All of I-Island's prestigious U.A guests are practically flying first class on a private jet. Rather than having his legs tucked up to his chest like during past economy airlines, Izuku Midoriya lounges along with the others; everyone has plenty of space in a rather accommodating seating arrangement. Instead of facing forwards, cushy chairs are lined to point at the walkway between either side of the plane. Periodically, small tables and carts are placed for convenience should anyone want to eat or use a laptop. Whereas some people like Shoto Todoroki or Momo Yaoyorozu take to using those trays as propups to read novels, others like Denki Kaminari or Setsuna Tokage use the stands as footrests. Izuku looks behind himself and away from all that's inside the main cabin, staring out a circular window to watch clouds pass by outside.
Part of him feels bad about leaving Japan behind. Way across the stretch of sea that passes by below, he imagines his mom missing him and he starts to feel homesick already. There won't be any tall buildings to swing from at I-Island either, that's for sure. It's not like the country of Japan is being left to fend for itself though; there's plenty of pro heroes to watch over the populace while he's gone. Still… Izuku can't forget what was instilled in him. With great power, there must also come a great responsibility. He forms a fist with the same hand that had been bitten by a power transferring spider; power flows through it, strengthening him immensely. Izuku hadn't packed his costume in his luggage nor did he bring along his web shooters so it's not like he can get up to any sorta vigilante business even if he wanted to – and he doesn't think there's much trouble that can happen on an island of all places – but there's this nagging responsibility behind what he can do that he doesn't feel deserving of a getaway.
As he's grown accustomed to doing lately when finding himself caught up in his own head, he puts on Tokuda's gifted pair of glasses. It may seem corny or cheesy, or maybe even corny AND cheesy, but they really do have a knack for helping him to see things from a different perspective other than just his own. Instead of peering out one of the plane's circular windows, he looks through a circular pair of lenses via the spectacles. They show him his shared company. Hitoshi Shinso, though their friendship may be a bit strained, is here. Kyoka Jirou and Itsuka Kendo, though things may be perhaps rather complicated there as well, are also here. He sees an opportunity to make things right through the eyes of Izuku Midoriya that he usually misses when viewing things as solely Spider-Man.
As he looks around at the plane's fellow occupants, Izuku does fail to notice one thing though; he fails to notice that one of his shared passengers happens to be looking at him in return. Toru Hagakure, used to going unnoticed by most, slides across the cushioned seating to be right beside him. "Whoa!", her burst of bubbly energy when invading his personal space makes Izuku jump since his Spider-Sense doesn't bother to register her invasion as a form of danger. "Have you been wearing contacts this whole time?", the invisible girl takes interest in his recently applied pair of glasses. She winds up drawing the attention of everybody else as well with her vocalness, which only makes Izuku squirm in his seat even more as his skittishness increases over becoming the center of focus.
Since all of the plane's occupancy attention is due to his recently adorned pair of glasses, Izuku instinctively pushes them up the bridge of his nose while contemplating removing them. He especially feels he should do away with the glasses and that it was a bad idea to bust them out to start wearing them when he sees Shinso giving him a glare. "Another thing you were keeping from me this whole time then? Figures..", there's much more than a hint of hurt and betrayal behind the tone of Shinso's voice. Others that know Izuku well enough already are also looking at him with mixes of confusion, probably also wondering why he never said anything sooner if he really were wearing contact lenses this whole time.
"Ah, n- no.. They were a gift.." He feels the need to correct everyone's thoughts and explain himself so that there is no misunderstanding this time. It's not like this is a Spider-Man level secret that requires him to keep withholding information from them. This is one of the few truths that he can tell them without having to worry about it compromising his vigilante lifestyle. That being said, he excludes the part about his gifted glasses coming from Tokuda since there IS that slight connection to his alter ego. He instead says, "I guess I just felt like they're nice to have stylishly", while shrugging it off as not a big deal.
Jirou takes in Izuku's new look, sneaking a peek from the corners of her eyes. She does so while acting casual, twirling one of her ear jacks on a stray finger. "Well, I for one think that they suit you.." She compliments his updated appearance since she truly does like the way it adds something to the boy's character. Her comment makes him blush, and seeing him blush over what she said winds up making her blush as well.
Witnessing this, Kendo becomes flustered herself. She had tried putting aside her feelings for Izuku but now seeing her friend get close to him has stirred up those emotions once again. Her personal preference on what the glasses add to the boy's appearance makes her blush right along with them. "Yeah, they hide your freckles and really bring out your eyes" She feels the need to make her own complimentary comment just so that she doesn't feel left out, or at least as an attempt to get rid of this sense of jealousy.
Hagakure, being a girl herself, picks up on this unspoken competition for Izuku's favor. Since she was the one to invite him along for the I-Island trip to begin with, she feels the need to join in for the sake of not losing. "Let me try them on!", Hagakure has the benefit of being right beside him that she can snatch the glasses off of his face; they float where her eyes are when she places them atop her nose, "How do I look?!"
A couple of approving praises from folks like Tokage is joined by light applause from a few others. Jirou and Kendo are forced to go along with it so that they fit in. Hagakure smirks, glad that this is one of those rare instances that being invisible is a plus since her invisibility hides that sly smile from them. She's practically already won but 'adding salt to the wound' is part of any girl's personality that she can't resist teasing them all some more.
"Hey, Midoriya, my eyes are up here!" Hagakure flirtatiously jokes with Izuku by gesturing with the sleeves of her shirt up from her modest bust to where his stolen glasses mark the place that her eyes are. It's too easy getting a flustered reaction out of him, his brain short circuiting as he tries and miserably fails to stammer out a reasonable response. Hagakure giggles along with a lot of the other plane occupants. Kendo and Jirou noticeably don't laugh along, the two of them not finding the joke that funny.
Kaminari notices the girls fawning over Izuku, also withholding a laugh. He hasn't forgotten the quirkless casanova takes pictures of Spider-Man nor will he ever forget his grudge with the webhead now or ever. So he interjects into the fun with some 'lighthearted' jesting of his own, "Come on! Glasses are for nerds!", he tries drawing the attention to himself instead with a thumb thrust towards his face, "SCARS are where it's at!"
Jirou rolls her eyes over the adolescent behavior. Before she can think better of herself to say something, "The difference is one makes your face look good and the other doesn't", an accidentally insensitive statement slips out. She instantly regrets it when she sees the expression on Kaminari's already wounded face. "I mean – Sorry.. Too soon..", Jirou apologizes but knows that it's too late.
Eijiro Kirishima, ever the supportive guy of the class, pats Kaminari on the back to console his friend. "Don't worry, bro, I think your scars are manly!" Though the sentiment isn't the same when given by a boy with pointy teeth & hair instead of a cute girl with smooth skin & hair.
"Yeah.. Thanks..", Kaminari grumbles and groans while shrugging Kirishima's hand off. It's not like he viewed his scars as something to be proud or boastful about before but now he knows for a fact that they've tarnished his appearance. Everyone around him has been nice about it, not staring for too long or avoiding looking at him, but now he knows that it's all just a well acted facade. He clenches his hands into closed fists while thinking about how everyone could be laughing at him behind his back.
That he got to skate by and accompany everyone going on this trip feels like a charity case anyways. Because his Final Exam ended in such a tragedy, the school only deemed it right that he be treated with tickets. Even U.A is just pitying him at this point. As Kaminari looks around, he sees the faces of people who actually earned their place being here. Kendo passed her test without Katsuki Bakugo just like Hagakure passed hers without Tenya Iida. Todoroki is here but Fumikage Tokoyami isn't in that same regard. Yaoyorozu and Tokage passed as a team legitimately. Hell, even his teammate Jirou got a free pass based on their exam's technicality as compared to the rest. Then there's the real freebies, Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso from Gen Ed. Kaminari scoffs at the thought.
