Killian attempts to claw Hayze, but Hayze blocks the strikes with his swords.
Killian: *scoffs* So, you can block my attacks, so what!
Hayze: Are you feeling envious that I’m faster?
Killian laughs.
Killian: Envious? Your speed is impressive. It’s enough for you to block my singular strikes, but you don’t stand a chance of keeping up with me!
Hayze: Oh yeah?
Killian: Yeah!
Killian gets down on all fours.
Hayze: (He’s taking things up a notch!)
Killian: Let’s see how you handle this!
Killian starts circling Hayze.
Hayze: (Sure, he’s on four legs now, but I’ve blocked his attack once before, he can’t be that much faster, right?)
Killian charges at Hayze’s back.
Killian: All Four Strike: 1,000 Claws!
Hayze: Huh!
Killian slashes at Hayze with his claws in rapid succession. Hayze is able to block the first few strikes before eventually being unable to keep up, causing him to get sliced up by Killian’s claws numerous times.
Hayze: *pained grunts*
Killian finishes by doing a backflip kick move, knocking Hayze to the ground.
Killian: Pfft, envious…
Hayze slowly picks himself up.
Killian: Back for more already, huh? You seemed like a smart guy when I saw you fight during the Sports Festival, but you’re a fool if you think you stack up against me.
Hayze: I’ve beaten stronger opponents than you!
Killian: Maybe, but have you beaten faster?
Hayze is taken aback.
Hayze: (Wait a second…)
Hayze looks down at his barely bleeding scratch marks.
Hayze: Your attack… It's no different from when you fought Kevin.
Killian: Yeah… so what?
Hayze: Did you learn anything from that loss? You were defeated because you focused so heavily on increasing your speed rather than your striking power. How could you walk away from a fight like that and not even attempt to fix your fighting style’s most glaring flaw?
Killian goes quiet.
Hayze: Something wrong?
Killian: No, I’m just trying to find the words to accurately describe how wrong you are.
Hayze: What?
Killian: You’re right, that is the biggest flaw of my style, but I don’t think you understand something vital about that flaw.
Hayze: And what’s that?
Killian: Let me show you.
Killian rolls up his pant legs to reveal his two weighted ankle braces.
Hayze: (Those are what he used as a last resort against Kevin to make himself as fast as he possibly could…)
Killian removes the braces, they hit the ground with a thud. He starts stretching out his legs.
Killian: You see, that guy I fought against clobbered my ass good, even I'll admit that. He showed off my greatest weakness in full force, but…
Hayze: But what?
Killian: He was the exception, not the rule.
Killian begins circling around Hayze again, but this time he’s moving so fast the optical illusion doesn’t even cast; he’s simply a blur.
Hayze: (This speed! He’s gotten even faster!)
Killian quickly uppercuts Hayze and returns to circling.
Hayze: AH! (Fuck! I couldn’t even react to that!)
Killian kidney punches Hayze and returns to circling.
Killian: I’ll keep poking at you until you drop!
Killian begins a barrage of attacks where he punches Hayze at different parts of his body then returns to circling him.
Hayze: (He’s using me as a punching bag! I can’t fight back, I can barely even see him leave his damn circle!)
Killian appears in front of Hayze, catching him off guard.
Killian: Take this!
Killian kicks Hayze right in the chest, sending him flying crashing into the dirt. Killian cracks his neck as Hayze struggles to get up.
Killian: How did you like that?
Hayze: Your speed… how-
Killian: My philosophy is simple, if you can’t hit me, you can’t beat me. My speed is so advanced your eyes can hardly even perceive my movement, and that’s against you; who has lightning reflexes… are you starting to understand what I'm getting at?
Hayze stands back up.
Hayze: Yeah… I am.
Eve faces off against Whitney.
Eve: (I’ve never seen this chick’s quirk in action before, and she got a front-row view of mine… I have to be careful.)
Whitney: Sorry about Killian, he can be a little abrasive, but he means well.
Eve: Abrasive? That’s selling it lightly. I’ve never met someone with that much ego.
Whitney: Yeah, well, at least he’s helpful. After all, he was the one that tracked you guys down.
Eve: Tracked us down?
Whitney: We found drops of blood leading us to what we believe was your campsite last night. Killian has been tracking your scents using his enhanced sense of smell.
