Chapter 36: Touma or Blackbeard?

The third event was the standing long jump.

Kaminari channeled his electric current into his legs, and with a powerful burst, he jumped 10.8 meters. It was a respectable result, but compared to others, such as Asui Tsuyu who excelled in jumping, Aoyama Yuga who propelled himself with his naval laser, and Uraraka Ochaco who made herself weightless and floated across, Kaminari found himself outshined in this event.

Interestingly, Todoroki Shoto, who had shown impressive control over his ice powers earlier, performed rather ordinarily in this task. He didn't stand out at all, behaving almost like a regular person. Another surprise was Midoriya Izuku.

Midoriya was a complete enigma to Kaminari. Despite watching him closely, Kaminari still couldn't figure out what kind of Quirk the boy had. So far, Midoriya had shown nothing remarkable. "How did he even pass the entrance exam?" Kaminari wondered as he glanced at Midoriya. For some reason, he couldn't shake an odd feeling about the boy. There was something about him that made Kaminari curious, though he couldn't quite place what it was.

Then there was the invisible girl, Toru Hagakure. Kaminari was curious about her too, though not just because of her Quirk. He wondered how she'd look if she were visible. But he dismissed the thought quickly. Once he mastered electromagnetic fields, invisibility wouldn't matter.

The fourth event was the repeated horizontal jump.

Kaminari paid special attention to Minoru Mineta during this event. The boy's grape-like Quirks were intriguing, if not a bit ridiculous. However, Kaminari couldn't help but wonder how strong those "grapes" really were. Could they be destroyed physically? Would his electricity have any effect on them?

Kaminari concluded that Mineta's Quirk would be highly effective in certain situations. If his sticky "grapes" couldn't be destroyed easily, it was actually a pretty strong ability. But Kaminari also noticed a problem. Mineta had to throw the grapes manually or place them on the ground, which meant they had a low hit rate unless there was some strategy behind their use.

Kaminari chuckled inwardly. Mineta's Quirk required tactical brilliance to maximize its potential, but judging by the boy's constant perverted remarks, it was hard to tell if he had the intelligence to back it up.

The fifth event was the pitching test.

When Kaminari saw Uraraka Ochaco throw the ball infinitely far thanks to her zero-gravity Quirk, he immediately thought, "This girl's going to be the next Golden Lion!"

He wondered if Uraraka could eventually manipulate objects she made weightless, much like how the Golden Lion Shiki could control floating rocks. What if she could lift entire chunks of the earth and throw them like weapons? The thought excited him, though he knew she probably wasn't there yet. It was merely speculation about the future potential of her Quirk.

As Kaminari's turn had already passed, the next person called up was Bakugo Katsuki. Aizawa's voice cut through the air, "Bakugo Katsuki, you're next."

"Finally!" Bakugo growled, stepping up with barely contained excitement. He had been stewing with frustration ever since Kaminari and Todoroki had taken the spotlight. He was determined to prove he was the best.

Bakugo's self-esteem bordered on arrogance, and watching others receive more attention than him drove him crazy. He couldn't stand it. Why were those two getting all the praise? Didn't everyone know he was the strongest?

"Boom—!"

With an earth-shattering explosion, Bakugo launched the ball into the air, his palms propelling it with a fiery blast. The ball shot through the sky like a missile, trailing fire and smoke behind it.

"Die!!" Bakugo shouted, as if trying to blow up the very heavens.

Watching this, Kaminari leaned over to Tetsutetsu and muttered with a grin, "Well, when it comes to roughness, even you can't beat him."

"Tch," Tetsutetsu clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had already formed a strong dislike for Bakugo. After witnessing Bakugo's brash attitude and rude behavior especially toward Midoriya—Tetsutetsu concluded that Bakugo was little more than a thug. A bully.

He saw Bakugo's constant explosions as a reflection of his unstable personality. Tetsutetsu couldn't stand people like that. He respected discipline and honor, traits Bakugo seemed to lack entirely.

"705.2 meters," Aizawa announced after glancing at the rangefinder. His voice remained calm despite the impressive result. "That's your current limit. Remember it, and work to surpass it."

"Whoa!!"

"Over 700 meters?! That's insane!"

The other students were astonished by Bakugo's performance. Kaminari had thrown the ball over 400 meters earlier, which had already seemed incredible. But Bakugo had just shattered that by nearly 300 meters.

"Well, I guess his explosive power is a lot better than mine," Kaminari thought to himself, feeling no shame in the comparison. He had been working on controlling his Quirk and improving his physical abilities for years. For Bakugo to reach such heights at his age was impressive, but Kaminari didn't feel the need to compete with a fifteen-year-old over something so trivial.

However, Bakugo seemed to feel differently. As he walked back, he shot Kaminari a defiant glare, as if daring him to challenge his dominance. Kaminari responded with a calm look, making it clear he wasn't fazed. Instead, he turned his attention to the next person.

"And finally... Izuku Midoriya," Aizawa announced, his voice softer this time, as if he knew what was about to unfold.

Ida and Uraraka, both of whom had seen Midoriya in action during the entrance exam, looked hopeful. But others, including Kaminari, Tetsutetsu, and the rest of the class, were simply curious. Midoriya hadn't shown anything extraordinary so far, so how had he passed the Hero Course exam?

Bakugo, however, was filled with disdain. He still believed Midoriya was Quirkless and had no place here. "He's just a Quirkless loser!" Bakugo spat out, confident that Midoriya would fail.

"What did you say?!" Iida, startled by Bakugo's claim, turned to him in confusion. "Quirkless? How could he be Quirkless after what he did in the entrance exam?"

"What feat?" Kaminari perked up, his curiosity growing. He had heard nothing about any major accomplishment by Midoriya during the exam. How had someone who seemed so... ordinary made it this far?

Midoriya, gripping the ball nervously, threw it... but nothing remarkable happened.

"46 meters," Aizawa said, almost in disbelief. The result was underwhelming, to say the least.

"46 meters?!" Kaminari couldn't believe his eyes. How had Midoriya passed the entrance exam with such a weak performance? Had he somehow cheated? Or did he get in through some kind of backdoor?

Just then, Aizawa stepped forward, pulling down the white bandage around his neck. "I erased your Quirk," he said, his voice low and stern.

Kaminari's eyes widened. "Erased his Quirk?!" The implications of Aizawa's words hit Kaminari like a ton of bricks.

The ability to eliminate someone's Quirk entirely? Kaminari immediately thought of Touma Kamijou, a figure from another world with the power to nullify supernatural abilities. But Aizawa was clearly even more powerful than Touma. He could neutralize Quirks from a distance, without needing to make physical contact.

"Is this guy even human?!"

Kaminari's mind raced, but outwardly, he remained composed, merely showing a hint of surprise. After all, someone aiming to be a superstar needed to maintain their cool, right?