Group A

Skylar

Ivan

Lynn

Merle

Deku retreated into his bedroom. He locked the door shut and simply stated that he would be watching them. A harsh blush emanated from his face, and he shuffled himself away before he could be broached for any other hints.

That left the class in his living room with no clues or facts to go by. Divided up in groups of four, the students looked around at one another with confused expressions.

"So," Aiden placed his hands behind his head. "You think he'd miss some of these old action figures?"

Aiden kicked at an open box of All Might figurines next to his black running shoes.

"What?" Mai asked by a coffee table.

"I'm sure some of these would go for a lot online."

"Quiet, you," Sigi groaned. "I can't believe I'm on a team with you."

With Group A, Lynn looked around the sparse room with numerous boxes. Some of them were open. Some were closed. The box the scarf was supposed to have laid within sat on top of the coffee table before a large couch.

"I guess we should get started?" Merle tipped his hat and shuffled in his cowboy boots.

Sam The Dog barked. Then, the golden retriever glued his nose the carpet and sniffed the floor. He crawled over the surface and combed through the soft fabric.

"Right, we need to gather clues," Ivan said. The tendrils with his many eyeballs snaked around the top of his head. "I am scanning the entire room as we speak."

Lynn nodded. Then, she turned to Skylar. The excitable blonde was doing nothing constructive and instead went on social media for assistance.

"Hey SkyStars," Skylar said into the phone. "I need your help. Remember that really old hero guy from Japan? I'm looking for his scarf! I'm putting up the picture of it right now, so if you're in the Detroit area, DM me any tips you have! Sparkles!"

Skylar posted the recording right as Lynn grabbed onto his arm.

"Skylar," Lynn said. "We need to focus on actually finding this. We can't wait for some random follower."

"I'm just increasing our odds," Skylar said. "Besides, that's what friends are for, right? To help…satisfy you?"

Skylar's soft glance bore into Lynn's soul. His warm, golden eyes were enough to make anyone's knees weak, and she was no exception. There was a strange soothe that enveloped her and made her feel that things would work out with her vision clouded by soft caramel edges.

"Right," Lynn said. "I guess you're right."

Skylar smiled and went around the rest of the room taking various selfies in front of Deku's property. Lynn, her eyes dazed and clouded, shook her head and tried to focus her head. The apartment was spacious, but the students mulling about made the beige walls quite imposing and suffocated the area.

Lynn sighed and forced herself to examine the area. However, her eyes were magnetized to Leon who was in another group. She felt a twinge of sadness tugging at her heart with Leon in a separate group from her and Skylar. The boy with light slate hair sat on the couch and fumbled for the remote. He was cute the way he seemed to just do as he pleased without much care. Even in the big car wreck, he had kept his composure. He was composed, but not aloof if his conversation with her in the hospital was evident. A nice counterpoint to Skylar's hyper charisma.

Lynn covered her mouth and frowned at herself. Why was she even thinking of all this right now. She had only just met both of these two. For all she knew, they could be something terrible like Nazis or vegans.

"What?"

Lynn looked back to Merle. He stared at her with a bewildered expression.

"What?" Lynn asked.

"You were muttering to yourself. What about vegans?"

"Oh…uh…no. I was just…praying. Yes, praying for our success in this mission."

Lynn shuffled away from Merle with a much more vibrant blush. She passed in front of the television screen that played the local news.

Group B

Riley

Leon

Ayumu

Mai

Leon's eyes traced over Lynn hurrying to the other side of the room. Based off the hue of her skin, he was concerned that she was growing ill.

Regardless, Leon has another assignment to solve. So, he sat on the couch and watched tv.

"Leon," Mai hopped to him with her ahoge twitching as if looking for some signal around the room. "Is there a reason you are perusing Mister Deku's television."

"Clues," Leon tilted his head past Mai's body blocking his sight. On the screen, a commercial for a pizza place in downtown flashed with stringed cheese dripping from a slice.

"Perhaps there are more clues in this room than on the television," Mai said.

