Izuku looked down at his calloused palms. For the first time, they didn't feel like the hands of a "Deku." They felt like the hands of a hero.
“The entrance exam starts in two hours,” All Might said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. “Go. Show them what a hero looks like.”
“Eat this,” All Might said suddenly, plucking a single strand of golden hair from his head.
“I didn't think I could,” Izuku whispered, his voice cracking. “Every time I closed my eyes, I just saw the sludge villain. I felt that fear again. The fear that I was just… nothing.”
Izuku turned to see All Might, but not the hulking, invincible hero the world knew. This was Toshinori Yagi—thin, coughing, and looking more like a ghost than a god. Yet, in his eyes, there was a pride that Izuku had never seen directed at him before.
All Might stepped forward, placing a heavy, skeletal hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Fear is not the enemy, Izuku. It is the fuel. You didn't just clean a beach; you carved out a vessel. You made room for a power that has been passed down through generations.”
Izuku nodded, a new fire in his green eyes. He wasn't just going to U.A. High; he was going to prove that even the smallest spark could light up the darkest sky.