Chapter 25: A Stage for the World
The class settled into a tense, uneasy quiet. The echoes of Bakugo's rage still seemed to hang in the air, a stark reminder of the volatile passions simmering just beneath the surface of their nascent hero careers. Aizawa stood at the podium, letting the silence stretch for a moment before speaking, his voice its usual monotonous drone.
"Before we begin," he said, his gaze sweeping across the room, "let me be clear. The villain attack on the USJ was a failure on the school's part. We are implementing new security measures to ensure it does not happen again. But the world does not stop because we were attacked. The villains are getting bolder. The crime rate is rising. Which is why the school has decided that now, more than ever, we cannot show weakness. We cannot afford to cancel one of our most important traditions."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "In two weeks, U.A. will be holding its annual Sports Festival."
A wave of shock, followed by a surge of electric excitement, rippled through the classroom.
"The Sports Festival?!" Kirishima exclaimed, his earlier tension forgotten. "Are you sure that's a good idea right after a villain attack?"
"It's the best idea," Aizawa countered, his voice firm. "In the past, the Olympics were the world's biggest sporting spectacle. But since the dawn of Quirks, the U.A. Sports Festival has taken its place. It is the single greatest opportunity for you to showcase your abilities to the entire country—and to the world. The top Pro Heroes will all be watching, looking for sidekicks, for future partners. A single good showing in this festival can chart the entire course of your career. Your first-year performance is your most important debut." He looked at them, his tired eyes sharp. "So don't you dare slack off on your training."
The air in the room transformed. The lingering fear from the USJ was burned away by the fire of ambition. This was their chance. Their real start. Lee felt his own heart beat faster. A stage for the world. A place to prove himself.
He watched his classmates, seeing the same fire ignite in their eyes, each for their own reasons. He saw Ochako Uraraka clench her fists, a look of fierce determination on her face as she thought of her parents and her desire to give them an easy life. He saw Tenya Iida push his glasses up his nose, his posture rigid with the weight of his family's heroic legacy. He saw Izuku Midoriya look down at his scarred hand, a terrifying but resolute expression on his face as he thought of All Might's expectations.
And he saw Shoto Todoroki stare out the window, a cold, hard fire burning in his heterochromatic eyes. I will win, Todoroki thought, the vow a silent, bitter promise. I will take first place… without ever using my old man's damn fire.
Just as Aizawa was about to dismiss the thought, Bakugo stood up. The class went silent once more. He didn't look at the teacher. He didn't look at the class. His crimson eyes were locked onto a single target: Rock Lee.
His voice wasn't a shout this time. It was a low, intense, and utterly serious growl that carried more menace than any explosion.
"You. Broad-brows," he began. "This festival isn't like some stupid test where you can get away with holding back. The whole world will be watching. There will be no tricks. No hiding." He pointed a finger directly at Lee, a declaration for all to hear. "In front of everyone, I am going to take an undeniable, absolute first place. I am going to crush you so completely that you will never dare to look down on me again. I will stand at the top, and you will be looking up from the rubble. I'll make sure of it."
The gauntlet had been thrown. It was a raw, public, and undeniable declaration of war. Lee simply met his gaze, his own expression one of solemn, serious acceptance. He gave a single, firm nod. Challenge accepted.
Aizawa let out a long, weary sigh. "Whatever. Just don't kill each other before the first event."
The bell rang, its shrill cry finally breaking the spell. The students began to gather their things, the air thick with the new rivalries and resolutions that had just been forged. When the door to the classroom slid open, however, they were met with an unexpected sight.
The hallway was packed. A dense crowd of students from Class 1-B, the General Department, and even the Support Course stood there, blocking the exit. They were staring, their faces a mixture of intense curiosity, jealousy, and outright challenge.
A blond boy with a smug look on his face, Neito Monoma from Class 1-B, stepped forward. "Well, well, if it isn't the famous Class 1-A," he said with a theatrical sneer. "We heard you fought some villains. Don't go getting a big head now. It's a perfect chance for us to pull the rug out from under you prodigies during the festival."
A tall student with wild purple hair and tired, dark eyes, Hitoshi Shinso from the General Department, watched them all with a look of cold disdain. The message was clear: Class 1-A, having been in the spotlight, was now a target for everyone else.
Bakugo, who was still radiating an aura of pure aggression, didn't have the patience for any of it. He shoved his way towards the front of the crowd, his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Move it, extras," he snarled, not even bothering to look at them.
The word was a spark in a tinderbox. The crowd erupted in angry shouts.
"Who are you calling extras, you spiky-haired jerk?!"
"Think you're so much better than us just because you got attacked?!"
Before a full-blown brawl could break out in the hallway, the students of 1-A managed to push their way through, dragging a still-seething Bakugo with them. But the lines had been drawn. The rivalry was no longer just a personal one between two students, or a friendly one between classmates.
It was Class 1-A against the world.
Lee walked through the resentful crowd, his expression calm. He looked at the angry faces, the jealous eyes, the determined expressions of his schoolmates. He looked ahead, down the long corridor toward the exit. The festival had not even begun, but the first battle, the battle of wills and ambition, was already underway. And he was standing right in the middle of it.