The screen starts randomizing through locations.
Sydney: (Tobias should easily mop the floor with this sorry excuse for a “hero.”)
Lilith: You seem awfully interested in this match.
Sydney: Huh? What are you talking about? I couldn’t care less.
Lilith: Really? Then why aren’t you leaning back in your chair like every other match?
Sydney: G- uh… I… I’m just supporting my classmate, that is all!
Lilith: You sure? Because I think you’re rooting for Hayze.
Sydney: I’m not!
Lilith: So you don’t want to fight him yourself later in the tournament?
Sydney stares at Lilith.
Sydney: Shut the fuck up.
Lilith: That would have to be the semi-finals, and you have to fight three opponents to get there.
Sydney: What are you getting at?
Lilith: Defeating Wes, Eve, and Silver could be pretty challenging even for a fighter of your caliber, but if you were to join the Vanguard, I could-
Sydney: No.
Lilith: Huh?
Sydney: You were this dainty little flower until you got in the arena with that other freak. Now you’re acting like a weirdo. I’m not falling for the same trick you did.
Lilith shrugs.
Lilith: Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you don’t get your chance for revenge.
Sydney gets quiet.
Sydney: (Dumb bitch.)
The screen stops on a city. Both Tobias and Hayze are silent.
Hunt: (These two can’t wait to pummel each other.)
A blinding light blares, and Hayze and Tobias suddenly find themselves in the middle of an abandoned city.
Tobias: I can sense your anger; it’s palpable. If I had to guess, you’ll be using your fire-
Tobias is suddenly blasted by a fire beam from Hayze’s palm. He gets sent flying through the air before crashing into the pavement.
Tobias: That was… unexpected.
Hayze’s eyes have changed to red and begin glowing. He approaches Tobias.
Wrath: (You should burn his legs off and make him crippled in more ways than one!)
Tobias slowly gets up with the aid of his cane. The top of his costume has been burnt off, and his skin emits steam from the heat.
Tobias: (This isn’t usual.)
Tobias leaps back three times to build distance between himself and Hayze. He listens and hears Hayze slowly walking towards him.
Tobias: (I knew he didn’t like me, but this is beyond my expectation.)
Hayze’s right palm starts to glow like magma. A grenade pin made out of fire appears on his right forearm. He grips it with his other hand.
Wrath: (Destroy him!)
Adrian’s eyes widen.
Adrian: (No! That move? At that range? He could critically injure Tobias! What is he thinking?)
Hayze points his palm at Tobias.
Hayze: Any last words?
Tobias: “Last?” Are you that confident you can finish me with your next attack?
Hayze: Of course! Infinite Assault…
Hayze pulls the pin.
Hayze: Blast Burn!
Hayze fires a massive inferno from his palm. It fills the entire street and towers 30 yards high.
Tobias: (This heat!)
The blast careens toward Tobias. He stabs his cane into the ground as it engulfs him and continues to the arena’s wall. It slams into the cement barrier and subsides, but the wall slightly melts at the collision point. Everyone spectating is shocked.
Wes: Remind me never to piss Hayze off!
Demetri: You know, on second thought, I’m happy we got Silver.
Isaiah: Yeah… I’m with you on that…
Saige is visibly concerned.
Saige: (What’s he doing? An attack like that in a match like this? It’s like he’s… Wrath…)
Aster flashes back to when Hayze used an imperfect version of that attack against him during the Showcase.
Aster: (If he had that in his arsenal back then… I don’t know what I would have done.)
Tyson: Damn, I like this guy. The dude beats up his girlfriend, so he tries to kill him.
Yul: That’s not going to buy him points with the judges.
Daniele: No… I want him to win… but not like that.
The smoke clears from Hayze’s attack.
Hayze: (Did I get him?)
Tobias is alright; his hair is singed to a short length, and his clothes are drenched in sweat.
Wrath: (DAMMIT!)
Adrian breathes a sigh of relief.
Hayze: How!
Tobias points his cane at Hayze. The sides extend into a shield.
