[Third Person's PoV]
A while earlier…
Melissa and Midoriya stood side by side in the center of the massive testing site, a mock cityscape filled with towering buildings and open streets built specifically for U.A.'s intense practical exams. The air buzzed with tension, and both of them could feel the weight of what was about to begin.
Melissa turned her head toward Midoriya with a competitive gleam in her eyes. "Don't fall too far behind when we're battling Uncle Might," she warned with a sly grin, confidently stepping ahead of him. "I'm going all out."
She raised her arms high into the air, her fingers spread apart like she was calling upon the heavens themselves. In response, liquid metal surged forth from her palms, flowing like mercury before coalescing in midair. It quickly took the form of a massive hammer. The head of the weapon was thick and reinforced, with a glowing reactor core embedded at its center, spinning rapidly between the twin ends of the mallet. Sparks of electricity arced from the core, crackling violently in every direction.
Without hesitation, Melissa began to spin the hammer at her side, and the electricity intensified—flares of light dancing wildly with each revolution. As the hammer whirled faster, something incredible happened: arcs of lightning began tracing themselves along her body, encasing her in glowing metal plates that shimmered like the scales of a mythical beast.
The armor formed rapidly, piece by piece, wrapping her in a suit that was both futuristic and deeply reminiscent of Asgardian design. Her body seemed to hum with power as her warrior's helm appeared over her head, the eye sockets flaring with light. A vibrant red cape burst forth from her back, flowing dramatically behind her. Where traditional Asgardian armor might've used golden fastenings, hers had reactor nodes—humming, glowing discs of raw power.
Beside her, the spinning hammer had become a wheel of pure electricity, launching bolts of lightning outward in chaotic bursts that scorched the ground.
Midoriya blinked, his jaw slightly agape. "Can I ask… what Mark is that suit?" he finally managed, stunned by the transformation.
But before Melissa could answer, a booming voice rang out from the intercom overhead:
"All units in position?! This is it—let the final exam for U.A. High's First-Year students… BEGIN!!"
Melissa smirked, her smile practically glowing with energy. "You want to know what Mark it is?" she shouted over the roaring lightning that now surrounded her. She crouched low, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
With a thunderous explosion, Melissa launched herself into the sky, riding a vortex of snapping electricity. At the same time, All Might made his appearance—walking into view like a titan from myth, his steps shaking the ground beneath them.
The moment he saw them, he crouched—and in a blur of motion, he shot into the air toward Melissa, his fist cocked back and blazing with kinetic energy.
"MARK 47: THE THUNDER MAIDEN!" Melissa let out a fierce cry and swung her hammer down to meet him. The clash was cataclysmic. Lightning and shockwaves exploded outward, and the entire test site trembled. Buildings cracked and collapsed, debris flying like shrapnel from a bomb. Deku shielded his face and braced himself, the sheer force threatening to throw him off balance.
Acting quickly, Midoriya activated his quirk. Green lightning flared around him, and Blackwhip tendrils shot from his arms, wrapping tightly around All Might's leg. He pulled with all his strength.
But All Might, unbothered, caught Melissa's hammer mid-air with his bare hand, his grip unflinching despite the coursing electricity. With a roar, he flung her across the sky like a thunderbolt. At the same time, he kicked out with immense force, yanking Deku off his feet and hurling him through a nearby structure. The building groaned and buckled from the impact, bricks and dust scattering across the field.
Melissa twisted in midair, righting herself with precision. Her cape snapped like a banner in the storm as she hovered for a second, then locked eyes with All Might below.
Suddenly, an explosion of energy erupted from the rubble where Midoriya had landed. Chunks of concrete rained down as he stepped forward, completely unfazed, glowing with power.
The two students exchanged a look. No words were needed. They burst forward at breakneck speed, their bodies becoming streaks of green and blue lightning as they charged All Might in tandem.
All Might grinned. Raising a leg and an arm, he prepared to meet them head-on.
Midoriya struck first, landing a devastating kick against All Might's leg with a thunderous bang. Melissa followed an instant later, hammer crashing down onto his raised arm, however All Might used the metallic weight limiters attached to his limbs to block the attack. Nevertheless the resulting explosion of force rocked the entire testing area—energy bursting in every direction, leaving behind shockwaves and swirling air currents.
But All Might was still not finished. He grabbed Melissa mid-air and spun, slamming her directly onto Midoriya. With terrifying strength, he raised his limp leg high and brought it down on both of them, creating a crater in the concrete that shook the earth.
