The Thursday Before I-Expo
"Hiroshi! Hiroshi look at that!" Setsuna said, pressing her detached head against the window. Thanks to Momo's and the Furinjis' parents, the early VIP ticket holders got to ride a private plane to I-Island with them, Tensei, and Kana, Hayate, and his girlfriend. The Shields had returned to I-Island the Sunday before to help with David's assistant and their presentation, while All Might and Izuku had gone early in the day using All Might's private plane so that he could get some rest in his skinny form. Since they had their tickets already, Tenya and Shoto had left earlier as well, with Tensei and Burnin' respectively.
"Yea. Wow, all of those bird's-eye photos really don't capture how cool I-Island really looks from up here," Hiroshi said, as he looked out at the moving island. "And to think, that we're going to be getting another one of those."
"This would've only been better if we were allowed to ride Saiphza here!" Setsuna sighed, pulling her face away from the window, though her right eye was still on it to stare out. "That would've been stylish!"
"I don't think using Saiphza for leisurely pleasure would be approved of when we're heroes-in-training," Fuka deadpanned, polishing her gauntlet. They were all wearing their hero costumes, thanks to being heroes-in-training, who were allowed on I-Island to use their Quirks (within reason) like pro heroes. And they weren't going to let that chance to be like pros to slip by. They all had managed to get their costume upgrades a couple of days before the airplane trip, so they were excited to walk around and show them off. Only Mizuna was dressed in normal clothes, opting to change into her hero costume when they landed and got settled in.
"I knooooooow," Setsuna whined dramatically, making her body slump against her chair for added effect.
"Honestly that would be nice to be able to do one day here," Rigel said, as Saiphza bounced up and down in the aisle next to him, while Ardiana's projector orb floated around. "Especially since we wouldn't have to deal with all that airport security and metal detectors."
"That was very inconvenient to deal with," Ardiana agreed. "When alien migration to this Earth becomes more openly common, it would behoof us to help figure out a way for beings like myself to have a different way of getting checked for security."
"This is going to be so incredible!" Pony said, shaking her fists up and down in excitement. "I can't wait for you all to meet Danny!"
"He should be there a little earlier than us, right?" Kyoka said, fiddling with her earlobe.
"Yep! He dropped his stuff off at the hotel already and wanted to see everything, so he'll be meeting us at the main pavilion! I can't wait for you all to meet him! He's just the best!" Pony said, now practically vibrating with excitement.
"I hope my English is going to be good enough for a conversation..." Hiroshi said to himself. "Kinda wish that Honenuki was with us now."
"I'll do my best to translate for you guys!" Pony replied, giving everyone two thumbs up.
"And we'll be seeing all of the others soon enough!" Itsuka said, grinning, while Yui just gazed out the window, staring at the moving island. "For now, let's enjoy all of the stuff we can see early thanks to our tickets!"
"Hey Hiroshi! I heard that there's going to be an obstacle course or something that heroes-in-training get to compete in! You wanna try that out?" Eijiro said, while Katsuki pulled up the sleeping mask over his face off upon the mention of an obstacle course.
"No, he won't," Hayate said, putting his hand on Hiroshi's shoulder. "This is a vacation for him, and he needs to take it easy, right?"
"Hayate, it's fine, I can-"
"It's alright if you don't do it, Hiroshi," Kana said, crossing her arms. "There's more at I-Expo than an obstacle course."
"Kana, really, I'm-"
"We can just go and have fun at the museums and theaters like usual," Hayate said.
"But guys-"
"There's a lot to do at I-Island," Kana added.
"Okay, are we really going to-"
As Hayate and Kana talked over Hiroshi about all the things that they could do at I-Island and at I-Expo, everyone raised an eyebrow, until Hiroshi just gave up and let the two go on. Setsuna and Fuka bit their lips, unsure of what they could say.
"- So what do you want to do, Hiroshi?" Hayate finally asked.
"... I'm going to do that obstacle course," Hiroshi said, looking straight ahead, away from Hayate and Kana.
"We just told you that you need to take it easy, little bro," Kana said, narrowing her eyes.
"Yea, I mean, just stick with us and we'll find some fun things to do-" Hayate began to say.
"That you can do with Mizu-nee, I'm sure that she'll have a lot of fun while I hang out with my friends," Hiroshi said, turning around and giving the two a somewhat strained smile.
"Y-Yea!" Mizuna, Hayate's girlfriend, said, noticing the terseness on his face, and deciding to cut in. "Those things you two talked about sound super great! I can't wait to do those things with you!"
"Hold up, we need to talk to our little brother-" Kana said, when Momo's parents and theirs came out of the private cabins at the front of the plane.
"Oh it's so nice to go to I-Expo with you in the same plane!" Mrs. Furinji laughed. "We should do this more often!"
"It is much more pleasant to go with friends than it is just us and Momo," Mrs. Yaoyoruzu said.
"So are you all ready for I-Island?" Mr. Furinji asked.
"Yes," everyone said, as Hiroshi stared out the window, checking out of the conversation.
"Well, better put your seatbelts on, everyone, we'll be descending soon," Mr. Yaoyoruzu said, as everyone took their seats again and buckled up.
Outside the Airport
"Hey everyone!" Melissa said, waving to the arrivals. David, Izuku, and All Might stood next to her, with a bus that David rented to help transport them all to the hotel they're staying at.
"Hahaha! We are here! To greet you all and hope you had a comfortable journey!" All Might said, laughing.
"H-How was it, you guys?" Izuku asked.
"It was great! It's so cool to be on a moving island like this!" Kinoko said, looking around. "You can barely tell that this place is moving through the ocean!"
As everyone talked, Minoru began to scope out the island, trying to find any attractive girls he could talk to, while Denki flipped through his 'Idiot's Manual for Talking in English' to get ideas on how to talk to ladies.
"You don't need to worry about what language you need to talk in!" Melissa said, noticing Denki's book. "On I-Island, people are pretty much taught how to be multilingual, so any I-Island native is going to be able to understand you. I mean, me and Pony will still translate for you two if you need it."
"Oh that's good," Denki said, putting his hand over his chest. "It's going to be so much easier to talk to girls in my own language..."
Hiroshi shook his head while chuckling, as they walked to the bus when Hayate grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey Hiroshi, were are you going? Our rentals are over there," Hayate said, raising an eyebrow as he pointed to some cars a few steps away.
"I told you that I'm going to be at the one my friends were staying at," Hiroshi said. "We've went over this before."
"But we have enough room for you in my room at the hotel we're going to be at," Kana said, crossing her arms.
"The one you're staying is only one room that's only got two queen-sized beds. The rooms at the hotel we chose has small individual bedrooms and a living room with a kitchenette. I think that's a little roomier.."
"Are you sure you'd be good?"
"Guys, I'm fine. It's not much different from living at UA. Plus, you're not asking Fuka all of these things..." Hiroshi said, muttering the last part as he moved his faceplate to cover his face and hide his frustration.
"Fuka can handle herself, she's a big girl."
"Really? I am literally older than her."
"But you're-"
"It's alright you two," their mother said, shaking her head as she went to stop her children. "Hiroshi and Fuka are going to be fine. We already let them live in UA's dorm, so this shouldn't be any different."
"But mom-" Hayate and Kana said at the same time.
"Your mother's right, you two," their father said. "We should let the two have fun with their friends. After all, this is a rare opportunity where so many of them get to go to I-Expo together!"
"... Fine," the twins sighed, barely hiding their disapproval of their parents' decision. They began to head over to their car, but not before stopping to whisper to Fuka and Setsuna.
