Hayze falls to his knees from exhaustion, breathing heavily.

Hayze: (Damn... I barely had enough energy left to finish the match.)

The crowd is still stunned.

Crowd Member 1: What the fuck!

The crowd starts booing.

Ash: Why are they booing? That was a great match!

Alexis: Maybe to us, but Silver was one of the biggest draws for this event.

Karma: Tickets for the Sports Festival cost a lot of money, Ash. So, I’m sure they’re upset that he’s been knocked out so soon.

Alexis: And in a match that was pretty uneventful until the last few minutes.

Lilith: That doesn’t mean they should be doing this! Hayze did the impossible and beat Silver; he shouldn’t get treated like this!

Alexis: We all wish it could be that simple, Lilith.

Ash: Poor Hayze...

A stretcher is brought out for Silver. A medic approaches Hayze.

Medic: Here, I can help you back into the stands.

Hayze: Yeah... that’s fine.

The medic helps Hayze to his feet.

Medic: (Man, this kid barely even got hit in that fight, yet he’s almost in as bad of shape as the one who lost.)

Silver looks over at Hayze as he’s placed on the stretcher.

Silver: (You’d better not waste this opportunity, Hayze. Make these people see that booing you is a mistake.)

Hayze and Silver are taken out of the arena.

Madame Mummy: Okay, it’s time for the third match to begin.

Justus storms off.

Alexis: Oof… good luck with that, Karma.

Lilith: Try your best!

Ash: We’re rooting for you!

Karma: Thank you, I’ll give this battle my all.

Karma gets up and leaves.

Jace: Holy crap, Hayze actually beat Silver.

Zach: That guy is something else; I can’t even blame Silver for losing that. Hayze played that almost perfectly.

Aaron: (I can’t believe he actually did it. I always liked Hayze, but I didn’t think he could beat someone of Silver’s caliber. I can’t wait for the day we fight… maybe it’ll be today.) So, Wes, about that bet?

Wes is in tears handing Aaron his money.

Wes: I guess I’m not eating dinner for the next couple of days…

Jace: How… how poor are you?

Fatal breathes a sigh of relief.

Fatal: (I shouldn't have doubted you, sis, I thought it was so dumb of you to go from meeting a kid to conducting genetic experiments on him in a few hours, but if this is what you saw that night, I see why you did it. He beat an opponent with far superior strength with only basic attacks. Good for Hayze; he deserved this win.)

Walker gets up from his seat and starts walking off.

Fatal: Where are you off to?

Walker: To talk to Silver, my instincts are telling me that I need to do a quick check-in.

Colossus: I could talk to him-

Walker: No. You know what match is next, trust me, he wants you to watch.

Colossus: Uh, right…

Walker leaves.

Walker: (I can’t imagine what it’s like to be estranged from your child. But, for Justus’ sake, I have to push Colossus to not be afraid of his own son. It’s the only way they can both grow.)

Colossus looks down at Justus as he enters the arena.

Colossus: (Well, let’s see what you can do, Justus.)

Isaiah and Demetri are walking through the stadium halls, freshly healed by Recovery Girl.

Demetri: I can’t believe you got me eliminated from the Sports Festival! In the second round!

Isaiah: Me! I didn’t even get a chance to do anything, thanks to Jake!

Demetri: You could have at least tried!

Isaiah: *frustrated grunt* Man, you’re annoying!

Demetri: Whatever, there’s a TV over there with the tournament bracket. I better not have missed out on some good matches because of you.

Isaiah: Shut up!

They walk over to the screen and see the updated bracket.

Isaiah: Wait… Hayze beat Silver?

Demetri: What! No way he did that! That must be a mistake!

Isaiah: No way… they wouldn’t mess up something that big...

They both are silent.

Demetri: I guess he rose to the occasion and showed everyone what he could do...

Isaiah: Yeah… while we couldn’t even get through the second round...

Demetri: This was our opportunity… to prove that we’re not just dead weight, and we wasted it.

Isaiah: *sighs* Come on, the next match is about to start.

They enter the eliminated 1-A student section and take their seats.

Eve: (Well, there's the last of the idiot brigade…) *sighs* (That I somehow found myself a part of.)

Eve clenches her fists.

Eve: (Hayze... a guy I’ve criticized so heavily, just showed everyone that he belongs while I sit over here and question whether I do. Everyone moved on while I got left behind… How did I end up on the bottom? What did I do wrong? This sucks.)

