Chapter 26: The Party Begins
Izuku made his way back to his hotel alone, feeling the weight for everything he had heard from Bleak on his mind. While the teen had seemed shy and reserved, once he started talking it was like he couldn't stop. It felt more like a dam had opened up, releasing the pressure before it broke. And the more Izuku heard, the more he wanted to help, while at the same time realizing he didn't know how.
Bleak had told Izuku about how his year had begun at Detroit Mercy. It was a far different setup, with even a smaller class of just eight students in his class who also had to share an apartment together. Will, it seemed, was overconfident in his own abilities while using his free time to pursue more…hedonistic desires. Things like skipping non-hero classes to hang out with other girls and only showing up on test days, going to parties on and off campus, and so on. Because of this, his grades dropped severely to the point where he was quickly put on probation. But, rather than chastise their son for his poor behavior, the parents of the boys laid all the blame on Bleak. In their eyes, it was Bleak's duty to look after his brother even when said brother refused to listen. No matter how hard he tried, Izuku could not see their point of view. It had been Will's decisions that led him to fail multiple tests as well as failing to do assignments for all his classes, resulting in his position at the school being put in danger. Then, it all came to a head when drugs were found in Will's backpack. Apparently, these drugs worked in conjunction with your quirk so that the more you used said quirk the higher you got.
From there, nothing could save Will. Apparently, he had been smuggling them into the school on the orders of a drug dealer he owed a lot of money to. When confronted, he attacked and injured several students as well as teachers before Bleak and Robstone stepped in to stop him. Then, as if it were an act to seal his fate, other villains moved to break Will out of police custody.
While the school didn't blame Bleak, only offering him an apology that he had to take down his own brother, his parents were a different matter. They laid all the blame at the feet of Bleak. He never went into details; he said things had become more tense whenever he had to go back home for the weekend or something like that. The only thing he did say was that it was always after his trips back home that the school contacted the family to ask if everything was alright. Clearly, whatever they did affected him so badly that the school had taken notice, causing a bead of sweat to form on Izuku's brow. Yet despite all that, Bleak seemed willing to endure all of it for just a few more years until he graduated. Then he could leave them for good.
"But why does it have to be that way?" muttered Izuku, his head lowered. "Isn't there anyone who can help him?"
I suspect that there are those around him who want to as well , came Albion's voice. However, I also suspect what will happen should he reach out for help. This is only speculation on my part, but given what I have gleaned from his story as well as hearing his parents for myself, those humans were no doubt furious when the school contacted him. And when they were alone with him again… Albion's words trailed off, but the implication caused Izuku's stomach to turn. Perhaps that is why they are here as well. It would suit their needs. To others, it would appear like they were loving parents who wanted to spend time with their son and his friends. But the reality would be far darker. Coming to keep an eye on him, intimidating the young man in a manner that says, 'You can't escape from our gaze'.
"That's wrong," growled Izuku, nearly coming to a complete stop while gripping his fists so tightly that he would puncture his skin.
If what I am saying is true, then yes. It is, agreed Albion. But, alas, we have no proof. And I am sure that another school full of heroes has also noticed this and will not act without some evidence of abuse. Perhaps that was why they allowed those vile humans on this trip in the first place, hoping to catch them in the act. Or something else. Albion then paused, his tone becoming serious. While I understand your desire to help everyone in front of you, this feels more like a distraction from yourissues. I have remained quiet on these issues for the moment, but you know you can't put off dealing with the issue of your father or All Might's-
Albion was then cut off as Izuku, who had kept his gaze downward as he walked, bumped into someone.
"Sorry about…Kirishima?" exclaimed Izuku after lifting his head. There, leaning against a railing on the sidewalk to stare at traffic, was the manly hero of 1-A.
"Midori-bro?" questioned Kirishima. When Izuku had first noticed him, the teen's eyes were glazed over a little, making him look like he was either daydreaming or lost in thought. The bump must have rapidly pulled him out of his own head as he looked at the other teen with wide-eyed confusion.
…Of course you run into someone else, grumbled Albion, sighing in exasperation. Well, I suppose I should be grateful that it's not another young lady. Wait, what if he was thinking…No. No, Albion. Do not tempt fate.
"What are you doing here?" asked Izuku, ignoring Albion's strange words. "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't be here. I'm just surprised to see you here. Did you also get tickets to the Expo? No, wait. If you did then you would have been on the same plan as me and Kendo. So does that mean that you sprang for the tickets yourself? I guess that makes sense."
"Hey, no worries," replied Kirishima with a big, toothy smile. "Not really surprised that you're surprised, you know. Tickets are way too hard to get. But, nah. The Expo didn't invite me. It was All Might who-" It was then that Kirishima's eyes went wide while a hand went to his mouth, quickly covering it. It didn't take a genius to realize that Kirishima had said something he shouldn't have.