Eve: *Under her breath* Dammit, Hayze…
Whitney: He seems decently tough based on what I saw at the Sports Festival, but Killian is in another league, he’ll be dispatched quickly, and we’ll be taking your orb soon enough.
Eve scoffs.
Whitney: Hm?
Eve starts walking towards a tree.
Eve: You shouldn’t be concerned with their fight. After all, I’m right here.
Whitney: You were one of the only members of your class to not reach the tournament. Why would I be worried about fighting you?
Eve: I didn’t perform well at the Sports Festival because I was weak. I failed because my classmates didn’t trust me to be an effective team member in the second round. It took me a while to accept that, but I realized I needed to change my attitude if I wanted to erase my disgraceful exit from the Festival from my mind. Hayze may not seem like much, but trust me, he will beat that dog-brained idiot you call a teammate.
Eve places her left hand on the base of the tree. The knife Jake used to attack Gavin immediately flies over and magnetizes to the tree. Eve uses her left hand to pick up the knife and wield it.
Eve: I’ll be damned if I let that loser show me up again. I will kick your ass, and we will take your orb and pass this exam!
Whitney: Bold statement. Let’s see if you can back it up.
Whitney takes a deep inhale.
Eve: (What is she-)
Whitney lets out a loud scream that rings Eve’s ears and slams her into the tree with a burst of forceful air, all hitting her. Eve covers her ears after the attack concludes.
Eve: What the hell… was that?
Whitney: That was a basic siren screech.
Eve: Siren… screech?
Whitney: My quirk is called Siren; I can generate high-pitched, earsplitting, earth-shattering supersonic screams of great volume and for various effects. You just felt the basic version of that.
Eve: That was basic?
Whitney: Yup, and until you admit defeat, you’ll be experiencing a whole plethora of screams that will make you wish you were deaf!
Eve: Joy…
Whitney: Ready for round two?
Eve: What! No- I-
Whitney takes a deep inhale, Eve immediately starts running.
Whitney: (Why is she running? She can avoid sound…)
Whitney lets out another supersonic screech that hits Eve like a gust of wind, cutting up her clothes, slicing her arms and legs, and cutting up the trees around her. Eve falls to her knees, covering her ears.
Eve: (This one wasn’t as forceful, but the winds are sharp enough to cut through my skin like a knife!)
The scream ends. Eve’s ears are still ringing.
Whitney: That’s my Razor Wind technique.
Eve: Go figure.
Whitney: Had enough yet?
Eve: What? That was only your second attack, of course, I-
Eve tries to get up, but she gets dizzy and falls back to her knees.
Eve: (What the- what the hell?)
Whitney giggles.
Whitney: Looks like my attacks have already infiltrated your inner ear; your balance is thrown off completely, you might as well just give up.
Eve throws the knife at Whitney, who easily dodges it.
Whitney: Looks like someone is angry…
Eve slams her right hand into the ground, the knife flips around midair.
Whitney: I like your spirit.
Whitney ducks without looking; it digs into the ground in front of Eve.
Eve: (What! She already figured out my quirk?)
Whitney: Your quirk is interesting, I’ll give you that, but your moves are pretty obvious if your opponent is aware of it. I only needed to see you use it once to figure that out.
Eve: *Frustrated grunt*
Eve demagnetizes the ground and grabs the knife.
Eve: (Her quirk is powerful, but if she thinks a good quirk is all it takes to defeat me… she’s got another thing coming!)
Jake is lying on his back, staring at the clouds.
Gavin: Uh… what are you doing?
Jake: Those clouds look like nuggets.
Jake starts drooling.
Gavin: You really like chicken nuggets, huh?
Jake: I haven’t had a nugget in like… a day! That’s too long!
Gavin: Yeah, I know what you mean. I haven’t listened to rap in a day either; it’s more tragic than internment camps.
Jake: That sounds sad…
Gavin: Yeah, not Gucci.
Jake: Nuggets…
Gavin: (I can’t really attack him since he’s already taken a massive whiff of my ass gas, but he isn’t much of a threat anyway.)
Jake stands up.
Jake: I wish I could get some nuggets… I can’t survive 3 more days like this.
Gavin: Just keep staring at the clouds; they kind of look like nuggets.
Jake: There are nuggets in the sky?