Wanting to relighten the mood, Tokage thinks to chime into the conversation. "So, gals, if we're saying glasses make the guys cuter … does that mean Iida is hot?" Her question is accompanied by a mischievous grin and a wiggling motion of her eyebrows.
Hagakure removes the glasses on her face like they came from Iida and not the boy beside her when hearing that suggestion, "Eww! No way!", but she laughs all in good nature along with some of the others at the notion of Tokage's spoken thought.
More playful jabbing and jeering ensues. Even Yaoyorozu joins in on the fun gossip, saying that Mina Ashido would have had a field day with their discussion should she have gotten to be included. Kirishima tries getting Todoroki to partake which results in everyone laughing over their awkward exchange.
As Izuku takes back his glasses, he slides down his seat and sighs while saying, "This is gonna be a long flight.."
Arriving earlier than the U.A students' flight by a separate plane, All Might in his debuffed form is accompanying the recently appointed police captain Tsukauchi Naomasa. And accompanying the police captain is his plus one, Sansa Tamakawa, the fellow officer overjoyed to have a free tag-a-long trip to I-Island. As soon as they land, Tamakawa takes off with his luggage to secure their room bookings.
Naomasa smiles despite shaking his head. If not for his brother in arms, he's not so sure he'd be able to handle the police department any more than he did before. "It's like they couldn't get rid of me quick enough once I became captain", he reflects on the rewarding ticket per his promotion and how he had originally wanted to turn it down in favor of staying to work the new position.
But much like his colleagues, Toshinori Yagi tells Naomasa that he's earned the time off. "They're probably just intimidated", the gaunt form of the pro hero is still recognizable by his signature toothy grin. Naomasa can't help but reciprocate the broad smile, the two of them used to joking around when it comes to this sort of business matter.
It's been a long time since they last had the opportunity to share some time together. That it can be spent doing leisurely activities and that it doesn't have to be involved with hero work is a bonus. They have a lot of catching up to do and doing so over good ol' fashioned American burgers with friendly banter to boot sounds pretty good right about now.
But before they can wander off the runway landing strip to make lunch arrangements, a blonde blur blasts forward to burrow into them both. They're each wrapped in a tight hug that squeezes them together. "Uncle Tsukauchi! Uncle Might!", only someone so youthful can have this much speed & strength without a quirk. They know exactly who it is that's come to greet them per their arrival.
"Melissa Gwendoline Shield", Naomasa looks into the young lady's bright blue eyes before realizing he's actually able to look into her eyes without bending his neck down, "You've gotten so much taller than the last time I saw you!"
The bright & bubbly blonde giggles as she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "That's because it's been five or six years", her gaze flicks from Naomasa to Toshinori while gauging his reaction to her growth spurt too.
"That long already?!", the unpowered hero has to swallow a mouthful of blood to keep it from spurting out due to his shock. He instead coughs, the skeletal state of weakness that he's in not able to handle such extreme levels of sudden emotion. "Well, we'll just have to spend twice as much time together while we're here to make up for it!"
Another giddy giggle is accompanied by a waving of the girl's hand, "That's not how math works!", that same hand has to hold her stomach when she doubles over from laughing even more. It becomes so amusing to watch that Naomasa's and Toshinori's smiles soon give way to her contagious chuckle fit, the both of them joining in.
Since he doesn't have to reach or bend down anymore, it's much easier for Naomasa to pat his honorary niece on her head. "Only a brainiac such as yourself would know!", she shies away so that he doesn't mess up her hair but continues to laugh since she knows he's only teasing her.
Meanwhile, "Speaking of brainiacs..", Toshinori glances around in search of any other greeting company, "Where's your father?" He was anticipating the girl's guardian to be there right along with her.
She smiles as she shakes her head, "Where else but his lab", she says it as though the questions themselves are the answers and they very may as well be considering she has a point. "He was expecting you though so he sent me to get you."
Toshinori grins right along with her. "Expecting us, eh? You make him sound like a supervillain."
The teenage girl giggles at the thought of her father becoming anything of the sort. "Dad should know better than to mess with you, Uncle Might!" It's humorous to imagine how that'd even play out in her or anyone else's head.
Naomasa feigns offense by placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "Hey, I'm no chopped liver over here!" Currently, at a glance, he does appear mightier than the slouching skinny man beside him.
"It's true!", the skinny man wraps one of his boney arms around Naomasa's shoulders to pull him into a side hug, "Did you know your Uncle Tsukauchi here is now a POLICE CAPTAIN?" Naomasa shrinks down as he tries to humbly blow it off but Toshinori won't let him go.
"Really?! Congratulations!", though the police captain might have to admit to appreciating any acknowledgement nonetheless. The way his honorary niece's eyes light up behind her glasses makes him happy to hear it.
But still.. "Ah, it's nothing!" He won't play it up too much. He pushes Toshinori off so that he can wave away whatever lingering praises there might be.
"Always so modest", Toshinori pats his pal on the back all the same. Only then will he let it rest, if ever.
The spectator of their bromance rolls her eyes, "Enough bickering you two!" With a waving gesture of her hand so that they begin to follow her, she starts to lead them off the runway. "Let me take you to go see dad already!"
Sleek silver stretches of steel alloy spread across a suspended overhead beam in four varying directions. They maneuver and coil around the girder in order to move it into a particular position. Five inches in diameter, each metallic appendage supports the held weight easily. The robotic arms grab ahold of the bottom of the beam with three pincers that are at the end of their lengthy arms. It's a construction feat done so casually that the scientist controlling the artificial limbs simultaneously preoccupies himself with typing at a computer console.
Toshinori Yagi looks on as he enters from a set of steel plated sliding doors, an impressed whistle slipping out as he does. Trailing behind him are the arms' operator's daughter and Captain Naomasa. Toshinori looks back at them before grinning and giving a light applause, "It always helps to have an extra set of hands."
The scientist turns to face his small collection of lab visitors, but he acknowledges Toshinori first; there's a tolerative look of amusement in his eyes when he lifts up a pair of specialized goggles that cover them. "Mirai's sense of humor has been rubbing off on you, old friend.." David Shield is a man of innovative inventing and his lab coat adorned attire attests to that.
Toshinori bashfully rubs the nape of his neck, "He and I actually don't talk too often anymore..", a tagline chuckle comes along with his reply like it's a funnier said thing than his prelusive quip.
"I see", the American Inventor retracts his robotically engineered arms so that he can better greet Toshinori. Next, he turns towards the idly waiting police captain. "Well, it's good to see that you kept fair relations with Tsukauchi" David goes for a handshake – using one of his actual arms and not any of the metal tentacles – to which Naomasa obliges.
Naomasa has quite a firm grip whereas David's is a little looser but they each exchange a shared set of smiles. "Good to see you again as well, David" Both men share a history with one another similarly to the friendship that they share with Toshinori that it's to be expected.
The one who has a knack for bringing them all together these days, making her a wonderful daughter & honorary niece, decides then to chime in. She hugs one of her father's arms – again, one of his actual arms and not one of the metallic tentacle kind – and she tries dragging him away from his work to share time with her uncles. "Will you take a break now that they're here, daddy?"
David slips his arm free from his daughter's hugging hold. "Afraid not, sweetie.." Behind him, as though on cue with his innermost thoughts, his extended artificial limbs return to their work.
The moving tentacles draw attention to a cylindrical column behind him. It could easily be apart of the room's architecture if not for the monitors surrounding it. Naomasa raises an eyebrow while trying to take a guess at what it could possibly be, "What is it that you're working on here anyhow?"
David's daughter pretends to pout, "It's top secret", her folded arms and back turning to him meant to convey a disingenuous attitude towards his project even if it does steal time away from them being together. The girl's glasses glint when she looks back at the metallic cylinder, "Dad won't even tell ME what it is he's got hiding in there."