"All Might brought you?" echoed Izuku, having very mixed feelings about this. It was true that he was grateful to come to I-Island via his victory at the Sports Festival. What made it all better was that he could share it with the people he was close to. But at the same time, the same chance as being able to go on the trip with the person you admired most in the world since you were a little kid was pretty exciting. However, with what All Might had said to him earlier, he wasn't sure he would have enjoyed it as much as he thought he would. The man might have spent the entire ride to the island convincing him to take back his speech at the end of the Festival. The talk they already had was difficult enough, so he could only imagine how much worse it would be over a multi-hour trip.
"Crap," sighed Kirishima in a drawn-out fashion. His eyes then began to dart back and forth, sweat rolling down the teen's face as he quickly placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Look, it's not what you think. It's just, ah, about my quirk. Yeah, my quirk. This island is supposed to study quirks and make support equipment for them. Well, All Might has been, ah, sort of, er, worried, yes, worried about the super strength aspect of my quirk. Since he was coming here anyway, he asked if I wanted to come along."
"Oh," said Izuku as he blinked up at Kirishima. He then brought a hand to his chin to begin going over what he had heard. He recalled the cracks on Kirishima's body whenever he used his super strength. That, as well as what he had said, was that the redhead had so much power he had trouble handling it.
"I guess that makes sense," he said at last, completely missing the relieved expression on Kirishima's face. However, that relief only lasted a moment as Izuku continued to speak. "The strength aspect of your quirk is really out there. It was nothing compared to the Nomu I tried to Divide during the school attack. I'm willing to bet that it's closer to All Might's level of power. And I'm also willing to bet he thought the same thing as well. He probably believed he could help guide you since they seem similar. But because of the small differences, he had to concede that his knowledge wasn't enough, so he brought you here for more specialized analysis. I mean, it would have to be something like that if the facilities back at U.A. weren't enough."
"…Ah, yeah," replied Kirishima. When he spoke, Izuku looked back up at him. Had he sounded nervous? Then, Kirishima shook his head. "Look, can you do me a solid and not tell everyone that All Might brought me here? I don't want people thinking he's doing something unmanly and playing favorites."
"Oh. Sure," said Izuku, almost instantly. He knew how it would sound if he told anyone about this. After all, out of all of All Might's students, he had selected only one to take on a possible once-in-a-lifetime trip to I-Island. A student who, as Izuku just said, had strength similar to All Might's. Add to the fact that he was in the hero course and had survived the USJ attack, the teen was pretty sure that rumors would begin to fly as soon as the rest of the school found out about this. And if it ever got online, All Might traveling alone with another student, well there were people who would start up some pretty nasty stuff.
"Thanks, Midori-bro," said Kirishima with a heavy sigh, shoulders relaxing as he did so. He then turned back to the street to watch the vehicles driving by. "I've got enough troubles waiting back for me at U.A. Last thing I want is him screaming at me about this." For a moment, Izuku blinked in confusion as he wondered what Kirishima meant by that. But before he could say anything, the 1-A student turned his gaze to the Divine Divider. "Hey, ah, can I ask you something? You were Baku-bro's buddy, right?"
"I," began a shocked Izuku, before pausing as he mulled over his thoughts. As his head lowered, the green-haired teen moved so that he was standing next to Kirishima. "Honestly, I don't know if we were ever really friends. I thought we were, but he might not have felt the same. For all I know, I could have just been another follower to him or just someone he let hang out with his friends since we lived close by. Even if we were friends, he hasn't seen me as one for a really long time. Why do you ask?"
Kirishima didn't answer right away. Instead, his gaze shifted towards the ground. And he stayed like that for several long minutes. Long enough for Izuku to become worried. Then, just as Izuku was about to repeat himself while asking if there was anything wrong, Kirishima finally spoke up.
"I…I really thought that Baku-bro was my best friend," admitted Kirishima, his voice devoid of his normal energy. "I mean, sure the guy is intense and has some, er, anger issues. But I thought that, deep down, he was just a really good and cool dude. The guy is strong as all hell, and when he puts his mind to something, he won't let anyone stop him."
"Yeah, I know," admitted Izuku, reflecting on the past. "That's what drew me and the rest of the kids in our neighborhood towards him."
"Well, last week during the exercise, when he was beating up your classmate," continued Kirishima, his hands tightening into fists as he spoke. "It…It was like I was seeing a side of him for the first time. He literally didn't care who got hurt. Jiro, the girl with the jacks on her earlobes, she could have lost her hearing completely if the school didn't have someone with a first-class healing quirk. All because he was blasting the wall like a crazy man. And then that beating…all that blood…It was just an exercise! But he took it that far! He even attacked me! He blasted me just for trying to stop him!"
"Trust me, I know how that feels," said Izuku with a sigh. "The number of times he blasted me across the room just for saying something he didn't like is, well, a lot."
At that, Kirishima grimaced. "Hey, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to," he began, his voice laced with nervousness. "I mean, we're not classmates or all that close. But it's been kind of bugging me: why did it start? Him hating you? Ever since the first day at U.A., he just goes ballistic whenever your name comes up."