Karma enters the arena.

Karma: (Justus is strong, but I’m fast. So, it doesn’t matter how hard he can hit me if I never let him do it. I won’t lose in the first round, I know it’s easier said than done, but Hayze just showed everyone that miracles can happen, so I won’t give up hope.)

The crowd cheers, hyped for the next match. The forest is reset, Karma and Justus meet in the middle, ready for their battle.

Justus: Karma, I know you’re smart, so you should give up now.

Karma: What? Why would I do that?

Justus: You’ve probably already thought to yourself that your quirk will help you avoid my attacks; well, have you thought about how you plan on actually beating me?

Karma doesn’t respond.

Justus: That’s what I thought.

Karma: Don’t try to intimidate me! I’m not gonna just let you win!

Justus: Unfortunately, Karma, you’ve already lost.

Karma: What?

Justus: I will win this tournament, hands down; my only competition just lost his first match. This tournament is mine, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. I’m sorry you were matched up against me, but this is already over.

Karma grinds her teeth.

Karma: Talk about overconfidence!

Justus: This isn’t confidence. This is a certainty.

Karma takes a step back.

Justus: What was that about how I shouldn’t try to intimidate you?

Karma: Shut up! I’m not losing here.

Justus: Again, you already have.

Karma: *frustrated grunt*

A bead of sweat rolls down Karma’s face.

Alexis: She’s letting him get in her head.

Ash: Yeah, she’s getting frustrated, and the match hasn’t even started.

Alexis: (Ever since that exercise against Colossus, Justus hasn’t been the same, he’s more of a jerk and acts like nobody but him and Silver matter. Now with that said, he’s still a vicious fighter that most of us don’t stand a chance against.)

Justus cracks his neck.

Justus: (This won’t take long.)

Madame Mummy: Begin.

Karma accelerates herself forward and tries to spin kick Justus, but he grabs her leg and throws her down, creating a massive impact, indenting the ground and shaking the arena. A dust cloud covers Karma.

Madame Mummy: (Is it over already?)

The crowd is in awe.

Crowd Member 1: Damn! This kid came to play!

Crowd Member 2: Yeah, who needs Silver when we’ve got this kid!

Justus turns around and starts winding back a punch.

Zach: Huh?

Jace: What’s he doing?

Aaron: Winning the match.

Jace and Zach: What?

Karma rewinds and appears directly in Justus’ path.

Karma: (What!)

Justus punches her, sending her flying back and smashing into a tree. She falls to the ground with blood dripping from her mouth.

Justus: You let my words get the better of you, Karma. You fell for my trap hook, line, and sinker.

Everyone is shocked.

Jace: Wh- Why didn’t she rewind herself and undo the damage?

Kevin: Because she can’t.

Aaron: He played her like a fiddle.

Jace: What?

Wes: Yeah, mind explaining to the rest of us?

Kevin: Justus knew Karma’s whole plan would be to avoid his attacks using her time-warping speed. It would have been an effective strategy for not losing the match, but she’d be leaving herself with very few ways to win.

Aaron: Yeah… so, Justus preyed on her insecurity and made her second guess that plan. Tricking her into thinking she needed to attack him right away. And once she fell for that, it was game over.

Wes: I don’t think I’m following.

Kevin: The key to beating Karma’s rewind ability is to remember where she was three seconds ago so you can hit her right when she reappears, just like Justus did.

Aaron: That’s why Justus smashed into the ground so hard; he needed the damage she sustained to be so severe that she’d be forced to rewind, guaranteeing him a decisive blow no matter what.

Jace: But why didn’t she rewind the second hit?

Aaron: Because the same thing would happen all over again.

Kevin: Justus trapped her in an infinite loop. If she rewinds, she gets hit; if she doesn’t, she gets pounded. The only way the loop ends is when Karma accepts that her fate is inevitable.

Aaron: And Karma’s smart, so it happened immediately. The second Justus punched her, she knew her goose was cooked.

Wes: Jesus Christ…

Jace: He trapped her with her own quirk and made it look like child’s play.

Kevin: (One of the many reasons Justus is a deadly fighter… god, I hope I get to fight him.)

Karma starts coughing up blood. Justus starts to walk towards her.

Justus: Just so you know, if I land another hit on you, you might die, so Madame Mummy probably is on guard to stop the match at any time, and when she does, you automatically lose. Now would be the time to forfeit.

