"Aren't you coming out yet?"
All Might didn't believe that Kaminari would simply wait until the timer hit zero. No matter how he moved around in search, he always kept the exit gate within sight.
"Speaking of which, it seems that Todoroki boy hasn't shown up either. What are those two planning?" The Symbol of Peace was filled with doubt.
"Hmm?!"
At that moment, a dazzling golden light flickered in the corner of his eye. It was the sunlight reflecting off metal brief but noticeable before vanishing among the tall buildings.
"Found you!"
All Might lightly stomped his foot, and in an instant, the sheer force of his movement sent a powerful gust across the ground. His body transformed into a golden-blue blur as he shot forward at incredible speed.
Soon, he caught sight of his target's back. That familiar golden armor—who else could it be but Kaminari?
But… why had the projection cloak on his back changed from pure white to golden yellow? This thought surfaced in All Might's mind like ripples from a stone dropped into water.
Just then, the armored figure ahead turned and threw a punch. The golden-clad fist tore through the air with a sharp whooshing sound, hurtling straight toward All Might.
"Well done!"
All Might smirked playfully and casually threw a straight punch of his own, ready to meet the attack head-on. Naturally, he held back his strength.
However, when the helmet fully turned toward him, All Might's eyes widened in surprise. The face inside wasn't Kaminari's, it was a completely expressionless visage made of metal!
Boom!
His fist struck first, instantly shattering the golden armor on the opponent's hand. As the impact extended, cracks spread across the armored figure's arm.
Yet, despite the damage, the metal warrior didn't collapse. Instead, it clenched its left fist and swung at him again.
"Hmph… In that case, I won't hold back!" A sharp glint flickered in All Might's eyes.
Boom!!!
The next moment, with an attack too swift to follow, the golden-armored fighter was sent hurtling through the air like a cannonball, embedding itself into a distant building.
From the first clash of fists to the moment the armored figure was knocked away, less than two seconds had passed.
"This is…?"
Just as All Might was about to resume his search for Kaminari and Todoroki, he suddenly noticed several more figures each clad in similar golden armor emerging from his left, right, and behind.
"Am I surrounded? This Kaminari boy's battle suit is quite something." All Might studied the scene with an amused smile.
The armored figure he had just sent flying climbed out of the rubble, its chestplate visibly repairing itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Now, All Might was encircled. One stood before him, while three others positioned themselves behind, left, and right.
Just as he had noted, they all looked similar yet not identical. Though each wore golden armor covering more than 90% of their bodies and had identical golden cloaks, their armor designs, body shapes, and even the metallic faces inside the helmets had distinct features.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Kaminari could only watch with a mix of shock and exasperation. He had merely instructed 'Pikachu' to use gold sand to create a few clones for assistance.
But unexpectedly, his AI companion had drawn inspiration from Saint Seiya and produced four "Gold Saints."
'Pikachu' had done this entirely based on its own interests. As an artificial intelligence, it believed this design would make Kaminari more satisfied.
The one All Might had just fought was none other than Aldebaran of Taurus, now wielding a golden shield that had appeared from nowhere.
To All Might's left stood Shura of Capricorn, gripping a golden sword.
To his right was Aiolos of Sagittarius, armed with a golden bow.
Behind him stood Dohko of Libra, holding a golden staff.
Apparently, 'Pikachu' had deemed it more effective for these "puppets" to wield weapons rather than fight barehanded.
"Then I'll leave this to you."
Surveying the tense atmosphere, Kaminari spoke silently in his mind before slipping away toward the exit gate in plain clothes.
There was no other choice. The gold sand clones required 'Pikachu' to control them via electromagnetic fields, which had a limited range. That meant he had to separate from them.
"Just hold on for a minute, just a few minutes will do!"
Once he had put some distance between himself and All Might, Kaminari activated High Voltage Mode without hesitation.
Initially, he had considered having 'Pikachu' stall All Might as long as possible to buy time for Todoroki. But after witnessing that terrifying exchange of punches at the start, he had quickly abandoned the idea of direct confrontation.
"Todoroki?"
Kaminari ran across the dirt-covered ground where a cement road once was. Soon, he spotted a series of icicle formations extending straight ahead.
Sure enough, ten seconds later, Kaminari found Todoroki advancing swiftly, standing atop a path of rapidly growing ice.
"Kaminari?!"
Todoroki's eyes widened in surprise as Kaminari flew up beside him. He quickly asked, "Where's All Might?"
"I had 'Pikachu' hold him off!"
"How long can it last?"
"Who knows? Either way, we just need to make a run for the exit gate!"
"Huh?" Todoroki gave Kaminari a skeptical glance. He wasn't convinced, a mere battle suit holding off All Might?
Whoosh—!
Just as they were about a hundred meters from the gate, so close that they could already see the other side, an earsplitting noise tore through the air, making them instinctively cover their ears.
"Wha… what?!"
BOOM!!!!
The next moment, a golden-blue figure plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground like a meteorite. A massive cloud of dust and debris erupted, forcing Kaminari and Todoroki to a halt.
"Who did you say was holding me back?"
Though the dust obscured their view, that familiar, commanding voice made both prodigies' expressions darken.
And as All Might strode forward through the thick haze, Kaminari's face changed drastically.
His eyes darted to what All Might was holding, 'Pikachu', dangling helplessly in the hero's grip like a defeated, limp yellow mouse.
***
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