Chapter 21: Broken Shield
"There you are, Uncle! Finally" cried Melissa with a laugh as she leapt off her pogo stick and into the powerful arms of the man. "Welcome Uncle Might." Smiling with a face covered in lipstick from all the kisses he had no doubt recently received from all the female (and probably a few men as well) fans he had, All Might caught her. With his large, powerful hands on her hips, the man began to spin her around as they laughed in joy at seeing one another again.
"It's so good to see you again Melissa!" exclaimed All Might loudly between his boisterous laughter when they stopped yet not putting her down. Like this, they could look at each other face to face. Just like he would do when she was little.
"Oh my god, it's been forever," said a happy Melissa. "I can't believe you're really here!"
"I'm truly grateful for the invitation," All Might said honestly before giving the girl in his arms a once-over. "I almost didn't recognize you. When did you go and get so grown up?"
"Well, I am seventeen now you know," replied Melissa, doing her best not to roll her eyes at the comment. "Much heavier than the last time you saw me."
"Are you? No," laughed the pro hero, lifting the girl higher into the air causing a new burst of laughter to escape. At that moment, it felt like the old days when her Uncle Might would visit them more often and play with her.
"Well, I'm glad you're looking well. Then again, you always are," said Melissa as All Might put her down. "I can't wait to show you what I've been working on. It's a new suit that will revolutionize heroing as we know it."
"Have you now? Did your father help you with it?" asked All Might, his words causing Melissa's smile to fade slightly due to the implication. Like he thought she couldn't do it on her own. Then again, there had been a time when she struggled with her craft. Hopefully, the reason for her Uncle's words was due to nostalgia. Or maybe it was because her father was THE David Shield, the man who had crafted a suit capable of withstanding the man's strength without ripping. "Speaking of David, where is he hiding?"
"Oh, he's in his lab," replied Melissa, excitement building within her. "He had a breakthrough on some top secret projects recently, one of which he's been working on for the last few years. Actually, he doesn't know you're even here. This is just a little surprise I cooked up to celebrate all his hard work and to show you both my big project."
"Oh, so that's what this is all about," said All Might with a nod of understanding. "So, give me the scoop. What are you two cooking up?"
"He said it was confidential," replied Melissa. "He won't even tell me what is going on. You know how some scientists are. Won't reveal it till its ready. Luckily for you, I don't mind giving a little spoiler. This suit will-" The bespectacled girl was cut off by shifting movement to her side. Turning her head slightly, she noticed that there was someone else there that she had completely missed. A redheaded boy she had seen once before. Though, right now, he seemed different with his head down and looking away. Like he couldn't met anyone's gaze at the moment or was stuck in his own head.
"Ah, sorry for not introducing you sooner," said All Might with slight embarrassment in his voice. "Got a little caught up in the moment. Melissa Shield, please allow me to introduce to you one of my students at U.A.-"
"You're Ejiro Kirishima!" exclaimed Melissa, her words shocking the boy so much that he looked up at her. "You're the second-place winner of the U.A. Sports Festival! Your match against Midoriya was my favorite out of the whole Festival! It was really inspiring!"
"Ah…really?" asked Kirishima, his cheeks tinted slightly red with embarrassment.
"So you saw that?" added Uncle Might, a hand going to his chin in confusion. "That's funny, normally you don't watch the Sports Festival. Just listening to it as background noise. At least, that's what David told me."
"Absolutely," replied Melissa, nodding her head her head excitedly. "I think I rewatched that fight a dozen or so times. Your strength reminded me so much of my Uncle's."
"Oh, ah, really?" asked Kirishima, now sounding…nervous? Panicked? Whatever it was, he was shooting glances between her and All Might like he was trying to figure out what to say. "I think that's a bit much. I mean, it's a new aspect of my quirk that I discovered and unlike All Might my body destroys itself completely if I'm not using the Hardening aspect. Though, then again, it breaks even with it. Though not as much. It was only because Midori-bro cut my power in half that I was able to finish that fight without seriously injuring myself."
