Everyone is at a standstill.

Kevin: 10? I’m counting nine.

Alexis: They’re probably counting Aarow as Aaron and Wes still.

Silver: Speaking of which, how the hell did they fuse? I sent Wes out of the arena!

Aarow: Aaron fished Wes back up before he hit the water, so he wasn’t eliminated.

Silver: *sighs* Whatever.

Silver levitates his remaining dust to himself and rides it to Aarow and Justus.

Blaze: Silver?! Where are you going?!

Calm: The battle’s complexion has changed drastically, Blaze. Watch out.

Silver lands next to Justus.

Silver: Who were you with?

Justus: Tobias and Zach. Saige showed up later, but she couldn’t handle both of us.

Silver: So I assume Zach took Tobias out with him?

Justus: No, Tobias betrayed us. Aaron wiped them both out.

Silver: I told you we shouldn’t have trusted him.

Kevin uses his residual power to fly over and join them.

Kevin: Wrath and Gale just went down in my area. Alec was there, but he got… burnt.

Justus: That’s good. Gale retreated from our area earlier.

Silver: My area was… eventful. Gus, Romeo, and Gavin were defeated.

Kevin: And nothing of value was lost.

Hayze looks around.

Hayze: (Blair and Saige are gone, huh? That’s not good for me.)

Bruno turns to Alexis.

Bruno: Are you with them?

Alexis: You mean their obvious alliance? No, I’m not.

Bruno: I’m surprised, given you’re-

Alexis: I’m assuming it’s a boys-only thing.

Bruno: I see… Well, if they’re grouped together, it’s not in my best interest to fight you.

Alexis: Yeah, I’d say so, but…

Bruno: But what?

Alexis pats Bruno on the back.

Alexis: You’ll see.

Bruno: Hm?

Calm winces in pain.

Calm: (Hayze has multiple burn wounds that are healing at a sustained rate. Bruno’s diamond skin has a handful of cracks. Justus has an open wound in his abdomen that he’s flimsily bandaged. Kevin’s suit seems low on power and has damage primarily to the chest. Blaze has his leg wound, and Silver’s shoulders are shot. I was hoping at least a few people would be in as bad a shape as I am. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for me.)

Calm glances at Blaze behind him.

Calm: /Blaze.

Blaze: /Yeah, Calm?/

Calm: If I strike now, will you not interfere?

Blaze: I- Yeah… Why are you asking?

Calm: I’m weak. I took a strategic gamble using Wes’ mirror technique, which did not pay off. So, my only choice is to use my remaining strength to try and take down as many heavyweights as possible. Logically speaking, this will be your best and potentially only chance to earn a knockout in this battle royale. I needed to ensure you would not take it.

Blaze: I- Okay.

Calm: You’ve impressed me today, Blaze.

Blaze: I- I have?

Calm: You showed your potential to be an outstanding hero one day. I look forward to watching your progress while you’re still among us.

Blaze: Th- thanks, Calm.

Calm nods and smiles.

Kevin: So, who are we taking down first?

Silver: Well, we all agreed that he would be at the end with us.

Justus: And that’s still in place.

Kevin: So, that leaves 4 choices. Aarow, thoughts?

Aarow: I’m sorry.

Kevin: Huh? For what?

Aarow: I cannot assist you three until I’ve defused.

Silver: Hm? Why?

Aarow: I am the fused version of Aaron and Wes, so their promises are now my own. Aaron was aligned with you three and has an affinity for Alexis. Wes was prepared to work with Blaze, Calm, and Hayze when the time arose. So, I may only attack Bruno.

Silver: You’re sticking to Wes’ alliances, too?

Aarow: I have to. I’m a man of my word.

Silver: *sighs* Fine, then Bruno is our first choice.

Kevin: Good, because I need to recharge. You three go ahead.

Silver: Well, this-

Suddenly, water shoots into the machine through all five coin dispensers.

Silver: What the hell?!

Calm: Our battle is not complete, Silver, but don’t worry. It will be over soon!

Silver: *frustrated grunt* Dammit! It looks like you and I need to finish Calm first, Justus!

Alexis hides beneath a pile of coins.

Alexis: This looks like something I shouldn’t be involved with.

The water forms a vortex at the top of the coin machine.

Calm: I may not be capable of winning this battle anymore, but I refuse to go down with a whimper! Final Flood!

Aster leans forward in his seat.

Aster: (That’s the attack Tempest used to defeat Yul and me at the same time!)

The water crashes down upon the competitors like a fire hydrant.

Aarow, Justus, Silver, and Kevin: Huh?!

Bruno braces for impact, but a hole in the water stream leaves him dry.

Bruno: What?

The same occurs for Hayze, Alexis, and Blaze.

