Justice Across Space and Time: Year 2

Chapter 32

Time for Melissa's fight and the start of the climax to this little arc. I know some might be confused on what's going to happen, but I have an eventual plan for what will happen in this universe and story. So on with show.

(Melissa POV)

"Time to catch a genius!" the younger kidnapping villain said. No idea what his name is, but frankly I don't care. At least the rest of the captives are being held in cages so they shouldn't get caught in our fight. I think. Gonna have to use certain ammo less. "Knock it off you idiot. Focus on the job," the father says while rapping his son over the head. Guess he's more professional. He's a bit heftier compared to his boy with a big moustache. As well as wearing a jumpsuit of some sort.

Both take aim with a pair of cannons and fire. Still easy for me to evade with the jets on my armor. Though just the foot boots to push me backwards. Huh. So one was a net launcher and… what is that? "Damn! She's quicker than we expected!" the younger says as the…. Well I've got no other word for it than a chain or beam of energy is retracted. And it seems to have latched onto some junk metal on the ground.

"Impressive. I take it you designed that?" I asked while taking aim with my gauntlets. Firing beams from the palms that the pair easily dodge. The older man's being like a roll while the younger is just running. Or not. He's skating away. Hoverskating. Huh. That's a pain. And weird. Guess it's part of that armor he's wearing. Alright let's see him dodge these tar missiles!

I see the blonde and brown-haired punk turning back and skating away in more of a panic. Perfect. Now they just need to hit and what? "I gotcha son!" I hear the father call out and he uses his gear that has a…. vacuum pack? That's odd. But it's working to suck my missiles away. At least enough to let the kid blast with his own gear. His left hand had the net launcher that looked like a slingshot or crossbow cannon on his arm and I think the other is like an energy lash of some sort. "You know these are some impressive gadgets you two have. Did you build them yourselves?"

Gotta get them distracted. So play to their vanity or if they're like me their love of engineering. "Yeah. But most folks didn't like or appreciate what we built. Saying it wasn't for their quirks!" the kid says before skating around and lashing onto my leg jet. Sling or swingshotting himself up to take a shot with his net launcher. Lucky for me, their nets aren't made from quite the same materials.

One quick shot from my lasers and the net is cut. "Whoa! Hey! You're throwing my balance off!" I shout as the kid swings around and brings himself up to fire at me again. This time the net does catch me, but I can easily cut out of it with my gear. "Oh, come on!" he shouts before landing roughly and trying to take another shot. I take some of my own but again his dad has him covered and now… whoa! This beam chain thing is pretty strong!

"I've got her! Forget the nets! Modulate your swingshot beam to match the frequency of my photon thrower! Then we'll cross the streams!" the man announces while trying to hold me in place. Wait….. huh. Now that's a good idea. My onboard AI is pretty primitive, but with a few quick commands I have it working to calibrate my onboard lasers to a counter frequency. "You mean the fact that all of this gear wouldn't do anything for anyone with a quirk right? It's pretty clear from how you two are wearing all of it."

"You're not wrong miss. We wanted respect, but my work and even the boy's weren't acknowledged. Even that swingshot gadget he made wasn't even considered because none of the companies or heroes wanted to run the risk of learning how to use it. And instead, just told us we had no other use than being trash collectors!"

Shit. I really have had it easy compared to most everyone. Obviously, a mix of my papa's influence and maybe the fact I'm a girl. No. I know that the latter has made some just look at me as a pretty face alone. But these two. I wonder if they're both like Kazuhiko. Abandoned or rejected so aggressively compared to me and Izuku. Well, me I guess.

I struggle a bit as the pair meld their energy chain beams together and try to pull me down. "Gotta say I'm impressed! Let me guess, the photonic energy fields are feeding off my own energy and my armor's to weaken it and pull me close! And then once I'm worn down, you can net me easier!" Just a bit more. C'mon!

The man looks up confused but compliments me on guessing the way the equipment worked. "Uh yes. Well spotted. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising given who I'm dealing with. It wasn't easy miniaturizing and stabilizing these special reactors. Not to mention…" Good he's distracted. I did mean it when I said I was impressed though. These…. Could be useful. Once I take them down.

