Chapter Twenty-One
~Yuto's POV~
"We're going to go meet up with the others." James called as Yuto slipped his dark red vest on. Yuto looked up to see his brother already shrugging on his black jacket. His hair was slicked back making his jaw and cheek bones stick out further to show how almost elegantly delicate they looked. Considering Yuto has hit James in the face before, he knew his brother's face was anything but delicate.
"Looking good there J." Yuto commented honestly as they entered the living area of their suite. "I'll take Shina down once she's done with whatever she's doing."
"I'm doing Kana's hair!" Shina shouted. "Almost done James!"
"Don't you dare leave me behind James Nara! I'll personally de-claw you." Kana's threat ended with a yelp as Shina probably pinched her for the threat making.
"Can you hurry up?" James asked impatiently eyeing his shoes as he checked for any scuffs. Not that he cared about it Yuto thought. He knew James was anxious to get this night over with. "What do girls have to do that takes them forever anyway?" Yuto grinned mischievously.
"I bet you wouldn't rush Mina." James glared at him. "What? You wouldn't and you know it. You're soft for her."
"Hush it you." Yuto laughed as he caught the slight redness to James face as he turned away in a huff. Yuto shrugged his jacket on but left his bow untied. He wouldn't be able to get it right and was hoping Shina could do it for him. She was a good big sister like that.
"We're done!" Shina called. Yuto and James looked over as the sound of rustling came. Kana was the first to enter the living space. Her dress was knee-length and black on the bottom, but it faded into a light pink at her waist and turned white around her shoulders. The neckline and sleeves reminded him of Princess Jasmine's top, only this was a one-piece dress. Kana's black and pink hair was braided into two panda ears on top of her head. She didn't wear any heels, only black and pink converse shoes. Minimal make-up only enhanced her pink eyes. She was prettier than usual.
"You look like a girl." James stated matter-of-factly. Kana instantly made a face.
"I am a girl."
"Yeah but…. You look like a real girl now." Yuto sighed as Kana stuck her tongue out at him.
"Be nice you two." Shina's stern voice came from behind Kana as she gently nudged her forward. Shina's dress was a dark blue almost black that shimmered slightly. Her dress neckline wrapped around her throat like a halter. No sleeves as Shina preferred most of her clothes that way to maximize her light exposure. The dress flared out from her waist to the ground, covering her black ballet flats. There was a slit in the dress that had her right leg peeking out when she walked. Her normally straight red hair was pulled into a half up half down with waves curling at the ends. "Are you two going to leave now?"
"Yes, let me just grab my bag." Kana called to James.
"You need help with your bow Yuto?" Shina asked. He nodded. Shina came and helped with that while also checking his hair. She brushed a few strands back and out of his face before giving him an approving smile. "Good, all handsome."
"We'll see you guys at the party!" Kana called as she and James exited the room.
"Be safe and don't fight!" Shina ordered as the door closed. Shina shook her head. "I swear I get more white hairs every year."
"You dye your hair. How can you tell?" Yuto asked as he went to slip his shoes on.
"Because my hair has started to look redder in certain areas." Shina commented. "It was a nice auburn before." Yuto looked at her hair but didn't see any difference. "Let's get going." She called once she grabbed her handbag. They left the room and rode the elevator down to the lobby. "You know you didn't have to walk me down. You could have met up with your classmates."
"It's fine." Yuto shrugged. "I don't mind being your escort."
"You sure you wouldn't mind escorting Jirou? She looked nice." Shina's voice took a hesitant tone like she wasn't sure of the relationship between him and some of his classmates.
"What would be the point?" Yuto asked logically as they walked. "We're working with some unscrupulous characters currently. When that comes out, a lot of relationships are going to be broken." His thoughts flashed to his friendship with Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. "We may not be scoundrels like they are, but we do have our own gray area. It wouldn't be right to have them deal with that."
"True." Shina sighed. "But I do want to ask, is there anyone you…. Care for?" Yuto glanced at Shina's stoic face that even in the light of the island, seemed to be lit form within.
"No. I don't care about finding someone to form a romantic relationship with. I am content with my familial and friendship relationships." Shina nodded.
