[Iphigenia Pavlina]

[attr="class","foreign"]

[attr="class","dust"]

[attr="class","gold"]Sadako Gotoh Shirayuki Mai Arataki Noa Takeo Hoga Elijah

[attr="class","gold"]words

[attr="class","gold"]notes

ulla

[attr="class","sun"]A Foreign Sun *

I never thought I'd see

"A Martial Arts training program?" Iphi held the phone up to her ear. Both she and Sadako were in the middle of doing paperwork at Ouros, which, of course, Iphi had to force Sadako to sit down and do it. Part way through the discussion, she would put her phone down once Mai had hung up and call out for Sadako, "Hey, consider yourself lucky! That was Mai; she hoped we could help out with a group of students who want martial arts training." Once Sadako was fully paying attention, she added, "These students were involved in The Elementalist incident on the front lines. No better person than our guidance counselor to be involved." with a smile, she pushed herself away from her desk to get her jacket and car keys.


Upon their arrival, they would go to the training grounds where Mai had said they would meet. With no students arriving yet, Iphi figured it would be an excellent opportunity to catch up with their junior before they jump into the lesson assuming she wasn't already waiting on them. "So I checked the profiles of the kids involved. Elijah Hawthorne, Takeo Hoga, and Arataki Noa. All freshmen have nothing listed on their physical profile for formal martial arts training. How do you think we should handle this, Sada?"

[newclass=.gold]background-color:#fff;padding:2px;border-left:#9463c9 10px solid;font-family:century gothic;font-size:10px;color:#693a9b;width:120px;margin-top:10px;opacity:0;transition: 1s all;text-align:left;[/newclass]
[newclass=.dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .gold]opacity:1;transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar]background-color:#fff;width:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#666;width:1px;[/newclass]
[googlefont=La Belle Aurore]

[Shirayuki Mai]

"Thank you for joining me and my apologies for calling on such short notice." Mai said in greeting, accompanying the words with a courteous nod. "I'm glad to see you two again, Iphigenia, Sadako. It's been too long." 

They were punctual as always, something Mai could greatly appreciate. For while she was much less strict in private she demanded utmost discipline and effort when it came to her students. Anything less would be an insult to both her and to themselves. It would however be very hard to uphold such a thing if her fellow teachers did not act with similar decorum so she was most grateful to be blessed with such fine colleagues. Participating in a bit of small talk to kill time and inquire as to how Iphigenia and Sadako are doing Mai eventually redirected the conversation to the lesson ahead.

"Given that the students in question have recently gained combat experience I am of the opinion that a mix of instruction and sparring may be best. Especially since the experience may have left them with..." She didn't want to say trauma. "...incorrect ideas on how to best apply their skills. It is for this reason I requested the assistance of both of you."

Mai explained succinctly before freezing in place for half a second. Did she come off as being too strong-willed? It wouldn't do for her to look bullish or pushy in front of her seniors. Clearing her throat to hide the subtle heat she felt in her cheeks she continued speaking.

"O-of course if you know of better methods I am more than listening. The base lesson plan I set up for this class is..."

---

After hashing things out with her coworkers it hadn't taken long for their three students to arrive. She stood before them with her arms crossed behind her and her back straight, little expression showing on her face as she looked them up and down before taking a deep breath.

"Hawthorne Elijah. Hoga Takeo. Arataki Noa." She said before pausing for a moment to allow the silence to draw their attention. "You have gained something valuable on your path to become a hero that few your age have. Actual combat experience. Not to mention at quite a large scale. However, it has not come without a cost."

Both to themselves and to others. Mai had seen firsthand the devastation caused and while she hadn't been in the right place to assist with fending off the main offenders she'd more than had her hands full just dealing with the effects. Another deep breath allowed her to channel out the frustration regarding her own inadequacy and refocus on what mattered.

"Do not be overconfident because you overcame this challenge. A moment's carelessness can have dire consequences. But do not let yourself be cowed by what you have seen either. It is rare that something of this scale takes place and you were unprepared for it. Should something like this ever happen again you will not be. That is why you are here today. To work towards a better tomorrow."

Taking a moment to look each of them in the eye she let her words set in before giving an approving nod.

"Well then. Without further ado, let us begin."


------

Tags: Iphigenia Pavlina  Sadako Gotoh  Arataki Noa  Takeo Hoga  Elijah

[Sadako Gotoh]

Sadako was nose deep in paperwork, tired eyes trying to stay on the lines of the paper, only occasionally looking up to look over at Iphi, or take a sip of her energy drink. When she noticed that her colleague and best friend was on the phone, Sadako gingerly reached for her own to text Felix. To the point that when Iphi called out to her, she let out a small yelp and almost dropped it. ''Huh? Yeah??'' She laughed nervously, ''saved by UAU once again!'' She held up a triumphant, but tired fist. ''You flatter me!'' She grinned, putting little personal marks on her paperwork so she knew where she needed to pick up next time she sat down for it. ''Wait.. Like, now now?'' She stood up, grabbing her phone and energy drink with one hand each while she turned to grab her jacket with her teeth. ''Phh ffm ffh fn!'' With some effort she threw the jacket over her arm. ''Did you say martial arts? I'm subpar at fighting at best!''

