Izuku the Symbol of Hope

Chapter 2: 18 months of training

All Might wasn't sure how this kid had managed to keep up with him enough to confront him in this back alleyway, but All Might was a little impressed. All Might wondered if maybe this kid had a speed or locator Quirk. If so, he would have to discuss Quirk usage with him. But right now, the kid seemed desperate for an answer.

"All Might Is it possible for someone like me to be a Hero? Someone without a Quirk?" The boy, who was probably 13 or 14 years old, asked. The question caught All Might off guard. It caught the man inside All Might, Toshinori Yagi, even more off guard. Maybe because it hit so close to home for him, having formerly been Quirkless himself. He thought about what answer to give the boy.

"Before I can answer that question, let me ask you one, young...." he left room for the boy to respond.

"Oh, uh. It's Midoriya, sir," he replied. "Izuku Midoriya." All Might nodded.

"Very well, young Midoriya," All Might said. "Why do you want to be a Hero?" All Might wanted to make sure the boy was wanting to be a Hero for the right reason before he told him yes or no.

"I want to save people," Izuku began. "I want to help those who can't help themselves. And I want to do it with a smile on my face so that the people know that they are safe. Just like you do." The words, though simple, struck All Might to the core. His smile widened, if that was even possible, as he listened to the short, but powerful, reason that this boy wanted to be a Hero.

Could he be worthy? he thought, before dismissing the notion. He would need to see more of this boy's actions before he could offer such a hefty gift and responsibility. All Might looked to the boy though with the answer to his initial question. "With a goal as noble as that, I can't say no," he said.

All Might continued. "I will say it will be a difficult road, and you need to go forward with this with the understanding that you may not be able to. But most of those limitations rely entirely on you. Yes, trying to become a Hero without a Quirk will be hard, even near impossible. But a Quirk doesn't make a Hero. Take Pros like Eraserhead and Sir Nighteye. Yes. They have Quirks, but not ones that you would consider 'combat oriented' ones. Instead, they trained their bodies and their minds in order to succeed in the Pro world.

"And that's what you need to do. I can't tell you how to go about it. That's something you have to figure out for yourself, if you're serious about this. But. Train your body. Train your mind. Learn a fighting style that suits you. Also, try to find a way to build up your confidence. I can definitely see that it has taken a major hit over the years. I'm going to guess I'm the first person to tell you that you can be a Hero?

"No sir besides you only my parents believe that I can become a hero." he said, trying to hold back the tears. Then, for reasons unknown to even himself, Izuku poured his heart over what he had been through. The bullying, constantly being told he'd never be a Hero. How his best friend had become his worst tormentor.

The words broke All Might's heart. He couldn't believe that someone who aspired to be a Hero, to be the next number one Hero, would do something so foul to another person, just because the other person was Quirkless. And the school let him get away with it, just because of how great the kid's Quirk was. All Might lost his smile at that. This would not stand.

"I am so sorry you had to endure that most of your life, young man," All Might said when Izuku finished. "Have you considered talking to your parents about moving to another school? Surely they wouldn't let this continue." Izuku bowed his head, not sure how to approach the subject.

"We can't afford it," Izuku finally said. "My father is working over seas to support the family and I just don't want to cause anymore trouble for them." All Might sighed deeply at his words. Sacrificing the well being of one's self, so that no one else was 'inconvenienced'. He'd seen it a time or two, just never with these circumstances.