[Kei Hada]

Kei usually loved Sea Day. A whole day dedicated to having fun on the beach? Playing volleyball in the sand and swimming in cool waters on a hot summer day? School being closed for it? Seriously, what's not to love?

Today was not meant to be fun though. Ever since the flooding caused by the Elementalist - as well as all the other disasters that started at the same time - it's become more apparent than ever that the future heroes of UAU had to be ready for anything. And one such future hero asked Kei personally for help with the training.

He didn't know why Kupo asked him, it wasn't like he was becoming a hero himself or anything, but he couldn't exactly refuse such a request. Not when they both responded to the same disaster and therefore had that connection to it.

Oh god, maybe that was why he asked. Because he thought him capable due to how he acted in that crisis.

He was going to disappoint him. Awesome.

In any case, it took the duo to the location of the attack: Tokyo Bay. Eugh. He still had flashbacks to being swept away by the water. Despite the seriousness of the training they were about to do (which, frankly, wouldn't be all that serious- he wasn't a real instructor), Kei was still dressed for the beach; a loose blue button up and a pair of shorts, bare feet sunk in the sand. The metal pack on his back stood out all the more against the bright floral print of his shirt.

Kei gazed at the horizon as he clicked his tongue. "Yep. We sure are here again." Man, what a weird thing to say. His nerves betrayed him sometimes. He turned to the smaller boy. "How are you holdin' up?"

Kupo

[Kupo]

---

| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: Let's go to the beach, beach~!
Now Playing: Life By The Sea - Tubbo, CG5

---

This was Kupo's first (time celebrating) Sea Day. A whole dedicated to having fun on the beach and swimming in cool water sounded like a pretty nice prospect though, despite the relentless sun of a hot summer day being in full force. School was closed, too, meaning at least he didn't have to worry about focusing on classes and taking notes in this heat. It wouldn't quite be smooth sailing today, though. Since the day of the Elementalist's trial and the ensuing flooding (among other disasters), it had become abundantly clear to Jason Riviera that there were a number of gaps in his rescue skills. He wanted to get better at water rescues, and better at operating in summer in general. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Kupo, as much as he enjoyed training, wasn't stupid though. Outside, in the summer heat, he would need someone to at least supervise his training in case he misjudged the temperature and ended up passing out or something. Someone smart and careful.
Like Kei!

He'd met the support major upperclassman just a minute or two away from this very beach a few weeks ago, both caught in the flooding in the wake of the Tide. Despite not being a heroics major, Kei Hada had stepped up anyway to help rescue people and had been vital to the main rescue effort. They'd both faced that disaster together, each unprepared in their own way. Who else would he have asked for help today? When training on the best of days, Kupo dressed lightly. Exercise is a damn good way to raise body temperature after all, and safe to say dissipating heat was not a strong suit of his. So today, barely sweating at all despite the hot air, Kupo was wearing as little as he could get away with. Fakémon-branded swimming trunks and plain white flip-flops with a very loose green t-shirt. He'd liberally applied high-SPF sunscreen, standard practice whenever his family (many of whom as heat-sensitive as he was) went to the beach, even below the shirt (which he would've ditched, were it not important for shielding his torso from the sun directly). As Kei broke the ice, Kupo stopped where he had. "Yeah, feels weird to be back so soon for sure." The more direct question caused the smaller boy to look up at Kei, meeting his gaze.
"I'm doing okay, for now! Excited to get started mostly, thanks for coming with me, Hada-senpai!" He beamed at the older boy, a wide smile with all the sweetness of the ice cream sold nearby. Punctuating this reassurance, though, the dark grey band on Kupo's wrist beeped in protest. This place was outside his literal comfort zone, thermally-speaking, and not far from his danger zone. He dismissed the warning quickly, well aware of the risks here.