Hayze: *frustrated grunt*
Tobias: It’s funny; I had a feeling the two of us would faceoff, so I had this heat shield installed into my cane. Isn’t that ironic? I’d laugh if there wasn’t a better joke standing in front of me.
Hayze’s eyes narrow.
Tobias: I can tell by the force and heat of that blast that I could have easily been severely hurt. You claim your dream is to save everyone. No casualties; everyone will be safe! Yet you attempt to end my hero career in a simple match with hardly any stakes.
Hayze clenches his fists.
Wrath: (This guy… burn him!)
Tobias: You ran away from your friends and classmates after revealing your big secret. You’re nothing but a failed science experiment. You couldn’t face the people who mattered most to you because they now knew you were a liar and a cheat. They put countless hours and years of their lives into reaching the point where they could become U.A. students. You, on the other hand? You skipped all the hard work and hardship and surpassed them easily. As a result, you’re nothing to be inspired by; you’re fucking nothing.
Tobias begins walking towards Hayze.
Tobias: Is this the killer inside you? The monster that maimed the great Femme Fatal? The one we were told U.A. would keep in check? If you can’t control your bloodlust here, how could you do it in the real world?
Everyone is silent.
Tobias: Cat got your tongue? Or are you reflecting on your own failures? You tried to kill me because I pummeled that other pathetic girl and-
Wrath: (Shut your mouth!)
Hayze: Shut your mouth!
Saige looks worried.
Tobias: I see. Do you think you’re doing this for her? Do you think my near-death is what she wants? This is all for your self-gratification. That’s what disappearing for three months was too. You veil selflessness behind selfishness, and it’s disgusting.
Hayze: What makes you think I don’t know that?
Tobias stops walking.
Tobias: Hm?
Hayze: I did that for one reason and one reason alone…
Hayze grinds his teeth and shouts at the top of his lungs.
Hayze: YOU PISSED ME OFF!
Tobias doesn’t know what to say. Everyone spectating is concerned.
Aaron: Uh… Saige? Is this where we should get worried about “someone else” taking over?
Saige: No, that can’t happen right now, but… this isn’t good. He’s letting his emotions take over.
Silver: (Hayze’s one of the most logical and strategic fighters I’ve ever seen. I don’t even recognize him right now.)
Fatal turns to Adrian.
Fatal: What do we do if this goes south?
Adrian: You know what.
Fatal gulps.
Hayze: Looks like the cat has your tongue now, Tobias. You love lecturing people about their flaws and imperfections, so you have no clue what to do when someone owns up to them, huh? Do you think I’m happy with how I got this power? Do you think I like being a “liar and a cheat?” I fucking hate it. The monster that maimed Femme Fatal is named Khaos, the embodiment of my hatred. He’s powerful enough to take on multiple A-Rank pro heroes at once, and you know why that is? Because I hate myself so much. I hate that I was born to two unforgettable heroes and couldn’t even pass the damn qualifying exam! I hate that I had to rely on a fucking syringe to even have a chance at becoming a hero! I hate that I pretend to be selfless, so I can be selfish! I hate that there’s a fucking evil spirit in my head! So, yeah, I know this for me. I’m pissed and want to take out all my frustrations on a self-absorbed, pretentious douchebag! Because I. HATE. YOU!
Everyone is silent.
Tobias: Alright. So, you’re admitting that you don’t care about becoming a hero? You just want to defeat me?
Hayze: I’ll do both.
Tobias: *scoffs* No, you won’t.
Tobias bursts towards Hayze.
Tobias: I’ll defeat you swiftly and END your chances at passing this exam!
Hayze braces himself.
Wes: Why isn’t Hayze doing anything?
Blair: He probably can’t. He just fired off that massive attack a few minutes ago. So there’s no way he could do that and not need to recharge.
Wes: Damn.
Tobias smacks Hayze upside his head.
Hayze: *grunts*
Tobias grabs Hayze by the chin and smashes the back of his head into the ground.
Hayze: *pained groan*
Tobias: Feeling helpless, are we?
Tobias lifts Hayze up by his collar.