Midoriya gasped, the air punched from his lungs. Melissa didn't react as she was unaffected, her armor sparking.
However, All Might immediately retaliated. With an iron grip, he seized Melissa by the head and charged forward at breakneck speed, slamming her headfirst through one building after another. The reinforced structures cracked and buckled under the force of each impact, dust and debris cascading around them like storm clouds.
But Melissa wasn't out of the fight yet.
With a surge of energy, she swung her legs backward, flipping over All Might in a smooth arc. The force behind her movement was enough to threaten breaking his hand, forcing him to release her. Twisting in midair, she extended her hammer toward his neck and activated the "Unworthy Enchantment." This caused the hammer to grow impossibly heavy—gravity itself thickened around the weapon, powered by the Stark reactor humming in its core.
At the same time, Melissa delivered a vicious kick to the back of All Might's knees. The impact sent him slamming down into the ground, a shockwave echoing from the point of collision. Before he could recover, twin tendrils of black energy—Deku's Black Whip—snaked out and latched onto the space of the side of All Might. From above, Midoriya dropped like a green meteor, smashing down onto his mentor with blinding speed and crushing force.
The ground gave way beneath them. Cement ruptured. Craters formed. Debris flew in every direction from their combined assault.
But All Might wasn't down yet.
With a thunderous roar and a sudden bulge of his muscle fibers, All Might surged to life. He reached out and ripped Melissa's hammer from her grasp as if it were a toy. In one motion, he launched himself to his feet, the sheer force knocking Deku backward. Without pause, he slammed the hammer into Melissa's torso.
Melissa was launched backward like a cannonball, spinning through the air as parts of her armor cracked and peeled away from the impact. The hammer melted in All Might's hand, evaporating in streaks of lightning and steam.
All Might spun with practiced grace, avoiding a retaliatory kick from Midoriya with a chuckle and a pirouette. "Don't think I forgot about you, Young Midoriya!" he shouted.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in the back of Midoriya's head—his instincts screamed of lethal danger. Without thinking, he activated the calf thrusters on his boots, launching himself backward at blinding speed. He became a green blur, disappearing just as a bolt of lightning.
All Might narrowed his eyes in confusion—until he heard the sky itself began to wail.
High above, Melissa hovered, lightning encircling her like a divine aura. Her hair whipped in the wind, her eyes glowing with untamed power. She twirled the spinning wheel of electricity that had formed from her hammer, raising it toward the heavens.
"I HAVE THE POWER!!" she roared.
A massive beam of lightning shot down from the sky, converging into her weapon. With a defiant cry, she hurled it toward All Might, unleashing a column of energy that tore across the testing field like a divine judgment. The air screamed as it was incinerated. The ground cracked and collapsed. Entire chunks of rubble dissolved under the sheer might of the beam.
All Might's silhouette vanished within the blinding pillar of power.
"I want to see how you recover from this, Uncle Might!" Melissa cried. "Don't give up too soon!"
But in her focus, she failed to notice the growing tremor behind her—the rising force emanating from Tony's direction.
When Melissa finally relented, the beam ceased. The battlefield was scorched black, the ground smoking and broken. And in the very center of it stood All Might—upright.
Charred. Smoldering. But unbowed.
Smoke curled from his frame, his costume singed, but the symbol of peace still wore that signature wide grin. Pride gleamed in his eyes as he looked up at Melissa. Then, he turned and coughed harshly into his hand—only to see a red stain of blood.
Far away, Deku was preparing his final move.
He had anchored Black Whip to a light pole on one side and a telephone pole on the other. Taking slow steps backward, he clenched the cuffs between his teeth as green lightning surged over his body. Every muscle coiled with energy.
With a mighty leap, he flung himself forward—slingshotting at incredible velocity, a blur that tore through the air.
Deku flipped midair, twisted, and slammed his foot across All Might's face in a blinding spin. At the same moment, he slammed the cuffs into All Might's wrists—clinking them together with a satisfying click.
He used Black Whip to break his momentum, swinging down and sliding into a stop. The whips coiled around him protectively as dust settled.
All Might, now sporting a bleeding lip, looked at the cuffs around his hands in amused surprise.
Melissa hovered nearby, her eyes still wide with residual power.
Then both of them turned toward Deku, who stood hunched with his hair veiling his face. He let out a slow breath. Then raised his head, a smile stretching across his face as his glowing green eyes blazed with resolve.
"Another step closer," he whispered.
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