Chapter 04 ~ Zero-Pointer
The other applicants in the alleyway stood frozen for a fraction of a second, staring at the smoking wreckage where the two-pointer had just been. The tall boy with multiple arms swallowed hard, the initial mockery completely draining from his expression.
"Do not just stand there!" another student yelled, snapping the group out of their daze. "He just took two points! Move!"
The street erupted into chaos as the teenagers scattered, desperately hunting for their own targets. But Po was already in his element. He moved through the simulated city like a heavy, silent breeze, navigating the concrete corners with unnatural agility.
At a four-way intersection, a pair of three-point robots cornered him. They locked their optical sensors onto his large frame and fired a rapid volley of blunt rubber projectiles meant to simulate suppressive fire. Po did not bother dodging or seeking cover. He advanced steadily, letting the projectiles bounce harmlessly off his dense fur and thick layers of fat. As the machines closed in to engage in close combat, Po dropped low. He swept his massive leg in a perfect, fluid circle, striking the treads of both machines simultaneously. The sheer kinetic weight and perfectly placed leverage behind the sweep flipped the heavy robots entirely upside down, disabling them with a loud, metallic crash.
He did not rely on raw, destructive explosions or flashy elemental powers like the other students. He fought with a deeply ingrained rhythm. When a one-pointer lunged at him from a nearby fire escape, Po simply reached up, caught the machine by its descending wrist, and used its own downward momentum to swing it in a wide arc, smashing it directly into another approaching robot.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit observation room hidden deep within the main U.A. building, the faculty of professional heroes watched the exam unfold across dozens of glowing monitors.
"Fascinating," murmured Nezu, the principal of U.A., taking a slow sip from a delicate teacup. The small, intelligent creature adjusted his posture, his dark eyes locked onto a specific screen showing Battle Center B. "Look at Examinee 401. The Giant Panda heteromorph."
"He looks like he belongs in a mascot commercial, not a battlefield," the R-Rated Hero Midnight commented, resting a hand on her hip as she watched Po effortlessly redirect a mechanical punch. "But his combat scores are skyrocketing. How is he generating that much localized force without a strength-enhancement Quirk?"
A man entirely wrapped in a yellow sleeping bag, lying motionless in the corner of the room, cracked one tired eye open. Shota Aizawa watched the screen with sharp, analytical focus. "He is not just generating force. He is managing it. He uses his opponent's momentum against them, and his own bodily mass acts as a perfect shock absorber and a kinetic counter-weight. It is a highly refined, ancient style of martial arts, completely optimized for his specific anatomy. He knows exactly who and what he is."
Back in the urban arena, Po casually dusted off his paws. He had lost track of his exact score, but he figured he had dismantled at least twenty robots. The physical exertion was minimal thanks to his efficient breathing techniques, though his stomach gave a soft, demanding rumble. He absentmindedly wondered if his dad had saved any of the morning's dumplings for his lunch.
Before he could dwell on food, a deep, unnatural groan vibrated through the pavement. It was not the sound of an approaching one, two, or three-pointer. This was a massive, structural rumble that violently shook the glass windows of the fake buildings around them.
The sky above the main street abruptly darkened as a colossal shadow fell over the intersection. Concrete shattered and dust billowed into the air as the towering, mechanical form of the Zero-Pointer smashed its way through a row of high-rise structures, its giant glowing red eyes peering down at the tiny applicants below.
The ground trembled so violently that several examinees lost their footing, collapsing onto the shaking asphalt. Dust and debris rained down like a heavy storm as the colossal Zero-Pointer loomed over the fake city. It was not just a robot; it was a moving skyscraper of steel and hydraulic fury. Its massive treads crushed cars and shattered pavement effortlessly.
"It is huge!" someone screamed through the thick cloud of dust.
"Run away! Present Mic said to avoid it!"
A wave of sheer panic washed over the crowd. The teenagers who had been confidently destroying smaller targets just moments ago were now sprinting in the opposite direction, their survival instincts overriding their desire for points.
Po stood entirely still in the center of the chaotic retreat. He narrowed his eyes, tracking the movement of the giant machine. The wind whipped past him, carrying the desperate shouts of the fleeing students. He was about to turn and join the retreat—after all, fighting a building yielded no points—when a sharp cry cut through the noise.
"Ouch..."
Through the settling dust, Po spotted a girl with a round face and short brown hair. She was pinned to the ground, her leg trapped beneath a massive, jagged slab of concrete that had fallen from a shattered building. She struggled helplessly, trying to push the heavy debris off, but it was too massive.
Above her, the Zero-Pointer raised an enormous metal fist, preparing to crush the entire intersection.
Po shifted his weight, his muscles tensing. He was about to launch himself forward, but someone else beat him to it.
A blur of dark green uniform shot past him. It was Midoriya. The boy who had been trembling nervously all morning was now sprinting directly toward the towering mechanical titan. There was no hesitation in his eyes, only pure, unfiltered determination.
Po watched in mild awe as Midoriya leaped into the air. The sheer kinetic force of the boy's jump shattered the pavement beneath his feet. Midoriya soared upward, his right arm pulling back as a web of glowing, red energy pulsed violently across his skin.
While Midoriya took the sky, Po took the ground.
Moving with surprising speed, the giant panda reached the trapped girl in a few large strides. He dropped to one knee beside her.
"Hold still," Po said, his deep voice remarkably calm amidst the roaring destruction.
He slid his large, padded paws underneath the massive slab of concrete. He did not grunt or strain wildly. Instead, Po closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, took a sharp breath in, and rooted his stance. He channeled his internal energy, feeling the flow of Chi connect his solid base to his upper body. With a smooth, upward thrust, Po lifted the concrete slab entirely, tossing it to the side as if it were made of lightweight foam.
The girl scrambled backward, clutching her injured leg, staring up at the giant panda with wide, tear-filled eyes.
High above them, a thunderous boom echoed across the arena. Midoriya had collided with the Zero-Pointer. His fist connected with the robot's metal face, unleashing a shockwave of raw, unrefined power that compressed the air itself. The colossal machine's head caved inward, and the towering titan began to tilt backward, completely defeated by a single, catastrophic blow.
Po shielded the girl with his broad body as the shockwave washed over them, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. He looked up, his sharp eyes catching sight of the green-haired boy.
Midoriya was falling. And he was in terrible shape. Both of his legs and his right arm were flapping limply in the wind, clearly broken by the sheer force of his own Quirk. He was plummeting toward the hard asphalt, completely unable to break his own fall.
"He does not have a landing strategy," Po realized instantly.
Po stood up, quickly calculating the boy's trajectory. He moved directly under the falling teenager. He planted his feet wide, bending his thick knees to create a perfect, spring-like foundation. He opened his arms, pushing his large, white stomach forward.
Midoriya squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for a brutal impact.
WUMP.
Instead of concrete, Midoriya crashed into a mountain of incredibly soft, dense fur. Po's entire body acted as a giant, living airbag. The panda took a half-step backward, letting his knees and his heavily padded midsection absorb the entirety of the terminal velocity. The kinetic force of the fall was safely dispersed through Po's bulk, leaving Midoriya completely cradled in the panda's large arms.
Po looked down at the exhausted, bruised boy. Midoriya opened one eye, breathing heavily, completely bewildered that he was not splattered on the ground.
"Nice punch," Po said softly, offering the boy a gentle, reassuring smile.
.
.