Chapter 61: The Hardest Choice
The short break between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals was a fever dream of noise and speculation. The air in the stadium was thick with it, the scent of popcorn and ozone mingling with a tension so palpable it was almost a taste. In the stands, the students of Class 1-A were a mess of nervous energy, replaying the previous battles in their minds and debating the outcomes of the next.
"I still can't believe how Bakugo just blew Kirishima away," Kaminari said, shaking his head in awe. "And Mina's fight against Tokoyami was so smart! The semi-finals are going to be insane."
"Indeed," Midoriya agreed, his gaze fixed on the empty stage below, his mind a whirlwind of analysis. He looked over at Uraraka. "I am glad you are feeling better, Uraraka-san. You fought with incredible courage against Iida-kun."
"Thanks, Deku-kun," she replied, a small, determined smile on her face. "But now it's his turn again. And against Lee-kun… I don't even know who to cheer for."
In a solitary archway high above them, Shoto Todoroki watched the same empty stage, his expression a mask of cold contemplation. He saw the two names displayed on the giant screen—LEE vs. IIDA—and replayed his own battle in his mind. He understood the impossible pressure Lee could exert, but he had also witnessed the terrifying, single-minded velocity of Iida's Quirk. This would be a battle of absolutes.
The introductions were a roar of sound and light. First, Tenya Iida strode onto the stage, a knight in gleaming blue and silver armor, his posture a perfect model of discipline. The crowd cheered for the heir to the Ingenium name, a symbol of heroic duty. Behind his glasses, his eyes were not calm; they were burning with a focused, almost desperate intensity, a reflection of a private worry he could not share with the world.
Then came Rock Lee. He jogged out in his simple green jumpsuit, and the stadium erupted. He was no longer a dark horse; he was the people's champion. His eyes were different this time. They were not filled with the joyous, eager light of his previous matches. They were calm, clear, and deeply analytical, like the serene surface of a lake that concealed an unfathomable depth.
The starting bell shrieked its command.
Iida did not waste a single moment. "RECIPRO BURST!"
He became a rip in the very fabric of the air, a blue and silver comet that shot across the stage. His goal was absolute: to end this with overwhelming, undeniable speed.
Lee stood his ground. He did not open the Gates.
The first exchange was a masterful, desperate dance of pure defensive skill. Iida was a storm of lightning-fast kicks and precise, chopping blows. Lee was a leaf in the wind, his body moving with a fluid, almost boneless grace. He twisted, he swayed, he ducked, evading the piston-like attacks by millimeters. The wind from Iida's strikes whipped his hair across his face, a constant, violent gale. He was a master of evasion, but he was completely, utterly on the defensive.
"INCREDIBLE!" Present Mic's voice screamed. "LEE IS COMPLETELY ON THE DEFENSIVE, BUT HE'S DODGING EVERYTHING! IIDA IS A BLUE BLUR! IT'S HARD TO EVEN KEEP YOUR EYES ON HIM!"
From Lee's perspective, it was like standing in the path of a freight train. Each time he blocked a kick with his forearms, a shuddering, heavy impact that felt like being struck by a small vehicle jarred his bones. The sheer, kinetic force was immense. His burst has a time limit, Lee thought, his mind a bubble of calm in the storm of motion. I know it does. I just have to endure. I have to hold out until his engines overheat or the timer runs out.
But Iida was not just fast; he was relentless. He landed a solid kick to Lee's ribs, then another to his thigh. They weren't knockout blows, but they were heavy, damaging, and they were beginning to add up. Lee stumbled back, a sharp grunt of pain escaping his lips. He realized the truth. His base skill was enough to survive, but it was not enough to win. Not against this.
Seeing his opponent falter, Iida knew this was his moment. He propelled himself to the far side of the arena, his engines screaming as he prepared for one final, decisive charge that would end the match.
Lee watched him, his body aching, his mind racing. He saw the path of his own defeat laid out before him. And he refused to take it. He closed his eyes, a serene calm settling on his face. He had made his choice.
"Third Gate: Gate of Life! OPEN!"
The eruption of power was instantaneous and shocking. A brilliant, crimson aura exploded from Lee's body. His skin flushed a deep red, and a massive cloud of steam hissed into the air, for a moment obscuring him completely. The entire stadium gasped as one.
Iida was already in motion, a blue meteor of unstoppable force. But the figure that emerged from the steam was a different kind of being entirely. He was a crimson comet.
As Iida screamed across the stage, Lee dropped low, so low his hands nearly scraped the concrete. He moved under Iida's impossibly fast charge.
For Iida, the world was a high-speed blur, his target directly in his sights. Then, in a nanosecond of pure, surreal horror, he saw it. The world below him was no longer grey concrete, but a glowing, crimson face looking up at him. Iida's eyes, hidden behind the lenses of his helmet, trembled with disbelief and shock.
Before he could even process the thought, Lee's leg swung upwards, a hammer forged of pure, concentrated will. It connected with a sharp, brutal CRACK against Iida's chin. The force of the blow was immense, snapping his head back. Iida's glasses, a gift from his beloved older brother, were torn from his face by the impact, flying through the air and shattering against the hard ground.
Iida was launched vertically into the sky, a silent, stunned projectile.
But Lee was not finished. He appeared in the air directly behind the ascending Iida. His unraveled bandages, which had been trailing behind him, shot out like white serpents, wrapping themselves around Iida's torso, binding him.
"Primary Lotus!"
Lee gripped the bandages, spun in mid-air, and began a devastating, pile-driver descent, his own body a spinning drill of crimson energy. They crashed into the stage in a cataclysmic impact that sent a spiderweb of cracks through the concrete and a cloud of dust billowing into the air.
The dust settled, revealing Iida, unconscious, in a shallow crater. Lee landed a few feet away, but the cost of his victory was immense. He was panting, his body trembling, the crimson aura flickering and dying. He had won.
Midnight declared him the victor. The stadium roared his name, a deafening, unified chant.
But Rock Lee did not smile. He looked down at his own trembling hands, then at the unconscious form of his friend and rival. A look of pure, agonizing frustration crossed his face. He slammed his fist into the cracked concrete of the stage, a silent scream of a warrior who knew he had just used his final, most precious arrow. He had won the battle, but he had perhaps lost the war.
High in the stands, Sora watched him, a gentle, sad, and deeply proud smile on her face. She whispered to the wind, the words meant for no one but herself.
"It seems this is the furthest he could go today… He did well."
~~~~
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