"I know," agreed Melissa. "Actually, that was when the fight really got interesting. It was so moving to see Midoriya like that. The way he kept on going, even while he was quirkless at the time."
"Yeah," said Kirishima softly, lowering his head slightly. Despite this, Melissa could still see his expression. There was a light smile on his lips while his eyes seemed distant as if he were reliving the fight. It was clear that, even though he lost, it was a good memory. "It was a really manly fight."
"And, if I'm being honest," continued Melissa, her smile becoming warmer. "When the fight first aired I wasn't paying any attention to it. Just tinkering with a random project. But, it was what Midoriya said at the end that caught my attention. And when I looked back to see what he had been up against just moved me. His words and actions inspired me to abandon my old project and work on something a thousand times better!"
"…I see," said All Might slowly. Something in the man's voice caused alarm bells to go off in Melissa's head. Turning to look at her Uncle, she saw that his smile had faded. It wasn't completely gone, but it had noticeably lessened. She could also tell by the rest of his expression that her Uncle was deep in thought, as if he too were recalling something though not as fondly as Kirishima had. She was about to ask if something was wrong only to stop when his normal toothy smile returned. "Well, let's not keep old David waiting!"
"R-Right!" exclaimed Melissa as she pulled out her phone. With a couple of quick taps, she told her truck to meet them at her father's lab for the big reveal of her suit. "He's going to be so excited. Oh, Kirishima? Would you like to see my project as well? I've already shown it to Midoriya and his friends! They were just blown away. And that was before I installed the A.I. system. Now, it's a thousand times better!" With that, the trio made their way towards David Shield's lab.
-x-
"That scene one of your 'men' caused in the expo will not hinder our plans too much," said David Shield, his gaze locked onto the computer screen before him. Displayed there on a secure line, using a few tricks he knew to make sure that security on the island would never pick up on this conversation, was Wolfram gave the briefest of nods. "We were actually lucky that a few pro heroes were there, offering up their own report on what happened. One less thing that the chief security officer will have to do. Right now his focus is on the banquet set for tonight, making sure everything is ready to keep our guests…secure."
Wolfram grinned at that. "Good thing he had his priorities straight," replied the villain with a hint of malice in his tone. But, a moment later, the grin faded. "Will there be any issues later on?"
David Shield did not answer right away, thinking about the matter in regards to the heist. After a moment or two, he shook his head. "No. At least, not until it's too late. Normally they would do a follow-up along with either an imprisonment or emergency removal from the island at the end of the day, but their focus will be on the banquet as well as the rest of the Expo. Instead, they will be heading over to the room number I gave you tomorrow. But by then, you will have completed your side of the deal and security will be more focused on that. Pretty sure checking in on the kid will be the last thing on their mind. And even if they did, they will discover that that room doesn't exist." There was then another pause as Dr. Shield remembered something. "However, I would advise not letting that kid wander around for the rest of the day. Security robots have a system where they record the appearance of those who cause unrest on the island during the Expo. If they spot him moving around, they will be on high alert and security cameras will track his movements. And if he causes another scene, they will alert the chief of security."
"Don't have to worry about that," growled Wolfram, shooting a look at something off to the side. "My men are keeping an eye on the screw-up. And if he tries to leave again, they have orders to shoot him. Or stab him. Whatever really. Told them to surprise me."
David fought back an urge to shutter at how easily the man spoke about murder. Especially towards a teen no older than his daughter. But, then again, he knew what he was getting into when he signed up with these villains. Perhaps he should have prepared himself more for such unsavory topics.
"Why did you bring him along if he was that much trouble?" asked David. "Forgive me, but I was under the assumption that you would only be bringing the best you had to make sure this all went to plan."
"Last minute addition at the insistence of another crime lord back in the States," replied Wolfram. While David did his best to keep his emotions under check, something must have shown because the hired villain continued to speak. "Don't worry, he doesn't know you're involved in all of this. Nor do any of his gang. All I told him was that I had a big job at I-Island and that we could make some really good money. I brought him in on this job because he has the facilities we need in order to move to mass production much faster. That and he normally only keeps the best around him."
