Chapitre 97: Chapter 96: Thinking
"You lose, Midoriya..."
On the ultra-clear big screen, Kaminari stood tall behind Midoriya, who was still frozen in place. Kaminari's hand was resting gently on the back of Midoriya's neck, a move that suggested he could release a shock at any moment.
"How… how is this possible?"
Midoriya felt the warmth of Kaminari's hand on his neck, his entire body stiff as he tried to process what had happened. He couldn't understand it. He hadn't even seen when Kaminari managed to get behind him!
The audience, along with the commentator Present Mic, was equally stunned. Mic, ever the curious host, immediately asked the technical team to play a slow-motion replay of the last few seconds on the big screen above the stadium.
On the screen, everyone watched as Kaminari, covered in golden lightning, suddenly ducked low and slid under Midoriya's arm at the very moment Midoriya launched his "100% Smash." Kaminari's movement was quick, almost graceful, like a fluid shadow slipping past unnoticed.
"Whoa!!!"
The crowd erupted in astonished cheers and gasps. The precision of Kaminari's maneuver left many viewers in awe.
"How was he able to move so smoothly in such a short time, especially with that kind of speed?" Present Mic exclaimed, his voice brimming with disbelief.
"And his timing…" Mic trailed off, seemingly lost for words.
"Good timing?" Aizawa, Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, muttered in disagreement. His voice was soft, but the crowd nearby caught it and quieted to hear his explanation. "No, it wasn't just good timing."
"Huh?" Mic looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Timing wasn't the key here," Aizawa continued. "Kaminari didn't just react in the moment. He knew what Midoriya was going to do before it happened. He anticipated it."
The audience murmured in confusion. "How could he have known?" some of them asked. The idea seemed impossible, even absurd.
Aizawa's expression didn't change as he elaborated. "Remember what Kaminari said to Midoriya before the match? He told him to be prepared and encouraged him to go all out. Kaminari baited him, knowing Midoriya would interpret his words as a challenge. With Kaminari showing such overwhelming speed, Midoriya thought he had no choice but to use his full strength."
The crowd fell silent, processing Aizawa's analysis. Even some pro heroes in the stands exchanged thoughtful looks.
"This wasn't just a display of physical skill," Aizawa concluded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Kaminari on the field. "It was a calculated plan. Every move Kaminari made was designed to lead Midoriya exactly where he wanted."
All Might, watching from the stands, clenched his fists. He realized now that Midoriya's loss wasn't a matter of strength alone. Kaminari's experience and tactical thinking were on a different level.
"This is more than just a difference in power…" All Might muttered to himself, feeling a pang of regret for his student's defeat.
Back on the field, Midoriya looked up at Kaminari, his face showing a mixture of frustration and admiration. Releasing his Quirk, he let the green sparks dissipate, finally understanding where he had gone wrong.
"Is it true?" Midoriya asked softly, as though he needed confirmation.
Kaminari let go of Midoriya's neck, smiling slightly. "Yeah. It's not just about raw power," he said gently. "You've got a great Quirk, Midoriya, but you need to recognize its tells. Every time you use that full-strength punch, there's this noticeable red glow. It's like a signal, telling your opponent exactly what's coming."
Midoriya's shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his bruised right arm, wincing at the pain. "I… I see," he murmured, accepting his mistake.
The cheers from the audience rose again, and Kaminari looked around, giving Midoriya a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"I lost…" Midoriya said, finally turning to Midnight, the referee. He lifted his head, though his eyes betrayed his disappointment.
"It's okay," Kaminari said with a smile, trying to cheer him up. "You fought well."
Midoriya offered him a grateful, if slightly sad, smile. "Thank you… Kaminari."
From the stands, All Might watched, a sense of pride mixed with regret in his eyes. He had wanted Midoriya to succeed, but seeing his student learn from this loss was equally valuable.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, in a dimly lit hideout, a figure watched the match on a small screen, his voice a sinister murmur.
