The Cure for Heroism (1): Sneered at by Reality, The Boy Takes Refuge with A Girl of Black and White.

Under the searing climate the sun in the middle of June provided, the sunset rays shined with a seemingly distinctive intensity above two figures in particular. The taller of the two, a girl with blonde pigtails and piercing icy-blue orbs, stood from behind the shorter figure as her gaze locked in that brush of green he called hair, assessing its owner in scrutinous detail. The way only her talent allowed her to. Whatever thoughts were running through her mind, though, they all were safely kept under the deepest corners of her mind.

As for the second individual in question, he glared ahead with a steeled gaze at the assortment of obstacles that easily resembled an oversized Goldberg rube machine if looked at from an outsider's perspective.

It's been a long and tedious road. Entire weeks of sweat, tears, and blood being exhausted from noon until dawn. Working every workable aspect of his body to the point of almost losing consciousness on each and every occasion. So tedious and unforgiving, there was no doubt someone of lesser mental resilience would've given up within the first days.

And today, he was to prove it all had been worth it.

Today, he was to take one step further on the path toward his dream.

Today, he will―

You goddamn dipshit!

Following a sudden flash of colors he couldn't even begin to make heads or tails about, the very next instant he blinked was Izuku no longer in the not-so-abandoned building he had come to see as a sanctuary. Far from it. With tears trailing down his cheeks, he was now on his knees in an enclosed room and a multitude of shadows looking down on him. With a red-eyed one standing out among all of them.

You are just looking for any scrap of an excuse to get in my way, aren'tcha? That's all this is about for your greedy and obsessive ass, isn't it!?

His body was shaking, whether out of fear, righteous fury, or from the self-indignation caused by his impotency, he didn't know. Perhaps it was all of them. However, there was one feeling which without a doubt accompanied him right at this very moment.

Despair.

Just because some random bitch you recently met is having her fair share of fun while playing along with your delusions, do you think you can still keep at it with this shit!?

More harsh words were thrown at his person, either from the loud one leading the charge or from the dozens more that accompanied it. However, his mind had long since lost the capacity to herd any genuine attention to them. Not when every thought, sentiment, and sense within his existence was focused on the floor.

The recent littering of ash tarnishing the floor, to be more specific.

I've been getting soft on yer pathetic self, haven't I? It appears I have to remind ya why, no matter what some blonde pigtailed nutcase says, you will never be a hero!

Among the cacophony of snickers and jeers, the only thing his unfocused vision allowed were sudden flashes of black and tanned-ivory stained with red. With every and each occasion they transitioned; the same sound could be heard.

Thud…

Do you get it now!?

Thud.

Am I finally getting it into your dumb skull!? Am I making you understand how worthless you are!?

Thud!

You are and will ever be nothing more than a Deku!

Thud!

YOU. ARE. NOTHING!

THUD!

With his eyes closed shut, Izuku quickly bit the inner bottom of his lips, with enough force to feel the coppery taste of blood. However, instead of feeling concerned about the crass course of action, he was grateful for the income of pain that brought him back from his nightmarish stupor and put an abrupt, if only temporary, silence to the voices.

He knew they would come back. How could they not if tomorrow first hour in the morning they will be more alive than ever, and will continue to do so six out of seven days each week. For the incoming months before he could consider himself free of their torment. And no matter how much he tried to, he couldn't even convince himself that they wouldn't harm him.

If there was something he was sure about them, was that the owners of those voices absolutely intended to hurt him.

"Zuzu."

Like an umbrella parting away the discordance of despair and doubt raining down upon him, that was how big of an impact her mere mention of his name had on him. Thus, when he looked back and saw his friend giving a nod in assurance and an encouraging smile, it was as if his inner demons were never there in the first place.

No matter how many occasions he repeated it to himself, it would never cease to amaze him how much of a light Junko had become in his life.

And yes, Junko. As in her first name.

It had taken him a while to refer to his friend on a first-name basis. And although it still was somewhat embarrassing, her constant insistence that she had long since been doing it already while also taking a step further with that nickname, eventually made him relent.

However grateful he may be for the reminiscence of such good memories, though, he knew there was no time to waste. After returning the gesture to his friend and taking one last deep breath, Izuku moved a pair of steps forward and crouched down on the starting line. If only this time with his posture properly fixed the way only constant practice would permit. And, unlike two months ago, he was as ready as he could ever be.

"At the count of one…tw―Time's on! Go! Go! Go!"

Long since accustomed to such sudden callouts, Izuku turned into a blur of sky-blue and green until he reached the first obstacle. Although, this time around, his momentum diminished by only a marginal degree, only enough so he could properly land on within the first tire. Besides that, he essentially ran through the rest without wasting a single step. Something for which he was grateful. Over time, he had come to learn the hidden trap that was sacrificing his pace for the sake of securely clearing the tires.

With his speed not taking much of a hit, he made use of the breach between them and the tunnel obstacle to both regain and accumulate some more of it.

