The amusement square looked like it had come straight from a modern circus, just without over-the-top extravagance. There was a metallic carousel with animals styled in geometric shapes, slowly rotating to the sound of upbeat music; a luminous juggling tent where simple drones floated in synchronized patterns; and a circular stage where artists performed acrobatics on nearly invisible wires, earning constant applause from the crowd.
But what really caught the eye were the Quirk attractions, stalls where the use of Quirks was not just allowed, but necessary.
One of them featured a simple sign:
THE UNEXPRESSIVE MAN
Make him react. If you succeed, you win a prize.
At that moment, a couple was walking away from the stall. The young man walked with his head down, while his girlfriend pulled him by the arm.
"I told you to stop!" she complained. "You've already spent way too much money on this!"
"But I almost got it…" he mumbled.
"No, you didn't! Let's go!"
The man behind the counter raised his hand in farewell.
"Come back anytime."
"We won't!" the girl yelled from afar.
He let out a slow sigh.
"Whatever…"
Outwardly, his face remained absolutely neutral, a mask of eternal boredom.
But on the inside…
"HAHA! Another couple fell for it."
"I'm surfing on money today."
"Who would have thought my useless Quirk would finally shine, huh?"
His Quirk, Inexpression, completely removed his ability to show emotions. And for years, that had been a curse.
Sad movie? He'd cry… with the same face as someone waiting for the bus.
A love confession? He cried with joy… with a face like someone looking at their dinner in the microwave.
A relative's funeral? Same thing...
Getting fired for allegedly groping his coworker…?
Wait... That one had actually been him.
His entire life had been a series of misunderstandings (mostly), rejections, and suspicious looks. But now, here on I-Island, things finally seemed to be changing. He was making money, using his Quirk legally, and even watching people fail spectacularly trying.
He was so satisfied with it all that he barely noticed the new couple stopping in front of his stall.
The girl with long, straight black hair, purple streaks, and blue-purple eyes was reading the sign attentively. Then, she turned to her boyfriend.
"Think you can handle this? I want everything from here."
Tony smiled, confident, adjusting his shirt collar.
"Of course I can. Stay right there and learn from the master."
The Unexpressive Man looked at him.
"Ah, I love these confident ones. They're always the ones who fall the hardest."
"The rules are simple," the man said in the same neutral voice. "If you can change my expression, you win one of the prizes. If you can't… you have to pay."
"Alright," Tony replied, snapping his fingers. "Can we start?"
"It started a long time ago."
"Perfect then." Tony took a step forward. "What's about to happen is nothing personal, pal… but you shall know swag."
The man blinked.
"...Eh?"
----------------------------------------
Ryo and the others moved through the attraction area, the sound of laughter, impacts, and excited exclamations filling the air.
Among so many flashy game stalls, one in particular had gathered a small crowd: the High Striker, or strength-test game.
Midoriya took a deep breath before gripping the oversized mallet.
"O-Okay… I'll give it a shot," he said, focusing 25% of One For All into his arms.
He swung with all his might.
BANG!
The puck shot up fast… but lost momentum before the halfway point, stopping just above a quarter of the way up before plummeting back down.
"Huh?!" Midoriya's eyes widened. "It's… a lot harder than I thought!"
"Hey, at least you got it pretty high up," Kirishima remarked, letting out a defeated sigh. "I barely managed a few inches…"
He turned to Bakugo.
"Wanna try?"
Bakugo crossed his arms, annoyed.
"You can't blow this game up."
A few meters back, the rest of the group was watching.
"The device must have been specifically calibrated for brute-force quirks," Momo commented, analyzing the structure.
"That's right," Melissa confirmed excitedly. "A lot of the attractions here are adapted like that. It makes things more interesting for the people testing them."
"That explains all those crazy games we passed earlier," said Jiro.
Melissa smiled.
"This attraction is famous among people with strength quirks. So far, no one has managed to get the top score."
"N-No one?" Uraraka repeated, surprised.
Melissa laughed.
"They say it was designed using All Might's strength as a baseline, so… you can imagine how hard it is—"
CRASH!
Ryo brought the mallet down with force, and the base of the device shattered on impact.
The puck shot up like a projectile, racing all the way up the track, completely ignoring the bell at the top, and flying off into the sky, disappearing among the island's buildings.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Melissa slowly looked up, her jaw hanging open, following the speck in the sky.
"…Wow."
"It looks like Takeda broke the thing," Uraraka commented, half in disbelief.
"Well," Jiro said with a half-smile, "at least we now have someone who got the top score."
"W-Will they charge for the damages…?" Iida asked, adjusting his glasses in pure bureaucratic despair.
Ryo dropped the broken mallet, looking at the destroyed base.
