(Quick note before we begin: For the sake of the story, I'm changing some things around in the canon timeline. Izuku's training in the manga/anime takes 10 months, but here I have made it so that only 3 months have passed instead. This just aligns with the story better. It is currently late March. Enjoy!)

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When Izuku woke up the next morning, he was in his bed. His clothes weren't on the floor, his desk lamp was off, and he felt... fine? Even his notebooks were on the shelf, no indication that he had taken any of them out last night.

"So it was just a nightmare," Izuku breathed out, sitting up with a dazed smile. He felt a little disappointed though, the idea of a life-changing dice had sounded kind of cool, but it definitely wasn't reality. Not his reality at least.

Except then his phone started going crazy and Izuku realized he was wrong.

ooooh ahhhh don't tell me u don't remember all those amazing things we stayed up doing together midori-san~

"So it was all real??" Izuku groaned. He tried to hide the tiny lilt of hope at the end of his sentence by shoving his head underneath the pillow.

hey! what happened to all the excitement? u even took notes and stuff :3 such a diligent student! me is impressed. gold star for chu~ ★

"I did?" He asked, poking his head out slightly to check his phone again as the memories started flooding back in. He remembered being hunched over at his desk, vigorously writing everything X was telling him. From the smallest thing to the most important, he had taken notes on it all.

Izuku shuffled out of bed and grabbed the notebook, flipping through it until he got to the page labeled, 'DICE'. His memory was still hazy, probably due to the lack of sleep and mental exhaustion, so the information came in bits and pieces as he read over his messy handwriting.

- X is a game master, just like he had said (Which means he's not a liar. But can I trust him? He won't tell me what he looks like or where he's from. Weird?? Red flags?? Stay awake)

- He runs a game that involves using dice. To become a player you must roll a blue dice. That's called synchronization. Then, it turns red when activated (aka, yay I'm not crazy).

- Once a red die has been used up, it turns white and becomes a normal die with no value. But X says I can use them to play board games now. Go figure.

- Said dice are rewarded upon completing tasks I will receive on my phone. X wasn't specific about what kinds. He just said they would vary based on my emotions and desires at that given time.

- I can either save my dice in an inventory (how big can it get? where do the dice go? magic?? quirk logic??? WTF), or use them to increase any stats (still don't know how this transfers to reality. lookup hero journal #5 for more info on quirk studies)

- But who the heck is X?? How did he find out about me? Izuku, if you're reading this, don't ask too many questions about himself. He gets mad. Also, go to sleep!!

Izuku was about to flip the page when he happened to glance over at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

"Holy, All Might! I'm going to be late for class." He whirled around in a frenzy and threw the notebook in his bag. Then, he jumped out of his hero onesie and slipped on his uniform, all while his phone vibrated like crazy.

"Not now, X. I can't be late," Izuku fumbled with the buttons of his dress shirt and then started buckling his pants. "Or else it'll go on my permanent record and I'm already quirkless so you know what that means! The recruiters won't even look at me and I need them to give me a chance or else I don't stand a chance against everybody else applying for U.A. with their amazing quirks and abilities. Even if I manage to somehow pass the written test there's no way I'll even make it past the–"

"Izu... Is everything alright?" His mother's worried voice interrupted his rambling and Izuku froze. He heard the door click and instinctively dove towards his bed, shoving his phone underneath the pillow.

"Y-yeah!" He gave Inko a pathetic grin, as her head appeared in the doorway. She returned it with a puzzled smile and then slowly stepped inside.

"You're wearing your uniform?" She cocked her head to the right.

Izuku looked down. Was it inside out? Had he forgotten a button? There was something in the way she asked him that made him question everything.

"It's Saturday," she said softly.

Izuku stopped and felt his face flush.

"Oh," he answered, just as quietly. His phone suddenly vibrated again and Izuku let out a loud cough to cover it up.

