Melissa Shield didn't have a Quirk.
Or at least, Melissa never had a Quirk before.
Despite that minor fact, she'd assumed that when she woke up in the morning, she'd somehow be able to feel it. She'd thought that she'd be able to sense the change within herself or feel the new Quirk factors she had floating around in her system.
She thought that she'd feel different.
Instead, when she woke up to start her day, she found that she felt the same as she did every other day.
She tried to settle her nerves with a warm shower, hoping that the water would help to calm her tense muscles and soothe her tightly wound nerves, but nothing came of it, save for a ripple of gooseflesh appearing when she stepped back into the cooler air of her bedroom.
Sitting at her new vanity, she took her time with blow-drying her hair, before proceeding to spend far longer than she usually did on brushing it. While she'd made the decision to wear her hair up into a ponytail as part of her costume, with her bangs swept backwards, she didn't want to do spend time doing that every morning for school, so she'd decided to continue wearing it the same way she had while studying at the I-Island Academy, with her hair hanging loose and her bangs swept sideways across her forehead.
She'd also decided to wear her contact lenses instead of her glasses while in costume, but only when in costume. Not only did she not want to have to wear her contacts every day, but given how nervous she was feeling, she didn't trust her hands with putting them in safely.
Quite frankly, she didn't trust herself not to accidentally stab out one of her eyes.
When she was all done, she took a moment to look herself over in the mirror. There'd been no school uniform on I-Island, so that was a change, but otherwise, she looked the part of Melissa Shield, your average everyday American schoolgirl. Looking at her, there was no reason to believe that she was now in possession of one of the greatest secrets of the modern age.
The secret of One For All.
All she looked like was someone desperate to make a good first impression on her new teachers and classmates.
First impressions were important, she knew, and she also knew that the one she made today would be more important than any other. Not only was she joining her class after everyone else had, but she was going to be older than everyone else at that. Combine that with her being All Might's niece and the daughter of his first sidekick turned personal support equipment engineer, and she knew that expectations for her would be sky high.
And even that was without anyone knowing about the truth about her Quirk.
One For All.
Her Quirk.
Her uncle's Quirk.
The Quirk which had belonged to his master before him, and six other great heroes before her, which had been around since the dawn of the Quirk Era, had now been entrusted to her: Melissa Shield.
She was starting her journey with more than one legacy to live up to.
Around the world, most hero hopefuls started their hero's journey without a legacy weighing down upon them. Some people, children of successful heroes, felt a burden to live up to, but that was only with one set of expectation.
Melissa?
She had three.
Her dad and Uncle Might had both insisted that she had nothing to prove to them, but she knew better than that. They could be polite to her, but once she became even slightly recognised - once it became known that she was entering the field of heroics - everyone would have some form of expectation for her.
But, 'no pressure', her dad kept insisting whenever she brought it up.
When her stomach grumbled, she determined that she'd sat wallowing in her room for long enough, so picking up her school tie as she moved, she headed off towards the kitchen, following the scent of fresh food.
"Good morning, Melissa! I AM HERE, making you breakfast like a good uncle and legal guardian!"
"Good morning, Uncle Might", she greeted him, not bothering to hide her smile at the sight of him wearing his bright yellow chef's apron, emblazoned with the phrase, 'ALL HAVE EATEN… THE MIGTY SURVIVED'. He'd had help from the top nutritional experts of I-Island to help design and develop a meal plan to maximise Melissa's physical growth. Right now, he was folding shredded spinach, tomatoes and onions into her morning omelette, while she poured herself a glass of milk and retrieved one of Uncle Might's meal replacement shakes for him.
By the time she'd returned from his incredibly large fridge with their drinks, he was plating up the omelette for her.
"Eat up! After this… onto school! We can't be late for your first day!"
"Right!"
She beamed as she ate her eggs, her uncle's enthusiasm was infectious, and she tried her best not to look to excited. Despite her nerves pressing on her, she knew that this was it! She was finally starting to walk her own path towards becoming a Pro Hero, just like she had always dreamed of!
