Silver and Sydney approach the center of the arena.
Silver and Sydney: (I will win this.)
Blair looks around the spectators’ seats.
Blair: Kinda… empty up here.
Saige: Not for me. My favorite person is with me.
Blair sighs loudly.
Blair: Thank you… Saige.
Saige: You’re welcome.
Houston turns to Adrian.
Houston: This is it, one of your prize students v.s. Mine.
Adrian: Yes, and they both have something vital in common.
Houston: Hm, and what’s that?
Adrian: They both want the prize for winning this match more than anything: A rematch against Hayze.
Houston: Ah… yes, I’d love to say that loss humbled Sydney, but it probably wound her up more. While your class hierarchy is more fluid and subjective, 2-B is far more definitive. With Grace’s arrival, she’s the strongest, but Tobias is not far behind. Then there’s Sydney, Bruno, Killian, and Alec. I believe each of them has the potential to reach another stage in their development, but they’re bogged down by their most defining personality trait. Bruno is too caught up in righteousness and superstition. Killian only works on specific aspects of his fighting style and not others. Alec is too sadistic and obsessive. And there’s Sydney… her inferiority complex will always hamper her. Despite everything that their first year was supposed to teach her, she still views failure as an absolute.
Adrian: That’s actually an excellent point. Sydney wants to defeat Hayze as a way to cancel out her previous defeat. So she views a rematch with him as a form of revenge. Whereas Silver has come to terms with his loss to Hayze. He sees a rematch as a way of proving his progress and an opportunity to beat someone he respects as a rival. I’m not saying either is right or wrong, but it gives you a window into their motivation in this fight. I do believe Silver will come out on top, however.
Houston: Obviously, I’m biased, but Sydney will show you exactly why she should have won the last tournament. She’ll win this.
Fatal: Wasn’t she the one that lost to Isaiah and Demetri?
Houston: Well… yes, but Sydney only lost that fight because she underestimated her opponents. The same happened during her battle in the first round, but she dominated Wes and Eve after she wised up. She’s more than aware of Silver’s capabilities. He doesn’t stand a chance.
Adrian: We’ll see.
The screen starts randomizing through locations.
Silver: (I don’t care.)
Sydney: (I’ll demolish him regardless of the location.)
The screen stops on a mountain, and neither Sydney nor Silver reacts.
Blair: You could hear a pin drop.
Saige: I’m glad Silvy is making friends.
Blair: I’m starting to be convinced you don’t know what friendship is.
A blinding light blares, and Sydney and Silver find themselves on a mountain top.
Silver: It looks like you didn’t luck out on the terrain this time.
Sydney: What’s that supposed to mean?
Silver: You can’t say with a straight face that fighting in an ocean wasn’t ideal for you. You had a steep advantage in a fight that was already tipped in your favor. Yet, you still struggled.
Blair cheers.
Blair: That’s right, Silver! Tell her how it is!
Saige: (Silvy is starting with a strategy of coaxing Sydney into a rage. She’s not unlike how Blair used to be. Challenging the value of Sydney’s accomplishments is a strong idea.)
Sydney laughs.
Sydney: If you think something as trivial as that will rile me up, you’re just a fool. I’ll remind you that you almost lost to the two imbeciles.
Silver: You mean the same ones you were defeated by?
Sydney: That was in the past. I’ve trained hard to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
Silver: You mean the same way it almost did in the first round?
Sydney’s eyes narrow.
Sydney: Enough talk. It’s time for us to fight!
Saige and Blair look at each other.
Blair: Do you think it’s working?
Saige: I’d say so.
Silver laughs.
Silver: If you’re looking to get this defeat out of the way quickly.
Silver detaches his belt, and his six dust canisters slam against the ground.
Silver: Then I’d be happy to oblige.
Sydney: You remind me of my classmates. So quick to overestimate yourself because you know a few tricks.
Silver: Look, I’m going to clarify one thing. I will not lose this match.
Sydney: And you think I intend to?
Silver: No, but I’ve waited for over a year for my shot to rechallenge Hayze. I won’t be denied, not by you or anyone.
