Sup everyone! It's me, BenchBeYolking, back with another chapter of Taxes and Taxes! Everybody say HEEEEYYYYY.
...
Terrible references aside, we're finally moving onto some meat for the story! I'm sorry for the slightly shorter chapter this time, but it was the only way I could put something out this week and still pass my classes and work. Things have calmed down now and expect regular sized chapters again next week.
Thank you to everyone who's followed the story, I'm overjoyed at how many of you seem to be enjoying Lazarus's tale! I look forward to telling more of it in the future!
Be sure to leave a review if you have anything to say, I'll try and answer any questions people have, or just silently thank you for any compliments or criticisms!
I've blabbed on enough, it's finally time for the UA exam, and to tell that story...
I'll let the chapter speak for itself.
"So, she didn't do anything weird?" Lazarus asked for the third time, concern draped over his words. He tried to watch his step as the two of them walked down the long concrete pathway leading to the front of UA, Lazarus inconspicuously running his hand along every bench and tree they passed, literally trying to get a feel for the place.
If Hanta minded the repeated question, he didn't show it on his face, a blissful smile and a relaxed posture simply radiated from Hanta, as if he had just come from cloud nine as he sauntered down the path with Lazarus, "No, nothing at all, I helped her set up some tables and move some chairs, then I used my quirk to reseal the box. She reminded me that using my quirk like that was illegal and while she appreciated it, she'd have to punish me if I did it again." Hanta glanced over at Lazarus who, on his part, had both of his eyebrows raised while his mind screamed concern over stranger danger. Hanta lightheartedly shoved him, causing Lazarus to laugh and wiggle his evebrows.
Hanta groaned, "She didn't do anything man! I finished soon afterwards, then she gave me a hug and sent me off, told me I could come let you in early if I wanted as a reward." As Hanta finished, a light blush was evident on his face. Lazarus relaxed, confident his friend had not been violated.
"You sure that's the only reward she offered you?" Lazarus grinned, certainly not willing to let Hanta off the hook just yet. Hanta threw his hands up and quickest his pace, putting a few steps between himself and Lazarus, "Aw! Buddy! Come back!" Lazarus laughed as he called after Hanta, who was pointedly ignoring him.
Lazarus grinned, but then shivered as he thought of Hanta walking away earlier, if he ever saw Midnight make that face again, it would be hopefully only be in his nightmares. He took a moment to look around, taking in the sparse yet lovely entryway. Trees now more consistently lined each side of the concrete pathway leading to the grand doors of the school, while the massive glass-looking building towered overhead, from the angle Lazarus had, it felt like looking at a massive H, fitting for a hero academy in Lazarus's books. The early morning sun had finally come across the schoolground, filling the entire area with a hallowed glow, causing the skin on Lazarus's neck to tingle at the slight change in temperature. Hanta seemed to be just as caught in the moment of awe.
Breaking his gaze away from the school with a quick shake of his head, Lazarus looked ahead at a boy walking back towards them, the boy seemed to be in his own world, looking down at his feet. Lazarus called out to the mystery boy, excited to finally see another face around, "No fair, I thought we were the first ones here!"
The boy seemed taken aback by Lazarus's comment, but quickly recovered, lifting his head to reveal that his teeth were on the outside of his lips, actually, it appeared as if he had no lips at all, "Good morning! I thought the same." The boy replied, waving as he changed direction slightly, turning as to arrive in front of Hanta and Lazarus. The three of them stood there, each taking a second to silently greet the other.
"What are you doing here so early? I thought examinees weren't allowed in yet?" Hanta asked, Lazarus cocked his head and nodded, curious himself as to how the boy got here.
The boy pointed a thumb behind him, "I'm Juzo Honenuki, and I'm not taking the exam today, I was lucky enough to receive a recommendation UA accepted. I'm just filling out some paperwork." As Juzo finished, Lazarus shot Hanta a look that silently said 'that's a thing?' Hanta nodded, and Lazarus quietly groaned, some people just got all the luck.
"I'm Lazarus, Juzo-kun, nice to...meet you?" As Lazarus spoke, Hanta was giving him the 'stop talking' eyes, while Juzo looked taken aback, "what?" Lazarus asked. Hanta smacked him upside the head and stepped forward. Purposefully blocking Lazarus's view of Juzo.
