Limits

4:03 P.M. Monday, July 19th. Exactly twenty four hours down to the exact second that Lancelot collapsed, he finally starts to stir.

His excitement in finally acquiring a Quirk caused him to overexert himself straight into a day long slumber.

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Upon waking, Lancelot burrows himself deeper into the cozy, soft sheets. Rubbing his eyes to remove any remainder of sleep before staring up at the white ceiling. He contemplates whether to climb out of bed and open the curtains but decides against it.

'Wait. How am I back home?' Lancelot realizes the abnormality of his situation. The last thing he remembers was practicing his Quirk inside that laboratory.

"You're awake." His father's voice startles Lancelot enough to send him tumbling out of bed.

"Father! W-what are you doing in here?" Lancelot asks with a slight stutter. His father never enters his room! This is supposed to be a safe space that protects him from the merciless workouts designed to break him daily. His room is one of two locations that make him still feel human. He trembles in fear while scanning the dark room in search of his father's silhouette.

"Get dressed. Meet me in the gymnasium in two minutes." His father commands from a chair by the bedroom door.

Lancelot doesn't even bother turning the lights on as he races to his dresser. Pulling out a random shirt, pair of shorts, and black socks he hurries to dress himself.

'He needs to understand just how unique his Quirk is. There are no recorded cases of someone being able to control time to the extent he can. Not to mention the Quirk levels he exhibited which puts him on par with top heroes of the world.' Adam Guinevere fights with his inner self in whether to tell his son the truth or hide it from him. He doesn't want Lancelot to become conceited. Yes, on paper he may be immensely powerful but in reality he isn't.

Biting his lip, the man still in his thirties watches his son with muddled thoughts.

'He is the future. He must be nurtured properly in order to realize his full potential and accomplish what I could not. I will pass all of my hopes and dreams to him!' Adam firms his resolve. Unbeknownst to Lancelot, he will embark on a path of revenge spanning an entire nation in the future.

"Lead the way." Adam orders the moment Lancelot finishes putting his socks on.

"Yes father." Lancelot replies respectfully as he leads the way out of his bedroom. They step into a wide white marble hallway, one you would only see in a luxury mansion of great proportion. Indeed, Lancelot and his father live in a three story mansion. Not including the underground training facility complete with a weight room, swimming pool, and a gymnasium. You can thank his father's family background and also the fact that he is a famous Pro Hero.

Lancelot's room is on the first floor of the western side of the mansion. The basic essentials are on the first floor. These include the kitchen, granite spiral staircase, living room, dining room, and three bathrooms. Maids and butlers are located on the third floor and take up permanent residence there. His father occupies the entire second floor and uses it for unknown purposes. Lancelot is forbidden from entering the second floor. He was curious once and wandered around but only received his father's ire in response.

The only way to access the underground training facility is by walking down a lengthy flight of stairs that lead to a metal door. To prevent any unwanted visitors there is a retina scanner and a keypad that requires a fifteen digit code to enter. Lancelot doesn't know the code and he trains here daily. His father changes it every two days so he doesn't bother learning it even if he could.

"Training will be different than usual today. We need to figure out the limits of your Quirk. When we have discovered the limits we will discuss any possible weaknesses. I will modify your daily regimen and allocate three hours a day solely dedicated to training your Quirk." Adam says in a tone that leaves no opportunity for questions. Rather than being upset at the fact that he has to train, Lancelot is excited! He can't wait to train his Quirk!

Lancelot squirms in excitement while waiting for his father to open the door. He doesn't even realize the hunger pangs causing a gnawing feeling in his stomach.

*Growl.* His stomach seemingly upset at being ignored decides to voice its impatience out loud. Demanding to be fed some form of sustenance after being in a slumber for an entire day.

"I will have Lucy prepare lunch for you. Training is more important now." Adam adds as he finishes inputting the code. Lancelot awkwardly smiles and nods.

Entering the underground training facility, Lancelot can't help but feel nervous. Every time he comes here he suffers some form of abuse. Whether that is through the supplements or the beatings he receives in combat training. His excitement in training his Quirk is gradually being replaced by fear. The physical and emotional trauma from years of abuse is slowly surfacing.

His pace decreases and he anxiously looks towards the weight room on the right before shivering as his gaze turns to the left at the underground swimming pool. Just a week ago he had to swim laps until he physically couldn't any longer. He would have drowned had his father not rescued him at the last moment with a disappointed gaze.

