(A/N: Sorry for the delay! I had more editing to do this chapter and work life is busy. :P

Slight warning for teasing this chapter? Though not really but just in case. From ["Ochako-chan!...] to before ["Who are they?"] but there's some comfort also mixed in and it's not too teasing. There's also a little subtle teasing in the paragraph starting with [He hadn't interacted much...] through to before ["Kaminari!"] and a little more in [The purple haired teen sputtered...]. )

...

I-Island was amazing! The area for the I-Expo was filled with colorful buildings, structures, and sculptures. Izuku was having a hard time focusing on just one thing because there was just so much! There were even literal music notes floating in the air most likely coming from someone's Quirk. It was really fascinating to be in a place where you could use your Quirk so freely.

Seriously, this place was huge. It was almost hard to believe that they were on a man-made island in the middle of the ocean right now. There was also another section of the island that was more like a normal city. They would be going there later for the reception in the Center Tower for citizens and Heroes alike. Thank goodness they were all told to bring formal clothes beforehand. Even Izuku would have been embarrassed to show up in one of his punny t-shirts that simply said 'dress clothes'.

I-Island really had everything you would need. The only downside according to Melissa who was showing their group around was that they weren't allowed to travel. Which honestly was understandable in order to protect the scientists and their research, but that still sucked that they were stuck there.

A screech grabbed the party of seven's attention and also caused Izuku to geek out as he exclaimed, "Oh my gods, it's the Monster Hero, Godzillo!"

Others around them also fanned over the intimidating Hero as the large lizard man flashed them a toothy smile and a peace sign. It was just so cool to see him in person! His friends and the Heroes supervising them chuckled at his fanboying moment. It was certainly not going to be the last considering so many Heroes were flown out there by their sponsors for the expo.

Be still my Hero fanboy heart!

"Let's look in here!" Melissa cheerfully said as she pointed to a nearby building. "We definitely have to check out what's in there. I think you'll get a real kick out of it."

They made quite the group walking into the building. A loudmouth radio host, a gruff canine counselor, a pink haired inventor, and three young aspiring Heroes following after the daughter of David Shield. Inside they found it was filled with new Hero Support Items. Both Mei and Izuku didn't know what to look at first. Thankfully, Melissa was an excellent guide and introduced them to the various inventions with knowledgeable explanations for each one.

A multipurpose Beagle that was as fast as a jet and could also travel in the air as well as underwater. That's so cool! A diving suit that allowed the wearer to drop down to as low as 7,000 meters in the ocean. That's so deep! There was also a helmet that enabled you to see all the way around your body using 36 different sensors. That's so much!

Melissa smiled fondly as she watched them fawn over the various tech as she said, "Almost everything in here was created using a number of inventions Papa patented."

"That's impressive," Izuku replied with a beaming and excited Mei nodding beside him. "You must be very proud of him."

The blonde girl hummed in agreement before saying, "All of these inventions are going to help Heroes all around the world. It makes me so proud to think of all the people they will be able to help because of his hard work."

It was awesome that she had someone like her dad to look up to like that and Izuku told her as such. Melissa blushed and told them that her dream was to follow in his footsteps and become a scientist just like him. In fact, she was training to do just that and was a third year studying at the I-Island Academy. It was very impressive as anyone who dreamed of becoming a scientist wanted to go there.

But she was humble about her achievements, saying she still had much to learn. Honestly, Izuku felt the same way. Despite all his analysis training and mentoring he is getting from his teachers, there was still so much more to explore and discover. The future was an open book and all one had to do was push forward and take every opportunity presented to them.

I see a lot of myself in her beyond us both being Quirkless.

"Oh, I forgot to ask," Melissa spoke up suddenly. "What should I call all of you? By your real names or would you prefer a nickname?"

Present Mic and Hound Dog had already introduced themselves by their Hero names as they were in costume and technically on duty as guardians. The three Hero students decided to follow suit and so Hitoshi, Shouto, and Izuku introduced themselves as Hoax, Reinen, and Edge respectively. As for Mei she insisted in her typical in-your-face fashion to call her by her first name. They were going to become Support partners so might as well start the friendship process now.

