章節 1295: 40
Chapter Text
Peter had a pretty good idea on what to expect out of I-Island.
Tech had always been a passion of his, and following it was something you had to do in school if you wanted to stand out.
Even before then, heading to the Stark Expo certainly was a slap in the face as to how far tech could go in the hands of those that really wanted to innovate.
And in a world where support tech and heroing was as big as it is, Peter had been expecting something similar.
If there was one thing that he'd learned in the last few years, it was that even the tech could go far in weird ways.
"There was a few decades of stagnation," Karen pointed out in his ear. "What with the constant societal upheavals, civil wars, a world war, and so on."
"Yeah, but it's kinda weird. Like, my school has a holographic projector in one part of the school, and a VHS player in the other," Peter said, leaning against the couch in the baggage claim lobby.
Heck, the private plane he and Mei took folded in like origami just to save space!
He tapped his knee, waiting and waiting. Now the boy was getting antsy.
Up by the baggage claim line, Mei didn't seem to have that problem, standing by with her oodles of luggage. Well, it wouldn't be wise to call it luggage. More like some clothes and bathroom essentials, and most of it babies for her to show off and display. After all, I-Expo was essentially Comic Con for Silicon Valley!
The massive pile of gear Mei had brought with her was stacked atop of a hoverkart, seemingly getting bigger and bigger.
Peter looked at his backpack, checking inside and seeing the few web canisters and the latch-on web shooters he brought along in place.
"Hey Mei," Peter called out in English, lapsing back unknowingly. "How did you get all of this stuff on the plane to begin with?" The pink-haired girl turned with her grin still plastered on.
"Lotsu of beltsu." Mei replied back in accented English before Peter blinked.
"Oh, uh, eto…" Peter rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, wanna stick with Japanese for now?" The pinkette shook her head, not looking offended in the slightest.
"It'su okay. If I want to sell to supporto companies." Mei explained. "Gonna have to brush up on English anyway. It'su my third best subjecto after alru."
"Let me guess, the best ones being Science and Math." Peter replied back in English, honoring her statement.
"Masu yes. Science? Not really." Mei said. "Support Course silly swanbirdo!"
Peter snorted. "The phrase is silly goose."
"They aru both birds! Ah, there it is." Mei said, trotting over as she was dressed in casual attire. She was clad in simple blue jeans and a white T-Shirt with wrench crossbones over a gear on top of it as she had found her big box which contained… whatever as she lugged it over to her cart.
"Need a hand?" Peter walked over, helping her with her bag and carrying it, placing it atop of the giant six-mega suitcase/container stack. Now seven.
"Sankyu!" Mei beamed. "Okay, that isu all of them!" She looked up, smacking her hands together. Peter used his latch-on web shooter and fired some shots, sticking them all together.
"Okay, let's get checked in." Peter said, nodding as Mei went over to her hoverkart and began to pull it along behind her. "Most hotels I know still have wheeled carts… To have hover tech like this must be common, right?"
"Hmm?" Mei tilted her head. "Maybe. Still, this is one interesting baby here!" She said while looking back at the cart as they went along, leaving the airport terminal and walking out into the open.
The sky was clear and there was the ocean breeze of the equatorial Pacific, sun shining high in the sky. All around them were various skyscrapers and buildings with incredibly unique architecture. Upside-down pyramids, bean-shaped buildings, and public monorails going above the streets within intricate tunnels were just a few examples.
Ahead, Peter could see the beaming spire of I-Tower, located at the center of the island as all the roads seemed to lead to it. "Oh look!" He turned, noticing some construction workers aiming some kind of device and lifting up a giant metal beam with a blue ray that was attached to it like a tether. It looked like an Anti-Gravity Gun of sorts.
The boy couldn't help but laugh a bit as he and Mei observed the workers do their job in getting the beam in place. "That looks friggin cool though."
The duo got inside, paid for the ride to the hotel and loaded their luggage, with Peter having to carry most of it on his lap since the trunk got too full.
They had their own manmade lakes and agricultural center, so Peter could only surmise that this entire place was self-sufficient. It was its own modern day city-state.
"The Island consists of five districts in total, with two on top of each other. There is the Residential District, the Entertainment District, the Agricultural District, and the two that are on top of each other are the Academic and Research Districts." Karen explained. "Which is also the location of I-Tower, headquarters of the Shield Foundation and where the I-Expo Opening Night Gala will take place tomorrow night."
Peter looked over with the suitcases on his lap and shuffled his legs.He noticed Mei tap the windowsill, gazing out and looking a bit… uncomfortable. "Something up?"
"Hmm?" Her smile was still there, but Peter could see that it was being a little hard to keep up.
"You looked a little off. Was it the airplane food?" He'd seen what was in the Studio Department Fridge. Nothing but Hot Pockets with her name on them.
"Nah just… kinda miss the studio, you know?" Mei mused, taking a deep breath. "I've always been in a garage, machine shop, or development studio since as long as I can remember." She gave a light chuckle. "Just me being here is still… ya know?" She said, shrugging, trying to find the words but none coming to her. She patted her jeans. "Used to my old clothes and all that."
"Fish out of water and all that?"
"A fish would die though." Mei replied, turning with her wide target eyes and still smiling. "Right?"
"Haha!" Peter laughed, looking away and chuckling for a moment before sighing. "Yeah…" He uttered lightly in English. "So." He returned to Japanese and looked back at her. "When we check in, what do you wanna do first?"
"Hmm? Well, is the I-Expo open today?" Mei asked, tilting her head.
"The Convention starts tomorrow."
"Hmm. Okay, we can do whatever." The pinkette shrugged.
"Whatever?"
"Yeah. Explore or do whatever! Besides, exploring will give me lots of exposure for new babies to see!" Mei exclaimed loudly while leaning in closer, seemingly with each sentence. "Lots of ideas for me to jot down." And closer. "And inspiration for what you can create too!" Peter leaned his head away while the pinkette still had her manic look in her eyes.
"Errr… right… and Mei?"
"Yep?"
"Personal space."
"Oh yeah."
The trip went about in an uneventful fashion with them arriving at the hotel and giving their thanks to the driver. They were able to check in and get to their room without issue. Thankfully they had a bellboy to bring along the luggage Mei had brought. Speaking of…
"What did you bring in all that stuff?" Peter asked. Mei turned with her ever-present grin as the bellboy, who was essentially a giant wolf man, brought the hoverkart full of suitcases.
"Hmm? Oh that? Some clothes and babies."
…
"How many." Peter asked.
"What, did ya say babies?" the bellman said curiously.
"Mmm 'bout a hundred."
"Why would you bring a hundred gadgets here?"
"To show off to the companies!" Mei exclaimed with wide arms.
…
"For the Expo?"
"Yep."
"I think you need to reserve a spot."
"I'll just show what I got! They'll notice me for sure!"