"Okay, just, don't feel pressured to get into a relationship because your cousins may be entering their own. Do what makes you happy." She smiled at him. "Any news on any relationships regarding James and Kana?" Yuto wouldn't care to gossip but this was Shina. She deserved to know as he had a feeling this would be getting to that point later on.
"You didn't hear any of this from me." He stated. Shina chuckled. "Kana hasn't really shown much interest in anyone but there are a few guys who have an interest in her. Her friend, Denki, the blond as well as Kirishima, the red-haired boy, from earlier today are the top contenders for her heart."
"I think James said something about Denki being a pervert." Shina stated dryly. "Not sure about Kirishima. I didn't get to talk with him but, he seems like a good boy."
"Other than his verbal tic for saying 'manly' every other sentence, he's nice. James has a crush on the pink skinned girl Mina Ashido, acid Quirk. Very bubbly personality. You'd like her just for that. She… seems to like him back as well." Yuto's hesitation came only because he wasn't as familiar with Mina's body language.
"I think I know which one you're talking about." Shina mused. "I may have to look her up in our data system again though. How has James been handling it?" Yuto sighed.
"He's lying to himself about his feelings." Yuto gave her a look. "Kind of like you." Shina gaped at him.
"The audacity you have brat." Shina finally managed making him snicker. "I don't lie to myself about what I feel. I do it when I'm sick but that's beside the point here." Yuto snorted making Shina berate him all the way to the Gala's front doors.
The halls of the Gala were filled with older people and a surprising number of Pro-Heroes that had Yuto hesitating in apprehension. Shina gently touched his back, telling him it was okay with that one reassurance. Yuto put on a fake smile and entered the room. They didn't see anyone they knew but they did take a few tasty morsels from the buffet as they walked through the hall, nodding politely at those they passed until finally a familiar face appeared.
"There's Naomi and Selene." Shina murmured. Yuto nodded. "Would you get me another glass of champagne? I'll go say hello and if you want, you can go check to see what's holding up your cousins?"
"Yeah sure." He shrugged. Shina nodded and walked off. Yuto looked around for the buffet table, but he didn't get far as a familiar voice spoke up.
"Yuto?" A shiver of disbelief crawled down his spine as he turned his head to look over his shoulder. The familiar smiling face of Hawks standing a few feet behind him was enough to have his heart skip in anxiety.
"Oh, hey Hawks!" Yuto swallowed down the anxiety as, he rationalized, he had no reason to fear this reunion. It was just like seeing his UA classmates.
"I thought that was you. I'm surprised to see you here kid." Hawks greeted with a lazy wave. "Didn't know you came to fancy shindigs like this."
"I don't really care to, but my guardian is a sponsor for one of the scientists here on I-island and she wanted to thank us, so she gave us some tickets to see the expo." Yuto grabbed a glass of champagne. Hawks nodded.
"I don't think you should be drinking that kid. You're certainly not old enough." Yuto quirked his lips.
"And you are?" Hawks smiled while Yuto continued. "This is for my guardian Shina. She's talking with the scientists we sponsor right now." Hawks nodded before he caught sight of something behind Yuto.
"Do you mind introducing me?" Yuto hesitated.
"Are you sure?" Yuto didn't think Hawks would care about 'meeting the parent'. He certainly hadn't put forth much interest when he and Tokoyami had been interned at his agency. "I mean no offense, but you don't-"
"Yeah sure." Hawks interrupted him. Yuto blinked, noting the slight tension in Hawks' body language. "Come on I'm always up to meeting new people." Yuto nodded before he steered Hawks to where he'd left Shina.
"Can I ask who you're avoiding?" Yuto asked bluntly. Hawks was taken by surprise as he blinked at Yuto's audacity before he chuckled sheepishly.
"Guess I didn't hide that too hard huh?" He ran a hand through his hair.
"Nope." Yuto said.
"Parties like these are a drag. I'd much rather be patrolling a long shift than here at these things. It's all talk." Hawks finally related.
"Same here." Yuto sighed. "I'm only here because my guardian needed a date."
"I'm sure your guardian could have asked a coworker or a scientist she sponsors right?" Hawks rationalized.
