Tobias and Zach resurface in the water below the coin machine.

Zach: *groans* I’m gonna feel that in the morning… at least Aaron toned it down so we’d only get blasted, not severely injured.

Zach notices Tobias looks frustrated.

Tobias: (How could I be defeated so easily?)

A small boat approaches them. Alec and Grace are on the side.

Alec: Well, well, well, Tobias, welcome to the Loser Boat.

Grace: I like Lose Cruise better.

Alec: Shut up.

Grace helps Zach up.

Grace: Who did you guys in?

Zach: *groans* Aaron and Justus ganged up on us.

Alec: Hahaha! No wonder you got ejected at the same time. Not a fun draw.

Recovery Girl steps out from the boat’s lower deck.

Recovery Girl: New arrivals? Come on down. I just finished with Romeo.

Zach: Yeah, one sec.

Zach offers Tobias his hand.

Zach: Come on, buddy. Let’s get fixed up.

Tobias stares at Zach.

Tobias: (Buddy?) *grunts*

Tobias takes Zach’s hand and gets helped up onto the boat.

Recovery Girl: And please try to get Gavin out of the water, Alec and Grace.

Alec: We are…

Gavin has removed all of his clothes.

Gavin: The pool is getting warmer!

Alec: Thank god I’m not in that arena anymore.

They then follow Recovery Girl inside the ship.

Zach: Thanks for backing me up there.

Tobias: I was initially against you, though.

Zach: I know, but it doesn’t matter how you start. It matters how you finish.

Tobias: Well, we didn’t finish well either.

Zach: Nope, but we’ll just try even harder next time.

Tobias is taken aback.

Tobias: How can you be so optimistic?

Zach: I don’t see the point of being sad over a loss. It happened, but I can always look forward to future battles, especially ones that actually count.

Tobias: I see…

Zach snickers.

Tobias: Hm? Is something funny?

Zach: What, do you not see the irony in a blind guy saying, “I see?”

Tobias smiles.

Tobias: I guess you’re right about that.

Impulse and Blair are shocked.

Impulse: Man… I can’t believe she did that.

Blair: Damn, Saige…

Impulse gets to his feet.

Impulse: Well, I guess we’ve got a battle to get back to.

Blair: Yeah, we do…

Impulse and Blair stare at each other.

Walker: (A strong defensive battler versus a speedster, an interesting matchup. Although…)

Impulse and Blair glance at Ash.

Blair: (I bet we have the same idea. Ash is out cold, so we could eliminate her right now.)

Impulse: (I don’t really have a dog in this fight. She was messing with me earlier, but Grace is gone now, so…) Rock, paper, scissors for the free elim?

Blair: Huh?

Impulse: Oh, come on. We’re both thinking about it. I don’t like knocking someone out when they can’t defend themselves, but it won’t be a fun battle if we’re constantly worried about her waking up.

Blair hesitates.

Blair: (He makes a fair point…) Alright, fine.

Impulse: Cool.

Impulse approaches Blair.

Blair: You can stay where you are.

Impulse stops.

Impulse: Oh, come on! You don’t trust me?

Blair: Don’t think that because you look like Hayze, I’ll blindly believe everything you say.

Impulse: That implies you do that with him.

Blair stares at Impulse.

Blair: Shut up.

Impulse: Alright, if you say so. I really wasn’t going to try anything.

Blair and Impulse hold out their hands.

Blair and Impulse: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!

Blair throws rock while Impulse throws paper.

Impulse: Gotcha!

Blair: Okay, get it over with. I promise I won’t do anything.

Impulse: Okay, I trust you.

Impulse walks to Ash.

Impulse: (Okay, now what? She’s going to use her lava shield to block me from attacking her. How do I get around that? Man, I’m seriously not used to this whole “thinking things through” thing.)

Impulse shakes his head.

Impulse: (It’s alright. At least I know I’m good at improvising!)

Impulse is about to reach Ash.

Impulse: (Well, cya, Ash-)

An explosion goes off, sending Impulse flying back and tumbling against the ground.

Impulse: AHHHHHHH!

Blair: (What the-)

Blair charges toward Impulse.

