With the dust finally settling, the sheer scale of the destruction caused by All For One's attack became impossible to ignore.
Three city blocks had practically vanished.
What had once been a cramped stretch of warehouses, houses, utility poles, and narrow streets had been reduced to a long empty scar cutting through the city. Only fragments of foundations remained, along with ruptured pipes jutting from the ground and scattered chunks of concrete across the terrain that had been completely swept clean by the Air Cannon.
All For One stared at the devastation for a moment as he slowly pushed himself upright, feeling his own body protest beneath his dark clothing.
He had unleashed an attack powerful enough to erase an entire urban area.
And yet, he had still failed to truly injure the boy standing before him.
Ryo's clothes had been damaged by the blast, but the skin beneath remained completely untouched, while small waves of green energy continued to leak from his body.
All For One narrowed the single visible eye behind his damaged mask.
"Who exactly is this boy...?"
All For One slowly began to rise, still feeling the strange aftereffects of his failed attempt to steal the boy's Quirk. Even now, part of his mind vividly remembered the sensation of half his body being erased within that inner space.
Ryo, however, seemed far more concerned with his surroundings.
He looked from side to side.
Taking in the destruction around him until he finally realized just how much of an urban area had been wiped away.
His expression hardened.
"You destroyed all of this just trying to hit me?"
The villain remained silent.
Ryo turned his gaze back toward him.
Then vanished for a single frame.
All For One didn't even have time to react before Ryo appeared behind him and Kurogiri as a green blur, the air rupturing in his wake with a delayed sonic boom.
He barely managed to turn his head before Ryo's fist slammed into him.
The punch drove into the villain's torso, crushing the fabric inward, compressing muscle, breaking internal structures, and launching his entire body away like a projectile. All For One shot across the barren stretch created by the Air Cannon at tremendous speed before crashing into the devastated ground in the distance with a violent eruption of dirt and pulverized concrete.
Kurogiri's eyes widened at the sight.
"Master!"
But before he could react, Ryo's hand clamped firmly around the metallic support at his neck.
Green electrical arcs erupted from the boy's hand that very second, surging through Kurogiri's mist-like body.
"ARGH!"
The villain tried to expand again, but the electricity disrupted his concentration before he could complete the movement.
Ryo maintained the discharge for only a few seconds before letting go.
Kurogiri collapsed to the ground, completely motionless.
"Stay there."
Mr. Compress, having witnessed the entire exchange, tried to retreat.
But Ryo was already standing in front of him.
Compress felt nothing but a sudden pressure in the air before noticing Ryo's fist drawn back beside his body.
Then it struck his stomach.
The instant contact was made, a green flash exploded around them.
Something resembling a Black Flash, only stained green, erupted from the exact point of impact. Dark-green electrical lines spread across the ground and nearby walls as a sharp, violently concentrated boom echoed through the area.
The impact caved in Compress's abdomen before tearing him completely off his feet.
Compress's eyes rolled white behind his mask.
His body tore through the warehouse's side wall as if it were paper, punching a circular hole straight through it, crossing the narrow alley behind the building, then smashing through the next wall before disappearing on the other side beneath debris and dust.
Ryo remained with his arm extended for several seconds as the final green sparks faded away.
He gave a short snort through his nose, without the slightest hint of satisfaction.
"That was for capturing me."
Ryo stared at the hole for another moment before turning his attention toward the enormous cloud of dust hanging over the devastated terrain.
He walked toward the edge of what remained of the warehouse before jumping down to the ground below.
His landing was solid, dust rising around his feet as Ryo straightened himself and stared toward the distant cloud once again.
"Stop playing around and come out," he said firmly, crossing his arms. "I know you're fine after that punch."
The dust began to shift as a dark silhouette emerged from within.
All For One slowly rose out of the cloud, hovering several meters above the ground. He clearly wasn't as fine as Ryo had claimed. His breathing was noticeably heavier than before.
Even so, there was no panic in his movements.
Only caution.
Irritation...
And curiosity?
"Impressive..."
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"Now I understand why Tomura has had so much trouble with you."
All For One raised one arm while suspended in midair. His forearm grotesquely expanded with a sudden twitch as he prepared another Air Cannon.
Ryo immediately recognized the motion.
"Again?"
All For One aimed at Ryo.
Only for Ryo to suddenly appear beneath him.
His right leg shot upward at a sharp ninety-degree angle, and the rising kick smashed directly into All For One's chin from below.
