The instant the flip phone was inserted into the slot, several crimson, vein-like lines spread across Izuku Midoriya's body, outlining his entire frame.A flash of silver light erupted—and in the duty room stood a knight half a head taller than Izuku had been before.
"W–Whoa!! So this is the real form of a Kamen Rider?!"Izuku stared at his own body in awe, then reached up and touched his head.
"This helmet is insanely cool!!!"
All Might rolled a full-length mirror over and set it in front of him. Only then did Izuku finally see his complete appearance.
"This is amazing!!!"
Izuku was still caught up in his excitement, while All Might carefully examined this new body of his.
"It certainly looks impressive," All Might said thoughtfully. "But the real question is how strong it actually is. Izuku—let's go to the training field."
"Then what about Kacchan?" Izuku glanced helplessly at Bakugo Katsuki, who was sprawled unconscious on the floor.
"What else?" All Might shrugged. "We take him with us."
"…Okay."
Izuku looked at Mobile Pegasus, who nodded, then gently scooped Bakugo up in a princess carry and followed the two of them to the training grounds.
By the time they arrived, it was already five in the afternoon. The lingering glow of the sunset bathed them in a unique, dramatic light.
"First up—strength testing."
All Might shifted into his Hero form and stood before a power-testing machine.
"My usual output is about 1.32 tons. Shattering this thing is effortless for me," he said. "But I'm curious how you'll do in this state, Young Midoriya."
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Izuku replied, clenching his fist. "But I feel incredibly strong."
"Then give it everything you've got—no One For All."
"Got it."
Izuku raised his right hand and slammed his fist into the machine.
BOOM!!!
The device was blasted clean off its base, tearing through two sound barriers and flying straight out of the training field.
"So strong…!"
Even Izuku himself was shocked by the sheer power of his punch.
"That was incredible… but just how high was the output?"
"Beep-beep~"
While they were still puzzling over the numbers, Mobile Pegasus somehow produced a chalkboard and began writing.
"Let's see…" All Might walked over.
"Estimated strength: 2.5 to 3.0 tons," he read aloud."…That's terrifying."
"Next—speed."
Izuku dashed back and forth across the training field at blistering speed.
"100 meters in 5.8 seconds. That's… decent, right?"
"Jumping ability—35 meters. That's far better than last time…"
An hour later, the three of them finally finished testing all of Izuku's abilities.
"Last test—endurance," All Might said. "How do you feel now, Izuku?"
"I'm mostly fine," Izuku said, rubbing his stomach. "Just… kind of hungry."
Suddenly, his transformation ended.
The belt and phone vanished.
"Huh?!" Izuku hurriedly checked himself.
Lifting his shirt, he froze.
The shape of the belt was imprinted directly onto his waist, and the phone's outline was embedded there as well.
"What… is this supposed to mean?" Izuku stared in confusion.
"Beep-beep~"
Mobile Pegasus raised the chalkboard again.
For user convenience: After each use, the belt and phone will imprint onto the user's body.For future activation, simply recite the name mentally.
"…That easy?" Izuku scratched his head, completely bewildered.
When Izuku finally returned home, he was still in a daze. After finishing his homework, he sat quietly, thinking about the belt.
After a long time, he made a decision.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would never use it.
He sent that decision to All Might in a message—then opened the class group chat.
Minoru Mineta: Whew! Karaoke really is the best way to unwind—plus there were tons of cute girls, hehe~Eijiro Kirishima: Mineta, we're literally hanging out at Momo Yaoyorozu's place right now! It's huge! Super manly!Ochaco Uraraka: I wonder how Izuku's doing…Bakugo Katsuki: …He's fine.Denki Kaminari: How do you know? Did you sneak off to check on him? Childhood friend perks, huh?Kyoka Jiro: Pikachu, you're getting way too mouthy. Give me my manga back already!Denki Kaminari: I'M NOT PIKACHU! YOU return my game first!!Bakugo Katsuki: …Deku. Private chat. Now.
Izuku, who had been silently reading, froze for a moment—then tapped Bakugo's profile.
Izuku Midoriya: Kacchan, what's wrong? Bakugo Katsuki: DEKU, tell me right now—how much crap are you still hiding from me?! Say it ALL!!!
Izuku went silent.
He set the phone down and went to take a shower.
Meanwhile, Bakugo was practically vibrating with rage, half-ready to storm Izuku's house and shake him until answers fell out.
"That damn extra! He dares to ignore me?!"Sparks crackled in Bakugo's palms.
Ten minutes later, Izuku returned, towel-drying his hair. His phone was still buzzing nonstop.
He hesitated.
Then he glanced at his pillow. Beneath it was his notebook.
He nodded to himself—and opened the phone.
Bakugo Katsuki: ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!Bakugo Katsuki: YOU WANNA DIE OR WHAT?!Bakugo Katsuki: DEKU! IF YOU DON'T REPLY I'LL KILL YOU TOMORROW!!
Izuku typed slowly, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away.
Izuku Midoriya: I'm sorry, Kacchan.We're not close enough anymore.There are a lot of secrets I can't tell you.
Bakugo felt like he was about to explode when he read it.
"YOU DAMN EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA!!!!"
He flipped his entire room upside down.
Minutes later, surrounded by chaos, Bakugo slumped onto the floor, staring at Izuku's message.
"He was just some useless idiot following behind me…So why… why does he have so many secrets now?!"
Izuku ignored his phone from then on, letting it ring as he packed his schoolbag.
Then he opened his notebook and wrote:
March 12 – Journal Entry
Today, I fought real villains.That man called Tomura Shigaraki was much stronger than me.I have to grow faster—so I can defeat him.
After finishing, Izuku flipped to an earlier page, looking at the childish handwriting from long ago.
He nodded.
Closing the notebook, he slipped it beneath his pillow, pulled up his blanket—
—and fell asleep.