"Were you up late? Have you caught a cold??" She stepped over to him, about to press her palm against his forehead, when Izuku quickly moved away.

"Ah! No, no. I'm okay. I'm fine. Really. I just had a project thing and um I stayed up doing that," he forced another smile.

A brief flash of hurt appeared in Inko's eyes but she didn't say anything else about the matter and simply nodded. "Okay... but let me know if you need anything. I was gonna head to the store for some groceries but I can also stay and make sure you're–"

"No!" Izuku said, a little too loudly. His face flushed again and he quickly shook his head, making his way over to his mother and squeezing her hands gently. "I promise I'll be fine, mom. You don't have to worry about me."

This time when Izuku smiled, it was genuine. Inko smiled too, but he could tell he might have hurt her feelings. Izuku silently cursed X and figured he would make it up to her somehow later on.

"Alright. I'll try to be home as soon as possible so we can have dinner together. But don't hesitate to call if anything comes up. You've been a little distant lately, so..." she reached over and kissed his cheek before exiting the room.

Izuku exhaled and then flopped back down on his bed, reaching for his cell phone. "Why didn't you tell me it was Saturday??" He mumbled, turning over on his stomach and scrolling through their messages from last night. Whoever X was, he had a pretty messed up sleeping schedule.

Maybe he's from a different timezone. Could that be it? Izuku stared at his phone, deep in thought. The new alert startled him out of his daze.

i was going to but then u shoved me under a pillow!! RUDE AF

Izuku let out a quiet chuckle. "X, you're a phone."

:P and ur still quirkless

Izuku stopped laughing and narrowed his gaze at the screen, staring hard at the word until his vision blurred. He didn't realize he was gripping his phone tightly until his hand started to shake. "You said you could help me change that," he said slowly. The idea still sounded crazy.

'Suicidal and quirkless 14-year-old boy finds a dice that can change his life, according to a mysterious stranger that goes by the name of X. Someone he knows absolutely nothing about but continues to talk to as if they've been friends for years.'

Izuku stiffened slightly. There were so many alarm bells ringing throughout his head but the notification sound for X's message seemed to drown them all out.

i thought you'd never ask ;)

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At first, the things X made him do were simple. Almost too easy. If Izuku had been anybody else, he would've found them annoying, insulting even. However, he was having too much fun to notice or care. Caught up in how magical it all seemed, even if he had lived in a world where quirks were common. It felt like he was playing some kind of video game, and he was finally the main character. Some of the quests he had gotten so far were things like...

[Learn how to skip a stone three times] – x1 dice

[Go buy ice cream and pay for the next customer's order] – x1 dice

[Pick up 20 pieces of trash off the floor] – x1 dice

[Save the orange tabby cat from the tree] – x2 dice

"Whoa... that last one was painful," Izuku panted as he sat down on a random bench, examining the scratches on his arms and face. The cat had put up a fight but he had helped it down in the end. It felt good. He took out the lollipop the old woman had given him and smiled. "How do you come up with these kinds of things, X?" Izuku asked in between breaths, popping open the cap from his All Might water bottle and gulping down the remaining water.

trade secret :P but congrats, hero~ here's your dice!

In a flash, two cubes fell into Izuku's open palm out of nowhere. He watched in awe as he asked X to synchronize them and they turned red, the same color as the rest in his pocket. The whole process still surprised him every time.

well..?

"Well, what?" Izuku blinked.

-__-''

.

.

.

well, aren't u going to use the dice?? you've been collecting them all morning.

"Oh... oh! Right." Izuku took the rest of the red dice out of his pocket and counted them. Ten in total. But the more he stared at them, the more frustrated he felt.

"B-but what exactly should I use them on first?"

Aside from completing the quests X had given him, Izuku had also spent all day thinking about his stats. What he could improve on, what he could add. X had told him anything was possible, but how much of that was really true? And how much could he get away with once he showed up to school? As much as he wanted to make himself five inches taller overnight, he knew it wouldn't be possible without backlash. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. But he was also tired of attracting the wrong kind of attention, too.