"Wow, first name basis already, Mei?" a familiar female bubbly voice called out suddenly. They all turned to see it was Ochako also in her Hero costume.

"Ochako-chan!" Izuku squawked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

A clearing of a throat further alerted them to the presence of Momo and Jirou who were also geared up.

"You guys are here too?!" the greenet exclaimed having not expected any of them. "Why didn't you say anything before we left?!"

"Thought it would be funnier to see your reaction," the gravity girl answered cheekily. "Yours are just so dramatic it's hilarious."

The now bigger group all snickered as the Quirkless boy hid his flushed face with his arms. Shouto even gave a chuckle finding his reaction cute before placing a comforting hand on his friend's back. The contact helped Izuku settle down and when he lowered his arms, they joined hands. There was nothing better to help him calm down than holding hands with his crush.

"Who are they?" Melissa asked curiously.

Oh, right. Izuku introduced the three girls as their classmates and that they were all in UA's Hero Course in Class 1-A together. Each of them offered her their own names, both given and Hero. He then introduced Melissa to them as their friend which made the older girl blush slightly. They had only just met and they were already friends?

"Nice to meet you," the blonde girl said with a genuine friendly smile. "My dad and Uncle Might are really good friends and haven't seen each other in a while. As they're catching up, I've been showing the others around the expo for a bit. If you would like, we could go to a café to grab some tea for a bit."

They all agreed it was an excellent idea and she led them to one of her favorite nearby tea spots. The newer members of their party sat with Melissa at one table to get to know each other better. The rest of them sat at different tables with the Heroes at one and the students at another to take a break and rest their feet.

The group of girls were chatting about the Hero students' internship experiences. Melissa was impressed what they had seen and done so far so early in their careers. Patrols, training, and working with Pro Heroes all sounded so exciting. The young Heroes tried to brush it off as nothing special but the inventor was insistent with her praise.

The Heroes were casually chatting at their own table. Well, Present Mic was talking mostly and Hound Dog would occasionally offer grunts in reply. Then at the teenager's table, Mei was currently rifling through Izuku's info booklet eager to see what else the expo had. He took note she dog-eared some of the ones he was excited about too.

Izuku himself was talking about some of them as Shouto listened beside him. The dual element wielder watched him with a sparkle of endearment in his heterochromatic eyes. He didn't understand everything that was coming out of his freckled friend's mouth but he was happy to simply hear what he had to say. Hitoshi though had decided to take the opportunity to sneak in a nap with his capture weapon serving as a cushion on top of his crossed arms. That is until there was a sudden whiff of coffee in the air.

A single purple eye peeked out as a steaming cup of coffee was placed before him. He could tell it was straight black just from the smell. Though there was an added dollop of whipped foam placed on top that someone had formed into a crude cat. Hitoshi looked up further to find Kaminari smiling down at him wearing a butler uniform.

"Thanks for waiting," the electric teen said with a certain lilt in his voice though Hitoshi couldn't place it. "I noticed you talk about cats and coffee a lot but didn't know how you liked it. Thought you looked like you could use an energy boost though so enjoy!"

The brainwasher just stared in surprise as the electric blonde placed a container of cream and sugar down with a wink. He was too shocked at first to do anything as Kaminari turned towards the others.

Wait, he noticed that? When? Why? Just…what?

He hadn't interacted much with the other boy outside of training. The closest to socializing they had was during the trip to the mall but that had been a disaster. Hitoshi found himself very much confused about this situation. A quick glance at his closest friends offered no help as both Mei and Izuku were smirking at him while Shouto was blank-faced as ever. He missed the knowing smile on his dad's face as he snuck a picture of the exchange to send to his husband. Oh, and Midnight who would love a bit of hot gossip.

Yamada then watched as his son cautiously reached for the cup and carefully mixed in some sugar so as to not destroy the foam cat. He smiled fondly as the typical satisfying relaxed slump of tense shoulders as their kid took the first sip. It reminded him of a certain grumpy cat of a man he left back home. It was so funny how alike they were even though they weren't related by blood as he snuck another picture. It would be a nice addition to his growing gallery at home.

