BNHA: Singularity

"We need to get out of here," asserted Izuku, his expression and tone hardening as he added, "If this is a legitimate emergency, we need to do what we can to assist. Toshi&ndash;All Might might be unbeatable in a fight, but if the enemy takes a hostage, he wouldn't be able to move freely."
Blinking several times, Melissa asked, "You don't think...someone took over I-Island's security system and is using it to hold everyone hostage, do you? While not impossible, the system would have detected them long before they reached the control center...unless..."
"Unless there was a traitor..." finished Izuku. "But the only way to know for certain is to escape this place and uncover the truth. Either way, as tantalizing as the notion of being trapped with you is, it isn't in my nature to sit around and wait for help to arrive."
As he spoke to Melissa, Izuku began emitting Blackwhip from his body, first spreading it to the floor, walls, and then the ceiling as he added, "I trust in your abilities, but, as an extra precaution, I will block the flow of any foam. Do your best, Melissa."
Though he nearly added that the fates of everyone in I-Island may hinge upon her success, Izuku figured Melissa could do without the additional pressure. For all he knew, this was a false alarm. However, based on how quickly everyone in his Party was moving around, something Izuku could track thanks to his system's proximity function, he was pretty sure it was legitimate...
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"You dastardly fiends..." growled Toshinori, his usual smile missing from his face as he glowered at a trenchcoat-wearing man with auburn brown hair and a mask made from metal.
Though his body was bound in a special, energy-based binding, much like the other Heroes at the reception, Toshinori was the only one still upright, perfectly capable of breaking free but choosing not to since the masked assailant and his cronies had taken everyone at the banquet hostage with guns.
Aiming his pistol at Toshinori's face, the masked man mused, "Calling me a fiend? You're going to hurt my feelings. How about you just remain quiet, Mr. Number One Hero? That is, unless you want to see these good people riddled with bullets...?"
Punctuating his words, the masked man fired his pistol. However, instead of impacting Toshinori's forehead, the bullet curved, hitting the wall a few meters behind him. Others might not have noticed, but with his enhanced perception, Toshinori witnessed the metal slug changing trajectories mid-flight, even though there wasn't a draft within the hall.
Half-turning but still keeping Toshinori in his periphery, the masked man addressed the hall, stating, "So long as everyone behaves like good little boys and girls, I can assure you no harm will befall any of you. We didn't come here to occupy the city or to send a message to the world. Once our objective has been achieved, we will leave without a fuss, and you can all return to your privileged little lives. Nice and simple, no?"
Holstering his pistol, the masked man tapped on his notably 'futuristic-looking' headpiece, listening to what the person on the other side had to say before responding, "Understood." Then, with a serious expression, he looked around the banquet hall, eventually focusing his steely brown eyes on a fat man with a fading hairline.
"You, you're a researcher here, right?" asked the masked man. "Samuel Abraham, if my information is correct."
Before Samuel could respond, David caused Toshinori to scream internally, rising to his feet to ask, "What do you and your men want with my assistant?"
"Oh?" uttered the masked man, turning to face David with a broad smile as he remarked, "Well, if it isn't the famous David Shield. Excellent. Both you 'and' your little assistant are coming with us.
Furrowing his brows, David asked, "And if I refuse...?" in a firm, defiant tone.
Exhaling a tittering scoff, the smile faded from the masked man's face as he replied, "Then you're not half as intelligent as people say you are. We currently have this entire island under our control. What makes you think you have the 'right' to refuse?"
Unable to refute the man's words, David remained silent, looking at Sam with concern before shifting his gaze to Toshinori, hoping the latter had a solution. Unfortunately, while Toshinori was perfectly capable of bodying everyone present, doing so would cause the robots throughout the city to attack its citizens. They might not resort to deadly force, but there was no way to guarantee an elderly person or a child wouldn't sustain grave, life-threatening injuries...
Seeing that not even Toshinori had a solution, David exhaled a weary sigh, his face appearing to age quite a bit as he turned to the masked man and expressed, "I will cooperate..." in a somber, defeated tone.
