My Hero Academia: Thunder God

"Go for it!"

Without hesitation, Kaminari issued the attack order as soon as he saw his familiar opponent.

Shua!

Roughly half of the shimmering "golden sand" that floated in the air detached itself from the defensive formation. Like a sandstorm rolling across a desert, it surged forward with overwhelming force.

At this moment, the robot, detecting the incoming threat, immediately switched to its remote attack mode as pre-programmed.

In simple terms, it deployed its arm-mounted machine guns and rocket launchers.

Whoosh!

Boom!!!

A rocket launched from its thick barrel, slicing through the air before colliding with the advancing wave of golden sand. The resulting explosion sent shockwaves rippling outward, and flames erupted in all directions. The powerful impact blew apart a substantial portion of the golden sand, akin to a boulder crashing into raging waves.

Da-da-da-da-da!

Before the smoke from the explosion could even settle, the robot's machine guns joined the fray. Its eight-barrelled arsenal unleashed a relentless barrage, spraying bullets forward in a storm of metal fury.

"It's working better than I thought," Kaminari muttered to himself as he observed the golden sand encircling him, providing a near-perfect shield. He nodded in satisfaction. "With a system like this, I won't have to drain my energy to deal with small fry or rescue missions…"

Meanwhile, the robot's desperate counterattacks gradually faltered under the unrelenting assault of the "golden sand sea." Soon enough, it was swallowed whole, disappearing into the shimmering, grinding vortex under the watchful eyes of Dr. Tenma.

"'Sand Coffin'—let's go with that as the name for this move from now on," Kaminari decided.

Then, with a playful grin, he issued another command: "Now, try increasing the pressure. Think of it like clenching a fist, tighten it as hard as you can!"

'Pikachu,' the AI system controlling the golden sand, nodded in understanding. Despite its mechanical nature, its earnest response and innocent expression made it appear oddly adorable.

The next moment, the golden sand that wrapped around the robot began to tighten, contracting inward with visible tremors. The sound of metal creaking and snapping echoed faintly from within.

Four or five seconds later, a muffled pop!—reminiscent of a firecracker—emerged from within the compressed sand. As the pressure subsided, wisps of black smoke seeped out through the cracks in the golden grains.

Kaminari's eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the sight. He smiled, exuding confidence as he declared, "This move… let's call it 'Golden Burial.'"

Truthfully, his golden sand abilities felt more similar to the fourth Kazekage's "Gold Dust" rather than Gaara's sand. The slight name adjustment seemed fitting.

"Alright, let's keep going! The goal is to finalize the basic skill set today!" Kaminari said eagerly.

However, what Kaminari didn't realize was that Dr. Tenma, standing outside the test chamber, was watching the scene unfold with a complicated mix of emotions—part awe, part admiration.

He had built combat suits for countless people before, from up-and-coming young heroes to seasoned veterans. Yet, he had never encountered someone quite like Kaminari.

"Genius," Tenma murmured to himself, watching Kaminari at work.

Of course, he'd always known that Kaminari was talented, but today had reaffirmed and even expanded his belief in the boy's abilities.

How could anyone come up with such effective and innovative techniques immediately after acquiring a new ability or tool? And not just that, but to wield them with such natural precision and creativity, as though he'd been practicing them for years?

Kaminari didn't seem to need time to develop his abilities, it was as though he was born knowing how to use them.

Over the next two hours, Dr. Tenma's amazement gradually turned to numb acceptance. A creeping sense of foreboding settled over him, as if he were witnessing the rise of a truly extraordinary individual.

"This kid…" Tenma mused to himself, "…might really have the potential to reach All Might's level one day."

Just then, his train of thought was interrupted. On the other side of the transparent glass, he noticed the golden sand in the test chamber beginning to converge. The grains moved quickly, gathering into five spherical shapes that shimmered under the bright lights.

In no time, the golden spheres—now resembling Poké Balls—floated neatly into the holsters attached to Kaminari's waist.

"Done…" Tenma started, but his sharp eyes immediately caught something strange.

"No, wait!"

Kaminari had only put away five Poké Balls, but there was still a considerable amount of golden sand floating in the air.

"What's he planning to do now?"

As Tenma puzzled over this, Kaminari turned to look at him, a mischievous glint in his golden eyes.

"Doctor," Kaminari began casually, "if I remember correctly, 'Pikachu' itself has some combat functionality, right?"

"Yes," Tenma replied, his tone cautious. "We did include some offensive capabilities in its design, but activating those functions will significantly drain the energy crystals."

"That's fine. If we run out, I'll just buy more!" Kaminari said with a carefree shrug.

Ever since he'd learned that the Yaoyorozu family possessed an abundance of energy crystals, the once-precious resource had become little more than a minor expense in his eyes.

Turning back to the AI system, Kaminari smiled warmly. "Alright, Pikachu, let's test your combat abilities next. No need for another robot target—we'll just make one ourselves."

"Pika-pika?" The AI tilted its head, its long ears twitching slightly as it awaited further instructions.

"Here's the plan—"

Bzzzzz!

Kaminari's explanation was abruptly cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw the caller ID: it was his dad. The ringtone? Kyoka's personalized version of "Railgun."

"Dad? What's up?" Kaminari answered the call.

"Brat!" his father's voice barked angrily through the speaker.

"Do you even know what time it is? Whatever you're doing, drop it and get home immediately! The dinner your mother made is getting cold!"

Before Kaminari could respond, the call abruptly ended.

Staring at the now-blank screen, Kaminari blinked in surprise. Then, glancing at the clock in the corner of the screen, he realized it was already past 6:30 PM.

Calculating the time it would take to get home, plus the time to freshen up, he figured dinner wouldn't start until around 8:00 PM. He frowned slightly, considering telling his parents to eat without him.

But his father's final words echoed in his mind.

They were waiting for him to come home and eat together.

"Alright…" Kaminari sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair in defeat.

He turned to Dr. Tenma and apologized, "Sorry, Doc. Looks like we'll have to cut things short today."

"No need to apologize," Tenma said, shaking his head with a smile. "Today's results far exceeded my expectations. I'm confident the battle suit is ready for use now."

"Thank you, Doctor." Kaminari bowed sincerely before turning to leave.

"Let's go, Pikachu."

The golden AI gathered the remaining sand into its final Poké Ball and placed it into the last empty slot on Kaminari's belt.

As the pair walked out of the research lab, Kaminari glanced at Pikachu, who was trotting obediently by his side.

With a small, amused smile, Kaminari thought to himself, Maybe I should let Pikachu sit on my shoulder. Just like Ash…