One For All Newest Wielder
United States of America/ I-Island- Afternoon
The same day Luffy came to this world...
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, a man-made island that houses the world's brightest minds.
This place is called the I-Island, a completely artificial and mostly built from iron.
The island is an artificial moving island inhabited by over ten thousand scientists conducting research on Quirks. However, the island comes complete with four different cities separated by large bodies of water and natural foliage. There are beautiful beaches, great lakes, and incredible cities to be explored. The island has a residential district, a business district, and schools. The island can only be accessed via plane by entering through the airport.
Every company in the world involved with the Pro Hero business invested money to create a technological paradise for the research and development of Quirks and support items. I-Island is an artificial moving island created for scientists to peacefully research together. Thousands of scientists and their families inhabit the island's main cities. Scientists primarily research the Quirk phenomenon and develop tools to support Pro Heroes.
The island was created to gather the world's top researchers to a safe place where their combined talents could study Quirks. There are several countermeasures in place to prevent criminal incidents. The island's security system is on par with that of Tartarus Prison, many of its structures are built sturdier than bomb shelters, and scientists cannot leave the island to ensure confidentiality. There had never been a villain attack on the island before Wolfram's invasion.
I-Island is also home to the famous I-Expo, a city-wide event that showcases all the island's technological advancements. Pro Heroes are invited by the event sponsors and people are permitted to use their Quirks in public.
I-Island Academy, Melissa's Lab- Afternoon
Meanwhile, on the I-Island, a 15-year-old teenage girl was working on some kinda of project in a laboratory.
She is a shapely and attractive pale-skinned young woman of slightly above average height with quite a round face. She has wavy blonde hair that reaches halfway down her back, two shorter pieces she leaves over her shoulders, side-swept bangs that frame her face, aqua-blue eyes with notable upper eyelashes, some slightly longer ones extending on each side, and pronounced lower eyelashes.
Her name is Melissa Shield, daughter of the famous inventor David Shield.
Melissa's face was covered in dark grease and goggles wrapped securely around her eyes. Her long, wavy blonde hair was wrapped in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of overalls with an All Might t-shirt underneath.
The girl reached over to her desk and began searching through her sketches and blueprints for whatever she was working on, letting out a small 'oops' when she sent a few of the cans clanging to the floor.
"I really need to clean this place when I get the chance," Melissa said to herself as she began to look around and gulped about how many empty pizza boxes were lined up against the wall and other junk lying around the lab.
She was lucky her father wasn't here to see this or else risk him locking her out of the lab for a week again for not eating properly.
The blonde American let out another small noise as she returned back to her search and finally found what she was looking for, lifting up a blueprint to quickly read through it. Once she was finished, Melissa nodded and hurried back to the project that she'd been working on, smiling widely.
She had her routine: after she was done with school for the day she would come by her lab and work on her homework while he worked on whatever project he was busy with. Sometimes she'd finished her school work early and worked on the small projects she had set up in her workspace.
The young investor was constantly putting the finishing touches on her latest invention before stopping and pushing the goggles up to her forehead, reaching over to grab her glasses from the nearby desk so she could properly see. She had been working on a new deployment system for support items like collapsible equipment for staff weapons or shields that could be compact until they were triggered for use. There had been a few bugs that had to be worked out and she was still fine-tuning it when her reminder went off.
Just before she could get the chance to test out her latest invention, Melissa heard her phone ping with a message on her desktop before checking to see who it was.
Dad: Your Uncle Toshi will be here this evening and wants to see us both.
Reading this made the girl's face beam bright with joy and excitement, as she messaged him back.
Melissa: AWESOME! I'll be there. Love you, Dad!
Dad: Love you too.
Melissa put her phone away and went back to work trying to get this done before she had to be home for dinner. After running some tests on her invention to see the results she was hoping for, Melissa let out a sigh to see everything working already without any problems. Then she spent a few hours cleaning up around the lab and getting rid of all the junk food lying in the room, right after taking a quick shower in her personal bathroom to clean herself off before her uncle arrived.
It didn't take to long for Melissa to finish her shower and feel refreshed after washing away all sweat and grease from her body, as she changed out of her dirty clothes and into the other clothes she was wearing today.
She switched out of her working clothes and is now wearing a white short-sleeved dress shirt with plaid cuffs, a large bow of the same design at her neck, and a dark raspberry-pink waistcoat. Accompanying these are pale gray Capri pants, under which are a pair of plaid pink socks as well as a pair of heeled brown boots.
Then Melissa's alarm went off to remind her it was time to go home.
"Okay, time to get going," Melissa said before turning off everything in her lab and locking up behind herself, as the school day was already finished hours ago with most everyone gone home except for a few teachers and students. "I can't wait to see, Uncle Might again after all this time." She said with an upbeat smile while leaving the school.
I-Island Airport- Evening
After leaving the academy, Melissa met up with her father who was waiting for her at home as they were planning to pick him up from the airport.
He is a tall man of an average build, with notable wrinkles on his forehead and defined nasolabial folds and tear troughs. He has small sky-blue eyes and short, unruly honey-brown hair with two prominent tufts curving outwards from the top of his forehead, a short goatee on his chin, and wide-rimmed square glasses on his face. He wears a plain dark blue shirt with a single breast pocket, the two top buttons left casually undone and the sleeve cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up to just below his elbows. He wears a pair of pale gray-blue jeans, a dark belt with a silver buckle, and navy blue sneakers with white soles, decorated with a red stripe near the toe.
His name is David Shield.
Then the two made their way to the airport, as the only way to enter I-Island is by plane to its airport, located on the outer ring of the island. Several planes from various airlines bring people to and from the island. There are also various gates that can be used to board planes. Anyone coming in from the outside must pass a security inspection in the airport.
The blonde teenage girl was bouncing with excitement to see her Uncle again after so long. It had been almost 9 years since she had seen him since he was so busy being the Number one Hero in Japan.
She remembered when she was little was diagnosed like her dad that she was Quirkless and that he came directly to see her to make her smile again. They had kept in touch with the occasional email or video chat, but nothing in person. She wished she could brag about someone as amazing as her Uncle, but she could understand his reasoning about keeping her safe.