Walking past the underground swimming pool and weight room, the Guinevere's arrive at the gymnasium.

The gymnasium has an appearance similar to what you would see at a public school. With a waxed hardwood floor taking up half of the gymnasium where a variety of targets have been positioned. The other half of the gymnasium consists of black mats where Lancelot and Adam battle on a daily basis. Well, calling it a battle would be inaccurate. Adam simply beats Lancelot one sidedly due to his superior size. If you were to put Lancelot against anyone of his own generation then he would likely win in hand to hand combat. Weapons are an entirely different story as Lancelot has yet to choose a weapon he likes.

"What is a hero?" Adam asks out of the blue.

"Someone who in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of courage, ingenuity, or strength." Lancelot answers in a robotic tone. He is simply restating what he has read over a hundred times.

"No. What is a hero in your own words boy." Adam asks again.

Lancelot frowns and takes a few moments to contemplate.

"Someone with the courage to face any challenge." Lancelot replies after thinking about it.

"Do you have the courage to face any challenge that you might stumble upon in the future?" Adam persists. He is trying to get his son to think intellectually. That is difficult considering Lancelot is still seven years old.

"Um...yes father." Lancelot nods his head slowly.

"Good. You will need courage to face what awaits you in the future. Enough with that, let us chat for a little bit." Adam says before sitting down in the center of the mats.

Lancelot looks uncertain and can't help but wonder if he did something wrong recently. His father rarely talks with him unless it is absolutely necessary. The fact that he wants to chat only makes Lancelot start to think the worst.

'What is the worst that can happen.' Lancelot takes a seat across from his father with a wary gaze.

"Your Quirk is unique. I am not saying that to make you feel special but that is the truth. There are no recorded instances of any Quirks similar to your own which means it needs a name. Close your eyes and feel your Quirk. Name it whatever comes to heart first." Adam decides to tell Lancelot a few things but not everything.

Lancelot follows his father's instructions while seated cross-legged before him. He takes a deep breath before closing his eyes and feeling for his Quirk.

A smirk appears on his face when he feels his Quirk circling his body. The pools in his ten fingertips have expanded two centimeters. He notices that the pools are close to reaching their limit and seem to be searching for more room to grow. There is also a slight increase in the suction of whatever he is absorbing from the outside in to his body. He can sense that his Quirk seems to have grown a little bit in size.

'Better not keep father waiting. What did he say again? Name my Quirk whatever comes to heart first?' Lancelot ponders before his body trembles slightly. His Quirk which was circulating his body zips towards the direction of his eyes. He can feel it slamming against two invisible barriers as it tries to enter his eyes. As if sensing his confusion, a word appears in his mind. Apparently getting its point across, his Quirk relaxes and disperses throughout his body again.

"[Clockwork]." He states while opening his eyes. The clock cogs engraved in Lancelot's sclera rotate in unison the moment he says his Quirk's name.

Adam's eyes flash when he sees that but keeps his thoughts to himself.

"[Clockwork] huh? That fits quite well." Adam agrees with his son's decision. Had he known that the Quirk chose its name itself he might have passed out in shock.

"Get up boy. Now that you have named your Quirk, it is time to find its limits." Adam orders as the two of them rise to their feet. Lancelot faces his father with a wry smile. This is usually the time the beatings start.

"Activate your Quirk then deactivate it right after. Continue doing that until you feel you will pass out again." Adam commands.

He watches his son intensely, trying to see if any changes will occur in his outer appearance. The most important thing right now is finding out any weaknesses [Clockwork] might have.

"Here I go father." Lancelot gives him a heads up before snapping his fingers. With a jerk, time freezes around him. He looks around briefly before snapping his fingers again and returning back to normal.

"Continue." Adam demands impatiently with a slight frown. He can't see anything different in his son's outer appearance. Lancelot's eyes didn't have the smallest change which surprised him. He assumed the clock and the cogs would have moved when his Quirk was active but they didn't. That completely ruined his original idea that his Quirk may have something to do with his eyes. Why did those images get engraved into the boy's eyes if they don't mean anything?

So they continue. This repetitive training continues for ten minutes before a wave of fatigue washes over Lancelot. He can barely lift his arms because it feels like they are full of lead. This time he isn't tired mentally but physically. Unlike last time where he passed out in three uses of his Quirk, he was able to use it a dozen times but only maintained it for a less than a second. Last time he used his Quirk three times but maintained it for a dozen seconds. Presently, he is activating his Quirk before returning everything back to normal and repeating with no time in between.