"Uh, forgive Lazarus-kun, Honenuki-kun, he's still learning about Japan." Lazarus glared at Hanta, rubbing the admittedly painless spot on his head as he stood up straight, still not quite sure what he did to warrant Hanta stepping in, he had even used honorifics! Lazarus huffed, who even called people by their last names? That was like calling him Mr. Poe. Only one man deserved that name, and it sure as hell wasn't him or his father.
Juzo laughed and waved a hand, clearly accepting Hanta's explanation, "It's fine, that explains why you look a little lost, you can call me Juzo if it's easier for you to remember." Lazarus smiled outwardly, but was inwardly unsure of why he would need permission to call someone by their given name.
Lazarus leaned on Hanta's shoulder, putting a little too much weight on Hanta as a petty form of vengeance, "Well, good luck getting out there, by the time Hanta- oh, sorry, Sero-kun, here let me in, a crowd had already begun to form! I imagine it's only gotten worse out there." Lazarus spoke, leaning more and more onto Hanta until Hanta, clearly fed up with Lazarus's behaviour, suddenly ducked, causing Lazarus to topple over onto the ground, where he laid indignantly.
After a moment, Juzo chuckled, waving as he stepped over Lazarus's prone form and began to leave, "Good luck on the exam today! I hope I'll see you two around!" As Juzo left, Lazarus stood, sighing, while politely waiting for Hanta to stop waving and turn.
"I feel like I've already risen up enough today...and I haven't even died yet." Lazarus lamented as he rubbed his knees. Feeling a little tension in his joints. Hanta smiled, but with a hint of sadness to the expression, "What? Something up Hanta?"
Hanta turned away and stretched his arms, avoiding Lazarus's eyes, "Well, this is where we part ways." As Hanta spoke, Lazarus squinted in confusion, before he understood.
Lazarus looked towards the top of UA, nodding, "Oh yeah, we've gotta do our sign up at different locations, right? I guess I won't see you again till after the exam." Lazarus turned back to Hanta, watching as he avoided any direct eye contact.
"Well yeah, but then you're moving out, right?" Hanta spoke slowly, twisting his heel on the ground as he scratched his hair, Lazarus shrugged.
"Well I mean, you're not getting rid of me until after I get the results for the exam, then yeah, I've got a place lined up, I'm not going to inconvenience you guys more then I have to." Lazarus scratched the back of his own neck, also not wanting to look at Hanta directly, "Don't tell me you're going to miss me?" Lazarus tried to throw in a joke, only to turn to see Hanta thrusting a box in his face.
Lazarus took it, looking over the tape covered object, Lazarus looked at Hanta and smirked.
"I was going to give it to you when you were going to leave, but uh, I figured now's a good a time as ever, but good luck opening it..." Hanta shuffled his feet as Lazarus reached down his shirt and pulled out Stain's knife, shocking Hanta,
"Did you smuggle a knife in here? Are you trying to get yourself expelled?" Hanta screeched as quietly as possible as he looked around for anyone who could see them. Lazarus shrugged.
"Can't get expelled for a school I've never been accepted to." With that, Lazarus cut open the box and slipped the knife back into the sheath under his shirt. Only to find there was another layer of tape underneath, irritated, Lazarus looked at Hanta, who whistled innocently, still looking for anyone else around them. This time, Lazarus didn't bother with the knife, trying to tear the tape by hand if only to easy Hanta's mind. After a little struggling and a lot of swearing, he finally managed to strip the final layer off, Lazarus took a moment to catch his breath as he shifted the plain cardboard box in his hand. He quickly opened it to reveal the gift buried inside.
"More tape?" Lazarus questioned, holding the small roll of adhesive strips in his hand. Lazarus raised an eyebrow at Hanta, who chuckled nervously.
"To remind you of me when you're gone." Hanta grinned, Lazarus stood still for a moment, before he embraced Hanta. Lazarus began laughing, Hanta joined him soon after.
"I'm going to miss you man." Lazarus spoke as he ended the hug, holding Hanta at arm's length. He nodded, returning the sentiment without words.
The two stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say or do, until Hanta stepped away and began slowly moving to the stairs of the main building, Lazarus paused and watched him go, smiling the whole time.
"You, probably have to go to the building too, right?" Hanta spoke, awkwardly turning around while still moving farther away from Lazarus.