Gavin: Well, no, there’s-
Jake grabs Gavin’s arm.
Jake: Let’s go get some!
Gavin: Wait, what-
Jake and Gavin teleport on top of a cloud.
Jake: Ah man, there are no nuggets up here!
Gavin: Uh…
Gavin and Jake start falling.
Gavin: Holy crapoly!
Jake: Yeah… this is boring.
Jake teleports away.
Gavin: So this is his attack? It’s clever, but it’s no match for my ass gas!
Gavin points his ass towards the ground and starts profusely farting out goofy gas.
Gavin: Breaking Wind, Breaking Falls!
Gavin plummets to the ground but continues farting, lowering his velocity.
Gavin: RIPPIN’ ASS!
Gavin safely lands on the ground with a mountain’s worth of goofy gas surrounding him.
Gavin: Now, where did-
Jake emerges inside the gas, drooling and stumbling around.
Jake: Are you a plane? Because you just crop dusted.
Gavin: Yeah!
Jake: Yeah?
Gavin: Yeah!
Jake: Yeah?
Gavin: Yeah!
Jake: Yeah?
Hayze looks down at his swords.
Hayze: (I can’t keep up with him… so it looks like I’m going to have to slow him down. A leg injury would be preferred, but how am I going to be able to strike him?)
Killian: Ready for more? Boy, you’re an idiot. I guess I’ll make this quick!
Killian starts circling Hayze.
Hayze: (Here we go again…)
Killian: All Four Strike: 1,000 Claws!
Killian claws Hayze in rapid succession.
Hayze: (There’s no pattern… it’s just a continuous barrage of random strikes! I can’t predict where his next attack will come from.)
Killian ends the attack and continues circling. Hayze falls to his knees.
Hayze: (His movements are so fast that I can’t keep up, and he’s designed his attacks to be impossible to block due to their irregularity… it’s like he’s everywhere at once when conducting his onslaught...)
Hayze’s eyes widen.
Hayze: (And maybe I can use that to my advantage.)
Killian notices Hayze isn’t standing back up.
Killian: (Looks like he’s lost his will to go on… that’s a shame, I was hoping he’s put up more of a fight!)
Hayze: (On the surface, his game revolves around speed, but there’s another element that his quickness induces: Panic. When he’s attacking from all angles seemingly at once, it creates panic in his victim as they’re unable to counter. But when you think about it…)
Killian: All Four Strike: 1,000 Claws!
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Killian begins clawing Hayze in rapid succession once again.
Hayze: (If he’s attacking from everywhere…)
Hayze raises his blade.
Hayze: (Then you just have to attack somewhere.)
Hayze lunges his sword forward into seemingly nothing.
Killian: AHHHH!
Killian stops his attack and leaps back from Hayze, skidding to a halt. Hayze’s sword is piercing Killian’s upper arm. Killian looks at his wound with shock.
Killian: Wh… how did you!
Hayze: I realize now what you were talking about before… Kevin is the exception, not the rule.
Killian: Huh?
Hayze: Your strikes are so quick, your movements are so unpredictable, your fighting style is deadly against almost any opponent, except for someone who can increase their own speed, durability, and reaction time. Kevin checks all of those boxes.
Killian rips Hayze’s sword out of his arm and tosses it aside.
Killian: So you get it now, huh?
Hayze: Kevin was your worst possible matchup.
Killian: Yeah… he was…
Hayze: But you didn’t waver after realizing this… you just kept trying, never adjusting… why?
Killian: I know I come off as cocky, but I’m self-aware to the maximum, I know my strengths and limitations, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let them hold me back. Deep in my mind, I knew how that fight was going to go, but I wouldn’t let my opponent or the spectators ever know I knew that. My fighting style has a weakness, and I’m well aware of it, but I refuse to change. I want to be the greatest hero, but I’m going to do it my way, and no one else’s! I may hit that wall, but goddamn, if I’m not going to at least try to knock it down and never give up. I’m committed to my ways, and I will not falter. After I lost in the Sports Festival, I didn’t change my approach, I just continued to hone my craft, and maybe that means I’ll never surpass that roided out freak, but I won’t stop trying.
Hayze stands up.