When they had arrived, Sadako was using her phone as a mirror to check her eyes and make sure there was nothing between her teeth. Only once Iphigenia and Mai first addressed her did she look up. ''Hm? All freshmen?'' That was rather depressing. They were barely getting started on their hero journey and they had already been through a special kind of hell most didn't experience until much later in their career. ''I-I'm glad to see you too! Thank you for calling us!'' She bowed her head politely. ''I see.'' She put a hand up to her chin as she listened to Mai. ''I agree with your assessment. It's important we handle this training scenario with care. I wasn't there when the elements went haywire, so there's no telling what kind of things they have seen, or suffered. Iphi?'' She looked up at Iphigenia for some final thoughts.

Once the students did arrive, Sadako stood in complete contrast to Mai, offering them a friendly, casual wave and a warm smile, almost like they were some kind of good cop, bad cop. Except none of them were actually bad of course, they were all here to help the students after all! She let Mai speak first, Iphigenia too if she had anything she wanted to add. Right near the end, Sadako stepped forward with three sets of papers. ''Buuut, before we start throwing punches-'' She handed one student a paper each, accompanied with a pen. ''I'd like to get a quick assessment of your well-being. Hi by the way! I'm Sadako Gotoh, the school's guidance counselor. I'm not one of your regular teachers, so that's why you might not recognize me.'' She smiled. Anyone who had been to an appointment with Sadako would know that this was standard procedure. Normally she wouldn't do it right before martial arts training, but these were special circumstances.

The papers themselves all had the same questions lined up for the students:

''1. How are you feeling about the school?''

''2. How are you feeling socially? (with regards to friends, family etc.)''

''3. How are you generally feeling?''

Under each question there was a line that acted as a spectrum of well-being. Setting an X far to the left meant they weren't feeling great, whilst an X far to the right meant they felt great. Once they were done she happily took the papers and stashed them away. ''Right then! Any questions?''

Iphigenia Pavlina
Shirayuki Mai
Elijah
Takeo Hoga
Arataki Noa

[Takeo Hoga]

[attr="class","shinigami"]

Holding on tight

Martial arts was something Takeo had written off a long time ago.

Given the nature of his quirk, any protein and nutrients his body obtained went mostly towards developing his unique brain. At least, that’s the way his doctor had explained it to him and his parents when he was very young. What that meant in practice was that his muscles never really developed like a normal person’s, no matter how well he ate or how much he worked out. Sports and close quarters combat were things he literally could not improve at beyond a certain point. After all, technique could only go so far.

Martial arts relied more heavily on technique than most other forms of physical activity, but there was still a point where it became pointless to practice them. Still, when he’d first found out about this opportunity, he’d noticed that Judo was one of the options offered.

Judo was something that relied on an opponent’s momentum. That was something he could make use of, given enough time and practice.

After his experience with the purple man, he’d take any advantage he could get.

—--

Arriving at the back of the school, Takeo saw the three older women who were going to be teaching them. Heroes, presumably, but he wasn’t up to snuff on his knowledge of the locals. Other than the most famous names, they all blurred together for him. Something that would certainly change once he’d spent more time at UAU.

In fact, considering all the students and teachers he’d met so far, Takeo had almost wondered if he’d accidentally transferred to an all-girls school. If it weren’t for the UAU initials and emblem plastered all over the grounds, as well as the other guy who’d showed up to this class today, it would’ve been an entirely plausible theory.

His hand clenched into a fist at the smallest hero’s words.

There was a certain level of anger he held with himself. He’d nearly let his fear get the best of him when the chips were on the counter. If he’d slipped and been unable to use his quirk…how many more people would’ve gotten hurt? Would he have even survived?

Indeed, he had no intention of being cowed. He couldn’t let doubt and insecurity take over- those were fatal on the battlefield.

”Understood, ma’am.” The young man spoke with a cool tone. Outwardly, he appeared calm. Breathing techniques and mental exercises helped him exhibit a collected demeanor, which was necessary for manifesting and controlling his quirk.

Even if he still had fear and doubt deep inside.

Before they began, however, one of the other instructors spoke up- clarifying that she was the student counselor and had a form for them to fill out.

A sigh escaped Takeo’s lips before he could stop himself. He assumed there would be a caveat like this, considering that this class was specifically tailored for students who had encountered what were now being referred to as ‘the Elementals’. It was an appreciated, and likely legally required, endeavor- but he couldn’t help but feel coddled. As if he wasn’t trusted to handle his own shit.

Still, none of that was Ms. Gotoh’s fault. Takeo offered no complaint as he took the form and looked it over.

1. How are you feeling about the school?

It was hard to answer since he’d hardly been here a week or so. He was meant to mark an opinion he didn’t have on a spectrum from left to right. A bit odd, but he supposed he might as well ease their worries and give them a positive rating. He placed his mark close to the end of the right side.

--------x--

2. How are you feeling socially?

Again, he hadn’t been here long- but Takeo had always struggled a little socially. He’d never been entirely antisocial, but he didn’t have any deep or intimate relationships either- only small groups of casual friends growing up. He hadn’t really interacted with any of the other students at UAU since his arrival either- other than his roommate, anyway.

---x-------

3. How are you generally feeling?

Takeo squinted his eyes, unsure how to untangle the complicated, multi-faceted nature of his emotions into a simple ‘good’ or ‘bad’ spectrum. His eyes met Sadako’s for a moment- his confusion written on his face. Clearly they were expected to mark something down, so he guessed the middle of the road would suffice. No reason to overthink something like this.