Toshinori can somewhat see now that the cylinder is actually a tube of sorts. Something must be inside of it. He takes a stab at guessing what's inside the tube since he's well acquainted with his friend's M.O. "Don't tell me it's a suit of armor painted red and gold!", they had talked about making him an 'Iron Might' panoply in case he needed the support equipment some day so it's his first thought seeing as David is an engineering genius.
"Oh, we all know I can do much better than that!" David smirks since he does tend to outdo himself with what he brings to the table, which in turn makes Toshinori smirk as well. There had been vehicles like the 'Might Mobile' that never quite stuck around but always had a way of dazzling the pro hero. Whatever is in that cylinder is probably no different.
Just as she believes her father is bound to unveil what the mystery project is, David dismisses his daughter from partaking in the grandiose moment. "The others should be arriving shortly as well, dear" He ushers her towards the exit with a small motion from one of his robotic arms. "You should best be getting along to greet them", he has the perfect excuse for her dismissal as well since they are actually expecting U.A's special guests.
"Fine", she begrudgingly begins to leave the room. Not without a firm finger point with a demand at the end of it though, "But you aren't getting out of dinner later!" That's the price she's making him pay for her missing out on the project reveal; a fair equivalent exchange is made when he nods once to let her know he's agreeing to those terms.
Naomasa looks on with an amused smile, "It's good to know things haven't changed around here" The whole interaction also reminds him of a few exchanges that he's had with his younger sister. When he looks back at David though, he sees the robotic limbs being worn by the man have returned to multitasking different dutiful deeds of work, "Er – Minus the helper hands.." It's kinda unsettling to see how nonchalant David is about them whirling around him.
"Helping arms", it's also unsettling how attached David seems to be to them – and not just in a literal sense – the dearest doctor even practically pets one of the limbs by running a hand along its sleek surface, "But these are merely for my own personal benefit.." The robotic arms move to assist him with the cylindrical container. "What I have been working on as of recent is more-so to resolve our One For All concern."
Toshinori looks back at the sliding door exit that David's daughter left through. "You still haven't told her.. ?", he now understands why she wasn't allowed to be present for this technical 'presentation'.
David looks Toshinori in the eyes, "It's not my secret to tell", before putting his protective pair of specialized goggles back on.
"Thank you", the frail blonde somehow deflates even further as he exhales. It's a relief to know that his secret is in good hands. Even so, for making a man lie to his daughter, he feels he owes some type of sentimental explanation for himself. "I don't mind sharing this form with a few others, but.." The gaunt character grits his teeth when he places a hand over the covered scarring on his side, "The origin of my quirk is an entirely separate matter that could spell disaster should someone sinister gain that knowledge."
When David was first told about One For All being a transferable power, there were talks of his daughter being the one to inherit it. It seemed like the right choice at the time since they are all three so close to one another and the young girl does also happen to be quirkless with room for learning how to use a quirk from scratch. But they never told her for the sake of someone potentially becoming vengeful should they be denied that power after learning about it. And good thing too, considering Itsuka Kendo was the one who inherited One For All instead.
"I understand", David lets his friend know that there are no hard feelings. As if to prove that to be the truth, David has also taken to seeking solutions to the other secret that comes with One For All. All Might's limited time frame due to his injury could spell the end of his hero career .. unless.. "Hence why I've moved on from creating a technology based quirk amplification device and decided it was best to seek a more .. 'organic' route…"
Naomasa's eyebrows raise at this bit of information. He's well aware of contingency plans that were made to account for the hero's inevitable retirement, but for David to be seeking a way to prolong that retirement or even prevent it entirely comes as a bit of a shock. Naomasa imagines they did do something that was discussed under those circumstances though, "Don't tell me you two decided to go through with the hair strand thing", he recalls Toshinori talking about transferring his power via DNA that way for some strange reason.
"Don't be ridiculous", David casts aside the notion; however, Naomasa does catch Toshinori looking slightly sheepish still. Naomasa and Toshinori snap to attention at what David says next though, all humor stopped short super suddenly. David says, "Spiders", that particular proposal of a power transference being the equivalent of a pin dropping. David goes along to say more during Toshinori & Naomasa's shared silence, "That was my first attempt at a method of transmission long ago. But the test subject was later found dead when escaping its holding tank."
"Hold on", Toshinori is the first to speak up about the mutual thoughts he and Naomasa are having pertaining to this revelation, "Are you saying you were going to use a spider to transmit One For All?"
David fails to notice the way both his friends pale as he continues to share his spider studies, "Arachnids are a form of carriers and quirked creatures in the realm of insect or mammal are more common than one may think."
Naomasa gets rid of the lump that has formed in his throat with a quick cough, "I don't think that's why he was asking.." On behalf of Toshinori and himself, he needs to get an answer to a very important question. He asks, "David.. Did someone happen to be bitten by this genetically enhanced spider?"
David pauses when being asked about the possibility of someone being bitten. "Not to my knowledge..", now he's starting to notice the odd behavior that his visitors are exhibiting.
Toshinori and Naomasa exchange a glance, before Toshinori elaborates on why it is that they're digging for more information on the subject. "We ask because, well, there's a vigilante running amok back home who goes by the name 'Spider-Man'.." They become curious about what could be the potential origin of their masked acquaintance.
"Spider-Man?", David raises his goggles up from his eyes as he skewers his stare like he's looking at the mentioned character in question, "Intriguing.." The researcher places his thumb under his chin as he ponders the possibility of his super spider being the reason for a person developing a quirk. "Of course, the spider could not transfer One For All itself at the time and could only provide inherently close traits of its own species but.. There ARE slim chances that it can be replicated somehow", David hums while exuding his contemplation, "That it worked on someone at all is fascinatingly interesting.."
Despite now becoming police captain, old habits die hard, and Naomasa launches into a 'detective mode' state of mind. He produces a notepad and pen to jot down information. Already, the man is developing a case in his head. "What was the time frame for when you found the spider dead?", Naomasa goes about it as though he's conducting an interview.
"Field trip season", Naomasa nods along when getting David's answer, "Schools from all around the world had group tours mingled in with other guest parties though" The Director of I-Island shrugs and sighs, "I hate to say it but Spider-Man could be anyone from teacher to student in that case."
"No, that all actually checks out" Naomasa considers asking for the school visitation records so that he can further narrow things down. But since he and Spider-Man have started to develop something of an alliance… He decides not to pursue it so extremely. That being said, he does snort out a laugh. "Spider-Man is.. Well, not EXACTLY a full fledged man yet.."
Toshinori feels a similar sentiment since he himself has met and spoken to Spider-Man. "This is a conversation we can save for another time", the pro hero deems it best to look out for the little guy and to change the subject, "Let's not dwell on something that won't make any difference."
Receiving a quirk through transference instead of having one as a birthright would typically unsettle the righteous duo. However, in this special case, there comes an insurance that it's not the dastardly All For One's doing. All Might can find a form of contentment with that, especially since this quirk transfer is a bi-product of his own by some way of technicality. As for Naomasa, the allegiance he has with Spider-Man has given him all the assurement he needs as well.
David decides to let it go for the time being, since he himself is not all that familiar with the stakes or how high or low they may be; he's only just now learned of Spider-Man's existence that he has nothing but intrigue at this point in time. "Fair enough", the doctor forgets all about vigilantes and spiders in favor for what he has to offer presently, "When it comes to making a difference.. I have just the thing!" His robotic arms tend to raising the cylinder's shielding. "It's a new organic matter to compensate, if you will."
What waits on the other side of the metal covering is not what Toshinori nor Naomasa could have ever expected. Within a glass unit resides a slimy substance. It is midnight purple in terms of pigmentation. The dark shade of indigo could be mistaken for a black colorization. Yet, it breathes through its hues in a way that's almost alien to what anyone has ever seen before. The sludge sleeps, not even slushing around like a liquid might do. It stays stagnant. It remains eerily still.
