138th floor,
A swarm of red-eyed drones welcomed the students in the Server Room.
"A trap?!" Midoriya guessed, taking a step back. "Let's do this…"
He raised his fist, covered in a red gauntlet. It was a device that Melissa had given him right after the I-Expo had ended.
It was called Full Gauntlet and was designed to take on All Might's three punches.
That meant Midoriya could pour 100% of One For All in his right hand without worrying about the backlash three times.
However, just as Midoriya was about to punch the drones to smithereens, Melissa stopped him.
"No, wait!" she cried, holding everyone back. "This is the Server Room. If we accidentally damaged any electronics, then the Security System of the Island will never go back to its original setting…"
Tenya tsked. "That's why they trapped us here!"
As everyone shared Tenya's doubts, even more drones dropped from the ceiling, their numbers rising to hundreds.
Momo looked around and let out a sigh. "We will stop the security machines here," she declared. "As long as Melissa reaches the Control Room, everything will be fine, right?"
Tenya, Kyoka, Mineta, and others nodded as well.
"Midoriya," Tenya said. "Take Melissa and find a different route to the top."
Midoriya was about to say something, but paused, sensing the urgency of the matter.
Not only did they need to restore the Security System to release All Might and other Pros now, but they also needed to save Luke, who had been kidnapped by Dr. Blessed.
Nodding at Tenya and Momo, Midoriya turned around and ran. "Melissa!"
Melissa stared at everyone's backs for a moment.
Then, grabbing Uraraka's wrist, she ran behind Midoriya.
…
Melissa took Midoriya and Uraraka to the Wind Power Generator Hall.
"If we take the tower's route, then even more drones will be waiting for us," she explained. "It's best to take the emergency exit at the top and reach directly to the floor where the Control Room is."
As Melissa pointed up, Midoriya and Uraraka had to crane their neck to find the emergency exit.
Uraraka's eyes lit up. "I will use my Quirk on you guys!"
However, just as she used her Quirk on Melissa and Midoriya, making them float, another swarm of drones arrived from the top.
"Uraraka!" Midoriya, carrying Melissa on her back, shouted. "Release your Quirk and Run!"
"No!" Uraraka faced the drones, standing her ground. "I will…"
Dozens of drones jumped at her, cutting her words short.
Up in the air, Midoriya and Melissa's hearts skipped a beat.
Then, something happened that left the three of them confused and shocked.
One by one, all the drones lost their lights, powering down. Those who were in the air as they lunged at Uraraka also dropped on her sides, skidding a few meters.
And, as Midoriya and Melissa gawked at the sight, a powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew them off the tower.
…
Down, in the Server Room, Tenya got ganged up on by the drones after using too much of his Quirk.
Without Orange Juice, he couldn't refuel his Engines to keep pounding the drones as well.
Behind him, Kyoka used the cannon created by Momo, firing soft, gelatinous ammo at the drones.
However, behind her, Momo's entire face had gone pale. She could barely see anything now after creating so many things in such a short amount of time. Such was the case with Mineta and Toru as well.
After capturing Tenya, the drones lunged at Kyoka, taking her down as well.
Then, with an alarming intensity, they rushed at Momo.
What's going on?! Nyx cursed under her breath, flying above everyone else. He was supposed to disable these pieces of metal shit by now…
Seeing dozens of drones swarming around Mineta, Toru, and Kaminari, and the rest rushing at Momo, something snapped within Nyx. She couldn't use any Quirk without Luke activating them within her. However, she wasn't just a warehouse for Luke's Quirks. Not anymore.
Taking a deep breath, the Clown slashed her wings toward the drones rushing at Momo.
A few of her feathers shot across the space like metallic blurs and lodged themselves at the back of those drones.
Electric sparks crackled out of those drones before they exploded in a blast of smoke.
Almost simultaneously, all drones lost their power and stopped right where they were.
Panting, Momo looked up, barely able to see a black dot through her blurred vision, and then passed out.
…
Up at the Wind Power Generator Hall, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Eijiro coincidentally arrived at the right time.
Bakugo unhinged one of the turbines, and Todoroki used his flames to redirect Midoriya and Melissa toward the Tower.
Because of the extreme momentum, Midoriya had to use a full-power One For All to stop before they smashed into the wall.
"Let's hurry…" Midoriya said, lifting Melissa as they landed.
Melissa nodded. "Be careful… There might be more Villains waiting for us…"
…
Surprisingly, they didn't encounter any Villain as they went up, becoming another mystery just as the sudden powering down of the drones.
Just as they reached the corridor leading to the Control Room, they saw Melissa's dad, Dr. David Shield. He and his assistant were working on the control panel within the Storage Vault, not far from the Control Room.
Feeling relieved as they saw the two unharmed, they neared the Storage Vault's entrance before the shock of what they heard rooted them to their places.
"Everything went as planned," Samuel was saying, taking out a suitcase from the storage vault. "It seems the Villains are handling everything well."
"Thank you," David said, leaving the control panel. "It's only because you arranged everything for me, Sam."
A shuffle of steps made their heads snap at the entrance.
Melissa, bare feet, and Midoriya by her side, looked at her father with a blank face.
"Papa…" she asked, brokenly stepping forward. "Don't tell me… You are behind the Villains?!"
And watching everything playing out from the Control Room, Pop*Step gasped. "I knew it!"
Standing behind her, Luke's lips twitched. "Come on…" he said, pulling her away from the drama. "We are done here."
Everything was going as planned, he observed as David and Melissa argued on the screen, a fuming Wolfram advancing toward them from the elevator.
Then, taking a last look at Momo and Nyx and others, and making sure that they were alright, Luke sighed, thinking —
Let's just hope there aren't any unknown variables anymore…
******************
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100 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter