Interacting with: Hiroki [@ShwiggityShwah] Kaito [@Zelosse] Umi [@AdmrlStalfos19] & Mari [@Stern Algorithm] [hr] Hiroki watched all of the demonstrations, and as they got more and more intense. He leaned in, watched unblinking, crossed his arms, fidgetted, and then pulled out a notebook from his back pocket along with a pen. It was too much to remember and he had so much to figure out from everyone. He managed to write fast as well. One student, four pages open for information and plenty of notes on everyone already. It turns out when it came to Hero work, when it came to Heroes in general, he knew what to look for, what to gauge and what to record. His pen moved unbelievably fast to try to catch up, to compensate for the amount of time he spent just observing. By the end of the competition, he had a cramp in his hand and was half way through his notebook, another bead of sweat from his brow as he exhaled, getting the gist of his competition. When it was over, when everyone showed their stuff- Hiroki stood up suddenly. Looked straight ahead. And then began to clap his hands together. A single person alone with applause. He didn't smile,nothing like that. This was out of respect for their skills. There was too many to praise, too many students and would be heroes that could be a suitable challenge. They were way more capable then his previous class and he was going to be hard pressed to prove that he was number one. And speaking of, he could see the crowd already forming around the big one... the fat one. The Powerhouse. Thats the way heroes would call his quirk, the super strong types and the type of target that Hiroki's quirk might be worthless against. Too tough, too heavy... just like Croc. And the fact that he knew Croc just made it so much worse. Those two were making fun of him. He growled when he figured it out. [color=aqua]"Suguru Chan." [/color] he said as he got up [color=aqua]"Mind walking with me? I think there's someone we should be friends with."[/color] Kaitos march had been tiring, to say the least, despite his rather energetic performances there was a lack of enthusiasm, or confidence, to him without an instrument in hand. The march had not helped since going outside cut him off from any other instrument but the wood wind variety. Thankfully the music room was on hand and stocked so with acoustic guitar on deck it was still capable to use his quirk. Hopefully not by surprise. Without playing the instrument again there was no juice left to give to another student in Power Chords reserves. Noticing Kenji had gotten quiet and fallen behind, Kaito was about to rush over. Umi had thought that she and Hiroki would've been the last to perform, but it turned there were others that had yet to show their quirks. She watched them all, and applauded at the end of the demonstrations like everyone else. She didn't want to be disrespectful. Sure enough, Goudo had led the students to an open field, only to dismiss them again, albeit not without a fair warning not to go too [i]far[/i] from said field. The trek was as hard on Umi as one would expect, but at least now that the frost had gone, at least she could actually make the journey this time around. She needed a moment to rest her legs, however; she clearly did not have the stamina for these sorts of things. While Kenji got all the attention, Hiroki approached his partner. The weirdo band geek that looked like he was going to a rave. Friggin personalities in this class that's for sure. But atleast he actually looked like he put some damn work into his demo, unlike some of the guys and one of the girls. Just kind of at this school because they thought it'd be easy. [color=aqua]"Hey, Haruto Kaito right?"[/color] The blue boy approached with his hands in his pockets and a permanent scowl on his face. [color=aqua]"How you were able to make that happen? Pretty cool stuff."[/color] He had promising words but his face was more or less affixed with a scowl. Seriously Kaito didn't look like someone Hiroki would hang with, but he had a country competition to win, and he needed the perfect team. Make friends with the support. Unexpectedly, one of the named ones was here! Umi and Hiroki if his memory served. Kaito cursed under his breath realizing he hadn't seen their demonstration to the fullest. The only thing he could recall about either of them was Hirokis attitude on the bus ride and during the downtime, Umis sluggishness, and the frantic meticulous scratch of pencil on paper. Apparently there were others taking notes and Kaito reminded himself to make sure Hirokis notes were shared with him. Make friends with the big hitters. That was the plan. Sadly it was crumbling. His tongue felt like it was made of lead, body stiff with a mixture of fear and anxiety. Outside the field it was a whole other person to contend with. Sitting with Kenji had been a solid move, tactically sound, and the big lug had proven quickly they would follow instructions to the letter. It was an ideal partnership of sudden mutual understanding and more than a little trust. The paintball turret being a prime example. Without that familiarity there was not but dust between this new group and Kaito felt the pressure. [color=gold]"Y-yes! Thank you. Kaito. I'm Haruto Kaito."