NOVEL WEB Chapter 17 – Heroes vs Villains
Everyone changed into their hero costumes and gathered in an outdoor training ground. Even when it was called that, it looked like a city ruin with buildings and alleys everywhere. It was like a real place.
"Here we are! Welcome to your first training!" All Might announced as he spread his arms wide. "Now, as Heroes, you must be able to work undercover and not attract attention to yourself. Sometimes, villains are hiding in secret places, and you must catch them before they escape."
"It's just a normal operation?" Denki asked in confusion as he scratched his head.
"Yeah! No sweat!" Mina added as she shook her fist in excitement. "Let's show them our skills!"
"Not so fast."
All Might shook his head and grinned at us.
"You must learn how to blend in with the crowd and not stand out too much. This is where the training begins. We will have two teams. One will have to steal a suitcase from a location that they only know. Another team will act as Heroes and chase after them."
"So we're being separated and put into a Villain or Heroes team?" Shoto asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side.
"No, no! We're going to make it more complicated than that!"
He laughed loudly as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The Heroes team will be a group of two, while the Villain team will be a group of three. It might sound unfair, but Heroes will have to be at a disadvantage from the start. Because there are 22 of you, I will put the remaining two in a rather difficult position. That will be Young Todoroki and Young Saiki."
Being called so suddenly, I raised my head and looked at All Might. His grin widened as he said, "Both of you will be in a Heroes team. And your opponent will be me!"
'Wait, what?'
Before I could react, he laughed loudly.
Everyone also broke into commotion.
"They are facing All Might?!"
"That's so cool!"
"How is that even possible?!"
"I am jealous."
I couldn't help but look at Shoto and found him staring back at me with his usual stoic face. He nodded slightly at me after confirming my face.
This was... going to be difficult.
"Isn't that unfair, All Might?" Izuku unexpectedly spoke up as he stared at All Might with concern. "Kuro-kun and Todoroki-kun are both talented in their own way. But facing you... It's like a baby tiger fighting against a full-grown adult tiger."
Izuku's words made everyone go silent as they stared at him with shock on their faces. But All Might didn't look bothered at all as he laughed and shook his head.
"Don't worry, I have thought of that. I will wear 150 KG weights on both of my feet and hands to make it more even." He pointed at himself with his thumb proudly. "It's just like how real Heroes have to face any situation where they have to fight strong enemies. This is just training, after all!"
As for me, I wasn't nervous about the fight at all. What worried me was how to win this.
'If I were the villain, it would be easy. I could just steal the suitcase, have Todoroki stall All Might, and then run. But being in the Heroes team...'
My skill wouldn't have a chance to shine.
'This will be hard.'
As we went through the training, All Might divided us into two groups with draws. I wasn't interested in it and only remembered a few teams. For example, Izuku was with Shinso, while Bakugo was with Tsuyu. They were on the Heroes team.
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu and Tooru ended up in the same team as Denki in a Villain team. The others were... well, not that interesting to be honest. Uraraka felt pretty down after she realized she wasn't in the same team as Izuku. I guessed she began to like him, after all.
As for me, I was with Shoto, who was quiet as usual. We stood together while All Might gave out an explanation about the winning condition.
"Heroes will win if they catch the Villains. Meanwhile, the Villain team's winning condition is to escape to this place with the suitcase within 3 minutes. That or defeat the Heroes. Is there any question? No? Good."
"Wait, how long did you say? 3 minutes?!" Ojiro asked in surprise as he raised his hand. "That's not long."
"Indeed! This is speed-based training! Villains won't stay in the crime scene for an hour. They will try to escape as soon as possible. So, it's up to you to win within those minutes or chase them until the time runs out. But remember that Heroes are also limited by time! They need to go to the crime scene."
"And the suitcase is in a secret place, right?" Yaoyorozu asked as she raised her hand. "Do we know where it is?"
"Not yet. Heroes will only be able to locate the suitcase when the Villain touches it. The timer will also start at that time."
Meaning, we would have to rely on luck and strength to complete this mission. It wasn't just a simple game. The Villain team had to think about what they were going to do while the Heroes team had to chase after them. Plan would be essential in this training.
"What do you think?" I asked Shoto, who was staring at me with his blank face. "To be honest, I can keep All Might for a minute or two at best. I can do more, but... Well, let's say that will depend on the condition."
"I can freeze him if you want." He said flatly as he looked at me. "But I don't think it will help much. With his physical strength, he will escape in no time"
"That's true."
I shook my head and sighed. By now, this guy surely wouldn't use his fire due to trauma and shit. It was a shame since it could help us win easily. Or at least gave us a chance to win.
'In that case...'
I turned to look at All Might, who was still talking with other students.
'He is stronger than in the original timeline. That much I had confirmed it with my own eyes.'
I glanced at the suitcase that the Villains were supposed to steal. Compared to All Might's size, it was small. He could easily grab it in his hand and run.
However, knowing about this teacher, I knew that wouldn't be the case.
'He will try to fight us for a minute or two. That will give us a chance to win.'
"Listen, Todoroki. I have a plan."
I lowered my voice and whispered to him my plan. He stared at me with a frown on his face but nodded after a while.
"That sounds like a good plan." He said as he looked at the suitcase again.
The explanation was finished at that time and All Might's voice boomed.
"Alright! For the first team, let's pick Young Saiki and Young Todoroki. Let's start right away!"