"The kid doesn't seem to fit that description," commented David while Wolfram made a face.
"No, he doesn't," agreed the villain. "Honestly, I think the only reason he was sent here was so he could pay off the rest that he owed before they shot him. That or get us to shoot him. I'm at the point where I'd do it for free. The kid's a nightmare, thinking he still has a shot at being a pro hero despite all the hell he raised."
"Alright," said David with a sigh, relieved that they were keeping an eye on the one thing that could make their plans go astray. He was about to go over the plan once more, just to make sure they had everything down pack when he heard a knock at his door. "I need to answer that. We should keep contact with each other at a minimum for now. Only if there is an emergency."
With that, the man turned off his computer just in time to see his daughter walking through the door. David smiled as he greeted her, knowing that what he was doing was for her sake. Even if this got out and his name would be dragged through the mud, she would be ok. Why? Because All Might would be there, better than ever to save the day.
"Look Daddy, I have a surprise for you," Melissa was saying, bringing the scientist out of his thoughts. He was about to ask what it was, believing it to be some project she had been working on. However, he was silenced when a massive figure walked through the door. The figure of All Might himself.
For a moment, David could only stare at the man in absolute shock while doing his best not to let the color completely drain from his body. As he sat there watching as All Might walked in, memories of the past washed over his mind. One of the strongest memories that David recalled was five or so years ago when All Might had his injury. The scientist hadn't been there in person or at the hospital as he had been informed of the incident after the fact. How All Might of all people had been injured, the man chose not to say leaving David shocked and scared. Doubly so when All Might had sent over his medical records hoping that David knew of a way to help him in the aftermath of the injury. Dr. Shield could recall the mounting horror he felt, the way his hands trembled as looked over the files as well as the blood work that was sent over. The sheer amount of organ loss was nightmarish, making him wonder how even someone like All Might was still standing. But, that wasn't the worst of it. No, it had been the decrease in All Might's quirk factor. According to his tests, All Might was getting weaker. Something that was then confirmed when All Might admitted to him that he could only stay in his muscular form for a certain amount of time before turning into a husk of his former self.
The terror that David Shield felt back then did not wane as time went by, instead only growing worse. He kept in touch as he worked to find any way to help his friend, to help keep the one person the world needed more than any other. But each call was just another hammer blow to the nail that was All Might's coffin. He wasn't just getting weaker, but the amount of time he could spend as a hero was decreasing as well. Five or so years ago he could spend up to half a day saving people. Last he checked it was about three hours.
Naturally, David dropped all his other projects to help his friend. However, most of them were band-aid solutions like the quirk amplifier. Thankfully, he had stumbled onto a much better solution. Even if all he had done to make it work would drag his name through the mud and he would lose everything, it would be worth it as the world needed All Might more.
As David managed to smile, walking over to his friend so that they could embrace and act like the old friends they were, his mind went back to the plan for tonight. His first instinct was to call it off. All Might being here would throw a major wrench into the heist. But, as they talked, David began to realize that All Might's presence was a gift in disguise! If he played his cards right, he could ensure that his friend would do what he wanted to ensure the best possible outcome!
"So, what brings you to I-Island?" asked David after All Might had introduced Kirishima to him. The man had given the teen a polite acknowledgment before turning to give his friend his full attention. That was until Melissa cleared her throat.
"That was all my doing," she admitted. "I wanted to surprise you Papa since you've been working so hard. But, I also have a bit of a selfish request. I was hoping you would both endorse my latest project tonight."
"Your latest project?" echoed David, briefly glancing over at Sam and then All Might for a hint. When they shrugged, showing that they were in the dark as much as he was, a pang of guilt touched the man's heart. He had been so preoccupied with his own work that he honestly didn't know what his daughter was working on. Whatever it was, it had to be something important and personal for her. It had to be for her to even request something like this. It showed how excited and confident she was in this.
