Here's a bonus chapter. Why? Because I can't sleep.
Chapter 10
Several robots, each worth one point, became Zuko's first target. He decided to experiment.
He buried the first robot underground. Several tons of rocks effectively destroyed the opponent.
The second robot was shot through with an icicle, which a moment later reverted to water.
Zuko decided to dismantle the third opponent. Literally. He thought that's how Magneto from the X-Men must have felt when destroying metal obstacles.
Two-point robots also posed no problem for him. Zuko came up with the idea of creating a stone surfboard and literally floating through the streets on a controlled wave of water.
He stopped worrying about the smaller robots. They were simply crushed by the water.
He took control of the three-pointer and forced it to destroy its robotic brethren... and immediately afterward, created a fiery tornado around it. The heat only heated the steel... but the aluminum and copper components were melted. The robot collapsed. The paintwork burned away, leaving a red-hot pile of scrap.
It took him one minute to score 28 points. He expected a greater challenge.
He glanced at the nearby playground with its sandbox. He summoned a loose material and hurled it at high speed at the approaching robots. The ton of sand wreaked havoc like a machine gun volley with armor-piercing ammunition.
He stepped closer to the wounded robot, still operational. He plunged both his fists into its metal body, then ripped it apart. The metal obediently did as Zuko commanded.
Zuko simply pressed forward, leaving destruction in his wake.
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Several screens showed the boy wielding the elements from various cameras. The UA staff watched what Pixie-Bob's son was up to. Nezu was the first to comment.
"Fascinating. Simply fascinating. So this is the famous Zuko that Pixie-Bob and the others have been hiding from the world."
They have never seen such a powerful candidate since All Might. To possess such a powerful quirk at such a young age...
Aizawa knew he had to gain control over the boy to make him a true Pro Hero. He had observed something very disturbing. Zuko was bored. It was evident in his face and the way he fought. At first, he was like a storm, and now his punches were... thrown casually. He was too strong for such a test.
All Might began to regret not pushing Pixie-Bob and Iroh harder. Young Tsuchikawa would be an excellent candidate... He didn't regret passing on his quirk to young Midoriya... but if something happened to his current successor... then perhaps...
Vlad King looked at Aizawa... and narrowed his eyes. There was no way he would let him take such talent for himself. Aizawa always took the most powerful ones for himself... but this time, he would fight like a lion to make Zuko his student. He would have to have a serious talk with Nezu. Besides, according to the information the school had received, Zuko had no friends and had spent his entire life training at the Wild Wild Pussycats' private estate.
Hound Dog was worried. Every teacher had read the file on the boy who had rejected the recommendation. Now he knew why. The boy wanted to prove himself... he wanted a real challenge... This was not a healthy development for a teenager. He turned his head toward Nezu.
"I'd like to talk to him once he becomes a UA student... I'd like to examine him."
Nezu smiled with amusement.
"You mean if he becomes a UA student."
"Come on, Nezu... we know he'll get in."
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Zuko suddenly remembered something... oh yeah... bonus points... for saving others. He stomped his foot hard on the ground, sensing the vibrations... searching for other exam participants who needed help. He moved toward the boy, whose saliva contained a strong acid... unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to quickly and effectively dissolve the robots' armor.
Stone cones shot up from the ground, piercing two two-point robots from below. Zuko looked at the boy and nodded upwards in a universal, international greeting.
He moved on. A group of three participants were fleeing from several robots with different scores.
He released a spray of water ahead of him, covering the asphalt and instantly freezing it.
The robots lost traction and failed to make the turn, slamming into the side of the building. Metalbending completed the destruction.
He moved toward the girl, who was attacking the robots with her quirk. She dug the tips of her ears into the ground. Her attack caused a small, localized earthquake beneath the robots across from her.
Zuko charged toward her, shooting fire as he ran. He knew who she was. Kyoka Jirou. Of course, he didn't know her. He just remembered her character from the anime. The two robots were blown away by the fireballs.
