Silver, Gus, Jace, Wes, Kevin, Angel, and Jake all stand on the flat plane in the facility’s center, awaiting their turn in the exercise.
Angel:
After seeing what the last group went up against, I can only begin to imagine our task.
Kevin:
Eh, I'm sure we can handle it. After all, they went up against the Number 1 hero, so our challenge has to be easier by default.
Silver:
That may be true, but knowing Mr. Walker, the difficulty drop won’t be drastic.
Jace, Wes, Gus, and Jake stand off to the side, watching Silver, Kevin, and Angel talk.
Jace:
Man, all these strong guys just huddle around each other, huh?
Gus:
At least this is an all-male group. We have the best chance of winning this challenge through brute force.
Jake:
Do you guys know when lunch is?
Wes:
(Oh god, as if I wasn’t useless enough already, basically nobody in this group can even work with me on combination attacks. Angel is the only one with projectiles for me to help with. It’s gonna be rough for me, but I have to try my best. I’m tired of being considered one of the weaklings in the class. Hayze proved that he’s not one to be underestimated anymore, so I need to do the same here. The odds are stacked against me, though.)
Suddenly the intense light blares, and the holograms manifest around them; A giant labyrinth forms and the large walls separate Wes, Gus, Jace, and Jake from Angel, Silver, and Kevin.
Silver:
Great, it took a whole negative one second for us to lose the dead weight.
Kevin knocks on the wall that separates the two groups.
Kevin:
Guys, can you hear me?
No response.
Silver:
Those walls are tall and thick; we’re completely separated from the four of them.
Angel:
I have an idea!
Angel spreads his wings and flies up, but he gets electrocuted and starts falling back down when he reaches the top of the wall. Silver reacts quickly and uses his silver dust to create a mound that Angel can softly sand on.
Angel:
*grunts* Okay… bad idea.
Silver:
Probably should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Hopefully, Jace doesn't try the same thing.
Cut to Jace being electrocuted and falling face-first into the dirt.
Wes:
Okay… that didn’t work. Jace, are you okay? …. Jace?
Jace is out cold.
Gus:
Well, I guess it’s just the four of us. I’ll carry Jace for a little while; he should wake up soon.
Jake:
I guess we should just start wandering the maze and see what happens.
Gus walks over to Jace.
Walker:
*Through intercom* Listen up, your goal is to get to the center of the labyrinth and defeat the hero that is waiting for you there; you have one hour. And before you think that the easy part will be getting to the center, think again.
A new wall emerges that separates Gus and Jace from Jake and Wes.
Wes:
Okay, that’s just not good at all.
Jake:
I blinked; what happened?
Cut to the rest of the class and Walker in the viewing lounge.
Ash:
Wow, that seems pretty harsh. They have to solve a massive maze and defeat someone in the middle of it.
Alexis:
To make up for their opponent not being as strong as Colossus, they have to survive the beginning stages of the exercise while also being separated, which is pretty clever.
Karma:
But it's a labyrinth, not a maze, so they have to reach a center atrium instead of an exit on the outer walls.
Hayze:
The separation wouldn't be that bad if they weren't split up in the worst way possible. The people with the most substantial quirks and capabilities on one side, and all the people with support-based quirks on the other.
Blair:
Not to mention that they don’t know what enemy they’re fighting, and the walls can shift at any given moment.
Walker:
(I'm glad they caught on early, this test isn't just about physical strength, they have to worry about surviving long enough to use their quirks in combat.)
Cut to Silver, Kevin, and Angel.
Angel:
I think I'll be alright guys, that shock wasn't too bad. The fall would have been the real issue, so thanks for catching me, Silver.
Silver:
No problem. I guess at this point, we have to start moving toward the center and hope the rest of our team can make it there as well.
Kevin:
Are you sure we should put that much faith in them? I’m not trying to be a dick, but that group doesn’t seem like the coordinated type.
Silver:
That’s true… and this separation is our fault. We got caught up in our own conversation, and we forgot about the rest of the team.
Angel:
Jake is quiet, Gus is lazy, Wes doubts himself, and Jace is a follower by nature. Maybe our priority should be finding them and not the center?
Kevin:
Yeah, we may be strong, but Gus’ smoke and Wes’ reflections can be helpful, and Jace is decently strong in his own right. It wouldn’t hurt to have them.
