Arata and Melissa soared through the open sky, cutting through the clouds as they made their way toward Musutafu.
The wind rushed past them, their suits glowing faintly with energy as their speed continued to increase. Just hours earlier, while preparing for the upcoming conflict against the Gollini family, the base's main system had detected an intrusion attempt—someone had tried to hack directly into Nova Genesis' core network.
Arata had reacted instantly, activating the anti-hacking quirk chip and shutting the breach down before any real damage could be done.
Now, the two of them were following the digital trail.
"All the data points to Musutafu," Arata said, his voice calm but focused as his mask processed incoming information. "Whoever it was, they were skilled enough to bypass multiple layers before getting blocked."
Melissa flew beside him, her metallic angel wings moving smoothly as she maintained perfect balance. "Do you think this could be a trap?" she asked, glancing toward him with a hint of caution.
Arata didn't hesitate. "Even if it is," he replied, "it won't matter. The moment something feels off, I'll just teleport us out. No one can lock us down. Even if they did, we will see if they can handle my Void Prism."
Melissa nodded, reassured by his confidence. "Makes sense." She pushed herself forward, increasing her speed as the air around her distorted slightly from the acceleration.
Arata glanced at her and gave a small nod of approval.
"You've improved a lot," he said. "Your control over your wings is solid now. You're flying at high speeds without losing balance."
Melissa smiled slightly behind her mask. "That's because you taught me."
Arata shook his head. "Don't undersell yourself. I only showed you the basics. You're the one who practiced and mastered it."
Melissa looked down at the ever-changing scenery below—oceans giving way to land, forests blending into cities. Her voice softened.
"Even so… I wouldn't have any of this without you," she said quietly. "If I hadn't met you that day… I wouldn't have this suit, these powers… or even a friend like you."
Arata stayed silent for a moment.
She continued, her tone growing more serious. "I probably would've died on I-Island… along with my dad. Even now that I am here with you, i always feel that I am only taking advantage of you. That I don't have any purpose in life besides trying to repay you by helping you."
The wind howled between them as silence lingered.
After a few seconds, Arata finally spoke. "Everything that happens… happens for a reason," he said. "But it's up to people to find what that reason is. Only by finding the reason will they know the purpose of their life."
Melissa looked at him. "I found mine through my father's research… and through what society did to me," Arata continued. "You'll have to find yours too."
"My… own purpose?" she asked.
Arata nodded. "You don't have to dedicate every second of your life to Nova Genesis. You still have your own life outside of this. Go out, explore, experience things… just stay prepared and keep Quirk gadgets on you. Your purpose can be anything—you just have to find it."
Melissa fell quiet, thinking deeply about his words. After a while, she gave a small nod.
"…Thanks, Arata."
He simply hummed in response.
Soon, the sprawling city of Musutafu came into view beneath them. Skyscrapers, roads, and crowded streets stretched endlessly in all directions. Their masks locked onto the final signal location, guiding them toward a specific point.
They slowed down slightly as they approached.
"A cat café?" Melissa said, tilting her head. Her mask scanned the building thoroughly before locking onto a security camera. Without hesitation, she raised her arm, and a small spider-like drone shot out, attaching itself to the camera.
Moments later, both their HUDs displayed the footage from the past three hours.
"Fast forward… there," Arata said.
The footage zoomed in on two individuals—a tall man in a suit and a shorter girl with dark pink hair, both hiding their identities with hats and glasses. The girl was typing rapidly on a laptop.
"It's them," Arata muttered.
"You know them?" Melissa asked.
"They're not exactly big-time criminals," Arata replied. "More like… a mix of vigilantes and petty offenders. They record their stunts and upload them online."
He paused briefly.
"Gentle Criminal… and his partner, La Brava."
Melissa raised a brow. "That girl must be insanely talented. You didn't leave a single trace, and she still managed to reach your system."
Arata nodded slightly. "Exactly why they're useful."
He looked ahead. "Let's find them."
Melissa smiled. "Got it."
The spider drone retracted back into her hand as both of them shot forward, following the direction shown in the footage.
After a few seconds, Melissa spoke again. "I'll speed this up."
She raised her hands slightly.
"Elemental Split!"
Seven streams of colorful energy burst from her body, splitting apart and reforming into seven identical versions of her. Each one radiated a different elemental color—fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, nature, and solar.
Each version smirked or nodded before flying off in different directions.
Arata watched with interest as one of them—the fire version—looked back at him and gave a playful, challenging tilt of her head before speeding away.
"Oh?" Arata said, amused. "You're challenging me now?"
The Space Stone on his gauntlet began to glow.
"Repeated teleportation."
His figure flickered as he began teleporting rapidly in zigzag patterns across the city, covering massive distances in seconds while scanning for their targets.
It didn't take long.
A flash of lightning energy streaked across a rooftop as Lightning Melissa and Arata appeared at the same time.
Standing at the edge of a tall building were two figures.
Gentle Criminal and La Brava.
Both froze the moment they saw the two masked figures standing before them.
"G-Gentle!" La Brava stammered, grabbing his arm. "It's them! Novabel and Novangle! I knew hacking them was a bad idea!"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she panicked.
Gentle tried to maintain composure, though his voice still carried nervousness. He stepped forward slightly, raising his hands.
"Now, now… let us remain calm," he said, forcing a polite tone. "We meant no harm! We merely wished to… establish contact."
Arata and Melissa exchanged a glance.
"…Contact?" Melissa repeated.
La Brava nodded rapidly. "Y-Yes! We wanted to join Nova Genesis!"
Both Arata and Melissa blinked behind their masks.
It was… this easy?
At that moment, the other six versions of Melissa returned, streaks of light converging together as they merged back into one.
Gentle and La Brava stared in absolute shock.
"S-Seven…?" Gentle whispered.
Arata stepped forward, raising his hand as a portal opened behind him, glowing with swirling blue energy.
"If you want to talk," he said calmly, "then come with us."
He gestured toward the portal.
"We'll continue this at the Nova Genesis base."