Chapter 16: The Symbol and the Squads
All eyes snapped to the doorway. Standing there, silhouetted against the bright light of the hallway, was a figure so massive he seemed to fill the entire frame. He was a mountain of muscle, clad in a costume of brilliant red, white, and blue, with two antenna-like tufts of blond hair standing up on his head like a crown. His face was fixed in a permanent, impossibly wide smile.
"I AM…" the man's voice boomed, shaking the very windows in their frames. He strode into the room, his posture a heroic V-shape. "…COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
It was All Might. The Number One Hero. The Symbol of Peace.
The classroom, which had been buzzing with chatter just moments before, was struck by a thunderclap of collective awe. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. A reverent, star-struck silence fell over the room. These students had grown up with this man as their idol, their inspiration, the unshakeable pillar of their society. He was a living legend, a figure from television screens and magazines, and he was here.
Denki Kaminari was the first to break the silence. "No way… it's really him!"
"So he is a teacher at U.A. this year!" Kirishima whispered, his eyes shining. "So manly!"
Lee felt as though the air had been punched from his lungs. He had seen this man countless times on screens, his image a constant source of inspiration during his darkest, most painful hours of training. All Might's power, his smile, his unwavering declaration that anyone could be a hero—it was the foundation upon which Lee had built his impossible dream. To see him in the flesh… it was overwhelming. The sheer presence he radiated was like standing next to the sun, a palpable aura of power and absolute goodness. Lee could only stare, his heart hammering in his chest, his reverence absolute.
"WELCOME TO THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASS AT U.A. HIGH!" All Might declared, striking a heroic pose with his hands on his hips. "HERO BASIC TRAINING! HERE, YOU WILL LEARN THE ROPES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HERO! WE'LL BE DIVING RIGHT IN WITH YOUR FIRST LESSON: THE ART OF BATTLE!"
He dramatically pointed to the wall. "And to fight, you first need these!" With a press of a button on a small remote, sections of the wall slid away, revealing a row of sleek, numbered metal cases. "Your very own HERO COSTUMES, designed by you and produced by our support course partners!"
A wave of pure excitement washed over the class. They scrambled to find their numbered cases, their earlier awe replaced by giddy anticipation.
"AFTER YOU CHANGE, MEET ME AT GROUND BETA!" All Might boomed. "IT'S TIME TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF, YOUNG HEROES!"
In the changing room, the atmosphere was electric. Lee found his case, Number 20. He opened it and carefully lifted out the contents. It was a simple, one-piece green jumpsuit made of a durable, slightly elastic material. It felt familiar and comfortable. He changed into it, then carefully took the final piece. It was the metal-plated headband Sora had given him, the one with the symbol of their dojo—a resolute, stylized fist—engraved on the front. Instead of tying it around his forehead, he fastened it securely around his waist, the metal plate sitting over his stomach like the buckle of a champion's belt.
When they all emerged at the entrance to Ground Beta, a sprawling cityscape built for training simulations, they were a vibrant, chaotic collage of color and style. Bakugo's costume, with its giant grenade-shaped gauntlets, looked menacing. Iida looked like a medieval knight powered by a futuristic engine. Uraraka's suit was pink and black, puffy and cute.
Mina bounced over to Lee, her own acid-proof costume a riot of purple and teal. "Whoa, Lee-kun, your costume is so simple! But it looks super comfy for moving around. What's with the belt thingy?"
Lee looked down at the headband, a soft smile on his face. He placed a hand over the engraved metal plate. "It was designed by my master," he said, his voice filled with a quiet but immense pride. "The symbol of our dojo. It is to remind me of the foundation upon which all my strength is built."
"That's so cool and meaningful!" Mina said, her eyes shining.
"A HERO IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR LOOKS! AND YOU ALL LOOK LIKE TRUE HEROES!" All Might's voice declared, drawing their attention. He stood before them, looking like he'd been pulled directly from a comic book page.
"NOW, FOR TODAY'S TRAINING!" he explained. "IT IS A 2-ON-2 INDOOR BATTLE! MOST VILLAINY TAKES PLACE INDOORS. BANK ROBBERIES, HIDEOUT RAIDS, SECRET DEALS… SO, WE WILL SIMULATE A COMMON SCENARIO! ONE TEAM WILL BE THE VILLAINS, GUARDING A FAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON! THE OTHER TEAM WILL BE THE HEROES, WHO MUST INFILTRATE THEIR HIDEOUT!"
He went on to explain the victory conditions. The heroes would win if they either captured the weapon or subdued both villains with special capture tape. The villains would win if they protected the weapon for the fifteen-minute time limit, or captured the heroes.
"THIS EXERCISE IS A TEST OF TEAMWORK, STRATEGY, AND YOUR ABILITY TO ADAPT UNDER PRESSURE!" All Might continued. "YOUR PARTNERS AND OPPONENTS WILL BE DECIDED BY DRAWING LOTS, TO SIMULATE THE RANDOMNESS OF PARTNERING UP IN THE FIELD!" He dramatically produced a small box labeled 'LOTS'.
One by one, he drew the names, announcing the teams and their matchups with booming enthusiasm.
"TEAM A, IZUKU MIDORIYA AND OCHAKO URARAKA! VERSUS! TEAM D, KATSUKI BAKUGO AND TENYA IIDA!" The tension between those four was immediate and palpable.
All Might continued to draw names, forming the squads for the day's battles. Lee listened intently, his mind already running through potential strategies. Finally, All Might drew the slips for his match.
"TEAM H…" he paused for dramatic effect. "ROCK LEE AND DENKI KAMINARI!"
Lee looked over at Kaminari, the cheerful electric boy, who gave him a confident wink and a thumbs-up.
"AND YOU WILL BE FACING… TEAM I! EIJIRO KIRISHIMA AND KYOKA JIRO!"
The manly red-haired boy grinned and bumped fists with the cool, punk-rock girl. They looked like a solid team.
"AND FOR THIS FIRST BATTLE," All Might declared, reaching into another box labeled 'HERO/VILLAIN'. "TEAM H… YOU WILL BE THE HEROES!"
The word hung in the air, resonating deep within Lee's soul. Heroes. He looked at his partner, then at his opponents, and then at the towering figure of All Might. This was no longer a test or a simulation in his mind. This was his first official duty. The real training had, once again, begun.
~~~~