"I'm sure she could have but my cousin brother and I are a bit overprotective of her. Her marriage didn't end very well." Hawks whistled.
"I'd rather patrol on my own for a month than do marriage. How old is your guardian anyway? Shouldn't she be old enough to know better?"
"I mean you'd think but honestly her ex was way too old for her. I think she was blinded by his 'older man good looks'. He was in his thirties or forties. Not to mention he was the one who had the issue as he was more into playing patty cake with the gardener. Look here's my guardian, Shina!" Shina turned when he called. Yuto saw the instant she noticed Hawks as she gave him a look of confusion but smoothed it out into a friendly smile as they approached.
"Thank you Yu. I know I said get me a drink." Shina took the offered glass of champagne. "but I didn't think you'd kidnap a hero to drag around. I hope he didn't pester you too much?" Yuto glanced at Hawks to see him recollect himself. Yuto figured Hawks may have been thinking of an older woman when Yuto had mentioned he was here with his guardian.
"No he was actually saving me. I was getting a bit bored standing with the older people." Shina hummed as Hawks gave large friendly smile. "I'm Hawks, nice to meet you, Shina?"
"Nice to meet you." Shina nodded at him before she then dismissed him to look at Yuto. "If you want to check on where the others are it's fine Yu." He nodded.
"Thanks Shina!" He was dying to get out of here. "I'll see you later Hawks! Don't try and run from your responsibility too much. Shina isn't that kind."
"Thanks kid." Hawks stated in amusement as Shina clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Awesome kid you got there. Adopted?"
"Yes actually." Yuto didn't hear any further as he practically rushed out of the hall. He didn't even get to the door when the announcer spoke up.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to I-Island's expo's opening night reception! We at I-island hope you enjoy yourselves! Now I wonder if we can get All Might, the #1 hero up here!" Yuto froze at that. All Might was here too? What did everyone choose to come to this expo instead of guarding Japan from the League of Villains? Yuto hesitated to leave the hall as he really wanted to confirm All Might as being here.
"Thank you for inviting me! It's truly a pleasure to be here! Formal speeches aren't my thing-" The screen behind All Might suddenly started to flash red as a warning announcement came online.
'This is an announcement from the I-Island security system. We have received a report that an explosive device has been discovered somewhere on the I-Expo grounds. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. Your safety is our top priority! Residents and tourists should return to their lodgings. Anyone remaining on the street after ten minutes will be in violation of the law.' Yuto blinked as he felt a thumping. 'As a precautionary measure most of the main island buildings will now be sealed off. I repeat-'
A panel opened in the far side of the hall revealing a group of men in black military gear and masks entering the hall with guns. People gasped and cried out in alarm. Yuto dropped down behind a table quickly, crouching to watch what was going on. Two more panels opened revealing more military men entering. The third panel was different as a man in a white trench coat and a metal mask entered the hall.
"In case you haven't caught on, the security system is now under our control. I know we've got a lot of heroes in here, but if you decide to make a scene," The monitors on the walls changed to show robots corralling civilians outside the hall. "I'll make sure the security sentries think the good people they've got in their sights are dangerous criminals." Yuto felt a flash of fear enter him as he thought about the kids with parents who would most likely die if that happened. Yuto didn't know what to do in this situation as his cousins weren't here thankfully, but Shina was. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to act to protect herself as she was a 'civilian'. His only hope was All Might. "So I'd play nice. Because everyone on this island is my hostage, including all of you."
The floor suddenly shifted as holes opened and a light blue energy came whipping out, wrapping around the heroes, and holding them tight. Yuto saw Hawks struggling against the energy whips, but he couldn't get free. Yuto saw the same on All Might and the rest of the heroes. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn't free themselves. A gunshot sounded gathering his and everyone else's attention to the main stage.
"Don't move. If you take so much as a step, I'll kill everyone in this room." Yuto took a deep breath and released it as he continued to hide. He needed to think about the situation and react. It's what UA had been teaching him since he started there. Main bad guy was making threats, this he noted with rising anxiety. Shina, where was Shina? He peeked over the table and saw her by Hawks still, watching the villain but not freaking out. His memory was fuzzy but he remembered something Shina had said about All For One warning her of a Villain coming onto the island. Guess this was the villain.
