All students who passed the first phase stepped through the green door. It leads to a large, dimly lit, empty room. Kevin, Ash, Blair, and Silver stand together, while Grace and Tobias stand to the side.
Ash: Hey guys!
Both classes disperse into two groups.
Ash: Wait… where’s Karma?
Eve: She failed…
Ash: Oh, what?
Blair: Karma failed? How?
Alexis: We’re not sure of what happened. I think she just froze and couldn’t think of a way to make anything happen.
Justus: I don’t blame her. If not for my partner, I wouldn’t have passed.
Kevin: Yeah… same here.
Blair: That’s a bullshit design for a test, don’t you think? I mean… no offense, but if both of you only passed because of your partner and Karma didn’t because of hers, that just… doesn’t sit well with me.
Aaron laughs.
Eve: Do we have a comment from the peanut gallery?
Aaron: Don’t you understand? That test was about teamwork, communication, deception, and stress management, all critical parts of being a hero. However, there’s another part that wasn’t as obvious, and it’s the one you’re talking about now: luck. Colossus became the greatest hero of all time because he was lucky enough to be graduating right when the people in charge of those rings were looking for one. Luck is an unfortunate part of life, and Karma learned that quickly.
Blair looks concerned.
Blair: (Luck?)
Eve: Oh yeah? And who were you paired with?
Aaron: Nobody; I was the one who started with his own card.
Hayze: So, that’s why you shot the flare.
Eve: Oh, of course, the guy who got the luckiest out of all of us touts how important luck is.
Aaron: I’ve reached phase 2 just the same as you have, Eve. When I pass this exam and enter my work-study, nobody will ask me, “Oh, how did you perform on phase 1 of your Provisional Hero Licensing Exam?” because, guess what, nobody cares!
Aaron walks off.
Eve: *frustrated grunt* God, I hate that guy…
Blair: (I guess I should thank my stars that my bad luck streak didn’t follow me into that classroom.)
Jace stares at Blair through the corner of his eye.
Jace: (I lessened the power of The Fool for the first phase to keep Blair in the exam a little longer. Having her fail now would have been risky; I don’t know if one conversation on the bus ride here was enough to get her thinking about joining me.)
Killian kicks the wall.
Killian: We really lost five people in just the first phase!
Whitney: Talon, Reed, Hailey, Filip, and Ester… I can’t believe they all failed already.
Bruno: We’ll have to perform better to compensate for their failure.
Killian: We say that every time! Come on! The Sports Festival, The Final Exams, even the damn exercise a couple of weeks back! They always show us up! We have to do better!
Tobias: Perhaps we’re better off not looking at this as black and white as you do.
Killian: Huh?
Tobias: This exam is being administered by an outside party, not U.A. Therefore, 2-A and 2-B are nonexistent in the eyes of the examiner, and maybe they should be in ours too.
Killian: You’re telling me that always coming up second to them doesn’t get to you!
Tobias: Of course not. I’m trying to become a hero, not the better class. I’d reckon you should do the same.
Tobias walks off.
Killian: Pfft, that guy thinks he knows everything.
Verity: He does not, but I think he speaks the truth.
Killian: Shut it, Verity!
Killian storms off.
Alec: Well… this is falling apart quickly.
Bruno: Indeed.
Sydney pretends to ignore her classmates.
Sydney: (Those idiots can continue to argue about foolish things. The only person I care about whether they pass or fail is me.)
Grace: Hey, Princess Tsundere!
Sydney: What did I say about calling me that!
Grace: I just wanted your opinion on something.
Sydney: Huh? My opinion?
Grace: Yeah, do you think I should fight that Hayze guy next? I only ask because you got to during the Sports Festival.
Sydney: Yeah, so? To my knowledge, you watched that fight.
Grace: Oh, I watched it, but I want to know how it felt.
Sydney: Wh- what?
Grace: When he hit, how good did it feel?
Sydney stares at Grace with a pissed-off expression.
Grace: Bad time?
Hayze: Hey, Sydney?
Sydney: WHAT!
Sydney turns to Hayze.
Sydney: Oh, it’s you. What do you want?
Hayze: I just wanted to thank you for coming up with a good plan during the first phase. I wasn’t in a great position at the front of the class, so… I really appreciate that.
