[With Denki's Parents - VIP Section]
Kenji and Narihisana Kaminari were holding each other tightly, both of them practically vibrating with joy as they watched their son wave in their general direction.
Even though they knew he couldn't actually see them from this distance—the VIP section was too far away—the gesture made their hearts swell with pride.
"He did it," Narihisana whispered, tears streaming freely down her face. "Our baby won. He got first place in everything."
"Every single round," Kenji agreed, "First place in the obstacle race, the cavalry battle, and now the tournament. That's our boy."
"DENKI ONII-CHAN WON! DENKI ONII-CHAN WON!"
Eri, held in Megumi's arms, was shouting with pure, unbridled excitement, bouncing so enthusiastically that Megumi had to adjust her grip to keep from dropping the energetic five-year-old.
Eri's eyes were sparkling with joy—a sight that just weeks ago would've seemed impossible.
She'd wanted to support him, to cheer for him properly. Now, watching him actually win felt amazing. She hadn't expected to feel this happy about anything, but thanks to her Denki onii-chan, happiness was becoming something she could experience again.
Megumi smiled warmly at the little girl, stroking her hair gently. "Denki will really appreciate your support, Eri-chan. I'm sure he could feel you cheering for him."
She thought back to their first meeting with Eri—the terrified, broken child covered in bandages, too scared to speak or make eye contact.
'Her life has changed for the better. Denki is saving people who need heroes, just like he did with Toga. He doesn't wait for someone to fall into villainy—he catches them before they fall.'
Aki smiled and clapped enthusiastically. "He really is something else, huh? That final match was brutal, but seems to be needed. I believe in Denki's judgement, he didn't hurt anyone unless necessary."
"Agreed," Kenji said, though his expression was slightly concerned. "I just hope Denki doesn't make too many enemies among his classmates with that approach."
"He'll be fine," Narihisana said confidently. "Our son knows what he's doing. He always has."
...
[With UA Staff - Faculty Observation Room]
"That was really brutal," one teacher observed, watching the replay of Bakugo's systematic beatdown. "Kaminari didn't hold back at all in that final match."
"Yes, but nothing new," another teacher responded with a shrug. "Many students use this stage to settle grudges. The Sports Festival has always had an element of personal conflict resolution."
"He could have done much worse," Cementoss added thoughtfully. "Kaminari has the speed and power to inflict permanent damage if he wanted to. The fact that Bakugo only has little damage and his pride wounded shows remarkable restraint, actually."
Principal Nezu took a delicate sip of his tea while his dark eyes gleaming with calculation. "I've read about Bakugo-kun's psychological profile. Arrange some mandatory counseling sessions for him. His aggression issues and superiority complex need to be addressed before they become a serious liability."
"And what about Kaminari Denki?" another teacher asked carefully. "Should we be concerned about his... intensity during that match?"
Nezu's expression didn't change. "Not needed. Young Kaminari is usually easygoing and mild-mannered with excellent social skills. The only other times he's displayed that level of controlled brutality were at the USJ against actual villains, and when facing Overhaul—a child abuser he caught in the act."
He set down his teacup precisely. "He's already undergone psychological evaluation and passed with flying colors. From the staff reports and microphone recordings, it appears Bakugo-kun said something to provoke this response. Kaminari gave him multiple opportunities to back down throughout the festival, and Bakugo continued escalating."
"Yes, Young Kaminari used only defensive and binding methods to win throughout the tournament," All Might added, appearing suddenly from the doorway. "He only became aggressive in the final match against Young Bakugo, which suggests a specific response to specific provocation rather than general violent tendencies."
He clenched his bony hands together, his expression becoming troubled.
'Young Midoriya also needs to work harder if he wants to be the next Symbol of Peace. Especially now, with All For One potentially alive and planning something in the shadows.'
The thought weighed heavily on him. 'I don't like putting everything on these kids' shoulders. They should be allowed to be students, to grow at their own pace. But if All For One truly has returned...'
He looked down at his hands, feeling the familiar drain of his power, the time limit growing shorter with each passing day.
