Inko, with her hair pulled back in a high ponytail and dressed in athletic gear that highlighted her new toned figure, moved steadily through the kitchen. She sliced strawberries, tossed them into the blender, and measured out protein powder without even glancing at the packaging.
Izuku, sitting at the small breakfast table, watched her while eating his own bowl of oatmeal.
"Mom, your arms look stronger than mine."
Inko paused and flexed a bicep, admiring it with a satisfied smile.
"This is thanks to putting up with your critiques of my running form for ten months. Now, make sure you finish it all. It tastes awful, but according to the internet, it'll make us invincible."
Izuku drank the thick, greenish smoothie. Actually, it tastes horrible. But seeing the sparkle in his mother's eyes and the strength in her posture, he thought that maybe the internet was right.
Later that same day, the comfortable normalcy had evaporated. They were in the living room: Inko was reading a book on the sofa and Izuku remained standing in the middle of the room in absolute silence. He hadn't moved in five minutes and was simply staring at her.
Inko slowly lowered the book with an arched eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?"
"No," he replied way too fast.
"Are you sure? Because you're looking at me like you're thinking about selling me to buy new weights."
Izuku ran a hand through his hair with evident nervousness.
"Izuku, sweetie, can you stop staring at me like I'm a piece of furniture you're thinking of moving? You're actually starting to freak me out."
He took a deep breath as if he were preparing to jump into a void.
"Mom... what happened during the exam with Uraraka and what happened at the beach... I think I can do it again."
"Are you talking about what happened with your Quirk?" Inko asked, intrigued. "Didn't you say it was a one-time thing?"
"I know... but I need to understand it better. I have a feeling I can repeat it; however, I can't just rely on luck or panic. And..."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I need your help."
Inko closed her book and set it aside carefully.
"Me? How? Do you want me to yell at you while you lift the sofa? Because I can do that, I've practiced a lot."
"No. I need something else."
He swallowed hard.
"I need you to let me read your Quirk."
Inko blinked several times. Then, a nervous laugh escaped her throat.
"What? Are you joking?"
"I'm completely serious."
"Why would you want to read my Quirk?" Inko asked as she stood up and began to pace the room restlessly. "What are you going to find? That I can pull the remote? That sometimes, if I focus really hard, I can find my keys without moving the couch cushions? Izuku, your Quirk is for training, I don't think it'll cause big changes in my Quirk."
"That's exactly the point! I don't think it's just for training! I think there's something else there that I'm not seeing yet! And that's why you're the perfect person to figure out a bit more about my Quirk."
Inko looked at him with perplexity.
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"Let me touch you."
"Excuse me?"
"It's the only way to test it."
Inko's face went from perplexity to a deep blush. She crossed her arms tightly.
"No way! Impossible! Izuku, that's so weird! I'm your mother! You aren't going to put your hands on me to read my soul or whatever it is you do!"
"It's not about reading your soul! It's about analyzing a Quirk!"
Desperation colored every word.
"Well, find another test subject for your science experiments! Your friend, for example!"
"I already did it with her! And it worked!... Mom, please. This is the most important thing that's ever happened to me."
He took a step toward her and his voice softened, losing the desperation to adopt a persuasive tone.
"Think about it. Your Quirk, Attraction of Small Objects. Is that it? Really? Haven't you ever been curious? Not even once in all these years have you wondered if it could do something else, if there was something inside waiting? Haven't you ever wanted to know what your true potential is?"
The last question hit the mark. Inko's indignation vanished, the word "potential" hanging in the air between them. For years, her potential had been defined by being a wife, an employee, and a mother. The idea that there could be a latent potential hidden inside her was dangerous and terribly tempting.
She bit her lip while looking at her son. She let out a sigh that seemed to take the last vestige of her dignity with it.
"Okay," she whispered in a barely audible voice. "But if this gets even weirder than it already is, we're stopping. Got it?"
Izuku's smile of relief was absolutely radiant.
"Got it! Thanks, Mom! You won't regret it!"
"Oh, I think I'm already regretting it."
The execution was as awkward as Inko feared. Izuku, in his self-imposed role of coach, tried to direct the operation with a seriousness that only made it more ridiculous.
"Okay, uh... stand in the center of the room with your feet shoulder-width apart."
"I feel like I'm in a police lineup," Inko complained while she obeyed. "Am I supposed to do a pirouette or are you going to show me photos of suspects to identify?"
"Mom, please, focus!" Izuku pleaded. "I need controlled conditions."
