Chapter 5: Youth, Fame, and Vows

The next week was one of the craziest in Izuku's life. He had no clue the attention he had brought on himself from his little stunt, not the attention he'd earned the school. The realities of the situation dawned on him quickly as he showed up to Aldera on Monday for school.

Izuku jogged up to the school. He was currently wearing his green jumpsuit, with some slight alterations, and his leggings. He'd decided to make the look his own by cutting a bit of length off the arms and legs of his suit. Now the sleeves went halfway down his forearms and the legs went halfway down his calves.

Still, being a modest person, and feeling slightly indecent, Izuku took to wearing athletic shorts and a tank top over the spandex. He only hoped Guy Sensei would approve.

Upon approaching the school, his uniform in his bag to keep from getting dirty, Izuku slowed as he noticed a plethora of reporters outside the school. Had he forgotten some event? Was something being held here today? His curiosity was peaked until-

"There he is!"

Izuku couldn't tell which camera guy shouted that as they all seemed to synchronize swivel at him. The green-haired teen let out a small gulp as they quickly made their way over. He didn't know what these people wanted, and he technically still had more than a half hour before school started, but Izuku needed to hit the locker rooms before he went to class.

All at once, Izuku found himself bombarded with so many questions that he had trouble making them out. He could understand someone talking quickly, but so many people talking at once was perplexing.

Finally, Izuku held up a hand and some of them calmed, "I'm very sorry, but I must get into school. It would be very unyouthful to be late and I must change before I attend class. Being in proper uniform is also part of being Youthful."

The reporters looked back and forth for a moment. As Izuku was a minor, they were restricted on how heavily they could inhibit him without breaking the law. However, one young looking reporter took a chance and raised her hand. It elicited a chuckle from a few of the more experienced reporters, but such earnest behavior could not go unrewarded for a Youthful hero in training.

"Yes, I'll take just the one question," Izuku announced with a wide grin.

The girl squeaks, obviously she hadn't seriously thought that would work, "Oh! Um, yes, my name is Fuka Segawa, junior reporter with TEEN Hero. My question is the one that's been on the minds of so many. The rumor is that you are quirkless. Is that true, and if so, how are you able to do all of the amazing things you can do?"

Izuku laughed full and warmly, something Emi had taught him how to do to come off friendly during interviews when he was a new hero. He never thought he'd be using it so soon though, "Well, that was actually two questions."

Izuku chuckles along with many of the others, but he answers anyway, "And yes, I am truly quirkless. Though it's only been a little over two hundred years since the dawn of quirks, I find it strange how quickly society has forgotten all we achieved before them. It was not quirks that put man on the moon, or created medicines like penicillin. True, we cannot discount all of the wonderful things quirks have done and continue to do, but we also cannot overly rely on them. We must remember our human spirit that led us to overcome adversities well before the dawn of quirks."

Izuku looked at the clock on the top of his school and knew he needed to move things along, "I think there is a reason we aren't taught how to use our quirks in school. I believe it is because our educators and those in power understand that, while they do matter, they aren't the only things that are important. Everything you saw me do, I learned through Youthful hard work and determination. I live by the simple philosophy that being Youthful in thought and action will always reward you."

In his mind, Izuku reflected on all of the words he'd read from Might Guy, "My Sensei taught me something important. It is not always possible to do what you want to do, but it's important to believe in yourself before you do it. Dreams wouldn't be dreams if they were easy to achieve. For those out there with quote-unquote, weak quirks, villainous quirks, or no quirks at all, you are only a failure if you don't believe in yourself. You all have the gift of perseverance, because a failure has nothing left to lose!"

Finally, at the gate of his school, the cameras and reporters trailing him the whole way, "And when things get hard, and you feel like you can't go on. When no one is in your corner, and you want to give up. Remember these words: I BELIEVE IN YOU!" Izuku shouted in his best nice guy pose, "Believe in the me who believes in you! And one day, we shall explode with the power of Youth together! Farewell!"

Izuku took off after that, heading quickly into the school to get changed. He'd wasted so much time already that he only had ten minutes to wash up, get changed, and get to class. He always did love a challenge.

At the other end of the equation, the school faculty found that they had a much easier time herding the media out than they had previously. In fact, all of the reporters and camera crews seemed perplexed and dazed. All of the media personnel were looking at one another, seemingly unsure.

Finally, nearly fifteen minutes later, someone finally asked the question everyone was thinking, "Was it just me, or did you guys see a huge tidal wave breaking over a cliffside at sunset behind him at the end there?"