Melissa and her father watches as the plane had come in for a landing on the private runway with the sun descending below the horizon. It was easier for her Uncle to land on a private strip to prevent people from rushing him for autographs and hounding him with questions. After the plane opened up it was hard to miss the mountain of a man. He wore a bright yellow suit that looked a little tight on his massive frame. They drove over to pick him up and Melissa got out in a rush of excitement as she jumped towards him.
"Uncle Might!" Melissa shouted with joy before getting caught in mid-jump by the hero and being spun around.
"Ah, Melissa it is so good to see you, my dear!" All Might replies as he lifts her up high. "I must say you have grown to be a lovely young lady." He lowered her to the ground and hugged his old friend. "Dave my old friends, it is good to see you again."
"Same here Toshi," David said, hugging his friend tight. "Come on, let's get you out of here before someone sees you and we get trapped by fans." David gave a mocking shudder at an old memory where that had happened.
"Good Idea old friend." All Might replied as he grabbed his bag to put them into the trunk of the car.
Shield Resident- Night
As the sun finally set with night lights around the man-made Island turning on, the ride back to their home was filled with Shield family and the Symbol of Peace catching up and lots of laughter of old stories and what they all had been up to. When they arrived home they had offered to help with his bag, but All Might politely declined.
After letting All Might get settled and shower from his flight. He came downstairs in a simple white shirt and gray sweats as all three of them were enjoying Chinese take-out they picked up on their way back home, an indulgence given the events earlier in the day.
"Now Toshi I know you well enough that you did not just fly here at the last minute from Japan for no reason at all," David said to his old friend who had the decency to look a bit bashful. "So what brings you all this way?"
All Might let out a deep breath. "A few days ago, I had an reality check that my time as a hero is almost at an end, and I need someone to carry the torch before my time is up." He said gripping his hand together tightly with a sad but serious expression on his face. "Which is why I came here to talk with you both since you are my family and I cannot keep my secrets any longer."
"Wait, why do you mean by a secret?" Melissa asked looking a bit concerned about what he said.
"It's something that I've been keeping from the both of you for a long time. What I'm about to share with both of you is a secret that I have been keeping for the last 4 years. Please, whatever you both do, please do not freak out." All Might said before letting out a long breath and shrank down to where he was skin and bones, as he coughed up blood as he shrank down.
Both of them jumped up as an automatic reaction to him coughing up so much blood and were about to call him an ambulance when he waved them off.
"My god, Toshi..." David said in horror, while looking at his long time friend weak and frail form. "What in the world happened to you?!"
"Make yourselves comfortable you two, this story will take a bit." Toshinori said to them, while whipping the blood from his mouth. "It all started when I met my Master Nana Shimura when I was about the age to start U.A."
Toshinori told them both everything about how he had been born quirkless and he had been chosen to surpass his master with her quirk One For All. Melissa and David were stunned to hear that a quirk like that could be transferred from one person to another. He told them of his Master's death by the hands of a supervillain All For One, a mad man who been around since the draw of quirks. After that, how he was trained by his Master's old friend Gran Torino during his school time and went to the US after graduation from U.A. How he and David had gotten together and become his support person as they battled crime together.
How when he returned to Japan was when he rose through the ranks and put all his focus to saving japan from a large number of villains and his battle with All For One that after he dealt the final blow to finish the fight. Toshinori was barely alive and it was how he had a falling out with his sidekick Sir Nighteye about retiring. He had been doing his best to keep being the Pillar of Justice, but it was taking its toll. He could only be a hero at most for three hours and it was slowly declining as time went on with continuing efforts to keep Japan safe, as the man was on the search for an successor to inherited his power.
After finishing his story, David and Melissa looked at him with stunned horror.
Melissa got up and left the room, tears running down her face at her Uncle's story.
David got up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, letting Toshinori compose himself before speaking.
"Toshi, I don't know how I am supposed to feel about this. I know you kept this big secret for my and Melissa's safety, but I have known you for years!" David scolded the man. "If you had come to me I could have helped you keep your health and maybe gave you some support items to help you keep your time up!" He let out a frustrated sigh as he saw his friend lower his head even further. "Look, come to my lab tomorrow and I will run a few tests and see what I can do for you to help."
"Thank you, David. For being a better friend than I ever was to you." Toshinori said quietly with a smile. He felt his age right now and wondered not for the first time today if he had made a mistake not taking his old sidekick advice on retiring.
"Give her a bit of time before going to talk to her," David said as he leaned back onto his couch. "I know there is another reason you are here Toshi. So just the two of us, what is the other reason you are here?" The man fixed his old friend with a knowing stare.
"Well, you see…" Toshinori started before giving his friend the full intentions.
After hearing her Uncle's story, Melissa had gone straight to her home lab outside in their backyard and went and started to fix a few of the bugs on her staff she built and after a few minutes calmed down enough to fix it.
She folded and unfolded the staff several times in rapid succession before giving it a twirl. It was lightweight to wield and was able to be clipped to a belt with ease. She let out a sigh as she thought back to her Uncle's words. The girl cried and her Uncle came and held her as she cried her heart out. He had told her that she could be like her Dad and build items to support heroes in the field. Melissa could remember that moment when she found her love of inventing and building stuff. She remembered what it was like to make her first invention and being in love with it ever since.
Melissa set her completed staff on the table and let out a tired sigh. She knew what it was like to be different from everyone else. Before coming to I-Island She was teased and picked on for being Quirkless. When her father came to the I-Island it had opened up more opportunities for her with the mixture of people with and without quirks, as she made tons of new friends in her school that didn't care about her quirklessness. Most of them treated her with kindness and respect for her inventions. There were still several people who didn't like her for obvious reasons, but she didn't let it bother her too much.
The blonde girl had been working on her invention for the past few hours after looking at the clock and decided to head back in the house. She wasn't sure how to handle her Uncle at the moment. She was a mixture of upset and angry at him. She entered the living room to find him sitting on the couch.
"Uncle Toshi." Melissa said getting his attention.
