Not long after the man in the black suit disappeared, half a block away on a quiet street, a faint red glow suddenly seeped through the ground.
The solid pavement softened as if it were melting ice cream.
An arm slowly pushed up through the liquefied ground.
"Ahem… I really almost died back there."
The arm belonged to none other than Igarashi Masata.
As his arm surfaced, molten magma followed, and Masata gradually rose from the ground itself. Lava surged upward, responding to his thoughts, twisting and flowing back into shape until his body was fully restored.
Looking down at the magma still replacing everything below his waist, Masata concentrated. The molten ground rushed toward him, wrapping upward, solidifying into human form once more.
"This new ability is seriously exhausting," he muttered, panting as he collapsed back into the magma.
"I barely traveled underground for a short distance, and it drained this much stamina already…"
Lying there, Masata struggled to slow his breathing and calm his racing heartbeat.
"I don't know if this is just because my control is still rough… or if the ability itself consumes this much energy. Either way, until I figure it out, it can only be used as a last-resort survival move."
Unsure whether he was truly safe, Masata forced himself to stand. Limping to an inconspicuous corner of the street, he sat down heavily.
"What exactly happened to my body?" he muttered.
"Not only can I fully turn into magma now… my control over it has clearly improved too."
His right hand suddenly dissolved into surging magma. In the next instant, his fist reshaped itself into a sharp, spiraling awl that extended from his wrist.
As Masata had learned before, in this world, Quirks existed because of something known as a Quirk Factor.
What he experienced earlier—the sensation of being torn apart—was the result of that Quirk Factor being forcibly stripped from his body.
Having one's genes ripped out at the cellular level was a pain beyond imagination.
At that critical moment, the Quirk Masata had always referred to as "Cell Strengthening" reacted instinctively.
Now, however, that name no longer felt accurate.
It was more appropriate to call it [Gene Fortification].
In the past, Masata had only noticed that activating this Quirk dramatically strengthened his physical body. He assumed his cells were being enhanced—and while that wasn't wrong, it was only part of the truth.
The strengthening went deeper.
It reinforced his genes themselves.
When the Quirk Factors within his body sensed they were about to be torn away, they began reinforcing themselves instinctively. Under the influence of Gene Fortification, even his magma Quirk Factor—on the verge of being extracted—was forcibly strengthened, mutating abnormally in the process.
Once the strengthening was complete, Masata's body reacted on pure instinct, transforming itself into magma—an inorganic state that forcibly interrupted the Quirk extraction process.
In other words, Masata had narrowly escaped disaster.
Not only was his Quirk not stolen—
it evolved.
The elemental transformation he once could only imagine had become reality. The control over magma that had frustrated him days ago had improved drastically.
A breakthrough born from crisis.
With a Quirk like this, Masata's future should have been dazzling.
But right now—
He was just a badly injured high school student slumped on a dark street corner.
"I need treatment… now," Masata muttered, clutching his abdomen.
"If I delay any longer, this could get much worse."
With his breathing finally steady, he forced himself to his feet and carefully followed the path back toward home.
—
"Masata! What happened to you?!"
Despite insisting earlier that she wouldn't open the door for him, Yaoyorozu rushed to it the moment the doorbell rang.
And then she saw him.
Masata stood there wrapped in ragged cloth. Blood stained his body. The corner of his mouth was still bleeding. His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. He looked utterly battered.
Earlier, he had tried forming clothes out of magma—but magma was still magma. The heat and weight made it impossible to maintain. After escaping, he had found a torn piece of cloth and wrapped himself with it instead.
"I'll explain later," Masata said quickly.
"Momo, do you have any way to contact All Might? I have critical information for him. Also—can you take me to U.A.'s infirmary? I'll stay on campus tonight."
After rattling off his requests, Masata staggered inside and grabbed clean clothes, changing quickly.
"…Alright," Yaoyorozu said after a brief pause.
"I'll arrange a car to U.A. right away. I don't have All Might's contact info, but Recovery Girl should be able to reach him. For now, we treat your injuries first."
Her voice tightened as she added,
"Seriously… I can't take my eyes off you for even a moment."
Even knowing Masata wasn't in immediate danger, the sight of him terrified her. It hadn't even been that long since his last collapse—and now this again.
Ochaco came out of the training room and froze when she saw Masata's bloodied state, immediately rushing over in panic.
Masata knew whatever he'd encountered was far too dangerous to explain in detail. He brushed it off with a vague excuse about encountering villains again and barely surviving the fight.
Soon, the car Yaoyorozu called arrived.
Supported by both girls as they went downstairs, Masata found himself painfully aware of their soft bodies pressed against him—an oddly conflicting mix of agony and comfort.
—
When they reached U.A., it was still early enough that Recovery Girl was present in the infirmary.
Seeing her familiar patient again, she scolded him mercilessly as usual.
Masata could only smile apologetically. After all, for the next three years, his life would likely depend on her terrifyingly effective medical Quirk.
"Well," Recovery Girl said at last,
"your body's resilience is impressive. I'll heal you directly with my Quirk. You'll be fine soon. You girls—here, have some candy."
As she worked, she cheerfully tried to distract Yaoyorozu and Ochaco.
A moment later, Masata tested his body.
Perfectly fine.
Jumping lightly, he felt no trace of the injuries from moments earlier. His expression, however, turned serious.
"Recovery Girl… do you have All Might's contact information?"
"I need to tell him something important. Immediately."
Seeing the sudden shift in his demeanor, Recovery Girl tilted her head.
"Can't it wait until tomorrow? He has class then."
"No," Masata said firmly.
"The sooner, the better."
He glanced at Yaoyorozu and Ochaco—both exhausted but relaxed now—then leaned closer to Recovery Girl's ear and lowered his voice.
"I'm almost certain," he whispered,
"that man… is the villain who injured All Might."'
...
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