Hayze and Silver approach the center of the arena.
Kevin:
Time for another grudge match.
Ash:
Grudge match? But Silver and Hayze don’t dislike each other.
Justus:
They don’t, but this fight means a lot to both of them. Think of how much our class would change had Silver been victorious in their first encounter.
Alexis:
You probably fight in the semi-finals.
Kevin:
Man, we would have an answer to that debate far sooner than we ended up having.
Ash:
Do you think you would have won, Justus?
Justus:
Hayze’s prominence in that tournament greatly benefited both Silver and me. I lashed out at Hayze because he took away my chance to fight Silver. If it doesn’t happen, I don’t know if I’m the same person I am today.
Alexis:
And the same goes for Silver. Hayze losing that day changes everything. That’s why this match means so much to them.
The screen begins randomizing through locations.
Daniele:
How does it feel, Aster, knowing I’m about to win our little wager?
Aster:
You’re implying that Hayze already has this match won. Remember that he won their first match only because Silver allowed him to. I’ve fought Hayze myself, and while he’s nothing to be laughed at, Silver is better.
Daniele:
Says the guy who’s about to lose.
Yul:
Out of curiosity, Daniele, what will you ask of Aster?
Daniele:
Oh… uh… (If I win, I’ll order Aster to ask me out on a date. I've had a crush on him since day one of our first year. All the other girls from class like him, BUT I LIKED HIM FIRST! I’ve got seven notebooks at home, completely filled out with my plans to make him love me. They’re called Operation Aster Love Volumes 1-7. I’m a little upset that all my planning and preparation will go to waste, but WHO CARES IF I END UP WITH HIM!) I don’t know… I’d have to think about it. (Good, Daniele. That’ll throw them off the scent.)
The screen stops on a clock tower.
Hayze:
(Interesting.)
Silver:
(The less space, the better for me.)
Adrian and Walker’s eyes both widen.
Adrian:
*under his breath* No way…
Fatal:
Huh? Did you say something?
Adrian:
Hm? Uh… no.
Walker regains his composure.
Walker:
(Just a coincidence.)
A blinding light blares. Suddenly, a giant clock tower forms. Hayze and Silver stand on top of the clocktower, clouds casting a shadowy darkness over them. Hayze looks down to see nothing but fog beneath them. The wind blows with a slight chill. The clock reads 11:48.
Silver:
Quite the eerie setting for our rematch.
Hayze:
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Silver:
I’ve waited a long time for this, Hayze. My chance to redeem myself for the loss you handed me at the Sports Festival.
Hayze:
Well, Silver, I guess it’s fitting then that we’re on a clock tower. Because it’s time for history to repeat itself.
Silver:
That’s unlikely because the only one walking away from this match, a loser, will be you.
Suddenly the sounds of people banging their feet and clapping can be heard.
Wes:
Wh- where is that sound coming from? We’re the only people in this stadium!
Silver points at Hayze.
Silver:
♫ Hayze, you’re a tyke, winning small fights. Making up plans, thinking you’re the man. You got mud on your face, you big disgrace. My silver storm’s gonna put you in your place, singin’. ♫
Silver and the Crowd:
♫ I will, I will beat you. I will, I will beat you. ♫
Hayze smiles.
Hayze:
♫ Silver, you’re a lad; losing makes you mad. You want this rematch, but soon you’ll be dispatched. You got blood on your face, you big disgrace. My counterparts and I will knock on your face, singin’. ♫
Hayze and the Crowd:
♫ I will, I will beat you. I will, I will beat you. ♫
Wes looks confused.
Wes:
Are- are they singing?
Aaron:
Shut up, Wes. I’m trying to watch the match.
Wes:
HOW AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FINDS THIS WEIRD?!
Silver laughs.
Silver:
You think a few simple rhymes will defeat me?
Hayze:
No, but this will.
Hayze’s eyes change to blue, and the Sigma Ring fragment glows. Then, Hayze’s left eye reverts to normal as Calm appears beside him.
Hayze:
You ready?
Hayze presses a button on his PDA, his trident materializes, and Calm grabs hold of it.
Calm:
Of course.
Hayze also materializes his water-filled collar and places it around his neck.
Justus:
Hm…
Ash:
Is something wrong?
Justus:
Hayze made a strange choice with his power. His water form is the only one that cannot generate its element. So he has to use water that’s already available to him.
Gus:
But it’s a clock tower… so there is none.
Alexis:
Not exactly…
Silver smiles.
Silver:
Bold strategy calling upon your alter-ego at the start of the fight. Are you trying to intimidate me?
Calm:
No, that would be a waste of time. A divide-and-conquer strategy is an optimal approach against an opponent like you.
Silver:
Really?
Calm:
Yes, silver dust is by far the most dangerous part of your quirk, but as revealed in our last match. You cannot use that ability if you’re not grounded. Thus a two-pronged attack is troublesome for you to deal with.
Silver:
Haven’t you ever heard the phrase quality over quantity?
