Izuku can't be an official hero, but who's stopping him from helping absolutely everyone he can? No one, exactly, he'll start small and then make a good hero! Of course, he won't be able to use his quirk during all of this too, that'd be dumb. Izuku's definitely not dumb. He loves helping, it doesn't matter where he is, he'll do it anyway.

So when he heard someone crying, he obviously went to check it out. To his magical surprise, there was a Mina Ashido, a pink one. A normal one. She looked so similar to the one from his world, that for once, Izuku had hope. "Um, excuse me...?"

"H-hello..."

"Are you okay? Why are you crying-?"

Ashido was stuck in disbelief. Someone wanted to help her? "I- I'm a late bloomer when it-it comes to my quirk a-and—" Another pitiful sob left her lips. The plain boy who asked merely offered her comfort in the form of understanding eyes, and the hand rubbing circles on her back. "a-and A-All For One didn't w-want it a-and—"

Izuku prevented himself from shrinking in disgust at that name. He reminded himself that everyone gave their quirks to All For One, and that rejection not only meant that you were cursed in this society but also stuck with a quirk you might not want. "Calm down, no need to cry, I am here."

Ashido didn't know why, but when those words were said to her, it gave her an overwhelming sense of comfort. "A-and then... My p-parents said that i-it looks u-ugly..."

"You look beautiful the way you are."

"But don't you see me?! I'm just like what e-everyone is sayin'. I look disgusting, I'm so pink, I-I'm like a monster!"

"You may think that you're like a monster, but you're still human. You're not disgusting, you're you. You're different, you're hurt, you're human, you're you. What's so bad about being you?" Izuku felt heartbroken at the disbelieving eyes that stared at him in that moment. This, this wasn't his Ashido. This was another one. This was an Ashido that had her world crashing down around her for something she couldn't control. Having a mutant quirk in Izuku's society is bad enough, but one in this society basically meant being a reject. As he used to be one, it's not a fate he'd wish on anybody.

(Well, mayyybeee All For One-)

"W-why are you so nice?" Ashido asked, "I- I was so rude to you, dumping my problems onto you-"

Izuku smiled, "Don't worry. Talking about your problems help, especially if it's someone who'll listen. Did it help, talking about them?"

"Yes, thank y-you."

"Like I said, it's no problem. Everything's better now, right? And if it isn't I am still here and not leaving," Izuku said, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ashido felt an overwhelming surge of gratitude as she held back her glistening tears. "I'm Ashido Mina, th-thank you."

"So, Ashido-san, we should do something to cheer you up," Izuku said, "What about icecream?"

"You've helped me so much already-"

"I'm always happy to!"

~~~

Ashido wasn't the last one he helped. Izuku found himself finding different members of 1-A in various situations. Heck, he even found someone from 1-B too. Sometimes, they merely needed a distraction, but in times like these, they needed other things. Today, he found a very distraught Hagakure. "Are you okay?"

"N-no, but I will be... i think."

"What happened?" Izuku asked. He marveled over her appearance though, he faintly thought about how pretty she looked and how much him and his classmates were missing.

"I want my quirk back."

That, that was a new one. "You want your quirk back? Why?"

"You probably think it's stupid but my quirk made me feel special. It took me out of the world for a short time." Hagakure hesitated before continuing, "My mom... She's not in a good place right now. She loved my quirk, because, to her, it was like I didn't exist. Just one less burden on her." Sighing, she continued, "My dad was also pro-quirk too, but only to quirks he liked... He loved mine too, but my sister... She didn't have that luck. In short, my dad hated the fact that my mom had not one, but two cursed children, even if he liked one..." Her hands turned into fists, "he started hating my mom and they started fighting and there was so much screaming every night—"

Izuku sort of got the picture here. Domestic abuse? Hagakure has a sister...?

(Izuku lowkey wondered if he had two quirks, One for All, and 'spill your past to me'.)

"Eventually All For One was notified and took all of our quirks," Hagakure bit her lip, "That was three weeks ago. My parents still fight, and I just want my quirk back but... This is sort of selfish, isn't it?"

Izuku wasn't an expert at reading the air, but even he knew how bitter it suddenly turned. Hagakure continued, "My friend, you know her, don't you? Ashido? She told me that you could help me," She laughed, "As if you could. She's so lucky. She still has her quirk. Her life is so great, blessed with a perfect family. Why? Why does she get it all and not me? She's so ugly, I don't understand. You're Midoriya, right? Do you have a helping quirk or something? Can you answer my stupid questions? Can you stop life from screwing me over? Can you, huh, can you?"

Izuku's lips were in a grim line, although before he had the chance to answer, Hagakure talked again. "If you can't do all of that, then why bother trying to help people?"

"I just, like helping," Izuku said. "I may not have a lot of amazing qualities, but I like helping when I can. So, I want to help you, Hagakure, would you help me do that?"

Hagakure glared, "How would I help you save myself?" Hagakure sighed, "Tell me, can you help me?"

Izuku beamed, "I will."

