3Chapter 1: The Beginning
Years in the future
The man stood before the city of Tokyo, arms behind his back. He had a head of green hair, and green eyes. He allowed his hair to flow freely in the light breeze the summer night provided. He wore a green and black suit, including traces of gold. The dominant color being black, he has green stripes leading from the front, and sides of his neck lead all the way down to his ankles. On their way down, the stripes branch off, forming circuit board like designs all across the outfit. There are traces of gold that occur at the beginning and end of each Line of green. He wears Light armor on top of it, which is silver and white. He wears a chestplate, which has a crimson Omega on it, Starting from the shoulders and dipping down to his stomach. As well as some shin armor, which is white out front, but has silver trim. As for his footwear, he wears white boots made of the same light metal material as the rest of the outfit, when he walks, an audible clanking sound is heard.
His exposed forearms showed slightly cracked and dry-looking skin, as his hands, scarred from years of work and combat, rested steadily.
Behind him, stood five figures, all standing tall, but not very stiff. From left to right, they go:
A Woman who is wearing a black bodysuit that rises up to her neck, reaching all the way down to her ankles. The Bodysuit is quite form-fitting, making out several features around her body. Her shoes are red, with black shoelaces and are similar to the ones the man before her would wear in his past, before he took up his villain status. Over the black bodysuit, is a red cloak, reaching a little bit past the ankles. On her face, is a red and black mask, black circling around the eyes and the mask itself, the rest of which being red. The mask only covers just above her nose, and reaches to her eyebrows. She dons a red cloak, that covers the majority of her body as the hood droops down, just to the top of her mask. Her hair is a dark, dark red, and can often be mistaken to be brown. Her eyes, are brown, and somewhat square. Her codename: NOVA
Next, is man with black hair, barely touching his shoulders. His eyes are red, with a sharp point towards the ends of them. He's wearing a black mask, that has little horns reaching backwards at the end. The mask reaches down to his nose, completely covering the top portion of his face. He's not wearing anything special, a gray bodysuit that covers the entirety of his body, becoming thicker towards the feet and crotch area. It's meant to adapt to the body's needs, acting as a second layer of skin. It's somewhat smooth, not making out any of his defining features. He does, however have a red X across his chest, starting from his shoulders, to each hip. His name: BASILISK.
The other woman, is of average height, for her age at least, and has short blonde hair. Her eyes are blue, and she has a mouth full of short, spiky teeth. Her skin seems to have small scale-like patterns on them, which is an effect of her quirk. Her outfit, is rather simple and rather revealing. Apart from a purple cloak, she only wears a black sports bra, and Leggings. She doesn't have shoes, and her hands are completely exposed. Her mask, is white, and has a purple trim around it. The name which the man gave her: QUAKE.
The next person, has somewhat long, black hair, curled up to point forward, just barely over her shoulders. Her outfit, is a red bodysuit, which cuts off at around the armpits and about halfway down her thighs. Her shoes are red, and have steel soles. Her gray eyes are uncovered, rather with a mask that starts from her jaw, and rises to the bridge of her nose. The mask acts as a respirator and is made of titanium. It's black in color, and leaves her voice unchanged. She was granted the name: Riptide.
And finally, the last woman on the end, somewhat short, she had tan horns poking out of a mess of blonde and short hair, and a full-face bulletproof mask, hiding black sclera and golden irises. Her suit, was black, with spines along her own spine. She wore a black bodysuit, with visible pink pores dotted all around. Her name: Ripley
"It is a beautiful night, wouldn't you say, Ground Zero?" The man in front of them said, not even looking back. The group of people behind him all took a step to the side, revealing a man tied up, with ash-blonde hair and a wild look in his eyes. He's wearing a hero outfit, with two gauntlet-grenades to the side of him. His mouth was bound, a cloth simply stuffed in it. He angrily screamed, only to be muffled.
"I have little ill will against you, Kacchan. What you've done to me is… Insignificant compared to the rest of what I have in mind for the world. See, Kacchan, I never blamed you for what happened to my life. My mother was outside of your control, and I doubt anyone would or could dispute that. But see, It was your words when we were children that brought me to believe not in heroes or villains, but in strength outside of quirks. But that day when you nearly drowned in slime, I spoke to someone. All Might. He told me that I couldn't be a hero without a quirk. And you know what? I believed him. Because he was right. You need power to do anything in this world. So I gathered my own. And through this, I saw something greater. The ability to use one's own Power and strength to make a hero." Another muffled yell came from the bound man as he continued.