Sydney: *scoffs* Why are you thanking me? I only helped you for my own gain.
Hayze: Then why did you throw me my card? Nothing in the rules said you had to.
Sydney doesn’t have a response.
Grace: Hey, that is true… we only had to get our card. They didn’t say anything about helping our partner being required.
Hayze: That’s why I owe you thanks.
Sydney: *grunts* Fine, it was to repay you for what you did for me during the Final Exams.
Hayze: Oh, really?
Grace: What did he do during the Final-
Sydney: None of your business!
A door materializes on the back wall of the room. Hunt steps through it.
Hunt: Alright, let’s begin the second phase. Everyone, follow me.
Hunt leads the 33 remaining examinees through the door. They enter a large open circular room with a high ceiling and dim lighting. The floor consists of a large metal circle and a small outer cement ring. Hanging from the top are 5 rows of 7 hang bars attached to the ceiling by metal rods. Each bar is labeled with the number of one of the examinees (except the last two).
Justus: (What is this?)
Hunt turns to face all of the examinees.
Hunt: Alright, everyone, stand beneath your assigned station and await my instruction. Face in my direction.
Everyone does as they are told and stands directly below their hang bar.
Back v
Front ^
Hunt: Now, reach up and place both hands on your bar. Grasp it tight.
All 33 examinees do as they are told.
Hunt: Good, then let’s start this phase.
Everyone looks confused as Hunt snaps his fingers. Then, the metal circle part of the floor disappears, opening up to a massive and seemingly bottomless pit.
Wes: (AH! WHAT THE HELL!)
Ash: Woah!
Lilith: Oh man!
Everyone dangles from their bar, holding on tight.
Hunt: Your goal for this phase is to hold on to that bar. If both of your hands simultaneously are off of that bar at ANY point, you fail the exam.
Ash gulps.
Hunt: Some ground rules: You cannot use your quirks to elevate yourself. In addition, you cannot make contact with the metal rods attaching your bar to the ceiling, and your head and legs can never be above the bar. Finally, you cannot sabotage other examinees in any way. That’s all. Understand?
Everyone nods their heads.
Hunt: I’m sure some of you are concerned about gender bias in a test like this, so to balance that out, you’ll have weights equal to 5% of your body weight added to your person each hour you’re still in the test. Sounds fair?
Hayze: (I weigh about 150 pounds, which means I’ll be getting weights equal to about 7.5 pounds each hour.)
Hunt: Any questions?
Silver: Yeah, how long are we expected to be up here?
Hunt doesn’t answer.
Hunt: Good luck, everyone.
Silver: Hey!
Hunt leaves through the door they entered. A clock materializes on the wall next to the door and starts ticking up 1 second at a time, beginning from 0:00:00.
Lilith: Does- does that mean we don’t know how long we have to stay here?
Justus: There’s no reason for him to return from this point on. I imagine the end of the phase will come when he walks back through that door.
Demetri: How long could that be!
Silver: 6 hours, 6 days? We don’t get to know. All we do know is that we can’t let go of this bar at any cost.
Killian laughs.
Killian: That’s fine! Class 2-B is ready to hold on to these bars for the rest of our lives if we have to!
Zach: Oh yeah! Well, so are we!
Gus: Speak for yourself…
Zach looks at Gus. He is sweating profusely and breathing heavily.
Zach: Gus! What the hell? It’s only been 3 minutes!
Gus: This is… really… tough…
One of Gus’ hands slips off the bar.
Gus: AHHH!
Zach: Come on, man! You can hold on!
Gus: I just… I’m not strong enough for this…
Zach: Gus!
Gus’ other hand slips off the bar, and he starts plummeting into the pit.
Gus: NOOOOOOO!
Zach: Gus!
Gus’ screams slowly fade away into silence.
Lilith: Gus!
Aaron: Is that a fucking record?
Wes: (At least I’m not that pathetic…)
Killian laughs his ass off.
Killian: That’s one down! 18 more to go! Let’s do this 2-B!
Hayze is deep in thought.
Hayze: (Persevering through this could be difficult, early on, the guys will have an advantage due to their strength.)
