[Denki's POV]
"Now, with the four remaining contestants, we're going to have the SEMI-FINALS!" Midnight's voice boomed across the stadium, her whip cracking for emphasis. "Let's check the matchups!"
The screen behind her flashed several times before settling on the bracket: SEMI-FINALS
Shoto Todoroki VS Denki Kaminari
Katsuki Bakugo VS Izuku Midoriya
'Just as I expected. Bakugo will probably make it to the finals. I don't see him losing against Midoriya easily, though I can't say for certain. Midoriya has 10% Full Cowling under control now, which is significant. Ten percent of One For All is more than enough to handle a high schooler if used correctly.'
But honestly, part of me wanted Bakugo to win. Because I wanted the satisfaction of crushing him myself.
'If he loses to Midoriya, I can even rub it in his face that he wasn't worthy of facing me in the finals. But where's the fun in that? No, I want him to make it. I want him to feel confident. And then I want to systematically dismantle that confidence piece by piece.'
The thought brought a genuinely sadistic smile to my face.
"Kaminari-kun?" Momo's voice pulled me from my pleasant fantasy. "Why are you smiling like that?"
I blinked, realizing my expression probably looked slightly unhinged. "Oh, just thinking about something very funny I'm planning to do in the future."
'Namely, the complete humbling of Bakugo Katsuki. Educational purposes only, of course. Very heroic and definitely not petty revenge.'
I glanced over at Midoriya, who was staring at Bakugo with a mixture of nervousness and determination written all over his face.
Bakugo, predictably, looked like he wanted to murder Midoriya right there in the stands, consequences be damned.
...
First, though, I had to deal with Todoroki.
I headed to the bathrooms to wash my face and center myself while the arena crew repaired the stage—Bakugo and Uraraka's match had left some serious damage.
Many of the matches played out differently from the original timeline, but despite that, those who were meant to reach the finals still made it to the semifinals.
The door opened behind me and I gave a side glance to the man who entered, immediately recognizing the distinctive flame-covered shoulders.
Endeavor.
'The man who should be in jail if his crimes were ever properly reported. Domestic abuser, probable rapist, definitely terrible father. Real piece of work, this one.'
His wife didn't just randomly decide to pour boiling water on her own son's face. That was the breaking point of years of abuse. The marriage was arranged—she had no choice in it. And how exactly did they have multiple children if she hated him so much? Did he force himself on her? Did he—
'Actually, I don't want to finish that thought. Makes me want to vomit. Or electrocute him. Preferably both.'
The point was Endeavor was someone who deserved no respect and a lot of prison time, even if he changed at the later, I still didn't like him.
All it would take was the right questions being raised in the right places, and his hero career would implode spectacularly. He wouldn't be worrying about beating All Might anymore—he'd be worrying about not dropping the soap in a prison filled with people he personally put there.
'Karma's a bitch, Endeavor. And she's got your number.'
He stood next to me at the sinks, his presence radiating heat and arrogance. "I want you to not go easy on Shoto," he said.
It wasn't a request but seems more like an order.
Like I was one of his sidekicks or his abused children. 'Oh, absolutely not. We're not doing this.'
I looked him directly in the eyes for several long seconds, letting the silence stretch uncomfortably. Then I walked toward the door without responding.
Just before exiting, I paused and looked back with the most casual, dismissive expression I could manage. "I don't need you to tell me what to do... Number Two."
I emphasized those last two words with just enough condescension to make it sting.
Then I closed the door behind me, leaving him standing there. Through the door, I could hear him practically seething with rage.
'Good. Stay mad, child abuser. You'll always be Number Two. Even when All Might retires, everyone will remember you as the hero who could never measure up. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.'
Was it petty? Sure. But was it satisfying? Absolutely.
Worth potentially making an enemy of the Number Two Hero?
'...I'll deal with that problem when it becomes relevant. Future Denki's problem.'
