Chapter 31: America, Fuck Yeah!

Summary:

The I-Expo begins. I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen here...

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"It's so nice to finally meet you in person, Professor Shield," Izuku said with a bow.

David chuckled, "Izuku-kun, come on. At this point, you're more than welcome to call me David, or just Dave."

There was a pause, and Izuku said, "I'm sorry, Professor Shield, I'm physically incapable of doing that right now."

David shook his head, "No problem, then." He then noticed the small face shyly peeking out from behind the boy. "Oh wow, Eri-chan! You're here too? I'm so happy you could come!"

Eri blinked, "H-hello, Grandpa David…" she said carefully, having spoken to him over video calls, but not seeing him in person.

Luckily, none of his girlfriends' parents freaked out too much about Eri. It helped that the steps went from, "My boyfriend saved this abused little girl from a villain" to "Izuku and his mom are taking care of this little girl now" to "Eri called Izuku Papa and me Mama".

By the time they got to the last step, they were too invested in Eri to protest.

"You don't need to worry, young Eri," All Might said. "Dave's one of the sweetest guys I've ever met!" he clapped his old friend on the shoulder. A guilty look flashed over David's face for a second.

All Might had shed his muscle form, but Izuku was still getting used to his new "true form". After the shocking reveal of skeleton Might and spending a year as his apprentice, he was getting used to All Might now looking like a somewhat normally muscled middle-aged man. The white sclera especially were weird.

Eri, for her part, rushed up to David, hugged his leg very quickly, and ran right back to her place behind Izuku.

David laughed softly at that, "Thank you Eri-chan! You're being very brave!"

Izuku couldn't see Eri's face, but he could practically feel her smiling.

"Say, Dad, where's Sam? He's usually nearby and he's probably not filled in on Uncle Might's condition…" Melissa asked.

David's guilty look resurfaced, "I'm afraid I had to let Sam go. He's been banned from I-Island."

Melissa gasped, "What? But he's been your assistant for years! Why?"

David sighed, "Well, it's time to face the music. Unfortunately, I don't think Eri-chan should be here for this conversation."

"Understandable," Izuku said, as he began to lead Eri out.

David seemed torn, before saying, "You're Toshi's son, and you're dating my daughter. You deserve to know the full story, Izuku-kun."

Izuku was taken aback, but Inko nodded, "Of course. Come on Eri, we'll have to leave them be for a little while."

"Thank you, Inko-san," David said, relieved. When they left, David sat in a chair and ran a hand through his hair, tired. "I was planning on doing something really stupid."

Izuku balked, "How?! You're one of the smartest men in the world! You have a Nobel Prize!"

"You should listen to what other Nobel Prize winners have said and done over the years. Believe me, sometimes it takes a smart person to do stupid things," David said. "So, before Toshi told me about One for All, I was driven to do something about his injury, and his seemingly weakening Quirk. I created a Quirk Amplification Device, a machine that could enhance a person's Quirk without affecting their physical body. Specifically, neutralizing any side effects present in drugs like Trigger…"

"Wait, you managed to create a functional Starlin ring?!" Melissa said, shocked.

Izuku sputtered, "What?! I thought that was just a thought experiment!"

"As well as a cautionary tale," All Might said, frowning.

David slumped further at that, "Yes. I wasn't the only one who thought so. The board made me shelve it. Too much potential for destruction if placed in the wrong hands. Of course, I was convinced that it was worth the risk if All Might could keep going…"

All Might sighed, "Mirai never took your offers to meet, but damn if you didn't end up with similar outlooks."

"Again, this is a mistake I made. And I almost made another," David said. "See, after the board made the decision, I was trying to think of a way to get it into your hands. Sam had an idea and, desperately, I latched onto it. Hire actors, stage a villainous takeover of the island, and have them 'steal' the device."

The three of them reacted wildly. Izuku's face was drained of all color as his jaw dropped. Melissa brought her hands to her mouth as she began to shed horrified tears. All Might temporarily swelled up into his muscle form before reverting, trying to keep calm through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed in fury.

"Yeah, that's about what I deserve," David said, surrendering himself.

"How could you even THINK of doing something like that?!" Melissa cried out. "Even if you somehow succeeded, did you think they wouldn't find out? That you wouldn't be made a villain for it?!"