Kyoka either didn't know about the robots behind her or was too slow to react. It didn't matter. Zuko landed right behind her and sent icicles toward the alley from which the other robots were approaching.
He stomped his foot again. Kyoka looked at him with a grimace that said something like, 'You took my points.'
But before she could say it, Zuko pointed to another alley and said,
"There are five one-pointers there. They'll be coming out onto the main street soon. You can take them out with one attack, because they'll cluster in one narrow passageway."
Without waiting for her answer, he moved on, looking for a bigger challenge.
Kyoka looked down the alley he'd pointed out... and he was indeed telling the truth. Her attack caused the previously damaged wall of the building to collapse, and debris rained down on the robots, destroying them and awarding her five points.
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The UA teachers didn't take their eyes off the boy... who had found himself a new challenge. Instead of fighting alone, he set out to help the weaker participants.
Aizawa immediately understood that Zuko was simply looking for a bigger challenge... and he, as his future teacher, would make sure he had plenty of challenges.
Vlad King was worried. In his opinion, Zuko was treating it like a game... something frivolous. He was simply too good... It was good that he had decided to help the other exam participants... but he was worried that the boy had no friends... If he was to become a great Pro Hero, he would have to learn how to properly live in society. He was going to take care of that.
Nezu grinned maniacally as Present Mic pressed the button, releasing the zero-point robot.
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Zuko stopped in his tracks... and grinned in satisfaction. Finally, a challenge... he knew what was coming... He turned in the direction he felt the vibrations of the massive robot.
He turned onto a main street crowded with other teenagers. The massive robot punched the ground, sending up clouds of dust, debris, and a shockwave.
Zuko immediately placed a wall of earth between the robot's attack and the humans and charged forward.
He would be lying if he said he didn't feel fear, but he wasn't scared. The robot was closing in on him. He delivered another punch.
Zuko focused on the metal and forced the robot's metal fist into four. Four protruding bars dug into the ground around him, harmlessly. He immediately warped the metal underground so that the robot couldn't quickly free its remaining arm.
Zuko could have ended it right then and there... but of course, his teenage hormones wouldn't let him... it had to be epic... He remembered the game he'd played in his previous life... God of War...
Like Kratos, he leaped upwards, using firebending. He began to climb up the robot's arm, tearing through the metal in the process.
The robot tried to punch him with his other, free fist. Zuko deflected the blow and leaped high into the air. The robot had just amputated its entire arm.
He landed on the robot's other arm. He summoned water to himself and doused the creases of the robot's arm, only to have it immediately freeze. He began to climb higher.
When he got close, he tore open the side of the robot's head, creating a huge hole... Then he let the fire in.
As before, the fire consumed the robot's innards, melting the aluminum and copper.
The robot plummeted, Zuko on its shoulder. Dust and debris shot up several meters.
The dusty curtain slowly descended, but a sudden gust of wind pushed the dust aside. Zuko couldn't let people breathe such things. He didn't want them to get cancer or other serious illnesses at a young age. He stood on the robot's head... tired.
Yes. Zuko was tired. It was fatigue not only from the fight, but also from the disappearing adrenaline in his body.
He stood on the remains of the single-pointer's head. Suddenly, an alarm blared, announcing the end of the exam.
He stretched and yawned silently. He looked at the group of teenagers watching him. He shouted to them.
"What? Haven't you ever seen a pile of scrap metal?"
He dropped lower onto the road and airbended to land. He looked down at his dusty clothes. He summoned water to himself, surrounded himself with it, and then pushed it away. Now he was clean and dry. He also got rid of the dust from his hair.
Part one of the plan was complete. Time for part two: the arcade. As far as he knew, his mother was involved in judging the exam participants. It was obvious she wasn't judging his group. So he had a few quiet hours for entertainment and shopping.
He moved forward as if nothing had happened. His metal sphere was missing, so he formed another one from the body of one of the robots. Playing with the metal and shaping it into various shapes, he headed for the exit.
He didn't care about the other participants. He felt everyone was okay and no one was seriously injured.
End of Chapter 10