"Good," replied the masked man, regaining a sinister smile as he added, "No need to look so glum. As I stated previously, once our objective has been completed, all these fine people will be free to go. By cooperating with us, you're helping to guarantee the safety of everyone on the island. It's a good thing."
Without waiting for David to respond, the masked man gestured to two of his masked, gun-wielding goons, ordering, "Bind their hands and blindfold them. We're heading out."
As the two men did as they were instructed, their masked leader took one last look at Toshinori, swallowing hard. Even while bound, Toshinori gave off a dangerous aura, enough to compel the masked man to do everything by the books. He would normally shoot one of the lower-priority hostages to keep the rest in line, but if he did that in this situation, the masked man had no doubt Toshinori would leap into action...
With David and Sam bound and blindfolded, the masked man's expression hardened as he backed out of the room with his escort, waiting until the very last moment to turn around and mutter, "Weakened my ass..." under his breath...
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Though she managed to avoid triggering the elevator's anti-tampering measures, Melissa visibly deflated after a few minutes, her expression apologetic as she said, "Sorry, Izuku, but without the proper tools, I don't think I can get us out..."&nbsp;
Shaking his head, Izuku assured, "It's okay, Melissa. I just wanted to try a less forceful approach before resorting to more 'extreme' measures. Now, stand behind me..."
Doing as Izuku instructed, Melissa stood behind him, her body tensing up when he surrounded her in a cacoon of Blackwhip. Then, using one of his re-rolls, Izuku redistributed his stats to be more combat-oriented before squaring his feet into a basic karate stance.
Inhaling a deep breath, Izuku's expression hardened into a resolute look, fully prepared to sacrifice his left arm as he struck out with One-for-All with a burst Strength of 26,000. This was nearly twice his usual limit, but he was confident he could endure it since the original 'Deku' was able to throw out full-powered punches without his arm literally exploding. It was just going to hurt...a lot...
With Izuku's punch packing more than 1,040,000,000 Newtons of force across the surface area of a single fist, the reinforced, multi-layer doors of the elevator didn't stand a chance. They might have if his blow was an ordinary one, but with One-for-All allowing its users to convert kinetic energy into directional shockwaves, the doors buckled outward violently, creating a gaping hole as panels within the floor, ceiling, and walls of the elevator slid open, attempting to fill it with aero-foam concrete.
Reacting quickly, Izuku pulled himself and Melissa out of the elevator before the foam could encompass them, hissing in pain as he habitually caught the disoriented blonde in his arms.
Recovering from her stupor in an instant, Melissa's eyes widened to their limits as she exclaimed, "Your arm...!" in shock.
Borrowing a line from a very dated comedy skit, Izuku forced a smile in spite of the cold sweat breaking out across his body, musing, "Tis but a flesh wound..."
Since holding her up was causing him immense pain, Izuku set Melissa on her feet, willfully avoiding glancing at his nearly purple arm, visible due to his costume practically exploding. Blood trickled from his ruined knuckles, but because he had strengthened his bones with Blackwhip, he could still move his fingers and bend his elbow. It just hurt like hell.
Looking between Izuku's arm and the pained smile on his face, Melissa adopted a frown as she said, "We need to get back to my room. The ID System is offline during High-Alert Mode, but we can move up and down the tower using the emergency stairs. You'll just need to knock down two more doors, preferably without destroying your limbs..."
Though he regretted it immediately, Izuku raised his left hand, wiggling his fingers as he asserted, "It's not as bad as it looks. In fact, if I rest for a few hours, it'll be back to normal. No problem."
As he had experimented by gouging out a piece of his forearm in the past, Izuku knew he would heal from virtually any wound so long as his Vitality recovered. With his 'base' Vitality being 5120, thanks to his re-roll, he just needed to sleep or relax in a hot bath for an hour or two, and he'd be back to 100%.