"Kaminari!" Izuku chirped, excited to see their classmate though he was a little confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently they needed extra wait staff for the expo," Kaminari replied giving them a thumbs up in greeting. "A few of the guys from class figured we would help out. Got us a free trip to the island and we get paid for our time. Then on our breaks we're allowed to explore the expo."

"Is he another one of your classmates?" Melissa asked, surprised to meet yet another student from 1-A.

"Yep!" Ochako chimed in with a clap of her hands while the others nodded.

"Melissa, this is Kaminari Denki," Izuku said, introducing the two acting as a sort of liaison. "His Hero name is Chargebolt. Kaminari, this is Melissa Shield."

"Nice to meet you, Kaminari," Melissa greeted offering her hand. "Or would you prefer your Hero name?"

"You as well, Melissa. And Kaminari is just fine," he replied, shaking her hand and noting she was really cute for a girl. Then upon releasing it he turned back to Hitoshi and asked, "So, how's that drink treating ya?"

The purple haired teen sputtered at the sudden attention. Seriously, what was going on right now? The others chuckled as he cleared his throat.

"Uh, great, thanks," Hitoshi answered, finding himself feeling shy for some reason. "You were right. It was just what I needed."

He was indeed grateful for the boost of caffeine. The insomniac could already feel it working at waking him up. Kaminari was clearly pleased as he smiled widely and brightly at him. It was different from Izuku's or Hizashi's brightness who could be as intense as the sun making him feel a need for sunglasses. But the blonde teen was more…electric though that could be just his Quirk. Or his tendency to make puns. Either way, Hitoshi didn't know what it was exactly but that smile sparked something unknown inside him.

What the heck is going on?!

However, the moment was broken and therefore immediate answers lost as they were interrupted by an order barking speedster.

"This is not the time to be slacking off!" Tenya scolded while coming at them at top speed. "You came to the island to make money, didn't you? How can you do that if you're not willing to work hard?!"

Kaminari squawked as he was herded away from Hitoshi by their class president in full costume minus his helmet. Commanding in presence as ever.

"Wait, you're here too, Tenya?" Izuku asked in surprise.

"Of course," Tenya answered as he stared down the goofing off blonde. "I am from a long line of Heroes and so it was expected for us to receive an invitation. However, I was the only one available to attend as the rest of my family was busy. So, it's only me representing the Iida family."

"That's the same for me," Momo revealed drawing everyone's attention to her. "My father is a shareholder in some of the sponsor companies for the expo. I was excited to hear we could go to the preview."

It was then revealed by Jirou that Momo was also giving a few plus-one invitations as well. The girls had decided to let chance decide who got them and after a game of rock paper scissors, Ochako and Jirou were the winners. The other girls were still there on the island with them but would have to wait for the official opening of the expo.

Momo probably paid for them all to come with her, Izuku figured with a smile. That's so nice of her to not leave the other girls out.

They had a plan to go as a group to look around the expo the next day. Melissa happily offered to show them around herself which they excitedly accepted. Kaminari practically begged to join them since he hadn't had much time between shifts. Of course, his company would be welcomed among them much to his relief.

After they finished their various drinks, the group of ten from before were joined by Tenya making eleven while Kaminari reluctantly went back to work. There was a lot of noise coming from one pavilion so they headed over there to find a Villain Attack course. Different contestants were racing to see who could defeat the 'villains' as fast as possible. Or in this case, robots. Again.

It was another contest more directed towards offensive Quirks much like the Hero Course practical exam. Definitely something Bakugou would have gravitated towards to show off his power if he had been on the island. Though Izuku figured he wasn't because he couldn't see the explosive blonde as being willing to work waiting tables to come. Too beneath him. Perhaps if he had won first place in the Sports Festival then he would have gotten an invitation like Izuku had, but he didn't.

Well at least I don't have to worry about running into Bakugou while I'm here.