Hayze:
Of course; how does it apply here?
Silver:
Don’t think I’ve forgotten how this works, you may look like two Hayze’s, but you’re actually one Hayze split in half, at least in terms of power. Even a full version of you didn’t stand a chance against me, let alone two halves.
Hayze:
(You know the plan.)
Calm:
(Right.)
Calm chucks his Trident at Silver.
Silver:
*grunts*
Silver opens two canisters, and a stream of silver dust flows up and blocks the Trident.
Silver:
(Why? What was the setup for that?)
Calm:
Sea Skates!
Calm creates water ice skates on the bottom of his feet and slices towards Silver with increased speed.
Silver:
(What! Where did he get the water to do that!)
Calm skates to Silver and grabs hold of the trident, attempting to drive it through Silver’s dust cloud.
Silver:
(I see, they threw the trident to make me block and obscure my vision. They’re trying to keep me in the dark about how they’re getting water for their attacks.)
The trident’s blades begin sticking out of the dust cloud's other side.
Silver:
(Hayze always has a master plan in the works. This is merely the first step, but I can’t allow it to go through.)
Silver opens a second set of canisters.
Silver:
(Wait a second, he probably expects me to capture his clone in a quicksilver prison. It’s the obvious play, so he definitely has planned for it. I can’t rely on my normal moves against Hayze; I could just be walking into his trap.)
Silver creates massive blades of liquid Silver from his wrists, shoulder blades, and elbows.
Silver:
(Instead, I’ll use my blademaster technique to slice apart his pal before he even gets a chance to implement his strategy!)
Silver lunges to his right, causing his silver dust mound to fall.
Calm:
Hm?
Silver charges at Calm.
Silver:
Take this!
Silver begins spinning towards Calm at high speed, making his body mimic a drill.
Silver:
Hypercutter!
Calm blocks Silver with his trident; sparks fly from the impact.
Silver:
Like that will work!
The trident gets sent flying through the air until it stabs into the ground. Silver slashes past Calm, slicing massive gashes throughout his torso and arms.
Calm:
*grunts*
Silver:
I’m no one-trick pony, and you should never underestimate me. (But I need to start worrying about Hayze.)
Hayze:
*from afar* Hey, Silver!
Silver looks to see Hayze with a massive pool of water over his head.
Silver:
(There it is!)
Hayze:
I’m going to send you slip-sliding off this tower! Torrential Tribute!
The massive wave of water careens towards Silver.
Silver:
(I can’t block, which means I have only one choice!)
Silver stabs his wrist blades into the roof as the water crashes into him. This tactic keeps Silver mounted to the roof, but the force of the water is intense.
Silver:
*grunts* (How did he generate this much water! I don’t see where it could be coming from! Wait…)
Calm comes swimming through the water. He punches Silver in the jaw before being swept off the roof with the liquid. Silver catches his breath as the attack subsides.
Silver:
I see… you’re using the water stored in the clouds!
Hayze:
It took you long enough, but you might want to turn around.
Silver looks over his shoulder. All the water from the torrential tribute is floating in the air behind him with Calm at its center.
Calm:
Torrential Tribute!
The wave bursts towards Silver, smashing into him and flowing back off the clock tower. Calm does another swim-by punch, this time to Silver’s chest.
Silver:
*grunts*
Hayze:
Sea Skates!
Hayze skates towards Silver, kicking him in the face with his hyper-sharp water skate. The attack slices a massive cut from the top of Silver’s cheek over his nose and to his other cheek.
Aaron:
Hayze came to play!
Alexis:
His strikes may not be doing a lot of damage, but his attacks give Silver almost no room to breathe! He’s utilizing his counterpart to a whole new level.
Justus:
This is almost a complete contrast to their last fight.
Silver regains his composure as Hayze skates back up the clock tower roof. Calm and the water from the previous attack float back into the air behind Silver.
Silver:
(They’re going to keep trying to hammer me with the same combo repeatedly! I’ve gotta do something!)
Silver opens a third dust canister.
Calm:
Torrential Tribute!
The wave bursts towards Silver, smashing into him and flowing back off the clock tower. Calm swims towards Silver again.
Silver:
(Not this time!)
Silver uses his silver dust to ground himself to the roof; he then rips one of his wrist blades out and slices Calm’s right arm off.
Calm:
AH!
Calm and the water drains off the roof again.
Silver:
I’m no pushover! You’re going to need more than one combo to beat me!
Silver uses the dust from his early trident block to bind Hayze.
Hayze:
*grunts*
Calm and the water rises again. Silver rips his other blade out of the roof and looks back at him.
Silver:
You two may be strong together, but that doesn’t mean you’re stronger than me! Quicksilver Prison!
Silver traps Hayze in a sphere of silver dust.
Silver:
You know, I noticed something after Hayze’s battle with Tobias; after the match, when Hayze passed out, his fire counterpart disappeared instantly. So, All I have to do is take Hayze out, and you’ll follow suit!