Yuto pulled out his cell phone to text his cousins, to warn them, but there was no signal. If the villain had got the islands security on their side then they had probably taken over more of the island's features than they had let out. Which probably meant wifi, cell signal and any other communication was cut off from the rest of the world. Yuto peeked over the table once more before he caught Shina's wandering eyes. Her eyes widened in alarm, but he shook his head slowly before he held up two fingers and tapped them on the table. Shina nodded, glanced around and tapped her arm in response. Yuto nodded once before he slid under the table and sunk into the shadows.
~Kana's POV~
"I'm not getting any signal." Todoroki announced. Kana sighed as she slid her phone back into her bag.
"Neither am I." She announced. "I'm not even getting any wifi from the building."
"Are you serious?" Mineta was sweating in what Kana could only assume was fear and anxiety. His previous perverseness was put on hold as his self-preservation was called into being. Kana knew everyone else was starting to get antsy at the sudden blackout they were experiencing.
"The elevator isn't working either." Jiro announced. Kana knew she wasn't stuck as she was able to use her Quirk to get out, but the idea of being trapped caused a sharp spike of anxiety in her that she struggled to hide. It wasn't the best time to freak out.
"Do you think Shina and Yuto are okay?" James asked her. Kana nodded.
"Shina wouldn't let anything happen to her or Yuto." James was tense, she could tell by how his tail was flicking left to right. Kana could only pray that whatever was going on with Shina and Yuto, they were faring better than they were now.
"It's strange that the system would go on high alert." Melissa spoke catching all of their attentions as she thought it through. "That's not the protocol whenever explosives are discovered."
"Any chance the system is glitching?" Kana asked. She wasn't good at the hacking herself, that was Yuto and James hobby. (Moreso Yuto)
"No," Melissa answered. "The system has a high-level of security that wouldn't allow it to be tampered with unless it was directly accessed."
"Iida, let's get to the party." Midoriya spoke.
"For what reason?" Iida asked.
"Because that's the place we can find All Might right now."
"Wait All Might is here?" Denki asked. Kana and James shared a surprised look as they hadn't been aware of that. Kana figured that they should have guessed this though. All Might and Midoriya were practically a set even at school. It shouldn't have been a surprise really.
"Thank goodness we don't have to worry about it then." Mineta spoke, relieved.
"So Melissa, do you have any way we can get down there with using the elevator?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah sure we can use the emergency stairs." Melissa said. "That will get us close." They all walked down the emergency stairs towards the bottom. When they got to the last staircase Kana froze as a voice yelled out.
"Kana!" She looked over the rail at the bottom to see Yuto standing there.
"Yuto!" She called before she hopped over the rail. "Are you okay?" She asked when she landed. She immediately started to look him over, but he shoved her back gently.
"I'm fine. But you're not going to believe what's going on." Kana gulped as Yuto explained what was going on. Everyone heard him talking and listened intently until he was done. "I slid under a table and used the shadows to teleport to the meet up, but you guys weren't there. I figured you guys were somewhere on the way so I just checked the surrounding areas before I found you all here." Yuto ended.
"You're saying there are actual villains on the island, and they've taken the heroes hostage?" Denki cried in horror. "But, what about All Might?"
"He was taken too." Yuto stated. "Whoever is behind this, they were smart and efficient. They took down all the heroes downstairs without even breaking a sweat."
"What could they be wanting then?" Momo asked.
"Did you see my father?" Melissa asked.
"I'm sorry Melissa but if I did, I don't know what he looks like." Yuto apologized. "I haven't checked in on them since I left so if anything has changed in the fifteen minutes I spent trying to find you guys, I don't know it."
"We need to try and communicate with All Might and see what's going on." Midoriya said.
"He is our superior." Iida agreed. "Kana is there any way you could use your portal to get All Might?"
"I would have to see where he is." Kana answered. "But even if I did portal him out of there, there's no guarantee that the villains wouldn't start to kill the civilians they have hostage. It would be safer to leave him and see what he recommends with Jirou's Quirk."
"I could hear him." Jirou answered. "I just have to get close enough to him."
