AN: Thanks for the interest and reviews everyone!
mrickey031978 - Thanks! I tried hard to keep their core characterizations before the butterfly effect takes hold.
Mugen-Muse - All Might has picked up his 'Teaching for Dummies' book early, so he's already ahead of his canon self!
Az-Bebere - Risa and Eri are safely away, living their best lives until further notice. Does it mess with Overhaul though? Dunno!
"I'm sorry I couldn't answer your questions," Melissa said apologetically as they were getting ready to leave.
"It's ok," Izuku assured her. "We'll be meeting again soon, right?"
"Of course!" Toshinori said. "Next time we will discuss what you already know, as well as explain your training routine!"
"What I already know?"
"Of course!" Toshinori smiled at him. "You may believe that you're starting from nothing, but I believe you are further along than you think."
"I-" Izuku's mouth opened and closed several times, words unable to form.
Melissa covered her mouth as she laughed at Izuku's plight. "Don't worry. You'll get used to talking to Uncle Might in no time!"
"I…'ll take your word for it," Izuku said quietly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Melissa opened her bag and pulled out her phone. "We should trade numbers!"
"T-trade numbers?!" Izuku's eyes went wide.
"Mhm! If I get into UA, I'll be helping you train after all! And, maybe I could use your help finding my way around?" She felt her cheeks heating up from embarrassment.
It felt awkward asking him to be her tour guide! But if she was being honest, it would be nice to know someone local to help her out, instead of relying on maps. And if he was to be her training partner, they'll be seeing each other almost daily anyways, so who better than to ask about the area?
"S-sure," Izuku said before he ran off to his room to retrieve his phone. When he opened it he pulled up his contacts list. He winced as he saw how empty it was, with only two numbers saved: his mom's cell phone and Mitsuki Bakugo's number. "What's your number?"
Melissa unlocked her phone and the pair traded numbers. Izuku couldn't help but stare at Melissa's number, sitting at the top of his contact list, until his phone buzzed in his hand, indicating a new message. With a startled yelp, Izuku jumped, almost throwing his phone.
"It's just a text message!" Melissa said with a light laugh.
"Y-yeah," Izuku said in a daze as he struggled to make sense of everything. He hoped that he wouldn't wake up in a few hours only to discover he'd been unconscious on the playground this entire time. He opened the text message.
Melissa: Nice to meet you :)
Nervously, Izuku sent back a simple reply.
Me: Hi
Melissa looked at her phone and smiled, before looking at Izuku. "Feel free to ask me anything you want!" Her eyes darted to Toshinori. "Except for One For All!" she quickly added. "We don't want to leave evidence for something like that!"
"Right," Izuku said, his face turning to look at his phone, his nerves replaced by excitement as he thought up hundreds of questions about All Might.
Toshinori looked at the two and smiled. It appeared that the two young OFA holders were going to get along just fine. That would make everything easier. He then turned his gaze to Inko. "And you don't mind if we continue this conversation on Friday?"
"Not at all," Inko shook her head. "I think we just need some time to process… this."
"Indeed," Toshinori looked at Melissa and remembered the rather chaotic discussions they'd had all those months ago. "It's a lot to take in all at once."
Finally saying their goodbyes, Toshinori and Melissa took their leave, the apartment door closing behind them and leaving Izuku and Inko alone. After far too long, the two turned toward each other.
"I'm- I'm going to be a hero…" Izuku said.
Inko couldn't help but smile at her son. "Yes, you're going to be a wonderful hero."
Melissa and Toshinori had just sat down on the train when Melissa heard her phone go off. Pulling it out she saw she had received a new text message from Izuku.
Izuku: So are you really related to All Might?
Melissa couldn't help but laugh as she rolled her eyes. Of course that's his first question. Not trying to get to know her better, but asking about All Might.
"What's so funny?" Toshinori asked.
"I think your successor may be a bit of a fanboy," Melissa said as she began typing out her response. "He really looks up to you."
She couldn't help but smile as she heard his sputtering cough next to her. "I… will keep that in mind."
Looking back down at her phone, she finished typing her response and hit send.
