I have no powers, but I've got two hands and I know how to use them.

Author's Note:

I realized I made a mistake by putting the story on hold to focus on my Patreon… I don't have enough reach yet for that to really work. On Webnovel, I only have 17 profile hearts, and honestly, I'm not well-known at all.

I've seen authors with over a thousand hearts, and many of them get regular support… even with stories that, in my opinion, aren't exactly good. So I figured it out: first, I need to get noticed. I need more people to care about this story. Then, maybe someone will want to "get scammed"—I mean, support the poor author who's about to get kicked out of his apartment if he doesn't find a job by the end of the month. Haha, just kidding. (Probably...)

Anyway, the important part: I'm going to continue the story. I'll keep updating regularly on both Wattpad and Webnovel. I'll try to post daily chapters, though I can't promise anything until the plot gets interesting enough for someone to actually consider spending money on it.

That said, I'm not going to stop you if you want to support me early.

And one last thing:

– If you're reading this on Wattpad, give me a follow.

– If you're from Webnovel, drop a heart on my Webnovel profile.Every bit helps!

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The door shut behind me with a soft click.

On my visor, the indicators lit up: the smoke bombs were ready. I'd set them up with two activation methods—proximity (if someone stepped on one) or remote trigger via my interface.

Each one was numbered. That way, I'd know exactly which floor the intruders were on as soon as one went off.

If I wasn't mistaken, Jirō must be using his Quirk to track the location of the fake bomb and guide Kaminari. I needed to separate them before they got too close.

A beep on my visor warned me: Bomb #3 activated.

Perfect.

That one was on the second floor.

I made a small motion with my foot, and with a soft mechanical click, wheels extended from the soles of my shoes, along with tiny thrusters at the heels. I launched forward smoothly, maintaining balance as I sped down the hallway.

I heard coughing up ahead. They were caught off guard. The smoke had surprised them.

Jirō hadn't picked up on my approach yet. Good sign.

I stopped just behind a corner, pressing my back to the wall. I couldn't see them directly through the dense fog—but I didn't need to.

I switched to infrared vision on the visor.

Two clear silhouettes on the far side of the corridor.

I smiled under the mask.

Better take advantage of this before Jirō realizes I'm here.

I aimed my Shocker glove at the taller figure, which was clearly Kaminari. The gloves had a special mechanism that released shockwaves depending on how tightly I closed my fist. This would be the first time trying it on a person.

I clenched my palm firmly. Not with full force, but enough to launch him against the wall. Hopefully it'd knock him out right then.

WHUMM!

The air vibrated from the impact. The smoke instantly thinned, revealing Kaminari flying backward into the wall of the mock building. He hit hard and dropped to the floor.

"Kaminari!" Jirō yelled, clutching one ear.

She recovered faster than I expected. She extended the jacks from her ears and tried to send them toward me—but I already had her in my sights.

I raised both gloves and unleashed a second shockwave, softer than the first. Just enough to push her away from her teammate, without causing serious harm.

"Ahh!" she cried out, spinning as she was thrown into a corner of the hallway.

I disabled infrared. I didn't need it anymore.

"Go after the bomb. I've got this," I heard Kaminari say, voice raspy, trying to get up.

Jirō winced again, hands over both ears. The shockwaves must have been hitting her inner ear harder than I anticipated.

"Tsk… damn it," she muttered, frowning. "My ears are still ringing!"

She looked at me for a few seconds. Even through the remaining smoke, the frustration, pain, and hesitation on her face were clear.

"Tch…" she clicked her tongue. "Hurry, Kaminari."

And she ran. Down the hallway, unsteady, but not stopping. I didn't chase her. Hagakure would be waiting.

I bit my lip under the mask.

Now I just had to trust she'd handle it.

Kaminari and I locked eyes.

Most of the smoke had already cleared.

He narrowed his eyes.

So did I—beneath the visor.

His hands sparked, small bolts of electricity dancing between his fingers. His expression had changed—serious now. More focused than I'd ever seen him.

My gloves buzzed faintly, detecting his change in stance. Ready to strike.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't let Kaminari get close. One solid shock from him and I'd be out… or worse—gloveless.

"You have no idea how much that hurt," he growled, electricity building up in his arms. "But you'll see…"

The lights flickered—some even burst.

I darted left, using the wheels in my shoes to glide, and fired off a shockwave.

Kaminari dodged it, landed poorly, stumbled—but got back up.

"My turn!" Kaminari shouted. "300 volts!"

His body burst into light.

At the same moment, I slid backward with help from the built-in thrusters in my heels. I rolled behind a column, then veered off into a side hallway. I didn't need to see him to know he was following me.

Perfect.

I smiled beneath the mask.

"Activate smoke bomb number four," I muttered, tapping a side button on my visor just as Kaminari turned the corner.

"What the hell?!" he yelled from inside the thick cloud.

He didn't stop, but he was clearly disoriented.

