Nathan hesitated for a moment, clearly caught off guard by Mako’s persistence. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed before finally sighing, realizing that his secret would get revealed to all of them anyway so there wasn’t any point to keep it hidden from them.

“Fine,” Nathan said, his voice a mixture of resignation and annoyance. “But you better keep this within the team. I don’t want the whole world to know about it.”

Mako nodded enthusiastically, his curiosity piqued. “Of course, I promise.”

Nathan took a deep breath, preparing himself to reveal something he had never openly discussed with anyone. “The ‘lava’ skill you saw is actually my quirk. It’s called ‘Versatility.’ I can exchange anyone one of my current abilities for a brand new one of the same level and skill level that I have knowledge about. That ‘lava’ effect is the result of me trading my Blood Wolf Transformation ability for the Explosion ability.”

Mako’s eyes widened with fascination and his jaw dropped down to the floor. “Wow, that’s amazing! So, you can like the change between any ability of your liking? That’s so broken, you basically have access to so many different abilities this way.”

Nathan nodded, his expression slightly less guarded now. “Yeah, that’s the basic idea.”

“Come to think of it, why didn’t you switch your ability anytime before during the training, or even during our fight in the final training match?” Mako asked politely with a quizzical look.

“There’s a catch to me using my quirk. I can only switch my abilities once a month. It’s like my quirk resets itself, and I have to choose a new ability.”

Mako leaned forward, his curiosity growing even stronger. “Once a month? That’s… quite unique. I guess nature had to find some way to balance it out.”

Nathan nodded to Mako’s comment as this was in fact quite true if Nathan had the capability of switching out any ability whenever he wanted, he would be a terrible force to be reckoned with as there were practically no counters against him while he could create all the counters against his enemies.

Mako quickly and secretly used Analyze to check Nathan’s profile and sure enough his abilities were now altered.

Analyze

Profile: Nathan Wesley .

Ability: Enhanced Perception (Level 3), Explosion (Level 5) ?

“This is so cool, Nathan. I can’t believe you have such an amazing and unique quirk,” Mako said without even fully understanding what a quirk was. “But why keep it a secret?”

Nathan’s gaze darkened slightly as he spoke. “My quirk isn’t technically common, and I don’t want people prying into my abilities or trying to exploit them. Plus, there’s something about my past that makes me cautious about revealing too much.”

Mako understood the gravity of Nathan’s words, sensing that there was a deeper story behind his secrecy. “I won’t push you for more details if you’re not comfortable sharing. But I appreciate you opening up about this.”

Nathan shrugged, his demeanor softening just a bit. “Well, you told me all about your quirk so it was only fair that I shared a bit of mine, plus everyone will learn about it pretty quickly too after they see me using a new ability.”

As they continued to discuss different things in the recovery room, Erin was all the over at the other side of the military base, inside one of the small conference rooms, deeply engrossed in a video call with some people she had missed for a lot.

Andrew, Sven, and Finn! Her boyfriend and original teammates!

She hadn’t been able to connect with them for a while due to her training commitments and them being checked and moved back to their city.

“Erin, it’s great to finally catch up with you!” Andrew’s smile beamed through the screen.

Erin had been on the call with the whole night, completely oblivious to all the different events that had happened in her current teammate’s lives, well except for Leon who was snoring peacefully inside his room.

She shared everything from what had happened in the recruitment and all the different enemies and beasts they had defeated to her experience in the military and the training they had done so far. They all were shocked to learn how strong Erin had become and how far ahead she had gone.

Nobody could have predicted that two injured and weak girls surviving alone on the island would become two of the six people to be placed into the special task force.

Erin grinned back at him. “I know, I’ve been swamped with training and our upcoming mission. How have you guys been?”

Sven, leaning into the camera’s view, spoke up. “Oh, you know, surviving. It’s not as exciting as your high-stakes adventures, but we’re making progress. We got admitted into the basic class so we’re going to have to work our way up from the bottom.”

Finn chimed in, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Yeah, and we’re getting ready to show the advanced class how it’s done!”

