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.
Here's the second chapter. If anyone left any comments on the first, I'm sorry, but I seem to now tend towards writing a few chapters in advance before posting. I want to now write these teasers, see if the ideas work for me, and then write the entire story before posting. Let's see what happens.
Chapter 2
Interesting choice for a weapon, and this Bakugo seems, if not stupid, then rather rash and impulsive. The teacher was right there, and everyone knows that U.A. has Pro-Heroes for their teachers. Using his Quirk, threatening another student, what did he think was going to happen?
The next few tests went on without incident, with Midoriya still getting the bottom scores each time and not using his Quirk again. Is it on some kind of timer?
Soon enough, all the tests ended. As I expected, our teacher decided it would take too much time to show each score individually, and instead projected a hologram with all of our totals on it and ranked. Also as expected, I got the seventh place, while Midoriya got the last.
"And I was lying, no one's going home. That was just a rational deception, to make sure you gave it your all in the test," Mr. Aizawa said. I'm not so sure, though. He reminds me far too much of some Hunters I had met in the Nightmare. I could be wrong, but I don't think they would lie like that.
But I could be wrong. The other students certainly seem to believe him, believe that he lied to bring out the best in them. I'll follow their lead.
"That's it, we're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom, and read it over before tomorrow morning," he said as he walked away. He stopped by Midoriya before he left, handing him a piece of paper.
After Mr. Aizawa left, and as all the students headed back to the classroom, I slipped a piece of paper with a copy of my notes on his power into Midoriya's pocket as I ghosted my way to the front of the group.
XXXXX
On my way past the school's entrance, I overheard part of the conversation between Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya. It was amusing, how the latter had such trouble talking with the girl, but I didn't stop to continue listening. Instead, I continued on past.
While the rest of the students were leaving the school, I was on my way to schedule an appointment with the school's counselor/therapist, Hound Dog. I know that I have some problems due to the Nightmare, even if I've gotten over my aversion to using the mental parts of my Quirk.
It would be hard not to have spent several years killing monsters who were once human and those that were never anything close, and it would have been a bad sign if I didn't. That said, there's no need to not get help, and if U.A. is just as overkill there as everywhere else, their therapists should be able to, if not fix me, help with what broke.
I left soon after I put in the request, and was soon back at my empty house.
XXXXX
The next day, I realized something that should have been rather obvious, but wasn't. Normal school classes, even when taught by Pro-Heroes, are boring. They can try and make it more engaging, and their... colorful, larger-than-life personalities make for odd teaching styles, but it is still normal high school subjects.
Eventually, we got to the class that made this the Hero Course. Foundational Hero Studies. And of course, the whispering about who our teacher for this class will be started. But really, has no one guessed by now? The most likely answer is-
"I am here! Coming through the door like a Hero!"
-All Might. He was on at least some, if not all of the acceptance videos. That means he has to be a staff member, and who better to teach how to be a Hero than the number 1 himself? I let the conversations of the students flow over me, being excited as well, hearing what they are saying but not really listening.
"Welcome, to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as Heroing 101! Here, you will learn the basics of being a Pro. And, what it means to fight in the name of Good," he spoke as he flexed. Something about it nudged something in the back of my mind, put I put it off as he continued. "Let's get into it! Today's lesson will pull no punches!"
The other students getting excited about combat training is somewhat amusing for me, while I started to plan how to take out most of the class, focusing on non-lethal methods. Training myself to focus on those non-lethal methods of takedowns took longer than it should have, and it was harder to find things to base a Simulacrum on, but I did manage it.
"And one of the keys to being a Hero is... Looking Good! These were designed for you based on your Quirk Registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started."
And that, of course, had the classroom filled with cheering again. I, of course, let it all flow over me as usual. Not engaging in the excitement of the class but letting myself feel it, and feel normal. We soon left for the changing rooms, and later the specified mock city that our training would be taking place in.