Toshinori looked up to see his niece had returned home from her workshop. "Melissa I know you are upset and more than likely furious at me. You have every right to be for how I keep this secret from you and your father." He said looking to see she had nodded her head enough to acknowledge him but remained silent. "I have no real excuse as to why I let myself get that way. I have been doing this for so long that I forgot my own roots of who I was and where I came from before I became the Number One Hero." Toshinori looked up at the ceiling with a defeated expression. "I came to see you and your dad to help me find my path again and to try and become a better person. A better Hero."
Melissa closed her eyes and let out a sigh before speaking to him.
"Uncle Toshi, I know you have been doing things your way to keep the world spinning, but you are only one person who can't hold up the whole world without consequences such as losing one's self." Melissa said while moving towards a chair across from her Uncle. "I remember when I was little you had to console me when I got my diagnosis. You dropped everything just to comfort me and helped me find my path in life." She gave him a small smile as the girl wanted to stay angry at the man, but he was trying to make a fresh start.
She wanted to at least meet her Uncle halfway. She had not seen him in such a long time and did not want to spend his entire visit avoiding him. He was punishing himself more than she ever could.
"I know you made mistakes, but I believe one of your old movies I watched with you had a say of 'why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." Melissa said and gave him an honest smile. "Now you can start making changes to be a better hero than before." She gave him a familiar smile and pose.
Toshinori smiled at her antics to mirror him. "You still have that amazing heart, Melissa." He sat back up at his full height. "I have much to make up for and I plan on starting on big changes when I get back to Japan." He said making his decision on the plane about what he planned to do and David told him it was not his decision to make. "Let me ask you something, Melissa. If I have asked you to become my successor what would you do? Would you accept or decline it?"
Melissa froze at that question. She knew about his ability to give his quirk to anyone he chose as a worthy successor. "Are you asking me out of pity or in some roundabout way to make yourself feel better?" She asked.
"No," Toshinori said with confidence in his tone. "I am asking you straight up and if I offered you to have my quirk as your own after all these years would you take it?"
Melissa had to think long and hard about it. She had dreamed of being a hero in a costume and everything acting as a sidekick to her uncle. She wanted to rescue people with a smile. She had given up that dream years ago with her and had focused on her inventions after burying her dreams in a deep dark place in her heart.
"Would I have to give up being an inventor if I did?" Melissa wanted to be a hero, but she loved inventing as well.
"Not necessarily. You could still work on inventions, but you would have to make a few changes such as working out and training with me to get you ready for U.A. That is if you wanted it." Toshinori said wanting to be completely honest with her about what she would have to surrender for access to something like One For All.
He knew she would have to work hard before the time came for her to be tested. He knew he would have to play his card as the Number One Hero to get her into U.A. at this point with the time it would take to get her into shape and give her his quirk.
Melissa was having an internal battle with herself on wanting to achieve a dream that she had as a child or turning it down to stay where she is and be like her dad as an inventor. She knew if she said yes, then spending hours upon hours lost in her inventions would have to stop for something more structured. Now that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing either meaning she would be getting proper meals or sleep which she failed to do currently. Melissa didn't know how long she sat there thinking over and over again of the possible decision. When she finally cleared her throat.
"If I do this then I will want to look over any plans and schedules you have thought up so I can still work on my inventions." Melissa said as she wanted to be a hero that would save people and help those without quirks achieve the dream of being a hero with the right equipment.
"That would be reasonable," Toshinori replies with a big smile. "If you are amicable then we can sit down and go over what I have planned for your training and everything that will come with it." He stood up and walked towards Melissa and extended a hand towards her. "Sounds good to you?"
Melissa stood up and took his hand. "Sure thing, Uncle Toshi. Now how am I going to tell Dad?" She refused to lie to her only parent.
"Oh, I already know about his plan for you honey." David chimed as he into the room with a smile for his daughter. "We talked while you were cooling down in your workshop," He said, moving close to hug his daughter.
"Are you ok with this dad?" Melissa asked nervously of his response.
David gave her a tired smile. "I will worry about you, but I can't destroy your dream dear and I will be in your corner and make sure your gear is top of the line. Just like I did when I worked with Toshi all those years ago." He kissed the top of her head and looked at his old friend in the eyes. "I am trusting you with my daughter Toshi. Please don't make me regret this." He spoke with a serious tone, as a parent worried for their child safety.
"I would die for her if I have to David." Toshinori stated placing a hand on his heart. "I will make sure she is ready and with you, in her corner, she will be even more amazing than she already is." He said with a serious response.
Melissa smiled as she turned to look at her uncle. "So how will this work?" She wanted to get started as soon as possible. She had a lot of time to make up for and gadgets to build before her time was up.
"Well if you're going to inherited my power than when need to get your body to handle to intense power of One For All." Toshinori said to them. "I say it will probably takes at least 10 months before transferring One For All to you. Even then we will still have to training you to control the power so you don't end up destroying yourself in the process. This training will probably take about two years at best." He said out loud with a thinking pose.
"Two years? Does it really has to be that long?" Melissa asked in surprise at how long she has to train.
"Yes, since considering how Toshinori's quirk works and the fact that you still want to be an inventor. You can spend your remaining time here learning everything you can about being an investor while training with Toshi before leaving for to U.A., which will give you enough time to do both." David said to his daughter.
"I guess you do have a point." Melissa said after listening to the reason before looking at her Uncle. "So when do we start this training of yours?"
Toshinori let out a deep breath before pulling out his phone. "I know of someone who can help you get ready better than I can. After all, he trained me to be the hero I am today." His voice sounded brave, but his knees started to shake with fear.
"You're calling HIM?" David asked incredulously. "I thought you were terrified of him."
Toshinori nodded his head before putting out his phone. "Yes, but I want the best for her and I will swallow my fear hopefully." He said tapping the contact on his phone and waited for the phone to ring.
Toshinori started to shake worse than before as he waited for his old teacher to pick up the phone. He had not called him in a long time and knew he was in for a kick to the face.
Melissa was curious about the way her Uncle was acting. "Dad, who is he calling?" She asked her father and saw his face down the most dangerous of villains for years, but he was shaking in pure terror from just having to talk to his mentor.