Hearing that, Izuku let out another long sigh. "Like I said," began Izuku, his eyes becoming half-lidded as he looked back on his memories. "It was hard to tell if we ever were friends. Ka…Bakugo, he was always saying stuff to me. Like when I was the only one in the class who didn't have a quirk, he started calling me Deku. I mean, he gave everyone insulting nicknames, but mine just seemed to sting a bit more. Then, when I was misdiagnosed as being quirkless, well, he wasn't any kinder. Then one day, he just kind of lost it. He really started screaming at me after this time when he fell headfirst into a river, and all I did was head down to see if he was ok. Then he started using his explosions on me when I stood up to him for bullying another kid."
Izuku then turned to look at Kirishima, noticing that the red-head had his head down and his eyes wide. Like he had heard something he didn't want to believe but made sense the more he thought about it.
"Can I ask why you wanted to know all this?" asked Izuku, hesitantly.
"That's," began Kirishima, but stopped himself as he shook his head. Then he looked at Izuku, his eyes full of sadness. "Full truth? I've been defending a lot of the stuff Baku-bro had been doing all year. I've even gotten into a couple of arguments with some of my other friends in the class because of it. But after that exercise? I…I couldn't. Ashido, she's like a good buddy of mine, she really tore into him yesterday. Then she rounded on me, ready to hear how I was going to defend him. Only…I really couldn't. Like I wanted to, but the words just didn't come. And when I looked at him, all I saw was the face he used before blasting me away. No, like seriously, he was looking at me like he wanted to do it again right in front of everyone."
Kirishima then let out another sigh. "When All Might suddenly asked me if I wanted to come on this trip with him, I agreed because I partly wanted to get away and think," he said, his features slumping even more. "What he did was super unmanly. I'm not going to defend it. But now I don't know if I want to keep calling him a friend. But at the same time, isn't it unmanly to abandon someone who needs help? Especially when that person wants to become a hero? If I stay with him, he might get better. But what if he doesn't? What if, because I stay with him, I lose all my other friends like Ashido?"
Upon hearing that, Izuku nodded. He could understand what Kirishima was saying. To Izuku, being a hero meant helping others no matter what. It was something that seemed ingrained in his very being. But with Bakugo…
"If you think that you can help Bakugo become a better person, then I'm all for it," said Izuku. "But take it from someone who has been reaching out his hand to help him for years, he's not going to change easily. And he'll probably lash out at you more as time goes on. Just be careful not to lose any of your other friends."
As he said this, Izuku glanced over at Kirishima. Out of everyone in 1-A, he was probably the only one who could stay close to Bakugo without getting hurt. Whenever he saw a palm heading in his direction, he could just harden his body to protect himself from the blast. Plus, he could tell that Kirishima was a good person. Perhaps that's what Bakugo needed, someone good who the explosive teen couldn't easily blast away. But, on the other hand, Izuku knew that Bakugo could tear into someone with more than just his quirk. That anger, the words he used. Those were things that could wear people down over time, eroding their self-esteem. Even if Kirishima managed to endure it, given what Izuku had heard, there was a chance that those around him would not and begin distancing themselves from the pair.
Just then, Izuku's phone began to buzz. When the teen pulled it out, his face slightly paled.
"Sorry to do this to you, but I gotta run," said Izuku as he pocketed the phone, his gaze shifting over to the hotel. "I need to get ready for the party tonight."
"The," began Kirishima, before his eyes widened. "Oh shit! I forgot about the party! All Might's expecting me to be there. Oh man, I need to run. Our hotel is on the other side of the island!" With that, Kirishima made a mad dash in the opposite direction while Izuku began to leg it to his own hotel. As he did, he wondered why All Might hadn't booked a room at the nicest hotel on the island. After all, he could probably afford to rent an entire floor for a decade and not even make a dent in his bank account. Maybe it was because he was trying to lay low?
As Izuku nodded to himself, believing he had the answer, the truth was much different: All Might had made his reservations at the last second and was stuck at the cheapest motel on the island.
-x-
By the time Izuku got to his hotel room the other three girls were already there. Apparently, they had decided to wait for him before getting ready, their dresses on the heart-shaped bed. And before any of them could say anything, Izuku knew that they were going to have to deal with the lack of privacy in the room once more. Not only that, but all of them were dressed in their hero attire. So with such little privacy in the room, it would be hard for them to get ready for the party.
Thankfully, Itsuka had a simple solution.
"Izuku, how about you go in first and get changed while the rest of us wait outside," she said. "When you're done, we'll just switch places. Then we can all head down together."
Upon hearing this, Toga pouted. "Ah, but I was hoping for something more fun," she said while moving behind Izuku. She then placed her hands on his shoulders before moving her lips next to his ear while her eyes took on a sly appearance. "Like, say, we all get changed while staring at a different wall. We just need to be on the honor system of no one peeking. Of course, the AC might blow away one of our garments. And if it happened, no one would blame you for turning around to get a peek at us in such a revealing state." As she said this part, Izuku's face went atomic red as he also noticed Toga's fangs were poking out of her mouth. "Or maybe we could help each other get dressed. You could start by helping me out of my OW!"