"Excuse me sir, what did she mean by babies? Are there seriously infants in here?" The wolf man asked, pointing at the tower of suitcases.
Peter sighed in frustration before replying in English. "No, those are gadgets and gizmos aplenty." He smiled awkwardly before turning back. "If you showed off like you did at the festival we may get in trouble."
"Why?"
"Because we didn't reserve a spot plus we were invited as guests to the Expo. Not participants."
"Why?"
"Because that's what the Sports Festival Reward entailed!"
"..."
"..."
"Why?"
Peter groaned, looking up and wondered if Mei was fooling around.
"I came all this way after all! The Sports Festival got my foot in the door." She grinned, chuckling cheekily and with giddy anticipation. "Nyihi~ But in front of the Expo I can get so much exposure to not just Japanese companies, but companies worldwide too!"
"Just… don't do enough to get us kicked out." Peter groaned, walking down the hall with his companion and the curious bellman. He turned and noticed the employee's worried look and laughed. "Sorry." He said in english. "My friend is very eccentric."
"Right." Wolf said as they got to their room. Peter approached the door and used the keycard he was given to access the room as the doors opened. "Here ya go lovebirds."
"What?!" Peter squealed loudly. Mei tilted her head.
"I picked up love and birds. Hey hey, how do they connect Peter?" Mei asked, oblivious in every sense of the word.
"You two ain't together?" Wolf asked as he turned.
"We have separate bedrooms and no we aren't an item!" Peter declared definitely.
"We aru an itemu?" Mei asked in broken english, repeating him like a parrot. Peter paled at her.
"Whateeeeever you say." Wolf said as he took his time in depositing the luggage inside the room. Peter facepalmed and sighed.
"You okay? You seem stressed." Mei pointed out, a smile still glued on her face as Peter looked back at her.
"I'm good." Peter waved it off, but from the window at the far end of the hotel suite, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. "Hmm?" He trotted past the bellman, side-stepping his bushy tail and barely taking note of the nice room before reaching the window.
And before him, just a hundred yards away, was a giant glacier.
"Is that…" Peter asked as he opened up the window doors and went to the balcony.
"Whatcha doin'?" Mei asked as she trotted up to his side. "Ohh! A giant ice mountain over there! Neat!"
(X)
One would think that if someone was rich, they would have legions of workers helping to transport everything they would need. One group would take care of the luggage, another would take care of the more delicate suits and dresses, and the last would help with the miscellaneous devices.
The Yaoyorozu family didn't travel like that.
Anything they needed they would carry themselves. The only extra help that they had was the security tailing them, which was standard for any company head these days. If anything, they traveled light, though that was only if one considered traveling by private jet and renting personal rooms for everyone as traveling light.
If Momo was being perfectly honest, the suite she had was smaller than her room back home. Cozy was an apt word, though she was the exception rather than the rule. Nevertheless, putting what she had away didn't take too long, and with that done, she couldn't help but smile.
The entire island, it was all open to her during the trip.
Excluding the private labs of course, but that still left most of the attractions and seminars. While the idea of the next great talk of technology wasn't exactly her forte, the option was still there.
For now though… wasn't there supposed to be a theme park?
As she turned to look out over the island, amongst the main plaza displaying plenty of what appeared to be Obstacle Courses or various pits, she saw a giant glacier sprout up.
"Is that…"
(X)
"Heeeey Todoroki!" Peter called out.
Shoto felt himself blink once or twice, only to realize that he really wasn't hallucinating. Against all odds, Peter Parker was waving at him, walking towards him in the main food court followed by that enthusiastic girl from the Support group. Were they here for the expo? He vaguely remembered Midoriya mentioning something about going to I-Island, but nothing about the American being present.
Then again, he didn't exactly pay too close attention to the actions of the rest of his classmates.
"Um, hello," Shoto said, returning the wave as Peter approached.
If the action was stiff or unrequired, Parker didn't comment on it.
He rolled out his shoulder, willing a tiny bit of flame to the surface to counter the growing cold of his right side.
"Didn't know that you were going to be here," Parker said, "It's good to see you!"
"And… I didn't know that you were going to be here either," Shoto said. "This area at least, considering how big the Island is and all, and you winning the Festival."
"Who are ya?" Asked the pinkette, to which Shoto cocked an eyebrow.
"You don't recognize Todoroki, Mei?" Peter asked.
"We were on the same team…" Shoto murmured aloud.
"When?"
"War of the Flags… back at the Festival." Shoto said, and his gaze shifted to Peter who shrugged.
"Nah, not ringin' any bells. My bad." Smiled Hatsume without any sign of remorse.
"You're just deleting memory files of people you don't care about, aren't you?" Parker deadpanned. "Your brain is one big folder that you shuffle junk out of."
"Good analogy actually!" The girl responded with glee, to which Shoto tilted his head, and Peter shrugged before he turned his attention towards the dual-haired boy.
"So, you here for the expo?" Peter asked, answering Shoto's early question.
"Not particularly," Shoto said, "My family and I are meeting with some people. I am supposed to build connections."
Parker's eyes widened in understanding.
"Oh yeah, that sounds like something that you would be doing. Is your dad around?" Parker asked, hands above his eyes as he tried to look for the old man.
Shoto tried not to frown.
"No, he isn't on the island, for now it's just me and-"
"Hey Shoto!"
As one, three heads turned towards the hallway which Fuyumi was walking down, lunch tray in hand. Even this far away, Shoto could see the way that her eyes seemed to look between Parker, Mei and himself. There was a twinkle there, like she made a connection that she didn't expect to make.
It made Shoto arch an eyebrow when she smiled at his two classmates.
"I got us some food," she started, "But I didn't know that we were going to have company."
"Neither did I," Shoto commented.
Parker's eyes darted between Shoto and his sister, instantly making the connection. It wasn' hard, their hair was a rather large indicator of their relation.
"Oh! Hello there, I'm Peter Parker, nice to meetcha" the American said, smiling and holding out a hand.
"Oh please, Call me Fuyumi," she replied. "You must be his classmate. Shoto has spoken of you a couple of times at home. It is a pleasure to meet you too, Parker-kun." The dual-haired boy blinked.
"And I'm Hatsume Mei!" The support girl declared, throwing out her hands in an almost sarcastic display, despite being completely genuine.
"Nice to meet you as well," Fuyumi commented warmly. "I remember watching your matches during the Sports Festival, you both did wonderfully."
"Y-yeah," Parker said, surprisingly reserved as he looked away.
"Eh. I didn't really fight much. I just showed off my babies. And Peter helped tons!"
"Oh yes I remember! You were flying all over the place while she did that presentation." Fuyumi said, and Hatsume beamed. Parker blanched, and at the sight Shoto's sister stifled some giggling.
This situation was probably the most Shoto had seen his sister laugh in a long while.
"Yep! That's me!"
"Don't remind me… crazy witch…" Peter mumbled under his breath.