"He is calling his old teacher Gran Torino," David replied, still surprised at his old friend's bravery. He had heard the horror stories from Toshi about how intense his training was, but it made him a better hero. He now understood that he was the reason he had such control over his quirk. "He was the man who trained him to be All Might."
After a short conversation and a lot of yelling could be heard from his phone, did Toshinori end the call and put his phone away.
"Well, he will be here in three days." Toshinori said in a nervous tone knowing that he was going to get kicked in the face as soon as he got there. "Now let's relax and catch up before he gets here." He moved back and settled into his chair.
Melissa and David found a place to sit as they started to catch up on past events. They ended up having a good evening catching up. They talked late into the night. After they finished their talk, they all decided to call it a night. Melissa went to bed with a smile on her face as she dreamed of her making her heroic debut.
"I can do this! In three days from now, I'll begin my journey to becoming a hero!" Melissa thought to herself in excitement to finally leave her forgotten dream before falling fast asleep in her bed.
Shield Resident- Morning
Two days later...
The next two days went by in a flurry of actions.
Toshinori was undergoing a series of medical tests to evaluate his health and was working on several solutions. It was decided that he would have his missing organ cloned would help his breathing and allow him to eat food with nutrients and help him recover faster. It would take some time since they needed to grow the organs and run some tests to make sure there were no compatible issues.
Melissa had finished working on a few inventions and had started to work out and change her diet thanks to her Uncle Toshi. Her eye twitched at the cover of the binder. Aim to Pass: The American Dream Plan. It was very detailed even to her sleep and build times down to the minute. It looked a bit over the top, but she was going to give her uncle the benefit of the doubt until Gran Torino arrived to look it over.
The next morning, Melissa and David approached his lab, and they saw the smiling form of All Might standing in front of the building waiting for them with his usual smile.
"David! Melissa! Are you two ready for today?" All Might asked brightly.
"What are you asking me for? I'm just an old man now. I'm not cut out for exercise," David cracked a joke to his friend. "I just need to monitor Melissa'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, Melissa," David apologized. "But with two years 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," All Might 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. "Don't want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation."
Withdrawing a keycard, David opened up the door to the building and ushered everyone inside. Melissa and All Might followed him up to the lab, where All Might 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 before he got hurt," David began to explain as he highlighted one set of data. "Four 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!" Toshinori exclaimed while rubbing his neck.
"Toshi…" David said with a tiring sigh. "That's a conversation for another time. Right now, my priority is taking care of Melissa, 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 god... I'm going to be even stronger than Uncle Might?" Melissa asked in awe as she examined the results. According to the graph, if she were to receive her Uncle's quirk then it would be approximately twenty percent stronger than All Might's power, 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 with a nod. "One For All grows more powerful every time it is past on to a new wielder. Since I'm the Eighth holder, you'll be the Ninth, and in the near future when you master this quirk's power, your power will surpass even my own." He reminded her.
"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, before pulling out the Aim to Pass: The American Dream Plan folder from a briefcase and slamming it on the desk. "With this along with 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!" He said giving her a thumbs up.
"I…" Melissa gave a resigned sigh as she forced a smile onto her face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Toshinori opened the folder and slid it across the desk. "The next coming 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 U.A., right?"
"It seems that way," David said to her with a frown. "But there is still the problem of the lack of control."
"What does that mean?" Melissa asked in confusion.
"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 U.A.," David said to his daughter.
"And it will serve as a cool costume, too!" Melissa shouted with excitement.
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." He explained.
"Only a year and two months…" Melissa said looking 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." She asked having doubts.
"I believe in you!" Toshinori said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, bulking up to his muscle form. "With our help, you will be more than ready for U.A.'s entrance exam!"
Melissa's false smile became genuine as she looked at Toshinori. "Thanks, Uncle Might! I'll be sure to do my best"
Despite the unorthodox training regiment, she was still pumped full of nervous energy, ready to take on whatever challenge her dad and Uncle Might had prepared for her!
Golden Gyms- Afternoon
Early that day, Melissa went to one of the local gyms on the island to start a bit of her training early before Gran Torino arrived tomorrow to start her real training.
She was saddened to give up a few of her favorite foods, but it was for the best in the long run. Her Uncle had written a very detailed schedule to get her ready for U.A.
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. She was in no way out of shape or in poor health. She usually jogged a few times a week with her fellow co-workers or went to the gym to help her add some power to the muscle to life to make parts she needed by hand, but she was not an athlete or bodybuilder in any way shape or form.
She knew training was going to be hard, but she didn't realize it would be this hard!
"You okay, their kid?" One of the nearby heroes, a guest to the island from South Africa based on his accent, asked.
"Y-Yeah," Melissa nodded furiously before taking a deep breath. "I just 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." The South African hero stated to her, which made Melissa look like she just bit into a lemon.
"Thanks for reminding me," Melissa said with a sigh before picking herself up.
"So why do it?" The hero asked as the girl was caught off guard by the question.
"Huh?" Melissa said in a confused tone.
"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." The South African hero stated in a tone of wisdom.
"Well, why do you do it?" Melissa asked wanting to know his reason first.
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 said chuckling to himself. "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 Uncle Might a few days ago.
"I made a promise to someone, that I would carry on in their footsteps and become an amazing hero like them," Melissa said giving her reason.
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." The man said to her with a smile and 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 when she first started.
I-Island Airport- Afternoon
The very next day, Melissa, David, and All Might were at the airport as this was the day Gran Torino's plane arrived, they arrived at the private airstrip when Melissa started to get nervous about meeting him.
As they were waiting, Melissa noticed the closer it got to his arrival the more nervous/scared her Uncle Toshi got. He would always start to shake in the knees when they talked about his training days but never went into any details on why he was so terrified of him. Eventually, she started to follow his plans as she wanted to get used to the sore muscles before the real training started.
When the door to the plane opened, Melissa got a good look at the elderly man who was going to train her.