Naomasa raises a finger to poke at the glass, but thinks better of himself to tap on the barrier. If the strange slime is in any way like a fish in an aquarium then he's sure loud vibrations would only irritate it. Instead, he just hovers and points. "What are we looking at here, David?" It's weird because the residue seems as unimpressive as a mud pile while so obviously having an appearance that suggests otherwise.
David's smirk shows some teeth as he takes pride in his work. "This is a lifeform made to bond with One For All", he gauges his captivated audience's reactions when they learn the organic matter is a sentient entity. As expected, both men are too awe struck to say anything.
Naomasa stares at the specimen a little more closely. He looks for signs of movement to prove that it truly is a lifeform capable of what David says it can do. But if anything, the slime appears dead. "Are you sure this isn't just some dark sludge and you're not just pulling our legs?", Naomasa looks up and away to see if this is a prank that his friend is pulling.
When the police captain does so, Toshinori steps up to inspect the sludge for himself. As soon as All Might's debuffed state nears the glass tank, there comes a loud thud. Naomasa spins around to see that he missed the stuff reacting to the pro hero's proximity. What was once unformed as a pile of putty has now taken shape of what can be perceived as a hand pressed flush up against the glass barrier that separates it from them. It's reaching for Toshinori, slimy tendrils spread out in an effort to make that grab like a set of fingers.
Toshinori gawks at how the organic material reacted to his approach. If not for the glass wall between him and it, he surely would have been overtaken by the living slime. "That stuff really is alive?!", the scared skeletal man looks to his friend for answers as to why such a thing would be created for any proper purpose.
"It senses and reacts strongly to potential carriers for power", David keeps a grin plastered across his face while joining them at the viewing chamber for his latest creation, "Around folks such as myself or Tsukauchi .. It may as well be unresponsively asleep.. But around people like you.."
Toshinori's hand hovers over the cicatrix covered by his clothes. From his understanding of what David is implying, this strange slime may as well be a scar cream. It can help to heal him so long as he bonds with it. And by bonding, it will also be able to enhance One For All. The thought of not just regaining the power he had during his prime youthful years but actually being even stronger does have a temptational pull on him – but he knows better – he thinks twice of what the price of power may be with something so unknown to them all.
Naomasa must be having similar thoughts so he speaks up first about his apprehensions, "Sounds like something that's bound to create a symbiotic relationship."
So long as he's wearing his goggles, David has a vacant stare. His tone is just as monotonously capable of hiding his feelings in regards to those apprehensions, "A symbiote? Yes.. Perhaps that is exactly what it is", though it doesn't seem like he's much considering them to be genuine concerns.
Toshinori clears his throat – he's careful not to cough up any blood whilst doing so – the sickly man smiles despite the uncertainty of his future. "David.. I appreciate your time and effort put into doing this for me, but I'm not so sure–"
"It's not quite ready yet anyways", David silences Toshinori with a raised flat palm, "Withhold making any haste decisions until I have a finished version for you.. Yes?"
Toshinori swallows down whatever it was that he had to say before being interrupted, along with a mouthful of blood to hide the fact that this 'symbiote' idea isn't ALL that worth turning down either. He sighs and says, "S- Sure..", since he figures his friend does make a fair point about keeping an open mind for what could be a finished improved version with zero causes for concern.
Naomasa turns a blind eye to the midnight purple slime for the time being as well, "While dark sludge and spiders are all very fascinating.." He much prefers to enjoy his vacation time than to spend it stressing over crazy creations from his friend. Plus he has something else that he'd like to see right now instead, "Do you happen to have a restroom you can show me next?"
David huffs, a cross between a laugh and something short of a sigh. His robotic arms whirl with his human hands as he motions for Naomasa to follow him, "Right this way."
As the inventor and the police captain venture off to tour the lab's restrooms, Toshinori lags behind to have a final look at the organic substance that so badly wants to get at him. The slime continues to crawl against the glass whenever he wanders near it. Toshinori clicks his tongue. "A symbiote, huh.. ?"
The group of U.A guests file out of their private plane upon landing. Waiting for them like she had been when her uncles had arrived at the island, the island's representative stands at the end of the exit ramp. She offers them all a courteous smile, "Welcome to I-Island! I'm Melissa Gwendaline Shield."
Leading the pack is a ponytailed girl; she pauses when hearing her greeter's introduction. "Shield?", it doesn't take somebody at the top of their academic studies in a prestigious institution to put two and two together, "Ah! So you must be related to David Shield."
David's delegate tightens her smile but maintains the expected pleasantries. She shakes the other girl's hand, performing the customary American traditions that come with greeting another person. "Most people call me either Melissa or Gwen."
Another pause, but this one being a bit more apologetic, makes the U.A guest linger on their handshake a little while longer. "Ah, yes, my apologies.." She eventually lets go of Melissa's hand so that she can use her own to gesture towards herself, "I myself know what it's like to be referred to by your family's name and not your own. I'm Momo Yaoyorozu."
Melissa's eyebrows raise when she recognizes that last name. "Oh! The Yaoyorozu Family has generously helped to fund our research for years!", her smile softens now that she is able to put a face to that name, "It's wonderful to meet you."
Awkwardly loitering in the background along with everyone else, Hitoshi Shinso begins to glance around to see if someone is going to jump in on behalf of them all. Since they all seem to be content with being ignored, he decides to be the one that speaks up. "So are we just invisible or.. ?", but not without realizing that he should have thought about the way he worded it first; Shinso winces when spotting Toru Hagakure's floating clothes beside him, "Er.. No offense.."
Kyoka Jirou looks over at the boy, wishing she were closer to him so that she could elbow him in the side or jab him with her ear jacks. Instead, she whispers just loud enough for him to be able to hear her, "Jackass."
Being reminded of her fellow visitors, Yaoyorozu turns around in order to gesture towards the group. "Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce you to my friends", she and Melissa make way for them all to step forward.
Denki Kaminari goes first. "Don't mind the scars", he flashes her a grin while wiggling his eyebrows, "I promise I'm plenty pretty on the inside!" It's honestly disgustingly amazing how he flirts with just about every girl that he meets.
Annoyed by the boy's behavior, Jirou rolls her eyes. She pushes past him to introduce herself next, "Nice to meet you", it's also nice to quite literally turn her back on whatever underlying jealousy is there.
Shoto Todoroki, as always, is as cold as he is courteous. "A pleasure", he keeps it simple with a small respectful nod.
"It's an honor", Itsuka Kendo is a lot warmer with her greeting; the ginger girl is a lot like her fellow ponytailed classmate in the sense that she feels the need to shake Melissa's hand.
When it becomes Shinso's turn, he's much colder than even Todoroki was. "Don't lump me in with the rest of them", his hands go in his pants pockets so that he doesn't have to shake Melissa's. With a nodding gesture in Izuku's direction, "This one neither", he intends to divert the attention drawn to himself over to his fellow Gen Ed classmate, "We aren't Hero Course material."
Hagakure hops in between Shinso and the other Gen Ed student, making herself seen despite being invisible. "Don't listen to him!", the transparent girl disregards Shinso's statement straight away, "Midoriya here is a huge fan! So unlike Mister Grouchy, he's happy to be here!"
Melissa perks up when getting a good look at the nerdy & shy demeanor of Izuku. "A fan? Is that why you've got a matching pair of glasses to my own?", she adjusts her bifocals when comparing them to the boy's. She hopes that teasing him will be a good way to break the ice.
But judging by the way the poor dork freezes up, "A- Ah!", she still has plenty of ice left to thaw him out of. His mouth hangs open but barely any words come out of it as he nervously fumbles over himself, "I- I- Um-"
Jirou rolls her eyes yet again. "Seriously?" Between the two boys she has to choose from, her options are starting to feel severely limited. "Maybe he'd be able to talk if he put his tongue back in his mouth..", the jealous girl folds her arms across her chest – she can't help but compare her covered chest with Melissa's larger bust – she hides herself with a self imposed hug even more.
