Ren walked alongside Tsuyu through the hallways of Ground Beta, the urban training area where their match would take place. Momo and Jiro were a few steps ahead, already discussing defensive strategies in low voices.
Two days, Ren thought as he watched his classmates. Barely two days since classes started at UA. But it feels like I have been here much longer.
In reality, he had been in this world for over a month. It had been more than four weeks since he appeared, bald, on a street in Musutafu, confused and trying to understand how his new powers worked.
In those four weeks, he had learned something crucial: this world had dangers that the anime never fully showed.
Like the fact that there is a spy in Class 1-A, Ren thought.
Ren knew it because of the anime. Aoyama was the involuntary traitor, forced to report information about his classmates to All For One because the villain had been the one who gave him his Quirk artificially when he was born without one. His family was under constant threat of death if he did not obey.
Poor kid, Ren thought with genuine compassion. Trapped between loyalty and terror. He probably does not sleep well at night.
But compassion did not change the facts. If Aoyama reported information about Hayashi Ren to All For One, that would eventually put Ren on the radar of the most dangerous villain in Japan.
And that was completely unacceptable.
I cannot afford that risk, Ren reflected as his footsteps echoed in the corridor. Not when I still do not know how powerful my Quirk can really become.
During the last month, Ren had been experimenting intensively with his powers beyond simple telekinesis. The regular visits to the Bakugo household, since Mitsuki insisted on feeding the "poor orphan" at least three times a week, had been the perfect opportunities to perfect something he had discovered almost by accident.
Sensory manipulation.
He could make people feel things that were not happening. He could amplify existing sensations to absurd levels. He could implant subtle suggestions that made people rationalize inexplicable experiences.
Mitsuki still had no idea why every visit from Ren left her strangely flushed and satisfied in ways she could not explain.
If she knew, Ren thought with perverse satisfaction, she would probably hit me so hard I would end up in orbit.
But those "practices" had revealed something important: if he could manipulate how someone perceived physical sensations, then he could also manipulate how they perceived mental information. He could alter memories or, at least at his current level, simply confuse them a bit.
I cannot rewrite memories completely, Ren admitted in his thoughts. That would be too dangerous. I could cause permanent brain damage if I push too hard.
The human brain was incredibly fragile. A wrong mental push in the wrong place could cause irreversible damage. However, adjusting existing memory priorities or making certain details seem less important was feasible.
And if I can make Aoyama think I am completely irrelevant, Ren reasoned as the group arrived at the prep area, then my name will never reach the ears of All For One. At least until the Sports Festival.
The Sports Festival was the problem. That event would be broadcast nationally. There would be no way to hide his real abilities on that stage.
Millions of people watching me, Ren thought with a mental shiver. Including All For One. Including all the villains in Japan who might decide that a teenager with telekinesis and other psychic tricks would be an interesting target.
But that was a problem for several weeks from now. For now, he needed to make sure that during these crucial initial days, while All For One was still gathering information on the new generation of UA students, Hayashi Ren appeared completely forgettable.
The idea of altering memories made his stomach churn a little. Manipulating someone's mind was a violation of the most fundamental part of a person. Charles Xavier would have been horrified.
But Charles Xavier lived in a world where he could afford to have principles, Ren thought bitterly. I live in a world where the most powerful villain on the planet can steal your Quirk just by touching you; where the League of Villains is planning attacks that will kill innocent people.
But Ren had already crossed that line with Mitsuki and even Mina. What was one more manipulation if it meant keeping him alive and off the radar of All For One?
I am sorry, Aoyama, he thought sincerely. But your situation cannot endanger mine. Your family is being threatened. Mine simply does not exist in this world. I have no one to back me up if All For One decides I am a threat or a useful pawn.
"Hayashi-kun, ribbit."
Tsuyu's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. They had arrived at the designated waiting area for the hero team. The Ground Beta training building loomed before them, an urban five-story structure where Momo and Jiro would soon be positioning themselves on the top floor to defend a fake bomb.
"Sorry, Asui-san," Ren shook his head. "I was thinking about strategy."
"That is good, ribbit. Because we should discuss exactly that before the exercise begins."
Ren nodded, focusing completely on the present. Thoughts of Aoyama could wait. Right now, he had a battle to win.
"You are right. What would you say are your greatest strengths in this type of scenario?"
Tsuyu considered the question.
"Vertical mobility using my tongue to climb walls and ceilings. My camouflage works best in environments with shadows or corners where I can blend into the surroundings. Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision thanks to the position of my frog eyes. And I can jump approximately ten meters in a single bound using the strength of my legs, ribbit."
"That is incredibly versatile," Ren looked at her with renewed respect. "Perfect for scouting and flanking. You can move through routes that most people would not even consider."
"It is useful, ribbit. But I also have significant limitations. My tongue can only support so much weight before it loses effectiveness. I cannot use it for direct combat very effectively. And my camouflage does not work if I am moving quickly."
Ren processed that information quickly.
"So you function better as a scout and tactical support rather than a frontal combatant."
"Exactly, ribbit. And you, Hayashi-kun? Your telekinesis seems to have good range, but how precise is it? What are your limitations?"
Ren considered how much to reveal. He decided to be honest, at least partially. He needed Tsuyu to trust his abilities to work effectively together.
But I cannot tell her everything, Ren thought. I definitely cannot talk about sensory or mental manipulation.
"I can move objects up to approximately fifty kilograms with relative ease without straining my concentration too much. My effective range for precise control is about thirty meters. Precision depends on the size of the object. The smaller it is, the harder it is to control from a distance because it requires more mental focus."
"That sounds reasonable, ribbit. Is there a limit to how many objects you can move simultaneously?"
It was a good question, one that Ren had been carefully exploring during his private training sessions.
"It depends on the weight and the complexity of the movement. For small, light objects, I can handle five or six at a time. For something heavier like a person, probably only two at most without losing control over at least one. And I can also use my telekinesis on myself for assisted movement."
Tsuyu tilted her head, her large eyes studying him with interest.
"Assisted movement? Like flight?"
"More like controlled levitation. It is not elegant and it takes quite a bit of mental concentration to keep it stable, but I can float if necessary. It is useful for reaching high places or avoiding obstacles on the ground."
"Interesting, ribbit. And have you considered that you can also use it on other people besides yourself?"
Ren blinked. He had not actually considered it openly in this combat context, though he had obviously already done it in considerably less heroic ways.
Mitsuki definitely experienced levitation, Ren remembered with an internal smirk. Though she probably thought it was just a trick of her overactive imagination or too much sake.
"Technically, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Because Jiro-chan has an enhanced hearing Quirk, ribbit. If we walk normally through the building, she will detect us long before we reach the bomb. They will have time to set up ambushes or traps."
Ren's mind worked quickly, connecting the strategic dots.
"But if we are not touching the ground as we move..."
"There will not be any footsteps for her to detect, ribbit," Tsuyu completed the thought with a small smile that suggested she had reached that conclusion before mentioning it. "Can you levitate both of us for an extended period?"
It is a brilliant tactic, Ren thought with genuine admiration. Asui is much more strategic than the anime really showed.
"I should be able to do it. Although..." Ren paused. "It is going to require you to stay very close to me to keep the concentration stable on both targets. I cannot divide my attention too much without losing control over the telekinetic field. If we separate by more than half a meter, one of us will probably fall."
"That is fine, ribbit. Physical proximity is not a problem for me," Tsuyu replied. "I can stay steady."
Of course it is not a problem for you, Ren thought, vividly remembering what he had seen during Tsuyu's stretches in the observation room. You probably would not even flinch if we ended up in a compromising position during the flight.
***
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