-----x-----

Once he’d finished marking the sheet and returned it to Ms. Gotoh, he’d look to the shorter woman who’d spoken up first.

“Excuse me, Ms…” His voice would trail off, searching for an answer from the hero before continuing. ”I’m only interested in learning about Judo. Is that alright?”

The question was awkward and to the point, but he’d rather come off as a little annoying or direct than waste time learning something he couldn’t use.

@tagsomeonehere

tag

[attr="class","mizocredit"]

MADE BY MIZO

[newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] [newclass=.shinigami]width:540px;padding:35px; border:1px solid #e1e1e1; background: #e1f79d; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(-45deg, #343c52 0%, #6f667b 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-45deg, #343c52 0%,#6f667b 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(120deg, #343c52 20%,#6f667b 80%)[/newclass]

TL;DR

- Takeo muses that almost everyone he's met at UAU has been a woman except for his roommate and Elijah

- Notes that his quirk makes learning or trying to improve at most physical activities a waste of time, though Judo has potential

- Wants any advantage he can get after his experience with the Elementals

- Takes the form Sadako hands out and marks the answers to the best of his ability (Says he's happy with the school though he has no opinion, marks that he's not doing the best socially, and puts his emotions at the middle of the road since he can't think of a better way to express them with the metric given)

- Bluntly asks if it's okay for him to just focus on learning Judo

[Elijah]

Elijah signed up not to learn something wholly new, but to better the skills he already possessed.

He knew how to fight. Time and again he showcased this fact due to his refusal to use his Quirk under any circumstances. In a place full of powerhouses, he had to rely on observation and instinct just to stay on par with his peers. Enough wrong moves and he would most likely be transferred to General if he wasn't removed from the university altogether. Yet, even with this, he was outmatched when the monster erupted from the ground on Nerima. All he could do was push mini versions of it towards bombs a supposed civilian was planting to aid them.

Elijah lacked the strength his classmates possessed. He never denied this fact. He couldn't carry a boulder to free civilians trapped underneath, or punch a 30 foot golem in the face. So he was in this session to look for more methods to turn that weakness into an advantage.

The freshman was in his PE uniform when he arrived, hands tucked in his pockets and his weapons left behind this time. There was little use bringing knives to a lesson on hand-to-hand combat. He eyed his peers silently as their instructor explained their reason for being here: they were survivors of a disaster looking to better prepare themselves for their next encounter. What he should've seen coming was the counsellor who joined her, handing out questionnaires for them to fill in response to the incident.

His eyes scanned over the words and he made a face. To put the complicated subject of human emotion into three questions you answer on a scale is... just about what he expected from a place of this size, really. He didn't blame her. She was one person in a sea of students, many of which have experienced a catastrophe they were ill-prepared to face yet were forced to because many more people would've died otherwise.

Elijah looked at the paper again. And all too quickly, he put an X straight down the middle for all three questions before handing the sheet back. May as well not add to the work she's going to get.

Once the other student's question was answered would he ask his own. "I'm assuming spars would take place? How would that work when there's an uneven number of us?" Something tells him each student will oppose a teacher given how there's one for each, but he may as well cover all his bases.

Arataki Noa Iphigenia Pavlina Shirayuki Mai Sadako Gotoh Takeo Hoga

[Arataki Noa]

Noa had been looking for a chance to upgrade her repertoire of skills ever since she entered UAU. When she saw that there was going to be a special class for martial arts lessons she almost immediately registered for it. The current her was rather ineffective in a fight if for any reason she could not use her Quirk. It wasn't just a matter of her Quirk being disabled. Realistically students weren't typically allowed to use their Quirks outside of emergencies. And there were plenty of conflicts and problems that wouldn't really count as emergencies.

She would be the last to arrive at the training grounds, dressed in the school tracksuit. Two other students were there ahead of her, both off whom she had not interacted with before but she had glimpsed in passing while taking classes. She didn't know their names either, but when you were in the same department you tended to see people attending similar lessons. Three teachers were present too. Now these faces she didn't recognize. Either they taught in different departments or they weren't part of the regular staff. But it was obvious enough to tell they were overseeing this exercise.

It seemed there was no need for introductions as one of the teachers named everyone present. Curiously it would also be mentioned that every student present had recently experienced actual combat. This was probably referring to that big incident in the city not long ago. From what she read about the aftermath of the event, there were multiple attacks in different parts of Tokyo. The other two must have been fighting their own battles elsewhere from her location then.

The third woman present introduced themselves as the guidance counselor and distributed a paper with some simple questions on how they were feeling at the moment. Noa appreciated this. Everyone had gone through a heavy ordeal and mental care was important. Still she wasn't about to let people worry about her needlessly. Without even a second thought she marked with an X to the far right for all the questions. She was feeling great and she was not in the mood to ponder more deeply than that.

When asked if they had any questions, the other two boys raised their concerns. Noa herself didn't have any preferences on what martial arts to learn and felt she should leave it up to the pros. Well, maybe it would be nice to learn moves that worked well with her Quirk, but the teachers here should already know that. This was a rare occasion when she would rely on the expertise of someone else.

"No questions from me Sensei."