Today was the day!
=== === === === ===
Melissa had been worried that the presence of All Might might have led to them getting mobbed on their way into U.A., and she knew from the hero news that Uncle Might had already gotten into the habit of carrying out some light heroics during his morning commute, but today, he was forgoing all of his usual efforts, instead, he was determined only to see that she not only arrived at U.A. on time, but that he didn't overdo it himself, now that he had successfully passed on his Quirk.
He'd put on his tan suit, which looked good when worn by All Might, but ridiculously sized on the skinny frame of Toshinori Yagi, and led her to his favourite truck, which he was politely driving along with the traffic, rather than just buffing up and leaping his way across the city, or speeding down the centre of the highway in Hercules.
He'd told her that he planned to enjoy a relaxed morning drive into school with her, but she couldn't help but notice the speed and force that he'd used to hit the dial on his truck's radio, changing it from the local news to country music when a report of a minor villain attack came in. He'd forced a smile onto his face, as convincing as any she'd ever seen before, but she could still see the lines of tension in his frame and how the grip he had on his steering wheel had turned his knuckles white.
She made a mental note to get her driving licence, the very moment she turned eighteen. She knew how to drive, but no one on I-Island bothered with licences, so she hadn't bothered getting one. She'd fix that when she could, but Japanese law meant that she had to be eighteen first.
Uncle Might still looked tense when they arrived at U.A., bypassing the main gate entirely and using the private car park at the back of the school, reserved for the members of the faculty. As they pulled in, they found Principal Nezu was already waiting for them, alongside a man she'd never met before, but from a picture supplied to her father, she knew to be Shota Aizawa, her new homeroom teacher, who also operated under the alias, Eraser Head, where he was considered to be one of Japan's top underground Pro Heroes, if not the underground hero.
She knew that he didn't know the secret of One For All, but Nezu had insisted that with his Quirk, Erasure, he would be her ideal teacher, because not only was he incredibly experienced as both, a teacher and a hero, but also because he'd be able to cancel out any power issues she might have, simply by looking at her.
"Good morning All Might and hello to you too, Miss Shield", Nezu started, offering them a brief bow, which they returned, "and please allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Ultra Academy for Heroics, where we will see what you are made of. We look forward to having you walk our halls".
"Good morning, sir!"
"The pleasure's all mine, Principal Nezu".
"Of course, and this is Shota Aizawa, or as he prefers to be known, the Pro Hero, Eraser Head. He will also serve as your homeroom teacher while you are among us".
"Hello", he said curtly, not even bothering to look at All Might, as his gaze remained locked onto Melissa, "if you'll excuse us, we should get going. Classes start soon".
"Of course", Nezu said, waving him away, "Miss Shield, if you please follow Eraser Head, he can show you were to get settled in. All Might, I would like a word with you in my office, so if you could follow me?"
"Ah, of course, sir", he replied, as his gaze swung away and around to the city, "it's just-"
"You heard about the assault over the radio, I assume?"
"Yes, sir".
"Then I commend you for putting Miss Shield's welfare first. Kamui Woods and Mount Lady put a stop to that other business several minutes ago. There was some minor property damage, but all of the involved parties are now safe, and all of the stolen valuables were recovered".
"Well, that's excellent news, I suppose".
"Yes, I rather thought so too".
=== === === === ===
If Eraser Head was this… sullen all of the time, then Melissa knew that she was going to be in for a long three years. He was grim, seemed to be somewhat exhausted and had a perpetual frown on his face, which only seemed to tighten every time he glanced her way.
He came to a stop outside one of the large doors that were standard at U.A., and she was quick to stop the large letters '1-A' carved and coloured into the wall. He glanced her way again, before straightening up, as if resolving himself away from something.
"Have I done something wrong, sensei?"
The question left her lips before she even registered saying it, but as she did, she saw the way Aizawa-sensei's hands tightened and his frown deepened, before, turning to face her, he exhaled deeply.
"Fine, I won't lie to you: your very presence in my classroom bothers me".
