Chapter 1: Lesser
"Attention to the front."
A tired male voice boosted by a Quirk cut across the constant chatter of the classroom. Heads turned, phones were put away, and conversations faded into whispers.
Next, the door shut with an audible click, and a short man wearing a brown suit shambled forward like a zombie. He exhaled heavily, exhaustion visible by the black half rings sitting snugly under his eyes. He slowly ran a hand through his receding black hair while forming a familiar frown on his face.
His tired eyes chanced a glance around the classroom, and after not being particularly impressed with what he saw, he shrugged.
Yawning loudly for a moment, he fixed an unruly stack of papers absently before handing them to the female student who had gotten up to grab them.
"Today," he started, exhaustion evident in each word. "You will fill out forms for which high school you plan on attending, after we review your grades, have a one on one session with the counselor, we will then help get your applications ready to be sent."
Another yawn escaped his lips before he spoke again, "Mika, if you would?"
Mika, wearing Yugana Junior High's maroon blazer that matched her short hair, went about her class rep duties as she practically skipped desk to desk and gave each person a sheet of paper.
She did so with practiced familiarity, exchanging a few words with her friends, a small nod to those she didn't know well but respected, and a smile to the rest in hopes of keeping her innocent image as pristine as possible.
Well, that was until she got to the very back, gaze meeting familiar dark blue eyes. Seeing them almost made her facade fall, but she mustered the fakest smile she could and stepped forward.
Before her, with feet rudely propped up on the desk, was a taller boy at around six foot one. He had steel gray hair styled like a buzzcut, shoulders broad enough to make any athlete jealous, a small scar on his chin that was still pink, and was sporting his infamous glare that he always wore during class.
The frown which graced her face all but touched hell as she caught the slight whiff of cigarette smoke that he always radiated.
"Takashi." Mika said curtly, setting a paper on his desk and leaving without another word; not particularly keen on being around him any more than needed.
A sentiment most of the class could agree upon.
Unruly, quick to anger, violent, stubborn to a fault, vulgar use of language, and a pension to laugh in every one's face.
Katsuo, Katsuo Takashi to be exact, was all of the above.
Katsuo watched in slight amusement as Mika practically ran away from him. Huffing in response and also frowning slightly. He shook his head, firmly grabbing the paper he was given and looking down at its contents.
The top half had a quick summary about taking into account his grades, location, and household income before thinking about any potential High Schools to join. In the middle, three blank spaces were present to fill in what schools he would want to attend, and on the bottom was a number to call if he had any further questions.
Katsuo chuckled once he finished reading, an idea floating around in his head about putting down three hero schools, just to see the stupid look on the counselors faces when they would try their best to explain to him why that was not the greatest idea.
It was obvious that wanting to go to a hero school and attend the hero course, especially with his condition, was stupid.
Katsuo could have done it, would have done it, but for once he decided to choose peace.
Yawning, he decided he would fill it out later, his mind going back to the classroom's representative Mika who was known for her kindness. She was sunshine in the flesh, also with a strong Quirk, and did her best to be polite and hard working.
The stark contrast in the way she treated him was very telling of what she really thought about people like him.
A reminder of what he was, someone who was deemed worthless, a Quirkless nobody.
Although, Katsuo would never let their words hurt him. He had made doubly sure to meet every fist they threw with his own, and had long decided he would not let this world break him no matter how hard it tried.
And so what? So what if he couldn't fly, pick up a truck with relative ease, or shoot laser beams out of his eyes?
He had better grades than most of his class, had actually thought of a viable future instead of simply 'I want to be a hero', and was hardworking beyond measure. Yeah, he got in fights relatively everyday, yes he could maybe tone down the vulgar language, and just maybe he should try being friendly to people instead of acting like they pissed in his cereal.
He certainly could do those things, but for now, he would just keep being the stubborn person he was. He would get the semester over with quickly, get out of this school as soon as possible, and then find something in his life to fight for.
The bell suddenly rang, pulling Katsuo away from his thoughts.
A collective exhale came from most of his classmates as they grabbed their things, flocked to their friends to chat, stayed typing on their phones, or bolted for the door to leave the second they could.
Katsuo sat idle though, watching a certain trio of boys he had come to see as his 'bullies'—despite the fact he had put them on their ass about as many times as they did him— and wondering what bullshit they planned to pull today.
Thankfully, they were busy clicking away on their smartphones, completely focused and for once not immediately searching for their favorite 'punching' bag.
No broken noises today it seemed.
Katsuo sighed heavily and proceeded to grab his things to leave. Tossing his bag over his shoulder, he skillfully popped in a single wireless earbud, picked one of the random rock playlists he had, and exited the classroom. He quietly walked down the halls with his hands stuffed in his pockets, making sure to avoid any eye contact with the people shuffling around him as he went.
Most would usually treat him like air, but when a Quirkless nobody like him met their gaze in kind, some would take it as a challenge.
Katsuo wanted to study tonight, and he much preferred doing it without being in pain, so there was no getting into any fights today.