Iphigenia Pavlina

[Iphigenia Pavlina]

[attr="class","foreign"]

[attr="class","dust"]

[attr="class","gold"]Sadako Gotoh Shirayuki Mai Arataki Noa Takeo Hoga Elijah

[attr="class","gold"]words

[attr="class","gold"]notes

ulla

[attr="class","sun"]A Foreign Sun *

I never thought I'd see

"Unfortunately I was only part of the evacuation forces so I wasn't able to support any students directly. Besides, I had a few with me that I needed to protect. I'm sure Rin told you about it." Iphi had made a report on this as The Rumbling Golem caused major earthquakes, so she was busy with the rest of the group evacuating people from their homes and businesses. At this point, Mai would show up and share her thoughts, making an active effort to be considerate of how she labeled the students' experience: "They were thrown into a potentially traumatic situation. I believe your assessment is entirely correct, Mai-chan. It really is unfortunate that we're meeting under these circumstances as it has indeed been entirely too long." she would give Mai a slight smile, happy to see that her and Sadako's junior was doing well for herself. Given her performance back in the days when they all attended UAU, it was not surprising in the least that she became a Martial Arts teacher. "With Sada emphasizing her quirk with a touch of martial arts and martial arts being what I rely on as I am functionally "quirkless" I think that the three of us are in a good place." She didn't have much else to add. Sadako was the best resource to understand how this event affected the freshmen.

Once the students arrived, Iphi stood in support of both her colleagues, finding both of their speeches rather compelling in their own way. "Well said." She decided to take an approach that the others would know was her specialty, information. "Takeo Hoga. Your quirk relies on an application of psychokinetics. Judo seems like an odd choice all things considered. Would you care to share your reasoning?" Ultimately she knew what his quirk could do from his file and from watching him during the entrance exam; she didn't want to put him in a position where he felt that he needed to disclose more than he was comfortable with.

"Elijah Hawthorne." she turned to him. "You prefer not to use your quirk in combat." she knew what it was but there was a reason he didn't use it, whatever that may be. "Working on hand-to-hand combat instead of relying on weaponry would be a good way to round out your skillset." daggers were effective but weren't practical regarding takedowns that required restraint.

"Noa Arataki." Lastly was the newest member. "Your quirk is highly versatile despite the required conditions." She referred to her need for an existing water source. "I would recommend Tai Chi. It involves breathing techniques and redirecting strikes. Flowing like water in a way." She smiled at her before taking a few paces back and giving an affirming nod to Sadako. They had discussed a demonstration on the way over, so Iphi took a defensive stance. When Sadako's chains came at her, Iphi weaved between them, taking a sharp inhale before she struck out with both hands to misdirect the incoming chains, striking at the center point to maximize her force by using their momentum against them. When all was said and done, she would relax, exhaling deeply. "Like so! I will leave this next bit to Mai as she has a much higher aptitude for Martial Arts than either of us."

[newclass=.gold]background-color:#fff;padding:2px;border-left:#9463c9 10px solid;font-family:century gothic;font-size:10px;color:#693a9b;width:120px;margin-top:10px;opacity:0;transition: 1s all;text-align:left;[/newclass]
[newclass=.dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .gold]opacity:1;transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar]background-color:#fff;width:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#666;width:1px;[/newclass]
[googlefont=La Belle Aurore]

[Shirayuki Mai]

Mai waited patiently while her colleague passed out the papers and the students filled them out. She took the time to both think about what to say next and see if any of the students reacted strongly to the contents of the papers. Finding them surprisingly blase about the dangers they recently had to deal with she reminded herself to keep a close eye on their mental state. Unless they were much more experienced than their profiles said there was bound to be some effect that they themselves had perhaps not recognized.

“Excuse me, Ms…”

"Shirayuki Mai. For the duration of this class however you may refer to me as Yuki Onna."

”I’m only interested in learning about Judo. Is that alright?”

"It is good to have already have an idea of which martial art you intend to pursue." Mai nodded. "It is certainly possible and should your choice remain the same by the end of this lesson I will work out a lesson plan for you. We are aware of your quirk and will make sure any suggestion we make can assist in its usage and function under its restraints. For now, should you be willing, I would like to advise you to keep an open mind."

"Takeo Hoga. Your quirk relies on an application of psychokinetics. Judo seems like an odd choice all things considered. Would you care to share your reasoning?"

Making sure to pay attention to his reply she turned to face the next student that had a question.

"I'm assuming spars would take place? How would that work when there's an uneven number of us?"

"Since today is more akin to orientation and guidance to assist you in finding your own path each student will be paired with a teacher at the start to aid you in finding a method you can see yourself using in the future. In addition we will be rotating partners to ensure each of you gets as many different perspectives as possible to use as a base to make your own decision. Always remember that the final decision will be yours to make. You are on the road to becoming a Pro Hero, the future shall be in your hands."

Acknowledging Noa's words with another nod Shirayuki waits for conversations to die down before loudly clapping her hands.

"Alright everyone. Let's see about getting the basics down before we move on to the practical portion. You may already be aware of everything I am about to say. That is alright, more than alright even. This is simply to ensure we are all operating with the same information so that there will be no misunderstandings."

With her arms crossed behind her she began to pace back and forth in front of the students, occasionally using arm movements to emphasize a point before placing them back once more.

"While each martial art is different there are a few core concepts shared by all of them. Or at the very least this was the case until the advent of quirks but I digress. Let us not add confusion into the mix by getting too specific right at the start." She shook her head and waved her hand as if to dissipate her words into the air before continuing. "There is a single part that every single martial art has in common and uses as its base. It is the key and most important part of being able to properly apply your strength. Does anyone here have an idea of what this might be?"

