Remember this takes place before the training camp! Take care of yourselves, and I hope you enjoy these 9k words <3
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~
Endless blue seas and skies stretched as far as he could see. The water glittered like it was filled with gemstones. Rays of sun danced on the surface and illuminated fluffy white clouds an ethereal golden. Izuku pulled his gaze away from the small plane window, blinking at his mentor who was fast asleep in the seat next to him, head tilted back and gangly body swamped by the large suit he wore. He couldn't help but smile at how relaxed the man looked, gaunt face not quite as shadowed, the lines on his brow smoothed out, and a fond sort of grin on his lips. As much as the boy wanted to let him sleep a little longer, because god knows he would need the energy when the inevitable future arrived, he'd been given strict instructions to wake the hero up when they were close to I-Island.
"Toshi-san," Izuku called softly, placing a gentle palm on the other's bony shoulder and giving a little shake to regrettably rouse him from his peaceful slumber. "Toshi-san. Toshi-san!"
Toshinori made a sleepy mumble, raising a large hand to rub at his eyes before peering blearily down at the boy. "What's the matter, Young Izuku?"
He beamed, resting his I-Island Expo brochure on his lap as he leaned back over towards the window, pressing his cheek against the cool glass. "We can see it. Look!"
Toshinori shifted over to stare as well, hand braced against the armrest between them. The artificial island looked like a giant disc in the water, massive white walls around the entire perimeter to keep it safe and enclosed. Even from so high up, the crowds were already so thick that they looked like dark swarms of ants, dashing between each colourful stall to admire the best science the world had to offer.
"I'm glad I invited you," Toshinori commented bemusedly as the boy trailed off in an excited spiel about the island.
"Me too," Izuku agreed, although glad for an entirely different reason.
He gave a contemplative hum, brow furrowing thoughtfully. "Ah, but I suppose you've already seen all of this before, in your time?"
"Yeah, but I'm still excited! Not only do I get to see Melissa-san and Dave-san again, but also all the cool support gear people have invented, and all the latest prototypes that could help change the world as we know it! I just think it's really amazing to see how creative all these scientists can be, and I bet they're super happy to see all their hard work pay off and be admired by thousands in the greatest Expo in the world! Support companies really don't get enough credit for all the incredible work they do for heroes – and, well, for everyone else, too, because support companies tend to have a bigger budget for inventions, which means they get more opportunities to test out new ideas and push the boundaries of modern science in a way that could end up benefiting the general population. Like the Oni armour – that's such an ingenious creation which I'm so honoured to be able to test out, and I bet, once the concept is more refined, it'll be super handy and popular because it'll shave so much time off for heroes because they won't have to waste precious minutes pulling on their costume, which means response times will be cut down, which means more people can be saved, which is really great!" Izuku took a deep breath, placing a hand on his chest and blinking almost dazedly at the seat in front of him. "Whoa. Sorry. I'm, uh... I'm very excited. Thank you for inviting me, again, Toshi-san."
To his credit, the man didn't seem too overwhelmed by the sudden ramble. Instead, he merely cracked a fond grin and patted the boy's messy hair. Perhaps he'd grown accustomed to his tendency to word-vomit at any given moment.
"You're welcome, my boy. It seems I made the right choice." Toshinori paused, blinking and raising a pointed finger. "You already know about Melissa and Dave? I suppose that makes sense... It ruins the surprise, but it can't be helped. How do you like them?"
"Oh, Melissa-san's amazing! She's truly a prodigy and a total genius – but that's all through her own hard work and studying, which is really cool. And she hasn't let people deny her of her dreams just because she's Quirkless! She's a real inspiration to me, to be honest," he said softly, looking down at his hands in his lap with a smile before looking back up at his mentor. "Dave-san's cool too! His inventions have always been super ground-breaking, and he really is very good at what he does... Maybe too good..." He added as an afterthought, frowning a little.
The pilot informed them that they were about to begin their descent, successfully distracting Toshinori from querying that odd statement. He stood and gradually beefed up into All Might, muscles pushing against the once-oversized suit that he quickly discarded to reveal his bright hero costume underneath. Izuku's gaze flickered to the ceiling, lips quirking up in amusement as he noticed that the man had to crouch to be able to fit inside properly, but his expression grew a little sad at the reminder that his mentor would be straining himself for so long to keep up the facade.
"Right," Izuku muttered, voice gentling with concern. "Please don't push yourself too hard, Toshi-san. Take any moment you can to power down and take a break – I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"I'll be fine, my boy," Toshinori said with unending cheer.
They exited the plane when it landed, going through automatic security checks before being able to enter the island. He couldn't help but stare around in awe, even if it was all familiar to him. Everything was all so bright and shiny and beautiful, with concrete interspersed with grass and trees to keep the place from feeling too synthetic. Spires of swirling colours reached skyward, every building created with fascinatingly unique architecture and painted in bold and eye-catching hues, making sure that all the attractions were equally as interesting to entertain the public. Glittering spouts of water sprayed into the air, manipulated into words by someone with a water Quirk. Large music notes floated like bubbles through the air from a giant golden harp, letting out soothing tones that were loud enough to be heard over the cheers of the crowd, even from where they stood, upon the top of the stairs near the entrance.
"Welcome to I-Expo," a woman greeted them cheerfully, wearing a white uniform that indicated she was on staff for the event. "Wait... All Might?!"
Izuku suddenly remembered the horrible suffocation of his small form being crushed within stampeding crowds of people. He took a slow step away before leaping backwards, just in time to avoid the horde that surrounded All Might, who took it in his stride and continued laughing and grinning, standing a good head and shoulders above everyone else. It was kind of weird to watch from the outside as a popular hero got swarmed, since he was used to him being the main focus half the time in the future.
