Walker passes out.

Lilith: Is he going to die!

Aaron: Those were some good final words if he does…

Hayze: No, I don’t think he’s dying.

Karma: What makes you think that?

Hayze: Why would that guy only shoot him with a single needle? He knew Mr. Walker would be caught off guard by his next attack, so he had a free shot. It makes no sense for him to have only fired one.

Alexis: Hayze is right. One needle gave him the lowest possible chance of killing Mr. Walker; he held back intentionally. On top of that, the masked one could have killed Ms. Fatal, but instead, she incapacitated her. They weren’t aiming to kill either of them.

Aaron: That’s all fine and dandy, but explain why there’s a body out there then? Why kill Mr. EMD and not Mr. Walker and Ms. Fatal?

Hayze: That’s the part that doesn’t add up, but I think those two will be fine either way. Besides, we need to start worrying about ourselves.

Silver: By the looks of it, 6 of them can still fight. We know 4 of their quirks; the big one clearly has enhanced size and strength, the leader has his poisonous needles, and there’s the magnetic one. Finally, there’s the cloaked guy; I can’t figure out what his quirk is. Maybe it’s some form of telekinesis?

Demetri: Who cares what his quirk is? Mr. Walker told us to stay away from that guy. They killed a pro! Even if we take the rest of them down… they’ll wipe us all out.

The students go quiet after that.

Justus: He’s stood off to the side for nearly the entire time and only intervened when they needed him to. He’s like their trump card. Perhaps if we divide their group, we’ll have a higher chance of defeating them.

Silver: Yeah, the masked one can’t help them all at once that way.

Hayze: That sounds like a good idea to me.

Aaron steps towards the doorway, grabbing Wes by the collar of his shirt.

Aaron: Wes and I will take on the magnetic guy; we’ll lead him into the forest so he won’t be able to protect his teammates.

Wes: We’re doing what now?

Aaron: Or Wes can bitch out in the cabin if that’s what he wants to do.

Wes stares at Aaron.

Wes: Fair point. Do you even have a plan, though?

Aaron: I just said my plan: Lead him away and shoot him.

Wes: Of Mice and Men, I guess…

Alexis: I’ll go with you too. Our numbers are basically our only advantage; we might as well not waste it. Besides, it would be a shame if you two fucked up and died.

Aaron: Welcome abroad then!

Wes: (Why am I starting to feel like a third wheel…)

Alden hangs out in the background shivering in fear.

Alden: (If I go out there… I’m gonna die! Mr. Walker beat me to a bloody pulp, and look what happened to him!) I’ll defend the house! Someone needs to!

Everyone ignores Alden; Alden looks dumbfounded.

Alden: (They all assumed I would stay…)

Justus starts walking towards the door.

Aaron: You coming with us too?

Justus: I’ll take on the giant; he’s the most significant threat after the masked one. Who wants to join me? I think only a max of 6 people should be assigned to him.

Kevin walks forward and stands beside Justus.

Kevin: I’m in!

Zach, Jace, Angel, and Gus all join them.

Zach: Me too!

Jace: Yeah! Let’s get that guy!

Angel: I’ll give aerial support.

Gus: And I’ll use my gas to… support too, I guess.

Justus: Okay, follow me, guys.

Jagger and his team regroup near the tree line.

Jagger: Mara, stay back with Julio and Yusuf.

Mara: Will, do.

Jagger: Ivy, standby just in case we need you again.

Ivy: Okay.

Jagger: Clay, Darian, Adonis, you’re with me, let’s take them all!

Adonis: Adonis agrees.

Clay: Gotcha.

Darian: I’ll get as many as I can.

Jagger: Good, now let’s-

Justus, Kevin, Angel, Gus, Jace, and Zach run out of the cabin.

Jagger: Well, well, well, it looks like they’re feeling confident.

Mara: Three of them are on the list.

Jagger: In that case, Adonis, you handle all of them. Don’t get overzealous; capture them if you’re given the opportunity.

Adonis: Adonis doesn’t promise anything except carnage.

Adonis starts running at Justus’ group.

Jagger: That bumbling idiot better remember the plan!

Mara: Jagger, look!

Justus’ team and Adonis continue towards a head-on collision.

Zach: Well, that was easy! He wants to pick a fight with us anyway!

Kevin: Yeah, but that means his team is confident he can take us all out.

Zach: Oh…

Jace: We’ve got the numbers advantage; let’s get this guy!

Justus: Everyone, turn to the right. We’ll bring him to the opposite end of the field.