Izuku sighed in frustration and tossed his head back. He didn't even realize he was talking out loud until he read X's messages.

wow, u just had a whole conversation with yourself and i didn't hear a thing. r u sure ur quirk isn't annoying people to death with your mumbling??

Izuku's cheeks flushed red and he looked around to see if anyone else had heard him, but the park remained empty. "Shut up," he mumbled quietly, tucking his knees into his chest as the dice glimmered in his hand.

"I just wish I knew where to start," he sighed, aimlessly scrolling through his Stats Page. There were just too many possibilities, too many things he could do.

don't u want to beat the shit out of them, midori?

Izuku read the message in silence. X must have been referring to his bullies. Then, another appeared just as fast.

don't u think they've been unfair to u? uwu

Izuku stared at the word 'unfair' for a long time until he forgot he was reading a text message. Were they unfair? He had always thought it was unfair that he was born quirkless. He had also thought it was unfair that he was so weak. But never had he associated that word with everybody else.

"N-no," he said after a while. "You're wrong," Izuku slowly shook his head, but even then, he could hear his own voice faltering. "They're just on edge. That's all. It's our last year and everyone's trying to get into a good school so–"

so ur a pussy? lol

"No!" Izuku shot up suddenly. "And- and to prove it, I'll use all my dice on strength and go up to Kacchan tomorrow and punch him."

no u won't.

Izuku sat back down, defeated. "No I won't," he repeated with a sigh.

As much as he hated thinking about it, X was right. He had always justified Kacchan's actions and that of his friends because he wanted them to accept him. But what if he had never been the problem in the first place? What if it had been them instead? It was an idea Izuku struggled with because it meant that the quirk system was flawed. A system he had looked up to ever since he was a little kid. A system All Might, his idol, the symbol of peace, belonged to. Something he endorsed and advocated for. And if he continued smiling at the forefront of it, how could anything be wrong?

"X?" Izuku asked slowly, watching as a few cars drove by. It was nearing midday and his mother would be home soon. He should have been heading back to help with groceries but found himself glued to the bench.

yesh? :3

"You said you weren't a hero or a villain."

hmm. did i?

"But what makes you think that way?"

There was no response. Izuku sighed. This happened last night too when he tried asking X about his personal life. Guess the guy really valued his privacy.

"Is it society?" Izuku asked out loud, mainly to himself.

His phone buzzed and Izuku's heart sped up. Could it be X? But as he quickly opened up the chat, he realized it was only his mother. She was back home now, wondering where he had gone off to. Probably worried. Izuku stared up at the small cafe in the distance and decided he would buy her something sweet to make up for that morning. But as Izuku got up and walked away, he also thought about what he would do with his dice. While it would've felt nice to get back at Kacchan for once, he had to focus on his real goal. Whether or not society had anything to do with it, Izuku was going to become a hero. That much he was sure about.

"I'm going to use the dice to get into U.A," he decided. And then he would figure out the rest.

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Following the weekend after the sludge incident, Bakugo expected to be praised. He walked into school on Monday morning with his head held high, prepared to brag about the way he had survived. Ready to tell anybody who did and didn't ask all about it. Except he never got a chance to, and it was all because of that damn nerd.

Deku.

He was all everybody was talking about. Apparently, somebody tried to mess with him and he fought back. The little fucker actually tried to defend himself for once. Obviously, he had lost, that much Bakugo could have already guessed. But what pissed him off the most was that everybody was talking about it so much. Then it only got worse.

As the months went by, Deku started changing and Bakugo couldn't go a day without hearing his name come out of some dumb bitch's mouth. Things like,

"Is Midoriya... taller?"

"When did that loser get so toned? Is he doing sports or something?"

"There's no way that's Midoriya. Did you see him during our presentation today? He didn't stutter once."

Or even shit like,

"Yeah and he just walked up to me and asked for my number."

