Bloody Moon
A drug, an accident of a curious child. A Quirk, a superpower too strong for a child. A dream, the desire of children worldwide. A Nightmare.
Okay, something a bit new. A bit of a twist on one of my other ideas, one that was never posted. Onwards!
Chapter 1
I woke up, screaming, after -hours, days, weeks, months, years!- a few minutes, to the feeling of all of my blood boiling in my veins. My parents weren't home, so no one was there to check on me. I soon fell into a light rest, my blood calming down as I did.
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As the months passed, I began to train. My parents were never home, so I could get away with more than most teenagers, but I have a goal. And while I might not be a glob of man-fat too lazy to get off the couch, average isn't going to cut it for U.A. There's a bit less than a year until I can take the entrance exams, but I worked at it and didn't give up.
For the first five months, I worked on my physical abilities and the blood control part of my Quirk. It took another week before I hesitantly started using the mental part of my Quirk, when I noticed some of the skills I gained from the Nightmare getting rusty. The Nightmare might have been traumatizing, but I was proud of what I did there.
I didn't try the Nightmare again, not then. Using my Quirk, I made a Simulacrum based on video games that were similar, and even then, only for a couple subjective hours. It wasn't quite the same, Trigger is a very potent enhancer even when accidentally ingested, but it worked well enough.
I still trained my body as well. Any skills gained from the Simulacrum are worthless if I can't put them to use. And Heroes, no matter what they do, need to be in good shape.
One day, in the last week before the exams, I did attempt the Nightmare. Parameters were set at the beginning, and I only allowed for a single hour of subjective time. Then, I woke up on the table, and walked through the clinic. The Beast partway through didn't manage to kill me, but it was a close thing. I lit the lantern, grabbed my weapons, and so began the Hunt.
Walking through the twisted city, I noticed that, even if I wasn't as strong as the first time, nor were the enemies in the same places like the games I've been simulating, I was doing better. The experience from the first time, the other games I've been living through, all of it came together and wore down at the terror I remembered from the first time in the Nightmare.
At the second lantern, I stopped, and did the mental equivalent of 'saving' my progress in this Simulacrum. I limited myself at the beginning to only an hour, and being unable to use my Quirk, as in the simulated games. And I don't want to start all over again if I do this again.
At the end of the hour, I was forced out of the Nightmare, back to my body moments after I left. And once back, I almost started hyperventilating. I was far more affected by going back to the Nightmare than I thought, and the only reason I hadn't broken down during it was experience from last time telling me it would have been a bad thing to be caught off guard like that there.
That was the end of my training that day. I just went to bed and relaxed. There's pushing yourself, and then there's destroying yourself for no good reason. More training would have been the latter.
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After the paper exam for the Hero course of U.A, I turned it in and wanted to fall asleep. U.A. may be a high school, but as with anything else they do, the theoretical exam was turned up to eleven. The mental aspect of my Quirk helped a lot with that, having a day every hour to study and an hour every minute to work on the test questions is nothing to sneeze at.
Of course, I also have to worry about having checked my work too much, and doubting myself enough that I pick the wrong answer, but I'm sure I pulled through.
After the test was Present Mic lecturing us about the practical exam. There are several types of robots, each with their own point value, that we have to destroy or capture in order to get those points to pass the exam. The examinees 36 highest point values will be the ones getting into the Hero course.
The blue-haired kid that interrupted was a bit annoying, telling off the green-haired kid I could barely hear from thirty feet away, but the information about the 0-pointer was nice.
After that was a bit of a wait until busses arrived, picked us up, and dropped us off at our designated cities. You just have to wonder how rich U.A. must be to literally have six 'mock' cities to throw around as an entrance exam.
While waiting, I decided to do a little with the Nightmare. No matter how they try, I doubt even U.A. can match up to the city of Yharnam, where a church could also be a warehouse that drops down into the sewers, and men turn to Beasts. I gave myself four hours to Hunt, running through the city and all that, before 'saving' and letting myself break down in the Dream.
