Chapter 18: I-Island

I-Island. The nerve center for bleeding-edge development of Support items and Quirk research. Kept mobile to protect it from opportunistic villains. Home to the prestigious I-Academy, which was to science what UA to heroics. And last but not least, home of the annual I-Expo, where the latest advancements in Support items were showcased to the Heroic community at large.

All Might had known all of this for years, but he was learning it all over again due to making the tragic mistake of asking to test the trivia knowledge of Izuku Midoriya.

Inko laughed at her future husband's distress. "I thought you would've learned by now that asking Izuku for trivia on anything related to heroism will get you something between an encyclopedia and a dissertation."

All Might smiled ruefully -which was honestly a sight to see in his muscle form- "Well, honestly it was just to distract him for a second. Are you sure you're alright with this? I'm going to have to stay like this, so it will become public that we're-"

"Toshi, we've talked about this. I always knew that our relationship would end up as public knowledge sooner or later. Even if it means that I'll have to beat away the fangirls with my purse."

All Might winced. "I apologize in advance?"

Inko canted her head to the side. "To me or the fangirls?"

All Might opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. "Izuku, help."

Midoriya took a break from marveling at I-Island to chuckle at his mentor. "You're in danger!"

All Might decided to be cautious. "You, obviously. You shouldn't have to deal with that."

Inko patted his arm. "Good boy."

Midoriya had a giant smile on his face, undoubtedly due to the much looser Quirk laws on I-Island, meaning he could wear his Hero costume even though he didn't have anything resembling a hero license. Their lenient nature was due to I-Island's security system, which was a less-lethal version of the security system at Tartarus Prison. His smile became rigid and wooden when he noticed some reporters had noticed them. "So it begins." He deadpanned.

Inko frowned at him, "Izuku, what... Oh."

"Hey, is that All Might?"

"We need an interview!"

A crowd gathered almost instantaneously, and would've swarmed them if not for Inko's experience in juggling different patients in the ER. "Single file line for autographs, any reporter who wants an interview come talk to me calmly. And if any of you tries pawing at my man, you will be ejected from the line with extreme prejudice! Am I understood?"

Midoriya practically wilted away. His mother was in what he mentally referred to as her warpath mode. Anyone who dared to question her would swiftly learn the error of their ways.

"And just who are you supposed to be?" A female reporter dared to ask.

"My fiancée." All Might said, his trademark grin matching his actual emotions.

The reporter -who had apparently chosen to take her life into her own hands- decided to continue to disbelieve. "But she's fat!"

Uh oh.

As Inko stepped up to the reporter, Midoriya began to panic. What was she going to do? "I'm going to assume that it's your first day on the job, and that comment came from a place of carelessness rather than malice." The reporter tried to interrupt her, but Inko talked over her, "Since it is clearly your first day, I will give you a second chance to get this right. There will not be a third. Am I clear?" She was vaguely aware of the cameras on her.

"W-who are you?" The reporter stammered out.

Inko smiled, "My name is Inko Midoriya. I'm an ER nurse at Mustafu General Hospital. My son, Izuku Midoriya attends UA High School in the Hero Course. And I am engaged to All Might, the Symbol of Peace."

Midoriya let out a breath. Okay, everything was fine. The reporters asked a few more questions -the one that had made comments on Inko's weight was mercifully silent- before dispersing. And thanks to Inko's supervision, everyone who wanted an autograph from All Might had it within twenty minutes.

"Well, that went better than expected, rudeness aside." All Might said nonchalantly, "We might still be on time."

"On time for what?" Midoriya asked.

"Oh, my reason for coming here was to meet an old friend of mine. If we hurry, we should-"

"Uncle Might!"

They all turned to see a blonde teenage girl hopping towards them on a pogo stick support item. "Uncle?" Inko whispered to All Might, "I thought you were an only child?"

All Might sighed. "I am, it's just complicated."

She came to a stop in front of them and leapt off of the pogo stick. All Might caught her in midair and spun her around once before setting her down. "Melissa! It's so good to see you again! It's been too long!"

Melissa rolled her eyes, "Only because the only way you visit me and Papa is if I shove an invite to I-Expo at you."

All Might laughed sheepishly, "Wait, where is Dave? What's so important that he... he isn't skipping meals again to squeeze in more lab time, is he?"

Melissa shook her head. "No, we have a deal. If I can't do that, he can't either."

Midoriya's neurons started firing off. Wait, Melissa... Dave... where have I heard those names before?

Inko meaningfully cleared her throat.

"Oh, where are my manners?" All Might said, "Melissa, this is Inko, my fiancée and her son."

Melissa's eyes went wide -which was exaggerated by the glasses she wore- as she shook Inko's hand, "Oh my gosh! Me and Papa have been telling him for years to find someone! You must be an incredible hero to catch Uncle Might's eye!"

The corner of Inko's mouth quirked up in a smile, "if by hero you mean ER nurse, then yes."

"How did you two meet?" Melissa asked,

"Uh, that's my fault, actually." Midoriya said, "Long story short, I'm a late bloomer, and my Quirk is real similar to All Might's. I mean, there's a reason why my nickname on the class chat is Small Might." He cut himself off before he could ramble further, "Anyways, my Quirk awakened when I was fourteen, and I could barely control it. All Might found me and helped me figure it out. That's how him and mom met."

