You're The Best Around : Karate War Training Montage Log

[strikefirster]

The All-Trench Karate War | Training Log!

Who: Combat instructors, students, and anyone caught in the crossfire.
What: Training for the Karate War!
Where: Throughout Trench
When: Throughout April

[ Welcome to the catch-all log for the Karate War player plot! Please find your instructor's header below and feel free to start your own toplevels under that header. You can specify "OTA," "OTA to teammates," or "For [Character]" etc in the subject line.

Or jump down to the miscellaneous mingle and start your own toplevels there! Enjoy! ]

Comments

[forwantofahorse]

Uraraka-san, I am one of Trench's leading experts on lying to peoples' faces by telling them I'm fine. Please don't even bother.

[A whole million words worth of mystery were predicated on Sayo's ability to feel wretchedly miserable on every possible level while looking someone in the eye and saying that she's perfectly okay, would you like some tea, madam? Don't insult her like this, Ochako.

Sighing, Sayo fully removes the harness.] ...this exercise was supposed to teach relentless, ruthless offense and awareness of your opponent's technique at the same time. Lawrence-sensei always put an emphasis on putting his students under as much pressure as possible to see how they shone, but... sometimes, that method hits on legitimately insurmountable fears. I'm sorry.

For what it's worth, the idea of negating the weight was clever! Cleverness just isn't what this was supposed to be about, so I took... precautions.

[floatsaway]

[She winces a bit at the reprimand, looking down and immediately clamming up instead. It's not that she meant to purposefully lie like that, it's just a kneejerk reaction. Grin and bear it, endure quietly, don't burden others...those are all part of her society's norm. Besides, this most certainly wasn't the worst thing Ochako's gone through - she's been bruised up and beaten way worse, but this...this feels like a total mark on her pride completely.

She couldn't do anything, relied on her quirk when that wasn't the point, and let her fears stop her from acting. If this were a real scenario where she had to help someone... Ochako bites he lower lip, frustrated and angry with herself, but she doesn't say anything. Doesn't say anything and simply nods her head. She can usually handle stress. She can usually be fearless. But this was a step above what she would rank herself at, and it shows. Too much pressure, too much stress, not enough time to think and plan. Raw power is nice and all, but it's not an optimal strategy all the time. Not everyone can do it. Ochako knows her limits - she's not strong in terms of raw power, but she's smart, swift, and creative. And yes Sayo nail it in:

Cleverness just isn't what this was supposed to be about.]

...I was going to fail no matter what, then.

[forwantofahorse]

[Sayo just... looks at Ochako for a second, gaze completely unreadable. Then, she sighs and flexes. There's even less muscle on her arm than there is on Ochako's; the flex still leaves her bicep almost entirely flat with the barest hint of a bump. It's apparent from her sardonic half-smile that the rest of Sayo's body is in a similar state.]

The moment I realized I had to learn how to fight was a few months ago. I was strolling down a boulevard in Lumenwood, on my way to pick up a prescription. Then, a Beast ambushed me out of nowhere and nearly killed me.

In that moment, while I was frantically running away, looking for something I could use to defend myself, or throw it off my trail, or escape, or anything that might save my life, I realized that there wasn't anything I could do.

I'm not like you, Uraraka-san. I don't have any special powers. I can't use any "true" magic. My body doesn't even work right. I have a... condition that makes it difficult for me to gain muscle, build endurance, or do much of anything athletic. But in that instant, I realized that unless I learned how to fight things head-on, I'd never get the opportunity to leverage all of the quick thinking and creativity I'm so proud of.

What would've happened if I just set Goat-kun on you with no explanation of how the trap worked? Er, imagining that he's actually a bloodthirsty monster and not a particularly determined yet bumbling and well-meaning idiot. There wouldn't have been a trick to get you out of there, it simply would've been do or die. That's why I started learning at Cobra Kai; Lawrencce-sensei forced me to get it out of my head that I could think my way out of everything by tossing me into impossible situations and making me rise to the challenge.

It's hard. You're going to fail. Several times over, in fact, I know I did at least. But it's not as if you can't be clever; sometimes you need to stop worrying about what's outside the box, and start worrying about all the intelligent and elegant ways you can dodge the fist on a trajectory to break your nose.

[Sayo dusts herself off and gets up, offering a hand to Ochako.]

...I know Goat-kun was too intimidating for you to handle, so... maybe you'd feel better if you tried the same exercise with a human opponent?

[floatsaway]

[Looking up, Ochako listens carefully and watches her teacher. There's...actually a lot of similarities between her and Sayo. Or, well, how Ochako was when she first entered UA, before she took her internship with Gunhead all those months ago back in Musutafu. Her intent was - and still is, really - to be a Rescue Hero, and those don't usually have a lot of battle prowess. But, after the Sports Festival, and fighting against Bakugou, she realized that remaining in her bubble of comfort wasn't going to cut it. If she really wanted to be strong, to go far and help her parents - to help everyone, she had to improve herself in ways she didn't first think of.

Learning to fight head-to-head with martial arts was a boon she never expected. It did indeed open up a multitude of various avenues for her growth as not only a Hero, but a person. She can support her much stronger friends better, while also protecting herself and others. Looking down, she sees the muscle tone building on her arms. Not much, mostly because her body type hides it all under the, erm..."roundness", but it's there.]

I...

[Ochako bites her lip. She understands. She understand completely - so much of her strength comes from her ability to think, plan ahead, and have a set strategy. She's not always good at changing those plans though, when they go awry. Improvising, adapting on the fly, those are skills Bakugou and Deku have mastered - not her. But Sayo is right. If she doesn't steel her resolve, like she with at the Sports Festival, she can't stand up to anything.

Balling her fists on her knees, Ochako takes a deep breath and shakes her head.]

No. I can fight. I want to try again, sensei. [Go beyond your limitations...] Heroes don't quit because they get scared.

[forwantofahorse]

[For a moment, looking at the doubt in Ochako's eyes, Sayo worries that she's pushed too far, too hard, shared too much of herself. Being honest rather than wrapping all of her truths in layers and layers of puzzles was a new experience for her, so she's unsure how much was appropriate to share in situations like these.

(It was at times like this that she wished she had Battler's knack for giving heroic speeches, rather than her own talent for writing overwrought, morbid soliloquies on the fly.)

Sayo's relief is evident when Ochako steels her own self, and she gets to her feet.]

Good. And since Cobra Kai never quits, that means learning to ignore your fear is a core part of our philosophy.

...I admit, this might've been my own fault with going so hard on the theatrics, so... let me make it at least a little easier for you. [Smiling awkwardly, Sayo re-fastens the vest around Ochako rather than repeating the fiasco with Morgana's "aid," then yells,] GOAT-KUN! YOU'RE UP AGAIN!

[As the goat demon reluctantly lumbers into place, Sayo retreats to the other end of the catwalk, to let Ochako know she's actually there.]

I'll start when you're ready.

[And indeed, she does.]