2026-04-01: Interschool Sparring Session
- Log: Interschool Sparring Session
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Akihiko Sanada
- Where: <The location(s) the log occurs in.>
- OOC Date: 2026-04-01
- IC Date: Thu Oct 18 2012
- Summary: Akihiko Sanada, Gekkoukan's undefeated boxing champion, crosses paths with Hyousuke Suzuki, a Kasugayama student with a penchant for pugilism. Their sparring session reveals more than a mutual love of martial arts, however...
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
It wasn't often that Kasugayama hosted students from other schools for any great length of time, if the talk Hyousuke had overheard was any indication. If the information he'd happened to hear had been in any way accurate, it was even less common that Gekkoukan students were roped into visiting the less-than-prestigious high school, especially in the middle of midterms. However, Mutou-sensei had been deadly serious when he'd said that that was to happen after school hours. That older and stone-faced man, whose countenance resembled a cliff's face more than it ever had a person's, had made it clear to all pupils attending the session that they were to be on their best behaviour, else they'd be made to run laps around the school until their legs broke.
Hyousuke suspected that would be the punishment if they got off easy.
As such, when the allotted hour rolled around, and Gekkoukan's resident pugilists were ushered into Kasugayama's markedly less impressive gym, Hyousuke had stood ready to meet them all, standing tall and straight like a hound awaiting an order. Every command given was followed to the letter, every exercise used for warming up performed with as much precision as a decidedly imprecise man like him could muster, and there was not a mote of hesitation to him when he was told to confirm he'd understood his instructions. For once in his life, Hyousuke looked the very picture of a model pupil.
Even when the collected classes were told to pair up with someone they'd not sparred with before, he seemed a little stiffer than he might otherwise have been. It was a little ironic, given how much emphasis had been put on limbering up to avoid pulling anything, but that was hardly at the forefront of Hyousuke's mind when he approached a pale-haired individual with his hand raised in casual greeting.
"Hey, you're one of Gekkoukan's, aren't you?" He asked, doing his best to try and come down from a warmup that would've given a drill instructor pause. ""Name's Suzuki Hyousuke. You wanna go a couple rounds?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Midterms are nearly over, and Akihiko is taking up a strange request from Kasugayama High. Evidently, the school is pretty well known for being a certain delinquency problem and the faculty wanted some help to instill some decent values into the kids. Who better to help then, than Gekkoukan's own undefeated boxing champ?
It makes sense, too. Akihiko's a well admired Senpai in his own school, along with being a pretty decent guy. He's had his own experiences with delinquency, supporting his brother in all but blood, which makes it a bit more personal.
As Akihiko wants into the gym, he's...actually pretty impressed that there's more than a few students who arrived to listen to Akihiko. The collected group splits up and begins some sparring. And Akihiko finds himself challenged by a particularly brave, tall boy.
"Sure am." Akihiko responds, chipper as can be. "Sanada, Akihiko. Are you sure that's wise, Suzuki-san?" He offers a playful smirk. "I never turn down a challenge. Hope you can keep up with me." Clearly someone hasn't properly heard of the tales, and it might just require a personal demonstration to make it clear.
They find a mat somewhere in the center of the gym, best make it a show after all. Then, Akihiko might gain some more respect from these delinquent students. Akihiko produces his boxing gloves, kicks off his shoes, and steps into the ring. "Ready when you are." He says, bringing his hands up in familiar defensive position. He'll let Suzuki wail on him a little bit, before bringing the boy back down to earth.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke grinned a little at Akihiko's confidence, displaying a hint of his own. There was no shortage of eagerness either. Whether it was the glint shimmering in his eye at the thought of tussling with someone that was as sure of their skills as Akihiko, or the prospect of facing down someone that was just as stubborn as he was, something had sparked a fire in him. Small, for now, and barely more than a flicker in his soul, but there was no denying that he seemed a little more eager than most would have to get involved in a scrap - albeit a controlled one.
"Guess we've only got one way of finding out. Come on, let's see what you got."
With that, Hyousuke followed suit. He slipped his own gloves on with practised, fluid, motions, and fastened the straps with minimal effort. They were not new things by any means, their black leather surfaces having been worn away at over the course of several months and countless hours, and the branding on it faded a little by time and cleaning. Nevertheless, they were decent things in decent shape. Tools that someone had clearly taken care of during their use.