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Name: [Izuku Midoriya]
Title: Telania's Champion(Luck +500)
Quirk: Digitalization, Transfer, Stockpiling, Singularity, Gearshift(sealed), Fa Jin(sealed), Danger Sense(sealed), Blackwhip, Smokescreen(sealed), Float(sealed)
Current Level: 44 (4,523,642 EXP)
Effective Level: 89
[Attributes]
Strength: 10(100)
Agility: 10(100)
Vitality: 256(5000)-&gt;208(4160)
Intelligence: 100
Dexterity: 100(1000)-&gt;90(900)
Luck: 500
Free Attributes: 0
Rerolls Available: 95
[Perks]
[Lesser Regeneration], [Healthy Body], [Sharp Mind], [Nimble Fingers], [Keen Senses], [Lucky], [Intuition], [Tripping]
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Furrowing her brows even further, Melissa insisted, "Even so, we should head to my room as quickly as possible. I should be able to contact my father once I get my watch, and there are some Support Items and tools that should prove useful if this is an actual emergency."
"Sounds good," replied Izuku, lowering his hand and balling it into a fist to avoid being unable to do so once his fingers swelled. Then, with Melissa providing directions from behind, they cautiously entered the emergency stairwell and began their ascent. Fortunately, they only had to go up ten flights to reach her room on the 72nd Floor. Melissa wasn't accustomed to prolonged and intense physical activity, so even though she had boosted her Strength, Agility, and Vitality, she was completely winded by the time they reached the landing of the floor she lived on. It didn't help that she had to run barefoot on the cold hard floor, causing the soles of her feet to cry out in protest as she compelled herself to keep running...
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While Izuku and Melissa were still stuck in the elevator, the students of Class 1-A, at least those planning to attend the reception, were gathered at their rendezvous point with serious looks on their faces.
Wearing a predominately blue suit with a golden tie, Ida attempted to be the voice of reason, firmly asserting, "We should stay here and obey the instructions of the I-Island Security System. Venturing out when we lack a complete understanding of the situation will only imperil ourselves and others."
Though she would ordinarily agree with Ida's reasoning, Momo and the other girls present could see Toshinori's reduced Agility and unchanging location. It was obvious to them that something was very wrong with the present situation, so Momo's expression was uncharacteristically severe as she urged, "We are students of Class 1-A, training to become Heroes. We can't just sit here and wait when there's a possibility that people need our help!"
Furrowing his brows deeply, Ida replied, "While I agree with you on the merits of your statement, the fact is that we're students, 'not' Heroes. I-Island is also outside the jurisdiction of the Hero's Association of Japan, so we have no grounds to take action. As the Representative of Class 1-A, please think rationally, Yaoyorozu-san."
Clenching her teeth, Momo felt the urge to slap someone for the first time in her life. Instead, she turned the tables against Ida, expressing, "I'll take full responsibility and relinquish my post if we are held accountable. Until then, I am in command of the Class, just as we rehearsed during the final exam. Do you object?"
Pushing up his glasses, Ida replied, "If you have resolved yourself to be held accountable, I will follow your orders."
With Ida being the only voice of dissent/reason among those gathered, everyone else quickly fell in line when Momo took control of the situation. Thus, after changing into simplified versions of their Hero Costumes, provided by Momo, they gradually made their way to the reception hall to investigate the situation...
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While Melissa was changing into clothes that would be easier to move around in, Izuku was trying on the prototype bracers she had provided him. According to Melissa, they could absorb and deflect kinetic energy, effectively allowing him to use his 'full power' without fear of injury. She mentioned she had a completed version stored within her Workshop at the Academy, taking the form of a gauntlet, but as they couldn't exactly venture outside to go and grab it, Izuku was stuck with an older version that wrapped around his arms like a crimson compression bandages.
("These things are basically vibranium...") thought Izuku, flexing his hands open and closed to get accustomed to the tension in his arms and fingers. The brace was originally designed for All Might, so it was difficult to move freely, even with 88 Strength and 962 Dexterity. Still, if they functioned as advertised, he could potentially boost his stats tens of thousands of times without fear of injury.
Though Izuku's Vitality drained rapidly when he boosted his attributes, the reason for this was the strain his attacks and movements placed on his body. With Blackwhip, he could reinforce his bones and weave the tendrils together to function as both armor and supplementary muscles. These two factors greatly reduced the strain on his body, allowing him to access higher multipliers, so with Melissa's bracer offsetting the damage he would sustain from his attacks, he could potentially exceed the 3000x 'hard limit' he currently treated as his maximum output...
