Guild Master here again, again.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

Several Years Ago

"... I mean… It's possible… But I don't know if I can. The research commission and my sponsors just left me and my assistant in the dust and I don't know if-"

"Don't worry about that."

With a snap of his fingers, his men approached the two men discussing a transaction of sorts with two steel attache cases. They popped the locks and revealed rows of money that they were almost overwhelmed by the two researchers. There must have been at least three to four times the money they were promised had they been compensated for the research they recently lost.

"This right here is not only the grant you would have received for your project, but enough money to compensate you for the past few years. This amount is merely a gift with no strings attached. I can have my people transfer this to an account that you will have access to. Don't worry about taxes or spending, I have people who can make that problem a non issue."

So much of this was almost too much for the American scientist. This man shows up out of the blue after his recent loss of the project he slaved over for years and here comes this stranger with a magic wand and leaves him at least financially compensated for all his time.

His assistant was eager to say yes, though the researcher himself was hesitant. When something looked too good to be true, It often was just the case. The one offering the generous donation saw the possible suspicion ahead of time. They just leaned back onto a lab table and elaborated even further on his offer.

"Suspicion is healthy, Dr. Shields. I wouldn't be here if I thought you didn't keep me at arm's length. This move is simply to get you started."

He snapped his fingers again. Another attache was produced and laid next to the others with just as much money as the other two.

"I'll offer you fifty percent of the money I'm giving you just to get started. After that you will receive this amount for the next few years until you finish. I have my expectations as well, so don't be sloppy and play me for a fool."

Nothing of the sort had ever been offered for any research he's done in the past. Had he gotten the payout for his device, he would have already been set for life. All of this was very generous, but all of it stunk to the high heavens of sketchy. Plus, money wasn't the reason he developed the technology. As he was about to reject the offer, the man once again beat him to the punch like some sort of mind reader.

"Before we actually come to an agreement, we still have to discuss your price."

The statement threw off David for a moment as he thought the money was already offered. A phone was retrieved from inside his expensive suit and on the screen was something that he hadn't expected anybody else to have pictures of. It was filling him with anxiety as to how this man got the information, much less a photo, of the device he had developed for years.

"Where did you get that?!"

No response was given immediately as the man took the conversation and moved it along as he saw fit. The phone was neatly tucked back into his suit jacket before he said anything else.

"If you complete this project for me, I will give you access and permission to retrieve the device you've recently worked on. It will take me time, so don't count on me giving it back here and now."

Why was it through this means he was able to retrieve the device? Had he truly sunk so low that possible criminals were now coming with their filled coffers to take advantage of the downtrodden scientist? He struggled with what to say as not only was he morally conflicted, he didn't know what he would do to the people closest to himself if he were to say no to this man.

"If you think I'm here to get this done by any means necessary, you would be terribly wrong. You say no, I walk away. Like I said, the money is a gift."

Pushing back off the desk he faced David Shields while approaching at arms length. Though Shields was nervous, he would not be intimidated by a man simply approaching him in his own laboratory. What was also disarming was the sincere expression that hinted that he truly meant what he was saying.

"I won't do anything to you or your family if results are lacking. I don't see the results I wanted, I also walk away. Simple as that. But if I do, you'll likely never see the research you slaved over for years to develop. Think about it."

As he was turning away to leave the scientist alone with his thoughts, he was barely halfway to the door before calling out to the man to wait. He returned to the spot originally where he had been just a moment ago.

"... Okay."

They both shook on it after Shields added some conditions of his own. Legalities were probably the least of his worries since technically everything here was on the up and up. Morality was a bit muddier, but wasn't a major issue. His offer stood as everything that David could agree with, and so they shook hands on the deal. Before he left with the cash since the accounts filled with the money were given to David before leaving, the man with white hair and facial hair paused at the exit.

"By the way, that device?"

David and his assistant turned to the man after checking that the money was legitimate. It was. Turning around, Haru offered a piece of advice that came with a very heavy connotation.

"It may now even be useful for who you intend it for by the time you get it back."

He left with that hanging over the scientist's head. Those words wouldn't find their meaning until the day he reunited with All Might after his climactic battle with All for One.

Two Months Before I-Expo

Reentering the lab space was Nakamura. He had called ahead and wanted to check on the progress while wanting to help with the power integration for the nanites. Now that he was there, he had brought in a plus one alongside him as he shook hands with the researcher. David was rather curious as to the identity of the blonde woman to Nakamura's left, so he just went out and said it.

"I do apologize, but may I ask who this is?"

Nakamura made her introduction and gestured to the woman in question.

"This is Dr. Charlotte Evelyn Lewis, she's one of the head researchers of the DG-019A compound."