"I'm sorry?"
"The day before the new school term starts, I get a call from the Principal telling me that you, Miss Shield, will be joining my class. You were a Third-Year student at the I-Island Institute, studying to become a support equipment engineer, like your father, but now you'll be restarting your high school career in order to study heroics because you've discovered that you're a late bloomer with some kind of power stockpiling Quirk. Even if I ignore the obvious implications of you having a Quirk like that", she bit her tongue not to snap at him - she knew exactly what the implication he was thinking of were and she was sick of hearing them, "you still have not passed any entrance exam to gain a place at this school. You were not nominated for the Recommendation Exams, nor did you bother to take the general Entrance Exams alongside every other student present - not just in my classroom - but in every other classroom in this school".
"That's not-"
"Your entire presence here hinges on your connections to All Might and David Shield. You've yet to pass a single exam. You didn't even arrive in time for the start of the school year, so you weren't here for the Quirk Determination Exam I carried out with my class. You missed the battle Trials designed to test your knowledge of combat and how you'd perform under pressure. You've obviously decided that you were too good to take night classes or join a college-level heroics programme next year, and instead, you've taken a spot away from someone who would have earned it; and if all of that wasn't bad enough, you've also got zero experience in using your Quirk. Public use may be largely banned worldwide, but all of my other students have at least been able to access their Quirks for the last ten years. Tell me, have you ever used yours?"
She swallowed, "No, Aizawa-sensei".
"And all of that, Miss Shield, is my problem with you. Specifically, my problem is that you are now my problem. All Might may have been enough to get you in here, but let me be clear, if you fail to keep up, I will cut you and drop you from this programme without a second thought. Am I understood?"
"You're crystal clear, sir".
"Good. Seat fifteen".
She blinked, "I'm sorry?"
He sighed, "Seat fifteen. It's in the third row at the back of the room. That's where you'll be sitting".
"Oh, right, of course! I'm s-"
"I suggest you settle in before class starts. I assure you that my tolerance for tardiness is as low as my tolerance for every other form of disruption. I suggest you remember that as well".
"R- right!"
=== === === === ===
She was the first student to arrive, and with that, she was also guaranteed to be seen by every other student who arrived. Some of the other students had normal appearances, but she was used to exotic and sometimes, downright bizarre appearances. The pink skin, raven's head and enormous tail of some of her new classmates only managed to faze her as much as the bright red hair or rounded elbows of the others.
Really, once you'd seen and spoken to someone with a Quirk like the Titanic Hero: Godzillo, everything else seemed to pale in comparison. Most people looked at him as the epitome of a having a terrifying mutant appearance, which was a shame, she thought, because Tanaka was a lovely human being who delighted in being able to entertain the children that visited I-Island.
When they'd arrived at the classroom, Aizawa-sensei had left her to set herself up at her desk, while he had retreated beneath his, pulling what she was almost certain was a bright yellow sleeping bag from one of his desk drawers. She hadn't seen him in the almost half hour since, and if it wasn't for the fact that he appeared the very moment the bell rang, she might've been able to forget that he was there at all.
She didn't have to worry about taking a seat, but her classmates scrambled into theirs with a speed that she found to be quite impressive.
"Six seconds", Aizawa noted, "much better than your first day", he took a glance around the room, locking eyes with her and she knew that the next words were for her benefit, much more than anyone else's, "but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Remember, when you're in the field, every moment counts. Every second you waste could cost someone their life".
She swallowed, nodding once, and when she did, he let his eyes move on, taking in the rest of the class, "Now, we have two pieces of business to get through this morning, first, as I'm sure you've all noticed, we have a new student with us today", he turned back to face her, "stand up and introduce yourself".
"Hello everyone", rising to her feet, she offered everyone a bow, "my name is Melissa Shield. I'm seventeen and my Quirk is called, 'Super-Power'. It boosts all of my physical abilities and grows stronger over time. It took a few years for it to grow strong enough for me to use, so I'm still training and getting used to it. Please take care of me".
