Chapter 53
The end of that day saw the teachers once again gathered on the meeting room, properly illuminated and looking as normal as any regular workplace meeting room should be this time, patiently waiting for the last arrival needed for them to get down to business.
They didn't have to wait too long, as soon the telltale pitter patter of tiny feet heralded the arrival of Nezu, the tiny principal swiftly entering the room and taking his place at the head of the table. Nobody even considered commenting on how very pleased the sentient animal seemed to be after the rare opportunity to indulge his more sadistic tendencies…
"Glad to see we're all here! I think we can all agree we've had a very interesting day this time around, didn't we?" The principal said chipperly, before his beady black eyes blinked upon realizing something. "All Might, there's no need to be in that form for this. No point in burning through what little time you have left for the day."
"Uh? Oh right, I see, my apologies." Was the hero in question's confused reply, before deflating back into his lanky, sickly form in a puff of smoke.
"Now then," Nezu continued without missing a beat, clapping his paws together. "Shall we get to discussing the results?"
"Well, all in all, I'd say this was probably one of the best results we've had in a while." Snipe said after a quick glance over some of the files on the table, each showing a student's picture and a small action report. "I mean, five defeats out of forty students. And that was with a much harder exam than we've done before to boot. These kids are going places."
"Indeed! The fail rate is rather unevenly spread between the classes," Nezu agreed, to which Vlad King stood up a little straighter in satisfaction and Aizawa gave no reaction whatsoever. "But on the whole the students have surpassed my expectations, which is saying something. Of course, this doesn't mean we're giving up on those who didn't pass. That'd be a waste with all the effort put into the summer camp, now wouldn't it."
"Yeah, about that," All Might cut in, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm afraid that threatening to leave students out of that experience as motivation didn't really work out. Young Yaoyorozu was extremely skeptical about such a notion, and so was Midoriya. And if he of all people isn't buying it, odds are none of class 1-A is."
"Ah!" Present Mic laughed, jabbing his elbow at his friend's side. "Ya hear that, Aizawa? You're really getting predictable with all of them "logical ruses"!"
"If they are learning to not take things at face value, I have no complaints." The homeroom teacher replied in his usual, unamused tone. "Though I will acknowledge that this means I shouldn't get complacent. And make sure they don't either."
"Oh, come on, Aizawa, lighten up. I get that we're prepping these kids for a dangerous profession and all, but there issuch a thing as too much paranoia." Mic retorted, and to this one the scruffy looking hero didn't deign to reply.
"Now, now, you two, that's a discussion for a later date." The principal chided, which didn't escape Aizawa's notice that it was a discussion the rodent intended to have, which likely meant more headaches and less sleep for him… "Right now, we're here to evaluate how each of the students performed."
"Speaking of, before we get on that, how're they doing?" Midnight asked curiously.
"The children? Oh, they're doing fine. Recovery Girl has given all of them a checkup and has already discharged all of them from the infirmary. Some of them got some injuries, but nothing too serious, from what she told me." Nezu replied. "Right now, they're at the dorms, having a celebratory meal courtesy of Midoriya-san."
"Dang, lucky kids." Cementoss commented mildly, if somewhat wistful sounding, and honestly, none of the others could blame him. In the time they had the woman working in the academy, every one of them had, at one point or another, tasted one of her meals. Even their resident expert Lunch Rush himself, who had a history of being demanding when it came to food quality, had nothing but praise for her skill.
"Speakin' of Midoriya," Snipe cut in, if for no other reason than to spare them all the thought of what they were missing out on. "How about we start there? From what I saw in the reports, something downright odd happened on his exam, right?"
"Ya mean how the kid somehow jumpstarted a van with no engine and it ran through the training grounds like something straight out of a video game?" Present Mic commented, before looking around. "And shouldn't Power Loader be here for this?"
"Oh, he's busy overseeing the clean-up efforts for the training grounds. He also adamantly refused to go anywhere near the van when I mentioned what happened with him." The principal replied, for once sounding somewhat uncertain what to make of what he was saying. "I had to talk him out of calling an exorcist to come check the vehicle, and honestly, I am not sure if I was entirely successful."
…
…
…
"…I'm starting to think that perhaps you should give Power Loader some paid leave." Vlad King broke the silence first, speaking what they were all thinking. "The guy seems to be having a rough time of it this year."
"I was thinking much the same, honestly." Nezu confirmed. He would be the first to admit that sometimes he could misinterpret how humans reacted to things, but even to him the growing neurosis of the support teacher wasn't normal. "But yes, by all appearances, the odd occurrence seems to be related to the boy's quirk. We've known him to be able to affect machinery considering everything we've seen, but to make something run without power? Even for the standards of what Quirks can do, that breaks a few laws of physics."
"Another notch to the mystery of a quirk we can't really try to look too deep into lest we risk it lashing out." Aizawa muttered, the memory of the first day of the school year still fresh in his mind.
"Indeed, but hopefully the coming weeks should provide us with a few more answers to that mystery. Midoriya did win the festival after all." The principal said, turning to All Might. "I believe you got in touch with your old friend, right?"
"Oh, yeah, I have." The symbol of peace replied with a nod and a fond smile. "It's been nice. Been a long while since the last I'd seen him, and there's a lot of catching up to do. I'm actually calling him again after we're done here to confirm details of our visit. If any place in the world can help us figure out more about Midoriya's quirk, it'll be I-Island."
Of course, it went without saying that besides reconnecting with old friends, another part of why All Might was tagging along as a chaperone was to prevent Midoriya from somehow causing the whole place to sink, or loot everything that wasn't nailed down. Either or, really.
Chapter 54
Toshinori had never really cared too much about the perks of being a hero. Unlike what, he was sadly aware, was a significant chunk of the people aspiring to take up the illustrious career, the number one hero didn't really care about the accolades, or the fame and glory, at least not in any away that benefited him directly, even if it was useful in helping to maintain the dissuading effect he had on villainy as the Symbol of Peace, but at the end of the day, all that the man behind the legend wanted was to help people, and that had never changed.
That being said, even he had to admit that there were certain perks from the position that came in handy, such as the ability to use a private plane courtesy of his hero agency to be able to travel without drawing suspicion or risking revealing his secret to the populace.
Of course, this time, there still was one person that he had to be careful about. In hindsight, he really should've thought his travel arrangements with young Midoriya through a bit more thoroughly, but alas, everyone involved had agreed that letting the boy make the trip without adult supervision could very well lead to complications that ranged from "missing the flight" to "International incident", and so here they were.
Fortunately, or so he chose to see it, by this point Toshinori knew the boy well enough that he had come up with a solution to the problem. A marathon of some of the most action-packed, gun-toting pre-dawn era movies, from his own collection of timeless classics. Between that, some headphones, and a deliberate but subtle choice in seating arrangements, and the boy had been so utterly hypnotized by the screen that he never noticed the symbol of peace deflating behind him.
Now, however, their destination could be seen in the distance, that massive, sleek ring in the ocean that was I-Island, one of the greatest technological marvels ever produced by humanity. Toshinori couldn't help a small, fond smirk, it really had been a while.
With that thought, the hero once more took his bulked up form, and rose from his seat, moving over towards the boy, who remained utterly transfixed by the screen, currently showing an Austrian actor with more muscles and guns than spoken lines, which All Might remembered as one of the most frequent faces in his collection.
"Young Midoriya, we'll be arriving at I-Island soon." The hero said, tapping the boy's shoulder. "Best get ready."
"Wot?" Midoriya replied in a daze, before he blinked as if only now realizing his surroundings and shook his head. "Oh, uh, roigt, roigt. Gud tah know." He looked out the window then, and a different sort of wonder altogether seemed to fill his expression. "Woooaaaaahhh…"
Despite himself, Toshinori couldn't help but smirk. I-Island did tend to have that effect on people.
/
"So, uh, ya said dat we'z got someone waitin' on us?" Izuku asked, looking curiously up at the hero after they had just passed through customs and into the massive sprawl of that marked the transition between the outer airport and the entrance to the island proper.
"Quite right, Young Midoriya!" All Might replied with his usual enthusiasm. They made for an odd pair, the fully suited number 1 hero and the much smaller boy in casual clothes. In all honesty, the hero had considered asking the kid to bring his hero suit to the occasion, but considering its general design and aesthetic, he feared that it might have increased the length of their admittance process enough to endanger his available time in hero mode. "You are very familiar with my career, Young Midoriya, so I trust the name David Shield rings a bell?"
Considering how wide the boy's eyes went at that, Toshinori would go with yes.
"Dah David Shield?" Izuku said eagerly. "Yer very first sidekick from when you'ze was still startin' out? Dah one wot made every single one a' your hero costumes an' all a' yer hero gizmos, from dah Allmobile to dah air pressure suit to tah Moigty Foam? Dat David Shield?!"