She shook hands with the researcher as the gears in his head began to turn and suddenly he realized who this was. He also realized who had made her disappear along with the experimental fuel just a week ago. Haru could see that Shields was observant of other circles of research, especially when a head researcher of a cutting edge fuel went missing along with the only supply of said fuel.

From what he could remember, the trucks were swallowed by a landfill that was headed to an airport headed for China for the final few stages of development. Even if one wasn't a scientist, reading the room would lead one to the obvious conclusion that this man with impossible funds to throw away probably had a hand in causing that accident.

Shields was honestly contemplating just calling in security, even if he was somebody coming up on two years while working on the project this man paid him for. Their involvement was too intertwined for him to back out now. He feared for the wellbeing of Melissa and the ideals she held because of him.

"I know you're not stupid, Doctor. Yes she is the one that went missing nine days ago. Just like you, she has business with me that would benefit off of all of your discretion. She finishes the work with you within two months time, she gets her old life back with approvals for all research grants in the future."

That little factoid should have scared him, but seeing what he has already done so far had set the expectation rather high already. The fuel was delivered in its final state in the R&D loading bay meant for larger equipment or experiments. Apparently Nakamura had worked out a deal that not only guaranteed her freedom, Dr. Charlotte would be free to finish her current work and pursue other developments.

Shields wasn't an expert on the subject, but from what he saw there were still a few bits of research to be done before the fuel was stable enough for a commercial testing phase. Haru had provided her with equipment and researchers with their own pedigrees to accelerate what should have been a several month long process to four days.

Despite the overwhelming ability of their sponsor, they knew that keeping their heads down was for the best. After they finished, it would no longer be their problem.

Present Time

David led Nakamura to the final product where Dr. Charlotte was awaiting the final review. On the table that she stood next to was a container filled with a silvery liquid that swirled and moved all on it's own. The tablet given to him was filled with the research completed to obtain the final product. As expected of Haru, they finished ahead of time.

"What you see here is a sample of the nanites we completed, the rest is down in the R&D loading bay for whenever you wish to take it."

There was no wasted time for Nakamura to send a message to his people to take it away immediately. As he was scrolling through, the specs he had given to the professor were all looking to have been completed precisely as he specified.

"We also uploaded the software with the containment unit we've stored the nanites in. If you wish to access the functionality of the robots or develop current command codes to something more advanced, the information is all there."

This was perfect. Everything that he wanted done was completed to the letter. The professor delivered on his promise, so now it was his time to honor his half of the deal. Haru fished out two things from his jacket, a passport with some letters tucked into it and a keycard of sorts. He first handed the passport to the blonde researcher and told her that there was a private charter waiting at the airport that would take her back home if she followed his security detail.

She happily acquiesced and even gave David a kiss before telling him she would call him when she landed. Though it wasn't exactly professional, he gave the doctor a nod of approval. Looks like David Shields still had it in him.

The second item was a keycard that he disclosed would give him access all the way to the vault and would make the security system recognize his biometrics as an approved entity as soon as he used it on even the first door that would need the card's clearance. Right after they finalized the deal, David was slightly startled by Haru suddenly opening the canister and touching the fluid. There wouldn't be much in the way of neurological interlinking since the current version of the software would only allow one to make a holdable ball of liquid and nothing else.

As it was in its current state, even for David Shields, the nanites would need an excessive amount of control by the one touching it to even get it to perform in any reasonable capacity. It wasn't specified he needed to complete the software past that point and it was a good thing he didn't. He would have never finished the project had that been a requirement.

What happened next was nothing short of medically impossible. The liquid behaved as it would if one were to complete the program these machines were controlled by with months, if not years, worth of testing. It responded like a living creature that morphed into different prisms and even stretched out and maneuvered like a prehensile tentacle. Haru simply ended the test by rendering the handful of liquid into a condensed pocketbook sized slab before slipping it into his jacket pocket.

Staring in awe as Haru left the lab, Shields couldn't believe that the nanites responded with such advanced maneuverability. Although these robots were able to also change molecular structures of matter they touched, none of that was possible with its current system. All he did was get the first few building blocks of the OS. What he saw was a version where a gothic cathedral was already built. Even though he knew it to be even more impossible, he couldn't help but wonder if Haru could use the nanites to use it's molecular functionality as well.

That sort of functionality would be to take the system from a single cathedral to the size of a major city. In the back of his mind, he thought about it with a sense of wonder he hadn't felt in his very long career as a scientist. For the first time in years, he was genuinely curious while unsure if he would even be able to find the answers to his questions.

