thelegion | [Video] in his cocoon stage

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[Video] in his cocoon stage

[A rather tired looking face rose up into a video feed, surrounded by a soft yellow mass. It looked as if his head had been shoved into a Coney Island cutout--but, the cutout was absent of anything but plush yellow fabric. He shifted slightly, sniffing with what clearly looked to be disinterest.]

It sounds like you've all had a good run, so far. Despite that, I hope no one thinks they're beyond a little tutoring and critique.

[He seemed to retreat a bit into the yellow fabric.]

My name is Aizawa Shouta and I'm a Professional Hero. If you need advice or even a good place to hone your skills while you're not currently on a mission--I'm in my biome and I've had it fitted for the sake of physical and strategic training.

[The entire time, he struggled desperately to emote and yet--nothing happened.]

Alright, that seems good enough to get the point across. Talk to me.

[--Without a hint of dramatic flair, Aizawa's feed cut.]

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He didn't react with the appropriate amount of dread. Largely because he didn't know Aizawa's reputation.

"Run and hide, huh?" Not exactly something Jason was used to doing. Retreat had been necessary a few times back home, but there they could simply teleport. He could fly to some unexpected area with the flight ring, true, but that seemed to defeat the purpose of this being 'exercise'.

Aizawa would have the advantage here, unlike some of the monsters he'd faced back home. He knew the lay of the land. But Jason had a trick up his sleeve that... It was probably better to reveal ahead of time. This was training, after all.

"I'll have a bit of an advantage," he admitted, starting to bounces on his heels a bit, getting the blood flowing for an actual run. "I don't know if you've read my file or not. My power works in a sphere. I can target anyone inside of it, which means I can kind of sense anyone inside of it. I can't really tell anything about them unless I know them, just that they're there, and the range depends on how the people in my range already feel about me." He rolled his shoulders. "As it is, with no one else here, I'm going to be able to pick you out if you're within about ten feet of me." Not a lot of room, he knew, but it would be important for teammates and trainers to know.

He could also target himself, give him a boost of pure physicality, but he didn't like to bother with that for training. To Jason, it was about enhancing his existing physical abilities, not relying on an artificial boost.

Either way. He was ready to go. "When do we start?"

"I certainly hope we aren't allowed to read personal details about one another here," He commented off-handedly. Had Jason more experience, he might have worried but Aizawa didn't place any real investment into it. He looked more a lazy slob than anything else at all.

Though there was one major issue, there. Aizawa sighed and lifted one hand, presenting a stop-watch. He clicked it once, letting the timer begin running. Ten feet? Being given a precise distance was incredibly useful for him though he would still test it. Jason could have possibly been messing with him for all he knew.

"Lesson one: Limit the amount of information your enemy possesses about you. If possible, mislead them. For someone with an ability like yours--this is something beyond simple necessity. This should be your primary means of combat."

The seconds ticked. Aizawa then continued, "Well, you'll learn a bit about that in a little while. Hurry up."

"I dunno." Honestly, most people were open enough about their powers, though there were a few members he wasn't sure about.

He stuck around for Aizawa's speech, then opened his mouth to object. Letting people on the team know about it just lead to good things, right? Unfortunately, it turned out that Aizawa's speech was just wasting his escape time. Not even taking the time to grumble about how cheap it was, Jason turned and dashed off, rounding a corner almost immediately.

Unlike most of the students at U.A., Jason didn't tend towards rooftop hopping to increase the area covered. He was strictly a ground pounder and, compared to most of the ones with versatile Quirks, not a very fast one. Fast enough for an athlete, though. Fortunately, speed wasn't the only thing he had going for him. Jason's endurance was inhuman and, while he wasn't a very smart guy, he did have a good head on his shoulders for tactics.

After a short while of twists and turns, he darted into multi-storied building, carefully closing the door behind him. He wasn't sure what Aizawa's abilities were, but if he was being hunted... Probably enhanced senses. Smell. Hearing. Something like that. Either way, he'd have to figure out which it was. If there was any. He glanced around the lobby, crossing it quietly, and cracked the door to the stairwell open, leaving it gaping just a little. Then he crossed to the elevator, opened the doors, then closed them, pushing open the door in the top and pulling himself through before closing and locking it.

