"What just happened...?"
Inside the monitoring room, teachers and students alike stared in stunned silence at the massive screen, now almost entirely covered in thick smoke, far more than what had resulted from All Might's earlier punch.
"That… That explosion was insane… Even All Might… He wouldn't just walk away from that so easily, right?" Minoru Mineta muttered, his voice trembling in fear.
"Kaminari…"
Kyoka clasped her hands together tightly, her eyes slowly filling with worry and tension.
"Tch!"
From his spot in the corner, Bakugo gritted his teeth, his fists clenching in frustration as he glared at the screen.
He hated this feeling.
Because right now, he knew, he couldn't unleash an explosion of that scale.
Explosions were supposed to be his specialty. Yet, in a single moment, a guy who could use both ice and fire had completely surpassed him at what he did best.
It was infuriating.
It was unacceptable.
"I'm still too weak… Way too weak… Damn it!"
—
Meanwhile, inside the principal's office, all the teachers had frozen at the sight of such destruction.
Even though they were all Pro Heroes, not every one of them specialized in combat. After all, hero rankings weren't solely determined by battle prowess many heroes excelled in different fields.
"Uh… Principal, are we really not going to intervene?" Present Mic leaned back in his chair, speaking casually but with a hint of concern. "This is way beyond the level of a student exam."
"I have to agree," Midnight added, adjusting her glasses. "With the way things are going, there's a real risk of serious injuries."
"A true hero."
Principal Nezu, holding a white porcelain saucer in one hand and a teacup in the other, smiled as he gazed at the dark liquid within.
"We have to trust in All Might. He didn't remain the world's Number One Hero for so many years purely because of his combat abilities."
"A Pro Hero embodies every quality a hero should have. Not only is he lacking in none of them, but he also excels in all of them. That is what makes him the Symbol of Peace!"
Hearing Principal Nezu's words, Cementoss, Thirteen, and the other teachers exchanged glances before falling silent, once again turning their attention to the screen.
At that moment—
"Huh? Where's All Might?!"
This wasn't just a question from Snipe, but from everyone watching.
Even Todoroki, standing amidst the battlefield, was stunned.
The massive iceberg was gone.
The roaring flames had vanished.
All that remained was a shattered urban landscape, reduced to ruins the ground scorched and charred.
Todoroki, his body still crackling with residual golden electricity from Kaminari's earlier buff, scanned the desolate scene in disbelief.
"Where… is All Might?"
There was no way he could've been taken out by that explosion.
That was impossible.
—
Monitoring Room
"W-Wait… Did All Might… Did he actually get taken out by Todoroki's attack?!" Kirishima shouted in shock, gripping his red hair.
"…"
Everyone turned to look at him, their expressions blank.
Standing next to him, Tetsutetsu slightly shifted his body before sighing.
"…Are you an idiot?"
"Kirishima-san," Momo spoke up calmly, "have you forgotten what happened during the Sports Festival? All Might directly charged through Todoroki-san's Air Explosion and even blocked Kaminari-san's Raikiri."
"Oh… Right! That did happen." Kirishima scratched the back of his head awkwardly, letting out a sheepish laugh.
Fortunately, there were multiple surveillance cameras scattered throughout the exam area. After switching through a few different perspectives.
They finally found All Might.
—
"Hey, isn't Kaminari heading that way…?"
At that moment, All Might, clad in his Golden Age battle suit, stood not far from the exit gate, his expression slightly puzzled as he glanced around.
"Judging by the lack of an announcement, he hasn't cleared the exam yet. And given my speed, if he really ran this way… I should've caught up by now."
That's right.
All Might had already anticipated that Todoroki would handle defense using icebergs or firewalls while Kaminari would make a break for the gate.
He just hadn't expected Todoroki to unleash an Air Explosion so recklessly.
Still, in the end, it didn't make much difference.
But…
Something wasn't adding up.
This wasn't the outcome he had foreseen.
A smile slowly crept onto All Might's face, his excitement barely contained.
"Heh… Kaminari boy, you really are something else."
"I knew from the start you were the one I needed to keep an eye on the most!"
—
Meanwhile, behind the wall of a partially collapsed building, Kaminari stood, staring intently at the holographic map projected by 'Pikachu.'
The blue outlines marked the remaining structures.
But one massive red star stood out clearly.
All Might.
And he was less than thirty meters away.
"...So, he really got here that fast, huh?"
If he had followed Todoroki's original plan and bolted for the exit.
He would've been taken down instantly.
In fact, Kaminari had already run simulations with 'Pikachu' beforehand.
The results?
Three simulations.
Three failures.
A 100% chance of defeat.
The reason was simple.
All Might was too fast.
Even with Todoroki's strongest defenses, All Might would take him down in four seconds.
And then, he'd catch up to Kaminari in another four.
That was with Kaminari using High-Voltage Shock Mode and All Might wearing high-compression handcuffs.
The conclusion?
Following Todoroki's plan would mean guaranteed failure.
"Which is why…" Kaminari smirked.
"I'll do things my way instead, Todoroki-san."
He was confident.
Todoroki was a genius.
If he was still conscious, then he'd figure it out soon enough.
The new plan was simple—
Kaminari would stall All Might.
Todoroki would find an opening to escape and reach the gate.
Battle tactics were like that.
The more complicated a plan, the higher the chances of failure.
But keeping it simple and adaptable?
That was the key.
"How's the prep, 'Pikachu'?"
"Pika…"
The small electric creature nodded confidently.
Kaminari, satisfied, turned his attention back to the red star on the virtual map.
"Alright then…"
A grin spread across his face.
"Let the show begin!"
As he spoke, his fingers subconsciously brushed against his waist.
Out of the five Golden Poké Balls that should've been there…
Only one remained.
Leaning against the cold concrete wall, he tilted his head upward.
The sky was still a brilliant blue.
The memory of sitting on the bench with Kyoka, bathed in warm sunlight, flashed through his mind.
"It's a shame…" he murmured to himself.
"I can't see the sun right now."
***
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