"Come on, Young Midoriya! Only 5 more kilometers to go!"
Deep labored breaths passed between chapped lips, ragged wheezing accompanying occasional exclamations of pain as Izuku desperately pushed through the agonizing pain radiating through his entire body, his legs near the point of no return. Describing them as rubber would be a great understatement, every sensation replaced with nothing but blinding pain, the young hero fanatic pretty sure he lost his feet a long time ago since he lost all feeling in them.
He was sure this was what torture felt like.
"Once your run is done, we will take a quick break to rehydrate, and then it's back to Degobah Beach."
Gritting his teeth, pulling at whatever reserves he had left, Izuku straightened his back as he picked up the pace a bit, adrenaline pumping loudly in his ears. He couldn't afford to give up, not now, not when he was so close to achieving his dream. He was given a chance few in the world are given, let alone someone quirkless like himself, so there was no time to rest, not even for a minute. He had to keep fighting. He had to be better.
He had made a promise.
After his fateful encounter with All Might, the pro-hero promising his quirk to him, deeming him worthy to be his successor, Izuku began a rigorous training program. It was a program created by All Might himself, one designed specifically to get the maximum potential out of the green-haired boy, a step-by-step guide that had to be followed to the very letter. Any deviance from the plan, if he only took a single second to rest outside of specific designated times, his dream would fail. His body needed to be ready to accept All Might's quirk, One For All, and they only had a short time to make it happen, the entrance exam for U.A. less than a year away.
His biggest challenge, the part that would deem his training as complete, that would show he was prepared to accept One For All, both as a vessel and as a future Symbol of Peace, was to rid Degobah Beach of any and all trash that had accumulated upon its sands. Of which, there was an abundant amount, the ocean currents redirecting any and all trash disposed into the water onto its shores, which gave people the chance to illegally dump their own belongings without being caught, its beautiful vista obscured by a veritable landscape of garbage.
And he had to remove it all by hand. Alone. Without a quirk.
Including his training, something that pretty much took up 95% of his life, Izuku still had to attend the remaining months of school, his days spent between going to class, cleaning Degobah Beach, and sleep, with various other forms of training in between. Some days, his classes would be spent just coming up with ways to go about cleaning that seemingly insurmountable hurdle, the amount of trash seeming nigh on endless, even with his best efforts.
And then there was Katsuki.
Even after his terrifying run-in with the sludge villain, something that had surely shaken him more than he let on, Izuku's former childhood friend did not let up one bit, returning to his regular ways without a second thought. Jeers, taunts, and threats of violence remained the norm for Izuku, the sharp smell of explosive smoke trailing behind him at all times, the lingering scars of childhood burn marks still fresh in the young boy's head.
But he wasn't going to let them hold him back any longer. With every burning insult, every violent shove, and vicious sneer, Izuku kept moving forward, facing his childhood friend head-on, prepared to take every setback in stride. He wasn't going to let him erode his dream any longer, not when it was so close when Izuku finally had it at his fingertips.
"What the hell do you keep muttering about, Deku?!" Katsuki's enraged scream loudly pierced the hero fanatic's ear, Izuku letting out a grunt of pain as the spikey-headed boy, surrounded by his minions, roughly pushed him up against the school building's walls, his fist clenched tightly around the green-haired boy's jacket. "Didn't I tell you to give up on your stupid dream?!"
"You were a real hero today."
Mt. Lady's words played through his head like a mantra every day. Every time he felt like giving up, when his training had him on the edge of collapsing, when Katsuki's poisonous taunts dug deep beneath his skin, Izuku would remember her smiling face as she spoke those words to him, her purple eyes glowing softly with a kindness he had seldom seen.
"I remember what you said! Every day I remember everything you've told me!" Grabbing Katsuki's arm, the one holding his jacket, tight, Izuku, through watery eyes, glared sharply at his former friend, the steely resolve in his eyes causing the explosive boy to falter slightly. "But I won't give up! I will go to U.A.! I will become a hero! I have people who believe in me!"
Katsuki's red eyes grew wide with surprise as he stared into Izuku's determined features, emerald orbs alight with a burning fire that left the explosive boy momentarily stunned, the hero fanatic having never in his life, not since his ill-fated heroics back on the playground, stood up to him. It left the usually confident boy in a state of shock. The fact that Deku, quirkless, spineless, Deku was the one to stand up to him, to declare his intent of joining U.A. so clearly, especially coming off of his rescue attempt during the sludge villain attack, pissed him off to no end.
Who the hell gave him this confidence?! Who was the piece of shit that believed in this spineless loser?!
"Grr….don't think you're better than me!" Growling angrily, giving Izuku one last shove, Katsuki huffed loudly as he began stalking off, his minions following closely behind, the spikey-haired boy digging his hands deep into his pockets, a dark sneer curling on his lips. "Damn Deku."
Holding his chest tight, where moments ago Katsuki's fist was firmly pressed into it, Izuku took several deep, calming breaths, his whole body shaking as he came down from his sudden adrenaline high. He was both terrified and ecstatic, the murderous look in the explosive boy's eyes, the surge of confidence that had pushed through him unexpectedly, each of these emotions leaving the young hero fanatic a quivering pile of nerves. But, most of all, he was proud. Proud for having finally stood up to his former childhood friend, for declaring his intentions loudly and clearly, no longer hiding away that which he sought above all else to avoid his wrath.
It was one step closer to being the person he hoped could make All Might proud. That would make Mt. Lady proud.
With every piece of trash removed, every kilometer run, and every push-up, Izuku drew that one step closer to seeing his dream realized. Being a hero was not just about having the right heart or mentality, that being someone who can save another life, who can shine brightly as a symbol of peace, one must have the strength to perform these heroic tasks. A quirk was one thing, the ability to perform the extraordinary a helping hand on the stairway of becoming a hero, but that was not all.
You needed physical strength as well. It was a trait Izuku lacked for the greater part of his life, his childhood was spent playing and dreaming, training his mind to overcome his lack of quirk, the young hero fanatic failing to build any semblance of physical prowess. While clearly lacking just off of genetics, the boy growing up a bit shorter than his classmates, Izuku never really managed to excel in any form of combat or physicality. Most of his life was spent running and hiding from those who saw him as lesser, chief among them Katsuki, but Izuku himself was simply hiding from the real truth.
He was scared. Scared to be proven right, that someone without a quirk could truly not become a hero, that a dream was simply not enough. If he never took that chance, if he simply blamed it on being weak, on being quirkless, then the fall when reality finally did set in would not be so far.
