Capítulo 7: Shattered 1.07
[A/N: Word Count: 2396 words]
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Izuku's eyes bulged. "Inscription. So the meaning of your quirk is literal."
"Yup, that's right. As long as those words are on Ochaco, she is immune to nausea," Oliver replied.
"That's so… O.P.!" Izuku shouted. "The potential of this… there has to be some sort of downside, some weakness. If you inscribed this, then that means—" He started mumbling to himself, analyzing the potential uses of Oliver's quirk.
"Yeah, you're right. There's a cost."
Izuku focused on him intently.
Ochaco looked ready to wipe the inscription off at any moments notice.
"I can add and remove properties, create things, and do a lot of other cool stuff with my quirk. But as you guessed, the downside is that each inscription costs energy. An equivalent exchange, if you will."
"Energy? What kind?" Ochaco asked with concern.
"Good question." Oliver twirled the marker through his fingers effortlessly. "It took me some time to figure out how my quirk worked as a kid. One day, I was drawing and drew a fire—the paper ignited, caught fire, and I passed out."
"Oh, my!" Ochaco gasped.
"It was alright, though. Brandon saved me and put the fire out, so no harm was done, other than Nigel's Hermes rug being ruined. Anyway, my family and I thought my quirk relied on stamina since I passed out, but we were wrong. It relies on the concept of energy."
"Energy?" Izuku echoed.
"Well, energy is quite broad if you think about it." Oliver began listing examples. "There's renewable energy like wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower. There's also fossil energy: oil, coal, and natural gas. But on a deeper level, there's physical and mental energy, which I call stamina for convenience, and there's potential and kinetic energy, too. The list goes on, but those are a few examples."
Izuku blinked.
Ochaco floated.
Then they both yelled, "HuhhhHHH?"
That tended to be the reaction Oliver got when he explained his quirk.
"So, you can use unlimited forms of energy to use your quirk?" Izuku asked.
"In layman's terms, yes," Oliver nodded.
"So, how does this inscription work?" Ochaco asked, looking at her hand and holding it close to her body.
"This inscription requires stamina to stay activated. More specifically, it's broken down into two categories: physical and mental stamina. Physical stamina is the energy needed to sustain physical activity, and mental stamina covers cognitive function and mental clarity. It works by pulling from both your stamina reserves to stay activated."
Ochaco's eyes widened in concern, but Oliver reassured her. "I wouldn't have written it on you if it was dangerous. It's a negligible amount and will stay activated as long as you're not overly fatigued, physically or mentally. The inscription makes your cardiovascular system and metabolic energy more efficient while regulating neurotransmitters to prevent imbalances that could make you feel nauseous. It regulates minor things too, but that's the basic explanation."
"That's… a lot more complicated than I thought," Izuku said, processing the information.
"Yeah," Ochaco added. "I thought it just, like… worked, you know?"
"It kinda does. I have to have an intention and envision the end result before I inscribe something. Then, I'll automatically know how much energy is required to activate and sustain it. I'll also have a general idea of how it will function."
Ochaco put her fingertips together, canceling her quirk. She landed gracefully on the concrete floor and motioned to Oliver's body.
"So, those tattoos… They're all permanent inscriptions?"
Oliver gave her a thumbs up. "Ten points for Gryffindor."
Crickets.
"…Gryffindor?" They echoed.
Oliver raised his brow. "You've never seen Harry Potter?"
Cicadas.
Oliver frowned.
"You have to be joking. It's a classic. Dumbledore? Hogwarts? Magical wands that go pew pew and super cool spells shoot out?" He waved his hand like he was holding a wand and cosplaying as a wizard. "No? What about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Why are you both shaking your head? Dear god, what has the world come to?" He sighed, controlling his urge to slump in disappointment.
"We'll watch the first movie before dinner… anyway, yeah, you're right. That's what these—" Oliver waved his hand over his body. "—Are for."
"But," Izuku said, "to have that many, they must use a lot of energy, right?"
"Kind of." Oliver lifted his tank, showing off the colorful tattoos that sprawled across his chest and down his abs. Some were images; some were words in English, Japanese, Latin, and other languages. Izuku and Ochaco had seen Oliver shirtless when they were swimming, but this was the first time he explained them.
He pointed at a Japanese kanji tattoo on his chest, right over his heart. It had perfect line work, as did all of Oliver's tattoos. "This bad boy is my pride and joy. It's where I store energy."
