Short but I wanted to showcase what the training was. I should have show it before, so I am showing it now.
"I can't beleive I'm here... that I ate hair..." Izuku shuddered, focusing on the massive sight of UA in front of him. He could not believe he was here, finally here. 'Did I receive his power? He said it would take a few hours... but I think it doesn't matter, I have no idea how to tap into it. I have to use my training.'
He shuddered again, remembering the first day of serious hand to hand training with Tsubaki, when they started with more then combo and stance memorization. When she actually fought him full up and kicked his ass, when they started sparring hard enough to have him limping home... when he started to get the skills he needed to excel... skills that, to be honest, he should have taught himself long before this if he wanted to be a hero before he had the chance to get One for All. After all what but combat skills would have aided him as a Quirkless hero?
"Your stance is the most important asset in a fight, it's the source of your power and balance."
Izuku nodded, adjusting his stance to better match Tsubaki's. It felt a little awkward, but he managed it. "Like this?" He asked, desperate to get it right,
The much taller girl walked around him, hmming and haaing as she did so. "Perfect adjustment. The key to MMA and Kickboxing is being light on your feet, but solid. You need to move and adjust and boom! You got this. Now, come at me, and mind your stance and your combos. We've been going through them for a week now, so it's time you to show me what you've got." She fell into her own stance, putting her hands up to block his hits. " Don't hold back, your not strong enough to hurt me in the slightest."
A little hurt by that comment, no matter how true it was, Izuku charged her and shot out his right fist, like Kaachan would. She easily blocked it, brushing his fist to the side. He shot another hit towards her, then another, each in rapid succession as he had been taught, aiming always at her chest since it was all he could reach on her.
"Legs!" She called out, and he threw his leg at her, which she grabbed and used to toss him into sand. " Faster, it needs to be a snap. You want pure force behind this, speed and power, your legs will always be stronger then your fists. I want you to make my ribs ache!"
Getting up slowly, his leg and back aching, he fell back into his stance and approached her, well aware of All Might's giggling and picture taking. He ignored it though, focusing on fighting his friend... well sparring since in a real fight she would easily kill him and Bakugo at the same time. Turned out she was that good a fighter, she even regularlly entered and won tournaments, not that he had been told that before.
Taking a breathe, he blasted out three hits, all quick jabs, then a hard right hook like Kaachan, then a snapping kick that she knocked to the side.
She never stopped Grinning at him. "Better, your learning quickly. All of Boxing is about barely touching your enemy, speed and straight forward motions but mix it up more, don't be predictable ever, that gets your ass beat. Combos help you learn but you need to be versitle and minimize your tells."
Nodding, he fell back into his stance and continued the fight, hoping to get at least a single bruise on her... instead of going home covered in bruises as he had been for the last month of training with her. Even holding back, she was stronger then strong.
She ended up finally ending the spar by twisting his left arm hard and giving him a weak uppercut that had him on his backside. She fell to the ground next to him, chuckling.
"Your small, like your Mama, so you should probably be taught grappling too. I need gloves for that, so I'll buy you some. We'll work on that, handsome." She kissed his chin, making him flush hard. "Now, let's go over mistakes and successes. Where could you have improved? Other then your poor stamina, but that's improving."
Shuddering at the memories, the pain, the long dreadful but amazing hour each day only motivated him more. As he walked towards the school, he felt his thin boxing glove bouncing against his hip. He looked into the rules, he was allowed to bring them. He had no idea what the test was to get in, but if it involved fighting these would be smart to have.
"Outta my way, Deku!" snapped a familiar voice.
"Ka-" Izuku stopped himself, turning to the boy who had abused him his whole life. "Bakugo." He said, his tone soft but strong.
"Don't stand in front of me. I'll kill yo- what did you call me?." his eyes were dead-serious but there was nothing but confusion in his expression.
Izuku took several deep breathes, then with all the calmness that came with new confidence and a realization that he wasn't worthless ( A fact Tsubaki drilled into his while making him punch a picture of Bakugo attached to a punching bag), he looked at his bully. " I called you Bakugo. Kaachan was a made up figure in my head, an idea of the man you could have been but weren't. Your a monster,a bully and a braggart... to be honest I was fooling myself. Good luck on the exams." Turning on heel, he marched towards the school, realizing and enjoying in the fact that he left Bakugo utterly stunned.
/
From her place, not far from the two boys, Tsubaki wanted to cry. She was so proud of Izuku, standing up to your abuser was no easy task. It never had been for anyone.. let alone someone as meek as Izuku...
'Good boy... my training helped.'
After the discussion they had about Bakugo and calling him Kaachan, she had decided to start up a new aspect to his training, one she was particularly proud of. It took some time to make, lots of internet searches and raw inspiration helped as well... but soon she found an exercise that worked.
"You want me to what?" Izuku's tone was almost shocked, but mostly just afraid.
Smirking, she pointed to the punching bag, which had Bakugo's stupid face attached to it. Actually it was a total body shot of him, from the school yearbook. She had printed it out personally at the local library and put it on the punching bag she bought. " While you are practing your combos, you are to punch him... beat him up like he has you. Imagine it really is him... and while you do it, I want you to affirm yourself. Say I am worth it, I am amazing, you have a tiny penis Bakugo... stuff like that."
Her ward giggled like crazy at that last part. "Really, you want me to do all that? Why?"
"You have no self esteem and frankly a wierd hero worship of your abuser. I want you to tap into the rage I hope your just burying so it doesn't come out at the wrong time and you kill someone. Tap into your pain, and focus on how amazing you are. That is what you are going to do."
" An excellent idea, young Tsubaki!" All Might Jumped down from his position atop the trash pile to the north. "I know you have you issues with young Bakugo, but she is right, you cannot worship your abusers. Sometimes you must fight them, defend yourself where it matters. This is a great way to build up the courage to do so." He put out his thumb, his teeth twinkling.
Nodding, he turned to the bag and fell into a perfect stance she was proud of. She felt the blow he let at the bag, Izuku in the last six months had developed quite the arm. Another blow came, then another, then another and she saw the boy start sobbing. Loud, heavy tears that made his entire body shake with pain, rage and hate and so much self loathing.
To her shock, she heard him affirm himself. " I am great... I deserve this... I will be a hero... Bakguo is a pain, a massive prick with a tiny penis." After a minute he collasped to his knees, sobbing loud and hard and holding himself.
She looked at All Might, they both sighed. The man clearly had no idea how much pain Izuku had within him.. and frankly, neither had she.
Shaking her head, the memories faded away and she hurried into the school right behind her friend and student. She didn't say a word, she would let him tell her what he said in time...
If he could handle it.
:::
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was fun to write.
Love, your Ninja Overlord
Mika.