[Shion Utsui]

終ノ空 Loud shots rang out in the metal forest that was Ground Gamma. Where long pipes were like winding vines and trees, shoddy roofs were like the overarching canopy of leaves, and the dusty concrete floor replacing the grass. And instead of the high chirping of birds, fiery bursts spat out rubber bullets with a noise like thunder. An empty magazine was discarded at Shion's feet as new rounds were jammed into the large-framed 10mm pistol, carried in his right hand.  If he had been a second late in the reloading process, the strike from the humanoid training hologram would have connected. But this was barely avoided as the youth's frame rolled sideways on the dusty ground, a thick arm impacting the spot he had occupied a second ago. Gritting his teeth, more shots rang out as Shion aimed and pulled the trigger repeatedly, sparks from the end of the barrel sending a flashing light through the dim lighting of the factory. The shots connected, all three of them impacting the hologram in the chest cavity. It caused it to stagger slightly, but it didn't go down. Obviously, with A-rank durability and strength it'd take more than just some flimsy rubber bullets to take it out. In came a downwards punch as retaliation, one that Shion easily dodged due to the prior stagger making the hologram's movements more choreographed and predictable. The punch though heavy, served only as a disservice as the entire forearm became trapped in the sheet metal of an industrial tank. Taking his chance, the youth would climb the nearby machinery as the hologram struggled to free itself, getting himself up to a sufficient height before aiming down the sights and firing. Round after round struck the hologram in the cranium. Judging by how ineffective shots to the torso were, Shion's split-second decision was that the head needed to be aimed at. At least five or six shots rang out before the hologram stopped moving, merely staying in place for a short period as a computerized voice announced from a microphone on the inside. "Target neutralized. Simulation has been completed." The blue hard-light making up the body dissipated into nothing, as a metal core dropped to the ground. "Please return hologram core to charging bay before leaving. Have a nice day." Slender fingers soon picked up the metal device off the ground, bringing it up to amber yellow eyes framed by magenta bangs. Shion would look over the small hologram core, before taking a sigh and sitting on a nearby flight of stairs. Is this. . . really okay? Industrial fans filtered musty air out of the factory, only pulling in winds that were equally full of dust. If Shion didn't want to feel too depressed, maybe he could've picked a better spot to train in. lonewolf

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[lonewolf]

Lone Wolf was surprised that UA added an auxiliary gun instruction course. They were so insistent that guns were for police, and that heroes shouldn't need something like that, blah blah blah he didn't care. Well, he did but he also didn't. Guns weren't toys, as he explained to Marlene. They were tools of destruction with the sole purpose of spitting death out of the business end.

So when he was asked to observe and give his thoughts on the simulation in Ground Gamma, he couldn't help but be unimpressed. It was something that went against everything he ever learned, trained for, and practiced. The fact that UA was complicit in this frustrated him, especially since this could cause even stricter gun control to fall on heroes within Japan. He normally wouldn't care because he'd be on the road in the middle of Kansas or something, but he was here. In Japan. Operating.

As the simulation ended, he stepped forward with his hands in his jacket pockets, looking up at the student on the factory floor. "Hey, you!" He hated putting on a tough demeanor, pretending like he cared. But it was necessary at times. "What are the four rules of safely handling that piece ya got there?"

Shion Utsui

[Shion Utsui]

終ノ空 Still on edge from the training exercise, Shion's gaze snapped to the sudden intruder. His bangs recoiling slightly. Had he been watching the simulation this whole time? Th youth stood up, understandably standoffish with this person who he knew absolutely nothing about coming to question him. It felt like less of an inquiry, and more like a confrontation with how things were being handled. But Shion's response betrayed his true character. "Umm. . . I don't remember if there were 4, but for starters I'm not supposed to point the gun at anyone unless I'm thinking of killing them. And uh. . . trigger discipline, yeah. That's important. Safety lock. . . oh!" He awkwardly snapped the safety switch on the pistol back so that it wouldn't misfire. Surely an awkward action when you've just mentioned it, only to reveal you forgot it completely. "Yeah, safety lock! I think that's about it?" Shion's relatively slow demeanor showed itself in action as he remembered what should have been asked of the man in front of him from the start. "Wait, who are you? Your Japanese is really good, by the way." From appearances alone, Lone Wolf clearly wasn't anyone from this country. Neither was Shion genetically, but somehow everyone acted as if he was a native. It was weird, honestly. Maybe the whole quirk thing from 50 years ago obliterated racism? lonewolf

