Izuocha's Love Stories

55 - STOP WORRYING

By AirQuietReader

Original Title: "How Ochako learned to stop worrying and try kicking his butt"

NOTE: There are a lot of stories about friendship, Nakama, and other stuff but this story really fits the mangaka's ideal relationship. As the manga progress, I really love their relationship as best friends in this story. Many MHA fans hated Ochako for being a "weak heroine" or simply as a "pathetic love interest" like Hinata Hyuga in Naruto. What I really like about this story is that she is not only shown as a typical love interest but to proves herself that she is strong and handles her feelings by challenging Deku as her opponent.

================

"You know, you really have to watch how hard you push yourself."

Ochako furrowed her eyebrows, her muscles still aching as she vomited out onto the grass, her stomach churned in agitation. She recovered after a couple of heaving breaths, swallowing the swell of sickness as she wiped the remaining bile off her mouth with her sleeve. Despite the awkwardness of the unflattering retching, she managed to form a sunny smirk as she heaved herself back upright and shifted her gaze from the ground.

Deku stood tall, adorned in costume as she was, his eyes creased in worry as he watched her compose herself. His doting concern was touching, but she quirked an eyebrow at his hypocrisy. Her eyes ran over his body (while definitely not appreciating his physique) to see a mixture of nicks and bruises. The wounds seemed to migrate across his skin through the weeks of hero training.

"Hehe — yeah, I guess so," she chuckled brightly to Deku. "But there are some people I know that could stand to hear that too." She poked his arm gently with the outside of her finger, aiming for a spot next to one of his larger gashes.

Deku only chuckled in response and Ochako gladly joined him, enjoying the levity. She treasured little moments like this, which had become scarcer as they both trained themselves to the brink of exhaustion day in, day out.

The two stood isolated, away from the rest of their classmates spread throughout one of Yuei's facilities. Everyone was trying to cool down after an exhausting hero class. The intensity of basic heroics had been ramping up fast; everyone in Class 1-A struggled to keep up. More than a few people collapsed on the grass as they awaited their instructors to dismiss them.

Ochako idly looked around, glad she was one of the students managing to stay upright, despite her aching muscles. It wasn't that long ago that her limbs would turn to jelly after using her quirk this much.

"But that was pretty great," Deku complemented, snapping her out of her temporary distraction. "I've never seen you lift something that big before. You've really improved, Uraraka!"

Ochako tried to fight the surge of heat to her already rosy cheeks at the unabashed praise. She decided to redirect it.

"Look who's talking! You've been doing so much crazy awesome stuff now!" she replied with a matching grin. "It's hard to keep up."

She enjoyed watching him sputter and blush himself, glad to put the shoe on the other foot. She didn't like dwelling on how warm his words made her feel. They were just two heroes-in-training complimenting each other on jobs well done. She didn't want to be awkward about it.

Despite the physical toll their training efforts was taking on them, she knew neither of them would ever stop. Deku's determination was relentless. And so long as he was pushing himself to his limits, so to would she. She would give it her all to keep up with him and be the best hero she could be. The embers of his own fiery determination had helped ignite a newfound drive within herself and she had no intention of letting it waver.