Pacing himself initially, Kupo headed down from the pavement onto the beach proper. The beach was packed, making finding a suitable place to train where he wouldn't endanger others difficult, but eventually the duo were able to find a spot with enough clearance that (unless he entirely fumbled his movement) there wasn't significant risk to/from civilians. Kupo placed his bag (with all the items in his app) and a football (soccer ball) he'd been carrying down there, near enough to an unused parasol to provide some shade. "Alright! I'm gonna do some warm-ups before we get started. Wanna join me, Hada-senpai?" Regardless of the answer received, first step warming up was some light cardio (which Kupo completed by doing about 20 jumping jacks, tail wagging quickly as he moved). Next step would be stretching!

Kei Hada

[Kei Hada]

Kei closed his eyes. Because, god, the guy brought out the senpai. It reminded him that he was above the freshman in year, even though he was in a different department from him. Never would they have the same classes but the respect remained. He opened his eyes again and mimicked the smile. "Good! That's good-" brows furrowed at the sudden beeping and he eyed the source: Kupo's wristband. Alarm for a reminder maybe? Kupo turned it off pretty fast...

Shaking his head for now, he followed the freshman to a relatively secluded spot, dropping his own bag of snacks and water bottles next to the other student's things. He couldn't help his awkward laugh when asked about warming up. "Nah, I'm okay! This trainin's not for me." 'Should it be though?' inner Kei asked in the back of his mind. Probably, but he wasn't going to admit that. He didn't need it when the flood hit. He didn't need it when he evacuated people from that fire. Nor did he need it when he escaped that Ikea filled with faceless monsters.

It'd be really nice, actually, if life-threatening stuff stopped happening for once.

Kei took a deep breath. Blew it out through his nose in a sigh. "Anyways! Trainin'. I noticed you were fast back at the flooding, so I think we could work with that." Claws shot out of his pack and they began to trace lines in the sand, drawing a circle for what he planned to be an arena of sorts. "Would that transfer to your dodgin'? How good are ya at that you think?"

Kupo

[Kupo]

---

| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: Let's go to the beach, beach~!
Now Playing: OneRepublic - Counting Stars

---

As Jason kept his eyes trained on his upperclassman, it wasn't hard to notice Kei's focus broken by the alert from his wristband. Oh, he'd almost forgotten! It was no good bringing someone to train with him if they didn't know what to do in an emergency- "Oh, oh, Hada-senpai! I need to show you something. It's super important!" Kupo walked a few steps closer to Kei in the circle, giving a complete non-sequitur to his question. He held up his left wrist, like a kid showing their parents a cool rock they found. "So, you know how I call my Quirk Arctic Fox? I'm really good at doing stuff in the cold, but one of my... umm..." he wracks his brain searching for the right word in Japanese, "hard things is that I'm really weak in hot places. I overheat quicker than other people, cause I can't sweat to cool off and my body is too good at staying warm. So I have this medical device!" He beams, seeming excited to talk about Quirk science more than anything. "It takes my temperature all the time, and when I get too hot, it gives me medicine to help cool down. When I'm training in the summer, unless I'm inside at home, I train with someone else so they can help if anything goes wrong. That's why I invited you today, but I should be okay. I have a lot of spare medicine, and-"

Another beep! interrupted him, this time signalling that the device was about to run dry. "Quand on parle du loup! I need to refill the meds, so I can show you how to do it!" He spent the next 20 seconds or so closing his cannula, turning off the device, switching out the glass vial screwed in at the back, and then reversing the process. "There we go~!" Jason began stretching, tongue poking out as he did, then faced Kei again. His eyes filled with remorse. "Oh, you asked me a question right? Sorry, sorry, that was rude of me! Ummm... I think dodging is one of my strengths, yeah! Always room to improve, though." Humility was a shared vice between the two boys, with Jason quite understating his prowess. In reaction speed and evasiveness, he was second-to-none in his class, if not all of first year.

