He kept on moving, the day playing on repeat over and over, ‘swan dive’ ‘realistic’ ‘your condition’. Over and over. Crying tears as he continued to wander. Wait, this isn’t gonna help. He stops, takes a few deep breaths. Closing his eyes he takes in the slightly metallic air, filled with a mixture of sour and decaying scent.

Wiping tears from his eyes he remembers how he actually did it. He saved someone. Sure, it had been reckless. But he had done it. Izuku smiles and opens his eyes, to see a mountain of trash lining the horizon barely being able to see the coastline on the other side he remembers hearing about Dagobah, once a beach full of happy people now turned into an unofficial dump.

Well that explains the smell. As he was about to continue on his way he thought back to the second incident with the slime villain. And how he used a random scrap of metal to take down the villain, looking at his now bandaged hand. Yea he should probably get an actual weapon now that he thinks about it also remembering how he barely managed to pull out and carry Katsuki. Yea he probably needed to gain some muscle. Looking back at the heap of garbage Izuku gets a brilliant idea. He needs new equipment, and some Actual strength training if he wants to stand an actual chance. Well he has the perfect opportunity right here, he can clean this beach. Collect parts and other stuff, and either sell them for money, or even use some to build some tools. If he could actually learn how to build things like support items anyhow. Problems for future Izuku. Right now he needs to plan out this cleanup. He can clear out the least dent part to store useful stuff, but where to move the actual trash? There are a few dumpsters lining the area, from current businesses and a few defunct ones. That’d work for now. Izuku notices a nearby convenience store and heads over, feeling for the little bits of money he has, first he needs bags and gloves. Who knows what’s in there after all, UA’s entrance exam is in 10 months.

6 months until the exam

The cleanup is getting easier. One of the shopkeepers even offered to drive the bigger trash to the dump!

He also picked up knife throwing and taekwondo, although he can only really learn from online videos and lots of practice (mostly because no place will take him, he should know, he tried many times growing up. But he's ‘too fragile’), he set up a little throwing range in the cleared out portion, using some wooden planks propped up on a washing machine, and a tarp placed below so the blades don’t get covered in sand. And he can now actually hit the target consistently! Thankfully his mom is never home enough to question what he does all afternoon after school, working well after dusk.

4 months before the exam

Izuku has been using a new weapon as part of his martial arts training, he's supposed to use a Bo staff, but we'll the piece of rebar with taped handles will have to do for now. He's also been meaning to take up parkour, but it's hard to find a safe place to practice, and he's been avoiding rooftops ever since his meeting with All Might. He also finally decided to sell his All Might merch, even dug out some old Present Mic and Gang Orca merch to make his room feel less barren and now he could sleep easier not having ll Might smiling at him from every direction, each one a reminder that his hero didn't believe in him, that no one believed in him. He shakes his head now isn't the time to dwell on this, had more important things to think About.

Almost enough money for some actual materials needed for his support equipment. Shame that I can't use them in the entrance exam due to a loophole

'Support equipment brought in must help with use of ones quirk or the drawbacks of ones quirk, failure to meet these requirements will lead to a disqualification' of course this means I'm at a greater disadvantage, since he has no quirk to help him and he can't bring in any support equipment.i'll just have to manage it somehow

He has read over these rules 100 times by now, trying to find any loopholes he could use.

Wait, it specifically said to bring in support equipment, if he could build or fashion one in the exam he could use it without getting disqualified. Well that's better a better plan than, 'I'll wing it and see what happens'

Izuku started drafting up a general idea for what he wanted to make. Sitting at his desk well past midnight.

1 month until the exam

I'm going to the UA today, I can't believe it. The UA

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I wonder which pro heroes will be monitoring the general ed tests today? I'm gonna see so many cool quirks today!

He quickly got ready and rushed to the train, he's not running late, he is just that excited, I mean he's going to the UA. He wore his Aldera middle school uniform, he took a little pride in the fact that he fills out his once loose uniform. As he gets to the big gates of UA Their security is top notch, id protected gates, alarm systems for anyone brave enough to try and climb the fence and many more he's sure UA doesn't mention. Not to mention the teachers all being pros, wait is that Ectoplasm at the front door, that is so cool! Makes sense to have him run security today too, seeing as how he can make clones of himself.