Sydney scoffs.
Sydney: Well, I can say that exact same thing, and I don’t just plan on rechallenging him. I’m going to defeat him.
Silver: Unlikely, because you’re going to lose to me.
Sydney: *frustrated grunt* I’ll show you unlikely.
Sydney does a backflip to create distance between herself and Silver.
Silver: Show off.
Sydney: You insinuated earlier that this environment didn’t give me a steep advantage, but I don’t think you realize how wrong you are.
Silver: Huh?
Sydney: Do you know why snow forms on the top of mountains?
Silver: Due to the high altitudes, temperatures drop, and in most cases, they go below 32 °F, which is the freezing point for liq-
Silver’s eyes widen.
Silver: (Shit!)
Silver attempts to move, but his legs have already been frozen to the ground by Sydney.
Sydney: I’m a unique fighter because my quirk changes based on the temperature I battle in. I hope you didn’t prepare yourself for my water onslaught because, on this mountain, I’m an ice queen.
Silver: *grunts*
Silver attempts to open his silver dust canisters, but Sydney has frozen them shut.
Silver: (Dammit! How could I have overlooked something like that!)
Sydney’s ice slowly begins creeping up Silver’s body.
Sydney: What was that you were saying about me? I struggled in the first round? Well, who’s struggling now!
The ice fully coats silver’s body except for his head.
Sydney: I hope you enjoyed your faint hope of a rematch against Hayze. It’s alright, though. I’ll put on a good show for you to watch.
Silver: *frustrated grunt*
Sydney: Bye-bye.
Sydney covers Silver’s face, fully encasing him in ice.
Sydney: He should suffocate soon enough.
Sydney starts to walk away when suddenly she hears ice cracking.
Sydney: Huh?
Silver smashes free, sending ice shards flying in every direction.
Sydney: What!
Silver: You’ll have to do better if you want to beat me.
Silver coated his skin with liquid silver expanding the ice surrounding his body and allowing him to easily smash it to bits.
Sydney: Whatever, I didn’t want this match to be over so soon anyway. It’s not often I get to use my ice attacks.
Silver: Right…
Silver glances down at his dust canisters.
Silver: (Her number one goal will be stopping me from using my dust at all costs. So, I might as well just abandon that strategy now and focus on my other strengths.)
Silver cracks his knuckles.
Silver: So while you use your ice attacks, I’ll use my liquid silver to devastate you.
Sydney: Fat chance, you’ll never defeat me.
Silver: Oh yeah? Well, watch this.
Sydney braces herself.
Sydney: (Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen him use his liquid silver in a fight. I guess I should be careful.)
Silver: I learned this technique from my good friend, Wes.
Sydney: Huh? That fool?
Silver starts running away.
Sydney: Wh- GET BACK HERE!
Blair is dumbfounded.
Blair: D- did he just run away?
Saige: Wes taught him well, although I don’t sense any terror in him, and he isn’t leaving a trail of urine. Wes will be upset.
Blair: I don’t think he will.
Silver begins dripping liquid silver droplets as he runs.
Silver: (Let’s see if she takes the bait.)
Sydney watches Silver run away.
Sydney: (He’s clearly trying to lure me into a trap, and like I’m going to fall for that.)
Silver looks back and sees Sydney isn’t budging from her spot. So he stops and turns around.
Sydney: Do you take me for a fool?
Silver: Yes.
The silver drops Silver left on the ground begin levitating and form into bullets.
Sydney: What!
Silver: Of course, you’d think it was a trap. It was too obvious, right?
Sydney: *frustrated grunt*
Silver sends upwards of 50 bullets flying at Sydney.
Sydney: (I can’t let this happen!)
Sydney forms a foot-thick wall of ice in front of her. All of the bullets embed into the wall.
Silver: (Well, that’s not good.)
Sydney smiles.
Sydney: You should have never underestimated me!
Silver: *under his breath* Hi, pot, I’m kettle.
Sydney creates a swarm of a hundred icicles above Silver’s head.
Sydney: It’s time for a shower, you filthy mongrel!