"I wasn't thinking straight, Melissa," David admitted. "I just wanted to help your Uncle Might."

"You think I would approve of such a course of action?!" All Might growled, shaking his head. "That I would want something like that done in my name?! Even if you managed to give me the device, I would have refused! It would too easily fall into villainous hands. I thought you'd known me well enough to understand that!"

"I was just trying to support you, the way I always have!" David said. "And you hadn't told me about One for All. I was operating with an incomplete understanding of the situation."

It seemed like All Might and Melissa were about to shout again, but Izuku interrupted, "Professor… David-san," Izuku said. "You said this was Sam's idea, you just went along with it. And that you fired him. We'd know if this was what already occurred. What actually happened?"

David sighed in relief, "Well, simply put, you happened, Izuku-kun. Toshi called to tell me about you. Didn't even reveal One for All, he just told me he was raising a successor and wanted help. Said that he was going to retire, but it was fine, because he knew for a fact he was putting the future in good hands. And when we hung up, I realized what a stupid idea this whole thing was. And when he revealed One for All to me a few days later, I felt like even more of a fool for creating the device. So, I scrapped the plan."

Izuku blushed at the revelation, and both All Might and Melissa looked relieved. Still angry, but less so.

"Sam didn't seem pleased. Tried to convince me to reconsider. After I gave him a hard no, I decided to monitor the situation. Turns out he didn't care about helping out All Might. He was hoping to steal the device and get a payday for it," David shook his head. "I managed to monitor the call. Turns out the 'actors' he was hiring were an actual villainous mercenary group. Once I had the proof, I had to turn him in. I couldn't risk him going through with that scheme."

Melissa radiated betrayal. The idea that Sam, someone she'd known and trusted for years, could bring actual villains into her home just so he could get rich was sickening. The only thing that made it worse was the fact that her father almost went along with such a scheme. Sensing that turmoil, Izuku walked up to her and took her hand in his. She squeezed tightly.

All Might looked between the teens and his old friend, before sighing and saying, "Well, I suppose that if I wasn't so secretive, you wouldn't have been tempted to do any of this. At least you came to your senses before anyone got hurt."

David almost collapsed from relief, but managed to steady himself.

"Well, this is supposed to be a celebratory event, is it not?" All Might smiled. "Although, what about that group of mercenaries?"

David gave a smile of his own, "I've taken precautions…"

Wolfram grinned as he and his men entered the airport. Everything was going according to plan.

At first, he was worried. That Shield guy had canceled their original deal, telling them they'd still be paid after the Expo for their trouble, but to forget the job. It would have been a great deal if they were actually actors and had intended to complete the job as Shield intended. Too bad for him that the device he wanted taken was way too valuable and had a number of potential buyers. Hell, he had one potential buyer give him an extremely useful down payment just to help Wolfram fuck with All Might.

Luckily, the guy's assistant was willing to go behind his boss's back in the hopes of a payday. Not that Wolfram intended to actually pay up. Still, it gave them the ability to infiltrate the Expo and get their prize. He and his crew went through the airport security, ready to be cleared by the system…

And then, all hell broke loose.

The security bots went wild, shouting about unauthorized individuals being there. Their images were being displayed everywhere as wanted criminals. Alerts were sounded.

As he and his men tried to retreat, the security bots attacked, driving them back, restraining them one by one. Thankfully, Wolfram's Quirk allowed him to drive the metallic protectors back, throwing them about as he made his retreat. All he needed to do was get on one of those planes, hijack it, and make it to a safe harbor before anyone could-

His plans were interrupted as he ran headfirst into a solid wall of muscle. He was knocked to the floor, staring up at one of the world's greatest Heroes, in a flag-themed costume, tufts of blonde hair framing a smiling face.

"You know, I wasn't going to come here today. I had something scheduled. But after Mr. Shield himself requested me, I couldn't refuse. I'm certain that my master and his new disciple could handle you, but they can rest easy. Because I am here !"

And with that, the Hero struck, and Wolfram saw only stars.

After the discussion with David ended, All Might took Inko and Eri to the Expo. Eri's Rewinding hadn't changed the fact that he no longer had One for All, but with his body no longer gruesomely injured, he was much more proficient at using the embers he had left. If he wasn't fighting, he could stay in his muscled form for much longer.

"What about Eri?" Izuku asked. "Shouldn't I be there if there's an accident?"