"Fuka, Setsuna, keep an eye on Hiroshi, alright? Promise us," Kana said.
"He's going to do something stupid without us around, so you two need to be vigilant," Hayate added.
"Um... yea, I promise," Fuka said, biting her lip nervously.
"Yea... count on us," Setsuna said, giving them a reluctant thumbs up as they walked away and got into the cars.
"Is everything alright? They were all over you, Hiroshi," Kyoka said, when she heard the teen grinding his teeth underneath his faceplate with her Quirk. "... I guess I got my answer."
"Are you sure you should still be like that with Hiroshi?" Mizuna asked, looking at her boyfriend as he drove her and Kana to their hotel.
"Of course!" Hayate sighed. "He thinks that he's invincible now that he's got that alien in him! We need to remind him that there are just some things that he shouldn't be doing!"
"Mom and dad are being way too lax about this whole thing," Kana muttered. "Hiroshi literally died because he played hero. It's literally everything we worried about! And he keeps getting into bad situation after bad situation!"
"I don't think anyone would've predicted aliens existing to be something to really worry about," Mizuna pointed out. "Besides, I don't really think shoving someone out of the way to save them is playing hero, just... doing the right thing."
"It's illegal-"
"What's illegal is using your Quirk without a license, and he technically didn't, since he can't..."
"You just don't get it, Mizuna," Hayate sighed. "Someone like Hiroshi... he's just too headstrong to admit that there are just some things that he can't do. And he's using the excuse that he's got an alien to try and do those things."
"We have to make sure he's absolutely safe!" Kana said, slumping against her seat. "It's what we've always done when we were kids, and it's frustrating that he hasn't grown out of this behavior!"
"God it's so frustrating!" Hiroshi said, slamming the door to his room as he went and sulked onto the couch. Setsuna, Fuka, and Izuku (who were his roommates for the hotel) looked at him with concern, as some of the others walked in to check on them. "The first time we met up in weeks, and the first thing the twins do is still act like I'm made of porcelain!"
"Yea, I'm sorry that they asked us to keep an eye on you," Fuka sighed, shaking her head. "Like, of course I'll look out for you, but you don't need us to protect you at all."
"You'd think that with Hero being inside you now that they'd lay off a little more," Setsuna added, rubbing the back of her head. "Guess old habits die hard?"
"It felt like it was getting better for a while," Hiroshi said, crossing his arms. "But after each fight I've had with aliens, they've only gotten more and more smothering... Phone calls, texts, emails... They keep thinking that I'm still just their helpless Quirkless little brother, when I've never been helpless to begin with! I get that there are things that I just can't do, but that doesn't mean I should be coddled!"
"They just care about your safety, Hiroshi," Itsuka said, biting her lip. "Though they could dial it back down a bit."
"I know, but I feel like they really don't listen to me half the time," Hiroshi grumbled, pinching his forehead.
"So are you really going to do that obstacle course?" Eijiro asked, regretting ever bringing it up. "I mean, there's no pressure to do it-"
"No, I'm going to do it. It's an obstacle course, it can't be that bad," Hiroshi said, getting up. "We should head over to the main pavilion first, though. Can't keep Pony's boyfriend waiting for too long, right?"
At the Airport
"Alright, we've made it inside the expo without issue," a redhaired man said on the phone, with a group of men behind him. "All we need to do now is to get the tools and equipment we specified for this, sir."
"Good. You'll be getting it all at 3 PM at Gate 66."
"Alright. And what of that alien you mentioned to us?"
"The alien is viewing this as a competition to see who gets to the device first. If you and your men get to it first, that means that we win. And if you're as good as I've heard, I'm expecting great results."
As the redhaired man and his client hung up, one of the men approached him.
"Are we sure that this is a good idea?" he said, frowning somewhat.
"Yea, Daigo's got a point. I'm not interested in becoming splattered by an alien," another said, crossing his arms. "We've taken lots of jobs before, but this one's the most insane one we've gotten."
"Don't you remember what he told us? That this device we're stealing is a 'Quirk Amplification Device," the redhaired man said, smiling sinisterly. "Anyone with a brain would realize that means it's supposed to supercharge Quirks. For a scientist, he sure was stupid enough to tell us what it does. All we need to do is take it for ourselves, and we'll be swimming in money by selling duplicates."
"But sir-"
"Plus, if we get there before the alien and we come across him, we can just use it on ourselves and take them out," the redhaired man reasoned. "Aliens might be ridiculously powerful, but with that Quirk Amplification Device and the... insurance our second client gave me, I think we'll be more than a match against any alien."
The redhaired man began to walk away, popping his neck. "Now come on, let's go look around at what I-Expo has to offer for a bit. Tourists that aren't enjoying themselves stick out, after all."
Main Pavilion
"Alright Danny, you can do this," the horned teen said, pacing around as he muttered to himself. "They're Pony's friends, and they're teens just like you... teens that have been training to be heroes earlier than in the States, have actually fought against villains AND aliens, and they have classmates that have or ARE aliens... I can't do this, I should-"
"Danny! Danny Danny Danny DANNY!"
Danny turned around and saw the face of his excited and energetic girlfriend charging at him, almost knocking him off his feet in a tackle to give him a tight hug. Her friends and classmates followed her soon after, with All Might of all people trailing behind them. They were all dressed in their hero costumes, including Pony.
"It's been so long! Oooooh, I missed squishing your face sooooo much!" Pony said, grabbing Danny's cheeks and squeezing them.
"P-Pony! Quit that!" Danny laughed, though he did the same to her. "It's so great to see you again, too-"
"Oh! Oh! Everyone!" Pony said, waving to her friends. "This is my boyfriend, Danny Quinten!"
"So this is your mythical boyfriend," Setsuna said, grinning at the boy. Danny froze, as he stared at all of them, but mostly at Hiroshi and All Might. "... Guess he's a little awestruck."
"H-Hello! I Danny Quinten!" Danny said, in very awkward Japanese. "I practicing Japanese!"
"Hi, I... Hiroshi Furinji... nice... meet... you," Hiroshi said, in equally awkward English. "I... practicing English too..."
"Seems like it's up to me to translate for you guys!" Pony said, smiling upon seeing the two trying to talk to each other. The two stared at each other for a bit, before laughing.
"I can't believe that you have All Might with you!" Danny said to her, looking at Japan's Number One Hero. "O-Oh man, I don't know what to say to him! Does he-"
"Do not worry, Young Danny! I spend quite some time in the States in my youth, so I can speak English pretty well if you ask me!" All Might said, laughing. "It is a pleasure to meet someone that one of my students is so fond of!"
"I-It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. All Might sir!" Danny said, giving All Might a bow. "Oh wait, should I be bowing? Is that-"
"It's alright, Young Danny!" All Might laughed. "Now you all enjoy yourselves, kids! Dave's gonna be showing me the sights around here himself, so be sure to make it to the reception hall later!"
"Yes sir!" the students said, as All Might and David waved them off.
"If you need help talking to the others, I can help, too. Everyone who lives on I-Island is multilingual after all," Melissa said. She stuck out her hand to shake. "I'm Melissa Shield, by the way!"
"D-Danny Quinten," Danny said, shaking her hand.
"Come on, everyone! Let's go check everything here out!" Pony said, grabbing Danny by the wrist and pulling him inside the main pavilion.
"Wow, look at all of this stuff!" Kinoko said, as they walked around inside.
"Yea! Hey check this helmet out, Hiroshi!" Setsuna said, pointing out to a helmet that reminded everyone of Hanta's. Hiroshi pulled his off and put on the other helmet, as Izuku placed another one on his as well. When they were turned on, a series of holographic videos started to appear.