"Alright, I'll go with Jirou and try and contact All Might." Midoriya said. "If you guys can keep a look out for any wandering villains that would be helpful."
"We've got your back Midoriya." James answered. Kana started to think about their next moves while Midoriya went through with his plan of talking with Midoriya.
"Yu, you said Shina was down there still. Is she okay?" Kana asked.
"She's fine." Yuto answered. "You know her and her level head. I think if anything, she's worrying more about us than herself."
"I'm afraid of that." James said. They fell silent as they continued to watch for any villains. About five minutes passed before Midoriya and Jirou came back and relayed information from All Might ordering them to stay safe.
"If All Might is ordering us to stay safe and escape, we should do as he says." Iida stated. "He is our teacher. We should respect his wishes."
"And just let villains run rampant?" James asked in a hard tone. "We're heroes aren't we? We should try and stop the villains."
"Are you crazy?" Mineta cried. "We're only students."
"But we are training to be heroes." Kana pointed out.
"What if we get out and tell the heroes on the outside?" Denki asked.
"It's not going to be easy to escape." Melissa said. "The security system here is on the same level as that of the Tartarus Prison which is where they keep the most dangerous criminals in the world."
"Then all we can do is sit and wait until everything is over." Denki said.
"Are you really okay with that Kaminari?" Jirou asked standing up.
"Well what choice do we have?"
"We could get out there and free the heroes." Kana offered. Everyone looked at her. "If you guys don't think we should fight the villains then we can at least free the heroes so they can fight the villains. We can use our Quirks to do that much right?"
"We are training to be pros ourselves." Todoroki said. "Standing around and doing nothing isn't what a hero would do."
"It's a complicated situation." Momo acknowledged as everyone fell silent. Kana felt frustration build up in her at her classmates wanting to turn tail and run.
"I think we should go along with what Kana suggested." Midoriya stated.
"Really Deku?" Ochako asked.
"I want to save them. It's what a hero would do." Kana nodded.
"You wanna go fight those villains?" Mineta shouted. "Didn't you learn anything from the USJ incident?"
"We learned plenty." James stated. "We learned we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I'm with Midoriya, my sister is down there with villains. If anything happens, she's on the ground floor to witness whatever they have in mind when they get whatever their here for."
"It's not going to be simple." Denki said.
"I know." Midoriya said. "But I still want to help. We can figure out a plan of action and keep these criminals from winning. We can save everyone!"
"Are you sure?" Ochako asked.
"I know where the security system is." Melissa said suddenly. Everyone looked to her in surprise as she hadn't said anything until now. "It's on the top floor of this tower. If these criminals managed to take control of it, then the authentication locks and password have probably been disabled. We should be able to restart the system ourselves. We just have to stay off the villains radar until we get to the top floor. If we do that, the island will be safe."
"Then it's possible." Midoriya said.
"Melissa, would you know how to avoid the security system to keep us off the grid for as long as possible?" James asked.
"Yes. The security system hasn't discovered us yet which means the villains probably don't know how to use the security system."
"We have that in our favor then." James murmured.
"As soon as we free the heroes, they should jump into action and stop the villains." Midoriya stated confidently.
"I'm in." Kana watched as everyone eventually agreed to join in on the plan to free the security system and free the heroes. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was honestly the only option available to them unless they wanted to fight the villains one on one. Which meant they would need as many members up top as they could get. However, they needed someone to keep watch on the people down here and to also warn the heroes about where to go once they were freed.
"Yuto? I want you to stay down here and keep an eye on Shina." Kana's eyes widened at the fact that James was able to read her mind. Psychic cat.
"What?" Yuto whined.
"Your Quirk is the best one to use if anything happens. You can make weapons and shields if needed." Kana stated in a firm voice. "Someone needs to watch over the civilians down here and also to inform the heroes about what's going on when they're freed.
"Yeah but only if I have shadows." Yuto stated. "It's lit up like Christmas down there."
"You used the shadows under the tables." James pointed out. "You can pull people through them if they're in trouble and take them to safety if needed."
"Yuto." Kana interrupted whatever Yuto was going to argue about. "Keep an eye on Shina. If anything happens to her we're screwed."
"Yeah, don't want to get sent to grandma's house do you?" James asked. Yuto glanced between both cousins before he growled.