Silver: *grunts*
The icicles rain down upon Silver. He coats his arms in metallic silver and guards his head. The shards crash against him and the ground but deal no damage to him.
Silver: (I definitely wasn’t prepared to fight her under these circumstances, but this will be a good test of my ability to adapt. This is still an exam, after all.)
The icicle shower ceases.
Silver: (Good, now-)
Sydney: Take this!
Silver looks up to see Sydney charging at him. Her fists are covered in ice gauntlets.
Silver: (It was a distraction!)
Silver catches Sydney’s punch.
Silver: Shouldn’t your arms be a little cold?
Sydney: No, my costume has built-in heat insulation just for times like these. So I’m perfectly fine. You, on the other hand…
Ice starts extending up Silver’s arm.
Silver: *grunts*
Sydney: You think you’re so smart, huh? You couldn’t even see that I was working towards this moment. The moment I put you on ice!
Sydney’s ice fully encases Silver’s forearm.
Silver: (Dammit! She had this planned! I can’t break free the way I did earlier because my arm already has a layer of silver covering it.)
Sydney: And now that we’re stuck together…
Sydney creates an icicle protruding from her opposite palm. Then, she attempts to stab Silver’s chest.
Sydney: I can start dealing some damage!
Silver blocks Sydney’s icicle with his wrist blade.
Silver: Do I have to remind you that silver beats ice?
Sydney: Do I have to remind you that I’m the one in control here?
Ice begins forming up Silver’s wrist blade.
Silver: (Shit!)
Silver’s wrist blade and hand are entirely frozen. Sydney merges his two rigid arms together with her ice.
Sydney: Now you’re going to have some trouble defending.
Sydney creates another icicle out of her palm and stabs it into Silver’s lower abdomen.
Silver: AHH!
Sydney: I told you, I’m going to win.
Silver: *frustrated grunt* No, you’re not!
Silver pushes his arms upward, hoisting Sydney in the air.
Sydney: Huh!
Silver: Take this!
Silver throws Sydney over his shoulders, smashing her against the ground face-first.
Silver: Maybe you should reconsider freezing us together.
Sydney: *frustrated grunt*
Sydney releases her arm from the ice and kicks Silver in the chest, staggering him backward.
Silver: That’s better.
Silver looks down at his frozen arms.
Silver: (I need to break free and fast.)
Sydney gets to her feet, bleeding from her forehead.
Blair: This fight has been more back and forth than I would have expected, and I can’t tell if that says more about Sydney or Silver.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Saige: Motivation is critical in this. In their minds, they can’t afford to lose. So, that’s pushing Sydney beyond her usual level. Of course, Silver has been taken far out of his comfort zone, losing his primary method of attack and having Sydney battle with a version of her quirk he’s never seen will do that. So, it’s not surprising that he needs a little time to adjust.
Silver coughs up some blood.
Silver: (I don’t know what hurts worse… my wound or my soon-to-be frostbitten arms.)
Ice forms around Silver’s legs again.
Silver: What makes you think I can’t break out of this like I did last time?
Sydney: Nothing, I fully expect you to.
Silver: Then why-
Sydney: If you’re concentrating on freeing your legs, you won’t be able to release your arms.
Silver: I see.
Sydney covers the cut on her forehead with ice.
Sydney: You know, I guess I’ve been disingenuous about this fight.
Silver: Hm?
Sydney: I think we’ve both made it clear that we view each other as obstacles in our path towards a rematch, and this fight is only essential for completing our goal, nothing else. But I actually have a bit more attachment to this battle.
Silver: How so?
Sydney: My father was the former number four hero, Aquafist.
