Chapter 3: A Sword Forged in Determination

Chapter 3: A Sword Forged in Determination

Inko Midoriya's Perspective

Inko Midoriya watched her son carefully, worry settling deep in her heart. Ever since the doctor's diagnosis, Izuku had changed—not in an explosive or dramatic way, but in something more subtle, more unsettling.

He no longer cried himself to sleep.

He no longer asked if she thought he could still be a hero.

Instead, he buried himself in books, notebooks piling up in his room. He wasn't just watching hero videos anymore—he was studying them, analyzing their every movement, their tactics, their weaknesses.

At first, she thought it was his way of coping. But as days turned into weeks, she realized it was something more.

He wasn't giving up.

He was searching for another way.

It should have made her proud, but all she felt was fear.

"Sweetheart, why don't you play outside with the other kids?" she asked gently one evening as Izuku scribbled furiously in his notebook.

"I need to figure this out," he muttered, barely looking up.

Inko swallowed, kneeling beside him. "Izuku… you don't have to prove anything to anyone."

His small hands tightened around his pen. "I'm not trying to prove anything. I just—" He hesitated, then turned to her, green eyes burning with something fierce, something unshakable.

"I just don't want to stop dreaming."

Inko felt tears sting her eyes. She reached out, pulling him into her arms, holding him close as she whispered, "You're already my hero, Izuku."

But even as she held him, she knew it wouldn't be enough.

Izuku Midoriya's Perspective

If he couldn't rely on a quirk, then his body itself had to become a weapon.

That was the conclusion he reached after days of research. Quirks were undeniably powerful, but there were heroes like Eraserhead who relied more on strategy, skill, and physical prowess than raw ability.

The human body could be honed, sharpened like a blade.

And if he wanted to stand among heroes, he had to start now.

The first night, he could barely do ten push-ups before collapsing, arms shaking, sweat dripping down his face.

The second night, he made it to fifteen.

Each day, he pushed himself further. Sit-ups, squats, running—he trained his small body to endure more than it should.

At school, Bakugou and the others continued their jeers.

"Give it up, Deku!"

"You'll never be a hero!"

"What's a quirkless loser gonna do?"

But Izuku didn't listen.

He couldn't listen.

He was chasing something that no one else could see yet.

A path that didn't exist—one he would carve out with his own hands.

Katsuki Bakugou's Perspective

Katsuki stomped through the streets, hands shoved deep into his pockets. The past few weeks had been bothering him, though he'd never admit why.

Deku was still trying.

Even without a quirk, even after everyone laughed at him, he wasn't backing down.

It pissed Katsuki off.

No, it did more than that. It confused him.

Why wouldn't he just understand? Why wouldn't he just accept reality?

Heroes were strong. Heroes had power. That was how the world worked.

And yet, that damn nerd was out there training like it would change anything.

Katsuki scowled, kicking a nearby rock hard enough to send it flying.

Whatever Deku was thinking, it didn't matter.

Because in the end, he was still quirkless.

And the world didn't have a place for heroes like that.

Right?

To Be continued…