No matter how long he stared at it, Kaminari's ceiling didn't change.
He laid on his bed, motionless, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was drifting as it had been for the last few days. A few days ago, the most revolutionary event happened to Kaminari. He thought back towards that day. It started off well but ended in blood.
Shortly after he transformed back from that jellyfish body, the authorities and medical professionals arrived on the scene. He was taken on a stretcher to the hospital from some of the blunt force trauma he had received. As he was taken to the hospital and wheeled into the main lobby, he remembered seeing them cart away Water Hose's bodies to attempt to save their lives.
Later that night, he saw the report where they were officially declared dead. Severe head trauma, shattered spinal cords and internal bleeding is what was declared to have killed them. They were praised over the television as it seemed the impact Kaminari had in defeating Muscular wasn't recognized by the authorities and it wasn't like Muscular was in a condition to reveal that to the public, as he was carted away to a far more secure prison than he was in before.
On his side, Kaminari's recovery was fast but by the morning of the next day, the police wanted his side of the story. So, Kaminari gave it. He told the events of the day almost word for word, excluding the part of him turning into a jellyfish. When the medical doctors heard, they couldn't believe their ears.
It seemed like a fairy tale to them to learn for some device to not only be unable to be removed by someone but to also stop someone from using their quirk in it's entirety. So, they did blood work and tests.
For starters, they managed to confirm Kaminari's suspicions. The watch couldn't be removed. He watched them do everything. They tried removing it in the conventional way. Didn't do anything. They tried using quirks. No reaction. They even moved onto using scalpels and scissors. The silence that followed from the tools either bending or full on shattering was deafening. Following that attempt, they did an x-ray on Kaminari's arm to see what needed to be done.
And they confirmed another thing Kaminari had a feeling of, the watch was actually bound to his flesh at a molecular level. When he asked them if they'd be able to actually remove it, they theorized it was possible but it'd result in permanent damage to Kaminari's arm.
That was terrifying news to receive.
But then came the blood tests, which basically confirmed his worst nightmares.
They searched high and low on Kaminari's DNA and could not find any of the strands that were responsible for his quirk factor. While that was heartbreaking, they revealed something else.
They discovered unknown genetic material in those missing spots that they stated was close to what the quirk factor was. While they had no idea what it could mean, Kaminari worried if that meant he'd die. He was relieved to hear that regardless of the genetic anomaly he had, his DNA was currently stable so he didn't have to worry about any genetic mutations or any other damages.
Kaminari asked what would happen to him without his quirk factor besides just being labeled as quirkless. He remembered the doctors giving him a long lecture, something about how most electric based quirks functioned through the nervous system and how with how his quirk was stated on official records, it was possible his nervous system could suffer from not properly sending out electric impulses?
Whatever it was, it wasn't something he thought sounded good.
For the next day or so while Kaminari made his final stages of recovery, the doctors visited him constantly. They were testing around the clock with varying sets of tests. Some were normal, like hearing. Others were weirder, like them having him block an eye and say what an item was that they held out in front of him.
On the fourth day, the doctors deemed him fit enough for his parents to make a decision. Either Kaminari could stay at the hospital for longer to receive more care should anything arise or he could return home and resume life.
His parents decided that he'd return home.
And that was how the last few days had been. His parents would periodically check in on him, the worry from the villain attack and hospitalization stopping them from seeing him ate away at their souls. He had gotten time off from school and work to recover from the event so he mostly just laid there in bed, contemplating everything.
He hadn't gotten in contact with Sero since that day, nor did he get into contact with Mr. Hiroshi. He'd imagine they had their own issues to deal with over him.
Kaminari still had his own issues.
He lifted the watch above his head before dropping his hand on the bed in exhaustion. He hadn't dared deal with the watch since he turned back. It removed his quirk, it bonded to him and the temporary transformation made him feel turned off about the whole thing. He didn't really want any part of it now since it seemed more of a glass cannon than he had felt when he had his own quirk.
Not that he really knew how to work it beyond just pressing all the buttons and pressing the core down.
"Kaminari? Can you come down for something to eat?" His mom's voice echoed from downstairs.
"Yeah, I'm coming." He replied.
He got off his bed and walked out of the room. He slowly walked down the hallway and made his way downstairs. There, his dad was sitting at the table with his mom preparing some small meal in the kitchen. Kaminari made his way to the table but there was a knock at the door.
His dad looked up and his mom stopped her meal prep. They were quite before the door knocked again. "Kaminari, could you go see who that is?" His dad asked him. Kaminari slowly nodded and made his way to the door. He slowly reached down and pulled the door open, leaning out to see who was there.
And he almost had a panic attack if he did see the whole form of the person in front of him.
Standing before Kaminari was a mountain of a man. His form nearly filled out the entire door frame with muscle and height. If it wasn't for the tanned complexion and neat dark hair, Kaminari would have thought it was Muscular here to finish the job.
"Iis this the Kaminari residence?" The man asked in a deep tone. Kaminari slowly nodded. "Salutations. My name is Yosuke, I'm the medical investigator in charge of your case from the Best Jeanist agency."
Kaminari looked at his clothing, a dark leather jacket and equally dark jeans. Yup, fits.
"Wait, Best Jeanist is in charge of the case? I didn't know that." Kaminari questioned.
"Yes, he took over the case as part of the carnage caused in your situation and a few favors he owed to the heroes. If you have any doubts in my words, here is my license to compare." He held out a plastic card to Kaminari, a hero's license. Kaminari scanned it over to double check. The school system grilled into their heads how to identify faulty hero licenses so vigilantes and villains could flaunt around fake licenses to escape the law.