"My body hurts all over." Lancelot complains to his father against his better judgement. He feels more exhausted at this moment than he ever has. The boy is so tired he hasn't noticed the tingling sensation at his fingertips is more intense than ever. Time is rushing into his body from outside and combining with his Quirk. If you were to measure his Quirk right now you would see that it's increasing at a rate of 2 AP per second.

"Take a break then." Adam's reply shocks Lancelot. His father would usually force him to continue until he physically could no longer move. He is unsure how to look at this rare show of patience his father is displaying.

'No changes on the outside. His Quirk still requires him to snap his fingers which means that must be the activation. Could he activate his Quirk through snapping his toes too? I know that such a feat is possible.' Adam wonders if that might work too. Should it work, that would help his son with one of his primary weaknesses. If anything were to happen to Lancelot's fingers as he is now, than his son would be no different than Quirkless. He doesn't expect his son to be able to snap his toes right now, but in a few months of training he might be able too.

"Dad! I can feel that tingling sensation in my fingers again! I seem to be absorbing a lot more of that stuff around us!" Lancelot suddenly exclaims in excitement.

"Excellent. How does it feel?" Adam asks with a bright smile. Lancelot's eyes go wide in shock before he corrects himself.

"Umm...it seems to be filling up my fingertips before combining with my Quirk." He tries to describe it the best he can but he doesn't know the right words for what he wants to say.

'Could it be related to the environment? No. That wouldn't make any sense. We were underground yesterday as well. Could it have something to do with his physical state? Maybe the proper way to train his Quirk is by strengthening his body? I had to do the same thing in order to use my compass after all.' Adam considers the idea briefly before deciding to give it a shot. Lancelot has no idea what kind of torture he has just brought to himself in the future.

His belief isn't groundless because Adam had to train in a similar way to strengthen his own Quirk. Lancelot's Quirk is related directly to his body itself. The stronger his body is, the more time he can store. The more time he stores, the longer he can maintain his Quirk.

'His Quirk must be an Emitter type then. He alters time around himself but is able to move freely within that period of time. I don't understand how such a thing is possible but I suppose the same can be said for how Quirks came about.' Adam doesn't even bother thinking about it. He is not a researcher nor did he ever aspire to become one. His knowledge on Quirks is what he has gathered after years of observation.

There are three primary categories for Quirks; Emitter, Mutant, and Transformation. There is another category up for debate called Accumulation. Right now it is simply a subcategory of the three primary categories but in the near future may become the fourth category.

Emitter-type Quirks are abilities that allow the user to generate and possibly control certain things, or alter existing things around them in certain ways. The emissions of Emitter-type Quirks can have a wide variety of properties and abilities. Emitter-type Quirks are, by a wide margin, the most common type of Quirk.

Transformation-type Quirks are abilities that cause the user to take on a temporary alteration of some kind. Transformation-type Quirks allow the user to temporarily "transform" their body in a variety of manners, sometimes enhancing existing features, removing features, or adding new features to the body altogether. They usually require a conscious effort by the user to activate them.

Mutant-type Quirks are abilities that grant the user a permanent "abnormality" directly related to their power. Mutant-type Quirks create bodily structures that offer the user more complex abilities that Emitter and Transformation Quirks cannot safely provide. Often times they will bestow appendages that the user can control or add structures to pre-existing limbs to enhance pre-existing abilities. Mutant-type Quirks even have the ability to channel certain aspects of their user through them in a similar manner to Emitter-type Quirks. Mutant-type Quirks are also the only known type of Quirk which can be passed down through generations.

Accumulation-type Quirk's are powers that, in order to function properly, require the user to accumulate something ahead of time, such as power, energy, mass, or a particular resource. Take [One For All] for example as one of those Quirks.

Lancelot's Quirk [Clockwork] is in the Emitter-type category. [Clockwork] goes beyond just stopping time because to the normal person, there is no change. The only thing that changes is Lancelot. He is able to slow time for everyone besides him. You could consider it as freezing time but in reality he is just slowing it down. This includes the entire world. He is able to slow time to such an extent that not even one-thousandth of a second (1 millisecond) has changed in the outside world.

Naturally his clothes and anything directly touching him won't be affected. Otherwise he might have a serious problem. Imagine trying to slip out of your clothes when time is frozen. It would be impossible to wear anything that fits you properly because you wouldn't be able to get it off. Your entire life you would be forced to wear clothes that are baggy or a few sizes too big.

