Chapter 13:
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:
Night had fallen on the hero academy known as UA, and the young British girl Charlotte Chisaki couldn't help but feel tired.
"Ahh." She lightly yawned to herself as she reached down to the small slot of a vending machine, she had found in the school's hall. Picking up the small pack of gum she had bought, the brown-haired girl picks a small piece out of the pack and popped one into her mouth.
"Hmm." She hummed happily when the sugary candy hit her taste buds. The genius girl always had quite the sweet tooth.
Continuing to wait, Charlie leaned back against the tiled walls of the school's hallway as she once more looked over at the door to the records office, and to her watch to make sure the time was indeed past midnight.
She could tell there was indeed still people working and talking in the room, likely finishing up the remaining acceptance letters and sending them out to the students that needed them. Charlie just hoping to be able to snag hers since she didn't really have a mailbox.
"Ha." The genius girl lightly giggled when she remembered back to the conversation, she had had with her mother about traveling out to Japan and attending her school
"And why would you want to do that?" Her mother had asked her as she set down the book she'd been reading and leaned back in her lounge chair in their family study. "If you wish to become a hero, then why do you need to travel halfway around the world."
"Father." The young girl responded as she kept her professional posture, hands neatly folded behind her back, chin up, mouth closed, back straight.
"Ha, and what about that man?" Her mother lightly chuckled at the memory of the foreign man that had been the root of all her problems. Yet had also created her beloved daughter.
"As much as you seem to deny it, that man… Kai Chisaki's shadow has fallen over me my entire life." Charlie reaffirmed her father's name as a means to demonstrate the validity of her words.
"And you wish to escape this "Shadow" by traveling halfway around the world?" The mother continued to interrogate her daughter as she leaned forward in her comfy chair. Maybe the first time the girl could feel her mother take genuine interest in something her daughter was saying.
"No, I seek to destroy it." The two refined woman continued to talk with a sense of panache. As if they were putting on a play rather than just simply conversing.
"Every time someone hears my name, they judge not just me. But all of my family." Charlie continued as her mother once more leaned back in her chair, a sign that the young girl took to mean. "Continue."
"So, I wish to travel back to the place that fears him most." Charlie continued to elaborate.
"And show those people that the Chisaki name is no longer the name of a villain. It is the name of a hero." The British girl finished her elaborate plan as her normally stoic mother allowed a small smile to slip past her lips.
"That is your plan?" The refined woman stated blankly as her daughter simply nodded.
"You know, it would be infinitely easier to just take my last name." The British woman began to explain as her daughter lightly nodded once more.
"I have heard how they speak of… Kai there, and believe me, this would be the path of greatest resistance." The lady continued her explanation as she flinched a little when saying her old husband's name.
"Just because it is the path of greatest resistance, doesn't mean it is the wrong path." Charlie remained unflinching in the face of her mother's words. Being the genius she was, Charlie had thought this through and weighed every possible option.
"I have made my decision." The Chisaki girl stood tall and reaffirmed her position as a small bead of sweat traveled down her cheek.
There was a short moment of silence as the two women broke eye contact. The older woman looking off to the side as she pondered for a moment. Her daughter being genuinely surprised.
"Is she… Nervous?" Charlie thought to herself as she had never seen her mother ever look truly anxious.
"If that is your decision." The older woman continued to look off to the side as she leaned forward in her chair once more. Her moving posture telling her daughter she was indeed nervous.
"Then, so be it." Charlie couldn't help but crack a small smile as her mother's eyes once more met her daughters. Both women coming to an agreement.
"You are a smart girl, Charlotte." However, before the young girl could speak, her mother continued.
"And I have tried to raise you to the best of my ability." Charlie's smirk grew as she shyly looked towards the ground.
"So, if you believe this is the correct path. Then I will support you." Her mother's uncharacteristic smile filled the young girl with a sense of hope as she once more nodded.
"Thank you, mother!" Both refined ladies looked so strange as they embraced. Neither being experienced at showing love, but both still loving each other.
"Haa." Charlie let out a sigh as her brief flashback ended. The memory filling her with the same hope she had felt before.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Charlie was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the clickety clacking of high heels walking towards her. Then, further down the dark hall, a tall white-haired woman turned the corner and began walking toward the young girl.
She didn't appear to be a teacher, instead she looked more like a doctor. She had a long white lab coat and seemed to be reading a clipboard very intently. So, intently, she didn't even notice the long-haired girl waiting in the hallway.
"Excuse me." Charlie made her presence known right when the woman walked by her, and apparently, she had done it much more violently than intended.
