I OWN NOTHING

Perhaps you'll hate this, love it, or not even care, but I'll try. I can only try and see if I can make it work. If not, well, at least I can take some comfort in knowing someone may like it.

XXXXXX

Power. Everyone desired it. No soul could live without some power. The power to stand their ground, to move forward, to search for something. It was power what gave people a right to claim what they wanted. It is power what shapes the world. And it will always be power what changes anyone's lives.

People. Some of them are born lucky and some unlucky. Right from birth, some have the genes to be better boxers, better sprinters, or even better singers. And yet, those who weren't blessed tried to at least reach that. But why? Fame, fortune, friendship? It made some wonder about the worth of life.

For one Izuku Midoriya, those thoughts didn't matter as much as his dream, regardless of how unattainable it could be. Could it work, or would it fail? Was it worth trying? Should he give up? If there existed anyone who could tell him of what he could do, how would that affect him? Did his life had a limit?

Sadly, the last question he could answer with a yes. Quirkless, powerless, weak, worthless, talentless. Many thoughts like that came to his mind. Labels put on him by those who he couldn't consider his peers. Most of the time he accepted them and still wanted to make a difference. Anything. Everything.

A once in a lifetime chance was before him, to ask his hero, his idol, the one who gave him a reason to desire with all his soul to be a hero something. But those doubts, the fear, prevented him from doing so. Maybe it was his acknowledgement of his limits. His hand only grasped the air as the man left.

On top of that roof, he lowered his hand while his hero flew into the air with a single jump, "I guess I already knew the answer..." he fought back the tears in his eyes, wiping them with his sleeve. Pushing himself forward, he walked blank-faced downstairs, his mind buzzing emptily at what happened.

What he lost was... "Who's there?" In his mental absence, the boy stumbled upon a terrifying sight.

Easily towering over him, a six-foot-tall middle-aged man glared at the boy. Everything about him screamed danger. For starters, despite him being rather lanky, he carried an aura of danger like the edge of a dagger. Dark brown hair set in an unruly mane akin to a ball of feathers, sharp brown eyes the likes of a hawk's, and a long, sharp nose gave him the appearance of a bird of prey.

Carrying a straight, long wooden cane that would be a short staff for someone Izuku's size didn't make him seem threatening, but his glare froze the boy on the spot. Well, that and an alley littered with unconscious men petrified him. All of them groaned while the man didn't have a single stain or tear on his clothes, an olive-green jacket worn on his shoulders like a cape, gray pants, and a black button-up shirt.

Steps returned the spinach-haired boy to reality, seeing the man walk to him with worn-out brown shoes, "A-Are you talking to me, sir?" he asked meekly, hands up.

"Are you eavesdropping?" the man retorted, his left hand gripping his cane and pressing the tip on the kid's forehead. "Or do you want what these punks asked for?" he asked rubbing his unshaven chin.

"I-I-I..." what else could Izuku say to that.

Or what could he say to what he heard next? A soft, "Meow?"

"Huh?" looking up, he saw a small gray kitten on the man's head. "This is a dream, it has to be." he flatly told himself despite his eyes showing his fear.

"Stay put." The man told the cat calmly.

Groaning, one of the men unconscious on the ground revealed himself as a punk. Dyed hair, trendy clothes to try to look intimidating and young. Definitely a group of young men trying to think they were big when a society didn't have anything to be mad about. Most of them tried to look tough, and in the world where heroes were looked upon, they were usually guys who boasted about their great powers.

One such punk wearing flashier clothes than the others got up, "What the Hell, old man!? Who asked you to get on our business!?"

Turning around, the man slid his cane into a belt on his pants' left side, holding it like it was a sheathed sword while resting his left hand on it, "Last I recall, I said you can keep playing with the cat if you can land a hit on me." he grinned wickedly, the right side of his mouth curling up sadistically, "I don't recall ever saying I wouldn't hit you."

"Asshole!" the leader shouted, his body erupting with sharp steel spikes, "I'll shred your scrawny ass!"

"Try, then." The man said and gave a step forward.