"You enjoyed playing with my babies too! They fit ya like a glove!"
"I was screaming for my life out there while ragdolling under YOUR control! If I didn't adjust on the fly I would have dislocated something!"
"Looked like a natural to me Parker, you're a perfect papa for them if you ask me." Hatsume added, not at all perturbed by the increasing rate of fluster Peter was accumulating.
"Can you please stop with the parent words. If anyone else speaks Japanese outside of this group, they're going to assume things." Peter whispered loudly, only for Mei to grin.
Shoto did nothing but stand and blink as his sister laughed at his peers' interactions. "I wish I had classmates like these back when I was in school." She sighed nostalgically. Regardless, Fuyumi looked at the placement of the table that Shoto had chosen, and he could see an idea form in her mind.
"Hey, why don't you get some food and we could have some lunch together?" she asked, completely ignoring the shocked look Shoto sent her way. "I'm sure you and Shoto have a lot more stories to tell."
"Do we?" Shoto asked aloud.
"Sounds great, and thanks for saving us a spot too!" Parker said, hand to his forehead as he rubbed it, "Is there any place that sells hot dogs? I'm cravin' them."
"Why hot dogs?" Hatsume asked, as the two of them started to leave.
"Why not hot dogs?" Parker said, disappearing into the crowd.
Shoto took a deep breath, forcing himself to not slump in his chair. Fuymui on the other hand seemed completely content to spread out the food that she had gotten the two of them with a smile on her face.
"Don't be like that, a few friends being here isn't gonna hurt."
"I didn't know they were going to be here," Shoto repeated.
Fuyumi shrugged, "Not like that's a bad thing. Now you've got someone you know that you can hang out with after you talk to all of the business types dad is introducing to you."
This time, Shoto shrugged, "I suppose, we haven't really talked in class."
"Good thing that you have the chance to change that," Fuyumi stressed. "He seems like a really nice boy, and he looked friendly to you." She pointed at him with her chopsticks as she split them up. "You need to make more friends your age. Can you do that for me?"
Shoto winced, and turned back to his ramen. "Right… Sure."
(X)
"Please All Might sir, can I get an autograph!?"
"Why of course!" All Might said in perfect English. "Lemme sign here…"
"Sign my action figure please! I wanna show it to my friends at school!"
"Why definitely! Haha!"
"Please sign me bald head mista All Might!"
"Now now ha ha…" The Symbol of Peace laughed awkwardly. "One at a time folks!"
Izuku, dressed in his Hero Costume, sighed, looking around and laughing a bit to himself. All Might had been getting swarmed by his fans ever since they arrived. His mentor had told him it was to surprise his old friend.
"Uncle Miiiiiight!" Came a voice, and Izuku turned towards the source. All Might turned as well, his smile beaming after the crowd dispersed.
Coming from down the stairs towards I-Tower, bouncing high on a pogo stick of some kind was an American girl with blond hair, and a laugh that would make daisies dance. He saw her approach closer and closer, leaping off and right into All Might's arms as the blonde man laughed. Even he could tell that his mentor was overjoyed to see this girl.
"Melissa! It's so good to see you!" All Might's smile would have split his face in two as he held the girl in his strong hands. She was a little taller than Izuku with wide glasses resting atop her round face over bright emerald eyes. She wore tight white pants, a red blouse with a red-yellow plaid bowtie and simple shoes as she grinned down at him.
"It's been so long! How have you been?" She asked.
"I've been doing great!" All Might replied in perfect English. "And look at you! You've grown up so much!" He said as he twirled her around, laughing joyously. "Where did that little girl disappear to?"
"This little girl is seventeen you know." Melissa chided playfully, hands on All Might's wrists. Izuku perked up. She was just a little older than him…
And goodness was she pretty and… her clothes fit her well! T-Too well! Don't stare don't stare or she may notice and-
"Oh! Hello there!" Melissa spoke, and Izuku noticed her eyes were on him! "You don't seem to be the usual fanboy or paparazzi. My name is Melissa Shield." She said, offering her hand to him. "Welcome to I-Island!"
"Oh! Umm…" Izuku took the handshake, bowing lightly. Over and over. "M-My name isu Izuku Midoriya! I am a First Yea Student at U.A. Academy! It'su nice to meetchu!" He said in English. He had to work on it more… his accent was so obvious!
"Oh! Learning English still? Are you one of All Might's students at U.A.?" Izuku stiffened.
"Y-Yes I am!"
"Well I hope that you enjoy I-Island during your stay here, Midoriya-san." The blonde girl spoke in crisp Japanese, and Izuku's eyes lit up. "Are you going to the I-Expo?"
"Wow your Japanese is great!" Izuku replied in his native tongue. "But ummm… if it's okay by you." He said back in English. "I would like to get used to American speak… or was it Speak American?" Izuku winced and hid his face in his hands. He heard her giggle instead.
"If you insist. If you need any pointers, let me know. I'll be happy to help with your English!" Melissa turned towards All Might. "Dad's in his lab still." She grinned, leaning in. "It's gonna be a surprise and I cannot wait to see his face!"
"Neither can I! Dave isn't one for following social media. But we haven't a moment to lose!" All Might declared before turning to Izuku. "Be proud Young Midoriya, for you are about to enter I-Tower!"
Izuku brightened up. They were gonna meet one of the greatest scientists of all time, in the most iconic building in Hero Society! He let out a closed mouth squee, only to hear Melissa laugh again, helping him regain his composure.
"You seem excited, come on!" Melissa beamed as she reached over to her… still standing Pogo stick! A very advanced one too! Bigger than usual! She tapped on what appeared to be a dashboard between the handlebars and… the Pogo stick inverted in and folded in on itself!
"Whoa! Is that… Micro Machine technology?!"
"Yep!" Melissa winked. "This was just my Sophomore Project I made a while back." She had a finger up and pointed at a building that was built off to the side of the massive skyscraper that was the Shield Foundation's HQ, which looked like a complex college of sorts. "You should see what I'm making for my Final. Blows this out of the water." The shapely blonde pocketed the now… handlebar-sized pogo stick into her pocket. "Come on, let's get Dad out of his office."
"You did set this up, and it seems that David is working on something big!" All Might said as he followed the girl, Melissa in the center between the two as they walked up the stairs.
"He is, but he won't talk to me about it. Confidentiality and all that. Which is strange," Melissa put a finger to her chin in thought. "He's always talked to me about his major projects at home… But, that's neither here nor there, so Izuku." She said, looking at the boy. "What kinda quirk do you have? Since you plan on being a hero and all." She asked.
"Oh! Ummm, eto…" Izuku fiddled with his fingers as he could see her green eyes looking at him. "J-Just a Power Type Quirk! N-Nothing special about it at all!"
