"Damn! Are they even human?!"
Natsuki's voice was nearly drowned out by the roar of another explosion. His palm flashed, the blast striking a two-pointer square in the chest and sending the machine tumbling backward. He barely had time to follow through before something whistled through the air.
His eyes shifted.
A projectile from a three-pointer.
Natsuki jumped to his left, the projectile tearing past him and smashing into the building behind him. Before his feet could touch the ground, two one-pointers came rushing from opposite sides.
"Seriously?"
His palms ignited.
BOOM!
The blast propelled him backward, simultaneously knocking the two robots away from him. He twisted in midair, one palm pointing toward the three-pointer while the other aimed at the nearest one-pointer.
BOOM!
The three-pointer's upper body exploded apart.
Natsuki immediately turned toward the two-pointer he'd been fighting first. The machine had already recovered and was charging toward him.
"Stay down!"
His fist exploded against its head.
BOOM!
The robot collapsed.
Natsuki landed and immediately looked toward his left.
More green metal.
More robots.
And a lot more of them.
His eyebrow twitched.
"Are the support students on drugs or something?"
Another robot fired.
Natsuki ducked beneath the projectile and sprinted forward.
These things were ridiculous.
Compared to what he remembered, the robots in this exam weren't simply targets with legs. They fought. They maneuvered. They attacked from different angles. Some even seemed capable of recognizing when an opponent was distracted and taking advantage of it.
Kikiyo's voice echoed inside his mind.
'Natsu-chan, I don't really understand what you mean by the "original work," but I can confirm these things are surprisingly capable. They're almost comparable to the thugs we fight every night.'
Natsuki rolled his eyes internally.
'I'm not saying they're supposed to be as strong as actual villains.'
He blasted another robot apart.
'That would defeat the entire purpose of the exam.'
His eyes swept across the battlefield as another group of machines approached.
'Villains are naturally intelligent. They're capable of adapting. They're capable of learning and getting stronger. You can put all the stats you want on a sheet, but if you can't adapt to the situation, then you're ultimately just a bigger, stronger, or faster target.'
BOOM!
A three-pointer lost an arm.
'Villains are people. People are capable of thoughts that surpass possibilities and probabilities. That's the ultimate difference.'
Natsuki fired another blast.
'They can't make these robots too strong. The numbers are already overwhelming. If every machine was comparable to an actual villain, the whole competition would collapse.'
He noticed several students had moved away from the area in front of him.
Convenient.
Natsuki raised his hand.
A powerful explosion tore across the street.
For once, there was nobody directly in his line of fire.
BOOOOOOM!
The blast engulfed several robots at once, sending fragments of metal scattering across the pavement.
Natsuki took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I'm starting to hate this school."
His eyes wandered across the battlefield.
There was another difference.
The robots weren't separated into neatly divided areas like he remembered.
The entire examination zone was enormous.
One massive battlefield.
Students were constantly crossing into different areas, fighting whatever happened to be nearby.
Natsuki ran along an empty street, ignoring the applicants who immediately moved away from him.
He understood why.
Staying near him for points was stupid.
Why fight a tiger over one steak when there were dozens of unattended steaks scattered throughout the field, each guarded by nothing more dangerous than a dog?
Natsuki glanced behind himself.
Yep.
They were avoiding him.
Smart.
His eyes returned to the battlefield.
And then there was the number of robots.
That was the biggest difference.
They were everywhere.
Natsuki wasn't even searching for them anymore.
He didn't have to.
Every few seconds, another machine would wander into his path.
He destroyed it.
Then another appeared.
Then another.
His score was climbing almost passively.
Natsuki mentally calculated the points he'd accumulated.
"One hundred and twenty-seven..."
He blinked.
"Wait."
He stopped for half a second.
"One hundred and twenty-seven?"
That was ridiculous.
That was already nearly twice the score he'd remembered Katsuki achieving in the original story.
And Katsuki had supposedly been the top scorer.
Natsuki wasn't even actively hunting the robots.
He was simply destroying whatever happened to get close.
From somewhere in the distance came a familiar voice.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Natsuki's eye twitched.
He didn't need to see her.
"She's having fun, I guess."
