A three-pointer charged from my blind spot. I dropped low, letting momentum carry me into a sweep that took out its legs. As it toppled, my rising kick caught it under the chin. The head went flying.
"Forty-two points," I muttered, already moving toward the next target.
The world narrowed to pure instinct. See target, close distance, identify weak point, strike. Each impact sent satisfying vibrations up my spine.
A cluster of two-pointers had some purple-haired kid cornered. Perfect. I launched myself off a chunk of debris, my heel finding the sweet spot on the nearest robot's neck. The second one turned to track me. Too slow. My foot caved in its chest plate before it could fire.
"Thanks," Purple Hair called out.
I was already gone, riding the rush. The kicks came faster now, each strike leading naturally into the next. Metal crumpled. Sparks flew. Points kept climbing.
"Fifty-seven... sixty... sixty-five..."
Something electric thrummed under my skin. The lotus in my eyes spun lazily, responding to my heightened state. I felt invincible.
Three three-pointers emerged from an alley. My grin stretched wider.
"Come on then."
The first one's head exploded under my heel. I used the falling body as a springboard, launching into a spinning kick that caught the second robot in its weapon joint. The third tried to back away. I pursued relentlessly, my foot piercing straight through its core processor.
"Seventy-four points," I laughed. The sound had an edge I didn't recognize.
More. I needed more.
A massive crash drew my attention. Perfect. I rounded the corner at full sprint, finding a group of examinees facing down six robots. My legs moved before I could think.
The first robot never saw me coming. My kick separated its upper body from its legs. The second one managed to track me but couldn't match my speed. Metal shrieked as my heel tore through its armor.
"Holy shit," someone whispered.
I barely heard them. The world had narrowed to targets and impact points. My kicks grew wilder, more powerful. A robot's chest cavity exploded outward. Another's head became a twisted mess of metal and wires.
"Eighty-seven points," I panted. Just a few more...
"Yoichi!" Todo's voice cut through the haze. He stood on a nearby rooftop, arms crossed.
I blinked, suddenly aware of my ragged breathing. The lotus in my eyes had been spinning fast enough to blur. My kicks had grown wild, destructive. Not the flowing precision of Arashi-ryu, but something closer to raw violence.
"Right." I straightened up, letting my stance settle back into proper form. "Thanks."
"What are best friends for?" Todo grinned, then his expression shifted. "Although, about that PowerPoint-"
The ground shook. A shadow fell over the mock city as something massive rose above the buildings. The zero-pointer. It made the other robots look like toys.
"Now that's what I call a final boss!" Todo's eyes lit up.
I studied the behemoth, running calculations. With enough precise strikes to its joints, maybe some tactical teleportation... But no. The point value wouldn't be worth the effort.
"Let's head back," I said. "We've both got enough points."
"Ah, but think of the glory! The-" Todo stopped mid-sentence, head snapping toward a distant scream.
I followed his gaze. Through gaps in the buildings, I spotted someone trapped under fallen debris. The zero-pointer was advancing straight toward them.
"Shit." I started running.
"I'll clear the area!" Todo called out, already clapping to swap fleeing examinees to safer positions.
The trapped person came into view - a girl with moth-like wings, one pinned awkwardly under a chunk of concrete. The zero-pointer's shadow loomed closer.
"Hold still," I said, crouching beside her. "This might feel weird."
I grabbed her shoulder, picturing the entrance gate. Space twisted. The world blurred. We emerged near the starting line, my head swimming from the extended range teleport.
"T-thank you," she stammered, wings fluttering.
Another scream. Two more examinees cornered by the zero-pointer. My temples throbbed, but I pushed off running again.
Grab. Twist. Teleport. The strain built behind my eyes with each jump.
"Anyone else still back there?" I asked the latest rescued examinee.
"Some guy by the fountain," he said. "Purple hair-"
I was already moving. The zero-pointer's foot came down where I'd been standing seconds before. Purple Hair guy - the same one from earlier - had his back against a wall, looking up at the mechanical monster.
"Time to go." I reached for his shoulder.
He flinched away. "I can handle this myself!"
The zero-pointer's sensors locked onto us. Its arm drew back for a strike.
"Nope." I grabbed him anyway. The world bent. We landed by the entrance, my vision going spotty from the effort.
"I didn't ask for-" Purple Hair started.
"You're welcome," I cut him off, scanning the chaos for any other stragglers. My head felt ready to split open.
Todo appeared beside me. "Area's clear! Although I still think we could take that thing."
"Next time," I said, watching the zero-pointer lumber through the empty streets. "Right now I need to sit down before my brain leaks out my ears."
"Ah yes, the classic post-teleport migraine. Perhaps my PowerPoint about proper hydration-"
"Todo?"
"Yes, Besto Friendo?"
"Shut up."
He laughed, dropping down to sit beside me. We watched the zero-pointer's rampage in comfortable silence, my head slowly stopping its attempt to explode.
"So," Todo said after a while. "About those thigh development ratios..."
I groaned. Maybe I should have let the robot step on me.
==========
[Next time on "Yoichi's Hero Academia"]
"Just lie still while I check for concussion." Mom pressed a cold compress to my forehead as I sprawled on the recording studio's leather couch. The camera crew kept shooting despite my protests. "Now tell me about the exam."
"Already told you. Giant robots. Lots of running. My head hurts."
"Mhmm." She adjusted the compress. "And the other examinees?"
"Todo's definitely getting in. Purple Hair guy too, maybe."
"Any... girls?"
I cracked one eye open. Mom's perfect smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Really? That's what you're worried about?"
"Of course not! I just want to know who my son might be spending time with at U.A." She smoothed my hair back with suspicious casualness. "Especially since you'll be moving into the dorms..."
"Mom."
"I should compile background checks on all female students-"
"Mom."
"And install security cameras-"
"Please support the story by dropping power stones and adding it to your library," I told the camera desperately. "Before my mother builds an all-female student containment facility."
"Now there's an idea..."
"Next time: Exam results! Will I get in? Will Todo stop talking about thighs? Will my mother actually let me leave home? Find out next chapter!" I buried my face in the couch cushions. "Assuming she doesn't lock me in the basement first."
"Don't be silly, dear." Mom patted my head. "The panic room has much better security features."