Having fans was wonderful, but... wow, they really didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space sometimes.
After a while, the fans were finally sated and dispersed, letting the pair of them wander off and stand near a large flower display at the bottom of the stairs. Izuku trotted back to his mentor's side, trying to stifle his snickers as he watched the man attempt to wipe away the alarming amount of lipstick stains all over his face.
The tell-tale sound of a spring grew louder until they could spot a girl bouncing down the stairs towards them on a large, red pogo-stick of peculiar design. Both Izuku and Toshinori perked up and shared twin grins as they recognised the long blonde hair.
"Uncle!" She called happily, leaping off and throwing herself into the hero's arms to get picked up and spun around. "Uncle Might!"
"Oh, Melissa!" Toshinori beamed up at her, hands clasped carefully around her sides as he held her up.
"I'm so happy you came!" She exclaimed brightly, closing her eyes and placing her hands on his shoulders to brace herself.
"I almost didn't recognise you. You're all grown up now!"
"I'm seventeen now. I'm heavier than I used to be, aren't I?"
"Not at all!" Toshinori exclaimed with a chuckle to his tone, raising her into the air again like she was a child to prove his point.
"I'm glad you seem well, as usual, Uncle Might," she said, giving a warm, genuine smile up at the man they both adored like family.
Izuku took in her appearance, replacing the image of her adult self with her current teenage self. She wore white skinny jeans and a tight magenta cardigan vest with a plaid bow settled on her chest, tied underneath the collar of her white t-shirt. Her pale blonde hair framed her face with a short fringe swept across her forehead. Bright blue eyes sparkled with joy beneath the thin-framed glasses set upon her nose, and her light skin was flushed a soft pink over her cheeks as she grinned happily at her uncle.
Wait... if Toshinori was kind of Izuku's dad... and kind of Melissa's uncle... did that make him and her cousins...? And if Aizawa was kind of his brother as well... did that mean...
Nope, okay, this pseudo-family thing was getting out of hand.
...That wasn't going to stop him from continuing to adopt everyone he loved, though.
"Oh, Young Izuku, this is Dave's daughter," Toshinori introduced them, realising the boy had been awkwardly waiting whilst they caught up and giving him an apologetic shoulder pat.
"I'm Melissa Shield! Nice to meet you!" She greeted, stepping forwards and holding out a delicate hand.
He tugged off the glove on his right hand and tucked it away in one of the red pouches at his waist, then reached forward and shook hands with her. "Nice to meet you, too! I'm Midoriya Izuku, a first year in the hero course at UA!"
"UA? Then you're Uncle Might's-"
"Yeah, I'm his student!" He confirmed, nodding proudly.
"You've got a promising future, huh?" She exclaimed excitedly, leaning forwards with a bright smile.
"I hope so!" Izuku agreed with a nervous sort of giggle, tensing up only a little as she started to pace around him, examining his costume and asking him questions.
She paused in front of him, gently clasping his hand between hers and ghosting her fingertips over his scars, a troubled expression on her face. "Maybe you should refine your costume..."
Toshinori coughed into a fist, and Izuku was ready to fling a whole packet of tissues at him until he realised it was just to regain their attention. Melissa straightened up and dashed over to her idling pogo-stick, snatching it up in one hand and whipping it back to activate the shape-changing mechanisms that twisted it down into a tiny cube which sat in her palm. She slipped it into her pocket, already turning and sprinting off, calling for them to follow her. Izuku and Toshinori shared a fondly entertained grin before hurrying after her.
Screw whatever villain attack that was soon to happen: Izuku was going to enjoy himself while the peace lasted.
*
Dave's blue eyes widened comically when All Might entered the room overdramatically. Izuku waited patiently in the doorway behind, lips briefly tilting into a sad smile as he suddenly realised why neither Dave nor Sam were excited to see the top hero. Melissa had her hands clasped over her heart as she beamed at their enthusiastic reunion where All Might swung the scientist around, despite the room being dangerously small. Both men shared boisterous laughs and lightly fist-bumped, easily picking up where they left off in the way only old friends could.
All Might shifted aside, looking back with a grin. "Young Izuku, let me introduce you to one of my best friends, David Shield!"
Izuku beamed, hopping forwards, shucking off a glove and politely shaking hands with the professor. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's great to meet you! I love your work. Thank you for looking after All Might-san, back then!"
Dave let out an entertained laugh, eyes crinkled with mirth as he glanced between his friend and the boy. "Oh, it was no easy job. He was always getting into trouble and ending up late for everything because he wanted to save everyone."
"That sounds familiar, doesn't it, my boy?" All Might commented with a subtly sly note to his tone, staring pointedly at his student.
Izuku drew his shoulders back and let out an indignant squeak, only to shrink down again with a sheepish laugh and a light blush dusting his freckled cheeks. "W-well, I've always said I wanted to be just like you, Toshi-san..."
The hero guffawed and ruffled the green curls. "There's no disputing that!"
"You two get along very well," Dave noted with a crooked smile, eyebrows quirked in a silent question of why that was.
All Might raised a large fist and coughed into it, grin faltering slightly. Both Izuku and Dave immediately glanced at him in concern. The scientist caught the boy's gaze and looked momentarily quizzical before smiling pleasantly again, blue eyes flitting between both children.
"It's been a long time since I last saw All Might. Can you give us some time to talk alone?" Dave raised his hand in front of him, motioning towards his daughter. "Melissa, please show Midoriya-kun around I-Expo."
