Izuku had been a little worried about getting Hatsume to release his costume to him, concerned that it might hurt her ego, but she'd been more than happy. In fact, she'd encouraged him to get it upgraded as much as possible.

"So long as you remember that I'm your primary support and need to look at it!" she'd beamed, while Power Loader put his head in his hands and whispered sadly about industrial espionage. Izuku had spent a moment contemplating what I-Island could potentially do to him if they suspected him of industrial espionage. They were a travelling island nation, who knew what they could do: Izuku spent a moment contemplating the odds of being keelhauled, marooned, made to walk the plank, any number of nautical punishments. He dragged his mind away from the image of sharks circling hungrily below his feet to find that Hatsume had closed the distance between them and was leaning in, far too close and far too intense. It probably should have been terrifying, given the avaricious gleam in her eyes: Izuku had apparently become desensitised. To a degree, at least.

Hatsume waved a finger in his face.

"So long as you don't end up with some kind of nano-tech arm," she said, apparently continuing a train of thought that Izuku had either missed or subconsciously blocked out, "I don't mind! Don't get a nano-tech arm, though. Maintaining it would take far too much time. You want a plasma cannon, you come to me."

Hatsume leaned back.

"Maybe a helmet, though," she said, abruptly spinning away from him and walking over to a desk. Once there she heaved a pair of briefcases from it, shoving them at him.

"Here, your equipment," she said, "No guns. Boring people! But get your helmet looked over, I want to see how much they can fit into it, so I can show them up."

That was more like it, Izuku thought. He picked up the briefcases, weighing them – not heavy. His equipment was more bulky than heavy, although he could always shave some weight off if he wanted. Jason had once experimented with a mask that only covered the bottom half of his face to save weight: he'd gone back to the helmet once he realised that it left the most important parts of his skull unprotected and lacked vision upgrades, but in theory a nano-tech upgrade might solve those problems. Izuku shook his head. He could only wait and see.

"Don't worry," Hatsume said, "By the time you get back I'll have the pistol to rifle alteration sorted, and the grenade launcher as well! Maybe even the batons, even if you want boring versions."

"Are you planning to go home at all, this holiday?" Power Loader asked her, taking his head out of his hands. Hatsume twisted and gave the teacher an utterly baffled look.

"No? Why would I?"

Power Loader sighed and Izuku said a hasty farewell and headed for the door. Just as he was leaving he heard, on his heel, "That was rhetorical, Hatsume-".

He wished Power Loader good luck, although he didn't much like his odds of convincing Hatsume to tone it down. It had never worked before, and Izuku suspected that Hatsume was starting to build a resistance to tranquilisers.

Maybe he wasn't so desensitised after all, because the thought of Mei Hatsume, immune to tranquilisers and unstoppable, made him speed up. He moved briskly through the abandoned corridors, maintaining a steady pace – they were taking a private jet, so there wasn't any concern about being late, but there was no point in dawdling. He briefly wondered if he should go and say goodbye to Eri. Probably? He'd seen her once in the couple of days since he'd woken up in the medical bay, just to check on her, reassure himself that she was alright. She'd seemed nervous but resolute, in a childish way. Nedzu was supposed to be putting her in witness protection today, somewhere completely safe, so Izuku probably wouldn't get a chance to see her again. Nedzu had started to tell him part of where it was - a small island, apparently - but Izuku had asked him not to. What he didn't know, he couldn't tell anyone. Under duress or not.

Yeah, he should go and see her. He changed directions, walking through the corridors until he reached the medical wing, where Eri was currently staying. Aizawa was outside the door, leaning against it with his eyes almost closed. Izuku's paranoia twitched for a moment, the quicksilver flash of worry that Aizawa might have been drugged or something, but then he saw the faintest glint of Aizawa's eyes, open just a slit, and relaxed.

"Looking for Eri, kid?" Aizawa asked, his voice low. Izuku nodded and Aizawa leaned back again.

"She's in there, with Recovery Girl," he said. Izuku set down his briefcases, frowning, but Aizawa pre-empted his question.

"She's fine," he said, "Recovery Girl just doesn't want her overwhelmed. Come to say goodbye, Midoriya?"

Izuku nodded.

"Yes, sir," he said, "If she's going, then I might never see her again – and even if I do, it'll be a long time away. I thought that…"

"That you should at least check on her," Aizawa completed, nodding, "You did rescue her, I guess. Go on in, then."

Aizawa leaned slightly further away from the door, as though making room, and Izuku took a deep breath before entering. The first thing he saw was Eri, perched cross-legged on a bed and drawing. She'd long since been changed out of her tattered dress, now wearing a blue dress in much better condition. Izuku noticed that the dress had long sleeves and bit back a flash of hatred for Overhaul, banking it deep in his chest with the rest.

"Izuku," Eri said, when she saw him. She didn't smile – Izuku wasn't sure she even knew how – but he could see the happiness in her eyes. She hopped down off the bed but didn't approach him and Izuku didn't move too close, instead going down onto one knee to be closer to her height.

"Hey, Eri," he said, shooting the briefest of glances at Recovery Girl. She wore an indulgent smile, sitting back in her chair, so he returned his full attention to Eri.

"You doing okay?" he asked Eri, smiling at the little girl. She bit her lip, her head wobbling back and forth a little, but there wasn't any unhappiness in her face.

"Yeah," she said, blinking wide red eyes at him, "Are you?"

Izuku huffed a laugh.

"I'm doing pretty good, yeah," he said, "Thank you."

Eri nodded seriously at him, biting at her lip, and reached out a hand. Izuku mimicked her, reaching out his hand – his right hand, as usual – and letting her wrap her fingers around his own. It seemed like her preferred version of physical contact, which was fair enough.

"You're leaving," Eri said quietly. Izuku nodded, just once.

"I am, yeah," he confirmed, "It won't be forever."

He glanced at Recovery Girl, wondering, but she nodded. She knows, she mouthed at him, and Izuku nodded again.

"You're going away too, I hear."

Another blink, another solemn nod from the little girl.

"To somewhere Kai can't find me," she said, her voice lowering to a paper-thin whisper, "Mr Nedzu said I'll be safe. And there'll be people to look after me."

Her fingers squeezed against his own for a moment and she bit her lip again, her brow wrinkling in a tiny frown.

"If they aren't nice," she said, still in that near whisper, "Will you come and get me?"

Izuku didn't even need to think about it.

"Of course I will," he said, smiling, heart breaking for this tiny, nervous, courageous girl, "But I won't need to. Principal Nedzu will choose someone nice."

Eri nodded slowly, absorbing that. She was a smart kid, Izuku thought. She'd work it all out.

"Okay," she said, softly, "Okay. You'll be safe, Izuku?"

"I'll do my best," he said to her. She wrinkled her nose just a little, an understanding too old for her years flashing through those red eyes before she let him go and ambled back to her bed. Izuku rose from his crouch, glancing at Recovery Girl. She gave him a faint, understanding smile and he smiled back, turning away and walking back out of the room. Once in the corridor he paused and took a deep breath.

"You've said goodbye?" Aizawa asked from behind him, harsh voice containing only the faintest hint of sympathy. Izuku nodded before half turning, to look at Aizawa.

