Disclaimer: The following story is a fan-based work of fiction. My Hero Academia is the creation of Kohei Horikoshi.

"Talking"

"Talking on the Phone"

'Thought'

Chapter One: The Faith Of A Child

Matsutafu Prefecture, Early-April, Friday Afternoon….

'You'll never be a Hero!'

'Just give it up already!'

'Seriously, Man? Get real.'

'You don't even have a lame Quirk!'

'That kid really needs to get his head out of the clouds.'

'WORTHLESS FUCKING DEKU!'

Over and over in his mind, the voices echoed. Telling him the same thing on repeat like a broken record. These were all of the things people had told him for his entire life. Up until about an hour ago, he never let them stop him from wanting to pursue his life-long dream. His dream of becoming a Hero. Until….

'Nothing wrong with having dreams, Kid. Just remember to keep things realistic….'

His dream was shattered…. By his idol of all people. Now he didn't know what to do. As he finally got home after what he considered the worst day of his life, he just made his way up the stairs without saying a word. He knew his mother and aunt were still working in the grocery store beneath their home and his little sister was more than likely in the store with them trying to help, so he just went straight to his room and cried himself to sleep.

Midoriya House, Later That Night….

"Izuku? Are you in there?"

He awoke to the sound of a knock on his bedroom door followed by his mother Inko's voice.

"Sweetheart? Are you alright?"

He wanted to tell her he was fine. That everything was OK. But he couldn't bring himself to move or answer her.

"Izuku? Sweetie?"

Inko worried about her son. He was a very shy and lonely boy. Given that he had just finished his first week of his last year of junior high school, she expected it to be difficult for him. But he'd always come into the store and greet her and Mitsuki when he got home, with that sweet smile she loved so much. No matter how tough things got for her boy, he always smiled for her.

But today, he just went straight to his room. He didn't even tell her he was home. She opened the door and saw him lying in bed. At first she thought he was asleep, but as she walked closer to check on him, she saw he was awake, with a very sad and tired expression on his freckled face, his cheeks stained with tried tear streaks.

"Izuku? What's the matter?"

Izuku finally turned to look at his mother and sat up. He wanted to smile for her. To say he was OK. But he just couldn't find the strength to do that.

Inko sat down next to her boy and pulled him into a motherly hug, stroking his bushy green hair softly.

"Baby, what's wrong? Please talk to me?"

Izuku sighed and returned her embrace.

"Just a rough day, Mom."

"Did Katsuki hurt you again, Sweetie? Do I need to talk to Aunt Mitsuki about it?"

"No, Mom. Just a rough day. I'd rather not talk about it."

That was all he told her, not wanting to bring up his encounter with All-Might. Thinking about it was enough to just make him want to cry again.

Inko gave her boy a light peck on the forehead. "Well, if you ever feel like telling me, I'm always here for you, Sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom." He looked up at his mother with sad eyes. "I think I'm just gonna go to bed early."

"You sure? Dinner's ready."

"I'm not really hungry. But thanks, Mom."

"Well, alright." She stood up and walked over to the door. "I'll save some for you if you feel hungry later, OK?"

"Thanks, Mom."

"I love you, Izuku."

"Love you too, Mom." He laid back down and shut his eyes as his mother closed the door behind her.

Inko was worried about her boy. She knew he was constantly bullied and harassed by her best friend's son. They used to be friends when they were younger. But something had changed in Katsuki. One day he suddenly became angry and hostile toward Izuku, for reasons she and Mitsuki couldn't understand.

It got worse as they got older. Katsuki had basically made Izuku the class punching bag because her boy didn't have a Quirk. Children around this age could be so cruel. What made things even worse was that the teachers and staff did next to nothing to stop it, thinking it was just a case of "boys being boys". The whole situation was so terrible that it left Izuku all alone without a single friend. Most of the children either bullied him or were afraid to go near him out of fear they'd be made targets for associating with him.

He seemed happier these recent months after they'd made Eri a part of their family in September. She was so happy to see her boy smiling a lot more. Izuku had basically made it his mission to be a good big brother and play with Eri, making her smile and laugh, getting her used to being a part of their family. Having Eri in his life had made a big difference. He wasn't so lonely anymore.