"Bad girl," said Kendo, who had enlarged her hand to karate chop the top of Toga's head. There was a faint blush on her face while a darker one appeared on Pony's.
"Come on," whined Toga as she moved away from Izuku, rubbing the top of her head as she did so. Then, all of a sudden, she pointed to the heart-shaped bed. "We have the room, so let's take advantage of the situation! This is the perfect setup for some fun, sexy time shenanigans. Do not take this away from me!"
To that, Kendo just deadpanned Toga before grabbing her with her enlarged hand. Once firmly in her grasp, Toga was dragged out of the room with Pony in tow. Though the blonde vampire struggled, she was no match for Itsuka's strength.
"At least let me model my sexy lingerie for him!" cried Toga before the door slammed shut, leaving Izuku all alone in the room.
For a moment, Izuku just stood there as his mind was still processing everything that Toga had just said. Then, slowly, he looked over to the bed before whipping his head back and using his hands like a visor over his eyes. It had just been a moment, but he had spotted some garments on top of Toga's dress that he was positive weren't normally supposed to be seen. Also, he noticed similar articles of clothing near Kendo's and Pony's dresses.
Swallowing, Izuku focused instead on getting ready for the party. While it was tricky getting into his bag and not looking at the bed, it wasn't impossible. Originally, he had planned on wearing a pin-striped suit similar to the ones that he had seen All Might wearing on interviews and when he first saw the man at the U.A. entrance ceremony. However, his mom had talked him out of it for some reason and instead had gotten him something she said was a bit more classy and comfortable for the type of event he would be attending.
So, after about twenty minutes of getting ready, he stepped out of the room to show off his outfit to the girls. An outfit that seemed lifted from the nightmares of his classmates: his 'villain' suit. He wore a white, long-sleeve button-up shirt along with a vest instead of a suit jacket. The tie he wore matched the vest, both of them so dark green that they almost appeared black. His pants were neatly pressed, their color also matching the tie and vest. As for his footwear, he had forgone his classic red shoes and instead put on wingtip Oxford shoes.
"So," began Izuku as he scratched his hair, accidentally sliding his fingers through his long green locks to make it appear as though he was doing so intentionally. "How do I look?" The three girls just stared at him, their hearts pounding in their chests before they each gave their own responses. A blushing Itsuka gave him a thumbs up. Pony managed to say he looked good, her head lowered so that no one could see the spirals in her eyes. As for Toga, well, she was drooling so much that there was already a puddle on the floor, while her eyes had become large hearts. And she stayed that way, requiring both Itsuka and Pony to push the bun-haired girl into the room so that they could get changed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Itsuka, as the door opened slightly a half hour later, allowing the Class Rep to leave the room without letting anyone see anything going on inside. "So, how do I look?" As she stood there, head turned slightly so as not to make eye contact, Izuku blushed.
"Y-You look amazing," he breathed, his eyes locked onto Kendo. She was turquoise dress, with only one thick strap that wrapped around her shoulder, while the neckline stopped just before her breasts. As she moved, Izuku noticed that there was a cut along the sides to give her better movement as well as to show off her legs. Finally, a thick black belt that covered most of her waist seemed to tie the look together, giving her a tough yet alluring appearance. Sure, it was the same outfit she had bought at the shop they had all gone to, but back then, Ituska hadn't been wearing any makeup. Now he could see that her lips were now a lighter shade of pink due to lipstick. She had also made a slight change to her hairstyle. While it was still the same side ponytail that he loved, she had added in a flower hair accessory right where she tied it up before braiding the rest of it.
"Really? I feel a little silly wearing this thing," Itsuka said, hunching her shoulders a little as she spoke and still unable to meet Izuku's gaze. Midoriya just shook his head before summoning a great deal of courage to take her hand and pull her away from the door.
"Come on," he said. "You know I wouldn't lie about something like that." As Itsuka finally looked into his eyes, there was so much more that Izuku wanted to tell her. That was when he had first seen her, she had looked beautiful in that sweaty gi. Now, she looked utterly radiant. He honestly wanted to tell her that and more…only it sounded cheesy. That and he could feel his courage fading as quickly as his opponent's strength when he used Divine Dividing on them.
Still, regardless of what Izuku didn't say, his response to her as well as taking her hand, brought a smile to Kendo's face.
"Thank you," she said. She then looked like she was going to move in to kiss him on the cheek, but the door opening again caused them to stop.
"Toga said she'll be out in a moment," said Pony as she walked towards the two, seeming a little nervous as she walked towards the pair. The American girl was now wearing a dark green, shoulderless dress. Something that wouldn't get damaged by her horns. The more Izuku looked at it, the more he could tell that the material was thicker than a normal dress with a texture that made it also appear rougher. To add to this, it looked like there were layers starting at her hips, going down towards her knee,s before they ended in spiked cut-off. Honestly, he could see her taking something like this to a rodeo…though he wouldn't recommend doing anything to extreme as he got a good look at her cleavage.