His enemy rushed at him, spinning like a drill to turn the man into minced meat. But the unshaven man sidestepped the charge casually. When the Quirk user landed, he got up and was about to jump at him for a second try. Izuku couldn't believe what he saw, the man spun on his toes, standing right beside his attacker, and grabbed him by the chin gently, softly. And with a single, effortless pull, he dropped the punk flat on his ass with a thunderous thud.

As one, the other punks went at him to try to attack him, but the man let them come. One's arms morphed into blades, but the older man stepped forward as his enemy swung them down, placed a hand on the punk's shoulder and a foot behind, and flipped him with a shove and pull of his leg. Another tried to kick him with sharp talons instead of feet, but the middle-aged stranger gave another step forward, and slammed a heel on the thug's knee before he fully stretched his leg.

Upon seeing their leader and another two of their own down on the floor, rolling in pain with one nursing a broken knee, the rest ran off. "Ugh, you son of a b-" the leader tried to curse the man, but found a straight, single-edge blade aimed at his neck, pulled from the left-handed man's cane with an inverted grip.

"Go on." The human stick smiled darkly, his eyes shining dangerously, "End your sentence."

"D-Don't leave us, dammit!" the leader cried and limped after his comrades, the other two following suit.

"Well then..." the man said with a bored tone, scratching the kitten's chin, "Let's get you some milk, sweetie."

"Wait!" Izuku called the man, stopping him in his tracks, "What kind of Quirk was that? How could you move in such a way?"

"I have and need no Quirk." The man told him sounding bored.

Hearing that, Izuku raced after the man, "C-Can you teach me!?" he asked as excited as he was and still remained afraid.

At that, the man turned around, stared at him, and then burst out laughing, "Teach you!? A kid who pissed his pants when he first saw me!?" he laughed so hard, tears streaked down his face.

But after losing a chance already, Izuku didn't want to give up, "P-Please, I want to become a hero!"

"Huh?" the man asked, staring at him curiously after his laughter ended rather abruptly.

"It's what I want the most, and I know you should laugh!" the boy yelled, clenching his fists, "Go on, do so! I don't care, so long as you let me train with you!"

"Do you know what you're asking for?" the man asked, irritated, "A hero, you?"

"As I've said, mock me, but I want to-" he was shut up by the man's cane slamming into his gut, crushing him against a wall.

"Continue." The man harshly told him, "Tell me what you want to say, if you can, that is."

Applying pressure, he forced the freckled boy to gasp out, and yet Izuku choked out his words, "I-I... I don't... care... what you do... Please... L-Let me-"

Retrieving his cane briefly, the man sunk it deeper into the kid's gut, knocking the remaining air out of him, "Say it loud and say it clear... If you can."

Noting the teen's body went limp, the man removed his cane, only to see the boy grasp it with both hands, looking straight into his eyes, "Guh, thank goodness I didn't have a full breakfast..." he gasped out, but did not let go of the cane, "Please... let me-"

"Be a hero?" the man continued, finally getting his cane back, although he was unable to conceal his surprise, "Stubborn, aren't you?"

"One chance..." Izuku breathed out, holding his gut, "Just one, please. I want to... at least try."

"Don't think you can be a hero just like that." Turning around, the odd stranger moved forward, "Follow me if you want proof."

Hesitating for a second, the boy followed him, walking through alleys that got increasingly smaller. At the end of one, there was a very small door that led into a dojo. Said place wasn't impressive. It was barely large enough for the man to teach at much five people. Mats covered most of the place, while behind them was a small kitchen and a bed. On a counter was a TV and a radio, showing what little the man owned.

The odd guy sat on his bed and grabbed a beer from a mini-fridge, he motioned for Izuku to sit down, which he did after removing his shoes and kneeling on the mats. To show his utmost respect, Izuku put his body in the position required for dedicated martial artists. Knees together, his bum resting on his heels, his hands on his lap, his back straight, and his head held up with his eyes turned to the master of the dojo.

"What must I do to train with you?" the teen asked, and then looked worried, "Please don't disguise your chores as training, I mean really train with you."

Opening his beer, the man used the hand he held the can with to point a finger at the hero hopeful, "Give up."