"I don't want to ruin the moment, you go, I'll wait until you get in there." Lazarus dramatically stood still, Hanta smiled one last time and then ran towards the building, clearly trying to make Lazarus wait as little as possible, even if it did ruin the atmosphere.
Lazarus rolled his eyes as Hanta vanished from his sight, but paused for a moment longer, looking around at the UA courtyard, taking in every sight and sound around him.
"Soon." He spoke to himself, a silent affirmation of his intentions.
Clicking his heels together once, Lazarus began to stroll towards the main entrance, he knew it was almost time for the check in to begin, and he would not let himself fail this exam due to an error in his paper work.
"Everybody say. Hey!" President Mic (whom Lazarus suspected didn't actually hold any official office in the government) blasted from the bottom of the auditorium space. Lazarus winced, sticking a pinkie in his ear to stop the ringing caused by the vibrations in the room.
Dead silence followed President Mic's announcement, Lazarus would have felt bad; but A, President Mic sounded incredibly enthusiastic on a day that for a good majority of the assembled students would kill any hope they ever had of achieving their dreams; and B, school speakers who tried too hard to be cool always met the same unavoidable fate.
As President Mic tried to recover from the crippling nothingness that followed his passionate plea for interaction, Lazarus sat back in his seat and locked his arms behind his head, his mind wandering as he look at the pamphlet he had picked up at the desk out front, tuning out President Mic to the best of his ability, which was not an easy task to achieve.
"One pointers are one wheeled death machines with machine guns; two pointers are four legged death machines with a tail; and three pointers are literally just robot tanks with missile launchers, which last time I checked, are in fact classified as death machines." Lazarus groaned as he tried to formulate a strategy against something he'd never fought before off of the limited, blurry, pictures he had.
Lazarus glanced down at his feet, taking his cubed heart into his hand as he felt anxiety begin to replace his former calm confidence. He leaned over to the boy beside him, a blond kid with a noticeable twinkle in his eye.
"Some test, eh? Surprised they don't end up killing their students." Lazarus scoffed, trying to make some small talk. The boy turned, seemingly off in his own world.
"Yes, monsieur! This test is going to be tres difficult." The boy flamboyantly replied, tossing his hair to one side as he did.
Lazarus slowly leaned away from the boy, he had a hard enough time speaking Japanese, he was not going to throw French into the mix today.
Licking his lips, Lazarus put his attention back on President Mic, he needed every advantage he could find if he was going to pass this exam. His written marks were sure to be middling at best, he'd need to pull double duty in the practical.
"You don't need to be the best, you just need to be good enough for now." Lazarus tried to assure himself, squeezing his cube for support and luck. Lazarus looked around the room again, taking in for a brief moment every face, every person, that he could see. They were his enemies, the people who would stand before him and his conviction, his antagonists who would stop him from his dream; Yet, they were also dreamers themselves, each person doing what they felt they could to find happiness.
Lazarus pushed the unpleasant thought of his dream being realized meaning the end of someone else's from his mind, as he reminded himself of the work he had done.
"I have done all I can do. I've committed myself, I've trained and I prepared to give one hundred percent. I cannot control the outcome, only my readiness to face it." Lazarus relaxed slightly further, letting his self confidence grow as he tried to release his tension.
Lazarus tucked his knees into his chest, spending the rest of the speech focused on his breathing. Letting President Mic's waves pulse over him in time with his own heartbeat.
Lazarus drunk in the air. He let it move through his veins, pierce the very bottom of his soul, felt the skin respond as his heart pounded in his back pocket. The rush of sound and air cycled throughout him, and Lazarus felt alive.
No one could be more sure then he was that there was no time left to entertain doubt or worry about his abilities, his fate was now entirely in how well he could execute this exam with his skills.
As the group around him shifted, Lazarus knew he had to become present in the moment. The training ground was massive, cold concrete walls towering into the sky before an open gate, located a mere short jog away from where they had all gathered. The gate was surrounded by a massive archway, looming intensely over the comparatively tiny students below, though the open passage, Lazarus felt the wind funneled down from above as it whipped across his body, sending spikes of child through him. He could see the cityscape sprawling behind it, looking completely ordinary with its quaint shops and cookie-cutter offices, if not for the massive walls that kept it separate from the outside world, Lazarus would have thought the training area was a gateway to another town.
"Damn, so this is what student tuition go towards." Lazarus chuckled as he drifted around the examinees outside, he compulsively checked his watch, making sure he still had a few minutes before the test started. He reasoned that they would give some sort of warning right before the exam began, so he could risk shaking off some nerves before he did his pre-exam breathing exercises.
