Chapter 17: The Legendary Red Button!

A few more years passed by, each day flowing into the next in an unremarkable rhythm. The aftermath of Yuki's doings from the Sky Egg Incident gradually faded, replaced by the mundane routine of life. Yet, beneath the surface, the embers of change smoldered, waiting for the right spark to ignite them once more.

In the aftermath of his action, Yuki found himself grounded for months, a consequence that his parents saw fit for his audacious stunt. Those months turned into a period of penance, or at least that's how Yuki saw it. Instead of enjoying his freedom, he was tasked with looking after his sister, a role he never thought he'd be assigned.

As he attended to his sister's needs, his parents never missed an opportunity to shower her with praise, drawing a stark contrast to their expectations of him. "Be more like her," they would say, their words like echoes that lingered in his mind. Yuki couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and amusement, wondering if he was being compared to an idealized version of his sibling. Amidst these comparisons, life settled into a semblance of normalcy.

Amidst this routine, Yuki's days flowed like a river, each one seemingly no different from the last. Training and studying old family records became his companions, filling the hours with a semblance of purpose. Although Yuki was not really interested in ancient family records, his parents still forced him to study them. These duties were occasionally interrupted by unusual moments, and one of those moments arrived in the form of his sister's quirk awakening.

Unlike Yuki, whose quirk had manifested at home, his sister's revealed itself in a even more chaotic manner. That day she was in kindergarten and it turned into a battleground of chaos as her quirk erupted, unleashing an uncontrollable torrent of fire. Yuki still remembered the day vividly, the mixture of awe and concern he felt as he watched the raw power of her quirk wreak havoc online on social media.

"Burnt Down Kindergarten" was on the title page of every news outlet on that day and the next day. Flames swirled, painting a picture of destruction. Her quirk manifested with a fierce intensity, an untamed force that burned everything in its path. The surroundings turned completely unrecognizable, leaving nothing but a charred building.

"At least no one got hurt," Yuki reflected, the memory a reminder of the unpredictable nature of certain quirks. Heroes had immediately rushed to the scene. The heroes' timely intervention had averted tragedy, while sending the one that caused all that into a hospital to go through some check ups.

Arriving at the hospital, Yuki and Yuna's parents were met with a perplexed medical staff. Stunned and confused doctors exchanged uncertain glances, their professional veneer momentarily cracked. These were individuals who were accustomed to deciphering complex medical mysteries, yet Yuna's case had them stumped.

The doctors, armed with their arsenal of tests and diagnostic tools, had tried to unravel the enigma of Yuna's quirk. The blazing inferno that had consumed the kindergarten had initially led them to believe that fire was at the core of her power. Yet, as they delved deeper into their analyses, a stark realization dawned, her quirk had no connection to fire whatsoever.

"What kind of quirk doesn't align with its visual manifestation?" the doctors must have pondered, their scientific curiosity battling against the perplexing reality before them. Yuna's awakening defied conventional understanding and left the medical staff with nothing but bewilderment.

In due time, their family would come to learn the truth behind Yuna's quirk. The revelation that followed was nothing short of extraordinary.

"Ancestral Blessing," they would name it, a name that encompassed the complexity of Yuna's unique quirk. It was a quirk that defied the boundaries of time, drawing strength from the lineage that had paved the way for her existence. This quirk held the power to tap into the essence of her predecessor, granting her access to their quirks.

'What a gift,' Yuki mused, his thoughts a mix of awe and envy. In Yuna's case, this quirk was a treasure trove of potential. Her powerful lineage allowed her to use many exceptional quirks, each generation building upon the foundations of the previous one. After all it wasn't the power of money that had aided in capturing the infamous All For One all those years ago, it was the sheer might of their quirks.

However, Yuna's quirk also possessed a distinct vulnerability. Remarkable and formidable as it is, could only access the powers of her forebears during the act of their child's conception. It is a tether to the past, a bridge built upon the genetic fragments left behind by those who had come before. Once the child was conceived, once the DNA was set in motion, the link to ancestral abilities was sealed, forever locked in a moment of generational exchange.

As Yuki contemplated this aspect of Yuna's quirk, he couldn't help but marvel at its complexity. It was a delicate dance of biology and inheritance, a symphony of genetic notes that played out across the tapestry of their family's history. And yet, this intricacy came at a price – control.

The very essence that made Yuna's quirk exceptional also rendered it challenging to control. Unlike the quirks of most children, Yuna's borrowed powers surged forth with the might of a grown adult, that likely at that time had already developed his quirk to the peak. It is like a conductor too powerful for her inexperienced hands, a torrent of energy that demanded mastery she had yet no control over.

Yuki thought of it as similar to Izuku's struggle to control One For All during the anime. Like him, Yuna had the challenge of controlling her quirk. Yet, her challenge surpassed even that of Izuku, who only needed to learn how to control One For All. Even taking into account the other quirks in One For All, most of them were relatively weak or easy to control. By comparison, Yuna could use a ton of quirks similar in strength to One For All and All For One, each of which she would have to learn to control if she wanted to be able to use them.

This was another reason his parents forced him into the exploration of their family history, Yuki's initial reluctance had gradually transformed into reluctant fascination. He delved into the annals of their lineage, unearthing the quirks of long-forgotten relatives.

He couldn't help but remember the countless hours spent sifting through dusty tomes, deciphering cryptic notes, and piecing together the fragments of their family's quirk heritage. "For Yuna," he had often muttered to himself, trying to find solace in the fact that his efforts were helping his sister.

