Chapitre 111: Chapter 110: Kaminari’s Warning to Todoroki

The corridor was quiet and dim, with only the sterile glow of the lights overhead casting a pale hue over the empty space. Kyoka walked forward slowly, her footsteps echoing as her head hung low. Behind her, the muffled cheers from the stadium drifted down the hallway, but they only served to deepen the ache in her chest.

In that heavy silence, regret filled her thoughts.

If only… she thought to herself, if only I'd spent more time honing my Quirk instead of focusing just on music, maybe things would've been different today.

"Kyoka?"

A familiar voice cut through her thoughts, breaking the lonely rhythm of her footsteps. She looked up, surprised, only to see Kaminari standing there, a warm and reassuring smile on his face.

"Kaminari!" she exclaimed, her face brightening despite herself.

He walked up to her, his expression soft with concern. "You okay?"

The way he looked at her with such genuine care made the disappointment in her heart begin to melt away. It felt like that familiar jolt of electricity that he always carried with him had dispelled the lingering shadows in her mind.

"Let me tell you something, Kyoka," he said, his tone sincere. "Making it to the quarterfinals is a big deal. Think about how many people would've loved to get this far. Look at all the students who didn't even make it past the first round. You did great."

A small laugh escaped her. "You're really trying to make me feel better, huh?"

"Of course!" he grinned. "I'm serious, though. You don't need to feel disappointed. You were incredible out there."

Kyoka let out a soft sigh, her shoulders relaxing. "I know… It's not really about the tournament. I just… I guess I feel like I could've done more. Like, if I'd focused a little more on improving my Quirk, maybe I wouldn't have been beaten so easily."

"Hey," Kaminari said, stepping closer. Before she could react, he placed a gentle hand on top of her head, mussing up her purple hair ever so slightly. She blinked up at him, caught off guard by the unexpected gesture.

"Thank you, Kyoka," he said softly, his voice filled with gratitude. "You did more than enough. And… I promise, I'll do my best out there."

As he let his hand fall away, Kyoka found herself momentarily speechless, watching as he turned and continued down the hallway toward the stadium. His parting words lingered in the air.

"Stay up there and watch. I'll make you proud."

Once he was out of sight, she reached up, touching the spot where his hand had been. Her face turned slightly red, and a quiet, barely audible whisper slipped from her lips.

"...You're only a month older than me, you know. Who said I wanted you as my big brother…?"

---

Back in the arena, Kaminari emerged from the tunnel and was greeted by a blinding flood of light and the roaring cheers of the crowd. Across the field, Todoroki stepped forward, calm and composed as always, though his eyes held a certain intensity that hadn't been there in previous matches.

The atmosphere was electric—no pun intended. It felt like everyone in the stadium knew that this was the battle they had been waiting for.

"Todoroki and Kaminari on the field!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers, barely managing to cut through the deafening roar of the audience. "This is it, folks! This match promises to be one for the ages!"

Present Mic was practically bouncing with excitement, and even the typically stoic Aizawa had leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes fixed on the two students.

As the crowd settled, Kaminari took a few steps forward, meeting Todoroki's gaze. "So… your dad stopped by to talk to me before the match."

Todoroki's indifferent expression flickered, a slight scowl forming. "Endeavor?"

Kaminari nodded. "Yeah. Not to be blunt, but your dad's kind of… intense. He wanted me to make sure you use your full power."

Todoroki's face hardened. He already suspected what Endeavor had wanted, but hearing it confirmed from Kaminari only deepened the tension in his posture. "Did he offer you something? Money, maybe? Or some other incentive?"

"Nope." Kaminari shrugged. "But he did promise to let me punch him if I managed to push you into using your flames."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed, both puzzled and irritated. "A punch?"

"Yeah," Kaminari said with a grin. "Apparently, he thinks if I can force you to use your flames, that would be worth a punch to the face. And you know, the idea of decking the number two hero in Japan is pretty tempting."

A dry chuckle slipped from Kaminari's lips, but when he continued, his tone grew serious. "But this isn't just about my deal with your dad."

"Then what is it about?" Todoroki asked, his voice colder than the ice he wielded.

Kaminari's face darkened, his usually carefree eyes turning steely. "This isn't about your dad's deal. This is about you. If you hold back… if you refuse to use your full strength… then I'm going to make you regret it."

The threat was delivered quietly, but it carried an unmistakable weight, causing even Todoroki to stiffen slightly.

"I'm serious, Todoroki. If you don't come at me with everything you've got," Kaminari warned, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, "then I'll beat you down right here, in front of everyone. So if you're going to be stubborn, then don't blame me for what happens next."

Todoroki's eyes flashed with a hint of conflict, his fingers clenching slightly. For a brief moment, he seemed almost uncertain. Then, he straightened, his gaze icy and resolute.

"My power isn't something for you or him to decide," he said coolly. "I know what I'm here to do."

Kaminari let out a soft sigh, his lips curving into a small, dangerous smile. "Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

As Present Mic's voice called out for the start of the match, Kaminari took a stance, electricity crackling around him. He kept his eyes locked on Todoroki, a look of unwavering determination on his face.

And as the match began, Kaminari silently hoped that Todoroki would finally let go of the weight that held him back. Because if not… then Kaminari was fully prepared to knock it out of him.