Hayze: (Calm must be aiming for the alliance; he’s leaving the rest of us alone.)

Justus covers himself with his shield while Silver coats his entire body with silver armor.

Justus: Brace yourselves!

Kevin: MKIII, activate magnetic shoe lock!

MKIII: Activating.

Kevin’s feet magnetize to the ground.

Kevin: Adrenaline Boost!

Kevin’s veins are injected with adrenaline, increasing his pain tolerance. Next, Aarow creates a riot shield from his forearms and positions it above his head.

Aarow: I’m not going anywhere either!

The water crashes down upon the four fighters.

Justus, Silver, Kevin, and Aarow: *pained grunts*

Aster: (Justus is doing the same thing Yul did for us, but it should work for him with his immense strength. He should be fine. The same goes for Aarow and Kevin, but Silver…)

Silver’s armor shields him, but he’s swept away by the current and falls off the area’s edge.

Silver: *frustrated grunt* I’m not going down like this!

Silver stabs his two large wrist blades into the edge, stopping his fall. The water pours down upon him, slowly eroding his armor.

Walker: (This battle has been eye-opening for me. I knew my students had grown, but this has been an excellent showcase for their development. The Silver I first met would have been crushed by this attack. He was so reliant on his dust defense, and his ego was so big that he probably would have assumed a dust dome could absorb it outright. Good work.)

Calm’s attack ends, and he falls to his hands and knees in exhaustion.

Calm: *breathing heavily* I… gave it my all…

Blaze: C- Calm… why?

Calm: I already explained my rationale to you.

Blaze: You didn’t tell me you would spare everyone except them! You could have wiped out Alexis, Bruno, and me with that… but you didn’t.

Calm smiles.

Calm: Yes, I could have…

Blaze: Huh?

Silver climbs back onto the area.

Justus: Silver! You survived!

Silver: Yeah… and now it’s time for me to finish this!

Silver tries to use his remaining dust but can’t.

Silver: Huh?

Kevin: I think your shit got drenched, Silver…

Silver: *sighs* Fuck…

Justus: Don’t worry, I’ll take it from here.

Justus chucks his shield at Calm.

Hayze: (I could defend him, but Calm’s too weak to continue fighting. He’s done.)

The shield knocks Calm in the chest, sending him falling out of the arena.

Calm: It was a good battle..

Blaze: Calm! *grunts* Dammit… you put up a good fight.

Boom stands up from his seat.

Boom: Well, that didn’t take long! The walls just fell, and we’ve already seen our first ultimate attack and elimination! Only 9 competitors remain. Who will be next?

Hayze appears in Blaze’s shadow.

Hayze: Glad to see you made it this far.

Blaze: Yeah, no worse for wear, though. This GSW hurts like hell.

Hayze: Too bad you didn’t inherit my healing.

Blaze: Mhm, but it looks like it’s not doing too much for you right now.

Hayze’s laser wounds still haven’t fully healed.

Hayze: Fighting Sydney took a lot out of me.

Blaze: Despite our injuries, we still have many battles left to fight.

Hayze: Yup, and taking down those four won’t be easy. But we’ll do it… together.

Blaze smiles.

Blaze: Right!

Justus turns to Kevin.

Justus: What’s your status?

Kevin: MKIII?

MKIII: Suit operating at 79% capacity.

Kevin: Good enough.

Justus: Alright, then you and Aarow will take down Bruno. Silver and I will fight Hayze and Blaze.

Aarow: Hey! The agreement was-

Justus: You already stated you can’t fight Hayze until you defuse, and Kevin surely doesn’t want to fight him at less than 100%. Knock out Bruno as fast as you can, then join us.

Aarow: Okay… and what about Alexis?

Silver: If she interferes, Kevin can take her out.

A single origami bird with a taped listening device hovers around the four fighters.

Alexis: (So, they’re counting me out already, huh? I’ll make them regret that.)

Aarow creates rockets in both of his heels and blasts into the air.

Aarow: What do you say we get this party started?!

Aarow forges two bazookas that jut out of his forearms, aiming at Bruno.

Aarow: Big Bang Blow!

Aarow blasts two rockets at Bruno, but he quickly leaps out of the way.

Bruno: I won’t be that easy to-

Kevin: MKIII, deploy grappling restraints!

Two compartments open on Kevin’s chest plate, deploying a set of hooks that embed into Bruno’s diamond pecs.

Bruno: AHHH! How-

Kevin: Diamond hooks to pierce diamond skin!

Kevin uses his suit’s thrusters to force Bruno back into the way of Aarow’s rockets. They collide with him, causing a massive explosion.

Bruno: AHHHHHHHH!

