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Chapter 20 - First Year Exams Physical Combat Stage:Inazuma vs Raiki

The arena was alive with a crackling energy, as if the very air itself trembled under the tension. Inazuma stood at one end, his eyes sharp, muscles coiled like a storm ready to unleash. Across from him, his opponent — a tall, lithe boy with electric-yellow hair that seemed to flicker like lightning called Raiki Kaminari— cracked his knuckles with a grin that was equal parts arrogance and anticipation.

The crowd's roar faded into a charged silence. The two warriors locked eyes.

"So, you're the 'Pure Lightning' they've been talking about," the blue-haired man said, his voice low but carrying over the still air. "I hope your techniques are as flashy as your reputation. I've been waiting for a fight that actually challenges me."

Inazuma's gaze didn't waver. "Flashy is for show. My lightning isn't just bright — it's precise, relentless, and pure. I don't waste energy on tricks."

The opponent laughed, a sound like static crackling. "Then let's see if your 'purity' can handle raw power."

With a sudden roar, the Raiki's palms ignited in fierce arcs of electricity that danced wildly like storm clouds. The air shimmered as he launched himself forward — a blur of crackling bolts — faster than the eye could follow.

Inazuma's body tensed, then moved in perfect counter-rhythm. His feet barely brushed the ground as he sidestepped the assault, each step releasing sharp jolts of lightning that scorched the earth beneath him.

"You move like lightning… but you're still a step behind the storm," the opponent taunted, unleashing a spinning barrage of electrified kicks, each strike trailing sparks.

Inazuma's eyes narrowed. "You're too wild. Lightning isn't chaos. It's order born of nature's fiercest fury."

He pivoted, gathering the ambient electric energy around him — a serene, blue-white glow enveloped his fists. "Thunderclap Palm!"

With a sharp, explosive motion, Inazuma slammed his palm forward, sending a concussive blast of lightning that rippled like a shockwave, tearing through the opponent's flurry and forcing him to stagger back.

The Raiki's grin faltered for a fraction of a second before it reformed. "Not bad… but I've got a few storms left."

He vanished in a streak of crackling light and reappeared above Inazuma in a lightning-fast descent, aiming a powerful strike.

Inazuma caught his wrist mid-air, their electricity crackling violently at the point of contact.

"Your strength is raw… but you lack discipline," Inazuma said through gritted teeth, muscles burning.

"Discipline won't save you from a storm that breaks all rules!" the opponent growled.

Suddenly, the arena erupted in brilliant light as both warriors unleashed their ultimate lightning techniques simultaneously — the pure, calculated fury of Inazuma's "Thunderclap Palm" clashing with the raw, chaotic "Stormbreaker Surge."

The shockwave shattered the ground beneath them, sending sparks and debris flying as lightning danced wildly around their locked forms.

The crackling energy between Inazuma and his opponent was a tempest of power. Sparks flew like fireflies in a dark storm as their locked hands hummed with the raw force of lightning itself. Neither would yield.

The Raiki grinned fiercely, eyes shining with wild excitement. "You've got skill, Inazuma. But let's see how you handle this—*Lightning Vortex!*"

With a swift, circular motion, he spun his arms in a blur, gathering crackling electric currents around him. The air thickened, swirling into a spiraling cyclone of electric energy that roared like a thunderstorm unleashed.

Inazuma's stance tightened, feet digging into the ground as he faced the spinning tempest. "A flashy move… but predictable."

He closed his eyes briefly, summoning his own inner calm amid the storm. Then, with a sharp inhale, he released his signature technique: " Serene Bolt!"

Unlike his opponent's chaotic storm, Inazuma's lightning was sharp, straight, and unyielding—like a blade forged in thunder.

From his fingertips, a spear of blue-white electricity shot forth, cutting through the swirling vortex with surgical precision. The spear's brilliance illuminated the arena, piercing the storm's heart and dispersing it into shimmering sparks.

The crowd gasped, sensing the delicate balance of power shifting.

The opponent's eyes narrowed, admiration flickering amidst frustration. "Impressive. You don't just fight with lightning… you *shape* it."

