The air vibrated with nervous energy, a collective murmur from hundreds of hero applicants swarming outside the massive gates of U.A.'s exam area. It was a noise made of hopes, fears, and teenage bravado. Izuku ignored it completely.
With a light touch on her elbow, he guided Ibara away from the main crowd, toward the relative privacy of a side wall.
"Thank you for coming," she said softly. Her calm contrasted with the anxiety surrounding them.
"I couldn't let you go in without one last instruction," Izuku replied, his voice barely a whisper for only her to hear. He took out a tablet and turned it on. "This is your target."
A photo of Katsuki Bakugo appeared on the screen. The image captured his characteristic sneer: a mix of pure arrogance, latent anger, and a confidence as scorching as his own Quirk.
Ibara looked at the photo, her serene expression unwavering. She saw a soul in need of guidance.
"I understand. I must neutralize him quickly to secure…"
"No," Izuku corrected her gently, shaking his head. The movement was almost imperceptible. "This isn't about points, Shiozaki. It's a message. Your first action in this exam will be to find him."
His hand rested on her shoulder, a gesture that conveyed both support and complicity.
"I don't want you to hurt him," he continued, his tone becoming more precise, sharper. "Not in a way that leaves physical scars. And I certainly don't want you to defeat him in a simple fight. This is more important. I want you to teach him a lesson. A pious and overwhelming defeat."
He paused, his green, analytical, and cold eyes locking onto hers, making sure she understood every nuance.
"He believes his power is absolute. He believes his fire is the greatest force. I want you to show him that there are Quirks, like yours, that aren't based on destruction and can completely nullify him. Immobilize him. Neutralize him. Make it so complete, so total, that he can do nothing but watch as the rest of the exam unfolds around him, powerless."
The implication was clear. It was not a fight. It was a calculated humiliation.
Before Ibara could fully process the command, he gently caressed her cheek. The gesture was so unexpected, so full of confidence in her ability, that it made her hold her breath for an instant. His gaze became intense, almost feverish, that of a strategist watching his masterstroke about to be executed.
"Make him suffer."
The final order hung between them, heavy with a weight that would have crushed someone else. But Ibara showed no fear or doubt. She looked at Bakugo's photo one last time, seeing past the anger to the fragile pride that fueled it. Then, she looked up into her mentor's eyes.
She nodded, a single, slow dip of her head. To her, this was not an order for gratuitous aggression. It was a divine mission. A sacred task to purge the pride from a lost soul and, hopefully, guide it back to the path of humility. It was an act of salvation, in its own way.
"I will pray for him," she said softly, and her tone was not ironic or grim. It was solemn, like someone preparing for a sacred rite.
Without another word, she turned and joined the stream of applicants heading toward the entrance.
Izuku watched her go, a small, satisfied smile forming on his lips.
The path to the observation deck for teachers and special guests was a maze of sterile, white hallways, bustling with people. Izuku made his way through with distracted efficiency, his eyes glued to his own tablet, where he reviewed the profiles of the most promising competitors, potential battlefield configurations, and simulated disaster scenarios. He paid no attention to the chatter of anxious parents or the hurried footsteps of U.A. staff. His mind was already in the war zone, calculating probabilities and outcomes.
It was precisely because of this focus that he did not see the tall, muscular figure rounding the corner at the same time as him.
The collision was inevitable and surprisingly quiet, a dull, firm impact. Tablets and papers flew through the air, landing on the polished floor.
"I'm so sorry! It was my fault, I wasn't looking!" Izuku apologized instantly. He immediately bent down, his hands clumsily searching for the scattered items.
"Don't worry, young man, these things happen," said a kind and visibly tired voice. It belonged to someone who smiled even when exhausted.
Izuku picked up one of the tablets, sturdier and more expensive looking than his own, and held it out to the man. When he looked up to see him directly, his brain came to a complete stop.
The man was incredibly tall and muscular, with a stature that dwarfed everyone around him. His blond hair fell in two rebellious bangs that defied gravity, and his blue eyes were intense. The voice was unmistakable.
"You must be young Midoriya," said Toshinori Yagi, and a kind smile lit up his face, confirming Izuku's suspicions. "Principal Nezu has told me a lot about you. And about your… fascinating project with Miss Shiozaki."
