In the stands, Ash walks over to where the guys have been sitting.
Ash:
Hey, Hayze, mind if I sit with you guys? All the other girls are out of the tournament already.
Blair:
And what the hell am I?
Everyone looks at Blair.
Blair:
Say it, and you die.
Hayze:
Yeah, Ash, you can sit with us; only three of us are left here anyway.
Angel:
Don’t you mean four?
Aaron, Gus, and Hayze are startled.
Aaron:
When the hell did you get back?
Angel:
Uh… during your fight.
Gus:
Huh. Guess we didn’t notice you.
Angel:
Oh… that sucks… Did you not hear me talking?
Aaron:
Anyway… I guess there are five of us here.
Blair:
What the hell am I gonna do?
Aaron:
Sit over there, stinky!
Blair forms a magma gauntlet.
Aaron:
Uh, I mean… someone will sit with you!
Gus:
*whispers* Since when were you scared of Blair?
Aaron:
I like my penis where it is, thank you.
Angel:
What man is brave enough to sacrifice his life for the rest of us?
Hayze:
We are all training to be heroes.
Aaron:
Yeah… but this is a tall order…
Gus:
Well, only one way to figure this out.
Gus pulls out a gas canister and puts on his gas mask. Angel covers himself in his wings. Aaron and Hayze look at each other.
Hayze:
I heal, so I’ll survive in the gas longer than you.
Aaron:
Hayze, my arms are made out of metal; no, you won’t.
Hayze:
*sighs* Fair point.
Hayze stands up.
Gus:
You brave soul.
Angel:
We’ll miss you.
Aaron:
You’re going where no man has gone before.
Ash:
What is going on?
Hayze stoically looks back at his classmates. They salute him.
Hayze:
Please, make sure my sacrifice is not in vain.
Hayze starts walking over in slow motion to somber music. Hayze braves through Blair’s stench bravely, expecting the warm embrace of death. Hayze sits down next to Blair.
Blair:
I hate all of you.
Hayze:
Thank you.
Kevin and Jace face off in the center of the arena.
Kevin:
(Aaron and Hayze both are exhausted from their battles, so they’ll be weakened for future rounds. If I can take Jace out fast, I’ll have an edge.)
Jace:
Good luck, man.
Kevin:
You too.
Madame Mummy raises her hand.
Madame Mummy:
Begin.
Kevin starts powering up.
Kevin:
(Let’s start with 20%!)
Jace springs away about 40 yards.
Jace:
(Kevin’s no joke, I’ll just try to avoid him.)
Kevin finishes powering up and gets into a runner's stance.
Kevin:
(Let’s see if this is enough!)
Kevin starts charging at Jace.
Jace:
(Oooor, he’s just going to charge at me… it’s alright though, I’ll just knock him back!)
Jace kicks his legs forward and holds his body up with his hands.
Jace:
Pulverizing Punt!
Jace kicks Kevin with both feet, sending him flying backward at an extreme speed. Kevin collides with the wall of the arena, leaving an indent of his figure in the wall.
Jace:
Yeah! I got him!
Gus and Angel are shocked.
Gus:
Man, Jace has some real power!
Angel:
I wasn’t expecting him to get that good of a hit off on Kevin!
Hayze:
(Yeah… probably because Kevin let Jace do that.)
Kevin jumps down from the wall as if nothing happened.
Jace:
(Oh right… high pain tolerance… that’ll be annoying to work around.)
Kevin walks through the forest towards the center clearing.
Kevin:
(Jace’s best attributes are his high mobility and ability to increase the impact of his punches and kicks with the force of his Springs, the latter isn’t an issue for me. So, let’s push things to 40%.)
Kevin reaches the clearing and powers up further. He then starts charging at Jace.
Jace:
(Didn’t he learn from last time?)
Jace does the same thing again, launching Kevin into the same spot on the wall.
Jace:
(What the hell is he doing?)
Kevin jumps down back into the forest.
Kevin:
(Not enough, one more round.)
Everyone in the stands looks confused.
Blair:
Is he stupid or something? If It didn’t work the first time, why is he trying it again?
Hayze:
Because he’s not trying the “same” thing.
Blair:
Huh? What do you mean?
Hayze:
Each time Kevin charges, he’s increasing his adrenaline output. He’s trying to gauge what percent of his power he needs to make Jace’s springs useless against him. (Kevin’s tricking Jace hard. He has to realize what’s going on, and fast.)
Blair:
Okay, so what happens when Kevin reaches the right percent?
Hayze:
You’ll see.
Kevin charges at Jace.
Kevin:
(60%!)
Jace:
(I don’t get what Kevin’s plan is, but if he’s gonna keep giving me free shots. I’ll take ‘em!)
Jace attempts the same move again, but his attack is absorbed this time, and Kevin doesn’t budge.
Blair:
Jace’s attack did nothing!
Gus:
Oh no…
Angel:
Jace's in for it now.
Jace looks up at Kevin, who towers above him.
Jace:
Have mercy?
Kevin grabs Jace by the legs and chucks him as hard as possible into the wall.
Jace:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Jace slams into the wall and is instantly knocked out on impact. He leaves an indent in the wall and then falls into the forest. Kevin powers down and falls to his knees, breathing heavily.
Kevin:
(60% is no joke… I barely could keep control, any higher, and I probably would have tried to rip his leg off instead.)
Madame Mummy looks at Kevin.
Madame Mummy:
(That’s quite the quirk… the raw power is massive, but the control is shotty. I’ll have to be careful in his future matches.) The winner is Kevin Bohm.
The crowd cheers.
Crowd Member 1:
Yeah! That’s my champion!
Crowd Member 2:
Weren’t you all about Silver?
Crowd Member 1:
Nope! Never was! GO KEVIN!
