Hey pups, I wanted to publish this for a while, my normal beta reader never got around to this, since I've started updating weekly I've been doing a lot of writing but uh I'm really busy the next, well few weeks so I decided "hey I'll just have another person I know look at it, give it the few tweaks I can't see and it'll be fine. Boy was I wrong, this took more effort editing over today and yesterday than I thought. Oh well, it's out now and i hope you enjoy it
GOW
Endeavor was running down the streets of Mufastu. He was not very happy with the progression of the day. Today was supposed to be his day off. It was supposed to be a day of training and bonding with his son. Did he get his day off from work?
Nope. Endeavor was on the streets of Mufastu chasing down a lowlife villain because all the trashy heroes that were in the area of his private training gym needed a bigger hero to capture him. Not that Endeavor was going to argue as he firmly believed that any and all villains that would dare operate in the same city as such a Pro Hero as himself needed to be stomped out.
The sooner the better, in his superior opinion.
His route took him into a back alley where the flame hero managed to see a child, his most powerful son's age if he had to guess, wearing a slightly damaged school uniform with tear tracks down his cheeks.
"Hey, half-pint, you see a villain run through here?" The flame hero asked. The boy jumped as the outside world interrupted whatever internal monologue he was caught in.
"Y-you're the flame hero, Endeavor!" He squeaked.
Endeavor took a deep breath. If he had to have another meeting with that annoyingly preppy PR rep about public image and how he should be careful about how he talks with kids, he was going to give the PR company he hired a lot of work. "Focus, half-pint! I don't have time for a meet and greet. Sludge trash of a villain? Did he run through here?"
"N-no?"
"Is that an answer or a question?" Endeavor shot back quickly.
"No!" The half-pint answered loudly. Endeavor raised an eyebrow, so there was some spark in there. Then, the half-pint almost whispered, "I didn't know there were any villains out here."
"Doesn't matter. Get off the streets, half-pint, the reports said that the trash is still roaming around somewhere."
Endeavor turned to leave when the half-pint grabbed him. "W-wait! Mister Endeavor, sir! Can you please just answer one question?"
"Half-pint," Endeavor growled. "What part of villain trash roaming streets is so hard to understand?"
Endeavor mentally winced. He could already hear the squeaky voice of that preppy PR rep drowning him in the 'must be friendlier with the public' and how he needs to 'really listen to the public about their complaints'.
How does anyone get anything done while catering that much to the public?
"W-wait! I have a question for you, sir." The green-haired child said.
"I'm busy." The hero replied, he could definitely hear the scolding that awaited him if that preppy lady ever found out about this interaction, but a villain was out there and work came before image.
"B-but I need to ask, can I become a hero even without a quirk!" The boy shouted, the question surprised the hero causing him to stop for a moment, and the boy capitalized on it. "I-I know you're the number two hero, you're strong and fearless and you keep everyone safe by defeating villains and keeping our streets clean. I was born without a quirk and…and I want to know if I can be a hero too, one who can save people with a smile and give them hope even if I was born a nobody without powers."
It took a second for the flame hero to regain his composure at such a question but once the question sunk in he began walking again, "No."
"N-no?" The boy said, the number two hero could hear the quiver in his voice, the sound of a child hanging on for dear life and hoping beyond hope that he would get the answer he desired, and knew that it would be best to rip the bandage off.
"Without a quirk? You'd be killed by villains and die without helping anyone, a distraction in the field," Endeavor said, he never stopped walking forward. "The smart thing to do would be to abandon your idea unless you want to get yourself and everyone who'd depend on you killed."
The boy didn't respond to him and the flame hero didn't stay to see his reaction. There was a villain out there and he didn't have time to waste.
GOW
Izuku finally finished crying, not for lack of sorrow on his part but from a lack of tears remaining in his body. His running slowed and he began walking again aimlessly through the streets while an empty numbness settled over his body. A loud crash and explosion from nearby caught his attention, and before he knew what he was doing the green-haired boy ran towards it.
The quirkless boy ran towards the smoke and crowd, weaving through the bodies until he arrived at the small line of bodies made by officers and local heroes. Turning his gaze he could see a villain whose body was made of some dark green gelatinous substance surrounded by a crater and small fires.
"None of you come close or the kid gets it!" The villain screeched. Izuku felt his heart sink at that, there was a hostage? His mind quickly studied the Pros standing on the sidelines. The heroes present did not have any good quirk matchups for the situation at hand, but adding a hostage into the mix just made things worse.
"Damn you!" A familiar voice called, Izuku whipped his head up to focus on the villain. In its midsection was the pushing of a body with spikey blonde hair. His face was barely visible as he was being sucked into the monster with one last call. "Bastard!"
Izuku's body moved before he knew it.
GOW
Endeavor was not happy, his body was moving as soon as he saw the smoke in the sky but he still felt too slow, surely he should've been closer and fought the villain earlier. But he wasn't closer and he wasn't faster.
He was where he was and limited to the speed he had. And so with barely-swallowed anger his flames helped propel him to the area he saw the smoke coming from.
When he arrived on the scene the villain he was hunting was surrounded by fire, rubble, and heroes who were standing around acting useless. At least he could note a handful of heroes on crowd control and rescue, one even using his quirk to fight the flames. Focusing again on the battle his eyes narrowed on the villain, and a detail that escaped his gaze on approach.
The half-pint from earlier, self-proclaimed to be quirkless and a wannabe hero. This boy no older than his youngest son was next to the villain, ripping into its body in an attempt to free a hostage.
This would not do.
Endeavor jumped, fire shooting off of him to propel him further as he landed in front of the villain and next to the kid.
