24 Chapter 24: Quirkless

On the fourth floor of Musutafu Hospital, Dr. Nakamura sat on her desk inside her office, her eyes intently focused on her computer screen. She wore thin-rimmed glasses that framed her sharp features, her dark hair pulled back into a neat bun, and dressed in a white lab coat over a navy blue blouse and black pants.

The office walls were lined with shelves filled with medical texts, binders, and various scientific equipment, with a door leading to another room standing on the left wall. Her desk was clean and organized, with a file labeled 'Amethyst Monoma' in its center. Two black armchairs occupied the space in front of her desk, a small table holding a penholder between them.

Looking at the time on her monitor, she sighed. "They should be here by now." Just as she spoke, she glanced up to notice a black gooey liquid appearing on the ground in front of her desk, which quickly grew into a huge egg before disappearing to reveal her two clients. "About time."

Solomon surveyed the room, struggling to contain her excitement. 'Teleportation?'

[It appears so, sir.]

Solomon watched as Akemi sighed, sitting in one of the armchairs. 'An actual space-based quirk.' She held back a grin. 'This is what we need to return to our universe.'

"I faced a bit of a setback," Akemi mumbled, glancing at Dr. Nakamura impatiently. "Can we make this quick? I have things to do."

"Don't worry," Dr. Nakamura reassured her, standing up and offering a gentle smile. "A normal quirk examination usually takes about an hour, but I'll make sure this one is done in just five minutes."

"Just get on with it," Akemi said, waving her hand dismissively and massaging the bridge of her nose.

"Certainly," Dr. Nakamura replied with a nod. Turning to Solomon, she gestured for her to follow. "Miss Amethyst, if you would please come with me."

Solomon quietly followed the woman as she opened the other door in her office, leading into a small windowless room. An examination chair sat in the middle, a table and chair arranged in a corner of the room, with a shelf filled with medical tools beside it and a round led light on the ceiling above the bed.

Closing the door, Dr. Nakamura walked to the shelf to put on gloves before walking to the examination chair, adjusting it to a bed, and saying, "Please remove your clothes for the examination." She smiled at the surprised Solomon. "Clothing interferes with my quirk."

'A quirk that requires me to be naked?' She thought but compiled without question. From what she had researched, quirks can have any weakness or limitation, ranging from the need to eat literal shit to not blinking.

Having to be naked for a quirk to have the maximum effect on you was one of the better limitations. After undressing, Solomon folded her clothes and arranged them on the table before climbing onto the examination bed without the doctor's instruction, laying on her back. "Smart girl." Dr. Nakamura clapped.

'Having someone praise me like that is infuriating.' Solomon thought, clenching her teeth. 'I am forty-four, for God's sake.'

She never felt this uncomfortable next to Kanata because he treated and spoke to her according to her chronological age. However, this doctor and her supposed mother are treating her according to the biological age of her body.

'If this is how everyone would be treating me, I would rather not pretend to be a stupid ten year old girl.' She thought, watching as the doctor rubbed her gloved hands together, which slowly started glowing blue.

"This will feel a bit cold." Dr. Nakamura smiled as she placed her palms on Solomon's stomach.

"Eek!" She shrieked, her back arching from the freezing touch of Dr. Nakamura.

[It appears you said, 'Eek,' sir.]

'Shut the fuck up, Noah.' Solomon growled, clenching her fist as she calmed herself down. 'I only made that sound because I was surprised, and my voice made it sound like that. If I were in a boy's body and I produced the same noise, it would have sounded diff--'

"Ach!" She uttered as Dr. Nakamura's freezing palms moved up to her chest.

"I am sorry for this, but please bear with it." Dr. Nakamura smiled, placing her palm on each of Solomon's faces, feeling all over her.

'Ok, this is starting to feel weird. There is no way her quirk requires this much touching.' Solomon mumbled, glancing at the doctor. 'Scan this woman and tell me about her quirk.'

[Sorry, sir, but I can't. You already had me scan Cerbera, and scanning a creature like that took more calories than I anticipated. Another scan would leave you drained.]

'Fuck.' She sighed. 'I just hope this ends quickly--'

"Ugh." She grunted as Dr. Nakamura touched her chest.

"I know this might feel uncomfortable but hold on for a few more minutes." Dr. Nakamura smiled. "My quirk, StatScan, is a rare emitter-type quirk that falls into the scanning category. It allows me to perform comprehensive scans of a person's body, analyzing their genetic makeup, overall health, body composition, bone density, and more, including their quirks."