"…How much energy can you store?" Izuku asked.
Oliver winked and lowered his shirt. "That, my dear friend, is a secret."
Izuku showed a hint of disappointment at his evasive response, but he nodded in understanding. He knew he wasn't one to judge, especially since he went hush-hush when they asked him about his quirk.
Even though Oliver told them how his quirk worked, he didn't explain everything, not even close.
Yes, he saw them as genuinely good people and wanted to be their friend. And yes, he was training to be a hero, and eventually, anyone and everybody would receive information about his quirk. But he was no fool.
Oliver would tell no one the total capacity of his quirk—no one but his mom, father, aunt, Nigel, Brandon… and Sohvi… and… the American Government…
Right… disregard.
What he had explained so far was elementary compared to what he could truly do.
What he's already done.
And he didn't think coming right out and saying, "Yeah, guys, I can actually store infinite energy. And guess what? I've been constantly storing all kinds of energy: everything from kinetic energy through everyday movement like walking and talking (and, ya know, blinking) to solar energy since I was ten."
But Oliver gave them a couple of breadcrumbs. That's what a nice friend would do, anyway.
"But you know what's not a secret?" Oliver raised his hand and touched the bow tattoo on his right shoulder. As if he were pulling it directly out from his skin, a sleek black recurve bow emerged from the tattoo—the same bow he used at the entrance exam. The bow was elegantly crafted, with smooth, curved limbs that tapered into sharp, precise tips. Its surface was matte black, absorbing the light rather than reflecting it, and the grip was wrapped in dark leather, providing a firm hold.
"That's the bow you used at the entrance exam!" Izuku said, his eyes tracing its figure.
"Mmm-hmm," Oliver hummed in agreement. "Named it Fail-Not after an Arthurian legend."
Oliver was a big history nut. And not only that, Oliver loved everything classic: music, cars, fashion, literature, film, architecture, you name it. Ever since he was a kid and heard his mom play Misery Business by Paramore and Ivy by Frank Ocean, there was no going back.
"That's so amazing!" Ochaco said as she got closer to get a better look. Her eyes trailed from top to bottom, paying extra attention to the sharp razor tips on both ends of the bow. The bow stood almost the same height as her and was a couple of inches below Izuku.
"I didn't pay a lot of attention since I had to, you know, get points, but I don't think I saw you miss. And your shots were so fast and far, and… Oh!" Her eyes shot towards Oliver's right hand, then his fingers, and stopped as she tried to read the English word peeking out on the muscle part of his thumb. "It says… Fire?"
Oliver smiled and held out his hand so they could get a better view. "Yes, ma'am."
They looked at his hand, and he began explaining the tattoos. "As you said, the one on my thumb here says [FIRE]—"
"That's how you shot the flame arrows?" Izuku tilted his head.
"Yeah, and this one—" Oliver wiggled his pointer finger, "—says [LIGHTNING], and the one on my ring finger says [ICE]."
"So when you touch the bow with your right hand and pull back the bowstring, the elemental arrows form," Izuku noted, as observant as ever.
Instead of answering, Oliver lifted the bow and pulled back the string. Ice materialized from his hand and slowly shaped itself into an elegant arrow with a sharp tip and intricate frost patterns along its length. Crystalline accents adorned the shaft, and delicate, icy filigree made up the fletching. As the arrow set in place, it shimmered with a cold, iridescent glow, instantly chilling the surrounding air. Ochaco and Izuku shivered involuntarily, their breath visible in the sudden cold.
Ochaco rubbed her arms. "I-it's so c-cold," she stammered.
Oliver lowered the bow, and the ice retracted back into his hand as if it had never been there.
Izuku's eyes shone with excitement. "You can retract the ice, too? That's amazing! Most heroes with elemental quirks can't do that. Once they use their power, it's out there, and they need help to clean up. But with this…" Izuku trailed off, lost in thought.
"If you thought that was cool, watch this." Oliver turned away from them and snapped his fingers.
A burst of fire erupted in the middle of the room, the heat radiating outward and casting flickering shadows on the walls. The sudden roar of the flames filled the space, causing Ochaco and Izuku to leap back. They could feel the intense warmth on their skin and smell the faint scent of smoke.
"What was that?" they screamed in unison.