"Are you related to David Shield?!"
She hadn't expected to be asked questions, and she didn't she who had asked her, but she nodded anyways, "Yes, he's my father".
"Do you know All Might?!"
"Uncle Might? I mean, yes, he's my dad's best friend. I've known him my whole life".
"Wait-"
"Wouldn't-"
"Doesn't that-"
"Is that-"
"-see, she's All Might's-"
"-some experience-"
"-is that why All-"
"Enough", everyone's mouths snapped shut with a single word and Melissa decided that she was immediately grateful for her new sensei's presence, "you can all badger her with your ridiculous questions, after I'm finished".
She was then immediately less grateful.
"Now, let's get down to business. Your task this morning will help decide your futures here at U.A.", around the room, everyone Melissa could see tensed up, looking nervous and she grew nervous too, wondering just what she was going to be in for on her first day, as Aizawa-sensei looked out at them, his expression as utterly bored as his tone of voice, "you all need to choose a Class Representative".
That sounded like a normal school activity.
But why on Earth did everyone look so relieved?
What were they expecting - some kind of insane test, just two weeks into the semester?
She was raising her hand to ask how the Class Reps were chosen, when the rest of the class exploded into noise.
"Pick me guys! I wanna be Class Rep!"
"I'll take it!"
"Yeah, you're gonna need me!"
"Someone with style would be best!"
"I'm totally the right pick!"
"I'm your only choice!"
"Silence everyone! Please!"
Melissa had been one of the few not trying to talk over everyone else, but she still turned her head when the tall boy at the front with blue hair stood up, raising his hand and manage to raise his voice over everyone else's without resorting to yelling.
"The Class Representative's duty is to lead others and that's not just something anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom, therefore the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader".
Melissa thought that an election was the obvious choice to make regarding the selection process for choosing your Class Representative, and even if she barely knew her classmates, she immediately knew which one of them was getting her vote.
"Is this really the best idea?"
"We've only known each other a few days, how will we know who we can trust?"
"Besides, most people will just vote for themselves".
"True", the boy admitted, "most people will vote for themselves, but that just means that whoever receives multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right sir?"
She looked over to the front of the room, blinking, when she saw that Eraser Head had managed to slip his entire body into a bright yellow sleeping bag without anyone noticing, and was shuffling his way under his desk, "Do whatever you want", he told them, as his body disappeared from their line of sight, "just make a decision before my nap's over".
"Thank you for your trust!"
=== === === === ===
Melissa had expected her first day to involve a lot of catching up on her schoolwork. Time dedicated to studying lessons plans and syllabi and doing everything she could to catch up on the weeks she'd missed. That they were even having an election for a Class Representative was a surprise, but never in her wildest imagination did she consider herself to have a shot at winning it.
When the class had all called out and volunteered, she kept her voice to herself, not thinking any of them would think to trust her, and yet the results on the board spoke for themselves:
SHIELD: 9
YAOYOROZU: 3
ASUI: 2
BAKUGO: 2
AOYAMA: 1
IDA: 1
KAMINARI: 1
MINETA: 1
How had she won the election?
"All Might's niece - I can get behind that!"
"She'll have some experience!"
"She looks like she knows what she's doing".
She didn't know anyone here! Why would they think that she was a suitable class leader?
"Alright, Shield, you're now the Class Rep. Yaoyorozu's the Deputy. Any questions?"
"Only one of you fuckers voted for me?!"
"Bakugo, drop the language or you'll find yourself serving a suspension".
He sat back in his wheelchair, resting his fast on his fist, "Whatever".
"Shield, Yaoyorozu, come see me at the end of the day and I'll give you the stuff you need. As hero students, you'll probably miss most of the meetings, but there's one on Friday after school".
"Right!"
"Of course, Aizawa-sensei".
"Right then, one last note for you all. Next Friday is going to be your first trip to our disaster and rescue training facility. You should now all have access to the school's portal - again, Shield, come and see me at the end of the day - so make sure to check your permissions and if your legal guardians haven't signed off on your ability to attend, you're going to be stuck here, running drills with me until your bodies give up or I get bored", he shrugged, "whichever comes first".