***

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Chapitre 112: Chapter 111: Dance of Thunder and Ice

"Huff... Huff..."

In the dimly lit entranceway leading from the corridor to the interior of the auditorium, Iida was just about to step out to watch the intense clash between Kaminari and Todoroki. Suddenly, his body jolted in a strange, rapid shiver, almost like a spasm. Despite the odd sensation, he stayed calm and stopped just short of the brightly lit doorway, only a few steps away from the sunlight streaming through.

At that moment, he pulled a dark blue cellphone from his pocket—the brand was unrecognizable.

"Mom?"

Seeing the caller ID, Iida paused for a second, but quickly understood. His mother was likely calling to check on him.

"Hello? Mom? I... I lost. I'm sorry. I let everyone down, and I couldn't bring honor to the family..."

As soon as Iida admitted his defeat, his mother's voice on the other end interrupted him, filled with anxiety and worry.

"No, that's not why I'm calling!"

"Iida, you need to stay calm. Something... something has happened to your brother Tensei."

"W-what?!"

"Your brother was... was attacked by villains."

"?!"

"BOOM!"

Just as his mother finished speaking, the stadium shook violently, as if a sudden earthquake of magnitude six or seven had struck. A frigid blast of air swept through the entire auditorium. In the corridor, Iida found himself caught in a powerful, concentrated gust due to the standing waves created by the arena's structure.

His black hair and blue sports uniform flapped wildly in the icy wind, and the phone in his hand still transmitting his mother's frantic voice was blown from his grip.

"Iida?! Iida?! What's happening to you...?"

"...Another iceberg... Mom!!"

He looked up, wide-eyed, at the enormous iceberg now towering over the stadium, partially obscuring the sunlight. Snapping out of his daze, he quickly picked up his phone from the ground.

"Mom, you just said... what did you mean by villains attacking my brother?"

As his mother continued to speak, the corridor seemed to grow darker, contrasting with the blinding sunlight outside. On the field, half of Todoroki's side had turned into a frozen mountain, blocking the view of the spectators on the opposite side.

Todoroki, breathing out a frosty breath, surveyed the iceberg he had just created and muttered to himself, "How will you handle this without 'Thunder Aegis'?"

"Kaminari Denki… show me what you've got."

A thin layer of frost had formed on Todoroki's right cheek—evidence of the strain his abilities placed on his body.

"Kaminari!" In the Class A stands, Kyoka watched the massive iceberg with worry, while Tetsutetsu wore a serious expression.

"Without 'Thunder Aegis,' Kaminari might not be able to block this attack."

He considered his own chances against Todoroki's ice assault and realized he'd likely be forced off the field by sheer impact alone, even if his Quirk allowed him to avoid serious injury.

As the 120,000 spectators in the stadium, along with countless viewers nationwide and even overseas, held their breath waiting for the outcome, a voice suddenly echoed from above.

"Phew… close one. You've got a serious gift, Todoroki! Making an iceberg that big on a whim? That's just plain scary."

Heads snapped up as Kaminari's voice rang out. The golden aura surrounding his body glowed even more brightly against the icy landscape as he stood at the top of Todoroki's massive ice wall, looking down with a mischievous grin.

Kaminari's entire body crackled with golden electricity, illuminating him against the brilliant white of the ice.

"Not bad, right? I figured it out just in time. Turns out 'Static Grip' is pretty handy for climbing."

Instead of facing the full force of the iceberg head-on, Kaminari had avoided Todoroki's attack by circling around with his lightning speed, using high-voltage grips to scale the ice wall in an arc.

"Over there!" Up in the announcer's booth, Present Mic and Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, Aizawa, squinted up, trying to spot Kaminari. But the golden sunlight was too blinding, making it difficult to see anything on top of the icy mountain.

"Up above?!"

At the bottom, Todoroki shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted up at Kaminari's silhouette, trying to make out his figure. The sunlight was glaring, obscuring his vision.

A crackling sound, an electric buzzing quickly grew louder, coming closer by the second.

"This sound… it's so familiar!" Todoroki's instincts flared, his body tensing for battle. And then, he saw it.

A blinding golden light shot down the side of the iceberg with astonishing speed, shattering the icy surface beneath it like fragile glass.

"So fast!"

Todoroki's first reaction was to release a wave of freezing energy, forming an ice wall in front of him. But the wall barely lasted a second before it exploded under Kaminari's high-speed assault.

A streak of golden electricity tore through the ice with each hit, leaving a trail of shattered fragments in its wake. With every new barrier Todoroki created, Kaminari would break through almost instantly, filling the arena floor with shards of ice.

"This speed… it's incredible!"

Although Todoroki had witnessed Kaminari's abilities during the earlier races and his match against Iida, experiencing the lightning-fast assault firsthand was entirely different. Watching from a distance was nothing compared to being on the receiving end.

If it weren't for his rigorous training under Endeavor and his naturally calm demeanor, Todoroki might have already faltered. But even his defenses couldn't hold forever against such relentless attacks.

"Bzzz bzzz bzzz…"

The golden lightning—Kaminari—closed in, his dark blue pupils contracting into focused slits. In the blink of an eye, he shattered the last ice wall, appearing just a meter in front of Todoroki.

"Boom!"

A powerful kick connected with Todoroki's chin, sending him flying upwards into the air.

***

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