"W-What!?" Izuku couldn't hold back his scream of shock, more stunned than anything. "After you tried to make me puke my lungs, you're telling me that!?"

"See this?" the guy motioned to his small abode, "All I get nowadays is dust and cats." As he said that, the kitten on his head hopped on the kitchen counter, "Look around you. Despite how good martial arts can be in a fight, heroes make them meaningless. Do you think any of the top five would fight like I do?"

"I..." Izuku swallowed his spit, and gave him a straight answer, "I want to try regardless!"

"Let's see..." the man sipped his beer, and when he wetted his throat glared at the spinach-haired student, "Are you stupid?"

"I'm serious!" Izuku clenched his fists, "Look, mock me if you want to or keep using me as a sandbag, but that won't change the fact I want to train under you!"

"For what?" the man asked, "Being blessed with a Quirk or not doesn't matter, kid. To everyone the only thing that matters is to be on TV saving the day." He growled, "Makes me sick to my guts." Putting down his beer, he opened the fridge to get some milk for the cat.

"I... I don't care." His words froze the man for a moment, getting his attention, "I don't want to give up so easily, it's what terrifies me."

"Alright... go on." The man moved his milk-carrying hand, signaling Izuku to continue.

"Sorry, but, I've grown tired." Looking down at his knees, the boy shuddered, "Tired of feeling like giving up is all I got. Do you really want to do that, though?" he looked at the man, tears staining his eyes, "Why is surrendering so good, then? Isn't it better to try and fail miserably than... not trying? To at least know that you never had a chance for good... it'd be better than nothing."

"Even if it killed you?" the man asked, pulling his shirt up to reveal a massive scar. Izuku was voiceless, staring in odd fascination and shock at a massive wound that went from the right shoulder to the left hip. Such a mark had to come from someone trying to cut him in two, and it'd never leave him.

"I..." the green-head tried to say anything, but he was trembling.

"Say all you want, kid. Being a hero isn't easy." The man put his shirt down, "Allow me to tell you something, I didn't choose what I was born as, but I chose what to be. Dying for a dream is what I call stupid. No, it's beyond moronic. And yet, here you are, saying you will do anything for something you want. Do you hate being you that much?"

"I hate..." standing up, Izuku gave him a determined look, "I hate not having tried something like this from the start! So please, train me! Let me truly try to be a hero, let me do my best! At least allow me to fail as many times as I need before I decide if it's worth it or not! Just... Just give me a chance!"

"Get a hint!" the man tiredly snapped, "Look around you again! Every hero out there would never come to me for a reason!" he growled at the kid, "I was a yakuza, the enemy. Only an idiot would ask for my help. And I'd like to think you're not idiotic enough for-"

"Like I care!" Izuku shouted back, still not losing his will.

However, the man was losing his patience, "Then show me you're not just words!" he aimed his cane at the middle-schooler, "Unless you can prove anything, what's your worth?"

"Then I will!" Izuku shouted and ran off, leaving the man flabbergasted. "Better to die trying than not trying at all, right?" he asked with a shaky smile.

"What the..." the swordsman mouthed, his kitten and five more walking to him, rubbing their fuzzy bodies on his legs, "Urgh, damn brat..."

And so, Izuku was panicking, trying to find what to say, what to do. Lo and behold, he found a great mistake caused by his recklessness. Following All Might for an answer only brought trouble, releasing not only the villain said top hero captured, but allowing the sludge man to capture Katsuki Bakugo. He could see it, he could see the despair in his eyes, asking for anyone to save him.

Thus, Izuku raced forward, trying to grab his classmate and damning the consequences, "Grab on!" he told the blond... only to get yanked back, slammed into the floor.

"So, playing hero like an idiot?" he heard the featherhead ask him between himself and the sludge man.

The villain growled, "Who the fuck are you!?"

Rubbing his unshaven chin, the man answered politely, "Name's Akito Fujimoto, former yakuza, and..." he pulled out his blade with his left hand, using an inverted grip, "a fool's master."