"I'm saying that the exam leaves so many wonderful quirks unrepresented." A smooth voice spoke from somewhere behind Lazarus. He turned, searching for the speaker, his eyes landing on a blond haired boy with grey eyes. The boy was casually shrugging, his entire body relaxed in a way that contrasted heavily against the nervous tension that surrounded the area. Lazarus glanced at his speaking partner, who couldn't have looked more different with his grey hair and rigid posture.
Lazarus relaxed his own posture as he walked closer, leaning into the conversation slightly, straining to hear more in a way that didn't make him seem creepy. The grey haired boy frowned, his hands locked at his side, clearly agitated at the blond's words.
"The test is perfectly fair! It's a great way for the trained and ready to show off their power and potential for growth! Those who haven't prepared won't pass!" The grey haired boy proclaimed, his voice a little louder than necessary to get the point across to the blond standing a foot away. The blond boy scoffed.
"This test promotes a certain kind of quirk, flashy and physically destructive, but I know of a few truly devastating quirks that would be rendered utterly worthless against hunks of metal. Most true villains aren't robotic, you know." As the blond boy spoke, Lazarus was torn. The boy made some good points, but he spoke with such an arrogant candor in his words that Lazarus almost couldn't stand to listen to him.
The grey haired boy parted his lips, revealing jagged, sharp teeth, "How else are they suppose to evaluate our abilities? They're putting everyone on an equal playing field, no one has any advantages going in!" As the grey haired boy finished, Lazarus couldn't help interject.
"I agree." Lazarus smiled as the two boys turned to look at him, Lazarus stuck his hands in his pocket as he tilted his head, "Life's kinda unfair, you can't eliminate the natural advantages some quirks have over others, and you can't really punish people for having a more suitable quirk." Both boys turned to each other, and for a moment Lazarus worried that he was going to be rejected from the little group publicly, but then the blond turned to him and smiled cockily.
"I suppose, but just because there is no obvious solution, it doesn't make my criticisms of the system any less valid." As the blond finished, Lazarus and the grey haired boy both nodded. Lazarus saw his chance to start networking.
"I'm Lazarus Poe, but please, just call me Lazarus, nice to meet you two." Lazarus crossed his legs at the knees and bowed dramatically, instantly wondering why he could never just do a normal introduction.
The grey haired kid turned his head and looked him up and down, as if grading his performance, before nodding forcefully, "I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu."
Lazarus nodded politely as he waited for the grey haired boy to continue introducing himself, "gesundheit."
After a moment of dead silence, Lazarus slowly glanced from one boy to the other, drinking in the awkward silence as all of them wore a mask of confusion. Lazarus suddenly understood.
"Oh, oh! Not a sneezing fit then, that was your name!" Lazarus exclaimed, proud at his own conclusion, before slamming a hand over his own mouth and swearing quietly in English, turning the panicked gesture into a smoothing of his hair, "I uh, I mean, wow, that's sure a, unique… and interesting name, Testussestus." Lazarus spoke, feeling the name falling apart in his mouth, getting slightly quieter with every syllable.
"Tetsutetsu. Tetsutetsu." Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu slowly pronounced his own name.
"Testyoutestyou," Lazarus took a deep breath, "Tetsususutet." Lazarus repeated, his english mind struggling to make his lazy tongue work hard enough to not publicly embarrass himself. His English mind failed.
"Not even close." Tetsutetsu slowly and dryly responded, clearly unamused with the butchering of his name.
"Great to meet you Tet!" Lazarus clapped his hands together as he responded a little too enthusiastically.
"That's not my na-" Tetsutetsu tried to deny Lazarus, but before he could finish, the blond boy stepped forward and grinned widely.
"I am Neito Monoma." Neito spoke, looking Lazarus over as well, "You seem like you've already considered the nature of the exam, not many have. Is it from the perspective of one who's looking forward to it? No, your wording is self reflective. You're looking at it as one who's already at a disadvantage, aren't you?" As Neito spoke, Lazarus bit his lip. It was suddenly crystal clear to Lazarus that Neito wasn't just full of himself, he clearly had a brain behind those grey eyes.
