A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back again!

I'm gonna come out and say it: I'm nervous about this chapter. Hopefully, it isn't as bad as I think it is :'-)

I hope you all enjoy it!

--

Chapter summary: Izuku looked around, an idea forming in his head.

With the U.A. exam being 10 months away from now, Izuku ponders about possible extra training while taking advice from a pro.

It's only just begun.

"Are you sure you have everything with you?"

Izuku looked up briefly at his mom as he sat on the doorstep tying his shoes. He was getting ready for the meeting with All Might and also his morning run, as the times between the two happened to somewhat coincide. His run only preceded the meeting by an hour (He usually wakes up at 5:30 specifically for that run), which was plenty of time he could use to get things done.

Also, he needed to get there early so he could apologize to Shinji-sensei for not showing up the day before.

"Yep." Izuku muttered distractedly as he worked on doing his shoe laces.

"Your charger?"

"Yep."

"Your water bottle?"

"Mhm."

"Your weights?"

"Tied and secured around my ankles and wrists just as always mom."

"...Your handkerchief?"

"Mom."

Inko laughed. "Well, you do forget it an awful lot of times. I just had to make sure." She teased.

Izuku blushed as he stood up and dusted his tracksuit. Picking up his gym bag, he gave his mom a big smile and opened the door."I'm off now!" He exclaimed.

Inko smiled back, just as bright. "Good luck sweetie!" She waved at him just as he stepped out of the apartment. "Have fun!"

"Thanks mom, I will!" His slightly muffled voice replied back just as he closed the door behind him.

Inko smiled at the door for several moments before going to get ready for work herself.

-0-

Izuku jogged around the coast line, sighing as he evaded yet another piece of scrap metal in his path.

Dagobah Municipal Beach was the local 'unofficial' dump ground. Whenever anyone had a piece of old hardware they wanted to dispose of (or even a trash bag they're too lazy to throw in one of the assorted dumpsters around the city) they'd come and dump it on the beach.

It was a shame, considering that the beach had a rather beautiful view of the sea. Imagine how much more gorgeous that view would be if it was unhindered by all the trash that filled it.

Deftly jumping over a piece that looked like it belonged in a washing machine, Izuku looked around an idea forming in his head.

With 10 months left for the U.A. entrance exam, prospecting students should be starting to prepare. Izuku had been preparing for nearly 4 years now, but still, a little extra training won't hurt right?

"Besides," the boy muttered to himself. "I need to up my weight-lifting game." He looked at his wrist (where a weight bracelet designed for aspiring athletes and weightlifters was secured). "And maybe see if can graduate from twice the weight every month or so to 4 times the weight. It shouldn't impact my growth too bad now that I'm older now, right?"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that." An amused voice said behind him.

Izuku yelped as he, distracted by the voice, tripped over a piece of metal he didn't account for. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his aching foot.

"Oops," The voice said again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to distract you, young Midoriya!"

Izuku blinked as he registered exactly who had been talking. Not only was the voice familiar, but also no one else called him 'Young Midoriya' except…

His head whipping up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash, Izuku squeaked and quickly stood up, dusting his track suit from the excess sand. "A-All Might!"

All Might smiled awkwardly at his reaction, and Izuku internally winced. Great, what a great start to his morning.

"Hello my dear boy," The man responded easily. "I must say, I didn't expect to see you here quite this early."

Izuku smiled back nervously. "W-w-well, I train at the dojo that's just on the end of the beach so, um, I'm familiar with it, and u-uh, part of my training regiment is daily runs t-to in-increase my stamina a-and endurance. I usually r-run here e-even when I don't have training" He fidgeted nervously. "I, uh- wasn't expecting to see you so soon either." He paused a little before realizing how his last statement sounded. "N-not that it isn't nice to see you!"

All Might laughed, "It's nice to see you too, Young Midoriya."

There was this silence- one that wasn't exactly awkward but not comfortable either. The type of silence that forms whenever two people have nothing to say.

