I couldn't let Momo use her Quirk. I knew that for sure. Best way to do that was to end the match as quickly as possible. Setting my feet, I felt the familiar tickling of electricity flowing through the muscles and skin of my legs as Momo and I sat waiting for Present Mic to signal for the start of the match.

And after a few seconds of waiting, it came.

"Sixth match... BEGIN!"

Wasting no time, I immediately launched myself across the platform at Momo. The sound of rushing wind filled my ears briefly before I quickly closed to within striking distance. I planted my left foot in the ground, sent charge into my back and right arm and went for the finishing blow.

As I threw my fist forward, a brilliant and glittering light blinded me for a split second. I let out a cry as my punch made contact with something solid. Reeling back as pain seared through my newly mended hand and wrist, a quick glance in Momo's direction revealed what it was that I had hit; a small, circular metal shield on her left arm.

Despite my best efforts, she had been able to create something to block my attack. It was a small thing, however, meaning I had put her under pressure. If I can keep it up, I could be in a great position to control the fight.

With that in mind, I closed the gap and charged my legs. Spinning round, I launched a kick aimed for the side of Momo's head. She quickly raised the shield and blocked the attack, just as I thought she would. I landed back on the ground and switched my stance, dropping low and sweeping my leg along the ground, intending to knock the taller girl off her feet.

However, the girl reacted quicker than I had expected her to. She deftly hopped over my leg and dropped into a similar crouch as I landed back on the ground. Momo whipped her leg around and clipped my feet, knocking them out from underneath me. I was suddenly parallel to the ground, and panic told hold of me briefly as I scrambled to get my hands out in front of me.

Before I could even touch the concrete, however, a blow to my stomach sent me skidding and rolling across the concrete. Pain ravaged my senses as the skin of my elbows and arms was run across the rough surface, before I finally came to a stop some ways away from Momo, coughing and gasping for air. I could feel my scrapes and scratches beginning to burn as Present Mic's and Mr. Aizawa's voices rang out through the stadium.

"Incredible! What an electrifying start! Sato tried to get the upper hand early, but it appears as though Yaoyorozu was completely prepared for it! She stopped every attack and sent Sato sprawling across the arena with a painful-looking kick to the gut!"

"Sato knew she couldn't let her opponent use her Quirk, due to its versatility. Yaoyorozu, however, wasn't admitted to UA on recommendations for no reason. She's perfectly capable of holding her own without it. Now that that plan is out the window, we'll see how good Sato is at thinking on her feet."

A groan escaped my lips as I crawled to my hands and knees. "Well, that went well..." I began to be aware of more bumps and scratches across my back, as well as a particularly annoying ache in my left side. I could feel it starting to throb rhythmically in time with my heartbeat. I didn't have time to dwell on it, though, as I spotted Momo out of the corner of my eye.

I scrambled back to my feet and turned in time to watch the girl lift a thin, metal pole from her knee. She pulled it clear and then pointed it at me.

The anticipation in the arena began to rise as Momo continued to advance. I found myself unconsciously taking a couple steps backwards, not entirely sure of what to do. Her strategy was a smart one. She knew my fighting style going into our match and prepared for it. I wouldn't be able to get through her defenses without getting in close, and if I were to get in close, I'd probably get whacked a few times for my troubles.

And as much as I disliked the idea... I knew I didn't really have much of a choice. If I was to win, I needed to make a move.

With this in mind, I quickly charged my legs and took off across the arena. I angled away from Momo at first before sweeping back in towards the girl, trying to take her by surprise. If I can get in and out before Momo has a chance to react, I can begin to take control of this fight.

As I got within striking distance, I charged my arm and thrust my right hand forward in an open-handed attack. Momo quickly raised her shield to block the strike before I set myself, charged my legs, and twisted round to launch a roundhouse kick. Again, my foot caught nothing but shield.

I leant back to avoid a retaliatory kick from Momo, placing a hand on the ground in an attempt to keep my balance. As I tried to right myself to retreat, Momo spun and whipped her staff around, slamming it into my right shoulder. I let out a pained cry and tried to scramble away before Momo hooked her foot around mine and tripped me up. The rough surface of the platform gnawed at the skin on the palms of my hands as I fell to the concrete.