'Let's do our best to give our future generation a bright path. Starting with tomorrow's operation against the League of Villains. We end this threat before it can touch these children again.'
His resolve hardened. The raid would succeed. It had to.
...
[Denki's POV]
If I'm being completely honest with myself, I felt... empty.
Not sad, exactly. I was happy—genuinely happy about winning the tournament, making my parents proud, proving myself on a national stage. But something was missing.
'It's like a part of me expected more. A challenge that never materialized.'
The tournament had left an oddly unsatisfying feeling inside me, like finishing a meal that looked amazing but tasted bland.
'Maybe it's because none of the events were actually challenging for me. The obstacle race was over in five seconds. The cavalry battle was a joke. Even the one-on-one matches...'
I'd gone up against talented students—Todoroki had potential, Momo had brilliant tactical thinking, even Bakugo had raw power. But none of them could match my speed. And speed, as it turned out, was basically a cheat code for high school-level competition.
'Though I have to admit, fighting people my physical age was vastly different from training with Mom and her Pro Hero colleagues. There's something... purer about it. It's less calculated and more passionate.'
Even if the opponents weren't at the level I'd hoped for, the experience itself had been valuable.
'And hey, at least they were all stronger than their canon counterparts. My interference has improved everyone's baseline capabilities. That's something.'
I was walking back toward the stands when I heard Midnight's voice announcing my name over the speakers.
'Oh, right. Award ceremony time.'
I changed direction and headed toward the main stage instead.
...
[A Few Minutes Later]
"All of the first-year events for this year's UA Sports Festival have been completed!" Midnight announced, her voice amplified across the stadium. "So now, we will begin with the award ceremony!"
The majority of first-year students stood in formation behind the stage, cameras flashing constantly as media outlets captured every angle.
In front of them, three platforms rose from underground, displaying the top three winners.
Third place is Shoto Todoroki, looking contemplative and slightly troubled, clearly still processing everything that had happened.
Second place is Katsuki Bakugo, completely restrained in what looked like a full-body straightjacket designed for villain containment, though notably he wasn't struggling anymore—just glaring silently at nothing.
First place is Me, standing calmly with my hands in my pockets, waving occasionally at the crowd.
Midnight stepped to center stage dramatically. "Ladies and gentlemen, the medals this time will be presented by..."
"HAHAHAHA!"
Everyone in the stadium immediately recognized that laugh.
"The man who will present the medals is—"
"I AM HERE!"
All Might appeared in a burst of displaced air, landing perfectly on the stage with his signature pose.
"ALL MIGHT!"
Midnight and All Might spoke over each other slightly, their practiced choreography getting mixed up. The crowd roared in approval.
Midnight looked apologetic. "Oh... sorry about talking over you."
All Might just smiled that trademark smile, though I could see the faint exasperation in his eyes. 'They rehearsed this three times and she still messed it up.'
All Might approached Todoroki first, gently placing the bronze medal around his neck.
"Don't be so down, Young Todoroki," All Might said warmly. "I'm sure you had your reasons for not using your fire side until your match against Young Denki, right?"
Todoroki raised his head, meeting All Might's eyes. "Even so, I still lost to him. It seems I still have things to work through before I can fully embrace both sides of my power."
All Might laughed and pulled Todoroki into a brief hug. "Then I hope you get your situation sorted out so we can see what you're truly made of! Keep growing, Young Todoroki!"
Next, All Might approached Bakugo. Since Bakugo's mouth was restrained—preventing any explosive outbursts, verbal or otherwise—All Might kept his words concise.
"I know you have a lot of pent-up rage inside you," All Might said seriously, looking directly into Bakugo's furious eyes. "But I hope you don't act rashly when we release you. You're a very strong young man with tremendous potential to become something great."
He paused, making sure Bakugo was actually listening. "But if you want to reach the top, the first thing you need to do is fix that personality of yours and your mindset. Your power is impressive, but power without good character and control will only bring destruction." All Might placed the silver medal around Bakugo's neck and gave him a brief, fatherly hug. "Other than that, you did a very good job this Sports Festival. You made it to the finals. That's an achievement to be proud of."