Silver: I know that name…
Sydney: You should. He reached the height of his career and popularity when your father was number two. With Colossus reigning supreme as the number one hero, most other big shots sought after being number two. But my father couldn’t even come within one spot; he reached fourth on the rankings and hit a plateau in his power. He put in the work to improve, but he didn’t know how to make himself better. Soon he began hating his position, and seeing Silverclad once a month became more and more agitating for him. Your father clearly realized that mine was jealous and angry at his inability to surpass him. So, he started tormenting Aquafist, treating him like a fool and bragging about his power. They both had children around the same time, you and me, and had the same idea if they couldn’t defeat Colossus, they would birth children that eventually would. Only the problem was I’m a girl. My father wanted a son, which only fueled the fire of his rivalry with Silverclad. He hated him with all his heart but knew that he could never be better than him. So you know who my father took his frustrations out on?
Silver: Are you saying you blame me for your dad hitting you?
Sydney: Of course not. That would be stupid.
Silver: Then what are you getting at?
Sydney: I can’t be the only one that finds it ironic that we’d end up fighting each other in this match. Although, to be fair, the generation of heroes blocked by Colossus’ greatest seemed to have produced many “revenge babies.”
Silver: You can say that again…
Fatal turns to Adrian.
Fatal: Why do so many of these kids come from broken homes and have these horrible backstories?
Adrian: I don’t think it’s a coincidence.
Fatal: Huh?
Adrian: It’s like Sydney said; they’re the generation of kids born at the height of heroism. Justus’ father was the greatest hero of all time. Aaron’s was killed when crime was grasping at straws. Both of Hayze’s parents were killed during one of the most significant villain attacks in history. Silver and Sydney were born from their father’s inadequacies. So the pressure to become heroes and have magnificent quirks was magnified. So, Wes, Saige, and Blair were bullied for having weak or no quirks. These kids were born with massive weights on their shoulders, and for some of them, they only got heavier. But I think that’s why they all ended up here. At U.A., they have some of the greatest motivations and reasons to succeed of any student that’s ever been here. And that’s why they’ve looked the part of one of the best crops of students the school has ever had from the moment they started classes.
Fatal: Wow… I never thought of it like that.
Adrian: These kids are destined for greatness. I know it.
Walker watches closely.
Sydney: Anyway, enough storytime. I just wanted you to know that this match isn’t just about the prize for me.
Silver: Why? What’s so important about me being aware?
Sydney: So when I defeat you, you’ll know just how big of a disappointment you are.
Silver: *grunts*
Sydney: Now then.
Sydney snaps her fingers. Silver’s body starts to become encased in ice again.
Silver: What’s the point of this? I’ll just break free!
Sydney: I’m aware.
Sydney creates another storm of icicles above Silver’s head.
Sydney: If you want to escape, you’ll need to wait out my storm.
The icicles start raining down as Silver becomes fully encased in ice.
Silver: (Her quirk is beyond dangerous. She’s taken a lot of time to hone her skills. She’s similar to me in that regard. I can tell she’s the child of a former top 10 hero. With that being said, I need to turn this fight around. I’ve spent too much time playing her game.)
The icicle storm ceases. Silver begins coating his skin with silver to smash the ice surrounding his body.
Silver: (I need to make a plan; I need to outsmart her.)
Silver breaks free of the ice. Sydney is nowhere to be seen.
Silver: (She’s setting something up…)
Silver walks over to a rock and smashes the ice surrounding his arm and hand; he releases his wrist blade. His skin is red, and his arms are shaking.
Silver: (The cold is definitely wearing my body down, I need to finish this before she gets me with another ice attack.)
Sydney is standing at the top of the summit, where the fight began.
Sydney: (From this spot, I have the high ground over that fool. Without his silver dust, he’s a purely close-range fighter, and even if he uses a ranged attack like his bullet barrage, I’ll use my ice to block it.)
Sydney creates a throne out of ice that encases Silver’s dust canisters. She sits down on it.
Sydney: (I may not be able to trounce him, but if this comes down to a battle of attrition, I have it won by a mile.)
Sydney points her hand to the sky. Thousands of icicles form in the air.
Sydney: (I’ll decimate this whole mountain top!)
Sydney rains down the storm of icicles. Silver looks up and spots the crashing ice.
Silver: (This again!)
Silver covers his head with his silver gauntlets again.
Silver: (She keeps reusing this same attack… There has to be a reason, right? Sydney typically uses her water attacks to flood her enemies, but she can’t do that now. Hm...)
