Wings

Chapter 52

Early February came around, and Aizawa was having the students of class A hold a Setsubun lesson outside. The students were in their tracks suits at the center of a hill surrounded by a modest forest. The class was going to be split into two teams.

Aizawa held up a box. "You'll draw lots to determine which team you're on. Make it quick, now." The class gathered around the teacher. "Bakugo, no need for you to pick. You're on Team Oni."

"Huh?" Katuki grunted, he was taken aback. 

"You were born to play an oni, man!" said Kaminari with a snort.

"Say that again, sparky!" spat Katsuki.

"The same goes for you Yuki," Aizawa said. "You're on Team Momotaro."

"Hm?" Eva asked tilting her head. 

"I'll explain why later," said Aizawa, Katsuki, and Eva hung back as everyone else drew lots. 

Team Momotaro

Izuku

Eva

Urakaka

Tsu

Mineta

Kaminari

Jiro

Sero

Ashido

Ojiro

Hakagkure

Sato

Koda

Team Oni

Bakugo

Todoroki

Tokoyami

Ida

Shoji

Kirishima

Yaoyorozu

Aoyama

"Sir!" yelped Iida, one hand shot up. "There seems to be a discrepancy in the number of members per team!"

"Because Team Momotaro is at an overwhelming disadvantage, as I was about to explain," said Aizawa as he distributed three bean-size balls to each member of Momotaro and a single cudgel to each Oni. "If a Momotaro gets whacked by a cudgel, they're out. And an Oni is out if they get hit with three beans, which can be collected and used after being thrown. Team Oni's goal is to wipe out every member of Team Momotaro, while Team Momotaro can only win by rescuing the 'hostage' held by Team Oni."

"Hostage?" Eva repeated.

Aizawa turned away from his confused students. "Playing the part of the hostage is none other than Eri. She's sitting in the hut at the top of the hill as we speak. Both teams must treat her as if she were an actual hostage. Understand what that means?" Aizawa looked back at Bakugo and Eva. "Bakugo--you have a special assignment. Throughout the course of this exercise, you're going to become friends with Eri." His eyes shifted to Eva. "Yuki, you are on Team Momotaro so you don't make Bakugo's task easy."

"Huhhh?!" 

Everyone became shocked by Aizawa's words.

"You may be on the villain team this time," explained Aizawa. "But someday you might find yourself needing to rescue young children. When the time comes, the mission's success may ride on your ability to win over a child."

"The hell? What's wrong with just grabbing the kid and calling it a day?" said Bakugo.

Aizawa went into an explanation. "Imagine it from the hostage's point of view. Say you sneak past the villain and try to drag the child away by force. You'd be no different than the villain in their eyes. Say they start crying, alerting the villain to your presence. Suddenly, you're thrown into combat while trying to protect the hostage. Any decedent hero prioritizes the victim's well-being. Understood."  He focused on Bakugo. "Anyway, Team Oni will start from the hut, and Team Momotaro will start from the edge of the forest. To your places, now. The face-off begins in ten minutes."