"Yeah," he said, "I've said goodbye. Guess I needed to."

Aizawa nodded.

"It can be hard," he abruptly said, and Izuku had the oddest feeling that Aizawa was genuinely attempting to be sympathetic, "When you've saved someone. Especially children. When you have to let them go and trust that they'll be safe."

Izuku wondered who Aizawa had let go. Then again, perhaps his older classes…Aizawa wasn't a warm and cuddly personality, but surely he couldn't go an entire year without getting a little attached.

"She's nervous," he said instead of voicing any of those thoughts, "About the people she'll go to. But she'll manage. She's tough."

"I can imagine," Aizawa said, "After what Recovery Girl said she'd been through…"

They both receded into silence, Aizawa shaking his head slightly. Izuku thought for a moment before speaking up.

"Overhaul," he said, marshalling his thoughts, "He escaped, didn't he?"

There was a moment of silence, stretching into the empty corridor. Izuku absently counted a heartbeat, two, before Aizawa let out a sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of his soul.

"Yes," he said, "He did. I contacted a number of Underground heroes who I could trust, along with a couple of vigilantes. I'd hoped that they'd catch Overhaul or at least some of his people on their way out, but we weren't lucky."

Interesting, Izuku thought, that Aizawa admitted his contact with vigilantes so easily. Then again, it wasn't as though Izuku was likely to tell anyone, or to disapprove. He nodded instead.

"He'll have gone to ground, then," he said softly. Aizawa snorted softly.

"He's all but at war with the MLA," he said dryly, "If he's clever he'll be fleeing the country already. There are safer places to be a criminal."

Nowhere that Overhaul would have the connections or the historical reverence that the Eight Precepts of Death could provide, though. And the backing of All for One…Aizawa didn't know that, though. Izuku had a bad feeling about all of it.

"You should get going, Midoriya," Aizawa said, after a few more seconds of quiet, "You don't want to miss your flight. I'll make sure Eri gets to her next safehouse safely."

"Thank you, sir," Izuku said, picking up his equipment. Aizawa nodded to him.

"Enjoy yourself on I-Island, Midoriya," he said, tone drier than a desert. Izuku offered him a half-smile, remembering what he'd said to Eri.

"I'll do my best, sir."

Much to Izuku's irritation, his Mom hadn't been able to join his trip after all. She'd tried, as she'd said she would, but her boss hadn't allowed her the time off. Izuku had said several unkind things about the man and thought a lot more but in the end he'd reluctantly agreed that quitting her job, while perhaps satisfying, would also be quite suspicious.

It didn't mean that he hadn't entertained thoughts of doing a little hacking, teaching an object lesson in treating employees properly, but he'd sourly admitted that he wasn't really that good a hacker. If Tim or Barbara had been here, then there would have been consequences for the man's dickhead behaviour. As it was, well, his Mom had gotten a week off in a few weeks, after his return from the planned UA Summer Camp, he would have to make do with that.

That said, however, the plane that he and All Might had taken had cheered him up slightly. It was small, unobtrusive and, unless he missed his guess, very fast. Very, very fast. Maybe even Batplane fast, and Izuku's fingers itched to be at the controls. He was a little out of practice, but he was pretty sure that flying a plane was like riding a bike, it would all come back. The adrenaline rush would be worth it.

Sadly, however, the cockpit was locked and sealed so efficiently that Izuku didn't even know who the pilot was, assuming there was one, so his dreams of flying a supersonic plane were probably doomed to be dreams. Maybe he could get his hands on a really fast bike. If he could be fast-tracked for a gun licence he could surely get the same for a drivers licence.

Izuku dismissed that thought for a moment, eyeing the screen that folded sleekly out from the wall of the plane. Very fancy, he thought, the comparison to the Batplane becoming more and more apt the longer he was here. He wondered if it was as well armed.

All Might's soft snoring on the other side of the aisle abruptly ceased, a quick intake of breath replacing it – Izuku recognised the sound as a very quick awakening, assessing his surroundings. A bad dream, maybe. An ingrained habit, more likely. All Might coughed slightly and Izuku heard the faint click of a button.

"Thirty minutes to I-Island," said a cool artificial voice, and Izuku wondered if the plane really was running on autopilot. Surely not, even with the advanced robotics that were seemingly all over UA. Landing, at the very least, must demand a human pilot. Then again, depending on the strength of the AI and the effectiveness of the integration, Izuku could see automated landing working just fine as well. Maybe he should have asked.

"Sleep well, sir?" he asked instead, looking at All Might. The man was in his small form, saving his energy, and his smile was honest if gaunt. The man stretched, bones and muscles crackling as he moved.

"Very, thank you," All Might said cheerfully, "It's nice to be able to take a nap. I don't usually get to go on holidays, so this is a good excuse."

Izuku could empathise with that. All Might leaned back, looking up for a moment before he tipped his head forwards again.

"It'll be good to see David again," he said, his voice rich with warm nostalgia, "Takes me back to being a young man. I met him in America, you know, when I was over there on a work study."

"Is that where you learned how to fight properly?" Izuku asked, only briefly hesitating to ask. All Might chuckled deeply, smothering an incipient cough in the back of his hand.

"Fight properly, Young Midoriya? What makes you say that?"

Slightly embarrassed, Izuku shrugged.

"You fight like you know how to," he said as explanation, "Without your quirk."

All Might grinned, skeletal but friendly.

"You noticed that, huh? Well, truth be told, my…my trainer beat it into me. Literally. His name's Gran Torino," All Might said, shuddering slightly at the name, "And he's as hard a man as I've ever met. The first time my Master took me to meet him and said he'd be training me he told me to come at him with all my strength before beating me down and telling me that until I could lay a hand on him without One For All, he'd not help me with the Quirk. Only physical."

All Might stared out the window, deep-set eyes glazed with memory.

"He said to me," he continued, chuckling, "You're built like an ox and about as smart. But you've got reach, so try to use that. Sent me to a boxing gym every day he could, beat the stuffing out of me afterwards. He was a hard, hard man. But…you know, when I finally got it right? When I finally blocked him just right, and put a good, solid straight right into his nose? One of the sweetest moments of my life."

All Might pulled a face.

"Of course, that was his cue to stop holding back. In hindsight, though, those were good times. My Master was around – she'd passed One For All to me, but she was still strong. And Gran is a hard man, but a good one. At the risk of sounding like one of those terrible people, those school days might have been the best of my life. When I was young and whole and optimistic, and everything looked so bright."

Well, Izuku could understand that. Maybe not from his own memories, but for Jason…all things considered, well, Jason's life hadn't been the worst. Not before the Metropolis incident. Bruce hadn't really liked having him in Gotham, shooting people in the kneecaps – sometimes the spine, if he'd really wanted someone to suffer – and making attempts to kill the Gotham Rogues every chance he had, but…well, it hadn't really been Bruce's choice. Could Bruce have beaten Jason, taken him in? Probably. Could he have done it without being injured badly enough that he'd be laid up for weeks, unable to patrol? Almost certainly not. And when Bruce had called in other members of the Family, well, Jason had just taken off to Bludhaven or Star or somewhere else and wreaked havoc there until Bruce couldn't keep the Family around any more.