Bruno is sent flying through the air, crashing next to the area’s edge. His diamond skin is severely cracked.

Aarow: Nice work, Kev!

Kevin: *nasal grunt* We make a pretty good team.

Aarow: Don’t get used to it the second we’ve cleared out this arena. I’m settling our score.

Kevin: I thought you were Aaron and Wes, not just Aaron?

Aarow: That doesn’t mean I can’t retain their grudges.

Kevin: Well, I look forward to repeating history then.

Aarow: Unlikely.

Blaze gulps as he and Hayze face Justus and Silver.

Hayze: Don’t let your nerves get the better of you.

Blaze: I’m trying, but… these two are incredibly powerful alone, and we’re facing them together.

Hayze: That’s true, but strength isn’t everything, especially in a team fight.

Blaze: Hm? What do you-

Silver: Blade Storm!

Silver charges toward Blaze and Hayze.

Silver: My arms may be killing me, but I won’t let that hold me back!

Hayze grabs Blaze’s shoulder.

Hayze: Shadow Sneak!

Blaze and Hayze sink into their shadows, avoiding Silver.

Silver: *frustrated grunt* Great… this trick.

Justus: It’s alright, Silver. We know the rules of this ability. And I have two ideas of where they’ll resurface.

Silver: Right.

Silver and Justus stand back to back.

Silver: Now they can’t get the drop on us.

Justus: And we’ll be ready to counter them.

Inside the shadow world, Hayze and Blaze are floating.

Blaze: So… this is what the “Shadow World” is like…

Hayze: Yeah, is something wrong?

Blaze: I was taught to fear this place more than anything because if Khaos brought you here… you’d meet your end soon after.

Hayze: I see… Well, it’s under new management, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Blaze: Why did you bring me in here with you? Look up. They’ve already started defending themselves for when we resurface.

Hayze: They may be able to plan for us, but they can’t prepare for everything.

Blaze: Huh? What do you mean?

Hayze: Just watch and learn.

Silver and Justus are patiently waiting.

Silver: What do we do if only one comes up?

Justus: We stay disciplined. If they attack one shadow, we won’t stop watching the other.

Silver: Good, so we’re on the same page. We’re not going to let them stop us with a simple trick.

Justus: No, we-

Justus suddenly stops talking.

Silver: J- Justus?

Silver turns around, and Justus is gone.

Silver: What?! (They must have dragged him into the shadows with them!)

Silver glances over his shoulder.

Silver: (And it was probably a distraction for me!)

Someone begins to emerge from Silver’s shadow.

Silver: I’m not a fool, Hayze!

Silver stabs the person emerging in the lower abdomen.

Justus: AHHHHH!

Silver: Justus!

Justus falls over in pain.

Justus: *pained grunt* They dragged me down and then pushed me right back up…

Silver: Dammit! They got me!

Blaze: You can say that again!

Blaze appears behind Silver and slices at him with the obsidian sword.

Silver: You won’t get me twice!

Silver spins around and blocks with his wrist blade.

Silver: That was a clever trick. Did your dad come up with it?

Blaze: Yeah, but this next one was all my idea.

Silver: Huh?

Hayze’s hand appears out of their combined shadows and grabs Silver’s forearm, pulling it down and allowing Blaze to swipe at Silver.

Silver: What the?!

Blaze slices Silver’s chest, piercing his armor and leaving a massive bleeding gash.

Silver: AHHHH!

Silver staggers backward, trips, and begins to fall backward, but Justus stops his fall.

Silver: Justus? How are you-

Justus: Like you said you won’t let your arms stop you. I won’t let a little blood loss hold me back.

Silver: That’s more than a little, Justus.

Justus: Then I guess we’ll need to finish this quickly.

Silver: But how? Hayze is hiding in his shadow world, so we can’t get to him.

Justus: Then let’s force him out.

Silver: I’m listening.

Blaze grips his sword hilt tightly.

Blaze: (I can’t let Dad down, I have to show him I belong here.)

Silver charges at Blaze again.

Silver: This time, you won’t escape! Blade Storm!

Hayze’s hand appears in Blaze’s shadow to pull him into the shadow world.

Justus: Not this time!

Justus chucks his shield at Blaze’s ankles, forcing him to jump into the air.

Blaze: (Not good!)

Silver: We’ve got you now!

Blaze fires a microwave at Silver, melting one of his wrist blades.

Silver: That won’t be enough to stop me!

Silver leaps after Blaze but trips.

Silver: *pained grunt*

Blaze: Huh?

Blaze lands on the ground and notices Hayze’s hand grabbing Silver’s ankle.

Blaze: (Nice work, Dad-)

Justus bolts toward Silver and grabs Hayze’s wrist before it disappears.