Kaminari hears Jirou's muttered complaints and has a short spark of his own jealousy ignite within him. Wanting to find a way to put Izuku Midoriya down, he goes with what he knows about the boy that can be used as a disadvantage. "He's probably a fan because inventions are all a quirkless person can make use out of", his cocky attitude makes him sound like the cock that he is.
Setsuna Tokage shakes her head to convey her disapproval, "Dude.." And just about everyone else agrees with her that he crossed a line with that one. "Insensitive much?", it's not even a question that requires a question mark at the end of it.
Melissa smiles similarly to the way that she had when initially being offended by Yaoyorozu, "It's fine", and as well maintains the same professionalism she did back then. "Being quirkless is nothing to be ashamed of", she looks around to gauge the entire group's reaction when she shares with them why she believes so, "As a matter of fact.. I'm quirkless too."
A few of the group members are too late to hide their surprise when they have to blink back their shock. A few others maintain perfect poker faces, like Todoroki or Shinso. But out of them all, the most awed by this revelation is oddly the fellow quirkless person. Izuku Midoriya is blown away that someone so renowned is quirkless.
"All my life.. I never thought I'd find someone who would be able to relate", he reflects on how lonely he was growing up and can only imagine how it must have been for the girl who had grown up on a literal secluded island. Even if he's since then been granted powers from a spider, he knows full well what it's like to be ridiculed for being powerless.
Kaminari sees that his attempt to put the quirkless boy down winded up backfiring. Which proves to be disappointing to him. But that doesn't mean he's still not able to find a way to accomplish his goal of winning over his crush. He figures he can win Jirou's favor by separating Izuku Midoriya from her so that he can have the advantage. "Well, we should give you two some time to chat it up then!" The best part is that he outwardly seems to be trying to make up for what he did. "What do you all say we go do something fun while they talk?"
"You all go on ahead", Yaoyorozu passes on participating since she herself wishes to spend some time talking with Melissa, "I would personally like to see what type of research my family has been funding."
As Jirou gets drawn away by the others, she can't help but throw one final glance back over her shoulder. Her insecurities make her worry about the boy she's started crushing on, since he'll be alone with two big breasted girls – even if one of those girls happens to be a close friend, it's a concern – Jirou sulks a bit like a wilting flower.
Melissa hums as she glances between Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. "I ordinarily wouldn't mind taking you both through the lab but I'm not so sure my dad will be okay with it", the quirkless girl gives the quirkless boy an apologetic look.
"Actually, Midoriya is a photojournalist and can take pictures to make an article" However, Yaoyorozu has a solution to what would otherwise have been a problem. She tests the limits of her authority not just as the daughter of investors to the lab's research but to what extent a technical reporter may be given access to research. "That is, if you agree and if he's interested."
Izuku Midoriya rubs behind his head, unbeknownst to them doing so because he expects his Spider-Sense to warn him of potential dangers. "My mom would kill me if she found out I'm working while here..", his other hand fishes out the camera that he packed, "This is supposed to just be for tourism purposes.." But since his Spider-Sense doesn't actually go off, he relents. "But how could I ever pass up such an opportunity?"
Melissa claps her hands together while confirming that she also finds those terms & conditions acceptable, "Great! Then it's settled!" Melissa spins on her heel, and with a flick and a flourish of her long blonde hair, she waves for them to follow behind her. "Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, prepare yourselves for an exclusive I-Island laboratory tour!"
A white flash as vibrantly bright as the blue ring captured by Izuku's camera framing reflects against his and Melissa's glasses. His camera shutter clicks soon after as he prepares to take another picture. It proves inferior to the electrical device in front of it. A perfect form of a cold fusion generator in the size of something that can fit in a person's hand rests on a display like the piece of technological art that it is. It's not plugged in and yet it still produces an amazing emittance of energy.
Izuku's eyes sparkle and shine even without a secondary camera flash to make them dazzle. "This is really an arc reactor?", the nerd is in awe of what he's looking at. Such a device is capable of fueling the entire island's system. That this thing is out on display here and not being put to that exact use is surprising to him. Especially since the arc reactor doesn't appear to be a replica or model but an actual fully functioning mechanism.
"Sure is", Melissa can't hide her amusement when seeing the way Izuku geeks out over it. She herself can relate in some capacity by being an inventor. "And this is only a small prototype! Imagine an arc reactor built on a larger scale", the girl is one step ahead by nerding out over getting the chance to design and develop an upgraded version of the device.
Izuku's jaw drops. He hadn't even considered the plausibility of a more advanced arc reactor. "Wow!", the boy looks on with admiration as his imagination helps him to picture a larger version of it. After seeing everything on their tour thus far, he shouldn't be surprised, but he is. He marvels at the invention among other amazing inventions and can't help but want to give credit where credit is due for them all, "David Shield is amazing!"
Melissa grins as she pushes her glasses up her nose so that they better frame her face. She's not one to brag or boast but she wants to see how Izuku will react when she tells him, "Actually.. I built this one!"
Izuku does a doubletake so fast that it's a miracle he doesn't receive whiplash. "YOU did?!", his eyes are about as wide as the circular lenses to his glasses.
Melissa nods, getting just as excitedly giddy as he is. "I can't let my dad take ALL of the credit around here!", she soaks in his adulation and praise like it's her first time stepping foot outside the lab and he is the sun itself.
Izuku says, "Wow", for what must be the millionth time; he has absolutely said 'wow' more times than he can count on two hands, at the very least. When he pulls out a notebook – seemingly from a pocket dimension or completely thin air – Melissa expects him to start keeping track. Instead, he uses the journal as a written record for what may as well be a photojournalist's interview, "I have so many questions about how it works!", though he also seems just as about as prepared to unprofessionally ask for her autograph so that may be a stretch.
As those two hit it off and yap about science stuff, the technical third wheel to this tour wanders a ways ahead to look at other inventions. Yaoyorozu eyes the machines and tech that she passes before coming to a stop in front of a specific section. This area looks to be more geared towards non neoteric works and pioneering projects. She looks at everything out on display with a piqued interest, "It's nice to see firsthand that my family's fortune is being put to good use around here."
Melissa turns around to see what it is that Yaoyorozu is viewing. When she sees the exhibit that they've come to next, it makes sense; this is one of their more popular sections. "Looks like you've found one of the first of our Future Foundation projects", Melissa walks over to a control console that allows for her to interact with the exhibitions and activates the spotlight overhead one of their larger projects, "Everyone talks about the future having flying vehicles, right? Meet.. The Fantasti-Car!"
On cue, the 'Fantasti-Car' lifts off the ground via a gravity defying source of floatation. Like most vehicles, this one allows for four occupants to ride in it. The seating is much larger for each space that it looks like a high tech bathtub per row and gives it a longer limousine sort of design. It certainly has that top down sports car quality to it that it makes for riding in style.
"Whoa! A flying car?!", Izuku is already amazed by the futuristic form of driving and is quick to start snapping pictures with his camera. When he has enough shots on his photo roll, he switches to scribbling scratchy notes in his journal.
Little does the already ecstatic super fan know that there's more the Fantasti-Car can do. Melissa hits a button on the console and the car splits into separate floating features. "It also detaches for different occupants to choose different destinations", the inventor extraordinaire demonstrates that the vehicle is capable of branching off its seating as smaller carts like escape pods.
Yaoyorozu hums while inspecting the creativity of the vehicle's resourcefulness. "I suppose I can see how that may be useful", she ponders the practicality of it for a while before moving on to the next thing within the Future Foundation exhibit area, "And what's this?"