Suddenly, the villain lashed at him, causing the still kidnapped Bakugo's explosions to fly around. Izuku saw the man casually tilt his body to the side, and then twirl on the balls of his feet to avoid the fire. Everyone gaped at what they saw, though a skeletal blond man's eyes sparkled with recognition. As if dancing, the man stepped closer and spun his body again, cutting the villain's left eye!

Screaming bloody murder in anger, the villain held his eye with a slimy hand and turned to the swordsman, "Asshole!"

"Life's made me unable to care for insults like that." Akito calmly told him with a glare.

The villain roared and lashed again. Ducking under the swing, Akito stepped back, his feet gliding over the floor as he closed the distance with his sword already over his left shoulder. Another swing, and the villain stepped back with a large gash he tried to close, but the former yakuza gave chase. Every time the villain tried to retreat, the swordsman relentlessly followed him and slashed into the villain's slimy body.

If the missing eye wasn't painful enough, to finish it off while the sludge man tried to keep his hostage in place, Akito flipped his sword, held it with both hands over his head, and cut through. Katsuki fell face-down on the floor, gasping for breath while the ex-yakuza stood in a simple kendo stance. His captor was split vertically in two, gaping as the man grabbed the boy by the lapels of his school jacket and tossed him behind.

But the villain's body quickly reformed itself, though he still missed his left eye, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you twice over!"

"Do so, if you can." Akito said serenely, "Oi, All Might, care to do the honors?"

"Wha..." had the villain a face, it'd have gone pale at the sight of the towering shadow behind the ex-gangster.

"Do not fear, for I am here!"

A single punch from All Might, and the pressurized air turned the villain into rain, "Always so dramatic." The brunet said as he sheathed his sword and noted the other heroes staring at him.

Mt. Lady herself shook, "Is that...?"

Kamui Woods swallowed some spit, "The Steel Demon, how? Why?"

All Might placed a hand on the former yakuza's shoulder, much to his chagrin, "Worry not, everyone. He's on parole. The fact he helped us should show he's changed."

Brushing the taller man's hand off, Akito moved forward, "And I'm leaving explaining this to you." He turned to Izuku and sheathed his cane-sword with a glare, "Dumbass."

"S-Sorry... I know I did something stupid, but I had to." He looked at Katsuki, who was being tended to and praised by some heroes, "My body moved on its own, I really wanted to help him."

"Huh?" Akito whispered, showing actual surprise, "Did you forget what I told you?"

"What?" that question was as good as an answer.

"Never mind..." growling, the brunet rubbed the back of his feathery head, "Like it or not, I am a man of my word. So, what's your name?"

"Izuku Midoriya." The boy replied, looking up at the man.

"Name's Akito Fujimoto. Call me sensei from now on."

"What!?" everyone, even All Might, shouted, to which Akito casually shrugged.

"I believe it's not a crime to teach someone how to defend themselves." He said and waved off, "See ya tonight, kid. Just make sure you're ready to die."

Everyone turned at Izuku, shocked and at a loss. After some heroes chewed him out for his reckless behavior, one of them kept an eye on him. Many of the people who seemed to know who or what Fujimoto was had asked him to not approach him, warned him. But to be a hero, the boy proved he'd go balls to the wall. Either he was crazy or brave, that line kind of blurred itself out of existence.

Upon arriving at the small dojo, Izuku found the man making some noodles on a portable stove, "Fujimoto-san?"

"That's Fujimoto-sensei, kid." The man growled, "Sit down." Doing as told, Izuku got back on the seiza position. After turning off the stove, Akito grabbed the pot, a pair of chopsticks and sat cross-legged before Izuku while digging into his meal. Gulping as the man slurped down his piping hot noodles, the boy had a question.

"What do we do?" he timidly asked, unsure of what to expect.

"First of all..." Akito said after finishing his first mouthful, "Don't die. No matter how much I push you, don't drop dead."

"Okay, I think I figured that one out already." Chuckling nervously after saying that didn't ease the tension.

"Secondly, don't forget how to address me." Akito put down the pot over the turned off stove, "And third, understand that you don't need to force your strength."

"Excuse me, but isn't that redundant... and kind of contradictory?" Izuku awkwardly pointed out.

