Deku - A King’s Reward: Chapter 4 - Melissa Shield (Part 1)

The past number of years had not been kind to David Shield.

As a young adult, his passion and drive for creating the best support items had made him a trailblazer in the highly competitive field, quickly elevating him to greater and grander heights. And with his partnership with All Might, David Shield was soon considered one of the very best in the industry, with his research winning him prestige after prestige. But it was at one of the award shows celebrating his work that he found his greatest discovery, the jewel of his life: Clara. Within only a few years of dating, the two were wed and, shortly after, welcomed the arrival of their beautiful daughter.

But while that may have been the happiest years of his life, they didn't last long. Clara, only a couple years after childbirth, was taken by illness, leaving David a widower and the responsibility of raising their only child. But he was able to cope with the stress and heartbreak, finding happiness in his family, friends, and work. After a decade, he relocated to the artificial wonder, I-Island.

When he heard news that Toshinori's quirk was failing him, David panicked. The world needed All Might, he needed All Might. Therefore, he got to work building his greatest invention, one that would surely help his oldest friend. But when the Board of Directors decided to confiscate it under audit, citing the danger it posed, David couldn't let that happen. Not when Toshinori needed him most. There, David decided to do something he thought he never would: he delved into the world of villainy. Through many shady contact and anonymous messages, utilising every single bit of knowledge about the underground he had gained from working closely with heroes, he finally found a quality mercenary group, one who would be able to get the job done. These villains would be David's tool.

But a month before the operation was to begin during the I-Expo, the mercenaries called him to announce they were rescinding their work contract, saying they had found a new offer and 'always worked only for the highest bidder.' Fine, David could adjust. The plan was already solidly designed, relying mostly on taking control of the I-Island Security System. He just needed a scapegoat to be the mask for the operation. Working quickly, he found a new group, who were less expensive, but also seemed less reliable. He would have come up with a different plan, but he was out of time and out of options.

But while he had planned for every little detail, David did not account for a group of young U.A. students escaping and, actually, fighting back against the team he hired. Facing this unexpected factor, the cowards decided to cut their losses and flee, escaping before they could retrieve the device. While appearing relieved, David went to bed cursing that night. Yes, his plot hadn't been discovered, but it didn't matter. The Board swiftly gathered what the mercenaries' goal was and moved his research to a classified location. He couldn't get the device. He had failed Toshinori.

But as if it couldn't get any worse, his fears were later confirmed when, two years later, Toshinori Yagi was confirmed dead in a duel with the supervillain All for One. He still remembered that day, watching anxiously as the two fought in a ruined city, only to disappear in that viscous sludge the villain created, Toshinori holding on to his ankle with an iron grip. The next day, their remains were found in the debris of a massive storage institution that had been destroyed in an explosion, located far out in the mountains. David had caught the very next flight to Japan and had sat front row during the memorial service.

Over the next few years, he buried himself in his research, distracting himself from the outside world and all of his misfortune. Life became more difficult as the Board began to limit his funding, seeing his work as hazardous. Any ideas he sent under review was subject to intense scrutiny, making any breakthrough experiments and analysis impossible. His only salvation came in the form of an anonymous benefactor called Janus, a person who was willing to provide the necessary funding and resources to him covertly in exchange for developing and improving a number of support items privately. Although they never met face to face, their client-provider relationship proved steady.

However, three years following the death of All Might, David along with the rest of the world watched in horror as the League of Villains took over Japan. The bastion of the Hero World had been toppled. But David Shield refused to let this stand. He would not let the memory of his friend be tarnished by such evil. He got into contact with as many heroes in Japan as possible and began co-ordinating with Resistance groups all around the country, working hard behind the scenes to supply them with all the equipment they needed, free of charge. He finally found purpose again.

But a new complication suddenly emerged, one that threatened to ruin everything. His latest project, the one that may very well turn the tides of the war, had been discovered and confiscated. And with Janus having suddenly withdrawn their funding and not answering any messages, he didn't have the necessary funds to create another one. He had to get it back, by any means necessary.

And that is where he found himself now. Standing silently in the elevator with the criminal he intended to hire all those years ago, having just recommitted the exact same plan as he did in the past, tweaked around the new security measures put in place and any external factors. He just prayed that no one had gotten hurt on account of him.

"I hope your men know what they're doing, Wolfram."

"Don't worry about them, Mr Shield. My people know how to get the job done right. We are, after all, professionals." The larger man chuckled, unnerving him. He wished that his assistant Samuel was with them, but he had to stay behind in the control room to ensure Wolfram's team could properly operate the new security system.

