Biokinetic - Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Kenichi made his way into the nearby locker room and up to the locker containing his school gym uniform. He didn't open it yet, instead he sat on the bench in the middle of the aisle and opened his school bag. He dug around for a bit before pulling out a power bar. Though this one didn't actually have any labeling on it. It's wrapper was just plain silver.

He looked at it and sighed. As soon as he'd realized he could use his copies of the Transfer and Stockpile Quirks from One For All, he'd immediately begun making a single hair and follicle that would contain the two Quirks. His intent was to pump a ton of life energy into the Stockpiling Quirk and then pass it over to All Might. Since it's DNA wasn't the same as his, more like a distant cousin genetically speaking, it wouldn't have any negative effect on himself.

The problem was, the Stockpiling Quirk needed a ton of life energy to get anywhere near as strong as it had been for All Might. It'd had something like two hundred-ish years of life force stored inside of it. He could easily produce and push as much life force as he wanted into the follicle and speed up the process by hundreds of times. The downside was the energy requirements. As long as he fed life force into the Quirk, he was damaging himself and having to regenerate the damage. This left him in a perpetual state of mild discomfort. He couldn't even numb or disable his nerves like he did when doing large shape shifting. Temporarily not feeling was fine, permanent loss of feeling was bad.

On top of that, he didn't have an infinite pool of energy to pull from to power his healing. It took calories to power his abilities. As a result, his need for food had skyrocketed above his already abnormal appetite. Luckily, he had a wonderful sister who was willing to help him out, even if he couldn't explain everything to her. He had no secrets from her but the secret of One For All wasn't his to share. Thankfully, she was a wonderfully understanding girl who accepted that.

All of that led to his disabling his taste buds as he opened the unlabeled power bar. Inside was a bland looking slab of something brown that did not look the least bit appetizing. The pair of them took a bit to research the most calorie packed food items in the world. Surprisingly, avacados were one of the highest calorie packed foods, along with things like oils and such. From there, they took as much information as they could on their structure, compacted it all together, and designed the worlds most calorie packed 'energy bar.'

Also, it's taste was a horror man was not meant to know. It was Cthulhu in food bar form. Just touching the first bar to his tongue was so traumatic that he severed it like a lizard shedding its tail and grew a new one.

In all seriousness, it was pretty bad tasting but it provided his body all the calories it needed to fuel his regeneration and allowed him to pump tons of energy into the Stockpiling Quirk he was making for All Might... and into his own copy. He'd actually incorporated four Quirks from One For All, Stockpiling, Mutated Gearshift, Mutated Fa Jin, and Mutated Float. Of course, the only one he knew by name was Float, now renamed Flight. He just knew that Gearshift let him control velocity while Fa Jin let him use repeated movements to generate and store kinetic energy for bursts of speed an power.

With the way he could control his own body it wasn't hard to make a simple change inside of himself to take advantage of Fa Jin. A small organ that had a muscle that perpetually moved back and forth. By making it a fast twitch muscle he could quickly build up a ton of power for a quick burst whenever he wanted. He could go even faster by using Gearshift to do so. More importantly, he could use Gearshift the change the velocity of the neurons in his brain to change his perception of time so he could actually see and react at the ridiculous speeds he could move at.

All in all, One For All was a goldmine of useful abilities to add to his collection.

Once he finished stuffing the terrible, but high calorie, bar into his mouth and swallowed it, he got ready to use the gym. He had to eat several of the bars every day to keep up with the pace he was charging the Stockpiling Quirk, though he could slow it down if he needed to. He was just more interested in having the pair of them up and running sooner rather than later, so eighty percent was going into the one meant for All Might. Even then it was going to take at least a few more weeks before he felt it would be strong enough.

Once changed, he made his way back out into the gym and was immediately called over by an enthusiastic Kirishima, “Kenichi-dude, spot me? I think you're the only one, aside from Shoji-san and Sato-san, that can spot me, but they're spotting each other.”

Kenichi made his way over to the bench press Kirishima had set up and got into position to spot him, “Sure man.”

Kirishima quickly assumed the position and gripped the bar with his hands. As he lifted what looked like a hundred kilos, he addressed Kenichi, “So, you can get a read on people's Quirks by touching them?”

Kenichi nodded, not afraid of giving more info out with the cat already out of the bag, “Yeah. Not much I can do to stop it. As soon as I touch someone I instantly know all about their entire genetic structure. Just punching someone in the face with my bare hand is enough to trigger it so there's no real way for me to not learn it that doesn't require covering my entire body.”

While he was speaking it was clear that everyone, except Momo, was paying close attention to his conversation with Kirishima. He didn't mind. The sooner they understood his Quirk, the better. Though he doubted anyone would grasp the full implications, not like the Quirk obsessed over-thinker Midoriya had.

“What can you tell me about my Quirk man?”