Zach, Angel, Kevin, Silver, Justus, Aaron, Killian, Bruno, Alec, Tobias, and Fabio look unphased.
Hayze: (But with the added weight stipulation, that advantage will dissipate quickly. This means the more muscular girls like Eve and Grace are probably best suited to get through a test like this. Either way, this will test more than just our physical endurance.)
At the one-hour mark, shackles and chains materialize around each examinee’s ankles; at the end of the chains, weights appear in the shape of rings, each weighing 2.5% of the examinee’s body weight.
Hayze: (In 20 hours, I’ll have 150 pounds hanging from my ankles, this could be tough.)
Jace smiles.
Jace: (With my spring forearms, I’m strain free. I could do this for days.)
Kevin: (I should be able to power through this using my adrenaline. I can suppress the pain, but that doesn’t mean my arms wouldn’t want to give out. I just won’t feel it, so I have to be careful.)
Silver secretes liquid silver from his left arm to fuse it to the bar; he lowers his right arm.
Silver: (I’ll switch every 3 hours, this will make it so that my arms will be fresher than anyone else’s, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be free of pain.)
4 more hours pass, and each examinee has 25% of their weight, weighing them down. Even the most muscular males in the group are showing signs of exhaustion.
Killian: (Damn, I didn’t expect these weights to make such a difference!)
Whitney: Killian… I’m sorry.
Killian: Huh?
Whitney: I don’t think I can go any longer… my arms are numb…
Killian: Come on, Whitney! You can do this! Don’t give up now!
Whitney: I- I can’t…
Whitney lets go of the bar and plummets into the pit.
Killian: Whitney! No! Dammit!
Killian hears more sounds of struggle. He spots Charlotte and Ryan barely hanging on.
Killian: Come on, guys! Don’t drop out now! This is important!
Charlotte: It’s just… too much…
Ryan: I can’t go anymore… I’m too weak.
Charlotte and Ryan both let go and plummet into the pit.
Killian: *frustrated grunt* We’re dropping like flies!
Hayze is trying to concentrate.
Isaiah: Psst… psst…
Hayze looks to his left to see Isaiah looking at him.
Isaiah: Hey, Hayze, how are you doing?
Hayze: I’m doing fine… how about you?
Isaiah: I’m doing great!
Demetri: Me too!
Hayze looks to his right; Demetri is smiling from ear to ear.
Hayze: What has you two so happy?
Both of them point with their eyes in front of them. Hayze looks and sees Sydney and Eve in front of them. He then notices they’re both staring at their butts, drooling.
Hayze: *sighs* (Well, if it’s what gives them motivation…)
Isaiah: I just thought I’d make sure you were aware of who’s in front of you.
Hayze looks forward and sees Blair.
Hayze: *grunts* I’m not doing that.
Hayze has trouble resisting looking, so he turns his head away.
Isaiah: Suit yourself; I’m taking a look.
Isaiah changes the fabric X-ray setting on his visor and stares at Eve.
Isaiah: Purple today, huh, Eve? That’s pretty hot. Now, about Blai-
Isaiah looks at Blair and freezes; blood starts to pour out of his nostrils as angelic music plays in his head and hallucinations of angels serenade him.
Hayze: Isaiah? Are you alright?
Isaiah: Hayze… I have seen god.
Isaiah’s grip starts to loosen on the bar.
Hayze: Isaiah!
Isaiah is too distracted to notice that he’s about to let go. Hayze’s eyes change to green.
Hayze: Don’t let go!
Hayze channels wind around his body to boost Isaiah slightly upward, keeping his hands on the bar. This causes Isaiah to snap out of his trance; he tightens his grip and gasps.
Isaiah: Jesus!
Hayze: Be careful, man!
Everyone notices the commotion, and Killian gets pissed.
Killian: Hey! He used his quirk for elevation! That’s not allowed!
Hunt’s voice comes over a loudspeaker.
Hunt: You’re not allowed to use your quirk to elevate YOURSELF because Hayze wasn’t sabotaging Isaiah and instead keeping him in the exam. What he did was perfectly legal.
Isaiah breathes a sigh of relief.
Isaiah: Thanks, Hayze.
Hayze: Don’t worry about it, but what did you even see that made you get that distracted?
