Hey guys, I know I've got another story written again. But this one wouldn't stop coming to mind, so I wanted to get it written down. Enjoy the story!

*I don't own My Hero Academia or RWBY!*

Dialogue Key

"I am here!" = Regular Speech

'I am here!' = Someone's Thoughts or Flashbacks

"I am here!" = Someone Yelling

Izuku Erupts with Rage

'I'm sorry, but no. You can't become a hero without a quirk.'

Those words echoed in the head of fourteen year old Izuku Midoriya as he sadly walked down the sidewalk on his way… nowhere. He really had no path or destination. He was merely letting his feet go where they wanted to as his body followed as he was stuck in a mindless trance overwhelmed with sadness and hopelessness. Though I should probably explain this in greater detail, shouldn't I?

You see, it all started when Izuku was four. About a century ago, humans started developing these odd abilities that let them perform feats of superhuman or even godly proportions. These powers soon came to be known as quirks. While some quirks are suited to things like combat, such as the ability to turn your skin into solid diamond or the ability to breathe fire, others can be used for things like espionage or capturing criminals. Abilities such as blending into one's surroundings like an octopus, or the power to turn your hair into a lasso. And then there are quirks that are absolutely useless or just downright creepy, like having a long neck or stretchy eyeballs.

...Ewww…

But with all the good of quirks also came a lot of bad. There were some who were born with these gifts, but used them to commit heinous crimes against humanity. Crimes such as mass murder, kidnappings, robbing entire cities blind thus forcing them into poverty, the list goes on. That's when those who used their powers for good stepped up to stop these evildoers and restore peace to the world.

The age of heroes and villains had begun!

Unfortunately, people began to idolize people with quirks so much that these unfortunate 20% born without quirks, or quirkless as many call them, are looked down upon and more often than not treated as lower than the worms in the dirt. Heck, they're treated lower than someone's stool. And unfortunately, I'm not referring to a type of chair.

...Yeah.

It's THAT bad.

It's so bad, in fact, that doctors treat not having a quirk as a medical condition. Or even a disease. A blight that ruins the pristine beauty of their quirk filled world.

And when Izuku was finally "diagnosed" as quirkless when he was four, his whole life went completely downhill. His mother just hugged him and kept on apologizing as she somehow got it into her mind that Izuku being quirkless was somehow HER fault. And his former childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou, turned from being his best friend into his biggest bully. Especially when Izuku stood up to him when they were five and he was using his quirk to bully a kid with a wing based quirk.

Ever since then, the poor lad's life has been a literal hell on earth. Katsuki uses him as a living punching bag for his quirk just because he can and nobody ever does anything to stop it, only ever stopping to stroke his already enormous ego, his mother doesn't support his dream of being a hero as she likely gave up on him a long time ago, and the worst part was when he met his idol in person for the first time in his life.

That's right, I'm talking about the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace himself: All Might.

It all started after a particularly bad encounter with Bakugou soon after school had let out. Izuku was walking home alone, head down as his long suppressed feelings of anger and depression began to bubble and brew the longer he thought about what happened, and he was suddenly cornered by a villain! Now, this villain had a particularly nasty quirk that he had full intent of using. It allowed him to turn his body into a form of parasitic slime. And by doing so, the villain could enter another person's body and essentially use them as a living disguise to commit all sorts of heinous crimes. And he'd chosen Izuku as his next target.

Fortunately for Izuku, help arrived just in the nick of time.

He doesn't remember much of what happened during the confrontation due to the fact that he was more focused on staying alive, and that he blacked out just as All Might got there, but he does remember waking up to see All Might with the defeated slime villain trapped inside of an empty two liter soda bottle made of glass. Now, being the obvious herotaku that he is, Izuku had almost blacked out again soon after seeing his childhood idol. But he pulled himself together long enough to try and ask him a very important question. Oh sure, All Might tried to leave like he always does after a criminal is defeated, unless he's swarmed by those vultures known as news reporters, but if there's one thing about Izuku that one should know, it's this…

He's as stubborn as a mule!

Maybe more so!

