CHAPTER ONE: FINALLY
"Just another worthless" that's what they always said.
His childhood friends when the pre-school did quirk introductions.
His teachers when they had to change the name of his guardians on the school transcripts.
His parents the last time he saw them, as they walked away from the orphanage they gave him to.
Charlie Charon was "just another worthless"
He's not worth being friends with
Ye's not worth teaching
He's not worth being our son
On the upside he didn't have to talk about it to anybody. No his 14 year old Junior high class was far to busy noticing how he didn't have a quirk to notice that: A. He was by far the smartest kid in their school. B. far and away the most physically fit in his year, and probably most of the ones above him. And C. That he never started the fights but he never lost them either.
So yeah he had no friends.
That's right despite not having a random, luck of the draw ability that was almost always just a liability( Just cause it was human evolution doesn't mean that the mutations were always good, that would require natural selection) so he could hit back and break a few bones, like the kid with the "Jelly Bones" quirk (wait that's a bad example).
Wait what was going on again
Oh right the fight he should better get back to that…...
As the sandy haired demon stood over the latest idiot who thought that his ability to turn his elbows to stone would be his incredible trump card to finally beat the demon and up his junior high cred. (in reality all it did was put strain on the ligaments and tendons in his arms limiting his punching speed.)
It would seem that ye was only gaining more and more evidence for his theory of quirks siphoning energy from the brain. Wasn't he generous? giving them an excuse for being idiots.
"RIIIIIIIIIING"
Of course. How else could the universe screw him over today?... On second thought don't answer that, it could always get worse. And he had Ms. Nakamura for homeroom today, damn she was horrible at being nice.
Sarcastic thoughts aside... He would actually have to deal with her, . . . . shit. Well it's not like he was gonna avoid detention today anyway, Damn elbow kid.
Well he still had 5 minutes until the second bell he just had to sprint up 3 flights of stairs and a 400 meter hallway full of students trying to trip him(They didn't have to be in class because the teachers only cared about enforcing the rules for the quirkless kid).
This was his favorite part of the day
The grin that spread across his face was demonic as the stairs flew by underneath him. In less than a minute he was at the top and observed the gauntlet that formed when he came into view.
Assess situation
Obstacle: Dumbass trying to trip him
Solution: Kick leg to render him a squealing puppy
Move on
Reassess
Obstacle: Damn that kid's tall Oh wait he's swinging at me
Solution: Terminate all chances of offspring
The poor guy doubled over in pain and Charlie slipped past the rest of the idiots who were suddenly cowed by his display of absolute evil.
Assess situation
Obstacle: Gatekeeper to hell( )
Solution: Smartass and hope for the best
"Getting to class on time ma'am" he responded politely knowing that speaking to her like that always gives her a few new gray hairs. It's his revenge for using that name, God it made his blood boil! Why the hell should he keep it, it was just another way for the people at the orphanage to mock him yet again. It wasn't like his old parents were going to let him keep their name so a quirkless person could associate with them. So they changed a letter and made it demonic.
Charon the gatekeeper to the underworld
It was kinda fitting when you think about it, everyone probably thought he'd end up sending at least a couple of kids down there.
Oh wait he drifted off again damn he must be ADHD or something
Dammit he did it again!
"-I'm not even surprised that you managed to be late to class for the entire first week of school! But you even managed to injure several of your peers along the way along the way!" her voice rose beginning one of her usual hour long rants.
Assess Situa-
"RIIIIIIING"
Not Necessary
Her huff was both slightly adorable and terrifying as he knew it promised pain in the future.
"4 hours detention!"
Oh that was really bad. If he didn't get back quick enough all the food at the orphanage would be taken.
-"and!"-
Oh crap
"You will see me after you have fulfilled your detention."
The rest of homeroom was peaceful.
Well for about 5 minutes.
"Attention students! As you know you have only one year left in junior high and it is high time to start thinking about your future, god knows some of you need to do some thinking period."
And this was why she was his favorite teacher in spite of the fact that she was a demon to him
She was a demon to everyone else too
"In addition you all need to add something that you think you could succeed at. I am tired of every student writing hero and then failing at it."