Interrupting Izuku's thoughts, Melissa emerged from her bathroom in an outfit similar to the one she had worn earlier, consisting of a white, short-sleeved dress shirt with red and orange plaid cuffs, a large bow with the same design around her neck, a dark, raspberry-pink waistcoat, pale-grey Capri pants, plaid socks, and brown boots. It wasn't the most appropriate outfit for responding to a crisis, but it was infinitely better than a cocktail dress.
Preempting whatever Melissa was about to say, Izuku asked, "Were you able to get in contact with your father?"
Shaking her head, Melissa could not conceal her concern as she replied, "No, and I even tried his emergency line. The signal is getting through; he just isn't responding..."
"I'm sure he's fine," said Izuku, adopting a smile as he added, "Your Uncle Might wouldn't permit anything to happen to him. Since he has yet to take action, we can surmise things have yet to reach the stage where he needs to brute force things. To that end, our top priorities are figuring out what's going on and, if possible, reversing the situation."
Pulling up the Party Window and flipping it so that Melissa could read it easier, Izuku added, "Fortunately, it seems we won't have to figure things out by ourselves. The proximity of several of our Party members has been decreasing for a while now. I imagine they're searching for us."
Blinking in surprise, Melissa regained a smile as she said, "Then I should hurry and gear up so we can meet them halfway. If it turns out an enemy has taken over the main security terminal, we'll need to deal with several types of drones and sentries as we ascend the tower. I have just the thing for dealing with groups of robots."
Pulling out one of the many drawers containing her inventions, Melissa set it on the table next to Izuku, revealing an oversized, red metallic gauntlet and two dozen golfball-sized crimson spheres.
"I take it that you like the color red?" asked Izuku, noting it was the most prominent color in Melissa's outfit and the bracers he was wearing.
Smiling wryly, Melissa admitted, "Yeah, it's my favorite..." while donning the glove on her right hand. A holographic display appeared as she did, allowing her to key in a series of commands that prompted the crimson spheres to abruptly transform into quadrupedal robots.
Before Izuku could ask, Melissa explained, "Most of the security sentries on I-Island are impervious to electrical interference and electromagnetic pulses. These little guys can latch onto their bodies and hack into them directly, allowing me to hijack or outright disable them. Pretty neat, huh?"
Without waiting for Izuku to respond, Melissa pulled out several other drawers, donning a second gauntlet that could generate hex-grid energy shields, boots that allowed her to walk and slide along metal surfaces, a harness with hydraulic cables that looked like something out of Shingeki no Kyojin, goggles that allowed her to view the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and a large backpack to hold several other support items. Her dream was to be a Hero, despite being born Quirkless, so she had dozens of Support Items to suit nearly every occasion.
"Okay, I'm ready to go!" exclaimed Melissa, her smile reminding Izuku a lot of Mei's when she either tested or forced him to help test her babies.
"Then let's go," replied Izuku, taking the initiative to be the first to depart Melissa's room. The latter followed soon after, gliding soundlessly across the floor thanks to her greave-like boots producing a magnetic field that automatically adjusted its polarity to counteract the metallic floor. Such a device wouldn't be very useful elsewhere, but with I-Island's streets and buildings made almost entirely of metal, Melissa could zip around at high speeds using the same invisible tracks that allowed the security sentries to 'levitate' upwards of 120km/h...
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Using their Party's proximity function, Izuku and Melissa eventually found themselves in the same Emergency stairwell as the students of Class 1-A. A few minutes later, a familiar, bubbly voice shouted, "Found you!" before an invisible force slammed into the former, courtesy of Toru.
Though he couldn't actually see her, Izuku replied, "I'm relieved to see you safe, Toru..." while habitually moving his hand to the invisible girl's butt. Now wasn't the time or place for such things, but a bit of levity was useful for helping people relax in otherwise tense situations.
"Mmnnn..."