But today, he seemed absolutely miserable. His eyes looked like they were completely devoid of life. As if he'd lost his reason for living. She knew how much he wanted to be a Hero. Ever since he was little, Izuku wanted to be just like the world's mightiest Hero, All-Might. To help people, to save lives, to give hope to others. Her boy was incredibly smart and had a noble heart. The heart of a protector. A Hero's Heart. Unfortunately, he lacked the one element that this world placed so much importance on when it came to being a Professional Hero…. A Quirk.

Like all of his classmates, his teachers, and the doctor who diagnosed him Quirkless, fate had been unbelievably cruel to her boy. She wanted to encourage him to follow his dream, but she knew it might never be possible for him. There had never been a Quirkless Hero before.

But deep down, she knew her boy would make a fantastic Hero if given the opportunity. If only the profession didn't place so much importance on whether or not one had a Quirk.

One Week Later….

All week long, Izuku fell into a routine. He came home from school looking sad and tired without saying a word, going straight to his room. He had his own bathroom in there, so he only came out to grab something from the kitchen if he felt hungry or thirsty. He barely said a word to either Inko or Eri. This made both of them worry. Inko missed seeing her children having fun together and Eri missed spending time with her big brother.

Izuku used to show her so many cool things. He would teach her how to read by showing her his comicbook collection which mostly consisted of Superhero stories, both American comics and Japanese manga, old and new. And they would watch movies and TV together. Superhero shows Izuku was a big fan of, or Kaiju movies, or Studio Ghibli films she loved like Castle in the Sky or My Neighbor Totoro. He used to take her to the park and he would play with her for hours. He would do anything and everything to make her smile. To little Eri, Izuku was a Superhero. Her Superhero. And she would do anything to see him smile again.

Midoriya House, A Rainy Saturday Afternoon….

Izuku was still sulking in bed. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his pajamas or shower since yesterday morning. He didn't really see the point. If he wasn't going anywhere, why even bother? All he did was stare out the window and watch the rain fall.

The words of Katsuki, his classmates, his teachers, and now All-Might repeated in his mind on a loop.

'Kid, just give up.'

'No way you're gonna make it.'

'You're pathetic!'

'You have a better chance of getting hit by a truck!'

'Seriously? A loser like you?'

'No way in hell!'

'Nothing wrong with having dreams, Kid. Just remember to keep things realistic….'

'You know, there's a way you can be a Hero. Just take a swan dive off the roof and pray you have a Quirk in your next life!'

For a moment, Izuku considered it. But he just couldn't. He knew it would devastate his family. And as worthless as he felt, he knew they loved him. They were probably the only people who loved him without condition. His mother, Eri, their family cat Mochi, and Mitsuki had always loved him like a nephew. And he wasn't about to hurt them like that.

Suddenly, his door was flung open, startling him. He sat up and turned to see Eri standing in the doorway smiling at him.

"Hi, Zuku!"

He watched as she skipped into his room, climbed into his bed, and made herself comfortable next to him. He just stared at her, confused.

"Eri…. What are you doing?"

"I wanned ta see you."

He let out a light chuckle. "Well…. OK, then." He laid back down, turning back to face his window again. A few minutes of silence passed until Eri spoke up.

"Hey, Zuku?"

"Yeah, Eri."

"Why're ya so sad?"

He let out a sad sigh. He expected her to ask him this question. "It's nothing. Just…. Personal stuff."

"What kinda stuff?"

"It's…. Hard to explain, Eri."

She refused to leave it at that. She wanted her big brother back and she wasn't going to give up. She climbed over him and landed on the other side of the bed, looking him in the eye.

"Please tell me, Zuku?"

Izuku just sighed. He knew she wasn't going to give up. He looked into her wide, innocent pleading red eyes. She really wanted to know. She really wanted to help him. He finally gave in.

"Eri, I…. I can't be a Hero."

The bluish-white-haired girl looked at him, tilting her head in confusion as he continued.

"I just can't be a Hero without a Quirk. All this time, everyone who ever told me so…. they were only telling me the truth."

He took a brief moment to take a shaky breath to prevent himself from crying. He had to finish telling her.

"So…. I'm giving it up. I don't know what I'm gonna do for a job in the future. But I'll figure something out…."

He closed his eyes and turned to lay on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. He hoped Eri would understand his explanation.