Bakugo didn't respond—couldn't respond with the restraints—but something flickered in his eyes. Shame, maybe. Or the first spark of actual self-reflection.
Finally, All Might approached me. "And finally! Kaminari Denki, the winner of today's Sports Festival!" His voice boomed with genuine pride. "I have to say, you have one of the most versatile Quirks I've ever seen. The only advice I can give you is keep working hard, because I'm certain you'll become an amazing hero one day."
He placed the gold medal around my neck and pulled me into a warm hug.
The crowd cheered thunderously.
When All Might released me, he patted my shoulder with a laugh, then leaned in slightly, speaking just loud enough for only me to hear.
"You did good, Young Denki. And judging from the conversations I've been hearing from the Pro Heroes in attendance, I'm sure you'll receive tons of nomination offers. Choose wisely to ensure your bright future."
"Yes, thank you, All Might," I replied with a genuine smile.
Then, without fully thinking it through, words just... came out of my mouth. "Also, All Might—don't worry. I will be the next Symbol of Peace."
'Wait, did I just say that out loud? In front of everyone? With microphones everywhere? Oh shit—'
The entire stadium went silent. You could've heard a pin drop.
I realized belatedly that All Might's lapel microphone had picked up my words and broadcast them across the entire stadium.
'Accidental public declaration. Fantastic. Very strategic, Denki. It's a Top-tier planning.'
Even Midoriya looked like he was having an emotional crisis, his face crumpling as tears started forming.
Everyone was staring, waiting to see how All Might would respond to such a bold claim from a first-year student.
I'd accidentally put the Symbol of Peace on the spot. 'Come on, All Might. Say something that doesn't make this incredibly awkward.'
All Might's expression shifted—surprise, then contemplation, then something that looked almost like pride. He smiled warmly and spoke clearly into the microphone, "I see... I will be waiting for you, Young Kaminari."
WOOOOOOOAAHHHHH!
The crowd absolutely erupted. The cheering was deafening, ecstatic, celebratory.
By saying that, All Might had essentially just publicly endorsed me as a potential successor—not to his power (which only Midoriya and a select few knew about), but to his role as the Symbol of Peace.
'Well. That escalated in a direction I didn't fully anticipate. But... actually, this works out pretty well for building my hero brand. Accidental genius? I'll take it.'
Throughout the stadium, reactions varied wildly.
Midoriya was crying—full-on sobbing with his face buried in his hands. Whether from happiness for me or sadness about his own situation, I couldn't tell. Bakugo looked like he wanted to explode something but couldn't because of the restraints. His face had gone from angry red to shocked pale to furious purple in rapid succession.
The rest of the first-year students looked stunned, like they were witnessing something historic.
'They kind of are, actually. This is basically All Might publicly acknowledging a potential successor. That's... kind of a big deal.'
All Might walked back to center stage, taking the microphone from Midnight. "Well, these are your winners!" he announced, his voice filling every corner of the stadium. "But listen up—pay close attention to what I'm about to say!"
The crowd quieted, hanging on his every word.
"Anyone could have ended up on these platforms. Anyone here could have won. Don't feel discouraged by your loss, because here at UA, you'll have time to grow and shape yourselves into splendid heroes!" His smile widened. "All you students did a wonderful job today! Can we please get a round of applause?"
The arena filled with thunderous applause.
'That's why he's the Symbol of Peace. He knows exactly how to inspire people, how to make everyone feel valued even in defeat.'
I looked around and saw the effect his words had—first-years who'd been disappointed in their performance were smiling now, feeling encouraged rather than defeated.
"The next generation of heroes is definitely looking promising!" All Might declared, raising his arms triumphantly. "And I would like to say one more thing, so everyone please say it with me!"
The crowd knew what was coming.
"Thank you for everyone's hard work!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" thousands of voices shouted back in unison.
Actually, wait—Many people in the crowd looked confused, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Wait, wasn't he going to say Plus Ultra first?"
"He usually does, right?"
"Did he change it up?"
