Apparently, if you want to go from complete nobody to school celebrity overnight, all you gotta do is shoot lightning from your hands in front of half the student body. Who knew?
The whispers start the moment I step through the school gates. Heads turn. Conversations pause. People stare.
"That's him"
"Did you see what he did to Takeshi"
"lightning everywhere"
"thought he was quirkless"
I keep my head down, pretending not to notice. It's weird as fuck. Yesterday, these same people either ignored me or laughed at me. Today, they're looking at me like I'm some kind of exotic animal at the zoo.
"SHINRA!"
Nejire practically tackles me from behind, her arms wrapping around my shoulders. I flinch, worried I might accidentally shock her, but nothing happens.
"Uh, morning," I say, carefully extracting myself from her grip.
"Everyone's talking about you!" she grins, bouncing on her toes. "You're famous!"
"Great," I mutter. "Just what I always wanted."
She rolls her eyes. "Come on, this is a good thing! People finally see what I've seen all along, that you're amazing."
I can't help but smile a little at that. "You thought I was amazing even when I was quirkless?"
"Duh," she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Your quirk is just a bonus."
Before I can respond, a group of second-years, kids who've never spoken a word to me before, approach us.
"Hey, Torino! That was sick what you did yesterday! Can you show us your quirk?"
"Uh—"
"Is it true you can turn create lightning?"
"Well—"
"How many volts can you produce?"
I take a step back, overwhelmed by the sudden attention.
"He's still learning to control it," Nejire jumps in, positioning herself slightly in front of me. "So maybe give him some space, yeah?"
They look disappointed but back off. As we walk toward class, more people stare and whisper. Some even give me little waves or nods of acknowledgment.
"This is so weird," I whisper to Nejire.
"Welcome to having a flashy quirk," she laughs. "You'll get used to it."
I'm not so sure about that.
The weirdness continues in class. Ms. Kayama actually calls on me to answer questions, looking at me with newfound interest. My practical combat teacher, who used to sigh whenever it was my turn, now watches me with calculating eyes.
"We should adjust your training regimen, Torino," he tells me after class. "Your quirk has offensive capabilities we should develop."
I just nod, not knowing what to say. Twenty-four hours ago, this same guy was telling me maybe the hero course wasn't for me.
Even Takeshi and his crew keep their distance, shooting me dark looks from across the cafeteria but not approaching. I catch Takeshi staring at me a few times, his expression a mixture of anger and something else, maybe fear? It's a strange feeling, being feared instead of mocked.
By the end of the day, I'm mentally exhausted from all the attention. When Nejire finds me at my locker, I'm ready to go home and hide under my covers.
"So," she says, eyes sparkling with excitement, "when do we start training?"
I blink at her. "Training?"
"Your quirk! You need to practice controlling it, right? I can help!"
The thought of purposely using my powers in front of someone else makes me nervous. Grandpa's been helping me at home, but it's still unpredictable.
"I don't know, Nejire..."
"Come on! There's an abandoned lot behind my neighborhood. No one goes there. It's perfect!"
She looks so excited that I don't have the heart to say no. Besides, I do need the practice.
"Okay, fine," I sigh. "But if I accidentally barbecue you, that's on you."
She claps her hands. "Excellent! Let's go!"
—
The "abandoned lot" turns out to be a fairly large area behind a row of warehouses. Plenty of space, no people around, and enough junk to use as practice targets.
"See? Perfect!" Nejire gestures proudly.
I have to admit, it's not a bad spot. "How'd you even know about this place?"
"I come here to practice my quirk sometimes," she says. "When I want to try something new without an audience."
That makes sense. Her quirk, the ability to convert her vitality into powerful energy waves, is beautiful but destructive. Kind of like mine, I guess.
I glance around nervously. "Uh, isn't using quirks in public like... illegal? I mean, unless you're a licensed hero or in a designated training facility?"
This is something that's been drilled into us since kindergarten. Quirk use in public spaces is strictly regulated. Something about safety and order and blah blah blah. The laws are kinda vague about what constitutes "public use," but I'm pretty sure this falls into that category.
Nejire waves her hand dismissively. "Don't mind, don't mind! Technically this is private property, it's just abandoned. And nobody comes here anyway."
"But if we get caught—"
"We won't," she says with complete confidence. "I've been using this spot for years. Besides, how else are you supposed to practice? Not everyone has fancy training facilities."
She's got a point. The rich kids with connections can train at proper facilities. The rest of us make do with what we have. And it's not like I can practice at home, Grandpa's apartment isn't exactly lightning-proof.
"Fine," I sigh. "But if we get arrested, I'm blaming you."
"Deal!" she says cheerfully. "Alright, show me what you've got!"
I hesitate. "I'm still not great at controlling it."
"That's why we're practicing! Start small."
I take a deep breath and hold out my hand, focusing on the feeling of electricity humming under my skin. I've been working with Grandpa on generating small, controlled amounts of power.
A spark jumps between my fingers, then another. Soon, my hand is surrounded by a crackling blue aura of electricity.
"That's so cool!" Nejire breathes, leaning in to look closer.
"Careful," I warn. "I don't want to hurt you."
She steps back, but her eyes remain fixed on my glowing hand. "What does it feel like?"
I struggle to find the words. "It's like... having energy running through your veins. Like being hyper and calm at the same time. I don't know how to explain it."
"Try hitting that," she suggests, pointing to an old soda can on top of a concrete block.
I aim my hand, trying to remember how this worked in the manga. Enel could direct his lightning with precision. I just need to focus on where I want it to go.
A bolt of blue electricity shoots from my palm, completely obliterating the can and part of the concrete beneath it.
"Holy shit," I mutter, staring at the smoking remains.
"That was amazing!" Nejire jumps up and down. "Do it again!"