"What??"

"We were partners for the assignment and..."

"You didn't give it to him did you?"

"I mean... he did get kind of cute over the holidays..."

In just one term, that quirkless loser had gone from being bullied to being liked. His grades had improved, he started making friends with people, and worst of all, he ignored him. That fucking bastard ignored him. As if he thought he was better now that he was the popular kid.

Some people still tried to bully him though, but Deku never engaged. He didn't cry or stutter like a bitch baby anymore. You either loved or hated him but Bakugo did neither. He despised him instead.

But unlike the other sheep in his classroom who were solely focused on his apparently new 'good looks' and transformation, Bakugo knew better. It wasn't plastic surgery and it wasn't some kind of magic. Deku had just become more confident. Along with getting taller, his posture had improved and he didn't slouch anymore. His voice hadn't become "hot" or "sexy" like those dumb broods gushed about, he just didn't mumble. Deku no longer stuttered either, he didn't even stumble over his words. Every presentation was perfect. Every test he got handed back was an A. And even though his muscles never got bigger than his own, Bakugo still hated that he had any in the first place. He excelled in sports, wasn't picked last anymore, and even made it onto the track team.

But worst of all, Deku did all this shit while ignoring him. Him! The person who used to rule the school, who had everyone down on their knees. The guy everybody worshipped. The one with the best quirk in class. The only damn person who was supposed to get into U.A. Yet Deku had them all wrapped around his stupid little quirkless fucking finger.

Bakugo clenched his fists glaring at the back of Deku's head while he ignored everything their useless teacher was saying. It was as if he was doing it on purpose. Avoiding him and then turning his life around. Sending him a message about who was the true greatest. Trying to overshadow him and beat him. People were actually starting to root for the fucker. Making him good luck charms for the entrance exam, asking him about his preparation regimen, everything they should have been asking him. Only him.

It made him angry, no it made him more than angry. Bakugo was absolutely furious. The fact that a quirkless nobody was getting so much attention. The fact that he had lost control. The fact that he was no longer at the top of the food chain... how had he let this happen in the first place?

Bakugo remembered knocking Deku down one morning, back in January. That was the last time he had ever touched him. Any time they were close to each other, Deku would rush off at disgustingly impressive speeds. How the hell had he gotten so fast?

It was as if he had a quirk of his own.

Maybe Bakugo would have figured it out. Maybe if he hadn't been blinded by his own arrogance, he would have noticed how focused Deku was on his phone all the time. Or how he often talked to himself and called out to somebody named X. But he was just so angry that all he could think about was bashing Deku's head into the wall until his ugly little face was destroyed. So things could go back to normal and he could continue being number one. Because how could someone like him have a quirk?

He won't get into U.A., Bakugo told himself as he watched the green-headed bastard rise up from the chair while the bell rang. Immediately, a couple of girls rushed over and gave him heart-shaped bento boxes, showering him with 'good lucks' and annoying support. Bakugo wished he could make them all explode.

And I'm going to set the record straight once and for all, he narrowed his gaze at Deku's charming smile and then stomped out of the classroom.

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they totally want to fuck u ¬‿¬ ¬‿¬ ¬‿¬

"WHAT?!" Izuku shrieked, nearly choking on a piece of rice from the bento box one of the girls in class had given him.

oh come on. ever since i came into ur life, you've been on every girl's radar.

i'm kind of jelly :3

"Look, stop trying to distract me. I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna go about tomorrow," Izuku frowned, switching out of X's chat box and clicking on his calendar app. In less than 24 hours, Izuku would be at U.A. taking the entrance exam.

And yet, just three months ago, he would have never dreamed of taking it without a quirk, but now... now he actually had a chance!

Izuku couldn't help the smile that started forming on his lips. He felt an excited jitter run throughout his body. Everything still felt like a dream.

