Chapter Text
The floor grates against Ochaco’s skin, the girl gasping involuntarily after being knocked to the ground for the sixth time in a row. Her ribs aching as she gulps in another breath, it's a struggle not to flinch at the sting, they’re probably broken, the crunch made from impact was so loud, it would be a surprise if they weren’t. Exhaustion is deeper than any of the cuts and bruises that layer her skin. The brunette had been training so long, she just wanted to stay down and let herself drift, but any hesitation would only result in an even greater pain than what she’d been feeling.
It’s been days since Ochaco’s slept, which wasn’t unusual, but everything began to blur in front of the girl, as if she had been plunged into water. The swirling shapes made the battles more difficult, sweat beading on her forehead as she dragged herself up again. Although Ochaco wasn’t sure if that was a result of her exhaustion or how many times Hasegawa had blurred her vision with his light quirk.
Master hadn’t been satisfied with Ochaco’s progress in their last session and had made all her trainers aware of this. The brunette had been assigned night work this entire week, skipping meals and sleep in the process. By now she’s not sure if they want her to improve or just give up and die so she won’t be their problem anymore.
Their motive hadn’t mattered then and it wouldn’t now, if she couldn’t handle it Ochaco would’ve never survived so long in a place like this, worked to the bone, sometimes literally. All of it, all the pain, every moment of being put through hell and worse was worth it if she could prove herself to Sensei. Even though she was merely a pawn, proving her use was what made Master happy, or at least less disappointed.
Although, she was extremely lucky the consequence was so light this time. After everything, Ochaco really should be trying harder, failure isn't an option and she won’t let herself become less than the scum she is.
‘Get out of your head!’ Ochaco snaps to focus, an internal beration for getting wrapped into her thoughts. All that matters is this fight right here right now. The brunette shakes herself out of her brain, bouncing up and down lightly, shifting herself side to side, focus sharpening and prepared to dodge away at a moment’s notice.
The man in front of her looked unimpressed, the quiet challenge either not being registered or ignored completely. He returned to a fighting stance, relaxing into the natural position.
Hasegawa’s hand just twitched, ‘Is that a tell he’s about to use his quirk or is he trying to put me on edge?’ She snaps her eyes shut just before light fills the space, flashing brighter than anything needed to be. With her eyes still shut and the light still blinding to see, even behind her eyelids, she listens carefully for a sign the man was attacking. Just as she thought, the stealthy swish of the man’s arm swings at her head. Ochaco drops into a crouch, dodging just slow enough for the fist to graze her face.
The floor grates against Ochaco’s skin, the girl gasping involuntarily after being knocked to the ground for the sixth time in a row. Her ribs aching as she gulps in another breath, it's a struggle not to flinch at the sting, they’re probably broken, the crunch made from impact was so loud, it would be a surprise if they weren’t. Exhaustion is deeper than any of the cuts and bruises that layer her skin. The brunette had been training so long, she just wanted to stay down and let herself drift, but any hesitation would only result in an even greater pain than what she’d been feeling.
It’s been days since Ochaco’s slept or eaten, and while this wasn't the first time, everything began to blur in front of the girl. It’s as if she had been plunged into water with darkness around the edges of her sight. The swirling shapes made the battle more difficult, sweat beading on her forehead as she dragged herself up again. Although now that Ochaco thinks about it she wasn’t sure if this was a result of her exhaustion or how many times Hasegawa had blurred her vision with his light quirk.
Master hadn’t been satisfied with Ochaco’s progress in their last session and had made all her trainers aware of this. The brunette was assigned night work this entire week, skipping meals and sleep in the process. By now she’s not sure if they want her to improve or just give up and die so she won’t be their problem anymore.
Their motive hadn’t mattered then and it wouldn’t now, if she couldn’t handle it Ochaco would’ve never survived so long in a place like this, worked to the bone, sometimes literally. All of it, all the pain, every moment of being put through hell and worse was worth it if she could prove herself to Sensei. If she could make herself into a worthy weapon for him then at least the girl could finally be something useful instead of a parasite.
