Chapter Text
For as much of a splash as Izuku Midoriya made in the world of heroics. And for as much as he revolutionized the world with his strength, speed and mind as a Hero. The beginning of his Heroing journey was actually fairly bland. This is the story of how this journey begun, developed and ended.
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Izuku ran along the path, angry tears spilling from his eyes as he glared blurrily at everything in his sight. His small eight year old legs carrying him further and further from his house. Eventually he stopped besides a fairly thick tree, breathing harshly as tears and sweat dripped from his body.
“You’re seriously still going on with that naïve dream? Izuku you have to grow up and realize that you can never become a Hero without a Quirk” Tatsumaki said with the bluntness of a sledgehammer.
“B-but if I work hard-!”
“Then you can say you wasted years of your life only to achieve the same results”
His anger swelled and strengthened at the memory of his older sisters words, his rage growing until it felt like it encompassed every cell and nerve in his body. Wishing, demanding, to be free. To make something else feel as bad as him, to free himself of this hot, bubbling, writhing, burning-
Izuku roared and struck the tree he had been resting against mere moments ago, feeling his small and spindly body shudder and recoil against the much larger, much stronger tree. Feeling his rage both diminish and return at the pain and result from punching the tree, he continued his actions. Beating the defenseless wood over and over again, even when he began to tear into his knuckles and fingers.
“That’s not a very good sparring partner now is it?” An elderly voice from behind Izuku spooked him, causing him to jump and whirl around.
Before him stood an elderly man, hunched over slightly with his hands behind his back. His mostly silver hair spiked straight up with just a few stubborn splotches of black still left. Across and spreading over his lips was a thick moustache much the same as his hair with only a few whiskers still their youthful black. He wore Tai Chi slippers, grey tracksuit pants and a black sweater.
“W-who are you?”
“I'm just a friendly old martial artist” The man said with a kind smile “And I can see you’re still quite angrily. How about I give you a partner a little better than a poor tree?” Izuku seemed very hesitant “Don’t worry, I won't hurt you. And I promise you won't be able to hurt me”
Izuku nodded and threw a weak punch, which the man swatted away with his hand. Getting a yelp of pain from Izuku.
“Was that all? I would have thought you could do better~”
Izuku growled and threw another punch, getting another swat which left a slight red mark on his hand. Within moments Izuku found himself trying to attack the man with all his might. Of course even with that it changed nothing, the child simply not having the speed, power or skill to even make the elderly man blink. Eventually the child tired himself out, slumping over before the old man and panting heavily with his hands on his knees to support himself. For the first time Izuku could ever remember, his body felt hot and slightly sore, his muscles throbbed and burned and sweat dripped off his forehead and clung to every inch of his skin.
“Well done, my boy~”
“I-I couldn’t….e-ev-even hit you” Izuku replied while greedily gulping air into his lungs.
“You didn’t have a chance from the beginning. But what I meant was your determination. I think I’ve seen some people twice your age quit long before you did”
“T-thank you?....” Izuku smiled weakly before lowering his head again to try and regain some energy.
The elderly man looked down at the child panting before him. His forehead scrunching up as he thought and his lips pressing together tightly within the shadow of his glorious moustache. His grey eyes staying trained on the child even as they clouded over with nostalgia and memories. Flashes of a slightly older child in the same position overlapped with the green haired boy before him.
The boy had been about ten or eleven, wearing only baggy pants as he was leant over the same as Izuku. His hair was spiky and white, shaped in a large V which drooped slightly from both gravity and sweat. As if knowing what the martial artist was thinking, both the boy in reality and the boy in his memories copied each others reactions.
Both of them slowly lifted their heads and looked up at him, smiles stretching their lips. Though this was where the man finally saw the differences, the boy in his memories had a small smile much the same as the boy in reality, but the one in his memories had his lips more upturned, his brows more furrowed and his eyes had a manic gleam to them hidden behind mountains of exhaustion.
The look of a predator.
The boy in reality on the other hand had a smile that was ‘flatter’ in comparison. His smile and brows wavy from exhaustion but his brows were raised and his eyes gleaming with something soft, something innocent.
The look of a happy child.
It was finally, looking at both of these images overlapped that his insecurities faded away. He finally realized what it was that he had done wrong. He had taken in a wolf, thinking it to be a sheep, and tried to turn it into something it was not. This boy before him on the other hand was a sheep through and through.
Pearly white teeth gleamed as he closed his eyes and smiled brightly at the boy, bending over slightly more to be closer to the child's level.
“Tell me young man. What brought you here to damage some innocent trees?” He asked, chuckling heartily at the boys embarrassed blush.
“I…..I was angry”
“Why is that?”
The child looked up at him nervously, obviously unsure of what to say, or perhaps worried about the repercussions?
“Don’t worry. I’ve experienced more than you likely ever will young man. I won't judge.” The child’s eyes flickered downwards before he took a deep breath and exhaled, one the man recognized as something to calm himself rather than get oxygen back into his system.
“I'm Quirkless” The child muttered, straightening back up and scuffing his shoe against the ground, obviously expecting some form of negative reaction.
“Well what do you know” Izuku looked up in confusion at the strange reply only for the man to unclasp one of his hands and offer it to the boy “It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow Quirkless” The boy’s eyes widened and he leaned back slightly in shock.
“You… You’re Quirkless? Like me?”
“100% guarantee” The boy shook his hand weakly in awe.
“I’ve…never met someone else like me. A-And you’re so strong” He mumbled in awe as the man pulled his hand back and held it behind his back again.
“Why thank you. It's been awhile since anyone has acknowledged that. And I'm afraid people like us aren’t too common nowadays. Especially in our region of the world. Perhaps we could go to America or Europe and meet a few, eh?~” The old man joked with a chuckle, getting a small giggle from the boy.
“S-sounds…nice”
“Indeed…say. What’s your dream? What do you want to do?” He asked, wanting to give the boy another test to try and determine his personality.
“I want to be a Hero! But…” The boy trailed off and the man raised a silver eyebrow “My family all say I shouldn’t bother…”
“Because you’re Quirkless?” The man guessed, getting a nod from the boy.
“T-they all think I'm weak! B-but I'm not! I just want to be able to save people with a smile. Like All Might!” The man smiled softly at him.
“That sounds like a wonderful dream. Say, I run a small dojo for those interested in martial arts. I’d love to see you there” The man pulled a small card out of his pocket and handed it to the child.
“Y-you…really? You want to teach me martial arts?”
“Of course~ You might learn a thing or two about yourself as well. The first three lessons are free. Have fun young man” The man turned and began to walk away.
“T-thank you sir! I’ll do my best to show up! I-I promise!”
“Get home safe” He replied with a hearty chuckle waving his hand idly while walking away.
Izuku looked down at the card in his hands and for the first time in four years he felt a warmth fill his body remembering the man's words and the offer that had been extended to him. Hope and determination filled him, and he wasn’t going to let down the only person who had ever believed in him.