Izuku hesitated, biting his lip nervously before nodding his assent, although quickly stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around the hero in a hug. Due to his height, or lack thereof in comparison to the man, his face was pressed into All Might's abs. He made sure to keep his arm lower and looser on the left side of his mentor's ribs, but squeezed tighter on the right to make up for it. They probably weren't going to see one another again until the hostage situation, and he didn't really want to let go.
Reluctantly, he stepped out of his mentor's grasp, peering up at him with enigmatic green eyes. "Be careful, please. I mean it." He paused, forcefully lightening his tone and rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed sort of smile flashed at the other inhabitants of the room. "S-sorry! I'm just, uh... I'm really over-protective about everyone I care for. I don't want them to get hurt, even if it's just a small injury, like a grazed knee from tripping over." He jutted his bottom lip out in a pout, dipping his head for a moment before grinning back up at his suspicious-looking mentor. "Well, I'll see you later, Toshi-san. Bye, Dave-san!"
The two teens left the room, walking through the curved corridor that looked to be made entirely of metal. Rows of white lights were set into the floor and high ceiling, illuminating the large space. Their footsteps echoed down the silent route.
"What should I call you?" Melissa inquired brightly, glancing down at him. "Midoriya-kun? Izuku-kun?"
"Call me Deku," he responded with a grin.
"Deku-kun? That's a strange nickname," she said thoughtfully, and he made an agreeing hum. "You can call me Melissa!"
*
They checked out various pavilions, looking at all the cool technology on display. The helmet with 360 degrees of vision made him somewhat wish that he'd brought his Oni armour bands to help him fight later, but he was going to be needed as Deku, not Oni. Izuku was nerding out over every single thing, even if he'd seen it all before – it was still super amazing! Knowing that Dave had a hand in inventing most of the incredible creations in there just made Izuku admire him and his talents even more.
Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou bumped into him, and all five of them grouped up to continue the tour. They all settled down at tables in the sunshine outside, ordering drinks to help them cool off on such a hot day. The girls got along well and chatted happily amongst themselves whilst Izuku contentedly sipped on his drink through a red straw, observing with bright eyes and glad to see them becoming friends so quickly. A couple of their other classmates were there as waiters, and the moment Kaminari spotted Melissa he immediately turned on the charm, trying and failing to woo her in a way that made Izuku surreptitiously choke on his drink. Tenya sprinted over to break up their unofficial break, although not with much success as everyone got caught back up in conversation.
An explosion from a distant attraction caught their attention. Izuku pouted around his straw as everyone agreed to go check it out, their hero instincts too strong to ignore a potential threat. He downed the last of his drink, the ice clinking at the bottom of the glass, then rushed after them.
Sure, he may adore Kacchan, but he was also revelling in the peace. Oh well.
Izuku clasped his gloved hands around the green railing, glancing up at the artificial rock mountain that towered above them, backed by a high waterfall. Kirishima was captured on camera as the dust cleared, projected onto the screens in all his manly glory, Quirk activated in jagged lines across his bare torso. The others collected along the railing to watch as Kacchan went next, getting an impressive fourteen seconds after blasting over the entire mountain and destroying all the robots. A moment later Kirishima alerted him to Izuku's presence.
Well, there goes his quiet time.
Kacchan snarled and launched himself up to the platform, boots pressed flat against the bars and gauntlets clamping around the railing as he leaned forwards threateningly. "Why are you here?!"
"S-stop that, Kacchan!" Izuku responded half-heartedly, backing up a few steps to regain some personal space and not get covered in spit when Kacchan inevitably ranted.
Tenya got in between them, raising his arms protectively as he tried to order the boy to stop. Kacchan merely continued to growl furiously, bouncing and rocking violently up and down, forwards and backwards, gnashing his teeth like a feral dog. Izuku hastily turned his face away and covered his mouth with a palm to try and conceal his snickering at the ridiculousness of his childhood friend.
"What, are you all going to try that now?" Kirishima asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder towards the challenge.
"There's no point, since I'll definitely be better than you!" Kacchan snapped, eyebrows gnarled together and lips pulled back in a sneer.
Izuku peered around his taller friend, tilting his head innocently. "How do you know unless I try, Kacchan?"
The boy clambered over the railings like a demon crawling up from hell, stomping closer and grabbing the front of his childhood friend's hero costume and leaning in uncomfortably close in a manner that was clearly supposed to be intimidating. "Then hurry up and go get your pathetic results, damn nerd!"
Izuku pressed his hand flat against the other's chest, lightly pushing him away with an unimpressed expression that gave way to a competitive grin. "Okay, Kacchan."
If he went full power, he'd be able to complete the challenge in a few seconds, at most. However, there was a high chance of it being too strenuous for him, and the last thing he needed was an injury, since he was likely going to get plenty of those later on. But, oh, it would be so much fun to show Kacchan up in something that didn't really matter in the long run...
He dropped down into the starting area, taking a few moments to stretch out his muscles as he examined the mountainside, mentally mapping out the most efficient route to destroy all the targets. Izuku sighed slightly, disappointed that his logical thoughts had won over the childish desire to beat the course within a second, but quickly shook off the sadness in anticipation of the upcoming task. Glittering magenta lines crossed his body before giving way to green lightning, deciding to entertain the audience a bit by crossing his arms in front of him, clenching his fists, then chopping his hands to the sides to send out a gust of powerful wind laced with dust.