As All Might continued to speak, I tuned him out somewhat. He was going on about how we all looked good, which I didn't care much about. Instead, I observed the other students to give me an idea on how their costumes might help, hinder, or give an indication of how their Quirks work.
They ran the gamut from practical to not, some even likely to do more harm, like the girl with pink skin who is more likely to trip and fall than run if she tries. The guy with the tail in a martial arts' Gi, going by that and how he moves, likely has the training, and the invisible girl seems to have almost no clothes on. Practical, for what is likely her Quirk, but very dangerous as well.
Others didn't seem to have much of a purpose save for looking good and Heroic. My own is both practical and comforting. I based it off the Hunter's Garb, the feathered hat, armored scarf, coat, greaves and pants. I didn't have the gloves, as I need the quick access to my blood to create my weapons.
Wearing it made me feel safer, as it was what I had been wearing for most of the time I spent in the Nightmare. And armor makes me feel safer, so long as I am just as free to move. Much like the wooden shield, pure defense doesn't do much against the Beasts, and mobility is a must.
"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training."
As he did with Present Mic, Iida interrupted All Might, asking for a clarification on the exercise. The explanation about Villain battles made sense, although if this is supposed to be foundational, I don't see why he would move us two steps forward. I trust in his judgement, though.
The exercise is pretty straightforward, having to catch a bomb or the Villains, with each group being two people. Going by lots is also realistic. Not only by Midoriya's explanation, but also... "Not only that, but in a real-life example of this situation, the Heroes would still be on a time limit before the bomb explodes. They'd have to work with whoever else responded first, and would have no time to wait for better backup, or else they just waste time. You might get away with waiting for the right person when dealing with a hostage situation, but here you wouldn't have that luxury," I said.
As Iida worked through that and apologized for his interruption, I looked back at All Might. When I drew my lot, I was annoyed to find myself partnered with Bakugo. I don't hate him, but his arrogance and overinflated ego does annoy me. And I'd much rather fight with Midoriya than against him.
Regardless, that is what happened, and so I won't argue.
XXXXX
Soon enough, Bakugo and I were in the building and got the signal to start planning. He immediately opened with an odd question, "Do you really think Deku has a Quirk?"
"Of course he does, didn't you see the ball..." I trailed off as I remembered what happened immediately after, and a few pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
"Ah, I see. Do you mind telling me how long you've been bullying him, Bakugo? How long you've made him think he doesn't have a Quirk? I didn't what to do this yet, but even if it takes an hour, we'll still have another three to plan."
He turned toward me, speaking even as his eyes widened as he saw me right in his face. "The hell are you-" he cut off as I pulled him into the Dream, a claw of blood on my index finger poking slightly into his forehead and my eyes glowing as I stared into his.
We appeared in the Dream, on the cobblestone path and next to two of the gravestones. "-talking about?!" He screamed as he noticed the change in scenery. "What the hell did you just do?!" Explosions didn't pop into his hand, because here in the Dream sweat isn't a thing.
"This is part of my Quirk. In this mental realm, I have control over the laws of reality. Hours spent in here last for only a few seconds outside, although I have a cooldown of a minute per hour. So, we have four to use to work out a strategy," I informed him calmly.
"Why the hell should I listen to you!?" He screamed again, hiding his reaction to my ability with anger.
My eyes sharpened as I looked at him, deciding that showing him some of my memories, those of the fights against some of the Prey in the Nightmare, wouldn't hurt. "Tell me, Katsuki Bakugo, have you ever killed a God?"
XXXXX
As both of the Villain team shook off whatever happened, the students in the observation room were curious.
"Sir, what's going on? Did Kan attack Bakugo?" One of the students asked.
All Might scanned an information sheet and answered while turning his attention back to the students on the screen. "His Quirk is called A Dream of Blood and part of it allows him to 'create, maintain, and pull another person into a shared mental landscape, what he calls the Dream, with eye contact and physical contact between the target and his blood'. In that Dream, he can accelerate time so that hours take place within seconds.