Kirishima didn't slow his reps down as he spoke. Kenichi thought for a bit and smiled. This was a good chance to push Kirishima to go further sooner, “Yeah, I can tell you a bit. First, it's obviously a transformation type that lets you harden your body and produces jagged irregular edges.”

Kirishima gave a self deprecating chuckle, “Yeah, not anywhere near as impressive as your Quirk.”

Kenichi sighed, “Alright, first off, your Quirk is awesome. While you are restricted to being a melee fighter, you will be one hell of an unstoppable force once you push your Quirk passed your current limit. Not only does hardening increase your defenses, but the irregular jagged edges of it increase your offense.” He gripped the bar and guided it so he put it down, “Get up. Let's try something.”

Curious, and a bit proud of how Kenichi described his Quirk, Kirishima complied. Once he was standing, Kenichi looked him right in the eyes, “Now, use your Quirk.”

With a shrug, Kirishima activated his hardening on his arms. Kenichi shook his head, “No, full body.”

“Okay...”

Kirishima complied and hardened his whole body. Kenichi nodded, “Good. Now, take a horse stance.” Once Kirishima complied he continued, “Now, transform again.”

Kirishima looked at Kenichi confused, “But I already am.”

Kenichi took a similar stance and stared directly into Kirishima's eyes, “I said transform again! Dig deep, pull hard, drive forward with every ounce of your determination!”

Kirishima looked excited before he grit his teeth and seemed to focus. Kenichi slapped his jagged shoulder, it stung his hand but he ignored that, “C'mon! Push! It's your Quirk, it does what you tell it to do! MAKE IT LISTEN!”

Kirishima's whole body tensed even further as he clenched every muscle and pushed to make his Quirk trigger again. It was like flexing an already fully flexed muscle. It even hurt a bit. He grit his teeth and kept pushing, his whole body shaking from the effort. He actually worried that he might shatter his teeth with how hard he was gritting them. He didn't even notice the rumbling groan of effort coming out of his chest. Just as he felt like he couldn't give anymore, something snapped.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch the spectacle. Therefore they were all shocked as Kirishima's whole body seemed to expand slightly as it took on a whole new dimension. The somewhat soft, if angular, lines of his hardened body became razor edges. His hands changed from slightly blocky to full on claws while his face became bestial and his already sharp teeth became even more predatory by changing into complete fangs. Even his red eyes changed becoming plus sign shaped giving his whole body a distinctly predatory look.

Kirishima's heavy breathing was the only sound in the room for a moment before he spoke, “Holy shit!”

He looked his hands over, the movement of his arms sounding like grinding stones and even causing some sparks. A moment later the transformation ended and Kirishima sagged. Kenichi quickly caught him and helped him sit on the bench. That seemed to break the spell on the room as everyone started to congratulate Kirishima all at once. Mina even came bouncing over and gushed a little about how badass Kirshima had looked. Seeing the manly guy blushing was hilarious.

Kenichi left the two long-time friends alone to talk. If anyone bothered to look, it was easy to see the crush Kirishima had on Mina. Kenichi wasn't interested in Mina so he was totally shipping the pair. Mina was just too bubbly and bouncy for him, the same applied to Hagakure making the pair potential friends but nothing more. Personality was actually the only thing that mattered to him. With his abilities appearance was just surface level. If they wanted to change their looks he could easily facilitate any change they desired.

Well, it didn't really matter, yet. He wasn't looking for love or even a girlfriend at the moment. It could wait, for now.

Rather, he made his way over to his new friend. Tokoyami was sitting on a bench and using some dumbbells for curls. Kenichi quickly grabbed a nice heavy set for himself and joined him. They both worked out in silence until Tokoyami finished his set, “It seems you are determined to help everyone today.”

Kenichi laughed softly, “Not particularly. However, if I see a chance or possibility, I'll take it. Kirishima-san wasn't pushing himself hard enough. It was easy to tell from examining his Quirk that he'd barely scratched the surface. In fact, I'm certain that once his new stage becomes second nature, that he could push it even further. He just has to work up to each transformation.”

Kenichi looked contemplative, “Unlike mutant types, emitters and transformers can get stronger by pushing their Quirk further and harder. Mutants can get stronger as well, but mostly their abilities are all unlocked with their mutation. For them it's more about discovery than pushing their Quirk. They can mostly only get physically stronger in the normal ways.”

He indicated the 'normal' way by hefting his dumbbell, “There are exceptions, of course. Though it generally holds true. In your case, pushing your physical fitness will help you but pushing Dark Shadow will help you both.”

Seeing the curious look from Tokoyami, Kenichi elaborated, “I think you need to put Dark Shadow under pressure, preferably in an extremely bright area.” Seeing Tokoyami's surprise, he chuckled, “Yes, I know he grows weaker in the light and stronger in the dark. You need to train in both. If you let him out in the brightest light you can and push him to do anything that puts him under pressure, say lifting massive weight, it should push him to be stronger. Despite it all, Dark Shadow is an emitter type Quirk and pushing him pushes your Quirk.”

