Chapter 63: Kaminari vs. Kira
"Kira, look! There's a fire over there!" Toru Hagakure said excitedly, tugging on Kira's arm. "The people around them must have gotten fed up and decided to deliver some justice!"
By now, Hagakure had changed into an orange and yellow outfit. The gym uniform and underwear she had taken off on the field had been collected by the staff and brought to the Class 1-A waiting room, but she had stubbornly refused to put them back on, opting instead for the cheerleader uniform Momo had made for her earlier.
If Kira wasn't mistaken, this meant Hagakure was currently going commando. But even so, it didn't arouse any interest in him. He suspected that even Minoru Mineta wouldn't have the desire to investigate.
"THE WINNER IS SHOTO TODOROKI OF THE HERO COURSE! HE ADVANCES TO THE SECOND ROUND! WE'LL TAKE A SHORT BREAK BEFORE WELCOMING OUR NEXT SET OF COMPETITORS!"
Kira was now standing in the contestant's entrance tunnel. Because Shoto Todoroki's ice attack had covered half the arena, the school staff were busy cleaning it up, so the break between matches was a bit longer this time.
But from the audience's perspective, this period wasn't boring at all. They ate snacks sold by the Management Course students while enjoying the clown show performing for them in the stands and watching the U.A. Pro Heroes deal with the ice below.
The time passed quickly. The Goda family was escorted away by the Pro Heroes maintaining order on the grounds of "destruction of public property." The ice on the field was crushed by a teacher who looked like WarGreymon driving an excavator, and Cementoss recast the ground.
And then...
"THE THIRD MATCH! ON ONE SIDE, THE HERO COURSE'S OWN ELECTRIC BOY, DENKI KAMINARI! ON THE OTHER, THE HERO COURSE CLASS PRESIDENT WHOSE TRUE STRENGTH REMAINS A MYSTERY, EVEN AFTER MAKING IT TO THE FINALS, YOSHIKAGE KIRA!"
"Kira," Denki Kaminari said, slicking back his hair with a confident expression, "I'm sorry about what happened before, but you got to enjoy the view, right? So, in this match, I'm not holding back!"
"Kaminari," Yoshikage Kira said, his head lowered as if his heart were heavy, "to be honest, in my opinion, it's my misfortune to be matched up against you. I think you're someone who could make it all the way to the final round."
"My greatest weakness is long-range attacks, and your electricity is the best of the best."
Kaminari was stunned. "Kira, you..."
"The speed of electricity is far faster than Todoroki's ice. Even if I can dodge an ice attack, I can't avoid being hurt by your electricity. However, if you let me get close, the situation will be reversed. I will take you down without hesitation," Kira said with what looked like a forced smile. "Kaminari, it would be more troublesome for me if you didn't go all out. Now, attack me with your full power."
"Yeah!" Denki Kaminari nodded, deeply moved. In his eyes, the Class Rep was deliberately revealing his own weakness so that he could advance. I won't fail your expectations of me!
"MATCH, BEGIN!"
The moment the referee gave the signal, Kaminari was instantly wreathed in electricity. He grinned. "No hard feelings when I win, okay!?"
Kaminari's hair was pulled taut by the current, standing straight up. His entire body glowed with golden electricity, like a Super Saiyan.
"INDISCRIMINATE SHOCK, 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!"
Denki Kaminari became like a human-shaped Pikachu. The entire arena was flooded with electricity, a powerful current spreading out and engulfing Kira.
The entire stage was enveloped in a brilliant golden flash. The dazzling light reflected off the face of every spectator. This was Denki Kaminari's all-out, maximum-power attack.
After the initial blinding flash, the current gradually dimmed. All that remained on the stage was a shimmering golden light—it was Yoshikage Kira's Hamon.
A faint smell of barbecue wafted from Kira's body. He lowered the hand that had been shielding his face. The dark red, burned skin on his hand, under the influence of his breathing and his Hamon, rapidly healed, becoming pale and flawless once more.
"Kaminari," Kira sighed, "the next time you face an enemy, you shouldn't be so quick to believe what they say. You have such a powerful Quirk, yet your use of it is so crude. Have you never considered the conversion rate...?"
Kira walked toward Kaminari as if on a casual stroll. As he passed by, he grabbed the back of his collar and began to drag his body toward the white boundary line.
Denki Kaminari offered no resistance. His eyes were vacant, drool trickled from his mouth, and he was endlessly giving a thumbs-up, like a patient with advanced dementia.
Denki Kaminari's Quirk was strong, but he never knew how to hold back. Once he used it, it was either his opponent was knocked out and he was left an idiot, or his opponent was fine and he was left an idiot. It was fine if he had teammates on the battlefield, but in a one-on-one duel, it was suicide. He left himself no way out.
Reaching the white line, Yoshikage Kira flung Kaminari's body and let go. "You said it yourself. No hard feelings."
Kaminari's knees scraped along the ground as he slid out of bounds. With a vacant expression, he gave the audience a thumbs-up. "Pika... pika..." one could hear him mutter from up close.
"YOU SAW IT, FOLKS! THIS MATCH WAS ALSO OVER IN AN INSTANT! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ELECTRIC BOY'S STAGE TO SHINE, BUT HE WAS DEFEATED BY THE SIDE EFFECTS OF HIS OWN QUIRK! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS YOSHIKAGE KIRA, WHO DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHILE HIS OPPONENT WAS INCAPACITATED! LET'S CONGRATULATE HIM!"
"...Did nothing?" Shota Aizawa narrowed his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with Mic's commentary.
Even if they couldn't hear what the contestants were saying on the field, it was obvious that Denki Kaminari's rash, all-out attack had been the result of Kira mentally interfering with him through words. Otherwise, even if he had discharged, he would have saved some energy to protect himself.
Yoshikage Kira... what are you really thinking?
The next match was Tenya Iida versus Mei Hatsume. The winner was Iida, but the process was so heartbreaking that he probably wished he had lost.
Before the match, Hatsume had approached Iida, said she wanted a fair fight, and had forcefully stuffed a bunch of support gear into his arms. Iida, who had never felt such respect for his own abilities from his classmates, had tearfully agreed.
He had then gotten into an argument with the referee, Midnight, and had successfully obtained permission to use the support gear. Just as he thought he was in for a fierce and exciting battle, his ordeal began.
While dodging Iida's attacks, Mei Hatsume had taken out a microphone and had begun to introduce her equipment to the audience. While her "babies" hadn't been very noticeable during the chaotic previous rounds, and her commentary had been cruelly cut off, this time, she truly had the attention of the entire nation.
Because it was the final one-on-one tournament, everyone could only watch the one match in the ring. Even Present Mic, feeling completely helpless, had simply given up his right to commentate and had handed it over to Hatsume, pulling out a handheld console to play.
This was a match the entire country was watching. Mei Hatsume had just gotten a very long, very memorable, and completely free advertisement.
"I have no regrets in this life..."
Mei Hatsume stepped out of the ring, a look of complete satisfaction on her face. Behind her, Tenya Iida was on his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"Damn it! I was tricked again!"
The next match: Bakugo versus Uraraka.
Bakugo flashed a villainous smile, small explosions popping in his hands.
"If you don't want to get hurt, you'd better surrender, Round-Face."
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