AN: Thanks for reading and leaving a review everyone!

No matter how much he tried to sleep that night, it evaded him. How could he?

Everything he's been working toward these last ten months has led up to this!

Tomorrow was UA's entrance exam. Which means that in the morning, All Might was going to give him One For All!

As much as he would have liked to have more time to practice with it, All Might wanted to maximize his potential. After all, what good would it be if Izuku's body could barely contain its power?

It didn't give him much time to figure out how to use One For All, but All Might didn't seem concerned. He said an afternoon would be plenty of time to get a handle on the basics ahead of the exam.

Looking at the clock for what may be the hundredth time, he saw that it was finally 5:30 AM. Deciding that was close enough, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his tracksuit. If he was quick about his morning jog, he'd be able to catch the sunrise on Takoba Beach while waiting for All Might.

Twenty minutes later, Izuku sat cross-legged on a sand dune as his gaze stretched out over the ocean. Despite promising All Might that he wouldn't push himself to the point of collapse, he still managed to clear almost another one-hundred and fifty meters beyond the initially proposed kilometer. As his gaze drifted along the beach he saw a pair of volunteers in the distance, trash bags in hand as they walked along the shore. The sight made him smile.

One morning people were curious about who, exactly, was cleaning the beach, and had sought him out. They were shocked to discover it was only a single kid, doing it as part of a training regime. Before long volunteer groups formed, working to clear other parts of the beach outside of 'his' area. And then another group appeared - one solely dedicated to maintaining the beach, preventing it from reverting to its previous state. Both served as reminders of All Might's early lessons, that there was more to being a hero than simply punching bad guys.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar hand on his shoulder. "Admiring your handiwork?"

"Mhm," Izuk looked up to his mentor. "Is that bad?"

"Not at all!" Toshinori exclaimed as he bulked up to his muscle form, his hand sweeping along the beach. "This is your accomplishment. You've managed to undo years of neglect in ten months, and more! Take pride in that fact."

Izuku felt a warmth filling his stomach as his lips tugged upwards. "Thank you, All Might."

"Don't thank me, as I said all those months ago. I am merely giving you an opportunity. The rest is all you, Young Midoriya."

Izuku stood up, his head bobbing rapidly. "Y-yeah!"

"That's the spirit!"

"So now what?" Izuku asked, feeling the previous evening's excitement come rushing back.

"And now, it is time for your reward," Toshinori explained as he plucked a strand of hair from his head and offered it to Izuku.

"Umm," Izuku took the hair in his hand. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Isn't it obvious? You should eat it!"

"Huh?!"

"Look," Toshinori began awkwardly, "the process to pass on One For All involves you ingesting my DNA, and this is the easiest way to do that!"

"Actually, I have another way," Izuku said as he let go of the hair, letting it flutter away in the morning breeze. Grabbing his bag, he rummaged through it until he pulled out a sealed bag containing a needle and a couple of empty blood vials.

"Y-young Midoriya!?" Toshinori sputtered. "Why do you have something like that in your bag?"

"Mostly in case of emergencies," Izuku admitted. "If something happened and Himi needed blood, I wanted to have a way to draw it on hand."

"I see," Toshinori said thoughtfully, his earlier awkwardness forgotten. "Well if you are more comfortable with that," he deflated and held out an arm. "A few drops should suffice."

Nodding his head, Izuku worked quickly and efficiently as he broke the seal on the bag and took a sample of Toshinori's blood. After he was done and carefully repacked the needle for disposal, he held the vial in his hand almost reverently.

I wonder if this is how Himi feels when she drinks our blood.

Unstopping it, he drank the blood, the metallic taste leaving him unphased as he swallowed it.

"And now…"

"Now," Toshinori let out a resigned sigh as he plopped down on the beach. "We must wait. It will take several hours for you to digest it, and then we can begin the next step."

As Izuku returned the equipment to his bag, Izuku froze as he realized he had forgotten something very important.

"So, um… About the part where it's passed through ingesting DNA?"

"Is something the matter Young Midoriya?"