Hayze: (If I had fought him instead of Sydney at the Sports Festival… I would have been crushed. Ignoring his striking power seems like a foolish move when you first hear it, but when you experience his barrage first hand and realize just how unstoppable his attacks can feel in the moment… you realize he doesn’t need to hit you hard; he just needs to hit you a lot.) I admire your commitment, but it’s not going to be easy for you to defeat me.
Killian: Really? That’s not the impression you’ve been giving me!
Hayze: Last time I checked, you’re the one who's got the worst wound.
Killian: Oh, you think you’re funny now, huh?
Hayze: Yes.
Killian: Well, let’s see how funny you find this!
Killian puts his palms together. Hayze’s eyes widen.
Killian: I’M GOING FOR THE KILL! Beast Transformation: Werewolf!
Killian starts transforming, his snout forms into that of a dog’s, his body grows fur throughout it, and his shirt rips apart. Next, Killian grows even sharper claws, and his eyes become entirely red. Finally, his transformation finishes, and he lets out a loud howl.
Killian: Alright, tough guy!
Killian suddenly appears in front of Hayze; he punches him straight in the gut and sends him flying back first into a tree.
Killian: Let’s see how you handle this!
Eve is slow to her feet.
Whitney: I wouldn’t stand up if I were you; that only intensifies the dizziness.
Eve: Just shut up… you’re really annoying.
Whitney: So be it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Whitney takes a deep breath.
Eve: (Shit…)
Whitney lets out another supersonic screech. This one knocks Eve into the air.
Eve: (The force on that one was incredible!)
Whitney takes a deep breath and fires off a screech towards the trees, slicing their bases and causing them to start falling.
Whitney: Timber!
Eve smashes into the ground. She opens her eyes to see the trees collapsing upon her. Eve tries to get to her feet, but the ringing in her ears persists, and her balance is completely off.
Eve: (Fuck!)
Eve holds up her right hand.
Eve: (Let’s hope this works!)
Eve leaps up and taps each with her right hand falling tree. They are instantly magnetized to the tree Eve placed her left hand on earlier.
Whitney: (I had a feeling she was going to use that tree for something eventually.)
Eve is breathing heavily, blood begins to fall from her ear.
Eve: (That was stressful… one misstep, and that would have been it…)
Eve looks at Whitney.
Eve: (She hasn’t moved since the fight started… and it’s pretty clear why. She’s a primary repel-style fighter. With any attack launched against her, whether ranged or melee, she uses her quirk to repel it. And because her quirk is sound-based, she can attack her opponents throughout a radius, so it is a waste of her time to reposition.)
Whitney: You’ve been staring at me for a while. Are you considering a surrender?
Eve stands up and is a little wobbly.
Eve: Oh, I’m sorry, I thought we were still in the warm-up.
Whitney laughs.
Whitney: Really? It’s just me here; there’s no need to act all tough. But I can see how shakey you are.
Eve cracks her neck.
Eve: Act?
Whitney: You have gashes all around your body, you can barely stand straight, and your ears are bleeding. Meanwhile, I don’t have a scratch on me; you’re in no position to be acting like a tough girl, just give up!
Eve starts walking towards Whitney.
Eve: I already told you, this was just the warm-up; the real fight starts now.
Whitney: Real fight?
Eve: I know how your quirk works. I understand your strengths and weaknesses, so now I’m going to kick your ass.
Whitney bursts out laughing. Eve doesn’t look amused.
Whitney: So what? Do you think that having me toss you around like a ragdoll means that you’re able to beat me? What kind of logic is that?
Eve continues walking towards Whitney.
Eve: I’m going to enjoy this.
Eve leaps into the air and throws her knife at Whitney but misses completely.
Whitney: (With how dizzy she is, she can’t aim for shit!)
Whitney takes a deep breath.
Whitney: (She’s stuck in the air, so she can’t use her redirection trick, now is my-)
Eve places her right hand on her stomach, causing her knife to flip around.
Eve: I’M TIRED OF BEING UNDERESTIMATED!
The knife rips clean through Whitney’s stomach area and continues flying until it stabs into Eve’s stomach. Eve flimsily falls to the ground in pain; she looks up at Whitney, who is in shock.
Whitney: Holy shit…
Whitney looks down at her through and through knife wound as blood starts dripping from her mouth. She keels over. Eve spits out some blood.
Eve: Bitch.
