Izuku stared at the man in front of him, his sheer presence sending shivers down his spine. Stendhal. He could consider himself a hero fan, to say the least, and the imposing figure standing there, looking at him, judging him, was definitely not a hero.

The way he brutally and silently defeated his attackers spoke of strength but also raw anger, he was efficient, and didn't waste a single movement. Izuku could tell he was highly intelligent as well. and he made easy work of his enemies. The main question was: Why did he help Izuku? Could he want to exhort a favor out of him? And how did he obtain such precision? Who trained him? Where did he get the sword? Did he-

"Oi kid".

Izuku snapped out of his train of thoughts and stared at the origin of that gruff and raw voice. Stendhal was looking at him and despite not a having a mask, he could feel some level of annoyance,

"I asked you a question, it seems like you were lost in your world" said Stendhal with impatience and a bit of sarcasm.

"O-Oh, sorry sir, I-i was distracted" replied Izuku, managing to stutter just a bit.

If Stendhal didn't have a mask, Izuku would have seen a leer on his face.

"Obviously".

Izuku flinched at the tone, reminded of years of scorn by people he knew, it seems the man had little patience, he would have to think before he spoke. "R-Right, so what was the q-question?".

Stendhal remained silent for a few seconds, which seemed like minutes, then he answered: "I asked you why you are out in the middle of the night fighting people".

Izuku was of course prepared for such a question, and he brilliantly replied:" O-Oh you know, i-i was j-just taking a walk, and b-bumped into them", of course he mentally slapped himself "A walk?! Seriously?! What next, jogging?".

Stendhal seemed amused by the answer, but Izuku couldn't really tell.

"Really? Awfully late, and tell me, were you helping grannies crossing the road too?"

"Yeah, not really the best excuse in the world" thought Izuku embarrassed by the situation. " Ok ok i will t-tell you, i was in one of the alleys, and i heard some type o-of commotion, next thing you know i'm here with those guys beating me up, until you showed up" answered truthfully Izuku who begun to feel the pain from the beating:"How could i just notice now i will never know".

The stoic man remained, again, silent, pondering. " And after you arrived here you saw two thugs harming someone, and decided, in your infinite wisdom, to stop them, and being built like a twig didn't deter you from this mission. I'll be frank kid, that was stupid, honorable, but stupid, know why? Because you could have died, not that I particularly care, but in the battlefield you have to make hard and calculative decisions, but to do those things you need the right tools, but as you are right now, you are useless". His voice became more rough the more he talked, hitting all of Izuku's nerves and weak points.

Useless.

How many times has he heard that word? Useless. How many people deemed him because he was born with an extra bone, a bone of all things. Useless. How he hated that word, he hated the scorn and the sound of laughter right after someone said it. How much he hated that fucking word. How much he hates the world. Izuku, unconsciously, began gritting his teeth, a small sound of creaking could be heard, he began clenching his hands into fists, which became white, his emerald eyes began to turn a hideous toxic green.

"What? Did I touch a nerve? Angry? Well, truth hurts kid, life isn't fair, it's best that you learn that. Now go home, hug mommy, maybe she will calm you down " said Stendhal, turning from that pathetic sight. He didn't have the time to make the first step, he quickly whipped around and caught the punch aimed at him.

He stared right at Izuku, who was glaring at him with hate and anger.

"Oh Oh what's this? The brat is feeling angry" taunted Stendhal, easily holding Izuku with his strength.

"Shut up" managed to utter Izuku, still gritting his teeth in rage and pain.

"Make me" challenged Stendhal.

Izuku yelled and tried to punch Stendhal with his left hand, but the man brushed it away.

"Is this the best you can do?" droned out Stendhal before snapping the arm he was holding, Izuku felt excruciating pain but before he could shout, a fist met his stomach leaving him out of air.

"Really, what could you possibly accomplish against me? I am far superior to you. You are proving my point, throwing yourself at danger, you have to analyze the situation, figure when and if to retreat or engage in combat. Why would you attack me, pride? Got mad at being called useless? Finding an easy way to meet the creator? It that it? Are you suicidal? Answer me boy."

Izuku at this point was crying, feeling utterly humiliated and stupid. Why did he attack the man? He knew he was stronger, faster and more experienced. Why? Why did he?

"Because it's true. I am weak, I am useless, but I felt angry, another person reminding me of that fact. I don't have a mother to rely on, I am alone, I attacked those guys because they were trying to hurt someone, I will not have another person in pain like me, because some people feel joy causing pain and suffering. As long as I breathe, I will help anyone who needs it. Because that is what i want to be, a real Hero" said Izuku despite feeling extreme pain at the moment, but he couldn't help himself, he needed to express what he truly felt, even to a random stranger.

Stendhal stood before him, silently, a minute or two passed before he spoke.

"I guess true aspiring heroes still exist in this era filled with fakes, but conviction alone won't help you. We will begin tomorrow."

Izuku blinked, blackness started to envelop him and in confusion he uttered:"Tomorrow?", the final word he spoke before succumbing to darkness.

Still, Stendhal replied nonetheless:"Yes, tomorrow hell truly begins for you".

Author Note

I am incredibly sorry that I haven't posted in quite some time. Truth is, I am a lazy ass. Every time I got off from work, or even on days off, I didn't find the drive to write. I will not make promises, I won't guarantee you constant updates but I will try to write more often. Hope you still like it, Goodbye.