I Hate Systems

"Teacher," A student pointed at a screenshot saved in his phone, "How are you at different places at the same time?"

The photo consisted of an angle showing the Genesis Hero's speech. But if one zoomed at the corner, they would see the figure of Compass Carburettor standing there, talking with the retired Hero, Lion's Share.

"Try to take a guess, will you?" Compass Carburettor smiled in response, observing that most of the students in his class were staring at him, intending to know the answer.

"Are you a Hero with teleportation powers?" The student that showed the screenshot took a guess.

"Nope, I have no such power." Compass Carburettor shook his head before looking at the others.

"That's your double?"

"Nope."

"You have cloning powers."

"Not even close."

"You're an illusion."

"I can hit you to prove that I'm real."

"Ugh…you…yeah, it's CGI." A student said at the end when everyone looked at him as if he were a retard.

'These brats…' Compass Carburettor let out a chuckle before writing on the board, "How am I at different places? What's my power?"

"This is your assignment." Compass Carburettor said as he turned around to face the students, "After five months and three weeks, come up with an answer. I'll reward the one that answers correctly."

"Until then, you can do whatever you want to probe me." He winked before beginning the lecture, "Now, Heroes and Villains, what's the difference?"

"Their motives?" A student answered.

"You can say that, but is that all?" Compass Carburettor smiled as he pointed at Millie, "Care you explain your power?"

"It's Friction Covalence. I can range the friction of two substances in contact from zero to maximum." Millie said, waving her hand once, "My current range of influence is around two metres. I can even influence the air within this range and shred apart anyone that approaches me with the maximum friction."

"Everyone knows the concept of air resistance, right?" Compass Carburettor faced the students, watching them nod in response, "In every action, we feel a certain air resistance but we're used to it. But, what happens when this becomes zero?"

He eyed Millie who instantly transformed the air around her, making its friction zero. But immediately after, she and the students seated around her felt difficulty in breathing, gasping for air.

A second later, Millie deactivated her ability and was able to breathe freely once again, staring at Compass Carburettor in shock to ask, "But I was still breathing air as usual…I think."

"You were indeed breathing as usual. But, you didn't inhale any air." Compass Carburettor smiled, observing the shock on the impacted students as he created a projection of molecules, "At the molecular level, there exist Van Der Waals forces pulling molecules closer to one another. There are also forces of attraction and repulsion related to charges in the molecules. If you were to consider them on a macroscopic scale, what do these create?"

"Friction, yes." He nodded, "And depending on the friction, which is basically the collision of these molecules, reactions happen. There are plenty of variables there, but that's not important."

He then pointed at Millie, "When you sucked in air, you created pressure. But, what's this pressure?"

"You created a vacuum in the air which at the atomic level was you accumulating the air molecules by pulling as many as possible using your muscles. But, if the friction was zero, what happens?" He smirked, "Your muscles are unable to pull in the closest air molecules, as these molecular forces become zero. So, each air molecule within this range becomes inactive."

"They won't move." He then knocked her on the head, "So, you weren't inhaling any air. And even if some managed to flow into your lungs, they won't even come into contact with any substances in your lungs, for the friction is absolute zero. If they can't even come into contact, how will they react or mix?"

"But, I tried this before. Nothing like this happened then." Millie expressed her confusion.

"That's because I was amplifying your abilities. Otherwise, you're not at the level to attain zero friction yet. Now, here comes my question," Compass Carburettor stared at the students, "What if Millie's power wasn't Friction Covalence but zero friction?"

"What…will change?" Millie thought when she shuddered, realising that the state of breathlessness was all her power would be capable of. She wouldn't be able to use her powers to skate or even vary the pressure differences to lift her body into the air, etc.

"You understand now?" Compass Carburettor smiled, "The only scope of your ability in the latter case is to cause suffering for others. So, using it means someone would suffer. That's a Villain ability."

"So," He addressed the students, "Motives differentiate a Hero and a Villain. But at times, one is forced down the path of a Villain simply because his or her ability only has destructive value. This is true for Heroes too."

He then pointed at the classroom's entrance, "So, how will you face them?"

"I'll kill everyone!"

"Murder!"

"These capitalistic bastards would pay!"

Frustrated shouts resounded from beyond the classroom. Millie stared in curiosity before her face paled in response. She stared at Compass Carburettor, pointing out with a trembling finger, "T-They are…?"

"Your versions with a Villain's motive. Your powers are villainised too." Compass Carburettor smiled as he disappeared from the location, "Your goal is to convince your villain self to stop being a Villain. There's no time limit. They'll kill the innocents if you let them be, though. After all,"

"There are no Heroes in this world other than the lot of you."

"Not this again." Millie facepalmed, trembling in anger for they had just gone through a scenario an hour ago. There was a professor who came to teach them the ethics of being Heroes for that class.

It was Compass Carburettor's class after that. And as she feared, he placed them in another troublesome situation once again.

"Millie!" Vahor shouted with a pale face, jumping behind her to request, "I'll tackle your villain version. Can you do something about mine?"

He pointed when suddenly, the world turned black and white, "That guy is too strong."

"Shit!" Millie was alarmed when she noticed that she became many times weaker immediately after losing most of her colours in this black-and-white world.

And in this world, the villains alone maintained their colour, sauntering into the classroom with bloodthirsty expressions. "I'll be damned."