Spurred by Izuku's actions, Toru linked her arms around his neck and shoulders, disregarding the existence of Melissa to give him a deep and passionate kiss. Her body was trembling slightly as their lips overlapped, so Izuku wrapped her arms around Toru's body, holding her tenderly and lovingly until her nervousness began to settle...
Taking the initiative to separate from Izuku's lips, nearly a full minute later, Toru whispered, "The others will be here soon..." before giving him one final peck and pulling away from him. Then, as she felt it would be a little awkward if she didn't say anything, she waved her invisible hand at Melissa, adding, "Hey, Melissa! Looking snazzy~!" in a bubbly tone.
Removing her fingers from the dial on her goggles, which she had been utilizing to try and get a glimpse of Toru's true form, Melissa returned a smile and replied, "Thanks. I'd offer you a similar compliment, but I can't actually see you. Your Invisibility appears to be more comprehensive than the version we've developed in a lab."
"Oh, right, you haven't seen my true form just yet, have you?" remarked Toru, using her Form Projection to reveal a version of herself in her school uniform. Her perversion had 'blossomed' quite a bit since she acquired the incredibly useful Perk, so, more often than not, the clothes she was seen wearing were simply a projection. In other words, she was almost always walking around naked.
Not expecting Toru to suddenly appear out of thin air, as most Invisibility Quirks were Mutation-based, Melissa's eyes widened quite a bit as she remarked, "Wow, Toru, you're really beautiful."
Exhibiting no shame, Toru exhaled a gratified laugh and replied, "I know, right~?" before giving a thumbs up and adding, "You're not bad yourself, Melissa. Izuku prefers girls with a bit of 'pillowiness,' so keep a close eye on your butt. He can be pretty handsy at times."
Feeling a little exasperated, Izuku muttered, "Toru..." with an expression of mock helplessness. Before he could point out that he and Melissa didn't have that kind of relationship, however, the pillowy blonde replied, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." with a good-natured, narrow-eyed smile adorning her face...
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Shortly after Toru's arrival, Momo, Tsuyu, Ochaco, Mina, Kyouka, Shoji, Tokoyami, Ojiro, Todoroki, Ida, and Shinso arrived at the landing Izuku and Melissa had been waiting on. From them, Izuku learned that Toshi and the remaining Heroes attending the reception had been captured and bound by the building's energy-based bindings. More importantly, since the enemy was in control of the island's Security System, nearly everyone inhabiting it was currently a 'hostage' of the enemy.
Speaking out the moment Momo had finished her explanation, Melissa asserted, "That's impossible. Hacking individual sentries is possible if you can interfere with the command signal, but the system regulating them is one of the most powerful Artificial Intelligences in the world. If someone attempted to tamper with its protocols without going through the proper procedures, it would enter lockdown mode and temporarily begin making decisions for itself."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Momo. "That the people of I-Island aren't in any danger?"
Nodding her head, Melissa explained, "Even if the security sentries are made to recognize citizens and visitors as villains, their protocols are to detain, not injure, their targets. I can't say for certain that no one would get hurt, but so long as they don't actively resist, the sentries won't resort to extreme measures. The island 'does' have combat sentries, but they can only be deployed after a majority vote by three-quarters of the Board of Directors."
"Then that makes things fairly straightforward," said Izuku. "We return to the reception, free the Heroes, and explain the situation. Once All Might knows there's no real threat to the populace, he'll probably leap up to the top of the tower in a single go. After that, we just need to wait and ensure the people at the reception aren't in any additional danger."
Though he was tempted to charge up the tower and resolve things himself, Izuku knew the 'correct' choice was to entrust the matter to Toshinori. Except for himself and Kirishima, none of his other classmates were bulletproof. It would only take a single stray bullet for a tragedy to occur, so freeing Toshinori and allowing him to body the enemies in the blink of an eye was, indisputably, the best course of action.
Nodding in affirmation, Momo appended, "I am in agreement with Izu&ndash;I mean, Paragon. I know it wasn't easy ascending all of these stairs, but entrusting the matter to All Might is the best way to ensure things don't get further out of hand."