"Uh, yes, the very same," The hero replied, trying very hard not to cringe. All this time knowing him and still the kid managed to surprise him. The only other hardcore fan of his he was aware of that knew about that last particular tidbit was Nighteye… "As it happens, after our partnership and my return to Japan, David eventually came to work here at I-Island, and his research has been a great boon to-"
"Oh hey, no way! Look, it's All Might!"
The call suddenly interrupted the hero, making him look around to see that people had started noticing his arrival, stares of awe and wonder everywhere as similar calls and heated whispering started happening. Honestly, that was taking longer than expected.
"Oh boy, here goes." The hero commented, looking towards his charge with his trademark grin. "Young Midoriya, please move along and go wait for me by the exit, I've got some fans to handle before I can join you and we can get on with our business."
"Ya sure ya don't want me tah help keep 'em from swarmin' you'ze? I'z gud at handlin' crowds. Got me riot gear and everyfing." The boy offered chipperly, clearly seeing the chance for some action.
"No, no, that will not be necessary, thank you." All Might immediately replied, shutting down what could've very quickly become a problem. "Don't worry, my boy, I've got years of experience with this, I've got it. Now, best you get moving before the swarming starts. I'll be with you in a few minutes."
And that all that the Symbol of Peace had time to say before being swarmed by fans baying for pictures and autographs. Izuku watched him disappear in the tide of people with a slight shrug before walking away as asked. Honestly he was hardly surprised, he himself would've likely been in that crowd as All Might's biggest fan, had it not been for the frequent interactions he'd had the privilege of sharing with the hero.
And so the boy just stepped a fair bit away and stood by the terminal's exit, waiting patiently, looking this way and that and taking in all that was going on around the place, trying to stave off boredom…
…Which was why he blinked with some mild confusion when something caught his attention. There in the upper level of the terminal, he could make out a group of new arrivals who couldn't help but stand out for him. Most of the people coming and going all around him were clear tourists, families with parents and children, friends in pairs or in groups, and all of them shared in a general sense of wonder and excitement at being here, eagerness at experiencing the wonders of a place that didn't always make itself available to the wider world.
Not this group, though. Oh, they tried to be discrete and nonchalant, but there was something about these men, a certain tense focus, which prickled at the boy's mind. No mere tourists, those. Maybe some sort of outside hired help…?
"Midoriya?" A surprised voice called out, making the boy blink and turn his attention towards the source, and finding there familiar figures.
"Oh, wuldja look at dat, if it ain't dah Boss Lady, Floaty and Soundy." He greeted the trio of his classmates of with pleasant surprise. "Wotcha all doing way out here?"
"Well, technically I am here on business. I've been asked by my parents to attend to the upcoming Gala as a representative for their business interests here on I-Island. But I am also here to enjoy the I-Expo, and since I had two extra invites, I brought Ochaco and Jirou here with me. The others have also come, but will only be joining us when it opens in full." Momo explained, staring at the boy oddly. "And yourself? How come you're here, Midoriya?"
"Oh, I'z got me an invite too, ya know, from winnin' dah Sports Festival and wot not." The boy shrugged slightly. "Had tah be sumthin' gud comin' from dat, I guess."
All three girls blinked at that. They had been unaware that such a thing was part of the prize, and couldn't help but wonder why that had been more broadly announced.
"And you're here all by yourself? Midoriya-san didn't come along?" Jirou inquired drily, looking around searching for the older Midoriya.
"Nah, Mah culdn't make it, said she had some works mattahs tah deal wiff." Izuku replied, before jerking a thumb towards the swarm of people still gathering in the terminal. "I didn't come alone tho, All Moigt's here wiff me, I'z just waitin' fer him to finish greetin' fans."
At that, while they kept it subtle enough that he missed it, all three girls couldn't help but breathe a little easier. The idea of their classmate being let loose on the greatest technological marvel of the world without adult supervision was… yeah…
"Does that mean you'll be going to the Gala too?" Ochaco couldn't help but voice her curiosity, if only because her mind truly struggled to imagine such a scenario.
"Hhurrgh, don't remind me." The boy grumbled. "I culd fink of a 'few hundred ways tah bettah spend me evenings, but All Moigt talked me intah goin', somethin' about meetin' people an' networkin'. At least there'll be lotza heroes dere, and I hear dah grub'z gun be good."
"Excuse me!"
All four of the hero students blinked as they realized that call hadn't come from any of them, and then blinked again as they looked towards the source. That they were being approached by a blonde, spectacled girl that seemed to be only slightly older than they were wasn't weird in itself, but that said girl was approaching them on a pogo stick of all things was unusual to say the least.
Once she had gotten close enough, the newcomer dismounted, and before their eyes, the pogo stick shrunk down from her-sized to small, easily carriable rod.
"Uh, dat'z some compact design." Izuku couldn't help but comment, with the appreciative look of someone knowledgeable in crafting such things.
"Why, thank you." The girl replied in perfect Japanese with a polite smile, after a momentary blink of confusion. "Sorry for intruding, but if I am not mistaken, you are Izuku Midoriya, yes?"
"Uuuh, yeah?" The boy replied in confusion, since he was fairly certain he had never met this girl in his life, as she turned towards the girls.
"Then, I assume you three are his classmates in U.A.'s class 1-A, correct?"
"Indeed, we are. I am Momo Yaoyorozu" Momo replied politely, though she too seemed rather confused, a sentiment shared by the other too girls even as they too made their introductions. "And who might you be?"
"Oh, right, sorry, that was rude, I really should've introduced myself first." The girl replied somewhat sheepishly. "My name's Melissa Shield."
"Wait," Izuku immediately cut in, suddenly a lot more focused on the conversation. "Shield? Loik David Shield?"
"The very same, he's my father!" Melissa replied with proud cheerfulness. "I was asked to come meet up with you and All Might in his stead, since he's currently finishing some things up in his lab. You came with All Might, right?"
"Oh yeah, he's just handlin' dah fans roigt now. Shuldn't be too long."
"Right, that's Uncle Might for you." The girl replied with a chuckle. "Can't help but draw a crown wherever he goes."
"Uncle Might?" Ochaco couldn't help but ask in surprise, noting the similarities between this girl and their teacher…
"Oh, no, no, no, not like that." The girl was quick to clarify in amusement, apparently guessing what the brunette was thinking. "Yeah, it's a common mistake, but he's not actuallymy uncle, I just call him that because I've known him since I was little, because dad was his sidekick back in the day."
"I'z guessin' ya picked up a fing or two from him, uh?" Izuku noted, once again glancing at the Pogo stick. "Dat don't seem like no normal pogo I'z seen. Prolly wuzn't easy tah make dah parts be able tah handle dah increased stress of such big bouncin'."
At that, the girl's whole expression seemed to light up, and the two of them went on an animated chat about the process and materials that went into the creation of the Advanced Pogo Stick, leaving the other three girls to stare at the scene nonplussed.
"Should we… warn her or something?" Jirou couldn't help but comment with mild concern.
"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much." Ochaco said with a shrug, before her expression when rather deadpan. "She'll learn."
Chapter 55
When All Might finally managed to give his adoring fans the slip, it was with some surprise that he arrived on scene to find his kinda sorta protégé chatting away with some familiar faces, one of which in particular made his signature grin all the wider.
"Well, well, well!" He called out as he approached. "I see you're already getting acquainted."
"Uncle Might!" Melissa cried out in delight as she turned his way, a moment before jumping into his arms for a big hug.
"Indeed, I am here!" The hero replied, lifting the young woman of the ground. "Goodness, how you've grown, Melissa. Why, you barely came up to my knee when last I saw you. How time flies!"
"And whose fault is that?" The blonde replied, a mock pout on her face. "So busy being the best darn hero the world has ever seen, you never have time to visit."
"Yes, I suppose you're right." The Hero conceded the point, taking on a dramatically pondering expression. "I suppose this is what they call "suffering from success"?"
"That expression is somehow even older than you, Uncle Might." The girl replied, breaking into a giggling fit which the man soon accompanied with his own, signature laugh. "It's so good to see you again."
"Right back at you!" All Might replied with the utmost sincerity, before turning to the others present. "Ah, Young Yaoyorozu, Young Kyoka, Young Uraraka, what a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting to see more students of mine around these parts. Are any of the others around?"
"Hello, All Might-Sensei." Momo took the lead for the girls, greeting him with a polite nod. "Some of the others should be here, yes. The girls of the class and some of the boys made plans to visit for the I-Expo, but they'll only be able to when it opens in full. We're here for the pre-opening due to the invites provided by my parents. They couldn't make it and since I had two extras, lots were drawn." She explained, giving the man a curious look even as he nodded his understanding. "And yourself, Sensei? Midoriya mentioned coming with you."