The moment he was strands of hair away from crashing his mouth into the pipe's layer, he abruptly crouched his body down until he was gliding across the pipe's entire passage. It was a risky bet, especially one that his past self could've never hoped to accomplish even in his wildest dreams. However, when a new wave of sunrays assaulted him from the other side of the tunnel, he knew it was definitive proof that it all had paid off.

Sure, the side that had to deal with the concrete for such a maneuver stung a bit. Although it was nothing more than that. If there was one thing his body could boast of ever excelling at, was pain tolerance.

Rather than allowing such a train of thought to deter him, Izuku put his mental efforts into commanding his legs to get him up and continue with the obstacle course. There wasn't nervousness in his features, nor childlike pride at seeing the night-and-day disparity between the past Izuku and the current one.

Instead, he was fulfilled with feral determination doped in adrenaline. With a single order coursing through his mind.

Reach the finishing line in less than fifteen minutes by any means necessary.

It was as such, that Izuku made his way to the monkey bars and, doing honor to its name, tightened the muscles in his arms while skipping through its handlers the same way he saw Junko did all those weeks ago. It was also following in Junko's steps that he was capable of leaping from log to log without losing his footing or falling from any of them. How he balanced through a tightrope. Climbed a ten-foot wall made of net without tangling himself. Reached another wall, only this one solid and of a pair of feet higher, surpassed with just as much ease and, without a hint of hesitation, jumped off it and rolled to the ground. Just the way Junko showed him so he could soften the fall. For every single challenge set in his way, he followed in the steps his both mentor and friend had taught him.

Junko had set the bar, and Izuku Midoriya was very much obliged to reach and even surpass it.

With just a few droplets of sweat even under the unforgivable heat, and his breathing showing nothing more than the earliest signs of exhaustion, he jumped from the last of a series of ropes hanging from a metallic platform. He swiftly landed on his two feet with his knees lowering just the necessary amount to not hurt himself in the process. Rapidly shifting his gaze up, he suppressed a shiver at the sight that greeted him.

The Laser Funhouse.

On his very first attempt at it, this obstacle was responsible for at least half of his time spent within the obstacle course. One of many humiliation marks still blazing on his person. With his ropes aligned in such intricate means and at a massive rate that its completion without brushing with one almost fell on the impossible.

At least at first glance.

He saw Enoshima doing it.

He had analyzed and practiced this obstacle more times than any other by at least a tenfold.

He also reduced the time it took him to successfully complete it on each of his attempts.

With his fists clenching and unclenching, Izuku took deliberate steps back all the while his orbs became fixated on his last challenge with a calculating gaze. The moment he felt the rough texture from one of the jumping cords caressing his back, Izuku confirmed he had gained as much distance as he could, or needed for that matter. There were a few seconds of silence, with only the sound of birds singing up ahead daring to interrupt what was undoubtedly the moment that would determine his success…or failure.

Not seeing any reason for a second more spent in preparation, Izuku sprinted ahead with such intent, that most people would've thought his next move was to bulldoze through the last challenge.

They couldn't have been more wrong about that.

In a manner not that different from his experience with the second obstacle, he waited until the very last moment to maneuver himself. Only, instead of repeating the same stunt during the tunnel obstacle, he turned on his back, crouched just half as much as he previously did back then, and angled himself a few degrees in the direction of the jungle of ropes waiting for him.

And then pumped every bit of strength within his legs to jump, with his arms harpooned straight above him.

The combination of the extra push of kinetic energy gained from the lower part of his body, the trajectory of his own calculated choice along with his extended arms cementing it had all but assured a displacement that allowed him to get inside the laser funhouse without any issues whatsoever.

It was done with such expertise that, in Junko's own words when he taught him about it, could put a veteran ballerina to cry in envy while also making her consider changing her current profession towards…well, Izuku could admit that his friend's crude sense of humor was still a subject he was yet to get entirely used from her.

Regardless, such a jump wasn't without that single purpose. No, there was more to it other than access to the structure. When Junko did something similar in her demonstration, he thought it was just par of the course with the eccentricities that defined his friend. However, through a combination of trial and error along with his own deductive abilities, he eventually came to understand that instead, it was part of the course with the sharp mind that also defined his friend.

While the laser funhouse might look equally difficult from beginning to end, it only seemed that way from an outsider's perspective. The truth of the matter was only the first half possessed a web of ropes hanging in a ridiculously complicated manner, and it was only because of the ropes tied on the sides and near the entrance that it gave an illusion about the second half being just as harsh. In reality, the ropes within that segment were fewer by a wide margin and positioned in less compromising areas.

Overall, the solution was quite simple.

All he had to do was to skip the hard section.

After all, things didn't end there. Besides the trick regarding the real difficulty of the funhouse, there was one extra detail one could notice if they stopped in front of the structure to carefully look at it. While at first glance it might appear the ropes were arranged without a song or dance, the truth was that at the very center of the entrance, the ropes formed an octagon-shaped hole which, through an archway-like bridge, led to the second half of the course.