"Awwww, man..." groaned Kirishima. "But what about charging into the enemy and saving the day? Are we seriously going to turn back after we came all this way?"
Answering in Momo's stead, Izuku replied, "No. Those of us with more combat-oriented Quirks will continue our ascent. We might not be the ones to resolve this situation, but we can serve as a distraction while the reception team heads downstairs to free the Heroes."
Passing his gaze over everyone present, Izuku added, "The attack team will comprise myself, Tsukuyomi, Shoto, Red Riot, Uravity, Earphone Jack, Pink Majin, and..."
With Izuku's gaze settling on her, Melissa's eyes briefly widened before she adopted a luminous smile and replied, "If we're going by codenames, you can call me Athena. She's the goddess of wisdom and handicraft and is famous for using a shield. What do you think?"
While asking for everyone's opinion, Melissa generated a blue, buckler-sized energy shield with the gauntlet on her left hand. With the looks of a goddess, an intelligence stat that dwarfed nearly everyone else's, and the family name 'Shield,' Athena was a remarkably fitting name for the bubbly blonde.
Voicing his thoughts aloud, Izuku asserted, "It suits you well," followed by nearly everyone else expressing their agreement. This caused the smile on Melissa's face to become even brighter as, for the first time in her life, she felt like a future Hero rather than a forthcoming Sidekick...
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With the Sun beginning to set over the horizon, Momo drew everyone's attention by clapping her hands and stating, "Okay, everyone, it's about time we change into our evening outfits and prepare for the reception."
Turning her gaze to Izuku, Momo asked, "Would you like to accompany us, Izuku? Or do you have to meet with All Might?"
Though he would have agreed if Momo was asking him to watch them change, Izuku knew he would probably be stuck waiting outside since they were staying in the same hotel as the majority of Class 1-A. Momo had felt guilty about leaving people out, so while not everyone would be at the reception, only Aoyama had elected to stay in Japan.
"Melissa and I should probably head back," replied Izuku. "Her father didn't seem particularly enthused the last time we arrived late, so we'll see you girls at the reception."
Nodding in affirmation, Momo narrowed her eyes and mused, "Then we'll reconvene at the reception. Until then, be sure to escort Melissa properly, okay?"
Urged by Momo, everyone offered a few parting words before departing for their hotel. In their wake, a tense silence lingered between Izuku and Melissa before the latter remarked, "They seem like a lot of fun. And that Momo girl...I was surprised to learn the two of you were engaged. Should I congratulate you?"
Shaking his head, Izuku's expression relaxed into a smile as he joked, "You're free to do so, but I know better than anyone how lucky I am..."
Turning to meet Melissa's gaze, Izuku caught her by surprise as he asked, "Why did you ask to come with us to Ōkunoshima? I'm not complaining, not in the slightest, but it should have been obvious we're not going there to simply train and study..."
Breaking eye contact with Izuku, a ruddy hue spread through Melissa's cheeks as she considered her response. The truth was that shortly after she and Toshinori began exchanging emails, the latter had sent her a few photos of Izuku and some unedited footage of his matches during the UA Sports Festival. When Toshinori later suggested that they would make an unstoppable duo once Izuku became a Hero, she may have taped Izuku's photo to the inside of her locker...
As there was no way she could admit something so embarrassing, Melissa decided to shift the burden to Izuku, staring at him from the corner of her eye as she pointedly remarked, "The way some of your girlfriends reacted to me suggests they knew about me in advance...tell me, Izuku...were you thinking the two of us might become a couple even before we met?"
Instead of denying it, Izuku flatly replied, "Blame your Uncle Might...that man is obsessed with the concept of inherited wills and legacies. He has a way of seeding ideas into peoples' minds, so I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it...quite a bit, in fact..."
"I see..." replied Melissa, kicking her feet a bit as she walked away with her hands behind her back. She had also started thinking that she and Izuku might become a couple after her exchanges with Toshinori, but the difference between them was that she was single. The notion of 'sharing' had never crossed her mind before meeting Momo, Tsuyu, Toru, Ochaco, Mina, and Kyouka. Now...she honestly wasn't sure what to think. All she knew for certain was that Izuku was the first boy she had ever taken an interest in. He also seemed to have a genuine interest in her work, so she didn't want to 'give up' without a fight...
