AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews everyone!
Thanks to her strange dream interrupting her sleep, Ochako was exhausted when her family finally returned to Mustafu. After getting back she sent an apologetic note to Izuku and Melissa, saying she wouldn't be able to join them tonight. They understood of course, but she still felt bad about it.
Maybe that dream was getting to her worse than she thought.
With a resigned sigh, Ochako dropped onto her bed and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars scattered across her ceiling. It wasn't the same as seeing the stars themselves, of course, but they still made her happy as she traced the constellations with her fingers.
Hopefully she'd feel better in the morning. With finals coming up, she didn't have time to worry about weird dreams and what they meant!
Turning off the lights, Ochako slipped on her mittens and closed her eyes.
Thankfully the dream didn't come back and Monday didn't have any unpleasant surprises for her. Well, no more unpleasant than the reminder about finals, of course.
Once lunch arrived, Ochako found herself staring at Izuku as he described his weekend. Even though she could barely keep up, she still listened intently while Izuku described the support gear that he and Melissa had brainstormed for his costume. Although she had to admit to herself that she only caught part of it.
"Sounds like I didn't miss too much, then," Ochako teased when Izuku was finally done.
"Sorry," Izuku rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't be! I could listen to you talk for hours!" Ochako squeaked at the admission, her face heating up.
"R-really?" Izuku asked a little too loudly.
"Yep!" Ochako replied just as loudly, bobbing her head up and down rapidly. "You just get so excited and passionate about quirks and it really shows!" Regaining control she offered him a comforting smile. "I don't mind, really!"
"As long as you're sure," Izuku said as he calmed down. "So how was your trip?"
"It was great!" Ochako beamed. "I know it hasn't even been a year yet, but the slower pace was really nice."
"Did you get a chance to see your friends?"
"Only one of them," Ochako said sadly as she turned her attention to her bento. "The others were all busy."
"One's better than none," Izuku said softly.
Ochako's head shot up to look at Izuku. "N-not that I'm complaining!" She insisted. As she was reminded of Izuku's past, she realized how bad that sounded. "I just don't know when I'm going to go back again!"
"I get it," Izuku bobbed his head. "You must miss them."
"A little bit," Ochako admitted. "I spent most of my childhood around them - the town wasn't that big after all! Nothing like Mustafu."
"It sounds so peaceful whenever you describe it," Izuku said. "It sounds like a nice change of pace."
"Maybe we can go visit someday," Ochako suggested.
"Huh?" Izuku's eyes went wide.
Ochako giggled at the sight, even though she felt her face heating up. "What? We spend so much time with Risa already! And she's already invited us to I-Island once we're hero students! What's so different from taking a train ride to see some parks and shrines?"
"I guess you're right," Izuku said as he calmed down. "I just never thought about it that way before…"
"Good! It's settled then," Ochako said with a bright smile on her face. "Now where was I…"
As Ochako was busy talking about her trip, she couldn't help but notice how Izuku was focused on her as she talked. Unlike her, he tried to hide it at least, but he wasn't very good at doing so. It was actually kind of cute.
Despite being filled with studying, the rest of the week passed quickly. Before she knew it it was time for her weekly English lesson with Melissa. Normally a subject she had dreaded, the lessons from the American girl have done wonders, and while she still didn't like the class, she found her grade steadily increasing.
Hearing the doorbell, Ochako felt herself smiling. "I'll get it!" She called out, already on the way to the door. Grabbing the handle, she pulled the door open. "Hey, Risa!" Although her smile faltered at the sight in front of her.
"Hi Chako," Melissa said with a weary smile on her face.
"Are you okay?" Ochako felt concerned for her friend.
"Yeah," Melissa bobbed her head. "Just having a rough week. Training with Gran Torino really took it out of us yesterday. It was our final lesson before finals, after all, so he 'wanted to make sure we were as prepared as we could be.'"
Ochako swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Melissa waved her hand as she forced a smile onto her face. "I've got all of spring break to recover! I've just gotta make it through finals."
"If you're sure…" Ochako said.