Inazuma cracked a rare, confident smile. "Exactly. Lightning isn't just force. It's form and purpose."

Raiki's smirk turned into a serious glare. "Then take this!"

With a sudden burst, he darted forward like a jagged streak of lightning, launching a rapid flurry of electrified strikes—fists and feet moving too fast to track individually. Each hit hummed with crackling energy, designed to overwhelm and disorient.

Inazuma danced back, each evasion precise and measured. He absorbed the flow of attacks like a conductor guiding a symphony, then countered with a swift technique: "Thunder Dance Step!"

His body moved fluidly, feet barely touching the ground, trailing arcs of lightning that shimmered with deadly grace. His counterattacks were sharp jabs of electric energy, each strike designed to disrupt his opponent's rhythm.

"Your speed is a storm… but your style is too focused on defense," the opponent taunted, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

Inazuma's eyes gleamed with determination. "And your chaos will be your downfall."

He charged, channeling a burst of lightning into a glowing gauntlet: "Thunder Fist!"

His punch landed with explosive force, sending a shockwave that rattled the arena's foundations.

The opponent staggered but recovered instantly, eyes blazing. "You're strong… but can you keep this up?"

Inazuma's breathing was steady, heart steady as the thunder rolling far off in the distance. "I don't just fight for power. I fight for control."

Their gazes locked again, two warriors embodying the wild fury and precise discipline of lightning itself.

Inazuma then summoned his hammer which crackled with raw electric power as he pressed forward, the ground beneath his feet sizzling with each thunderous step. The air itself seemed to hum, vibrating in anticipation.

Raiki wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow, his grin never fading. "You're relentless. But that precision won't save you from *my* storm."

Suddenly, Raiki's body arced backward, lightning flaring across his skin like fractal tattoos, illuminating every sinew. His eyes gleamed white-hot with untamed energy. "Prepare yourself — *Electric Tempest Assault!*"

With a fierce yell, he exploded forward, his arms sweeping wide to summon a tempest of crackling lightning. The sky above the arena darkened as bolts shot downward, mimicking his furious energy, and the electric storm surged around him like a wild beast.

Inazuma's gaze sharpened. The crowd held their breath. This was no ordinary opponent; this was a living storm incarnate.

But Inazuma was no stranger to lightning's fury. Calm and focused, he tightened his stance and raised his palms, fingers splayed like the branches of a lightning rod.

 *Lightning Barrier!*

A shimmering dome of blue-white electricity erupted around him, absorbing the furious onslaught. Each bolt striking the barrier sent ripples of energy humming through the dome's surface.

The impact reverberated through Inazuma's arms, but he held firm, eyes closed in concentration.

The storm raged outside, bolts darting and splintering against the barrier. His opponent's furious assault showed no signs of waning.

"Your barrier's strong," the Raiki man sneered, "but it won't hold forever."

Inazuma opened his eyes, voice calm yet resolute. "It's not just a shield. It's a conduit."

He extended his arms, palms outward, and the barrier pulsed, brighter and brighter, until it released a sudden, blinding surge of pure lightning outward.

The blast tore through the opponent's storm, scattering the swirling tempest like autumn leaves caught in a sudden gust.

The opponent was thrown backward, landing hard on the cracked arena floor. He blinked, breath ragged, but a wild grin spread across his face.

"You've got spirit," he admitted, rising slowly, lightning dancing playfully along his fingertips.

"Spirit and control," Inazuma replied, eyes gleaming. "The two sides of the storm."

They charged at each other again, a collision of wills and elemental power.

Inazuma moved with the grace of a dancer and the force of a thunderclap. His fists were like lightning bolts — fast, sharp, and devastatingly accurate.

The opponent was a whirlwind of energy, a chaotic storm breaking every rule, every expectation.

Their strikes rang out like claps of thunder. The arena shook with the force of their battle.