Basically, all the tools required to simplify what he thought to be the roughest of all obstacles into something way more manageable had always been at his disposal…if he was willing to invest sufficient brain matter.

That was something else he had come to learn about his friend.

She was a big fan of loopholes.

Back at the moment at hand, though, just when he felt he was about to descend, he shifted his horizontal body by the remaining two hundred and seventy degrees that made up his back flip. With just a momentary moment of vertigo, his arms crawled back to his side in a practiced manner, and with a loud thud reverberating through the soles of his feet, Izuku landed on his feet. It was nothing but a further testament to how effective Junko's training had been for him that he succeeded in his endeavor without any repercussions.

While the hardest part had been conquered, he didn't stop himself to cheer in celebration. Instead, with just as much caution, he slowly but surely stood straight. Carefully doing his best to not fall victim to overconfidence or any strand rope in the process. With just as much caution, he turned in the direction of the close yet so far finishing line.

By the time he began his first steps forward, and with how intense it was, he felt Junko's presence catching up to his position, with her gaze lingering upon him. However, rather than allow a misunderstanding that could break his concentration, he knew better and understood that she was merely making sure he wasn't breaking this exercise's only rule, intentionally or not, by ignoring any cord that might've touched him.

Controlling the small voice that urged him to go faster, Izuku snaked his way through the faux lasers. With his eyes patrolling every inch in front, on the sides, above, and down as well. Never letting any hazard break his guard.

For the umpteenth occasion, he controlled his nerves when he had one foot outside. Out of extra caution, he continued with the slow pace until he was a few feet away from the last obstacle.

The very moment he confirmed the coast was clear, Izuku ran as if his life depended on it. Once again, something his body already carried extracurricular experience.

Not like he thought too hard about that last statement, much to his fortune. Instead, Izuku had never been any more relieved of hearing a whistle too close to comfort than he did when he crossed the finishing line.

He had done it.

He completed the obstacle course without failing at any of its stages. Not even once.

When footsteps began to echo in the vicinity, Izuku turned just in time to see his friend approaching. Her face was stoned in neutrality, no doubt it was on purpose so he couldn't read her expression to get an early answer. The stopwatch in her hands was the only source that would reveal to him whether it had all been worth it or not.

Some moments of tense silence passed between the two. Despite that, he didn't let it get the better of him. This in itself was one of many tests Junko threw in between what usually counted as the 'real' training.

Junko brought the clock piece up to her face, and with a voice just as stoic, she finally spoke up.

"Twelve minutes and eight seconds."

Izuku blinked once, twice, and it wasn't until the third one that Junko's words registered to him. His brows shot up and his entire body reverberated with barely contained euphoria screaming to be released.

That didn't stop him from wanting to make sure though, "Junko, could…could you repeat that."

"Twelve minutes with eight seconds," His friend did as was asked, a proud smile parting her lips. "It looks like that last stunt in the laser funhouse paid its due."

Twelve.

Twelve minutes.

That was less than fifteen minutes, wasn't it?

"I…I did it…" Izuku whispered, almost not believing the words coming from his mouth.

"You did." Thankfully, Junko was there to put a swift end to any trail of doubt running through his veins. "Not only that, but you did so with some extra minutes to spare. You surpassed the expectations I initially put in you, Zuzu."

He truly did, didn't he? For a multitude of reasons, it wasn't the ideal victory he had hoped. However, it was just as Junko said. The condition was to surpass the obstacle course in fifteen minutes, and he did so even with less time than required.

A feat only possible because of Junko's guidance.

Even though he no longer was keeping any effort in it, Izuku knew that at that point it was impossible to maintain any composure.

Unconsciously, and surprising even himself, the first thing he did once the gates of the dam containing his feeling were set open, was to rush towards his friend.

And then trapped her in a hug. Pouring as much gratitude as it was possible for him into it.

"Junko!" And then trapped her in a hug. Pouring as much gratitude as it was possible for him into it.

"Upupupu," His ears perked upon hearing Junko's trademark laugh. "My, you sure have gotten quite daring in these past weeks, haven't you~?"

Eh?

With the dullness caused by the rush of joy he felt a moment ago coming to a sudden halt, it only took him a fraction of a second 'And a soft feeling near the chest area…' for a realization about what he was doing to hit him. With his eyes shattering like glasses, Izuku jumped away as if Junko suddenly was made out of acid.

"S-Sorry!" Despite getting better at it, Izuku knew it was inevitable to fall into the old habit of stuttering after doing something that would've left him in a short-term coma not so long ago. "It's just that hearing you say that made me so happy that I, uh, well…"

"Ah, it's okay," Junko said with merriment in her voice. Waving her right hand back and forth to further wave off his worries. "There is nothing bad in getting a bit excited upon hearing good news. Much less when they come from the accomplishments your efforts reaped. Actually, now that we are on the topic of effort and its benefits…"

Izuku tilted his head when he saw his friend eagerly reaching for one of the pockets within her pants.