She stepped back to allow the other girl entry. Taking the invitation, Melissa stepped in and removed her shoes before following the gravity girl to her living room where her papers were already spread out. Ochako sat down in front of the coffee table and Melissa followed suit, sitting next to her friend.
"So do you have a study guide for your exam?"
As Ochako reached out to grab her notebook, she saw Melissa's hand come up and rub her eyes. As she caught a glimpse behind the other girl's glasses, she saw the bags hidden behind them. A feeling she knew all too well. Pausing, she sat her notebook down and turned toward the other girl.
"It's not just yesterday's training, was it?" Ochako asked.
Melissa froze. She recovered quickly as she turned toward Ochako, but the pink dusting her cheeks and the moment of hesitation were enough to tell the younger girl all she needed to know.
"Between training and studies I've been staying up later than I probably should," Melissa admitted sheepishly.
"How late?" Ochako asked.
"Late," Melissa replied guiltily. "Not that I could sleep anyway. Between the whole everything about this vestige realm and the Nomu. Ever since that first attack and I've unlocked Float, things have been quiet on both fronts. Izuku and I have talked about it a little bit but-" She let out a weary sigh. "It feels like a Sword of Damocles, just hanging there, and I can't do anything about it."
"You and Izuku are both under a lot of pressure, aren't you?" Ochako asked.
"Yeah," Melissa said. "We talked about how much everything is and it helped, but…"
But it wasn't enough.
Ochako examined the girl in front of her, her normally bright eyes dulled from the weight of everything. Being a student at UA was already hard enough! And Melissa had so much more weighing on her. Izuku too. She wished she could fully understand the weight of what was going on, but she knew she couldn't. However, she knew plenty about mundane pushing herself in training and trying to get good grades at school.
Taking off her glasses, Ochako gently set them down on the table before she closed the gap and pulled Melissa into a hug.
"Ochako," Melissa asked, feeling her face heating up, "what are you-"
"I know I'm not anyone special. I don't have a fancy two-hundred-year-old quirk like you do, nor am I trying to live up to All Might's name," Ochako began.
"Chako-" Melissa began to protest.
"You don't need to be anyone special around me." Ochako finished. "You and Izuku have both taken on so much- you're both so extraordinary. But you don't have to worry about that around me. You can just be Melissa. And we can suffer through the pain of finals together."
Melissa gasped, her eyes going wide before softening. She glanced sideways to see Ochako's brown hair resting against her shoulder. "You didn't call me Risa."
"I didn't, did I?" Ochako giggled. "I guess your English tutoring is helping."
Taking off her glasses, Melissa adjusted herself to melt into Ochako's embrace. Normally when they stood side-by-side she towered almost a foot over the other girl. But here on the floor the difference disappeared as she got comfortable resting her head on the younger girl's shoulder. Resting her head against Ochako's soft hair she felt tears starting to form.
For a few minutes, the two sat in silence, forgetting the rest of the world. Melissa let her pent-up emotions out while Ochako sat there holding her, rubbing soothing circles into her back.
Once she felt her tears finally drying, Melissa pulled back, rubbing at her eyes to dry them.
"Thank you Chako. I think I just needed a good cry," She gave a wet giggle. "To think, after everything, school work was the thing that pushed me over the edge."
"I get it," Ochako said as she looked at the papers spread out on the coffee table. "It's a lot even without everything else you've got going on." She gave her friend a crooked smile. "And I don't think Izuku would survive you crying on his shoulder."
"You're right," Melissa gave the younger girl a shaky grin. "Izuku would have died from embarrassment if I tried."
"Yep!" Ochako grinned back at her friend. "He's getting better, but he gets flustered so easily!"
The two girls shared a laugh as Melissa picked up her glasses, preparing to hide her red-rimmed eyes behind them. "So… ready to get back to studying?" She asked reluctantly. "Sadly finals won't wait for us."
Ochako didn't need a quirk to read the expression on Melissa's face. And she felt the same way. Picking up her glasses, she stood up. "Why don't we watch a movie first tonight?"
