AN: Thanks for the interest and reviews so far!

arispuffer - Hopefully this chapter will shed a bit more light on the direction of this story.

Mugen-Muse - The nature of the quirk I created for BttB wouldn't cause something like a body jump, however that doesn't mean I don't have multiple methods of time travel. I haven't actually thought about doing something like that though! I've seen it only in one other story (where Izuku ends up back in time and lands in Kurogiri's body), so it seems like unexplored territory.

Melissa lay in bed unable to sleep.

With a sigh she stood up and quietly padded over to her desk, sitting down and turning on her laptop. When it booted up, she went to yap!Tube and began watching old video compilations of All Might's early years.

"I Am Here!" The smiling face of All Might announced as he stood up, the force of his entry alone enough to knock the villains off-balance.

Melissa paused the video, her delicate fingers reaching out to the screen. "Uncle Might…" Her fingers curled into a fist as she looked at the screen. "Uncle Might, I'm going to make you proud! I know the training you're going to put me through is going to be hard, but I promise, I'll become a great hero, just like you!"

Restarting the video, Melissa folded her arms and placed her head on them as she watched old news clips of All Might as he defeated dangerous foes and averted disasters, ushering in an era of peace across Japan.

As she watched, her eyelids grew heavier, and eventually, she fell asleep at her desk.

She never noticed the skeletal form of Toshinori as he sat on her bed, watching the newest One For All holder. "Perhaps Melissa was right to entrust you with One For All. I just hope, for your sake and hers, you are able to overcome the trials ahead." With a sad smile, he allowed himself to fade away, returning to the vestige realm.

"I Am Here!"

Melissa was startled as she heard All Might's signature line, wondering briefly where she was until remembered where she'd fallen asleep. Cracking open her eyes, she heard the chaos of fighting coming from her laptop and saw him standing triumphantly in the center of the screen. Seeing the image, she felt her lips curling into a smile.

"I guess those helped me fall asleep after all," Melissa said with a light laugh, pausing the video.

Closing her laptop, she stood up and stretched. Bouncing lightly on her feet, she put on her glasses and looked at her reflection in the glass of her window.

"I can do this! Risa, starting today I'm going to begin my journey to becoming a hero!" She exclaimed, punching the air.

Despite the unorthodox sleeping arrangement, she was already wide awake and full of nervous energy, ready to take on whatever challenge her dad and Uncle Might had prepared for her!

As Melissa and her dad approached his lab, they saw the smiling form of All Might standing in front of the building waiting for them.

"David! Melissa! Are you two ready for today?" He asked brightly.

"What are you asking me for? I'm just an old man now. I'm not cut out for exercise," David joked. "I just need to monitor Mel's progress and make sure she doesn't over-exert herself."

"Hey!" Melissa protested, a blush lightly dusting her cheeks. "I know better than that!"

"I know, Mel," David apologized. "But with only 8 months until UA's entrance exam, I can't help but worry that you'd try and speed things up."

"I know better than that!" Melissa said defiantly. "Besides, I'm not sure I could come up with anything better than what you two did!"

"That's true," Toshinori said with a laugh. "Between my own experience and David's resources on I-Island, we've come up with a plan that will have you ready well before the exam!"

"We should probably talk inside," David said cautiously as he looked around.

Withdrawing a keycard, David opened up the door to the building and ushered everyone inside. Melissa and Toshinori followed him up to the lab, where Toshinori dropped his muscle form.

Melissa wanted to ask about it further but wasn't given the chance as her dad ushered the pair into a conference room. With a few taps of the keyboard, an image appeared on a display screen, showing two vastly different pairs of readings.

"These are Toshinori's quirk levels," David began to explain as he highlighted one set of data. "Three years ago was the battle that injured him, and his body has been in decline ever since. I had originally panicked when I saw his quirk factor declining because I was missing some very valuable information." As he said that, he looked pointedly at Toshinori, who laughed nervously.