He left the main building, headed out of Yuguna Junior High's main gates, and entered the bustling city of Hosu. All around him, he was silently mocked for what he lacked, Quirks on full display wherever he looked whether he liked it or not.
An older woman who owned a flower shop hands glowed green as a bouquet or dying roses sprang to life, a duo of seven meter tall men in overcoats chatted as they sipped coffee from large bucket sized cups, a group of young kids with dragonfly wings played football in a patch of open grass, a beautiful women with white angelic wings had a crew of camera men set up with equipment for a photoshoot outside a fancy clothes store, and a woman walked her dog with a leash that was apparently invisible.
Every day, Katsuo was forced to see these things, people blessed with power he didn't have. They would not be seen as lesser like him, and could use their gifts to guarantee they had a purpose in their lives.
They were lucky to always have that backup plan in their pocket, a safety net that Quirkless people like him never had.
It was simple really, because if someone could make objects lighter —even if it's not what they wanted to do— and in the event they ever needed a job, Katsuo was a hundred percent sure some construction company would hire them in a heartbeat. Another example was that a person who could change people's hair color would always be wanted by most hairdressers and stylists any and every time. Even if someone had a simple small intelligence boost, they would find work in most finance occupations with ease, just for the fact they had a Quirk slightly geared toward the field.
For Katsuo, he was just himself, and everything he wanted rode on his own two hands. He was just a kid too, not old enough to get a legal job, and even if he could, most places willing to hire a fourteen year old would short him on his pay while saying they were doing him a favor.
This world, this society, did not reject him outright; but was akin to a poison that killed him slowly and methodically.
Everyday he would be subject to something annoying like this, even as he simply walked, and 'ignoring' it was impossible when you were reminded of it constantly.
He hated it, truly he did, and maybe this was why he had anger issues.
"I need a cigarette." He mumbled, hands still in his pockets until he finally found the two people he was looking for, immediately pulling one hand out to wave casually,"Hey guys."
"Yo Takashi, about time bro we were just about to leave your ass."
Yubi Kotawe chuckled as he spoke, his shorter stature causing him to look up at Katsuo while sporting his usual shit eating grin. He was wearing a white collared shirt with the top buttons off along with baggy brown slacks that huddled around his ankles.
Katsuo rolled his eyes at him, "Shut the fuck up and hand me a cig, school sucked."
"Same man, same. Here I got you." A deeper voice, one belonging to a really tall stoic boy with long black hair and wearing the same uniform as Kotawe.
"Thanks Rin," Katsuo said, grabbing the offered item and producing a lighter from his own pocket.
Together, the trio walked down a familiar alley behind an arcade. They were greeted by the usual lawn chair, food crate, and large broken speaker placed loosely in a circle.
Katsuo chose the food crate, like always, while Kotawe plopped down on the lawn chair, leaving Rin in all his stoicism to tolerate the overturned speaker.
For a moment the trio marinated in silence, allowing Katsuo to close his eyes and take a long pull of the red long cigarette he lit.
"Damn man, you're practically tongue punching the bitch, it ain't going anywhere." Kotawe said, ruining the moment like he always did.
Katsuo took another moment to savor the feeling of nicotine, pulling the cigarette away and puffing out a cloud of smoke, "Do you ever shut up? Let me enjoy this, I had a rough day."
Rin grunted in agreement.
"Man." Kotawe let smoke trickle out of his mouth for a moment. "Fuck you guys, if I didn't talk we would be sitting here in silence like a bunch of old saggy men."
"That would be nice." Rin started. "But we all know that's a pipe dream."
Katsuo smiled at the jab, tuning out the red headed Kotawe as he proceeded to fire off rapid fire insults and curses while Rin's face stayed as reactive as a rock.
His mind fell back on the last period of school, thinking back to how Mika had treated him, how people discussed hero schools they wanted to go to loudly.
He remembered noticing the smiles, how they were plastered on their faces brimming with blinding hope, mocking him for what he could not become.
Katsuo wished hope itself was tangible, so he could grab it, kick it in the balls, light it on fire, and throw it down a flight of stairs. Petty was an understatement, Katsuo knew himself well enough to know underneath all his rage and spite, he himself held some hope himself; as hypocritical as that sounded.
Afterall, being Quirkless wasn't a death sentence, most older people were the majority of them to begin with. Yeah, kids his age laid it on thick, but Katsuo could at the very least confide in his teachers when things got bad.
It was why he hadn't gotten expelled yet, because no matter how good his grades were picking fights was a one way ticket out of most schools.
The principal was kind enough to understand his predicament.
Unfortunately, he never stood up to help Katsuo, only giving his silent reassurance to not expel him.
It was honestly better than nothing.
"Takashi?"
Katsuo blinked, realizing at one point the half used cigarette had fallen from his mouth to the asphalt, floating in a small pond of spilled soda.
"Sorry, what's up?"
Rin shook his head, "You rarely space out man, another fight with the loser trio?"