"Are you sure?" Melissa asked hesitantly as she stared at the open notebook on the table.
"Yep!" Ochako said as she slammed the notebook closed. "I'm not sure I'd be able to concentrate now either. We can study afterward once we're both feeling better?"
"I think I'd like that," Melissa admitted before she grabbed her bag and stood up.
The two girls quickly made their way to Ochako's room and settled on her bed. As Melissa was searching for a comedy to watch, Ochako settled in next to her side. Once she was ready, Melissa hit play and the two relaxed into each other.
"I almost feel bad for doing this without Izuku," Melissa admits as they watched the opening credits play. "He's probably just as stressed about finals as we are."
"I'll talk to him tomorrow after school," Ochako said. "Maybe we can all do something on Sunday as one last hurrah before finals?"
"That sounds wonderful," Melissa agreed.
Both girls quieted as the movie began, ready to steal a few hours just for themselves.
Melissa felt much better the next day. With the promise of one more break before finals, she was ready to dive into her studies for one last push to prepare for finals.
After school, she joined her friends at a nearby cafe, the shop seemingly taken over by UA students as everyone had the same thought. Fortunately, her classmates were able to secure a table and everyone was able to fit comfortably as they helped each other shore up weaknesses.
As she reviewed her notes, Melissa heard a familiar tone from her group chat going off. With a smile on her face, she grabbed her phone and unlocked it.
Ochako Looks like Izuku was just as stressed as we are.
Ochako We're gonna take a detour and walk along the coast before we study.
Ochako (I suspect Izuku's got ulterior motives given his favorite merch shop is out that way. Save me).
Melissa covered her mouth as she let out a soft giggle, a smile gracing her lips as she typed out a reply.
"What's got you so happy?" Juno asked.
Melissa's head shot up. "Nothing important," she said quickly, "Izuku's just being Izuku."
"I see…" Juno said suspiciously as a pair of eyes looked at Arabele, who shook her head in resignation.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Arabele said softly. "You were looking really stressed yesterday."
"Me too," Melissa admitted before she looked down at her notes. "I'm so ready for these finals to be over with."
She heard a round of agreements from around the table before everyone returned to studying. As Melissa opened her notebook, she failed to notice the very pointed gaze of one of Juno's eyes as it continued to observe her.
Finally, the moment that they had spent the last few weeks preparing for had arrived - it was time for their final exams.
Melissa was almost jealous of Izuku and Ochako's exams - compared to UA's exams theirs sounded easy! But despite their difficulty, she felt confident about the first two days of written exams. That left the third and final day - the day she was the most nervous about.
In the morning she had her support course exam, where she demonstrated the various support gear she had produced over the semester. In addition to her costume, she produced numerous small devices for her classmates so that they could enhance their quirks. While they weren't as impressive as the support gear the dedicated support students made, she was proud of their practicality.
Fortunately, they seemed to impress Power Loader as well, and that just left the final and most important exam in the afternoon.
Her hero course exams.
After putting on her armored suit, she stepped out into the assembly area, where Nezu stood alongside none other than Shota Aizawa, their original homeroom teacher. Melissa instinctively winced as she saw him standing there, remembering his harsh words and the pain he made her inflict on herself.
"Greetings, class," Nezu announced from his spot. "You may notice today I have a very special guest. He will be helping with the final exams today. However, to prevent potential incidents, he has asked to speak with you ahead of time."
Melissa felt uneasy as her eyes darted to her friends. What's going on?
Not giving the students time to start asking questions, Shota stepped forward and bowed to the class. "You were supposed to be under my care this year, but I have failed all of you, and for that I am sorry."
Melissa gasped. "What?"
Her voice carried to the teacher's ears, and he noticed her. Straightening up, he walked over to her and looked her in the eye. "I let my personal biases cloud my judgment when it came to teaching. As a result, I made you hurt yourself and betrayed the trust you were supposed to have in me. Not only you but the entire class."
"Why did you do it?" Melissa asked.
