AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews everyone!
The news spread like wildfire.
"Earlier today, the hero Death Arms was attacked by a strange creature. Eyewitness reports indicate the creature sought out heroes specifically…"
Inko looked up from her book to look at the television. As she watched the news report, she felt the blood draining from her face. "Izu-" She gasped.
Izuku's eyes were locked on the television as he watched the report. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"They said it attacked heroes-" Inko repeated.
"...Kamui Woods pursued the creature but lost track of it. Heroes and police across Mustafu are on high alert searching for its whereabouts. As of now the authorities have informed us Death Arms is in stable condition, but have not released any further details."
Inko felt her eyes misting up as she imagined Izuku in that position. "If they aren't releasing any details… how bad is it?"
"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "They- this is the first time I've heard of something attacking heroes. That hasn't happened since…"
Inko looked at her son. "Since when?"
Izuku lowered his head. "Ever since All Might became the Symbol of Peace almost forty years ago."
"All Might…" Inko breathed. She closed her eyes and remembered the scars he showed her as he explained his injury, before explaining his quirk and his desire to teach her son.
His quirk - now Izuku's quirk.
Opening her eyes she stared at Izuku. "Does this mean this creature - is it a sign of things to come?"
Izuku's stomach fell as he saw the image of the creature on the screen, the news anchor asking people to call the authorities if they spotted it. He thought about lying to his mom, but he knew that would only make things worse. Turning to her, he nodded his head. "Yeah. Japan has suffered forty years of low crime rates thanks to All Might. Now that he's stepping back…" Izuku sighed and gestured toward the television.
"Things are only going to get worse," Inko finished his statement for him. "And being a hero will be more dangerous than ever."
Izuku felt guilty as he looked down at his hands. Channeling One For All into them, he watched as they began to emit a soft green light before he looked at his mom. "I'm sorry."
"Izu-" Inko stood up and closed the distance between them, gently wrapping her hands around his. They felt warm. Closing her eyes, she imagined she could feel the strength of All Might's - no, his quirk - as it danced underneath his skin. "I promised you that I'd support you. But I'm still your mother. And I can't help but be scared for you. You want to be a hero but you - you're my little boy, and you're all that I have left. Ever since-"
"You don't have to say it," Izuku interrupted his mom. "I know." Extinguishing One For All, he stood up and wrapped his arms around his mom, pulling her into a hug. "I'm scared too. But I know it'll be okay!"
"How can you know that?" Inko asked, tears leaking out as she clung to her son.
"Because All Might's still protecting us, even after… even after everything, he's still fighting for Japan. He's fighting for its future - to pave the way for the next generation of heroes. Melissa and all of her friends at UA, and soon Ochako and…" Izuku pulled away from his mom so that he could see her face. "...and me."
"Oh Izu," Inko lunged forward, pulling him back into a hug, tears falling freely now.
Izuku wrapped himself tightly around his mom. "I know it will be scary, but the heroes will stop these villains! And then we'll make Japan feel safe again."
"Izu, please… promise me you'll always come back to me," Inko asked. "So that you can keep making everyone feel safe."
Izuku smiled in his mom's embrace. "Of course. I can't keep saving people otherwise."
Melissa was busy working on her homework when her cell phone began to ring. From the jingle, she knew it was Izuku - but why was he calling now? Putting her pencil down, she picked up her phone and answered the call.
"Izuku, what's up?"
"Hold on Melissa, I'm trying to call Ochako as well."
Izuku's tone immediately set her on edge. Before she had time to speculate on the reason why, however, she heard Ochako's voice chime in as bright as ever. "Hey, Izuku!"
"Hey Ochako," Izuku said. "I've got Melissa on the line as well."
"Hi," Melissa said, trying to keep a neutral tone for now.
"Oh! Hi Risa! What's going on?"
"Have either of you seen the news?" Izuku asked.
"No, I was just doing my homework," Ochako said.
"Same here," Melissa added. "What happened?"
"Death Arms was attacked today," Izuku explained.
"Don't heroes get attacked regularly?" Ochako asked. "What makes this any different?"
"It wasn't a normal villain that attacked him," Izuku said quietly. "It was some sort of creature - some monster. And…"
"And?" Melissa asked, feeling herself tensing up.
"And the creature… said something pretty disturbing," Izuku said quietly. "It said it wanted to kill heroes."
Melissa gasped, pulling her phone away from her face to stare at it in disbelief. Monsters designed to kill heroes? Who would do something like that? And who would have the resources?
Realizing the conversation was continuing without her, she returned the phone to her ear just in time to hear Ochako finish her question. "-would it want to do that?"
"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "But I have a theory…" Izuku went on to repeat the same explanation he offered his mom.