"Quite right!" All Might replied, grin ever present. "My workload at U.A. has decreased significantly with the start of the summer break, you see, and seeing as I head the free time, I figured I could apprehend two villains with one punch. I get to visit old friends I hadn't seen in a while," then his smile faltered slightly, his tone slightly more awkward. "And, you know, I can keep an eye on Young Midoriya here, make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
"We understand." All three girls replied, in perfect unison, with the exact same bone dry tone, and the exact same deadpan expression of commiseration on their faces, which couldn't help but draw a confused blink from the fourth girl present, and the boy in question to look rather annoyed.
"Ya dun have tah be gitz about it. I knowz how tah behave…" He grumbled. Sure, the urge to loot as much of the place as he could fit into his pockets was there, but he contrary to common belief he did know the meaning of restraint.
"At any rate!" The hero continued, pointedly ignoring his charge and swiftly changing tracks. "While I am quite glad to see you children show such interest in one of the greatest marvels of our time, I'm afraid we've got some places to be. Your father should be expecting us, right, Melissa?"
"Oh, right! We should get going, but still," The girl replied, as if just now realizing this, before turning to the others with a smile. "You know, after I bring Uncle here to my father, why don't I help show you around I-Island? I've lived here most of my life, I know all the best spots!"
"Are you certain? We wouldn't want to impose…" Momo replied in polite hesitation. "We were looking for a place to eat, anyways."
"Oh, it's not imposing at all, I'm always happy to show new friends around, and any friends of Uncle Might, even if they're just his students, are friends of mine!" Melissa waved away the concern with a sunny smile, before pulling out a phone. "In fact, I can recommend you a nearby café I know, it's one of the best around. You chill there, eat, and then me and Midoriya-san here'll come to join you for the tour. That sound good to you?" She then asked, turning towards the boy.
"Sure! Dah more dah merrier." He confirmed with a grin, one that his colleagues noted was too low in the "Bloodthirst" scale to trigger any alarms in their new acquaintance.
"Well, in that case, we'd be delighted to take you up on that." Momo accepted with a grateful smile, after a moment to glance at her friends and get their nods of approval, and pulling out her own phone to get the location from the blonde.
"Well then, what a great way to sort things out! You kids will be in great hands with Melissa here." All Might finally spoke again, after having watched the whole interaction unfold fondly. "But with that settled, we really should be on our way. Enjoy your meal, ladies, these two will be with you shortly!"
And with that, the two groups parted ways.
/
A little build later saw the hero and the two teens arrive at what Melissa happily identified as one of the island's many research centers, and eagerly leading them inside, the staff and security letting them pass easily due to their familiarity with her and surprise at the Symbol of Peace knocking at their door. Soon after, the girl was ushering the guest through a door that, Izuku couldn't help but notice, looked like it could withstand even some of his tankbustah grade explosives without a scratch. Something valuable was on the other side, no doubt, and sure enough…
"Woooooaaaaaaahhh…" Izuku couldn't but breathe out as he took in the sight before him. "Now dis be a roigt'n proppah workshop…"
Sure, it had a sterile feel to it that reminded somewhat uncomfortably of a hospital, but the sheer amount of machinery around, from robotic limbs for assembly to an assorted number of projects that were clearly still in development, was staggering. Izuku couldn't help but feel like a kid in a candy store.
"Well, it seems like I've got myself a fan." An amused voice said, snapping the boy out of his daze as he looked towards one of the workstations, to see a spectacled man with messy brown hair watching them get in. "And would you look at that, the great and mighty Symbol of Peace in my lab. What an honor."
At that, All Might let out his signature laugh, and the two men approached, giving each other a hug.
"It's been way too long, you big lug." The man said, with no real bite to his fond tone.
"Yes, I know, I do apologize about that. Hero work is really time consuming." All Might replied, actually sounding somewhat sheepish. "But it is really good to see you again, David."
"Same here, old friend, same here." Dr. Shield replied before letting go, turning his attention back towards Izuku. "And I take it this must be Izuku Midoriya then. I must say, I've been curious to meet you for a while, young man, even before All Might here told me you'd be coming."
Izuku couldn't help but feel surprised at that.
"Ya knowz me?" He couldn't help but ask, voicing both that surprise, and more than a little giddiness.
"Of course," The man replied, clearly amused. "The U.A. Sports Festival is broadcast outside Japan too, you know, and since I knew All Might had started working there, I took to time to watch some of this year's iteration. I have seen your tech at work. I must admit, I am quite curious."
"Oh?" Melissa interjected, looking surprised and somewhat confused as she glanced between her father and the boy. "I've talked with Midoriya-san here enough to realize he knows his stuff when it comes to tech, but you're telling me he even drew your eye, dad?"
"Indeed." The man replied with a chuckle. "You wouldn't have known it because you were busy with your exams at the time, but Midoriya here is the winner of this year's Festival, which he pulled off with some curious looking tech. I'm especially curious about the teleporter."
"Teleporter?!" Melissa all but squawked, looking back towards the boy as if only now seeing him for the first time. "You have managed to create honest to goodness teleportation technology? How?! The energy requirements alone…"
"I know, right?" Her father agreed with an agreeing nod. "Like I said, I am most curious."
"Oh, t'iz nothin', really." The boy replied, and All Might didn't know whether to be amused or surprised that he sounded downright bashful. "It'z easy when ya figure out dah proppah work aroundz. And once I figured out how tah get thingz in'an out dah subspace, figurin' out how tah pop'em in'an out at two different spotz wuz eezy peezy."
Father and daughter blinked owlishly at that in perfect synchronicity. Clearly, All Might couldn't help but think in amusement, the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree.
"Subspace, you say…?" David muttered, clearly curious, before shaking his head as if to chase the thoughts away. "Well, I am sure that we'll have ample opportunity to discuss the matter in great detail, but right now, All Might and I have some important matters to discuss in private. Melissa, could I trust you to see to our guest here? We can all talk shop later."
"Oh sure, we had plans anyway. We met some of Midoriya-san's classmates on the way here, and we're going to meet with them so I can give everyone the I-Island tour." The girl said cheerily, before turning to All Might, another pout in her face. "But you gotta make some time for us to catch up too, Uncle Might!"
"Oh really, more kids?" Dr. Shield noted, and Izuku couldn't help but notice a faint note of apprehension in his voice. Weird.
"Indeed!" All Might noted as he stepped in. Honestly, he had been about to interject before his old friend had fortunately changed subject on his own. Best to have that kind of talk in a more controlled environment to lessen the risks of another Power Loader situation and all that… "Don't worry, David, they're good kids, and can guarantee they'll all get along swimmingly." He then turned to the kids. "Go on then, go have fun, but remember, we got the gala to attend later."
"Sure thing, Uncle Might!" Melissa replied, before turning to Midoriya and excitedly pulling him by the hand. "Let's go, Midoriya-san!"
The boy let himself be dragged with a surprising lack of resistance, but just as they were about to go through the lab's door…
"Oh, and young Midoriya, but that blowtorch back where you found it, if you would." The hero said, without even looking back towards the teens.
Izuku blinked, before looking down at his hand to see that he was indeed holding the mentioned item, and with some incoherent grumbling reluctantly did as he was told before finally leaving, under Melissa's questioning look.
"Well, seems like you found a really interesting kind, Toshi." David observed bemusedly, before his expression grew grave. "Now, I believe you had something to show me?"
Oh, right, All Might thought as he braced, smoke beginning to waft off his bulk, now came the uncomfortable part of this reunion…
/
It didn't take long for Melissa to lead him towards the café she had mentioned, and it similarly didn't take long for the boy to find his friends seated there at terrace just outside a cozy looking eatery.
He also couldn't help but notice that, as soon as they saw him, Boss seemed concerned, while Floaty and Heary looked like they were expecting something funny to happen.
"Hey guyz, we'z here!" He greeted them as he approached. "S'up?"
"Well," Jirou said, sounding like she was trying to hold back a chuckle. "It turns out, we ran into some acquaintances."
At which point the door to the café opened, and a familiar figure in an unfamiliar waiter's outfit came out.
"Here." Katsuki grumbled, looking constipated and sounding like it was taking all his effort to keep it contained. "I got your stupid cheesecake-DEKU?!"
Chapter 56
"Well, I'll be zogged." Izuku said with all the pleasant surprise of someone who had just unexpectedly met a good friend in a place far away from home. Needless to say, this contrasted heavily with the vitriolic, borderline murderous glare that was being shot his way. "If it ain't ol' Katsu. Wotcha doin' round here?"
The only response, to Melissa's growing confusion, and no small amount of concern, was an angry growl that made her wonder if the boy making it had some sort of animal related quirk, if only because she'd prefer to believe a human throat shouldn't be able to produce such sound.
Before anything else could be said, another familiar figure stepped out.
