The training field shimmered beneath the afternoon sun — metal buildings, holographic screens, and the faint hum of power regulators.
"Today," Aizawa said, voice monotone but heavy, "we'll test your combat coordination. Pairs. Strategy and adaptability will decide your score."
Excited chatter broke out across Class 1-A.
Midoriya was already muttering about tactics.
Bakugou cracked his knuckles.
Uraraka smiled nervously.
Ren stood quietly near the edge of the group — expression calm, posture perfect.
Then Aizawa called out,
> "First pair… Ren Saito and Shoto Todoroki."
The class went silent.
Midoriya blinked.
Bakugou muttered, "Oh, this'll be good."
Todoroki glanced at Ren, half-interested, half-cautious.
> "I'll lead. Just follow my instructions."
Ren nodded faintly.
> "I don't follow. I calculate."
---
Training Field Delta
Their opponents: Bakugou and Kirishima.
Explosive power versus reinforced defense.
Raw aggression versus icy precision.
Present Mic's voice boomed from the speakers.
> "Match start!"
Bakugou launched forward instantly, explosions cracking the air.
Ren didn't move. His eyes flicked once, and his quirk activated — the world slowing to a network of motion vectors, heat signatures, and rhythm patterns.
Mastermind engaged.
> Bakugou – high impulse, low adaptability; Kirishima – follows partner's aggression, predictable defense timing.
Todoroki slammed his palm down — ice burst across the ground.
Bakugou dodged easily, but Ren was already predicting his arc.
> "He'll attack from your right flank in three… two… now."
Todoroki turned his palm at that exact second — a pillar of ice shot upward, catching Bakugou mid-dash and slamming him into the barrier.
Kirishima roared, charging through, his hardened form glinting under sunlight.
Ren moved forward, voice calm.
> "Let's see how you react to a trap you can't see."
He picked up a loose shard of ice, flicked it — perfectly aimed — striking a pressure node on the ground plate.
Instantly, part of the training floor erupted, throwing Kirishima off balance.
Ren didn't have a flashy quirk, but the battlefield itself obeyed his mind.
Every vibration, every detail, every breath was information.
Todoroki's eyes widened slightly.
> "You… calculated the timing of the terrain sensors?"
Ren's faint smile.
> "I calculate everything."
---
Bakugou Returns
The explosion broke the frozen wall.
Bakugou charged again, fury blazing.
> "You think you can play god, nerd?! I'll blow that calm face off—"
Ren raised his hand slightly.
> "Impulse again."
He took one small step forward — just one — and in that instant, he predicted Bakugou's entire movement chain.
He dropped to a crouch, kicked a loose metal plate upward, letting Bakugou's own explosion rebound into the air.
The blast hurled Bakugou backward, smoke curling.
The class watching from the control room gasped.
---
Aftermath
Aizawa crossed his arms, expression unreadable.
> "He's not strong physically," he muttered. "But his combat awareness is on a level I've never seen. He adapts faster than even Midoriya."
Nezu smiled faintly.
> "Interesting. I think I know why the Hero Commission is nervous."
Back in the arena, Ren deactivated his quirk, looking around.
Todoroki approached, quiet but thoughtful.
> "You're dangerous," he said.
"Even without power, you dominate the fight."
Ren met his gaze calmly.
> "In a world full of quirks," he said, "I just learned to use the only one that can't be taken away — my mind."
Todoroki nodded slowly. For the first time, he smiled.
> "I'll remember that."
---
Later – Observation Room
As the class cheered, Ren walked past the mirror wall.
His reflection looked back — unreadable, sharp.
> "Heroes, villains, doesn't mat
ter," he murmured.
"They're all predictable systems.
Evening fell over U.A., the sky painted with streaks of crimson and gold.
The training field was empty now, save for two silhouettes sitting on the cracked observation steps — Ren and Todoroki.
Neither spoke for a long time. The hum of the city below filled the silence.