"Oh, that helmet has 36 sensors and cameras to help people see more! There are a few special mini drones flying outside so that people can see all of I-Expo right now!" Melissa explained.
"I-I see too much!" Izuku said, freaking out from sensory overload.
"This is pretty useful," Hiroshi said, pressing the button and taking the helmet off. "Maybe I can get my helmet modified to use this system."
"You're not bothered by it?" Kyoka asked.
"When I'm in Hero's Inner Space, it's kinda similar to what I see with that," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "You'd be surprised by how much Hero can see in front of him thanks to his mask."
"Oh, what's that plane thing for?" Ochako asked, walking over to a strange plane-like vehicle.
"Oh, that's a multipurpose Beagle! Not only can that fly, it can move underwater!" Melissa explained.
"Whooooa!"
"This suit's got a lot of tentacles," Denki said, watching a scuba-diver like suit moving down in a glass pillar of water.
"That suit's made for deep sea exploration! It can go down to 7 thousand meters underwater!" Melissa stated.
"Dang, that's a lot!"
"You really know a lot about these inventions, don't you?" Rigel said, crossing his arms.
"Of course! This entire section of the pavilion, all of them are based on my dad's patents!" Melissa said, grinning.
"Oh my, that is quite a lot," Ibara said, looking around. "He must be very busy if he's made so many like this."
"To be able to make so many patents is a mark of true creativity and genius," Ardiana said, observing a red spherical drone that has a couple of similarities to her own projector orb.
While everyone talked and looked around, Itsuka had pulled Yui to the side.
"Alright, so while we might be down a few people to help you out, I think we can make this work," she said to her friend. "I'll pull Setsuna and Fuka away, and you can swoop in and talk to Hiroshi."
"I... I don't know," Yui said, her eyes moving to the ground. "I mean, she's already his plus one, and I feel like that means that they're-"
"Hey, Tokage, Fuka! I think I found something cool," Itsuka said, stepping away from Yui. "Come on and look at it with me!"
"Alright," Fuka said, as the two girls went towards Itsuka.
"Hey Hiroshi, let's-" Setsuna began to say, when Itsuka pulled her and Fuka by the wrists.
"Comeonlet'shurryupandseeit!" she said, giving a wink to Yui. The quiet girl gulped, and started to walk towards Hiroshi.
"Hey... Hiroshi?" Yui said, looking at him.
"Huh, what's up Kodai?" he said. Kinoko, Shihai, and Tsuyu were standing next to him as they looked at a spider-like robot that was designed to help with terrain mobility.
"Hey Kuroiro, Tsu! I think I see some mush more interesting over there!" Kinoko said, pushing the two away while giving Yui a quick subtle thumbs up.
"Wonder what that was about," Hiroshi said.
"S-So do you like my updates to my costume?" Yui asked.
"Hm? Your updates?" Hiroshi said, looking her up and down. Her updated costume had included white lines that broke up the red of her bodysuit now, with a yellow gemstone laying on her collarbone, though the most striking thing was her hat. Instead of it being a baseball cap like before, it was a visor, and a large metal fin was attached to it. "Oh! Now that I'm paying attention, you kinda look like Ultraseven-"
"Yea, when... when Hero showed us the Ultra Brothers before, I... I took a liking to how Ultraseven looked, so I based my new hat on him," Yui said, blushing a bit. "I didn't know how to do the armor without it looking bulky, so I decided to just base the white lines on Ultraman's..."
"Her admiration for Ultras is something else," Hero chuckled. "I'm sure that they would be flattered by this."
"Should've figured that you'd change your appearance to be more Ultra like, considering your hero name's Ultragirl Rule, huh?" Hiroshi laughed. "Yea, I think the updates to them are nice!"
"T-Thanks..." Yui said, shuffling her foot around. "Hey, Hiroshi, I have something else to ask you-"
"Hey, Hiroshi, come over and check this out!" Yosetsu said, waving to him. "They've got these super neat folding shields that can fit into pockets!"
"Really? That's neat, might need to think about getting something like that..." Hiroshi said, putting a thinking hand on his chin, before shaking his head. "I'll look at that later. So what is it that you wanted to ask, Kodai?"
"I... It's nothing," Yui said, backing down at the last second. "I forgot what I was going to ask."
"Oh okay, just tell me whenever you remember," Hiroshi said, walking over to see what Yosetsu wanted to show him.
Yui sighed. Another chance, missed. Meanwhile, Setsuna stared at them from a distance, while Itsuka and Fuka were busy looking at a capture tape bomb that could trap a villain in seconds. Seems like she should try and make a move if Yui's trying to confess to Hiroshi soon.
Outside the main pavilion
"So where to now?" Hiroshi said, as they looked around the area.
"I think it's a good time to get something to eat," Nirengeki suggested.
"I agree, I feel a bit hungry myself," Ibara noted.
"Oh, I know a good place to get some food!" Melissa said. "Follow me, everyone!"
"What's going on?" Danny asked.
"It's time to get something to eat!" Pony told him.
"I think we'll go check out some more of the attractions," Eijiro said, pointing to himself and Katsuki. "I wanna see what cool stuff we can do!"
"Whatever," Katsuki grumbled, as he followed Eijiro.
"We'll join you later when we're done," Fuka said, as they followed Melissa. Soon enough, they had sat down at the tables, eating and drinking while they chatted.
"So what's your Quirk, Quinten?" Izuku said, his notebook and pencil out in hand.
"What did he say?" Danny asked Pony.
"Oh, he just wants to know what your Quirk is," Pony explained. "He loves talking about Quirks and stuff!"
"That's what he wants to know?" Danny said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, my Quirk is Nature Talk. It lets me monitor and sense changes to the environment with my horns acting like antennas, and I have the ability to talk to animals to a degree."
"Whoa, really!?" Izuku said, as Pony explained Danny's Quirk. "That's incredible! That would help you find so many people that're lost in the wild, or when there's drastic weather changes to help people evacuate!"
"Really?" Danny said, rubbing the back of his head after Pony told him Izuku's compliments. "It's not really all that great. Can't help me in a fight at all, so I'm useless there. And it's not really flashy..."
"Don't say that!" Pony said, shaking her head as she told her friends. "It's so much cooler than you think!"
"Yea, my Quirk's not offensive by any means, but I'm still going to be a hero," Kyoka said, giving Danny a small smile. She pointed at Koji and said "And it's just like Koda's, since he can talk to animals, too." The rocky-headed teen nodded, confirming what she said.
"And being flashy isn't required," Itsuka said, crossing her arms. "My Quirk just makes my hands bigger."
"You... just... need confidence," Hiroshi said, as he forced himself to remember the correct words. "That's how... I learn... English right now."
Danny sat there, stunned by what Pony told him what her friends were saying. But before he could say anything else, Tenya came speeding by them.
"There you all are! I've been looking for you all!" Tenya said, coming to a stop. "Tensei and I decided to go look around separately, and I thought that I would join you all!"
"Good thing, too. We were just about finished eating here," Hiroshi said. "Do you want to get something?"
"I've already had lunch, so no," Tenya said, as his arms moved robotically.
"Okay, so I guess we should-"
"Hey, Hiroshi, can I talk to you for a second?" Setsuna said, looking at her best friend.
"Huh? Sure, what is it-"
"I want it to be private, so can we walk away from the others for a minute?"
"Alright. We'll catch up to you guys soon," Hiroshi said, as he and Setsuna walked away from the others. Itsuka and Kinoko took deep breaths, staring at the two while Yui sighed softly to herself.
