Chapter 17: The power of the Tinker Fruit
Kai slung his school bag over his shoulder and headed into the parking garage attached to his apartment complex. He wove through rows of parked cars toward the far corner, where his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R sat waiting, gleaming in his assigned spot. As he approached the beast of a motorcycle, he couldn't help but admire it—and the work he'd put into every inch of it.
He'd gone over the machine almost obsessively with his Tinker Fruit, molding all of the electronics to his liking, making it as precise as possible. The engine was fine-tuned for extra power at a lower fuel cost, and the monstrous controls responded to his every input with lightning speed.
Kai ran a hand along the sleek black and gold designs he'd stenciled on himself, a complex pattern of lines and Nordic runes. They didn't carry any real meaning, but they looked beautiful. This bike was more than just a machine to him—it was the first project he'd completed as Kai, the crystallization of his potential in this new world.
He swung his leg over the seat and grabbed his custom helmet from the holder he'd made on the side. Designed with his quirk in mind, the helmet had extra room to keep his hair intact. Sliding the key into the ignition, he revved the engine, which let out a low, powerful roar that filled the garage.
"Morning, Odin," Kai said affectionately, giving the bike a fond pat. "Time to get to school."
With a grin, he flew out of the parking garage at speeds that were definitely illegal.
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Kai rolled up to U.A.'s main gate and saw the area was absolutely flooded with reporters. Everywhere he looked there was a logo for a news crew or a man with a camera pointed in a student's face.
Kai revved his motorcycle, the loud roar of the engine drowning out the shouts of the reporters. For a second all of the reporters looked over at him, and some of the smarter students took that as their chance to bolt onto the campus and into safety.
"Excuse me everyone." Kai said, rolling his eyes behind his helmet. "You're blocking the entrance. I'd really rather get to class on time today, so can I get past? Thanks."
One of the more ambitious reporters took the chance to leap at the interesting new student. "Are you a hero student? What can you tell us about All Might as a teacher? What are his clas-"
"I'm not a hero student." Kai interrupted, cutting the man off. "As for All Might? Never seen him in person. We done here? I got stuff to do."
With that Kai revved his engine and pushed through the reporters until he was home free on the U.A. campus.
The campus was insanely big. I took Kai ten minutes to get to the student parking lot, and ten minutes past that to get to class 1-H. AS he walked, he looked around and admired the architecture and scenery. Despite U.A.'s massive size you could tell that love and effort was put into every last inch.
Walking into class, Kai saw that he was the third person there, the only two others being a kid he hadn't gotten around to learning the name of, and Shoto Todoroki. Kai inconspicuously and totally casually sat in the seat to Shoto's right.
"Hey. I'm Kai Sugimoto. What's your name?" Kai asked, doing his best to act uninterested.
If Shoto noticed how weird he was acting, he didn't deem fit to mention it. "I'm Shoto Todoroki." He said quietly, focusing on his sketchbook in front of him. "Nice to meet you, Kai. How are you today?"
"I'm alright. The reporters at the front gate were annoying, but there isn't much you can do about it. Other than that, I'm doing fine." Kai said, leaning back in his chair. "Today I have to go down to the hero course and observe them using their quirks."
"Why would you need to do that?" Shoto asked flatly, finally looking up from his sketchbook. "Come to think of it, you weren't in here yesterday either. What's up with that?"
"My quirk is apparently pretty useful for research, according to Power Loader and Nezu. They send me down to the first-year hero students so I can absorb some of their energy, and then Nezu can get someone to analyze it." Kai shrugged, trying to sound casual about the whole situation.
"Hm. Cool." Shoto's response was curt, and he returned his focus to the sketchbook, curiosity apparently satisfied.
As Kai looked around, he noticed that at some point- the class had already filled up with students.
Roughly ten seconds later, Power Loader entered through the door, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"Alright, class, it's time to get crackin'. You've got to pick a class representative today, but we aren't going to do something lame like an election." With a flourish, Power Loader reached under his desk and pulled out a massive box with a hole cut in the top.
"Instead, we're doing a challenge. Whoever creates the best project using the random item you pull from this box within an hour will earn the position. Keep in mind that this project isn't graded; it's just for fun!"
Excited murmurs kicked up around the room as students formed a line. Kai sat at the back of the class, comfortably leaning back in his chair, not in a rush to be the first to draw from the box.
As the first few students approached, he watched them pull out various quirky items—a rubber chicken, a set of googly eyes, and a small toy rocket. Each time a student returned to their seat, they animatedly discussed their ideas, the creative energy in the room buzzing.
Kai chuckled quietly at the antics of his classmates. It was a lighthearted atmosphere, and he appreciated how it allowed everyone to show off their personalities.