Silver:
But we have no clue how to get to or communicate with them. The only thing we know is that we all have a common goal of reaching the middle, so if we head there, we have to hope they will too.
Angel:
That sounds like a good idea to me. Wandering around for them seems like a waste of time, and if they reach the middle before us, that could be a problem.
Kevin:
Oh right, I didn’t think of that. Which way should we head first?
Silver:
The middle should be this way based on our standing before the maze was created around us.
Kevin:
Alright, let’s go.
Cut to Jake and Wes.
Wes:
Great, so now we’re stuck in this giant maze without anyone else’s help.
Jake:
Man, today was not a good day for me to forget my spare chicken nuggets.
Wes:
Wh- what?
Jake:
Spare chicken nuggets, why? D- do you not carry those around?
Wes:
Nobody does.
Jake:
Amateurs.
Wes:
(Oh god, this is what I’m stuck with…) Come on, let’s just head this way.
Jake:
Fine by me.
Cut to Gus and Jace.
Jace:
*grunts* Ah man, what the hell happened?
Gus:
You got electrocuted and hit the ground hard.
Jace:
And none of you tried to catch me?
Gus:
I’ve seen you jump out of a window and land on your springs to break your fall.
Jace:
I was stunned!
Gus:
Well, how was I supposed to know that!
Jace stares at Gus, dumbfounded.
Jace:
*sighs loudly*
Jace gets up and wipes off the dirt from his costume.
Jace:
Where did Wes and Jake go?
Gus:
This wall appeared behind me when I walked over to help you; now we’re separated from them. Mr. Walker said we need to reach the middle to fight someone.
Jace:
Well, I guess we’ll head this way then.
Gus:
Okie Dokie.
Cut to the middle of the labyrinth inside the center atrium. Multi stands there.
Multi:
Well, it’s been about seven minutes; I hope they’re acclimated because I’m not gonna hold anything back!
Multi creates 61 clones. The real Multi begins trying to make snowflakes in the dirt.
Walker (Naratting):
The Multiplication Hero: Multi, his quirk is multiplication. He can create as many clones of himself as he wants, but for each one, he makes the original loses 1 brain cell, and if the original takes any form of damage, all of the clones he's created disappear. For reference, Multi has an IQ of 110.
60 of the clones go running off into the maze and split off into 6 groups of 10. The one remaining clone helps up Multi.
Multi-Clone:
Come on, man, get a hold of yourself!
Multi:
But I’m having fun!
Multi-Clone:
Here, play with this flower.
Multi:
YAY!
Cut to Wes and Jake.
Wes:
(Whatever opponent we're up against, hopefully, they use projectiles so I can do something. Otherwise, I might be shit out of luck. I hope Jake is also thinking of ways he can be helpful because all we have is each other.)
Jake:
(I wonder when lunch is?)
Gus and Jace walk through the labyrinth when suddenly a group of 10 Multi Clones turn the corner and run at them.
Gus:
So, we’re fighting Multi like in the entrance exam? I know how to take care of him.
Gus starts to take a deep breath back.
Jace:
Wait one second!
Gus stops. Jace uses his spring arms to capture one of the clones and suspend him in the air.
Jace:
Okay now!
Gus releases a shroud of toxic gas on the clones. The nine clones choke on it and poof out of existence. Jace brings the captured clone to them.
Gus:
So why did you want that one?
Jace:
If they’re here, that means they came from the middle, right? Which means he should know the way back.
Multi-Clone:
Like I'd ever tell you that!
Jace:
Oh yeah? We’ll see about that!
Jace squeezes the clone.
Multi-Clone:
Haha! Do you think that will work? Well, watch this!
The clone poofs.
Gus:
You uh… you forgot he could-
Jace:
Yes, Gus, I forgot he could disappear on command!
Gus:
It’s okay, it was a good idea, but we don’t need him.
Jace:
Why not?
Gus points at the footprints the crowd of Multi’s left.
Jace:
Oh, nice!
Gus:
Now we can get to the center with ease.
Jace:
Pfft, see? We don’t need Silver or Kevin.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Cut back to Wes and Jake.
Wes:
So, what made you come to U.A., Jake? You're kind of an aloof guy.
Jake:
To be a hero, just like everyone else.
