The 25 remaining examinees gather in the empty arena. The entire area is lit up by artificial lights because it’s dark outside. Everyone is wearing a fresh set of the scrub-like uniforms they wore during the previous phases.
Zach:
Man, I didn’t even realize it was nighttime…
Angel:
Yeah, what time is it?
Alexis:
We arrived at the stadium at about 5 in the afternoon on Saturday, then it took around two and a half hours for everyone to check-in. The first phase lasted 15 minutes, and then the second phase went for 32 hours. If my math is correct, we finished at about 4 in the morning on Monday.
Kevin:
Which means it’s 4 am on Tuesday right now.
Wes:
Jesus… is it really Tuesday? We’ve been here almost 3 days?
Zach:
That’s nuts…
Demetri:
I’m happy we’re missing class time because of this.
Isaiah:
Hell yeah!
Saige:
You two realize we’ll have to learn our next topics faster, right?
Isaiah and Demetri both start dripping sweat.
Demetri:
Faster…
Isaiah:
I can barely keep up as is…
Justus leans against the wall of the arena.
Justus:
(Another phase, I cannot let this one be my last.)
Ash approaches Justus.
Ash:
Are you ready for this one?
Justus:
As much as I can be.
Ash:
You seem pretty nervous… I’ve never heard you answer like that.
Justus:
I have a lot of pressure to pass this exam. A lot of pro heroes are watching me closely because of my father. It would reflect poorly on his legacy for me to not excel at this exam.
Ash:
Should you really be thinking like that? I mean, I’m not saying you shouldn’t care about Colossus’ image, but shouldn’t you be doing this more for yourself?
Justus:
I am doing this for myself, Ash. When my father died, he spoke about a hero surpassing him. This exam is each of our opportunities to become that hero, or at least get a headstart on everyone else. So I must seize this opportunity for both my father and myself.
Ash:
R- right, gotcha… (I never really thought of it that way.)
Houston, Fatal, and Adrian sit in one section of seats while Daniele, Yul, and Aster sit in another. Walker is standing at the top of the stadium’s seats watching from the shadows.
Daniele:
I can’t believe Tyson is sleeping through this phase…
Aster:
Well, considering he’s the only one of us that’s lost a member of their team. I can understand why he isn’t that motivated.
Daniele:
Still, Alexis and Eve would probably appreciate his support.
Aster and Yul both stare at Daniele.
Daniele:
Okay, you’re right, but he should still be here!
Yul:
Tyson can do as he likes. We weren’t even required to come on this trip, but we did, so he’s already doing more than he was asked.
Daniele:
We got special exemptions to be here, and Ms. Lust was very insistent I come.
Aster:
Don’t phrase-
Daniele:
I know. I realized the moment I said it.
Hunt steps through the arena door and all the examinees get serious; he steps to the front of the group and faces them.
Hunt:
Welcome to the third phase. I’m glad to see all of you are here. Before we can begin, let’s move to the center of the arena.
Silver:
(Why?)
Hunt walks to the center, and the 25 examinees follow him.
Hunt:
Good, now let’s get started.
Hunt snaps his fingers, and a bright blinding light glares around them. The room has the appearance of a train station. A train materializes at each entrance with different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The room has no windows, so they cannot see what has materialized outside.
Hunt:
Each of these trains represents a different trait. Red: Power, Orange: Courage, Yellow: Morality, Green: Cooperation, Blue: Intelligence, and Purple: Fame. Your task for the third phase is to board the train with the trait you think is most important for being a hero. That’s it.
Everyone is surprised.
Zach:
(Th- that can’t be it, right? There’s no way to fail.)
Aaron:
What’s the catch?
Hunt:
There’s only one correct answer.
Zach gulps.
Hunt:
You will have 10 minutes to pick and board a train. Once those ten minutes are up, the train that represents the correct answer will leave the station, and everyone who is not on that train fails.
The whole room gets tense.
Hunt:
As for the rules of this phase: The only thing you’re allowed to do is board a train. You cannot use your quirk or communicate with any other examinee. If you do, you’ll fail. Once you board a train, you cannot leave it. Finally and most importantly, there’s a limit of 5 people to a single train.
Alec:
Huh? 5? But if there’s one right train then-
Hunt:
Then, only 5 of you will advance from this phase.
Everyone gets a chill down their spine.