Me: No. He's not really my uncle. But he's still my goofy uncle who shows up a few times a year, and I love it every time he visits.
Two days later, Melissa sat on her bed, lazily typing away at the next chapter of her story when she heard a knock on the door to her apartment.
"Miss Shield, your letter from UA has arrived," the secretary announced.
In an instant, she pushed herself off her bed and rushed to the door. She didn't care that she was still in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt as she practically threw the door open in anticipation. "Do you have it?"
The secretary, an older woman in a three-piece suit, seemed unphased by her appearance. "Of course," She offered the letter to Melissa who swiftly grabbed it. "Would you like me to inform All Might as well?"
"That won't be necessary," Melissa said. "Thank you- for delivering this, I mean! You could have just called and I would have come down."
"It's nothing," The secretary gave her a knowing smile. "I hope it's good news."
"Me too!"
Without another word the secretary turned and began her journey back down the hallway, giving Melissa privacy. She quickly closed the door and practically ran back to the room's desk, opening the letter and spilling its contents onto the desk.
As she expected based on the weight of the envelope, a message disk fell out, along with several papers. Grabbing the disk and flipping it upright, Melissa adjusted it so that it was facing her and pressed the button.
"I Am Here! As a projection!"
Melissa couldn't help but giggle as her Uncle Might appeared in front of her, dressed in a bright yellow suit.
"Now you may be surprised to see me in this way, but I have a surprise announcement!" The image of All Might gave her an exaggerated wink. "Next semester, I will begin teaching at UA, as a first-year Heroics teacher!"
Melissa gasped. She knew Uncle Might was going to begin teaching at UA, but as the heroics teacher? That means she'd be learning under him at UA! In addition to their private lessons.
"But I know that's not what you are waiting to hear. Let's go over your exam scores! For the written exam, you scored an 84%, putting you within the top ten percent of candidates."
The image paused on screen and Melissa frowned. She thought she did better than that! Perhaps her written Japanese could use more work, after all…
"Now don't worry, that only tells part of the story. There is also the matter of the practical exam!" The screen cut away, showing Melissa's opening move where she ran forward at the beginning, golden sparks trailing behind her as she raced toward the first wave of robots before crashing into them.
"You showed an impressive mastery of your quirk, considering how dangerous it is! With your strength, you managed to score an impressive fifty villain points! But that's not all." The camera changed scenes to show her and the boy rescuing the unconscious student. "What kind of school would we be if we focused on a single metric? What we didn't tell you is there is a second, hidden, component to these exams. A score based on your actions, your bravery, and your displays of heroism: Hero Points!"
The camera cut back to All Might. "And due to your quick thinking and actions in rescuing the boy, you managed to score an impressive twenty-five hero points! That gives you a combined total of seventy-five points, putting you in second place for this year's entrance exam."
With a sweep of his hand, he revealed a scoreboard and the scores began appearing.
There, in second place, was her name.
Melissa Shield - 75 points
"Congratulations Melissa. Your hard work over these past eight months has paid off. This is your Hero Academia!"
Melissa could feel herself tearing up as she saw Uncle Might's smiling face on the screen before she threw her arms in the air and cheered. The screen shifted to an image of Power Loader as he began talking about her application to the support department, but she had long since stopped paying attention.
"Risa… I'm doing it. I'm really doing it! I'm keeping my promise!"
The rest of the week passed quickly for Izuku as he talked to Melissa over text message, sending her a near-constant stream of questions about All Might, and before he knew it Friday had arrived. Once again Izuku found himself sitting in his living room with his mom. Every few seconds he looked at the clock, his attempts to distract himself by looking up new villain attacks failing.
When the doorbell rang, he was already halfway down the hallway before the chime finished. "I'll get it!"
Pulling the door open, he saw the skeletal form of Toshinori - no, All Might, standing in the doorway, Melissa standing a few steps behind him.
"H-hi there Al-" Izuku swallowed nervously. "-Toshinori! Come on in!"
"I see you're eager to get started," Toshinori said with a smile on his face as he entered the apartment.