Impulse: *groans* Well… I guess she wasn’t unconscious… Huh?

Blair creates a magma gauntlet and punches Impulse in the head.

Impulse: Ow…

With Impulse disoriented, Blair grabs him by the back of his shirt collar and storms toward the area’s edge.

Lilith: Why isn’t she throwing him? Getting Impulse off the ground is the best way to take him out!

Jace: Yeah, it’s almost like she wants Impulse to break free.

Isaiah: Also, why did she attack him in the first place? Didn’t they have an agreement to finish off Ash together?

Eve: It’s definitely strange… It almost looked like Impulse hit one of Ash’s astral mines. But she hasn’t moved at all…

Verity: If you’re looking for an answer, perhaps it has to do with all of those things being related.

Isaiah: Huh?

Jace: What’s she talking about?

Impulse grabs Blair’s ankle.

Impulse: Spark Shower!

Impulse electrocutes Blair, freeing himself.

Blair: AHHHHHH!

Impulse speeds away from her to build distance.

Impulse: What the hell are you doing, Blair?! We had a deal!

Blair ignores Impulse and fires two streams of lava at him.

Impulse: Okay… love our talks…

Impulse dodges easily.

Walker: Can you see what’s going on?

Ivy: Yes, but only because you told me to watch Ash.

Walker: You’ve been taught to use your power to decimate your opponents, but sometimes it’s better to use their strength against them.

Impulse glances at Ash.

Impulse: (Wait a second… I think I know what’s happening here!)

Impulse begins charging electricity in his hand.

Impulse: Alright, “Blair,” you may not want to hold up your end of our bargain, but I will!

Blair: Hm?!

Impulse launches a beam of electricity at Ash.

Impulse: Blackout Blitzkrieg!

Ash stands up and dodges just before the electric blast connects.

Ash: Dang it… I thought I could take you out before you figured it out.

Blair: Huh? What am I doing over here?

Impulse: Were you ever unconscious at all? Or were you just playing possum that whole time?

Ash: Yup. I set up a minefield around me in case you tried to throw me off, but I couldn’t do anything against a ranged attack.

Blair: Wait, what? Was I just getting marionetted!

Impulse: Mhm, I realized because she didn’t go for the knockout on me when she had the chance. What she really wanted was to knock us both out at the same time by jumping off the area in your body.

Blair: What the hell, Ash!

Ash: Sorry, Blair, but I had to try.

Blair: I guess so, but still, WHY ME?!

Ash: You lost rock, paper, scissors.

Blair stares at Ash.

Blair: *sighs* I don’t have a rebuttal.

Ash, Blair, and Impulse grow silent as they stand in a triangle, eyeing each other down.

Demetri: What the hell are they doing now?

Isaiah: I’m not sure.

Walker turns to Ivy.

Walker: Explain the situation to me.

Ivy: Well, they’re now in a tough spot. Impulse has taken a decent amount of damage and has fired off two ultimate attacks. Blair is closest to the edge, and Ash has exhausted most of her tricks. However, they’re all aware of this. Whoever strikes first will secure a victory, but they’ll be left vulnerable and can be swiftly defeated afterward.

Walker: Yes, this is the triangle of death. Whoever strikes first decides the victor, but it cannot be themselves.

Ivy: Why couldn’t they attack both of their opponents simultaneously?

Walker: Ash isn’t capable of that. Impulse would require his shock sabers to aim his lightning attacks properly, and it’s too risky for Blair. If her attack fails, there’s a chance they’ll team up on her.

Ivy: I see… this is quite the conundrum. You know these students well. Who do you think will crack first?

Walker smiles.

Walker: I know who it won’t be.

The stand-off lasts a full minute, with nobody making a move.

Impulse: (If I attack Blair, Ash could possess my body and force me off the edge, too! But if I attack Ash, Blair will lava blast me into next week! I could try molecular vibration or lightning speed, but I’ll be completely out of juice! Ugh, what do I do?)

Blair: (This might be it for me. I’ve put up a decent fight, but one false move and I’m a goner. Should I go out swinging or bide my time and see if an opening to survive this situation comes up?)

