Tough Mudders [Kirk]

Tetsuko didn't have to wait long for the American lad, who she'd suspected would arrive right on time. A guy like that wasn't gonna slack when it came to exercise, especially of a competitive nature. Although the swordswoman had been on the lookout for a giant teenage boy, her first indication of Kirk's presence was audible before it was visible. Americans really were on the loud side, weren't they? Hearing him shout out so carelessly, Tetsuko was already smirking with satisfaction. In spite of all the shit she'd been through, that guy hadn't changed much at all, had he? Made Tetsuko all the more glad to meet up with her teammate after so long.

"YO!" The Shindou girl would shout in response, raising her hand to her forehead in a greeting salute and wave. The big guy had a penchant for theatrics and being quite boisterous overall, something Tetsuko didn't usually find to be a positive thing in a lot of people. Such traits were usually related to some kind of obnoxious or inconsiderate behavior, but in Kirk's case, he seemed to just be an excitable and innocent sportsman, eager to have fun with his passions. Kirk sprinted over to Tetsuko, slapping her shoulder hard and almost knocking her off balance with his weight. Sometimes, the big guy didn't realize the size behind him!

"Heh, sorry to say, but no broken anything. I'm in prime condition, so you don't get a handicap." Tetsuko would say with a competitive smirk, enjoying this lighthearted banter that usually developed. It wasn't some kind of true rivalry, just a simple mutual competitiveness that made things a bit more thrilling. With his trademark smile, the boy inquired what they were going to be doing on that particular day. Placing her hands on her hips, Tetsuko would turnabout, pointing towards a nearby military obstacle course that was set up within the training grounds, in one of the open areas that included the usual sparring rings and CQC training fields.

"Well, I was thinking we take on some of the obstacle courses they've got here."

There were a few lined up, ranging in size and overall difficulty, but none of them looked easy! There was an array of different obstacles, from crawling sections blocked by cable, your typical wooden hurdles, upward and downward inclines, a rope traversing section, and tires for agility. Some of the courses even featured more vertical challenges, such as large wooden panels with footholds and handholds that had to be scaled before continuing through the course. There were plenty of other different challenges as well, designed to test soldiers' ability to maintain their pace and stamina through any number of harsh environmental conditions.

"They're open to all the people coming in, so we don't have to worry about it getting crowded or a drill sergeant yelling at us." Tetsuko explained, stretching her own neck as she looked back over to Kirk. "So, that also means it works pretty well for a competition. We head through the courses, and see who comes out first." The Shindou girl was already looking excited, and was hoping her friend was feeling the same way. Military or not, they were just obstacle courses, a perfect way for them to test unique styles of movement while also having a bit of fun while doing so.

"So, what do you say? You want to try it?"

"Heh, don't think you'll still be calling it fair once I beat ya." Tetsuko would tease at mention of her handicap, half-smiling at Kirk's evident concern. He was definitely a kind and earnest person, something Tetsuko respected immensely and made his friendship that much more treasured. Although the Shindou girl usually found herself more easily befriending boys rather than girls, the former could be much rougher and less empathetic. Yet, this did not seem to be the case with the honorable and noble sportsman Kirk Bluster!

As she pointed out her plans for their competition, Tetsuko was relieved to find Kirk in immediate approval, quite eagerly stating his self-determined advantage in this situation! His demonstration prompted a confident smirk from Tetsuko, who showed off her own bravado. "Hey now, don't be so sure, my footwork isn't too bad either!" Tetsuko proudly proclaimed. Indeed, her own practice in kenjutsu had definitely benefited the young girl's speed on her feet, but it would remain to be seen whether this could hold up against the jogging addict that Kirk was!

Tetsuko would continue to describe the course and activities to Kirk, hoping to keep him interested. Fortunately for her, Kirk was quite keen on the idea, particularly once the possibility of a drill sergeant was quashed. Tetsuko, personally, was a bit more used to loud and stern orders, but the kind of negative reinforcement utilized by drill sergeants was a bit much even for her. Cultivating mutual respect between teacher and student seemed to be much more beneficial in her eyes, but that was a topic for another time.

Right now, Tetsuko had something a bit more difficult to deal with, that being a very excited Kirk! The excitement was beaming right off of him, and Tetsuko couldn't help but grin in self-satisfaction at how much he was taking to this idea of hers. He grabbed her in a gesture of comradely and proclaimed his intentions, prompting a chuckle from the Japanese girl. "That's the spirit alright. Banzai!" She showed her own national pride, more eager than ever to get this show on the road! Luckily, Kirk was too, sprinting off toward the obstacle course right away!

"Hey!" Tetsuko called out in protest, quickly darting after him. He hadn't even awaited the starter gun! Fortunately, he didn't get too much of a head start, and she'd soon be running alongside Kirk as they approached the first set of obstacles: Wooden hurdles of different heights along the first stretch!

