Twenty meters below the streets of Tokyo, in an underground facility that didn't exist on any official blueprints, a man stood alone before a wall of flickering monitors.
The screens cast pale blue light across his features, highlighting blonde hair that had begun to show streaks of premature gray at the temples.
Sharp violet eyes....the same distinctive shade his son had inherited—tracked movement across multiple surveillance feeds with practiced efficiency.
Commander Yamamoto Kenji cut an imposing figure even in solitude.
Tall and lean, with the kind of rangy build that came from years of field work rather than gym training.
His blonde hair, once bright enough to draw attention, had been deliberately dulled with subtle dye to a more forgettable sandy shade.
The violet eyes that might have marked him as someone's father were hidden behind clear-lensed glasses that subtly altered their apparent color under certain lighting.
Anyone who had known Kazama Kenji eight years ago would struggle to recognize Commander Yamamoto now.
That was intentional.
Every detail of his appearance had been carefully calculated to distance himself from the man he'd been.
The husband.
The father.
The government researcher who had once believed in the system he served.
The man who had abandoned his family to save them.
He stood perfectly still before the largest monitor, watching footage from the National Quirk Research Institute for the eighth time in three hours.
His expression revealed nothing...years of practice had taught him to keep every emotion locked behind a mask of detachment.
But his hands, hidden below the console's edge where the cameras couldn't see them, were clenched white-knuckled against the metal surface.
The door behind him opened with a soft pneumatic hiss.
"Commander," a cultured voice announced. "I've returned with the intelligence you requested."
Kenji didn't turn around immediately.
He finished reviewing the timestamp on the current surveillance feed before acknowledging the new arrival.
"Kurogane," he said evenly, his tone betraying nothing of the complicated emotions churning beneath his professional facade. "Your report indicated a complete operational success."
"More than complete." Kurogane Takeshi stepped into the pale blue light, his metallic features catching the monitor glow in ways that seemed almost ethereal.
At eight and a half feet tall, he dominated the room's physical space, but moved with liquid grace that made his presence feel natural rather than imposing. "I acquired comprehensive quirk data on all primary targets, established psychological profiles, and identified multiple tactical vulnerabilities we can exploit in future operations."
He approached the console, pulling a data chip from his coat pocket with fingers that shifted from chrome to copper in the flickering light. "Everything is documented here. Quirk mechanics, physical limitations, emotional pressure points, interpersonal dynamics..." A pause, weighted with significance. "And confirmation of the amplifier's bloodline connection to you, Commander."
The room's temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"You told him." Kenji's voice remained perfectly level, but something dangerous flickered in his violet eyes. "Despite explicit orders to maintain operational security, you revealed classified information about my identity to a civilian target."
"I revealed intelligence to a high-value Enhanced individual," Kurogane corrected smoothly, seemingly unbothered by the implied threat. "The psychological impact was... remarkable. You should have seen his face, Commander. The way every assumption he held about his family structure shattered in real-time. Beautiful, in its own way."
"Your operational parameters," Kenji said quietly, each word precisely controlled, "did not include psychological warfare against the primary target."
"My operational parameters included gathering maximum intelligence through whatever means proved most effective." Kurogane moved to stand beside him, both of them now facing the monitors. "Tell me, Commander....how long did you think you could maintain the fiction? How long before someone in the organization made the connection between Tanaka Ryuu and Kazama Kenji? Better that I controlled the narrative, delivered the revelation on our terms, than let it emerge organically through some careless operative's research."
Kenji's jaw tightened fractionally....the only visible sign of his anger. "The boy's emotional stability—"
"—is not our concern," Kurogane interrupted, his tone still pleasant but carrying steel underneath. "He's a target, Commander. A valuable one, certainly, but ultimately just another Enhanced individual destined for acquisition and processing. Unless..." He paused meaningfully. "Unless there are considerations you haven't shared with the organization? Personal attachments that might compromise your objectivity?"
The threat was subtle but unmistakable.
Before Kenji could respond, the briefing room doors opened again, admitting Dr. Saito and Agent Sato along with three other senior operatives.
The small space suddenly felt crowded, the weight of their collective attention pressing down like a physical force.
"Ah, excellent," Dr. Saito said, his eyes immediately fixing on the data chip in Kurogane's hand with barely contained hunger. "The Collector has returned with his findings. Commander, I trust we can proceed with the briefing?"
Kenji gestured toward the main screen without speaking, his expression carefully neutral as Kurogane inserted the data chip and the monitors flickered to life with new footage.
