CH.11 Change and the Spark Hero

In the morning, Sofia, in her blue-striped pajamas, stretched and went through her usual routine—brushing her teeth and washing her face. It wasn’t until she opened the fridge for breakfast that the lack of eggs reminded her of last night’s power awakening.

This felt so unreal.

Sofia snapped her fingers, watching sparks crackle. “Zzzap.”

“I wonder how Ava’s doing. Will I see her again?” Sofia had been craving pancakes, but now she was stuck with instant Vietnamese pho for breakfast.

Feels like I forgot to think about something.

Sipping coffee at the light rail station, Sofia pondered. Like… that mysterious voice?

It was like it shoved powers at her and pushed her out the door.

And… why me?

Sofia didn’t think she was special—nothing stood out. Why her?

Maybe ‘cause she secretly binged Kamen Rider as a kid? She hid it to avoid teasing, stopped in middle school, switched to hot-blooded anime… the ones with cool art styles.

She couldn’t figure it out. She was just average, always the good girl listening to her parents. And liking girls? It just happened naturally.

Soon, Sofia got off at her school stop, headed in, and life snapped back to normal. Nothing changed.

Sofia listened to the lecture, took notes, grabbed a sandwich and lemon tea for lunch, then worked her shift at the bubble tea shop till 6 p.m. After, she hit Walmart for eggs.

“This one’s cheap,” Sofia said, carefully placing it in her cart. As she headed to self-checkout, she passed the clothing section.

She spotted a green jacket with orange lining—vibrant, full of energy.

It was in the men’s section, nothing special.

But Sofia felt drawn to it, weirdly.

Normally, she’d glance and go, but today she stopped, staring.

Sofia grabbed the smallest size—it fit perfectly.

But it didn’t match her current outfit.

Sofia felt off today, a low buzz of excitement. She started picking matching clothes—a black fitted top, black fingerless gloves, new pants. All cheap stuff, but trying them on, she couldn’t stop checking the mirror.

This is me too. Sofia thought, seeing a cooler, edgier version of herself.

If she sparked electricity… would it look even cooler?

Sofia chuckled at her own thoughts. First off, this was a supermarket. And with her puny power, what could she really change?

Still, she wandered to the back, grabbed a mask from the kids’ section, then a tool kit from hardware… and a bunch of nails.

“What did I just do?” Sofia muttered outside, regretting it after checkout. The clothes, mask, and tools (mostly nails) cost 20 times more than her 48-pack eggs.

She’d bought the nails and mask thinking she’d pose at home with them, like a hero…

But now it felt dumb. She’d been in a daze.

It was late; she’d spent too long in the store.

As Sofia passed a gas station’s 24-hour convenience store, something caught her eye.

Robbery inside?

She spotted two masked guys bursting in, guns in hand…

Crime—something she’d never seen—twice in two days. Sofia worried about her luck and the city’s safety.

Hide and call the cops? Sofia thought, then remembered Ava’s trouble…

“I’m so not normal today,” Sofia gripped her bags, opening one to see the clothes and mask…

“Time to go,” one masked robber said, bagging the cash from the terrified middle-aged cashier. She’d been slow, and he’d been tempted to fire a shot at the ceiling to hurry her.

“Let’s bounce,” the other said, turning to run out—straight into a woman in a blue-white mask at the door.

“What?” Before they could raise their guns, two blue-glowing nails flew at them, pinning their jackets. The tips barely pricked skin.

But the shock made their muscles seize, vision blurring.

“Holy—ghost!” One tried to grip his gun for a shot at the weird figure, but a kick to his gut sent sparks flying, making him drop it. The other got nailed again, seeing the woman flick nails with electric glows, like a taser gun.

“Stand down!” Sofia shouted her line, heart pounding. She’d thrown the nails to zap them first, fearing they’d shoot.

“Run!” The robbers, guns dropped, freaked by the supernatural, scrambled out with the cash bag.

Sofia watched them flee—she couldn’t chase; that zap was her limit, palms burning, no more sparks.

“What… happened? You okay?” The woman behind the counter asked, still dazed.

“I’m fine, ma’am,” Sofia said, feeling like her childhood Kamen Rider heroes.

“Damn, who put eggs here?!” A robber’s curse echoed outside. Sofia’s face fell: “My eggs!”

She didn’t say more to the woman, rushing to the spilled eggs…

Ten eggs… Sofia stared at the smashed mess, heartbroken.

“Nice, +100 Influence Points,” Jane noticed, nodding satisfied.

“A thousand points—time to level up,” Jane thought, focusing on her system… and upgraded.

“Doesn’t feel different,” Jane said, shrugging at the F-level system. Permissions bumped up a bit, letting her upload stronger abilities—manufacturing stitched monsters. New feature: create items, but nothing special—good for an online shop selling trinkets.

Next level needed 1200 points—not much more.

But… Jane remembered Sofia’s mask, smirking. “Might make a little gift with this.”

Then, scout more people—good or bad, more folks meant more influence.

Maybe empower a cop to spy on official reactions? Nah, wait for the right one.

Jane chugged some milk and hit the hay. Gotta keep a good mindset, no matter what.