My Hero Academia: Tropic Thunder

The students gathered in tense silence, the weight of the exam's conclusion pressing heavily on their shoulders. Kaminari stood among them, electricity faintly sparking along his fingers as his nerves buzzed. He glanced around at his classmates, some battered, others exhausted, all waiting for the final verdict.

On the stage, Mera of the Hero Public Safety Commission adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, his expression as dispassionate as ever.

"The provisional hero license exam has concluded," he announced. "Out of the 100 participants in this second phase, 50 of you have successfully passed."

The tension in the air thickened. Mera gestured toward the massive screen behind him.

"Take a look."

The screen blinked to life, a slow scroll of names filling the display. Kaminari's heart pounded as his eyes darted across the list. For a moment, he thought it was moving too slowly, until—

Kaminari Raio

The moment Kaminari saw his name flash across the screen, a surge of pure, unfiltered joy exploded inside him. He had done it—he had actually passed the Provisional Hero License Exam. The overwhelming relief, the months of training, the weight of his doubts—everything melted away in an instant. His body moved before his brain could even process it. He had to celebrate.

And the closest person to him? Jirou.

She had been staring at the screen as well, her lips curling into a small, satisfied smile as she spotted her own name. But before she could even turn to share the moment, she was airborne.

"JIRRRROUUU, WE DID IT!!!" Kaminari practically roared as he scooped her into a full, rib-crushing, feet-dangling-off-the-ground bear hug. The kind of hug you'd expect from a man who had just been told he won the lottery.

Jirou's brain short-circuited.

"Wha—? H-Hey! Kaminari, you idiot—!" She sputtered, her face going beet red as her feet kicked uselessly mid-air. She wasn't used to this level of South American sociability. What was she even supposed to do here?! Push him away? Pat him on the back? Pretend she wasn't secretly enjoying how happy he was?

Her hands hovered awkwardly over his shoulders, her earphone jacks twitching at the warmth of his grip. He was shaking. That's how much this meant to him.

Before she could even process the unfamiliar fluttery feeling in her chest, a second impact crashed into them.

"Aproved group hug!!" Mina cheered, tackling them from the side.

"Congrats to us!" Uraraka laughed as she threw her arms around them too, turning it into a full-blown pile of celebration.

Jirou, now sandwiched between them all, let out a sigh. This was fine.

Maybe even… Kinda nice.

"Okay, okay—can we celebrate without breaking my ribs?!" She groaned, but the small, shy smile on her face never faded.

As the group hug finally broke apart, Raio realized what he had just done.

Japanese people may consider physical acts of affection as more than friendship, and he had just lifted Jirou off the ground, squeezed the life out of her, and yelled in her face.

His excitement cooled just enough for a wave of panic to hit.

"Oh crap—Jirou, I—" He scratched the back of his head, looking at her nervously. "I'm sorry, I totally got carried away, I didn't mean to—"

"Relax, dude." Jirou waved him off casually, though her earphone jacks twitched. Her face was still a little pink, but she didn't look mad. "I'd be worried if you weren't freaking out. Besides…" She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "You're, uh… kinda strong. Wasn't a bad thing, honestly."

Raio blinked. Did she just…

Mera continued speaking, indifferent to the emotions rippling through the crowd.

"For those of you who passed, congratulations. However, allow me to explain the scoring system for this second phase." he said. "Your scores were based on your ability to execute rescues and handle the villain attack while minimizing harm to the victims, the environment, and your fellow heroes."

Agents walked through the crowd, handing each student a slip with their individual scores. When Kaminari received his, he unfolded it with trembling hands.

Score: 100/100

He stared at the number, disbelief washing over him. A perfect score. Somehow, he hadn't lost a single point. The realization hit him like a surge of electricity. His efforts—everything he had trained for, all his instincts honed from years of watching his father—had paid off in full.

Mera's voice cut through his thoughts.

"For those of you who failed, do not despair. You'll receive another chance to obtain your licenses after further training."

Before he could say anything, a familiar voice cut through the moment.

"Congratulations."

Todoroki approached with his usual calm expression, nodding at him. "You did well."

Raio's grin softened, realizing his fear had happened. I knew his whole thing with Yoarashi was going to drag him in points, but to make him fail? He knew what this exam had meant to Todoroki. He wasn't just fighting for a license—he was fighting against his past. Seeing him offer congratulations despite his own result? That was big.

Raio clapped a hand on Todoroki's shoulder, giving him a bright, reassuring smile.

"You'll get it next time, man. No doubt. And when you do, we'll celebrate even louder."

Todoroki gave him a small, appreciative nod. "I'll hold you to that."

It was a good moment. A heartfelt moment.

But then Raio's eyes drifted.

Something caught his eye across the room.

Over there was Kirishima, trying his absolute hardest to encourage Bakugou, who'd also failed.

Raio could barely hear through the noise of the crowd, but he could guess how the conversation was going.

"C'mon, Bakugou! It's just three months, bro! You got this!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, SHITTY HAIR!!"