Hunt:
Remember, this exam works differently every time it’s given. We don’t have to pass a single one of you. So thinning the herd by 20 is not a problem. Let’s begin.
Hunt points at the ceiling. A giant analog clock materializes with the numbers 0 through 10 written on it with just a minute's hand starting at 0. Then, the minutes hand starts moving slowly towards 1. Hayze notices that the color of the numbers is white, except for 5, which is red.
Hayze:
(That’s strange…)
Hunt:
Your time has started; pick a train.
Everyone looks around at the 6 options, but nobody is moving towards any.
Kevin:
(This is tough… my instincts tell me morality but are having good morals really the most essential part of being a hero? Even douchebags like Alden can get this far.)
Blair:
(Courage makes the hero, right? But… isn’t being intelligent important too?)
Alexis:
(It can’t be power or fame… those seem like trap answers.)
Justus:
(Cooperation has to be the answer. Even the weak can overpower a strong enemy if they band together… but I’m uncertain if that’s actually correct.)
Everyone is in deep thought when all of a sudden…
Aaron:
(The answer is obvious.)
Aaron starts walking towards the Red Power train.
Alexis:
(Aaron! That can’t be right!)
Aaron:
(All Colossus needed to become the number one hero was power, so this is the only right choice.)
Aaron boards the train.
Saige:
(That’s bold… I’ll give him that much.)
Alden walks off and boards the Purple Fame train.
Alden:
(BEING POPULAR IS ALL THAT MATTERS!)
Wes is sweating bullets.
Wes:
(Oh, come on! How am I supposed to pick one of these trains? Any of these answers could work!)
Silver stares at each of the trains.
Silver:
(This doesn’t make any sense… this question… there is no RIGHT answer. All of these traits are important to being a hero, and the choice comes down to a matter of opinion. No matter what Mr. Hunt says, the answer is… I could easily refute any of them. So… the test can’t really be about the question, right?)
Hayze stares at the clock.
Hayze:
(He said we have 10 minutes… but why is the 5 highlighted? Unless…)
Hayze gets a look of realization.
Hayze:
(That’s it!)
Hayze looks around at the rest of the examinees.
Hayze:
(I’m not allowed to communicate with them, but I have to make sure they realize the point of this phase. And I think I have an idea…)
Hayze walks off and boards the Purple Fame train. Much to the surprise of his classmates.
Blair:
(Wh- Hayze got on that one? But that doesn’t make any sense… he would never believe fame is the most critical trait of a hero.)
Silver:
(Given Hayze’s choice, I know my suspicions are correct. Our answer to the question doesn’t matter. But… what does?)
Wes:
(Maybe I should just board the same train as Hayze, he knows what he’s doing, right? Ugh… I don’t know if copying answers is really my best play…)
Justus:
(If Hayze chose the purple train… something’s off.)
Saige:
(I see…)
Saige walks off and boards the Blue Intelligence train.
Zach:
(Man, 4 people already picked trains, and I can’t even figure out which one is the correct answer!)
Another minute passes, Tobias enters the Blue train, Sydney enters the Red, and Bruno enters the Green train.
Angel:
(Why is everyone picking their train so quickly?)
Blair:
(We still have 7 minutes, and 7 people have already picked trains… what the hell?)
Wes gulps.
Wes:
(Okay, screw it. I know I won’t be able to figure out the correct answer in 7 minutes, so I should just pick now… and there’s only one way to do it.)
Wes starts pointing at each of the trains.
Wes:
(Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…)
Gavin boards the Yellow train.
Kevin:
(Alright, fuck it. I’ve just gotta pick an answer and hope.)
Kevin boards the Yellow train.
Silver:
(If the question doesn’t matter, then the only thing that can matter is…)
Silver boards the Orange train.
Hayze:
(Come on, guys… figure it out. There isn’t much time left!)
Jace boards the Red train.
Wes:
(If he hollers, let him go, I choose you because you’re the very best one.)
Wes’ finger stops on the Green train.
Wes:
(FUCK! Well… I guess I shouldn’t try my luck. Maybe this is the universe sending me a sign…)
Wes boards the Green train, and Verity follows right behind him.
Wes:
(THIS BITCH!)
Alec boards the Red train.
Demetri:
(If everyone else is picking their trains now, maybe I should too.)
Demetri walks towards the Orange Courage train.
Isaiah:
(Wait for me, Demetri! I can’t handle this!)
Demetri and Isaiah board the train together.