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" seemed to be the synonymous reply as everyone shouted.

"Hurry, check the footage," one reporter said in haste.

"Holy crap, it's even on the film!"

"How did he do that?"

"Was it a quirk?"

"What kind of quirk can do that"

"How am I supposed to know!?"

The legend of the Handsome Green Beast had only just begun, but by midnight that night, it had gone viral. It even had its own share of mysteries and legends, none being greater than the mysterious sunset of Youth. Izuku would come to believe that this too was the power of Youth.

Aldera Academy was eating up all the new publicity. They were careful to walk a very fine line though. With the potential of having the very first quirkless hero came the risk of something happening to him early on.

Thus, typically, when asked about their thoughts. The principal would reply that Aldera believes in its students and seeks to encourage all youth to follow their dreams. They emphasize that, as a middle school, they are simply preparing the children going here to be the best they can be; all the while using Izuku as the poster boy for how well they prepare students if even a quirkless boy could potentially be a hero.

They rode that high all the way until the lawsuit hit them. Where it came from no one knows, but Izuku had a nagging feeling that a certain blonde mother he knew was behind it. The lawsuit was for unlawful discrimination against students with certain quirks and with none at all. Apparently, several teachers and students had already made sworn statements supporting this.

It was leaked that Izuku's file claimed him to be a troublemaker. It said that the boy frequently disrupted class in his first year and started several fights. His homeroom teacher, who had made most of the reports defended himself by saying that Izuku had done all those things. He was let go several days later.

The Aldera Faculty knew it was better to bite the bullet here. They had briefly considered demonizing the boy, trying to use his evidence of fighting the slime villain as proof of his behavior. The idea was quickly dismissed. Trying to turn on Izuku now would not only make them look like liars, but it would be as if they set the hounds on themselves. Public approval of the boy was absolutely ridiculous, even if a few media outlets were still trying to downplay the boy or accuse him of being a vigilante outright.

In turn, Izuku's record was wiped clean and a public apology was given by the principal. He claimed to have little idea of the truth of the matter and had trusted his staff. The man swore to be more thorough and attentive to his students in the future.

Part of Izuku huffed at the man. He was a liar. His duplicity as obvious as the toupee on his head. Still, Izuku refused to give in to petty spite ever again. Karma would catch up to the man, Izuku knew he needed play no hand in it.

The principal would be forced to resign at the end of the year.

Izuku ignored it all. He was certainly thankful for the clean slate, but he wouldn't get caught up in his own hype. That was what twisted his childhood friend after all.

What Izuku didn't mind was all the people who started joining him in his workouts.

Regardless of their intentions, bettering oneself was an incredibly Youthful activity. Izuku only hoped that, in their pursuit of him, they would gain something they weren't expecting. It was always good to see Youth influencing lives.

One of the things about all this filled Izuku with the most joy was the message boards. People were posting about the outhful living things they were doing. One such board was set up just for youthful challenges, or challenges people had given themselves. Izuku had done every challenge on there. That said, he was endlessly impressed by the youth of an unnamed user who claimed they were going to clean the Takoba municipal beach all by themselves to prove their youth once and for all.

Izuku was practically vibrating at that. He'd seen the beach on one of his longer runs. The place had been a dump, very unyouthful. Izuku only regretted that he hadn't thought of cleaning it up himself. Community Service was a shining example of youthfulness after all.

That's when it struck him. If all of these people were following him around and copying him, then maybe he really could do some youthful good for his community, for Japan, nay, for the world! Because that is YOUTH!

"Hey Emi, come check out what that crazy nephew of yours is up to!"

The smiling heroine, Ms. Joke hopped over beside one of her sidekicks, Double Take, "He's not my nephew, I've told you that. He's my third cousin."

"Yeah, whatever," the man replied in an unconcerned tone. The way she went on about him you'd think she was his mom or something. He sat back in his non-descript brown trench coat and pulled up an article, "The kid has started like, twelve different programs to help around the community. He's done clean-ups, food drives, donations, you name it. Talk about putting your fifteen minutes of fame to good use."

The heroine tapped her chin for a moment. She almost wished she could convince him to forget about going to UA and come to Shiketsu instead. Sadly, the boy's heart was set on UA. Well, as a good cousin, there was only one thing she could do.

Emi nodded, "See how many at the agency are free to show up to any of his events. Give him as much support as we can. I'll make a few calls and see if I can't get a few of the other hero agencies in on it. If he's out there planting trees, we don't want to be...leafed out!"