Justus: Gotcha!

Blaze: Oh shit!

Blaze fires a microwave at Justus’ hand, but Silver blocks it with his other wrist blade, melting it.

Blaze: (They planned this from the start!)

Justus pulls Hayze out of the shadow world.

Hayze: Well played, boys…

Justus: Don’t try your shadow paralysis. Otherwise, you’ll get a blade through the chest instead of a punch to it.

Hayze: You drive a soft bargain…

Justus: Colossal Justice!

Justus barrages Hayze with a series of punches to the chest.

Hayze: AHHHH!

Justus chucks Hayze toward Blaze, who catches him.

Hayze: *pained grunt* Thanks…

Blaze places Hayze on the ground.

Blaze: Are you alright?

Hayze: I’ve been better… but…

Blaze: But what?

Hayze: A barrage like that should have finished me off… Justus held back.

Blaze: He did? Why?

Hayze: I don’t know…

Bruno is slow to his feet.

Bruno: *frustrated grunt* (That was an outstanding combination attack.) But I won’t go down that easily!

Aarow: What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of you going down easily.

Kevin: Man, what a comeback.

Aarow: I know. I’m the pinnacle of comedy.

Bruno: Laugh while you can because I’ll take down two birds with one stone!

Kevin: You think you can defeat both of us at once? Seriously?

MKIII: Probability: 2%.

Kevin: See!

Bruno examines the various cracks in his diamond skin.

Bruno: (It’s annoying, but that computer is probably correct. Without any assistance, defeating these two in my condition is near impossible. But that’s not what I meant by “two birds.”)

Bruno charges Aarow and Kevin.

Aarow: Rock, paper, scissors?

Kevin: Eh, you can have him. I should save the power.

Aarow: Sweet!

Aarow creates hand cannon shotguns on his wrists and blasts himself toward Bruno.

Aarow: Let’s see how your diamonds handle explosive ammo!

Aarow creates a double-barrel shotgun from his left palm and fires at Bruno.

Bruno: AHHHHH!

The explosive shells blast Bruno’s chest, chipping his skin.

Bruno: *pained grunts* (I’m at my limit… but I’m not going down empty-handed!)

Bruno continues charging at Aarow.

Aarow: You want more, huh?

Aarow fires another set of explosive shells, chipping away his skin further, but he trudges on.

Aarow: (Man, he won’t stay down. I guess I have to finish this with some flare!)

Aarow uses his rocket heels to blast into the air.

Aarow: Now it’s time for-

Bruno leaps into the air and grabs Aarow’s ankle.

Aarow: Hey! You weren’t supposed to do that!

Bruno: You don’t make the rules!

Bruno forces Aarow to the ground and chucks him against it.

Aarow: *groans* Man… if you throw like that when you’re as cracked as an egg, I don’t want to-

Bruno puts Aarow in a full nelson and charges toward the arena's edge.

Aarow: Hey! What are you-

Bruno: Two birds, one stone! In this case, Aaron and Wes with a diamond!

Aarow struggles to break free.

Bruno: Don’t even try. There is nothing you can do that will make me let go! We’re both going off this edge!

Alexis: Okay, then what about me?

Aarow and Bruno: Huh?

Alexis emerges from her hiding place.

Alexis: Detonate!

Bruno: What? I don’t see any of your papers.

Alexis: Of course you don’t.

A paper bomb on Bruno’s back explodes.

Bruno: AHHHHHHH!

Bruno releases Aarow and falls to his knees.

Bruno: When did you-

Bruno flashes back to when Alexis patted him on the back.

Bruno: Bitch…

Alexis: You’re welcome.

Aarow: Alright, now where were we!

Aarow blasts himself into the air and creates missile salvos out of each of his upper arms and lower legs.

Aarow: Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me who’s the deadliest of all!

Aarow fires a non-stop barrage of missiles at Bruno.

Bruno: AHHHHHHH!

The explosions send Bruno flying out of the arena.

Aarow: Another one bites the dust!

Alexis claps.

Alexis: Nice work, Aarow.

Aarow: Why did you help me?

Alexis: Why are you asking?

Aarow: Justus, Kevin, Silver, and I are working together. That’s not going to change even if I de-fuse. Your options for help are down to just Blaze and Hayze, and they aren’t having an easy time with Justus and Silver. You can’t beat all four of us, so why take Bruno out and not me?

Alexis: Aarow, I think you should know by now that winning isn’t everything to me.

Aarow smiles.

Aarow: I do.

Alexis: I just wanted to showcase my skills to everyone watching and have fun while doing it. Once I saw you four come together, I knew what you were up to. You want it to be “the five,” right?

Aarow nods.

