Spirit of Competition [Shouko & Berker]

In the buildup to sports festival, quite a few thoughts ran through quite a few heads. Some envisioned themselves on the podium, having won the highest honor. Others imagined themselves forgetting their clothes and not noticing until their opponent started laughing. Still others were simply nervous, comparing themselves to others needlessly. As for Iwasaka Shouko... The overly energetic girl lived up to her reputation! With a broad smile on her face an humming an entirely off-key ditty, the first year student strode along the riverside. No one knew what was going through her mind, although there was little doubt that she regretted not bringing some tires along. Or Mianon. Mianon on tires. Wasn't that the classic training montage sequence?

That is to say, whatever was on her mind, was the exact opposite of nerves.

But just as her tone-deafness would become bothersome, it would cut out. "Eh?" Came the curious tone of mild surprise. That black haired student laying on the bank was familiar! Hemmm, and ooh! Look at that staff he had! That's right! Bounding up the hill with little concern as to the other's interest in being approached, a chipper voice would snap the other from his excess of thought. "Heya! You're in 1-B! Eto... Berserker, right!? It was an odd name, but then, some people really liked that old Destiny franchise. Shouko included. But there were just too many entries to keep up with!

"Whatcha up to? The festival's just around the corner, you know! This is no time for lazing about!" The girl insisted... Which would have more power if she hadn't been taking a casual stroll instead of training, herself. Or if her eyes were actually on the person he was talking to, instead of on his staff. "You're a staff fighter? That's amazing! I don't think anyone else in UA uses one... Oh, not counting Serperior-sensei, of course!" He was a teacher, after all!

The brunette's eyes gleamed. There was nothing half so interesting to her as someone with a unique fighting style! Ooh, what fun!

However, she herself would be quite the unusual sight. In fact, she stood out so much, it wasn't improbable for the other to have noticed her in the halls before- For one, she never wore the school-issued uniform. Instead, even in class, her body was draped in a brown tunic, similar to the Gi robes worn by martial artists... And yet completely different, at the same time! Although similarly tied at the waist with a sash, rather than having pants worn beneath, the shirt extended to form a wide skirt, hiding any trace of the girls' quirk. Which it could be assumed it did, as that would be the only reason to be granted permission for such a flagrant violation of the school's uniform policy!

Eh, Berker, Berserker, close enough. The brunette would shrug off the correction... Aided by his acceptance of his new nickname! Sweet! She didn't even have to think of something! "Nyahaha, Berserker is is!" And so it was settled. As for his other questions... "Eto... I don't think so?" She would respond to his asking if they had met. It didn't sound familiar, and she would remember! Probably. "I'm 1-A's Iwasaka Shouko!" she introduced herself, as if that would explain everything. As for how she knew who he was... "We don't get a lot of transfer students!" Incorrect. They received quite a few. "So doesn't it make sense to know who they are? You never know who'll be a part of the main cast!" It was a universal law that any transfer student was an important character!

All evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

But minor details like that were meant to be ignored! "Mm. But back on topic!" The girl changed the subject. "What style? Sensei uses Aikido with his staff! Or is it something western... Quarterstaff? En. Chinese styles are popular, too! Oh, is it self made? Those are popular lately, since few styles were created with quirks in mind!" Her eyes gleamed as she rattled off examples of styles which used staves... And seemed entirely liable to rattle off a dozen more, until the other offered a correction. "Nyehehe, it's always super cool learning about everyone's fighting style! The ones who adapt a style to their quirk, the ones who adapt their quirk to a style... It's super interesting, right?

The gleam in her eyes would make disagreeing difficult, even if her words were hardly sensible to anyone whose brain didn't follow the same train of thought as her own.

Shouko nodded in understanding. "Ahaha, isn't it just like that? En. Changing your martial art to fit your quirk, or the other way around... It's inevitable in this world! No style was made with them in mind, you know? But the concepts are there, so the groundwork is all laid out!" She didn't really need to say half so much, but when it came to battle, Shouko's mouth worked faster than her brain! But she was soon distracted by the other thing he mentioned, her other major interest! "Ehh, a transformation! That's cool! Does it have a prehensile tail? What kind of monkey? Can I see- Ah, wait, we can't use our quirks off campus, so never mind that last one!" She chattered excitedly, only pausing at the realization that she could only hear and not see.

