The rest of the challenges passed in a blur.
At the exit of the training area, All Might gave a broad thumbs-up, his smile impossibly bright.
"Good work, everyone! Apart from young Midoriya, nobody got seriously hurt!" he exclaimed proudly.
"You all gave it your all! For your very first exercise, that was an outstanding performance!"
"After Aizawa-sensei's lesson…" Tsuyu croaked, her shoulders slumping slightly.
Everyone nodded in unison.
"…this almost felt like a delusion," she finished.
All Might burst into laughter. "Ahahaha! Even normal lessons are part of what U.A. can do!"
He raised one finger dramatically. "Now then! I'm off to listen to young Midoriya's thoughts on his match. You all—change and—"
Before he could even finish—
"—RETURN TO CLASS!"
With that, he vanished in a flash, his first step cracking the ground and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
The class stared at the empty space he'd left behind.
"…Wow," Kaminari breathed. "All Might is so cool."
"But why is he in such a rush?" Ojiro wondered aloud.
Before anyone could answer, Ren was already walking in the direction All Might had gone.
"Aren't you going to change, Ren?" Mina called out, drawing everyone's attention to him.
Ren didn't stop. "Later. I want to check on Midoriya too."
Still dressed in his black-and-white suit, he disappeared down the corridor.
The class watched him go.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Mina turned slowly toward Momo, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Hey, Momo… you seem to know Ren pretty well," she said. "Is he always like this?"
"Like… this?" Momo echoed faintly.
One by one, eyes turned toward Momo.
Curious eyes.
Speculating eyes.
Even Todoroki Shoto—standing a little apart from the others, half his body completely frosted—glanced over, interest clear in his mismatched gaze.
Momo felt her throat tighten.
She didn't know how to answer.
"W-Well..."
...
The infirmary doors slid open with a soft hiss.
Ren stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was All Might—skinny All Might—standing stiffly beside a hospital bed, clearly startled by the sudden entrance. Recovery Girl stood on the other side, cane tucked under her arm as she checked Midoriya's condition.
"…Ah." All Might relaxed, shoulders dropping. "It's you, Ren."
Recovery Girl chuckled, peering over her glasses. "Another kid who knows your secret, All Might?"
"Well…" All Might scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "This one lives with me."
"A son?" Recovery Girl tilted her head, examining Ren. Then she shook it immediately.
"No, no… he's far too handsome to be yours."
She squinted at him again, then paused.
"…He resembles that beautiful girl—ah." She stopped herself abruptly. "Sorry."
"It's alright, Recovery Girl," Ren said calmly as he took a seat beside Midoriya's stretcher. "You can talk about her."
Recovery Girl smiled softly. "You seem really like her, you know. Gentle like a saint on the inside… and cold as ice on the outside."
Ren snorted quietly. "I don't know about the gentle part—but the icy one's definitely accurate."
Whack.
A sharp hit landed on Ren's back.
"Don't sell yourself short, Ren. You have the gentle part too—" All Might began—
—and immediately coughed, spraying blood straight onto Ren's cheek.
All Might froze.
Ren froze.
Recovery Girl sighed.
"…Toshinori."
Ren slowly turned his head toward All Might, blood streaked across his face.
"You're disgusting, old man," he said flatly, wiping it off with the back of his hand.
He placed a hand on All Might's chest—and another on Midoriya.
"You two…" Ren sighed deeply. "I'm getting tired of being your personal healing machine."
White light bloomed from his palms.
All Might's complexion improved almost instantly, color returning to his face as his breathing steadied. Midoriya's injuries began knitting together more slowly—burns cooling, fractures easing.
Then Ren focused.
Fully.
His hair glowed white, faint arcs of electricity crackling around him as electrical energy converted into Healing.
Recovery Girl's mouth fell open.
…This boy's healing ability is leagues above mine.
She watched in disbelief as Midoriya's breathing stabilized completely.
No—more than that.
…He's restoring stamina too?!
Midoriya's eyelids fluttered.
That shouldn't be possible. He shouldn't wake up until tomorrow.
Midoriya's eyes opened.
"W-Where…?" he murmured.
Then he focused.
"A-All Might? R-Ren?"
Thunk.
A fist landed squarely on his head.
"Ahi!!" Midoriya yelped, fully awake now.
Ren withdrew his hand. "Using that much power—were you planning to kill yourself?"
Midoriya rubbed the forming bump sheepishly. "W-Well… there wasn't any other way to win, so…"
Ren exhaled slowly. "This is the last time I help you."
"…What?" Midoriya blinked.
All Might looked just as confused.
"You need to understand the value of your body," Ren said firmly. "And learn to control One For All. You can't keep destroying yourself."
He glanced at Recovery Girl. "I'm right, aren't I?"
She nodded sharply. "Yes. Midoriya—don't expect my help either from now on."
Then she turned to All Might, eyes narrowing. "And that goes for you too, Toshinori."
Both All Might and Midoriya sighed at the same time.
Ren stood. "Get some rest."
He turned toward the door, then paused.
"Recovery Girl," he said, extending his hand. "I'd like to talk about my mother sometime. You seem to know her well."
She took his hand gently. "Anytime, young Ren."
As Ren reached the threshold—
"Ah—Ren!"
He stopped and turned back.
"What?"
Midoriya clenched his fist, eyes burning with resolve.
"I'll help you," he said.
Ren blinked.
"I'll help you find her!" Midoriya declared.
For a moment, Ren just stared.
Then—his eyes softened, something warm flickering beneath the ice.
"…Thanks, Midoriya."
He turned and left without another word.
You really are… a great friend.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, soon, I'm planning to make Ren go on a copying spree, tell me what quirks you would like to see. Remember his cover quirk, the quirks he'll copy would need to be covered by that.