How many skeletons were hiding in her closet? One, two, maybe three? Melissa didn't know or care. Because they were just that, skeletons. Hiding in a closet. Her closet.

'What do you have to hide?' is what her mother said before she died. As a Quirkless person, Melissa didn't know why she was so adamant about hiding the implications behind her genetics. She'd seen it online. She's read articles about it. Sometimes, she could still hear the sentence. Echoing throughout her mind as she continued her research.

"I hate to break it to you David, but… Melissa, she's-"

"Defective." Maybe that was the skeleton in the closet. Something that she wished no one knew but herself But then again, a secret wouldn't be a secret anymore if more than one more person knew it, would it? Part of her wished that no one but herself knew. That way, she wouldn't have to look her father in the eye every morning, secretly knowing that he disapproved of the career path that she had been following ever since entering the first grade.

Did it get easier over time? Perhaps. Lying to herself, while staring face-first at the ceiling above her, 4:30 in the afternoon about her chances of ever becoming a hero got… easier as time went on. Learning to drown out the little voice in her head that told her that she wouldn't make it had become easier too. But seeing the good in everybody? Forcing herself to believe that not everyone harbored evil in their souls… What was the point anymore?

"Midori…" She looked at her cellphone. On it was Izuku Midoriya's number. The one person who probably showed genuine kindness to her, who never really cared whether she had a Quirk or not. The first person in years. And I pushed him away.

She told herself that she wouldn't cry anymore. That she would be strong. That she would continue to wear the mask that she'd been wearing ever since childhood. And yet, she still saw little droplets of water. The only thing which held back the sobs was the fact that she felt her phone vibrating in her hands.

Mido [7:33 PM]

Hey, sorry that I left so early. I just wasn't feeling well. It must've been the bacon I ate this morning…

A text?! H-He's… talking to me. He doesn't hate my guts? Melissa felt weird. She subconsciously made an attempt to shove this person out of her life, insulted him, and called him pathetic, and he was apologizing to her? This doesn't make sense. I don't know how to respond to this without playing along…

Melissa [7:34]

alright

That was all she could manage? An 'alright?!' What about an apology? For how she treated him like literal crap? That would've been fine too… Still, at least she didn't have to feel as guilty as she did before, knowing that Izuku still considered her as a… what did she call it again? Right, acquaintances. That made her feel… happy, almost.

Almost.

Who was Izuku kidding? He wasn't dealing with this. Before his mother even had the chance, he darted towards the bathroom door and hastily took off his clothes. For a second, he looked at himself in the mirror.

No muscle mass. Noodles for arms, average-looking face… Is this someone who could really become a hero? He thought as he turned on the shower header. He made a mental note to buy some basic exercise equipment. He had been procrastinating on that too long, but who could blame him? With Kacchan and his lackeys, his school, and even exams severely influencing the amount of free time to himself, did he really have time to get shredded?

He shook his head and let the hot shower water brush against his skin, as he basked in all of its glory. Ah, but Kacchan's physique isn't anything to scoff at despite him probably having little to no free time due to studying. He's probably just as busy as me… Guess I'll have to bite the bullet eventually.

His shower was short but enjoyable. Unlike most things in his life. He had to spend hours studying just to keep up with the increasing workload of school. He always knew that the teachers held a personal vendetta against him when he started outperforming anyone in the school despite being quirkless.

He figured out from a pretty early age that the extra homework and surplus of class assignments assigned to him were… no coincidences. He knew he was smart, but what good were smarts if everyone around him were stupid, save for Kacchan? In which case, he was primarily viewed as dumb by most of his classmates.

Stepping out of the shower and into his room to dress made him realize just how much time had flown by. It was already nighttime by the time he looked out of his window. Did I really shower for that long? Crazy. He chuckled to himself.

"Finish your bath Izuku?" His mother asked as she cracked open the door. "Dinners ready."

He looked towards his right and noticed how he still had Melissa's contact info. "Y-Yeah, I feel much better now." He said while placing his towel on his computer chair. "I had a rough day."