"…Maybe I overdid it a little."
Dash arrives beside Ryo, looking at what was left of the hammer game.
"Didn't overdo it at all," he said, crossing his arms. "You obliterated that thing. Now how am I supposed to impress Pony if it's never going to be my turn?"
Ryo turned slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"Impress who?"
"H-Huh?!" Dash choked on his own tongue. "I-I said… impress everyone! Impress everyone, of course!"
Ryo stared at the blond for a few seconds, clearly suspicious.
"Right…" he finally replied, turning away and starting to walk. "You can try the other attractions. Seems like there are a bunch around here."
"Next time, I'm going all out!" Kirishima punched his own palm, following his friend. "I'll show my absolute best!"
"Next time, I'll destroy it better than you, Takeda!" Bakugo yelled, following him angrily.
"This is not a destructive competition!" Iida ran up to the group, gesturing forcefully. "Property damage is extremely wrong and—"
The girls just laughed, walking past him without paying much attention.
"Relax, Iida," said Jiro. "No one wants to break anything."
"Anymore," added Uraraka, laughing.
At that moment, Todoroki finally appeared after having gone with Pony to buy some food, biting into a candied apple.
"Did we miss anything?"
"Maybe?" Pony replied, with two cotton candy sticks in her hands.
With that, the group moved from attraction to attraction like a true walking disaster. Broken records, machines groaning for mercy, and booth owners staring into the void with shattered souls.
It reached a point where some operators began politely denying their participation, citing maintenance, daily limit, or simply pure, unadulterated fear.
"Uh… I think they don't want us here anymore," commented Kirishima, scratching the back of his neck.
So they shifted their focus from the attractions, returning to a classic.
The roller coaster seemed to have been designed by someone who clearly hated physics: impossible curves, absurd drops, and tracks that defied all common sense.
The car shot forward, and screams filled the air.
"AAAAAA I'M GONNA DIE—!" Dash yelled in complete panic, clinging to his seat as if his life depended on it.
"THIS IS AMAZING!" Pony, beside him, grinned from ear to ear, completely thrilled.
Midoriya screamed a mix of fear and excitement, Kirishima laughed loudly, Bakugo yelled at everyone to shut up, and Iida was clearly having an internal meltdown trying to maintain his composure.
Ryo, on the other hand, rode with an absolutely neutral expression, the wind tousling his hair.
"...Slow," he thought. "Why is Dash screaming like that?"
Then he remembered.
"Oh, right... He's afraid of heights."
He felt something squeeze his hand.
Ryo glanced to the side and saw slender fingers interlaced with his. He looked up and found Melissa with her eyes tightly shut, shoulders tense, clearly trying not to panic.
He watched her for a few seconds… then turned his face forward, without letting go of her hand. He squeezed back, firmly, just like his mother used to do when he was scared.
"I hope this calms her."
And Melissa did seem to relax a bit.
When the roller coaster finally stopped, Dash practically fell out of the car, Pony was clapping, and the rest of the group tried to catch their breath.
After that, they headed to a large, dark room, completely filled with projections of an artificial cosmos. Stars, nebulae, and galaxies covered the walls, floor, and ceiling, with no visible borders, as if space had swallowed everything.
"Wow…" Uraraka murmured in awe.
She then had the idea to use her quirk to enhance everyone's experience, making pairs float one at a time, gently carrying them through the space above.
Laughter echoed. Dash and Pony spun past each other, colliding with a projected nebula.
"Next! I think I can manage four at once..." said Uraraka, touching Ryo and Melissa.
The two began to float.
Melissa lost her balance almost immediately, spinning sideways, clearly disoriented.
"W-whoa—!"
Before she could panic, Ryo propelled himself carefully with small bursts from his feet, reaching her and holding her shoulders, stabilizing them both.
"Easy," he said simply.
Melissa blinked a few times, blushing slightly.
"T-thank you… I'm not very good at this…"
"It's fine," he replied. "Just relax."
She nodded, taking a deep breath.
With that, Ryo guided her gently, floating together, surrounded by artificial stars and soft silence, enjoying that small but magnificent zero-gravity stroll.
After that serene ride through the artificial cosmos, the group enjoyed several other attractions.
A carousel where everyone sat inside floating teacups that spun more than they should, eliciting laughter and dizziness.
A hall of mirrors where Dash, impressively, managed to get lost seven times, swearing each reflection was "the right one this time."
A haunted house where Bakugo, clearly annoyed by the scares, ended up blowing up part of the set—and Kirishima never stopped teasing him for jumping because of a fake spider hanging from the ceiling.
By late afternoon, with the sky beginning to paint itself orange and lilac, they headed for the Ferris wheel.