Twelve hours but only a moment later, the busses arrived and my group was on our way. My own was city B.
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When we got out of the bus, I brought myself to the front of the group, and got myself ready for the fight. I ejected some of my blood, ignoring the pain, and hardened it into a sword. A copy of the Chikage, looking like pink-tinted steel and the bastard offspring of a katana and European longsword, not that this version has the poison that makes the original so deadly.
I readied myself for sudden movement, bringing myself closer to the ground and holding the Chikage close to my body. As soon as the door opened enough and Present Mic said "GO!" I pushed off into a bullet jump, not realizing the lack of a countdown.
Warframe is one Simulacrum I used for learning mobility. While most of the maneuvers the actual game used needed to be altered to work in real life, the part of my Quirk that came from my grandfather's Vector was a large help there. Outside of the game, the spinning in a Bullet Jump is mostly unnecessary.
And, in real life, most people aren't strong enough to go quite as far as in the game. There are some who could match and exceed the game, but even then, they wouldn't slide against a wall until the motion finished.
For now, I just need to twist around enough that I land feet-first on a wall. And that's what I did. I landed on one of the first buildings of the city, and pushed off into one of the side roads, far ahead of the rest of my group. A robot of some kind was in front of me, so as I shot off the next wall, I took its head as I spun.
I took a moment to catch my breath, and continue on. Warframe skills may allow me to be very mobile, but bouncing off walls isn't exactly easy. And then I was off again, running through the streets until I reached a group of robots.
I shot into the center of the group, landing on a three pointer with my sword imbedded into it. Jumping off that one, I passed one while landing on another, both of them losing their heads as I continued on.
This isn't Yharnam. These robots are slow, and while the missiles of a three pointer are probably strong, that just reminds me of the Brutes. Large, slow, strong, but not without their weak points. And anything with a weakness can die.
Eventually, fighting the robots gets rather monotonous. I try swapping the Chikage for other weapons, the Burial Blade, Saw Cleaver, Kirkhammer, but it didn't help much. These robots are simple. Stronger than the random citizens of Yharnam, but with none of the cunning. There were no ambushes, no sneak attacks, no self-preservation.
But the other examinees don't have the same experience as me. If they got surrounded and overwhelmed, I killed some of the robots they couldn't deal with. If they were about to get hit, they were pulled out of the way, or the attack was blocked, or the limb removed.
And when the 0-pointer was called out, I followed along with the rest, if rather more slowly. I helped some people trapped under rubble, and when I couldn't help in time for one, I used an almost dangerous amount of blood to create a shield that dug into the ground, hardened, and blocked the attack. When they were no longer trapped, I removed the giant shield, 'wrung out' the blood of dangerous contaminants, and reabsorbed it all.
As the other student left, I observed the giant machine, looking at joints and other weak points, getting ready to attack, and created a copy of Simon's Bowblade in bow form, ready to fire. And then the test ended.
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For most teenagers who applied to U.A, waiting a week to get their results would have them fraying from anxiety. Most teenagers didn't spend five years in the Nightmare, dying over and over again, with only short breaks in the Dream to keep them remotely sane.
So, I spent that week training. With my parents away all the time, there wasn't much I absolutely had to do. I didn't simulate the Nightmare during that week, but the other Simulacrum were fair game, as well as physical and Quirk training.
For all that I complained about the entrance exam not being up to the standards of the Nightmare, it helped show me some areas where I didn't use my Quirk quite as efficiently as my other skills. I used it to form weaponry and for maneuverability, but little else. Which makes sense, as I cannot use my Quirk while it is working on keeping the Simulacrum stable.
I know I can manipulate my blood even when it's inside my body, it's how I extract my blood weaponry after all, and from there it's only a mental hop to controlling my body through the same method. For now, doing so isn't a combat ready skill, taking heavy concentration to control anything more than a finger and causing damage to muscle and bone when my control slips.