"S-so…" Izuku began, his voice wavering uncertainly. "What brings you here at th-this time?"

All Might blinked. "Ah, right!" He exclaimed, before smiling sheepishly. "Well, my reason is quite similar to yours my boy. I like to take jogs every now and then here but it is mainly because of nostalgia."

Izuku tilted his head. "Nostalgia?" He repeated in confusion.

All Might nodded. "Indeed." He said with a far away look in his eye as he kicked at a soda can that had been lying next to his foot. "I used to frequent this beach a lot during my youth." He looked at Izuku. "It used to have the most gorgeous scenery before all the trash heaps came."

"Oh," Izuku said. "I- I did notice that it had a nice view of the sea." He offered timidly.

All Might smiled, turning to look at the sea, "It does, doesn't it?"

Izuku nodded, watching the view as some breeze blew in his face.

"Anyway," All Might said some time later, breaking the silence that fell over them. "I noticed you were talking about lifting 4 times the amount of weight you're used to?"

"Oh!" Izuku jolted. "Actually, I was talking about increasing the amount of weight on my weight bracelets." He pulled back his sleeve a little, just to show the unassuming silver bracelet.

"Ah," All Might nodded. "Well, weights don't normally affect a person's growth, Young Midoriya. That's a myth." He shrugged. "However, lifting too much at once can cause some damage. It's better if you take the opinion of your teacher on that matter."

"Oh." Izuku looked at his wrist. "I see."

"In any case," All Might started, looking at his wrist. "We still have 30 minutes before we're supposed to meet. Would you like to continue your run in that time period?"

Izuku blinked. "Would that be.. okay?" He asked hesitantly.

All Might puffed an amused breath, "Of course my boy. I'm merely using today to 'pick your brain' so to speak." He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "It's good that you already have a training regiment. I'll just talk with you today about politics and your view on heroism in general, then I'll try to cover whatever gaps you have in your preparations."

Izuku stared at the hero a bit dumbfounded. "A-ah yes!" He bowed. "Thank you for taking the time to help me! I appreciate it!"

All Might waved his hand awkwardly. "None of that my boy, I'm more than happy to help!" He rubbed the back of his head. "And take however long you need to continue with your run. I imagine we took quite a bit of time by talking."

Izuku rose from his bow and nodded.

Excusing himself, the boy turned and continued on with his run. If he quickened his pace, he should reach Shinji-sensei's dojo within fifteen minutes!

--

Shinji's Dojo was a shabby old shack located at somewhere on Dagobah Municipal Beach. Its owner, Aimoto Shinji, was an old man with sharp asian features, a Dumbledore-esque beard, and a short stature. His quirk, Old Timer, allows him to live longer than most people by slowing down his body's growth process. Physically, he was 68, however his actual age was 150.

That said, he was pretty agile and spry for how old he was. He also had something of a temper.

Which is why Izuku, who has been training with the man ever since he was 11, should've expected that kick to the face the moment he opened the dojo's door.

"YOU FOOL!" Was the first thing he heard.

Really, it was Izuku's own fault he got hit. He should've thought to dodge.

"ACK-!"

"DID NOTHING I TAUGHT YOU STICK IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS?! HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU TO BE CAREFUL AND NOT RUSH INTO DANGER!?" The old man yelled at Izuku, who was rubbing his aching nose and forehead with a vaguely scared expression. "WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"

"I- uhm-" Izuku stammered. "I-I'm sorry?"

Shinji's face darkened, a sight that had Izuku waving his hands frantically in a placating motion. "I- I mean- I'm sorry! I won't do it again I'll be more careful next time!"

The teacher stared down his student for a few moments before sighing loudly and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Next time he says." He grumbled with a displeased expression. "Teenagers."

Izuku sweat dropped but didn't otherwise comment as Shinji-sensei extended a hand for him to take. Taking the hand gratefully, Izuku got up and, for the millionth time that day, dusted his clothes from the excess sand.