Ever-perceptive, Jason's expressive eyes and empathetic heart were nearly as keen as his perky ears. Everything, from Kei's tone to his laughter to his body language, suggested anxiety or discomfort. Why was he so nervous? Jason could understand the apprehension from being at the seaside so soon after the flooding, but that didn't seem like all of it? Oh no, I hope I'm not making him uncomfy! Is it something I'm doing, maybe? I need to be careful with dog stuff getting through, there's too many people here. He'd passed the insight check, but chose not to say anything yet. Either way, the only emotion shining through now was more excitement. Were they gonna start with a dodging exercise? That'd be so fun! More than his face, the tail moving at a mile per minute behind Kupo gave the game away. He took a 'ready' stance, slightly crouched to ready that explosive action potential in his legs.

Kei Hada

[Kei Hada]

Maybe he should stretch, at least a little bit. The last thing Kei wanted to do was pull a muscle from positioning himself wrong while training this guy. That would end their session early and it'd be super embarrassing.

His musings were disrupted though when Kupo explained his watch to him. He blinked at the multiple beeps, questions about the freshman's safety on the tip of his tongue, when the steps on how to refill his medicine abated them, if abruptly due to the surprise of hearing another language. Originating in Europe? It sounded like it.

Luckily though Kei understood the important part; the part where his medical routines were natural and just a part of his life. He gave the fox a nod and a thumbs up. "Got it! Thanks for showin' me. We just gotta keep aware then, it's pretty hot today." He looked at the cloudless sky for a moment and sighed. No natural relief from the heat any time soon then.

He looked back at the freshman and smiled. "And that's a good mindset. Bein' open to improvement's a good thing." Seeing Kupo ready himself, Kei did the same by walking to the other side of the ring. "So what I'm gonna do is launch my quarms at ya and you gotta move out of the way. Neither of us can leave the ring to mimic workin' in a confined space."

Said quarms - all four of them - would deploy from his pack and hang behind him. "Ready? On three! One-" Would it not be a surprise to start early? Or would it be because Kei of all people thought to start before finishing the count? Whatever the case may be, one metal arm was already reaching to sweep at Kupo's side.

Kupo

[Kupo]

---

| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: Let's go to the beach, beach~!
Now Playing: Toby Fox - Death By Glamour

---

As Kei outlined the parameters of the exercise, Kupo merely nodded and make some kind of affirmation noise. He was too focused to know what fox noise came out from the attempt, but hopefully the intent was clear. In the seconds before Kei began his 'countdown', Kupo kicked off his flip-flops to put them outside the circle. The sand was hot, yes, but that was preferable to loose shoes messing with his sensitivity and potentially coming off mid-fight anyway. The first clue Jason got was that Kei's Quarms drew the arena circle, so clearly the full area was within his reach without him needing to move. Ranging wouldn't be an option, that was expected.

The second clue was the noise of the arm moving towards him, heard with twitching ears before Kei skipped a number. Front, left. Kupo knew he could move faster than the arms could in short range, faster than Kei could immediately react to. That meant he could, and had to, pace himself. Kupo bounded forward, dodging the side-swipe and closing the distance slightly. One behind, crossing to his right. Three ahead, 2 right and 1 left. If he could get the arms to block eachother or cross paths, that'd be great. Stay in front, stay grounded. Another noise, this one of excitement. "brrrii~!"

notes:
- 'combat' initiated, so shorter posts from me to keep good pacing
- Kei Hada

[Kei Hada]

If Kei were frank with himself, he'd say he was not a strategist. The extent of his thinking was just answering questions like how to distance self from monster or which way to exit building. He came up with plans, yeah - they've kinda been necessary to survive most of the time - but their execution usually placed him in more trouble because he didn't slow down enough to think of a safer way to go about things. It's how he ended up suspended over roaring rapids or grappling a kid to the ceiling.

Basically, he's sloppy. So thank god he's not the one being tested here.

