Chapter: 11
Many years ago. Humanity went through an evolution. The first recorded cases of super powered individuals were reported. Then all across the world, powers became more common. We began calling these strange powers, quirks. Then, like wildfire, they spread through the entire world. Now it's believed that almost 90% of the world's population has some kind of quirk. Almost overnight, the supernatural became the totally normal. However, there remained a few who were born without a quirk, called the quirkless. I would know about them because I used to be one of them.
My name is Izuku Midoriya, and this is how I became the world's greatest hero. But you already know that story. You know about how I inherited the quirk One for All from my idol, All Might. You know how I went to UA to train to become a hero, and how I became the number one hero in the world. However, in life, you never know what your future may hold so this is not the story of how I became the world's greatest hero. Instead, this is the story of how a new generation became something greater.
My Hero Academia Next Generation: New Heroes:
3rd Person POV:
Stepping out onto the cobblestone of the high school's grotto, the British girl, Charlie Chisaki let a little smile creep past her lips. Her mind traveling back to the events just proceeding this.
"Miss Chisaki, it seems as though you've impressed just about all of us." One of the judges, a heroine she didn't recognized, told her as all the judges stood around her and gave her their thoughts. The girl genius of course knew what their decision would be, but she'd still have to wait for her acceptance letter.
"You should expect good news in the mail." The hero once more told her as the two headphone jacks attached to her earlobes perked up a little. Thinking about her quirk and trying to deduce the heroine's identity, Charlie briefly collected her thoughts.
"While UA is known for producing over thirty percent of Japan's active heroes. Only about fifteen percent of graduates return to either teach or judge.
Given that classes, 1-A and 1-B feature the most amount of returning graduates. It is only a hop skip and a jump. To make the connection of a young girl's pop song that took Japan by storm, and the easily recognizable quirk. To determine this heroine is Kyoka Jirou. AKA Earphonejack."
"Well, thank you. Mrs. Jirou." Charlie told the older woman as she looked surprised for a moment.
"Or is it Mrs. Kaminari? I don't know how that kind of stuff works out here." The heroine was once more shocked by not only the British girl's knowledge. But also, her completely fluent Japanese.
"Wow, uh, how did you…?" Kyoka was at a loss for words for a moment. Barely, being able to find the words.
However, rather than answer with any words, Charlie simply tapped her right temple twice as all the judges understood what she meant by this action.
"Well, uh, good for you." Kyoka Jirou continued to be at a loss for words as she stuttered for a second before giving the British girl a thumbs up. Which naturally cause all the other judges to lightly giggle before Kyoka herself smiled.
"Expect good news, Charlotte Chisaki." The pop star heroine finished her goodbye by addressing the girl with her full name and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Lightly nodding, Charlie turned around and began to walk away.
"Oh, Miss Chisaki." However, before she could make it too far away, another one of the judges called out to her.
"Yes?" Turning back around, the British girl addressed the judges as they now had a look of somber fear on their faces. Like they had something to say but were too afraid to actually say it.
"Well… you see." Once more stumbling over her words, the pop star heroine and the rest of the judges all cowered for a moment being too afraid to simply tell the girl what was on their mind.
"If and when, you are accepted into UA." Another judge was able to find the words as she began to elaborate on what the pop star heroine was trying to say.
"You might want to go by your mother's name." Charlie lightly nodded as all the judges looked worried for a moment. Afraid they had offended the young girl. However, her sly smirk showed that she either thought nothing of it or had already predicted this.
"It's just…" Mrs. Jirou tried to add but once more stumbled as she tried to find the words.
"Much of the staff have a… complicated relationship with your father." She finished her explanation as Charlie nodded understandingly.
"While I appreciate the concern. My mission is to set my family straight." Charlie explained to the judges as they began to understand the reason for her keeping her father's last name.
"My "Father" made people fear my family. That's something I seek to rectify." The British girl used air quotes around the word father in an attempt to further show the disconnect between herself and the man named Overhaul.
"So, if anyone has any problems with my family. I would suggest they look to my actions. Not the actions of a long dead mob boss." Charlie finished her speech by giving a simple tip of her black fedora and turning back around.
"Good day!" She shouted back to them as she strutted away, the judges simple standing there once more impressed by the young girl's gumption.
Blinking once more, Charlie's sense came back to her as her flashback ended and she was back out in front of the school.