Most of them decided to watch rather than participate in the challenge. Mei had wanted to try and was already thinking of which of her babies would be perfect up against the foe robots. Unfortunately, she couldn't since she was a civilian and not a Hero student and so didn't have the required training for safety purposes. But if she had, Izuku was sure she would have done an impressive display of technological terror similar to her match with Tenya that had gotten her own invitation to the island.

Said speedster chose to oversee the group rather that run the course. The girls also opted out along with Hitoshi who already knew his Quirk wouldn't work on robots from his bitter failure of the practical. Izuku played around with the idea of combining the use of some of his gadgets, but decided against it not really caring to rank himself. Shouto was the only one passively interested and gave an impressive showing of clearing the course in 14 seconds with his Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall. Though Izuku found himself a bit distracted by his attack stance and how his white and red hair fluttered in the wind. It was…a nice view.

"Izuku, are you alright?" Shouto asked as he rejoined their group. "Your face is a little red."

He brought up his right hand to Izuku's forehead to check his temperature. Though that only deepened the reddening of his cheeks as they were in public and this was one of Shouto's more forward gestures. Thankfully though his skin was still cool from using his Quirk so it did start to help to tone down his blush.

"I-I'm fine, Shouto, really," Izuku assured him with a smile. "It's probably just the sun."

The taller boy hummed in answer as he removed his hand only to shift to stand beside him and take his hand instead. The blush remained as Izuku smiled softly at the action and gave Shouto an appreciative squeeze. They kept holding hands as they all watched a few more contestants participate. Though no one came near their resident element wielder's time and so he held first place until Present Mic decided to take a stab at it.

The Villain Attack course was open to any Hero competitors though it was more aimed at the younger crowd. However, Izuku was entertained, impressed, and a little proud that he did. Because it was hilarious to see this skinny, banana-haired, leather-bound man casually stroll to the stage while whistling to then merely scream 'YEAAAHHH!' at the robots destroying them in seconds. All with just the right volume and frequency from years of practice. Goes to show you didn't have to have a physical Quirk to beat the course.

The group moved on from there and explored the other pavilions as the afternoon turned to early evening. As the sun began to set, they went back to the café from earlier and presented a tired Kaminari with a spare invitation to the reception that night. The electric blonde was ecstatic and couldn't believe he could go with them. Melissa was more than happy since she had an extra. She was only sad she had just the one and would have liked to have invited the other boys from 1-A on the island. Apparently, Satou, Sero, Shouji, and Tokoyami were also there but, much like the girls, not everyone could go.

Ever the class president concerned about their image, Tenya stressed for them to be on their best behavior tonight. There were going to be a number of Pro Heroes in attendance and the students were there acting as representatives of UA. It was essential to not tarnish the prestigious Hero school's reputation. They were more ordered than agreed to change and then meet in lobby seven at 6:30pm sharp in order to go as a group. He then dismissed them with a commanding smile before running off at full throttle as always.

That's Tenya for you, Izuku thought as he chuckled in amusement.

After that, they all parted ways for their various hotel rooms. Though Mei reluctantly didn't want to part from her fellow female inventor but a promise to visit Melissa's lab at a later time placated her. His classmates retreated to their own hotel rooms while Izuku and his friends left with the two Pro Heroes in tow.

All Might, due to his status and situation, had his own suite. The rest of their group was situated in a special suite of sorts with multiple rooms to compensate for the number of people in their party. The two adults had their own rooms and then the students were split with the boys in one room and Mei in the other. Probably for the best as she tended to stay up late working on a baby before going to sleep. The boys' room had just two beds though that was fine with them. Hitoshi took one and that left Shouto and Izuku with the other not minding having to share.

It took some time to convince Mei to actually get cleaned up and dressed. Izuku had to force her to take a quick shower to clean off any stray grease. The threat of not letting her bring a single baby with her to the party was enough to make herself get ready. He laid out her outfit for the evening on her bed before retreating to his shared room where Hitoshi and Shouto were already getting ready themselves. Izuku made himself think of this as just like the locker room back at UA and turned his back to focus on changing himself.