"I'm past the point of being worried about if I'm at a disadvantage or not," Lazarus curtly replied, "My performance is what it is. I cannot be more than that for now, only work to do the most with what I have." Lazarus clenched his hand, feeling his breath center subconsciously. He looked back at Neito, who regarded him with a grin.
"Well, I suppose I should wish you the best, Lazarus-kun. Hopefully, I won't be the only one passing this exam of the three of us." Neito laughed as Lazarus glanced at Tetsutetsu, who only shrugged, clearly already getting use to Neito's antics. Lazarus smirked, enjoying the break from the anxiety of waiting.
"So, what're your guys's quirks-" Lazarus was cut off by an incredibly loud voice shouting at them from above. Lazarus, along with Tetsutetsu, Neito and the rest of the examinees all turned to face the speaker.
From the tower in the center of all the different training facilities, President Mic's voice somehow carried, "RUUUUUUN! Consider the baton tossed!" President Mic's voice washed over the suddenly silent crowd, his words reverberating in their ears.
Lazarus heard an explosion from farther off in the group as a spiky blond haired boy rocketed over his head, throwing himself forward and into the city, already first towards the archway.
Instantly, the spell over the crowd vanished, and all hell broke lose.
Lazarus felt his two conversation partners push by him as they bolted for the gate, or perhaps just away from the surging wave of young teens that had suddenly swelled behind them. Lazarus turned and bolted, faster than he'd ever felt himself move before, his momentary hesitation already replaced by sheer adrenaline.
The mob of panicked, fearful, and stressed teens behind him swelled into a wave, and as Lazarus risked a glance over his shoulder, he was only inspired to run faster. He heard others behind him who had tripped, or were simply too slow, scream in despair as they were swallowed by the crowd, their dreams of being a hero most likely already destroyed before they even reached the arena. Lazarus grimly realized the culling had already begun. Lazarus saw from his peripheral vision, some examenes had already overtaken him, some were in the air flying over the danger, and others were getting as close to breaking the sportsmanship rules as legally possible.
Lazarus sudden broke though the threshold of the gate, passing from the barren outside to the self-contained simulation of a city within. He slowed slightly as he tried to absorb the situation around him. Already, destruction was occurring, bots were dropping in crumpled heaps, and some people who had made it to the gate before him were turning tail and running, fear pushing them away from the battle.
For a moment, Lazarus felt doubt enter his mind. Suddenly, he was confronted with the fact he had truly entered another world, no longer was he a punk on a dark American street corner. Lazarus could only watch as Tetsutetsu turned his entire body into pure steel as he shattered the tail of a two point villain farther ahead, following it up with a downwards elbow into it's faceplate, causing the entire thing to cave, collapsing the massive construct, "Four points!" Tetsutetsu called out, Lazarus couldn't tell if he was bragging to everyone, intimidating the other test-takers, or simply trying to keep track out loud.
Lazarus's eyes moved a half-inch to the left, twisting his body to focus on the moving form of Neito, also turning his body into steel as he engaged an already weakened three pointer, quickly finishing it off with a few well aimed strikes, "Five points!" He declared, unlike Tetsutetsu, definitely bragging.
Lazarus felt more people move behind him, Lazarus knew deep down in his gut he couldn't compete with them, he would fail and then his dream would be over.
"...Disappointing."
Lazarus felt his conviction ignite.
Suddenly, Lazarus let a guttural, almost inhuman scream escape from his throat, the noise causing several other teens around him to jump back as Lazarus charged forward, his eyes locked on a one-point bot emerging from an alleyway. The bot was massive, easily over Lazarus's already taller size. A massive machine gun spun intimidatingly under one shielded claw, the other arm with a deadly pincer that could easily snap a person in two. A single red eye-camera on a long metal jointed neck quickly locked onto Lazarus as he approached, giving him the perfect view of his own enraged, twisted face warped in its dome-shaped eye.
"A true hero will triumph over those with weaker conviction."
In a dim, mostly unused part of Lazarus's brain, the part most people use for a rational fear of death and suffering, he received a the little-too-delayed impulse to remind him to come up with a reasonable plan before charging into a life-or-death scenario. That nagging was overwritten instantly by a scarily calm rage which consumed his mind, fully giving into his conviction.
"I will become a hero, even if it kills me."
Lazarus's own words echoed in his skull as he came within striking distance of the robot, this was his proving grounds.
The bot's mechanical voice spat out a cliche line, "I'll murder you!" It punctuated it's thought with a single massive swing of its machine gun toting arm.