The entire class seemed to shiver, and Melissa was really starting to wonder what on Earth her dad and Uncle Might had signed her up for.
"The exercises will also be another chance for you all to field test your costumes. Some of them have already been adjusted following the feedback you provided after your combat training exercise. Costumes aren't mandatory; your P.E. kits are an acceptable substitute, but if I were you, I want to field test my costume them every chance I get, but like I said, the choice is yours. Are there any questions so far?"
Nobody moved.
"Good. Your first class is in eleven minutes", Aizawa disappeared beneath his desk, "keep the noise down until then".
=== === === === ===
Taking a deep, slow breath, Momo smoothed out the imaginary lines of her skirt.
Second place.
She could easily imagine the disappointment on her father's face.
SHIELD: 9
Her mother would give her the soft shake of her head from side-to-side.
YAOYOROZU: 3
All her life, she'd been granted the finest of luxuries. Her grandfather had been a modest man, who had built up a modest wealth by the time of his death. Her father had spent his life turning that modest sum into a value that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. Where they had struggled, Momo had only ever known the finer things in life, and she knew enough to know that that was the driving reason behind her desire to prove herself.
She'd only managed to place third in the Recommendation Exams, but then she'd reached first place in their first day Quirk Apprehension Test and then won her trial during their combat assessment and she'd made sure that she'd given All Might and her classmates appropriate feedback on every one of the other battle trials.
She was the obvious choice for Class Representative.
From the moment she had first voiced her desire to become a Pro Hero to her parents, they had done nothing but be supportive of her dreams. She knew her father would prefer to see her follow in his footsteps and begin learning how to take control of the Yaoyorozu Investment Network for when he retired, rather than follow in her mother's and enter the world of Pro Heroics. He couldn't be too upset, given that mother had been working as a Pro Hero when they met, so he'd instead hired the best tutors available: general studies were a must, but her parents had then added physical training, advanced chemistry, advanced physics, as well as lessons on strategy, karate, jujitsu and the bo staff.
If she was going to do this, then she was going to be the best. If she wasn't even going to try, then why was she even bothering to try.
She should have been the Class Representative.
Instead, she was now the Vice Representative.
Could this day get any worse?
When the school's alarm bell activated during their lunch break, Momo realised that, yes, the day could - and in fact, had - gotten worse.
=== === === === ===
"Shield. Bakugo", Aizawa took a moment to pause as the school bell rang, "stay put. Everyone else, get to lunch".
She made sure that her things were placed neatly away inside her desk, as everyone else piled out of the classroom rather quickly. She'd only been with her new class for less than four hours, and she knew that she would be trying to understand each of their personalities for a few more days yet, but the easiest two to understand were - by and far –Aizawa, who tolerated no nonsense and seemed to hate life, or at least, hate the living, and the Bakugo kid she was being told to wait with, who had managed to establish himself as hyper-aggressive and as having the largest ego, in just half a day's worth of lessons.
You weren't supposed to think badly of the disabled. Her father had once told her that they had tough lives and often became tough in response, hiding their sensitive sides, so she promised herself not to judge him too harshly.
When Yaoyorozu, her new Vice Rep, who was the last to vacate the room had departed, Aizawa summoned her to the front of the classroom with a flick of his fingers. Bakugo, who spent his time in class seated in his wheelchair with a foldable desk over his lap, not bothering to swap it out for a normal desk and chair, was already at the front of the room, and she took the desk beside him.
All she knew about the boy who had been sat in it earlier, was that his name was Ida, he was tall, wore glasses, had blue hair and he had been the one that had set up the voting process for choosing the Class Representative.
After all, it was why she had voted for him.