"Hmph." Thinking for a moment, the Brit put her right hand to her chin and pondered what the heroes had said. However, before she could fully consider their advice she was violently pulled from her thoughts.
"That was AMAZING!" Hearing a shrill voice screech and feeling two strong arms wrap around her midriff were enough to cause a massive blush to overtake Charlie's face.
"You gotta tell me how you did that!" Turning around to address the stranger, Charlie was immediately met with the yellow hair of a familiar looking handsome boy. Quickly recognizing the boy from her exam, Charlie began to compose herself.
"Ah, yes, well you see." Despite having an IQ higher than 200, the brunette couldn't help but stutter for a moment as she frantically tried to separate herself from the boy.
"You have your tricks." Charlie finally composed herself and pushed the boy off her as she looked past him and sure enough. There were his two blonde friends from exam.
"And I have mine." She seemed to address the two girls while at the same time scanning them briefly with her eyes. Looking them up and down, it's as if she could very easily read their entire life story like a book.
The first girl seemed unusually chipper, the bright smile on her face and her pink aura clearly showed that she was a gentle soul. However, the real question was, "what was that covering up?"
Years of abuse? No, that couldn't be it. Perhaps and unsupportive family, maybe. But that would require both of her parents to be around. The slight insanity that would cause her to carry a sacrificial dagger proudly on her side, had to mean some kind of family problems. Daddy… No, Mommy issues. That's what she was hiding.
And the other girl she instantly recognized.
"Aw, come on! What's your secret?!" The first girl asked as she had a pep in her step and a radiant aura that made the usual stoic British girl grin a little
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!" Charlie responded in stride as they all grew naturally confused.
"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked her back as she was the first to respond since she was the girl in question.
"Well, your pink aura coupled with a twinge of madness that could only cause you to carry that proudly." The genius girl elaborated while gesturing to the girl's side where they all saw the sacrificial dagger.
"That seems to lend itself to some kind of buried trauma, possibly involving a mother or father so what's your secret?" She finished her question as she quirked an eyebrow at the short girl.
Everyone was speechless for a moment, Kano and Hana both slowly inched away from the two girls as they both immediately grew anxious over what the small girl might do.
Kano more scared since he knew that the British girl had quite literally hit a bullseye. Tsuna didn't talk about it much but growing up without a mother clearly affected her a lot. She just covered for this by acting excited about everything.
Hana, on the other hand. Was just anxious. She had been scared of the small girl from the moment she saw her. Not only the clearly deadly weapon she wore with pride, but also the glint in her red eyes and the two small fangs in the front of her mouth. She had been worried what to say around her. Afraid that if she said the wrong thing than the small girl would do the very thing, she said she wouldn't, and slit the blonde girl's throat.
However, it was Charlie who had the most telling reaction. Not fear or anxiety. Just joy. A cocky smirk on her ruby red lips showed that the British girl felt no fear for the short girl.
Charlie Chisaki might have had a genius level IQ, a blackbelt in karate, and a PHD at age ten. However, when it came to people, she could be quite dense. So, it wasn't until Tsuna began to ball up her first and look at the ground that the brit began to realize she had overstepped her boundaries by reading the young girl in this way.
She would often forget not everyone would think like her.
"That is very personal." Tsuna began to grit her teeth as everyone, even Charlie could pick up on the palpable rage emanating from the small girl.
"But if you must know." She continued to choke out her words from her clenched jaw, and for the first time Charlie's normal stoic expression shifted to one of actual terror.
"My mother is sorta in prison, and I've never met her." Everyone was shocked when the blonde girl's rage disappeared in a moment and instead, they were met with a very casual almost friendly look from the girl.
"Yeah. Messed me up a little bit." Tsuna held her index finger and thumb apart slightly as she said this while everyone else was still surprised. Which inevitably made the short girl giggle slightly.
"What? You didn't see that coming?" she asked back continuing to giggle a little obviously feeling prideful of having tricked all of them.
"Just a little bit." Kano was the first one to speak up as he also giggles a little. Both Kano and Tsuna always had the best senses of humor out of the bunch. So, it felt obvious that they would both laugh at each other jokes.
Hana felt a wave of relief wash over as she realized she wasn't going to get her neck snapped. A small grin overtaking her lips as the two yellow-haired nincompoops began to grow on her.
Charlie, conversely, was agitated. Always being the smartest person in the room gave her a sense of superiority. The British girl prided herself on always being two moves ahead of everyone else, and this goof ball tricking her obviously bruised her ego.
