Archeologist Deku

Career Change

Being Quirkless in a world of heroes and villains honestly sucks. Every day, he tries to just get through it all: the bullying, the detested glares of the teachers and students, the jeers from passerbys. All of it. Even his best friend turned against him when he was 4. It made him truly alone.

Everyone else has a dream to be a hero... but I can't? It's just unfair... That was his thoughts as he slowly walked home, having just received the worst advice anyone could give him. To hope reincarnation was real, and jump off a building. In comparison, it wasn't the worst thing he'd heard... but it hurt a lot more knowing who it came from. His previous best friend, and promising hero student. As he was thinking about what to really do, he strode carefully under a bridge, and a villain made of sludge attacked, launching itself from a nearby sewer manhole. Unable to breathe, his instincts kicked in, as he tried to grasp anything that might pull him away. His thoughts pleaded for help as he struggled, and... unfortunately, the sidewalk beneath his feet was smooth, and the villain had too good a grasp. The roar of blood in his ears, exentuating his rapid heartbeat, silenced the approach of a hero loved by all. He couldn't see him, but the faint "Texas Smash!" could barely be heard, and he was knocked out by the sheer force of the blow.

The next thing he felt was the sensation of someone slapping him gently. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by Allmight trying to wake him up. His voice boomed as he sighed in relief, "Thank Goodness you're alright!"

Stunned at seeing his hero, his idol, relieved at his condition, he smiled reflexively. The man's smile was infectious, part of the reason why he was, indeed, the number one hero. "Allmight?!" Words nearly failed the greenette as he struggled to express his gratitude "T-T-Thank you!"
"No problem!"
This being a once in a lifetime opportunity, Izuku was about to ask, "Can I..."
"I already signed your notebook!"
A little miffed about being interrupted, he started again, trying to remain calm. "Uh, cool, but not what I was going to ask..."
The hero acknowledged that he had only one question, or seemed to sense it. "You have to be quick, I'm needed elsewhere!"
Izuku nodded frantically, remembering that every moment that he kept Allmight there, the less people he would be actively saving, "Right! Can I be a hero if I'm quirkless?"
That made Allmight pause.

The pause built up Izuku's own fear. Today had been far from his best day, but if... if even Allmight said no... the greenette didn't know what to think. "If you had the intelligence to make gear for yourself, or the knowledge on how to counter quirks without one, you could be a promising hero. But I wouldn't want to advocate you rushing headlong into danger against villains you can't possibly defeat. I would advise going into detective work if you want to be a hero, as many of them save lives too!"

Downcast, he couldn't meet the man's iconic blue eyes. "Oh... ok..."

However, as if sensing a great weight on the boy, Allmight declared, "Don't give up hope! There is always something you can do that will help others! It's a good instinct to have, and is heroic at its core!" He seemed a bit paniced as he said one last thing: "I must go now, but please, pick a realistic career! There are any number of jobs which you can partake and become a hero in! Not just pro heroics! Chase a new dream!"

As Izuku watched his... former idol bound away, he thought to himself: At least he's still trying to give hope. He's not one of the bad heroes like Endeavour... he would have probably told me to give up entirely...

When he arrived home, far later than he should have, his mother leapt onto him, crying a literal river. "I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried!"
Bashfully, he tried to explain why he was late, "Sorry, I was caught up in a villain attack... Allmight had to save me..."