Chapter 4 - Nine Months in Hell

Izuku felt sick, his limbs shaking. He was hunched over on all fours over a puddle of his own vomit and bile. His face was bleeding, and his muscles ached. He was in hell, and his trainer was the devil himself.

It had been nearly eight months since his training began. Every night was a different type of torture. He trained his body to the point of physical exhaustion with rigorous weight, machine and acrobatic training. Wayne would fire rubber bullets at him through the mounted turrets on the firing range, training his reflexes and maneuverability. "The point isn't to dodge bullets," Wayne had said. "That's impossible. Focus on the trajectory of the bullets from the positioning of the gun's muzzle and adjust your movements accordingly." Izuku never knew how much it hurt to get shot by a rubber bullet until now.

To test his problem-solving abilities, Wayne would trap him in various rooms, each with a different trial to overcome. One room was filled with mines that Izuku had to navigate. Another time, he was handcuffed to a secure fixture inside a room while trying to figure out a way to escape while the room filled with water. The warehouse seemed to go deeper than Izuku had originally anticipated. Below the armory and training floor, there were several bunkers that functioned as simulators for various emergency situations: villain attacks, where Izuku was forced to fight several animatronic foes, each with different fighting styles; emergency search and rescue operations - fire, flood, earthquake, even alien invasions. Nothing was too far-fetched to be considered a possibility to the Batman.

On top of physical training, Wayne would put him through intense mental conditioning exercises. Much of these exercises involved observation and analysis of Izuku's performance during the simulated scenarios; Wayne would have him study and analyze police files and criminal cases: murder, kidnapping, arson, rape, no subject was taboo. Izuku found that he was particularly skilled at these exercises, so much so that Wayne would continually throw in red herrings and false leads to mislead him. As the months dragged on, Izuku had already noticed his mental and emotional acuity sharpening due to these exercises.

Izuku also found that his fighting prowess had grown exponentially under the Batman's tutelage. He was trained in every practical form of combat conceivable, from U.S. Navy Seal training to Shaolin martial arts. He was trained in several forms of weaponry: batons, swords, shuriken, knives, stun weapons, and then some. All except firearms, to which Wayne was vehemently opposed.

Wayne was even stricter when it came to Izuku's education and practical knowledge. He tutored him in various fields of science, engineering, technology, forensics, chemistry, physics, medicine, anatomy, psychology, computers and cybersecurity, business, strategy, and even driving and piloting. On top of that, Izuku was learning enough practical and theoretical criminology that he assumed would be studied by doctoral students at University. Alfred also had a hand in tutoring him in both his school and hero studies, and Izuku saw his grades and exam scores increase tenfold.

Bruce was also teaching him about the various practical uses of the gadgetry he employed in the field. Most of the devices were not conventional items you could pick up at any electronics store. They were unique items that were designed specifically for Batman's crusade. There were both offensive and defensive items, used to subdue an opponent or counteract villain abilities: Batsuits with different protective armors; suits that adapted to different environmental situations, such as cold or heat; Batarangs of various size and functionality, designed to stun or disarm an opponent; various explosives, glue grenades, smoke pellets, grapple hooks, and many, many more. Izuku had grown quite adept to the use of these tools and gadgets. His natural tactical analysis skills afforded him an ability to creatively use the gadgets in various unorthodox ways. This impressed Bruce immensely. Since Izuku was at an inherent disadvantage against super-powered adversaries, mastery of these tools would even the odds and even turn the tide in many dire situations and skirmishes.

Much to his surprise, Izuku realized that he was particularly adept at working with explosives. He supposed he shouldn't have been too shocked at this. After all, he had observed and had been on the receiving end of Kacchan's explosive quirk nearly all his life. Batman kept a vast array of explosive material: grenades, C4, plastic explosives, smoke bombs, exploding batarangs, and an experimental explosive gel, which delivered its payload from a device that reminded Izuku of a painting gun. Studying explosives took on another meaning for Izuku as well. He felt that, in a way, he was keeping Kacchan's memory alive, and felt that he owed it to his former friend to develop this proficiency.