Even though he had never intended for everyone to like him, it was nice to go to school without fearing for his life or notebooks. No one really messed with him anymore, and it was all thanks to X and his weird little dice game. Izuku hadn't changed much about himself physically though, aside from his height, speed, and agility, saving strength for the entrance exam.

He didn't even need to increase his intelligence. Izuku found that when he added dice to his confidence, everything started falling into place. He didn't question himself on exams, stopped stuttering and spoke more clearly, and didn't hesitate as much. His grades skyrocketed and his teacher told him it would make him look like a promising candidate for U.A. even more now, despite his quirklessness.

Izuku didn't have to worry about getting bullied at the gym anymore either and even got a membership so he could train his body and grow muscles. X found this insulting to the power of his dice, but Izuku learned to ignore him. It's not like they talked much either. Despite having spent the last 3 months with him, Izuku wasn't sure he actually knew the guy. X was still as weird and mysterious as ever. But Izuku tried not to pay attention to that as he continued with his new social life.

He went on daily runs with other classmates and even accepted their invitations out for lunch. Girls confessed to him now and didn't even get mad when he rejected them, claiming he was truly meant to be a hero for being so focused on getting into his dream school. Sure, everyone at Aldera had severely bullied him throughout the years, but Izuku didn't want to think about that. They might be horrible people but he wasn't going to act like he didn't like the attention either. Plus, once they graduated, he would never have to see any of them again. Izuku figured he should just enjoy himself. After all, he hadn't felt this happy in so long, having abandoned the idea that he ever could be on that day he tried to kill himself. Even that seemed a distant memory, despite it having just happened in December.

"Happy," Izuku said out loud, just to make sure it was actually real.

His phone buzzed in response but it was drowned out by a familiar voice.

"Deku."

Izuku didn't even have to turn around to know that Bakugo was standing behind him, the smell of caramel giving him away before his voice had. He debated whether or not he should take off, but right as he started turning around, he snuck a glance at his phone. Instead of a normal message, however, X had sent him a quest.

NEW QUEST UNLOCKED!

[ Knock Bakugo Katsuki out - x1 ?? Dice ]

Izuku frowned. A die with a question mark on it? X had never offered him anything like that before. But Izuku didn't even have time to think about it as Bakugo yanked him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall, his phone slipping out of his hands. Izuku winced slightly when he saw the cracked screen, more from annoyance than actual pain, but it seemed to make Bakugo happy as he sneered down at him.

Does X want me to fight Kacchan? Do I want to fight Kacchan? He furrowed his brows and stared at his phone.

"Don't ignore me, you damn nerd!" Bakugo hissed, kicking it to the side.

Izuku clenched his fists slightly as he watched his phone skid too far away for him to reach it. He had successfully managed to avoid Bakugo for three months without actively engaging with him. Not because he was scared of him, but because he reminded him of that day. Of the past. Of everything Izuku had wanted to be like before X came into his life. How he almost killed himself.

"What do you want?" Izuku asked slowly.

Bakugo's let out a low growl. "Don't think I haven't noticed what's been going on."

Izuku felt his heartbeat quicken slightly. He couldn't be referring to the dice, could he?

"You think that some stupid workouts and a new look will get you into U.A.?"

Oh, so this is what this is about, Izuku frowned. He hated himself for ever thinking Bakugo would change around him. That he would accept him now that he could somewhat keep up with everyone and apologize. Try to be his friend. Something. If he hadn't been thinking about fighting Bakugo when he read that message, he was sure thinking about it now.

Calm down, you don't want anything on your personal record, Izuku told himself while Bakugo scanned his face.

"What's the matter?" the blonde hissed. "You have no problem getting up and showing me up in front of the whole school."

"Do you still think this is about you, Kacchan?"

Bakugo loosened his hold slightly as if that question had surprised him, and Izuku took advantage of the moment to slip free.

"The hell do you mean?!"

Izuku walked over to pick up his phone and wiped off the dirt from the screen. X's quest message was barely visible.