Later That Evening

Not all of the students had arrived to attend the pre opening party of the I-Expo. It was mostly just the boy sans Kirishima, Bakugou, and Izuku. All the girls were still missing, leaving Mineta and Kaminari extremely disappointed about the ratio of beautiful girls to men so far. Iida was getting antsy as the time was ticking away and less than half the group had shown up. Shoto was just patiently waiting without a complaint while Iida was pacing up a storm.

The first of the late group to arrive were Kyoka and Momo, arm in arm with Momo acting as the escorter. Momo had her hair down with a deep maroon dress that did wonders for her well groomed personality and mature figure. Kyoka was in a slimming chinese dress with a slit on the side that went up to her thigh. It made the musically gifted girl feel a bit exposed, so Momo whispered into her ear that she looked gorgeous. She elaborated that she was looking forward to it on the floor later tonight.

These sweet nothings went unnoticed as Mineta and Kaminari complimented the girls. Hearing the backhanded compliment out of the two irritated Kyoka enough to plug those two with her earjacks and render them stunned throughout their bodies. Sometimes the sentiment can't really make up for poor phrasing.

All of them just acted as they did and socialized until the last of them showed up. Finally, the elevator arrived at the second floor and opened up to deliver the last of the students. Everybody was rather impressed by what they saw, except for the two boys still dressed in their waiter outfits since they lacked any other formal wear.

Out of the elevator waltzed in Izuku with two beautiful girls hanging off of each arm. A clean Izuku with hair slicked back and wearing a hairband entered wearing a fitted suit with a silk green dress shirt and ivory tie with a collar pin. A silver watch hung on his left wrist and was just visible from the hand in his pocket. Nobody would have guessed such class that was better suited for a multimillionaire would fit Midoriya so well.

Ochaco was wearing a dress with a separate top and skirt that went down to her knees. Lacing wrapped around her waist and almost met the skirt with a tasteful amount of skin still exposed. The top was peach with the skirt being white. Completing the look was the draping of fabric where the dress wrapped below Ochaco's shoulder, which paired well with stockings and white heels.

Mina was something else altogether. Her dress was above the knees and was completely strapless with a subtle pattern that could be revealed depending on the lighting. Her nails were painted black and she had on sandal heels that made her legs look miles long. Her hair was braided tight and pinned against her head with bobbing pins while the rest of her hair was swept to the right. Makeup was mostly for her eyes, but the mascara and shadows were almost too dangerous for a girl like her. Of course, to complete the mature look of her evening wear she carried an expensive looking clutch purse in her hand.

What excited the girls was of course what caught the attention of the other boys, though seeing Mina and Izuku resolve their issues was a godsend that everybody involved were grateful for. Shoto was usually reserved as it was, but even he could feel a little envy once in a while. Kaminari and Mineta were practically crying blood for how high their blood pressure was rising out of spite of the green haired classmate. Not only did he look like a playboy walking in, there were two beautiful girls in their class all dressed up hanging off of his arms and were apparently quite smitten with him with how casual they were with touching the boy.

"Sorry guys, we got caught up with something and we almost lost track of time."

Izuku was still the slightly socially awkward boy that everybody knew, even after having vicious and amazing make up sex and then having a threesome in the shower right after. Such things were better left unsaid.

It was such a relief to see Mina and Izuku instinctively link arms while they went around and socialized. The other girls began to gossip and talk subtly as to how it was when Ochaco found them. Kaminari and Mineta were still too fixated on their hatred of Izuku's relationship and friendships with some of the most beautiful girls in their entire school. Iida and Shoto helped to kill the time by talking with the two and were relieved that they had come to an understanding.

Because of the whole mess that Shoto saw go down, he had started to contact Izuku more frequently. It was indeed a bit out of character for the usually expressionless Todoroki; Izuku thanked Shoto again right then and there and made the boy a little sheepish out of how his efforts were recognized. Izuku really did feel like Haru at times like this.

Their final guest decided to show up just then and apologized as she excitedly approached all the other heroes in training in light makeup and wearing contacts for her lack of depth perception. All the others were immediately enamored by her dressed appearance, especially Kaminari and Mineta paying their compliments in earnest and without consideration of those they were rather dismissive of. Momo was an easy solution to Kyoka's wrath as she contemplated murder just then.

A lovely blue dress with a red hairband was enough to bring out the best of Melissa's features. It was remarkable of how much beauty Melissa was capable of without realizing it. She honestly thought this was a light dressing for something she was obliged to attend. Mina herself was beaten to the punch with Izuku complimenting her the way Nakamura demonstrated. The man knew how much of a quick learner the boy was, and he would be certain that the boy absorbed as much information that would benefit him later on in life from him before it was too late.

"Melissa? You have to warn me about these things. Seriously, I didn't know who you were for a moment. I just wish you would have kept the glasses on for me."

