The island's entertainment district unfolded before them like a vibrant spectacle. Futuristic buildings of all sizes and colors rose on every side, with holographic screens, elevated walkways, and attractions flashing in vivid hues. The place was packed, people coming and going, conversations mixing with music and announcements, creating an energy that felt more like a major city center than a floating scientific facility.
As they walked, Melissa cast a curious glance at the two.
"What should I call you? Izuku? Midoriya? Rito? Takeda?"
Midoriya fell silent for a few seconds, clearly overthinking, before scratching his cheek.
"You can call me… Deku!"
Melissa's eyes widened slightly.
"Deku? That's a bit of an unusual nickname…"
"It's because that's his hero name," Ryo explained.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!"
"I-It's okay…" Midoriya tried to reassure her, waving his hand a bit awkwardly.
Melissa then turned her attention to Ryo.
"And you? Rito… Takeda…?"
"Whatever works," he replied. "You can call me whatever you want. It's the intention that matters, not the name."
The answer made Melissa visibly flustered for a moment.
"O-okay then… Rito," she decided, with a small smile.
They continued walking until they reached the central plaza. Midoriya stopped for a moment, looking around, clearly awestruck.
"Wow… this is amazing. Seeing all this, it doesn't even feel like we're on a floating island."
Ryo observed the attractions, the over-the-top colors, and the smiling people.
"It looks more like an amusement park than anything else. It's all very… flashy."
Melissa laughed.
"The island has almost all the amenities of a big city. Well, almost."
"Almost?" Ryo asked, turning to her.
"The scientists and their families can't travel freely," Melissa explained. "Everyone here has a duty to maintain absolute confidentiality, to prevent information from leaking."
"That's a bit extreme."
"It's the price of total security," she answered. "All of this exists to protect the scientists who work here."
"WOW!" Midoriya shouted, completely excited. "I can't believe he's here!"
Ryo looked ahead, following his friend's gaze, and ended up widening his eyes.
Walking calmly among the buildings was a gigantic kaiju lizard, with imposing scales and a confident posture. Despite the absurd size, he was wearing pants and a large, unbuttoned shirt, and a pair and Jordans which made the scene even more surreal. The giant waved to the people down below as he slowly moved forward, drawing applause and excited cheers.
"It's the Kaiju Hero: Gojira!" Midoriya announced, practically bouncing in place.
"That is definitely the first time I've seen someone with a Quirk like that…" murmured Ryo, still trying to process the scene.
Melissa gave a light laugh.
"He was probably invited by a sponsor, like many other heroes here today. They help promote new technologies, products… and of course, sign autographs."
Ryo looked at the many other heroes around.
"Right… that explains a lot."
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The grand central plaza was packed with pro-heroes from various parts of the world were scattered around the place, each drawing attention in their own way.
Near the main fountain, a tall and extremely handsome man was turning heads wherever he went. He had long, chestnut-brown hair, striking blue eyes, and wore a hero costume that seemed to have come straight out of Ancient Greece. A sheathed sword rested at his waist, while a round shield was propped beside him.
Perseus, the number 7 hero from Greece.
He was completely surrounded by excited women, asking for autographs, photos, his number… and some clearly had no respect for boundaries.
"Ladies, please, calm down," Perseus said, sweating slightly as he tried to maintain his heroic posture. "P-Please, I'm already in a committed relationship...!"
"Come on, just a little kiss!"
"Sign here too!"
"You're even more handsome up close!"
Perseus took a step back, his eyes widening as one of the women blatantly squeezed his backside.
"H-Hey! That is definitely not part of the contract!" he exclaimed, completely red-faced.
Further ahead, in another corner of the plaza, a tall, muscular woman was attracting the attention of a group of children. She had long hair, blue eyes, and a gentle smile that contrasted with her imposing build.
"Use your Ultra Genes!" the children shouted, jumping with excitement.
The woman chuckled softly.
"Of course, but everyone step back a little, okay?"
As soon as the children obeyed, her body began to grow slowly, gaining height, width, and grandeur, until she reached an impressive 40 meters.
"WOOOOW!" the children shouted in unison, buzzing with excitement.
Their dads watched below too, some with expressions that were… curiously pleased.
Mother Ultimate, the number 3 heroine from the United Kingdom, carefully waved to the little ones before starting to shrink back down, still smiling.