The pair removed their shoes and followed Izuku into the living room, where Inko was already setting out a teapot and four cups. The four arranged themselves and sat down.
"Now then," Toshinori began as he set a briefcase on the coffee table. "We need to discuss the matter of Young Midoriya's future." He pulled out a large stack of papers and continued talking as he separated them into piles. "First, I'd like to talk about what Young Midoriya can do."
"What I can do?" Izuku repeated the words, almost in disbelief.
"Indeed. When I asked you what training you've had to become a hero, you said you've had none. But I believe you're wrong."
"Wrong?" Izuku repeated the word, the concept feeling almost foreign to him.
Toshinori gave him a sad smile. This young man has been blinded to his full potential. "I hope you don't mind, but Melissa told me you keep a series of analysis notebooks. I'd like to see one."
"Y-yes!" Izuku practically jumped up from his spot on the floor and ran to his room, before dashing back with a notebook in hand. "Here you go!"
Toshinori flipped through the book, reading over entries of heroes that he recognized while Izuku stood there like a puppy waiting for approval. When he was finished he looked up to his successor and smiled. "And this was all self-taught?"
"Yeah!" Izuku said, balling his fists in excitement.
Toshinori couldn't help but chuckle. If you found the right topic, it appeared young Midoriya's excitement would override his anxiety. He'd have to keep that in mind. "For a self-taught amateur, these are quite impressive. I know it's early, but may I suggest taking some support analysis courses in high school? That would allow you to hone your skills even further."
"You can do that?" Izuku asked in confusion.
"Mhm," Toshinori nodded before raising a hand to indicate Melissa. "Melissa here applied at UA as a Hero Course student, but she also applied to be dual-enrolled with a minor concentration as a support student. It's an option that most hero students don't take due to the increased workload, but it is an option available."
"I always worked on support equipment with my dad when I was younger," Melissa admitted, a fond look on her face. "Even though I'm trying to become a hero myself, I don't want to forget that part of me. Besides! It would be better if I did most of the work on my armor myself, due to the experimental technology involved."
"I see," Izuku placed his thumb on his lip as he thought about it. "So my analysis skills can actually be used that way…"
"Indeed!" Toshinori turned towards Inko. "Have you taught Izuku any first aid?"
Inko looked surprised. "I- of course!" She looked at her son. "I taught Izu the basics of first aid when he was little and used to play with his friends. He always was the one to patch them up whenever they got cuts and scrapes, until…" She got quiet, recalling the memory when Izuku came home and said Kacchan didn't want him to come along on their adventures anymore.
"I see," Toshinori nodded. "First aid is another invaluable skill for a hero to have. After all, depending on the situation, paramedics may be unavailable, or busy. In those cases, it will be up to the heroes on hand to help out."
Inko looked at her son. "If that's the case, I'll have to teach Izu even more!"
"Yeah!" Izuku said, sounding excited by the prospect.
Toshinori simply smiled as he watched the Midoriyas' growing excitement. Young Midoriya clearly had a sharp and capable mind to pair with his heroic spirit. It just needed the right encouragement.
His smile turned to a frown as he looked at the papers in his hand.
Speaking of encouragement…
He waited until Inko and Izuku were done with their brainstorming session before he coughed politely. "Now then, onto more serious topics. First off, I'd like to discuss the matter of Young Midoriya's school."
"Aldera?" Inko asked, her voice laced with concern.
Toshinori nodded affirmatively. "I believe it would be best for Young Midoriya if you transferred him to a different school. It is clear that the teachers and staff at Aldera are neglecting his development, and I believe he would do well in a different environment."
Inko looked at her son. "Izu…"
"T-they always told me that resources would be better spent on, well… people with quirks," Izuku admitted softly, turning away from his mom's look. "I didn't want you to worry about me."
"Well, they were wrong!" Inko said with surprising firmness in her voice before she turned toward Toshinori. "If that's what Aldera middle school is like, I won't stand for it. I'll have him transferred at the end of the semester."
Toshinori smiled as he handed a pile of papers to Inko. "I'd hoped you would say that. I've looked into it and already compiled a list of schools that are still accepting transfers this late into the semester for you."