When he had first heard they would need formal clothes for their trip, Izuku had been worried he wouldn't find anything. He had never been to a fancy dinner in his life so the reddish-brown pinstripe suit with a pale-yellow button up and black clip-on bow tie seemed just fine. He had even planned on wearing his favorite red shoes as well both for comfort and he literally didn't have any fancy shoes to wear.

However, before they had left Yamada had insisted, nay demanded, to see their outfits for the gala. He had already helped Hitoshi out with a simple but stylish black suit and tie with a deep purple shirt and matching pocket square. He had even shown his son how to style his hair in a way that had some of his hair swept forward like bangs in front of one side of his forehead while the rest of his gravity defying hair was slicked back somewhat for a more formal look. The brainwasher had also been playing around with eyeliner lately though hadn't been brave enough to wear it in public yet. This was as good a time as any.

Shouto had a plethora of finery to choose from with all the different social events he had been dragged to over the years. Endeavor did so love to show off his masterpiece whenever the occasion came up. So his outfit of a light gray suit with dark gray accents, muted blue shirt, and striped maroon tie had been approved, but when it came to Mei and Izuku's choices, they were immediately vetoed and labeled fashion disasters. His own he couldn't see what was wrong though he did agree that Mei's idea of wearing her least greasy overalls was not an option.

This abrupt decision had prompted Yamada to go on an emergency shopping trip before they left much to Aizawa's exasperation and Izuku's dislike of putting upon others. But the Voice Hero had insisted anyway and Hitoshi just told him to accept it. There was no stopping his dad once he put his mind on shopping for someone. He just couldn't help himself because he loved showering people with gifts.

For Mei, he had kept in mind her love of function while adding fashion into the mix. He gave her a dark gray pant suit with a surprising number of hidden pockets. Perfect for carrying around some of her compacted babies in case she found an opportunity to show them off. He paired it with a pink shirt to match her hair and dark gray tie. Yamada even found a porkpie styled hat to match which Mei fixed up with one of her spare sets of goggles. She also added some steampunk flair with a few gears on the side paired with a couple of feathers, one pink and one yellow.

Then for Izuku, he was also given a dark gray suit but with a green shirt and pocket square that matched his hair. Then the tie Yamada gave him was a deep rich red knowing it was his favorite color. As for shoes, he found a simple black pair that he assured were comfortable as well as fashionable. Izuku still didn't understand what had been so bad with his original outfit, but would take the Voice Hero's word that this was better.

If anything, he was impressed Yamada had found the two outfits so quickly. He had given them a onceover each, accurately listed off their sizes, and had only taken a couple hours shopping to find them. Considering his choices, the blonde man had some serious scrounging skills when it came to off-the-rack clothing. But then again, this was Yamada they were talking about. The man who managed to acquire a hefty amount of Eraserhead merch from gods knew where. If anyone could pull together two emergency outfits out of thin air at the last minute, it was him. And that was exactly what he did.

The material was nice and the fit was really good. Izuku was surprised how good he looked in the suit when he checked himself in the mirror in the bathroom. Most everything was buttoned up and ready to go all except for one thing. The tie. The greenet mourned not being able to use the clip-on bow tie. He just couldn't get his head around tying ties no matter how many tutorials he looked at.

"Do you need help with that?" Shouto asked from behind him.

Izuku let out a relieved sigh as he said, "Yes, please, Shouto. I'd really appreciate…"

He turned around as he spoke and found himself frozen.

"…that."

Izuku had seen Shouto's suit before but it very much different actually seeing him in it. It was relatively simple but stylish and it actually reflected the two parts of his Quirk. The suit reminded him of snow and the tie hinted at his fire side almost matching his hair on his left. Plus, he had never seen Shouto in a suit before and damn did he look good. Though he did keep his hair the same not caring enough to bother styling it differently. Izuku didn't care either. His crush was just naturally good looking without much effort.

Shouto stood there looking at him for a moment. He took in how nice Izuku looked in his own outfit. Yamada had good taste and Shouto very much appreciated the view. Perhaps the next time his father dragged him to an event he could take Izuku with him. The company would be more than welcome and he would also enjoy the…what was the word?

Eye candy, if I'm using that correctly, the bi-color teen thought to himself as he took a step forward.