"Just know, that when I ascend above the rest of humanity, the seas may boil, the skies may rain fire, and the streets may flow with the blood of millions, but I can assure you that once all hope you have of defeating me is gone, will I end your life. As I said, I hold little ill will towards you, but that doesn't mean I will forgive and forget your transgressions against me. Send him away." The Man finished, stepping to the very ledge of the building, and looking down on to the semi-busy nightlife of the Outskirts of Tokyo. The two closest, Riptide and Quake pick up Ground Zero by his shoulders, while Nova raised her hand to the side of her head.
Ground Zero Struggles greatly but is subdued by the two stronger women. A black misty portal opens up as he's picked up and thrown into it.
"Sleep soundly in your beds tonight, Japan." The man says, turning around and approaching his subordinates as he turns his back on Tokyo.
"For Judgment falls upon you at first light."
There's several lessons a human has to learn throughout their lifetime. The first: The world isn't fair. The world can give you something, but the world can also take everything away from you in an instant. And it does that more often than not. The second: Not everybody is good. In this world of Heroes and villains, It's easy to spot those who do evil. But, That's not always the case. Some people side with others, for good reason. That villain who robbed the bank? He's robbing it for his children to eat. Does he seem like a "Villain" now? Or is he the same scum that broke into a family's home and raped the women and killed the men. If this is true, then who is really evil in this world? The third: Not all men are created equal. Contrary to Thomas Jefferson's beliefs, Some people are born greater than others. Some people were born with an ability called a "Quirk" Initially called "Individualities", the world began seeing people with superpowers. The reason they have these names, is because almost no two people's "Quirks" are alike. Even the seemingly carbon-copies, are different in some minute way. Such as two people being able to lift a car effortlessly, one may simply enhance his natural bodily functions into maximum effort. While the other, can grow more muscle on her body in an instant. This isn't a great representation of quirks, at all. Some quirks are stronger, while others are weaker in several aspects. But, the minority, have no quirk at all. Nothing that makes them special, nothing that makes the unique. They are born less than equal. Although, there is one person who knows this better than anybody.
00Darkside00
"Now, normally this is the part where I say: 'Your child's quirk is-Blank- Don't worry, kid, you'll make a great hero' But, I'm quite afraid that even a lie such as that, just won't cut it." Izuku's pediatrician says, an older, balding man with a bushy mustache and a unique pair of goggles.
"Wh-What do you mean by that, doctor? What's his quirk? I-I mean I brought him here in order to find out his quirk, since all the other children in his class have developed their own quirks, and I wanted to know if there was something wrong with Izuku." Inko, Izuku's mother asks.
"Well, that really depends on what you mean by 'wrong'. Take a look of this X-Ray here." The doctor scoots his chair over to a screen on the wall, presenting an X-Ray of Izuku's foot."
"I'm sure you know Mrs. Midoriya, that Quirks are a part of Human Evolution, that resulted in us, as a species, not needing this specific part here." The doctor points to the pinky toe of the boy, specifically to a little dark spot along where the bone is.
"This is a Joint. We humans evolved into not needing these in this particular place in our body, which resulted in quirks. Now, normally, this would be just like any other evolutionary trait, we might be able to have some sort of higher stamina, but this is where the first instance of a Quirk happened. You know of the glowing baby, and how that was the first recorded quirk. But that wasn't the first quirked person, that title belongs to somebody who is now unnamed, but they left us their research. Quirks are embedded into the very genes of a person. And in theory, they should be passed down from generation to generation. Like I see how your son has attained most of your features, such as your green hair and eyes. But your quirk is..." The doctor waits a moment for Inko to catch up, before she responds with:
"W-Well I can attract small objects to me."
"Right. And you are a third generation quirk user, Right?"
"Y-Yes." The doctor takes out a notepad and writes something down.
"And what is the Father's Quirk?"
"W-Well He can breathe fire here and there..."
"Are you sure?"
"What?"
"Are you sure that's the father's quirk?"
"A-Are you implying-"
"Ma'am, Just between you and me, and your child. Izuku doesn't have a quirk, and if Mr. Midoriya, isn't actually who you say he is, and that man just doesn't happen to have a quirk, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with the situation. I'm not trying to ruin your marriage or anything, I just want to confirm with you."
"W-W-Well of course! I would never cheat on Hisashi!"
"Hey, Hey, that's all I wanted to know. But it does seem odd, that both parents have quirks, but the child doesn't. Say, is your Mother, father, grandfather or grandmother quirkless?"
"No, they both have quirks. My mother can move objects around with extreme hand movements, and my father can repel things away from him. Thus my quirk. I'm not sure about my grandparents, since i never really got to meet them."
"I see." The doctor keeps writing in his notebook, writing about his thoughts on the matter.