It hadn't been a happy life, really. But it hadn't been too bad. And then Joker had pulled his last crime and everything had just gone right to shit. Made the mediocre time seem a lot better, in hindsight. Izuku shook his head, shaking off inherited melancholy – he didn't have the option of Jason's usual mope on a roof and a couple of cigarettes, even if he wasn't still staying away from nicotine.

"My apologies, young Midoriya," All Might said, "It must be tiring, listening to an old man waffle on about his glory days."

"I don't mind, sir," Izuku said, smiling, "Besides, you're still Number One Hero, right? You're still in your glory days."

All Might chortled at that, deep in his chest.

"Very kind of you to say, my boy," he said, "I wish it were true. Mirai – Nighteye – and I, we always thought that these would be the glory days. Days after defeating All For One, when we didn't have to fear him coming out of the shadows to strike us down. I suppose we never really considered that I might…well. If Mirai had his way, I would have done this a long time ago, passed One for All on and retired. He's not entirely pleased that I'm choosing to offer it to Melissa, although I think he's come around somewhat."

"He wanted Mirio, didn't he?" Izuku asked. All Might nodded.

"He did, yes. He would probably argue that Melissa is untrained but, well, when he first met Mirio the lad was no better. But there's…well, you know."

Izuku looked out the window, at the thick clouds, and considered his next words carefully.

"Have you considered," he said cautiously, "That Eri, if she can control her Quirk…?"

"That she could de-age me to my prime?" All Might asked, his cadaverous smile rueful. Izuku nodded. He didn't really like to suggest putting something like that on Eri's shoulders, but a colder and more practical part of his heart knew that an All Might in his prime would be more valuable than a fledgling user of One for All. But then again, that was what had gotten them into this situation in the first place, wasn't it? That reliance on one single hero to always save the day, to always be undefeated. To hold the world on his shoulders.

"Mirai suggested as much, as well," All Might said, still smiling that sad smile, "I confess, I'm almost tempted. Although…"

All Might's smile faded, turning into a faint frown that cast his already deep-set eyes into shadow.

"Although," he continued, "If I'm to be honest with myself I must wonder. Of course, I would prefer to be de-aged, prefer to do the fighting myself. To take the burden on myself, as I always have before. To not fling a child into battle with All For One. But I have to wonder…is it selfish? Is it selfish of me, to not want to give away One for All? To not be…well, I don't mean to offend…"

"Part of you doesn't want to be Quirkless again," Izuku said, nodding. Strangely, he didn't find it offensive. How could he, when All Might sounded so tired, so mournful? And Izuku could understand it, in part.

"You've had One for All for a long time," Izuku said quietly, "Decades. Forty years?"

All Might nodded.

"Yes, something like that," he said. Izuku lifted his hand, wobbling it from side to side

"You've had your Quirk a lot longer than you were Quirkless," he continued, "And you've done so much with it. So much. I don't think it's selfish to want to keep being a Hero. I don't think you're selfish for wanting that."

Foolish, maybe: All Might wasn't getting any younger, and heroism was really a young mans game. But how old had Bruce been, at the end? Pushing fifty at the very least, and Izuku wouldn't call him anything other than one of the worlds greatest. All Might had lived his life as a Hero, saving everyone he could. Izuku wasn't going to condemn him for wanting to end it the same way, even if the injustice of it was galling. All Might deserved to rest, deserved a comfortable twilight peace. But would he accept it?

Well, it wasn't Izuku's business, really.

"As I said," All Might said, "You're far too kind, young Midoriya. If Melissa does not want to take All for One, I would hope I could rely on you to help in picking another successor? I don't wish to put too much pressure on you, but I think you've proven yourself very reliable. And I have not properly thanked you, yet."

"Thanked me?" Izuku echoed, baffled, "Thanked me for what?"

"For Eri," All Might said solemnly, "Not just for rescuing her from a terrible situation, although you deserve praise for that. For keeping her away from All For One, you may well have saved my life. All For One, fully healed, is a terrible thought."

All Might paused for a moment, as though he wasn't quite sure what to say next. Izuku watched his lips tighten just a little in thought, a decision made.

"Nighteye and I talked, while you were captured," he said, "We suspected that All For One wanted Eri, to heal himself, and you essentially confirmed it. It's a little unusual for All For One, but I suppose…before, he was subtle. Oh, he was very much in a position of power, but something like the League of Villains, the Nomu? Nothing like that. If he was healed, now, I suspect he wouldn't hesitate to engage me directly. And if he was at full strength, well…"

"You don't think you could win," Izuku completed. All Might grimaced, covering up a brief and bloody cough, but nodded.

"No. I barely won our fight five years ago. I suspect that – well, I suspect it may be my fault. All For One has been thwarted before, but he had never been genuinely defeated before I managed it. His arrogance allowed my predecessors to escape at least one time that I know of. But I almost killed him. He will not wait for a successor of mine to grow strong enough to finish the job, I fear."

All Might shook his head.

"I've brought the mood down again," he said, "My apologies."

Izuku just shrugged.

"I'd rather know," he said pragmatically, "I won't be much use against All For One, but I'm not going to stop being a Hero now. I'd rather…be aware."

And now that he was aware, he thought, he could possibly begin to work on plans. All For One thought he could kill the One For All wielder and just take the world? Izuku would have something to say about that. Even Superman had been killable, in the end.

"For the moment, though," All Might said, smiling, "We should put such thoughts behind us! We're nearly at I-Island, and it wouldn't do to be melancholy!"

"Well, I am supposed to be on holiday," Izuku admitted. All Might beamed.

"That's the spirit!"

The plane dipped through the air, beginning a descent, and Izuku looked out the window as thick white cloud gave way to open air. Below he could see the glittering blue expanse of the ocean, and the thickly clustered buildings of the island they were flying towards.

"I-Island," All Might said, "An artificial island that travels the globe. Home to ten thousand of the brightest scientific minds in the world."

"As secure as Tartarus prison, I've heard," Izuku said. All Might nodded.

"I've heard that, as well," he said, "They take their security very seriously. Perhaps a little too seriously, in my opinion."

Izuku had heard, from Hatsume, that I-Island insisted that any scientist who worked there for an extended period of time couldn't leave. Dystopian, in Izuku's opinion: a luxurious prison was still a prison. Everything resource you could want, so long as you didn't want freedom. It said something about Hatsume, perhaps, that she hadn't even mentioned wanting to work on I-Island when she was older. Izuku hoped it wasn't going to be an issue with Melissa Shield, in the event that she accepted One for All.

"Do you know who we're meeting, sir?" Izuku asked, changing the subject. All Might spread his hands in a broad shrug.

"I suspect there'll be at least something of a crowd," he said, "The I-Island Expo isn't for another few days, but a lot of people will be there already and I'm, well, somewhat recognisable. But once I've dealt with that, David said Melissa would meet us."

They fell into silence for a few more minutes, the plane still descending, until All Might suddenly coughed and snapped his fingers.

"Oh, yeah," he said, "Also. I, uh, I haven't told David about the whole One for All thing so…could you keep it quiet?"