"Anything wrong, Kodai?" Fuka asked.
"It's... nothing," Yui lied. Fuka raised an eyebrow, but she decided to not needle her about it. Probably had something to do with Yui's crush on Hiroshi, but it wasn't her place to confront her about it after all. If she wasn't going to do that to Setsuna, she wasn't going to do it to her. Though it seems like her best friend was about to tell him herself...
"So what you want to talk about?" Hiroshi said, putting his hands behind his head.
"Yea, well, um..." Setsuna said, biting her lip. "We've known each other for a long time, right?"
"Yea, of course! Since kindergarten," Hiroshi said, smiling. "Why?"
"You see, I uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh..." Setsuna trailed off, her mouth hanging wide as she stared behind Hiroshi, eyes wide and almost bulging out of her head. He turned around, and saw a figure that stood out from the crowd. Very literally, being that he was the tallest person there is, and very reptilian.
"Oh shit, it's-"
"GODZILLOOOOOOOOOO!" Setsuna screamed, grabbing Hiroshi by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth. Sparkles shone in her eyes as she stared at one of her favorite heroes of all time. "Ohmygodit'sactuallyGodzillohe'shereinthefleshIcan'tbelieveit-"
"Slow down, Setsuna, you're muttering faster than Midoriya!" Hiroshi laughed. "Yea, I guess it should've been expected that a guy like him would be invited to I-Expo, huh? Let's go talk to him!"
"What!? Are you kidding!? We can't just go up to talk to the Godzillo!" Setsuna said, but to her horror, Hiroshi began walking towards the giant reptilian hero.
"Hey, Mr. Godzillo!" Hiroshi said, waving to the giant pro. "Can I get an autograph?"
"Hm?" Godzillo looked down, and saw the Ultra host next to him. "Oh! You're Ultraman Hero's host, aren't you?"
"That's right," Hiroshi said, smiling, as Setsuna ran over to him. "I want to get an autograph from you for me and my friend! I got some paper and pens if you need any!"
"Hiroshiyoudon'tneedtodothisseeingGodzilloinpersonwasenoughformewecan'tpossibly-"
"Of course!" Godzillo laughed, but he pulled out a large slip of paper and a pen from his pocket. "Don't worry, I always carry my own for my fans. My hands are too big to hold normal-sized ones, after all. So, should I make this out for Hiroshi Furinji, Ultraman Hero, and your friend? Want me to include your hero names?"
"Her name's Setsuna Tokage, and her hero name's Lizardy," Hiroshi said, as Setsuna shivered in place. "And my and Hero's names are really just, well, our names but with epithets."
"Alright, here you go!" Godzillo said, handing the giant slip of paper to Hiroshi. "I've actually been wanting to talk to you, you know! Unfortunately, I'm busy right now with meeting sponsors, so we'll have to do it sometime later. How about outside at the Central Tower after the opening reception tonight? I'm too big to get into the reception hall, so I won't be attending it, unfortunately."
"Sure! Can't wait to see you there!" Hiroshi said, as he rolled it up and handed it to Setsuna, who was just standing there, slack-jawed at what she was witnessing.
"Have fun here at I-Island, you lovebirds!" Godzillo said, walking off.
"Nah, we're just best friends, but thanks!" Hiroshi said, snapping Setsuna out of her hero stupor. "So what was it you wanted to say, Setsuna?"
"It's... nothing, I forgot," she chuckled, looking to the side. "But man, I got the Godzillo's autograph! I can't believe it!"
"Yea, we gotta get that framed soon," Hiroshi said, as they walked back to their friends. Setsuna sighed, staring at the ground as she walked. Best friends. Right. That's what they are...
"Hm..."
"What is it, Hero?"
"I don't know why, but something about Mr. Godzillo seems... off to me. Not in an evil sense, but... very different from humans. I just can't tell what it is."
"Let's not worry about that for now. We still have a lot to check out here on I-Island!"
Godzillo couldn't really believe his luck. He actually got to encounter that Ultraman host almost immediately and convince him to chat with him after the reception. He was going to talk to them, and he wanted to know how they could so confidently tell the world about aliens. Maybe give him a heads up on HELPS and Deim, though the HELPS board would probably swamp him with angry messages about exposing their existence.
Regardless, things were looking up for Godzillo. He'll reveal his alien status to them, and chat about how he wants to help them usher in an era where humans and aliens can live together openly.
At the Obstacle Course
"So this is the obstacle course that you talked about, huh Kirishima?" Hiroshi said, as they looked at it. It was a straightforward one, with several targets to hit and to avoid. The course itself was a combination of rocky terrain, a flowing river and 'lake', and some shrubbery. "This doesn't look so bad."
"Yea, it's pretty great! We come across Todoroki after he did it. I didn't get that great of a time on it, though. Bakugo and Todoroki dominated it, along with all of the other attractions around here," Eijiro said, pointing to a fuming Katsuki dragging an unperturbed Shoto around to another attraction. "I think they're having a competition."
"Well, guess I should give this a go, huh?" Hiroshi said, rubbing his neck.
"Are you sure?" Ochako asked. "I mean, if your twin siblings caught you doing this-"
"It's a good thing we're all doing our own thing then. Besides, they're not the boss of me," Hiroshi muttered, as he walked into the obstacle course. "And I've fought against giant aliens and alien criminals, so running through an obstacle course for fun shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Man, I'm so tired," Hayate said, his hands behind his head.
"I know, but this is so exciting!" Mizuna said, the blue-haired girl grinning as they walked around. She had changed into her hero costume, which was a blue and seafoam green leotard, with yellow shoes and yellow gloves. "I-Island and I-Expo really does have a lot that we can do!"
"Yea..." Kana mumbled, as she checked through her phone. "Fuka and Setsuna haven't sent us anything about how Hiroshi's doing."
"You two shouldn't worry too much about him," Mizuna sighed, as she turned around to face the two. "I mean, the kid's already fighting giant aliens and alien criminals, so he can handle himself-"
"That's exactly it! He keeps getting into these situations because he has an alien inside him! If that guy was out of him, he'd be safe!" Hayate said, rubbing his right temple.
"You guys, you're being bigger helicopter parents over him than your parents are. I'm sure he's fine-"
"And coming in to try our obstacle course is the World's First Alien Hero, Hiroshi Furinji and Ultraman Hero!" an MC announced from the obstacle course, making the twins freeze in place.
"I can't believe it! We told him that he shouldn't do that!" Hayate said, as he and Kana turned around to run to the obstacle course attraction.
"Hayate, Kana, wait!" Mizuna said, running after them.
"Are you ready for this, Hero?" Hiroshi said, as Hero/Hiroshi did some stretches.
"Yep, this will be a cinch," he replied, as he waited for the countdown.
"Get ready in 3! 2! 1! GO!" Amplifier, the heroine hosting the obstacle course, said. In a flash, Hero/Hiroshi began running through the obstacle course, breaking all of the targets that he could come across. He ran up some rock spires, kicking and launching himself off of some to get to the next target.
"Wow, never thought that Hiroshi would be so nimble while being possessed by Hero," Rigel whistled, as they all watched him break target after target. Even Katsuki was there, though he mainly wanted to see if his time would be faster than Hiroshi's.
"He's probably not going to get first this way, but he's definitely going to be in the Top Ten," Fuka said, smiling.
"In this state, he's still quite capable. More than enough to handle some weaker criminals, I think," Ardiana said.
"Go Hiroshi! Go Hero! You can do it!" Pony cheered, as Danny gripped the railing, and everyone watched him go.