Everything on it looked legit to Kaminari, nothing jumped out as off.
"Who is Kaminari?" His dad appeared behind him and saw Yosuke. "Oh. Hello sir, anyway can we help you?"
"Are you his parents? I'm in charge of your son's case and I would like to talk to you and your partner about your son." He asked.
"Uh, sure. I'm sure we have enough food." His dad gestured for him to come in and Kaminari almost laughed at the prospect of the man having to duck to enter the house. The three entered the main room as the mom questioned the tall man.
"Greetings, my name is Yosuke and I'm in charge-"
"Of Kaminari's case. Yeah, I heard the first two times you said it." His mother replied. Yosuke looked defeated but regained his composure. He stood while Kaminari and his father sat down at the table.
"Would…Would you like to sit down?" His father asked.
"Only if you would allow it." Yosuke stated. Kaminari kinda blinked in confusion. They all stood in silence before he got the idea. He awkwardly sat down on the opposite side of the table, seeming to take up the same amount of space at the table as the two of them.
"Would you like any food or are you fine without anything?" Kaminari's mom asked as she headed towards the table.
"Your hospitality is greatly appreciated but I am fine. Now, I would like to talk about that day the villain attacked. Would you be fine with that?" Yosuke asked Kaminari. He gulped and slowly nodded with his mother taking the other side of him.
"Then let's get started." He opened his jacket and pulled a folder. He opened it up and pulled a few papers from them and neatly stacked them near him. He pulled one out and scanned it over.
"Now, the damages from that villain attack have almost been completely fixed, with only some of the electrical and piping infrastructure being needed to allow the resuming of business." He blandly rambled on.
"What about Mr. Shinoda? Is he fine? Please! Tell me he at least made it out safe." Kaminari pleaded. Yosuke blankly stared at Kaminari before switching what paper he was reading. He scanned the sheet over before setting it down.
"I'm sorry to say this to you, but this Mr. Shinoda appears on our missing person report from the accident." Kaminari's heart sank.
"He really is dead? Not even a body?" He asked.
"They are slowly identifying the bodies. But the damages caused by the villain were so extreme, that without any physical identification of their person, we need to either use medical practices or quirks to identify bodies." He explained.
"How many do you have to identify?" Kaminari's dad asked.
"In our reports, we have 34 confirmed casualties, 7 missing and 26 injured. So far, we've identified 30 of the casualties and are still searching for 2 of the missing people. We're expected to have the remaining bodies identified by the end of the day." Yosuke solemnly stated.
"And what about the villain?" His mom asked.
"He's placed in one of the top facilities in the country and is waiting to stand trial. In the meantime, his ranking has increased to A for easier identification of danger." Kaminari blinked as a question formed in his head.
"Sir, when did Muscular start his rampage?" Kaminari carefully asked, dreading an answer he knew was coming.
"It would be about three hours before his capture." He responded. "Are you asking because you may have been able to avoid the danger from the alerts?" Yosuke took the words out of Kaminari's mouth.
"Do not blame yourself for the destruction he caused, Kaminari. It was not your fault. You were a child in a situation you did not have a grasp on. You mustn't blame yourself for the death of the heroes. They gave their all to stop that villain. Honoring their legacy by moving on is all we can do now." Kaminari was silent, processing those lines. Sounds like something Mr. Shinoda would tell him. Kaminari could feel his throat getting scratchy as his eyes started to water. He felt the firm hand of his mother on his shoulder, comforting him.
"Don't cry Kaminari. You did your best. Especially with the lost of your quirk. I'm sure those who lost their lives would have been more saddened if you were the one to pass instead." His mom reaffirmed him.
"On to the next topic, your quirk. The blood tests from the hospital have been studied by quirk specialists and they've figured out what happened to you." Yosuke mentioned, sliding the paper he had to the folder. Kaminari looked up, feeling more grounded from the prior information to process what was going to come next.
"So what happened? We heard the story of how this watch he wears now is the reason he lost the quirk, I assume that's not the full story?" His dad asked. Yosuke put his hands together and nodded.
"Quirk specialists have studied your blood and come to the conclusion you've experienced a rare mutation called Quirk Forced Mutation. It is an exceptionally rare condition in which the quirk factor is damaged through intense stress and deliria. It doesn't remain damaged as the quirk factor would then rapidly regrow and change from the increased adrenaline in the body." He explained.
"Like cancer?" Kaminari's dad asked. Yosuke nodded.
"Yes, in the very few cases we have of this situation happening, the victim of Quirk Forced Mutation will suffer fatal growths and quickly die as the rest of the body would not be adapted to handle the new quirk factor."
"I'm sorry, what?" Kaminari asked.
"However, it's reasoned by the quirk specialists that the watch your son is bonded to stabilizes this condition into something that can be controlled. May I ask, how did you come into contact with this device?" Yosuke gestured his hand towards Kaminari, who was getting the attention from everyone.
Well, time to spill the beans. Hope he lives through this.
"Wellll, I was looking through some old boxes because I was bored and I found a safe. Inside was the watch but it didn't look like this! It looked like a sports watch before then it changed in a green flash. Other than that, they'd probably know." Kaminari pointed at both of his parents who looked shocked.
"Wait, you actually managed to open the safe? Damn, uh, I've been trying for years to open it!" His dad said. Yosuke then turned to them.
"Would you like to explain how you discovered this watch?" He asked the two.
