Pick one out of two perks (24 months. Energy enough for Ultimate (grade 1), perk)
Adaptation (level 1) You will not be left behind. The power of adaptation forces you to become stronger to stand up to your adversaries. Your desperation pushes you and your powers to survive.
Mass manipulation (level 1) You can manipulate the mass of any object in a certain radius, whether making something weigh less or making a thrown rock 1000 kg.
If the world wasn't frozen all around me, I would have undoubtedly felt my heart pounding in my chest. I felt extremely uncertain, I mean, how could you not? I had the opportunity to choose between two incredibly powerful abilities, which may eventually allow me to be on par with even someone like All Might.
My mind was very advanced for an 8-year-old, and said mind was currently going on full blast. Having read about some physics in my independent studies, I knew full well what mass was, and my mind boggled at the possibilities.
Adaptation was less of an immediate boost to my powers. It would push me to grow stronger when in need. The problem with this would be that I needed to be alive to grow, and if I couldn't grow fast enough, it would go to waste.
I hurriedly pull up my perk list to distract myself from my newest decision.
Perks:
(Passive):
Flawless skin (level max) Your skin has no flaws.
Unbreakable Will ((level max)) The user has an unbreakable willpower, he will never falter and will never stray from outside pressure.
Shatterpoint (level 12) You have the ability to instinctively perceive structural weak points.
(Active):
(Active/passive):
Intermediate Telekinesis field (level 13) an area around you which allows you to move things with your mind. The field is passive, and the psychic grip is active. Current capacity: 180 kg.
Intermediate Inventory (level 3) You have your own pocket dimension where you can store inanimate objects. Current capacity is a total of 1.5 cubic metres.
I smirk internally as I get to witness the result of my labour. I had worked hard, and it really seemed to be paying off. Two of my perks had gained a higher rank, and I bet that I could be a great hero with just them.
With my Unbreakable will perk, I would be able to continue fighting at close to max strength for much longer than I had any right to, fuelled entirely by my willpower. I bet I could be great.
As my reminiscence on the growth of my perks came to an end, I was once again faced with the decision of picking my newest and, undoubtedly, most powerful perk.
I don't know how long I remained in place, pondering the pros and cons of both options, but in the end, did time really matter here? After an indeterminable amount of time, I came to a conclusion. Although strength was necessary to survive, I was only 8 years old. I feel like it had time to grow my strength, to gain new perks, and if I picked adaptation, all of my other powers would benefit.
If I had the ability to, I would have probably taken a deep, steadying breath to prepare myself for the choice.
'… Number one'
The world unfroze. Like a damn, a cacophony of sensations assaulted me. The chirping of birds above me, the sound of the guest chatting from inside the house, and the woosh of the wind past my ears. The straws of grass beneath my feet and the gravity of the planet pressing down on me. I felt a brief sensation inside my body as some sort of energy suffused my body, before vanishing in the next instant.
After having remained in the frozen state for longer than all of my previous times combined, it felt surreal to suddenly feel all of these things, and all at once as well.
Feeling myself over, I didn't really feel myself over, but I guessed that I would only feel the difference when I was, as the description said, desperate.
After collecting myself for a second, I look towards the sound of celebration coming from my house. Taking a breath to prepare myself, I march towards the door like a soldier into war.
-4 months later-
It feels like that day 4 months ago should have been some sort of sign for change in my life, but it really wasn't. I went about my normal schedule, going to school, studying independently and training, both physically in the dojo, and with my perks at home.
Something that I had noticed, even a while before gaining adaptation, was that both telekinesis and inventory had plateaued in growth for a while. Before returning to about a normal pace of growth, at least if you look at it in correlation to its size or power. Which In principle means that my powers were growing exponentially after ranking up
I hadn't noticed any particular increases in growth of my perks since I got adapted. What had been affected by adaptation was my physical prowess? I have found it to be easier to keep up with my sister in martial arts. Not because my skill grows as fast as her, but I've noticed, especially when we are sparring, that my physical capabilities are improving. Not enough that it is readily apparent to any onlookers, but I've noticed that after several particularly intense spars, each in very close chronological proximity, that Kokomi seemed slower.
So occasionally, I've taken to measuring myself, and I've come to a conclusion.
My adaptation of quirks functions just like it says it does, It lets me grow faster, especially when I really want something, desperation. Because of this, Adaptation thrives in combat. And since both me and Kokomi are very competitive, especially towards each other, I guessed that my desire pushed me forwards. Nowadays, I win the majority of our spars, though it isn't by much, since my sister has also taken to pushing herself harder.
