Is this where I die?' Izuku asked himself as he desperately struggled to break free, only for his efforts to be in vain. The villain's hold was too strong. 'As a useless Deku? Looks like I wasn't able to protect anyone…'

"Hah, you know, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be caught right now," The villain mocked his dying victim. "Thanks kid, you're my hero."

Hearing this, Izuku's will to live suddenly faltered, causing him to stop struggling. He was willing to accept his fate. The mocking words of his classmates were catching up to him. Before he could die however, the outline of an individual appeared, cocking back a fist.

"TEXAS SMASH!"

'All Might?' Izuku asked himself, managing to catch a better view of his hero before passing out, the lack of air having caught up to him.

0000

"Hey, hey kid, get up."

Opening his eyes, Izuku awakened to his hero gently patting his cheek, trying to wake him up. Eyes widening in amazement, Izuku leaped upwards, surprised to be face to face with his hero.

"Thank goodness you're awake," the American hero stated, sighing in relief. "I would've hated it if anyone got hurt because of me."

"All Might!" Izuku shouted excitedly before geeking out, mumbling facts about the hero under his breath as said hero gathered the remains of the villain in two soda cans. Once he saw his hero finish, Izuku pulled out one of his hero analysis notebooks and presented it to him. "P-please sign my notebook!"

"Of course!" Grabbing the notebook, All Might signed with with surprising speed before giving it back to the eager fan.

"Thank you so much! I'll treasure this forever! It'll be a family heirloom!"

"Always glad to be of service!" The hero said before walking off. "Now, I'm off to take this villain to jail! Farewell my adoring fan!"

As All Might prepared to fly off, a pang of realization hit Izuku. His hero was right here, perhaps he could answer the question of the possibility of someone quirkless becoming a hero. "All Might, wait!"

"Can't!" The hero declared. "I must go!"

With that, All Might flew off, only to realize mid-flight that Izuku was clinging onto his leg. "Kid, what are you doing!"

"I need to ask you something!" Izuku declared, gripping onto the hero with all his might. What Izuku didn't know was that All Might was on a time limit for how long he could use his powers.

'Shit!' Coughing up blood, All Might began thinking of a way to remove the fan clinging onto his leg. Realizing that he couldn't ask the kid to let go, he steered himself to a nearby building and landed on its roof.

"What you did was extremely reckless," All Might told him as the boy caught his breath. "You could have been killed."

"I know," Izuku told him. "But I need to ask you something."

"I can't stay to chat," All Might said, struggling to keep his powers flowing. "I need to go."

"Please wait!"

"I will not wait!" Preparing to take off, All Might suddenly stopped when he heard the boy shout his question.

"CAN A QUIRKLESS PERSON BECOME A HERO!?" Izuku asked before closing his eyes. "…All my life, I was told that I was useless because I didn't have a quirk. They told me I shouldn't be a hero, but I know I can do good! Do you believe I can be a hero?" Opening his eyes, Izuku widened upon seeing his idol replaced by a scrawny man. "Wait? An imposter?"

"Not an imposter," The man stated. "I'm All Might."

'What?' Izuku thought to himself as he looked at All Might's true form.

"What you see is the real me. My muscle form is the result of my quirk. You know how people flex to make themselves look bigger? That's what it is for me." Pulling up his shirt, All Might displayed a large wound on his stomach. "Ugly, isn't it? I got this from a villain five years ago."

"Was it Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked, remembering how that was the only high ranked villain to face off against All Might that year. All Might simply shook his head.

"No. That chump couldn't land a good hit on me. This was a villain who I refused to make public. Now, for your question; as you know, a person's quirk doesn't define them as a hero…"

'Yes!' Izuku's eyes widened in glee, believing he already knew what All Might was going to say. He was going to say that even though quirks make it easier to be a hero, they aren't needed, before repeating one of his catchphrases: anyone can be a hero.

"But not having a quirk? No, I don't think you can become a hero."

'What?' At this moment, Izuku could hear his heart shattering into millions of pieces. The man he practically worshipped more than anything, the man who was known to always spread hope no matter the situation, the man he wanted to be, effectively told him what everyone else did. He was worthless.

"It's nice to dream, kid, but you also need to be realistic."

'I'm so sorry!' His mother's voice echoed in his head as All Might continued talking.

'No…'

"If you really want to help out, try becoming a police officer. Sure, they're constantly ridiculed for being less effective than heroes, but you'll still be helping others."