"AHH!" The doctor screamed in surprise as the young girl shocked her. She had been so focused she couldn't even pick up that another person was in the hall, and in her shock, she threw her clipboard to the ground and put her hand over her heart when she realized it was just a student.
"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you." Charlie quickly apologized as the older woman calmed down.
"It's okay. It's okay." The doctor responded as she settled down.
"I just didn't expect anyone to still be here this late." She explained as she reached down and picked up the clipboard she dropped.
"Why are you here?" The white-haired woman asked as she was naturally confused.
"Here to get my acceptance letter." The brit responded, but this just created more questions for the young doctor.
"Acceptance letter? You know they can just send those through the mail?" The woman continued to question the teenage girl as she just lightly giggled in response.
"Yeah, well I don't really have a mailbox." Once more, the young girl's simple response only created more questions, but at this point the white-haired woman just shrugged and gave up.
"Well, whatever gets you in, right." She offered her simple words as they both seemed to come to an understanding.
"How do you know you're gonna get in?" Despite the doctor having given up on asking anymore questions. She couldn't stop herself from asking one more.
"Let's just say I have a hunch." Charlie gave another confusing answer but at this point, the woman figured it was just part of her personality.
"Hope to see you then." She responded with a happy smile as they both shook hands before departing. However, as the doctor began to walk away. It was Charlie who had a question this time.
"Oh, wait! That part of your quirk?" The British girl asked as she gestured to the woman's horn sticking out of her forehead. In another life the doctor would have taken this as some kind of insult, but she was much more laid back in terms of her quirk.
"You have no idea." She chuckled a little before responding as the British girl giggled as well.
"Well, it was nice meeting you…?" Charlie left the sentence hanging as she waited for the woman to fill in the blank.
"Eri, and you are?" She responded as she did a little curtsy before gesturing to the brunette girl as she also waited for her to identify herself.
"Charlotte Chisaki." Charlie was oddly confident as she tipped her little fedora to the newly identified woman. "At your service."
One could count the seconds.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Then the truth hit Eri like a Detroit Smash. The small smile fell from her face as her eyes widened and she lost all feeling in her body. The clipboard with her patient records dropped once more to the floor, only this time she didn't reach down to pick it up.
"You alright?" Charlie had been in such a good mood; she'd briefly forgot about the legacy of her last name. However, right when she realized why Eri looked so terrified. The woman spun on her heels and sprinted down the dark hallway.
Charlie considered running after her for a second since she was one of the only people, she'd had a genuine conversation with without scaring them away. Well, she would have if she'd just never said her stupid name.
"Damn." Charlie cursed herself as she punched the tiled wall she had been leaning against. Resigning herself to just wait for the next person to come. Hopefully it would be someone who could give her, her letter. So, she could just get out of here before she scared anyone else.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait that long as a few seconds later the records office door opened, and another person walked into the dark hallway.
"Excuse me." Unfortunately, much like before. Charlie failed to realize the man was looking at something in his hands. They looked like envelopes.
"AHH!" The man jumped like Eri before, dropping the letters in his hands. That's when she was able to see that this man is non other than the number one hero, Deku
"Uhh, it's just you Charlie." The hero responded in stride as the British girl now quirked an eyebrow.
"Y-you know who I am?" Charlie was deeply confused as the previously startled hero resumed his signature grin.
"Of course, who wouldn't recognize such a prosperous young heroine?" The Chisaki girl had been called many things in her life. Witch, Harlot, Villain, but never had anyone referred to her as a hero.
"Oh, uh, um, okay." For the first time, Charlotte Chisaki was completely dumbfounded. The normally smart young girl found herself completely lost for words.
"T-thanks." The Brit managed to stutter out a simple thanks as Deku gave her a confident thumbs up and a smile.
"No problem!" The hero's goofy expression did cut an edge off the young girl's stress as she let herself laugh.
"But what are you doing here?" Charlie was once more asked this question as she was about to answer him when she saw the stack of envelopes in his hands.
"Well, that actually." She responded simply as she pointed to the letters.
"Oh, are you looking for a letter?" His response was quite easy as he began to flip through the papers.
"Yes, my own letter. If you wouldn't mind." The young girl confidently extended her hand as she waited for the hero to deliver her good news.
"Your letter? a bit confident, aren't we?" Midoriya joked back as he smirked a little at the girl's gumption.
"How do you know that you-" Deku began but was rapidly silenced when he got to the C last names and sure enough, there was a letter marked. Charlotte Chisaki.
"And here it is." A dejected Deku responded as he dropped the small letter into the girl's outstretched hand as she couldn't help but smirk a little.
"Thank you!" Charlie quipped back as she confidently took her note and an embarrassed Deku just scratched the back of his head but couldn't help but let a small smile cross his lips.
