"No," Wu Xuan replied, his voice calm yet carrying a sharp edge. "I was just thinking about what you said. About 'determination' and 'rationality'."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed, his gaze lingering on the boy who sat with such casual, unearned confidence. "And what about it?"
Wu Xuan's lips curled into a half-smile. He tilted his head back, looking directly at the teacher. "I just thought it was funny that you used your Quirk on me. I had no intention of using mine to deal with that durian-headed brat."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Bakugo roared from his desk, his face contorting with rage. "You think you can take me without your Quirk? I'll blast you into—"
"Quiet," Aizawa's voice was like a whip, and Bakugo's mouth snapped shut, though he continued to vibrate with fury.
Wu Xuan didn't even look at him. "Physical strength alone would have been enough to put him through that wall. Your 'intervention' was actually the most irrational thing that's happened in the last thirteen seconds."
A heavy silence fell over Class 1-A. The other students—Iida, Midoriya, and even the stoic Todoroki—stared at Wu Xuan in disbelief. No one talked to a teacher like that at U.A., especially not a man as intimidating as Shota Aizawa.
Aizawa stared at Wu Xuan for several long seconds. The air in the room felt thick enough to choke on. Finally, the teacher let out a low, tired sigh. "Arrogance is a quick way to find yourself at the bottom of the hero charts, kid. Since you're so fond of 'rationality,' you'll be on probation starting now. One more outburst, and you're gone."
He turned away from Wu Xuan, dismissing the tension as easily as if he were brushing away dust. "Now, put these on and head out to the grounds. We're doing a Quirk Apprehension Test."
He pulled a set of blue and white gym uniforms from his podium.
"But what about the orientation? The opening ceremony?" Uraraka asked, her voice small and confused.
"If you want to be heroes, you don't have time for useless ceremonies," Aizawa said, walking toward the door. "U.A. is a school known for its 'freedom'—and that freedom applies to the teachers as well. Follow me."
As the students began to stand and collect their uniforms, Momo leaned toward Wu Xuan, her voice a hushed whisper. "Xuan-kun... was it really necessary to provoke him on the first day?"
Wu Xuan stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "If he wants to see determination, I'll show him. Besides," he glanced at the fuming Bakugo, "the view from the top is much better when people know exactly why they're beneath you."
He didn't care about probation. He didn't care about the rules. In this world of "Extraordinary" society, only one thing truly mattered: the strength to stand above the storm.
A single relevant follow-up question:
Now that Aizawa has set the stage for a "merit-based" culling, do you think Wu Xuan should use the Quirk Apprehension Test to display the full, terrifying power of [The World], or should he continue to hold back to keep his true limits a mystery?