Izuku froze, his hand still extended with the tablet. The shock wasn't just because of who the man was, but because this man knew him. He was waiting for him.
"You're…" he whispered, his voice barely a thread of air, his eyes wide with an astonishment he struggled to contain.
Toshinori, seeing the absolute recognition in the boy's eyes, smiled a little wider. It was a knowing smile. He guided them both into a small alcove in the hallway, away from the curious glances of passing staff. He brought a finger to his lips in a universal gesture for secrecy.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, young mentor," his voice boomed, the sheer power in it almost making the air vibrate. The smile was the same one that adorned thousands of products, but seeing it in person had an overwhelming impact.
Izuku's heart stopped. Then it started again, with a force that threatened to break his ribs. He did the only thing his mind processed as appropriate. He bowed, a perfect ninety-degree bow, his forehead nearly touching his knees.
"All Might-san. It's an indescribable honor."
"Please, stand up, young Midoriya. I knew Nezu wasn't mistaken about you," Toshinori said with a soft laugh. "There's someone I want you to meet."
He led him a few more feet down the hall, where a young woman with bright blond hair and thin-framed glasses was waiting patiently, checking her own phone.
"This is my protégée," Toshinori said, with an unmistakable tone of paternal pride in his voice. "Melissa."
Izuku looked at her and the recognition was, once again, instantaneous. But this time it was not the awe of a fan. It was the thrill of a professional recognizing one of the most brilliant minds in his field.
"Melissa Shield!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm for science and support technology completely eclipsing the fact that he had just met his idol. "Of course! I've read all of your father's papers on Quirk amplification and support tech! But your own work is incredible! Your paper on the variable pulse kinetic reinforcement gauntlets was revolutionary! You completely changed the paradigm for strength assistance for mid-tier heroes! The energy efficiency you achieved was theoretically impossible until you published it!"
Melissa, who was clearly expecting a normal social interaction, completely lit up. Her eyes widened behind her glasses, and a bright, genuinely excited smile spread across her face. Her initial shyness evaporated.
"Really? Almost nobody reads those papers! Most heroes just want to know if it makes them hit harder and if the colors match their costume!" she replied, her own voice quickening with excitement.
"But they're missing the point!" Izuku retorted, stepping closer, completely forgetting All Might's presence beside him. His tablet was already in his hands, open to one of his own design notes. "The real breakthrough wasn't the power, it was the adaptive energy matrix! That was pure genius! But I have a question. How did you manage to stabilize the plasma flow through the conductors without overheating the polymer alloys? I've tried to replicate the concept in my notebooks for a leg support design and I always end up with a theoretical meltdown in less than five minutes of simulated use!"
"Exactly!" Melissa exclaimed, laughing with pure joy at finding someone who understood the fundamental problem. "Everyone focuses on the material's durability! The trick isn't in the alloys, it's in the cooling system. It's counterintuitive! I used a nitrogen-based cryogenic gel compound that floods through micro-channels in the frame."
"A cryogenic gel? But wouldn't that increase viscosity and slow down the movement's response time?" Izuku asked, his fingers flying across his tablet's screen, sketching a quick diagram.
"Only if you use a singular pump system," Melissa explained, leaning in to see his drawing. "But if you distribute it through a network of peristaltic micro-pumps activated by the user's own kinetic pressure, the flow is almost instantaneous. The system cools itself in direct response to the movement that generates the heat. It's a perfect feedback loop!"
They launched into a rapid, passionate conversation, a whirlwind of scientific jargon that left Toshinori completely lost and smiling. They interrupted each other with ideas about energy matrices, the aerodynamic inefficiency of current costume designs, and the potential of nanomaterials for field repairs. It was a meeting of the minds, a spark of shared genius that lit up the U.A. hallway.
All Might watched them with a smile of pure and absolute satisfaction. He had a hunch these two would get along. Seeing them interact, seeing that unbridled passion for creating and improving, filled him with hope. He had brought two brilliant young minds together. It was the satisfaction of a proud father watching his children connect.
It was then that the third, and much more chaotic, parental figure in Izuku's life entered the scene.
"Izuku! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"
Yu's voice sounded relieved and a little breathless. She had found him, finally. And she had found him in the middle of a lively conversation with an incredibly beautiful blonde girl, all under the approving, fatherly gaze of All Might himself.
