My Hero Academia: Tropic Thunder

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the expansive training grounds as Kaminari stepped into the center of the field, surrounded by the curious eyes of his classmates, drawned by his new black-and-gold hero suit shimmering in the light, the intricate patterns resembling streaks of lightning. Eager whispers rippled through as everyone waited for what was to come.

"Yo, Kaminari, new suit looking manly!" Kirishima called out, a grin spreading across his face as he flexes his biceps. The minor adjustments made on Kirishima's suit were nothing like the overhaul of Kaminari's.

Soon, the suit attracted more looks and his teachers also took notice. Aizawa stood at the sidelines, his gaze focused and unreadable, while Midnight watched with an intrigued smile. All Might nodded to Kaminari, a silent gesture of support.

"Kaminari, the floor is yours." Finally, Ectoplasm took a step back, also eager to see what improvements were made.

Raio walked to the center of the training area, taking a deep breath. The sparks crackling at his fingertips betrayed his excitement, soon the lightning patterns glowed with a yellow tint as if they were being powered up by Kaminari's quirk activation. He stretched his arms outward, his gauntlets lighting up as he began talking to himself.

"Start with Lorentz Force—generate lift by polarizing the boots. Faraday's Law for stabilization... flux control is everything. And a touch of Lenz's Law to counterbalance drift."

As he spoke, a low hum filled the room. His boots began to glow faintly, magnetic energy rippling outward. The metal plates on the floor vibrated slightly as opposing fields pushed against one another.

Kaminari's eyes sparked with energy as the micro-adjusters in his suit automatically activated in sync. The gold lines lit up even more, shimmering like molten veins. He concentrated, feeling the familiar buzz of electricity coursing through him as he manipulated the electromagnetic field beneath his feet.

He crouched slightly, sparks cascading down his suit, before launching upward with a sharp magnetic pulse. The air crackled as he lifted off the ground, hovering a few feet in the air.

A collective gasp rippled through the group.

"Dude! He's flying!" Sero shouted, his tape arm flailing in excitement.

"Is this real?" Mina's eyes were wide with disbelief, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Kaminari's actually flying!"

Raio swayed slightly, his arms moving to adjust balance as the boots' polarity shifted. His gauntlets emitted faint bursts of electricity, compensating for overcorrections.

With a wide grin on his face, Raio muttered to himself. "Okay, Faraday... Don't fail me now."

He tilted forward, the magnetic fields propelling him into a slow glide. The students stared in disbelief as he picked up speed, circling the training area.

"He's using electromagnetic fields for both lift and propulsion! That level of control is incredible—It's like a living maglev system!" Midoriya stood in awe as he analyzes excitedly the possible intrisicate works revolving the technique.

"The precision required to maintain stability mid-air... It's impressive!" Ilda agreed as he stood on his side, nodding in agreement.

Kirishima clapped his hands, his voice booming with pride. "That's so manly, bro! You're defying gravity!"

Yaoyorozu's eyes glistened with admiration as she whispered, "He's mastered electromagnetic propulsion... That's incredible!"

Even Bakugou, who usually wore a smirk of superiority, crossed his arms and watched intently, a begrudging hint of respect in his gaze. "Tsk. About time he showed some real growth."

Jirou, standing slightly apart from the group, had an expression that was a mix of pride and relief. She muttered under her breath. "Way to go, idiot."

Raio attempted a sharp turn, but the magnetic repulsion in his boots surged unevenly, causing him to wobble.

"Whoa! Steady... steady. Lenz's Law, kick in already!" Raio rapidly adjusted the output to compensate.

A quick pulse from his gauntlets corrected his trajectory, this time with smoother control.

Raio soared higher, this time executing a controlled spin before hovering mid-air. Sparks danced around him like miniature fireworks, and his grin widened.

"And for the grand finale!"

He thrust both hands downward, discharging a concentrated burst of electricity. The electromagnetic pulse created a dazzling shockwave that rippled through the training ground, and Raio rocketed upward one last time before descending gracefully to the floor.

"I call this technique... Stormstride!"

Kirishima jogged over as Kaminari descended back to the ground, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Bro, that was insane!"

Mina tackled him into a hug, almost knocking him off balance. "You really showed us, Sparky! I'm so proud of you."

