Chương 48: Chapter 47: Kaminari’s Choice

*Crack!*

Kaminari calmly stared at the two-meter-high icicle in front of him, only half a meter away. As the simulation came to an end, the mischievous grin on his face faded, replaced by his usual relaxed smile.

"Man, this is pretty cool…"

He could feel the cold air washing over him as he looked up at the sun. "Compared to this, it really beats my Quirks. Built-in air conditioning, natural and eco-friendly," Kaminari thought with amusement.

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, Jiro was still standing guard, wondering why the time was up. Confused, she muttered, "What happened?"

Back in the monitoring room, where Yaoyorozu, Bakugo, and the others had been closely following the match, everyone shared similar expressions of confusion.

"What's going on?" Ojiro flicked his tail, breaking the silence.

"Um... why hasn't anything happened yet?" Kirishima scratched his head, puzzled by the lack of action.

"Todoroki didn't do anything? Why?" Asui wondered aloud, tapping her lips thoughtfully.

"Tch!" Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly unimpressed. "Boring."

"Well, as long as Kaminari won, it doesn't matter," Tetsutetsu grinned, completely unconcerned about the details. For him, the outcome was all that mattered.

"…I don't get it…" Yaoyorozu, who was usually confident in her ability to understand everything, shook her head in bewilderment, deciding to wait for Kaminari's explanation later.

Down below the building, Kaminari stood in silence, waiting for Jiro to come down. All Might, standing between Kaminari and Todoroki, occasionally glanced at Kaminari with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

After a long pause, All Might finally broke the silence, looking at Kaminari with a thoughtful expression. "If it were you, what would you choose?"

"Me…?"

Kaminari didn't feel pressured. With a casual smile, he answered, "I wouldn't hesitate. Remember, only kids worry about making choices."

"Huh?" All Might blinked, caught off guard by the response.

"What do you mean?" Todoroki, his voice still cold, asked, a slight trace of curiosity in his tone.

"I mean," Kaminari explained, walking up to the large icicle in front of him and gently touching it, his tone calm and steady, "I'd charge straight at the villain, try to rescue my partner, and then deal with the nuclear bomb afterward."

"But if you do that, there's a good chance the bomb would go off, destroying the whole city because of your choice," Todoroki responded with a frown.

"Yeah, but it's not a guarantee, right?"

Kaminari continued, his voice growing even calmer. "Sure, maybe the bomb goes off. Or maybe I save my partner and still have time to stop the bomb. It's all about possibilities."

All Might watched the conversation between the two young heroes, silently contemplating Kaminari's words. Oddly enough, his own conclusions aligned with Kaminari's, though he had expected otherwise.

"But what if you fail?" Todoroki started to protest, but Kaminari cut him off.

"Yeah, and what if I don't? What if things go wrong, and the bomb explodes?" Kaminari shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "If it happens, it happens. People need to learn that just because you try your hardest doesn't mean you're guaranteed a good result."

Kaminari's voice became more resolute. "But being able to face the consequences of your choice, without regret, that's something people should learn. At least that way, you won't die full of regret."

Todoroki fell silent, clearly affected by Kaminari's words. He wasn't sure if Kaminari's philosophy was right, but it struck a chord. It was definitely better than the hesitation that had paralyzed him earlier.

That's when All Might interjected. "But Kaminari, how would you explain that to the citizens who lose everything because of your 'no regrets' choice?"

"Huh? What would I need to explain?" Kaminari asked casually as he spotted Jiro approaching from the corridor. With a smile, he walked past All Might. "If I'm dead, just like them, and I tried my best… that's explanation enough, don't you think?"

All Might's eyes widened, surprised by the casualness of Kaminari's answer. Kaminari continued walking toward Jiro, then paused and glanced back at the Number One Hero.

"There might be some perfect, ideal choice out there that works for everyone," Kaminari said, smiling softly. "But there aren't many of those in life, are there?"

Then, as he resumed walking toward Jiro, he left All Might and Todoroki with one final thought.

"Of course, if it were you, All Might, I'm sure you'd be able to find that perfect choice."

His voice trailed off as he walked away. "After all, different results come from different abilities."