The temperature must have dropped at least 20 degrees
Normally he would have laughed but he was just as scared as everyone else all ye wanted was to be a hero and if everyone couldn't even if they had a quirk what chance did he have?
No! He was different from them he had put in the training! He had put in the effort!
It won't be enough.
No He worked harder than anyone he deserved this!
You're a devil what right do you have to pursue your dreams?
The emotions in his head were swirling as he took the paper. And in his introspection he missed the look Ms. Nakamura gave him.
Hero
U.A. specifically if he was gonna prove everyone wrong, might as well aim big. Right? right …..?
"Definitely" his determined side said as it surged to the surface. "Can't stop aiming high now"
All the hell in his life swirled around in his head as he wrote the letters he had always wanted to say.
"Ugh" the rest of the day, detention included, had been just as awful as the morning and he still had to talk to his demonic homeroom teacher like she had ordered.
Needless to say he dragged his feet getting to her room. When he arrived she was calmly sitting at her desk, one of her common tricks on students.
Well it wouldn't work on him. His cockey levels were going through the roof
But his blood ran cold when he saw what was sitting on her desk. It was his application sheet to U.A. that he had submitted months ago, and his "Future Application" sheet he had submitted this morning.
This was bad he really couldn't deal with another person trying to crush his dream
The terrifying part was that knowing her she might actually be able to do it. But there was no way out of this she had seen him in the doorway and was motioning for him to sit down.
Preparing for the most soul crushing lecture in history, he sat down.
But was surprised when she spoke softly and calmly but it wasn't her words that caught him off guard it was her tone.
"You want to be a hero"
It was soft and almost sad. It was unlike her. He started to let his guard down without even thinking about it. It rattled around in his head.
"You want to be a hero"
It wasn't a question and he knew it. She was staring into his soul he could hide nothing from her. And while she did she wore a look of pain and understanding on her face.
She tore through the emotional wall he had built around himself over 10 long horrible years of constant abuse, with only that stare so full of kindness and understanding.
He nodded knowing what would come next but what she said next brought all that he knew about her crashing down.
"Well good"
What
She's supposed to condemn me for making the other people trying to be heroes look bad or mock him for even dreaming about it like the other kids what was going on?
"It's about time someone quirkless proved the world wrong"
"What?" the boy who had been hatefully dubbed "the sandy haired demon" replied.
"You heard me Mr. Charon! Don't make me repeat myself!" she yelled quickly reverting back to her usual persona.
"I'm sick and tired of the quirkless kids I teach being ground down by life and until there's nothing left." a hint of sadness crept into her eyes as she said this, she was talking from experience.
"Ms. Shroff were you…. I mean are you.. Um-"
"Quirkless? Yes, good job figuring it out Mr. Charon as always you're top of the class."
Oh shit how had he not figured this out before?
Because everyone scared to talk to her
Oh right thanks brain
Anyways back to being shocked
No one had ever supported his dreams before. But here she was the one woman who he thought would never in a million years be in his corner supporting him telling him that he should aim for more instead of letting society drag him down. Hell she was the person who was the hardest on him she always made it a point to single him out.
"You know I single you out for a reason right? It's because you need to be the best if you want to prove the world wrong!
There can't be any lateness or stupidity in your goal because if they have a single reason to knock you down they will and you will be gone just like that.
There's not even a chance they'll let you into U.A. if you don't have at least a hundred recommendations!"
He sunk into his chair at this he already knew it was going to be near impossible to get where he was going and he knew no one would even think about writing him a recommendation-
His thoughts were interrupted as a letter was shoved in his face.
"You won't get in without a recommendation which is why I wrote you one."
This was world shattering. He could barely understand what was going on, but he knew he needed to ask one thing.
This was so monumental for him he could barely stuttered out the words that meant the world to him "Do-do you really think that I could-"
"Be a hero?" she said cutting him off.
Her face grew stern but her eyes were warm as she said what he needed to hear for as long as he could remember.
"Have you been listening to a word I said for the past half hour?! I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't think you would be able to do it!"
Yep there's his favorite teacher, back again.
"So yes, Charlie you can be a hero"
Those words finally cracked the dam of emotions that had been slowly building up inside of him for those ten long miserable years, and he completely broke down into heaving sobs as it spilled forth out of him.
Worthless? Not on your life.