The six students make a sharp turn and run to a different part of the clearing; Adonis follows without hesitation.

Jagger: What the hell are they up to?

Mara: It seems they’re leading him away from the rest of us. They must believe they can defeat Adonis if we can’t assist him.

Jagger: Like I’m going to allow that! Clay, go help, Adonis!

Clay (still metallic) starts running towards Adonis and Justus’ team, but suddenly he is hit upside the head by a rocket, and an explosion goes off.

Jagger: What the hell!

Darian: That looked like it came from the cabin!

Aaron, Alexis, and Wes have exited the building.

Aaron: God, it’s nice to not have to aim!

Wes: Well, we didn’t die as soon as we walked out of the cabin… so I guess that’s a win.

Alexis: Stick to the plan guys, we need to lead him away.

Aaron: Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.

The three students start running towards Clay as he’s just starting to get up.

Jagger: Clay, watch out!

Clay notices Aaron’s group.

Clay: Fools, I’m going to take all of you down, no problem!

Clay readies himself for battle.

Aaron: Neh.

Clay tries to punch Aaron, but he dodges and runs past him; Alexis and Wes also run past Clay. Then, they run into the forest.

Clay: Huh?

Mara: Jagger, two of them are on the list; we can’t let them escape.

Jagger: I know! Ivy you-

Ivy: Master Iota ordered me to assist in the success of this mission. If I leave now, I can’t help the rest of you, which lowers our chances of completing our objective.

Jagger: *frustrated grunt* Dammit, fine! I didn’t want to have to do this, Clay! After them!

Clay runs into the forest behind Aaron’s group.

Jagger: Great… Now we don’t have Clay to absorb attacks for us.

Inside the cabin, Lilith kneels beside Walker.

Lilith: I- I can’t do it, I can’t bring myself to go out there… I don’t want to die.

Karma walks over to Lilith and consoles her.

Karma: Don’t worry, we haven’t been trained for this yet… it’s alright that you’re not ready.

Lilith starts crying, and Karma hugs her.

Karma: (The truth is… I’m terrified of dying myself… I don’t want to go out there either…)

Blair, Ash, Eve, Silver, Jake, Hayze, Isaiah, and Demetri are still planning.

Silver: It’s probably for the best that you stay here and guard the cabin Karma.

Karma is surprised.

Karma: Are- are you sure?

Silver: I assume a few people will stay behind out of fear; I don’t fault them for that, you should stay behind to protect them and Mr. Walker just in case.

Jake: I guess I fall in that category.

Demetri: You’re just being a coward!

Jake: I mean, sure, but after all the running we did today, I’m too hungry for my quirk to work; I’m basically useless.

Isaiah: But we had dinner!

Jake: Not enough chicken nuggets, I’m afraid.

Hayze: That’s fine, Jake. I guess that leaves the seven of us to try and take down the leader and his bodyguards.

Silver: Not preferable, but Justus’ team needed all the manpower for taking down the big guy.

Isaiah and Demetri look worried.

Demetri: (What? We’re taking on the guy who took down Mr. Walker and the chick that killed EMD and mutilated Ms. Fatal? No way… w- we… can’t… I… don’t…)

Isaiah: (We’re so dead if we go outside… but I know my classmates need me…)

Silver, Eve, Blair, Hayze, and Ash walk to the door.

Silver: Stay safe, Karma, Lilith, and Jake.

Alden: Hey!

The five of them start leaving. Isaiah and Demetri don’t move.

Demetri: (My legs… they refuse to move… I have to go with them! I can’t be useless forever… but I’m so afraid…Goddammit!)

Isaiah: (I don’t want to stay behind… but my legs aren’t working right now… is this what it means to be paralyzed by fear?)

Silver’s group walks out of the cabin.

Eve: The useless brothers didn’t come with us.

Silver: That’s fine; I understand their fear… it’s not ideal, but I can’t fault them.

Eve: Pfft, I can, they can’t do anything right for themselves… I wouldn’t trust them with my life, that’s for sure… they should just quit trying to be heroes.

Ash: That’s a little harsh, Eve.

Eve: Yeah, well, it’s true.

They pass Fatal’s unconscious body; Hayze flips her over and checks her pulse.

Hayze: She’s alive, but her leg wounds are pretty bad.

Ash walks over and rips off her sleeves to tie them around Fatal’s ankles.

Hayze: God thinking, that’ll help the bleeding.

Ash: I just want her to be okay…

Hayze: Don’t worry, after this is all over, we’ll get her to a hospital.

Silver looks over his shoulder at Ash, helping Fatal.