She looked each student in the eye once by one, paying utmost attention to their answers should they decide to give any before she continued.

"Indeed, the most important part of any martial art is footwork. Footwork is what allows one to leverage their force and the better one's footwork is the more efficient they can be. While certain quirks such as levitation of flight have added some caveats to this the idea remains the same. Usage of one's environment to supplement the body's natural abilities."

The most important part of her explanation finished Mai came to a halt in the middle once more, turned ninety degrees to face the students and remained silent for a while to let her point to sink in and to allow her colleagues to chime in should they want to. 

"Are there any further questions before we pair up and begin the practical part of the lesson?"

While everyone's input might change things Shirayuki Mai had a rough idea of what pairings seemed best to start off with. Iphigenia's seemed to have an idea of what path would be best for Noa so allowing her to guide the girl through the initial steps seemed like their best bet. Elijah already had a fairly good grasp of close quarters combat and would likely benefit most from starting off with an opponent like Sadako that also uses weapons as part of her combat style. For Takeo she would step in herself. As the heir to a dojo with centuries of history to its name she was no stranger to Judo nor similar arts such as JuJutsu or Aikido and could allow him to get a taste of to make a decision.

---

TL;DR: 

- Mai answers the students' questions explaining Takeo can certainly learn Judo but advises him to try out some other MA's as well and explains that every student will be paired with a teacher, rotating to each of them in turn.

- Explains some martial arts basics emphasizing that footwork is key and asks if there are any further questions.

-Suggested pairings unless anyone wants something different: Iphigenia and Noa, Sadako and Elijah, Mai and Takeo.

------

Tags: Iphigenia Pavlina Sadako Gotoh Takeo Hoga Elijah Arataki Noa

[Sadako Gotoh]

''Somewhat.'' There was a hint of melancholy to her tone. ''Speaking about that kind of stuff doesn't come easily to her.'' Rin was a sensitive soul and there was nothing wrong with that, but she knew she couldn't make her talk. Rin had to come to her of her own accord.

Once the students arrived and she had said her piece and collected the papers, she was more than happy to let her colleagues run the show. Takeo, Elijah and Noa. Three of the students who had seen hell crawl into their life that day. For some students experiences like that was enough to make them quit on the spot, but they were still here, working hard. Looking over at Iphi, Sadako knew exactly what the nod meant as she got into position. Assuming an offensive stance, she raised her arms and began conjuring two chains from either of her palms, swinging them around for a couple of seconds to build up momentum before flinging them at Iphi, who deflected them deftly. Afterwards, Sadako let her chains dissipate before they could hit the floor. She couldn't help but grin at her colleagues, before resuming her neutral posture and facing the students.

She couldn't help but be a little excited to be here today! Sadako wasn't usually a teacher, at most she might substitute for a written class if one of the regulars was sick, but she was rarely part of the practical classes like this. ''If at any point you need a break,'' she placed her hand on top of her own head. ''Put your hand on your head like this.'' She smiled warmly. ''We have plenty of water and some light snacks available during the break, should any of you need it.''

Iphigenia Pavlina
Shirayuki Mai
Takeo Hoga
Elijah
Arataki Noa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TL;DR: Sadako helps Iphigenia with her demonstration and conjures up chains for Iphi to deflect. She instructs the students that if the training becomes too much they can signal for a break, and reminds them that they have water and some light snacks on hand. She is very excited to be present for this martial arts class and it shows on her face!

[Takeo Hoga]

[attr="class","shinigami"]

Holding on tight

Yuki Onna and the other instructor both seemed interested in why he wanted to pursue Judo. The shorter of the two mentioned that they were aware of his quirk and willing to work around it, but it would still be better to just rip the band-aid off and explain his circumstances.

”My brain is different from a normal person’s. I have muscle-like fibers inside of it that I can use to manually control my neurons and synapses, which allows me to manifest a psionic hand. The downside is, it hogs all of my body’s resources. No matter how much protein I eat or how much I work out, I can’t build any muscle.”

In truth there was a theoretical limit where some of his body’s nutrients would go towards his muscles, but according to the doctor, it was such a large amount of protein that it would both be highly difficult to consume and too much for his kidneys to process, which meant it wasn’t really feasible.

To emphasize his point, he’d roll up one of his long sleeves, revealing a pale, bone-thin arm. His body looked emaciated- to the point where it concerned people or caused trouble if he dressed normally, hence why he typically opted to cover himself up.

Once everyone had gotten a chance to look, he’d pull his sleeve back down and continue. ”I just heard on TV that Judo uses an opponent’s momentum rather than your own strength. If there are other martial arts that follow that same principle, I’m open to learning them.”

Mercifully, the unwanted spotlight was ripped away from him by the other student’s question.

It seemed they were each getting paired up with a teacher. Presumably there would be some leeway given since the goal was to teach them martial arts, but the thought of practicing with a pro hero did lend a certain weight to the exercise. Typical Hero course classes usually pit the students against each other, or had several students teaming up against one instructor. Were they being taken more seriously because of their encounters with the Elementals?

He’d eye the other two students to gauge their reactions. They’d both been involved with the Elementals too, but neither of them had fought the purple man. A part of Takeo wondered how the villain he dealt with stacked against the ones they’d taken on.

Takeo shook the thought from his head. People had died during the chaos- there were more important things to focus on.