Stolen novel; please report.
Isaiah: Hayze, it was the moon… and it was gorgeous…
Hayze: What?
Isaiah: You’ll understand… someday.
Hayze: Uh… alright?
Several more hours pass. Everyone is drenched in sweat and in deep concentration.
Aaron: (I won’t fail this exam because of a strength challenge! No way!)
Silver: (We’re up to 50% of our body weight now. This will only get tougher.)
Alden is struggling to keep himself up.
Alden: (Come on! Come on! Don’t let go!)
Wes stares at Alden with indifference.
Wes: (Watching Alden barely be able to keep himself up is the only form of entertainment I need to keep me going in this test.)
Wes hears moans and groans coming from behind him. Desiree is struggling.
Desiree: Shit… I can’t-
Desiree’s hands slip off,- and she falls into the pit.
Sydney: (Desiree too?)
Killian: Shit! Come on, guys! We can’t have any more of us falling! Look, even Romeo is still here!
Romeo: That’s right, Killian! I am not going anywhere!
Fabio: Neither am I!
Killian: That’s good, Fabio. I was worried you’d get all fussy over your sweat getting in your hair.
Fabio: My what?
Killian: Your sweat… we’re all drenched in it, and it’s definitely in our hair.
Fabio: …
Fabio lets go and plummets.
Fabio: My hair!
Killian: NOOOO! DAMMIT!
Angel notices Lilith is getting squeamish.
Angel: Lilith, is something wrong?
Lilith: I uh… have to go to the bathroom.
Angel: Oh… OH.
Lilith: Do uh… do we get a bathroom break?
Everyone is silent.
Lilith: *groans*
Grace: Just go in your pants; I already did!
Lilith looks down at Grace’s crotch.
Lilith: R- really?
Grace: Yup! Twice, I drank A LOT of water today!
Everyone around Grace: Ugh…
Grace: Oh, what are you guys going to do? We could be up here for days, so you’d better get used to the idea of soiling yourself, or you’ll join the others in the pit.
Justus: I hate to admit it, but she has a point…
Angel: Yeah, we aren’t going to get food or water by the looks of it either, so we’re going to have to fight through the demands of our body.
Lilith squeals.
Lilith: I can’t do that!
Grace points down.
Grace: Well, in that case, the bathroom is that way.
Lilith: *groans*
Tyson laughs his ass off.
Tyson: Thank god we didn’t have a test like this on our exam! This is hilarious!
Daniele: Don’t laugh, Tyson. You’re supposed to be supportive of our juniors.
Tyson: Oh, come on, you don’t think it’s a little funny that these guys will have to piss themselves if they want to pass?
Daniele: Okay… it’s a little funny.
Aster: Are you saying you wouldn’t have done that to pass our exam?
Tyson gets quiet.
Tyson: No, I would have in a heartbeat.
Daniele: Me too, as humiliating as it is… if I had my chance at becoming a real hero on the line, I would be willing to do just about anything, and I was.
Aster: Exactly, and that’s what this phase is about: “How much do you want it?”. If you’re not willing to crawl through the mud, get your hair wet or fight in the dirt, you don’t deserve to pass. This job is the best in the world, and millions of kids grow up wishing they could be in their shoes right now. If every bone in their body isn’t committed to this, they should drop immediately.
Wes looks nervous.
Wes: (Dammit… It's only a matter of time before I have to use the bathroom. I don’t think I have it in me to keep going if I have to do that.)
Wes notices Verity is staring right at him.
Wes: (DON’T STARE AT ME LIKE THAT! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR THIS!)
Verity continues starting.
Wes: (Well… on the bright side, there’s no way I can go with her staring at me like this.)
Verity looks away.
Wes: (BITCH TURN AROUND!)
9 more hours pass. Dehydration, starvation, and fatigue have reached an absolute high, and everyone is struggling to keep hanging on as their bodies are ready to give out. Almost everyone has been forced to urinate themselves to maintain their focus on staying in the exam.
Sydney: (Despite the humiliation of needing to relieve myself in front of all of these people. I would never allow something as trivial as that to stand in my way of success. No way…)
Alexis: (Not the first time I’ve pissed my pants to prove a point.)
