57. I-island!

After the training that day, All Might called me for a chat in his office.

"Yuji-shounen, do you know why I have called you here today?" He said, trying to appear stern, hoping to play tricks on me.

Too bad, I ain't falling for it. I had seen through his ruse halfway down the walk to his office.

"Is this about the I-expo tickets in your pocket?" I said, mischievously, pulling out his tickets from my coat pocket, "Or perhaps my pockets?!"

All Might looked on startled for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"You must have been a pickpocket in your past life!" He said, as I handed him the tickets.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought my lies had been exposed before I realised.

Oh right. This is a Buddhist country.

Of course. How stupid of me!

To think I had almost gave away my most deeply held secret.

Masking my shock, I pretended to laugh along, as he continued.

"But yes. I have recieved two tickets to the expo, and I want you to come along and meet an old friend of mine."

"David Shield?" I asked.

"So you knew that too?"

"I mean it's public knowledge and I was an All Might fan after all! How would I not know?" I replied.

"Of course. Then you know that we tomorrow, don't you?" He said.

"Yes sensei. Should I pack formals too?"

"And your hero costume as well." He added.

"Got it!" I replied, "But sensei, I have a small problem. Actually, one of Hawks' relatives is staying with me right now and she's very young. I can't leave her alone. Not to mention my dog too. Can I bring them along with my tickets. I got some extra as the winner of the sports festival."

"Of course, Yuji-shounen. I wouldn't want you to leave a young girl alone either." All Might said, concerned.

"Alright then. I should go home early and pack up for tomorrow. Goodbye, sensei." I said, getting up, and waved All Might farewell.

Returning home, I packed my bags and got Eri's fake backstory straight with her, practicing for hours till she got it right.

And with that, next morning, we were off for I-island, in a luxurious private jet as All Might became close to Eri, her cuteness winning him over almost instantly. Good thing Kuribo was in the hold, else All Might might've died from cuteness overload!

"Eri-chan!" All Might said, picking her up in his lap, "See how the sea splits into three colors there. That's because three oceans meet here. Isn't that coo-"

It was only halfway through his rant that he noticed that Eri was asleep in his arms, sleeping peacefully after having run havoc in the plane the past six hours.

All Might looked down at the little girl, and gently lay her down on a nearby seat, before turning back to me, with a serious expression.

"Is it true?" He asked, "Did All For One really experiment on her for her quirk?"

"Yes. Remember the yakuza raid I enlisted Mirko in? It was a cover so Hawks and I could rescue the experimental subjects. One of them was Kuribo, my dog. They implanted him with multiple quirks like the Nomu they attacked us at USJ. I think he was supposed to be a prototype Nomu before they moved onto humans. It gave him super regeneration and a stretchy body. Eri on the other hand was chosen for her healing quirk. Healing quirks as you know sensei, are very rare, especially ones as strong as Eri's. She can even regenerate people's torn limbs and regrow lost organs. Like your lungs for example. When I first heard of that, I thought, maybe I could use her to heal you. But what I found when I raided the lab wasn't an old lady like Recovery Girl, but a traumatized, maimed little girl. Seeing her so frail, hurt...afraid of life itself, afraid of using her quirk, I couldn't bring myself to force her to heal you. It didn't feel...no, it wasn't right!" I said, looking up at him, "I'm sorry sensei."

All Might pondered for a bit, before he sighed.

"It's no problem Yuji-shounen. I understand. I wouldn't want to be healed either if it came at the cost a child's innocence." He said, caressing Eri's head.

"Thank you for being so understanding sensei. I don't know if I would have been as kind if I was in your place." I replied, with downcast eyes.

"I'm sure you would have, Yuji-shounen. You're and will be a better man and hero than me. I'm sure of it." He assured, patting my shoulder.

"Thank you." I said, looking out the window, before I remembered.

"Oh, right. Sensei, there's one more thing I wanted to talk about." I exclaimed.

"Go on then." He replied.

"Are you planning on walking around the expo as All Might? Because if so, we might be hogged by fans and end up being late for the gala." I explained.

"But then my true form will be revealed to everyone. Not to mention, the fact that I can't meet Melissa. She wouldn't be able to bear seeing me like this." He retorted.

"That won't be a problem sensei. You could just put on your costume beneath your civilian clothes, and then transform before meeting her, in an alleyway or something. That way we can save time and be more efficient about it."

"That's a good idea, Yuji-shounen." He replied, impressed, and reached for the overhead bins, pulling out his costume case.

"Then I'll go get ready. We're almost at our destination. You should do the same." He ordered.

I nodded in agreement as I pulle dout my own costume case and headed for the back of the plane where two restrooms awaited us.

No sooner had we gotten into costume did the pilot announce our arrival at our destination.

I rushed to look out the window as the floating city came into view. There it stood, a ringlet of silver and gold, atop the verdant blue of the Atlantic, a massive moving craft split in three by sleek canals and lush gardenscapes.

Attractions and displays bright and eye catching were visible even at this height, small flying vehicles buzzing about it's streets like little bugs and in the distance, I think I even spotted a giant lizard in an onsen jacket walking around.

This was the peak of technology in this world, the city populated by over 10000 scientists.

This was I-island!

Rich, plump and begging to be robbed!