Tokoyami seemed to think about that for a bit before nodding in acceptance. He didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a try, “What about the darkness? In pitch darkness I lose control of Dark Shadow, he becomes berserk and attacks everything.”

“The only thing to do for that is practice. Just as I had to practice numbing my nerves before I shapeshift anything.” Seeing Tokoyami's curious look, he explained, “Changing my body rapidly in a combat situation is painful. Without time to prepare by numbing my nerves it can be a very painful process. I'm essentially ripping my cells apart, rebuilding them, and rearranging them in seconds. If I know I'm going into a combat situation, like the entrance exam or the battle trial, I can numb my nerves ahead of time. Otherwise I just have to suck it up.”

“Why not always leave your nerves numbed?”

Kenichi snorted, “Imagine living your life feeling like your entire body is asleep. Not the pins and needles feeling of it waking up, but that deadened numb sensation just before. I don't push it that far so I can still feel, but even half of that is still annoying. Especially since it numbs everything, not just pain. I have to be careful with my strength because I can only half feel what I'm doing in that state. So, I generally restore full  feeling after I make whatever adjustments I feel I need. After that, I'll just have to suck it up for on the fly changes.”

Tokoyami nodded in understanding and they silently went back to working out. He contemplated what he could do to test Dark Shadow and push its strength. This particular gym was the smallest one and reserved for first year students. The bigger, and better, equipment was in various other buildings that they didn't currently have access to.

Kenichi would do almost anything for some of Cementos' time and access to the training area he controlled. He couldn't remember what it was called exactly. Though he was pretty sure that 'kitchen' was in the name, for some odd reason.

Kenichi finished with the dumbbells and was making his way over to the girls to see if they would like any help or advice when he was waylaid by Sato Rikkido. Sato was a rather large man with well developed muscles, brown hair, a simple looking face, and large lips. His Quirk was actually pretty interesting, eat sugar, get stronger. At least, on the surface. The Quirk was actually more versatile than that and was a straight multiplier. The most basic use was to eat some sugar and Sato's strength would be multiplier by five. Simple, effective, broken.

“Kenichi-san, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about my Quirk? Like Kirishima-san it's a transformation type, though I need sugar to activate it.”

Kenichi smiled brightly at Sato, “Of course! I actually think your Quirk is very impressive. From what I can tell it's a solid five-fold multiplier for your strength, right?”

Sato nodded so Kenichi continued, “But, is that all it really is?” Seeing Sato's confused look, he elaborated, “If your strength is increased by five times then everythingabout your body has to be increased by five times. Specifically, you need to be five times as durable to be five times as strong. If your muscles alone just got five times stronger, there's a good chance you would shatter your own bones just flexing. Or, even if you could lift a solid ton, your leg bones would snap like twigs, even with your muscles trying to reinforce them.”

Sato's dark eyes widened in shock. Kenichi grinned and moved on, “So, if I was you, I'd look into more than just increasing my base strength. Look into methods for increasing your base durability. I think there's martial arts and stuff that are all about becoming tougher, strengthening bones, and so on. It might take time, effort, and a bit of pain, but it would be worth it. Especially since your Quirk makes it a bit easier for you to get stronger.”

“Next...”

Sato interrupted, “You have more?”

Kenichi nodded, “Try various types of sugars, not just plain white sugar. Though that's the cheapest form of sugar, it's not the only kind. Confectioners sugar, sugars made from fruits, beet sugar, brown sugar both light and dark, turbinado sugar, or even muscovado sugar. All of them are various stages of processing sugar and could, potentially, have differing effects with your Quirk. You should get small amounts of them and other sugars to test if they have different effects on your Quirk.”

Sato stood there stunned as he listened to Kenichi. He'd never really thought to try other sugars because simple white granulated sugar was so cheap and abundant. His family wasn't very well off so he hadn't ever seen the need to buy expensive sugars. It was a big reason why he learned to bake so many different sweets, it was cheaper than buying them. Granulated and Confectioners sugar were the only kinds he bought and he'd never thought to just eat some of the confectioners to see what happened.

Seeing that Sato was lost in thought, Kenichi just gave the taller boy and light pat on the shoulder and continued on his way to the gathering of girls. Mina had rejoined them and Kirishima was still sitting off to the side recovering. He was nowhere near as ready for his 'Unbreakable' now as he was when he originally discovered it. However, getting it now meant he could work on it longer and make it even stronger. The same would apply to everyone he helped in his class. That was the whole point. He might... no probably was an arrogant, spoiled, brat, but that didn't mean he didn't want to genuinely help his classmates get stronger.

This was such a good chance, he hoped more people would ask him about their Quirks. It might take some time, but he was certain that everyone would, eventually, come to him for advice. Midoriya might be an amazing analyst with a scary insight into Quirks, but Kenichi was a cheater with his Quirk and future knowledge. He knewwhat most of the class could achieve and he would push them towards it full throttle!

PLUS ULTRA!