The reality simply was, that even with a quirk, one is not destined for greatness. Training that quirk, learning about its strengths and weaknesses, and finding ways to best utilize your gift was not a guarantee for one to become a hero. You needed to put everything you had, mind, heart, and body, into becoming the best you could be, to reach past your limits and keep growing stronger every day. It was another lesson he took from Mt. Lady, though this time it wasn't from her words of encouragement or the kindness of her character.
Mt. Lady, even without her Gigantification quirk, was still physically very strong. She had lifted him off of the ground without a hint of effort and had knocked out a giant, hulking beast of a man with a single kick, a feat that, even with their considerable size difference in her favor, spoke of someone with a lot of hard work and dedication to be as strong as possible. In their urban setting, with many one-lane streets and tightly packed buildings, Mt. Lady could not always rely on her quirk to help catch criminals.
It was that knowledge that drove him to train twice as hard, to push past his limits, to take every second of the day afforded to him, and to go that extra mile.
"Less daydreaming, Young Midoriya! Every second wasted in the clouds is one step further you have to walk to reach your goal!"
Snapping out of his brief daydream, memories of triumph replaced with the cold reality of screaming muscles and ragged breaths, Izuku, watching the sunken eyes of his mentor glare sharply from his perch upon his Segway grow further away, grit his teeth firmly as he pulled at every last reserve in his body. Rushing forward, heart pumping loudly in his ears, teeth clenched firmly, fire burning in his emerald eyes, Izuku was prepared to make that final sprint, to reach his goal, to become a hero!
And fell promptly on his face.
"Hey! Hey! You going to take a break!? You just going to give up!?"
Huffing loudly, bits of dust kicking up as the young hero fanatic exhaled an exhausted wheeze, Izuku weakly lifted his arms, the faint voice of All Might yelling at him, chastising him for overworking himself, his words drowned out by the ringing in his ears. He couldn't give up. He needed to push past this. He still has so far to go. His whole life, Izuku has always lagged behind, glumly watching as everyone else drifted further and further away, never able to reach them.
"I have to work harder! I have to work harder than everyone else! Otherwise, I'll never catch up!" Digging his fingers into the dirt, dragging his body with every ounce of strength and fight he had left in his body, Izuku lifted his head to glare fiercely at the number 1 hero, tears of frustration and determination pooling in the corner of his eyes. "I want to be like you! I want to be the strongest hero!"
'I want to make Mt. Lady proud!'
Pushing his body upward, weakly getting to his knees, Izuku let out a frustrated, agonizing scream, tears pouring down his face as he forced himself back to his feet. He needed to finish this. He needed to keep going. He had to catch up! He had to surpass them! How can he hope to stand beside All Might and Mt. Lady if he just gave up now! Gritting his teeth, moving his leg forward, Izuku felt his body give out underneath him, his body going limp as he fell, only to be caught in strong, muscular arms.
"Such dumb, hardheaded passion! You remind me much of myself!" Grinning proudly at his young charge, his enthusiasm, dedication, and passion a clear parallel to his own, All Might could feel that bright heroic spirit burning within this boy. "Though you really have to stop being a crybaby if you hope to be a hero."
"Someone else told me the same thing." Chuckling softly, his voice scratchy and soft, Izuku could only grin weakly as he remembered her gorgeous laughter before passing out from exhaustion, his body going limp within the number 1 hero's arms.
'Hmm, and who might this mysterious motivator be?' All Might wondered as he carefully placed the smaller boy upon his back, the blonde hero carrying his sleeping body toward the beach, his day of training far from done. If Young Midoriya wanted to truly be the strongest hero, to push himself to be number 1, then he would have to make some alterations to his training plan. One way or another, they were going to get him there.
However, All Might was curious to know just who this mysterious person was who had inspired Young Midoriya so. While the boy was as passionate as it came when it came to becoming a hero, especially as a fanboy of yours truly, there was a much stronger determination slumbering within this boy than that. There was someone else, someone very special to him.
'Maybe it was that boy he tried to save from that villain.' All Might pondered as the trash-filled horizon of Degobah Beach came into view, small pockets of empty space now visible amongst the sea of garbage, Young Midoriya's hard labor beginning to bear fruit. The boy had risked everything to save that boy, the pair clearly knowing each other as they seemed to be talking to each other during the event, All Might recalled seeing the blonde boy when he was going to offer One For All to Izuku.
But, amongst all the chaos and confusion, when he was rushing to save the children from the sludge villain, All Might faintly remember someone calling out to Izuku.
"Ah! Watch the grip you overblown-grah!"
A trio of pained cries rang out at once as they felt their bodies get painfully squeezed by an overwhelming pressure, blood rushing to their heads as their bones creaked dangerously, eyes bugging out of their skulls as they felt every organ convulse with rolling sickness. Their agony went completely unnoticed by their captor, their current prison a pair of giant hands, their bodies suspended several stories in the air by the towering pro-hero, Mt. Lady.
Despite their supposed fool-proof heist plan, the criminals were sure they were going to escape capture in this hero-scarce part of the city, Mt. Lady had managed to nab them seconds after they rushed out of the bank, her giant hands wrapping around all three of them in one swift motion. What they didn't know, something that would surely shatter their pride into a million pieces was the fact that Mt. Lady had caught them without being fully cognizant of what she was doing, the titanic hero snatching them without a second thought, her mind occupied with something completely different as she carried them toward the police station.
'I wonder where that boy has been lately. I haven't seen him since that incident with the sludge villain.' Mt. Lady wondered as her gaze wandered upward toward the sky, the sun shining brightly despite the brisk wind rolling through the city streets, her grip on the criminals momentarily tightening as she thought about the green-haired hero fanatic. Ever since school was coming to an end for the year, everyone prepping for their high school entrances as well as their graduation, the chances of running into him again had fallen from slim to practically impossible, his time surely spent doing various other things.
The thought of not seeing him again for a while kind of bummed her out, Mt. Lady dropping the criminals off at the station in a distracted daze, her mind still stuck on that day, the day he had managed to shift her focus to something different. To something more.
She had always wanted to be a hero, and that hasn't changed even after getting her first pro license, or when she opened her own agency. She truly loved being a hero. It was her dream after all. Fighting bad guys, feeling the adulation of the crowd, seeing their smiling faces as she walked by, safe in the knowledge a hero was here to protect them. It was all she could ever have dreamed of and more.
But…something was different now. Everything changed when she met that boy.
She couldn't quite pinpoint just what had happened, but seeing him, with his wide emerald eyes and hopeful smile, feeling that heroic spirit shine within him as he rushed to save the captured boy, made her reconsider her current life's trajectory. With just one simple, random meeting, that green-haired boy had managed to find his way into her head, her thoughts constantly coming back to those fateful encounters.