"Hmm… that Kaminari kid. He's sharp, stronger than I expected," Shigaraki said, observing Kaminari's every move with a cold intensity. "We'll have to keep an eye on him…"
Back in the medical bay, Kaminari watched as the recovery girl began tending to Midoriya's injured arm, a worried look on his face.
"Midoriya… that Quirk of yours. It's powerful, but it seems to hurt you every time you use it at full strength," Kaminari said carefully, trying not to pry too much.
Midoriya, lying on the bed, gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah… it's a bit hard to control. I'm still working on it."
But before Kaminari could ask more questions, Recovery Girl shooed him out of the room. "Go on, now! He needs rest," she said, pushing him gently towards the door.
As Kaminari walked out, he glanced back thoughtfully, his mind still on Midoriya.
"I don't know… there's something different about his Quirk," Kaminari thought, trying to put the pieces together. "Could it be…?"
But he shook his head, dismissing the thought for now. He had another match to prepare for.
Meanwhile, the tournament continued. The fourth match saw Iida against Hatsume Mei from the Support Course. Hatsume managed to dazzle the audience with her endless gadgets, turning the match into a product showcase, while Iida, though flustered, eventually secured a win. He left the arena looking both proud and deeply embarrassed.
In the fifth match, Ashido Mina faced off against Aoyama Yuga. With her agility and quick reflexes, Ashido managed to overcome Aoyama's laser attacks, securing her spot in the next round.
The crowd cheered on, energy high as the matches continued. Then, Kaminari's focus turned to the next battle on the field—one that promised to be intense.
Class 1-A's Tokoyami Fumikage versus Class 1-B Student.
Tokoyami, known for his dark and enigmatic Quirk "Dark Shadow," had shown impressive skill in previous simulations. His Quirk was versatile and powerful, but Kaminari and the others knew little about its true limits.
As Kaminari made his way back to the stands, he spotted Shinso leaning against a shadowed corner, his eyes reflecting a quiet determination.
***
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Chapitre 98: Chapter 97: Efforts and Goals
Seeing the person waiting in the shadows, Kaminari set aside his curiosity about Midoriya for the moment. Putting on a friendly smile, he walked over and greeted him.
"Shinso-kun?"
"Kaminari Denki..."
Shinso, leaning against a dark corner, slowly lifted his head to meet Kaminari's gaze. His piercing, triangular eyes studied Kaminari, and after a moment, he asked in a low voice.
"What's with the electricity around your body?"
From Shinso's perspective, Kaminari's body was wrapped in erratic golden currents.
"Oh, this?"
Kaminari glanced down at himself, then looked back up, replying casually, "Just a little insurance, Shinso-kun."
"After all, talking with you is… a bit riskier than with most people."
"Is that so?"
Shinso raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So, these electric currents are supposed to keep you safe from me?"
Kaminari shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't actually tested it yet."
"Then test it."
Without hesitation, Shinso activated his Quirk. Kaminari's mind went blank for an instant, but almost immediately, he felt his consciousness snap back.
Shinso's eyes widened, confused.
"Looks like I was out for less than a second…" Kaminari noted, glancing at the distant clock on the big screen.
Turning back to Shinso, he grinned. "Seems my insurance plan works!"
This was a defensive trick he'd developed after his first encounter with Shinso's Quirk. Finally having the chance to test it out with Shinso himself, he couldn't help feeling a bit pleased.
The idea was simple: since breaking free from mind control typically required a physical jolt, he wondered if the electric currents flowing inside and outside his body could provide that jolt automatically.
Basically, by continuously stimulating his body with electricity, he could potentially snap himself out of any mental control.
Whether it was "high-speed movement" or "high-voltage mode," both techniques had this passive effect of disrupting other Quirks.
"Heh."
Shinso let out a dry laugh. "Just as I thought… once people know about my Quirk, it becomes much harder to use effectively."
Though he'd managed to control Uraraka Ochaco in the previous round, he hadn't counted on it as a reliable strategy. That success had felt more like a fluke.
"True," Kaminari agreed, then asked, "So why'd you join the sports festival?"