'Yeah, Noah can do that. But hundreds of times better.' Solomon scoffed as Dr. Nakamura moved her palms to her right ribs. 'And unlike you, he can scan anyone or anything, not only humans, down to the sub-atomic level. You are not special, pal.'

"Due to my quirk limitations, I couldn't become a hero, so I decided to be a doctor since I could still help save lives." Dr. Nakamura continued. "Now, look where I am. One of the most renowned Quirk Doctors in this hospital, only behind Dr. Tsubasa."

'Yeah.' Solomon thought. 'I doubt any grown man would allow you to feel their body while they are naked. A CT, MRI, or Blood test would be better than this."

"Well, I can get a lot of data about patients with my quirk, but doctor Tsubasa is miles ahead of me in terms of education and research." She sighed, switching to Solomon's left ribs. "I am considering pursuing my Ph.D., but the competition for acceptance into Ph.D. programs is a lot, and I doubt I will be accepted due to my lack of a cognition-centered quirk."

She shook her head, a hint of frustration in her voice. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? Some people think that those of us without cognition-centered quirks aren't capable of completing the research required for a Ph.D."

'I mean, I understand where they are coming from.' Solomon thought, staring at the light on the ceiling above her. 'The nature of research has become more complex and demanding due to people's intelligence-based quirks, requiring more advanced skills and knowledge to make significant contributions to a field. I doubt I will be able to get my Ph.D. in this world even in my prime. Isn't that so?'

[That is incorrect, sir. It wouldn't be difficult for you to get a Ph.D. in this world while in your prime.]

'Huh...' Solomon mumbled, a bit surprised. 'I guess I underestimated how intelligent I was when I was forty-four. I can't comprehend it being this stupid.' She sighed. 'Okay, but what if I came to this world at age 31, the age I got my Ph.D. in computer science?'

[In that case, your 31-year-old self wouldn't be able to get his Ph.D. in this world.]

'Makes sense.' She nodded. 'I doubt my thirty-one-year-old self could hold a candle to when I became thirty-seven, not to talk about my forty-four-year-old self---' She froze, clenching her eyes. 'This is uncomfortable!'

"Don't worry." Dr. Nakamura said, snapping Solomon back to reality as she moved down to her right leg. "It is much quicker this time, maybe because my quirk got stronger, so it should be over in a few more minutes, I promise."

'Good thing.' Solomon sighed, relaxing as Dr. Nakamura continued on in silence. 'I guess you are right, Noah. She scared me for a second.'

As Dr. Nakamura promised, in about three minutes, she raised her glowing hands. "Finished." She announced, smiling. "You did well, Miss Amethyst. Please change into your clothes and meet me in my office."

With that, she opened the door and left the room, closing the door behind her. Sighing, Solomon sat up on the examination bed. 'I already know I am healthy and have no quirk, so this is all useless to me.' She thought as she climbed down the bed, putting on her clothes.

A few minutes later, she left the room, entering the office where she saw Dr. Nakamura typing something on her computer, her still glowing hands dancing around the keyboard at lightning speed, even faster than even when Noah was in control of her body.

Akemi sat upright on her armchair, her arm folded across her chest and her eyes closed, seemingly sleeping. "Sit." She commanded, her words directed at Solomon.

'Or not.' She thought as she closed the examination room's door and walked to sit on the empty armchair.

As Solomon sat, Akemi opened her eyes and straightened her posture. "So," she began, "what did you find, doctor?"

Dr. Nakamura stopped typing and turned to face them, the blue glow still present. "Miss Amethyst is in excellent health, physically and mentally. She doesn't have any existing medical conditions, and her body is well-developed for her age."

She glanced at the monitor screen. "But it seems like she might need glasses."

'Wait, what?' Solomon was taken aback as she looked around the room. 'I can see perfectly fine. What does she mean I need glasses?'

[From my last body scan, I can confirm that you have mild myopia.]

Just in cue, Dr. Nakamura continued. "She has mild myopia." She turned back to them. "She has difficulty seeing objects at a distance, such as road signs or chalkboards in a classroom but has an excellent near vision. The condition can be treated with glasses or contact lenses."

'Why didn't I know about this?' Solomon thought, looking at a poster on the wall. She couldn't see what was written on it, but she thought this was normal eyesight since everything else close to her was as clear as day.

[I did, sir. Approximately twenty-two hours ago, you told me to scan your body for negativity after you started coughing continuously.]