The man groaned and wished his ability to fade from thought worked on his boss. Sadly, she always made him wear this ridiculous ducky tie whenever he was in the building. Something that ostentatious basically shut off his quirk altogether.

Emi merely laughed harder as she walked down the hall and began dialing on her comically large banana phone, "Hey! Marry me! ….Don't' hang up, seriously, I need to ask you something!"

So it was that Izuku Midoriya's foundation, "The Youthful Hope" was soon created. However, one more meeting had to occur before that could take place. One that brought an entirely new aspect of youth to our young hero.

Izuku was having trouble holding it together, this was...this was, "YOUTH!"

A few mixed chuckles went through the crowd as someone pulled the teen back, "Don't cry over the hot bar kid."

Izuku turned around and quickly dried his youthful tears, "I just can't help it. I've always wanted to help people, and without a quirk, I never knew if I would be able to. But when all those people started following me, I thought maybe, ya know? I never expected a whole bunch of heroes to start showing up to my events. Let alone UA staff and alumni."

The haggard-looking man ran a hand through his hair and scratched at the back of his head, "You've done good kid, a lot better than some heroes I know with the fame they have."

"Unyouthfulness must be fought at every turn Eraserhead!"

The man's eyes widened, "You know me?"

Izuku nodded passionately, "I'm a big fan of underground heroes. They're the backbone of the entire hero community. Sure, they don't get all the notoriety for the big busts, and may never break the top fifty, but they keep drugs off the street and we all sleep safely thanks to them. You are one of my favorites! Next to Ms. Joke, but she's family, so there may be some youthful favoritism there!"

Aizawa pulled up his scarf a bit to hide his grin, "Well, anyway, you've done good kid. Just, maybe stay in the back until you've got the waterworks under control. You can help me and Lunch Rush out."

"Anything you say, sir," Izuku bowed quickly, but right before he took off he froze, "Wait, why are you back here? I mean, I get it with Lunch Rush, but all the other pros are up front mingling with people."

The sound of Lunch Rush chuckling could be heard making the erasure hero look even more grouchy, "People kept trying to give me food."

Izuku cocked his head, "Huh? But that's for the homeless people?"

If the boy wasn't so innocent-looking, Aizawa was quite certain he would feel mocked. He still wanted to smack the kid, but cooled off. The fact that he was so oblivious just went to show how unjudgmental the kid was.

'It's too bad the kid doesn't have a quirk,' Aizawa thought, 'He'd have made a fine hero.'

"Izuku," one of the soup kitchen staff called out to him, "Someone out front wants to talk to you about your events or something."

The teen didn't sigh. Part of him wanted to, but Might Guy say that sighing lets Youth escape from your body. So, obviously, Izuku refused to do it. That didn't keep a small part of him from being annoyed by the media trying to take him away from one of his events every time.

Waving at a few people as he went by, Izuku headed out front and was caught completely off-guard. It wasn't a news crew waiting for him this time, though he could see a few photographers hovering around. No, this time there was simply a black limousine parked with a girl around his age standing beside it. She was dressed in a rather upscale private school uniform, with her dark hair up in a high ponytail. The moment his green eyes met her almond-shaped onyx ones, Izuku's world shifted.

"Nice to meet you," her words carrying a more sophisticated lilt than any Izuku had ever heard, "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, and I'm here on behalf of my parents and the Yaoyorozu corporation. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Momo Yaoyorozu, heiress to Yao-Yo conglomerate, and student of the elite Seika Girl's Academy. Despite her wealthy upbringing, she considered herself a very simple girl. She appreciated all of the nice things her parents provided for her but valued nothing more than time with them. That said, she understood the demands placed upon them and all the other families who counted on them to do their jobs.

All Momo truly wanted was to make a few good friends. She didn't care about everyone liking her. Just a small group of trustworthy people her own age to talk to and spend time with. That's all she wanted. However, she was not as naïve as others seemed to think. She knew that many of the people in her school merely sucked up to her so they could benefit from her generosity and get in good with the Yaoyorozu heiress.

And then today happened.

When she woke up this morning, Momo just knew it was going to be an odd day. There was just something in the air. That said, she was also very excited.

As business-oriented people, her parents often paid attention to what was going on in the media. They wanted to stay well-versed in local trends and even some pop culture. And yet, it was Momo herself who came upon the news of a very strange boy who seemed to be trying to change the world. It was certainly an admirable goal, if the boy himself seemed a bit odd. Honestly, a part of her was extremely impressed by his passion.

When she approached her parents with this, they did what they always do, they investigated. Lo and behold, the boy seemed to possess incredible physical prowess, on the level of some of the best pro heroes, and yet claimed to be quirkless. Someone at his school had even leaked out that their files said it was true, that he was quirkless.