Ryo ended up in a gondola with Melissa. Again.
She was a bit quiet, hugging her own arms, still somewhat red with embarrassment. After the scare in the haunted house, she had practically shrunk against Ryo—technically, it was Bakugo's explosion's fault.
"I-I'm… sorry about before," she said, fidgeting with her fingers. "I think I must have caused you too much trouble today…"
Ryo blinked, confused.
"It wasn't any trouble at all," he replied, turning his gaze to the landscape outside. "I didn't even mind."
Melissa seemed to relax a bit, letting out a slow breath.
The gondola rose, and the view of I-Island opened up before them. Lights were beginning to turn on, reflecting on the sea surrounding the floating island as the sun bid farewell on the horizon.
"It's beautiful from up here…" Melissa commented, leaning against the glass. "The island looks like something else altogether at dusk. What do you think?"
"Yeah…" Ryo answered, distant.
Melissa furrowed her brow slightly and turned to him.
"Rito-kun… you seem a bit distant lately."
It took him a second to return to reality.
"Huh? Ah— sorry. I just got distracted."
She watched him for a few moments with a careful, curious gaze.
"You've been like this the whole outing," she said gently. "Even when smiling… you seem far away."
Ryo fell silent.
"So you noticed…" he murmured.
He let out a long sigh.
"I'm just tired, I guess."
Melissa shook her head slightly.
"You don't seem tired. Not once."
He averted his eyes, a humorless half-smile on his lips.
"…Yeah. Seems like I can't fool you."
Ryo turned back to the landscape, resting his arm against the glass.
"I was thinking… about how this whole hero thing is hard." His voice was low. "Everyone looks at it like it's the most amazing thing in the world, like being a hero makes you stronger. I am strong, I know that. But… that's not exactly what makes someone a hero."
Melissa listened in silence.
"A hero is someone who arrives on time. Who saves people. Who gives someone hope that, at some point, they'll be saved by that same hero again." He clenched his fingers. "For me, being strong just means I cause more destruction if I mess up. And even with training… I still fail. I still arrive too late."
The gondola continued its slow ascent.
"It makes me wonder why I keep trying." He took a deep breath. "I don't have a grand dream. I don't have a clear path. I don't know what drives me… and yet I keep moving forward."
He fell quiet after that.
Melissa didn't reply immediately. But she got up from her seat, went over to him, and sat down beside him, looking at the view from the other side.
"Can I tell you what I think?" she asked softly.
Ryo nodded.
"I don't have a Quirk," she began. "I never have. And for a long time, I thought that took away any right I had to dream of becoming a hero or even helping someone."
She smiled lightly, a touch melancholic.
"But my dad always said that heroes aren't defined by what they have… but by what they choose to do when no one is watching."
Melissa turned her face to him.
"You keep going. Even with doubts. Even afraid of failing again. Even feeling like you don't fit in." She pointed to his chest. "That already says a lot about you, Rito-kun."
He stared at her, surprised.
"Maybe you still don't know what your path is," she continued, her voice soft. "But the fact that you care so much… that already says a lot about who you are. It's not just about strength. It's about heart. It's the will to keep moving forward, even when everything feels uncertain."
The Ferris wheel reached the top.
For a few seconds, everything was silent.
"…Thank you," Ryo said quietly. "I needed to hear something like that."
Melissa smiled, sweetly.
"Don't mention it. That's what conversations up high are for, right?"
Ryo let out a low chuckle.
"Yeah… now that you mention it, we really are high up."
The two fell silent for a few seconds, just watching the island down below. The lights reflected on the sea, and the gentle wind rocked the cabin softly.
After a while, Ryo cleared his throat.
"Melissa…"
She turned, curious.
"Hm? What is it?"
Ryo took a moment to speak, clearly fumbling over his own words.
"This might sound kind of… random," he started, "but… what do you think someone could do if they could manipulate the nuclear spectrum?"
Melissa blinked, surprised.
"Nuclear… spectrum?" she repeated. "Like, actually manipulate it?"
"Yeah. Something like that." He shrugged. "I've heard of it, but I never really thought about it deeply. And… you're an aspiring scientist, so…"
She was silent for a moment, then smiled, her expression brightening.
"Okay, I get it. It's a pretty random question, but that's fine." She shifted in her seat. "When we talk about the 'nuclear spectrum,' in practice, we're talking about the fundamental forces: the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force."
Ryo paid close attention, serious.
"The strong force is what holds protons and neutrons together inside the atomic nucleus. It determines if something is stable, if it can undergo fission, fusion, that sort of thing. The weak force, which we now study together with electromagnetism in the electroweak model, controls processes like radioactive decay," Melissa explained, getting excited. "It's what allows particles to change identity."