Izuku blinked at him, momentarily silenced.

"You haven't told him?" he asked. All Might rubbed at the back of his head, looking more embarrassed than Izuku had ever seen.

"Well, you know how it is with secrets. He came here, and I went to Japan, and I wanted to tell him but there was never really time and it's not something you can really tell someone over the phone…"

"You are going to tell him before you offer One for All to Melissa, aren't you?" Izuku asked, feeling bizarrely like the adult in the situation. All Might hummed and looked up, not meeting his gaze.

"Well, maybe after I'd offered…"

Izuku stared at him. All Might glanced around and winced, quickly looking away again.

"Young Midoriya, please. It's like having a smaller Aizawa looking at me. A smaller, less dead inside Aizawa."

Izuku blinked again, shaking his head. All Might sighed.

"Yes, I know, it's ridiculous. I intended to offer Melissa One for All, and then tell David afterwards regardless of her choice. David is a good man. I've never doubted that, and I don't think he would pressure Melissa either way. But I want her to know that it's her choice, and her choice only."

Well, that was fair enough. Izuku nodded in acceptance.

"So we wait to tell him."

The plane moved slightly and that cool, artificial voice sounded again.

"Now landing at I-Island. Please prepare to disembark."

"Well," All Might said, stretching, "I suppose we should change. Are you ready to meet the public again, young Midoriya?"

Izuku pulled a face, but it only made the older man laugh. They changed quickly, ducking into partitioned rooms in the plane to do so, and Izuku had to admit that it felt good to be back in armour. Comforting. He held his helmet under one arm as he walked back out into the main area, finding All Might looking scrawny in his Hero uniform. The only sour point, as far as Izuku was concerned, was the lack of weapons: he felt unbalanced, almost, without his guns at his side.

Izuku still wasn't sure why exactly he wasn't allowed to bring his weapons. Yeah, it made him less dangerous, but compared to All Might? Izuku would probably need Jason's entire arsenal and a month-long terrorism campaign to cause as much damage as All Might could wreak in a couple of minutes, and apparently Quirk use was allowed on I-Island.

Also, he kept getting caught up in life-or-death situations without being properly equipped. It was not only getting old, it was sort of embarrassing.

"Are you ready?" All Might asked again, "To walk in the city of ten thousand minds? You know, I've always wanted to test out the security systems at Tartarus…I wonder if David could provide me with a small-scale test…"

Izuku huffed out a laugh, lifting his helmet in both hands and starting to settle it over his head.

"Call me a cynic," he said, just before his helmet sealed and his voice turned flat from the modulator, "But having ten thousand geniuses in one place seems like an invitation for trouble. If that security system ever went down…"

"You are quite cynical," All Might remarked, "Although I do see your concern. Keeping all of them in one place makes it easier to keep them safe, but it does make a tempting target. Still, the security system should…on second thought, I'm not going to say it. We're supposed to be on holiday, tempting fate seems unwise."

Izuku had already done that, he remembered. Surely he'd built up enough good deeds to compensate for one slip of the tongue, Izuku thought. Eri's rescue alone had to be worth a couple of times tempting fate. Izuku shrugged at All Might, said nothing, and got a nod in return.

"Yes, you're right," All Might said, "Probably better to pretend I didn't say anything stupid."

"I didn't hear a word, sir," Izuku said cheerfully. All Might laughed, drawing in a deep breath.

"Showtime," he murmured, and his form exploded with smoke. Izuku wondered where, exactly, the smoke came from. Some kind of secondary effect? A lot of Quirks had what he'd once heard called required secondary powers: Mina was acid-proof, Bakugo was explosion resistant, Izuku was pretty sure that Hagakure had some sort of innate temperature control given that, for some godforsaken reason, her costume was basically being naked – but what use would smoke be to One for All? Izuku tucked the thought away for later, following All Might into warm sunlight and sea-fresh air.

Given that All Might was almost immediately swarmed by a crowd of people, Izuku was glad that they'd arrived a few days early. He squeezed his way through the crowd, internally thankful that the hard lines of his armour prevented him from being squashed, and popped out into open space, watching. It was always a treat to see All Might deal with the public: the odd mix of flustered and confident was surprisingly endearing. No wonder All Might continued to beat Endeavour in popularity. The crowd swirled on for a minute but eventually dispersed, leaving All Might standing alone and slightly ruffled.

"Alright there, sir?" Izuku asked. All Might laughed boomingly.

"As much as I ever am," he said, although he wasn't as loud as usual, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. Now then, we should be getting picked up…"

"Uncle Might!"

Izuku turned just in time to see a tall girl speed up on some sort of scooter, leaping off with surprisingly athleticism and flinging herself at All Might. Laughing delightedly, the man caught her and spun her around – it was very cute, if Izuku was honest. The scooter had collapsed into itself, folding away, probably some of the nanotechnology Hatsume had alternately warned him against and lusted over.

"Melissa," All Might said, dropping her down on her feet after their hug, "It's so good to see you! You've grown so tall!"

"Nearly as tall as you, Uncle Might!" Melissa beamed back. Izuku stood, sort of lost, while All Might and Melissa happily chattered away, catching up. It was very sweet, yes, but he felt a bit out of place. Luckily All Might seemed to notice: once there was a break in the conversation he gestured towards Izuku.

"Melissa, I'd like you to meet Izuku Midoriya. He's a First-Year Hero student at UA. Young Midoriya, this is Melissa Shield."

Blonde and blue eyed, Melissa Shield had a wide smile that slipped onto her face with the ease of long familiarity. Izuku, cynical, eyed her to see if it was fake, if it was put on, but it didn't look like it. A genuinely happy person – his peers seemed to be full of them. It was a bit unnerving, if he was honest.

Izuku sort of missed the days when he really had that sort of enthusiasm. He wasn't quite as bad as Jason had been, but…well, he wasn't as cheerful as he'd once been. Leave it at that.

"Call me Melissa," she said, holding out a hand. Izuku shook hands with her.

"Call me Izuku, then," he said, smiling. It couldn't be seen through his helmet, of course, but he found that it tended to come through in his body language at least a bit. Melissa let Izuku's hand go and stepped around him, peering at him far too closely for comfort. Maybe it was a scientist thing, although Jason hadn't met any who disregarded personal space quite like Hatsume and Melissa did. Studying his armour – or at least he hoped that was what she was doing. A finger prodded him in the back, in the very centre of his backplate.

"Armoured, huh?" Melissa said, "Heavier than usual. Suggests a non-enhancement Quirk."

Izuku turned his head but she was already moving, still circling him.

"Quirks that project attacks usually come from either the face or the hands, but your gauntlets and helmet would obstruct those," she continued, "Empty holsters. You're a weapon user. And your jacket…"

Melissa reached out and tugged on one of his sleeves, her expression thoughtful.

"Uh," Izuku said, half because the collar had slid uncomfortably and half in protest. He was summarily ignored: yep, just like Hatsume.

"Jacket is reinforced with some sort of armour-weave," Melissa continued, "That's interesting! All this armour and the weapons, it's a bit of a weird style compared to most but it's interesting. I like to see a Hero outfit that's properly armoured! So, your Quirk is…something to do with weapons? Mental based?"

