*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."