"A Power type huh? Your gear does seem to fit more for agility though…" Melissa mused as they got up the stairs. Izuku gulped. Jeez, he felt like he was being studied via a microscope under her gaze as she… walked around to inspect him! "Not seeing much for Support items outside of the neck-protector…"
"I-It's a gas mask." Izuku stammered. "You know, j-just in case...and doubles as a m-mouth shield too!"
"Hmmm two in one, simple, but not bad." She was now… touching his mask! "Seems to be made of simple metal… with…" Her finger was going inside the holes! "Aluminum inside the casing…?"
SHE WAS TOO CLOSE! A PRETTY GIRL WAS TOUCHING HIS MASK AND WAS SUPER CLOSE!
All Might coughed. "Melissa? We are almost there…"
"Oh!" The girl perked up, giving Izuku his personal space back. "Yes of course! I bet you would like a tour, right Izuku? Of I-Tower? How about you All Might?"
"I can get a tour another time, although I appreciate the offer! But I feel that Young Midoriya here will be able to appreciate the tour more so than I." All Might suggested. "I think you two can go on the tour while me and Dave catch up for old times' sake."
"That sounds like a plan to me Uncle!"
(X)
Peter waited with almost bated breath as Mei took her first bite. The mechanic's face twisted a bit but shrugged.
"It's a hot dog," Mei said.
"I hope you know that I'm reevaluating our friendship because of this," Peter said, taking a bite of his own delicious dog.
A few seats away Shoto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"You reevaluate a friendship because of… food?" Shoto asked.
Peter gave him a sideways glance.
"Uh, no, it was a joke."
Shoto blinked twice before picking up his ramen again.
"I see."
"But if you're here for meetings, with who?" Mei asked, her eyes sparkling a little with a bit of realization, "Are you talking to tech executives?!? Can you put in a good word for me!?"
"Who, I don't really know. They might possibly be executives and I believe I'm mostly supposed to make light conversation so referring to products could be rather rude," Shoto said without missing a beat.
"You'd be surprised, most company heads would love to have some insight into the next big thing."
"Yaoyorozu?" Shoto asked, and Peter turned to where he was looking.
Sure enough, the class representative of their class was standing there, waving at them as she approached with a purse that looked more expensive than the last three houses that Peter had lived in. She had donned a casual white blouse and a fancy looking red skirt with a red bow in her obsidian black hair too.
"You're here too?" Shoto asked, as if he couldn't believe that yet another member of his class had managed to get there.
"That's your classmate too?" Fuyumi asked in surprise. "Wow, what a small world!"
"I traveled along with my parents," Momo said, walking up, "We have a conference."
"How did you know where to find us?" Peter asked.
"I saw a giant glacier appear out of thin air and made… several reasonable guesses."
As one, several heads turned to Shoto, who stopped mid-sip of his broth.
"... I was trying to get the best time," he said in defence of himself.
"Worked out for the best, I say," Fuyumi added with a smile. "Your friends from class are here, so this trip won't just be all work and no play."
"I… guess?"
"You just got here looking for lunch Momo?" Peter asked, finishing his dog. It was good… but not Coney Island good, that was for sure.
"I am yes, haven't had much to eat since breakfast this morning." Momo said as Peter perked up.
"Did you fly in this morning or did you come in last night?"
"This morning. My parents have their meetings and they'll be there for quite some time. Detnerat is making a unique venture, and my parents want to be the first to invest."
"What are they making?" Peter asked.
"I… " Momo pauses, hesitant, "It's not my place to talk about company dealings. I've probably already said too much."
"Oh! Does your company deal in Support Tech for Heroes?" Mei said, her eyes sparkling in an instant.
"Uhh.. no it's an Investment Firm…" Momo replied, seeing how the pink-haired girl seemed to be leaning in, her eyes going to Peter. "She was your plus one?"
"Yeah. Yu had to hold down the fort at home so…" Peter shrugged.
"Investment Firm? Eh, lame." Mei shrugged, before turning around and noticing something. "Oh!" She got out her phone and took a picture, then got a yellow pad from her backpack and a pen before she began to write something down fast. Peter followed her eyes, seeing her look at a unique power armor as it lifted up a dumpster into a massive truck.
Peter turned, pocketing his hands as the two walked along and followed Mei through the kiosks and vendors as the young inventor giggled madly, rambling and writing down notes.
"And Mei… well, she is a good friend of mine and all." He said looking out at the girl as she walked around the suit, making the pilot look at her funny. "And I had to repay her too."
"For what? You owe her a favor?" Momo asked, and Peter blinked.. "I know you two have been hanging a lot after school in the Support Department. Is that right?"
"How did you know that?" Peter asked.
"Gossip mill mostly. Hagakure can't seem to stop talking about it." Momo shrugged. "So…" She paused, looking a little nervous herself. "Are you and her… together?"
Peter blinked as he opened his mouth. "Me and Mei are good friends but… not like that. Trust me." He said, and Momo blinked.
"I-I see." She blushed, looking nervous to the side. "Forgive me for asking such a question. I was just, well, curious and all and-"
"You're good Momo-san." Peter said, sighing with a smile. "You're not the first person to mistake me and Mei as a couple today."
"That so?"
"Yeah, the bell guy at the hotel said something in English about love and birds when we got to our room. Do ya know anything about it? Still trying to make sense on what love and birds got to do with one another" Mei asked. Momo blinked, and Peter rubbed his forehead.
"You two are sleeping… in the same hotel room?"
"Got a suite, separate rooms." Peter tersely added.
"O-Of course." Momo replied, finger twiddling in her hair a little. Peter turned, seeing Fuyumi sipping from her drink while looking highly amused next to a neutral looking Shoto.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Peter deadpan accused.
"I'd be lying if I wasn't." Fuyumi admitted.
"I dunno." Shoto shrugged. "I'm just here."
"Dunno why that's so weird." Peter lifted his head, looking back to Mei and then back to the black-haired girl who was also looking at Mei, and the two shared a nod.
"Are you Peter Parker?" Said a voice, and the trio turned. Before them, a tall slim woman with a boy's haircut, brown hair and a matching eye color stood by in simple jeans and a black tank top. "You are, ain't ya!" She had an American accent to her, but what was noticeable to her was a white eyepatch around her left eye as she sported a big smile.
"Uhhh, do I know you?"
"Sorry, big fan." Eyepatch said with raised hands in surrender. "I'm a Hero Agency Scout, and I watched the U.A. Sports Festival for my firm back in the states!" She gave Peter a playful elbow. "Man, you rocked that thing top to bottom!"
"So you noticed me at the Festival huh? Well… ummm, thanks?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised.
"No worries no worries. Say, you got a lil New York accent in ya. Where ya from?" Eyepatch asked.
"Queens, how about you?"
"Oh me? From Sacramento, California myself. Oh my B!" The girl laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Name's Ruby by the way. We can't really start recruiting heroes when they're in high school, much like overseas, but we can still scout 'em!"