"But, Zuku…." Eri paused for a few seconds. "Yer already a Superhero!"

Hearing this, Izuku was stunned. He lifted his head from his pillow and turned to face his little sister. She was smiling at him confidently, as if she'd just said the most obvious fact in the world.

"Eri…. I appreciate what you're trying to do, really. But I can't be a Hero. It's just not-"

"Why not?! 'Cause all those jerks said you can't be one? Who cares?!"

She had this look of determination he'd never seen before on her adorable little face, with her hands balled into fists as if she was ready to fight someone. He was about to tell her what All-Might had said to him, but she didn't give him a chance.

"It doesn't matter what all them tell you! I don't care what any of 'em say. 'Specially not that jerk, Katsuki! Doesn't matter if All-Might himself said you can't!"

That last part shocked him to his core. He was too stunned to say anything in return. 'Does…. does she know….?'

"Yer always there for me and Mommy! Yer always helping Auntie Mitsuki and everybody 'round the neighborhood! Yer always nice to everybody, even when they're not nice to you! Yer a good guy! And no matter how bad things get, you always smile! Like a Hero!"

Izuku just stared at his little sister, silently absorbing every word of what she had just said to him. She said it with all the confidence only a wide-eyed innocent child would be capable of. But she wasn't just saying it to make him feel better. She believed every word of what she was telling him.

"No matter what all those jerks tell you, yer always gonna be mine and Mommy's Superhero!"

Izuku's eyes widened. He knew Eri meant what she was saying to him. She believed in him. He couldn't help but smile, even as fresh tears slid from his eyes. She smiled back at him as she watched him sit up. Izuku scooped Eri into his arms and they shared a warm hug.

"Thanks, Eri."

He felt his sister give him a tiny peck on the cheek. "I mean it, Zuku. Yer my Hero!" She really missed her big brother. Seeing him smile, their hugs, the time they spent together. She was happy to have him back.

"Is everything OK in here?"

Izuku and Eri looked over to the doorway to see Inko standing there with a worried look in her eyes. They both smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah, Mom. Everything's OK."

Inko smiled back. She was happy to see her boy smiling again. She walked over and enveloped both of her children in a warm hug.

"I'm so happy to see you're feeling better, Baby."

"Thanks, Mom. Eri really cheered me up."

"She did?" She looked at her daughter and gave her a small peck on her forehead. "Good job, Peanut." Eri giggled at their mother's affectionate gesture. Inko looked back at her son and kissed him on the cheek. "You hungry, Sweetie?"

"Maybe a little…."

"Alright then. I'll make you your favorite."

Inko chuckled when she saw Izuku's eyes light up. She knew her boy could never resist a bowl of Katsudon.

"Sounds great, Mom. I need a shower first."

"Alright." Inko picked Eri up. "Come on, Peanut. You can help me make it for him."

"'Kay!"

After a nice hot shower, Izuku ate lunch with his family as they all sat down and watched Big Hero 6 together. After a whole week of feeling miserable, Izuku was just happy to spend the rest of the evening with his mother and sister.

Later that night, as Izuku was getting ready for bed, he thought about what Eri had said to him. Something about it…. he felt something in him…. awaken, for lack of a better word. He just couldn't name what that something was. 'No matter what all those jerks tell you, yer always gonna be mine and Mommy's Superhero!'

He walked over to his mirror and took a good look at himself. He was thin. Scrawny. 'Maybe I should start exercising….'

Matsutafu Prefecture, Mid-June….

Izuku jogged down the street towards home. He was dressed in a green pair of exercise shorts and a white shirt, his standard workout clothes for warm months. He'd set up a workout regimen for himself and was already two months into it.

Every day after school, he would come straight home, say hi to his Mom and Aunt before heading up to his room to change for his workout, then he'd start with a light jog around the block. Then he'd make his way to the park, where he would do a series of basic exercises he'd learned in gym class. Then he'd jog back home to have dinner with his family. He'd also taken on a new diet which Inko was happy to support.

After seeing how hard Izuku was working the first two weeks, Mitsuki decided to give him an old weight set that she knew Katsuki had been planning on throwing out. It was nothing too big that he would need a spotter for, just some small hand weights. Izuku was grateful to his Aunt for this as it really made a difference.