"I had a good reason to keep that secret!"

"Toshi…" David sighed. "That's a conversation for another time. Right now, my priority is taking care of Mel, and making sure she is safe and that she can handle her quirk." He began typing on the keyboard again and brought up a second overlay, causing Melissa to gasp.

"My- I'm going to be even stronger than Uncle Might?" Melissa asked in awe as she examined the results. According to the graph, her quirk was approximately twenty percent stronger than All Might's copy of One For All, even when he was in his prime.

"It appears so," David said heavily. "It makes sense, given what Toshinori has told us."

"Indeed," Toshinori agreed. "It is another piece of evidence confirming your copy of One For All is, in fact, from the future. While we don't know how far in the future, if it had an additional ten or twenty years to gather power from a ninth holder, before being passed onto your other self and, ultimately, you, that would explain where this power has come from."

"Unfortunately, that strength doesn't come without cost," David sighed as he pushed a button and the screen switched to a diagram of the human body, with several labels with bright red numbers on them pointing to different muscle groups. "Toshinori gave me a rough estimate of how much muscle mass you would need to even begin to use your quirk, and then we scaled those up based on our scans. As you can see…"

"I'd really mess myself up if I used One For All in my current state." Melissa finished her father's thought. With a grimace on her face, she looked at the two men. "Those numbers… don't look good. Are you sure I'll be ready in time?"

"Of course!" Toshinori assured her, pulling out a thick folder from a briefcase and slamming it on the desk. "You have access to some of the best resources in the world here on I-Island! If you can't pull it off here, I don't think anyone could do it!"

"I…" Melissa gave a resigned sigh as she forced a smile onto her face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

All Might opened the folder and slid it across the desk. "The next six months will be intense, and you will likely only barely be able to use One For All at the end-"

"-But if that's what it takes for me to be a hero, I'll do it!" Melissa pumped a fist into the air. "Especially if I want to get into UA, right?"

"Mel, you know there's no shame in going to another hero school. There are academies in the United States, and several other renowned schools in Japan."

"But Uncle Might is going to be in Mustafu, right?" Melissa asked. "And so is the other One For All holder."

"Now hold on. I haven't even met the young man who was recommended to me!" Toshinori protested.

Melissa giggled. "Well, I'm sure there's a reason she told you about him, right? She wouldn't just tell you the name of some kid who wasn't worthy of One For All, would she?"

"I would hope not," Toshinori agreed.

"That is a topic for another time," David said with a resigned sigh. "But I agree that it would be for the best, for both of your sake, if you and whomever Toshinori chooses as his successor were both under his protection for the time being."

"Which means UA."

"It seems that way," David conceded before pressing a button, bringing up a slide showing a schematic of the Full Gauntlet. "Finally, there is the matter of building your support equipment." Pressing another button the slide changed to a blue-and-gray suit of armor. "The alloy used to create the device is incredibly complex, and whoever made this is a genius. I'm not sure how long it will take to perfectly replicate the material, but I believe I will be able to make a lesser version of the material in time."

"What does that mean?"

"In all likelihood, you won't be able to use One For All at full power, but we should be able to create some protective equipment for you by the time you get to UA."

"And it will serve as a cool costume, too!"

David pressed another button, and there was a timeline displayed on the screen. "As you can see, our schedule does have some leeway, but we don't have much time."

"Only two months…" Melissa looked at the stack of papers. "Can I really learn how to control One For All in such a short amount of time? I'll be going up against people who have used their quirks their entire lives."

"I believe in you!" Toshinori said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, bulking up to his muscle form. "In eight months, you will be more than ready for UA's entrance exam!"

Melissa's false smile became genuine as she looked at Toshinori. "Thanks, Uncle Might!"

Melissa panted heavily as she stepped off the treadmill. Holding the bars for a second, she took pride in the fact that she didn't collapse immediately today.

She knew training was going to be hard, but she didn't realize it would be this hard!