"Ummm, cool. Well, I'm glad I did well, for ya. I guess." Peter said with a shrug.
"You got a lot of great exposure, especially in your fights. Been digesting that a ton. You got lots of promise, kid." Ruby said, offering her hand and Peter took it, shaking it firmly. "You're from Queens right? Well, when you get off for the summer and return home, keep an eye out." Ruby said with a wink in her one good eye. "We'll keep an eye on you and if you keep this up, you'll get a full offer to some big time firms we have Stateside."
"Oh wow! Umm… thanks."
"Yeah, couldn't believe the winner of the Sports Festival was an American. Why didn't ya go to Manton in LA or Xavier in Boston?" Ruby said, before her phone rang. "Oh, pardon me…" She took it, answering, listening for a few moments before snapping the flip phone shut, "Well, you keep on doing you Parker." She waved as she walked off. "See ya 'round kid!"
Peter nodded, waving back. "Okay have fun!" He said as he looked back. "Huh. Never knew I had fans overseas."
"The world can be a strange place…" Momo mused, before her stomach rumbled a bit. "And I could use some lunch… what does the food court here have?"
"They have a hot dog stand, Peter went for that immediately." Mei said, and the black-haired girl looked at Peter as if he had grown a second head.
"Oh come on! Hot dogs are awesome! Second only to cheesesteaks though."
"A cheeseteak?" Momo asked in English, speaking slowly to enunciate what she just heard.
Peter took a deep breath. "Okay, we are finding that deli or a cheesesteak joint here. Mei, let's go."
"'Kay."
"Well… you've been here longer. Lead the way I suppose."
"Okay! I'm finding that cheesesteak place if it's the last-"
Karen cutoff Peter's bold declaration. "There's a Philadelphia Deli in this Food Court. Other side, hundred meters west."
"Follow me!" Peter said, and marched forward at a brisk pace. Mei smiled, shrugging and following as Momo brought up the rear.
(X)
"So… you're quirkless?"
It felt like a strange thing to ask, even disrespectful, but Melissa took it in stride.
"Yeah, but it isn't the worst thing in the world," Melissa said, leading the two of them through the crowds, "I can still work, I can still learn, being quirkless doesn't mean that I can't do either of those."
"R-right," Izuku said.
He couldn't help but pause for a bit. After all the work that he put in with Edgeshot, All Might, and even Parker to some degree, imagining himself without One for All seemed like an impossibility. Almost as impossible as it was as becoming a hero back before he met All Might.
The idea really made him think, would he have gotten Melissa's outlook if he hadn't been given One for All?
… yeah, he would, because even without a quirk, someone that mattered said he could be a hero.
"YES! THANK ALL MIGHTY GOD YEEEEEHEHEHEES~!"
Izuku flinched, and Melissa stopped in her tracks at the English declaration. With it, came a sight that made Izuku think he was seeing things upon noticing the duo standing in the food court.
Yet after he blinked, the sight was still there.
Peter on his knees, holding a bitten into meat sandwich with cheese and grilled onions of some kind, as if he was holding it before God, while Todoroki, a woman with white hair and red highlights, Hatsume and Yaoyorozu ate what looked like a cheesecake without a care in the world.
Wait, what were Parker, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Hatsume doing here on the island!? "P-Peter-san?" Izuku blurted out in Japanese. Melissa perked up.
"Oh? You know him?
The others turned, and the white-haired woman nudged Todoroki. "He seems awfully happy…" She said in Japanese.
"IT'S GENUINE! IT'S REAL! IT'S NOT TEPPAN OR TERIYAKI IT'S HONEST TO GOD…" Peter seemed to breathe, tracing a finger along the bread. "Marinated and sauteed steak… cooked beside grilled onions over a flat top grill…" Okay he was acting overly creepy… "With cheese wiz enhancing the flavor of the onions and the meat for an all natural Au Ju…" He gulped, sniffing. Then he perked up, blinking as he looked around. The others followed his gaze, and Izuku felt many eyes upon him.
"Midori?" Peter asked.
"Oh! Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu waved, beaming. Todoroki seemed to blink.
"Is everyone in our class on this island?" He seemed to ask aloud, sounding a little flustered.
"Oh that's the kid you fought, Shoto!" Fuyumi waved. "Hello there! Midoriya Izuku was it? I'm Todoroki Fuyumi, Shoto's big sister."
"Are those your friends from U.A.?" Melissa asked, surprised and intrigued as Izuku looked back, dumbly nodding as Peter stood up, fingering his ear a little and looking sheepish.
"Y-Yeah… Hi everyone. It's good to see you all here," Izuku said, walking forward with Melissa by his side as Peter set down his sandwich on the table beside his seat next to Yaoyorozu.
"What are you doing here Midori?" Peter asked in Japanese before looking upon the taller blonde beside the green-haired boy. He blinked. "Can she understand us?"
"Crystal clear." Melissa responded in Japanese, Peter perking up.
"Whoa," He reverted to English. "Your Japanese is a lot better than mine!" He held out his hand to shake. "Peter Parker, I'm Midori, I mean, Izuku Midoriya's classmate back in Japan. Transfer student from good ol Queens."
"Oh you're American!" Melissa shook his hand happily. "Melissa Shield. Born in Los Angeles, but raised here for most of my entire life." She put her hands behind her back and beamed. "It's really nice to see more of Izu's friends here!"
Izu? She was calling him by a nickname too now?! Izuku looked flustered, fiddling with his fingers.
"Shield… are you David Shield's daughter by chance?" Todoroki spoke in accented English. The glasses-wearing girl nodded.
"Yep. He's my old man. Should be catching up with All Might by now too." Suddenly Izuku could feel the eyes of everyone on him, Todoroki and Peter especially.
"You flew here with All Might-sensei?" Peter asked in Japanese with a tilt to his head.
"Uhhh, yeah!" Izuku stammered. "He had a meeting with Shield-san and all that so he d-decided to bring me here to you know, h-have a little fun." Izuku left out the bits regarding training.
Todoroki and Peter's eyes seemed to narrow, but when Izuku looked at them, the look was gone so fast he could have just been imagining it.
"Ah who cares," Peter said with a grin, "It's good to see you man."
"Y-yeah, you too."
"But it's better to see this," Peter said, pointing at his sandwich, "You have no idea how much I've missed you." He whispered before biting in and moaning at the taste. Hatsume simply tilted her head like a dog while Momo giggled.
Izuku couldn't help but nervously chuckle at his classmates' antics. Beside him, Todoroki stopped midway to the trash can.
"Be careful, he's been evaluating his friendships based on food lately."
What!?!
"He's joking," Fuyumi said, with a small smile.
Izuku felt very confused...
"Don't worry Midori," Peter said after he swallowed, "I'm just killing time till the expo." His eyes seemed to cloud over, "And once it's done, hopefully she'll be done asking to show off her babies."