Calm:
Unlikely, Hayze is bound to have accounted for this.
Silver:
Huh? He can’t breathe in there!
Calm:
Implying that he needs air to breathe.
Silver:
(Crap! That’s right! Hayze just needs water to breathe in this form! Whatever! I’ll just finish him the old-fashioned way!)
Silver opens two more canisters. He channels three jars worth of silver dust into a massive shuriken.
Silver:
(This may cost me half of my dust supply, but if I win, it’s well worth it!) Serrated Shuriken of Destruction!
The shuriken spins at a lightning-fast speed towards Hayze’s quicksilver prison.
Calm:
This move also implies that Hayze didn’t learn from your previous encounter!
Silver:
(Huh?)
Hayze’s Trident rips from the ground and intercepts the shuriken. The Trident is sliced in half, releasing the water inside its staff.
Calm and Hayze:
Liquid Bullets!
Calm fires a barrage of liquid bullets from the water he’s inside while Hayze fires the trident water at Silver.
Silver:
(A two-sided attack! I can’t block!)
Silver leaps out of the way, dodging the attacks. However, silver’s movement causes his shuriken to stop dead in its tracks and fall apart.
Silver:
(He had a counterattack planned!)
Hayze bursts free of Silver’s prison.
Silver:
(Does this mean I’m predictable? No, I can’t think like that!)
Silver catches his breath.
Angel:
This battle has been pretty back and forth.
Zach:
Yeah, they seem to have answers for everything they throw at each other.
Justus:
That’s true, but it’s taking Silver much longer to come up with his responses. He’s landed some good hits, but they’re all against Calm, not Hayze.
Ash:
It’s almost like Hayze had a lot of this pre-planned out in his head.
Justus:
Silver is reusing many attacks, but that isn’t what he should be worried about.
Wes:
Huh? What is then?
Justus:
Silver apparently debuted that “Blademaster” form in his previous fight, yet it seems as though Hayze has already formulated a strategy against it.
Sydney overhears Justus.
“
Silver:
I was hoping to debut this against Hayze, so consider this a sign of my respect. I call his form: Blademaster. “
— Chapter 135
Sydney:
(Was he afraid of this possibility?)
Silver shakes his head.
Silver:
(No, he can’t be predicting everything I do! I have to keep trying to figure out how to catch him off guard!)
Hayze examines Silver.
Hayze:
(He’s starting to question himself, good. Unfortunately, Silver’s done a lot better responding to my attacks than I anticipated. I guess I underestimated him, which is a problem.)
Hayze looks at Calm.
Calm:
(What should we do next?)
Hayze:
(I’m a little distracted, your call.)
Calm:
(Alright then.)
Calm leaps from the water and lands back on the roof. He picks up the top half of the trident.
Calm:
I’d like for another go at hand-to-hand combat!
Silver:
*grunts* Bring it!
Calm skates towards Silver.
Silver:
(This is a trap! I know it!)
Silver rushes all of his silver towards Calm.
Silver:
(I’ll wipe him off this tower now!)
The massive wave of silver crashes into Calm; he and the dust careen into the dark void.
Silver:
Heh, one down.
Hayze’s left eye changes back to blue.
Hayze:
Heh, five down.
Silver:
Huh?
Silver realizes.
Silver:
(I just used almost all of my silver to take out the one that doesn’t matter! It was a trap, but not the one I was expecting!)
Hayze:
Now then, I just regained about half of my strength! Sea Skates!
Hayze skates towards Silver.
Hayze:
So, what do you say we have it out!
Silver reaches for his final dust canister.
Silver:
(No, I can’t risk losing it now!)
Silver swings at Hayze. Hayze leaps back to dodge, then lunges at Silver, punching him in the face.
Silver:
*grunts*
Silver gets sent flying back.
Silver:
(Hayze is not only stronger now, but because his body is built for moving quickly in the water, he’s even faster on land and packs a bigger punch!)
Silver slides against the roof before coming to a halt.
Silver:
(I can’t let him keep tossing me around like this! I need to devise a plan!)
Silver slowly gets to his feet.
Hayze:
(Silver is probably trying to figure out a counterattack. Losing Calm this early wasn’t originally what I was hoping for, but exchanging him for five-sixths of Silver’s dust supply? I couldn’t pass that up.)
Hayze glances at the massive water supply floating in front of the clock tower.
Hayze:
(Luckily, I still have that up my sleeve, but I can’t be too cocky. I need to continue my approach.)
Silver:
You think crippling my dust supply cripples me? Well, think again!
Silver charges at Hayze.
Silver:
Blade Storm!
Hayze:
*grunts* Water Wall!
Hayze uses his water supply to create a barrier between himself and Silver, stopping his attack.
Silver:
Ha! I knew you’d do that!
Hayze:
Huh!
Silver begins spinning towards Hayze at high speed, making his body mimic a drill.
Silver:
Hypercutter!
Silver rips through the water and slashes past Hayze, slicing massive gashes throughout his torso and arms. Hayze falls to his knees in pain.