When I arrived at the newly repaired stage, Todoroki was already there, standing calmly with his usual stoic expression. We both had neutral looks on our faces and neither of us spoke.
'Talking to him now would be pointless. Whether he uses his fire half will depend entirely on how this fight goes. I can't logic him into it—he has to feel it.'
"Our first semi-finals match!" Present Mic's voice exploded across the speakers. "THE LIGHTNING BOY KAMINARI DENKI VERSUS THE ICE PRINCE TODOROKI SHOTO!"
The stadium erupted into cheers and energy was electric—literally, in my case.
"Give it your best, Class President," Todoroki said quietly.
"You too, Todoroki."
"BEGIN!!"
Immediately, Todoroki sent a massive wave of ice toward me—the same opening move he'd used against Sero, but scaled back from "complete overkill" to merely "very dangerous."
'He knows better than to go easy on me. Good. That shows respect, at least.'
But he still wasn't using his fire side.
'Which means he definitely won't win. Even if he did use fire, his chances against me would still be minimal. But at least he'd go down fighting with everything he had.'
I kept my hands in my pockets as the ice wave approached, looking completely relaxed.
The ice got within five meters.
BZZZZZT!
BOOOOOM!
The ice shattered instantly, exploding into harmless water vapor and ice crystals that sparkled in the sunlight.
It's an active skill, an automatic defense system that creates an electromagnetic barrier when activated, I'd developed this through years of practice. Anything that entered my five-meter radius would be hit by a lightning discharge fast enough to intercept projectiles automatically.
'It works on an instinctual level, responding faster than conscious thought. Perfect defense for someone whose brain processes information at superhuman speeds.'
The barrier operated by maintaining a constant electromagnetic field around my body. When something crossed the threshold with hostile intent—detected through changes in air pressure, thermal signatures, and electromagnetic disturbances—the field automatically discharged a precision lightning strike to neutralize the threat.
Think of it like this, my Quirk constantly monitors the electromagnetic spectrum around me. Metal objects create distinct electromagnetic signatures. Ice—being water molecules—conducts electricity beautifully. Organic matter generates bioelectrical signals. My subconscious brain processes all this information and automatically targets threats.
It was exhausting to maintain for long periods, but for a tournament match? Absolutely sustainable.
Todoroki's eyes widened slightly—the most emotion he'd shown so far.
I casually pulled one hand out of my pocket and snapped my fingers in his direction.
SNAP!
BZZZZZZZZZZ!
A massive lightning bolt discharged from my hand, bright enough to leave afterimages in everyone's vision.
Todoroki immediately created a huge ice wall to protect himself.
The lightning struck the wall and punched straight through like it was made of tissue paper, the electrical current vaporizing the ice on contact.
The shockwave from the discharge forced Todoroki to create additional ice just to keep from being blown out of the ring.
I looked at him with a calm expression, lowering my hand. "Come on, Todoroki. If you're not going to use your full power, I'm doing the same." I kept my voice conversational, almost friendly. "I won't use my speed and use just electricity attacks. Not that it'll change anything. The result will be the same. But you should at least have the satisfaction of giving it your all."
That got reactions from the crowd. Surprised murmurs rippled through the stands—did the lightning boy just say he wasn't even using his speed yet?
Todoroki's expression hardened. "I don't need my other side. I can do just fine with ice alone. It's stronger than fire anyway."
'Sure it is, buddy. Keep telling yourself that while you're literally freezing your own body into hypothermia.'
I could already see the frost forming on his right side—his body temperature dropping dangerously low from overuse of his ice Quirk without the fire to balance it.
He was moving slower, his reactions dulled by the cold. 'This is just sad. He's handicapping himself so severely that he can't even fight properly.'
Todoroki tried hitting me with ice pillars erupting from the ground in rapid succession. I dodged easily—not even using my full speed, just channeling a tiny amount of electricity through my nervous system to enhance my reaction time and thought processing.
The world slowed slightly, making his attacks look telegraphed and obvious.