Whatever next move he could've expected out of his friend to be, temporarily blinding him with a sudden flash was certainly not one of them.

"Junko!?" The green-haired boy groaned. Although sensing that there was no other movement from his friend's side, it made him relax, if only to a minimal degree. With no small amount of confusion etched onto him, he rubbed his eyes. Intent on clearing his vision as soon as possible so he could question what was that about.

When the colors came back to him, the very first thing noticed was the eager smile adorning Junko's lips. The second was how her hand was reaching out to him with the responsible for his temporal blindness.

Her phone.

Most prominent of all though, was the picture it was showing.

It was a person, standing still while looking ahead at something the image simply didn't show. The short boy in the picture was wearing a jumpsuit that his scrawny legs and arms made it look anything but decent on him. Far from carrying any reassurance in his body language, his nervous expression, the bobbly cheeks, and the posture he emitted. All of it combined presented nothing else beyond a boy full of insecurities and fear of his own shadow.

Regardless of how someone painted it, no one 'Save for a single person…' could look at the stick of a boy in the picture and take him seriously if he were to say that he was determined to save them when they needed it the most.

"That was you on your very first day of training," Junko said, all the while also answering when did she snuck that picture. "An adorable rabbit, that while set on seeing his goal achieved, it lacked the proper guidance. Yet, said puffy animal held a fire within. One that was, is, and will ever be inextinguishable. With nothing else beyond that on his person other than a little push in the right direction, his resolution eventually took him to what he is today."

Swiping aside the previous image, Izuku nearly let out a gasp at what he saw. Out of necessity, he looked at himself in the mirror every day, even if it was an activity he tried to avoid whenever it was possible. However, it wasn't until this very moment, in which Junko showed him this picture, that he finally realized how far he had changed from the feeble kid he was.

The excessive meat on his face was gone. All of it was replaced with sharp features that made it look as if he grew a pair of years older. His cowering posture was set straight and even though it was a picture, the growth spurt was noticeable.

Yes, he was still shorter than his friend. Only they had to be compared side by side for the now minuscular difference to be noticed.

Muscles. That was something he couldn't avoid catching up even if he tried. His once loosely bodysuit now seemed a size tighter than it should be considered appropriate. The collar of his attire hung down just enough to expose some of his now-toned chest. Down below, the hints of three pairs of squared muscles around his no longer squishy belly could barely be hidden. He was also capable of feeling in this very moment the callouses in his hands whenever his fingers rose with one another.

Overall, and ignoring the face filled with surprise 'Or the still healing cut near the left cheek…', what greeted him was no longer a fragile kid, but instead…

"A young man," Junko said, stealing the words out of his mind. "This is what you have become now, Zuzu. No longer a youngling that could only daydream, but rather a man, and a handsome one at that~, whose actions will speak louder than words. His, or others for that matter."

"I…sure, Junko." His face turned a scarlet red at the passing compliment, taking for what it was. And, just maybe, a little more.

Now, Izuku doubted he would be anytime soon as vain as to assure himself of now, or ever, falling into the category of attractive. However, accepting that his image had improved to the point of no longer being considered a nuisance to gaze upon at? That was something he could get himself behind.

Besides, what else could explain why those harpies back in Aldera have stopped using his looks for material for their insults?

"Your welcome, even if I was just stating facts." Was his friend's response, with a self-assured smirk gracing her face only furthering his embarrassment. However, it quickly was replaced with a joyful and satisfied smile. "I mean it, y'know? You have gotten closer towards your goal, and you earned the right to be proud about it."

"Of course!" Izuku nodded at her words, with small drops of salty water developing in the corners of his eyes. "I wouldn't have come this far without your help, Junko. Thank you!"

More than anything else, he meant that last part. From beginning to end, and even beyond what he had been reassured of time and time again, she had been invested in making sure the training bore its fruits.

It even came to the point she joined him in most sessions!

Sure, perhaps she does so to keep her figure intact too, but reaping benefits of her own wasn't something I could even begin to frown at. Much less after the miracle in all but name that she has bestowed upon me!

Still overwhelmed with her words and the rampaging thoughts acclaiming within him, a new massive wave of euphoria threatened to come through. This time he knew better though, and instead of daring himself to lunge at his friend for a second occasion, he saw it fit for instead to pump both of his fists while the urge to leap into the sky called out for him.

And so, he did. Izuku pushed himself up and down. Jumped and fell with the childlike glee he suppressed during the race through the obstacle course, with nothing else other than sheer happiness guiding his moves.

"Ngh!"

At least he did so until a sharp pain surged from the area near his left kidney. With his now wide eyes mixing with understanding and grimacing in a way he only had come to constantly experience until recently, he realized with ease what was the cause.