"So you're one of Uncle Might's students at UA?" Melissa asked, "You must have a promising future ahead of you!"

Midoriya tried to deflect, "Not quite yet, I've still got a lot to learn, even if I am able to punch above my weight class."

"Hmm, so similar to Uncle Might, but you're built like a agility-type." Melissa mused. "The costume's cool, but it's pretty simple. Do you not use support items?"

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, "I was thinking maybe some sort of rebreather device for my mask," He pointed to the metal face guard that he rarely had occasion to wear, "And some sort of guards to protect my arms from getting hurt." He pointedly focused on the hero stuff so he could ignore Melissa being close enough to him that she was in the Momo only zone.

Melissa cocked her head. "You've been having trouble with self-injury?"

He took off one of his gloves. "Yeah, this is from the Sports Festival."

Melissa's breath caught as she saw the scars on his hands. "Oh..."

"Melissa." All Might said.

She stood up straight, "Whoops, I got distracted!" She grabbed her pogo stick and pressed a button, causing it to glow and then disappear into a small clip she wore on her belt. "If we hurry we can catch Papa at his lab!"

As they began to walk, Inko decided to poke at the elephant in the room. "So, Melissa, why do you call All Might uncle?" Normally she would use his actual name, but given the circumstances surrounding One For All, she decided to be cautious.

"Oh, that's a bit of a story." Melissa said, "And it's not like it's a big secret or anything, there just isn't much reason to say anything about it."

"About what, exactly?" Midoriya asked.

When he saw Melissa was hesitating, All Might spoke up. "Go ahead, Melissa."

"So, back in his college days, Papa got in a bad lab accident. Lots of nasty chemicals, courtesy of TCRI." Inko and Midoriya winced in unison. Before the company had gone under, TCRI had been involved in some shady chemical research. Any of their products could generously be described as caustic. "It made him unable to have kids."

Inko connected the dots first. "So your parents asked All Might to be a donor."

Melissa nodded, "Yep! Mom died from cancer when I was little, so it's just been me and Papa."

Midoriya finally caught up to everyone else. "Wait. So does that mean that once mom and All Might get married, you'll be my stepsister?"

Melissa glanced at him. "Huh. That's technically correct, which is the best kind of correct!"

"... I HAVE A SISTER!"


"What a bunch of suckers. They don't even know a gang of villains just snuck onto the island."

"Boss, people could hear us..."

Wolfram glanced at his second in command, "It'll be fine. It's not like anyone would believe me."

His phone rang. "That must be the client." He answered it promptly. "Yeah, it's me."

"You made it onto the island?"

Wolfram rolled his eyes, why was the client bothering with a vocal disguiser? It wasn't like his gang didn't already know, "We infiltrated the island without a problem. When do the goods arrive?" A beep sounded in his ear, indicating someone else had called him.

"Three PM, you'll find them at gate sixty-six."

"We'll be waiting."

He hung up and checked the caller ID. It was the burner number that All For One had contacted him on during the planning stages for this operation. He answered it without delay. "Hey. Everything's on track. Shouldn't be any problems."

"I have discovered a secondary objective for you. All Might is on the island, but he is of no concern to you. Your secondary objective is the woman who came with him. According to recent interviews, this woman is engaged to All Might. I would like to meet this woman, you understand, yes?"

Wolfram growled, "There better be a bonus for me and my boys."

All For One chuckled, "Of course, I reward adaptability to my ever-changing moods, after all. Triple pay for all if you bring her to me, double if you kill her. If you cannot achieve either, no penalty."

Wolfram wet his lips. "You got a name?"

"Inko Midoriya." All For One hung up.

"Change of plans, gentlemen." Wolfram announced to his gang. "All Might is on the island."

"The hell are we gonna do against that?"

Wolfram smiled, "Don't worry, it's all under control... because I know how to render All Might powerless."

"How's that?"

He grinned at the gang member that had asked that, "Same way you stop all heroes. You exploit their weaknesses, in this case..."

He queued up the interview that had just aired between Inko and a reporter.

"We attack his heart."


Sitting in his lab, David Shield was staring at his phone. His assistant, Sam, knew this was a common occurrence, and was how David often found inspiration for new inventions. But n particular he was looking at a picture of All Might, from back when he hero had been in America. His right arm raised in victory as he soared through the air on a sunny day. That had been the day that All Might had confided in him his ambition to become the Symbol of Peace.

"Professor?"

David looked up from his phone. "What is it, Sam?"

"I finished putting the equipment away. Like you asked." Sam said.

David sighed. He heard the edge in Sam's voice. He understood it all too well. "Thanks, Sam. I appreciate it."

"Why don't you go spend some time with Melissa? She's on break for I-Expo, isn't she?"

"Well, yes. But she said that she was working on some independent research." David smiled ruefully, "Real chip off the ol' block, huh?" Sam had no idea about All Might's involvement in Melissa's birth. That was intentional. The last thing she needed was to have people putting even more pressure on her.

"Well, sheesh! Way to ruin my grand entrance, Papa!"

David's head snapped to the entrance of the office space portion of his lab. "Melissa? What are you doing here?"

