The briefing session was short and straight to the point, giving Kaminari a glimpse of the U.A. High School's effit, no-nonsense approabsp;

  Afterward, the didates ged into the casual clothes they had brought and gathered at the pyground behind U.A. Dozens of buses were already lined up, waiting to take them to the exam's simution sites.

  Following instrus, each didate found the bus that corresponded with their desigesting location, as indicated by the number on their admission ticket. They were headed to U.A.'s renowned "simution city," where the practical part of the entrance exam would take pce.

  Despite the ck of any supervisors to maintain order, the se was remarkably calm and disciplined. No o in line, and no one made any unnecessary noise. Everyone was focused, silently preparing themselves for what was to e.

  The simution city was said to be the size of about four blocks, and there were seven of these massive areas in total. Clearly, such a rge space couldn't be located within Tokyo itself, which expined why U.A. High School was situated out in Shizuoka Prefecture.

  It also expihe need for the bus ride. The forty-seat bus took them more than forty minutes from the school to the test sites.

  During the ride, Kaminari noticed a shift imosphere. As soon as the bus left U.A.'s campus, the tension in the air lightened, and the didates started chatting.

  They began introdug themselves to each other, talking about their Quirks, sharing their nerves, or excitedly expressing their dreams of being pro Heroes.

  The once-silent bus was now buzzing with versation. Even the more introverted didates seemed to rex, listening curiously to their peers and occasionally joining in.

  Kaminari smiled, enjoying the ge. He liked this livelier atmosphere much better than the earlier tension.

  "Kaminari, are those gloves special or something?" Jiro Kyoka, who had been sittio him, asked, notig the blue-crystal-like feature embedded in the glove on his right hand.

  Her question caught the attention of Tetsutetsu, who was sitting in the seat ahead of them. He had noticed Kaminari's gloves earlier when they were ging but had assumed they were just for show, maybe a fshy accessory. After all, why would a a big crystal on their glove? Still, he had to admit, the design looked pretty cool.

  "This? Oh, yeah. These gloves are actually really important to me," Kaminari said, holding up his right hand and admiring the glove.

  They were ade, ordered by his father from the famous tech hub "I-Isnd." It had takehree months for them to be pleted, and they arrived just in time for the exam literally the night before.

  His father had been worried that they wouldn't arrive in time, but thankfully, the delivery came through at the st moment. These gloves represented not only Kaminari's equipment but also his father's high hopes for him.

  "Equipment?" Jiro asked, her curiosity piqued, while Tetsutetsu leaned closer to get a better look.

  "Yeah," Kaminari nodded. "The gloves are made from a lightweight alloy. They're not super strong, just tough enough to block things like fruit knives but they have great ductivity."

  He flexed his hand, demonstrating. "With these gloves, I save about 20% of the energy I use when I el electricity through my fists."

  Jiro aetsu were intrigued, especially by the blue crystal embedded in the glove.

  "As for this crystal..." Kaminari said, tapping it lightly, "I'm ly sure what it's made from, but I know it's a high-tech battery. It's pre-charged and store enough power to st me for three years."

  He smiled. "Since my Quirk lets me store electricity in my body and discharge it at will, these gloves let me recharge whenever I o. They're perfect for keeping me powered up during a long fight."

  "As for the design, that was my idea. I figured since I'll be wearing them a lot, they might as well look coht?"

  Hearing that the gloves were ordered from the famous I-Isnd, the didates nearby especially Jiro aetsu were impressed. I-Isnd was renowned for its cutting-edge tech, and having gear from there was no small thing.

  Kaminari's equipment put him a step ahead of the petition, at least in terms of preparation. But he didn't seem to care much about how others viewed him. His mind was already rag ahead, strategizing for the test.

  He khe test would involve battling robots, which made him feel pretty fident. But there was something else about the test that him, a detail he couldn't shake. Still, he kept it to himself. He didn't want to sound overfident ant.

  After forty mihe buses finally began to split off, each heading toward one of the seven simution zones. Kaminari's bus came to a stop in front of a t iron gate, more than teers tall.

  Another bus pulled up right behind them, and soon, the didates were being instructed to exit in an orderly mahe exam would start in just ten minutes.

  As they stepped off the bus, the atmosphere shifted once again. The nervous tensiourned. Everyo with it in different ways. Some took deep breaths. Some stared at the sky in silehers, like one overly eager didate, began doing push-ups on the spot.

  Among Kaminari's group, Jiro put her headphones ba, listening to music to calm her nerves. Kaminari noticed, with a small smile, that she was listening to his song, "Only My Railgun."

  Tetsutetsu, meanwhile, had his eyes closed, inexplicably stepping in pce as if preparing for a sprint, gradually increasing his speed.

  As for Kaminari, his preparation was a little more subtle. He quietly ran small currents of electricity through his muscles, using them to stimute and rex his body from head to toe.

  Suddenly, the massive iron gate in front of them began to open silently, without even a creak.

  Some of the didates who had been focused on their own preparations didn't even notice at first. Those who did were momentarily stunned by the door's silent movement.

  "The exam begins now!" a voice rang out, breaking the silence.

  Kaminari didn't wait. He tapped Tetsutetsu and Jiro on the shoulders, signaling them, before he ed himself in crag electricity and unched forward. He shot through the open gate, his body a blur of golden lightning.

  From this moment on, they were no longer just friends. They were petitors. Kaminari knew he had to take care of his own score first, he could worry about helping them ter.

  When you're struggling, take care of yourself. When you're thriving, you help others. That had always been Kaminari's philosophy.

  Following Kaminari's lead, the rest of the didates snapped into a, scattering in all dires, each chasing after their own goals.

  Not long after Kaminari sped into the simution city, the first "vilin" appeared before him.

  It was a humanoid robot, moving swiftly on two wheels. Its steel arms gleamed in the sunlight, and a camera-like devi its head fshed red as it locked onto Kaminari.

  "Target acquired. Eliminate."

  With a loud meical whir, the robot rushed toward him at full speed. But just as it was about to attack, a chaotic golden current surged through its body, paralyzing it instantly. The wheels screeched to a halt.

  "Boom!"

  A momehe red light on the robot's head dimmed as its systems powered down. Kaminari, without even gng back, tinued forward, having fully expected this oute.

  "It's just like I thought," Kaminari muttered to himself, a satisfied smirk on his face. "I might be able to help Tetsutetsu and Jiro soon after all..."

  (T/N: you guess what Kaminari's gloves are modeled after?)