"Well, uh, we won it at a carnival when we were still in college. It was a really tough ring toss game being hosted by this American scientist. I managed to win the jackpot and he gave me the safe, saying what was inside would be useful!" His mom quickly explained. "Trust me, we have never been able to open the safe so we had no idea what was inside. But, I guess if it saved our son, I'm glad we got it."
"So wait, some scientist just handed you this?" Kaminari asked.
"Who knows? Maybe he had an insane precognition quirk. Maybe that was why we couldn't open it. He wanted someone who'd be affected by the Forced Quirk Mutation to have it so they'll be safe." His dad reasoned.
"Well, I guess. It still feels weird." Kaminari mumbled. Yosuke only nodded as he moved to pull out a paper. He slid it towards the three of them and folded his hands.
"In front of you is an apprenticeship offer. As part of this case, we've looked into your case and come to learn you've put in an application to U.A. a few months prior, is this correct?" Yosuke asked Kaminari.
"I'm sorry, U.A.? We haven't heard ANY of this, Denki." His mom growled at him.
"It was uh, a personal decision." Kaminari mumbled. His dad only sighed in some form of disappointment but his mom was more annoyed at the revelation. Kaminari felt slightly discouraged from that but he continued the conversation with Yosuke.
"I mean, I did but I don't have a quirk anymore that I can really use so I don't- Wait, did you say apprenticeship?" Kaminari's heart skipped a beat with the realization. Yosuke only nodded and smiled.
"Wait, you guys are offering to teach him?" Kaminari's mom asked.
"Correct. In light of your pursuit to become a hero and the bizarre condition surrounding your quirk, the Best Jeanist agency has extended an offer of an apprenticeship under me, where the next few months will be spent learning your new abilities and preparing you for the exam to enter U.A." Yosuke explained and offered towards Kaminari.
Kaminari couldn't believe it.
'Training under a pro! Not only that, but a pro connected to Best Jeanist! This is so cool!' Kaminari could only help but excitedly nod to Yosuke's offer.
"One more thing, we have reports of another potential attendee at U.A., Hanta Sero. Do you know anyone by that name?" He asked Kaminari.
"Sero? Oh yeah, I know him. I haven't been able to talk to him for a few days though." He stated.
"Would it be possible for you to give him the message? If your parents agree to our offer, we'll meet at the quirk training ground in the Chiba prefecture in two hours. Both you and Sero." Kaminari nodded before turning to his parents.
"Please, could I? This is like a one in a million offer! Maybe I could learn how to use my new abilities!" He begged his parents. They didn't seem as sold on the whole offer. Yosuke butted in before his parents could say anything regarding the offer.
"Pardon my rudeness, but if your parents are having any doubts, I would gladly give more information to them while you contact Hanta Sero." Kaminari smiled before pushing himself away from the table. He eagerly made his way upstairs while his parents and Yosuke started to talk. He ran to his room and picked his phone off the desk.
Now that he didn't have his quirk, it was weird to remember that his phone had to be on a charger now. He quickly unplugged it and opened the idle conversation him and Sero had.
"Hey. Are you there?" He typed. He paced around his room, waiting for a response. Then, his phone buzzed.
"Yeah, I guess. What's up?" Kaminari relaxed. He wasn't sure Sero was ever going to respond after all of that.
"A pro is at my door. He's offering to teach us because of the incident." He sent another reply, waiting for Sero to respond.
"Really? Sick! When?" He asked.
"Two hours at a quirk training camp at Chiba." Kaminari said. He waited a few moments, leaning near his door to see if he could hear anything regarding the conversation between his parents and the pro. Whatever they were talking about, they were keeping it quiet.
Bummer, he'd like to hear how it was going for his favor.
"Sure. Be there then." Kaminari pumped the air in excitement.
"Yes! Sero said yes!" He yelled down the stairs. He rushed down the stairs to his parents and Yosuke looking at him. "Uh, he said yes." He reiterated. Yosuke chuckled and returned his attention towards his parents.
"I should get ready for later. Thank you for your time." He stood up, leaving Kaminari worried that the talk had gone south. He watched the tall man leave their home and he slowly made his way to the table.
"So uh, how did it go? You said yes right?" Kaminari questioned.
"Kaminari, is being a hero the path you want to walk? You'll meet villains like Muscular, you'll lose people like Mr. Shinoda. Are you sure you're ready for that path?" His mom asked him. Kaminari thought about it for a second. While it's true there was a fear he had of meeting someone like Muscular again, there was something else for Mr. Shinoda.
"Yeah. I can't just stand around when I had a powerful quirk. You know, being a hero is cool, plus, I can help people. Maybe prevent something like that from happening. I'd love to receive some training from a pro before I attempt to attend U.A." He argued for his case. His parents looked at each other before smiling.
"You know, he reminds me of him." His dad said. His mom slowly nodded.
"Who?" Kaminari asked. His dad looked at him.
"An old friend from college. He isn't around anymore but he had that same train of thought." His dad explained.
"Oh, is he uh, is he, you know?" Kaminari stumbled.
"He moved abroad. We haven't heard a word from him in the last 12 years. But beyond that, if that is really what you want, then I guess my approval won't go to waste." His mom said.
"Wait, you said yes? Oh my god, thank you guys! You don't know how much this means to me!" Kaminari cheered. His parents only chuckled.
"Well, don't die again!" His dad cheered.
…
Kaminari expected more from something called a quirk training camp. He expected something like a building but standing in front of something that could have easily doubled as a park wasn't what he had in mind.
"So how does this work? I've never gone to one of these before." Sero chimed.
"Well, how it works is simple. You sign a few waivers at the front and then you go into the camp to practice your quirk. Can't be harder than that." Yosuke explained as he led them forward.