I slipped under one pillar, jumped over another, and closed the distance rapidly. Todoroki tried to retreat, creating more ice barriers.
But I specifically targeted his left side—his fire side, the one he refused to use and therefore couldn't defend with. His weak side.
BOOM!
I punched him hard in the left side of his stomach, putting real force behind it.
"You dumbass!" I shouted, genuine frustration bleeding into my voice. "You think you can compete with me using only 50% of your power?! WELL I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING!"
He winced, the air knocked out of his lungs.
"You can't even make me use my full speed without going all out!"
He tried to use his right hand to shoot ice at me at point-blank range but I kicked his wrist upward before he could activate his Quirk.
CRACK!
The wrist dislocated with an audible snap.
Todoroki's face contorted in pain, but he didn't make a sound—just gritted his teeth and tried to keep fighting.
'Stubborn bastard. I can respect that, at least.'
Before he could recover, I delivered a precise karate chop to his throat.
POW!
His breath cut off completely, eyes widening as his airway spasmed.
Then I struck his chest with my palm, targeting his lungs that were already starving for oxygen.
POW!
Todoroki's legs buckled. He tried to activate his ice Quirk with his foot—a desperation move but I ran a small current of electricity through his leg, disrupting the nerve signals for just a split second. That was all I needed.
His eyes rolled back from the combination of oxygen deprivation and neural disruption.
I jumped back, watching as he swayed on his feet. 'I couldn't make him use his fire. Damn it.'
I frowned, genuinely disappointed. 'Even while limiting myself significantly, I still defeated him. He's got an amazing Quirk, but his close-quarters combat ability is seriously lacking. Once someone gets past his ice, he's done. If he had used fire to create distance and maintain pressure...'
I shook my head. 'It will be a different story. But sadly he didn't.'
I sent a small electrical pulse through his body—enough to shock him awake but not hurt him.
Todoroki's eyes snapped open, gasping for air. And before he could fully recover, I moved in again, but didn't use my Quirk this time—just pure martial arts.
Karate strikes, Judo throws, MMA grappling techniques and boxing combinations.
Every fighting style I'd trained for years, used in rapid succession without giving him a chance to think or react or create defensive ice.
His attempts to fight back were sluggish, uncoordinated—he'd never trained hand-to-hand combat seriously because he'd always relied on his Quirk.
'Big mistake, Todoroki. Quirks can be countered. Hand-to-hand combat skills? Those work against anyone.'
Finally, I delivered a solid kick to his stomach that sent him flying five feet back.
He landed hard, rolled, and stopped in a kneeling position, panting heavily.
Blood dripped from his split lip. His right side was covered in frost. His left wrist hung at an unnatural angle. But he was still trying to stand.
'Refusing to give up even when completely outmatched.'
I respected that and slowly lowered my foot, looking at him seriously. "You said you wanted to be a hero?" My voice carried across the silent stadium. "What kind of hero stubbornly refuses to use all his power while people are dying?"
Todoroki flinched like I'd struck him.
"Why do you want to be a hero?" I demanded.
He looked up at me, confusion and pain mixing in his expression.
"Was it to prove to your father that he's wrong? That you don't need him to be the best?"
His eyes widened in shock. "How did you—"
"Then you were never aiming to be a hero," I interrupted. "You were aiming to win a petty argument with your abusive father."
The crowd had gone completely silent, hanging on every word.
"Quirks are passed down from our parents," I continued, my voice becoming more passionate. "But that's not all that matters. We shape ourselves. We decide who we become."
I gestured at him emphatically. "My mother's Quirk is similar but at the same time different from mine. Yes, genetics influence us—but we're still the ones who choose how to use what we're given. Your fire is part of you, Todoroki. Not your father but you."
His expression was conflicted and wavering.
"You can never prove anything to your father if you can never truly accept yourself," I said more gently. "Accept who you are—all of it—and face challenges with everything you've got."