Jirou stood back, arms crossed but a fond smile on her face. "Not bad, Kaminari. You really are full of surprises."

Kaminari chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, guys. This wouldn't have been possible without your support. And... Our teachers' guidance really pushed me in the right direction."

Ectoplasm stepped forward, his usual neutral expression softened with a hint of pride.

"Impressive work, Kaminari. You've clearly put thought into integrating physics into your quirk."

"Thank you, sensei. Couldn't have done without you."

As the training continued and the excitement simmered down, Kaminari glanced to the sidelines where Aizawa and All Might exchanged approving nods. For the first time in a long while, he felt that he was truly moving forward—not just for himself, but for those he cared about, and for the promise of becoming a hero his sister would be proud of.

He knew this was just the beginning. But today, he was ready to embrace it.

...

-Kaminari's POV-

Soon, the training days passed and the day of the exam has arrived.

As we all leave the bus, there is a mix of emotions cascading from each of my classmates: Anxiety, confidence, fear, happiness... Me? I'm terrified, but I gotta push through, having one... No, two promises to uphold.

After Aizawa-sensei's peptalk, Kirishima is so pumped he's ready to throw a excited "Plus Ultra!" That is, until another students beat him to it.

Clearly not from our class, this dude is big, built like a fridge. Strong too as he cracked the pavement as he apologized for intruding. His other classmates stand at an 'at ease' stance, clearly militarized training. The caps give away their origin.

Shiketsu High School, the one that rivals U.A.

"Yoarashi Inasa..." Aizawa-sensei mutters the guys name.

"He is strong, out of all the recomendation students, he is the one who received the highest grades, though refused to apply."

I see... Guessing I'm not the only one who understand what this means: This means this one may be even stronger than Todoroki. I can't let him out of my sight.

"Eraser? Eraser, is that you?!" A sudden, feminine voice breaks the tension of the group focused on Yoarashi. Seeing Aizawa-sensei tense up is concerning.

"Let's marry."

"No."

What the hell was even that? Well, meet Ms Joke. Her shining figure and friendly demeanor is a stark contrast of our teacher. Midoriya, of course, is having a moment fangirling over here.

"The opposites attract each other." It's a saying in my homeland, they fit the description like a glove. She calls over her own students, apparently she's also a teacher. 

We meet the second years of Ketsubutsu academy. What an horrendous choice of uniform. I look over, some interesting faces, but one stands out as he's approaching.

This dude comes over all happy and fangirling, like a grown up Midoriya (seriously, even his hair look the same). 

His antics won't fool me. This Shindo guy is playing coy, a friendly face sheep usually see before the slaughter so the meat won't spoil. This guy is full of it. Bakugou also sees through this facade. Kirishima calling him out for bad manners just show the class is still green in regards to recognizing when someone is faking it.

"Attention! Put on your hero costumes and go for the explanation reunion. Quit wasting time."

Aizawa-sensei is right, no fratenizing with the 'enemy', you never know who's going to be your next opponent.

"It's like we're celebrities down here." Jirou says as we walk together. She's right, but this isn't good. We draw attention, the good and the bad.

...

The place is crammed. We try to stay together but it's hard, there's 1540 examinees alone. So many people trying to become heroes, so many resolves, dreams and ambitions.

The stadium was alive with the hum of thousands of aspiring heroes gathered for the Provisional Hero License Exam. Standing amidst the throng of students from various schools, the air crackling with excitement and tension. I can't even smile, my mind racing with thoughts of the challenge ahead.

Mera, the representative from the Hero Public Safety Commission, stood on an elevated platform, his perpetually droopy eyes scanning the crowd lazily. His voice, monotone yet oddly commanding, echoed across the vast space.

"Welcome to the Hero Licensing Provisional Exam. The objective here is straightforward: prove that you have what it takes to operate as a hero in the public sphere. That means saving lives and defeating villains effectively. But more importantly..." —he paused, a yawn creeping into his voice— "...Doing it with finesse."

I glanced around as I crossed my arms. To my left, Kirishima was grinning with barely contained enthusiasm, punching the air. To my right, Bakugou stood with his trademark scowl, clearly irritated at having to share oxygen with humans. Had to smirk at the contrast between them before refocusing on Mera.