[/color] The bow was stiff, hands firmly at his side, his eyes were wide. [color=gold]"T-t-the, uh, our.. my.. intro wasn't inf-formative. I'm sorry. Power Chord! It amplifies you, your- your natural, um, your strengths. Tougher skin, denser muscles, even heightening your mental reaction time. B-but it isn't a useful quirk without natural talent on the end of the recipient. It also doesn't work on myself."[/color] Hiroki raised his head a little bit. Tilting it up and then bringing it back down. He seemed impatient which didn't make any sense. [color=lightblue]"And you need music for that? Or just buh- umm I mean physical contact. Pretty sick man. "[/color] When Hiroki mentioned that there might be someone worth their acquaintance, Umi was to quick to make her reluctance known. She was never one for meeting any new people; quite the opposite, actually. But she seemed to recognize the boy that Hiroki was talking about now that he'd approached him. His name was Haruto Kaito, and if Umi recalled correctly, [i]he[/i] was the one that had made some sort of power slide right at the beginning of the exam, only to wind up having one hand make contact with Azukina's buttocks. Umi had wanted to ascertain whether said contact was accidental, but she didn't want to embarrass Kaito, which she could potentially do by bringing that incident up. Instead, Umi decided she'd best watch the interaction between Kaito and Hiroki play out... and hope that the two could get along... Umi was still being kind of shy and despite lagging behind in the hike, he made sure to open up the circle so she didn't feel left out in body language alone. Noticing the look from Umi staying quiet at the side, another silent curse escaped his lips from behind the black mouth concealing mask. Both had likely seen his performance against 'The Ruler' or heard of his failure so no doubt they had come to judge. Or maybe it was the display with Kenji that had redeemed his own usefulness instead of highlighting Kenjis potential? Did one of them think it could work for them too? Too many questions. [i][color=gold]Better to just be upfront here.[/color][/i] Steeling his nerve, the Rockstar-to-be went right to the thick of it. "I need to stick with Kenji. Is there something you wanted?" [color=lightblue]"Do you?"[/color] He repeated, looking over. Kenji had attracted some attention with arguably the most destructive quirk. It made Hiroki wish he showed off his combat potential. [color=lightblue]"Hes got his little fan club. I'm just hoping to meet up with everyone. Make a few more friends."[/color] Thats when he smiled. [color=lightblue]"Espectially those worth knowing."[/color] He raised his hand to kind of calm him down. He even looked at Umi for a second. [color=lightblue]"Aint we all going to be on the same team come the competitions this year. I say we get to know everyone. More the merrier right?"[/color] He said casually, almost manipulatively. It was not intentional. He wasn't the best at making new friends. That gave him a pause. The long hike, the intro, the location. Given that they had just started a hero course it was all too obvious that this was an event about to start and that meant teamwork. The little switch from nervous wreck to team leader kicked in at the realization (even if it might not be true). "You're looking to cash in on the demo from earlier. When the event happens out here." In essence it sounded like what he had done with Kenji, indeed what most were doing now that the big guy had shown his strength. "If you wanted a teammate just say so." He raised a hand while putting the other on his hip. [color=lightblue]"You make it sound so tactical, but thats it exactly. But don't think its a one way street. I got your back if you need it."[/color] He looked out to the rest of the group and crossed his arms. [color=lightblue]"And speaking of, now we just need to get the rest of the class on board. I know the big guy will fall in line."[/color] He didnt have to put it that way... [color=lightblue]"You see anyone else that might be worth a proper intro?"[/color] he asked. He also looked over. [color=lightblue]"Same to you Suguru-San. Anyone here that peaks your interest? Personally, I can see a little something special with all of them."[/color] Again he didn't have to look and sound so evil when he said that. Almost conniving really. Sure enough, Kaito and Hiroki were talking teammates, with Hiroki suggesting the rest of the class get in on this as well. Hiroki asked Umi if she knew anyone who would be of any help. It reminded her of the two allies that had got her to where she was now, but neither were anywhere in sight. Did they really sacrifice their positions just to make Umi look good? If so, they may have placed their faith in entirely the wrong person, which scared her. [color=04ece9]"S-sorry,"[/color] Umi shook her head as she said this, [color=04ece9]"Th-the only one I-I-I can th-think of is M-Mari, but..."[/color] That only reminded her of the altercation; the way Mari looked down on her. And then all her other failings came back to haunt her. She shook her head violently, desperately trying to shake the surmounting pressure off of her mind. [color=04ece9]"Th-this whole thing's m-making me [i]n-n-nervous[/i],"[/color] she stammered. Hiroki gave Umi a look. [color=lightblue]"Yeah, the loudmouth would be pretty coo-"[/color] He then tilted his head to one side. [color=lightblue]"What is? Getting to know our class?"