"I decided to try something new with my hair," continued Pony. "You know, to make the night feel a little more special. What do you think?" At first, Izuku blinked in confusion as he pulled his gaze away from how well Pony looked in her dress her hair seemed normal. However, when she turned, he realized what she had done. In the back, either she or one of the other girls had braided her long blonde hair in three different spots. Also, now that he was closer, he could smell the perfume that she wore. It smelled really nice. So much so that it took a great effort on Izuku's part not to lean in closer to inhale more.
"It looks really," began Izuku as he moved back in front of her. He was going to say it looked 'cute' or something to that effect, but those words just didn't seem right. No, there had to be a more appropriate word for tonight. "Dazzling. You look dazzling, Pony."
Upon hearing that, Pony's eyes lit up as they seemed to become brighter. She then looked over at Itsuka, who was also staring at Pony, nodding along. With confirmation, Pony let out a happy cry as she jumped while pumping a fist into the air above her.
"Don't start the party without me," said Toga as she exited the room. As the three turned to give Himiko their attention, not a single person was left unaffected by her stunning appearance. The girl standing in the doorway was wearing a red dress whose single strap went around her neck. The dress seemed to cling to her chest while leaving her shoulders, arms, and sides completely exposed. Seeing all eyes were upon her, she gave them a devilish look before turning around, allowing them to see that her entire back was also exposed, with the material only returning maybe an inch above her butt! It also exposed the fact that she was currently without a bra! Ah, at least the dress didn't expose anything else as it went all the way to her feet; otherwise, Izuku's heart really would have exploded right out of his chest.
But that wasn't all she had done. Like Itsuka, Toga had put on some lipstick to make her lips a blood red shade along with some eyeliner. She had also made some changes to her hair. The messy buns were still present, but she had added in a small hairpin in each that resembled wooden branches at the end with several blood red berries on each.
Izuku found it hard not to look away. While Ituska had been amazing while Pony was dazzling, Toga's outfit screamed seduction. No doubt his expression, as well as Itsuka's and Pony's, said as much since Toga didn't ask if she looked good. She just walked forward with a high level of confidence, lightly touching each of their shoulders, causing each person in their group to shudder lightly.
"Well, let's not keep everyone waiting," Toga purred. "I heard there will be a separate party for the younger heroes and students."
With that, they went on their way. As they walked, Izuku's heart pounded, and not just because of the company around him. With each step they took, the sooner they would be at the party and the sooner he would have to make a decision on how to handle the request All Might had given him. And that thought alone, either to go along with something he didn't agree with or go against his hero's wishes, made him a bit weaker in the knees. To help ease these feelings, Izuku did his best to engage in conversation with the other girls about what they all did. Something that did help, if only slightly.
-x-
"Come on. Come on," whispered Hisashi under his breath, his leg bouncing slightly as he stood there. In one hand he held a glass that was not filled with champagne but water instead. In his other hand he had out his phone with his eyes glued to the time. His eyes focused on the seconds, watching them run by as the minutes ticked by slowly. Painfully, torturously slowly. But still he watched impatiently, waiting for the moment he could escape his responsibilities and leave.
For a moment, he dared to pull his eyes away from his phone…only to then instantly wish he hadn't. Before him was a mostly power space, though still lavishly decorated for the numerous CEO's, heroes, and top scientists to walk around on. Though he barely noticed any of that, as one person across the room captured his attention: Enji Todoroki. Dressed in his hero costume, the man stared at Hisashi with a gaze that felt like he was going to burn a hole right through him! What was worse was that Hisashi could tell he was biting the inside of his lip, something the man did when he was mulling over something. Was Endeavor going over the pros and cons of roasting him figuratively vs literally?
Glancing away from the man, Hisashi scanned the crowd to see if his son was there yet. To his relief, he did not see any signs of green messy hair or anyone with the same type of orange hair as the girl with his son had. That was something to be thankful for. Dealing with one person whom he didn't want to talk to was bad enough. Add his son into the mix, well, he was sure all his hard work would go up in flames. Probably literally given his luck, so fair.
A shudder ran down the man's body as he thought about it. He could see Enji walking towards him, beginning to yell about how worthless he was or something like that. All that noise would draw attention, including his son. Then, any number of things could happen. If Enji's temper got the better of him, his quirk could activate with Izuku being pushed into the line of fire, causing him to get seriously burned. Or maybe something happened that caused everyone in the room to rush out, causing Izuku to get trampled to death? Or what if the security systems got triggered, latched itself around him, and then kept tightening until it crushed the young man? With his track record, it could happen! Wait, he was still miserable so maybe he was just overthinking and being overly paranoid?
"You're mumbling again," grumbled Ms. Pan, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "How about you lay off the booze for one night and find some other way to relax? You're going to annoy everyone here."
"I don't drink," breathed Hisashi to his constant source of misery. "I'm drinking water."