Zach:
(6 minutes left… I’ve gotta make a choice, right? How are these people doing it so fast?)
Grace boards the Purple train.
Alexis:
(That leaves just 8 of us to choose. I’m not waiting any longer.)
Alexis boards the Blue train.
Ash:
(I’m going to follow my instincts.)
Ash boards the Green train.
Blair:
(I don’t want to just follow Hayze, but I also don’t want to fail. He can’t be wrong, can he?)
Eve starts walking towards the Yellow train.
Blair:
(Eve?)
Eve boards the train, and Blair gulps and follows her.
Hayze:
(It’s just Zach, Angel, Justus, and Lilith left with little time.)
Justus closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
Justus:
(My father always told me to never walk a path alone.)
Justus boards the Green train.
Angel:
(What do I do? My heart is telling me Morality, but my head is telling me Intelligence!)
Zach:
(Come on, Zach, make a damn choice!)
Lilith:
(I don’t know… I don’t want to be the last person here!)
Lilith boards the Purple train. Hayze watches as the clock ticks towards 5 minutes.
Hayze:
(Come on, Zach and Angel! Just pick a train!)
Zach bites his nails.
Zach:
(I don’t know what to do!)
The clock hits 5 minutes, and a loud buzzer goes off.
Zach and Angel:
Huh?
Hunt:
Time is up.
Zach:
Wh- we still had 5 minutes!
Hunt:
Now, let’s reveal the correct answer.
All six trains start leaving the station.
Zach:
Wh- huh? What?
Angel:
I don’t get it…
Hunt:
Examinees Numbers 17 and 30, a.k.a. Zach Crawford and Angel Northcroft fail.
Zach:
I- I- what?
Hunt:
The point of this phase was for you to make a choice. An impossible one because there was no correct answer. I’m sure you realized that the question came down to opinion rather than fact, making choosing a single train seem impossible. But you had to. Passing this phase requires you to be bold in the face of impossibility. For example, say there was a burning building, and you ran inside to save survivors. A mother and her child are trapped under two separate pieces of debris, with the blazing inferno approaching each of them. You only have time to save one, which do you choose?
Zach:
Th- the child, right?
Hunt:
I don’t know, there isn’t a right answer, but the point is that you have to choose. The fire isn’t going to wait for you to be sure. That’s why I said you had 10 minutes when in actuality, you only had 5.
Angel:
The five-minute mark represented the moment when the fire engulfed both the child and their mother.
Hunt:
Precisely.
Zach falls to his knees and punches the floor.
Zach:
I can’t believe it… it’s really over…
Hunt:
Yes, it is.
Each train drives down tracks that lead all around the arena in circles. The trails are carefully crafted to ensure there are no collisions.
Lilith:
So, I would have failed if I had waited just a few more seconds.
Hayze:
Yeah… unfortunately, Zach and Angel didn’t choose a train in time, so they’re gone.
Lilith:
Wow… I didn’t even notice the clock was changed.
Hayze:
That’s by design. You were supposed to be worried about the question. The clock being a clue was to test our deduction skills. The test wasn’t just about bravery and decision-making.
Alden laughs.
Alden:
I figured that out pretty quick, which is why I got on this train so fast. Sorry Hayze, but I’m just too bright for you.
Hayze and Lilith stare at Alden.
Alden:
That’s right! Admire my beauty!
Grace:
Hm… I think I’ll call you Little Richard.
Alden:
Wh- what’s that mean?
Cut to the Blue train.
Alexis:
Well, by the looks of it, the next phase will take place on these trains.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Saige:
Yeah, I’m wondering if this means we’re on a team now or?
Tobias:
With some trains having more examinees than others, I’d say we’re still on our own. Which is good.
Saige and Alexis:
*groans*
Cut to the Green train.
Verity:
What are the chances we both picked the same train?
Wes:
YOU FOLLOWED ME!
Bruno:
Verity, don’t harass him. We might be a team for this next phase, so we need everyone on their A-game!
Verity:
This isn’t harassment.
Wes:
YES, IT IS!
Bruno:
Verity!
Justus and Ash watch from the corner of the train car.
Justus:
Perhaps we should have chosen a different train.
Ash:
Maybe…
Cut to the Yellow train.
Gavin:
Are you guys ready for some ass gas?
Kevin, Eve and Blair:
No!
Cut to the Orange train. Isaiah and Demetri are hugging each other with tears in their eyes.
