A loud BOOM rang out as Jiro upended the earth, sending large chunks of stone flying in all directions.
Momo, barely able to breathe, ran in the opposite direction.
Jiro caught up from behind, bleeding from the ear.
They looked at each other and knew things would only get worse as the end of the Exam approached. So much time had passed since Toru had left them. Compared to the task she had taken upon herself, all that the two of them had needed to do was to find the others and convey their plan.
That was it.
But forget about reaching the others; despite knowing exactly where they were, it was becoming impossible to cover more than a few dozen meters at a time.
First, the terrain itself was so broken, with boulders and ditches lying in all directions, that it was a miracle they hadn't broken their ankles by now.
Second, it was dark.
The same darkness that had previously allowed them to avoid the other schools' students was now becoming a hindrance to them.
Momo could easily counter the darkness using night vision goggles.
However, with so many fire and light-based Quirks going off here and there, no matter which type of goggles she created, they wouldn't be that effective.
And, third, they were pressed for time.
The worst feeling that troubled Momo and Jiro was that Hagakure would complete her task on her end. At best, she would be too exhausted to let them know of it. At worst, she would have already been found out, sacrificing herself.
Meanwhile, they?
They hadn't even begun!
Suddenly, the space behind them turned entirely green.
"I found them!" someone shouted, his eyes glowing completely green. "It's her! Momo Yaoyorozu!!"
Shit!
That was the last thing they needed — people knowing exactly where the winner of Battle Royale was!
Twisting her lips in anger and… helplessness, Momo grabbed her shirt, deciding to create weapons.
Jiro's hand landed on her shirt at the same moment, though, closing it.
"Go…" she said, already turning around. "We all are counting on you…"
Momo stared as Jiro plugged her ear jacks into her wristbands, as her friend walked toward the incoming wave of desperate students.
"Umu…" Momo nodded and turned around, her face gaining a stone-like expression.
Then, she broke into a run, as if her life depended upon it.
…
"Momo?!"
Momo looked up and found Uraraka and Sero rushing toward her.
Did she finally make it? Among all of them, she had only known about Uraraka and Sero's location, as they had decided what the two of them needed to do before the Provisional Hero License Exam had even begun.
So, even if Uraraka and Sero weren't exactly at that location, they would certainly be hiding nearby.
But, for them to find her first, Momo… considered herself lucky.
Uraraka rushed to her and stopped, letting out a gasp. "Wha… What happened?"
Momo's entire body was covered in bloody gashes as if someone had taken sandpaper and rubbed it against her skin severely. On her arms and legs, bruises could be seen even in the darkness.
What happened?
Momo did not know herself.
All she knew was that she had, somehow, run so fast over the boulders and ditches that students hadn't spared her a single glance.
"Are you…"
"Did you bring Kaminari-kun down?" Momo asked, cutting Sero off.
Uraraka, sensing the gravity written on Momo's face, nodded. "We hid him nearby," she explained, both she and Sero crouching not to get found out. "But he's out cold."
"Take me to him," Momo said.
Uraraka and Sero shared a glance, but ultimately helped Momo up and went to Kaminari.
After discharging his full-powered electricity, the boy had passed out cold. If it hadn't been for Mineta's sticky hairballs, then he would have instantly fallen. Moreover, the stickiness of those balls was related to Mineta's own condition. If Uraraka hadn't used her Quirk to reach the ceiling and tie Sero's tape around Kaminari, then once something happened to Mineta…
Fortunately, by the time Seiji from Shiketsu had turned Mineta into a meatball, Uraraka and Sero had already completed their task.
"We need to… wake him up," Momo said, panting. "He must use his Quirk one more time…"
"That's impossible," Sero said. "Once Kaminari uses that attack, he remains like this for hours without Luke's Healing. We tried it many times in the last few weeks."
Momo knew that very well.
But, for her plan to work, she needed Kaminari.
Momo took a deep breath. "I have a plan," she said. "Listen…"
And, with every passing moment, Uraraka and Sero's eyes widened.
"You are crazy!" Sero gasped.
Uraraka, on the other hand, grinned. "That's good…" she said. "We need crazy! I know where Aoyama is. I think I saw his lasers when I went up…"
Sero sighed. "I know where Sato, Shoji, and Ojiro are…"
Momo hurriedly created a shiny blanket for Uraraka. "Give it to Aoyama."
Uraraka nodded.
Then, sharing one final glance, she and Sero ran in different directions, leaving Momo alone with Kaminari.
The moment they left, she collapsed and groaned in pain.
But this was no time to work on herself.
Hagakure, Jiro, and the others…
They were all doing their best.
They were all counting on her.
Gritting her teeth, Momo began creating — the crux of her plan.
First, it was a syringe.
Then, it was a vial of fluid.
With shaky hands, Momo injected the fluid into the syringe before exposing Kaminari's chest.
"It might hurt a bit…" she mumbled.
With a blur, she slammed the syringe right into the boy, pouring all the highly concentrated IV Fluid directly into his veins.
Then, Momo waited.
Every second that passed felt like an eternity.
Was it her, or were the surroundings getting darker?
Someone shook her.
Momo opened her eyes and, in the blur, a face took shape.
"Oi!" The words entered her ears. "What the hell is this thing sticking out of my chest?!"
Momo… smiled.
Finally, it was time to pass the first stage together — in one move!