"You ok kid?" One of the nearby heroes, a guest to the island from South Africa based on his accent, asked.

"Y-yeah," Melissa nodded furiously. "I just-" She took a deep breath. "I never knew how hard heroes had to train before I started doing it myself!"

The hero laughed and paused his treadmill before he leaned over the bars to look at her properly. "The media only focuses on the glamorous bits, taking down bad guys and rescuing people. They don't show the effort we have to put into training or the paperwork."

Melissa looked like she just bit into a lemon. "Thanks for reminding me."

"So why do it?" The hero asked.

"Huh?"

"If you're gonna commit to being a hero, you've gotta have something to motivate you. Something that gets you out of bed every morning."

"Well, why do you do it?"

The hero had a fond look on his face as he recalled a pleasant memory. "I've actually got 6 little brothers and sisters at home. They've always looked up to me, calling me their hero even when we were little. I guess I let it get to me and wanted to make it literal." He chuckled. "And now I've got nieces and nephews who look up to me, too."

Melissa stared in awe at the hero. A smile began to form on her lips as she recalled her conversation with Risa. "I made a promise to someone."

The hero appeared to examine her eyes, looking for something. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded once. "I know the training's rough, but I look forward to hearing about you in the future." He then pushed a button on the machine and continued his run.

Quietly thanking the hero, Melissa grabbed her water bottle and towel and walked over to the weights. Sitting down, she adjusted the machine and began her sets.

Somehow, the weights felt much lighter than they did yesterday.

As the months flew by, Melissa found herself getting stronger every day. She'd even had a small growth spurt since she started! Over the last six months she had shot up an additional two inches, and now stood at a full five-foot-six inches!

At the end of the day, she always felt exhausted but woke up refreshed and ready to continue. Each day, she was getting closer to being able to use the power she had been given.

Each day, she was getting one step closer to realizing her dream.

However, while her physical progress was going well, their research on the secrets behind the Full Gauntlet was going much slower. Despite their best efforts, they had been unable to replicate the material fully. Every time her dad thought he had a breakthrough and shipped off a sample for All Might to test, he broke it immediately.

This led to many late nights in the lab, father, and daughter working together to try and find a solution. Some material that, even if it wasn't as strong as the Full Gauntlet itself, would protect her and allow her to wield a fraction of One For All's power when she began school.

Melissa was staring at a wiring diagram, working out the finer details about how her armored gauntlet would look when a loud yawn escaped her lips.

Her father chuckled as he looked over at her. "I think we've done enough for tonight. Let's get you to bed Mel."

"I'm ok dad, I promise!" Melissa protested, sitting up straight and stretching in an attempt to fight off her exhaustion.

"I don't want to have to carry you back home if you fall asleep."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Melissa crossed her arms and gave her father an exaggerated pout.

With a knowing look, her dad simply poked her arm, revealing the hardened muscle underneath. "You know how much muscle weighs, and you've got a lot of it now."

"Fine, you win," Melissa pushed a button to secure her terminal before standing up. "I just want to be ready!"

"We will be. Even if you can only use One For All at a lower output at first."

"That may be for the best," Melissa put a finger to her chin as she thought about it. "Uncle Might can change the weather with a single punch, after all! I don't want to accidentally do that."

Her father secured his own workstation before he stood up. "That's surprisingly thoughtful of you."

"Well, most people had their quirks for their entire lives, right? I've only got two months to catch up to people who've had their quirks for ten years! I'm sure I'll make mistakes."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you've always been a quick learner."

Melissa smiled at her father. "Thanks, dad."

"Are you ready for today's lesson?" The vestige of Toshinori asked as it moved around the desk Melissa was sitting at, a pensive look on his face.

"Yep!" Melissa said as she watched Toshinori sit down. It was always disconcerting seeing him sit, because he wasn't physically there, so he appeared to phase through the table as he sat down, but it was more for her benefit than anything. "I'm ready to try One For All later this week!"

