BNHA: Singularity

Clenching his teeth hard enough to make his gums bleed, Toshinori growled, "I will NEVER cooperate with you, villain! You are the Symbol of Evil, a monster who has plagued this world for over a hundred years! You dare pretend you care about anything other than yourself!?"
Raising his shoulders in a dismissive shrug, All-for-One replied, "I'm sure it makes things easier for you if you see me that way. However, while I am proud to call myself a Villain, I am far from the 'absolute evil' you users of One-for-All purport me to be. At the very least, I can't hold a candle to the despots and tyrants whose sins formed the foundation atop which our society&ndash;nay, all of human civilization is built. I have always been content to rule from the shadows, and while I have killed more than my fair share of innocents, I have never committed genocide or discriminated against people based on their race, religious beliefs, or nationality. Rather, much like your beloved Professor there, it is my foremost desire to ensure that humanity&ndash;myself included, endures eternally..."
"Yes, with you ruling over them like a God!" retorted Toshinori, quickly reaching the limits of his patience.
"If humanity survives and prospers, does it matter?" asked All-for-One. "There will always be evil in this world, All Might. There is nothing you, nor anyone else, can do about that. In fact, depending on the circumstances, our situations could very easily be reversed. Do you believe the average person would care about my past crimes if I appeared as the leader of the forces fighting to protect the entire world? And how do you suppose they would react if their so-called Heroes focused their efforts on defeating me and my forces than the enemies attempting to conquer and subjugate them?"
Though Toshinori couldn't see it due to the skull-like apparatus covering it, All-for-One shook his head in admonition, adopting a chiding tone as he said, "When armies and terrors from another world come knocking at their doors, the only thing most people will care about is that someone is there to answer at their behest, ensuring they can live their menial little lives in peace. Our current society is a testament to that fact. The planet gave us power and time, yet, instead of cultivating the abilities they were granted, the average person embraces the mundane, never satisfied but unwilling to fight for the change they desire..."
"I don't care what you say," growled Toshinori. "I will never work with you, no matter how 'sincere' your desire to protect humanity. You murdered my Master, the woman I regarded as my own mother! Not only that, you went after her family, people that had nothing to do with you, and orchestrated their demise! Don't think I don't know what you did, you monster...!"
"..."
As one of the very first Quirks he had stolen was a Lie Detecting Quirk, All-for-One could tell All Might wasn't lying when he said he 'knew' what he had done. At the very least, he believed he knew the truth, causing an awkward silence to permeate the massive, futuristic storage room.
Half-turning as if he were about to leave, All-for-One stated, "If you knew what that boy had to endure during his upbringing, you would know that I am not the sole Villain in that situation. If your Master had not abandoned her son-"
Feeling something 'snap' in his mind, Toshinori, having already set down David, shouted, "ALL-FOR-ONE!!!" before launching himself at the man in question. The one thing he could not endure was All-for-One speaking ill of his Master, the kindest, more vibrant woman Toshinori had ever known. She didn't 'abandon' her son. Rather, fearing All-for-One would target him as a way of getting to her, she swallowed her sadness and entrusted him to a private foster home before making her final stand, not even telling her closest friends where he was.
Stopping Toshinori with an oversized, incredibly muscular arm, All-for-One remarked, "This is one of the problems with you Heroes. You're all so emotional..."
Repelling Toshinori at hypersonic speeds with a combination of his Impact Recoil, Spring-like Limbs, and Hypertrophy Quirks, All-for-One added, "Even when the truth is presented directly before you, you ignore it in favor of your distorted version of reality. I may be a monster. There's no disputing that fact. But at least I own it."
Punctuating his statement, All-for-One smoothed out his lapels as an inky black substance erupted from the mouth of the metal-manipulating villain. Toshinori was far more powerful than he expected, but more than that, he didn't want to upset his 'patrons' by damaging I-Island's facilities. He had already sown the seeds he intended to reap later, so he had no reason to stick around.
"Get back here, you coward!" screamed Toshinori, punching through the inky black liquid as it enveloped All-for-One's body. He intended to stop the latter from teleporting away, but all he succeeded in doing was filling his mouth with a metallic taste as some of the inky black substance got into it.