"We'll contact you if you're needed," All Might said. "Besides, worst case scenario, I could certainly stand to lose another decade!"

Inko swatted him when he said that.

Before Izuku could comment any further, Melissa interrupted by shouting, "Come with me, Izuku!" and began to drag him further into the building.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Izuku asked as Melissa practically skipped to her workshop.

"Well, I've had ideas for gear ever since I learned you could only safely handle a portion of One for All," Melissa said. "I've been working on prototypes for a while, but as we learned about your additional Quirks and how they work, I've been hesitant to add it to your kit just yet. But now…"

She opened the doors to show a lab that looked fairly clean compared to the support labs at U.A. Then again, its primary occupant hadn't been there in months.

She went to the 3-D printer that had been activated recently, "Right on time!" she said as she held out two red strips of fabric. She went to Izuku and wrapped them around his wrists.

Trusting her implicitly, Izuku watched as the fabric snaked out of Melissa's hands and coiled around his arms. He let out a start of surprise until they settled into red sleeves covering his forearms and elbows.

"These use proprietary textiles that can't be replicated elsewhere, except by certain Quirks…" Melissa said with a knowing wink. Having Momo around made scarcity a thing of the past. "Now, based on all our data, these will let you use an additional ten percent of One for All to your punches and elbow strikes without damaging you. Any more than that, and the risk of hurting yourself increases, but by less than if you were to use your previous compression sleeves and far less than with your bare hands. I call them the Ultimate Gauntlets!"

Izuku looked shocked, and pleased that she named them after his hero epithet, "Wow! That's amazing! I'm already up to thirty percent, that should cover everything I might face…" He thinks about that statement for a second, and amends it to, "Actually, no. I shouldn't trust that, with how everything's been going so far."

"Yup, I figured you'd probably wind up in a situation requiring one hundred percent, possibly more if we add Fa Jin to the mix. Part of the problem was trying to come up with a design that didn't disintegrate at your full power. That's why I focused on a self-repairing mechanism," Melissa added. "It decreased the maximum output you could add, but given you'd inevitably go past the threshold, it didn't make sense to prioritize that."

"Really wish I could argue that point," Izuku said sheepishly.

"Well, there's one last thing I just added," Melissa said. "Make a finger gun like so," she gestured with her middle and index finger. When Izuku did, a long, stiff length of fabric erupted from his knuckles. "You can adjust them like so," she said, gesturing with her fingers. As Izuku repeated the motions, the fabric lengthened and shortened at his disclosure.

"Wow, this seems stiff and dense enough to possibly act as a bludgeon, or perhaps something like Aizawa-sensei's capture tape…" Izuku thought, until he noticed the miniscule grooves along the fabric's edge. "Wait, is this for Laser Disc?"

"You got it! Fire a disc along these grooves and you'll drastically increase your effective range, like a rifle barrel improving accuracy," Melissa stated.

Izuku's face lit up, "This is wonderful! You're an absolute genius, Melissa!" he started to mutter out plans to potentially use this in battle, the extension growing and shrinking until he returned it to the gauntlet entirely.

Melissa smiled brightly at that, "Happy birthday, Izuku!"

Izuku froze, "Wait, what?"

"Inko-san told us all your birthday's tomorrow. It's a little early, but I wanted to make sure you got my gift to you now," Melissa said, giving Izuku a hug.

The boy was still in shock as he absentmindedly returned the hug. Once she let go, he still looked stunned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"You're the first person besides my mom and Mitsuki-ba-san to give me a birthday present since I was in preschool," Izuku said, tears starting to fall. "I've spent so many years with people deliberately doing something terrible to me on my birthday. And since things have been going so well lately, I just… forgot that it was a thing."

Even knowing all the shit her boyfriend had gone through, every time he mentioned something like this, she wondered how the hell he managed to come out of it so heroic, "Well, I'm glad! That just means I have a special place in your heart now!"

"Of course, you do, Melissa-chan!" Izuku said as he hugged her fiercely. "You have since we met. And you always will."

Izuku had the controls for the Ultimate Gauntlets tested as he and Melissa walked out to head to the Expo. They stopped short as a new face entered.

"[Hey, Mr. Shield! I just finished taking out the trash for you!]" a boisterous feminine voice called out in English as a muscular woman in a red, white, and blue costume, complete with a domino mask and a long cape. She had a feral grin on her face framed by her blonde hair in eight distinct tufts.

