Chapter 1: Turning Point!

"I'm sorry, but you need to be realistic." The words resounded through Izuku's entire person.

Izuku dragged himself down the street as he walked home. He'd never be a hero. Not even the man that said everyone could be a hero believed in him. Maybe he can still do good, but it wouldn't be a hero.

As he trudged towards his house he heard an explosion. For better or for worse, he knew those explosions like the back of his hand, that was the sound of Kachan.

He ran in the direction of the chaos and saw a nightmare unfold as his friend/bully Kachan was surrounded by the slime person that had attacked him earlier. It looked like he was suffocating in there, and none of the pros had handled it yet.

He knew just how horrible it felt to be in that situation and even though Kachan wasn't exactly nice to him, no one deserved that.

Izuku started to move, he needed to do something, anything, to help. But then he stopped when the memory of All Might's words ran through him.

"Be realistic." The words felt like they were branded across his psyche.

Yeah. If the pros couldn't take this thing down, how could he help at all? He'd just be in the way of actual heroes.

He couldn't do anything against the Sludge Villain the first time either so why even try this time?

So he watched in horror with the others as Backago thrashed against the sludge holding him hostage.

But then he noticed something. One of the bystanders. A frail man leaning against a lamp post.

He felt a surge of hope against all odds. All Might was there. Kachan would live.

But as the seconds kept passing the terror came back. Why wasn't All Might moving?

When he turned back to the sludge villain, he saw something he would never forget, something that would haunt him until he died.

He saw Kachan's body relax and his eyes go dull. Those dead eyes looked right through him as the sludge completely entered his friend.

That wasn't what Kachan was supposed to look like. He was supposed to be full of fury and rage and fire and life.

Not those dull eyes. Anything but those dull and empty eyes.

The fight ended quickly with the heroes no longer needing to worry about the hostage. With all the chaos of the battle ending and reporters trying to reach the heroes he saw the tall frail man slip away with the rest of the dispersing crowd.

Only Izuku knew who it was. And that knowledge lit a fire that burned with hatred. All Might was here but did nothing.

Not only did he let Kachan die, but he left before anyone could place any of the blame on him. How could this 'hero' tell him that he wasn't strong enough when the number 1 hero wasn't even strong enough or brave enough to step in either!

It was all a sham. How dare he preach justice and strength while he watched a child drown in the streets?!

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He didn't say a single thing to his mother when he got home. He just went to his room and slumped onto his bed. She had seen the news already and decided it was best to give him space until he was ready to talk.

After a few hours she gently knocked on his door and entered, and was immediately shocked by what she saw. Every single poster of All Might had been torn down. Every figurine smashed. Anything that had to do with All Might was destroyed.

But what surprised her most was her son. He wasn't crying or curled up or sleeping. No, he was doing push-ups in the middle of his trashed room.

He looked up at her when she entered.

She spoke gently and kept in mind that reactions to trauma weren't rational, but even then she didn't know what to do with this entire situation. "Izuku, I know that this is really hard on you and I'm here for you. Can you tell me why you're doing push ups though?"

His words were devoid of any emotion or inflection. "He died because I was weak. So I can't be weak anymore. Never again"

"Honey, what happened wasn't your fault. I hope you know that"

"You're right. It's not my fault, it's his," pointing at a now torn poster of All Might, "He was there. He was and didn't do anything. He just stood there while he died. He told me I couldn't be a hero without a quirk then watched Kachaan die."

"Izuku, what do you mean he was there? I heard he started the chase, but no one saw him at the fight itself."

"I found out he had a transformation quirk. And he was there."

She was quiet for a moment before sitting on his bed and patting the spot next to her "Alright, there's clearly a lot that I'm missing here. How about you take a break for a minute and explain exactly what happened."

She really hoped that talking this out would help her son work through the loss of his friend. But she didn't exactly have a manual for what to do in this situation.

So she sat quietly while her usually quiet son ranted about his day and all the things All Might had done to lose his respect.

"I just… I thought he would be a hero… but he just isn't. Even on the little stuff. When I passed out from the sludge attack he just slapped my face until I woke up. Then he just jumped away without calling the cops or an ambulance. What kind of man is so self centered he leaves me an autograph before making sure I'm breathing?"

She just held her son close and hoped that things would get better. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that all of this happened."

Then the tears started up again. "Why? Why did he have to die, mom?"

There was nothing she could do to fix this. Not to mention that she was hurt as well. She had been around Katsuki since he was born.

The kid even called her Auntie. So she just quietly held her son until he cried himself to sleep and she laid him down in bed.