Izuku POV
The sun had barely risen when I stepped out of my house, only to be greeted by a massive crowd of reporters. It hadn't even been 12 hours and I had Microphones and cameras shoved in my face, journalists hurling a rapid barrage of questions.
"Midoriya-kun! How does it feel to be chosen by All Might?"
"What do you think of training with a Shield?"
"Is it true that you defeated the sludge villain single-handedly?"
"Are you training to take All Might's place one day?"
It was overwhelming. My mom tried her best to shield me as I tried to leave, but the sheer size of the crowd made it impossible. Having enough,I let out a wave of pressure that rippled through the air. The reporters flinched, momentarily stunned, which gave me the opening I needed.
"Please, give me some space!" I said, forcing a polite yet slightly menacing grin. They stumbled back, muttering to themselves about my "intense presence" as I slipped away toward school.
By the time I reached the school gates, I was met with a similar frenzy, though this time it was my classmates. A mob of curious students swarmed me, bombarding me with questions. The same trash the reporters kept asking me.
"Midoriya, where are you training with All Might?"
"Melissa Shield looks so cool! What's she like?"
"How far can you stretch?"
The questions never stopped, and I could feel my patience wearing thin. Clenching my fists, I exhaled slowly, letting out just the smallest pulse of Conqueror's Haki. A wave of intimidation rippled through the crowd, and the chatter died instantly as everyone froze in place.
"Move aside, please," I said, grinning slightly—just enough to make it unsettling.
The students complied, trembling as they parted to let me pass. By the time I made it to class, I was already exhausted.
After school, I headed to the newly cleaned Dagobah Beach, where All Might and Melissa were waiting for me. The once trash-filled shoreline was now pristine, sparkling under the late afternoon sun.
"Ah, young Midoriya!" All Might greeted, his booming voice filled with energy. "Welcome!"
Melissa stood beside him, smiling warmly. "Hey, Izuku."
"All Might, Melissa," I said, waving. "What's this all about?"
"This is where your journey truly begins," All Might said, his expression turning serious. "Before we continue, there's something you need to know."
With a deep breath, All Might's body deflated, transforming into his skeletal, weakened form.
"Dang.." I said, though I wasn't surprised in the slightest.
All Might raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem shocked."
"I'm not," I admitted. "I have the Haki sub-quirk, which includes something called Observation Haki. It lets me sense the energy and tension in people's bodies. I could tell you were constantly tensing every muscle and focusing your energy. Once you relaxed, you de-transformed."
All Might blinked, then let out a hearty laugh. "Impressive, young Midoriya! Your abilities truly are remarkable."
Melissa chimed in, "That's amazing, Izuku. No wonder All Might was so excited to take you on."
I turned to them, crossing my arms. "But that still doesn't explain why you two acted like you didn't know each other when we first met."
All Might scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "We wanted to keep our relationship under wraps. It's a unique dynamic that we'd rather not have exposed."
I smirked. "Well, you kind of messed that up with the media frenzy yesterday."
All Might sighed. "True. But it doesn't matter now. What's important is that you understand the deeper truth behind Melissa's strength."
He glanced at Melissa, who nodded.
"All Might's not just my teacher," she said. "I'm his successor. I possess a quirk called One for All."
All Might explained its origins, detailing the power passed down from user to user, and how Melissa had carried it for the last two years as the ninth wielder.
Pretending to be shocked, I nodded along. "That's…amazing."
Melissa smiled and extended her hand. "Welcome to the team, Izuku."
I shook her hand. "Thanks, Melissa. And, uh, you're really beautiful, by the way."
Her cheeks turned crimson, and she stammered, "T-thank you."
All Might watched us with a grin, barely holding back a laugh. These two are adorable, he thought.
The months flew by as Melissa and I trained together. She was already leagues ahead of me in terms of power, using Full Cowling at 50%, but Gear Fifth gave me a chaotic edge that kept her on her toes.
During one particularly intense sparring session, I grinned at her mid-fight. "Hey, Melissa. Wanna go on a date?"
She nearly tripped over her own feet, her face turning bright red. "W-what?! Right now?!"
"No," I said, laughing. "We've got three months until the entrance exam. I thought we could take some time to just…hang out."
Melissa hesitated, then nodded with a shy smile. "Okay. I'd like that."
Over the next few months, we became inseparable. Our training sessions were balanced with outings to the city, and though we tried to keep things low-key, the media occasionally spotted us. Headlines like "The Rising Stars of Hero Society" and "Japan's New Power Couple" quickly became commonplace.
Finally, the day of the U.A. entrance exam arrived. Melissa and I stood side by side in front of the towering gates, both of us wearing confident smiles.
"This is it," she said, glancing at me.
"Yeah," I said, feeling my excitement bubbling over.
Together, we stepped forward, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.