"Goodnight." Charlie yelled as she pranced away throwing up a peace sign behind her. The tired girl wanting to just lay down and go to sleep.
Rather than saying anything, Deku simply giggled as she swaggered away.
"Oh, wait." The girl spun on her heels while pointing back to the big man
"While I was waiting here, A lady walked by, and when I told her my name. She seemed very terrified." It was not an unusual thing for Charlie to receive such a reaction when someone was told her name. However, while most would respond with rage or accusations. Eri might have been the first to show true, carnal fear.
"A lady?" Deku questioned as he mentally went through the people that could have been here. Then his eyes widened when he remembered that Eri had been staying late to finish up some of the student's medical records.
"Did you get a name?" He continued to interrogate the young girl as he kept praying it wasn't who he was thinking.
"Yeah, she said her name was Eri." Charlie responded and felt her heart sink when she saw the man gasp and place his hand over his open mouth. For the first time, Charlie saw such a strong hero actually look scared.
"Should I go apologize?" In her fear, Charlie cautiously asked as Deku came back to his senses.
"No. No. It'll be fine." He attempted to reassure the girl as though she could very clearly see he was still terrified.
"Do you know where she went?!" The hero hastily asked as he spun around looking for the direction his little sister had gone.
"Yeah, right over there." She told him as she jerked her thumb to her right, to a hallway opposite the hero.
"Thank you!" He yelled back as he took off running down the hallway she had pointed to. Leaving behind a confused and worried young girl.
"You're welcome." Charlie whispered to herself as she just shrugged and turned back around to leave the school.
"So, much for being the name of a hero." She giggled a little as she talked to herself. Having no idea what she had just done.
Meanwhile, while the British girl was leaving the premises. The number one hero Deku was dashing through the many halls of UA looking for Eri.
"Come on! Come on!" He said to himself as he kept searching for the woman. Understanding she needed him as he had a terrible flashback.
Twenty-Two Years Ago:
A ten-year-old Eri slept in her small bed at the hero academy UA. The past couple of years had been transformative for the young girl. Since, escaping the Hisaikai and moving to the hero academy, her life had been looking up. Through the tutelage of both Eraserhead, Deku and Lemmillion. Or Mirio and Izuku as they insisted to be called. The young girl had learned to control her quirk, and made up for the lost time she had, had stolen away.
"You are a cursed girl, Eri!" Unfortunately, in her deep sleep. The young girl felt her worst fears coming back.
In her dreams, Eri saw her long-time tormentor, the villain everyone else called Overhaul. His green jacket white tie and gloves, and that horrifying long beak mask terrified the young girl. She felt her entire body go numb as his one hand not covered by a glove reached out to her face.
"And only I have the ability to fix you." The man's unfeeling glare never left the shaking girl as she couldn't move, speak, or even breathe. She wanted to call out for someone, but in the blackness of her dream. There was only Chisaki.
"So, let's try again." Finally, his hand completely covered her shaking face as she remembers the sharp pain that would always come whenever he would "fix" her. Then, much like before, there was nothing. All she could feel was fear.
"AHHHHHHHH!" That was until the ten-year old girl shot up out of bed and wrapped the blue blanket she was sleeping in around her entire body as she covered her crying face.
"BWAHHH!" She continued to weep even as she realized it had been a dream and she was safely still at UA. Eri couldn't let go of the fear in her heart as she felt horribly alone. Except she wasn't.
"ERI! ERI!" The white-haired girl looked up as she saw her hero run into the room, Deku. The twenty-one-year-old man wasted no time when he saw the girl bawling as he ran over to embrace her.
"It's okay! It's okay!" He reassured the crying girl as his hands wrapped around her and she pushed her face against his chest. Crying right into his pajamas.
"It was just a nightmare Eri." Midoriya told her as she didn't stop her crying. The images of her old tormentor still burned into her mind.
"It's okay! I'm here!" The young man tilted the girl face up as he gave her a big smile that made her feel a bit better. However, she was still shaking in fear as the memories of her old life came flooding back.
"I-I'm sorry, Deku." Eri apologized as she looked over to her digital clock and realized it was past midnight. The young girl feeling bad to have woken up the young man.
"It's no problem Eri." He reaffirmed her as the young girl slowly broke off from his grip and whipped her remaining tears on her pajama sleeve.
"I meant it when I said I would keep you safe." Deku gave her a little thumbs up as he told her this.
"So, day or night, rain, or shine, I will always be there for you. I swear." The man reaffirmed his promise to the young girl as she felt much safer looking up at the man's green hair and smile face. Remembering the same look when he had reached to take her away from her tormentor all those years ago.
