Capítulo 77: Chapter 76: The Show Begins!
Without realizing it, April had quietly slipped by, and Japan was now entering the vibrant, energetic month of May. Today was the opening day of the Hero Sports Festival, an event that drew the attention of the entire nation.
To see his son's performance live, Kaminari's father had gone to great lengths to secure two coveted tickets. Considering how difficult it was to get seats, he considered himself quite lucky!
Even though the U.A. Sports Arena was the largest multi-functional venue in Japan, able to hold a staggering 120,000 people, that was still far from enough to satisfy the demand for tickets.
Especially since U.A. High School had sent out a wave of official invitations to Japan's Hero community, which meant that around 90% of the country's professional heroes would be attending. Seats for them were, of course, reserved.
This move was U.A.'s way of sending a message to the villain world. Their stance was clear:
Come if you dare.
And as for Kaminari, he'd spent the past month working hard. Between rehearsing his new song with Kyoka and perfecting his "special move" for the Sports Festival, he'd been busy. For Kyoka's family, the chance to perform at an event like this was an honor, perhaps even more exciting than the Sports Festival itself.
Kyoka's parents, particularly her usually reserved mother, had been thrilled when they heard the news. In fact, their respect for Kaminari had skyrocketed, and they now fully supported the formation of the Pikachu Band, even offering to help promote it within their circle of music industry friends.
At seven o'clock in the morning, Kaminari arrived at the Hero Sports Venue, carrying his guitar case. He looked around at the early-morning crowd in surprise.
"Huh… so many people here already?"
He knew the Sports Festival wasn't scheduled to start until eight, but the place was already packed with families, friends, and fans. Food stalls lined both sides of the pathway, filling the air with the mouth-watering smells of festival snacks, as attendees strolled around, basking in the excitement of the event.
Kaminari had come early to do some last-minute preparations. He figured Kyoka had either already arrived or would be there soon.
Sure enough, when he walked into the spacious backstage area, he spotted Jiro tuning her bass with the help of a few music teachers.
"Hey, good morning, Lightning Boy!" Present Mic greeted him enthusiastically as soon as he saw him enter.
"Good morning, Mr. Mic!" Kaminari replied with a smile, nodding at Kyoka, who shot him a small grin as she continued tuning her instrument. He then gave Present Mic a respectful salute. He knew how hard the teacher had been working to help them prepare.
"Alright, alright, let's get to work!"
Present Mic clapped his hands together, embodying U.A.'s trademark efficiency. "Since you're both here, let's go over the performance a few more times. Especially the lyrics—memorize them. Got it?"
"Yes, Mr. Mic!" Kaminari and Kyoka answered in unison. Although they'd heard this countless times in the past month, they weren't tired of it. They were both filled with a mix of nerves and excitement.
What, you think Kaminari wouldn't be nervous? Even with his adult mind, anyone would feel the pressure of performing at an event like this. How many adults get to sing in front of a crowd at an Olympic-level event? To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie.
With Kaminari and Kyoka leading, the familiar prelude of their song filled the work area again. Though the music was beautiful, the backstage staff had heard it so many times by now that they barely reacted.
The first few days, everyone had been singing along. But as the rehearsals continued, even the catchiest song starts to lose its shine. After hearing it on repeat, they'd become numb to it.
Kaminari's electric guitar was decorated with a Pikachu sticker, and Kyoka's bass had a sticker of a pink-and-purple Pokémon with large ears—Sonic Rabbit, or Azumarill from Pokémon!
Kaminari had always thought Azumarill suited Kyoka's vibe, so he'd sketched it, had a custom sticker made, and gifted it to her. Kyoka had studied the sticker thoughtfully before promptly sticking it on her bass, much to Kaminari's delight. It looked adorable, and now, with Pikachu on Kaminari's guitar and Azumarill on Jiro's bass, the two of them looked like a perfect match.
That moment gave Kaminari an idea—maybe, when more members joined, they could each get a custom Pokémon sticker on their instrument as a signature style for the band. It could become a unique part of their identity.
But… he still hadn't figured out which Pokémon would suit Momo. She'd already started dropping hints about wanting her own, and was quite displeased that she didn't have one yet.
Finding the right Pokémon for her was now one of Kaminari's top priorities.
Time passed in a strange rhythm, slipping by quickly despite their anticipation. Before long, the clock on the wall showed 9:40.
The Sports Festival atmosphere was in full swing. The blue sky, the green field, the white stadium, and the sea of black-clad spectators in the stands, these colors painted a vivid backdrop for the day. Overhead, helicopters circled, capturing footage of the venue below.
All 120,000 seats were filled, and in the player lounge, students waited in nervous excitement.
In the control room, Aizawa-sensei, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, looked over at Present Mic, who had just walked in.
"Are they ready?"
"Totally ready!" Present Mic replied, looking down at the stage through the glass window with a proud smile. "Those two kids have got real talent. Especially Kaminari Denki—he's a musical genius!"
He leaned back, smirking. "Honestly, when he graduates, I'd love to recruit him for my agency."
As one of Japan's top heroes in the music industry, Present Mic had his own agency, and his side business was a radio broadcasting company where he served as DJ and CEO.
"But I have to admit," Aizawa murmured, "I didn't expect the principal to make such a bold decision for Kaminari. It's… unconventional."
"Well, from what I heard, Principal Nezu had to negotiate quite a bit with the higher-ups to add this performance to the opening ceremony," Present Mic said, unusually serious.
After all, this was unprecedented for the Sports Festival.
He looked down at the rising stage platform in the center of the field, where Kaminari and Jiro were standing with their instruments. Then he grinned, his usual energy returning. "But I think Kaminari Denki deserves it!"
He leaned forward, flipping on the microphone switch in front of him.
"EVERYBODY————!"
"Now, for the first time in the history of the Hero Sports Festival, please enjoy a special opening performance!"
"They are… THE PIKACHU BAND!!!"
In the next moment, all the lights on the stage blazed to life, and colorful fireworks shot up around the stadium, igniting the atmosphere with Present Mic's electrifying announcement.
"Deserves it, huh?"
Aizawa's eyes stayed fixed on Kaminari, who was now playing his guitar with confidence, a grin on his face. Aizawa thought to himself, Don't let us down, Kaminari.
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