Jake tries to punch and kick Gavin, but Gavin easily avoids each attack.
Jake: GIVE. ME. NUGGETS!
Gavin: No! I only have ass gas!
Jake falls to the ground crying.
Jake: I’ll give you anything!
Gavin: Oh yeah? Like what?
Jake: Uh… $3?
Gavin: No deal.
Jake: $2?
Gavin: You realize that’s lower right?
Jake: $600?
Gavin: Nah, that’s like, 2 cents to me.
Jake: *groans*
Gavin looks at Jake for a moment.
Gavin: You know what sport? Pop a squat.
Jake: Okay!
Jake lays down.
Gavin: Close enough.
Gavin kneels down next to Jake.
Gavin: Listen, here ya squirt. Sometimes you lose some, sometimes you win some, but the important thing to remember is to always rip ass!
Jake: But… What does that have to do with nuggets?
Gavin: If you eat nuggets, eventually you’ll rip ass!
Jake: Oh… well… alright then…
Gavin pulls out some ranch dressing.
Gavin: I’ll drink to that partner!
Gavin starts drinking the ranch dressing straight from the bottle.
Jake: Wait! They let you bring ranch in here!
Gavin: Nope!
Gavin offers Jake the bottle.
Gavin: You want a sip?
Jake: *snore*
Jake has passed out.
Gavin: Well, guess that means more for me!
Killian starts circling Hayze again.
Hayze: (His movement, he’s so-)
Killian elbows Hayze in the head then uppercuts him in the chin. Killian follows this up by grabbing Hayze’s leg while airborne and throwing him into the dirt.
Killian: How do you like that!
Hayze tries to run away using lightning speed, but Killian suddenly appears in front of him.
Hayze: (He makes being as fast as lightning look slow!)
Killian knees Hayze in the stomach so hard he pukes. Killian then proceeds to kick Hayze into the dirt.
Hayze: *groans*
Killian: Where’s that cocky attitude gone now? You realize you’re up against a-
Hayze uses his sword to fire a Lightning Lancer attack at Killian, who dodges it like it was nothing. Killian picks Hayze up by his shirt.
Killian: Who said you could interrupt me!
Killian throws Hayze against a tree.
Hayze: (I can’t… I can’t do anything against him…)
Adrian places his hand against the roof's railing and looks at the Final Exams Arena.
Adrian: So tell me, why do you think Hayze will fail?
Fatal: How do you know that? Did my sister tell you too?
Adrian: Rachel, just because we haven’t talked in a long time doesn’t mean I can’t tell what’s going on in your head. I could tell by your body language when I mentioned becoming Hayze’s mentor after the exams are over. You’re worried he won’t be a student by then. Why?
Fatal looks off towards the arena.
Fatal: I was in the room when the teams were selected, I was only allowed to give my input, and Damien had the final say. His team is built to expect that he’ll be the de facto leader and the strongest among them, and he’s not ready for that.
Adrian: And why not?
Fatal: He would have lost to Silver in the first round of the Sports Festival if Silver hadn’t thrown away his remaining dust canisters. He’s come a long way, but he can’t be the strongest member of his team. They’ll get annihilated! I saw ALL of those teams. Can you say they aren’t one of if not the weakest teams in that forest with a straight face?
Adrian looks away.
Fatal: Well?
Adrian: No, I can’t.
Fatal: Exactly, and that’s why-
Adrian: But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Hayze in the time I’ve known him…
Hayze slowly gets to his feet.
Killian: You’re taking this like a man! At least you’ll be able to walk away from this exam with your dignity... and a failing grade, of course!
Hayze grips his sword with both hands.
Adrian: Strength isn’t everything. He’s used to being the underdog in every fight, and he knows that isn’t going away any time soon.
Hayze points his sword at Killian.
Adrian: Just because his opponent is stronger or faster than him doesn’t mean the battle is lost, because Hayze always finds a way out of every bad situation he’s in; it’s hardwired into him. He wins because he’ll never let himself get backed into a corner where he can’t find a way out. That’s why I believe he’ll pass this exam… he isn’t like any other fighter I’ve seen in my life… well, except one, but nonetheless, he’s a fighter. He will become a hero if it kills him. That kind of passion is hard to find, and even though the road may be rough at times, I know he’ll figure out a way to win!