Her face went up in a scarlet flame as there was a lot to unpackage there. These two were the first to meet one another while the blonde was finding her bearings in engaging with a relationship. An interest didn't translate to immediate affection, but it was something that Izuku was willing to give a shot.

It was then that the alarm system for the entire island went off and trapped the teens in the lobby of the floor they agreed to meet at.

Nearby Hotel

"Haru?"

"What's up, babe?"

Since the pre opening party was a bit of a black tie event, Haru was just touching up his styled hair and beard while Inko was just in need of her dress to be zipped up from the back. The emerald dress was slimming up till the thighs, where it frilled outwards into beautiful petals of green fabric. Inko's hair was styled towards one side with her makeup done professionally.

From behind, Haru was just done with his personal grooming and was now assisting the woman put on her dress. When he was done, he didn't immediately pull away. Both his arms encircled her waist and just brought her close to kiss the left exposed shoulder. A satisfied little hum from the sensation of his lips and beard hair was music to Haru's ears. It was tempting to give in, but Inko knew better and turned while still being embraced from behind.

Still, Haru kept her close while she began to put on his tie like any good spouse would. It made her think of the man she was still technically married to, and her hands slowed down while halfway through the knot. Her lover didn't care for the tie, but the reason as to why she suddenly paused out of nowhere.

"... Inko? Are you okay?"

Her hands clenched against Haru's dress shirt as she reminisced about memories she could now barely recall.

"... I can't remember the last time I did this for my husband."

A bitter pill to swallow for the technically still married single mother. Was it still love when she couldn't even recall she did such simple things like prepare their favorite meal or put on their tie? Haru could see the similarities between the mother and son for how similar they were in that aspect of never forgetting those they were connected to, no matter how distant it was.

They have had this discussion in the past. They felt very strongly about what they had and it was worth talking about divorce with her current spouse. Nakamura only wanted what Inko wanted, so he left her with her thoughts when the subject came up. He was still attentive and would come over when she requested, though it still was something that Inko struggled with. She knew what decision she made whenever she was with Haru or when she would ask him to see her.

Now all she had to contend with was the guilt and bitter feelings she had over such an estranged marriage. While feeling a bit down, Ink felt Haru bring her in for a hug that placed her right ear against his chest. Those steady heartbeats began to synchronize her own heart to the relaxed rhythm. He always knew how to treat and speak to her whenever she got like this. There were some seconds of silence before he guided her face with his left hand.

The scents on his hands were those of aromatic spices and decadent oils and seasonings. She looked at the kind eyes that would look at her like they did out of his affection. There wasn't a kiss, but a soft touching of foreheads that relieved her restless mind. No words were necessary. It was a weight off her that only the man she loved would be able to remove.

Soon after, she finished doing his tie in a simple italian and followed Nakamura out of their luxurious hotel before an alarm sound went off before they could exit the room. All the windows and exits slammed shut while a red alarm light glowed on and off inside the hotel room. The large screen TV was now broadcasting an emergency warning that the security was currently compromised.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Large company representatives along with researchers and heroes alike were all gathered in the main hall where the socializing and catering was taking place. It was quite impressive how many powerful people were there to see the exhibition of all the technology this year. On the main stage area, there was a man who grabbed everybody's attention with a few polite taps of the microphone.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentleman. It has come to our attention that there was a very special guest with us today. Please help me in welcoming a hero who deserves more than just our praise, All Might!"

His reception was one of complete warmth and praise as everybody in the room gave the withered man in his sagging suit a round of applause. Wearing clothes that fit his current build left All Might uncomfortable, so the tailor made a suit that fit his old build to keep the former hero comfortable. It genuinely surprised him how many people still praised him for his previous work when he was nothing but a husk of his former self.

A comforting hand patted his bony shoulder that then made All Might turn and see his oldest friend give him a smile that was loaded with all sorts of emotions. The hero was a bit overwhelmed by the praise and adoration he still received after losing his power and health.

"... Well, what are you waiting for? They're all waiting for you, All Might."

It filled him with an emotion that was new to him. His feet felt so heavy with every step he made towards that microphone. Once he took center stage, everybody in that room was silent with their eyes all on him. For years, he thought people would have lost hope completely if he lost his image that cost him so much of his health. For the greater good, he always told himself over and over again.

Here, these people saw him for everything he's done. People still were thankful for his sacrifice. They didn't treat his power like it was who he was, he was still All Might in their eyes. The man who saved the world for years and fought the greatest of evils to protect the innocent. Nothing would take away his legacy from the people who remembered him for who he was.

A hero.

Although he was fighting with all his might, the tears and crying were inevitable. Others were tearing up and sniffling to see the hero cry in his own right. He did all he could to raise as much self control to raise his glass of virgin cider to cheer the heroes still in service. Two simple words that carried the weight of his emotions while delivering his gratitude to everybody who still valued him after he lost what he thought made him who he was to the public.

