[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... It felt great to be at a hundred percent again. Her (near) death experience set her training back immensely, and she had to undergo the worst thing imaginable to a workaholic like herself; pacing herself. Her sets had been slashed, her endurance tanked, and in a lot of ways she had to start all over again. But after a good old round of hard work, she was back at it. The evening sun beat down on her as she swung her fists at an invisible opponent. Right, then left, duck, hard right elbow, a small explosion of anger to create a small hammer in the left that she'd swing to smash into the right side before following it up with a right uppercut. She gulped down air as sweat poured off her brow, nodding as she came to her full height and stretched out. Yeah...this is it. She'd turn to the bench that was not far away, intending to rehydrate and figure out what the next goal was. All things considered, she wasn't as fast as she'd like to be, and so she'd have to work to at the very least keep up with her perception... Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

Prior to entering UAU, Noa had managed to take note of all the times that her old school training grounds would be free and she could practice on her lonesome undisturbed. Now that she was in a new place, it was back to the drawing board. After school hours were always a good bet to check and see if the grounds were empty. Today though seemed to be a bust as when she arrived, someone else was already there hard at work.

Still, it wasn't like there was a whole crowd or anything. This school being as prestigious as it was, she probably would have been more disappointed if she didn't find anyone training at this time. So this was a net positive in her overall opinion of the university. There was more than enough space for two people so no problems there.

She set down her things on one of the benches on the opposite side of the field where the other student was. After doing some stretches, the first activity on her agenda was to warm up with a jog. Four or five laps around the field should do and then she could get started on her own practice.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun would take another deep breath in, the sweet Spring air filling her nostrils as she looked up at the sky. Hm. My sets are back, but can I sprint at max yet? I don't think I've tried it... She'd set her water bottle down once she finished with it, rolling her neck as she racked her brain for her last time. The field is a fifth of a mile, and my last record was about ninety seconds. Let's set a timer on my phone for a hundred seconds, and race it. Pulling it out of her bag, she'd unlock it and make the settings, setting it on the edge of the bench and perch herself in such a way where she wouldn't lose any time once she hit the button. And once she did... She was off like a rocket. While Jun wasn't averse to more long-distance running, she preferred to focus on bursts as they'd compliment her style more. She'd have to figure out a way to overcome that weakness in the field, but for now she'd focus on the bursts. And boy, was she right about her lack of focus on this. A stitch began to form in her side on the first leg, and her lungs had forgotten the pattern she taught them back when she first started all this. How long was it already? Fifteen seconds, maybe? She just had to keep it up- A shadow caught her attention. There was someone else out here?! Why didn't her trope senses give her any warning! Shouldn't she have seen them? They were right in the path, she just had to veer off course just enough to avoid the collision. "Sorry,I'mracingaclockdon'tbeoffended!" she'd say with increasing volume loss as she continued the course, sprinting all the way as far as she could go. Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

She was going at a good pace when she noticed the other student made their way to the end of the field opposite her and take up a sprinting stance. Did they not see Noa was there heading that way? It was easy enough to guess what was about to happen. The other student started their breakneck run but Noa was ready for them.

Was this some form of intimidation? While she kept to her course and at the same time the other student looked like they had no intention of avoiding a collision, at least until the last moment when they managed to swerve just enough to avoid the girl. Not that Noa herself felt she was in any danger. She was actually testing herself too in terms of how well she could react. She took a step to the side at the same time that the other person veered off their course. Their reaction times weren't too far apart.

Noa continued her jog without looking back at what happened to the one who ran past her. She just barely made out their words of a quick apology followed by an explanation about racing. In other words, it was nothing to get too worked up about. Motivation was good and it was not her place to criticize someone else's training. It was an honest mistake.

As she rounded the first corner of the field, she doubled the pace of her jog. This would be the speed she would keep it at until the end of her course. In the meantime she got a good view of what else the other student was up to. She didn't really make a habit of paying attention to other people's quirk training. But here in UAU, she might have to get used to doing so.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun would have breathed a sigh of relief had that not been a waste of precious air that her body was struggling to get right now. All things considered, it was something she could account for now; she wasn't aware that another person was out here. It had to have been something that had happened within the past few minutes, which shouldn't be surprising. The fields were open to all and it just meant she had to be more careful about throwing around her quirk. She'd lay into the gas as she did everything in her power to try and beat the timer. She grit her teeth, huffing in a breath every second as she pushed herself. She'd cross paths with Noa again, but this time there was a much smoother transition as she passed her, ensuring that they wouldn't run into one another. Just a little longer...the bench was now in view, she'd just have to skid to a stop and press the button... Only once she started to reach for her phone the timer went off. "URRRGHAH!" She smacked her finger against the "Clear" button, turning to walk the way she just came from as she put her hands over her head, taking in a deep breath through her nose to begin resetting her system. Over ten seconds too slow. It's not off by much, but maybe I'm not as up to speed as I thought I was. She shook her head, clearly frustrated. It was something she could, within a week or two, rectify, but it showed her just how much she had fallen behind. She was going to sock it to Kaida's brother one good time once they found him. The other girl's appearance came back in mind as she started to hear footsteps behind her, and looking back she came back to reality. Should probably introduce myself and all that. Get a feel where she might be so I don't accidentally hurt her... And once Noa came by to lap her Jun pushed off in order to match her pace, waving. "Hey! Sorry about early, trying to get back into shape. I'm Jun!" Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

