"Kill me, please…."

Momo sighed. "Kyou, I hardly believe that the lack of yakisoba is enough reason to warrant your death. Please eat your food before the lunch break is over."

"Yeah man, you need to keep your strength up for the next round." Kirishima said, sliding his tray forward. "You want some of my bento?"

"No… ...It's not the same." I pouted into my ramen. The most stressful day this school had put me through so far, and it was the one day that Lunch-Rush didn't have yakisoba on the menu. Lame.

"Well, Kyou, are you , like, ready to fight everybody else?" Mina inquired, waving her chopsticks around to point out some of nearby classmates. "We kinda got our butts kicked by Roki and Baku-jerk. Do you have and, like, plans to beat 'em up?"

I shrugged. "You say got our butts kicked, I say heroically held out against the long odds. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I think one on one I could take them, but them ganging up on us was too much." I glanced around, frowning at the faces I didn't see. "Speaking of, where are they? You'd think Bakugou would be hungry after his first place."

Momo nodded, before her brow furrowed. "What about Todoroki?"

"Well, soulless robots don't eat, so I didn't actually expect to see him here." I slurped some noodles. "Actually, now that I think about it, where's Midoriya? Are you the only team leader here?"

"I believe I am. Odd, I wonder where they all went." Momo said, scanning the room.

I stood up, my chair creaking as it dragged across the ground. "I'm gonna go find them. Midoriya, at the very least, should eat before the next round. He's probably gonna need the extra calcium after he snaps a few more bones."

Mina and Kirishima both shrugged, but Momo gave me a worried look. "Kyou…" She mumbled, gesturing down to my noodles, of which I had eaten less than half.

I gave a reassuring grin, picking up my bowl. "Alright, I'll walk and chow at the same time. Does that make you happy?"

Her shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit, and amusement glittered in her eyes. "Not nearly as much as you continuing to eat with us, but it will do." Momo gave me a small smile that had nearly become her trademark.

Ba-dump goes the heart. Damn. My mind flashed back to the arena tunnels not two hours earlier. For a moment I considered staying, but the curiosity about the other team's leader's locations won out. I gave a smile, a wave, and a half-decent slurp of noodles.

I wandered around for a solid ten minutes, encountering very few people in the halls. With the small break between events, it seemed that the audience had flooded out into the stalls to gather food and drink. Occasionally I would pass a random teacher or student, but none that I really recognized.

I wasn't until I turned the corner to leave the stadium proper did I see a puff of blonde hair peek out from the dim hallway lighting. I went to call out to Bakugou, but his expression caught me off guard. The human hand grenade was deep in thought, brow furrowed and hands shoved in his pockets as he pressed his back against the wall.

I walked up slowly, taking the same light steps that one would use to approach a wild animal. While I had no proof that Bakugou was raised by animals, the image of him as an angry badger called to me. I took a draught of noodle broth in deep thought.

Bakugou's head whipped up, his gaze locking onto my movement with razor precision. I froze.

Instead of shouting, glaring, or berating me, as I have come to expect from him, Bakugou frowned at me. He raised one hand, placing a finger to his lips and gestured with a nod to approach. Weird, the generally inoffensive greeting felt more ominous than anything else.

I continued my walk and realized that I could hear voices coming from past Bakugou, around the corner that he was standing by. A low, cold voice was speaking at barely higher than a murmur. "-at the USJ, when we fought those villains, I was the only one who felt your true power. It reminded me of All Might's."

Well, shit. Todoroki's voice was recognizable anywhere, his lack of emotion draining every word. And with the subject matter, I would bet ten bucks that he was talking to someone with green hair and a habit of crying on a dime. I looked at Bakugou and mouthed Midoriya's name. He nodded.

Todoroki continued as I sidled up next to Bakugou, quietly finishing my lunch. "The experience of seeing All Might's quirk not fifteen minutes later cemented the fact that you two have the same quirk."

Well, ten points to Gryffindor. Todoroki was right on the money so far. Midoriya's voice was strained as he responded. "W-well, that's not really- I mean, that's not-" He stuttered, trying to dig himself out of this one.