"... Thank you."

A round of applause came over the room as All Might managed to hold in his tears enough to look the room in the eyes with his chest puffed out. Heroes like him will often be remembered for who they were, not for what they thought they were. In his case, he was nothing short of immortal in the minds of the people.

In the Upper Floors of I-Island Central Tower

"Oy, you sure this is the way?"

Kirishima was a bit flustered with how many wrong turns they made in search of the floor that had the party on it. Since he forgot his phone, he couldn't say for certain where it was now. Bakugou could feel his temper rise out of his friend's short sightedness and just whipped out his own phone.

"Forget it! I'll just call somebody or something."

Leave it to Bakugou to act angrily despite being so logical at times. What was even more surprising to Kaminari was how sharply Bakugou dressed for the evening. He was certain that Bakugou didn't want to go at first. After insisting it could be fun, the blonde then whipped out his own suit and grooming products out of nowhere. For someone insistent for not attending a formal party, they were oddly prepared for one.

He didn't know if it was something that Bakugou did on all his trips or since his haircut, but by the end of the ordeal, Katsuki was nothing short of a magazine model. A gray suit with black dress shirt with a uniquely knitted skinny tie that was in a similar gray were the main attraction of the outfit. His shoes were brown polished leather with a gray waistcoat and gold watch to complete the ensemble. Apparently Bakugou had better grooming habits than Katsuki gave him credit for.

"... What the- I can't get a signal!"

It was unfortunate, but the two teenage boys were now hopelessly lost.

Elsewhere

Many students of class 1-A were here to experience the expo on their holiday. Sora and Sato were enjoying dinner at a local diver known for their skillet dishes. Mezo and Tokoyami were out enjoying the sights. Toru and Tsuyu were enjoying each other when they all heard the alarm go off and lock down the populace under the pretenses of a bomb being planted at the central tower of the island.

"Gero! What's happening?"

Tsuyu had to take her tongue out of Toru to speak, which the invisible didn't take kindly to.

"Nothing! Just stop messing around and keep eating!"

Her forceful hand on the frog girl's hair yanked a fistful of the green locks to re-engage the long tongue that was so close to making her cum. In all honesty, Tsuyu was mostly asking out of curiosity. She was more than happy to ignore the alarm in favor of tasting more of Toru's rather sweet taste. Just three more times and it would be Tsuyu's turn to take a ride on Toru's tongue. Being in a large group chat with the other girls in their class certainly had it's benefit when the two girls realized they were all alone in their hotel room.

I-Island Second Floor

The interruption of the pre-opening party was interrupted when several gunmen entered the main hall where the gathering was taking place. Many of the socialites were helpless in fear of their lives as the armed men all pushed the crowd towards the center of the room. One man adorned with a mask made of twisted pieces of metal came through the double doors opposite the back of the room to announce his presence.

"Good evening. As you have heard from the alarms, we have taken control of the alarms. Just to clarify, any attempt to resist…"

The screens overhead began to broadcast the rest of the island inhabitants being monitored by the security drones. Nobody knew what was going on as the drones meant for their protection were acting oddly hostile towards the residents.

All of the island was hostage with the security system being under the control of these robbers. To further illustrate the amount of control the leader of the criminal group had, he signaled his men down at the control gub to use the security system to bind the heroes at the party location. Unique bands of luminescent bands restrained every licensed hero in the room without trouble.

Even All Might was taken as a hostage by the security system. It was so painful to experience such a constricting restraint that was making it difficult to breathe. How helpless he felt truly was as if he was in hell.

I-Island Second Floor Lobby

While waiting for the last two members of their group, the security system activated and trapped the young teens in the lobby that led to the elevators. Kyoka tried the buttons and found that it really was a security lockdown. Melissa was certain that a security threat isolated to one section of the island wouldn't trigger for the rest of the island for fear of mass panic.

Izuku asked Kyoka to follow him to the third floor to see if there was somewhere they could eavesdrop on the villains that had the party hostage. Melissa was able to inform the duo that there was an emergency fire escape that was a stair system that went all the way up to the top floor. Without a moment to lose, he and Jiro raced to the third floor to see what it was they could garner from the situation.

Elsewhere

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yesyesyesy-AAAAAAA!"

Tsuyu rode out the intense orgasm that was provided to her by Toru's tongue and other such mouth techniques that she was completely unaware of. Toru worked hard to please, especially due to her position of being an invisible girl. Her desire to please was still detected by the emotional pillar that was Tsuyu and caused the frog girl to drag the invisible girl performing some of the most enthusiastic oral on her up and into a hug they both wanted.