I needed to create some distance. This wasn't working, Momo was taking control.

Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned and lashed out with a foot. Momo let out a yelp as I caught her in the knee and her staff clattered to the concrete as she grasped her leg. Taking the opportunity, I quickly clambered away towards the middle of the arena.

My mind began to race as I put my hands on my knees and stopped to catch my breath. I was beginning to regret not planning to deal with Momo. There had plenty of time, but I spent it all watching the matches and with Izuku. Not to mention all the stuff with All Might... why was he so skinny and thin...

I mentally slapped myself and shook my head. I couldn't afford to think about that right now, All Might promised me answers after the Festival. Right now, I needed to focus on the task at hand.

Running through my list of options in my head, I realized it wasn't as long as I would've liked. This being Momo, it was more than likely she had thought of just about everything. Frontal assaults clearly weren't working, and there was no way I would be able get behind her. Maybe I can distract her, catch her off guard.

How could I, though? Looking around quickly, there wasn't anything on the platform that I could toss and we weren't allowed to carry anything into the arena with us. I could try and maybe break up the platform to get something, but I was afraid that I'd hurt myself more than I would the cement comprising it. Even with my Quirk. Turning to face Momo, I grimaced as the ache in my side sent a dull shock through my body.

And with it, an idea. With the way the fight has gone so far, no one would bat an eye if I were to have an unfortunately timed injury of some kind. It could potentially give me the opening I need.

Momo bent down and picked up her stick with a confident grin. She shouted to me over the noise of the crowd. "You're getting rather careless, Hannah! I'm beginning to think you weren't prepared for me!"

I let out a short chuckle and swept some hair out of my face. "Maybe I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security!" There was a beat as we stood waiting for the other to make a move. Electricity began to lick at the skin of my legs as I readied myself, before I bolted to my right in the same manner as last time. Turning and heading straight for Momo, the girl readied herself for the attack.

As I pushed off with my right foot, I let out a loud cry. Grimacing, I hobbled forward a couple of feet before falling to my hands and knees, reaching back to clutch at my ankle. Immediately, the crowd began to go quiet, only to be replaced by Present Mic's booming commentary.

"WHAT?! SATO IS DOWN! COULD SHE BE INJURED?!"

I laid my forehead against the concrete as I continued to sell the injury. It seemed, at least, that I had Present Mic fooled, but I wasn't worried about him. Letting out a whimper, hoping that Momo should be able to hear me clearly now, I picked my head up off the ground and hazarded a glance at the girl across from me.

Contrasting the way she had been looking at me just now, there was a look of mild concern on Momo's face. She began to take a step towards me, but looked over at Midnight, waiting to see what the Pro would do. There was a mental battle going on in her head, between wanting to take advantage of my plight and wanting to see if I was okay.

My stomach twisted slightly as I realized this. Although we never talked much, I really liked Momo. She was nice and hard-working, always pushing those around her to do the best that they can to become the best heroes that they can. If everything were to go to plan, I'd win. But by trickery and deceit, not being the best. I hope she'll forgive me.

And so, as Momo took another look at Midnight, I sprung to my feet. Activating my Quirk and charging my legs, I launched myself at her and closed the gap almost immediately. There was no time for her to react as I wound back a charged arm and swept it horizontally, a loud crack resounding around the arena as her staff was snapped in two.

"Wha-?!" Momo took a step back, her eyes as wide as dinner plates as the crowd went wild. She tried to quickly raise her shield to protect herself, but she wasn't fast enough. I kept my momentum and twisted my body around, hooking a charged punch past the shield and catching Momo on the chin. The blow caused her to stagger, almost as if she was suddenly drunk, before she fell to a knee and placed a hand on the ground.

Sensing a chance to end things, I quickly stepped back and delivered a kick that connected with Momo's jaw. The force of the kick snapped the girl's head around, her arms flailing lifelessly as what remained of the staff flew from her hand. She crashed to the ground and remained still.

I stood with my arms raised, ready for anything. After a few seconds, I noticed Midnight hop down onto the platform out of the corner of my eye. Momo weakly shook her feet as the Pro Hero approached and knelt down next to her. She put a hand on Momo's back and leant down close to her head.

