Aku Yoru (Aphasic) [Police]

THE BASICS

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Aku, for the most part, looks like a well-kept yet average man. A lithe but muscled frame holds a set of darkened eyes and stark hair - and his general demeanor makes him come off as someone quite plain. It isn't until one gets closer that they can see the blood-red eyes hiding behind his manicured smile and his almost "too neat" posture.

PERSONALITY

For all his skewed morals, Aku can certainly be described as a passionate person. He is quick to acknowledge his own behavior and how it used to hurt others, and while that isn't morally correct, it was acceptable because he had the gall to own up to it in the end. He is a firm believer in dedicating oneself to cause, and people who drift or are traitorous infuriate him to no end. He also believes that for as long as Quirks exists, Villains will too - and that as such people who believe true world peace can be obtained are fools. Conversely, he also believes that Villains are the byproduct of righteous anger or have noble goals - and Villains who are criminals with no concrete reason or purpose are among his most detested.

When in 'civilian' mode, Aku is generally a pleasant person to speak to. He is cordial and respectful, and is rather curious about what makes a unique person 'tick'. If he were ever to be called out as his old Villain alias - he would simply smile and say: "You called?" as he currently holds no remorse for what he did as a Villain. 

BACKGROUND HISTORY

Aku was born and raised in a family of Villains. An unlikely romance formed between former business partners, and the duo - feeling actual love - eventually ended up having him as a result. His father was a petty thief, using his infrared Quirk to steal without getting caught in the act. His mother made a living as a black market doctor, utilizing her ability of basic x-ray vision to perform surgeries no questions asked to unsavory customers. It wasn't necessarily 'hardcore' criminal activity, but it certainly set the tone for the type of environment Aku was set to grow up in. Living the high life with a pair of doting caretakers, it was a wonder Aku never grew presumptuous or spoiled. Never one to stand for underhandedness even as young as seven, Aku snooped around and quickly found out what exactly his parents were doing was illegal.

...Not that he cared, as much as he was upset that they weren't forthright about it. He still loved them, and found their motivations to be sound - despite being well pampered, most of the money they made went to paying off a massive loan Shin had taken earlier on in life. They were growing close to finally paying it off, the pair planning on retiring afterward to raise their child in a normal family. Life had other plans. The crime group, wishing to set an example, arrived at their doorstep one day - and prompted proceeded to murder Shin for being one day late on payment. Aku came home from school to a mess of police tape and no mother in sight.

But Aku did not break.

Shuffled into the orphan system, he bid his time - spending any lone moment learning simple tricks of thievery and deception. His Quirk was especially useful for avoiding getting caught. His demeanor was never cold or odd but simply reserved towards any families that took him in. He bounced between a few before settling into one with a pair of business workers and a sibling. He treated them with respect and helped out, and it was all they asked of them. Aku appreciated that.

By this point he had already spent years on the shadier side of the law, ramping up his acts of theft and even picking up combat skills from other street urchins. It wasn't much, but Aku was patient. The day would come. High school came and went, the boy showing no interest in the scene of Heroism. The farewell to his foster family was cordial and kind, and Aku even agreed to keep in contact. He knew, however, that his potential last breath was drawing close. He was seventeen now.

Suspicion of multiple counts of theft and embezzlement were piling up after the years, and even the most positive prediction left him about three years before the cops came crashing down. So he planned accordingly. On the eve of his twentieth birthday, and after years and training and paying a hefty fortunate from his stolen goods, he had tracked down the leader of the gang which had split his family apart. Utilizing his Quirk, Aku simply waited until the man was alone before infiltrating his building - taking the crime boss by surprise and subduing him. He wouldn't be killed quite yet. Aku first made a phone call to the police, giving his exact information and location along with the fact that he had captured and planned to murder of the most prolific crime lords of the time. He also admitted to being the media-titled 'Villain thief' "Heartseeker" - never being one fond for names. They were quick to respond - sending out the closet Pro Hero they had at the time - Aoi Sato

That didn't stop several of the bosses' grunts being recklessly injured, knocked unconscious, or killed. Aku considered them spineless and without purpose - so they were first to go before any interference was possible. Resigned to his fate, Aku was prepared to finish off his main captive - as soon as the doors were burst open in a flurry of Riot Police and Aoi herself. He went on record only saying: "Oh Well" and raising his hands in surrender, dropping the bloodstained knife.