He had treated her differently. He was nervous and awkward, but so delightfully sweet and adorable as he asked for her autograph and gushed about her heroics, seeing her as something more than a piece of male entertainment to ogle. He saw her as a hero, as someone worth looking up to, to admire. And she didn't even know his name, a fact that pisses her off to no end, Mt. Lady shaking her fist as she glared angrily at the sky! With everything that happened, how much he had managed to influence her in such a short time, and she in turn him, she never thought to ask him for his name! The hell was wrong with her?!
Lowering her head, fist clenched tightly at her side, remembering the boy's dream, his overwhelming determination to be a hero, he showed her that the next generation of heroes could be something special. She wanted to help. She wanted to see this new generation flourish, see it shine brightly, to give the world a future worth looking forward to. She wanted to make a difference for the youth, like she did for him, to be more than just eye candy.
Maybe…maybe she could help out at U.A.?
Helping the young hero fanatic, picking him up while he was down, not with a flirty wink or a violent kick to an evil-doer's face, made her for the first time feel like a true hero. Maybe she could recapture that feeling while shaping a new generation of heroes, one the green-haired boy could hopefully look towards with pride. A generation he might even be a part of someday.
'Plus,' Mt. Lady thought as she turned her head slightly to the side, a sly look on her face, eyes half-lidded in an expression of deviousness, 'it would probably be more financially secure too as a side job with a low risk of causing unintended damage or accidental bodily harm.'
"I'll do it!" Cheering loudly with determination, throwing her fist high in the air, accidentally scaring a bunch of office workers in a nearby building, Mt. Lady quickly rushed off toward the U.A. campus, her gigantic footsteps thudding loudly through the streets as she prepared to take this new step in her life, a brilliant smile curling on her lips as she stared up at the looming glass building far in the distance.
It was time for her to build a new future.
The morning breeze gently ruffled the trailing fringe of All Might's scarf as he stepped out of the warm confines of his truck, the heat slowly seeping out of his clothes and into the chilly February air, his breath billowing from between his lips in wispy puffs of air. Sticking his hands in his pockets, the gentle, fading darkness of night blanketing the sky in a comforting shade, the number 1 hero following the familiar path toward Degobah Beach, the decisive day of Izuku's training has finally arrived.
The day of the U.A. Entrance Exam has finally come.
"UWAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
A loud bellowing cry, full of triumph and exhausted euphoria rang out through the otherwise quiet dawn, All Might agape as his eyes fell upon a truly incredible sight, one that left even the number 1 hero nearly speechless. Izuku, standing atop a pile of trash, tears, and sweat running down his face, illuminated by the rising sun behind him, screamed loudly to the heavens, the boy letting out all of his emotions in one resounding cry of triumph.
He had done it. On the final day, the entrance exam mere hours away, Izuku had overcome all odds and cleared the beach of any and all debris, the glowing horizon unobscured for the first time in years, the sun shining brilliantly upon its pristine sands. The young boy had truly gone above and beyond, clearing All Might training with flying colors, his accomplishment causing a swell of emotions to rise up within the Symbol of Peace's chest, ones of amazement and immense pride.
Seeing Izuku wobble slightly, exhaustion, both emotional and physical finally taking its toll, Izuku began tumbling from his makeshift perch, All Might catching the boy before he could roughly collide with the ground, his skinny frame replaced with the muscular hero that was so dearly loved and adored. Smiling up at him, his body feeling weak and sore, Izuku nevertheless felt a sense of strength and fulfillment he had never experienced before.
"All Might. I…I did it."
Placing the boy back on his feet, Izuku hunched over slightly as the fatigue and fading adrenaline caused his legs to wobble slightly, the green-haired boy faintly registering All Might's boisterous bellowing as he sang his young charge's praises. Reaching into his pocket, the hulking hero produced his smartphone, his bulky hands making the device seem minuscule in comparison as he held it out to him, screen facing toward the young boy, All Might gesturing for him to look at what was displayed upon it.
"What's that…?" Izuku queried, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, the green-haired boy staring through a blurry haze at the picture displayed on All Might's phone.
"It's you! Ten months ago!" All Might proudly stated, a crying, overwhelmed Izuku, barely the size of a string bean, reflected upon the screen, a sharp contrast to the boy standing in front of him right now. "You have come so far! Amazing work!"
Where once there was a young boy, his dream of being a hero bigger than the body that could carry it, there now stood the makings of a man, of a new Symbol of Peace. What was less than a year ago a simple young boy's body, still in its youthful transitional phase to adulthood, Izuku had undergone a truly astonishing transformation. Lean, powerful muscle, covered every inch of his body, months of hard work, of suffering and pain, of tireless dedication, and passion, had come to fruition in the most astounding way, the boy finally reaching his full potential.
He was ready to receive One For All.
"The path forward is ever so clearer now!" All Might cried with an enormous smile on his face, one of immeasurable pride for the young boy, for his successor, the pile of garbage towering behind him proof of Izuku's true potential. "You have become a truly suitable vessel!"
"I feel like I'm cheating." Smiling wryly, his gaze falling upon his hand, stained and calloused from months of intense training, a slight tremble rolling through his fingers as silent tears fell from his eyes. "Getting all this help from you, All Might. I've been blessed."
Patting him gently on the back, which still felt like he was being pummeled by a bag of rocks, All Might laughed good-naturedly at the green-haired boy's tearful confession, once again chastising the boy for his crybaby tendencies. But, All Might knew this wasn't his doing, not completely. This transformation, all this amazing work, was all because of him. It was through his own hard work and effort that Izuku was able to reach this point. Without his sheer will, and his determination to see his dream come to fruition, he would never have made it.
He was truly the best successor he could hope for.
"Something you are given because you are lucky and something you are given because you are recognized are different in essence." Plucking a piece of stray hair from his head, the golden strand glowing luminously in the morning sun, All Might holding it out to the young greenette, imparting him with the wisdom he himself received a long time ago. "This is power you earned through your own effort."
Holding the strand of hair out to the boy, sunlight glinting off of it as it waved gently from the ocean breeze, Izuku's shocked expression morphing into one of resolute determination, All Might knew he had made the right choice. That it was time for him to pass his legacy on to another generation.
"Eat this."
".…eh?" Izuku's entire body froze, eyes wide with disbelief from All Might's unexpected command, his emerald orbs staring vacantly at the piece of hair gently fluttering in front of his face. This…this was not at all how he had imagined this would go. It was a lot…weirder.