"H-how does that work exactly?" Izuku asked awkwardly. "I kind of have a sister who keeps a few vials of my blood on her."

"Oh," Toshinori said solemnly, "I had missed that as well. Fortunately, there is more to it!"

"There is?"

"Indeed," Toshinori bobbed his head. "I had hoped we wouldn't need to discuss this for many years, but there is a second component to the transfer process. Not only does the person have to ingest your DNA, but you also have to will One For All to them. Without that desire to pass it on, it will remain with you."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he sat down next to his mentor. "That's great news! That would have been really awkward if I had to explain why Himi couldn't drink my blood anymore."

Izuku sat on the dune, pen scratching away at his notebook as his phone played a video when he finally felt it. Gasping, Izuku looked down at his chest.

"Is everything alright Young Midoriya?"

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "I-I feel it!"

In the center of his chest, in the very core of his being, he felt a new warmth as it began to grow. It slowly expanded outward, filling his very being with something new. Something different. Something powerful.

"Oho," Toshinori stood up. "So the transfer is a success then?"

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed as he slapped his chest. "I feel something, right here!"

"Wonderful!" Toshinori said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, returning to his muscle form. "That means it's time for training!"

Descending the dune, the student and teacher jogged to the middle of the beach where they faced the ocean.

"So how do I use it?" Izuku asked, excitement lacing every word.

"It's easy!" Toshinori replied. "Just clench your butt cheeks and yell smash!"

Izuku's face dropped, unable to hide his disappointment. "R-really?"

"That is how it works," Toshinori laughed awkwardly. "When I tense my muscles, I feel One For All expand outward to wrap itself around them, lending me its power." He wound up and threw a mock punch in demonstration.

Looking down at his hands, Izuku balled his fists. Looking up at his mentor, he nodded. "Mhm, okay then! I'll try it!"

"That's the spirit!"

Settling into a fighting stance, Izuku clenched his fist and reeled his arm back, trying to emulate how All Might punches. As he pulled his arm back, he felt muscles tense as the warmth in his chest flared. Gasping, Izuku felt the barest tendril of power as it extends outward, creeping along his arm.

And then without warning, the warmth suddenly vanished.

"W-what?" Izuku blinked owlishly as he looked at his fist. "I started to feel it but then it just… stopped?"

"Well, this is awkward." All Might sad, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Did- did it not work?" Izuku asked, wondering if something would change if he stared at his fist long enough.

"No, the way you describe it means you now possess One For All. I can confirm that as well - the quirk has appeared to move on, leaving an echo and embers in its wake. Which means something else is holding you back…" Toshinori mused as he held his chin.

"What do you mean holding me back?" Izuku asked, a hint of panic in his words.

"I don't know how else to describe it," Toshinori said apologetically. "While it is clear you now possess One For All, something seems to be missing still. This - this never happened to me."

"Does that mean something's wrong with me?" Izuku asked, trembling slightly.

"Nonsense," Toshinori assured him. "I'm sure we can figure it out! Maybe we rushed things, and you just need more time to let One For All settle in?"

"I hope so," Izuku said nervously.

Hours later Izuku lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room. After barely sleeping the night before and with exams in the morning, he should have been asleep a while ago. But the incident. Or, more appropriately, the lack of incident weighed heavily on his mind.

Is something wrong with me?

Holding his hand in front of his face, he balled it into a fist, tensing his muscles. Just like before, he felt like something should be happening. But it just… wasn't.

With a weary sigh, he let his arm fall, dropping onto his face and covering his eyes. His thoughts started over, repeating the cycle until exhaustion finally claimed him.

Opening his eyes, Izuku gasped as he found himself standing amidst an ocean of stars. Looking down, he didn't see what he was standing on - it was simply more of the endless expanse of space. It took him a moment, but eventually he found a landmark. There, in the distance, was a door. Its simple brown color stood in stark contrast to the swirling colors of the sky.

That was when he heard it. Vague whispers from indistinct voices. He didn't know what they were saying, but he knew the answer lay behind that door. Unsure of how things worked in the dream world, he tried to take a step toward the door.

