It Takes a Village to Raise a Hero

Chapter Four: Beta Models

Notes: I used a couple of direct quotes from the show, specifically the sub. This is done in the first scene and then again when Izuku first shows up at UA for the entrance exam and briefly runs into Bakugou.

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Izuku left the house at 4:13 am the day of the entrance exam and made his way to Dagobah Beach. It was still dark out, but the trains were operating so it was easy enough to make his way there before sunrise. He exited at a stop about a mile away and ran the rest of the journey.

By the time he made it, his phone told him a little over thirty minutes had passed. He was supposed to meet All Might here at 6:00 am, but woke up up before his alarm. There was a part of the beach he hadn't cleaned yet, so he hauled himself over after taking a minute to catch his breath from the run. He managed to drag everything off of the beach and into a pile where the trucks All Might had hired would come to pick it up later.

The clean, white sand made a beautiful view as the sky started turning orange with the rising sun peeking out over the horizon. Izuku found himself climbing the pile of trash, at first with just the intention to see everything better. As he reached the top though, the sun hit his face and he was overcome with sudden emotion.

Ten months had passed since he met All Might. Ten months of grueling training that had completely reshaped not just his body but also his mentality. He was stronger, faster, and more flexible than he had ever been in his life. On top of that, he didn't think he had felt this happy since before his diagnosis.

It was daunting, knowing that three pro heroes had dedicated their time to making Izuku into a version of himself that was capable of achieving his dream. A part of him worried that he might end up just disappointing them all. He might not even make it into UA, let alone the support course. And then he'd have to transfer into the hero course by beating a bunch of students who had already gone through weeks of conditioning and training for their quirks.

The larger part though, was full of hope. The horizon ahead of him was as vast as his future and he was going to become a hero.

This tangle of emotions welled up inside of him until he felt like he felt like he was going to burst, and then he did. He clenched his fists, opened his mouth, and screamed as loud as he could toward the rising sun. He screamed until all of the air was gone from his lungs and his chest and throat burned with the effort.

Izuku thought he might have heard someone shout something as his legs finally gave way, sending him tumbling from the top of the trash heap. He was banking on the sand being enough of a cushion to not cripple him before his exam, but was pleasantly surprised to instead open his eyes to find himself gently cradled in All Might's arms. The last person to hold him like this was probably his mother when he was a baby.

"Good work," the hero said.

"All Might... I did it," his own eyes widened as if he didn't quite believe his own statement. "I did it!" Izuku didn't quite know if he was referring to successfully cleaning the entire beach, which had been an arduous task on its own, or the months of grueling training that had all led up to this point.

"Yeah, you surprised me, you entertainer!" All Might announced as he set Izuku's feet back onto the sand. "Teenagers are amazing, here, take a look," he said, holding up his phone.

Izuku stared, disbelieving at the old picture. It felt like so long ago and yesterday at the same time. He knew that he had grown fitter as a result of everything he had been doing, but to see the stark contrast was almost eerie. "This is..."

"It's you, ten months ago. You did it, you really did it," he praised. Izuku briefly wondered how he enunciated his words so well in his muscle form with that constant smile. "Now for us to return to our deal. You have made yourself into a suitable vessel for One for All, so I must ask again."