"Midoriya." Todoroki said sternly, quieting him. "Answer me this. Are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

I had to smother my laughter into the last of my udon. What the fuck, Todoroki? The amount of difference in their physicality alone should have tipped him off that his crack-pot theory was wrong. Though without his prior knowledge of quirk transferability, I guess it made sense.

I glance up at Bakugou, who's scowl had deepened over the course of the conversation. I couldn't read what he thought of the conversation, or even ask him without alerting Todoroki, but he obviously didn't approve of something.

Midoriya began speaking as his brain absorbed what Todoroki had asked him. "Wait! That's totally not it at all! That's crazy!"

"'That's not it at all'?" Todoroki said in a lazily intimidating tone. "That implies that there is a connection between you and the number one hero."

Midoriya didn't respond.

"I'm sure that you are aware of my connection to the number two hero?" Midoriya must have nodded, because Todoroki continued. "He is my father, and that puts me as his surrogate in the upcoming generation of heroes. He has chosen this for me, molded me using an outdated custom. Midoriya, do you know what a quirk marriage is?"

I winced. Quirk marriages used to be super common, especially when quirks first started to appear. In fact, my grandparents had been a quirk-arranged marriage. Pairing people together based on there quirks was normally a bad idea, though it had turned out fine in my case. It didn't sound like it had gone that way for the Todoroki family.

"My father paid my mother's family for her, gaining her as his wife for her powerful ice quirk." Todoroki narrated. "He forced her to give birth to multiple children, trying to get the perfect combination of their quirks. He discarded my siblings when none of them could carry both quirks as I can. My mother hated my father, and she hated the parts of him that she could see in me. When I was a child, my mother was so horrified by my father's quirk that she poured boiling water on my face to try and burn him out."

"I have not seen my mother since then." He continued. "My father put her in a hospital because of what she did to me. So there is a reason, that I want to become the number one hero without using my father's cursed quirk. My father has no greater failing than his inability to overcome All Might. If you have All Might in your corner, than I have every reason to defeat you without my father's quirk."

Steps began to retreat away from us, and I felt a sinking presence in my chest. Before I had time to digest, however, a second set of feet followed the first.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya called out. "It doesn't matter if you need to beat me, because I also need to beat you! I need to come out of this festival on top, and I'm going to use my full power to fight you!"

A small bit of pride ballooned in my chest. It was good to know that Midoriya was put down my the depressing story that he had just heard.

"So, what did you think of all that?" I asked with a quizzical look to Bakugou after Midoriya's footsteps faded into the distance.

The resident walking explosion shrugged and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "I think

that it changed nothing. Icy-hot is still an asshole, Deku is still a useless worm, and I'm still gonna kick your ass." Bakugou's voice was sharp, but it lacked its normal heat. "I better not see you again 'til we're in the ring, Salad Fuck."

Bakugou turned around the corner that Todoroki and Midoriya had walked down, and disappeared from sight. I sat there for a few moments, considering what I had just heard. While Todoroki had a messed-up backstory, I didn't feel any more sympathy towards his vendetta against Midoriya.

Todoroki wanted to be his own person, and he had to be held to those standards. While he was attempting to spite his father to prove that, he also needed to learn that he couldn't base his individuality on being a dick and underpowering yourself to win.

All in all, my opinions were left mostly unchanged. Yet again, Bakugou spoke more sense than I think he intended. I picked up my ramen bowl and headed off to the arena.

They had us assemble in the stadium field at each of our respective class gates. Ms. Midnight was yet again stood upon her announcer's podium. As we filed in, I caught up with Momo, Mina, Kirishima.

"Hey, man!" Kirishima fist-bumped me as I approached. "Did you end up finding them?"

"Yes and no." I said. "I'll explain later, promise."

He gave me a questioning look, but nodded anyway. "Alright, but make sure you remember."

