Chapter 36 - Celebration 2/2

Meanwhile, Melissa fixed herself up. Weirdly hearing her Aunt argue with Leo, then suddenly, the two laughed. Curious, she thought about what they could be discussing.

Her face heated at the thought of it, "Gosh! Could they be talking about how I shrieked the entire flight? That's embarrassing!" Not wanting to think about it further, she got to prepping the ingredients. Trying to kill the blush she felt on her face.

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Eating to their delight, the two families talked and enjoyed their meals with chatter. The star of the night, Leo, was asked about how he was trained, what they learned at SHIELD Academy, and the environment there.

"All I can say is, it's not for the faint of heart," Leo sighed. Remembering all those jogging exercises with their advisor throwing fresh human guts at them made him queasy as he ate. The worse thing was, their teacher was an ENDLESS supplier of it!

"I was a guest lecturer for SHIELD Academy once," David shared, earning looks of surprise from the table. But suddenly, his face morphed pale and disgusted. "Long story short, there was a teacher throwing animal guts at the students! Can you imagine that!?" His hands up and spread, showing the bewilderment of his experience at the school.

Hands to her mouth in a gasp, Lucy couldn't stomach the idea of throwing animal innards at children. Oh, only if they knew it was human intestines, not animals. Unconsciously, she looked at Leo for any signs of familiarity but saw none. 'Hmm. I guess that teacher has retired or been removed.' Were her thoughts.

'Wow... I didn't know Teach had an encounter with Mr. David. Shows how old the guy really is if I think about it.' Keeping a straight face, not wanting to show any hint that he was under that very same teacher.

"Speaking of Academies, have you ever wanted to be a Hero?" Leo asked, looking at Melissa, wanting to know more about her.

Forlorn on her face, "I did... actually... I still do!" With determination in her tone, "I've always wanted to be a Hero. My Uncle inspired me to be one, but my lack of quirk holds me back." Taking a bite of pork cutlets.

"Your mind made up for your lack of quirk." Praised Leo. He is smart. But people like Melissa hold the title of Genius. With a capital G. "Punching and destroying concrete is easy." Motioning punches like a skit. "But to make support items that rival quirks and are better than most? That takes more than just raw power. I genuinely believe you can be one, with or without."

The genuine and confident belief in Leo's words made her blush madly! 'Funny how Uncle Might was the one who inspired me... and yet Leo, who I just met today, beats him to the punch.' No one apart from her Papa and Aunt Lucy said those words. Now, Leo is one of them.

"Thank you for believing," she smiled vibrantly at him but slowly dropped it, "but I cannot match your confidence. The reason why Papa went out and surprised me with a project, in turn, employing Aunt Lucy." Mouthing 'Thank you' at her Aunt and receiving a mouthed 'Welcome' in return.

'She certainly has a winning smile,' Leo replaying that smile she gave him. Slowly falling down that rabbit hole.

With Heroes having quirks and quirks becoming a social need, Melissa has yet to find true confidence in her young self. She always strives to improve and develop herself in school, already beating kids with IQ-boosting quirks in support-making events. Yet that wasn't enough for her. She wanted that one single thing to call it hers. Something she didn't have to buckle on.

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[AN: Okay, a slight pause. Some might argue about what I just said. However, this is a younger Melissa and a fanfic. Even having a weak and meaningless quirk will validate someone's worth.

Hell, a kid with a quirk that can lengthen his fingers by centimeters was BULLYING Deku. Imagine that? Someone with longer fingers is actually degrading someone more intelligent than him? And yet people actually believe that longer fingers can translate to Hero.

For example, every Aldera Student in Deku's class raised their hands to be a Hero as their future listed career goal. And they all truly believed they could, and no one said they couldn't. They only said something when the quirkless kid also wanted to be one! And to note, listing career goals in Japan is actually an important thing, apparently.]

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Curious about his mom's employment, "If I may ask," Leo eyed David, who motioned to continue, "What has mom been helping you with? You're a renowned Quirk Specialist and Support Inventor, but her expertise is mainly physical and quirk control if I remember right."

"I specialize in them, Leo. But it also doesn't mean I don't know how to dabble in biological research." Lucy added. Getting an 'ohhhh' from her son.

David pondered if he should share but shrugged, seeing no harm. 'The kid seems trustworthy enough that he's able to enter the island through SHIELD Academy connections. So, why not?'