He is an extremely short, elderly man with heavy wrinkles and a scrawny build. He has a light complexion and brown eyes. His hair is grey and spiky, styled short with some bangs hanging forward and a trimmed beard. His hero costume consists of a full-body monochrome suit along with a yellow cape, a belt with the letter "G" on it, very thick yellow gloves and boots, and a dark domino mask that resembles two diamonds.
Sorahiko Torino, also known by his hero name Gran Torino.
The old hero began to walk down the staircase from the plane and towards them, with her Uncle Might in his buffed form and greeted with respect. Gran Torino just told him to get him somewhere they could talk, as they all made their back to the house.
Shield Resident- Afternoon
The ride back to the Shield's household had been a quiet and tense car ride, but once they were inside the house they could speak freely now without worry.
"I appreciate the ride Mr. Shields and for allowing them to fly in directly to drop me off," Gran Torino said as he bowed in respect.
"Oh, please call me David. And this is my Daughter Melissa." David said returning the bow before gesturing to his daughter.
"Pleased to meet you, sir," Melissa stated also giving him a bow. She watched as he nodded at their politeness.
"Now Toshinori, you can drop that form of yours now," Gran Torino said giving his old student a stern look.
He had been there the day he fought All for One and barely survived. When they talked about his selecting his replacement Toshinori told him everything including his diminishing time limit.
After Toshinori shrank down to his skeletal form was when Gran Torino kicked him hard in the face knocking him to the floor, as this made the Shield family flinched in surprise while wincing at how Toshinori was flooded by the old hero.
"Should've seen that one coming," Toshinori grumbled in pain from the surprise attack from his former mentor.
"I haven't heard from you in 4 years and when you do it's because you have been an idiot and waited this long to tell you were running out of time!" Gran Torino screamed at him as his former student was on the floor in the fetal position recovering. "Oh, please I kicked you harder than that training you years ago."
"Please tell me you are not going to be training my daughter like that." David stepped in front of his daughter in a protective manner. He wanted her to be happy, but he was still going to draw a few lines in their training methods.
Gran Torino looked at him and then sighed. "No, Toshinori here was a thick-headed person and from what I can tell by how he described Melissa she is very bright and I plan on changing my training methods." Gran Torino said knowing she was a prodigy in support equipment. She could find a way to help her handle the power until her body could regulate and be able to handle it.
David sighed in relief and relaxed at this. "Thank you, sir, that is a great relief, to me." He said with an easier expression.
Gran Torino nodded smiling at how protective her father was being for her welfare. He had been concerned with how he would react to his daughter being trained to be a hero.
"Now Toshinori let me see what you have planned so far since I know you won't be able to stay all the time." Gran Torino said to him.
When they discussed this, he was coming here to train her until it was time for her to take a Special Recommendation Exams after he used his name and rank as a hero to get her a slot at U.A.
When Melissa handed the large folder to Gran Torino for his inspection he flipped through the binder and nodded along with it.
"Okay, not as bad as I thought it was, but really Toshinori?" Gran Torino gestured to the cover and the title. "Must you add a dramatic flair to everything?" He gave his old student a glare that caused said student to cower slightly.
"W-Well I was a drama student before Nana chose me as her successor," Toshinori replied weakly with a nervous chuckle. All three looked at him in stunned surprise. "What?" He didn't understand why they were so stunned about it.
"That explains so much about you." All three of them said together causing Toshinori's face to fall.
"Alright, then lass we will start tomorrow at 5 AM and get a baseline before we will train you physically during the morning and start with basic sparing in the afternoon." Gran Torino said as he went over her schedule for the first week.
Melissa was feeling a bit nervous about this. The first week didn't sound too bad in theory, but she knew she was going to be sore tomorrow. After spending a nice evening relaxing and hearing stories from her Uncle's time at U.A. filled the room with laughter for except Toshinori since he was having flashbacks.
So Melissa decided to go to bed early and get plenty of rest before everything changed for her.
Six Months later...
Six months had passed since Gran Torino came to the I-Islands, and Melissa had never been so sore and tired in her life.
When Melissa woke up early that morning to have something on her new diet and get ready for her first day. She was out waiting when Gran Torino arrived and had her start with basic calisthenics and time her on her mile run. After complimenting her on their decent physical fitness before he had her do more exercises.
When lunch came Melissa was almost too tired to eat, but managed to eat and rest before her afternoon session started he ran her through the gauntlet of basic sparing which left her sore and slightly bruised. The end of her first had her eating dinner and having to be reminded to take a hot shower to prevent sore muscles. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. The pattern stayed the same for the rest of her first week which had her Uncle Toshi joining in on some of her workout sessions in between his doctor appointments. Gran Torino made sure to keep it consistent for the first week to allow her to adjust to the exercises.
At the end of her first week, Melissa had been getting more comfortable with the changes to her life and she was able to spend some time in her lab instead of falling asleep from exhaustion. She had been working on a type of gauntlet to help her later on since it was still in the blueprint stages.
Her Uncle had to return to Japan to resume his duties as their number-one hero before people started to get worried about his sudden disappearance and would return in a month when the time came for his surgeries and other treatments for his health. Melissa was sad to see him go but knew he would be back. While they had worked out together they had gotten closer and worked out some of their issues. Though it was a sad goodbye he would be back before she knew it.
That first month had been a much-needed change of pace for her. Melissa got into a routine easily of working out and training that Gran Torino set for her, along with keeping up her studies at the I-Island Academy since she was still a student there.
Each day Gran Torino would add something to her regime or add more repetitions. Melissa had spent a few nights a week working with her dad on some prototype equipment that they had been working on after studying All Might through old videos and the questions she had asked him while he had been on the I-Island. From what Melissa had been told about One for All, it was a stockpiling quirk that allowed the power to increase with each user. When she was ready she would be the ninth user and was sure her body would have problems regulating that kind of power. It was a month later that Melissa and David had made their initial blueprints and put in the request for the parts Melissa needed to be ready for when the time came.
Before Melissa knew it, she had reached her six-month mark in her training, and when she looked at an old picture of herself she barely recognized herself. She was a bit broader in the shoulder and her muscles were more defined and powerful, as she was now rocking a six-pack abs on her stomach! 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! A few of her co-workers had been both jealous or admiring her body as they said she was gorgeous from all of her hard work.