~~~

"Kacchan?"

"Deku, I've heard the rumor about some weird hero always hanging out in the park, helping people," Kacchan said, "That's you, isn't it?"

"Ah, y-yeah," Izuku replied rather nervously, "Is there a problem?"

"I heard that you help them answer questions to their problems," Katsuki sighed, "Why are you doing this? Why not be studying? We have like a month until we take the exam to UA, do you not want to get in?"

"I'm doing this because I like helping, Kacchan. I helped so many people. They're all my friends now. Ashido, Hagakure, and, Kaminari," Izuku smiled, "I study a lot Kacchan. It gets a bit boring. I'm just being a good citizen, UA loves good citizens, right?"

"What's so interesting about helping people?"

"It's comforting to know that people's lives turned for the positive just because I am here," Izuku missed his mentor, his teacher, All Might. He just wanted to go home already. "It's nice to impact someone so greatly that they look for you whenever they have a problem."

('Look, look, it's Deku, the pillar of hope!)

Kacchan's face morphed through many different expressions, his eyes settled on an unknown emotion as he said something that made Izuku overwhelmingly happy. "You make me want to try that too."

(Seeing Izuku's bright smile makes this worth it all, Katsuki thinks.)

~~~

"I'm so nervous-" Kaminari was (not literally) buzzing in excitement. "What if I don't pass?"

Izuku smiled, "I'm sure you will. You've studied a lot about this."

"Listen to the nerd, he's literally always right," It was an inside joke between Izuku and Kacchan. The fact that Izuku was 'always right' wasn't something done on purpose, or so he claimed, Katsuki called bullshit.

"Anyway, you'll do fine, Kaminari," Midoriya reassured.

"Get to your exam rooms," A familiar voice said.

Present Mic? When Izuku saw him, it just reminded Midoriya of why he hated this society in the first place. Saying that Present Mic looked way too sad would be an understatement. He looked absolutely crushed as if his dream had been sucked from his body and squashed in front of him.

Which it had, Izuku belatedly realized. The heroes were forced to give up their license, their pride, and work, something they worked for years for. All because a new hero emerged, a hero and a villain that simultaneously broke society.

Izuku quickly skedaddled to his exam room, and he found the teacher named 'Toshinori Yagi'. All Might, Izuku wondered how the heck he of all people, in this universe, got a position at UA. He couldn't wonder for long, however, as everyone began their exams.

Izuku excused himself during the break to go to the bathroom. And he ran into the magical Present Mic or- Hizashi Yamada in this world. "Um, excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Oh yes, it's that way," Yamada pointed.

"A-also," Izuku was technically doing something considered illegal, but it was never stated, so it technically was legal. "C-can I get an autograph?"

Yamada looked surprised, "Why?"

"You'r- you were Present Mic, right? The voice hero? I really liked heroes when I was young," Midoriya frowned, "It was a shame they all had to stop. Ah, I'm rambling, can I get an autograph?"

"You like heroes, why? Aren't quirks bad?"

"It's not the quirk, it's who uses them. I love heroes. I love how they help everyone, I love how they were looked up to, I miss how amazing they were..." Izuku smiled at Yamada, "But meeting you is an honor!"

For the first time in that day, Yamada cracked a smile. He reverted to the Present Mic Izuku knew. "I'll gladly give you an autograph, kid."

Midoriya Izuku loved heroes.