"What is he doing!?"
Everyone froze and saw Hayate and Kana running towards them, with Mizuna trailing behind them. Setsuna and Fuka gulped as the twins got to them.
"We told you to keep an eye on him! Why did you let him do this!?" Hayate scolded, throwing his hands into the air.
"Come on, Hayate, it's just an obstacle course," Fuka said, trying to get her oldest brother to calm down.
"You guys are overreacting, Hiroshi's fine," Setsuna said. "Look at him, he's-"
"I'm putting a stop to this, and we're not through talking," Kana said, as wind formed around her legs. "We're very disappointed in you both."
"Wait, you guys can't-"
Kana leaped into the air, propelled by a small tornado as she moved towards Hiroshi.
"M-Ma'am, what are you doing!?" Amplifier said, though her loud voice fell on deaf ears. "Ma'am, stop!"
"Alright, just one more target, and we're good!" Hiroshi said, as Hero/Hiroshi ran towards the final target, when Kana landed in front of him all of a sudden.
"You're in such big trouble, Hiroshi!" she said, crossing her arms.
"Whoa whoa whoa AAAAH!" Hero/Hiroshi cried, trying to stop himself from running into her, when he tripped and tumbled down from the rather steep rock wall.
"HIROSHI!" everyone shouted, though Katsuki opted to laugh.
Later
Hiroshi sat on the bench, arms crossed and glaring at Hayate. Kana had left to get some help for the bruises and scrapes he got, though his costume had saved him from getting hurt too badly.
"We told you that this would happen!" Hayate scolded, as he and Kana paced around in front of them. The others were standing off to the side, awkwardly watching them talk down onto Hiroshi. "You went and got yourself hurt on the obstacle course because you flubbed up!"
"I only flubbed up because Kana fucking jumped in front of me and Hero!" Hiroshi pointed out. "I was doing perfectly fine before that!"
"Don't go blame us for what we warned you about!"
"I'm not blaming you, I'm pointing out a fact! She literally leaped in front of me and we had to try and not run into her! What idiot would jump in front of someone doing an obstacle course!? You're lucky that I won't and can't press charges against my own siblings, even if they do something so monumentally stupid!"
"Hayate, seriously, he was doing alright-" Fuka began to say.
"And you! You didn't stop him! We asked you to keep an eye on him, but you let him do something dangerous!" Hayate snapped, turning around to yell at her.
"That's not fair, Hayate! You can't blame me-"
"Fuka, we trusted you and Setsuna! You really let us down today-"
"Don't yell at Fuka or Setsuna for anything! You want to yell at anyone, yell at a mirror!" Hiroshi retorted, standing up. "I'm not helpless at all!"
"Yes you are, stop convincing yourself that you can do everything now that an alien is inside you!" Hayate said, turning back to argue with Hiroshi.
"I know I can't do everything, but Quirklessness has nothing to do with helplessness! So stop insisting on that!"
"Hayate, I think we should all calm down and-" Mizuna interjected.
"I AM CALM!" Hayate said, pinching his forehead. "Hiroshi's just being stubborn! Ever since he got that alien, he's been getting himself into dangerous situation after dangerous situation!"
"Like hell you are! Mom and dad aren't as smothering as you two!" Hiroshi said. "And I'm literally training to be prepared for them in the first place, like you were!"
"But I have a Quirk! I'm looking out for you! You got hurt, and we're just-"
"Like I said already, I only got hurt because of you two!"
"Hey, I got someone here to help," Kana said, as a man dressed in a medical-themed hero costume followed her. "His Quirk helps heal people, but only if he's touching them for 5 minutes."
"Wait, I thought you were getting some antiseptic and bandages!" Hiroshi said, as he started backing away. "I don't need a healing Quirk for some scrapes and bruises. It's only going to-"
"Hiroshi, come on, just let the guy help you!" Hayate said, grabbing Hiroshi by the shoulders.
"Don't you two remember what I've told you!? About how Quirks don't-"
"Seriously, stop resisting getting help!"
"Hayate, Kana, wait-!" Fuka said, as she and Setsuna grabbed the two and pulled them away. But it was too late. The medical hero had touched Hiroshi's shoulder, activating his Quirk. Hiroshi screeched in pain, grabbing the man by the wrists, and shoving him away.
"Oh my, are you alright?" the man asked, confused by the reaction. "That's never happened before-"
"No I'M FUCKING NOT!"
"Hiroshi, stop overreacting and-" Kana growled.
"QUIRKS DON'T FUCKING WORK ON ME THE SAME WAY! TOUCH-BASED QURIKS LIKE HEALING ONES ONLY FUCKING HURT LIKE HELL!" Hiroshi screamed, making Hayate and Kana flinch in surprise. "DON'T YOU GUYS LISTEN TO ME!?"
"W-Wait, since when-"
"I've told you two and our parents about this the second we found out about it! God, fuck, OW!" Hiroshi said, rubbing his shoulder where the man touched him. It was horribly sore now. He stared at them, completely betrayed by the confirmation of his fears. "Because I'm Hero's host, it means that Quirks react differently for us! How could you not remember something important like that!?"
"S-See, this is why you shouldn't have that alien in you, he's-" Kana began to justify.
"IT'S NOT HERO'S FAULT THAT YOU'RE SHITTY SIBLINGS! GOD, THIS IS WHY I'M SO GLAD THAT WE'RE NOT LIVING TOGETHER ANYMORE!" Hiroshi yelled, making everyone freeze.
"W-What are you saying?" Kana said, softly. She struggled to hold back tears, caught off guard by the outburst.
"Y-Yea, I thought we were-" Hayate said, shocked at his brother's words.
"I'm so glad that I'm finally away from you two! You never listen to me! You never respect me! You only think about how I'm helpless 'cuz I'm Quirkless! God, I thought the smothering would've ended when you two moved out first, but no! I had to literally go live at UA so that you two would stop!" Hiroshi ranted, throwing his hands up into the air. "I know you two think that you know what's best for me and that you're looking out for me, but I'M NOT HELPLESS! I've done so much shit in these past few months, but you never respected any of my achievements! You're never listen and forget actual important information! Like how QUIRKS REACT DIFFERENTLY TO ME!"
"I- I-" Hayate stuttered.
"Hiroshi, we-" Kana began to say.
"SAVE IT! I'm going back to my hotel room and sleep off this giant migraine and body aches I have now," Hiroshi grumbled, stomping away. "When you see me at the reception, don't bother me."
As Hiroshi walked away from them, everyone stared at Hayate and Kana, who stood there, frozen from what he said.
"Iiii think I'm going to go," the medical hero said, pointing away from them with his thumb as he backed away. "Seems like you guys have a lot of personal stuff on your plate right now..."
"... He's overreacting, we're not-"
"Are you kidding me!?" Fuka said, aghast at Hayate and Kana. The two were taken aback by their sister's own reaction. "He's totally right about everything! You guys didn't remember something as important as his reactivity to certain Quirks!? How could you both be so stupid enough to forget that!?"
"Seriously, not cool, you two," Setsuna said, narrowing her eyes at them. "I can't believe we've let you two tell us to baby Hiroshi for so long! He's never been helpless, you know!"
"Yea, Hiroshi's one of the toughest people I know!" Eijiro said. "He's never backed down in the face of danger!"
"He might not be the strongest or fastest physically, but he's one of the smartest and cleverest of our entire class!" Ochako said, with Pony nodding in agreement.
"Hiroshi is a much more capable person than you two seem to think," Shihai noted.
"He tries a lot harder than some pros!" Pony huffed.
