I’m Not a Villain, I Just Absorb Women’s Powers

Sooner or later, Jace had to get back to work.

The container incident had been brushed aside, and the factory moved on like it always did, loud, fast, and indifferent.

No one brought it up again, and no one asked questions. Business as usual.

Jace tried to do the same.

He pushed thoughts of the ring, the voice, the powers, and alien origins, to the back of his mind. He told himself to focus.

But no matter how many crates he moved or how many machines he checked, his thoughts never stayed on task.

He was distracted the entire day.

And honestly, who wouldn't be?

Yesterday, he had joked, if I ever got powers, I'd never be a hero unless I got paid.

Now here he was. With powers. Possibly not even human.

Still, he kept going. Loading. Lifting. Moving. But something strange kept happening.

He wasn't getting tired.

Normally, after a few hours of heavy lifting, his arms would ache, and his legs would feel like bricks.

Today? Nothing. In fact, he realized he had moved heavier stuff than usual, things that would have had him groaning last week.

It wasn't super strength, not exactly. He had tested himself earlier, tried lifting heavier crates or gripping a beam to see if anything changed. He couldn't lift a truck or bend steel.

But something was definitely different.

He felt lighter. Stronger. Like he had more in the tank than he ever had before.

When it was time to knock off, Jace didn't waste a second.

He signed out quickly and slipped out before anyone could toss him a last-minute task.

Once outside, he hopped on his bike and pedaled hard, making his way toward a secluded spot he knew would be empty this time of day, an open lot on the edge of an abandoned warehouse zone.

When he arrived, he rolled to a slow stop and scanned the area. No one in sight. Just the hum of the city in the distance.

He took a breath and looked at the ring on his finger.

"Okay…"

He hesitated, then asked, "Do you have a name?"

[I have no designated name.]

Jace scratched his chin. "I should give you one."

He thought for a second, then shrugged. "How about Zin?"

[What does that mean?]

"I don't really know. Sounds alien enough to fit."

[I do—]

"—have missing information. Yeah, I got it," Jace cut in, smirking slightly. "You don't have to repeat it every time."

He stepped into the open space and rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, that's not why we're here. I want to train this kinetic thing… or at least figure out how it works before I accidentally launch someone into traffic."

Jace took a few steps forward, hands at his sides. He glanced down at the ring.

"You got any suggestions?"

[Kinetic Burst relies on internal energy. It is not triggered by movement or voice but by focused intent and urgency. You must will the release.]

"Right. So… just want it to happen?" Jace raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly a helpful tutorial, Zin."

[The last time you activated the ability, your emotional state forced your mind to prioritize survival. In that moment, your subconscious allowed the energy to flow freely. Try recalling that intensity without the panic.]

Jace nodded slowly, then faced a broken crate lying a few meters away. He braced himself, focused on it, and extended his hand like before.

He stared. Focused. Tensed his muscles.

Nothing.

He squinted harder.

Still nothing.

"Alright, so clearly panic was a better trigger than calm concentration," he muttered. "Do I need to be scared half to death every time I want to use this?"

[No. But right now, your body does not associate this ability with normal conditions. You must retrain that connection.]

"Great," Jace muttered. He took a breath and stepped back. "Let's try again."

He closed his eyes, this time not just trying to force the ability, but to feel it. To remember that sensation, the burst in his chest, the pressure rushing down his arm, the way the air shifted just before impact.

His eyes snapped open. He extended his hand.

This time, the air rippled.

The crate shuddered slightly, just a twitch, but it moved.

Jace stepped back, eyes wide. "Okay. Okay. That was something."

[Progress detected.]

Jace grinned. "Damn right it is."

.

.

.

.

Jace kept at it.

Over and over, he tried to summon that same force. At first, it came in weak pulses, barely a breeze.

But each time he focused, each time he connected the memory to the intent, it got a little stronger. A little sharper.

His body was slowly adjusting. The strain in his arm faded. The delay between thought and action shortened. He wasn't fully in control yet, but he could feel it, he was getting closer.

It wasn't until much later, after another test blast sent a cracked metal lid skidding across the pavement, that he paused to catch his breath.

For the first time in hours, he actually felt tired.

He pulled out his phone and checked the screen.

His eyes widened. "Shit… it's that late?"

The sun was gone. The sky was deep blue, bleeding into night.

He stretched his arms and exhaled.

"I think we've done enough for today," he said, turning to leave. "At least now I can blast things away without having a breakdown."

[Acceptable progress for day one, Jace.]

He smirked. "Yeah. I'll take it."

Jace hopped on his bike, the cool night air brushing against his face as he started pedaling down the empty street. His mind was still running faster than his wheels, replaying everything he had learned.

From what he and Zin had figured out, this Kinetic Burst wasn't some endless power source. It wasn't magic, it was energy.

Every time he used it, he could feel something draining inside him. Not painfully, but like burning through stamina he didn't know he had.

"So… if it uses kinetic energy," he muttered to himself, "then I gotta recharge it somehow…"

[Correct, Jace. Your ability converts your own bio-kinetic energy into force. Physical movement, cardiovascular activity, and even impact against surfaces can replenish small amounts of energy.]

"So, like… moving around. Running. Working out?"

[Precisely. The more active you are, the faster you recover. Your race is naturally built to recycle energy through motion and impact. Sitting idle will slow recovery.]

Jace groaned, half-laughing. "Great. So now I'm forced to be a gym rat just to keep my power running."

[You could also train by striking or interacting with moving objects. Your body adapts better when under pressure.]

Jace smirked at that. "Figures. Guess I'll be making up for all the days I skipped leg day."

As he pedaled home, he kept replaying the feeling of the blasts, how they came out sharp and sudden, like bottled pressure. He wondered just how powerful they could get if he pushed himself.