The downside of adaptation is that it doesn't work that well in my current situation, since there is nothing on the line when fighting my sister. Which means I am lacking in desperation.
Focusing back on the present, I was currently sitting in my room, practising precision with my telekinesis by making various shapes in the air. I was using water which I had pulled out of my inventory. Speaking of, I've gathered a lot of things in my inventory, discreetly, I would like to add.
I had almost a whole cubic metre dedicated to water, because it is very versatile as well as accessible. I obviously couldn't lift all that at once, but I was getting there.
Speaking of perks.
Pick one out of two perks (4 months. Energy enough for Medium (grade 2), perk)
Power sensing (level 1) You have the ability to sense the supernatural powers within other organisms within a certain range.
Water Augmentation (level 1) When you are in contact with a body of water, your physical strength and active powers are doubled in strength.
'Nooo'
Couldn't it have given me an obvious choice. Both of these abilities were very useful, and I once again had to pick just one.
Power sensing for once would be great for heroics as well as any other combat scenario.
Whereas, Water Augmentation would give me a trump card in any dangerous situation. The downside with this one thought was the need for a body of water. I didn't know how large that body of water needed to be to count towards this perk. If I just needed to be in contact with water, then this was the obvious choice, but if I needed to be in contact with a literal body of water like a lake, then it was just too risky.
I knew what decision I would make, even if I wasn't sure it was the correct one. But before that, I pulled up my perk sheet once again.
Perks:
(Passive):
Flawless skin (level max) Your skin has no flaws.
Unbreakable Will ((level max)) The user has an unbreakable willpower, he will never falter and will never stray from outside pressure.
Cooking talent (level 31) You have a natural talent for cooking and learning new recipes. Learning speed related to cooking has increased.
Shatterpoint (level 1) You have the ability to instinctively perceive structural weak points.
(Active):
Adaptation (Level 1) Your desperation drives you to become stronger in order to survive. The more intense the desperation, the faster you grow and adapt.
(Active/passive):
Intermediate Telekinesis field (level 20) an area around you which allows you to move things with your mind. The field is passive, and the psychic grip is active. Current capacity: 250 kg.
Intermediate Inventory (level 7) You have your own pocket dimension where you can store inanimate objects. Current capacity is a total of 4.5 cubic metres.
Not bad, they've been progressing nicely. But as I look at my perks, I realise that I should probably get some more growth ones.
Returning to make my decision, I lament that I had to pick 'Number 1' even though I had been utilising water a lot these past months. It was almost like my powers were mocking me
As the world unfroze, I didn't have time to realise my folly before I was soaked with the water I had been practising with previously.
A strangled whine escaped my throat as I sat there with water all over me and my bed. A warm sensation suffused my mind for a second before vanishing.
'I'll test power sensing after I've changed clothes.' I decided as I tossed off my clothes before heading to the bathroom to the left of mine and my twin's room.
After having wrung out my clothes, using telekinesis as a small bit of extra practice, I went down to test my new perk.
It worked just as the description said it would, my range was, what I appraised to be, about 5 metres in all directions. And though the information I received about the quirks I tested it on, specifically my Mother's and Kokomi's quirks, were limited, It still allowed me to know the general outlines. Like my mother being able to move things with her mind, or my sister having an aura which manipulated the people around her to think more fondly of her.
An additional benefit that I hadn't considered was that I knew exactly where they were, the people in my range were. Although I already had this to an extent with my telekinesis, and to an even lesser extent with shatter point.
What did that make, the 8th sense? I was picking these up like candy, weren't I?
-8 months later-
For the next couple of months, I used my quirk several times. I needed more perks to help me grow, after all. The first one I received about 3 months after December was "Advanced perception". A medium grade 1 perk which quickened my perception upon command and allowed me to perceive a slowed down version of the world. Best believe, Kokomi got her butt handed to her the next time we spared, although I refrained from using it more during our bouts.
The next perk I claimed was after a little under over a month. It was a medium grade 1 perk, "Minor healing". It lets me heal minor wounds; scrapes, bruises, small cuts and such. Not great, but useful nonetheless.
The next perk was one I claimed after two months. This one was named "Greater Constitution" this one was a growth perk which encouraged natural function and growth, meaning height, muscle mass, and general health. In the time since I got this perk, I hadn't got as much as a runny nose. It also gave me greater stamina and recovery speed.