He'd also decided to attend a weekly first aide class with Inko and Mitsuki. After one of their elderly customers fell over, they felt it was necessary to learn what to do in a medical emergency situation in the event an ambulance couldn't arrive fast enough. It was very informative and it was useful knowledge to have should he need it.

Midoriya House, Nighttime….

Izuku had just gotten home after finishing his workout.

"Welcome home, Zuku!"

Eri had made a habit of greeting him with a bottle of ice-cold water and a damp towel to wipe the sweat from his face. It was her little way of supporting her big brother's new routine and he appreciated it.

"Thanks, Eri."

Of course, he still made time for her. She was his little sister after all. After he'd showered off and changed into his pajamas, the two of them would sit in the living room and watch movies and TV shows together, or they'd sit on his bed and he would continue teaching her how to read using his comic collection, or he would play games with her. It was their sibling bonding time that he'd treasured the most.

Tonight Izuku promised Eri they'd watch a few episodes of Ultraman Max. She loved watching Tokusatsu Superhero shows with Izuku. The cheesy acting, the effects, the colorful Heroes, the giant robots, the crazy monster designs, the miniatures, the theme songs, it was all so much fun! Sometimes the two of them would shout the names of the signature attacks along with the Heroes on screen.

He exited his room to see Eri bouncing up and down excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulled him toward the living room. "C'mon, Zuku!"

"OK, OK." He chuckled at her excitement.

Soon they were sitting on the couch in front of the TV watching Ultraman Max fight the monster of the episode. Inko watched as her children enjoyed themselves. It just warmed her heart seeing Izuku sharing his favorite things with Eri.

"Dinner's ready, Kids! You can eat in the living room, just try not to make a mess. OK?"

"OK, Mom."

"'Kay, Mommy!"

Once they had their food, they sat back down in front of the TV with their Mom joining them.

"You having fun, Peanut?"

"Yup! Max is so cool!" She nodded vigorously.

Inko chuckled at her little girl's excitement. She then noticed that Izuku seemed deep in thought about something.

"Izuku? Are you OK?" Her boy turned to look at her. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"Oh! Uh…."

"Go ahead, Sweetie. You can tell me."

Izuku considered what he was about to tell his mother for a moment. He pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. Inko unfolded the paper and looked it over. It was a flyer for a martial arts class. It said the Pro-Hero Gunhead would be in the area to teach a free class from early July to early September.

"A martial arts class?"

Izuku nodded sheepishly.

"What brought this on, Sweetie?"

"I…. I saw something on the news a few days ago. A family was mugged not too far from here, and…. I just want to learn some self-defense. Just in case something happens when we go out, I want to be able to protect you and Eri if I need to."

Inko was surprised. She knew her boy. He wasn't the type to start fights or act on grudges, so she wasn't worried about him starting trouble at school or around the neighborhood. What worried her was him getting hurt. She knew he'd decided to put his vocational path after high school on hold since he didn't know what he wanted to do if he couldn't be a Professional Hero. But still, self-defense skills were a useful thing to have. And since summer vacation was coming up, this was the perfect time for him to learn.

"I can see your point, Izuku. If you feel like you need this, I understand."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if his mother would let him go through with this.

"But promise me something?"

"Of course, Mom."

Inko placed her hand over her son's and smiled at him.

"Just promise me you'll be careful. OK, Sweetie?"

Izuku smiled back at his mother and entwined his hand with hers and gave it a light squeeze.

"I will, Mom. And thank you."

Eri looked up at her brother with excitement.

"Does this mean yer gonna know how ta fight like Kamen Rider, Zuku?!"

"Um…. Well…." Izuku smiled sheepishly at his sister. "I don't know about that, Eri…."

"You should try ta do a Rider Kick!"

Izuku and Inko just chuckled. Eri was so cute when she got excited.

"For you, Eri? I'll give it a try."

"COOL!"

After that, they continued watching TV together.

'Hmm…. It would be cool.' Izuku pictured himself doing a Rider Kick.

To Be Continued….

Author's Notes:

OK, I was gonna save this for when I was at least a little further along with my main story, but then I thought "fuck it" and decided to post it anyway. This is the first chapter in Izuku's origin story for my timeline. It starts two years prior to the events of the first chapter of my story Quirkless: A Hero's Heart. It's just something I wanted to go with the main story. I figured, since this is an alternate timeline where Izuku became a Quirkless Hero before All-Might chooses to pass One For All to him, a prequel story telling how that came about would be necessary. That said, here's a few notes to explain a few things.