Hayze:
Ugh… that wasn’t good.
Silver:
Of course, you wouldn’t have a counter for the move. I just showed off for the first time in this fight, and putting yourself in that situation confirms my theory. You weren’t planning on being alone this early in the fight.
Hayze:
(He saw right through me.)
Silver:
I might have finally cracked the code for beating you, Hayze! Your strategies fall apart when new variables are introduced! So, I think I’ll up the ante!
Silver opens his final dust canister and channels some of the contents into a giant shuriken. Then, he takes hold of the shuriken and begins coating it with liquid silver that hardens.
Silver:
Shadow Windmill!
Hayze:
(He’s never done that before!)
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Silver cracks his neck.
Silver:
Let’s see how you handle this!
Silver throws the shuriken at Hayze.
Hayze:
(This isn’t good!)
Hayze tries to block it with his water, but the extreme speed of the shuriken’s spinning makes it inert. The blade stabs into Hayze’s chest.
Silver:
Heh!
Hayze:
*frustrated grunt*
Hayze pukes up blood.
Justus:
It seems the tide of this battle has turned.
Ash:
Silver’s taken complete control!
Karma:
Hayze can’t do anything to stop his blade attacks.
Eve:
WHEW! GO SILVER!
Hayze rips the shuriken from his chest and throws it off the roof.
Silver:
I’ll be taking that back.
Silver levitates the shuriken back to his hand.
Silver:
Did you forget that I can control all forms of silver?
Hayze:
*grunts* Nope.
Silver:
Ha, ready to quit yet?
Hayze:
Never.
Hayze pukes up more blood.
Silver:
That’s not what your body is saying.
Hayze:
(I chose my water form to counter his silver dust, but now that most of that is gone and Silver is showing off more and more of what his new “Blademaster” form can do, it’s completely useless. Add that to these injuries I’ve sustained, and I have a significant problem.)
Hayze thinks for a moment.
Silver:
(I could try to attack again, but he’s got no counter to me and a gaping wound in his chest. Time is on my side, so I should play this safe.)
Hayze:
(Looks like I’ve got only one choice.)
Hayze’s eyes revert to normal. Everyone is shocked.
Silver:
Huh?
Hayze leaps off the tower.
Silver:
What!
Silver runs to the side to see Hayze hanging from the clock’s minute hand.
Hayze:
(11:55, perfect.)
Hayze climbs on top of the hand.
Silver:
(He powered down and ran away, which means only one thing… he’s stalling. I can’t allow him to change forms; it’s time for me to be reckless.)
Silver leaps down on top of the hour hand.
“
Adrian shoots a grappling hook from his wrist that connects with the clock’s minute hand. Then, he rappels up and onto it.
Adrian:
(It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a decent fight…)
Walker jumps down onto the hour hand.
“
— Chapter 56
Walker:
(This fight…)
Adrian:
(It’s just like ours.)
Silver winds back his shuriken.
Silver:
If you think I’m letting you power up again in this fight, you’re crazy!
Silver chucks the blade at Hayze, he quickly dodges it, but Silver begins using his silverkinesis to redirect it back at Hayze.
Silver:
(I don’t know why I haven’t used throwing weapons more in the past!)
Hayze looks over his shoulder at the impending attack.
Hayze:
(Looks like I’m gonna have to just take this!)
The shuriken slices into Hayze’s back.
Hayze:
*grunts*
The spectators are shocked.
Zach:
What’s Hayze doing?! He could have dodged that!
Wes:
Yeah, and wasn’t he just on his knees, puking his organs out a moment ago? Where the hell did all of this energy come from?
Alexis:
I know this may be hard to remember, but when Hayze isn’t using his Elementalist quirk, he has accelerated healing.
Wes:
Oh right…
Karma:
Hayze can afford to take more risks in his base form, especially if it means he can make a move.
Alexis:
Silver knows that first hand.
“
They run at each other again, the will to win burning in their eyes; just as they’re about to collide, they both simultaneously lower their weapons and raise their fists, screaming at the top of their lungs as they both punch each other directly in the face at the same time.
Hayze and Silver:
(Did I get him?)
A moment passes… Silver falls to the ground. He lies on his back, looking up at Hayze, whose eyes are back to normal. Silver smiles.
Silver:
You turned your skill off at the last second to heal the punch immediately after it happened. You tricked me…
Hayze:
1st rule of strategy…
Silver:
The first move is always a fake.
A moment passes as the stadium is dead silent.
Madame Mummy:
The winner is Adam Hayze. “
— Chapter 17
Hayze rips the shuriken from his back.
Silver:
What are you planning on doing with that?! You can’t use my silver against me!
Hayze:
Who said I was using this against you?
Hayze throws the shuriken at the clock’s center, dislodging the hands from it, causing Hayze and Silver to start falling.
Silver:
Are you insane?!
Hayze:
Ask my other five personalities!
