Chapter 78: Two Heroes Arc (2)
~Third POV~
[I-Island, I-City]
After All Might had encouraged his fans and given them his autographs, they met again in a central park. Ren gave him a deadpan expression without his helmet on, with All Might having lipsticks covering his face and various parts of his body, bluntly saying, "And you worry about being alone in the future, All Might-Sensei? You certainly have the charisma and magic to have ladies flock to you."
All Might nervously laughed out loud, rubbing the back of his head and speaking to Ren's blunt response in a nervous tone, "Hahaha! I suppose so, but wow, I didn't think I'd get stopped for so long. I'm afraid at this point we're in terrible danger of being late. I wanted to drop in on a dear old pal of mine who I haven't seen in quite a while."
Ren simply laughed, placing a hand over his mouth and responding in a cheeky tone, "Sure. But don't go overboard setting Melissa and me up, okay? Besides, I'm not exactly sure how a very old virgin knows how – ow!"
*Smack*
All Might speak out loud, pouting lightly as Ren rubbed the back of his head, "[Texas Chop]! Hmph! You certainly have a mouth on you, but I've been on my fair share of dates. Some you wouldn't believe."
Ren held back from rolling his eyes but still thought to himself smugly, 'While you play on dates I've tasted pussy.'
But soon, All Might spoke near Ren's ear, whispering the news, informing his successor in a serious tone, gaining his attention, "By the way, I haven't told him about One for All or how I've passed my Quirk to you, so keep everything under wraps, okay?"
Curtly nodding, understanding the seriousness, he replied in a determined tone, "Gotcha, I'll keep my lips sealed."
*Boing*
*Boing*
*Boing*
However, both their heads turned to find the source of the boing sound coming towards them. All Might smiled seeing a familiar figure on an advanced pogo stick as Ren used [Observe] on her.
[Melissa Shield Lv.10 Shield Heiress
Description: Melissa is a kindhearted girl with a positive attitude and vast intelligence. Despite being Quirkless, Melissa works hard and desires to become a hero. She looks up to heroes like All Might but admires her father the most.
She has heard news of the Gamer Ren Yuki having a great impression with All Might, mentioning his achievements and goals. Learning about his 'true' Quirk of [Gamer's Path] wishing to know more or if possible gain perks wishing to have a pseudo-Quirk-like ability to fit in with everyone.]
Melissa is a pale-skinned young woman of slightly above-average height with quite a round face. She has wavy blonde hair halfway down her back, two shorter pieces she leaves over her shoulders, side-swept bangs that frame her face, aqua-blue eyes with notable upper eyelashes, some slightly longer ones extending on each side, and pronounced lower eyelashes.
She normally wears a white short-sleeved dress shirt with plaid cuffs, a large bow of the same design at her neck, and a dark raspberry-pink waistcoat. Accompanying these are pale gray Capri pants, under which are a pair of plaid pink socks as well as a pair of heeled brown boots. She also wears a wristwatch and pink, oval-framed glasses.
Coming closer to them, Melissa spoke in an excited tone, hopping over with her advanced pogo stick, "Uncle! Uncle Might! There you are, Uncle! Finally! Haha…"
*Boing*
Using her advanced pogo stick she jumped right into All Might's arms excitedly coming into a hug, "Welcome, Uncle Might!"
*Pat*
Twirling around into a hug All Might replied in a happy tone holding her up, "It's so good to see you, Melissa!"
Melissa looked at All Might with an excited grin on her face as she said in a happy tone, "Oh, my gosh, it's been forever. I can't believe you're actually here!"
All Might smiled fondly, putting Melissa down and returning the greeting in a happy tone, meeting an old friend, "I'm truly grateful for the invitation. I almost didn't recognize you. When did you go and get so grown up?"
Melissa smiled with a light blush on her face, lightly embarrassed as she responded in a kind tone, "Well, I'm 17 years old now, you know! Much heavier than the last time you saw me."
All Might playfully raised her in the air as she laughed happily, "Are you? No."
Ren left them to their moment All Might finally placed her down as she spoke in a happy tone, meeting Uncle Might, "Glad to see you're looking well, though I suppose you always are…"
Ren calmly let them have their moment as they laughed. Soon, All Might asked, looking around for his friend Dave in a curious tone, "And Dave? Where's he hiding?"
She giggles childishly as she reveals where her father's whereabouts are located with a wink and whispering gesture in an excited tone, "Oh, he's in his lab. He had a breakthrough in the research he's been focusing on for years. Actually, he has no idea you're even here; this is just a little surprise to celebrate his work."