Realizing All-for-One had escaped, Toshinori screamed, "Noooooooooo!" with his blue eyes blazing furiously. Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was, it didn't change the fact he had, once again, 'allowed' his nemesis to escape his grasp...
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Though there was only a single fatality, the 2149 I-Expo was canceled in the wake of the 'terrorist attack.' The appearance of All-for-One and the truth of Sam's betrayal were kept a secret from all but a select few, while Izuku and the members of Class 1-A that had participated in the incident were lauded as Heroes. Izuku and Momo, in particular, were asked to do interviews in their Paragon and Creati personas, something neither was in a hurry to experience again...
With her father being the only other casualty of the incident, ignoring the villains, Izuku didn't see Melissa for two days. The central research tower had been closed to outsiders, even those with Level 5 clearance, so Izuku spent his time hanging out in Momo's penthouse suite, enjoying his 'youth' while periodically checking his phone to field messages from Rumi.
A testament to how 'close' they had become, Rumi threatened to fly over to I-Island and beat the shit out of Izuku if she saw he was injured during his interview. She also told him that he should avoid dying at all costs lest she digs up his grave, finds a way to revive him, and then sends him off a second time with her thighs. This may have sounded like a joke, but Izuku knew she was serious when Rumi sent him a short video of her crushing a watermelon with her thighs...
Fortunately, after a good night's sleep, a hot bath, and a morning paizuri, provided as a courtesy of Momo, Izuku's left arm had fully recovered. As a result, he was spared from having Rumi fly over to beat his ass. Instead, she promised to do so when everyone came to stay at Ōkunoshima during the final few weeks of Summer Break.
Since he was primarily going to Ōkunoshima for 'training,' Izuku wasn't too worried about getting his shit kicked in. It was a good way to acquire Free Attribute Points, and he doubted Rumi would be too rough on him with the girls around. It was fairly obvious she intended to secure her position as his 'number one,' and she couldn't do that if she bullied him, garnering the resentment of everyone else.
If Izuku's suspicions were correct, Rumi was planning to install herself as the 'Big Sister(Aneki)' of the group. To that end, she would likely be 'very' flirtatious, borderline clingy when returning from her patrols. Then, before leaving again, she would 'permit' the other girls to play with him, securing her place at the top of the 'pecking order' by maintaining her status as the top-ranked Heroine while also serving as his most voracious lover.
Unfortunately for the girls, Izuku fully intended to cooperate with Rumi so long as she didn't take things too far. As much as he would like to pretend he didn't have a favorite, Izuku knew it would be impossible to conceal his fondness for the beautiful rabbit girl. Her character and temperament were pretty much the 'ideal' he was referring to when Mina asked him about his preferences in women. She occasionally gave off some yandere vibes, but as he had no intention of leaving her, Izuku wasn't concerned about Rumi losing her shit and legitimately attempting to kill him. The bronze-skinned beauty was a true Hero at heart, so even if they did break up, Izuku was fairly confident he would recover from any beatings she gave him...
Seated atop Izuku's lap in one of his t-shirts and pair of black panties with a cartoonish skull on them, Kyouka calmly informed, "Melissa is asking everyone to meet up at the cafe we had drinks at the other day..."
Piggybacking off of Kyouka's words, Mina, nestled next to Izuku on his left side in a lace brassiere and a thong, added, "We should definitely go see her. I've been worried about her being all by herself after her father's injury."
Nodding in affirmation, Momo, lying to Izuku's right in a white babydoll, matching panties, stockings, and a garter belt, supplied, "She's been very active in the group chat, but I'm still concerned. Shall we arrange to meet her this afternoon?"
"Sounds good," replied Izuku, switching to the group chat to make the suggestion himself. He was enjoying just relaxing and watching movies with the girls in their varied undergarments but staying cooped up inside Momo's penthouse wasn't the best way they could spend the day. It was far from the worst but was indisputably a little indulgent.
Seeing Izuku suggest meeting up around 1 PM for lunch, Toru, snuggled up next to Mina in a cat-themed hoodie and nothing else, jokingly pointed out, "That means we have a little more than three hours to fool around..."