Kupo evaded the first strike easily which was always a good sign. "Good, you weren't lyin' to me!" Not like he expected him to do such a thing- but goading the opponent benefits their training though right? Riles them up or something? Kei's really trying here.

He let the arm remain extended to sweep it the other way while his bottom-left claw would shoot straight, aiming to hit the fox in the chest if he decided to jump.

Kupo

[Kupo]

---

| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: Let's go to the beach, beach~!
Now Playing: Aaron Smith, Krono - Dancin

---

So far, so good! Kei's comment sparked some confusion though, Kupo's head tilting to the side briefly. "That's silly, why would I lie?" Just a moment of expression before he had to get back into evasive mode. Right side both latent, top-left sweeping back up, bottom-left jab. He's anticipating a jump? Eyes focused on my head if he hasn't dropped the conversational habit. Kupo's ears twitched, taking in the information before his eyes would get the chance to. While he didn't figure himself a combat hero, his familiarity with combat strategy was certainly up to snuff. He had years of sparring and combat training at home to thank for that.

Taking advantage of the height differential between the two, Jason tried to duck right out of Kei's line of sight. He avoided the sweeping quarm with a back handspring, body arcing just over it. He landed in a low crouch, still mostly centered in front of Kei. Closer to the boundary than he'd like, though. As Kupo landed, the conversation that accompanied this exercise was being processed in the back of his mind. What had Kei meant? While it could easily be chalked up to lightening the mood, that didn't line up with his demeanour. Had Kei been holding back to start? In a quick burst, Jason hopped forward and up onto the quarm extended for a straight jab. Right up in the upperclassman's face. "Are you going easy on me, Hada-senpai?" It took all the discipline he could spare to not fully pout, or do something else weird with their faces close together.

Letting the question hang for a half-second to gauge reaction time, Kupo then rolled forward over Kei's right shoulder (his left) to a position behind. Ideally, there'd be a reprieve while the left two were extended in front, and it'd be harder for Kei to precisely aim in his blind spot. Surely this was where there'd be some kind of trick? He continued the thought, trying to keep his tone friendly. "I know I look like a kid, but I'm in the hero course! I can take it!" A hint of desperation slipped past his filter.

Kei Hada

[Kei Hada]

Okay, Kei didn't expect the innocent question. It prompted an honest answer- a thought that appeared in his head before he made the taunt. "Some people hype themselves up too much- think they're the best when they just started trainin'. They usually slip up after so I'm glad you're actually fast!" That part was true at least, he was glad the fox was fast. Though he still wasn't revealing the fact it was a poor attempt at goading the guy.

If anything Kupo was better at it with the way he landed on the arm and got up to his face. Yelping in surprise at the closeness, Kei nearly fell back but a third arm grasped the floor at the last second to stabilize him. A wheeze escaped him at the accusation. "Am I?" He didn't think he was- sure he had a slow start but that's how training sessions should go shouldn't it? A warm up before everything ramped up into a true challenge.

He had a choice to make here. Either continue as planned or agree to the hero student's request and trust that he could handle it. Kei huffed. It was obvious what the choice should be. Turning only partially to where he thought Kupo would be, one hand rested on a handle deployed from his pack. "Alright, but remember- you asked for it!"

He pressed his other hand into the sand. Find the closest source of blood and the extended arms moved only enough to face their target before firing.

Two torrents of water were shot Kupo's way, and so long as he was grounded they would continue to lock on him with the spray. As if that weren't enough, his remaining two metal arms were launched towards Kupo as well, the water hopefully acting as a distraction to their approach.

Kupo

[Kupo]

---

| ★Jason Riviera★ | @crystalprincekupo
Location: Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: Let's go to the beach, beach~!
Now Playing: Shady Cicada - Lay 'Em Out

---

"Am I?" The upperclassman had been caught off-balance, quite literally if the reflexive grounding with the third arm was any indication. He got it wrong. Kupo frowned, though invisible to Kei ahead of him. Apologies would have to wait, though.