Ectoplasm "Make your way to the front desk,.there you'll be handed your room number, don't forget to follow teachers directions, and don't deviate, don't need more students getting lost in these halls"

Whispers "guess the rumors are true"

"Yea heard the principal made the school this way to mess with people"

"Doesn't he hate humans or something?"

"I heard he experiments on the students"

These rumors pop up everywhere on forums talking about the UA principal Nezu. Not much is known about him besides the fact he's the only animal In the quirk registry, although even that is debated on whether he's just a mutant type or an actual animal with an intelligence quirk. I'm pretty sure he's an animal of some kind, maybe a stoat? Quirks within animals isn't unheard of, most are taken away to be tested on, although whether or not Nezu hates humans I'm not to sure about, I mean if he did he wouldn't be helping to teach kids to be the best of the best, he's the reason UA has such a great reputation after all.

Izuku picks up his number, handed to him by The power loader, sooo cool! 4A is his room, he follows his instructions exactly and manages to find the room, izuku looks over all the students in the room mutant quirk, some kind of pig mutation, only affects the head, and wonders if he can look up, and what his taste buds are like. Another with shiny hair, either an emitter or mutation, might be a passive emitter type wonder if they can control the brightness of it, could have plenty of use for heroics, especially in underground, if your hair is all people will remember, makes it easier to blend in. Oh that one's hair stands up unnaturally and I wonder if that's a side effect of their quirk or if they just style it that way. Oh that one..

Present Mic "alright listeners, you will be handed three booklets, you will have 3 hours to complete all of them, but before you rock stars try and get a headstart, you gotta wait for my go ahead, anyone caught cheating will have their scores canned and escorted off the premises. You dig?" Everyone "yes Sensei"

"Then let's get this party started!"

The test was relatively easy, most of the stuff was things he's been practicing for the last 2 years in preparation for this test. Although the final question was interesting.

'This question will have no effect on your grade

'what makes someone a hero'

Oh well that's easy, a hero is someone who saves others, wait how long is he meant to make this answer, it's a full page and we were given extra sheets. But it doesn't say… better write all I can just in case.

And so Izuku wrote on and on, to the point he asked Present Mic for more paper, he kept the slime incident in mind, on how both All Might and the heroes at the second incident handled the situation, and wrote about how many heroes today focus more on image than actually saving those they're meant to protect. And how those heroes could have improved if they had thought of solutions outside of their quirks. Heroes are too focused on quirks, limiting themselves based on what their quirk can do, not even realizing what they can do.

Present Mic "That's it listeners! Put down your pens and hand in your tests, you will receive your results in the next couple of weeks."

I didn't even get to double check my answers, I probably made so many dumb mistakes, if I bomb this I'll never get into UA. It's over..

Mic "Chin up listener I'm sure you did great" he said with a warm smile on his face.

If Present Mic believes in me, maybe it'll be ok

Izuku decided to do the 2 hour jog back to his house to get his mind off of the test. With his backup plan in place, now all he has to focus on is the heroics test.

3 days before the exam

He stands on the beach listening to the sounds of the birds as he stares at the finished beach, apparently his little clean up had made the local paper, everyone wondering who the mysterious person cleaning it was, offering to do a story on them if they came up. He wasn't gonna tell anyone it was him, he was never big on fame, he was just happy to see people walking up and down the beach now, kids playing in the water, adults chatting away and drinking on the beach. People are just enjoying themselves. Although he will miss his impromptu knife throwing range.

Can't believe I finished it in time. But a heroes job is never done

Izuku begins to walk away, a smile on his face for the first time in a long while. He had a real shot of doing it, of becoming an actual hero, if his plan works as intended anyways.hr continues to think about what materials will work for his impromptu support equipment, since he will have to gather all the resources in the exam, he decides on something simple, something that can be made of most materials. A staff or spear would probably be best for a weapon.