Denki stayed still for a few minutes, letting his breathing slow and his pulse settle.
The last crackles of electricity faded from his skin, sinking back beneath the surface where he kept it coiled and ready.
(Okay… still alive. Muscles hurt. Brain still sharp)
(Good enough)
He moved again
This time, he didn’t sprint
Denki traveled the canopy the way the Tuning-Spike Monkeys had—short, efficient hops, letting momentum carry him instead of brute force.
Fingers brushed bark, toes pushed off at angles, his body adjusting midair with subtle electric bursts to correct trajectory.
It wasn’t perfect
But it was better
Below him, his Electric Field skimmed the forest floor, picking up faint pulses of movement—small animals, insects, distant heartbeats.
He ignored them, focused forward.
About ten minutes in, the terrain changed
The dense canopy thinned, opening into a wide clearing.
Massive boulders littered the ground like they’d been tossed there by a giant.
Fallen logs crisscrossed the earth, and near the center stood three enormous trees, their roots tearing through stone.
Denki slowed
He expanded his Electric Field
One signal
Heavy
Slow
And very dense
“…That’s not normal”
He leapt down, landing silently atop the largest boulder near the edge of the clearing.
From there, he saw it.
A gorilla
It lounged across a fallen log, massive even by gorilla standards.
Its fur was dark charcoal, almost stone-colored, with faint cracks of lighter gray running along its shoulders and forearms like weathered rock.
Each slow breath caused its muscles to shift beneath its hide, the log beneath it creaking under the pressure.
Denki narrowed his eyes
(That thing isn’t just strong… it’s heavy)
He pulled out his phone, snapping a quick photo before scrolling his saved files.
⸻
Titanback Gorilla
Quirk: Mass Lock
— Allows the gorilla to drastically increase its effective mass at will
— Muscle density becomes hyper-compressed, multiplying strength and stability
— When anchored, it becomes nearly immovable
— Impacts against its body transfer minimal recoil, often damaging the attacker instead
— Requires brief stillness to fully activate
Behavior:
— Normally passive and gentle but can get competitive with other gorillas
— Extremely dangerous if challenged or startled
— Known to reshape terrain during conflicts
⸻
Denki slowly lowered the phone
“…So you’re basically a walking mountain”
The gorilla shifted slightly, fingers digging into the log.
The wood shattered
Denki felt the pressure ripple through the clearing
(Incredible strength plus inertia control… fighting it head-on would be down right stupid)
Denki tilted his head
“…Competitive?”
That word stuck with him more than dangerous ever could
Instead of backing away, curiosity nudged him forward
He began hopping from boulder to boulder, careful with each landing.
No sudden bursts of lightning.
No sharp movements.
Just slow, deliberate steps.
The clearing was quiet save for the breeze and the soft creak of trees.
The gorilla noticed him
One dark eye opened
It watched him without alarm
Then, with a lazy huff, it shifted its massive frame, adjusting its position on the log to something more comfortable—clearly unconcerned.
Denki exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding
(Okay… so I’m not any enemy…or food. That’s good)
He dropped down from the boulder, boots crunching softly against gravel.
He kept glancing back at the gorilla, but it didn’t react.
It just…
existed.
Heavy.
Calm.
Immovable.
Denki’s attention drifted to the clearing itself
Now that he was on the ground, the layout made more sense.
The place was littered with enormous boulders and thick logs, many of them far too large to have fallen naturally.
Some logs were stripped of bark.
Others were cracked clean through.
Several boulders bore deep hand-shaped indentations.
(This isn’t random…)
(Training ground? Or… playground?)
An idea sparked
Denki moved to a smaller log first—still hefty, thick enough that most adults wouldn’t budge it easily.
He planted his feet, wrapped his arms around it, and lifted.
The log came up smoothly
Denki blinked
“…Huh”
He gently set it back down, then moved to something bigger.
Another log.
Then a chunk of stone.
Each time, he braced himself for strain that never really came.
His grin slowly widened
(I knew I was stronger, but this is—)
He was about to test himself on an even larger boulder when a low sound rumbled behind him.
A grunt
Deep.
Heavy.
Denki froze
He turned slowly
The gorilla was no longer lounging
It stood several meters away now, towering over him at about 4 meters tall.
One massive hand rested on top of a boulder so large Denki hadn’t even considered trying to lift it—easily several tons.
The gorilla looked at Denki.
Then at the scattered logs.
Then back at Denki.
And with casual ease, it bent down, wrapped both hands around the boulder—
—and lifted it
No strain.
No effort.
No sound beyond stone grinding against stone as the boulder rose into the air like it weighed nothing at all.
The gorilla straightened, holding it there, almost expectantly.
Denki stared, eyes wide
“…Oh”
That’s when it clicked
Competitive didn’t mean aggressive
It meant comparison
Denki slowly smiled, electricity faintly crackling along his fingertips.
(So that’s how it is, huh?)
The gorilla lowered the boulder back into place with a heavy thud, the ground trembling slightly as it settled.
Dust rolled outward in a slow cloud.
Denki swallowed, then looked around the clearing
“…Alright. My turn”
His eyes locked onto a fallen log nearby—longer and thicker than the one he’d tested earlier.
The thing looked like it had once been part of one of the massive trees at the edge of the clearing.
Denki dashed over, boots skidding on dirt.
He wrapped his arms around the log, bent his knees, and inhaled.
Lift
The log came up—slowly, muscles straining this time.
Denki gritted his teeth, veins standing out along his arms as he raised it chest-high and turned toward the gorilla.
