"I see."
After listening to a nearly five-minute explanation, Melissa finally understood Kaminari's connection to the Mitsui family. Considering that he had saved the Mitsui family patriarch's life, gifting him a battle suit made from SIS Memory Alloy was more than reasonable.
"As expected of Dr. Tenma—not only is the design incredibly stylish, but there's practically no room for improvement."
"Huh? This was also made by Dr. Tenma?"
As she spoke, Melissa noticed the Batgirl battle suit Kyoka was wearing. At a glance, she spotted the countless tiny sound holes embedded in the suit.
"This… Melissa…"
All Might gave her a helpless look and said, "It's almost time. We should be heading out."
"Ah, sorry! I got caught up without realizing it." Melissa quickly adjusted her glasses, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Melissa really loves studying battle suits," Kyoka said with a friendly smile. She could sense the enthusiasm in Melissa's eyes.
"Of course! It's my passion!" Melissa grinned before walking briskly over to her pogo stick and picking it up.
The next moment, a scene unfolded that left Kaminari stunned.
"I need to make my dad happy as soon as possible. To surprise him, I haven't told him that Uncle Might is coming!"
While speaking, she did something to the pogo stick, and in an instant, the straight pole transformed into a telescoping light strip before condensing into a marble-sized sphere at her fingertips.
"Melissa, it can transform too?" Kaminari asked quickly as he watched her naturally slip the small sphere into her pocket.
"Yeah! This is also made from SIS Memory Alloy. It's expensive, but not nearly as costly as it would be outside the island."
"But how can it shrink that much?" Kaminari asked, getting straight to the most puzzling part. "I remember Dr. Tenma mentioning that SIS Memory Alloy has a limited capacity for compression and deformation."
As he spoke, he changed his Cancer's Golden Cloth back into its Pikachu form, which then perched itself on his shoulder.
"Wow!!!"
The moment Pikachu appeared, Melissa's eyes lit up, and she excitedly stepped forward.
"Using SIS Memory Alloy to make a Pokémon figure? That's such a brilliant idea!"
She then pulled the marble-like sphere from her pocket and said, "In a few days, I'll ask Dr. Jacob and the others to use this to replicate a Pokémon figure for me!"
"Hmm… but which Pokémon should I choose?"
Melissa muttered to herself, completely ignoring everyone around her.
With no other choice, Kaminari repeated his question, but All Might seemed a little anxious.
"Uh, Melissa, Kaminari-boy, why don't we talk while we walk?"
"Sure, let's go!"
Kaminari nodded quickly. Initially, he hadn't planned to tag along, but after realizing how many interesting technological advancements I-Island had to offer, he changed his mind.
And so, the four of them, led by Melissa, began walking toward the towering I-Island central building. Along the way, many people cheered for them and took pictures.
"What Dr. Tenma said isn't wrong, but his statement only applies to technology outside I-Island. The scientists here actually broke through the previous metal compression limitations two years ago!" Melissa explained as they walked.
"I see…" Kaminari nodded. At the same time, he realized that he had severely underestimated the technological level of this world.
The advancements he was witnessing were on the level of black technology, they might even rival the tech seen in the Marvel universe!
"What's the matter, Kaminari-kun? Are you thinking about upgrading the compression limit of your battle suit?" Melissa turned and asked.
"If possible, I'd love to upgrade it. Right now, Pikachu is the smallest form my suit can take," Kaminari admitted.
"While it's convenient, it still attracts attention. If it could be even smaller, like…"
After thinking for a few seconds, Kaminari continued, "It'd be ideal if it could shrink to the size of a Poké Ball—small enough to clip to my waist or slip into my pocket at any time."
"No problem! But keep in mind, the cost will definitely be high. You should think carefully before deciding," Melissa warned with a smile.
"Money… shouldn't be an issue." Kaminari thought of his father.
"Wow, Kaminari-kun really is a rich kid," Melissa teased.
"Hahaha, not bad…"
Kyoka, who had been quietly following along, watched as Kaminari and Melissa chatted and laughed. Though her expression remained neutral, she felt somewhat irritated.
To be honest, she hadn't really wanted to go to the tower with Melissa and All Might, she had wanted to continue exploring the island with Kaminari.
But since Kaminari wanted to upgrade his battle suit, she had no reason to object.
Before long, they arrived at the base of I-Island's central tower. In front of them, a silver elevator door remained closed, displaying descending numbers as the elevator rapidly approached.
"Kaminari-kun, I'm taking Uncle Might and Midoriya-kun to the twenty-fifth floor. Do you want to come with us?" Melissa asked.
Kaminari instinctively glanced at Kyoka. After noticing a particular emotion in her eyes, he smiled handsomely.
"No, just let us know which floor we need to go to."
His response wasn't just to be considerate of Kyoka's feelings, it was also because he genuinely wasn't interested in following them.
Why would he go?
As for All Might meeting his old friends, well, that might be something exciting for a die-hard fan like Midoriya Izuku…
But Kaminari wasn't one, and he had no interest in tagging along.
"Alright, I originally wanted my dad to see your battle suit," Melissa said regretfully before giving him the necessary details.
At that moment, the elevator doors slowly opened, and everyone stepped inside. Kaminari watched as the doors gradually closed before turning back to Melissa.
"Thanks. We'll be on the island for three days, there will definitely be another chance for your dad to see it."
Ding.
The elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, and as the doors opened again, Kaminari bid farewell to All Might and Midoriya before stepping out with Kyoka.
"…Huh?"
As soon as they took in their surroundings, both of them froze in confusion.
Weren't they inside a high-rise tower?
Then why… were they suddenly in a forest?
"Is this… fake?"
Kaminari looked up at the blue sky and white clouds above, then glanced down at the lush green ground beneath his feet. He rubbed the surface with his foot—only to realize it was hard and slightly slippery to the touch.
It was then that they realized the truth—everything in front of them was a virtual projection. Even the bouncing Pokémon figures must have been holograms.
"Kaminari?"
A familiar voice suddenly called out.
The surrounding virtual images began to fade, and in their place, Kaminari's parents appeared before him.
"…What's going on?"
Kaminari and Kyoka exchanged puzzled looks.
(To be continued.)
***
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