"As long as you are mindful of the consequences," He had a distant look on his face. "I think now is the time to tell you about how your predecessor permanently disfigured himself."

"What?" Melissa asked, excitement rapidly draining out of her.

Toshinori nodded gravely. "My successor. I failed him. When I originally received One For All, I was able to use its power inherently without issue. But I had underestimated how much its strength had grown over the forty years I held it. So I rushed my explanations, and assumed he could figure it out just as easily as I did."

"What happened to him?" Melissa asked, afraid of the answer.

Toshinori turned away, looking out the window. "He always saw his life as worth less than that of those around him, and always went to great lengths to help others, regardless of the costs to his own body. Doctors, and UA's Recovery Girl, healed him over and over again, but those injuries began to add up. His right arm was permanently disfigured. And over time, he was forced to wear compression sleeves over his limbs, in an attempt to mitigate the constant pain."

Melissa stared at Toshinori, her mouth agape. "One For All did that?"

Toshinori looked at the girl he saw as his niece, his blue eyes boring holes into her. "It did."

"Was he using its full power when those injuries happened?"

"Not always. Sometimes it was simply a matter of exceeding his current limits, or using its full power concentrated into a single finger."

"T-that's a lot," Melissa admitted, feeling overwhelmed.

Just how strong is One For All? If even using a fraction of its power could hurt her that badly…

With a heavy sigh, the vestige of Toshinori sat down on the couch. "I know. When I first gave One For All to my successor, I had forgotten something very important. A truth that I had forced myself to forget. One For All is a weapon, cultivated for a single purpose… to destroy."

Melissa gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth. "Uncle Might…"

"I know what you're about to say. Throughout my career, I did a lot of good with my strength. But I always had my singular goal, and that was to destroy the man who killed my predecessor." He balled up his fist as he grimaced in frustration. "Despite my best intentions, I had fallen into the same cycle of destruction that consumed the previous One For All holders."

"What- why would I be given such power? Why would I do that to myself?"

Toshinori chuckled and tried to give Melissa the most reassuring smile he could muster. "Because she, and–" He paused, as if trying to find the right words. "-the people she was closest with thought that you were our best chance to break the cycle. You and my successor."

Melissa quickly connected the dots. "Izuku. He was your successor, wasn't he?" Melissa asked. "Uncle Might mentioned him, another quirkless kid living in Japan worthy of One For All. But he hasn't spoken to him yet. He seems almost scared too."

"That's because I was scared," Toshinori admitted. "I- after my injury, I had forgotten what it meant to be a hero. Young Midoriya reminded me of what was really important."

"And he hurt himself that much…" Sadness filled Melissa's voice.

"I know," Toshinori sounded ashamed of himself. "It is my greatest hope that, if your All Might deems him worthy, you help train him. That my failures aren't repeated, and that Young Midoriya doesn't suffer the same fate again."

Once again Melissa found herself unable to sleep. Not even All Might's old videos were helping her tonight.

It was 3 AM and she was resting her head on her arms watching videos of Captain Celebrity. A few months ago his attitude had changed dramatically. Thinking back, she realized that it coincided with him hiring Makoto Tsukauchi to his company.

But ever since then, he had been a force for positive change in the world. Not as much as All Might, but few people could match Uncle Might in sheer force of personality.

She hoped that someday she could approach that level.

"Can't sleep?" The vestige of Toshinori asked from behind her.

"Not at all," Melissa shook her head. "I'm too nervous about tomorrow."

"I can imagine. Despite having One For All for months, it must feel daunting to actually use it."

Melissa lifted her head to stare at her hands. "I hope it turns out ok."

"I believe in you. And so does your Uncle Might." Toshinori reassured her.

"How can you know that?"

Toshinori chuckled lightly. "I'd like to think I know a thing or two about myself."

Melissa turned to face the vestige, a small smile growing on her face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You'll do fine tomorrow! Assuming you don't collapse from exhaustion, that is!"