"Hehe, though, a monkey with a staff? Berserker, I should just call you The Great Sage Equal To Heaven! Son Goku! Sun Wukong! Heehee, did you pick the staff because of that, or was it a coincidence?" She couldn't bear the curiousity. It would be a truly fateful coincidence if it were one, but it was also cool to theme yourself after such a legend! The name said it all... Great Sage Heaven's Equal. Wasn't that just plain domineering?

As for herself... She grinned. "Nyahaha, I made my own style! It's called Yaogun!" A thirty second Boogle translate job, the original being Rock and Roll. Truly, a name which suited the girl who never thought too much. "My quirk is a stone armor which I carve out each morning, so it's styled to suit that! Stone's heavy, so it's all about using that to my advantage! Whether it's using it to deliver powerful hits while grounded, or ignoring it to create a flowing momentum! Eto, there isn't really one art it's based on, though. It's kinda a mix and match of a bunch of different styles?" After all, her movements were quite incomparable to other people's. The style of her armor alone granted such a low center of gravity, that she based almost her entire style on it. "Ehehe, but don't underestimate it because it's slapdash! In terms of pure technique, I even give Feng-senpai a run for her money!"

In fact, there were few in the school whose martial arts could keep up with her own. Even among the legendary second years. But as much pride as she had in it... It was difficult to get a swelled head from it. After all, while her martial art may be extremely polished... the person using it wasn't. As her quirk hardly enhanced her physical structure the way other people's quirks did, she would only ever be as strong as a human! A bottleneck which could strike her down at any moment!

But Berker wasn't the only one interested in warming up before the main event. Only the looming threat of disciplinary action prevented Shouko from immediately suggesting they demonstrate for each other! En, as soon as it came up, she would suggest moving to a training room for that! Whether it was a spar or just a demonstration... She wanted to see the moves of the Monkey King!

Ehhh, unusable? How sad! A monkey who couldn't grab stuff with their tail... Could it truly be called a monkey? En, but the dextrous feet would certainly make his movements unpredictable! All in all... The girl flashed her thumb up! "En, a nice quirk! Nyahaha, the staff is already super versatile in how you hold it, I bet you can add so many variations in by using your feet! Awesome!" And, of course, her first impression was in how it could be used in a fight! As expected of the school's one and only Battle Analyst! "But hmm. No specific species, huh? As usual, quirks are allergic to consistency!" Some could be pinpointed down to the species, others were chimeras, made up of traits from more than a few! While most stuck to a single theme, some others were simply amalgams! It baffled the imagination!

She chuckled at being right about the source of his style. "Nyahaha! No shame in that! Journey to the West is a classic for a reason!" As for whether Sun was a hero or not... Well. He was a famed troublemaker, wreaking such havoc that even Buddha would imprison him for 500 years. But the Monkey King had also saved many lives on his journey with the monk, to the degree of attaining Buddhahood. "But, the victorious fighting buddha? That's a lofty goal there, Berserker! I like it!" En! A goal was a good thing! Just idolizing the Monkey King said a lot about Berserker's personality... perhaps the name she had bestowed upon him was not altogether inappropriate?

"Heehee, I should say I feel some kinship? I mean, when I was picking my hero name, Wukong came up a lot! You'd think there were more gods born from stones, right?" She had become intent on that as the theming of her name due to the similarity with how she woke up in a boulder each morning. Like the stone egg the monkey king was said to be born of. "En, but compared to any of his names! Mithra sounded way more fitting for a young girl, right?" It was a sad fate for the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, that his name was simply too masculine! And of his many titles, which would sound right to a young girl? The Keeper of the Heavenly Stables? Preposterous!

Although, to be fair, Stone Monkey would suit the young Shouko quite well... Was something few classmates had the courage to tell her.

