BNHA: Singularity

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...
------------------------
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
------------------------
("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...
------------------------
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
------------------------
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...
------------------------
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
------------------------
("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...
...
..
.

After tying up the two villains and stealing their earpieces, Izuku tried to see if he could listen in on the enemies' communications, but none of the pre-saved frequencies connected to any active lines.
"Looks like they're keeping an eye on us from somewhere," said Izuku, removing the earpiece as he added, "Or they have a way of pairing and removing earpieces from their private network. Either way, this is pretty much useless."
Tossing the earpiece to Melissa, just in case she had any ideas, Izuku wasn't too surprised when she said, "It's most likely the latter. The AI in charge of security is what blocks or, more accurately, actively intercepts radio and other communications frequencies. I can only use my phone to contact my father because I'm a tower resident, and he's a member of the Board of Directors."
"Oh, wow, your father sounds like a big shot, Athena," remarked Kirishima, unaware of Melissa's true identity.
"You're not wrong," replied Melissa, adopting a wry smile as she added, "My father is David Shield, one of I-Island's founders."
"Holy crab baskets...!" exclaimed Kirishima, striking a surprised pose and inadvertently hardening due to how shocked he was.
"Cool your jets, man," said Izuku. Then, as Toshinori had yet to escape his restrained status, he turned to Melissa, surprising her by asking, "What do you want to do, Athena? I doubt we can get there before All Might leaps into the fray and resolves things, but we can continue advancing if you're worried about your father."
Adopting a gratified smile, Melissa replied, "I'd like that. We don't know when Momo and the others will free Uncle Might and the other Heroes, so I'd like to keep going until the High Alert Mode deactivates. If my father is injured or knocked unconscious, I could be needed to operate the central security terminal."
Nodding in affirmation, Izuku stated, "Then we'll continue our ascent at your direction. Anyone here got a problem with that?"
"Of course not~!" replied Mina, flexing her right arm and cupping her bicep with a massive grin. Ochaco also pumped her fists, moving them up and down like a hyperactive skier as she appended, "Athena is our friend! If her father is in danger, we have to help him...!"
"Right on...!" shouted Kirishima.
"Nn..." responded Todoroki, nodding his head with his customary 'apathy,' eliciting a similar response from Tokoyami. With their agreement, the only person with apprehensions was Kyouka. However, it wasn't because she didn't want to help but because she doubted they could climb 130 flights of stairs before the others could free All Might. Her thighs were already in pain after climbing eighty flights, so the thought of climbing an additional 130 wasn't exactly pleasant...
Fortunately for Kyouka, Ochaco shared this sentiment, using her power on everyone who accepted it so they could float/glide up the stairs as if they were in zero gravity. With Melissa directing them to pass through several open-concept research facilities, allowing them to skip multiple floors at a time, their progress was extremely quick...
...
..
.
Around the time when the attack group had reached the 100th floor, the rescue team, led by Momo, reached the landing above the stage where Toshinori was bound. The fact there were no villains providing overwatch showed they had limited personnel and a very shallow understanding of the building's layout, but Momo had no objections. Instead, she turned to Tsuyu and Toru, asking, "Can the two of you sneak into the reception hall and position yourselves near two of the villains? All Might may be unable to incapacitate all seven of them before they can target the hostages, so we should try to reduce their numbers as much as possible."
With Tsuyu able to climb walls and possessing the ability to match her color and temperature against a surface, an Ultimate Move she had aptly named 'Camouflage,' she and Toru could sneak up on the enemy without being noticed. Ida and Ojiro could also blitz two of them, and if he called out to them before they shouted and started firing, Shinso could disable the rest in a single go. The only person who didn't have a convenient way to take out one of the villains was Shoji, but he could help by protecting the hostages and ensuring Shinso didn't eat a stray bullet. His body wasn't completely bulletproof, but the 5.56mm ammunition used by the gunmen wouldn't be able to penetrate deep enough to injure his vitals, especially with the bulletproof vest and riot helmet Momo had made for him...
Once everyone was in their positions, taking around ten minutes to set up, Momo used a weak laser pointer to draw Toshinori's attention. Seeing her confused the middle-aged Hero quite a bit, as he believed they had gone against his wishes to ascend the tower, but his bewilderment was quickly replaced by excitement when Momo signed to him what Melissa had told them, along with the fact they were in position to incapacitate five of the seven villains present.
Seeing the smile on Toshinori's face, Momo felt a sensation similar to relief wash over her. Whenever the former smiled, it was a sure sign that everything was going to be okay, so after signing that they would move on his signal, she pulled out a pair of electric batons and readied herself to enter the fray alongside Shoji and Shinso.
Wasting no time, All Might burst free from his bindings, shouting, "Your time has come, villains...!" before disappearing like a flickering image. A moment later, four of the seven villains were seen flying through the air, their bodies crashing heavily into the reception hall's walls and support columns as Ida, Ojiro, and Tsuyu took out the remaining three...
...
..
.
Receiving the frenzied status report from his subordinate, the man with the metal mask exclaimed, "What!? Are you kidding me...!?" with a hint of panic in his yellow eyes. They weren't even halfway finished cracking the security of the storage room, and there was no way they would be able to do so with All Might breathing down their necks.