Tobias: If you had never received that serum, this is how a fight between us would have gone.
Tobias chucks Hayze into a building, and he crashes through the wall.
Aaron: Damn… Tobias lifts.
Wes: A lot…
Hayze lies against the floor of the building in pain.
Wrath: (Get up, asshole! We’ve gotta make this guy hurt! I say we weld his stupid mouth shut!)
Hayze: *groans* (I’ve gotta devise a plan.)
Wrath: (No! JUST HIT HIM!)
Hayze grabs his head.
Tobias: Struggling, huh?
Tobias enters the building.
Tobias: I’m going to make this slow and painful. Let you feel your chance of fulfilling your dream slip through your fingers.
Tobias begins beating the shit out of Hayze with his cane.
Tobias: You think you can save everyone? You can’t even save yourself!
Hayze points his palms at the ground.
Hayze: (Boost!)
Hayze launches himself up and back with thruster fire. He slams back first into a wall as Tobias is staggered.
Hayze: *groans*
Tobias: So you’ve regained use of your quirk.
A blade emerges out of the bottom of Tobias’ cane.
Tobias: I guess I’ll have to finish you off now.
Hayze: *frustrated grunt* (I’ve gotta get away from him. I don’t have the strength or firepower to continue this engagement.)
Wrath: (No, he’s right in front of us! Burn him alive!)
Hayze: SHUT THE HELL UP!
Tobias: I’d rather not.
Tobias lunges at Hayze.
Tobias: (I’ll go for his jugular, ending this match!)
Hayze struggles to move.
Hayze: (Dammit! I’m hurt badly, but I can’t give up!)
Wrath: (Damn right!)
Hayze creates six heat grenades between his fingers.
Hayze: Take this!
Hayze chucks the grenades at Tobias. Tobias stops his advance and slashes through each fireball, effectively disarming them.
Tobias: Pathetic attempt- huh?
Tobias no longer senses Hayze.
Tobias: (Where is he? I was using his breathing and the smell of his blood to track his location, but now I can’t detect either of those. What happened?)
Hayze has encased Tobias in a small dome of fire.
Silver: (I see…)
Wes: What’s going on? Why did Tobias just let that happen?
Blair: First rule of strategy.
Wes: Huh?
Aaron: Those heat grenades were a fake.
Wes: Oh… how?
Silver: Tobias is blind, that’s obvious, but sometimes it can be easy to forget. Tobias’ enhanced senses are extremely powerful and ultimately make up for his lack of eyesight. For example, he knew exactly where the heat grenades were located because of their drastically higher temperature than the air around him. As a result, he could deduce that fireballs were approaching and counter.
Wes: Okay, then how didn’t he notice actual flames were around him?
Silver: Because those flames aren’t hot, they’re room temperature.
Wes: Oh… I see.
Blair: Just like I have complete control of the heat of my lava, he has that same power over his flames. He conditioned Tobias into reacting to his attacks based on their heat signature, then surrounded him in a fire prison that’s the same temperature as the air.
Saige: And because smells and sounds have a hard time passing through a blazing inferno, he lost his ability to detect Hayze.
Wes: Jesus… you’d think with everything going on, Hayze wouldn’t be able to come up with something like that.
Tobias closes his eyes and concentrates.
Tobias: (Something’s off. I should have been able to tell when and where he moved. Why does it seem like he went invisible?)
Hayze crawls out of the building and into the street.
Hayze: (That won’t hold him for long. I’ve gotta make some distance.)
Hayze crawls down a nearby alleyway.
Fatal: I think we’re out of the woods for now.
Adrian: Yeah, but it’s going to take a miracle at this rate for Hayze to win.
Fatal: You think so? We’ve seen Hayze work his way out of some bad situations.
Adrian: I know, but this is different.
Houston: Damn right! Tobias may not be the most morally just hero student, but he’s one of the strongest!
