Izuku slowly walked along the sidewalk, staring at the ground in frustration. Kacchan had told him to kill himself- that idiot! Didn't he realize how much trouble he'd get in if he actually. . . He shook his head. Kacchan was content to leave him be most days, but when he did get mad, he could be seriously ruthless.

Izuku looked over, and found his banged up notebook floating in the pool, being nibbled on by fish. "That's not food. Idiots." He reached in and grabbed his notebook, grimly looking it over.

It wasn't as though Bakugou was the only source of Izuku's problems. His classmates would mock his dreams, when they weren't pretending there wasn't such thing as a Midoriya Izuku, his teachers didn't care about him, and his mom. . . Not even she supported his dreams. He fell into his thoughts, letting unpleasant memories flood his mind.

As he reached an overhang, Izuku shook himself out of his stupor. It was still worth a try, right? Yeah. Even if everyone else was against him, if he just kept his head up, surely he'd make it eventually! He clenched his fist, and walked forward, laughing in an imitation of All Might.

"Well whaddya know? A medium-size skinsuit!"

Izuku froze, and slowly turned around. A large, slimy monster creeped through a manhole behind him, chuckling with a massive grin on its face. A villain!? Izuku started to run away, but the sludge monster easily overtook him and started to force itself down his throat.

The sludge villain spoke as he struggled against it. "Don't worry kid. I'm only gonna hijack your body long enough to get out of town. Seriously, what are the chances of both of those big men making a visit here today?" Izuku tried to grab onto his attacker, only for his slimy form to just slip through his fingers. "Hah! Don't bother resisting, I'm fluid! Really, all you're doing is making this more painful for yourself. There really isn't much room in you. . . Eh, doesn't matter. It'll only be another twenty seconds 'till you never feel pain again."

Izuku's mind raced as panic and oxygen deprivation set in. I can't breathe! My arms are getting weak. I'm gonna die! Am I dying? Somebody help! I'm gonna die! Anyone, please! Anyone. . .

Izuku's eyes sluggishly started to close as he heard a familiar voice from the other side of the alleyway. "Flashfire Fist: Jet Burn!" A torrent of heat rushed past Izuku, and the sludge around him vaporized in an instant. Huh? I'm. . . breathing? Is that. . . En. . . dea. . .

He didn't get to finish his thought before he passed out.


Izuku felt a pain in his head as he opened his eyes. What. . . what happened? He sat up and rubbed his head, wincing at the light. Right, that villain attacked me, and I almost suffocated, but then Endeavour showed up and-

Wait.

Endeavour!?

Izuku jumped up and looked around hurriedly. I just got saved by the number two hero! I need to thank him- His eyes hitched on the man himself, scowling as he threw the last pieces of the sludge villain into a small garbage bag.

"Ahhh! Endeavour! The number two hero!" Endeavour turned his head towards him, clearly annoyed. "Thank you so much for saving me! You've always been super cool- You're the only hero other than All Might to never fail to capture a villain, you've solved the most cases in history- Ah, I remember your fight against the atomic villain, you were so cool there and EEEEEEE-" Izuku took a break to catch a breath, and noticed Endeavour was walking away. He had to ask fast!

Izuku grabbed his notebook off the ground and hopefully asked, "Can I have an autograph?"
Endeavour didn't even slow down. "No."

Yeah, Izuku kinda expected that. Endeavour wasn't exactly known for fanservice, or personability for that matter, so it wasn't like poor quirkless Deku was worth his time. Izuku stuffed his notebook in his backpack. Wait. His question!

"Endeavour, wait! I need to ask you something!"

Endeavour's annoyance was reaching new heights. He yelled through gritted teeth, "What is it?! You're wasting my time."

Izuku took a deep breath. Now or never! He yelled out, "Can somebody without a quirk be a hero?"

Endeavour stopped in his tracks. "What?"

Izuku continued, "I don't have a quirk, so everyone makes fun of me. Nobody thinks I can do it, but. . . I don't know why, but I feel like saving people is the coolest thing you can do. I want to be a hero who can save anybody with a smile, be a great hero like you or All-"

Endeavour cut him off. "How dare you!"

Izuku stepped back in shock. "Eh?" Izuku wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't this!

Endeavour continued, "Do you have any idea how much you insult me? I have spent my whole life working to catch up to that oaf, and you seriously think that a quirkless fool like you can be a great hero without training a day in your life!? You spit on my efforts. Get out of my sight!"

Izuku let out a quick "Eep!" and ran away. Endeavour was right, who was he to think he could be a hero? Yeah, right. He was just mocking those who'd actually tried. Maybe that was why Kacchan hated him so much? He felt down his skinny arms. Yeah, nobody was ever going to be saved by these. Izuku mirthlessly chucked. I guess it's time to stop dreaming, and. . . figure out what I should really be doing with my life. He thought of all the people trying to tell him the truth throughout his life.

"It ain't gonna happen, kid."

"He's so lame. Even as a third year, he still can't face reality."

"If you wanna be a hero so bad, there's actually a really good way. Just pray for a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof!"

"You seriously think that a quirkless fool like you can be a great hero without training a day in your life!? You spit on my efforts."

Wait. Endeavour. . . never actually said no, did he?

Izuku stepped back and thought about it. 'Spent my whole life.' 'Training a day in your life.' 'Spit on my efforts.' The focus of Endeavour's rant wasn't on his quirklessness, but his effort, which would mean-

Izuku facepalmed, laughing at himself. Man, he was such an idiot! He brought his arm down, noting the lack of muscles on it. What was he thinking? Of course he couldn't be a hero, not while he acted like that! Nobody became a hero by sitting there and daydreaming!

Izuku stepped forward with new life. He couldn't just rely on his wits to be a hero. He was starting from the bottom, he had to push himself in all aspects. If he had no power from quirks, he'd just have to make his own! From today on, I'll truly put in all my effort to be a hero!