[𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲]

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For one reason or another, Kodai had asked for help involving supermoves. It was a passing comment — I had taken a course with Stellar, and then by using her method, I was able to develop a second super outside of the classroom. With the experience under my belt, I was interested in making a third. I had gone offensive with bunny bombs, defensive with lapin lazuli, and now I’m looking to lean into my support role with rabbit radio.

I’m unsure what Kodai’s goals are. But I’ll be introducing him to the same six step process that I was introduced to. And, if anything, I can offer some wisdom that I may have picked up along the way. If my words could reach Julienne, then I have faith in my ability to aid anyone along the way.

So, we are UAU grounds. On a day where neither of us are encumbered by projects or extracurricular activities. It’s sometime in the middle of the week, as the weekends are generally busy and after our fundraiser I couldn’t afford to take a second off. My abuela would understand but it had to do more with how I felt about the prospect.

I mulled over what I had learned in my head.

The six steps are: inspiration, understanding, scope, feeling, actualization, and perfection…

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Marcus Ryu Kodai

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[Marcus Ryu Kodai]

[attr="class","wabisabi"]

侘び寂び

Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Rahul was talking about creating some sort of supermove in class, and well, wanting something to do after school, I made a comment expressing some interest. So, now here I am. Honestly, I didn’t expect this to happen, nor did I expect Rahul to take me seriously. It’s kind of hard reading Rahul, and seeing that I’ve been clinging to him like a lost pup, I’m admittedly surprised that he even sat this up. Hopefully, I won’t be too much of a disappointment or too much of a burden.

Not wanting to flash Rahul, I decided to wear my supersuit, or well, part of it. Instead of wearing the full outfit, I simply wore the sleeveless full-body jumpsuit, the black combat boots, the Hojo Thought-to-Speech Box, and the Hojo-Dino-Eye. The outfit would mold itself to my transformations, and well, leave me clothed for when I exit a transformation–I didn’t need Rahul seeing me nude. God. That would be embarrassing. If that happened I would simply drop out of class, that is if Rahul didn’t turn me over facility for “indecent behavior.”

That’s the last thing I need, a scandal.

Arriving at the U.A.U training grounds, my eyes searched for Rahul. After finding him, I would approach the fashionable man and smile softly. “Sorry if I was keeping you waiting, I forgot how long it took to get me into this suit, hopefully, I did not keep you waiting for long?”

It was odd. Usually I was the first one to arrive, but it seems Rahul had me beat. “I must admit, I was surprise that you agreed to do this Rahul-Senpai.” I rubbed the back of neck, “Honestly, I thought you found me annoying….anyway, how should we start? What do I need to do?”

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲

MADE BY MIZO

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[𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲]

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“Don’t worry.” Kodai was an unremarkable man on the cusp of greatness. Everyone at UAU had potential to become something worthwhile. Some ceilings were lower than others, yet people still failed to reach it. What Kodai lacked was not power nor skill — that was yet to be determined — but an unshaking sense of self that drove him to pursue his innermost desires. My affinity or lack thereof was unimportant. I didn’t come to UAU to make friends but to improve myself. That means working alongside people you liked, disliked, and had no strong feelings over one way or the other. Even if I despised him, I’d help. Because there was a benefit to me, in the long term. Two, really. The ability to teach those who think differently than I do (which was most people) and setting up the institutions in place with another high quality hero. “I’d rather you come prepared.”

I didn’t him annoying yet. But if he continues comments like those, then he might find himself hoisted by his own petard. For now, I’ll ignore it. But if push comes to shove…

“First let’s go over our quirks. I’ll start.” Some people were hesitant about sharing their quirks, but if given to anyone else, mine would have been useless. “I use carbon to create bunnies that share their memories with me when they are destroyed.”

Now it was his turn.

“So, what does your quirk do? What are the limits? And then… what are you trying to do with it?” I needed to know why he was here. If he didn’t have any ideas, then maybe I was meant to serve as inspiration.

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Marcus Ryu Kodai

[newclass=.body b]color:#1979e6[/newclass]

[Marcus Ryu Kodai]

[attr="class","wabisabi"]

侘び寂び

“Killer Bunnies ... .that's actually kinda cool,” And a bit cute, but I did not say that outloud. I had a feeling that if I did call his bunnies “cute,” then Rahul might have something to say about that. Plus. That would be rude. Honestly, if I was explaining my quirk to someone and they called it “cute,” I might just die on the spot. “What do the bunnies do exactly? Besides the obvious usage in recon, do they bite, explode, shock?”

Should I be asking all these questions? Am I annoying him?

Honestly, I couldn’t talk with Rahul. He was an odd figure. For the most part, he acted like he carried some sort of chip on his shoulder–granted he was nice–but there was something off about him. There was like this hidden shadow underneath those deep ocean blue eyes, and honestly, I didn’t know what it was about. Admittedly, I was curious about asking him, but, again, I didn’t know how he would take it. Would it lead to a punch in the face? A stern talking too? Making enemies wouldn’t be a good thing to do, at least, not as a freshman.