Adrian: That’s not exactly what I’m referring to, but Tobias’ power is a problem. Hayze just got pummeled with a titanium walking cane. He’s bleeding internally and almost certainly has a few broken bones. Thus his mobility is drastically reduced. He’s strong, but this match was always a toss-up. However, those injuries have tipped the balance clearly in Tobias’ favor. This is also all without mentioning Hayze’s “issues” with his quirk he’s going through. He has to pull himself together and develop the plan of his life if he wants to win.
Tobias detects the faint smell of smoke in the air.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Tobias: (Hm…)
Tobias reaches forward and feels the room-temperature flames around his hand.
Tobias: (I see! Clever!)
Tobias runs out of the fire prison.
Tobias: (I can smell his blood. He’s out of the building. I have to follow him, I can’t give him any more time to recover.)
Tobias follows the trail of blood until it turns into the alleyway.
Tobias: (It’s slightly cooler here, I must be between buildings.)
Tobias senses an increased heat source forming a tripwire in front of him.
Tobias: (He laid a trap, but I’m ready this time. If I had to guess, the fire I’m detecting is a decoy with a cooler fire line behind it. He wants me to dodge the first line to fall victim to the second.)
Tobias smiles.
Tobias: (However, I know he knows I know that; therefore, the real trap is actually the first line!)
Tobias jumps early, clearing a fire tripwire a few yards before the one he detected.
Tobias: (He thought I would time my jump to avoid the back-to-back tripwires, so he placed the real trap at the perfect jump spot. Too bad I-)
Tobias lands on a different fire tripwire.
Tobias: Wh-
Suddenly, many heat grenade explosions go off in the alleyway sending Tobias flying backward into the street from which he came.
Tobias: *groans*
Aaron laughs.
Aaron: Eat that, douchebag!
Isaiah: Wh- what just happened?
Demetri: Yeah… I’m confused.
Saige: Tobias didn’t think about one crucial thing in that scenario.
Isaiah and Demetri: Huh?
Silver: If Hayze could make traps that Tobias can’t detect, why would there have been a tripwire he could detect at all?
Isaiah: To lure Tobias into thinking he was safe!
Demetri: I get it. If Hayze had made that same trap using only flame lines Tobias couldn’t detect, it would have been just as effective.
Blair: Not exactly. Tobias knows Hayze can’t get very far in his condition, so it wouldn’t make any sense to not leave some kind of trap. Tobias would have gotten suspicious and been more careful.
Demetri: Damn… so that whole time-
Isaiah: The real trap was following Hayze’s blood trail!
Demetri: I was going to say that, idiot!
Eve: Shut up, dumbasses!
Silver watches closely.
Silver: (Tobias isn’t an amateur, he’s smart, but Hayze is playing circles around him. This is why Hayze is so dangerous; even while crippled and dealing with his personality problem, he’s still formulating expert-level strategies that draw on his opponent’s weaknesses.)
Hayze reaches a small restaurant a few blocks away from Tobias. He crawls into the building and sits down behind the counter.
Wrath: (Why did you run? I had him right where I wanted him!)
Hayze: (You call that having someone where we wanted them? I’m in shambles because of you! I’m running because YOU put me in this situation!)
Wrath: (Don’t blame me for your problems, jackass! You’re the one who fired off the Blast Burn!)
Hayze: (BECAUSE YOU MADE ME!)
Hayze sighs loudly.
Hayze: (That trap I set should have bought us a few minutes.)
Wrath: (Why are you saying we and us?)
Hayze: (I don’t know, force of habit? We are stuck together.)
Wrath: (Yeah… pisses me off.)
Hayze: (What doesn’t?)
Wrath: (Fuck you.)
Hayze sits in silence for a few seconds.
Wrath: (Why don’t you just give up?)
Hayze: (Weren’t you just screaming in my ear about attacking him again?)
Wrath: (Yeah! This is my quirk, and I know it’s more than capable of wiping that reject off the map. It pisses me off to see you wasting its potential on running away.)
Hayze: (Well, it pisses me off that we’re even in this mess.)
Wrath: (I guess I can agree with that.)
Hayze: (Of course you do.)
Wrath: (Huh?)
Hayze: (You can only get mad about the same things that I get pissed about. Your existence is derived from my anger. We’re always going to agree on those matters.)