"You're excused for not attending yesterday's training session," The old man started. "Seeing as you had to deal with some tough stuff we'll just have to make it up some other day." He huffed.

Izuku bowed deeply. "Thank you sensei." He said. "And I'm sorry for not attending yesterday."

Shinji-sensei waved a hand dismissively, "Nonsense, you had other things to deal with. It's obvious that training would be the last thing on your mind."

Izuku nodded hesitantly. "Yes sensei." He muttered, not really convinced. He still could've called to cancel or something rather than just be a no-show. Izuku chose to remain silent though, rather than air his grievances with himself.

Shinji-sensei gave him a knowing look but otherwise didn't comment. "So, do you have any business with me today or is that it?"

Izuku blinked. "Ah," He rubbed the back of his head. "No, I just wanted to apologize for missing yesterday's session and not calling to cancel and stuff."

Shinji-sensei nodded. "Thought so." He nodded to himself. "Well then, go on. Go and enjoy the rest of the day."

Izuku nodded at the clear dismissal and bowed again. Quietly thanking his teacher, he turned around and started jogging back towards where he left All Might last.

Shinji watched Izuku as he quickly became a dot in the distance before shaking his head and sighing in exasperation. That kid, honestly.

--

All Might was exactly where Izuku had left him. Glancing down at the digital watch on his wrist, Izuku was pleased to note that he was only 10 minutes late. The exchange with Shinji-sensei didn't take as long as he thought it would (which was good because he'd have hated to leave All Might waiting for too long).

All Might noticed him right away (not that he expected anything less from the No. 1 hero) and waved him over with a smile. Izuku was more than happy to come and take place next to the man.

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would." The No. 1 Hero commented drily before pointing at Izuku's face. "What happened to your face?"

Izuku laughed a little awkwardly. "My teacher had some things to say about yesterday's stunt." He rubbed his arm self-consciously.

All Might nodded sagely, as if getting kicked in the face by your teacher was normal. "Ah, I see. Well then, I suppose we should get down to the purpose of this meeting."

Izuku perked up excitedly.

All Might grinned. "I found a good spot where we could sit and chat. As I said earlier, I intend to check your knowledge on certain topics and maybe, if there was some time left before lunch, test the limits of your abilities." He turned around and gestured to Izuku to follow him. "Come along now, Young Midoriya."

Izuku followed All Might obediently, nearly vibrating with excitement. He couldn't wait to sit down and get right into the philosophy of what it means to be a hero with the best hero their country (and possibly the world) had to offer!

-0-

Toshinor settled down on one of the fridges that littered the beach with a sigh. Climbing things in his true form always left him a bit winded. Still, he was glad to have maintained a bit of agility outside of his hero form.

Directly in front of him, Young Midoriya was staring at the fridge Toshinori had placed to face his own. The beach was full of discarded hardware and so, finding two fridges in the (nearly) same area wasn't too difficult. The bigger task was moving them, which Toshinori's hero form took care of quite nicely.

It was interesting though, the way the gears turning in Midoriya's head were nearly visible. The boys stood there, assessing the fridge in an eerily similar manner to how a cat might approach a fence.

Suddenly, with feline-like movements, Midoriya took a running start and started climbing one of the trash heaps surrounding their current area. Once the boy reached the top, he turned around, took a few steps backwards, and then leaped at the fridge.

Part of Toshinori was convinced that the 14 year old was going to either slam into the fridge and face plant on the sand or miss entirely and land incorrectly. That part of him was proved wrong, however, as Midoriya not only didn't miss, but also somehow managed to land semi-perfectly on the fridge's top.

Toshinori was stunned. That kid just managed to execute a maneuver that would've given most pros trouble had they done it without using their quirks. His green eyes shone brightly with something, something that reminded Toshinori of the moment he saw Midoriya's potential as a hero.

"I'll be the first Quirkless Hero!"