Demetri:
We’re alive!
Isaiah:
We made it through another phase!
Silver:
You two are pathetic…
Cut to the Red train.
Aaron:
…
Alec:
…
Sydney:
…
Jace:
…
Inside each train, a TV screen powers on, and Hunt is displayed.
Hunt:
It’s time to begin the fourth phase. Now that you’re all on your respective trains, you’ll need to protect them. A bomb, set to go off in exactly one hour, is located on each one. You have 15 fellow passengers, and your goal is to save all of their lives. So look outside the window of your train now.
23 balconies materialize on the walls of the arena, spaced evenly apart. Above each balcony is a number representing each examinee.
Hunt:
To pass this phase, you must finish with exactly five passengers in your respective “drop zone.” If you fall off of your train, you instantly fail. You cannot tamper with the other examinee’s trains or sabotage them. If you fall off the train while having passengers in your drop zone, those passengers are returned to your train. You cannot remove passengers from a drop zone once they are placed there. That is all, good luck.
The screen changes to a timer ticking down from 1:00:00.
Grace:
That’s it? This’ll be easy! Right, Little Richard?
Alden:
I don’t know if I like this nickname.
Lilith:
Yay! This is my specialty! I can fly each of the passengers across to the-
Lilith notices Hayze is in deep thought.
Lilith:
H- Hayze?
Hayze starts walking towards Alden.
Hayze:
Hey… Alden?
Alden:
Huh? What is it, peasant?
Hayze’s eyes change to red. He grabs Alden by the collar and chucks him out the train window, shattering the glass.
Alden:
AHHHHHH!
Grace:
Woah! What the hell was that?
The occupants of the Green train look tense.
Ash:
This isn’t good…
Justus:
(If there are 15 passengers to save while everyone needs 5 to pass… That means at most only three people can move on from each train.)
Gavin gets a massive shit-eating grin.
Eve:
Listen, buddy… you wouldn’t think of doing that in here, would you?
Gavin:
ASS GAS ASSASSINATION!
Eve:
NOOOOOOO!
Blair:
Full Magma Jacket!
Blair coats her entire body in magma armor as Gavin’s goofy gas fills the whole train car.
Gavin:
Ah… my ass gas!
Nobody has made a move on the Red train.
Aaron:
(If any of these fuckers try to stop me from advancing through this phase, they’ll have another thing coming.)
Silver exits the caboose and enters the next train car, where 15 blow-up dolls are sitting in the seats.
Silver:
*sighs* They couldn’t get anything else?
Silver looks back at Demetri and Isaiah.
Silver:
Listen, you two, I could easily throw you off this train, but I’m feeling nice today. Carry all of these passengers to the back of the train for me.
Isaiah:
Yessir!
Demetri:
We’re on it!
Demetri grabs two passengers with his strings while Isaiah grabs two under his arms.
Silver:
(At least they’re not entirely useless.)
Saige and Alexis inspect their passengers.
Saige:
Maybe we should bring some of these back for Demetri and Isaiah. It would probably keep them occupied.
Alexis:
That’s like giving a dog a toy while you’re trying to do work…
Saige:
Yeah, same thing.
Alexis:
Fair point. How do you want to do this?
Saige:
Well, we will most likely need to use my quirk for this. Is that a problem, Mr. Blind Man?
Tobias:
I do not care what you do as long as I receive 5 of the passengers. I will not interfere with anything.
Saige:
Alright, sounds fair enough.
Grace looks out the shattered window. Alden is barely hanging on to the back of the train as his legs flail in the wind.
Alden:
HELP ME!
Grace:
That was badass!
Hayze:
If the three of us work together, we can pass this phase, alright?
Grace:
Sounds good to me!
Lilith:
Yeah!
Hayze, Grace, and Lilith enter the train car with their passengers. Hayze uses his fire to carve a hole in the car's roof.
Hayze:
Grace, you’re strong enough to stand on the train's roof without getting blasted off by the wind. You go up there, and I’ll pass you the passengers. Lilith, you’ll take the passengers from Grace and place them in our drop zones.
Lilith:
Right!
Grace:
I don’t know… I don’t think I’m strong enough right now… but maybe if someone hits me…
Hayze:
Lilith, punch her.
Grace:
TEASE!
Lilith punches Grace with the force of a falling feather.
Grace:
Well, now I’m the opposite of horny.