The announcer shielded her face, then signalled the start. He immediately hopped up onto the rocks at 5% of One for All, red boots finding easy traction for just a moment before he had moved on, bouncing to one of the highest robots that was hiding on a flattened platform. His body automatically followed through the movements of his Shoot Style, torso twisting and hips shifting smoothly to let him slam an armoured shin through the robot, rising to 10% of his power just to destroy the enemy. Without a pause, Izuku spring-boarded off the steep incline and shot towards his next target, flipping upside-down then stomping below him to crush it before instantly flashing away once more. All the robots had been destroyed in rapid succession, leaving only one at the very peak that his radioactive gaze locked onto.
He grinned wider, crouching down to glitter up towards it like a shooting star. Izuku spun and kicked from the right, sending the shattered remnants of robot spraying down the mountainside. He landed lightly, straightening up with a grace of a dancer and the deliberation of an entertainer, slowly turning back around to face the crowds as he caught his breath.
"Thirteen seconds! Amazing!"
Exhilaration coursed through his veins as he beamed at the cheering audience, finding himself filled with glee at such a simple challenge. Izuku swiftly dropped down to ground level, ruffling a gloved hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes as he walked towards the clapping announcer, before jumping back up onto the viewing platform where his friends were waiting.
"That was so cool! You beat Bakugou-kun super easily!" Uraraka cheered, punching a fist into the air.
"It was super fun!" Izuku enthused, practically bouncing in place with his excitement. "You should give it a go!"
"The hell?! Impossible!" Kacchan roared, nose scrunched and eyebrows gnarled together with his palpable rage. "I'll go again and blow you away!"
Attention snapped back to the stage as the announcer squealed excitedly. Shouto was crouched down with his right palm on the ground, a flood of spiked ice exploding out and covering most of the mountain to take out all the robots at once. Izuku's gaze jolted to his childhood friend who was shaking with fury, and he hastily leapt over to grab the back of his hero costume to stop Kacchan from flinging himself back into the fray to rage at the new challenger. He raised an arm without thinking to block a retaliating punch, stubbornly holding on until Kacchan was wriggling and sparking and yelling too much to hold onto any longer. The volatile boy cracked his teeth together in a threatening bite behind him before throwing back his palms and blasting into the arena to scream at someone else.
"You handled that very well, Midoriya," Jirou commented, one eyebrow raised bemusedly and lips quirked on one side in a smirk.
"Yeah, I don't think you even blinked," Uraraka added with a nervous sort of smile and a note of awe in her tone.
"You have some interesting friends," Melissa said, watching as Tenya dashed off to try and stop Kacchan from being a menace to society – Izuku had found that was something not worth attempting, years ago. Nothing stopped a rabid Kacchan. Except maybe Kirishima, on a good day.
Izuku caught Shouto's gaze when the boy looked up, instantly raising a hand in a wave and beaming at his friend. Kacchan was trying to move into Shouto's eyeline, frustrated that he was being ignored, but Shouto himself merely returned the wave placidly.
It was rare that they had a chance to just mess around and be kids. Sure, the peace wasn't going to last for much longer, but... it was nice.
*
Melissa guided him to her personal lab. It looked similar to the design of the rest of the island, with a white and blue colour scheme and all sorts of modern-looking furniture interspersed with futuristic bits of technology he didn't understand, but he did like the glowing displays. Those were pretty. A plant was set in the corner to make the place feel less artificial. Although Melissa insisted otherwise, the room was very tidy aside from some notes and a tablet spread across the desk, giving it less of a fake, sterile sort of vibe. His gaze trailed to a metal bookshelf, skimming over the colourful spines that detailed topics he only vaguely recognised at best, then looked up to where a small collection of interesting trophies were placed on the top, not a smudge of grease or speck of dust in sight.
"Melissa-san, you're really talented," he exclaimed as he stared in wonder at them.
"Actually, I wasn't getting very good grades," she admitted, turning around to open the closet door and enter. "That's why I studied really hard."
"That's even more amazing, though! It's really cool that you put in the effort to better yourself!" He insisted adamantly, grinning proudly.
She gave a little laugh from within the small room, out of sight. "Thank you, Deku-kun. It's because I wanted to become a hero, no matter what," she explained, getting a bit quieter. "But I gave that up early. I'm Quirkless, after all." Not a trace of shame or regret was in her tone, which remained strong and cheerful as she searched for something. "I didn't have a Quirk, even after I turned five, so I was taken to a doctor. I was told that I was the type that would never get a Quirk."
"Quirks aren't everything, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten that in this era," Izuku said softly, although a confident steel remained in his tone. "I'm glad that you found a new passion: I bet, when you're a famous inventor, you're going to be an inspiration to all the Quirkless kids who are told they can't do anything, just because of something they were born without."
Melissa left the closet, a small box resting on her cupped palms and a wide-eyed expression of wonder on her face. "That... That sounds really amazing, Deku-kun. I'd like that to happen. I've got a long way to go before that day, though," she added sheepishly, then padded across the room to place the box on top of a few notebooks on her desk. "I made this support item before while watching Uncle Might."
Inside the box was a red band, made of something like metal, but lighter and warmer. It looked as if two strips of the mysterious material were looped together like a couple of small armour plates, with an elongated hexagonal button inset between them, coloured blue to stand out. He obligingly took off a glove and rolled up his right sleeve, letting her grasp his scarred hand to steady him as she attached the item to his wrist, concealing the subtle tan lines from his Oni bracelet. Izuku pressed the button under her command, causing the shiny material to turn pale with a hexagonal grid as it acclimated to his body, then explode outwards in glowing ribbons that automatically wrapped around his forearm and folded over his palm. It solidified back into the red metal and revealed a cool gauntlet encasing his arm, with the staggered armour plating effect covering the entirety of it, and extra padding over the knuckles to withstand his punches.
