My Hero Academia: Thunder God

The night had fully taken over the sky. The bright moon and starlight replaced the white clouds and sunshine as the main backdrop above.

"Now that we're all full and the dishes are washed, next up is..." Pixie-Bob grinned.

"The Test of Courage!!!" Ashido, Kirishima, Sero, and the others shouted excitedly.

"Nope," Mandalay said with a smile, adjusting her red dress.

"Huh?" Everyone leaned forward in confusion. Weren't they supposed to be playing a game tonight?

"Before the Test of Courage, we're having a Class A vs. Class B boys' arm-wrestling match. The loser will be the one who gets scared first. No Quirks allowed!" Ragdoll, dressed in yellow with green hair, added cheerfully.

"Since there are fourteen boys in Class A and only twelve in Class B, two from Class A will need to sit out."

"Do you think we'll have a draw, or will someone volunteer to abstain?" Tiger flexed his muscular arm and asked with a smile.

The boys from Class A looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Just then, Minoru Mineta and Yuga Aoyama raised their hands.

"I'm not interested in arm wrestling or anything like that!" Mineta said, glancing away.

He knew his small frame meant he'd be easy pickings, and with so many girls watching, he didn't want to get humiliated.

"Me too. Crude activities like arm wrestling don't suit someone as refined as Yuga," Aoyama added with a flourish, brushing his blond hair.

"Alright then. Everyone else, face off!" Mandalay said with a smile as Pixie-Bob activated her Quirk to form a makeshift earthen platform.

"The first group: Shoda Nirengeki versus Mashirao Ojiro!"

"Second group: Kojiro Bondo versus Mezo Shoji!"

"Third group: Rikido Sato versus Katsuki Bakugo!"

"Fourth group: Kosei Tsuburaba versus Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"

"Fifth group: Togaru Kamakiri versus Koji Koda!"

"Sixth group: Yosetsu Awase versus Eijiro Kirishima!"

"Seventh group: Neito Monoma versus Izuku Midoriya!"

"Eighth group: Niriko Fukidashi versus Ibara Shiozaki!"

"Ninth group: Jurota Shishida versus Hanta Sero!"

"Tenth group: Shihai Kuroiro versus Fumikage Tokoyami!"

"Eleventh group: Kaibara Sen versus Shoto Todoroki!"

"Twelfth group: Lin Feilong versus Denki Kaminari!"

After rattling off the matchups, Mandalay exhaled a long breath. No one really knew why Vlad King had suddenly suggested this, and somehow, Tiger had actually agreed.

"This looks like so much fun!" Ashido Mina beamed. "Kirishima, don't lose!"

"Don't worry, arm wrestling's my thing!" Kirishima said confidently.

"Go for it, Midoriya-kun!" Uraraka cheered, throwing up her hands and making Midoriya blush.

"You've got this, Kaminari!" Kyoka and Momo said at the same time, then glanced at each other.

"Yeah, no worries," Kaminari replied casually. He didn't notice the strange vibe between the two girls. He looked at his opponent, Lin Feilong, and smiled.

"I'll do my best, Lin Feilong-san!"

Soon, the first match between Shoda Nirengeki and Mashirao Ojiro began, both stepping onto the platform with serious expressions as cheers erupted from the girls.

They were young and full of pride, and the mention of a face-off stirred their competitive spirits. Neither wanted to lose.

"Ojiro-san should win this one. He's practiced martial arts and taekwondo since childhood," Asui Tsuyu said quietly.

"Definitely. Ojiro might look plain, but he's actually really strong!" Toru Hagakure laughed, only her gloves and uniform floating in the air.

But their comments made the Class B students exchange knowing smiles, which caused Todoroki, who was paying close attention, to frown and look at Shoda Nirengeki.

"Alright, let the match begin!"

At Pixie-Bob's cue, the clasped hands tensed. The surrounding voices faded as everyone focused on the battle of strength.

Gradually, Ojiro's expression grew more strained. His teeth clenched audibly as he struggled.

Shoda, on the other hand, remained calm. His eyes were steady, and his right arm didn't even flinch.

Solid. So solid!

"No way..." Hagakure muttered in disbelief.

"Now!"

Boom!!

Shoda's eyes lit up. At the moment Ojiro's strength peaked, he exploded with power and slammed Ojiro's hand to the platform.

"First group, Class B wins!" Pixie-Bob declared.

"Yes! Let's go, Shoda!" Kendo and the other Class B girls cheered wildly while Class A fell into stunned silence.

"Shoda's raw strength beats Beast Taro's." Nirengeki taunted with mock pride.

"You're underestimating him..." Iida frowned. Maybe Class A had been taking Class B too lightly.

"It's fine. Shoji-san's up next!" Uraraka encouraged, still smiling.

As expected, Mezo Shoji easily defeated Kojiro Bondo in seconds.

"Ouch. Strength really isn't my thing..." Bondo muttered, rubbing his sore palm.

"Quit stalling and get up here so I can crush you!!" Bakugo suddenly stepped onto the platform, his face full of aggression.

"Uh, so scary..." Pony Tsunotori hid behind Kendo.

"Think Bakugo can win? Sato seems pretty strong," Sero asked nervously.

Everyone looked at Sato's large, muscular build, then back at Bakugo. They couldn't help but feel unsure.

"What the hell are you looking at?! I'm gonna win, obviously!!" Bakugo shouted.

"Of course you are!" Kirishima encouraged him with a smile.

Boom!!!

But when the match ended, everyone was stunned. Both Class B and the Wild, Wild Pussycats stared in disbelief. The bulky Sato had been defeated instantly!

"You bastard!!"

Bakugo exploded with rage. He grabbed Sato's collar and yelled furiously, "You held back, didn't you?! I'll blow you up!"

"Kacchan! Stop it!!" Midoriya ran over to intervene, but Bakugo refused to let go.

He felt insulted. There had been no challenge in that arm-wrestling match. If Sato didn't explain himself properly, he might seriously blow him up right there.

"N-no! I didn't mean to hold back! I was just shocked by your strength!" Sato quickly waved his hands and tried to explain.

After Iida, Midoriya, and the others calmed Bakugo down, he finally let go. Sato then lifted his shirt with an embarrassed smile.

"Honestly, without my Quirk, I'm pretty strong, but far from superhuman. And I eat dessert every day, so I've got a bit of a belly.

"I thought my natural strength would be enough to win, but I didn't expect you to be that powerful..."

Kirishima's hardened strength is comparable to Sato's Quirk-enhanced strength (five times increase).

So, if we assume Quirks like Hardening and Steel don't provide passive strength boosts, then Kirishima's normal strength is about equal to Sato's five-times boost.

Thus, based on discussions, Sato's normal strength might be relatively low and fully dependent on his Quirk. Unlike Bakugo, Kirishima, or Tetsutetsu, who train regularly.

(To be continued.)

***

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