There's a saying often heard in Japan's Hero training circles: Heroes of the East, Schors of the West. If Japan's top Hero school is U.A. High, then the sed-best Hero course belongs to Shiketsu High.

  Shiketsu is the sed choiany aspiring heroes who fail to pass the petitive U.A. entrance exam but are determio pursue their dreams.

  However, the ethos of these two schools couldn't be more different.

  Put simply, U.A. emphasizes freedom and individuality, while Shiketsu prioritizes discipline and order. Of course, that's not to say U.A. disregards discipliirely, but in parison, Shiketsu's enviro is far mid and serious.

  At 3:20 iernoon, the end-of-school bell rang at Shiketsu High. Groups of students dressed in biforms strolled out of the building in twos and threes, their chatter filling the air.

  "Kyoka! I just discovered something amazing about my Quirk. I'll stop by your pce ter to show you!"

  Kazama, a boy with striking blue hair, smiled as he hit 'send' on his phone.

  Smack!

  Suddenly, a heavy hand cpped him on the shoulder from behind.

  "Hey, Kazama! You were on fire during training today!"

  Kazama turned around with a wind found himself face-to-face with her than Inasa Yoarashi, the most hot-blooded and eic student in their css.

  Kazama forced a smile. "Uh, hi, Yoarashi..."

  Before Kazama's newfound motivation, his presen the css had been minimal. He'd had little i in making friends or standing out. And that suited him just fine, he knew Yoarashi, with his boundless enthusiasm, wasn't particurly fond of people who cked passion.

  However, i months, Kazama had made a scious effort to ge. He had a promise to keep, and that pushed him to take training more seriously.

  In today's session, he'd gone all out, even catg the attention of Yoarashi, who was undoubtedly the stro in their css. Though Kazama had ultimately lost, his performance had left an impression.

  "Let me introduce myself again," Yoarashi decred loudly, extending his hand. "My name is Inasa Yoarashi. How about being friends?"

  Yoarashi was taller and more muscur than Kazama, and his outstretched hand seemed almost ically rge in parison.

  Kazama hesitated for a moment before relutly shaking his hand. "Sure… My name's Kazama Jin. I'll be in your care."

  Though he responded politely, Kazama couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by Yoarashi's fiery personality. He wasn't alone in this, many of their cssmates admired Yoarashi's strength but struggled to keep up with his intense demeanor.

  "Oh, by the way," Yoarashi said, his eyes twinkling, "you had a really soft smile on your face earlier. Were you texting your mom or something?"

  Kazama's face turned red with embarrassment. Before he could stammer out a reply, another male cssmate chimed in teasingly.

  "Not his mom, he's texting his 'Princess on the Clouds!'" A cssmate chimed.

  "Princess?"

  "Oh yeah, Kazama said something about that during training today," another cssmate added, smirking.

  "I remember!" Yoarashi excimed, recalling Kazama's words. "You shouted something like, 'I want to get stronger, strohan anyone else, because the princess standing on the clouds wants me to!'"

  Yoarashi repeated the line dramatically, grinning as he gave Kazama ahusiastic thumbs-up. "That's so passionate! I hope your 'Princess on the Clouds' inspires you to keep that fire burning!"

  The speaker may not have inte, but the listener was mortified. Kazama's face flushed an even deeper shade of red as he thought to himself, Did I really say something that embarrassing? …Yeah, I guess I did.

  Desperate to escape the situation, Kazama waved off their ents and turo leave. "Anyway, I've gotta get going. See you tomorrow!"

  Without waiting for a response, he sprioward the underground station. As the sun began to set, his thoughts turo his uping visit.

  Kyoka, I've gotten stronger! I've really gotten stronger! And if you wish it, if you hope for it, I'll keep getting strorohan anyone else!

  Even Kaminari Denki.

  In Kazama's mind, the image of Kaminari appeared, framed by the golden light of the setting sun. His eyes hardened with determination.

  Kaminari Denki… You may be a genius, but I'll prove that I'm ooo!

  For reasons even Kazama didn't fully uand, every time he thought about the way Kyoka looked at Kaminari, a surge of petitiveness filled him. It drove him to set Kaminari as his ultimate goal.

  Kazama also had a secret habit, before starting his daily training at home, he would rewatch the match between Kaminari and

  Todoroki from the Hero Sports Festival.

  An iing ritual, wasn't it?

  ---

  As Kazama boarded the subway heading toward Shizuoka City, his thoughts lingered on the earlier battle with Yoarashi.

  That guy's a monster, Kazama thought, repying the fight in his head.

  Yoarashi's mastery over wind was nearly insurmountable. Every time Kazama summoned clouds with his Quirk, they were instantly blown away by Yoarashi's powerful gales.

  For most of the match, Kazama had felt pletely outcssed. But then, just as he was ko the ground, memories of Kyoka flooded his mind:

  The times they learned music together as children… The moments they pyed rock music side by side… The promise he'd made to her so long ago…

  Fueled by this wave of nostalgia, Kazama had rallied. He gathered all his clouds into a single mass and uhem at Yoarashi with everything he had.

  To his surprise, the attack worked. The trated "Cloud Fist" cut through Yoarashi's wind and struck him squarely, knog him back several meters.

  That moment had been a revetion for Kazama. He realized that if he trated enough clouds and truly believed in himself they could take on a solid, powerful form.

  Unfortunately, the effort had drained him. The matded soon after, with Yoarashi still standing.

  The gap between us is too wide, Kazama admitted to himself. Even with a sudden burst of determination, he wasn't strong enough to defeat someone like Yoarashi.

  Still, the enter left him w. How does Yoarashi pare to Kaminari and Todoroki? Who's stronger?

  Kazama khat Yoarashi was strohan Todoroki—after all, Yoarashi had ranked first among U.A.'s reended didates, a fact few knew since Yoarashi wasn't the type t.

  But what about Kaminari?

  "It's like something out of an anime," Kazama muttered as the subroached his stop. "Three guys with insane powers: lightning, fire and ice, and wind. They're the perfect shonen protagonists…"

  He let out a small, self-depreg ugh. "And me? My clouds make me look like a side character."

  Kazama paused, pulling out his phone as a thought struck him. "Wait, are there any anime protagonists who use clouds as their power? Hmm… better look it up."

  As he scrolled through his search results, ahought crossed his mind.

  What should I call that move I used today? I need something cool if I'm going to show it off to Kyoka ter.

  "Cloud Fist?" he muttered aloud. "Nah, to. How about naming it after myself? Something like… Jin Fist?" He smiled, satisfied.