"Welcome back to this year's rockin' First Year Sport's Festival!" Present Mic's voice carried over the arena speakers. "If you'll remember before we all tuned out for lunch, we've counted down to our top sixteen on the charts!"

The audience screamed in anticipation as the giant screen displayed all sixteen of us with our names and school photos, as well as the class listings. I gulped as my face was plastered onto the screens of millions of people. No pressure or anything if we lose, right?

Ms. Midnight raised her whip to gain the crowd's attention. "This year, for our third and final round of competition, we have prepared something special for you!" She paused as the lottery graphic came up behind her. "Our top sixteen will be competing in a single elimination combat bracket! Single students will face off against each other in a competition of combat prowess and resolve! Hopefully we'll see our precious sixteen pound into each other, for fun of course." The pro-hero licked her lips.

I glanced around at the others who I would be competing against. Midoriya stood tall, his conversation with Todoroki seeming to spur him on. Todoroki, on the other hand, couldn't look less interested. Bakugou was bouncing on his heel, and I could feel the raw excitement pouring off of him.

My friends, while still standing beside me, each shifted in their own way. Mina's smile took on a devilish quality, the kind that made you want to go by new shampoo, because there was no way yours wasn't booby trapped. Kirishima stood taller, like a soldier who was about to salute. I think I saw a tear of joy somewhere in there, but I can't be sure. Momo closed her eyes, thinking about something with a stern expression on her face. I sidled next to her, bumping her shoulder with my own. She opened her eyes, before giving me a soft smile.

"Now, let's see who our students will be facing off against first!" Ms. Midnight threw both hands into the air, and the screen shifted once more. This time, a simple gray graphic had each name lined in columns, with lines connecting names of sets of opponents to each other.

Round 1, Match 1 - Momo Yaoyorozu vs Fumikage Tokoyami

Round 1, Match 2 - Mina Ashido vs Yuga Aoyama

Round 1, Match 3 - Katsuki Bakugou vs Ochako Uraraka

Round 1, Match 4 - Izuku Midoriya vs Mei Hatsume

Round 1, Match 5 - Rikido Sato vs Hitoshi Shinso

Round 1, Match 6 - Tenya Iida vs Shoto Todoroki

Round 1, Match 7 - Mashirou Ojiro vs Eijirou Kirishima

Round 1, Match 8 - Hanta Sero vs Kyousuke Watanabi

Wow, there was a lot to break down there. First thing's first, I wasn't fighting until the end of each round based on how the system was laid out, and if I did win, I will be fighting Kirishima in the next round.

Besides that, there were a few match-ups that seemed like they were gonna be brutal. Bakugou vs Uraraka was going to be rough, especially with her lack of actual offensive ability. Aoyama had little to no chance against MIna, not with how hard she'd been training her dodging ability. Iida, while I liked the guy, was just not going to win against the Ice Queen, no matter how you slice it.

"And now that our competitors no who they'll be facing, we're going to allow them time to prepare for their matches!" Ms. Midnight said to the crowd. "For our entertainment in the meantime, there will be a series of side events for all those who did not make it to our top sixteen to participate in!" She gestured to a layout of different sports equipment laid out at the end of the field. The other students began to file that way, though we had obviously just been cleared to leave and prep.

"Hey, guys. I think we should-" I glanced around. None of my friends were present in my immediate vicinity. "What the hell? Where did everybody go?"

At a moment of searching, I spotted pink hair and red hair in the crowd beside each other and heading back into the arena tunnels. Damn. Those two knew better than to talk strategy with me.

I searched some more, but I couldn't spot Momo anywhere. That concerned me, because it should not be easy to lose someone that tall and that attractive. I shrugged and began to step towards the tunnels. There was only one place she could head to, especially since she was in the first match.

I knocked on the open doorway to the prep room. Momo's head jerked up at the sound, ponytail swishing through the air behind her. Her dark eyes relaxed once she recognized me, but her shoulders were still high and tight, and her fists were half clenched into fists on the tabletop.

"Hey." I gave a half a wave and stepped into the room. My feet were loud on the tile, and the thrum of the air-conditioning might as well have been blaring rock music.

