Izuku's training was finally catching up to him.
That morning, All Might moved ahead at a steady pace, glancing back from time to time as Izuku followed with a heavy safe strapped across his back. Each step pressed deeper into the sand than the last.
Then, without warning, his legs gave out.
He hit the ground hard.
All Might slowed immediately, turning back. "What happened? We're three months out. Don't tell me you're already done."
Usually, Izuku would force himself back to his feet before the words even finished.
This time, he didn't move.
His arms trembled as he tried to push himself up. They gave out just as quickly.
All Might's expression tightened.
"…You've been pushing too far."
He stepped closer, voice firm but controlled. "I set that training plan so you could build up safely before the exam."
A brief pause.
"You've been adding extra work on your own, haven't you?"
Izuku didn't answer.
"If you keep ignoring your limits, you'll stall your progress," All Might said. "Do you want to pass or not?"
"I do," Izuku replied, his voice low.
He forced himself onto his elbows, breath uneven, sand clinging to his hands.
"But getting in… isn't enough."
His fingers curled into the ground.
"If I barely make it, I'll fall behind right away."
He lifted his head.
"I need to be stronger than that. Strong enough to keep up."
A moment passed.
"…Strong enough to stand next to you."
The wind moved quietly across the shoreline.
All Might studied him, then let out a short breath.
"You've got a bad habit," he said. "You charge forward without thinking about the cost."
He reached down and lifted Izuku with ease.
"…But I can't say I dislike it."
Izuku swayed slightly in his grip, exhaustion plain in every movement.
"That determination matters," All Might continued. "Which is exactly why you need to pace yourself."
He adjusted his hold.
"I'll revise your training plan."
Izuku managed a faint mutter. "…You're not that old…"
All Might exhaled through his nose. "Focus on staying conscious."
Izuku didn't respond. His strength finally gave out, and he went limp.
—
Time moved on.
The day of the U.A. entrance exam arrived.
Early that morning, All Might drove up to Dagobah Beach Park, intending to check on Izuku one last time.
"…Let's see how far you've come."
Then—
"I DID IT!"
The shout rang across the empty shoreline.
All Might turned.
Izuku stood at the top of a towering pile of trash bags and scrap, silhouetted against the morning light.
Below him, the beach stretched clean and open.
Not just the assigned areas.
Everything.
All Might's gaze swept across the shoreline.
Nothing remained.
"…You cleared all of it?"
Izuku raised both arms, breathing hard but grinning.
"I finished before the exam! All of it!"
A laugh escaped All Might as he stepped forward, shifting into his full hero form.
"That's… more than I asked for."
The moment lingered—
—and then Izuku's body gave out.
He tipped backward.
All Might caught him mid-fall, steadying him before he hit the ground.
"You pushed yourself right to the edge," he said.
Izuku's voice was faint. "I… made it…"
All Might lowered him carefully onto the sand.
"You did more than that," he replied. "You saw it through."
He pulled out his phone and held it where Izuku could see.
"Look."
Izuku blinked, focusing.
On the screen was a recording from ten months ago—himself, collapsed on this same beach, overwhelmed and crying.
Slowly, he looked down at his own body.
Still lean.
But no longer fragile.
His arms carried definition. His core held steady even in exhaustion. His posture, even now, didn't fold.
"…That's really me?"
"You built that," All Might said. "Step by step."
Izuku stared at his hands, turning them slightly as if seeing them for the first time.
"…It still doesn't feel like enough."
His voice dropped.
"You gave me this chance… I don't know if I've earned it."
His vision blurred.
All Might watched him in silence for a moment.
Then he reached out and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"You're too hard on yourself."
A brief pause.
"And you cry too easily."
Izuku let out a weak, embarrassed laugh.
All Might straightened.
"Stand up, Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku pushed himself up, legs unsteady but holding.
All Might reached up and pulled a single strand of hair free.
"This isn't something I give lightly," he said.
He held it out.
"There's a difference between being handed power… and proving you deserve it."
His voice remained calm, but there was no doubt in it.
"You've done the latter."
Izuku's hand closed around the strand as he accepted it.
"Remember that."
"This power—"
"—is yours because you earned it."
Izuku looked down at what rested in his palm.
His fingers tightened.
"…Yeah."
This wasn't a dream anymore.
It had weight.
It had meaning.
And it was real.