The second the gates fully opened, students surged forward like a flood released from a dam.
Jura didn't sprint.
He moved.
He weaved between scrambling examinees with clean, practiced efficiency. No wasted motion. No fancy flips. Just momentum and intention.
Analyze the terrain. Measure the spawn pattern. Prioritize high-value targets. Conserve energy.
Within thirty seconds, he reached a plaza.
And dropped a one-pointer mid-sprint with a palm strike to the head joint—twisting his wrist just enough to knock out its stabilizer.
+1 Point.
Two more skittered into the open.
Jura ran straight at them, ducked under a wild claw swipe, swept the legs of the first, then slammed his elbow into the optic sensor of the second.
+2 Points.
No gates needed.
Not yet.
Izuku's breath was ragged.
He stood frozen at the gate for a second too long, watching the other students blast, sprint, and fly past him.
Oh no oh no oh no—
He snapped out of it.
Move, dammit!
He activated Full Cowl: 3% and dashed forward, stumbling slightly but catching himself.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he zig-zagged through alleyways, eyes darting in every direction.
He spotted a two-pointer harassing another examinee and launched into a running leap.
Electricity sparked along his arms as he drew back a fist—
"Please don't break anything—!"
SMASH!
The punch connected with a burst of impact and overkill force, shattering the robot and flipping him backward into a trash pile.
"Ow…"
But when he sat up—
+2 Points.
Izuku grinned through the pain.
"Alright… I can do this."
Jura leapt from the second floor of a fake apartment and landed on the back of a three-pointer, letting his weight collapse the sensor dome.
He used the momentum to launch into a spin-kick that dismantled a one-pointer mid-turn, then slid under another and jabbed an exposed vent port with a focused finger strike.
Three bots down in five seconds.
+6 Points.
"Seventeen total," he muttered, eyes scanning rooftops.
Then a blur of pink flipped over a mailbox and slid next to him—Mina Ashido, grinning and covered in glowing acid.
"Not bad, mop head," she said. "You sure you're not using a quirk?"
"Not yet," Jura replied calmly, side-stepping an incoming robot's blade. "Just fundamentals."
Mina laughed. "Show-off."
Izuku ducked under a robotic claw, spun, and used his shoulder to slam a two-pointer off balance.
But he missed the follow-up strike and had to dive aside to avoid a saw blade from another.
"Come on, think—don't just react!" he shouted to himself.
He climbed onto a fire escape, surveyed the zone from above.
Too many one-pointers scattered. Small score boosts.
Then he saw it—a three-pointer stomping after a girl with twin buns trying to charge her gauntlets.
Big target. Big points.
He launched himself off the railing, legs burning, heart hammering.
Full Cowl: 5%—temporary spike.
He twisted mid-air and slammed both feet into the back of the robot's head, flipping it forward in a mess of sparking limbs.
+3 Points.
The girl gave him a thumbs-up before running off.
Izuku panted. Okay. Strategy. Mobility. Control.
Just like Jura taught me.
Izuku dashed through the broken streets, adrenaline overriding logic.
Two minutes left—TWO MINUTES!
He skidded around a corner, breathing hard, eyes scanning desperately.
I need at least one more—just ONE—any robot with points—
The screen above blinked crimson:
TWO MINUTES REMAINING
"Crap," Izuku gasped, hands on his knees. "There's nothing left. They're all gone—!"
Then—
A low, grinding noise.
Like a mountain waking up.
Students froze in place.
The ground trembled.
Izuku turned.
And saw it.
It was taller than buildings, black-metal plated with glowing crimson joints, each step shaking the pavement. Its circular head gleamed like an unmoving eye.
Students screamed and scattered.
"Why is that thing even HERE?!"
"Run! It's worth zero points!"
Izuku turned on instinct to do the same—
But froze.
"Help—!!"
A voice.
Her voice.
He spun around and spotted her—
Ochaco Uraraka, pinned beneath a massive slab of rubble, her limbs shaking as the Zero Pointer's shadow loomed over her.
She clawed at the stone, eyes wide in terror.
She wasn't going to make it.
Move.
The thought slammed into his mind like lightning.
MOVE!
His legs reacted before his fear could pull him back.
He charged forward—electricity snapping violently across his skin. Red energy lines lit up under his jumpsuit. The power howled in his blood.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!!"
With One For All surging at 20%, Izuku leapt high into the air, higher than he'd ever dared.
The wind screamed past his ears.
The Zero Pointer's head rotated slowly to face him, too late.
Izuku's fist glowed like a falling star.
SMASH!!
The impact was monstrous. The Zero Pointer's head caved inward from the single punch, and the shockwave rippled outward, cracking nearby glass and sending debris flying.
The robot collapsed backward, crashing like a collapsing tower.
Silence followed.
Then murmurs.
Then cheers.
Up in the judge's panel, the staff watched with awe.
Aizawa: "Reckless. But gutsy."
Cementoss: "He risked his life with no guaranteed reward."
Midnight: "Pure hero instinct. That's what we want."
——
Jura looked up from a dismantled three-pointer just in time to feel the tremor.
Boom.
Then again—closer this time.
He blinked as something massive emerged from between the buildings.