Melissa returns the Fantasti-Car to its former fully formed state before following her guest to the next exhibit. When she sees what it is that Yaoyorozu is viewing, the inventor finds herself blushing ever so slightly, "Oh.." Unlike the Fantasti-Car, this invention is no bigger than one of the girl's calves. "That little guy is another one of mine.. A humanoid experimental robot – B type – with integrated electronics", she's a tad bit embarrassed as she introduces what's basically a servicing unit made to be a family butler. "Or, I just call him H.E.R.B.I.E for short."
Yaoyorozu waits for Melissa to switch this invention on like she had presented the Fantasti-Car's capabilities but that never happens. Yaoyorozu, taking notice of this, sends a curious gaze Melissa's way. She asks, "What sets it apart from any of the robots U.A has?"
Melissa's blush burns a bit brighter a shade of red. "Like I said, Herb is much more 'humanoid' in nature – or, well, let's just say he's got quite the personality and leave it at that.." The implications there being that there are a few more kinks to be worked out satisfies Yaoyorozu's curiosity for the time being.
Izuku, on the other hand, understands the implications of a robot having a personality much more differently. "Artificial intelligence?", the led on his pencil snaps due to him writing way too fast in his notebook, "Wow! You're amazing, Miss Shield!"
Melissa's blush lingers due to the boy's high level of praise. She shyly tucks a stray strand of her blonde hair behind one ear while whispering, "Thank you.." The action reminds Izuku of when Jirou tucks her ear jacks back and he too begins to blush. All of that blood rushing to his face only flows faster when Melissa next says, "Oh! But no need to be so formal! You can call me Melissa – or Gwen – everyone does!"
"O- Oh.. Um.." Izuku's brain begins to buffer when he tries to process the thought of referring to a girl by their first name. He was raised to be respectful towards others that he typically calls people by their last names, even Shinso who – was? – IS his friend. If he's going to go with either option given to him then he supposes he'd feel more comfortable referring to the girl by her middle name, "O- Okay.. Gwen.."
Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, must feel more comfortable by being a girl herself. "I hope you don't mind me asking, Melissa, but do you happen to have any private projects and not just latent works that you can show us?"
Melissa timidly touches the back of her head, as though she's unsure of what to think about that proposition. "Well, those more-so fall under my father's jurisdiction and expertise.." When she explains why, that makes a whole lot of sense. However, she's otherwise still willing to take them along for that trip and try. "I can't really show you them myself but I can bring you to his lab and see if he'd be willing to share."
Izuku's glasses start to fog up when he exhales greatly. "You mean..", the boy wipes them clear so that he can see and puts them back on, "I might be able to meet THE David Shield?!" Not even during his field trip with Aldera did he get a chance to see the prestigious celebrity. To have an opportunity such as this gives him a burst of excitement, "This is the greatest day ever!"
Melissa hides her giggle behind a hand, "There really was no kidding around when I was told that you're a fan" Seeing Izuku nerd out over her dad settles it for her. She waves for the dork and Yaoyorozu to follow her to his lab.
Yaoyorozu contains her anticipation much better than Izuku but is just as elated to meet the brilliant mind behind I-Island, "It'll be lovely to meet your father."
Melissa can't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, you're just in luck that he hardly ever leaves his lab!" If the world would simply come to David Shield, knowing exactly where to find him, it wouldn't be so hard to meet the man at all.
Except, when the sliding doors to David Shield's research facility make way for the group to enter, there is no David Shield to be found present or accounted for. "Hey, dad?" Melissa looks around like she may have missed him on her entrance. "Dad?", but soon starts to search a little harder as though he's hiding on her, "Dad?!"
Seeing that the invention workaholic stepped out of the lab space, "There's a first time for everything", Yaoyorozu makes a small comment about the humor of those odds.
Whereas Yaoyorozu may find it amusing, Melissa mostly finds it rather odd. "That's an understatement.." Then again, her father DOES have the rare visitors that are her uncles.
While the girls look around for the absent man in question, Izuku lingers behind them to observe his surroundings. He winds up wandering perhaps a bit too far off. Last time he got separated from a tour group on this island, he ended up getting a bad 'bug bite' to say the least. This time.. He nears a glass storage tank to see something swirling around inside of it. Whatever moves inside the unit reacts strongly to his presence whenever his proximity reduces. A black-ish purple-ish gunk slams against the glass in an attempt to get at him.
Hearing the sound of something strongly slamming against glass causes the two girls to come running back. "Are you okay? Did you drop something?", Melissa worriedly checks on Izuku and her father's inventory when she and Yaoyorozu close the gap between them and the boy.
"N- No! I mean, yes! I mean I'm fine and I didn't drop anything!" Izuku panics at first for fear of having accidentally done something wrong. But he soon settles down along with the girls and starts to consider what it is that actually happened, "This thing just startled me is all.. What is this stuff?"
Melissa turns to take a look at what it is Izuku stumbled upon. She's expecting it to be something she heard her father ramble about many times before so that she can give him an answer. But, when she peers through the glass barrier at what resides inside the storage case her father left behind, she's at a loss. "I- I don't actually know myself.. I've never seen this one before either..", Melissa wonders what type of thing her father would invent that she wouldn't know about.
She's scared that she's about to find out when the strange substance starts to creep along the glass. She watches as the mystery ooze slowly crawls its way towards Izuku. The boy and the dark residue are kept apart only by the glass containment unit. Izuku warily reaches out so that he can place a hand against the glass. The slime responds by stretching and spreading out with tiny tendrils to fit his handprint from the other side.
Yaoyorozu watches with fascination and mixed in confusion as to what it is she's witnessing. "It seems to like you, Midoriya.." She exudes her awe in a breathless voice. As compared to all of the hardwired machinery they toured thus far, this living organism is something else entirely to see out on display.
"Weird..", Izuku is just as breathlessly amazed while being on the receiving end of the mystery substance's attention. It's like he can sense the stuff calling out to him. It's as though they are two halves of one power that can be bonded together to create something spectacular.
Melissa's glasses slide down as she continues to stare with wide eyes at the scene set before her. It's unlike anything she's ever seen before. All the girl can say to describe the way that the sludge moves like a living flow of water is, "This is so unprecedented.."
She jumps when she hears a voice from behind her say, "You have no idea."
"Dad!", Melissa fixes her glasses once she sees her father has returned to his lab and caught them touring an undisclosed project.
Izuku quickly pulls his hand away from the glass that he was touching, and shoves it in his pocket as though that will hide it from the man. "Mister Shield!", he too is embarrassed and ashamed to have been caught in such an act.
David Shield ignores the boy in favor of addressing his daughter first & foremost, "Melissa.. You know better than to allow anyone into my lab without me first knowing about it", robotic arms whir as they close around the disappointed dad and prevent her from hugging or touching him.
Melissa hangs her head to convey her regret. "Sorry, dad.." She takes the blame for bringing unauthorized guests into his research facility.
Yaoyorozu looks between the father and daughter and is reminded of her own strict parents. She empathizes with Melissa in that regard and does her best to vouch for the girl, "We meant no ill intent", but a barely brief glare of a glance in Yaoyorozu's direction is all that the man gives her.
David approaches the storage unit that the three children were crowding around. Just as one of his robotic helper arms is about to assist him with sealing it shut, he pauses upon seeing that the specimen inside is currently having a reaction to one of those kids. It's odd that the subject would respond to anyone other than All Might and so he looks up at the boy that the 'symbiote' is currently grasping towards. "What's your quirk, son?"
"M- Me?", Izuku looks around before pointing at himself to check and confirm that David is addressing him. When he realizes that it's pretty evident he is the only one in the room that possibly can be who the doctor is talking to, Izuku nervously shrinks in on himself as he tends to do when becoming the focus of attention. "Oh– I'm, uh, I'm quirkless.. Sir.."
David is about to deem that to be impossible. But when he looks back at the 'symbiote', he sees that it has now settled back into a comfortably relaxed state. The scientist chalks it up as his imagination that he saw the subject moving earlier and lets it go since he doesn't foresee why the boy would lie about being quirkless. It'd make more sense why his daughter would disobey him and bring someone of that nature in here for a 'behind the scenes' look if he is quirkless anyways.
