Every bad day always starts so good.

Izuku Midoriya crawled out of his bed lined with All Might-themed sheets, comforters, and pillows. Rubbing his eyes clear of the usual morning sleep crust, he groggily stumbled to the door. The smell of eggs filled the air as soon he cracked the door open, waking him up a bit more at the thought of breakfast. He could already taste the sweet yolk on his tongue before he even reached the kitchen.

Peeking around the corner, he saw his mother - Inko Midoriya - tending to the food on the stove. She noticed his presence and smiled, "Good morning, Izuku. I'm making breakfast right now, could you sit at the table?" she requested. Izuku nodded happily and bounced over to the table with 4 green-cushioned chairs. Pulling his seat out, he crawled up, sat down, and waited. The food only took a few more minutes, but it felt like forever to the fidgety five-year-old.

Normally, Izuku isn't this energetic in the mornings, but today was special. It was the day he went to the quirk doctor! Kachan - his best friend - got his explosion quirk last year, and most of his classmates already had theirs, but now it was his turn! And he knew if he hurried, he could watch his favorite video of All Might before they left! Yes, Izuku was very excited today.

Inko placed down a plate of scrambled eggs, small sausages, and cooked cherry tomatoes; and then another plate with two slices of toast. "Thank you for the food!" he sang before snatching up his fork and shoveling the food into his mouth. Inko giggled and began eating her food as well, albeit a lot slower than her son. Once the food was finished and the dishes were cleaned, Izuku dashed back into his room to watch the video.

The video was recorded on a shaky camera and there were a few moments of blurriness, but Izuku didn't care. This was his favorite video of All Might, and he could watch it a million times but still never get tired of it. Flames surrounded a pile of rubble, and smoke blew high into the sky. Screams echoed through the speakers, but Izuku disregarded them for the next scene he always knew was coming. All Might, carrying twelve people on his shoulders, made his way out of the smoke and debris and looked into the camera. "Do not fear, citizens," he said, "Why? Because I AM HERE!" he declared, his voice booming over the chatter in the background.

Izuku's eyes shone with wonder and excitement. He loved this video more than any other because it always felt so cool. All Might stood strong, smiling wide in the face of danger, and telling the people that they were safe. Ever since he watched All Might's first debut, he was filled with the hope of someday being as cool and heroic as All Might was. That was his reason for being a hero.

Izuku hoped his quirk was as cool as All Might's.

. . .

Izuku sat on the deep green hospital bed, listening intently to the doctor's words as he showed the results of his physical examination.

"Sorry kid, not gonna happen."

What? What did he mean by that? Was he joking? This was a joke, right?

"Izuku should have already developed one of these quirks or a combination of both, but after viewing his x-rays, I don't think he's going to," the doctor said. "Doctors discovered a link between bones in a person's foot and their likelihood of developing a quirk. People with powers have only one joint in their pinky toes, and Izuku has two joints in his pinky toe; just like roughly 20% of the population these days. Based on the current research available, it's safe to say your son isn't going to develop a quirk."

And with those words, his dreams were crushed.

. . .

The next day, Izuku went back to the daycare. The rumor of his diagnosis spread around the class like wildfire. The teachers led the other students away (why? Why were they avoiding him? What did he do wrong?) to "give him some space". Izuku couldn't bring himself to follow them. As he sat in the corner, he began to think about his mother's words last night. She didn't even try to comfort him, merely holding him and apologizing over and over, grieving the loss of her son's future. Izuku didn't understand why she would do that, though.

He could still be a hero without a quirk... right?

Kachan walked up to him, his expression unreadable, "Hey, is it true? Are you quirkless?" he asked hesitantly. Izuku silently nodded, "And you still want to be a hero, even though you're quirkless?" Izuku looked at his only friend, eyes holding back tears. He and Kachan were best friends. They grew up in the same neighborhood and their mothers had that same bond. Kachan was the fearless type who thought he could do anything and became the leader and troublemaker of their merry little gang. He wasn't bad or good, just full of confidence, and Izuku admired that. But then Kachan's quirk came, and he started down the path of "bad". He became a bully toward other kids whom he considered lesser and started calling them names.

Kachan became so confident in himself, that he turned into a narcissist. He praised himself all day long and scoffed at anyone who didn't agree with his opinions or worshiped him like a god. Izuku was spared from this at first, as he already admired Kachan and followed him around like a lost puppy. However, it didn't take long for their friendship to become strained. Izuku's quirk wasn't coming in yet, and he wasn't skilled in most things that Kachan was, so he started being one of the kids Kachan picked on.