"Do you seriously think I did all this to get back at you?" Izuku asked, still staring down at his phone. He saw Bakugo's reflection on the screen and sidestepped him just before he swung. When Izuku turned around and met Bakugo's gaze, the blonde looked surprised and even angrier than before. Izuku knew his movements well enough to figure out what he was planning, so when he tried to strike again, he easily dodged him. He didn't even have to rely on Speed.

"Eh?" Bakugo frowned when his punch missed again. Fiery explosions started growing in his palms but Izuku didn't move. He continued watching him closely.

"I only wanted to stand beside you, Kacchan. As your equal. I thought maybe you'd finally accept me–"

"Hell no," Bakugo growled. "There's no way I'd ever accept someone like you. And there's no fucking way U.A. will either."

Izuku gripped his phone so tightly the cracks on the screen started digging into his skin. This time when Bakugo swung, Izuku was ready for him and instead of moving away, he let himself get punched in the face. But right as Bakugo's fiery fists made contact with his cheek, Izuku also moved his arm out from under him and uppercut his jaw.

Bakugo let out an angry yell as they both stumbled backward while Izuku clamped down on his tongue to keep from yelling out in pain. He could smell his own burning flesh and tried not to gag as he stood up, watching Bakugo rush towards him again.

With the amount of speed he now had, Izuku could have easily moved away and knocked Bakugo down. Even though he didn't have his raw power, he could outsmart him. So then why wasn't he moving? There was no longer any fear coursing through his body the way it had before. He could stare Bakugo in the eyes without wincing and he could feel the adrenaline pumping throughout his veins as if urging him to deal another blow. It just made him so angry that Bakugo had so much control over him. How no matter how hard he had tried to avoid him, he could never shake the guy off, when all Izuku wanted was peace.

"We used to be so close. We used to be friends. You don't even know what you almost made me do," Izuku said, rolling to the side and making Bakugo blow up some trash cans instead. The exit was clear now, he could go, he could run away. Yet he stayed.

"WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS! NOW STOP MOVING AND LET ME KILL YOU!"

Despite Bakugo's explosions, Izuku felt the familiar chill of that day on the rooftop run through him. Maybe back then he would have advocated for Bakugo. Argued that he was never being literal when he made those kinds of threats. But now, as he stood there watching him and the pure hatred in his eyes, Izuku wasn't so sure anymore.

"You already did," he whispered. This seemed to confuse Bakugo and for a moment his step faltered. Izuku saw the rest play out in his head. He could have gotten a clean hit and knocked him out then and there when he was distracted. Izuku was even willing to risk the burns he would get, knowing X's dice could heal him later. But instead of acting on his apparent desires, Izuku took off running the other way.

There was something else X had told him on the night they met. Something Izuku hadn't remembered because he had been so overwhelmed with everything else going on, from the rules of dice to him being alive. And yet now, as he ran, tears forming in his eyes for the first time in months, he remembered and he understood.

As of today, you have been born again, Izuku Midoriya.

X was right. Izuku was no longer the person he used to be. Because while he hadn't taken the plunge, Bakugo Katsuki had indeed killed him.

[A/N: This chapter was mostly to explain the logistics of the dice game, in addition to showcase Izuku's character development. Guess talking to X has started rubbing off on him ;) for bad or for worse, who knows! But I hope you enjoy sassy/confident Izuku going forward. Things will start speeding up after this, I promise.

Also, a brief disclaimer as we move forward with the story... I'm gonna warn you all right now that aside from major character deaths, there will be a lot of 'op' moments from certain students coming up. Like if a student with dice fights a pro hero, they might win (or they might not). Things that wouldn't happen in the canon because of power level differences, quirk developments happening faster than usual, etc, etc, it's all fair game (I haven't planned out much but these are all possibilities). And while no one's gonna magically kill everyone and succeed, shit will go down. So for those of you who choose to stay with me, get ready for a wild time ;)]