"Oi, Bakugou, can you pipe down? What is making you take so long this time-" An exasperated Kaminari was saying, before he finally saw who had arrived, and after a moment of processing (and respectfully appreciating the appearance of the local girl), realization crossed his face. "Oh, Midoriya's here. That explains it." He turned a dry look towards the other blond boy. "Props on not blowing anything up, or dropping the cheesecake I guess, but you still have to actually place it on the table. You know you're on thin ice with the manager as it is."
To the mild surprise of most of the onlookers, instead of bursting into profanity or actually exploding, Bakugou, teeth all but grinding, proceeded to do as instructed, placing the dessert on the table.
"Thanks." Kyoka said with dry amusement. She was enjoying this.
"Anyway, welcome, have yourselves a seat." Kaminari said politely, such that Izuku couldn't help but blink in confusion. "I'll be back for your orders shortly. Come Bakugou, the boss' got dishes that need cleaning, and I am not covering for you again."
Bakugou's expression seemed to indicate that he was contemplating the pros and cons of murder, but ultimately the ashen blond turned around and stomped back inside without another word, his colleague right behind him.
"…So, I take it these are more classmates of yours?" Melissa asked as she took a seat, somewhat awkwardly, both to clear her confusion and to try to crack the tension.
"Yeah, they are. That was Bakugou and Kaminari, and Mineta's in there too. We were really surprised to bump into them here." Ochaco replied, sounding like she was trying to contain giggles. "Turns out, they learned that this place is one of the catering providers for the gala later, and that it was looking for part-timers. As Kaminari explained, he and Mineta thought this was their ticket to make it to the gala if they work well enough, and Bakugou overheard them talking about it."
"Credit where credit is due, they put a surprising amount of time and effort into this. Kaminari and Mineta have been shockingly professional from what we've seen. Same can't be said for Bakugou, and apparently it's been to the point they've been given authority over him by their supervisor." Jirou continued, sounding equally as amused. "They know they're probably gonna suffer for it later when we're back to hero training, but they've been keeping Bakugou on a short leash. Who knows what made him think serving tables with his shiny disposition was a good idea."
"Is, is he always like that, then?"
"Oh, don't mind ol' Katsu dere." Izuku said with a knowing nod. "He can be real loud an' all, but he'z can actually be quite dah shy lad. He'z prolly just a bit embarrassed, wot with being in a brand new place, and' not expecting tah find anyone he knew here tah see him servin' food. Honestly, dey'z shoulda put him in dah kitchen. Dah lad can cook."
There was a sound from inside that sounded suspiciously like something breaking and a muffled scream. Melissa couldn't help but be a bit concerned, but considering her current company's lack of reaction, she decided to leave it at that.
"So, tell me, Shield-san," Momo said, looking to change the subject. "What's it like, living in I-Island?"
"Oh, no need for formality like that, just Melissa is fine." The local girl replied with a soft giggle. "In all honesty though, it's really not all that different from living anywhere else. Granted, I suppose I am lacking a proper frame of reference since I was very young when dad and I came to live here and I don't remember much from before that, but I go to school, I study, I hang out with friends. There's a lot of fancy technology around that is impressive to visitors, I know, but for residents like me it's kind of the norm, so we're all just used to it. It's kind of like you all studying at U.A., right? By now you've probably gotten used to the place but people in the streets still look at you in awe for having made it in."
"I suppose that is one way to look at it." The pony-tailed girl conceded. "I take it you go to I-Island Academy, then? That is very impressive in its own right, I've heard the place is even more exclusive than our own school."
"Oh thanks, but it's not all that impressive." Melissa bashfully tried to downplay. "Yeah, I'm a third year, and I do get my own workspace to work on my projects, but my grades are average at best. I couldn't watch your festival because I was so busy cramming for the exams I kinda became disconnected from anything else that was going on in the world for a bit."
Momo blinked, processing the words. If even just a small fraction about what she'd heard regarding the education system of the island was true, just being "average" here would've put the girl in the top rankings of other student institutions all over the world, with the possible exception of U.A. It made the pony-tailed girl not quite sure whether her new acquaintance was just that humble or simply not aware of the significance of her position.
"And anythin' ya can say on dese projectz?" Izuku joined in, ignoring everything else in favor of the one thing that caught his attention. "I'z guessin' yer takin' dah local support course tah take after yer pah?"
"Yes, actually! Working with hero support tech in order to help heroes save as many people as possible has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl." The blonde replied, clearly happy for an opportunity to discuss the topic. "And you've already seen some what I am working on for my current project. I have been looking into ways to make support gear more portable and easily accessible, and the Advanced Pogo Stick is one of the results so far. I'll be happy to discuss it in greater detail with you if we get the time to drop by my lab later, I am curious to see this "foldable frame" tech of yours."
Izuku grinned at that, clearly more than happy with the prospect.
"Is that all right with the rest of you?" She then said, turning her attention towards the other girls. "After we're done here, and I've showed you around the Expo, I wouldn't mind if you also came to see my lab. I might even have some of my projects lying around that might be useful to your hero training."
"And you'd let us have them, just like that?" Ochaco couldn't help but ask. She didn't want to doubt the girl exactly, but the brunette wasn't really one to be accepting charity.
"If it's useful to you? Sure! Like I said, all I want is to help heroes help others." Melissa replied with a knowing smile, as if she could guess what the other girl had been thinking. "But if you prefer, you can also see it as an investment on my part. After all, you all are U.A students. If you like my tech now, that means I have found myself costumers for later in our careers. After all, networking of this sort kinda is a big part of why I-Island opens to the public during the expo."
"Uh, I suppose that makes sense." Ochaco replied, satisfied with that reasoning.
Momo and Kyoka also saw no reason to refuse, especially because, in the absence of All Might, someone should really be keeping an eye on Midoriya. Then Kaminari came back for their orders, and the chatting, followed by food and even more chatting, continued.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, amidst the fading smoke resulting from the explosion of her latest baby, for some reason a certain golden eyed, pink-haired girl suddenly got this weird feeling that someone was trying to intrude on her potential business prospects. This naturally urged her to pull an all-nighter of coming up with even more babies in order to secure said prospects.
/
"Damn." David said, in a tone somewhere between sadness and horror, as his eyes flew through the readings his machines were showing him. "Just what on earth did you do to get wrecked this badly, Toshi? Most human beings would've been lucky to last weeks with these sorts of injuries, even with the help of quirks."
"You should've seen the other guy." Despite himself, the emaciated symbol of peace couldn't help but quip from the bed he was lying in to let the scanners do their thing. "And having access to the best medical procedures and professionals known to man is one of the perks of my position."
"And these quirk levels." The spectacled man continued, trying and failing to not look distressed despite his friend's attempt to lighten the mood. "I can't make sense of it. By all counts your output as fallen drastically and it projections show it should keep going down until there's nothing left, and yet it seems to have plateaued into some sort of shaky stability."
Yes, that was probably because Toshinori had yet to find a worthy successor to pass One for All to, coupled with him being much more careful about how he spent his available time since the USJ disaster, but unfortunately that wasn't really something that he could tell his oldest friend. He wouldn't lie, the thought made him feel guilty.
"With any luck, it'll hold like that for a little while longer." He ultimately said, and the hopeful tone with which he said it was entirely genuine. He owed David that much, at least.
"And if it doesn't, Toshi?" His old sidekick prodded, his entire being heavy with concern and frustration. "What if this stability is just a short remission period before your power wanes until nothing is left? What will happen to the world when All Might cannot stand as a hero anymore?"
By that time, there'll already be someone else carrying on the legacy of One for All, alongside all the other heroes that will rise to the occasion, but there was only one part of that that he could say.
"Should that happen, it'll just go to show that it can't be just one man keeping everything together. That's why I've taken up teaching, to help others be ready for that eventuality." He gave his old friend his best reassuring smile. "Have faith in those that come after us, David. Trust me, I do. I've seen them grow and I know what they can do."
That seemed to work in assuaging the worst of his old sidekick's concerns, as the man seemed to calm down from his frantic state, his expression becoming one of steely determination.
"We will find a way to fix this, Toshi." David said resolutely, placing a hand on Toshinori's shoulder. "I promise you that."
And the symbol of peace had no doubt that the man would do everything in his power to try to do just that. In that moment, he felt fortunate for having a friend like David. He really should have come to visit sooner.
/
"We've got the packages. We are ready for the party."
Chapter 57
"And here we are!" Melissa announced, cheerful and proud if somewhat shaken, as she ushered her guest into her own little world. "The place where the magic happens!"
True to her word, after their meal was done, the I-Island resident had led the students on a tour, showing them around some of the I-Expo attractions that were already up and running. They had even bumped into more of their classmates during it, more specifically Iida and Todoroki, who were also going to attend the gala as representatives of their respective families, and had agreed to meet up with them later on when it time for the thing to start. Alas, it turned out that they had found the latter boy having just finished a run of the "Villain Attack" attraction, and naturally, Izuku had immediately jumped at the opportunity for a fight.
