Chapter 2: Quirks
I tried searching for the "spark" inside my body and found it pretty quickly. The moment I touched upon it, something new stirred awake within me. My eyes snapped open, and I saw a faint light-blue glow radiating from my hands.
"This… this is a quirk, right?" I muttered in disbelief.
Excitement bubbled in my chest. I waved my hands, punched the air, and even tried to conjure something from thin air. Nothing happened.
"Don't tell me all this quirk does is make my hands glow a little," I grumbled, disappointment settling in.
Whatever. Let's forget about that for now and think about how I even got this quirk. From this body's memories, I knew the boy—this Aaron—had been quirkless. I was certain I had acquired the quirk from that drunk man when I touched his neck.
So is my quirk something like stealing others' quirks and making them mine? I wondered, trying to piece it together. "Or is it a one-time thing?" I whispered to myself.
My eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. It was already 1 a.m. "I should sleep now. I'll think more about my quirk tomorrow."
I changed into fresh clothes, slipped into bed, and before I knew it, dreams embraced me.
...........
RING RING
RING RING
"WTF—" I jolted awake, startled by the doorbell's sharp ring.
It must be Auntie Meagen, I thought, heading groggily to the door. I opened it and began, "Hello, aun—"
But before I could finish, she wrapped me in a tight hug.
"Oh, my sweet boy, I'm sorry I couldn't get here right away! There wasn't a flight until evening," she said hurriedly.
"No worries, Auntie. It's all good," I said softly, trying to calm her down.
She eventually loosened her grip and we went inside. "Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked.
"No, I just woke up," I admitted.
"Alright then, go get freshened up. I'll make something for you," she said, already moving toward the kitchen.
I washed up and returned, only to be called straight to the dining table. We ate in silence for a while, until Aunt finally spoke.
"How are you, my boy?"
"I'm good," I replied briefly.
Of course, I wasn't the same Aaron she remembered—but I still carried his memories. I had to play along, or she'd notice something was off.
"Everything will be alright. And don't you worry about the funeral; I'll take care of it," she assured me. I simply nodded.
............
It took two days for everything to be settled, during which Aunt never let me out of her sight. Playing the role of an almost-nine-year-old felt painfully awkward.
Before leaving, she explained her plan: once I reached the right age for junior high in Japan, I would move in with her family there. Her husband was Japanese, which explained why they lived overseas.
Before her departure, she also hired a cleaner/nanny from a trusted agency. The cleaner/nanny would come every other morning to tidy up and make sure I always had food in the house.
Finally—some freedom. Not complete freedom, but enough.
.........…..
On my way to school, I thought about how ordinary it looked—just your typical school. As soon as I entered class, someone called my name.
"Aaron!"
I turned to see James, this body's only friend—and like me, he was quirkless.
"Hi," I greeted as I walked over.
"I'm sorry about your parents," James said quickly. "If you ever need help, let me know. My mom also said you can come over anytime."
I noticed the genuine worry on his face.
"I'm alright, James. And thank your mother for me," I said with a small smile.
"Will do! Oh, by the way—did you see how cool Star and Stripe was yesterday? She punched that villain like pow—boom!" James's eyes sparkled as he launched into an animated retelling, like any kid full of energy.
I chuckled and let him ramble on.
He finally wrapped it up with, "I wish I could be a hero too…"
Before I could respond, the teacher entered, and class began.
Classes were boring for me, but I sat through them anyway. At the end of the day, the teacher kindly offered to help me if I ever needed anything. Good people still exist, I thought.
I said goodbye to James and headed home.
............
Third Person POV
A boy roamed the alleys at night, his hoodie drawn over his head, his face half-hidden. That boy was Aaron.
His curiosity about his quirk had grown too strong to suppress. And deep down, he had always wanted to play the role of a hero. So he slipped out into the night, searching for villains in the shadows.
For nearly an hour, he wandered without finding anything. Just as his mood began to sink, a sound caught his ear. Like an eager child, he dashed toward it, a grin spreading across his face.
A large, muscular man in a black tank top had cornered a family of three—a man, his wife, and their infant daughter. The husband stood protectively in front of his family, glaring at the thug.
"Why are you doing this to us? We don't even know you!" the husband shouted.
The thug sneered. "You won too much at the casino." He took a menacing step forward.
"That was all legal! Fair play—you can't do this!" the husband protested, his face grim.
The man ignored him and charged.
Suddenly, a brick came flying out of nowhere, striking the thug in the head. He groaned, dropping to one knee.
"Run!" a voice shouted.
The couple turned toward the sound and saw a short figure standing atop a one-story building.
.............
Aaron's POV
"What are you waiting for?! RUN!" I yelled again.
The family finally snapped out of their shock and bolted.
From the rooftop, I leapt down onto a stack of boxes, then landed on the pavement. My body wasn't strong, but in my past life I'd trained in martial arts. I could handle myself.
But the moment I looked up—
A massive fist came flying toward my face.
Too fast to dodge.
I raised my hands instinctively—and my quirk activated on its own.
The punch landed squarely on my palm. Instead of being sent flying like a ragdoll, I only skidded back a few meters. My right hand, which had been glowing, dimmed—and suddenly, I felt a little stronger.
I had no time to marvel. Another punch came.
"Die, you brat!" the thug roared.
I blocked with my left hand. The glow faded again, and once more strength surged through me.
"So… I can absorb about half the force of an attack and store it inside my body, making me stronger. Can I… release it too?" I whispered.
The next time he swung, I didn't dodge. Instead, I countered with a punch of my own—releasing all the stored energy.
Our fists collided, canceling each other out.
"It worked!" I gasped, thrilled—though my hand still stung.
Alright, I can't exchange blows forever. I need to block, store the energy, and strike where he's vulnerable, I strategized.
The man wasn't a trained fighter—just relying on brute strength, likely from a strengthening-type quirk.
I dodged his wild swings and absorbed the ones I couldn't avoid. Each time both my hands dimmed I would hit him somewhere on the body putting the stored energy into the blow while dodging his blows.
"Now… let's try again," I muttered.
When he swung once more, I ducked low and drove my fist into his most vulnerable spot, releasing the stored energy.
I swear I heard a crack.
The man's eyes bulged, then rolled back as he collapsed, clutching his jewels.
"That went well," I said, breathing hard. "Now let's test my quirk again."
I crouched beside him and pressed my hand to his neck, focusing.
There it was—the spark, just like before.
With all my will, I tugged at it.
It vanished from his body… and appeared in mine.
Now thinking it through a crazy thought appeared in my head. No time to waste.
I once again touched the limp man's neck. "If this works it will change quite a lot for me." I murmured.
I willed the spark I had taken from him to return into his body and it…. Went back.
"HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS. I… I have his Quirk. My quirk is the same as that of All For One." I wasn't just excited anymore, there was a bit of fear too.
I can steal the quirks and grant them to anybody.
'If word of it got out I will have quite a few hunting for me.' I am still happy as f*** though.
Before I could think any further, I heard sirens of police cars.
'The couple must have called the police.' I thought.
I decided to take the quirk and bolt away. This quirk is better off with me than with this scum.
"That was fun." I said and started testing the quirk I got as soon as i reached home.