Inko took the list and began examining them before turning to her son. "Did they do anything else to you?"
Izuku shook his head. "No! I promise! They just focused on my classmates with strong quirks."
"Like Young Bakugo," Toshinori said. "They seemed desperate to show him off to me." He let out a long sigh. "It doesn't speak well for a school that decides its student's worth based on their quirks alone."
"I'll file a complaint!" Inko said as she began to rise, only to be stopped by Toshinori raising his hand.
"Don't worry. I've already spoken to a colleague of mine, he will look into the school. I hope that the pressure of a light shining on them will be enough to get them to change their ways. In the meantime, let's focus on Young Midoriya's development."
Inko settled down, seemingly satisfied for now. "I'll look these over and arrange the transfer then."
Looking down at the remaining stacks of paper, Toshinori turned his attention to Izuku. "Now then, for the most important part. Training your body." Picking up the stack of papers, he offered it to Izuku, who nodded along mechanically as he took the papers. "You see, One For All requires a certain amount of muscle mass to wield its power. Without it, you can suffer serious injury."
"Izu can be hurt by this quirk?" Inko asked, concern evident in her voice.
Izuku's eyes, meanwhile, were darting between All Might and Melissa. He knew All Might's sheer height and muscle mass, but Melissa - she was taller than him and obviously athletic, but from what he could tell, most of her muscle appeared to be lean, giving her a build that was closer to a runner than a bodybuilder.
Melissa noticed Izuku examining her and blushed from embarrassment. "I may not look it, but I'm really strong! Trust me, I was in your spot when I started! But it was worth it." With a proud smile, she flexed her arm.
"Even with this training, Young Midoriya will only be able to handle a fraction of One For All's power at the beginning," Toshinori explained. "However, Melissa and her father David have been working on support gear to help."
He turned to Melissa who opened up her case and held up a metallic boot. "This is the prototype from my support gear. It's designed to absorb the feedback from One For All and allow me to use it without hurting myself." She placed the boot on the table and held up her hands, feeding a small stream of One For All into it. "While I can use my quirk without it, I can only use a small percentage of its power before the strain gets to me."
"And you'd make sure Izu has access to this support gear?"
"Of course! And the truth is, he'll probably need it less than I will."
"Indeed. Young Midoriya won't be dependent on this equipment forever," Toshinori added. "As time goes on and he continues to grow and train, his body will be able to use more and more of One For All without being hurt. Eventually, he will be able to use it without any support gear at all."
"Really?" Izuku's eyes sparkled.
"However! Until then, we will be mindful of your limits."
"Thank you."
Izuku looked at his mom and saw the relief in her eyes. His eyes darted to the boot sitting on the table before he looked at his mom, and gave her a reassuring smile. "I remember what you said, mom."
Inko's eyes became glassy as she looked at her son, before she returned her gaze to Toshinori, nodding for him to continue.
"While Melissa was able to prepare herself in six months, thanks to the deadline for UA's entrance exam, Young Midoriya has a bit more time. However! We don't plan on being lazy about it. The plan is for Young Midoriya to receive One For All in a year's time."
"A year?" Izuku asked in surprise. He didn't realize how long it would take.
"Mhm, And then you will have ten months to learn how to use One For All and practice with it, before school entrance exams." Toshinori picked up the final packet of papers and offered them to Inko.
Inko took the papers and began to look them over. Meal plans and nutrition guides, as well as a copy of Izuku's exercise schedule. Once she was satisfied she looked up at Toshinori. "These are very comprehensive."
"Of course! Thanks to the resources of I-Island, I was able to come up with a plan to maximize Young Midoriya's growth. He will benefit from Melissa's experience!"
"I'll be cleaning a beach?" Izuku asked as he finally reviewed his packet.
Toshinori laughed. "Are you surprised?"
"Y-yeah," Izuku admitted. "I just… thought the training would be a little more, um, traditional?"
"While we could resort to a more traditional workout, I promise you that you will be more than ready with this method." Reaching out, he began flipping the pages in Izuku's hands. "As you can see, the different sizes, shapes, and weights of the trash will force you to use your full range of motion, and exercise different muscle groups to move it."