When the line died down to two other students, Kai sauntered up to the box. When it was finally his turn, he reached his hand inside, immediately receiving feedback from his Tinker Fruit. There were some intriguing options in there: a miniature robot, a fully functional cellphone, and what felt like a slinky?
Kai decided on the vintage video game controller and pulled it out of the box, its nostalgic buttons and worn-out casing a testament to its past.
He walked over to one of the workbenches lining the walls and immediately got to work. The first thing he did was use the Tinker Fruit to crack the controller open, revealing the intricate electronics inside. With a flick of his wrist, he directed the Tinker energy to reconfigure the bits, disconnecting and reconnecting wires until it was in a configuration he needed.
Next, he made his way to the school's high-speed 3D printer, which hummed quietly in the corner. He quickly programmed it to print a custom shell that would accommodate his modifications—a sleek design that blended retro aesthetics with modern flair. After a few moments, the printer whirred to life, depositing layers of plastic in rapid succession.
While he waited, Kai grabbed a programming chip from the supplies nearby and connected it to the controller's circuit board. With the Tinker Fruit's intuitive programming, he began inputting code that would allow the controller to function as a universal remote for any device with a connection—Bluetooth, WiFi, radio, anything.
The 3D printer beeped, indicating that his custom controller shell was done printing. Kai hurried back, carefully removing the freshly printed piece and slotting it over the modified electronics. He secured it with a few screws, ensuring everything fit snugly.
Once assembled, he powered up the controller and pressed a button. A soft beep echoed in the room, catching the attention of his classmates. Kai nodded, satisfied with his creation. Feeling inside the remote with his 'zones,' he reconfigured the insides until it was effective to a degree he could accept.
Content with his work, Kai returned to his chair and put his head down, relaxing as he waited for the time limit to expire. The chatter of his classmates filled the air, punctuated by the occasional clatter of tools and laughter.
Ten minutes later, an alarm went off on Power Loader's desk, signifying that the hour was up. The teacher stood up, clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone! Time's up! Let's see what you've all come up with!" Power Loader called out, a grin spreading across his face. "We'll go around the room, and each of you will present your projects."
Chatter spread throughout the room, some people were talking about how nervous they were, some were discussing what they'd made. As the presentations started everyone went quiet. The first few projects were good, but basic. Roughly the level you'd expect from someone just starting out.
After seven somewhat mediocre presentations, Mei Hatsume stepped up to the front of the class, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Mei Hatsume, and this is my incredible invention!" She held up a contraption resembling a helmet attached to a small canister, tubes snaking around to connect various parts. "I call it the Boom Box 3000! It's designed to amplify sound waves and direct them! Just wear it on your head and press this button—"
As she pressed the button, the device crumpled in on itself with a loud pop, followed by a small explosion of confetti and smoke.
"Alright!" Mei said, her smile as bright as ever, unphased by the mishap. "It's got a few kinks to work out, but when that's done, it'll work very well, I promise!"
After Mei's explosive presentation, Shoto Todoroki stepped forward, his demeanor calm and collected. He held a small device the size of a bowling ball, one side painted white, the other a deep crimson red.
"This is a temperature regulator," Shoto started quietly. "It's designed to control the temperature in a room of moderate size just by itself. Just type in the temperature you want, and the immediate area will change rapidly to match your input. It's designed to assist in survival situations. That is all."
With that said, Shoto walked back to his seat and sat down, returning to his sketchbook. The class remained silent for a moment, surprised by the straightforwardness of his presentation. Power Loader, a grin on his face, broke the silence. "Very efficient, Shoto! I appreciate the practicality of your invention. Let's hope no one accidentally sets the temperature to boiling or freezing!"
The class chuckled lightly, and Shoto merely glanced up, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips before he said seriously "It wouldn't do that, Power Loader-Sensei. It would take roughly six minutes to reach that high and it's password protected anyway." With his piece said, he looked back at his sketchbook.
There were a few more students until the order turned to Kai.
Kai grabbed his remote and walked to the front of the class, taking center stage.
"This is the Networked Extended User System, also known as NEXUS. It allows the wielder to control any and all devices connected to a network, provided they are within range. For example." As he said that he pointed the remote at Power Loader's PC and it started booting up.
"As you can see, the NEXUS makes you the center of the cyberspace. The only problem is that just owning this remote is pretty iffy, legally speaking, so-" Using his Devil Fruit he made the blueprint for the remote, including a list of materials and a step-by-step guide. "I'm going to be selling it to the government or highest bidder, provided they give me a preferential price. And to be clear, its iffy, not downright illegal, so I'm chilling for now."