Anyway, this has been propped with the idea ever since reading another one of leonardo18anime's work with his Legend of Vox Machina/My Hero Academia Crossover and apparently, this pops up in my head when I tried to think of an idea.
Either way, though, I want to see if I try a similar approach with my 'Reborn With Quirks' story so if I can do that with Night Raid, why don't I try it with Maine's crew then.
Okay, some context then.
You already know My Hero Academia? Then, do you guys know Cyberpunk, particularly the 2077, Edgerunners and Phantom Liberty?
Well, it is how it codified the whole cyberpunk genre with the stereotypical examples of corporate warfare, continuous usage of cybernetics and many, many more for you to know.
However, Cyberpunk 2077 had become rather controversial due to it's bugs, glitches and other questionable gameplay mechanics yet who knew that an anime and some patches finally made it popular and the Phantom Liberty DLC makes it all the more fun to play.
It is, however, a rather bleak in storytelling which, while it is what the premise entails, still has a setting that isn't exactly hopeful. Yes, I know that it doesn't take away what made people enjoyed it and it is nonetheless very well written in spite of it's bleak ending.
Still, that's where FanFiction exists and if I can do it with my 'Reborn With Quirks' story, then I can do with this.
Besides, how will cybernetic mercenaries from a dystopian future or alternate reality, be able to handle in something straight out from a comic book with people having their own powers and how their violent methods are frowned upon in such a civilised society that isn't truly corrupt-ish?
Find out on this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and 'Legend of Vox Machina agaisnt heroes' by 'leonardo18anime'. They belong to their respective owners.
Enjoy.
Night City.
The name itself evokes a million conflicting images: towering skyscrapers piercing perpetually overcast skies, blinding neon obscuring the stars, the ceaseless hum of advanced machinery, and the ever-present stench of exhaust fumes, cheap synthetics, and desperation.
This is the undisputed capital of the American Free State of California, a sprawling urban leviathan built on the foundations of unchecked corporate power, technological fetishism, and a brutal social darwinism where survival is not just for the fittest, but often for the most ruthless, augmented, or simply luckiest.
It is a city that chews people up and spits out chrome-plated husks, a crucible where dreams are forged in the fires of ambition and quenched in the blood spilled on the rain-slicked streets.
At the heart of Night City's existence lie the MegaCorporation such as the giants like Arasaka and Militech who are not merely businesses but instead, are sovereign entities wielding power that dwarfs that of nations.
They control economies, dictate laws, deploy private armies, and shape the very fabric of reality for the city's inhabitants with their gleaming, impenetrable towers are symbols of their absolute authority, casting long shadows over the residential Combat Zones and grimy industrial districts below.
Corruption is not an anomaly within these corporate structures; it is the very lubricant that ensures their smooth, efficient operation. Everything and everyone has a price, and the corps are the ultimate buyers.
Influence is traded like currency, and human lives are often little more than disposable assets in their endless power struggles and clandestine projects.
Beneath the corporate monoliths, the city's streets are carved up by a dizzying array of gangs.
These are not your historical street toughs; Night City's gangs are heavily armed, often cybernetically enhanced, and intensely territorial.
From the flamboyant, tech-loving Maelstrom who replace body parts with impunity to the street-smart, resourceful Mox, gangs represent the street-level manifestation of the city's inherent violence and power vacuum.
They control rackets, deal in illicit goods including black market chrome and pharmaceuticals, and engage in constant, brutal turf wars.
They are both predators preying on the weak and, paradoxically, sometimes the only form of community or protection available in the city's most dangerous sectors.
Caught between the corps and the gangs are the Fixers – the information brokers, job providers, and power players operating in the grey areas.
They are the connectors, the ones who know who to call, who to kill, and how to get things done for the right amount of eddies (the local currency).
They are essential to navigating Night City's underworld, but their motives are always suspect, their loyalties ever shifting.
Technology, particularly cybernetic augmentation, is everywhere in Night City. From simple optical implants correcting vision or providing data feeds, to powerful limbs capable of crushing bone, to exotic and dangerous military-grade hardware like the Sandevistan – a spinal implant allowing movement at blurrying speeds – cybernetics are integral to life.
They offer enhanced abilities, status, and survival in a world where enhanced threats are commonplace.
Consequently, weapons are sophisticated and ubiquitous such as the smart guns that track targets, powerful tech weapons that can shoot through cover, raw power weapons that deliver devastating force – the means to inflict violence are readily available to anyone with the coin or the will to take them.
This widespread access to lethal technology contributes significantly to the city's sky-high crime rate with violence being a common language, and death is a frequent punctuation mark in the chaotic narrative of daily life.
The state of crime and corporate corruption fosters an environment of perpetual insecurity and moral ambiguity, where lines blur and survival often necessitates compromising one's humanity.
It is into this unforgiving urban ecology that we find David Martinez, a young man from Santo Domingo, one of Night City's more impoverished districts.
David's early life is defined by struggle, a stark contrast to the privileged world he enters when his devoted mother, Gloria Martinez, sacrifices everything to enroll him in the prestigious Arasaka Academy.
Here, David is an outsider, perpetually reminded of his humble origins, suffering from the relentless bullying from wealthier, snobbish classmates, particularly figures like Katsuo, serves as a constant, humiliating testament to the city's rigid social hierarchy.