Finally, near one of the tech booths, was Cargirl, the number 13 heroine from Italy. She had just handed an autograph to a fan when a man appeared in front of her in a very unsubtle way.
He had tanned skin and short, spiky hair in shades of red and yellow, resembling living flames. He wore dark sunglasses… which he soon lowered, revealing bright amber eyes.
"Fiu fiu…" he whistled. "Damn, you are so fine."
Cargirl blinked, surprised.
"How about dinner with me?" he continued, smirking. "And don't worry, it's all on me."
Before she could answer, he leaned in slightly.
"All that beauty of yours is kinda… burning my heart."
Suddenly, his body was engulfed in flames, dancing intensely as he laughed.
"See? I think I'm feeling a burning love for you, baby."
The flames stopped as quickly as they appeared, and his clothes were intact due to their special material.
"I have many names," he said, confidently. "But you can call me Igneel: The number one from Brazil. Now… how about a trip to the biggest restaurant here? Who knows, maybe I'll show you how I can heat up... a lady's chassis?"
Cargirl stood completely dumbfounded for a few seconds. Then, she crossed her arms… and answered in her native tongue, her voice laced with emotion.
"Sei completamente fuori di testa." (You're completely out of your mind.)
Igneel tilted his head, confused.
"Huh?"
She continued, her tone shifting to something between irritation and disdain.
"Pensi davvero di poter avvicinarti così, dicendo sciocchezze, come se fossi una qualsiasi?" (You really think you can just approach me like this, talking nonsense, as if I were just anyone?)
He opened his mouth to answer… but she took a step forward.
Her tone changed again. Lower. More dangerous. More… provocative.
"Ma…" (But…) she said, slowly tracing a finger in circles on his chest, "confesso che mi piacciono gli uomini audaci." (I confess I do like bold men.)
Igneel swallowed hard.
Cargirl leaned in slightly, her lips close to his ear.
"Non voglio la cena." (I don't want dinner.)
She ran her finger across her own lips before gently tapping it on her own chassis, as if wiping away something invisible.
"Ti voglio nella mia stanza, alle dieci di sera." (I want you in my room, at ten tonight.)
She smirked.
"E cerca di non scaldare troppo il mio chassis… non voglio ritrovarmelo tutto bruciato il giorno dopo." (And try not to overheat my chassis… I don't want to find it all burnt out the next day.)
Without waiting for a response, Cargirl walked past him with firm steps and left the plaza, leaving a trail of curious looks behind her.
Igneel stood still for a few seconds, completely bewildered… then a slow smile spread across his face.
"Cara…" he murmured, turning to look in the direction she had gone. "Acho que ela tá tão na minha." (Man… I think she's totally into me.)
----------------------------------------
Back with the group, Melissa leads Ryo and Midoriya to the main pavilion. As soon as they enter, they are greeted by a spacious hall with bluish tones, illuminated by holograms and transparent display cases.
The place looked more like a futuristic museum, showcasing extremely advanced support equipment designed for high-level pro-heroes.
"Deku, look at this," Melissa calls out, pointing to a sleek aircraft suspended by magnetic fields. "That's the Beagle. It can fly normally and also move underwater."
Midoriya's eyes sparkle.
"T-That's amazing…!"
Next, Melissa turns to Ryo.
"Rito-kun, come see this one."
She points to a large cylindrical tank filled with water. Inside it rests a complex diving suit, bordering on alien design.
"With this suit, you can descend up to seven thousand meters below sea level!"
Ryo observes it for a few seconds.
"That looks like something an alien would make… besides, going to the bottom of the sea doesn't sound that fun."
Melissa laughs and continues showing off other inventions: a helmet capable of generating a three-dimensional field of vision up to ten square meters through magnetic echolocation; an electromotive cannon capable of firing projectiles at Mach 30; a specialized armored suit for underground excavation; even a lightsaber prototype, kept under strict security measures.
"All of this was created based on my father's patents," Melissa explains proudly.
"It really is incredible…" Midoriya says, amazed, before turning to Ryo. "Don't you think so too?"
"Yeah…" replies Ryo in a low, flat tone, devoid of any emotion.
Midoriya notices his friend's lack of enthusiasm and, remembering the earlier incident, his own excitement fades a bit.