"Thank you, and again I'm sorry." Eri attempted to reapologizes to her hero, but she was surprised when his usually beaming smile was dropped. It instead being replaced by a deep scowl.
"Eri, you need to stop apologizing for existing." Deku's words sounded almost accusatory, but Eri understood they were coming from a place of love.
"R-right, sorry." She quickly realized her mistake as she shut her lips very fast.
"I-I mean. I understand." Eri nodded just as fast as Deku chuckled a little bit. Seeing his smiling face filled the young girl with so much joy.
"You belong to me!"
Still the white-haired girl couldn't get the voice of her tormentor out of her head.
"Eri!" Her face must have shown for fearful she was, cause Deku immediately snapped her attention back to her.
"He's gone." It was such a simple statement that drove right to Eri's core.
"We both saw the body." He continued to remined the young girl as she looked down for a moment, remembering back to the day she had finally felt free.
A few years ago, her tormentor, Kai Chisaki had been confirmed dead. However, Eri was the only person that was easy to reach that could recognize his body. So, her Deku, Mirio, and Ersaerhead had travel to England to confirm it was his body.
Despite how scared she was, her heroes made sure she watches as his body was burned and cremated. All of them hoping it could finally put Eri's scared mind at peace to see the person who'd stolen her childhood finally gone forever. But things were never that simple.
The young girl still had nightmares and visions of the villain, and honestly Deku had no idea how to get rid of them.
"And even if he was still alive" Izuku began again as he refocused the little girl's eyes on his smiling face.
"He would have to get through everyone out there." The young man pointed to the door as the girl understood what he was saying and who he was talking about.
"And even if he could do that. He'd have to get through me, which I will never. Ever. Let happen."
Eri finally smiled when her surrogate brother told her this as she remembered back to the day, he'd saved her.
"Even if it's already been decided! Even if it's set in stone!"
"I'LL SMASH THAT FUTURE!"
Flashing back to the moment when he'd uttered those words. Both him and Togata had done so much, just to see her smile.
"You understand what I'm saying." Eri's attention was refocused on the young man in front of her as she hastily nodded her head. Feeling truly safe, even if it was for just a moment.
"Good, because you need to get some sleep." Izuku happily told her. His voice changing from serious to whimsical in a matter of seconds.
"You've got your exam coming up, and it won't do well to be sleep deprived." She nodded once more, a smile now firmly on her face even as the young man got off her bed and walked over to her door and turned off the lights.
However, as the room was plunged into darkness again. Eri couldn't help but feel the same terror take her again.
"ERI BELONGS TO ME!" The man's words still stuck in her mind even though she knew her hero was still there.
"Good-" Izuku began but was immediately cut but was immediately cut off by a scared Eri.
"Um, Excuse me, Mr. Deku." She spoke up, the young man being able to hear the fear in her voice.
"Yes." He responded in stride.
"C-could you stay with me…?" She hesitantly asked. "Just for a bit?"
The young girl was prepared to hear a no or something worse. Her heart sinking like an anchor the longer she sat in the darkness.
"Of course." The hero responded in stride as if she wasn't asking anything strange or outlandish.
Then, the young man walked right next to her small bed again. And kneeled next to her small bed, then just for fun, activated One for All at 1%. The light glow causing his entire body to illuminate.
"HAHA." Eri giggled a little when she saw the green-haired man glowing so faintly, as Deku reciprocated her laughter.
Her heart feeling so at peace that when she momentarily shut her eyes. The young girl immediately fell asleep. Her former tormentor having no place in her dreams that night.
Present Day:
"Come on! Come on!" The hero, Deku whispered to himself as he continued to run throughout the school of UA frantically looking for the young lady he had just been thinking about. That night being one of many.
Both him, Mirio, and Eraser liked to pretend Eri's fear went away. That she'd grown out of her trauma and had moved on. But they all knew deep down that this was not the kind of thing you "Moved on" from.
And, meeting the daughter of the man who stole her childhood and tortured her for years, would most certainly not help.
All Izuku could hope was that he could make it to Eri before she did anything rash. Luckily, after checking a few more doors. He eventually found the white-haired woman.
"ERI!" Deku practically screamed as he came to a stop on one of the second-floor balconies. He was happy to see the woman still clad in her lab coat and leaning against the railing of the balcony. However, the hero could immediately tell there was something wrong with her.
The woman still had her normally indifferent composure, but she seemed almost as if all the joy in her life had been sucked out in an instant. Plus, the doctor had a cigarette in between her fingers.
Eri had quit smoking several years ago. Having tried it when she was a teenager and getting hooked, but as she went to medical school. She was eventually able to quit.
