Broken Soul

Prologue

Izuku walked down the street, wiping the tears that spilled down his cheeks. His head was hung low. He was still in shock, All Might, his idol, had said he couldn't be a hero without a quirk. He thought that maybe he would have some faith in him, but in the end, he was like the rest of them. Throwing away his dream without a care in the world, all because he was quirkless.

'Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen.'

'I'm sorry, Izuku! I wish things were different..'

'Midoriya?! You're kidding, right?'

'He finally gets it! He'll never be a hero!'

'You know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!'

'So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk.'

'It's not bad to have a dream, young man, just make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic, understand?'

He hugged his notebook tighter, Even All Might said it. A hero needs a quirk. Don't cry, dammit. Deep down you knew this, he thought as he finally looked up.

His surroundings were.. unfamiliar. He was near an alley of some sort, that much was clear. The place seemed deserted, uninhabited, like it hadn't been used in months. The streetlights were either broken or not working, which didn't help much as the sky began to darken.

"You poor, poor thing. Told even by the Symbol Of Peace that your dreams cannot become a reality." A voice from the shadows spoke.

Midoriya looked around, searching for the mysterious figure, "W-who are you?!"

A man stepped out from the shadows. He had a potato-shaped head and wore a black mask over the majority of his face. He wore a black suit, as if he were just another formal gentleman wandering the streets.

"Come with me," he held his hand out, "And I could create a new reality for the both of us. I could give you everything you need, even a quirk to make your own."

This person.. they could give me a quirk?, he thought. The offer was tempting, but what would this mean? Would he have to work for the man until he was satisfied? Would he have to leave everything that he knew behind? Would he have to become the opposite of what he always dreamed to be?

"What is your choice, boy?"

Izuku returned from his thoughts, "U-um.. "

- FLASHBACK -

All Might began to walk towards the railings.

"Is it possible to become a hero, even if I don't have a quirk? I'm a normal kid without any powers, could I ever hope to be someone like you?!" Midoriya blurted out, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment.

All Might turned to look at the kid, "Without a quirk?.." His body began to smoke, "Ugh.. not now.. dammit.. not here!.." he muttered.

"People don't think I have a chance, that not having any powers makes me some kind of weakling. My classmates like to make fun of me. But, you know what, that makes me want to prove them wrong. Ever since I was a kid, I thought that saving people was the coolest thing you could do." he lifted his head slightly, "I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe and be the kind of hero everyone in the world looks up to, just like you!" His eyes sparkled as he smiled at the hero.

All Might shrunk then. His time was up. His time ran out in front of a kid, out of all things.

"AAH, aah..." Midoriya half screamed.

"I- wait- who- what happened?! You're deflated!" he began to look around, "Where'd All Might go? You, you're not him! You're a fake, an imposter!"

All Might sighed, "I assure you I am All-" he coughed out blood.

"Aaah! Impossible!"

"You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff? I'm like that." He said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Midoriya moved his hands up and down repeatedly, "This can't be real!" he paused, "No, I'm dreaming. All Might's a giant of a man who saves everyone, he defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile."

The older male sighed, "There's plenty of fear behind that smile."

He sat down, his back on the metal railing with his right knee up, "I'm counting on you to keep your mouth shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends."

He pulled up his shirt to reveal an injury located on the left side of his chest, the greenette gasped as he put his hands in front of him.

"Pretty gross, right? I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I lost my whole stomach, all the surgeries have pretty much worn me out and it can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."

"No way.. five years ago? So does that mean it was the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?" he asked.

He put his other knee up, "Wow, you know your stuff. But, no, the punk may have landed some hits but he couldn't bring me down. Most of the world has never heard of this fight, I did everything I could to keep it under wraps." he paused, looking away from the boy.

"I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right? I'm the Symbol of Peace." he refocused on the child in front of him, "People everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid. But, honestly, I smile to hide the fear inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure's high. This job isn't easy."

Midoriya gasped again.

"Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk."

Izuku's entire world collapsed. Everything he'd been working towards, only to be shut down by the person he admired most, "I-I see.."

All Might began to walk towards the rooftop doors, "If you want to help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it. You could become a police officer and get crap because the heroes capture most of the villains, but it's a fine profession."

He opened the door, "It's not bad to have a dream, young man, just make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic, understand?"

- FLASHBACK ENDED -

The potato-headed man stared at him, "What's your answer, kid?"

Midoriya thought about it. If he got a quirk, he could prove everyone wrong, especially All Might. He could show them he wasn't just some quirkless nobody. He could show them he wasn't just their daily punching bag for whenever they were in a bad mood. He could show them that Izuku Midoriya wasn't just a weakling.

"I'll take your offer."