"Tch, these last two obstacles were basically custom-made for Bakugo…" Kaminari muttered as he pushed forward, sensing Bakugo's intense pressure right behind him. Despite his best efforts to stay ahead, he couldn't deny the advantage Bakugo's explosive mobility gave him.
Looks like I'll need to work on some kind of flying technique in the future…
Sure enough, Bakugo's relentless blasts propelled him forward, and soon he was nearly level with Kaminari.
But this time, surprisingly, Bakugo held back from attacking. He simply maintained his speed, his intense gaze focused straight ahead.
I'll show that golden-haired idiot and crush him at the finish line, Bakugo thought, his competitive spirit raging. For once, he'd managed to hold his temper in check. But Kaminari wasn't about to let him keep that advantage. If Bakugo could keep up his momentum, he could very well snatch first place.
"Godspeed—activate!" Kaminari shouted, letting out a roar as golden lightning flared around him, enveloping his body in an aura of electric flames. He intentionally stepped on one of the landmines on the ground, triggering an explosion that launched him into the air, using the blast to rocket forward at high speed.
Bakugo was startled as Kaminari surged forward in a blur of light, appearing just above him in an instant.
"Take this!" Kaminari's voice rang out as he swung his leg down in a powerful golden kick. "Guillotine-Drop!"
"Like hell you're hitting me again!" Bakugo snarled. His reflexes kicked in, his body twisting mid-air as he threw his hands up, catching Kaminari's attack with an explosive counter.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion lit up the sky, a mix of fiery blasts and electric arcs that blinded everyone watching.
---
"Oh my god!" Kyoka shouted, arriving at the edge of the minefield just in time to witness the massive explosion lighting up the sky. "Was that Kaminari and Bakugo?"
"They're… really pushing each other to the limit," Iida said in awe, eyes wide behind his glasses as he tried to process the sheer scale of power.
Todoroki and Midoriya, who were close enough to feel the shockwave, instinctively shielded themselves from the blast. Todoroki quickly created a small ice shield to block the incoming debris, while Midoriya backflipped to stay steady.
"These two…" Todoroki muttered, squinting into the smoke.
But rather than wait, he saw this as an opportunity. Without hesitation, he summoned his ice powers, creating a clear frozen path through the minefield. The "icicle road" let him move forward quickly, stepping over the dangerous ground below.
Father, I hope you're watching. I don't need your power to come out on top.
Behind him, Midoriya watched the path forming with wide eyes, realizing Todoroki's strategy. But rather than hold back, he steeled himself and stepped onto Todoroki's ice.
"I'm sorry, Todoroki," Midoriya muttered, his face set with determination as he dashed across the icy path right behind him. "This might be taking advantage of you, but… I have my own reasons for needing to win!"
The memory of All Might handing him a piece of his hair flashed through his mind.
I won't let All Might down!
---
Down in the minefield, as Todoroki and Midoriya raced across the icy path, a figure emerged from the thick smoke above—Bakugo, tumbling from the air, looking visibly enraged.
He crashed into one of Todoroki's ice structures with a heavy impact, cracking the surface under him.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya called out, leaping onto the ice next to him, concern flashing across his face.
"Get out of my way, Deku!" Bakugo snapped, shoving Midoriya back. His gaze was locked onto the golden streak still moving ahead. "That's twice now, Kaminari!"
Bakugo's arms trembled from the strain, but his anger fueled him. Ignoring the pain, he launched himself forward with another explosive blast. Todoroki took advantage of the opening to keep pushing forward, reclaiming second place.
Above, on the stadium's big screen, Kaminari's actions replayed in slow motion for the audience. Covered in crackling golden flames, Kaminari had managed to kick Bakugo away and used the force of the explosion to somersault mid-air. As he descended, he twisted his body gracefully to regain balance.
"Whoa… is our son really this strong?" Kaminari's mother murmured in amazement, watching the replay with wide eyes.
"...I honestly didn't know," his father replied, equally stunned. This was the first time they'd ever seen Kaminari in a real fight, and the intensity of his abilities left them speechless.
---
"Whoa-oh-oh!" Present Mic's excited voice echoed through the stadium. He turned to Aizawa, who was watching calmly. "Eraser Head, did you expect your students to be this powerful?"
"Not exactly," Aizawa replied evenly. "They're pushing each other, which is what brings out the best in them."
On the screen, the leaderboard showed Kaminari still in first, with Todoroki, Bakugo, and Midoriya fighting to catch up. But Kaminari's lead was impressive.
In the arena, Kaminari rocketed forward, his eyes focused intently on the path ahead. All those years of training in Omiya Park… every day, every hour, every bolt of electricity I pushed through myself. I won't let all that work go to waste!
As he neared the end of the minefield, he realized he was about to stall, his momentum dying as he approached the ground.
It's not over yet!
"100,000 Volts!" he yelled, releasing a massive burst of energy from his body in all directions.
The flash of golden electricity was blinding, surging outward in a wild storm that rattled the entire minefield.
"Is he insane?!" Todoroki shouted, blocking the shockwave with an ice wall. He couldn't understand why Kaminari was expending so much energy now, seemingly just to buy a few seconds.
But as the electricity surged, Kaminari used the blast to propel himself forward, the resulting shockwaves triggering all the mines around him. The entire minefield erupted in a chain reaction of explosions.
In the midst of the fiery chaos, Kaminari performed a final mid-air flip, riding the momentum to land neatly on the edge of the field, right before the final corridor.
With a smirk, Kaminari looked back at the chaotic explosions behind him and muttered to himself, "If only I'd looked back at that."
Without wasting another moment, he activated his "High-Speed Movement" once again and sprinted into the final corridor, leaving the minefield and his competition behind.