"This Full Gauntlet is strong enough to take the full power of Uncle Might's punches three times," Melissa explained, raising a fist in a gentle mock punch. "If you wear it, I think you'll be able to use your full power. That's why I want you to use it."
He stared down at the gauntlet, turning over his arm and ghosting his fingertips across the smooth surface. Izuku dipped his head slightly, briefly overcome with adoration for the girl and her incredible generosity towards someone who was essentially a stranger, just because she saw his suffering and wanted to help.
She really was a true hero.
"Thank you, Melissa-san," he whispered reverently, raising his green gaze to meet her bright eyes and hoping she could understand how grateful he was. "This... this is really amazing."
Melissa giggled a little, folding her hands behind her back and smiling at him. "I know you're going to do great things, Deku-kun, which is why I want you to use it. Become a wonderful hero who can save people who are in trouble, okay?"
*
Izuku peered at himself in the mirrors inside the elevator, adjusting his burgundy pinstriped suit. A few places looked a bit tight and bunchy, since he'd taken the initiative to wear as much of his hero costume as he could get away with underneath his clothes. His hood and the metal mouthpiece were left behind in his hotel room, as well as the bulk of his leg and arm supports, but since his trousers were relatively loose he'd succeeded in sneaking some shin braces on without it looking odd. He'd managed to clip his red belt over the top of his pale yellow shirt, glad it could be hidden by his jacket when it was buttoned up since he'd filled the pouches with snacks, mainly for Yaoyorozu.
Years in the future, Ochako had once admitted to him, in a loving manner that came with the title of best friends, that the suit he'd worn to I-Expo was one of the ugliest things she'd ever seen – so, of course, he'd deliberately made sure to wear the same one out of spite.
Besides, it was going to end up destroyed and discarded throughout the evening anyway.
Izuku fiddled with his black bow tie once more before the elevator hummed to a halt and the doors slid open. He dashed out into the room, spotting Tenya in a blue suit, Shouto in a white one, and Kaminari just wearing his waiter uniform.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologised instantly, approaching his friends. "You guys look great. Is no-one else here yet?"
"No," Tenya grumbled, one hand on his hip and the other swiping at the air agitatedly. "What do they think 'attending as a group' means?!"
"I'm sure they'll be here any second," Izuku soothed with a mysterious sort of grin, turning around and looking at the elevator a moment before the doors opened again.
Uraraka sheepishly stepped out in a cute dress with pink accents, a guilty sort of laugh in her tone for being late. A few seconds later, Yaoyorozu arrived in an elegant, ankle-length, mint-green dress, with Jirou cowering behind her to try and conceal the pink and purple dress she had on beneath a short leather jacket. Another elevator arrived with a ding and Melissa jogged out in a strapless blue dress and a red headband sweeping her hair back.
Izuku glanced over his shoulder to see Shouto and Tenya squinting suspiciously at him, clearly wondering about his uncanny knack of remembering exactly when people were behind doors, and he stifled a giggle before turning back to the girls. "You all look amazing! Your outfits really suit you."
"You're too kind, Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu said bashfully, one hand cupping her cheek as she averted her eyes.
"T-thank you, Deku-kun," Uraraka added with slightly reddened cheeks, bouncing anxiously on her toes with a pleased smile.
Another five minutes was spent waiting before Tenya gave in, trying to get through to their other two friends who had yet to show. Izuku slipped his phone from his pocket to glance at the time, noting that the reception party had already begun, and the villain attack was imminent. He pursed his lips and put his phone away, expression unnoticed by everyone except Shouto, who gave a questioning blink and frown. The boy merely let out a subtle sigh, reaching to tug up his collar a little higher to make sure the green of his costume wasn't visible underneath.
"Neither Bakugou-kun nor Kirishima-kun are picking up," Tenya informed them impatiently.
"They probably got lost," Izuku suggested with a tense shrug.
"I suppose so," he agreed, reluctantly putting his phone away. "Perhaps we should-"
Metal shutters on the high windows clattered down in tandem as an announcement about an 'explosive device' echoed over the speakers. The teens all froze up, staring in shock as the building locked down around them. None of their phones were getting signal. Jirou hurried over to try and call an elevator, but the buttons weren't illuminated and didn't respond to her prodding. A wave of panic flooded through the room as everyone exchanged anxious looks, all wondering what to do.
"I can't believe the security system would switch into high alert mode, just because they found something explosive," Melissa muttered, one arm crossed over her torso and her other hand raised to her chin.
Izuku nodded in agreement, stepping forwards. "Tenya-kun, let's go to where the party is being held – All Might-san is there." The hero's name had everyone relaxing, although it wasn't reassuring for himself. "Melissa-san, can you get us to the party somehow?"
She glanced sideways, motioning towards a closed door. "If we use the emergency stairs, I think we can get close to the party."
"Please, lead the way."
Melissa opened the doors, taking point whilst everyone else followed, determination on their faces. Izuku stuck close to her, giving supportive smiles when she glanced to him nervously, and pointedly ignoring the quizzical looks he could feel Shouto and Tenya throwing his way. Only those two knew his secret, and he wasn't about to confuse the others by explaining a situation he shouldn't be aware of.