Interceding before Toru could get up to her usual antics, Tsuyu, lying between Momo and Ochaco in a simple camisole and frog-print panties, reasoned, "We just spent all of yesterday afternoon having an orgy. There is such a thing as too much sex, ribbit."
Though she felt similar to Toru, Ochaco, wearing pale blue lace and a pink hoodie, decided to support her uncontested best friend, stating, "Tsuyu's right, Toru-san. Even if he recovers quickly, we shouldn't pressure Izuku into having sex all the time..."
Raising her hands in mock surrender, Toru replied, "Jeez, calm down, girls. I was just making a joke. No need to bite my head off." In truth, she was more than willing to go a few rounds, but she knew Izuku was probably in a 'zen' state after fucking for nearly ten hours the previous day, continuing well into the morning...
Seeing through Toru and Ochaco like glass, a soft chuckle emanated from Izuku's throat as he shook his head and smiled. Ochaco wasn't nearly as bad as Toru, and neither came anywhere close to Rumi, but she was a bit of a nympho. With his extra sensitive nose, Izuku could smell when the women around him were in the mood for a dicking, and Ochaco had been in a near-perpetual state of arousal since losing her virginity. The same could be said of Momo, Mina, Tsuyu, and even Kyouka, especially when they were cuddling like this, but she and Toru had the strongest scents by far...
"Someone didn't take it as a joke..." muttered Kyouka, deadpanning as she felt Izuku's semi becoming fully erect beneath her. Her crotch was still a bit sore from the previous day, but she followed her words by spreading her legs slightly and reaching between her thighs, grasping the offending member as she added, "You really are insatiable..." in an accusatory tone.
"Not insatiable..." replied Izuku, reaching around to caress Kyouka's slit through her panties as he added, "Just blessed to be surrounded by cute, beautiful, and overall amazing women..."
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Though they were nearly an hour early, Izuku and the girls weren't too surprised to find Melissa was already waiting for them, nursing a half-emptied frappuccino.&nbsp;
Perking up at the group's arrival, Melissa rose to her feet, smiling as she said, "I guess I'm not the only one who decided to come early. It's good to see everyone."
With everyone returning greetings and making themselves comfortable around a party-sized table, Momo asked, "How have you been, Melissa? Is your father recovering well?"
Nodding in affirmation, Melissa replied, "I-Island has some of the best Doctors and medical facilities in the world. It'll take three to six months, but Papa should make a full recovery."
"That's a relief..." replied Ochaco, her expression softening to match her words. Everyone had been careful about mentioning Melissa's father in the group chat, so they were genuinely relieved to hear he would recover fully.
Noticing everyone's relief, the smile on Melissa's face became even more radiant than usual. She didn't have anyone she could call a true friend at the Academy, so the past few days had been lonesome since her father was hospitalized and someone she had known for more than half her life was dead...
Directing her gaze to Izuku, Melissa combed back a few strands of loose hair as she revealed, "My Papa said I'll be accompanying you and Uncle Might when you return to Japan. He's arranged to have me become an Assistant Instructor at UA, so we'll be able to see each other every day. Let's work hard to make Air Trek a reality, okay~?"
Though he adopted a smile, Izuku was unable to respond before Mina interjected, asking, "What's Air Trek...?" with a genuinely curious look on her face.
"Oh, oh, I know!" replied Ochaco, channeling her maximum bubbliness as she explained, "They're kind of like inline skates, but they have motors in them and super powerful suspension systems that allow their wearers to traverse difficult terrain, navigate zero-gravity, and fall from great heights without fear of injury!"
Raising her brows, Mina looked to Izuku and asked, "Are they something you've been working on for a while? First time I'm hearing about them..."
"You're welcome to help test the prototypes once they're finished," replied Izuku. "You already use your Quirk to skate around; a custom pair of Air Treks would allow you to do so without melting the buildings and terrain."
Imagining Mina wearing a prototype Water Regalia, creating destructive bubbles with her Acid Quirk, a glimmer of expectation appeared in Izuku's green eyes. He had secretly been geeking out at the possibility of making everyone in his Party the first generation of Kings and Queens. Rumi was a shoo-in for the Bloody Road's 'Fang Queen,' having already mastered the use of Fangs, and Mina's Acid Manipulation made her uniquely suited to the Water Road...