Ash: (I’m out of ideas. I only make it out of this if one of them wipes out the other. Then, I’m open to infiltrate the survivor’s body and send them off the edge. Either way, I can’t win if I attack first. So, I’m willing to leave my fate in their hands. If they attack each other, I win. If they attack me, I lose. That’s it.)

A few more seconds pass.

Blair: (Screw it! If I have to lose, I’d rather go down fighting! The question is… who do I attack?)

Blair clenches her fist.

Blair: Molten Core Meltdown!

Blair creates a cannon out of magma armor on her arm and launches a massive magma blast at Impulse.

Impulse: AHHHHHHHH!

Impulse crashes into the ground, badly hurt.

Blair: (If I move fast enough, maybe I can-)

Blair turns to Ash. She’s already on the ground, unconscious.

Blair: (Shit!)

Ash takes over Blair’s body.

Blair (Ash): Sorry, Blair.

Blair leaps off the edge.

Boom: Down goes another one in the dream area!

Impulse painfully attempts to sit up.

Impulse: (Well, if I’m going down anyway…)

Impulse gets to his feet, wobbly, wincing, and grunting in pain.

Adrian: Impulse is still able to stand!

Fatal: Blair’s attack was monstrous! I can’t believe he has that kind of willpower!

Houston: It’s because he’s my student!

Ewing: But what can he do in his current state?

Houston: Just one thing…

Impulse activates lightning speed.

Impulse: I may not be the strongest or smartest one of my brothers…

Impulse limps towards Ash’s body.

Impulse: But…

Impulse eventually reaches and begins dragging Ash to the edge.

Impulse: I was born from Hayze’s excitement and impulsivity… emotions of passion. So, of my brothers…

Impulse uses every ounce of strength he has left to chuck Ash off the area’s edge.

Impulse: I’m the one with the most heart for battle!

Impulse ends lightning speed. Ash returns to her body.

Ash: Wh- what?!

Impulse: Gotcha…

Impulse passes out and falls off the edge.

Boom: OH, MAN! WHAT A FINISH IN THE DREAM AREA! Blair takes down Impulse, Ash forces Blair out, and Impulse speeds Ash off! It’s a three-way knockout!

The crowd cheers.

Walker: Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

Ivy: Impulse was just like…

Walker: *nasal grunt* I guess they’re all built like that.

Blaze gets to his feet.

Blaze: Now we don’t have to worry about Gavin. That changes things…

Silver: *frustrated grunt* So, you’re still gonna team up with Calm even after he shot you?

Blaze hesitates to answer.

Calm: Yes, he will.

Blaze and Silver: Huh?

Calm: Silver would easily handle you in a one-on-one engagement, Blaze. My quirk is an almost direct counter to his. Working with me is your optimal play.

Silver: And you wouldn’t beat him one-on-one while he has a bad leg?

Calm: That depends on Wes’ allegiance.

Wes: M- me?

Blaze: Yeah… Why Wes?

Calm: Both of us would benefit greatly from the aid of his quirk. So, if he sides with you, you’d be at a great advantage.

Blaze: Okay… but if I wipe you out and fight Silver alone, he’d have to choose my side by default.

Calm: Yes, but Silver is a defensive fighter. You’ve hit him with a surprise mirror microwave attack once. You won’t do it again.

Silver: Maybe he-

Calm: Don’t attempt to deny it. We all know it’s the truth.

Silver: *nasal grunt* Fair enough.

Blaze goes into deep thought.

Blaze: Wes? Do you have my back against Calm?

Wes gulps.

Wes: (I feel like this is a trap… if I say yes, I bet Calm will attack me right before Silver goes down. But I don’t know what will happen if I say no. Will Blaze team up with Silver then?) Hey! What about Gus? He’s still here, you know.

Calm: You are the only variable that matters. Gus is of no concern.

Wes: Wh- why’s that?

A wave of water blasts into the area from the coin dispenser and crashes toward Gus.

Calm: He won’t be around once Silver or I am defeated.

Gus: AHHHHHH!

Wes: Gus!

Gus is swept up by the water and careens toward the edge of the area.

Gus: OH NO! OH NO!

Gus grabs onto the edge and hangs on for dear life.

Gus: *gargling* AHHHHHHHH!