Once everyone’s questions had been sorted out, he walked up to Yuki Onna. It was strange- he had nearly half a foot on her, but the sheer aura pouring off her was enough for him to realize she was no joke. From the way she spoke and held herself to her stance, it was clear this was a trained professional. Someone who’d probably taken down many villains.

Maybe even killed people.

He stood there quietly, awaiting his instructions. He was fine with keeping an open mind- but he was curious if that meant she thought there was a better fit for him. Something he’d find out soon enough.

@tagsomeonehere

tag

[attr="class","mizocredit"]

MADE BY MIZO

[newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] [newclass=.shinigami]width:540px;padding:35px; border:1px solid #e1e1e1; background: #e1f79d; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(-45deg, #343c52 0%, #6f667b 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-45deg, #343c52 0%,#6f667b 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(120deg, #343c52 20%,#6f667b 80%)[/newclass]

TL;DR

- Takeo explains that his brain hogs his body's nutrients so he can't build muscle well. He asked about Judo because he heard on TV that it relies on an opponent's momentum rather than someone's own strength. Shows off his bone-thin arm.

- Feels grateful for Eli's question taking the spotlight off of him.

- Thinks about how typically Hero courses pit students against each other, or several students against an instructor. Wonders if maybe they're being taken more seriously because of their experiences.

- Eyes Noa and Eli, wondering about what their experiences with the Elementals were like.

- Walks over to Yuki Onna and gets the feeling that she's clearly on another level. Awaits further instructions from her.

[Elijah]

The UA staff was aware of what his Quirk was. Elijah had no way to hide this fact as the law required it to be accessible to institutions for medical purposes. The best he could do was not reveal it to his peers, even doing so much as to deem himself Quirkless to avoid further questioning. Unfortunately, not everyone in the faculty was conscious of his efforts.

He sighed. "I also preferred not to tell others I had one at all. Thank you for your discretion." All this was said with an impassive voice, but tone wasn't needed to show his sarcasm. Now his colleagues will probably speculate on what his Quirk could be, or try to be helpful by finding its applications in their situation. All wasted effort that could've been avoided.

He doesn't think about how it's the only reason he's still alive today as the area grew dark around him.

The vision faded away when he blinked and the place was as bright as always. Opting to just ignore it, Elijah continued on. "And incorrect. While being well-rounded is beneficial, I signed up because this session was created in response to recent events. I'm here to learn how to take down opponents without having to rely on explosives from an unknown party." He shrugged in an attempt to assuage the potential concern in his bomb-handling. "I didn't bring my daggers because I assumed no one here was as durable as the golem."

At hearing Takeo's mention of his shortcomings, Elijah turned his head to look at the arm before focusing his eyes on Recall again, tilting his head the other freshman's way. "I'm correct on at least one out of five." Straightening himself again, he turned to who seemed to be the main instructor of the course as she laid out the plans of the lesson. Which were standard fare really, but he could respect Yuki Onna for acknowledging that fact, even answering some of the prompts himself as he took from his existing knowledge in the arts. Awareness of one's position was essential in every style.

Her answer to his question was also not lost on him. They were to be paired off with an instructor after all, who will only show them the options that were available. It was more free-form than he thought. He had no reason to complain.

Elijah wasn't familiar with Gleipnir's hero work but her demonstration with Recall was enough to speak of her experience. With no questions of his own, they split off into their small groups, with him being overtly formal in his greeting with a bow, human hand flat against metal fist. She may be a counsellor in her day-to-day, but right now she was his teacher. "Sensei."

---

OOC: Elijah calls out Recall's assessment, saying he'd rather be thought to be Quirkless and he's there to learn how to take down durable targets. He sees Takeo's arm and refers to it when explaining why he doesn't have his knives on him. He experiences a flashback to the event during the conversation. After listening to Yuki Onna, they get split off into their pairings with him greeting Gleipnir with a bow. Right arm prosthetic is note-worthy.

Arataki Noa Iphigenia Pavlina Shirayuki Mai Sadako Gotoh Takeo Hoga

[Arataki Noa]

Noa could tell that there was some great care being taken in setting up this lesson. The three teachers seemed to have clear roles in who took charge of what, or at least they talked it over well enough before the class started. She had no complaints there and would move as instructed whenever she was addressed to do so. However unlike herself, her fellow students had their own baggage of concerns for participating and would voice them out. In a way it did make Noa question for a moment if she should have given this more thought. The teachers were very receptive to the questions and it almost seemed like they were willing to tailor-fit lessons according to everyone's needs.

She was not the type to pry unnecessarily into other people's business. In her opinion that kind of curiosity only led to stepping on people's toes more often than not. So when the discussion about their quirks and martial arts preferences and choices came up, she only made a mental note of things but didn't add more to it herself. The suggestion of Tai Chi was an interesting one and after seeing the demonstration, it definitely looked like it was worth trying out.

There was a question about what was the most important thing about martial arts. As someone who watched videos on this, it was something talked about a lot in a lot of disciplines and styles. She raised her hand.

"Footwork right? Positioning is important and having a solid stance to apply your strength is key."

She was glad to hear she was correct. All that theoretical knowledge was being put into good use. She would probably score the highest if they did a written pop quiz here.

Anyway soon it was time to finally pair up with their respective trainers. She walked over to the teacher who suggested Tai Chi before realizing she didn't actually get the teacher's name.

