Welcome, Heroes. Rio here back from break with the next part of the domestic fluff challenge. This fic in particular I would like to dedicate to the fanfic writer rex101111 for how I got this fic going. Their fic over at Ao3; Proper Punching Form (And What Happens When You Teach It To A Little Girl), helped me figure out how to go about the majority of this fic, so credit goes mostly to them for it. They are also known for some good Eri based IzuOcha family stories, so check out their work whenever you all get the chance. With that all said, enjoy the story, everyone, and I will see you in the author's notes
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.
My Hero Academia: Domestic Heroes
Punching 101 with Uraraka-Sensei
"Hmm… I have to admit, Eri. The gi looks pretty good on you. Master Gunhead did an amazing job finding one that fits. You look ready to chew bubblegum and kick butt…and you're all out of bubblegum."
"Uh… What's that supposed to mean?"
"Quote from one of my parents' movies. Super old. Way before our time. I'll convince them to bring the dvd next time they visit. It's a treat, trust me."
"Ok!"
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle a little at the interaction between Ochako and Eri, smiling softly as he watched the former adjust the latter's outfit. When the woman asked if he wanted to come over to the dojo for a little bit to exercise, he agreed almost immediately. It wasn't often that he could go over to his girlfriend's second workplace, and he enjoyed his time there whenever he visited. Eri was listening in when he got the call, and once he noticed her beside him, he came up with the idea of bringing her along as well for a bit of training. Even though Eri wanted to be a support hero when she grows up, it didn't hurt to know a bit of self-defense just in case she was forced into a difficult situation. Ochako agreed to that logic and gave him the ok to bring her, and now he was seeing both his girls on white martial arts gi, the older sporting a black belt with the younger wearing a white one, getting ready to spar with one another, while he was also wearing a gi, a white belt on him as well due to lack of proper martial arts training. He was looking quite looking forward to the lesson between the pair, believing it to be both entertaining and a learning experience for all of them, he was sure.
"Ah. Deku. Good to see you here. It isn't often that you come by. Been busy with hero work, I assume." A gentle voice spoke up to him from the side, prompting Izuku to turn his head to see Gunhead walking towards him, waving his hand in a friendly manner.
"Oh, Master Gunhead. Sorry I haven't been here in a while. Been taking care of some side stuff with Gran Torino lately that I haven't really been able to come here as often as I like. I'm lucky to have any free time at all, these days, really." Izuku admitted, scratching the back of his neck in a sheepish manner as the battle hero chuckled softly while shaking his head.
"Heh, still as dedicated to heroism as ever. Don't ever change, Deku." Gunhead said with a hand out to the green-haired man as soon as he reached him, grinning under his mask when he felt the firm grip of his handshake, before turning his attention to the girls as well. "Uravity's been doing great here, you know. The younger students love her and her method of teaching, saying that she's supportive and explained everything in a way they could understand, while the older and more experience members consider her a natural, taking down opponents much larger than her with ease even without her Quirk. If the circumstances were different, she could easily be the best practitioner of my style of martial arts and probably even take over my agency in time. She is quite talented…"
"Yeah, she is, but being a hero is her calling. At first she wanted to become one for the money so that she could support her parents. She considered it selfish, but I thought it was amazing she was willing to go so far to help the people who raised her. Over time, though, she had expanded her reasonings and desires for heroism, and now she wants to become a hero to save people, so make sure that no one falls under her watch. She's grown so much during our time in UA and after, becoming the woman she is now, and I couldn't be prouder of her." Izuku said fondly, smiling gently as he watched his girls go through some stretches to loosen up.
"As am I, Deku. She really has grown into a fantastic hero…and quite the parental figure as well. Both of you." Gunhead stated, causing the younger of the two heroes to blush at the praise. Embarrassed, Izuku turned his attention back to his girls, hoping that watching the pair train would help him calm down a little.
"Ok, Eri, the first thing I'm going to show you is how to throw a proper punch. Most people think that anyone could punch stuff, but there's an actual method and form to it. If you're not careful, you could seriously hurt yourself." Ochako explained in a firm, yet gentle tone as she wrapped Eri's knuckles and wrists with gauze. Eri herself was nodding along with rapt attention as one of the instructors brought over a punching bag at the zero-gravity heroine's request. "First thing's first, though. I want to see how well you're able to throw a punch already. Are you good to go?"