Gavin’s goofy gas clears, and Blair removes her magma armor to see Eve dancing around with her bra on her head.
Blair:
Eve?
Eve:
Blair!
Eve hugs Blair.
Eve:
I missed you!
Eve smothers Blair in her breasts.
Blair:
*muffled* So this is what his gas does…
Gavin shatters a window in the train car and grabs a passenger.
Gavin:
Ass Gas Asscension!
Gavin farts goofy gas with the force of a rocket engine, blasting himself towards his drop zone.
Blair:
(That’s not good…)
Kevin is licking one of the seats of the train.
Kevin:
Delicious!
Blair:
Ugh…
Alec stands up.
Alec:
Well, I’m going to grab my 5 passengers. You guys can wrestle for the rest.
Aaron transforms his left arm into a Model 1887 and aims it at Alec.
Aaron:
Sorry, but you’ll have to sit here quietly while I finish this phase.
Alec:
Like hell I am!
Alec pulls out a knife.
Aaron:
W- we don’t have pockets. How do you have a knife?
Alec:
Trade secret!
Alec preemptively dodges Aaron’s shotgun blast and lunges toward him.
Alec:
This is revenge for last time!
Aaron:
You mean times?
Alec:
Shut up!
Suddenly, Jace’s arm extends and grabs Alec’s wrist. He twists it, causing Alec to drop his knife.
Aaron and Alec:
Huh?
Jace:
Aaron, I’ll keep this one occupied as long as you promise to bring 5 passengers to my drop zone.
Aaron:
Oh really? That seems fair.
Aaron stands up and starts walking to the passenger car.
Alec:
Hey, don’t walk away from me! Sydney! Help me out here! We can take them both!
Sydney:
I don’t really see the point in that. Why fight 2 versus 2 when I can join them and advance much more easily.
Alec:
W- what?
Sydney:
*to Jace* I’ll ensure that the other one doesn’t double-cross you as long as your offer extends to me as well.
Jace:
That’s fine.
Sydney walks past Alec.
Alec:
Bitch!
Sydney:
Small Dick! See, we can both state facts!
Alec:
Fuck y-
Jace chucks Alec against the wall of the train car.
Alec:
*groans*
Jace throws Alec’s knife out the window of the train.
Jace:
Sorry, but you’re dealing with me now.
Bruno takes a deep breath.
Bruno:
Look, we can come to an agreement here, alright? We don’t have to fight.
Justus:
Only three of us can pass, and I’d rather it be Ash, Wes, and me.
Wes:
W- really?
Bruno:
I’d rather have Verity, Wes, and I pass!
Wes:
W- really?
Justus:
Then I guess we have to fight.
Bruno:
On guard!
Bruno coats his entire body in diamond and attempts to punch Justus, but Justus dodges quickly and grabs Bruno’s forearm.
Justus:
(My punches aren’t strong enough to break his diamond skin, so I have to try and restrain him.)
Justus rips Bruno towards himself and drives him to the ground.
Justus:
Ash, go! Wes and I will hold them off!
Wes:
Huh?
Ash:
Right!
Ash starts running to the passenger car.
Verity:
I will stop her.
Verity tries to run after Ash but trips on her shoelaces and smacks her face on the ground.
Wes:
Uh…
Verity:
*muffled* You tripped me.
Wes notices Verity’s shoelaces are untied.
Wes:
D- did you do this on purpose?
Verity doesn’t respond.
Wes:
BITCH, I AM TALKING TO YOU!
Isaiah and Demetri finish bringing all the passengers to the back of their train.
Isaiah:
All done, sir!
Demetri:
Anything else you need?
Silver:
If you two speak another word, I’ll throw you off this train.
Demetri and Isaiah both bite their lips until they bleed.
Silver:
Good, Isaiah. Use your laser beam to turn this pile of silver alloy into dust.
Isaiah:
Y-
Silver gives Isaiah a death stare. Isaiah frantically shakes his head and uses his death beam to turn the silver pile Silver created into dust.
Silver:
Good.
Silver divides the dust into 15 sections and attaches one to each passenger. He then levitates 5 to his drop zone, 5 to Demetri’s, and 5 to Isaiah’s.
Silver:
There, all done.
Saige attaches a C4 to the side of the train car.
Alexis:
Is this safe?
Saige:
No!
Saige detonates the C4, opening a massive hole in the car.
Saige:
Okay, now I’m going to need your cane, Tobias.