The next ones were "Enhanced reflexes", one I got after 3 weeks. It did exactly as the name suggested; It was a growth perk which enhanced reflexes. "Photographic recollection", which I got after 4 weeks. It didn't give me an Eidetic memory, I could basically photograph something in my vision to view up at a later date.
Today I would get another one, because it was my birthday, and for some reason I have decided that this would be a checkpoint of sorts for the use of my quirk.
I was currently lying in my bed as I recalled all of this. I knew that my Mother would come in through the door any minute, to give us our first presents of the day. And unlike my sister, I wasn't a heavy sleeper, so I had been awake for a while now, and would later pretend to sleep while mom came to wake us up.
So, with ease born from use, I called upon my quirk.
Pick one out of two perks (1 week. Energy enough for low (grade 1), perk)
Captivating eyes (level max) Your eyes are beautiful with a supernatural depth to them. They capture attention, making others want to stare into your eyes.
Silken Volume (level max) Your hair becomes incredibly soft and silky to the touch, while simultaneously gaining volume and body. Strands that were once flat and lifeless now have a buoyant quality, cascading in lush waves or bouncing with newfound vitality. As long as you clean your hair regularly, it will remain as such.
I stare out into space for a minute, lamenting my apparent obsession with using my quirk on my birthday. These were useless, they seemed more like something my mother would talk about while watching one of her romance movies, with the stupid pretty men who couldn't clear up misunderstandings if their lives depended on it.
If I could shudder, I would have.
'Number 1'
At least this one would help in some way, even if just as a distraction. The world unfroze, and after energy washed over my eyes, I laid back down and closed my eyes, even as I had an uneasy feeling in my gut.
Half an hour later, Mom came into the room, gave us our gifts before beckoning us towards the dining room. After Kokomi and I had trudged out to the kitchen and started eating, my mother clapped her hands in front of her cheerfully.
"I have a great surprise for the two of you, I talked about it with my sponsor, and I've secured a gig for the two of you."
And there it was, I knew something wasn't right. My mom worked at a modelling agency as one of their top fashion models, which was why, even as a single mother, we could afford to live in a house of this size.
My twin had always wished to be a model, and so had hounded my mother to let her, and she had finally relented it seems. Though, she must have misinterpreted something in my sister's whining and thought that I wanted to model too.
I did not. But as my face hit the table, and Kokomi cheered beside me, I knew that there was no escape. Makoto smirking at me mockingly from the other side of the table added further insult to injury.
I begrudgingly began finishing my breakfast, today would be a long day.
After breakfast, we were sent to brush our teeth and dress, before being ushered into the car.
We arrived in front of the modelling agency, a sleek black 3-story building. We were greeted at the entrance by a middle-aged woman in a black business suit, who held herself with a professional poise.
"Welcome, Haruka, children." She greeted, her tone was clipped, but I could hear her voice softening slightly at the word children.
Before any of us could respond, she turned and beckoned us to follow her as she walked into the building. "Follow along now, the photoshoot is in 20 minutes, and you have to be ready by then"
'20 minutes, seriously? And we were already taking photos!' I looked at my mother in panic, only to be met by an encouraging expression, and I could notice a mischievous glint in her eye.
'The scheming Witch!' She knew full well how I would feel about this.
Following along behind what I now remember as a miss Yamamoto according to my mother's tales. We soon arrive in a room with black curtains covering the walls. There were chairs and a table on one end along with a wardrobe and some changing curtains. On the opposite end stood screens of different colours along with a varied assortment of props. Besides which was the set, lit up brightly with studio lights.
Sitting on some chairs were several people, photographers, camera people, hair stylists and so on. They greeted us a lot more cheerfully than Yamamoto had and showed us the clothes we would be wearing, all the while explaining the specifics of this shoot. Shortly before picking out the clothes.
After the grown women finished using me as a dress up doll, I sat down to wait while my sister had her turn first.
Unlike me, my sister was very much into this. So she did all the poses and such with utmost confidence and only needed minor corrections.
Soon it was my turn, and as I was led to the centre of the set I wondered why such a terrible fate was thrust upon me.
I was unceremoniously positioned however these crazy people desired, amongst the chaos I heard a phrase repeated. "Highlight the eyes."
I was never using my quirk this early ever again.
Soon after, I switched places with Kokomi, and after a while we switched back. This went on for several hours and by the time we were finished I was completely drained.
I was sure that I looked like I wanted to die. I was exhausted, annoyed and hungry, and I never wanted to experience that ever again.