The crowd had once again gone silent. Knowing the fight was most likely over, I gave Midnight space and stood off to the side, watching with concern as Momo shakily raised herself onto her hands and knees. Midnight kept a hand on her as she helped turn the girl around to sit. She spoke quietly to Momo for a brief moment, whatever she said I couldn't tell, before reaching back to click a switch at her side.

"Yaoyorozu is unable to continue! Therefore, Sato advances to the second round!

I let out a sigh. There was a smattering of applause for a brief moment before the crowd began cheering in earnest. I looked away from Momo and around at the crowd, overwhelmed at the attention I was suddenly receiving. My cheeks went a slight tinge red before I gave a small grin and waved, not really knowing where the cameras were. Best case, I nailed it. Worst case, I look like an idiot.

Turning to walk off the platform, I eyed Momo as I passed her. Midnight was still crouched down next to the girl, with an arm wrapped around her. I hope she wasn't hurt. I guess I did kinda go overboard with that kick...

vvvvv

It wasn't long before I was climbing up the stairs back into the student seating. As I emerged out from the stairwell, a flash of something flying through the air towards me caught my eye. Reacting on instinct, I shut my eyes tight and reached out with a hand. I managed to catch whatever it was, my fingers digging into what felt like soft fabric.

"Aww! She caught him!"

"I told you it wasn't going to work again, Mina..."

I opened my eyes, recognizing Yumi and Mina's voices over the mild buzzing of the surrounding crowd. In my hand was a brown teddy bear. The same one that those two had thrown at me earlier. Letting a breath out through my nose, I shook my head and made my way down to the front row.

Yumi turned in her seat and shot me a grin. "Hey there, killer! Nice job taking care of Yaoyorozu!" She glanced at Izuku next to her and gently slapped him on the shoulder, startling him. He turned to look at Yumi, who jerked her head in my direction. His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Hannah!"

I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. "Izuku!"

I heard a few 'awws' come from some of our classmates, my cheeks flushing in response. Ignoring them and Bakugo's glare as I passed by him, I walked around the corner and took a seat between Yumi and Izuku.

"Thanks, Yumi." I shook my head as Izuku quietly slipped an arm around my waist. "I wasn't that great, though..."

A quick, sharp jolt of pain ran through my side as Izuku pulled me closer to me. I gasped and jerked away from his hand, causing the boy to remove his arm and look at me in worry.

"Hannah! Is something wrong?!"

"No..." I shook my head and gave him a grin. "I'm just a little sore, that's all."

Yumi sat back with a grin and crossed her arms. "I'm not surprised. It looked as if Yaoyorozu was kicking your ass from here to Kyoto and back!"

Mina glanced at the girl. "Yumi, that's not very nice..."

I shook my head and waved her off. "No Mina, she's right. Blunt, but right." I leant into Izuku as, this time, the boy wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I never prepared for Momo, but Momo was ready for me. I paid for it."

"Should've spent less time cuddling with your boyfriend."

I let out a small chuckle at Yumi's sarcasm. "Yeah, maybe."

Everyone looked over at Mina as she clapped her hands together. "But hey! You won in the end! That's what matters."

"I'm not sure Pro Heros would see things the same way, Mina." I gave a small grin and shook my head. "Remember what Mr. Aizawa said, we're supposed to be trying to showcase ourselves to get scouted by Hero agencies.

"And what did I do? I... got tossed around and won only by tricking Momo into letting her guard down."

I felt Izuku grip onto me a little tighter as I spoke. No one said anything for a few seconds, the silence confirming my statement. It was then that Yumi got up from her seat and crouched down in front of me. "That may be true, Han, but think about it. With all you did in the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle, I'm sure there's plenty of Pros who already have your name on their minds. Hell, it's just like what Present Mic said, you destroyed a giant robot with a single punch! I doubt one bad fight against a tough opponent is going to ruin that."

I thought about it for a moment. She did have a good point...

"Now that you're on to the next round, you have another chance to impress, and really show what you can do." She took on a look of mild seriousness, with her voice dropping slightly to match it. "That's not to say I'm gonna make it easy for you, though..."