Todoroki stood there, still processing Kaminari's words. "Try your best… so that you have no regrets…"

Meanwhile, All Might, filled with both admiration and concern, watched Kaminari leave. He looked at the golden letters on Kaminari's back that read "The First Raikage" fluttering in the breeze and thought to himself, *This kid… he's going to be someone important in the future.*

At the same time, however, his worry deepened. Kaminari's mindset, though confident, walked a fine line. If he strayed too far, he could easily veer into a path too dangerous for any hero.

"Kaminari!!"

Jiro's voice brought him back to the present. She ran up to Kaminari, her expression filled with confusion.

"What happened out there?"

"What do you mean?" Kaminari responded, grinning coolly. "I handled everything, that's what."

Jiro raised an eyebrow, sensing he was hiding something. "Handled? What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Kaminari chuckled, brushing it off. He didn't want to burden her with the heavier details of his encounter with Todoroki. She didn't need to worry about all that.

But wasn't Todoroki also just fifteen, like her?

Kaminari shrugged internally. "Todoroki's an elite, a genius, he can handle it. I believe in him."

Soon, All Might returned and announced the start of the third match. With a broad smile, he called out, "In the third match, the Heroes team is Group J, and the Villains team is Group C!"

The next pair of students stepped forward, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu from Group J, along with Yaoyorozu and Mineta from Group C.

Everyone gathered to watch the new battle unfold, while Todoroki and Shoji, still weighed down by the previous match, remained quiet and distant.

As the screens flickered to life, showing the upcoming match, Kaminari couldn't help but watch closely. This time, it was Tetsutetsu and Kirishima charging headfirst into battle, two hard-hitting boys with little regard for strategy, just pure brute force.

"They didn't even think this through, did they?" Kaminari chuckled, watching the pair search each room systematically.

But on the villain's side, Yaoyorozu was preparing something. Using her Quirks, she had placed the "nuclear bomb" in the most strategic spot, then began crafting something else.

"What is she making?" Kaminari squinted at the screen, watching as Yaoyorozu used her Quirks to create a large magnet and… a set of spray paint cans?

Suddenly, Kaminari's heart sank. "Oh no… I have a bad feeling about this."

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Chương 49: Chapter 48: Minoru Mineta’s Hand Speed

"Huff…"

Kirishima took a deep breath, staring at the number "8" on the wall, and muttered, slightly out of breath, "You think they're on the top floor? There are only three floors left."

"Yeah, judging from how things are set up, it has to be the top," Tetsutetsu replied confidently, straightening up.

Kirishima sighed, realizing how obvious it was. He approached the stairwell, looking upwards. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

"Plan?"

Tetsutetsu scoffed. "With our Quirks, what other plan do we need?"

Kirishima scratched his red, spiky hair, chuckling at his own pointless question. "Right, I guess there's only one way to go about this."

"Exactly, let's go! No matter what Yaoyorozu and Mineta have in store for us, we can only handle it head-on."

With that, Tetsutetsu activated his Quirk, covering his body in a layer of hardened iron, and slowly started walking up the stairs. Kirishima followed close behind, though he kept his Quirk inactive for now. His hardening ability, while strong, made it difficult for him to move freely, and it couldn't last for long.

Meanwhile, on the upper floor, Momo leaned against the wall, listening closely to the approaching footsteps echoing from the stairwell below.

She didn't make any unnecessary movements or try to lure them further. That would've been too obvious and might've tipped them off. Despite Tetsutetsu and Kirishima being straightforward in their approach, even they would sense if something felt too much like a trap.

So instead, Momo waited quietly, setting her trap carefully.

"They're coming…"

She could hear the heavy footsteps now, slow and cautious. Clearly, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were on high alert.

"Doesn't matter how cautious they are," Momo thought with a sly smile. "They'll have to pass through this corridor anyway."

But her smirk faded quickly as she glanced to the side. Minoru Mineta, her partner, was once again staring up at her from an unfortunate angle, his eyes glued to her legs and the hem of her skirt.

"Uh… heh heh…" Mineta scratched the purple grapes on his head nervously when he realized he'd been caught. Despite his embarrassment, his eyes couldn't help but drift to her chest again.

"Wow, being teamed up with Yaoyorozu is a dream come true!" Mineta howled in his mind, practically drooling.

