The guard's finger tightened on the trigger.
Ryuu watched the micro-movement, the slight narrowing of the man's eyes. Aizawa had drilled this into them during combat training. Read the body. Anticipate the action. React before they complete the motion.
Time seemed to slow.
His body was exhausted but adrenaline pushed him beyond normal limits. Muscle memory from years of hero training took over.
He moved.
Not away from the gun. Toward it.
The guard's eyes widened. He'd expected a flight response, not a fight. That split-second of surprise was all Ryuu needed.
His hand shot out, grabbing the guard's wrist. He twisted hard, exactly like Aizawa had taught them. The gun's barrel swung away from Kenji.
Contact.
His Resonance activated instinctively the moment skin touched skin. His power surged forward automatically, trying to amplify it like it always did.
But the guard had no quirk. Just baseline human capabilities.
The amplification had nowhere to go.
For a fraction of a second, Ryuu felt his Resonance flare wildly, searching for something to latch onto.
The energy built up with nowhere to flow, creating pressure in his chest that felt like it would burst.
Then it just... dissipated. Wasted.
The twist was purely physical. No enhanced strength. Just a scared teenager using proper technique against someone who'd hesitated.
The weapon clattered to the ground.
But Ryuu's head was pounding now. His quirk had activated and then failed to find a target. The feedback was painful, like trying to pour water into a cup that wasn't there.
"Ugh..." He stumbled back, vision swimming.
Kenji was there instantly, super strength making his follow-up strike brutal. The guard crumpled without a sound.
Silence fell in the corridor, broken only by distant alarms and the ringing in Ryuu's ears.
"That was stupid," Kenji said, but something like pride colored his voice. "Brave, but stupid."
"You're welcome," Ryuu managed, pressing a hand to his temple. The headache was already fading but the sensation of his quirk misfiring lingered uncomfortably.
Kenji noticed. "Your Resonance activated when you touched him."
"Yeah. But he didn't have an active quirk to amplify. It just... fizzled out."
"Quirk whiplash. Happens when amplification-types try to boost something that isn't there." Kenji grabbed one of the fallen guards' radios, clipping it to his belt. "You'll be fine in a few minutes. But it's a good reminder that your quirk needs a target."
'Except it doesn't,' Ryuu thought, remembering what his father had said earlier. That he could use Resonance on himself. Amplify his own body.
But clearly he had no idea how. Because nothing had happened except a failed amplification and a splitting headache.
"Come on," Kenji said. "The sabotage triggered early. We have less time than I thought."
They ran.
****
The facility was pure chaos. Alarms blaring, emergency lighting painting everything in shades of red. Personnel rushed in multiple directions, trying to understand what was happening. No one paid attention to a Commander escorting a prisoner through the confusion.
Kenji navigated the corridors with absolute certainty. Every turn taken without hesitation. He'd clearly memorized every inch of this place.
They passed a window overlooking one of the lower levels. Smoke was rising from somewhere below. Ryuu could see people evacuating in organized groups, probably heading for emergency exits.
"That's the data center," Kenji explained without slowing down. "Everything The Collector has on quirk research, on you, on everyone he's ever studied. It's all burning right now."
"You really did destroy it all."
"Every bit I could access. The Collector has some information memorized, and he might have off-site backups, but the primary research is gone." They reached a stairwell and started climbing. "That's why he'll come after you again eventually. You're the only way he can complete his work."
"Then why are we running?" Ryuu's legs burned but he kept pace. "If he's just going to chase me forever..."
"Because by the time he reorganizes after this, you'll be stronger. Better trained. Surrounded by people who can protect you." Kenji shouldered open a door marked "ROOF ACCESS - AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." "And because I'm not letting you die in this hole. Not after everything."
Fresh air hit Ryuu's face...and he couldn't be more happier.
After hours in the underground cell, even the polluted industrial air of Tokyo smelled like freedom.
They were on the roof of a warehouse. Around them, similar buildings stretched into the distance, their shapes dark against the lightening sky. Dawn was breaking on the horizon, painting everything in shades of orange and pink.
Beautiful. The world was beautiful when you weren't trapped in darkness.
"Extraction point is three kilometers north," Kenji said, checking his tablet. "Heroes should have medical teams waiting. We need to move before—"
An explosion rocked the building beneath their feet.
The roof shook violently. Concrete cracked in spiderweb patterns. Ryuu stumbled, barely keeping his balance.
"Before that," Kenji finished grimly. "The structural charges triggered faster than calculated. This whole facility is gonna come down in minutes."
"Then we really need to go!"
They ran across the rooftop, heading for the fire escape on the far side. Behind them, more explosions echoed through the facility. Smoke was rising from multiple locations now, thick and black against the morning sky.
Ryuu's legs burned with exhaustion. Every step was agony. His body was screaming. But the alternative was being buried in rubble, so he pushed harder.
They reached the fire escape. Started descending. The metal structure groaned under their combined weight but held.
Two levels down, the building shook again. Harder this time. Ryuu grabbed the railing to steady himself, heart hammering against his ribs.
And then he heard it.
A voice that made his blood turn to ice.
"COMMANDER YAMAMOTO!"