The water drains out, but Gus is still hanging on.

Calm: Hm, I guess he learned his lesson from last time.

Wes: Gus!

Wes runs to Gus and helps him up.

Gus: Thanks, Wes… holy shit…

Wes: Alright, Calm, that’s it! I’m on Blaze’s side!

Calm glances at Wes, then returns his attention to Blaze.

Calm: Well, Blaze? Once Silver is defeated, it’s Wes, you, and Gus versus me.

Blaze: Hm…

Blaze goes into deep thought.

Gus: /Hey, Wes…/

Wes: Yeah?

Gus: /You know how you just agreed to join Blaze’s side?/

Wes: Yeah?

Gus: /Isn’t that what Calm wanted?/

Wes: Y- Yeah?

Gus: /So… Do you think he tried washing me away to… make you change sides, so he could trick Blaze into taking down Silver, but then he’ll wash both of us away right after?/

Wes stares at Gus.

Wes: Fuck…

Silver: (I can’t do anything until Blaze makes up his mind. My arm injury is pretty bad, and like Calm said, his quirk counters my own. Blaze’s help might be necessary for me to take him out.)

Blaze is still thinking.

Walker: Almost a perfect plan Calm’s come up with. The logic leads Blaze towards a single path, the one Calm wants him to walk.

Ivy: Yes, it’s like Hayze would do… but…

Walker: But what?

Ivy: Why did you say “almost perfect?”

Walker: Because he’s appealing perfectly to Blaze, knowing who his father is. But…

Blaze fires a microwave at Calm, who deflects it with his trident.

Calm: Hm?!

Walker smiles.

Walker: He forgot who his mother is.

Blaze fires a second and third microwave beam at Calm, dodging one and deflecting the other.

Blaze: Sorry, Calm. You may be right about me not being able to take Silver out myself, but I won’t be manipulated by you!

Calm: Ignoring the logical choice to go with your gut emotion? Are you serious?

Blaze: Yup! Silver, are you with me?

Silver turns to face Calm.

Silver: Sure am.

Calm: So, the tables have turned. However, I am not alone in this battle.

Blaze: What? Everyone just agreed to go after you!

Calm pulls out Wes’ gun and tosses it to him.

Calm: Wes, I would love your assistance in this battle. Consider this an apology for using you in my plot.

Wes thinks for a moment.

Gus: /Just remember, he probably had this planned, too. Why else do you think he took your gun in the first place?/

Wes: Maybe… but I’d rather side with the guy with a plan!

Gus: If you say so…

Blaze: So, you’re on his side, Wes?

Silver: Turncoat…

Wes: Oh, fuck you, guys!

Calm: Wes, it’s time for an ultimate move.

Wes: Okay, which one are you using?

Calm: Not mine.

Wes stares at Calm in confusion.

Gus: /He means you./

Wes: I REALIZED THAT WITHOUT YOU, GUS! Are you sure, Calm? If I use that, you could get hit too!

Calm: That’s fine.

Wes: Alright…

Wes crouches down and takes a deep breath.

Wes: Ultimate Attack: House of Mirrors!

Wes places his hand on the ground and slowly transforms the entire area into a mirror.

Blaze: What is this?

Silver: The only thing Wes can do on his own that’s frightening.

Wes takes aim at the ground and transforms his body into a mirror.

Wes: There are only four things in this area that these bullets can hit. You’d better hope you’re not one of them!

Wes unloads all four rounds. First, they bounce off the ground and supercharge. They then begin bouncing all around the area, ricocheting off everything.

Blaze: This isn’t good!

Silver: Don’t let one hit you, Blaze!

Blaze: What about you?

Silver: I’ve got a layer of silver armor to soften the blow-

A bullet hits Silver’s left upper arm. Piercing his armor easily.

Silver: *pained grunt* Nevermind…

The three remaining bullets continue bouncing.

Gus: Hey, uh… Wes? Mind coating me in mirrors, too?

Wes: Oh, shit, right! I forgot I could do that. Here, let me-

A bullet hits Gus in the butt.

Gus: AHHHHHHHHH! IT WENT UP THE HOLE!

Gus passes out and falls off the area.