He clung to All Might's leg as the hero leapt out of the area, desperate to ask him a very important question, but when they landed away from the area where the slime villain's attack took place, Izuku was in for the shock of his life when he witnessed All Might cough up blood and deflate in a cloud of steam before revealing his true form.

A scrawny, malnourished twig of a man named Toshinori Yagi.

Seeing that this young lad had inadvertently discovered his secret, Toshinori went on to explain how his quirk allowed him to take on that big, muscular form that is his All Might persona, but also went on to explain why he coughed up blood and deflated back into a twig in the first place. As it turns out, in his early days as a hero, Toshinori had fought this rather nasty piece of work who had a very powerful quirk. In the end he defeated this villain, but not without suffering a serious injury.

He showed Izuku a scar that covers most of his upper body and explained how he almost died after that battle, and is only alive thanks to a hero known as Recovery Girl, who works as a nurse. But the damage was too great even for her quirk to totally heal. The attack had damaged many of his organs and destroyed most of his stomach, which is why Toshinori is so malnourished in the first place. This damage also makes it so he can't use his quirk for longer than three hours before he's forced to rest and recharge. It even hinders his ability to fight at his full potential.

What would have taken at least five hits in his hayday now would take about three hundred mighty blows, according to Toshinori.

Needless to say, Izuku felt bad for the man. But he still had to know one thing. So he spoke to Toshinori about his predicament being quirkless, and how he wants to be a hero despite this. So he asked him the all important question…

Can somebody who's quirkless become a hero?

But the answer All Might gave was not one that he had been hoping for. He told him how Izuku couldn't become a Pro Hero without a quirk, and that he should find a more realistic profession.

Poor Izuku was absolutely crushed.

His idol, his hero… had just told him to give up on being a hero.

But, as bad as that was, it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to what he'd do later that same day. You see, that's part of the reason why Izuku is so emotionally drained right now.

It all started when he learned that, in the commotion between himself and All Might…

The slime villain escaped!

Neither of them know when or how it happened, but the glass bottle containing the slime villain had broken and allowed him to make a quick getaway. It was only thanks to Izuku hearing the unforgettable sound of explosions that allowed him to find this slimy cretin. And his chosen host.

The slime villain had used his parasitic quirk to start using Bakugou as a suit, and was hulled up in an abandoned building that was being lit ablaze as Bakugou used his explosion quirk repeatedly all while cursing out the villain who was using his body like a puppet. Several heroes and even the police and fire department were there, but nobody could do anything. With the explosions going off, the police couldn't get close enough to try and immobilize Bakugou long enough for the heroes to do their thing, and the heroes claimed to not have quirks suitable to this situation.

Now, that part wasn't entirely untrue, Izuku will admit that. After all, Mt. Lady's quirk is size alteration and allows her to literally grow to the size of a mountain. Not very practical in a situation where she's literally too big to do anything. But still, Izuku couldn't help but feel outraged at these people who call themselves heroes. Isn't it a hero's job to protect those who can't protect themselves no matter the reason? Why should they limit themselves to situations where they can use their quirks to do things fast and easy?

That seems hypocritical and like the coward's way out to Izuku.

He knows heroes from various comic books, like Crash Nebula and the Crimson Chin, who serve and protect the people even if their powers and gadgets aren't enough to get the job done. They don't just wait on the sidelines like helpless sheep waiting for the slaughter!

Granted, those two are fictional heroes, but the point remains.

He doesn't know what compelled him to do so, but Izuku ran in and tried to save Bakugou by swinging his bag at the only exposed part of the villain: his eye. This served a purpose and stunned him long enough for Bakugou to regain a small semblance of control over his own body again, but he was anything but grateful, and merely cursed out Izuku while asking him what he was doing.

The greenette merely responded that he didn't know, and that his body just started moving on its own.

Things looked helpless for both of them as the villain regained his bearings, but shockingly… All Might appeared in his buff form and put a stop to that villain while at the same time putting out the fires caused by Bakugou's quirk. All's well that ends well, right?

Oh, but fraptious day, kaloo kalay, it gets worse. And that's where we find out just what was so emotionally draining for young Midoriya.

