Rise Above Fate

Ch. 3 - Baby Steps

He was kind-hearted, loving, caring, a good person, and many other good traits—but he didn't have a quirk. Because of that simple, yet decisive trait, or lack of trait, the boy suffered.

It wasn't to the degree that it would kill his own personality and character, but it was annoying... Extremely so. At each passing day, he received a couple of insults, was laughed at, and in rarer occasions, he received an explosion from Kacchan; Katsuki Bakugo.

That sand-haired boy was the one behind it all. Of course, the other kids were still at fault, but he... he started it all. When Izuku got the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching news of his quirklessness, Bakugo was the first one to turn against him; they were best friends before that.

Bakugo, however, got something that Izuku only dreamt of having: a flashy quirk. One of the most powerful-looking ones. 'Explosion', that's what Bakugo named it. It basically allowed him to use his sudor, or sweat, into explosions. The over-usage of said quirk made his tendons tense, and in extreme cases, could make them go apart—the doctor said so, even if that never happened.

That wasn't, however, the problem. It was the fact that every adult surrounding him, even if unintentionally, spoiled him. 'Your quirk is so flashy! You'll become a great hero!', 'That's so cool! Your quirk is the best!', or even 'That's the strongest quirk I've seen!'.

Those phrases, continuously used, made Bakugo who he was: a spoiled, angry and prideful kid who picked on the weak, and was hostile to the strong; a lone wolf, if you will.

And Izuku happened to be the weakest, the most fragile... the quirkless.

However, the green-haired boy didn't harbor anger or resentment... Instead, he housed fear. Fear of the sand-haired bully, the strong one; he was at the bottom of the hierarchy. An unchangeable one.

With those thoughts filling his mind, the class ended. Nothing special had occurred.

Izuku decided to go home with his newfound escape route, where he wouldn't meet up with Bakugo on the way home. They lived nearby to each other, so it was really troublesome to the green-nette.

Not wasting much time, he picked the backpack and bolted from the classroom at a fast pace. Before Bakugo and his goons could follow Izuku, he was already gone.

Twist. Turn. Turn. Go ahead... With a labyrinth-like path, he arrived at his house quicker than most of the times he walked in the normal path. Grabbing his keys, he got into the house.

"Hello Izuku, welcome back," Saber greeted him with a warm smile. All of his worries and gloomy thoughts were kicked out of his mind, replacing them with hope.

"Hey!" His lips coiled up happily. She smiled back, not being able to contain the contagious smile that Izuku had made.

He was happy. Happier because he was filled with hope for another day, and for his future. However, he had to think... He wouldn't commit the same mistake as diving head-first into his whims. He had suffered enough because of it.

Izuku didn't know if he wanted to go back to his dream, which still existed somewhere inside of him. Always shot down, cast out, and straight up ignored sometimes; his heart sank when he remembered that.

Throwing his thoughts aside, his mother left the kitchen and walked up to the boy, wrapping her arms around him. "Hey, Izuku!" Inko's face was warm with soft, pure mother-son love.

He returned it tenderly, and that exchange of love radiated through the room... Saber, though happy for him, smiled bittersweetly, reminiscing some memories.

After mom and son separated, she pointed at the kitchen. "Lunch is ready!" Inko happily added, and the three got to the kitchen in order to lunch.

Served on top of the eating table, Chicken Noodles with vegetables were prominent. Rice was separated from the main dish, however in bigger quantity. The sweet and alluring aroma invaded each one's nostrils and the once 'not-as-hungry' atmosphere turned into an 'I-need-to-eat-it-all' one.

Inko sat on the table right after her son and his Serv— Saber.

Izuku never considered Saber to be a servant literally, no... He treated her like a friend and a partner. The blonde took some time to get used to it, but over time she was already talking to him without the 'Master' title. Izuku was really happy when that happened—Saber could still remember the look of complete and utter joy on his face.

Emptying everyone's mind with hunger, they each served their own portions. Saber's was bigger than Izuku and Inko's. They already knew she ate like a lion, and at the end, she was more satisfied than a gamer completing 100% at his favorite game.

Before digging in, they all clapped their hands together and thanked the food. Passed that, Saber picked the chopsticks and coiled some noodles; soft, juicy and shiny, that described the appearance alone.

Bringing the food closer to her mouth, she blew steam off of it, removing strands of hair from her cheeks, and allowing her hand to rest on the back of her head.

The noodles came in contact with her tongue, allowing the flavor to come in contact with the taste buds, and spread across the whole body. Slurping it in, she opened her mouth, in order to let the steam go off.

"Fuah..."

And with that, Izuku and Inko were smiling and began to eat...

---

The green-nette laid on his mattress, gazing at the ceiling with his arms spread across the whole surface of the soft material. He sighed, still waiting for Saber.

Without anything to do, he began to think...

He was quirkless; that was unrefutable. No flashy quirk to destroy the villain and save the day, no out-of-the-ordinary lucky moment that would make him a superhero out of nowhere, no opportunity—except for Saber. The Servant he formed a contract with.

Even with a Servant, what would he be? A burden. While she would do everything in the face of danger, he would be the damsel in distress, he would make it harder to save people... consequentially causing someone's death.

What could he do? He was quirkless, weak, a Deku: that's the most used insult he got; it meant useless and... it hurt him deeply. Each and every time that this particular insult was thrown at him, he'd receive a direct blow to his own conscience... Because it was true.

He never felt useful, never felt strong, never felt complete. He would try and try, search for ways to overcome that simple and basic condition... The lack of one thing destroyed his dream completely and turned him into a target for humiliation. What did he do to deserve that? He never knew.

But... something sparked within him. His eyes widened in surprise and realization...

And, with a simple idea, his long-gone dream seemed a step closer... Even if it was the smallest one.

---

Thank you for waiting!

I am so happy with the reception that this story is receiving from you guys...

Sorry for those that wanted a Curiosity update... I am too excited about this project. Too much for my own good.

Oh well, I am also BUSY, like A LOT from school. My particular High School is hard, like really so. Only today, I completed two projects, am halfway on one and didn't start another.

Over with my own antics, hope you liked this chapter, and hope you understand the lack of updates in all of my stories...

That's all,

Undef's out,

Stay cold!