Mutou flickered his gaze over to Hyousuke, noticing that short crop of honey-blonde hair moving towards a mat, but did not let it linger. He had an entire class to keep an eye on, after all, and a Gekkoukan teacher to exchange pleasantries and knowledge with. Mercifully, it seemed his pupils weren't as bad as Kasugayama's reputation might have made them out to be. They were still teenagers, and still students at a notoriously rough school - there was only so much discipline he could instil. But if the preamble and warmup had been any indication, the man's word was respected... and his punishments were feared.
With everything in place, Hyousuke bowed briefly reached his glove out to tap against Akihiko's for a customary sign of respect, before drawing back and shifting into his own stance. His was a kickboxer's, rather than an out-and-out pugilist's. It was an agile one, with the legs adjusted for quick steps and blocking kicks, while his hands were held up in a firm guard. The differences were subtle to the untrained - but both he and Akihiko were very much trained. Once certain that they were both ready, Hyousuke darted in, guard tight and profile short, before lashing out with a sharp left jab.
It was a quick and probing blow, testing Akihiko's defences and testing how he reacted before Hyousuke followed with slower, heavier, right straight aimed towards the chin.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Akihiko matches the glove tap, and then they're off! He carefully watches and tracks the other boy from behind his gloves. The spaing is exceedingly careful, as Akihiko wants to see what this possible rival can do. He blocks the jab, and parries the heavier straight, batting it away with the back of his hand. "Not bad, Suzuki-san! You're pretty skilled." That means he can't lower his guard.
Then... Akihiko feels something of a tug. Like the one you'd get after a good exercise. One that he hasn't got in yet. Huh.... Is this a Persona User? The feeling of his Envoker, hidden deep within his bag, feels a little heavier in the back of Aki's mind.
In a coordinated bout, humans tend to fight fairly. (Unless of course, they're either real assholes about it, or desperate.) If this Suzuki-san is experienced in fighting Shadows, he might become more unpredictable. The thought excites the fighting freak of SEES.
Aki visibly locks in a little harder, staring hard at his opponent for the day. He offers a few jabs to test his defenses this time. It quickly turns into a 'wall' of punches, aiming to zone the other boy out, as he identifies Suzuki as wanting to get in close.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Even when parried, Hyousuke's hand snapped back to his guard in a heartbeat, arms back where they started with barely a moment of vulnerability between. Before he could leverage his reach and lash out with another blow, Akihiko struck forth and returned the gesture with his own salvo, prying at his guard in turn. He took the brunt of the first couple, but the rest glanced off the edge of his guard as he moved to one side. He was more agile than his size and his strength might have let on - but not quite agile enough to weave around what came next.
Hyousuke's guard tightened against the onslaught, and again, he took them head-on. His sinew could not match his Persona's shield, but there was no doubting that he could take a hit. Doubly so when he stepped into to smother their power, stifling a blow before it could build momentum, before his left flickered out into a jab at Akihiko's face. His right followed a half-second later, but no sooner had it started to retract than his left came back again - this time in a sidewards strike at Akihiko's liver in a blink-fast bodyshot.
Something stopped Hyousuke from following up on it though - something that tugged at the back of his mind, and distracted him just long enough to break his flow. That interruption gave him time to formulate a thought divorced from fighting, however, and respond to Akihiko.
"Thanks. You're pretty good too - bet you've fought all kinds of guys." A knowing look flashed in his eyes, and his lips curled into a sharp grin that bared his gumshield's stark hue. He wasn't good at the subtle stuff, but they were in the middle of a gathering of (presumably) unawakened individuals. To so brazenly ask was a bad idea, even by Hyousuke's standards.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Akihiko finds himself pretty damn impressed. It takes a lot to glance off his salvo. Speed, along with that strength is damn impressive and worthy of praise. Suzuki's strength is impressive, especially as he attempts to close in against Akihiko. The other boy shoots a fist towards Aki's head, and he ducks to avoid it.
That's Suzuki's trap, it seems, as Aki gets a solid hit against his liver. Sometime stops Hyousuke from following up and pressing his advantage. The moment's pause lets Akihiko regain his guard. Strange time to reply, but for a friendly match, Akihiko can't complain.