The icicle shower ends.
Silver: (Think, Silver, think!)
Sydney prepares another icicle shower.
Sydney: I’ll break your silver shields soon enough!
Silver covers himself as the icicles crash again.
Silver: (Tsunami Cannon… Water Prison… there’s got to be a constant missing from her ice attacks.)
Silver’s gauntlets begin to chip and crack.
Silver: (That’s it!)
The icicle shower subsides. Silver gets rid of his gauntlets.
Silver: (I might know how to beat her!)
Silver bolts towards Sydney.
Sydney: (Hm?)
Silver reaches the summit. Sydney instantly freezes his legs and arms.
Sydney: Well, that was foolish.
Silver: I’ve already proven twice I can break free of this.
Sydney: Yes, but there’s only so much cold your body can take. Mr. Hunt can step in if our lives are at risk. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll stop us from mutilating each other. If you lose a couple fingers or an arm to frostbite… Well, that’s your problem now, isn’t it?
Silver’s arms are numb.
Silver: (She’s got a point there…)
Sydney: Let’s face it, I’ll never allow you to strike me. I’ll keep freezing you repeatedly until your body shuts down, and I win by default. So you have 0 chance of victory.
Silver: We’ll see about that.
Sydney: No, we won’t.
Silver smiles.
Silver: I wondered why you needed to rely on a tactic like that to win, but I think I’ve figured it out.
Sydney: What?
Silver: You’re not able to actually control the water you create. You simply use your humidity control to make it look like you’re doing so, it’s an illusion of movement, but you’re not able to do that here. Ice doesn’t have the same properties of motion that water does. Thus, your abilities are a lot less imaginative.
Sydney: So what? That doesn’t explain how you’re planning to turn this battle around.
Silver: Oh, really? Just watch.
Silver’s wrist blades form and slash out of the ice surrounding his arms.
Sydney: You’ve already tried that bef-
Two more blades form from Silver’s shoulder blades.
Sydney: Okay, that’s-
And his elbows.
Sydney: *frustrated grunt*
Sydney leaps on top of her throne.
Silver: I was hoping to debut this against Hayze, so consider this a sign of my respect. I call his form: Blademaster.
Silver slices through all of the ice encasing his body.
Silver: Now! Show me how you’ll stop this!
Silver lunges at Sydney.
Sydney: Gladly!
Sydney freezes Silver’s entire body again. He slams into the throne like a massive iceberg. Sydney leaps off the throne and examines the situation.
Sydney: (Who cares if he has a few more blades to work with, if I keep freezing him over and over, he’ll never get anywhere near me.)
Silver breaks free of the ice. His entire body is shaking from the cold.
Sydney: Had enough yet?
Silver: No, actually, it’s time for me to win this battle.
Sydney: Huh?
Silver begins slicing away at Sydney’s throne, destroying it and releasing his dust canisters.
Sydney: NOOO!
Silver slices each of his dust canisters in half, releasing all of the silver dust inside.
Silver: At the start of the match, I decided it would be pointless to pursue freeing my dust because you would try to stop me, but that was a mistake. You can’t counter my dust storm in any way, given the nature of your ice attacks. You should have tried harder to keep that a secret from me.
Sydney: *frustrated grunt* It’s not like I knew you could do something like this.
Silver channels all of his silver dust into a mound above his head. The dust starts forming into a massive shuriken.
Sydney: *grunts*
Silver: You fought well, Sydney, and pushed me to my limits, but now it’s time for me to claim my prize!
The shuriken spins at a lightning-fast speed to the point where it looks like a flying disc. It careens toward Sydney.
Saige: Silver must think he can win right now. This attack will destroy all of his dust.
Blair: This is the end!
Sydney creates a wall of ice in front of her. The shuriken spins into the wall and begins slicing it apart.
Sydney: (There’s nothing I can do to stop this attack! The centrifugal forces are too strong for my ice! I have to dodge it!)
As Sydney’s wall is turned into ice cubes, she begins hoisting herself in the air with a pillar of ice.