Sure enough, Izuku saw detailed diagrams showing how he will move tires, microwaves, and refrigerators, each with different muscle groups highlighted. It was more information than he had expected, and he made a mental note to review this later.
"And when I get back, I'll be helping, too!" Melissa said.
"You will?" Izuku looked up at the girl in surprise.
"Mhm! Like Uncle Might said, I need to keep building myself up as well! Even though hero schools have their own dedicated gyms, it'll be a nice change of pace! And," Her cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. "It'll be nice having someone to train with for once."
Izuku felt his face turning bright red as well. He had just gotten used to talking to her over text message, and now he was going to train with her?
"I- that- yeah, that sounds great!" Izuku said in a too-high-pitched tone.
Melissa couldn't help but smile at him. She felt her embarrassment draining away as she saw how easily he became flustered and embarrassed.
Izuku's eyes snapped open as his alarm went off. Looking over at his clock he saw that it was five AM.
Time to begin training! With All Might!
He hit the button on his clock to silence it before silently crawling out of bed. Looking at his nightstand, he saw a blinking notification on his phone. Picking it up, he unlocked it and read the message.
Melissa: Sorry I can't be there for your first day! I know you'll do great!
Izuku found a smile tugging at his lips as he read the message before sending the reply. Unfortunately, Melissa had to move back to I-Island for the next month - just because she was accepted into UA didn't mean her schooling on I-Island was done, after all. However, she kept her promise and kept in contact with Izuku; the two even started talking about topics other than All Might!
It was like night and day compared to the students at Aldera.
Changing into his gym clothes he went into the kitchen where he saw his mom had prepared a light breakfast for him overnight. Smiling, he wolfed it down before quietly leaving his apartment and making his way to the beach.
After a fifteen-minute jog, he saw Toshinori sitting on the back of a pickup truck. With a smile, the boy waved, hoping he could see him despite the darkness.
"Young Midoriya!" Toshinori's voice echoed as he stood up. "You're early, I see!"
"I couldn't help it!" Izuku called out. He started to slow down, finally taking in the piles of trash that littered the beach. "So this is the dump?"
"Unfortunately," Toshinori sighed heavily. "Due to the tidal currents, trash began to accumulate here years ago. Rather than clean it up, people instead began using it as their own private landfill, only adding to the problem. Over the years the problem grew, and here we are."
"It looks so sad," Izuku observed.
"Indeed, which is why you are cleaning it up!" Toshinori disappeared in a puff of smoke, being replaced by the hulking form of All Might. "After all, there is more to being a hero than punching bad guys!"
Izuku's eyes went wide. "How is cleaning a beach part of that?"
All Might laughed. "You see, being a hero is also about helping the community! And inspiring people to be better! It's something that many heroes have forgotten." He walked over to a refrigerator and with a single punch flattened it, before picking it up and placing it in the bed of the truck. "It's not just about solving cases and defeating villains."
Izuku thought back to how All Might inspired him, all those years ago, and his eyes went wide as pieces began to fall into place. "I think I get it!"
"Excellent! Now then, let's begin. We have a lot of beach to clean over the next twelve months!"
Ochako was walking home when she heard a little girl whimpering and begging for someone to come down. Suddenly feeling alert, she looked around before taking off in the direction of the voice.
She didn't have to go far when she found the owner of the voice - a little girl standing under a tree, tears streaming down her face.
"Kitty! Come down!" The girl begged.
"Um, excuse me," Ochako called out to the girl, trying to get her attention. "What's the matter?"
"It's my kitty!" The little girl turned toward Ochako and pointed to the tree. "He ran away and now he's up in that tree!"
Sure enough, when Ochako followed the direction the girl was pointing, she saw a small gray cat up in the tree. Looking at the tree, it looked easily climbable.
She returned her gaze to the little girl and smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll get your cat down!"
"You will?"
"Mhm," Ochako smiled at her. "It may not look like it, but I'm really good at climbing!"
"Ok!" The girl looked up at Ochako with such a hopeful look on her face, she knew she had to succeed.