Hayze drops his sword.
Hayze: (I can’t figure out a way to win…)
Gavin carries Jake’s unconscious body back to the original fight scene.
Gavin: (Hell yeah! We’re going to get their orb and-)
Gavin drops Jake on the ground in shock. He has found the aftermath of Eve’s battle with Whitney.
Gavin: Whitney!
Gavin runs over to Whitney. Eve looks over at Jake and sees he’s unconscious.
Eve: (Dammit Jake… that means it’s all up to Hayze…)
Before Gavin reaches Whitney, a portal opens, and Houston steps out. Gavin stops.
Gavin: Mr. Houston!
Houston: Hello Gavin, sorry to be seeing you so soon.
Houston looks at Whitney’s severe wound.
Houston: I’m sorry to inform you that we have deemed Whitney unable to continue due to her injury, and she must be evacuated immediately.
Gavin: Damn…
Houston picks up Whitney.
Houston: The exam will resume as normal for you, and Killian, if you pass, Whitney will pass. If you fail, she fails, got it?
Gavin: Yessir!
Houston: Good luck.
Houston walks through the portal with Whitney; it closes behind him.
Eve: Pfft, fuck that bitch.
Gavin looks at Eve and gets a grin on his face.
Eve: What are you looking at?
Gavin starts walking towards Eve.
Gavin: You look like you could use some ass gas!
Eve’s eyes widen.
Eve: No! No! No! I’m fine! I don’t think that’s necessary!
Gavin gets closer and closer.
Gavin: It’s okay; you’ll love how it makes you feel!
Eve: OH GOD! NOOOOOOOOOOO!
Hayze hears Eve’s screams in the distance.
Hayze: Eve!
Killian: Looks like Whitney is taking good care of your bitchy teammate. Face it, idiot, even if you take me down, this is a losing battle for your team! Hand over your orb so we can all move on!
Hayze falls to his knees.
Hayze: (Is he right? It sounds like Eve lost, and I can’t imagine Jake did much of anything against Gavin… that means it’s three against one… there’s no way I can win.)
Killian takes a few steps towards Hayze and winds back his fist.
Killian: I’ll give you the count of five to either forfeit or give me the orb!
Hayze: (The orb… he doesn’t know it’s in my pocket. Not like it matters, though, they’re going to get it anyway.)
Killian: Five!
Hayze: (But wait a second… he’s offering me the chance to walk away… he doesn’t give a shit about winning the fight... he just wants the orb…)
Killian: Four!
Hayze: (Which means if we didn’t have an orb…)
Killian: Three!
Hayze’s eyes widen with realization.
Hayze: (I figured it out!)
Killian: T-
Hayze: I surrender.
Killian lowers his fist.
Killian: Good choice.
Killian picks Hayze up and puts him on his feet.
Killian: Show me where your orb is.
Hayze: It’s in our supply bag.
Killian: Well, you’re going to retrieve it for me, and if you even think about pulling anything, I’ll wipe you and your teammates out of this exam!
Hayze: Understood.
Hayze and Killian walk back to the original fight scene. As they get closer, they hear a strange sound.
Killian: What the hell is that?
Hayze: I have no idea…
Killian: Goddammit, Gavin!
Killian and Hayze arrive to see Eve and Gavin singing Kumbaya, leaving both dumbfounded.
Eve: Oh hey, Hayzey!
Hayze: Huh?
Killian: GAVIN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!
Gavin: Having fun with ass gas!
Eve runs up and hugs Hayze.
Eve: I missed you, Hayzey!
Eve notices Hayze is pale.
Eve: What’s wrong, Hayzey? Aren’t you happy to see me?
Hayze: Eve… what’s on your head?
Eve is wearing her bra as a hat.
Eve: Oh, it was getting too sunny, so I thought I could use a hat.
Hayze takes a deep breath.
Hayze: You’re going to kill me later… and this isn’t even my fault.
Eve: Oh, Hayzey, you silly goose! I’d never think to hurt you!
Hayze: Can I get that in writing?
Killian looks around.
Killian: Gavin… where is Whitney?
Gavin: She lost her fight with big boobs and got wounded badly, so Mr. Houston showed up and took her out of the exam.
Killian: You’re kidding… right?
Gavin: Nope!