Wes:
Okay, let me rephrase that; why do you want to be a hero? You just don’t seem like you have the personality for it.
Jake:
I could have said the same thing about you.
Wes:
Okay, that's fair. I want to be a hero because I want to be useful. Kids made fun of me because my quirk wasn't very powerful; I wasn't strong like everyone else. That's why Aaron and I are a great team, he's the sword, and I’m the shield, and we've been friends for a long time. But now that I'm here, I want to prove that I can be a hero on my own. I'm tired of feeling tied to Aaron because he's not tied to me. He’s already proven that he can fight without me; my quirk is just a luxury to him, whereas I'm reliant on him. I wouldn't have gotten this far without him.
Jake:
Wes, I’m not an expert on this stuff, but it sounds to me like you need to accept that your quirk has a role, and instead of envying the role that other people’s quirks have, maybe you should become the best at what your quirk does best.
Wes:
Wow, that was really insightful, Jake. Thank you.
Jake:
Hey, you got any chicken nuggets on you?
Wes:
(Was he only like that for that one statement….? But maybe Jake has a point; maybe I am going about this the wrong way… maybe I should embrace the fact that my quirk wasn’t built to be flashy, but it gets the job done my way.)
Jake and Wes begin to hear the sound of many footsteps coming from multiple directions.
Wes:
Um, what is that?
Jake:
Food delivery?
Wes:
Do you ever shut up about that?
Jake:
Only if it stops annoying you.
Wes:
Dammit!
A crowd of Multi clones appears in front, and behind them, they have nowhere to go.
Wes:
Oh fuck! We’re about to get our asses kicked!
Suddenly, a wall emerges on both sides of Jake and Wes, blocking off the two sets of clones and trapping Jake and Wes inside a square of walls.
Wes:
Well… that solves one problem… BUT GIVES US ANOTHER!
Jake:
I guess we have to wait for the walls to move again.
Wes:
*sighs* Yeah… Jesus, we suck.
Jake:
Maybe the others are having as many issues as us?
Kevin, Silver, and Angel are fighting through the other 30 clones like it's nothing.
Kevin:
*Throws clone into wall* That’s number 7 for me.
Angel:
Nice, but I’ve already gotten 8.
Silver:
You two are cute, 12 for me.
Kevin:
Showoff!
Silver:
You can take the last three. I’ll have the most, no matter what.
Cut to Multi and his clone in the middle.
Multi:
Well, they seem to be dispatching my clones fast. I’m not trying to eat dirt anymore.
Multi-Clone:
Then what's that in your hand!
Multi:
NOTHING!
Multi eats dirt.
Multi-Clone:
DAMN IT, MAN! WE HAVE DIGNITY!
Multi:
BUT IT’S SO GOOD!
Cut back to Silver, Angel, and Kevin.
Silver:
If three of these groups of 10 found us this quickly, we must be close to the center.
Kevin:
True, I say we keep going forward.
Angel:
It’s too bad we still haven’t seen hide nor hair of any of the others.
Angel, Kevin, and Silver continue down the path and turn into a large corridor leading to the labyrinth’s center.
Silver:
There it is.
Kevin:
Looks like we’re the first ones here!
Angel:
I’m gonna start flying so I can survey what is going on.
The three enter the center and see Multi napping with his bodyguard clone, looking disappointed.
Multi-Clone:
Uhhh Boss, you know they've arrived, right?
Multi:
Yeah, with like 23 hours left.
Multi-Clone:
He means 35 minutes.
Silver:
This is merely a flat grassy plain. What’s the advantage for him here?
Kevin:
Yeah, it’s definitely typical terrain. I don’t see why he’d want this area to fight on.
Angel:
He must still have a lot of clones in the maze if he’s napping on the job; I’m gonna take him out now!
Angel wraps himself in his wings and starts gyrating, sending feathers flying at Multi. They hit the two Multis, but both of them disappear.
Angel:
Huh?
Silver:
Wait a second…
Kevin:
That wasn’t the real one!
Suddenly, thousands of clones form a tidal wave in the back of the atrium.
Kevin:
Holy.
Silver:
Crap.
Angel:
Uh, guys?
Silver covers himself and Kevin in a dome of his silver dust; Angel is too high up in the air for Silver to help. The wave crashes down on Angel, knocking him out as he hits the ground and is beaten to a pulp by the clones. The clones then turn their attention on Silver and Kevin and start knocking on the dome. Silver struggles to keep the dome stable.