Unlike everyone else who had done the challenge, he didn't get a score. Mostly because the whole attraction was going to have to be rebuilt from the ground up after he was done with it, and the rather frightened maintenance crew had politely requested that the group leave. Unbeknownst to the happily grinning boy, his performance would lead to a slight amendment of the rules regarding quirk usage during the event, something to the effect of "Quirks are allowed except if they revolve around the creation, usage or manipulation of firearms, explosives, or any other objects that can be classified in categories ranging from "Heavy Ordnance" to "Weapons of Mass Destruction"."
Needless to say, Melissa had witnessed it all happen with sheer, slack-jawed shock. Sure, she'd heard of her father's interest in the boy, but that hadn't exactly prepared her for seeing him in action. Ochaco and Kyoka could only nod sagely. Good, the learning phase had begun in earnest.
So, yeah, in order to avoid causing a general panic and draw in any of the heroes going around the exhibits, or worse, somehow trigger the Island's automated anti-invasion mechanisms after Melissa informed them those were a thing, the others had decided that it'd probably be for the best if they moved up the schedule of the tour before some other attraction could catch the class maniac's attention.
And thus it was that they found themselves at the I-island Academy, in one of the many laboratories that were afforded to the students in order to let them continue their research.
Momo couldn't help but take in the sight with interest. Being a student at U.A., she was no stranger to seeing impressive feats of technology done for the sake of education, but it was honestly impressive just how humble the place looked even when it was packed with what was, to her discerning eye, top-of-the-line machinery. It even had its own assembly like, and to the side an isolated chamber with heavily reinforced doors, which if she were to guess was probably meant for experimentation.
"Impressive." She said, quite sincerely. "And this laboratory is yours?"
"Yep, my very own little home away from home." The blonde confirmed with a slight giggle. "And yeah, unless a student's grades don't measure up, or they somehow screw up hard enough to cause actual, significant property damage, we're all given a space like this to do our work."
And it probably contributed for why the academy was so exclusive, since there likely were only so many such facilities to go around, Momo concluded. She couldn't help but idly wonder if the support course back home offered a similar degree of autonomy to their students.
"Uh, dem'z a lot of trophies." Midoriya pointed out curiously, eyes going over towards a shelf that was indeed covered in all sorts of awards, all of them marking some sort of academic breakthrough or milestone.
"Why, thank you." The blonde replied, sounding pleased but somewhat embarrassed at the sudden attention on her achievements. "I have had to put everything I have into my studies to get to where I am. But it's all for the sake of becoming a hero! You guys know what that's like, right?"
"A hero?" Kyoka couldn't help but repeat uncertainly. "Weren't you going for support?"
"Uh? Oh, right, yeah, I can see why the confusion there." Melissa replied bemusedly after a moment to process the question. "When I say I want to be a hero, I mean that I want to help people, just like Uncle Might does. But sadly being a Pro-Hero isn't really for me, so becoming a support engineer is my own little way of being a hero, by helping those who help others."
"Ain't fer you'ze?" Midoriya followed up with what, Momo couldn't help but think resignedly, was his usual, oblivious lack of tact. "Why tho?"
It also did not escape her attention that their new acquaintance, who up to now had been nothing but friendly and kind, suddenly looked rather hesitant. Reading the room, the pony-tailed girl actually opened her mouth to chide the boy for his prodding, but she was not fast enough.
"Well, you see…" Melissa replied, giving a small, self-deprecating smile. "I'm quirkless."
…Oh.
Ooooooh…
And just like that, the odd turn in the girl's demeanour suddenly made a distressing amount of sense. Momo would be the first to admit that her own upbringing was rather sheltered, but even she was not blind to how society's focus on quirks had had a negative effect on the slowly dwindling part of the population born without. She had never met someone close to her own age that belonged to that category before, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of problems that might have befallen the girl standing before her through no fault of her own. She had the sinking feeling that part of the reason for the Dr. Shield moving to I-Island, a place of learning and science, where research and results mattered more than individual power, was for his daughter's sake, but considering her suddenly guarded demeanour, even that might not have been entirely successful…
Personally, the revelation didn't really matter to Momo. She didn't think any less of the kind and clearly bright inventor for it, and a quick glance towards Kyoka and Ochaco told her that they were much the same, staring at the girl with dawning realization and understanding. Then she turned to Midoriya… To see him also staring, except his expression was one of bewilderment, red eyes blinking owlishly once, twice…
"…So?"
…
…
…
"Uh?" Melissa replied after a moment to process. Clearly, that follow up question hadn't been an expected reaction, but in all fairness, Momo hadn't expected it either. "I'm quirkless, Midoriya."
"Yeah, I heard ya." The boy replied, sounding no closer to understanding. "I just dun see why dat matterz?"
"You don't see why-" Now it was the blonde that didn't seem to comprehend what she was hearing. "Uh?"
"I mean, yeah, quirks are always gud tah have, but dem's just toolz like any othah. Me quirk letz me make me gizmos," He flicked his thumb at each of his companions in turn. "Boss Lady's letz her make stuff, Floaty's letz her make fings float, Eary makes her listen real gud. But it ain't like othah dan dat we'z any different from you'ze. And you'ze working tah invent thingz. Just cuz you'ze missin' one tool dun mean ya can't make yerself otherz. A quirk ain't a hero. We iz."
In the silence that followed, all four girls couldn't help but stare at Midoriya, each with varying degrees of surprise. It was very easy at times, what with the penchant for violence and the dubious sanity, to forget that the boy was far smarter and more observant than he appeared at a glance.
"…I can't believe I am actually saying this, but Midoriya kinda has a point." Kyoka eventually said, and damn if it didn't feel weird to acknowledge it. "There really isn't any reason why you couldn't just use the tools you want to make for others."
"Yeah! Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't!" Ochaco threw in, nodding vigorously. The words by themselves might have come across as empty platitudes, but the brunette's demeanour was so intense that it was impossible not to realize she genuinely meant them.
"I must concur." Momo threw in her two cents. "To take the existence of a quirk as the only indicator of someone's value is downright vile."
Once again, silence stretched in the lab, as its owner's gawking, slack-jawed stare turned this way and that between the various hero students, barely able to believe what she was hearing. Eventually though, the girl couldn't help but let out a long, bemused, but ultimately happy chuckle.
"Man, if only I had met you guys when I was younger, and I still actually dreamed of being that kind of hero like every kid does…" She said, gracing them all with a radiant smile. "That all means more to me than you can imagine, but honestly, I am happy with how my life turned out. I have my research, I have my dreams, and honestly, at this point I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then the girl clapped her hands together, and an edge of determination crept onto her expression.
"Now then! Speaking of said research, now I really have to make sure you walk away from all of this with something useful. So, let's get started, shall we?"
Chapter 58
By the time the teens were leaving the lab, the sun was beginning to set, and the Gala was not too far behind. Still, it was an entirely worthwhile endeavor for the girls, as they had each walked away with something that was certainly going to prove useful in their future training and work, or at the very least the projects for such had started.
Melissa, upon discussing with Ochaco the biggest drawbacks of her quirk, suggested the creation of a set of what would look like ear plugs, but were actually an apparatus meant to help her vestibular system better deal with the strain of handling the sensory input of the girl's quirk, which should in theory remove the nausea that came with prolonged usage. Ironically enough, it then turned out that, with only minor modifications, such a device could also be made to help Kyoka with her own biggest problem, helping to curb the sensitivity of her eardrums in order the maintain all the advantages of the girl's enhanced hearing while making the accompanying sensitivity to loud sounds less of an issue. Of course, the blonde had to give the warning that such devices would begin as something experimental and that the heroes in training should still try to train to overcome these weakness without relying on them too much, but still both girls were happy with the assistance.
Momo's own quirk didn't share such weaknesses, and the ones that it did have were not so easily or swiftly addressed even to an intellect as sharp as the one of Dr. Shield's daughter, and thus the girl opted to switch tracks. After getting some details about the girl's costume and gear, Melissa suggested to replace the book in which she kept annotations of the composition of anything that came to mind that she might need to make for a much more portable and even bigger digital database, to be accessible from either a wrist mounted screen or a custom-made visor to be added to the suit's design. While pony-tailed girl, ever the eager reader and lover of books, was loathe to part with the Yaoyorictionary, which had been created by her own design and preference, she did acknowledge something faster to access could be useful, and thus opted to make use of both.