With his subordinate confirming that All Might has broken free and taken control of the situation in the reception hall, the masked man pulled out his pistol, aiming it at David and Sam as he said, "There's been a change of plans. The two of you will be coming with me. You already created the Quirk Amplification Device once, so I'm sure you can do it again."
Furrowing his brows, David resolutely replied, "If that's your plan, then you might as well kill me. I would sooner die than manufacture such a powerful tool for villains."
Stepping in front of David, Sam raised his hands, beads of sweat dripping from his wrinkled forehead and chubby cheeks as he exclaimed, "W-Wait! This isn't what we agreed to! Leave the Professor out of this...!"
Blinking in surprise and confusion, David muttered, "Sam...?" as everything began to click within his mind.
Pulling out his handkerchief, Sam dabbed the sweat from his brow as he explained, "I'm sorry, Professor, but I couldn't just sit back and watch as my&ndash;as our research was taken away from us by those fools on the Board of Directors! How can they shamelessly assert themselves as the leaders of the scientific community when they fear progress...!?"
Staring at his old friend and colleague in disbelief, David asked, "Then all of this is your doing? I knew you were upset that our research had been taken away from us, but this isn't-"
Interrupting the duo's exchange, the masked man said, "We don't have time for this." before promptly shooting Sam in his right shoulder blade.
Slumping forward and falling to the ground, Sam clutched his bleeding shoulder as he cried, "What do you think you're doing!? I wasn't resisting, so why-"
*bang*
Silencing Sam's protests with a bullet to the back of the head, the masked man leveled his pistol at David, a no-nonsense look on his face as he said, "You are coming with us, Professor. Refuse, and our association will spare no effort hunting that daughter of yours down. And trust me, she won't be as fortunate as your friend here..."
"You bastard..." growled David. However, instead of giving in, he adopted a smile and added, "Go ahead and shoot. I already asked All Might to take Melissa to Japan, so you gun-toting cowards won't be able to lay so much as a single finger on her..."
Understanding the implication of David's words, the look on the masked man's face became especially ugly. Japan had nearly as many Heroes as the United States despite the latter being twenty-six times larger. Trying to infiltrate it from the outside was next to impossible, and if Melissa were moved to UA, they would need a literal army to breach its defenses...
Aiming his pistol at David's kneecaps, the masked man fired a bullet into each, his expression a hate-filled glower as he said, "Wipe that smug grin off of your face, you despicable piece of trash. Your actions today may as well have doomed all of humanity, so let's see-"
Before the masked man could finish his hateful diatribe, the doors to the central elevator abruptly burst open, followed by a bone-chillingly familiar voice shouting, "It's going to be okay, Dave! Why, you ask...!?"
Waving his hand, Toshinori cleared away the debris from the destroyed elevator in an instant, his expression dark despite the smile on his face as he added, "Because I. AM. HERE!"
"Oh, fu-"
Interrupting both the masked man's words and his attempts to pull the trigger of his pistol, Toshinori flashed over to him in an instant, shouting, "DETROIT...SMASH!"&nbsp;
Punching the masked man's face hard enough to leave an imprint in his metal mask, Toshinori sent him crashing into the barrier-protected walls of the room, the whites of his eyes showing as he slumped down to the floor.
Snorting in contempt, Toshinori elected to ignore the man in favor of helping his friend, bending down and rolling David onto his back before whispering, "Forgive me, Dave...if I had trusted my instincts and taken action sooner, all of this could have been prevented..."
Shaking his head, David forced a smile and said, "It's better this way...if Sam had lived, his reputation would have been ruined, and he would have spent the rest of his life in a prison cell..."
Though he had no clue what David was talking about, Toshinori offered a curt nod before picking him up in a princess carry, making sure to keep his legs above his heart. The masked man had been knocked senseless, but they needed to regain control of the central security terminal to conclude the event...
Just as Toshinori turned around to carry David to the control room, his Crisis Awareness kicked into overdrive as a familiar voice remarked, "So, it's true. Not only are you not weakened, but you managed to recover the power you had at your peak. Perhaps you'd like to share your methods...?"
Shaking with such fury that the ground beneath him started to tremble, tiny flakes of metal and dust rising around him, Toshinori turned around to find a tall, well-built man wearing a suit and a black, skull-like mask with various pipes and tubes running from it, standing in the air with his hands behind his back.
"ALL-FOR-ONE...!" growled Toshinori, his voice incomparably deep as his vibrant blue eyes came to life like azure blue flames.
Exhaling a light-hearted chuckle, the masked man, the greatest enemy of all One-for-All users, All-for-One, calmly mused, "Such ferocity. It's been a while since I felt genuine shivers like this."
Spreading his hands, revealing two tiny 'voids' in his palms, All-for-One added, "It's a shame your friend is injured, and I didn't come here to fight. Rather, I came to issue you a warning..."
"Warning?" parroted Toshinori, his expression hardening even further as he asserted, "As if I would ever trust a thing you had to say..."
"This is bigger than us," replied All-for-One. "What I have to say concerns the fate of this world and humanity as a species. If this weren't a matter of utmost importance, I would destroy you and capture that little protege of yours right here and now..."
Without waiting for Toshinori's response, All-for-One returned his hands behind his back, revealing, "The existence of Quirks and the Meta World Transversal phenomenon are just the precursors to an even greater event. They are the planet's way of preparing us for what's to come. Thus, while I desire little more than killing you and reclaiming One-for-All, our little tiff can wait..."
Though Toshinori couldn't see his face, he could imagine All-for-One grinning from ear to ear as he said, "To ensure humanity's triumph in the conflicts to come, I'm here to propose both a truce...and an alliance..."
...
..
.

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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.

Chapter 90: Chapter 90