The No. 1 hero grinned, and started clapping, unable to help being impressed by the young boy. It was obvious that Young Midoriya had a bright future ahead of him and Toshinori was more than glad that he got to assist in shaping that future.

Midoriya startled a little at the sound of the clapping, the steely gleam in his eye vanishing as the boy flushed and smiled self-consciously.

"Excellent job Young Midoriya!" Toshinori grinned.

"Th-thank you!" Midoriya bowed deeply, nearly bowling over and off of the home appliance.

Toshinori raised his arms in an aborted motion to catch him. "Ack- be careful!"

Midoriya rose fro his bow with a sheepish smile as he adjusted himself so his feet dangled over the door of the freezer part of the fridge. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it my boy," Toshinori sighed in relief. "I was merely worried you'd fall and injure yourself."

The boy blinked for a moment before flushing a deep red. He flailed his arms in the air for a bit before ceasing motion altogether.

"I-it's fine!" He exclaimed in a rather high pitch of voice. "I- I know how to fall co-orrectly!"

Toshinori deadpanned. "Be that as it may, I doubt a fall from such a height would be pleasant."

Midoriya shrugged, his face still a light pink hue.

Toshinori gave him a look but dropped the topic. "In any case," He started with a huff. "Tell me, Young Midoriya; what is an ideal hero to you?"

Midoriya blinked at the sudden topic change. "An ideal hero?" He started wistfully. "Well, I'd say that an ideal is hero is one like you, All Might."

Toshinori raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" He asked neutrally.

Midoriya shrugged. "Well, if you look at it as a matter of statistics." He started with a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You'll find that you hold the record for the most amount of rescues. Normally, a limelight hero falls into one of two categories: rescues or villain-apprehension; though, in extreme cases, heroes that specialize in villain-apprehension get recruited for rescues and disaster relief cases."

He paused for a moment before leaning forward. "Anyway, you're the only limelight hero that doesn't strictly adhere to eitner category. You take any and all cases be it a simple rescue or the apprehension of a major villain. Not only that, but the rate by which you stop villains is legendary with the longest you've ever taken on record being 10 minutes and 55 seconds. All of this, coupled by your exemplary record of villain captures, has led to a massive decrease in criminal activity, with it dropping a whole 55% in the first decade of your hero career."

Toshinori blinked in shock. He was aware of those statistics as he, like any other hero, took pride in his accomplishments, but he didn't expect Young Midoriya to give such a long and though out answer to his question. Most of the time, people consider All Might to be the ideal hero because of how he apprehends villains or, more shallowly, because he's the No. 1 hero. Very rarely do people ever stop to consider the statistics behind his ranking.

It wasn't his pride speaking or anything (Yagi Toshinori isn't as prideful a man as many would think). It was just the simple truth.

Toshinori was broken out of this thoughts as Young Midoriya continued.

"In addition, you market yourself in a profoundly positive way, one that makes people feel relief. Personally, I find that the smile you have whether you're fighting villains or saving a kitten from a tree to be a major source of comfort, and I'm sure that many others share this opinion. You are a symbol for a purpose and you are the major reason why civilians put their trust in heroes. Villain activity was at an all time high in the time period before your official debut in Japan, but soon after that Japan entered a period of peace, not complete peace of course as there's conflict everywhere, but peace nonetheless."

Midoriya paused suddenly, as if breaking out of a trance, before he slowly flushed and started pushing the tips of his pointer fingers together. "S-sorry I uh- I went on a tangent."

Toshinori waved the apology off, still feeling stunned. "Never mind that my boy but," He cleared his throat, feeling embarrassment (of maybe that was the blood) creeping up his throat and clogging it. "M-may I ask why you know that stuff?"

Midoriya looked confused. "Uh, it's public knowledge… right?" He said, suddenly worried that he might have broken some sort of law.

Toshinori shook his head. "That's not what I'm asking Young Midoriya though yes the statistics are public." He leaned forward, gesturing vaguely with his hands. "What made you research the statistics? Most people just take in what the news report on TV and pay no mind to the deeper statistics behind… this."