"Yeah, but what's stopping someone from using their quirk like a criminal?" Sero asked.
"Well, the waiver. There's also a few personnel on the grounds who are registered pros so they can deal with any action that violates the waivers. They also serve as instructors if you need it." He finished as the three made it to the front gate. There was a small building nearby and the three headed inside. It looked like a normal waiting room to Kaminari, just lacking the televisions to keep you entertained.
A person at the desk looked up from behind bars and waved them over. "Hello! Welcome to the Chiba Quirk Training Grounds, raising the future of Japan. How may I help you?"
"Greetings. I'd like to bring in me and these two young men for some instruction." Yosuke handled the conversation. The person nodded before ducking below the desk, rummaging through something. They came back up and placed three papers on the desk and slid them under the bars.
"Name please?" The person asked as they turned towards a computer sitting near them.
"My name is Yosuke. I'm registered with the Best Jeanist Agency." He pulled out his hero license and slid it near the bars. The person leaned over and scanned it before nodding, typing something into the computer. They tapped the paper and Yosuke quickly signed it before moving out of the way.
"Alright, and the other two?"
"Hanta Sero?" Sero stepped forward and gave his name. They typed away on their keyboard and scanned the screen.
"Your quirk is Tape?" Sero nodded and they slid the paper towards him. Sero picked up the pen and looked it over before signing his name. He moved away and Kaminari finally stood before them.
"And what is your name?" They asked.
"Denki Kaminari." He stated. There was a moment of silence as they typed. They only stopped to examine the screen and to look back at Kaminari.
"Did you recently change your quirk on the public records? Your name isn't appearing on here at the moment."
"Uh, yeahhhh." Kaminari slowly said, unsure of the actual answer. He didn't know what would be there but he just hoped Yosuke would have had that all sorted out.
"Alright then, just sign these papers and you three are good to enter." Kaminari looked down at the papers in front of him. He scanned it over, noting the notable terms of not harming other people that would be in the park, no illegal weapons unless it's tied to your quirk and just general agreements that the privilege given to them at this moment was something that could be permanently revoked at any given moment.
Now that he was reading it, it seemed like common sense to be honest.
He quickly signed the papers and the trio moved out of the building towards the training grounds. Immediately, it seemed like something Kaminari had never seen before. While he never went to one of these places because he never thought his quirk was something he had to practice with, he saw all sorts of quirks getting used.
He saw those with mutant quirks training their bodies to their limits through flying and lifting. He saw those with emitter quirks expelling their elements out over dirt patches. Walls of fire, waves of water and gusts of wind danced throughout the field. As Yosuke walked through the field away from all that, Kaminari's eyes drifted towards a black haired student who was just repeatedly punching a single boulder, over and over.
'Huh, weird.' He thought to himself as they moved on. Yosuke marched towards a treeline that surrounded them all. Kaminari and Sero looked at each other as Yosuke entered. Both of them shrugged and followed after him, walking over exposed roots and small brambles that grew on the forest floor.
After a few moments of walking, Yosuke brought them to a more secluded area of the training grounds, a clearing in the woods. From that point, Kaminari couldn't see outside the clearing and it was very likely others couldn't see into it.
Yosuke turned to them once he reached the center point of the clearing. "Alright, so before we can begin, have you figured out how to transform, Young Kaminari?" He asked.
"I mean, yeah. I pressed the buttons and pushed the thing that pops up. Then I turned into a jellyfish." Kaminari explained. Yosuke slowly nodded.
"Have you done anything else with the watch?" He asked. Kaminari blinked in confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked Yosuke. Yosuke brought his wrist up and tapped it with his other hand. "Perhaps a reason why you seem to lack any knowledge on the watch is due to you failing to explore every possibility. Have you tried to see if there is a touch feature?"
Kaminari thought about it. He never thought about it like that so he looked down. The faceplate was smooth but he didn't think it'd be able to do anything. He shrugged, why not?
He pressed the faceplate and held his fingers there. To his amazement, a hologram popped up. The main focus was a holographic 3D form of the jellyfish form. But the part Kaminari was more focused on was the ring surrounding it.
It was a ring that was divided into two parts, a darker top part and a lighter half with a square in the center. Inside that square was the face of the jellyfish form but on the sides of the jellyfish were other faces.
'No way, hold on. Is there more on this thing?' Kaminari slowly swiped on the face plate and the entire interface changed. The ring rotated to a form possessing a crown and the 3D image changed into a large insectoid.
"Hold on, I can turn into multiple things!?" He shouted in disbelief. He looked at Sero, both of them having wide eyes.
"Do it!" Sero egged on. Kaminari nodded eagerly and pressed the buttons. He brought his arm up and slammed the core down. The watch flashed a bright yellow, engulfing the group.
Kaminari felt different, mainly because he felt a little taller. When the flash died down, he looked down at himself. His skin turned hard and sickly green, forming a hard exoskeleton. His legs greatly lengthened with his feet gaining sharp claws.
"Wow, this feels strange. Kinda off in a way." Kaminari chirped to himself, moving his legs up and down while observing his thin arms.
"Hmm, this might be a result of the Forced Quirk Mutation. The watch can control the specific mutations your quirk undergoes to create transformations. At least, that is the working theory." Yosuke chimed.
"From emitter to transformation? Aren't transformation quirks rare? That sounds cool, to be honest." Sero said. Kaminari nodded and looked himself over. "I wonder what I can do with this one! Maybe he can do some cool plant stuff!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"While you figure that out, Young Sero, could you use your quirk?" Yosuke asked Sero.