When her Uncle Toshi came back for his surgery he was tired of all the work had done to make the HPSC happy after he disappeared for a week. He would have another week to recover before he had been back to start making the news articles again to keep the public from being scared. While he was having his surgery, Gran Torino kept her busy until it was time to go see him afterward. He was a little out of when she came by but made her feel better to see him breathing easier. He was on bed rest for most of the week he was there and spent the last few days in physical therapy to make sure he was healthy enough to be discharged. Lucky for him there was a doctor on the island that was able to accelerate his healing enough for him to return to full duty with a warning that he would need plenty of rest when he got back to make sure he had no complications.
After he returned to Japan again Gran Torino ramped up Melissa's training, as her Uncle would return back in the next four months to see her progress in her training and transfer his power to her.
David's Lab- Evening
One Month later...
Another month flew by in a flash, with Melissa constantly working with her father in his lab in order to create the special support items to help her use One For All more effectively without the risk of hurting her body, as this was one of her days off from training with Gran Torino.
However, while her physical progress was going well, their research on how to make the special support item for One For All was going much slower. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't find the right materials to withstand the brute strength of All Might quirk's power. Every time the father-daughter duo thought they had a breakthrough and shipped off a sample for All Might to test, he broke it immediately much to either their disappointment or frustration.
When the days the girl wasn't training, this led to many late nights in the lab as both the father and daughter were working together to try and find a solution. Some material that, even if it wasn't strong enough itself, would protect her and allow her to wield a fraction of One For All's power when she began school at U.A.
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.
"I think we've done enough for tonight. Let's head home for tonight Melissa." David said as he looked over at her with a chuckle.
"I'm okay 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," David said jokingly to his daughter with a teasing smirk.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" Melissa said crossing her arms and giving 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," David stated in his case to her.
"Fine, you win," Melissa said before pushing a button to secure her terminal before standing up. "I just want to be ready before Uncle Toshi gives me his power!"
"We will be. Even if you can only use One For All at a lower output at first." David said to her with a reassuring tone.
"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."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you," David said while securing his own workstation before he stood up
"Well, most people had their quirks for their entire lives, right? I've only got a year and two months to catch up to people who've had their quirks for ten years! I'm sure I'll make mistakes." Melissa said that she needed to work even harder than anyone else if she wanted to catch up to them.
"I'm sure you'll be fine, you've always been a quick learner," David said to her with a smile.
Melissa smiled at her father. "Thanks, Dad. I'll be sure to do my best." She said.
"That doesn't mean I have to like it. Being a hero is dangerous! Especially if you could get hurt by simply using your quirk." David argued in a concerned voice.
"Fortunately for me, I happen to know the best support specialist in the industry!" Melissa said giggling. "And I'm not half bad myself if my grades are anything to go by!"
"I guess you're right," David said and gave a resigned sigh before his eyes were drawn to Melissa. "But we still need to find a way for the gauntlets to absorb the feedback from something as powerful as one of All Might's attacks, so you don't end up destroying yourself in the process."
"As long as it looks as cool as Uncle Might's costumes! I don't want to go around looking like some bulky robot." Melissa said with a joyful manner at her dad's enthusiasm.
David laughed in relief. He had been so worried about All Might's decline the past few years, that he had spent countless hours thinking up hundreds of ideas in an attempt to help the hero. However, in the end, none of them would have worked for All Might.
For Melissa, however…
Perhaps they couldn't stop All Might's decline, but they could protect his daughter as she tried to become a hero.
"How about we try something different on our next father-daughter project? That way we might be able to figure out this problem before you're Uncle gives you his power." David said as he could see his daughter's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Deal!" Melissa said with an enthusiastic grin on her face.
I-Island- Afternoon
Three Months later and the day All Might return to the I-Island...
Somewhere else on man-made I-Island, Melissa, and Gran Torino were in the middle of their usual sparring match in a secret location away from other people.
As the months flew by, Melissa found herself getting stronger every day thanks to the help of her friends and family supporting the girl every step of the way. 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 attain her uncle's quirk. Each day, she was getting one step closer to realizing her dream.
Melissa was constantly being forced to dodge a familiar boot aimed at her face and had been able to roll out of the way to send a kick to his back. Gran Torino slid away before she could hit him. This was how their normal sessions went she had never been able to hit him, but she was able to improve her reflexes as she had to dodge him. He had made sure she was not a clone of Gran Torino by having her use several styles that added kicks to her training along with punches.
After dodging him for a half-hour when he stopped their session and allowed her to have a drink of water. Gran Torino had been impressed with how hard-working she was during the entire time he had trained her. She would ask him a question and ask for his advice on how to build equipment to help when she got One for All. Gran Torino was proud to say he was training an amazing student and was hoping that UA didn't ruin any of his hard work.
"Okay Melissa, I have to ask you what kind of hero do you want to be?" Gran Torino asked being curious for the last few months.
Melissa seemed to be lost in thought as she pondered the question. "Well, I want to be a hero like Uncle Toshi that makes people smile when I show up and bring them hope." She said looking up to the ceiling. "I want anyone who comes to me asking if they can be Hero with or without a quirk. I want to be their hero as well." Melissa then gave him a big smile and tilted her head slightly.
Gran Torino smiled at that watch as he saw a ghostly image of his old friend Nana standing behind her with her usual smile.
"I wish you could have met this girl Nana. I thought you would have loved to teach her as well." Gran Torino thought as he felt pride in his heart at her words. She wanted to be her own person. "Have you thought about a hero's name yet?"
Melissa looked a little embarrassed at this before speaking. "Well, I have thought about it for the last month. I was always a fan of Greek mythology." Melissa twiddled her thumbs before continuing. "I thought about The Shield Heroine: Athena."
"Oh, that is interesting. Are you going to be using a shield as well?" Gran Torino asked as she flushed a bit red talking about herself. He could tell she put a lot of thought into her Hero Name.
