Time seemed to have stopped as everyone now bore witness to the ebony figure that was the Kamen Rider.
They all stood frozen, their expressions locked in a state of shock and disbelief.
Every examinee at Exam Site B had just witnessed the terrifying faux villain—the Zero Pointer—get sent flying and utterly destroyed in a matter of seconds.
And it was all from just a single punch... from—
The Kamen Rider.
The infamous vigilante in 'now' ebony boxing gear slowly retracted his outstretched fist and straightened his body, relaxing himself...
And through his helmet, Izuku let out a sigh.
"Phew... that was rather exhausting," he muttered in relief.
His visored eyes fixated on the ruined buildings in front of him... and, of course, the scrapped and destroyed giant 'mecha' that now laid 'lifeless' on top of those ruins...
"Hmm... did I perhaps put too much juice?"
He sheepishly scratched his clunky headgear with his equally clunky mechanical hand—the very one responsible for this... dilemma.
"...They're not gonna charge me for the damages... right? W-well... I could just say—"
"E-excuse me!"
He was cut off when a voice suddenly called his attention.
Izuku glanced to the side—down on the ground—and saw that it came from Ochako—!
"...Oh... Oh yeah—!"
Realization struck Izuku like a jolt—!
He had almost forgotten that the brunette girl was still stuck under the rubble...!
Ochako herself had almost forgotten the pain and discomfort from being pinned beneath the debris, too busy being stunned—or rather, intrigued—by the ebony-clad fighter who had saved her life.
She stared wide-eyed; baffled... but also struck with awe.
His form and figure were different than what she and the world had seen before, but... the bug-eyed helmet and the infamous white apparatus were undeniable proof—
The person who had just saved her was, indeed, the Kamen Rider.
Izuku quickly knelt down beside her.
"Uraraka-san! Are you okay?!" he asked, genuine concern lacing his voice.
"E-eh? H-how do you know my name...?" she stammered, still dazed. But then... she slowly realized something. "W-wait... that voice...!"
The ebony Kamen Rider paused when she recognized him. He... contemplated it for a moment, but eventually decided—it's not worth trying to hide it anymore.
Then... his ebony armored figure slowly became enveloped in soft light...!
Not as blinding as his initial transformation, but still bright enough to cover his entire being...!
And then... as the light finally faded—
"M-M-M-Midoriya-kun—?!"
The figure of Midoriya Izuku stood in place of the Kamen Rider, with only his white apparatus remaining as evidence of the other identity.
"Y-you...!?!" she gasped, stunned. "Y-you're the Kamen Rider...!?!"
Izuku's mouth slowly curled into a small smile, amused—he'd already expected such a reaction.
"Haha... yeah, I am," he said with a wink, eliciting a small blush from the brunette girl. "I'm 'The' Kamen Rider. At your service~."
Ochako was floored by his sudden confirmation.
Her mouth hung open—no words escaped, even though there were a million questions she could have asked him.
However, Izuku's expression soon turned serious.
"Uraraka-san, let's get you out of there."
"H-huh?"
Without another word, Izuku turned to the rubble pinning her down and quickly lifted it with both hands—tossing the heavy debris away with ease.
Ochako was finally freed from her entrapment...! However, when she tried to get up—
"Kuh—!"
"—! Uraraka-san!"
Her legs gave up on her as she winced in pain—! But, upon hearing Izuku's concern, she quickly put on a brave front...!
"Ah—i-it's nothing!" she quickly tried to play it off, forcing a small smile. "I-I just... twisted it a bit, I think! Haha... happens all the time!"
She was clearly trying her best to act like it was no big deal... mimicking the very nonchalant tone her savior usually used.
But... Izuku wasn't buying it.
His sharp gaze dropped to her legs—
Her lower legs to her feet were bruised, her jersey pants torn and marred with scrapes and small traces of blood.
From the looks of it... it wasn't just a light twist.
One ankle had already started to swell, and the way she kept it slightly turned—barely moving it—made it quite clear: it hurt to even shift, let alone stand.
It must've happened when the debris came crashing down earlier...
"...That's not 'nothing,'" he muttered, narrowing his eyes with concern.
Then, without warning—
"Eh—?! W-what are you—!?"
Izuku leaned in and swiftly picked her up—!
A clean, flawless princess carry—his arms wrapped securely beneath her back and knees!
"K-KYAAAA—!!!"
Her face exploded in red—!
"M-M-M-Midoriya-kun?!? W-w-what are you doing?!?"
She was flustered beyond belief, embarrassment flooding her entire body! It was the first time in her life that she'd ever been princess-carried—by a boy her age, no less...!
It was like something out of a fairytale she'd read before... or one of those soap operas her mother sometimes watched.
And right now... she couldn't hold back the butterflies in her stomach, now that she was actually experiencing one for real.
Izuku blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Wait... is your face turning red?" He leaned in closer, even more concerned. "Are you having a fever or something...?!"
"N-NO I'M NOT—!!!" she squeaked, turning her face away, steam practically puffing from her head. "It's nothing...! P-please, don't mind it..."
"Uhuh... Well, either way, I'm taking you to get medical attention," he said firmly. "Your injuries aren't something you can walk off. So, don't worry—I got you."
Ochako couldn't meet his eyes… but she slowly nodded.
Despite the blush still burning her cheeks, a soft smile began to form.
She felt... protected. And kind of warm inside.
But, when they were about to depart—
"—T-T-TIME'S UP...!!!"
A blaring voice rang across the entire site as Present Mic's voice echoed loudly throughout the exam field...!
Then the alarm blared as well, marking the official end of the practical exam...!
"Hmm... is it just me, or did Present Mic just stutter?"
"A-ah, yeah... he kinda did, I think..."
Both of them noticed the slight stutter in his voice.
Like the Voice Hero himself had just seen a ghost...
...Or a Zero Pointer that got obliterated by a single punch.
"...Well, I guess the exam's over, huh," Izuku commented with a small smile.
"...Yeah..." Ochako replied quietly, her voice still a bit breathless… still blushing faintly as she sat in his arms.