Chapter 4: The Blade of a Quirkless Hero
Izuku Midoriya's Perspective
Ten years.
Ten years of blood, sweat, and sacrifice.
Ten years since he had been told he could never be a hero.
At fourteen years old, Izuku Midoriya stood taller, stronger, sharper than anyone could have ever imagined. His body, once frail, had been tempered like steel through relentless training, sculpted into something capable of going toe-to-toe with even the strongest quirk users.
The scars on his knuckles, the callouses on his hands, the raw endurance he had built—all were proof of his dedication.
"If I can't have a quirk, I will become something else."
He had long abandoned the idea of relying on power he did not have. Instead, he had focused on what he could control—his mind, his reflexes, his body, and, most importantly, his will.
He had studied not only heroes, but warriors, soldiers, strategists. He learned the art of combat, hand-to-hand techniques from books and online sources, then sought out real practice whenever he could.
And then, he discovered weapons.
A sword in the hands of a quirkless man became his quirk.
Blades, bows, daggers—he studied them all, understanding how a mere human could bridge the gap between himself and the gifted.
Because he would never accept the idea that he was less.
Katsuki Bakugou's Perspective
The damn nerd was different.
Katsuki could feel it the moment he saw him again in their last year of middle school.
Gone was the weak, trembling kid who used to follow him around.
In his place was someone else—someone who walked with confidence, his once-bright green eyes now sharper, calculating.
It pissed Katsuki off.
Because for years, he had convinced himself that Izuku was beneath him. That quirkless meant weak.
And yet, that bastard stood there, meeting his gaze without fear.
It made something inside him boil.
"Oi, Deku," Katsuki sneered, cracking his knuckles as they stood outside the school building. "You still playing pretend? Training like a dumbass for something you'll never be?"
Izuku didn't flinch.
Instead, he smirked.
It was small, barely there, but it was enough to make Katsuki's blood spike.
"Try me," Izuku said simply.
The challenge was quiet, not loud or boastful like Katsuki's usual taunts. But that single phrase made his skin prickle with irritation.
Because it wasn't an empty bluff.
It was a fact.
Izuku Midoriya's Perspective
He knew challenging Bakugou was reckless. But he had spent ten years proving that he wasn't the same weakling he used to be.
So when Katsuki lunged forward, his palm sparking with explosions, Izuku moved.
Faster than he ever had before.
He wasn't as physically strong as Katsuki. He didn't have explosions, didn't have a quirk.
But he had something else—skill.
A sharp breath. A pivot on his heel. A twist of his body.
Katsuki's explosion missed by inches, and before the blonde could react, Izuku's elbow slammed into his ribs, sending him staggering back.
The schoolyard went silent.
No one had ever made Katsuki stumble.
For the first time, Izuku stood before him not as Deku, the useless loser—
But as something else.
Something forged through years of struggle.
A warrior without a quirk.
A hero of steel.
To Be Continued…