She smiled in a way that seemed innocent but also betrayed that she was up to something. "Oh, well... since you mentioned that your research was going well, I thought that there was someone who should be here to celebrate that."

David frowned. "Who would-"

He was cut off by All Might bursting into the room. "I am here!" He was followed into the room by two green-haired individuals, one a woman about All Might's age and the other a boy who seemed to be a couple years younger than Melissa. The boy was wearing a hero costume.

"Toshi- All Might!" David said in surprise.

All Might grabbed him and spun him around once before placing him down again. Unlike Melissa, he didn't keep his footing and fell to the ground in a seated position. He brushed himself off and got to his feet. "It's good to see you again, All Might, truly." David said.

"Heh, I know it's been... a while since I've been able to come visit." All Might said, "Things in Japan got really hectic about six or seven years back, and ever since then I've been very busy."

"Excuse me, but who are they?" Sam asked.

"Oh, how rude of me!" All Might said, slapping himself on the forehead, "David, this is Inko and Izuku Midoriya. Me and Inko are engaged and Izuku is her son." He turned to Inko, "This is David Shield. He was my partner back when I lived in America for a time."

Inko stepped forward, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to get a word in once Izuku imploded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for making sure that Toshi was still around for me to reel him in."

All Might blinked. "Was it really like that?"

Inko scoffed at him. "It was exactly like that, and you know it."

"Wait." Izuku said, "Professor David Shield?"

David turned to All Might, "Should I be worried?"

"Just brace yourself." Inko said matter-of-factly.

"You won a Nobel Quirk Prize for your work in DNA infused material science! Your research made it so that so many heroes that otherwise couldn't fully control a certain aspect of their Quirk could still become heroes! On top of that, you helped pioneer the current classification for Quirks, and you're a genius when it comes to costume design! It's not really that far of a stretch to call each of the costumes you designed for All Might iconic, although most people only recognize the Silver Age and Golden Age..." Midoriya froze for a moment as he came to a realization. Momo. With DNA infused material, she wouldn't have to be so... exposed. "Um, so one of my classmates could really benefit from your expertise on DNA Infused materials. Apparently both the School and Sapato Corp wrote it off as either impossible or too cost-prohibitive."

Inko and All Might immediately realized what he was up to, and chose not to stop it. Quite frankly Inko was amazed that her son could focus on anything other than his girlfriend when she was in her hero costume.

David whistled, "Sapato wrote it off as too cost-prohibitive? What's the problem with the Quirk in question and normal materials?"

"The Quirk is Creation." Midoriya explained, "The user uses their lipids -although I think it's actually using calories, but I'm not sure how to verify that- to create whatever they want. The only limits are that the user must know the chemical makeup and know the manufacturing process of what they are trying to make."

"Oh, I see the problem!" Melissa said. "If the user created something in an area covered by clothes, it would just tear through." She turned to David, "Papa, shouldn't that be just a skin cell material?"

"On a surface level, yes." David said, "But if it was that simple, then UA could've handled it on their own." He tapped his chin with his finger as he thought, "Midoriya, if what you're saying about this person's Quirk is true, then I believe a hybrid material is called for. It would need to incorporate both their skin cells and fat cells. That should do the trick."

Midoriya set down his backpack and had produced a notebook. "Skin... and fat cells. Got it! Thank you so much, Professor."

David was about to brush it off as nothing when he noticed All Might cough. "Look, I'd love to chat some more, but it's been a long time since I've seen All Might, so we've got a lot of catching up to do. Melissa, why don't you give Midoriya here a tour of the Expo?"

"Can do!" Melissa said, "Let's go, Izuku!"

"Just gotta dump my bags at my room first, then sure! So, about that idea I had for a rebreather for my mask..."

After the kids left, David gave Sam some sideye. "You should take a break too, Sam."

"Oh, sure. Need to get ready for the party anyways."

After the kids and Sam left, All Might dropped his muscle form and began coughing up blood, he fell to his knees before Inko caught him. "Toshi!"

"I'm fine." He muttered. "That was just the longest I've had to hold it since USJ. It took a lot out of me."

David knelt beside them. "I figured that you knew about his condition." He said to Inko, "Come on, let's get him to my lab."


As Melissa was showing him around I-Expo, Midoriya couldn't shake a vague feeling of impending doom. Was Danger Sense acting up? He was happy being here, and all the new support items that Melissa had shown him were awesome! A jet that could become a submersible, a helmet that let the wearer see in a three hundred and sixty degree arc, and a diving suit that left the wearer unaffected by air pressure where among the most awesome.

He finally understood why he felt like the Grim Reaper was hiding around the corner while he and Melissa were looking at the latest rebreathers and trying to figure out what worked best for him. Melissa's hand was on his shoulder -which was fine, she was going to be his sister so it wasn't weird- and they were both looking at a model that still would still allow him to talk normally when it happened.

"You appear to be having a good time, Izuku."

Midoriya froze. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He slowly turned to see not only Yaoyorozu but Uraraka and Jiro as well. "Oh, Momo! You made it!"

He went ignored for the time being, as a vein pulsed in Momo's forehead. She took a step towards Melissa in a manner that could only be described as menacing. "And who do you think you are that you can get handsy with my boyfriend?"