Wes: I am so sorry…

Calm takes a deep breath.

Calm: (Whatever happens…)

A bullet slices into Calm’s thigh. He falls to his knees in pain.

Calm: *pained grunt*

The final bullet shoots into Calm’s foot.

Calm: AHH! (I will survive!)

Everything reverts back to normal, including Wes.

Blaze: (Gus is gone, and Silver and Calm are hurt badly. I got lucky.)

Silver: *frustrated grunt* (Great, my arms are shot!)

Silver glances at Wes.

Silver: (He’s got two eliminations and has dealt more damage than I have. Perhaps it’s time for him to go!)

Calm uses his trident to help him stand.

Calm: Don’t think I’ve lost because of my injuries.

Silver: I was about to say the same to you.

Silver readies his remaining dust in the air.

Silver: Let’s see if you can dodge this!

Silver sends the dust wave flying at Calm.

Calm: I don’t need to!

Calm brings a wave of water into the coin machine and blasts it toward Silver’s dust mound.

Calm: Say goodbye to the rest of your-

Silver’s dust changes direction at the last second.

Calm: *grunts* Wes!

Wes: Oh shit!

The dust wave slams into Wes, sending him flying out of the area, careening toward the water below.

Wes: AHHHHHHHHH!

Saige giggles.

Saige: It looks like you boys had it rough in here. *seductively* Want me to make it rougher?

Aaron: Dammit, I am not losing to that again! Justus! Let’s go!

Justus is slow to his feet.

Justus: We’re going to have to work together perfectly, Aaron. That last battle took a lot out of me!

Aaron: Me too… if only we had reinforcements…

Aaron hears a faint sound.

Aaron: Huh? Is that?

Aaron runs to the area’s corner and looks out of the glass. He spots Wes falling toward the water.

Aaron: Perfect!

Aaron transforms his arm into a fishing pole.

Aaron: Welcome to Aaron “Guns” Zamora Fishing Depot!

Aaron casts his line off the Earth Area’s edge.

Justus: There’s no way that’s your middle name.

Wes looks down at the water below.

Wes: Well… at least I did something in this tournament.

A fishing hook latches onto the back of Wes’ underpants.

Wes: Huh?

The hook stops Wes’ fall right before he hits the water, giving him an atomic-level wedgie.

Wes: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Aaron starts reeling him up.

Aaron: Oh, boy! I got me a live one!

Aaron reels Wes into the Earth area and drops him on the ground next to him. Wes’ underpants are stretched six feet long.

Wes: *groans*

Aaron: Welcome to the party, buddy!

Wes: I hate you…

Saige: Is that even allowed?

Boom is turning through a massive rulebook.

Boom: Uh… Yes! It is allowed. A contestant is only eliminated when they hit the water! So, Aaron legally can bring Wes back into the arena since he never did!

Aaron: HAHA!

Wes: *groans* Come on…

Saige cracks her knuckles.

Saige: That’s fine. I’ve beaten all of you before.

Wes: Not me!

Saige: Wes, I made you wet your pants. That counts.

Wes: Fuck…

Aaron: That’s in the past, and your memory erasure crap isn’t going to help you this time!

Saige: Yeah, probably. It would be boring to use that again. I think I’ll try something different!

Saige materializes a revolver and loads hollow-point rounds into it.

Aaron: Okay… she’s playing hardball.

Justus: What do those do, Aaron?

Aaron: They hurt like hell.

Justus: Good to know.

Saige: It’s time for Russian Roulette!

Saige takes aim at Aaron.

Saige: You’re first, Aaron!

Saige fires at Aaron.

Aaron: Ha! This looks like a good time for my new ultimate attack!

Aaron grabs Wes and uses him as a meatshield.

Aaron: Screeching Meatshield!

The bullet slices into Wes’s shoulder.

Wes: AHHHHHHHH!

Aaron: You have a quirk, dumbass!

Wes: NO! DON’T ACT LIKE THIS IS MY FAULT IN ANY WAY!

Aaron: Suit yourself.

Wes: WHAT?!

Justus takes off his shirt and ties it around his waist.

Justus: (That should slow the bleeding. It’s time for me to get back in the fight!)