"Sorry honey," laughed David after a moment. "Seems your old man has been a bit absent-minded lately that I don't really remember what you were working on. Was it some power-enhancing gloves or something like that?"
"Actually, it was super shock absorption gloves meant to protect the wearer from the recoil of their own quirks," replied Melissa, thankfully not sounding hurt that he didn't remember. "But I scrapped that idea about two weeks ago. Instead, I have been working on a new suit. One that will allow me to become the first quirkless hero!"
Silence fell upon the room, so absolute that you could hear a pin drop. David felt his heart leaving his body. His daughter was thinking about being a hero again? Since when? He had thought she had given up on such a dangerous idea. She was quirkless. Brilliant, but quirkless. Why waste her gift on a profession that would only hurt her?
"I…I don't understand," began Dr. Shield, feeling a new sense of fatherly worry. She shouldn't be a hero. The only one they needed was All Might!
"Well," began Melissa, seeming nervous and taken aback by everyone's reactions but pushed through. "Like I was telling Uncle Might, I was moved when I heard Midoriya said in his speech. About how he thought he was quirkless for the longest time and how people thought he must have been crazy to fight an opponent so much stronger than he was when his quirk failed. But, he had all the tools he needed to win. He just needed to figure it out. Well, I may not be strong or have a powerful quirk. But I am smart. Smart enough to build the tools I need to become the hero I've always wanted to be. And I want to show you both." David watched as his daughter gulped. "I'm not asking for you both to blindly support me. Just…Just see what I made and judge it based on your own experiences. The technological side for you Papa and the actual experience from you Uncle Might. And if you both agree then we-"
"No," said All Might, interrupting Melissa with his firm tone. David then watched as his daughter slowly turned to look at the man who was practically family at this point with a look filled with hurt and betrayal.
"But Uncle, you haven't even seen it yet," stated Melissa.
"I'm sorry, but this is all my fault," stated All Might, his body tensing. Out of the corner of his eye, David could see small wisps of smoke rising from the man indicating that his time in that form was nearing its limit. But, the man continued. "I never should have put Midoriya on the spot. If I had known what he would have said then I…The point is…Melissa, dear, I love you with all my heart. Both you and David are the closest thing to a family that I have. Normally, I would support you with everything I have. But this? I'm sorry, but it's impossible for you to become a hero. Being one means putting your life in danger daily. Without power, it will be impossible for you to survive. Let alone achieve anything."
"Wait All Might," said Kirishima, looking a little taken aback. "Isn't that a little harsh? You haven't even seen what she made!" The teen then turned to look at David, his eyes almost pleading as much as Melissa's. "Come on man, she's your daughter! At least look at what she made before dismissing it!"
"I…I'm sorry Melissa," said David after taking a deep breath. "But I agree with All Might. It's just too dangerous. The moment whatever gear you put into your suit breaks, you'll be helpless. Honestly, you should just stay as you are now. You can help so many more people by supporting the heroes. Like your Uncle Might. And you'll be safe." David wanted to say more, but it seemed that whatever wall his daughter had between her and her emotions had finally crumbled into nothing. Tears ran down her face as she spun around, unable to look at any of them any longer as she raced out of the room.
-x-
"So, what happened next?" asked Itsuka as she walked besides Izuku. To that, the green-haired teen sighed before scratching his head a little as they made their way to a rocky area of the island. He had been contacted by a member of the I-Island staff on behalf of Melissa saying that he was expected to take part in a training demonstration. Honestly, it somewhat irked him as he wanted to spend time with Itsuka alone like how he had done with Toga and Pony. Thankfully, his best friend understood nor was she completely bothered by it. From what they had heard, it was a demonstration that was open to the public. Meaning that, if she wanted, she could try it out for herself while watching other heroes try their own luck. And, if it was boring, they could just head over to the motorcycle show and get a good spot in line before it opened!