I snapped my head up to look at her. "Wait? Are we..."

Yumi met me with a nod. "Yep! We were next to each other in the bracket. We both won our matches, so now we're gonna be facing each other."

"Huh..." I took a second to digest what I'd heard. The information had caught me off guard. I mean, sure. I had noticed our positions in the bracket before, but the idea that we would end up fighting hadn't even crossed my mind, as preoccupied as I had been with All Might and then Momo.

I couldn't lie to myself, though. Now that I knew, I was getting kind of excited. It had been awhile since the last time Yumi and I sparred. Without Quirks, we were usually evenly matched, but I usually won when Quirk were used. But Yumi has made progress with her Quirk since then, and I remembered how she had protected us from Bakugo during the Cavalry Battle.

This will be the perfect opportunity to see what she could do one on one. Maybe she'll even get close to beating me.

"Helloooo? Hannah?" Yumi waved a hand in my face, disturbing my thoughts. "Where are you?"

"I'm here... getting a hand waved my face." I gave her a look. "What? A girl can't think about how she's gonna beat her best friend... AGAIN!"

Yumi stood up abruptly and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, is that how it's gonna be?!"

"Yeah!"

"Well then! I guess I'll have to knock you out of the tournament then!"

"I'd love to see you try!"

Yumi and I glared at each other briefly before grins crossed both of our faces. The girl chuckled and put her hands on her hips. "A smile is so much better looking on you than a frown, Han."

I felt my cheeks heat up at her words, but as I opened my mouth to reply, Present Mic's voice shattered the air between us like a gunshot. "OKAY! LET'S SEE WHO WE'VE GOT FOR YA NEXT!

"THIS NEXT MATCHUP INCLUDES TWO COMPLETELY REDUNDANT QUIRKS! ONE OF THEM IS A PASSIONATE, MANLY FIGHTER MADE OF STEEL! THE HERO COURSES' TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU!

"VERSUS, A PASSIONATE, MANLY FIGHTER MADE OF ROCK! THE HERO COURSES' EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!"

"Ohh, this is gonna take a while!" Yumi turned towards us as the crowd cheered the two in the arena. She interlocked her fingers and raised her arms above her head, sighing contentedly as she stretched. "Do you guys want anything from the market?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going back? Didn't you get your fill earlier?"

Yumi scoffed and dismissively waved her hand. "One chocolate bar is NOT enough to fill me up, you know that. It was just what I was feeling at the time."

"Ah, that famous Ito sweet tooth was calling, huh?"

"Indeed it was." She held a fist up and began to speak in a dramatic fashion. "But now, it's my stomach that's calling, and I must satisfy it before I can defeat thy mortal enemy."

I let out a sigh. "If that's the way it's gotta be. Get me a..." Stopping to think about what the market had, I decided to settle for something simple. "Just get me another muffin, I guess."

Izuku gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, me too!"

Mina threw her fists into the air. "Me three!"

Yumi shook her head and reached into her pocket. "And you talk about me having a sweet tooth... Alright, I'll be right back!"

I watched the girl go on her way, up the stairs and out of sight. It was only then that I realized someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Ochako?"

Mina shrugged. "Dunno, she left during your match. She said something about going to the bathroom." The pink girl glanced towards the stairs. "She should've been back by now, though."

"Maybe she just needed time by herself. Remember how fired up she was when the Festival was announced?"

I nodded, indeed remembering the girl's outburst immediately after the news was given. "Yeah. It probably doesn't help that she's facing Bakugo of all people. He's not exactly the nicest person." I gave a cautious glance behind me to look at Bakugo, only to see that he had also now left.

"Mm. He can be kinda..." Mina waved her hands around, searching for the correct word. "...vicious, sometimes."

A smirk crossed my face. "I, for one, can think of some more colorful words to describe him..." It was then that Present Mic suddenly signaled for the start of the match, drowning me out.

"Contestants, ready? BEGIN!"

Izuku glanced over at Mina and I. "Come on, guys! Kacchan's not that bad!"

"Whatever you say, Izuku." Laying my head into the crook of his neck, I looked out to the arena to begin watching the fight. "Right now, I just hope Yumi gets back quickly. I'm kinda hungry now, too."

vvvvv

"Hmm... Very interesting."

