"Phew... one more and this section is done." Wiping his brow, Izuku returned to the beach after carrying and piling up various different sheets of scrap metal. They weren't worth too much nowadays, but he could still accumulate a pretty penny if he collected a bunch of the metal and sold it off. Not that he needed to with how well his Hero Stocks were performing. It was just something extra to do while he cleaned up the beach.
Like All Might had done for him previously, Izuku had actually gone through and made a schedule for himself. It wasn't quite the same concise format that highlighted each and every facet of his life, bracketing them for maximum efficiency. He didn't need to go that far, as going through that experience for an entire year the first time had ingrained the routine so perfectly that he could do it on autopilot.
Carrying the last piece of scrap off towards the side, Izuku's eyes fell back to examine his progress. Rather than randomly carrying out whatever trash he could see and lift, he decided to go about it more proportionately this time starting with the left side of the beach and working his way across. The reason for this was so he could keep his secret, makeshift workshop hidden and available throughout the duration of the clean up.
A few months in and he had already cleared out a large section. There was much less trash because of his earlier start, but since he had already began exercising earlier, he felt he had already made up for the difference physically.
Cleaning off his hands by reaching in his bag and pulling out a cloth and water, Izuku made his way over at the edge of the forest near the open walkway leading to the beach. In a little crevice nestled perfectly on top of a branch was a hidden camera he'd placed beforehand. This was the first timelapse recording he was ever creating. While he planned to upload it, the video was also for himself.
Every now and then, he thought back to his prior time picking up the beach. The only proof of it were the muscles he'd gained from it, which could've been attributed to other things, and the photo All Might had taken to show the immense progress he had made after he finished. He somewhat regretted not capturing more the moments before, so he wouldn't miss out on it a second time.
Because it was wireless, he had to check its battery every day so he could change them in case the life ran out. Checking the battery percentage still over halfway, he left it alone. The camera was in a spot where birds or other wildlife were unlikely to crawl or pick at it, and it was obscured away from view enough that if a person did so happen to come near the area, they wouldn't see it.
He'd have to be outrageously unlucky for a person equipped with both a specific sensory Quirk and sticky fingers to stumble upon and take it. In the event something did happen to it, the footage was already saved into a cloud, so he wouldn't lose his data and he could simply buy another one.
The timelapse wouldn't be perfect, likely coming off as amateurish because of all the editing and jumpy cuts he would have to do blotting himself out. Regardless of how it turned out, it was still an entertaining project to tack on and spice up something he had completed before.
Moving back into the dump, Izuku stepped over and around some clutter into his faux workshop. It was embarrassing to call it that; aging tables and rusted containers could never compare to the real deal. He was still able to make it work, having hauled in his own functional tools he kept hidden inside an old metal locker.
It was a real pain to get open, which in his eyes, served as its own built-in security lock.
Using his gaining strength, Izuku peeled the locker open to grab his toolbox, a safety mask, and a modified blowtorch before setting them on one of several workbenches he'd pushed together for maximum workspace. He then zipped his exercise bag back open and retrieved the materials he'd had inside his closet and set them down as well.
Back over at the locker, he then carefully withdrew a black box made with fire-retardant steel. This was what he were most worried about losing.
The project.
The box had its own security code built into it, though with a halfway decent strength Quirk, it would get popped open like a can of soda.
Placing it down on a separate metal workbench that he'd bolted down sheets of red polymers to absorb shocks, Izuku typed in the code and unveiled his invention.
...Almost invention. It wasn't done yet.
Setting it down on the polymer and moving the security box safely away, Izuku grabbed his tools and got to work. There was still more than enough sun up before dusk and he was nearing completion. He could definitely finish it before going home.
Not that he was in any rush. He had the whole week to test and refine it before the competition. If worse came to worse, he would even miss the science fair so that he could spend more time perfecting it. Last thing he wanted was for it to blow up in his face, or worse, accidentally injure another person.
The object in his hands had been in the works for years, long before he had a chance to experiment directly. There were countless designs thrown out, and having read through so many forums, books, and what was publicly available, he had finally mapped out something he thought could work.
There were plenty failures over the months. He'd singed and burned himself more than a handful of times, which was why he'd been wearing exclusively long-sleeved shirts as of recent to avoid an awkward confrontation with his mom.
Some materials had also needed to be scrapped. Ironic, considering he needed to haul them off along with everything else residing at the dump.
But now it was almost done. Izuku felt a small giddiness swell up inside, just waiting to test it after completion and anticipating how effective it would be. He didn't get too far ahead of himself, containing his desires so he wouldn't overlook anything and accidentally break something. He didn't let himself lose focus, meticulously scanning over all the internal parts and comparing them to his blueprint sketches before safely securing them.
Welding the final part of the outer shell, Izuku took off his safety mask and took a breath of fresh air. The sky above was turning orange and he needed to head home.
Just in time. It was complete.