Melissa reached into her bag that was nearby and showed him some of her designs. She had made designs of a collapsible shield that a circular in design like the Spartan of legend. She had designed a collapsible staff/spear. He thumbed through a gauntlet and boots design that had schematics to adjust for the projected power outputs for One for All.
"How smart is this girl and if these designs can work then it would allow her to handle a lot of power with minimal backlash. But he would have to see the designs work before he changed her training in any shape or form." Gran Torino thought as he was looking over her detailed and impressive work. "Alright, Toshinori should be here soon and I think you need to go wash up and rest for the evening," He said as he handed her back her sketches. "I would suggest you rest before he arrives."
He sent her off with a shooing motion of his hands and watched as she dashed off towards home.
Shield Resident- Evening
Melissa had showered and changed before making herself comfortable on the couch. She had thumbed on the T.V. and switched it to an old movie so she really didn't have to give it too much of her attention. She had been so busy lately she had been training and working on her support equipment that she decided to rest her eyes just a bit setting her designs on the table in front of her and without even realizing it drifted off for some much-needed sleep as her head hit the pillow.
Toshinori exited the car with David and Gran Torino, before letting out a tired sigh. The last several months had been a tightrope walk for him. After having his surgery, he had to manage his time very carefully so as not to cause him physical harm or cause his body to reject his new organs. He had been on a new diet and exercise regimen that had allowed gain back a healthy amount of weight and muscle. Thanks to all of these new changes in the hero's life, Toshinori's time limit in his muscle form increased from three to six hours a day with most of his former strength returning back to him.
As the three men entered the house they heard the T.V. on in the other room. Toshinori set down his bag down and walked into the other room and smiled at the sight in front of him. Melissa had fallen asleep on the couch her journal spread out across the table.
David walked up beside him and smiled as well. He went over and draped a blanket over her deciding to let her sleep a bit before waking her up for dinner. They spent that time catching up on what had been happening in Japan and his latest adventures. After a half-hour of catching up, they decided to get dinner together. After making something simple David went and gently woke her up.
"Melissa, wake up it's time for dinner," David said with a soft and gentle voice as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Melissa woke up groggy and confused for a minute before rubbing her eyes. "Oh, sorry Dad. I guess I fell asleep after training today." She said before standing up and stretching to finish shaking the sleep away.
She cleaned up the table and went to get washed up. Afterward, she came into the dining room to find her father, Uncle Toshi, and Gran Torino all sitting at the table waiting for her to join them.
"Well, Sleeping Beauty has decided to join us." David teased her making her pout at his nickname for her. "I am just teasing dear. You needed the rest."
"I know, Dad." Melissa sat down and filled her plate. "Thank you, guys, for making dinner. I didn't mean to fall asleep when I got home." She dug into the dinner since she was starving.
"It's alright Melissa, you have been working incredibly hard these last few months. You are allowed to sleep." Gran Torino told her as he had finished his meal and relaxed. "Don't be like that idiot Uncle of yours and learn to relax when you get a chance."
"Ouch," Toshinori said to old mentor with a hurt look on his face. "I know how to relax." He received 3 identical deadpan looks from the others at the table. "You guys suck you know that," Toshinori complained as he went back to his meal as they laughed at him.
The rest of the night was filled with laughter and fun as they told stories and played a few games. Before too long, everyone went to bed for the early morning that was coming soon.
Shield Resident- Night
Later on that night, 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, an American Pro Hero. A few months ago his attitude had changed dramatically. Thinking back, she realized that it coincided with him hiring Makoto Tsukauchi for his company.
But ever since then, he has been a force for positive change in the world. Not as much as All Might, but few people could match Uncle Might in the sheer force of personality.
She hoped that someday she could approach that level.
"Can't sleep?" Melissa heard her uncle's voice and turned to see him standing right in front of her room's doorway.
"Not at all," Melissa said shaking her head. "I'm too nervous about tomorrow." She confessed getting a light chuckle from her Uncle.
"I can imagine," Toshinori said walking into the room and seat on her bed. "I felt the same way when my Master was about to give me One For All too." He said understood what she was going through.
Melissa lifted her head to stare at her hands. "I hope it turns out okay." She said with a bit of doubt.
"I believe in you. And so does your father and Gran Torino. So no matter what happens next, we'll always be in your corner whenever you need us." Toshinori said reassuring his niece.
Melissa turned to face Uncle Toshi, 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!" Toshinori said with a thumbs up before immediately leaving the room.
"Don't worry, I'm gonna have a lot of coffee in the morning," Melissa said with a soft giggle escaping her lips while watching her uncle leave.
When her Uncle Toshi was gone, she once again turned back toward the computer, playing the next video as she waited for dawn to arrive.
I-Island- Morning
Hours later, the moment of truth finally arrived. Ten months of hard work led up to this moment, as Melissa, Gran Torino, and Toshinori arrived at their usual training field before the sun was up.
"Melissa, I have to say that you have worked very hard these last ten months and it warms my heart to see your drive and dedication," Toshinori said giving her his biggest smile. "I want you to remember that you have worked hard for this day."
Melissa looked at her Uncle in surprise. "You mean you're going to-" But was afraid to say those words as if it would end her dream.
Toshinori nodded at her. "Gran Torino and I have discussed it and we think you were ready to inherit One for All." He said with pride.
Melissa looked over to see Gran Torino had been nodding along with her Uncle.
"He is right Lass. You have come a long way in such a short time and after you receive your quirk we can take the next step in your training." Gran Torino gave her a proud smile.
Melissa got teary-eyed at their words. "Thank you both." She said and couldn't help but smile.
Toshinori moved to step in front of Melissa. "Now to inherit One for All you need to do it." He said reaching up and plucking a hair from his head. "Is eat this!" He held it in one of his usual hero poses that people have come to know from him.
"Eh?" Melissa asked looking a little confused. "Am I being pranked?" She looked over to Gran Torino and shook his head. "Is this the only way?" She asked turning a little green.
"Yes! To inherit my power, you've got to swallow some of my DNA! That's how it works!" Toshinori said nervously while rubbing his neck. "Now eat this and let's start the next step of your life as a hero!" He took another dramatic pose and gave her a thumbs-up.