"Hey." Momo returned my wave before letting her forehead fall into her hands. I slipped into the chair beside her and absentmindedly rubbed her back for a few moments. She sighed and leaned forward, bringing her head flat against her wrists on the table.

"So, what's up?" I said. "It's not like you to leave without saying anything. Unless something happened?"

"No, nothing happened…" She murmured from under the veil that her hair provided her. "I'm nervous."

"Why?"

"Because I'm facing Tokoyami, who is one of the stronger members of the class." Momo spoke without hesitation, as if she was just listing off a grocery list. "Because I did a poor job as a leader in the previous round, and that alone makes me question my ability to make decisions in combat."

I sat back in my chair, gently pulling Momo up by her shoulders. I brushed a tuft of hair from her cheek, and her eyes softened. "I feel like this is becoming a thing." I said, pulling her close.

"What is becoming a 'thing'?" I could hear the slight smile on her voice as she rested her head on my chest.

"You feel bad, or nervous about something, and I have to sweep in as the hero and rescue you from your own head." I leaned my chin on top of her head.

"While I believe that I have had to do the same for you, I can't quite disagree." Momo chuckled. "Rescue away, my hero."

"Well, if I were to follow the pattern, which is definitely forming, I would start by physically comforting you." I squeezed her hand, which had fallen into its place in my own at some point.

"Check." Momo said.

"I would then tell you that you are a strong, smart, powerful hero in training, and that you are greater than anything life can throw at you. Especially the Cavalry Battle, because you did a far better job than I could have." I lifted her chin to look her in the eye. Her fringe of bangs was pressed into the side of her face, and she wore no makeup today. Momo was still the prettiest damn thing I had ever seen.

"Check." She smiled fully, white teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light.

"And I think, because of recent events, I would finish cheering you up with a romantic gesture of some kind?" I felt my face flush, and the heat travel down my throat.

Momo's cheeks dusted red, but she kept her wide smile. I leaned down, and she leaned up. I noticed that even if Momo wasn't wearing makeup, her floral perfume flooded my senses. This was only the second time, but the feeling of warmth that spread from her lips to mine was something that I wanted to continue for far too long.

Eventually we broke apart, but I don't think anyone was counting the minutes. "Better?" I asked, my breath a little slower and a little heavier.

She nodded. "Better."

"Good." I stood, extracting myself from her embrace, though I did still clasp her hand in mine. I glanced up at the clock. "You have about five minutes left. Let me walk you to your gate."

Momo blanched. "Five minutes?"

"What's wrong?" I felt my brows furrow.

"I haven't yet thought of a strategy to beat Todoroki, which was what the purpose of separating myself before the match was supposed to be." Momo groaned. "You distracted me…"

I felt a chuckle rumble at the back of my throat. "I did. But I also know that you know Tokoyami's weakness, considering we happened to see it about an hour ago."

Momo gave me a blank and confused look, before her palm shot up to her forehead. "Oh! How could I have forgotten something so obvious?"

"Because you hadn't been rescued by a valiant hero with salad green hair?" I said. "Glad I could be the light of inspiration you needed."

Momo's amusement faded into disappointment. "Though I know the answer, you force me to ask…"

"Yes, that pun was one hundred percent intended, and not even a little on accident."

Sweet, we are finally in the meat of the Sports Festival, the tournament! There are a few canon matches left in the tournament, but all of them will have marked changes, even if the winner maybe stays the same. With that, we have now entered the speculation point in the story! Please, if you think you know how the bracket will turn out, leave a review with your matches laid out!

Seeker of Immortality - Thank you so much for your feedback on the chapter! I was really trying to get that combat feel to the Cavalry Battle, so I'm glad it came across. The 'itch' is something that'll come up at some point, but I can't spoil when, unfortunately. Honestly, writing KyouxMomo bits is becoming one of my favorite parts of writing this, so I'm glad you enjoy them!

Please favorite and follow to keep up with updates and to show your support! The next chapter will be out on July 14th! This is Rel, signing out!