Noticing Izuku's excitement, Mina adopted a teasing smile as she mused, "I sometimes forget that you're really into making things. And sure, I don't mind helping you test the prototypes. I was really into 'aggressive skating' when I was younger, so I can even perform some tricks to help you stress test them."
As Mina was a talented breakdancer whose primary means of getting around quickly was expelling acid from her soles to function as ice skates or rollerblades, Izuku wasn't surprised to learn she was into aggressive skating, a sub-division of rollerblading that revolved around the execution of dangerous tricks. Instead, he replied, "That would be helpful," before looking around the table and adding, "If anyone else would like to help, I doubt Melissa would mind."
"Of course not," replied Melissa, squinting her eyes and smiling brightly as she added, "The more, the merrier~!"
With everyone more than willing to lend a hand, the conversation abruptly became a discussion of the infinite possibilities of Air Treks. Melissa was a little overwhelmed by everyone's enthusiasm, but the smile never left her face as she took notes and drew up some preliminary drafts of everyone's personalized ATs...
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With the girls insisting that he escort Melissa home, Izuku did exactly that, accompanying the abruptly quiet beauty to the edge of the cordon zone in relative silence. It was fairly obvious she had something to say, but unless she broached the subject herself, Izuku had no intention of pressing her to speak. Sometimes, people just wanted&ndash;needed time to think...
Turning to Izuku after several seconds of silence, Melissa caught him a little off guard by revealing, "Papa seems to believe we're dating..." with an awkward smile on her face.
Not sure what to say, Izuku adopted an awkward smile of his own. He would normally crack a joke at such a time, but the presence of armed soldiers, security drones, and literal mechs forming a perimeter around the central research building made the atmosphere pretty tense.
Surprising Izuku a second time, Melissa broke eye contact and turned away from him as she appended, "He also seems to be aware of your relationships with other girls...if I had to guess, he learned about them from Uncle Might..."
"I...see..." replied Izuku, scratching the back of his head with a conflicted look on his face. He wasn't entirely sure what Melissa was trying to convey, but it seemed like she was suggesting they make things official...
Somewhat confirming Izuku's suspicions, Melissa lowered her head and muttered, "I...had a lot of fun today. Momo, Ochaco, Tsuyu, Mina, Toru, and Kyouka are all nice girls. I think the seven of us can become great friends..."
Raising her head just enough to glimpse at Izuku out of the corner of her eye, Melissa hesitated for several seconds before adding, "I still have a lot of doubts, but since Papa seems to be okay with it...do you...want to try dating?"
Wasting no time, Izuku asserted, "There's no way I would refuse such a proposition. You're an extraordinary woman, Melissa. I would have been happy to remain friends, but there would need to be something seriously wrong with me to refuse dating you."
Regaining a faint smile, Melissa rose to her full height and remarked, "A little over the top, but I guess that's to be expected from the future No. 1 Hero..." Then, extending her hand as if she were asking for a handshake, Melissa added, "Thanks for having me, Izuku." with a much brighter smile on her face.
Accepting Melissa's outstretched hand, a somewhat wry smile marred Izuku's face as he replied, "I should be the one thanking you, Melissa. I already considered myself blessed, but now I feel even more fortunate. Let's work hard to achieve each others' dreams."
Narrowing her eyes in delight, Melissa pointed out, "You've already helped me achieve two of mine. I always wanted a Quirk, and thanks to the Perks you gave me, I now have three Quirk-like abilities..."
Extricating her hand from Izuku's, Melissa habitually combed aside her bangs as she bashfully appended, "I also have a thing for handsome and athletic boys, so...I'm happy things developed this way..."
Though she had yet to see him directly, Melissa had 'petitioned' Mina for a topless picture of Izuku. He wasn't as bulky and broad-shouldered as she would have liked, but he had an eight-pack, defined obliques, and mouth-watering back muscles. If he wasn't set on becoming a Hero, Melissa was certain Izuku could have had a successful career as a male model...
Seeing the tell-tale glimmer of idolatry in Melissa's eyes, Izuku jokingly replied, "If we're talking about looks, you could have had just about any guy wrapped around your finger. Picking me to be your boyfriend makes me one of the luckiest men in the world."
