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…
"The 0-pointer, huh?"
Seeing the giant robot in the distance, Suzaku couldn't help but grin excitedly.
Judging from its size, Suzaku imagined it would take simply a step from it to flatten him like a pancake.
Not to mention what a punch from it would be like. Saying "destructive" would be an understatement.
Compared to its fellow robots so far, this one looked like it was gonna be a real challenge to defeat.
As Suzaku watched the metal monstrosity move through the distance, his blood boiled, and his fists tightened.
At that moment, just a single thought occupied Suzaku's mind.
"Time to run away"
Thus, without wasting a second, Suzaku began running in the opposite direction to where the giant robot was moving, aiming to get out of its way, and never cross paths with it if possible.
What? Fight it? Are you crazy?
What could his fists do to it? Tickle it to death?
And besides, there was nothing to gain from fighting it.
Its name explained it fairly well. 0-pointer, or in other words, no points to gain by defeating it.
The rock-star teacher had said it as well, it was not a wall meant to be surpassed, but one to avoid.
Thus, being the not-fighting junkie that he was, Suzaku didn't hesitate a second to avoid this fight and instead prepared to look for the remaining villain-bots.
After all, some time remained, and he wasn't going to waste it on a meaningless fight. Especially when he wasn't exactly sure how the points he had gotten so far would fare against the other examinees.
"... Tsk"
Though, he had to admit, running away didn't suit well with him. He didn't think it looked very heroic.
"Huh?"
However, a few seconds after initiating his tactical retreat, he stopped in his tracks. A certain phrase repeating in his mind over and over again.
"I don't look very heroic…?" He muttered, turning to look at the giant robot in the distance with a frown on his face.
"This is an exam to become a hero, though? How come they are making us run away like civilians in distress?"
It didn't make much sense, now that he thought about it.
Of course, he knew that fighting a losing battle was nothing but foolish. But still, was this school truly asking them to run away the moment a strong villain appeared?
He was confused. Shouldn't there be some kind of secret teaching like… if fighting alone isn't enough, fight with teamwork?
And now that he thought about it… if the supposed heroes ran away like headless chickens the moment a strong villain appeared, who was supposed to save the civilians who were trapped within the dangerous areas? Were they supposed to let them die simply because they stood no chance against the villains?
At that thought, Suzaku frowned even more.
No. That didn't make any sense… At least not for a school that was supposed to be the best in all of Japan.
But, if making the students learn to not fight lost battles was not their true purpose, then which one would it be?
As Suzaku pondered that, he noticed that the girl from earlier had also seen the huge robot.
However, much to his bafflement, the moment the girl saw it, she stood still for a few seconds as if contemplating what to do before deciding to run towards it, instead of away from it.
When he saw that, Suzaku was taken aback.
'The heck—?'
However, in the next second, a realization came to him. Causing both of his eyes to widen in shock.
"Could it be that… the true purpose of that robot is to see who is gutsy or strong enough to fight it?... That girl sure is perceptive!"
Needless to say, he was wrong.
However, he didn't know that.
So, having realized the true(not) objective of the exam, Suzaku changed directions and began running towards the metal giant. Following behind the girl who, once she noticed him, looked at him weirdly for a few seconds, before turning to look up front again.
As for why he had decided to run towards the giant robot?
Of course, it was to beat it and ensure that he got enrolled in the school.
After all, if he beat the robot, he would prove himself good enough for this school, regardless of how many points he has accumulated until now.
As for how was he gonna do that? He had no idea.
Well, maybe he had an idea. However, he still needed to check whether or not it was viable by observing the robot from up close.
Otherwise, he would not even think of fighting that guy.
Of course, not because he was scared of it or anything. If he truly wanted, he could make the robot collapse in an instant simply by being close to it.
However, he wasn't about to reveal one of the cards up his sleeve just because he wanted to pass a mere exam.
And besides, if what he was planning to do succeeded, it would very well work as practice for when facing giant villains in the future.
Feeling optimistic all of a sudden, Suzaku grinned, before he raised his fist into the air and yelled enthusiastically.
"Alright! Time to make that robot my bitch!"
While he did that, he felt a confused gaze come from in front of him. Nevertheless, he ignored it and simply focused on getting to where the robot was.
And, in less than a minute or so, he finally arrived.
The entire zone was covered in a thick dust cloud as a result of the destruction the robot caused just by moving. Causing Suzaku to reshape his glasses a little bit so that they would cover his eyes completely.
Several buildings around him were also crumbling the moment the robot came in contact with them, unable to hold their ground against the metallic monstrosity.
"Alright, I admit he looks bigger from up close" Once Suzaku glanced at his towering opponent, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
He really hoped that his plan would work.
"Hmm?"
However, just as Suzaku was about to begin with his ultimate strategy, he noticed a few small figures right below the 0-pointer.
'Examinees?'
There, just a few meters away from the 0-pointer's feet, three students could be seen trying their best to run away from the robot but being unable to. Two guys, and one girl.
From what he could see, all of them were injured. Causing them to not be able to run fast enough to leave the giant behind.
"Well, damn"
Seeing that, Suzaku knew that he had to save them.
Why?
Because he was in a damn exam to become a hero!
He would look nothing like a hero if he were to abandon them to be flattened like a… uh, a pizza?
"Let's hope I don't get trampled on because of this" Thus, making up his mind, Suzaku grumbled in displeasure, before he sprinted towards the small group of examinees.
Since the robot was so close to catching them, he didn't waste any time explaining anything to them, and once he arrived next to the group, he simply grabbed the two closest to him and put them above his shoulders, all while also running away from the robot on the process.