Alexis: I thought so, which is why I knew Calm, Bruno, Blaze, and I weren’t long for this battle. At least this way, I can show some ingenuity before ducking out.

Aarow: “Ducking out?”

Alexis: Yup, but I’m not forfeiting this time.

Alexis swarms the rest of her paper supply in the air, creating a flaming phoenix.

Alexis: I’ll put everything I have into one final attack!

Aarow: Atta girl!

Alexis sends the phoenix careening toward Aarow.

Alexis: Ceremonious Dance: Phoenix Formation!

Kevin jets into the air and intercepts the phoenix.

Kevin: MKIII, deploy foam blasters!

Hoses on Kevin’s palms deploy, allowing him to spray down the burning phoenix with fire-resistant foam.

MKIII: Neutralizing attack.

Eventually, the phoenix burns out.

Alexis: Just as I expected, but you can’t blame a girl for trying, right?

Aarow: No, you can’t.

Kevin jets toward Alexis, punching her in the gut.

Alexis: *pained grunt*

Alexis flies off the edge of the arena.

Kevin: Alright, it looks like we’re finished up here!

Aarow: Yeah, just one left.

Blaze glances over his shoulder and spots Aarow and Kevin approaching them from behind.

Blaze: Uh… dad, it looks like we’re surrounded.

Hayze: I’m not surprised.

Blaze: Huh? What does that mean?

Hayze gets to his feet and glances at their four opponents.

Hayze: You guys want it to just be us five, right?

They all nod.

Hayze: And that leaves Blaze as the odd man out.

Blaze: Wait… are you saying…

Hayze: For a long time, Aaron, Silver, Justus, Kevin, and I were the top five of our class, but we never truly knew who the best of us was. They want this to be the moment we find out.

Blaze: So, they’ll do everything they can to wipe me out, huh?

Hayze: I’m afraid so, and there’s not much I can do about it.

A few seconds of silence pass.

Blaze: Okay… then let me fight them myself.

Hayze: Hm?

Blaze: If they’re going to target me, let me have the chance to fight to survive. I don’t want your help; I want to take them on myself.

Aarow: Ha, like you could beat all of us!

Blaze: I probably can’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to find out if I can.

The whole group is impressed.

Blaze: You can stand aside and recover for the final battle, Hayze.

Aarow: Yeah, in like 2 minutes.

Hayze: I wouldn’t underestimate Blaze, Aarow.

Kevin: We’ll see if you’re right in a second.

Hayze steps aside.

Hayze: I guess I’ll just spectate and-

A shadow comes over the stadium.

Everyone: Huh?

The entire stadium looks into the sky to see a Zeppelin flying over.

Ewing: What the hell! The school is a no-fly zone for today’s event!

Ewing pulls out a walky-talky.

Ewing: Multi, what the hell is that blimp doing over-

Multi: *walky-talky* Uh… we didn’t really know what to do, sir. It flew in before we could radio you.

Ewing: What do you mean? No aircrafts are permitted in this airspace, with no exceptions!

Multi: *walky-talky* Well… this one might be.

Ewing: What are you talking about?

Adrian: I think he’s referring to that…

Ewing looks up at the aircraft. Alden stands atop the zeppelin with a small microphone attached to his tuxedo collar.

Alden: Hello, Nashville!

Alden’s words echo through the stadium’s speaker system.

Jace: What the hell?!

Isaiah: How did he hack into the stadium’s sound system?!

Eve: And why the fuck is he here…

Alden laughs loudly.

Alden: I see this tournament has been progressing well, but it’s time for the star of the show to enter the fight!

Crowd Member: *yelling* Hayze is already here!

Alden: I’M TALKING ABOUT ME!

Crowd Member: *yelling* Oh… who are you?

Alden regains his composure.

Alden: I am Alden Taillon, also known as: The Best Hero! I am here to show everyone why the name fits!

Boom: Uh… Alden, you’re not in the tournament!

Alden: What?! Yes, I am!

Boom: You’re not on my list…

Alden pulls out his S.S. badge.

Alden: Well, I have this! So, I’m definitely in!

Boom: Uh…

Ewing stands up in his seat.

Ewing: I thought Walker said he accounted for all of the badges!

Adrian: Uh… we all decided it would be best to not invite Alden.

Ewing: What? Why? That goes against the spirit of the tournament.

Adrian: Well… you’re kind of looking at why.

Ewing: *sighs* Well, he’s here now, so he’s in.

Boom looks to Ewing in the stands and sees him nod.

Boom: It looks like Alden is correct! He’s in the battle royale, but you’ll have to enter the arena to fight!

Alden: No way!

Boom: What do you mean? It’s the rules!