Midoriya was speechless. Wait, she thinks Melissa was trying to... oh, God, it did look like that to someone who doesn't know about Melissa's family! "Momo, it's not like that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Melissa said, "I didn't realize that Izuku was dating someone so insecure that she can't handle him being in the vicinity of another woman without her supervision."

"Excuse me?" Yaoyorozu hissed, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"You're Momo Yaoyorozu, heiress to the Sapato Corporation." Melissa said calmly, "And apparently you don't trust your boyfriend to stay faithful even though he has never done anything wrong in his life."

"If that was true, don't you think I would've raised some concern about him doing his internship with Mirko?" Yaoyorozu snapped.

Melissa was about to open her mouth to unleash another salvo when Midoriya finally got involved. "Enough!" He shouted. "Momo, I'll be honest, If Melissa was hitting on me I would be really grossed out considering her connection to All Might. Also, you know it would fly over my head." He turned to Melissa, "Melissa, it's not that Momo doesn't trust me, it's just that she's very protective of me." He winced, "For good reason, considering how often I go head first at any sort of combat scenario."

"All Might's basically my uncle because of how close my dad and him are." Melissa said by way of explanation.

Yaoyorozu looked back and forth between them. Finally she settled on Melissa. "Are you sure you're not All Might's secret love child?"

Both of them let out a gale of laughter as Midoriya adopted a look of long suffering. "Why don't we start over?" Melissa suggested, "I'm Melissa Shield, third-year student at I-Academy." She extended her hand for a handshake.

Yaoyorozu accepted it, grateful that Melissa was willing to forget her burst of jealousy. "Momo Yaoyorozu, first-year Hero student at UA High. My hero name is Creati."

"Creati..." Melissa gasped and grabbed Midoriya, "Wait, she was the classmate you asked my father for help with?"

"Your father?"

Melissa nodded, "My father is David Shield."

Yaoyorozu's jaw dropped, she would know that name anywhere. "Izuku, tell me it's good news!"

"Okay, I'm lost now." Uraraka said.

"Ditto." Jiro agreed.

Midoriya nodded, "Yes! So, since the items you create pass through you skin and are more or less made from your fat cells, theoretically a DNA infused material with both types of cells should allow items you create-"

"To pass right through!" Yaoyorozu finished.

"Still kinda lost, not gonna lie." Uraraka said.

"It means that I won't have to go around dressed like a stripper anymore." Yaoyorozu deadpanned.

Uraraka somehow did a spit take without having a mouthful of any sort of beverage.

Melissa finally got around to giving Yaoyorozu's costume a once over and decided to agree with that assessment. "That's... fair. Whoever designed your costume is a pervert."

Yaoyorozu looked at Midoriya, and both of them had to make a visible effort to hold back their laughter.

"Okay, what's so funny about that, Yaomomo?" Jiro asked.

Through supreme force of will, Yaoyorozu regained enough composure to look her friend in the eye. "It's nothing."

Jiro was completely unconvinced. "Sus."

Melissa giggled. It wasn't often that she had spare time to spend with friends like this. Even with the wild accusations of trying to get cozy with her soon-to-be technically stepbrother. "How about we take a break? There's a cafe that I like that's pretty close."

Once again, Midoriya felt a vague sense of impending doom. What was it this time? Had Stain escaped Tartarus somehow? Was Eclipse waiting around the corner?

"What the shit, Midoriya?" Jiro said, shoving her phone in his face, "Why didn't you tell us your mom hooked up with All Might?"

Ah. There it was.


"This is... a bit more sophisticated than the Quirk lab back at the hospital." Inko said. That was a massive understatement. David Shield's lab stood at the bleeding edge of costume design and Quirk research, and his lab reflected that. There was a great deal of equipment that Inko could only classify as doohickeys and gizmos. Also, she was being very careful not to touch them.

The centerpiece of the room was the scanning pod that was occupied by All Might. "Yeah, normally you have to wait weeks for proper Quirk Factor test results, right?" David said.

"That's right." Inko said.

David nodded, "Well, luckily we won't have to wait quite that long. Basically once it's done we'll-"

The pod dinged and lid opened. All Might hauled himself out with Inko's help. "Dave?" All Might asked.

While Inko was well versed in Quirk Theory by virtue of being the mother of Izuku Midoriya, she didn't quite under all of the numbers on the chart. What she did know was that the graph going down was bad. The time scale established the first descent to be around six years ago -All Might's final battle with All For One- ever since then, his Quirk had been steadily declining. It also showed a much sharper decrease a few months ago.

Around the time that All Might had given Izuku One For All.

"Toshi, why are your Quirk levels dropping so drastically?" David shook his head, "I know that All For One... evacuated most of your digestive system and a lung, but to suddenly get these kind of numbers..."

All Might glanced at Inko then looked back at David. "I guess I'm just showing my age? After a while -especially with Quirks like mine- the body just starts giving out."

Inko frowned. Did David Shield not know about One For All?

David stared off into space, his eyes dead. "At this rate, the Symbol of Peace will disappear." He turned back to All Might, "The only reason Japan can keep its crime rate is low is because of you, Toshi. Every other country has over triple the crime. At best!"

"Come on, Dave. I'm not dead yet, stop talking like I am!"

