BNHA: Singularity

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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Though Melissa's room was on the 72nd Floor of the Central Research Center's Residential Tower, Izuku and the rest of the attack squad would need to climb an additional 128 Floors if they wanted to reach the central security terminal. There was no way they could accomplish such a feat in less time than it took the rescue team to descend to the ground floor and free the Heroes, so, at Melissa's behest, they began busting down doors on the 80th Floor to draw the enemy to a park-like zone where research on plant-based and other naturalistic Quirks was conducted.
As she was the most familiar with the building's layout, having literally memorized everything from the floor plan to the location of ventilation shafts and maintenance ladders, Melissa served as the team's tactical advisor, explaining, "With most of the building on lockdown, they'll most likely come to us from the central elevator shaft. We should expect small and medium arms fire as well as several combat-oriented Quirk users."
Having gotten a glimpse of the number of people occupying the reception hall, Kyouka pointed out, "I don't think their numbers are that great. There were only seven gunmen at the venue, and they couldn't have too many people monitoring security, or else they would have noticed us moving up and down the emergency stairwell..."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Izuku stated, "I believe Earphone Jack may be on to something. Few things are more high-profile than invading I-Island, yet our enemy has been fairly well-behaved. Odds are, this is a simple 'smash and grab,' so they likely only have enough people to fit into a single chopper, maybe on Osprey."
Cupping her chin, Melissa paused for a moment before supplying a curt nod and postulating, "If that's the case, they can't have more than twenty, maybe twenty-four people. If we exclude the flight crew, the gunmen at the reception, the people necessary to monitor the security system, and those staging the heist itself...that leaves around four to eight people? Not as many as I expected..."
"But we shouldn't underestimate them," said Tokoyami. "They were daring enough to stage a heist when famous Heroes from all over the world were present, including All Might himself. They may have some powerful Quirks on their side."
"I'm inclined to agree, but they can't be 'that' powerful," responded Izuku. "If they were truly confident in their abilities, they wouldn't have left the reception to a bunch of hired gunmen. They also didn't attempt the usual intimidation tactics, so, more likely than not, they're fearful of what might happen if they do."
"Either way, I can hear the elevator coming..." informed Kyouka, pulling her earphone jacks from the ground before seeking cover behind a large rock. She was far from bulletproof, so her duty within the attack squad was to scout and disable any cameras they happened to pass along the way.
"Then let's see what these pansies are made of," said Kirishima, punching his fist into his palm as his body rapidly hardened, becoming angular and rock-like. His actions prompted Tokoyami to wear his Dark Shadow like a veil while Izuku, taking point, manifested Blackwhip across his body like a suit of armor, complete with a flickering cape and an angular helmet with ghostly teal eyes. With teal lightning crackling around his body, he looked more like a Villain than a true Hero.
"Badass..." muttered Kirishima, his eyes wide and an expression of awe on his face.&nbsp;
Smiling wryly beneath his helmet, Izuku responded with a curt "Thanks" before shifting his gaze to Ochaco, Mina, and Melissa, suggesting, "The three of you should hide with Kyouka and wait for an opportunity to catch the enemy by surprise. No sense in standing out in the open if the enemy arrives with machine guns..."
"Yeah, yeah..." replied Mina, making a show of rolling her eyes before dragging Ochaco and Mina to the bushes near Kyouka's hiding spot. She was tempted to point out that Todoroki wasn't bulletproof, but even with her powerup and Acid Control, she couldn't imagine defeating her icy-hot classmate. He could wave his hand and produce an ice wall the size of a ship-sinking glacier, so she wouldn't argue he wasn't 'qualified' to stand in the line of fire...
Less than ten seconds after the girls had hidden, the doors to the central elevator hissed open, revealing an exceptionally skinny man with green hair and features similar to a billygoat alongside a short, remarkably stout man with a tiny face and a head that seemed to flow seamlessly into his neck and body. Both wore shock-absorbant bulletproof vests and black coveralls, but, more notably, neither carried a firearm.
Raising his brows, Kirishima asked, "Seriously?" in an incredulous tone. "They sent just two people to stop us...?"
As Kirishima hadn't exactly kept his voice down, the skinny, goat-like man glowered as he said, "Impudent brat. Our orders were to capture you, but now I feel like teaching you a lesson..."
Growing his hands into large, webbed claws, the goat-like man appeared to grab the air, condensing it into a pressurized sphere before flinging it at Kirishima at tremendous speeds...
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Name: [Nobuyagi Ide]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Balling
Bond Level: 37
Current Level: 32
Effective Level: 43
[Attributes]
Strength: 62
Agility: 83
Vitality: 118
Intelligence: 59&nbsp;
Dexterity: 63
Luck: 40
Free Attributes: 165
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
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("Not terrible for a villain...") thought Izuku. The goat-like man was about as strong as the average teacher from UA, so it wasn't strange for him to be confident against a bunch of 'kids.' Unfortunately, the students of UA High's Hero Program were anything but ordinary schoolchildren...
"Eat this...!" shouted Kirishima, punching at the ball of compressed air instead of attempting to evade it. Izuku had been tempted to intercept it for him, but as he knew the effect of his enemy's Quirk and what Kirishima was capable of, he didn't see any reason to steal the fiery-haired youth's thunder...