Finally, Todoroki broke it.
> "You analyze everything, don't you?"
Ren didn't look up.
> "It's how I make sense of the world."
> "You weren't surprised when I used my left side," Todoroki said quietly.
Ren's gaze followed a drifting cloud.
> "Because I knew you would. You hold back until emotion pushes you past reason. You didn't need logic — you needed choice."
Todoroki gave a small laugh — rare, faint, but real.
> "You sound like you've known me for years."
Ren's lips curved slightly.
> "I read patterns. And people are the most fascinating ones."
For a moment, they sat in silence again.
The wind brushed through the trees, carrying the faint echo of Class 1-A's laughter from the dorms.
> "I used to think the world was divided," Todoroki said.
"Heroes, villains, right, wrong. But you… you move like those lines don't exist."
Ren tilted his head.
> "Because they don't. People only draw them to make chaos feel safer."
Todoroki turned to look at him fully for the first time.
> "You really believe that?"
Ren met his gaze.
> "I know that."
---
The Ice and the Mind
They trained together often after that.
Todoroki focused on precision — temperature control, balance, efficiency.
Ren focused on timing, predicting Todoroki's movements and synchronizing perfectly.
Their styles, opposites in nature, fused into something seamless — calculation and instinct in perfect rhythm.
During one spar, Todoroki froze a section of the training field too fast.
Ren stepped aside milliseconds before it happened.
> "You predicted that?" Todoroki asked.
> "I trusted you to do what you always do — overthink then commit at 70%. So I moved accordingly."
Todoroki stared for a moment, then smiled faintly.
> "You're insufferable."
Ren gave a rare chuckle.
> "You'll get used to it."
---
Dorm Night
Later, in the dorm common room, Midoriya noticed them sitting together — Todoroki reading a strategy manual, Ren quietly typing on his tablet.
It was… peaceful.
Kaminari whispered, "Bro, since when are those two like best friends?"
Bakugou scoffed.
> "They're not friends. They're just quiet nerds plotting world domination."
Ren didn't even look up.
> "You're half-right."
Everyone froze. Then laughter broke out, even from Todoroki.
---
Private Moment
That night, when the dorm was dark, Todoroki stopped by Ren's door.
> "Hey… about earlier. Thanks."
Ren looked up from his desk.
> "For what?"
> "For treating me normally. Not like Endeavor's son. Just… me."
Ren's voice softened for the first time.
> "People define themselves by their pasts. I define them by their potential."
Todoroki nodded, quiet understanding in his eyes.
> "Then maybe… you and I aren't that different."
Ren smiled — a real one, fleeting but genuine.
> "Maybe we're the same kind of broken."
They stood there for a moment — two geniuses from opposite worlds,
finding rare friendship in silence.
Outside, lightning flashed across the sky — the same storm that once symbolized chaos now echoing something else: connection.
The courtyard smelled of cut grass and cold air. Dawn was still soft; the campus moved slow — students scattered between classes, laughter and steps like distant metronomes. Ren found Todoroki beneath a row of maples, hands in his pockets, watching the clouds. He looked quieter than usual, as if the world had been reduced to the measured inhale and exhale of his chest.
Ren sat down beside him without ceremony. "Todoroki," he said. "Quick question."
Todoroki glanced at him. "Yes?"
Ren folded his hands together, careful to make the motion look casual. "Is there a place on campus — a lab, workshop, or support room — where someone could design and fabricate a costume? I mean, like a hero outfit. Reinforced, with integrated support gear."
Todoroki blinked once, then nodded slowly. "The Support Course labs. Mei Hatsume's workspace, and the faculty support department. They handle prototypes, equipment — everything from compensators to complete suit systems. Why do you ask?"
Ren watched a leaf fall and catch the wind. "Curiosity," he said softly. "Practical reasons. I want to test material interaction with… certain signal dampeners. It's hard to simulate without pro
per gear."