Wish Upon a Star 3 (MHA Star and Stripe SI)

Nose to the Grindstone

I gave out a long stretch as the professor dismissed us, leaving us to our own devices for the rest of the day. Or the next ten minutes in my case as I travel across the campus to my next class. It was hardly a problem for me given my Quirk, though, so I used the extra time to study the other students filing out of the classroom.

Double Cool can let me see their names above their heads, despite being more limited in most extraordinary senses. I feel like it definitely has something to do with how easy it is to imagine the power, but there has to be more to it than just that. I can’t utilize telepathy at a distance, so is seeing them by their names some form of advanced, specific psychometry?

“Miss Bates, a moment please.” The professor called out as I was getting out of my seat. Curious, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked down the lecture hall to him.

“Professor Turn, is anything the matter?” I asked the blue skinned man. I don’t think I've done anything to come up on his radar or slip up in any way around him. 

“Just wanted to take a moment to talk to you. It might be easy to forget given your stature, but you’re quite gifted, to enter Harvard at such a young age.” It was true, on both counts, though my power did help me cheat a bit for the latter. And it might do the same for the former later as well.

My double major in biology and chemistry definitely helped give me insights into the world at large, but the main goal was to replicate the experiments Doctor Garaki performed to miraculously give Shigaraki the power of Prime All Might, all in the body of a scrawny twig. It’s ridiculous, even considering that he created the Nomus.

My current plan involved me modifying my body to achieve that strength too, but I was having problems with my theories looking like they’d drastically modify my body. I could pass off continual growth for a few more years, but it might be problematic after that (ignoring the problems of how being the size of Whitebeard from One Piece would be difficult in day-to-day situations, even with living in a post-Quirk society). And even with such extreme modifications, I don’t think I could achieve quite the power All Might currently has. Maybe if I had some other people I could experiment on…

“Miss Bates?”

“Ah, sorry, just got lost in thought there. What is it?”

“I wanted to ask you about some of your points in an essay you handed in. About the future of humanity and Quirks.”

“Yes?” I remembered the paper but couldn’t think of anything unusual about it.

“You decried Quirk Singularity Theory pretty heavily there. I’m aware the theory is on the fringe of modern society, but your paper seemed, well, downright dismissive of the theory.”

“That’s because it’s a load of crock,” I responded before raising my hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Many flawed and incorrect theories have helped build our modern understanding. Science stands on the backs of those who came before, so I suppose i shouldn’t be dismissive of it. Just… the creator of that theory fled academia simply because his theory wasn’t accepted. Whatever else, that’s not a good sign of the stability of the creator, even before we get into the flaws with the theory itself.”

Flect Turn stared at me with cool eyes, motioning for me to continue. Crazy to realize that this guy will go on to become a terrorist that threatens the world decades from now. Professor Turn was hardly a fuzzy individual as it stood now, but he did seem to show care for his students.

“Quirk Singularity Theory supposes a few base principles. One, that Quirks are getting stronger over time. Two, that this is due to Quirks mixing and matching and developing stronger in newer generations. Three, that this will lead to the end of humanity, with a Quirk eventually developing that is so powerful it ends up inadvertently destroying the planet, or maybe just killing everyone. I don’t believe any of these are true, with some minor exceptions for the second point that are ultimately irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant?” He asked, arching an eyebrow. “If the second point is true then wouldn’t the others follow as a natural consequence?”

“No, because of the inherent caveats. Quirks can be ‘designed’ to be stronger from Quirk marriages but that’s… a gamble. Even with careful analysis of the parent Quirks and theories on how they could combine, every child is a roll of the dice. Perhaps they’ll get a new Quirk that perfectly blends both of their parents, but they could just as easily get a Quirk that actually is ‘missing’ factors from one side, ending up weaker or more disadvantageous than either parents’ Quirks are. Or they could get an entirely different Quirk with no relation to their parents’ powers, or no Quirk at all.”

“If only they could be so lucky,” Flect Turn muttered before clearing his throat. “The last two options are far less likely than the others,” he pointed out, and I nodded, conceding the point.