She looked at the two teens, and waved, "[Hey there… Oh my god, is that you Mel?!]" she said excitedly. "[You've gotten so big!]"

"[Hi, Miss Cathy!]" Melissa waved back. "Izuku, this is-"

"[Cathleen Bate, Star and Stripe, the USA's Number One Hero!]" Izuku stated, grabbing a notebook from the ether and holding it out, bowing. "[I would be so grateful if you would sign this for me.]"

Star and Stripe chuckled, "[Sure thing, kid!]" As she signed near her entry, she looked at the text and said, "[Cathleen Bate can fluently read and speak Japanese.]" Then her eyes widened as she looked at the entry and was taken aback, "[Wow, kid, you got pretty close to understanding my Quirk! I mean, it's completely wrong, but it's less wrong than the usual guesses I've come across!]"

"I knew it was a reality warper Quirk of some sort!" Izuku said, feeling vindication. "That command had to be some way of imposing your will on the world. All of the time I spent analyzing those videos wasn't a waste! I knew it wasn't impossible!"

Melissa giggled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Miss Cathy, this is Izuku Midoriya. He's here visiting from U.A.-"

That was as far as Melissa got before Star and Stripe gasped, lifted Izuku in her arms, spun him around, and said, "You're All Might's new disciple! I was hoping to see you around here today! Good to finally meet you, bro!"

Izuku had experienced a lot of this sort of thing since he met All Might and his life became completely insane. Still, having one of the world's greatest Heroes, sight unseen, treat him this way was a shock. "I… um… what?!"

Melissa put a hand on Izuku's shoulder to help calm him down.

"Ah, sorry, little guy, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" Star and Stripe apologized. "I've been a fan of All Might since he saved me so many years ago! So when Mr. Shield told me he had an apprentice…"

"I know the feeling," Izuku smiled, trying to compose myself. "It's just hard sometimes, adjusting to this treatment."

As Star and Stripe looked confused, Melissa stated, "Izuku used to be like me. He's only been able to use his Quirk for less than a year."

"Holy crap!" Star and Stripe said. "I was a late bloomer, too. Not that late, mind you, but late. Good for you!" she held out a hand, and Izuku took it, grinning widely as they shook.

"You know, Melissa, you're not exactly Quirkless anymore either," Izuku said. "I mean, technically you are, but my Quirk is giving you a physical enhancer."

Melissa nodded, "True, and if… wait, what would even happen when…" she trailed off and asked telepathically. "When we reach Stage 3. Would I even be able to use One for All?"

"Huh," Izuku replied. "I don't know. That's the annoying thing about this whole thing, I don't know what's going to happen next…"

Star and Stripe cleared her throat, "I'm sorry if I stumbled onto something private, but I'm lost…"

"My Quirk has a mechanism where I empower people I love, and Melissa's one of them" Izuku said, which had Star and Stripe letting out an uncharacteristic girlish squeal. "I don't know all that much about it, though, and it gets confusing. Especially since we just learned I can sort of share Quirks when we get close enough, and I don't know how it's going to react with her."

Star and Stripe let out a laugh, "[Well, what kind of Hero would I be if I didn't help someone in need when I can help? Especially since it helps Mel's relationship. After all her father's done for me, this is the least I can do! I'm going to have to drop that last Order I gave to let this happen, so…]"

She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "[Izuku Midoriya will fully understand everything about his Quirk!]"

As the New Order made itself manifest, Izuku's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out.

His name was Hitoshi Marubashi. He had black hair and green eyes. As a child, he was small and clumsy, and he could never get good grades no matter how hard he tried. Other kids made fun of him.

"Marubashi's good for nothing!" one kid said. "Hey, 'maru' can mean 'zero'! That fits him so well!" And from that moment, people kept calling him "Zero" in English constantly.

He supposed it could have been worse. People had been developing weird powers and mutations that adults were calling "Meta Abilities". If you had one, people were scared of you, they shunned you, they attacked you. There was a good chance your family would turn on you and cast you out.

Marubashi met a few people with Meta Abilities. He always treated them kindly. He knew what it felt like to be worth nothing.