Tobias:
Why?
Saige:
I need something incapable of burning so I can start a fire we’ll use to create hot air. I’ll then use that hot air to fly the passengers to safety.
Tobias thinks for a moment.
Tobias:
Fine.
Tobias hands Saige his cane.
Saige:
Thank you.
Saige chucks Tobias’ cane off the train.
Tobias:
That was rude.
Saige:
I know you can’t see, but I’m flipping you off right now.
Gavin returns to the Yellow train.
Blair:
Stop right there!
Gavin:
Huh?
Blair:
I won’t let you take any more of the passengers!
Gavin:
Too late! I just need one more to pass this phase!
Gavin grabs a passenger.
Gavin:
Smell my ass, flat chest! ASS GAS ASSCENSION!
Blair:
No! Stop!
Gavin blasts off through the window.
Blair:
Dammit!
Gavin flies towards his drop zone.
Gavin:
I’ve got this in the bag!
Suddenly Alec’s knife from the other train stabs straight into Gavin’s asshole.
Gavin:
AHHHHHH!
With Gavin’s asshole plugged, his goofy gas stream ceases, and he starts plummeting to the ground.
Gavin:
MY ASS GAS! NOOOOOOOOO!
Gavin smacks into the dirt, knocking him unconscious.
Hunt:
Examinee Number 3, Gavin Thompson fails. All of his secured passengers will be returned to the Yellow train.
Blair watches as the passengers are teleported back.
Blair:
Huh, I guess that worked out.
Blair looks back at Eve and Kevin. Eve is fondling her breasts, and Kevin is trying to clean the train windows with his tongue.
Blair:
Guess this is all on me…
Jace and Alec face off.
Alec:
So, you take yourself for some hotshot now, huh? Well, I can take you in my sleep.
Jace:
You’re no use to the Vanguard, so I’ll make this quick.
Alec:
The Vanwhat-
Jace slugs Alec in the chest, but Alec grabs Jace’s springs with both hands.
Alec:
Gotcha!
Jace:
No, you don’t.
Alec:
Huh?
Jace contracts his springs, catching Alec’s fingers between them and bringing him and Alec face to face.
Alec:
AHHHHH!
Jace:
You rely too heavily on weapons to enable the use of your quirk. It’s your weakness. Without your scythe or knives, you have no idea what to do.
Alec:
Shut up! I’m gonna cut you!
Alec attempts to bite Jace’s jugular, but Jace blocks with his other slinky forearm catching Alec’s teeth.
Alec:
*grunts*
Jace:
You’re going to need to see a dentist after this.
Jace contracts springs again, ripping out 5 of Alec’s teeth.
Alec:
AHHHH!
Jace:
You’re weak, just like I was before I saw the light.
Alec:
The light? What’th that?
Jace grabs Alec by his shoulders.
Jace:
Something beautiful.
Jace chucks Alec through the train car's window, sending him flying.
Hunt:
Examinee Number 26, Alec Vyxon fails.
Jace smiles.
Jace:
(Before, I could have never dreamed of defeating Alec, but now I can do it easily. I truly am the best version of myself.)
Lilith flies the passengers back and forth from the Purple train to Grace, Hayze, and her’s drop zones.
Lilith:
How many more?
Grace:
Looks like 3 or so.
Lilith:
Okay, that’s-
Alden:
Hey!
Grace and Lilith:
Huh?
Alden has climbed on top of the train.
Grace:
Little Richard! You made it!
Lilith:
Alden?
Alden:
I’M PASSING THIS EXAM! I WON’T LET YOU STOP ME!
Alden charges at Grace with his nails extended.
Alden:
Take this!
Suddenly a fireball burns through the train's roof and ignites Alden’s crotch.
Alden:
AHHHHHHH!
Alden starts rolling on the ground, trying to extinguish his burning balls.
Alden:
HELP ME!
Grace:
Little Richard, you’re hilarious!
Hayze hands Grace another two passengers.
Hayze:
Ignore him! Let’s just go!
Grace:
Jeez, what crawled up your butt and died?
Bruno and Justus are locked in mortal combat while Verity slowly gets to her feet.
Wes:
I’m not falling for any of your tricks.
Verity:
I know you will; I can read your thoughts.
Wes:
*grunts* (She’s right, I can’t hide anything from her. She’ll know exactly what I’m going to do the second I think of it.)
Bruno punches Justus in the jaw.