"I'm watching tv now," Leon said.

Mai nodded at the boy. There may be a method to this boy's madness. She was in no position to critique a person's ability to solve a mystery considering she had never done such a thing back home.

Ayumu, who was awake for once, dragged her feet to the couch and fell in the spot next to Leon. She smacked her lips and let out a shallow sigh.

"All this excitement is wearing me out," Ayumu said. "I think I need a break."

"Do you have low blood sugar, Ayumu," Mai asked. "Maybe I can get you some tea."

"That would be lovely," Ayumu yawned. She leaned her head onto Leon's shoulder. The boy betrayed no emotion but deep concentration at the television when Ayumu closed her eyes and slipped into a soft slumber.

"Okay, I will go and brew it," Mai folded her hands together and went to the kitchenette area. There, she grabbed a teapot and placed it on the electric stove.

Riley, marching with his shoulders back and body pin straight, stopped right at the window overlooking the river. He noticed a small rainbow glint acting as a prism. It was a minuscule spark, but Riley ran a finger over the small chip. The crack ticked at his skin, and he looked down at the floor.

Another crack. A small ray of violet and pink painted the carpet.

"You noticed it, too."

Sigi, wearing a black baseball cap, seemed to have materialized right behind Riley. The taller boy turned to the girl who crouched down and traced a finger over the carpet around the kaleidoscope just faint and visible in the carpet.

"It was a break-in," Riley said.

"That's what Deku said before he ran into his room," Sigi stood back up. "So, basically just retrace steps."

"Aren't you on the other team," Riley asked.

"I am," Sigi said. "I just know that you won't be able to solve this even with me saying that."

Riley averted his gaze from Sigi who glared at him. She crossed her arms and licked her lips.

"Make no mistake," she said. "I'm gonna crush you like a sumo wrestler. So go join Kaneki and Dummy Phantom over by the sofa, Soldier Boy."

Sigi stormed away to her group. Riley noticed Leon watching the television with Ayumu fast asleep. Mai had arrived and set down a cup of tea that wafted steam over Ayumu's face.

"What are you three doing?" Riley rushed to the sofa. He bumped past Melanie who had paced over to the photograph hanging on the wall next to the screen.

"I'm watching tv," Leon stated.

"We've been given a mission," Riley said. "When given a mission, you must focus on accomplishing it. Nothing else."

"Ayumu has low blood sugar," Mai said. "She could pass out."

"Pass out," Ayumu grumbled. "That sounds…nice."

She snored with her head dropping onto Leon's shoulder. He simply watched with a blank expression another commercial for pizza.

"Watching tv isn't going to help us. Also, that is a very clear picture."

"This is just the news," Leon clicked on the guide button. A blue screen popped up showing a list of channels. "There's much more to watch.

Riley's green eyes widened at the screen. As Leon scrolled through the guide, he saw the list of channels zoom past him. There were thousands of channels from all corners of the world!

"Wow," Riley said. "These are a lot of channels. Much more than basic cable."

"I wasn't allowed to watch much tv growing up," Leon stated. "And I was kept away from the news."

"The news," Riley said. Then, he shook his head. "Look, we need to solve this mission, and if you all aren't-."

Bump! Melanie bopped her shoulder into Riley as she scrambled back to her group. Riley grunted and brushed off some dust from his arm. Then, he turned back to try and pry his team off the sofa.

Group C

Melanie

Sigi

Tao

Aiden

Melanie pranced to Sigi who had a notebook in her hand. She drew a diagram of the apartment when the pink-haired girl bounded to her.

"Sigi," Melanie said. "I found a clue."

Melanie lifted up a framed photograph before Sigi. It was a picture of Deku in front of U.A High School. Within the frame were a few students she was unfamiliar with. One of them was Lagniappe who flashed a peace sign at the camera. Next to her was that angry raven haired guy that beat up Leon. That annoying guy with the loud voice and guitar was in the picture as well. His arm was wrapped around some Japanese guy with amber eyes and long brown hair.