Meanwhile, I was already at the far end of the hallway, crouched and ready. I activated thermal vision.

His silhouette lit up like a walking torch in the mist. Sparks danced around his body. He was charging his Quirk blindly, charging in without a plan. Too reckless.

Most students still didn't know how to really fight. They'd spent their lives training with their powers like that was all they needed.

I didn't have much real experience fighting Quirk users either—but I had something just as valuable: fast thinking.

I aimed again, this time directly at the source of the sparks I saw through the fog. Unlike last time, I clenched the casing with more force.

This wasn't the time to hold back.

Of course, I wasn't using full power… but this shot would be enough to take him out of the fight.

WHUMM!

Kaminari flew back from the impact, slammed hard into a wall, and hit the ground with a solid thud.

It sounded painful.

I approached slowly. Cautiously. My boots gave off a quiet hum as I rolled forward on their internal wheels—until I deactivated them with a slight ankle movement. Better to walk now.

I nudged him with the tip of my shoe.

No response.

I knelt beside him and quickly checked for a pulse, pressing two gloved fingers to his neck. He was alive. Breathing steadily, though a little ragged. Just unconscious.

I let out a breath.

He was fine. Just unconscious.

Even without enhancement-type Quirks, most Quirk users were tougher than normal people. Not bulletproof or anything, but they could take hits and push past what average humans could handle.

Bakugou, for example, creates explosions with his hands. Anyone else would get burned or blistered—but his body's adapted to it. A clear example of how many Quirks come with built-in resistance or physical compatibility.

Still… I expected more from the fight.

I pulled a thin but strong cord from my utility belt and began tying his limbs with practiced precision. Wrists, ankles—he was fully restrained in less than a minute.

"All set," I whispered.

I stood up and looked down at him for a moment.

"Sorry about this. It wasn't personal."

My words vanished into the air. Kaminari couldn't hear them.

I should go check on Hagakure, make sure everything was still under control.

But right then, All Might's voice rang out over the hidden speakers in the building:

"The villain team wins!"

I let out a sigh of relief.

Trusting others has never been my strong suit… and honestly, I don't like leaving critical parts of a plan in someone else's hands. But this time, it looks like it paid off.

Everything went exactly as planned.

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...

Hagakure and I made our way to the observation room, where the rest of our classmates were waiting. They'd probably watched the match through the cameras. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of impression we'd left.

Not far behind us, Jirō and Kaminari were walking together. Jirō was holding her ears, visibly irritated. Judging by her expression, the ringing hadn't stopped. Kaminari, on the other hand, moved slowly, rubbing his lower back with a pained look on his face.

Both of them looked a bit down. Frustrated, probably. And I didn't blame them. Losing in a setting like this, with so many eyes on you, couldn't be easy.

Seemed like a good time to approach. If I played it right, I could earn a bit of trust—or at least leave a better, more solid impression.

I removed my mask. I didn't want it to get in the way of showing my intentions clearly.

"Hey," I said casually. "Nice job in there."

They both turned to look at me. Jirō frowned a little. Kaminari let out a short, half-hearted laugh.

"Nice job? Dude, you wrecked us," he grumbled, though there wasn't any real anger behind it.

"I didn't do as well as you think," I replied. "You had me cornered for a moment. If your charge had hit just a second sooner, I probably would've lost."

It wasn't a lie. Kaminari had reacted fast. He just missed by inches.

Jirō kept staring at me, still rubbing one ear.

"That attack you used… it messes with the ears, right? Some kind of sonic effect?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. Technically they're shockwaves, but they hit the inner ear pretty hard. Sorry about that."

Jirō nodded slowly at my explanation, though she didn't say anything else. She still looked a bit uncomfortable, but not exactly upset anymore.

We were already close to the door to the observation room. Kaminari glanced sideways at me, still rubbing his back.

"So… your Quirk is shockwaves?" he asked, sounding curious. "And those smoke bombs—do you make those too?"

I opened my mouth to answer—ready to tell the truth, that I didn't have a Quirk—but right at that moment, the door opened.

And I'm not sure what I expected to see…

…but it definitely wasn't this.

Practically the whole class was staring at us. No—staring at me.

Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida didn't wear accusatory expressions, but they didn't speak either. They stood still, watching in silence.

Mina wasn't making eye contact. She had that awkward smile—like when you know you said too much and you're hoping nobody caught it.

Even Todoroki glanced up, eyes fixed on me with a mix of curiosity and something else I couldn't quite place. Maybe interest.

Yaoyorozu was staring too, somewhere between surprised and confused.

And Bakugou…

Well, Bakugou had looked at me with disdain since day one. But now? Now it was like that disdain had doubled.

The room was filled with a heavy silence. It lasted only a few seconds… but felt much longer.

Then, Tsuyu broke the tension in her usual calm, straightforward tone:

"So, is it true you don't have a Quirk, gero?"

...

Oh.

So they found out.