PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
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quirk Dynamo
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on May 17, 2020 23:11:00 GMT
The two blondes stared each other down, the only thing between them a sparsely-decorated desk. Yuuto sat with his arms crossed, a stern expression spread across his face, while Hyousuke attempted to maintain something similar - though the fingers clenching down on the seat’s armrests gave away just how tense he was when he sat down, and waited for Yuuto to speak. Since he’d knocked on the door, the pro had only said to come in and take a seat. There’d been no small talk, no introductions, nothing of the sort. It seemed to Hyosuke that Lockon’s reputation was well-earned.
“Not quite what I’d imagined you’d be up close, but no matter.” Yuuto said flatly, as if Hyousuke wasn’t even in the room. Too tense and confused to provide any kind of coherent response, the student instead just furrowed his brow, expression shifting into one of confusion as he tried to understand exactly what was going on. Not that he had to wonder long, though. Yuuto leaned forward, resting on his forearms as they lay on the table’s edge, fingers laced together while he locked his gaze with Hyousuke’s. “I know I already said it in the letter, but I wanted to ask you this again in person. Make sure you’re what I’m looking for.”Immediately, Hyousuke could see why Yuuto wanted to talk to him about what the internship entailed face-to-face. It was one thing to read it in a letter - it wasn’t often that someone was thoroughly intimidated by a list of what was expected of them. But to sit there, not a meter away from a hero renowned for his severe attitude, and for being able to keep his cool when fighting foes that could crush him without breaking a sweat? It was an entirely different beast. Hyousuke could feel the hero’s gaze boring into him, that cold stare piercing deep into the depths of his soul, as if he wanted to peer into Hyousuke’s very being. “While you’re here, I will push you to your absolute limits, and then beyond even those. I will teach you. I will train you. I will do my utmost to make certain that your time here is spent well. But make no mistake - I will not tolerate anyone that doesn’t take this seriously. You’ve probably heard stories about me. About how I’m a sadist, and how even ‘light’ training is torture. I want to clear something up - they’re not wrong. But I have my reasons.”By this point, Hyousuke was verging on a cold sweat, his knuckles beginning to grow white from how tightly they gripped the rests. “When you go out there in that costume, you’re not just there to pick fights and pose for pictures. You’re responsible for keeping people safe, and making sure the worst that happens is they have to brush a little more dust off their shoes than usual. When you work with me - no matter if you’re an intern or my second-in-command - I expect nothing less than your best, at every moment. Knowing this, let me ask you again - are you really prepared to take on this internship?”
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
N/A
quirk Dynamo
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N/A
alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on May 17, 2020 23:12:53 GMT
Hyousuke had faced down brutes, dragons, teachers and seniors. He’d stood against people that could’ve reduced him to a smear on the pavement by sneezing at him. Whether he was confident, brave, or just outright stupid was up for debate, but whatever the case was, he’d managed to keep his fear hidden at the very least. Against Yuuto, however? His fingers trembled, tightly as they were gripping, and his expression faltered under Yuuto’s withering gaze. He swallowed quietly, moments feeling like days as they passed, and he tried to summon the wherewithal to provide an answer. Yuuto remained silent, waiting, watching. This wasn’t a scene that was new to him, and his mannerisms were well-practised. All that was left was to see how Hyousuke would respond.
Despite the tension hanging so thick in the air that it was practically choking him, Hyousuke grit his teeth, and growled an answer back. “I am.” Even with his wellspring of stamina, just those two words were enough to leave him drained and on the edge of gasping for breath. Yuuto, meanwhile, simply righted himself and stretched out a hand. “Good. I had a feeling that wouldn’t scare you off. Glad it didn’t - you’ve got potential. Welcome to the Bloodhounds.” It took Hyousuke a moment to realise what was going on, but when he did, that snarl he’d taken on turned to a weary smirk, and his shaking hand took Yuuto’s as firmly as he could manage.
“Don’t think that gives you any right to start slacking off though. If anything, I’m going to be pushing you harder.” Yuuto added, almost offhandedly. By that point, however, Hyousuke had managed to gather himself to give a less intimidated response, instead attempting to offer something resembling snark.
“Good. I’d be insulted if you didn’t - I can take it.”
“They all say that. Let’s see if you can back that up. Get into your gear - I want to see what you can do for myself.” With that, Yuuto stood and headed towards the door, before cocking his head and motioning for Hyousuke to follow.
As they moved to the training area, Hyousuke glanced around at the rest of the people hanging around the area. The pros - Yuuto’s teammates, presumably - gave him a glance and sometimes a polite nod, but otherwise, they left their boss to handle the kid as he saw fit. Hyousuke was hardly the first person to get walked to the ring, and the sparring matches were hardly anything worth watching, especially when they had other work to take care of, or were waiting on alerts. A couple took an interest in him, though, recognising that he’d made it to the final rounds of the Sports Festival with powers that didn’t seem particularly remarkable - hell, the fact that he’d lasted as long as he did against Ryu had them sparing a moment’s more thought for him than some other recruits.
