*Crack!*

  As Kaminari swung his arm with precision, the ball in his grip shot into the air, enveloped in golden arcs of electricity. It streaked across the sky like a glowieor, leaving a dazzling trail of light behind. The ball flew higher and farther, pushed by the force of Kaminari's electrihanced muscles.

  Everyoched in awe as the ball soared until the electric current fizzled out, and gravity pulled it back down to Earth.

  "412.7 meters!" Aizawa announced calmly, holding up the rangefinder for everyoo see. "This is how you figure out your limits."

  In his mind, however, Aizawa was analyzing Kaminari's Quirk usage with keen i. "Stimuting his muscles with electricity to boost physical strength… it's an iing approach," Aizawa mused silently. "The trol he demonstrated, eling that electricity into his throw, he's defirained for this."

  Meanwhile, the studeed into a mixture of gasps aed chatter, the impressive distance Kaminari achieved sparking their admiration.

  "Whoa! No way! Over 400 meters?!"

  "This is so awesome! We get to use our Quirks freely!"

  "Being in the Hero course is seriously cool!"

  Their excited outbursts, however, didn't go unnoticed by Aizawa, who gave them a sharp look.

  "Fun, huh?" His voice was low, but it cut through the chatter, catg everyone's attention.

  "Huh?" Midoriya and the others blinked, fused.

  "If you think this is all just fun and games, you're in for a rude awakening." Aizawa's tone suddenly turned cold. "Do you really think you'll bee pro heroes with that mi?"

  The css fell silent, tension rippling through the air as Aizawa tinued.

  "If that's your attitude, I might as well let you knht now… the student who ranks st in this test will be expelled."

  "What?!" The collective shock from the css was immediate. Even Kaminari, Todoroki, and Tokoyami couldn't help but stare in disbelief.

  "Is he serious? Expelling someone on the first day?" Kaminari's thoughts raced. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was simir to something a certain masked ninja from his past life would do. "Wait, what if he's not kidding?"

  His expression turned serious, aiced other students like Todoroki and Yaoyorozu doing the same. Clearly, some of them were realizing the gravity of Aizawa's words.

  Aizawa smirked slightly, lifting the long strands of hair that usually obscured his eyes. "Wele," he said, his toh mog and challenging, "to the Hero Course of U.A. High School."

  Uraraka Ochaco, who had been silently brimming with excitement for the entrance ceremony, couldn't hold back her frustration. "That's just not fair!" she protested, voig what many others were likely feeling. "It's only our first day!"

  Kaminari shared her se, but something told him there was no point in arguing. He had a gut feeling that if Aizawa said he could expel someohen it was within the school's rules to allow it.

  Around him, other students seemed to realize the same thing. Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, and Todoroki all remained silent, their expressions serious. They khis was no time for pints.

  Aizawa's voice cut through again, this time softer but no less intense. "Natural disasters, major acts, rampaging vilins, these kinds of unreasouations happen anywhere, at any time. That's the world we live in now."

  He didn't o raise his voice for the impact of his words to hit home. The weight of his message settled on the group, and the ohusiastic atmosphere turned somber.

  "And the ones who stand in the way of all these disasters are heroes," Aizawa tinued. "If you're hoping to coast through these hree years without pushing your limits, then you're in the wrong pce."

  The students, now fully silent, felt the immense pressure that came with the title of "Professional Hero." Aizawa's gaze swept across them before he cluded with one final statement.

  "The road to being a pro hero is paved with suffering, and U.A. will give you plenty of it. You're either moving forward or falling behind. That's the reality." His eyes gleamed slightly as he added, "So remember this—Plus Ultra."

  Kaminari wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he could've sworn Aizawa's usually tired demeanhtened a little when he said those st two words. Whether it was excitement or something else, Kaminari wasn't sure. But what he was sure of was that he had made the right choice by ing to U.A.

  There was no doubt everything from now on would be beyond anything he had ever experienced before.

  "Let's get started." Aizawa sighe beginning of the Quirk Apprehensio. "First up: the 50-meter dash."

  ---

  "Ready… go!"

  *Pffft!*

  With the sound of the starting signal, Iida Tenya rocketed forward, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. His gsses were off, and his face was set in tration. His engines roared as he sped toward the finish line, his powerful Quirk propelling him far ahead of Asui Tsuyu, who was leaping along behind him.

  "3.04 seds!" came the result.

  "Whoa! His Quirk is insane!" Kaminari couldn't help but be impressed, especially at the sight of the exhaust vents on Iida's legs. It was such a unique and fasating ability.

  up were Uraraka Ochaco, Aoyama Yuga, Shoto Todoroki, and Bakugo Katsuki. Kaminari watched each of them closely, their Quirks with i.

  From the explosion-fueled speed of Bakugo to the gleaming ser of Aoyama, each student demonstrated abilities that were impressive in their ht. Kaminari mentally heir quirks, already thinking about how they might pare to his owric powers.

  "Final group: Todoroki Shoto and Kaminari Denki," Aizawa called out.

  Kaminari blinked in surprise as his name was called. His petition would be Todoroki? He hadn't ied with him much yet, but from what he had seen, Todoroki exuded a quiet, fident aura.

  Unknown to Kaminari, Aizawa had grouped them together on purpose. He wao see how the top scorer from the practical exam would match up against Todoroki, who had been accepted through reendations. Both had been trained in their Quirks for years, and Aizawa was curious to see whose abilities would shine brighter in a speed test.

  As Kaminari and Todoroki lined up at the starting line, her seemed particurly phased. They exged a brief g otherwise remained calm. Despite the petitive atmosphere, her felt especially pressured by the matchup.

  But those watg felt differently.

  "Kaminari's going to win! Speed is his thing!" Tetsutetsu decred, fident as always, with his hands still in his pockets.

  "Yeah, he's super fast," Jiro agreed, recalling the lightning- speed she had experienced firsthand.

  But their versation caught the attention of Yaoyorozu Momo, who overheard them and decided to chime in. "You guys clearly don't know about Todoroki's abilities, do you?"

  "Huh?" Tetsutetsu and Jiro both turo look at her, curious about what she meant.

  Yaoyorozu crossed her arms, her gaze drifting toward Todoroki. "Shoto Todoroki is the stro reeudent this year."

  Tetsutetsu frowned, not fully vinced. "So, what's his Quirk?"

  "Ice," Yaoyorozu expined simply. "He create and trol ice."

  "Ice, huh?" Tetsutetsu mused, rubbing his . "It sounds powerful, sure, but how does that make him faster than Kaminari? Kaminari's speed is no joke!"

  Yaoyorozu didn't respond directly but instead shrugged, her expression calm. "You'll see soon enough. Todoroki's training with his Quirk is on a whole other level."

  As the two boys stood ready at the starting line, Kaminari gnced sideways at Todoroki. There was a quiet iy in Todoroki's demeanor, but Kaminari wasn't fazed. He was fident in his speed.

  "Everyone, get ready!" came Aizawa's voice, giving the two petitors their cue to prepare.

  Kaminari focused, the familiar crackle of electricity dang across his body as he activated his high-speed movement. The golden arcs of lightning began to swirl around him, charging his muscles for a burst of speed.

  o him, Todoroki's calm gaze didn't waver. A thin yer of frost began to form on the grouh his feet, signaling the activation of his ice-based Quirk.

  "Ready… go!"

  *Ksssh!*

  *Crack!*

  In an instant, Kaminari and Todoroki unched forward, moving almost in unison. Kaminari's body surged with electricity, propelling him forward in a golden blur, while Todoroki's ice coated the ground in front of him, creating a slick path for him to glide across effortlessly.