Erin chuckled. “I have no doubt you guys will rock it. Hurry up and catch back up to me, or I will leave you all in the dust. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to check in on you whenever I can.”

The conversation flowed naturally, a mix of catching up and teasing banter among friends. Erin was glad to see her teammates doing well and maintaining their spirits even though were eliminated prematurely and were put in a different class.

Soon Sven and Finn left Andrew alone as they thought it would be best for the two of them to have some alone time together. After bidding Sven and Finn farewell, she turned her full attention back to Andrew. His face on the screen brought an immediate smile to her lips.

“Finally, some quality one-on-one time,” Andrew quipped, his eyes twinkling with affection.

Erin leaned back in her chair, mirroring his playful grin. “Oh, you mean you weren’t thoroughly entertained by all my great stories and antics?”

Andrew chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of longing. “As entertaining as they might be, I’ve been missing our own brand of antics.”

Erin’s heart skipped a beat at his words. There was a comfortable familiarity in the way they interacted, a rhythm of affectionate teasing that always made her heart flutter.

“Ah, you mean the kind of antics where you attempt to one-up me in the training arena?” Erin raised an eyebrow, her playful challenge evident in her tone.

Andrew leaned in closer to the camera, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You know it. I’ve been perfecting my moves, getting ready to impress you.”

Erin feigned surprise. “Impress me, you say? I’ll have you know that I’m quite the tough girl to impress.”

Andrew chuckled, his gaze holding steady with hers. “Challenge accepted. Just wait until I show you my signature ‘Dragon Dance of the Dueling Dumplings’ move.”

Erin burst into laughter, unable to contain her amusement. “Dueling dumplings? Is that your secret weapon?”

Andrew shrugged with a grin. “Hey, it’s all about unexpected tactics. Keeps you on your toes.”

Erin shook her head, a fond smile lingering on her lips. “Well, I can’t wait to see this ‘Dragon Dance of the Dueling Dumplings’ in action. Just remember, I have my own arsenal of moves.”

Andrew’s expression softened, a warmth seeping into his eyes. “You know, Erin, no matter how many moves we come up with, the best moments are the ones where we’re just ourselves.”

Erin’s laughter faded, replaced by a quiet intensity. His words resonated deeply with her, stirring emotions she had been holding close to her heart.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she whispered, her gaze locked onto his. “It’s the genuine moments that truly matter.”

Iris thought back to the moment when she discovered Haruto had been impersonating Andrew during the recruitment test and the number of emotions she felt for having her heart broken like that which allowed her to resonate and even awaken her mutant gene. All of this showed how strong her feelings were towards him.

Their conversation lingered in that gentle space. It was in these moments that Erin felt truly connected to Andrew as if they were sharing more than just words through the screen.

Andrew’s voice broke the quiet spell, his tone was soft and earnest. “Erin, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a while now.”

Erin’s heart raced, anticipation mingling with a touch of nervousness. “What is it?”

Andrew took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering. “I’ve missed you. More than I thought I would. And being away from you has made me realize how much you mean to me.”

Erin’s breath caught in her throat, her chest swelling with emotion. His honesty was a gift, and she cherished it deeply.

“Andrew,” she began, her voice carrying a tender affection, “I’ve missed you too. And the distance has only made me realize how much I care about you.”

Their words hung in the air, a fragile yet beautiful declaration of their feelings.

Andrew’s smile was soft, his eyes filled with a warmth that reached through the screen. “I can’t wait to see you again, Erin. To be able to show you in person just how much you mean to me.”

Erin’s heart swelled with emotion, a mixture of happiness and longing. “I’m looking forward to that day too, Andrew.”

As the conversation continued well into the morning until Erin received a ping on her communication device alerting her that Commander Sable was expecting everyone in his office in 10 minutes so that they could depart for their mission.

Erin couldn’t believe that the night had already passed, and even though she hadn’t slept a wink, she felt as refreshed as could be. Erin quickly rushed back to her room to freshen up before making her way over to Commander Sable’s office to finally start their first mission together.