He could probably hide here if he wanted. He was feeling pretty sure that Aizawa couldn't find him that fast. Even so... Jason glanced up at the elevator cables and grunted to himself before reaching out to grab one and... immediately regretting it. He made a face and wiped his hand off on the walls. Who knew that cables needed lubrication? Whoever put this together for Aizawa, that was for sure. Climbing that thing would be nasty and nearly impossible. Action movies had lied to him once again.

He settled back down, squatting on top of the elevator's top door, and frowned as he tried to figure out a way out of the situation he'd stuck himself in. Could he get out of here without using any powers or the flight ring? Should he even bother? How well could Aizawa even track him?

When Jason stopped and simply ran, Aizawa could tell he understood what was going on. He had been quick to ask questions and be direct but understanding that Aizawa was stealing time from him and acting quickly to discourage it had been a smart move. He had pointed earned for improving on that. Aizawa waited, watching as Jason made a move to get out of his line of sight as quickly as possible.

To most heroes, this would have been an immense game changer, but Aizawa had more experience hunting villains than others had. All Might never had to worry about pursuing someone with minimal details. He could simply charge into a situation and have it handled. Subtlety and entrapment had been Aizawa's greatest weapons. Jason had made it a few seconds after disappearing before Aizawa took off. He didn't cross directly after Jason, rather than cutting between a shorter gap of buildings between his turn. With the metallic wrapping he wore around his neck and shoulders, he repelled from the wall of an alley, leaping from two balconies with casual ease. It wasn't simply for show that he traveled that way. Heavy booted footsteps told someone where he was and where he was traveling. He would still make some noise if he hopped from place to place, but it would be very sudden where he landed--and there would be little noise to tell where he was going.

Aizawa hadn't crossed enough alleys to catch up to Jason completely, but after one repelling leap, he paused and held his breath to listen as intently for further noise. The doors to the buildings had been well maintained even in their apparent state of abandonment. He only heard the faintest hint of air shifting. He didn't hear the door shut, given Jason's caution in that regard... but, he did hear the pounding of feet in an otherwise empty lobby adjacent to his approach.

Aizawa didn't rush in that way, instead moving to the side of the building to climb up the emergency escapes. From the emergency escape windows, one could look into the halls of apartments. That had been his plan, at least. When he got to the window though, he saw in the hall that a door to the stairway had been left open. He pushed the window open as quietly as possible and slipped into the building. Aizawa followed into the stairwell and stopped immediately, listening. He didn't hear Jason running up it.

Aizawa paused in the doorway, thinking. Jason came to understand Aizawa's goal rather quickly in the beginning. He didn't hear Jason climbing the stairs, which would have taken quite a bit to run up. He took the care to close the lobby door quietly but not the door to the stairwell?

He let the door hang open and ventured back into the first floor hall. With that, he began walking with soft steps, listening. With the place emptied, there was little chance Jason could move out of the building without forcing a window open, which would have made noise. When Aizawa entered the building, there would have been just a bit of noise to catch--enough if Jason had gotten the hint.

Aizawa smiled, impressed. On the spot, Jason made mistakes but they were reasonable ones. He was working off of minimal information and even forced him into a feint. From that point on, his lessons would have to become much more specialized. At the very least, he expected Jason might not have been too bad at chess.

But, he was left with one thing to do before moving on. Aizawa had to wait for another sign. He stood silently, controlling his breath and doing his best to listen. He didn't possess anything more than what a human did. Fortunately, there was still the factor of Jason's ability, which Aizawa hardly saw as a hindrance. In cornering prey, their unawareness was often times a hindrance to catching them.

It was easier to catch someone who tried to negotiate an escape.

In the middle of the hall, Aizawa beckoned the question:

"Do you understand? Don't worry about answering. If you evaded me, it was because I missed a detail. The stairway door was a good idea, but you made a lot of noise in a place with floor tiles that made the lobby's acoustics explode. Admittedly, even if it were during the day and there were a crowd, escaping in here would also draw attention. People would look disturbed and there would be a clear path to where you ran."