"HAHAHA!"
However, hearing both her and her yellow-haired friend laughing a little harder caused Charlie to crack a small smile. Both kids' laughter being infectious. So, Charlie just chose to roll her eyes and resign herself to accepting that she indeed "Didn't see that coming."
"So, I said mine." As their laughing ended, Tsuna looked up at the taller girl and began to ask her a simple question.
"Now your turn." She continued to elaborate as Charlie remembered back to their deal. In truth, the brown-haired girl had been so embarrassed about being outwitted she hadn't even thought about what the girl had said.
"Hmph." Charlie lightly smiled as she realized her hypothesis had indeed been correct. Mommy issues. However, her brief moment of success was short lived as she looked back over to the group of students and realized they were all glaring at her, waiting for something. Waiting for her to tell them her "Secret".
"Well?" Tsuna asked while crossing her arms under her small breast. Her face turning from joy to a stern look of indifference.
"Yes, well, that in there." Charlie began to explain as she tried to figure out the best way explain her power.
So, instead of using words, she simply tapped her head with her index finger, a clear gesture for thinking. Which, coupled with the girl's quick analysis of the Toga girl's secret, meant all three teens caught onto what she was saying.
"OHHH!" All three friends let out a collective groan as they finally understood what her quirk was. Kano being the only one to not get it, but he decided to follow along with his friends to avoid embarrassment.
Then, they all fell silent for a moment, as they'd run out of conversation topics.
"So, do you think you made it?" Hana awkwardly asked the British girl as she just tried to make small talk.
"Yes, I think I made it." Charlie responded blankly, clearly making fun of Hana's deadpanned tone. Hana didn't take it personally, she'd just broken almost every bone in her body, she could take a little bullying.
"Just as you have. Hana Izumi." Hana grew shocked when she realized this girl knew her name. Her eyes widening as she worried how she knew who she was.
"You know my name?" Hana asked worriedly. However, she slowly grew less and less scared as she remembered this girl was really smart. She likely didn't mean to scare the blonde girl and might just be messing with her like she did with Tsuna.
"Of course, I was able to see the end of your little exam right as I was coming in." Charlie informed her as she let out another "Oh" at understanding what she was saying.
"Tsk." Hana let out a noise that was the verbal equivalent of shrugging her shoulders. She decided there was probably nothing she could keep from the genius girl. However, thinking back to what she had said, Hana had another question on her mind.
"Wait? What do you mean "As you have"?" Hana used air quotes to emphasize her point as she was confused by what the British girl was meaning. Hana knew for sure she had failed her exam, but hearing Charlie say this gave her an awful feeling, hope.
"Why yes of course, putting your body on the line like that, saving that helpless boy, and giving up your opportunity to destroy the million-point robot." Charlie elaborated explaining all Hana had done and putting it into the new perspective made the little heroine feeling actually proud.
"How could they turn down someone so… Heroic?" Charlie quirked and eyebrow while asking the question, and Hana felt her heart skip a beat. A blush overtaking her cheeks as she'd never been used to receiving praises like this. Especially from a complete stranger.
"Well… You know, it was nothing." Hana tried to brush off her complements while also hiding the redness of her cheeks. At first, she was embarrassed at being praised in this way.
"No, it wasn't." Charlie's words were an echo of the very same boy she had saved, and that was when the embarrassment turned to joy.
"Thank you." This time, Hana responded in stride as she flashed the British girl her best "Deku" smile.
"Haha" However, hearing everyone else, even the normally stoic British girl, begin to giggle told her enough about how her "Heroic" smile was received.
"You've got the heroic spirit, now just work on that smile." Charlie told her as she approached the shorter girl. Kano and Tsuna just continued to laugh together, as they had before when the blonde girl embarrassed herself. Hana yet again didn't take it personally; she hadn't spent much time with the two goofballs. But she got the idea they were very easy to make laugh.
"After all, now that you have his power." Hana was once more shocked as the brown-haired leaned in and grabbed the girl's shoulders. Her voice turning to a whisper as her red lips were right next to the short girl's ear.
"You bear a heavy burden, Hana Izumi." Charlie's voice was barely above a whisper as Hana caught onto what she was meaning. Her heart rate spiking, legs wobbling and eye widening while being utterly speechless.
"W-what do you mean?" Hana tried to sound confident and just play dumb, but her stuttering only further confirmed what Charlie had been suspecting.