Alden: This blimp is my battle gear! So, it’s against the rules for me to not be allowed to use it!

Boom: Wh- I-

Boom sifts through his rulebook.

Boom: Oh my god, he’s right…

Ewing: *sighs* How did he register battle gear if we didn’t have him on the roster!

Adrian: Well… those forms need to be updated monthly, so if new ones aren’t submitted for an event, we just default to the previous entry.

Ewing: You’re telling me he had this planned weeks ago!

Adrian: No… You don’t have to prove you actually have the gear to register it. I’m pretty sure he also has a tank listed on his forms.

Ewing stares at Adrian.

Ewing: Fuck it, he’s just going to lose anyway. *yelling* He can use it; Boom!

Boom: Well, okay then. Let the competition continue!

Aarow, Blaze, Justus, Silver, Kevin, and Hayze stare at Alden’s blimp.

Aarow: So… who gets to kick his ass?

Hayze: Well, I’m just spectating your fight, so…

Aarow: Oh, that’s bullshit!

Hayze: Hey, I don’t make the rules.

Hayze sinks into his shadow.

Hayze: Good luck, Blaze.

Blaze: Thanks.

Blaze looks around at his four opponents.

Blaze: (Well, this is it. Time to prove myself.)

Alden triumphantly looks down upon the arena.

Alden: Maybe I was too fashionably late. There aren’t a lot of people left for me to defeat!

Hayze: Alden, it’s genuinely concerning that you talk to yourself like this.

Alden: HUH?!

Hayze has emerged from Alden’s shadow.

Alden: I see! Hayze, you’ve decided to volunteer as my first victim! Congratulations, this is an honor.

Hayze uses shadow paralysis on Alden.

Hayze: I win.

Alden: WH- NO! THAT- THAT’S NOT FAIR!

Hayze: How?

Alden: I- I WASN’T READY! M- MULLIGAN!

Hayze stares blankly at Alden.

Alden: Please, man…

Hayze: *sighs* Fine…

Hayze releases Alden.

Alden: Hehe…

Hayze: Hm?

Alden taps a button on his tuxedo, and four mechanical arms emerge around Hayze and restrain him.

Alden: Our story begins with Act 1: The Fakeout!

Hayze: Seriously, dude?

Alden: Yeah, I know. I’m just too smart for you, Hayze. You never saw that coming!

Hayze: That doesn’t really matter…

Alden: Wh- why not?

Four shadow hands emerge and rip apart the mechanical arms, freeing Hayze.

Alden: I- Uh- I- I EXPECTED THAT!

Hayze: Sure you did…

Alden: I did, because now we move to Act 2: The Suit Up!

Alden runs past Hayze to reach the center of the blimp’s top. He presses another button on his tux, opening a compartment on the blimp he jumps into.

Hayze: Why am I humoring him again? I’m sure nobody is enjoying this-

Hayze looks down. The crowd is captivated.

Crowd Member: What did that kid mean by Act 2?

Crowd Member: I don’t know, but I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Crowd Member: That was really smart how he faked Hayze out!

Crowd Member: Go, Alden!

Hayze is dumbfounded.

Alden: As our story nears its dramatic climax, it’s time for you to meet…

Alden leaps out of the compartment wearing a pirate costume, wielding a sword resembling a fishing rod and a fish-scaled shield.

Alden: The captain of this ship, Admiral Alden!

Hayze sighs loudly.

Hayze: Three things. First, did you plan on bringing a boat here?

Alden: There was no water!

Hayze: Second, you’re not the captain; that’s probably the guy steering this thing.

Alden: I am in spirit!

Hayze: Third, and this goes back to the boat thing. You know an admiral is a naval officer, right? So, why are you wearing a pirate outfit?

Alden: Shut up! My fans adore me!

The crowd is cheering for Alden.

Hayze: I guess, by comparison, this is the most unique thing they’ve seen all day.

Alden: Yes! And now it’s time for Act 3: The Admiral’s Assault!

Alden casts his fishing rod sword, hooking Hayze’s shirt.

Alden: I got a big one! So, it’s time to reel it in!

Alden starts reeling Hayze in using the hilt of his fishing rod.

Alden: You’re going down, Hayze!

Hayze: You’re right; I am!

Alden: Huh?

Hayze sinks into his shadow, bringing the hook with him. Alden’s fishing line now appears to be piercing the ground.

Alden: Wh- huh?

Hayze starts moving around Alden in a circle. Wrapping him up with his fishing line.

Alden: *grunts* Clever move, but I won’t be beaten that easily!

Hayze emerges in Alden’s shadow and removes the hook from his shirt.

Hayze: You sure? Because I already beat you much more easily.

Alden: WE MULLIGANED THAT!