"Yes, sensei…" Eri answered, looking at her guardian with a firm expression before turning to the punching bag with her fists up slightly. Taking a deep breath, the young girl let off a short shout and punched the bag as hard as she could, her wrist bending slightly under the gauze when she hit it. The bag moved slightly, and the girl felt a bit of pride for her accomplishment. She turned to the woman beside her for approval, but grew worried when she saw the frown on her face.
"…That was a decent punch, Eri. A bit of power, there, but, it wasn't done properly." Ochako said as she squatted down to her level and grabbed her wrist, shaking it a little and watched it go along with the movement. "If you try to punch something or someone with your wrist loose like this, you'll end up hurting yourself, even with the gauze helping you lessen the recoil of the blow. To prevent that, you have to lock your wrist in place as you make a fist. Keep it steady as you punch so that you don't risk damaging yourself. Watch me, and try and do the same.
With that, Ochako brought an arm up before Eri and clutched it into a tight fist, her wrist going ridged as she did so. Noticing, Eri reached for her arm and did the same thing her caretaker did to her, and was surprised to see that her wrist didn't move at all. It was firmly in place, just as she said. The girl then looked down at her arm, frowning in thought, before turning her attention back to the punching bag with a glare. She brought her hand in the air and clenched it, doing her best to keep her wrist steady, and proceeded to launch another hard punch at the bag. Once again, it moved slightly, but there as a bit more motion to it than before. The child took another deep breath, and proceeded to do another punch with her other hand, making sure to lock her wrist in place just as she did the last time. She landed a solid punch, making the bag sway slightly, but not as much as the previous time. The girl chalked it up as simply not being used to her less dominate hand, frowning at the self-realization, and made a decision to try and use her left hand more often to be as useful and powerful as her right. Starting to get a little excited about her plan to become ambidextrous, the child brought her fists up once again, only to be interrupted by Ochako.
"You're a fast learner, Eri, but your form needs work. Look at how I'm standing and try and copy it." Ochako explained, patting the girl all over to make sure she was injured in anyway, before standing back up and went into a stance that Gunhead taught her; placing her left foot forward and right foot back, putting up her fists just below his chin with right arm a little behind his left. After taking a moment to look at the woman's pose, Eri did her best to mimic the position as best she could, with the woman assisting her where she could "Very good. Now, once you're in this stance, shoot your arm straight out and be sure to put your waist into the movement to give you a bit more pressure into it. Like so."
After her explanation, Ochako launched a fist straight into the punching bag, hitting it hard enough to make it sway a considerable amount. Staring at her guardian in awe for a moment before regaining focus, Eri glared at the training equipment once more with determination in her eyes. She took another deep breath, tightening up her fists and locking up her wrists, and with another shout, she launched a textbook perfect punch straight into the bag, the impact causing it to sway a more than when she initially hit it. A small smile started to form on her face, a renewed feeling of pride and excitement welling up within her after performing that blow, and not a moment later did she hear the sounds of clapping, followed by a hand running through her ponytailed hair.
"That was perfect, sweetie. You manage to get it down so quickly. Not even some of my students were able to figure it out so fast. You're a natural." Ochako stated, her smile filled with joy and pride towards the child as Gunhead and Izuku walked up to the pair while continuing to applaud.
"Uravity is right. Despite what movies and manga might show, throwing a proper punch much more difficult than people expect. However, you manage to get the basics of it done in record time. It's truly impressive, little one." Gunhead stated, giving Eri a thumbs up while she looked up at the giant of a man with wide eyes.
"Good job, Eri. Your punch was perfect. Much better than how mine were by a long shot. Keep up the amazing work and you end up an amazing hero in your own right." Izuku praised, a wide grin on his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Eri was floored, staring at the adults before her with wide eyes as she listened to their words. Even after five years of being rescued from Overhaul and being in the care of Aizawa, and later Izuku and Ochako, she still had trouble receiving complements and encouragement at times. She wasn't expecting to be praised so much for a simple punch, and was quickly becoming embarrassed by their words. She felt her face grow hot, and quickly covered it with her hands in order to hide her flustered state, yet a small, truly happy smile managed to worm its way on her lips, because despite everything, she was pleased that she did well and that everyone was congratulating her.
"Um… Is she ok?" Gunhead asked warily as he pointed at Eri, confused by her actions.
"It's fine. She's just embarrassed. She gets like this sometimes whenever we complement her too much. I remember this one time she did so well in a shooting gallery in a carnival once that everyone that was nearby applauded her for her performance. She was so flustered she hid her face behind the whale plushy she won the entire time. It was pretty adorable." Izuku explained, chuckling when he heard her squeak and whine in response.