Justus charges at Saige.

Saige: I guess it’s Justus’ turn now!

Saige takes aim at Justus and fires two rounds.

Justus: No, it’s not!

Justus blocks with his shield, deflecting the bullets. One hits Wes’s calf.

Wes: AHHHHHHHHH!

Aaron: Hahaha!

Justus: Sorry, Wes…

Wes: WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!

Aaron: I don’t know, Wes. Did your stupidity cause someone grief recently?

Wes goes quiet.

Aaron: That’s what I thought.

Saige uses the distraction to charge at Justus and attempt to punch him, but he dodges.

Justus: Hand-to-hand combat against me? I thought you were smarter than that, Saige.

Saige: I was about to say the same thing about you.

Justus: Huh?

Saige: What happens when you defeat me? Do you think Aaron will just sit on his hands and wait for someone else to pop their head in here?

Justus: We have a truce, and I know Aaron is a man of his word.

Saige: If you say so.

Saige fires two more rounds at Justus, but he blocks with his shield.

Saige: But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Aaron: ASM BLAST!

Aaron fires two RPGs at Saige.

Saige: That’s not fun!

Saige fires her last bullet at one of the rockets, detonating it and the other rocket by extension.

Aaron: Neither is that!

Justus shield bashes Saige in the face, knocking her down and causing her to drop her gun.

Saige: *pained grunt* You hit girls hard, Justus…

Justus: Don’t even try, Saige.

Saige laughs.

Saige: (Well, this isn’t a fun situation. They’re hurt, but so am I. It’s not easy to walk off one of Grace’s supercharged punches. I’m woman enough to admit I’m not long for this fight if it’s a two-on-one. I can’t turn them against each other because they’re both extremely loyal. My best bet is to try and take one of them down the same way I did with Grace and blast myself into a new area.)

Saige glances at Aaron.

Saige: (Aaron’s close to the edge, he has to be my target.)

Justus cracks his knuckles.

Justus: I’ll grant you the opportunity to jump off the edge now and save yourself the-

Saige: Okay.

Justus: Huh? Wh- what?

Saige stands up and walks to the area’s edge.

Saige: Cya… Aaron!

Saige creates a mini rocket booster and blasts herself toward Aaron, grabbing him.

Aaron: What the?!

Saige and Aaron fly off the edge.

Justus: Aaron!

Saige readies herself to blast away from Aaron.

Saige: Cya, Aaron, I guess this makes me 2-0 against you.

Aaron: You’re clever, Saige, but you should never underestimate me when I’ve got Wes around.

Saige: Huh?

Aaron reaches into his pocket and pulls out a canister of blue energy. Up top, Wes is already glowing with pink energy.

Saige: Ha! Good move, Aaron.

Aaron opens the canister and absorbs the blue energy. He immediately levitates back up to Wes, leaving Saige with no springboard to blast herself back up to the area.

Saige: Bye-bye!

Saige plummets into the water as Aaron and Wes fuse into Aarow.

Aarow: I’m back, baby!

Wrath turns his attention to Alexis.

Wrath: I bet you weren’t expecting that, huh?

Alexis: No… I wasn’t.

Kevin is still down.

MKIII: Critical Damage Sustained. Critical Damage Sustain. Critical-

Kevin: Acknowledged, activate FABRAS…

MKIII: Fully Automatic Battle Recovery Alleviation System engaged.

Two drones deploy from Kevin’s back and begin 3D printing repairs to the MKIII’s damaged components.

MKIII: System operating at 68%. Recovery in progress.

Wrath scoffs.

Wrath: So, I guess I need to melt that whole thing before I can be rid of you.

Bruno: Wrath! If you do that, he won’t be able to move!

Wrath: So? He signed up for this. He wouldn’t want me to hold back.

Kevin: Nope…

Wrath readies a Blast Burn.

Wrath: Say nighty night! Blast Burn!

Wrath fires a nova at Kevin, but Bruno leaps in front and absorbs the hit.

Wrath: Why you!

Kevin: Thanks…

Bruno: You may be my adversary, but I do not agree with Wrath’s methods.

Kevin: Hey, I was okay with them.