"Sorry Sensei, did you introduce yourself before I arrived? I don't think I caught your name and how you preferred to be addressed."

tl;dr: Doesn't show visible interest in her fellow students' personal matters and concerns. Answers Yuki Onna's question. Agrees with the suggested martial arts for Noa. Walks over to Iphigenia so they can start the lesson and asks for her name.

Iphigenia Pavlina

[Shirayuki Mai]

"No further questions? Excellent. Let us pair up then." Yuki Onna said with a nod. "Stranglehold, you're with me. Trailblazer, you're with Gleipnir. Finally, Waterfall, you're..."

Seeing everyone promptly heading for their assigned mentor before she even finished talking Mai trailed off. She supposed that there was no need to explain all three pairings, the third was obvious after all for lack of other options. Wait, was she being arrogant by assigning pairings without her seniors' input? She'd have to apologize for being so presumptuous later. For now she put the thought aside, there were lessons to take care of and the future of their students was far more important than her own missteps. Clearing her throat she looked Takeo in the eye and fell into her groove, years of experience taking over and giving her a far more intimidating presence than her 4'10" should.

"You are indeed correct that Judo employs an opponent's momentum against themselves and as you suspected, it is far from the only martial art to do so. Allow me to explain some of the core principles and differences with other arts."

With her arms still crossed behind her back she began to pace once more.

"First we must look to its origin. Judo, much like a great many martial arts, originates from Jujutsu or Jiu Jitsu as it is most commonly known these days. 'Ju' means 'gentle', 'yielding' or 'flexible' and all three are excellent ways to describe the art. As opposed to harsher styles such as Karate or Boxing that focus mainly on striking, Judo and Jujutsu focus on defense and reacting to one's opponent. Instead of employing one's own strength against the enemy one yields this to instead take advantage of the opponent's own momentum to disable them. The most important thing then is to adapt to what said opponent does, requiring a great degree of flexibility to be done successfully."

Making sure she hadn't lost Takeo halfway through her explanation she briefly looked him in the eye before nodding once more and continuing. 

"Jujutsu as the name would imply is the Jutsu or technique by which one can accomplish such a thing. Judo takes this one step further. Focusing as much on the philosophical as the practical the Do -or Dao as the Chinese refer to it- is the 'gentle way' or the 'flexible way'. While both are grappling arts at their core Judo focuses mainly on throwing techniques to be performed while standing whereas Jujutsu turns its attention mainly to subduing an opponent whilst down on the ground."

Stopping her back and forth pacing right in front of Takeo she concluded her explanation.

"Where you yourself belief it best to focus your efforts is not a decision I can make for you." She added with a shake of her head. "Either can be useful. Jujutsu is excellent for real combat whereas Judo can help you center your mind to approach battle with calmth and tranquility. Should you seek to specialize even further in using an opponent's momentum in a fight, Aikido is aimed at completely neutralizing it and employing joint locks to disable them."

Yuki Onna took two steps back getting a bit of distance from Takeo before raising her right hand to head height with the palm facing him and pointed at it with her other hand.

"As I'm sure you've understood by now, momentum and the generation or manipulation thereof is key to any martial arts. Nothing exists in a vacuum and all force is applied in relation to something else." She explained while closing her fingers into a fist. "As you can see here clenching my fist pulls on the muscles in my arm and should one of the ligaments in my wrist tear this motion would cause quite a bit of pain. Which brings us to the big question."

Taking a deep breath and letting her words set in for a moment she waited just long enough that the silence was beginning to stretch.

"Where does the force come from to move your quirk's hand?" She extended her hand to forestall his reply. "Of course, it is controlled and moved by your brain but where does the force come from? A good punch begins with channeling force from the ground, through your legs all the way up your arm and into your opponent through your balled fist. Yet your telekinetic hand can accomplish all of this without the underlying support structures. No ground to kick off, no body to channel the force and no arm to direct it."

Miming a punch to emphasize her point she pulled her hand back once more before she continued.

"Or is there? No, perhaps that isn't the right way of saying it. Given your hand's range of motion it is clear there is no invisible arm attached to it. Yet it has a range limit nonetheless, implying there is something, intangible it may be, that is linking the hand back to yourself."

In truth she wasn't sure of her words. Quirks could operate on rules that were much harder to define through normal physics and it was perfectly possible the range of control was simply the limit of what his current understanding could accomplish. The veracity of her words did not matter as much however as the mental image it could bestow. Taking a stance more suited to Sumo than any of the previously discussed martial arts -something that looked quite comical with her small frame- Mai drew back her arm to prepare for a palm strike.

"That does not mean however that there can't be an arm behind it. Observe."

With one smooth motion she took a step forward and struck, her hand stopping less than a foot away from Takeo and ruffling his shirt with the gust of cold wind that billowed from her palm, sent all the further by her strike.

"With the right motions one's quirk can do more than it would normally be able to accomplish. While yours is more esoteric it should be no exception. Martial arts involving strikes may not suit your physical body but knowing the mechanics behind them may aid you nonetheless. Telekinesis is, as I'm sure you're aware, heavily affected by one's state of mind. If you know how an arm or even an entire body moves to maximize the force of a strike you may be able to apply this mental image to empower your quirk's effects."

Waving her hand while standing straight once more as if to wave the thought away she shook her head and finished her explanation.