Another explosion echoed from somewhere across the battlefield.
Natsuki sighed.
His sister was probably enjoying herself far more than he was.
But something still bothered him.
The Zero-Pointer.
At first, he'd assumed it was simply being kept secret.
Maybe U.A. hadn't mentioned it because the whole point was to surprise the applicants.
That would make sense.
The Zero-Pointer was supposed to create an overwhelming situation.
Something unexpected.
Something that couldn't simply be treated as another target.
But...
Natsuki glanced at his watch.
Five minutes.
His expression slowly hardened.
Where was it?
He remembered the general structure of the exam, but the details were hazy. He couldn't remember the exact timing perfectly.
Two minutes?
Three?
Something around there.
But if that was the case...
"There's no way."
BOOM!
Another robot exploded.
Natsuki stared toward the distant buildings.
No Zero-Pointer.
No enormous machine.
Nothing.
"Maybe they really removed it."
He blasted another one-pointer without even looking directly at it.
Kikiyo's voice returned.
'Maybe this test is simply testing endurance and combat ability?'
Natsuki remained silent.
'You said one of the teachers already gives you separate tests, didn't you? The man who keeps chasing you during your night activities?'
Natsuki slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
'Then perhaps the rest of the evaluation happens later.'
That was possible.
Actually...
It made sense.
Maybe U.A. didn't need to cram everything into one examination.
Maybe the written exam tested morality and judgment.
The practical exam tested combat ability and endurance.
And whatever psychological evaluation they wanted could happen afterward.
Natsuki wasn't entirely convinced.
But there wasn't much else he could do.
So he continued forward, dismantling the green bots with precision
BOOM!
Another robot exploded.
BOOM!
Another.
BOOM!
And another.
By the time Natsuki reached his one-hundred-and-forty-second point, he finally stopped. He looked across the battlefield. There were still robots everywhere, but he had no reason to keep destroying them. His breathing had become heavier, and sweat rolled down his face as he stared at the seemingly endless sea of metal.
"This test really is just endurance, isn't it?"
Kikiyo's voice came from inside his mind. "Perhaps. You did say that one of the teachers already gives you separate tests, didn't you? The one who keeps chasing you during your night activities?"
Natsuki slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then maybe the rest of the evaluation happens later."
Natsuki considered her words. It was possible. The written examination had tested morality and judgment, while this practical exam seemed focused almost entirely on combat ability, adaptability, and endurance. Perhaps U.A. simply didn't believe everything needed to be tested at once.
He still wasn't completely convinced.
But there wasn't much else he could do.
Natsuki bent his knees and ignited his palms.
BOOM!
The explosion launched him toward the nearest rooftop. His feet landed against the edge, and for a moment he simply stood there, overlooking the battlefield below. Smoke drifted through the streets while countless machines continued their rampage beneath him. Students were scattered everywhere, some fighting desperately, others running from one group of robots to another in search of easier targets.
Natsuki's eyes slowly swept across the chaos.
Then he noticed something.
Green.
His gaze stopped on a familiar figure dashing around with fiery flames adorning his frame
They left flames in their wake, reminding Natsuki of the aftermath to endeavours foghts
Natsuki's eyes twitched, Midoriya was definitely not struggling like in the original at least.....just that... he's really changed
"...Midoriya.... what made you into such a pyromaniac, you didn't even help round cheeks over there"
His gaze landed on the girl now floating, she had almost gotten burned bye the flames caused by an explosion set off by Midoriya
And he didn't even notice.....hold on... that's not roght
Before he could get a proper look, flames suddenly erupted around the green-haired boy as he lunged towards a student on the side for no apparent reason
Natsuki's expression changed as he realised what deku was preparing to do
Ochako uraraka felt a breeze past her face, 'hm? Was that a person?'
Deku lounged a flame attack towards the contestant he had been looking at without hesitation, Natsuki felt his arms go numb as he materialized in front of the contestant mentioned, raising his aching arms through gritted teeth
"...What the hell! Deku! This is a hero school, if you want to kill someone!.."
He shot an explosion to offset the flame attack deku had sent
"Do it when I'm not here!, damnit!"