Opposite them in the frame to Deku's left, a girl with flowing grey hair and sunglasses flashed a wink at the camera. Next to her, a tall, muscled blonde guy with thorns protruding from his thick arms had his hand pressed to her waist.

Melanie pointed at a spot by the silver-haired girl and tilted the frame into the sunlight.

"You see?" Melanie reflected the light. "There's a fingerprint there."

Sigi narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, an odd stain pressed into the glass frame right by the girl.

"Hmm. Maybe this is our suspect," Sigi said. "But where did she go?"

"First, we must confirm," Melanie said. "I have an idea on who may help us with that."

Tao, meanwhile, had opened up a cupboard in the kitchenette. He flashed a strobe of light from his hand and illuminated the dark spaces inside. He scanned over the porcelain dishes. Next to him, Aiden rummages through a box of old action figures.

"Tao, Aiden," Melanie said. "I know where we must go to solve this conundrum."

She walked over to them with the picture. Sigi, however, grunted and grabbed her wrist as she crossed into the kitchenette.

"Excuse you," Sigi said. "You don't get to just decide those things."

Melanie blinked with the other two staring inquisitive at Sigi. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I think I should be the one that leads the way," Sigi said. "I used to deal with mysteries like this all the time back in Stockton."

"We are a team, aren't we?" Aiden said. "I think Mel has an idea, and we should follow it."

"But I don't," Sigi said. "I think we should try to get more clues here. Otherwise, we'll find ourselves coming back over and over."

"But I know somebody that can help us confirm this," Melanie said. "If we can figure out the identity, we can track the person down."

"But I think we-."

"Sigi," Tao said. "We are a team. Correct?"

"Right, but-."

"And there has to be a level of trust between all of us, correct?"

"Maybe. I-."

"I know what it's like to feel like doing things yourself," Tao said. "But when one fails, we all do. And when one succeeds, we all do."

"What are you, a communist?" Sigi said. "Okay, fine. We'll go to where Melanie wants. But I'm not gonna be happy if we have to come back here."

Group C followed Melanie out the door.

Meanwhile, Sam dug his nose into the box. He captured the scent of the thief in question. He sat next to the box and craned his neck back at Merle.

"Hey, look at this," Ivan pointed one of his tendrils over at the corner by the formerly hung photograph. "I see sand in that area."

"Sand," Lynn crossed over to that spot. She kneeled down and picked up a speck of it. The grain had a harsh and charcoal texture to it with a grey tint to it. She crushed it in her fingers and rubbed it away.

"There's no beach on this island," Skylar said. "Believe me, I already checked."

"This sand is grey, also," Lynn said. "There's a few beaches around here, but only one with grey sand. Belle Isle."

"Belle Isle," Ivan repeated. "So the thief went there and travelled over here afterwards."

"Sam can help track the scent when we get there," Merle added. "If there's something this bozo left."

"By following backwards, maybe we can find where she at least came from," Lynn stood up and faced the others. "Let's head over there."

"Yay!" Skylar cried out in ecstasy. "Beach episode!"

Skylar did a cartwheel and gave a quick wink to Leon, who was absorbed by the television and uninterested in anything else. The blonde boy leapt out of the room with Lynn in tow. Sam barked and chased after them with Merle and Ivan running for the group. The door shut behind them, and Group B was left to view the television.

"I can't believe there are this many channels," Riley said. "And you can view one's from other parts of the world?"

"It's a typical satellite set up," Leon said. "My house has one in about every room."

"Every room with one of these!" Riley said.

"Is that…not normal?" Leon asked.

"Not at my place!"

Riley jumped in his seat with a not-so-manly yelp as Dream Ayumu popped out from the television screen. She twirled in the air and hovered over her own dozing corpse.

"At my house, we lived in an ancient ryokan by a mystical forest outside of Kyoto. Although it wasn't all that mystical since O scared away all the ghosts!"

"Ghost?" Riley's jaw dropped. "There are ghosts in this time?"