Kevin:
It was a trap!
Silver:
Yeah, and we walked right into it.
Kevin:
How long do you think you can hold them?
Silver:
Not long, but I don’t think it will matter.
Kevin:
What? Why?
Silver:
Look at the ground… I don’t have the strength to barricade below us, they’ll dig beneath the dome, and we’ll be screwed.
Kevin:
Dammit, What the hell are we supposed to do?
Silver is sweating like crazy.
Silver:
Either you come up with a plan in the next couple of minutes, or we end up getting knocked around like ragdolls.
Kevin:
*grunts* (Should I do it?)
Kevin thinks for a moment.
Kevin:
Silver, I have an idea.
Silver:
Shoot.
Kevin:
I’m gonna use 75% of my power. I’ll try and take out as many as possible to buy you enough time to take out the real Multi!
Silver:
75%? What do you mean?
Kevin’s body bulks up a bit.
Kevin:
I can increase the amount of adrenaline in my bloodstream by a percentage up to 100, I can improve my circulation, feel less pain, and my speed and strength are up the higher I go. But the more I use it, the more my emotional state becomes unstable, the more I basically become a human battering ram.
Silver:
So what are you saying?
Kevin:
When you see me fight, I’m normally at about 30% because my emotional state stays intact for the most part, but I still have substantial boosts from the adrenaline. If I go 75%, then I’m basically gonna be working off animal instinct.
So just try to stay out of my way. I’ve got a minute before my body gives, and I pass out, but I’ll take as many out for you as possible!
Silver:
Just tell me when to drop the drome.
Kevin:
Alright, *takes a deep breath* 75%!
Silver drops the dome, and a berserk Kevin begins mashing through clones left and right, letting out blood-curdling yells. Silver floats upon a mound of his silver dust and observes that he's breathing heavily due to how much energy he used to keep the dome standing. Kevin has mashed his way through nearly 300 clones.
Silver:
(Holy crap! He’s a damn monster in this state! And he said this is only 75%! It makes me wonder what 100% looks like!)
Kevin continues to slam his way through the clones, bashing through any that come in his way, throwing clones into one another, ripping clones in half. Silver looks around the atrium, trying to spot the real Multi.
Silver:
(Where could the real one be? With more than a thousand clones out, the real one must be almost comatose… unless… the real one isn’t here!)
Silver reaches for his belt and opens two of his six massive canisters of silver dust.
Silver:
(Kevin will be down in a few moments. I have to leave a message for the others when they get here.)
Silver manipulates the silver dust on the back wall of the atrium. Kevin continues to bash clones but begins to slow down, and eventually, the clones overpower and pile on top of him, beating the shit out of him.
Silver:
(Just a little more time…)
After the clones defeat Kevin, they start climbing on top of one another to reach Silver's mound of silver dust and start grabbing at him.
Silver:
(Almost done!)
The clones grab Silver and pull him off his mound, he falls into the sea of remaining clones, and they beat the shit out of him.
Silver:
(I can’t believe I have to leave this in the hands of the others!)
Cut back to Jake and Wes. They are still stuck inside the square.
Wes:
This is so fucking boring.
Jake:
I find this enjoyable.
Wes:
I can't tell if I hate you or wish I could be that simple-minded.
One of the walls starts to fall.
Wes:
It’s about time.
Jake:
Aw…
As the wall finishes falling, they see a Multi Clone carrying the real Multi, drooling profusely.
Wes:
Is that what I think it is?
Jake:
Yup.
The Multi Clone looks over and sees them, hesitates for a moment, and starts running.
Wes:
After that bastard!
Jake teleports forward and starts chasing the Clone.
Jake:
Okay.
Wes starts running after them.
Wes:
Hey! Wait for me!
Jace and Gus arrive at the atrium. They see a sign in the back of the atrium in solidified silver: Multi Not Here.
Jace:
That’s ominous.
Gus:
Looks like Silver has been here.
Jace:
But this is where we’re supposed to be, right?
Gus:
Hey, look, there’s Angel!
They run over to Angel, who is battered and bruised badly.
Jace:
Jeez, man, what happened to you?
Angel:
*groans* R… r… run.
Angel passes out.
Gus:
Run?