Raio smirked. A single, beautiful thought formed in his brain.

Mischief.

He turned back to Bakugou, who hadn't even looked in his direction yet.

Bad idea. Terrible idea. Raio did it anyway.

"Man…" Raio sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Crazy how I saved your ass back there and I still passed."

Silence. A deadly, suffocating silence. Mina gasped. Midoriya's eyes went huge. Kirishima's jaw dropped.

The latter, who had just barely gotten Bakugou to calm down, looked at Raio like he had just sealed his own death sentence.

Bakugou, very, very slowly, turned his head.

"…The hell did you just say?"

Raio's brain screamed at him to run. His mouth? Didn't listen.

"I mean, seriously—all that effort saving you from Shishikura's meat-hands, and this is how you repay me? By failing?"

Mina covered her mouth.

Jirou whipped around, gripping Raio's sleeve. "Dude, stop talking—"

Too late. The room exploded.

"YOU ARE DEAD—!!"

Raio saw the murder in Bakugou's eyes at the same time the explosions started going off.

BOOM.

Raio ran for his life.

Mina and Jirou were crying from laughter as Raio zigzagged through the room, dodging Bakugou's explosions.

Kirishima let out a tired sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Man… and I was so close to calming him down."

Todoroki, watching Raio's inevitable demise, crossed his arms. "Somehow, I feel less bad about failing now."

Jirou smirked, watching Raio leap over a table. "Yeah… He had that coming."

...

Raio sat on the edge of his bed, the glow of his phone illuminating his face as the call connected. The screen flickered, and soon, his parents' faces appeared—his father, Maxwell, with his ever-composed expression, and his mother, Edith, leaning in slightly, curiosity in his sharp eyes.

"Raio!" His mother greeted first, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "You look well, my son."

Maxwell, ever the direct one, folded his arms. "So, what's this urgent call about? Something happen at U.A.?"

Raio took a breath, then, with a grin he couldn't suppress, he held up his brand-new Provisional Hero License to the camera. "Check this out!"

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, Maxwell huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. "I'll be damned. You really pulled it off."

Edith's reaction was quieter, but no less meaningful. Her eyes softened, and Raio swore he saw a flicker of pride beneath her usually reserved demeanor. "Congratulations, my sweet boy!"

Raio's grip on the license tightened. He didn't even realize he had been holding his breath until he let out a relieved chuckle. "I told you I would ace this. First try, too."

His father smirked. "Hah. That's more than I can say for myself back in the day."

That earned a laugh out of Raio. He hadn't expected this call to feel so… light. No questions about whether he overexerted himself. No lectures about control. No unspoken weight of expectation. Just acknowledgment. Just this.

Maxwell studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable as always. But then, in a rare show of affection, he added, "Your sister would have been proud, too."

Raio's chest tightened, but the warmth in his heart didn't fade. Instead, it settled in deep. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yeah. I know."

A comfortable silence stretched between them before Edith finally broke it with a teasing smirk. "So, what's next, sweetie? Planning on becoming the next Symbol of Peace already?"

Raio snorted. "Tch. Please. One step at a time, mum."

"Good. Wouldn't want you getting too full of yourself," Maxwell shot back, but there was no real bite to his words.

After a few more exchanges—some lighthearted teasing, a reminder from Edith to take care of himself, and a promise to call again soon—Raio ended the call.

For a while, he just sat there, the phone still in his hands. The dorm was quiet, save for the muffled chatter of his classmates downstairs. His gaze drifted to the license once more.

It was real. He did this.

No expectations. No burden. Just this one, simple, undeniable victory.

The sound of a door creaking open snapped him from his thoughts. He glanced up to see Kirishima peeking in, a lopsided grin on his face. "Oi, dude, you coming down? You've been up here forever."

Raio smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Just… I had to take care of something." He said as he snaps a picture of the license.

Kirishima's eyes flickered down to the license in Raio's hand. His grin widened. "Ohhh, so that's what it was. Man, I bet your parents freaked out."

Raio chuckled. "Something like that."

Kirishima nudged him with his elbow as they walked out. "This feels pretty awesome, huh?"

Raio glanced at the license once more before slipping it into his pocket.

"Yeah." He admitted, feeling that warmth settle in again. "It really does."

...

While Class 1 A was celebrating their achievement, elsewhere, Itsuka Kendo leaned her head against the cool glass of the bus window, the soft hum of the engine filling the quiet afternoon. Her phone buzzed in her lap, and she glanced down at the screen.

A text.

As she rushed to open it, the photo of his provisional license filled the screen, the hero name MEGAJOULES proudly displayed. Below it was a single line of text:

"Tomorrow, pick you up at seven."

She stared at the message, her cheeks warming as a smile spread across her face. Shaking her head slightly, she typed back a quick reply.

"Can't wait for it. Don't be late, hero."

She slipped her phone back into her bag, glancing out at the passing scenery with a small, amused grin.