The two rode in silence, before a ping from the elevator let them know they had arrived to the right floor. The professor quickly made his way over to the panel on the wall and, with a click, one of the security doors on the wall opened up, exposing a sleek, fortified metal case. Opening it up and inspecting the device, he sighed in relief.

"Good, it's all here. Now we just need to get out of-"

*BANG*

David Shield was immediately cut off as he felt something rush by his head, nearly grazing him. Looking over his, he saw the small circular indent on one of the walls.

"Sorry professor, but I'm going to have to take that shiny machine of yours," smirked Wolfram, pointing his smoking gun at the poor man.

"What-What are you doing, Wolfram?!"

"My job," the villain replied, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders as if that explained everything.

Now David was feeling scared. "This… This isn't what I'm paying you for! This isn't why I hired you!"

"Oh, but here's the thing, you didn't hire us. We don't actually work for you." Wolfram saw the other man's face contort in confusion. "I told you once, Shield, I always work for the highest bidder."

As the scientist tried to sputter out any response at all, Wolfram pulled out a device and tapped it a few times. "Hey, letting you know the package is effectively in our possession." His eyebrow raised in mild surprise at what he heard on the other end. "Oh, you want to come here? Okay then. We're on the floor just below the roof access." And with that, he hung up.

But just as David was about to demand who he was speaking to, his eyes were suddenly drawn to his periphery, as a small bit of black-purple fog seemed to suddenly materialise in the centre of the room, growing larger and larger, until four figures stepped through.

The two on the edges were less people and more abominations, with dark blue skin bulging with powerful muscles, lipless visages, and, most abhorrent, brains exposed. David had seen enough photos and heard enough stories to recognise these creatures instantly. Nomu.

The one of the two in the middle, yet slightly to the left, was much more human, wearing a long black cloak with a uniform underneath, and was adorned with purple skin grafts along his hands, neck, and lower jaw. On top of it all was a mop of spiky white hair.

But it was the figure in the front who filled him with the most dread. Dressed in his signature suit, hands in his pockets, with a casual smile adorning his face. David had spent a long time hating this man, as he blamed him just as much as his teacher for Toshinori's death. All for One may have killed All Might, but this man killed his legacy!

"David Shield," Izuku Midoriya began, placing one hand over his chest and dipping into a bow, the air of formality around him. "A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Dabi merely raised a hand in greeting.

David could hear his own heartbeat, fear gripping his heart as he was surrounded by monsters. "Why… Why are you-?"

"Here? Don't play dumb, professor," Izuku reprimanded, cutting him off. "We both know why. We know you were the one providing the ex-heroes of Japan with their little toys and have been a thorn in our side for too long. It was bad enough that you decided to interfere where you didn't belong, but then you had to go and tarnish our business relationship. I figured that that deserved a personal visit."

Now David was even more confused. "W-What relationship? We've never even met before."

"Face to face, yes, but we've been associated for a long while now. You may just know me under a… different name."

The scientist said nothing, trying his best to piece together the clues he'd been given. A different name? Then it clicked, and the solution he came to only made the acid in his stomach that more potent.

"No… You're J-Janus?"

Izuku smiled. "In the flesh. Your work has been a major benefit. We may not have gotten this far without it. A pity you had to go and ruin it all." Clasping his hands together, he gave his most wholesome-yet-sarcastic smile. "On behalf of the HRD and League of Villains, I must thank you for all the work you have done in helping us over the years."

"Papa?"

Instantly, the attention of everyone in the room was drawn to the new voice. Izuku's eyes lit up by what he saw. Appearing at a side door, a young woman was held firmly in the clutches of two goons. She was certainly beautiful enough, giving off a researcher-aesthetic, with long silky blonde hair tied in a ponytail and large circular glasses framing her cute face. She wore a white lab coat that overlay a red sweater vest and white pants. But even from a distance, Izuku could tell she had an incredibly lust-enticing body, as her large round tits stretched the material of her vest to its maximum, helping to emphasise her narrow waist. Her tight white jeans clung tightly to her lower half, outlining her wide hips and shapely butt, which he wouldn't mind sinking his fingers in. Oh, he knew exactly who she was: Professor Shield's daughter, Melissa.

"Papa, is it true? Were you really… helping villains?" Her eyes were wide as disbelief and betrayal clashed against each other.

Izuku gave her a welcoming smile, while dipping into a shallower bow. "Miss Shield, so glad you could join us."

"We found her sneaking around near the control room, Boss," one of Wolfram's men explained. "Turns out there was a secret emergency elevator the professor didn't tell us about. We thought it would be best to bring her to you."

"Yes, as I was saying, your father has been a big help to all of us. He even organised the 'entertainment' for this little event with Wolfram over here," Deku explained, relishing the situation.