"Fine. Then you guys better be careful." He disappeared into shadows. Kana and James exchanged looks before they helped get everyone mobilized.
~Shina's POV~
The Villain kept walking up and down the hall, keeping an eagle eye on everyone. Shina had to assume that he had some lackeys that were doing work to keep I-Island's security online. From what Yuto had signed to her earlier, communications were down so no outside help would be coming. She and the other civilians had been told to sit on the floor after a while so Shina was on her knees with her eyes on the ground to not draw any attention to herself.
"You doing okay Hawks?" Shina asked Hawks, not taking her eyes off the floor as her peripherals watched where the villains were stationed. He and the other heroes on the other hand had been shoved over to lie on their side.
"Peachy. I always wanted to know how mummies felt." Shina felt a smile creep up on her. "Are you smiling?"
"Excuse me for trying to find some humor in this hostage situation." Shina snapped back. "At least I'm not laughing manically."
"Just what this situation needs, psychotic laughing." Hawks smiled at her.
"It's still early," Shina commented drily. "The laughing could come later." Shina suddenly let out a squeak as she felt a hand on her ankle.
"What?" Shina saw one of the villains goons look at her. She turned the squeak into a muffled whimper as her hand rubbed at the corner of her eye like she was crying. The hand on her ankle tapped twice before letting go. "Shina?"
"Yuto grabbed my ankle." Shina murmured low. She then felt another tap on her foot that continued into a series of dashes and dots.
"I thought he was with his friends?" Hawks said. Shina ignored him as Yuto continued to let her in on the plan that his friends had come to.
"He was still here when the villains came in. He got out through the shadows and met with them… They're going to get the security system back so…. The heroes are freed and can take out the villains."
"Are they crazy? They could get hurt. They should get away." Hawks said. Shina hummed as Yuto continued to let her know what was going on.
"Clearly you haven't been around teenagers long. They tend to hear one thing and do the exact opposite. Considering these are UA students in training to be heroes? Loyalty to each other is surprisingly bountiful. I was kind of expecting this especially after the USJ incident."
"You know about that?" Hawks asked in surprise. Shina gave him a sarcastic look.
"I have three kids in the same class. Any trauma UA does to them gets reported immediately to me so I can be there for them. The USJ incident was a very significant event for them." She trailed off as Yuto's tapping stopped. "Yuto is going to stay and watch over the hall." Shina sighed as she figured Kana and James had convinced Yuto to stay back to watch over her. She really hoped they were being careful. Hawks must have seen her expression as he murmured in a low voice.
"They're tough. If Yuto showed anything during his internship with me, it's that he can handle anything thrown at him." Shina nodded.
"I know they can handle themselves, I raised them. It's just," Shina dared to look up at the main villain who had stopped his patrolling. "It's not easy being a guardian." The main villain met her eyes. Shina didn't look away from him as he talked into his mic.
"Use the barriers to trap them on the 80th floor. Don't let those kids escape!" Shina felt her eyes widen as two of the nearest lackeys ran out of the hall. Shina dearly hoped that her kids kicked the villains butts. Otherwise, she was going to seriously kill someone for whatever injury they received.
"They'll be fine." Hawks repeated. Shina glanced down at the floor.
"I hope so."
~James' POV~
The run up to the top floor was challenging. They got to the 30th floor when Midoriya stopped to ask Melissa,
"Wait, Melissa, how high does this tower go?"
"The 200th floor." She answered in a panting voice. James sweat-dropped in horror. There was no way they were going to be able to make it up that high without the villains finding them.
"The what?" Denki and Kana cried out.
"That's way too many stairs." Mineta cried.
"It's still better than running into villains." Momo stated. James grumbled to himself about how he wished that wasn't true. The climb continued until he was basically running up the stairs on all fours. They got all the way to the 70th floor when they had to come to a stop due to a metal barricade.
"What should we do? Break through it?" Todoroki asked. James looked around not seeing any other way past this barricade. There was a door to the side they could go through, but James didn't think the security system would allow them to go through without sending an alert to the villains.
"If we did that I'm sure the security systems would alert the villains that someone's in here." Melissa said confirming what James had been thinking.
