The enhancement research wing hummed with a kind of energy that made Ryuu's skin....not from his quirk, but from pure fascination.
Class 3-A spread out across the exhibits like kids in a candy store, though the "candy" here was holographic displays showing decades of amplification quirk history and power synergy breakdowns that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Ryuu found himself planted in front of a massive display chronicling historical amplifier heroes.
The exhibit didn't just list names and dates—it showed combat footage, power output graphs, detailed quirk mechanics.
Heroes who could boost strength, speed, even mental processing.
Some worked solo, others in permanent partnerships that had become legendary.
"This is incredible," Momo said from just over his shoulder, her voice carrying that particular tone she got when something genuinely impressed her mind. "Some of these amplification techniques are completely different from your approach."
"Look at this one." Mina pressed closer to the hologram, her yellow eyes reflecting the blue light. "She could amplify multiple people at once, but only in short bursts. Says here she worked with an entire team during the Hosu incident back in—wait, twenty-seven years ago? Damn."
Ochaco leaned between them, nearly bumping Ryuu's shoulder in her eagerness. "The power output graphs are insane. Some of these combinations didn't just add power together....they multiplied it. Exponential increases."
"The biological mechanisms are what really interest me," Tsuyu added, her larger-than-normal eyes fixed on a technical readout that would've given Ryuu a headache to parse through. "Ribbit. If we understood how enhancement affects cellular energy production at this level, we could completely optimize training methods."
Jirou stood slightly apart from their cluster, one earbud dangling from her neck while she studied a different display. "Yo, Ryuu. Check this out....this guy could amplify acoustic quirks to create city-wide communication networks during disasters. Basically turned heroes into walking radio towers."
"That's actually brilliant," Ryuu said, stepping over to look. The hero's costume design alone was worth studying....built-in echo chambers, frequency modulators integrated into the suit. "I wonder if something like that would work with your quirk."
"Maybe? The theory's sound, but the power requirements..." Jirou trailed off, already lost in technical considerations.
Dr. Yamada beamed at their engagement, her professional pride evident. "I'm so pleased to see this level of interest in enhancement research. This particular wing houses some of our most advanced studies on quirk synergy and compatibility matrices. We're actually developing new classification systems based on—"
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!...
The sound of footsteps cut through her explanation.
Not normal footsteps.
These were heavy, purposeful even, with an edge to them that made something in Ryuu's chest tighten instinctively.
The kind of walk that said someone was pissed and not trying to hide it.
He glanced up from the display.
And was frozen still....
Katsuki Bakugo rounded the corner from the connecting corridor, some kind of monitoring equipment still strapped to his forearms.....looked like he'd just come from a testing session.
His spiky blonde hair was messier than usual, sweat-dampened at the temples.
He had a tablet in one hand, probably test results, his red eyes fixed on the screen with that intense focus Ryuu had seen during the Sports Festival broadcasts.
Then Bakugo looked up.
Saw Class 3-A clustered around the exhibits.
Saw Midoriya standing there in a UA uniform like he belonged.
The change in his expression was instantaneous.
Disbelief flashed across his face, then confusion, then something that made Ryuu's danger sense spike hard.
Pure, incandescent rage.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, DEKU?!"
The explosion of sound hit like a physical shockwave.
Every conversation in the wing died instantly. Heads whipped around from every direction. Dr. Yamada actually jumped, her tablet nearly slipping from her hands.
Midoriya went rigid, all the color draining from his face as he turned toward the source of the shout.
"Kacchan," he said quietly, and even from several feet away Ryuu could hear the carefully controlled tension in that single word.
"DON'T FUCKING 'KACCHAN' ME!" Bakugo stormed forward, and Ryuu saw small explosions crackling between his fingers....not big ones, not yet, but the threat was clear. "How the hell did a quirkless nobody like you get into the advanced class?! This is complete BULLSHIT!"
The rest of Class 3-A stared in stunned silence.