"Well, there was some confusion for a bit," said Izuku after a moment. "After meeting Bleak, we were asked to give details about what happened along with the descriptions of the two. Pony, er, made sure to inform them of all the demeaning things that guy called her. After that, they seemed a little uneasy. Especially Bleak."
"How could you tell?" asked Itsuka as they walked into an open-door arena. All around them were stone bleachers, raised high so that they could look into a large arena inside a pit. Said arena was mostly rocky, reminding Izuku of a mountainous area with a single waterfall feeding the river or lake that surrounded it. There was also a circular green patch right at the front that also had a white circle around it. "Didn't you say the guy's face was covered?"
"Yeah, it was," admitted Izuku as he recalled how Bleak just seemed to stand there, staring in Izuku's direction without moving. Almost like he had become a statue in that moment. "It's weird, but somehow I just got this feeling. Like…You know how you somehow get that feeling when someone is staring at you behind your back and you turn around? It was kind of like that."
As the pair entered the pit, landing on the green circle, Izuku fought back another feeling he had experienced on and off since the meeting. Disappointment. This had been a great chance to meet with hero students from another country and to see how differently they did things. Did they do entrance exams like they did at U.A. and, if they did, how were they different? How were their classes structured? Oh, he had to ask them about their quirks! There was practically a new notebook's worth of information right at his fingertips! The only thing he could glean via their conversation was not none of them used their given names other than Robstone. Everyone else just used their hero names like Deadweight and Bleak.
"Welcome everyone," came a woman's voice, somewhat startling Izuku from his brief musing. Looking around, he quickly saw a woman standing off to the side. She was holding a microphone as she looked up at the crowd with a bright smile on her face. "And thank you for joining us today. You're all in for a very special treat! Before you is the latest training exercise meant to test young up-and-coming heroes. We've got a couple of eager volunteers who are ready to give it a crack!"
"Eager volunteers she says," whispered Itsuka while elbowing Izuku gently in the side. "Not like they really gave you a choice." Izuku just laughed at that, scratching the back of his head in embracement. He didn't need to look over at his friend to know she was smiling as she said this as her voice held no bit in it. That as well as knowing that the two would have wanted to do this regardless of the situation.
"The rules are simple," continued the announcer. "Just make your way across the field and destroy all the robots. Once you have finished your time will be recorded. So please enjoy the show as we begin with the first-year winner of the U.A. Sports Festival: Izuku Midoriya."
Smiling with more confidence than he had displayed at the Sports Festival, mainly because this wasn't a televised event as well as there being far fewer people in the crowd, Izuku made his way towards the center of the circle. Once there, the countdown began with the numbers being displayed on large holographic screens overlapping his own image. When Izuku saw the enlarged number three, he activated Divine Dividing allowing his wings to be seen which, in turn, caused many in the crowd to gasp in surprise and amazement. But the teen had no time to dwell on that as shot into the air the moment he saw that he could begin.
Shooting through the air as nothing more than a light blue blur, Izuku began to search for the robots. Starting at the top of the rocky structure, he spotted one standing in the middle of an opening looking ready to attack the first thing it saw. Unlike the robots at the U.A. entrance exam, this was very bulky with a more humanoid appearance to it. If he had to guess, Izuku assumed that the added bulk was to give it more power when it punched to thrashed at its opponents with that long handless arms. In fact, the only thing that did remind Izuku of the pointer robots was the glowing red eye it had.
Seeing as he was being timed, Izuku flew towards it after positioning his body in a flying kisk stance. In less than a second, his foot collided with the robot's torso sending his brain all the info he needed. These robots were, in fact, tougher than the robots he had faced back in the entrance exam. However, he was stronger as well as his attack nearly broke the robot in two!