Alden uses the blade on his fishing rod to cut himself free and attempts to bash Hayze with his shield.

Alden: TAKE TH-

A shadow hand emerges and blocks Alden’s attack, holding the shield back.

Alden: That’s not fair…

Hayze: I admire your tenacity, Alden, but you’ve really gotta do a better job picking your battles.

Alden: Oh yeah?

Alden swipes at Hayze with his sword, but Hayze leaps back to dodge.

Hayze: (If I keep my distance, there’s nothing Alden can do to m-)

Suddenly, Hayze is shot in the chest by a shotgun-like pellet blast. He falls to the ground in pain.

Hayze: AHHHHHHHH!

Alden: I GOT YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!

Hayze looks at Alden to see he’s wielding a flintlock blunderbuss.

Alden: Act 4: The Blunderbuss Blunderer!

The crowd cheers.

Hayze: I’ll admit… that was clever. I can’t believe you were smart enough to hide that from me the whole time.

Alden: Yeah… that’s what I was doing. I definitely didn’t wait until I started a new act to use it…

Hayze: *sighs* I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.

Hayze is slow to his feet, ripping shrapnel from his chest painfully.

Alden: You may have defeated Vanguard, Hayze, but you’ve never fought someone of my caliber.

Hayze: You know… you’re right.

Alden: Thank you!

Hayze: Not a compliment.

Alden: Well, you can be as mad as you want, Hayze. Because I’ve turned this crowd against you!

The crowd is in a consolidated chant.

Crowd: Alden! Alden! Alden! Alden! Alden!

Alden: THEY LOVE ME! HAHAHAHA!

Hayze: I’ll say this is probably entertaining from an outside perspective, but they’ll be back on my side soon enough.

Alden: Oh really? I doubt that. I won’t lose today, that’s why I rented this zeppelin. I have too much money on the line to go home empty-handed!

Hayze: What do you mean by “empty-handed?”

Alden: How do you think I plan on paying for this? With the prize money from this competition after I win!

Hayze stares blankly at Alden.

Boom: Uh… Alden, th- there is no prize money.

Alden shatters into a million pieces.

Alden: WHAT?! But a prize was advertised!

Boom: Yeah… It's a mystery, but I can guarantee you it’s not enough money to rent a blimp.

Alden is sweating bullets.

Alden: Oh god… Whatever! I’m still gonna win this tournament! I’ll think about the financial consequences after!

Hayze: You probably should now… I can’t even imagine what this cost.

Alden: Don’t ask, and stop trying to distract me!

Alden takes aim with his blunderbuss.

Alden: It’s time for my victory lap! Act 5: The Admiral Becomes Number One!

Hayze doesn’t move.

Alden: Why aren’t you trying to dodge?

Hayze: You’ll see in a moment.

Alden: You’re frozen in fear, eh? Well, let me put you out of your misery.

Alden pulls the trigger, but nothing happens.

Alden: Wh- huh?

Hayze: That’s basically a musket, Alden. It only has one shot before you have to reload it.

Alden turns pale.

Alden: What?

Hayze forges his executioner’s blade and grabs the hilt.

Hayze: It’s been fun, Alden, but it’s time for you to go!

Hayze chucks his sword at Alden.

Alden: AHHHHHHH!

Alden leaps off the blimp to avoid getting sliced in half. The crowd looks disappointed.

Alden: Fear not, my beautiful fans! I may have been defeated, but at least I put on a great show! Don’t frown over my defeat! Smile because I fought!

The crowd cheers.

Crowd: ALDEN! ALDEN! ALDEN!

Alden: I LOVE YOU ALL!

Alden belly flops into the water. The immense pain causes him to crap his pants. The loud sound is picked up on the microphone.

Crowd: UGH!

Boom: OH! And Alden has shit his pants! A tough defeat!

Alden sinks.

Alden: No…

Blaze readies his obsidian sword.

Blaze: (I’ll never forget the day Aunt Saige gave me this blade.)

“ Saige: This was your mother’s sword. She even used it to defeat me. She wanted me to give this to you when I felt you were ready to fight on your own. Remember, this sword symbolizes two things: My faith in you and your faith in yourself. Never fight a battle you don’t believe you can win, Blaze. Combat isn’t a game; it’s for survival. That’s the world we live in. “

Blaze: (I may not be able to win this fight, Aunt Saige. But I traveled through time to have a better life, one where I can take risks and enjoy a good fight. That’s what you wanted for me. So, now is my chance to prove to everyone how strong I can be!)

Blaze begins pulsating microwave energy through his sword.

Aarow: Huh? What’s he doing?

Kevin: MKIII?

MKIII: Opponent is energizing his blade; recommended strategy: avoid at all costs.

