All Might held out a single strand of his hair toward Izuku.
"Eat it."
"E—EH?!"Izuku never imagined that the power he was about to receive… would come from a single hair.
"If it's about ingesting DNA, the method doesn't really matter! Hurry up—we're running out of time!"
"This is nothing like what I imagined…"
There were only three hours left until the entrance ceremony.
Suppressing his gag reflex, Izuku swallowed All Might's hair. Afterward, he looked at All Might—who had already reverted to his skinny form—and asked hesitantly,
"Um… All Might? Can you tell me what the entrance ceremony exam is like?"
"For the entrance exam, it's combat only. Just do your best."
"Then… do I need to go all out?"
"What do you think?"
"…Alright."
Izuku looked at All Might's awkward expression, smiled, and began removing the sandbags that had turned yellowish-brown from sweat and dirt. When they hit the ground, they landed with a heavy thud.
"...Just how many sandbags were you carrying?"All Might stared, dumbfounded, at the deep crater the sandbag left in the sand.
"Not that many," Izuku replied casually."I had them on my arms, elbows, back, and legs. Oh, right—there are also ten kilograms of iron plates inside my shoes. I still need to take all this stuff home. All Might, I'll head out first! See you at the entrance ceremony."
Hugging sandbags that weighed a total of forty kilograms, Izuku walked away from the beach.
"This kid… he's completely insane,"All Might muttered as he watched Izuku's retreating figure.
"But still… there's no way someone like him won't become a HERO. If he didn't, even heaven itself would protest."
With that, All Might climbed into his truck and drove away.
After returning home, Izuku took a shower and began removing everything he'd hidden for training—iron plates sewn into his clothes, metal blocks tucked inside his shoes, iron weights packed into his backpack. Everything came off.
February 26th, 8:00 a.m.Izuku set out with nothing but his school bag.
"Mom, I'm heading out!"
"Alright! You can do it—you'll become a HERO for sure! Good luck, Izuku!"
Forty minutes later, Izuku stood before the gates of the top hero-training school—U.A. High School.
I made it! Today, I challenge the U.A. Entrance Practical Exam!!
As he walked toward the exam entrance, Izuku's emotions churned.
I didn't even get a chance to test the 'power' I inherited from All Might… what a total failure!!
"Move, extra."
A familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Kacchan!"
"Don't stand in my way—I'll kill you."Bakugo Katsuki's expression was as vicious as ever.
"G—good morning! Good luck to both of u—"Izuku stammered nervously, but Bakugo walked straight past him without stopping.
Ever since that day… Kacchan hasn't really talked to me.
Shaking in fear has practically become a habit…
"But no matter what, I have to try."
With that resolve, Izuku followed Bakugo into the exam entrance.
Exam Entrance Area
"Hehehe! Since you're all elite students, I'll skip the useless talk and get straight to explaining the rules—"
Izuku held the exam pamphlet in his hands, carefully reading the details.
"Four types of enemies… they all look pretty tough."
He checked his exam slip.
"Tch. That trash is in Exam Site Two? Guess I won't get to crush you,"Bakugo muttered beside him.
9:30 a.m. — Exam Site Two
Time Limit: Five Minutes
Facing the vast testing ground, Izuku's legs began trembling again.
"Get a grip…"He slapped his own legs.
At the sound of the whistle, everyone charged into the test zone, searching for enemies. But once inside, Izuku realized—
He couldn't find any targets.Every enemy had already been claimed by someone else.
"Damn it… I was a second too slow—there's nothing left!"
Just as he was desperately searching for something—anything—to score points, an enormous simulated enemy appeared before them.
"Who could possibly beat that thing?!"
The crowd immediately retreated. They had already secured enough points—there was no reason to risk their lives.
A giant simulated enemy in a narrow street will go berserk…
The massive machine advanced straight toward them.
Izuku was about to run—when he saw it.
A girl had been knocked down by debris thrown up by the robot.Its massive foot was about to crush her into pulp.
Without thinking, Izuku kicked off the ground with all his strength and launched himself into the air.
"STOP IT!!!"
He raised his fist—red fractures suddenly appearing across it.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Izuku's punch smashed straight into the robot's face.The simulated enemy exploded on the spot.
"I'm glad she's okay—but what do I do now?!"
Only then did Izuku realize—his right arm and both legs were completely destroyed.
He began to fall.
"Hey!"
Just before hitting the ground, Izuku felt a sharp slap across his face. His body suddenly stopped, gently descending until he landed safely.
"I'm really glad you're okay."
Izuku looked up at the girl who had saved him.
She was the same girl who had almost been crushed by the robot.
"Thank you."
One week after the exam, Izuku's mental state was still… off.
He would sometimes stare at a fish head and grin foolishly.