Not all men were created equal.

"K-Kacchan...if y-you don't stay away from him...I'll…" the young boy swallowed drily as his knees both shook and wobbled nervously as he did his best to dig after any conviction he could still muster "I'll stop you myself…!"

Sometimes when you look at the cards you were dealt, it all seems unfair. It seems you were set up to lose from the start.

"Please Deku, when are you gonna learn that a quirkless wimp like you can't stand up to us." the blond, spiky-haired kid would laugh along with his friends as they walked away from the battered and bruised boy who tried to pick himself up from the ground.

Everyone hits a spot like that, a place with no ways out, no plays to make, no bluffs, no luck.

The teen sighed as he dealt with another sleepless night, rubbing his tired, but in a way, still restless eyes as he continued scribbling away at his Hero Notebook, the third one in the series. This page was always hard. Picturing himself as a hero, he tried to always do that at the end of each notebook, as a way to look back on the knowledge and see how much he had learned and improved along the way...and he always got stuck on it.

A spot that makes you wonder the point of the game, why play a rigged match after all? Why not just fold? Give the chips in, walk away, flip the table, what's the point?

He rested his back against his chair as he covered his eyes with his thumb and index finger, trying to fight the flood for the first few moments before losing the battle as a pair of glistening drops flowed down along his flushed cheeks as he choked on a quiet sob. Even in his storm of emotions, all he could think of right now is being quiet, keeping to himself...mom shouldn't have to see this.

But a hero always smiled, even with a bad hand, even with no ways out of the corner, they keep smiling brightly, their grin shining brightly like a shield that never lets anything pass. It all just gets knocked off!

That's how Izuku chose to live. Even if sometimes he broke. Even if he sometimes felt hopeless, he found strength in smiles. Sometimes he felt silly and childish for it, but it worked.

So day by day he went, smiling his smile, even if his face was bruised, even if he was tired, even if his lips quivered, he smiled proudly and strongly just like All Might always did.

And to be honest, that smile seemed to be annoying one Katsuki Bakugou right now as he pinned the green haired twelve years old against the wall with a huff.

"Why do you keep getting in my way Deku?!" he growled threateningly as a few loud flashes popped brightly from his free hand, which he made sure to keep close to the boy's face "I'm getting sick and tired of you and that dumb smile on your face!"

For Izuku it was just instinctive, he was shaking, every bit of him was trembling, but even as he felt his tears building behind his eyelids, his lips were still glued in an awkward, upwards curve as his leftmost eyes instinctively closed to shield itself from the flashes being emitted from Bakugou's palm "B-Because…!" Midoriya swallowed as he struggled slightly against the stronger teen's grip around his collar "Y-You can't keep….b-bullying people, Kachan...I can't let you…"

Bakugou only became angrier at the statement "Who says so? You? You're just a quirkless wimp who can't do anything about it!" he would spit out with an enraged hiss as he emitted a louder blast from his palm, earning another whimper from the boy he was currently tormenting "Yet you keep getting in my way...you keep holding that stupid smile!"

"A-A hero…always smiles...no matter how bad things look!" Izuku would answer, and to the blond's annoyance, his eyes would focus with a gaze drenched in conviction as he exclaimed his life's mantra.

The explosive maniac growled for a few seconds, clenching his blast ridden hand into a fist before swinging it down against the green haired boy's face, sending him skidding a few steps before tumbling down to the ground clutching his bruise.

"Still saying that nonsense about being a hero and All Might...what gives you the right?!" Katsuki shouted in unrestrained anger as the loud clank of metal from his foot colliding with a nearby trash can echoed out through the alley. "You're quirkless! You think writing down those stupid books all day is gonna change anything?! You act like a way to be a hero is just gonna drop from the sky! Get real, Deku!"

Midorya's smile seemed to finally waver as his childhood 'friend's' words cut through his tenacity like a drill slowly sinking into the layer of the previously sturdy rock formation. His lips quivered as he looked up at Bakugo, meeting the hateful sneer he threw over his shoulder towards him as he felt his own gaze weaken against the pressure of the tears he was holding back.

"What kind of hero just stands around crying all day like it's gonna change anything?! Do yourself a favor and give up already, go try to sell those stupid books to kids since writing those is all you're willing to do!"

That was the last Izuku could hear as Katsuki walked away, proceeding to wherever he was going as Deku was left to slowly steady his breathing and pick himself off the ground and pat the dust off his uniform with a defeated sigh.

This was always the same, Kacchan always gave him a hard time so…why did it seem like this time it stung even harder than usual? Why did it give him this cold, anxious sensation deep in his gut that left him breathless?