She'd come all the way around and was standing right in front of him, her eyes gazing at his helmet, just slightly off from his eyes. She was an inch or two taller than him, he noticed, but he consoled himself with the thought that she was a year or two older than him as well. It wasn't too unexpected. His brief silence must have gotten through to her, because she blushed, a red flush darkening her cheeks just slightly.

"Oh, um, sorry. I get too enthusiastic sometimes, and-"

"Don't worry," Izuku hastily said, pulling himself together, "You just reminded me of a friend, from back home. She's…a lot like that."

"Dear Miss Hatsume," All Might said fondly, "Excellent engineer. Terrifying girl."

Izuku swallowed a laugh, popping the latches on his helmet and pulling it off. Tucking it under his left arm he offered Melissa a quick smile.

"Sorry," he said, "I thought it would be easier to talk when you can see my face. Yeah, I mostly use weapons and gadgets, you're right. And I'm, um, I'm actually Quirkless."

Melissa, for a moment, went very still and Izuku worried that he'd done it wrong. He'd been a little concerned about it: All Might had indicated that Melissa had hoped to become a Quirkless hero herself before giving up, and having that dream thrown back at her could very well backfire. He'd hoped that it wouldn't, but…

"Really?" Melissa asked, only the faintest crack in her voice, "You're Quirkless?"

Even if Izuku hadn't known Melissa herself was Quirkless, he thought that her tone would have given it away. Something in it, something like a mixture of disbelief and hope, would have caught his attention. Izuku didn't say any of that. Instead, he just nodded.

"One hundred percent," he said, "Genetic tests and all."

Melissa stared at him for a moment longer, before a smile broke over her face.

"You really are," she said quietly, eyes quickly flicking across his armour, "Of course. The armour. The holsters. Guns, right? You can stay away, and most Quirks aren't that powerful. I'd heard that UA accepts Quirkless Hero students."

"You usually don't hear about them because they have an unfortunate tendency to drop out," All Might said, much more quietly than usual, "But they do exist. And Young Midoriya is unusual."

It was probably bizarre that Izuku felt a warm flush of pride in his chest at what was a very mediocre compliment, but he decided not to analyse it. Melissa had started to bounce, in a way that was very reminiscent of Hatsume.

Melissa stopped her bouncing with what looked like a force of effort, nodding to herself.

"I have some things that might be interesting, for a Quirkless Hero," she said, "But we should go and see my Dad first. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, Uncle Might!"

"I'd certainly hope so," All Might said. Melissa flourished her arm, a band around her wrist unfolding in a flash of light, forming the scooter she'd used to reach them.

"Alright," she said cheerfully, "Follow me!"

Izuku didn't ask many more questions as they went – Melissa didn't go too quickly, but he still needed to half-jog to keep up with All Might's long strides and Melissa's scooter. They made their way through clean streets – Izuku noted the cameras clustered on buildings with only a faint trepidation – and to a tall building. Melissa entered, waving her wrist in front of a scanner to unlock the door, and took them up in an elevator. Once in there she spoke again.

"My Dad's still working in the lab right now," she said, "He's supposed to be on a break, but once he sets his mind on something he can stick to it. Maybe you'll be able to persuade him to take a break, Uncle Might."

All Might chortled deeply.

"Ah, that takes me back," he said, "Carrying Dave out of his lab at the dead of night. When the sun was still up he was always too hard to shift – made me glad for my strength sometimes!"

"He hasn't changed at all!" Melissa confirmed, still sounding delighted, "Only his assistant can't pick him up and carry him out."

"That poor man," All Might sympathised, "Midoriya, is that what Hatsume's like?"

"Power Loader just uses tranquilisers, sir," Izuku said, "Or he did."

He paused, thoughtful.

"I think she's building up a resistance."

"He has been looking more manic than usual in recent staff meetings," All Might agreed, "And that would do it. The longer Hatsume goes without sleep, the more terrifying her inventions become – or that's what he told me."

Izuku shuddered, only a little for the drama.

"Sir, she tries to build plasma swords and nuclear powered power armour when she's in her right mind. What could she be making when she's sleep deprived?"

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Ignorance is bliss', Young Midoriya?"

"I have, sir, but when I'm likely to be used as a test subject I like to know how much danger my life is in."

All Might's reply was swallowed by a laugh, and Melissa joined in. Izuku shook his head at them.

"You don't know how terrifying she is," he groused, but he was smiling. They reached the top floor, piling out of the elevator and following Melissa along a corridor to a room. It was a nice place: the wall of the corridor, to Izuku's left, was composed of glass windows that gave a stunning view of the Island, the floors polished faux wood. It was very fancy, even compared to the UA lab: Izuku suspected that a lot of money had gone into making this place comfortable. Well, it made sense: the scientists who weren't supposed to leave were geniuses. Definitely better to keep them in comfort and try to head off escape attempts that way than have a little more money left over in the budget.

Melissa rapped quickly on the door at the end of the corridor, pushing it aside and entering. All Might hung back for a moment, a murmur of voices from inside the room before the door was pushed back open and Melissa gestured to them.

"I brought something to show you, Dad," she said, winking at All Might. Taking that as his cue, the hero entered: Izuku hung back in the corridor.

"Dave!" All Might yelled, posing dramatically, "I am here! Shaking with emotion for our heartfelt reunion!"

Izuku staggered a little, instinctively retreating from that much happiness. David Shield stared. Izuku stared. The other man, maybe a lab assistant, stared. Melissa…stared.

All Might bellowed with delighted laughter and rushed through the lab, picking up Shield and swinging him around much as he had Melissa. Somehow David Shield ended up on the ground, looking up as All Might knelt in front of him, probably beaming with blinding intensity. Melissa said something that Izuku didn't catch and, finally, a grin started to spread over David Shield's face.

"Toshi, I can't believe it-"

"I know!" All Might said, "I'm so glad Melissa invited me! It's been – how long has it been?"

Finally finding his feet, Shield laughed as he stood.

"Toshi, c'mon," he said, grinning, "Do you really want me to answer that? I feel old enough already!"

"Now that you mention it – I left my walker at home, so let's say no more!"

The two of them laughed together, quick and easy, and Izuku took the moment to study David Shield. He was about average height, lean, his brown hair messy. A brief goatee covered his chin; his eyes were crinkled with smile lines, but there were wrinkles around his mouth that spoke more of tension and stress. His assistant, or who Izuku assumed was his assistant, was a little shorter. Blond and more heavily built than David he looked like a friendly man, his smile easy.

"Young Midoriya," All Might said, half-turning, "Let me introduce you to my old friend, David Shield."

David Shield. Winner of the Nobel Quirk Prize. Almost legendary scientist. Creator of All Might's Bronze, Silver and Gold Age costumes, and probably a lot more. Izuku leveraged every ounce of his self-control to avoid going on a fanboy rant.

"I am a huge fan of your costume design," Izuku blurted, having dramatically overestimated his ability to control himself, "The mixture of classic Hero aesthetic and personal style in the costumes you designed for All Might is incredible and the hidden armouring to prevent them from being damaged when All Might goes all out is inspirational."