Inko's expressions softened at him. "I don't see Schrodinger around… did you give him back to his owner?" Izuku nodded as he booted up his PC. "Alright, just wanted to make sure. Did they give you any trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. I made sure to apologize after all, just like you said I should."

"O-Oh, that takes a lot off my chest." She sighed. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

He nodded while noticing the aroma of food that led from the kitchen. He wasn't hungry, so he figured he could kill some time by watching the news on his PC. Of course, he immediately checked the news for anything heroic relevant. It took a while before he found anything juicy, but the moment that the two words 'All Might' appeared on a recent headline, he immediately clicked on the article.

"In today's news. It's been reported that All Might has finally captured and defeated the deadly Toxic Chainsaw over at Yokohama. All Might not only single-handedly beat the villain but also prevented him from causing any unnecessary damage to the surrounding area."

Izuku smiled as a scene of All Might appeared on the scene. "We somehow managed to get an exclusive interview with the Number One hero himself, although it was brief it was still awe-inspiring!"

Sheesh, and people call me an All Might fanboy. The woman in the video probably has an All Might body pillow or something. He thought to himself, as unsavory images briefly flashed across his mind. Ugh, never mind.

The scene shifted from the newscasters summary to the short interview with the blonde himself. "All Might, what were you thinking when facing a formidable opponent such as the Chainsaw?"

The pro hero only chuckled. "Well miss, it certainly was anything but fear! He stood no chance against someone like me, but that's not the important part here. The more important goal I kept in mind was to protect as many people as I could, rather than deal with the threat itself. Innocent lives are vastly more important than coming out triumphant in a fight. Especially when those lives are at stake.."

In a way, Izuku couldn't help but feel inspired by the charisma All Might demonstrated throughout the interview. The sheer aura of the man-made it feels like his ideals and dreams were worth gunning for, with his positive message even reaching his computer screen. Of course, he was dozens of kilometers away from the location of the incident itself, and the battle had long since been over, but due to it being his idol… what difference would that make?

The reporter nodded in acknowledgment. "I see, and if I may ask, why is that?"

The pro hero's face relaxed. "I didn't become the number one hero just so I could beat the snot out of villains and call it a day. I'm the No.1 because I want people to have something to look up to, something to give them hope, something to stand on. A pillar of sorts. Honestly, not valuing human lives over defeating a villain would just contradict that. The most important thing a hero must accomplish in his career is to give off a sense of hope."

The reporter smiled as she turned to face his computer screen. "That's it, folks, you heard it from the man himself. This is channel five news-" Izuku turned off the TV and just sighed. Dinner was about ready anyways, he needed some food.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the interview about All Might, as he sat at the dinner table with his mother. To him, dinner felt like a fever dream, short but sweet, as he daydreamed about his potential as a hero. That's the title I want to live up to, the best hero that ever existed. It's something Kacchan simply doesn't understand. It's one of the only things I have over him, spirit.

Of course, he'd never tell it to his face. Katsuki's ego was so inflated that any attempt he made to portray what little strengths he had were chewed up and spit back at him. Did he have something against Izuku? Izuku himself didn't know, nor could he provide a valid answer to his own pondering.

I mean sure, he took a huge bite out of his portion of katsudon and downed it with tea. Kacchan is a very irritable guy. I've realized that ever since we first met. His mind flashbacked to their many adventures out in the wilderness. Acquaintances, but not yet friends. Perhaps even equals. But all of that changed until he got his Quirk, and Izuku didn't.

Why? He asked himself, as he fiddled around with his fork in his food. Why is he always angry at me? Going at my neck? If it was simply about genetics literally everyone at Aldera would be bullied by him, and yet everyone sucks up to him as if they agree… Something's not right.

He had looked at this from several angles. From the perspective of a bully, which was of course Katsuki himself. When looking at it that way, it would seem like Katsuki was venting out his anger onto him. Which would've been plausible if everyone else besides Katsuki had a decent grasp of their Quirk. If this is about pent-up frustration, then why am I the only one being targeted? Why specifically focus on looking down on me when anyone who crosses your line of sight is vastly weaker than you?