"Just because you added a drop of water to something doesn't mean it's not going to make you any less drunk," she snipped. "Miserable old men like you should just-"
"Melissa, please, pick up," came a voice that thankfully interrupted whatever insult Ms. Pan was going to throw at him. Turning his head and pocketing his phone, Hisashi saw Dr. David Shield pacing close by. The man was speaking into his phone, looking a little stressed at the moment. "Everyone keeps asking me if you're ok because they haven't seen you all day. They're going to delay the introduction of the U.A. Sports Festival winner but…Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now. But just…just please send me a text telling me you're ok?"
"Everything ok there, Dr. Shield?" asked Hisashi, moving closer to the other man. If there was a problem, he should know about it, given how much his company was insuring this place. But, more importantly, talking to Dr. Shield might provide an incentive for Endeavor not to approach him.
"Hm?" responded Dr. Shield, looking at Hisashi while putting his phone away. "Oh, you must be from Abysswell. Nothing too major to worry about. Just had a fight with my daughter this morning and she's still not talking to me."
"Ah yes, I heard about that," commented Hisashi, a little curious. "Apparently, news has spread that you refused to even look at a project she was working on. Any truth to that?"
Hearing that, Dr. Shield paled. Wait, now that Hisashi was looking at him a bit closer, he could see that he was already looking a bit pale. Doing his best not to appear as if he was sizing the man up, a skill he learned while he was studying to be one of Endeavor's sidekicks and later perfected while working at Abysswell, he noted several signs that set off alarm bells in the man's head. There were some dark circles around the man's eyes, which he had tried to cover with makeup. Not only that, but the man had lost weight. So much so that he needed to tighten his belt by two holes. You could tell because there was a crease where the original support zone was. Then there was his wrinkled clothing. Then there was the look in the man's eyes. Hisashi had heard that the man had become driven by his work and had seen the look of people who seemed driven to prove themselves. What he was seeing now, well, there was a drive in those eyes but there was also something darker.
Hisashi then took a sip of his water while never letting his gaze off Dr. Shield. His instincts were telling him that something was off.
"Guess word travels fast," said Dr. Shield at last, sighing before taking a glass from the nearby table. He then quickly downed a third of the glass in one go. "Honestly, I never thought she'd take the rejection this badly. She's old enough not to throw such a childish tantrum."
"Hmm," was Midoriya's reply as he took another sip of his water. "Well, this may be none of my business, but as a fellow scientist, I would think you would understand what she is going through. I mean, how would you feel if someone outright refused to even look at your work? Not to mention, she came to you. Sounds like your daughter really wanted your approval. So not getting it without you even looking at it probably hurt like hell."
At that, Dr. Shield looked down at his glass with his eyes half lidded. "I suppose you have a point," sighed the man heavily. Then, he looked at Hisashi. "Do you have kids?"
"Just one," said Midoriya, feeling a bit of pain as he said the next part. "From what I hear, he's about the same age as your daughter. But we're not that close. I've…been away most of his life, so it's hard to call me a father. Just a guy who pays the bills, really."
"Oh," replied David Shield, wincing a little as he took a slow sip of his drink. "Sorry to hear that."
"It's fine," said Hisashi, waving off the scientist's words. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I took this job. But I am a bit curious about your daughter's work. The fact that you refused to even look at it was brought up, but no one seemed to know what she was working on. Mind sharing?"
"That? Oh," sighed Dr. Shield, a frown appearing on his face. "Just something silly to fulfil a childhood dream she had of being a hero. I honestly thought she was over such nonsense once she accepted she was quirkless and began studying to become a support tech. But then, out of the blue, she goes and builds herself a suit."
Hisashi, who had been taking a sip of his water, nearly choked when he heard this. "I-I'm sorry, but did you just say your quirkless daughter built herself a suit to become a hero?" he asked in shock. "That's…That's amazing."
"It would be if she had intended it to be used by a real hero," replied Dr. Shield in a dismissive tone. "One with a powerful quirk who could make better use of it. Honestly, what parent would be even allow their quirkless child to fight villains in something like that?"
"…I would," replied Hisahsi, shocking Dr. Shield. "For so many years, me and my wife thought that our son was going to be quirkless. Turns out that his body needed to become stronger in order for him to use his quirk. But, back then, we didn't know. And the way he looked when he was told he couldn't be a hero. If we had known, there could have been another option…" Hisashi's words trailed off as he recalled that day how things went with his son. Those dead eyes that just stared out blankly, watching his favorite video of All Might. What parent wouldn't have done everything in their power to help their child after something like that? If there had been suits like those out there, Hisashi would have done everything in his power to get one for Izuku. Even if it meant skipping meals just to save up the money.
"Well," began Dr. Shield after a moment, using his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I honestly wasn't expecting that. Wow, how long has it been since something like that happened? Me running into a parent of another quirkless child? Or, in your case, misdiagnosed quirkless." The man then relaxed a little before taking a sip of his drink. "I'm happy that things worked out well for your son. At least he'll be able to realistically live out his dream."