He'd said all of that in one breath. All Might muffled a laugh in one massive hand and Izuku felt one eye twitch, bringing himself under control.

"Sorry," he said, "One of my friends is a support student and she went on a three-hour lecture about you once."

It had been while she was fitting the grappling hook into his arm. It was eternally carved into Izuku's mind, mostly because Hatsume had seemed on the edge of veering off onto something completely different in an attempt to make her mark the way Shield had. It had been absolutely terrifying, if interesting. Shield, thankfully, just laughed.

"It's always nice to be appreciated," he said. From the corner of his eye, Izuku saw a tiny wisp of smoke peel away from All Might, his heart lurching as he realised what it was. Shield might know, but Melissa and the assistant? Luckily, Shield seemed to have noticed as well.

"Melissa," he said, "Why don't you take Mr Midoriya and show him around? All Might and I have a lot to catch up on and I'm sure you don't want to stand around listening to a couple of old – uh, a couple of middle-aged men talk. Sam, go get lunch. All Might will keep me from starving myself."

"Oh, are you sure?" Sam, as Shield had called him, asked. His voice was soft, almost watery, but he seemed to mean well: Shield gave him a quick grin.

"Of course I am, Sam. Go enjoy yourself, take the rest of the day off. A lot of catching up to do, like I said."

Izuku turned to Melissa.

"If you don't mind showing me around?" he asked. Melissa grinned at him.

"Not a problem!" she said cheerfully – it was almost like being around Mina again – "I always like to show people my laboratory! And I've got some stuff that might interest you, so it's all good."

Well, that sounded promising – and Izuku didn't want to stay much longer, given that it must be stressing All Might to maintain his large form - so Izuku followed Melissa out of the room. As though prompted by their leaving, Sam also walked out of the room, the three of them pausing in the corridor while the door closed.

"Would you like me to accompany you, Miss?" Sam asked. A reasonable question, maybe, but there was a reluctance in his tone – he had somewhere else to be, Izuku guessed. Melissa shook her head.

"Izuku's a hero student," she said, "So I'll be quite safe with him. Thank you, Sam, but you should go and enjoy the rest of the day."

"Thank you, Miss," Sam said, "You too."

Izuku watched him hurry off. Curious, that he'd made such a big deal of not wanting to leave, but he walked like a man with somewhere to be. It was probably nothing, Izuku thought, knowing that he was probably cursing himself just by thinking that.

"Come on, then," Melissa chirped next to him, "Let's not waste the day by standing around!"

Izuku walked after her – she did him the courtesy of walking instead of taking her scooter, so he could keep up with her without difficulty. His helmet, still tucked under his arm, drew a curious glance from her.

"It looks sort of awkward, carrying your helmet like that," she remarked. Izuku laughed.

"It is," he admitted, "But it's sort of rude to wear it when talking to someone. It can make conversation difficult."

Melissa hmm-ed at that, one hand cupping her chin in thought.

"I can imagine," she agreed, "And since it's actually a helmet, you can't really fold it up. Or can you?"

"There's a lighter version," Izuku said, "That Hatsume came up with. I don't really like it – it's got a lot less features and a lot less protection, but it can supposedly be folded flat and clipped to my belt. Normally I just wear this one."

"Yeah, it's probably better than way," Melissa said, "Night vision? Communications?"

"Yes, to both."

"Gas filter? Active HUD? Eye-tracking blink targeting?"

Eye tracking blink targeting? That was a fancy one, although not something Izuku had much use for. His hands had eye-tracking targeting already installed, so to speak.

"Yes to the gas, there's a HUD although it's still a work in progress. I don't really…have anything that needs a helmet-based targeting system?"

Melissa hmm-ed again – Izuku wasn't entirely sure how to interpret it.

"You're more low-tech, then?"

Well, that was one way to describe him. And it was true enough: there was something comforting about being able to maintain your own gear. They made small talk as they continued: Izuku was sure that there was something more that Melissa wanted to say, but she seemed to instinctively prefer a less public setting. It wasn't too far until they reached another building and Melissa led him through a few security doors, into a room. Second floor, Izuku thought. More windows. They made him nervous – a security risk, despite being almost certain that it wasn't actually glass. He wandered across the room, sparing a brief glance for the extremely advanced computer whirring in a corner, and studied the array of awards sat on a shelf.

"Wow," he said, "That's a lot of awards."

Melissa laughed brightly.

"I know, right?" she said, "Sometimes I surprise myself! Especially since, well, it took me a while to really buckle down for them."

Izuku turned to look at her, setting his helmet down on a table in the middle of the room. She was still smiling, but there was a slightly regretful tinge to it.

"I wasn't really a great student in my first two years at the Academy here," she said, "Kind of embarrassing, to basically sulk for two whole years. But I did. Because I'm Quirkless."

"Because you're Quirkless," Izuku echoed, a statement rather than a question. Melissa laughed again, the sound just a little more brittle.

"I wanted to be a Hero," she confessed, "So badly. When I couldn't get into a Hero academy nearby, I was angry. I couldn't believe it. But, you know, one day my Dad…one day my Dad took the time to sit me down and talk with me. Really talk. I've always been interested in science, and I want to work in Hero Support. But letting go of a dream like that is hard."

Christ. All Might had better watch out once Izuku had told Melissa about One for All, because she might poison his tea. Izuku hadn't intended to come out and talk about it on this first day, but now he'd confirmed that. It would be cruel, now.

"I got lucky," he admitted, "UA has accepted Quirkless students for a long time. Legal challenge about a decade ago, I think, and I was just about skilled enough to pass the Entrance Exam."

"Robots, right?" Melissa asked, a ghost of a smile on her face. Izuku nodded.

"I thought so," she said, "But you aren't allowed to take any equipment into the Entrance Exam, unless it's needed for your Quirk to work. I didn't think I'd be up to punching robots to pieces. Sometimes I wish I'd tried, though."

The silence that fell then was heavy, laden with regret, and it tugged at Izuku's heartstrings. He was never good with things like this. The closest he'd come, probably, was confronting Iida about Stain – but that had been different. That had been about anger, about revenge. This was about a cherished dream, given up in pursuit of another. What would Izuku have been, he wondered, if he couldn't be a Hero? Nothing as impactful as Melissa.

"There are more ways to be a Hero than going out of the streets," he said, spurred on by that thought. Melissa looked up at him and he waved a hand, continuing.

"Being a Hero is…it's what I've always wanted. They're who I've always looked up to. But when it comes to changing the world, making the world better? There aren't many Heroes like All Might. Technology is…this island, it's incredible. Power sources, building materials, all the advancements that make life so much easier, that save so many lives. I can't do that. In ways like that, you're probably more of a Hero than I am."

Izuku laughed awkwardly, ruffling a hand through the back of his hair.

"Sorry," he said, "You've probably heard that before, right? You must be sick of it by now."

Melissa smiled, knowing.

"I've heard it before," she said, "But thank you, Izuku. It…it's probably petty to say this, but it means more when it comes from another Quirkless person."

They stood in another awkward silence, just for a few seconds, before Melissa broke it by clapping her hands together so suddenly and loudly that Izuku automatically twitched towards his holsters. She didn't notice, he thought, but the embarrassment of being so twitchy still warmed his face before he got it under control.