"What if some monstrous villain appears?" David said, continuing his real life doomposting. "What if there's some villain that can punch in All For One's weight class and you can't stop him?"

All Might took Inko's hand. "Dave, if that day should come, you know I will not back down." He took a breath, "And while this hypothetical villain might be my last job as the Symbol of Peace, as All Might... I will not die."

"How can you be so sure?" David asked, his tone clear that he was searching for some shred of hope.

All Might turned to Inko. "Because I have too much to live for to die now."

The moment was when interrupted by Inko's phone buzzing. She looked at it, then laughed. "Oh, Izuku's friends found out about us, probably because of that interview. Do you need me here, or should I go bail out our son?"

Our son. All Might smiled, once upon a time he would've never thought this would've been in reach. "Go ahead, I'll be fine. Just remember, the party's at six."

Inko kissed him on the cheek. "I remember. Don't you dare be late."


Midoriya sank into his chair at the cafe in relief. Thankfully the novelty of razzing him about his mom being with All Might wore off quickly, especially once Jiro and Uraraka realized that Melissa and Yaoyorozu already knew. The girls were chatting about what they had done for their internships while they waiting for their drinks.

"I stopped a convenience store robbery with Gunhead," Uraraka said, "There was this guy that had these bone claws that came out of his arms that came at me, but I hit him with my Quirk -which makes anything or anyone I touch not care about gravity for a bit- and then I... threw him."

"I don't think I heard this part of the story." Yaoyorozu said, "How did you throw him so that you knocked him out without being excessive?"

Uraraka blushed in embarrassment and coughed into her fist. "Uh, how familiar are you with professional wrestling?"

Melissa's eyes lit up, "German Suplex? DDT? Powerbomb?"

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's a new side to Melissa I sure wasn't expecting."

"Uh... no. Just a Judo throw." Uraraka said while avoiding eye contact with everyone. "It's just... When you make someone weightless and then throw them at the ground and then remove the weightlessness right before they hit you kinda... crack the sidewalk?"

"Okay, Uraraka upgraded from badass enough to get Bakugo to un-asshole himself to actual badass." Jiro said.

"Wait, how did-" Midoriya cut himself off, "How did you deactivate your Quirk mid-throw? Did the advice I gave you pay off?"

"Sort of. I only need to say release or press my fingers together to deactivate my Quirk now." Uraraka explained, "And Gunhead helped me figure out how to incorporate that into my throw. That villain wasn't ready for my Judo Flip: Release!"

Midoriya was pretty sure there were crickets chirping in the background.

"I got to help with a hostage crisis, but only surveillance and evac." Jiro said, "It kinda felt like I didn't do all that much, but Death Arms told me later that it was cause of me and my Quirk that he and his sidekicks were able to do anything about it." She shuddered, "He also made it clear that I've be slacking on my physical training. Ugh."

The waiter chose that moment to make his appearance. "Here is your lemonade, madame."

Jiro's eyebrow twitched. "Look, buddy-" As soon as she turned to give the waiter a piece of her mind, she recognized him, "Oh. Tell me, hot stuff. Do you come here often?"

Melissa blinked. "That was quite the reversal."

Kaminari grinned, "Well, she is my girlfriend."

Uraraka did a double take as she saw Mineta bring over Midoriya's sports drink. "Wait, Mineta? You're here too?"

"Yep!" Kaminari said, "We saw an ad that they needed more wait staff, so we applied for work visas, since it meant a free trip out here!"

"Plus we make money and get to explore the Expo on our breaks!" Mineta said. When he noticed Melissa, the rest of the girls cringed. They fervently hoped that Mineta could keep his urges under wraps. "Oh, hi. I'm Mineta. First year Hero student at UA."

As Melissa greeted Mineta, the rest of the girls looked at each other. Mineta was being civil? Sure, he had made a comment on how pretty Melissa was, but compared to his past antics...

"WELL DONE MINETA, YOUR PROGRESS IS SHOWING!"

Midoriya whirled around. "Iida, you're here too?"

Iida stood before them, having just arrived at super speed. "I come from a long line of heroes, so my family got an invite, but..." He smiled, but the others knew the pain behind it, "My brother's recovery has been a trial. So, they just had me come. Probably to help take my mind off-"

Iida's mind came to a screeching halt when he saw Melissa, his mouth hanging open mid-sentence.

"Iida? You good, man?" Kaminari asked. Mineta snapped his fingers at him, getting his friend's attention. He jerked his head at both of them, then at Midoriya and Yaoyorozu. Somehow, Kaminari got the message. "One moment, ladies. Mineta, grab Midoriya!"

"Eh?" Midoriya protested as Mineta grabbed him by the arm. "What's going on?"

"Farewell, my dearest Izuku." Yaoyorozu said with mock gravitas, "I'll always remember you."

Midoriya decided to play along. "No matter how long it takes, I'll always find a way back to you!"

After Kaminari and Mineta had pulled Midoriya and Iida back behind the cafe, Kaminari gave him a look. "You done?" He said to Midoriya.

"You literally cannot talk."

Kaminari thought for a moment, "Shit, you're right."

"Whatever!" Mineta said, "Iida, what gives? You were gawking at Melissa like I used to gawk at Yaoyorozu."