Ryuu felt Mina and Momo both tense on either side of him, their bodies shifting subtly closer in an instinctive protective formation.
Ochaco's eyes went wide, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. Tsuyu just blinked slowly, processing the sudden shift from educational tour to... whatever this was.
"Bakugo," Midoriya said, and his voice was steady despite the stress written all over his posture.....shoulders tight, hands clenched at his sides. "I can explai—"
"Explain WHAT?" Bakugo's voice carried across the entire wing, drawing stares from researchers in lab coats and security personnel who'd started moving the second the shouting began. "How you conned your way into UA? How you're pretending to be something you're NOT?" He took another step forward, and the explosions in his palms grew larger. "I've known you since we were KIDS, Deku! You're QUIRKLESS! You don't have a quirk, you never HAD a quirk, so how the FUCK are you standing here in that uniform?!"
Security was already converging, speaking rapidly into radios.
Dr. Yamada looked between her tour group and the explosive blonde student with growing alarm, clearly trying to figure out if this was something she needed to handle or if she should wait for backup.
"Sir, please calm down," she tried, her professional tone strained. "This is a research facility, and loud disturbances can disrupt sensitive—"
"I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN SOMEONE EXPLAINS WHY THIS FRAUD IS WEARING A UA UNIFORM!"
Then Aizawa was there.
Ryuu didn't even see him arrive....one second the corridor was empty, the next their teacher was standing between Bakugo and the rest of the class, capture weapon already partially unraveled and hanging loose around his shoulders.
His thunderous expression, with eyes narrowed, made it look as if dark fumes were spilling from him.
"Bakugo." The single word cut through the chaos like a knife through paper. "Stand down. Now."
Bakugo spun toward him, and for a second Ryuu thought the blonde student might actually be stupid enough to challenge Aizawa directly.
His whole body was vibrating with fury, hands still crackling with barely-contained explosions.
"Sensei! Did you KNOW about this? Did you know Deku was—"
"I said stand down." Aizawa's eyes began to glow red, and the activation of Erasure seemed to suck some of the oxygen out of the room. "You're disrupting a sanctioned educational activity and creating a public disturbance in a civilian facility. Whatever personal issues you have with Midoriya can be addressed later, through proper channels. At UA. Not here."
For a long, tense moment, it looked like Bakugo might actually attack anyway.
His fists clenched harder, jaw working, red eyes burning with an intensity that made Ryuu's amplification quirk pulse in response to the sheer emotional energy radiating off the guy.
Then something shifted. Maybe Bakugo remembered where he was.....the research facility, the civilians, or the fact that Aizawa could shut down his quirk in a heartbeat.
Maybe some small part of his brain kicked in that recognized he was outnumbered and outmatched.
"This isn't over," he said, voice low and dangerous in a way that was somehow worse than the shouting. His red eyes fixed on Midoriya with pure, undiluted hatred. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, Deku, but I'll figure it out. And when I do—"
He didn't finish the threat. Just turned and stalked away, shouldering past security personnel who wisely stepped aside to let him through.
The research wing stayed dead silent for several long seconds.
Ryuu could hear his own heartbeat, feel Mina's hand gripping his arm without her probably even realizing it.
The educational atmosphere from earlier had completely shattered.
"Well," Dr. Yamada said faintly, her professional composure visibly cracking. "That was... unexpected."
Aizawa's quirk deactivated, the red glow fading from his eyes, but his expression remained severe.
He looked at Midoriya...obviously demanding answers.
"Midoriya. Explanation. Brief version."
Midoriya straightened, though Ryuu could see his hands shaking slightly. "Bakugo and I have history, sensei. We attended the same middle school. He... has strong opinions about my qualifications for hero work."
"History doesn't excuse public outbursts." Aizawa's attention shifted to the crowd that had gathered—researchers, staff, other students all staring. "Everyone else, back to the tour. This incident will be addressed properly later through the appropriate channels."
But the damage was done.
The relaxed, educational atmosphere was completely gone, replaced by tension and whispered conversations.