Suddenly, the opponent's eyes flickered with dark amusement. "Let me show you my final storm — *Lightning Overdrive!*"

He unleashed a torrent of crackling energy that wrapped around his limbs like a living cloak of lightning. His speed doubled, then tripled, and he became a blur—an unstoppable force of nature.

Inazuma barely had time to react. The opponent's fists struck with impossible speed, each blow exploding with electric fury.

But Inazuma wasn't beaten. He dug deep into his reserves, gathering his own energy for one last technique.

 *Thunder God's Wrath!*

His entire body surged with a brilliant aura, lightning crackling in spirals around him. With a primal roar, he unleashed a devastating barrage of lightning strikes—fast, precise, and pure.

The clash was cataclysmic. Lightning met lightning, storm clashed with storm.

And when the dust settled, only one stood.

The arena shuddered as the two forces of lightning met head-on. Inazuma's "Thunder God's Wrath" pulsed with radiant blue-white energy, each strike precise and relentless, like thunderclaps carved from the sky itself. His opponent, wild and unyielding, answered with "Lightning Overdrive," a torrent of raw, untamed bolts swirling around him like a cyclone of pure chaos.

They collided again and again — fists crackling, feet striking, lightning arcing — each impact sending shockwaves that rippled through the crowd. Sparks and fragments of scorched earth exploded beneath their feet.

"You fight like a storm tempered by discipline," Raiki growled through clenched teeth, sweat and static crackling in the air. "But discipline can't contain chaos forever!"

Inazuma's eyes blazed with calm fire. "Maybe not. But chaos without control is just destruction… and I fight to create."

With that, Inazuma shifted tactics. His body moved with fluid grace, weaving through the onslaught like lightning threading between branches. He pressed forward, closing the distance, closing the gap in their styles.

"Feel this!" Inazuma cried, launching his next attack: *Thunder Needle.*

From his fingertips shot dozens of thin, sharp bolts — tiny lightning needles that struck with surgical precision, targeting nerve points, disrupting the opponent's flow of energy.

Raiki hissed as the needles found their marks, stumbling for the first time in the fight.

Inazuma didn't relent. Channeling energy, he followed with a technique only whispered about in legend: *The Heavenly Flash.*

In an instant, Inazuma became a streak of pure lightning, faster than thought, faster than sight. He struck from every angle — a blur of precision strikes designed to break the opponent's defenses.

Raiki countered desperately, his body crackling with wild energy, but Inazuma's focused strikes began to overwhelm him.

"Impossible…" the opponent muttered, staggering.

Inazuma slowed his assault, eyes locked on his opponent's faltering form. "The storm is wild, but it's the lightning's purpose that defines it."

The opponent's expression twisted with both respect and frustration. "You… you're not just lightning. You *are* lightning."

A silence fell over the arena, thick with tension and electricity.

Then, with a last effort, the opponent roared, summoning all his remaining energy into a massive, jagged bolt descending from the sky — the *Stormbreaker Finale.*

Inazuma met the attack head-on, channeling every ounce of his pure fighting lightning, arms raised in a final, powerful clash.

The impact exploded outward, a dazzling tempest of light and thunder shaking the very earth.

When the brilliance faded, the opponent lay on one knee, breathing hard but smiling. "You win, Inazuma. Your lightning… it's wonderful."

Inazuma lowered his arms, chest heaving with exertion, but eyes steady. "Thank you. You pushed me beyond limits I never knew I had."

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause as the two warriors, bound by respect and the storm, acknowledged each other.

Inazuma walked beside the four of them as their jaws were wide open except Denji.

"Who knew Inazuma was as strong as that"Denki said

"Yeah,he kept pulling B rank techniques out,I'm pretty sure his final technique was A Rank,how can his body handle it"Hinari said as they heard a loud thud as Inazuma had fallen unconscious .

"Quick,let's get him to the infirmary "Denji said

"I wish I could help but I'm up next,wish me luck"Shinji said

"You've got this"Denki said giving him a thumbs up as he carried Inazuma on his back.

Shinji then walked dramatically into the arena,his opponent right opposite him.

[Don't forget guys, 75 Powerstones =Bonus Chapter]

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