In the hallway where contestants exited the arena, Kyoka and Momo walked side by side in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
"I'm… sorry, Momo."
Kyoka was the first to break the silence, her voice soft and apologetic.
Momo smiled gently, shaking her head. "There's no need to apologize, Kyoka. We both agreed to go all out, didn't we?"
After a brief pause, Momo couldn't help but add, her curiosity getting the better of her, "But… I can't shake this feeling that you weren't just fighting to win. It seemed like there was something else behind it."
Kyoka's expression froze, her face turning slightly red. "W-What? No, of course not! I was just focused on winning, that's all!"
Momo observed her with a small, knowing smile. Kyoka was acting unusually flustered, and it only made Momo more convinced that something deeper was going on. However, her upbringing taught her when not to press further, especially with friends.
"Maybe it's just my imagination," Momo said, gracefully letting the topic drop.
Before they could say anything else, Kaminari appeared from the other end of the hallway, jogging over to meet them with an excited grin.
"Hey! There you two are!"
Both girls brightened at his arrival, each breaking into a smile, though Kyoka's was noticeably wider and more animated.
"Congratulations, Kyoka!" Kaminari said warmly. "I have to admit, I was a little worried since your attack options seemed limited without any equipment. But you really showed everyone that your jacks can be pretty dangerous on their own."
It wasn't just him, either—many people, including Momo, had assumed that without audio gear, Kyoka would be restricted to simple shockwave attacks through the ground. But they'd overlooked the fact that those same jacks could be a real threat in close combat.
"Eh-heh-heh," Kyoka laughed, her cheeks pink as she scratched her head. "Well, to be honest, I only started getting creative because Momo pushed me to the edge."
Kaminari turned to Momo with a smile, impressed. "You don't know how nervous I was watching that match. My brain was practically frozen!"
"Same here," Momo agreed, nodding with a hint of relief in her eyes. "Looking back, it was pretty intense."
Kyoka looked down, feeling a bit guilty. "I… I might've gone too far," she admitted quietly. "At the time, all I could think about was beating you, Momo. Maybe I got a bit carried away."
Momo waved her hand dismissively. "Kyoka, really, I'm not upset. I know you weren't doing it to be mean."
Kaminari watched the two of them, smiling as they worked out their post-match feelings. He decided to step in before things got too sentimental.
"Alright, let's head to the lounge and relax," he suggested. "No need to watch the last match if you don't want to. I think we've all had enough excitement for now."
Truthfully, Kaminari was just glad to spend some downtime with them. Watching their match had been nerve-wracking, especially since he hadn't known who to root for or what outcome he wanted. That tense moment when it looked like Momo might fall had been the worst of all.
As they walked down the hallway, their conversation turned lighter.
"So, Momo, you really seem to like that 'Vulpix' theme," Kaminari said, amused.
"Yes, I do!" Momo replied with a cheerful nod.
"Hey, I think my Sonic Bunny's pretty cute too," Kyoka chimed in. "Kaminari, think you could ask your dad to design a speaker for it? Maybe work it into my hero costume?"
"Sure, I'll talk to him," Kaminari replied with a chuckle. "He'd probably enjoy the project."
Their voices faded as they turned the corner, laughter echoing down the hallway, their friendship feeling stronger than ever.
---
Meanwhile, back in the stadium, the final match of the first round was about to begin: Sero Hanta from Class 1-A versus Class 1-B's team leader, Kendo Itsuka.
This match, however, quickly became a test of patience more than skill.
Sero's strategy was simple—he shot tape from his elbows, aiming to wrap Kendo and throw her out of bounds. But each time the tape reached her, Kendo's enlarged hands tore through it with ease. Her Quirk not only allowed her to increase her hand size but also boosted her physical strength.
The problem was, while Kendo had impressive defense, her movements were slowed by the weight of her giant hands, so she couldn't catch up with the agile Sero.
What resulted was a rather anticlimactic game of cat and mouse: Sero shooting tape, Kendo tearing it apart, Sero running, Kendo chasing.
It continued like this for a grueling twenty minutes. The crowd grew restless, and even Present Mic's usually energetic commentary was starting to sound drowsy.
By now, Aizawa, who had returned from a meeting with the principal, was sitting beside Present Mic. He'd gone a step further, he was actually asleep.
Present Mic finally couldn't hold back his frustration. "Can you guys hurry this up? This is so dull!" he shouted, his voice lacking its usual fire.
Hearing this over the speakers, both Sero and Kendo felt an imaginary arrow pierce their hearts.
What does he think we're trying to do?! Sero thought, his shoulders slumping. He looked down at his elbow, staring at the tape dispenser that had been his primary weapon.
"Man, they really shouldn't have put us up against each other," he muttered, frustrated. "I'm all control and no damage, and she's all defense with no speed."
With another ten minutes of back-and-forth, even the two combatants were starting to get bored. That's when Sero finally noticed… he'd run out of tape.
"(;￣Д￣)"
Sero stared at his elbow in shock, trying to shoot tape again, but nothing came out.
"Wait… my tape actually runs out?!" he muttered, dumbfounded. In all his training, he'd never faced this problem before.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Kendo stood there, equally dazed, her brain still in "tear the tape" mode. She stared blankly at her hands, waiting for more tape to come her way.
"Huh? Where's the tape?" Kendo asked, snapping out of her trance as she looked around in confusion.
That was the last straw for Sero.
Completely drained and out of options, he raised his hand, calling out to Midnight, who was officiating the match. "I… I give up."
But Midnight, who had dozed off during the match, didn't respond.
Sero gritted his teeth, his face darkening with irritation. "I said, I give up!"
Still nothing.
Finally, after taking a deep breath, Sero yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the entire stadium. "I, SERO HANTA, SURRENDER!!!"
His shout startled everyone awake, including Midnight and the thousands of spectators. For that moment, he had more of the crowd's attention than Kendo, who had technically won the match.
In the end, Sero might not have won, but he did manage to make a name for himself.
After all, since the founding of UA, he was now the first contestant to declare his surrender three times in a row.
***
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