What followed was a masterclass in professional intelligence gathering.
Kurogane walked them through each encounter methodically, his cultured voice describing quirk mechanics and tactical observations with clinical precision.
Each student was catalogued, their abilities analyzed, their limitations documented with the same detached efficiency one might use to describe laboratory specimens.
"Ashido Mina," he began, and footage filled the screen showing the pink-haired girl generating acid with lethal precision. "Acid generation with variable pH control. Current maximum appears to be pH 1.2, though this may increase with training. When amplified by the Resonance quirk, output increased to an estimated pH 0.5...approaching hydrofluoric acid levels of corrosiveness."
He gestured, and the image shifted to show Mina's acid melting through reinforced steel. "Physical contact with the amplifier grants approximately 400% enhancement to her quirk's destructive capacity. Emotional state during amplification: protective aggression with underlying fear for the amplifier's safety. The bond appears reciprocal and deep-rooted."
Dr. Saito leaned forward, already making notes. "The emotional component enhances effectiveness?"
"Exponentially," Kurogane confirmed. "I made physical contact with almost all the targets during the operation. Not just to copy their quirks, but to understand the underlying mechanics through my Absorption Matrix." His metallic fingers tapped against the console. "The amplification isn't merely mathematical multiplication...it's resonance in the truest sense. The stronger the emotional connection, the more effective the enhancement becomes."
He brought up footage of Yaoyorozu Momo next, showing her rapid Creation of complex equipment during the battle. "Creation through lipid conversion. Remarkable versatility limited primarily by knowledge base and available body fat. When amplified, creation speed increased by approximately 300%, and she was able to produce items of significantly greater complexity than her baseline allows."
"The tactical implications..." Agent Sato breathed, already thinking through operational applications.
"Are staggering," Kurogane agreed. "Observe the coordination." The footage shifted to show the group working together, their movements synchronized with almost supernatural precision. "This isn't trained tactical response. This is instinctive cooperation born from deep interpersonal trust. The amplifier maintains physical contact with multiple partners simultaneously while processing their individual quirk requirements and emotional states in real-time."
He paused the footage on an image of Ryuu kneeling beside the unconscious Midoriya, his hands maintaining contact with Mina and Momo even while clearly exhausted.
Blood stained his face, his violet eyes barely focusing, but his concentration on maintaining those connections never wavered.
"This moment," Kurogane said quietly, "reveals everything we need to know about the primary target's psychological profile. He will push his quirk beyond all safe limits to protect those he considers family. His protective instincts override self-preservation completely. And most importantly..."
He turned to face the assembled operatives, his gaze sweeping across them before settling on Kenji.
"He has no idea what his amplification truly is."
The room went silent.
"Explain," Dr. Saito demanded, his previous excitement shifting to intense focus.
Kurogane pulled up another data file, this one showing complex quirk analysis charts and archived surveillance footage. "Based on accumulated intelligence from previous operations and the coordination patterns I observed tonight, what we've been calling 'amplification' may be fundamentally misclassified."
He gestured to older footage—training exercises, the Sports Festival, documented encounters where Ryuu had actively used his quirk before tonight's burnout.
"Standard quirk enhancement operates through raw power multiplication...take an existing ability and increase its output. Simple, predictable, limited by the base quirk's fundamental parameters."
Kurogane's metallic features shifted thoughtfully. "But analysis of the amplifier's documented effects suggests something far more sophisticated."
"Then what does he do?" Agent Sato leaned forward, interest overriding his usual caution.
"I believe he enhances potential," Kurogane replied, the words carrying weight that made everyone in the room focus completely.
"During my contact with the other students tonight, I copied their quirks in base form. However, we have archived intelligence on two individuals the amplifier has worked with extensively...the Creation user and the Acid user."
He pulled up footage from previous encounters...training exercises, documented observations of Ryuu working with Momo and Mina.
"These two represent the only confirmed cases of full amplification output.
And the effects are remarkable."
Kenji felt his blood turn to ice.
They were getting dangerously close to understanding something he'd hoped would remain hidden for years longer.
Kurogane pulled up comparison data....side-by-side analysis of Momo and Mina's capabilities with and without Ryuu's influence.
"The Creation user's lipid conversion under amplification achieved efficiency ratios that simple power multiplication cannot account for. Not just faster production—optimized production. Reduced metabolic cost, improved structural integrity of created objects, near-instantaneous material analysis."
He switched to Mina's data.