"Toru-chan, are you okay? I love the effort, but you seem a little distracted…"

Being the emotional pillar of her family for her siblings while being confronted with the alienation of others over her lack of expressions gave Tsuyu the experience necessary to understand people better than most. Right now, Toru was acting rather desperate for some approval from Tsuyu.

"It's okay. We are in a relationship. Just talk to me."

Toru was a bit of a mess as she began to tear up over how she feels like her nature was out of a need to be recognized. Since being invisible made it difficult for people to identify her, she blew up her character until it eventually became a caricature of who she was. Her tears were not lost on Tsuyu; she comforted the invisible girl to the best of her abilities.

Most of Toru's hangups were revealed in a long winded explanation that kept running in circles until she arrived at the conclusion that she felt that nobody was aware of who she was since she was mostly invisible. Tsuyu knew of such hang ups from her friend Manguusu Habuko, who was a snake headed girl who couldn't make friends until Tsuyu. Her natural acuity to listen and sympathize gave Toru something to hold onto and just love.

"... I love you, Tsu-chan."

Tsuyu didn't hesitate to smile at the invisible girl and coddle her to the best she could.

"And I love you, To-chan."

Talking was the least of their worries that night. All they needed was each other that evening, despite the chaos happening outside of that hotel room that evening.

I-Island Second Floor Hostage Situation

This was such a nightmare of a situation for the former hero All Might. He was beyond helpless while still being treated as a hostage who still held value to the people he wanted to keep away from the danger he was involved in. A hero spoke out of turn and received a kick to his jaw from the leader of the mercenary Might did what he could to distract the mercenary leader from the innocent civilians and heroes. This would have been noble, had it not been for the glaring issue of him being as fragile as a glass vase at that moment.

"N-no! You have no right, you son o-"

His distraction worked, but now he was the one to receive abuse at the expense of everyone in the room.

"You wanna mouth off, former hero? Fine! Let's see how much farther of a beating you can take as this wrinkled up piece of shit you are now!"

The kicking was demeaning enough, it was being kicked down when everybody had given him their praise for his service that truly hurt. Blood had begun to pool in his mouth, but it was a familiar sensation already. If it was just this, he could weather this sort of amateurish beating. All Might would not be defeated by something so small…

"Stop!"

David Shield had spoken up against the beating that All Might had been enduring for the sake of the other hostages in the room. All Might tried to dissuade his long time friend to back out for his safety, but he could no longer just stand by and just weather the storm when his friend was about to be beaten to death.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Out of his jacket pocket came a card that nobody could identify. Even the mercenary leader was widening his eyes in curiosity.

"The access to the top floor vault. This card will give you access."

All Might was certain his friend was about to die as the leader leapt down from the stage and confronted David Shields. As he was about to take the card, David made a disclaimer as to the function of the card.

"However, this card is keyed into my biometrics. You want to get inside the vault, you walk with me."

There was a bit of suspicion as to the claim of importance that Shields made. They hadn't even known of a way up the tower without David Shields and were just looking to drag the scientist's dead body up the tower to clear the checkpoints. Something in his eyes told him that the access card wasn't going to be just the ticket he wished for up to the top floor..

"... Fine. You're coming with us!"

Shields was snatched up by the leader of the robbers and dragged out of the room. Toshinori wanted to say something to stop the criminal from taking his longest friend and was stopped from the agonizing pain of being kicked to near death on the floor. His coughs of blood suddenly felt so much more painful than before.

If this was to be the end, he hoped that at least the people dragged into this made it out of the situation well enough. A bit of light that he felt sting the corner of his eye drew the gaze of All Might to the glass dome that connected the second and third floor visually. Seeing Izuku flash a light from his phone to All Might clued him in to the additional sight of Kyoka. It seemed that Izuku wished to gain some additional information as to the hostage situation.

"... can you… hear me?"

He was struggling to maintain an even voice over the urge to cough painfully. It was a thumbs up that clued All Might into sharing information under a whisper. The summary was that the villains were pushing to the top of the tower with David Shield with a biometric card that required his readings to pass through the vault door near the top floor of the tower. As it was, neither the hero nor the villains knew how long it would take to actually get to the top floor, much less if the card would find them what it was they were after.

Kyoka and Izuku returned to the group hiding in the emergency fire escape while the robbers were off to steal whatever it was they were here to steal. Iida was all for getting his friends out of the critically dangerous situation that the tower has fallen into. Throughout the group, a debate broke out over the abandonment or support of the innocent hostages and their teacher.

