Ch.74

Rumi and I headed just got off the boat which brought us to I-Island, the place that holds the I-Expo event each year. This island is also the place where they make and improve technology, but specialize in hero technology. Usually, they send out invites to the top one hundred heroes to come and see the place. Rumi has never taken an interest in this before since she relies purely on her own strength and skill instead of any tech. This year we went since my Uncle invited us, plus the young girl who sees my Uncle as family is going to be there showcasing her latest achievement in the field.

Rumi and I step into the mini-city like Island that has many different buildings for different purposes. They even have some houses for the staff that works here year-round. I wore comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, while Rumi wore comfortable clothes too, wearing some skinny jeans and a white v-neck shirt. We stood out a bit since either people here wore staff uniforms or suits/dresses. Though neither of us cared for the looks people shot us, since Rumi and I have never cared about other people's opinions much. Only those we considered friends or family we cared about, in terms of opinions.

"Akihiko, Rumi! You both made it! I thought you both would skip out the event again," my Uncle says with his signature smile as he approaches us along with a handful of students from U.A. I recognize Midoriya and Shoto, plus the kid that is like Rumi is here.

"Yeah, I talked Akihiko into coming since you have decided to come yourself too," Rumi says with a smirk at me, while I roll my eyes at her.

"I'm glad, these are some students from U.A. as I'm sure you're–" my Uncle starts to say before one of the girls from the class interrupts him.

"Mirko!! Oh my god, it really is Mirko!!" a pink colored girl with yellow antennas coming out of her head says now seeing Rumi and me.

"Oh someone recognizes me and not a young boy," Rumi says with a teasing smile at the class who now looks over at us. Some of the boys get red faced at hearing Rumi's teasing and I just chuckle. Rumi has a decent fan base, most of the girls and some of the boys like her because Rumi is the top female hero and a great hero too. While her other fans seem to like her for another reason, which only pisses me off when they stare at her like a piece of meat.

"Yeah I do! You're my favorite hero!" the pink girl says running over.

"Thanks, what's your name?" Rumi asks the girl who ran over to us.

"Mina Ashido, when I graduate U.A. I'm gonna be a great hero like you," Mina says with a smile and determined look.

"I look forward to the day you become a hero then," Rumi says with an evil looking smile, but I can tell Rumi just wants to fight the girl testing her power.

"Can I get an autograph and picture?" Mina asks Rumi with an excited look. Rumi nods her head.

"Sure, Akihiko can you take a picture of us," Rumi says while signing the paper the girl gave her. I nod my head and take the girl's phone before taking a picture of the two.

"Thanks!" Mina says with an extremely happy expression before running back to her friends. Shoto looks at us and gives a small nod, which I nod back in greeting since he isn't the most sociable kid.

"Want to join us in touring the place?" my Uncle says with a chuckle after his student runs off.

"Sure," Rumi says grabbing my hand and dragging me after my Uncle and his class.

As we walk around the Island and look at each place showing off a new tech or item to help heroes, a young woman maybe eighteen or nineteen runs over to my Uncle. I recognize her as the girl who always looked up to my Uncle and considers him family. Her name is Melissa Shield the daughter of David Shield, who is considered the greatest inventor of our time.

"Uncle Toshinori! Glad you could make it! Oh, this must be your class from U.A. and Akihiko is here too, Rumi too!" Melissa says to my Uncle while looking at the students and then seeing us.

"Young Melissa it is good to see you too! Your father told me this year you would be showing your latest invention," my Uncle says while giving her a hug.

"Yeah it's nothing much, though my dad heard you showed up and is looking for you," Melissa says after the hug.

"Oh, then I will go see him. Akihiko, Rumi can you stay with the kids?" my Uncle says to us I give a tired sigh, while Rumi nods her head.

"I can show you all around too," Melissa says with a smile to us all. I just shrug indifferently, while the kids look excited to see more.

"Thanks," my Uncle says to us before walking off.

'To think he is a teacher, leaving his students with random people who his class doesn't really know. Then again I guess it is better than just ditching the class completely,' I think to myself annoyed that I'm now helping babysit a class of students.

Some of the students look at us three adults like lost puppies. Shoto seems like he wants to be anywhere else, Midoriya is taking all sorts of notes at everything he sees, Mina is staring at Rumi with an almost obsessed face, and the one with Rumi's personality looks like he is about to strangle Midoriya.

'Fuck my life,' I think with an internal sigh.