Akihiko catches the knowing look, and smirks back. "Get into a lotta trouble in the pursuit of strength. Like some fights after midnight." He says, gently testing the waters with a reference to the Dark Hour. Something that says they're on the same wavelength.
And if it wiffs, well. The school happens to have a lot of delinquents.
In any case, this young man happens to be very interesting to Akihiko. He remembers a bit about his conversation Ren. Building up a rival, huh? Not a bad idea. Akihiko presses forward with his attack, providing several 'tests', stuff any boxer should be able to handle with ease. "Are you professionally trained? Or are you a learn by doing kinda guy? Anybody you roll with?"
Akihiko Sanada
A silver haired young man with a white patch across his forehead. Akihiko typically dresses in his Gekkoukan High uniform, a white dress shirt with black slacks and a neck-tie with a red sweater-vest over top. He tends to carry his uniform's jacket slung over his shoulder.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke was a rather dense man. Any blow against his skull would have told someone that much - the layer of bone there was thicker than a dam. But even he, amidst the punches striking out his way, could tell what Akihiko had hinted at. The smile set further into his features, and he nodded just enough to be noticed, but not quite enough to disturb his guard.
"Gotta watch the shadows when you're out that late. There's some real demons out there at that time of night." He added, holding his guard against the 'test' Akihiko administered. Arms tightened and eyes sharp, he watched and waited for an opening, opting for brute force and stoic endurance over any display of agility.
Hyousuke spoke while he struck, but not with any degree of ease. His sentences were chopped up and delivered at a staccato pace, interrupted by him grunting with the effort it took to weather a blow, or roll enough to keep the blow from sapping too much of his strength.
"Been training with Muto-sensei for some months now. Ever since I got to Sumaru. Before that-" Hyousuke cut himself off, realising that he didn't have a lie prepared that even he would be convinced by. It was, he supposed, the first time he considered himself lucky to take a hit to the jaw. It wasn't enough to stagger him, but the strike was clean, and sent his brain rattling from the force. But there was no frustration to his gaze - simply anticipation.
"I've got a few friends." He continued, when next he had a chance. He returned a few hits of his own, trying to press forward. With their reaches about even, trying to keep Akihiko at a distance was a pointless endeavour - but getting close enough to get aggressive? That, he could do. He stepped in with short and sharp punches, beating out an uneven rhythm between his opponent's head and body, even weathering a few strikes himself to up his chances of scoring a few of his own. "Think I probably know some of yours too. You got one of those armbands?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
"Sure are." Akihiko chirps in return, as he treats Suuki with care. Glad to know it wasn't just a feeling.
Akihiko is fairly short with his words, not wanting to over play his hand in public. He's simply pacing himself, and being on the attack makes it easier to chitchat all he likes. "Muto-sensei, that's...?", he nods towards the intimidating looking teacher, currently overseeing the drills. Though, he ought to be a bit more direct, after scoring a decent hit up against Suzuki's dense jaw. (Not a bad trait for a big guy trying to swarm him!)
Akihiko is content to keep Hyousuke out still, kiting him around and playing just outside his range. He can't keep Hyousuke out forever though, and takes a few bad hits, grunting in pain. He attempts to use an arm to block some of the head punches, and return the favour with his own gut punch.
Hyousuke asks about the armbands, and Akihiko lets out a laugh. "Sure am. Just a few friends though...?" That's....hm. Strange. Could it be Strega? Akihiko narrows his eyes, attempting to spot something...off about this boy. Malice.
Akihiko sneaks a glance towards the clock. This may go to time pretty soon. The thought is actually pretty exciting for the undefeated champ of Gekkoukan. "You're not bad to last against me this long, Suzuki-san. If you aren't busy, want an armband of your own?" He asks, gently testing the waters. The kind of refusal could indicate whether he's Strega...or something else.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke nodded when Mutou-sensei was mentioned, but gave no more of a verbal response than that. The man was a distinct presence - more like a thundercloud shaped into the form of a man than something truly human. To Hyousuke, his gaze alone felt like being struck by lightning, such was the air that man gave off. There was little mistaking him for anyone else. That aside, he couldn't afford to take his attention off the fight. Even a momentary lapse in concentration would've given Akihiko an opening to tear him apart, he reckoned.
