xavier_institute_logs | This is where a joke about balls goes, right?

WHO: Souji + a tennis ball machine + OPEN
WHAT: A theoretically great idea which has a couple of flaws in practice.
WHERE: The school grounds.
WHEN: June 30th.
WARNING(S): DUCK.

***

A school with extravagances such as the Danger Room and the jet available is bound to have some other, more mundane commodities, and Souji has found one of them. To wit, a tennis ball machine. It really is a rather excellent way for him to learn how to better control his powers without exposing any actual people to the possibility of grievous bodily harm. And to prevent the actual machine from suffering a terrible fate in case he loses control, some bright spark has surrounded it with with some kind of stainless steel mesh.

All well and good. Souji has a net set up behind him so the balls won't go too far on the off chance that he misses, he has a practice sword borrowed from the kendo club in his hand, and he's ready to spend the afternoon learning how to not turn into a complete loose canon in combat. However...

After having practiced for a while and subsequently turned up the speed each time, Souji is starting to realize that the simulation lacks difficulty simply because he can see the balls coming. This problem is of course fairly easily solved, since all he needs to do is blindfold himself, that way only relying on his precognition to find the balls.

The problem lies in that Souji's precognition is very much focused on objects approaching his direct vicinity. Meaning that with his eyes covered, he can't actually tell if some innocent bystander approaches to see what is going on, or just happens to pass by some distance away. This, in turn, will inevitably result in said innocent bystander having a tennis ball launched in their direction with all the force of moderate super strength behind it.

They're hardly deadly projectiles, but if it does hit, it's going to hurt like five hells and leave a nice big bruise. If not... well, maybe it would be best to tell this genius to stop what he's doing anyway?

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Lucky for Alex, he has a touch of precog and mildly enhanced reflexes. So when he gets a flash of a bright neon yellow tennis ball beaning him in the head, he immediately jerks back so the ball whizzes by about two inches in front of his nose instead. Following the trajectory of the ball, he searches for its source, eventually spotting the tennis ball machine and the blindfolded figuring waving a kendo sword around.

"Oi! Watch where you're aiming those!"

Regardless of enhanced reflexes and senses, it takes Souji a moment to snap out of the intense, adrenaline-fueled focus that comes with having his powers activated. But practice has left him capable of at least some lucid thought even while in battle mode, prompting him to elegantly roll out of the machine's trajectory after a moment. Pushing the blindfold out of the way, and blinks in surprise at the young man from where he's kneeling on the ground, still a bit wild-eyed.

"I think the problem might have been that I wasn't aiming. Did I hit you?" He sounds a bit too calm about this.

Alex goes to pick up the tennis ball, which managed to make a nice sizable dent in a nearby tree.

"No. You missed."

Normally, he'd just lob the ball in the other guy's general direction, but there's something about his tone, and the look in his eye, that seems a bit off. So he slowly stars walking closer instead.

"What is this? Precog or extrasensory training?"

It's just as well that he doesn't toss the ball back. Souji is still a bit too wired, and as interesting as a fight might be between two mutants with such similar powers, it probably would be a bit hard to explain later.

Getting gracefully to his feet, there's still just a hint of something not quite right in his eyes and smile, but as he's currently not being attacked anymore, he's gradually becoming more human again. "Both, kind of. Precognition to tell where the projectiles are, enhanced senses to help me hit them." A small laugh, which sounds incongruously harmless. "But apparently I didn't do such a good job at telling where the balls went."

"Making a ball go somewhere specific is another thing entirely from just hitting it though," Alex commented, tossing the ball from one hand to the other thoughtfully. "But if you're just trying to hit the things, there's not much point in aiming them."

Not hitting people walking by would be a good thing though.

"Have you tried aiming for a specific target?"

Well. For most that would be the case, at least. But most people were not Chun-li Zhiang. The ball, and all the tremendous force that came with it, were caught just before it would have shattered the woman's nose, her face not even flinching as the force dispelled into wind around her, stirring up the leaves of the nearby bushes. She'd been on her way back from the gym and decided this curious little bit of training could very much use a supervisor.

Okita Souji. She knew the name and the partially blindfolded face from the dossiers. He wasn't allowed to take her class. She knew exactly why. His powers were entirely reflex based, and any traditional training exercises with him would be a mess, if not a danger to himself or others.

Even so... She always enjoyed a challenge.

"Ever considered baseball?" She tossed the ball back at him. She had a feeling he'd be able to strike it, regardless of the blindfold and the new angle.

You know, it's hard enough to quell the impulses to attempt attacking the machine. So when another ball is aimed at him, this time by an actual person, the immediate response is to aim the thing right back at the source, this time on purpose, followed by another one which the machine supplies.

Wincing, he manages to pull down the blindfold from one eye, and with a tremendous effort of will he forces himself to beat the following balls straight up instead of right at her. She seems okay, looks capable of protecting herself, but even so... attempting to assault teachers is pretty bad manners, right? "The last time I did that, I beat the pitcher senseless with the bat. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do if you continue throwing those at me."

He's not exactly telling her to stop, more alerting her to the possibility.

Chun-li catches one of the balls as it descends, rolling it in her fingers. "I've tangled with worse... If you're worried about harming me, don't be. My job here is, after all, to help people like you. I have the experience... and the durability... needed for that task."

Aqua had been walking past when a tennis ball came flying at her.

There was no thought, there was reaction. The Keyblade came put and deflecting the ball, sending it high into the air. She caught it on the way back down.

"An interesting way to train," she said calmly.

"HEY!" Rhia snapped from her perch in the branches of the tree. She glared as a ball hit the trunk. Her arm was still sore from the attack, and the trees were overly protective of her, which... made her overly protective over them.

This is where a joke about balls goes, right?

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