"The Acid user's secretions showed improved molecular stability and control precision far beyond what amplified output alone would explain. The chemical compositions became more perfect."
Kurogane paused, his gaze sweeping the room.
"Standard amplification multiplies existing output. But these improvements suggest the boy isn't just enhancing power levels...he may be temporarily unlocking latent potential. Quirk evolution rather than simple enhancement."
"Evolution?" Dr. Saito's voice carried barely contained hunger. "You mean he can actually improve quirks beyond their natural limitations?"
"The data from these two subjects strongly suggests it," Kurogane replied. "For the duration of contact, he appears to push quirks toward their theoretical maximum efficiency. And the most interesting detail..."
He pulled up psychological profiles alongside the quirk data.
"Both subjects demonstrate deep emotional connections to the amplifier. Trust, affection, possibly romantic attachment. The enhancement effects correlate directly with emotional bond strength."
"Dear god," Dr. Saito whispered, his hands trembling slightly as the implications sank in. "That's not amplification. That's temporary quirk evolution."
"Precisely." Kurogane's smile was cold. "For the duration of physical contact and emotional resonance, the target essentially gains access to a perfected version of their own quirk. No wasted energy, no biological inefficiencies, no hesitation from neural processing delays. Just pure, optimized power directed through whatever emotional connection drives the resonance."
The implication hung in the air like a guillotine blade.
"We're not dealing with a support-type Enhancement quirk," Agent Sato said slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes. "We're dealing with something that could turn any quirk user into a A-class threat."
"Now you understand why acquisition is critical," Dr. Saito said, his scientific excitement warring with tactical caution. "A quirk that grants temporary evolution to anyone he touches, powered by emotional bonds that can apparently reach unlimited depth..." He turned to Kenji. "Commander, your analysis?"
All eyes shifted to Kenji, who had remained silent throughout Kurogane's presentation.
He stood perfectly still, his expression revealing nothing, while inside his chest his heart hammered with a mixture of pride and terror.
'Temporary quirk evolution'.
He'd suspected something like this for years, ever since Ryuu's quirk had first manifested when he was four years old.
The boy had touched his mother during a moment of emotional distress, and suddenly Yuki's healing quirk had worked with efficiency it had never shown before...closing a serious cut in seconds instead of minutes, with none of the usual fatigue afterward.
But hearing it described, seeing the data that proved what his son's power really was... that was different.
That made it real in a way that parental observation never could.
And far, far more dangerous.
"My analysis," Kenji said finally, his voice carefully measured, "is that Kurogane's intelligence confirms our worst projections. The boy represents a strategic asset of incalculable value. Hero society would kill to possess someone with that capability. So would a dozen villain organizations. The governmental Enhancement Programs we've been tracking would happily restart their experiments if they knew what he could do."
He turned to face the room, meeting each operative's gaze in turn. "Which is precisely why we need to move carefully. Rushed acquisition attempts will fail...the target is too well-protected by UA's security, too surrounded by powerful allies who would die to protect him. And now..."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in.
Kenji struggled to maintain his composed expression while his mind raced through the catastrophic possibilities.
If they understood that Ryuu wasn't just amplifying quirks but actually evolving them temporarily... if they realized the true scope of what his son could become with proper training and stronger emotional bonds...
They wouldn't just want to capture him.
They'd want to break him.
Rebuild him from the ground up as the ultimate weapon.
"It's just a guess," Agent Sato said, turning to Kurogane. His voice carried a hint of hope. "How sure are you?"
"Seventy percent confidence based on available data," Kurogane admitted. "The archived footage shows effects that exceed projected amplification curves. But without direct contact with the amplifier himself while his quirk is active, I cannot confirm the mechanism definitively."
He pulled up more footage...the students' coordination during previous encounters.
"What I can confirm is the emotional component. The amplification effects...or evolution effects, if my theory is correct...become significantly more pronounced with deeper interpersonal bonds. Trust-based enhancement rather than simple physical contact multiplication."
"How many partners could he theoretically handle?" Agent Sato asked quietly.
"Unknown. But tonight, even with his quirk completely burned out, he coordinated five individuals in complex tactical scenarios with near-perfect efficiency. His awareness of their capabilities, his ability to process multiple combat variables simultaneously..." Kurogane's metallic features shifted into something like respect. "That suggests the quirk may be developing his cognitive processing alongside the enhancement capabilities. Preparing him to handle multiple simultaneous connections."
Kenji closed his eyes briefly, remembering Ryuu as a child.
The way he'd unconsciously enhanced Yuki's healing quirk just by being near her when she was treating patients.