It was a bit of a non sequitur in terms of who they were as heroes if they were to simply walk away as things were at that moment. Innocent people and heroes that wished to do good were all trapped with dangerous criminals threatening their lives at the slightest provocation. Iida was the one to see the blatant danger of the situation and asked that his friends reconsider their retreat to safety. Considering that the security of the entire island was equal to a maximum security prison, it would be practically impossible to get help with their phones completely shut off from the rest of the world.

Surprisingly, it was Shoto who was the one to recommend that they all go and try to shut down the security system. One by one, they all started to agree to the idea after it was Ochaco to recommend that they do just that. She saw Izuku debate with himself in consideration of the situation and spoke up for the teenage boy. He and MIna hit a rough patch and he knew better than to just go back on all the progress they made by just blindly volunteering on a suicide mission.

Even Mina was able to see that they truly needed to do something to help the situation, otherwise it could lead to bigger consequences further down the line. Mina gave Izuku a squeeze of his hand and just smiled her usual cheeky grin to tell him that this time she would stand with him. He made the mistake of rejecting her help last time, this time around Izuku was wiser and better than before. A small tender moment that gave Mineta heartburn.

Iida begrudgingly agreed, but disclaimed that if the danger grew to be too significant; then he would be the one to pull the plug on the rescue mission. Nobody saw that as too steep of a condition to accept from their class representative. Melissa recommended the fire escape they were currently next to and asked that she be allowed to join them. Many of the group were hesitant at first, though Melissa got her way when she asked if anybody else knew how to deactivate the security system like she could.

They were all set with a mission in their hearts and a conviction to save those in need of their help. This time, with everybody working together to stop the threat.

I-Island Security Command Hub

At the top floor of the central tower was the command center to all of the island. David Shields was brought to the command deck and shoved to the chair in front of the main control board. The instructions he was given with the card when he analyzed the card for its validity was the actual procedure to get the card synched to the island's system. Step one was to simply enter the command hub and request that one of the security guards sync the data of the card for him. None of the guards were available and were a bit, for lack of a better term, tied up. He used his access to get the computer open and found the security registry. What needed to happen was that he needed to find his profile and use the data on the card as his administrative approval to be cleared to enter and obtain something from the vault.

Thit took a moment to find and interact with to start the sync process. There was a progress bar being displayed and it was clear it would take a few minutes. This frustrated the kidnappers and even got one of them to threaten the scientist with the life of his assistant if he didn't hurry it up. Eventually one of the other mercenaries got him to put down his bladed arm when they disclosed that doing so would just be a waste of time.

David truly couldn't progress the sync time anymore than what the system could process it at. It was due to them having cut off all exterior communication to and from the island that the time was so long. Had the island still possessed it's communications, the approval would be sent to a separate site in a different country and be approved manually. Now the system had to read all the data and cross reference all the clearance data to register as a valid clearance card.

All they could do was just wait and watch until the card became usable. Thankfully, even if the card is approved, there was still an angle he had to ensure his own and his assistant's safety still. The next part of the card's function would only operate with his biometrics and his alone. If at any point he were to leave the room or have any sort of extreme to his readings, it would just turn into a hunk of metal and plastic no better than a dead credit card. He was sure to disclaim this and even had one of the more tech savvy mercenaries overlook the data being processed to confirm what he was saying. The mercenary clicked his tongue when Shields scrolled the logs to the section of script he was referring to.

As much of a hostage as David Shields was, the vault robbers were still at the mercy of the system that kept David relevant. They had no other choice but to honor the forced agreement, lest they wanted to go look for another way into the vault that was just as easy and painless as this.

I-Island Central Tower Fire Escape

Climbing up two hundred floors is laborious and time consuming by anybody's standards. For the UA students, it was a less taxing exercise than it was for the wildly undertrained Melissa Shields. Her lungs were on fire and legs were shaking under the strain. Ochaco offered to use her quirk to simply carry the girl up the stairs, but Melissa knew what the stakes were for everybody there. She asked that Ochaco not waste her power to just help Melissa as she tossed her heels aside and began to run barefooted.

Around the eightieth floor was a blast shield blocking off the entirety of the staircase. The structure was two hundred floors, and if a fire were to break out there was still the risk of backdraft. These shields were to simply prevent the danger from spreading to the other floors. Right now, it was stopping their progress of getting to the top floor. Destroying the shield with physical violence or cutting through it would activate the alarms and alert the robbers to their location.

One student was a bit short sighted in opening the door that gave them access to the eightieth floor. Each door had an alarm for the fire exit to help emergency responders to see which floors were still occupied by people as well as just being a basic measure of caution against intruders. Up at the command hub, the criminals saw the alarm go off for the door and activated the blast shields to cut off whatever available access the intruders had.

