CRACKLE

  Just as the blue blur that was Iida shot toward Kaminari, Kaminari himself turned into a streak of golden light, dodging in a fsh and cirg around to get behind Iida.

  "That speed…!" Iida's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Kaminari to keep up with him, especially since he had pushed his eo their absolute limit, geing speed he could only maintain for a few seds.

  "Ten seds… that's all I've got!"

  WHOOSH

  CRACKLE

  BOOM!

  The arena became a whirlwind of motion, with a blue light and a golden light darting around, colliding, separating, and then charging at each ain. It was as if they were perf a high-speed dance, each csh sparking with iy. The audience was on the edge of their seats, transfixed by the dispy.

  "Wooah! Did you see that?! Iida and Kaminari are going all out!" Present Mic shouted, his excitement amplified through his Quirk. "This might not have the fsh of Todoroki's ice, but the sheer speed and energy here, this is what the sports festival is all about!"

  The Css 1-A students were equally amazed. Kirishima's mouth hung open as he stared at the blurs of blue and gold streaking across the arena. "Iida's this strong? And Kaminari's speed—it's insane! He's way faster than I thought!"

  "How is Kaminari moving like that?" Asui wondered, her round eyes wide with surprise.

  Only those who'd faced Kaminari in the obstacle race—Todoroki, Midoriya, and Bakugo remained calm, eaderstanding just how much Kaminari was capable of.

  "He's gotten stronger," Tetsutetsu muttered to himself, his fists ched tightly. Watg Kaminari push Iida like this only fueled his own drive to improve. "I've gotta keep w harder if I want to fight alongside him one day!"

  Meanwhile, Kaminari himself was impressed. Iida's fast, he thought, dodging another powerful kick. And he's got guts, too.

  Iida wasn't just matg his speed. Every time their bodies cshed, Iida endured another painful electric shock, yet he never slowed down. His resilience was remarkable, each strike pushing him to his limits.

  Realizing the depth of Iida's determination, Kaminari felt his own resolve sharpen. He's giving it everything he's got, Kaminari thought, respect fshing in his eyes. Then I owe him the same iurn.

  "Dance, Iida!" Kaminari's voice rang out, amplified through the speakers, catg the attention of everyog.

  Iida's eyes narrowed, the adrenaline surging through him. "This… this is the st one… my final blow!" he shouted, feeling the st few seds of his boost slipping away. eling every ounce of his strength into his right leg, he rocketed toward Kaminari, a fierce determination bzing in his gaze.

  "Kaminari-kun! This is everything I have—to defeat you, to surpass you!"

  Kaminari's smile was fierce as he prepared for the impact. He wasn't about to back down. "Alright, Iida!" he roared back. "Bring it on!"

  With o burst of speed, Iida and Kaminari collided at the ter of the arena, golden lightning and blue fmes exploding outward in a brilliant fsh.

  BOOM!

  Their final csh sent a powerful shockwave rippling across the arena, both fighters caught in a deadlock for a moment, Kaminari's electrified elbow against Iida's powerful kick. But as Iida's engines sputtered and gave out, he lost momentum, the force of the csh sending him flying backward.

  "Danger!" Vd King, the Css B teacher on standby, sprang into a. Using his Quirk, he transformed his blood into a soft, protective barrier, catg Iida before he could crash into the arena wall.

  The electric sparks ging to Iida fizzled out as he y unscious on the blood curtain, his body finally succumbing to the exhaustion.

  Stepping forward, Midnight raised her arm. "Iida Tenya is uo tinue! Kaminari Denki wins and advao the round!"

  There was a smattering of appuse, but it was muted. Although the battle had been thrilling, many in the audience felt uneasy about Kaminari's approach, especially after he'd taunted Iida so openly.

  What they didn't realize was that, thanks to this fight, Iida had left a sting impression. Among the professional Heroes watg, several were already discussing the potential of scouting him.

  Kaminari, breathing heavily, let the golden glow around him dissipate. His hair fell bato pce as he gnced down at the unscious Iida. A small smile pyed on his lips. "You did great… css rep."

  With that, he turned his ba the audiend walked off into the corridor, disappearing from sight as the seatch of the sed round came to a close.

  ---

  Above, Aizawa watched Kaminari with narrowed eyes. "That kid… he did all of this to help Iida stand out."

  Beside him, Present Mic uzzled. "Why put on such a show, though? Doesn't he care about his owation with the pros?"

  Aizawa shrugged. "Kaminari's not your typical student. He's… thoughtful, in his own way."

  Meanwhile, iands, Momo seemed to have reached the same clusion. "Kaminari khat if he defeated Iida easily, no one would notice him. But by pushing him like that, he made sure Iida had his moment."

  The students around her looked at each other, their initial misgivings about Kaminari fading as they processed Momo's expnation. Even Mina, who had felt unfortable watg the match, began to soften. "I guess that does sound like something Kaminari would do."

  "Yeah!" Kyoka added. "He's not the type to be mean just for the sake of it."

  As the students murmured among themselves, their respect for Kaminari grew.

  ---

  Ba the medical room, Iida slowly opened his eyes, wing at the sorehat lingered in his muscles.

  "Are you alright?" came a familiar voice.

  Looking over, Iida saw Kaminari leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, watg him calmly.

  "No hard feelings?" Kaminari asked, his tone casual.

  Iida chuckled, though the movement hurt. "Not at all. Thank you… fiving me everything you had. I know you could've ehe mat the beginning if you wao."

  Kaminari nodded, aowledging the truth of Iida's words. He turo leave, but as he reached the door, Iida called out once more.

  "It's a lie, isn't it?" Iida's voice was quiet, tinged with a hint of self-awareness. "You still had strength left, didn't you?"

  Kaminari paused, his back to Iida. After a moment, he responded, his voice softer, almost gentle. "No… I gave it everything I had."

  With that, he walked out, letting the door click shut behind him.

  Lying there, Iida stared at the ceiling for a long time before a small smile crept onto his face. He let out a tired ugh.

  "Liar… but… thank you, Kaminari."