"It doesn't matter what it is as long as you take in my DNA." Laughing uproariously at the green-haired boy's consternation, greatly amused by his young charge's exaggerated reactions, the number 1 hero imparted the boy with some last-minute advice before sending him off to the exam. In three hours, U.A.'s entrance exam will officially begin, and Izuku will be taking that next step to become the hero he so desperately desired. The hero All Might knew he could be.
It was all in his own hands now.
Smiling brightly as he watched his successor rush off to get ready for the exam, the young boy practically beaming as he waved goodbye to his idol and mentor, All Might knew he had made the right choice. The future, one of peace, depended on the next generation of heroes, the young hearts and minds of these children were surely able to usher in a brighter age than one even he could provide.
After all, his time as a hero was slowly coming to an end.
"Ah-choo!" A practically deafening sneeze, one resembling the echoing blast of gunfire, bellowed through the sparsely-populated morning streets, Mt. Lady wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she rubbed her arms vigorously for warmth. "Argh, it's so damn cold! Why can't the buildings be taller and block some of the wind for me, huh?!"
Rounding the corner into the next major street of her patrol route, Mt. Lady fought the urge to shrink down and rush into the nearest cafe to indulge in some hot coffee and delightful sweets, to get out of this infernal cold, the frosty morning wind even worse at such a higher altitude. But, loathe she was to admit it, it was her job to patrol the streets, to give the citizens some peace of mind, and to deter any acts of crime and villainy. And, in a bid to prove her new commitment to heroism, to better herself in both mind and body, Mt. Lady had decided to take up morning patrols.
And god has it been miserable.
Unbeknownst to her, her day would be getting better shortly, as right as she was heading down the street, a familiar shock of green hair came bounding around the corner, hands clasped firmly upon the shoulder straps of his bulging backpack. Izuku, excitement, and nervousness practically radiating off of his body, was on his way toward the U.A. campus for his entrance exam, an ecstatic grin on his face as he ran down the street toward the towering buildings sitting high atop the hill overlooking the city. Except his view was partially blocked by the immense frame of the Gigantification Hero, and one of his personal favorites and inspirations, Mt. Lady, the titanic woman currently rumbling down the street with a lazy, tired gait.
"Ah! It's you! Short stuff!" Perking up immediately, her previous tiredness completely forgotten as she spotted her favorite, green-haired poofball, a giant smile curling on both of their lips as their faces lit up with unrestrained excitement. Quickly rushing over to him, her footsteps causing his smaller body to jump and jostle, her immense weight causing the road to shake and rumble as if a minor earthquake was rolling through the city. Not that he would tell her this directly. Izuku knew enough about women to not stick his foot in his mouth like that, especially not with someone who could easily grind him to dust or throw his body into the next prefecture.
"Where have you been, short stuff?" Coming to stop before the diminutive boy, Mt. Lady quickly deactivated her quirk, her titanic frame shrinking down until she came eye to eye with the green-haired hero fanatic, her purple eyes alight with glee as she smiled cheerfully, a teasing edge in her voice. "I haven't seen you around for a while. Been running around with other girls, have you?"
Momentarily overcome by a familiar feeling of vertigo, Izuku still caught off guard every time Mt. Lady switched sizes, the dramatic shift enough to make his head swim, the green-haired fanatic's face was engulfed in a crimson blush from the pro-heroes teasing remark, the flirty undertones she kept throwing at him leaving him a flustered mess.
"I-I no! I mean-what?!" Nervously wringing his hands, little puffs of smoke billowing from the top of his head as he awkwardly stuttered and stumbled over his words, Izuku kept his gaze pointedly fixed on his shoes, too shy to stare into the pro-hero's beautiful, smiling, face. He couldn't admit that she was the only girl he'd ever talked to outside of his mother, both from embarrassment of possibly admitting such a sad fact about his life, but also because he didn't want to give her possibly more ammo for teasing. Though, a small part of him enjoyed the attention she gave him, his heart skipping a beat every time she smiled at him or when she let out those adorable giggles.
Watching the boy stumble over his words like a newbie rapper trying out his newest verses with a delighted grin, giggling softly to herself at his awkward attempts to deny her words, Mt. Lady was thoroughly enjoying watching him squirm so easily from such a simple bit of teasing. Lifting his arm to rub nervously at the back of his neck, his gaze fixed squarely at his feet, Mt. Lady quirked a quizzical eyebrow at the notable bulge pressing against his uniform's sleeve. She had noticed a small change in him the second they had come face to face, the green-haired boy she remembered from almost a year ago still very much present in his youthful face and wide-eyed wonder, but there was something different about him. He seemed a lot more lively, his shoulders less hunched and pulled in than the last couple of times they ran into each other, the Gigantification hero wondering if he looked a bit stronger too, the clear outline of newly formed muscle faintly evident beneath his uniform.
Just what has he been up to since then?
"Ah! I need to go or I'll be late!" Snapping his head upward with a sudden shout, Mt. Lady reeling back slightly from the boy's deafening exclamation, the blonde hero barely had time to react as he quickly bowed to her before rushing past her with hurried steps.
"Oi! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Whirling around quickly, hand outstretched to the retreating boy, Mt. Lady frowned slightly as she called out to him, the size-shifting hero not quite ready to see him go yet, her brief encounter with him having already made her day so much better.
"I'm going to take the hero entrance exam!" Purple eyes grew wide in surprise as the young boy turned to her, an enormous, excited smile spread across his face, the sun shining behind him lighting up his hair with an emerald glow. The lightest dusting of pink spread across Mt. Lady's cheeks as she gazed at the adorable sight before her, the smile on the greenette's face, the sheer joy he exuded shining almost as bright as the sun itself, the overwhelming happiness he was exuding enough to warm the bristling cold seeping through her skin.
"Well, I'll be rooting for you then. Good luck and knock 'em dead, short stuff!" Shooting him a quick peace sign with a bright grin, Mt. Lady watched the boy go with a gentle smile, hoping that her words would help him out if even just a little bit. Someone like him, with such a heroic heart, it was something this world sorely needed. She hoped the world would get to see more of…crap, she almost forgot!
"Wait!" Crying out to him again, her voice resonating loudly through the chill, morning air causing the young boy to come to a screeching halt, his emerald eyes turning to stare at her with a wide, quizzical expression. "I never got your name."
"It's Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku!" Bursting out in a bright grin, his hands clasped firmly upon the straps of his backpack, Izuku's emerald eyes sparkled with joy as he proudly stated his name, the young hero-fanatic overjoyed at the fact that one of his favorite heroes, the one who had inspired him to not give up, wanted to know his name. To know him.
"It's nice to finally have a name to the face." Placing her hands on her hips, a small smile on her lips as she made sure to memorize his name, Mt. Lady giggled softly to herself at how easy it was going to be, that his name was perfectly apt considering the color of his hair. "I hope to see you again soon, Midoriya-kun."
