It Can't Be Him... (Villain Kaminari Story)

CHAPTER 18: An Unfair Battle

"How nice of you to finally join us! Wait..." Kaminari crossed his arms and pressed a finger to his lips and pondered, "Don't you guys think this is kinda familiar? You know, like a..." He lit up, "A class reunion! That's it!"

You're not my classmate anymore. Not even close to that. Todoroki wanted to say, but held his breath instead.

"It's been sooooooooooooo long, hasn't it?" Kaminari said as he glanced at both Todoroki and Bakugo with a happy-go-lucky smile that made them both want to vomit, "I mean, it's been a year since we've been together! I wonder if I changed at all...actually, don't answer that." A twitch of lightning emerged from his fingers. 

Bakugo roared in anger, but he didn't inch a step closer, nor did he try to hit him. Todoroki assumed he was aware of the consequences if he were to attack Kaminari, which was a great relief.

Now, think, Todoroki thought, There has to be a way out of this. Then he remembered the insulator sheet and invisible ink from behind him and he clenched onto them.

If I can buy enough time to cover the sheet in invisible ink, I should be able to escape Kaminari unharmed. But I can't leave Bakugo to deal with him by himself. After all...Kaminari could probably kill him with the snap of a finger.

Todoroki clenched his teeth tightly as something occured to him.

Wait a second. Why should I escape? I still have no knowledge about my long lost brother, and Kaminari probably knows him well. Should I ask? Or should I find out for myself when I go rescue Midoriya? Is Midoriya even in the hideout in the first place? Think...Think...

Todoroki darted his eyes from Kaminari to Bakugo, from Bakugo to Kaminari, trying to figure out which one he should approach first.

Then, Todoroki's eyes swept over Kaminari's left sleeve, which was printed with the word: "Thunderstroke". Not "Chargebolt", his fake hero name.

"Thunderstroke," murmured Todoroki. Kaminari spun around to face him.

"Hah?"

"Th-Thunderstroke...was it?" said Todoroki, "That's your new villain name, isn't it?"

The malicious grin that emerged from Kaminari's mouth answered Todoroki's question. He gulped and continued:

"You were our comrade, Kaminari. The class clown, the sunshine of the class. Wherever you were, anyone around you would smile." He rambled as he slowly reached for the insulator sheet from behind him, "I don't get it. You were so special, so why would you switch sides? Why would you...intentionally hurt the people that you grew so close with?" Todoroki had wanted to use a distraction method, but he realized that those words came from his heart. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he remembered Jirou's pain, the glove in her room, and Kirishima's unconscious body. 

Why? filled the spaces in his brain. Why would you do that?

At this, Kaminari lifted his head down to look at the floor. He whispered as quietly as possible:

"You think this was easy? You think I wanted this?" was all he said.

"Oh, fuck all that!" exclaimed Bakugo, "Leave your sob story in the hospital, traitor!"

Bakugo pounced high into the air and dived straight for Kaminari, emitting two large pulses of explosions from his hands.

"Bakugo, STOP—!" yelled Todoroki.

BOOM! BOOM! As he was diving down, he looked up and down at Kaminari's still body, deciding where to attack him first. He went for the left shoulder.