He continued, "Even so--good work so far. Now, let's wrap this up."

Jason stiffened a little, frowning. He could feel Aizawa enter his range, just briefly, when the man entered the stairwell. And then he was out of range again, and Jason forced himself to relax.

Unfortunately, Jason couldn't really hear what Aizawa was saying. It was all muffled. He could hear his voice, just barely, but it didn't carry enough for him to hear his hunter through the walls, or the elevator doors. After a moment's internal debate, he shrugged.

Worth the risk. This was only their first training session together, after all.

He shuffled back, then popped open the door on top of the elevator and jumped down, landing in a crouch with a loud thumping noise. He pressed the button and the doors silently slid open, with him looking appropriately sheepish. "Sorry, I couldn't hear what you were saying. Would you mind repeating any of that?"

He lifted his brow in amusement at that though Jason didn't catch it with the ribbons he had around his shoulders. Aizawa looked to Jason, wryly responding:

"That's a shocker. I didn't think you'd consider that sort of approach right away," He walked up to him, pressing one hand against the elevator door to keep it open. Concerns over wasting power had been minimal. Aizawa leaned against the opening, looking up the door grate to where Jason had crawled down from.

It was a good idea, but--

"I'll give you a run-down of my appraisal in a bit, but first let me guess--you didn't see the foot posts outside of the frame of the elevator shaft?"

He could have checked out Jason's hands but it didn't seem necessary.

Jason wasn't the only hero to ever climb up an elevator shaft. Aizawa was, unfortunately, the sort of guy to make it a routine plan when chasing someone in a building.

He let out a wry grin at the praise. "Well, yeah. I saw Die Hard, y'know." And a few others, but the one big name movie would be enough.

Then again... Foot posts. Jason coughed, glancing in another direction. No, that hadn't even occurred to him. "I kinda thought I'd just be able to climb the cable. It's way too greasy for something like that, though." Never was in the movies. Go figure. "I didn't even know they put a ladder in there."

He probably should have. After all, they had to be able to get people to climb out of shafts if the elevator got stuck in an emergency, right?

"Alright," Initially, Eraserhead left it at that. It didn't seem to make sense for him to ask the young man for every single explanation to his references. Eraserhead could draw conclusions for himself to any given situation through his own experiences but he preferred to stick to boring, neutral explanations rather than draw his favorite movies into things.

Mostly because he had none. Aizawa liked cats, instead.

"The ladder isn't exposed in the middle or else it would clip the elevator, itself."

He stepped past Jason and jumped up--grabbing the top of the elevator where the lid had been exposed. He pulled himself up and then reached down with one hand so Jason could get up just a bit easier. Sometimes, he gave students breaks. This was one of them.

"While we're in here, I'll explain a few things about your idea that may not have worked out that well for you."

The bit about the ladder made sense. Jason could have just used his ring to pop up into the elevator shaft with Aizawa, but it'd feel rude. So instead he just took the man's hand and used it to help pull him up into the shaft itself.

Once up, he took a step or two back to give Aizawa some room and spread his hands. "I'm listening." It wasn't a snotty almost-acknowledgement. He meant that he had nothing to say. Aizawa had Jason's full attention for the moment.

Aizawa moved up a bit, turning over to pat the rungs of the ladder. He placed one foot up them and leaned forward, pulling himself up it with a few measured gestures. It was narrow, but he made it up. He looked down to Jason once he was at a few rungs.

"The difference between a strong foothold and a weak foothold can damn you," He explained, leaning back. Only a fraction of his foot was on a solid surface--the rung. "You lack leverage in tight spaces like this, so quick movement is going to easily escape you. If you need to get away from an opponent, barring a flight ability, running on foot between corners is your best bet. Don't aim for higher ground unless you have the right tools or the right footing."

"Just the same--I'm sure you've noticed the wiring lifting the elevators is greased, so you won't be able to hoist yourself up that way. On top of all of that--if I had ranged abilities or weaponry, you'd be completely exposed in this shaft whether or not you tried to maintain cover behind the beams," Aizawa offered a shrug as he stepped down. He wasn't a wide man but it was clear one could hit him even if he tried to center himself on the beam. "Finally, you abandoned a plan that could have worked out for you to try and mix things up against someone chasing you. Had you stuck to the streets, you would have lasted much longer. In scenarios where running is your primary option--say, to gather allies--cover is paramount but not so much cover that you pigeon-hole yourself."