"He and Hero are the best match I've ever seen," Kyoka said, calmly, though by no means less frustrated. All of the Hero Course students (sans Katsuki) began to talk about Hiroshi and how he's been doing in UA ever since he enrolled, until Fuka stopped them all by raising her hand.
"I think you two need some time to think about things," Fuka sighed, shaking her head. "Come on, guys, let's go somewhere else..."
As the UA First Years left the two wind pro heroes, Hayate turned to Mizuna. "Mizuna, tell me I'm not-"
"Honestly, from what I've seen, it's pretty true," Mizuna said, rubbing the back of her head. "Your little sister's right, I think you two need some time and space to think about how you've been treating your little brother. I'll... I'll be going to the pavilion to look at some things. I'll see you at the hotel and reception later."
Mizuna turned and started to walk away, leaving the two oldest Furinji kids there alone. Kana walked over to the bench that Hiroshi had been sitting on moments ago, and buried her face into her hands, while Hayate just spaced out, unable to process about how everything spiraled out of control.
I-Island Academy
"So this is your personal lab, Melissa?" Ardiana said. The group had decided to go and visit Melissa's school to stave off the awkwardness that lingered with after what happened. For Pony and Danny, they decided to go walk around I-Expo some more by themselves as a date. "It is a very organized."
"Yea, this is a pretty nice one," Rigel said, examining some of the books she had out. "Much nicer than the one I started with on Planet Mintaka."
"Really? It's a little messy, I think," Melissa said. "Besides, mine's not anything special, every third year student in I-Island Academy gets their own personal lab to study in."
"If a small pile of books on a table is messy, then Kaminari's room is a disaster zone," Kyoka snarked, looking at the electric teen.
"Was that necessary, Jiro!?"
"It's still really incredible that you get to have your own lab," Izuku said, looking around when his eyes settled on the awards that rested on the top of a shelf. "You must be really talented to get all of those awards..."
"Actually I can get some pretty poor grades," Melissa chuckled, opening a closet and looking through some bins she had. "I just study really hard and work really hard. I want to be like my dad, after all. I want to be someone who can support others with technology and science. It's just like what Hiroshi says, after all. Just because I'm Quirkless, doesn't mean that I'm helpless. I do what I can to help others, and if it means that I can provide those who can with technology and gear, then I'm happy with that."
Everyone took a glance at each other, knowing that Hiroshi's explosive episode with his siblings must've touched a big nerve with Melissa.
"Got it!" Melissa said, walking out of the closet with a box in her hands. She opened it, revealing a red wristband. "Hey, Midoriya, take your gloves off and pull up your sleeve."
"O-okay," Izuku said, obeying Melissa's instructions as she put the wristband around his hand. "What is it?"
"Press this plate, and find out," Melissa said. When Izuku pressed on the wristband, it stretched and expanded, wrapping around his arm until it appeared to be wrapping for a boxing glove. "I call it the Full Gauntlet! I based it after watching footage of Uncle Might's fights, and it's supposed to let you use your full power up to three times."
"Really!? That's incredible!" Izuku said, as he felt the Full Gauntlet on his arm. It reminded him of Hiroshi's Hero Hand in a way.
"I want you to use it," she added, smiling at him.
"Really? But if you made it after watching All Might's fights, you must've made it for him-"
"I did, but after what we found out, I think it's more than enough suited for you now," she explained. "And I'd rather see it get used, anyways. After all, it means that all the effort I put into it was worth it."
"... Thank you, thank you so much!" Izuku said, as his right hand tightened into a fist.
Tenya checked the time on his phone, and looked at everyone. "Everyone, the reception is in an hour! Let's get back to our hotel rooms and get ready!"
"I'll send a message to the others who aren't here about it," Fuka said, pulling out her phone and started to text. "Let's try and get there as soon as possible."
Gate 66
"Alright, seems like we got everything," the redhaired man said, as he and his men quickly checked the supplies that Samuel had given them. "This will be a cinch, alien or no alien-"
"So you're the mercenaries that he hired."
The group of mercenaries froze when they heard the voice, and looked around for the source. A shadow formed behind the redhaired man, and the alien known as Virus stepped off. "You all are quite interesting, especially you, Mr. Wolfram."
"S-Shit! I knew we shouldn't have taken this job!" one of the men said, cowering at the alien's presence. The redhaired man, Wolfram, however, kept his cool.
"And you're the alien that was trying to hustle us out of a job, huh? What do you want with us?"
"Easy there, I have no intention of interfering with you directly. I was just thinking. With me being a far more superior being than you are, I have far too big of an advantage. So I thought I'd be a good sport and give you something to help even things out," Virus said. He pulled out a strange orangish-red stone shard from his trench coat, and handed it to Wolfram. "This thing here has the power of a strong alien, legendary even. Just jab that into your body when things seem to get worse, and let it the magic course through you."
"Hmph, I doubt that will come to pass," Wolfram said, though he pocketed the stone shard regardless. "Me and my guys rarely fail a job."
"Oh, you'll be surprised by how things can spiral out of control with us aliens around," Virus laughed, as he stepped backwards onto the wall. "See you tonight, Mr. Wolfram."
Nighttime, I-Island Central Tower
"Where is everyone!?" Tenya complained, checking his watch. The bespectacled teen was dressed in a blue suit, white dress shirt, and yellow tie. "We're going to be 10 minutes late at this rate!"
"Don't worry, Tenya, they're probably heading over here already," Tensei chuckled. Unlike his brother, he was dressed in his hero costume. "I'm going to go ahead and go to the reception, since some sponsors want to talk to me. Catch you there soon."
As Tensei left, Shoto came walking in, dressed in a white suit, blue dress shirt, and red tie, with Burnin' following him.
"I'm going to wait for the others, Burnin'," Shoto said, as he went to stand next to Tenya.
"Alright, I'll catch you there, Todoroki!" Burnin' said, going into the elevator.
"Sorry that we're late!" Kinoko said, walking into the lobby with Itsuka, Yui, and Reiko. She was dressed in a puffy frilly dress that gave her the appearance of being dressed like a mushroom, while Itsuka wore a simple teal dress that ended at the knees. Yui was in a red strapless dress and red heels, while Reiko was dressed in a purple dress with a short-sleeved white jacket around her shoulders.
"We're here!" Denki announced, as he, Minoru, Shihai, Rigel, and Ardiana came into the lobby. Denki was dressed in a yellow suit, blue dress shirt, and yellow tie, while Minoru was dressed in a purple suit with a white dress shirt and yellow bowtie, Shihai dressed in all black (from his jacket to his shoes), and Rigel was dressed in a black suit with a white dress shirt, though no tie, and his battle suit's belt was around his waist. Ardiana was 'wearing' a yellow dress with a big black leather belt around her stomach, and a rose in her hair. Saiphza trotted in, sporting a black bowtie that Setsuna gave him.
"Thank goodness we managed to get here," Momo said, rubbing the back of her head as she, Kyoka, Tsuyu, and Ochako made it. She was dressed in a simple pale green dress, while Kyoka was dressed in a pink and blue dress with gray stockings, pink shoes, a black jacket, fingerless gloves, and a flower in her hair. Tsuyu wore a lime green dress with a yellow flower decoration at her collarbone and green heels, and Ochako wore a pink dress that exposed her shoulders, black stockings, and red heels, with a hairclip with a white rose and black bow on it. They were soon followed by Yosetsu, Nirengeki, Koji, and Ibara. Yosetsu wore a burgundy suit with a yellow tie, Nirengeki a light blue suit with a red tie, Koji a yellow suit and red tie, and Ibara was dressed in a white dress similar to her hero costume.
