"Lightning Dragon's Roar?! Wow!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Upon hearing the name, Tetsutetsu's eyebrows shot up, and his excitement grew. Without warning, he began clapping his hands in an overly dramatic manner.
For some reason, he seemed unusually thrilled.
"What an awesome name!" he exclaimed, his voice full of admiration. "Kaminari, you're not just great at inventing moves—you've got a knack for naming them too!"
Tetsutetsu slapped his chest with a sigh of regret, his voice tinged with longing.
"If my hero name 'Colossus' hadn't already been decided, I would've seriously considered changing it to something like 'Iron Boy.' Just imagine—when I punch, I could shout 'Steel Dragon's Iron Fist!' Or when I kick, 'Steel Dragon's Iron Leg!' How cool would that be?"
"Uh..." Kaminari's face immediately went blank, metaphorical black lines forming above his head. He sighed softly, completely at a loss for words.
"You do realize nobody's actually asking you to change your name, right?"
"Absolutely not!" Tetsutetsu declared, rejecting Kaminari's offhand suggestion with surprising seriousness. His tone shifted to something more resolute as he continued, "Once a hero name is chosen, it shouldn't be changed lightly. Besides, this is the name you suggested for me when we first became friends. It means a lot more to me than something like 'Iron Boy.'"
Kaminari's discomfort visibly grew. He pressed his lips together, feeling more awkward by the second.
"Can you stop saying things that are so... so sentimental?" Kaminari muttered, his voice filled with exasperation.
"Sentimental? What do you mean?" Tetsutetsu tilted his head, confused.
Kaminari shook his head with a sigh and waved the question away. "Forget it." He quickly changed the subject.
"Are we still continuing? I'm planning to train until eight o'clock. Besides the Lightning Dragon's Roar, I've got a few smaller techniques I want to test out."
"Of course!" Tetsutetsu nodded eagerly. "I actually took the whole day off with Daimon-sensei to focus on mastering 'Shave.' My goal is to turn it into a proper, reliable technique as soon as possible!"
"Good thinking," Kaminari said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Once you've fully mastered 'Shave,' you can start working on the next stage."
"Next stage?" Tetsutetsu froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. "There's a next stage for 'Shave'?"
Kaminari nodded, a calm and knowing expression on his face. "Yep. The 'Shave' you're practicing now is just one of the techniques within a larger system. It's part of something called the 'Six Styles.' And actually, you've already unknowingly practiced two of them."
"Wait, what?" Tetsutetsu's curiosity peaked. "You're saying I've practiced two of them? But I've only been focusing on 'Shave'!"
"That's true," Kaminari said, patiently explaining. "But your Quirk naturally covers another one of the 'Six Styles': 'Iron Body.' Didn't I tell you when we first started that you'd need physical strength beyond that of an ordinary person to even begin practicing 'Shave'?
"'Iron Body' refers to hardening your body to the point where it's as tough as steel. Your Quirk already takes care of that step for you."
"Oh! I see now!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed, a look of realization crossing his face. Then, with a mixture of eagerness and excitement, he asked, "What about the other techniques? What are they?"
Interestingly, Tetsutetsu didn't stop to question why Kaminari knew all this. To him, the term "super genius" seemed to explain everything. Besides, he had absolute trust in Kaminari, which only reinforced his willingness to follow his guidance.
"Alright, I'll give you a quick rundown," Kaminari said with a shrug, maintaining his calm demeanor.
"The 'Six Styles,' as the name suggests, consist of six core techniques: 'Iron Body,' 'Finger Pistol,' 'Shave,' 'Tempest Kick,' 'Paper Arts,' and 'Moonwalk.'"
"Each one serves as a foundation, and once mastered, you can even develop unique variations tailored to your own style. But the real challenge is that once you've mastered all six, you can try to learn the advanced techniques: 'Life Return' and 'Six Kings Spear.'"
Kaminari spent the next ten minutes giving Tetsutetsu an overview of each technique, carefully explaining the purpose and mechanics of the "Six Styles." He also mentioned that the advanced techniques, while theoretically possible, might be beyond their reach.
By the end of it, Tetsutetsu looked visibly overwhelmed, his brain swimming with new information. Still, he managed to focus on the parts that felt most relevant to him.
"That 'Finger Pistol' you mentioned—it sounds kind of like 'Iron Body,' doesn't it? I mean, isn't it just poking someone with a hardened finger?" he asked, holding up his index finger and waving it around.
"Not exactly," Kaminari said, suppressing a small laugh. "Well, okay, it is about stabbing someone with your finger... but it's not as simple as it sounds."
He scratched the back of his head, trying to clarify. "Think of it like this: just like 'Shave,' 'Finger Pistol' isn't just about strength, it's about speed. To master it, your finger needs to move as fast as a bullet. That's the real challenge."
Tetsutetsu blinked in confusion. "So... I need to stab something over and over again, as fast as I can, until I reach that kind of speed?"
"Pretty much, yeah," Kaminari replied, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. At least Tetsutetsu was starting to get it.
"If you can really master 'Finger Pistol,' you might even be able to break through Kirishima's 'hardened' defense with just a single finger."
"Seriously?!" Tetsutetsu's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's awesome!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kaminari said with a grin. He then pointed at Tetsutetsu's chest, his expression turning serious.
"Before you start worrying about 'Finger Pistol,' I think you should focus on learning 'Tempest Kick.' It'll help cover your lack of long-range attacks."
He continued, his tone measured and thoughtful. "Your Quirk gives you incredible defense, judo provides grappling techniques, and 'Shave' gives you mobility. If you add 'Tempest Kick,' which allows you to send slashing vacuum blades with high-speed kicks, you'll be close to an all-around fighter."
"If anything's missing, it's aerial mobility. But you can work on that later by learning 'Moonwalk.' Right now, it's a little too advanced for you."
Seeing Kaminari's serious expression, Tetsutetsu straightened up, treating the conversation with the same focus as a diligent student.
Although Tetsutetsu had always worked hard, it was Kaminari who had consistently guided him in the right direction. Every improvement in his strength his judo, his leg power, even his progress with 'Shave' was proof of Kaminari's accurate advice.
"Alright!" Tetsutetsu said, his voice firm. "Once I master 'Shave,' I'll start working on 'Tempest Kick!'"
Kaminari smiled approvingly. As someone who valued hard work himself, he couldn't help but admire Tetsutetsu's determination.
"Good. Let's keep going!"
"God Speed, activate!"
"Boom!"
Without another word, Kaminari launched himself into the air, golden electricity wrapping around his body. He took a deep breath and unleashed another attack at Tetsutetsu below.
"Bzzzzzzzt—"
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!!"
"Shave!"
Whoosh!
"Boom!!!"
Deep in the jungle of Omiya Park, golden light erupted once more, accompanied by a thunderous explosion. The sound of two teenagers relentlessly training echoed through the trees.
***
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