---
The day after the combat trial, the halls of U.A. were filled with whispers.
"That guy Ron… did you see what he did to Bakugo?"
"He used fire, ice, speed, and that punch—was that One For All!?"
"No way, he's just got a copy quirk, right?"
Ron heard every word, but he didn't flinch. He walked through the crowd with measured calm, a soft smile on his lips. Attention wasn't new. It was expected.
But attention was also dangerous.
---
Inside Class 1-A, the atmosphere had shifted.
Bakugo sulked in silence, glaring at Ron like he wanted to explode. Todoroki watched him longer than usual, eyes narrowing. Midoriya… was silent, scribbling in his notebook more furiously than ever.
Ron took his seat, casually tapping his desk.
> [Quirk Copied: Explosion – Katsuki Bakugo.]
Even through anger, Bakugo had bumped into him when storming off. That was all it took.
Ron added Explosion to his growing arsenal and smiled to himself.
---
Later that day, Ron was called to the faculty office.
He entered the room to find Aizawa alone, eyes sharp behind his messy hair.
"Sit," he said plainly.
Ron obeyed without argument.
Aizawa stared at him for several long seconds.
"I've been teaching a long time. I've seen students with complicated quirks, prodigies, late bloomers… but you?" He leaned forward. "You're hiding something."
Ron kept his expression calm. "I told you. My quirk is called Copy. I'm just better at using what I copy than most."
"You had Todoroki's ice. Midoriya's punch. Momo's creation. Iida's speed. Now you've got Bakugo's explosions too?"
"I train hard."
Aizawa's eyes glowed red. His Erasure activated—but Ron's power didn't fade. He wasn't using quirks at the moment.
Smart move.
After a moment, Aizawa sighed and leaned back. "You're not violating school rules. Yet. But if I find out you're a danger to the other students... I'll erase you myself."
Ron nodded respectfully. "Understood, sir."
As he stood to leave, Aizawa added, "You might want to dial it back. Too much attention draws the wrong kind of eyes."
Ron's smile faltered slightly.
He knew exactly what kind of eyes Aizawa meant.
---
That night, in a dark corner of the city, Kurogiri bowed before a large, monstrous figure surrounded by machines and tubes.
"All For One," Kurogiri rasped, "There's a student in U.A. The one we planned to monitor… He's not ordinary. He mimics quirks. But… permanently."
Silence.
Then a low voice rumbled from the shadows.
"…Interesting."
---
Back in his room, Ron stared at his status window.
> Quirks copied: 8
One For All (100%)
Half-Hot, Half-Cold
Creation
Engine
Zero Gravity
Warp Gate
Explosion
Super Strength (Passive Boost)
> System Status: Stable. Visibility: Undetectable. Evolution: In Progress…
Ron's eyes narrowed.
He had time.
But not much.
The game was accelerating.
And the villains were starting to look his way.
---