"Well, you want to be stronger," Koco said casually. "So I'll tell you what. You can challenge me anytime, anywhere. All you have to do is touch me."
"Like… even right now?" Ren asked. "And all I have to do is touch you?"
"Yes," Koco confirmed. "Just touch me."
Ren moved instantly
and was met with a sharp slap across the face.
"You really think it'd be that easy?" Koco said sternly.
"No," Ren muttered, holding his face.
"I'm not going to go easy on you," Koco continued. "You're begging to be stronger. You will get hurt. Just because I'm lazy doesn't make me weak."
"Starting tomorrow," Ren said firmly, "I'm not giving up until I beat you."
"Alright, alright," Koco chuckled. "No need to be so ambitious. I won't even try that hard."
"Then I'll make you," Ren snapped.
Koco smirked. "Get out of here. Go home. Rest."
On the way back to the apartment, Ren grabbed food—and ice cream for Carmen. When he reached the door, he heard screaming.
Carmen's scream.
He dropped everything, activated the rings on his left hand, and slammed straight through the door.
What he saw stopped him cold.
Carmen was waving a broom wildly while Zee laughed hysterically, holding a cockroach inches from Carmen's face.
The moment they noticed Ren standing on the broken door—
Zee dropped the cockroach.
It landed on Carmen's head.
Carmen screamed and threw the broom.
Ren caught it midair.
"What the hell is going on?!" Ren yelled. "I thought someone was hurt! And why is Zee here?!"
Ren activated his right hand and fired a thin laser, vaporizing the cockroach.
"Great," he sighed. "Now we're paying for the door and the neighbors think we're insane."
"Sorry…" Carmen said quietly.
Zee said nothing—she rushed forward and wrapped Ren in a massive bear hug.
"Welcome home, Ren!"
"Hey, Zee," Ren said, gently pushing her off. "Go sit down. I got enough food for everyone."
Zee happily complied.
Ren retrieved the food, set it on the table, and nodded toward his room. "Eat. I'm going to bed."
The next morning, Ren woke up to Carmen and Zee asleep on the floor.
"Crazy," he muttered.
He left a note and headed to the Academy.
Halfway there, he felt it.
That pressure.
"There's only one person with PAACC like that…" Ren groaned.
"Koco!"
"You know I can feel your PAACC from a mile away. You suck at hiding it."
"Yeah, yeah," Koco replied. "You ready?"
Without warning, Koco wrapped an arm around Ren's neck playfully. As Ren reached for him, Koco vanished and shoved him forward.
"Good luck, Reeeen~"
They rushed each other.
"You need a clean hit," Koco reminded him.
Ren threw a right hook—then switched mid-motion, faking with his elbow and snapping into a left uppercut.
Koco mirrored the move perfectly.
He caught Ren's punch, spun him aside, and stepped back at the exact same time Ren did.
What the hell…? Ren thought. He read me before I even finished the move.
Ren activated every ring on both hands, pulled more from his pockets, and hurled them—timed, delayed, perfect.
Koco snapped his fingers at the same time.
Five seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Ren froze.
"That's it?" Koco laughed.
Ren ran in circles, firing hundreds of lasers.
Koco dodged every single one—calm, effortless—not even his clothes singed.
Ren stopped, pressed all his fingers together, and fired one massive blast.
He can't dodge this, Ren thought.
Koco sidestepped and placed his palm against the beam. The laser vanished. Jqq
What was that? Ren thought. I could understand the pressure effect… but that wasn't it. I would've felt his PAACC collide with mine. What ability does he have?
Ren charged forward, dropping low for a leg sweep—then instantly switched it up, kicking into a handstand and snapping his leg upward. But instead of his foot colliding with Koco's face, it was caught midair. Koco shoved him back effortlessly.
This time, Ren clenched a ring in his hand and sprinted toward Koco. When he closed to about a meter away, he activated it. The ring detonated, bursting into thick smoke.
"Clever," Koco said, mockery laced with genuine interest. "I'm actually starting to have fun."
Ren slipped behind him, unleashing seven rapid punches. Each one met Koco's knuckles head-on. Ren flipped backward and came down with an axe kick—but just before his foot hit, Koco nudged his back, throwing his balance off as the kick slammed uselessly into the ground.
"Why aren't you fighting back?" Ren shouted into the smoke.
"Well, you wouldn't learn anything if I did," Koco replied calmly. "You'd just get beaten into the gro—"
"Please!" Ren blurted out. "I want to learn. I want to get stronger."
There was a pause.
"Fine," Koco said. "But don't blame me when you get hurt."
Ren fired lasers toward the sound of Koco's voice and rushed in, following up with two clawed strikes. Both were blocked. Koco's knuckles slammed into Ren's biceps, forcing his arms out to his sides in a rigid, helpless stance. Koco dropped to his hands, pushed off, and kicked Ren square in the chest with both feet, sending him flying across the road, skidding past a parked truck.
Through the thinning smoke, Ren saw a figure emerging—calm, menacing. His body screamed in pain as he pushed himself up.
He blinked.
Koco was gone.
"Was good," a voice said from behind him.
Ren slashed backward with his claws and jumped away, firing lasers as he retreated. Every shot was either dodged or nullified.
How the hell am I supposed to beat Koco—let alone get a clean hit? Ren thought desperately.
"Don't drop your guard, Ren," Koco's voice came from his right.
Instead of retreating, Ren dove forward, throwing his entire body into a desperate takedown. But Koco had already moved—vaulting over him and shoving Ren's head downward, smashing his face into the pavement.
"That was quick thinking," Koco said. "But unfortunately… you were way too slow."
I need to set a trap, Ren thought.
He detonated another ring, smoke erupting once more. This time, he planted four rings into the ground, spreading them out carefully. He waited, listening.
Ten seconds passed.
Then—BOOM.
Without hesitation, Ren charged toward the explosion, tearing through the smoke—
Only to find no one there.
From above, Koco called out from a rooftop. "Sorry, but that's not going to work. If that were anyone else, though, it'd be a different story."
He chuckled. "You're really good at thinking on your feet. And your reaction time's improved, too."
Koco jumped down, swinging into an axe kick. Ren barely dodged in time—only to see a massive stone ripped from the street and hurled toward him. Ren sliced it apart, sending fragments flying back.
Every piece was dodged or slapped aside as Koco continued walking forward.
Koco stomped, launching another slab of concrete into the air, then punched it straight at Ren. Ren split it clean in two—
—and found Koco charging through the debris, fist extended, ready to crush him.
The impact came instantly.
Ren was knocked out cold.