Wrath: (*frustrated grunt*)
Hayze leans back and takes a deep breath.
Hayze: (You did bring up a good point, though… due to the ring fragment, you have no control over my actions. All you did was influence my decision, but I’m the one who pulled the trigger.)
Wrath: (Damn right.)
Hayze: (All those things I said back there… they’re all right. Tobias and Eve, they have a point. My dream, the goal I’ve strived for since I found out my parents died. Am I really on the right path towards it? That Blast Burn… that isn’t something I should ever do, but I did. He made me so angry. What he did to Saige… made me feel powerless… the same feeling I had during the prison exercise.)
Hayze flashes back to his fight against Fearmonger.
“ Adrian: Do you know what the goal of this exercise is, Hayze?
Hayze: What?
Adrian: It’s to teach you what it feels like to be powerless. “ - Chapter 116
Hayze: (It sure as hell did, and I think that’s why I was so angry afterward. I hated that feeling… I was agitated knowing that no matter what I did, I was going to lose, and everyone was going to die.)
Wrath is quiet.
Hayze: (Obviously, Saige wasn’t going to die when Tobias started beating her, but I care about her. It drove me into a fury seeing him do that to her. I think that’s why I… no… we stepped in.)
Wrath doesn’t respond.
Hayze: (Your silence speaks a thousand words.)
Wrath: (I don’t care about her.)
Hayze: (Then why were you just as mad as I was?)
Wrath: (I just wanted to incinerate that little bastard, that’s all.)
Hayze: (Right…)
Wrath: (Shut up.)
Hayze smiles.
Hayze: (After the prison simulation… I convinced myself that the best way to win was to try and take my opponent down as quickly as possible. That’s why I beat the shit out of Killian and partially why I was okay with using Blast Burn. It was my rationale for why I lost to Fearmonger. But I know I’m wrong now… maybe a little bit too late. Powerlessness scares me. There will come times when I can’t save everyone. Perhaps I should stop kidding myself and accept that.)
Wrath: (Are you fucking kidding me?)
Hayze: (Huh?)
Wrath: (This has been your goal your whole life, and you’re just going to drop it like that? What are you, a fucking loser?)
Hayze: (Why do you care?)
Wrath: (Because it pisses me off to see someone give up!)
Hayze’s eyes widen.
Wrath: (There will be times when you’re powerless, so what? How do you think I’ve felt since the moment you put on that damn necklace? Do you see me giving up? No! So why the fuck are you giving up because some dumbass teacher put you in a simulation where you literally couldn’t win? You want to save everyone, huh? It’s a stupid goal, but it’s yours, so don’t fucking give up on it, you loser!)
Hayze is silent.
Wrath: *mockingly* (What, are you gonna cry?)
Hayze: (No… you’re right, Wrath. Just because I’m powerless doesn’t mean I can’t still save people. After all, I spent the first 17 years of my life like that.)
Hayze flashes back to the moment he met Dr. Moore.
Hayze: (I needed someone else’s help to achieve my dream. I can save everyone, but I can’t do it all by myself. I wanted to be the one to take down Fearmonger because I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. I only enlisted Lilith’s help because I didn’t want to endanger the people I care about most, but that’s where I went wrong. Even with his cheats, he couldn’t have taken our combined might. I don’t need to do everything by myself, that’s what I have friends for, and maybe that’s what I have you for.)
Wrath: (Me?)
Hayze: (Yes, I’ve always looked at you, Gale, Impulse, Khaos, and Calm as curses, but maybe… maybe I was wrong. After all, this isn’t the first time one of you has given me clarity in a challenging situation. Wrath, you’re not my enemy.)
Wrath: (Oh yeah? Well, you’re mine.)
Hayze: (And why is that?)
Wrath: (Because I want to be free.)
Hayze: (And what would you do with that freedom?)
Wrath doesn’t respond.
Hayze: (I defeated Khaos, and you were dominated by Saige. You’ve been so concerned this whole time with trying to get rid of me, but have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you need me?)