Goddammit, I thought I could've kept it to myself for a little while more…

"Izuku? What's…" Junko trailed off and, unsurprisingly for him, her eyes quickly widened with realization. Just as fast, they narrowed with scorn. "It was that ashen-blonde bitch, wasn't it?" At that, Izuku winced.

Not at the fact that she insulted Bakugo, mind you. That wasn't anywhere near what bothered him about what she said.

Rather, it was the act of swearing in itself that made him frown. Despite all the out-of-tone humor and general language that Junko carried herself with, she rarely if ever recurred to straight-up throwing curses. That she did so right now and with such venom in her voice spoke volumes of how much she was seething for this development.

As such, a spark of irritation way close to anger than what he would've liked to admit flickered toward a certain red-eyed boy.

Of course that guy finds a way to be a pest even without his direct presence.

Be that as it may, he didn't wanted for the good mood shared between him and Junko to come to an abrupt end at such a sudden notice, so he tried to salvage it. Clutching one arm around the source of his pain, Izuku did his best to feign he was no longer hurting as he spoke, "Don't worry, Junko. I think I wasn't careful with my breathing and that caused me some momentary pain in the area. But it is nothing serious, I promise! Just some rest and I should be as fine as ever."

It only took Junko's narrow gaze to further lock on him, for Izuku to understand he wasn't fooling her for a moment.

"Leaving aside that acting or lying isn't simply your forte," Enoshima said, and although he was glad there wasn't any hostility sent his way for the lie, he could tell his efforts to calm her down did as much as splashing a bucket of water at Endeavor could have. "Izuku…this isn't a first-time incident."

Yeah, that was the main reason his plan lacked any hope of surviving contact. Or why he knew chalking it up as him hurting himself during the tunnel obstacle was just as hopeless of an excuse.

This wasn't the first occasion he came to Junko with a souvenir that had his classmate's firm plastered somewhere on his body.

He could only be ironically grateful that today wasn't the worst it could've been. Perhaps he would've completed the obstacle course much faster if he were in complete shape, although…ever since that incident, days like these, where he was capable of hiding how much the targeted area truly hurt, were the best he could hope for.

Let's see if that 'despairful' training of yours is any good after I'm done with you, shithead!

He involuntarily flinched at the remembrance. Something Junko easily picked up.

"Sorry for bringing up that memory, Izuku." His friend said, an apologetic voice and facial features smearing her face. Before Izuku could have time of reassuring her he accepted the apology, her face quickly shifted into one of righteous indignation, "However, enough is enough!"

Enough is enough?

"Junko, what do you mean by that?" Izuku asked, with no small amount of wariness at what he suspected was running through his friend's mind at this very moment.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna have some far from kind words with those scumbags, and tell them that―"

"NO!" Izuku, with enough force to surprise both him and Junko.

"No?" The pigtailed blonde repeated with disbelief. "I'm your friend, Izuku! Isn't it obvious that I would care―"

"That's not it, Junko," He quickly denied, with his voice now a tad more controlled. Although no small amount of shame ran through his body at having interrupted his friend twice in a row. "Believe me, I know you do."

Of course he knew.

If there was a truth in this world that absolutely no one will be ever capable of making him retract from believing, was that Junko Enoshima cared about him.

And it was for that very reason that he couldn't allow her to go with that idea of hers.

Izuku knew that if he were to allow Enoshima to confront them, the topic of his condition as a quirkless person would be brought up sooner rather than later. And while that in itself was an injury that had lost most of its sensitivity, the possibility of Junko finally revealing herself as one in the spur of the moment to share part of the burden was a real fear that, under no circumstances, he wanted to see happening.

Her discrete threat towards Bakugo was effective at keeping him and his goons at bay, sure…but he knew that only worked so long as everyone believed Enoshima had a quirk.

After all, as far as the entire world was concerned, there wasn't a single quirkless individual on the planet worth the effort of saving. It might sound spiteful and condescending, but it was a truth Izuku had lived with far before meeting Junko. And one that the aforementioned wasn't spared from.

Her own school was no different. It was only through a combination of the principal and those of similar levels in authority not giving enough of a damn to do proper check-ups, some luck, and her own wits that so far, Junko had managed to trick her classmates into believing she possessed one.

If word were to get leaked out from his own school, the repercussions Junko would suffer wasn't something Izuku could forgive himself for if they were to become a reality.

"Just…please, it's seven months before U.A.'s entrance exam," And two more before actually getting to attend there, but Izuku thought better than to bring it out. "I've been dealing with stuff like this for a decade, I can for a little while more. Besides, tempting luck by trying to break the status quo at his point is a risk I would rather avoid."

Junko made a face that clearly showed his disapproval of how he was approaching this. Although rather than voicing her opinion straight away, her mouth shifted into a thin line, with no doubt that brilliant mind of hers going over her options.