She was lucky the consequence was so light this time, she could’ve gotten much worse. After everything, Ochaco really should be trying harder, failure isn't an option she has.
‘Get out of your head!’ Ochaco snaps to focus, now’s not the time for those thoughts. All that matters is this fight right here and now. The brunette shakes herself out of the spiral, bouncing up and down lightly, shifting herself side to side, focus sharpening and preparing to dodge away at a moment’s notice.
The man in front of her notices her sudden increase in focus and responds to it with the slight quirk of his lip. He’s been her teacher long enough he should probably stop underestimating her like this. Although it's better for her that he won’t take the fight today seriously it’ll make things much easier.
Hasegawa’s hand twitches in her direction, ‘Is that a tell he’s about to use his quirk or is he trying to put me on edge?’ She snaps her eyes shut just before light fills the space, flashing brighter than anything needed to be. Even with her eyes shut the light was still blinding, she listened carefully for a sign the man was attacking.
The brunette barely hears the quiet swish of the man’s arm coming for her, Ochaco drops into a crouch as soon as she notices it’s direction. And she dodges just slow enough for the fist to graze her face, that’ll likely leave a bruise.
When the girl opens her eyes, cautiously surveying the man, he’s already a full step behind her. Hasegawa kicks his foot forward, speeding towards the back of her knees, equally low to the ground. Ochaco quickly leaps over it and increases her gravity to get back to the ground as soon as possible. Being airborne is the worst place she could be with him this close.
Hasegawa’s momentum from the kick carries him left for a split second too long. Any amount of time is enough for an opponent to take advantage of and this is no exception. Ochaco changes her arm’s gravitational direction and lets it be increased tenfold and right into the man's abdomen, taking advantage of the dark-haired man’s mistake.
He attempts to block, but with the impact of her quirk-enhanced punch, his body gives against the pressure, a hard grunt leaving the teacher's mouth. The force of the hit sends him flying for the wall, he turns his body, striking against the wall with his shoes. He ricochets off the wall, landing with a roll.
‘He won’t make it out of the movement before I can touch him, too slow.’ The second she taps Hasegawa, her fight will be won. Ochaco shoots towards him full speed, arm outstretched. She knows that she’s at least won something in this good for nothing week when he lands on his feet slightly too late for a successful dodge.
He really shouldn't keep underestimating her, he didn't win their previous matches by staying relaxed.
The second she feels his rough skin under her fingertips, her quirk activates, throwing a palm forward, forcing him up. He’s sent flying for the second time, crashing into the ceiling, her quirk taking effect instantly, his grunt of pain is nearly as loud as the impact. ‘That was overkill, there’s no reason to waste any unneeded energy.’
Ochaco’s head swims again, nausea gnawing at her stomach against her wishes. The brunette shoves the feeling down, forcing herself to quell the sickness. The effect maximized by her near constant use of her quirk for the past few hours.
Ochaco pushes her fingers together, negating the effects of her quirk and letting her teacher fall to the floor. He flips midair, landing on his feet with a grace that doesn't match his expression, knees gently bent, as glares down at her. She can feel the murderous intent coming from the man before she could hear the venom in his gruff voice.
“You overdid it.” Hasegawa spits at her, standing back up to his full height. He narrows his eyes, eyebrows furrowing together in distaste for the teenager in front of him.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Ochaco looks down, feeling her heart jump before she could get her breathing under control. His rage was never easily extinguished and with her exhaustion, it was unlikely that she could face it head on.
“Is that what you consider an apology?” Hasegawa’s expression seems to grow more and more menacing. His fists clench at his sides, knuckles turning white, he's more than ready to teach Ochaco a lesson. But at least his phrasing shows that he’s willing to let this go if she gives him good reason too.
The brunette internally sighs dropping down in front of her teacher, the skin on her knees nearly breaking as they hit the rough concrete beneath her. She stares up at him from the ground just like she knows he wants her to, holding her hands together, and lets the regret show on her face.
