Not from childhood.
Not from battle.
A single lesson.
A single smile.
"When things are frightening..."
"When everything seems impossible..."
"A Hero..."
"Smiles."
Izuku's breathing steadied.
His fear remained.
But it no longer controlled him.
Slowly...
A smile appeared.
Small.
Determined.
The same awkward smile that had always appeared whenever he decided someone needed saving.
Green lightning erupted violently.
CRACK!!
The pavement exploded beneath his feet.
All Might's eyes widened.
"...Young Midoriya?"
He wasn't running.
He was coming back.
"SMASH!!"
All Might swung.
Izuku slipped beneath the punch.
Every movement hurt.
Every joint protested.
Yet he never slowed.
His smile remained.
"I'm sorry..."
Izuku whispered.
"...but I can't leave him."
WHAM!!
His fist connected cleanly with All Might's jaw.
Not enough to truly injure him.
Not enough to stagger the Symbol of Peace.
But enough.
Enough to interrupt his balance.
Enough to create a single opening.
All Might's head turned ever so slightly from the impact.
"...!"
Izuku never admired the punch.
Never celebrated it.
The instant it landed—
He moved.
Dropping low.
Sliding beneath All Might's arm.
His hands reached into the crater.
"...Kacchan!"
Bakugo didn't answer.
His eyes had closed.
His body had finally surrendered to exhaustion.
Unconscious.
Without hesitation—
Izuku lifted him.
His muscles screamed louder than ever before.
The added weight nearly buckled his knees.
Still...
He smiled.
"...Let's go home."
Full Cowling surged again.
The last reserves of One For All coursed through his battered frame.
CRACK!!
He leapt.
Every step shattered the pavement beneath him.
The exit gate grew closer.
Twenty meters.
Fifteen.
Ten.
Behind him—
All Might straightened.
His jaw ached faintly from the punch.
Nothing more.
He could still catch them.
He easily possessed the speed.
He took one step...
Then stopped.
Watching.
"...I see."
His voice was almost too quiet to hear.
The students in the observation room leaned closer.
All Might smiled.
Not the smile of the Symbol of Peace.
The smile of a teacher.
"...Young Midoriya."
"...You've always been this way."
Whenever someone needed help...
Whenever another person stood before danger...
He never considered the obstacle.
Never weighed the odds.
Never questioned whether he was capable.
He simply moved.
There had never been a wall high enough...
...to stop Izuku Midoriya from trying to save someone.
Five meters.
Three.
One.
Izuku's legs nearly collapsed beneath him.
With one final burst of strength—
He crossed the line.
Still carrying Bakugo.
BEEEEEP!
The loud electronic tone echoed throughout the training grounds.
A mechanical voice immediately followed.
"Examination Complete."
"Victory Condition Achieved."
"Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo have successfully escaped."
For several seconds...
Nobody moved.
Then the observation room erupted.
Cheers.
Applause.
Relieved laughter.
Even students who rarely showed emotion found themselves smiling.
Kirishima threw both fists into the air.
"They did it!"
Ochaco visibly relaxed, tears threatening to form in the corners of her eyes.
Denki let out a triumphant yell loud enough to make Jirou wince.
Even Todoroki quietly nodded to himself.
"...As expected."
Near the gate...
Izuku finally collapsed to one knee.
His body had nothing left.
Bakugo remained unconscious against his shoulder.
He barely managed to keep himself upright.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Izuku looked up.
All Might stood before them.
His towering shadow fell across both boys.
For a long moment...
Neither spoke.
Then All Might smiled.
A warm, proud smile.
"...Excellent work."
"You've both grown today."
His gaze lingered on Bakugo.
"...Young Bakugo."
"You learned that trusting another doesn't diminish your strength."
Then to Midoriya.
"...And Young Midoriya..."
His smile widened.
"...you reminded me exactly why I chose you."
The exam had never truly been about escaping.
Nor defeating a teacher.
It had been about proving what kind of heroes they would become.
And, battered and bruised at the finish line, carrying the rival he refused to abandon...
Izuku Midoriya had given his answer.
"Yuck, this is way too ga-" Kurokami Tenshin, who had grown bored of street tiers, muttered faintly, just noticing the '0-0' face of Tsuyu Asui.
...
The electronic announcement echoed throughout the training grounds.
"Final Practical Examination Complete."
"All students have finished their assigned trials."
The examination...
...was over.
Smoke still drifted lazily through the ruined city as All Might approached the finish line.
His massive frame cast a long shadow over the two exhausted students.
Izuku sat on the ground, barely conscious, breathing heavily as Katsuki's unconscious body rested against his shoulder. Every muscle in Midoriya's body trembled violently from the strain of maintaining Full Cowling for as long as he had.
He couldn't move anymore.
His body had simply decided it had done enough for one day.
All Might knelt beside them.
"...You've both worked incredibly hard."
Without another word, he gently lifted Katsuki over one shoulder before offering his free hand to Izuku.
Midoriya smiled weakly.
"...Thanks..."
He barely managed to stand before his knees gave out again.
All Might chuckled.
"...Perhaps I'll carry both of you."
Recovery Girl's Medical Tent
The atmosphere changed completely.
Instead of ruined buildings and explosions, the large white tent bustled with nurses, stretchers, teachers and injured students receiving treatment.
The curtain burst open.
"I've brought our final examinees!"
All Might's booming voice immediately drew several looks.
Recovery Girl looked up from treating another student.
Then looked at Katsuki.
Then Izuku.
Then All Might.
...
Her cane struck the floor with a sharp tap.
"Toshinori."
Her smile disappeared.
"...Explain."
All Might laughed sheepishly.
"Haha..."
"Well..."
"They passed?"
Another tap.
Harder this time.
"I said explain."
_____________________________________________________________________________________
[Auther: Sometimes I wonder...do people just see me pour my time and effort into this just to not care? Then I lose the last f**k I had and go back to writing.]