All Might laughed good-naturedly. "I thought everyone worked so hard today that you deserved a compliment before the motto! Plus Ultra is about going beyond, but sometimes it's important to acknowledge what you've already accomplished!"
The crowd loved it, cheering even louder. With that, the Sports Festival for the first-years was officially over.
I finally made my way back to where my classmates were gathered, all of them immediately swarming me with congratulations.
"First place!" Eijiro shouted, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. "That's so manly, Denki!"
"You were amazing, Denki!" Mina bounced excitedly. "That final match was brutal!"
"Congratulations, Kaminari-kun," Momo said warmly with a genuine and proud smile.
Even normally quiet classmates like Shoji and Tokoyami offered congratulations. Chatting happily with everyone, we eventually made our way out of the stadium.
I pulled out my phone and saw a text from Mom.
Mom: Wait at the station! We're meeting you there! ❤️
I turned to my friends. "My parents are waiting at the station. You guys want to come meet them?"
Mina and Eijiro exchanged glances.
"Nah, man, that's family time," Eijiro said with a grin. "We'll catch you later!"
"Yeah, don't want to intrude!" Mina added, winking. "Besides, I'm sure Momo wants some quality time with your family~"
"Mina!" Momo's face turned bright red.
Mina and Eijiro left, still laughing. Which left just me and Momo walking toward the station together.
Momo looked slightly flushed but determined. "I-I'd like to meet your parents properly, Kaminari-kun. If that's okay?"
"Of course it's okay," I said with a smile. "They'll love you."
'Also, Megumi-nee is going to tease her mercilessly. This is going to be entertaining.'
...
[At the Station]
The moment we arrived, Eri spotted me and immediately broke away from Megumi, running full speed. "DENKI ONII-CHAN!"
I caught her mid-leap, lifting her up and spinning around. "Hey, Eri-chan! Did you see me win?"
"Yes! Yes! You were so cool!" She hugged my neck tightly. "I cheered really loud! Did you hear me?"
"Of course I heard you," I lied smoothly. "Your cheers gave me extra power. That's why I won first place—all thanks to your support."
Her eyes went wide with delight. "Really?!"
"Really."
My father approached next, pulling me into a firm hug—still holding Eri. "I'm so proud of you, son."
The hug was warm, solid, grounding in a way that made my chest feel tight with emotion.
"We both are so proud of you," Mom added, her voice thick with happy tears as she joined the hug.
For a moment, we were just a normal and happy family, celebrating together. Then I noticed Megumi-nee giving Momo extremely obvious teasing looks, eyeing her up and down with a mischievous grin.
Aki stood nearby with a smile, clearly staying out of whatever chaos Megumi was planning.
'Smart man.'
Mom finally noticed Momo standing slightly awkwardly to the side and immediately focused on her with laser precision.
"Oh! Is this the girl you've been dating?"
Momo panicked beautifully. "I—we—yes? No! I mean, we went on a date, but we haven't officially—I'm not sure if we're—"
"She's adorable!" Mom cut her off, already pulling Momo into conversation. "Denki prepared so hard for that first date! He practiced his conversation topics for hours!"
"MOM!" I protested.
"And he watched romantic movie scenes to learn proper date etiquette!" Megumi-nee added gleefully. "I have video evidence!"
"I approve of her as my future sister-in-law!" Megumi declared dramatically.
I shot her a flat look. "You can't even get married yourself after passing thirty, Megumi-nee. Maybe focus on your own relationship before meddling in mine?"
SMACK!
Megumi hit me upside the head, her face bright red. "You little—!"
Aki was also blushing furiously, looking anywhere but at Megumi. Momo and everyone else burst out laughing.
'Worth it. Totally worth the head smack.'
After everyone settled down, I properly introduced Momo to everyone—my mom Narihisana, my dad Kenji, my little sister Eri, and Megumi-nee plus her boyfriend Aki.
"It's wonderful to meet you all," Momo said politely, bowing respectfully. "Thank you for raising such an amazing person."
Mom looked like she might cry again from happiness. We chatted for a few more minutes before I checked the time. "We should head back to class. Aizawa-sensei is making a homeroom announcement about our nomination offers."