"Wow, everyone's looking great!" Setsuna said, as she, Izuku, Fuka, Pony, Danny, and Hiroshi walked in. Setsuna wore a dark green sleeveless top with a matching long skirt that exposed a bit of her stomach, yellow heels, and had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Izuku was dressed in a red pinstripe suit with a yellow dress shirt, a black bowtie, and his favorite red shoes. Fuka was dressed in a pastel pink dress with her hair in a braid, yellow heels, and gray gloves. Pony was dressed in a red and blue dress that stopped at the knees, white stockings, and her hair in a side ponytail. Danny was dressed in a black suit, red tie, and black dress shoes. Hiroshi, on the other hand-
"Dude, why are you still wearing your hero costume?" Kyoka asked, pointing at him with her earlobes.
"Well, they told me that since I'm the World's First Alien Hero, that I was allowed to wear my hero costume to the opening reception like the pros," Hiroshi explained. He flipped his helmet's faceplate up, revealing the bags underneath his eyes. "Also, I still feel like complete shit after falling off the obstacle course and getting hit with that healing Quirk. I'm not in the mood to change out of my hero costume. And the helmet helps hide my face."
"Gotcha," Kyoka said, nodding.
"So we're just waiting for Melissa, Bakugo, and Kirishima now, huh?" Fuka said, doing a quick head count.
"That's weird, I swore that Bakugo and Kirishima left earlier to get here..." Rigel said, crossing his arms.
"Indeed! But we are going to be 20 minutes late at this rate! What is the point of a meeting time if we don't meet at it!?" Tenya said, swinging his arms around robotically in frustration, when Melissa came in. She wore a blue dress with a white rose decoration on her waist, her hair tied up in a ponytail, contacts instead of glasses, and lipstick.
"Sorry I'm late! Thought I had a little more time while I was getting ready," she said, chuckling a bit at herself.
"Relax, Iida, what's the worst that can happen in 20 minutes?" Setsuna said, rolling her eyes.
Central Tower, Security Room
"Alright Wolfram, it under our control now," a gray blond man with goggles said, as he stood at the computer with a communicator pressed to his ear. "Those codes our client gave us worked like a charm. I'm in the process of shutting everything down."
"Excellent," Wolfram answered. "Everyone get ready. It's showtime."
Outside, at the back entrance of the Central Tower
"So this is the place you're going to break into," Masocre said, as he looked the tower up and down. Virus closed the portal that they had gone through, and he turned to face him. "And my job's to just run around in town, breaking everything I can?"
"Yes, that's the idea! You distract everyone out there by having fun, while I go in and steal that device like a human! Plus, here's some insurance for you in case you want to go even more wild," Virus said, handing Masocre a remote. "That remote will allow you to summon some Valis Raiders to assist you in your rampage."
"Hm, this is seeming like a funner job than I thought it'd be," Masocre chuckled, popping his neck. "Just go nuts and destroy as many things as possible? And being paid for it? I'm glad that you came to me!"
"Excellent news!" Virus said, as he grabbed the sliding door entrance, and pried it open, walking inside. "I expect some destruction, Mr. Sado!"
"Of course!" Masocre laughed, popping his neck. "Now then, it's showtime!"
Reception Hall
"Hahaha! It's a pleasure to see you two again!" All Might said, walking towards Hayate and Kana. "So how has your day been?"
"Oh, it's been... it's been fine, All Might, sir," Hayate mumbled, looking to the ground.
"Yea, we've... we've had some fun..." Kana added, biting her lip.
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
"Nothing, it's... our little brother keeps saying he doesn't need our help, but that's not true, you know?" Hayate sighed, shaking his head.
"Yea, we've always taken care of him 'cuz he was Quirkless, but since he has that alien in him now, he acts like he's always been tough," Kana said. "But he's Quirkless, so he can't defend himself like us."
All Might sighed. He had a feeling that might've been the case. He saw how they interacted at the airport, and from what he could tell, Hiroshi was uncomfortable with how they were treating them.
"I can't say that I don't understand where you are coming from. Indeed, there are just some things that Quirkless people can't do ordinarily," All Might said. "But your brother has been far from helpless. He's proven himself to be willing to step up to the plate of heroism, more so than some pros I've met over my long career. Even without Hero, he's kept up with his classmates. What he lacks in power, he makes up for resourcefulness. I genuinely think that without Hero, he could've become a fine hero. After all, some pros have Quirks that aren't 'suitable' for combat, yet that doesn't stop them."
Hayate and Kana stared at each other upon hearing that. It was true, they've met a number of pros who didn't have combative Quirks like theirs, but they compensated in other fields like martial arts, search and rescue, and much more.
"Man... we really haven't been listening to Hiroshi, huh?" Hayate said. "I know he told us to leave him alone when he's here, but we should apologize to him."
"I guess we should've been better listeners..." Kana mumbled.
"Thank goodness you two are starting to understand your little brother."
Hayate and Kana turned around and saw their parents walking towards them with Mizuna.
"Mizuna told us about what happened earlier today," Mrs. Furinji said, sighing. "I appreciate that you two have Hiroshi's best interests in mind, but quite frankly, there have been too many times where you take it too far."
"Your little brother is much more like you than you think," Mr. Furinji said, chuckling a bit. "He'll always move forward to do what he thinks will be good for others."
"Hopefully he'll come around enough to listen to your apology," Mizuna said, when one of the sponsors came to the stage and spoke into the mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the opening reception for I-Expo," he said, as everyone turned to face him. "As we have a very special guest, I think it is appropriate to let him have a few words and lead us into a toast. Come onto the stage, Japan's Number One Hero, All Might!"
"Hm? Me?" All Might said, as everyone in the reception hall clapped. "Dave, you didn't tell me anything about that."
"Well, it was bound to happen when the sponsors found out that you were coming here, All Might," Dave chuckled. "I didn't think you of all people would get stage fright."
"Less stage fright, more caught off guard," All Might said, though he laughed. "Guess I'll just improvise like any great hero would!"
"That's it, I'm calling Kirishima," Tenya grumbled, pulling out his phone and dialing Eijiro's number. A phone rang, and Rigel pulled it out, as everyone stared at him.
"Hello?" he said.
"What the-!? Why do you have Kirishima's phone!?" Tenya said, hanging up.
"Oh right, I saw that he forgot his phone on the table in our hotel room, so I was going to give it to him here," Rigel said. "Hopefully he and Bakugo didn't get lost."
"Are you sure this is the way to the reception hall?" Katsuki asked, narrowing his eyes at Eijiro. They were in a green hallway with no indication of the reception hall being near them.
"Yea, I'm sure! I think..." Eijiro said, sweating a bit. "Sure wish I didn't leave my phone behind... I'm pretty sure that they said that the reception hall is on the 200th floor..."
"If that's the case, then why the fuck are we taking the stairs and shit!?"
"I thought you'd like the exercise."
"Tch, fair enough. It's going to take more than stairs and hallways to beat me, anyways."
"Hello, everyone! As you can tell, I'm All Might!" All Might stated. People clapped as he stood on the stage. "I'm not much for formal talk, so-"
All of a sudden, the screen behind him turned red with an emergency warning on it, and the security system went off.
"This is an announcement by the I-Island security system. We have received a report from the security system that an explosive device was placed in the I-Expo area. I-Island will now be in high alert mode."
"What!?" All Might said, as the people around began to murmur and panic.
"Sam, what's going on!?" David whispered, turning to his assistant.