Also, it didn’t help that I didn’t know the guy that well. Should I make an attempt to be more friendly? Damn it. Why are people so complicated?

Oh shit, I just zoned out. Hopefully, he didn’t realize I was staring at him like some sort of puzzle that needed to be solved. Damn it.

“Sorry for the pause. I was trying to think of an easy way to sum up my quirk.” I averted my gaze, casting it down onto the ground. “I was trying to brainstorm ideas about your quirk, and what we could practice…..didn’t realize I zoned out. But yeah, so basically, with my quirk I can turn into dinosaurs, alongside some prehistoric animals that walked with them.”

I paused, not really knowing how to answer his final question. “Honestly, I just need help understanding and pushing the boundaries of my quirk. What about you? What are you attempting to do?”

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲

MADE BY MIZO

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[𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲]

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Perhaps he didn’t understand the implication of my initial statement. When I said my bunnies share their memories with me upon destruction, that was the end of their use. They could not deal large amounts of damage, they could not take massive amounts of hits, they were for all intents and purposes useless as anything other than support.

“My bunnies have no combat potential.” If there’s one way to display the value of supermoves, it’d be a demonstration. I summon one and let it bite a nearby rock. Nothing. Then, I lightly step on it until it poofs into a cloud of black smoke. “I can make an infinite number of them, but even that has its limits, until…”

Two more bunnies. One explodes into biting flames — he’d feel the heat from here. Another solidifies into a blue diamond. I pick up the aforementioned rock, toss it at the sculpture, and it harmlessly bounces off.

“These are prototypes of two other supermoves I’m working on. I use every aspect of my quirk to its fullest potential. For my bunny bombs, I focus on the explosive aspect that normally creates smoke — a partial combustion — in order to create flame. For lapin lazuli, I focus on the carbon structure to solidify the rabbits into diamond. And today, I’ll be working on rabbit radio. Where the rabbits can be used as a communication device across long distances.” Hopefully, he gets it. But let’s push it further.

“You can turn into prehistoric creatures… what’s the largest you can get? How frequently can you change? Are you able to partially transform? If so, can you transform multiple parts of your bodies into different creatures? To push your boundaries, you need to understand them. If you don’t have a clear answer for these questions, then you’ll need to find them. And if you do…” I doubt he'd be ready, but if he is, then we’ll get to the meat of today’s session. “What is something your quirk can’t do that you want it to?”

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Marcus Ryu Kodai ,

[newclass=.body b]color:#1979e6[/newclass]

[Marcus Ryu Kodai]

[attr="class","wabisabi"]

侘び寂び

“Woah, that’s so cool,” I blurted out and smiled stupidly as the biting heat of the flames nibbled at my face. No doubt I looked like an idiot. Or a child. Yeah, there was no doubt I looked like a child who's been taken to the candy store and found the chocolate fountain. God. Rahul is going to think that I am an idiot after this training thingy. But I couldn’t help myself! Quirks are so cool, especially quirks like Rahul’s. Like seriously, he made exploding bunnies! What could be cooler than that? Ugh, why couldn’t I be born with such a cool and versatile quirk like that!

“A radio bunny, interesting,” I nodded a bit in thought, holding my chin as I did so.

Honestly, I did not really understand the science stuff. At least, not to the same level as Rahul. The closest thing to science that I can understand is paleontology, and some pseudo-prehistoric biology– all of which is nothing compared to Rahul’s knowledge. So for the most part, I just nodded and smiled, acting like I knew what he was talking about.

“How do you plan on achieving this?” I asked. “The radio part? Like how do you plan on making radio bunnies?”

I wanted to add to the conversation, but–again–science stuff–not my deal. Fortunately, it seems that Rahul was changing the conversation to my quirk. And well, I obviously knew alot about my quirk.

“Oh, well, for the most part I can turn into the largest Dinosaur that exists, so long as I can see a picture of said Dinosaur…which I have a database all contained in my Hojo Dinoeye,” I tapped below my eye. “Other than that, I do not know how many transformations I can assume before tuckering out, however, there is about a three to five second interval between each transformation….also I can do partial transformations”

I paused, taking a brief moment to think.

“The main weakness of my quirk is that I lose my ability to utilize any weapons.” I said after a while, “Likewise, what is a dinosaur going to do against someone that can cause explosions? I have a feeling that I am going to need to tap into some support items to fully become a good hero….”

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲

MADE BY MIZO

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[𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲]

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Kodai sported a jubilant grin in the face of danger — he was definitely a hero student. If nothing else, he demonstrated the proper character one needed to succeed as a hero. Most thought it bravery, but that was the bare minimum. Regardless of career, there isn’t a human who isn’t challenged by fear at one point or another in their mundane, little lives. Some of us were victims of its stranglehold, barely eking out a breath as it gripped our neck. But Kodai exhibited a level of derangement that spoke to the heights he’d reach. Now, whether or not he could tap into that potential…

Let's see if I can help.