Izuku tried to swallow down the sensation as he went on his way home, not to be late for dinner or else his mother would worry...but still, even if Katsuki was always mean and always said hateful things...this time...was he right?

He wasn't kind with his words, that was a given, but…

"In a way, he has a point doesn't he…?" Deku's thoughts would echo out, clashing against the fibers of his mindscape as the rush of thoughts made him jitter as he walked along on his way home almost on autopilot by now "I'm quirkless...I'm never gonna get anywhere just by writing notes down...if this is really my dream I should be doing more...I should be working harder…"

The green haired nerd would throw his head back and lay his eyes on the sheath of blue that was dotted with the milky white of the fluffy clouds above as his lungs expelled out a heavy, long sigh "Ugh...I'm pathetic…"

And there he was, finding himself stuck to the ball and chain that kept him grounded in the surface level of his melancholy. It wasn't his fault, not entirely, no one can just jump at it and get going, despite what all the motivational quotes say, but still, for someone like Midorya, it was difficult not to blame himself.

And with how stuck he had become, trekking knee deep in the thick slosh of his lack of confidence, he failed to notice that his feet were perhaps taking him to a place he'd rather not be.

It was an alternate route he had taken half-consciously. It took a little bit longer than his usual way through the city, this one went more around through the outskirts, it passed by the quieter parts of the concrete jungle, he felt like he needed it, just a little more time, a few more steps on his way home to rearrange his mind, to stop being a jittering mess.

He just failed to notice how quiet it had all become, how emptier than usual it was and the general creepy vibe of the place. Right now he was a young high schooler walking alone and no one was around.

A perfect stomping ground for the evil doers scurrying in the dark...so it wasn't too surprising when Izuku was stopped on his tracks as he noticed a shadow towering over his small frame before his eyes fell down to gaze at the...thing blocking his path.

It was a tall man, covered in head to toe in a thick layer of sharp looking scales over his skin, dressed in rough and rugged looking black pants with an open vest exposing his chest and a wicked smile on his face "Kid, aren't you too wimpy to be walking all alone in these parts?" he'd ask with a raspy, hissed voice as he stared the boy down.

"U-Uhh...o-oh..s-s-sorry sir, I uhh...I-I'll be on my way…" Izuku would immediately say out of reflex as he turned around, just trying to escape from the situation before freezing right up again as his ears were grazed by another set of raspy words.

"Oi, that ain't how it works, brat." the man's voice echoed as he cracked his knuckles, his boots thumping heavily against the ground as they took him closer to the young highschooler "Now, let's make this quick, I have the cops hot on my tail already so I'm suffering from a severe lack of patience! Give me all you have or join the club of assholes who got their bones broken!"

"Great, just what I needed…" Izuku would think as he stared at the massive man in front of him. He had to actually fight through the freezing sensation that rendered him immobile to slowly take the backpack off his back with a dry gulp.

"Just surrendering as soon as things start looking bad, what a great hero you are, Deku…" the boy would chastise himself in his own mind even adopting the offensive nickname Katsuki had assigned for him.

Somewhere not too far off…

"Can't believe they had a promotion on the eggs today, how crazy are they?" Toshinori Yagi would say to himself with a faint smile on his skeletal face as he carried a couple of grocery bags in each of his hands. He really needed some extra protein with his dwindling strength, so he got himself a big carton of eggs as soon as he spotted them that cheap.

Being the symbol of peace wasn't an easy job, in fact, it was surprising he found himself the time to stop and buy groceries, but even if he didn't like it, his time limit forced him to take some time off now.

The least he could do was try to stop chastising himself over his lack of strength and just try to enjoy whatever little things he could.

The cheap eggs.

The nice song he heard in the store.

And hey, why not take the long way around town and go for a nice walk while he was at it? Just good ol' relaxed and off-duty All Might, enjoying a nice stroll and not patrolling the streets or anything, not at all…

"T-This is a-all I have...I s-swear…" the green haired boy would gulp nervously again as he watched the gruff criminal carelessly rummage through his backpack.

"Hmph...only a few bucks...not even some dirty mags or some cigarettes." he would say with a grumble "You really are a nerd aren't you, kid?"

Midorya's eyes clenched shut as the man chastised him, taking a slow and jittery step back from the powerful visage of the older, much larger man "S-Sorry sir...can...c-can I go now…?"

"Eh, fuck it, as much as I'd like to give that punchable face of yours what it's asking for, I don't think I have th-Oof!" the criminal would suddenly say as he slumped forwards ever so slightly as something banged against the back of his head.