"So," she said, "You want to see what I've been working on?"

"Absolutely," he said cheerfully, stuffing down that little panicked voice that didn't want to take the chance of being used as a test subject. Hatsume hadn't killed him yet, the odds of Melissa managing it were low. Probably not zero – never zero – but low. Melissa vanished into the other room, but she raised her voice enough that Izuku could hear her.

"It's a bit of a project, actually," she called, "See, a lot of people have Quirks that have some kind of backlash. Usually it doesn't come up, but for Heroes it can have an effect, since they use their Quirks a lot. I'm trying to work up a set of Support Items that are basically generic, to deal with Quirk backlash."

Melissa came back into the room with something in her hand.

"There are a couple of people in my class who can suffer," Izuku said thoughtfully, "I know that Mina can burn herself if she produces less acid, and Uraraka gets nauseous. And Aoyama gets sick, although he needs a support item just to use his Quirk."

Melissa cocked her head at that.

"That's unusual," she said, "Not often you see someone with a Quirk they can't use it without help. Is it a particularly strong Quirk?"

Izuku shrugged.

"Not really."

"Huh. Weird. Anyway, this is my prototype."

Melissa held up what looked like a bracelet, albeit a tacky one. Red plastic wasn't the in look this year, as far as Izuku remembered.

"This," Melissa said, "Is the Full Gauntlet. It's made of a kinetic absorbent material, for Heroes with strength Quirks who're in danger of breaking fingers when they punch. You want to try it on?"

"I haven't really got a-"

"I know, I know. But it's cool!"

Well, Izuku couldn't argue with that. He acquiesced with a shrug, pulling his jacket off and draping it on the back of a convenient chair.

"Does it matter which arm? Just that one of them is, uh, a prosthetic."

Melissa blinked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"I, ah, I sort of lost an arm earlier in the year. You see, my class was going to some training, and we were attacked by a villain group," Izuku explained, unlatching his left gauntlet and rolling up his sleeve, "They were after All Might, I think. Anyway. The leader had a Quirk that could decay whatever he touched, so when I pushed Mina out of the way and he grabbed my arm it…"

Izuku made a ripping noise, accompanied by an explanatory gesture. Melissa looked suitably horrified. Izuku shrugged.

"So, yeah. One-eighth less person than I was."

He flexed the metal fingers, Melissa watching with fascination as artificial tendons and muscles moved under iron skin.

"I can't believe a villain group got into UA," she said, "I'd heard about it, but…"

"Yeah, the school tried to keep it quiet," Izuku said, "There was some hubbub, a few protests, some letters saying I should be expelled for my own safety, that sort of thing. But after the reporter who'd said it was a Quirkless student who got injured kind of vanished everyone mostly shut up in public."

Aizawa had told him not to ask what would happen to the reporter, and Izuku was quite happy to leave it that way. She was probably just living unhappily in some small town, reporting for some small newspaper with her career ruined. Probably.

"I always assumed UA would have really good security," Melissa admitted. Izuku shrugged.

"It's decent, but nothing like here. It's a school, not a fortress. Can't afford the…drones, right? That's what you have here?"

Melissa nodded.

"Drones, yep. Automated restraint firing turrets. Maybe more lethal ammo, too, but that's concentrated on the Vault."

"The Vault?"

Melissa waved the hand not holding her Full Gauntlet.

"Yeah, it's where all the most important and dangerous equipment goes. It's like a bank vault, with reinforced walls and doors. Supposedly it's almost unbreakable…the only way to enter is to have two people with proper authorisation enter their own personal codes at the same time."

Hatsume would be devastated to hear that her dreams of industrial espionage were locked behind a safe even Izuku couldn't crack. Well, not alone – the weakest element of any security system was the human part, after all.

"None of my stuff is in there yet, but hopefully I'll get something in there soon! I think there might even be some prosthetics in there, too, really advanced ones. Someone used some nanotechnology to create an entire limb once, though it had some issues. They're still working it out."

"Yeah, Hatsume mentioned it," Izuku said, "Told me not to come back with a nanotech arm since she couldn't properly maintain it. I take it there were other problems?"

Melissa nodded.

"Yeah, from what I heard the prototype was sort of weaponised: it could change forms into a sword, a gun, a crossbow, whatever, but it was far too sensitive: it kept changing all the time. I think the original tester was hurt pretty badly when it changed into a sword while he was scratching or something."

Izuku winced.

"And Hatsume wanted to weaponise my arm," he grumbled, "Even if it was a bit less extreme."

Melissa cocked her head, interest crossing her vision. Izuku felt a crawling dread across his spine, as though he was a small mammal wandering into the gaze of a hawk. Instinctively, he wondered if he could break the window and make a run for it.

"Oh?"

Izuku resigned himself to his fate.

"She wanted to put a plasma cannon in my arm," he said, deadpan. Melissa gave him a wide-eyed look before shaking her head, tutting.

"A plasma cannon? That's ridiculous."

A wash of relief went through Izuku, like cool water to a parched man. Finally, he thought, an engineer who wasn't insane.

"You're not big enough to deal with the recoil," Melissa continued, "And the power source? No, what you need is a rack of micro-missiles."

Izuku's relief shrivelled up like a goldfish in the Sahara.

"It neatly solves the lethality problem with diverse ammunition, and reduces aiming concerns. Although I definitely see the value of essentially unlimited ammunition thanks to being an energy weapon. It's a shame that Hatsume didn't come with you, she sounds interesting."

Izuku wasn't sure the world would survive a meeting between two young mad scientists. Possibly more importantly he wouldn't survive, and he was quite attached to his skin. Melissa frowned as though thinking of something before shaking her head.

Anyway. You want to test out this Gauntlet?"

Izuku nodded, extending his arm. He'd do anything to get her off the topic of weaponizing his prosthetic: Izuku liked his arm as it was, thank you very much.

"Sure. What do I do?"

Melissa grinned at him and, with one quick moment, slapped the bracelet against his wrist. It reversed with a click, wrapping around his wrist before exploding into a torrent of ribbons that wrapped around his hand, covering it in something that looked a lot like a boxer's tape. Izuku held his hand up, studying it.

"Here," Melissa said, holding up a wooden pad that she'd pulled from a drawer in her desk, "Hit it."

Izuku flexed his fingers again, testing out the mobility of the wrapping, and nodded to her.

"Alright. If you say so."

A single strike – not his hardest, but quick enough, like he was sparring with a classmate. His wrapped knuckles met the wood with a thud, but he didn't feel a thing. He wasn't exactly super-powered, of course, but…

"Impact absorbent," he said, "Huh. Does it still – you know, soaking up all the impact isn't great for fighting."

Melissa nodded, setting her pad down.

"Yeah, I know," she said, "It's more of a redirection – it took a long time to get something that would absorb the impact to the user, not the target. Ideally I'd like to make something that absorbs and rebounds kinetic energy, but for the moment that'll do. I wanted it for a different project, really, but…"

"But?" Izuku prompted, fiddling with the gauntlet. It retracted with a soft snap as Melissa prodded at the bracelet, the girl taking it back.

