Your mind swirls with options, quickly narrowing three to two before eventually settling on the one that makes the most sense.
"I beg for pardon, Izuku," you apologize. "I don't mean to be rude, but I kind of promised Himiko and Pony that I'd meet with them before the exam."
"Oh," Izuku dips his head. "Right. My bad. You've got other friends trying out for Yuuei. Why am I surprised."
"I swear that…."
"You don't need to say you're sorry," he smiles weakly. "I get it. Really. You don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I can figure it out."
"There will be plenty of time to catch up when we both get in," you declare.
"Yeah," Izuku agrees limply, nervousness tinging his voice.
"Hey," you put a claw lightly on his shoulder, leaning into his ear and whispering. "Remember, there's more to being a hero than defeating villains. Think about what being a hero means; you'll pass with flying colors. Oh, and don't hesitate; just move."
"You probably know better than anyone else," Izuku says, reassured. "Thanks for the advice, Kazuha."
"You're welcome. But seriously, if I keep my girlfriend waiting any longer, I think she will hunt me down."
"Girlfriend?" Izuku blushes.
You shrug. "Himiko and I have been together for a few years, and Pony's my friend from the United States."
"Ah," Izuku accepts. "Well, congratulations. And good luck today."
"I won't need luck," you smirk.
Giving Izuku a quick platonic hug, you dismiss him with a wave, departing and heading up toward your dorm.
Though I hope you won't need it either, Izuku. From what I've seen, you haven't changed much since I last met you. However, that brings up a great question.
I thought he was quirkless.
So, what changed?
I guess I'll find out during the exam.
Heading up to your room, you find Himiko and Pony staring down at the pamphlet being handed out in the cafeteria, which will be handed out again during the debriefing. One that, admittedly, the three of you won't have to attend due to your home-field advantage.
"Hey, girls," you greet, kissing Himiko on the cheek as you hand them both sandwiches you quickly grabbed from the cafeteria to ensure the three of you will have fuel for the upcoming practical exam. "Alright, we all understand how the exam will work?"
"Yes," Pony nods. "The exam will take place inside U.A.'s mock city battlefield, which U.A. has divided into seven sections, labeled A-G. There will be four types of robots, each with a different point value, except for the last one. The closer you are to A, the stronger the robots you'll find, which, for the sake of the exam, are villains to defeat. Defeat them, and you'll get villain points."
"Good," you praise Pony.
Himiko raises her hand. "I thought the test was supposed to divide us into smaller zones, each randomly assigned."
"Well, it is true that in past years, U.A. prevented everyone from working together with their friends to gauge everyone's individual skills, but I argued with Dad that it encouraged kill-stealing and was discriminatory against heroes who work best in team settings, like the Wild, Wild Pussycats. There is nothing wrong with heroes teaming up in the real world, so why would that be a problem here?"
"So, basically, Kazuha reinvented the test and then has to take that test," Himiko gives a toothy grin, causing you to blush.
"No! I just suggested some improvements. It's a coincidence! Besides, I know about the rescue points. Maybe the students are sworn to secrecy, but I'm not a student yet, so I can blab all I want about it."
"You're only getting away with it because taking the test is only a formality for you," Himiko shrugs bluntly. "Though I can't say I don't appreciate the insider info."
"So teaming up is allowed now but diminishes the point gain, right?"
You explain the formula: "If you work with another person to take down a villain, your earned points are equal to the villain's point value divided by the number of people who assisted, rounded down to the nearest half-number. We only get a single point if we take down a three-point villain together. If two of us work together against a three-pointer, we earn a point and half. And if all three eliminate a two-pointer, we get half a point. Since the rescue points exist to fill in the gaps, this still discourages people from teaming up but doesn't outright prevent it. Overall, a balanced system."
"That makes sense," Pony admits. "Though it changes our strategy."
"Let me look at this map; I might have an idea."
As you munch on your bacon grilled cheese, you start putting the pieces together with the help of High Spec. By the time you've devoured the meal, you're confident.
"Between the three of us, we each have a pretty diverse skill set," you begin. "Pony's horns are solid ranged weapons, but they can also grab people by the hoods and collars, bringing them out of danger if necessary. The problem is Pony can't produce too many at once yet."
"They grow back quickly, and I can control all of my horns once I've fired them, but yeah, it's pretty slow," Pony acknowledges.
"It may be best for Pony to be our ranged support then. If her horns don't destroy the robots, they should have enough force to pierce their armor, giving Pony partial credit at least and hopefully stunning them for Himiko or I to finish quickly."
"Got it."
"If you notice anyone needing help, send your horns to assist them. Sure, tag-teaming us will get you villain points, but your quirk allows you the luxury of helping anyone, whether with robots or otherwise. That should get you a decent distribution of villain and rescue points."
"What about the two of you?" Pony questions.
"Himiko can't reveal her real quirk, so we need to lean into the cover. Due to the nature of Transform, Himiko can issue orders to shape-change without the required DNA component. While we should figure out ways to ensure this doesn't use up Himiko's orders in the future, shape-changing into animals is probably Himiko's best bet. The versatility of a cheetah's speed and a gorilla's strength should work nicely. Get in fast and strike hard."
"The problem is I can only dismiss orders silently. I can't shift from Cheetah to Gorilla. I'll have to transform back into a human first," Himiko reminds you. "It's not like with the actual Transform quirk if I had the blood."
"That's why Pony and I are here," you reassure her. "I'm a tank; my durability is comparable to the pros; it's my strongest trait. These robots can't do anything to me, especially since the exam isn't allowed to use anywhere near lethal force. If you need time to wind up, I'll take a defensive position if Pony can't deal chip damage."