Alden and Romeo are the only two who haven’t gone to the bathroom. Instead, they’re desperately trying to hold it in.
Wes: Alden… just go… literally almost everyone else here has; it’s more sad than embarrassing at this point.
Alden: Never! I will never humiliate myself!
Literally everyone starts laughing.
Alden: What?
Everyone continues laughing as Alden gets depressed and urine fills his trousers.
Alden: Why is everyone laughing…
Romeo’s eyes are watering from pain.
Gavin: Romeo, bro, you just gotta let it flow!
Romeo: Never! I will never humiliate myself!
Everyone bursts out laughing again.
Romeo: Stop laugh-
A muffled explosion goes off.
Kevin: Huh?
Alexis: What was that?
Romeo starts screaming in pain as he lets go of his bar and plummets into the pit.
Kevin: What happened?
Hayze: If I had to guess, his bladder burst.
Kevin: Wait, that’s a real thing?
Hayze: Yeah, and trust me, we’re all much better off hanging here in our soiled pants than going through the agonizing pain he is.
Alden looks terrified.
Alden: Th- that could have been me!
7 more hours pass, and nobody seems to have the energy to speak.
Silver: (27 hours… how much longer can we really go for?)
Killian’s eyes start to flutter.
Killian: (N- no! I can’t, I can’t fail! Come on! Stay conscious! Stay conscious!)
One of Killian’s hands comes free of the bar.
Killian: (NO!)
Killian’s other hand starts slipping.
Killian: Come on!
Tobias: Looks like this is the end for you, Killian.
Killian: Shut up! I’m not going anywhere!
Tobias: Maybe now you’ll realize why Class 2-A has beaten us at every turn.
Killian: Huh?
Tobias: Their motivations are refined, and their goals are clear. Our classmates dropped out of this challenge due to a lack of resolve, a love for their hair, and fear of humiliation. There are 18 members of Class 2-A still standing as opposed to just 7 from our class, not including you. All 18 of those 2-A students have a higher resolve than you, and you know what isn’t on their mind?
Killian: W- what?
Tobias: Class 2-B, they don’t care about our class rivalry. Only you do, and that, Killian, my friend, is why you have failed.
Killian’s hand slips, and he plummets into the pit.
Killian: NOOOO!
Sydney watches as Killian falls.
Sydney: (That’s too bad, I liked Killian’s attitude, but if it gives me better odds of passing, I do not care.)
Another 4 hours pass.
Silver: (31 hours… this is genuinely the hardest thing I have done in my entire life… well, second to becoming the number 1 hero, compared to that, this is merely a walk in the park.)
Saige: (I refuse to drop, I’ve felt far worse pains in my life, and I endured those, so I can survive this!)
Blair: (I can’t feel my arms… but I’m not weak, I won’t give in! I’m going to be a hero!)
Ash: (I don’t want to let go… but I don’t want to go any longer. But I have to, I’m not weak anymore.)
Tears roll down Wes’ face.
Wes: (I promised myself I wouldn’t let go… and I WON’T!)
Demetri: (I’m done being one of the jokes of this class! I will get my license!)
Isaiah: (No matter the pain! I will no longer be a laughing stock!)
Zach: (I came to U.A. to become a hero, and I’m not going to delay that any longer!)
Alexis: (I’m not ambitious, but that doesn’t mean I’m not committed; I’m not letting go no matter what I have to do.)
Eve: (After the Sports Festival fiasco… I promised myself I’d do anything to make it far in our next event, well, I’m not breaking that promise.)
Lilith: (I may be a little girl, but I’ll be a big hero.)
Aaron: (Dropping would be a loss, and I don’t lose. Results are all that matter, and I will get my hero license. Mark my words!)
Kevin: (If Jake was willing to die to be a hero, I could hold on to a damn bar for 31 more hours!)
Alden: (I’m the best! Better than all the rest!)
Angel: (This is too important for me to drop out now.)
Jace: (I will not fail the Vanguard. I will show the world the LIGHT!)
Justus: (My father would never give up this easily, so neither will I!)
Hayze has pure determination in his eyes.
Hayze: (The only way I’m leaving this challenge is in a body bag.)
