My Hero Academia: Thunder God

Although Midnight was visibly surprised by Kaminari's request, she eventually agreed to let him use the training hall. Her curiosity about the match was enough to win her over.

After Kaminari left with a satisfied grin, murmurs began to spread through the office.

Cementoss: "Snatch… isn't he Endeavor's former assistant?"

Ectoplasm: "Not anymore. He started his own agency a while back."

Cementoss: "Really? Shows how out of touch I've been. I haven't been keeping up with agency news."

As a long-time Hero, Cementoss tended to stay informed about top-tier Heroes but had lost track of the up-and-comers in the professional sphere.

"But still," he continued, "Snatch isn't weak. Why would Kaminari want to spar with someone like him?"

Vlad King, the Class 1-B homeroom teacher, joined the conversation. "Good question. What's he trying to accomplish? I mean, Snatch is no pushover." His gaze drifted toward Aizawa, the Class 1-A homeroom teacher.

Aizawa leaned back in his chair, speaking in his usual calm tone. "Snatch is Kaminari's father's personal bodyguard now. Kaminari might just want to see how capable this bodyguard really is."

He paused briefly before letting out a quiet sigh. "Still, I wouldn't want to be in Snatch's shoes right now."

The room fell silent. The teachers collectively recalled Kaminari's incredible performance during the U.A. Sports Festival.

Midnight nodded thoughtfully. "If Snatch loses, it could really damage his reputation."

As professional Heroes themselves, most of the teachers in the office understood the importance of reputation in their line of work. A Hero's credibility was everything. Losing to a student—no matter how skilled—would undoubtedly create doubts about Snatch's abilities.

"What I don't get is why Snatch agreed to this," Vlad King said, frowning. "Even if he wins, what's in it for him?"

Aizawa shrugged, his tone indifferent. "Maybe he never considered the possibility of losing. He's only been running his own agency for a couple of years. He might not fully understand the stakes yet."

It was true. Though Snatch had separated from Endeavor on good terms and had been successful in his independent endeavors, his career had been relatively smooth. The agency received steady support from Endeavor, and Snatch's reputation as Endeavor's former chief assistant attracted clients.

But Aizawa knew how brutal the competition among Hero agencies could be. In Japan's saturated Hero market, maintaining an agency's standing required constant effort. Winning over clients often felt like a battle in itself.

---

Meanwhile, Kaminari and Tetsutetsu had just stepped out of the school building. They were chatting casually when Kaminari's phone began to ring, breaking into the opening lines of Kyoka's version of "Only My Railgun."

Tetsutetsu smirked. "Didn't your ringtone used to be the male version? When did you switch it?"

Kaminari grinned but ignored the question as he answered the call. "Hello?"

A familiar steady voice came through the line. "It's me, Tenma."

"Dr. Tenma! What's up?" Kaminari exchanged a confused glance with Tetsutetsu before returning his attention to the call.

"Your combat suit has been updated. If you're free, you can come pick it up."

"So soon?" Kaminari was taken aback by the news.

"It didn't take long," Dr. Tenma replied simply. "We weren't making an entirely new suit, just upgrading the existing one."

"Got it. I'll head over right away!" Kaminari ended the call and turned to Tetsutetsu with an excited smile. "Hey, want to come with me to check it out?"

Tetsutetsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'd love to, but I can't today. There's an internal competition at my judo hall, and I can't skip it."

"Ah, too bad," Kaminari replied, a little disappointed but understanding. "By the way, why don't you ever use your judo moves when we spar?"

Tetsutetsu chuckled as they walked. "For one, you're way too fast for me to grab. And second, trying to grapple you when you're covered in lightning? No thanks."

"Fair enough," Kaminari said with a laugh.

After saying their goodbyes at the subway station, Tetsutetsu headed home while Kaminari transferred to the line that would take him to Shimizu District.

---

About half an hour later, Kaminari arrived at the Mitsui Research Institute, where Dr. Tenma was already waiting for him.

"Doctor, you seem to be in a good mood," Kaminari said, noticing the subtle spark of joy in Tenma's otherwise stoic expression.

Dr. Tenma nodded, his gaze drifting toward the display case in the room's center. "I'm quite satisfied with how your new battle suit turned out."

Kaminari followed his gaze and froze. Inside the glass dome stood… Pikachu.

A life-like, vividly detailed Pikachu sat inside, its small paws pressed against the glass. Its bright lightning bolt-shaped tail wagged playfully as it let out a cheerful "Pika, Pika, Pikachu!"

"Whoa…" Kaminari's breath hitched. Even though the Pikachu design had been his idea, seeing it brought to life left him stunned.

"Wow," he whispered, stepping closer to the dome. "It's like seeing the real thing. I feel like I just caught my first Pokémon."

Tenma chuckled, his voice carrying a rare hint of amusement. "In that case, should I call myself Professor Oak?"

Kaminari laughed, shaking his head. "Do you actually watch Pokémon?"

"Of course," Tenma replied, his tone light. "I watch it with my son every weekend. Speaking of which…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Tobio's birthday is coming up on June 14th. Would you mind bringing Pikachu to our house for the celebration? I think it'd make him very happy."

Kaminari didn't hesitate. "No problem at all!"

****

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