"Then why don't we go through this door instead?" Mineta asked reaching for the door handle. James saw the grape head moving to the door but wasn't fast enough to stop him.
"Mineta no!"
"Don't!" It was too late as the door was already open with Mineta frozen and staring at them in fear.
"Carp!" James cursed. He knew he should have killed the grape head earlier that day. It would have spared them from this mistake.
"What should we do?" Ochako asked.
"We may as well go through it since it's opened now." Kana panted. "We couldn't stay off their radar forever, not if there were 200 floors."
"She's right." Midoriya said. "Run!" Everyone ran through the door and down the hallway. They kept running through the halls which felt like they were running out in the open to James. There were no doubt cameras on them watching them run.
"Any chance there's another hidden stairwell on the way up?" James panted. "I feel like we're being watched."
"There should be another emergency staircase down at the other end of the hallway." Melissa panted. "There's no cameras in there."
"Let's hurry!" Iida called. James' ear picked up the sound of metal slamming a head of them. A second later James saw with his own eyes as the gates started to close them off from up ahead. James felt his ears flick as the thumping also sounded from behind them.
"Todoroki the gates!" Iida cried out.
"On it!" Ice formed making the gate stop short from closing all the way. Iida jumped through the hole left by Todoroki's ice.
"Ochako! Help Melissa through." James called. "Everyone else hurry and get through!"
"Got it!" Ochako called as she touched Melissa and made her weightless. James helped toss Ochako and Melissa through the gates before making sure everyone else made it through to the next room. James jumped through last to see a large torn out hole where Iida had obviously blown through the door.
"Everyone through here!" Iida's voice directed. "We can make it through here." Through the hole, James saw nothing but green in the large terrarium. They ran on the sidewalks for the large forested area.
"What is this place?" Midoriya asked.
"It's a plant factory!" Melissa said. "It's where they research the effect Quirks have on fauna here." James nose twitched from the scents as he continued to run behind everyone. The smell of leaves and dirt was strong in this place. He couldn't smell anything beyond that. He really hoped no villains snuck up on them.
"Hold on!" Jiro called, stopping everyone. "Look! The elevators coming up."
"The villains must have found us." Mineta whimpered.
"Don't just stand there guys, hide!" James ordered. Everyone dashed to hide behind the large bushes. James frowned at that tactic and instead pulled Kana behind another bush. "It's like they've never played hide-and-seek before." He stated.
"Any idea if we can use the elevator if they come up here?" Kana asked James. James himself wasn't sure.
"We'd have to ask Melissa. She knows more about this place than we do." James waited in tense silence as the elevator stopped on their floor with a ding. The two villains who exited the elevator were in the same black gear as the ones Yuto had told them about from downstairs. The door Mineta opened must have alerted the Villains that they were here.
"He said the kids came in here." Great, James thought, Mineta you're dead to me.
"They just had to pick a place with so many hiding spots." James could feel the tension from the others across the way and knew they were all terrified of being found.
"Kana," James murmured. "Back me up?" This was going to be so very dumb if this failed. He really hoped it didn't. This should work to give the others some time to get out of here.
"Of course, you'd do something dumb like this." Kana murmured. "We're spending too much time around the heroes if we're thinking this."
"Glad to know we're on the same page." He stated not wanting to go further down that path of thinking. He did not want to be in Kana's head or thoughts more than necessary. It was scary and cold in that head.
"Yes." James grit his teeth and summoned his courage before he stepped out from behind his tree.
"Oi! Captain Underpants! Giraffe!" James shouted. "Looking for us?" The villains snapped their heads to glare at him for the name calling.
"You dumb kids!" James gave a hiss as his tail flicked in annoyance.
"Really? You're calling us dumb?" Kana asked. "I bet you wouldn't have found us if we'd stayed hidden. What kind of villains are you?"
"Probably the ones who lost a bet to come catch a bunch of teenagers. Was it too mediocre for your comrades?" James stuck out his tongue while Kana laughed.
"Guess they failed their boss one too many times." James felt a nasty smile cross his face as the two villains just got more and more angry until finally the giraffe exploded and released a pressurized air bullet.
"Kana!"