Bruno: I do not care.

Kevin: Aight.

Bruno cracks his neck as the inferno subsides.

Bruno: I am immune to your fire attacks, Wrath. How will you defeat me?

Wrath: I’ll probably start with an annoying speech.

Bruno: Very funny.

Alexis takes cover behind some coins.

Alexis: (My paper against his fire? Yeah, no thanks. I’ll let those two duke it out.)

Wrath readies six heat grenades.

Wrath: (If I can’t melt him, I’ll blast him!)

Wrath chucks the heat grenades at Bruno, but they blow off course.

Wrath: Huh?!

Gale: You’re looking a little steamed there, bro.

Gale glides into the area and lands.

Wrath: Gale! What are you doing here?

Gale: I thought it would be funny to mess with you.

Wrath: *frustrated grunt*

Gale: I think it’s working.

Bruno: Gale! You can help us fight him!

Gale: Eh, I got nothing better to do.

Wrath: Dammit, Gale!

Wrath blasts a fireball at Gale, but he repels it with a gust of wind.

Gale: Rock, Paper, Scissors was never your strong suit.

Gale pulls out his tornado daggers and chucks them in the air, creating two mobile tornados.

Gale: So, let’s have some fun!

The tornados strike Wrath, but he dodges by blasting himself away.

Wrath: Searing Scorch Shot!

Wrath spits out a beam of fire at Gale.

Gale: Whirlwind Wall!

Gale fires a gust of wind that repels the beam.

Wrath: *frustrated grunt*

Gale: It sucks to fight someone so talented, doesn’t it?

Wrath: The only thing you’re the best at is attracting skanks!

Gale chucks a ball of razor wind. Wrath blasts off a fire beam in the shape of a DNA Helix.

Gale: Hurricane Hammer!

Wrath: Helix Hellfire!

The two attacks collide and destroy each other.

Gale and Wrath: *grunts*

Bruno: They’re evenly matched.

Kevin: Yeah… so let’s split them up.

Bruno: Huh?

Kevin: I can wipe Gale out in one shot. I just need you to distract Wrath and him.

Bruno: Alright, I have an idea.

Bruno charges toward Wrath.

Wrath: Alright, Gale, you’ve annoyed me enough! It’s time for- Huh?!

Bruno grabs Wrath from behind and binds him in a tight hold.

Wrath: What the hell?!

Wrath attempts to blast Bruno with flames, to no effect.

Bruno: Sorry, Wrath, but it’s time for you to go!

Wrath: Fuck you! I’m not-

Bruno head butts Wrath, knocking him out cold.

Gale: HAHAHA!

Kevin: MKIII activate Final Fusillade! *whispers* 20%

MKIII: Converting remaining adrenaline to Plasma energy. Powering Fusillade Cannon.

Kevin: Open Fire!

Kevin’s laser cannon fires a concentrated beam of plasma at Gale.

Gale: Huh? What the fuck-

Gale gets blasted by the beam, knocking him out cold and sending him flying off the area’s edge.

Kevin: Got him…

MKIII: Power at 13%... Recharge Recommended.

Kevin: Yeah? Well, you’ll only get it if Bruno and Alexis decide to play nice.

Bruno tosses Wrath off the edge.

Bruno: Sorry, my friend, but you were out of control.

Bruno turns his attention to Kevin.

Bruno: I guess it’s time for us three to finish this.

Alexis steps out from behind the coins.

Alexis: Indeed it is.

Hayze takes a deep breath.

Hayze: (These things are like an extension of her body, so taking them out won’t be easy. They cast shadows, but Shadow Paralysis only works on people, not machines. Maybe if I-)

Sydney commands her PANIK drones to surround Hayze.

Sydney: If you think I will let you stand there and strategize, you’ve got another thing coming!

Hayze: *grunts*

Sydney: PANIKS QM: Surround and Drown!

The pods begin blasting Hayze with lasers again.

Hayze: AHHHHH! Do I even want to know what the “QM” stands for?

Sydney: Queen of Murder.

Hayze: Of course… Shadow Sneak!

Hayze begins sinking into his shadow again.

Sydney: Not this time! PANIKS QM: Seek and Destroy!