"Deku, cut that out. Don't make it worse." Ochako chided, pulling the girl closer to her to comfort her. "There, there, Eri. Relax. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You were amazing just now, there's nothing wrong with that."
"…"
"…Do you want me to beat up Deku for making fun of you?"
"Huh? Wh-What a minute, Ochako, what are you su-"
"Yes, please…"
"Eri!"
"Hahaha! Oh my, this is getting quite entertaining." Gunhead laugh, amused by the antics of the trio before him. He then noticed the look his former student was giving him, knowing exactly what she wanted, and nodded back at her discretely before placing a hand on the Izuku's shoulder. "I think that would be a great idea. Deku. Can't hurt to expand your fighting prowess. You're already wearing a gi, so might as well go for it. I'm rooting for you both."
Izuku blanched at the statement while Ochako gave her former master a thumbs up for cooperating. The super strength hero was not looking forward to what he was about to do. He had spars with his girlfriend, yes, and while they were usually fun, they go south fairly quickly once she gets mischievous or spiteful, especially when Quirks get involved. Whenever that happens, the fights never end well for him. He did not want to find himself pinned to a wall, floor, or worse, the ceiling by a, admittedly very strong, short young woman in front of everyone.
"Now, now, Deku, don't be afraid. I promise that this will be over very quickly. Just try not to go down too fast, ok?" Ochako stated as she walked to the center of the dojo with a competitive grin on her face, causing him to backpaddle slightly with his hands up in surrender.
"Ah… C-Come on, Ochako. Can we talk about this? I didn't mean to embarrass Eri so much! Honest! C-Can't I just go and get you guys some mochi or candied apples or something to apologize! I'll even get the good stuff!" Izuku pleaded, jumping when he felt Gunhead moving him to the opposite side of the room, right in front of Ochako.
"No can do, hun. You turned our little girl into a tomato, and now I'm gonna bruise you like one. Eye for an eye, after all." Ochako teased, getting a groan out of her boyfriend, before letting off a soft giggle at his antics. "Seriously, though, just relax and spar like normal. To be honest, its been a while since we had a chance to work out like this, and I kinda decided to take the opportunity when you messed with Eri, even if it was on accident. Now tie up your fists and lets get started!"
Izuku sighed as he allowed Gunhead to tie up his arms in gauze, knowing full well that Ochako had a point. It has been quite some time since the two had sparred against one another. They had done it a lot during their time at UA, and even for the first few months they lived together. However, growing responsibilities and increasing amount of hero work had given them less opportunities for their sparing ventures. He didn't blame his girlfriend one bit at jumping at the chance, and if he were to be honest, he was also looking forward to it a little. With her specializing in grapple techniques, and him with kicks, it was bound to be a good bout between them. With that in mind, he adopted into his own fighting stance, a competitive smirk slowly worming its way on his face as he stared down at his opponent, who acknowledge his change with a smirk of her own.
"Heh, I knew you'd been itching to do this, Deku. You're a very competitive person, no matter how well you hide it." Ochako stated, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation as Eri watched at the pair with wide eyed excitement.
"Like you're one to talk. You have the biggest competitive streak out of everyone I know, and I've been friends with Kacchan since childhood." Izuku countered, faint trickles of emerald static flowing around him as his Quirk flared briefly.
"Hey, no Quirks! If we're gonna spar, we're doing it fair and square. Got it!" Ochako called out, causing him to blink a couple times before chuckling softly.
"Sorry. Got a little excited for a moment. No worries, though. I'll be good." Izuku assured, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Ok. Let's do this. You ready, Ochako?"
"You bet, Deku! And let's add a bet to it, too! Loser does the dishes alone tonight!"
"But aren't we supposed to have company tonight?"
"Yup!"
"…Oh it's on, now. You're going down, dear."
"Bring it, hun!"
Prompt 7: Exercising
Author's notes: And that takes care of that. As you all can see, I took a bit of liberties regarding this prompt, but I hope it was still a good enough read for you all. Took me a bit to get it done, but I think it worked out well in the end. Tomorrow is going to bring another layer of fluff to this collection of sweet stories, so look forward to that! As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, everyone. Have a wonderful time and I will see you in the next update.
Farewell, Heroes, and remember; Go Beyond. Plus Ultra!