Bio-Enhancement

`**READ Multiplier**:` +50%

One of the four Paths of Progress that happens when a Rider enters Master-Class. In this, the Rider undergoes two(both) processes, one being the Gravity Children Project and the other being the Brain Charger Initiative. With these two, the Rider is considered "Bio Enhanced", as both their minds and bodies are empowered by the two processes.

## Prelude

As a Storm Rider climbs up the various Ranks, they end up venturing into a Road of their own, and once they have mastered that Road (Master-Class), the truly skilled ones (as in our characters) end up finding new ways to progress... And it's not always willingly or of their own accord, not always are they the ones seeking out the improvement and instead at times, it is forced upon them by a third party. Those who have reached this high have a past even they themselves don't know about, their memories have been locked away and with it, so have their enhanced capabilities... But once an unknown entity takes interest in them, finding out about their past, this entity abducts (or tricks) the Rider, putting them into the Brain Charger Initiative which unlocks their true potential long forgotten, as well as increase it even further beyond!

## Gravity Children Project

Years ago, a couple of decades even, a secret organization working with some governments tried to truly weaponize ATs, but they both lacked mechanical technology for it as well as the skilled Riders to do it. With this in mind, they hired the brightest researchers money could buy and created secret state of the art laboratories in a few places of the world where they conducted research on bio-engineering. Healthy young women were scouted to be inseminated with modified embryos. Once born, the children were taken and raised for the first couple of years in a zero-gravity environment. The result of this would be that they'd grow into people superbly suited to Riding ATs, although the project fell apart when the women demanded the children back, and the children also lacked a mental component to go along with their enhanced bodies. Because of this the Gravity Children Project was disbanded and the bio-enhanced little kids were returned to their mothers... But not before one last ditch effort (that initially failed)... The newly founded Brain Charger Initiative.

## Brain Charger Initiative

After the failure of the Gravity Children Project, the Brain Charger Initiative was created, directing the bio-engineering to the mental aspects rather than physical ones. The very first subjects of this were of course the failed experiments from the Gravity Children Project.

The Brain Charger Initiative works by modifying the electrical currents in the brain's neurons. In theory, it should make the brain work far more efficiently... But back then, years ago, the Initiative failed and had an unforeseen side-effect... The Gravity Children all developed complete amnesia, a total lack of memory and not even aware of it since they were young (the oldest batch were 6 years old, but there were some who were as young as 2 years old). Due to the lack of memories and also lack of mental fortitude, any benefit they would have gotten from the Gravity Children Project would simply be locked away within their genes, thought to be forever lost as the Gravity Children could no longer access any of it, in fact they seemed like perfectly normal kids... And so it went, the kids were returned to the mothers and lived a normal life after that, with the Brain Charger Initiative also being cancelled and shutdown.

Years later, now in the present time, science had many breakthroughs. The Gravity Children Project was simply too expensive to bring back, as well as too risky and time consuming. The Brain Charger Initiative though, the new breakthroughs brought new life to it, and so it was secretly restarted. The first success cases were performed on regular Humans, who instantly went from being people with absolutely no skill at all in Storm Riding (most of them never even picked up ATs before taking part in the Initiative), to becoming A-Class Storm Riders in terms of sheer skill. The process didn't seem to work equally for everyone, as some managed to reach S-Class (but that was less frequent to happen), and some even reached King-Class (even rarer!).

With this success in hands, the people leading and funding the Brain Charger Initiative sought out the subjects from the Gravity Children Project and found that some of them had actually become highly skilled (Master-Class) Storm Riders, making them the absolute perfect candidates for the now successful (yet secretive) Brain Charger Initiative. Be it through kidnap, trickery, threats or even blackmail, the unaware Gravity Children with no memories get put back into the Brain Charger Initiative, which not only unlocks their full potential as a Gravity Child, but even increases it further beyond, coming with many benefits! It even unlocks/returns the lost memories of being Gravity Children.