There were still so many words and phrases that he was learning. Having such an isolated childhood did not help him understand teenager slang like his classmates and friends did. Thankfully Izuku was always willing to help explain whenever one of Hitoshi's jokes went over his head. He personally still didn't get them once he had a better understanding, but he appreciated his friend's efforts anyway.

Heterochromatic eyes scanned over the greenet's face. His hair was a curly mess as always but Shouto found it cute. In fact, there were a lot of things he thought were cute about his special warm friend. How his green eyes glistened with excitement when he was observing and analyzing Heroes. His constellation of freckles that dusted his cheeks especially when he was blushing as he was right now. The shy smile that grew on his face whenever they were close much like they were now.

"May I?" Shouto asked as he reached for the untied tie.

"Yeah," Izuku replied though it came out very breathy.

Shouto hummed in response and proceeded with carefully manipulating the smooth material into a perfect knot. He had so much experience tying ties over the years. In fact, if he recalled correctly, his eldest brother was the first to show him how, but when he disappeared, he couldn't rely on his help anymore and so had to do it himself. It didn't necessarily make him an expert tying someone else's, but it wasn't anything a quick internet search couldn't remedy.

"There we go," Shouto said as he smoothed the finished tie down. "All done."

"Th-thank you, Shouto," Izuku said, his cute face tilted down bashfully as he peaked up at him through his lashes. "I really appreciate it."

"Any time," the taller teen responded with a small smile on his face. "I would do anything for you."

They just stared at each other in a comfortable silence until Hitoshi called out, "Hey, lovebirds, hurry up or Tenya's gonna blow a gasket."

"R-right!" Izuku squeaked before taking a moment to compose himself. "Are you ready to go, Shouto?"

The element wielder nodded and they left the bathroom together. Hitoshi gave him a onceover and let out a wolf whistle.

"Looking good there, Green Bean," the purple haired teen commented with a smirk. "I'm sure Shouto agrees."

"I do," Shouto stated bluntly making Izuku blush.

Hitoshi snorted before turning back to Izuku and said, "Your hair is a mess as always though. Want me to style it a bit?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" Izuku chirped in excitement. He's never really done anything to his hair before. It was always such a hassle so this should be fun!

The brainwasher nodded and did quick work on his hair so they wouldn't be running late. He styled it much like his own. Some hair brushed forward to act as accenting bangs. The rest gently slicked back ever so slightly but still keeping his signature fluff. Hitoshi even manage to force a sort of part on the side so he didn't look so much like he had a bush on his head. After a quick look in the mirror again, the greenet loved it and pulled his friend into a quick hug. Hitoshi grunted having been caught by surprise and seeing as his arms were pinned to his sides, he could only awkwardly pat Izuku on the back until he let go.

"Shall we?" Izuku asked, his eyes and smile bright and eager for the coming evening.

Hitoshi pulled out his sunglasses despite it being dark outside before answering, "Lead the way, sunny boy."

The Quirkless teen just giggled and led them out of their room. Mei surprisingly was all ready and looked great in her pant suit. When she noticed them joining her and their Hero guardians, she looked over her boys and gave them all an approving smile and thumbs up.

"Looking good, my fellow Freakateers!" Mei cheered with a huge grin.

"Freakateers?" Yamada questioned beside her. He and Hound Dog were still in their Hero costumes for the party. "That's what you call yourselves?"

"Yep!" the pinkette chirped with a clap of her hands before pointing to herself. "I'm Porthos."

"Aramis," Hitoshi said simply with a salute.

"I'm Athos," Izuku added on. "And Shouto is our d'Artagnan."

Shouto gave a small awkward circular wave in response not knowing what else to do. They all chuckled fondly. Yamada though was apparently thoroughly entertained by their group nickname as he was trying not to fall into hysterics.

"Wow, you guys put in way more thought than Shou and I did back in high school," the loud blonde snickered. "He and I along with another friend were just called the three Dumbigos of Class A."