"Sure, you want me to swing around the trees or perhaps try to hit things accurately?" Sero responded, raising his elbows to show his determination.
"No, I just want you to constantly use your quirk. I'd like to know your limits before I try to teach you any technical skills." Sero blinked in confusion.
"What? But that's boring! I thought I was going to learn some cool tricks." He complained. Yosuke raised a finger to silence him.
"Discovering your limits is the first step to strength. Then, discover ways to circumvent your limits. Only then will you learn where your true strength lies." Yosuke explained slowly.
"So I need to figure out my quirks limits before I can learn how to do fancy tricks?" Sero asked, confused. Yosuke nodded. "Yes, failure to learn your limits and circumventions will ruin the potential you otherwise have and bring dishonor to yourself."
"Oook then, I'll get to work." Sero slowly walked away from the two. Kaminari looked at Yosuke with excitement.
"What should I do? Figure out what this form can do?"
"Exactly. I would like you to try to become familiar with your powerset in this form. Then, I want you to spar with me." Yosuke finished.
"Wait, spar? Why?" Kaminari asked. It didn't seem reasonable to try and fight. Wasn't Sero just told to use his quirk? Why wasn't he told the same thing?
"Sparring with me will allow me, and you, to learn what your ingenuity and individual limits are. Think of it as a more applied approach to what young Sero is doing." He explained to Kaminari.
"Ok, that makes sense. Now, to figure out what this form can do." Kaminari told himself. He closed his eyes, searching inward. He felt nothing. He tried searching deeper, maybe it was just actually deeper in his being.
Nothing, it felt like his normal appearance.
'Maybe it isn't something like a quirk ability?' He opened his eyes and looked at his legs. It all clicked after that.
"Oh, I'm just dumb." He realized. He looked upwards as he prepared to jump. He was some grasshopper so he probably just could jump really good. He braced himself and jumped.
He certainly wasn't thinking he'd jump THAT high up.
He heard the ground break from underneath his feet as he quickly soared above the treeline. The weightless feeling of the leap made Kaminari's stomach churn. He looked down when he reached the apex of his leap.
'Oh, the ground is really far. I'm probably going to die.' He thought as he began to fall.
"WAIT, NONONONO!" He yelled as he began to flail to find some way to brace for impact. He put his arms out and legs, in just any way to save himself. He closed his eyes. Maybe this form was durable enough to survive this fall!
He did feel him hit something, but it wasn't the ground. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up. Yosuke was staring him down in his arms but his face was just disappointed.
"Grasshopper's legs typically have the strength and durability to resist the shock from the leaps they can take. Please remember that the next time you jump." Yosuke told him flatly. Kaminari chuckled nervously as he got out of his arms. Yosuke walked back a few meters and then gestured to Kaminari to come. But it wasn't an invitation to follow.
It was a taunt to attack.
Kaminari looked at the ground from where he leapt from, there was a small crater that was created from the sheer force of his initial jump. "Uh actually, are you sure sir?" He pointed to the crater and Yosuke nodded.
"Worry not, I'll be fine. You've come to realize your ability so now we'll give you some practice in applying it." Kaminari nodded. Well, if he said so.
He brought himself low and prepared himself to leap forward. Maybe if his legs were that strong, maybe he could get a good kick in? Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. Yosuke watched his movements but he didn't take any stance in preparation.
"Here I come!" Kaminari yelled as he lunged forward. He brought his leg up to see if he could deliver his kick. Yosuke remained still and Kaminari flew closer. He smirked as he got closer. This has gotta hurt him.
There was a moment of silence as Yosuke turned to his side as Kaminari got closer. Kaminari flew past him, awkwardly catching himself.
"Try to not make your movements so obvious." Yosuke pointed out. Kaminari grumbled as he got back into form.
"Try to use your head, your form in jumping makes you slower in flight." Yosuke advised.
Did he actually mean his head? Usually that's a metaphor but he didn't know what else he'd do with his form. Alright then, maybe his head is strong enough to really hurt something. He poised to leap headfirst and Yosuke prepared for the attack.
Kaminari leapt forward in a burst of speed. Yosuke easily dodged once more and Kaminari soared to the tree line. There was a crunch of tree bark as his head collided with a tree. He caught himself in his leap as the tree collapsed by his side. He looked down at the tree in shock while rubbing his head. He saw the destruction his head caused with the leap but he didn't feel any pain in his head, only a slight tingle on his crown.
'Oh, so I can do that.' Kaminari began to smile. That was kinda cool. Instead of just having some cool ability, he has pure physical power. He was like a battering ram that just happened to chirp when he talked.
He turned back to Yosuke, who lowered his guard but invited Kaminari to attack once more. Kaminari's grin grew. He revved himself up for another leap, his high making his mind lapse over the potential damage he was about to cause the pro.
He leapt forward anyway.
And was that a mistake.
Instead of hitting something he thought would be squishy with a hard interior, it felt like Kaminari just slammed himself into a solid concrete wall. His skull erupted in the most painful headache he had experienced in forever as Yosuke grabbed Kaminari's shoulders. He barely had time to process Yosuke not only being unfazed by his attack but also Kaminari being thrown over his shoulder and onto the ground behind him.
Kaminari collapsed onto the ground in a painful thud as Yosuke loomed over him in a shadow. "Are you alright?" He asked Kaminari. Kaminari groaned as he rolled over to get up.
"As well as you can feel like smashing your head against a wall. How are you so durable? I just went through a tree without feeling anything!" Kaminari chirped as he stumbled, trying to get the world to stop spinning around him.