'Oh...' She cleared her throat, vaguely remembering when Noah had told her that. 'Right. I had said I would get surgery when I grew up before shrugging it off and quickly forgetting it due to its lack of importance.'

[Precisely so, sir. Though, from what I see, it won't get any worse than this, but getting glasses would be best.]

Akemi raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed. "And her quirk?"

Dr. Nakamura hesitated for a moment, glancing at Solomon before responding. "I'm afraid Miss Amethyst doesn't have a quirk. My examination revealed no signs of a quirk factor in her genetic makeup."

Akemi frowned, her disappointment evident. "I see," she murmured, her gaze shifting to Solomon, still staring ahead. "Well, I guess not everyone is special."

Dr. Nakamura, sensing the tense atmosphere, tried to lighten the mood. "On a positive note, Miss Amethyst does have a mutation brought about due to her father's quirk," she said, looking back at her monitor.

'Ah, that mutation.' Solomon thought, remembering the information Noah had given her earlier.

"Mutation from her father's quirk?" Akemi asked, her interest piqued. "Something to do with regeneration, I assume."

"Correct," Dr. Nakamura nodded. "She has quicker healing of minor injuries or illnesses, faster recovery from physical exertion, and a higher tolerance for pain." She looked back at her monitor screen. "Though it's not enough to be considered a regenerative quirk, nor does she have any quirk factor, it is quite impressive if you ask me."

Akemi was silent for a moment, her gaze locked onto Solomon, who tried to look indifferent to the whole situation. "Well, at least she got something working for her," she finally said.

Dr. Nakamura quickly intervened, trying to ease the tension. "While it's true that Miss Amethyst doesn't have a quirk, that doesn't mean she can't lead a fulfilling life. Many quirkless individuals have been able to achieve remarkable things in various fields."

"Sure, doctor, but we both know it's not the same," Akemi scoffed, returning her attention to Dr. Nakamura. "In a world full of people with extraordinary abilities, being quirkless is a significant disadvantage."

"There is another thing you need to know." Dr. Nakamura frowned. "Her IQ is..."

'Oh?' Solomon sat up. 'She can calculate my IQ? I already know it will be high. I mean, I am the most intelligent person in this room with three Ph. D.'

"She is on the spectrum?" Akemi asked, shrugging. "I could guess that myself. Move on."

"No, no. Quite the opposite, actually." Dr. Nakamura shook her head, smiling at Solomon, who was staring at her emotionlessly. "Her IQ is..." She paused, returning her attention to her laptop to make sure she got it right. "It's one hundred and seven-seven."

There was a moment of stunned silence in the room as Akemi's eyes widened in disbelief. "one hundred and seven-seven?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's... impossible."

'My IQ is that high?' Solomon thought, taken aback. 'Shouldn't it be lower?'

[No, she is correct.]

'Damn, I am smart.' She thought, shaking her head. 'I thought it would be at least one-forty, not one-seventy-seven.'

Dr. Nakamura nodded, still smiling. "It's true. Miss Amethyst's IQ is exceptionally high, placing her at the top of the quirkless population. Her cognitive abilities are far beyond those of an average person, even some with intelligence-based quirks."

Akemi stared at Solomon, trying to find out where the 177 IQ could be. "But... how is that possible?" she asked, looking back at Dr. Nakamura for an explanation. "There is no way in hell she has that high an IQ."

"As you know, my quirk allows me to scan someone's body, and then I can type down the information collected by the scan." She explained, raising her still glowing hands. "Because I haven't finished typing down all the data collected from the scan, my hands are still glowing."

"So?" Akemi asked, urging her to get to the point.

"Well, my quirk scanned her brain structure, neuronal connectivity, neurotransmitter level, neural plasticity, functional activity, metabolic efficiency, and other things about the brain to determine her IQ is one hundred and seven-seven." She said, "My quirk has never been wrong with its scan, so I think she has a great mind, but her environment isn't bringing out her potential."

'I don't think she would give Kanata full custody of me anymore.' Sighing, Solomon realized. 'Well, I tried my best. I just hope she won't be too abusive.'

"But it's also crucial to note," Dr. Nakamura continued, "that having a high IQ doesn't guarantee success. Intelligence is only one factor that contributes to a person's abilities and achievements. Miss Amethyst will still need to work hard, develop her skills, and find her own path in life."

Akemi, still trying to process this revelation, turned her attention back to Solomon. "Stop acting stupid, and tell me what this is about."