However, rather than say anything, the genius girl simply winked at her little friend as the two giggling friends finally stopped there laughing and made their way over to the other two students.
While Hana was still nervous and full of questions for the British girl. She realized that like it or not, she was figured out and would have to count on this girl's silence.
"Yeah, you really gotta work on that smile!" Kano told her friend as both him and Tsuna swaggered over to the two of them.
"Oh, yeah yeah" Hana tried to calm down, as she remembered back to what had caused the two nincompoops to enter their laughing frenzy in the first place.
"I got to work on that." She once more just blankly stated what they had told her, her mind still reeling too much to think of some funny quip or joke.
"I'll do that." The blonde girl turned to Charlie as she said this. Both understanding the subtext of what she meant with that proclamation. Luckily, neither Tsuna nor Kano picked up their shared glance.
"Well, anyway." Tsuna changed the topic as she looked at her phone for a brief moment before widening her eyes.
"We should probably get going." The short girl told everyone else as they all saw it was almost midnight.
"Right, well, have a good night then." Charlie bid them ado as she lightly tipped her hat to them before going in the exact opposite direction, walking back to the school.
"Hey, wrong way!" Hana yelled to the back of the girl head as she turned back around to face the three of them.
"Oh, right. Well, you see. I don't really have a home." Charlie told them before cracking a little smile.
"Flew out here without a place to stay." The British girl continued to elaborate as they all chuckled at her story. "And, I don't really have a mailbox."
"So, I'm just going to get my acceptance letter before I find a hotel." She finished her explanation as Hana wanted to say something like. "How do you know you'll get in?"
However, remembering who she was talking to, she decided to just stay quiet.
"Good night." The British girl once more tipped her hat to the group, before turning around to walk back towards the school. But just before she could make it to the door.
"Wait, you never told us your name?" Kano yelled to the brunette as she turned back around. Her heart sinking as she had hoped to get through this interaction without having to give her name. She wore her father's name proudly as a means to redeem it. However, that didn't make the insults and accusations any easier to hear.
"Right, Charlotte Chisaki." Charlie identified herself while taking off her fedora and lightly bowing to them. "At your service."
Charlie kept her head bowed for a moment as she waits for one of them to come up to her and start yelling, but that never came. Looking back up, Charlie could see that none of the students were turning to anger. However, in her surprise that meant an awkward silence had set in
"Great." Kano simply said as he broke the silence. Not really knowing what else to say.
"Hope to see you at UA." He once more said as he gave the girl a thumbs up and a goofy smile that sent the British girl's heart a flutter.
"Chisaki. Chisaki… Where have I heard that?" Hana asked out loud as Charlie immediately grew nervous.
"Oh, it was that old villain... Overhaul, right?" Tsuna completed her friends thought as they both looked to Charlie who simply nodded at the question still nervous as to which one of them would start screaming first.
"Was he your father. Or something?" Tsuna asked again, as Charlie just lightly giggled.
"Something." Charlie told them; she never had the courage to call that man her father.
"Okay, then." Tsuna blank emotionless response naturally caused everyone else to giggle a little including the British girl.
"That must have been hard." Kano told the brunette as she could only nod remembering the few memories she had of her dad.
"You have no idea." Charlie quipped as Tsuna was the only one to start laughing at her joke.
"I know that problem." The short girl said back as everyone giggled once more. Charlie lightly smiling at the small girl, feeling that she really did.
"Oh, yeah. My name is-" Tsuna began to continue as she wanted to introduce herself to the British girl. However, the girl she was talking to interrupted her.
"Tsuna Toga." She simply told her as the blonde girl should have been surprised but given everything she had done tonight. None of the students, were shocked that she knew the girl's name already.
None of the students, but Kano whose eyes widened in a moment of insight.
"Ohhhh! You're really smart!" Kano shouted as he put his face into the palm of his hand while all the girls looked at him as if he were crazy.
"When, you did that thing earlier." He continued to elaborate while tapping his finger to his head, clearly mimicking the girl's action from before.
"I didn't get it." The yellow-haired boy blankly stated, they could tell he felt embarrassed, and with all the girl's confused eyes on him. They couldn't really blame him.
"But, but. I do now." He nervously finished his explanation as all the girls began to laugh.
"HAHAHAH!" Tsuna was of course the first person to start the laughing frenzy. Then, the other two naturally followed. Hana chuckling a couple times before rolling her eyes, and Charlie giggled a little harder. If she wasn't a refined woman, she most likely would have been just as amused as the Toga girl.
