[Third Person Pov]
"Now it's my turn," Melissa exclaimed, cracking her knuckles as an eager grin spread across her face, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Principal Isaac offered her an awkward smile. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think your test will be quite as action-packed as you're hoping. You're up against me, after all."
Not far away, Momo was still visibly flustered, her composure in shambles as Tony continued to hold her close without the slightest hint of shame. "Why are you still holding me…? This is embarrassing. People are staring," she muttered under her breath, lowering her gaze to her shoes to avoid meeting anyone's eyes.
"You should start getting used to being seen in public with me," Tony replied casually, completely unbothered. "With who I am, public attention is inevitable."
Momo let out a quiet, resigned sigh as she reluctantly admitted he wasn't wrong. "…I suppose you're right. It's still going to take some getting used to, though."
Tony leaned in closer, his lips brushing near her ear as he whispered, "Besides, I want to brag a little. I'd like to show off that such a pretty girl is my woman."
Momo instantly turned bright red, her face burning as if steam might actually rise from her head. Her body trembled in Tony's arms, too mortified to look up at him or anyone else, while he simply chuckled at her reaction, thoroughly amused.
From the corner of his eye, Eric watched the entire exchange with a flat, unimpressed expression. 'He really doesn't care about what other people think of him,' he noted silently.
His brows furrowed slightly as he reflected inwardly. 'I don't think I could ever be that confident.'
"That boy of yours sure is bold, Maria. Just how exactly have you been raising him?" Kane asked, his face twitching as though he didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Maria sighed deeply and began massaging her forehead, already feeling a headache coming on. "I don't even want to talk about it."
Meanwhile, Principal Isaac's attention remained locked solely on Melissa, his expression turning serious as the atmosphere subtly shifted. "Our battle will not be one of strength," he stated calmly. "It will be a contest of will. If you can resist the effects of my quirk, you pass."
"That's kind of boring," Melissa sulked for a brief moment before shrugging it off, rolling her shoulders as if preparing for a physical fight anyway. "But oh well. Bring it on, mister."
"[Bow]"
Isaac spoke the single word without raising his voice or making any dramatic gesture, yet the effect was immediate as he activated his quirk, Absolute Authority.
"Oh shoot!" Melissa groaned as the compulsion struck her instantly.
It felt as though invisible hands had pressed down on her head, forcing it forward. The pressure was overwhelming, like Isaac himself was physically pushing her into submission. Her neck strained as she gritted her teeth, muscles trembling while she resisted the command with everything she had.
Isaac's quirk was not without limitations. The first and most significant restriction was that he could issue only one command at a time; they could not stack or overlap. The second limitation was more subtle but just as important: the shorter the command, the stronger its effect. A single word carried far greater authority and influence than a full sentence, making concise orders far more difficult to resist.
Melissa's posture became hunched as she fought against the invisible force, sweat sliding down her temple and dripping to the ground. Her body quivered from the strain.
'Impressive,' the principal thought inwardly as he observed the fierce defiance burning in her eyes. 'Let's see just how strong her will truly is.'
"[Sleep]"
The word fell just as calmly as the first.
Melissa immediately dropped to one knee as a wave of crushing lethargy swept through her. Her limbs felt heavy, her mind turning sluggish as an overwhelming desire to close her eyes and rest consumed her senses. It was as if she hadn't slept in days.
Still, she refused to yield.
With visible effort, she forced herself back to her feet, swaying unsteadily. Her eyelids drooped halfway shut, threatening to close completely, yet she kept them open through sheer stubborn willpower alone.
She took a shaky step forward and nearly collapsed face-first onto the ground, barely catching herself at the last second. Despite looking like someone who hadn't gotten a single hour of sleep, she continued to move, determined to push through the command no matter how exhausted she felt.
"[Punch yourself]"
"Ouch!!" Melissa yelped as the crushing lethargy from the previous command vanished without warning, not giving her mind even a second to recalibrate. Her arm jerked forward against her will and her own fist slammed straight into her face, forcing her to stagger a step back from the impact.
Principal Isaac had long since learned how to work around the weaknesses of his quirk. One of the methods he developed was something he called "String Command." While he couldn't stack multiple commands simultaneously, he could chain them together in rapid succession, each new order building off the last to maintain pressure without technically overlapping.
"[Again]"
"Argh!!" Her fist drove into her cheek a second time.
"[Harder]"
"Urghh—!" The third strike snapped her head to the side. Blood began trickling from her nose, and she swayed slightly, momentarily stunned from the repeated blows.
"[Continue]"
Her knuckles split her lip this time. Even as she tasted blood, Melissa's mind was racing. Through the haze of pain, she quickly deduced another limitation. He couldn't repeat the exact same command back to back. Each order had to evolve, even slightly.
She managed to throw three more punches at herself before forcibly halting the motion by grabbing her own forearm with her free hand. Her fist trembled violently, restrained inches from her face as she fought the compulsion.
Biting down on her injured lip, she forced one foot forward, then another, advancing toward him despite everything.
"[Surrender]"
She ignored it and took another step.
"[Suffocate]"
Instantly, Melissa felt her body forget how to breathe. Her lungs refused to cooperate, her throat tightening as though invisible hands were choking her. The instinct to panic clawed at her mind, but she suppressed it, focusing instead on steady movement. If she couldn't breathe properly, then she would simply endure it.
"[Stop]"
She answered with a large, deliberate step forward, a physical declaration of defiance. Her eyes narrowed, locking onto her target with unwavering focus.
"[Fright]"
Her body trembled as terror flooded her senses. The world around her distorted, and for a moment it felt as though her worst nightmare had manifested before her eyes. It was vivid, overwhelming, like she had been trapped inside a living illusion crafted from her deepest fears.
But fear was something she had already confronted before.
"You want to scare me?!" she growled, pushing through the illusion as she lunged forward and grabbed Principal Isaac by the collar. "Tough luck. I've already seen my worst fears come to life firsthand! This isn't new to me!"
She yanked her head back and drove it forward in a brutal headbutt.
Crack.
The impact broke Isaac's nose instantly, blood spurting as he stumbled backward, dazed to the point of nearly losing consciousness. If not for the staff on standby rushing in to catch him, he might have collapsed entirely.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd at Melissa's decisive retaliation. She stood there breathing heavily, chest rising and falling as she tried to steady her racing heart and shake off the lingering tremors from the fear command.
Principal Isaac raised a hand weakly, stopping the teachers who were already stepping forward to reprimand her. "Don't," he said through a congested, nasally voice. "I deserve it. Truly spectacular, Ms. Shield. Your willpower is commendable. It's rare to find youths your age with such grit. You pass."
He offered her a bloodied smile while the school nurse, a blonde and notably well-endowed woman, carefully mended his broken nose.
Melissa rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, embarrassment replacing her earlier ferocity. From the sidelines, Tony and Momo began giving exaggerated golf claps, which only deepened the red tint creeping across her face. The nurse soon moved to heal Melissa's injuries as well.
"Thank you," Melissa replied, her tone far more modest now. "Your quirk is honestly really impressive."
Isaac let out a wheezy, nasal laugh at the compliment.
Coach Lawrence then turned his attention toward Momo. "Are you ready for your turn?"
Momo gently slipped free from Tony's hands and stepped forward, determination settling over her features. She gave a firm nod. "Please don't go easy on me."
"I never intended to," the coach answered pragmatically.
They moved across from one another and took their stances, the air between them tightening as both prepared to begin their battle.
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