When it came to Izuku, however, things proved significantly more challenging. Considering the nature of his quirk, or at least the gist of it that the girl could understand from his rather lacking explanation and the other's own accounts, the boy could create whatever it was that he needed, and due to his… personal proclivities, shall we say, regarding the kind of gear he preferred to have on hand, there wasn't really much that was on offer that he found interesting enough, or that he didn't already have something similar on hand. Ultimately, the two of them settled for comparing notes regarding their respective innovations in the field of gear accessibility, with Melissa demonstrating the best result of her latest project, the full gauntlet, while Izuku demonstrated the use of his subspace technology, something that ultimately left the blonde with more questions than answers, but that to the others' relief she reacted to with intrigue and awe, which was a step up compared to what they had heard back in school about the support teacher…
But time passed by, far too quickly for the resident girl's liking, and they each had to see to their own preparation for the incoming event, so they had agreed to part ways and reconvene a little while later by the tower's entrance, meeting up with some of the others along the way, so they all could go together.
And so it was that the girls were the first to arrive at the meeting point, each having changed into an outfit more appropriate for the occasion, which in Kyoka and Ochaco's cases had been "borrowed" from Momo, who had refrained from saying anything about when she'd want said "borrowed" dresses back, mostly because she knew Ochaco wouldn't have accepted the gift without a little subterfuge.
Not long after, Iida and Todoroki had caught up with them, and they were passing the time by chatting about their experiences of the day.
"Oh, dere you'ze are."
The sudden, familiar voice drew their attention, making them turn towards the approaching figure. Midoriya did not look particularly happy to be here, his face set in the kind of expression one makes when they're resigned to having to suffer through something thoroughly unpleasant, but still…
"Well, at least he's dressed for the occasion." Iida muttered, inspecting the other boy's stripped, dark green suit, which while somewhat sloppily put on, was at the very least presentable.
"Right?" Jirou, who obviously heard it, couldn't help but dryly retort. "I was half-way expecting him to think showing up wearing the pelts and skulls of vanquished enemies was classy. I'm guessing Midoriya-san picked it out for him."
Momo, for her part, couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be something missing. His multi-tone hair wasn't combed in the slightest, but then she had known him long enough to know that was probably a lost cause, and for once the boy wasn't wearing his signature goggles, but that also wasn't it… Ah.
"Midoriya, what about the bowtie?" She inquired, and at the words the boy's face soured even further.
"Left it back in mah room." He grumbled, glaring back in the direction he had come from, as if he could see the object from here and it had done some great personal sin against him. "I'z can never get dose zoggin' things tah stay on. Why dah zog do gitz think wearin' stuff dat can be used tah strangle ya iz a gud thing, anyway?"
Well, that explained why she had never seen him use the school uniform's tie. Give the boy some scrap and he could build technological wonders that could break the laws of physics, and yet to think that something like this was beyond him…
"Honestly…" The pony-tailed girl breathed out in equal parts exasperation and amusement. She then took a step forward to approach him and activated her quirk as she did, a strip of dark-green, synthetic cloth sprouting from her forearm as she went. "Hold still."
Staring at her with some confusion and suspicion, the teen nonetheless obeyed, remaining motionless as she started to properly place the fabric around his collar and tying it into place. She had seen her mother do this for her father enough times that the process came easily for her.
"In this gala, Midoriya, we are all representatives of the future heroes of our country. We need to look our best." She chided as she went about the process, focused and precise, taking a step back and checking her work once she was done, nodding in satisfaction as she did. "There, much better."
The boy looked down, though the angle obviously made it somewhat awkward, and reached up to feel the perfectly placed bowtie, done in a textbook knot, which completed his ensemble.
"Uh, thanks, Boss." He said, somewhat uncertainly.
It was at this point that, while allowing herself a moment of satisfaction for a job well done, Momo suddenly noticed the silence that had fallen around them. She turned to look back at the others, only to realize that they were all staring back, giving her some odd looks.
…
…
…
"What's the matter?" She finally asked, when the silence stretched out long enough that it was starting to feel awkward.
"…You do realize how lucky you were that Mina and Tooru weren't here to see that, right?" Jirou replied, eyebrow raised, looking like she was about to break into a teasing grin. "Those two maniacs would never let you hear the end of it."
Momo blinked, trying and failing to understand just what her friend was trying to imply. She made to open her mouth to ask what the other girl meant-
"Oh, everybody's here already!"
Another voice once more cut into the conversation, and once again everyone turned towards the new arrival as she hurriedly approached.
"Sorry I'm late. It took me a bit longer than I expected to get ready. This isn't my first gala, but it never gets any easier to prepare." Melissa said, somewhat embarrassed about her apparent tardiness. "Is everyone here? Weren't there some other classmates of yours showing up?"
Frankly, Momo was paying more attention to the girl's transformation. She had already been pretty before, but forgoing the glasses, arranging her hair in a long ponytail, and donning a dress had made someone that might have otherwise been described as "somewhat nerdy" become downright radiant.
"Oh, yeah, this is all of us. Bakugou, Kaminari and Mineta should all be inside already. Well, I say should, but we haven't heard any explosions or loud cursing yet." Ochaco replied jokingly. "At any rate, we'd prolly better get in, no?"
"Quite right, Ochaco-chan." Momo agreed, looking around at each one of her friends. "Alright everyone, remember, while we are here, we all need to be on our best behavior. All of us. Got that?"
Needless to say, all eyes save Melissa's turned towards Midoriya, who, also needless to say, was not amused.
"Oh, will all'ya gitz get off me back? I already got enuff of dat from All Moigt an' Mah. I keep sayin' time an' again I knowz how tah behave and nobody listens. Zoggin' unfair, it iz…" The boy grumbled, his expression downright pouting at the general lack of confidence in his manners.
With all that out of the way though, the group finally made it inside, and quickly made their way towards the stairs to the second floor, where the ballroom the Gala was taking place at would be.
Honestly, despite the trepidation, Momo couldn't help but feel some excitement. She was no stranger to this sort of event, she had been attending them since she had been old enough to have lessons in etiquette, but she had never really enjoyed them too much, as they were generally dull affairs meant for older people, and there were usually precious few people her own age present to interact with, which in itself was a tricky proposition more often than not.
This time however, she was not going to be alone in the crowd, she had actual friends coming along for the ride. That alone should go to great lengths to make the experience actually enjoyable, the pony-tailed girl couldn't help but think with a smile on her face.
And it was at that very moment, as the group was halfway up a flight of stairs, that suddenly, klaxon alarms started blaring, loud enough that Kyoka grimaced in clear discomfort.
"What the-" An utterly confused Melissa reacted, looking around uncomprehendingly. "That's the Island's alarm system!"
"And what does it mean?" Todoroki asked, sounding placid as ever, but with a certain tense edge.
"It… it means that the island is about to enter lockdown mode, and people need to get indoors and stay indoors." The girl replied, as an automated voice from speakers all over proceeded to blare out as much. "But that makes no sense. The island's security forces would've known and warned us of any threat big enough for this level of alarm long before it actually happened. What could possibly have-?"
The girl's worried musing were then interrupted by yet another, easily recognizable noise, coming from above. The unmistakable sound of gunfire.
…
…
…
"…So I get all dah flak and some othah git getz tah do all dah shootin'." Midoriya grumbled, crossing his arms in clear discontent. "Mekboy not happy."
Chapter 59
Well, things had taken a bit of a turn, to say the least, Momo couldn't help but think, as she cautiously sneaked a peek at the situation below.
Soon as they had heard gunfire, and everyone present fortunately had the presence of mind to disregard Midoriya's grumbling in favor of the far more pressing issue, it had been Melissa who had suggested trying to go one floor above to find out what was happening. Knowing the tower like the back of her hand, the girl led them up a small set of service stairs that she rightly guessed would be deserted, and took them right to the second level of the ballroom, and from the door could take stock of the situation.
Armed men were spread throughout the gala, forcing frightened civilians to bunch up together and stay quiet, and the heroes who would've otherwise put a stop to this were similarly incapacitated, stuck in place by bindings that Momo guessed were prolly part of the defense system Melissa mentioned. Even All Might had been caught, although if the pony-tailed girl had to guess he could've broken free easily and was only playing along because there was just too much risk of innocent people getting hurt if he tried. The number one hero was stronger and faster than pretty much anyone else in the building, but there was only one of him and that couldn't possibly be enough stop all the bullets from hitting their marks if they started flying.
The situation had collapsed in but a few moments from a gala into a hostage situation. A small, cynical part of Momo couldn't help but feel some frustration at the realization. This sort of thing had the disturbing tendency to happen whenever her class was involved. Why couldn't they just have nice things for once?
"Wait a second," Midoriya muttered quietly, as he too sneaked a look from the door. Even he recognized the need for subtlety here. "I'z seen dem gitz, dey wuz at dah airport when All Moigt'n me got here. I thought dey didn't look like tourists."
That did little to assuage Momo's concerns, as it brought to mind a lot of worries about how long the villains had been planning for this and just how they had managed to sneak such weaponry in unnoticed.