"Right", Aizawa folded his hands in front of his face, before continuing to speak without preamble, "starting this week, you'll both be attending additional classes with Power Loader as part of your dual course placements. Shield, you have a placement test first to determine which class you're learning from. Very few people bother with both classes, so I'll warn you - the workload is intense, and I'll be making no allowances made for your performance. If you fall behind, you get dropped. If you fail the exams, you get dropped. If Power Loader determines you to be unsafe in the lab-"
"We get dropped?" Melissa guessed.
"Good, you're starting to get how this works".
"Won't be a problem for me", Bakugo scoffed, "Blondie over there just needs to learn to keep up".
"Blondie", Aizawa raised an eyebrow, "has two years' experience at the world's most prestigious institute for support equipment. Your Quirk alone is enough to make you a liability in a lab setting. Save the attitude for when we know you can back it up".
"-Tt-", if it was possible to kick your feet up and lean back in a wheelchair, Melissa would've expected Bakugo to do it, "whatever. I'll be running the damn lab soon enough".
"Uh huh".
From there, Aizawa handed them over the course packs, including the syllabus for the year, and made sure to check that they'd both been issued with the correct timetables. Beyond that, it was clear that he wanted to be as 'hands off' as possible and already considered them to be Power Loader's problem.
"Will that be all, Aizawa-sensei?"
"Yes, Miss Shield, that-"
"Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three-"
She frowned, "What does-"
"Villains", Bakugo breathed, what she saw as his usual anger being replaced by what appeared to be a look of intense desire. She had assumed that his Quirk had something to do with him being in the wheelchair, but then his hands started popping with miniature explosions and she decided to rethink her theory.
How on Earth had he ended up in the wheelchair then?
And why would he still try to become a Pro Hero - universally considered to be the world's most dangerous profession - with such an obvious physical handicap?
"Stay here", Aizawa told them, as he moved for the door.
She nodded, "Yes, sensei".
"But-"
Her teacher turned back, his flicking upwards and his eyes flashing red, as he locked his gaze with Bakugo's and Melissa got her very first look at his Erasure Quirk, "Stay here".
"Fine", he grumbled, muttering something that she thought was particularly rude under his breath, but by the time he was finished, Eraser Head was already.
"So… if I'm the Class Rep, that means I have to pick others to be on the-"
"Not interested".
"But you could-"
"Not interested".
"Are you sure?"
"Look, Blondie-"
"My name's Melissa".
"I don't care. I'm also not interested in settling for some dumb admin position. You wanna know about your new classmates, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Then there are exactly three things - and only three things - that you need to know about me: one, the name's Katsuki Bakugo. Two, my Quirk is Explosion. My body sweats out a compound similar to nitro-glycerine and I can detonate it with my hands. And Three, I'm number one. I'm the next Number One Pro Hero. I'll be the next World Number One Pro Hero and when they start comparing me to All Might, they'll still think that I'm number one. I don't settle for anything less than the best. I don't care if it's the billboard charts, I don't care if it's the class ranking and I don't care if it's a damn class election, if I'm not the best then I don't care about the rest. You got that?"
"Right…", she didn't know if she should admire him for being insanely dedicated or be worried that he was insanely delusional, "well, I'll make sure to remember that".
"You do that".
=== === === === ===
As it turned out, the warning had turned out to be a false alarm, but it had resulted in a widespread panic in the cafeteria, and while Melissa had been safe and sound in her classroom, some of her new classmates had been caught up in a stampede.
Apparently, the Class Rep for Class 1-C, one of the General Education courses, had used a megaphone given to him by Yaoyorozu to put a stop to the panic before sending everyone outside. Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Aoyama had all told the class how impressive and in charge he had been, and Melissa was looking forward to meeting him during the first student council meeting on Friday.
Or at least, she had been looking forward to meeting him, until Aizawa told the class that the student council meeting, as well as all of the school's other extra-curricular activities, had been cancelled while the school carried out repair works to the main gate and assessed the rest of the U.A. barrier systems.
Aizawa-sensei had also been very blunt in informing her and Yaoyorozu that while there would be a regular student council meeting set up, as students in the heroics course, they'd most likely be too busy to attend most of them.