And again, even when looking at it from a perspective different from his own; his goons, the teachers, and debatably, even his mother's, he still doesn't understand Katsuki's motives. It was funny, this was the one person who he admired more than anything else in terms of strength and willpower, and yet he couldn't understand why he treated him like literal human garbage. A smug grin crept along his face as he thought about the absurdity of his situation.

At this point, he had already finished most of his dinner. Time seemed to be nothing but an irrelevant concept to Izuku as he found himself. Wondering to himself a silly, yet strangely thought-provoking question. "Hey, mom…" Inko twisted her head to face Izuku, as she took a brief pause on her task. "This might sound like a silly question… but have you ever met a Quirkless person? Excluding me of course."

"I think so. It's hard for me to remember their faces though… it's been so long after all." Inko gazed over at the clock on the wall, as she closed her eyes. "I think I do remember the name of one guy though… His name was Toshinori. We were never particularly close, but we did occasionally find ourselves sitting down for a cup of tea, at least a few times a week." A nostalgic smile found its way onto her face. "Makes me kind of wonder where he is as of now."

"I see." He finished whatever food remained on his plate, and then proceeded to hastily wash his plate over the sink. "Hey, is it okay if I head over to a friend's house tonight?" That caught Inko completely off guard. Since when did Izuku have friends?

"To whose house? The Bakugo's?" He shook his head. Like he'd be going back to that hell hole any time soon. "A classmate's?" Truth be told, Inko was ecstatic that Izuku had managed to find a friend, someone to coincide and converse with other than herself. If he really had found someone he could depend on, then that was music to her ears. She'd be perfectly content with letting him go.

"Not quite. I, uh… the owner of that cat, she kind of-"

"It's a SHE?!" She cried out, assaulting his eardrums. "You mean to tell me my baby boy befriended a girl?" She was crying tears of joy at this point. Really, the lengths she would go to display her true emotions were astonishing… "Is she pretty? She's around your age, right? Did you…?"

God, he could practically read her mind. "N-No, no, no! I didn't ask her out, we're just friends. Honest! And even if I did ask her out, she'd probably turn me down… we barely know each other. We're acquaintances at best."

"Right…" She didn't believe him, did she? "Is she available now? I feel like we need to talk… over the phone." She wanted to do what?

"You want to do what?! B-But she's probably busy… She's super smart and everything! M-Maybe she's feeding her cat…" He exhaled softly. "I'm being honest, mom. We're just acquaintances. Nothing more than that. Maybe even friends, but that's pushing it."

"That's not the issue here Izuku. I just want to make sure that she's not… harmful to you. In the same way that Katsuki is. I'm just looking out for you, alright?" Inko sighed. "Actually, maybe we should meet her in person after school tomorrow. Does that sound better?"

"..." To Izuku, it kind of did. At least his face wouldn't blush the color of a strawberry after calling a girl right in front of his mother. Christ, that would be too much to handle. Better to confront her face to face. For some reason, that was less embarrassing for him. Wearing a mask was easier in person than over the phone for some reason. "Alright. I'll just show you the place then…"

Inko smiled in relief. "Wonderful. Now tell me," She placed a finger on her cheek. "This girl. She's pretty, right?" Izuku's face went pale in a matter of seconds.

Dear God… what did he get himself into?

Who would've thought that his own mother would've been capable of holding a conversation with him, for not one, not two, not even three, but for four hours? A conversation solely centered around his 'friendship' with Melissa, or lack thereof, feelings for her.

He could already hear the rumors spreading amongst his classmates. How the 'weakest' kid in the school had finally fallen for someone. He knew that such news reaching his school was unlikely, but he could never be too careful when his mother was friends with someone who had a son who went to the same school.

All of this was the least of his problems. It was past midnight already, and knowing his sleeping patterns, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep for at least another several hours. If he was lucky, he'd get five hours of sleep. That just wouldn't do.

So he did the only thing he could. Analysis. He sat down right next to his pillow and began writing away. Pouring blood sweat and tears into several pages of his work. If there was one thing that Kacchan couldn't put him down for, it was analysis.