Luckily, I was knocked out of my self-pity as mom patted me on the head.
My mood brightened significantly as she told us that we would visit a nearby amusement park.
At least she wasn't ruthless enough to steal away my entire birthday.
We arrived at the amusement park shortly after 3 pm, after which we went on numerous rides. Though I noticed that the roller coasters did seem slower than before, I got my enhanced reflexes perk.
Soon, I was allowed to drive around on the go-kart track while my mother and sister went off towards the Ferris wheel. I lost track of time as I drifted around in the little cart, but after what I guessed was about 30 minutes, something changed. The air grew heavy, and suddenly, a loud message blared over the speaker.
"Attention visitors, a fire has occurred within the eastern part of the park, please evacuate yourselves to safety."
Looking up from behind the steering wheel of my kart, I could see smoke beginning to rise in the distance. In the direction of… The Ferris wheel. My stomach fell, and I knew something was wrong.
Shooting out of my seat in a flash, I flung my helmet away before jumping the fence to the track with a little help from telekinesis. The acrid scent of smoke filled my nostrils, mingling with the panicked shouts of other visitors.
I had barely touched the ground before I took off running. As a crowd of other people rushed in the opposite direction, I dodged around them as best I could. All the while ignoring the people shouting for me to stop as I did.
The park was large, and so after an entire minute of running at my admittedly impressive speed for a child, I hadn't even reached halfway, and the fire had spread to surrounding buildings and attractions. The heat of the flames licked at my skin, urging me to move faster.
I could hear the quickly approaching sirens from the firefighters in the distance. It wasn't fast enough. My mother and sister had said that they would go on the ride, and I knew that they hadn't run past me in the very least.
Mom would immediately head onto the largest road, the one I was running on, because it went past a lake on the side, which would prevent the fire from spreading there. I knew she hadn't run past me because I had been actively focusing on my power sense while running, and I hadn't noticed either of them.
So either they would have had to flee another way, or they hadn't managed to escape the fire, and were currently stuck there. I was sincerely hoping for the first one, but I had a feeling that my hopes were in vain.
I needed to get there faster. I had been running increasingly faster throughout my entire thought process, but I knew that it wasn't enough, I wasn't desperate enough. Somewhere in my mind, I still had the hope that my family was out of the danger zone. I guess the situation hadn't quite set in, since I was unsure.
'This crowd!' People were still fleeing, and it was slowing me down.
I hadn't quite managed to fly before, but I needed to try anyway. The thought of my family's safety consumed me, igniting a fierce determination within.
As a larger group of panicked people met me, I pushed myself up with telekinesis before slowly falling back down on the ground without losing any forward momentum. The ground trembled beneath my feet as the fire raged on, casting ominous shadows across the park.
"Creak."
I snapped my head towards the origin of the sound, the Ferris wheel. A second later, realisation dawned on me as Shatterpoint told me exactly what was happening. It was going to fall soon. If my mother and sister were there, inside one of the booths or in its proximity, they would be crushed
I panicked worse than I ever had before. The urgency of the situation fuelled my every movement, propelling me forward.
I felt myself going increasingly faster. And as I once again jumped over another group of rushing people, I managed to hold myself up this time. Adrenaline surged through my veins, drowning out the screams and sirens that filled the air.
Without hesitation, I used telekinesis to push myself forward. Fire, there were flames, everywhere I looked. And as I looked up at the now still Ferris wheel, I could tell that the structural integrity was compromised, it would fall over any minute now.
Flying up towards the centre of the wheel, I utilised my power sense to feel if they were there. Not finding either of them, I lifted several people out of the various booths, depositing them to the ground. As I dropped towards the road below, I blasted myself between the various buildings and attractions, all of my senses trying to pick up the presence of my people.
Searching the various stalls, I absently flung debris out of the way of fleeing people in my vision. I was getting desperate. "Where are they! Are they safe?"
As I flew slightly out of the Ferris wheel area, I heard a piercing scream towards the opposite side of the direction which I arrived from.
Recognising the voice of my mother, I shot through the air towards it.
There they were. My mother laid, shielding my sister as smoke hovered just above and the large tree which had fallen on her, the bottom of it burning and steadily spreading upwards. Luckily, it hadn't flattened them, but one of her legs had been caught under it's thick trunk.
Lightening down on the ground, I ran up to them, mom looked up through teary eyes filled with pain and fear. Even through that fear, I could see them light up as she lied eyes on me.
"Kaito, take Kokomi and get out of here!" She ordered through pained sobs.