“That’s true, but again, it’s still up to chance and that’s if everything aligns perfectly. While Quirk marriages and the like still occur, society frowns on such things and they definitely aren’t the norm. Evolution shows us that factors like a bird’s plumage being good at attracting mates matters far more for the species’ survival than a slight edge aerodynamically. So Quirks getting slightly stronger through combining in those ways might excite certain people, but in a broad view…”

He stroked his well trimmed goatee. “Hmm, you may have a point there. I still fear what the effects may be over time, but it’s possible such a singularity would be looked at as happening centuries or even millennia from now rather than a threat in the near future. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the other two points, however.”

My eyes quickly glanced at the clock in the corner. I’d be late if I continued this conversation… but I decided to anyway. This might be a huge opportunity for me, if I can win Flect Turn over, and everyone else has left. “As for the first, when researchers quote about ‘Quirks increasing in power over generations’ they miss or choose to ignore some outside factors explaining the seeming growth over generations.”

“The first is that we have a larger pool to study from every generation. This can let researchers get a little… choosy with where they get their subjects from. It’s also let society get choosier too. Back in the first generation, you had what, the Charlene Xavien Golden Child School? And they took in anyone with a Quirk - I think their first class had like, four students? Nowadays, you have schools like U.A. in Japan or Hamilton High here that only take in the best of the best out of millions of candidates.”

“The second reason is that our understanding and acceptance of Quirks has grown.” As I spoke, I noticed a slight downward turn of his lips. Hmm, I wonder if he’s already working with Humarise, something I’ll need to check. “As Quirks become more common, less people are attacked for having them, they feel more free in using and practicing with them. That is what increases their power over time. Combined with the fact that the parents may have tricks and tips they’ve learned and passed down, which the children can use at a younger age, you get them being stronger over time. Not because the Quirks have grown, but because we have.”

“An interesting hypothesis, one you might look to pursue in your graduating thesis,” he offered and I nodded. It would make for a decent enough cover story at least. I’d rather not publish my real research to the world, and that’s for my third point.

“As for the final supposition of QST, there are so many ways we have to destroy ourselves technologically. While the upheaval of society brought about by the rise of Quirks may have set us back slightly, society has bounced back to at least pre-Quirk technological levels and will only grow from there. Besides, who’s to say that Quirks won’t be an answer to themselves?” I said, reaching out to place a hand on his face.

Flect froze, completely shocked. “Wha-what did you do? How-?” He said, unable, unwilling to move himself away, even leaning into the touch. Of course he is - he hasn’t ever had human contact like this before, his Quirk pushing everyone else away. One of the Rules I liked to keep running passively was a rule that made it so I was unaffected by any other Quirks.

“I have a different theory - Quirk Apocalypse Theory. Eventually, someone is going to get a Quirk that is too strong, too dangerous. One without regular limits or balances. It won’t be from a Quirk marriage or the like, but a complete random factor, like the ability to steal and stockpile Quirks, or to rewind time… or to set rules that change how reality works. Flect Turn has no Quirk,” I declared, pulling my hand back.

He stumbled away, grabbing at his lectern for support before grabbing a pen lying on it. Planting one hand flat, he took the pen with his other hand and stabbed it down into his hand, puncturing it. The blue man gave a cry of pain that turned into a euphoric laugh as he pulled the pen out and stabbed down again.

Yeah, no, think we’ve had enough of that. I revoked my rule, and Flect wailed in dismay as the pen bounced away. He turned around, glaring wildly at me. “What did you do!?”

“I revoked my Rule. Double Cool can only enact two rules at a time, and I didn’t feel like having to explain why a Professor had started to maim himself when alone with me.” Especially since he shouldn’t be capable of it in the first place and my Quirk is listed as aerokinesis.

The man whined. “You don’t understand how long I’ve been like this. Please, I just, I need-”

Putting on my best sympathetic expression, I reached out and grabbed his hand lightly. “Flect turn regenerates rapidly.” Before our eyes, the wound on his hand sealed up and he was looking fine again. “I want to help you, I do, but I want to do more than just that. Having you reliant on my Quirk wouldn’t really work out in the long run, and how many other people have situations similar to yours? Where their hands are replaced by scissors or to constantly emit deadly radiation, or your Reflection to prevent anyone getting close. But what if we could figure out a way to remove Quriks altogether?”

That got even him to back away for a moment. “But that’s impossible! No one’s managed it in over a century.” He saw my determined expression and composed himself slightly. “What makes you think you could succeed where entire governments have failed?”