Ochaco had never been quite sure why those in control are so fond of seeing her below them, she’d always found the satisfaction at it a bit odd. But maybe that’s just because she’s not built to be the one gazing from above.
“I’m sorry, Hasegawa Sensei! I won’t let myself lose control like that during sparring with you again! It’s just so difficult to stay focused with someone as strong as you,” Ochaco chokes out with just enough fear injected in the statement for him to think she did so unintentionally. The man’s face softens into a familiar mocking smirk just like she knew it would at the familiar words, his hand comes to rest on her head.
“Poor thing, I know it’s hard for you to learn. That’s why I’m here to teach you,” Hasegawa voices to the girl with a sweetness that they both knew was as fake as the Doctor's mustache. His hands were uncomfortable, as if her hair was on fire. The feeling becomes more uncomfortable as he ruffles it and everything in the brunette is urging her body to pull away. An uneasy pit forms in her chest, a near-choking sensation blooming in her throat.
“This feels like a nice way to end our session, doesn't it?” She wasn’t sure if she agreed.
“Be a good girl and run through a few shadow fights, you can be done when it’s time for you to grab dinner. I don’t want to hear about your lack of ambition again from the boss, alright?” Ochaco nods quickly before letting out a firm “Yes, sir!”
As the man turns his back to her and leaves the room, she gets the feeling putting too much strength into her abilities wasn’t really what he was mad about.
Ochaco waits until Hasegawa’s footsteps become inaudible as an all-clear to get off the ground and follow instructions. When his presence finally recedes into the back of her mind, the stifling feeling fades along with him.
She sets the scenery, imagining herself in a warehouse on one of her last missions. The darkness comforts her mind as she puts herself into the past. The warehouse was filled with men, quirks unknown. She takes a stance before throwing herself into a shadow fight. Kicks and punches with the use of her quirk in nearly every movement adding to her normal speed and strength, increasing the power behind every hit.
Rapidly switching the direction of gravity in parts of her body for every punch, kick, and dodge she throws at the people in her mindscape. She can feel herself getting lost in the movements, efficient and quick. The racing of her heart, adrenaline providing a momentary relief from the underwater feeling of exhaustion.
The flow of her motions allow her to get lost, focusing on her stance and the pulsing of blood in her ears. Ochaco used to hate training but now it felt like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.
Go for the neck. Grab his shirt collar and pull him in the path of the other guy's punch as she kicks a foot into the man coming from behind. Someone shoots, dodge, and find a wall, any wall.
Become weightless and push off the surface and anyone in the way. Grab the gun and dispose of it just like the man who was holding the weapon.
Ochaco lets herself become nothing but a flurry of movements in this empty concrete room, even taking a second to breathe could be the difference between life and death in a real fight. As she’s about to block a punch from her invisible opponent the bell signaling dinner at 2:16 goes off and exhaustion finally reclaims its hold.
She almost trips over herself after suddenly stopping her flow, catching herself right before she could stumble.
Now that she doesn't have a distraction, she could feel the effects of her days of nonstop training crash into her with a wave of tiredness. Not that she could complain..
Ochaco’s thankful she was even given a chance to improve, unlike the others. The biting of bruises and dried blood on her skin are just signs of how much better she needs to be.
The exhaustion is laughably strong, making the brunette collapse to the ground and just lie there, breathing deep and heavy. As air fills her lungs it’s almost like she can pretend she’s somewhere else, outside her concrete confinement, the dull tones of gray fading as she lays there. She stretches out against the hard floor, her mind wandering back into her dreams, picturing the pretty blonde girl, standing over her, arm outstretched, nothing but the sky above them.
If the blonde could see her here now, lying pathetically on the rough concrete under her back, Ochaco wonders what she’d say. The girl would probably be disgusted, she should be, anyone would feel that way if they saw her in this state.
The world spins around her, lack of sleep making the entire world feel like an odd dream sequence. The gray walls dancing around the edges of her vision. The ceiling feels as if it’s suddenly started circling the room. ‘Is this a hallucination or am I just dizzy?’