"We should probably take this fight somewhere else, then."
The words left his mouth at the exact moment of impact.
All For One rocketed toward the sky like a bullet.
Ryo looked upward, his body already leaning forward.
Electromagnetic rings appeared around him for a fraction of a second.
Then he vanished again.
Using Gauss Propulsion, Ryo shot after the villain like a streak of green lightning.
Completely unaware that the hole he had created by sending Compress flying had nearly hit his friends.
Kirishima was pressed flat against the wall.
Or what was left of it.
The hole created when Mr. Compress had smashed through the buildings passed terrifyingly close to where Kirishima, Dash, and Pony had been hiding.
Small chunks of concrete were still falling around them.
"...That was close."
Dash stared at the enormous hole cutting through two buildings.
"Way too close."
Pony continued staring toward the partially destroyed warehouse, then toward the open field that had suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Was that the person we came here to rescue?" she asked, turning toward Dash. "Because honestly... he doesn't exactly look like he needs any help."
Dash merely let out a defeated sigh, still staring toward the sky.
"Yeah... I'm starting to realize that too."
----------------------------------------
All For One continued ascending through a combination of instinct and calculation, gaining altitude until he pierced through the white cloud layer and emerged beneath a dark, clear sky stained by the final remnants of night.
Only then did he slow down and steady himself in the air, his breathing still heavy as he attempted to reorganize his thoughts.
What kind of strength was that?
What kind of Quirk reacted like that to an attempt at theft?
"Who exactly is that boy...?"
"Who am I?"
The voice came from behind him.
All For One spun around in alarm.
Ryo hovered only a few meters away, arms crossed, his expression hard and his glowing green eyes far colder than before.
"I'm someone you never should have messed with."
All For One barely had time to process the words before Ryo's hand appeared in front of him, his palm covered in a concentrated green glow.
A colossal mass of gamma energy detonated from Ryo's hand and completely engulfed All For One, flooding the clouds with green light and hurling the villain across the sky.
For a moment, the entire world around them was painted emerald.
Then Ryo launched himself after him once again.
All For One grunted and attempted to counterattack.
Several thick, rigid, sharpened black tendrils burst from his back, split by vivid, cracked red lines.
Rivet Stab
The structures whipped through the air toward Ryo in a sprawling web, attempting to surround and impale him from every direction.
Ryo maneuvered through the air and avoided every attack with ease.
He twisted his body, slipping past the first cluster by mere inches, shattered two tendrils with rapid punches that reduced them to fragments, then opened his hand and fired a Gamma Blast that annihilated another dozen approaching from his left.
More structures followed immediately, crossing his path from different angles.
When Ryo realized they were about to surround him, he pulled both arms close to his body.
Then violently threw them outward.
Gamma Rebuke
A massive explosion erupted from his body.
The blast swept away every remaining tendril in his path, forcing an irritated grunt from All For One as he watched his entire offensive strategy collapse in an instant.
He attempted to follow up with another Air Cannon, stacking additional Quirks to multiply its destructive power.
But Ryo's fist reached him first.
His punch smashed into All For One's face alongside another green flash, the impact so dense that the surrounding air appeared to bend inward before violently bursting apart.
All For One was thrown to the left.
Ryo intercepted him instantly and struck again.
The villain shot toward the right.
Ryo was already waiting for him there.
Another blow landed.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, the sky became filled with green streaks appearing and disappearing at tremendous speed, each one ending with another punch crashing into All For One.
The attacks came from every direction and every possible angle, the intervals between them so short that the villain's body barely finished flying one way before another impact intercepted him.
The result was something resembling a sphere of light suspended in the heavens, its boundaries traced only by the curved trails of Ryo's movements and the flashes created by each consecutive strike.
Green-black electricity began to spread throughout the air.
Even the nearby clouds were slowly dragged inward, twisted and sucked into the turbulence generated by Ryo's movements.
Meanwhile, the second rescue team finally arrived in the warehouse district.
Best Jeanist led the group, followed closely by Mt. Lady, Gang Orca, Ragdoll, Mr. Incredible, and Elastigirl. The original plan had been simple: reach the second identified hideout, confirm the presence of villains, and begin the rescue operation if Tanaka was truly being held there.
But none of them had expected to find three entire city blocks simply erased from the map.
Best Jeanist stopped at the edge of the devastated area.
"...What happened here?"