"Like you used to what?" Midoriya said.

"Not important!" Mineta said hurriedly.

"I apologize, I don't know what came over me." Iida said.

Kaminari rested his arm on Iida's shoulder, "Here's the thing, Class Rep. You might not know what came over you, but me and Midoriya know firsthand!"

The lightbulb finally went on in Midoriya's head. "I don't know how much help I'll be, I kinda just blundered my way into-"

Kaminari brandished a finger gun at Midoriya. "Exactly! Just go out there and be yourself, Iida!"

"But... I'm rather boring when it comes to this sort of thing." Iida said, "And I have no idea what I'm doing."

"You think I did?"

The rest of the boys turned to look at Midoriya.

"Erm, yes?" Iida said.

"Kinda sorta?" Kaminari added.

Mineta nodded, "Yeah!"

Midoriya looked at them, stunned. "Guys, I didn't even have friends before UA." He focused on Iida, "But here's what I do know, You're awesome, Iida. And, if I'm reading this correctly, she is very much your type. The worst that could happen is that you just make a friend."

"You've got this!" Kaminari said. Mineta enthusiastically nodded in agreement.

"Break a leg." Midoriya deadpanned.

Iida shot Midoriya a wry look, "You're the last person who should ever use that saying, Midoriya."

"Stop wasting time!" Mineta said as he attempted to shove Iida out from their hiding place.

Somehow -probably because Iida did want to go talk to Melissa- Iida allowed Mineta push him out into view of the girls.

Oh dear. They were all smiling. This was a trap.

However, when he looked at Melissa all those worries vanished. Was this why Midoriya had taken leave of his senses for a good month around Hosu?

He ignored the smirk from Jiro and the too-sweet smile from Uraraka. Yaoyorozu nodded sagely at him and Iida felt a touch of relief. His vice-president would never steer him wrong.

"I apologize for my lack of decorum earlier, ma'am." Iida said, making a concerted effort to play into his appearance as a sort of knight, "It is just that I have not seen a woman with beauty such as yours for as long as I can remember."

Back in the designated Wingman Hiding Spot, Midoriya pouted, "That makes no sense, Momo's in his field of vision."

"Dude, really?" Kaminari said.

Melissa giggled, "Well, that was the first time that any guy's ever seen me as a woman and not a nerd, so I'll forgive you."

Jiro gave her the side-eye, "Don't you go to a school for nerds?"

Iida extended his hand for a handshake, "Tenya Iida, Class Representative of class 1-A of UA High."

Melissa took his hand, "Melissa Shield."

Any further conversation was cut off by a nearby explosion.

"What was that?" Midoriya asked, stepping out from his hiding spot.

"Oh, the Villain Attack Course." Melissa said.

Midoriya grinned at Iida. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Ingenium?"

Iida pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, Mister Miracle. As representatives of UA High, it is our duty to show those in attendance what we are capable of."

Uraraka let out a laugh, "Pfft, you just want to show off for Melissa."

Iida stood up straight and cleared his throat as a light blush spread across his cheeks. He brought his hand down in a knife-like motion. "That... That is just a happy coincidence that our new objective coincides with-"

"You don't have to pay coy, Iida. I think it's cute." Melissa interjected.

"C-cute?" Iida stammered out.

They said goodbye to Kaminari and Mineta and headed to the Villain Attack Course at a brisk run. Melissa brought out her pogo stick again so she could keep up without getting winded. Even though she was in shape, she didn't have the level of physical conditioning that the others did. The attack course was set in a small arena and consisted of robots placed at various points on a fake mountain. By the time they made it to the attack course, the smoke was clearing from the latest attempt.

"With a clearance time of twenty-eight seconds," The announcer, a peppy girl in what appeared to be her early twenties said, "Red Riot, from UA High School! He's in eighth place!"

"Red Riot?" Melissa asked, "Is he trying to pay homage to Crimson Riot?"

"Yes, he is." Yaoyorozu said, "He certainly isn't shy about it either."

The announcer continued. "Next up, also from UA. Katsuki Bakugo!"

Everyone got quiet and approached the railing to watch. Melissa cocked her head in confusion. "Aren't you going to cheer for him? He's your classmate isn't he?"

Uraraka laughed awkwardly. "I'm pretty sure I'd be the only one cheering. Well, me and Kirishima, anyways."

Melissa furrowed her brow. "Why's that?"

Midoriya winced. "It's complicated."

"The attack course has been reset! Ready... GO!"

Bakugo took off like a rocket and blasted each robot in turn, ending with the one on the summit. He fired off targeted blasts that only used just enough power to disable the robots, then returned to the starting circle.

"An incredible run! He's in first place with a time of sixteen seconds!"

Yaoyorozu blinked. Usually Bakugo would've been screaming his head off during that whole thing. Shouting at the robots to die. "Izuku, what did I just watch?"

"Come on, Yaomomo." Uraraka said, a note of annoyance slipping into her voice, "You know he's been making progress."

Bakugo noticed Midoriya in the stands. "Come on, Midoriya! You just gonna sit there, or are you gonna try to beat me?"

"Ah, that's more like it." Yaoyorozu said.

Melissa was still confused, "Tenya?"