It didn’t take long for Yuuto to change into his gear. Tedious and fiddly as the whole process was, it was one he’d practised time and again, and could likely put the thing on in his sleep. Hyousuke, however, had slightly more trouble. The old one hadn’t exactly been easy to deal with, being like a second skin fitting over him, but the added intricacies of his new duds didn’t lend themselves to ease of use. He knew he’d get used to it eventually, but between the different contours and fits that the armour plating inside the kevlar presented and the different ways that the gear fit onto him, he took longer than either him or Yuuto would have liked. Nevertheless, the pro said nothing about it, instead just rising to meet Hyousuke as he exited the changing room.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
N/A
quirk Dynamo
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N/A
alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on May 17, 2020 23:14:29 GMT
The two of them were in their hero costumes, glancing at each other through tinted visors as they stepped through the ropes, the canvas lit brightly by harsh fluorescent lighting affixed overhead. Save for a few others that were hanging about the gym and had decided to take a moment to watch the two fight, the place was empty - their boots thumping against the ring echoed out into the empty space, bouncing off the walls until they stood but a metre apart from each other. Two armoured figures, the purple one’s fists clenched tight, while the one wreathed in black simply regarded him with that blank, soulless stare.
Hyousuke couldn’t make out a single detail of Yuuto’s face behind the costume - even the lenses were designed in such a way that any part of his features were obscured beyond any kind of recognition. He felt like it should’ve been less intimidating than when he’d sat across from him, gazed at by those cold, judging eyes, and affixed with a withering gaze. But the costumed glare was just a different kind of frightening. There was nothing there - just two red, empty discs, void of anything remotely close to emotion. And with Yuuto clad in black and towering over him, it was as if he was staring up at a machine, whose sole single purpose was to put him down. Hyousuke was glad for the helmet, knowing that it would go at least some way to hiding that the tension was getting to him once more.
Yuuto was perceptive, however, and Hyousuke was hardly the first to be intimidated by the sight.
“Not going to back down now, are you?” He questioned, arms crossed as he eyed the student. Hyousuke, in response, gripped his fists tighter and raised them to his chest, kevlar creaking as he dug in.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Come on then, let’s get this started. And don’t hold back - you’re gonna be fighting for your life out there, and for everyone else’s. If I can’t see what you’re like when you’re giving it your all, I can’t teach you properly.” Yuuto took up his stance, hands raised to meet whatever Hyousuke threw at him. The student did the same, and in that moment, he charged.
The rapid thumping of boots slamming against the canvas sounded - followed quickly by the hollow thud of a fist slamming against Hyousuke’s visor. Even with that protection, the blow was sharp, and threw Hyousuke off. Yuuto barrelled forward, jabs darting out at him, peppering his head and his body with strikes. Hyousuke tried to turtle up and move forward, but it wasn’t any use. Yuuto was too fast to predict, and wherever Hyousuke blocked, Yuuto weaved around him with surgical precision.
The ceramic made the armour heavier, but Hyousuke was still able to move deftly. Not deftly enough to close in without taking another solid punch to the jaw, however. One that would’ve sent him reeling if not for the helmet taking the blow. Powering through it, Hyousuke’s left shot across and slammed hard towards the side of Yuuto’s head in a left hook. Yuuto blocked it without hesitation, and used the opening to drive a fist into Hyousuke’s ribs. The plating stopped him from bruising, but the shock of being so easily taken apart… that was enough to send him staggering back a step or two.
“That can’t be everything you’ve got.” Yuuto growled, having not even been moved an inch from the spot he’d stood in before. His feet had shuffled to adjust his stance, but as far as the fight was concerned, it was like Hyousuke was throwing himself against a brick wall. Not that it deterred him any. It just made him angrier, spurring him on to charge in again, taking those punches thrown at him. He grunted, the speed and sharpness still making him flinch, but he persevered. Willpower and stubborn durability had gotten him in close - all he had to do was swarm Yuuto. That close, it’d be a slugging match, and his stamina’d make certain he’d win the bout then.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
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quirk Dynamo
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on May 17, 2020 23:17:14 GMT
At least, that was what he’d hoped would happen. What did happen was Yuuto drove his knee straight into Hyousuke’s gut to get some distance, and brought his hands across the back of his helmet. Yuuto dragged his intern’s head down towards the floor, and Hyousuke only had a split second to throw up a hastily-assembled guard before that knee plowed straight into him, sending him stumbling back again. Disoriented, but not defeated, Hyousuke drew his hands up again, breathing through grit teeth. Again and again, he threw everything he could muster against Yuuto. Barrages of punches, savage kicks, even clinches - something he’d not practised in forever, but he was desperate for anything that’d give him an edge. Nothing worked, though. For every few glancing blows he managed against Yuuto, Hyousuke suffered many more, and he was beginning to feel it - even through the armour. Still determined, he brought his guard back up, and prepared for another round. Perhaps he was stubborn. Perhaps he was stupid. But he’d do it. He’d- “Enough.”Yuuto raised his hand, making Hyousuke pause in place. “I’ve seen enough. Get your helmet off and get a drink, kid. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Yuuto did the same, taking his own off before clambering back out through the ropes, headwear cast onto a nearby bench while he made his way to a bottle placed there as well. Hyousuke wandered over to the fountain, still coming down from the fight. Maybe he was punch drunk, maybe he was just dazed and overwhelmed by being so outclassed. Even in that state though, he could tell he wasn’t in any shape to think too hard about it, and instead just settled for stewing silently as he let cool, fresh water rinse the stale taste of spit from his mouth.