"But that is not something we have enough time for today. For now, we must get start at the start." Yuki Onna smiled meaningfully, her last line having been passed down generations of Shirayukis before her. "Positioning. Take a stance, Stranglehold. I will correct you as we go.

---

TL;DR: Shirayuki splits the group into pairs. Proceeds to instruct Takeo on the history and meaning of various martial arts, the different applications thereof and how they may apply to his quirk in addition to his physical combat style.

------

Tags: Iphigenia Pavlina Sadako Gotoh Takeo Hoga Elijah Arataki Noa

[Iphigenia Pavlina]

[attr="class","foreign"]

[attr="class","dust"]

[attr="class","gold"]Arataki Noa

[attr="class","gold"]words

[attr="class","gold"]notes

ulla

[attr="class","sun"]A Foreign Sun *

I never thought I'd see

As competent as always Iphi didn't have anything else to add to her juniors speech. She was by far the most skilled of the bunch and despite her small stature, she carried herself taller than anyone else here.

The groups being assigned made perfect sense to Iphi how to split everyone up and being paired with Noa seemed like objectively the best choice for her. She had watched her entrance exam performance before coming here and saw that she had a lot of potential, but her movements didn't flow as well as her quirk did. She would give a quick bow as she approached, "Recall is my hero name; Iphi is fine if you prefer that."

"You call your quirk Hydro Hand, correct?" she would gesture for Noa to put some distance between her and the other groups "I think because of the nature of your quirk you'd have a natural aptitude for Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a Chinese practice that dates back more than 400 years ago and is largely a defensive tool with offensive capabilities." She pointed to Sadako "As you could probably see from the display it is highly effective when used against physically stronger opponents." She would place her finger on her temple "You see, I don't have a quirk in the traditional sense like the rest of you. So I've found that supplementing my abilities with a martial art that relies on others has made me much more effective in the field."

Assuming a basic stance, she would look over at Noa and give her an encouraging smile "Try to take this stance and then-" Iphi would slide her feet, relaxing her muscles and moving into a stance with a palm thrust that focused her energy into the base of her hand without missing a beat "Try to flow into that strike. Going slower helps at first." she would take a step back to give Noa some room in her attempt "This advice might seem counterintuitive but the idea behind Tai Chi is that you're doing all this with what we call a relaxed alertness — your mind is quiet, your muscles are relaxed, you're calm, but you're also really alert." not the easiest thing to emulate but this was only step one. Soon she would bring her quirk into the fold.

Well once they had worked on the basics.

[newclass=.gold]background-color:#fff;padding:2px;border-left:#9463c9 10px solid;font-family:century gothic;font-size:10px;color:#693a9b;width:120px;margin-top:10px;opacity:0;transition: 1s all;text-align:left;[/newclass]
[newclass=.dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(1); filter: grayscale(1);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .dust]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .gold]opacity:1;transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign:hover .sun]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0); filter: grayscale(0);transition: 1s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar]background-color:#fff;width:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.foreign ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#666;width:1px;[/newclass]
[googlefont=La Belle Aurore]

[Sadako Gotoh]

Takeo had an intriguing power, there were clear upsides and downsides to it. Their jobs, of course, would be to bring out the best in him. Yuki Onna was the expert here and she absolutely wasn’t jealous of the workload she had ahead of her. Sadako had been in her fair share of fights just like her colleagues, but it was one thing to know how to fight and another entirely to actually teach it. Not that she would let her doubts show on her face, she just kept smiling! He couldn’t build any muscle, a devastating drawback if it wasn’t for his quirk. Thankfully for him, his willingness to share would make helping him all the easier.

When Elijah spoke up, Sadako couldn’t help but wonder why he kept his quirk secret. Was it related to his past? Shame? A traumatic event? She had to remind herself she wasn’t in her office and try not to psychoanalyze him too much. His remark about not bringing his daggers because none of them were as tough as the golem he faced would have gotten a giggle out of her, if she wasn’t on the job and focusing on being serious.

The final student, Noa, seemed a little more quiet than the others, but attentive nonetheless as her answer to Yuki Onna proved. Her quirk was versatile, which made Iphi the perfect sparring partner to start out with.

Turning her attention to her partner, Sadako bowed back. ‘‘Trailblazer-san, or would you prefer Hawthorne?’’ She smiled. ‘‘You’re right, I’m not as durable as a golem. Thankfully, most people you end up facing won’t be.’’ She glanced down at his hands, taking note of the prosthetic arm especially. ‘‘So you’re a weapon user who specializes in knives.’’ She held her index finger up to her chin. ‘‘I have a proposition. I don’t know why you don’t want to use your quirk and I’m not going to pry. However, the reality is if you want to learn to take down an opponent without the use of a quirk, you either need to be really good at what you do, or compromise.’’ Assuming a defensive stance, she encouraged Elijah to approach her. ‘‘My power isn’t particularly impressive or strong on its own. So I would like to show you what my compromise looks like. Whenever you’re ready, make your first move.’’ She smiled warmly, waiting patiently for his next action.

Elijah
Arataki Noa
Takeo Hoga
Iphigenia Pavlina
Shirayuki Mai

TL;DR: Sadako quietly takes note of Takeo, Elijah and Noa individually while letting Mai lead the lesson. She greets Elijah when they split into groups and offers him some advice. Taking down enemies without a quirk is hard, so he either needs to specialize or compromise. She invites him to attack her so she can demonstrate what a compromise looks like.