Four-year-old Izuku stood on a playground, placing himself between Bakugo, and two of his lackeys and another kid who had just been knocked over. Determination filling his face, Izuku spread his arms out to block Bakugo's path.

Izuku shook his head and looked down. He saw the surface he was standing on appeared to ripple from the contact. Much like dropping a rock into the water, he watched as a small wave distorted the image below as it expanded outward.

Well, whatever he was standing on was solid, so that was a start. Looking forward again, Izuku saw the door was slightly closer now. Feeling newfound confidence, he took another step.

Izuku couldn't stop the tears from falling as he stared at the computer monitor. On the screen, a video of All Might's debut played, but even that video did nothing to relieve the crushing weight of sadness he felt.

As he heard his mom come in, he spun around in his chair and pointed to the screen.

"Mom, can I still be a hero?" He asked, desperate for her to say one simple word.

"I'm sorry," Inko replied as she collapsed in front of him.

Izuku felt his heart shatter all over again as she hugged him, her tears flowing freely as she repeated the phrase over and over again.

That wasn't the answer he so desperately needed to hear.

Izuku felt hot tears building in his eyes, threatening to spill out. He felt his resolve wavering, but the door awaited him. Shoving his doubt aside, he continued onward.

Seven-year-old Izuku crossed a log bridge as he followed Bakugo toward the woods. Then, without warning, Bakugo slipped and fell off the edge, landing in the shallow river below. While everyone else stared in disbelief, Izuku was already on the move. He scrambled down the bank without regard for his own safety, only to see the other boy laying there, looking more annoyed than hurt. Reaching out, Izuku offered him a hand to help him up.

What's going on? Why was he remembering these memories in particular?

Eleven-year-old Izuku was on a different playground, once again defending someone from Bakugo and his lackeys. After Bakugo insulted Izuku and walked away, Izuku turned toward the kid behind him. Rather than thanking Izuku, the kid just took one look at him before walking off.

He's always been like this, sacrificing himself for others. For years he's had no sense of self-worth, between his quirkless status and Bakugo's constant reminder of how futile his dream was. His value was entirely based on what he could do to keep others safe.

Thirteen-year-old Izuku was maneuvering around the crowd to get a better view of the villain's attack. However, that wasn't what caught his attention.

There! Out of the corner of his eye.

Turning his attention toward an alleyway, he watched as a distressingly thin and pale girl stumbled toward him. Her clothes were torn and covered in blood, and she was muttering incoherently to herself. He didn't know what happened to her or how he could help, but he still found himself reaching out to her as she fell, asking if she was ok.

And then this happened. This one singular event permanently altered his course of history. He wasn't acting any different from usual, but this time something different happened.

He never expected his life to change so drastically by helping one person.

Fourteen-year-old Izuku saw Bakugo fighting desperately against the Sludge Villain. Looking around, he saw the heroes as they stood there helplessly, claiming that none of them had the right quirk for the situation. After everything he had been through that day, nobody would have blamed him for staying a faceless member of the crowd. After all, he was just a quirkless Deku. Without a quirk, what could he possibly do to protect people?

None of that mattered when he saw Bakugo's face. Without giving it a second thought, he felt himself pushing through the crowd, his feet carrying him toward his classmate.

This was the first time things felt different. What little confidence and sense of self-worth he had been carefully cultivating was sorely tested that day. Despite their words, despite knowing the impossible odds, he knew he had to try.

It almost cost him his life, but it bought Bakugo and All Might the valuable time they both needed. And once again he found his life had completely changed by simply being selfless.

Looking up, Izuku saw how close the door was. One more step…

Izuku felt himself on his knees crying. All Might's presence hovered over him as he apologized.

"I'm saying that I was wrong. You, Young Midoriya, have what it takes to be a hero!"

Izuku found himself standing in front of the door. It was so close now!

Filling with anticipation, he reached out and grabbed the handle. He tried to turn it, but gasped in surprise when it wouldn't turn - the door was locked!