…

The first time Marubashi realized he had a Meta Ability himself was when he was eight years old. A new girl transferred into his class. She wasn't good at making friends either, and by virtue of both being outcasts, they were drawn to each other. One day, while sitting together on the roof for lunch, they looked at each other, and Marubashi heard a "thump-thump-thump-CLICK" in his head. After that, it was a lot easier to tell what she was thinking, what she wanted, how sad she was…

Everything was great until one day, after school, a group of bullies ganged up on him and were beating the hell out of him for not having any money to extort. The girl ran up, shouting for them to get away, when her hair suddenly stuck up in the air and she shot individual hairs into the bullies. The hairs pierced the bullies like needles, leaving them bleeding on the ground. Marubashi was in awe, thankful that his friend saved him, until their eyes met. She was so scared at that time. He reached out to comfort her, but he heard a SNAP in his head and she ran away, crying.

Marubashi never saw her again.

…

Things continued as they were until Marubashi was in middle school. Every so often, he could hear the thumps and clicks, usually with a girl, sometimes with a boy. He'd be able to tell the other person's feelings easily for a period of time, but it wouldn't take long for someone, usually him, to do or reveal something the other didn't like and cause the inevitable SNAP to be heard.

Everything fell apart one day when he was approached by a popular girl. She treated him kindly for a few days, and he reciprocated, until he heard the thump-thump-thump-CLICK. As soon as he did, he learned her true intentions. She thought he was kind of cute and liked his earnestness, but she was doing this entirely to turn him into her lackey. She had no intention of actually dating him or being anything like an equal to him. And as soon as he understood that, he heard the SNAP.

"Wait, what was that noise?!" she said, confused. It was the middle of class, and everyone heard her. "Oh my god, you did something to my mind! You went into my head! Everyone, Zero has a Meta Ability! He's a filthy little psychic!"

Luckily, years of being targeted gave him good instincts and Marubashi managed to get away before the class could turn on him.

It was the last day he ever went to school.

…

It wasn't long after he was outed that the structures holding society together began to unravel. It hadn't become undone, but authority was having trouble. So, no one really cared that a fourteen year old kid wasn't going to school anymore. Luckily, his family managed to move to a new city.

So, Marubashi began to train. He had a Meta Ability, which made him a target, but it couldn't help him fight, so he had to work to make sure he could survive. He'd begun weightlifting and exercising. He went for a run every day in a park that was relatively safe.

Soon after, he noticed a girl, one with brown hair and eyes, training as well. At first he paid her no mind. Then, he noticed she was watching him. Eventually, she began running alongside him.

Finally, one day, he asked, "Why are you sticking so close to me?"

"Safety," she said. "People are less likely to hurt you if there's another person. Not to mention, you look like you're improving. What are you up to?"

"A hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, and a ten kilometer run a day, along with a hundred reps with my weights and other exercises. I've been adding to it as it gets easier," he replied.

"You need a workout partner?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I could use the company on the run, I suppose."

"I'd appreciate it," she smiled, and his heart couldn't help but skip a beat. "What's your name?"

Trying to suppress his emotions, he said, "You can call me Zero."

She blinked, "Wait, really? That's the alias I was using."

He was shocked, "Why?"

"I'd rather not say," she replied.

"Me neither."

"Fair enough,"

…

Marubashi could feel a mixture of pride and envy seeing Zero's gains. They worked together, intensifying their workouts as they improved. However, Zero was getting more out of it than he was. And, despite his best efforts, they were getting closer.

One day, he joked with her, "Can't believe how quickly you're growing. You'll be the one protecting me soon enough."

She grinned, "Gladly. You're doing well, too."

"I can't catch up to you, though. It's almost like you're cheating," he teased. And her face crumpled. She looked scared.

Feeling like scum, he reassured her, "It's okay, no need to worry about it. I don't care if you're stronger than me, and I don't particularly care why…"

And with that, he heard the thump-thump-thump-click that he'd been trying to prevent.

"What was that?" she asked, in awe.

No use prolonging the inevitable, "That was my Meta Ability. I call it Bonding. It gives me increased empathy with someone I care about."

He expected her to feel fear, disgust, anger… he wasn't expecting her to feel relief.

"You have one, too?!" she said, happily. As he looked at her, shocked, she began to glow slightly. "I call mine Power Stockpile. It enhances my physical abilities, and as I get stronger, it does too."