He'd also informed them - and the rest of their class - that they were expected to devote one hundred percent of their effort to training in heroics and weren't permitted to join in with any of the school's extra-curricular activities. Melissa had already known that fact, having looked it up several weeks ago, before she'd been informed that she'd be allowed to continue her lessons in support equipment, and she also knew that it was a U.A. rule and not just one of the rules devised by Aizawa that seemed to be designed to put the absolute fear of him into each and every one of his students.
When she brought up his demeanour after her first day, Uncle Might had waved her concerns away, and she couldn't help but think that he appeared to be slightly intimidated by her new homeroom teacher as well.
U.A. was full of surprises - and not just in their staffing choices.
She was surprised by how much book learning the heroics course had. Uncle Might had told her that almost all of the theory work took place at the beginning of the year, before they progressed to a mostly physical approach after their summer break, which she supposed made some sense, allowing them to maximise their growth in both areas, instead of splitting their focus between training and coursework.
She'd missed the first day's Quirk Determination Exam, as well as the Battle Trials, and even after joining Class 1-A, she didn't immediately get a chance to use her new Quirk.
She did get the chance to know her classmates though.
Her Deputy Class Representative, Momo Yaoyorozu, she discovered was related to the same Yaoyorozu Investment Network that she'd heard of on I-Island. They had 'interests' on the island, and while Melissa didn't know what those interests were, the fact that she had even heard of them meant that they probably held a lot of sway with some of the more important people that her dad had to deal with.
She didn't know if that was good or bad.
When it came to filling in the role on the class council, Tenya Ida, who was the same boy she'd voted for to become Class Representative, had volunteered to join them as their Attendance Manager, and he seemed to be a good guy. He was a little strict, but he was diligent and hardworking, and Melissa liked that about him.
He'd brought a friend with him, and Ochako Uraraka became their Class Treasurer. She was much more laid back than his somewhat uptight personality, which Melissa thought was a good thing, because Ida seemed like he needed someone to help him relax. She was good with a budget though, and Melissa thought she was a perfect fit for the team.
Kyoka Jiro had come along with Yaoyorozu to their first meeting and agreed to become their Communication Liaison. She was good with technology, easily capable of helping everyone stay up-to-date and communicate freely and had great taste in music, which Melissa thought were great qualities to have.
She also really wanted to know how her Quirk worked - she could plug herself into cellphones and anything else with an earphone jack. That was by far the most interesting Quirk in the class. Yaoyorozu's Quirk was one of the most versatile Quirks that Melissa had ever heard of, but despite that, it was the question of how Jiro's interfacing happened that she really wanted answers to.
Still, she knew from experience that they had to be friends before she could ask questions like that.
Strangers didn't like it when you asked them personal questions.
She just had to remember to be polite when the time came.
Truthfully, there wasn't much work for her to do as Class Representative, and even less for the other positions. All of the heroics' activities were fully funded by the school, they weren't permitted to join in with extra-curricular activities, Aizawa made sure that everyone was listening to him whenever he said anything and as for attendance?
No one would dare be late, let alone miss his class entirely. He'd promised them that they'd regret ever wasting his time, and Melissa believed him.
Eraser Head was a lot of things, but she already knew that a liar wasn't one of them.
Their workload was as intense as he'd described, and while she was used to an intense workload from her time at the I-Island Institute, there she had been studying support equipment engineering, something she was not only naturally gifted at, but something that she had grown up around.
She had no such inclination with heroics.
Still, she did her best, and admittedly, she was a genius, so as she reached the end of her second week at U.A., she was starting to feel that she had caught up to her peers, at least, on a theoretical level.
When she arrived alongside everyone else to their homeroom on Friday, she found an uncharacteristically awake Eraser Head sat at his desk waiting for them and as the last person to arrive, Kaminari, slipped in and took his seat, Aizawa pressed a button on the underside of his desk.