After the momentary confusion of Melissa using his first name -and realizing that being American she probably didn't know the etiquette behind that- Iida explained briefly. "Midoriya and Bakugo have a... troubled past." He watched as Midoriya took to the arena for his attempt and sighed, "And Bakugo's had to endure even more hardship. That no one should ever have to."

Uraraka glanced over at them as Bakugo and Kirishima made their way to the stands. "Yeah, that just about sums it up. Now zip it, other people worrying about him still makes him uncomfortable."

"Other people that aren't you, you mean." Iida mused.

Uraraka grinned, "What can I say, it's the southern charm."

Oblivious to all of the nonsense, Midoriya made his way to the starting circle. The announcer took his vital statistics and gestured him to the starting circle.

"Come on, Midoriya!" Bakugo yelled, "You better not be a disappointment!"

Midoriya turned back and locked eyes with Bakugo, "Just watch me!" He turned back to the villain attack course and took a breath. If I'm going to do this, I won't hold anything back. As much power as I can use without pain. One For All: Full Cowling... ten percent!

"The attack course is set! Ready, GO!"

As Midoriya kicked off and set to utterly demolishing the robots, Melissa's mind was racing. He has such explosive speed for only having a power-up type Quirk! And the way he fights... it's almost like Uncle Might, even though Izuku fights more like an agile scrapper than a bruiser. But... She decided to voice her conclusion. "Is he holding back?"

"Yes." Yaoyorozu confirmed, "If he uses too much he starts to injure himself." The grim line that her mouth was drawn in left no doubt in Melissa's mind of Yaoyorozu's opinion of Midoriya self-harming in that manner. "He's broken bones before."

Melissa mentally leafed through the support items that she had made that she could give away. Was there something that she could... "I think I have a support item I can give him that would alleviate that problem. I only have the one for the right arm, and I'd have to develop something for his legs from scratch, but it's something."

Oblivious to the machinations of his future sister and girlfriend, Midoriya rushed at the final robot. Upon reaching it, he swung his right foot in a wide arc and allowed the momentum to spin him around, following up with a similar kick from his left foot. "CYCLONE SMASH!"

The announcer reported Midoriya's results. "A clearance time of fourteen seconds! He's in first place!"

Everyone looked at Bakugo.

"The hell are you all looking at?" He groused, "You're acting like I'm going to make a scene cause he beat me or some shit."

Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow.

"Oh piss off, Ponytail." He said. Despite it being the same moniker he had used for her prior to his attitude adjustment it sounded vaguely affectionate rather than derogatory, so Yaoyorozu decided to let it slide. "I ain't like that anymore. I'm still a hyper-competitive asshole, but now I'm a hyper-competitive asshole that isn't a walking time bomb."

"Well, it's good to see that some things haven't changed, Katsuki."

Bakugo immediately stood up straight and turned to the source of the voice. "A-auntie Inko? You're here too?"

Midoriya jumped back up to the stands. "Hey, mom! What's... oh."

Inko ignored her son, continuing to address Bakugo instead. "So, have you apologized?"

"No." Bakugo admitted, "I'm not going to apologize to Midoriya until I've forgiven myself for everything I've done to him."

Inko narrowed her eyes. "Why procrastinate?"

He glanced at Midoriya. "Because we both know that Midoriya wants nothing more than for us to go back to the way we were before everything went to shit." Bakugo's eyes flicked over to Uraraka for a moment before finishing his answer. "And I need to earn that level of forgiveness, not have it thrown at me because I gave some half-assed apology I don't even believe."

Inko smiled. "Good. If it helps, I forgive you. Izuku told me... enough about your situation for me to not want to revoke your small organs privileges."

Bakugo and Midoriya shuddered in unison. "Wait, what?" Uraraka asked.

The look that Bakugo had sent at Uraraka earlier had not escaped Inko's notice. "Oh, my Quirk allows me to call small objects to my hand. Some organs count as small objects."

Uraraka's nostrils flared and her face became marred with anger. "You listen here, I don't give a damn if you're Midoriya's mom or that you're all cozy with All Might," By now they were gathering attention from the other members of their class, "If you so much as harm a hair on Katsuki's head, we're gonna have words. And if you think it's gonna be just a pleasant chat, then you'd best rethink what you aim to do. Because if you hurt him, I will tear you a new asshole!"

Iida brought his hands down in repeated knife-like gestures, "Uraraka, calm yourself! I am sure that Midoriya's mother does not mean to inflict harm on Bakugo!"

"Also, are we gonna talk about Uraraka's accent?" Jiro said, "Because I feel like we should be talking about it."

Inko smiled. "Oh, so you're the one that kicked Katsuki's ass into gear. You must be something special if you got him to pay attention to you while his head was stuck up his ass."

Everyone looked at Bakugo again. "She ain't wrong."

Todoroki picked that moment to make his entrance to prevent Uraraka from spontaneously combusting from becoming a flustered mess. That was what friends did, right? Watch out for one another? "Amazing. This is still less awkward than having dinner with my family."

Midoriya winced. The mere idea of sitting down for dinner with Endeavor set him on edge. This was quickly drowned out by the embarrassment that quickly set in as his friends met his mom for the first time.

While no one was paying attention, Todoroki did the Villain Attack course and got a score of fifteen seconds. Iida was annoyed that he hadn't had the chance to show off for Melissa, but didn't let it show.