There were no burned buildings or partially destroyed structures left behind, nothing that could even allow them to mentally reconstruct what had stood there only minutes earlier.
Everything had been swept away.
All that remained was a vast open stretch of pulverized concrete and scattered debris extending as far as the streetlights allowed them to see.
"Search for civilians!"
Jeanist's command sent everyone into motion immediately.
Mt. Lady began checking the perimeter of the destroyed zone, searching for anyone who might have been trapped beneath the rubble. Mr. Incredible lifted enormous slabs of concrete and pieces of collapsed structures that could have concealed injured civilians, while Best Jeanist advanced through the devastation looking for any sign of survivors.
But they found no one.
Best Jeanist frowned.
An area this large should not have been completely empty.
That was when Elastigirl noticed something several streets away after climbing to the top of a building.
A massive group of people filled one of the side streets.
Dozens of civilians were gathered there in complete disarray. Some were still wearing pajamas. Others were barefoot. Several clutched their phones while others simply stared around themselves, unable to understand where they were.
Helen rushed toward them.
"Is everyone all right?"
Several people turned toward her at once.
"Is anyone hurt?"
Helen stopped in front of a middle-aged man who looked particularly disoriented.
"Sir, can you tell me what happened?"
He blinked several times.
"I... I don't know."
Helen frowned.
"I was at home less than a minute ago."
The man looked around, still struggling to understand his own situation.
"Then, suddenly... I was here."
Helen narrowed her eyes.
"I just appeared here. Everyone did. And a few seconds later, we heard that explosion."
Helen slowly looked toward the others.
Many of them were nodding.
A nearby woman spoke up.
"I was putting my son to bed."
Another man added,
"I was taking a shower."
"I was watching television."
Helen turned her gaze back toward the enormous empty space where three city blocks had once stood.
Her expression grew even more confused.
If those people really had been inside that area only seconds before the attack...
"How...?"
A distant noise caught her attention.
Above them, a news helicopter circled the area, keeping its distance from the devastated zone.
Inside the Newscopter, a reporter stared through the window while the cameraman filmed the scene below.
"Three city blocks..."
She pressed a hand against her earpiece as she tried to keep up with the information coming from the station.
"What kind of villain can cause destruction on this scale in such a short amount of time?"
No answer came from the man beside her.
She continued staring downward.
"We're talking about an entire section of the city being erased in seconds..."
Still nothing.
The reporter frowned.
"Hey."
She turned toward the cameraman, only to realize he was no longer filming the ground below.
The camera was pointed upward.
The man stood completely motionless, staring through the lens with his mouth slightly open.
"What is it?"
He slowly lowered the camera.
"...What is that?"
The reporter followed his gaze.
And finally saw it.
An enormous cyclonic mass was forming in the sky, illuminated from within by green flashes that appeared and vanished too quickly for the eye to follow. Greenish lightning crawled along the edges of the storm while the surrounding clouds were dragged faster and faster toward its center.
The reporter was left speechless.
Far below, the heroes were beginning to notice it as well.
Mt. Lady raised her head.
Gang Orca did the same.
Mr. Incredible's eyes widened.
Best Jeanist stood motionless before the field of destruction, watching the storm grow above them.
A chill ran down Helen's spine.
At the center of that hell, All For One could no longer distinguish right from left, up from down. His vision caught only fragments: a green flash, Ryo's face for an instant, a fist coming from the side, another from above, another from behind, another straight into his abdomen. His sense of direction vanished completely. His counterattacks died before they could even form. Every attempt to react was swallowed by another punch.
Far below, anyone looking toward the heavens would see nothing but a storm folding in upon itself.
At last, Ryo appeared above All For One.
His body remained suspended for a brief instant at the highest point of the vortex.
Then he pulled his arm back.
And shot downward with a powerful punch.
All For One was launched toward the ground like a meteor, dragging part of the cyclone down with him.
The vast white cloud masses began spiraling downward alongside his falling body, forming a colossal tornado woven together by streaks of green electricity.
Creating the illusion that the entire sky itself was falling.
Best Jeanist's eyes widened at the sight.
"Everyone, get back!"
The moment All For One struck the center of the desert below, the impact unleashed a massive explosion.
The ground erupted into an enormous dome of dust and debris before a shockwave tore across the barren landscape like a devastating ring.
Best Jeanist immediately fired out his fibers, anchoring himself to the nearby structures.
Gang Orca leaned forward and shielded his face.
Mt. Lady planted her feet firmly against the ground.