She was on her second lap around the field when the other student finally decided to come over and properly say hello. The taller girl introduce herself as Jun. Honestly, the name didn't ring a bell. She wondered they were from a different department. She was fairly new to the school so she didn't recognize many people yet. As far as she could recall, Jun wasn't in the same class as her.

"No harm done. More importantly are you okay? Not in a good condition today maybe?"

She didn't want to assume, but typically people weren't at their best when they made potentially serious mistakes. Well the girl did say she was trying to get back into shape. At first glance, it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with the other student. Was it a mental issue perhaps?

"I'm Noa by the way, 1st year in the Heroes Department. But I just transferred in recently. Nice to meet you Jun."

She put on her most business-like smile. The company wasn't unwelcome. Maybe she could learn something new from Jun too. There was still a lot of things she didn't know. Learning while training would be a productive use of her time. In the meantime, she was nearing her third lap. Just a bit more and she would be done with her warm up.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... The girl was unfamiliar to Jun, so this was either going to be a good opportunity or it was going to blow up in her face. There was almost no in between when it came to meeting new people. Was possible the latter might happen just because of the state she was in. The jog was pushing Jun just a little more than what she was accustomed to doing when it came to running, but she could at the very least keep pace with Noa. "First year, huh? Guess we might end up in a few exercises together, then," she says, trying her best to keep her breathing steady. "I'm a second year hero student. Nice to meet you!" She decided not to go into further detail about being out of shape. All things considering, she had gotten herself out of the hole that she dug, and the sky was now the limit. It was all improvements from here. "I'm uh, gonna start up on my next round of exercises, but I wanted to introduce myself so I didn't look weird or something. Let me know if you need anything!" Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

So the other girl was an upperclassman. She couldn't help but notice that Jun avoided saying anything about how she was doing and feeling. Maybe she was embarrassed to show weakness to a first year. Not that Noa would have minded. Still being a second year meant the girl ought to know things Noa didn't and it was worth paying attention to her training.

"Do you mind if I watch for bit? I'm a little curious about what a senpai can do. No pressure though."

She would finish her laps and then afterward stop to do some stretching while watching Jun's exercises. Well, going by what little she saw earlier, the two of them probably had very different Quirks. This was likely going to be more for reference than any practical application on her part. Her other reason for wanting to observe was finding a point of comparison on where she stood against upper year students.

She would do her stretches and isometric exercises while Jun did her thing, that way she wouldn't waste her warmup. She had scouted the training area earlier while she was doing her laps and it seems like it had everything she needed. She could spare a moment for learning, especially if the subject was an upperclassman.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Jun found it weird that someone would ask to watch her train, but she also didn't want to come off as rude. "Uh, sure! I don't mind!" As awkward as it was, maybe something good could from it? She didn't know what, but...well, it was whatever. It didn't matter in the end because end of the day she'd be getting back in the groove. Taking a moment to collect her breath and stretch out some, she ran through the list of things she could do. Speed was something she was lacking a little, but she didn't have a dummy out here to work with. It'd probably just do her some good to run through her standard defense drills and see how quickly she could run through them, and run through them right. Taking up a boxers stance, she began to a series of punches at an invisible opponent with the intent of keeping them at bay, something to force them back while also opening the gap between herself and them. Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

It would be a lie for her to say that she wasn't even a little bit jealous. To her untrained eye, Jun looked like a fairly impressive and learned martial arts practitioner. Because she figured that the fastest way to get stronger was to build on her strengths, learning and practicing martial arts was something she didn't really devote much time to. She planned to change that now that she was in UA. But at the moment, Noa's knowledge and experience amounted to nothing but basic self-defense. Like the most basic of basics. If by some reason she couldn't make use of her Quirk to protect herself, her next best option was to run away.

"What martial arts school is that senpai? And how long have you been a practitioner?"

Noa didn't have zero knowledge on fighting styles though and she could probably tell if something was karate, boxing, or some other well known sport. But this one she couldn't quite pin down. Her best guess was that it was a mix. Maybe it was even adjusted to work alongside the upperclassman's Quirk. She has seen some heroes combine Quirks with martial arts.