He didn't have any time to think about it as an impossible wind began to blow, seemingly coming from the door itself. He grabbed the handle with both of his hands, trying to fight back - to stay anchored. But the wind was too strong. Hands slipping, he found himself thrown backward, the invisible walkway gone as he was thrown out amongst the sea of stars.

"Show us your resolve."

Izuku bolted upright, breathing heavily as those words echoed in his head.

Heart racing, he looked around the room, assuring himself that was where he really was. Several intense moments later, he finally let out a quiet sigh. That felt so real! It was so different from every dream he's ever had before.

Looking over, he let out a strangled cry as he saw his clock.

7:02 AM

Crap! He'd slept in!

Scrambling out of his bed, he grabbed his uniform. He didn't have time to think about it, UA's entrance exam awaits.

Only once he reached the train station did he begin to relax. Checking his phone, he saw he had a message from Froppy, wishing him luck today. With a crooked smile, he sent them a reply wishing them good luck as well - it turns out they were both taking entrance exams today and while Froppy had several more planned, today's exam was for their first choice of school.

Izuku, on the other hand, was scared to tell his digital friend that he didn't have any backup plans in place.

Putting his phone away, Izuku couldn't help but begin to review the strange dream last night. What was that dream? Did it tie into the fact that he couldn't use One For All yesterday?

These questions and many more plagued him as he boarded the train, body moving on autopilot as he continued his journey onto UA's grounds.

That dream felt so real last night! At least, I'm pretty sure it was just a dream, right? Is it related to my inability to use One For All? All Might assured me that it's there, but I-

Izuku was so focused on his thoughts that he missed the loose stone in his path until he felt himself dragged from his thoughts, literally, as gravity asserted his dominance.

Instincts taking over, he loosened his muscles and prepared to fall into a roll, until his stomach lurched as he suddenly found himself floating instead.

"I know I should have asked before I used my quirk on you, but when you tripped I just acted," A brown-haired girl with blush marks on her cheeks said. As she sheepishly pulled her hand back, Izuku noticed that she had pink marks on the end of each finger as well. "But it's bad luck to fall before a test, right?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku felt his face heating up in embarrassment. "Sorry - that you had to use your quirk, I mean! I don't mind."

"Oh, here-" The girl extended her hand. Taking it, Izuku swung himself upright before the girl pressed the tips of her fingers together.

"Release!" The girl said.

Izuku felt a small lurch as gravity reasserted itself, and he once again stood on solid ground. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave the girl a nervous smile. "Thanks for the help. I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you."

"I'm Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you!" She smiled at him. "You must be really nervous about the test, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said, unable to voice his real concerns.

"I get it, it's pretty stressful for me too," She gave him a wobbly smile. "We should get going though!"

"Right!" Izuku rapidly straightened. "We don't want to be late."

"Just watch your step!" Ochako said with a light giggle.

"T-thanks," Izuku said sheepishly.

The pair took off, sprinting the rest of the way to the entrance of the building. Once there, Ochako pointed to a registration desk down the hall. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways. Let's do our best, okay?"

Izuku smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Yeah, good luck!"

As Izuku and Ochako split up to get registered for the exam, Izuku felt the smile lingering on his face.

That girl was really nice. I hope she makes it in.

Once inside, Izuku was able to successfully suppress his worries as he took the written exam, the time flying as he worked his way through the pages. After lunch and a presentation by none other than the hero Present Mic, Izuku felt all of his worries coming back as he made his way to the bus that would take him to the exam site.

"Midoriya!"

Looking around, he spotted a familiar brown head of hair quickly approaching him. "Uraraka?"

"Looks like we're in the same test group!" Ochako said with a smile. "What are the odds?"

"Pretty high actually," Izuku said. "There's only so many test sites…"

"I guess you're right," Ochako's smile faltered. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Izuku admitted. "The written portion went great, how about you?"

"I don't think I did as well as you," Ochako admitted, "They didn't tell me there was a whole section on English!"

"At least you can make up for it with points from the practical portion," Izuku said.