Now, of course, many sane-minded individuals still doubted this. To err is to be human. Whoever the boy's doctor was that diagnosed him had obviously made a mistake. In the end, however, that just didn't matter.

The teen had garnered a great deal of interest by defeating a villain that had several local pro heroes sitting around on their butts. He had saved a victim the villain had taken hostage and even apologized to one of the pros on the scene who helped him wrap things up. Funny enough, he hadn't apologized for helping, but for having worried them for some reason.

If that were all that had transpired, then it would be of little consequence to the Yaoyorozus. However, the boy's actions merited quite a bit of media attention. Curiosity over his quirkless status seemed to be a popular topic. Momo wouldn't admit it, but she had found out about him in a TEEN Hero magazine that reported on all the current popular pros and students in hero schools about to turn pro. She'd hardly ever seen an article about someone who hadn't finished their first year in a hero school, and never before the sports festival.

That, however, wasn't what was so amazing about him.

This Izuku had used his popularity to start inspiring others to do community service. Sure, many of them probably only showed up to try and share in the boy's fame. But that's when something unexpected happened. Pro heroes started taking notice and showing up to his events. Other prefectures were having events in his name.

It was honestly getting a little out of control. Which is exactly where the Yaoyorozu's decided they fit in. Thus, they had decided to send Momo out to meet the boy, seeing as they were the same age, and make him an offer.

Unsure of the proper attire for such an event or meeting, Momo elected to wear her school uniform. She felt it conveyed a professional tone, while still maintaining the connection that they were students. She hoped it would work.

When they arrived, Momo stepped out of the vehicle and sought out a staff member. The woman eyed her for a moment before letting her know that Izuku was very busy. Momo insisted that she only needed a moment of his time and the woman sighed, but acquiesced. It seemed like this Izuku had people looking out for his well-being, whether he knew it or not.

The moment he stepped out, Momo nearly gasped. She'd seen tons of pictures and videos of Izuku before, so she knew it was him. The boy's fluffy green hair and diamond-shaped freckles were certainly cute. His attire, which consisted of black athletic shorts and a tank top with the kanji for 'youth' on it, demonstrated a laid-back and casual attitude. But the boy's body, only somewhat hidden behind his green spandex that might as well have been painted onto his well-defined musculature, could definitely not be called lazy.

The boy met her eyes and seemed to freeze up slightly, so with a gulp, she introduced herself, "Nice to meet you. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, and I'm here on behalf of my parents and the Yaoyorozu Corporation. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Momo released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She'd done it. Now all she had to do was wait for his-

Why was he coming closer?

WHY WAS HE ON ONE KNEE?!

His eyes were looking at her in a way that made her feel a little weak and her mouth dry, "I am the youthful Izuku Midoriya. Please go out with me Momo, I vow to protect you with my life!"

Momo finally seemed to find a word, "Ehh?"

Izuku wasn't sure what just happened. He honestly felt like he might've blacked out for a moment there. Did he have a stroke? All he could remember was this beautiful girl introducing herself; his face had heated up and his heart went doki doki, and then...and then...oh, that's right, he'd basically proposed to her!

The youthful teen felt like his body had just taken control there for a moment. He couldn't deny his own Youthfulness, and he had only the purest of intentions, but still. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, the words of Guy Sensei echoed in his mind.

"Love is one of the purest expressions of Youth. To give yourself fully to another without any reservation is how one expresses their Youth. One must never be afraid and venture boldly into the unknown. For it is far better to be rejected than to live a life of regret, for that is the epidemy of unyouthfulness."

'Okay, Izuku, okay,' he said to himself, 'Everything is fine. This girl probably thinks I'm crazy, but it's okay. I'll just laugh it off as a big joke and then see what she wants. Yeah, that'll be fine. Then, at a more appropriate time, I can express my youthful feelings in a way that doesn't completely overwhelm the girl and-"

"Excuse me, Mister Midoriya," the girl said with a ferocious blush on her face, "It's alright, while I was shocked, you didn't bother me. In fact, I was quite flattered."

"I was saying my thoughts out loud again, wasn't I?" he pouted slightly.

She giggled, "It would seem so."

Izuku smacked his face for a moment, "That's alright, I may have made a fool of myself, but that's okay. Because love is the ultimate expression of Youthfulness!"

Momo flushed again and squeaked behind her hands, "Umm, that's fine, but can you stand up, please? People are still taking pictures."