They kept at it, without anyone uttering a word for quite a while. Or at least it felt that way. Perhaps it was a minute, maybe it was an hour. It was hard to measure when neither bothered to check it. Regardless of how much it passed, though, nothing was spoken between the two in that timeframe.

Until, finally, it was his friend who broke the silence.

"There isn't any way to convince you to change your mind about this, is there?" Junko said, carrying a resignation that hearing on her felt straight up wrong.

However, that didn't deter him from shaking his head, "No, there isn't. I…I'm sorry."

"…Tch, I understand where you are coming from, so I trust you know what you are doing, Zuzu." Junko relented. Before he could sigh in relief, though, she continued, "However, and sorry if I'm bringing that junk again, if they ever take things as far as they did that day, there ain't nothing you could say to convince me not to go and demolish that place with my own hands, ya get me?"

For some reason, Izuku couldn't help imagining the exaggerated picture of her releasing her fury upon Aldera. With a giant Junko making fire rain down upon the foundations of his junior-high school and bears of black and doing weird dances upon its debris.

"Hehe, of course." Which is also why a small laugh ended up escaping his mouth. It lacked mirth and was also restrained, but that didn't quit the authenticity of one of the rarest gestures he showed ever since…well, for most of his life.

"Sheesh, what am I gonna do with you, buddy." Similarly sensing the mood coming back to more amicable terms, he saw how most of the tension left Junko's body. "I suppose you will want us to move onto different topics, won'tcha?" Izuku never nodded faster in his life. "Fiiine…then how about the next stage of your training?"

"Sure!" Not even the lingering pain around his lungs was an impediment from him setting straight at the excitement Junko's proposal provoked. Izuku was far from surprised that she knew what subject would've been the best one to bring his mood up.

As expected of the most important person in his life.

Walking through the passages of the warehouse-turned-training facility, Izuku let out a sigh filled with fondness. The worn-out stand in the corner, filled to the brim with theory-crafting notes. The decorations, like posters and such, brought in to give a personal touch to the place. Even the weights that almost choked him had Enoshima not been there to notice it and lift them out of his collar.

Everything about it brought a smile to his face.

He couldn't believe his past self's hesitation at using the accommodations this place permitted. Now Izuku didn't know what would've become of him if he didn't have a safe haven like this one, where he could be himself without fear of being pitied, judged, or tormented. A second yet more familiar home where he was always welcomed by the responsible for finding this place and guiding him here.

How many good memories had he made here?

If his math was right, the amount surpassed half of the total memories he could recall as positive or acceptable in his whole life.

By a wide margin, mind you.

He wasn't allowed to daydream further, though, with his strode coming to a halt the very moment Junko also stopped in her tracks. Looking down was enough for Izuku to see she had cut her stroll short in front of her duffel bag.

Bending down, Junko unbuckled her bag before beginning to rummage through its contents. In the meanwhile, Izuku waited patiently.

While looking away to avoid gazing upon anything or anywhere inappropriate, of course!

"Alrighty, here it is!"

Prompted by her voice, Izuku turned just in time to see what Junko was holding in her hands.

Junko Enoshima's Despairful Road to Heroism 2.0.

Just like every time he looked at it, a flash of emotions flew over him. Among all of them, three, in particular, stood out for him.

Fondness, for the responsible of its existence.

Melancholy, for the object in question.

Disdain, for the individual that forced Junko to create it.

He didn't lingered much on those feelings, more interested in his curiosity about what was to come in their plans. While yeah, the schedule for the development of his body was lined up in both versions, he knew that those 'Transition Phases' would be the pillars of his training in the same way the obstacle course was.

Izuku had a feeling he was about to know what the next of them would be.

"I know I don't hafta tell ya, less so when I already did a pair of minutes ago," Junko began. "But you have grown by leaps and bounds in the time undergoing this training. Running large distances without losing a breath. Enviable gripping strength that only those with enhancement quirks could look down upon. The capacity to swiftly leap through obstacles at the pace of your liking. Acrobatics done with such flexibility that would put most girls in shame. Each one of them are feats the past you would've considered impossible."

His back stood up straighter at the achievements Junko listed. Unable to hold the pride he felt at how far he had come.

"And while that is wonderful…"

Huh?

While that conjunction caught him off-guard, he didn't let his mind become too distracted by it. Rather, he saw it more beneficial to pay rapt attention to what his friend was about to say next.

"All the training in the world isn't anywhere near enough to prepare for what could await you out there."

"Junko, you…you aren't implying everything so far has been for nothing, right?" He carefully asked. Izuku had long since learned that when it comes to her, barking at each spark of concern would be like running a marathon the very moment a referee brings out a starter pistol.

"Nope, that's not what I'm sayin'." Junko easily denied, much to his relief. "What I am getting at is that everything I've taught you so far is the basic requirement for you to begin with the real deal."

"The real deal," Izuku repeated. "And, that is…?"

Instead of an immediate verbal response, what Junko did was to gently push the notebook onto his chest.