Stopping after a few steps, Melissa turned back to meet Izuku's gaze, smiling radiantly as she admitted, "I've also thought about it quite a bit, but, at least for now, I'd like to observe and see how you get along with the other girls in your life. I don't think I could ever be a part of a harem, but I can still provide technical and emotional support to ensure you all become great Heroes."
Punctuating her words, Melissa closed her eyes and offered a smile that could rival the Sun's brilliance. Like a creature of the night, Izuku felt her smile had dealt a critical blow to his heart, but instead of exhibiting pain or suffering, he returned a smile and answered, "Even if we never become anything more, my life would be bettered having you as a friend, Melissa. Thank you..."
Covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, Melissa's blue eyes narrowed as she said, "Don't thank me yet. If you intend to make those 'Air Trecks' of yours a reality, you'll need to put your body on the line to help me test them. I'm not going to hold anything back, so you better prepare yourself~!"
Since he believed Melissa could pull off creating something functionally similar to the 'Sky Regalia,' which would greatly benefit him once he awakened Float, the corners of Izuku's smile curled upward as he replied, "I'm looking forward to it," in a sincere tone that matched his expression. He doubted the feasibility of producing the other Regalia, but so long as he could do more than simply levitate to leap vast distances, Izuku would be more than satisfied...&nbsp;
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("I still ended up having to wait in a hallway...") thought Izuku, leaning against a wall and texting as he waited nearly half an hour for Melissa to get ready.
Fortunately, while Japan was nearly six hours ahead of I-Island's Time Zone, Nezu was wide awake, allowing Izuku to ask if he was aware of the 'incidents' occurring in Europe, Africa, and West Asia.
Unsurprisingly, Nezu was fully aware of the Meta World Transversal phenomenon, citing it as one of the reasons he had petitioned Pixie Bob to assist with Izuku's training. Many of the beasts she emulated with her Earth Flow were monsters one might confront in or around the breaches, so he was planning to use her power to familiarize the students with their attack patterns. As for why he didn't inform Toshinori, the answer was fairly straightforward. He didn't want Toshinori running off to try and save the rest of the world, leaving Japan and UA vulnerable when there was a high possibility of a certain 'someone' lurking in the shadows.
Though All-for-One had yet to show himself, there was a mountain of evidence to suggest he was both alive and in Japan. 'Someone' had been amassing villains in secret, and the only person with that degree of clout, especially in a country policed by All Might, was AFO. Nezu suspected the infamous villain was preparing to make his comeback and would likely use the Meta World Transversal phenomenon to herald his return...
Bringing an abrupt end to his conversation with Nezu, the electric door to Melissa's room hissed open, followed by the person in question appearing in a strapless, predominately blue, white, and purple cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline, heavily emphasizing her rather ample bosom. She also had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and had removed her glasses, nearly making her look like a completely different person, especially with a healthy coat of makeup.
Seeing the 'stupefied' look on Izuku's face, Melissa smiled broadly and did a quick pirouette, asking, "How do I look? I was a bit worried about the waistline and how much of my back and shoulders it exposed, but I wanted to try something a bit 'bolder' since this is my first time attending the reception directly. I'm not really good with formal events, so I usually just watch it from my room."
Adopting a teasing smile, Izuku replied, "It does expose quite a bit, but I doubt any of the guys at the reception will complain. I can't say the same for their girlfriends, wives, or dates..."
Covering her chest, Melissa's smile became somewhat awkward as she muttered, "When you put it like that...being bold might not be the wisest decision. I don't want people staring at me all night..."
Shaking his head, Izuku replied, "Unless you choose not to attend, I'm afraid there's not much you can do about that. So long as they can see your face, you'll be captivating just about every man in the hall. And that was 'before' you put on makeup..."