Placing her bag on the ground, Ochako quickly climbed the tree to the branch where the cat was. "Here kitty…" It required a little coaxing, but eventually, she was able to get her hands on the cat, careful to keep her pinkies raised so as not to use her quirk on the animal. "Got you!"
Very carefully, she slid back down to the base of the branch, before leaning over to lower the animal to the little girl. "Here you go."
"Yay!" The girl reached up her hands to take her cat, before holding him close to her chest. "You rescued my kitty! You're my hero!"
Ochako couldn't help but smile as she saw how happy the girl was, a warmth blossoming in her chest.
Then she heard a large crack and felt panic overcome her as she found herself falling to the ground.
"Eeek!" The ground rushed up to meet her, too quickly for her to use her quirk and she landed with a dull thud. "Owwww…"
"Miss! Are you ok?!" The little girl asked in a panic.
"Y-yeah," Ochako sat up and rubbed her head. When she opened her eyes the world was blurry, and she realized her glasses must have fallen off in her fall. "My glasses! Where are my glasses?"
She began looking around when she saw the blurry image of the little girl holding out her hand. "I found them, but, umm…"
"Oh," Ochako understood why when she took her glasses. The bridge was bent at an angle and was currently unwearable.
"I'm really sorry!" The girl bowed. "If it wasn't for me!"
"It's ok, really!" Ochako tried to assure the girl, waving her hand defensively. "I can just bend these back like… so…"
Ochako tried to carefully straighten the bridge of her glasses like she had so many times before. But this time the metal finally broke, her glasses snapping in half. She couldn't help but wince as she saw the two pieces in her hands.
"Are they supposed to do that?"
"Y-yeah!" Ochako reassured the girl. "They're fine! I just need to take them home and I'll fix them right up!"
With some tape. Ochako told herself. I know mom and dad will insist that I get new frames, but they can't afford that! And my next eye exam isn't for 8 more months!
"If you're sure…"
"Yep!" Ochako said in a too-high voice. "Positive!"
"Ok!" She couldn't see her face clearly, but she hoped the girl was smiling at her before she bowed, still tightly clutching her cat. "Thanks again!"
"Now be a good girl and take your cat home, ok? I can't help you if he gets stuck in a tree again."
"Of course! I'll go home right away!"
Ochako watched the girl until she disappeared down the street before she let out a frustrated groan and collapsed onto the ground. Her back was sore, she could feel scrapes on her arms and legs, and her glasses were broken.
Being a hero felt good, but it also really sucked sometimes.
It took longer than usual for Ochako to get home, the blurry world a constant reminder of her damaged glasses. And the conversation about replacements that she was going to have with her parents.
Once she arrived home she pulled out her key and unlocked the door before pushing it open. As she stepped inside, she stopped as she heard her parent's voices drifting down the hallway, filled with excitement. Normally they wouldn't be home this early, giving her time to repair her glasses and think of excuses.
She took her shoes off and followed the voices down the hallway.
"What's going on?" Ochako asked curiously as she entered the kitchen where her parents were sitting.
"Honey, we have great news!"
"You remember that business deal we've been working on?"
"Yeah!" Ochako bobbed her head in excitement. "Did you get it?"
"We did!" Her mom practically shouted. "We're gonna have steady work for years!"
"That's great!" Ochako exclaimed.
"There's just one small problem…" Her dad said hesitantly. "The work's gonna require us to move the company to Mustafu."
"Mustafu? Where's that?"
"It's near Tokyo, about four hours away by train," Her mom said. "I'm sorry, we'll have to bring you with us and transfer you to a new school. You won't have much time to say goodbye to your friends…"
"No, don't be!" Ochako said as she shook her head. "I don't mind moving if it's for work!"
She didn't need her glasses to see her dad's expression soften. "That's our little Mochi."
"Ocha-" Her mom asked, suddenly realizing something was wrong. "Where are your glasses?"
Ochako felt her face heating up as her hands darted behind her back. "About that…"
AN: And the gang's finally all here!
I'll be taking some time off for the holidays, but we'll pick right back up in a few weeks.
Happy holidays, and see you all in the new year!