Yet, beneath the surface of his actions, a simmering resentment still lingered. After all this still is work he needs to do, time that he would rather spend training. Over time, not sure if it was his instincts as a Flügel or his desire to help his sister, he began to enjoy reading books about his family.

Among the tales of various exploits and remarkable quirks, Yuki began to uncover fragments that hinted at something more. The undercurrent of his lineage seemed to whisper of hidden connections, mysteries yet to be unveiled. Perhaps it was this aspect that held his attention, the allure of the unknown drawing him deeper into the hidden corridors of their families library.

As he immersed himself in these chronicles, Yuki unearthed more than just names and quirks. He unearthed a sense of continuity, a thread that wove its way through generations. Amid the retelling of feats and triumphs, he caught glimpses of struggles, moments of doubt, and echoes of determination.

"There's more to this than I thought," he found himself admitting silently, the very act a concession to the growing intrigue he couldn't deny. With each page turned, he uncovered layers of complexity that defied his initial dismissive attitude. The stories held the essence of their predecessors, shared experiences that seemed to resonate across time.

As he navigated the pages, his thoughts danced between the past and the present, between his own identity and the legacy he was uncovering. He couldn't shake off the feeling that these books held significance beyond his immediate understanding, that in these pages lay a key to something more.

As Yuki's fingers brushed the worn pages of yet another book, his eyes caught a glint from a corner of the dimly lit room. A strange cube, an artifact that seemed to defy the mundane confines of their world, lay nestled among the dusty tomes. Its angular contours and aura made it seem otherworldly.

The artifact's presence struck an odd chord in him, a curious mix of intrigue and caution. It was as if the cube held a secret melody, waiting to be heard. Abandoned and forgotten, it rested in this remote corner of the library.

Yet, as his gaze fell upon the cube, his attention was inexorably drawn to its bottom side. A solitary red button, like a beacon of temptation, adorned the surface. Yuki's thoughts raced around this strange find, his imagination concocting scenarios of wonder and peril.

"A red button," he mused silently, a wry grin tugging at the corners of his lips. The allure of the forbidden, the call of curiosity, it was a universal urge that transcended worlds. And so, like countless adventurers before him, he succumbed to that primal impulse.

The absence of cautionary signs only fueled his resolve, the lack of warnings making the temptation all the more irresistible. After all, who could resist the legendary desire to press a red button?

And with that, a simple press initiated a cascade of events that Yuki would never have imagined before. A bluish screen materialized above the cube, immediately catching Yuki's attention. It was as if the cube itself had awakened, casting an ethereal glow that beckoned him to venture further.

"Descendant of the great me, answer the following questions to unlock the wisdom of the family's greatest genius." the words materialized before him, an enigmatic invitation to unlock the secrets of this strange cube.

"What is the name of this great ancestor of yours?" The first question materialized on the bluish screen, the familiarity of the question drawing forth a name that resonated through the annals of his family's history. As he contemplated his answer, a smirk formed on his lips, for there was only one figure in their lineage audacious enough to label himself the 'greatest genius'.

Yuki's thoughts wandered around the records he read about the man, the symbol of the family's rise to power, a genius that transcended generations. "Tatsuya Takehara," he declared with confidence.

As the sound of "Tatsuya Takehara" echoed through the room, a subtle transformation took hold of the bluish projection. The screen flickered like a door creaking open, its surface morphing as if in response to the key Yuki had just provided.

The text on the screen shifted, the words transforming like a riddle being unraveled. "Correct," the projection acknowledged, its response carrying a hint of approval.

"Answer one out of the following questions correctly and you shall unlock endless wisdom." The words were projected onto the screen. Yuki's eyes then scanned over the list of questions that materialized before him.

The questions, some were simple, some were complex. Among them were queries that seemed almost too straightforward, their answers accessible to anyone with a cursory knowledge of history.

As his eyes skimmed over the list, his inner voice couldn't help but scoff. "Is that guy an idiot?" The thought flashed through his mind. In a world driven by interconnectedness, where answers could be inquired with a few keystrokes, these questions felt like nothing difficult to answer.

"Who united Japan?" Yuki pondered, his thoughts darting on the edge of contemplation. The question was no secret to him. "What is the name of the person who ended the second world war in Japan?" His mind sifted through memories, recalling the figures that had shaped the course of humanity. "What virus began to spread in China in 2019?" The question seemed almost out of place.

On the flip side, there were queries that beckoned Yuki into the realm of doubt, questions that seemed plucked from the mists of imagination rather than recorded history. As he scanned these enigmatic inquiries, a wry smile tugged at his lips.

But in the end, one question beckoned to him, the question he could answer with the most certainty. It was a choice that felt both obvious and significant, like plucking a string resonating with the chords of his collective memory. Amidst the historical questions, Yuki's thoughts alighted to answer the only one he personally experienced in his previous life.

"Covid-19," Yuki stated, his voice carrying a blend of certitude and reservation. The answer, so laden with implications, hovered in the air, a testament to the times he had lived through and the uncertainties he had witnessed. "Covid-19," he said confidently.

As his answer was spoken out, the screen before him responded. Its bluish surface began to shimmer, like a mirage yielding to the touch of reality. A holographic form emerged, the silhouette of a figure appeared, the very embodiment of the one who had set up this challenge in the first place.

"Congratulations, reincarnator from another world," the figure declared, the tone carrying a gravity that reached deep into the depths of Yuki's mind.