My Hero Academia: Thunder God

"What should we do? They're heading to Shizuoka Prefecture!" whispered a man dressed in yellow, hidden among the crowd in the waiting area. The most prominent feature on his face was a knife-like scar running from the center of his eyebrows to just under his right eye.

"Boss, we can't let them get to Shizuoka!" said a deep, booming voice over his earpiece. It was easy to imagine the speaker as a heavyset man.

"Yeah, Shizuoka Prefecture is a Hero stronghold. There are too many first-class Heroes there, not to mention All Might himself…" added another voice, this one cold and sharp.

"Then what should we do? Do we make a move here?" the scar-faced man asked quietly, his triangular eyes fixed on Kaminari and Kyoka in the crowd.

"But there are a lot of professional Heroes patrolling the station. If we make a grab here, we'll likely be surrounded," the cold voice countered.

"Then we do it on the train!"

The booming voice chimed in again, this time with a plan: "Once we grab it, the 'Knife Mantis' can cut open the carriage, and then the boss will fly us out of there!"

"Alright, let's go with that plan," the scar-faced man agreed.

"Understood."

The criminals didn't seem to consider the chaos and danger their plan would cause for the other passengers. Nor did they worry about the difficulty of actually stealing Pikachu. Their only concern was evading professional Heroes.

Five minutes later, the Shinkansen rolled into the station. Once the current passengers had disembarked and the cleaning crew finished their work, Kaminari and Kyoka boarded the train.

"By the way, Kyoka, can you come with me to a birthday party on the 14th?" Kaminari asked as soon as he sat down in the aisle seat.

"Birthday? Whose birthday?" Kyoka asked, settling into the window seat beside him, Pikachu perched comfortably in her arms.

"It's Dr. Tenma's son's birthday. His name's Tobio," Kaminari explained, recounting what Dr. Tenma had told him earlier.

"Alright, I don't think I have any plans that day. Sure, I'll go," Kyoka said after thinking it over.

"Great."

"Um…"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Kaminari asked, noticing Kyoka hesitating to say something.

"Uh, nothing."

Kyoka shook her head. She'd been about to ask if Momo would be invited too, considering Momo's role as part of the band and her connection to Kaminari. But the words caught in her throat. Deep down, she realized she wanted this to be something just for her and Kaminari.

The train began to move, and the number of passengers in their carriage was sparse. Most people seemed to be seated in other compartments.

"Um… excuse me…"

A large man in an oversized blue T-shirt and baggy jeans approached them nervously, his voice trembling.

"What's up?" Kaminari asked, glancing up in confusion.

"You… you're Kaminari Denki, right? The inspiration behind Pokémon?" the man stammered, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Yes, that's me. I'm honored you're a fan," Kaminari said graciously, shaking the man's hand. Then, pointing to Kyoka, he joked, "And this is Kyoka, who's determined to use her music to become the greatest Pokémon performer!"

"Uh… to be honest, I think Exploud looks really ugly after it evolves, and its voice sounds more like noise than music. I don't get why the characters in the anime praise it so much," the man said with a serious expression.

"…" Kyoka.

"…" Kaminari.

It was clear this man was a hardcore otaku. His complete lack of social skills and inability to read the room confirmed it.

But despite his awkwardness, the man kept talking, his eyes darting between Kaminari, Kyoka, and Pikachu.

"Compared to Exploud, Pikachu is adorable! Not only is it cute, but its voice is so endearing. The alarm tone on my phone is Pikachu's cry!"

As if on cue, Pikachu let out a shy expression, tilting its head in a way that made it even more endearing.

Kyoka and Kaminari couldn't help but be amused by how well the AI Pikachu was playing along. It was almost too perfect.

Meanwhile, two men sitting a few rows ahead were growing increasingly irritated. They exchanged exasperated looks as if to say, We're here to grab Pikachu, not listen to your life story!

"So, uh… can you…" the large man stammered again.

"Can I what?" Kaminari asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Can you… sign something for me? No, wait, three autographs! My two younger brothers are fans of yours too!" the man said, pulling out a black leather notebook and a ballpoint pen.

"And… uh… can Pikachu leave its paw print too? I even bought an ink pad!"

"…Why do you have an ink pad on you?" Kaminari asked blankly, staring at the small box the man pulled from his pocket.

"Well… I saw you at the station earlier and ran to a convenience store to buy one. Hehehe," the man admitted, his eyes twinkling with pride.

"Alright, alright, you win."

Shaking his head, Kaminari signed the notebook. Kyoka, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. Despite the man's earlier comment about Exploud, it was clear he was just an overly excited fan.

"Um… I'm sorry, but could I hold Pikachu and take a picture with it? My brothers will be so jealous!" the man asked sheepishly.

"Sure. Give your phone to Kyoka, and she'll take a picture for you," Kaminari replied, his head still down as he signed.

"Pika?"

Pikachu obediently hopped into the man's arms, while Kyoka took the phone and prepared to snap a photo.

"Wait, let me step back a bit! I'm pretty big, and I don't want to block the shot," the man said with a sheepish smile.

"Haha, sounds like it's time for you to start dieting!" Kyoka teased, laughing as she adjusted the camera angle.

But just as Kaminari finished signing, handing over the extra autographs he'd kindly added, something unusual caught his attention. The two men from the front row were now standing.

"Hmm?"

"Well done, fat guy!"

Before Kaminari and Kyoka could react, one of the men sporting a long scar across his face suddenly swung his arm. A triangular-shaped cut appeared in the train car's side with a loud swish.

Boom!

The scar-faced man kicked the cut section, creating a large opening in the side of the train. A powerful gust of wind rushed in, causing chaos in the carriage.

"Let's go!!"

The sudden attack threw Kaminari and Kyoka into disarray, with Kyoka's hand still holding the phone raised mid-air.

It only took a second for them to realize what was happening.

"Damn it! We've been played!!"

***

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