"Yes!" Grinning happily, a soft blush coloring his cheeks, Izuku felt a new sense of determination rush through him as he waved goodbye to the blonde hero, his emerald eyes lit up brightly as he stared up at the looming glass towers of U.A. High School. He had people who believed in him, who gave him the courage to keep pursuing his dream, and who gave him the means to make it a reality. He was going to make them proud today.
He had to.
Watching Izuku rush off down the road, immense backpack jostling widely on his back as his green hair bounced playfully atop his head, Mt. Lady shifted back into her giant form, the cold wind buffeting her face feeling less biting than before. Even a short interaction with her favorite fan, or rather with Izuku, Mt. Lady smiling as she finally had a name for the boy, managed to brighten her day immensely, something about him able to bring a smile to her face without fail.
Clapping her hands together with a motivational shout, the sound reverberating like a shock wave through the morning sky, Mt. Lady felt an extra spring in her step as she prepared to continue her patrol, her body filled with freshly imbued vigor. Taking her first step, a nearby bicycle jumping slightly off the ground from the rumbling footstep, Mt. Lady came to a sudden halt as something Izuku said finally registered in her mind.
'Wait…is he going to take the test quirkless?'
"Ah, shit!" Snapping her finger in annoyance, a perturbed frown curling on her lips as she fished for something within her hero uniform, some early morning commuters watching on with mild fascination as the titanic hero pulled out a charred notebook, its size practically insignificant within her immense palm, but its importance couldn't be greater. "I forgot to give this back to him."
Sighing heavily, disappointed in herself for forgetting something so important to the greenette, the pro-hero too giddy at getting to see him again and finally learning his name to remember to give it back to him. Stashing it away again for safe keeping, still completely oblivious to her tiny audience, Mt. Lady resumed her patrol, promising herself to give it back to him another time.
Though soon she won't be going out patrol anymore.
'I'm here. I'm really here!'
Emerald eyes, alight with immense joy, shone brightly as they stared up at the looming building in front of them, its glass veneer illuminated majestically in the morning sun, the blue sky reflecting off of it with a mirror shine. Grasping the straps of his bag tight, knuckles turning white from exertion, Izuku felt a small lump form in his throat as he took in the majestic splendor of the immense building standing before him, the significance and wonder of this moment not lost on the young hero fanatic.
He had done it. He was finally here. The place where his dream could finally become a reality. Where all the pain and sadness, the years of agony and rejection, could finally be left behind him once he stepped through those doors. A hallowed hall where many of the world's greatest heroes came to learn and become the shining inspirations they are today.
U.A. It was here, waiting for him. He just needed to take his first step.
"Move it Deku!" A loud, familiar, gruff voice growled angrily behind him, a cold chill running down his spine, Izuku instinctively flinching in fear from the blonde boy's sudden appearance.
Of course…of course, he would be here. Slowly turning around, his lips tight in a straight line, the edges quivering slightly with barely restrained fear, Izuku glared sharply at the approaching blonde, crimson meeting emerald in a silent battle of wills. He wasn't going to let him walk all over him anymore. It wasn't going to be how it was when they were younger. No more living in his shadow. No more being cow-toed into quiet submission. No more.
"Katsuki." Izuku greeted him curtly, voice terse and carrying an edge neither had ever heard before, the explosive blonde raising a curious eyebrow as he grit his teeth with anger. So, after all these years, this worthless Deku finally decides to grow a spine. And all while tainting the very ground upon which he will walk as the greatest hero of all time. The audacity of it all made him want to blow that disgusting look right off his face.
"Tch. Don't get too full of yourself." Katsuki spat as he simply walked past the green-haired boy, his crimson gaze pointedly fixed toward the U.A. main buildings, the explosion user not going to waste any more of his time on such a pathetic roadblock. "You're still a quirkless nothing."
Flinching slightly at the blonde's pointed words, his heart sinking slightly, remembering just how he obtained his current quirk, Izuku felt a small well of shame wash over him. No…he wasn't quirkless. Not anymore. But...it wasn't his, not truly.
Shaking his head, ridding himself of such intrusive thoughts, Izuku remembered just what All Might told him. This quirk was his now. It was through his own effort, through his own determination, that he became worthy of this power. He had to remain resolute. No matter what Katsuki may have said, no matter what he may have done to him in the past, Izuku was not going to falter now. He was here. He finally had the means, the trust, and the support of others to see his dream come to fruition.
All he needed to do was take that first step.
Moving forward, head held high and back straight, Izuku immediately hooked his own foot behind his opposite leg, the green-haired boy careening unceremoniously to the hard, unforgiving ground, a grim look adorning his features as he contemplated the cruel intentions of fate.
'Huh…I should have hit the ground by now?' Blinking a couple of times in confusion, a strange airy sensation bubbled up in his stomach, his whole body feeling weightless as the ground beneath didn't rush up to meet him. Or him down to greet it? In fact…he wasn't going anywhere. It was as if he was floating in mid-fall.
"Are you okay?" A sweet, caring voice suddenly appearing next to his ear, mixed with the current situation of his body being somehow suspended in mid-air, caused the hero fanatic to let out an undignified squawk of surprise, his legs haphazardly whipping about in a panic as he tried and failed to find secure purchase beneath his feet.
With a soft thud, Izuku was gently plopped back onto solid ground by some unknown force, or rather person, the green-haired boy shaking slightly as he turned to face his secret savior, his emerald eyes growing wide as he stared into the lovely, smiling features of a cute girl.
"It's my quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first." Pressing the tips of her fingers together, a soft pink blush coloring her round cheeks, the unknown brunette graced him with an adorable smile, her head tilted slightly to the side. "But, it'd be bad luck if you fell, right?"
"Aren't you nervous?" The round-cheeked girl's question, more spoken to herself as Izuku only managed to let out a strangled string of nonsensical syllables in response, his smile never faltering as she rushed off toward the building's main entrance, giving the spluttering boy a quick farewell wave. "Let's do our best! See ya!"
Frozen in place for what many prospective students passing him considered an uncomfortably long time, eyes wide and partially glazed over, Izuku stared at where the young girl had disappeared to, the short interaction between the two of them running through his head.
'Woah…' Standing tall, shoulders squared in a proud stance, Izuku's face took on a strangely smug expression as a soft blush lit up his cheeks. 'I've managed to talk to two girls now!'