Standing up, the man extending his arms to his sides, "Grab any weapon you want and try to strike me, then."

Izuku's answer was an understandable, "Uh, we both know you'll hit me but you'll do so to teach me something, right?"

"You wanted this, right?"

Sighing, Izuku gave the man the reason, "I still do..." Looking at a wall, he found a bokken, a wooden sword. Gripping it, he approached the man and stared, "Please hold back."

"You're the one who doesn't have to, kid." Akito's words didn't ease his mind. Determination and stupidity were what seemed to fuel Izuku, for he swung the weapon only to have the man right on his face, Akito's hand grabbing the student's jacket by the lapels. Before he could grasp what was happening, Izuku's body was flung around the man and then his back slammed into the floor.

And then, it finally hit Izuku, "I see!" he sat up straight, pulling out his notebook and scribbling on it, "I felt it... The motions, the angle, and my balance! You didn't use any force because you used mine! You countered and redirected my own strength with ease!" he started to ramble, getting into what Katsuki dubbed his Nerd Mode.

Akito started and then cringed at a drawing of himself and a bio on the paper, "Hey, hey, hey, what the Hell are you? My creepy fan?"

"S-Sorry, but I love cataloguing heroes and making bios of them." Izuku blushed as he closed the notebook.

"I'm no hero, kid." Groaning, the man ruffled his feathery head, "Well, you're right. My style requires you to use your and your enemy's strength as one." He then gripped the sword Izuku dropped, "And using a blade's no different. Katanas are fragile, anyone could snap one if they hit it when the steel's tense. If you want to have a chance to learn how to use a weapon, mastering your body comes first."

Excitement filled Izuku's face, "Y-Yes, Fujimoto-sensei!"

And so, a strange training began where Akito first showed Izuku the basic katas all throughout the night. On the next day, Izuku wanted to train more than anything, but as luck would have it, nothing could ever be easy for him, an easy prey for bullies. Soon he was caught by Katsuki, who grabbed him by the lapels and growled deeply.

"Oi Deku, what the fuck did you do for that stickman to teach you?" he let out an animalistic noise from the depths of his throat.

Shaking, Izuku did his best to look at the blond right in the eyes, "I... I just wanted to change myself, to be a hero. That's all."

"Don't fuck with me!" Katsuki roared, "A loser like you become a hero!? Even if he's strong, what can you accomplish!?"

"That's what I want to see!" Izuku snapped back, surprising the still angry bully.

After that, Katsuki dropped him and said nothing, he left the boy to his fate, and the lanky former gangster kicked it up a notch, or rather twelve notches.

"Time to give Mother Nature a hand and train you, kid." The man said as he patted a large abandoned oven.

Narrowing his eyes with a dull expression, Izuku turned to him, "All Might mentioned you were on parole, does that mean..."

"Look, kid, you don't need that much strength to use my style, but you're squishy." Akito continued, ignoring Izuku's point, "Might as well do someone a favor and get some muscle. Unless you think you can take a couple of hits as soft and squeezable as you are."

"I see the point, but..." Izuku kept staring blankly at the pile of junk, "You're doing this because-"

"Get moving, time to see clean sand to enjoy the sea and this beach's sights, right?" the man smirked, the right corner of his mouth going higher than normal to aid his glare in intimidating Izuku. Even All Might would take a couple steps back seeing that, "Right, kiddo?"

"Y-Yes." The boy stiffened and went to the nearest piece of abandoned trash.

Sitting on an old bench, Akito heard a certain stickman that greatly resembled a certain top hero approach him, "You're making him do your parole work." Said All Might with a blank expression and a certain amount of accusation in his voice.

Shrugging, the featherhead replied with, "I got to teach him some way, besides, you can consider my training him as parole work, right?"

Taking a seat beside the man, All Might nodded, "To think you'd get a disciple after leaving that life behind."

"So long as someone's determined, I don't mind." The brunet shrugged, "What about you?"

"I need to think things through. I hope to have an answer soon." The blond answered.

"Fair enough." Akito answered.