"E-Endeavor!"
"Oh shit!"
"You're done here," the Pro Hero snarled. His fist coated itself in flame and slammed into the blob in front of him. Upon contact the sludge solidified, cracking and spreading the solidification of its body as Endevor's fist went deeper and deeper causing a screech of pain from the villain.
The half-pint yanked at the arm of the hostage, freeing the victim and causing both boys to tumble away with a fit of coughing and some groans that didn't matter. Endeavor simply smiled while pulling his fist back and gave a silent thanks to the small sack of lettuce, his fist heating up as a single thought passed through his head.
'He gave me a free shot, I might as well use it'
"Flash fire fist!" The Hero bellowed, slamming the superheated fist into the villain. His fist embedded itself into the villain and cooked him. The villain's body solidified in seconds of what sounded like excruciating agony into a statue imprisoning the evildoer.
Endeavor turned around to see what needed to be done still, the flames were contained as the fire department arrived and was helping the local hero in putting them out.
"You two, stay here." The hero said to the two boys, with that being said he walked over to the burning buildings to see if anyone needed to be saved from their confines.
GOW
Izuku was still shaking.
The shock of the situation had set in after the adrenaline had settled. He could not begin to comprehend why he moved-No. He knew why he had moved. The sight of someone in danger was a horrible thing and when Kacchan was in a life-threatening situation. Izuku knew he would do it again.
Even if every single Pro Hero scolded him, lecturing him on his reckless actions, criticizing him for being so foolish and having no business nose-diving into that situation.
No matter how much it stung.
Meanwhile, the same heroes who were berating Izuku for potentially making their jobs harder, were praising Kacchan for his resilience and bravery. They were encouraging him while Izuku could feel that sting that Endeavor delivered, crushing his dreams.
The dejected green-haired boy turned to walk home. There wasn't a point to stay and Kacchan was not in danger anymore. Izuku sighed as he turned another corner. He thought to himself, 'Maybe it was time to give up.'
Izuku looked up and froze. In the middle of the empty street was the only hero who did not talk to Kacchan, Izuku, or even the other heroes after the situation was "under control". The hero who had bluntly set the first strike against Izuku's dreams of being a top Pro Hero: Endeavor.
"You ran in to save that child," Endeavor said, Izuku stood paralyzed in front of him, not sure what to do. "I couldn't say anything to you or the other boy in public, the other heroes have the luxury of not being as big a target to the media but anything and everything I say in public is taken, twisted, and gets dissected in the news media for at least a week. So I decided talking to you in private would be better."
The hero walked closer to the frozen teen, "You are quirkless, correct?"
Izuku nodded, his vocal cords failing to work.
"And, yet, you still ran forward to save that boy from a villain. Even though you knew you had no useful ability to do so?"
Another question met by a nod from the boy, "Why?"
Izuku racked his brain for a reason, anything to explain his actions that he could explain to the pro, but there was only one thing he could come up with. "I don't know? I saw him in trouble and-and my body moved before I could think. I couldn't just leave Kacchan, or anyone in trouble, so I-I just tried to help."
"You saw the others, right?" Endeavor asked. "The Pro Heroes? The adults?"
Izuku nodded.
"Half-pint, I'm going to be blunt with you. That kid would have died if you hadn't moved. All of those adults, those Pro Heroes the media just loves? They would have stood by and let him die."
Izuku felt his heart stop as the pro said those words.
"Those trashy heroes? None of them were willing to lift a finger for your friend. They calculated the situation and deemed him a lost cause. All because their quirks were a poor match to beat the villain."
Izuku gapped. Endeavor continued on, "They didn't even want to put in the work to stall when they knew that other Pros were heading towards them. Do you understand, half-pint? You were the reason why your friend walked away. They might have complained that you acted like a vigilante and talked about what they would have done had you not jumped in, but talk is all they are. Because you acted, someone who would have been dead is alive."
Endeavor studied the boy, he knew that the half-pint walked away from the scene in shock without seeing a paramedic. He did want to avoid the PR rep and their never-ending lectures, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"You said you had to help in some way. That your body moved instinctively to help."
Izuku nodded.
"Answer this, half-pint. You're so ready to throw your life away on instinct and constitution. So, what are you going to do with that life? Let's hear this answer."
Izuku felt his heart stop a second time, what did he want? The answer was so obvious it hurt, he could feel the desperation within himself, all the pain and desire of the last 14 years of his life as he said his one true wish. "I-I want to be a hero. I want to be someone who can save others with a smile and bring hope to the people."
Silence filled the empty street after the declaration.
Endeavor studied the half-pint. He could see the kid's desire and determination. He nodded, more to himself than to the half-pint, "You're not half bad, half-pint. You're going to need a lot of work. None of those weaklings know anything about that."
Endeavor paused before smirking at the kid, "But I do."
Izuku's brain sputtered for a moment and he dropped to the ground.
"It's going to be painful, half-pint. You've got the guts to go full-on into a situation with just instinct and constitution where I know real heroes would hesitate. You have a fire inside you that society hasn't put out yet despite being quirkless, half-pint. Let's see your instinct and constitution against hard work. And, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's hard work."
"D-does that mean?"
"I'mma make you a hero, kid."
GOW
Well hope you enjoyed that, we'll see how this story fares on the weekly uploads later though I do plan on updating this next week, unless something goes horribly wrong in a week where I have way too much planned already…
Oh well, as always if you enjoyed give me a fave/kudos if you want to keep reading a bookmark/follow would be nice and if you want to comment I love reading those, I also have a discord which I love seeing people in to talk about this story or any of my other ones or just talking in general. See you all next time or in the server: 5B4kC2qSG3