While, in truth, he didn't really 'talk' to this mysterious girl, the sounds Izuku made were not really what one would consider a fully formed sentence, let alone words, the young greenette still considered this a major milestone in his life. Throughout his childhood, due to his shy and sheltered demeanor, let alone being quirkless, Izuku never really had a chance to talk to the girls in his class, let alone anyone outside of it. His life was very much spent in solitary companionship, the only real companionship he had, one that wasn't as calamitous as the one he shared with Katsuki, was with his hero notebooks, his days spent pouring his thoughts, feelings, and hopes onto its pages.
That is until he met Mt. Lady. With one simple meeting, one of pure happenstance, Izuku, with his life at the lowest it had ever been, felt himself turning a new corner, one toward a brighter future that for a while seemed so far away. But, with some encouraging words and what felt like genuine care, Mt. Lady had pushed him forward, safeguarding his dream until he could see it shine brightly before him. Now, with the U.A. campus laid out before him, Izuku was just a little closer to seeing that once far-away dream lay just outside of his grasp.
Lowering his head, a soft smile on his face, Izuku thought about the girl he just met, how kind she was, and how thankful he was to her for saving him from falling. She was really nice. And yet, he just couldn't get Mt. Lady out of his head. Her sweet, caring smile, her joyous laughter, the sly grin when she was about to hit him with one of her teasing remarks, and the kindness in her eyes when she told him that someone without a quirk could become a hero. The way his heart would beat loudly in his chest whenever he thought of her, Izuku, inexperienced as he may be, knew what this feeling was.
He had a crush on Mt. Lady.
In his whole life, short as it may be, no one had ever treated him with such kindness before. She treated him like he was just like everyone else and not some lower lifeform. It was as if he was a real person, not merely an empty vessel where a quirk should be. Even his mother, whom he cherished and loved dearly, who he knew loved him too, merely saw him as someone to pity, simply blaming herself for his misery, instead of being the support he needed. As cliche as it may be, like a line out of some cheesy romance movie, the world seemed so much brighter and full of life after he met her.
Staring at the tips of his shoes, a gentle dusting of pink on his cheeks, Izuku's lips curled into a melancholic smile as he softly shook his head. Izuku wasn't deluded enough to believe anything would ever come from these feelings, that it was and will always remain one-sided, a boy simply admiring the object of his affection from afar. But, even so, when these feelings eventually faded, becoming nothing more than a childish memory, she will always be someone special to him.
Lifting his head, emerald eyes sharp with determination, Izuku pushed these thoughts into the back of his mind, his focus once more squarely on the objective before him. All these flights of fancy, all these grand dreams of a wonderful future as a hero, will mean nothing if he doesn't pass this next hurdle. Squaring his shoulders, his mind set with a singular focus, Izuku made his way through the front doors of the U.A. building, the first step toward his dream of becoming a hero starting right now.
After registering at the front desk, Izuku, as well as hundreds of other prospective applicants were ushered into a, frankly, obscenely large presentation room, rows upon rows of seats, each one occupied by students from around the country, situated in front of a massive stage. Standing behind an ostentatious-looking podium, hair slicked back to a tall point, his signature sunglasses sitting comfortably upon his nose, was the Voice Hero himself, Present Mic.
With his loud, piercing voice echoing throughout the immense chamber, his words reaching everyone's ears even without the augmentation of his quirk, the boisterous hero informed them of the exam's rules and guidelines. Holding his palms in front of his mouth in joyous disbelief, Izuku, amazed at getting to see such an amazing hero, couldn't help but let his inner hero fanaticism out. This truly was another world from the one he grew up in.
As Present Mic laid out the guidelines of the practical exam, a ten-minute long mock exercise where they will have to eliminate a series of 'faux-villains', basically just robots, each one designated a certain amount of points from 1 to 3 that are awarded for their defeat. Luckily, due to the rules set up by the school, students from the same middle school were assigned to separate testing areas to help curb examinees from helping each other, while for Izuku it meant he was safe from possibly winding up on the wrong side of Katsuki's wrath.
"May I ask a question?!" A loud, oddly stilted, voice rung out through the presentation hall, a couple of confused murmurs rising up from different parts of the assembled students as they all turned toward the source of the interruption, a studious-looking boy, his dark blue hair neatly styled, sharp blue eyes staring out from behind square glasses.
"There appear to be no fewer than four varieties of faux villains on this handout!" Holding up the piece of paper with instructions that were handed out to all of the students when they entered the presentation hall, his finger pointedly referring to the part about the different types of robots in the test. "Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan's Top Academy! We're all here today in the hopes of being molded into model heroes!"
"And you, with the curly hair!" Jolting in surprise as the bespectacled boy suddenly pointed dramatically his way, Izuku's mouth hanging wide open in shock, a nervous sweat rolling down the side of his face as the whole room's attention was suddenly directed his way. "You've been muttering this whole time…it's distracting!"
"If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!" While his words were very formal and respectful, the boy clearly very well-spoken, the sharp glare he was shooting the green-haired boy was anything but, Izuku shrinking back slightly as he uttered a quiet apology. Lowering his gaze to his desk, exam instructions held tightly in his hand, Izuku listened intently to Present Mic's explanation of the 0 pointer, a roaming villain to be avoided at all costs.
Gripping the piece of paper tight, the edges crinkling slightly, hot shame welling up within his chest after the bespectacled boy's harsh reprimand. The boy's words had embarrassed him greatly, the same feeling of shame and humiliation permeating his being as when Katsuki would publicly demean him, the green-haired boy gritting his teeth as he thought back on what he had said.
No…he wasn't embarrassed because of being scolded in front of so many people, but because he was right. This was the most important moment in his life, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one he thought would never come. He couldn't sit here and gush over pro-heroes when so much was on the line. All Might had done everything to prepare him for this moment, sacrificed his time to help train him, bestowing upon him the responsibility of the new Symbol of Peace. Mt. Lady had placed her faith in him, lifted him up when he was at his lowest, and shown him that there was more he could do.
So no, he wasn't mad at him. He was mad at himself. But he wasn't going to let this stop him. He wasn't going to disappoint them!
He wasn't going to give up!
This was his dream.
This was a nightmare.
Chaos and carnage were unfolding all around him, pieces of destroyed robots whizzing past his face as their bodies were reduced to nothing but scrap metal, Present Mic's ever-present commentary ringing loudly in the green-haired boy's ears as he rushed desperately through the artificially recreated streets of a downtown city center. Quirks of all kinds, naval lasers, leg engines, and everything in between, exploded in a cacophony of devastation that made his head spin. Everyone was doing their best to gather as many points as possible, showing off their training and dedication to become a hero, their life's dream, during the biggest test of their lives.
And he had failed to get a single point!