Students exchanged worried glances as they reluctantly turned back to the exhibits, but nobody was really looking at the displays anymore.
Ryuu stayed close to Midoriya, noting how the green-haired student's shoulders were still tight, his breathing carefully controlled like he was working hard to stay calm.
"You okay?" Ryuu asked quietly.
"I'm fine," Midoriya replied, but the strain in his voice said otherwise. "Kacchan just... he doesn't understand the situation."
"That guy's intense," Mina said, her usual cheerfulness completely subdued. She'd finally released Ryuu's arm but stayed close. "What was all that about being quirkless? I thought you had some kind of strength enhancement quirk?"
Midoriya's expression tightened, and Ryuu saw him choose his words carefully. "It's complicated. Bakugo knew me before my quirk manifested properly. He has... outdated information about my abilities."
It was clearly a deflection.....Ryuu had spent enough time reading people to recognize when someone was dodging the real answer. But nobody pushed. The tension was still too thick.
Dr. Yamada cleared her throat, clearly trying to salvage what was left of her tour. "Perhaps we should move to the next section? The historical archives have some fascinating displays about quirk evolution that might be of interest..."
The group started moving, but the easy camaraderie from the bus ride was gone.
Everyone was processing what they'd witnessed, trying to understand the relationship between Midoriya and that explosive blonde student who'd looked ready to actually fight in the middle of a research facility.
As they walked, Ryuu noticed something interesting....Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Jirou had naturally gravitated closer to their group.
The shock of the encounter seemed to have strengthened the connections that had been forming earlier, like shared trauma creating instant bonds.
"Is that normal?" Ochaco asked quietly, falling into step beside Ryuu and Momo. "Students just... exploding like that at each other?"
"Not really," Momo replied, her analytical mind clearly working through what they'd seen. "Every class has personality conflicts, but that seemed particularly intense. Personal, not just competitive."
"Bakugo's always been aggressive," Midoriya said, and there was something resigned in his tone, like this was a conversation he'd had too many times before. "But he's not a bad person. Just... competitive. And confused about recent developments in my quirk."
Jirou snorted softly, one earbud still dangling. "Competitive is one thing. That was straight-up hostile. Like, genuinely wanted to hurt you hostile."
"Some people don't handle change well," Tsuyu observed with her usual calm directness. "Ribbit. If Bakugo thought he knew your capabilities and now he's seeing something different, that would be jarring. Especially if you two have history."
They entered the historical archives section, where the displays shifted to older quirk documentation and evolutionary studies....dusty records from the early days of quirk emergence, theories about mutation triggers, genetic inheritance patterns.
But Ryuu found his attention divided between the exhibits and the undercurrent of tension that now ran through the entire group.
Something about the encounter felt wrong. Not just the hostility itself, but the timing, the location.
What were the actual odds that Bakugo would be at this specific facility, in this specific wing, at the exact time their class was touring?
"Dr. Yamada," he said during a lull in her presentation about early quirk documentation, "what kind of programs bring individual students to the institute? Like, outside of class tours?"
"Oh, various research partnerships," she replied, still somewhat rattled from earlier. "Advanced quirk analysis, compatibility studies, enhancement optimization programs. We work with several hero schools to provide specialized training opportunities for students with particularly unique or powerful quirks."
"Enhancement optimization," Momo repeated thoughtfully, her sharp mind already making connections. "That would make sense for someone with Bakugo's explosive quirk. Understanding the chemical and thermal dynamics at a deeper level could significantly improve both control and output."
"Exactly! Very perceptive, young lady. Yes, Bakugo's program focuses specifically on combustion efficiency and blast pattern optimization. He's actually one of our most promising case studies in—" Dr. Yamada stopped herself, probably remembering that discussing individual student data was a privacy violation. "Well, anyway. Yes, he's here for specialized training."
Ryuu nodded, but that feeling of wrongness intensified. The timing, the location, the fact that Bakugo's program happened to focus on enhancement research in the same wing they were touring. The same day they were touring.