[/color] [color=04ece9]"Well... th-that too, I g-guess, but..."[/color] before Umi could get to what was [i]really[/i] bothering her, Hiroki turned away, most likely to address Kaito. "Sorry. If we're done here Im gonna sit down beneath the trees. Call me if you need something.." Like Hiroki, the band kid wasn't exactly the greatest at making conversation. [color=lightblue]"Wha?"[/color] Hiroki lost all of his self smugness. He threw up his hands. [color=lightblue]"Come on! I'm trying to make a power team here."[/color] He growled a little as he saw Kaito walk off. [color=lightblue]"Didn't even give me a chance to bring up what music he listens too... Jeez why is everyone so off puttish?"[/color] He looked back to Umi with a sigh and crossed arms. [color=lightblue]"Look. Everyone is nervous. Some more then others. So that's why someone's got to do the hard part. Take the chance and actually try to break the ice."[/color] He thought about Azukina, but she had her discussion going on. [color=lightblue]"How are we supposed to attract sponsorships and Hero Company scouts if we don't get out there?"[/color] He looked determined, again going all guns blazing at the cost of restraint. [color=04ece9]"Y-You think so?"[/color] Umi wondered, her head sinking low, [color=04ece9][i]'Then why am I the only one who shows it? Why am[/i] I [i]the nervous wreck while everyone else seems to hold it all together? I still feel like the weak link...'[/i][/color] Hiroki talked about attracting sponsorships and the like, once again proving to think a little too far ahead of himself. It was one thing to put a name out there, but one would still have to prove themselves worthy of the spotlight... and that was the one thing Umi wasn't so sure about. She thought about the upcoming Four Pillars Project with the other four schools. Did she really have the talent to stand anywhere near them? Never mind alongside? Umi still had her doubts; after all, there was still a good chance she could fail to represent Jigokuraku despite giving it her all... He then found her in the crowd and raised a hand. [color=lightblue]"Haruishi Mari!"[/color] He said not smiling but trying to get her attention. [color=lightblue]"Nice quirk! Good to see you're a speedster too."[/color] Mari was lost in thought as she followed the crowd of students out to the field. The quirk demonstrations had been impressive, but a few of them had left her in a particularly sour mood, specifically, the 'match' between Ryota and Seijin. As someone with a speed quirk, Mari felt particularly targeted by Seijin's declaration of 'thanks' to speedsters for letting him steal their speed. But why would an aspiring hero threaten fellow aspiring heroes? Why did heroes feel they needed to prove themselves by overpowering their peers? And how could he declare that he could be number one with minimum effort? Why were these kids' first instinct mindless dick-waving? It was one thing to keep to yourself, it was something else entirely when your idea of a hero was behaving like a 'hero-killer'. Is this what society has come to? Was 'heroism' just another outlet for humanity's inherent violent impulses and arrogant bickering? The instinct to just run and never look back gripped Mari's heart. Maybe the world she had run away from was truly inescapable. Pride that becomes arrogance, pain that becomes violence, love that becomes a desire to control. A familiar voice called Mari out of her introspection. [color=FFFF00]"Ah, Sakimoto-san,"[/color] Mari replied stoically. This was another who seemed to like to antagonize others, but Mari kept this thought to herself, after all, he had teamed up with Umi for his demonstration, which defied Mari's expectations. When Hiroki complimented her quirk, Mari's eyes narrowed, responding vaguely, [color=FFFF00]"We make do with the quirks we're born with."[/color] refusing to take pride in her quirk. [color=FFFF00]"I've shown my quirk, nothing more. I haven't yet proven myself as a hero. After all, being a hero is about heart, determination, and hard work. Anyone who thinks that they are already at that level is delusional."[/color] Hiroki kind of picked up on a few things and considering how much he pissed people off before, he was going to bring it back. The core requirement of the team events made it more or less mandatory that he become more diplomatic. He had pride for her. He thought atleast her spirit was pretty damn inspiring. She was intense. A bunch of intense folks. [color=lightblue]"Amen to that."[/color] He said in agreement. [color=lightblue]"Eyes on the prize. And I think things are just going to get harder from here on out."[/color] Mari had let slip some of the venom she was currently feeling and caught herself. Deciding to change the subject to take her mind off of her own thoughts, she continued, [color=FFFF00]"I'm impressed you teamed up for your demonstration. It hadn't occurred to me that such a thing would be permitted. You're audacious, I'll give you that."[/color] Mari was, after all, too straight-laced to think outside the box. And Hiroki had impressed her in a different way, by showing cooperativeness. [color=lightblue]"Wasn't the only one."