A soft giggle escaped Melissa's lips. "Don't worry, I'm gonna have a lot of coffee in the morning."

As she watched, the vestige of Toshinori faded, and she once again turned back toward the computer, playing the next video as she waited for dawn to arrive.

Hours later, the moment of truth finally arrived. Six months of work lead up to this moment, as Melissa stood in the middle of the training room, trying to control her breathing.

"You've got this Mel," She heard her father over the intercom. "Just take it slow and careful, like Toshinori told us."

"Yeah," Melissa nodded to herself. "Like a gas burner."

In the corner of her eye, she saw the skeletal form of Toshinori watching her, as well.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of distraction, she looked at her hands.

Just like a burner. Just open up to allow the tiniest bit of gas out.

She felt the warmth that was One For All and tried willing the barest hint of power out to her hand. She gasped as she felt the warmth trailing through her arm, her hand starting to glow a warm golden color.

"That's it!" She heard Toshinori over the intercom. "Now, show us what you can do!"

With a bright smile on her face, she closed her hand into a fist and walked toward the reinforced training dummy. Setting her feet, she pulled her arm back.

"Haaaaa!"

With a yell, she punched the training dummy, feeling the power of One For All behind her fist as she saw the dummy rock backward.

"Mel, are you ok!?"

Melissa stared at the dummy in awe, before looking at her hand, wrapped in its golden glow. She spun around and jumped up and down, knowing her dad would see her. "It didn't hurt at all!"

"That's great!" David shouted back. "How much power did you put behind it?"

"Only one percent, just like Uncle Toshi explained."

"That's great. Do you think you can go further?"

"Yeah!" Melissa pumped her fist in the air. "I'll double that!"

She could hear her father chuckling at the joke behind that. "Okay, but we'll stop at two percent for today."

"Mhm, sure!"

Melissa began walking toward the next training dummy, already mentally opening the valve.

Just slightly more. Turn the knob one-half twist to let a bit more gas out.

Once again she felt the warmth in her arm, filling her more completely this time. Part of her brain was wondering how it would feel when she poured even more energy into her limbs, but then she reminded herself what would happen if she tried. She felt herself shudder involuntarily, and refocused on her arm, making sure that she was only using two percent of One For All's power.

With a cry, she swung at the dummy and watched as it flew across the room.

"How does it feel?"

"I'm still feeling great!" Melissa jumped in the air as she cheered.

"That's wonderful news, Mel!"

"Can I try the prototype armor now?" Melissa asked, curious to explore the feeling of more power in her limbs.

"Of course. Let me recalibrate the resistance on the dummies."

As she heard the whirring of motors hidden in the walls, Melissa walked back to the entrance and the case that was waiting there. Kneeling, she popped the latches and opened them, revealing a dull gray gauntlet. It didn't look particularly special, but she was also expecting to destroy it by the end of the week, if not sooner.

She'd save the good-looking stuff for when she got into UA.

Taking the gauntlet out, she slipped it over her right hand and tested its weight. Concentrating, she began pouring One For All into her arm and saw the yellow indicator bars all around the gauntlet begin to glow, informing her that the sensors were working and reacting properly. Smiling, she stood up and flexed her hand, balling it into a fist before she loosened her fingers.

"Ok Mel, the room is ready. I want you to try throwing a punch with twenty percent of your power."

"Really? That high?"

"The copy that we sent to All Might was able to contain almost thirty percent of his strength before it shattered. By my calculations, twenty percent should be below the breaking point for you."

"Ok! I'll do it!"

Standing up, Melissa walked toward the newest training dummy and looked at it, determination on her face. Looking down at her armored fist, she began concentrating, feeling One For All's warmth as it filled her arm. As she poured about twenty percent of One For All's strength into her limb, it felt hot. But it wasn't an uncomfortable heat.

Instead, it felt empowering.

She set herself in a basic stance, and with another cry swung her fist at the dummy.