Melissa hesitantly took the hair and looked at it with trepidation before taking a deep breath and muttering. "Down the hatch." She ate the hair and tried not to gag as she swallowed the hair.
Gran Torino gave her a bottle of water that she gratefully took and drank it down.
"I feel queasy," Melissa said trying really hard not to get sick. "Did your master do the same to you?" She noticed her Uncle went stone still and suddenly felt very uncomfortable with her question.
"I... uh... well you see it was a little different from how I got it," Toshinori said unable to look at his niece without feeling even more uncomfortable thinking about how he got his One for All.
Japan, Musutafu City- Afternoon
Nearly 30 years ago...
"Master, what are we doing here?" A teenage Toshinori asked as he sat down next to a beautiful black-haired woman on the bench.
She is described as a beautiful woman with a tough demeanor. She was a tall woman with a curvaceous figure, and at the same time, she was well-built, as befitting a One For All user. She was fair-skinned and had a small mole below her bottom lip, centered to the right, and sharp, intelligent eyes with long eyelashes. Her hair was dark and straight, kept shoulder-length, with the exception of a clump of short bangs hanging above her forehead, and was usually styled in a half-up-half-down bun. Her hero costume consisted of a dark, sleeveless bodysuit with a high collar, yellow elbow-length gloves, and white knee-high boots. Around her waist was a belt with an angular golden buckle, a small cape attached around the back which hung down to her knees, and over her shoulders was a longer cape, buttoned to the shoulders of her bodysuit.
Her name is Nana Shimura, the seventh user of the One For All Quirk.
Toshinori had been a bit surprised when Master had ended his training done early for the day and grabbed a picnic basket near her feet. Nana told him to follow her. They went to a shady spot in the park and she set out the food.
"You have been working hard Toshi and I wanted to do something nice for you," Nana said with an innocent smile. "After lunch, I will be giving you my quirk so eat up. You will need the energy."
"Yes, Master!" Toshinori said excitedly as he dug into his lunch with gusto. After finishing his sandwich he watched as Nana handed him a plate with a slice of cherry pie and a fork. "Sweet! Cherry is my favorite."
Nana had a mischievous smirk on her face as she watched her student eat the pie. "Is it good Toshi?" She asked him.
"Yeah, it's amazing," Toshinori said oblivious to Nana's mischievous smile.
Nana waited for him to finish. "I am glad you like it." She said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I put my hair in that pie so I could pass my One for All to you. Congratulations kid you just ate my hair pie and inherited my Quirk."
Toshinori started choking and turning a bright red, as Nana started laughing so hard she nearly busted a gut.
I-Island- Morning
Present
Toshinori just finished telling his niece and former mentor is experience about how he got One For All, much to both of their surprise.
Nana loved to tease him about for the next few years. His mind then flashed back to that magical night so many years ago with Nana on his 18th birthday. God how he missed her.
"Yeah, that's different sounds like something Nana would do." Gran Torino said while laughing a little, as he knew his old friend better than most. "That must have been one hell of a Hair pie?" He said making Toshinori flush a dark red not looking at his old mentor, but quickly willed it away.
Lucky for Toshinori Melissa had finally been able to push her down her nausea and was able to stand up.
"Oh, so how long do I have to wait?" Melissa asked wanting to know when she would feel it.
Toshinori cleared his throat. "Should be a few hours so let's get going with a light workout until it kicks in." He started to stretch to limber up his muscles. "Alright let's get going."
"Right." Melissa agreed with him.
With that said, they did a light but steady workout for the next several hours. It was as she had finished up a run and walked to cool down that Melissa felt a warmth blossoming in the core of her very being, as the American girl let out a gasp of surprise and looked down at her body with the warmth started in her chest.
This did not go unnoticed by the two other men with her, as they turned to face the blonde-haired girl with looks of concern.
"Melissa, is something wrong?" Toshinori asked with him and Gran Torino noticed that Melissa began to suddenly act strangely without warning.
"I-I think it's happening!" Melissa gasped, trying to examine herself, as the power started running through her body.
Red lines crisscrossing appeared on her body and began to spread out, infusing her torso and limbs before she felt it creeping upward, enveloping her face. The yellow lightning then radiation off her in all directions and her aqua-blue eyes were glowing even brighter than usual, as the power started to run through her she felt like fire igniting her soul.
"W-Wow." Melissa said as that was all she could say at the moment, being at a loss for words while looking at herself and feeling the new power awaken inside of her.
Toshinori and Gran Torino looked on with pride and shock, as One for All bonded with her and became the Ninth wielder.
"Hey kid, you doing good over there? Nothing hurts? Nothing's wrong?" Gran Torino was the first to ask.
Melissa looked at the two men and nodded. "I feel... warm. But not in a bad way! Like something is wrapping me in a blanket? Filling up a part of me I didn't even know I was missing." She explained to them how she was feeling at the moment.
"You tell us if anything hurts, okay?" Toshinori told her.
"Of course!" Melissa assured them. "Trust me, I'm the last person who wants to get hurt from this!"
Melissa wasn't sure if she was getting used to the sensation, or if it was simply fading, but after a few moments, the bio-electricity surrounding the girl's body and the glow in her eyes began to fade away as the warmth left her, leaving a residual flame in the center of her soul. With absolute certainty, she knew that it was there, waiting for her to call upon it again.
And she did want to call upon it. To feel that warmth again, to feel the same strength her Uncle Might uses so easily.
But the drawbacks… she shuddered. There will be time enough ahead, once her body can handle it.
"I think it might be best for us to head back to the house and tell David about you awakening you're new quirk. Then we'll figure out what to do afterward next." Toshinori suggested.
"Agreed." Gran Torino said with a nod. "We still have plenty of time to train you to handle One For All's power before the exam. So let's not rush this and take things slow for now until you can familiarize yourself with your quirk." He said getting a nod from her.
"Yes, sirs!" Melissa nodded her head in agreement.
Now Melissa's real training had begun with only a year and two months left before her exam date.
TO BE CONTINUED
On the next King of the Vigilantes: Melissa Shield, the Ninth Wielder