All Might looked a bit surprised but soon spoke with his held up high in an understanding tone, "So that's what this is about. Give me the scoop. What is he cooking up this time?"
Melissa replied with a smile in a curious tone tilting her head, "He said it's confidential. He won't even tell me what he's been doing."
All Might comments in a loud tone at Melissa's response, "Scientists and their secrets."
When they were done discussing with each other, All Might introduced Melissa to Ren as he calmly waited for them in a happy tone, "Oh, right, young Yuki. Allow me to introduce you to my friend Dave's daughter."
But soon, his presence was known without his helmet as Melissa finally acknowledged Ren's presence with a glint of curiosity in her pure blue aqua eyes as she introduced herself in a respectful tone, extending her hand for a handshake, "It's really nice to meet you. I'm Melissa Shield. Uncle Might has told me all about you."
Extending his hand for a handshake in return with a grin, Ren introduced himself in a respectful tone to her, "Same I heard many good things from you from All Might. My name's Ren Yuki a student from the Hero Course and Class Rep of Class 1-A from UA Highschool. It's a pleasure meeting you, Melissa. Hope we get along."
With introductions over, Melissa looked a bit surprised by his introduction, smiling as she spoke, stunned, "In the hero course? So that's how you know Uncle Might."
Understanding her misinterpretation, Ren pointed out in a sheepish tone, "Yeah. I'm his student or rather his successor."
Melissa's eyes widened, mouth agape, having not been informed of this. She darted her head towards All Might with a light nod, allowing her to know in a happy tone, "It's true, Melissa. Ren here would become a great pro hero one day. And not only that, my successor for his generation."
Gasping at such confirmation, eyes widening, she placed her hand over her mouth, muttering in a stunned tone, "Ah! I can't believe I'm meeting someone that Uncle Might teaches! You must have a promising future being his successor."
Trembling in excitement, Ren calmly replied to her answer question with a grin, "Well, I hope so. I still have a lot to learn myself, having my clones in different courses in UA and learning all I can from All Might-Sensei."
Melissa looked interested in Ren's capabilities as she leaned closer, not used to having people around her age discussing with her in a curious tone, "So, what kind of Quirk do you have? I know I heard from All Might about this gamer quirk, but nothing about clones?"
Raising an eyebrow at All Might, Melissa circles him. All Might whistled a bit under his deadpan expression, responding in a chill tone, "That would be because of my Quirk I got from my customization. [All in One] the ability to copy any quirk permanently as my own. I also have a skill that can refine Quirks and create items with my [Create] Quirk."
However, his words seem to be ignored as Melissa examines Ren's costumes, invading his personal space in a neutral tone, muttering out loud, touching his costume, "The costume's cool. Though it's a pretty simplistic design. Huh, I don't see any support items either. It looks like you should think about upgrading your gear a bit. But you do have some muscles to make the costume work…"
All Might clears his throat, soon getting Melissa's attention as she yelps back, "Melissa, shall we?"
She yelps up, getting distracted by Ren's Hero Costume as she quickly apologizes in an embarrassed tone, getting her advanced pogo stick, "Oh! Sorry, I got distracted. Heh. If we hurry, we can surprise Papa in his lab! It's right over here."
The two soon followed her, with Ren asking in a serious tone, allowing All Might to share his information, "Okay… All Might, I'll be frank. Why did you share that secret with Melissa? I'm not angry or anything, but I was under the assumption that Nezu and you were the only ones in the know?"
Understanding where Ren was coming from All Might exclaimed gaining Ren's attention in a serious tone, "But we did in the principal office inform you adding another brilliant mind. In the future, you'll need someone comfortable in creating your support gear. I know you have Mei Hatsume and Izuku Midoriya under your wing but having someone who 'knows' your Quirk best might let them have insight into how to customize your Hero Costume or Support Items to be effective. Besides Nezu allowed me to share that info with her as he puts it easy for you in the future whatever that means."
Ren turned [High Spec] on to get a grasp on why Nezu was fine with this development. It didn't take too long to figure out, as he realized in a neutral tone, 'Aw right Nezu and All Might did mention it. He's right. Between All Might and Nezu, those two don't exactly have a long lifespan. Add that All Might see Melissa following David he wants us to be the new duo, but no secrets. However…'
Looking ahead, seeing Melissa showing them the way, he smiled with a light chuckle escaping his lips in a stoic tone, '… it might be best I start sharing that ability soon. Not to everyone, but considering that Melissa will become a vital ally for me in the future, I suppose sharing that secret wouldn't hurt. That and her connections to I-Island would be important in the future with her being tempted to be 'part' of the Quirks with my [Gamer's Path]. That and Nezu probably want me to produce a new powerful hero with someone suitable for me with good genes and brains. That rat has no definition of tact when it comes to being human. Heh.'
