Ren slipped between the buildings like a passing shadow, barely there.
He had altered Camouflage again, fixing the flaw that had bothered him since the beginning.
Before, it only altered the color of his skin. His clothes remained unchanged, ruining the illusion unless he stripped naked—which obviously wasn't practical.
Now, though… it was different.
He could change the color of his clothes as well. Not just that—anything he held in his hands could shift hues with him. Fabric. Metal. Plastic. Everything.
The upgrade had cost him dearly; the strain had been so intense he'd blacked out after forcing the evolution through. But it had been worth it. The effect was almost comparable to Hagakure's invisibility.
Earlier, from the tallest building in the area, Ren had located the capture beacon using Eagle Eyes. He could head there anytime.
But he wouldn't.
There was no rush. This wasn't the real competition—just a qualification round. As long as his points didn't drop to zero, he wouldn't be eliminated. So instead of chasing objectives, he planned to observe. Study. Scout useful Quirks among the Third Years.
Then he spotted a fight.
One student had a serpentine lower body—human from the waist up. The other, a green-haired guy, was launching objects at insane speeds—rocks, pipes, debris, anything within reach. His arm blurred as he threw.
'He's fast…' Ren noted. 'Like a minigun.'
Through Eagle Eyes, Ren focused harder.
The projectiles weren't cutting through the air normally. There was no drag, no resistance trail. It was as if the air simply parted without friction.
'Is his Quirk… reducing air resistance?'
Ren's eyes widened.
'Now that's interesting.'
He moved.
Completely silent. Colors shifting in real time as he advanced, Multitask splitting his consciousness to continuously adapt his Camouflage to the changing environment. Brick. Concrete. Shadow. Rusted metal. Perfect blending.
The green-haired student kept firing relentlessly at the snake boy. Ren slipped behind him effortlessly—and touched his back.
"Did something just touch m—"
The boy's attention faltered for half a second.
The snake student lunged forward, covering the distance instantly.
"Oh, fuck!"
"Slipstream!"
The air shimmered faintly as resistance dropped even further. The boy's throws became faster—sharper—deadlier.
But seconds later—
"Shit!"
He ran out of debris.
Instantly, a scaled tail whipped around him, coiling tightly around his torso and arms.
"Hiss… got you now, you bastard!"
"Student Oka Naoki has been defeated by our snake student Ogata Yuichi!" the speaker announced. "Oka Naoki eliminated!"
Ren was already far ahead, scanning for others to observe and copy. One of the Big Three was his target.
Slipstream is useful, he muttered, feeling his own speed improve as he adjusted the airflow around himself. At least twenty percent faster… let's try to decrease air resistance a bit more.
He focused, further reducing resistance as he shot between rooftops.
But then—
A fist shot straight toward him. Through a wall. Through solid concrete.
Ren's reflexes snapped. He threw himself backward just in time, narrowly avoiding impact.
"What the hell…" he muttered, eyes widening as he stared at the space where the wall had been penetrated. The fist hadn't collided with anything—it had phased through stone like it wasn't even there.
He blinked, heart racing. A fist just went through a wall…
His mind buzzed with possibilities. What kind of Quirk allows that? Phasing through matter?
Excitement coursed through him.
I want it.
A figure stepped through the wall as if it were nothing but mist.
Just a clean, effortless motion.
Mirio Togata.
Ren's lips slowly curled into a grin.
So that's the Quirk that made him the strongest in the school… huh?
"Oh! You're that first-year prodigy, right?!" Mirio exclaimed immediately, eyes shining. "Hahahaha! I didn't think I'd actually run into someone just by popping through random walls!"
He laughed brightly, completely unbothered.
Ren stared at him.
Random… walls?
His jaw dropped slightly.
He was just phasing through buildings at random?!
"Well," Mirio continued cheerfully, scratching the back of his head, "it'd be kinda lame to knock you out this early. Wouldn't be much fun, right?"
Before Ren could respond, Mirio sank straight into the ground.
"Wait—" Ren stepped forward instinctively.
"See ya, first year!" Mirio's voice echoed faintly from below.
And he was gone.
Ren stood there in silence.
He exhaled slowly.
This guy…
...
"Time's up!" the speaker boomed across the arena.
Rumble!
The urban field trembled slightly as mechanisms shifted beneath the structures.
"All students! Gather at the center of the urban zone immediately!"
Ren sighed.
For the rest of the round, he had maintained his score while scouting for additional useful Quirks—but nothing else had caught his interest.
He headed toward the center.
And there—
"Hey! First-year! You survived!" Mirio waved at him enthusiastically, flashing a bright thumbs-up and an even brighter smile.
Ren sighed again.
At the center stood Sniper, boots propped dramatically atop a metal crate.
"Well butter my boots and brand my cattle!" he shouted. "Looks like all thirty-two little ponies made it back to the corral!"
Bang!
Bang!
He fired two shots into the air.
"Alright, you wild stallions! First ride's done, but the rodeo ain't over yet!" He twirled his revolver dramatically. "Time to see which of y'all can handle the next stampede!"
Behind him, a massive screen flickered to life.
A roulette wheel began spinning.
Spin!
Spin!
Spin!
Ding!
It stopped.
The screen flashed brightly.
"CIVILIAN STAMPEDE SHOWDOWN!"
Sniper grinned wide beneath his hat.
"That's right, cowboys and cowgirls! This round's about savin' the townsfolk! Heroes ain't just those who punch hardest — it's those who ride fastest when the town's on fire!"
He spread his arms wide.
"Welcome to the second round of the rodeo…
Flashpoint Rescue!"
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Would you have liked it more if I made Ren partecipate in the game more? I thought that this would suit more his current objectives, so I opted for this. I promise that in the Rescue Round-Up, he'll participate actively and actually compete as he won't be able to do otherwise.