When the doors slid open again, All Might stepped out first.
Ren followed.
His eyes—usually sharp, cold, unreadable—were red.
Not puffy. Not swollen.
But unmistakably red.
The class froze.
Even the ones who barely knew him sensed something… different.
Momo straightened instinctively, worry flickering across her expression.
Midoriya's eyes widened.
Bakugo's jaw twitched.
For a split second, the blonde practically lurched forward, the usual insult already forming on his tongue—
Oi, did the emo bastard cry or—
—but he stopped.
Not because he felt pity.
Not because he cared.
No.
He remembered the grip on his wrist.
The pressure.
The bone-deep threat.
Those eyes.
And suddenly… Bakugo Katsuki just stayed silent.
He hated it— but he couldn't force the words out.
Ren ignored all of them.
He walked straight toward Midoriya, who stiffened on instinct.
Midoriya's first hero costume—green from head to toe, patterned after All Might's own suit but clumsy and overly padded—made him look like a nervous turtle trying to cosplay his idol. The tinted mask and bulky gloves really didn't help.
Ren stopped in front of him.
No warning. No explanation.
He grabbed Midoriya's nose.
"A-Ahi!" Midoriya yelped, eyes watering instantly. "R-Ren?!"
A soft white glow enveloped Ren's fingers.
Warmth spread across Midoriya's face.
His nose healed instantly.
Ren released him.
"That's for before," he said flatly.
All Might sighed behind him, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
This guy… can't he apologize normally? Just once?
But Midoriya blinked in surprise, hand touching his newly healed face.
Then he smiled—bright, genuine, relieved.
"No worries, Ren."
Ren paused.
Looked at him.
And for the briefest moment…
…he smiled back.
A small smile.
A tired smile.
But real.
Momo, standing a little behind Midoriya, exhaled softly as her shoulders relaxed.
Ren still looked worn-out—but he no longer looked suffocated.
All Might clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright, everyone! Enough brooding!
Let's draw the lots!"
"Yeah!" the class responded, the tension instantly breaking.
...
They each reached into the yellow box and pulled out a ball.
Midoriya ended up paired with the very girl he admired: Ochaco Uraraka.
His face nearly exploded.
And Ren…
Ren found himself paired with Momo.
She blinked once, glanced at him, and nodded politely.
Ren gave a small nod back.
All Might lifted two more boxes—one black, one white.
"Now for your roles! Villains and heroes!"
He shook them dramatically, then pulled out two balls.
"A!"
"D!"
Midoriya & Uraraka versus Bakugo & Iida
Midoriya swallowed.
Bakugo cracked his neck, glaring at him like a wolf who'd spotted prey.
"The A team will be the heroes!"
"And the D team… the villains!" All Might declared.
"Everybody, follow me to the monitor room!"
The class moved.
As Ren walked past Midoriya, he spoke without looking at him.
"Good luck, Midoriya. Use that head of yours… you can do it."
Midoriya's eyes widened again.
Then he nodded, determination replacing fear.
"Y-Yes! I will!"
Ren joined the crowd headed to the monitor room.
...
In the monitor room, on the main screen, the interior of the mock building flickered into view.
Midoriya and Uraraka moved with cautious steps, their silhouettes shifting between shadow and dim artificial light. Midoriya's posture was stiff—shoulders tight, breaths shallow, nerves practically radiating through the screen.
"Midoriya looks really tense…" Sero murmured.
And then—
A burst of movement.
Bakugo shot out of a side corridor, propelling himself forward with an explosion. He soared through the air, twisting like a missile aimed straight for them. Before Midoriya or Uraraka could even turn the corner, Bakugo was already there—
BOOM—!!!
"Wah—!" Uraraka gasped.
Midoriya grabbed her around the waist and rolled hard to the side. The explosion struck the floor behind them, shattering tiles, sending dust flying—
—and blowing off half of Midoriya's green mask.
Gasps filled the room.
"A surprise attack…" someone whispered.
"Bakugo is a cheater!" Kirishima yelled, slamming his fists together. "Surprise attacks aren't worthy of a true man!"
All Might raised a hand.
"They're still part of a strategy! This is a real battle scenario—they must act accordingly!"
But before anyone could respond—
Ren spoke.
His voice was low at first, but sharp enough to cut through the room.
"And right now… Bakugo is a villain."
Everyone turned to him.
"Disorienting the hero… creating distractions… surprise attacks…"
His hand slowly curled into a fist.
"…that's the fighting style of a villain."
The weight in his tone sent a hush across the entire group.
His eyes weren't on the monitor.
They were somewhere far away.
Back to the hospital.
All Might recognized that look immediately.
He stepped forward with a booming laugh, breaking the tension before it grew too heavy.
"Exactly, young Ren! Hahahaha!"
Ren blinked—almost shaken out of a trance.
He looked at his clenched fist… and slowly eased it open.
'I…'
'I need to use this feeling to get stronger, not to hurt those around me... I have to protect them. Mom would have wanted that...'
'The little Ren would have wanted that...'
Momo's eyes softened, watching him more intently now.
"Here he comes!" Kaminari shouted, pointing at the screen.
Bakugo launched forward again, roaring with fury.
He pulled his fist back—ready to blow Midoriya away at point-blank range.
But—
Midoriya stepped into him.
Gripped Bakugo's arm.
Shifted his weight.
And flipped him clean over his shoulder with a perfect judo throw.
Bakugo crashed onto his back with a heavy THUD, the sound echoing through the speakers.
"Ohhh!!" the class exploded in excitement.
"That was sick!"
"Midoriya really threw him!?"
Ren leaned back slightly, a small smirk forming.
Seems teaching him some martial arts wasn't a waste of time after all…
Beside him, Momo kept stealing glances at Ren, her fingers fidgeting together.
She wanted to talk to him—more than ever now—but the courage just wouldn't come.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Okay, I'm thinking about it, but... do you guys have any ideas of what Quirk should Ren copy next? You can even invent quirks (even seemingly weak quirks) and I'll insert them into the story.