They slowed as they emerged into a corridor with red carpet that silenced their footsteps. A balcony overlooked the party venue that was illuminated with bright, warm lights. Izuku held up a hand to signal his friends to stop, quietly grabbing his phone and sneaking to the railing. He peeked over the edge briefly, checking that no-one was looking up and taking stock of the situation before he dared do anything, just in case. Like before, the heroes had been incapacitated, and armed villains were patrolling the room. Spooked guests stuck close together, most of them sitting down or on their knees nearby tables, trying to feel safer by seeking cover. All Might was tied up with a glowing blue cable, lying on his side on the stage, far away from everyone else.
Izuku flashed the light on his phone, managing to gain his mentor's attention. He motioned towards his mouth, pointed to himself, then cupped his ear, relieved when the hero got the message and started to whisper.
"Villains have taken over the tower and security systems, and everyone on the island is a hostage, including the heroes," Jirou relayed in a stressed whisper, earphone jack plugged into the ground.
Not wanting to push their luck in the bright open space, the teens all crept back to the stairway. Uraraka was trembling so much that she lowered herself into a kneel, her dress puffing out around her. Jirou and Kaminari followed her lead, sitting next to one another and exchanging alarmed looks.
"I suggest that we follow the directions of All Might-san and escape from this place," Tenya spoke up, hands in fists by his sides, although he looked to Izuku for guidance.
"I agree with Iida-san's opinion," Yaoyorozu added, briefly closing her eyes and twisting her fingers into the fabric of her dress. "We are still students. We cannot fight against villains without our hero licenses."
Kaminari perked up. "Then, what if we escape and tell the heroes outside-"
"I think it'll be hard to escape," Melissa commented regretfully, hand returning to her chin as she mused. "This place is built with the same level of security as Tartarus, where criminal villains are kept."
The others debated for a few more minutes, warring with their heroic instincts and their logic. Shouto glanced to him, waiting for his input. Izuku bit his lip and stood up, the movement catching everyone's attention and causing the conversation to fade.
"I want to save them," he started, forcing himself to stop fiddling with the hem of his jacket – repeated experience or not, it was still a scary situation. "It... It's going to be hard, but most of us have had enough experience to make good decisions in situations like these, and I can't just sit by and wait when people could end up hurt. I don't think we have to fight – we could be stealthy, and lend help from the sidelines without anyone knowing."
"I-Island's security system is on the top floor of this tower. If the villains have taken control of the system, then the authentication locks and passwords should have been disabled. We should be able to restart the system," Melissa theorised, voice low and determined.
Izuku grinned as the plan was finalised. Everyone was on board, despite doubts and nerves, all wanting to help out however they could. The energy in the room was almost electric with determination, inspiring all of them to fight for their cause.
"Do you know how to use the security system, Melissa-san?" Izuku inquired, even though he already knew.
She nodded, hand by her heart. "Yeah. I... I might just get in the way until we get to the top floor, but... but let me help protect everyone, too!"
"Of course!"
Izuku rushed back to the balcony, peeking over the railing and catching All Might's attention once more. He gave a bright Deku smile and a thumbs-up, nodding at his mentor who stared back at him with worry. The man's expression grew resigned and he gave a conceding blink, clearly realising that these dumb herolets weren't just going to flee when there were people to save.
When the teens had reached floor thirty, Tenya paused, letting everyone else take a brief breather. Izuku tugged at his collar, starting to overheat underneath two outfits but knowing it'd be wise to keep his hero costume a secret for as long as possible so the villains didn't realise he was prepared. At floor fifty, Melissa was starting to lag behind, unused to such strenuous exercise. Uraraka glanced back worriedly and Izuku paused, letting everyone else rush on ahead while the pair waited for their friend.
"Let me carry both of you, Melissa-san, Uraraka-san," Izuku said firmly.
Melissa shook her head stubbornly. "No, it's okay. I don't want you to tire yourself out-"
"I won't," he denied. "Neither of you are wearing footwear designed for running so much, and there's no point in exhausting yourselves more than necessary when you might need that energy later on, right?"
Uraraka looked conflicted. "I don't know, Deku-kun..."
"I'll take you both ten floors, then you can run on your own again," he bargained with a smile.
The blonde looked down for a moment, still breathing heavily, then dipped her head in defeat. "Alright," she acquiesced.
Izuku beamed in relief, glancing at her for permission before lifting her into his arms. Uraraka gave in as well, hopping onto his back and wrapping her arms and legs around him. He paused for a moment to make sure he was balanced, then activated his Quirk and immediately covered a set of stairs in one bound. When they shot past the others, Kaminari made an unhappy whine, upset that he hadn't been given a free ride. The trio waited at floor sixty for the others to catch up.
"Hey, Midoriya, please carry me," Kaminari wheezed, stumbling forwards and clutching at the boy's shirt like he was dying.
"Sure, but only for ten floors," Izuku agreed with a laugh that made the others brighten, despite the stress. "Jirou-san, do you want me to carry you, too?"
Jirou hesitated, visibly battling with her pride for a moment before nodding. She clambered onto his back, arms around his throat, leaving Kaminari to be carried bridal style, which he seemed to relish and relaxed into with a relieved smile. Izuku glittered green and shot up the stairs with ease, arriving at floor seventy within a minute even though he was limiting his Quirk.
"Yaoyorozu-san, Shouto-kun?" He asked questioningly when they arrived, sweating and breathless.
"If you wouldn't mind, Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu said a little sheepishly, whilst Shouto shrugged.
Izuku lifted her into his arms, stooping a little to let his friend get into prime piggy-back position. Shouto slumped against his back, chin resting on his shoulder as they scaled another ten floors in a flash. He put his friends down carefully, stretching up and leaning against a wall as he waited for the others to arrive, which took a little longer than both previous times. A shutter barred them from going any higher.
"What should we do?" Shouto muttered. "Break it?"