"That sounds good," Pony begins. "But that's merely a plan to take down the robots. What about beyond that?"
"Due to our plan, we have to start in Area A," you reason. That ensures that every enemy we beat gets us at least one point since only three-pointers spawn in that section. Plus, some applicants, either overconfident in their abilities or logically assuming bigger numbers are better, will head there first."
"Why would we want to go where there are many people?" Pony interrogates. "Wouldn't the middle be best?"
You shake your head. "Fewer people means fewer opportunities to earn rescue points, which are far more valuable but finicky. Some applicants are simply not cut out for the higher value robots, and it's in saving their pathetic asses that we'll get our rescue points."
"The exam is five minutes, right?"
You nod. "The time pressure is high, and it's only made worse three minutes in when the zero-pointers debut. Most people, terrified by their pure size and seeing they are worth nothing, will avoid them. Yet stopping them is where we can obtain the bulk of our rescue points."
"Do you know where they'll spawn?" Himiko wonders.
"They'll be dropped off in the even-lettered zones three minutes into the exam. At that point, most people will likely gravitate toward the far ends of the arena, bringing the zero-pointers closer to the edge in pursuit."
"Then, if we start in A, the one in B will gravitate toward us."
"Changing zones takes a lot of time. The urban mock battlefield is massive. By staying in A, we can minimize travel distance."
"Is that our only option?" Pony wonders.
"Well, I'd argue that being in Section C or E is generally not optimal," you present. "Section E, in particular, is objectively speaking the worst section, with 66% two-point and 33% one-point villains. Few people are going to gravitate there in the beginning. Those who aren't booking it right for A or B will start in the middle with D or work their way up from F, and even G, if they want to fail."
"Okay, but what does that mean for us?" Pony wonders.
"I'm pretty confident in our abilities to take out one-pointers without breaking much of a sweat, perhaps even two-pointers. However, sections C and E are usually the most populated by the middle of the exam due to migration, which makes things chaotic because they are right between two of the zero-pointers. Additionally, each area spawns an equal amount of robots. There are 350 of each of the one, two, and three-pointers, with each section containing 300 robots in total. In Section E alone, there are 500 villain points up for grabs. Section C has 700."
Himiko's head spins. "So… many… numbers…."
"If we position ourselves in front of the C or E gates, we're less likely to run into scarcity issues early into the match in exchange for having fewer opportunities to get rescue points in the first half."
"What is the second half looking like? Once the big guys spawn?"
"While it's true most people will be running toward the edges, those in D are more likely to run toward G than A. Why go through the area with more formidable enemies than you've likely been fighting or have failed to defeat before, especially when trying to escape? D is probably the safest area on the map; you could keep clearing out section C to farm villain points the entire time. But the amount of rescue points is small. Those cap out at 60 per person."
"What about E?" Pony ponders.
"We'll probably have more opportunities to get rescue points, but there's 200 fewer points on the board. In exchange, those enemies are generally easier to take out faster. But it will be the most populated area by the end of the exam. Taking out one-pointers as a team won't be all that effective, either. We'll have to rely on our own abilities more than each other. We can watch each other's backs but must divide and conquer more."
"Are any of the other starting areas good?"
"B and D aren't awful, from their point values. But I'd say A, C, and E are the best places to be. A requires more teamwork, C is nearly wholly reliant upon villain points for passing, and E is best if we can clear out enemies fast and are willing to be in the thick of things when everything goes to hell. I feel confident we can pass the exam in any of these places. However, different areas will be better than others if we want to excel in the exam. It all depends on your most important skills and what you're banking on."
"What do you think, Kazuha?" Himiko asks.
Section A will entirely rely on teamwork and communication, not only with Himiko and Pony but also with the panicking applicants around us. I don't think I have the strength to take on the three-point villains alone, though. For each villain we defeat, I'll be getting one point or maybe a little more for quite a bit of effort. There is the zero-pointer, but taking on the three-pointers might make us too exhausted even to consider putting a dent in those things. People panicking is a thing I excel in, but my friends might not do as well if I head to A. Can I put myself ahead at their expense?
Section C has the most straightforward game plan. There will generally be fewer people and obstacles in C than in any other area, allowing us to rack up villain points without the threat of competition. But I'm not really playing into my strengths without an opportunity for rescue points. Sure, I have no doubt I'll pass on mostly villain points alone, nor is there too much of a risk of me screwing with anyone else, but it feels safe, and it's unlikely I'll crack the top ten.
In Section E…
I'm not the most nimble. Not slow, but not fast. While I probably won't have much trouble taking these guys out, I'm unsure how many villain points I can rack up before it becomes too densely populated. Himiko, Pony, and I can help one another, but the more we can take down mostly on our own, the better. From there, I'll have to rely on rescue points alone. At least if we wanted to take down the zero-pointer, we'd likely have more energy to do so than if we went to A.
One of these three has to be the correct answer. The others have problems. I know it.
"I know that we're already aware of most of the stuff, but I'm pretty sure Present Mic still expects us at exam orientation, Kaz-Chan," Pony points out. "So we need to develop a proper plan soon to make it in time."
"I'm thinking, Pony. Just give me a second," you roll your eyes.
To win first place, I must accumulate many rescue and villain points. The best place is the one that will allow me to do both, perhaps in the two different stages of the exam. It's not just about how fast you can get to the villains but how quickly you can take them down and your average point turnout.
If I can take the crown or at least break into the top ten, I can make a statement not only to my classmates but to the media and my father. And that has to be a good thing.
Decision Point: What Area Will You Start In For the Exam?
Section A
Section B
Section C
Section D
Section E
Section F
Section G