"Well, to your credit, you did knock me back a meter or two." Yosuke chuckled. "But that would be a result of my quirk, Duraskin. Makes my skin as tough as diamonds. I figured you finding the limit of your strength as soon as you found it, would lead to your growth. My apologies if that did greatly injure you." He told Kaminari.
"Wish you told me from the get-go so I didn't do that…" Kaminari mumbled. Yosuke let out a hearty chuckle at that comment. "Well then, let this be a lesson to you! Learn your opponents strengths and use that against them!"
"Uh, sir?" Sero croaked behind them.
The two turned towards him standing before a small pile of his own tape. His arms were shaking and his face was starting to turn red. Kaminari began to worry that he was hitting his limit and it was a more painful downside for Sero than it was an embarrassing downside for Kaminari's old quirk, but Yosuke only gave a thumbs up.
"You're doing great, Young Sero. Take a break if you need it but I would like you to try and reach that point again to solidify this discovery. Otherwise, try to push through until you truly can't continue anymore." He asked Sero.
"You know, I think I'll take that break. So, how's this cricket body? I heard you leap and make a tree fall down." Sero questioned while walking away from his mess.
"Hmm, perhaps we need a name for your form, don't you think?" Yosuke pointed out. "They are your quirk so giving these many forms titles might help with identification."
"You really think so? I think saying Jellyfish or Grasshopper is alright." Kaminari asked.
"Well, it's the same issue with quirks. Without the user's unique title towards it, how hard would it be to refer to a specific hero's fire quirk? Why don't you come up with names for your forms?"
Names? He can do that. He thought about it, tapping his foot to think. Maybe he could make a pun name? Puns are fun. Plus, being an edge lord wasn't fun anyway.
"Hmm, how about Krickett! Get it, because it kinda sounds like kick and cricket at the same time." Kaminari cheered.
"Kaminari, with all due respect, that name sucks." Sero deadpanned.
"What!? That's a great name!" Kaminari retorted.
"Hmm, I see what you're going for. A pun on the animal and it's ability. Then why not the name Crashopper? Sounds similar to Grasshopper but is easier to hear the joke you want in the name." Yosuke said.
"You know, actually." Kaminari thought about it. "I like that name. What about the jellyfish? Hmm, what would be a good name? Jellyfritz? Feedback? Surge? Amps?" Yosuke looked disappointed at the name choices but snapped at the end. "Actually, that last one could work. What other traits does this form have?" Yosuke quickly asked.
"Well, he's blue? I don't know if you could do anything with that." Kaminari slowly said.
"You're a moron. Uh, I remember your boss said you're amphibious right? Uh, wait, that has amp in the name. Why not that?" Sero realized. Yosuke pounded his fist into his palm as the message dawned on him at that moment.
"Ah! Ampfibian! That would be a fine name for your form." He reasoned.
"Wow, a lot better than what I was going for. I was just going to go with Amphibious." Kaminari bluntly stated. The two stared at Kaminari before turning to each other and sighing.
"There is a good reason they always say a pro should help the students with naming. Guess this is what we learned today." Yosuke said to the two of them.
"Who would have guessed my physical strength would increase at the expense of my mental health?" Kaminari sarcastically chirped.
"My bad, Young Kaminari. I did not mean to degrade you. Now, why don't we try some more training for the both of you?" He asked them. The two looked at each other, Sero taking a glance down at his shaking elbows.
"I guess. This is going to suck." Sero grumbled beneath his breath.
The next few minutes were relatively similar to what they were trying before. Kaminari was trying to hit Yosuke, although now a good chunk of him missing was a result of not wanting to give himself a migraine again. Sero was behind them, slowly spraying more and more tape.
This went on for several minutes. Kaminari began to tire when he began to hear a beep again. He looked down at his badge as the yellow interface flashed red. The beeping led to a flash of red, where Kaminari felt his body revert to his normal human self. Yosuke relaxed from his defensive stance as the wave of exhaustion hit Kaminari like a truck.
"Hmm, perhaps there is a time limit to your quirk now. Or perhaps it's based on your endurance. We should look into it." Yosuke commented.
"Maybe I could fight through the soreness, ya know? I don't feel that bad." Kaminari said. He began to reach for the watch as Yosuke raised his arm to interrupt him but something on Yosuke's person began to ring.
"On second thought, let's see what this is." Yosuke told him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. He raised it to his ear and went silent as the call began. He mumbled in agreement to a few things that came from the other side.
"Alright, I'm on my way." He replied before quickly pocketing his phone. He looked at Kaminari and Sero and bowed his head.
"My apologies but I must cut our time short. I'm required to report for Best Jeanist as soon as I can. Something came up. I'm sorry I'm leaving you two." He apologized profusely.
"I mean, you have work to do. I guess we can find ways to train ourselves." Sero concluded.
"I will find a way to contact you later, perhaps when our timing can be uninterrupted by others. Have a good day." He bowed to the two before making his leave with haste.
When his hulking form faded into the treeline, the two stood there awkwardly.
"So uh, want to go see what the other people are doing?" Sero asked. "I don't really want to work on just shooting tape right now and I don't really know how I can help with your own thing. Maybe we should get with someone else to practice." He suggested.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind. I'd think Yosuke would probably want that above anything." Kaminari responded with a nod. The duo began to walk out of the treeline and made their way into the open area where everyone else was training.
Kaminari scanned the area more closely this time, looking at everyone else in the park. Sero poked his side to get his attention. When Kaminari turned to him, he gestured towards the closest person, the black haired teen punching the boulder.