Ragdoll grabbed onto Gang Orca's arm the instant the wind reached them.
The blast of air slammed into all of them with enough force to nearly rip them off their feet.
Helen felt her arms stretch violently as her hands remained locked around their anchors. Bob slid several meters backward despite putting all his strength into resisting, leaving two deep grooves in the asphalt beneath his feet.
Above the area, the Newscopter was struck by the same shockwave.
The helicopter lurched violently to the side.
"HOLD ON!"
The pilot shouted, gripping the controls as alarms began blaring throughout the cabin. The cameraman nearly lost his equipment as the helicopter partially spun around and dropped several meters in altitude.
"Are we going down?!"
"No!"
The pilot fought against the controls.
The camera kept rolling.
Despite shaking violently, its lens captured the enormous column of dust rising from the impact point as the tornado of clouds descended behind it.
Then the two forces collided.
The storm was swallowed by the explosion in a succession of massive bursts, the clouds being torn apart and scattered in every direction.
Little by little, the sky above the city became completely clear.
And for several seconds, both the heroes and the civilians remained in absolute silence, staring at the enormous column of dust in the distance before a green light appeared in the sky.
Ryo descended at high speed, heading straight toward it.
Just a few meters before hitting the ground, he shifted his trajectory slightly and curved around the pillar, coming to an abrupt stop in midair.
The momentum he had built up during his descent didn't vanish with him.
A powerful pressure wave exploded downward, spreading across the terrain and sweeping away all the accumulated smoke within seconds.
A massive, almost perfectly circular crater was revealed, sinking several meters below the original ground level.
At its center was All For One.
The villain remained completely motionless, partially buried beneath the dirt and rubble that had collapsed over him. His suit had been destroyed in several places, and the device covering his face had been practically pulverized by the impact.
For the first time, Ryo could see what was underneath.
Or rather, what wasn't.
No eyes.
No nose.
The deformed surface of his face looked more like one enormous scar than anything human.
Ryo hovered there for a few seconds before slowly landing at the edge of the crater.
"...I still have no fucking idea who the hell you are."
His eyes moved over the unconscious man's body.
"But I do know one thing."
Ryo tilted his head slightly.
"You're ugly as hell without that mask."
That was when a bright white light suddenly appeared over him.
Ryo blinked as a spotlight illuminated his entire body from above.
He instinctively raised a hand in front of his face and turned toward the source of the light, spotting a helicopter hovering overhead.
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
"...Is that..."
His eyes widened.
Inside the helicopter, the reporter was practically leaning against the window while the cameraman kept the lens aimed directly at him.
"There's someone near the crater!"
The live broadcast immediately zoomed in.
The figure of a teenage boy in torn clothes appeared clearly across millions of screens throughout Japan.
"A boy," the reporter continued, pressing a hand to her earpiece. "We have visual confirmation of a teenager at the point of impact. There is also an unconscious man at the center of the crater."
The camera zoomed in even further.
It captured the remnants of Ryo's aura still fading around his body.
"We are currently attempting to confirm his identity, but there is a possibility that this is Rito Takeda, the U.A. student whose kidnapping was recently announced."
In a house not too far away, Kaminari nearly spat out the drink he had just brought to his mouth.
"TAKEDA?!"
He shot up from the couch so quickly that he nearly knocked over the table.
At the Ashido residence, Mina was sitting on the floor in front of the television when the image appeared.
Her jaw dropped.
"HE'S OKAY!"
At the Iida household, Tenya had been watching the broadcast with his parents when he immediately stood up.
"Thank God!"
At the N.C.R.C.D.Q., Yuuko was sitting on the same bed where she had first learned about her son's disappearance.
The television had been on for hours.
She had barely moved from that spot since then.
When the broadcast suddenly switched to footage of a completely devastated area and the reporter began talking about a boy found near the crater, Yuuko raised her head without much expectation.
Then the camera zoomed in.
"Ryo...?"
She stood so quickly that she nearly tripped over her own feet.
Her son was on the screen.
His clothes were torn, his hair was a mess, and there was enough destruction behind him to make any sane person panic, but none of that mattered in that first moment.
He was there.
Yuuko brought both hands to her mouth.
Her legs lost their strength, and she sank back onto the edge of the bed as tears began falling before she even realized it.
"You're safe..."
Her voice broke.
A small, shaky laugh escaped her through the tears as she touched Ryo's image on the television with her fingertips, as though she could somehow reach him through the screen.