"Things could work out well for Melissa," commented Hisashi. "If you give her a chance."
Dr. Shield instantly shook his head. "No, Melissa needs to stay right where she is: in a lab where she can make the world a safer place while not endangering herself. As much as I love her, the world doesn't need another inadequate hero getting in the way. All we need is All Might."
Alarm bells were ringing in Hisashi's head as he heard that. Still, Midoriya steeled his expression while Dr. Shield finished the rest of his glass.
"No offence to All Might, but he's not enough," replied Hisashi, his eyes darting to the side as he noticed movement. Well, speak of the devil. All Might was here and was moving towards the stage at the front of the room. As the two men turned to watch him, Hisashi leaned closer to continue the conversation in a low, whispered tone. "Villains know he can't be everywhere at once. That's the reason why there has been a sudden uptick in crime in the USA. And if he tries, he'll just burn out."
"No, that won't happen," said Dr. Shield as he looked up at All Might with an expression that only further alarmed Hisashi. To him, it was like he was paying respect and reverence to the man like he was the second coming. And, given Dr. Shield's reputation as a brilliant scientist, Hisashi feared how the man would react when reality came crashing in.
-x-
"Melissa, are you ok?" Those were the first words that came out of Izuku's mouth when he and the other U.A. students walked into the elevator lobby, instantly spotting the girl who was their guide. And he wasn't the only one who was concerned as Itsuka, Pony, and Toga all rushed over to the girl wearing a blue dress.
"I…I'm fine," lied Melissa as she rubbed her eyes, sniffling as she did so. Eyes that were red and puffy, clear signs that she had been crying for a long period of time. All of them could tell that she had tried to cover it up with makeup, but not even that could do anything for her right now.
"You're clearly not fine!" stated Kendo as she held Melissa by the shoulders. Itsuka then looked the blonde scientist in the eyes before speaking in a calm yet firm tone. "Did somebody do something to you? If so, please tell me you told security."
"If not, then we'll take care of them. I will happily cut them with a spork," said Toga, pulling out a plastic utensil from…somewhere.
"If you don't feel safe, you can spend the night in our room," suggested Pony. As soon as she said that, two things happened. Albion began screaming 'No, no, no, no-no, no!' over and over again in the teen's head. The other was Toga dropping her spork as her eyes went wide.
"You know what?" began the blonde blood drinker before pausing to wipe away some drool that had begun to form around her mouth. "That sounds like an excellent idea. How about right after the party, you come to our room?"
"It was All Might, wasn't it?" said Izuku. The moment those words left his lips, everyone else became silent before turning to look at him. Pony blinked at him in surprise with those big, blue eyes of hers as she was surprised that someone like Izuku would even suggest that All Might would be responsible. Itsuka, on the other hand, looked at him as though he had just grown a second head while also nominating Bakugo for a Nobel Peace Prize. She then let go of Melissa before lightly slapping herself, no doubt under the belief that she was under the effect of a quirk or something. While all that was going on, Toga was the most calm out of all of them as she seemed to be considering it. The girl had a hand on her chin now while letting out several 'hmms' here and there before nodding. As if she had thought back on all their classes with All Might and deduced that he would say something like that. As for Melissa…
"Well, you're half right," she said, bringing her hands in front of her before clasping them tightly together. As the words further shocked everyone, Izuku slowly approached Melissa as the inventor continued to talk. Her words sounded as though the tears were just about ready to return. "It's actually both my father and Uncle Might. How did you know?"
Izuku averted his gaze at that. "He…All Might tracked me down after I had a run-in with my dad," he began to the dismay of everyone. But that was nothing compared to what he said next. "He wanted me to take back what I said at the Sports Festival. He said…that my ideals should be more rooted in reality and that what I said gave you false hope. That you can't be a hero and…in order to save your future, I need to crush your childhood dream."
"He said what?!?" growled Toga while Melissa just paled. A dark rage filled her eyes as she bared her fangs. "Who the hell does he think he is to tell someone else how they should live their lives?!? Not to mention putting all the blame on Izu before telling him to fix it by going back on his word?!? Ok, that spork is going right into his eyes before I use it to dig out his teeth!"
"Toga, please think this through," said Kendo, her tone muted. Still seething in rage, Himiko turned to look at the class rep. However, despite the tone she used, there was a fire in her eyes. "We can't just go stabbing our teachers, let alone the Symbol of Peace, without getting into serious trouble. What we need to do is first talk to him, get his side of the story while leading him to a secluded spot so we can ambush him. It'll take teamwork to do anything to him."
"Agreed," added Pony as she took one of her horns off her head. With a quick motion of her hand, she spun it around until the tip was pointing downward as she held it like a dagger.
"You…You're all taking my side?" asked a surprised Melissa. Both because they were in open defiance to one of the greatest heroes in the world, but also the sheer level of anger radiating off of them.
