My Hero Academia: Thunder God

Early the next morning, Kaminari met Tetsutetsu at the entrance of the subway station as planned, and the two headed off to U.A. High School in Shizuoka Prefecture together. This time, no one was driving them.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Kaminari asked as soon as he sat down, frowning at Tetsutetsu, who was sitting across from him. "Did you get into a fight after school yesterday?"

It was hard not to make that assumption based on Tetsutetsu's current appearance. Not only did he have a band-aid on his nose, but there was another one peeking out from the cuff of his sleeve.

"Uh… well, haha, it's nothing serious!" Tetsutetsu scratched the back of his head, glancing sheepishly out the window. "I wasn't fighting anyone. It's just that my training with Mr. Daimon was a bit intense yesterday. I wasn't paying attention during one of the throws, and I ended up landing on my face…"

He inwardly sighed, thinking to himself how embarrassing it was to be distracted during practice, trying to analyze Mr. Daimon's moves while being tossed around like a rag doll.

Trying to steer the conversation away from himself, he quickly asked, "Forget about me, what happened to your glove? You used to always wear it."

Kaminari shrugged, sensing that Tetsutetsu didn't want to delve into the details. Everyone had secrets they preferred to keep, after all.

"I sent it to I-Island for some upgrades," he said casually. "I wanted to add a few more features."

"Like what, the ability to play music?" Tetsutetsu asked, half-jokingly. He hadn't forgotten the scene during the practical exam when Kaminari used the glove to blast an electromagnetic cannon while a rock soundtrack played in the background. That was a moment not easily forgotten especially for the person being launched through the air.

"Yeah, among other things," Kaminari replied, nodding without any hesitation. It was clear that he didn't think there was anything odd about having a built-in BGM function. Or perhaps he knew it was unconventional but just didn't care.

"Speaking of which…" Kaminari suddenly closed the book on electromagnetism he'd been reading and leaned forward. "I've been thinking about your Quirk, and I might have some ideas that could help you out."

"Really? Tell me!" Tetsutetsu perked up immediately, looking at Kaminari with hopeful eyes. At this point, he basically considered Kaminari his unofficial Quirk advisor.

"Well… before I get into that, do you know who Kirishima Eijiro is in our class?" Kaminari asked.

Tetsutetsu's expression soured at the mention of the name. "Of course, I know him. His Quirk overlaps with mine, and it looks like he's aiming to be the hardest Hero around."

Clenching his fists, he declared, "Hmph, I'll show him! There's going to be a massive gap between us—an unscalable mountain. And that mountain is me, the future 'Colossus!'"

Kaminari sighed. The sudden burst of enthusiasm seemed a bit over-the-top. "I'm sure you'll get stronger, no doubt. But if we're being honest, when it comes to sheer hardness, I think Kirishima's Quirk might have the edge over your steel."

"What?! That's impossible!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed, clearly shaken. He had always believed that his Quirk was top-tier in terms of toughness. Of course, after meeting Kaminari, he had been forced to reconsider his position somewhat, but still, this was a hard pill to swallow.

"Calm down and hear me out," Kaminari said, patting Tetsutetsu on the arm. The outburst had drawn a few glances from the surrounding passengers, so it was best not to cause a scene.

"Hmph," Tetsutetsu grunted, sitting back down with a defiant look, as if daring Kaminari to prove his point.

"Alright," Kaminari began, suppressing a smile. "Here's the thing. Kirishima's Quirk is called 'Hardening.' He can harden his skin either globally or locally. While that might sound similar to your 'Steel,' I'm not talking about the similarities but rather the potential upper limits. Your Quirk's limit is defined—steel has a fixed hardness. But for Kirishima, it seems like there isn't an obvious cap on how hard he can get."

"Of course, I'm not saying that his hardening is 'limitless,' but I'm guessing that his upper threshold is higher than yours. If that's the case, the gap might not be noticeable now, but as you both continue to grow, you might find it becoming more apparent."

Tetsutetsu was silent, trying to process Kaminari's words. Although much of what Kaminari was saying was speculation, it wasn't entirely unfounded. He couldn't deny the logic behind it, even if he didn't want to accept it.

"If… if what you're saying is true, then what can I do about it?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Kaminari grinned. "I have an idea, though I can't guarantee it'll work." He didn't see guessing as a bad thing—in fact, many scientific breakthroughs started with a hypothesis. And considering they were only fifteen, they had the luxury of trial and error. Even if they failed, the experience would be invaluable.

Tetsutetsu's gaze stayed fixed on Kaminari, waiting for his friend to continue.

"Your first step is to focus on 'shaping,'" Kaminari said.

"Shaping?" Tetsutetsu repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah," Kaminari explained. "Look at your hands when you use your Quirk." He pointed at Tetsutetsu's iron-covered fingers. "Notice how they're slightly sharper now? And the way your hair hardens—it becomes like metal spikes."

Tetsutetsu looked at his hands, then touched his stiff, metallic hair. "You're right… they do look sharper."

"So," Kaminari continued, "I'm wondering if your Quirk has hidden passive abilities related to shaping and sharpness. If your fingers and hair can take on sharper forms, why not other parts of your body? With the right training, you might be able to consciously shape different parts of your body, turning a passive effect into an active ability."

Tetsutetsu's eyes widened. If that were true, it would open up a whole new world of possibilities for his Quirk. "You mean, I could turn my entire arm or leg into a blade?" he asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

"Exactly!" Kaminari nodded. "Start by focusing on the changes you feel in your fingers when you activate your Quirk. Compare that sensation to other parts of your body. Once you can identify the difference, try to apply that feeling elsewhere."

Kaminari knew that in this world, Quirks were closely linked to the body's natural functions. Just as athletes could learn to control individual muscle groups, it made sense that someone could learn to manipulate the unique aspects of their Quirk with enough practice.

"If Tetsutetsu actually manages to pull this off, we might need to come up with a new hero name for him… Blade Man? Iron Slicer?" Kaminari thought, grinning at the prospect. 

His old habit of brainstorming hero names had returned.