"However, after 24 hours he can no longer maintain the Dream. He then has a cooldown of one minute for every hour spent there. Young Kan drew Young Bakugo into the Dream for four hours,"All Might said as the Villains started on the physical preparations.
The students that understood the implications were impressed. Some were glad that they weren't fighting them right now, while others were worried for Midoriya and Uraraka.
XXXXX
As we left the Dream, Bakugo stumbled but shook off his disorientation quickly, while I shook my head and said, "I guess that's about all that I can expect."
Bakugo gave a grunt that might pass for agreement, and then said, "Fine, we'll do it your way."
The debris in this room had to go. While I have to expect more to be made over the course of the fight, there's no need to give them more ammunition to start with. After that, I left the room and started collapsing certain hallways. Not enough to make any of the building above us unstable, but to funnel them to a single entrance to the bomb room.
After I finished my preparations, I climbed up the wall above the door and waited, while Bakugo started towards the entrance.
"The Heroes may now enter the building!"
Bakugo is the most sensible choice for offense. His Quirk is powerful, but short- to mid-range and setting off an explosion like that in real life might hit an actual bomb, blowing it up. While that seems to be the point, a suicide mission, that would also likely take off points.
My Quirk, while capable of mid- and long-range attacks, works best at close range. So, while Bakugo focuses solely on offense, I am better suited for defense.
I heard the sounds of multiple explosions almost at once, and knew that the plan was off to a start. For now, I don't want to interrupt a fight, as distractions could be lethal. Other than that, the only thing I know is that Bakugo hasn't been defeated ye-
"Katsuki Bakugo has been captured!"
'Goddammit, Bakugo. Could you not have lasted longer than two seconds? Sure, they abused the capture rule, but still!' I thought to myself, exasperated.
Fifteen seconds later, Uraraka entered the bomb room alone. I dropped down from the ceiling behind her, and while she was still reacting to that, wrapped the tape around her and put the edge of the Beasthunter Saif to her neck.
"Ochako Uraraka has been captured!"All Might said as I pulled my blade from her neck.
Another ten seconds after taking out Uraraka, and Midoriya finally entered. He looked, well, he looked like he took at least one explosion to the face. Unlike before, I wasn't waiting on the ceiling, expecting that if I did Uraraka would try to warn Midoriya.
"I'm disappointed, Hero," I taunted him, "Using the door? Learn to think outside the box."
Green sparks danced across Midoriya's arms as he got in a, frankly terrible, stance with his fists raised. To play up my act, I waited for him to make the first move, just standing in place halfway between him and the bomb.
When he didn't act immediately, I started speaking again. "Bravo, you seem to have taken my advice to heart. The energy surrounding your arms isn't as strong as in the ball throw." Nine minutes until I win the exercise.
After a moment, he charged me. His swings were wild and reckless, and while quicker than the average person, my experience allowed me to follow and dodge easily with small movements.
"Hm, judging by much force you're putting into those swings of yours, I'd say you're using about... 5% of what you did in the ball throw, correct?" I asked him. He faltered in his attacks, and I used the chance to land my first hit, launching him back a couple feet and onto his back.
"W-what? How did you figure that out?" He coughed out as he stood up.
"Part of my Quirk, inherited from my parental grandfather, called Vector. It allows me to calculate the forces acting on objects I can see, including how I can impart force. Very good for mobility, and he was known to be able to catch bullets barehanded," I explained to him. Seven minutes.
As he stood up, I switched to the two-handed axe form of the Hunter's Axe, blunt of course. "Now, continuing from those notes I gave you. You've figured out how to limit the strength you use, meaning you can regulate like a muscle. My next point is, did you know that you are supposed to use more than just the muscles in your arms when you punch? Can your Quirk enhance all the muscles in your body at the same time?"