"Of course we are!" exclaimed Pony as she stomped her hoof on the ground with enough force that she cracked the ground. But if she cared, she didn't show it as her cheeks had puffed out in anger. "Melissa, you built something really, really cool. We all saw what it can do. And Toga's right! Neither All Might or your dad have any right to tell you how to spend the rest of your life! It's yours! So to reject you like that and then tell Izuku he has to further hurt you is super wrong!"
"I believe that hard work should be rewarded," continued Itsuka. "It doesn't matter if it's working on your body or some other project. If you put your heart and soul into something, what you've done deserves a chance at the very least. But to dismiss it because you want to be a quirkless hero again? That's just wrong on so many levels."
"I agree. That's why I decided not to retract my words," said Izuku, gaining everyone's attention. Especially Melissa's as her eyes opened wide in shock, wonder, and happiness. Light began to return to them as he continued to speak. "Honestly, for a moment, All Might's words made a little sense. That you could do more good in you stayed in a lab, creating things to help other heroes. That by making them better gear, you would be saving more lives. But then I thought about what it would have been like if All Might said that to me before I found out about Divine Dividing. That I could do more good in some other profession, so I shouldn't even try. Then I thought about what Itsuka's dad once told me: Better to shoot for the stars and fall in a blaze of glory than to have never tried at all!
"Shield, I think it's too soon for you to give up," continued Izuku even as Melissa covered her mouth with her hands. "You've come this far, so you need to keep trying for as long as possible. That way, even if you fail, at least you won't spend the rest of your life regretting having never tried at all!" Izuku then suddenly felt his cheeks turn red as he suddenly looked away. "Not that I think you're going to fail or anything. And it's not just because of the suit. I think…having a hero as smart as you out in the field will help against a lot of more tech-savvy villains. And maybe-"
Izuku got no further as Melissa Shield's body came crashing into his. Her arms wrapped around his body, embracing the green-haired teen in a tight hug. As the teen felt his body stiffen in surprise, both in the surprise hug as well as the large, soft masses pressing against his chest, Melissa added to his shock by placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered softly as new tears began to run down her face. When he felt the warm streaks on his face, Midoriya relaxed a little as he returned the hug as he knew these were tears of happiness.
For a moment, the two remained like that before Melissa pulled away. Them, without another word, she moved over to Toga to embrace her as well. The bun-haired girl looked a little shocked by this before a satisfied cat-like grin appeared on her face. Just looking at her, nobody would have been surprised if she suddenly started purring. When she was done, Melissa went over to Pony to hug her. Izuku blushed a little as ne couldn't help but notice how their bodies pressed against each other. Finally, she moved over to give Kendo a hug as well. Out of all of them, this was the second-longest hug right behind Izuku's.
"Hey there, my heroic guys and gals," came a sudden voice that startled Melissa and the U.A. heroes-in-training. As Melissa broke off the hug, Izuku turned to see Lady Sting waving at them while leading the group of teens from Detroit Mercy who were all in hero attire. She continued walking until she was right in front of Izuku, where she then paused and raised a fist in his direction.
"Oh," said Izuku after a moment, realizing what she wanted. As he gave her a fist bump, he wondered if she preferred that due to the nature of those exoskeleton hands. Was it because they made shaking people's hands extra difficult or was she just used to doing this because they freaked out other people?
"Hey, you catch on quick," laughed Lady Sting before turning around to look at the rest of the group. "Certainly faster than some people."
Eleven Prince rolled his eyes. "For the last time, it is beneath me to do something so uncivilized," said the elf-life teen in a hoity tone. "It is just proper manners to shake someone's hand. I have told you this several times already."
"Sorry for being socially awkward," added Bleak as he looked away. Hearing this, Izuku couldn't help but since as did the girl next to Bleak: Gel. If the slime-haired girl was as close to Bleak as Izuku assumed from their previous interactions, she probably assumed the same thing he was. That his first instinct at seeing a fist coming towards him was to brace himself.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, man," chuckled Hydro Claw, moving to Bleak's free side before slamming an arm on the boy's shoulder. While the gesture was friendly, Izuku noted the white substance on Bleak moved briefly, becoming spikey before wobbling back into its original form. But Hydro Claw didn't seem to see it as his focus was on everyone else. "If it seems like my buddy here is giving you the cold shoulder tonight, please don't take it too personally. He's a work in progress. But once he opens up to you, he's really a chatter box."
"Anyway, how about we all head down together?" suggested Kendo, clapping her hands as she spoke to get everyone's attention.
"Good idea," answered Lady Sting as she and her group began to move with those from U.A. towards the elevator. "Last thing we want is Deadweight getting on our asses."
As Kendo was about to press the elevator call button, Izuku took a breath. In just a few minutes, he would have to stand his ground in front of Japan's Number One hero. Just thinking about this, going against the person he admired so much and telling him to at least give Melissa a chance, was enough for him to start sweating. He was more nervous than when he fought Bakugo! But could do this.
…Though he wouldn't mind there being a distraction or something to delay this.
Just then, a terrorist alarm sounded.