Izuku opened his mouth to question that statement, but Shoto and Peter both pointed to an oblivious Mei which instantly cleared the story for Izuku, and from the look on her face, Yaoyorozu as well.
"Well, if we're just going to be killing time, we better do it the right way," Melissa declared with a big grin. "Obviously, everyone's invited."
"That's very generous of you," Yaoyorozu said.
"It's nothing," Melissa said, "I know the best spots, and I wouldn't be much of a Shield if I couldn't show my way around an expo."
"We're in," Fuyumi said, earning her a small glare from her brother.
And just like that, they were in. Melissa had a cheeky grin as she adjusted her glasses, standing proud with a hand on her hip. "Hope you're ready for a day at one of the best theme parks in the world! Tecca Meccanica!"
(X)
It was a dark and expansive road, with many tall walls, stone debris, and flashing lights as overhead, police blimps soared over the skies with their searchlights…
Until blaster fire rang out, causing a car to flare bright red and crunch up. A red assailant leapt through the air, firing his rifle down as laser beams seared out.
As the car folded and crumpled, two people in blue bolted out of cover, one rolling with a feminine yelp to the side, the other exiting in a more controlled manner, lightning arcing around him as he fired his pistols.
The Red Man, Peter Parker, landed and aimed, firing still as a laser stroked his calf, causing his suit to clench up at the damage. He dodged, leaping off the wall and retreating as the Blue Man gave chase.
Suddenly, he got a laser pointer right in his vision from the side of the road, causing him to flinch before he felt his chest vibrate and tighten up! He'd been hit!
"Now halt right there gangsters!" Came a proud female voice, whose owner held a laser rifle and was dressed in green highlights as she aimed, firing on rapid fire. "Oh come on, hit!"
"Sis, you have to be calm here." Dryly pointed out her compatriot, also in green as he poked his head out of cover. Green Girl, Todoroki Fuyumi, looked back with a frown.
"Woop woop! Dat's da sound of da beast!" Peter laughed in English as he leapt high, aiming down and firing as laser bolts erupted. Shoto tugged his sister back behind cover and sprouted an… ice wall! "Oh come on Shoto, that's against the rules!"
"You're using your quirk too obviously!" Fuyumi yelled back as Peter sighed, before he felt a tingle and leapt up, avoiding additional blue laser fire.
Blue Man leapt over the obstacles as he used his quirk, glowing green. Peter dodged each one, but felt another shiver down his spine and fell to the floor, avoiding a barrage of blue bolts from his flank. Blue Girl had flanked him!
"Gotta bait them…!" Peter whispered before he broke into a run, panting as he could hear Izuku giving chase. "Karen, can't ya give a guy a break here?" He whispered harshly into his ear. "And a heads up?!"
"I could, but I'm feeling rather amused seeing all of this from the camera footage."
Oh great, Karen had gotten a sense of humor now. "Was that a joke?"
"Maybe." Peter saw a laser pointer on the wall and turned, seeing his comrade, Red Girl, wave as he turned about and leapt away.
"He's taking to the wall! Melissa!" Izuku called out.
"On it!" Melissa yelled back as Peter felt his vest clench up. Ack! Got hit again!
He leapt down to the floor and took off, looking back and seeing Izuku get a bead on him. He leapt side to side on the wall, moving erratically to avoid being hit before he turned back and returned fire.
His vest vibrated and clenched up, and his headset went dead, with the big red words GAME OVER on display.
"Ah dang it!" Peter exclaimed, looking around as his headset saw Shoto and Fuyumi across the Augmented Virtual Reality Room, or AVRR, with their Laser Tag guns aimed in his direction.
"Alright I got him!" He heard Izuku cheer, before Peter heard him yelp and fall down. "Ahh! My shoe! It's sticky! Parker-san, why did you web me here!?"
"That wasn't-!" Peter was cut off when he heard Fuyumi yelp in surprise, seeing Momo able to take them out as Peter saw in his headset their HP counters drop to zero. The headset also had x-ray vision for players who were knocked out of the game, as the walls had a material that was transparent in the lens of this kind of technology, and he saw that Momo had been able to flank the two while he was being pinned down by Izuku and she was able to get the green players!
"Wait a minute… Melissa! Be careful!" Izuku called out. "Come on… stupid web!"
He saw Melissa freeze up as she trotted forward to catch up, but Momo was in motion from her position, aiming up at Izuku and firing her laser rifle multiple times. Izuku yelped and took a hit to the head before he lied down to avoid getting hit. Peter saw Momo shoulder her rifle, take a running start and… conjured a stepstool of some kind…
Which was stopped by the straps of her harness and vibration pads around her casual blouse. "Ah! Oh no!" She yelled, stopping and trying to get the stool out.
"Momo three o'clock!" Peter yelled out as Momo turned right, and Melissa was right there.
"Sayhellotomahlittlefriend!" Melissa yelled, firing rapidly as she held down the trigger on her laser gun. Momo yelped and got struck, and Peter saw her health go down.
And the bright words BLUE TEAM: VICTORY! Appeared in his HUD as the room brightened up. Peter took off the headset, and the room was a bright white with all the gothic buildings and dark skies gone, and in its place was a simple plain white material that emulated brick walls, cars, and buildings, and a ceiling filled with orbs and receptors that displayed the holographic virtual reality tech.
"Alright, we won Izu!" Melissa chirped proudly as the walls began to shrink down to the floor, eventually leveling off the room to make it entirely flat.
"We won? Oh! We won!" Izuku declared as he sat on the floor, white webbing still anchoring his sole to the floor. "Whoa… that was so cool… and so life-like too! To think all of this turned into buildings in the virtual simulation…"
"Here, let me help." Fuyumi said as she came over, kneeling down and some fire emitting from her fingertips like a blowtorch as she emitted quick little brusts, and the webbing was gone.
"So who got who anyway?" Shoto asked as he approached. A big black video board was off to the side, displaying the point totals.
Peter looked over… and he scratched his cheek.
Momo got the most points, given her takedowns of Shoto and Fuyumi, but Melissa was on her tail, followed by Shoto strangely enough.
And he was dead last, below Fuyumi and Izuku. He heard a sad trumpet sound of "Wa-wa-waaaaa" play in his ear. He rolled his eyes and looked down at his smartwatch, seeing a laughing emoji displayed there. Very funny Karen…
"So… Death Defier next?" Peter asked, forcing a smile as he remembered that big awesome roller coaster close by.
"Death Defier?" Shoto asked.
"The roller coaster Shoto," his sister clarified.
The dual-eyed boy gave it a long thought, utterly oblivious to the pleading look Midoriya was giving him.
"I don't see why not." he said, though it sounded like a question.
But it wasn't a no, so Peter was taking it.
"Heck yeah!"
"That's the spirit Shoto!" Melissa said.
Shoto shrugged, as if it wasn't that big of a deal.
"I suppose I can try it out."
