Chapter 33: The Current Limit
At this moment, Iida couldn't sit still. He stood up, walked over to Bakugo, and shouted, "Don't put your feet on the desk!"
"Huh?" Bakugo sneered, his sharp eyes glaring at the boy in glasses who dared to challenge him.
"It's disrespectful! To U.A.'s seniors and the people who made these desks!" Iida continued with a serious expression, his sense of justice overpowering any fear he might've had.
Bakugo, who was already irritated, found this comical. He laughed in disbelief. It was rare for him to meet someone so straightforward who wasn't afraid of him.
"Don't give me that crap!"
"And who do you think you are, huh? What school did you even come from, huh?! Some extra middle school?!" Bakugo taunted, his eyes flashing with disdain.
"I..."
Before Iida could respond, Kaminari, who had been silently watching this exchange, couldn't take it anymore. Bakugo's arrogance was grating on his nerves. He wasn't used to seeing this level of rudeness, especially from someone aiming to become a professional hero.
He interjected, his tone calm but firm. "Does it matter where he graduated from? He told you to put your feet down. Cut the nonsense and listen. Or do you not understand simple nihon? Maybe you have some kind of defect?"
"You bastard!" Bakugo's temper flared as he locked eyes with Kaminari, his hands instinctively curling inward, ready to ignite his Quirk.
"What? Not happy about it?" Kaminari shot back, completely unfazed.
Without hesitation, Tetsutetsu stood up, his fists clenched. He cracked his knuckles and smirked, stepping up beside Kaminari. "If you don't like it, tough luck. Hold it in!"
"You want to die?" Bakugo growled, his eyes darkening as he stood up, ready to escalate the situation further.
Die? Kaminari's eyes narrowed at the word. This guy's aggression was completely out of place. Was he really aspiring to be a Hero? His entire attitude seemed more fitting for a villain.
Kaminari didn't feel like backing down, but he also knew that fights weren't allowed. Still, he was confident that if things came to blows, Tetsutetsu would hold his own.
Before anything could happen, Kaminari noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and saw a green-haired boy standing hesitantly at the door. The tension in the room shifted as more people took notice of him.
Bakugo's expression changed the moment he spotted the boy. His lips curled in a sneer, but after a moment, he grumbled something under his breath and sat back down, shooting Tetsutetsu a warning glance.
For whatever reason, seeing that green-haired boy had made Bakugo back down. His feet didn't go back up on the desk either.
With the situation diffused, Iida, ever the representative of proper behavior, quickly went over to greet the green-haired boy. Soon after, a cheerful girl with brown hair—Uraraka Ochaco joined them.
But Kaminari's focus shifted. He was waiting for the person who mattered the most in this moment: their teacher.
And then, the door creaked open again. But this time, what Kaminari saw was… unexpected.
A man in a yellow sleeping bag, lying on the floor, made his way into the classroom. His movements were sluggish, his hair disheveled, and his eyes half-closed as if he'd just woken up.
"If you're here to mess around or make friends, go do it somewhere else," he said in a monotone voice, not even bothering to stand up properly. "This is the Hero Course."
"..."
The class fell into an awkward silence. They didn't know what to make of this strange sight.
"It took eight seconds for you all to shut up," the man muttered as he finally stood up, emerging from the sleeping bag with an exhausted expression. "That's way too long. You're all unreasonable."
Kaminari felt a twinge of disappointment. This was their homeroom teacher? He had been expecting someone more… dynamic. This guy looked like he could barely be bothered to be here. Kaminari couldn't help but wonder if this teacher even had the energy to fight.
"I am your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota," the man finally introduced himself in a low, lazy voice.
Most of the class exchanged uneasy glances. This wasn't the kind of hero teacher they'd imagined. Hadn't they heard that All Might would be teaching at U.A.? Shouldn't their class, being the top Hero course, have someone like him as their teacher?
But Aizawa didn't seem to care about their internal doubts. He pulled a bag from his shoulder, rummaging through it before pulling out blue and white tracksuits.
"Don't waste time. Put these on and meet me at the training ground."
---
Ten minutes later, the class gathered on the empty playground. It wasn't that the students were slow to change, but the boys and girls had to take turns using the indoor changing rooms. The girls, naturally, took a bit more time.
Kaminari had noticed something during the break. A short boy, barely over a meter tall, had been lurking near the girls' changing room, trying to eavesdrop with a perverted grin on his face.
This "purple grape" boy had definitely left an impression on Kaminari, though he didn't know his name yet. He was curious about what kind of Quirk this kid had to match such a sleazy personality.
Once everyone was gathered in their sportswear, Aizawa, who had been standing around looking like he was about to fall asleep, finally addressed them.
"Today's lesson is a Quirk Apprehension Test," he announced bluntly.
Uraraka, who had been looking forward to the entrance ceremony, let out a disappointed groan. But Aizawa shut down her complaint without hesitation.
"If you want to become a pro hero, there's no time for pointless ceremonies," he said coldly.
"I see," Kaminari thought. "So, the reason we haven't seen anyone on the playground is because everyone else went to the entrance ceremony."
It was becoming clear that Aizawa's teaching style was no-nonsense. And honestly, Kaminari liked it. He had always hated long, boring ceremonies.
Aizawa explained the premise of the test. Unlike the usual physical tests they had done in middle school, this time, they would be using their Quirks to push their abilities to the limit.
There were eight events in total:
Ball throw, standing long jump, 50-meter dash, endurance run, grip strength, repeated side jumps, sit-ups, and a forward bend.
Though the exercises were familiar, Kaminari felt a surge of excitement. Using their Quirks to test basic abilities? This was a chance to see what everyone else's powers were, and he was eager to see how his classmates would perform.
His thoughts wandered again, imagining the possibilities. Maybe there was someone like Tetsutetsu with Quirks akin to the X-Men from his previous life. That would be pretty cool.
But his train of thought was cut off when Aizawa suddenly called his name.
"Kaminari Denki. You came in first during the practical exam, correct?"
"Yes," Kaminari replied confidently, noticing Bakugo's irritated expression at being outdone by him.
"How far could you throw a ball in junior high school?"
"Seventy-two meters," Kaminari answered nonchalantly.
He wasn't boasting, he'd worked hard for those results. After years of consistent training, his physical fitness was well above average. He might not have Tetsutetsu's raw strength, but compared to the other students, he was sure he'd hold his own.
"Seventy-two meters…" Bakugo scoffed under his breath, clearly unhappy. His own record was 67 meters, and he didn't understand how Kaminari, who didn't seem particularly strong, could throw farther than him.
But Bakugo didn't know that Kaminari had been training for almost a decade. If he did, he'd probably be even more upset.
"Now, use your Quirk and try again," Aizawa instructed, handing Kaminari the ball.
Kaminari stepped up to the white circle that marked the throwing position. Everyone's eyes were on him.
"Alright, let's see what my limit is!" Kaminari muttered to himself as he focused his energy.
"High-Speed Movement, activate!"
Electricity crackled to life, enveloping Kaminari in golden arcs of lightning. The air around him buzzed with energy, and his cells fired into action as the current surged, especially around his right arm.
The power radiating from him increased steadily, and the current on his arm intensified as he prepared to throw.
With everyone watching closely, Kaminari took a deep breath.
And then…