FLEX

Kirishima tested his shackles. "Dude, this gives me so many ideas for working my core."

"Really?" Sato asked. "We're trapped in here and you're thinking about your workout routine?"

"Of course! I gotta keep these mad gains somehow."

Sato sighed and said, "I think they left my emergency snack cakes in my pocket. I can get us out of here with a sugar rush."

"What do you need sugar for? Protein's where it's at."

"I'm losing brain cells listening to you and I haven't even eaten any sugar yet."

Sato bent forward as far as his restraints would allow, but he got nowhere near his pants pocket. Panting from the effort, Sato said, "It's no good. I can't reach that far."

"Shouldn't have skipped leg day, bro."

"Oh come on, it's not like you have any ideas."

"Sure I do! Just watch me."

Kirishima's muscles bulged as he activated his Quirk. The shackles groaned, and the screws holding them in place shot out of the wall like champagne corks.

Kirishima stood and flexed his biceps. "Sun's out, guns out, now that's what I'm talking about!"

Sato blinked. "You know what? I respect that. Now, could you get those cakes out of my pocket?"

"No worries, bro, I got you." Kirishima flexed his arms and tightened his abs in a cliche strongman pose. Sato's restraints cracked in half from the sheer manly aura Kirishima exuded.

"I'm not even going to ask how that works."

"People respect the mad gains, bro."

"I'm not even going to ask," Sato repeated more forcefully. "Is that going to work on the door?"

"Only one way to find out." Kirishima showed off his sculpted physique in front of the door. The ray-shielding wavered, but it stayed in place.

"No good. That door's got some serious muscle on it."

"Well, good thing I have even bigger muscles. Let me just eat real quick, and-" Sato took the plastic package out of his pocket and gawked at the label. "Protein bar? How did this get in here?"

"Dude, those bars have, like, all the protein! They're amazing muscle fodder. Give 'em a try, bro."

Sato checked the label. "Two grams of sugar? Guess it's better than nothing." He gulped down the protein bar, and muscles rippled across his body. "Oh yeah! It's muscle time baby!"

Sato flexed in front of the door, and it vanished with a pop.

Over in a nearby guard station, one guard asked another, "Did you just open their cell?"

"Well, yeah. Did you see those muscles? Mad respect, bro." The guard gestured at the camera screens, where Kirishima and Sato flexed in front of a patrol group. The two guards stripped off their armor and handed the students their house keys.

"You know what? I'm not paid enough to care. How 'bout we get some coffee?"

"Do you think they could put some protein powder in? Daddy's gotta get some muscles like those."

"Please don't call yourself daddy ever again, Mike."

498

My muse took a sick day. Also, this chapter finally broke 400 faves! Woohoo! We'll be cracking 500 reviews by next chapter as well.