Beep beep beep beep beep.
Kaminari skillfully tapped the code on the electronic lock. The alloy door, marked with "1604," beeped softly as it entered the unlocking sequence. The familiar, automated voice greeted him, something he heard almost twice a day.
His steps faltered slightly as his slippers slipped against the floor.
Just then, his mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a Pikachu-themed apron. She smiled warmly as she looked at him.
"What are you laughing about? What's got you so happy?"
His mother clapped her hands together and asked excitedly, "Wait—did you get a great score on your final exams today?"
"Uh... no." Kaminari scratched the back of his head awkwardly, forcing a smile. "Actually, I... failed."
His mother froze mid-motion, still holding Pikachu in her arms. Her eyes widened.
"You... failed?"
"Yeah... sorry, Mom."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Kaminari turned toward his room to change out of his U.A. uniform.
Behind him, his mother stood in stunned silence, cradling Pikachu and struggling to process what she'd just heard.
Failed? Her son, Kaminari Denki, had never failed an exam. He'd always been at the top of his class, perfect scores across the board from elementary school onward.
The idea that he'd failed a U.A. exam was unthinkable.
Maybe the test was just extremely difficult...
"Was the test hard?" she asked hesitantly, still trying to make sense of it. "There must've been a lot of other students who failed too, right?"
Inside his room, Kaminari loosened his red tie and let out a sigh.
"It was tough... but, uh... I was the only one who failed."
His mother's heart dropped. She gripped Pikachu a little tighter.
She hadn't realized Kaminari was referring only to his test group, not the entire class. To her, it sounded like her son had been completely left behind academically.
The silence stretched on until Kaminari finally said, "Mom, I'm gonna change my clothes."
"Oh... okay!"
Snapping out of her daze, she quickly turned and left the room. Hugging Pikachu, she sat down on the sofa in the living room with a troubled expression.
---
A few minutes later, Kaminari returned to the living room in casual clothes. He plopped down on the sofa and looked around.
"Has Dad not gotten home yet?"
"He said he's working overtime again. Two extra hours today," his mom said with a sigh. "The company's been busier than ever lately."
The rapid growth of their family business was a double-edged sword. While it brought financial success, it also meant fewer opportunities for them to sit down and enjoy dinner together.
"It's probably because the Pokémon-themed event at Seifu Elementary went so well," Kaminari said, stretching out on the couch. "I bet they're getting flooded with requests to start more themed schools and restaurants."
"Exactly! And your dad mentioned that they've officially launched the game development department. They're planning to create Pokémon games in-house while continuing their hardware partnership with Nintendo."
"Yeah... makes sense. We're way out of our depth when it comes to hardware tech," Kaminari said with a shrug. "Gotta take it one step at a time."
Game development wasn't their company's main focus anyway. The core business was still manga publishing, and even there, they weren't industry leaders.
Shueisha—well, the alternate-reality version of Shueisha still dominated the manga industry with more than a dozen classic, popular series.
"Oh, right—didn't I give Dad the draft for Yu-Gi-Oh! a while back? How's that coming along?"
"Good news!" his mom said, her eyes lighting up. "The first volume is already finished. Right now, they're working on the part where Yugi solves the Millennium Puzzle. Once they wrap up the second volume, they'll start production on the anime adaptation."
"So fast?"
Kaminari sat up in surprise. But after a moment, he remembered that quirks could significantly boost productivity in creative industries.
After all, quirks weren't just for combat. Artists with enhanced precision or photographic memory could work at incredible speeds.
"Wait, you've already seen the first volume?"
His mom quickly waved her hands. "Oh no, no! I only know what your father told me, I haven't read it myself!"
"Gotcha. I'm looking forward to it."
Although Kaminari had created the concept, characters, and storyline for Yu-Gi-Oh!, he had only provided a rough outline. The finished product would undoubtedly differ from the version he remembered.
---
Suddenly, his mom shifted the conversation back to what was really on her mind.
"So... about the exam. What happened? Why did you fail?"
Kaminari sighed. He'd been expecting the question.
"Well, it was mostly my fault. But... the test was against All Might."
His mom's jaw dropped.
"All Might?!"
"Yeah... All Might."
Kaminari braced himself for the inevitable scolding. He'd lost to All Might, a hero well past his prime but he still expected to get an earful.
To his surprise, his mother just exhaled deeply and shook her head.
"Oh... that's what happened. I see."
"Wait—you're not mad?" Kaminari blinked.
"Why would I be mad?" she asked, giving him a confused look. "You lost to All Might. Isn't that completely normal?"
"Besides," she added with a proud smile, "the only reason U.A. put you against him was because you're so strong. It's obvious they see your potential!"
Kaminari sat there, stunned.
He'd always known All Might was popular, but this level of admiration felt surreal. His mother wasn't just excusing his failure, she was relieved by it.
That was how deeply the Symbol of Peace was ingrained in society.
For a moment, Kaminari stared blankly at the ceiling.
And then, without warning, a dark thought crept into his mind:
What if... he wondered, what if the Symbol of Peace doesn't retire peacefully? What if he's... destroyed in public?
The image of that man, the figure in the black hood flashed through his mind.
All-For-One.
***
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