"Still, for you to train him... You saw, didn't you? You saw what real heroes are about."

"Last time I tried to see what a real hero was like I got this scar on my chest and you almost bit the dust."

"Fair enough."

Days went by as the entrance test for UA approached. During those days, Izuku pushed himself to complete every single of the former gangster's demands. Doing squats until his legs burned, practicing katas to the point his feet got blisters, repeating motion after motion with wooden swords even if his shoulders felt ready to pop off. And yet, he kept going regardless of what it was.

On one of those days, Akito had to ask the boy trying to push a fridge out of the beach, "Rest, kid. Have you heard what a break is?" he questioned while drinking on top of a stove.

"Did you not say I had to not drop dead?" the boy asked through gritted teeth, struggling to push the thing through sand. "So long as I keep living, it's fine, right?"

"Overdoing it is being an idiot, not a hard-worker." Akito growled.

Chuckling through his nose, Izuku retorted through a clenched jaw with, "And you're a fool's teacher, right?"

"Brat..." Akito growled, but the boy struggled regardless, "Tch, you better know what you're getting yourself into." He jumped down and examined the boy, "Hmm..."

"What is it?" Izuku asked, slamming his back into the fridge and pushing it with his entire body, his feet sinking into the sand.

"Just checking how you're losing flab." Akito answered, hefting his cane and resting it on his left shoulder, "As an idiot's teacher it's my duty to figure out what my disciple needs." And with that, he swiftly smacked Izuku on the gut so hard that the boy toppled to the floor, clutching his bruised stomach, "Yes, still too soft."

Gasping groggily, Izuku had to question such teaching, "Ugh... I know boxers punch each other to build resistance, but was there a point to that?"

"Yes, seeing if you'll continue cleaning this place." Akito crouched to look the boy rolling on the floor right in the eyes, "If you can, that is."

Gritting his teeth, Izuku forced himself up and went back to pushing the bridge, and received yet another strike. Unlike last time, he prepared himself, sucked in a sharp gasp, and kept moving. His eyes locked on his master's, who was grinning wickedly and patting his shoulder with his cane. By the end of that day, Izuku limped to his house with a random tree branch he found on the sand as a cane.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but the bruises he got that day looked like Hawaii's islands.

And the next, Akito upped the ante by tying two ropes to Izuku's wrists, "Alright, let's get you moving." He told his disciple, who held a bokken in his hands.

"Start with-Wah!?" His poor student yelped when the man yanked a rope, making Izuku hit himself on the head with the wooden katana.

"Relax your body and let it flow." Akito said and moved the ropes, forcing Izuku into a defensive stance, "Now follow my lead."

When the man gave a step forward, moving his opened palms like they were swords, Izuku did his best to mimic him, and immediately got smacked, "Ow! But I did it like you-ow!"

"That second smack was for back-talking to your sensei." Akito started, "You're too tense. If all you do in battle is tighten your muscles, you'll only make it easier for me to yank you around. Now, loosen up and get moving to my rhythm." He smirked at the kid, "If you can, of course."

Grunting, Izuku positioned himself beside the man. Upon returning home, his mother nearly fainted when seeing him nursing a bloody nose and holding a steak on a black eye. She knew her son was doing something to be a hero, and that was it. But as worried sick as she was, to see him keep going, to see him claim it would help him made her unable to say no to such a thing.

Time passed, and the training became more and more intense, such as the time Izuku was blindfolded while Akito wielded a wooden pole with a boxing glove attached to the end.

Before Izuku could ask what was going on, he was hit on the face with the glove, "Okay, will any of our lessons start without me getting hit!?" he asked while shaking in fear.

Twirling the pole like it was a spear, Akito took aim at Izuku's exposed body, "React without thinking, without overthinking. So far your own mind is your greatest weakness."

"What do you-oof!" he was silenced with a strike to the gut, "W-Will I ever get a chance to make a normal question?"

"Stop thinking and questioning, just act." Akito twirled his makeshift spear and started training the boy, "Sword up!" Acting in that same instant, Izuku found himself pushed back from the strike he barely managed to block, "Right side!" he moved the bokken where he was told, "Left! Body! Neck!"