'Like I said, no amount of research is going to cover up your flaws. Just give up.' He could practically see Katsuki laughing at him right now.

'Why? Why does no one believe in me? Does being quirkless really make you useless?'

Realizing Izuku had nothing left to say, All Might began making his way to the building's staircase. "If you want to leave, these stairs should take you to the bottom floor. Also, would you mind keeping my secret for me? I need the public to continue believing the Symbol of Peace is invincible. There's no telling what might happen if you reveal that I'm not."

"…Sure," Izuku couldn't find the power to say anything else. Everything he fought for seemed to be for naught. The way Izuku lived was built upon someone else's lie. All Might presented himself as a warrior of hope, yet he couldn't even stay true to his words when presented with a desperate person. To Izuku, he honestly believed that the number one hero should come clean about his condition as believing in someone invincible will only cause mass hysteria if he's ever defeated.

"Take care kid." With that, All Might left the building, leaving Izuku to his own thoughts.

"So that's it, huh?" Izuku asked with a dry laugh. "This is where my dream dies." After hearing what All Might had to say, Izuku silently watched the rain fall, needing some time to cool off. As he did so, an explosion occurred somewhere inside the city, but he paid it no mind. He was too far to do anything about it and besides, the heroes have it under control. In fact, the seventh highest ranked hero, Kamui Woods, was based nearby.

"What do I do now?" Izuku was lost. He had no idea what to do with his life now that his dream has been torn to shreds. Should he find a different dream? Even if he did, nothing would change. He'd be mocked for a lack of a quirk. According to the world, he was underqualified for almost any job due to his quirkless nature.

A flash of lightning occurred, the sound of thunder accompanying it a second later, but Izuku didn't pay it any attention. He just felt empty inside. 'What the hell do I do with myself now?'

*Crackle!*

'Is this the hopelessness that others like me feel?'

*CHOW!*

'Those who were told they won't amount to anything?'

*BOOM!*

'Those who clinged onto false promises?'

*CRACKLE!*

'False promises made by false idols.'

*BOOM!*

'It seems there's no one willing to save us. If only the heroes could understand what we go through. Then they'd treat us like we're worth a damn!'

*CHOW*

Standing up, Izuku decided to make his way home.

*CRACKLE!*

Only for him to be hit by a lightning bolt. Izuku didn't even have time to let loose a shout of pain as he instantly went unconscious.

0000

*ZZBT!*

"Like I said, no amount of research is going to cover up your flaws. You know, if you really want to be a hero, take a swan dive off the roof. You'll be far more useful dead, and who knows? You might even get a quirk in your next life."

"Maybe you should take your own advice and hope you get born with a better attitude!"

*ZZBT!*

"As you know, a person's quirk doesn't define them as a hero, but not having a quirk? No, I don't think you can become a hero."

"Does it feel good lying to the world? Giving them hope and shattering it when push-comes-to-shove?"

*ZZBT!*

"I'm so sorry!"

"I don't have a disease. I'm not dying, so don't treat me like I am!"

*ZZBT!*

"Hey teach, don't lump me into the same category as these crappy side characters! I'm off to be the best damn hero you've ever seen."

"Can you even be a hero without empathy? Do you know how much your actions as a hero affect those around you?"

*ZZBT!*

"Also, would you mind keeping my secret for me? I need the public to continue believing the Symbol of Peace is invincible. There's no telling what might happen if you reveal that I'm not."

"Yes there is. People will realize you're not invincible. You're just like them. Only difference is that you have power and they don't. Some will be angry while others will be saddened. Some will even be scared."

*ZZBT!*

'Why me?'

"Yeah, why me? Why am I forced to struggle while others can get away with anything?"

*ZZBT!*

"Got something to say? Tch, you can't even defend yourself. Whatever, I'm done here."

"Have you ever struggled before? Have you ever been put down and spat on? Have you ever been ignored no matter how much you beg for aid? No, you never had. You never had to work for anything. You were born with gifts you don't deserve."

*ZZBT!*

"If you really want to help out, try becoming a police officer. Sure, they're constantly ridiculed for being less effective than heroes, but you'll still be helping others."