Both soon followed Melissa with an excited step they took…
/////
[I-Island, Airport]
Meanwhile, at the time with All Might and Ren met with Melissa, another event was happening at the airport. A group of people managed to see the entrance visiting inside I-Island through proper channels.
*Beep*
*Beep*
A phone was ringing as it finally connected them to their client the leader of the mercenary group named Wolfram spoke in a neutral tone, "We infiltrated the expo without a problem. So? When do the goods arrive?"
Through the voice under a voice modulator, making their voice hidden to Wolfram mercenary gang, "3 PM. You'll find them at Gate 66."
Wolfram gazing at the scene coldly responded being professional, "Then we'll be waiting."
Having ended the call, the mercenary gang soon began to move out, keeping eyes out of the public's eyes. They soon vanished within the crowd preparing for their next set of orders…
/////
[I-Island, Central Tower, Shield's Lab]
I-Island's primary setting for research and development is the 200-story tower in the center of the island. It was built sturdier than a bomb shelter and is the central command for the entire island.
The central tower hosts over a hundred floors, each with a different purpose. There is an elevator with restricted access and a set of stairs leading to every level. I-Island security is managed from the control room on the top floor. Each floor is secured with shutter doors and special roof hatches in case of an emergency.
There is a reception hall on the second floor. Secret development projects are kept in the storage room, and the tower's security signal is broadcast from the server room. There is also a plant factory on the 80th floor for research on how Quirks affect plant life. The tower is powered by a wind turbine energy generation system.
Within one of the floors was David Shield's Lab stood a tall man of an average build with aqua eyes and light brown hair. He has light wrinkles on his face from age. His hair is short and messy, with two prominent tufts for bangs, and he has a short goatee.
He wears wide-rimmed, square glasses, a blue button-up, pale pants, a dark belt with a metal buckle, and navy sneakers with a red accent and light soles. On his left arm, he also wears a dark watch along with a wedding ring.
This man is David Shield as he gazed through his phone at a photo of All Might in his glory days, smiling till he heard the voice of his assistant, "Excuse me. Um, Professor?"
David's eyes turned toward Samuel Abraham, a scientist and assistant. Samuel, or Sam, his nickname, is an older, heavier man with short blond hair and blue eyes, which are normally kept closed. He wears typical business attire, a suit and tie outfit with slacks, suspenders, and shoes.
Sam, getting David's attention, notified him of the empty Gate 66 in a calm tone, "I've finished putting the equipment away, just so you know."
Hearing this, David put his phone away and smiled as he asked in a calm tone, "Already? Thanks so much, Sam."
Both soon began to leave the area as Sam exclaimed in a neutral tone from behind, "Why don't you get out of the lab today and go have some lunch with Melissa?"
David merely grinned as he eyed his assistant in a chipper tone through his lab, "She's busy today at the I-Island Academy."
This caught Sam by surprise he said in a surprised tone about that info, "Oh? I thought they were on break for I-Expo."
With his eyes closed, a smile on his face, and his hand over his hip, he replied in a happy tone about his daughter, "Yes, but she's doing independent research."
But that was when Melissa appeared, surprising her father in a proud tone, "You know me, I'm my father's daughter. For better or for worse."
David's eyes widened as he exclaimed in a surprised tone, "Melissa, hey!"
Melissa comes to greet her father as Sam smiles seeing her in a friendly tone, "Hello, Miss, it's so good to see you."
Melissa returned the greeting in a friendly tone to Sam, thanking him for his work, "Aw, right back at ya, Sam. Thanks for always taking care of Papa since he does nothing but work here constantly."
Hearing her slander, David raised his hands in mock surrender as he explained himself in an embarrassed tone, "Come on, I'm not that bad. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Melissa smiled as she raised her hand in an excited tone, shaking in excitement, "Oh, you'll see. Since you completed the first stage of your research, I invited someone here to celebrate with us. A person you dearly love."
*Gasp*
David's eyes widened as he gasped, with All Might appearing in a proud and loud tone, striking a Jojo pose with Ren behind him, having the All Might Theme playing in the background, "Yes, I am here! Shaking with emotion for our heartfelt reunion!"
David takes a step back, exclaiming as Sam takes a step back, sweating bullets. He felt nervous seeing his friend arrive as he spoke in a surprised tone, "Toshi – A-All Might?"