"Trial Thirty-Two...starting!"
Mei Hatsume slammed her hand down dramatically onto the control switch.
Instantly—
The massive superconductor machine erupted with humming electrical power.
Bright blue arcs of electricity surged through thick cables into the reinforced chamber at the center of the lab—
Where Kurokami Tenshin was currently pressing his bare upper body directly against the machine itself.
"...Hahahaha—"
Kuro twitched slightly as visible sparks danced across his skin.
"That kinda tickles—HAHA—"
Mei adjusted her goggles excitedly while furiously writing notes on her clipboard.
"Electrical conductivity stable...ki response active...minimal cellular resistance..."
Kuro was still giggling helplessly.
"Mei, why does electricity feel fuzzy—"
"Because your nervous system is currently being stimulated."
"Oh."
A pause.
"...That explains nothing literally."
The superconductor glowed brighter.
Unlike normal electricity, however, something else had started appearing around Kuro's body.
Thin strands of purple ki.
At first, they simply reacted to the electrical current.
Then slowly—
The ki itself began crackling.
Mei's eyes widened instantly.
"WAIT."
The purple aura suddenly sparked with yellow lightning.
Kuro blinked.
"...Huh."
Electricity exploded outward from his body in branching arcs before stabilizing around him harmlessly.
Mei immediately sprinted toward the monitors.
"NO WAY."
Readings skyrocketed.
Electrical output:
312%
Energy conversion:
UNKNOWN
Power loss:
0.2%
Mei stared in horror.
"...That's impossible."
Normally, electrical transfer always loses energy through heat and resistance.
But Kuro's ki—
It wasn't merely copying electricity.
It was amplifying it.
Kuro looked down at his hands, where purple lightning crackled harmlessly between his fingers.
"Oh, that's cool."
"COOL?!"
Mei spun toward him wildly.
"YOU JUST CREATED POSITIVE ENERGY FEEDBACK."
"...That's bad?"
"THAT'S TERRIFYING."
Her grin widened instantly afterward.
"AND AMAZING."
Kuro laughed proudly.
"I knew punching energy enough times would work eventually."
"That is absolutely not how science functions."
Kuro opened his mouth to argue—
Then his phone suddenly rang nearby.
Mei glanced toward it.
Caller ID:
Half'n'Half
"...Should I answer this?"
Kuro shrugged while still being mildly electrocuted.
"I barely answer calls anyway."
Mei nodded seriously.
Then immediately hung up.
Back to science.
"Okay," Mei muttered while rapidly writing. "Hypothesis update: ki does not merely imitate surrounding energy states—it assimilates and enhances them."
Kuro tilted his head.
"So I can become a lightning guy now?"
"No."
"...Aw."
"You'd probably explode."
"...Fair."
Another crackle surged through the room.
Then every light flickered ominously.
Both slowly looked upward.
WARNING:
ENERGY OVERCAPACITY
Mei blinked once.
"...Run."
BOOOOOOM.
—
Meanwhile —
U.A. Cafeteria
Lunch period remained one of the few times Class 1-A could experience relative peace.
Keyword:
Relative.
Izuku sat nervously at the table alongside Iida, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Hagakure, and Todoroki while trying to finish his food before something inevitably chaotic happened.
Unfortunately—
Chaos arrived wearing a smug smile.
"So it's true after all."
The entire table collectively sighed.
Neito Monoma of Class 1-B casually shoved Izuku aside slightly while leaning dramatically onto the table.
Izuku immediately panicked.
"S-Sorry!"
"Midoriya, he pushed you," Tsuyu deadpanned.
"Oh."
Monoma ignored this.
"Another villain incident. Another international adventure. Another glorious publicity boost for dear Class 1-A."
His tone dripped with theatrical sarcasm.
"Honestly, do disasters simply materialize around you people naturally?"
"Yes," Todoroki answered immediately while eating soba.
Everyone paused.
"...You answered that way too fast," Uraraka muttered.
Todoroki looked genuinely confused.
"Was I incorrect?"
Nobody actually had a counterargument.
Monoma dramatically placed a hand against his forehead.
"Meanwhile, Class 1-B continues to suffer beneath the cruel oppression of irrelevance."
Behind him, Itsuka Kendo waved apologetically.
"Sorry about him."
"It's fine," Iida replied politely. "How are your examinations proceeding?"
"We already finished ours."
That immediately got the table's attention.
Izuku nearly dropped his chopsticks.
"You WHAT?"
Kendo nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah. Monoma's been insufferable ever since."
"I have earned this right!" Monoma declared proudly. "Unlike certain chaos-magnets, we completed our academic duties without nearly dying internationally."
Tsuyu sipped her drink calmly.
"Sounds boring."
Monoma recoiled as if physically struck.
Kendo immediately smacked the back of his head.
"Ignore him."
Monoma recovered instantly.
"Still! One day, Class 1-B shall face danger greater than yours and emerge even more glorious!"
Uraraka tilted her head.
"...Why do you WANT danger?"
"Because narrative significance demands struggle!"
"...You sound insane," Hagakure said.
"THANK YOU."
Iida adjusted his glasses.
"Regardless of class rivalry, I believe all students should strive equally toward heroism."
Monoma pointed dramatically at him.
"And THAT is why you're terrifying, equality is a lie told by the weak who refuse to fight for their desires!"
Before Iida could respond—
Todoroki calmly lowered his phone.
"Kuro hung up."
Everyone blinked.
"You called him?" Izuku asked.
"Yes."
"...Why?"
"I wanted to ask whether he intended to attend afternoon classes."
"...And?"
"He hung up."
Tsuyu nodded calmly.
"That sounds like Kuro."
Somewhere far away—
Another explosion echoed faintly across U.A.'s campus, though that's nothing special.
_______________________________________________________________________
[Auther: Hot take. Neito Monoma = Naoya Zen'in?
]