Testing my Blood Puppetry, after the first time I slipped, happened in a blank mental room so I didn't break myself trying to perfect it. The room is simple enough that I can use my Quirk while inside, seeing as how I'm not trying to replicate an entire city, that I fight through, and try to keep stable.
But, eventually, the letter from U.A. arrived. Seeing a projection of All Might was a shock, and by the time I recovered from that, seeing the top 10 and finding my name there had me needing to restart the video from the beginning.
1. Akatsuki Kan | Villain: 54 | Hero: 37
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There were a few more days before the start of the school year, and I used them to buy all the school supplies I lacked. There weren't too many, but I did need them. After that, it was just more waiting for school to start.
Among those items was a map of U.A. grounds. Which seems somewhat ridiculous, until you consider that most schools have a basic map of their hallways, and U.A. is large enough to literally host their entrance exams in mock cities, and need a bus to get there.
When I finally reached my classroom, 1-A, there weren't very many students inside. The blue-haired boy that interrupted Present Mic and a black-haired girl with a ponytail. I sat down quietly in the second row and waited for class to start.
I took notice of, but ignored, the rest of my classmates arriving, the confrontation between the boy I now know is named Iida and a vulgar blond, bringing my attention back when the yellow sleeping bag inched its way into the classroom.
I kept my eyes on what I assume is our teacher, and tried to figure out what Hero he was. He seems worn-out, and from what I can tell, all our teachers dress in their Hero costumes while teaching, so his seems more practical than most. That and the darker colors makes me think Underground Hero, but I still don't know which one.
It took a bit for the rest of the class to settle down, and our teacher commented on it. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up, that's not going to work. Time is precious, rational students understand that.
"Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa. Your teacher."
The surprise on the other students' faces was funny. Why wouldn't the first adult to walk into our classroom be our teacher? It's not like we're going to be teaching ourselves. He pulled out a tracksuit while continuing to speak.
"Allright, let's get to it. Put these on and head outside."
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"A Quirk Assessment Test? But what about orientation? We're going to miss it!" The short, brown-haired girl said.
And of course, Mr. Aizawa does what he wants. "If you really want to make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies.
"Here at U.A. we're not tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit."
I think Mr. Aizawa would have done well as a Hunter.
"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives... but you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country is still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational.
"One day, the Ministry of Education will learn," turning towards me, he said, "Kan, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam."
The spiky haired blond, Bakugo, seethed mostly quietly somewhere to my left. I ignored it, and gave Mr. Aizawa a slow nod.
"What was your farthest distance throw with a softball in Junior High?"
I thought for a bit. Sometimes it can be really hard to separate actions taken in the Simulacrum from in real life, as well as how long ago something was, when I can have 15-24 days for every 1 that someone else has, depending on if I want to sleep and get dressed or not.
"I think it was about 53 meters," I said as I walked over to the chalk circle.
"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk. Anything goes, just stay in the circle and don't completely destroy the ball."
I looked up, made a few quick calculations in my head, and threw the ball in the air with a specific spin. I formed a bat out of my blood, stepped a foot or two in the calculated direction, waited until the perfect moment, enhanced myself with my blood, and swung. The ball hit the blood bat's 'sweet spot', carrying with it all the force of my swing and the fall, and shot off as I predicted.
"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero," he said as he held up the device in his hand, reading 334.3 meters.
As several of the students got excited about using their Quirks, I kept a wary eye on Mr. Aizawa. My instincts read 'danger' and I really didn't want him to focus on me.
"So, this looks 'fun', huh. You have three years here to become a Hero. You think it's all going to be games and playtime?" He gave a twisted grin as he continued. "Idiots. Today, you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last will be judged as having none... And will be expelled immediately."
His grin twisted even further as he heard the students react to what he said, lifting his hair to show it off. "Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now."