Karma: (I can’t believe I let him trick me and exploit my quirk… I’m such an idiot.)

Justus: Karma, it's okay, don't blame yourself for this loss; if you had been matched up against someone else, you probably would have won, but you just got unlucky, that's all. I'm sorry you didn't have the opportunity to show off your skills, but I need to win this tournament.

Karma hangs her head in shame.

Karma: (How could I lose like this?)

Justus winds back his fist to hit Karma again, but his arm is held back by Madame Mummy, effectively ending the match.

Madame Mummy: The winner is Justus Grey.

A stretcher comes out for Karma. Justus walks off, the crowd cheers loudly for Justus.

Zach: Poor Karma, she probably wishes she could have done more.

Jace: Yeah, Justus didn’t even break a sweat.

Gus: She has herself to blame for falling for his trick.

Kevin: That doesn’t mean she deserved to get humiliated like that.

Wes: Yeah, kind of a dick move on Justus’ part.

Hayze arrives, being helped by the medic.

Aaron: Hey Hayze, congrats on the big win.

The medic helps Hayze into a seat and leaves.

Hayze: Thanks; thankfully, there’s a pretty long stretch before my next fight because I’m pretty beat up.

Zach: It was awesome seeing you beat Silver!

Jace: You really showed everyone that underdogs can win!

Hayze: Thanks.

Hayze notices Karma being removed via stretcher.

Hayze: Wait, what? It’s already over? That was like a minute!

Aaron: Yeah, that’s all Justus needed...

Hayze: (Jesus… I wonder if I had anything to do with that…)

The girls watch their friend leave the arena.

Ash: I hope Karma doesn’t beat herself up over this...

Alexis: Yeah, she got a bad draw, nothing she could have done. Even if Justus played nice and let the match go on a little longer, she would have had a hard time winning.

Lilith: Yeah, but I’m sure she’s gotta be disappointed; this is a big day for all of us, and losing like that’s gotta hurt.

Alexis: I’m sure it does.

Lilith stands up, as does Angel.

Lilith: Well, wish me luck!

Alexis: Oh right, you’re up next.

Ash: Good luck, Lilith, knock that Angel back down to earth.

Angel: Hey, I can hear you!

Ash: Oops…

Lilith: Thanks, Ash, I’ll try my best!

Silver is being healed by Recovery Girl inside the stadium infirmary.

Recovery Girl: That was quite the match you had out there.

Silver laughs.

Silver: If you say so, I didn’t even hit him until the end.

Recovery Girl: You got set on fire twice and ran head-first into an explosion, you persevered in that fight, and that is something to be proud of.

Silver: I guess you’re right.

Walker enters Recovery Girl’s office.

Silver: Mr. Walker?

Recovery Girl: Damien? What are you doing here?

Walker: Mind if I have a chat with Silver?

Recovery Girl: Go ahead. It sounds like I have another one coming already.

Recovery Girl leaves the room.

Silver: What’s up, Mr. Walker?

Walker: So, you got beat; what now?

Silver: What do you mean?

Walker: Someone like you, getting beat in the first round of Sports Festival, there’s a lot of ways you can react to this loss, and I want to gauge where you’re at.

Silver: If that's what you mean, I'm fine; I needed a loss like this to remind me I have to keep working hard and not get complacent. Of course, you told us that when you showed us the rankings and, I didn't take that to heart, and it showed. I didn't take Hayze seriously, and I let him get an edge, and I never recovered from it in our fight. Now that I've been humbled, I will work hard to keep progressing and get even stronger. Losing that fight has given me a reason to work harder than I ever have before because I've got a rematch to look forward to for the first time in my life.

Walker smiles.

Walker: That’s good to hear. (I was expecting him to be a lot less mature about this. That’s why I felt the need to see him, but I’m glad he’s taking this defeat in stride and looking at it as a learning opportunity. Maybe I shouldn’t underestimate these kids so much.)

Fatal turns to Colossus.

Fatal: So… uh... that was quick.

Colossus: Yeah… it sure was. (Strong and smart… you’re even better than I was at that age. But maybe try not to hit the girls that hard; otherwise, you probably won’t be that popular with them…)

Fatal: It looks like it’s time for the fourth match to start.

Angel and Lilith meet at the center of the arena.

Madame Mummy: Begin.

They both start flying using their wings.

Angel: Funny that the two people who can fly got pitted against each other.

Lilith: It sure is.