Lazarus instantly transferred his weight to his back foot and threw his body out of the way, dodging the attack by a hair's width, before surging forward, ducking underneath the robotic arm, and leaping towards the midsection of the bot. Lazarus felt his hand wrap around the handle of a hatch on the body, while his legs clamped down on either side of the top of his wheels. With a mighty grunt, Lazarus tugged on the handle and felt the panel easily pop off. The bot twisted in a circle, trying to loosen Lazarus's death grip on its body.
Lazarus dropped the thin panel as he tried to keep his grip, glancing inside the robot's chest, surprised to see a mess of gears, turbines and wires meshed together, humming dangerously.
Faintly, Lazarus realized that most of these wires and cogs were most likely linked to important systems, and that if he was careful, he could probably figure out a way to disable the bot with a single deft gesture.
Lazarus was also very aware he didn't have time for deft or careful.
Without a moment of hesitation, Lazarus reached his right arm back and slammed it into the bot's open chest, his arm swallowed in between the grinding gears.
Lazarus felt a pained smile cross his face, the lazy nerves in his arms duly informed him of trouble as his arm was being ripped to shreds.
"You and I are a lot alike, huh robot?" Lazarus mused, distracting himself from the uncomfortable feeling in his arm as he felt the robot turn randomly shake with every shift Lazarus's hand made inside its innards.
"And if we're as alike as I think…" Lazarus continued as he felt his arm wrap around something electrified and warm within the metal shell. He couldn't help but laugh, "...then I know how to end you."
Forcing feeling back into his arm, Lazarus summoned all his power and pulled, bringing with him the small black power converter at the core of the robot's system. Almost instantly afterwards, he felt the robot freeze underneath him, before it slowly tilted back, sprawling lifelessly across the ground. For a second, Lazarus waited for it to jolt back to life and crush him, but then his mind realized what he had done.
Lazarus began to chuckle, feeling a sense of accomplishment and power move through him. As he stumbled off the corpse of the robot, leaving a trail of dark crimson behind him, seven more one pointer bots roared out of same alleyway. Lazarus tilted his head as they began to encircle him, trapping him within a circle.
"Nine more minutes listeners! You've already wasted one!" President Mic shouted from somewhere off in the distance.
Lazarus smiled, his chuckling growing a little more steady, "That's just great! I don't even have to go looking for you guys!" Lazarus glanced down at his arm, covered in deep gashes and bits of charred skin, he bent his arm at the elbow, confirming he could still use the limb. He flexed all the muscles left in his arm, and felt the metal power converter crumple, then shatter in his hand with a satisfying crunch. Lazarus raised his hands across his chest, sighing deeply.
"Well? I'm waiting." Lazarus taunted, leaning towards one of the bots before him.
His slight moment seemed to trigger the result he desired, all seven of the robots rushed him at once, Lazarus shifted his weight, raising his hands to cover his head, "Eight points seems like a good start!"
"Fourteen!" Lazarus cried, his arms both messes at his sides, his right arm was practically gone, bone visible in several places even underneath the constant flow of his blood, his eye was swollen shut and he couldn't move without a noticeable limp. He slumped to the wall, the still intact shells of his foes littered around him. Lazarus glanced away from the alley and back to the main street, the chaos had died down slightly, those that had decided to flee having gotten out of the way of those able to fight. He had gotten lucky by finding a spot where the bots had been bottlenecked right into his killzone, but he'd have to move if he wanted to keep getting points. Lazarus pushed the unhelpful thought that he had only gotten one point bots out of his mind. Looking around he knew he had no time to waste, he hated having to do it by his own hands, but he couldn't fight anymore with his arms like they were.
Slowly picking his body back off the ground, Lazarus shuffled his way towards one of the downed bots, hiding behind it as he took his cube out of his pocket and gingerly placed it on the ground beside him, before reaching into his shirt and pulling out Stain's knife. Lazarus raised it to his throat, swallowing down the uncomfortable lump that formed.
"Under the chin and through the throat, look out death, here I go." Lazarus spoke half-heartedly as he closed his eyes and thrust the dagger upwards, feeling his body rush with every chemical he could possibly release as his baser survival instincts tried to stop him from what he needed to do.
Then Lazarus took a deep breath in.