[A/N: Unless you are like me and already wear baggy clothes. Sweatpants are the best!]

Lancelot is completely oblivious to Adam's thoughts. He is focused on feeling all of the changes happening within his body. The fatigue is still present but feels more manageable after resting for only a couple minutes.

"Boy listen! Tomorrow we will start training your Quirk." Adam declares.

Lancelot bites his bottom lip to stop a smile from showing.

"Don't get all excited now. You are three years behind your peers in terms of controlling your Quirk. Many of them awakened at the age of four so you have a lot of catching up to do. You won't be able to catch up unless you work hard!" He adds which dampers Lancelot's mood a bit.

How is he supposed to know how he rates amongst his peers? He never leaves the neighborhood and there are no kids his age who will play with him.

"I understand father." Lancelot nods firmly.

"Good. How do you feel now that you had a little rest?" Adam asks out of curiosity.

"Much better! I can practice again if you want!" Lancelot says enthusiastically in an attempt to appease his father.

"No. That will be enough for today." Adam shakes his head. He doesn't want to push Lancelot too hard on his first day. Getting an appropriate amount of rest is just as important as working hard.

Lancelot and Adam stare at one another in an awkward silence.

*Sigh.* A sigh escapes Adam's lips as he stares up at the ceiling.

'The time has come. What will he decide Samantha?' Adam wonders.

"Allow me to make something clear to you Lancelot. I will not force you to train from this point onwards. That will be a decision you have to make on your own." He says while redirecting his attention to his son.

"Decide for yourself. I will give you a few minutes." He adds.

"I want to become stronger father. Please." Lancelot answers immediately with a great amount of raw emotion.

"Very well. You made the decision yourself so I will hold you to it." Adam says as he steps in front of Lancelot.

"I discovered three weaknesses your Quirk has. There may be more but right now this is all I have seen. We will focus one hour a day on correcting and removing any potential weaknesses. If we can figure it out, then surely villains or whoever your opponent may be can too." He continues.

Lancelot nods while listening closely. His father knows what is best in his eyes. Despite not enjoying the brutal training regimen he had to undergo, he can tell that it was effective.

"Clearly your biggest weakness is that your Quirk can only be activated by snapping your fingers. Should something happen to your hands, you would be no different than someone who is Quirkless." Adam explains his first observation patiently.

Yes, his Quirk could be erased by someone like Eraser Head but that goes for just about anyone.

Lancelot shudders at the thought of losing his newfound power.

"Another weakness seems to be that when you exhaust yourself past a certain point, your body will enter a deep sleep. I am not sure why this occurs but we have time to figure this out in the future." He continues but doesn't explain much about this weakness.

"Naturally you don't have super speed, enhanced strength, or anything along those lines. I will list it as a weakness for now just to give you something to strive for." He finishes with that and stares at Lancelot briefly. Noticing his son's resolute expression he fights back a smirk.

"Any questions boy?" Adam asks.

"No father. Can we start training now?" Lancelot asks impatiently.

"Tomorrow boy. I want to work on your toe dexterity too. Hopefully in the future you will be able to snap your toes and activate your Quirk that way. That could save your life in a dangerous situation. With that being said, from now on you are forbidden from wearing anything that covers your feet! I will have a pair of special socks made for you soon but starting tomorrow I expect to see you only barefoot." Adam orders with a stern expression.

'I can't wear shoes?' Lancelot makes a strange face when he thinks about walking barefoot everywhere.

"Come boy. My throat is getting dry from talking so much." Adam starts walking away in a hurry.

"I almost forgot. You have five years to catch up to your peers. I plan on signing you up for middle school when you turn twelve." He says with a slight smile.

'Hopefully this lights a fire in him. A tree can't grow properly if it is always hidden in the shade.' Adam thinks to himself.

Lancelot's eyes go wide with surprise. He has never gone to school before and doesn't know what it entails. Saying he isn't curious would be a lie. There is a tinge of excitement but five years is still far away to him.

"Yes father! I will work hard." He replies with a determined expression.

*GROWL.* A rumble from Lancelot's stomach startles them both. He clutches his stomach in embarrassment but nearly falls to the ground as a hunger pang strikes him.

"Lucy must have placed your lunch at the top of the stairs again. I suppose we can get some lunch while I sate my thirst then." His father says with a bright smile.