[Eijiro Kirishima]
Gym Alpha.
Now that was a manly name for the biggest training grounds at UA.
Eijiro Kirishima stepped through the automatic doors with a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took in the gym's interior. Rows of machines, squat racks, benches, and obstacle courses sprawled across the space. It was everything he imagined when he thought of a gym for future heroes.
He didn't come alone. Mina Ashido bounded in just behind him, cheeks flushed with excitement. At first, she had hesitated to join the afternoon gym session, but the second he mentioned that Henshin was coming too, she changed her mind.
He wasn't blind. There had to be something going on between those two. He wasn't the gossiping type, but come on—he'd seen the way Ashido looked at Henshin during lunch. That grin? Not subtle.
Still, it wasn't his business. And right now, he was just glad to be in a place that screamed improvement.
There were already a bunch of students scattered around the facility, maybe twenty or thirty. Most wore the UA gym tracksuits, while a few others had t-shirts or tank tops on.
He scanned the room and spotted a few familiar faces. Not many from Class 1-A, but enough to nod at.
Iida was blazing through an obstacle course in the far corner, each stride sharp and precise. Dude had insane stamina, it looked like he hadn't even slowed down. Nearby, a taller guy was doing deadlifts like they were nothing. Stocky frame with short brown hair. Sato, if he remembered right.
He recalled their matches. Iida was against Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, it was probably the closest match, though ultimately finesse and teamwork had edged out Iida's raw speed. Meanwhile, he couldn't remember much of Sato, his partner Todoroki basically steamrolled the match solo. Todoroki versus Henshin would be a clash for the ages, he thought, twitching at the prospect.
Ashido didn't waste time. She jogged over to Sato, voice energetic as she called out.
"Hey, Sato, right? Getting in some extra training?"
Sato gently set his weights on the ground, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah," he said between breaths. "Didn't get to do much earlier. My teammate kind of carried me through the entire match. Figured that I need to work harder if I'm going to keep up around here."
Ashido grinned. "Cool. You should train with us! Me and Kirishima are just getting started. Henshin will be here soon, too."
That seemed to perk Sato up. He gave a quick nod. "Yeah, sure. I'm down."
They found an open mat space and started stretching. Kirishima eased into a forward bend, the tight pull in his hamstrings grounding him. This was good. Training with classmates who wanted to improve, that was exactly the vibe he needed.
A few minutes later, he glanced toward the entrance, and there he was.
Kyūta Henshin stepped through the doors, scanning the gym briefly before his eyes landed on them. Without hesitation, he made his way over.
Kirishima grinned. Alright. Now it's a party.
"Hey," Henshin said as he approached. "Hope I'm not too late."
"Nah, you're fine, bro!" Kirishima replied, straightening up. "We're just doing some warm-up stretches. We met Sato once we were here and invited him to join us."
Ashido dipped into a deeper stretch beside them, one leg extended far to the side, the other tucked in, arms reaching overhead. "You're just in time," she added, shooting a quick smile Henshin's way.
Kirishima rolled his shoulders once. "Anyways, Henshin," he said, flashing a sharp grin. "Feel like sparring for a bit? With Quirks allowed, I mean."
Henshin tilted his head, one brow arching slightly. "Sparring with Quirks? Is that even allowed? Feels a little too relaxed, even for UA."
Henshin sounded skeptical—and honestly, fair enough. Kirishima had asked the same thing yesterday.
"Sorta," he said, scratching the back of his head. "It's mostly okay for simple stuff. Yesterday I met this third-year senpai from Class 3-B, super friendly guy. He told me that first years are a lot more restricted than upperclassmen, but some sparring with light Quirk use is fine if we're careful."
He turned and pointed toward the large sparring ring at the far end of the gym. Inside, a girl with flowing blue hair zipped around the air before launching a spiraling blast of energy at her opponent, a boy with hunched shoulders and dark features kept trying to counter her movements with soft, tentacle-like limbs. Standing at the edge of the arena, casually refereeing with a bright smile, was a blonde guy in a half-zipped training uniform.
"Actually, there he is, that's the senpai I talked to. Mirio Togata. Really cool guy. He said my Quirk should be fine, since it's hard for me to go overboard. It's not like I can go around blowing stuff up or melting holes in the floor." He laughed. "Figured you're in the same boat if you stick to your more basic stuff. Just keep it small, no giant weapons, yeah?"
Henshin gave a small smirk. "Fair enough, let's keep it light."
They moved to an empty sparring mat, circling once before setting their feet. Ashido watched nearby, eyes glinting with curiosity.
Henshin stepped back, brushing his fingers along a dumbbell resting nearby. A faint shimmer passed over his skin as he absorbed the metal, his body shifting until he was covered in a smooth layer of steel-plated armor.
They circled each other once.
He moved first, dashing in with a low feint, aiming to test Henshin's reflexes. His fist met Henshin's forearm with a dull metallic thunk, but the other boy barely budged.
They traded blows. Neither pushed too hard, but each tested the other's footing with fast jabs, low sweeps, and short bursts of movement. He hardened his arms for each punch, matching the momentum. Henshin didn't hit harder, but he was smoother. Efficient. He blocked with forearms, sidestepped with minimal movement, letting Kirishima do the work.
He overextended on a right hook.
Henshin ducked low, pivoted in, and snapped his arm around his neck. His grip locked just under the chin, a clean guillotine hold. Not hard enough to be painful, but enough to make it clear that he could tighten it.
He tapped his arm twice with a chuckle. "Alright, alright—you got me."
They separated with matching grins, both breathing a little heavier.
"Good match," Henshin said, rolling out his shoulder.
Kirishima laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, that was awesome. You've got some seriously refined moves!"