Jace:
Okay, so Multi isn’t here, and Angel told us to run. I guess we should get going, right?
Gus looks behind them and sees the clone wave forming.
Gus:
Uhhh Jace…
Jace:
What? What is it?
Jace looks over his shoulder.
Jace:
Oh.
The wave crashes down on them, and they both get their asses kicked.
Gus:
WHY DIDN’T WE LISTEN!
Jace:
WHAT IS WRONG WITH US!
Jake and Wes continue chasing Multi and his clone.
Multi-Clone:
Okay, only one way out of this!
The clone punches Multi in the gut, causing all the clones to disappear; Multi falls to the ground, now back to his ordinary intelligence. Jake and Wes both stop.
Multi:
You kids have done really well so far, but now it’s time for me to take you down for good. I’ve already dispatched of the other five.
Multi gets up and dusts himself off.
Wes:
What? We’re the only ones left?
Jake:
We
were
trapped for a good 10 minutes.
Wes:
Okay, never mind, but still, all of them got taken out?
Multi:
I'll tell you what, some of them put up a good fight, but a couple of them had a little bit more embarrassing endings.
Multi checks his watch.
Multi:
You've got 20 minutes, so it looks like I'll have to take you both down right here right now!
Wes:
(Fuck, with just Jake and me here, we don’t stand a-)
Jake teleports behind Multi and tries to punch him in the back. Multi grabs Jake’s arm and twists it.
Multi:
Look, I know you’re trying here, but I don’t need clones to take you two down!
Multi lifts Jake and throws him at Wes.
Wes:
(Oh crap! Well, this is it… wait a second, what if I…)
Wes turns himself into a mirror and reflects Jake back at Multi faster and powerful. Jake slams into Multi, knocking him down.
Wes:
Yeah, I did something!
Jake:
Owwww…
Wes:
Oh, shit! Sorry, Jake.
Jake:
I really should have brought my spare nuggets…
Wes:
It’s alright; now that we’ve wounded him, it’s time for us to win and show everyone in our class we’re not the bottom feeders. It’s time for us to prove that we are heroes!
Multi creates 1000 clones that beat the shit out of Wes and Jake.
Wes:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Sometime later, Group B gathers together at the facility’s center after being healed by Recovery Girl. The facility has reverted to normal, and Multi and Walker are standing in front of them.
Walker:
I can say for a fact that I was expecting a better performance out of you. Silver, Kevin, and Angel, you overestimated your abilities, went into the battle unprepared, and believed that you could handle everything independently. You had about 35 minutes remaining, so you could have waited by the entrance to the atrium for the rest of your team. Now with that said, Kevin and Silver, you formed a decent plan after the battle went south for you, so I applaud you for that. Gus and Jace, you didn't heed the warnings of Angel and Silver and walked into the atrium without a plan. Jake and Wes, given your circumstances, you did the best you could, and Wes, good job and being the only one to actually land a hit on Multi.
Wes:
Thanks, sir.
Jake:
But wasn’t I technically the one that hit him.
Wes looks at Jake with pure hatred in his eyes.
Jake:
Never mind.
Walker:
You all receive C-’s for this exercise. Head on out. Group C is next.
Everyone starts walking back to the control room.
Silver:
(Perhaps we should have waited for the others, but I doubt they would have helped.)
Kevin:
Sorry guys, we saw the entrance and just headed in without thinking. Our bad.
Jace:
It’s alright; I think a lot of us left something on the battlefield we’d want back.
Angel:
Let me guess, you jumped into the electrical field?
Jace:
N- NO. Okay, yes.
Angel:
Don’t worry, I did it too; luckily, Silver broke my fall.
Jace:
My group watched me plummet to the ground.
Jake:
I thought you had it handled.
Jace:
HOW?
Gus:
I have to agree with Jake. It looked like you had it handled.
Jace:
*sighs* Yeah, I had it handled.
Jake:
See, he agrees.
Jace:
I hate my life.
Wes:
I’m just glad I did something useful.
Silver:
Barely.
Wes:
Just let me have this, okay?
Alden comes running out from the viewing room and onto the field.
Alden:
Finally! It’s my turn! I’m about to show everyone that I’ll win with no effort at all! The champion is here!
Jake:
*whispers to Wes* Should we tell him his fly is down?
Wes:
No.