Fortunately, it wasn't just visual intel they were getting. In one of his surprising moments of insight, Midoriya had been able to use faint flashing from the cuffs of his suit to get All Might's attention, and thanks to Kyoka they could hear their teacher's whispered explanation of what was going on. But again, that proved to be a cold comfort.
"No…" Melissa mumbled weakly, hands clasping together in obvious worry. "They took dad and Sam?"
"Yeah, sorry, girl, that's what All Might said." The girl with the earphone jacks replied, honestly but gently. "Those villains were apparently making some big hub hub about needing one of the island's researchers for something, it seems. You got any idea what that could be about?"
"I, I…" The blonde hesitated, clearly trying to fight down a rising panic and think clearly. "It's obvious those guys are after something. If they need my dad to get it… the only thing that comes to mind is that they're trying to get into the vault."
"Dah vault?" Midoriya repeated, curious.
"Yes, you see, not all of the inventions created here at I-Island are released to the wider world or shown to the public. Some are considered too unstable, or too dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. When that happens, the island's scientific committee has those inventions sealed in the top security vault at the top of the tower. Villains all over the world would kill to get their hands on some of the stuff that's there, allegedly. Its security protocols are entirely separate from the main systems, which would explain why they're trying to force dad to help if their own attempt failed, he was part of the team that designed the newest upgrades, he could get them in." The girl explained, her face set in a pondering frown. "I just don't understand how they managed to hijack the security system to begin with. It's constantly updating and changing codes. There's been countless attempts to breach our network since the island's creation, but no one ever succeeded. It should be impossible from the outside."
Personally, there were two things in that explanation that made Momo's attempts to figure out how to proceed grind to a halt as she considered them. The first was the confused thought as to why a vault of dangerous technology would be in such an exposed space as the top of a tower, wherein any number of natural disasters or unexpected occurrences could easily breach it, despite any protocols or counter measures put in place, instead of within the deepest parts of the artificial island's core where it'd be much harder to access and easier to contain breaches. The second was concern at the sudden, avaricious glint in Midoriya's eyes, which had the girl suppress a shudder at the thought of what the boy would've done with the vault's contents…
"Well, when the enemy knows too much, that can only mean one thing." Shouto commented, his usual calm and collected demeanour unshaken by the situation. "The simplest explanation is that they've got someone on the inside giving them the intel they need."
"A traitor? But who would-" Melissa replied, as if she couldn't even comprehend the notion that anyone from her home would work against it, but then a thought as to the boy's statement struck, and her fretful, scared demeanour turned fierce as she glared his way. "I hope you're not trying to imply that my dad could somehow be involved in this."
"I didn't mean him specifically, no." The scarred boy replied, actually sounding momentarily taken aback by the sudden aggression. "But while I didn't mean to anger you, the fact of the matter is that as things stand, we don't know enough to be certain one way or another. And more to the point, we need to figure out just what are we going to do about all this."
What indeed, Momo couldn't help but think. All of the tower's entrances had been sealed off, their phones had no signal, and even if they had, according to Melissa, the situation was the same everywhere on the island, and by the time any help from outside arrived the villains would be long gone. And more over…
"Midoriya, how many of these villains did you see back in the airport?" She inquired, turning all attention towards the green-haired boy.
"Well, I wuzn't exactly countin'," He replied, frowning in concentration. "But I'z pretty sure dem'z wuz more dan dah bunch downstairs."
Which meant there were likely more armed maniacs spread around the tower that they could bump into at any moment. Lovely…
"…Melissa, you know this place, better than any of us." Momo said, after a moment of quiet thinking. "Is there any way to reset the system? Remove the villains' control over security?"
"…It's doable, yes." The blonde replied after a moment's surprise, expression turning thoughtful as she went over the possibilities in her head. "The control room is in the upper floors. If I went there, I could probably reboot the system, and we could free the heroes and send out distress calls. My father worked on those systems, and I've seen him do it."
"Well, the place is in lockdown, so I'm guessing either the elevators don't work, or using them would just make it easier for the bad guys to find us." Kyoka joined in, before looking up towards the ceiling. "Meaning we'd have to take the stairs. That's a long way up…"
At that, Momo turned again to the green-haired boy.
"I don't suppose you've managed to improve on your teleportation device since the finals?" She asked, but she wasn't very hopeful, and thus not disappointed when he shook his head.
"Nope, sorry, boss." He said with a slight shrug. "I'z been workin' on increasin' itz range, but it can't go dat far and it still needz line'a sight, else it risks puttin' ya in a wall or outside on a 50m drop. I culd try tah get past the locked entrances, but I'z not sure it'd do much gud if tah whole place be like dis too."
"Well, then, I guess we've got no choice but to do this the hard way, then." The pony-tailed girl replied with a resigned sigh.
"What about the hostages downstairs?" Shouto brought up the point. "Are we just leaving them there?"
"I mean, I would love to be able to help them." Ochaco piped in, looking somewhat hesitant as she looked towards the door from which they could glimpse at the situation downstairs with open concern. "But I don't really see how we could do that without risking either getting caught like the heroes or getting civilians hurt. Heck, All Might is staying put, so he likely figured this out too. The "go up and fix system" plan seems like the safest bet for everyone to me."
"Ok, ok, I wasn't trying to argue, I just thought I'd ask." The scarred boy conceded the point, before looking towards his fellow student. "Though I have to admit, I am somewhat surprised that you've been so quiet about all of this, Iida."
"Oh, I would be more than happy if we were to stay put, in a good hiding place, while waiting for help to arrive so we could avoid getting in trouble with the law for illegal quirk usage." The spectacled boy admitted without shame, before letting out a weary sigh. "But I can't in good conscience advocate doing nothing while people are in danger. Plus, I doubt anyone else here would agree anyway, so I might as well tag along to make sure things don't get too out of hand. If we're getting in trouble anyway, at least let it be for the right reasons."
Momo blinked, as she saw some unspoken understanding go through the two boys. That was more flexible thinking than she had ever expected to hear from the heir of the Iida family, but right now, she was hardly gonna complain about that.
"So we're settled, then?" She said. "We take Melissa up the tower and reset the systems, avoiding the villains as much as possible?"
All of the hero students present nodded, expressions of fierce resolution in each and every face, which Melissa could only stare at in open surprise.
"You are all taking this entire situation incredibly well." She couldn't help but comment, her tone somewhere between surprise and admiration, which earned her an amused chuckle as Kyoka patted her on the shoulder sympathetically.
"Oh, trust me, most of us are making a very active effort not to freak the fuck out right now." She said dryly. "But this isn't the first time we're caught up in stuff like this, depressing as it is to admit, so we're just kinda more used to it than the average student. It's been a wild ride."
With that being said, and after taking a moment to convey their intentions to All Might by subtle signaling, the group of teens, fully tense and alert, keeping watch over every angle, started moving, heading towards the nearest flight of stairs. Midoriya took point, since there was an unspoken agreement between the students that he'd be better suited to deal with any surprises, while Todoroki took the rear, ready to blast any villains trying to catch them from behind. Momo felt sorely tempted to create a bo staff, if only to help center herself, but decided it was best to conserve her reserves until they were truly necessary.
As one, the group made their way up the very first of the many, many flights of stairs that awaited them…
"Wait," Kyoka whispered, looking up. "I hear movement. Four people, just up ahead and-"
"Hey, what're you brats doing here?"
The teens all froze, eyes wide. Had they really been caught this early?!
After a second, though, they all realized that the voice, coming from the hallway just outside of view, couldn't have possibly been talking to them, as there was line of sight and in the low lighting no shadows could have given them away. It wasn't them that had been caught…
"What's it to you, asshole?"
…And who had been was made immediately clear by that retort.
Stealthily, Midoriya risked quick glance from the corner. Sure enough, a lone man stoon the hall, his weapon aimed at a familiar trio dressed as waiters, two of them terrified, one glaring defiantly.
"Cute, kid." The villain replied, clearly unimpressed. "Now play nice, and don't make a move."
The villain made to reach for his ear, likely intending to call in an alert. And that was when Midoriya made his move. Before anyone could react, he came out of hiding, took three quick, quiet steps…
Bonk!
And the mercenary fell flat on his face, out like a light, the green-haired boy standing behind him, a stop sign, now slightly crooked from impact, in hand.
"Uh, guess dere's sumthin' tah be said 'bout dah sneakiness of dese fancy suits…" He murmured, before looking towards his classmates with a wide grin. "Ah well, one down, all dah othahs tah go."
Chapter 60
"…I didn't need your fucking help, Deku." Katsuki ground out, at least having enough of a grasp on the current situation to not yell his lungs off like usual as he glared daggers at the green-haired teen. "I could handle this asshole myself."
"Sure ya wuz, Katsu, sure ya wuz." Midoriya replied casually, as he got down on one knee and started going over the unconscious villain, shutting off his comms and searching for anything of note.