It wasn't all that bad in the beginning. Just light jabs here and there, and sometimes they would roughhouse a bit too hard, but it was fine. Then Izuku got his diagnosis, and his behavior changed again. Kachan asked that question, that stupid, dirty trick of a question, and Izuku answered. "Of course! I may be quirkless, but if I try hard enough-" but he was cut off by an explosion to the face. It was a small blast, so it didn't do too much damage, but it still hurt, and the teacher had to give him burn cream for it.

The next time they "played" together, Kachan started calling him Deku. A word that meant "someone who can't do anything". Izuku hated that nickname. Izuku hated that smile. Izuku hated that quirk. And it was only a matter of time before Izuku would hate him. He tried his best to ignore it all and held on to the hope that his friend would stop hating him and go back to the days when they could just be. That, one day, they could go to the park, swing on the bars, play hide-and-seek, and smile without a care.

But Kachan only kept getting worse, and his hopes were destroyed.

. . .

Standing in the park, face to face with his childhood friend turned bully, he was forced to face a horrifying truth. His best friend was not the hero he promised to be. And no matter how he tried, nothing he did could ever erase the sight of a burned and bloodstained boy, crying in fear of the blonde he grew to hate. It was terrible, it was evil, it was villainous. And Izuku could no longer stand by the sidelines.

Izuku stood in front of the boy, "Kachan, why are you being so mean?" he squeaked. Izuku was scared, terrified even, but he just couldn't let this stand. Kachan laughed, "Mean? Please, I'm showing this nobody his place!" Izuku frowned, "Stop it! Or-or I-I'll make you!" he declared, his tear-filled eyes betraying his pitiful attempt at intimidation. Izuku was scared but shakily raised his fists. He had no idea how to fight, and everyone knew it, but he wanted to try. To make a point.

Kachan laughed again, this time sounding more unhinged. "You wanna pretend to be a hero?" he teased, punching a fist into a hand and letting out a small explosion, "You don't stand a chance without a quirk, Deku." he grinned, immediately going on the attack. Izuku knew Kachan was right, he didn't stand a chance without a quirk. So instead of fighting, he dodged. He pushed away explosions and ducked under swings, evading every attack sent his way. Then, when he knew all of their attention was on him, he slipped away at the first opportunity and ran. He could hear them chasing him, their enraged childish screams echoing promises of pain as he ran into the restricted zone of the woods the gang used to play in.

Every good rhyme starts with Once Upon A Time.

He ran and ran and ran, his breaths becoming ragged and short, his footsteps growing heavy and clumsy. The small hills became sharp inclines, and the rickety log atop the small river groaned under his feet. He ran further still, no longer recognizing his surroundings. The paved dirt path faded away until it was nothing but leaves and grass. Animals jumped out of the way, spooked by the sudden noise. Izuku couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his heart and the rush of adrenaline in his veins. Because of this, he didn't notice the sounds of screaming getting farther and farther away.

Long ago, far away, centuries before our day.

He kept running until he came across a rock wall. He was panting and out of breath, but a twig snapping behind him made him jump. With no other clear way out, he began to climb, not bothering to look back as a rabbit hopped out from under a bush. He kept climbing, paying no mind to the silence of the woods. Kachan could be trying to lure him out, and he'd rather not risk it. A vine brushed his hand and he grabbed onto it, using it like a rope to climb even higher.

Humans lived, Monsters roamed.
Both shared earth and sky as home.

Izuku followed the vine up to a ledge, where more vines lay limp on the cold stone. He staggered to his feet, his legs wobbly and tired. Despite his exhaustion, he kept going. He couldn't run anymore, so his best option was to hide. He glanced around, looking for anything that could give him cover, and saw more greenery leading further ahead. He blindly followed the vines, hoping that it would take him somewhere dark and hidden.

Yet this peace came undone.
War was waged and Humans won.

As expected, the vines led him to a small cave entrance. He stepped inside and leaned on the wall, letting himself relax and trying his best to breathe and calm down. The cave was dark, but it was safe enough for him to hide in. It took a few minutes for his heart to stop racing and his ears to start working, but once he did, he noticed a few things. The smell of moss and wet stone, the soothing sound of air blowing through the dark cavern, the feeling of cold stone against his skin, and the aching pain throughout his body.

Forced below monsters fell.
Humans trapped them with a spell.

Looking around, he saw more vines than he'd ever seen in his life. Sure there were a few vines wrapped around some of the taller trees in the woods, but those usually had some sort of poisonous plant on them and were to be avoided. These vines looked a lot more thicker than the ones in the woods, though. They were like ropes and were much too heavy for him to move. They didn't look poisonous though, so his hands are probably okay.