"Don't stay out too late!" Mom called as Momo and I headed back toward UA.
"And use protection!" Megumi-nee shouted.
"MEGUMI!" multiple voices yelled and Momo blushed hard for that comment with stream rasing from her head.
...
[Class 1-A - Later That Day]
Aizawa-sensei stood at the front of the classroom, looking even more exhausted than usual.
"Good work at the Sports Festival," he said in his characteristic monotone. "Some of you exceeded expectations. Others... met them adequately."
His eyes lingered on Bakugo for a moment.
"You'll have a two-day holiday starting tomorrow while we compile all the nomination offers from Pro Hero agencies. When you return, you'll receive your lists and have time to consider your options."
I glanced at Iida's empty seat, knowing what was coming. 'It seems his brother Tensei got attacked by Stain. The Hosu incident arc is approaching.'
My mind was already working through potential interventions.
...
[Two Days Later]
The two-day break passed quickly. Day one was spent celebrating with my family—a proper victory dinner where Mom and Dad alternated between being proud and embarrassing, and Eri insisted on wearing my gold medal the entire evening.
Day two was another date with Momo—this time including a visit to a bookstore where we both nerded out over hero analysis texts, followed by coffee at a quiet café where we could actually talk without being recognized (thanks to face masks).
The date ended with another kiss on the cheek from Momo, which was rapidly becoming my favorite tradition. 'Two cheek kisses in one week. At this rate, I might get an get the job done by graduation.'
Now, back at UA, classes had resumed. "Good morning, everyone!" I greeted the class as I entered while heading to my seat.
Kirishima immediately turned around. "Denki! What about you? I bet you got recognized a lot since you placed first!"
The class had been discussing how many people recognized them during the break—apparently, several students had become minor celebrities overnight.
I smiled smugly. "No, not really. I went to buy groceries and noticed people recognizing me, so I took a different route through the Sonju district to get back home. Wore a face mask too. Way fewer people recognized me that way."
'It also happened during my date with Momo, which is why we both ended up wearing masks for the second half. But that ended with another cheek kiss, so definitely a win situation overall.'
I waved at Momo, who waved back with a slight blush.
Then I walked over to Iida's desk. "Hey, Iida. How are you doing?"
He looked up, and I immediately noticed the strain around his eyes, the tension in his shoulders. "I'm fine, Kaminari-kun. Thank you for asking."
"I saw the news about your brother," I said quietly, making sure others couldn't overhear. "Ingenium got attacked by that Stain villain, right? How's he doing?"
Iida's expression tightened, his hands clenching into fists on his desk. "He's... stable. The doctors say he'll recover, but his hero career..."
He trailed off, clearly struggling with the implications. I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. If you need anything—someone to talk to, help with anything—I'm here, okay?"
He looked genuinely touched. "Thank you, Kaminari-kun. I appreciate that more than you know."
I nodded and decided to change the subject before he got too emotional. "So, predictions for how many nomination offers I got? I'm thinking at least five thousand."
That got a surprised laugh from him, breaking the tension. "That seems... optimistic, even for you."
"We'll see!"
Soon, the classroom filled with the rest of our classmates, everyone chatting excitedly about the upcoming nomination results.
"Denki." I turned around to see Todoroki standing there, his expression serious but not hostile.
The entire classroom went quiet immediately. Everyone wanted to see this confrontation between the first and third-place winners.
"I finally resolved my internal conflict that prevented me from using my left side properly," Todoroki said formally. "So I hope we can have a battle again someday. I recognize you as the strongest in this class, which means I'm aiming to surpass you."
He extended his hand toward me.
'Character development complete! The power of friendship and getting electrocuted has cured his daddy issues! Mostly.'
I shook his hand firmly. "I'll be looking forward to that fight. Next time, we'll both go all out."
"I will too," Todoroki said with the ghost of a smile, then returned to his seat.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bakugo glaring at me with murderous intensity, his face an unhealthy purple color.
'Still mad about getting publicly humiliated, huh? Honestly, don't care. You pushed me repeatedly, I snapped, you learned a valuable lesson about not being an insufferable ass. The end.'