The timer strikes 32 hours. Then, it stops ticking up and starts blinking red.
Justus: Does that mean what I think it does?
Blair: Please let it be…
The metal circular flooring returns. Hunt steps through the door.
Hunt: Congratulations, you 25 passed the second phase.
Everyone’s eyes light up.
Hunt: You can let go of your bars now.
Everyone drops down and instantly falls to their knees in pain, barely able to put their arms up.
Everyone: *groans*
Hunt: Examinees Number 2, 11, 18, 20, 21, 31, 37, and 38 all fail. A.k.a. Romeo Julian, Desiree Bautista, Gus Riggs, Whitney White, Killian Calhoun, Fabio Flores, Charlotte Matthews, and Ryan Gay.
Everyone is so exhausted they can barely pay attention to what Hunt is saying.
Hunt: Okay, because the second phase was so physically and mentally draining, you will now have a 24-hour rest period.
Everyone gets excited. A door materializes on the wall.
Hunt: That door will lead you back into the hallway where you entered this arena. I know you’re hungry, but I’d recommend hitting the bathing areas first. You all reek of body odor and urine. You can trash your current outfits there and wear some provided robes. A buffet will be ready for you in an hour. The TVs in your room will have a timer ticking down from 24 hours. If you’re not back in this arena by the end of that time, you fail the exam. Your time starts now.
Everyone rushes through the door.
Hunt: (Enjoy the luxury now while you still have it.)
Sydney, Alexis, Blair, Eve, Ash, Saige, Grace, Verity, and Lilith all lounge in the girl’s bath. It’s a Japanese-style bathing room, so they don’t have to pick up their arms much.
Blair: I think my arms are dead…
Ash: I know… I can’t believe we actually did that for 32 hours…
Saige: Be happy you’re not like Eve. She has much more weight on her front, if you know what I mean.
Eve: Saige, I will hurt you.
Saige: What, it’s a legitimate thing! I’m nowhere near as busty as you, and my back is killing me, so I can only imagine how yours feels!
Eve: Just shut up…
Saige giggles.
Lilith: It’s too bad Karma isn’t here… I feel kind of bad relaxing right now when she didn’t make it past the first phase…
Alexis: Unfortunately, that’s a part of this exam. We all knew going in that potentially only a fraction of us would pass. We’re all still in it now, but that could change as early as the next phase.
Saige: Yeah… I’m wondering how many of these phases there will be. We’ve only done two, and nearly half of us have been eliminated.
Alexis: My guess is four or five. They probably will only want to weed out another 10 to 15 of us.
Lilith: 10 to 15? That would only leave around 10 people for the final!
Alexis: It’s just a guess. This is our first time taking the exam, so I’m unsure what number they’re shooting for.
Saige: Either way, we must focus on making it through the next phase. There’s no guarantee that all of us will.
All of the girls get quiet.
Grace: Hey, what has all of you down?
Grace gets in the water with the girls.
Grace: Ah… this is nice.
Eve: Oh, great, the pervert is here.
Verity: We’re all perverts in our own way.
Verity is right behind Eve all of a sudden.
Eve: AHHH! Where’s your bell?
Verity: We’re in the bath.
Eve: Oh right…
Grace: Hey, Verity! You’ve got a surprisingly nice body!
Verity: Thank you, but I already read that thought from your mind.
Grace: Man, that must be convenient to always know what everyone's thinking.
Verity also gets in the water.
Verity: It is, but it’s hard to remind myself not to invade people’s privacy.
Eve: You’re doing it right now, aren’t you?
Verity: If someone looks me in the eye willingly, I find it to be an invitation.
Eve: Of course you do...
Blair: I’d recommend changing that philosophy.
Grace: Okay, what am I thinking about right now?
Verity: The barrage Kevin laid upon you during the joint training exercises.
Grace: Yeah…
Grace slowly lowers her face into the water. The water starts bubbling as if it was boiling when her bright red cheeks are submerged.
Eve: You’re so gross…
Saige: I like that you know what makes you happy. God knows that’s hard to figure out.
Eve: This is more than just happiness...
Sydney: Such deviant thoughts are what will hold you back, Grace.
Sydney has decided to walk over to the girls.