"You think someone would actually do that?" Ochako asked in disbelief.
"I could see it," Melissa admitted softly.
"It makes sense," Izuku added.
"Can we get together to talk about this more?" Ochako asked. "I- it doesn't feel right to talk about over the phone. Especially since-"
"I agree," Izuku quickly replied, cutting Ochako off. "I'll ask my mom, and let you know?"
"Sure!" Melissa agreed.
After the three confirmed their plans for tomorrow, they switched topics. Needing a distraction, they pivoted to talk about video games for almost half an hour, before Ochako finally had to say goodbye, ending the conversation.
Without missing a beat, Melissa set her phone down only to smoothly trade it for her laptop. A few mouse clicks and button presses later and she had the news article up, displaying the horrid creature courtesy of a civilian's camera.
"Uncle Toshi, you're there aren't you?" Melissa asked the air.
"Of course I am," the vestige of her uncle said, materializing behind her. She felt his ghostly presence as he leaned over her to look at the screen. "Nomu."
"Huh?"
"That's a Nomu," Toshinori explained as he pinched his chin, appearing deep in thought. "Biological weapons created by filling a corpse with quirks."
"Is this one of the things you were planning on explaining later?" Melissa asked, her voice laced with resentment.
"Melissa…" Toshinori sighed. "Yes. I know you don't like it, but I stand by my decision! Although…"
"Although what?"
"With how early they are appearing, that means perhaps it is time."
"Time for what?"
"One For All is a stockpile quirk," Toshinori explained. "It stockpiles the strength of all its previous wielders. You don't think that was just physical strength, did you?"
Melissa looked at the vestige in confusion. "I assumed that there are more people like you in there, even if they aren't talking right now."
"They are," Toshinori explained. "But it stores even more than just our memories. It also stores the quirks of previous holders."
Melissa's eyes widened. "Their quirks?! But Uncle Might-"
Toshinori chuckled. "Believe me, I was just as surprised to discover this when Young Midoriya began to manifest different quirks. It did not begin until the ninth holder. And even then - it took months of training and his body adjusting to One For All before they appeared."
"And it's been almost two years…" Melissa mused.
"Indeed. You should be more than ready to start learning how to use the other holder's quirks," Toshinori turned to the screen. "Especially if they are on the move again."
Melissa frowned - there it is again. "And you still won't tell me who they are, will you?"
"Melissa, I know it's frustrating-" Toshinori began.
Melissa turned away from the vestige. "Frustrating doesn't begin to describe it! You- there's all this knowledge that's right there and I'm flying blind! Something bad happened in the future and you're not telling me how to stop it!"
She fought back tears of frustration as she felt the phantom weight of Toshinori's hands on her shoulders. "As hard as it is to believe, I don't actually need to tell you how to stop it. Because you're changing things for the better."
"How are," Melissa waved her hand at the screen, "those monsters appearing earlier better?"
Toshinori sighed. This was a conversation that he knew was a long time in coming, but it didn't make it any easier. "There are those who seek to watch Japan burn. And these Nomu are one of their primary weapons. Since they are releasing them early, that means they are worried - and they are acting years before they are ready. They haven't had time to enact their plan properly. This creature only attacked a single hero. And a low-ranking one at that. If the villains have proper time to prepare-" Toshinori closed his eyes. "There would be hundreds of them, and they would be significantly stronger."
"But if you told us, we could have stopped them completely!"
"If only it was that easy," Toshinori sighed. "The forces that are arrayed against Japan - against your Uncle Might - are clever and insidious. I spent decades trying to root out these forces, and thought I had destroyed them all."
"Your injury!" Melissa said, spinning around in her chair to face the vestige.
"Indeed," Toshinori gave her a sad smile. "You see, this is why I have to be very careful. You're too smart for me," He gave a sad chuckle. "And I need to be careful, otherwise you may do something rash."
"I wouldn't!" Melissa insisted.
"Perhaps not you, but Young Midoriya…" Toshinori trailed off, before shaking his head. "He has a knack for trouble. And you can't tell me you wouldn't join him."
Melissa felt a pit forming in her stomach as she saw Toshinori's face. Something must have happened to Izuku - was that the reason One For All ended up with her? Closing her eyes, she silently apologized to her friends.
I'm sorry. I don't want anything to happen to you Izuku.
Opening them again, she looked at Toshinori. "So what do you expect me to do?"
"For now, continue your training. When the time comes, you and your friends will be put to the test, and these foes will push you to your limits-" He offered her a reassuring smile. "And when that time comes, I'm sure you'll be more than ready."
"Because of these quirks? The ones Izuku and I are going to unlock? How will that even work?"