"Glad… you're enjoying it…"
Melissa, walking ahead, doesn't notice the change in atmosphere behind her and continues excitedly:
"All this equipment helps heroes all over the world in their daily work. Whenever I come here, it fills me with energy."
"You must really respect your father," Ryo comments.
Melissa turns her face to him, smiling.
"Yes… but it's because I dream of becoming an amazing scientist like him."
Ryo stares at her for a few seconds in silence.
"I see…" he says finally, looking away. "Good for you."
The reaction leaves Melissa slightly confused, but before she can ask anything, Midoriya calls to her, curious:
"Now that I think about it… you study at the academy here, right?"
"Yes, I do. I'm in my third year."
"So the I-Island Academy is like… the place where everyone who wants to be a scientist dreams of getting into, right? Just like U.A.!"
Melissa laughs.
"That's pretty much it. But I still have a long way to go. I need to study a lot more."
Midoriya nods in agreement.
"Me too…" he says, looking at his own hand. "I need to try a lot harder if I want to become someone like All Might!"
He clenches his fist with determination.
"You must really like Uncle All Might, huh?" Melissa asks, laughing.
Midoriya looks flustered the next second.
"U-Uh… that's about right…"
Before he can explain further, Ryo interrupts:
"Now that I think about it… what were you doing with All Might?"
Midoriya's eyes widen and he begins to stammer disjointed words, entering a panic.
"I-I… well… you see… i-it's just…"
"You seem to be having a lot of fun, Deku-kun."
The voice comes from behind the group, too sweet… and at the same time strangely threatening.
Midoriya freezes. He slowly turns around and comes face to face with Uraraka, standing there with an oddly serene smile.
"U-Uraraka?! H-How did you get here?!"
"You seem to be having a lot of fun, Deku-kun," she says again, the smile never leaving her face.
Ryo raised an eyebrow upon noticing not only Uraraka, but also Momo and Jiro there.
"How did you guys…?" he began, confused.
Melissa tilted her head, curious.
"Are they friends of yours?"
"C-classmates…" Midoriya corrected. "And… it seems there was just a small misunderstanding."
He turned to Uraraka and the others, forcing a nervous smile.
"Melissa is showing us the expo."
"That's right," Melissa reinforced, cheerfully. "My dad and Uncle All Might—"
"N-NO!" Midoriya suddenly shouted, pulling Melissa back in a panic. "I mean— please don't say he came with All Might!"
Melissa blinked, confused.
"Huh, why?"
"There are… reasons…" Midoriya answered, breaking into a cold sweat.
The mood grew heavy. Ryo watched the scene in silence, then shifted his gaze to Uraraka, Momo, and Jiro, who were now staring at them with clearly suspicious expressions.
He let out a weary sigh, like someone who already knew that this mess would end up falling on him, and took a step forward.
"Midoriya came with me," he said in a firm tone.
Midoriya's eyes widened.
"I won two invites to come here as a prize from the Sports Festival," Ryo continued. "I decided to give the other one to him."
"Really?" Uraraka blurted out, surprised.
"I wasn't expecting that," Momo admitted, adjusting her posture.
"Yeah… I also didn't picture you inviting Midoriya," Jiro added, with a curious half-smile.
The tension began to dissipate. The three seemed convinced, and Ryo felt a near-relief run through his shoulders. Near.
Because, right behind him, Midoriya was staring at him with an intense gleam in his eyes, overflowing with gratitude.
"Thanks for covering, Takeda!"
Ryo, on the other hand, felt a slight shiver. That gaze felt like it could bore holes in his back.
He brought a hand to his chin, pondering.
He hadn't lied: there really had been an extra invite. The problem was, he never got around to using it. He didn't know who to invite besides Anan, who already had her own ticket.
"Maybe Dash…"
The name crossed his mind a few seconds later.
And then—
"—Huh?"
Ryo froze. His eyes suddenly went wide.
"What's wrong?" Momo asked, noticing his strange reaction.
Ryo didn't answer. Internally, only one phrase echoed, hitting him like a punch to the gut:
"I completely forgot about Dash!"
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Stone Goals:
̶5̶0̶0̶ ̶P̶S̶ – Complete
1500 PS – Not Complete
3000 PS – Not Complete
This chapter wouldn't normally be published now, but since I owed it to you all after the last goal, I had to post it today.
I crossed out the first goal because I know you'll complete it today, so there will be a double chapter tomorrow.