"Thank God..."
For two days, every horrible possibility her mind could conjure had played over and over again before her eyes.
Now, none of them mattered.
Her son was okay.
Back in the helicopter, the reporter continued.
"We still don't know exactly what happened here. However, considering the state of the area and the current absence of any other Pro Heroes..."
She hesitated.
"...there is now one unavoidable question."
The camera remained fixed on Ryo.
"Was this boy responsible for all of this?"
Ryo continued staring at the helicopter as a bead of sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face.
"...Shit."
He quickly glanced around.
If this really was being broadcast live...
Ryo felt his stomach sink.
He might have just become the most recognizable face in Japan at that very moment.
Before he could think too deeply about the possible consequences, his hearing picked up the sound of something tearing through the air in the distance.
"I AM HERE!"
Ryo looked up.
A massive figure dropped from the sky.
All Might slammed into the ground a few meters ahead with a heavy impact, kicking up a cloud of dust as he immediately straightened himself.
"Young Takeda! Do not fear, because I am here to sav—"
His voice died the instant All Might looked at the crater beside him.
At its center was a figure he knew better than almost anyone else alive.
Part of Toshinori's expression immediately vanished.
Ryo looked at him.
"You're a little late."
All Might remained frozen as Ryo casually pointed toward the bottom of the crater.
"I already took care of that guy after he tried touching me."
All Might slowly looked from All For One to Ryo.
Then from Ryo to the crater.
Then back to All For One.
"I-I see..."
Ryo scratched the side of his head.
"By the way..."
He suddenly looked much less confident.
"Am I gonna get in trouble for this?"
All Might blinked.
"Trouble?"
"Yeah... You know, it was self-defense."
Ryo quickly pointed at All For One.
"He tried doing something to steal my Quirk, but it went wrong. Dude must've been smoking something."
He started counting on his fingers.
"Then he blew up half this place. And I did everything I could to get people out of the way before anyone got hurt."
He gestured toward the missing city blocks.
"I also tried to minimize the... damage from our fight."
All Might looked at the empty field.
Then at the gigantic crater.
Then back at Ryo.
Ryo grew even more nervous.
"...Tried."
For several seconds, All Might simply stared at him.
Then he began to laugh.
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"No, no! It's nothing!"
All Might shook his head as his laughter faded.
"You haven't done anything wrong, Young Takeda."
Ryo looked genuinely surprised.
"I haven't?"
"I highly doubt you'll be punished for defending yourself against one of your... kidnappers."
All Might looked back at All For One.
"In fact..."
A quiet chuckle escaped him again.
"...I'm rather surprised."
Ryo raised his eyebrow even higher.
"About what?"
All Might opened his mouth to answer, but stopped halfway.
"I'll explain later. My priority right now is getting you out of here and making sure you're alright."
"Right..."
All Might took one step forward.
Then stopped.
Because there was someone inside the crater.
An unfamiliar man stood only a few meters away from All For One.
Neither of them had seen him arrive.
Neither had even sensed his presence.
He stood calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the villain's partially buried body like someone examining a damaged work of art.
"Well..."
His voice was calm.
"It seems you've been through quite the ordeal, my dear friend."
Ryo frowned.
The man had carefully slicked-back white hair and an equally white goatee. He wore a black bodysuit with an almost latex-like appearance, tightly fitted to his body, with a large pinkish-purple triangular design beginning around his neck and shoulders before narrowing downward into a point over his abdomen.
All Might immediately positioned himself between Ryo and the stranger.
"What are you doing here? Who are you?"
The stranger slowly turned his head.
His expression remained completely neutral.
"My sincerest apologies."
He gave a small bow.
"I became distracted and completely forgot my manners."
The man straightened himself.
"My name is Bastion."
His blue eyes briefly shifted toward All For One.
"And I've come to retrieve my dear friend."
He made a small gesture with his chin.
"Now, if you'll excuse me..."
All Might disappeared.
Bastion had barely finished speaking when the Symbol of Peace appeared behind him.
"You're not taking anyone!"
All Might's arms wrapped around the man's torso, only to close around empty air as a brilliant flash erupted where Bastion had been.
All Might's eyes widened.
"I'm afraid you're making this rather difficult for us."
The voice came from above.
All Might looked up to see Bastion floating several meters above the crater, once again with his hands behind his back.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to play with you at the moment."
He tilted his head.
"But I'm certain we'll have another opportunity."