Aarow: That won’t matter if we blast him before he can swing it!

Aarow creates two bazookas from his forearms and takes aim at Blaze.

Aarow: Big Bang Blo-

Blaze: What happened to our agreement, Aarow? I thought you were a man of your word.

Aarow: *grunts* Shit! I forgot!

Kevin: Don’t worry, I’ll take over then. Final Fusillade 20%!

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

Blaze: Ultimate Attack: Hero’s Heated Heart!

Blaze blocks Kevin’s plasma blast with the broad side of his sword.

Kevin: WHAT?!

Silver turns to Justus.

Silver: Throw me at him!

Justus: What?

Silver: Just do it!

Justus: R- right!

Justus tosses Silver at Blaze, and he starts spinning in the air.

Silver: Blade Storm!

Silver attempts to slice Blaze, but Blaze counters by quickly slashing through each of Silver’s blades.

Silver: Are you kidding me?!

Blaze kicks Silver in the head, knocking him down.

Silver: *grunts*

Justus: I’ve got you, Silver!

Justus tosses his shield at Blaze.

Blaze: I thought you would have learned by now!

Blaze slices Justus’ shield in half.

Justus: WHAT?!

The whole crowd gasps.

Houston: Damn… that kid has some fire in him.

Fatal: Well, considering who his parents are… and his life up to this point. I’m not surprised.

Adrian: Yeah, he may be younger than all of them, but he’s seen his fair share of combat…, especially the ugly parts.

Blaze glances at Kevin.

Blaze: (It won’t be long until they get this sword out of my hands. But I can slice through Kevin’s suit like a hot knife through butter. So, if I want to take someone down with me, it should be him!)

Blaze charges toward Kevin.

Blaze: You’re going down!

Kevin jets into the air.

Kevin: Unlikely, kid! I will not let you damage my suit before the final battle. MKIII, Initiate Active Defense System!

MKIII: Converting Adrenaline into Plasma. Activating Turrets.

Compartments on Kevin’s shoulder and knee pads open, revealing four small laser weapons.

MKIII: Opening Fire.

Blaze blocks the swarm of laser blasts with his sword.

Blaze: (Any second now…)

Justus: Hammer of Justice!

Justus attempts to punch Blaze from behind, but he spins around and blocks with his sword. Justus’ fist makes contact with Blaze’s blade, burning his knuckles severely.

Justus: AHHHHHHH!

This action exposes Blaze’s back to Kevin, allowing a flurry of lasers to blast him.

Blaze: *pained grunt* (Any second!)

Kevin: It’s time for my finisher!

Aarow laughs.

Aarow: That’s right, Kevin! Take him-

Aarow defuses into Aaron and Wes.

Aaron: Down! Huh?

Wes: *groans*

Blaze: Wes!

Wes: Wh- huh?

Blaze: Think fast!

Blaze fires a microwave at Wes.

Wes: Oh shit!

Wes transforms his body into a mirror, reflecting the microwave. It quickly hits and melts Kevin’s left boot.

Kevin: AHHHH!

Kevin crashes to the ground.

Kevin: *groans*

Blaze: Thanks, buddy!

Wes: Y- you’re welcome!

Aaron punches Wes in the face, shattering his skin.

Wes: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Aaron: Why did you help the enemy?!

Wes: He wasn’t my enemy!

Aaron grabs Wes and punts him off the arena.

Wes: AHHHHHH!

Blaze pushes through the pain of his laser burns and charges toward Kevin.

Blaze: You’re going down, Kevin!

Kevin: *grunts* MKIII, fight back!

MKIII: System Error.

Kevin: What?!

Blaze lunges at Kevin.

Blaze: This is the end for you!

Kevin: Shit!

Aaron: Howitzer Burst!

A howitzer blast hits Blaze in midair.

Blaze: AHHHHHHH!

Aaron: You put up a good effort, kid. I’ll give you that. I’m definitely impressed, but we had one goal, and you’re the last one in the way of us achieving it!

Blaze flies off the arena. Aaron’s howitzer arms are slightly red and steaming.

Kevin: Thanks, Aaron… I can’t believe you did that.

Aaron: We’re a team, and I protect my teammates.

Silver: Well, not anymore.

Justus: Yes, this is what we’ve been waiting for.

Hayze emerges from the ground.

Boom: And we’re down to our final five!

The crowd roars. The five remaining competitors are in a circle with intense expressions.

Hayze: So, it’s just us.

Silver: The original top five.

Justus: But now there’s only one question left.

Aaron: One, we never thought we’d get the chance to find out.

Kevin: It’s time…

Hayze, Silver, Justus, Aaron, and Kevin: To see who’s the best!