Ozai's heart pounded as disbelief turned to dread. The Bruce he remembered was gone!
The timid orphan who hid behind Sophie, the boy mocked for being weak, for being ordinary, that version no longer existed.
This Bruce was calm. Cold. Unflinching.
And worse… he was toying with him.
'How… how did he become this strong?' Ozai's thoughts spiraled. 'This isn't the same man I know. When did he learn to use daggers so expertly, when did he learn to read attacks like that!'
Sure, Bruce had taken the top spot among the hundred recruits, amassing over nine hundred points after that slaughter at the lioness den that night, but Ozai despite saying back then that Bruce does indeed possess some skill, had dismissed it as coincidence, luck, maybe. A fluke.
He wanted to believe that.
But now, standing face to face with Bruce, seeing that calm smile and feeling the weight of his presence, Ozai knew the truth.
This wasn't luck.