Her internal radar for "threat to the stability of my life and potential public relations disaster" exploded in a supernova of silent panic.
Izuku, upon seeing her, smiled widely, completely oblivious to the storm brewing in Yu's mind.
"Yu! Come here! Look who's here! It's All Might!" he said, his voice still an excited, reverent whisper. Then he turned to her, his chest puffed with a genuine and absolutely disastrous pride. "And this is Melissa Shield. A genius!"
He turned back to Toshinori and Melissa, making a presentational gesture with his hand.
"I'd like to introduce my boss, Yu Takeyama. The hero Mt. Lady! She's the one who discovered my talent and gave me my first big break! Without her, none of this would be possible."
So far, so good. It was professional. It was flattering. But Izuku, still floating on a cloud of euphoria from meeting All Might and Melissa Shield, continued, on the verge of committing the greatest social suicide of his life.
"In fact, our amazing professional collaboration started on the very day of her debut. It was a fascinating situation from a tactical and physical standpoint. It involved an accidental fall from a considerable height, the inopportune deactivation of her Quirk at the last second, and the remarkable and surprising comfort, not to mention the delicious and distinct strawberry scent, of her…"
Before the word "butt" could leave his mouth and destroy his career, his dignity, and any chance of a normal life, Yu acted. The instinct for survival is a powerful force.
With sudden and desperate speed, her hand shot out and clamped over Izuku's mouth with a force that nearly dislocated his jaw. Her other arm wrapped around his neck in what, to a casual observer, might have looked like a playful hug. In reality, it was a containment chokehold designed to cut off his air supply and, more importantly, his supply of stupid words.
Her laugh was sharp, a bit shrill, and filled with barely concealed panic.
"Hahahaha! That's just him! Always so enthusiastic with his jokes! He's a real comedian! Right, Izuku?" she said, squeezing a little harder to emphasize the point.
She turned to Toshinori and Melissa, her smile a grimace of pure terror trying to pass as joy.
"I'm so excited to see Ibara in action! Izuku's student! It's going to be great! Come on, Izuku, we have to find our seats or we'll miss the opening speech!"
All Might, who had seen the disaster coming a second before it happened, found the whole dynamic incredibly amusing. His muscular face crinkled into a genuine smile. He decided to add a little more fuel to the fire.
"Well, young Melissa is also here to participate in the exam," he said with a perfectly innocent smile. "It seems your student will have some stiff competition!"
The news that Melissa was also a competitor barely registered in Yu's mind, which was still physically preventing Izuku from committing social harakiri in front of the Symbol of Peace. However, the information was filed away in her brain under the label: "Blonde, Big Boobs, All Might's Protégée, Possible Rival."
Izuku and Melissa, oblivious to the tension radiating from Yu, were delighted by the news.
"Awesome! That means we might see each other more often if we both get in!" Melissa said, her smile bright and uncomplicated.
"That would be fantastic! We should exchange numbers!" Izuku replied, his voice muffled by Yu's hand. "I have to send you my notes on the application of self-repairing polymers! And if you have any questions about Quirk analysis or strategy, just let me know!"
With surprising dexterity, born from years of multitasking under pressure, Izuku managed to free one hand from Yu's grip and pull out his phone. Melissa, equally excited, took out hers. They exchanged contacts with the enthusiasm of two new best friends who had just discovered a shared, rare obsession.
Yu, for her part, kept smiling, a tense, terrifying smile, while her hand still covered Izuku's mouth. But her eyes… her eyes were fixed on the cheerful exchange of numbers between her assistant and the adorable, brilliant, and now officially declared rival, Melissa Shield.
Finally, with the numbers exchanged, Yu began to drag away a waving Izuku.
"It was a pleasure meeting you both!" she said with forced cordiality. "Good luck, Melissa-san! We'll see you, All Might-san!"
As they walked away down the hall, Yu's smile finally vanished as soon as they turned a corner. She released Izuku, who gasped for air.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, rubbing his neck. "I was about to tell them our story."
Yu stopped and turned to face him. Her expression was that of a person who had aged ten years in the last five minutes.
Her internal monologue was simple, direct, and full of an exhausted resignation.
Oh, great. Another one. Tall, blonde, smart, sweet, and protected by All Might. Perfect.
The silent, undeclared battle for Izuku's attention had just gained a new, and very formidable, contender.