As the criminal turned around, Izuku stepped much further back, ready to turn and run for it, this was his opportunity! As the villain became distracted Midorya was ready to kick into high gear and make a sprint but as curiosity got the best of him and he kept his eyes in place for a few seconds too long to see just what had happened to peel the criminal's attention away, both of his sockets would widen as he slammed his foot down to hit the brakes.

Behind the man, standing a few meters down along the sidewalk was a girl, she looked about his age, with short brown hair, with a pair of tufts that reached down a bit longer than the rest.

"G-Get away from him!" she would yell, trying to sound stronger and more confident than she actually was as she used her anti-gravity powers to launch another rock at the man, though this time it would only bump uselessly against his shoulder, earning nothing but a growl from the evildoer.

"What is this? Brat season?!" the scaled brute would grumble as he began stomping his way towards the girl, seeming to ignore the rocks being thrown at him as little more than a nuisance not bigger than a fly buzzing past his face "Come here kid, I'll teach you how to respect your elders!"

Izuku should have ran.

He was just a quirkless nobody, there was nothing he could do against someone that much bigger than him, but truth be told, he couldn't control himself.

As soon as his sight met with the girl's increasingly desperate expression he just...he just went.

Fully on autopilot, he dashed towards the man, the girl needed help, that's all he knew and it was all he needed to know, she needed help. He wasn't thinking, trying to do something about it was him following his rawest instincts.

The hulk would stumble across his march towards the girl as he tripped and fell down to one knee, looking behind him to see his foot stuck inside the strap of Izuku's bag "Kid, you again?! That's it, I'm done being nice with you!" the criminal would growl, switching targets as he thrust his leg back and kicked Midorya straight in the middle of his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs as he flew back a few meters to slam against the grates of a metallic fence.

The girl would look on in horror as she watched the boy she was trying to protect get in the way of her assailer, her eyes tearing up as she saw him turn to look at her with...a smile. A pained and trembling smile as he weakly spoke out to her "Run."

She ran. Fear getting the best of her as she just wanted to get away from there, even if every step was met with the weight of shame from abandoning him in that situation.

He saved her, she was getting away, that brought a true smile to Izuku's face this time, not just a fake forced one, but one that brought with it a real happiness that he was able to at least save someone before...well, he didn't feel like whatever was about to happen would be too pleasant.

"Hey brat, what's with the smile?" the grunt would ask with a sneer on his face as he looked down at Deku, spitting on the ground beside him with a low toned growl "You looked punchable before, but now? I just wanna wipe that dumb look off your face!" he would say as he raised a fist in the air

Instinctively, Midorya would close his eyes, clenching them shut as if that would help with anything...only the punch never came, the pain never was felt.

In his confusion, he would open one eye after another, carefully and slowly before they would both widen in an instant to see the man's fist held tightly in a tan skinned palm. He felt like his eyes were as wide as they could get, but somehow they became even larger once he traced the arm up to its source.

"Attacking a child? Truly only the evilest of scum would do such a thing!"

The criminal's composure would immediately shift from one who was on top of the situation to frightened and shocked as he also traced the owner of that hand, eventually bringing his eyes to be locked in the determined blue colored gaze of the legendary All Might, dressed in casual off-duty clothing made from a simple T-shirt and cargo pants. "S-Shit…!"

The blond hero would clench the evildoer's fist tightly, bending it upwards slowly and forcefully, soon having the criminal squirming in his grasp as he turned his head to look at the little green haired teen that still rested on the hard floor of the sidewalk with a reassuring smile on his face "You are safe now, boy...because I am here!"

Izuku's heart skipped a beat...it was him, right there. Just a mere few steps away from him and his smile looked even brighter up close! He had so many things to say, so much to ask, but of course, the first thing in his mind would be…

"A-All Might, watch out!"

The villain had clenched his fist tightly, an array of spiky claw-like scales protruding out from in between his knuckles as he cocked his arm back "I'm not going back to jail!" he'd growl before bringing his fist forth in a desperate wail, only to see his target disappear before his sight as if it was never there at all.

The Symbol of Peace didn't earn his title with strength alone, he had the speed to make him into a genuine article. He ducked under the blow, having it merely graze against his pair of antenna-like tufts of golden hair as he cocked his own arm back "Let me teach you how it's done...CONNECTICUT…" he would boldly announce before thrusting his arm upwards in a powerful uppercut that met with the scaled evildoer's stomach "...SMASH!"

The villain would soon find himself above the buildings, being rocketed upwards with a blast of heavy air pressure before gravity did its thing and brought him tumbling down with a heavy crash against what would ironically be a police car, the baddie having blank and eyes that fit his currently unconscious state.