"And with him that's five to one!" Mei exclaimed, and Izuku let out a whine.
(X)
"Y-You're sure this is safe?" Izuku asked, looking nervous.
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Melissa asked.
Izuku glanced outside the little room, to the open sky and then to the floor that started to open.
"... n-no reason," he stuttered.
Right before the door opened, and the indoor anti-grav skydive let the teenagers truly feel like they were flying, half of them screaming, the other half laughing.
(X)
"Am I doing this right?" Momo asked.
Peter leaned over her shoulder.
"Have you tried just mashing buttons?"
Momo raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose?" she asked.
"Momo-san, it's a fighting game, the purpose is to have fun before winning."
"And besides," Melissa said, "Anything's better than nothing with Mei on the other console."
The three teenagers all glanced to Mei, who was inputting controls faster than any of them could ever hope to accomplish, fingers flying across a dashboard while the other handled a joystick.
On stage, twin practice mechs smashed against one another in a field of metal and circuitry.
Or, one did a five hit combo that ended with a haymaker which made the head of Momo's mech launch off of it.
"I WIN!" Mei declared. "Ohhh! I can see all the servos and gears in there! Ohhh and is that-" She sniffed the air a little. "Premium grade petrol?"
Shoto and Fuyumi looked back at Peter, who shrugged, as Izuku was wide-eyed with Momo. Melissa giggled as Mei climbed over the ledge to get a look at the destroyed robot.
Peter and co. were already on the move.
(X)
"Chugachugachugachuga" Peter muttered as he held onto the handlebars as they went up at a ninety-degree angle.
"You're acting like a train! Ha!" Melissa laughed from behind him. He could barely make out the sound of Izuku's whimpering. He looked over, seeing Mei just looking around at the track to see the various gears and magnet bumpers, and to his left, Momo bit her lip in tense excitement.
"Come on Shoto gimme a reaction for your big sister!" Said Fuyumi from up front as they were nearing the top…
"I'm good." Shoto replied stoically as Peter grinned before they reached the tippy-top of the coaster, and the utter jungle of twists, loopy-loops, and upside-down bits they would soon experience.
"Choo chooooo!" Peter yelled as they went down, blazing fast as Izuku yelled in utter terror, Melissa and Peter whooped and hollered, Momo and Mei were silent for differing reasons as Peter could barely make out Mei's head on a swivel looking around. Fuyumi let out surprised and shocked yelps, laughing as they traveled along the Death Defier. Shoto remained stone-faced if the post ride photograph was any indication.
(X)
"No!"
"Oh come on Midori, this is gonna be the best ride of the day."
"No means no!"
"It's just a ride based on an old movie," Melissa said. "It's gonna be okay Izu! You can ride with me!"
Izuku could feel his eyebrow twitch, but unfortunately for him, the rest of the group had already went in.
"We saw this at our mansion once… Peter-san seemed to enjoy it quite a lot." Momo said as Peter let out a laugh.
"Love it! And it's based off of the second one too!"
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, and prayed that the ride wasn't nearly as scary as the name implied.
Shouldn't be as scary… r-right? Not after the Mummy's Revenge or Rise of the Machines…
Hearing the screams inside as he took a step in confirmed it. Izuku closed his eyes, gulping and wished he was fighting a villain.
He heard growling and looked up, seeing a shadow move and a scaly black claw poke out of a vent, along with a chattering growl... It may have been an animatronic…
"Wait for meeee!" And he rushed inside, the flashing sign of 'Aliens the Ride' blazing above within a giant dome the size of the USJ.
(X)
It was the end of the day as the sun set, Peter let out a deep sigh of relief as he and the group walked out of Tecca Meccanica's gates and back into the Entertainment District.
"That was a blast!" He said, grinning as he wore his new t-shirt with the theme park's logo and background.
Fuyumi let out a laugh. "Wow... I haven't had this much fun in ages!"
"I'm glad you had fun Sis." Shoto replied softly, wearing a hat with a big 'I' on it.
"You smiled a few times back there!" Fuyumi elbowed her little brother. "I saw that lip of yours raise! Like that Dark Ride where we shot all those scary mummies! Oh! And when we exited the facility after blowing up the Alien Queen!"
Izuku let out a tired groan, being guided out and right next to Melissa. "I think Izu's had enough excitement for one day." The blonde laughed, closing her eyes.
"Bugs... so many…. Bugs…" He uttered weakly. "Aliens…Facehuggers...gnnngh…" He REALLY wasn't into horror movies, and Peter felt a little guilty.
To be fair, he was afraid of heights once. Now, he longed for them.
"I think they're called scarabs, Midori." Peter corrected. "I got creeped out by them when I watched the Mummy when I was a kid too."
"Reminds me of London Disney World a little." Momo added as she was dressed in a brand new t-shirt with TECCA written over the chest. Her blouse was in her purse, thanks to her being in the splash zone of the Hydro Hydra Ride. She had a grin as well. "Lots of advanced rides with their application of VR, AR, and unique and advanced engineering in the coasters!"
"You seem like ya know a thing or two about theme parks there, Yaoyorozu-san," Melissa said as the black-haired beauty looked back at the blonde.
"I've been to several around the world, Universal Studios Dakar to me stands out as amongst the best, even if the arid weather is inconvenient." Momo elaborated.
"There's a Universal Studios in Dakar and a Disney World in London… whoa." Peter mused to himself, sighing and smiling as he looked ahead. "Would love to check those out someday…"
"Such a thing would be rare." Shoto commented. "We are heroes, attending theme parks such as these is a luxury."
"But did you have fun today Bro?" Fuyumi asked.
"Ummm…" Shoto was unsure to answer, looking to the side.
Mei hummed happily, writing notes in her phone as she carried a bag of T-shirts all bundled up.
Wait, she bought t-shirts!
"Hey Mei, when did you get all of these shirts?"
"When you guys were in laser tag." Mei replied.
"Huh, nice." Peter smiled. "Guess this fish out of water is getting its sea legs in?" The pink-haired girl tilted her head, grin ever present.
"Fish don't have legs, silly. And I needed more shirts for class and work when we get home. I was runnin' a little low." Mei said without a care.
Oh.
"Ah…" Nice shirts getting all mucked up. Then again, it is Mei...
"Got some to keep though, for around the house." Mei mused, holding out the Tecca Meccanica brand shirts. "Look like good PJs too…" Peter then noticed something in her bag as he leaned over.
The other shirts down there were the splash-zone spare shirts they got complimentary of the park, all bland and white.
"So the rest down there…"
"Are workgrubs. I can get these dirty no sweat." Mei replied with a grin, then her eyes zoomed in on something and her grin only seemed to widen slightly. Peter couldn't help but return it in kind.
"Man… with all the schooling and making projects… I needed this distraction!" Melissa stretched. "I'm glad you all had fun today! I hope I served as a lovely tour guide." She winked, bowing lightly.