"What about me?"
Bastion's eyes shifted.
Ryo was already in front of him, his fist flying straight toward his face.
Another flash.
Bastion vanished.
The punch tore through empty space.
"I believe your attempts are a waste of time."
Ryo turned his head.
Bastion was behind him.
"We could simplify this considerably if you would simply allow me to take what I came for."
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
"After all, I have no intention of doing anything to you at the moment."
Ryo shot forward again.
Bastion vanished the exact instant he reached him.
But Ryo didn't stop.
He immediately changed direction toward the position where Bastion reappeared several meters to the left.
Bastion's eyes widened when he saw Ryo already coming straight at him.
He vanished and reappeared above.
But Ryo was already there.
Inner Transition
2% → 3%
"I get it now."
Bastion remained motionless for a fraction of a second as time slowed from Ryo's perspective.
"Your teleportation doesn't just depend on your field of vision."
Bastion's blue eyes slowly widened.
"It ALSO has a one-second delay..."
Ryo pulled his fist back.
"Dodge this."
His fist shot toward Bastion.
A small, circular glowing rift suddenly appeared in front of Ryo's knuckles.
His hand disappeared inside it.
Another rift opened beside Ryo's own face.
His fist came out of it.
BOOM!
His own punch slammed directly into him.
Ryo's head snapped violently to the side, and his entire body was launched away by the very force he had put into the attack.
He tore through the air like a projectile before crashing into the ground hundreds of meters away.
The collision sent an enormous explosion of dirt and debris into the air.
Bastion remained floating.
For the first time, his expression had changed.
He raised his right arm toward Ryo, only to frown when he realized there was nothing left below the elbow.
Severed wires crackled with tiny sparks.
Broken metal plates and internal components were visible where flesh should have been, completely revealing the cybernetic nature of the structure.
"Hey!"
Bastion looked up.
The smoke from Ryo's impact began to clear.
The boy stood at its center, holding the severed lower half of Bastion's arm in one hand.
Ryo raised the piece.
"Looking for a hand?"
Bastion stared at his missing limb before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Fascinating."
All Might shot toward him.
"So you're a machine!"
Bastion turned his head.
DETROIT—
All Might's fist surged forward.
—SMASH!
A square energy shield appeared in front of Bastion.
All Might's blow struck its surface with an explosion of pressure that distorted the surrounding air, but the shield remained firm.
Bastion thrust his remaining arm forward.
The shield moved with him, violently shoving All Might away.
Bastion disappeared in another flash of light and reappeared inside the crater beside All For One.
He crouched down, grabbed the unconscious villain, and pulled him free from the rubble.
Ryo appeared directly above them.
"You're not going anywhere!"
His body twisted as he brought his leg down in a brutal axe kick.
Bastion looked up.
Another shield appeared.
The square structure of energy completely enclosed both him and All For One.
Ryo's kick struck the top.
BOOOM!
The entire ground shook.
Ryo pressed his foot against the shield as waves of force continuously erupted from the point of contact. Violent currents of air exploded in every direction, sweeping dust, rocks, and smaller debris away from the crater.
Inside the barrier, Bastion held All For One with only one arm.
His blue eyes met Ryo's through the glowing surface.
"This has been quite the encounter."
Ryo increased the pressure.
Glowing cracks began spreading across the surface of the shield.
Bastion continued smiling.
"But I'm afraid it's time for us to leave."
All Might rushed toward the crater.
"The next time we meet..."
Bastion's smile disappeared.
"...I'll have Zero Tolerance for you."
A white flash engulfed them both.
Bastion and All For One vanished.
The shield disappeared at the exact same instant, leaving Ryo's foot to strike nothing but empty air before all the force accumulated in his attack crashed directly into the bottom of the crater.
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion of debris erupted upward.
All Might shielded his face as rocks and dust were thrown high into the air.
"YOUNG TAKEDA!"
He jumped into the crater.
The smoke slowly began to clear until Ryo's silhouette appeared within it.
"I'm fine..."
Ryo emerged from the dust, coughing lightly as he waved some of it away with one hand.
All Might released the breath he'd been holding.
But Ryo didn't look relieved.
His eyes swept across the now-empty crater.
"They got away..."
----------------------------------------
It only took a few minutes for the area to stop looking like a battlefield and start turning into a massive police operation.