The inventor's helper arms proceed with what they were originally going to do; the tentacles lower a metal barrier and close off the viewing tank. Melissa gasps when she sees and realizes that the containment case covering the storage unit is one and the same as the cylinder that was disclosing her father's secret project. It all clicks in her head and makes sense now why she had no idea about this stuff and why he had been so upset about it.
Izuku pulls out his camera to try and get a shot in since he'd been too enamored to do so sooner. "Oh, wait, I didn't get a.." But the cylinder closes before he can even frame anything into focus. "..Picture..", plus the angle at which he's aiming the camera lens instead captures a rather upset expression on David Shield's face that makes him reconsider regardless.
"There's no photography allowed of this particular project", the man's robotic limbs lift over Izuku like they are about to snatch away his camera and break it. Izuku cowers a second time and quickly puts away his camera before the scary arms do take it from him to bust it up.
Watching her father intimidate one of her new friends makes Melissa interject, "Dad! We were just–"
"I suggest you best leave now", but he's far too angry with her and the others to leave room for argument, "All of you."
The three kids do leave. If they had tail quirks, those tails would be between their legs. Yaoyorozu apologizes for overstaying her welcome. Izuku bows and begs for forgiveness as well. Whereas Melissa assures them that it's not their fault and everything is fine, none of them walk away feeling okay with what happened.
Least of all, Izuku Midoriya. He really wishes he had snapped a picture of the strange substance that had been drawn to him. With an exclusive story about David Shield's latest project, he imagines he'd be able to pay off his mom's bills for years. After putting her through so much stress and trouble as of late, he figures it's the least he could do to help her out.
As such, Izuku decides that he'll return later in the night to sneak himself a shot of the strange substance.
There's a high level of risk involved that comes with crawling around while lacking his suit. Despite hanging up the webs and red & blue threads for the time being, Izuku still can't risk having his secret identity or his 'quirk' exposed. Creeping about at night without a mask on is sure to backfire. So, since he didn't pack his costume, he needs to improvise solutions as to how Spider-Man can dress for the occasion. The boy's first thought is to web up his face but he can't even do that since he didn't pack his web shooters or fluid cartilages either. And it's not like masks are a dime a dozen being sold by stands to compensate; I-Island may be an attraction but it's not a theme park with hero merch like one may expect.
Izuku looks around his hotel room, searching for something natural that can be utilized as a makeshift disguise. If he wouldn't undoubtedly receive some sort of charge for the damages, he'd probably just cut up a bedsheet or a pillowcase. Same goes for the shower curtains and towels. His next best option may as well come straight from the trash. No, literally. While contemplating using a garbage bag, he sees a discarded paper bag from one of the fast food joints on the island that he visited. Izuku grabs it out of the trash and deems it neither too dirty or greasy to still be unsalvageable.
Izuku pokes a couple of eyeholes into it and then slides the paper bag over his head. It's surprisingly a perfect fit. When he looks at himself in the bathroom mirror, he looks about just as ridiculous as he'd expect to look with a freaking bag on his head, but it does the job. Farewell, Spider-Man. Hello, Bombastic Bag Man. There's nobody to say this outloud to but he's going to miss the hyphen that comes with the original codename he had. At the very least, he keeps the blue part of his old yet classic red & blue color scheme. He wears a cerulean long sleeve sweater and a matching pair of cerulean sweatpants.
Donning his new disguise, Izuku sneaks back into David Shield's research facility. It surprisingly proves to be an easier break-in than expected. Then again, nobody would expect a criminal to be crazy enough to try pulling something on I-Island. The place is typically flooded with heroes and the security defenses to get on the island are more than enough of a precautionary measure. Izuku is grateful for that oversight as he sneaks his way through the island's founder's laboratory.
The bag headed boy crawls along the surface of the ceiling, passing the Future Foundation exhibition. He has half a mind to take the Fantasti-Car for a spin but he knows better. Plus he worries that H.E.R.B.I.E will boot up and come online to bust him or something. Izuku may not go on stealth missions a whole lot but he knows enough to stick to the main goal and not become too distracted; the plan is to get in, grab a photo, and get out. That means being as cautionary as possible and not touching anything that he doesn't have to. Which includes the super cool tech that's been left out unsupervised.
When Izuku finally gets back to where the mystery ooze is being stored, he has his camera primed and ready to go. All that he expects to have to do otherwise is to raise up the cylinder's shielding so that he can get a good peak inside of it. What he discovers instead is that he doesn't have to worry about that at all. The metal layering is already hoisted up and removed. The mystery ooze is out on display in its glass unit for anyone to see. Well, not just anyone, but what looks to be a cat burglar.
A literal cat themed burglar is messing around with David Shield's secret specimen. The burglar has triangular tipped ear shaped goggles and everything. Izuku pauses and keeps himself hidden while gauging the situation. The thief appears to have claws on their hand and uses them expertly to carve a circle into the glass. Izuku realizes that they're doing what crooks do and is trying to steal the ooze. The criminal carries a satchel – a purse? – and pulls a smaller container out to move the secret sludge into it for transportation.
Izuku has watched this transpire for long enough. If he observes for any longer than there's a fair chance the thief is bound to get away with David Shield's secret project. The vigilante curses his luck that something like this would just have to happen when he's without his costume and meant to be taking a vacation – curse the Midoriya Misfortune that it strikes yet again – but he crawls down to block the burglar's route of escape nonetheless.
It sucks that he doesn't have his web shooters since he'd much rather snatch away the tiny tube the thief is holding with a web line, but he figures brute forcing things won't be too hard for him either. All that's left now is to do his typical standup shtick of announcing himself with a good ol' fashioned quip, "Doing a little late night shopping?", he crosses his arms and leans against the exit to appear nonchalant about his being there.
Izuku's confidence drops dramatically as it does drastically when the cat burglar turns around to face him. He wasn't expecting the thief to be a GIRL. Even with a stylized domino mask covering most of her face, he can see that she's extremely attractive. Her hair is a long flowing length of white that it stands out from her contrasting pitch black bodysuit. Izuku's ogling also takes notice of the way her costume has a front zipper that's pulled down pretty low to expose her breast quite a fair amount. He also takes notice that the bust in question is rather large. The way her suit clings to her thin frame so tightly, he notices that her boobs aren't the only attractive thing about her body.
When he sees the way that she looks at him in return isn't anywhere near as infatuated, it takes him a moment to remember he doesn't look quite as presentable as she does. He would slap a hand to his forehead if it didn't mean crinkling the bag that he's wearing for a mask. This certainly isn't the first impression that he wants to make with any pretty girl regardless of if they're a criminal or not. Heck, he wouldn't blame her if she turned her back on him and fled. Like she's doing right now. "Hey! Wait!", Izuku realizes a little later than he'd like to admit that she's trying to escape by running away.
Izuku pursues the cute criminal through the lab by foot. He thrusts out his hand to spin a web before remembering he doesn't have his support items. She really did a number on his brain. He shakes his head to clear out any lingering impure thoughts and gets it back in the zone. Once reverting to vigilante mode, Bag Man bounces from the floor to the wall and then the ceiling to cover more ground much quicker. He's right above the girl now that he's able to drop down and catch her.
Except, it's like she has some form of Spider-Sense herself, and she pivots around to nail him with a kick to his sternum. Izuku chokes out a pained cry as he's knocked backwards by a surprisingly strong blow to his chest. But when he hits the floor, he doesn't stay down; he rolls back and flips himself over to land on his feet for a full recovery. The cat burglar flexes her fingers and the claws that she had earlier pop out again. He and she have found themselves in a good ol' fashioned standoff.