"Pops! Focus! I don't think she's just trying to flatter you!" I chuckle before saying, "you are correct!" and blast the beam of energy with my own. This will probably hurt a bit, but at least the civilians are more protected! *KABOOM* "Ow…." I groan out from the wall I got blasted to. Not as much pain as that fight with that Nine nutcase, but it still hurt.

The other two are groaning as well with the man laying on his back with the device while the son was face down. "Huhrbb. Shake it off. Gotta catch them!" I think aloud and jet away from the wall and pull out my collapsable straightjackets. Tying the two of them up as fast as possible. "Oh. Crap. So much for getting a big payday." The man says while letting out a frustrated snort that made his moustache flutter a bit.

I chuckle before saying, "I know this may not sound like much, but I think I'd like to purchase some of these. If you're interested in collaborating." The son turns on his side at that and the father looks at me funny. "What are you getting at?" they both asked with some skepticism. Well frankly understandable.

"Okay so you'll still have to serve some time, but I think your ideas would be great for some of what I've been working on. We can talk while I break the captives out and call the police." And so, I start doing just that. Using my laser projectors I cut into the locks of the holding cells. With the police hurrying in once they found my location to get the kidnapped peoples away.

While I'm doing this, I give my proposal to the pair. Patenting their energy capture technology for general production. "Of course, some factors will have to be reduced. Not sure if most would want to carry that heavy pack mister?" The elder seemed to be considering my idea as his moustache twitched while he hummed in thought. Before closing his eyes and giving me a small smile. "Luigi. Luigi Ramis. And I think I could get behind the idea of working with you miss. C'mon son."

He gently bumped the younger man who seemed less excited about the idea. "How do we know you won't just rip us off? There have been plenty of other engineers who've said similar and just made off with some of our design ideas. Sure, they didn't entirely work because we keep some parts secret, but still," he said with a skeptical look.

Well, that's fair. "Good point. And we can work out a proper agreement later. You can think of it as a way to work off your jail time too." The kid grunts at that before letting out a sigh that says he's still uneasy about the matter. But he doesn't see a better option so he agrees. "Name's Mikey Arnold Ramis. Guess we'll be working with each other eventually," he says with a frown.

Before any of us could talk about more of the details, there was a rumbling and shaking throughout the entire complex. I cursed under my breath as there were still multiple cages to unlock. "On my pack! Left side! Big green button!" Luigi says while turning to show me the button in question.

I have to move the restraints a bit, but I find the button and suddenly all of the cages open up. "You had that linked to your equipment?" I asked in confusion. Luigi shrugs and says, "it's a good idea in case of emergencies like this. Can't collect on anyone we capture if they're dead. Better to let them get away than let them die in a cell." Okay fair point. That was when the younger mentioned they were more like bounty hunters than full villains. "We've actually caught some dirty heroes and villains before. But no one gives us credit for the captures because it doesn't build up their heroes. We just get paid and told to leave."

Ah. That explains some of his suspicions about me. "Well, we'll work on that for later. Hold on!" I grab their restraints and pick both of them up to fly out of the shaking and somewhat collapsing structure. Crap! This is going to take more fancy flying than I'd prefer! Not to mention having a load I am not letting go of! "Over there!" Mikey says and nods towards a different shaft. I hope he's right!

Whoa! That was close! Part of the building are coming down all around me and that almost took my head off! "Hurry! Hurry!" they both say and I know! I'm trying! And we're clear! "Wow! That. Was. Way. Too close." I say before flying towards a rooftop. Wonder what cause the shaking and collapse. An earthquake? Maybe someone else's fight? That certainly would…. "Uh you two might be helping me sooner rather than later." I say as my eyes widen. Pretty sure theirs are too. Given the scale of what we're dealing with now.

(No POV)

"John? You, okay?" Izuku asked when he found the large hero making his way through the hallways. But his old friend and mentor looked a little rough. His breathing was a bit labored as he leaned against the wall. "I'd say yes, but we both know you wouldn't buy it. Just a little worn out from using a spell." Justice says as Izuku gets under his arm.

Not that it helps much given the height difference. "Look don't worry. I'm just out of breath. I haven't used that spell in years, and it can wreak havoc with my body," the big hero explains before noticing two smells. The first was an energy bar that Izuku was holding up. Chuckling as he took the item from Izuku.