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[lonewolf]

Mark stared at the kid, clearly annoyed. Was this seriously the best this auxiliary course could produce? "They got you running this simulation and you don't even know all four rules? It's a wonder you haven't lost a toe." He shakes his head, looking around and pointing at the expended magazine. "Secure that, you're going to need it. I want to see you at the start in five." He left a lot of questions open, but based on silhouette Shion might be able to recognize Lone Wolf; he was an American teacher that focused on tracking and situational awareness.

Unbelievable. Mark didn't like getting mad, but considering it wasn't in his job description to teach gun safety and usage and this was the result of what the college could do? Once Shion was at the starting position he's point to the pistol he had, frowning. "Keep that pointed downrange, unless you can prove to me it's unloaded. And don't flag me with it. Set it down here." He'd waited until Shion set the pistol down, and reaching into his jacket would pull the Carry from its holster and setting it on his end of the table. "Is this thing loaded? Don't touch it. Can you tell me, just by looking at this, that this pistol is loaded?"

Shion Utsui

[Shion Utsui]

終ノ空 "Ah-" Come to think of it, that rough nagging voice did end up jogging his memory. Cow^&%-oyaji, as some of the students who disliked his strictness called him. But of course, Shion wouldn't call him that. He's had enough near-death experiences! Dust came off the spent magazine after it was retrieved, and Shion made sure to pocket it while keeping any fingers off the trigger of the pistol. "Mark-san, it's been a while!" In absolute dissonance with the instructor's serious tone, the youth's joviality pointed to him being more occupied with catching up over firearm safety. Regardless, Shion laid his own firearm down, before paying attention to a similar, yet distinctly designed pistol that was laid next to it.  Compared to the training gun he was given, it looked pristine. In fact, it made Shion's borrowed one look like it was made of junk. "Um. . . " Shion seemed to genuinely think for a moment. How could he figure out whether the gun was loaded or not while just looking? And he wasn't allowed to pick it up either. Bingo. His eyes spotted a broomstick, broken in half nearby. Probably set up to make Ground Gamma look more real, but in this case, it could be close to a lifesaver! It would be grabbed by slender hands, before twisting and morphing into a fleshy alien creature that vaguely resembled a broom. It's fishy eyes stared off into space, not acknowledging the youth or the instructor near it. "Toto, can you see inside?" Shion's companion would be held at the 1911's barrel at eye level, apparently looking into it to see if any bullets were inside. All done while the former stood clearly out of the gun's way, even though Toto was the one at risk. lonewolf

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[lonewolf]

Mark crossed his arms, frowning as Shion set himself up and tried to be friendly. The gun that Shion had was pretty dirty, but Mark wasn't going to beat Shion over the head about it, yet; he just got done using it, so it more than likely got that way throughout the exercise. What was infuriating was his ho-humming regarding if the Carry was loaded or not, even going so far to bring his broom-alien to life in order to determine that. Which was a valid way to do so in some cases, but not the point he was driving at.

"Don't overcomplicate it," he says, reaching over to Toto, taking hold of it, and tossing it in a nebulous direction off to the side. "If you don't know if it's loaded, then you need to operate on the assumption that it is. Because if you start playing around with it without checking, bad things can and will happen." He didn't know what Shion had been taught, but now he had to figure out if he knew anything about ballistics or not. "I flip this table over, think it'd make good cover?"

Shion Utsui