For a moment, nothing happened and Todoroki just knelt there while breathing hard.
'Come on. Let the plot armor work against me here. Use your fire. Accept yourself. Do the character development thing.'
Then FWOOOOSH!
A tornado of fire erupted around Todoroki, the flames spiraling upward dramatically as his hair lifted from the heat.
The temperature in the stadium spiked by at least five degrees.
When the flames cleared, Todoroki stood fully upright, both sides of his Quirk active simultaneously. Ice on his right and fire on his left.
I smiled—genuinely, happily. "Ready for round two?"
He smiled back, something I'd never seen him do—with a look of gratitude in his eyes. "Yes... Yes, I am."
...
[With the Pro Heroes]
Endeavor leaned forward in his seat, flames burning brighter with excitement. 'Finally! He's accepted his power! Now show everyone that you're the strongest, Shoto! Prove that my training created perfection!'
His mind was already racing ahead to the accolades, the recognition, the validation that his methods had been right all along.
He completely missed the look of disgust several other heroes were giving him after Kaminari's very public callout of Todoroki's motivation.
...
**Back in the Arena**
[Denki's POV]
I watched Todoroki walk out of the sea of flames completely unharmed, both sides of his Quirk now active and balanced.
"So you finally accepted your other side," I said before activating Raijin Drive. "Good for you."
Todoroki's face remained focused and determined.
FWOOOOSH!
A massive beam of fire roared toward me, far more powerful than any ice attack he'd used before.
I grinned as yellow electricity exploded around my body, my hair standing up from the static charge. 'Now THIS is a fight!'
I used my speed to move straight through the flames—moving so fast the fire couldn't even touch me, the heat dissipating before it could make contact with my electromagnetic field.
I appeared directly in front of Todoroki. His eyes widened but he was ready this time.
SHHHHHHHH!
A massive wave of ice erupted from the ground simultaneously with a wall of fire, creating a defensive barrier of extreme temperature differentials.
I had to jump back to avoid being caught in the combination attack.
'Smart! Using both sides together creates way more versatile defense options!'
My smile widened as my hair seemed to fuse with the electricity I was discharging, making it appear longer, wilder, like I was turning into living lightning.
I pushed Raijin Drive to higher output. The world around me slowed to an absolute crawl—for a split second.
FWOOSH!
Before anyone in the stadium could react, I was behind Todoroki with my hand around his throat.
His body instinctively activated ice to push me away but it was very slow.
I ran a precise electrical current through his nervous system—not enough to cause damage, just enough to overload his motor control.
His eyes rolled back and went limp in my grip.
"WOOOOOW!!" Present Mic's voice exploded across the speakers. "THIS WAS AN AMAZING FIGHT, FOLKS! THE WINNER IS KAMINARI DENKI!"
I gently lowered Todoroki to the ground and raised my fist in victory.
The crowd went absolutely insane, chanting my name.
"KAMINARI! KAMINARI! KAMINARI!"
After the medical team carted Todoroki off to Recovery Girl—no critical injuries, just exhaustion and a dislocated wrist that would heal quickly—I returned to the Class 1-A seating area.
Everyone immediately swarmed me with congratulations.
"That was incredible, Denki!" Eijiro shouted, slapping my back hard enough to stagger a normal person.
"The way you made him use his fire!" Mina bounced excitedly. "That speech was so cool!"
I settled into my seat next to Momo, who smiled warmly at me. "That was well done, Kaminari-kun. You helped him more than you beat him."
I replied. "I can be heroic and competitive simultaneously. It's called efficiency."
Down in the arena, they were preparing for the next match.
Bakugo and Midoriya entered the stage, immediately starting what looked like an intense conversation.
We couldn't hear them from up here, but Bakugo looked even more irritated than usual.
"Who do you think will win?" Momo asked.
I considered the question. "The last one standing. It'll depend on their mindsets. Since they're childhood sweethearts, it's difficult to predict."