I felt zero guilt about what I'd done to Bakugo. Maybe that made me a bad person, but I'd given him multiple chances to back off, and he'd ignored every single one.
"Good morning, class. Now, get into your seats."
Aizawa-sensei's bored voice cut through the chatter, and everyone immediately complied. "Today we'll be doing something different," he announced. "Code names. You'll be picking your hero names."
"YEAAAHHH!" Half the class erupted with excitement.
"How awesome!" Kirishima shouted. "This is our time to shine!"
Aizawa's hair started floating, his eyes glowing red. "Calm down."
"..."
"Hero names?" Momo asked, raising her hand politely. "Why are we choosing them so early in our training?"
Aizawa-sensei told us he'll answer that later and explained the internship system—how Pro Heroes who'd watched the Sports Festival would send nomination offers, how students would intern with agencies to gain real-world experience, how the hero names were temporary but would likely stick if they became popular. Then he pulled up the nomination results on the screen.
Kaminari Denki: 7,735 nominations
Todoroki Shoto: 3,632 nominations
Yaoyorozu Momo: 1,456 nominations
Bakugo Katsuki: 1,273 nominations
Kirishima Eijirou: 987 nominations
The rest of the class had smaller numbers—Midoriya had a decent amount now thanks to his improved performance, but Mineta had exactly zero.
'Ouch. Though not surprising.'
Students started whispering excitedly. "Over seven thousand!" someone gasped. "That's insane!"
"Kaminari-kun is already practically a celebrity!"
Before the chaos could escalate, Aizawa cut in. "Whether you got chosen or not doesn't matter long-term. You'll all get opportunities to work with Pros eventually."
"So today," he continued, "you'll pick your hero names. They're temporary, but if you're not serious about them—"
The door burst open dramatically.
"Then you'll have to pay!" Midnight announced, strutting into the classroom in her revealing hero costume.
"Midnight-sensei!" several students exclaimed.
'No matter how many times I see her, she's still gorgeous. Shame I'm not older. Though based on how she's been looking at me, I don't think age is a factor she cares much about. It's a bit concerning, not in a bad way.'
"Because hero names chosen by students often become recognized by society, you need to make sure yours is both serious and appropriate!" Midnight finished, winking at the class.
Aizawa just sighed at her antics and Midnight scanned the classroom, her eyes lingering on me specifically, and she licked her lips seductively.
"Yes, Midnight will be approving your names," Aizawa confirmed, then immediately crawled into his sleeping bag. "Wake me when this is over."
Midnight distributed whiteboards and markers to everyone.
I already knew exactly what name I wanted. There could be no other name for someone with my powers.
Over the next thirty minutes, I watched as students went up one by one to present their chosen names.
Momo went with her canon choice: "Everything Hero: Creati"
Midnight approved enthusiastically. "Elegant and functional! Perfect!"
Midoriya presented his board: "Deku"
Midnight looked concerned. "Are you sure about that? Isn't that what your classmates used to bully you?"
"I'm sure," Midoriya said with surprising confidence. "Someone important to me changed the meaning of that name for me. Now it means 'you can do it!' So I want to reclaim it."
'Still don't understand that logic, but you do you, Midoriya.'
Midnight accepted it reluctantly. Eventually, my turn came.
"Kaminari Denki, you're up!" Midnight called, looking genuinely excited to hear my choice.
I walked to the front calmly and held up my whiteboard. "The Flash"
The class immediately nodded in understanding, murmuring approval.
"That fits perfectly!"
"Of course he'd go with that!"
"It's so obvious but also perfect!"
Midnight looked absolutely delighted, practically glowing with approval. "The Flash! Speed and power—it encapsulates everything you demonstrated at the Sports Festival!" She leaned forward slightly. "I love it. Approved!"
'And with that, my hero brand is officially established. The Flash. Fast enough to save everyone. Strong enough to stop anyone. First on the scene and in everyone's minds.'
I returned to my seat feeling satisfied. The future was taking shape and I was going to make damn sure it was a bright one.