"I guess I'm a little envious cause I never trained to learn one seriously before."

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... "...Wha?" She looked back at Noa, blinking. "School? You mean the style?" There was a pause as she looked at her hand, then back at Noa. "It's uh. Not really one school? I dunno, I'm mostly self-taught. I'm not physically imposing, so I have to rely more on my quirk to do more of the heavy lifting for me. Everything I've pieced together is to help against grappling and to keep some level of distance between myself and an opponent." Jun turned to face Noa more on, shifting a little. "I uh. I can try to show you a few things if you want?" It wouldn't be a bad idea. Noa wasn't that much shorter than Jun, but she had a similar build. Maybe just a tad more fit, but then again the effort she had to put into concentration put her on par with one of those combat mages in video games or something like that. "The general idea is to not get grappled. Unless you're built like a truck it's not a good idea to get grabbed as those kinds of things result in contests of strength, something that you want to avoid. Er, people like you or me..." Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

Noa was very surprised to hear that Jun was self-taught. It wasn't impossible, but what kind of environment did the older girl grow up in that she needed to teach herself how to fight? Furthermore, the girl learned martial arts to deal with situations where she and her Quirk would be at a disadvantage. It was definitely a proactive way of going about it and trying to make up for weaknesses.

"You'll show me? I don't really want to disturb your training. But if it's not a bother then sure I would appreciate seeing a demonstration."

In all honesty, a lot of things Noa knew about fighting were theoretical. Actual experience was a different beast altogether. So when Jun talked about being grabbed as a bad thing, she only partially agreed. While it would not be an ideal situation, it was far from a hopeless one that she could not overcome in her mind. Perhaps a practical lesson will help broaden her view.

"Do you need me to do anything? Like pretend to attack you?"

Noa would wait for further instructions. While she didn't have proper training, she was fairly confident in her athletic skill and movement. She was honing her body too after all, besides her Quirk.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... "I don't mind. I'm reaching my old peak, and any extra work today might trigger the monitor I have for the nurses office. While I constantly teeter on the edge, if I can stave off a forced visit then everything will work out!" It was a little disturbing, but to Jun it was just another Tuesday. With how hard she was accustomed to pushing herself, she'd more than likely end up back in the office sooner or later. She turned to better face Noa, giving her a smile. "You can if you want! Let's take it a little slow, go through the motions, and I'll explain every step of the way what all we're going to be doing. You can either attempt a grapple, swing a punch or a kick or anything. It doesn't matter too much!" Despite her inherent desire to avoid any and all physical contact with people, she was sure she'd be able to keep her anxiety down enough to explain things coherently. At least, in theory. Arataki Noa

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[Arataki Noa]

For someone who tends to do things by herself, this was a rare opportunity for a spar. Well, not exactly but it was pretty close. It was a chance to learn something from a more experienced upperclassman

She wasn't sure about what Jun meant by having a monitor for the nurse's office. At least Noa had no intention to push anyone too much. This was only a demonstration after all. It was a strange thing to say before eventually mentioning that it was no problem at all. Jun knew best what her body can take so Noa would just play along.

"I'd like to think of myself as a Quirk specialist so walking up to someone to hit them is not really something I do on a regular basis. The grapples I know are for self-defense when someone else tries to grab me. I guess I can try at least."

Noa walked over with her arms stretched in front of her and tried to grab Jun by her upper arms. It was a very telegraphed movement without much force put into it so that the older girl can easily demonstrate what she would do in such a situation. To the other student, she probably looked very non-threatening.

junsuina

[junsuina]

[attr="class","bmsk"] in blackest night... Noa did an amazing job looking non-threatening. So much so that she had to stifle a snicker. Though what happened next did something she didn't think about, and ended up sending her brain into full panic mode. Noa touched her. Jun's body reacted by stiffening up, and she would start to shake. This was something she didn't account for, and she really should have. The first second was spent processing; the next was a series of nods as she did her best to control her breathing. "Right, right, uh, so from this position. Someone's grabbed you. Someone's grabbed you. Uh, initial thing you gotta focus on is breaking the grab. On more equal footing you can push out like this," from the inside she'd bring her arms up and push out, forcing Noa's out as well in an effort to force her to let go, "and that's a decent way to break a grab. But uh, in the event your opponent is stronger than you this might not be feasible, so you need a way to at the very least let go of one arm. Hopefully left, as that would free your right. But uh, simply speaking you want to aim a few kicks down low." She put a leg up and mocked the action, tapping her foot against Noa's shin. "Ideally, you want to aim for the knees, forcing them out. That should open up their posture and allow you to break free and gain distance. Especially if you're also a quirk specialist." Arataki Noa

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