Angel: (I can’t let Lilith do the same thing to me she did against Colossus, there's no way I could get back up after that.)

Lilith: (Angel’s pretty intelligent. He knows what my best move is. He’s stronger than me, but I can take him out in one move.)

Lilith shrinks down to the size of a butterfly and starts flying at Angel.

Angel: I’m not letting that happen!

Angel covers himself with his wings and starts spinning, firing off feathers at Lilith.

Angel: Quill Cascade!

Lilith avoids the feathers, but she backs off and flies into the forest.

Lilith: (I had a feeling he would do that. If I grow big on him while he’s covered in his wings, they’ll shield him, and I might be guaranteed the knockout. I have to catch him by surprise.)

Over in the competitors stands.

Zach: I wonder what’s going through Lilith’s head? Why hasn’t she gone gigantic and started pummeling Angel yet?

Hayze: Because it drains her energy like crazy. Remember, two days ago was the first time she’s been able to control her growth ability, and it wiped her out after a few minutes. Angel is fast and able to fly, just like her. So she needs to be wise about when she uses it.

Jace: Then what’s her plan until then? She’s not much of a fighter, so she’s not going to do anything to Angel otherwise.

Aaron: She’s probably thinking of doing the one thing that she knows works.

Kevin: Crush him like she did to Colossus.

Wes: Jesus, I don’t think any of us can survive that.

Hayze: Lilith’s quirk is good for stealth, recon, and rescue-type hero work, not combat. Angel knows her options are pretty limited for taking him out, so he’s staying on guard and playing defensively. He can finish her in a single hit while she’s tiny, and it won’t be too much more difficult for him when she’s normal size.

Aaron: It's like he's playing Texas Holdem, and he's got a flush but knows she's one card away from a full house, he wins under almost all circumstances, but he still has to be careful.

Angel lands in the center of the arena.

Angel: (Keeping track of someone so small is tough… and if she catches me off guard for even a second… I’m done… I gotta keep my eyes out and maybe use my ultimate move if I have to. I’d like to save it for Justus, but I have to win this match before worrying about the next one.)

Lilith is sitting behind a tree watching Angel.

Lilith: (Okay… he definitely doesn't know where I am… but he’s on the lookout. I'm not much of a fighter, so I have to win this to show everyone I’m just as good a hero as any of them. This tournament is our chance to give the scouts a showcase of what we’re capable of. So, I won’t let my weaknesses hold me back. Hm… Okay, when he wraps himself in his wings, he spins vertically to fire feathers in every direction, or I should say almost every. Directly above his head and below his feet are unprotected, so if I fly in through there, I’ll be safe. And once I land on Angel, it’s all over.)

Lilith shrinks down and starts flying at Angel.

Angel: (Stay alert, and listen closely. If you can’t see her, maybe you can hear her?)

Angel closes his eyes; he hears the faint sound of Lilith’s buzzing wings.

Angel: (Behind me!)

Angel quickly turns around and fires a feather directly at her. She dodges it, but the attack startled her.

Lilith: (Man, his guard is really up!)

Angel: I’m not gonna be snuck up on that quickly; you’re gonna have to beat me head-on!

Lilith: Fine by me!

Angel takes flight, and Lilith flies after him.

Angel: (She has to be planning something… otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing this again… I have to use it just to be safe and get out of this round now, no risks.)

Angel covers himself in his wings.

Lilith: (There it is… now I just need to be precise and-!)

Angel starts gyrating rapidly.

Lilith: (What is he?)

Angel: Steradian Defense: Ultimate Quill Cascade!

Lilith: What!

Angel starts firing off Feathers in every single direction possible.

Lilith: (There’s no way for me to dodge!)

A swarm of feathers hit and slice into her skin. Lilith gets sent plummeting, returning to normal size. She collides with the ground in a loud impact, creating a dust cloud that engulfs her. Angel uncovers himself and immediately lands.

Angel: (That worked really well.)

The dust clears, Lilith’s lying on the ground in pain with many feathers embedded in her.

Lilith: Wh- what kind of move was that? I- I couldn’t avoid it.

Angel: It’s my ultimate move. A perfect defense. You see, a circle has 360 degrees to it. So, If you fire an attack from every degree of a circle, you can't miss your target. Assuming they’re standing above, below, in front of, or behind you, of course. That’s because a circle is a two-dimensional object, so you want to do this with a sphere for maximum coverage. To do that, you have to cover 360 degrees squared divided by pi, or 41,253 degrees squared or 41,253 Steradians.