Despite months of training, with the greatest hero of them all mind you, and being bestowed a quirk by said hero, Izuku found he was completely unable to mount any form of offense against the villain stand-ins. If someone else didn't destroy them before he could, Izuku found himself freezing up when confronted with one of them, his mind racing a mile a minute to think of just what All Might had taught him, only to draw a complete blank. After all his training, after the grueling workouts and seemingly impossible task of cleaning up Degobah Beach, the only real lesson he had learned about using his quirk was to clench his butt and let his heart cry out!
How the hell was that supposed to help him!?
He was practically toothless right now, a boy with no proper combat or quirk training, running around like a chicken with its head caught off, watching helplessly from the sidelines as the other examinees took out the robots with almost practiced ease. It showed him just how big the divide was between him and the ones who've had quirks for pretty much their entire lives, how they were practically extensions of themselves, honed and trained to near perfection. Everyone knew just the perfect way to deal with the challenges put before them, be it through the sheer strength of their quirk or using them for a more strategic approach, they all exhibited just how worthy they were of becoming heroes.
A loud, booming crash, one that shook the earth beneath his feet, one rivaling Mt. Lady's tremorous footsteps, reverberated through the artificial city streets, Izuku, as well as the rest of the examinee, watched on in mute horror as an enormous robot came lumbering toward them, its size easily outmatching the looming buildings surrounding them.
It was the Zero Pointer.
Remembering Present Mic's advice from earlier, how there were no points awarded for defeating it, that it was simply a 'gimmick' that would rampage in close quarters, the entire assembled group of examinees immediately bid a hasty retreat, no one willing to lose their hard-earned points on a behemoth such as that. Cowering on the floor, the immense robot slowly lumbering toward him, Izuku barely registered the flood of students rushing by him as they all retreated to a safe distance, the green-haired boy's body shaking violently as he forced himself back to his feet and following after the fleeing group of examinee's.
He needed to run! He needed to run and try to get any points he could! He was still at zero points! He needed to somehow get points, any points, or else everything All Might did for him, every kind word Mt. Lady had given him would have been for nothing! He can't let it end here! He had to run!
"Oww…."
Freezing in place, his entire body growing cold as he slowly turned around at the weak exclamation of pain, Izuku's eyes grew wide as he spotted the round-cheeked girl from earlier, her body partially stuck under rumble as she weakly struggled to crawl away from the oncoming threat. Gritting her teeth weakly, a shudder of pain rolling through her body as she feebly crawled to safety, the gigantic robot bearing down upon her like a looming specter of death.
Remembering her kindness from before, how she helped him from falling, telling him how it would be bad luck, Izuku, before he had time to think, felt his body running toward the immense Zero Pointer, his mind a complete blank, the only thing running through his head is a voice telling him to save her. Feeling a well of power run through his leg, Izuku leapt toward the lumbering machine, his body rocketing toward the behemoth's head at lightning speed, his arm reared back to strike. As he approached the gigantic machine's head, All Might's words ran through his head as he prepared to attack, the sleeves of his shirt tearing to pieces from the power coursing through his arm as he cried out from the depths of his heart.
"SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
With one devastating punch, the air around him funneling into a crushing shockwave, Izuku sent the titanic Zero Pointer reeling, its front face plate denting inward as it began falling backward, explosions rolling throughout its head from the green-haired boy's attack. Izuku watched the lumbering machine collapse as if in slow motion, an expression of disbelief on his face as its immense body crumbled weakly into a useless heap onto the concrete street below with a resounding crash. His body still contorted into an attacking position, flecks of blood seeping from the shredded flesh of his knuckles, Izuku felt a brief moment of clarity wash over him as he remembered the time he tried to save Katsuki, how this time, he hadn't been useless.
He had saved someone with his own power.
As quickly as the rush of power coursed through him, the reality of his situation came crashing down on him even faster as he watched the ground, once so far below him, come flying up to meet him at terrifying speed. Trying to pull at this well of power once more, in the hope of saving himself from becoming a horrific stain on the ground below, Izuku felt a sharp, throbbing pain shoot through his right arm and his legs. Turning to look behind him, Izuku's eyes grew wide as he saw his legs and right arm flap about violently, like a flag caught in a stormy wind.
They were broken.
Grasping his arm tight, a cry of pain ripping through his throat, Izuku remembered All Might's words about not being a proper vessel, that there would be blowback should he use One For All at full power, but he didn't think it would be so severe. Lifting his head, the ground growing closer with every second, Izuku wished Mt. Lady were here to catch him, his mind wandering back to when she gently pet the top of his head with her giant finger, the memory feeling awfully comforting in what could possibly be the last moment of his life.
It was…nice.
*SLAP*
A sharp, stinging pain radiating from his cheek pulled the green-haired boy from his near-death daydream, his body being blown slightly off course by the sudden impact upon his face, a familiar lightness bubbling up within his stomach. Before he could hit the ground and become a mere footnote of life, Izuku's battered body slowed its fatal descent until he was hovering mere inches from the concrete. It was just like at the front gate. That girl…she had saved him.
"Release." With a simple word from the brown-haired girl, Izuku unceremoniously smacked roughly into the concrete as his weight returned to him, the force keeping him levitated off the ground dispelling and leaving him earthbound once more. Trying to shake the dizziness from his head, his mouth feeling fuzzy after his face collided roughly with the ground, the sound of someone retching faintly registering in his ringing ears, Izuku weakly pushed himself up by his one good arm as he dragged his broken body across the ruined concrete.
He was glad she was okay, despite her currently emptying the contents of her stomach all over the ground, but he couldn't rest now. He needed to keep going! There was still time! Just one…he just needed one point! He couldn't stop! Not now! He needed to move!
"TIME UP!"
Like the specter of death ripping out his soul, Izuku felt his entire body go limp as Present Mic's voice echoed through the field, announcing the end of the exam. And in turn, his hopes of becoming a hero. Pressing his face into the unforgiving concrete, tears stinging painfully in the corner of his eyes, Izuku felt the fight slowly drain from his body, leaving behind only a cold emptiness, not even the painful throbbing of his broken limbs able to penetrate the icy veil that blanketed his entire being.
It was over.
Feeling something withered and strangely wet press against his cheek, the throbbing in his broken limbs slowly lessened until nothing was left but the phantom ache of an injury long past, even if it had been mere moments ago. Lifting himself weakly to his knees, testing out his newly healed limbs, Izuku was briefly surprised by the appearance of Recovery Girl, before the reality of what happened came rushing back.
He had failed.
'I'm sorry All Might.' Lowering his head, shame welling painfully in his chest, Izuku stared blankly at his healed arm, the power rushing through it mere moments earlier feeling like a distant memory, all that was left was the cold agony of failure. 'I'm sorry Mt. Lady.'