[/color] He shrugged smiling. [color=lightblue]"Im actually kind of encouraged. If its anything like the agencies group tactics is how we get started."[/color] Seeing Umi standing nearby, Mari offered the shy girl a nod, [color=FFFF00]"Suguro-san. Your demonstration was outstanding."[/color] Mari was silent for a few moments. She hadn't seen Umi in action during the entrance exam, and Umi's cowering nature had initially rubbed Mari the wrong way. But it was clear that Umi had more ability than she herself realized. [color=FFFF00]"Some unsolicited advice. Most confidence is baseless. Look around you. How many of our classmates express confidence with nothing to back it up? We're still kids. None of us really knows how the world works, nor our place in it. If you're afraid, hide your fear. If you're weak, hide your weakness. Expose yourself and you invite the vultures. You don't have to be brave, you just have to act it."[/color] [color=04ece9]"O-outstanding?! [i]M-M-ME[/i]??!!"[/color] in her shock, Umi waved her hands in front of her, unable to bring herself to accept Mari's compliment, [color=04ece9]"N-noooooooo, no no no no, I-I-I wouldn't c-call it that! Er... i-it was actual-l-lly all thanks t-to Hiroki f-for making i-it any good, I just... d-d-did what I w-was told wh-when I was t-told..."[/color] She tried to be modest, but she was so used to the expectation of taking humility for herself that she not only denied herself the worth of any credit for her part in the demonstration, but she also seemingly refused to take Mari's praise for what it was; honest, genuine praise. Then again, it could've just as easily been Umi not knowing [i]how[/i] to take it. She always thought of herself as unimpressive. Hiroki felt a little proud that she name dropped him, putting his hands in his pockets. [color=lightblue]"I just gave you a boost. You're a fire hydrant. Thats heaped in potential. You prob just never got a chance to show off."[/color] [color=04ece9]"Actually, I uh... I-I did try t-to showcase it o-once,"[/color] Umi was quick to correct Hiroki, [color=04ece9]"I-It didn't g-go to well..."[/color] In any case, Umi listened to Mari's advice, acknowledging it with a nod. [color=04ece9][i]'Most confidence is baseless, huh? It explains why I have none, at least...'[/i][/color] Her thoughts drifted back to the Four Pillars Project. Could she really do this? Only time would tell. Mari's rather bleak and blunt world view had some shred of encouragement and he frankly liked the cut of her jib. [color=lightblue]"I think we could be a solid group if we gave it a shot. We all have different quirks, can cover different areas, and have different views of things. Suguru-san is new to the game with alot of potential so we get better by training her to be better. Haruishi-san, you got that kind of no nonsense tenacity that could easily be Class Rep material. And-"[/color] He pointed to Kaito behind him who was gonna chill in the trees. Hiroki recruited him without prior consent. [color=lightblue]"That guy can cover us if there's anything we're missing out on. I just think it'd be kind of rad to support eachother. All friends like. Set the example a little bit."[/color] He said smirking, thumbs up. [color=lightblue]"Bring the whole class to be something awesome eventually."[/color] Yeah he wanted to win, but his win would be everyone else's too. [i]'...Suguru-san is new to the game...'[/i] Mari reflected internally on Hiroki's assumption. Hiroki had already confirmed Mari's suspicions by revealing that he was from a hero family, but by singling out Umi as 'new', Hiroki was implying that Mari was not. While it was true that she said a lot about what a hero was 'supposed' to be, these opinions did not come from experience but from a naive ideology borne of jaded criticism. Still, she didn't think this was the time nor place to correct his assumption and just went a long with it. Mari isntead nodded in approval when he pointed out Kaito, who she already had a positive impression of. In response to his vote of confidence of her as class representative, she replied, [color=FFFF00]"I'm glad you think so. It's a thankless job, but someone's got to do it, preferably someone who takes the position seriously. I also agree in cooperation. After all, on the road to self-improvement, your greatest adversary is yourself."[/color] She remembered when the one who told her those words believed in them himself. Umi never put any serious thought into aligning herself into a team. She was afraid that she'd only slow her teammates down in the long run, but then again, the fear of bringing them into a losing position was surprisingly effective as her driving force. How long that would last, she had no idea; it might be worth Hiroki having a contingency plan in case this house of cards came crashing down. While she had her reservations, Umi decided she'd put faith in Hiroki. It was the least she could do as thanks for building up her confidence a little. Hiroki took her look as acknowledgement. He crossed his arms, looking across the field just as a dramatic wind blew through his hair. [color=lightblue]"Then it's decided. Well be known as..."[/color] [color=blue][center][b][i][h2]"TEAM THUNDERSTORM"[/h2][/i][/b][/center][/color] [color=lightblue]"All we need is checkers and we'll have ice covered too."[/color] He thought a weather based team would be cool.