Feeling timid, Melissa reached up to cup her cheeks but stopped short. It had taken nearly a full half-hour to get her makeup just right, so she didn't want to smudge it. Instead, she retracted her shoulders and brought the tips of her fingers together, channeling her inner Ochaco as she muttered, "I know I'm the one who asked for your opinion, but you don't have to be so...thorough when providing it..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku replied, "Then I'll keep things simple and say you look amazing." Then, as Momo had advised him to escort Melissa 'properly,' Izuku extended his left elbow and asked, "Shall we head to the reception?" with a relaxed smile.
Understanding what Izuku had in mind, a faint red hue appeared at the tip of Melissa's ears. A similar shade appeared on her face, dying her cheeks, but it was indistinguishable due to her makeup. As a result, she appeared fairly calm and poised as she linked her arm through Izuku's, beaming like the Sun as she teased, "If my father sees us like this, he might bully you a bit..."
Maintaining his relaxed smile, Izuku quickly and shamelessly replied, "It would be worth it..." before escorting Melissa to the nearest elevator. The reception would be taking place on the ground floor, for security reasons, so they needed to go down nearly seventy levels to reach it. Fortunately, the elevators in the building were remarkably quick, at least under normal circumstances...
Shortly after boarding the elevator, the smiles on Izuku's and Melissa's faces cramped when it abruptly terminated its descent, followed by the emergency lights turning on. At the same time, an automated voice came over the broadcast speakers, stating, "This is an announcement from the I-Island Security System. We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the I-Expo grounds. I-Island will now be in High Alert Mode. Your safety is our top priority. Residents and Tourists should-"
While the automated message was still broadcasting, Melissa's brows furrowed as she said, "This doesn't make any sense. The High Alert Mode is typically reserved for large-scale attacks by external forces. Even if a bomb were discovered, the proper protocol would be to notify those in the immediate area and evacuate them, not broadcast the emergency to the entire island and cause a panic..."
Shaking her head, Melissa reasserted, "This makes absolutely no sense. Because of the High Alert Mode, we're effectively trapped in the elevator until the lockdown ends. If there truly were a bomb, we'd be sitting ducks until it explodes!"
Understanding what Melissa was trying to convey, Izuku postulated, "Then there are two possibilities. First, the system has malfunctioned in some way. Second, someone had tampered with it directly, causing the malfunction. Either way, we need to get out of here."
Raising his head, Izuku searched for the maintenance hatch typically found in elevators. Instead, he found a completely flat surface with no hints of a removable panel.
Following Izuku's gaze, a wry smile developed across Melissa's face as she pointed out, "Maintenance is typically performed by robots that live within the elevator shaft. People might try to access the upper floors by climbing onto the roof and ascending the shaft directly, so there are no maintenance hatches in any of our elevators..."
"..."
Though it made sense, Izuku couldn't help deadpanning when he heard Melissa's words. The doors to the elevator, not to mention the elevator itself, were thicker than the average prison. They were also comprised of literal futuristic materials, so even with Blackwhip, he might not be able to carve his way out. Not without utilizing the power of One-for-All to a fairly high degree...
Pulling out his cell phone, Izuku was going to try and message Toshinori but found he had no service. When Melissa saw this, her smile became even more awkward as she explained, "During High Alert Mode, radio and satellite frequencies below a certain level are completely jammed. I could have contacted someone, but I left my watch and phone in my room since my dress didn't have any pockets..."
"So..." muttered Izuku, turning to meet Melissa's gaze as he added, "What you're trying to say is...we're stuck..."
"Pretty much," admitted Melissa. "I could try reconfiguring the doors to open, but doing so could trigger the elevator's lockdown protocol. If that happens, we'd be spending the rest of our time trapped in aero-foam until someone came to cut us out..."
Opening his mouth, Izuku was tempted to ask if they were in a prison but stopped himself. I-Island was famous for having a security system on par with Tartarus, the most secure prison in the world, so this level of security was to be expected. After all, some of the most advanced technologies in the world were kept on the highest floor of the tower they were presently in. If people could access it easily by simply ascending the elevator shaft, they would have done so long ago...
...
..
.

Chapter 88: Chapter 88