A week has passed since then, Izuku spending most of his days in a quiet daze, drifting through his days like a phantom, the months of training, all those extraordinary moments with All Might, his fateful meetings with Mt. Lady, feeling like one long dream. Despite feeling like he passed the written portion of the exam, the fact he failed to score a single point in the practical part of the test sealed his fate, his dream of joining U.A.'s hero course remaining just that.
He hadn't heard anything from All Might since then.
But, despite the cold despair resting heavily upon his shoulders, Izuku still followed his training regiment to a tee, the faint wisps of hope still burning brightly within his heart. If he couldn't make it into the hero course, if this option was closed to him forever, he wasn't going to let All Might and Mt. Lady down. Even if he failed the exam, if the road to becoming a hero diverged from his original plan, he was just going to have to work even harder, even if it meant slaving through the reserve course, Izuku was going to make it happen.
Giving up was not an option.
"Izuku! Izuku!" A series of cries and the clattering of furniture penetrated through the fog-addled haze in his mind, the green-haired boy turning his head as his mom came crashing into the living room, a letter clutched tightly in her fist. "Y-you got a letter! It's from U.A."
Sitting at his desk in the darkened confines of his room, the only light coming from his solitary desk lamp, Izuku's heart beat loudly in his chest as a rolling sickness bubbled in his stomach, his fingers absently running along the edge of the letter from U.A., the green-haired boy trying to muster the courage to open it. To face his rejection head-on.
Gritting his teeth, his fingers grasping the edges of the letter tight, Izuku, with one quick motion, tore the envelope open, the greenette jumping in surprise as a circular, plastic disk plopped noisily onto his desk. Blinking a couple of times in surprise, having expected a letter of some kind, the green-haired boy let out a startled scream as the disk suddenly emitted a bright light, illuminating his room in a wash of colors.
"I am here as a projection!" Reeling backward in shock as All Might's face suddenly popped up in front of him, his voice ringing loudly in his ears as his sunken eyes seemed to bore deeply at him from behind the shower of light. "I had to do some paperwork that took some time, so I couldn't contact you."
Staring at the projection of All Might with wide eyes, mouth agape, Izuku listened on in quiet disbelief as All Might informed him of his true reason for coming to this town, that he was going to be working at U.A., though his speech was cut short by the director just off-screen. And, with a blunt directness befitting the man who had trained him so rigorously, All Might confirmed his fears, that, even if he passed the written exam, his performance during the practical test meant he had failed.
Of course, he knew that. It was a foregone conclusion when he failed to get even a single point. And yet, as tears pooled in his eyes and his hands gripped the fabric of his pants tight, Izuku couldn't help but be frustrated and disappointed.
"If that was all there was to it of course." Lifting his head slightly, confusion written plainly upon his face, Izuku wondered why All Might was smiling so cheerfully. "I am an entertainer, as well! Take a look at this video!"
With a click of his remote, the projection of All Might suddenly switched to a recording of some unknown location, a familiar girl with round cheeks and brown hair walking into frame as she spoke to Present Mic. Eyes growing wide, Izuku immediately recognized her as the nice girl who had helped him at the front gate and saved him from his fall, the green-haired boy watching on in silence as she pleaded for them to give some of her points to him, having heard his desperate shouts for a single point.
"He saved me!"
Looking on in stunned disbelief as she begged over and over for them to give him some of her points, her eyes screwed shut tightly, Izuku slowly got to his feet, his heart stinging painfully in his chest as she pleaded so earnestly for his sake. Smiling softly, knowing that at least she was safe, that he had made some kind of difference, Izuku could truly feel satisfied with what he had done. That he had done the right thing.
"In addition to now having a quirk, your actions spurred others to act." With his back facing him, his voice strangely serious, All Might turned to the camera with a big smile as he opened his arms wide in a grand gesture. "The entrance exam the other day was not graded only on villain points!"
Playing the rest of the clip, Present Mic informing the girl that they can't give him any of her points, he nevertheless reassured her that everything will be okay. Stepping in front of the scene, his muscular body taking up the entire screen, All Might grinned proudly as a table full of numbers popped up on the screen.
"How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?" Eyes growing wide, mouth hanging open in shock, Izuku felt a well of emotions rise up in his chest as he read out the scores, his entire body shaking as he felt everything he ever dreamed of, something he thought had been lost, slowly come true.
Villain: 0
Rescue: 60
Even the nice girl who had saved him, Ochaco Uraraka, had received a significant amount of points for her actions, All Might smiling proudly as he turned toward the camera with a dramatic look over his shoulder.
"You both pass."
With tears pooling in his eyes, a wavering smile curling at the corner of his lips, Izuku felt an overwhelming flood of emotions overtake him. Relief. Pride. But most of all, Izuku felt a sense of joy he had never experienced before. It was coming true. His dream was finally coming true.
"Come, Young Midoriya." Holding his hand out in a symbolic gesture to his successor, his signature grin seeming just a bit bigger than usual, All Might welcomed the young boy to take this next step toward becoming a great hero. "This is your hero academia!"
Walking through the bustling halls of the U.A. school building, the air radiating with energy and excitement as students filled its vast halls, smiling faces leading to nervous frowns and everything in between as Izuku, emerald eyes wide with wonder and euphoria, made his way toward Class 1-A, his new homeroom class, on his first day as a high schooler.
His first day as part of U.A.'s hero course.
Grinning brightly, his heart practically jumping in his chest as an unfamiliar euphoria welled up in his core, Izuku staggered slightly as he accidentally collided with another student, the green-haired boy too enamored with his new surroundings to notice just where he was walking. Bowing stiffly to the silver-haired boy, apologizing profusely for his mistake, the boy simply grunting 'It's fine.' before going on his way, Izuku's smile immediately returned to his face, the greenette unable to keep his happiness at bay.
"Midoriya-kun?" Freezing in place, eyes bugging comically out of his face, Izuku's entire body grew stiff as a familiar, gorgeous voice, one he thought he may never hear again, drifted over the sea of noise echoing through the halls. Turning stiffly, Izuku's eyes widened as emerald met purple once more, the familiar features of the Gigantification hero staring back at him in equal disbelief.
"Mt. Lady?!"
A/N: Fate has shifted.
Here we are with another chapter and it is a beefy one! There was no real good stopping point with this one without either making a really short chapter afterward or ruining the flow so we got this big boi instead! Hope you all enjoy it!
Going to be working on one of my other stories next but I am currently using one of my vacation weeks so I have tons of time to do a lot of writing so I should be back to this one much quicker. Look forward to it!