"Check out the page thirty-one." Was everything her friend said, with a pleasant smile gracing her lips.

Not like she had to say more, he easily recalled that was where the first Transition Phase was written.

It truly is as I suspected…

Without wasting any time, Izuku quickly accepted the schedule before flicking through its pages. Although, by the time he was on the 25th one, he began to do so at a slower pace. It was almost as if this sense of foreboding he was feeling told him that whatever he found there, would change his life forever.

The very moment in which he reached the page instructed by Junko and assessed its contents, Izuku understood that his instincts hit the bullseye. Whether he considered that a good or a bad thing, Izuku…he simply didn't know.

That wasn't to say he lacked a reaction. That couldn't have been more wrong. His eyes widened. His mouth let out a gasp. The strands of his hair, both in the head and arms, stood up on end. Heck, his entire body was shaking, and he couldn't even begin to describe what exactly was the cause of it.

The variety of emotions he was feeling towards what he was seeing was just that much.

What once was a page with nothing else other than two words, now had an addition. Within a recently attached stick note, a new sentence could be read.

Condition for Graduation: Take Down a Villain!

Fight a villain.

Defeat and capture said villain.

That was what a Hero did.

What Izuku saw day by day those powered people in suits do.

What most of Earth's population understood heroism was about.

There was no easier way to explain to someone what a Hero was. Even a four-year-old could understand that much.

He would know. Even before the video of All Might that cemented his dream, that was the first type of exposure he got from heroes as a child.

And yet, when he read that sentence time and time again. Izuku's brain refused to make sense of it.

He couldn't even question if this was some sort of prank. Izuku knew Junko wasn't joking about this, that much he understood.

His friend was a natural prankster. Just one minute with her could tell you that she was a free spirit of mischief and extravagance. That wasn't to say it was a bad thing. Izuku found such a trait endearing, as it did wonders in countering his own introvert nature.

Despite that, there were occasions in which she would say or present something that most people would consider madness, and much to those people's further disbelief, they would find out that, no, Junko was one hundred percent serious about it.

Izuku was well aware that this was one of those moments.

This is why, rather than question whether she truly meant what was written here or not…

"Junko, are you telling me to commit vigilantism?" He asked for the sake of clarification. However minuscule chance as it was, there was the possibility of him missing some context. Like this villain being Junko disguised as one, or hiring a person, and Izuku would have to defeat said individual.

You know, something that didn't enter the lines of breaking the law.

Junko stared at him; the same expression with which she handed him the schedule petrified on her face. A few moments later though, it broke with her releasing a sigh full of relief, "You have no idea how glad I am you aren't freaking out about this, Zuzu."

"Right…" Freaking out? Yeah, that was a way to describe how he would've reacted if Junko had dropped this bombshell in their first days of knowing each other. Granted, what was likely happening right now was less him accepting things with ease, and more among the lines of his brain unable the resist the urge of seeing how deep this rabbit hole would go.

"This was supposed to be a much later thing, but, well…the truth of the matter is that we are behind schedule."

Izuku resisted the urge to flinch at that. Junko didn't deserve to feel guilty about something which, between the two of them, only Izuku laid at blame.

Originally, their plan involved him completing the obstacle course in May. However, due to that, they were forced to make some adjustments. With the biggest changes revolving around the weeks his body wasn't capable of giving it his all.

However, what Junko said didn't answer his question. At least not in its entirety, "Then, this Transition Phase, it truly is about committing vigilantism?"

"…It is."

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two following Junko's confession. His mind was a turmoil, still trying and failing to figure out how he should be reacting to what was written in the schedule that, previously to this, had brought him blessing after blessing.

As for her friend…

There was awkwardness in her body language, but that was about it. She didn't seem ashamed, less so regretful about her proposition. The time they have spent together had been enough to make him understand that she truly saw him going against a villain without a hero license, or at least being part of a hero school for that matter, as the most logical course of action.

That prompted him to make his next question.

"Why?"

"Combat experience," Junko answered without missing a beat, neither requiring any clarification about what he meant. "Like I said, having a fit body ain't gonna cut it. You need to learn how to fight against real people. Understand how it works. Feel it."

Izuku nodded, slowly, in reluctant acceptance of the logic before speaking again, "Couldn't we…you know, have you teaching me about that? Like acting as my sparring partner?"

He disliked the idea of fighting Junko and straight-up hated the possibility of hurting her. Still, no one could deny that was a healthier alternative.

"Not really," One that Junko deemed unfit apparently. "I mean, I am gonna teach some moves, you can count on that. However, there's just how much I, as a quirkless myself, can impart to you that would be useful in practice against people with quirks. Within U.A. you will be put against people with all sorts of them, and considering that school is le crème de la crème, it is unlikely they will be shrubs on their own turfs."

Again, he nodded, not out of accepting her proposal, but rather because he was getting her thinking process. "What about asking someone for help?"