Active camera feeds allowed the kidnappers to identify the teenagers making a break for the next available way up the next hundred and twenty floors. Their manpower was still a bit lacking at the security floor with the others escorting the doctor to the vault. They had to report this to their leader for backup from the bottom floor.

I-Island Second Floor

"... Drop the partitions and keep those brats from leaving the floor!"

Two men with rifles ran off to the elevators to intercept the teenagers. All Might was now in a panic. If the teenagers were the ones that he thought were his students, then this situation had gone from bad to horrible. All he was able to do was lie in a bruised and beaten heap without any of his powers to assist them.

"... Shit."

I-Island Eightieth Floor

The entrance into the main area of the eightieth floor was still a ways around the circumference of the center. All of them were bleed necking it all the way to the second fire escape that Melissa knew to be unlocked for emergency purposes. Suddenly, the shutters were all slamming close from both sides and were sandwiching the teens into a box that was just getting smaller and smaller with every passing moment.

A door leading into the central area of the floor was to their right and past the last closing blast shield. Iida took command and ordered Shoto to keep the shields open with a massive iceberg. He used the opening to launch himself past the opening and kicked their last viable exit open with a well placed kick.

Inside, there was a terrarium with a multitude of plant species with ceilings that were several stories above the space. Melissa disclosed that the observatory was to be used as a testing space for quirks and how they would interact with certain plant life. There was a staircase that they could use that was located in the center of the room that they could use to work their way up to the overhead scaffoldings.

Kyoka had to stop them and warn the group that the elevator had somebody in it coming up from the ground floor. There was too little time to get ready for a fight, so stealth and having to resort to a sneak attack was their next best bet. They hid behind a planter housing a few large bushes and a tree. All of them held their breaths and just hoped that the villain's would pass them by.

Out the elevator came two villains groaning about how much of a pain it was that they had to catch a few teenagers in an incredibly wide and open space filled to the brim with hiding spots. Some of the teens were holding their breath and just waiting for the robbers to pass them by. Others like Izuku and Shoto were apprehensive yet were preparing for the worst case scenario. Izuku had his power ready to go while Shoto was just as ready to go.

"There you are, you little shits!"

Thinking that the gig was up, Izuku and Shoto were just about to launch into an assault when a familiar agitated voice came out of nowhere.

"Watch you fucking mouth. You might regret it, asshole."

Kirishima and Bakugou had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and were now face to face with the criminals. Everybody who caught sight of the duo couldn't help but notice how nicely Bakugou cleaned up when he wanted to. Hair styled to the side and in a gray suit with matching tie was very flattering to his slim build. His cool attitude in comparison to his usual explosive one was quite the impressive display of confidence. Had the girls there not been already involved with Midoriya, they would have found themselves not exactly disappointed over the idea of taking Katsuki to the party as their date.

While Kirishima was a bit naive to the situation, Bakugou was already preparing for a fight. The jacket was removed and tossed onto a guide rail for him to pick up after the fight. His gold watch was put into his pocket while he rolled up his sleeves. A display of mature and elegant testosterone that the females were unable to break their gaze away from. Izuku wanted to feel offended, but even he could admit that Bakugou was really making the look work. Meanwhile, Mineta was still feeling the pressure of having to improve himself to get that sort of attention from the opposite sex.

Understandably, the villains were not patient enough to listen to Kirishima and the taller of the villains launched a pressurized wave of some kind straight at the red head. It was fast, but Bakugou was faster with his footwork and quirk propelling him forward and back to yank his friend out of the way. Neither villain knew that a teenage kid could move that quickly when a massive wave of ice encased them both in an iceberg.

"What the- Todoroki?!"

Apparently the restraint that Shoto had used against the robbers was not as effective as he would have liked. From inside of the mass of ice came the shakes and cracks of something trying to escape. Shoto thought quickly to send the rest of his friends to the overhead scaffoldings forgoing stealth entirely. He told them to focus on getting to the security hub and to leave it to the boys to buy them time here. Despite there being a slight moment of hesitance, the rest of the group agreed to do just that.

Kirishima and Bakugou were curious as to the nature of the current situation and were briefed that the tower had come under a hostage situation with the security system itself under the control of a group of robbers. More details were to come from Todoroki, though the reemergence of the villains from their ice prison by the skinny one's quirk was a bit concerning. Debating the possible function of the quirk was a luxury that wasn't forwarded to them as the stout and wider criminal began to expand into a large and hulking purple ogre with oversized fists.

His initial charge into the boys was interrupted with a wave of sharp ice, to which he smashed to bits and punched Kirishima into the wall behind the boy. Bakugou and Todoroki were in it now. It also seemed that their usual attacks weren't quite cutting it either. Since the last time they were brought into a serious situation, they were in need of improvements to their powers. Now was the time for both to test out their newest iterations of their quirks.