"If we do that, then the security system will react, and the villains will notice us," Melissa explained, a panicked note in her tone.
Kaminari stepped back, looking nervous. He leant against the wall, resting his elbow in a nook and-
"Kaminari-kun!" Izuku yelped belatedly – the security system had already been alerted. "Shit."
The boy leapt forwards, whipping around to see the emergency lever he'd accidentally nudged free, causing the doors to slide open. Everyone shared an anxious glance before simultaneously deciding that they may as well make the most of a bad situation, starting to sprint down the open corridor. Solid metal shutters were slamming down in front of them, blocking off their path, and when they peered over their shoulders the same thing was happening to block their exits. Shouto slammed down a foot to jam a spear of ice between the partitions, leaving enough space for everyone to leap over to the other side, then head through a door Tenya had shattered with a powered-up kick.
They dashed inside the Plant Factory, hit by a wave of humid air that only made Izuku sweat more. He kept alert, just in case something unexpected was going to happen, but like before Jirou stopped them when she noticed the elevator was rising.
"Let's hide and let them pass us," Izuku suggested, keeping his tone level but with enough urgency to get them moving.
All of them found a row of thick bushes to hide behind, crouching down and peering through the green leaves as they watched with bated breath. The villains stepped out, talking in low tones as they sauntered along the path. Uraraka had her hands clamped over her mouth as she trembled, and Izuku placed a gentle palm on her shoulder to comfort her. There was a collective flinch that made some branches shake as the villain exclaimed that he'd found them, but Izuku raised his hand silently before anyone could do anything brash.
"Huh? What did you say, you bastard?" No-one had ever relaxed at the rough snarl of Kacchan's voice until that moment.
Both he and Kirishima were standing on the path a few metres from the villains. Predictably, Kacchan tried to engage before Kirishima lightly pushed him back and took the lead, sheepishly explaining their situation. The taller villain activated his Quirk, a hand morphing into a clawed scoop that he swiped at the air with, sending a concentrated blast towards Kirishima's face while he stared in shock. Shouto was on top of his game, sending out a giant iceberg to block the blast, but simultaneously reveal their position. Everyone else hopped out of the bushes, in defensive stances ready to attack until the boy placed a hand on the ground and rapidly raised them towards the ceiling on a pillar of ice.
"What about you?!" Tenya asked, his tone panicked.
"I'm fine, just go!"
"Good luck, Shouto-kun!" Izuku called down with a supportive thumbs-up, leaning dangerously far over the edge of the juddering platform until Tenya pulled him back.
The group jumped onto a suspended bridge when they were at the right height. Explosions and crashes betrayed the clashes down below. Tenya kicked down another door, only to realise that the shutters had blocked them in on this side, too. Izuku backed up onto the walkway, glancing around for an alternate route when his gaze landed on the large cylinder in the centre of the room that concealed the elevator shaft.
"Melissa-san, if we broke through the wall over there, could we climb up the inside of the elevator shaft?" He asked hopefully, pointing towards it and gaining his friends' attention.
"Yes, it would bring you to the top floor, although you'd need to pry open or break down the doors to get out... not to mention the thickness of the walls – it would take a lot of force to smash through them," Melissa mused, eyebrows drawn together and shoulders tensed.
He eyed up the blue walling, hand going to his wrist to touch the Full Gauntlet band. "How much force?"
"Likely more than all of us in this group combined can do," she admitted, arms wrapped around her torso as she stared at him worriedly.
Izuku stared contemplatively down at his hand, mentally calculating how much power he probably could channel as a test run without injuring himself, since he didn't want to go all out at 100% and waste one precious chance with the Full Gauntlet, only to realise he couldn't break through. While he was capable of controlling 75% of his Quirk's strength, it would likely still put a heavy strain on his muscles at the very least if he were to punch something, and at worst he'd end up breaking some bones, which was no good. He let 50% course through his veins, taking a hesitant step and moving his limbs a little to test out how it felt, only to frown at lower it to 40% because it was still bordering on bone-shatter territory.
"We have to try, though, right?" Uraraka spoke up, looking determined.
"We don't really have many other options," Jirou commented drily, her arms crossed.
"Izuku-kun?" Tenya glanced at his friend, noticing the green lightning and likely figuring out that he was up to something.
"Hm?" Izuku responded distractedly, going through the motions of throwing slow, cautious punches.
"Do you think you can break it down?" He motioned to the pillar, the lines of his face deepened with concern. "If you don't, you shouldn't push yourself: you might end up hurt."
The boy took a breath, steadying himself before doing a backwards flip and bending his knees on impact, arms spread for balance. Aside from a light twinge of pain in his knees and ankles at the force, his body seemed mostly alright when it came to handling 40% and still being able to do things, which was always useful. He stood back up straight and nodded at his friend, clenching his hands into fists and striding across the walkway towards his target. Sounds of fighting still continued below, but he ignored it, instead pausing in front of the wall and lightly ghosting his fingers across it.
"It won't damage the structural integrity, will it, Melissa-san?" Izuku inquired, knuckles pressing against the cold metal.
"No," she assured with a shake if the head. "This place is built too strongly. But, Deku-kun, are you sure-"
"I'll be fine," he insisted with a Deku smile, sweeping out an arm to guide them a safe distance away from him.
"Wait, Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu said, a glow coming from her chest as she pulled out an explosive device that she threw at the wall, where it stuck and blew up, making a small chunk fall away. "I was hoping it would do more..."
"That's okay, Yaoyorozu-san!" He responded with a grin. "It'll make it easier for me to break through. Save your Quirk until you really need it, okay?"