That's when Deku realized how bad it was.
"Uh, hey I just wanted to-" He awkwardly began but was quickly silenced by the woman.
"Did you know, Midoriya?" Her question was so firm it took the man off guard for a second.
"Midoriya." He thought to himself. "Not good."
"W-what do you mean?" The symbols tone was almost frightful as he didn't know what else to say.
"You could be-" Deku tried to play dumb once again, but he was swiftly silenced yet again by the young woman.
"Don't bullshit me, Deku!" Eri spun around to glare right at the green-haired man when she said this.
"Did. You. Know?!" She asked once again, even more forcefully. White hot rage palpably radiating from her body.
"Yes." Despite his fear, Deku knew he needed to stand his ground, as he avoided eye contact by looking towards the ground.
Eri was at a loss for words. She had been expecting this of course, she wouldn't have asked if she hadn't already answered the question in her head.
But she hoped and prayed he really wouldn't know. That this was some kind of nightmare, but no matter what she did, she wouldn't wakeup.
"How old is she?" The white-haired woman was finally able to find some words as a single question came to her mind, and all the anger left her voice.
"About 17." Izuku responded as they both refused to meet eyes.
"We had planned for you to see her eventually, but… I guess it just never worked out." He continued to elaborate as Eri was once more at a loss for words.
"Wha-wh… How could." The young doctor began hyperventilating as panic gripped her heart.
And, just like that she was a scared little girl clinging onto her blanket again.
"Eri. ERI!" The woman fell to her knees as Izuku could tell the telltale signs of a panic attack.
"It's okay, It's okay. Just breathe Eri." Deku attempted to reassure her as she continued to hyperventilate and sweat profusely
"Everything's gonna be alright!" He tried to keep her relaxed as he got down to wrap the young woman in his big arms.
"No. No. No. Stop! Stop! Please!" Eri quickly stuttered out as she scooted away from him, her body moving so slowly and erratically that the hero could tell he wasn't help.
"Please! Just… Just." He tried to find words, but her stuttering didn't stop, and her dizzy mind couldn't find any words. All her fears coming back all at once.
"Eri, please." Izuku spoke calmly as he knelt next to her and extended his hand to help her.
She shakily took his hand as he quickly embraced her in a hug that surprised the young woman. However, after closing her eyes, Eri was able to feel safe again as she allowed her heart to slow, and her rapid breaths to cease.
"It's okay, I'm here." Deku told her as they both stood before separating.
"I'm sorry." Eri looked towards the ground shamefully as the green-haired man just smiled.
"What did we say about apologizing?" Deku condescendingly asked her as she simply cracked a smile and laughed a little before they both fell silent.
Then, both Izuku and Eri looked over to the busy city the school was overlooking. Walking, over to the balcony rail and gazing out at the bright city. Both hero and doctor pondered the past, the present, and the future.
"She got in? didn't she?" Eri broke the silence as her eyes left the city and turn to face the man standing next to her.
"Yes." Deku responded. Once more understanding there was nothing else, he could say. Only this time, Eri seemed to have accepted it since she simply nodded in response.
"She's a good person Eri." Deku told her as he could tell behind her indifferent face, a spark of resentment had been lit.
"She never asked to be his daughter." He continued to elaborate as the young doctor refused to meet his eyes.
"I never asked for this either." Eri solemnly responded as she continued to gaze out at the bright lights and blazing colors of the night city.
"I never asked for this power." She finally turned and addressed the man standing next to her as he could see the tears brimming her eyes.
"I never asked to be torn apart and put back together over, and over, and over." The white-haired girl continued as her eyes gazed towards the ground several stories down.
"And I don't know if I'll ever be… Okay." Eri finished her speech as she fell silent again. Deku following suit as they both once more looked out at the bright city.
"Well, at least it's a good view." Izuku broke the silence as he tried to give her a cheeky little smile and a chuckle. Trying to pull anything "Okay" from the young woman.
"That it is." Eri sadly said while managing a small smile. Which was enough for the hero.
"Don't stay too long." Deku commented as he stepped away from the balcony.
"Goodnight Eri." The normally cheerful hero blankly told her as he disappeared back into the school.
"Goodnight Deku." Eri whispered as she placed her forehead on the railing of the balcony, closing her eyes, and finally letting herself rest. Even if it was just for a moment.
A/N: Sorry for the hiatus, I've been moved out to college and have been pretty busy. Plus, I've also been writing some other stuff. But I want to come back to this so expect more updates. P.S. would still love to hear any feedback. I know everyone says this. But it really helps me improve and lets me know people are actually interested in reading my stories.