"Oh! You are just the dumbest motherfucker! To every exist!" Tsuna screeched out in between her cackles and while Charlie and Hana were a little worried this might make Kano angry. The boy's cheeky little smile told them he didn't feel too hurt.
They kept laughing for a little bit before coming back down.
"Oh, that made my night." Tsuna told them all as she whipped away a tear from her eye.
"I mean. She has a point Mr. Kaminari." Charlie told the boy as they all just rolled their eye and lightly chuckled. All silently thinking, "Of course" as the British girl confirmed she knew the yellow-haired boy's name. However, they didn't speak up, as Charlie spun around one final time before delivering another, "Good night."
Then, the brit disappeared into the school as the three remaining students turned back to each other.
"Well, we should probably head home." Kano told them as all three of them once more realized how late it was.
"Yeah." Tsuna agreed with her friend as they both looked to the blonde girl they had just met.
"You gonna be able to get home safe?" Tsuna continued as she asked Hana who was too busy daydreaming to pay attention.
"Oh, um. Yeah, yeah I'll be fine." Hana snapped out of it as she answered the small girl's question, and for the first time, she actually felt like she wasn't lying when she said that. All while silently hoping that Yuko might still be awake before she had to go back to school tomorrow.
"Great! Well, get home safe!" Kano told her all while giving her a big "Deku" grin and throwing up a peace sign.
"If anything happened to you. We'd be in for a shock!" He joked as electricity arced across the peace sign.
"That was the worst one yet." Tsuna told him as she elbowed him in the side, but still giggling non the less.
"Aww, come on! That one was pretty good!" Kano shouted back as he playfully slapped Tsuna's elbow. Which quickly devolved into the two of them slap fighting back and forth while giggling. All while Hana could only think one thing, "Where have you been all my life."
"Anyway." The two composed themselves as Tsuna said this and gave the blonde thief a small salute.
"C'Ya Hana!" The Toga girl told the girl in question as both her and the Kaminari boy turned around and pranced down the street. All while laughing and turning to give occasional waves to the blonde girl.
Then, just a mysteriously as they had arrived, they were gone. Still, Hana couldn't help but smile. This might be the first time in her life she had met people who didn't want to either steal from her or scam her. Or both.
"Katsumi, Kano, Akihiko, Tsuna, Ronin, Charlotte." Hana thought the names of all the heroes she now considered friends. However, thinking about them she also thought about the others she had met.
"Usagi, Shiho, Yue, Sabito." While not all were enemies, she was worried they would never become friends. It was thoughts like that, that brought her back to the test and her failure in the arena, and the disgust that she had been addressed with while listening to Shiho. It was memories like that, that made her think something horrible.
"Was… Was I a mistake?" Hana Izumi asked herself while looking back down to her right hand. The hand she had felt shatter under this power that now resided in her. A power she feared she was not worthy of.
"Hmm." Hana continued to ponder that question as she thought back to what Shiho had done. Did she really destroy the million-point robot? Even while being quirkless? Even with no help? Could she have done all that?
"Then, why was I chosen? A lonely streetrat who just happened to rob a fruit stand next to the number one hero. What could I be worth?"
"No." The blonde heroine told herself as she composed herself and remembered what Deku had told her. What Ronin had told her. What Charlie had told her. And what her sister had told her.
"I will be a hero." Hana reaffirmed herself as she closed the hand she had been staring at, making a fist. However, her hand began shaking once more, as the memories flooded back again. Only this time Hana kept her compose as she grabbed her shaking appendage and told herself once more.
"I will be a hero." There was no doubt in the young girl's voice now as she allowed herself to smile sweetly.
Then, she stuck out two fingers in a classic peace sign expression, just like the one Kano had shown her before, and threw her right arm up into the air, showing the peace sign to anyone passing by. Of course, no one saw this display, and the young girl was happy about that.
Because right after holding her arm up, her composure collapsed, and she felt a chill go down her spin.
"Disgusting." Hana told herself as she once more shivered. Feeling embarrassed about performing such a cheesy hero move. Still, she smiled nevertheless as she spun on her heels and walked back to her home with renewed vigor.
Whether or not Charlie was right, no longer worried her. Whether or not Shiho was right, no longer worried her. As Hana Izumi finally answered her question.
"No, I'm not a mistake."