The training gym on the seventh floor lived up to its name. Kaminari took a quick look around aimated the area to be about the size of U.A.'s entire basketball gym.

  hat it wasn't just a single basketball court but the entire gymnasium. However, uraditional gym, this space didn't have tiered seating. Instead, it housed rows of fitness equipment, now pushed to the sides by Hero assistants to clear the battlefield.

  "Kaminari, 'Snatch,' please head to the ter of the arena," Midnight said with a smile, gesturing toward the designated area. "I'll take the others to the viewing area."

  Everyone's eyes followed her hand, spotting two rows of fortable sofas arranged ly at the far side of the gym.

  Kaminari and Snatch exged a brief gnce before silently walking toward the middle of the gym.

  "I hope everything goes smoothly…" Kaminari's mother murmured worriedly as she watched her son's back.

  "Don't worry," Midnight reassured her gently. "With me and Mr. Aizawa here, nothing will g."

  Aizawa followed the group silently, brushing his bangs aside to reveal his narrow eyes. His calm but sharp gaze swept over the gym as he mentally prepared himself. If Kaminari tried to use any high-speed teiques like "Raikiri," Aizawa's Erasure Quirk would instantly shut him down.

  As they settled into the viewing area, some of the Hero assistants and other idle staff from Midnight's agency gathered around the sidelio watch the sparring match.

  There were about twenty people in total, most of whom were women dressed in outfits remi of Midnight's signature style.

  "Well… that's definitely on brand," Kaminari thought as he caught sight of the audience.

  "That's Kaminari Denki, huh?" one of the assistants murmured, her eyes lingering on the young Hero student. "He really does look good in person…"

  "What? Are you, a thirty-year-old, ied in him too?" aeased.

  "Oh, shut up!"

  "He sings really well too. Maybe we should ask him to perform something ter," someone else suggested.

  "Good luck with that. He's not just some celebrity—he's a student at U.A., and you know how strict Midnight-senpai is about these things."

  Their pyful banter was cut short when something unusual happened on Kaminari's side of the gym.

  Pikachu, who had been sitting obediently on Kaminari's shoulder, suddenly leapt into the air. A dazzling golden light erupted from its small body, drawing gasps from the audience.

  "Wow! That's incredible!"

  "It's like something out of a fantasy movie…"

  "I love anything shiny!"

  "You would," one assistant teased. "Your Quirk lets you trol gold, after all."

  As the light faded, Pikachu's familiar form was gone, repced by Kaminari's striking 'cer's Golden Cloth.'

  Meanwhile, Midnight stepped onto the sidelines, donning a headset and taking on the role of referee.

  "Let's get started," she announced, her authoritative voice eg across the gym. "This is a sparring match between the Pro Hero 'Snatch' and Hero Course student 'Raikage.' The rules are simple: no maiming, and absolutely no killing. Viotors will be treated as vilins and arrested on the spot."

  Her sharp gaze swept over Kaminari and Snatphasize the seriousness of her words.

  "Uood," Kaminari said, his tone respectful but steady.

  "Got it," Snatch replied curtly.

  "Alright, thehe match begin!" Midnight's voice rang out clearly.

  The energy in the room instantly shifted as everyone's attention locked onto the two batants.

  One sed… two seds… five seds… ten seds passed.

  Yet her Kaminari nor Snatch made a move. They simply stared at each other, the tension building in the silence.

  "Uh… the battle has started!" Midnight repeated, sounding a little exasperated.

  "Ah, Mr. Snatch, you go first," Kaminari said with a polite smile, gesturing for him to take the lead.

  "You're the junior, so you should start," Snatch replied firmly, shaking his head. It was clear he wasn't going to budge on this.

  "Alright, then," Kaminari said with a shrug. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

  His eyes gleamed with mischief as aruck him—a creative, slightly over-the-top idea that made his heart race with excitement.

  "Pikachu, ect to the AI database," Kaminari ordered, his tone brisk. "Search for the file beled 'One Piece' and locate the profile for 'Crocodile.'"

  A faint golden light flickered from the colr of Kaminari's cer's Golden Cloth, f a translut s in midair.

  "Is this the one you meant?"

  Because Pikachu had shifted into its AI form, it no longer used its pyful "Pika, Pika" speech, opting instead for clear and precise nguage.

  "Yep, that's the one!" Kaminari firmed, grinning as he sed the dispyed information. "Record all the data."

  "Uood. Data rec plete," the AI responded as the s disappeared.

  Satisfied, Kaminari turned back to Snatch, his smile widening. "Alright, I'm starting now!"

  "e at me," Snatch replied, his arms beginning to dissolve into streams of sand. The khaki-crains swirled around him like a protective aura.

  Without missing a beat, Kaminari slid a hand to his waist arieved a gleaming 'Golden Poké Ball.' He threw it into the air with practiced ease, the metallic sphere catg the light as it soared upward.

  Boom!

  The Poké Ball exploded midair, releasing a shimmering mass of golden sand that hovered ominously above the battlefield.

  "What… what is that?" Snatch muttered, his eyes narrowing in surprise.

  The sight of the golden sand floating in the air left not only Snatch but everyone else stunned. Midnight, Aizawa, Kaminari's parents, Momo, and the Hero assistants all watched in disbelief.

  Ign their reas, Kaminari issued his and. "Shape it into the 'Sand Crocodile!'"

  The golden sand began to shift and mold itself, taking on a humanoid form. Within moments, a t figure stood before Kaminari: a man with slicked-back hair, a long coat, a menag scorpion hook for a hand, and a thick cigar ched between his teeth.

  Though the figure was unmistakably Crocodile, every inch of it, from its hair to its clothes was made of gleaming gold.

  "Hah… what a shame," Kaminari thought as he examined his creation. "If only this nano-gold sand could ge colors like SIS alloy. That would've been perfect."

  Resolving to discuss the matter with Dr. Tenma ter, Kaminari quickly refocused and offered a fident smile.

  "Alright, meet your oppo—'Sand Crocodile,'" he decred.

  As if ohe golden figure sneered mogly, its cigar gleamiween its teeth. Even Snatch couldn't help but feel slightly uled by the sight.

  ***

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