On the wall beside his desk, a series of four panels opened, sliding out of the wall and revealing twenty thick, steel briefcases, each one stamped with large, bright green numbers. She found herself holding her breath alongside her classmates and her eyes immediately focused on the one she knew belonged to her:
15
"These last few weeks, we've studied the theory behind the basics of rescue work, including order of operations, triage and emergency reactions. Today, you're going to try putting it into practice. You can choose between your costume or your P.E. unform, but you now have fifteen minutes to get changed and assemble in the main car park. Class Reps, I want everyone ready to board a bus by the time I get there. You got that?"
"Yes, sensei!"
"Of course, sensei!"
Melissa nodded, Yaoyorozu doing the same behind her, as Aizawa returned to looking at whatever was on his desk.
For a moment, nobody moved, unsure of what exactly they were supposed to do, as their sensei picked up a pen and began marking something down on the papers in front of him, before glancing at his watch.
"You now have fourteen minutes and thirty seconds left".
Then they knew exactly what they were supposed to do.
They ran.
=== === === === ===
In a dingy, poorly lit bar, a small television screen crackled to life, as two of the bar's occupants straightened up, giving it their full attention.
"Sensei?"
"Did you get what you needed from the brat, Tomura?"
Tomura Shigaraki nodded, his pale blue hair flopping with the motion, "Yes, sensei".
"And are you happy with the information he gave you? With the little changes you've made to your plan?"
Others would have taken sensei's tone as mocking, but Tomura knew better. Sensei wanted him to consider every little adjustment he'd made and be certain that it was the best thing for his plan's success. He nodded again, despite being aware that he couldn't be seen through the monitor, even as a muted shout drew his attention to the floor, where his own small army had gathered downstairs, "I am, sensei".
"And did the good doctor give you what you needed?"
He turned around, licking his lips, as he looked towards the back wall of the bar, where his choice of weapons stood still, unmoving and half-cloaked in shadow, as they awaited his commands to fulfil their roles in his plan, "he did, sensei".
"Then, you may depart whenever you're ready".
He couldn't stop himself from smiling, "Thank you, sensei".
"And Tomura?"
"Yes, sensei?"
"Good luck".
"Thank you, sensei", the screen cut out and rising to his feet, he swallowed what liquid remained in his glass of water, before turning to his bartender, "Kurogiri, give the word. We move out in five minutes".
"Yes, Tomura Shigaraki".
His smile became a grin, as he imagined how today would play out. After his defeat of All Might, he would have avenged sensei's honour, and the chaos, death and destruction that resulted from it would give rise to the new Age of Villains, with sensei restored to his place at the top of the pyramid and Tomura as his heir. After he was finished, his League of Villains would go down in history as the greatest threat that Pro Heroes around the world had ever faced and he would be the one to make it all happen.
This was what he had been created for and now? It was time for him to take his place in history.
Today was the day!
=== === === === ===
Author's Note
In honour of Superman's release today, enjoy a bonus chapter!
We teased her appearance at the the end of Chapter Five, 'Exchange', but now it is official: Melissa Shield is here and she's ready for action - or at least, she's here.
We're about to find out if she's ready.
Several lines regarding the Class Rep elections were lifted verbatim from the dubbed version of My Hero Academia, Season 1, Episode 9: "Yeah, Just Do Your Best, Ida!"
I feel that Aizawa and Bakugo are difficult voices to get right - Aizawa in particular - so I'm curious how they read. Please let me know if they felt off in any way.
"Today's the day", was a recurring phrase during the pilot episodes of the animated series, 'Young Justice', and it felt so fitting to use it here.
In other notes, Godzillo's civilian name in this universe is Dee Tanaka. 'Dee' comes from Dee Bradley Baker, who voiced the Zillo Beast in Star Wars: Clone Wars, while 'Tanaka' is taken from Tomoyuki 'Yūkō' Tanaka, who is the creator of Godzilla.
The Yaoyorozu Investment Network (YIN), the name of the Yaoyorozu Family business, was first mentioned in the chapters of 'My Vigilante Academia', (Part 2 of the Deku-Verse). Hey, if it works, then re-use it!