Wrath: (I don’t need you.)
Hayze: (Really? Because look at where your advice got us. We’re about to lose.)
Wrath: (Well, you’re not as good as me, so-)
Hayze: (So you wouldn’t have fired a Blast Burn at the start of the match?)
Wrath: (... Fuck you.)
Hayze: (My logic and tactical skills bought us a second chance in this fight, but I need you just like you need me if we want to win this.)
Wrath thinks for a moment.
Wrath: (*frustrated grunt* Fine! I hate to say it, but you have a point. However, this doesn’t change that I don’t like you!)
Hayze: (Fine, but let’s make a deal.)
Wrath: (Hm?)
Tobias approaches the restaurant, following Hayze’s blood trail. His clothes are tattered and torn, with burn marks all over his body and blood dripping down his face and right arm.
Tobias: I know you’re in there. You may have played me for a fool, but I’m still stronger than you. Your injuries couldn’t have healed much in this short time!
Hayze limps to the entrance of the restaurant. His body is battered and beaten, with bruises and blood pouring from his wounds. His left eye is closed as blood leaks. He leans against the door frame.
Hayze: I thought I’d have a little bit more time than that.
Tobias: You thought wrong.
Hayze: You’ve seen better days.
Tobias: I had a little trouble with your traps.
Hayze: Really? The mighty Tobias didn’t have all the answers? WHAT?
Tobias: Do you think you're funny or something?
Hayze: Well, Netflix hasn’t called me, so, yes.
Tobias points his cane at Hayze.
Tobias: This ends here.
Hayze: Tough.
Silver’s eyes narrow.
Silver: (Something is off… as far as I can tell, Hayze has no trap in place, but that’s not like him at all.)
Wes: Hayze’s whole demeanor seems different than before.
Saige: It seems like he’s back to his usual self.
Blair: That’s good.
Aaron: Now let’s see how he turns the tables on this douchebag.
Tobias thinks for a moment.
Tobias: (He must have some plan in the works. He isn’t the type to just give up.) I can tell by your breathing pattern that you’ve lost a fair amount of blood. I’d give it another 10 to 15 minutes until you pass out. I’m perfectly willing to wait that out.
Hayze: Let me guess, you’re scared?
Tobias: I fear nothing.
Hayze: Really? Aaron told us you pissed yourself and cried for your mommy when he beat you.
Tobias: I DID NO SUCH THING!
Hayze: Yeah, I know, but look at how defensive you got.
Tobias: I know your game. You want me to attack you.
Hayze: No, not really.
Tobias: You can lie all you like.
Hayze: I’m not.
Tobias: Like I’m falling for that.
Hayze: Alright.
A full minute passes of silence and no movement from either of them.
Tobias: (This doesn’t add up. Why is he so calm? Time is on my side in this battle. I will not fall for his obvious trap.)
Tobias hears a faint sound coming from the nearby alley.
Tobias: (Wh- what was that?)
Hayze smiles.
Hayze: Something catch your attention?
Tobias: I don’t know what that is, but I’m not falling for your plan.
Hayze: Tobias, tsk, tsk, You already have.
Tobias: What?
Wrath turns the corner of the alleyway. He forms a massive fireball in the shape of an amaryllis.
Tobias: HUH!
Everyone in the stadium is shocked.
Wrath: Infinite Assault: Final Amaryllis!
Wrath launches the fireball at Tobias.
Tobias: (Shit!)
The sides of Tobias’ cane extend into a shield. The petals of the amaryllis fireball break off and form miniature fireballs of their own. The largest one slams into Tobias’ shield as the smaller ones scrape the outside of Tobias’ arms and legs.
Tobias: (Dammit!)
Tobias is pushed back as he continues blocking.
Tobias: AHHH!
The fireball eventually dispels. Tobias falls to a knee, breathing heavily as the front of his cane shield is melted.
Wrath: I told you that wouldn’t work.
Hayze: It doesn’t matter. You just took out his best weapon and defense.
Tobias slowly gets to his feet.
Tobias: What’s going on? How are there two of you?
