The next morning came quicker than Ryuu expected...he couldn't quite sleep well....
He just laid there staring at the ceiling, stuck between being nervous and kinda excited about the upcoming event.
His mind kept bouncing between strategy plans, worst-case scenarios, and the weird tension between him, Mina, and Momo.
7:00AM
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Ugh... already?" Ryuu groaned, slapping the alarm off.
Then he flopped onto his back...staring at the ceiling for a few more seconds, completely drained...
His body felt heavy, like he hadn't slept at all...which, honestly, he hadn't.
Dragging himself out of bed, he threw on his favorite dark green All Might hoodie over his training gear....the one with the faded "Go Beyond!" print on the back.
He ran a hand through his messy hair, grabbed his bag, and headed out the door with a tired sigh.
"Let's just get through today without losing my mind," he muttered, heading out the door...
The streets were still quiet, the sky painted in soft shades of early morning as Ryuu made his way toward the café Mina had picked.
His breath fogged slightly in the cool air, but the walk helped clear his head....at least a little.
He spotted her through the window before stepping inside.
Mina was rocking a black and pink tracksuit that hugged her just right....showing off her toned figure, that slim waist, and the way it curved into her hips.
Her wild, bubblegum-pink hair was pulled into a messy bun, with a few strands falling around her face.
She looked effortlessly confident, like she always did, even this early in the morning.
Ryuu couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight, his brain short-circuiting for a second.
"Okay... focus, man. She's just your friend...who am kidding *sigh*..."
Just as he was busy mentally scolding himself by the window, Mina spotted him and waved with that signature bright grin.
Ryuu blinked, snapped out of it, and headed inside....trying not to look like he'd just been caught staring.
"Morning, sleepyhead," she teased, flashing a smirk. "You look like you were real 'busy' last night." She raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the image of Ryuu's tired face.
Ryuu groaned as he slid into the seat across from her.
"If by 'busy' you mean overthinking everything and losing sleep, then yeah... totally."
Then they ordered light....toast, eggs, and caffeine.
Mina launched into a dramatic retelling of Monoma's latest rant during yesterday's briefing, complete with exaggerated hand gestures and some eye rolls here and there.
"I swear, if he starts listing his quirk stats again mid-exercise, I'm throwing a support beam at him," she said, deadpan.
Ryuu smirked. "That would definitely cost you guys points."
"Totally worth it," she replied, grinning. Then her tone softened. "You nervous?"
He hesitated. "A little. It's my first time doing resonance with Momo.... We've planned everything out together, but that's all in theory... this is different..."
Mina nodded thoughtfully. "She's sharp though. So you two will probably crush it."
"Yeah, but resonance can get messy," Ryuu admitted. "It amplifies everything...quirks, instincts...and even ....emotions."
Mina stirred her coffee, her gaze steady. "You can handle it. Just stay grounded. And hey....if things get weird, remember you've got people who trust you."
Her words hit deeper than she probably realized. Ryuu gave a small smile. "Thanks. That helps."
They finished breakfast with light banter, but the weight of the upcoming exercise lingered in Ryuu's chest.
As they stood to leave, Mina bumped his shoulder playfully. "Go be amazing," she said. "Just don't let Momo out-strategize you too hard."
"No promises," Ryuu replied, laughing.
7:40AM----Training Facility...
Ryuu stood beside Momo at their starting point, the mock cityscape ahead of them looking like it had already survived a disaster....there's cracked roads, tilted buildings, and...even smoke drifting through the air.
His dark blue and silver costume hugged his frame....it's built for speed and mobility, with exposed fingertips for better control and of course…so he could make direct contact during "resonance"....it's something crucial for his quirk.
But today, his gears felt heavier than usual.
But it wasn't the gear itself that was heavy... it was because of the the pressure sitting on his shoulders.
He and Momo had gone over the plan, mapped out strategies,and prepped for every possible twist.
But theory was one thing.....doing it live, with pressure and eyes on them, was something else entirely.
The scenario briefing had been intense....which was....
A multi-stage disaster response with trapped civilians, collapsing structures, and villain bot interference.
Teams would be scored on rescue efficiency, tactical coordination, and creative problem-solving under pressure.
8:00AM
BZZZZT!!!!
At exactly 0800, the facility buzzer echoed through the air, sharp and final.
Momo adjusted her utility belt one last time, her expression calm but focused.
"Ready?" she asked, glancing at him.
"As I'll ever be" Ryuu replied, though his attention briefly wandered to where Mina and Monoma were positioned two blocks away.
Even at this distance, he could see the tension in her posture.
"Focus, Kazama" Momo said gently, following his gaze. "She can handle herself. We need to concentrate on our own mission"
She was right, but that didn't stop his gut from tightening every time Mina looked uneasy...
The first scenario kicked off with a thunderous CRASH!
A building facade caved in, sending dust and rubble flying.
Screams echoed from behind the debris. The 'trapped human civilians' were visible near the rubble pile.
"We need close contact for amplification," Ryuu said as they approached the disaster zone.
"Understood," Momo replied, moving to stand directly in front of him. "Does it need physical contact or proximity?"
"Contact works better for the initial resonance."
Without hesitation, Momo reached out and took his hands in hers.
The moment their skin touched, Ryuu felt his quirk activate, creating that familiar bridge of awareness between them.
The effect on Momo was immediate and visible.
Her eyes widened slightly as the amplification took hold, her breathing deepening as every sensation became more intense.
The good thing is that she adapted quickly...channeling the amplification into her on quirk.