Silver: (Quite the ragtag team I’ve got to work with, Hayze and Ash are fine, but I’m worried about Blair and Eve losing their tempers, this is a high-stress situation, I’ll have to play my cards right for us to get out of this.)

Jagger and Darian approach Silver’s team.

Jagger: Don’t worry about Femme Fatal. Ivy was very delicate with her incisions.

Blair: She used a fucking sword!

Jagger laughs.

Jagger: She’s still alive, isn’t she?

Blair: Just shut up!

Silver: Blair, keep your cool; he saw the Sports Festival, I assume, so he knows some of our weaknesses.

Blair: *grunts* You’re probably right…

Silver: Hayze, do you have an idea of this guy’s weakness?

Hayze: Well, he fires his needles from those holes on his arms, so if you plug those, he should be neutralized.

Silver: Got it, then let’s get to work.

Silver opens two of his silver dust canisters and levitates all of the dust above himself.

Silver: Let’s take these bastards down!

Darian gets down on his knees and takes a deep inhale.

Silver: (What’s he up to?)

Darian exhales and spews out pink 100 bubbles.

Darian: Bubble Barrage: Minefield.

The bubbles form a wall in front of Darian and Jagger.

Eve: What the hell is this?

Darian: Our way of countering Silver’s annoying quirk.

One of the bubbles floats up to Silver’s dust pile, exploding on contact and destroying a chunk of the dust.

Silver: What?

Darian: Explosive Bubbles, you don’t stand a chance.

The bubbles start to surround Silver’s group.

Silver: Crap, I can’t maneuver my silver through this.

Eve: What do we do then? If those things touch us, we’re dead!

Hayze: Silver, if you can’t go through, go above!

Silver: Ah! Right!

The bubbles slowly get closer to the group.

Blair: This is getting a little claustrophobic.

Silver sends his remaining dust crashing down towards Darian and Jagger,

Darian: Ha! That’s not going to work!

Silver: Huh?

Darian takes a deep inhale and begins blowing a bubble that engulfs Silver’s dust strike.

Silver: Are you kidding me!

Blair: That’s not good…

Hayze: No… it definitely isn’t.

Darian shrinks the bubble down to the size of a bouncy ball and grabs it in his hand.

Darian: This is one of my vintage capture bubbles; now your silver dust is useless to you.

Darian hooks the capture bubble on his belt. The bubbles continue to encroach upon Silver’s group.

Silver: This guy is the perfect counter to me; I don’t know what to do.

Hayze and Ash look at each other and nod; Ash then falls over, and Hayze catches her. Jagger and Darian don’t notice this due to the bubbles obscuring their view.

Darian: They’re screwed.

Jagger: Let’s wait for the panic to set in and then capture them. It’s way more fun that way.

Ash takes over Jagger’s body.

Jagger (Ash): Darian, get rid of the bubbles now.

Darian: What? Why? We have them cornered!

Jagger (Ash): Don’t question me!

Darian: Alright then…

Darian clenches his fist, and all the bubbles around Silver’s group go away.

Jagger (Ash): Thank you.

Darian: You’re welcome? What’s the plan now?

Jagger (Ash): This!

Jagger punches Darian in the face.

Darian: You asshole! What was that for?

Jagger: What was what for? And why are you on the ground! Hey! What happened to the bubble shield!

Darian: Quit playing games, Jagger. Why did you hit me!

Jagger: I didn’t do anything!

Ivy: *from afar* It was the Astral girl idiots.

Ash is giggling.

Darian and Jagger: WHAT!

Silver: Good work Ash, now that we’re out of that mess let’s take these guys down!

Ash: Yeah!

Ivy and Mara are standing by Yusuf and Julio’s unconscious bodies watching the fight.

Ivy: Mara, take Julio and Yusuf and head to the rendezvous point. You’re not needed here.

Mara: But what about-

Ivy: Those two will take a while to bring back; it’s best if you leave now and get a head start. The situation is handled.

Mara hesitates.

Mara: Fine.

Mara picks up Yusuf and Julio and runs into the forest. Ivy points her open palm towards Silver’s group.

Ivy: I’ll help them out a little bit; they clearly aren’t smart enough to counter her quirk.

Suddenly Ash starts floating.

Ash: What’s going on!

Blair: Oh no!

Ash is pulled towards Darian and Jagger; Darian blows a capture bubble around her and shrinks it to the size of a bouncy ball.

Darian: Got her!

Jagger: Good! Give her here!