The Zero Pointer in Zone C roared to life.
Its arm crushed a billboard as it raised one metallic limb the size of a bus and smashed it into the ground where two examinees had just fled.
Jura grinned.
"Finally."
He burst into a sprint—no hesitation, his yellow-striped jumpsuit tearing through the wind.
Then he whispered:
"First Gate… Open."
A pulse of heat detonated off his skin.
The air around him rippled as his body ignited in power.
Steam hissed off his arms. Blue veins traced down his limbs.
He charged forward and parkoured off a nearby wall, sprinting upward along the vertical surface like gravity had forgotten its job.
He vaulted from the wall to a rusted antenna.
From there—to the Zero Pointer's massive arm.
He landed mid-stride, boots slamming against metal.
It sank slightly under the sudden impact.
Then—
He RAN.
Faster than a bullet train. A blur of motion. A trail of heat and red flickers.
He reached the shoulder and launched up with a twisting motion, aligning his entire body mid-air.
Both fists locked together.
His joints clicked into place with perfect biomechanical precision.
"Mach Punch!"
His fists slammed into the robot's face with a sonic crack—
BOOOOOM!
The head snapped backward, plating exploding like shrapnel. The impact echoed for miles.
The Zero Pointer staggered.
Then fell.
As Jura spun mid-air, scanning—
Building. Roof. Thirty degrees west.
He landed on the robot's shoulder, ran three steps, and jumped, flipping to a nearby rooftop and rolling to disperse the momentum.
He came to a stop, crouched.
Breathing hard.
But grinning.
"That," he muttered, "was satisfying."
.
.
.
.
Students gathered around the courtyard outside the testing zones. Most were seated on benches or curbs, comparing injuries and stories, while recovery bots moved between the examinees like silent nurses.
Izuku sat at the edge of a stone planter, gingerly adjusting a wrist brace. His face twisted slightly as he pulled the strap tighter.
Jura approached with hands in his pockets, eyes scanning Izuku's posture before his voice cut in low.
"You overdid it."
Izuku looked up, wincing.
"Y-Yeah, but… I had to. There wasn't time to think."
Jura squatted in front of him, inspecting the brace. "You used twenty percent, didn't you?"
Izuku flinched. "Just… in the arm. I thought I could save someone with that amount —"
"You couldn't," Jura interrupted, voice cool but not unkind. "Your body's not ready for that. Not yet."
Izuku looked down.
Jura's tone softened slightly. "You saved her. That's what matters. But next time—make sure you can still stand after."
Before Izuku could respond—
"Yo!"
A familiar voice chirped from behind.
They turned to see Mina Ashido, bouncing on her heels, a wide grin on her face.
She jogged up, still in her scorched jumpsuit, a bit of black soot on her cheek.
"You two were insane out there! Mop Head, that punch?you vaporized that thing's face!"
Jura blinked. "It's Jura."
She waved it off. "Nah, Mop Head has character."
Izuku chuckled softly.
Mina plopped down beside them like she belonged there, elbows on knees. "Seriously, They showed y'all fights with the zero pointer on the tv y'all looked like you were straight out of a hero anime."
She looked at Izuku. "And you! Full send with a suicide leap? Total maniac. I respect it."
Izuku blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
That's when another voice entered—softer, more hesitant.
"Um—excuse me…"
They turned again.
Ochaco Uraraka stood a few feet away, hands clasped nervously in front of her.
Her face lit up when Izuku turned to look at her. "I just wanted to say… thank you. For earlier. I—if you hadn't stepped in—"
Izuku nearly malfunctioned again. "O-oh! Uh—no! I-I mean—yes! Y-you're welcome!"
She giggled. "Seriously. You saved my life."
She hesitated, then smiled more brightly.
"Do you, um… maybe want to exchange numbers? Just in case we both get in…?"
Izuku blinked, stunned. "U-uh! Y-yes! I mean—I'd love to!"
He clumsily pulled out his phone and fumbled through adding a contact, nearly dropping it twice before managing to hand it to her. She tapped in her name with a quick flourish.
Mina raised an eyebrow at Jura. "Your boy's smoother than I expected."
Jura smirked whispering. "This is the opposite of smooth. He's glitching like a bootleg app."
Ochaco handed the phone back, cheeks pink. "Okay! I—I should go. But I hope we see each other again!"
She waved, then jogged off.
As soon as she vanished from view, Mina stood up and brushed off her jumpsuit. "Alright, I've got to bounce too. But—hey—"
She turned to Jura, cocked a playful smile.
"Gimme your number, mystery boy."
Jura tilted his head. "So we can talk tactics?"
Mina winked. "Sure. Let's go with that."
He handed her his phone. She tapped her number in, then flashed him a peace sign.
"Catch you later, Mop Head."
And with that, she vanished into the crowd.
Jura stood there, quiet for a moment.
Then turned to Izuku, deadpan.
"So… Izuku you're finally moving up in the world"
Izuku made a noise halfway between a wheeze and a squeak.
"I—I didn't mean for that to happen—"
Izuku buried his face in his hands.
Jura patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. You can use your next smash to break the ice instead of your arm."