"You were great. Thank you so much again Shield-san." Fuyumi bowed lightly, as did Shoto.
"Thank you."
"Yes, I had a lovely time here." Momo smiled, hand upon her chest. "I've heard rumors on Tecca Meccanica's quality, but it seems like the hype was justified here."
"Well, I'm glad we didn't disappoint. I-Island may be an island of research and development, but we know when to party hard too." Melissa looked over to the pale and sunk-faced Izuku. Boy looked like a zombie…
"Maybe we shouldn't take him on coasters next time." Peter mused aloud, "Or the horror rides."
"Did the countless photos we have of his reactions not give it away?" Momo asked wryly.
Peter was looking back and forth, seeing Mei's gaze shift from the hover-monorail to following some cleaning robots, causing some people to stare… She wasn't going far at least.
"So, where are you all staying at?" Melissa asked.
"Harriot, on the other side of the Island near I-Tower." Fuyumi elaborated as she yawned. "Me and Shoto are a little pooped though… We'll have some restaurant food before we rest for tomorrow, right Bro?"
"Sounds good to me." Shoto replied.
"I'm at the Bilton with Mei over on…" Peter grabbed his phone, checking out the address before relaying it to the group.
"I'm over in that direction. Wanna head over together?" Momo asked. She did notice Shoto's glacier early today…
"Sounds good." Peter grinned.
Melissa beamed at the rest of the gang. "So, are you all attending the Gala and Expo tomorrow?"
"Yeah, can't wait to check it out!" Peter exclaimed. "Mei is too but-Hey!" Oh crap Mei was climbing a pole now! "Hatsume get down from there!"
"There's a Drone up here! I just need a better looksie! Don'tcha worry Peter~"
"Oh dear…" Momo sighed. "should we meet up again at the Expo tomorrow?"
"If we don't have any meetings. Shoto, will ya let Yaoyorozu-san know ASAP?" Fuyumi asked.
"Yeah," he said, grabbing his phone.
"Well in that case, see you then," Momo said.
She waved at the group, and followed the fairly obvious sounds of Peter watching Mei getting pulled off the pole by a security drone. Got her by the scruff of her shirt no less, like one grabbing the scruff of a cat.
"Having trouble?" she asked, and Peter sighed.
"Oh relax, she can't be the only one that does this sort of…"
The black-haired beauty's voice trailed off as Mei, in full view of the drone, started taking measurements, even as it dropped her onto the ground and tried to float away, but the girl kept hugging it, trying to measure it once more as it dragged the giggling girl away.
Peter gave the rich girl a sideways look with a tilted head her way.
"... I stand corrected," Momo admitted.
"Up up and awaaaay!" Mei chortled, riding the drone as it made an alarm, making the two teens pale and run after her.
(X)
"Heh. Now I got something to write home about."
"Hm?" Wolfram turned his eyes to the doorway, where steam billowed out of the bathroom door. One of his subordinates standing there gestured to the little robot inside that was proceeding to neatly fold the discarded clothes and place them in the laundry bin.
"Little robots that offer turn-down service."
The merc leader let out a closed mouth chuckle, a thought shared with his henchman as they too let out small amounts of laughter, before turning his eyes back to his laptop.
Full room and board, good food, warm beds and by the end of it all he gets paid twice over.
Damn good deal if he had anything to say about it.
He scrolled over the blueprints and building plans one more time, running them through his head as he went over the plan in his head one more time.
The layout of I-Tower. The tunnels leading to it. The right places to hit, hold, and to get away once they got the package.
There was a knock at the door, and the few of his men in the suite currently spread around the room drew their handguns and prepared their quirks, looking at the doorway.
"Yeah?" He called.
"Open the hell up, it's me."
Wolfram lifted his head, gesturing to the door and one of his men stood to open it, allowing a willowy brown-haired woman to step on through. Next to her was a hulking figure, too large to properly fit through the door and needed to lean down and maneuver her shoulders to pass through the barrier. Her skin was a pale gray, her eyes a beady black, and Wolfram noted the long mane of black hair down her shoulders as she was dressed in a hoodie and cargo pants, and wore a breathing mask over her clearly non-human face.
Ah yes, the Deadman's Hand.
"Wolfram." She greeted him with a smirk.
"Got somethin' to report?" He asked, sitting in his chair.
"Oh not much." She smiled, cocking one hip. "Tagged some of the bigger names walking round the island. You finally get confirmation on who the Top Ten Hero from Japan is? Didn't see any of 'em out there when I made my rounds. And it is what you called me for."
"Actually I did." He drawled, clicking a key on his laptop. "None other than the big man himself." He then turned the laptop towards her.
He saw her face twitch, her cocky smile almost faltering. Her partner's eyes widened as Wolfram kept up the confident smirk.
No one really wanted to take on All Might. No one had ever beaten the guy.
Wolfram snorted and shrugged. "Ahh well. We had plans in place for All Might anyway. It's the others that would worry me."
"You aren't worried about the Symbol of Peace but you were worried about the rest of the peanut gallery?" The bigger woman asked, his voice incredibly low and deep. Fitting for her appearance.
Wolfram stood up from his chair. "Didn't you get the memo? Mr. Shield is his friend. Former sidekick when he was making his debut in the U.S. Hitting this place was always gonna bring the Number One around sooner or later. So I planned around Mr. All Smiles, so leave him to me…" His smirk faded as he crossed his arms. "The others though... too many to plan around for, too varied. Hence where you come in."
"This doesn't change the deal..." The woman narrowed her eyes before he raised his hand in assurance.
"Don't worry. You'll get your cut." He affirmed. Couldn't have her throw a wrench in his plans now if she felt like she was getting burned. A little bit of money was nothing next to the real prize he was aiming for. "So. Tell me, who else did you tag around this place?"
Ruby Kane scoffed, smirked, bringing her hand up to pull free the eyepatch over her eye. "Some real interesting prospects..."
(X)
"We are sorry, but due to the incoming storm, we will be grounded until the weather clears, which may not be until tomorrow. We will dispatch buses to take you to the nearest hotel courtesy of our airline. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for this inconvenience." Said the woman over the intercom, and Todoroki Enji, dressed in public clothes did his best not to let out his flames through where his normal fiery facial hair would be. He sighed heavily through this nose as he heard collective groans from people around him.
Give Shoto and Fuyumi the private jet, and he would take a separate plane. Problem is he chose commercial, because why not, surely it wouldn't be that bad?
But summer was Typhoon Season, and Narita Airport was getting hammered by a tropical storm.
He sat in the terminal lobby, arms crossed over his broad body as he saw some youngsters looking his way, one of them even sucking their thumb. He took a deep breath and sighed, looking up.
"Never flying commercial. Ever." The Hero known as Endeavor muttered under his breath. From the holo TV screen high above, he could see the doppler of the massive storm. It would dissipate by tomorrow...
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票