"So, essentially, do your best to keep the advantage I give you during runs like these. Mixing it up can be helpful but only once you've assessed the strengths and weaknesses. With a power like yours--you don't want to leave things to chance."

Jason wasn't exactly fat, but he definitely had more bulk than Aizawa. Aizawa was more willowy, while Jason... wasn't.

He nodded during the lecture, scowling slightly to himself as he thought on the things being said. Every now and then, he'd make a noncommittal noise to show he was still listening. It was a lesson Jason was still having to learn here. After just about a year of having powers and learning to fight in a certain way with them, then getting a different package entirely... He was used to being able to handle any range or height difference in a fight.

He hadn't mentioned the enhancements given if he targeted himself or someone without powers earlier, and he kept that up now. It'd feel too much like he was arguing that they'd change things, but in this situation? They really wouldn't. Aizawa was right. Which wasn't surprising, given that he professed to being a 'pro hero'.

As Aizawa wrapped up, he nodded again. "I understand. Trying to be too clever can backfire pretty spectacularly. And keep more thought on my surroundings." Especially since his new powers left him much more vulnerable. He still wasn't thinking of them, and himself, in the same way Aizawa was, as a support entity. Jason had a hard time seeing himself as not being in the thick of things.

Aizawa nodded. Jason didn't look particularly pleased with the theory presented but he seemed to accept it for what it was. That was good. Plenty of heroes felt insulted when they had their quirks laid out on the table an examined. 'Generic strategy' was something they hated to stoop to, insisting they could get by on their superlative moves. Trademarks made a lot of heroes famous but to Aizawa--trademarks were only a way to bridge the gap between amateurs and professionals.

Professional heroes had longevity. Even the greatest of heroes could be glass cannons. Exposed to the worst of situations the only thing a hero could consider 'their own' was their ability to adapt when in the worst possible scenario. Aizawa considered failure in any venture and always focused on risk assessment and calculative thinking. It wasn't often that he invested in 'grand plans' or cunning moves. He aimed for practicality, quick victories and showed no hesitation to enact brutality. As far as heroes went, Eraserhead was one of the few that made most villains cringe in fear.

"I'll give you one more thing to think about before I'll set you up for exercises, today," Dropping back into the elevator, Aizawa waited for Jason to drop down after him. He stood by the door. "In a peaceful setting, a Grand Master will always defeat a novice. With guns to their heads, the only one who wins is the one with the greater resolve and initiative. No matter what grand plan someone comes up with--rest assured, it can fall apart. Pry hard enough and you can undo the worst of schemes."

Their approach to heroism was rather different, but their situations at home were rather different as well. Jason never considered failure. It wasn't an option for him. If he failed, it meant that people, maybe even his teammates, were getting hurt. Or worse. His team often didn't have the luxury of taking a step back and calculating. The best they could do was stop the first advance, figure things out after that encounter, and then end things decisively and permanently.

It wasn't something he'd likely ever bring up casually.

He'd been handling things differently because this was just training. But this echoed what the old Legionnaires had been saying, and Jason had long since realized that his experience was different enough that it would be suicidally stupid to ignore people whose experiences were better suited to these situations.

Jason paused at the elevator's hatch, listening to Aizawa's lecture, then dropped down with a thump. He straightened from his crouch and nodded. "There's always a way out, huh? Good to think on." But maybe not that applicable to every situation.

"Good," Aizawa nodded and began to walk down the hall, back to the lobby. He reached into his hip satchel for a stop-watch, which he adjusted a few times. He pointed to the door and lifted his chin to show Jason a little bit of a smile.

"I'm going to give you two hours to find two black cats. One has a white patch on its right front paw and a pink nose and the other has white fur without any trace of black on it. Bring them to me in that time."

That was where it started. Seemingly easy-sounding requests. Little did Jason know--Aizawa requested a hell of a lot of goddamn cats for his site.

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[Video] in his cocoon stage

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