"Sure, coach," she murmured with evident sarcasm.
He took a deep breath while trying to accept the absurdity of the situation.
"Okay. Now I'm going to stand behind you. Don't move."
"Where could I go? The door is blocked by a mad scientist."
Izuku ignored her and got into position.
"Alright. I'm going to put my hands on your shoulders," he announced. "Don't move too much."
Slowly and carefully, he rested his hands on his mother's shoulders. Although it was a gesture they had repeated hundreds of times during their training, this time it felt completely different.
"Okay," he whispered in a voice barely audible right behind her head. "Now try to use your Quirk. Concentrate and attract the keys from the coffee table."
Inko closed her eyes, more to avoid dying of embarrassment than to actually concentrate. She took a deep breath and looked for the small, familiar sensation inside her, the tiny tug that had been her power forever.
She felt her Quirk activate, an almost imperceptible flow of energy heading toward the metal keys.
At the same time, Izuku concentrated with all his willpower.
For a moment, nothing happened. And then the connection was suddenly established.
It lasted barely five seconds before the overload forced him to break contact.
Izuku pulled his hands away abruptly and stumbled back two steps, his eyes wide with surprise.
Inko opened her eyes when she felt him pull away. She turned around with evident concern in every line of her face.
"Izuku? Are you okay?"
He couldn't answer immediately. He simply raised a trembling hand and pointed to a notepad and a pen on the shelf with desperate urgency. Inko handed them over without asking questions and without saying a word. Izuku sat directly on the floor and began to write with feverish speed, as if he feared the information would be erased from his head if he didn't put it on paper immediately.
Inko stood there watching her son fill an entire page with diagrams, notes, and terms she had never heard him use in her entire life. When he finished after what felt like hours, but was only minutes, he tore the sheet from the pad and held it out to her without looking up from the floor.
With trembling hands, Inko took the paper. What she saw left her completely breathless.
QUIRK FULL ANALYSIS: ENHANCEMENT MODEQUIRK NAME: ATTRACTION OF SMALL OBJECTS
USER: INKO MIDORIYA
LINKED PHYSIOLOGY: Generation of a low-power telekinetic vector from the user's center of mass. The concept of "small objects" is a mental barrier imposed by years of limited use and a subconscious lack of confidence. The Quirk has no inherent mass limit, only an energy limit.
CURRENT LIMITS (PRE-TRAINING):
Attraction of one (1) single visible object.
Maximum perceived mass: 500 grams (1.1 pounds).
Effective range: 10 meters (approximately 33 feet).
Trajectory control: None (straight line toward the user).
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL (REACHABLE):
MULTIPLE ATTRACTION: Latent ability to "tag" and attract up to ten (10) objects simultaneously. The number can increase with training.
PRECISE VECTOR CONTROL: Ability to manipulate the trajectory of attracted objects in a 180-degree arc in front of the user, allowing them to dodge obstacles or create complex movements.
VECTOR INVERSION: The most powerful latent potential. It consists of reversing the "attraction" vector to "repel." Instead of pulling, the Quirk can PUSH. This would create a short-range telekinetic impulse to deflect projectiles, generate a shockwave, or even provide a small boost to personal mobility.
SUGGESTED EVOLUTION ROUTE:
PHASE 1 (Mental Control): Daily focus meditation to break self-imposed mental barriers. The goal is for the user to believe in her potential.
PHASE 2 (Fine Control): Exercises with various small objects (marbles, grains of sand) to learn to attract and move each one independently.
PHASE 3 (Inversion): Visualization exercises to conceptualize the act of "pushing." Start with light objects (a sheet of paper, a feather) and gradually increase the mass.
Inko read the page over and over.
VECTOR INVERSION.
She looked up from the paper and her eyes met her son's.
"Repel..." she whispered in an incredulous voice. "You mean push?"
A triumphant smile played on Izuku's face.
"According to the manual, yeah," he said, his voice vibrating with barely contained excitement. "Mom, your new training isn't going to be limited to just yoga and protein shakes. Starting today, you'll learn to meditate as if your life depends on it. You'll become a Zen master. And tomorrow... tomorrow you and I are going to buy every jar of marbles we can find in the entire city."
Inko stared at the paper and then at her own hands with an expression of complete amazement.
And for the first time in decades, she asked herself a question that was terrifying and absolutely exciting at the same time.
Who am I, really?
******
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to drop your Power Stones!
Author's Note: hitting that like button is the best way to let me know you want more.
P @ t r e o n.com/itszeroo