Yuuto motioned to a spot on the bench near him, and Hyousuke took it, almost collapsing onto the seat while he looked towards Yuuto. He didn’t attempt to hide his frustration, and it wasn’t something the pro held against him. Anyone’d be frustrated after being smacked around like that, he figured. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here.” He began, forearms resting on his knees. “You were sloppy in there. Your basic form’s alright, and you’ve obviously been drilled on how to throw a punch. But that’s all you seem to know how to do.” |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
N/A
quirk Dynamo
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on May 17, 2020 23:20:18 GMT
Hyouuke opened his mouth to argue, but before he could so much as stutter something out, Yuuto cut him off. “Most people would’ve tried to avoid at least some of what I did in there. Things that would’ve left me wide open if I’d missed. But you tried to block them. You tried to block everything.”
“What’s the problem? I can take it.”
“I was holding back. You think that’s as hard as I can hit? You think that’s the fastest I can go against someone that’s not even trying to avoid me? You know how many times I couldn’t just thrown you onto the ground back there? If that were a villain you’d have had a knife in your throat ten seconds in.”
Hyousuke’s fists clenched again, but it wasn’t that Yuuto’s lecture had him intimidated again. He was angry. He was frustrated. He wanted to lash out, to prove that the pro was wrong - but beneath that seething rage on the surface, he knew that the hero was right. Time and again, his rash approach to fighting had proven his downfall, turning him into little more than a standing punching bag, pummelled until he was too hurt to stand. Yuuto could see the anger building in Hyousuke, but didn’t stop. The boy needed to hear it, no matter how much it hurt.
“I’ve seen the footage of your fight against the dragon, and read your files. You haven’t even tried to change since you got into UA, have you?”
“I… I know what I’m doing.” Hyousuke snarled back through clenched teeth.
“Doesn’t matter. What you’re doing is wrong. Look - I want you to imagine that I hand you one of my guns, and tell you to take someone down with it. What do you do?”
“What are you-”
“Just answer the damn question.”
Confusion - and a little intrigue - began to creep into Hyousuke’s expression, eroding away the anger, albeit slowly.
“I’d shoot them?”
“Exactly. That’s what the gun’s good at. You wouldn’t charge in and start clubbing them with the end of it and hope that works. It’s the same with you, kid. You got potential. Real potential - get enough practise, and you’re a threat to just about anyone. Because big guys - the ones with the flashy Quirks, and the big brutes with a lot of muscle to them? They all got one thing in common. Stamina.”
Yuuto paused for a moment, letting the idea sink in before he continued. “They don’t have any. Problem with big, powerful attacks and swinging around arms like logs is that it takes a lot out of them.”
Hyousuke felt like he knew where Yuuto was going with his lecture, but even so, kept quiet. He’d thought of such things before, of course, but to hear it from someone else - someone with so many years of experience behind them, no less, and a track record that spoke for itself - gave him pause.
“I can’t teach you to use whatever fancy gadgets the techies in your school’ve crammed into that suit of yours. That’s for you, them, and your teachers to work out. What I can teach you though, is what you can do with the other side of that Quirk of yours. You’ve got strength, and you’ve got the stamina to keep that strength going way longer than anyone bigger or stronger than you’s going to be standing. But it doesn’t mean a thing if they can knock you flat because you didn’t want to dodge. We’ll work on that tomorrow, though. I’ll have someone else show you around the place, get you familiar with it before you get settled in. I might be the one training you this time, but you’re not the only one interning here, and someone has to make sure they’re worth keeping around.”
Yuuto stood up and stretched, before tossing his bottle haphazardly towards a bin nearby. Hyousuke, still somewhat dazed by what had happened - and unsure how he was supposed to respond, if at all - took a moment to gather himself, before blinking once and rising slowly to his feet. Even with the armour, that fight had left him sore - both physically and mentally. It’d been hard to hear those words. He knew that they were true, but Hyousuke still trembled with anger at someone speaking to him like that, and ripping into his fighting style without even hesitating after they’d beaten him like that.
And yet, despite that, hope still lingered somewhere deep in him. After that disastrous display at the Sports Festival, and more than one person lecturing him as a result, even someone as stubborn as him had to relent and start learning, and where better for that than with a pro that saw potential in him? Apprehensive, but hesitantly optimistic, he stumbled away from the gym, determined to make the most of his time with the Bloodhounds.
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