Flashback…

In the aftermath of the incident where that slime villain had taken over Bakugou and used his quirk to cause so much property damage while the heroes stood by and did nothing, Izuku stared blankly at the scene. While he was being reprimanded by some of the heroes and police for his actions in trying to save his former friend, calling him reckless and stupid and saying he should have left it to the heroes, Bakugou was getting his ego stroked by the others, and it was all because of one thing.

His quirk.

Izuku could feel his hands balling up into fists, felt his nails dig deep enough to break the skin and cause blood to drip down his hands. And finally, an emotion he thought he'd never truly let loose before was finally bubbling its way to the surface. An emotion known as hatred. Pure, unadulterated, unyielding hatred that boiled away at the pit of his gut like a fire boiling water in a cauldron. One of the heroes who was there, the R-Rated Heroine: Midnight, took notice of how Izuku's face was morphing from impassive to being filled with downright demonic anger. She unconsciously took a step back at that look and noted how it was directed at everyone in the area.

"Shut up!"

It was quiet, and it sounded emotionless, but it was loud enough to be heard by everyone. Even Bakugou, who had been soaking up the praise like a sponge and getting an even bigger swelled head, heard these two words. Words that he never thought he'd hear from Izuku of all people.

"Hm? Did you say something, kid?"

The question from the police officer was followed by the sound of a fist striking flesh, followed by a collective gasp from the crowd of people who witnessed the events unfold, and finished off by the sound of a body hitting the ground hard. That same police officer was lying on the ground, holding his face in pain from where Izuku had sucker punched him. The boy's expression was one of absolute murder.

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DAFT BASTARDS!" roared Izuku.

Bakugou actually looked shocked at what the green haired boy that is his longtime bullying victim and punching bag just said. Never in the time they have known each other has Izuku, or Deku, as Bakugou calls him, ever cursed for any reason. Not even to curse out the teachers who did nothing but stand by and watch when he(Bakugou) used his quirk on him(Izuku) at school. The fact that he just cursed at police officers showed the blonde bomber that the greenette was at the end of his seemingly endless well of patience. Not that he cares.

The officer sputtered for a moment at the fourteen years old's choice words, hardly believing his ears, but was quick to collect himself.

"Now, see here, kid…"

The officer was cut off by Izuku roughly grabbing a fistful of his uniform and yanking him down to eye level. It honestly scared the officer, who was obviously new to the police force, just how much pain those deep green orbs Izuku calls his eyes promised. The heroes who had been on the scene were ready to jump in at a moment's notice to break up the confrontation if things got too hectic, and since this boy is apparently quirkless, they don't want to resort to lethal force unless absolutely necessary.

Midnight herself was prepared to use her quirk to lull the boy into a deep sleep if she had to.

"No! YOU see here, officer! You and these so-called heroes," everyone visibly winced at the amount of venom used in the words 'officer' and 'heroes'. "You are all going to shut the hell up, you are going to ignore your fucking egos, and you are going to LISTEN to what I have to say! Capisce?"

The officer in question just nodded, too scared to use his voice. He helped as Izuku roughly shoved him into his fellow cops.

"I have had it up to here with all of the bullshit us quirkless people have to go through because of this quirk worshipping society we call planet Earth! Every day, those with quirks, even utterly useless quirks, are put on a pedestal like they're God's gift to humanity! People tell them that they can become great heroes, that they're the greatest thing to arise since indoor plumbing, that they are the gods of this world! Inflating their egos and stroking their pride! And meanwhile, those of us without quirks, like myself, are treated as nothing more than a curse! A fucking blight that needs to be eradicated by those who have quirks! Ergo: I helped stall that damn pile of crap long enough for All Might to stop him, and I get reprimanded for doing the right thing! While the bastitch over there," Bakugou was once again surprised at the gender neutral insult, and felt like a galactic biker guy was beaming with pride somewhere. "Is told he did a good job for using his quirk without a license and causing what is likely thousands of dollars in property damage from his explosions!"