He is not judged on merit or intelligence, but on his inability to afford the latest tech or the necessary 'updates' to fit in and for him, his presence there is a heavy burden, a debt his mother works tirelessly to pay, fueling his quiet resentment and pressure to succeed against impossible odds.
The fragile world Gloria built for David shatters with brutal finality during a tragic accident on the road as a corporate shootout spills onto the highway, and their vehicle is caught in the crossfire.
In the ensuing chaos, Gloria is mortally wounded and the arrival of corporate medical personnel offers a fleeting hope, quickly extinguished as they prioritize the injured corpo executive, leaving Gloria to die in a standard, under-equipped ambulance while David watches, helpless and enraged.
This event is the singular catalyst that unmoors David, stripping away his mother's protective layer and exposing him directly to Night City's core indifference and cruelty.
Consumed by grief and fury, and inheriting his mother's final, desperate purchase – a military-grade Sandevistan implant she acquired on the black market with ambiguous intentions – David makes a pivotal, desperate choice.
He implanted the dangerous cybernetic into himself, a defiant act born of pain and a sudden, overwhelming need for power in a world that had just rendered him utterly powerless.
The Sandevistan grants him incredible speed, a fleeting taste of control in a reality spiraling out of it and his first act with this new ability is cathartic and violent: he confronts and viciously beats his primary tormentor, Katsuo, exacting a brutal revenge for years of humiliation, leaving no doubt that the previously meek David Martinez is gone.
It is shortly after this transformative event, navigating his newfound abilities and the dangerous scrutiny they attract, that fate intervenes.
David has a chance encounter with Lucy Kushinada, a mysterious and agile netrunner with striking moon-white hair and an enigmatic past.
Lucy operates on the fringes, embodying the grace and danger of Night City's underworld and this meeting is David's true entry point into the life of an Edgerunner, a mercenary existing outside the system, surviving on the fringes by taking on dangerous jobs for Fixers.
Through Lucy, David is introduced to her crew, a motley collection of skilled individuals navigating the treacherous currents of Night City.
At the helms is Maine, a seasoned, physically imposing former Militech veteran whose body is a testament to years of heavy cybernetic augmentation. He is the leader, weary but capable, a father figure of sorts who understands the brutal realities of their profession.
Dorio Gunnarsdóttir, Maine's lover, is the muscle and de-facto second-in-command. Built like a tank with significant implantations, she is fiercely loyal and terrifyingly effective in combat, the steadfast anchor of the crew.
Kiwi is the crew's netrunner, a calculating and often cynical presence operating behind layers of firewalls and cold logic. She is Lucy's mentor, dispensing harsh truths and technical expertise with equal measure.
Pilar serves as the crew's eccentric techie, capable of repairing, modifying, and improvising crucial equipment. He works closely with his sister, Rebecca, who is the crew's solo.
Rebecca is a pint-sized powerhouse, known for her distinctive giant cybernetic hands and her explosive, unrestrained personality. She is a force of nature in combat, providing heavy firepower and unpredictable energy to the team.
Under Maine's tutelage and alongside this newfound 'family', David Martinez begins his true education in the harsh realities of Night City. He is trained, disciplined, and integrated into the dangerous life of an Edgerunner.
His inherent quickness and the Sandevistan's power, combined with his willingness to push limits others wouldn't dare, quickly make him a valuable asset.
He learns to fight, to hack, to survive, and to kill and the crew becomes his world, replacing the family he lost and the sterile, cruel environment of the Academy.
They take jobs – high-stakes data retrieval, targeted assassinations, daring heists – living fast, dying young being the unspoken motto.
They navigate the city's layers, from the opulent penthouses to the sewage-filled underlevels, bound by shared risk and hard-won camaraderie.
David, with his incredible speed and growing reputation, carves out his infamy, becoming an integral part of the crew's success and finding a sense of belonging he never had before.
This turbulent, high-octane existence solidifies into a dangerous rhythm, a constant dance with death and chrome.
However, the stakes are about to be raised dramatically when the crew accepts a formidable gig from Faraday, an infamous and notoriously untrustworthy Fixer known for his literal four-eyed cybernetic enhancements and his penchant for playing dangerous games with powerful entities where even the hardened Maine expresses significant reservations.
This particular job is different, smelling of corporate intrigue and far-reaching consequences.
It is this decision, this uneasy alliance with a figure of pure self-interest, that sets David Martinez and his newfound family on a trajectory leading towards a path from which there can be no easy return, ensuring that his life, already marked by tragedy, will take a very, very bizarre – and ultimately devastating – turn.
To something out of this world.
Well, hope that this prologue gives you guys what to be prepared for.
If you want to know why I give Rebecca those arms despite the fact that Pilaf is still alive, well excuse me but I just find it fits her and when there is the preparation for a crossover, she does needs it.
Anyway, if you haven't already know, this takes place before Pilaf's death and now, now it is time for me to take a spin at it.
Anyway, what do you think of the premise so far because let me tell you, I'm not stopping until I plumb through nook and cranny to see what I can bring to the folder because if I can, I will and I'll see what I can make a FanFic or a Crossover out of because that is just me.
So yeah, what will happen when a group of cybernetic mercenaries find themselves in a world where everyone has superpowers, superheroes exists and murder is a big no-no?
Let's find out, okay?
Anyway, if you have anymore ideas, let me know in the comments below.
As always...
Ciao...