“Ha… got it”
The gorilla watched him in silence
Then it let out a low, approving grunt
It turned, planted its feet, and reached for another boulder—larger than the last.
Its fingers dug into the stone, muscles bulging as it lifted the rock clean off the ground and held it there effortlessly.
Denki stared
“…Of course”
The unspoken challenge hung thick in the air
They continued like that
Denki moved from log to log, then to chunks of stone, each one heavier than the last.
The gorilla responded in kind, selecting boulders that seemed deliberately chosen to one-up him.
Every lift came with an exchanged look—measuring, judging.
Denki’s breaths grew heavier
Sweat dripped down his face
Finally, he stood before a boulder larger than anything he’d tried yet.
Still smaller than the first stone the gorilla had lifted—but big enough that just looking at it made his arms ache.
He crouched
Wrapped his arms around it
Pulled
The boulder didn’t move
Denki growled and tried again, lightning flickering reflexively along his skin as he strained.
The rock shifted maybe a centimeter before slamming back down.
He stepped back, chest heaving
“…Guess that’s my limit, huh?”
The gorilla tilted its head slightly, watching him.
It didn’t move to grab another stone.
It simply waited.
Denki wiped his face with his sleeve, eyes narrowing
“…No. Not yet”
He stepped forward again and placed his hands on the boulder—but this time, he didn’t pull right away.
Instead, electricity spread from his palms
Not explosive
Controlled
Thin arcs wrapped around the boulder, crawling over its surface like glowing veins.
Denki focused, jaw clenched, guiding the current upward, letting it flow—using electromagnetic force to assist the lift rather than brute strength alone.
“Okay…” he muttered.
“You go up… I pull…”
He heaved
The boulder rose
Slow.
But unmistakably off the ground
Denki let out a strained laugh as he held it there, lightning crackling brighter around the stone as his muscles screamed in protest.
Across from him, the gorilla let out a deep, rumbling grunt
Not anger
Approval
It straightened, squared its shoulders, and reached for yet another boulder—larger than before.
Denki lowered his stone carefully, panting but grinning ear to ear.
“…Alright” he said, electricity still dancing along his arms.
“Guess the game’s not over yet”
And in the quiet clearing, human and beast continued their strange contest—strength against ingenuity, muscle against mastery—each pushing the other just a little further than before.
~~~~~~
By the time Denki finally stepped away from the clearing, his body felt like it had been run over by a truck.
Every muscle ached.
His arms trembled when he let the electricity fade, his legs wobbling as the adrenaline drained out of him.
He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, panting.
“…Yeah. That was toughest thing I had to do”
He glanced back just in time to see the gorilla with 1 hand, dig its fingers into the side of an enormous boulder—one that made the earlier ones look small—and lift it clean off the ground like it weighed nothing at all.
Denki stared, wide-eyed
“…Okay. I officially give up”
Beating the gorilla in raw strength wasn’t just unrealistic—it was a far-off dream, maybe impossible without years of growth or some insane power up.
And honestly?
That was fine.
He straightened and gave the gorilla a tired but genuine grin
“Thanks for the… uh… workout”
The gorilla lowered the boulder, then thumped its chest once, slow and solid, before returning to its log.
The unspoken understanding lingered between them.
Denki gave a small wave and turned away, already feeling the clock ticking in his head.
Lunch.
Shower.
Alibi.
He retraced his path through the trees—slower now, careful with his aching limbs—until he reached the metal fence.
After jamming the cameras again, he vaulted over, stuck the landing a little clumsily, and vanished back into the safer side of the reserve.
⸻
By the time he reunited with Mina and Kirishima, Denki was clean, changed, and pretending very hard that his entire body didn’t feel like jelly.
They sat together at a table near the rest of the class, trays of food in front of them.
Mina squinted at him.
“You look… weirdly tired for someone who, ‘got lost on path of life'”
Kirishima nodded.
“Yeah, dude. You okay?”
Denki shrugged casually, poking at his food.
“Must’ve been something I ate yesterday”
Mina snorted.
“Liar”
They quickly moved on, though, trading stories about their day.
Mina talked about watching quirked ducks skating across the water like living bumper cars.
Kirishima mentioned a quirked turtle that could retract its shell so fast it made a pop sound.
“…That’s it?” Denki said, trying—and failing to not sound to underwhelmed
Mina slammed her hands on the table.
“Hey! It was still cool! Not everyone fought wildlife gladiator-style!”
Kirishima laughed awkwardly.
“Yeah… kinda makes our day sound boring, though”
Mina leaned forward, eyes lighting up.
“Speaking of which—show me the pictures”
Denki pulled out his phone and clicked on his most recent photos
“Don’t freak out”
She was already scrolling
“Oh my god” Mina gasped.
“LOOK AT THIS ONE”
“That’s a shadow fox” Denki said casually
“WHY ARE THERE BLUE MONKEYS?!” she yelled in a whisper.
Kirishima leaned in, eyes wide.
“Dude… is that a gorilla?”
Denki smiled faintly, rubbing the back of his sore neck.
“Yeah. Nice guy. Competitive.”
Mina scrolled faster, grinning ear to ear.
“Just how far did you go? Does trees look absolutely massive!”
“…I guess I kinda did go a little far” he said while rubbing the back of his neck
She looked up at him, expression torn between awe and a hint of worry
“…You’re insane”
Denki just smiled
And as they ate and laughed, flipping through photos of strange, dangerous, and surprisingly cute creatures hidden deep within the forest, Denki knew one thing for sure—
This trip was definitely worth every ache