Quirks are seen as many things; useful, useless, heroic, villainous. The mere perception of a quirk in any category can affect someone in many ways, but the quirk itself can affect someone just as much as its perception.
Midoriya Izuku has a fire quirk. This, in and of itself, is not a problem; Endeavor is the number two pro hero in all of Japan, and he has a fire quirk. No, the problems began when Izuku's quirk was seen as villainous. He was forced to hide away his power, lest he be consumed by the "evil" lurking within. Of course, it could never be that simple. Quirks have a way of coming to the surface, whether convenient or not. In Izuku's case, it manifests as pyromania— a fixation on fire and all of its uses. He doesn't see fire as harmful; sure, fire can hurt, but fire can heal too! Still, he promises to keep the fire contained within, for his mothers' sake.
After an incident with a certain villain leads Izuku to break his promises, he's branded a villain. Forced to flee, he eventually finds himself at a shrine for the fire god, Kagu-tsuchi. Finding a shrine maiden's uniform, he takes to restoring the shrine to its former glory, building relationships within the nearby town, even if it is a 15 kilometer walk from the shrine into town.
When a ragtag group of villains attacks the town, Izuku rushes in to help. In another world, he'd fight the villains off alone, but be vilified for his actions, and fall in with a rough crowd as he fled the town that once welcomed him. However, in this world, a hero was just a little faster to respond, and something tells the Dragon Heroine and her energetic intern that he's not as bad as the Hero Commission would have them believe... perhaps he can be a hero...
Emerald Furnace - Path of Waves
is a My Hero Academia fanfiction by MosesArk_Reborn2000. For a fanfiction by the same author where Izuku becomes a villain instead, see Emerald Furnace - Path Of Storms.
Emerald Furnace - Path Of Waves contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: While Inko loved and supported Izuku in canon, here she tries to set up a slews of 'dos' and 'do nots' to prevent Izuku's Quirk from flaring up. This amounts to Quirk Suppression, which in canon, led to Himiko Toga becoming a villain. When Ryukyu asks why Inko didn't go to the government for help, she adamantly refuses to accept her methods did more harm than good.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Having a powerful Quirk many view as villainous has done little to improve Izuku's mental state.
- Adaptational Badass: Izuku's Quirk makes him a very powerful field combatant and healer, as well as give him the appearance of a volcano, snake and campfire and the ability to speak the language of serpents. Ryukyu and Nejire both see Izuku as someone who needs help, not a jail cell.
- It pays off in Chapter 11, as despite missing school for 8 months, he got 62% in his grades, but first place in the practical, with over 100 points.
- Adaptational Dumbass: Downplayed. Despite Izuku missing school for 8 months, he was still able to pass the written portion with only 2 months of studying. Nezu even admits how impressive that is for someone who was the victim of circumstances beyond his control.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Bakugou believes Izuku's Quirk makes him a future villain or a dead man, and he's eager to see that come true.
- Ascended Extra: Ryukyu, Nejire, Mirio, Tamaki and Class 1B are affected by this. For the latter, it's justified, as putting Izuku with Bakugou will go poorly.
- Feather Boa Constrictor: Izuku’s pet Quirked snake, Koharu, mostly rides around on his shoulders.
- Healing Hands: Izuku can also use his Quirk to heal people. Unfortunately, said method of healing them still involves burning them with his flames…which is often mistaken as an attack…and is still very painful for the one being healed.
- Point of Divergence: Aside from the main point of divergence from canon (Izuku has a Quirk), this story also has a point of divergence with its sister-story Path of Storms, which is that Ryukyu and Nejire respond to the villain attack that Izuku fends off, recognizing his heroic character, despite his reputation, prompting them to help him, which ultimately leads him to going to UA and joining the Hero Course.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ryukyu calls Inko out for her method of handling Izuku's Quirk, as the boy constantly is in a negative feedback loop, which makes his control over his Quirk worsen over time. Ryukyu theorizes that had Izuku not been found by her, his meltdown at the mall would've been considered tame compared to a possible 'incinerates all of Tokyo and kills millions' incident.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: While Izuku was living at the temple, the only clothing he had available was a shrine maiden’s outfit, which he grew comfortable wearing. When he gets into UA, he decides to actually base his hero costume on said outfit.
