Wooden Skin and Glitter Bombs

"Let's hold off on that for now, Kael decided. "There are other things I need to check first before I launch into all of that. Is there anything I need to know urgently about Kai?"

"Not really." Fenn dismissed. "There are a few things you should know, I guess. Kai lived alone with his parents, now alone in general. His parents left a nice nest egg, enough for you to live comfortably for a few years. No close family, no aunts or uncles, no real friends. It's a blank slate intended for you to get started."

"Okay, I guess I can work with that," Kael—no, he was Kai now—decided. He got up and left his bedroom to see that the rest of the apartment was in much better shape. The hallway was clean, if plain; the living room was small but homely and well decorated. A comfortable-looking couch, shelves filled with knickknacks, a wall of family photos, and Kai's accomplishments occupied the space around a sizeable television. The kitchen was nice, an open concept affair with all the latest appliances.

Clearly loved and taken care of, but recently left in disuse and cordoned off. Kai felt a wave of sadness wash over him. "This place was once full of life." He noticed the second bedroom and assumed it was the parents' room, choosing to leave it alone out of respect.

"Sweet digs, right?" Fenn said appearing on the couch, cleaning his nails with a ka-bar knife. "You clean that dumpster you woke up in and it's a prime apartment in downtown Mustafu, the city where U.A. University is. There's a motorcycle in the attached parking garage, which you should know how to drive from your time as Kael. The entrance exam is in a week on Saturday the 16th at noon, it's currently Saturday February 9th. That's about what I can give you as of now, regarding setting."

"That's fine. Thanks for th- Did you say U.A. University?" Kai asked quizzically.

"This is a remix, didn't Hibiki say? Some things are the same. Some are different. In this version of MHA, the UN passed the Robin Protection Act, which states that all heroic courses and related education can only be taken by students of adult age or older, so regarding your meta-knowledge, everyone is roughly four years older."

"Well, that's a good change, I guess. It was always kind of weird that kids were fighting villains and it raised literally no concern among the populace." Kai remarked, dropping onto the couch next to Fenn. "I guess I should check my system screens now huh."

"Yep! Time to see what you're working with," Fenn encouraged, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

[Status] (!)

[Inventory]

[Quests] (!)

[Notepad]

[Help]

Kael reaches out and selects [Status]

Status;

Name: Kai Sugimoto

Age: 19

Alignment: True Neutral

Cheats: Devil Fruit System, Meta-Knowledge

"Powers": Empowering Fruits

Skills:

 Mechanical Engineering Lv. 43

 Chemical Engineering Lv. 36

 Driving Lv. 34

 Biology Lv. 36

  (See More)

General Overview: High potential, but a little overspecialized. That's easy enough to fix though, especially with that intellect.

"Pretty swanky, right? Gives you everything you need and just a little bit more," Fenn remarked, glancing at his own miniaturized status screen. Kai noticed Fenn's screen was a deep red, while his was light blue, but he didn't mention it.

"We can skip the inventory—it's simple and empty for now. You've got a pocket space with ten slots, each 3x3x3 meters, and time's frozen in there. Let's skip the quest section for now and move on to the Notepad. Just say 'Notepad,' 'Notes,' or even just think about it, and it'll pop up."

"Notepad" Kai says, and grins when it shows up.

Notepad;

Add Category+

Add Notes+

"Go ahead and create a category marked 'System' or whatever you like. Then, add a note titled 'Quirk Notes.' You'll need it for your first quest."

Notepad;

System Notes

 Empowered Fruits- (Insert Text)

"Good enough. Now link that to the 'Empowered Fruits' section in your status. You'll be able to click it to open these notes later. The main use is to jot down your thoughts and findings about anything."

Fenn hopped off the couch, landing smoothly on his feet, and strolled to the kitchen to raid the fridge. "Now for the fun part—open the quest menu. It's time to grab your first fruit."

Kai felt the excitement bubble through his head and couldn't stop himself from yelling "Quests!"

Quests;

'Your First Quest!'

 You find yourself in a strange new world in a new body. Figure out what's going on, where you are, who you are, and what you can do.

 Meet Your Guide (1/1) Completed!

 Discover who Kai Sugimoto was (1/1) Completed!

 Find out where you are (1/1) Completed!

 Explore the System (1/1) Completed!

 Test out your Quirk (0/3)

 Rewards for completion-

 One Custom Devil Fruit, Devil Fruit Curse Removal Voucher, One Random Devil Fruit Spin.

 Time Limit- N/A

"Pretty straightforward," Kai decided. "It's a good thing I did this last. Now all I have to do is try out my quirk, and I get a customized, curse-free fruit. Simple enough. Let's get started."

"It isn't exactly that simple," Fenn grumbled, shutting the empty fridge with a sigh. It made sense—no one had used the kitchen in at least a month. "You've never used any kind of power before, and your quirk is a combination mutation-emitter. It's going to take you a bit to build it up into something useful. Step one is testing the mutation aspect—how it differs from your normal body."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What, like super-strength?"

"More like... you're part tree," Fenn said flatly. "Like it or not, you're an arboreal now."

"Okay, I get it, I think," Kai said. "Step one is figuring out how different my body is. It can't function too differently—I saw snacks and a bed in Kai's room, so I still need food and sleep. I'll test things like speed, endurance, and strength by cleaning the room. They'll become apparent with exertion, so that's step two. Let's start with durability."

Kai rubbed his hands together, noticing his skin felt slightly thicker and rougher than before. As he ran his fingers along his arms, he discovered a bark-like texture that thickened near his shoulders and thinned as it reached his face.

"You're starting to get it, kid. You've got bark for skin, leaves and branches for hair, but everything else is relatively normal," Fenn explained. "You'll probably feel more energized in sunlight since you can do a little photosynthesis, and drying out could be a hazard. Most importantly, watch out for fire. You're made of wood—no need to tell you how that would end."

As Fenn finished, an exclamation point appeared in Kai's peripheral vision, the same pale blue as the system. He focused on it, and a screen popped up.

Quest: 'Your First Quest!' has updated.

 Try out your Quirk (1/3)

"Now all that's left is testing the actual quirk, but you can do that while you clean. Go scrub that pigsty you woke up in and focus on feeling the energy under your skin," Fenn said, yawning. "I'm taking a nap."

With that, Fenn popped out of sight, leaving behind a small explosion of glitter where he'd been standing.