Toshinori chuckled. "You're going too fast, I can barely keep up! Each of the previous holders has their own unique personality. Now that it is time, they will begin to pay you a visit and teach you how to use their quirks. As for the specifics, I'm sure they will explain it to you."
"So I'm going to be haunted by more ghosts?" Melissa asked nervously.
"Don't worry!" Toshinori assured her. "They tend to keep to themselves. You still only have to worry about me."
"I'll.. take your word for it," Melissa gave the vestige an unsteady smile. "And I'll keep an eye out for these other vestiges."
Toshinori responded with a warm smile. "Thank you. I know how hard this is, but I truly believe the future is looking promising."
"I won't disappoint you," Melissa promised. "And… thank you. For explaining. I'm still not happy but…"
"Someday it will all become clear, I promise."
Melissa felt the vestige's presence vanish, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She thought about calling Izuku and Ochako back, but she had just finished talking to them. Instead, she popped open her class group chat and sent them the article showing the Nomu attack.
If Uncle Toshi needed her to be prepared for the future, she'd be sure that she and her friends were ready.
The messages in her class chat were somber but determined. While Melissa could tell several of her classmates were worried, everyone came together to reassure them. It felt good - knowing that something like this wasn't going to stop them.
Then again, they were going to be future heroes! If they let something like this scare them, they should quit now, for their sake and the sake of civilians.
Switching to the smaller friend chat, she thanked everyone for helping out. They agreed to meet before school the next day to talk about it ahead of homeroom - it only felt right to see how everyone was feeling in person. Even without the secrets of One For All and her future self, it just felt right to talk about this face-to-face.
Closing her phone, Melissa looked at the time. It was still early, but she already felt emotionally drained from the news. Guess she'd call it an early night…
…Once she finished her homework, she thought with a loud groan.
When Melissa opened her eyes, she was greeted with the open sky. As she came to her senses, she realized she was laying on grass. Pushing herself to a sitting position, her first thought was that she was on her clifftop retreat - her special place that she shared with Izuku and Ochako. However, as the scene came into focus, she saw that despite the similarities, it wasn't their cliff. The sparse trees that dotted the cliff were missing, the sound of water crashing against cliffs indicated there wasn't a beach below her and, most importantly, when she looked up into the sky the constellations were unfamiliar.
"Where am I?" Melissa asked groggily as she stood up and looked around. "Hello! Is anyone there?" She called out.
The shadows at the base of the hill appeared to recede, revealing a crude stone path. Not seeing any other option, Melissa decided to follow it.
As she walked along the path, either her eyes must have finally been adjusting to the dim light, or something else was occurring around her. Previously formless shadows coalesced and receded, revealing hills and trees. Finally, off in the distance her destination became clear - a lighthouse. How did she miss it before? The tower was lit, the colors rotating through the spectrum like a rainbow beacon in the darkness, illuminating the trail ahead of her.
Now that it was easier to see, Melissa changed course. She left the path and climbed up a nearby hill to survey the area. From what she could tell, she was on an island - it couldn't be more than a couple of kilometers long, covered mostly in sparse woods. The only features of note were the lighthouse that stood like a beacon on one side, and the stone path that ran across the island to the clifftop retreat that was her point of origin.
Curiosity satisfied, she returned to the path and continued the journey to the lighthouse in silence. The tower itself connected to a stone building, perhaps two floors high, that was larger than she had expected. Was this a research station? Was there communication equipment inside? She hoped so! She should be back in Japan! Especially now!
Hopefully she could find answers and a way to contact the outside world within those walls.
Approaching the heavy wooden door, she steeled herself and knocked. Listening carefully, she heard someone moving inside before the door swung inward to reveal a tall muscular woman. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a sleeveless black bodysuit with yellow gloves and boots along with a small half-cape hanging from her belt. When she saw Melissa, she smiled.
"Oh, you must be the Eleventh. Toshi told me about you!"
"Eleventh?"
"Sorry, where were my manners," The woman bowed. "I'm Nana Shimura, the seventh holder of One For All. What should I call you?"
"I- Melissa's fine," Melissa said, caught off guard by the woman's demeanor. "Uncle Toshi said someone would be paying me a visit but this-" Melissa gestured wildly all around her, "-isn't what I was expecting."
"I can imagine, it was a bit of a surprise to us as well," Nana smiled at her. "You see, it changes with each new holder, so we're not sure what we'll have to work with any time One For All gets passed on."
"What is this place?" Melissa asked, her voice filled with fear - and curiosity.
"This is known as the Vestige Realm," Nana said, "but that name's probably meaningless to you. Think of this as the place where One For All stores everything."
"We're… not on Earth, are we?" Melissa asked.
Nana chuckled at that. "Of course not! You're still sound asleep in your bed, or at least I hope you are! This is more like a place you can visit in your dreams - or when you're awake, if you're determined enough."
