Hellish Training

The next morning, Kimika and Toga began their training. The first task Toga announced was to run from Kimika's house to the abandoned factory. This place, where they would not be disturbed, would be perfect for continuing their training. The distance between these two points was approximately 50 kilometers, and when Kimika heard this number, despair flashed in her eyes. 

"50 kilometers?" she exclaimed nervously. "I'll die halfway there!" 

Toga smiled cheerfully, getting into her role as a mentor, but there was a harshness in her voice: "If you can't do it, I'll make you. And then it won't be clear what's worse: dying from exhaustion or facing my punishment. And don't think that just because we're best friends, I'll be lenient!" she joked, but the coldness in her words made Kimika pull herself together.

When Kimika, barely alive, reached her destination, she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily and struggling from exhaustion. Toga, watching her, couldn't help but smile; she had expected Kimika to be in better shape since she was always bragging about her training successes with her father, who she knew was quite strict. But the reality was grim. However, there was no time to rest, no matter how sorry she felt for her friend. 

"Get up, that was just the warm-up," Toga proclaimed, not giving Kimika a chance to voice her thoughts as she pulled the girl off the ground and continued, "Now let's stretch before the real training."

The gymnastics turned out to be easier for Kimika compared to the run, but Toga didn't go easy on her here either. They started with simple exercises: "cat back," side stretches, "pyramid," bridge, and splits. Each movement became a true test for Kimika's tired body, while Toga calmly stood by, insisting on repeating every exercise to perfection, sparing no effort. Sometimes she even used light physical punishments, like gentle swats to Kimika's glutes, as she didn't want to hurt her friend too much. She embodied the role of a strict mentor, burying her kinder side. 

Toga absolutely loved these punishments; she saw them as a way to maintain discipline, motivate Kimika to achieve better results, and, most importantly, to feel like she was getting something in return for conducting these training sessions. However, Kimika viewed them as something embarrassing, as such punishments were usually reserved for children, and she was no longer a child. She couldn't see any other context in them, which was full of meaning for Toga. This only highlighted how much Toga enjoyed the situation, as she found it amusing to watch her naive friend not realizing who was truly getting pleasure from these trainings and punishments.

Next came the time for coordination exercises: balancing on one leg, jumping, and many other activities that Kimika had to perform for several minutes. Those minutes felt endless, but even this challenging training was easier than running. 

After gymnastics, they moved on to strength training. They started with classic push-ups and pull-ups, although what Toga called "the bar" was actually just an old pipe that creaked ominously with each set, as if it might fall at any moment. This frightened Kimika, but she didn't want to face punishment, so she obediently complied. 

The next stage involved carrying stones from one place to another, which seemed like pointless physical labor, but this task had its purpose. Toga jokingly remarked, "As soon as you clean up the whole area, we'll start personal training. And by the way, you can use your quirks for this," she said with a pointed wink, making it clear that today's cleaning wasn't just about strength, but also about resourcefulness.

All these tasks were a kind of test for Toga to assess Kimika's level and simultaneously improve her physical training. She explained to the girl that without endurance in battles, she was of no use—if you can't run, you won't be able to escape. Flexibility, mobility, and coordination are all important not only for reaction speed but also for survival. Toga knew that only through these skills could Kimika stand up to danger, and that's why she worked diligently on developing them. 

"Your body should look toned and beautiful," Toga said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So that everyone around you is envious… well, not just of you, but of me too!" She raised her finger as if she had just uncovered a great truth. "Just imagine everyone saying, 'Wow, what a cool friend Toga has!'" She couldn't help but laugh, but then immediately coughed, realizing she had just revealed the real reason behind most of the exercises and quickly changed the subject. "And strength training will make you more resilient, and your punch will be so strong that no one will be able to withstand it!"

Kimika, rubbing the back of her head, smiled to herself, thinking, "It seems we both have our own plans for this training." 

Training alongside Kimika, Toga demonstrated that all these exercises were real and achievable, albeit incredibly difficult. Kimika continued, putting in her maximum effort, and finally, after several hours of hard work that seemed endless, she finished the last exercises. Her body was on the verge of collapse; she felt fatigue seeping into every muscle, leaving her with only 1% of her life force. 

"Well, you've finally completed all these workouts, though I'd call them just a warm-up," Toga said cheerfully. "For your first time, you did great! Now let's move on to some real sparring with me! Don't be afraid, my little Kimi! I'll whip you into shape so that soon you won't even need sparring, just some fun games. I've already come up with a few... but that's for later, since you're not ready for them yet!" 

Kimika listened, and she was already ready to either run home or fall at Toga's feet, begging for mercy.

"Well, you know, my main weapons in battle are a knife and close combat. If you become an expert in these two areas, even those with enhancement quirks — or anyone, really — will be weak against you, especially if you combine that knowledge with your quirk." 

"A knife? Close combat? How did you acquire those skills? You never went to classes or anything like that..."

"Hmm, of course, through trial and error. But I'll be honest: the knife feels like my third hand. As soon as I started using it, I became a master in no time! Maybe you'll be just as lucky, and if not, I'll help you. And remember, training isn't always the best; real combat experience in actual battles is far more valuable! I knew someone who took martial arts classes — they called him a master, but he lost to me in the first few seconds... And honestly, forget that any quirk is stronger than yours! If you rely on your quirk and fear everyone just because someone's quirk is cooler, you're no better than trash. All your enemies know what to expect from you. Even someone without a quirk can become stronger than anyone. Although, to be fair, All Might is an exception to the rule. He has enough destructive power to defeat anyone with a single blow. But what are the odds that any of us will run into him? Zero! So, let's get started!" 