Momo sighed. Dealing with Mineta's antics was exhausting. Still, she refocused her attention on the task at hand, just as Kirishima's voice echoed through the corridor.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Kirishima hesitated, his eyes adjusting to the dim hallway.

Tetsutetsu noticed something was off too. He glanced back at the previous corridor they had passed through and then at the darkened hallway ahead. There was a clear difference in the lighting.

"They're definitely in the hall up ahead!" Tetsutetsu declared.

"Yeah, no kidding," Kirishima muttered. "The real problem is, this hallway is a hundred percent a trap, and we have to go through it."

Tetsutetsu pursed his lips. "And with our Quirks, there's no way around it, huh? We'll just have to go straight in."

"Man, why did we end up on the same team…" Kirishima groaned in frustration but accepted the situation. He activated his hardening Quirk, his body turning into solid stone-like armor, though he left a few joints flexible to maintain some mobility.

"Alright, let's do this!"

Both Tetsutetsu and Kirishima kept their eyes locked on the door at the far end of the corridor, wary of Mineta popping out and throwing his sticky "grapes" at them. They paid less attention to their feet, confident the path ahead was clear.

*Crack.*

"Huh?"

"What was that sound?"

They glanced at each other before looking down simultaneously. Kirishima's face fell. Something sticky and black clung to his foot.

"He dyed the 'purple grapes' black?!" Kirishima realized, noticing the cleverly camouflaged traps. The floor and walls had been coated in a way that made the traps almost impossible to spot.

"Take off your shoes—"

Tetsutetsu had a rare stroke of genius and was about to share his plan when Momo's voice echoed from the hall ahead.

"Tetsutetsu, look here!!"

"Huh?" Tetsutetsu instinctively turned toward her voice, only to see Momo and Mineta together, holding a massive magnet, pointed right at him.

"AHHH!!"

Before Tetsutetsu could react, the magnet's powerful force pulled him forward, slamming him into it with a heavy clang.

*BOOM!*

The impact rang out through the corridor, the sound of metal hitting metal resonating like thunder.

"It's now!!"

With the plan falling into place, Momo didn't waste a second. She pulled out a roll of tape from her waist, aiming to tie Tetsutetsu up. According to the competition rules, binding an opponent with this tape meant they were officially eliminated.

But Tetsutetsu wasn't going down without a fight. He deactivated his Quirk, his body returning to normal as he tried to break free. After all his training with Daimon-sensei, he had learned never to give up without a counterattack.

Meanwhile, Kirishima, having removed his shoes, sprinted down the hall at full speed. The match was reaching its critical moment!

But just as Tetsutetsu regained his footing, Mineta's seemingly sluggish demeanor vanished. His eyes sharpened, and in an instant, his hands moved with shocking speed.

In just a heartbeat, two black "grapes" flew from Mineta's hands, sticking Tetsutetsu's arms to his waist, immobilizing him.

"What the heck!" Kaminari shouted from the monitoring room, watching the scene unfold. "Is that what they mean by 'legendary single-guy hand speed'?! Seeing is believing!"

Tetsutetsu, his arms stuck together, could only watch in frustration as Yaoyorozu calmly wrapped the tape around him, sealing his fate. In desperation, he yelled for help.

"Kirishima! What are you doing? Get over here and help me!!"

His voice echoed loudly through the corridor, but even as he was fully restrained, no help came. Instead, he heard Kirishima's resigned voice from behind him.

"Forget it, man. We lost."

Tetsutetsu, still confused, didn't understand what had happened. But if he had been able to turn around, he would've immediately realized the problem.

Kirishima had stepped on another black "grape."

There was no way Mineta would rely on just one "grape" trap. Under Momo's guidance, several carefully camouflaged "grapes" had been strategically placed along their path, trapping both boys.

Back in the monitoring room, cheers erupted, especially for Momo's brilliant tactical performance. Even All Might, who had been quietly observing, was impressed.

"Well done, Yaoyorozu Momo. Excellent use of strategy and teamwork."

Kaminari also couldn't help but feel amazed. He had previously thought those elaborate battle strategies in anime were exaggerated. But after witnessing Momo's plan in action, he was forced to reconsider.

"The so-called 'IQ crushing'… turns out it's real after all," he muttered to himself, smiling with newfound respect.