She opened her hands as if assembling something invisible in the air.
"So, if someone could manipulate that… they'd be tampering directly with the fundamental building blocks of matter and energy."
"What exactly could you do?" asked Ryo.
"A lot of things," she replied, smiling. "Accelerate or slow down radioactive decay, transmute elements, generate or nullify radiation… heal tissues at the cellular level—"
"Heal?" Ryo interrupted, suddenly leaning closer. "How could you heal?"
"Huh?!" Melissa was startled, her face turning red instantly. "H-hey! Wait— you're too close!"
She lightly pushed his shoulder away.
"I'll explain, I'll explain, but give me some space!"
Ryo blinked, realizing how close he had gotten.
"Ah— sorry! My bad."
He quickly moved back to his spot, looking sheepish.
"You're forgiven…" she murmured, still flushed, before clearing her throat and resuming her train of thought.
"Anyway… about the healing. An ability based on manipulating the nuclear spectrum would act directly on the forces that sustain living matter," she explained more calmly. "Using the strong nuclear force, you could restore damaged atomic nuclei, maintaining tissue structure. Meanwhile, control over the weak force would allow you to regulate decay processes, particle conversion, and biochemical reactions essential to life."
She spoke with a sparkle in her eyes.
"With that, you could rebuild cells, organs, entire systems… correct mutations, eliminate biological flaws, reverse physical or degenerative damage without side effects."
Ryo looked at her, completely engrossed.
"And more," Melissa added. "You could also reactivate dormant cells. Basically, you could bring someone's body back to its prime just by… healing."
She smiled, proud.
"Amazing, right?"
Melissa turned to him, expecting some reaction… but found Ryo murmuring softly to himself, his gaze distant, clearly taking in everything he'd heard.
"…Strong force, weak force… reorganization… reversal…"
"Rito-kun?" she called, a bit awkwardly.
He blinked, coming back to reality.
"Oh— sorry." A small smile appeared. "I just… I'm taking notes."
Melissa chuckled softly, tilting her head slightly as she observed Ryo's profile.
"Can I ask you something…?" she said carefully. "Why did you ask about all of that? Do you plan on using it for something?"
Ryo was silent for a few seconds. His gaze fell to the floor of the cabin as his thoughts raced.
"Even if it's just a hypothesis…"
"Maybe…" he began, hesitantly. "Maybe I can manipulate the nuclear spectrum with my quirk. It's just a hypothesis, so—"
"Wait, what?!" Melissa practically leaped forward.
She got so close that Ryo had to lean his torso back, surprised.
"You can actually manipulate the nuclear spectrum?!" she asked, her eyes shining with scientific excitement.
"Like I said, maybe…" he repeated, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm not sure yet."
Melissa blinked, took a deep breath, and only then seemed to realize how close she was. Her face flushed instantly.
"A-ah! Sorry!" She backed away quickly, adjusting her glasses. "I just… I wasn't expecting something like that."
She laughed nervously.
"I thought your quirk was just super strength and super speed… like Uncle All Might."
Ryo shook his head.
"Not exactly. I kind of… power up with energy that's stored inside my body."
Melissa's eyes widened.
"Like a reactor?"
He made a slight grimace before answering.
"…Yeah. More or less."
She fell silent, processing.
"I've already managed to manipulate some of the things you mentioned," Ryo continued. "Heat, energy… but healing, no. I've never tried anything like that."
He slowly clenched his hand.
"I know I have some regeneration. My injuries get better after I sleep or when I'm not even paying attention to them. But it's automatic… it's not something I control."
"That's already amazing…" Melissa murmured, genuinely impressed.
"But it's not enough for me," Ryo said seriously. "If I learned to use it consciously… if I could heal someone instead… maybe I could finally save people the way I'm looking to."
He took a deep breath.
"I'm not dismissing anything you told me earlier. Really. It's just… I'm tired of being someone who solves everything by hitting. I want to do more than just destroy."
Melissa watched him for a few seconds in silence. Then, a calm, understanding smile appeared on her face.
"I understand," she said. "Truly."
She adjusted her glasses, looking thoughtfully at the scenery outside.
"And… we still have a little time today."
"Huh?" Ryo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Melissa leaned forward, excited, but more carefully this time.
"Would you like to come with me to the academy's laboratory?" she asked. "We could test that hypothesis."
Ryo's eyes widened slightly.
"Test… now?"
"Mmhmm," she confirmed, smiling. "Now."
----------------------------------------
Stone Goals:
̶5̶0̶0̶ ̶P̶S̶ – Complete
1500 PS – Not Complete
3000 PS – Not Complete