Again, they laughed as a group before Present Mic did a final check of their outfits. With his approval and a few quick pictures, they then left their suite to join the others. Thankfully they were only a minute or two late meeting up with Tenya and the others but they weren't the only ones late as it was only him and Kaminari there. Tenya was dressed in a blue suit, white shirt, and yellow tie and Kaminari was still in his butler outfit. The class president still reprimanded them for their tardiness despite not being the only ones late as the other girls weren't there yet.

"Cool your jets, Tenya," Mei said, getting very much into his space with her usual lack of care for one's personal bubble. "Haven't you ever heard of being fashionable late?"

"That may be a saying some people use," Tenya replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "However as UA students we must do our best to be more timely so as to keep to our promised appointments."

He awkwardly adjusted his glasses while Mei simple shrugged and pulled back to a more comfortable distance. Though she stayed standing beside him humming to herself happily. As they waited, Tenya called the other girls from their class up to figure out where they were at. Izuku in turn texted Melissa who responded she was on her way.

Ochako was the first to show in a pretty pink frilly short dress, dark gray stockings, pink shoes, and a flowered bow in her hair. Momo and Jirou arrived not too long after. Their class vice president sported a long pale green dress, white shoes, and a fancy gold clip in her hair while Jirou hid shyly behind her. The purple haired girl wore a more punk style dress with a purple top and pink skirt with a black half-sleeve jacket, gray stockings, and pink shoes along with a pink flower in her hair to match. Both Jirou's and Ochako's dresses were borrowed from Momo for the occasion.

The last to arrive was Melissa in a beautiful blue strapless dress that had a dark top and a pale skirt with a black sash around her waist and a flower accent to match the dress. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she wore a red headband. She breathily apologized for being late but it was only by a few minutes so they still had plenty of time to get down to the party.

With the rest of their part together, they all headed down to the reception in the elevator. The party was being held on the second floor and they arrived without issue. It was going to start around 7pm so they made it with time to spare thanks to Tenya's need for punctuality. However, before they could go inside and start mingling with the crowd, All Might suddenly appeared before them.

"Greetings, young Heroes!" the Number One Hero boomed. "It's good to see you all nicely dressed and ready for action."

He took in their various formal wear and gave an approving hum at their choices. Or in the case of Hitoshi, Mei, and Izuku, Yamada's fashion sense. All in all, they looked good.

"Hmm, yes, you all look rather dashing," All Might nodded in approval, but then he oddly leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'd like all of you to come with me. There is something I must discuss with you before the reception starts."

His volume was low but his tone was very serious. Something had to be up and so they all nodded and followed him to a separate room a little ways away from the reception hall. Inside they found other Heroes as well as I-Island security leaders.

Ok, something definitely is up.

Present Mic and Hound Dog were immediately on alert. As for the students, those who had been exposed to Villain attacks were already figuring that something was going down and it couldn't be good. Which left Mei and Melissa standing there wondering what was going on for everyone to seem so serious. Once they were inside and the door was shut, All Might turned back to their group.

"Unfortunately, I must tell you there has been a…complication," the Number One Hero said, still smiling as ever but it was dulled by the tense atmosphere. "I want to apologize to you specifically, young Midoriya, as we had come to I-Island to protect you. However, we have been made aware of a possible Villain attack."

Seriously? Can't I catch a break? Izuku thought though he figured, or rather hoped, that the threat wasn't directed at him specifically.

"We didn't have much time to come up with a counter plan," All Might pressed on. "We don't know who they are or how they will attack. We don't even know for sure if this attack will be real or not. All we know is when and why. However, we have determined that we will need all of your help in order to succeed in case it is. Will you help us, young Heroes?"

Present Mic and Hound Dog were already set on helping in any way they could be of use. The Hero students could sense their determination and nodded earnestly that they would as well. Melissa and Mei traded a somewhat scared glance as they were the least experienced when it came to fighting. But if there was any way for them to offer their support to the Heroes then they would.

"What can we do to help?" Melissa asked, speaking for the rest.

The Symbol of Peace smile intensified finding inspiration in their determination to help.

"Here is what we will do," he said and began to explain their plan.

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Notes extension: ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic/part-3-chapter-16-exploring-the-expo/k400tu55oddp