Darian passes Jagger Ash’s bubble, and Jagger hooks it to his belt.

Jagger: And just like that, one down.

Blair gets an enraged look on her face; she hardens magma armor around both of her fists and starts running at Darian and Jagger.

Blair: Give Ash back right now!

Hayze: Blair, no!

Silver: What is she doing!

Blair attempts to punch Jagger, but he dodges with ease; he fires a needle into her back. Blair falls to the ground.

Jagger: That armor increases your striking power, but your movement and speed decrease. I’m not much of a speedster, but even I could dodge a simple punch.

Blair: *groans*

Darian blows a capture bubble over her.

Silver: Fuck! They’ve got Ash and Blair now!

Eve: We’ll get them back!

Hayze: Yeah, but first, we need to figure out how to beat these guys.

Jagger grabs the ball holding Blair and throws it to Ivy.

Jagger: We need to distribute; we can’t have one person carrying all of them.

Hayze, Eve and Silver huddle up.

Eve: What do we do?

Silver: My quirk is useless with the bubble guy around, so we need to remove him first.

Hayze: Yeah, and once he’s gone, Silver has a favorable match-up against the leader, so this battle will swing our way.

Eve: Okay, but you still haven’t answered my question.

Hayze: I think I’ve got an idea, but it’s going off an assumption, though. Are you okay with that?

Eve: If we take these guys down, I don’t care.

Silver: Same, we need to get Ash and Blair back.

Hayze: Well, it’s not really my idea; you two were the ones to come up with it.

Eve: What?

Silver has a look of realization.

Silver: I get it; you mean our combo move from this morning.

Eve: What? That move?

Hayze: As far as I can tell, he can only blow one of his capture bubbles at a time, so if you attack him with two different streams of dust.

Eve: Then we can catch him between a rock and a hard place.

Silver: And since they’ll be approaching from two different directions, he can’t use his explosive bubbles to block either.

Silver unhooks one of his dust canisters and hands it to Eve.

Jagger: What are they up to?

Darian: Maybe they’re surrendering?

Jagger: Pfft like they’d do that. I’ll fire a warning shot to let them know we’re getting bored.

Jagger fires a needle at Silver, Eve, and Hayze. Silver blocks it with a shield of silver dust.

Jagger: Cute barrier, now fight us!

Eve comes running out from behind the shield of dust.

Jagger: There we go! Now was that so hard? Darian, go after her.

Darian: On it!

Darian starts running at Eve; simultaneously, Silver starts moving the dust shield opposite of where Eve is.

Darian: You’re mine, girly!

Darian starts to inhale. Eve watches the Silver’s dust pile waiting for it to be perfectly positioned. Ivy notices this.

Ivy: Darian! Get out of there!

Darian hears Ivy and stops his attack.

Darian: Huh?

Eve: Combo Attack: Magnetic Grinder!

Darian: WHAT!

Eve opens the canister and touches the dust. Darian watches as the dust from the canister zooms out towards him.

Darian: Why is it so fast!

Darian exhales a capture bubble around Eve’s dust.

Jagger: Darian behind you!

Darian looks over his shoulder to see the other dust pile coming at him at the same speed.

Darian: (Ah crap…)

Darian is slammed in the back by the dust and pushed into his own capture bubble.

Darian: NO! DAMMIT!

Eve: Got him!

Jagger gets a terrified look as Silver turns his attention towards him.

Silver: Your turn!

Jagger: Ivy, we’re retreating. Go a different direction; they won’t follow both of us.

Jagger and Ivy split up and head into different parts of the forest. Darian has tears in his eyes, watching his allies escape without him.

Darian: WAIT! JAGGER, please don’t leave me!

Silver: Guys, we have to follow him!

Eve and Silver run into the forest after Jagger; Hayze follows them but then looks over in Ivy’s direction.

Hayze: (She’s got Blair with her… it may be suicide… but I can’t just let her take Blair without any opposition!)

Hayze changes directions and starts running after Ivy.

Hayze: (I’m coming, Blair!)

As Hayze enters the forest, he passes by EMD’s body. He glances towards it and notices water on his cheek.

Hayze: (Are those tears?)

Jagger keeps running through the forest, Eve and Silver right on his tail. Eve looks back.

Eve: Where the hell did Hayze go?

Silver looks worried.

Silver: Don’t tell me he went after the other one?

Eve: He isn’t that stupid? He must have just fallen behind!

Silver: We’ll worry about that later; our objective is to take this guy down and save Ash! (Hayze… I don’t know what you’re thinking… just don’t get captured or killed… please.)