Hyousuke was good. Good enough to keep up with people, demons, and shadows, at the very least. But Akihiko was just a cut above. For every hit Hyousuke scored, Akihiko stole two. Whenever he blocked, it felt like Akihiko was only ever a few blows away from prying open a weak spot in his armour. Whenever he tried to weave, it was like Akihiko's fist was already there and waiting for him. It was a tit-for-tat battle that, were Hyousuke to view it from a cold analytical perspective, he wouldn't have been sure he could win. But as the grin splitting his face at that heavy gut punch showed, his perspective was anything but.
Many things flashed through his features as he immersed himself in that brawl. There was passion, certainly. He had that in spades. There was eagerness, like a hound chasing a hare, and a sharpness to his gaze that belied a gruelling training that'd etched itself into his very instincts. But no hit was delivered with malice, and there was no intent to do any harm beyond what sparring might yield. A surface-level analysis would have shown nothing but a man that was just happy to throw himself against someone that could take a hit and throw one back.
As exciting as the fight and all the sensations it brought was to Hyousuke, however, his body had still taken a blow, and it had still knocked some of the wind from his lungs. He staggered back a little, turtling in reflexively, before striking forward with another few blows. His leg twitched, eager to lash out in a kick, but he clenched his teeth and forced it against the ground. Pugilism was the order of the day - there would be time enough for that later.
"'Fraid I *am* busy. Been picking up some work with a detective agency, so I can't just go joining another school's club." He said, returning Akihiko's laugh with one of his own.
"But," he continued, after affording himself a chance to flicker his eyes towards the timer, "If you or your friends need a hand, give me a call. A few of 'em have my number." Deliberate or not, Hyousuke hadn't just answered the inquiry, he'd challenged it. If Akihiko had any lingering doubts, Hyousuke had indirectly and inadvertently told him to ask another member of SEES about him.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
An assumption that would pay off in any other situation. However today, Akihiko is holding back a bit, treating this spar as more of a friendly chat than anything else.
Akihiko beams. He truly hasn't seen someone who can withstand his strength in ages. Anything that wasn't a shadow, anyways. It's rare for the boxing champ to enjoy a fight against a person so much nowadays. It's good to see such a wide grin on Suzuki-san's face in return.
Akihiko spots the leg twitch, and readies himself for a kick that never came. Huh, that's an impressive level of self-control. It was a subtle movement that allowed Hyousuke to land a couple hits in return for a make-shift distraction. It's so interesting, Akihiko almost blurts out a question. One he can't find the chance to ask.
Hyousuke turns Akihiko down, which isn't very surprising. It does however, put to rest his worries on him being Strega. Detective work is a worthy calling. And he couldn't sense an inch of malice in the fight. "Ha! I can't complain about that. I'm sure you're doing a fine job there." He pauses for a moment. "Sorry though. It's about time to wrap this up." He launches a corkspin punch that pushes Hyousuke onto the ground, finishing the fight.
A pause, and Akihiko offers his hand. "Sorry, Suzuki-san. I still have a reputation to uphold, after all." Should Hyousuke accept the hand up, Aki will pat the bigger boy on the back once steady on his feet once more. "Good to know. You're more than welcome anytime. Let's try and grab some ramen sometime, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
One moment, Hyousuke was upright. He'd shot his hand forwards, heaving it into a brutal right hook to catch Akihiko across the chin. The next, he was coollapsed against the floor. All he managed to remember was a sudden blur of colour and motion before a dull ache flared in his jaw. Nothing more painful than he was used to taking from his peers, but a clear sign of what had happened nonetheless. Even so, he couldn't help but raise his glove to touch against the spot he'd taken that savage blow in, as if needing to confirm he'd not simply slipped over on the mat.
"Yeah, well, you've damn well earnt it." Hyousuke said through a toothy grin, before grunting a little as he took Akihiko's hand and rose. His muscles ached a little from the strain of such a fierce bout, and he was certain he'd be feeling it in his arms the next day, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Even as the adrenaline in his veins began to peter out, there wasn't a scrap of malice present in him. Just satisfaction, and a hunger for another few rounds.
"Ramen? I think I know a place you might like." Hyousuke said, upon hearing that proposal. "There's this izakaya near here that does banana ramen..."