The officers couldn't help but feel guilty as they could see the truth in the youth's words. And this wasn't the first time something of a similar nature happened. The chief himself has a three year old niece who is quirkless, and he worries about her future. Even going so far as to hope that the hero schools will begin a curriculum for quirkless students to become heroes who use brains, hard work, dedication, and technology to fight crime. Like two of his favorite comic book characters, Batman and Green Arrow.

Izuku was quick to round on the heroes, his face twisted into an almost demonic snarl.

"And YOU! You lot are no better!" snarled Izuku. "You think that just because you have a quirk it makes you a hero? Fuck, no! It's how you use your quirk that matters! And being a hero isn't about superpowers, or flashy costumes, fancy techniques, or any of that shit! It's about helping those who can't help themselves because it's the right thing to do! Regardless if your power fits the situation or not! REAL heroes wouldn't just stand on the fucking sidelines and do nothing but watch as an innocent person is turned into a living puppet by a total sociopath, REAL heroes would charge in and do everything in their power to save them! Even if it cost them their lives!"

As much as the Pro Heroes wanted to refute that statement, they just couldn't. All they could do was look away, guilt and shame marring their normally inspiring and heroic faces. As much as it was a bitter pill to swallow, and they don't like to admit it, the various vigilantes that spring up in these towns, most of whom are more often than not quirkless, really are better heroes than them. Because they do what they have to do to save those in need.

Mt. Lady remembers one vigilante that she was forced to work alongside to stop a rogue missile from killing millions of innocents. Ted was his name. He used martial arts training and technological know-how in order to fight crime, calling himself the Blue Beetle. It was a perilous mission, they couldn't abort the missile's launch sequence, but Ted apparently got an idea.

He used a grappling cable to get onto the missile's warhead, and as it launched he rewired it to detonate prematurely…

...While Blue Beetle was still on it.

They apprehended the villain who launched the missile in an effort to perform worldwide terrorist bombings, but at a terrible price. Ted made the ultimate sacrifice. And at his funeral, he was made an official Pro Hero for his bravery, despite being quirkless. Ted is an inspiration to quirkless everywhere, and was dubbed The Beacon of Hope by the quirkless community.

But it's also a reason why hero schools are so against quirkless children training to become heroes. Their work is dangerous, and not all hero stories have a happy ending. That's why hardly anybody without a quirk is accepted into the hero course, usually being placed in the support division.

All Might couldn't help but look away as he remembered Blue Beetle and his sacrifice. That was the main reason why he tried to get young Midoriya to choose a different career path earlier. But now, he sees things differently, and prays that he isn't too late.

"And last, but least… Katsuki Bakugou." Izuku said.

Bakugou inwardly winced. Izuku has always called him Kacchan as an affectionate nickname ever since they were kids. Back in simpler times when the two of them really were best friends. Before Bakugou discovered his quirk and became a bully with ample pride and an inflated ego, at least.

"Ever since you got that damn quirk of yours, you've been nothing but a total a-hole! Not only did you start using your quirk to bully kids who you deemed had quirks that were useless, you decided that I would make a prime target due to my lack of a quirk and fucking abused me for the past ten years! And yet, like the fool that I am, I held onto the hope that, maybe someday, we could be friends again despite the fact that I don't have a quirk! All of your outbursts, all of the death threats, every punch, kick, and explosion you used on me! I PUT UP WITH YOUR SHIT FOR TEN DAMN YEARS!" snapped Izuku as he yelled at the end before giving a hate filled smirk. "I know you know how my entire childhood was because of you and your gang. Who could forget the time you tied me to a stump when we were five and used me as a human target dummy so you could practice your quirk accuracy? Or maybe the time when we were ten and you decided to give me an explosion enhanced punch to the gut in order to 'show me my place in the pecking order'? Wait, I know! Earlier today, we had that little argument where you and your two flunkies beat me up using your quirks, you destroyed my quirk notebook, and then told me to kill myself by jumping off the roof of the school building to see if I'll get a quirk then!"

Naturally, Katsuki didn't like all of these things he's done in the past being shoved in his face by his favorite punching bag and his temper began to flare up. As proven by the small explosions detonating around his clenched fists.