“By focusing on the combustion, I created fire. By focusing on the molecular composition, I created diamond. Now I’m going to focus my efforts on the mental link I have over them. We share memories when they are destroyed over vast distances because of a psychic connection — there’s already a tiny radio in our brains. I need to find a way to expand its signal so others can communicate through it both to me and each other…” There were a lot of moving pieces but I would do what was necessary to manifest these radio rabbits. I’d create two in front of me. I’d pick up the first as the other went to Kodai, then as I rest it atop my head, I’d hope he’d mimic. “Do you hear what I’m thinking?”

He wouldn’t.

“That’s a bust. I was answering your question.” I sighed. “No hero is perfect. Your quirk is a tool. Gears are more tools at your disposal. But a good hero doesn’t need a quirk or gear or to succeed. They need the ability to understand the situation, their limits, and create a plan of action.” Now onto the practical solution to his dilemma. “Remember, we’re here to work on supermoves. Gear can be made with your quirk in mind. And you might not even need a supermove to give yourself opposable thumbs. If you can partially transform one way, then why not the other? Be a T-Rex with human arms.”

This was all to say, he needed to be more flexible with his thinking. When you can become a giant, powerful creature, it’s easy to brute force your way to victory.

“One last question,” Hopefully, this’ll get him thinking about what he wants out of his quirk. “When you transform, does your anatomy match? Or can you turn your hand into a dinosaur’s jaw?”

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Marcus Ryu Kodai

[newclass=.body b]color:#1979e6[/newclass]

[Marcus Ryu Kodai]

[attr="class","wabisabi"]

侘び寂び

Still, I didn’t really understand the science stuff. All of my academic willpower went into three things: history, how to be a hero, and of course, anything and everything about Dinosaurs. So, as Rahul stood there explaining the science of his quirk–I stood there again, smiling, nodding, and probably looking like a complete and utter idiot. What I got from his spill was basically this–combustion makes things go boom, something about molecules and diamonds, and something about a mental link between his rabbits. Listen….I’m not an idiot, I’m just, a bit slow when it comes to science and stuff like that. Give me time to study with a text book–then I start understanding a bit faster.

God. Rahul must think I’m an idiot.

“I think I got the basics done….or well….at least the general concept of what your trying to do!” I paused piecing my brain together. “Your trying to use your mental-link with your bunnies to work like a radio? Right? Am I on the right track?”

I started to worry if Rahul was going to test me after this session.

“I think I can do partial transformations…..I haven’t really experimented with my quirk to see if I can do partial transformations….it’s something that I want to try. So I guess right now I can’t?” I corrected myself. During my anxious attempt to appear ‘normal’ and ‘smart’ I misspoke. “So, seeing that I’ve never tried a partial transformation, I can’t answer your question. Based upon how I transform normally I am going to assume that my anatomy matches.”

I nodded again. “So, hear me out. You’ve explained the science of your quirk and I’ve talked about my quirk some, and you talked about formulating ideas and whatnot. But. How do we go about achieving all of this? How do we put your theories to the test?”

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲

MADE BY MIZO

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[𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲]

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“Correct.” I was getting too technical. While he understood the fundamental concept of my supermove, I had bogged down the conversation by focusing on analysis. Instead, let’s try giving him an example of intuition. People might think I am the type to avoid it, but on the contrary — intuition was the subconscious mind crystallizing a priori thought. “But I don’t know much about brain composition nor its relationship with carbon… but sometimes you can get abstract.”

One more time. Two bunnies, one placed on my head and then another on his. I closed my eyes and created an image in my head. Then, I spoke it aloud so he could follow the process.

“Image training. I’m imagining the rabbit sinking into our heads and turning into a hat.” And as I said it, it happened. It’d feel odd at first, a tingling yet soothing sensation, like the first time using a head scratcher. Then, I’d say the following in my mind.

“If you can hear me…” And he would, despite my unmoving lips. “Then I’ve taken the penultimate step to mastering my supermove. I had an idea and then explored the concept in the ways that were comfortable to me. Then, when I hit a wall I used abstract thought to bridge my idea with reality…”

Although, the rabbits had sunken in… they partially remained atop our heads. We both had rabbit ears popping out of our skulls, matching our respective hair color. And before long, they poofed. It was my first time. I’ll work on it. But for now, it was important to focus on Kodai.

“Despite our conversation,” Now, with my voice. “I don’t know what you want to do. So, answer me this: why are you here? What supermove are you trying to develop?” His problem was indecision. The biggest hurdle he’d have to overcome was hampering hsi growth even now. “Push away every other thought than the one that helps you progress.”

Now was not the time to continue developing my move. It was time to focus on his, whatever he decided on. But I can only take him so far. I’ve shown him the path forward, and I’m willing to guide him on it… but he needs to take the first step.

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Marcus Ryu Kodai

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