Ava and her friends walked along the footpath.
It really has been a long time… Ava thought quietly.
"It's been five years since we last hung out," one of the three friends said.
Ava nodded, a small smile forming on her lips.
Five years… feels like another lifetime.
"Why don't we do what we used to during our high school days?" another friend suggested.
"Yes," Ava replied. Just like old times.
The four of them went to lunch first. They ate together, laughing, teasing each other, and talking about memories that felt distant yet warm.
After that, they went to the amusement park.
They screamed on rides, laughed until their stomachs hurt, and later spent time in the gaming zone.
Time passed without any of them noticing.
When they finally stepped outside, the sky had turned dark.
"Today was amazing," one of them said happily.
"Yes. We should meet more often," another added.
"Will next Sunday work?" the third woman asked.
"Yeah, why not," Ava replied.
I forgot how good this feels… being normal.
The three friends suddenly looked at each other, then back at Ava.
Ava felt a strange uneasiness.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
They stepped forward, holding out a small box.
"We wanted to congratul—" one of them began.
Suddenly, her words cut off.
A loud sound tore through the air.
Something crashed into the nearby under-construction building.
The ground shook.
Ava's heart skipped. What… was that?
Everyone turned toward the dust and debris.
Ron slowly stood up from the ruins of the collapsed building.
Dust fell from his shoulders as he brushed himself off, calm… almost too calm for the destruction around him.
Ava's breath caught in her throat.
"R-Ron…?" she whispered.
"Where did he fall from…?"
Before anyone could react—
BOOM.
A massive robotic monster slammed into the ground in front of him, cracking the street beneath its weight. Its red mechanical eyes glowed.
Then another landed.
And another.
Metal footsteps echoed as the machines closed in, forming a circle around Ron.
He looked at them.
And sighed.
"Seriously…?"
The nearest robot roared and launched forward, its massive arm transforming into a crushing fist.
The punch came fast—
—but Ron simply tilted his head.
The metal fist barely missed him.
Ron stepped in and drove his own punch straight into the robot's abdomen.
BOOM!
The machine was sent flying through the air like scrap metal, crashing into a broken wall.
Ava and the others stared, frozen.
Her heart pounded.
And then—
A memory surfaced.
"Ron will protect you," Carter said quietly beside her hospital bed.
"Why?" Ava asked, her voice trembling.
"Are you… going somewhere?"
"I'm here," Carter replied.
"Then there's no problem," she said quickly.
"You'll protect me, right?"
Carter didn't answer immediately.
When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy.
"This enemy… is different, Ava. They're powerful. And they're smart."
She swallowed.
"Don't worry," he added softly.
"Ron is strong."
Present
A call came in.
Ron lifted his phone and answered.
Whatever was said on the other side made his eyes narrow slightly.
Ava couldn't hear a word.
The robots reacted instantly.
Their arms twisted and reshaped—
blades forming, barrels clicking into place.
Ron ended the call.
He smiled.
"Alright then."
He picked up a bent metal pipe from the rubble and rolled it once in his palm.
And then—
A presence stirred in his mind.
Rocky.
The robots charged.
Ron inhaled slowly.
His stance changed.
His heartbeat thundered.
[Skill: "Infinite Copy" Activated]
[Copying Character: "Rocky"]
["Rocky's Super Speed" Activated]
Electricity surged through his veins, crawling across his skin like living lightning.
The world slowed.
Ron took one step forward.
And—
FLASH.
In less than a second, every robot was shredded.
Metal limbs flew through the air.
Heads separated from bodies.
Explosions rang out as pieces collapsed across the battlefield.
By the time sound returned—
The machines were already falling apart.
Silence.
The electricity faded.
Ron staggered.
"…What the hell was that…?" he muttered.
His vision blurred.
His knees almost gave out—
—but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Easy there."
Finian stood beside him, bruised but smiling.
Ron looked at him.
Finian casually ran a hand through his blond hair.
"Man, you really went—"
BAM!
Ron punched him straight in the stomach.
Finian doubled over.
"WHAT THE—?!"
"Nothing," Ron said calmly.
"I just felt like punching you."
"You—!" Finian lunged at him—
—but Ron vanished.
Finian stumbled forward and crashed straight into a ramen shop.
Bowls shattered.
A very angry old man stared at him.
"Hey kid, what do you think you're doing in my shop?!"
Finian immediately dropped to his knees.
"I'M SORRY! I'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING!"
Behind the old man—
Ron stood quietly.
Watching.
Smiling.