EVERYONE WHO HEARED ME CHOKED.
"WHAT?!" Mina sputtered on her drink.
"Childhood WHAT?!" Jiro demanded.
I kept my expression completely neutral. "They're friends from childhood with an intense rivalry between them. That's why I used that term. Bakugo seems particularly... interested in Midoriya. I thought it was obvious."
I watched with internal glee as they all started genuinely considering my words. 'I planted the seed. Let them water it with their own assumptions. This is going to be hilarious.'
"START!" Midnight announced.
Immediately, Bakugo launched himself into the air with explosions, aiming directly at Midoriya.
Midoriya dodged using Full Cowling at 10%, moving with much better control than he'd shown in previous matches.
The fight was actually competitive.
Bakugo kept his distance initially, using aerial superiority and explosion barrages to pressure Midoriya who waited patiently for an opening, dodging and creating distance, clearly planning something.
Then he saw his chance and charged. He used only his arms in for punches with perfect timing.
Bakugo took the bait, grabbing Midoriya's extended arm and used his explosions to blast them both upward, then slammed Midoriya into the ground from height.
Midoriya hit hard, clearly in pain. But then he pushed past 10%.
I could see the strain immediately—his muscles trembling, small cracks appearing in his skin where the power exceeded his body's capacity.
He kicked Bakugo away with what looked like 10-15% output. Bakugo flew back but recovered mid-air, using explosions to arrest his momentum. He lifted himself off the ground and blasted toward Midoriya again.
Midoriya jumped to dodge and Bakugo used his explosion propulsion to match the jump, getting directly above Midoriya.
Then he unleashed what looked like nearly his full power in a point-blank explosion.
BOOOOOOM!
The blast was powerful enough to create a shockwave that rattled the stands.
When the smoke cleared, Midoriya was out of bounds and unconscious.
"WINNER: BAKUGO KATSUKI!"
'Interesting. Midoriya didn't use his full 100% bone-breaking power like he did against Kirishima. I wonder why? Holding back against his childhood friend? Or learning restraint?'
Either way, it worked out perfectly for my plans.
Bakugo looked up at the Class 1-A section, finding me specifically, and smirked viciously.
'He thinks he's won something. He thinks he's proven himself worthy of facing me.'
I smirked back. 'Oh, Bakugo. You have no idea what's coming.'
A flash of cold calculation crossed my face for just a moment before I schooled it back to casual confidence. 'I'm going to crush you completely. Break that massive ego into tiny pieces and scatter them across this arena.'
...
After a short break, both Bakugo and I were called to the arena for the finals.
"AND NOW FOR THE FINALS OF THE THIRD ROUND!" Midnight's voice reached fever pitch. "KAMINARI DENKI VERSUS KATSUKI BAKUGO!"
I noticed her eyes were completely fixed on me while she was announcing, watching with barely concealed interest, licking her lips slightly.
'Midnight-sensei has apparently decided I'm her favorite student. That's... flattering and slightly concerning simultaneously.'
Bakugo glared at me from across the arena. "I'll crush you now, Sparky!"
I didn't respond, just maintained a completely carefree expression. 'Words are unnecessary. Let's let actions speak.'
"Are you two ready?" Midnight asked.
I nodded and Bakugo also nodded, his grin becoming feral.
"Then START!"
Bakugo didn't charge immediately like I expected. Instead, he used an explosion on the ground, creating a massive smoke cloud that obscured vision.
'Oh, he's actually being tactical. Trying to mask his approach. It won't work on me, but very clever.'
I could sense his bioelectrical signature moving through the smoke, circling around behind me and he appeared from the smoke cloud with his palms aimed at me.
"DIE!"
'Seriously, What kind of hero catchphrase is "die"? That's literally villain behavior.'
I didn't move or dodge. Just stood there and he used his full-power to create a massive explosion.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion was massive, powerful enough to crack the arena floor and blow away all the smoke.