"Well, -"

But before he could speak, Melissa butted in. "Papa," she eyed her father, "I want to be the one to explain. It's about me, after all..." To which David nodded with an understanding smile.

"When Aunt applied to be a Quirk Control Specialist for I-Island, Papa was the one to immediately accept her resume," Melissa said, giving context for Leo. "I mean no disrespect; however, usually, it takes years before a scientist is even accepted to live on the island. Various background checks are done and so on."

Now, this was news to Lucy as well. 'It was suspiciously quick... but I can't complain about opportunities.' "None taken, dear," Lucy assured Melissa that she understood such things.

"Anyway, Aunt was quickly accepted since Papa was desperate for any extra hands he could get that he bypassed some regulations within the island."

But Leo threw a question before Melissa could continue further, "Why was he desperate exactly?" Looked at everyone, showing either of them could answer it.

"The younger a body is, the better it would adapt to a quirk," His mom answered. "As the body grows, so do the quirk cells inside them. The two grow in sync. The body adapts while the quirk strengthens. But it decreases when a person reaches their young adult years. A reason why Hero Academies start early as High School and not University. By the time someone trains in University, their potential has been immensely halved, never reaching their peak."

Hearing his mom speak, he broke down what she said and immediately got the gist when he took Melissa's situation into the fold. "You're trying to get Melissa a quirk, am I right? And are rushing since Melissa is reaching adulthood in four years, right?"

The person in question nodded at Leo, "That's correct. However, nothing seems to work, unfortunately. We have studied how quirk cells evolve, signs of activation, and more... yet none of the tests seem to work for me." Her tone was disappointed, evidently.

But it took a drastic turn...

David seeing his daughter's dejected face, pained him greatly. He felt like he failed as a scientist in the field of quirks when he couldn't give his daughter what she truly wanted in life. But he had a card up his sleeve.

"I suppose I'm going to have to bring in the presents early," David announced while removing his glasses; all heads whipped to his side swiftly at his words.

"Papa, I know I'm sad, but you don't have to whip out presents this early. Christmas is still days away!" Melissa responded, still not understanding her father's meaning.

"Haha! It's fine. This present is actually a project your mom and I worked on before her passing." If presents didn't widen her eyes, this one did.

Melissa's mother died during childbirth. A villain attacked their home, forcing her to go into pre-mature labor. This happened when they were still in the States. Hence Melissa never got to know her mother personally.

[AN: It's canon that Melissa's mother died due to a villain. It was mentioned in the movie but only in a sentence about how if All Might stayed in the States, maybe David wouldn't have lost his wife if the crime rate was as low as Japan's!]

Even Lucy's interest was caught; David never really talked about his wife, only mentioning how he had one and misses her occasionally.

"What's this about, mother?"

"Our project was supposed to be a game changer, but it never saw the finish line when your mother passed away," David said in somber, taking a few sips of his wine as he did.

"Nanotechnology" made Leo flinch in amazement, "It's what your mother and I believe to be the peak of robotics. But unfortunately, when your mother passed, and you were born, I didn't have the heart to finish it. I always viewed it as an anchor that your mother is always there. Thought to myself, if I finish it, then she's totally gone."

Already expected from removing his glasses, he swipes his reddened eyes, the emotion building within him.

"But when you showed your heart and dreams to be a Hero, it made me think that our unfinished project would continue," swirling his glass of wine, then looked at his daughter.

"With you at its inheritor," pointing at Melissa. 'Toshi, it seems your speeches have rubbed off on me.'

"Which is why, over the years, I worked and developed it on the side but never really gave my all. As a scientist, I never placed my eggs in one basket. Hence this artificial quirk project. But seeing it fail, I decided to place my bet on the nanites." Then, David showed a gift-wrapped box colored with Christmas themes.

"Merry Christmas," with those words, Melissa barrelled straight for her Papa and hugged him tightly. The Morningstars were quiet but touched by the scene.

"Thank you. Mom and Dad," Melissa whispered to David and released the tight hug. "So, it's inside the box?" She asked, excited at the prospect of it.

"Haha, just say the word, 'Accept,' and you'll be the sole owner of it."

Following his instructions, she spoke with anticipation, "Accept!" And to her surprise, the red and green box turned colorless and dark, like iron sand. "Wh-WOAH!" She exclaimed, making the Morningstars stand to observe better.

The sand-like texture slowly disappeared, melding inside her, ready to be used any time. "It felt like liquid... yet it's sandy?" She voiced. "What's the energy source for this? What can it do? What's the material made of?" Her science-curious self sprang out, shooting questions at the get-go. Still staring in wonder how the big box just disappeared into her!