Bag Man gets into a low crouch, establishing his own fighting stance. With one hand placed in front of him, he cocks the other one back to gesture with his thumb behind himself, "If you want to keep something from here then maybe you should try the gift shop!" Whether or not he's actually pointing in the direction of I-Island's gift shop, he doesn't know, but he imagines neither does she.
The fiendish feline foe stays true to her theme, still flaunting her claws as a set of weaponry. "Don't you know? Cornering a cat can get you scratched", she slashes at him with the sharpened nails on cue with her own quippage.
Izuku backflips away to avoid getting scratched. When he dips down on his turnover, he's surprised to see the cat burglar has produced a whip seemingly out of nowhere. The long strip of leather wraps around her waist before lashing out like it's her version of having a tail. He bends and bucks down to steer clear of getting caught by the whip's snapback.
"Bad kitty!", Izuku continues to joke around on the outside but he's starting to inwardly panic. He feels severely out of his depth with his lack of support gear and without his suit. Plus this crazy cat lady actually has some pretty good skills when it comes to combat.
Because of his internal worries, he doesn't know whether to feel relieved or more pressed when the femme fatale starts making casual combative chit chat. "Who even are you? Somebody else trying to take the gunk?", she tries to figure out his identity with a skewered stare while making him continue to dodge whip strikes.
"That'd make me the Spectacular Spider-Thief and not Spider-Man!", he lets it slip who he's supposed to be before thinking better of the fact that he's not got his costume on. It's not like a villain knowing he's here will cause him a whole lot of trouble but he still feels the need to give himself a mental slap for screwing up.
"Spider-Man.. ?!", the cat burglar ceases her attacks for a brief moment to express her surprise. But she soon turns skeptical of his claim to be the infamous vigilante from Japan. "Yeah? And what happened to your costume?", she asks the most obvious question that would lead to her doubting his declaration.
"It's stuck at the dry cleaners", Izuku makes up a random lie for an excuse before getting defensive about it, "What's it to you anyways?!"
The girl suddenly surprises HIM when she stops to smirk. She confidently replies, "Nothing! It's just that I find it funny you got bad luck even before The Black Cat crossed your path!" He blinks from beneath his bag for a mask. 'Black Cat' points up with one of her clawed index fingers. He looks up. What he sees is the result of her whip's backlashes catching a support beam until it wore down enough to break.
"That's not bad luck at all! That was all you!", Izuku protests against the notion of superstitions by shouting over his Spider-Sense's warning when the beam drops down to be caught in his hands. It's light work for him to hold with his enhanced strength but the size of it does make for an awkward thing to carry.
Black Cat whistles when witnessing his strength firsthand, expressing how impressed she is. Her smirk stays on her face while she blows him a kiss goodbye, "Exactly! Black Cat, remember?" The crook spins around and starts to saunter off like she succeeded in delaying the vigilante long enough to escape.
But Spider-Man isn't one to give up easily, and neither is Bag Man. Izuku tosses the beam aside before chasing after the cat burglar again. It's a pursuit that goes room to room. They eventually make it outside and up onto the roof of the research facility. There, Black Cat jumps in an effort to escape and leave him behind by disappearing into the night. But Izuku comes from a city where jumping from rooftops is the norm, and so he has no problem leaping right behind her.
Izuku catches her by the ankle as they go into a freefall. She struggles to kick him off but his aim isn't to bring her down with him. He instead focuses on taking her purse away from her. The two flip over while falling and break apart. Izuku rips the crook's carry-bag off her shoulder by its strap. The tube that contains David Shield's stolen specimen slips out and drops down with them. Black Cat realizes what his goal was by tackling her too late and reaches for the container too late that he manages to grab it first.
The two collide against a shorter building's roof before rolling off of it and crashing onto a walkway. The nasty spill disorients them and the object that they're fighting for winds up getting lost in the scuffle. Black Cat and Bag Man stand up at the same time, opposing one another. They each look around for the lost specimen before returning their gazes to eachother.
Before a fight can ensue, security guards can be heard coming to respond to their commotion. Flashlight beams flick around as the patrol people draw nearer; the light sources wave across both Black Cat and Bag Man as they stare eachother down. They both know it's too risky to stay there and hash things out. So, they call a temporary truce to agree to part ways for the time being and postpone their personal problems. They leap away in opposite directions to get out of there before anyone can arrive and spot either of them.
When Izuku crawls his way up to the top of a tower far enough away from anyone seeing him, he removes the bag that had been covering his face. He believes that the crumpled up paper is all he has to show for his troubles. He didn't even get a picture of the ooze. And for all he knows, Black Cat managed to get away with it since he wasn't able to retrieve the container she put it in, so he'll never get that picture at all.
He's blissfully ignorant to the fact that the container cracked open when he fell with Black Cat. Izuku Midoriya has no idea that the symbiote had crawled out and attached itself to the heel of his foot during his exchange with the would-be thief. Spider-Man is completely unaware he has a hitchhiker clinging to him, and he also doesn't have a clue that it has an intention of sticking around for a while longer than just a ride.
AUTHOR NOTES
~Ah, young love~
So, a lot to unpack and cover here...
For starters - Any guesses as to who Black Cat may be? Is she someone who was already introduced in previous chapters or is she a character yet to have been introduced? I will give you a helpful hint that she's another character meshing and NOT Felicia Hardy or an OC.
While on the topic of carrying over Marvel characters and things of that matter, I said this before but I want to reiterate again, all Spidey & Marvel characters will be combined with existing My Hero Academia characters and never be flat outright their comic counterpart. So, whereas I do like to tease things like The Future Foundation with H.E.R.B.I.E & The Fantasti-Car, you won't be seeing a fully fledged Fantastic Four with Reed or Sue or Johnny or Ben. Same goes for previous references I made to a blind lawyer (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) or a Nezu-like raccoon (Rocket Raccoon) that was just me having some fun.
The only exception to that rule is perhaps the symbiote - I went with the dark purple that looks black Ultimate comics appearance because I like the idea of a purple/blue-ish Venom as that appears more alien (plus the indigo hue makes sense for another thing yet to be disclosed - hint, hint) - so I hope that's to everyone's liking as well. Whereas I did want to go with the alien meteorite root of origin, I think the lab experiment Ultimate origin makes more sense for the sake of context in this story. Instead of David Shield developing a device to help All Might like the MHA Two Heroes movie, I thought it'd be a good change to have him develop 'natural remedies' like a spider or the symbiote to try and help All Might.
Speaking of David Shield and Melissa Shield, haha, I'm so glad that nobody managed to guess that either of them would be this story's versions of Doc Ock and Gwen. Alot of you are pretty good at theorizing that I got scared a few times but this was one of the few story secrets that I was able to keep.
Last but not least before I get to your reviews from last chapter - wait, seriously, nobody voted for any particular love interest ship?! I hope this chapter shed some light on the romance drama aspect of the story to help with those decisions this time around.
Thank you, Pikapowerz, for fighting your demons and being respectful! Also, thank you for what may technically count as an unexpected vote for Lady Deadpool/Lady Nagant? Whereas I'm not so sure that one would ethically work as a functioning relationship, I can at the very least promise Lady Deadpool will return eventually later down the line!
Very perceptive, theMAX360! I was wondering if anyone would make a canon event joke about newly appointed Captain Naomasa - but that may not be a laughing matter for long! As for Nezu's elimination, not to worry, there's plenty of room for plenty of other villains that I think can make up for it. I'll also consider giving Iida more 'screen time' as a friend in some capacity.
I don't want to be rude, Daiki Hinata, but I've been getting a lot of comments & private messages about commission work and I gotta say it's starting to seem like way too many offers to be a coincidence. If you and all the others are actual artists, I commend your work and the grind, but I'm thinking this is some sort of scam so I won't be responding to you or any other contacts in this form of context from now on.
That all being said and done, I hope you all return for more adventures with Bombastic Bag Man!
~Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood author!