Thanking his friend before chowing down and the two made their way through the halls a bit more. "How is it that we're both following the same path?" Justice asked his student. Noticing that Kibou had been seemingly going the same way he was. Izuku smirked slightly and noted he was using a few things to guess where they needed to go. "There's plenty of danger all around but using Danger Sense I know the highest danger things are. And I'm following that to it's end point."

'Not really the way my quirk is supposed to be used!' Hikage said from within OFA. Izuku chuckled and just told the deceased user that it was how the quirk would be used now. "I get it. You're picking up on something a lot more dangerous or powerful down this way, right?" Justice said while following the scent he was picking up. It was a nervous smell, but he could still tell it was a person. 'Sort of? Why do I smell squid guts, barnacles, and the sea on this guy?' he questioned in his mind.

Before long they were next to a heavy steel door with extra security. "You want to do the honors? Or should I?" Justice said with a smirk. "Together." Kibou said while letting his power flow through him. Both cracked their knuckles in different ways. Justice moves his fingers and gripping his left fist tight. And Kibou popped his right knuckles in his left palm. Both threw their best punches forward and smashed the door clean through the room and out the other wall.

"You know, it wasn't locked." Curator said in annoyance from the desk and chest he was sitting on. Justice shrugged and apologized. "But we felt a need to make an entrance. Now. Are you going to come quietly or do we…. Mhn. What is that?" Justice puts a hand to his ear and shakes his head as he hears a ping or click noise.

Curator smiles at this and says, "seems you're more susceptible to this than I expected. Good. Maybe I'll just show what happens when you get in my way!" He then adjusts the dials on his mask quickly. The device practically bursting off his face as he ripped the lock away. And that is when Izuku saw the mismatched face of their foe. His left red wide eye greatly contrasting with the baggy right eye. Not to mention black and white hair and a contrast of pale and black to blue skin on his face. "Now you face the beast!" Curator roars and he transforms and grows to gargantuan size.

And as he's transforming, he lets out a pair of very loud clicks. Causing Justice to scream out in pain as the attack hits him and damages his inner ear. He starts healing but he still can't make out what is happening around him. "Hold on!" Izuku shouts before wrapping his friend in Blackwhips and then using another to pull them out of the hole that Curator had made.

He had been affected by the clicks as well but he kept his healing operating as fast as he could to offset the damage done by the effect. Even canceling out the paralysis that Justice was feeling. Pulling the pair of them to the top of a building and getting a full scope of the foe they were up against. "Okay… wasn't expecting to fight a giant whale today." Izuku jokes slightly but inside he's panicking.

"WHAT?!" Justice shouts while holding his ears. Izuku flies his friend to the top a building and sets him down. And then it seems that John is trying to fly but can't control it. Trashing an air-conditioning unit and collapsing an entrance to the roof by stumbling around. So Izuku is forced to restrain the larger hero. "John! Hey! What's wrong!?" Izuku says while pulling on the tendrils he used to bind his friend.

It's then that he sees the panicked look on his mentor's face. Even with the sunglasses on, he could tell that John couldn't perceive anything currently. "Oh that's not good. Why didn't he have this problem when facing Gang Orca?!" Kibou thought aloud while pulling him down. Only to be interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Itsuka?! Not a good time! John's losing control and…. Actually, your timing is perfect! Can you get to the location I'm sending you?!" Izuku says before pinning a location and telling Resolute where she needs to go.

Before she can get to the location, he feels John trying to leap away from the rooftop. 'No you don't!' Kibou thinks before using more of his tendrils and blackwhips to bind his friend. Quietly chanting "hurry!" as he the in-pain hero struggles against him. He starts losing his grip after two minutes of struggling but luckily help had arrived.

"JOHN!" Itsuka shouts as she chopped through the broken entry that the hero had stumbled in to. "What happened?!" she asked in a panicked tone as she ran over to him. "Watch out! I don't know how he'll all move!" Kibou warns as Justice thrashes around again. Resolute bites her lip before moving in front of John. Grabbing him and holding him tight.

Izuku tries to warn her again, but she doesn't move. "It's okay. It's okay John. You're okay," she says next to his ear and hoping he could her. It does seem to have some effect, but neither can tell exactly what is going on. Kibou only slightly letting up on the bindings to get a look at John's face. And he still looks panicked as his head moves around trying to find something.