"Yeah, I have something else in the works. You know, I've just remembered where I know your name from. You're Midoriya – you and your Support friend, Hatsume, you invented the H-M Defensive Matrix Gel!"

"More Hatsume, really," Izuku said, smiling, "I came up with the very first version, but Hatsume really made it work."

Melissa gave him a narrow-eyed look.

"Really?" she said, tone uncompromising, "I don't believe it. Even if you couldn't make it work, you wouldn't get your name on it without contributing."

Izuku shrugged uncomfortably. Sure he knew some things, but…he wasn't really a scientist, or an engineer. He knew just enough to be dangerous, as Tim had once said, but Jason had never been the most technologically inclined of the Family.

"Hatsume is too nice about some things," he deflected, "But really. Usually I have an idea and she makes it work. That's just how it goes."

Melissa looked unconvinced, but she seemed to accept his reasoning without argument.

"Either way, it's useful," she said, "I know that a lot of Hero costumes are starting to incorporate the gel, but I wanted something just like it for a project of mine."

Melissa sat down at her computer, tapping away through folders and files. Izuku watched, fascinated.

"It makes a lot of things more viable," Melissa said, "Especially things like powered armour. One of the big problems with powered armour is proper cushioning: doesn't matter if the metal doesn't bend if you've been turned into soup inside it. But with impact cushioning gel…"

"Hatsume said something like that, actually," Izuku commented, "Although she was terrifying Power Loader at the time, so I didn't put too much thought into it. She's been planning a battle-suit for a while, despite Power Loader's best efforts."

"I think every young Hero Engineer makes a battle-suit at some point," Melissa said cheerfully. Izuku thought it over then nodded.

"Maybe," he conceded, "But Hatsume's is terrifying". Melissa spun around on her chair, cocking her head inquisitively.

"Really?"

Izuku nodded.

"She's calling it the Suppressor or something. Heavily armoured. Shoulder mounted grenade launcher, arm-mounted gatling guns, all three weapons with variable ammo types. The name is, um, a work in progress. But the main problem Power Loader has is her insistence that it'll work a lot better with a fusion reactor installed."

Melissa beamed.

"I like her already!" she said, "And yeah, I've got something similar. Haven't named it, but I had a prototype built before I realised that it would never sell. There was this Villain, you know, years ago – my Dad and Uncle Might faced him in America. He had a Quirk that let him turn his arms into bazookas which, I mean, big whoop I can built a combat suit with a sixty rack of micro-missiles in each arm, and every missile is a supersonic armour-piercing bunker buster that could track a genuine speedster hero. I'd make that Villain look like a toddler playing with firecrackers! But I can't, because…well, because those missiles are beyond lethal. But also because it's not a heroic aesthetic, apparently."

Izuku didn't like to assume, but it sounded as though there was a little bit of history in that comment. He wondered if it would be a good idea to pry, although it seemed like Melissa would continue.

"Which I understand, yeah. It's a lot more military than it is Hero, so that has to be taken into account. I started designing another version, one that basically mimics Quirks, but there are so many Quirks I couldn't even begin to decide which ones I wanted."

One final tap of her fingers and a blueprint covered the screen, covered in annotations and notes. Izuku leaned closer, peering at it.

"Like I said, the main problem is the impact, even more than the Quirk replication. But with the gel…hmm. I wonder if I could get Quirk data from UA to study? That might help with the design."

"I'm sure everyone would be willing," Izuku said. Or, well, almost everyone. Maybe not Bakugo or Todoroki, but a grenade launcher and a flamethrower wasn't exactly exciting technology. And the ice? Well, maybe those snap-freeze bullets would be useful.

"You think so?" Melissa asked, "That would be lovely of them! And, you know – I don't want to suggest you can't be a Hero without it, that's obviously not true, but if you wanted the first version?"

"Oh," Izuku said, surprisingly touched. Melissa squinted at him before waving her hands in front of herself.

"Of course if you don't want it – I don't want to offend-"

"Oh, no I'm not offended," Izuku hastily reassured her, "It's not that I don't like powered armour. But I rely more on stealth and agility. Exoskeletons don't really lend themselves to either."

Even Bruce's Mark Thirteen had been flawed in that aspect. That said, Izuku would not have refused a copy of Luthor's Battlesuit. In fact, he would be delighted. That thing that allowed Luthor to go through a 5-U-P3R powered Joker and Harley, then Hawkgirl, and then Shazam, and those weren't easy targets. Joker and Harley were deceptively capable combatants, Hawkgirl was outright fearsome, and Izuku would put Shazam probably at All Might's level. Only stopping once you hit Superman himself was no mean feat.

That was a probably impossible dream, though. Luthor's Battlesuit had used technology unique to him – Jason had heard that it had contained gravity-altering technology that nobody could even begin to replicate. A real shame. Izuku had to wonder if Brainiac's invasion would have gone differently if Luthor had survived: though his heroic death had led to Superman finally snapping and being taken down by his alternate universe counterpart, Luthor was probably one of the worst losses the Insurgency could have taken. Still. There was no point crying over spilled milk, as they said.

"That's a good point," Melissa said thoughtfully, "It is quite large and heavy. I wonder if it could be…miniaturised? Even if it means reducing features? Do you know how large Hatsume's Suppressor is going to be?"

Izuku didn't sigh, despite how much he wanted to. Instead, in defiance of his better judgement, he spoke up.

"I can give you her number, if you like," he tried, ignoring the feeling of impending doom. Melissa beamed at him and the feeling only got worse. Oh, he was definitely going to regret this.

"That would be great!" she said, "And who knows, maybe I can help with your equipment as well!"

Doomed. Entirely doomed. Izuku, mourning just a little, wandered over to the window and looked out. Following him, Melissa hummed thoughtfully.

"Oh," she said, "Hey, there's Sam. I wonder what he's doing over there? He doesn't usually come to this section of the city."

Izuku glanced out the window just in time to see Sam the lab assistant hurry past. He looked nervous but determined – like a man on a mission, Izuku thought. Maybe he was really hungry? But there was something about the way he was walking, head down and quick, that tickled Izuku's instincts. There was something almost furtive about it…Izuku estimated Sam's path, looked behind of the man, and guessed that he was probably walking away an alleyway. Not the easiest thing to peer into, but Izuku thought he caught a flash of a long coat and the glint of something, maybe some sort of mask, swallowed up by the shadows. A frown wrinkled his forehead for the briefest second before he smoothed out his face, keeping his thoughts locked away.

He was probably being paranoid. Really, what were the odds that something would be going on the week of the I-Island Expo, when security would be highest? And what were the odds that someone in Sams position would be up to no good?

…maybe he should look into it.

Second year anniversary of Legacy, whoop.

Would Nedzu have told Izuku where Eri's safehouse was, or was he just testing Izuku? Well, that's for him to know, but I rather suspect it's the latter.

Bit of a filler chapter again, unfortunately, but I had some things to set up. Next chapter will hopefully be December but possibly January: I take time of fanfiction for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) every November so Empress and Legacy are set back. Either way, as ever: I hope you enjoyed, reviews are always appreciated and, of course, I'll see you next chapter.