Hayze and Wrath smile.
Aaron: Damn, this is a surprise.
Wes: He showed this to us before, but I was under the impression he could only do this with his water quirk.
Blair: It looks like that isn’t the case anymore.
Saige: (Wrath? How did Hayze convince him to help?)
Wrath creates a fireball in his hand.
Wrath: I say we end this.
Hayze: No, wait a second.
Wrath: *grunts* Why should I? He’s injured and defenseless; it’s an easy kill!
Hayze: Tobias isn’t stupid; he can think on his feet.
Wrath: That doesn’t matter if I overpower him.
Hayze: Have you not watched literally any of my fights?
Wrath: Fuck off.
Hayze: Look, this battle is in our favor. There’s no need for us to rush it. Going in without thinking could cost us, and I know you want to win.
Wrath: *sighs* Fine, what do you want me to do?
Tobias looks confused and frustrated.
Tobias: (What is this? Is he having a conversation with himself? Why does it sound like there are two people here? Wait!)
Tobias flashes back to Hayze’s fight with Khaos.
Tobias: (I see…) So, you’re enlisting the help of the so-called evil spirit you hate. Isn’t that ironic?
Wrath: This guy makes me angry.
Hayze: Me too.
Wrath cracks his neck.
Wrath: Listen here, loser, I’m going to kick your ass.
Tobias: Taking advantage of an ability allotted to you by the very serum you claim to hate. You’re quite the hypocrite!
Hayze: I hope you know that calling someone a hypocrite when you’re the living embodiment of the term is like using a fork to eat cereal.
Tobias: Deflection to avoid the truth? That’s basically an admission of guilt.
Hayze: Tobias, everyone in this world is a hypocrite. It’s part of our genetic makeup; we view the world from our perspective, so we’re bound to be slightly biased. The real test is how big of an asshole you are while being a hypocrite, and you take the cake in that category.
Tobias doesn’t respond.
Hayze: You try to lecture people on their fallacies and flaws while not acknowledging your own. Nobody should ever listen to a word you say.
Tobias: And what about you-
Hayze: Deflection to avoid the truth? That’s basically an admission of guilt.
Tobias: *frustrated grunt*
Wrath: HA! GOTTEM!
Wrath coats his arms in fire.
Wrath: Let’s go, blind man!
Hayze: Be careful attacking him up close. He may not be able to see, but he knows exactly where you-
Wrath: Quiet down; I know how to use this quirk better than you!
Wrath creates two fireball amaryllis flowers in his hands.
Wrath: Infinite Assault: Burning Amaryllis!
Wrath begins firing a barrage of amaryllis fireballs at Tobias.
Tobias: (Multiple attacks! I have to dodge!)
Tobias runs forward and uses his cane as a pole vault to launch himself above Wrath’s barrage.
Wrath: Shit!
Hayze: (This is why I told him to take it slow.)
Tobias careens toward Wrath; he swings his cane over his head and attempts to beat Wrath over the head with it. Wrath catches the cane between his hands, putting the two at a standstill.
Wrath: You shouldn’t have gotten this close to me, dumbass!
The fire on Wrath’s arms becomes wild and unkempt, burning Tobias.
Tobias: *groans*
Wrath: Haha!
Wrath’s flames melt through Tobias’ cane, cutting it in half. Wrath kicks Tobias in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Wrath: That’s all the fight you’ve got left? What a shame.
Wrath takes a deep breath.
Wrath: Searing Scorch-
Tobias stabs the blade at the end of his cane into Wrath’s ankle.
Wrath: Fuck!
Tobias shoots up and begins punching Wrath over and over.
Wrath: *pained grunts*
Tobias sweeps Wrath off his feet and slams him into the pavement.
Wes: What’s going on? Why is the other Hayze losing? Shouldn’t he be stronger than Tobias?
Saige: When Hayze uses this technique, the clone he creates only has 50% of his current power. Hayze is in pretty bad shape right now, so I’d say Wrath is only 25% as strong as Hayze is typically.
Silver: Tobias is hurt badly, but he’s almost certainly more powerful than Wrath.
