Chapter 83: Kaminari’s Provocation

"And here we have it—our first competitor returning to the stadium!"

Present Mic's voice boomed across the arena, amping up the crowd as Kaminari dashed through the tunnel and back onto the field.

"It's Kaminari… Denki!!" Present Mic shouted, practically vibrating with excitement.

The audience erupted in cheers, their voices reverberating through the stadium as if it was about to shake apart.

"Kaminari!"

"Kaminari!!"

"Kaminari!!!"

"Kaminari Denki of Class A! He's done exactly what he promised and taken the lead in the very first event!" Present Mic continued hyping up the crowd. "Let's look forward to his performance in the next rounds! Can he go all the way to the top?"

Kaminari's mom, sitting in the stands, clutched her hands to her chest, eyes bright with pride. "That's my son! Look at him go!"

Kaminari's dad, usually reserved, nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah… he's really something."

Meanwhile, far away in the League of Villains' hideout, a certain figure shrouded in darkness watched the live broadcast with sharp interest.

On the screen, Kaminari's electric form shone as he claimed victory. Standing nearby, Kurogiri observed the villain Tomura Shigaraki's reaction. Still battered from his last encounter with Kaminari, Shigaraki's eyes held a mixture of rage and something more determination.

"This brat…," Shigaraki muttered, his voice laced with bitterness.

The imposing figure in the shadows gave a low, amused hum. "Impressive control over his Quirk for his age… no wonder he gave you such trouble, Shigaraki."

Shigaraki's fists clenched as he continued to glare at the screen. "I'll make him pay for what he did."

---

Back at the stadium, one by one, the remaining contestants reached the finish line. First came Todoroki, then Midoriya, and finally Bakugo, fuming with rage as he realized he hadn't taken the top spot. The final rankings flashed across the four large screens in the arena.

1st Place – Kaminari Denki

2nd Place – Shoto Todoroki

3rd Place – Izuku Midoriya

4th Place – Katsuki Bakugo

5th Place – Ibara Shiozaki

6th Place – Hanta Sero

7th Place – Tenya Iida

As Kaminari laughed and celebrated with Kyoka, Momo, and Tetsutetsu, Bakugo's eyes narrowed into slits, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Damn it!" Bakugo seethed, his voice like a low growl. "Once again, he beat me to first place!"

Kirishima chuckled nervously, trying to calm him down. "C'mon, man, fourth place isn't so bad!"

"It's awful!" Bakugo exploded, his face twisted with frustration. "I'm the strongest, damn it! I'm not supposed to come in fourth!"

Meanwhile, Iida stared down at his own hands in dismay. How did I lose a speed contest?

But before he could dwell too long, Midnight's sultry voice echoed across the stadium as she announced the next event.

"Now that the first event has concluded, it's time for our second challenge!" She cracked her whip theatrically, pointing toward the virtual screen as it flickered and updated to display the words: "Cavalry Battle!"

"Oh? That sounds interesting," Kaminari mused, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

Nearby, Asui looked puzzled, tilting her head. "A cavalry battle? Isn't that usually a team event? How will this work for an individual competition?"

Midnight smiled wickedly. "Good question! Here's how it works."

A virtual display appeared, showing diagrams of how the cavalry battle would work, with chibi versions of All Might, Present Mic, and Number Thirteen acting as models.

"Each contestant will form teams of two to four people, creating a 'horse' to carry one rider. The objective? To steal headbands from other teams!" Midnight explained, gesturing dramatically.

Momo adjusted her glasses thoughtfully. "So depending on the teammates you choose, your team's total point value will vary."

"Exactly!" Midnight confirmed, turning back to the contestants.

Kaminari noticed Kyoka giving him a glance from the corner of her eye. Despite her usual calm demeanor, she looked a little worried.

Still confident, huh? Kyoka thought, watching Kaminari as he casually brushed off the pressure.

Midnight continued with the explanation. "Now here's where it gets interesting. Each contestant's point value will depend on their ranking from the last event. The last-place finisher starts with 5 points, with each subsequent position earning 5 points more than the one before it."

Kaminari's smirk widened as he understood where this was going, but he kept quiet, waiting for the reveal.

Midnight paused, casting a dramatic glance at Kaminari, who raised an eyebrow in response. "And for our first-place finisher… well, the point value is… ten million!"

The arena fell silent as everyone stared at her in shock.

"T-Ten million?!" Kaminari stammered, caught off guard for a second.

Tetsutetsu's jaw dropped. "You've gotta be kidding me… Kaminari's worth ten million points?!"

As the realization sank in, Kaminari looked around to find himself suddenly surrounded by dozens of classmates from various classes, all eyeing him like a prize.

"So," Shinso from Class C muttered, eyeing Kaminari with a sly grin, "all we have to do is take down Kaminari's team, and we're guaranteed first place."

Class B, Class C, and even his own classmates from Class A looked at him with predatory glints in their eyes.

Midnight smirked as she watched the tension build. "That's right… the higher you rank, the bigger target you become. Kaminari, can you handle the pressure?"

Kaminari sighed internally. Well, this is just great. I knew I'd be a target, but this… this is next level.

He caught sight of his reflection on one of the big screens in the stadium, showing a close-up of his face as he processed the situation. The crowd was still cheering, the spotlight was on him, and for a moment, he felt the thrill of it all.

Ah, screw it.

Kaminari's smirk turned into a grin as he raised his head high, his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear.

"All right, then!" he shouted, his tone dripping with confidence. "Bring it on! I challenge every single one of you to try and take me down!"