Lilith: So, you need to fire at least 41,253 feathers… that’s… a lot.

Angel: My supply of feathers is infinite as they make up the mass of my wings. There are, of course, drawbacks to using so many feathers at once, but I have other matches to fight in this tournament, so I shouldn’t reveal those now.

Lilith: Oh man… and I wanted to win so badly.

Madame Mummy walks over to Lilith and inspects her.

Madame Mummy: The winner is Angel Northcroft.

The crowd cheers for Angel's win. Lilith is able to get up and walk off of her own power. In the competitors' booth, Zach and Aaron both stand up.

Aaron: Are you ready to lose, bonehead?

Zach: Hell yeah, I am- oh, I thought you were gonna say something nice...

Aaron: This is war, you bastard; there ain’t no such thing as being nice!

Zach: Okay then! Go die metal mouth!

Aaron: MY HANDS ARE MADE OF METAL, NOT MY MOUTH, YOU FUCKER!

They both storm off to the exit, passing Justus on the way.

Aaron: Oh, hey, Justus, the match is already over-

Justus passes by Aaron, ignoring him.

Aaron: Hey! Asshole! Look at me when I’m talking to you!

Justus approaches Hayze.

Justus: Do you mind talking to me for a moment in private?

Hayze stares at Justus for a second.

Hayze: Yeah, let’s go.

Hayze gets up and slowly follows Justus into the hallway, Wes notices them leaving. For a few moments, Justus just stares down Hayze.

Hayze: So are you gonna-

Justus: You took my moment from me… how dare you.

Hayze: Your moment?

Justus: Defeating Silver and moving to the final round was my right, and you took that from me!

Hayze: Your right, huh?

Justus: Don’t mock me, someone like you could never understand the rivalry that Silver and I shared, and you intervened in something that wasn’t your business.

Hayze just looks at Justus with a stern look on his face and then starts walking away.

Justus: DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!

Hayze stops.

Hayze: Mind if I take a guess at something?

Justus: Guess? Guess what?

Hayze: Colossus… is he your father?

Justus is taken aback.

Hayze: I thought so. For the last month, the Justus I knew was a pretty calm guy that was stoic and strong, not much of a talker, but your actions spoke louder than your words. You're a guy who can stop a car with his fist for god's sake… then Colossus showed up. The last two days, you've been completely different; you’ve been acting like a jerk who thinks the world revolves around him. Your quirks are similar, although Colossus' is much more powerful, and the way your name is spelled also gave it away. Now that you've brought up your “right” to beat Silver. I have a feeling you were using him as a metaphor for your need to defeat Colossus. I was right there when you jumped at Colossus, and he clapped you to the ground like it was nothing. Ever since then, you've been fixated on your rivalry with Silver because that's a battle you think you can win. I heard what Silver said to you.

Justus is surprised.

“ Silver: We all have failed in some way since getting here, but how we react to those failures is what defines our paths towards becoming heroes. “ - Chapter 11

Hayze: I guess you didn’t listen, or at least you misinterpreted what he meant. He wasn’t telling you to treat your rivalry with him as a surrogate for the one you have with your father. Don’t act like not being as strong as your dad is a sin. Nobody is as strong as your dad; that’s why he’s number 1. You need to stop acting like surpassing him is life or death.

Hayze starts to walk away.

Justus: Oh, I see.

Hayze stops again.

Hayze: Hm?

Justus: You think because you beat Silver that you can lecture me about how to deal with my familial issues, huh? Go fuck yourself! You didn’t defeat Silver; he let you win! If he had used his attack to destroy the forest at the start, you would have lost instantly! So don’t act like you’ve accomplished anything. You’re still weaker than me!

Hayze stares at Justus for a moment.

Hayze: Maybe I did overstep my bounds, but everything you just said is absolute horse shit, and if you really believe it, then you’ll never beat your dad.

Justus: Shut the hell up about my father already!

Hayze opens his mouth to speak but decides against it and starts walking away again.

Justus: Win your next fight; I may not be able to beat Silver, but humiliating your know-it-all ass in front of this entire stadium is a decent substitute.

Hayze leaves, Justus stands there lamenting.

Justus: *under his breath* Piece of shit...

Hayze sits down in his seat.

Wes: What was that about?

Hayze smiles.

Hayze: It was nothing. I’m just ready for the next match.