Kaminari and Sero made eye contact. Sero only shrugged, seemingly to say "Hey, it's the best I got." Kaminari rolled his eyes and the two approached the teen. As they approached, Kaminari got a closer look at the teen. He saw that their knuckles, while red, were more rigid than what should be possible. Underneath each blow, Kaminari could see each strike was making the cracks on the surface of the boulder lengthen.
The teen noticed them as they got closer. He turned his attention away from the body to look at them. "Uh, hi?" He questioned as they stopped. Sero was the first to wave.
"Hey! My name is Sero and this is Kaminari. We came here to train with an instructor but he left to go deal with something. We were wondering if you could help us, or help you, train!" Sero offered. He seemed to think it over before he straightened his posture.
"I mean, I guess. Do you have quirks that allow you to be… tough?" He questioned the last part as Kaminari watched the hardened knuckles retract into something normal.
"Oh, you got a transformation quirk! Just like Kaminari!" Sero cheered before gesturing towards him. Kaminari didn't even have time to process that before he was put on the spot. The other looked at him with a small smile, showing rows of jagged teeth.
"You do? What can you do?" He asked Kaminari.
"Oh, watch!" Kaminari pulled his sleeve back and moved to press the buttons for the core to pop up so he could turn back into Crashopper but he was met with a beep that sounded like a denial. He looked down and pressed the button again to see if he had just done it wrong.
"Are you kidding me? Why isn't this thing working? It worked a bit ago." Kaminari grumbled.
"Did you recently just transform?" The other teen asked. Kaminari looked up and nodded.
"Oh, well, with me, sometimes my quirk just has a limit for how long I can hold it for so you're probably on a cooldown before you can use your quirk. Although, I haven't heard of a quirk that needed a watch to transform." He reasoned.
"Oh, that watch allows Kaminari to focus his forms, I think." Sero stated.
"Forms?"
"Yeah, I can transform into a few things. So far though, all I've learned is that I can turn into a giant jellyfish and grasshopper." Kaminari explained. The other teens' expressions became somber as he looked at the two of them.
"Wow, that sounds cool. My quirk is kinda bland in comparison. I can just harden my body. It's not really the flashiest." He held up his hand and the two watched as his fingers developed edges and came to a point. "I can't harden very much so far or is it very durable enough but I'm trying to work on it getting better."
"Oh, that looks cool, uh, wait sorry. What's your name?" Sero asked.
"Oh, my name's Kirishima. Eijiro Kirishima. And you really think so?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah! I mean, I can only shoot out tape so I guess in appearance, your's is cooler." Sero reassured him. "Plus, I mean, Kaminari turns into a giant bug. I think getting sharp skin is cooler than that!" Sero joked.
"Oh, very funny. Remember, I could have more forms!" Kaminari remarked. Kirishima looked at the two puzzled.
"Is this something you guys always do?" Kirishima asked.
"Nope! That would be the second time." Sero chimed.
"Wait, how long have you guys known each other?" He asked the two quickly.
"This is the second day we've hung out." Kaminari mentioned. Kirishima looked at them before smiling. "Sick. That's real friendship right there!" He cheered. Kaminari and Sero looked between themselves before turning back to Kirishima.
"I guess." Kaminari shrugged.
"Hey, how long do you have for your cooldown?" Kirishima asked. Kaminari looked down at the red interface. "Uh, no idea." He answered.
"Oh, well, then could I see your tape?" Kirishima asked Sero. Sero nodded, producing a small piece from his elbow slowly. He handed it to Kirishima, who took it and observed it. He hardened his finger and brought it across the side, slowly cutting it in half.
"Well, I can at least practice cutting if that's needed." Kirishima shrugged. Sero seemed to not like that idea given how bad his elbows felt but he didn't need to pray for help because that moment was when there was a chime from Kaminari. The three looked down as Kaminari checked the watch. The interface had changed from red to yellow, exciting him.
"Ok, now it's working! So, Ampfibian or Crashopper?" Kaminari asked as he pulled up the holographic interface, surprising Kirishima.
"Wow, I've never seen that before with really anything!" He leaned over and glanced at the faces on the ring. "Ten faces. Wow, you really got lucky."
"Well, not really." Sero said. Kirishima looked at him but Sero only shrugged. "Listen, it's a long story and I was just briefed with it on the way here." Kirishima seemed to take that as a reasonable answer so he looked back at the ring.
"Hmm, what about that one?" Kirishima pointed to a face on the ring that had a cone shaped head and a reptilian face. Kaminari turned the ring towards that one, landing on a form of something that resembled a humanoid dinosaur that was leaning forward.
"That one? Sure." Kaminari pressed the buttons and let the flash envelope him once more. His body hunched over as scales, claws and a tail grew on him. His skull hardened into something that resembled a helmet. When it died down, he opened his eyes and looked at the amazed Kirishima.
"See? Pretty cool huh?" Kaminari blurted out. Kirishima looked him over and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah! So what can this form do?"
"No clue!" Kaminari cheered.
"What? What do you mean by that?" Kirishima asked.
"He only got this like a week ago." Sero explained. Kirishima turned his head quickly as Sero shrugged again. "As I said, long story."
"Well, we can always figure it out!" Kaminari cheered. He turned around and looked towards the treeline. He walked over as far as he could towards the treeline in an attempt to create distance between him and the others. "I think I've got an idea on how to use these forms now so let's see." He focused to see if he could feel the same spark that Ampfibian had.
All that happened was something slid down onto his face.
"Ack! What is this?!" Kaminari tried to touch his face to remove whatever slid down but it seemed locked in place and his own claws made it difficult. He struggled to try and pry it open but to no avail. He sighed in defeat and tried to reason what it could be. It seemed to be a visor, with everything tinted yellow. He turned back to Sero and Kirishima and gave them the best he could for a thumbs up.