"It-Its-Itsuka! Where are you?! I can't… I can't make anything out!" John finally says in fear. Both heroes' eyes widen as they realize more of what is going on. "I'll hold him a bit longer. What do you need?" Kibou says to Resolute as she steps forward. "I need you to unbind one of his hands. I think I can calm him with something," she says while taking off her gauntlet.

As she steps forward, John's left hand is suddenly loose and he starts feeling all around to find or feel anything to help him. Finally grabbing onto something soft yet firm in his panic, while also stopping his panic momentarily. "Uh. Oops." John says with a gulp upon realizing that he'd grabbed Itsuka's breast and could make out some of her form in the fog he was stuck in.

The other two heroes blushed at the action, but Itsuka didn't respond violently. Instead she took ahold of his wrist and removed his hand and put the palm upwards. She then put her ungauntleted hand in his and then started moving her fingers. Spelling out "it's okay John. I'm right here with you" in sign language. 'Glad I decided to learn this from Sahiraah.' Itsuka thinks back a few months at the realization of the necessity given John's senses. Let alone being useful for stealthy infiltration.

John lets out some scared breaths but starts to calm down as he can feel Itsuka's hand moving to his cheek before putting her forehead against his. Closing her eyes and gently whispering, "I love you." The two then came together with a kiss while John cried a little.

"This is kind of cute, but at the same time it's a little awkward from the outside looking in." Kibou says with a blush and teasing smile. Itsuka clears her throat before asking what happened. "We confronted the boss and well….. he turned into that. Most of us didn't know what his quirk was, but I guess this answers it. Seems like a mix of transformation and mutant type. More the former. And he's definitely bigger than a normal…. Sperm whale I guess. Not to mention…."

This got Izuku on something he hadn't done for a while: a mumble spree while analyzing the quirk he was looking at. Itsuka's face fell flat before saying, "please focus Kibou. Any thoughts on how we stop him? Not to mention what he did to John?" Izuku blushed and apologized before noting that it was likely the same situation as with Gang Orca.

Noting, "he used some ultrasonic sounds that did damage, partially paralyzed, and disoriented John. I can't hear them from here, but I'm guessing that he's still using them. Given the way he's been reacting." Itsuka hummed and was about to say something when John started shouting.

"That guy is still making click noises! I keep hearing them! This isn't like with Orca in that he'll stop once we've fallen! He probably knows what it can do to people so he'll keep using that to put others in danger! I don't think I can help in this situation! And you can't get close without worry of being paralyzed!"

The other two heroes were wincing at the shouting but agreed with Justice's assessment. "I can't launch ki attacks quite far enough for anything like that. And I don't think you can put out quite enough to do an air blast or I guess you call it Air Force attack strong enough that would defeat this foe." Itsuka surmised with a look at Izuku.

Who shrugs and agrees. "I can maybe heat the road in front of him to dehydrate his body, but that would lead to even more danger for people. I guess I can throw a few things at him. Maybe make something like a slingshot with my tendrils. But we still need something to wear him down!"

"Uh guys!? I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but I think something huge is headed this way!" John announces while trying to get his hearing back to normal. The pair share looks before Itsuka checks her gauntlet's scanning and radar. "He's right. There is something inbound from what is that?" she says. Starting out composed and then her jaw drops at what she sees.

Izuku is stunned as well and has to rub his eyes a few times to be sure he's not hallucinating. "What….. did you build this time Melissa?" he asks as the machine lands in front of Curator. Who roars at the….. well there is no other way to put it; it's a giant robot. One that didn't actually have a head at this point. As Melissa flew to it with the Ramis pair in tow. "Going to need your help inside! Because I have been wanting to use this thing!" Tech Might says with a big smile at finally getting to drive her Mighty Extreme Giant All Strength armor. Or MEGAS.

Yeah, I went there. I'd been hinting at it for a while, but it felt like something she wouldn't have immediately. Also, don't assume it's finished and it'll be an easy win for the machine or the Giganto copy. And I do have a reason for this. I know the Wild Villains are in a game and you probably can beat them up close in that, but what I laid out as what Curator would do in his giant humanoid sperm whale form. Also, yes. I'm assuming that he's maybe the same size or just a bit taller than Mt Lady who is 69 ft tall. A sperm whale's max length is 52 ft but we are dealing with quirks so a bit of stretching is believable.

Anyway, I'll have the details of the machine in the next chapter. Also, leave a comment or review if you get all of the references in this chapter. There's a bunch of them.