Silver stops his fall by slicing his wrist blade through the glass exterior of the clock. Hayze presses a button on his PDA, and his tornado daggers appear. He grabs hold of them and stabs them into the glass as well.
Silver:
What was the point of this?
Hayze:
It’s going to be pretty hard for you to defeat me when we’re both just hanging.
Silver:
Pfft, have you forgotten my Shadow Windmill already?
Silver’s shuriken is plummeting into the dark void. Silver grounds his feet against the glass and holds out his free hand, and the shuriken begins flying back to him.
Silver:
I have all I need to attack you from her-
Hayze throws one of his daggers into Silver’s forearm while he’s distracted.
Silver:
AHHH! DAMMIT!
Hayze:
You’re going to have trouble ripping that out with your other hand tied up at the moment.
Silver:
*frustrated grunt* (I can’t let him stall any longer, from what I last remember, Hayze’s cooldown now only lasts 5 minutes. It’s cumbersome, but not for someone as smart as him.)
Silver’s shuriken returns to him; silver winces in pain from the dagger.
Hayze:
Feeling good?
Silver:
Of course! But I was about to ask you that!
Silver starts to wind back his shuriken, but he’s writhing in pain.
Gus:
It’s just a knife; why is Silver acting like such a girl?
Wes:
Oh god, not this again…
Alexis:
Hayze’s daggers are curved like a corkscrew; every movement you make with one of those stuck in your body feels like a thousand knives slicing apart your insides.
Karma:
It would be hard to make an accurate throw like that.
Wes:
So- we’re- *sighs* we’re just going to ignore the second half of Gus’ sentence?
Everyone ignores Wes.
Hayze:
Well, since you’re having fun, I think we should change our setting.
Silver:
Huh?
Hayze starts kicking the clock’s glass, shattering it. Hayze uses his momentum to fly inside. Silver begins falling.
Silver:
(Shit!)
Silver slices his wrist blade into the clocktower; he looks up at the shattered clock.
Silver:
(Great, I was supposed to stop him from stalling, and now look. Whatever, I can’t change the past.)
Silver grabs his Shadow Windmill by his teeth and starts scaling the side of the clocktower with his wrist blades.
Daniele:
Feeling comfortable right now, Aster?
Aster:
Yup, I’ll remind you your guy isn’t even using his quirk right now. Silver just has to take him down within the next few minutes, which won’t be a problem.
Daniele:
Yeah, right…
Yul:
(Aster brings up a good point, Hayze has shown far better ingenuity in this battle than Silver, but he hasn’t done much damage at all. Furthermore, even if Hayze enters a new form, there’s no guarantee the tide of this battle will change. Perhaps the waning optimism in the air is a part of Hayze’s usual ability to make comebacks, but I fear this may be too big a challenge for him. Unless he has something big in store for Silver.)
Hayze catches his breath in the clock tower.
Hayze:
(I wish I had something big in store for Silver. But, the truth is, I’m kind of just winging this.)
Silver reaches the open clock window and stands on the sill. He rips Hayze’s dagger from his forearm and chucks it off the tower.
Silver:
Alright, Hayze. It’s time for me to really kick this fight into high gear.
Hayze:
Bring it.
Liquid silver begins dripping from Silver’s fingertips.
Silver:
You’ve held up well against my Shadow Windmill so far, but let’s see how you stack up against some of my other tricks.
Silver’s liquid silver droplets levitate into the air and form a swarm of 50 bullets.
Hayze:
(Not good.)
Silver:
You used your Liquid bullets earlier. Well, now it’s time for my silver bullets!
The bullets come flying at Hayze.
Hayze:
What am I, a werewolf?
Hayze ducks behind nearby machinery, but he’s not fast enough, and a bullet pierces his lower leg. Half of the shots dig into Hayze’s cover, while the other half whizz by him.
Hayze:
AHHHHHHHH! (Great…)
Wrath:
(You might want to be more concerned about that.)
Hayze:
Huh?
Silver’s barrage redirects in midair and careens toward Hayze once again.
Wrath:
(Alright, time for me to step into this fight! Let me at him!)
Hayze:
(Sorry, Wrath, but there’s no way Silver didn’t come prepared to take on your fire quirk. If I know him, he’d never lose to the same thing twice.)
Wrath:
(What! I’m the best choice, and you know it!)
Hayze’s leg heals, and he leaps back over the machinery to use the other side as cover.
Hayze:
(No, I have someone else in mind.)
Silver’s Shadow Windmill slices into Hayze’s upper left arm.
Hayze:
AHHH!
Silver:
See? I can pull off the same trick you did.
Silver recalls his shuriken, ripping it from Hayze’s arm.
Hayze:
Ugh… I’ve felt better…
Impulse:
(Aren’t you healing all of these attacks off? What’s with the long face?)
Hayze:
(Healing eats up my energy, and I already used a good portion of it with Water Form earlier in this fight.)
Impulse:
(Oh right…)
Wrath:
(Then bring me into this fight! I’m ready to teach this bastard a lesson.)
Hayze stands up, and his wound heals.