Before the question left his tongue, Izuku already understood there was a fatal flaw with that idea.

"Who?" Obviously, Junko saw it as well. "For it to work we would need to reveal our lack of quirks, and those who wouldn't stop at only mocking us would go out of their way to dismantle what we have been working here."

There wasn't anything he could say to refute that. Izuku knew Junko was right about it.

What you are doing is too dangerous!

Impossible!

A loser like you would only get himself killed!

You could hurt yourself!

I'm sorry, kid. It is good to have dreams…but it is also important to set realistic goals.

He had known for a long while…

"Believe me, Izuku," Seeing his silence, Junko saw it fit to continue. "I did a thorough search for alternatives, but in the end, the only viable way you can get that essential exposure is through those schmucks. If we go smart about it, like picking up our fights, doing it at night, and in low-criminality areas, the risk would be minimal. It…it is our best, to not say only bet, I'm afraid."

Izuku had to admit, this was without a doubt the hardest pill Junko had made him swallow. While nowhere near as frowned upon as villains, a vigilante still was someone who fell outside what was considered legal. It would be temporary, only until his entrance exam into U.A., but that didn't exempt it from what it would represent.

It didn't make things easier that this wasn't coming from a delusional girl that had no idea what she was getting at. Even without falling at the same level as most of its inhabitants, Junko spent entire years living in the world she was intending for Izuku to confront.

If there was anyone who could say they knew what they were doing and meant it in regard to this, it was her.

Is this truly the only hope someone like me can have in becoming a hero?

…

…

…

"…Can I have some time to think about this?"

Two months ago, he would've outright rejected this. Even without what was obviously wrong about going with such a plan, the idea of him acting behind the law in the middle of the night to stealthily knock down villains one by one was as far as it could be from the gallant and flashy hero that saved people by the thousands he imagined himself to be.

Although, two months ago was also more or less how much time had passed since All Might told him he could never fulfill that ideal. Yet, here he was, with his dream of becoming a hero stronger than ever.

All thanks to Junko.

Junko, who had become his friend. Someone who could genuinely be considered a friend, for the first time in his life.

Junko, who saw potential in him where no one else did, and worked day and night to see it flourish.

Junko, the only other person who could understand the burden of being born different like he did.

Junko, who made sure his dream still prevailed.

Junko, the one responsible for him to still have hope.

Having enough faith to thoroughly consider this idea of hers was the least he could do.

Junko had never disappointed him, why this time should be any different?

"You can," His blonde-haired friend said, understanding leaking through her voice. "Perhaps tomorrow we should take a day off. You know, so both of us deal with this on a clear head."

His stomach twisted in a knot at the prospect of having a day spent without seeing her. However, and as much as he disliked it, he understood that course of action was the best. For both of them.

Reluctantly so, he accepted. As such, and with nothing else of importance to discuss, they spent the next pair of hours talking about trivial matters. Doing their best to leave the tension behind them else and enjoy their time together.

They keep doing so until, just when he was forgetting all of his problems, the time for departure rang and a shadowy cloud above his head began to develop all over again. There was some small comfort in the fact that they took the train together, but even that didn't last when they parted ways at the last station.

With heavy steps, he made his way toward his apartment. Once at home, he greeted his mother and even had dinner with her.

All the while doing his best to ignore the looks she was giving him the whole time.

True, Junko also gave him concerned stares whenever there was an incident. Today was a prime example of it. Only that hers never were filled with the pity someone should only give to a critter incapable of surviving on their own.

He had a long while of experience dealing with that, so luckily for him 'If it could even be considered that…', things didn't go beyond being utterly uncomfortable. The norm as of late within the Midoriya's residence.

When he was done with his food, he picked up the trays, washed them, bid his mother goodnight without waiting for a response, and hurried towards his room. Perhaps it might look like a rude gesture 'Which in fact, it truly was…', but Izuku knew that if he were to spend a minute more than necessary near her, she wouldn't resist the urge to take some initiative and bring up a conversation he truly didn't want to have.

Beyond the pity, he had seen what other looks she gives him. Each one of them told him that it was just a matter of time before that brief and reluctant boost of faith Junko renewed in her reached its expiration date.

There were a pair of hours left before his usual sleeping schedule, but for the good of him, he couldn't think of anything else to do. Under that ratiocination, once he was done changing his clothes into a sleeping attire, he forced himself to sleep. If only because being alone with his thoughts was among his least pleasant activities.

Well, Junko had instructed him about the benefits of properly resting, so there was that too.

As his consciousness began to fade off, he tried his best to imagine himself and Junko in the warehouse. Of them training. Planning for the future. Even her playing him a prank for which she would later tease him about. Whatever it would involve the two of them interacting with each other.

Of whatever that would replace the nightmare his reality was.

He didn't dare hope tomorrow would be a good, or decent day for that matter. The futility of it was obvious.

He knew that without Junko for the whole day in his itinerary, the entirety of it would be all hopeless.