For the next hour, we experiment. I hit targets, try to control the intensity of the bolts, and even attempt to form shapes with the electricity. Some attempts work better than others. I accidentally fry Nejire's phone when I get too close to it, and I singe my own eyebrows trying to create a lightning shield around my body.
"Sorry about your phone," I say, watching her poke at the dead device.
"Worth it," she grins. "This is the coolest quirk I've ever seen up close."
I rub the back of my neck, uncomfortable with the praise. "It's not that great. I can barely control it."
"Yet," she corrects. "You can barely control it yet. But you're getting better every time!"
She's right. Even in this short session, I've improved. The electricity responds more readily to my thoughts, and I'm getting better at modulating how much power I release.
"Try something else," she suggests. "What about sensing electrical currents? Some electric-type quirks can do that."
I hadn't thought of that. In the manga, Enel could use his powers to listen to electrical signals, even conversations from miles away. I close my eyes, trying to feel beyond my own electricity.
To my surprise, I sense something, a faint hum coming from Nejire's direction.
"Your backup phone," I say, opening my eyes. "Right pocket. It's on vibrate."
Her eyes widen. "How did you—" She pulls out her old phone, and sure enough, there's a notification. "That's insane! What else can you sense?"
I focus again, expanding my awareness. "The power lines about a hundred yards that way. Your smartwatch. Something big underground—probably a subway line."
"This is so cool," she breathes. "You're like a human radar!"
We keep experimenting. I discover I can interfere with electronic signals, turning Nejire's watch on and off without touching it. I can sense approaching people by their bioelectricity before we see them. And most impressively (or terrifyingly), I can transform my body into lightning.
"Does it hurt?" Nejire asks as she watches my arm dissolve into crackling blue energy.
"No," I say, fascinated by the sight. "It feels... natural. Like this is what my body was always meant to do."
As the sun starts to set, I try something I've been thinking about all day. In One Piece, Enel could generate millions of volts—enough to devastate entire islands. I know I'm nowhere near that level, but I'm curious about my limits.
"Stand back," I warn Nejire, and she quickly retreats to a safe distance.
I plant my feet, focus on gathering as much electricity as I can, and then release it at an old refrigerator about twenty yards away.
The resulting lightning bolt is blinding, a massive surge of blue-white energy that completely vaporizes the fridge and leaves a smoking crater in the ground.
The effort leaves me gasping, hands on my knees.
"Shinra!" Nejire runs over. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I pant. "Just... took a lot out of me."
"That was incredible! How many volts was that?"
I think back to the manga. Enel could produce 200 million volts at his peak. That was enough to destroy an entire island. What I just did was powerful, but nothing on that scale.
"Maybe a million volts?" I guess. "Nowhere near what the strongest electric quirks can do. But... more than enough to be dangerous."
She helps me sit on an old crate, her expression serious for once. "You know, with power like this, you could really be a hero."
The word hits me differently now. Hero. Everyone always assumed that's what I wanted, to follow in Grandpa's footsteps. But to be honest, I'm not sure that was ever really my dream. It was just the expectation that came with the Torino name.
"Maybe," I say noncommittally, watching small sparks still dancing across my fingertips.
"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Nejire looks genuinely confused. "Isn't this what you've always wanted?"
I shrug, not meeting her eyes. "I've spent so long knowing I couldn't be a hero that I never really thought about whether I wanted to be one."
"But... all that training with your grandfather..."
"Yeah, well." I kick at a rock. "When you grow up with a famous hero, you don't get much choice in the matter."
Nejire sits next to me, quiet for a moment. "So what do you want to do?"
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Before the Devil Fruit, my options were limited. Now, theoretically, I could do anything. Be anything. The possibilities are kind of overwhelming.
"I honestly don't know," I admit. "I've been so focused on what I couldn't have that I never really thought about what I actually wanted."
She nods thoughtfully, then brightens. "Well, you don't have to decide right now! But in the meantime, learning to control your quirk is important no matter what you choose to do with it."
Her enthusiasm is so genuine, her smile so bright, that I can't bring myself to dampen her spirits.
"True," I agree. "Can't exactly go around accidentally frying electronics for the rest of my life."
"Exactly!" she beams, jumping up. "So we'll keep training, and you'll figure out the rest as you go!"
I can't help but smile at her optimism. "Sure, why not."
As we walk home, I think about Enel and how he used his powers. The manga is like a blueprint for what I might be able to do someday, sensing conversations miles away, moving at the speed of lightning, even restarting my own heart if it stops.
But I also remember the weaknesses. In One Piece, Devil Fruit users lose their ability to swim and become totally helpless in seawater. Plus, There was rubber, which insulated against his electricity.
I wonder if those same rules apply to me. The rubber thing makes sense, it's basic physics that rubber doesn't conduct electricity. But the seawater curse? That's more of a magical Devil Fruit rule than a logical consequence of having electrical powers.
I make a mental note to test the water thing when I'm alone. Fill a small bowl with tap water first, then maybe try saltwater. I'm not about to dive into the ocean on a hunch. To be honest, I'm not sure the seawater weakness even applies in this world. But better safe than sorry.
"Same time tomorrow?" Nejire asks as we reach the point where our paths diverge.
"Sure," I nod. "But maybe bring a first aid kit. And a fire extinguisher."
She laughs, punching my arm lightly. "Don't worry so much! You're doing great!"
As I watch her walk away, I feel a strange mix of emotions. Pride in my new abilities. Fear of what might happen if I lose control. And something else, something warm and complicated, whenever Nejire smiles at me like I'm someone special.
For the first time in my life, I'm not just Gran Torino's quirkless grandson. I'm Shinra Torino, with power crackling beneath my skin. Power that could make me a hero.