Bakugo was pushed backward by his own blast, landing in a combat stance while staring at where I'd been standing.
"Did you get him?" a voice came from directly behind him.
His eyes widened in shock but before he could turn his hands and activate his explosions, my hand grabbed his throat and I activated Raijin Drive.
Then I dragged him across the arena floor at super speed.
From the crowd's perspective, it looked like Bakugo was suddenly being ragdolled by an invisible force, bouncing and scraping across the concrete at impossible speeds.
He accumulated injuries rapidly—scraped skin, bruised ribs and the wind completely knocked out of him.
I slowed down and threw him upward. He flew into the air, disoriented and hurt.
I jumped after him and delivered a devastating kick to his stomach.
BOOM!
He plummeted back down and cratered into the arena floor with bone-rattling force.
I landed nearby gracefully. "You are nothing but a pathetic weakling who only knows how to bully people weaker than yourself," I said, my voice completely calm but somehow carrying across the entire silent stadium. "Now see what you're truly worth."
The words were delivered without emotion—just cold, factual assessment. And somehow that made them cut deeper than any angry shout could have.
Bakugo struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth but his pride is refusing to let him stay down.
He used his explosions to propel himself upward again, launching at me with desperate fury.
I used Roaring Thunder—my fist coated in condensed yellow lightning—and struck him directly in the chest.
CRAAAACK!
The sound of thunder exploded across the stadium.
Bakugo flew backward again, this time coughing up blood, his eyes wide with pain and shock.
The crowd didn't react negatively to the display and neither did the heroes.
'Either this level of violence is common in the Sports Festival, or they just didn't hear what I was saying to him. Either way, it's convenient.'
Bakugo was down again, slowly trying to push himself up, trembling from pain and exhaustion.
I walked over to him calmly. "You were shouting about how I was a coward for dodging instead of fighting back," I'm loud enough that only Bakugo could clearly hear. "And now when I start using even forty percent of my power, you end up on the floor."
His eyes widened—forty percent?!
"You are just a weakling, Bakugo."
He tried to get up again, rage and desperation giving him strength. I slammed him back down with Raging Bolt, electricity discharged from my palm directly into his chest.
BZZZZZZT!
He screamed, his body convulsing from the electrical current.
I leaned down close to his ear. "Stop dreaming about being the strongest," I said in a perfectly calm tone that somehow made it more brutal than any shout, "because you would never surpass me. And that is a fact, weakling."
'I don't want to bully someone this pathetic any longer. Time to end this.'
I blasted him out of bounds with a final Raging Bolt, the electrical discharge launching his unconscious body across the boundary line.
"K-KATSUKI BAKUGO IS OUT OF BOUNDS!" Midnight announced, her voice slightly breathless. "KAMINARI DENKI IS THE WINNER!"
I looked up at her and she was practically glowing with excitement, clutching her thighs together, her face flushed.
'Okay, she's definitely both S and M. That's... information I didn't need but now possess.'
As soon as Midnight finished the announcement, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers and I raised my right fist in victory.
The crowd got louder and louder, many of them chanting my name, shouting praise for winning first place.
I switched back to my usual happy personality and waved at the whole crowd, genuinely appreciating their support.
'My parents are watching this. They should be proud of me. Not for the fact I trashed a kid but for me winning the first prize.'
I looked up at the VIP section, trying to spot my family but couldn't find them but smiled genuinely and waved specifically in that direction.
....
Author's Note:
Hey guys, how's the story been so far?
I got a few comments pointing out that Aizawa's Quirk nullifies the Quirk factor itself, which means all of a Nomu's Quirks should be nullified at once. I looked it up, and they were right. I originally thought he could only erase a single Quirk, but that was my mistake.
I'll be correcting that in the past chapters and the upcoming parts of the fic, and thanks to everyone who pointed it out.
If you notice anything else whether it's story issues or inconsistencies, please do let me know. I'll make sure to fix them.