As expected, Aizawa-sensei approved Kyoka's request after seeing the "Bat Armor." It wasn't a difficult decision to make, after all.
Following that, everyone's daily routine returned to normal. The only notable event was Kyoka's showcase of the "Bat Armor" during the Hero class on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, with only three days of practice, Kyoka wasn't yet able to fully utilize the combat suit's potential. Her performance, while solid, wasn't particularly groundbreaking.
In this way, time steadily marched forward to June 23rd—the day the Pikachu Band would perform in public for the first time since its formation.
---
"How's the preparation going? You're on stage the day after tomorrow!"
Kaminari's father, seated comfortably on the living room sofa, asked seriously. The stage had already been set up, promotions had been handled, and all the invited fans were ready. Everything was in place.
"Everything's fine," Kaminari replied confidently, making an OK gesture. "It's not like it's a full-scale concert. We're only performing six songs in total."
Strictly speaking, the event wasn't even about the Pikachu Band. Its main purpose was to promote Seifu Elementary School and showcase the unique concept of an anime-themed school to the public.
"That's good. If this event goes well, we'll make a lot of money from licensing deals. That'll help fund the follow-up plans for Yu-Gi-Oh!," Kaminari's father said with a smile.
He firmly believed in his son's ability to replicate the success of Pokémon with Yu-Gi-Oh!
"By the way, I had some seats reserved. If any of your classmates want to come along, let them know. I can arrange a bus to take everyone to the venue."
But Kaminari shook his head. "Forget it. The final exam is coming up soon. If they want to watch, they can just catch the live broadcast at home. There's no need to go through all that trouble."
"Alright, you decide," his father said, nodding in agreement.
After their discussion, Kaminari returned to his room. As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed Pikachu lying on his bed with its eyes closed. It lazily wagged its tail as Kaminari entered but didn't move otherwise.
"This little guy…" Kaminari chuckled at Pikachu's adorable behavior before sitting at his desk. He powered on his computer and began loading some files.
"Well, these are the Quirks from Class B. They're no weaker than the ones in Class A," Kaminari muttered as he browsed through the detailed data.
As part of his new role as a hero teacher, Kaminari was tasked with studying the Quirks of every student in the Hero Course and providing suggestions for their development.
Interestingly, U.A. had kept this arrangement under wraps. There were no official classes assigned to Kaminari, and his suggestions would be forwarded to the respective teachers, who would then guide the students based on his recommendations.
This meant that many students might not even realize until graduation that the unique techniques they developed were based on Kaminari's ideas.
But Kaminari wasn't bothered by this lack of recognition. At his age, staying out of the spotlight was probably for the best.
"Wait, why is there information about Hitoshi Shinso here? He's not in the Hero Course, is he?"
Kaminari paused, noticing Shinso's profile among the data. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized what was going on. Shinso's impressive performance during the Sports Festival had likely prompted U.A. to consider transferring him into the Hero Course.
"Haha, looks like Shinso's roundabout way of proving himself worked out after all."
But Kaminari's brief amusement quickly gave way to a more serious expression. He began thinking deeply about Shinso's Quirk and how it could be developed.
To be honest, Shinso's Quirk, Brainwashing, had a lot of potential on paper. However, its practical applications were limited, especially in combat scenarios where the opponent already knew how it worked. In such cases, the Quirk was practically useless.
"People under 'brainwashing' forget the period during which they were controlled and can only follow simple commands. However, strong pain or stimulation can break the control…"
Kaminari's eyes focused on the phrase "simple commands."
"Why does it have to be simple? What qualifies as 'simple' anyway?"
He quickly pieced it together. "I see. Complex commands require the controlled person to think critically, which breaks the control. Strong independent thought is what causes the failure."
The detailed data provided by U.A. had made everything clear.
"Now, about the issue of breaking control through pain or stimulation… Can the threshold be increased through training? For example, what if light contact is enough to break the control now, but after training, only a significant injury could do so?"
Kaminari found the idea intriguing. He immediately typed up his thoughts and saved them as part of his recommendation for Shinso's development.
"Shinso also needs to train his body. If he wants to be a professional hero or even a top-tier one, he can't rely solely on his Quirk. His current physical abilities are far too lacking."
There were heroes who excelled purely because of their Quirks, but Shinso's wasn't reliable enough to fall into that category.
"As for his combat style, I think he'd do well with something flexible… Something like what Aizawa-sensei uses."
The image of Aizawa during the USJ incident flashed in Kaminari's mind. The class teacher's fearless approach to single-handedly taking on a group of villains left a lasting impression on him.
"Let's note this down too. Maybe Aizawa-sensei can take charge of Shinso's physical training and teach him how to use those binding bandages effectively."
The sound of Kaminari's fingers tapping on the keyboard filled the room as he added his suggestions to Shinso's profile. Despite the tedious nature of the work, Kaminari enjoyed it, he'd always had a knack for studying and analyzing Quirks.
"As for support equipment… Since his Quirk isn't reliable, he'll need a combat suit to compensate."
Kaminari paused, thinking about how modern technology could enhance Shinso's abilities. At the very least, a lightweight armor with defensive capabilities would be necessary until Shinso's physical skills were on par with Aizawa's.
"Then there's the issue of sound… His Quirk relies on getting the opponent to respond to his voice. That's fine for one-on-one situations, but what about dealing with groups?"
Kaminari muttered to himself as he brainstormed. He felt like he was on the verge of an idea but couldn't quite grasp it.
"Hmm…"
Leaning back, Kaminari reclined in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling as he tried to connect the dots.
"Pika?"
Pikachu's voice suddenly broke the silence. Its soft tone seemed to spark something in Kaminari's mind.
"That's it! A voice changer!"
***
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