"Alright, everyone!" Iida announced, "It's time to go prepare for the party tonight. We should all change into our formal wear and go as a group. I'll text all of you the place where we should meet beforehand."

"Oh!" Melissa said, "I have some extra tickets so Kaminari and Mineta can come too!"

Jiro perked up. "Hey, Yaomomo. Think you could make them some formal wear? It'd be weird if they went dressed in their waiter getups."

Yaoyorozu launched into a lecture. "Normally, I wouldn't do such a thing, as my Quirk has the potential to disrupt entire economies if I set my mind to it." Upon noticing the deadpan stare from her friend, she laughed sheepishly, "But I suppose I can make an exception this time."

Melissa turned to Midoriya, "You should come with us. There's something I want to show you at my lab before the party."

"Can we go now please? Before Todoroki says something... awkward."

"No, Todoroki, Izuku is not All Might's secret love child." Inko said with the near-infinite patience of a mother.

Todoroki met Midoriya's eyes and the corner of his mouth crooked up in a half smile. "Are you sure?"

Midoriya screamed internally. Deep in the bowels of One For All, all of the past wielders heard him and fully agreed with the sentiment. As it stood, Nana Shimura decided to take more of an interest in the goings on, since Midoriya was basically her step-grandson. Sort of.


Melissa Shield was about ninety percent sure that Shoto Todoroki's inquiries about Midoriya's parentage were some sort of inside joke, mostly based on Yaoyorozu asking her the same thing earlier. Nevertheless, after a stop at the cafe to give Mineta and Kaminari their tickets to the reception and their formal wear, Melissa took Midoriya to her lab to spare him further embarrassment.

Seeing him ooh and aah about the equipment and awards she had won was different but not unwelcome. She deflected, but Midoriya persisted. "Oh, what's your Quirk, by the way? You haven't mentioned it. Is it something that helps with-"

Melissa dropped the bomb. "I'm Quirkless." She studied Midoriya's face carefully, but was only perplexed by what she saw. Why did he look... guilty?

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, "That must... that must have been very difficult."

Melissa continued to rummage through some drawers in her search for the item she was looking for. "Honestly? Not so much. I gave up on my dream of being a Hero pretty quick, cause I had another dream that was just as important."

"Oh, what's that?"

"Becoming just like my dad, a scientist that helps heroes with- Ah! Here it is!" Melissa crowed. She popped out of the storage area of the lab and presented a small black case to Midoriya. "Open it!"

Midoriya followed her instructions and was met with a red device that looked like it could go on his arm. "What is it?"

"So, a few months ago everyone in my class was given a seemingly impossible assignment. I guess it was to teach us how to handle... unreasonable requests. Create an item that can stand up to the power of All Might. In the end, I was the only one to pass. You're holding the item I made."

Midoriya's eyes bugged out. "I can't take this! It's super important to you!"

Melissa flicked him on the forehead, "Stop that. With me it's just gathering dust, with you..." She smiled, "You'll be able to use all of your power. At least with the arm it's on. Come on, I'll help you put it on."

Midoriya's protests notwithstanding, she put the device on his right arm. "Okay, now push the button."

Midoriya pushed the button on the device and it began to glow and spread out to cover his arm and hand like a glove. "Wow..."

"I call it the Full Gauntlet." Melissa explained, "Now, this is just a prototype, so I'd wager it can handle... three of Uncle Might's full power punches before breaking."

"Melissa... how can I ever thank you for this?" Midoriya asked.

"Just promise that you'll use it to save people." She grinned, "And that you'll make your future step-sister proud."

Midoriya nodded. "I promise."


A/N: Sorry for the delay! Street Fighter 6 has owned my soul ever since it came out. Let's take it from the top.

If you aggro Inko Midoriya, you take your life into your own hands. Keep that part of her in mind. This is setup for something later.

So. Would you believe me if I told you that one of my unofficial beta readers made a joke months ago about how I should make Melissa All Might's biological daughter because he acted as a donor? And that I took it seriously? Yep. It's a thing. They'll technically be step-siblings one All Might and Inko get hitched.

As for the question of "shouldn't that mean Melissa look more Japanese"... Look, genetics in MHA are more guidelines than actual rules.

Momo? Jealous? Yeah, it had to happen. Sorry, not sorry. Maybe it is slightly OOC. Maybe it isn't. But it is also objectively hilarious. (To me at least) As another of my unofficial beta readers said- "They will call each other sister, but they will call each other... other things first."

Heh. Iida's smitten. Yep, this is happening.

Oh and uh... yeah. Yaoyorozu is getting a costume that uses DNA infused material to let her create stuff through it. Yes, I know that isn't particularly realistic. I don't particularly care. This is fanfic about a superhero Shonen anime. I reserve the right to pull things out of my ass and justify them with a bit of technobabble from time to time.

Bakugo showcases how much he's improved. Uraraka showcases how she will go to war to safeguard that improvement if she must.

And yeah, Inko is kind of a jerk to Bakugo. That'll smooth out as time goes on and she sees that he's actually fully committed to making amends.

And there it is. The Full Gauntlet. It's time for shenanigans. And for some fights I've been planning for months.

Next time.