## Downsides

Lost memories coming back after so long, the Rider finds out a portion of their childhood was a lie, it's likely to turn the Rider against their parents depending on reason and circumstance. Can lead to an identity crisis as this is a lot to handle.

Getting unwillingly involved with a secret organization that does not have their best interests at heart and works through shady, unethical and illegal ways.

Their eyes have markings that show up when they are experiencing too strong of emotions or using too strong of a power (such as Infinity Atmospheres and S-Class Tricks).

## Upsides

No extra work in order to gain more power, also unlikely to be rejected by civilization as who would even know about this?

Bio-Enhanced Riders can move flawlessly in zero-gravity environments, true naturals at it. It is especially true within the Tower of Trophaeum, where newcomers choke as if drowning if they stay there too long, but Bio-Enhanced can stay there indefinitely but also move more efficient than they would on the outside, getting a rather sizable power boost within the tower.

Bio-Enhanced Riders are so natural at using ATs that they simply no longer break them just by riding, they no longer need repairs because of it. Regalia still need constant Tuning though, and tricks and Infinity Atmospheres such as "Bloody Wing" can still break the ATs. ATs can also still be damaged/broken by external forces though (such as other Riders hitting the ATs, for example, or misuse of the ATs like prolonged usage of them on subway tracks without being Rising Road-adjacent).

Bio-Enhanced Riders take less time to think as their minds are more efficient. They also don't get hungry as often since their bodies and minds work together to waste less energy with each thought and movement, making it so that they only need to eat once a day to be fully satisfied, fit and healthy, no matter how much they work out. In fact, Bio-Enhanced Riders can even sleep outside in the pouring rain or blitzing snow and they won't become extra tired or sick because of it so long as they do sleep. They can hold their breath thrice as long as a normal person. Their bodies also tend to get tired less often and heal faster from injuries. In fact, when a Bio-Enhanced Rider uses a Regalia, they do not feel that double-edged sword effect, especially present in Infinity Atmospheres, it's completely painless for them, not even feeling discomfort.

They tend to learn Tricks from others much quicker, only needing a single short session to be taught, or just watching the trick done in front of them 3 times to be able to replicate it (provided that the Roads are compatible and that there are sufficient Trick slots free).

Since their minds work faster and their bodies adapt better, they gain an additional +5 READ whenever they are mentored by others, an additional +3 READ whenever they are the ones doing the mentoring to others, and an additional +1 READ when they are training together in pair with someone else of relatively equal skill level(+2 instead of +1 if the partner is also Bio-Enhanced).

If a Bio-Enhanced Rider rides a Hybrid Road, they can now access all principles of the Roads involved to make that Hybrid, even the ones they didn't incorporate into their own (example, a Hybrid of the Bloody and Over Road won't be able to incorporate every principle from both Roads, but a Bio-Enhanced Rider that rides this Hybrid, can use even the principles from the Bloody and Over that don't belong to their Hybrid Road).

If a Bio-Enhanced Rider rides a Pure or Original Road, they can also quickly learn to ride every Variant of that Road, even creating new Variants for it.

If a Bio-Enhanced Rider rides a Variant Road, they can create more Variant Roads, be it a Variant of the Pure/Original, or a Variant of the Variant. They can Ride both the Pure/Original, as well as all the related Variants.

Lastly, Bio-Enhanced Riders get additional Trick Slots and even a 2nd Personal Infinity Atmosphere, which can be from any of the Roads they have access to.

## Trick Slots

**F-Class** → +1 Slot at 525 READ, and +1 at 550 READ.

**E-Class** → +1 Slot at 575 READ and +1 at 600 READ.

**D-Class** → +1 Slot at 600 READ, +1 at 625.

**C-Class** → +1 at 650, +1 at 675.

**B-Class** → 700 and 750.

**A-Class** → 800 and 850.

**S-Class** → 900 and 950.

**2nd Personal Infinity Atmosphere** → Unlocks at 1000 READ.