Lazarus was blind for several moments, his careful counting forgotten, disoriented and confused, before his eyes finished forming, once again granting him sight. He stood, his breathing ragged as he berated himself for losing concentration, he hadn't counted, he had just reformed. Lazarus quickly did a once over on his body, thankful that in his rushed hormone-driven reformation he hadn't formed anything improperly.
"Five minutes left listeners!" President Mic called out from somewhere in the distance, Lazarus didn't wait to hear any more, bolting towards where the action was, his body feeling as fresh as a daisy. Lazarus reached under his shirt, feeling for his cube in his chest, ripping it out quickly as he moved and slipping it into his pocket. He felt his body stumble for a moment, his power weakening as his heart got farther away from his chest. Lazarus shook his head to clear his thoughts, trying to refocus on his goal as he moved.
Screams tried to escape from Lazarus's mouth as he got to the intersection, the broken and scattered bodies of all different types of training bots were everywhere around him. He saw Tetsutetsu pop up like a gopher out of the center section of a three point bot.
"Thirty seven!" Tetsutetsu howled as he leaped out of the robot and onto another one.
Lazarus heard other numbers called out around him, most around the twenties on the low end and one in the forties on the high end. Lazarus bit his tongue as the examinees began to resemble vultures, swooping in on every remaining bot. Lazarus instantly realized if he wanted to pass, he couldn't be picky either. Lazarus locked onto an already damaged two pointer, still moving around aimlessly, as if it were shell-shocked.
Exhaling once, Lazarus leaped towards the robot, ready to tear it apart by any means necessary, however, yet again, he head an explosion behind him as a boy rocketed over his head and decimated the villain bot in a single strike.
"Out of my way!" The exploding boy shouted, not hesitating before leaping out to continue his spree.
Lazarus turned again, trying not to let desperation poison his mind. His eyes darted around the chaos, trying to find some opportunity within the ever-changing battlefield. Lazarus felt his eyes shrink as the ground shook beneath him, his body struggling to keep his balance.
The buildings around Lazarus vibrated, as a shadow descended over the entire group. He felt a single sentence bubble to the surface.
"Goddamn it! How much money does this frickin' school have?!" Lazarus cried as the massive robot used its hand to drag itself through the streets. Instantly, the mood changed, the group caught in the awe of the moment.
The massive bot's head glanced down at the group below, before bringing a single hand down, sending a massive shockwave down the street, shattering glass along the way, ripping up the road, and blowing away the unfortunate examenes too close.
A single instinct passed through the group, a single mob command programed into their very beings when confronted with such an overwhelming threat, the only reasonable option when fight wasn't possible. The mob took flight.
Except for Lazarus.
Lazarus confidently began walking in opposition to the crowd, paying no mind to the fleeing individuals who bumped into him as they passed by. He didn't fear death, the robot held no threat to him in his mind, the robot was in fact an opportunity. Lazarus walked towards an almost downed one pointer, both it's arms gone as it squirmed around on the ground. He ignored the slowly approaching tower as he grabbed a chunk of rubble and smashed the bot's head in, finishing it off quickly.
"Two minutes left listeners!" As the announcement reverberated over the sound of the approaching giant, Lazarus continued around the square, looking for any other almost-finished bots he could scavenge points from.
"Wonderful! So, I'm not the only one who wasn't dumb enough to throw away all these free points!" At the sound of the familiar voice, Lazarus glanced over his shoulder to see Neito finishing off a one pointer of his own.
"You should probably leave if you don't want to die." Lazarus spoke, trying to refocus on his search, doubling his speed now that he knew he had competition. Neito simply laughed.
"Is that a threat? I thought we were getting along!" Neito quickly dashed ahead of Lazarus, his leg turning metal as he crushed the head of a two pointer just as Lazarus noticed it.
Lazarus swore quietly, before looking at Neito and pointing at the massive robot that was ever creeping closer, "That's the threat, I'm just trying to be a nice guy." Lazarus mumbled as he moved away from Neito, who irritatingly turned around to scavenge the same area Lazarus had just switched to.
"Nice guy?" Neito mocked, quickly getting on Lazarus's nerves, "More like you want the spoils for yourself."
"Destroy target!" The robotic voice instantly snapped Lazarus out of his irritation, Nieto seemed far less worried than Lazarus was. Glancing at the pristine three pointer that had dug its way out from underneath the shells of several two and one pointers. Lazarus moved to avoid it, the blond boy simply turned his hands to metal.