"Yep!" Ochako said a little too loudly as a too-wide smile spread across her face. "That just means I'll have to destroy the most robots. Sorry Midoriya, I won't leave any for you!"

"Ehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously before he looked down at his free hand.

I just hope I can score at all.

Izuku had been talking to Ochako when they suddenly heard a loud buzzer go off. The two jumped, confusion written across their faces as they stared at each other when Present Mic's voice suddenly crackled to life over the loudspeakers.

"What are you waiting for? Real life doesn't give you any warnings!"

Determination suddenly filled both of their faces.

"I'll see you at the finish line!" Izuku said as he began racing toward the gate.

"I'll be waiting!" Ochako called back.

Turning his attention forward, Izuku joined the pack of students racing toward the first wave of robots - and feeling the pit in his stomach return with a vengeance.

This is it! Izuku thought as he ran toward the nearest robot - a two-point Imperial class.

Charging forward, he balled his fist, winding up to throw a punch with the full force of One For All… hopefully.

"Smash!" Izuku yelled as he planted his feet, skidding forward as he swung with every fiber of his being-

-and promptly felt his bones creaking as he smashed his fist into the metallic shell of the robot.

"Owww!" Izuku yelped, flinching back and instinctively cradling his hand to his chest.

He was so distracted by the pain, he didn't notice the robot as it raised its massive tail, ready to strike him down. Fortunately, the attack never came as a laser shot a hole through the robot, causing it to explode in front of him.

"Thanks, monsieur!" A flashy blond-haired Frenchman said as he came up behind him. "We should team up, you'd provide a great distraction while I take out the robots!" The student didn't give Izuku a chance to reply, however, as he left with a sparkling flourish.

Left alone with an aching hand and doubt in his mind, Izuku felt Bakugo's taunts at the edge of his mind.

What do I do?

I- I can't control One For All! Something's still wrong!

So how am I supposed to pass the test?!

"I am merely giving you an opportunity. The rest is all you, Young Midoriya."

Izuku gasped as he heard All Might's words echo in his head. Head jerking upright, he saw his fellow examinees all around him, trying their hardest to score as many points as they could - no matter what their quirks are.

What am I doing?

I've-

I've always intended to take this test quirkless before! Did I become so dependent on One For All that I'd forgotten everything just because I've now got a quirk?

Izuku looked down at his sore hand.

Is this what One For All is trying to tell me?

Ignoring the pain, Izuku clenched his fist.

No. Quirk or no quirk, I'm going to do it. I'm going to get into UA, and show All Might that he made the right choice!

Looking down at the corpse of the robot in front of him, Izuku got an idea. There were several wicked-looking plates from where that other student's laser shot through the robot. He could use those! Feeling along the edges, Izuku smiled as he saw that several panels were loose. Placing a red shoe on the robot's side for leverage, he grits his teeth and pulled.

With a loud screech, the screws gave way and Izuku found himself stumbling backward, two improvised weapons in his hand. Turning, he saw a Victory Class robot ambling along. The others must have ignored it because it was only worth a single point, but for Izuku it was everything. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he gripped his weapons and charged the robot.

The robot noticed him immediately and tried to swing at him with an armored arm. Ducking beneath it, Izuku lunged forward, jamming a weapon into the creature's exposed torso. He heard a grinding sound as the robot tried to maneuver, its internal components tearing themselves apart on the makeshift weapon. Finally, the red light of its eyes dimmed as the robot fell over.

"Yes!" Izuku cheered. "I can do this!"

Pulling the metal out, Izuku took off in search of his next target.

I won't let you down All Might!

And I won't break my promise Himi!

Izuku managed to regain his confidence as more and more robots fell to his makeshift weapons, and he had managed to reach a cumulative twenty-eight points so far.

Then he heard the two-minute warning sound.

As the buzzer sounded, an almost eerie silence seemed to settle on the battlefield as the robots seemingly dispersed, only for a low rumbling to be heard.

"There!"

"Seriously?"

"We're supposed to avoid that?!"