Only for her cry to change into a scream of pain.

"What did you do to your arm?" The doctor asked as she put on a pair of gloves.

"It was an equipment malfunction," David explained. "We were testing a piece of support equipment for my daughter and it just exploded."

The doctor gave an incredulous look to David, having a hard time believing someone such as himself could have such a spectacular failure. Eventually, she gave up and with a sigh wheeled her chair over to the bed. "Let me see your arm."

Melissa held up her arm, which was currently a mess of bruises and burst blood vessels. As the doctor began touching her arm she winced. After inspecting the surface, the doctor's eyes began glowing green and Melissa had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from crying out as the doctor pressed more firmly, exploring her hand for further damage.

She breathed out in relief when the doctor finally let go, wheeling her chair back. "Well, the good news is there's no lasting injury and no broken bones. The bad news is that there are a lot of burst blood vessels and almost every muscle in your arm is bruised. It must have been quite the explosion to do that." She once again looked pointedly at David.

"It was a highly experimental piece of technology," David countered. "In the early stages of development. By the time the public sees my work, it's always much safer."

"Maybe next time you shouldn't have your daughter help you."

"It's my fault," Melissa quietly said. "I- dad is trying to help me become a hero! And we only have a few months before I need that equipment."

The doctor's look softened as she looked down at Melissa. "I understand the importance of deadlines, but now I'm going to have to recommend you don't use your right hand for at least a week. You'll have to keep it wrapped and I will prescribe painkillers. Do you understand what that means?"

It means I can't use One For All for a week.

"Yes ma'am."

After the doctor finished her exam and discharged them, David led Melissa home where she lay on the couch, her bandaged arm laying across her chest a reminder of today's failure. She could hear her dad in the other room talking on the phone, probably to Uncle Might, and wondered what this meant for her future.

If I can't train without hurting myself…

She felt tears threatening to fall when her dad placed a cup of hot chocolate on the table near her head. "How are you feeling Mel?"

"Like a failure," She admitted as she raised her arm.

"I'm sorry I had you push yourself to your limit today. I got caught up in your excitement and thought I had the math right."

"It's not your fault," Melissa said. "It's- Controlling One For All isn't a precise science either. I could have dialed back how much energy I used, but it just felt so good! Having a quirk- it's everything I dreamed of! And now…"

He knelt next to her and carefully wrapped his hands around her bandaged hand. "Don't worry. I'll analyze the designs while you recover. Next week we'll pick up where we left off."

"But I only have 9 weeks until the exam! Losing a whole week like this-"

"Is painful. But I know you. You're like your mother - you won't let a setback like this stop you from reaching your goal."

Despite the tears leaking out from her eyes, Melissa couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, dad."

Toshinori looked at the file in front of him. The first page was the hastily scribbled notes that he took all those months ago when Melissa called him. The keys to unlocking the rest of the file. He carefully turned the page and stared at the quirk registry sheet.

Izuku Midoriya - Quirkless.

He turned the page to see his school records, helpfully provided by Nezu.

A photo of a young green-haired kid with freckles stared at him, a nervous smile plastered on his face for a school photo. He was still in the first year of middle school - he felt far too young for Toshinori before he remembered his childhood. At age twelve, he was already chafing at the injustice in the world. At age fourteen he met Nana Shimura, and his life changed forever.

At age sixteen, he received One For All, and the man known as Toshinori Yagi was set aside for the hero All Might.

If this young man truly was to succeed him, wouldn't the seeds of heroism already be there, even at the age of thirteen?

Toshinori picked up the phone and began dialing the number for Aldera Middle School. It rang twice before the secretary picked up.

"Hello, my name is Toshinori Yagi, a new teacher at UA High School. I was wondering if I could arrange an interview with a potential student from your school…"

AN: That's it for the prologue! Next time, we'll be moving off of I-Island to Mustafu, and start introducing the rest of the cast.