Police vehicles surrounded the remaining streets. Ambulances occupied whatever spaces were still accessible, rescue teams began checking buildings struck by the shockwave, and officers established perimeters around the two craters. Best Jeanist coordinated part of the hero response while Gang Orca helped keep curious civilians and the press at a distance, and Mt. Lady spoke with officers near the evacuated civilians.
The Newscopter continued circling the area, though it was now keeping a much more respectful distance.
Ryo was sitting on the open back of an ambulance.
And he clearly didn't want to be there.
"I'm fine."
The paramedic passed the small device near his neck again.
"I know. But I still have to do my job."
"Fair..."
Parts of his clothes had been destroyed during the fight, and a thermal blanket had been draped over his shoulders despite his insistence that he didn't need it. There were no fractures, burns, cuts, or any identifiable signs of internal damage.
Physically, he was practically perfect.
Ryo looked down at his own hand.
The memory of Bastion resurfaced.
Bastion had appeared out of nowhere.
Fought All Might and him before disappearing with what he wanted.
Worse, he seemed to know the man who had just tried to steal his Quirk perfectly well.
"Zero Tolerance..."
Ryo muttered.
"Despite those annoying abilities of his, I think I could easily beat him with 3%..."
Ryo looked back at the devastated area.
It bothered him.
He didn't like enemies who showed up talking as if they knew things he didn't.
And he liked it even less when they managed to escape.
Ryo remained lost in thought until he heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Takeda!"
Ryo froze.
"That voice..."
He quickly turned his head.
Far away, behind an improvised police barricade, three figures were squeezed among the curious civilians.
Kirishima had one arm raised above his head.
"TAKEDA!"
Beside him, Pony was frantically waving both hands.
And standing between them was Dash.
"...Dash?"
Dash broke into a huge smile.
Ryo felt something inside his chest finally loosen.
"Sir, don't move too much. I still need to finish—"
Ryo stood up.
"Hey!"
The blanket slipped off the back of his shoulders.
"W-Wait!"
He completely ignored the paramedic and started making his way across the area.
He began at a slow walk before picking up his pace.
Dash ducked under the police tape before anyone could stop him.
"Hey! You can't—"
He ran straight toward Ryo.
The two met halfway.
Dash practically threw himself at him.
Ryo caught him immediately, wrapping both arms around his friend as the impact made his feet slide a few inches across the ground.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Dash tightly gripped Ryo's torn shirt.
Ryo closed his eyes.
"Hi to you too."
Dash held on even tighter.
Ryo felt his friend's face press into his shoulder.
The next words came out muffled.
"I thought you were going to disappear because of me..."
Ryo's smile vanished.
His arms tightened around Dash a little more.
"I know."
Dash took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry."
Ryo frowned.
"For what?"
"For not being able to help."
Ryo opened his eyes.
"If I'd been stronger, if I'd been faster back at the camp, maybe they wouldn't have—"
"Dash."
Ryo pulled him back just enough to look directly at him.
"Stop."
Dash went quiet.
"You didn't cause any of this."
"But—"
"It's not your fault."
Ryo lightly tapped his fist against Dash's chest.
"I'm here, and you're here. That's what matters."
He glanced toward Kirishima and Pony as they approached.
"And apparently, the three of you crossed half the city to do something incredibly stupid."
Kirishima stopped.
"...How did you know?"
"Intuition?"
Pony crossed her arms.
"It was his idea."
She pointed at Dash.
"I-It's not my fault I couldn't think of anything better!"
Ryo laughed.
Dash immediately started arguing with Pony while Kirishima tried to explain that, technically, they had all agreed to the plan at some point. For a few seconds, Ryo simply watched the three of them bicker.
Then he pulled Dash close again and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, doing the same to Kirishima when the redhead got close enough.
"Hey!"
Kirishima nearly lost his balance.
Pony immediately squeezed into the middle as well.
Ryo smiled as he found himself surrounded by the three of them.
In the distance, Helen watched the scene with her hands on her hips while Bob stood beside her.
Helen narrowed her eyes when she recognized Dash.
"...He is in so much trouble."
Bob slowly nodded.
"A lot."
Near the ambulance, All Might watched the four students gathered together.
His gaze remained on Ryo for several seconds.
The boy everyone had come to save had ended up fighting alone to carve his own way out.
But seeing him now, laughing with his friends like any ordinary teenager, Toshinori realized something that the battle had nearly made everyone forget.
No matter how monstrous his strength was...
Ryo was still just a kid who wanted to live a normal life.