Grace: Sydney!
Grace grabs Sydney’s ankle and drags her into the water.
Sydney: Damn you!
Grace: Verity quick! Tell me what Hayze did for Sydney back during the Final Exams!
Sydney: Wh- no!
Verity: He got Isaiah and Demetri to call off their bet for a kiss from Sydney.
Sydney: I- I- I-
Grace bursts out laughing.
Grace: You gambled away your dignity, Sydney? That’s awesome!
Sydney: I was tricked!
Verity: She was arrogant and believed there was no scenario in which she could lose. Thus, she willingly agreed to the bet.
Sydney: VERITY!
Blair: Wait- why did Hayze do that for you?
Sydney: Ugh… after we started chasing him, Desiree and I caught him in a trap, and he tried to make a deal with me that we could fight again some other time if he got them to void the agreement. I didn’t accept the deal, but he did it anyway.
Grace: *under her breath* Sydney has a boyfriend.
Sydney: NO, I DON’T!
Blair: NO, SHE DOESN’T!
Grace: Huh?
Alexis: Oh, right, you’re new here. Blair has a thing for Hayze, and the only one who doesn’t know is Hayze.
Grace: That’s awesome.
Blair: *groans* Can we not talk about that… I’m trying to get over that…
Grace: Why? Are you afraid he isn’t into you or something? You could just ask Verity that.
Everyone goes quiet and stares at Grace.
Grace: What?
Saige: I think we’re just surprised you’re the only one who has thought of that…
Alexis: It would have saved us a whole lot of time…
Eve: Like a fucking year…
Ash turns to Verity.
Ash: Do you actually know the answer to that question?
Verity: I know the exact level of attraction each male in your class has towards all of you. When a male is around a female, their assessment of them as a potential mate is at the forefront of their subconscious, meaning the information is very easy for me to access, even unintentionally.
Ash: Every one of them?
Verity: Yes, would you like me to disclose that information?
Most of the girls get sheepish, excluding Alexis and Eve.
Lilith: Isn’t that an invasion of their privacy?
Blair: Yeah… I don’t think I want to-
Eve: Fuck it, let’s do this! Blair, if you know what Hayze thinks about you, you can finally end this whole crush saga you’ve had without having to admit your feelings! It can finally be over!
Blair: Yeah, but-
Alexis: Who does Aaron like most?
Verity: You, he’s still very physically attracted to you, but he doesn’t trust you after your actions following the Final Exams. He felt that you were trying to play games with him. It made him question whether you were lying about caring for him. Aaron doesn’t want much out of a potential partner, just trust and easy communication, but he’s not sure you have those qualities anymore.
Everyone stares at Verity.
Grace: That was awesome…
Alexis: Thank you, that helps.
Verity: You’re welcome. Anyone else?
Everyone is silent.
Grace: Oh, come on, girls! Alexis here just did it, so at least one of you has to!
Sydney: This nonsense is so stupid. Why are you here if you’re more occupied with men than your success?
Alexis: Aaron’s been off lately; he’s not been himself. I feel partially responsible for that because I wasn’t there for him. He went off to train in Colorado and left a piece of himself behind, and I’ll do anything to help him find it again.
Sydney: Why are you concerning yourself with that now? This exam means everything for our careers. You should be more worried about that!
Alexis: We’re here to become heroes, right? Well, is this not what heroes do? I want to be Aaron’s hero. I want to save him from whatever demons he’s fighting.
Sydney doesn’t have a response.
Grace: This is getting steamy… someone else ask Verity, please!
Eve: *to Verity* You’re into Wes, right? Does he like you?
Verity: Romantically, I’m not sure. He tries not to think about that. However, he does appreciate my attention and wishes I was around more.
Lilith: Aw… that’s cute.
Ash: W- what about Justus?
Verity: Justus is very secluded, so he usually doesn’t think much about romance, but he cares a lot about you, Ash.
Ash blushes.
Eve: Good for Justus. He’s come a long way from where he was on our first day.
Grace: Blair, Sydney, Saige? Have any of you got something to ask?
Sydney: I have no concern for anything on this topic.
Saige: I’ll use mine on Sydney.
Sydney: WHAT! NO!