Wood striking against wood echoed in the dojo, getting Izuku to gasp in amazement, "Whoa..."

To that, Akito swept him off his feet with a strike to the student's knees, "Don't relax just yet. Never let your guard up. Now, let's start again."

At night, Inko Midoriya found her son asleep right at their door with his face pressed on it. He had fallen flat on his face once she opened the door, drool smeared on both surfaces his mouth rested on. Despite her unathletic appearance, the woman was still able to carry her son to his bed. And yet, she still couldn't bring herself to stop her son from torturing himself to get stronger.

Changes were seen. One day, Izuku noted that his pants were loosening up to a point he could put them on and fit an entire arm in. Not only that, he could breathe better, sleep better, and even move around better without noticing. Even his surroundings seemed different, due to the harsh training and hits he got, he felt more aware of what happened around him.

Soon, he could carry stoves in his arms when days became weeks. Once the weeks became two months, he was so used to doing the katas he found himself moving around the busy Japanese streets without bumping into anyone. Time allowed him to become more dexterous, and as the training increased in intensity, so did his mind and body. Determination and hard work always paid off.

One day, Akito was juggling tennis balls while Izuku stood ready, unarmed, "Go!" he shouted and threw the first one. Izuku spun around it, side-stepped another, and swatted a third aside while approaching Akito, who smirked at the progress without stopping the barrage.

At the third month, the two started to spar, with Izuku wielding a bokken in a regular kendo stance and Akito using his inverted grip style. The middle school boy had a simple but effective idea: remain as far away from the monster in human skin to remain alive. His hands gripped the wooden sword with the handle at his waist level and the other end at his chin's height, aiming the tip at his opponent.

"Think of using your sword as a dance." Akito said and lowered the tip of his bokken until it nearly touched the ground, "There's a rhythm you have to move to. Lose it, and you won't get back up. Make sure you're not invading the others' space too much or get too far. But..." he grinned wickedly, "...Actions speak louder than words."

Dashing at his disciple, the man brought up the sword, forcing Izuku to side-step it only to see the man spin around, getting right in front of him. Panicking at first, the freckled boy swung his bokken to stop the man, who dashed out of the way. With that opening, he moved to strike the man. Once again, Akito spun around the blow, one that had been aimed at his head, and held his sword behind his back.

Reacting quickly, Izuku stepped back when the man brought the wooden katana up, and regretted it when his sensei stepped forward, inverted his grip and singlehandedly stabbed him in the stomach. Such a strike made his guts jump to his throat, and he had to gulp something down hard to keep himself from doubling over. Akito was impressed that the boy remained up.

"I-I see... Keeping my distance doesn't mean just staying away..." the middle-schooler panted while mentally ordering his knees to stop wobbling so he didn't fall on the floor.

"The martial art doesn't matter, what matters is if you can use them to their fullest." Akito said and returned to his stance, holding the bokken to his side, "If you can't understand the beat of battle, give up."

Gulping the lump in his throat from the strike to his stomach, Izuku gave a step forward, "I can do more than try to find that music."

"Good." Akito gave him a maniacal smile, "Don't die."

As the lessons went on they changed every so often. Akito would force Izuku to use either his bare hands or two-handed sword style, but he'd strike him with everything he had. Running on the streets changed into running up a sand hill while trash rolled down like boulders. Sparring had become a sadistic show of what the master knew of martial arts. Using bokkens was replaced into Izuku dealing with the cane sword.

At least Akito used the blunt side, but it didn't mean the strikes hurt less. In fact, they hurt more, "Argh!" the spinach-head yelped when his wrist sported a nasty bruise forcing him to let go of his weapon.

Finding his master's real steel sword inches from his neck didn't calm him down, "I guess that's enough for now." He sheathed it and went off to get dinner, "If we continue like this, you'll get hurt."

"W-Wait..." the boy forced himself to grab his dropped weapon, but it fell off his limp hand, "Dammit! Give me a second!"

"Kid, I hit a nerve! You won't be able to fight for a while!" the man grunted to himself, "Tsk... I should've held back."