Maybe he was overthinking it. Coincidences happened. UA was a big school, the institute had multiple programs running simultaneously. It could just be bad luck.
But Ryuu had learned to trust his instincts, and his instincts were screaming that this day was going to get more complicated.
The historical archives gave way to more modern research areas, and Dr. Yamada's explanations became more technical....neural pathway mapping for quirk activation, energy conversion efficiency studies, cellular mutation patterns.
The class spread out naturally, different students drawn to different displays based on their interests and quirk types.
Ryuu's group remained loosely together, but the earlier easy conversation had been replaced by a more subdued atmosphere.
Everyone was still processing the confrontation, still trying to understand what they'd witnessed and what it meant.
"The biological enhancement section is next," Dr. Yamada announced, her professional enthusiasm returning somewhat. "This covers the physiological mechanisms behind quirk enhancement, including some of our most cutting-edge research on compatibility matrices and synergistic applications. I think you'll find it particularly relevant given your class composition."
As they followed her toward the next wing, Ryuu caught movement in his peripheral vision.
Security personnel repositioning, guards checking their radios more frequently than before. Their body language had shifted...it was less casual too.
Probably just standard precautions after the Bakugo incident.
But...
"Something feels off," he murmured to Mina and Momo, keeping his voice low.
"What do you mean?" Mina asked, her pink skin paling slightly as she picked up on his tension.
"The staff. Look at them....they're more nervous than they should be. And the security positioning has changed. They've gone from tour escort to active threat assessment."
Momo glanced around discreetly, her analytical mind already processing the details. "You're right. That's not standard tour protocol. They're treating this like an elevated security situation, not just responding to one disruptive student."
Before Ryuu could respond, Dr. Yamada's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and her smile flickered for just a moment....there and gone so fast most people probably missed it.
But Ryuu saw it.
"Excuse me for just one second," she said, stepping slightly away from the group to take what appeared to be an important call.
The students continued examining the nearby exhibits, but Ryuu watched their guide carefully.
Her body language was tense, shoulders tight, responses brief and clipped. Whatever she was being told, it wasn't good news.
When she rejoined the group, her smile was back in place, but it looked forced now. Painted on.
"Shall we continue?" she said brightly, voice just a touch too loud. "The next section has some truly fascinating displays about amplification applications in modern hero work. I think you'll find the combat footage particularly enlightening."
They moved forward, following her deeper into the facility.
Ryuu's unease grew with every step. The security presence was definitely heavier now
....there were more guards in the corridors, more personnel checking tablets and radios. Something was happening, something the staff wasn't telling them about.
He just hoped they'd figure out what before it became a serious problem.
The biological enhancement section was genuinely impressive...massive displays showing cellular-level changes during quirk activation, energy transfer patterns between different quirk types, compatibility matrices that looked like something out of a genetics textbook.
Dr. Yamada explained the physiological mechanisms behind different types of quirk interactions, how some powers naturally synergized while others created dangerous feedback loops.
The displays were fascinating, showing real-time data from ongoing studies.
But Ryuu's attention was increasingly divided between the educational content and the growing sense that their field trip was about to become something entirely different.
The security presence was definitely heavier. Guards positioned at every corridor junction, eyes scanning constantly. Staff members moving with purpose that had nothing to do with the tour.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
When the first alarm went off, Ryuu wasn't entirely surprised.
The sound cut through the quiet wing...red lights began flashing in the corners of the ceiling, casting everything in an eerie crimson glow.
Dr. Yamada's face went pale.
"Everyone stay calm," she said, but her voice shook slightly. "This is just a—"
REEEEEEE! REEEEEEE!
The second alarm joined the first, higher-pitched and more urgent.
"Lockdown protocol initiated," a mechanical voice announced from overhead speakers. "All personnel and visitors proceed to designated safe zones immediately. This is not a drill."
Well, shit.
Ryuu's day had just gotten a lot more complicated.
----
Author's Note : I just woke up...