"But I'm definitely glad I didn't now! It's good to avoid overlap!" En, things had a way of working out!

Before she could find a gap to make her suggestion... She was beaten to it! Shouko's eyes opened wide- Well, wider- in surprise! She hadn't expected it to be this easy! "Ehehe, that's what I should be asking you! Come on, Berserker, let's get our paperwork in, Stat!" So declaring, the girl would reach within the folds of her robe... And withdraw a stack of papers! Eh? Did she really carry those on her everywhere she went? But then, it was Iwasaka Shouko, after all. And she would never spar without the appropriate approvals!

It would be quite impressive how she managed to keep her handwriting legible, filling out the forms with one hand, as she dedicated the other to dragging the other along. "Eeheehee, I can't wait to see! Your quirk sounds suuuper interesting, 'Zerker!" En, and apparently one of the brazilian students had a primate quirk too! This would be an excellent chance to prepare for the chance that she met him in the festival! Eto, though, she was all in on combat, and it sounded like that one was his team's rescue specialist?

Although it was easy to see Shouko as a lover of fighting, she would be the first to tell you how wrong that impression was! What the stone-clad girl loved was not fighting, but battle! The competition of strength and skills, the back and forth nature, and even the uncertainty present in every match! That is to say, it didn't matter if she was on stage or not... What mattered, was that she could see! It was just that there was no closer seat than in the middle, and most training sessions happened behind closed doors... So if she had a bit of a reputation for being eager to spar, was it really a surprise? "Heehee, and I look forward to seeing how you use that staff! Hey, hey, can it extend?"

While it sounded like a silly question, given the topic of Sun Wukong, it was dead serious! The Monkey King's weapon was a pillar of the Dragon King's Palace, shrunk down into a convenient weapon-sized rod! But it could grow back to its original size whenever needed, making it an extendable weapon! The staff was already one of the most flexible of weapons, the ability to adjust it's range on the fly would only amplify that aspect! Of course, it would also make the already complicated martial art that much more difficult to master the use of.

"Nyahaha, that's true! Fine then, he's got a lot of names... I'll take Victorious Fighting Buddha, and Great Sage, Heaven's Equal!" The girl immediately took the most tyrannical of Wukong's titles for herself. Naturally, this wouldn't actually replace her hero name- She'd have to completely rebrand her channel if she did that! Besides, after all this time, she was quite attached to the name Mithra! Nonetheless, it would make for a topic as they walked- Well, as much as the energetic Shouko ever could walk- to the school's training facilities.

Somewhere along the way, Shouko would have gotten the other's signature on the medical consent and liability waivers. Important documents that meant that no matter what happened, she wasn't to blame! Not that she expected any trouble. After all, people weren't supposed to get hurt in a fight! If things seemed like they might get serious, stopping wouldn't be a problem~

The training rooms themselves weren't anything unusual. Padded for safety, with an unknown material that seemed capable of taking whatever the students could dish out. Either that or it was so cheap as to be replaced after each session, as the walls would appear pristine, despite the amount of use this room would have seen. Now, while there were of course targets, dummies, and other equipment which could be brought out... They didn't really need any, so turning the paperwork into one of the teachers in charge, Shouko would pull Berker through an open door.

Once inside, she wasn't one to waste time! No sooner had she released her hostage, than her hands would be pulling at the sash which held her outfit together! As the cloth slid down to the floor provocatively, the armor she had mentioned before would be revealed. If it could be called armor, considering it left more uncovered than not... Rather, the impression it gave, was more like an old school yankee girl. Skirt worn low, well below the knees, and chest bound with a sarashi wrap. Except that instead of cloth, both pieces were made of solid stone! Certainly not what one would expect by her description of it as a stone armor.

