Super Science

Ch 33: Going Public

A few days later, an entire crowd of reporters were standing around a mobile stage and podium with a microphone. The stage was set in front of the entryway of NIP as they had heard this newly constructed research facility had a grand announcement to make to the wider public. The moment this was heard by any news outlet people from all over Japan flocked to this one loan building in the middle of the city.

Izuku and Egon stood within the building looking out into the sea of reporters eagerly awaiting the announcement. The both of them were in their best suits available and had practiced and rehearsed what they would say and do for this very day. Egon clapped his hand on the teen's shoulder and smiled at the boy as he saw him become very nervous. Izuku took a breath and smiled back at him, showing he was ready. And so the two of them walked out of the building and to the stage where the hungry reporters began to shout questions and flash their cameras.

Egon strife up the mic and started off saying, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press.", the crowd exploded into a strike of questions and flashing cameras as Egon exclaimed, "Please, please! Keep quiet!", the crowd went quite enough for him to talk and he continued saying, "Now I understand that you're all very excited and have many questions. We will get to that after the announcement we have for you. Now before we begin, my name is Professor Egon Crystello, owner and head researcher of the Neo Icon Phoenix Research Facility, or N.I.P for short. I will now allow NIP's vice president, Doctor Midoryia to take over."

Egon stood off to the side as Izuku came to the mic, arched it down towards him, and cleared his throat while starting with, "H-Hello everyone, as the Professor has told you, I am Doctor Izuku Midoryia, vice president of NIP and second head Researcher.", yet again the whole crowd exploded the same way it did for Egon and Izuku also had to be firm in exclaiming, "Please hold on to all the questions I know you'll ask until after we've finished.", yet again they went quite enough for him to speak and he continued after calming down internally, "Now then, I'm sure most of you have heard of our facilities attacked by the League of Villains no more than a week or so ago. Well, you'll be happy to know that we were able to handle that dire situation far better than we expected and have come out even stronger from it. Now I'm also sure you're wondering why we here have decided to go public despite being up and running for over four months. Well, it's because we were trying to get ourselves set up and stable. Our original plan was to go public much earlier until the aforementioned villain attacked, but I'd like to call it a blessing in disguise since we have far more defenses and security measures than before. If ever we are attacked again, then I truly pray for whoever is brave or dumb enough to do it.", he explained to the crowd.

After adjusting his overly tight tie he said, "Now getting to why I'm sure a few of you are here. You must be wondering what exactly it is we do here and-.", he fell off as he noticed a woman in the front row holding her hand up for the duration she was their and Izuku said to her, "Lady in the font you've had your hand up for the last five minutes and I'm getting tired from looking at it so please ask your question."

"Is it true that your facility does not have any form of government funding? And is it true that you've refused it when offered?", the woman asked after putting her hand down.

"Yes.", he answered simply making the crowd ask even more questions to which Izuku shut down, "Please hold your questions!", once they went quiet again he sighs and continues from where he was before, "Getting back on track, I'm sure you're wondering what it is we do here. Well, we have discovered a new form of energy that can be used in a plethora of ways, but the main application is for it to absorb a select type of material it is constantly soaking in and then reproduce said material. This energy source we have dubbed Soul Energy is placed into a special crystal that then becomes what we have dubbed a Splinter."

As he explained all this he took out an empty Splinter from his coat pocket and presented it to the crowd who started to take pictures by the dozen. He put the Splinter away and explained, "From here we use several methods to turn the blank energy source into something already existing or mix and match. Soul Energy can even be used by itself and causes a wide range of effects. And if you don't believe me, then how about I show you all one of our most successful and accident experiments."

At this point, Egon had vanished from sight to bring out their main attraction, and a few seconds later the glass entryway opened up like huge doors as a huge hairy animal stomped through before the awe-struck crowd. Noticing the ever-growing shadow behind him he introduced, "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, meet Gammoth."

Gammoth, with Egon on her back, stood on her back legs and trumpeted out loud as if to show off to the crowd. They asked no questions but began to shoot as many pictures as possible of the previously extinct animal!

As they all awed before the huge creature, Izuku slyly added, "Now with everything said, we will now be taking questions."

Just as he planned, the majority of the crowd was solely focused on the mammoth, and so only a select few people asked questions.

The first one was an ordinary man who asked, "How did you do this?! The elephant I mean."

"Trade secret.", Izuku answered.

The next was a woman with a bird face who asked, "Was UA shown the wonders you created?"

"They were and were given a waiver to not say anything until it has gone public. So you'll see them bragging online about Gammoth and what she did during the attack.", Izuku explained.

After that was another woman who was colored gold and inquired, "What are your intentions with such vast and seemingly limitless technology? Aren't you afraid villains and other groups will try to get their hands on it?"

"That's why we've been preparing before going public. As for our intentions, it's for the good of mankind and the pursuit of knowledge.", Izuku told her.

"What are your quirks?", a man with a bird nest on his head asked.

Hearing this, Egon slid down Gammoth as she ate off some of the decorative plants, and taking the mic he answered firmly, "That's not necessary information. Next question!"

But Izuku stopped him, grabbing at his sleeve and telling him in a low tone, "Egon, it's okay." Egon saw his assured smile so he backed off and let Izuku speak, telling the person, "Professor Egons quirk is used in the production of the Splinters. My quirk is more silent, unseen, and not very useful. If anything my intelligence is my quirk."

The next person to ask was a strange man in a hoodie that covered his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why is someone like you in a position like this?", he asked in a vague, yet sinister tone.

Not realizing how he was spoken to, Izuku informed him, "I realize I'm very young for being a vice president, let alone a Doctor, but I can assure you that I-."

"Not that.", the man cut him off.

Confused, Izuku inquires, "I'm sorry. Then what did you mean?"

"How can someone who's quirkless, get such a position.", he calls in a loud tone.

Causing nearly the whole crowd of reporters to stop taking pictures of the mammoth and look between him and Izuku, who now had his mouth dropped open in shock.

Taking a dry gulp he tried to ask back, "Wait, how did you-?"

But the man angrily cut him off and proclaimed while inching his way up the stage to the podium, "You're nothing! You and the rest of your kind are nothing! You should've gone extinct long ago! This world belongs to us!"

Egon pulled Izuku behind him, took the mic, and yelled at him threateningly, "Okay mister, that's quite enough! I don't know who you think you are but you are done! Guards-!"

Egon tried to have him removed but the man suddenly pulled out a gun from his hoodie, pointing it at Izuku, who was peeking out from behind Egon and shouted, "Quirk supremacy you scum!"

The crowd screamed and began to panic! Egon covered Izuku in his body and waited for the gun to go off but never did as he heard the man suddenly scream! The two scientists looked back over to where the man was and saw him dangling by his leg, high above the ground in the trunk of a very angry Gammoth! The man tried to fire his gun on the animal, but she has enough experience with firearms to know what would happen, so she slammed him on the ground twice! Causing him to lose his weapon.

Feeling relief and calming down, Egon vexed him saying, "Did you seriously forget about the mammoth not even 10 feet away from us? On second thought, don't answer that."

Gammoth then slammed the man down again before throwing him at one of the newly planted Willow trees. What he didn't know was that these were the new Snatching Willows and quickly found himself wrapped up in its many long leafy branches! All tried up and ready to be taken by law enforcement.


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