Dog of Hell: 1

Title: Humble Store

Traits are wondrous. Consider all fantastical and fictional components be they technological or steampunk. Magical or some ancient traits. Becoming monsters of fiction. Or spewing cola for the rest of life and forming a very successful cola supply line.

If you find it and know how to use it... you're set. Of course, being willful and the need to face competition exists everywhere, but that is life— It gives limited lemons and everyone wants 'em.

But why 'Find' the Trait?

The answer is simple.

Everyone is born with a trait but it needs a specific trigger. It can be anything.

From physical activity to a specific term and even thinking about something. This makes the number of awakened trait users far and few between. Lucky ones will find their trait trigger in their daily life.

For instance, the involuntary action of saliva forming in the mouth forms a rather large load of cola.

Needless to say, everyone is born with one trait but ONE trait, at times, can perform MULTIPLE functions.

There are traits as amazing as Quest Maker— the ability to wilfully form quests and gain rewards from completing them. In essence, matter manipulation among other things.

This trait belonged to the fabled Revolutionary Cowl. He died though under mysterious circumstances.

There was also the Gamer Kaye who committed suicide. Why the publicly known rational thief did that... Jackal is sure there must be a reason.

'Well... I can't say I envy any of them though. I got a pretty sweet Trait if I say so mysel—'

His vision swims as a hard knuckle smashes into his face. The punch sends his nose sideways with an audible crunch but Jackal only spits a globule of blood in face of his family's 'love.'

Fist of Love... they call it.

"Come on, Jacky," A male voice speaks knowing full well it would take more than this to put Jackal unconscious because of his reinforcement, "Be a sugar and just create more weapons. We already got the cash. The family's name will be ruined if we don't complete the consignment and you know I hate roughhousing you like this!"

Jackal adopts shallow but peaceful breaths as another pair of hands holds his bloodied collar and pushes him back on the chair once more. By now, half of his shirt is stained dark red due to the blood and cuts. As Jackal looks up, the single bulb continues to shine brightly in his eyes.

The rest of the room is dark with even his 'beloved' assailant not really clear in his view anymore.

"Man..." Jackal croaks, "I'm tired of making weapons. There's got to be more to life. I'm tired of staying cooped in my old fucking room," his voice grows louder, "Continuing to do fucking nothing! Man, I got aspirations! Ambitions! And family keeps me in one locked FUCKING room!"

Jackal hears Jona sigh in exhaustion, "This again... you damned orphan! The family took you in!"

"Hey," Jackal slowly looks ahead, his vision blurry. Smiling and baring his half-broken teeth, his pupils seem to glow under his long dark locks, "It ain't orphan, man. I'm Jackal!"

Another punch sends him sideways but with his arms and legs tied to the metal chair, he falls nowhere. Again, another pair of hands put Jackal back in his place.

"You would have gotten a name you rabid dog!" Jona groans, "Jackal this, Jackal that! You never got a name! No fucking identity! Just use the goddamn money, make the goddamn rifles, and free us all! Fuck, I wanna meet Roberta!"

Jackal suddenly chuckles.

"What now?" Jona seethes quietly.

"Ya know..." Jackal looks at the light, "Roberta loves calling my name whenever you're out delivering goods... come on, man. Just let me go."

"Y... you fucked Roberta?!" Jona growls.

"Fucked?" Jackal tilts his neck down and looks ahead in the darkness blanketing Jonah with a weak smile, "Nah, man, I bred her. But rest assured, she and I were only thinking of you—"

An uppercut makes his head hit back on the metal edge of the chair.

"You bastard!" Jona glowers and continues to punch!

*Chhap*

*Trr- cchp*

*Cchk*

The others feel their blood run cold just by the wet, bloody sound of Jona's injured fist continuing to pummel Jackal before raising his feet and smashing his feet right on Jackal's crotch, making the latter finally whimper in pain.

Just slightly.

"I'll kill you, Jackal!" Jona, however, doesn't stop and continues to beat the tied Jackal.

'That's right... you got it, man... it's Jackal,' he couldn't feel a thing for some time now and he feels it.

It is said that those who face death... know its presence. Some fear it. Some accept it. Some may even lose their minds!

Visions flash in front of Jackal's eyes.

From a street rat to the 'Family's' jewel. What a jewel he was.

'At least... I fucked Jona's mum. Bastard never had respect for Roberta, going as far as calling her by name. But damn... I really just slept with one 50-something-year-old bitch...'

