Kamen Rider Deku | My Hero Academia X Kamen Rider

"You sounded way too nonchalant."

"Do I? Haha~, sorry, sorry. I'm just feeling lethargic~."

"..."

She kept glaring daggers at him, coercing him to actually act serious for once.

"Still not convinced, huh...?"

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to collect not just his thoughts, but also his words...

Before his expression did turn serious.

"Katsuki."

"...!"

Katsuki herself was honestly startled by his sudden change of attitude, and especially when he suddenly called her by her name.

She didn't even realize that her heart was beating quite hard from the intense gaze she was receiving from him...!

"I am serious about my words to you: I do want to be a hero."

"I-Izuku... I..."

Before she could find the right words to respond, he continued with his own.

"It's not just some fleeting thought. I had been thinking all night about it... and finally, I did come to a conclusion... that I do want to do it. I want to be a hero... and I want it to be one alongside you, Katsuki."

"...!"

She was taken aback by his words. Her heart was beating even faster and she was afraid that she might just faint from the intense emotions that were running through her.

"That's why..."

Izuku raised his fist, holding it up and towards her.

"Let's be heroes... together."

Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze locked onto Izuku's raised fist.

Her heart pounded relentlessly, torn between the sheer shock of his gesture and the undeniable warmth it stirred within her.

Those words...

They were hers—her very own words, thrown back at her with unwavering sincerity. The same words she had spoken just before losing consciousness last night.

Slowly, her eyes drifted from his face, filled with determination, down to his outstretched fist.

She couldn't stop the small smile tugging at her lips.

Nor could she ignore the slight quiver of emotion that coursed through her chest.

She took a slow, steady breath, letting it calm the warmth spreading in her chest, doing her best to steady the emotions stirring within her.

Finally, after a moment of calm, she nodded and raised her own fist, mirroring his.

"Yeah..." she whispered softly, her voice carrying both gratitude and resolve.

Their fists met in a solid bump, sealing the promise between them.

"Let's do this... together," she added, her smile growing wider as she felt the heavy weight that had been chaining her heart... was now lifted.

Izuku's serious expression melted into a smile—the somewhat nostalgic grin that reminded her of the hot-blooded kid that dreamt of becoming the No. 1 Hero...!

"Alright then!" he announced cheerfully, turning on his heel. "C'mon, Kacchan~. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry."

Katsuki couldn't help but chuckle, her earlier nervousness melting away as she followed his lead.

"You're right. Let's go~."

Side by side, they walked toward school—not just as childhood friends, but as two people bound by a shared dream.

< | X | >

"Uhh... Izuku?"

"Hmm? Yeah, Kacchan?"

"... Where are we?"

It was only now that Katsuki realized... they weren't anywhere near their school. The bustling streets of Musutafu and the familiar path she usually walked were long gone.

Instead...

They were now inside of an abandoned warehouse unit.

The inside was empty, unsettlingly quiet. Dim morning light filtered through the broken windows, casting long shadows on the floor. Dust floated in the air, and the faint scent of rust and mildew.

"... Oh, yeah," Izuku muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, as if only now noticing where they were. "I forgot to mention... I had something to do here."

"WHAT?!?"

Katsuki's voice shot up several octaves, echoing in the cavernous space.

"What the hell, Deku?! Why the hell didn't you say anything earlier?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He raised his hands defensively, taking a step back from her fierce glare. "I forgot that I had something to do here and subconsciously made a detour to this place."

"A detour?! Seriously?!"

Katsuki's face twisted in a mix of disbelief and anger. She knew about his infamous 'detour' routine. It was supposed to be a peculiar habit of his, one that often made him late to school... for reasons she never understood...

Yet.

And now here she was, roped into one of them.

"Do you even realize I CAN'T afford to be late today?! I was ditching school yesterday, and if I'm late now, I'm dead meat!"

"I know, I know, but—" Izuku's words stumbled over themselves as he tried to reassure her. "Just trust me, Kacchan! I swear we'll get to school in time!"

"Unbelievable!" she groaned, her fingers pressing hard against her temple. "Why are we even here anyway...?"

Before she could continue her tirade, Izuku's attention had already shifted, his gaze locking onto something deeper in the warehouse.

Katsuki noticed it too—the change in his demeanor. His posture straightened, his eyes narrowing as he turned around and took a deliberate step forward.

"Izuku...?"

He didn't respond, his focus unshaken as he gestured for her to stay back.

Her eyes followed his line of sight... and what she saw made her blood run cold.

At the center of the warehouse, hunched in the shadows, was a creature—a monster. Its body was covered in heavy white fur, its tall, slightly hunched humanoid form looming ominously.

Its face...

Its face resembled that of a Persian cat, but with twisted, demonic features. Its eyes glowed with a deep crimson hue, and sharp fangs jutted out from its snarling mouth.

But what froze Katsuki wasn't just the monster's appearance.

It was the aura.

A dark, menacing energy radiated from it, suffocating and oppressive. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to get as far away from it as possible.

It was the same aura she'd felt yesterday with the sludge villain...!

"W-what the hell is that...?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her own heart.

"Imajin."

"I-Imajin...?"

"Quirk users with an overabundance of corrupted imajin factor... or quirk factor, as you might know it."

"W-what the hell are you talking about, Izuku...?"

"It's a pretty long explanation," Izuku admitted, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. "I'll tell you later, Kacchan. For now..."

He turned toward the so-called 'imajin,' taking a step closer to it and leaving Katsuki rooted in place.

She was still overwhelmed by this sudden revelation and also... scared stiff by the very existence of this monster.

But Izuku approached it calmly, as if he were used to such things. He raised his right hand to the air, and it was slowly enveloped by a strange digitized aura...!