Silver:
That healing factor is doing good work for you in this fight.
Hayze:
Yeah, it is, but it’s about time we got back to the real action.
The clock tolls.
Silver:
Hm?
Hayze:
It’s midnight Silver, which means it’s time for you to face a new element!
Silver:
(He stalled long enough… damn.)
Hayze’s eyes change to green.
Silver:
(Wind!)
Hayze:
You picked the wrong spot to stand, Silver!
Hayze begins channeling air around his body, so much to the point that the air currents become visible.
Silver:
What the hell? I’ve never seen this move before!
Hayze’s eyes turn pure green.
Hayze:
You’ve put up a good fight, Silver, but now it’s time for me to end this! Ultimate Attack: GALE FORCE WINDS!
The air around Hayze lashes out in all directions. Silver braces himself as the current collides with him.
Silver:
So- Powerful!
The force of the wind sends Silver flying backward and careening into the tower void.
Silver:
AHHHHH!
Everyone is shocked.
Zach:
Did Hayze just win?!
Aaron:
Yeah, attaboy! Take him down!
Aster’s eyes widen.
Daniele:
YEEEEEEEEEEEES!
Aster:
(Oh god, I’ve made a terrible mistake!)
Silver looks down at the void.
Silver:
(No, I won’t lose! I refuse for this to end already!)
Silver looks down at his canisters.
Silver:
(I’ve still got some dust left.)
Silver slices the belt holding up his dust canisters, causing them to scatter through the air. Silver grabs the last one containing dust and spills out the contents.
Silver:
(This is my only chance!)
Silver begins coating the mound in liquid silver giving it solid mass. He then forces his feet towards it, struggling through the wind resistance.
Silver:
(This match isn’t over!)
Back in the clocktower, Hayze is breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
Hayze:
(He should be reaching the end of the void any second now… Jesus, that attack takes a lot out of me, especially in a fight of this length.)
Gale:
(If that were me, I’d be doing push-ups right now.)
Hayze looks up. Gale has materialized as a spirit and is lying on a gear.
Hayze:
(Of course you’d think that.)
Gale:
(Well, yeah, I’m surprised you’re not on your hands and knees begging for my help right now.)
Hayze:
(Heh, this battle is already over.)
Gale:
(You sure?)
Gale points to the window. Silver is standing there, floating on a massive chunk of silver.
Hayze:
What?!
Everyone is shocked.
Daniele:
DAMMIT!
Aster:
(Nevermind, I knew he’d be fine the whole time.)
Silver leaps down into the clock tower.
Silver:
That was your one shot Hayze, and you wasted it.
Hayze is slow to his feet; he looks at Gale.
Gale:
(You can beg now.)
Hayze:
(Yeah, right. I’ll get right to that.)
Gale:
(As you should.)
Silver approaches Hayze.
Silver:
You’re past your limit, Hayze. You may have done a lot of work to make your “time limit” inert, but a long-drawn-out battle like this with multiple transformations and large-scale healings has done a number on your stamina.
Hayze:
That’s what you think!
Silver:
That’s what I know!
Silver throws his shuriken at Hayze.
Hayze:
Whirlwind Wall!
Hayze fires off a gust of wind that blocks and deflects Silver’s Shuriken.
Silver:
Nice, but let’s see if you can do that again!
Silver’s Shuriken comes flying at Hayze again.
Hayze:
Whirlwind Wall!
The same result happens.
Silver:
You’d better do something other than defending soon.
Silver sends his Shuriken at him again.
Silver:
Because you’ll exit this tournament the same way you did the last one at this rate.
Hayze blocks with another whirlwind wall.
Hayze:
(Dammit! I can’t wage a counterattack like this!)
Gale laughs.
Gale:
(Nope!)
Hayze:
(You know, you could help!)
Gale:
(Why should I? Just because those other three losers were stupid enough to start listening to your orders doesn’t mean I will.)
Hayze:
*frustrated grunt*
Silver watches Hayze.
Silver:
(He’s getting weak, it’s time for me to go to the finisher.)
Silver charges at Hayze and begins spinning at high speeds.
Silver:
Hypercutter!
Hayze has a glint in his eye.
Hayze:
I was waiting for that!
Hayze pulls out his other tornado dagger and throws it at Silver. It begins spinning at high speeds, creating a tornado.
Hayze:
In a battle of a drill versus a tornado, I’d say the tornado wins!
Silver has a glint in his eye.
Silver:
I was waiting for that!
Hayze:
Huh!
Silver ends his attack prematurely and lands on the ground as the Tornado speeds towards him.
Silver:
Now it’s time!
Silver’s Shadow Windmill slices towards the Tornado, entering its eye and redirecting the dagger back at Hayze.
Hayze:
(Ah crap!)
Hayze’s tornado crashes into him, sending him flying and crashing into the clock tower’s upper deck wall.
Hayze:
*groans*
Silver begins walking up the stairs to the upper level.