Aku was prepared to accept the consequences of his actions - everything he had done until that point had been victimless, and he used the stolen money for a good purpose - wiping scum out. He had no regrets, finally satisfied that his broken family had been avenged. Hence, he plead guilty at his later trial - citing the same reasons. He was told afterward in private that had he simply not alerted the police, they wouldn't have bothered investigating and simply officially attributed the act to a Vigilante. Aware, Aku simple told them that he was ready to pay his due penance. 

It would be three years later while Aku was peacefully serving his sentence when he was approached by a representative from the government. His temperament along with his proven ability to be resourceful enough on his own to take down a crime boss and a small dispatch of goons was enough to attract their attention. They offered him a choice: rot in prison or join an experimental branch of the National Police which employed criminals to work for them. Aku, seeing no problem accepting government deals as they made the laws that jailed him the first place, said yes. If his retributionists wanted his help, who was he to deny?

That was how he would be introduced to Darkwatch. A small unit of only two other people, they received training from Japan's finest along with a series of chips implanted inside their bodies that could kill at a moments notice. Brutal, but understandable. Additionally, when not on duty Aku was permitted to lead a semi-restricted civilian life. And that's how 'Aphasic' took a new set of crime by force.

THE ARMORY

Permanent: Items that Aku either will always have on him till his death or ones that cannot be feasibly removed from his person.

Correctional Administrative Chip: A failsafe ridden set of microchips and wires connecting directly to Aku's spine and nervous system. Used by his Police Handlers to ensure loyalty. Can distribute anything from minor shocks to paralysis, to a neurotoxin. Removing it illegally would come with a high chance of death.

Eyedrops: A set of medicinal aid droplets and squeezer that serve to soothe his eyes after continued use of them during investigations and his Quirk. Not required but is preferred.

Dagger: A simple silvery single-edge dagger Aku carries with himself for self-defense and general usage when he doesn't have access to firearms.

Police Subsidiary Badge: An identification badge permitting Aku to be in Police restricted zones under special watch.


Situational Items: Items that Aku will not always have on him, either due to inconvenience or because it is equipment granted to him only for missions.

Darkwatch Badge: A government-issued license with minimal identification but high clearance which permits Aku and other members of Darkwatch to take over intense Villain scenarios or for use to prevent arrest from unaware officers.

Kevlar Armor: A synthetic blend of high-quality fabrics and polyester which is absorbent to kinetic force and slightly tempered to resist elements like fire and ice. Obviously still bullet and stab resistant.

Filtration Mask: An armored mask with advanced technology to filter out contaminants and toxins in the air - also provides great protection against some attacks. Customized with Aku's signature "x" of tape.

CAR-4: A hybrid rifle and sub-machine gun fitted with single fire and burst fire options. Loaded with 5.56 and highly accurate, Aku is only ever given this lethal weapon in dire situations. Holds about twenty bullets per magazine, and Aku is generally given one pre-loaded with two extra.

TAC. 50: A high-power low capacity handgun which is chambered in .45 ACP and designed to injure rather than maim. Typically given during Villain operations, and holds about twelve bullets in a magazine.

Baton: A flexible yet hardened plastic rod affixed with a handle for use in melee combat or subduing enemies.

Shock Chip: A synthetic patch that can be adhered to the skin in order to secure a particularly dangerous target. Administers a shock near directly to the nervous system which causes immense pain, and temporarily severs the connection to the brain - causing a limp effect similar to a taser. Aku only has one at any given time.