"You can't send one of us home!" The girl who asked about orientation said. "I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, it isn't fair."
"Oh, and you think natural disasters are? Or power-hungry Villains? Hm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? Oh, the world is full of unfairness. It's a Hero's job to combat that unfairness. If you want to be a Pro, you're going to have to push yourselves to the brink. For the next three years, U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you.
"So, Go Beyond. Plus Ultra style. Show me it's no mistake that you're here."
'Let's see what you can do, U.A. Let's see if you can take what's broken, and make it shine.'
"Now then. We're just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin," Mr. Aizawa stated.
As the physical exams went on, I observed my classmates. Most of them had some area or another where they excelled, such as Iida in the 50-meter dash. I used my blood to create platforms of hardened blood on the inside of my shoes that I jumped off of multiple times, and planned the same strategy for the standing long jump to clear the sandbox. I didn't get the best score, but I was still in the top ten, going by my own calculations of everyone else's scores on the dash.
One of the students, though, I noticed having consistently the bottom score, and never using his Quirk. Listening to some of the other students talking among themselves told me that, whatever it is, it's very power, enough so to have taken out the 0-pointer. I wonder why he isn't using it now?
Of course, getting told that his Quirk breaks his body to use tied it all together. Thinking about it like I do about my Quirk, his seems to be an enhancement using energy type of some kind, going by the glowing lines. One that enhances his strength specifically, and by quite a bit. For some reason, his body isn't adjusted to his Quirk, and using that energy damages his body due to that.
This energy is also quite malleable, able to be focused onto specific body parts and only damaging that body part. Then the next question becomes, does the energy work as a flat increase to his strength, meaning that finger flick would have been about the same strength as a punch, or does it work more like an actual muscle, where a person can modulate their strength?
After that, is the backlash of the Quirk based on how much energy is used, or is it just a set amount for each use?
I finished writing down my thoughts as Mr. Aizawa brought my attention back to him, making a mental note to talk about this with my classmate later. The Hunters of that Nightmare may not have worked together all that much, but they tried to keep one another alive when they could.
And an analysis like that was very important in the Nightmare, when a Hunter came across a new Beast. A normal Beast wouldn't be fought the same as a Blood Drunk Hunter, nor a Darkbeast fought like an Amygdala.
Still, Mr. Aizawa looks impressed, and I wonder how this will affect our class. One thing is for sure, the next year will be... interesting.
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Okay, that was the chapter. Now, this was based off one of my other ideas, which was based off the MHA 1.2 jumpchain. Here, I went through that, and built a character off those choices. I didn't actually insert an idealized version of myself, nor an OC inserted. As can be seen from the character not knowing about OFA. Reading through this chapter, you can figure out most of those choices, though not all.
A Drawback, the only one I took, was Tragic Backstory. In this case, Akatsuki Kan (Western Order) somehow found some of the ingestible kind of Trigger, a Quirk enhancing drug. Without knowing what it was, he ate it, and his Quirk reacted somewhat oddly due to how it works. Due to having bought the Auto-Pilot Quirk, his Quirk has something of a mind of its own.
That mind, though, is still based on his own. Which was based off of my own from a certain time. So, he liked video games, and Heroes. He wanted to be a Hero, so that Quirk mind knew that, and knew that he would need some kind of training. Another part of the Quirk comes in here, Dreamcatcher.
The Quirk, as stated before, trapped him in what he refers to as a Nightmare, as that training. If haven't already figured it out, that Nightmare was based on the video game Bloodborne. I liked the game, so it was one of the parts that I brought into his character. If you like, you can also think that the Blood Manipulation part of his Quirk influenced it.
It won't be a crossover, just mentioned as something experienced from his Quirk and in the weapons he is most comfortable with using.
There are some other hints to other purchases, but I leave you to figure those out, as they aren't quite as... bluntly written down. Other than, near the end, one of the Student origin capstone perks was responsible for that. Which one? I'll leave that for you to figure out.