Silver:
(Hayze has been a good challenge, but he’s one step away from losing this match.)
Hayze tries to stand but can’t.
Hayze:
(I’m running on empty here.)
Gale:
(Sure are! Dumbass!)
Gale is eating popcorn.
Hayze:
WH- HOW DID YOU GET THAT?!
Silver looks confused.
Silver:
*under his breath* Guess the exhaustion is getting to him.
Silver approaches Hayze.
Silver:
It looks like this is the end.
Hayze:
You sure?
Silver:
What!
Hayze uses a Typhoon Boom to launch himself at Silver; he flies past and punches Silver square in the jaw before slamming into the ground himself.
Silver:
*pained grunt*
Hayze:
*groans*
Silver falls to his knees, and Hayze lies against the ground.
Kevin:
They’re both at their breaking point.
Karma:
It seems like all of those minor hits Hayze has applied to Silver throughout this match have finally added up.
Justus:
We’ll have a winner soon…
Hayze and Silver both catch their breath as they slowly reach their feet.
Silver:
Oh, now you can stand?
Hayze:
Let’s just say I had the wind knocked out of me when you threw my tornado right back at me.
Silver:
Isn’t it ironic? This is precisely what happened in our last match…
Hayze:
Yeah… would you say has this rematch lived up to the hype?
Silver:
*nasal grunt* I’d say so.
Hayze and Silver both smile and start laughing.
Wes:
Huh? Why are they laughing?
Gus:
Delirium?
Aaron:
Just watch.
Hayze and Silver stop laughing.
Silver:
I must say, this has been the most fun I’ve ever had fighting.
Hayze:
Me too.
Silver:
When we reached this point in our original battle, I felt ashamed for allowing myself to be in that position in just the first round, especially against you. No offense.
Hayze:
All taken.
Silver:
Ha, you know, Hayze, I should thank you for putting me on this path. If I never lost to you, I’d probably be far weaker than I am today. When I started at this academy, I viewed my classmates as stepping stones, insignificant in my path to becoming the greatest hero of all time. The only one I really gave a shit about was Justus, and that was simply because he was the son of the current number-one hero, nothing more. But when I lost to someone like you, a novice. I realized the error in my ways. I stopped looking at all of you as unimportant and started seeing you as my peers, but that wasn’t enough. After I finally got my wish of battling and defeating Justus, I didn’t feel gratified. I felt empty… I thought I would suddenly feel like the undisputed number one of our class by beating him, but I didn’t. So, I tried to figure out what was wrong. Why didn’t I feel the way I expected to after finally achieving an essential goal of mine? That’s when I tried to rationalize that I needed to defeat you to become number one. I trained the entire summer for this fight, even when I wasn’t sure whether you would return. You were my one priority until this tournament…
“
Silver:
How are you all being friendly and cheerful right now? There are 11 of us here out of 18. That guarantees at least two of the people in this room will fight each other tomorrow. Does that not phase any of you?
Ash:
Of course not. We’re all friends here!
Lilith:
Yeah, it’s just a fight. It’s not like what happens tomorrow will affect everyone’s relationship with one another.
Alexis:
I kicked the shit out of Wes during the Sports Festival, and we’re on good terms.
Wes:
First of all, that was a tie. Second of all, why me?
Kevin:
Hell, sometimes good things come out of fighting your friends. Remember how big of a douchebag you were before you fought Hayze?
Eve:
Kevin!
Kevin:
What? Am I lying?!
Justus:
It’s alright. I wasn’t great before the Sports Festival either.
Kevin:
You can say that again!
Eve slaps Kevin.
Eve:
Stop it!
Everyone laughs. Silver looks around at them.
Silver:
(Friends… huh.) “
— Chapter 124
Silver:
That was the moment it all clicked in my head… I viewed everyone as peers… not my friends. That’s why I didn’t feel anything after my fight with Justus… I was so caught up in the result that I didn’t take any time to enjoy the battle. No single fight can determine which of us will be the future number-one hero. Even if I defeat you today, that doesn’t mean I’m destined to be greater than you and vice versa. However, that doesn’t mean I lost all passion towards having a rematch with you; I wanted to see how we stacked against each other. And I’d say we did well.
Hayze smiles.
Hayze:
Yeah… we did.
Silver points at Hayze.
Silver:
The thing that will make me the number one hero someday is my determination to be the strongest so that I protect as many people as possible, not defeat you. But it’s not like it will hurt.
Hayze:
You’re right, so how about we finish this match?
Silver:
Let’s do it!
Silver calls his shuriken to his hands.
Hayze:
(Gale, it’s now or never if you want to join in on this fight.)
Gale:
(Eh… I don’t see how working with you will do anything for me.)
Hayze:
(Yeah, actually, it’s probably best if you sat this one out. I can use your attacks WAY better than you anyway, you’d likely slow me down.)
Gale stares at Hayze.
Gale:
(I know you’re goading me, but it’s working.)
Hayze:
(Then prove me wrong!)
Gale:
(OH, I WILL!)