Shota pointed to her suit. "I didn't read your file and forgot the most important part about being a teacher. You are first years. The world is dangerous, and only getting more dangerous. I stand by my belief. But it was my job to prepare you properly. I shouldn't expect you to be ready to face the world on your first day of classes. The world is harsh and unfair, but if you feel that way about your teachers… that only invites disaster in the future."
He turned away from Melissa and walked back to where Nezu was standing. "I want you to prove me wrong. Show me that potential that Nezu has helped cultivate this year."
"I won't," Melissa said, stepping forward.
"What?" Aizawa exclaimed, spinning around.
"I'm not doing anything to spite you. To prove you wrong," Melissa held a fist out in front of her. "I'm doing this for myself. And my classmates - my friends - my family! I'm going to become a great hero to fulfill my promise! I don't need your approval for any of that!"
"Hmph," Aizawa gave the ghost of a smile before turning away from her. "Perhaps I'm still misjudging you after all."
"I am proud of them," Nezu told Aizawa. "Every single one shows great promise."
"I see that," Aizawa looked up to the sky. "Very well, I'll be waiting then."
With that, Aizawa walked off toward one of the training grounds, leaving the students to look on in confusion. "What did he mean he'll be waiting?" One of the students asked.
"Why, for his part in the final exam, of course!" Nezu replied, holding up a remote. Pressing it, a holographic table appeared. "You will each be paired off into teams of two and assigned a training ground. There you will be facing a teacher or member of the UA faculty. Your goal is quite simple. You have thirty minutes to either defeat your opponent or escape through the designated exit point."
"We're going against actual heroes?" A student called out. "How can we expect to keep up?"
As Nezu explained the measures taken to handicap the heroes to make the exam more fair, Melissa began looking over the table to find her name. When she found it, she paled.
She was facing Uncle Might!
Quickly scanning the list, she found her teammate - Nejire.
"I guess that's why Torino-sensei was pushing us so hard," Melissa's classmate seemingly read her mind as she floated up beside her.
"I guess so," Melissa let out a sigh and looked down at her armor. "Time to give my suit a real workout!"
"Do you think it can survive All Might's punches?" Nejire placed an index finger on her cheek as she tilted her head.
I hope so, given that it's supposed to contain my own power up to 45 percent!
"I trust my dad," Melissa smiled as she spun around to face her teammate, folding her arms behind her back. "He built this armor to act as my aegis - to keep me safe when I'm using my quirk. If it keeps me safe from the destructive potential of my own quirk, what's a few punches?" Melissa's laugh came out far more forced than she would like.
"If you trust your dad then I'll trust him too!" Nejire pumped her fist in the air. "We just have to escape, right?"
"Yep!" Melissa said nervously. "Just run away and escape from Japan's number one hero, no big deal…"
Her mind was already working on overdrive trying to come up with a way to win - preferably that didn't expose Uncle Might's wound to the student body. She was sure a decisive blow to the scar tissue would disable him for a few seconds, and that would be more than enough time for her and Nejire to escape, but it also would give away his secret.
Melissa's thoughts were interrupted by Rika next to her. "Gran Torino? I've never heard of him before."
"I'm so sorry!" Juno suddenly called out as they rapidly extended away from Arabele.
"Wait!" Rika spun around quickly to face the living quirk. "What do you know?"
"He was the old guy who was putting Shield and Hado through training," Arabele explained as she walked up to the group.
"Yep!" Nejire said cheerily. "He's gonna be the third-year heroics teacher next year! But he's been beating us up for weeks!"
"Do you really have to put it like that," Rika grumbled.
"Just wait until we have him as a teacher," Melissa said nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
"At least I'm not going against All Might himself," Rika said as she shot Melissa a glance. "And I won't be the only one suffering."
"Eehehe," Melissa laughed nervously.
"We'll figure it out," Nejire said as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder. "We'll just go Plus Ultra!"
Melissa smiled at her friend. "Yeah, we will."
After wishing each other good luck, Melissa and Nejire began walking toward the training ground.
Don't worry Uncle Might. I won't let you down!
I'll try and get a chapter up next week but no promises! Finals season promises to be brutal. ~SupportGrrl47