Feeling his confidence rising, Izuku flew around quickly to find the other robots. Thankfully, it wasn't that hard. With a flying spinning kick he decapitated one hiding on the cliff side before his knee collided in the back of the neck of another. Shortly after that, Izuku used an axe kick to remove the arm of one robot before using said arm to beat it to death. Once that was finished, Midoriya recharged himself by shooting towards one of the robots, placing his hands on his chest before shouting 'Divide' to drain its power in half right before it was slammed into the rock face and blew up. Robot after robot was defeated, the last one standing in the water looking up at the rampant robot destruction. As Izuku shot down to it, he could have sworn he saw it create a little white flag and was about to raise it only to be stopped by another axe kick from Midoriya.
"Sorry about that," whispered Izuku as he looked down at the head sinking in the water, its lone red lens looking up at his as if to ask 'why?'.
"Oh wow, look at that time," came the announcer's voice. "Looks like this is going to be a tough one to beat." Upon hearing this, Izuku looked up at a holographic scoreboard that hadn't been there before and winced. While it had felt like much longer, he found he had done all of that in just a few seconds! Seeing it made him proud at how far he had come since joining U.A., but also guilty as that sort of score might discourage others from trying.
"Next up, we have another U.A. student: Itsuka Kendo!" declared the announcer while Izuku moved out of the arena. Landing on the other side of the railing, Izuku watched as Itsuka waved to the crowd ready with her usual confidence.
When she was given permission to begin, Izuku watched in awe as Kendo raced towards the first robot which was in the water just like the last one that he had defeated. Once she was close enough, Itsuka ducked under an arm swipe aimed at her head before enlarging her hand to grab it. Looking like a toy in her grasp, the orange-haired girl flung it up towards another robot that was partly hiding behind some rocks. Thankfully, the two collided creating an explosion that made the crowd cheer loudly while Itsuka leapt from rock to rock as she did her best to keep her momentum going.
"No way she's going to beat your time," came a voice next to Izuku. Having been so caught up in watching Itsuka, the way the flames matched the color of her hair and the way the water sparkled around her, that he had failed to notice the black American girl from before was now standing next to him. Her eyes were glued to Itsuka, the long scorpion tail at the back of her skull twitching slightly. "But that's to be expected. Not everyone out there gets a speed boost from flying."
"Oh, ah," stammered Izuku, not knowing how he should take this. Thankfully, the girl laughed before turning to look at him with a twinkle in her eye.
"Relax dude. Relax," she said. "Sorry if that came out wrong. I didn't mean anything bad by it, just making an observation." She then held out her exoskeleton fist and directed it at Izuku. "Sorry for not introducing myself before. Call me Lady Sting."
"Oh," replied Izuku. "I'm Izuku Midoriya." With that, he gently bumped fists with 'Lady Sting'. The first thing he noticed when he did was just how hard her fist was. In a way, it reminded him of Tetsutetsu's quirk when it was activated. "So, ah, if you don't mind me asking, why are you introducing yourself by your hero name?"
"No worries," said Lady Sting while waving her hand. "Just something we do at Detroit Mercy. Hero students have to be in costume at all times while on campus and we can only use our hero names while we are out of the dorms. It's to help us prepare for when we become heroes, making the transition easier. But, if you are curious, my real name is Bri. Bri Chepfu."
"Wow," was all Izuku could say as he looked her over, noticing how her tail continued to twitch and curl like it was itching to strike something. "Does it get hard? Always being in costume and never using your real name I mean?"
Bri shrugged at that. "There are days when it gets a little much. Just glad I don't have to sleep in it," she admitted before pointing a thumb to something beside her. "But for others, it's a bit easier. Bleak here wears his costume twenty-four-seven these days. Can't remember the last time I saw his face."
Blinking at that, Izuku leaned forward on the railing to notice that the other Detroit Mercy students had shown up. Indeed, Bleak was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest with his head focused on what was happening in the arena. And he wasn't the only one there. Next to him was the slime-haired girl, a big smile on her face as she seemed to be bouncing on her heels. Then there was the elf teen who had a hand to his chin with a confident smirk on his face. Finally, there was the blue-haired boy who was resting on the railing with a lazy look on his face.
"Are you all going to try this too?" asked Izuku, curiosity and excitement almost dripping off his words as he looked at them.