“Well, I do have a pretty impressive Quirk of my own which could greatly aid in analyzing the differences between Quirked and non-Quirked biology,” I said with a smirk. “Besides, in the past, society was teetering on or in the freefall stage of collapse. And by the time it built itself back up, a counter culture had grown of supporting Quirks. Such research was generally frowned upon by the people and the governments in turn. If you could give me access to equipment, other professors, willing test subjects and the like, I think we could do great things together. Really uncover more about the secrets of biology and the nature of Quirks.”

This is a risk, but if he doesn’t take it well, I can just wipe out his memories afterwards. Of course, that’s assuming he immediately rejects me. If he agrees initially but sees some of what I’m doing and doesn’t like it- well, I’ll worry about that later. Flect Turn had fallen silent, tapping his lectern rapidly as he mulled it over.

“... We’d have to do this off the books, at least to begin with.” I perked up. Is he…? “The university wouldn’t agree to such an experiment without results. Once we get those, then we can see about publishing your name. Have a backup plan if this takes longer than the time your thesis is due.”

“Oh, no worries there. I’d actually prefer it if I wasn’t listed at all.”

“What? But why? You’d be hailed as the greatest scientist of our era!”

“I’m not interested in accolades, just results. Though, one result I’m interested in is seeing how far the human body can go without a Quirk. I hope you’d be willing to help me with that as we research the end of Quirks.”

“Seems like an unusual thing for someone with such a powerful and versatile Quirk to be interested in,” he commented as he walked around the stage, grabbing his bag. “Or is there some downside to your Quirk’s use that limits it?”

“There are some limits, but no physical drawbacks.” At his puzzled expression, I laughed. “I know right? Just another oddity of my power and how it doesn’t seem to fit with this world.”

As we neared the exit, Flect asked, “What was that about your own theory. ‘Quirk Apocalypse’ was it? How do you plan on dealing with that?”

“By doing research just like this. The name is a little overblown, to be honest. To get to the conclusion, I don’t think it truly matters. Even if there’s a ridiculously powerful Quirk that ends up in the hands of someone reckless or careless, I don’t think it, I don’t think any Quirk holds a candle to what humans can achieve with technology.”

“Really? I suppose there are nuclear devices, but they can’t teleport or control minds or any of the various rare effects Quirks can potentially give,” he countered.

“Not yet, perhaps. But science marches ever onward, and faster than evolution has ever gone. Despite a small stumbling block in mankind’s history, science will be the answer - or the doom - of humanity. From the tinniest elements to the farthest reaches of the universe, we’ll find the answers here.” I said, gesturing wide at the school around us.

The road ahead is still far, but I’ve just taken several large steps forward. This research might be the key to helping fix at least some of this broken world, and to giving me the keys I need to survival. Against All for One and all the other scum that are lurking under the surface, abusing the system. 

There was a good reason why I hadn’t become a hero, and that was due to seeing just how much rich assholes could manipulate the system to their advantage. How hard it was to get anything to stick to them. Of course, if i could force them to speak the truth, slip in to secure facilities unnoticed and drop off evidence anonymously, then it gets a lot tougher for them to wiggle out of justice. None of that is possible as a hero working inside the system however.

All of those thoughts were for another day, however. Today, I just whistled cheerfully, eagerly thinking of all the experiments I might be able to perform going forward, what I’d be able to discover.

A/N: A wild Flect Turn appears! I didn’t plan for him to show up here, if this was meant to be a longer story, he’d probably appear later, but he definitely works for what I’m trying to do, and there’s even some dialogue about him having gone through higher education before breaking down and becoming the head of Humarise, so I figured it was possible for him to be a young professor here (even if unlikely that they’d just happen to meet). Also, can I say how weird a name ‘Flect Turn’ is? It’s super weird, and feels way too on the nose to be accidental but also, not catchy enough to just be a ‘villain name.’

In any case, this is just a bit of a highlight on what Cathleen is trying to do. New Order ‘Double Cool’ is a very strong quirk and having near All Might level strength is incredible, but less so when using one of the two Orders she has to do so. Considering Garaki was able to go beyond that with just regular science (somehow), the SI is attempting to do the same.