"Don't!" Izuku exclaimed, looking him dead in the eye with a fiery will, "If I stop here and now, I won't be different from how I was before. Don't you remember? I told you I would keep going to see what I can do. I can continue, I still have my other hand." He tightly gripped the bokken, "And I can do it."

"You..." Akito approached him, and in the blink of an eye rammed his cane's pummel into the boy's gut, knocking him down.

And yet, Izuku didn't collapse, he used his sword to stand up by using it as a cane, "I... I still can..." he glared at his sensei, "I can go on." His words made the master swordsman turn serious.

"Let me tell you something, junior." Akito crouched down to be on his eye level, "In the real world where fights are life or death, the winner isn't the one who's still standing. It's not the one who beats the other or knocks their enemy out first. Losers are those who can't tough it out. That's why when I train you it's not a matter of if you can or not, it's all about you having the guts to go on."

"Then let me keep going... And I'll tell you if I've had enough." Izuku gave him a strong-willed grin, getting the man to smirk.

"Don't die on me then, kid." The sensei chuckled darkly through his nose, "I'm almost growing fond of you."

Just as reckless and determined as a man with a death wish, Izuku pushed through. Over time, advances were seen more obviously when comparing to how he started. The beach was getting cleaner and cleaner by the minute. Going through the blindfolded training, he didn't need to hear his teacher, just the movement of the boxing glove to parry the strikes. And soon he could dodge a couple strikes before being hit.

Finally, they were a day away from the entrance test to UA, and Izuku and his sensei were seated at the beach before each other with the sun setting in the background, "Sensei, thank you." The boy politely bowed his head, now a stronger-bodied lad, if still meek and awkward when dealing with difficult situations, "I'm, uh, I'm really grateful you took so much time to teach me. But... what are we doing here?"

"I wanted you to admire your hard work." Akito told him while on the seiza position, his cane on the ground before him, "And I have something for you."

Reaching into his back, the man pulled out a – to describe it simply – three-foot-long saber. Its blade and handle gave it an S-like shape. However, it was difficult to call it a katana or a Chinese saber. Its curved handle was akin to a Dao sword's, with a gray lace to make gripping it easier. It also had an iron pummel and circular handguard. The blade, which was sheathed in a purple scabbard, was revealed to be that of a katana's. Connected to the pummel was a red string, and attached to its end was a Yin-Yang coin.

"Sensei..." Izuku bowed his head deeply, "I've no words to thank you!"

Handing his disciple the weapon, Akito nodded once the freckled student gripped it, "It's my first sword. Its steel is stronger than any normal sword's, so trust me when I say it won't break easy. However, do not let it fool you. That sword won't make you strong, you're the one who must ensure its blade doesn't lose its edge."

"I'll cherish it, sensei." Izuku told him with a beaming smile.

"That said..." Akito got up, gripping his cane, "I'm not giving it to you for no reason."

"Huh?" Izuku had an idea of what he meant, "No way... You can't be serious."

"I believe you said you'd show me that you can tough it out." Akito started and held his cane by the sheath with his right hand, the left hovering over the handle, "Can you hold your own now? Tell me if you believe that... If you can, that is."

"I..." Izuku gripped his sheathed sword and then looked determinedly at the man, "I'll graduate from UA and beat you, sensei!"

"Heh!" the man snorted with a smirk, "That so?"

Nodding with a serious expression, Izuku continued, "I know I'm still too green to face you, but I promise you, I'll become a hero worth fighting you!"

Walking past the boy, Akito chuckled through his nose, "Don't die until then, kid." He left Izuku like that, while the boy observed the setting sun and smiled.

He had been given a chance to become a hero, and he'd face it head-on.

XXXXXX

And that's my rap!

So, as you've seen, this is a rethread of the previous version's first chapter with some changes. Other than Akito being a cat lover, the yakuza backstory will tie in for a certain arc. You know which one if you've kept up with the manga. Anyway, I hope I can focus more on this one and have a narrower and more direct approach to the idea of Izuku being a Quirkless hero.

Also, yes, I will do the fluffy Izuyu for you guys, worry not.

Swordslinger out!