Heroes, quirks, physics, you name it and he was good at it. Analyzing it on a professional level. By all accounts, his work would seem like that of a genius. Maybe he was a genius. A genius trapped in the foolish mind of a boy who dreamed of an impossible goal.

Mighty Boy, All Might Jr, Small Might, Green Might… They were all names. Failed attempts at his hero persona. Most people didn't put much thought into their hero names beyond clever uses of kanji. But Izuku? A hero's name meant something to him.

Deku… He wasn't stupid. All it took was a clever play of words and his hero name could be Dekiru. Short for, 'you can do it.' Dekiru… Hmm, doesn't really have any impact. Maybe it should be in English. He hastily rubbed his eraser over the notebook's paper and tried to force more ideas out of his head. Yeah, I got nothing. He sighed and leaned back onto his bed.

Stuff like this was supposed to be the easy part. Yeah, having a cool hero name would be awesome… if he'd be capable of lasting a very 'commendable' five seconds against a low-level street thug. And yet he couldn't even come up with a decent hero name? Who was he to call himself the 'future number one hero.' He probably wouldn't even make the top one-hundred, assuming that he'd even be capable of becoming a hero.

Stop it, don't think like that. All I need is exercising equipment and the funds needed to create… inventions! Yeah, inventions. Support items. That'll work out. But it wouldn't. And he very well-acknowledged that.

He didn't have hundreds of thousands of yen worth of money to even have the chance at affording the materials necessary to theoretically create support items potent enough to make up for his lack of a quirk. The only would be if he…

U.A. High School. Only reserved for the best of the best. The acceptance rate of the school was ludicrously low, to the point that only the smartest students in their prefecture could attend. Izuku knew he was smart, but not smart enough to the point that he had enough confidence to ace an entrance exam that would give even university students anxiety if online rumors were anything to go by.

In any case, my only option is to train, and hope for the best. I can't procrastinate any longer. He looked to his right. His first piece of All Might merchandise. A poster celebrating the 30th anniversary of All Might. 30 years, huh? Must be easy being a top hero like him. He sighed, remembering that fateful night.

He could remember the sight just like he could the back of his hand. The distraught faces witness the disaster taking place right before their very eyes. The seemingly suffocating atmosphere regarding the lives lost. Craters which were once filled with concrete, and the burning buildings. Most of all…

"Are you seeing this?! He's already saved a hundred people now! It's already been ten minutes, Wow!"

The man known declared as the mightiest man had saved a total of eighty-thousand and five hundred and two people that day. A staggering eighty and a half thousand. Being witness to such a sight first-hand, through a computer scene no less, while it was unfolding… It was the most spectacular thing a four-year-old could imagine.

That was the day that he promised, that he promised himself that he would become a hero. Someone capable of saving just as many people as All Might could, if not more. Was it impossible? Maybe, wouldn't stop him from trying. And try he would.

And so, he continued to jot down his notes. With a steeled resolve and teary eyes, he forced himself to write, to keep going. To not give up. Plus Ultra.

Suddenly, he came to terms with an all too familiar vibration in his leg. That was surprising, who would text him at this hour? It was around one-thirty in the- You can't be serious. He pursed his lips, as he looked at the caller ID.

CALLER ID

Melissa Shield

His face paled within milliseconds.

That was not a good sign.

Author's Notes

Woah! That was a fun chapter, wasn't it? For some reason, it's getting easier and easier to keep up my upload schedule. Hey, maybe someday I'll be capable of dishing out chapters worth 5k words each week? It's plausible, perhaps.

Anyways, in regards to this chapter's story; I have a lot of ideas and interactions planned for Izuku, Melissa, and yes, even Inko. As dangerous of a combination as that sounds like, these three and their relationship with each other will be tied closely to Izuku's reasoning to become a hero, for the foreseeable future. Yes, even Inko. Just you guys wait until we make it to around fifteen chapters... that'll be when this story starts to kick into high gear. Just you wait.

Anyways, that's all I'll be saying for this chapter. Until next time, see ya!