"Ok guys follow me! I'll show you everything we do here!" Melissa says with a happy go lucky smile while walking off. The kids quickly follow after her, while Rumi shoots me a teasing smile knowing I'm annoyed before grabbing my hand and dragging me after them.

After a few hours of following Melissa and her showing us pretty much everything she could. Melissa then brings us to the large skyscraper with maybe two hundred plus stories, in the center of the island. This building hosts the party and main event for the I-Expo. We all enter and head to the twentieth floor where it is being held, Melissa runs off to change into her dress for the event while Rumi and I sit as the kids mingle with all the other people in the room.

"I think we should start trying," Rumi says to me in a hushed voice. At first, I look at her with a confused face, but then it dawns on me.

"Now?" I say with a straight face, trying to mess with her though she sees right through it as she chuckles.

"Hmm, they do have some room here...though looks like the event is starting," Rumi says with a teasing smile, then we see someone walk to the front of the room to speak.

'Where the hell is Toshinori?' I think to myself as we haven't seen my Uncle since he left this morning. Then just as I finish the thought my Uncle walks in with his hero costume on and goes next to the man about to speak.

Just as the man says hello, the defense system of the whole building turns on subduing the heroes, luckily Rumi and I remain fine since we weren't dressing in our hero costumes. Just as the defense system activates a dozen men walk in with guns and point them at everyone. Then a man with a metal mask, white trench coat, black body armor, blood red hair, and yellow eyes walks in right after. I place my hand on Rumi's shoulder, she gives me confused look and I just shake my head. As I want to see what is happening before she does something and possibly injures one of the civilians or students in the process.

"Hello everyone, you can call me Wolfram. I'm here just to get what I need and then we will be on our way. However, should anyone, and I mean anyone does anything stupid, they will be killed. This whole Island is under my control, so if you all just relax and let us do our thing it will be over fairly quickly," the man calling himself Wolfram says with an evil smirk while eyeing everyone in the room, especially the heroes.

I noticed some of the students had managed to sneak away just as the defense system went online. Which is both concerning and possibly good, as they may be able to do something to help. I make eye contact with my Uncle, who gives me a hard look before shaking his head. Since the man in charge is unarmed he most likely has a quirk, so once he leaves I will burn this room to nothing killing the armed men and cameras. At the same time that may lead them to harm others once they assume the heroes broke loose. The leader then leaves after his speech.

"Akihiko, can you do anything?" Rumi whispers to me while I look around the room taking everything in.

"I can try, though it could backfire very quickly," I whisper back as the armed men walk around the room looking at everyone with glares.

"I say we wait a few more minutes in order to let the leader leave the area fully before I act. As I'm unsure what his quirk is, but it must be strong if he was ready to attack a place that even my Uncle was a part of," I whisper to Rumi after taking the whole room's situation in. I now know how many armed men, cameras, and defensive systems should be in the room.

These all need to be neutralized at once while keeping everyone else unharmed. I have done similar things before, but this room is packed and has dozens of defensive systems and cameras. This will be somewhat difficult for me to target these many things with my fire and not harm anyone at the same time. Rumi seeing my look smiles at me and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

With a sigh, I stand up and let my fire loose at the same time. The armed men all turn to me but before they can react my fire explodes outward consuming everything in the room. Once my fire disappears all the armed men are gone like they weren't even there, along with the cameras and defense systems. I walk over to the bound heroes and blast them with fire destroying their bindings. Once they all stand they look at me with confused looks, but also give thankful nods.

"I'm Rapture an underground hero," I say to them and they each then nod in understanding now.

"Mirko and I will make our way through the building clearing it, can you all stay here to protect the civilians?" I ask the heroes other than my Uncle who is rolling his shoulder ready to leave too.

"Yeah we can do that," the hero known as Mr. Plastic says to us with a nod.

"Good then the three of us will clear this place," my Uncle says before we three leave through the same door the leader did a few minutes ago.

"I will head to the top floor where the security room should be," I say as I walk over to a window to break it to head right there.

"I will clear the lower floors," Rumi says to us walking over to the stairwell.

"I will find the kids and ensure they do not get themselves into trouble," my Uncle says with a nod to the two of us before running off to try to find them.

"Nothing can ever be simple now can it," I say to Rumi as we go our separate ways.

"Not anymore apparently, seems like the villains are getting ballsier," Rumi says with a nod before blowing me a quick kiss and running down the stairwell.