"So that's why…" he was so relieved. "I was so worried about someone finding out."

"We should still keep it a secret," she replied.

"Of course, but at least now I know I can trust you …" he smiled, genuinely, for the first time in a long time. "I'm Hitoshi Marubashi. Everyone called me Zero 'cause I was weak and because of the 'maru' in my name."

She smiled in return, "I'm Shizuku Kendai. 'Shizuku' is spelled with the kanji for 'zero'."

"Huh, we really are a pair of zeros, then," Marubashi chuckled.

"Hey, add two zeros to another number, and you increase it a hundred times over!" Kendai retorted, pumping her fists.

She then held her fist out, and Marubashi bumped it.

…

Marubashi and Kendai continued to grow, getting stronger and closer as they did. At age 18, they married. And shortly after that, all hell broke loose.

They joined a resistance group of other people with Meta Abilities, at first fighting the government squads attempting to murder them, and then the new "Demon King of Crime" that was forming his own army to rule from the shadows with fear and intimidation.

Marubashi was planting an EMP bomb in a server room where their adversary had been stationed when he heard his wife scream in his head. With a light "pop" he was right next to her.

His world collapsed as he saw her fall to the ground as a white haired man in a suit removed his right hand, glowing red, from her forehead and removed his left hand, covered in spearlike bones, from the hole he tore through her torso.

"SHIZUKU!" Marubashi cried out, clinging to her dying form as he wept. He barely reacted as the man brought his hand to him, and he felt his Meta Ability slowing leave him in the same red haze. Might as well lose his superpower, his life was over anyway.

"Feh, I thought this would be a useful power," All for One scowled. "Teleportation would be good, but no, you have the ability to be someone's soulmate. What a waste. Not even worth killing." He left Marubashi to his grief.

Marubashi paid him no heed, tears streaming down his face until he heard, "Hitoshi?"

Shocked, Marubashi opened his eyes. Kendai was still covered in blood, but the hole that All for One tore through her was gone. Her clothes were destroyed, but her flesh was restored.

"Shizuku-chan! But… how?" Marubashi sobbed.

"I… I think that's what the last bond does," Kendai said, feeling her stomach to make sure she was fine. "Empathic Bond let us know our feelings. Empowering Bond made us stronger. Sharing Bond let you tap into the Power Stockpile and contribute to it. Attracting Bond let us teleport to each other… and we knew we got to a fifth stage."

"It healed you from certain death," Marubashi sniffed, grief gone, replaced with supreme gratitude. "All for One may have stolen it, but there's only one name I can give it. Undying Bond."

…

Within the sea of Quirks that All for One had taken, two orbs of light circled each other. Soon, the orbs grew closer and closer, until, finally, they collided together. As Power Stockpile met Bonding, the vestiges of their two owners were locked in a tight embrace. As they refused to let go, the orb that was Power Stockpile slowly began to merge with Bonding.

All of a sudden, they were moved. All for One summoned Power Stockpile to his bidding. He had a new home for it. He had trouble at first, but the more he pulled on the Quirk, the stronger they embraced one another, until Bonding was fully contained within Power Stockpile.

When they settled into their new host, they felt another orb of light reach out to them. It was similar to the Quirk that stole them from their owners, but so different as well. As the Quirks touched, they realized that they were beginning to merge. And that when they did so, only one of the three could survive.

And so, they kissed each other goodbye and surrendered. Neither of them could bear to live without the other.

Izuku regained consciousness as Melissa was laying him down, "-KU! IZUKU!"

"[I'm awake! How long was I out?]" Izuku said.

"[About a second]" Star and Stripe said, utterly relieved. "[Are you all right?]"

"[I'm fine now. Information overload]" Izuku replied. He got out his notebook and turned to a blank page, and began writing. "[Wait, it's not as clear as before…]"

"[I rescinded the Order as soon as you collapsed]" Star and Stripe said. "[And given the reaction you had, I'm not going to try that again.]"

"[I understand. Thank you, both for your help and your concern about me. Well, I remember some of the information, so I might as well write it down while it's fresh…]" Izuku said, pencil working at lightning pace.

"[Are you sure you're okay?]" Melissa asked, concerned. "[I'm going to get our body scanner just to be on the safe side…]"

Izuku beamed, "[Of course! Don't want anything bad to happen. We've got an Expo to attend!]"