Zero Hero || MHA ||

0. Onishi Rin: Origins

If there's one thing I've realized from all the years I've been alive, it's that people with strong Quirks are privileged. I don't mean to get all preachy, but I'm just saying that people with Quirks often abuse their power and probably won't be able to live life without them. They take their god-given powers for granted.  They think that just because they were gifted with inhuman abilities that they can go around wreaking havoc and do as they please without anyone's concern. Don't they know that some people just want to live a normal life?

        I was lying face down on the ground. I can smell the scent of fire in the air. It rushed up into my nose and down my throat making my chest tighten. Every breath I took made me want to gag. My eyes were on fire yet the tears in my eyes didn't help one bit. It made things worse, actually. I was blindly lying in the open. Muffled cries of civilians screaming for help and their footsteps rattled my body. There also was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. I could hardly make out the voices that were zooming past me.

        "Call the heroes!"

        "Run!"

        "It's a villain!"

        A villain attack? Oh, yeah... That's right. I remember now. I was on my way home from school after buying some comics for Hiro...

»»————-　　————-««

"Hey, Coconut Head! Come 'ere."

        I turned around to see that I was face-to-face with Bakugo, an egotistic classmate of mine who liked teasing kids with weak Quirks. Or anyone weak in general. Behind him were his two friends who equally took part in his antics. They looked pretty suspicious since they were hiding in the dark alley. Add on the snarky grin on their faces, and they almost looked like they just finished committing arson or some other crimes teenagers do.

        "Coconut Head...?" I muttered to myself as his friends chuckled. That was a new name. Usually he'll call me "nerd". He tried to bully me (does it count as bullying if he's rude to everyone?), but he gave up after a month since my reactions were too bland. That didn't stop him from ridiculing me every chance that he got, though.

        "I know you were listenin' to our conversation," he accused, getting his face into my personal space.

        I leaned away to put some distance between us. "...You mean when you were in the classroom after school with the Quirkless kid?"

        "Obviously. What else would I be talkin' about?" he said, getting even closer to me. I could smell his breath on me and surprisingly, it smelled like fresh mint not like dingy eggs.

        As all bullies do, Bakugo has a favorite victim that he likes to tease: Midoriya. He's a nice guy who's berated by Bakugo and ignored by his classmates all the time. Last year, he lent me his history notes, because I forgot to study before the test. His notes were very thorough and specific; he even created a table of contents and labeled the page numbers. I still failed the exam, but it was the thought that counted, right?

        The reason why he gets kicked to the dirt all the time is because he's Quirkless. In a world full of superpowers, he happened to be one of the unfortunate 20% that didn't manifest one. Even so, I heard that he wants to be a hero. I guess that annoys Bakugo for some reason, so that's why he's always picking on him.

        I peered up at Bakugo's fiery pupils, seeing no point in lying. "Yep. I was. And uh, you wanted to be a hero? Threatening the Quirkless kid isn't very hero-like--"

        An ignition from his left hand exploded, interrupting my sentence. The smell of smoke spiked up my nose making me sneeze. Some snot flew out and got stuck on his chest. It looked stringy and wet, the type of booger that'll be impossible to pick out.