He couldn't help but voice his curiosity. "If I had a Quirk like yours, I'd probably keep it hidden. If I used it, it'd only be as a trump card, something to pull out in a critical moment. Competing in a public event like this, where everyone gets to see your abilities… doesn't seem like the best strategy."
Shinso's face darkened, his arms falling from their crossed position as he clenched his fists tightly.
"You think everyone's like you, blessed with some flashy Quirk?" he said, his voice edged with bitterness.
"Huh?" Kaminari tilted his head, caught off guard.
"You want to know why I'm here? It's because this festival is my one chance. If I perform well enough, I might get transferred into the Hero Course!"
Shinso's voice grew tense, his frustration spilling over. "Because of my Quirk, I've always been left behind, forced to watch from the starting line while others move ahead."
"If I don't make an impact here, if I don't stand out now… my goal of becoming a Hero will stay out of reach forever."
He looked down, his voice dropping to a murmur filled with resentment. "But someone like you, a 'genius' with a powerful Quirk, wouldn't understand what that feels like."
Kaminari didn't argue. He didn't feel the need to talk about the years he'd spent honing his own abilities, it wouldn't mean anything to Shinso, and would probably just come off as boasting.
Instead, he asked, "Can I ask when you realized that your Quirk would make getting into the Hero Course difficult?"
Shinso hesitated, then replied, "Back in my first year of junior high. I looked up the details of the entrance exam for UA and saw the emphasis on practical skills."
"And what did you do in the years after that?"
Kaminari's gaze drifted to the field below, where Tokoyami and a student from Class B were already engaged in battle. But his question was clearly directed at Shinso.
"What did I do?" Shinso repeated, sounding annoyed. "What could I do? My Quirk doesn't work on robots."
"So…" Kaminari turned to look at him directly, his voice calm. "After realizing your Quirk's limitations, you didn't think about how to compensate for them?"
"These last three years, you were preparing two backup plans: aiming for both the Hero Course and the General Studies Course, and hoping that one day at a sports festival, you'd get the chance to 'take a shortcut.'"
"Yeah. Was there another option?" Shinso's expression was defiant, but his voice softened, as though he was questioning himself.
"Actually, yes."
Kaminari glanced back down at the field. "If I were you, I wouldn't have wasted those three years. I would've trained in swordsmanship, archery, or any other skills to help make up for my Quirk's limitations."
"Even if you had to practice on your own, there are plenty of Hero training centers and professionals out there. You could have found someone to teach you."
Kaminari looked away from the fight. This match was one-sided, with Tokoyami dominating as expected.
"If your Quirk doesn't work well in the practical exam, then rely on other skills to earn enough points. Use whatever tools you have, whether that's a bow, a sword, or anything else."
"Of course, you can still treat this sports festival as your backup plan, but only after you've given your best effort in every other area."
He turned back to Shinso, whose face was now shadowed, his expression unreadable.
"So from my perspective… you're someone who talks about dreams and goals, but doesn't understand what 'effort' actually means."
"There's no 'goal' without 'effort.' An entrance exam didn't go your way, so you chose to 'take a shortcut.' What will you do when you face bigger obstacles in the future? Just keep looking for shortcuts?"
Shinso lowered his head, absorbing Kaminari's words in silence.
Just then, the crowd erupted in cheers as Tokoyami forced his opponent out of the ring. The cheers grew louder, echoing through the arena.
When the noise finally died down, Shinso spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper.
"In the second round, I'll be facing Shoto Todoroki… I know I'll lose."
Kaminari nodded. "Yeah, Todoroki won't fall for your Quirk like Uraraka did. He's too aware of his surroundings."
Turning to leave, Kaminari felt a twinge of disappointment in Shinso. He'd expected more from someone who seemed so determined. But as he began to walk away, Shinso's voice stopped him.
"One last thing… is it too late for me to 'work hard' now?"
Kaminari paused, then answered softly without looking back.
"I don't know. But I'd suggest you talk to Mr. Aizawa. He's got a similar kind of Quirk."
***
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