The Sigma Ring fragment glows, and Hayze’s left eye reverts to normal as Gale appears beside him.
Silver:
Splitting your power at a time like this? That will cost you.
Gale:
Split? Hey, I’m the whole package here! No way you’re beating me!
Gale creates a typhoon boom in each hand.
Gale:
You’re now facing off against the one! The only! The Gale!
Gale charges at Silver.
Silver:
(I’ve gotta be careful. Hayze probably has a plan!)
Gale attempts to shove the typhoon boom into Silver, but he dodges and slices his wrist blade straight through Gale’s chest.
Silver:
So much for the Gale!
Silver tosses Gale off his blade and the second level of the clock tower.
Gale:
*groans* That smarts…
Silver turns to Hayze.
Silver:
You know that 50% of 10% is only 5%, right? You’re both as weak as dirt.
Hayze:
Whirlwind Wall!
Hayze throws a gust of wind at Silver; it’s only enough to keep him in place for a moment as Hayze starts running.
Silver:
(He’s going to lead me into a trap! Why else would Hayze run off like that!)
The whirlwind wall subsides.
Silver:
Like I’d follow you! Keep in mind I still have a secret weapon!
Silver commands the giant block of silver he flew up the clock tower to careen towards Hayze.
Silver:
Now you’ll be crushed!
Hayze smiles.
Hayze:
Of course, I didn’t forget! I was hoping for it!
Silver:
Huh?
Hayze:
Ready, Gale!
Gale is standing on the opposite end of the clock tower.
Silver:
(What!)
Hayze:
Gale attacked, hoping that you would strike him down. Knowing you wouldn’t pay too much mind to him because of something you said earlier.
“
Silver:
You know, I noticed something after Hayze’s battle with Tobias; after the match, when Hayze passed out, his fire counterpart disappeared instantly. So, All I have to do is take Hayze out, and you’ll follow suit! “
Hayze:
We knew you’d prioritize me at all costs!
Silver:
(No!)
Hayze:
Now then!
Hayze and Gale begin channeling air around their bodies, so much to the point that the air currents become visible. Their eyes turn pure green.
Silver:
(What do I do! There’s no way out!)
Hayze:
GALE FORCE WINDS
Gale:
ME FORCE WINDS!
The air around both of them lashes out in all directions, and the two blasts collide with Silver at the center, sending him flying through the air bouncing back and forth from both currents.
Silver:
AHHH!
The attack bounces Silver’s silver block back at him, and with his feet no longer grounded, he has no control over it.
Silver:
No! No! No! No!
Silver gets crushed against the clock tower wall by his own silver block, knocking him unconscious.
Hayze:
Checkmate.
The arena reverts to normal.
Hunt:
The winner is Adam Hayze.
Hayze falls to his knees from exhaustion.
Ash:
Hayze did it!
Alexis:
He actually pulled off the comeback.
Aaron:
Nice, man! Nice!
Justus:
(Silver put up a good fight, one to be proud of.)
Daniele celebrates.
Daniele:
WHEW, I WIN!
Aster:
*groans* Alright… What do you want?
Daniele:
Huh? Oh, you want to know now? I uh… how about you and I go out on a date?
Aster, Yul, and Tyson all laugh.
Tyson:
That was a great one!
Yul:
You have a great sense of humor, Daniele.
Aster:
Thanks for cheering me up. I needed a laugh. Now, what do you actually want?
Daniele is mortified.
Daniele:
An IOU…
Aster:
Really? That’s it? You seemed like you were going to ask for something bigger.
Daniele:
*under her breath* I did…
Aster:
Huh?
Daniele:
Nothing…
Silver wakes up.
Silver:
*groans* Great…
Hayze:
I hope you’re referring to our fight because that was awesome.
Silver:
Oh… I was.
Silver offers Hayze his hand, and Hayze shakes it.
Silver:
Just because the score is 2-0 doesn’t mean I won’t come back in Game 3.
Hayze smiles.
Hayze:
I count on it.
Gale watches.
Gale:
I was the one who did all of the work…
Hayze’s eyes revert to normal, and Gale returns to being a spirit.
Wrath:
Welcome to the club, douchebag.
Gale:
Who said I’m staying? What if this was a one-time thing?
Impulse:
There’s no point. This guy isn’t giving us control of his body for nothing. He beat Khaos, after all, and we never stood a chance against him.
Calm:
Hayze is meant to control our vessel, but assisting him allows us to have more freedom than being petulant children.
Gale:
Yeah… you make a good point, but I still think I’m better than him.
Calm, Impulse, and Wrath:
Of course you do…
Hunt clears his throat.
Hunt:
With that, the semi-finals are concluded. We have just one match left:
Everyone stares at the bracket.
Alexis:
Man… who could have predicted this?
Wes:
I guess this is what happens when you change Romeo and Juliet to Romeo versus Juliet.
Kevin:
I didn’t have this on my bracket…
Hayze gulps.
Hayze:
(Blair…)