QUIRK & SKILLS

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Cardiac Pulse

TYPE: Transformation
RANK: A+
SUMMARY:
Aku's senses - encapsulating his hearing and sight - are finely tuned to pick up on and utilize a living being's "phantom pulses" in their beating hearts. Though he naturally tunes it out for day to day activities, Aku can activate this "sixth sense" on command. When activated, his normal vision drops drastically in range - and the world appears greyscale around him. Whenever a 'phantom pulse' is emitted, the living being that it belonged to will also emit a small, whitish blue ball of light roughly the size of their heart that is visible through walls - in addition to it being loudly audible to Aku as well in the form of a burst of sound. Other than this, however, Aku gains no benefits from this Quirk - and his capabilities are that of a normal human.

An organisms' "phantom pulse" is (oddly enough) not in sync with ones' heart. In fact, phantom pulses are typically emitted at one-sixth the rate as their current heartbeat speed. This means a calm or sedated target will release pulses in rather long intervals compared to panicked or angered targets. Additionally, each target has unique "phantom pulses" that differ slightly from each other, ranging from size to shape to slight coloration shifts. This does not give any explicit information to Aku, though pulses that he has seen again and again can be linked to specific individuals. As long as something has a heartbeat then this Quirk can work on them. This encompasses a majority of living things and not objects such as corpses or inorganic materials.

WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS:
> The general range of this Quirk is somewhat small, working in a radius of about twenty-five meters before both targets and his own vision fades into abrupt darkness. 

> Activating and De-activating this Quirk makes Aku temporarily blind for a one full post while his vision switches over, meaning rapid-switching isn't an option - and giving a smart opponent an opening to attack.

> Phantom Pulse visual and audio cues are rooted in the exact location they were emitted from, comparable to a sonar. Targets that move after a pulse do not carry the orb with them - it will only resurface after another pulse. Though targets may be unaware, Aku has learned not to fully trust the exact location and plan accordingly - he uses this as a general location confirmation more than anything else.

> Due to the Quirk relying on his own senses, having either his sight or hearing impaired will also impair the corresponding function in his Quirk to a similar degree. Sight degradation is typically 1:1 - getting flashed in the eyes will also have a corresponding bright effect during his Quirk until it naturally wears out, while sound is a bit different. Sounds outside of Phantom Pulses are dimmed, and while the Phantom Pulses themselves cannot become louder or quieter - having sound disorientation can mask or disrupt the sound pulse entirely. For example, someone yelling into his ear with megaphone would create a painful and throbbing aftereffect - making it harder to hear and pinpoint the sound of Phantom Pulses when he is using his Quirk.

RANK/LEVEL: B-
SUMMARY:
Having received proper training from some of Japan's finest in the field and coupled with his natural tendency to be a quick learner, Aku has quickly grown to be a competent shooter even under stress. He is far above normal Police Officers, though still has some ways to go to catch up to fellow Darkwatch members. This generally only includes weapon types he is already familiar with, such as SMGs or pistols.

RANK/LEVEL: A
SUMMARY:
His primary method of attack and defense, Aku's skills with a blade are respectable as they are deadly. He knows two techniques, each focused on offense or defense respectively, and foes will find it quite hard to disarm him. This does not extend to throwing said knife, however.

RANK/LEVEL: B-
SUMMARY:
Though not as skillful as he is with a blade, Aku's martial combative skills are still something to be wary of. With a refresher course in Darkwatch, his hand to hand skills are competent enough to fight off anyone inexperienced even without his weapons.

RANK/LEVEL: B
SUMMARY:
The art of quick and efficient movement across urban areas with many obstacles and elevations. Aku happened to pick this up as a child, and had it expanded upon by Darkwatch for uses in the field. He is quite capable of toting all his equipment and still performing acrobatics leaps and feats of agility like sliding, rolling, etc.

J.C.

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