There, rumbling slowly toward them, was the gigantic zero-point Executor robot.

All around him, Izuku heard the other students fleeing. He was prepared to join them when something caught his eye - or rather, someone.

There, trapped under a pile of debris was Ochako.

She looked like she was struggling to escape, but she was so worn out the debris wasn't moving. Had she reached her quirk's limit? Was she hurt worse than he could see from here?

It didn't matter why she was there, all that mattered was that she was in serious danger! The robot didn't have any intention of stopping, and she was trapped right in its path.

This time, Izuku didn't need his body to make a decision for him. As his makeshift weapons clattered to the ground, Izuku broke out in a run toward her.

That's when it happened.

As his foot touched the ground, the core of energy that had been sitting inside him exploded. He felt a raging fire expanding outward, filling every corner of his very being with new strength and energy.

Speeding up, he let his instincts take over as he took a running leap skyward, his height rapidly increasing as he approached the robot's head.

I- this is it!

Determination filling him, Izuku balled his fist and wound up, feeling the rush of power as energy rolled down his arm and reinforced his muscles.

I can do this! I can end this in a single punch. Just like All Might!

"Smaaaaaash!"

Time seemed to slow down around him as his fist connected with the robot. The green light surrounding his fist almost seemed to explode outward as the metal plating imploded, the force enough to knock the robot backward, toppling toward the earth.

Izuku didn't have time to celebrate his victory, however. Despite the adrenaline in his body, he felt a spike of pain in his arms and legs. A quick glance at his limbs was all he needed to know that his arm was definitely broken, his skin a mass of bruises and burst blood vessels as it hung at an odd angle. While his legs were covered, the sharp pain he felt told him a similar story - they weren't shattered the way his arm was, but something was wrong with them.

And then gravity began to assert himself, pulling him from the heavens back down toward the earth.

Oh no! I'm going to die!

Izuku's mind worked in overdrive as he tried to come up with a solution. His arm was useless and he didn't trust his legs. That left him with one good arm to work with. Looking down he began to plan a solution.

If I use One For All close to the ground, the recoil should be enough to stop my fall. It'll send me skyward a little bit, but the impact will hurt a lot less. I just need to time it right…

Balling his hand into a fist, Izuku prepared to use One For All once again-

-until he felt a sting on his face as Ochako slapped him. Once again he felt the sudden lurch, and once again his downward momentum vanished as she removed his gravity.

"Ura-raka-" Izuku said in shock as he looked at the brown-haired girl.

Looking like she was fighting herself, Ochako gave him a wobbly smile as she struggled to push her hands together. "R-release!"

Suddenly the debris Ochako was on, and Izuku, fell the last few meters to the ground. Flipping himself around, Izuku tried to land on his feet, only to feel the bones in his legs shatter as they touched the ground, sending him toppling over with a pained cry.

Pushing himself up with his free hand, he saw Ochako's back as she turned away from him, the poor girl vomiting from the strain of overusing her quirk.

As much as he wanted to say something he suddenly heard the thirty-second warning.

Oh no, I don't have nearly enough points!

Struggling, he used his good hand to push himself to a kneeling position. "I need… more… points." Tears stung his cheeks from the pain, but he refused to give up. He had come so far! He can't fail! Not here, not with the finish line in sight!

His strength gave out when the final buzzer sounded, telling him that the exam was over. Unable to move, he knelt there and cried. Through his tears, he saw Ochako eventually recover and start walking toward him, but Recovery Girl got to him first.

"Oh no, what happened to you?" Recovery Girl asked as she looked him over. "Don't worry, I'll fix you right up."

Izuku tried to protest, telling her to wait, but the pain made his words unintelligible as her lips extended, kissing him and activating her quirk. Feeling a wave of exhaustion overcome him, he promptly passed out.

As his eyes opened, Izuku once again found himself amongst the field of stars. It was this dream again.

However, something was different with the door that stood in front of him. Last night, it was closed. Now, it stood open, the darkness beyond beckoning him forward.