"Now, you listen to me, Deku, I-"

Katsuki was shocked as he was quite literally bitch slapped to the ground by the normally shy and reclusive boy.

"No, YOU listen to ME, you self-entitled little shit! I will no longer be anybody's punching bag, I will not allow you to call me by that demeaning nickname, and you will NOT come within so much as ten feet of me! Because if you do…" Izuku's face was still set in its demonic visage. "...You're gonna wish you were never born!..."

Having said his piece, Izuku promptly turned around and walked away at a brisk pace. Nobody tried to stop him. Everyone was too shocked to try. But what they did truly realize was that because of the actions and inactions in regards to the quirkless, they almost totally extinguished what might have been the most brilliant light to ever shine in their community.

And they have no one to blame but themselves.

End Flashback…

And so, here he is. Just walking along with no path or destination in mind, mentally and emotionally spent after venting the surface of some ten years of depression, anger, and sadness that was caused by the very people that he once considered a friend and his idols. All Might's dismissal of his dream to be a hero was merely the icing on the cake for all of his depression. But it was that incident with the escaped slime villain that was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back.

Izuku sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night and ran a hand through his hair. After that outburst of his, there's no way he'll ever be able to look at any hero, or even Katsuki, in the eye. Not without feeling guilty about all the things he said to them and even the police. Even if he meant every word he said back there.

He needed a place to rest before going home, and he needed a soda to calm his nerves. One of them he knew where to find. But as he started walking past an alley, he heard a sound that was all too familiar to him.

The sound of someone crying in pure, unyielding sorrow.

Naturally, Izuku's fight or flight instincts thought up of multiple scenarios of what could happen if he goes to investigate the sound. On one hand it could be a villain with a mimicry quirk, imitating the sound of someone crying in order to lure in potential victims. Maybe it's a deranged serial killer who's cornered their next target. But the negative ones were overwritten by the possibility that it could be somebody who is genuinely in need of help. And even though he was still in a sour mood about what happened over the course of his life, and especially today, he just can't ignore someone in need.

So, against his better judgement, he took out a flashlight from his school bag, lit it, and began to venture down the alley and follow the noise.

He carefully stepped over shards of broken glass and rusted nails, all while expertly maneuvering past splintery wooden boards that nobody bothered to properly dispose of. He'll have to submit a complaint to the recycling center about this littering problem that the city seems to have. It took him a few minutes, but Izuku finally managed to find the source of the crying at the end of the alley, which was apparently a dead-end.

Thankfully, it wasn't a villain or a serial killer. Instead, it was a group of three girls, all his age, huddled behind a dumpster with various injuries that he could see.

The first of the trio is a short girl of slender yet curvy figure. She is fair-skinned with a perpetual blush on her cheeks. Her eyes are large and round, their irises a warm brown, with rather thick upper eyelashes, two longer and more prominent ones protruding outwards on either side and fewer but more individually pronounced lower eyelashes. Shoulder-length and about the same color as her eyes, her hair is bobbed and curved inwards at the ends, two longer clumps taking the same shape on either side of her face, and short bangs that reach roughly a quarter of the way down her forehead. She was cradling her right arm with her left, as it appeared to be broken and bleeding.

Next is a girl of medium height, possibly set a little more broadly than some of the other girls her age, with healthy thighs. Due to what must be her Quirk, her skin is a light shade of pink, and she has rather square eyes, with black sclera and light yellow irises, and notably long eyelashes below and around the sides. Her face is framed by short hair, fluffy and unruly, which is a pleasant pink color, slightly darker than that of her skin. She has two thin, pale yellow horns protruding from her head, hooked squarely and leaning diagonally to opposite sides, which are seen to be slightly flexible, able to bend a little to each side. Her injuries seemed the least severe. Mostly cuts, scrapes, and bruises. But it's likely that there may be some fractures caused by blunt force trauma.

Lastly is a fairly tall teenage girl with a rather mature physique, considering her age. She has long black hair that appears to be tied into a spiky ponytail with a large strand hanging on the right side of her face and onyx eyes that point slightly inwards, which seems to resemble a cat. Her skin is a light shade, but not so light that she appears sickly. She had blood running down her temple, and her leg was bent at an awkward angle.