Bruno:
Verity! Help me! What is he thinking of!
Verity:
He’s currently worried about my mind-reading abilities.
Bruno:
Not Wes! Justus!
Justus grabs Bruno while he’s distracted and puts him in a chokehold.
Verity:
He’s thinking about putting you in a chokehold!
Bruno:
I SEE THAT!
Wes gets a look of realization.
Wes:
(Wait a second, she can read all of my thoughts which means I can put whatever I want into her head!)
Verity:
What could you possibly think of that could catch me off balance.
Wes:
(I’LL JUST THINK REALLY SEXUAL!)
Wes starts thinking so hard his face turns red.
Wes:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Verity:
What? What are you- Oh my god…
Verity’s face turns red, and she falls to her knees in defeat.
Bruno:
Verity! No!
Bruno breaks free of Justus’ chokehold and throws him against the wall. Bruno then runs to Verity.
Bruno:
Verity! Are you alright?
Verity:
So many… so much…
Bruno turns to Wes with pure anger on his face.
Bruno:
How dare you! I trusted you!
Wes:
Since when!
Bruno:
You’re going down for this!
Wes:
NO, I DON’T WANT TO GET DORA’D AGAIN!
Suddenly, Bruno stops moving.
Bruno:
Good work, Wes. You distracted him long enough.
Wes:
Huh?
Bruno leaps off the train.
Wes:
Wh- wh- huh?
Hunt:
Examinee Number 24, Bruno Nurkic fails.
Wes is perplexed.
Justus:
I’m glad you caught on to the plan, Wes.
Ash walks in.
Ash:
I only pretended to leave so he would forget about me. I took over his body while he was distracted and jumped off the train.
Wes:
Oh… yeah! I knew what was going on! That’s for sure!
Ash looks at Verity.
Ash:
What did you do to her?
Wes:
Uh… she tripped.
Ash:
Oh… why is her face red?
Wes:
The floor is hot.
Ash:
Oh… why is she breathing heavily?
Wes:
It was a long fall, very exhausting.
Saige creates a remote control Helicopter that she uses to fly each passenger to her, Alexis, and Tobias’ drop zones. Sydney creates bubbles to propel her 5 passengers to her drop zone. Aaron shotgun blasts himself back and forth while Jace springs back and forth to bring passengers to their drop zones. Finally, Eve and Kevin begin to sober up as Blair encases the 15 passengers on their train in magma armor.
Kevin:
Ugh… What's going on? Wh- why does my tongue taste like Windex?
Eve:
Oh god, it happened again…
Blair:
Kevin, do you think you could throw accurately?
Kevin:
Yeah… I’m not that woozy right now.
Blair:
Good, you will need to throw the passengers to each drop zone.
Kevin:
But… won’t that destroy them?
Blair:
Not with my magma armor protecting them.
Kevin:
Hm…
Kevin throws one of the passengers at his drop zone. It smacks against the wall, shattering the magma armor and landing delicately in the drop zone.
Kevin:
Awesome!
Kevin, one by one, throws the remaining 14 passengers to safety in Blair, Eve, and his drop zones. Justus makes a hole and climbs on top of the Green train. Wes coats each passenger and the train's roof in mirror surfaces. Ash and Wes hoist the passengers up to Justus, who throws them against the train roof at an angle that propels them to his, Ash, and Wes’ drop zones. The mirrors protect the passengers from sustaining any damage. Lilith flies back after delivering the final passenger for her, Grace and Hayze.
Lilith:
All done, guys!
Grace:
Good work, Half-Pint! You did much better than Little Richard over there!
Alden’s nutsack has been extinguished, but he’s passed out from pain with his balls smoldering.
Hunt:
Time. The fourth phase is now over. Examinees 13 and 29, a.k.a. Alden Taillon and Verity Larson, fail. Everyone else advances.
The remaining 18 examinees gather in the center of the arena. All of the holograms have been turned off, and Alec, Bruno, Gavin, Verity, and Alden are carted off by the medical staff. One of the medics is whispering in Hunt’s ear.
Hunt:
Uh-huh, amputation? One or both… one? Oh, that’s alright. He isn’t using them.
The medic walks off.
Hunt:
Alright, congratulations on passing through the first four phases. Where 21 of you have failed, 18 remain.
Everyone is anxious.
Hunt:
I guess I’ll cut straight to the point. Welcome to the Final Phase of the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam.