Killian: *sighs* Whatever, at least we’re about to get our second orb!
Killian looks over at Eve and Hayze.
Hayze: Eve, please put your hat back where you found it!
Eve: No, Hayzey, it’s too hot!
Hayze: Ah fuck... also, are you bleeding?
Eve: Not anymore! That nice farting man helped me stitch up my knife wound!
Killian turns to Gavin.
Killian: WHY ARE YOU HELPING THEM!
Gavin: I gotta spice up, man! It wouldn’t be fun if they were all done now!
Killian: *frustrated grunt* Whatever!
Killian holds out his hand.
Killian: Hand over the orb now! Or else this gets ugly again!
Eve: Don’t threaten Hayzey!
Hayze: How much of his farts did you inhale?
Eve: He engulfed me in a cloud.
Hayze: That explains a lot…
Killian stomps his foot.
Killian: ORB! NOW!
Hayze takes their blue orb out of his pocket.
Killian: Huh? I thought you said- Ah whatever, just toss it over and-
Hayze drops the orb on the ground.
Killian: What the hell are you-
Hayze smashes the orb under his foot.
Killian: Wh- wh- what the-
Gavin: Did he just…
Killian and Gavin are in shock.
Hayze: I finally figured it out.
Killian: Figured what out, asshole!
Hayze: Loyalty… that was the one word Mr. Walker told us that I couldn’t figure out how it applied to this exam. This whole time we were fighting, I had it stuck in my head that even if we win, we’d be putting your guys’ chances of passing this exam at an extreme low. The idea of winning made me feel guilty. And then, when you gave me the ultimatum, I realized Mr. Walker didn’t mean our loyalty to our teammates. He was referring to our loyalty to every other team in this forest. There’s a reason that the easiest way to pass this exam is by taking out the different groups and claiming their orb; it’s to test our loyalty with the greatest form of temptation: survival. You wouldn’t have even considered fighting us if we didn’t have an orb, correct?
Killian: Y- yeah, I guess!
Hayze: Then by destroying our orb, you have no reason to fight us.
Killian’s eyes widen.
Hayze: And by extension, no team has a reason to fight us. Meaning we can now navigate through this exam without any worry we’ll be attacked by our classmates. The orbs are nothing more than a temptation to betray one another!
Killian: But how are you going to pass without an orb!
Hayze: We don’t need one.
Killian: Wh- what?
Hayze: You can pass this exam by reaching the center and collecting a red orb. Look at the combinations, regardless of whether you arrive with no orb, one, or many. You can still pass.
Killian: So, you plan to go straight to the center and hope you can pass the most complex challenge! You’re a fool!
Hayze: Maybe, but I have faith in my teammates and me.
Killian: You mean the guy that’s passed out and the girl wearing a bra on her head?
Hayze: Yes…
Killian: But why… why wouldn’t you just hand over the orb? What’s the difference between it being destroyed and in our possession!
Hayze: If you had a blue orb, you’d be inclined to take out another team from our class to guarantee you’ll pass the exam, this way, we’re protecting them.
Killian grinds his teeth.
Hayze: We’re showing our loyalty to our classmates and even our rival class. We refuse to be the reason anyone is expelled from the hero course! We’re taking a stand!
Killian clenches his fist.
Killian: Why, you little!
Killian starts charging towards Hayze, but Gavin grabs his arm.
Killian: Wh- why are you-
Gavin: We just lost a teammate for no gain. We have to cut our losses now that we know they don’t have an orb.
Killian: But I-
Gavin: Killian.
Killian hesitates but eventually backs off.
Killian: You win this round, but you’ll pay for this!
Hayze: Gladly.
Killian and Gavin run off into the woods.
Eve: Oh, Hayzey! You were so brave standing up to-
Hayze collapses.
Eve: Hayzey, no!
Walker smiles while watching from the viewing lounge.
Walker: Of course, he’d be the one to figure it out…
Walker leans back in his chair.
Walker: (Destroying their orb was a bold move… but who knows, he may have been able to win the fight, Killian was reaching his limit; that’s why he proposed the ultimatum in the first place. The red orb challenge is beyond difficult. It requires trust in your teammates that can only be achieved through days of extreme teamwork and comradery. Hayze is taking a considerable risk, but if it works out… he might have just landed himself in the Showcase.)