Izuku fired up his Quirk, shifting so he faced the very edge of the curved wall over the previous mark, needing to blast away only a small amount to minimise potential casualties. He drew back his fist, clenching it tighter, then slammed it forwards. Blue concrete crumbled away and reinforcing metal warped under the intense pressure, raising a cloud of dust in a gust of wind. After a few seconds, the dust cleared up, revealing a hole torn into the side of the elevator shaft, big enough for them to be able to climb through. He shook out his fist to ease the stinging of his knuckles, glancing back at his impressed friends with a triumphant smile before turning back to his creation and clambering over the rough edges to take a peek inside.
Several thick cords ran down the centre, attached to the elevator that was still below them on the eightieth floor. Circular braces ran down the entire length of the shaft, with too much space between them to be able to climb, but there was also a metal support strut going vertically up one side with frequent enough holes in the material for it to work as a ladder. It wasn't very well-lit inside the shaft, but it was bright enough that they'd be able to see where they were going.
He shuffled back out and dropped onto his feet on the walkway, blinking against the sudden return of light. "It shouldn't be too hard to climb up inside there. We should probably get out on the hundredth floor, just in case there are people patrolling and expecting us on the other floors, but we don't want to stay inside for too long in case someone calls the elevator."
"Climbing twenty floors?" Kaminari let out an exhausted sort of whine. "And I thought stairs were bad..."
There was a large explosion that trembled through the walkway. Izuku dashed over and peered over the railing to see that the others had successfully taken down the two villains. It didn't make sense to leave his friends behind when they had a peaceful interlude to take advantage of.
He leaned over, waving a hand. "Hey!"
Their attention briefly rose to him, but before they could do anything, panels in the walls opened up and an army of small robots rolled out, red lights flashing near the top of their heads. Shouto slammed down a foot and threw up a giant barrier of ice to block them from view. Kacchan didn't waste a second in twisting around and blasting his way up to the walkway. A few seconds later, Kirishima and Shouto rose up on a pillar of ice, both hopping off quickly, although the latter's movements were a little stiff. Izuku pressed himself up against his friend's frosty side, partially to help thaw him out more swiftly, and partially to cool himself down as well.
Tenya was guiding everyone into the hole. Kacchan shoved him aside and went next, followed closely by an apologetic Kirishima. Their friend glanced at them, brow crinkling with worry as he took in Shouto's frozen state. Izuku paused for a moment before unbuttoning his jacket and throwing it to the ground, gaining suspicious stares for the red belt of his hero costume around his waist. He merely flashed a mysterious grin and pulled out an energy bar as well as a small juice box, handing them over to his friend in the hopes of keeping him in top form.
"...thanks," Shouto commented with the faintest hint of an amused smile, biting into the bar.
"I suppose you knew all of this was going to happen?" Tenya asked, blinking in surprise when he was given an orange juice box. "Thank you."
"Yeah, sorry I didn't give any warning," Izuku admitted apologetically. "I just didn't want to risk anything changing too much, to make sure nothing can go horribly wrong."
"We understand, Izuku-kun," Tenya assured, only to shift into a fighting stance as he glanced over their shoulders. "We should get moving."
Both of them looked back to see more robots spilling onto the walkway, heading towards them until Shouto flung out a smaller barricade of ice. They hastily finished off their snack break and slipped inside the elevator shaft, immediately grabbing onto the metal and slowly climbing up. Every so often Kacchan would growl that the person above was going too slow and end up leaping back to blast himself to the top of the group. He'd probably explode his way all the way up if he had the chance, but by the way he was flexing out his arms whenever possible, Izuku could guess he'd strained his muscles using his Quirk. It took a while for all of them to reach the hundredth floor, even when Shouto and Izuku lent their versatile Quirks to help everyone ascend more rapidly and with less effort, and there was an audible, collective sigh of relief when they were out of the dingy chute and back into the bright corridors.
From that floor onwards, all the shutters had been raised, suggesting that the villains knew they were hero kids and were trying to lead them somewhere, but since they needed to get higher anyway, they were going to take the risk of a trap. On the hundred-and-thirtieth floor, they paused outside some double-doors, peering through the small glass windows at the situation inside. There was a darkened laboratory within, solely lit by a strange column with glowing green tubes twisting around it. A cross-shaped walkway joined their door with three others, with the final leading up to the weird luminescent emerald tower that was probably best left alone. More robots were meandering across the walkways, blocking their escape.
Izuku took the opportunity to hand out more refreshments. Everyone chugged down their juice-boxes with the desperation of a dying man, which was understandable since they'd literally been sprinting nearly non-stop since the entire mess had started. Kacchan snatched his snacks and angrily chomped down on them, making sure to glare at his childhood friend the entire time to make sure everyone knew that he didn't want to eat it.
Melissa was staring thoughtfully at the red pouches on his belt as she sipped through a straw. Izuku recognised that faraway look as someone who was having ideas about inventions, and already found himself excited to see what she would come up with. Kaminari and Kirishima were practically crying with relief, seeming as if they were one good deed away from worshipping Izuku as their new god.
"How come you packed these, Midoriya?" Jirou asked, a confused frown on her face.
"Habit," he responded honestly. "It's always good to have emergency supplies on you, but with the bad luck we seem to be facing when it comes to random villain attacks, I figured it'd be extra important for us, just in case."
"That's very smart, Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu agreed, nibbling her way through a bar. "I think it would be wise for me to try and get into the same habit, especially since my Quirk relies so heavily on food."
They lapsed into silence, taking a moment to embrace the peace with friends.
Izuku knew it was the calm before the storm.