Two drones latch onto Hayze’s arms and force him up from his shadow.

Hayze: Huh!

Sydney: I said these drones were created specifically so I could defeat you, didn’t I?

Hayze: Then why did you let me use Shadow Sneak the first time?

Sydney: To give you hope.

Hayze: *grunts*

Sydney: Now, let’s finish this!

The remaining drones begin charging more powerful laser attacks.

Domino: (He’s done.) *sighs*

The crowd is in shock.

Crowd Member: I guess it was just dumb luck that he beat Vanguard!

Jace: How’s Hayze supposed to get out of that?

Isaiah: I don’t know. I think his hat is out of rabbits!

Sydney laughs.

Sydney: Say goodbye! It’s time for my revenge! PANIKS QM2!

Hayze closes his eyes.

Hayze: (There’s gotta be a way out of this!)

Hayze thinks back to all of his previous battles.

Hayze: (There’s gotta be something I can-)

Hayze’s eyes burst open.

Sydney: FIRE-

Hayze: E.M.I.L.Y. Self Destruct!

Sydney: Wh- huh? Who’s “Emily?”

E.M.I.L.Y.: Self Destruct Initiated!

Hayze’s gauntlet jets off his arm and embeds in the ground between himself and Sydney.

E.M.I.L.Y.: Initiating Countdown.

Sydney: Ha! Who cares about that? My drones have 10 seconds to-

E.M.I.L.Y.: 0.

The E.M.I.L.Y. explodes, sending Sydney and Hayze flying through the air. The blast damages the PANIKS drones, but they’re still operational.

Sydney: *groans* WHERE WAS THE FUCKING COUNTDOWN?!

Hayze: *pained grunt* It was set to 0…

Sydney: Who the fuck sets a countdown clock to-

Tara’s laughter echoes through Sydney’s head.

Sydney: *sighs* I guess that also answers my question about how something that small can make an explosion that-

Hayze appears in Sydney’s shadow and conjures his Shadow Crossbow.

Hayze: (I must strike now before she can sick PANIKS on me again!)

Hayze aims at Sydney, but she kicks him in the dick, staggering him as he fires his bolt.

Hayze: (I should have expected that…)

Sydney leaps up and away from Hayze.

Sydney: Clever move, but it wasn’t enough to stop me!

Hayze: Or was it…

Sydney: Huh?

Hayze points at Sydney’s eyepiece. It was skewered by Hayze’s bolt.

Sydney: What the?!

Hayze: I wasn’t aiming for you… Your PANIK System has a fatal flaw… if you can’t relay your commands, It’s useless to you!

Sydney: *frustrated grunt*

Sydney’s PANIK drones fall to the ground, powering down. The crowd cheers loudly for Hayze.

Sydney: Whatever, I can still defeat you myself! TSUNAMI CAN-

Hayze smiles.

Hayze: Gotcha…

Hayze’s shadow has extended to Sydney’s, paralyzing her.

Sydney: DAMMIT!

Hayze: That was a great fight, Sydney. Your PANIK System nearly had me…

Sydney takes a deep breath.

Sydney: Yes, but nearly isn’t good enough. It doesn’t matter that I was one shot away from victory.

Hayze: That’s not true.

Sydney: Maybe to you, it isn’t. But I wanted to dominate this battle, so anything less than a win is pointless.

Hayze: You’re taking this better than I thought.

Sydney: There’s no use in crying over another defeat. We’ll just upgrade PANIKS, and next time… I’ll crush you.

Hayze: And that’s satisfying enough to forget you’ve lost to me twice?

Sydney: Of course, she who laughs last laughs loudest.

Hayze smiles.

Hayze: Alright, Sydney.

Hayze grabs Sydney and tosses her off the edge.

Hayze: (She’s one tough-)

An alarm goes off inside the arena.

Hayze, Aarow, Justus, Calm, Blaze, Silver, Alexis, Bruno, and Kevin: Huh?

Boom: Well, everyone, we’re down to our Final 10 competitors, so it’s time to move this competition to the next level!

The walls descend into the ground. The 9 competitors look around at each other.

Hayze: (Well, it looks like the finale is almost here.)