Sydney: (I have to get away!)
Silver: Going somewhere?
Sydney: Huh?
Sydney looks up to see Silver on a small mound of floating silver dust.
Sydney: (He saved some of his silver!)
Silver: Sorry, but I win!
Silver leaps down and begins slicing Sydney all over with his blades.
Silver: Blade storm!
Sydney: AHHHH!
Silver knocks Sydney off her ice pedestal, plummeting to the ground.
Sydney: (No!)
Sydney smashes into the ground, knocking her unconscious. The arena reverts to normal.
Hunt: The winner is Ryne Verdugo.
Silver falls to his knees, shivering profusely.
Silver: (That was sloppy… I need to be better against Hayze…)
Silver clenches his fists.
Silver: (I have to!)
Medics come out with stretchers for Sydney and Silver.
Blair: So that means Silver and Hayze will have a rematch…
Saige: Which means one of us will fight them in the finals.
Blair: I- yeah… right.
Saige smiles.
Saige: Don’t look so nervous. This might be the only chance you ever get to beat me.
Blair: Those two sentences contradict!
Silver and Sydney are stretched off.
Hunt: Alright, that concludes the second round:
[https://i.ibb.co/TWMYq1K/Sports-Festival-Results-of-R2-drawio.png]Hunt: Obviously, there aren’t many of you left, but here is the semi-final bracket:
[https://i.ibb.co/sWTDcRj/Sports-Festival-R3-drawio.png]Fatal: Now that’s quite the lineup.
Adrian: Yeah, it’s only two matches, but they’re both big.
Houston: And of course, none of my class is in the semi-finals… again.
Adrian: Chin up, buddy, maybe next time.
Houston: *groans*
Daniele leans back in her chair.
Daniele: Three out of four, I’m feeling pretty good right now.
Yul: I must concede that your team has performed exceptionally well, Daniele.
Daniele: Yup, how are you feeling, Aster?
Aster: Pretty good; I’m glad I’m betting all my money on Silver. He’s a reasonably safe bet.
Daniele: Keep telling yourself that.
Hayze stares at the bracket from his infirmary room.
Hayze: Silver...
Wrath: (Even I’ll admit that one is tough.)
Calm: (Silver might just be the strongest competitor in this tournament. You should proceed with caution.)
Impulse: (I think it’ll be a blast. I call dibs.)
Wrath: (Wh- WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DIBS!)
Impulse: (I want to be the one to fight him!)
Wrath: (You don’t get to call dibs on that! I call dibs!)
Impulse: (You can’t, I already did.)
Wrath: (Oh yeah! Well, my quirk has already beat him before!)
Impulse: (A year ago! I just beat Kevin! I’d say I’m more qualified.)
Wrath: (WHY YOU!)
Calm looks at Hayze; he’s deep in thought.
Calm: (You’re troubled?)
Hayze: Beating Silver was when I proved I belonged at U.A. I’m just worried about what it will say about me if I lose.
Calm: (Don’t think like that, it’s irrational.)
Wrath: (Yeah, ya fucking loser.)
Impulse: (It’s pretty lame.)
Calm: (You defeated countless foes before, including Silver himself. You can win, but you can’t allow yourself to get caught up in the idea of defeat.)
Hayze: Right… Thanks, guys.
Calm smiles.
Wrath: (You’re fucking welcome.)
Impulse: (Just remember that I called dibs.)
Wrath: (I SWEAR TO GOD!)
Hayze: I’m never going to get used to this.
Calm: (I haven’t.)
On the island, it’s nighttime.
Alec: *groans* I can’t believe we’re stuck down here…
Killian: *groans* And we have to share a hole. You stink!
Alec: Same goes for you, mutt.
Killian: What did you call me?!
Alec: Mutt!
Wes: *from afar* Just fuck already!
Killian: SHUT UP, WES!
Alec: YEAH! FUCK YOU, WES!
Killian: I hate that guy.
Alec: Me too.
Killian: Let’s talk loudly about all the things we hate about him.
Alec: Hell yeah!
Wes sighs.