"Well, I for one appreciate the save." Kaminari said in turn, looking towards the rest of the approaching teens. "But how'd you guys end up here?"
"We could ask you the same thing." Kyoka replied, eyebrow raised at the trio. "Weren't you supposed to be catering for the party?"
"We were, but the boss didn't deign to explain the layout of this place to us, or where the kitchens are, and didn't stick around long enough for us to ask when he ordered us to go get more entrées from there, so we got kinda lost looking." Mineta explained, looking rather fidgety as he glanced around nervously. "But never mind that, what the fuck is going on? Please tell me we didn't get caught up in anothervillain attack…"
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is pretty much exactly what's happening." Shouto confirmed in his usual, detached manner, earning him a distressed whining sound from the diminutive boy. "In short, villains have entered the tower, somehow taken over the automated defense systems, taken everyone down at the gala hostage, and taken Dr. Shield and his assistant further up. Our current working theory is that this is a heist, and they need him to get whatever they're after."
"Yep, that tracks." Kaminari retorted drily, sighing in weary resignation. "I'm starting to think somebody put a curse on our class."
"If you're all out here scurrying about instead of down there fucking up the asswipes holding the hostages," Katsuki continued, not even bothering to acknowledge the comment. "I assume it's because you got some sort of half-assed plan in mind?"
"Yes, actually." Momo confirmed, looking the temperamental boy in the eyes firmly. "We're trying to reach the control room on the tower's upper floors. If we get Melissa up there, we can reset the system, remove the villains' control, and free the heroes that were captured downstairs so that they can clean up the intruders."
"Then what the fuck are we waiting for?" He replied in a grunt, not sparing more than a pacing glance to the blonde girl that he wasn't familiar with, his tone as close to conceding as it was ever going to get. "Let's go."
Needless to say, Kaminari and Mineta weren't nearly so enthusiastic at the prospect, but the former more or less resigned himself to the situation, and the latter's quiet whining at the unfairness of it all was tuned out.
"Gud ol' Katsu, evah dah enthusiastic one." Midoriya chose that moment to comment, earning him a contemptuous growl from the ashen blond teen. While the trio were being brought up to speed on their precarious situation, he had taken the time to slap on the merc some cuffs he had conveniently found in the man's pockets, and had just reached for the gun still in his slackened grip. "Uh, dat'z odd."
"What's wrong?" Momo could help but ask, as the boy held the weapon and began turning it this way and that, inspecting it with the keen, focused eye of a connoisseur. Honestly, the thing that surprised her the most at the sight was that he was actually adhering to gun safety rules as he did, keeping his finger off the trigger and keeping the barrel well away from any of them, which she supposed was a sign that his choice of internship had yielded some results. That said, to her untrained eye, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about it, other than perhaps the fact the magazine was behind the trigger.
"Well, Boss, dis here be a moigty impressive shoota." Midoriya replied, with the kind of appreciative tone that brought to mind some of her father's associates while tasting the selection of wines at parties and dinners she'd attended. "Chinese make if I'z had tah guess, prolly QBZ pattern, dis kinda shoota workz so fine it has barely seen any changin' since before quirks, and ain't nothin' too surprisin' tah see in dah hands of 'a merc git like dis. But I'z not seein' any sorta numbahs or othah marks on it. Like, not dat dem'z wuz filed off or covered, dem's just ain't here. Eithah dis was part of sum off dah record batch, or someone in dis baddie crew got sum metal shapin' quirk." Then he casually pointed at a small cylinder at the tip of the barrel. "But dah oddest fing be dat dere'z a bunch of addons attached to it, like dis' ere suppressor." He point to what appeared to be a secondary handle attached to the front. "Or dis'ere foregrip." And then to the top of the contraption. "Or dah sight here. Dis be sum pretty top'a dah line stuff, I ain't evah seen itz like before. Zog, I'z not even recognizin' dah materialz used fer dah grip, but dah balance'z pretty much purfect. Pretty sure dis sight can show a 3D pic of dah surroundin' dat'd allow git tah hit a bug while shootin' blind. Dere ain't nothin' like it available out on dah official market. Not on dah undahground market where gitz like dese stock up eithah, and even if dere wuz, ain't no way a random merc group wuld be able to get it unless they'z stole it or were bein' bankrolled by someone."
…
…
…
…As everyone present just stared at the boy, Melissa made to open her mouth, intending to ask just how a hero course student would know the going rates for black market weapon deals, only for Ochaco to place a hand on her shoulder and very emphatically shake her head. Understanding the unspoken message, the blonde closed her mouth again, but then frowned as something else the boy said began prickling at her mind.
"…Well, that was a very comprehensive and terrifying crash course on firearm development." Kaminari deadpanned. "But what does that tell us, exactly, other than how much of a gun nut Midoriya is, which, let's face it, is old news by now?"
"Don't you get it, Sparky?" Katsuki grunted, giving his fellow waiter a contemptuous side glance. "It means we're not just dealing with a bunch of z-list nobodies. Whoever these fuckers are, they came prepared, they came with a plan, and they aren't acting by themselves. Someone put them up to it."
"Well, they had to learn how to get in to pull this off from somewhere." Shouto commented, sounding oddly satisfied. "It does add up."
"Wait." Melissa suddenly said, approaching Midoriya. "Let me have a closer look, please."
Blinking at the sudden request, the green-haired teen nonetheless complied, presenting the weapon and letting her lean in to get a closer look. Even she wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to find, but she really had that annoying feeling that there was something obvious, just at the tip of tongue but she couldn't for the life of her figure out- wait…
"Wait." She said, as she ran a finger through the foregrip as the boy mentioned, and suddenly everything clicked. "I… I know this. You're right, there's no way this'd be easy to get a hold of. I've seen this before. This material feels exactly the same to something that's being researched here on the island. Some sort of new, adaptative polymer, meant for prosthetics… I don't understand, how could they have gotten this? Unless…"
"Well, guess this really is an inside job after all." Shouto said mildly, and while he was feeling rather pleased that the evidence seemed to be backing this theory of his, he was aware enough not to show it, the girl really didn't need that right now.
"Well, if nothing else, this'll be very useful to the investigations that'll ensue when this whole thing is over." Momo suddenly said, because, while Midoriya's (admittedly impressive) deductions did merit some consideration, they had bigger priorities at the moment. "But right now, we should just find a place to hide this guy and keep going. We've still got a long way up."
Nobody had anything to say in the contrary, and so, after some further restraints were placed on the merc and he was unceremoniously dumped on a nearby supply closet, off they went, once again with Midoriya taking point, evidently quite eager to put his latest acquisition to the test.
/
"Hey, boss. We may have a problem."
Further up in the tower, more specifically within the control room for the island's systems, a red-haired man frowned at the words coming from the comm. In this line of work, there was no such thing as a perfect plan, and anybody who wasn't able to accept that and adapt quickly didn't tend to last very long. And Wolfram had been at this for very long indeed, so he was well aware of this simple truth, but nobody in their right mind would be happy to hear those words during a job, specially one as delicate as this one.
"What is it?" He asked gruffly, bringing a finger to his ear, his eyes on the screens as his crew's tech expert worked his magic.
"Breakdown's gone silent. He hasn't reported in a while, and he's not answering any calls either." Came the reply, short and to the point. His crew knew better than to waste time. Efficiency was the key to success.
That said, the villain's frown deepened. Even assuming there were civilian stragglers hidden somewhere in the tower, there was no way any of those rich fops would be able to take down one of his men, and every hero on the gala's register was downstairs and accounted for, up to and including All Might himself. An unknown variant had entered the equation.
Honestly, he'd have been more surprised if something like this hadn't happened. This little mission of theirs was of the sort that would go down in history. The first successful I-Island breach and theft. The sheer scope of what they were trying to pull meant that the odds of everything going smoothly were pretty much nil.
No matter. Time to adapt.
"Take two other men and go check the third floor. Find out what happened." He ordered. This could've been easily settled if they could use the security cameras, but alas, they had been deactivated to make hiding their trail easier, and couldn't be turned back on without resetting the system. Even advantages could come with drawbacks sometimes.
"Copy. Should we go up and do some scouting of the floors while we're at it?"
"No need, it'd take too long and we cannot afford the distraction. We'll have some of the security bots patrol every few floors. Daigo, Nobu, be ready to intercept if someone turns up at the tower's midpoint. Get to it."
Various affirmatives rang out through their comms, and so the villain lowered his hand, turning to the one crewmember in the room with him.
"No worries, Boss, I'm already diverting bot squads to the middle floors." The man reported without needing to be prompted, earning him a satisfied nod from his superior. "If there's anyone out there, I'll find them."
"Good." Wolfram said, before turning to leave the control room. "Report anything you find."
"Sure, boss. What about you?"
"I am going to impress upon the good doctor the need to move up our timetable."