"O-Oops, I may have overdone it a little, hehe…" All Might would sheepishly scratch the back of his head for a few seconds before turning his gaze towards the young one that had to watch all of this as he extended a hand down towards him with his usual smile "Tell me, young one, are you hurt?"

Izuku had to hold his breath as he accepted the hand, squeezing it way too tight in his grasp and shaking it profusely as he bowed repeatedly before his idol "N-No! It was just a s-scratch! I'm fine sir All Might, sir!" He would breathe heavily, almost hyperventilating as he quickly fetched his bag from the ground and began digging through it in a rush for his notebook "J-Just...could you please, uhh...oh." his rush of thoughts would soon be abruptly seized as his hero gave him back his hero notebook, open on the page he had signed for the boy, almost as if he had read his mind.

"Now if that will be all, boy, I should probably explain what happened to our helpful officers over there." All Might would say after giving Izuku a thumbs up as he turned his back to the boy, ready to get on with his day and make the most out of his daily time limit.

"W-Wait…! A-All Might!" Midorya would shout, suddenly springing from his step to latch onto the hero's arm once again, which would, in turn, bring his decisive blue eyes back down towards him "I-I...umm...I had s-something I wanted to ask you!" he would blabber nearly incoherently.

"Listen, kid…" All Might would say with a sigh, already having his time limit prodding at his mind as he looked down at the boy. He didn't despise interaction with his admirers, but with his current situation, that was just something he couldn't place atop his priority list "I know you're a fan and all but, I have to get this villain sorted out and get on with my work so...just, try to make it quick, alright?"

"R-Right…"

That was it, wasn't it? His chance? He could ask his idol, the best of the best the golden question that never ceased to dominate his mind: Can he become a hero?

Then...why did the question not come out? What was he waiting for?

"Still saying that nonsense about being a hero and All Might...what gives you the right?!"

Katsuki's words echoed in his head again. That was right, what gave him the right to even wonder that?

"You think writing down those stupid books all day is gonna change anything?! You act like a way to be a hero is just gonna drop from the sky! Get real, Deku!"

Maybe he had to get real, maybe he had to accept he couldn't become a hero, not like this...

"Go try to sell those stupid books to kids since writing those is all you're willing to do!"

Not if that was all he was willing to do.

Midorya had to face it, he wasn't born like the others, but daydreaming and finding reasons to bring himself down wouldn't fix it...and honestly, neither would an inspirational quote from All Might. The way to becoming a hero wouldn't just drop from the sky like that, he had to earn it.

"How...how did you get so strong?"

"...Eh?" All Might would stammer as he raised a curious brow at the boy that looked up at him.

"I-I mean...I know you have a strong quirk and all...but you're in top shape too, so you clearly know what you're doing." Midorya would explain as he shyly brought his gaze down to his own hands as he began to play with his own fingers as he let out a sigh "I-I...I was born without a quirk...I know that means I probably won't get to be a hero, b-but I still wanted to help people...r-right now I'm weak...and I know a quirk isn't just gonna fall from the sky, but...I want to at least get strong the regular way."

The blond was puzzled in a way, his interest had been peaked...quirkless huh? Didn't this kid stand up to that brute just to protect that girl back there? And now he wants to work to better himself…

"Well...most of it is diet…" All Might would let out a sigh as he crouched down to be eye to eye with the shorter boy, chuckling softly as he noticed him immediately begin taking notes at whatever he said "Exercise is important too, but I'd say the biggest part is diet. Loads of lean protein and cut the carbs, you should research it better when you have time...for exercise...well, you should start small. Do you live nearby?"

"O-Oh, uh, y-yes sir." Izuku would answer with a soft gulp

"Then you can make it to the park nearby. Tomorrow isn't a school day, a good place to start, the earlier the better." The hero would say as he poked the boy on the shoulder "Tomorrow at five AM, ten laps around the park. You can manage that, can't you?"

"I…" Midorya would freeze for a moment. He wasn't too big on exercising and outdoor activities and all of that but...he wanted to change, didn't he? "I can manage it!"

"Good...now I really have to get going, though, so I'll be seeing you, kid." The blond would say as he rose back into a standing position, leaving an elated teen mumbling to himself "And, boy…"

Izuku's mumbling would cease immediately as he looked up at her idol with a sheepish smile "Y-Yes, sir?"

"What's your name?"

"I-Izuku Midorya, sir!" Deku would introduce himself with a teared up smile

"It was nice meeting you, young Midorya." All might would say his goodbyes as he turned on his heel and began walking towards the pair of police officers currently rattling about the villain that had just sent their vehicle out of commission "And you better show up, kid."