"First round's simple. You're each given three targets to place anywhere on your body. Protect those targets while aiming to hit your opponents' targets with these special rubber balls." He held up a bright orange ball for emphasis. "If all three of your targets are hit, you're out."

The crowd murmured, whispers of strategies and nervous chatter spreading through.

Simple enough, but they didn't just throw us into this for fun. There's a catch.

"And here's the fun part." His eyes scanned the crowd as if gauging their reactions. "Only the first 100 participants to pass will move on to the next stage."

A ripple of tension rolled through the gathered students, some groaning, others steeling themselves for the competition. The stakes were raised considerably.

There it is. Great. Just under 1% will be eligible to pass, and if I'm right, they're gonna target the high value targets first, meaning us.

Kirishima leaned in closer to me, whispering, "Man, this is gonna be intense. But hey, we've got this, right?"

"Yeah, just keep your targets covered, Red. People are gonna aim for the obvious ones."

A snicker from behind made me glance over my shoulder. It was Bakugou, his arms crossed, the usual explosion of attitude emanating from him.

"Tch. Doesn't matter what they aim for. I'm taking everyone out before they even get close."

"Guess we should just follow your lead then, oh mighty Bakugou."

Bakugou shot me a glare. "Don't get in my way, Sparky, or I'll take you out too."

...

Mera cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself.

"Now, listen closely. This isn't just about defeating opponents. Heroes are judged not just by their ability to fight but by how well they work with others and adapt to situations. Use your quirks wisely, and remember, recklessness won't earn you any points here."

Adaptation, teamwork... Right. This is as much about proving we can be reliable as it is about winning.

The briefing ended with Mera giving the final instructions.

"The exam will start one minute after the last applicant has received it's equipment. Prepare yourselves, and good luck. You're going to need it."

Soon the place we're in opened up, to reveal various zones scattered around the gymnasium. Rocky terrains, buildings and highways. As the crowd began to disperse into smaller groups, I'll wait to see what the class will do.

"Guys, don't spread out! Let's act as a group." Midoriya was the first to speak, he has the right idea.

Bakugou growled under his breath as he started walking ahead. "As if I would stick around with you, extras."

"You idiot, wait!" Kirishima jogged behind to keep pace.

"I will be going alone as well. My powers are difficult to use on a big group." Todoroki raced ahead towards the factory zone. Fair enough, maybe I should do the same, I spent the last days of training devising some new techniques, I don't know if I can do it around allies yet.

Still, as the group moves forward, the announcer proclaims:

First exam, start!

Like a swarm of wasps, countless students surrounded us, confirming our suspicions: They would gang up on the high value targets, the ones whose abilities were presented on live television.

Soon, hundreds of balls were hurled at us. I would be fine if I just speed blitz my way out off their path, but there's classmates behind me. Time to practice!

"Kaminari?! What are you doing?!" Midoriya calls out.

"Taking the heat." Electricity crackled wildly around me as I move in front of the group.

Voltage: High. Amperage: medium. Resistance: Low. Oscillate the frequency—disrupt their momentum!

With a sharp yell, I thrusted his hands forward. The energy surged outward, forming a vertical electric shield. The barrier crackled and hissed, a shimmering wall of plasma that split the air with its intensity.

Secret technique: Aegis Arc!!!

The first wave of balls slammed into the barrier. The impact sent ripples of electricity dancing across the surface. Some projectiles disintegrated on contact, vaporized by the plasma, while others were deflected in arcs, flying back toward their throwers.

Although perfect, I already can feel the energy drain setting in. The move is powerful, but maintaining such a precise, high-energy construct is taking a toll.

Behind me, I can already see my classmates began organizing. 

The remaining balls in the immediate area were repelled, scattering harmlessly to the ground.

As the barrage of balls slowed, the barrier flickered and dissipated.

"Barrier's down. The rest is on you guys." Field test complete, technique is a success!

"Dude, that was insane! You really held them off!" Sero, alongside some others, were looking at me. I can't help but feel good about it, they were moving, the initial momentum of our foes was staggered.

As the chaos continued, I took a step back to recharge, preparing myself for whatever came next.

However, they would never allow us any window of opportunity to rest, didn't take long before I can feel it on the soles of my feet.

The ground is vibrating, something big is coming.