That thought is enough to send the girl stumbling onto her feet and on her way out of the room.
Ochaco makes her way into the hall, the usual fluorescent lights making her blink and adjust to the uncomfortable pressure beating on her temples. One of the many clocks scattered in the halls is settled right above her head and she looks up to see it read 2:20. ‘Shit.’
Damnit, she let herself lie there for way too long, her fridge would lock ten minutes after the first bell rings. If she runs the rest of the way she can probably get her dinner and take it to go. The cafeteria wasn’t far, thankfully.
Even the idea of eating makes her heart sing and she can't lose hope so she takes off as fast as she can to the cafeteria.
Ochaco twists around the hallways turning around anyone she passes by, hoping none of them recognize her. She can handle the punishment she would get for misbehavior like this, but she can’t deal with missing another meal. Her body might lose function for a few days if she skips eating again.
The girl can’t stand the thought of getting plugged into the feeding tube, it always feels so weird when she wakes up. The thought of it invading her system always made her uncomfortable, if Sensei ever discovers her distaste for it he might make that a new punishment for her.
She used to just dig around the trashcans if she missed meals, but when Master found out about her habit he wasn’t very happy.
Ochaco still has nightmares about the punishment he enforced for breaking her diet, thinking back makes her throat burn, she would never do something so stupid again.
Continuing on, she rounds the final corner at a breakneck pace. Making it to the cafeteria just in time to grab her protein gelatin from the refrigerator. Sensei told her that apparently he alters the nutrients in it to match her growth to make sure everything going into her body is exactly what she needs, he’s always been so thoughtful.
The base is nearly empty by now so it’s likely safe for Ochaco to open it and eat while she walks back to her quarters without someone taking it or throwing it on the ground. The other employees under Master liked doing that, although she couldn’t fathom why, it was wasteful and disrespectful to Sensei.
She reaches her hand into the plastic cup and shovels the black goo into her mouth, quickly gulping it down as fast as she could. The thickness of it down her throat instantly makes the girl’s senses clearer as the gelatin enters her system.
Ochaco guzzles down the jelly-like mixture, almost choking on mush in the process. She’s missed dinner so much, it’s been a while since she’s felt this grateful for Hasegawa Sensei, if she ever was. His affection is at least useful at times, no matter how sparse those moments are.
She continues eating as she walks, stopping by the weight room briefly to make use of her newfound proteins. It’s nice to lift weights without feeling like her stomach is going to cave in.
It hurts lifting over and over again, it never stops hurting, some part of the girl knows that this isn’t truly doing anything for her. No matter how much she over exerts herself it won’t do anything other than cause more injury.
But with the doctor there to fix any permanent damage she might get Ochaco can’t help herself from doing so. And All For One never seems to complain about her frequent training injuries so she assumes he doesn’t mind the frequent pulled muscle and vomit filled trash cans.
There’s only one serious injury he refused to let the doctor treat, her hands. No matter how much they shake and bend out of place he doesn’t change a thing about them.
The girl’s not quite sure why, but it’s not like the phantom pains really bothers her all that much. She’s more curious about why he’d allow a flaw like that to live on, but it’s not really too severe, you can’t even see her issue through gloves. In the end, Ochaco has always put aside the matter, never questioning the faceless man.
Her hands' constant aching gets worse as she continues to lift the dumbbells up and down up and down. Ochaco’s grown so used to the sharp sting that it doesn’t even register as such anymore. And in the biting moments it does she can’t help but push harder.
The aching she constantly feels throughout her body might be unpleasant but she can’t help but crave it. The girl doesn’t quite know when she started to feel that way but that doesn’t matter much does it.
And when Ochaco finally feels a complete numbness settle over where the hurt was before, she knows she can sleep peacefully now.
The girl walks out of the light filled weight room into halls filled with darkness. The walk back to her room passes by in what feels like an instant as she lets her mind rest.
Ochaco wonders how many times she’s made this same walk, how long she’s been doing this same routine. And as she enters her room and lies in bed the wondering stops and she falls into a much needed slumber.