"Oh," he honestly hadn't even been paying attention to anyone but her, "Sorry about that. However, now that all of my thoughts are out there, I must hear your answer fair maiden."

The girl looked to be about on fire at this point, "I-I must decline."

Izuku drooped over animatedly. Rejection stung and felt most unyouthful.

"But," Izuku snapped right back up and grinned, "I-If you don't mind...maybe we could be f-friends...first."

Dazzling light seemed to spring forward from Izuku's eyes as he did his 'nice guy' pose, "That's a very Youthful idea Momo! Friendship is the foundation upon which all great things are born! Youth!"

Momo giggled at that, still blushing, but no longer hiding behind her hands, "Here is my number. My parents and I would like to talk to you about arranging all of your community service into an official nonprofit organization. If you don't mind, would you join us for dinner this weekend?"

Izuku gave her a thumbs up, "That sounds great! I look forward to it!"

"Great!" Momo cheered as well, a bit caught up in his enthusiasm, "I mean, well, that's wonderful, and umm...youthful as well."

The quirkless boy only grinned harder, "I will contact you later then. Have a youthful day!

Momo smiled and waved as she got back in the limo and drove away. All of the surrounding media were eating it up. However, they couldn't miss a chance of him doing a celebratory shout.

"YOUTH!"

"How does he keep doing that?!"

"Where is the sunset coming from?! It's five in the afternoon!"

"We're miles from the ocean!"

Thankfully, they were all so baffled by the youthful sunset that they missed the flustered teen walk right into the side of the building before finding the door.

The people inside the building were all abuzz. Izuku's actions were, of course, no secret. Many of them had heard his proposal. Emi was the first to find him.

"Hey bud," the smiling hero said in a comforting tone while she threw an arm over his shoulders, "I heard you got shut down. Don't worry about it, happens to me all the time."

Izuku nodded confidently, "Love is a battlefield of Youth. There will always be casualties, but the battle must still be fought."

"That's the spirit," she cheered with a hard slap to his back.

"Besides," the teen grinned, "She gave me her number and I will be joining her and her parents for a Youthful dinner soon."

"Yeah, that's just how it goes sometimes, you gotta get back out th- wait... YOU WHAT?!" shouted the heroine before she began moping, "That's just not fair. Eraser always turns me down when I surprise purpose to him. I had to get his number from Nemuri."

"Never give up Emi! You are too youthful to resign yourself to being a spinster! I'll even help you if you want!"

Emi went from cranky to excited by his words pretty quickly before a devilish smile crossed her lips, "I've got it, I just need you to..."

After a few instructions, Izuku went back to work. He gathered up a large stack of dirty dishes and headed for the back. As he was headed to the sink, Izuku happened across Aizawa.

"Oh, Eraser Head, just the man I needed to see," Izuku grinned around the dish tower.

The man grunted suspiciously, "What do ya need problem child?"

"Someone from Ms. Joke's agency gave me something for her. I couldn't give it to her and needed to hurry and bring these back. Can you run it out to her for me? It's the box in my pocket. I'd do it myself, but I have a youthful battle against grime ahead of me and the enemy is already well fortified in its position. Time is of the essence."

Aizawa just sighed, this kid was as hard to deal with as Emi, "Sure kid, just don't drop any of those."

With a quick thanks, Izuku was off. He didn't like deceiving people, but he hadn't lied. Emi was a part of her own agency and she had given it to him. He also couldn't give it back to her because he was supposed to have Aizawa do it. Plus, it did seem pretty funny. And if Izuku knew his cousin, then that box was probably-

"Yes Eraser, a million times yes! I will marry you!"

Ah, so he was right, that was an engagement ring. Izuku chose to ignore the unyouthful chill going do his back. Sometimes... one had to suffer for their Youth.

A/N: I'mmm baaaack! And with the so fresh and so clean chapter 5.

So, lots has happened in this chapter. Our Izuku here didn't need a training montage...obviously. AND YET! Youth demands action! A quirkless boy showing up a bunch of pro heroes and saving a hostage seems like news to me. It would've been a very controversial piece of news as well, keeping the media buzzing long enough for Izuku to take advantage. The addition of the pro heroes to his outreach only made it bigger.

Yaomomo is here too! For those familiar with Naruto, you might recognize some of Izuku's lines here. I loved Rock Lee's crazy proposal to Sakura. Kinda lost myself with that one.

Lastly, special thanks to FF dot net reviewer The Gentlemanrogue. His in depth and focused review lit a fire under me and got me to pump this out. Thanks again bud. I love every review, but that much detail was amazing.