"That was so cool. It gave me such a reassuring, down-to-earth feeling."
Yang Xiao turned to look. Ochaco Uraraka was chatting with Izuku Midoriya. Their conversation seemed somewhat similar to his conversation with Denki Kaminari; they were both complimenting each other, anyway.
Ochaco Uraraka said somewhat embarrassedly, "If only I'd made my requirements clearer back then. It ended up as this skintight suit. It's so embarrassing."
"The Hero Course is amazing!" Minoru Mineta, standing to one side, blinked at Ochaco Uraraka and gave her a thumbs-up.
"All right, it's time for combat training..."
"Teacher!" As soon as All Might finished speaking, Tenya Iida stepped forward. "This is the training ground from the entrance exam. Are we going to do the Battle Center simulation again?"
All Might shook his head after hearing that. "No, this time we're going two floors higher. Although most of the enemy suppression we see takes place outdoors, statistically speaking, vicious enemies are more likely to appear indoors. Imprisonment, house arrest, underground dealings... in this hero-saturated society... In short, truly cunning enemies all lurk in the darkness."
"You'll next be divided into an enemy team and a hero team for two-on-two indoor battles."
"No basic training?" Tsuyu Asui asked curiously.
"This practical exercise is precisely meant to assess your fundamentals. It's just that this time, your opponents will no longer be robots that can simply be destroyed," All Might explained.
"How will victory or defeat be determined?" Yaoyorozu Momo raised her hand and asked.
"Listen carefully. The scenario is that the [enemy] has hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere inside their base, while the [heroes] must go and eliminate the threat. The heroes must capture the enemies within the time limit or successfully recover the nuclear weapon, while the enemies must protect the nuclear weapon or capture the heroes within the time limit."
After All Might finished explaining the rules, he produced a yellow cardboard box from somewhere. "Partners and opponents will be determined entirely by drawing lots."
"Isn't that rather casual?" Tenya Iida rubbed his chin.
"Pro Heroes often have to temporarily form teams with heroes from other agencies, so I think that's the reason," Izuku Midoriya explained to Tenya Iida.
"I see, a consideration for the future..." Tenya Iida bowed to All Might. "I apologize for my rudeness."
"It's fine. Let's get started!" All Might laughed heartily, and everyone began drawing lots.
After Yang Xiao drew his lot, he discovered that he had actually been paired with Denki Kaminari. Denki Kaminari patted Yang Xiao on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Looks like we're really destined."
"We really are..." Yang Xiao nodded. He felt the same way. Being drawn into the same team by lot was indeed a kind of fate.
The first match was between Katsuki Bakugo's group and Izuku Midoriya's group. Yang Xiao already knew the outcome of their battle, but he still watched it carefully.
In the end, however, Izuku Midoriya was injured rather badly. Katsuki Bakugo's Quirk had scorched the surface of his body, and Izuku Midoriya's right hand had broken down from using his Quirk, requiring treatment once again before it could recover.
The second battle was Yang Xiao and Denki Kaminari against Todoroki Shoto and Mezo Shoji. Yang Xiao's group was the enemy team, while Todoroki Shoto's group was the hero team.
At that moment, Yang Xiao and Denki Kaminari were standing beside the nuclear bomb in a room somewhere on the fourth floor.
"Yang Xiao, you stay here and protect the nuclear bomb. I'll go deal with those two first. I heard one of them is a Recommended student. No idea whether I can hold them off." Denki Kaminari spread his hands and prepared to leave.
"There are two people in the north hall on the fourth floor. They seem to be together right now. Are they discussing something?" Mezo Shoji's duplicate arm was speaking to Todoroki Shoto, who had just entered.
"You should go outside. It's going to get dangerous from here on out," Todoroki Shoto said expressionlessly, as though he had not heard what Mezo Shoji had said earlier.
For him, having both opponents in the same place was better. That way, he could achieve his goal directly.
"They're probably planning to defend..." Todoroki Shoto chuckled, placing his right hand against the wall. "But that has nothing to do with me."
In an instant, a freezing aura burst from Todoroki Shoto's right hand. A thin layer of ice formed over the wall and spread throughout the entire building at incredible speed.
"Wait," Yang Xiao called out to Denki Kaminari. Denki Kaminari turned around to look at him, and Yang Xiao smiled. "Of course you can't hold them off. If they advance normally, we'll be finished in an instant."
"What do you mean?" Denki Kaminari asked in confusion.
"This is what I mean!" Yang Xiao suddenly picked up the nuclear warhead. A freezing aura instantly surged up to their floor, and everything around them rapidly began to freeze.
Yang Xiao leaped up while holding the nuclear warhead. When he landed again, the surroundings had already become a frozen world. Denki Kaminari stood there shivering, his feet frozen in place and unable to move.
"That was close..." Yang Xiao set down the nuclear warhead. At this point, Todoroki Shoto probably thought he had been frozen, so he was heading this way.
"Y-you... How did you know he would use a move like that?" Denki Kaminari said through chattering teeth. He had never expected this to happen. That Quirk was far too terrifying. It had directly frozen the entire building; unless the enemies had fire-based Quirks, they would have no way to break free from such restraints.
At the same time, the other students and All Might, watching beneath the surveillance screen, were all staring at it in confusion.
When Todoroki Shoto unleashed his Quirk, everyone had been amazed. But what truly shocked them was Yang Xiao predicting Todoroki Shoto's attack in advance, protecting the nuclear warhead, and leaping away.
No one could know how their opponent would fight without any prior knowledge, which was what made Yang Xiao's predictive ability so terrifying. But all of this needed a reasonable explanation; otherwise, everyone would consider Yang Xiao a freak.
On the surveillance screen, Yang Xiao said with a smile, "It's simple. I researched the Recommended students, and I know Todoroki Shoto's Quirk as well. I figured someone with his personality wouldn't like trouble, so he'd use his trump card from the start to lock down our movements. That way, we wouldn't be able to move, just like you, with your feet frozen."
Although that explanation was somewhat forced, it did clear up everyone's doubts. It could only be said that Yang Xiao had done his homework thoroughly. He looked harmless enough, but he had actually been studying his opponents' abilities all along.
He was a competitor working in the shadows!
"Even so, your estimate was way too accurate. By the time I felt the cold, I was already frozen. I couldn't react at all." Denki Kaminari was thoroughly convinced. He seemed to be starting to admire Yang Xiao's style.
"All right, save the unnecessary talk until this is over. Those two enemies downstairs aren't simple." Yang Xiao walked over to Denki Kaminari, covered his right foot in Holy Light, and stomped apart the solid ice trapping him.
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