Listen, children, to my words.
Ebbot will eat you, beware the curse.

With his breath more even and his body less sore, he used the wall to lift himself up. Now that he was on his feet, though, he could see something weird happening with the vines. Some of them were crawling out of the cave as if they were waging war with the surrounding fauna, but the others were hanging around an arch as if something were there. Izuku took one shaky step, and then another, sneaking closer and closer to the cluster.

Monster teeth go clack clack clack.
If you climb the mountain, you won't come back!

The arch led to a tunnel, earning Izuku's curiosity and luring him deeper in. The sounds of wind blowing through the cavern walls quieted the further he went in. It was becoming darker, darker, yet darker. He wished he had some form of light to see with, but feeling around would have to do. The stone was smooth and dry like sandstone, he decided he liked how it felt.

Human child, human child, won't turn around.

Izuku felt the stone curve and used his other hand to search for the other side, only to find that side curving in the opposite direction. Concluding that this was some sort of clearing, he got up and walked around, shuffling his feet to feel for any stalagmites that he may step on. For a few minutes, the floor was smooth, until he bumped into a strange lump. He reached down to touch it and felt another vine. They must have been here a while to have grown this deep into the cave.

Human child, human child - oops, they fell down!

Stepping over the vine, he felt the floor disappear and shrieked as he felt himself falling into what he now knew was a very deep hole. The wind whipped past his face as he fell deeper and deeper, deafening him and blocking out the sound of his screaming, Was he screaming? He felt like he was. How deep was this hole? He was still falling. Was he going to die?

Human child, human child, look out below!
Down underground where the monsters go!

He hit the oddly soft ground very hard. Despite the broken ribs and sprained(?) ankle, his head hurt the most. He could still move, somehow; little miracles, he supposed. The ground felt squishy, like mud, and there was grass. Perhaps the softened earth cushioned his fall. He didn't know it was possible to have any actual plants this deep (aside from those very determined vines) but it seemed that anything could grow down here, with enough space and water. He managed to move his head enough to peek at his surroundings. It was dark and green.

Oops, dropped your heart... be careful in the dark.
Someone might take it. Break it apart.

Izuku tried to sit up once more, groaning in pain as he did so. He put a hand to his head in an attempt to ease the pounding migraine assaulting his brain. He felt hot, cold, sick, tired, and in a lot of pain. His surroundings were blurry and unfocused, but he could vaguely hear a voice in the shadows. "Hello?" it said. Izuku tried to breathe again, and the pain in his chest flared. "I think it came from over here." His head hurt even worse now.

Trouble on the left, trouble on the right.
Will you spare them, run, or FIGHT?

He shifted his weight away from the voice and his ankle burned. "Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you...?" the voice said, much closer now than before. His entire body was fighting his every move, and he tried to remember how he got here. Yet, for whatever reason, he just couldn't recall anything. He knew things, certainly, but his head hurt too much to think about anything. His headache was getting worse.

Oops, dropped your heart... be careful in the dark.
Someone might take it. Break it apart.

"Are you okay? Here, get up." The voice wasn't one that he knew, and his blurry vision could pick up the brightly colored smudge covering the snow-white angel underneath. The angel grabbed his arm and picked him up, which OW. His body screamed in protest at the sudden movement, but his mind knew it was for the best. He couldn't stay on the floor forever, his bones wouldn't heal right. And his wounds were sure to get infected. He'd make sure to thank the angel later once he's in better shape and has their name.

Trouble on the left, trouble on the right.
Will you spare them, run, or FIGHT?

As the two of them walked carefully down the path, the angel made small talk, "What's your name?" His name... yes, his name. That was something he knew. His name was... "Izuku? That's a nice name. My name is Asriel," they said. 'A fitting name for an angel', Izuku thought. They walked the rest of the way in silence; which, thankfully, wasn't that long of a walk.

A woman's voice got halfway through a greeting before sounding panicked and concerned. He felt like he was about to pass out but the pain reminded him that he couldn't sleep just yet. That was until a warm green glow washed away all of the pain. His bones itched and his skin tingled, but the pain was gone. He still felt dirty, but he could worry about that later.

Right now, he needed a good... long... nap...

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(And that is the first chapter!

As promised, the rewrite is already much better than the original. From here, it's just a point of keeping things on track and putting in as much effort as I can into it. And having a chosen writing style with help with inconsistencies and POV mix-ups. So yeah, things are more organized now.

And as always, Thank you for reading! See you all soon!)