"They are. I'm not," replied Lady Sting, her tail now going limp. "Robots aren't really my thing."
"Oh come on," said the slime-haired girl, turning to look at Lady Sting. "We came all the way over here! When else are we going to get a chance to fight robots instead of Pack Master's pets?" At that, all the Detroit Mercy students shuddered as one.
As Lady Sting continued to decline, Itsuka had finished destroying the last robot. As Izuku looked at the time, he gave it a smile and nod. The comment that the Detroit Mercy student had made wasn't untrue. If Izuku was still like he was back at the start of the entrance exam, he was pretty sure that his score would have been lower than Itsuka's. Sure, he could fight longer than her and would have walked out fresher but he couldn't throw the robots around like Kendo could. She really was amazing.
Soon enough, Itsuka found herself standing next to Izuku who had his notebook out ready to see the quirks of the American students.
"Let's welcome the hero student from Detroit Mercy; Trent Flaggon: The Eleven Prince!" came the announcer's voice.
"Did he really name himself 'Prince'," whispered Itsuka into Izuku's ear. "Sounds a little conceded."
"If you think that's bad, you should have heard what Bakugo wanted to call himself," whispered Izuku right back. "Back in Middle School, he was going over all his names like 'Lord God King Explosion Murder' or 'The Great God King Explosion Murder'."
"…I take it back. Prince sounds pretty humble," Itsuka replied.
Just then, the round started and Izuku had already noticed something. Trent had touched the swords on his hips with his hands, causing them to glow a light blue. A moment later the blades, which reminded Izuku of the first live-action series of the Lords of the Rings, pulled themselves out of their scabbards as they began to float around the teen. With a cocky smile, the teen pointed at one of the robots before the blade became embedded in its chest.
"Looks like a touch-based version of psychokinesis," muttered Izuku as he scribbled away, noting how one of the blades began spinning around until it became a flying saw that quickly cut through another enemy robot. "My mom has a similar quirk, though she is limited into only being able to attract smaller objects to her. Or Yanagi's Poltergeist which allows her to move more things freely but with a weight limit. But with this quirk, if I had to guess, when he touches an object it creates a mental link with it and allows him greater control."
"Looks like," said Itsuka as she watched one of the swords move towards a robot near the top of the rocky tower. However, the orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow when the blade missed its target, the robot slowly moving to the side behind a rock, which the blade sunk into. Once more, Izuku and Itsuka watched as the robots seemed to show a bit of emotion with the bot looking at the blade stuck in the rock before looking at its owner as if to say 'Really?'. Now Trent was looking a little frustrated, pulling on the blade with his mind while the other blades seemed to hover in place.
"But greater control doesn't mean perfect," continued Itsuka as she noted the robots slowly moving to surround Trent who hadn't moved a step. "It looks like the further he sends something the weaker his control gets. Or maybe there's an issue if the blades get stuck."
Izuku just nodded in agreement as the two watched the battle continue. While Trent didn't get hurt and eventually finished, his time was well below Istuka's. Mainly before he had to finally move and climb his way up the rocky surface of the exercise area in order to get to the last bot. For Izuku, this showed another limitation of the teen's quirk: he needed to see his target nor could he use it to lift himself in the air.
"Next up, we have another student from Detroit Mercy," came the announcer's voice once more. "Please give it up for Alexis Vega, also known as the hero Gel!"
Now standing at the starting point was the slime-haired girl. As the timer began to countdown, she brought her arms down a bit like she was making an upside-down V.
"Scout Slime! Go!" she yelled as her hair turned blue. Izuku watched in fascination as her slime hair began to grow before a part of it then slid down her arm. Once it reached her hand, it seemed to change shape becoming something more like a flying jellyfish with a single human eye.
As the buzzer sounded, Gel moved out with her arms still spread from her body while her hair turned red. After it expanded, it split off into two parts each running down different arms. When it reached her hands, she flung one of them to a nearby robot while yelling "Battle Slimes! Go!". As one of the slimes flew through the air, it grew two appendages out of the top of its body. Ones that looked like stick-like arms with a blade attached to their ends. The slime creatures also had the same single eye as the scout.