Picking up my twin, I hurriedly set her down on the ground a few meters away.
Returning my gaze to my mother and the tree ,I focus with all of my considerable willpower. I had never been able to lift more than my max weight according to my level. But I had to try, no I couldn't try, I needed to succeed.
Luckily, I didn't need to lift the entire tree, just tilt it slightly and then rush mom out of it.
As I Pushed at it with my significant telekinetic might, I quickly realised that I couldn't do it; It just wouldn't budge.
"Come on!" I shouted, I could feel my strength steadily increasing, but as the tree groaned, It still didn't move more than a slight shake.
My mom looked at me with a pained and resigned expression. Taking my hand, she held it tightly before releasing it. "K- Kaito, I'm sorry, but there's nothing to be done. Be there for your sister. OK?" She told me before closing her eyes.
She had given up. And as she gestured for me to leave her, anger flared up in my chest.
'NO!'
With the sound of something between a scream and a groan, veins popping on my forehead and sweat appearing rapidly, I pushed harder and harder. And as I smelt a disgusting scent, I looked down towards her by now, passed out body. The source of the smell being the burning flesh of her right side, which had been caught by the fire, having reached her after spreading along the tree.
My mind went into a frenzy, and soon, the tree began groaning, It shook violently, before finally, the side which had crushed my mother's leg began lifting.
Wasting not a second, I exerted a final push before turning my attention to her, dragging her out from under it, her front scraping against the ground as my telekinesis hauled her out.
Just in time as the heavy body slammed down where she had been.
Rushing over to where I had flung her, I dropped to my knees beside her. As she breathed shallowly, her condition was terrible, and I was sure she couldn't Without wasting a second my hands began glowing a soft pink.
Running my hands over her, and after a few seconds I realised that it wasn't working. Well it was working but it wasn't enough. The less severe burns began disappearing, but it wouldn't really help.
Not giving up, I continued pushing my healing into her. And slowly, but surely, more and more wounds began to recede.
The burns became less and less severe, and after going at it incessantly for a minute, I finally heard her breathing stabilise as the burns almost disappeared.
Collapsing backwards, I breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the burning tree a dozen meters away and the smoke rising in what seemed to be every direction.
Gazing back at my mother, I felt sorrow as I saw her mangled leg, but at least the was alive.
A few moments later, I heard the sound of fizzling fire as pressurised water shot at the tree and doused the flames.
Looking behind me, I saw that help had arrived, although too late for my liking.
As I saw one of the water hose heroes striding up towards us, having extinguished the surrounding fires. I couldn't help it as I let a smile tug at my lips. My vision grew faint before unconsciousness embraced me. My body and mind shutting down, the unnatural growth and the overexertion of my powers and body having finally caught up.
Authors note.
Second chapter finished, It took some time. Procrastination is not a good trait, though I have it in spades.
I'm not all that satisfied with this chapter, but I hope you like it either way.
It seems like Adaptation is the chosen perk. Honestly, it is the least powerful of the two options, and since he isn't Doomsday, he will not come back if he dies. But it may indeed be the strongest in the long term, it is very powerful and in desperate situations he will grow quickly. It doesn't quite work like Doomsday or Mahoraga's, though he does adapt to things if he is desperate to do so and has the time before dying, though he won't suddenly be immune to physical force or something. The main component as you may have noticed here is the growth of his powers in desperate times.
How long do you think he should wait until taking the next quirk. The smartest thing would actually be to wait a couple of years to get an op power; Ultimate grade 2 possible 3 according to my ranking system. Although, he wouldn't know this. I'd like any opinions.
Reviews are very welcome. Speaking of reviews, I will answer any relevant questions in down here. For the rest of those who left a review, Thank You!
Withered13: Yes, I was always intending on giving him more combat inclined powers, so telekinesis will not be his last one. I don't plan on nerfing my character for any reason, even if it's to fit into plot.
When I'm on the topic. This character is destined to be overpowered eventually, which is something that was inevitable with the power I gave him. The only question is how fast, unless I decide to kill him off, which I have no qualms with, if I feel like I've put him in an impossible situation.
I have been thinking about leaving his power as it is, or having it actually gain what I call soul energy; the energy which allows him to get perks, by either defeating or killing enemies. Letting it be as it is, would make him grow slower, and make him become less op.
Just like with the rest of the story, opinions would be appreciated here as well.
I do not own MHA, nor any other big time franchise. (Do I really need to write these?)
Have a nice day!