Oliver faced them with a grin. "These tattoos on my middle fingers say [PROPEL] and [TRACK]. When I snap and [PROPEL] touches the word [FIRE] on my thumb, I can shoot fire wherever I aim without the bow. And if I want to, [TRACK] can lock onto my target, which is why I usually never miss."
Izuku and Ochaco's mouth nearly dislocated in astonishment.
"Now, check this out." Oliver positioned his middle finger, marked with [PROPEL], beside his pointer finger, marked with [LIGHTNING], mimicking a gun with his hand. A crackling bolt of lightning shot out, its blinding flash illuminating the room for an instant. The bolt struck a punching bag with a deafening crack, the sound reverberating through the space. The smell of ozone filled the air, and when the light faded, a hole the size of a head was singed right through the bag, smoke curling from the edges.
Ochaco and Izuku froze, their breaths catching as they stared at the smoldering hole. They exchanged a quick glance. Izuku's hands tightened into fists, trembling slightly, while Ochaco's hand instinctively moved to her chest as if to steady her racing heart.
Oliver decided to leave the demonstration at that. He figured those were enough surprises for one day, especially considering their shock. He hadn't even explained that the tattoos on his hand like [FIRE], [ICE], [LIGHTNING], [PROPEL], and [TRACK] were more than just words; they were concepts. He could not only shoot fire but also become fire. The broader the inscription, the more versatile it was. But as he had mentioned, there was always an equivalent exchange of energy.
Izuku lowered his head, deep in thought. "If we just consider the tattoos [FIRE], [ICE], [LIGHTNING], [PROPEL], [TRACK], and the [BOW], you…" His head snapped up, eyes wide with realization. "You have six quirks! Those words together have so many applications!"
Oliver gave a curt nod as he let the bow fade away into nothingness.
Izuku was right on the money, which is why the President of the United States and the Japanese Commissioner were so adamant about keeping him in their countries. Oliver basically had unlimited quirks.
And not only that, he could give others quirks, too.
Oliver's phone appeared in his hand, and he checked the time. "Looks like we still have some time until dinner's ready. Before we eat, I want to show you what peak cinema looks like." He turned, and his steps echoed through the basement.
They stood still for a beat, absorbing the revelation of Oliver's quirk—its complete power, versatility, and potential. The puzzle pieces began fitting together: the NDA they had to sign, the security, the estate, the cars and permission to drive, the chefs, the secrecy veiled in honesty. They were now forming their conclusion, using context clues to determine who Oliver Dean Bate really was. It was all making sense.
But now was the moment of truth. Would they treat him differently? Would they get jealous and distant, like the kids he grew up with in America? Or would they idolize him?
A moment passed.
And another.
Oliver braced himself for the worst, his heart raced. Anticipation thick.
But eventually, footsteps echoed.
They followed.
Ochaco came up beside him, her tone skeptical but casual. "So, Ollie, do you really think that movie is the best? It sounds pretty old to me."
Izuku, now on his right, added, "Yeah, I'm not sure. Everyone's been raving about Two Hearts, One Joke. Even Kaachan watched it and said it was great."
Oliver stopped walking, and after a second, he laughed—a deep, genuine, rare laugh from the pit of his stomach.
He laughed because the pent-up nervous energy of them potentially treating him differently finally released. He laughed because, even though they now understood how powerful his quirk was, they were still right there by his side. He laughed because the fear of rejection had vanished.
They weren't jealous.
They didn't harbor any animosity.
All they cared about was whether Harry Potter was a good movie.
Looks like he won that "make a friend before twenty" bet with Nigel. A cool million and two new friends, not a bad day at all.
Ochaco and Izuku looked at him in confusion, but he smiled and said, "Patience, you must have my young Padawan. All will be revealed."
Oliver continued towards the staircase, and Izuku and Ochaco followed, right there at his side.
"Young Padawan… patience, you must have…" Izuku echoed, raising an eyebrow.
Oliver chuckled, feeling a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
He had a lot of work cut out for him.
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PLEASE READ!!!
[A/N] Please comment your ideas for Inscriptions Oliver has or will put on other people or objects in this paragraph. The most liked idea will be added to the story!]
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Hope you enjoyed the chapter where we learn a bit more about Oliver's quirk and potential.
If you liked the chapter and the story so far, please consider leaving a review or powerstones. Thanks for reading - ALT
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