'There is no reason as to Izuku's quirkless state. Even if one of her grandparents were to have been quirkless, carrying the quirkless gene is... Nonexistent in this scenario. The Quirk factor is a Dominant gene, while Quirkless is recessive. This... This is a true shot in the dark. This also depends on the father. She has no reason to lie here, and if the father's quirk really is to breathe fire, that's at least a fourth-gen quirk, and that's assuming perfect breeding is thrown into the mix. This is it, the quirkless anomaly.'
The doctor removed his glasses from his face and sighed, putting them in the front pocket of his collared shirt.
"Young Midoriya, I'm sorry to say, but you should give up on being a hero."
It was then, the boy's mind truly broke. His dreams shattered.
'Not… Not being a hero? But I can't be like all might if I can't be a hero! I can't save people if I'm not a hero!'
Inko covered her mouth as the Doctor stood a little straighter.
"But, Young Midoriya, Just because you don't have a quirk doesn't mean you're worthless in this world. See, one of my favorite movies as a kid was made a very long time ago. But the main villain said something everyone ought to remember: 'Everyone can be super. And when everyone is super, No one will be.' Midoriya, because everyone in this world has a quirk, is 'super' it makes you, the one person who isn't super, is entirely, and completely, unique." Izuku flinched at the first few words, but his eyes became glassy later on. The doctor could tell Izuk was paying attention, but zoning himself out.
"... Miss Midoriya, I encourage you to encourage your son about being able to pursue his career of choice, except for heroics. And keep an eye on him. He's bound to be roughed up a little bit by the other kids his age who have their quirks. Don't let you or your son be put down by this. A quirk may make someone more qualified for a field of work, but I can tell your child is bright. He'll accomplish great things one day." With this, The doctor concluded his examination.
The Midoriyas left the clinic as the doctor laid back in his chair and thought to himself.
"A quirkless child… Maybe he will go places. I hope he does." He leaned back forward as a nurse alerted him of his next patient.
0Darkside0
Izuku did not watch his favorite video that night. He didn't do much of anything but think.
Inko worried for her child, like any half-decent mother would be. She tried to comfort him, only to find that he didn't need comforting. Izuku didn't even cry.
For a Midoriya, that was unheard of. And it worried her more than any amount of crying could. Izuku simply stood on his bed, feet hanging off, not even looking sad or dejected, simply staring off into space as if he wasn't told the most heartbreaking news a child who wanted to be a hero could be told.
He had no quirk. No Unique trait that helped him fight off the evil in the world, like All Might, Endeavor, or any one of the many heroes he saw on a daily basis on T.V or on the computer.
He was powerless in a world where the empowered rule.
"M-Mom…" Izuku muttered, Inko holding back the dam of tears as she approached her son, and kneeled in front of him, trying to look into his eyes. Instead, she stared at the mop of hair that covered his face.
"C… Can I still be a hero?" It was at this moment, that Inko burst into tears, suddenly grabbing her child in a tight embrace.
It was only then when Izuku cried, finally letting out the emotion he welled up.
"Izuku, baby… You can make a good hero one day… I promise you that."
'Make a hero?' Izuku thought, attempting to halt his tears, only to start crying even more. It was false hope. He knew that. Even as a child, Izuku knew the inevitable truth that the world thrust upon him.
You can't be a hero without a quirk.
Its a Universal Truth of the World, those that were stronger reigned supreme, and those that were weaker, wasted away under them.
So for someone with no power, where did they even lie?
Later that Day…
The young Verdenatte sat on his bed, looking up towards the posters and framed collectors' Edition Comics he had framed on his walls. He searched along the walls, his eyes eventually falling to a framed poster board high on the wall.
Forever People: Issue #1: In Search of A Dream!
Izuku looked at the cover of the Comic, not actually containing the comic within it. He stared at the vibrant colors, Big Bear sitting front and center on his vehicle, with Mark Moonrider on it, right in front of him. And in the background, of course, is Superman.
It was the era before the Dark and Gritty Comics, where Heroes would face moral dilemmas and acquire questionable victories.
It was an era where comics were lighthearted, where children and adults alike enjoyed an escape from the less than enjoyable life people were living at the time.
But of course, an entertaining story has to have conflict.
If Izuku Remembered correctly, one of the Forever people was Kidnapped, and rescued by Superman with relative ease.
It was short, simple, and entertaining. But it wouldn't be such without the conflict.
The Villain.
Izuku Merely shook his head and laid down, covering himself in blankets, trying his damndest not to start sobbing.
Darkside
It took Izuku a week to accept the fact he was quirkless. It wasn't a long time, by any means, but for Izuku, what came immediately after his grief was… Nothing. It was simply a complete lack of emotion. It led to Where Izuku was now.
'Ha! Quirkless! I knew you were useless, but quirkless?! That's even more useless than I thought!' The words rung through Izuku's Head for a while. Of course, Katsuki had always called Izuku Useless, even before the Explosive blonde got his quirk.