"Kya!"
"Woah!"
Both teenagers exclaimed in surprise when they became something more akin to potato-sacks once Suzaku carried both of them on each shoulder. Something that Suzaku ignored, before looking at the third examinee who had been left to run on his own.
'Damn, why did I have to be born with only two hands?'
In a hurry, he slowed down and approached the third, before yelling at him.
"Hey, jump on my back!"
"What…?!" The teenager asked, baffled by the fact that Suzaku actually intended to carry three people and run away from a giant robot as well.
However, seeing that it was only a matter of time before the 0-pointer caught up to him, the teenager reluctantly nodded, before he prepared to jump with all he had and grab onto Suzaku.
Unfortunately, he never had that chance, since out of nowhere, an enormous piece of debris fell on the spot where Suzaku had been running and made him jump away to dodge it. Causing him to get too far away from the examinee to let him jump onto his back.
Immediately, Suzaku tried to get close again. However, it seemed like the rubble from earlier had been only the first one of many. Since, immediately after, several pieces of debris began falling from above.
Looking up, Suzaku noticed that the 0-pointer was passing by some nearby buildings, and destroying them along his path.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the situation complicate out of nowhere, Suzaku let out a curse under his breath.
However, just as he was about to try and get the third guy again, a giant part of the building began falling upon him.
"Oh, shit!"
Seeing that the third examinee was about to become squished under the collapsing building, he immediately thought of throwing the two teenagers on his shoulders away from the 0-pointer's path with all he had, so that he could free his hands and jump to save the last one.
-Bam!!-
However, before he could even put his plan to the test, out of nowhere, a giant hand blasted the rubble falling onto the examinee and grabbed him. Thus, covering and shielding him from the remaining falling debris.
"Woah!"
Surprised by the sudden help, Suzaku's eyebrows rose. However, his face quickly changed once he recognized whose Quirk that was.
"Nice one, ginger girl!" He yelled enthusiastically. Pumping up his fist into the air as he looked at the orange-haired girl, who was now running by his side while carrying the third examinee in her gigantic hand.
"My name is Itsuka Kendo" She said, apparently not liking the nickname.
Though, Suzaku simply ignored it and grinned.
"Enough talking about you, let's get these guys out of here" He said as he signaled with his head at a nearby alleyway from where they could escape.
In response, the girl called Itsuka nodded, albeit with a faintly twitching eyebrow.
After that, they both eventually managed to escape from the 0-pointer's walking path and left the trio of examinees in a safe spot a few streets away from the chaotic zone.
Once done, Itsuka let out a sigh of relief, before she turned to look at Suzaku, who was massaging his chin as he observed the still-moving 0-pointer in the distance.
"You think there are more people who need help?" She asked. Raising an eyebrow after noticing how focused the red-haired boy seemed in the giant robot.
"What? Uh, oh, yeah, I was totally thinking of that…" Startled, Suzaku replied with a bit of an awkward tone. Causing the girl to look at him with a confused expression.
However, Suzaku didn't bother to clarify what his real thoughts were, and instead, he gave her a faint nod before bidding her farewell.
"Well, unknown girl, thanks for the help, but I'll take it from here" He said as he turned around and prepared to run at the 0-pointer once again.
However, he was quickly pulled back before he could even take a step further.
"Wait, I'm going to go and help too" Itsuka stated, looking at him weirdly before explaining her plan. "Let's look for more examinees together in case we need to carry too many people at once, or in case we face any problem there"
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Suzaku's mouth turned into an O shape as he let out a confused grunt.
'So this girl came here to help examinees in trouble and not to beat up the 0-pointer? Damn…' Suzaku scratched his cheek in awkwardness after realizing he had judged her wrong earlier when she ran towards the 0-pointer.
Nevertheless, he quickly covered up his discomfort and laughed merrily.
"HAHAHA…haha…ha… Ahem. Ah, yes, helping others, my one and only objective here…" Suzaku muttered in a fake heroic tone while caressing his chin, before putting a hand on her shoulder and pointing at the distant figure of the titanic robot with his thumb "...But hey, I was planning more on helping those in danger by eliminating the source of all this mess in the first place"
Hearing his words, Itsuka stayed silent for a few seconds, glancing back and forth between the robot and Suzaku, before widening her eyes and pointing at the giant in the distance.
"You want to take THAT down?!"
"Precisely" Suzaku nodded, shooting her a thumbs up along with a confident grin.
"...!"
Upon seeing Suzaku's confidence, Itsuka raised both of her eyebrows.
However, assuming that the red-haired boy in front of him should have a very powerful Quirk to have such confidence in defeating such an enormous robot, she quickly nodded and let go of his clothes. Of course, not without leaving an "I'll help you in what I can, then".
To which Suzaku responded with a simple nod, before sprinting towards the metal monstrosity with all he had.
He had to hurry up, as the time remaining was not so much.
He didn't know exactly how much time was left as he had been a tad absentminded when the rock-star-like hero had voiced the time remaining a few minutes ago.
However, according to his calculations, the time remaining should be around 10—
{"5 minutes remaining!"}
—Uh, yeah, that.
'I'm running short on time' Suzaku frowned. Feeling that maybe he wouldn't be able to take down the robot in time.
However, that feeling didn't stop him. Instead, it pushed him to increase his pace and leave Itsuka behind. Ignoring any surprised or confused expression that may have appeared on the aforementioned's face.
He had to take down a giant robot that dwarfed even buildings in less than 5 minutes.
Surely, it wasn't going to be much of a problem, right?
…
-To be Continued…-
(A/N: As I say, Impostors cannot be sussers)
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