Izuku began walking toward it. Unlike last time, he wasn't transported through his memories. Instead, with every step, he saw a glowing pair of eyes appear in the doorway. One… then another… and another. Each a different color, each looking at him until eight pairs of eyes were staring at him from beyond the door. Likewise, the whispering grew louder with each step, until he had reached the threshold.

"You are worthy of our power."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Izuku gathered his courage and stepped through the doorway. As he did so he found himself swallowed by darkness. The stars vanished completely, only to be replaced by the eight pairs of glowing eyes as they surrounded him.

"We can't wait to see how you use it, ninth."

Izuku jolted upright, waking up in what appeared to be a cross between a nurse's office and an infirmary.

"Oh, you're awake!" A familiar voice said from beside his bed.

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked, confused at the sight of the girl sitting next to it.

"I- I felt bad about what happened and wanted to apologize. I tried to push myself to make up for my low test scores and I guess I overdid it," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as the blush marks on her cheeks expanded outward. "I'm sorry that you got hurt saving me, but I really appreciate it!"

"But you saved me!" Izuku insisted.

"Only because you got hurt because of me!" Ochako countered.

"Will you two both quit it," The annoyed voice of Recovery Girl said as she approached the other side of the bed.

"Sorry!" the two students said in unison.

"Good, now then," Recovery Girl turned toward Izuku. "I don't know what you did, but you managed to shatter three of your four limbs out there. I was able to repair the damage, but considering how extensive your injuries were it took quite a toll on you. You've been asleep for almost two hours recovering." She waved her cane toward Ochako. "She's been here most of the time waiting for you to wake up, so you should thank her."

"I just wanted to make sure he was okay," Ochako said sheepishly.

Izuku felt his face heating up as he looked at Ochako, only to quickly turn his attention back to the hero. "S-so is everything okay now?"

"Of course it is," The hero assured him. "You're probably still gonna be exhausted for the next day or two, so no strenuous activity and eat lots of calories."

"Yes ma'am," Izuku said politely.

"Now then, you're free to go."

"That's it?"

"That's it," The woman said, sounding annoyed. "The test is over."

"I picked up your stuff," Ochako said helpfully as she offered him his backpack. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh. Thanks," Izuku said as he gave her a grateful smile too. "We should get going. My sister's probably worried about me."

"You have a sister?" Ochako asked curiously.

"Yeah! She's actually a first year here at UA…"

The two continued talking as they exited the building, only for Izuku to hear another familiar voice once they were outside.

"Izu!" Himiko called as she raced toward him, her eyes filled with concern. "What took you so long?!"

"H-hi Himi," Izuku said timidly. "I was sorta-kinda in the nurse's office?"

"WHAT?!" Himiko exclaimed. "What happened? Did the zero-pointer get you?!"

"You could say that," Izuku said nervously, a knot weighing heavily in his stomach as the moment he had feared finally arrived. "I um… ehehe. So it turns out I may have been a late bloomer, and I manifested a quirk during the combat portion of the exam?"

Himiko opened her mouth, but no words came out. None were needed - the feeling of betrayal was written all over her face. Izuku may as well have just taken one of her knives and stabbed her in the back with it.

"I um-" Ochako said awkwardly as she looked between the two. "I don't want to interrupt anything. Text me later?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said awkwardly in reply, not even watching as Ochako crept off in her attempt to give the siblings space.

Reaching out, Himiko wrapped her hand around Izuku's wrist before she turned back toward the school gate. "Come on, Mom's waiting for us."

"Yeah…"

Not knowing what else to say, Izuku let his sister drag him home in awkward silence.

AN: We finally did it! 20 chapters covering almost 2 years, but we finally hit the entrance exam!

There are a few more chapters to go (5 by my estimate) before we hit the QAT and the rest of 1-A joins us, but I've got some fun things planned along the way :)

Also in case anyone was wondering, the mechanics of One For All are different here than they are in canon. I planned this story a while ago before we had the full reveal of how OFA worked, and rather than trying to adjust mid-course to account for changes just went on ahead with my system instead.