Wes: Well, that’s not good.
Wrath stands up.
Wrath: You think you’re better than me-
Tobias starts punching the shit out of Wrath again.
Tobias: Yes!
Tobias backs Wrath against a wall.
Tobias: You’re nothing compared to me!
Wrath: God, you’re stupid!
Wrath wraps his arms around Tobias’ shoulders, locking him in place.
Tobias: What the hell!
Tobias struggles to break free of Wrath’s hold.
Tobias: Let go of me!
Tobias hears footsteps approaching.
Tobias: (Oh no…)
Fire forms in each of Hayze’s palms.
Hayze: Feeling helpless, are we?
Hayze launches twin fire beams that twist in the form of a helix at an extreme speed. The beams blast in Tobias’ back, burning straight through his costume and leaving two massive circular third-degree burns on his back.
Tobias: AHHHHHHHHHH!
Hayze: Helix Hellfire!
Wrath releases Tobias from his grasp. Tobias limps away in pain.
Tobias: It was all a trick…
Wrath laughs.
Wrath: I don’t like being the decoy, but it was part of the deal.
Tobias: Deal?
Hayze: Now it’s time to hold up my end of the bargain.
The sound of a piano playing rapidly can be heard from seemingly nowhere.
Tobias: Wh- what’s that? A fucking piano?
Wrath approaches Tobias.
Hayze: I may not be perfect, Tobias, but I’m willing to admit that. You sit on your high horse and pretend you’re better than everyone else. Nobody in this world is without flaws, but your persistence in calling people out on theirs while ignoring your own is laughable. I will admit that you helped me today, but that only makes me angry. You could help many people, but you choose to be this way, but it’s like I said before: Nobody should ever listen to a word you say!
Tobias: *frustrated grunt* Damn y-
Wrath rushes Tobias and begins pummeling him with a barrage of punches.
Wrath: MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA!
Wrath uppercuts Tobias, sending him flying through the air.
Wrath: MUDA!
Tobias slams into the pavement, unconscious.
Hayze: Checkmate.
The holographic city fades.
Hunt: The winner is Adam Hayze.
The spectators are happy.
Blair: (Yes!)
Saige: He did it!
Aaron: Yeah! Fuck that guy!
Silver smirks.
Eve: Whatever.
Sydney breathes a sigh of relief.
Lilith: What was that?
Sydney: Shut up.
Wrath turns to Hayze.
Hayze: What? Got something to say?
Wrath: No.
Hayze: We made a good team. Thank you, Wrath.
Wrath stares at Hayze.
Wrath: That plan you came up with. It all happened exactly as you said.
Hayze: It wasn’t that complex. Tobias is relatively predictable.
Wrath: Yeah, but you knew he’d ignore you to fight me. How?
Hayze: I knew you would argue with me and act aggressively. He thought we’d never work together and targeted you because he didn’t think you’d have a plan. Tobias acted logically but didn’t consider that we’d have a deal in place that trumped our previous argument.
Wrath looks away.
Wrath: I’ll be honest, I probably couldn’t have beaten this guy alone. So… maybe you had a point earlier. I’ll consider working with you in the future.
Hayze smiles.
Hayze: That’s good to-
Hayze passes out, and he starts falling forward.
Wrath: *grunts*
Wrath attempts to catch Hayze as he fades away. Instead, Hayze smacks into the ground, unconscious.
Blair: Hayze!
Eve: He’ll be alright. Remember, Tobias predicted this.
Medics come out with two stretchers for Hayze and Tobias.
Hunt: (I’m glad this is over.)
Hunt turns to the spectators.
Hunt: Before we begin the next match, we’re going to have a momentary pause. Please stay seated. This will only take a few minutes.
The spectators are surprised. A disk appears below Hunt’s feet; he flies up towards Adrian, Fatal, and Houston.
Wes: What’s all this about?
Aaron: Who knows?
Hunt leaps off the disk.
Adrian: What is it, Mr. Hunt?
Hunt: I’d like to recommend removing Hayze from the exam.