"That's a relief," Melissa exclaimed. "So everyone is here?"
"Of course! Then again most of 'em are still hiding," Nana chuckled. "Probably for the best, you look like you're about to explode from the tension."
"Sorry, it's been a long day," Melissa admitted.
"Mhm, Toshi told us," Nana replied. "Why don't you come in, I'll put on some tea for you."
"Thanks," Melissa said, before following the woman in. She was led down the hallway to a kitchen that was oddly reminiscent of the one she and her dad shared on I-Island, except much larger. There was an island dividing the space with bar stools surrounding it. While Nana busied herself with the cupboards, she walked over to the stools and sat down.
A few minutes later, Nana placed a mug of green tea in front of Melissa. "There you go. I added a drop of honey into it - I always liked the added sweetness, myself."
"Thank you," Melissa said as she cradled the cup in her hand, taking a small sip.
"So I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, and Toshi's already given you his whole speech. While I can't tell you about your future, I can certainly answer any questions you have about me, though."
"You said you were the seventh holder, right?" Melissa began. "That means you held One For All before Uncle Mi- Uncle Toshi?"
"Yep," Nana said proudly. "When he first came to me he was a scrawny kid, if you can believe it. But he had a dream and a vision for a better Japan."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Melissa giggled, before looking down at her cup. "It almost makes me wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Nana asked.
"Why I was given One For All," Melissa whispered as she swirled the drink in her hands. "Uncle Toshi, Izuku… both of them had these grand visions and then I just- gave up on them."
She didn't know why she was telling this to the woman she had just met, but she had to admit, it felt good to finally vocalize her fears in such a way.
"Did you?" Nana asked pointedly.
"Of course I did! I was quirkless after all." Melissa asked.
"Sounds to me like you never gave up on your dream," The woman chuckled. "Instead you're just more practical than Toshi and Izuku."
Melissa felt a jolt of energy run through her. Her head whipped up to stare at the woman, who was now smiling. "But what about-"
"I've seen you - ever since One For All was transferred to you. We all have. All of your actions have shown us you're just as deserving of our strength as Toshi and Izuku are. What's different is your attitude. While it's true that Toshi and Izuku both know how to inspire people, their goals aren't exactly practical - not without One For All, at least. You on the other hand - you knew your limits and changed your goals to match."
"That's true," Melissa admitted.
"So stop feeling bad," Nana instructed. "You may not be the same as those two, but you shouldn't try to be. Toshi's already got his successor in Izuku," Nana chuckled. "And spirits know we don't need a second one of him running around. You aren't Izuku, you're Melissa Shield after all. And whether you believe it or not, you deserve to be just as much of a hero as he is."
"I- thank you," Melissa said, feeling the smile growing on her face.
"Anytime," Nana said as she stood up. "And if you're feeling lost and need someone to talk to, you can always find your way back here."
"But Toshi said-"
"That we're not going to talk to you much, I know," Nana said. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to listen if you need me."
"I might take you up on that," Melissa admitted.
"Wonderful! It can get boring here, only having the same people to talk to all the time."
"Besides, it looks like I need to come back anyway," Melissa added.
"Oh? Why's that?"
"You've been so nice and listened to me, but I thought…" Melissa felt her cheeks heating up. "I thought I was supposed to meet you to learn how to use your quirk."
"That's right, Toshi did say something like that," Nana said, amusement lacing her words as she began to circle around the island.
"I don't know how much time's passed since I arrived, but it feels like it's been hours and I don't know how much time is left," Melissa continued. "And I've troubled you enough for tonight, so I think it would be best if I came back another time-"
"Who says I haven't been teaching you how to use my quirk?" Nana asked.
"What?"
"Well, you feel lighter don't you?" Nana asked.
Melissa paused to think about it. While physically she didn't feel any different, emotionally she had started feeling better. She still had a lot to think about. Even if this woman assured her she deserved OFA, it would take time, and likely more conversations, for her to overcome her worries. But it was a start. She looked at Nana and blinked in surprise - when did the vestige get so close?
"Yeah," Melissa nodded. "I do."
"Perfect," Nana smiled at the girl. "Then open your wings and soar."
Melissa let out a panicked cry as Nana firmly placed her hands on Melissa's shoulders and shoved her backward. She threw her arms out, trying not to hit her head on the island as she felt herself falling…
…Only to bolt upright in her bed.
Except she wasn't in her bed anymore.
She was floating a meter above it.
AN: Scary news coming out of Japan! Risa's just as shocked as you are - but don't worry, with her friends and her companions, I'm sure she'll be able to help Japan's heroes! She made a promise to All Might, after all! ~SupportGrrl47