(INO QUIRK AU!)

The wind howled across the legendary island of Berk, carrying with it flurries of snow that glittered faintly in the pale morning light. A short, freckled Viking stood ankle-deep in the frost, his thin frame shivering beneath layers of furs that did little to block the biting cold. A large dragon basket, far too big for his small stature, weighed on his back. Around him, nearly twenty young Vikings and shieldmaidens gathered, their breaths puffing in the air like tiny clouds.

Izuku Midoriya—for that was the boy’s name—shifted his weight uneasily as their teacher approached. Aizawa, the weary warrior who ran Berk’s infamous pirate–Viking training program, looked as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. His dark hair was tangled with frost, and his expression was one of perpetual exhaustion. Yet when he spoke, his voice cut through the wind like a blade.

“Okay, problem children,” Aizawa said, his tone dry and unforgiving. “We’re standing at the Cliff of Wild Dragons. Picturesque place, isn’t it?” His mouth twisted into a humorless smirk as he gazed out at the cliff’s edge, where jagged rocks jutted from beneath the snow. “In the warmer months, this place is filled with chaos—cursing, screeching, and the kind of fights only dragons could invent. Now, though, they’re all asleep, and I’d say we’re lucky for that.”

He turned back to face them, eyes narrowing. “Listen up, you miserable brats. Each of you has a basket for a dragon strapped to your back. I can’t go with you to the Dragon’s Nursery—a cave where more than five thousand dragons are sleeping off the last weeks of winter. Each of you, and I mean every single one, must return with a dragon in that basket. If you come back empty-handed, don’t bother coming back at all.”

The students shifted nervously, snow crunching beneath their boots. Izuku’s fingers trembled against the edge of his basket strap, but before he could speak, a confident voice cut through the air.

“I’ll catch myself a Monstrous Nightmare—the one with two-meter wings and retractable claws!” Katsuki’s grin was wide and feral, his crimson eyes blazing with determination. His breath came out in white bursts, and he straightened his back with the swagger of someone born to fight. Turning to glare at Izuku, he added, “We’ll be lucky if our future leader, Izuku the weakling, manages to catch even an Ordinary Brown.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes before spitting into the snow for emphasis.

Iida immediately stepped forward, hands chopping through the air in sharp, robotic movements. “Katsuki, language! You can’t talk about our future leader like that! It’s highly disrespectful, not to mention counterproductive to team morale!” His voice carried across the cliffs, almost swallowed by the wind.

Katsuki snorted. “Yeah, well, team morale won’t save you from a dragon bite, Four-Eyes.”

Before Iida could retort, Mina practically bounced on her heels, eyes sparkling with excitement. “By Odin, this is going to be amazing! I’ll definitely catch myself a cutie—maybe one with shiny pink scales!” She spun in a small circle, her scarf fluttering around her like a banner.

Ochako laughed and clapped her hands together, her cheeks red from the cold. “You think we’ll actually find one small enough to fit in these baskets? They sound huge!”

Tsuyu, calm as ever despite the chill, adjusted her hood and murmured, “Ribbit. If we do, I just hope mine doesn’t try to eat me.”

The group burst into laughter, their nervous energy momentarily warming the frigid air. Izuku smiled faintly, though his heart still pounded in his chest. He gazed toward the looming cliffs, where the cave mouth of the Dragon’s Nursery gaped like a sleeping beast, dark and silent.

Somewhere inside, thousands of dragons dreamed beneath the snow—and soon, one of them would belong to him.

(Note: Shoji, Sato, and Koda do not exist in this AU because I say so. You may consider yourself Izuku’s best friend—or whatever role you prefer.)