However, as though unbothered by a boy seeing her bare midriff, Shouko would start stretching- and in doing so, show why so much stone had been carved away! Although the stiff stone did not bend like the skirt it was carved into would, the material hardly seemed to hamper her movements- Her waist flexible, bending just above the cut of the stone. Underneath as well, her legs seemed unhampered- The dress was angled such that her legs could kick out as high as she ever needed them to, thus not impacting her at all. Rather, if the stone was cut in any other way, it would be hardly possible for the girl to move!

"Nyahaha, here it is! Your turn, Berserker!" Having displayed her quirk's full glory, it was time for the other boy to do the same!

"Oooh! How convenient!" Came the far from disappointed response to Berker's admission. Being able to shrink a weapon for storage was a must! Otherwise you'd be walking around with this pole the whole time... No way! En, even her 'weapons' of choice, were convenient because they did not have to be carried around! Of course, that was to say... Her whole body was a weapon! Not. But the specific weapons she was thinking of, Berker would witness soon enough.

As the other signed the forms she gave him, Shouko would shrug. "I know, it's a pain! But the school needs them for uh, insurance reasons, I think sensei said." The girl scratched her head, clearly unsure what scribbles on paper had to do with insurance. "More importantly, if we don't have them, that's detention! So always get your paperwork in!" The girl nodded sagely, as though one might easily overlook that... No, Shouko, I'm pretty sure you're the only one who would do that.

Once undressed, Shouko would shoot a quizzical glance at her training partner. "Eh? What's wrong, Zerker?" Apparently she had decided Berserker was too long, and settled on the shortened version. "You're bright red! Did you have a fever!? Right before Sports Festival, at that!" The girl would decidedly not help by moving closer, intent on checking on the other's health! Although presumably, he would not allow her to have her way... It would be unsafe, in a number of ways.

Shouko wasn't known for her medical knowledge.

In any case, once she had been assured that he was fine, and perhaps offered a word or two of advice on suit ventilation- Although considering her own method was removing the majority of the suit, perhaps her thoughts on the matter would be less than worthwhile- Shouko would finally step back to answer the boy's questions. "Nyahahaha! It is, isn't it! Thanks, Zerker!" En, as expected of a fan of the Monkey King, he had good taste! "En, it's a bit hard to reach around so far while making the cuts even... You should have seen it when I first joined!" Even now the suit had a sort of balanced uneveness- No matter what mistakes she had made while carving, she had made a similar carving on each side, in order to maintain the delicate balance of the stone. "Hehe, but if I can do this much after just a year, you better believe it'll be even better soon!" The girl declared, hinting at her own future.

"Ehe, but no. I can't." The girl admitted. Sure, it was an advantage to hide the full traits of her equipment in front of a potential opponent... But she had never been one to concern herself with that! In the first place, to her, winning was always secondary to seeing what her opponent could do! She had nothing to hide! "Not for my armor. My arms, though!" With a nod, she would demonstrate- Slim arm lifting into the air- And then exploding into a mass of solid stone. If one was looking closely, they would see the briefest instant where grey ooze poured out of the arm, before solidifying into brown stone which matched the rest of the armor.

"I can do that any time! But it's heavy, so unless the rest of my armor is around, I don't have enough counterweight to do anything with it!" In short, once her armor was gone, it was gone for good. No ifs, ands, or buts.

But enough about her! It was time for him to show his stuff! And hardly seeming to notice as he took off his shirt- He was right. No one had ever told her it wasn't something to do in front of the opposite gender... Or in front of the same gender, for that matter. Her intense gaze would follow every moment of his transformation, eyes gleaming in a manner that often left their target uncomfortable.

"En, super cool, Zerker! Top marks! You're right, it totally looks just like him! Well, the modern interpretation, at least! And old art's so stylized anyways, you'd be hard pressed to resemble it!" The girl declared authoritatively. Her eyes followed the moving staff as he demonstrated its aforementioned ability to shrink- And fortunately, she did not make any designs on his pants so as to see what was left. "But can you fight like him?" Came the mischievous question as a follow up. Her clubbed hand slammed on the ground, shattering its imprisoning stone- And swiftly retracted, bringing the girl into a combat stance. After all... As cool as a quirk looked while standing still, it would only look cooler in action!