Over the months, Izuku came to understand Bruce and Alfred a little better. Bruce was, for the most part, distant and aloof. He rarely smiled and was always working. He was a brutal and harsh taskmaster during their training, but not heartless. He encouraged and supported Izuku, albeit sparingly, and generally cared for his well-being. Alfred was much gentler and kinder. Although he was Bruce's protegee, outside of training Izuku spent most of his time with Alfred, since Bruce was always so busy. He took a strong interest in Izuku and his studies and was always there to pick him up after each brutal training session. He was fiercely loyal to Bruce, and often acted in more of a fatherly fashion towards him, rather than that of an employee. Despite the difference in status, it was clear that Bruce respected and cared about Alfred and saw him as an equal.

Alfred would usually take Izuku to school and return him home after training. He had spent so much time with him that Izuku's mother had grown quite fond of the kindly old Alfred. Whenever he was over there, he would immediately offer his assistance to her, whether it was cleaning, laundry, or cooking. His sense of humor and charming demeanor was always making her smile. They would often regale each other of stories from their youth, raising Bruce and Izuku, or even housekeeping tips.

Back at the Warehouse, Izuku was struggling to get to his feet. His training had increased in intensity over the past months, and they were only getting harder. Most specifically, Izuku was testing his fighting prowess against an even more formidable foe: The Batman himself.

And he was losing badly.

"Get up, Midoriya," Said Bruce, his arms folded. They had been sparring for three hours, and Izuku wasn't able to land a single hit. "Get up!" He snapped again. "If this were a real fight, you'd be dead by now." Izuku got to his feet, his legs feeling like jelly beneath him. He was sure some of his bones were broken. But he stood regardless, ready to fight. "Good," Said Bruce. "Now try to stay up this time." He advanced on Izuku, who leaped into the air, trying to get a vantage point above him to strike. But Bruce was ready and side-stepped his attack. Turning on his heel, Bruce's ax-kick connected to the back of Izuku's head, sending him back to the ground in a heap. At first, all he could see were colors, and then, gradually, his sight went dark as he drifted into unconsciousness.

"You're pushing him too hard, Master Bruce!"

"The UA entrance exam is next month. He'll be up against odds he's never faced before. If he's to be ready, he needs to be pushed."

Izuku was starting to come back to reality. People were arguing. He vaguely recognized the voices as Alfred and Bruce.

"At what cost, Master Bruce?" Said Alfred, exasperated. "I understand what it means to him to enter the academy, and what it means to you to train the boy, but he's overworked. He needs to rest."

Izuku groaned, leaning up slightly as the fuzziness in his head cleared. Alfred gently pushed him back to lie down. "Easy, Master Midoriya," He said. "You've had quite a few nasty bumps." Izuku was laying on a hospital bed in the warehouse, being treated by Alfred. His bones were knitted and His wounds were gone. He felt extremely drowsy, and had some lingering pain, but felt better overall. When Izuku had first injured himself training, he was surprised when Alfred revealed to him that he had a quirk of his own: healing. Izuku had broken his wrist after falling off a pommel horse during his gymnastic training. Alfred simply grasped it tightly, a warmth spreading throughout his wrist. When he released it, it was completely healed. Alfred had explained that he was once a soldier in the British Military, and his quirk allowed him to save many lives as a field medic. Not only that, it proved to be useful in assisting Bruce when he returned from a mission in bad shape.

Despite Alfred's protesting, Izuku leaned up and rested on his elbows. "Bruce is right," He said weakly. "I'm already going to the exam at a huge disadvantage because I don't have a quirk. I need to work harder." He sat up from the couch he was laying on and stood, steadying himself slightly as his legs were still weak. "I don't just want to get into UA," He continued. "I want to excel! I want to prove to them that just because I'm quirkless doesn't make me less of a hero. I want to show them I can do it!"

Alfred glanced at Bruce, who was looking at Izuku with a small, approving smile. "And you will," He said. "There's only one month left until the exam. You are ready to take your skills to the next level." He turned and began to walk away. "Get some sleep. You'll need all your strength for tomorrow."