"So fast!"
Edgeshot darted between the tree trunks with incredible agility. Although he didn't bother to turn his head, his sharp senses easily detected Kaminari's rapid approach. The faint crackle of electricity and the golden light trailing behind the boy were hard to miss.
"Amazing… truly an impressive young man," Edgeshot thought to himself.
As a Hero ranked in Japan's top ten, he could confidently say that the speed Kaminari was displaying had already surpassed at least 70% of professional Heroes.
Shu!
Suddenly, Edgeshot, in his elongated paper-thin form, twisted to the left in an almost unnatural motion. A fraction of a second later, ten golden threads of electricity shot past where he had been, crackling as they embedded themselves in a thick tree trunk ahead. The impact left faint, singed marks on the bark.
"He dodged it?"
Kaminari, still chasing behind, was stunned. He wasn't surprised that Edgeshot had avoided his miniature Lightning Dragon's Roar. After all, this was the No. 5 Pro Hero. What shocked him was how the man had dodged.
Edgeshot's maneuver wasn't just a simple sidestep or jump. It was as if his entire body had suddenly shifted a meter to the side without losing any forward momentum.
"That… that wasn't his Quirk," Kaminari thought, his mind racing. "It's some kind of advanced movement technique. Something done purely with skill!"
Excitement flickered in Kaminari's eyes as he continued to close the gap.
"I have to learn how to do that!"
But first, he had a race to win.
Crackle!
Determined, Kaminari pushed his High-Voltage Mode to its maximum limit. The golden light around him grew brighter, and his speed increased even further, leaving a brilliant trail behind him like the tail of a comet.
At that moment, he had fully transformed into a "golden meteor."
Shu!
Shu!
Shu!
As he closed the gap to less than ten meters, Kaminari began firing streams of golden electrical current from his mouth, aiming to disrupt Edgeshot's momentum.
"Damn it," Kaminari muttered under his breath. "This game has too many rules holding me back, not just the ones about not attacking full force, but even the environment itself!"
He wasn't afraid of hurting Edgeshot. No, the real issue was the forest. Kaminari knew full well that using a concentrated, high-temperature attack like the Lightning Dragon's Roar here would be a disaster waiting to happen.
One stray blast could ignite the lush vegetation around them and turn the entire area into an uncontrollable inferno.
---
Meanwhile, Edgeshot's movements remained smooth and precise as he continued to evade the incoming golden currents. He dodged with uncanny grace, weaving through the forest with a rhythm that made it look effortless.
But Kaminari's attacks weren't entirely in vain. While Edgeshot was able to avoid the streams of electricity, the act of dodging slowed him down, allowing Kaminari to close the distance even further.
---
"Electrified Fist!"
Kaminari seized his chance. With a burst of speed, he appeared directly behind Edgeshot and launched a punch cloaked in golden lightning.
Shu!
But just before Kaminari's attack could connect, Edgeshot's body twisted into an S-shape, bending like a snake. His flexible form easily slipped past the punch, and with a swift motion, he repositioned himself behind Kaminari.
"This kid's whole body is coated in electricity," Edgeshot thought, observing Kaminari carefully. "That makes him tricky to handle up close."
If not for the crackling golden aura surrounding Kaminari, Edgeshot would have already neutralized him by restraining his arm or locking him in place, a technique he frequently used when facing villains.
"But let's see what else he's capable of," Edgeshot murmured to himself.
---
Reaching out as he moved, Edgeshot plucked a handful of leaves from a passing branch.
"Ninja Technique: Leaf Shuriken," he muttered.
With a quick flick of his fingers, he sent four leaves flying through the air like projectiles. They zipped toward Kaminari, targeting him from four different directions: above, below, left, and right.
Shu!
Shu!
Shu!
Shu!
The sound of the leaves cutting through the air reached Kaminari's ears, but he didn't have time to react.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
The leaves struck Kaminari's golden aura but burned to ashes the instant they made contact.
"What was that?" Kaminari muttered, confused. He'd felt the briefest resistance but hadn't seen anything significant.
Edgeshot, on the other hand, frowned slightly.
"They… burned?"
As impressive as his Leaf Shuriken technique was, the fact remained that they were still just leaves. Against the high-temperature electric field surrounding Kaminari, they had disintegrated the moment they touched him.
"So, that golden aura isn't just for show," Edgeshot thought. "It offers both offensive and defensive capabilities. This boy really has crafted a unique and versatile move."
His gaze sharpened as he watched Kaminari charge forward once again.
"Eraser Head was right to call him a genius."
---
Still, despite Kaminari's ingenuity, Edgeshot couldn't help but notice the gaps in his technique.
"His Quirk usage is exceptional," Edgeshot thought as he moved alongside the boy. "But his body control is… lacking."
Kaminari's movements were powerful, but they lacked finesse. He was like a rocket, relying solely on brute thrust to move in a straight line.
"His speed is excellent, but his flexibility leaves much to be desired," Edgeshot mused. "It's clear his physical training hasn't caught up to his Quirk mastery yet."
As he pondered Kaminari's shortcomings, Edgeshot's mind drifted back to something the boy had said earlier.
"So that's what he meant by 'suitable,'" Edgeshot realized.
Kaminari hadn't chosen him just because he was a high-ranking Hero. He had chosen him for his specific skill set, his mastery of precision and technique.
"He knows where his weaknesses lie," Edgeshot thought, a sense of admiration growing in his chest. "And he's determined to address them by learning from someone who can help him improve."
"That's why he said he was looking for a 'master,' not a 'backer.'"
Edgeshot's lips curled into a faint smile as he glanced at the streak of golden light ahead of him.
"To have such clarity of thought and maturity at his age…"
***
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