"Oh," Midoriya looked away, his face tinged with embarrassment. "I- I like to analyze heroes." He said, kinda lamely if Toshinori was being honest.

Toshinori nodded. What he'd managed to glean from the boy's notebook was impressive for someone his age.

"A-and well. I sorta need to kn-know the statistics of ea-each hero in order to analyze them properly? Like, I can probably give a summary of what they can do and their preferences regarding heroic actions but in order to really analyze them I need to know what they do and their success or failure rates." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "I also get into debates on hero forums and, well, All Might is…" Midoriya's face twisted, almost as if saying this next bit hurt him physically. "Kind of.. a generic choice for a favorite hero. I had to have all the statistics so I could actually have an argument when entering a debate other than 'oh he's my favorite' y'know?" He finished a bit awkwardly.

Toshinori thought it made sense. No one other than true hero enthusiasts (or rather fanboys/girls) put much thought into the statistics behind their favorite hero's ranking. If anything it made too much sense.

"Well, you've listed your reasons." Toshinori moved on swiftly. "And they sound convincing." He didn't truly believe he was an ideal hero. He tried to emulate his idea of an ideal hero as much as he could but Tosh- All Might didn't think he was there yet. "So we'll move on. What traits do you think an ideal hero embodies?"

"Hmm. Well, I think that an ideal hero is great with the public." Midoriya said thoughtfully. "They know how to calm the masses and also spread safety and security. I think that a true hero knows how to fight danger while also keeping the people at peace with a smile. I like to think that an ideal hero would be able to stand their ground in a fight as well, even if they are scared, and would be able to save as many people as possible." The boy smiled fondly. "Yeah, that's my ideal hero."

Toshinori smiled despite himself, feeling the passion Young Midoriya had for this topic. "Very good." He nodded. "It's good to know what traits or actions you value in a hero. Focus on those traits, Young Midoriya, and emulate them to the best of your ability. The first step of becoming a hero is to work on becoming your ideal hero."

Midoriya eyes took on a determined gleam. "Yes, sir!" He said hotly, with passion. "I'll do my best!"

--

A few hours later, Toshinori was impressed. For a hero fanboy, Midoriya was extremely well-informed. Statistics, philosophy, and even knowledge of controversial opinions. It was endearing and more than a little satisfactory to find someone so passionate about heroes and the hero system.

Izuku, on the other hand, was more than happy. Others usually found his interest in heroes and their abilities to be creepy (often stalkerish) and he learned pretty quickly not to be vocal about anything that has to do with his views (political or otherwise) and interests. It was liberating to be able to freely speak his mind for once (his mom tried her best, but ultimately she couldn't really understand what Izuku was talking about) and without judgement.

All in all it was a pretty successful day.

-0-

"Young Midoriya…" Izuku stopped in his tracks at the sound of All Might's voice. "What are you doing?"

Izuku smiled and carefully deposited the microwave he was carrying on the back of the pick up truck Shinji-sensei contacted. The driver was taking a stroll around the city somewhere to kill time while Izuku worked.

He dusted his hands and turned around to address the bewildered No. 1 Hero. "Hey All Might. You said a good hero knows the value of community service right?"

All Might blinked. "Yes… yes I did." He looked at the pickup truck that was already nearly full. "Uh, I still don't understand though."

Izuku felt determination and enthusiasm burn through his veins as he answered his idol with one simple declaration:

"I intend to clean this entire beach before the U.A. entrance exam!"

-0-

Many years later, Izuku would look back on at those 10 months and, when asked about them, would simply say:

"Those were my 10 months of hell."

A/N: Thank you for reading!

In this chapter, Izuku finds his doom with his own hands :-( he will be missed.

In other news, All Might might be getting a tad too attached to our local green cinnamon roll. Whatever will he do now? :-DDD

Next chapter: Izuku contemplates his life choices while the clock ticks with the promise of a harrowing exam. Who knows what will happen next.