Izuku Simply sat on the bench in the park, staring into space. It was a nice day, all things considered. The sun was out, and the park was relatively clear, just perfect for kids to run around and be… Well Kids.
At least, that's how it should have been.
A few minutes ago
"I-I-I won't let you hurt them, Kacchan!" Izuku yelled at the Ash Blonde, who wore a wicked Grin on his face, backed up by two other boys, one who grew wings, another with long fingers, and another
"Oh? And how will you stop us?" The boy asked, closing his eyes in a cruel gesture of "Affection"
Little Mercy was shown to the Quirkless boy.
Back to the present
Izuku sniffed as he rubbed the burn on his left arm, covering the burn, but trying to apply pressure to it. The boy winced as the sharp, searing pain pierced his mind, leaving the boy to wince, but not cry out. He closed his eyes as he let his hand off, not wanting to look at the burn.
When the Boy Opened his eyes, He didn't actually find the burn, but rather a pair of bright, blue eyes, and the head they were embedded in tilted slightly to the left.
Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin at the fact that the person seemingly instantly teleported in front of him.
However, upon further inspection, Izuku saw that it was a girl, with the bright cerulean eyes piercing into him, as well as the set of full lips, and the strikingly gray hair that fell down to her shoulders.
The only thing that Kept Izuku from jumping back from surprise was the calming Aura the girl had to her. That and the fact that she was holding a couple of drinks in her hands.
"... Hello." She finally Muttered, not breaking Eye contact with the Verdenette. Izuku simply stuttered in response, nothing actually intelligible, but instead a stuttering mess.
"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t" Was all Izuku managed to get out, before a sudden relief was felt on the Burn, as the boy looked at his arm, finding that the Drink was holding itself to the burn.
The boy stared at it, and asked:
"I-Is that your quirk?" The Girl in front of him nodded as she held her own drink in two hands.
"T-Thank you." The boy said, looking down at the drink, and grabbing it himself, the cool sensation relieving the burn.
The Girl nodded again as she sat on the bench next to him.
"... You were brave." Izuku flinched at the words, looking at her as she said it.
"Well… Kacchan is stronger. I can't just stand there and let him hurt people who can't defend themselves."
"Like a Hero." She said, staring at him, head tilted slightly. The words stung, not intentionally, but they still hurt, pained him to hear.
"I… I can't be a hero. I don't have a quirk." He forced out, cringing at the thought of the Girl's reaction.
"... Oh." Izuku's body relaxed a bit, as the word melted in his mind. "Oh" Was all she said, what should have been a gesture of complete dismissal, a gesture of ignorance, even.
But she still sat there next to him, in fact, waiting to hear more from him.
"Y-You're not going to call me names?" He asked, looking at the girl, who just shook her head.
"Name Calling isn't how you make friends." Izuku just recoiled from the thought, as he said:
"F-Friends?!" The Girl nodded as she opened the can she had, it didn't fizzle or anything, revealing itself to be a canned tea.
"I don't have friends at school. They like to call me creepy, so they don't want to be around me much." Izuku felt a pang in his heart as he felt the similarity between them resonate. It was a small, but warming feeling.
"They Call me Deku… Useless. Since I don't have a quirk and all. So… I guess I don't have friends either." The Boy said, closing his eyes.
The Girl looked in the sky and said:
"What's your name?" Izuku jumped for a moment, freaking out at his complete disregard of Manners.
"I-Izuku Midoriya! I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner!" The Girl simply nodded, testing the name in her head and said:
"My name is Reiko Yanagi. Midoriya-San, Do you want to be friends?" Izuku looked at the girl beside him, now named Reiko Yanagi, his burn completely forgotten. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said:
"I… I would like that."
Of course, A single friendship was all that was needed to help give the boy just one little push.
You know, I never really thought much about 1-B until I thought about Atlas when it came out. I adore some of the character's designs, but specifically Reiko's, since her quirk is basic, but almost nothing else about her is, from the way she talks to the way she named her Hero persona.
But unless you're completely new to this without Reading ATLAS or a dunce, You've probably figured out that Riptide is Reiko, and always has been. As to why I chose her? Well, There's not a whole lot written with her, so I figured, even at the time, to give it a shot.
As to the conversation in the end, they're both a bit socially awkward, and Children. So their conversations are going to be a bit awkward. Also, If you ever had a childhood friend, How the hell did ya'll become friends? Like, I remember one of my Friends, whom I've known since we were in preschool, and we were friends in preschool. I have no Idea how we met or became friends, so I imagine children getting to know each other is a bit like that.
Anyways, I'm dragging this out, Have a good day/Night!