Having already warmed up, some mixture of rightful confidence and quickly-diminishing hubris told Kupo he was ready for this exercise to accelerate. Slight turn, moving to ready. Hand to the ground! Alarm bells, 15 years of experience with earthbenders had taught him to stay off the floor. But didn't Kei have a water Quirk? Sensory, then? Both boys' pulses quickened, a rhythmic feedback loop that excited the hunting instinct he kept way in the back. The frown became a grin, unlike his practiced smile. 'Let's go!' The sudden rush of water was met with a yelp.

Once, he dashed to the right. An anomaly. They followed. Two steps. He circled to Kei's front. Outpacing? No. Hop, step, jump! Three is a pattern. Noise to his left, water closing in. Confined. Pupils dilate, catch up with the sound! A second to breath, grounded at the boundary. A second to make a choice.
Option 1: Aggressive. Rush forward, kick off Kei's stable knee or shoulder, force him to divert the attack or else hit himself. Most effective, it came naturally, but... it'd be a lot of force if he misjudged it. What if he hurt Kei?! Risky, too. Puts him in striking range.
Option 2: Defensive. Stand your ground, kite the water to take glancing blows, maneuver to near-miss the quarms. Riskier, and less effective, but it'd be better pacing. Stall the danger to recover stamina. No. The water counts as a tag, right? That's not allowed.

'They're coming, decide!'

Option 3: Desperate. Jump! Use the full space, every airborne object, and your reaction time to juke & outrun. Find the safe spot, or else find a lapse in concentration. Step it up!

Kupo makes his choice. A sharp bound up-and-right. Then down, off the closest of the water jets. They have to stay high or they'll leave blindspots. Striking arms need to change direction or wrap around. Ground contact, lock-on. Knees bent, shift weight, redirect. Break contact, over Kei's crouched head. Faster, less contact, more explosive! Fast breathing sounds out, shallow but heavy. Panting. No sweat, but hot breath as the mouth passes by. The number ticks up.

This is unsustainable.

Kei Hada

[Kei Hada]

Even with his hand on the ground it was hard for Kei to follow the fox' movements. Sure, blood stood out especially when the source was so close to him, but it didn't change the fact he was still sensing the rest of the elements. Sand, water, salt, that dropped ice cream if he really focused on it- all mixed together into the concoction of their place in the beach. It reminded him that he really wasn't a combatant. He was training one guy- imagine if he had a group to contend with.

Oh wait, he didn't need to imagine. He just had to think back to that gang Farrin and him were up against that one time.

Enough about that though, back to trying to catch Kupo.

He was doing a good job evading the geysers, not even letting them distract him as he kept track of the charging claws' locations too. That kind of skill was probably expected coming from a UAU hero student but Kei was still impressed all the same. It made the support major focus up as well- he had to give this guy a challenge. He didn't want to let him down in that regard.

Kei wasn't used to splitting his Quirk like he had been though; one hand sensing his surroundings while the other was outputting water. It was pushed to the point that the mound of sand around his palm began to grow in size. And well- that kinda went against his whole thing of his power totally only works on water haha!!

He only realized it when he glanced down at his hand, but that moment was all it took. His eyes grew in panic. "Nononono-" Kei pulled his hand from the sand to stop his Quirk, but in doing so the water stopped as well. God, that had to be worse right? Kupo's gonna wonder if something's wrong. Right when he was leaping over him too.

No, it had to be part of the strategy. It's gonna be a bad one but sure, let's pretend the water was holding the claws back somehow, so by shutting them off they could charge at the fox full speed while he didn't have much in terms of aerial mobility. At least Kei thought he didn't. But you never know, maybe there was some wind manipulation somewhere in there.

But yeah. Water was stopped, and now the claws that fired them charged at Kupo while he was midair as they were closer to the student than the chasing ones.

Kupo