Izuku watched in fascination as the slime landed on the robot before stabbing it relentlessly around the neck. In less than a second, sparks began to erupt from the machine as its arms began to flail about. Seeing this, the slime seemed to leap off its target and landing into the arms of the still-moving Gel who caught her creation. Once it was in her arms, Gel hugged the slime creature close to her chest while twirling before continuing to their next target.
The rest of the fight went on much better than it had with Eleven Prince. Gel was constantly on the move, throwing her slime reactions at her targets. When the robots tried to swipe away at the gelatinous creatures they would instead stick to the metallic limbs before quickly slithering up. And somehow, Gel seemed to know where every robot was even when they were on the move. If Izuku had to guess, it was the Scout Slime. When the battle ended, the crowd cheered her on more than they had Trent.
Even though it was a little off-putting watching the slime creatures returning to her 'hair'
"Next up, we have another student from Detroit Mercy," continued the announcer as the guy with the light blue hair jumped down. "Let's give it up for Hydro Claw. Also known as Nathan Berk!"
By the time Izuku had written up the name of the newest entry in his notebook, both he and Itsuka were impressed by what they saw. The laid-back teen raced towards the first robot, his hand in a claw-like gesture. It turned out his hero name was spot on as when he made a swiping gesture at the machine water erupted from the slits on his fingers with such force that they not only cut through the metal plating but also the stone right behind it! The crowd cheered at the destruction while Berk downed some water on his hip as he ran. However, this seemed to be the extent of his skills. He did tone down both the force and the amount of water that he needed to destroy each bot, but that was all that changed up.
"Bleak, you ready for this?" asked Gel, twirling around to look at the white-covered teen with a flourish as the match down below was winding to a close. Turning his head, Izuku could see there was a smile that spoke of both excitement and worry. Though for what, the green-haired teen didn't know.
"…I don't know," responded Bleak, his voice shocking Izuku. There was a weird distortion to it, giving out a sound that made it seem wet and waver. At least, that was the best way that Izuku could describe it. "I'm not really in the mood to do this."
Izuku didn't miss how Bleak seemed to hug himself a little tighter at that, seeming to briefly tremble. And he was sure that Itsuka didn't miss it either.
"That's ok," replied Gel, patting her classmate on the back. Then her cheeks darkened slightly before continuing. "You know, if it would help make you feel better, we could do something else. I noticed an old vintage bookstore on the way here that looked like they had a good selection." At that, the substance that seemed to cover Bleak's body began to quiver and wiggle slightly while making a sound that made Izuku's skin crawl.
"There's a bookstore here?" asked Bleak, his tone hold barely contained excitement. "Like an actual bookstore?!"
"Yeah," said Gel as she gently took him by the arm. Bleak made a few sounds as he looked down at the gesture seeming…startled? Uncomfortable? Scared? Maybe hopeful?
It was a weird moment for Izuku. As he looked at the moment before him, he suddenly recalled how it was for him and Itsuka. How shocked he was those first few times when she helped him to his feet after a sparring session. How she had helped steady him with her arms as they moved across the dojo after he had gotten a bad case of vertigo. Or how she and her father had tended to his bruises. He could recall looking at them, wondering just how long it had been since a person other than his mother had shown him such basic concern and kindness. And in that moment, it seemed like it was the same for Bleak.
Or maybe he was just projecting. He didn't know anything about this guy. For all he knew, Bleak just didn't like to be touched.
…But that black eye he saw that morning and the way everyone else around him reacted.
By this point, the pair had made their way out of the arena. Deciding he couldn't do nothing, wanting to help in any way possible, Izuku followed after them.
However, as soon as he exited the arena, he saw something that caused him to come to a screeching halt. Time seemed to lose all meaning as he stood there for what felt like an eternity as his mind did his best to process everything he was seeing.
"Dad?" asked Izuku.