He recollects their first night as all of it feels fleeting.

'But... I really don't wanna get stuck in that one room again. I wanted to hit the gym... make gains. Get strong. Maybe hit a beach? Restaurants... fuck, an arcade!— oh, hey, a Jackal!'

Jackal looks at the only thing he can see. He still feels he is alive... for the moment.

Jona must have activated his trait— Punch Drunk. Well, the trigger is as stupid as his trait— being angry... in both cases. Jona gets angry, and his trait activates, making him even more figure. Go figure.

But... Jackal's vision borders white. And in this white, rather regally, sits a pitch-black jackal. There is a golden collar around their neck and their eyes are entirely golden, too.

'What a drip,' Jackal chuckles. 'Whatever man, at this point, I'll even settle for cleaning toilets but I am tired of making guns! Who the fuck cares the Family wants to start a revolution. If they sent Roberta to ask nicely... I would have made a few guns but fuck it. But... I guess, considering everything, I did get a pretty awesome trait—'

"You just had to use the Reincarnation Technique," a deep yet gentle voice accuses as Jackal stares at THE Jackal who... barked? No, talked.

'Reincarnation Technique... I've heard it somewhere... where? Ohhhhh!'

The Jackal nods, "That's right... after that Cowl... no, his name is Jason, I believe, was murdered, he released the Reincarnation Technique. Many fanatics used it and committed suicide. Talk about creating a global crisis even after his death but... man, I AM positively tired to be your carriers. I reap, not ESCORT!"

'Uh... sorry, man. Had I known it causes you trouble, I'd never use it. I didn't even know it was real stuff.'

The Jackal rolls its eyes and stands on its four, "Well, it does. Anyway... you can see me... why? Ah, that's it. A death crystal... your trait is something else. Matter manipulation again, huh."

'So... I am not dead?'

"You are."

'But technically not?'

"Technically not."

'Soo... I'm Jackal, by the way.'

"I know. Don't feel awkward and compelled to make small talk. I'm just waiting till Jona finishes the process and draws your last breath."

'Cool. It already seems trippy to talk to a dog.'

"Jackal."

'Yea, buddy?'

"No, I mean, I am a Jackal."

'No, what I meant was my name is Jackal. I'm not really a jackal.'

"No, I am a Jackal."

'Nah, bud. My NAME is Jackal.'

"Sigh... you know what... time's up."

And with that, Jackal's vision darkens.

---

"Maannnnnnnn!" A man draws an annoyed groan as he sits up and scratches his head. His eyes take in the small wooden room. A log cabin, to be exact.

Sitting up, he utters an annoyed groan yet again but he also feels... a little sensitive. His nose and ears, to be exact. There is just something 'wrong' about them... and...

'Is something above my ass?' He wonders quietly.

He also feels... 'more.'

In life, that is.

He is somehow alive. Somehow, well fed. Somehow warm. And somehow... different. It is instinctive, really, how his memories return. His life flashes before his eyes but only this time, it's THIS life. His current one.

'Jackal... heh, always knew this name suited me!' He springs up from the worn bed and pays no heed to the slight scratch marks around him. Walking up to the only mirror in this barely equipped bedroom with twinkling eyes, he sees himself.

"Wow!" He gasps, "I got ears!"

There is a reason he is surprised, of course.

His straight and sharp furry black ears peeking up a bit over his head from the side of his face twitch at the tip. And as if spurred by his giddiness, a furry black tail with an abundance of fur straightens behind him and tilts a bit to the side before wagging the moment he sees it!

"I'm a dog! Nah, I'm THE dawg! Hehe~!" Jackal grins broadly, not minding his changes at all, and instead begins to skip about.

"Oh, wait, did I reincarnate with the Humble Store or not?" Jackal muses and thinks 'aloud.'

'I want... food!'

A light red 'panel' pops in front of him only for his gaze.

[Commodity genre accepted. Loading list of items available. Determining their cost...]

Then, the panel shifts to only display a single drop-down bar. Mentally thinking of touching it, the drop-down bar expands and Jackal muses for a moment.

'Sort with the lowest price on top.'

The screen shifts once again and the first item on the list is a half-eaten, fresh apple.