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Name: [Eijiro Kirishima]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Hardening
Bond Level: 81
Current Level: 23
Effective Level: 65
[Attributes]
Strength: 72(108)
Agility: 31(25)
Vitality: 141(423)
Intelligence: 30
Dexterity: 38(32)
Luck: 40
Free Attributes: 115
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
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Though he was pushed back a bit due to the wind pressure, Kirishima was able to tear through the sphere of compressed air without sustaining even a negligible injury. This caused the goat-like villain to grimace, but before he could scoop up the metal floor and lob it like an oversized cannonball, Todoroki sent a massive wave of ice at both him and his stout companion, seemingly freezing them in place...
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Name: [Daigo Ishioka]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Ogre
Bond Level: 30
Current Level: 37
Effective Level: 157
[Attributes]
Strength: 104(538)
Agility: 31(165)
Vitality: 220(1008)
Intelligence: 52(20)
Dexterity: 44(67)
Luck: 62
Free Attributes: 185
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
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("That one might be a little troublesome...") thought Izuku, unflinching even as Todoroki's ice was abruptly smashed apart, followed by the emergence of the goat-like man and his now purple, ogre-like companion. The former was able to compact inorganic matter like an ordinary person would pack snowballs, while the latter was able to transform into a literal Ogre, drastically increasing his physical attributes and granting him near-instantaneous regeneration for a 'very' brief period.
"Leave the ogre to me," said Izuku, charging forward at near supersonic speeds without waiting for anyone to respond. Even his enemy barely had time to react, raising his massive fists over his head but failing to get off an attack before Izuku buried his fist deep into the man's rotund, leathery gut. It felt like he was punching a sandbag several centimeters thick, but the result was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Though he limited his Strength to a 'meager' 500, Izuku's attack sent the purple-skinned man flying backward due to the properties of One-for-All and the force of the blow being 'entirely' directed back at his opponent. In essence, thanks to Melissa's bracer, his attack had effectively done twice the intended damage without him feeling any strain, just a slight pressure. The man must have weighed more than 850kgs, but Izuku felt like he had punched a soccer ball, not a 300cm tall behemoth...
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Recovering marginally faster than everyone else, the goat-like man swiped his webbed claws at Izuku, screaming, "You monster...!" as he simultaneously leaped away.
Since the man would displace his bracer and costume if his attack landed, Izuku's body appeared to 'flicker' as he evaded. By leaving Blackwhip at his original location, he was able to make it look like he had left behind an afterimage, both terrifying and confusing his enemies as he attacked from their blind spot.
Fortunately for the goat-like man and his classmates, Izuku didn't attempt to give chase as the former flipped backward several times before darting away fast enough that his legs became a blur. Instead, he left the man for Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Kirishima to deal with as he focused his attention on the purple-skinned ogre, the latter rising to his feet with steam coming from a fist-shaped indentation in his stomach.
Releasing a Hulk-like bellow, complete with massive veins bulging on his arms, neck, and shoulders, the purple-skinned ogre smashed the ground with enough force to create a large, shrapnel-filled explosion and produce a sizeable crater.
Shielding himself with Blackwhip, Izuku intended to wait for the dust to clear but ended up evading when his Intuition abruptly triggered. At that exact moment, a meat-cleaver-like blade sliced through the area where his neck had been, causing goosebumps to break across his body even though he was fairly certain he could have tanked it.
("This fucker is actually trying to kill me...") thought Izuku, lamenting the fact he couldn't do the same. He likely wouldn't be held accountable even if he 'did' kill the ogre-like man, but he would rather not be seen as a killer by his classmates and girlfriends. Not when he was more than capable of settling things without the need for 'excess' bloodshed...
With his opponent lurching toward him and attempting a follow-up swipe, Izuku's expression hardened as he raised his right arm, empowering his body with One-for-All just in case Melissa's bracer fractured. Instead, the man's blade splintered like sugar glass, Izuku barely feeling a thing as the kinetic energy from the blow was reflected with more than 99% efficacy.
("This shit is totally Vibranium...") thought Izuku, taking advantage of his opponent's stupefaction to hammer him with literally hundreds of blows from Blackwhip. They were nowhere near as powerful as his initial attack, but their volume caused the purple-skinned ogre's Vitality to drain rapidly, steam exuding from his pores as he shrank visibly.
Continuing his onslaught until the man had returned to normal, falling to his knees, Izuku stopped right in front of him, his expression cold as he said, "You're lucky I'm a Hero..." before slamming his fist into the man's mouth and nose. He held back to avoid killing the man, but his nose was undoubtedly broken, and most of his front-facing teeth were knocked out as he flew backward several meters, crashing into the ground and sliding to a stop, unable to rise.
Understanding from the man's status that he wasn't getting up any time soon, Izuku turned his attention to the fight between his classmates and the goat-like man. Todoroki, alone, would have been more than enough to clench a victory, so with Tokoyami and Kirishima providing backup, it was a very, very one-sided fight...
("If they're this weak, we might actually be able to settle things without Toshinori...") thought Izuku. However, as entrusting the matter to Toshi was inarguably the safest option, he had no intention of ascending the remaining 130 Floors to observe from the sidelines. The Experience was pretty fucking awesome, especially with his 500 Luck, but he imagined he would get a lot more once he began diving into breaches...
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"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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.

Chapter 89: Chapter 89