"Oh, good Lord!..." gasped Izuku. "Hey! Excuse me! Do you three need help?"

The three looked up and locked eyes with the greenette, obviously surprised that anybody would be offering them help. But Izuku had no time to ponder why. Nor did he have time to wait for a yes or no. He quickly took off his school jacket and began to rip it into strips to form makeshift bandages and took some pieces of wood that were mostly intact and began to make splints for the two girls who had broken limbs.

They both hissed in pain from the procedure, but otherwise didn't cry anymore than they had to. It was a painful and arduous process, but Izuku managed to get the splints made with relative ease. What can he say? Taking care of the wounds Katsuki always inflicted on him with his quirk gave him plenty of practice.

"Thanks for that, whoever you are." said the brown haired girl. "I'm Ochaco, and I'm very grateful to you for providing my friends and I with medical help."

"It's not like anyone else would." said the pink skinned girl as she looked away. "Everyone treats me like a freak because of the way my quirk makes me look. True, it gives me some useful powers, but everyone thinks I'm a freak because of my otherworldly appearance. Usually it's just name-calling, glares, and sometimes being overcharged at stores which I can easily ignore and just go to places that don't discriminate. But today was worse because of an attack on the three of us."

Izuku was surprised by that. He's never heard of anyone with a quirk being treated in such a negative way unless they were villains and had attacked and even killed innocent people.

"Mina is right. I'm Momo, and Ochaco and I haven't had it any easier recently. You see, just a few months ago we were attacked, and our quirks were stolen." Momo explained with her eyes narrowed in resentment for what happened.

"Stolen?" Izuku asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"By a new villain calling himself 'Assimilator'." Ochaco said darkly. "He tracks anyone who has a powerful quirk and observes what they can do from a distance. His presence is always cloaked by a form of masking technology, which acts like a disguise so no one knows he's there."

"Is it technology that he uses to steal quirks?" Izuku asked.

"Believe me, I wish that were the case, but it's not." Ochaco said. "He uses a powerful quirk known as 'Take but not Give' in order to do this. So long as he makes skin on skin contact with someone, like if he punched you in the face or slapped you, his quirk lets him totally absorb the quirk of another. And once he has it, he can use it for himself."

"Ochaco used to have a quirk that let her manipulate gravity. By touching her fingertips on something or someone, she could manipulate the gravitational force around them to make them levitate, or quickly bring them down like a meteor shower. Momo's quirk is one that she called 'Creation'. It allowed her to convert the fat in her body into objects such as weapons, capture equipment, even precious metals so long as she knows the composition. The more she ate, the more her quirk could create." Mina explained.

"Ever since we had our quirks stolen, our lives went downhill real fast. Momo's family disowned her, my parents fell on hard times so I left to ease the burden, and Mina is treated like a leper because of her own quirk! Add to the fact that the three of us were attacked by a drunken mob after a villain attack today, life's just been hell for us!" Ochaco exclaimed as tears began falling from her eyes again. "YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE TREATED LIKE YOU HAVE THE PLAGUE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL!"

The three girls fully expected Izuku to just leave them to fend for themselves after that outburst, but they just heard him sigh instead. They looked up and saw him looking away, depression clear in his eyes.

"Yes I do. That's every day of my life." he said.

"It is…?" Ochaco asked, feeling guilty about her words now.

"Wait a second… there's only one way you could possibly know our pain like you say you do…" Mina said as realization hit her like a giant bird landing on her face.

Okay, that's… oddly specific.

Momo and Ochaco soon came to the same conclusion as their pink-skinned friend, looking at Izuku with realization as he sighed and sat against the opposite wall.

"My name is Izuku Midoriya… and I am quirkless."

***To Be Continued…***

And so, that wraps up this chapter of the story! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see some reviews from everyone telling me what you guys thought of the chapter and how I can improve the next one. For now, though, I bid you all farewell until next chapter! Adios, amigos!