Verity: Sydney is only attracted to men who best her in combat, which is why she’s obsessed with defeating Hayze.
Sydney slowly descends deeper into the water.
Grace: I love Sydney; she’s so cute.
Verity: Any last questions? I’m starting to get hungry.
Eve: Now or never, Blair.
Blair: *groans* Fine… just tell me about Hayze…
Verity: That one’s tricky.
The other girls look confused.
Eve: What do you mean?
Verity: As you know, Hayze has five alternate personalities he developed as a symptom of the quirk serum that granted him his Elementalist power. His mind is essentially broken into pieces, but those pieces are derived from Hayze himself, so anything his personalities think and feel must be something Hayze would think and feel. Hayze did not meet any of you until after this, so his feelings towards you are very… scattered and hard to follow. Some parts are attracted to Blair, some to Saige, and some to Ash. Even his small attractions are exacerbated, and hard to tell what are his thoughts and what are his other personalities. Looking into Hayze’s mind is like trying to read 6 different trains of thought at once. Saige used this tactic against me once during the Final Exams.
Saige flashes back to defeating Verity.
Saige: Yeah… I used my extra personality as a shield to block Verity from seeing my plans.
Blair: Wait, so what exactly are you saying about Hayze?
Verity: Everything I just said about Hayze also applies to him. He doesn’t know what feelings are his and what feelings are his alter-egos’. This is why Hayze refuses to approach any girl about his feelings whatsoever because he’s afraid of finding out his feelings aren’t really his own.
All of the girls stare at Verity.
Eve: Man… that’s rough… maybe I was a little harsh on the guy…
Alexis: He doesn’t talk about it much, but I’m sure his condition affects him a lot.
Saige is in deep thought.
Saige: (Does... does that also apply to me?)
Blair stands up.
Blair: I’ve gotta go.
Blair turns around and starts walking towards the exit. Verity, Eve, Grace, Alexis, Lilith, and Ash watch her walk away. Blood starts to pour out of their nostrils as angelic music plays in their heads and hallucinations of angels serenade them.
Eve: I- I uh... see now why she has small tits…
Grace: God had to balance her…
Hayze is walking down the hallway to his room after showering and eating.
Hayze: (Phase three is tomorrow; I have to get a good night’s rest. I’m still concerned about what happens to the examinees that fail, but in any case, I just have to keep advancing and not think about it too much.)
Hayze arrives at his room and goes to unlock it with his card when he hears someone running towards him. He turns to see Blair running up to him.
Hayze: Blair?
Blair catches her breath.
Blair: H- Hayze…
Hayze: Huh?
Blair: After this exam, we’re gonna talk.
Hayze: Uh… about what?
Blair: You know.
Hayze: I- uh… I…
Blair: This exam isn’t the time, but I’m holding us both accountable. We’re going to talk after this, got it? I will hurt you if you try ignoring me.
Hayze: I- I understand, don’t worry.
Blair: Good.
Blair unlocks her door and enters her room with a big smile.
Blair: Good night!
Hayze stands there dumbfounded.
Hayze: What just happened?
Elsewhere, Adrian and Fatal walk through a separate hallway in the stadium.
Adrian: Man, it’s so nice that they provide us with our own rooms and dining area.
Fatal: Yeah, just be sure to wake up in time to watch the students in the third phase.
Adrian: Oh, I will.
The two of them reach their rooms.
Fatal: If you’re not up in time, I will hurt you!
Adrian: I understand, don’t worry.
Fatal: Good.
Fatal unlocks her door and enters her room with a big smile.
Fatal: Good night!
Adrian smiles.
Adrian: (It’s nice having Rachel back in my life. There are times when I regret taking on the responsibility of protecting the ring because I missed out on this for seven years, but who knows, maybe we would have broken up in that time. So I’m just happy we’re together now.)
Adrian hears footsteps approaching him from behind.
Adrian: Ah… you made it. I could recognize that light walking pattern anywhere.
Adrian turns around.
Adrian: You’d be impressed. Only two of them have failed in two phases. So there’s a chance quite a few of them will pass.
The person Adrian is talking to steps closer to him.
Adrian: Welcome back, Walker.
Walker: I told you, I’m just here to watch.