Incredible," she breathed, eyes scanning the wreckage. "I can feel the molecular structure of everything around us. The clarity is amazing."
Her Creation quirk lit up under the boost.
She focused instantly on the structure ahead, not wasting time on overly complex machines.
Her Creation quirk responded to the amplification with impressive speed. She focused instantly on the structure ahead, not wasting time on overly complex machines.
A pair of heavy-duty steel bracing struts materialized, ready to shore up the unstable corner of the building.
Just as the struts locked into place, a threat emerged.
Ripping through a collapsed wall came a Hulk-Bot—a large, chunky villain robot built like a cheap, green metal refrigerator with thick treads instead of feet.
Its single red eye glowed with malice.
"Villain bot!" Ryuu yelled.
Momo didn't flinch. As the bot raised one clawed arm to swing, she snapped her hands together.
A heavy, rectangular steel plate slammed into existence, perfectly timed to deflect the robot's blow with a ringing CLANG!
Ryuu spun, his reflexes kicked with adrenaline flowing through him.
But fortunately for him he also has amplified awareness which made the bot's slow, sweeping counter-attack seem sluggish.
His body moved with fluid precision, easily dodging the machine's clumsy reach.
"Extraction tools, Momo! Fast!"
Two lightweight, pressurized air-sledgehammers appeared in her hands, and she instantly tossed one to Ryuu.
The sledgehammers were useless against the Hulk-Bot, but they were perfect for quickly smashing the smaller pieces of debris blocking the civilians.
They worked together seamlessly.
Ryuu used his slighty amplified strength to efficiently clear the rubble while Momo kept the Hulk-Bot boxed in, creating temporary concrete barriers that forced the machine to take the long way around.
The "civilians" in the drill were these humanoid bots...that looked almost like real people with fake skin and clothes, programmed to act scared.
One was "trapped" under some fake debris, waving its arms and yelling in a glitchy voice, "H-help! Get me out of here!"
Another one nearby was "injured," clutching its side and groaning, "It hurts... please hurry!"
"We have two victims," Ryuu reported, spotting the civilians in the rubble. The other 'human' was calling out, "Is someone there? Please...hurry!"
"Momo! I need something to help get them out of here" Ryuu yelled behind him.
"On it!" Momo's arm glowed as she pulled out a compact hydraulic jack and a collapsible stretcher. She tossed the jack to Ryuu.
He caught it mid-stride, already moving toward the first civilian bot.
The thing's synthetic face was twisted in 'panic', its voice glitching between scared and robotic. "P-please! I can't... m-move my legs!"
"Hold still," Ryuu muttered, jamming the jack under the concrete slab pinning it down.
He pumped the lever twice, and the debris lifted with a groan.
The civilian bot scrambled free, stumbling on wobbly legs. "Thank you! Th-thank you so much!"
"Get to the safe zone. Move!" Ryuu pointed toward the marked extraction point.
Behind him, Momo was already at the second victim, kneeling down with a medical kit she'd just created.
The bot was clutching its side, blue blood smeared across its shirt.
"You're going to be okay," she told it calmly, wrapping a bandage around its torso even though she knew it wasn't real.
Professionalism mattered in grading.
The Hulk-Bot finally broke through her concrete barriers with a grinding CRASH, its treads churning rubble as it charged straight at them.
"Momo, incoming!"
She whipped around, her hand already glowing. A long metal pipe shot out from her palm, and she swung it hard, cracking the bot across its glowing red eye. Sparks flew. The machine staggered back, recalibrating.
"Grab the stretcher!" she shouted.
Ryuu was already there. Together they lifted the injured civilian bot onto the stretcher and hauled it toward the extraction zone.
The 'human' kept groaning dramatically. "Don't... don't leave me..."
"We've got you, just hang on," Ryuu grunted, his muscles burning even with the amplification....
They crossed into the safe zone just as the Hulk-Bot recovered and lunged forward, only to be stopped by the glowing boundary line.
It froze mid-swing, deactivated by the simulation's parameters.
"Civilian extraction complete for sector one," Momo announced into her comm device, breathing hard but composed. "Moving to sector two."
Ryuu let go of the stretcher, wiping sweat from his forehead. His heart was still pounding, but the rush of success felt good.
Really good.
"Nice work," he told her.
Momo smiled, a little flushed from exertion and maybe something else. "You too."
Then the loudspeaker crackled overhead.
"Second scenario incoming. Chemical spill detected. Hazmat protocols required. 'Villain' interference expected."
Ryuu's stomach dropped. Chemical spill meant precision work....they'd been prepping for something like this...but actually doing it?...that's a whole different story.
Momo would need to create filtration gear, protective barriers, maybe even neutralizing agents, all while under pressure.
And that meant deeper amplification.
"I need a stronger connection for this one," Momo admitted, stepping closer to him. Her voice dropped slightly. "The molecular analysis for chemicals... it requires maximum focus."
Ryuu hesitated, but only for a second. "Alright. Let's do it."
He reached out and took both her hands again, but this time he opened the floodgates of his quirk, not holding back.
The resonance surged between them like a live wire, ten times more intense than before.
Momo gasped, her whole body tensing as the amplification hit her system.
Her pupils dilated, her breathing quickened, and for a moment she just stood there, overwhelmed by the sheer clarity of it all.
"Momo?" Ryuu's voice cut through the haze. "You good?"
-----
Author note : Sorry for the late update....hope you enjoy this chapter tho.
I've started giving our boy Ryuu more power beyond just being a support role,
though stat-wise, he's still classified as a supporter.
Your lazy author.