Kimika processed Toga's words, questioning who she truly was in that moment — a mentor or a friend. All these truths sounded plausible, and she understood them perfectly. If a person has combat experience and their own attack style, and if all that is combined with a quirk, they could defeat anyone who thinks their quirk makes them invincible and doesn't train in other areas. Except for All Might, who truly was invincible. Just the mention of him stirred mixed feelings in Kimika: she was a fan and immensely grateful that he had saved her father. But now, as a criminal, she definitely did not want to encounter him.

"And so, I'll take your silence as agreement with me. Let's start by teaching you how to use a knife, but without your quirk. This way, you'll learn to handle it. In the process, you'll also learn hand-to-hand combat, reinforcing everything in real battles that may arise during tasks. Then, of course, you can use your quirk as well. Your goal is to stab me; I'll just be defending myself. Oh, and no 'buts'! The chance that you'll even scratch me is so small that the likelihood of some All Might showing up here is much greater. And if you do happen to hurt me, you'll be able to heal me through speeding up my regeneration. So, let's go!" 

Toga threw a real knife at Kimika, which fell at her feet. As Kimika contemplated everything that had been said, she felt a surge of anxiety: she needed to hurt her friend? By Toga's words, this seemed like something close to impossible. Sighing, she picked up the knife, gripping it with both hands, and slowly began to approach Toga.

"And what are you doing? Holding the knife with both hands? Are you serious? Hold it with just one; your other hand can be doing something else—holding another knife, defending, or just improving your maneuverability. Do you think that by holding the knife with both hands, you'll be able to touch me even once? Although... that's certainly a matter of style..." 

Following Toga's advice, Kimika took the knife in her right hand and began to approach again, contemplating how best to attack. When she got close enough, she made a lunge, preparing to strike toward Toga. In an instant, she noticed Toga casually stepping back with a yawn, tripping her. In the next moment, she found herself face down in the dirt. 

Toga, standing with one foot on Kimika's back, sighed dramatically. "Well, I didn't expect much more. Score is 1:0! In a real fight, you'd already be dead... So get up and let's go again!" 

Getting back up, Kimika launched herself at Toga again, making almost the same lunge. This time she was ready for Toga to step back, but again, failure struck — score 2:0.

Unwilling to give up, she tried a new tactic: a downward slicing strike. Raising the knife above her head, she approached Toga, ready to deliver the blow. But again, Toga tripped her, and Kimika found herself on the ground once more. She got up again and again, attempting to mix up her strikes, but the score kept rising relentlessly against her. 

"That's 10:0 now! But don't worry; with each fall, you're getting stronger! Try new strikes, new tactics. I'm here to teach you that!" 

A fire ignited in Kimika's eyes — a readiness to face the challenges ahead. Getting back on her feet, she charged at Toga once more. This time, as she got closer, she made a lunge, and Toga was expecting a standard direct strike. But at the last moment, Kimika abruptly stopped and executed a feint with a slicing strike aimed at Toga's legs! 

In an instant, Toga deflected the strike with her own knife, absorbing Kimika's attack with grace. She spun the knife in her hand, countering Kimika's attack and knocking the knife from her grasp. Then, she launched a counterattack— a light strike to the side, followed by another, forcing Kimika to dodge.

"And you're doing great! You're learning so quickly; oh, how I love you!" Toga said with a smile. "You almost managed to hit me! But you still lack speed and experience. But you're growing and growing! And since I deflected your attack with my knife, I'll count that as your victory! So it's 10:1." 

The training continued. Toga began using her knife solely for defense, not attacking, as she felt it was still too early for that. But she could see how quickly Kimika was improving, gaining confidence with each strike. Toga was incredibly pleased with this progress, feeling that their training was truly bearing fruit. 

"Well, we've been training for several hours, so now it's time for a break! Our final score is 130:1, but that's alright! You're getting better! Soon we'll be training for real and sharpening each other's skills!" 

"Hooray!" Kimika exclaimed joyfully, collapsing onto the ground. Five hours of training felt like torture, and the chance to rest seemed like a new birthday to her.

"Oh, and Kimika, my little one, don't forget a few things! First, regenerate your cuts and wounds; you don't want your mom to worry when she finds out what we've been doing, right? Second, remember we still have to walk home?" 

Hearing about the walk home — specifically the 50 kilometers — Kimika imagined herself in a grave. But as she envisioned her parents mourning her death, she began to walk, listening to Toga's encouraging lectures. For Kimika, her parents were the biggest motivation — without them, she would have never agreed to these training sessions! 

After an hour, she finally reached home. Her appearance was dreadful: clothes covered in dirt and scratches, as if she had just gone through a storm. However, Kimika had no injuries on her, thanks to her regeneration ability. 

Gathering enough strength to take a shower, she barely made it to the bathroom. After a quick but necessary cleansing, her energy was completely drained, and again, pushing herself, she barely made it to her bed. Just as she managed to set her alarm for the evening assignment that was still on, Kimika instantly fell asleep, surrendering to sweet dreams of rest and how she would spend her days with her parents like before.

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So, their first training session! Is Toga's real motivation to train Kimika those same glute taps? Or does she want to turn her into a beauty? Or maybe she truly wants Kimika to be able to stand up for herself? We'll find out soon…

By the way, I'm not really an expert in knife fighting, so I just wrote what you see here...

I also want to inform you that two chapters come out every day on my Patreon! Here, only one is released, but on my Patreon — there are two a day, hee-hee-hee. Come by so you don't miss new chapters and can read them faster than anyone else! patreon.com/Zoi4erom

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