I settled into my seat on the bus, tugging at the black compression shirt. The kanji for "Arashi" stretched across my back. The white pants felt loose and comfortable - perfect for whatever chaos awaited us.
Todo dropped into the seat beside me, his purple shirt a stark contrast to my monochrome look. "Besto Friendo! Ready to show these robots the power of our bromance?"
"Pretty sure that's not how the scoring works," I said, but I was grinning. Something about his enthusiasm was infectious.
"Ah, but consider this-" He pulled out his phone. "I made those PowerPoint slides about thighs versus-"
"We are NOT having this debate right now."
The bus lurched into motion. Other examinees chatted nervously or sat in tense silence. A few kept shooting glances our way, probably wondering why Todo was gesturing so enthusiastically about leg muscles.
"Look, all I'm saying is that the ratio of quad to hamstring development-"
"Dude."
"The SHAPE IS-"
I pressed my face against the window, pretending to be fascinated by the passing buildings.
The testing ground came into view - a sprawling mock city that would've put most movie sets to shame. As we filed off the bus, I spotted explosion girl near the front of the crowd. Her scowl could've melted steel.
"Your friend seems... intense," Todo observed.
"Still not sure she's actually my friend."
I scanned the crowd, trying to get a feel for the competition. Most looked nervous, some were stretching, others-
Oh.
A girl stood off to the right, going through what looked like a martial arts warm-up routine. Long black hair, slim athletic build, moving with the kind of fluid grace that screamed 'do not fuck with me.' But what caught my attention were the small, rat-like ears poking through her hair and the long, grey tail curled behind her.
She must have felt me staring because she turned, meeting my gaze with startling teal eyes. A slight smirk played at her lips. I looked away quickly.
"Besto Friendo?" Todo's voice had that dangerous excitement again. "Did you see something interesting? Perhaps... a woman who matches your ideal proportions?"
"I will literally teleport you into traffic."
"START!" Present Mic's voice boomed from somewhere above us.
The crowd stood frozen for a moment.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THERE'S NO COUNTDOWN IN REAL FIGHTS! GO GO GO!"
Everyone surged forward at once. I caught a glimpse of explosion girl rocketing ahead on her blasts, the rat-tail girl vanishing into an alley with impossible speed, and Todo... was still standing next to me.
"You gonna move?" I asked.
"A true warrior observes before engaging." He struck a pose.
"Your loss," I said, watching the crowd sprint ahead.
Todo grinned. His hands came together in a sharp clap.
A guy with spiky green hair disappeared, replaced by Todo's towering form now twenty feet ahead in the crowd.
"WHERE AM I?" The teleported guy spun in circles beside me, his voice cracking. "I was- I just- What-"
I shrugged. "Good luck." I crossed my finger to teleport and stepped through into an empty side street. The sounds of chaos echoed from all directions - explosions, mechanical whirring, screaming contestants.
A three-pointer robot burst through a wall to my right, sensors scanning for targets. I shifted into the first form of Arashi-ryu, letting my weight settle naturally. The robot charged.
My light front kick caught it square in the chest plate, denting the metal. It staggered back but didn't fall. Interesting. These things were sturdier than they looked.
"Target acquired," it droned, arms extending into what looked like sonic cannons.
I moved like water, flowing past the blast wave. My roundhouse kick took its head clean off. The body kept moving for two steps before collapsing.
"Three points," I muttered. "Now where's the-"
The ground shook. Four more robots rounded the corner - two one-pointers and two two-pointers. Their sensors all locked onto me at once.
"Oh good, you brought friends."
The first one-pointer rushed in low. I jumped, using its shoulders as a springboard to launch myself at the others. My heel drop crushed the nearest two-pointer's central processor. The second one-pointer tried to grab me, but I twisted mid-air, my foot connecting with its arm joint. Metal shrieked as the limb tore free.
The remaining two-pointer opened fire with some kind of net launcher. I ducked under it, sweeping its legs with a low kick. As it toppled, I drove my knee through its chest.
"Target still active," the one-armed robot announced, charging with its remaining appendage.
"Not for long." I spun into a back kick that sent it flying into a wall. It didn't get up.
Eight points total. Not bad for the first minute. I needed to find the bigger ones though - those would be worth more points.
A massive crash echoed from two blocks over, followed by screaming. That seemed promising.
I rounded the corner just in time to see explosion girl obliterate a three-pointer with a point-blank blast. Three more robots advanced on her position while she was still recovering from the recoil.
Well, couldn't let her have all the fun.
I launched myself off a broken lamppost, catching the nearest robot with an axe kick that split its armor plating. The second one tried to track me, but I was already moving, flowing through its guard like mist. My heel found the weak point where its leg joined the torso.
"I had those!" explosion girl shouted, detonating the third robot's face.
"You're welcome!" I called back, already running toward the next sound of combat.
A three-pointer loomed ahead, cornering some contestants against a building. Its gatling gun spun up. Time slowed as I analyzed the scene - angle of fire, structural weak points, optimal approach vector.
I struck like lightning, my foot connecting with the joint where its weapon arm met the shoulder. The entire assembly sparked and went limp. Before it could compensate, I was already moving again, channeling all my momentum into an upward kick that sheared through its neck servos.
"Holy shit," one of the trapped contestants whispered.
I gave them a quick salute before taking off again. The city was chaos now - robots and examinees everywhere, destruction spreading block by block. Perfect hunting ground for someone who knew how to move like a storm.
My breath fell into a steady rhythm as I danced between targets. Each kick flowed naturally into the next - no wasted movement, no hesitation. A three-pointer's head caved under my heel. Three more points.
"Target acquired," droned another robot, its sensors tracking my movement.
I slipped past its guard, my foot connecting with the joint between torso and hip. The metal buckled. Before it could recover, I spun into a roundhouse that separated head from shoulders. Two more points.
"Hey!" Todo's voice boomed from somewhere above. "Save some for your Besto Friendo!"
I glanced up to see him perched on a fire escape, swapping positions with robots and sending them crashing down.
Show-off.