1: Yes, the Sludge Villain did try to take over Izuku's body and All-Might saved him just like in canon. However, All-Might didn't drop the bottles he'd contained the Sludge Villain in when he jumped with Izuku holding onto him. All-Might was able to turn the villain over to the authorities, so the dickless c**-rag-er... I mean Bakugo never stupidly released him leading to the events that set Izuku on his path in canon where All-Might trains him to inherit One For All. I do have plans for the second Sludge Villain attack where Izuku saves Bakugo, but it'll be part of my main story and Izuku will be wearing his Hero costume when it happens.

2: Since Eri's, like, five years old at this point in the story, I wrote her dialogue like how a child that age would sound. Mispronouncing words and calling Izuku "Zuku" at first. I hope that makes sense.

3: When I was writing Izuku's depression, I wanted to drive home the point of just how empty and worthless he must feel after being told by his idol, his Hero, to give up on his dream. Piled on top of a life-time of being bullied, berated, and suicide-baited on the same day, that's a recipe for wanting to give up on life and just die. I know because I've been in that dark place a few times in my life and it took every ounce of will-power and remembering my family and friend's love for me to fight the urge to seriously hurt myself. Again, I hope I'm making sense here. I'm terrible at explaining stuff sometimes.

4: If you're wondering about the title this chapter, I took it from one of my most favorite episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. It's the episode where Spidey's about to give up for the billionth time, then visits this little girl, takes her on a web-slinging ride around the city, loses his memory in a fight with Doctor Octopus, and then with the help of a sassy cab driver, the little girl saves Spidey and he gets his memory back and the will to continue fighting crime. And it was from that fantastic episode that I learned sometimes all it takes to bring out the best in us is the faith and love of a child. Speaking of which...

5: That's what I was going for with Eri's words of encouragement to Izuku. I figured, her telling him he's already a Superhero in her's and Inko's eyes because of all the good he does for them, that would be part of his reason for becoming the "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" type of Hero I'm going for. The desire to do right by his family. Some of the best Superheroes list their families and loved ones as a reason for doing what they do. Superman has Ma and Pa Kent, Batman has Alfred and his dearly departed parents, Spider-Man has Aunt May and his deceased Uncle Ben, ect.

6: As I mentioned in my main story, Izuku exercises quite a lot. And I figured this would be where it started. Also, yes. In this timeline, Izuku will learn how to fight from Gunhead. But that's for the next chapter.

7: Once again, inserting references to other Superhero franchises that I'm a fan of, I friggin' love Ultraman Max. It was the first Ultraman entry I'd seen all the way through besides the original 1966 series, which I saw reruns of the dubbed version on TV as a kid. So, Max holds a special place in my heart since watching it got me to seek out more of the modern era entries of the Ultra Series like Neos, Nexus, Ginga, The Next, the theatrical features, and Gridman (Not a part of the Ultra Series, but it's by the same production company, so...).

8: Also, if you're wondering why I'm calling this "Secret Origin", that's a little nod to DC Comic's Secret Origins comic series which told the origins of a lot of the characters and teams as an introduction for new readers back in the 80s. It's also the title of one of a modernized Superman origin comic that came out after Infinite Crisis, since DC, AGAIN, messed around with the timeline and recononized Superman's adventures as Superboy with Krypto and the Legion of Superheroes. Not that I'm complaining. I love Superman in almost all of his incarnations. Anyway, I thought it had a nice ring to it.

9: I'm planning for this story to be short, maybe in the neighborhood of 3, maybe 5 chapters and I'm hoping to finish this before the main story. I'm also thinking of a short one-shot telling of how Izuku and Inko found Eri and made her part of their family.

10: This is the last one for now, I swear! I've been meaning to mention this in the main story, but keep forgetting. Inko calling Eri "Peanut" is a reference to the Ant-Man movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I thought it was cute and thought it would work in this story. Also, I'm pretty sure I mentioned this already, but the Midoriyas having a cat named "Mochi" is a nod to Disney's Big Hero 6. I absolutely love those movies!

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope you enjoy this first chapter. More to come. Please tell me what you think.