"Aren't ghosts supposed to be from every time?" Mai asked.

Riley grunted and shook his head. He stood up and blocked the television from view. "Look," he shouted. "This is getting us nowhere. We need to complete the mission. Look for clues and figure out-."

"And now," A reporter said on the television. "An interview with the renowned collector!"

On the screen, a fat little man with a white wig and beady black eyes pushed up the black-rimmed glasses that had no lenses in it. He sat in a bright white tuxedo and rainbow tie while sweat beaded at the top of his balding head.

"Yes, it is I," he said in a nasally tone. "The Collector."

Riley stepped to the side at the odd appearance of the man. Based off his appraisal of others, his state of dress was still abnormal for this era.

"So, with the Hero Art and Fashion Show tonight at the casino, what do you plan to showcase for this years main event?"

"Oh, we'll you know me," the man said. "I'm just full of surprises! That's me! The Collector. Full of surprises. I have some special pieces that harken back to the Golden Ages of Hero-dom. Back when all you needed for a costume was a mask and a cape!"

"But what auction set piece will you be showing everyone this year?"

"I won't spoil anything," The Collector said. "But it's going to be a…Grand appearance! Or should I say Gran without the 'd' if you get my drift. But before I do, make sure to find me at my book store by the waterfront! If will be a…Gran time!"

Riley's eyes widened at the mention of the name. He certainly did not know the old man in the photograph Deku showed, but he remembered the name being Gran Torino. What connection Deku had to this man, he was unsure. However, this information sounded like a dead giveaway that The Collector had something to do with the disappearance of the scarf. They could confront him at this book signing occurring that day before the art show!

"Thank you so much," the reporter said. "Up next, PizzaFest Detroit is off to a great start in downtown. We have a live report after the break."

"That's perfect," Leon shot to his feet. "It makes sense now."

"Wow," Mai giggled. "I guess watching television does have its advantages."

Riley breathed out a deep sigh. "Okay, that was luck. But now, we have an objective."

Leon nodded at the taller boy. "Right. It's time to visit PizzaFest."

"Yes, it's-wait, what?"

"PizzaFest is sure to have clues for finding the scarf," Leon said in a calmer tone.

"What?"

"I as well would like to see this festival!" Mai said.

"What?"

"Pizza! Fuck yeah!" Ayumu cheered and swimmer in the air around Riley.

"No," Riley shouted. "We have to see that weird guy about the-.

"Sorry, Ridley," Ayumu flashed a cheeky grin at the stern boy just inches from his face. "But it's a three to one vote. Off to Pizza Fest!"

Leon turned off the television and headed for the door. Mai hopped behind him to the hallway, and Ayumu's dream figure floated above her body.

"Well?" Ayumu said. "Put those muscles to use and carry me!"

Riley gaped at the situation he was put into. Not only was he completely ignored of his obvious clue, but he was now being roped into following the lead of three incredibly dim and incompetent students. Either they were purposefully sabotaging the team, or the next few generations of teenagers had lost some synapses in their brain.

Realizing Leon and Mai were gone, Riley sighed and kneeled down by the couch. He pushed his arms underneath Ayumu's cold, frail body and heaved her into his carry. He lifted her up and trudged over to the door. Yes, he wanted to accomplish the mission, but he knew that he also had to follow the whims of the team. Being in a team required sacrifice. If they won together, they would also lose together.

Riley carried Ayumu out with her dream state shouting about pizza.

What a truly dumb future this was, he thought.

Slam!

Once the door closed, Izuku exited his bedroom. He poked his head through the opening and stared at the front door. He was in disbelief over the inane conversation he had just eavesdropped on, and he could not help but shiver in frustration at his class not at all assisting in finding his beloved scarf.

"Well, at least they won't get stuck in Steve Buscemi's chimney this time," Izuku said.

Will Group A find anything at the beach? Will Group B identify the fingerprint? Will Group C go to PizzaFest?

Thoughts?

Thank you. See you soon?