How he'd made Kenji's own abilities better, during their time together.
Even at two years old, his son had been showing signs of this deeper capability.
The potential to not just amplify, but to perfect.
"Acquisition becomes significantly more complex," Dr. Saito mused, his scientific mind already working through the implications. "If the evolution effect....assuming your theory is correct...requires genuine emotional bonds, forced compliance would be counterproductive. We'd need willing cooperation."
"Or," Kurogane said quietly, "sufficient leverage to make cooperation appear voluntary."
All eyes turned to him.
"The boy's protective instincts are absolute. Threaten those emotional bonds that make him powerful, and he'll do anything to preserve them. Including cooperation with our objectives."
"You're suggesting we target his partners directly," Agent Sato said, understanding immediately.
"I'm suggesting we make him an offer he can't refuse. Demonstrate our capability to harm those he cares about, then provide him with a choice...his 'voluntary' cooperation in exchange for their safety, or watch us destroy everyone he's learned to love."
The room erupted in approving murmurs. They thought it was brilliant strategy...using the very bonds that made Ryuu powerful as the weapon to control him.
Kenji felt sick.
"But there's another consideration," Kurogane continued, and the room quieted again. "Tonight, I dropped information about his father's involvement in our organization."
Several operatives glanced at Kenji, who kept his expression carefully neutral.
"The psychological impact was immediate and profound," Kurogane said. "Confusion, betrayal, denial—all the expected responses to having one's foundational beliefs challenged. But also..." he paused thoughtfully, "a desperate need for answers. For truth."
"You're suggesting we use the father as additional leverage?" Dr. Saito asked.
"I'm suggesting the boy will come looking for answers," Kurogane replied. "And when he does, we'll be ready to provide them...along with our terms for cooperation."
"Timeline?" Dr. Saito asked, already reaching for his planning files.
"Two weeks minimum," Kurogane replied. "After quirk burnout of that magnitude, he'll need significant recovery time. And UA's security will be at maximum alert following tonight's breach."
"We wait for the perfect moment," Agent Sato added. "Let them think they're safe. Let those emotional bonds strengthen further. Let him stew on the questions about his father."
"Exactly," Kurogane agreed. "The stronger his connections become, the more devastating it will be when we threaten them. The more desperate he becomes for answers about his family, the more willing he'll be to negotiate."
He pulled up one final image...Ryuu's face from the surveillance footage, exhausted but determined, surrounded by the friends he'd fought so desperately to protect.
"And if my theory about quirk evolution is correct," Kurogane said quietly, "then every day those bonds strengthen, every training session that pushes his limits, every emotional connection that deepens... they're making him more valuable to us. More powerful. More capable of providing exactly what we need."
"An army of evolved quirk users," Dr. Saito breathed, understanding dawning. "Each one operating at theoretical maximum efficiency."
"Under the guidance of someone who can unlock that potential through voluntary cooperation rather than force," Kurogane agreed. "The applications are staggering."
As the meeting broke up with renewed energy and tactical planning, Kenji remained motionless, watching the screens that showed his son's unconscious face.
'Quirk evolution.'
'The ability to unlock potential that users didn't know they possessed.'
It was worse than he'd feared. So much worse.
And the most terrifying part? Kurogane's theory was correct.
Kenji had seen it himself years ago, had documented it in research that was supposed to remain buried forever.
Resonance wasn't just amplification...it was optimization. Evolution. The temporary perfection of quirks through emotional connection.
That was why the Enhancement Program had wanted Ryuu so desperately. Why they'd been willing to destroy entire families to acquire research subjects with similar capabilities.
And now this organization...his organization, the one he'd built to protect his son...had figured it out.
Two weeks.
He had two weeks to find a way to warn UA, to protect his son, to end eight years of impossible choices.
Two weeks to figure out how to destroy everything he'd built to save the only thing that mattered.
'I'm sorry, Ryuu,' he thought, staring at his son's determined face on the screen.
'I tried to protect you from this. But maybe it's time you knew the truth about why your father really disappeared.'
'Maybe it's time to stop being Commander Yamamoto and remember how to be your dad again.'
Even if it killed him.
---
Author's Note:
Sorry I didn't make Kenji the one who planned everything to protect his son (and buy time).
I decided against it because it didn't feel right to me, and honestly, the Collector's dialogue is pretty heavy.
I'll share a sample of his lines in the real Author's Note so you can check it out and let me know what you think.
Also....congratulations on reaching Arc 2!