— 1st POV —
(Unknown Examinee)
I've been watching this guy for a while now.
The one with the crimson arm.
He moves like an assassin! silent, precise, calculating. Every strike lands exactly where it needs to. Every dodge is intentional. Every moment of his quirk is used only when absolutely necessary.
And me?
Well… I'm not nearly as impressive. My quirk lets me blast air from my palms. Enough to knock down a flimsy robot, sure but nothing like what that guy's doing.
'So I figured…If I stay close enough, I can steal some points.'
As he started fighting two scorpion robots up ahead, I saw my chance. One of his earlier attacks had staggered a nearby one-pointer. Perfect.
FWIP!
I blasted the robot in the chest, just enough force to finish it off and ran before anyone noticed.
"Hah! Too easy! You're gonna be my ticket into UA,"
I whispered triumphantly.
I kept following him. Each time he found a group of robots, I circled around looking for scraps.
Then I got greedy.
I spotted a lone scorpion bot.
Its back was turned.
"I can do this," I told myself.
I rushed in and...
SHNK!
A tail struck me dead-on.
"GAH—!"
I was blasted backward, crashing into rubble. The robot scuttled toward me, tail rising for a killing blow.
"N-no—!"
Just before it struck—
SHRRK!
A crimson blur pounced behind it.
The scorpion's head burst apart with a metallic screech.
KRSHAAA!
The boy landed between me and the robot, his gauntlet crackling with energy.
"Bro," he said, not even looking at me, "I advise you to stop piggybacking on others."
His eyes sharpened.
"Because if you want to be a hero, you'll be the pillar that supports others."
I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out.
He was right.
He ran off again, leaving me sitting there in shock.
— 3rd POV —
The exam field shook.d
A massive shadow towered over the streets, dwarfing every robot around it.
The Zero Pointer.
Its colossal frame rose higher and higher until it blotted out the sun.
In the teacher's monitoring room, Power Loader narrowed his eyes.
"No merit for points," he muttered, "but plenty of merit to rise above the rest…"
Around the arena, examinees stopped in their tracks, fear rooting them in place.
Ryo too, froze.
Even he wasn't sure how he'd get past that thing.
Then a handful of desperate students, blinded by panic and greed, convinced themselves they could defeat it.
"Let's team up! It's still a robot! We can beat it!"
Ryo shouted at them
"HEY! Don't! It's not worth it!"
But they ignored him.
The Zero Pointer turned.
Its mechanical sensors locked onto them.
CRRRRRR—
The ground trembled as its arm rose.
The students tried to run.
They weren't fast enough.
The massive fist descended
— 1st POV (Ryo) —
Idiots.
I warned them. I literally shouted at them.
Why can't people think rationally?
I should've just kept walking I mean, they made the mistake themselves.
But…
As I watched that giant fist fall toward them…
I remembered why I wanted to be a hero in the first place.
To save people who need saving.
And right now those damned idiots needed saving.
"Tch. Damn it…"
I sprinted.
My legs burned.
My lungs felt like fire.
But I jumped into the middle of the group and raised my right arm.
"GAUNTLET—!!"
SHRRRRRRAK!
The crimson armor erupted just as the Zero Pointer's fist came down.
BA—
—— MM
———— SHHHHHH!!!!
The impact shook my entire skeleton.
My arm nearly buckled.
The Living Gauntlet trembled violently, spasming from the sheer force it was trying to contain.
"Hah… hah…" I gasped."I… I did it…"
But the victory lasted one second.
I looked up.
And my heart dropped.
The Zero Pointer's other arm was already in position for a second one
And I knew instantly
I couldn't block that one.
"Seriously…" I muttered shakily.
"What do I get from being a damn busybody…"
The fist started to fall.
I braced, legs shaking
Then
A voice echoed inside my skull.
'DO YOU SEEK POWER!?'
My eyes widened.
"What…?"
The voice thundered again, shaking my very bones.
'IF YOU SEEK POWER!'
.....
'THEN IT SHALL BE YOURS.'
The fist was seconds from crushing me.
I grit my teeth and screamed back
"YES!!"
A surge flooded through my arm, no! through my entire soul.
'TAKE IT.'
The impact hit.
BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
Dust exploded, Concrete shattered, and air rippled outward like a shockwave.
But
I wasn't crushed.
In fact
I was pushing back.
My feet dug trenches into the ground as I forced the Zero Pointer's arm upward.
"HAAAAAAA—!!!"
My muscles screamed.
My bones protested.
But my gauntlet
My partner ROARED.
CRRRAAAAAAASH!!!
The Zero Pointer's entire arm was blown apart, along with half its torso!
The mechanical titan staggered.
Then collapsed.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
Silence washed over the arena.
Then cheers, screams, and awe.
I let out a short, tired laugh.
"Heh… so it's finally over…"
I looked down at my arm.
The Living Gauntlet had grown, it had expanded into a broad crimson shield, gleaming like a beast awakening from slumber.
"…thank you," I whispered, "for saving me… and them."
And with that
My vision blurred.
The world tilted.
And I passed out.
—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~
Author here: can you guys send some stone so I can get motivated?