I waited for Midoriya's mind to process my question, and waited a bit more for him to put my advice to use. I watched as the red lines and green lightning spread across the rest of his body,
I faked an excited, bloodthirsty smile and laugh. "Good! Now you may be worthy to be called Prey!" I shouted, and this time it was me who rushed at Midoriya. A wide swing he barely dodged was my first attack. Had it been before using his power across his entire body; he wouldn't have been able to.
After my attack passed him, he tried to rush in and capitalize on my over extension. Problem is, while he is a little bit faster, my reaction time is far greater. I was easily able to twist out of the way of his sloppy attack. I used the momentum from that, along with my mental control, to drag the axe back at him.
For the next three minutes, we continued to fight. Midoriya couldn't get a hit on me, because I was just far too used to figuring out attack patterns from creatures both human and not that far outclassed me in both speed and strength in the Nightmare. With how close we are right now, Midoriya was just unable to overcome the difference in skill.
There were times when he tried to feint and rush the bomb, but he quickly learned that just left him open to being attacked and knocked back. One time, when he tried to block the axe, I kicked him. It was a bit of a dirty trick, but he quickly caught on that he could use his legs to attack. But nothing can last forever, and combat goes by quickly. Time ran out, and the Villain team won.
No one was seriously injured, only Midoriya had a few bruises from me landing hits, so we all left to get back to the rest of the class.
XXXXX
"The MVP of this match is young Kan," All Might told the class. There was a round of agreement from the students, recognizing the value of hours to plan and defeating both of my opponents without a scratch. I stood there, serene, letting their words wash over me.
"Yes, but that's not all," All Might continued, "Young Kan also treated the exercise as seriously as he should have. The Hero team left young Bakugo restrained only by the capture tape. If this was real, all he would have had to do is rip it off.
"Young Kan, on the other hand, held his sword at his opponents' neck until she was confirmed captured. Were this real, instead of a capture, young Uraraka would have died. In the entrance exam physical, he had used such weapons to cut through the robots. After that, he acted like a battle-hungry Villain, helping young Midoriya get stronger to give himself a better fight, which aren't unheard of. Do any of you disagree?"
There was a collective "no" from the students, and we soon moved on to the other battles.
XXXXX
And that's a wrap. So, how'd you like the second chapter?
Yes, I might get some backlash from introducing things like Full Cowling early, and Akatsuki defeating him even so, but the logic is internally consistent. Midoriya is smart enough to figure it out on his own, the only reason he doesn't is because of his issues about his self-worth and previous bullying about his Quirklessness that makes him not think about it.
He needed the events in canon to help mitigate those factors, and a final push from Gran Torino to figure it out, but he could have at any point on his own. Even then, he hyper-focused here on the mention of limiting to a single body part to mitigate backlash, and needed another push to complete the technique.
Onto Akatsuki defeating him. I've stated it above, but for those of you that skipped it, I'll say it again here. The difference is their skill level. Due to that Trigger incident, Akatsuki had at least five years, no one really knows due to the time of night not changing save for killing certain bosses, before he escaped. Five years of finding out, in excruciatingly deadly detail, what mistakes he tended to make.
This is what happens when you place an endgame character at the beginning of another story. On the other hand, he's only about as strong as Izuku's 4%. He's got the total strength of what he was in the Nightmare added onto what he was before, which was somewhat below average.
At this point, he could fight Izuku on around equal terms until about 10%, and would lose once he gets to 15%. Anything between those points is a bit murky.
Due to that skill and reaction speed, along with the rest of his abilities, he's likely the strongest student in their class in unrestricted combat. And due to how his abilities work, he'll only get stronger.
Other points are, as shown before, some knowledge we might consider common or obvious not occurring to Akatsuki. He doesn't have the benefit of Izuku's viewpoint, which is where a lot of the secrets he's missing come from. He's smart, so he can figure it out, but he won't be guessing about All Might passing on his Quirk anytime soon.
That's enough from me, I'll see you next time.