David looked towards his daughter, aghast. "Melissa, please! Don't listen to them!"

"You said that those items were to help heroes! That we'd be working to stop villains! But all this time…" The pain was clear in her voice. "Our work-! My ideas-!"

Deku's eyes lit up with emerald fire as he listened, piecing something together. "So, father and daughter were working together against me, eh? Isn't that just sweet?" The whole room shivered at the venom and malice dripping from his every word. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay and talk history longer, I'm afraid we need to head home soon, so I'll finish our business here quickly."

David turned back towards the villain leader, sweat rolling down his brow. With the two Nomu here, he could only imagine the worst.

"Please, don't kill me."

The younger man didn't say anything, before breaking out in a laugh. "Kill you? Ha! Oh no, Shield, I won't kill you. As much as your actions have given me conniptions, killing you would be a waste of a man of your… intellect." There was a pause, before his eyes took on a fiendish glint. "I'm just going to take your favourite creation."

David swallowed nervously, analysing the corner he had been backed into. Everywhere he looked, there was no possibility he could come out of this unscathed. The panic button was on the other side of the room. He couldn't call anyone on his phone. An outright fistfight would be impossible against five supervillains. But worse, any attempt to fight may put Melissa in danger. And he refused to let that happen.

With a resigned sigh, he lifted the case. "Here, take it." Then, in one last act of defiance, threw it with all of his strength at the villain's head!

Izuku, however, didn't react to the outburst. He didn't move a hair as the heavy metal was launched straight at his face, nor when a large purple hand snatched it mere inches in front of him. "Well, if you're just going to give this to me, I won't decline," he said, taking it out of the kindly-offering hand of the Nomu. "But this isn't what I was talking about."

Then, with a sideways glance to the men at the door, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The mercenaries, understanding the gesture, marched towards him, dragging the struggling woman with.

"No!"

David began to run forward, to put himself between the villain and his daughter, but was stopped as a torrent of scorching blue flame rushed in front of him.

"Careful. You science-types should know not to play with fire," Dabi openly mocked, his raised hand slightly flickering.

Izuku, meanwhile, was inspecting the girl in front of him, cupping her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, turning her head towards his and running his eyes across her voluptuous figure. "I must say, Mr Shield, your daughter is quite the stunner. You did a very good job raising her. She has beautiful eyes."

Dabi snorted, knowing his boss wasn't looking at her eyes.

"Papa…" Melissa looked to her father, terror filling her eyes. The two men had let go of her and had made their way over to Wolfram's side, fear rooting her in place.

"Please, don't do this." David was practically begging, trying to appeal to Deku's sense of pity or mercy, whichever worked.

But if Deku had any for the man, he didn't show it, instead pressing his finger up to an earpiece. "Kurogiri, open up another portal to H-5. I have a guest accompanying me." No sooner did he cut the connection than a new, smaller portal open next to them.

Dabi gave an exasperated sigh. "Seriously? Another one? I'm starting to think you may have a problem."

"Oh, please, Toya, like you're one to talk." Izuku briefly turned towards the taller villain and scowled. "Tell me, how much of your paycheck do you spend on that one girl at Uwabami's, what's her name, Sirius?"

Toya rolled his eyes but shrugged, conceding the point.

"Now, I believe our business is done here." Then, with little grace, Izuku turned Melissa around and forced her through the new portal, the blonde woman disappearing from sight instantly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" piped up Wolfram, feeling neglected. Izuku rolled his eyes. He guessed he was raising his eyebrow, but it was hard to tell, what with that mask of his.

"Don't worry, Wolfram. Your money should be wired into your accounts any moment now."

At that very moment, a series of pings went off in Wolfram's pocket. Pulling out his phone, he inspected the screen. "Right, we're done here," he said to his two men, satisfied. "Gather the rest of them, we leave in 15." He marched towards the elevator and pressed a button. Before the doors closed, he looked back towards his verdant-haired client. "Always a pleasure doing business." With a hiss, they were gone

"I'm heading out, too," remarked Toya, twisting around and marching through the larger portal, the two Nomu following. "Don't even know why I had to come…"

Izuku was about to make his own exit when…

"Please. Don't. Just-Just give her back. I-I won't betray you or plot against you ever again! I promise!"

Izuku turned back towards the elderly scientist, down on his knees, eyes pleading for any sort of compassion. Tears already began to roll down his face. The villain couldn't help but feel a little bad.

Izuku gave the man a gentle, mocking smile. "I know you won't." And with that, he stepped through the portal, causing both openings to disappear into the air, leaving David Shield all alone.

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