"Ok, mom," Solomon replied, dropping the stupid act. She turned to Akemi, explaining. "Father wanted full custody of me so he told me to act foolishly."

Akemi froze, staring into Solomon's eyes. "Who are you?" She asked, not recognizing those eyes from the one she looked into back in the parking lot.

"Your daughter," Solomon replied, sitting more comfortably. 'Maybe due to this body's origin?' She pushed the thought away and continued. "I just acted stupid." She smiled. "I got my acting talent from you."

The office fell silent as Dr. Nakamura and Akemi stared at Solomon, who was cleaning her ear. "What just happened?" Dr. Nakamura mumbled, not understanding what she had just witnessed. What kind of acting changes the demeanor of a ten-year-old girl to one that feels entirely foreign?

Even though Solomon still looked the same, she felt entirely different. "So you were fooling me this whole time?" Akemi mumbled as her shadow flaring. "I was fooled by a ten-year-old girl and a stupid man that didn't even graduate from college." She giggled as her shadow returned to normal. "What a plot twist. I guess you are my daughter.'

"I sure am." Solomon nodded, meeting Akemi's gaze with a calm expression. "Since you became the president of RoboTech, its stocks have been dropping. Stark Industries and other robotics companies have been passing RoboTech, which was once number one." She felt that since her cover has already been blown and the plan had failed, it would be best she secure a good position in Akemi's life and company to continue her goal.

Becoming famous.

Akemi's eyes narrowed as she folded her arm, interested. "So?"

"How about I work for your RoboTech?" She asked, bringing out her phone. "I have a lot of ideas that would raise RoboTech stocks. You might not believe me, but look." He showed her the data displayed on the phone for the Soundscape AI machine learning. "I am building an AI after only a few days of studying AI programming."

"What an achievement." Akemi clapped, smiling at Solomon. "You are a smart one indeed." She nodded. "I am sure you will be worth my time sly daughter. But you need more than an AI to work for RoboTech, and I doubt my employee would want to work with you."

"I can prove my worth." She smiled, tapped her temple. "I am already this intelligent at age ten. I have incredible potential. More than all of your employees."

"Oh, my." Akemi chuckled, her eyes widening. "You sure are confident. I am likening this 'smart' you." She reached forward and patted Solomon's head. "Why did you hide this part of you. You are marvelous."

'Because I didn't want to betrayal Kanata's trust.' Solomon thought, regret flooding him. 'Sorry, Kanata. This doctor's quirk fucked everything up.' Just then, her phone started vibrating in her hand, interrupting her.

"Go on," Akemi said, noticing the caller ID. "Pick it up." She smiled. "And put it on speaker."

"Yes, mom." Solomon glanced at the screen and saw Kanata's name displayed. 'Damn. Wrong timing.' She thought picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Solomon," Kanata's voice came through. "I returned to the parking lot after taking an unexpected shit, and I found that guy that teleported you and your bitch of a mother. He's dead."

Solomon's eyes widened, and she cast a quick glance at Akemi who frowned. "What happened?" Solomon asked.

"I don't know. He's just… lying here." He replied. "He has no pulse, nothing."

"So he is gone." Akemi mumbled, inhaling deeply. 'That bastard always find his way to rare quirk users no matter how well they try to hide. I know who did this.'

Kanata was silent for a while before he spoke. "What do you want, bitch?"

"Hang up." Akemi said to Solomon, rolling her eyes.

She did exactly as told as Akemi stood up from her seat "It seems we have more pressing matters to deal with now. We'll continue this discussion later." She outstretched her hands to Solomon. "Let's go."

'Did she copy the man's quirk?' Solomon wondered as she stood up and walked over to Akemi, holding her outstretched hand.

The shadow of the couch below them suddenly opened wide as they both fell into the void. They disappeared from the room before the shadow returned to normal, leaving Dr. Nakamura alone in her office.

Dr. Nakamura, still shaken by the sudden turn of events, took a deep breath to calm herself. "I wish that child well. She'll need all the strength and intelligence she can muster to survive in that family," she muttered, returning to her desk and beginning to type up the remaining information from Solomon's examination.

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Author's Note

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I had to delete an entire 2897 word chapter because It was trash and I still managed to write 3303 words in a few hours. This is something I won't be able to do once spring break ends on the 19th. My update schedule might also change from everyday to ever other day so watch out.

How was this chapter? Was it trash? I won't lie, I felt like this chapter was bad compared to the others. Give me your opinion.