Chapter 9: AFTERMATH

The halls of U.A. were quieter than usual in the early morning, but Ryo Kisaragi's mind was anything but.

The day after the battle trials, the students of Class 1-A looked at him differently. He had always known he was strong—his Omega Sight was trained to near perfection, and his optic beams gave him a level of control and destructive power beyond most Quirk users.

After his dominant performance, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that he was one of the strongest in their class.

But power alone wasn't enough.

He realized that after watching Aizawa fight. The pro hero wasn't just an Erasure Quirk user—he was a highly skilled fighter who could take on multiple enemies at once without relying on his ability.

That was something Ryo lacked.

His strength was immense, but he had always relied on raw power rather than refined hand-to-hand combat.

If he truly wanted to be a hero, he needed to be more than just his Quirk.

Lost in thought, he walked through the halls toward his classroom—

Until—

WHAM!

Someone crashed into him.

For Ryo, it felt like a mere tap. But the person who ran into him wasn't so lucky—

They went tumbling backward, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

"AHHH! Ouch! That hurts!" a female voice groaned.

Ryo blinked and looked down.

A girl with pink hair tied in messy twin buns sat on the ground, rubbing her back. She wore the U.A. Support Department uniform, and her bright green eyes locked onto him with a mix of frustration and curiosity.

Ryo extended a hand. "Sorry. I didn't notice you. Are you hurt?"

The girl crossed her arms and pouted. "Of course I'm hurt! Didn't you hear me say 'ouch, that hurts' after I fell?"

Ryo sighed. "Then I'm really sorry."

She squinted at him—then suddenly grinned.

"Wait a second… You're that laser-eyed guy from the Hero Course! The one who obliterated the training ground yesterday!"

Ryo raised an eyebrow. "You watched the battle trials?"

"Of course!" She hopped up, dusting off her uniform. "I watch everything! Name's Mei Hatsume, from the Support Course! And you—" she pointed at him excitedly, "—have got to be my new test subject!"

Ryo blinked. "Test subject?"

Hatsume stepped closer, eyes gleaming.

"You're a walking weapons platform! Your beams, your movement—ohhh, the potential! I could build so many support items for you! Flight stabilizers! Energy amplifiers! Maybe even auto-targeting enhancements—"

Ryo held up a hand. "Hold on. I don't use support gear."

Hatsume gasped dramatically. "WHAT?! But why? You'd be even more powerful!"

Ryo smirked slightly. "I'm already strong enough."

She huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Strong, sure. But even the best weapons need upgrades! Even All Might had support gear in his early years!"

That made him pause.

He knew he was powerful—but she had a point.

If he really wanted to reach the next level, maybe some enhancements wouldn't hurt.

Hatsume grinned, seeing his hesitation. "Tell you what—come by my workshop later, and I'll show you what I can do! No commitment, just possibilities."

Ryo exhaled. "Fine. I'll check it out."

"YES!" She pumped her fist. "Oh, and one more thing!"

"What now?"

She leaned in closer, smirking. "You're kinda cute, y'know."

Ryo blinked. "Huh?"

Before he could react, Hatsume spun around and dashed down the hall, waving. "See ya later, laser boy!"

Ryo stood there, processing what just happened.

That girl was something else.

Shaking his head, he continued toward his classroom, his mind now occupied with something other than battle training.

Maybe—just maybe—he had met someone who could push him even further.

Shifting Dynamics

When Ryo entered the classroom, most of his classmates were already seated.

The energy in the room was noticeably different.

Students whispered to each other, exchanging glances at Ryo whenever they thought he wasn't looking.

Kirishima grinned. "Yo, Kisaragi! You've got a fan club already, huh?"

Jirou smirked. "More like a 'we-don't-want-to-fight-him' club."

Even Iida gave a nod of approval. "Your performance was exemplary, Kisaragi. However, remember that U.A. encourages teamwork as well!"

Ryo, unimpressed by the attention, just took his seat. "I know."

He leaned back, looking over at Todoroki.

The two had clashed in battle before, and while Todoroki had immense power, Ryo noticed something…

He never used his fire.

Interesting.

Before he could dwell on it, the door slid open, revealing Aizawa-sensei.

"Alright. Settle down. Today, we start combat conditioning. Some of you need it."

His eyes flickered toward Ryo for the briefest moment.

"Some of you, however… need refinement."

Ryo knew that was directed at him.

Aizawa set down a file. "Heroes need to be versatile. Your Quirk is a weapon, but it's not everything. A real pro can fight even when their Quirk is taken away. And so, for today's training—"

"You'll be fighting without your Quirks."

The class exploded into complaints.

"WHAT?!"

"How am I supposed to fight without my acid?!" Mina shouted.

Kirishima frowned. "Man, I was born to harden!"

Even Bakugo looked irritated. "The hell is this crap?"

Aizawa's tired gaze swept over them. "If you can't fight without your Quirk, you're useless the moment someone neutralizes it. If you don't like it, quit."

Silence.

Ryo, however, smirked.

This was exactly what he needed.

Aizawa glanced at him. "Kisaragi."

Ryo met his gaze. "Yeah?"

"You're the strongest in the class right now. Let's see how you do without your beams."

A challenge.

And Ryo was never one to back down.