Selecting it, the panel shifts to display a holographic image of an apple half-eaten. Some dirt and grime can be seen on the corner of the apple's surface. And below this is a drop-down tab marked as 'Price.' As Jackal peers through it,

[1) Half-eaten Apple
2) 7 Yen
3) A pair of torn socks
4) A bushel of hair
5...]

The list goes on and on while Jackal grins broadly and shuts the panel off.

'It along!'

Humble Store.

That's what Jackal named his Trait. Why?

His trait acts like a store and he is extraordinarily humble. That's why!

Like one of the more wanted traits, his trait, too, delves into matter manipulation among other things.

And being a street rat, he found the trigger of his trait quite easily.

Desire.

His trait is activated when he desires something, anything non-sentient for that matter while thinking the words— I want.

Saying it out loud works, too, but being a rat, Jackal found early when he was picked by the 'Family' that he shouldn't have done so. Oh, well, learning from his mistakes made him a better man, god knows Roberta thought the same.

Anyway, this is just the trigger of his trait. How it is used is more interesting.

His trait can replicate items. For instance, a half-eaten apple, if it exists around him. Even now Jackal isn't sure of the range on what things his trait can and cannot pick but his modest estimates make it to be around the range of a country, AT LEAST.

Finally, what he can trade for stuff through humble store is not 'everything.'

He must own the item he is trading.

However, the strict term of possessing something is still not clear to Jackal.

After all, he traded stolen goods, too. He even traded the money he got from the family to materialize guns but he doesn't believe they truly belonged to him. One thing is clear, however, he can only trade the prices listed by the trait. Nothing more, nothing less.

If he could trade more, he would have traded the mansion he was locked in for a remote-controlled monster truck for the kicks of it.

But after his initial joy, he shrugs it off.

He isn't TOO excited by his trait. All traits are dependent on their users, which Jackal understands well but despite being wanted for more love and attention, he understands all too well how he is the last person who can make the best use of his trait.

Desire.

At his core... he is an easy guy to satisfy.

'And this trait was made for someone... ambitious... that's what Jona kept bitching about. Jealous loser...' Jackal pouts and looks himself in the mirror with glittering eyes once more.

He liked what he saw.

Trimmed back hair tops a familiar face. Jackal has never been too handsome but then again, at a certain level, beauty isn't just the face but a combination of features including the body. His skin, like before, is somewhat fair and 'red.' More vibrant, to be exact. Ruddy. On the side of his face, just beside his sideburns are a collection of flesh and fur as his long dog ears are muscular and tough at the base to keep them perked up perpetually.

While his black fur is a bit glossier than his hair, his ears are a lot more sensitive, too.

Slightly broad-jawed gives him a better look of conviction but is still angular enough to strike out from the masses, Jackal muses for a moment and leans forward to focus on his eyes with a furrow of his brows.

What looks back aren't his usual black eyes.

'The reincarnation technique promised the same looks and name of the user... I guess eyes don't count?'

His irides are no longer dark. Instead, they are honeyed-gold surrounding light red pupils that seem to expressively dilate and contract at his will.

"A quirk, huh," Jackal straightens his back once more and grins, "And I'm a dog~! Lucky! Cats are just lazy assholes but I saw many videos about dogs farting on cats... maybe I should try that. Ooh! A collar? Nah, that'd be weird... but what if the Collar has— Dawg— written on it? Hehe~! Wait, can I bark?"

Jackal looks through his memory and is disappointed. His formed body never tried much stuff. Instead... his former host was kind of dull. Even renting a log cabin out of the city because of the noise and the smell.

"Whatever. That guy was a snoozefest! Wruff! Hey! I CAN bark!" Jackal begins to laugh out loud.

***

Alternate Title: Who Let the Dawgs Out?! Woof, Woof, Woof-woof!

***

A/N: At the base of it, this character is remotely inspired by Denji and his quirk, like his name, is closer to a canine and so is his nature. A happy-go-lucky mutt who thinks he has no desire but we all know... dogs have desires and a few particular breeds are more overbearing than anyone can imagine. After all, exceptions exist everywhere, right?

Oh, and yeah, he does aim to fart on a cat, or suck one's head, an actual one. That's non-negotiable.

I don't know about the collar for his hero/vigilante/villain suit tho. The idea of the Dawg collar is good... but maybe on a tux? Or something like that. Maybe he can have a pet dog as a sidekick? Maybe he can just purchase a cyborg from Humble Store if it exists in the BNHA world. Or maybe a pet rat in the form of a school principal?