"Someone planted a bomb at I-Expo!?" Hanta said, as he, Rikido, Neito, Hiryu, Jurota, Togaru, and Sen ate at a diner. The rest of the UA hero students had just arrived at I-Island, and decided to split up to look around. The TV nearby had played the emergency warning, as the patrons stared in shock.
"Residents and tourists should return to their homes or lodgings. Those that have come a long way should go and wait at the nearest evacuation center."
"How the hell did anyone even get the materials through the airport!?" Sen said, as they stood up to obey the emergency warning.
"I don't know, but this must be serious if I-Island's making a warning about it," Rikido said, as they walked out (but not without paying for the food they had eaten).
"Anyone still outside ten minutes from now may be arrested without warning. Please refrain from going outdoors."
"Do you think everything will be okay?" Mina said, as she, Toru, Juzo, Fumikage, Mezo, Manga, Tetsutetsu, Kosei, Yuga, and Mashirao walked to their hotel. The storefronts began to shutter, and robots started to patrol the area, herding people to the sidewalks.
"As long as we obey their directions, it should be alright-" Mezo said, when they heard an explosion down the street. They looked at the source, and saw someone grabbing the security robots and throwing them around. People screamed as they ran away, and the person began to walk down the street towards them. He had black skin with skeletal-like armor, yellow cybernetic parts, blue eyes, and a large cannon on his right arm, which he began firing at random.
"Alright, boys, let's get to it! Yeehahahaha!" the villain said, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. A dark blue portal opened, and humanoid robots came marching out of it. Robots that Kosei was familiar with.
"Valis Raiders!?"
Godzillo watched as a smoke cloud formed several blocks away from the special large villa that was prepared for him. This wasn't good. Somehow, villains have gotten into I-Island. Most of the pro heroes were at the opening reception, so there was little chance that they could be out there helping right away.
"Looks like it's up to me..." Godzillo muttered, as he began running towards the source of the explosion. "But why do I have a feeling that it's more than just a bomb?"
"In addition, most of the main buildings will be sealed off by the security system. Please remain calm. I repeat-"
"What's going on!?" Minoru cried, as everyone in the Central Tower lobby stared at the windows shuttering with protective steel blinds.
"How could a bomb be placed on I-Island?" Kinoko muttered, horrified at the idea. "It's like, one of the safest places ever!"
"I can't get any signal on my phone now," Tenya said, as he checked his phone again. "No wi-fi, either..."
"The elevators are out, too," Kyoka said, as she, Fuka, Momo, and Ochako pressed some of the elevator buttons. Pony was busy translating what everyone was saying to Danny, who was getting nervous about the whole thing.
"That's suspicious," Hiroshi said, crossing his arms. "If something as big as a bomb threat puts I-Island on high alert, why wouldn't they make sure that we'd be able to get reports?"
"Not to mention the fact that we're on high alert..." Melissa said, pacing around a bit. "There's no way that security would be on high alert just because they found something explosive..."
"I think we should go to the reception hall," Izuku said, turning to Hiroshi and Tenya. "We should check in with All Might, since the pros should be on the case."
"We can take the emergency stairs to get there," Melissa answered, pointing to a nearby door. "Follow me."
The group of teens walked into the emergency stairs entrance, and started to climb them, when Hero noticed something.
"Hiroshi! I'm sensing an alien!"
"What!? An alien's here!?" Hiroshi said, catching everyone's attention. "Where!?"
"I don't know... the alien presence I'm sensing is just a little out of range. I can't tell exactly where it is besides him being several floors above us. Or if there's more than just the one."
"This is bad... the Central Tower has a vault of gear that they've stored over the years, they might be aiming to get to that!" Melissa said, biting her thumbnail as Hiroshi relayed Hero's information. "And it's not only gear meant to help with Quirk usage, either!"
"Does this mean that aliens have hacked the security system to distract everyone?" Momo gasped.
"If that's the case, we have to tell All Might!" Izuku said, as he stormed upstairs.
"Wait, let's figure out a way to observe the reception hall from a distance," Hiroshi said, stopping him. "There's a chance that something's happening in there too. Like I doubt that aliens would get in and not make sure that the pros weren't incapacitated in some way. Aliens might be super strong, but even they would still have a lot of trouble dealing with dozens of pros. Especially with someone like All Might."
"There's a glass ceiling over the reception hall, so it'll be possible to look in from above," Melissa confirmed.
"Good. And I think I have an idea on how to communicate to him and the other pros there," Hiroshi said, tapping on the side of his helmet. As they made it up the stairs once again, Pony touched Danny's shoulder gently.
"Are you alright, Danny?" she asked, looking at the shy boy. "I know this is really scary, but everyone here and me are going to protect you with everything we got, alright?"
"I-I know," Danny replied, wiping the sweat of his brow. "I-I'm just out of my element..."
"Of course. Just stick with me, and we'll be fine," she said, smiling. "We'll get through this together."
"Hm, I think that Mr. Ultraman sensed me," Virus said to himself, glancing down to the floor below him. "I suppose this is going to be a three-way race now. Though it's not like they know about the real goal here... Good enough for me. Makes it more entertaining. And I can probably break that girl's heart about her father... How exciting!"
He stepped through the hallways, hands behind his back. "I hope Mr. Wolfram and his mercenaries are having a fun time!"
The doors to the reception hall opened, and men dressed in military gear stormed in, rifles pointed out as they herded the frightened people. A redhaired man wearing a metal mask and rusty red facepaint walked in, pistol in hand.
"Nobody move," the redhaired man said, sneering. "Because as of right now, everyone here on I-Island, are our hostages."
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- Since Hiroshi's relationship with the twins hasn't been at the forefront, I thought it would be a good time to focus on it for the I-Island story. We only ever seen it in the past or in understated moments, but I figured that with each increasing giant alien/alien criminal attack, that their worry would grow worse and worse. I'll admit, I wish I had done more in past chapters to establish this more, but since the twins were never really involved, I never really got the chance to. Oh well. I really hope this doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere. That, and that the twins, while they do care about Hiroshi, do it in the wrong way.
- In the next chapter, I'm going to be typing all-English dialogue, including in BUAH!, to be in brackets instead of underlining and italicizing them. It'll only be for when it's entirely/mostly English, so "[it would be something like this]" instead of "something like this, where the punctuation isn't italicized or underlined." It's because it's getting really frustrating for me to deal with. When I eventually go back to edit past chapters to clean them up, I'll be retroactively changing it to that format. But when it's only a few words in English, I'll still be underlining and italicizing them, "so it would look like this," and it'll be the same if it's a Japanese word/phrase being used in mostly English dialogue. It's a pain trying to figure out and remember how I decided to indicate calls, English dialogue, and whatnot with just bolding, underlining, and italicizing, and I've held off on the possibility of using brackets and the like for too long (All Might's lines to Danny was the final straw). I'll be doing something similar for other languages (if that happens) in the future when that comes. This chapter is only using the old way so that I can warn people that it's going to change for the next chapter. Especially since English-speaking characters have been making more appearances.
- I hope that I was clear in past chapters that Hiroshi was never getting healed by Recovery Girl using her Quirk on him. Like all he's been getting is basic bedrest, since he never really retains an actual injury. Though I think there might be one or two moments that makes it seem like he was healed by her.
- Why didn't Virus give Wolfram a Despair Core? Maybe he has some ideas for what to do with the last two, or maybe he wants to see how a Devil Splinter untouched by his power works on a human. It's a combination of both, actually. As for the out-of-story reason, I just wanted to use the Devil Splinter itself since I've yet to actually do so.