Katsuo scoffed, "You see any blood stains? Nah, just thinking about something. Anyways, what was this dumbass Kotawe going on about?"
The aforementioned dumbass brushed the insult aside, donning a serious look as he cleared his throat, "We think we hit it big man."
Katsuo raised a single brow, "Hit what big?"
Rin and Kotawe shared a look only childhood friends could pull off, dozens of words probably said in the silent exchange before Rin nodded and spoke with more seriousness than his usual persona.
"We found a way to get Quirks."
Katsuo shuddered for a second, then almost fell off the food crate as he laughed, "Good one jackass, but I'm not stupid enough- wait... you guys are serious?"
If it was like any other time, once he laughed they would soon join him shortly because they were terrible at keeping it together. Then, they would go on to poke fun about how 'gullible' he was, trade a few insults back and forth, and be on their way to talk about whatever topic three Quirkless fourteen year olds did.
"Takashi, we aren't idiots." Kotawe started, but a look from Katsuo made him reiterate. "We aren't idiots when it comes to street shit. These guys are legit, don't have a name or anything but they are gathering bottom of the rung people like us and... as wild as it sounds, giving them Quirks."
Katsuo sat in silence, soaking up his friend's words before uttering a single word.
"How?"
"Maybe Quirks is the wrong term," Rin started. "The guy at the top is called Shigaraki, apparently he can make people like us strong enough that we can pass as people with a regular strength Quirk. We think it's a support Quirk that gives permanent buffs or something similar."
Katsuo scoffed, "Like what? Some fucking video game, how can you be sure its not all a lie?"
Kotawe leaned forward, putting an arm around Katsuo's shoulders and rocking him back and forth while poking his chest, "Okokiri, the drug runner we know, Quirkless just like us. Well, when he was peddling whatever bullshit he always does, we caught him lifting an entire dumpster like it was nothing. Me and Rin confronted the bastard, a long conversation with questions here and there, and apparently they were looking for the extra muscle anyways. We do a few jobs, show despite no Quirk we are useful, and bam we get super strength. Hell, maybe you can still be a h-"
"Shut up." Katsuo cut him off, springing up as he grabbed Kotawe's collar on instinct and growled.
For a moment silence fell over them, Katsuo rolling his thoughts around in uncertainty before exhaling and letting go, "Sorry, you know how I get what the hero shit. So what 'jobs' are we doing?"
Rin gave a rare smile, "You said 'we'."
Katsuo chuckled, "Yeah, like I'm gonna let you guys get super strength without me."
He suddenly froze, "But we need to make sure this is legit, lay low, stand in the back and make sure we aren't just hired meat shields."
Kotawe waved his concerns off lazily, "Yeah yeah, we aren't idio- uhhh, I mean we know not to show up all jolly and begging for it. We need to scope it out, see if it's true, then do the work."
Rin nodded solemnly, "Tonight, we got a job. All we have to do is move some crates to a warehouse where they are gonna destroy the evidence via fire. Though they said some other people might wanna steal what's inside."
Katsuo frowned, "So manual labor, that sounds too easy of a price to pay to have super strength Rin, plus this Shigaraki guy sounds like he is hiring minions, not help. We don't know anything, they could be villains."
Kotawe shrugged, "So? I need the money man, my foster parents are cool and all but they don't give an allowance. Hero, Villain, leave that to the wolves and bears. While rats at the bottom of the barrel like us, do what we have to, plain and simple."
Rin nodded along with each word.
Katsuo though, was silent, unsure how he felt if he did end up working for a real Villain. He at one point, somewhere in his past, had wanted to be a Hero. Not for glamor, not for glory, not for women or money. He just, as naïve as it sounded in his own head, wanted to help people. Give a hand to the old lady crossing the street, take the cat out of the tree, put out a few fires and stuff. Not for some convoluted hero complex or self sacrifice bullshit, he just was raised right. He always remembered his Grandpa's words that 'Good people deserve good things', if they got it or not was up to fate, but Katsuo didn't mind saying fuck fate and doing it himself.
"You're spacing out again." Rin said, bringing whatever inner turmoil Katsuo was into to vanish.
"Alright, fuck it, let's get some super strength." Katsuo exhaled.
"My man," Kotawe grinned ear to ear. "Big leagues here we come.
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Hey, welcome to my OC-centric My Hero Academia fanfiction.
First things first, MC will be a hero.
Second, I know the cursing is a lot but eventually it will fade away with Katsuo's character development he will get. So in seven or so chapters there will probably barely be any curse words unless strictly necessary.
Thirdly, Katsuo will be slightly OP, but it will come with time and be prepared to watch him lose at times. He won't be invincible, and can be hurt even when he gets stronger, so be aware.
Fourthly, canon will diverge after sports festival, but there will be slow hints to which direction it will go, even in this first chapter.
Fifthly, I am making UA more competent and just Hero work in general to be honest.
Lastly, please enjoy and comment any questions you have I would love interacting with readers.
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