"I've got a visor thing!" He cheered.
"Hey Kaminari, I have a theory about your ability like this." Sero pointed out. "Try to run to us." Kaminari nodded and got what he assumed was the most effective position to run.
'Ok, whatever he's thinking, it'll be fine. I've got this." He told himself.
He started his sprint towards them. Even though the distance between him and the others wasn't great, it took him a second to get to the two of them. He stood in front of them and waited for them to say something.
But then he noted that they were still staring blankly ahead. He didn't have time to ponder as suddenly, chaos seemed to erupt at once.
He felt an intense wind rush over them and dust basically exploded off his feet. It created a cloud that enveloped the three of them but Kaminari's visor kept all of the dust from hitting his eyes. When the dust settled, Sero and Kirishima's hair were messy and dirt covered their faces. They were coughing as Kaminari tried to ponder what he even did.
"Wait, what happened?" Kaminari asked as he looked behind himself. Sero's cough was the first to die down or at least he was the one who decided to fight through it.
"Figured. You got super speed. You were moving way too fast to try and move your visor off." Sero coughed out.
"Wait, he's got super speed?" Kaminari asked.
"Wait, I heard this. Don't those who have super speed have faster perceptions? I think I remember Ingenium talking about that once." Kirishima pointed out.
"Oh, that explains why you guys didn't react to me getting to you." Kaminari reasoned. Kirishima looked at Kaminari and then looked at himself.
"Actually, how strong do you think you are?" He asked, raising hardened arms. Kaminari got the idea and he looked at his arms. While his upper arms were thinner, his forearms were thicker. He also had those sharp claws, he guessed.
"Uh, I think I can do something?" He answered. Kirishima rose his arms and braced himself.
"Hit me."
Kaminari nodded and brought his arm back. He struck Kirishima, sparks flying off as they met. Kaminari waited for a reaction from Kirishima to continue.
"Again!" Kirishima shouted. Kaminari nodded and brought his arm back.
He stuck again, again and again. Every time, he waited to hear any confirmation that he needed to stop. After several blows, there was a moment of silence as Kaminari watched Kirishima's hardening soften on his arms. He looked down at them and sighed.
"I hoped I could do a few more hits but, I guess thanks for that. It's really helping out." Kirishima said calmly, although he seemed a little disappointed in himself.
"Hey, don't be hard on yourself. You're doing great." Sero reassured him.
"You really think so?" Sero nodded. "Now, I was thinking we should spend the next hour messing with Kaminari." He smirked.
"I'm sorry, what?"
…
The trio walked out from the park to the streetside. It was a few hours after Yosuke had left but they were all laughing.
"Cellophane? What even is that?" Kaminari chuckled.
"No, it's a real thing! It's like plastic wrap. I thought wrapping something up with tape would need some name to fit that!" Sero laughed along. Kirishima tapped his shoulder.
"Dude, your quirk is a lot stronger than I thought. Those tapes are hard to pull apart." He complimented.
"Yeah, I was surprised. Crashhopper barely had the strength to pull them apart. I get it now. I get why you boosted your tape back at the arcade." Kaminari said.
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Why didn't you try out a fourth form? You had the time." Sero asked Kaminari.
"Huh, with how long the transformations and cooldowns were, it never occurred to me to try another beyond the three I know. I was just trying to show Kirishima the ones I knew." Kaminari shrugged. Kirishima turned around, sniffing the air. The conversation stopped as the other two turned towards him.
"Hey, do you smell that? Smells like rotten eggs." Kirishima asked. The three stopped to smell the air. Kaminari got the small whiff of something foul but he couldn't place it like Kirishima had could.
"Hey, who's that?" Kirishima gestured. The three saw someone approach and Kaminari immediately recognized them.
It was the customer from the store.
"Wait, it's you!" Kaminari shouted. The man got closer to them and stopped a few meters from them. He smiled and bowed his head to them.
"Hi, we meet again," He said. "I wasn't expecting to see you again. But, I'm glad you two made it out." He seemed to notice Kirishima when he finished but he smiled towards him.
"Hello, are you a friend of these two?"
"Uh, yeah. Do you guys know each other?" Kirishima asked the two.
"I mean, we met each other a while ago but the circumstances weren't really ideal…" Sero trailed off, thinking about the situation.
"We didn't see you after a bit. Glad to see you made it out alright." Kaminari continued. The man nodded.
"Yes, although I still stayed close enough to observe everything. Before I continue, may I uh, have you name kid?" The man asked Kaminari.
"Oh? Kaminari. Nice to meet you." Kaminari nodded.
"Ah, Kaminari. I must say, you used the Omnitrix well!" Kaminari blinked. The what now?
"I have to repay you for helping to save my life, so why don't you two come down to Undertown? I mean, if it's no problem for you guys. You can even bring your new friend!" He offered. The three looked at each other confused. Undertown? Kaminari had never heard of a place called that.
"Uh, sure sir. I guess we have the time." Kirishima said for the group, who only nodded in response.
"Great! Uh, if you follow me, I'll show you the entrance I take. It should get us into the main part of town." He rambled on, turning his back to them. He walked forward, and the trio walked slowly behind him, keeping their distance.
"So, if he tries anything, you transform and we just use self defense to beat anyone in a fight, right?" Sero whispered.
"Yeah, he can't be worse than," Kaminari paused. "You know what, he can't be that bad. He's just a smelly plant person. We could take him. How awful could this get?"