Wes: (At least they know my name… I guess it would be hard not to, given that I’ve been in this hole for two weeks now. Fuck you, Aaron.)
Verity walks over to Wes’ hole.
Wes: *groans* What do you want?
Eve walks over.
Wes: Huh?
Eve: We took a vote, and you’ve been acquitted.
Wes: R- really! Wait… what’s the catch?
Eve: You can’t be trusted on your own, so you have to hold Verity’s hand at all times.
Wes: No, I’m staying in the hole.
Verity: *under her breath* Damn.
Eve: Well, suit yourself.
Eve walks off.
Wes: *groans*
Verity: I have a gift for you.
Wes: Oh god…
Verity pulls a leaf out of her bra.
Verity: I’ve carried this around in my bra for the last week; please take it to remember me.
Verity tosses the leaf down. Wes avoids it.
Wes: AHH! THAT’S DISGUSTING!
Verity: You’re welcome.
Verity walks away.
Wes: I HATE MY LIFE!
Verity joins the group at the campfire.
Angel: Only five people left in the exam…
Karma: Today is day 67, according to my count.
Ash: I can’t believe you and Gus have been here that long.
Eve: Don’t lump Gus in with Karma.
Gus is currently eating sand in his hole.
Gus: FOOD!
Bruno: GUS! IT’S SAND! DON’T EAT IT!
Gus: *muffled* NO!
Karma smiles.
Karma: It’s not that impressive, it got easier once more, and more of you showed up.
Zach: Hey! Don’t sell yourself short! It’s pretty amazing that you’ve been a productive member of our group this whole time.
Angel: Yeah, that’s an accomplishment to be proud of.
Karma blushes.
Karma: Thanks.
Aaron: You know, I feel bad for the guys who are still in the exam; It’s pretty chill on this island. We’re making good memories.
Alexis: You’re just saying that to make yourself feel better.
Aaron: Quiet.
Justus: Aaron brings up a good point, though. Despite this environment being made to torture and decimate our spirits, I feel it has brought us together.
Ash: I agree.
Eve: It is weird to think that technically we’ve only been here for a week in real-time, and when we wake up from this simulation, we’ll all look completely fine.
Kevin: And smell fine, don’t forget that.
Karma: Probably not. A week without a shower probably isn’t the best.
Kevin: Okay, then better at least.
Karma: True.
Zach notices a boat coming ashore.
Zach: Hey! Look!
Alexis: Another boat? That’s either Silver or Sydney.
Verity stands up.
Verity: I will go greet her.
Kevin: Aw… that’s rude, but also true.
Verity walks up to Sydney as she exits her boat.
Sydney: Verity?
Verity: Hello, Sydney. I’m glad to see you’ve joined us.
Sydney: Well, I’m not!
Verity: Would you like a tour?
Sydney: No! I want my clothes! And why do you smell like a salty garbage can?!
Verity grabs Sydney’s hand and starts dragging her.
Verity: Come along, Princess. Soon you will understand.
Sydney: LET GO OF ME!
Grace hears Sydney yelling.
Grace: HUH! SYDNEY IS HERE!
Grace climbs out of her hole.
Wes: WH- SHE CAN DO THAT!
Grace runs to embrace Sydney.
Grace: Sydney!
Sydney: STAY AWAY FROM ME. YOU STINKING APE!
Grace chases Sydney around the beach, trying to hug her.
Alexis: I guess they are good friends.
Eve looks at Aaron.
Eve: Start digging another hole.
Aaron: Yes, ma’am.
Aaron stands up.
Aaron: Oh, by the way, everyone, please hock a loogie in this bucket I made.
Aaron holds out a bucket.
Ash: Why?
Aaron: I think you know why.
Later, Wes hears Aaron digging a hole.
Wes: Aaron, you fucking asshole, when we are out of this simulation, I’m going to find some way to get revenge on you for this.
Aaron: What about this?
Aaron walks over to Wes’s hole, holding the bucket.
Wes: What about what?
Will’s screams can be heard throughout the whole island.
Wes: YOU ASSHOLE!