Kurogiri glanced away from the television as the broadcast of the UA Sports Festival cut away to a commercial. The first round of the finals had just concluded, finishing with a particularly impressive bout that left even the villain mildly congratulating the students. Tomura would be happy to hear that the students he asked Kurogiri to keep an eye on while he was gone have advanced to the next round, which would offer a greater opportunity to study them.

But that'll be for later. Right now, he was waiting for an important package to arrive.

Standing behind the bar, Kurogiri finished wiping away the last marks from the surface of a glass. He turned and placed the glass amongst its brethren on the back wall, before glancing towards the door when he heard the doorknob begin to turn.

The door opened and through it stepped a hulking man with short, black hair, carrying a little girl over his shoulder. "I brought the child you asked for, sir."

Kurogiri eyed the girl, deciding to ignore the obvious red smears covering the man's clothes. "Is she unconscious?"

"Well..." The question immediately had the big man flustered. "She would not stop screaming, so I put my hand over her face until she stopped."

"Gracious, Avalon. I'm aware your intelligence is lacking, but there are better ways of kidnapping a child."

"Like what?"

Kurogiri came out from behind the counter and approached the man. "Like telling me where you are so I can warp you back, instead of carrying a screaming child straight to our base." There was an unmistakable edge to his voice. He wasn't pleased.

Avalon lowered his gaze, not unlike a child expecting to be admonished. "Oh..."

"No matter. What's done is done." Kurogiri reached out and moved the girl's black hair from out of her face. "Did you leave any witnesses?"

"No, sir! An old man tried to stop me, but I popped his head like a grape."

The fog man nodded approvingly. "Good. At least you can do something right." He turned on his heel and headed back to the bar, gesturing towards a door on the far side of the room. "Toss her in with the other one."

Avalon nodded and made his way over to the door, the girl's arms swaying limply with each step he took. Unlocking and opening the door revealed a small room lit only by a single, dim lightbulb. Inside were few furnishings; a bed made for one, a shelf with only a handful of books, an oscillating fan that was trying its best to cool the area, and a small TV on a table that was currently tuned into the UA Sports Festival.

On the bed was a girl with white hair hugging her knees to her chest, watching the broadcast. She glanced up when Avalon opened the door. Instinctively, she started and began to retreat away, only to stop when she noticed the body of a girl on his shoulder. As if to try to calm her, Avalon smiled and waved her off.

She continued to watch him cautiously, however, as he came closer and repositioned the girl from his shoulder to hold her in his arms. Her hair fell away from her face as he slowly laid her down on the bed with the gentleness and care of a loving parent not wanting to wake their child. Removing his hands from under her with the same carefulness, he quickly vacated the room, shutting the door and leaving the girls by themselves.

Scared, violet eyes scanned the unconscious girl, quickly looking for any sign of life. She reached out with a shaky hand and gently shook her on the shoulder.

"H-Hey...?"

No response. She tried again, shaking harder this time. "Hey?!"

Still no response. She was beginning to think they had dumped a dead body in the same room as her, but it was then that she finally noticed the gentle rising and falling of the girl's chest. She let out a small sigh of relief, thankful that she wasn't dead.

The girl looked so young, she couldn't have been more than nine or ten. The red stains on Avalon's clothes hadn't gone unnoticed, either. Did someone try to protect, or even save, this girl? It was hard to think about what could've happened to whoever had dared to get in his way. To that end, if the villains wanted her, she must be pretty important in a way that they thought could be useful to them...

"Welcome back to the UA Sports Festival! We're here getting ready for the next exciting set of matches!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by Present Mic's voice, and she turned to briefly look at the TV. She let out a sigh. Her face hurt, she had no idea where her mom was, she was being held captive by villains and was being forcibly used as a spy. She'd been ripped from her home, from her friends and family. All because she had a "promising" Quirk.

She watched as the pro hero Midnight began laying out the rules for the second round. If there was anything she could still do, it was support the few new friends she had made while they were in the Sports Festival. She glanced back at the younger girl next to her.

And maybe, when she woke up, she'd have someone to talk to for the first time in days.