"Try not to fall!" Tetsuko would taunt as she took on the first challenge, deftly jumping over the first obstacle in a typical military fashion, raising one leg and then the other to vault over this rudimentary impediment. She'd glance aside to Kirk, seeing how the bulkier lad might handle this first stretch of the obstacle course. She doubted he would have much trouble with it, but admittedly, some part of Tetsuko did worry he might have been literal when the American lad talked about going 'through' the obstacles on the course!

”In your class, huh?” Yet again Kirk cited his own class was being one of the justifications behind his behaviour, or rather another example of it. Tetsuko had heard about how crazy and energetic 1-C could be, and although it certainly wasn’t her kind of scene, the Shindou girl could definitely see Kirk Bluster fitting in among that infamous group of misfits. Tetsuko, on the other hand, would stick with her much more controlled class. The same class that had helped her inch closer to calmer, more considerate, and cleverer approach to whatever obstacles she faced…

Though, with some, consideration was not quite as necessary. With the hurdles, it was simply a matter of utilizing her natural speed without losing too much of her momentum! Of course, she was still barely even an amateur, and was losing a lot of speed with each jump, as opposed to a professional hurdler who wouldn’t slow down at all. But, it was enough to impress her competition, who seemed impressed by her speed. Indeed, for what Tetsuko was lacking in size and muscle mass, she made up for with quickness, a trait that was absolutely vital to any martial artist, swordsmen in particular.

Kirk had his own approach to the course, following Tetsuko’s taunts. Indeed, although the swordswoman had a tendency to tackle things in a simple, head-on manner, this was doubly so for Kirk, who began simply squatting and leaping over the hurdles! Slowing down as she watched this impressive display of lower body strength, Tetsuko wouldn’t find her own run being perfect either, almost stumbling to the ground on the last hurdle as she struggled to catch her own speed on the landing! Kirk, meanwhile, ended up actually going ‘through’ the last hurdle with one of his leaps. ”Well, you still got past it…” Tetsuko would say with a shrug, figuring it may as well still count for their purposes. A drill sergeant’s opinion be damned in this case.

Going across a short stretch, the pair would approach the second of the simpler obstacles, which Kirk quickly compared to a film series Tetsuko had only ever heard of. ”Sorry, don’t get the reference, I’m more into samurai flicks myself.” Tetsuko would reply. Indeed, her preference lay in the ‘Japanese westerns’ of samurai, but film preferences weren’t too relevant right now. What was relevant was the trials ahead, however, was the log wall they’d have to scale. ”Alright, let’s go vertical…” Right beside Kirk, Tetsuko would begin scaling the wall, finding things a bit more difficult with her own limited upper body strength, but compensating with her agility. As she climbed, something did occur to Tetsuko, that would’ve made this obstacle easier!

”Oh yeah, I should probably have asked, Quirks allowed or no? Your call.” If they were allowed, It would undoubtedly make their next few obstacles that bit easier or more interesting, but Tetsuko didn’t know how suited her competitor’s quirk was to the course, and presumed he’d rather they be tested on physical strength alone anyway, so she left the decision up to him!

Nonetheless, Tetsuko would slowly and steadily scale the wall, her smaller frame and comparatively lower level of muscle mass meaning she’d likely lag behind Kirk before finally vaulting over to the other side of the log wall, noticing the huge pool of water right below! With the same consideration, Tetsuko would lower herself down the wall, already starting to build up a sweat as she set her eyes on the next obstacle: This time, a stretch of rope to climb and shimmy across a muddy ground below, which was definitely going to be unpleasant.

”Ha… You getting tired yet? Cause I’m just getting warmed up.” Tetsuko would taunt Kirk in a light manner, feeling her heart pumping from the physical exertion and the exercise and competition, both of which they were certainly enjoying! The same gruelling obstacle course that so many soldiers trudged through everyday was nothing but a source of fun and banter for these highschool students.

With all the gusto of usual, Kirk explained his sudden reference to the movie Tetsuko hadn’t seen, prompting a scoff and chuckle from the Shindou girl. ”Well, that’s cool I guess, but I’m not about to gauge our progress against a movie! Maybe they were just lazy!” Tetsuko declared jokingly, before having Kirk query her about the samurai movies she so adored, and whether they possessed comedic elements. ”Eh, I wouldn’t say so, they’re more like… Westerns, I guess.” She explained, finding the comparison apt. The two genres were often compared, inspiring and weaving into one another, so it was a fairly good way to try and bridge this cultural gap they were experiencing!

Once Tetsuko asked if Quirks were on the table, Kirk was noticeably considerate about his answer. A far cry from his typical energetic outbursts that came with speed and moxie. Growing concerned that she’d overstepped a boundary or entered an awkward topic for the American boy, Tetsuko would find her fears brushed away as Kirk heartily accepted the offer. ”Hah, that’s a good spirit!” She said proudly, before Kirk claimed it would impede her workout intentions, to which the swordswoman firmly shook her head. ”Quirks are a part of the body too, training them is no different to working out!” Was what the swordswoman claimed, and did not delay in showing off the ability she’d been given permission to use.