"Sorry Lazarus, but you can't win by just taking other's leftovers, this is what it takes to get into UA!" Neito launched himself towards the three pointer, rearing back with a massive punch clearly intended to pierce the plated armor of the robot. Instead, a moment before impact, there was a distinct sound of a timer going off.
Lazarus cringed as the familiar noise of bones shattering pierced his ear, along with the sound of Neito screaming in pain. Lazarus's eyes were drawn to Neito's hand, red, crumpled, and noticeably not made of metal.
"Nonono!" Neito screamed, clutching his hand as tears streamed down his face, "I should have had more time! President Mic's countdown must be off!" As Nieto ranted to himself, the three pointer's massive rocket launchers on it's back swiveled to point squarely at Neito.
Lazarus's legs moved before he could even think. Adrenaline mixed with a swell of unnamable primal emotions, fear, anger, pity, empathy, sympathy all swirling in his mind as he reached down his shirt to draw Stain's knife, wielding the puny blade as if it were a mighty sword that could slice the robot in two.
"I'll give my life in place of his!" Lazarus cried, the words pouring out of his mouth in english as he lept, placing the blade in between his teeth as he grabbed onto the side of the robot with both his hands, scaling the bot in the blink of an eye, before leaping down onto it's head, furiously and ineffectively banging the knife against metal.
The bot paused for a moment, before the two pods of rockets on it's back lifted up on hydraulics, pointed down at Lazarus as he refused to let up his assault, the tiny blade pathetically clanging against the far thicker armor, Lazarus completely lost within his rage. With a mechanical click, the rockets inside the pod ignited, ready to blow Lazarus away.
Lazarus grinned, "Gotcha."
Lazarus rolled forwards, dropping off the head and hanging onto the front of the faceplate just as the missiles left their chambers, and smashed into the back of the robot's head. Lazarus couldn't see the damage, but as the robot slowly slumped forwards, Lazarus had a pretty good idea of how well his plan had worked.
"...only eighteen, huh?" Lazarus frowned, flexing his arms as he put Stain's knife back into it's safe place on his chest, turning to Neito, Lazarus smiled sadly, "How much you at pal?"
Neito blinked, no longer stunned by his pain, and clearly impressed by Lazarus's moves "Thirty five?" Neito spoke slowly, Lazarus laughed and whistled.
"Damn then, I suppose that settles that. Go on then." Lazarus turned and climbed up the three pointer, sitting cross legged at the top.
Neito froze, clearly confused by Lazarus's words, "I'm sorry?" Lazarus chuckled.
"I've done all I can do, it wasn't about passing, it was about proving my conviction to the world, to myself." Lazarus folded his arms across his lap as he watched the looming robot tear up the street just ahead of him, "I have no chance to pass at this point, so the least I can do is not drag you down with me." Lazarus waved his hand and tapped his wrist.
"Tick-tock, you've got sixty seconds left buddy. I'd use them…" Lazarus laughed as he turned to see Nieto was already long gone. Lazarus then felt his laughter die along with his dreams.
"Lock." Lazarus sighed as the massive baritone voice of the zero point robot shook the ground around him.
"Thirty seconds left!" President Mic called as Lazarus rose up to his feet, his legs wide and his arms out, as if inviting the zero pointer for a giant hug.
"Come on then," Lazarus cried, shifting his weight to the side, raising his hands into a fighting stance. His form entirely shadowed by the massive head that was now almost directly above him. The bot looked down, shifting the light above Lazarus to red, a spotlight directed solely on him.
The robot slowly reared back its arm, tightening its massive mechanical fingers into a fist, Lazarus mimicked its movements, the only difference between the two was the determined mirth on Lazarus's face.
"To the end!" Lazarus spoke, feeling his throat grow raw at the volume he was speaking at, in response, the massive hand came down as swiftly as a gavel, sentencing him to death.
Lazarus responded with a punch of his own, throwing his entire body behind the strike. Lazarus felt everything he had, pride and disappointment, acceptance and rejection, apathy and rage, and with all his might directed it into a single blow. For half a second, Lazarus's fist connected with the massive finger of the zero point bot, and Lazarus heard the satisfying sound of the metal creaking in pain.
Then the zero point robot's fist continued forward, and the entire street, every car, lamp, bench and the single person on it, was blown away.
"TIMES UP LISTENERS!"