"You're right, they are ridiculed, but they still do their jobs. The police could probably teach you a thing or two about heroics. Even when people put them down, they rise up to the challenge. They work harder than most heroes. They understand civilians because they ARE civilians. The only reason they aren't as effective as you is because they're not allowed to use their quirks most of the time. Yes, there are corrupted officers out there, but with Endeavor as a hero, no one can really discredit them for that without putting down the hero society as a whole. In the end, people like you and Endeavor live lives of luxury, never having to struggle. You were born with power that answers all your problems, just like Kacc-no-Bakugou. You don't know how it's like being the little man, and even if you once did, you seem to have forgotten-"

*ZZBT!*

"IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE…WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE HELPLESS. TO BE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY! MAYBE THEN YOU'LL MAKE GOOD HEROES, BUT WHAT WILL IT TAKE? SOME DEAD CHILDREN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE? THE CORPSE OF A FAMILY MEMBER YOU COULDN'T PROTECT FROM HARM? THE EXPOSURE OF ALL YOUR DARKEST SECRETS? IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE..."

*ZZBT!*

0000

Waking up, Izuku was greeted with the pounding sensation of a massive headache.

'What happened to me?' Looking around, the boy noticed that he was at a hospital. 'How'd I get here?'

Thinking back, all Izuku could remember was that he suddenly fell unconscious on the roof where All Might left him. Then he suddenly began having several cycles of flashbacks of his entire life. Each cycle seemed to be under a different lens, some of them he was angry, others he felt hopeless. They all had one thing in common though, he was able to point out the hypocrisies of the world. It was funny how some of the most successful people were born into power. They never had to struggle to get where they are. It's why All Might can lie as freely as he does. It's why Endeavor can sleep at night after endangering and killing civilians with his reckless actions. It's why Katsuki will be a hero despite being a horrible person.

Shaking his head, Izuku continued to look around. What he saw ended up surprising him. The entire world was seemingly frozen in place. There were several doctors stuck in motion. To his right was his mother who was looking at him with worry, which was normal, but no matter how long Izuku looked at her back, she didn't blink.

"IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE…"

'What's going on here?' Sitting up, Izuku tried to see if someone had activated their quirk. If someone did, then they shouldn't be stuck. 'Is this happening because of a time manipulation quirk?'

"WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE HELPLESS."

'I don't see anyone else unfrozen,' Izuku thought to himself. His eyes suddenly widened. 'Wait, did I do this?'

"TO BE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY!"

Lying back in his bed, Izuku closed his eyes and tried to unfreeze everything using up all his concentration. The sounds of people shuffling around that occurred a few seconds confirmed that he indeed managed to succeed in his task. Sitting up much to the surprise of the other occupants in the room, Izuku stared at his hands in amazement. 'I have a quirk?'

"Izuku, I was so worried!" His mother yelled, pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

Izuku ignored her as he continued glancing at his hands.

"It's good to see you're awake, the doctor said. You see, you were struck-"

Attempting to use his quirk again, Izuku was ecstatic to see that he was able to slow down time around him before freezing it again. With some more concentration, he returned things to normal.

"-by lightning. You were found by a hero. How do you feel?"

"How do I feel?" Izuku asked himself with an unnerving smile. "I feel great!"

The doctor continued to speak to his mother, but Izuku ignored them, instead choosing to play with his new quirk. He found it a bit difficult to control, but he knew that with some practice, he could get the basics worked out.

'With this, now I can become a hero!'

"MAYBE THEN YOU'LL MAKE GOOD HEROES, BUT WHAT WILL IT TAKE?"

'But one good hero won't make up for the hundreds of bad heroes in the industry.'

"SOME DEAD CHILDREN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE?"

'If I really want to make a difference, then the bad heroes need to leave or change themselves.'

"A DEAD FAMILY MEMBER YOU COULDN'T PROTECT FROM HARM?"

'They need to be challenged. They need to experience true pain.'

"THE EXPOSURE OF ALL YOUR DARKEST SECRETS?"

'With these powers, I can help them. I owe it to those who can't do it themselves and for those who actually want to make a difference. To truly help the world…'

A rational person would question this rationale. To Izuku, this was all making sense. To suddenly gain a quirk after living life without one, it seems there was only one thing he could truly do with it, especially one as powerful as time manipulation…

"IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE…"

'I'LL BECOME ITS GREATEST VILLAIN!'

Some would say that all logic has been thrown out the window. Izuku would say that he was finally enlightened. All that matters is that the old Izuku Midoryia was gone. What was left was the person who would become the villain known as 'Zoom…'

0000

Author's note 2: Some might say Izuku's descent to villainy was a bit quick. I say it helps show how truly insane he is...