Narrowing her eyes and adopting a broad smile, Melissa mused, "If you keep saying stuff like that, you're going to give me a big head. Let's just compromise and say we're both lucky~."
"Sounds good," replied Izuku, resisting the urge to compliment the bubbly blonde further. Instead, he extended his hand a second time, suggesting, "Here, take my hand. I'll walk you up to the checkpoint..."
Nodding her head, Melissa linked her fingers through Izuku's, swinging his hand and smiling brightly as they approached the checkpoint. She was a little dispirited when Izuku was denied entry into the tower, but knowing they would soon be 'living together,' there was a notable pep in her step as she practically skipped her way to the medical ward to visit her father...
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With Momo having invited the Ochaco, Tsuyu, Kyouka, Mina, and Toru to accompany her to Venice for a short holiday with her parents, Izuku saw them off at the airport with Melissa, Toshinori, and the rest of Class 1-A that had come to the island. They were originally scheduled to fly back to Japan later that day, but since Melissa's father had charted a hypersonic stealth passenger jet to ensure his daughter's safety, Toshinori arranged to have them all return together.
As could be expected from a plane that escorted VVIPs to virtually any destination within two hours, the ebony black jet, capable of becoming completely invisible, had first-class amenities. It could only seat sixteen passengers, but each of the seats was capable of fully reclining, and, in an emergency, barriers would activate around them, converting them into escape pods. More notably, there was a private suite with a jacuzzi, a tube-like shower, and an 'automatic wardrobe' that could take a person's measurements and prepare a perfectly tailored dress or suit within twenty minutes...
While Mineta, Kaminari, Sero, and Kirishima messed around with the automatic wardrobe, Izuku sat next to Todoroki, seated across from Ojiro and Shoji. Melissa was actually the one piloting the jet, with Toshinori as her co-pilot, so Izuku found himself in an increasingly rare situation where it was just him and his male classmates.
Breaking the somewhat awkward silence, Todoroki, seated with his arms crossed, abruptly asked, "Midoriya-kun...what exactly is your relationship with All Might? Forgive me if this comes across as impolite, but are you his illegitimate child or something...?"
Shaking his head, Izuku relaxedly replied, "No, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't view him as a father figure. Our actual relationship is closer to that of a Master and his Apprentice. I can't get into the details, but that's how it is."
"If that's the case, things make a bit more sense," muttered Shoji, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention to what he thought to be a touchy subject.
"What do you mean?" asked Izuku, genuinely curious to learn what some of his closest 'friends' thought of his situation.
"Your power is similar to All Might's," asserted Shoji. "You also appear to receive special attention from the school. At the very least, how you are treated is different from that of an ordinary student..."
Before Izuku could ask Shoji to explain, Ojiro took the initiative to reveal, "We know you live on campus, Midoriya-kun. Some of us were concerned about your relationship with the girls in our Class, so we asked Koda-kun to verify the situation using his ability to converse with animals..."
"..."
Though he was a little taken aback by the revelation, Izuku wasn't too surprised. He had anticipated someone like Mineta uncovering the truth and then trying to blackmail him, so he just adopted an awkward smile, rubbed the back of his head, and replied, "Sorry, guys...I've wanted to come forward for quite some time, but the situation is more than a little complicated. Even now, I'm honestly not sure how things developed as they have..."
"It's fine," asserted Shoji. "It might have been an issue if you were going around behind their backs, but it's clear that everyone involved is aware of what's going on. That's why none of us said anything until now..."
As he was one of the few that had yet to grasp the situation, a look of confusion marred Todoroki's face as he asked, "Wait...what are you guys talking about? Midoriya-kun lives on campus? And what's this about his relationship with the girls in our Class...?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Not expecting Todoroki to be so 'oblivious,' Izuku, Shoji, and Ojiro fell silent for several seconds. Then, as it was a good opportunity to come forward, Izuku began explaining the situation from start to finish, even alluding to his Quirk a bit since the lowest Bond Level among the people present was Ojiro at 77. Most of his classmates would be joining his Party in the future, so Izuku figured he might as well plant the seeds to ensure there were fewer problems once the Meta World Transversal phenomenon reached Japan...
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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...
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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...
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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..."
...
..
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Chapter 92: Chapter 92