For the rest of the climb, a small pair of blades sprouted from her palm, curved backwards towards her wrist to give her a special pair of climbing claws on each hand! An old ‘ninja’ tool, some might see it as, though there was no actual historical references to their usage. Nonetheless, they were effective for Tetsuko’s purposes, letting her get a better grip as she scaled the wall more easily. Her pace already exceeding Kirk’s the Shindou girl would be on the descent before the American lad, though was a bit more careful of the water below. Kirk, on the other hand, willingly leaped into it, his great form splashing some water towards Tetsuko. ”Hey, cooling down is one thing, but getting your clothes soaked is just gonna slow you down more!” She taunted as the boy got a lead on her, a grin forming on her expression. Kirk’s headstrong approach meant that he could barrel through many of these obstacles without worry, perhaps his greatest strength in this ‘race’ of theirs!

”Don’t get too attached to the lead!” Tetsuko declared as Kirk took on the next challenge, the young swordswoman following behind with considerable less damp clothing. His heavy wet footprints would be followed by the Shindou girl towards the next obstacle, a rope across this pit of mud. Likely a stand in for some other obstacle, but still, it wasn’t exactly going to be pleasant if either of them fell in, considering the stench the mud was emitting upwards!

Kirk continued to rely on his upper body strength for the climb, going across the rope with his arms like they were monkey bars. Brute force as usual, it seemed. ”Geeze, your technique’s all wrong!” Tetsuko lamented as she grabbed the rope with her hands, shifting forward a bit before turning around so her back was facing the way she wanted to go. Then, she’d lift her legs around the top of the rope, and with all her limbs to support her weight, she’d begin shimmying across the rope, bringing her legs towards her hands then moving her hands along, and repeating this cycle ad nauseum. Kirk’s strong arms might be just as quick, but this was a much more stable and less tiring technique, and one that wasn’t going to shake her rope as much! ”If you fall in, you might wanna head back to the water!” Tetsuko taunted the American lad, watching with a hint of concern as his large frame addressed this obstacle. It would be an actual shame for her challenger to fall in here!

Kirk wasn’t to be deterred by anything, it seemed, paying no mind to his soaked clothing and only declaring that he would just have to run fast enough to dry it out. ”Heh, you’ll regret the ground your gonna lose til then!” Tetsuko proclaimed playfully, enjoying their little banter. It wasn’t the same kind of cocky showboating that other students had engaged in, it was a much more lighthearted and kinder toned teasing. Its purpose not to try and make victory any sweeter, but to stoke a healthy competitive spirit that pushed them both to do their best.

There was a hint of regret in the sportsman’s voice, evidently feeling the cold of his little dip, though he claimed it refreshing. ”Yeah, really looks like you’re cooling off over there!” Tetsuko teased again, briefly considering lending him something to warm up a bit. Unfortunately, she didn’t exactly have anything on hand. Besides, Kirk could tough it out himself, and would probably just be embarrassed if she stopped to help him out with something as trivial as a slight chill!

Tetsuko guessed that normally you weren’t supposed to jump into the water so readily, but with no overbearing drill sergeant to tell them how to handle things, they were free to tackle the course as they wished. A liberty that Kirk freely exercised with his own technique of handling the rope. While the swordswoman didn’t doubt that his upper body strength could carry him across the obstacle, such an inefficient and demanding technique was sure to wear him out more quickly than he hoped. ”This is a bit different from monkeybars…” She chuckled, before hearing her own technique described so embarrassingly. ”Hey! It’s effective!” Tetsuko retorted simply, continuing on with greater vigor and a desire to show that her technique was superior! Surely enough, she’d catch up and surpass the other lad, tiring herself out a bit as she did so, but not nearly as much as he. It was a shame, in a way, with all the strength Kirk had, he could be even more of a powerhouse if he only knew how to use to effectively! Maybe Tetsuko could teach him a thing or two someday…

That would be for a later date. For now, she focused on winning against her competitor, and maintaining the lead she’d gained. Coming up to the end of the rope, Tetsuko would pull herself close to it as she slid onto the platform, losing a few seconds as she had to get to her feet from an awkward position, allowing Kirk to get a bit closer to her position! She wouldn’t risk him getting any more ground on her, however, as the Shindou girl quickly ran forth for the next obstacle. She was starting to pant a bit, her limbs aching from all the strenuous activity, and her heart pumping with the thrill of physical exercise!

The last pair of obstacles was simple, and set up for an interesting finish. First, was a set of vertical wooden walls that they’d have to scale over, much smaller than the last wall but greater in quantity. Following that, an upward sloping incline that would be tiresome to traverse, leading to another chasm at the top! This time, however, instead of climbing ropes across, it seemed they would have to swing across them, as a pair of ropes dangled in between the top of the first incline and second downward incline to the end of the course on the other side.

”Ready for the last stretch?” Tetsuko would call out to Kirk as she took on the next set of obstacles with no sign of giving up, even if her fatigue was causing her to slow down. Iron sprouted from her palms, simple climbing claws that she used as she jumped at the first wooden wall to scale it without having to rely too much on her inferior upper body strength.