"Haha! Slow down, kiddo, let's finish eating first; food will get cold the more we speak." David said, making the group chuckle at Melissa's excitement.

"Sorry if I took your spotlight, considering this dinner was supposed to be about you," sheepish and embarrassed, Melissa apologized to Leo. However, Leo waved casually, "Nah, that'd be childish. Congratulations, by the way!"

"Thanks!"

As they ate and talked, Leo spoke and opened a can of worms, "Do you need help packing, Melissa?" Confused, she tilted her head and asked for clarification, taking a sip of water. "What do you mean?" The two parents, too, were confused.

"You're coming with me to SHIELD Academy, aren't you?" Leo said, not knowing what he said was outrageous in of itself.

"PFFTT! *COUGH!* *COUGH!" wh-WHAT!?" Gobsmacked by what she was hearing, Melissa sprayed water at a wall and heaved in heavy coughs from the water.

Like the good-natured child he is, he handed her a paper towel which she accepted readily. Though he got glances at David and his mom, both having the same face of "shocked."

"Can we please eat dinner first? I can't handle this!" Melissa exclaimed, making Leo laugh. But something startled her; something spoke.

[Your heart rate and brain activity have elevated abruptly. Shall we enter Combat Mode?] A voice of a woman spoke in her ear, scaring her! "AHHH!"

The voice spooked her suddenly, causing her to stumble and fall from her chair. *Crash~!*

[Slight trauma to the body. Are you in danger? If you don't respond, nanites will enter Combat Mode in five seconds.]

"Wha-WHat!? No, no! I'm not!" Melissa's voice raised, bewildering the two Morningstars. However, Leo stood up and helped her rise to her feet. "You alright? You seem spooked."

"I-I'm alright, but a woman just spoke, didn't you hear?" Her words puzzled Leo. "Ehm, no? I didn't hear anything."

In the background, David was snickering, getting the attention of Melissa. "*Chuckle* Sorry, Melissa. But you're probably hearing the AI that comes with the nanites. You're under tutorial since I can't just give you full reins. You might hurt yourself. And it's learning with you as well. Think of it as a sidekick, if you will?"

"However, I suppose I should mention the power source. You have to charge it like a phone until we solve its power storage for you to bring around. Since you're in training mode, energy won't be a problem yet. But its feature is that it can charge through kinetic energy. So do move around more." David gave a lengthy explanation of the nanites after he saw Melissa's plate almost finished.

"Hmm, I see," Melissa replied, already thinking of the many uses the nanites could do.

For now, Melissa's nanites are under training mode until she has complete mastery of them. At full potential, the nanites will work by intuition rather than questions like now. It will study her brainwaves, know when she's in danger, and much more. It's the perfect support tool.

However, its power source is still in question. For now, David's charged it with a month's capacity for training purposes. If he can't solve this, Melissa will have to remove the nanites from her body, recharge them like a phone, then store them once more in her.

He thought of contacting Stark about the power source but doubted he'd be willing to share secrets about his Arc Reactor. But it goes both ways; he, too, is unwilling to share the creation of his nanites.

It's not like there's a biological battery waiting to be passed around... or is there?

Meanwhile, Leo, who had returned to his seat, chuckled at Melissa's thought-processing face. 'Cute.'

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CHEERS!

[PLEASE READ]

Okay, I know I mentioned Tony Stark in this fic and borrowed his name and all, but do think of it as him still only having his armors and no nanites. Now, as for nanites, it ain't far-fetched. In the movie, Melissa rode on a pogo stick that collapsed back into the size of a USB Stick. And she even made a support item for Izuku to try out. Remember that red gauntlet in the movie? That gauntlet, which can withstand three 100% of All Might, was THICK asf, yet it collapsed into the size of a bracelet.

Now, for those worrying Melissa might be in danger, this is my answer. She'd be Schwi from No Game No Life. It's one of those reasons why this fic took so long to progress. I kept thinking, who could be Leo's partner with a unique power that isn't just One For All, Strength-quirk, the normal stuff, y'know?

By the way, I thought of Leo's Hero's name. How do you guys feel about [The Armored Hero: Spartan]? It's similar to his father's, Pantheon. It's Greek in culture as well. Another bonus is Leo's helmet... well Thomas Andre's armor is like a Spartan on steroids, no?

Anyway, enjoy! Tell me how the current progress is!