The forest resets, and a stretcher is brought out for Jace. Kevin starts to get up.
Kevin:
(I didn’t need to use my new gear, that’s good, I still have three more matches to fight in, I’ll need the element of surprise.)
Kevin and Jace exit the arena.
Ash:
Wish me luck.
Hayze:
Good luck.
Blair:
Yeah, kick Gus’ ass.
Gus:
Like she could do that, she’s a-
Blair is giving Gus dagger eyes.
Gus:
Very nice lady.
Ash and Gus leave.
Blair:
How did you know that’s what Kevin was planning?
Hayze:
I fought him briefly on the first day of class. Kevin’s probably the strongest person here in terms of pure power, but his quirk is uncontrollable the more he taps into that strength. His quirk turns him into a human battering ram. You can only counter it by waiting for him to tire out, but his increased speed and pain tolerance makes that a tall order. Jace’s quirk is ideal for giving Kevin trouble; he could have sprung around the arena and made Kevin work for every hit. Kevin realized this, and that’s why he attacked the way he did. He kept Jace still and took him out in one shot.
Blair:
Damn… I’m glad not on his side of the bracket.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Hayze:
*laughs* Me too.
Blair:
So, uh, what do you think about this next match?
Hayze:
Ash should have this.
Blair:
Really? I would have put her in the same category as Wes; she needs to be in a team to be helpful.
Hayze:
If Ash takes over Gus’ body, she can force him to forfeit, but it’s tough for her to get herself in that position without any help, especially against someone like Gus, who can crowd control with his quirk. She’s got her work cut out for her, but she has a path to victory.
Gus and Ash reach the center of the arena.
Gus:
(I’m not one for beating up girls, but I guess if I have to. I’ll use my G2 tear gas, it should knock her out in minutes even if she takes the slightest whiff of the stuff.)
Ash:
(If I can get behind Gus, I can leave my body and make a quick exchange.)
Madame Mummy:
Begin.
Ash immediately starts running for the forest. Gus takes a deep breath and starts exhaling a massive cloud of gas in Ash’s direction.
Gus:
G2 Shroud!
Ash narrowly escapes the cloud, Gus squats down.
Gus:
(If she possesses me from the distance she’s at right now, I’ll probably be able to break free of her control. If she wants to win, she’ll need to be much closer. The only issue is she knows her range better than I do.)
Ash takes cover behind a tree, breathing heavily.
Ash:
(Holy crap, I barely got away… Gus’ quirk is faster than I thought… I have to come up with a plan.)
Gus stares up at the sun.
Gus:
(It’s not even noon yet… ugh. Well, at least I got the last match, more time to sit around.)
Up in the teacher’s seats…
Fatal:
Yet another game of cat and mouse.
Colossus:
Yes, it has been a trend.
Walker:
This one is a fascinating one, though.
Fatal:
Really? It seems like their plans are apparent, Ash will try and possess Gus, and Gus will try and stop her. Not much to it.
Walker:
The difference in the competitors is interesting.
Fatal:
Hm?
Walker:
Gus is lazy, but his quirk has excellent utility, so it makes up for his character flaws. Ash is a hard worker because her quirk requires her to be in specific circumstances to be useful.
Colossus:
I see what you mean; they’re opposites in some ways.
Fatal:
Ash does seem more poised. In fact, it kind of looks like Gus is zoning out.
Walker:
(Ash is definitely one of the more interesting members of my class. She’s kind-hearted, but deep down, she has a warrior’s spirit, let’s see how this goes for her.)
Ash looks from behind the tree at Gus. He’s spacing out in the center of the arena.
Ash:
(Okay, he isn’t taking this seriously. That’s part of how Hayze won his fight; Silver didn’t fight his hardest, and that gave Hayze a chance. Gus isn’t as powerful as Silver, but he’s got my number.)
The crowd starts booing.
Gus:
(Man, they’re gonna get really annoying if they keep doing that.)
Gus stands up. Gus grabs a gas canister from his belt.
Gus:
Alright then. I’ll do one thing, then I’m going back to doing nothing.
Ash starts to sweat.
Ash:
(Crap! Does he know where I am?)
Gus pulls the pin on the gas grenade, and it instantly goes off.
Gus:
Oops…
He’s covered in a vast cloud of gas. Everyone in the stadium is dumbfounded.
Blair:
Was that an… accident?
Hayze:
I think it was…
Ash regains her composure.
Ash:
(Now’s my chance!)
Ash starts running towards the center of the arena.
Gus:
(Huh, I guess this would be a good time for her to attack.)
Gus puts the tips of his fingers together.
Gus:
(Dispel!)
The cloud completely vanishes, Ash stops dead in her tracks about 30 yards from Gus.
Gus:
Sorry about that; I didn’t mean to get your hopes up.
Ash:
Don’t patronize me!
Gus:
(She wouldn’t be foolish enough to try her quirk now, would she? Well, then again, she is a girl.)
Ash pulls out a knife.
Gus:
A knife? You won’t get close enough to use that.
Ash throws the knife at Gus.
Gus:
Oh shit!
Gus barely dodges, but the knife graces his arm, drawing blood.
Gus:
(Crazy girls and their knives…)
Ash:
Listen here, Gus!
Gus looks at Ash with a glazed expression.
Ash:
I’m tired of being looked at as a weak girl! I’m declaring right here that I will show everyone here that my quirk and I are powerful in our own right!
Hayze looks impressed.
Hayze:
(Where did this come from?)
Blair:
Did she just refer to her quirk as if it was a person?
Gus’ expression doesn’t change.
Gus:
Uh…
Ash:
I’m gonna start my tour of strength right here and now by kicking your ass!
Gus:
Uh…
Everyone in the class is surprised by Ash’s demeanor.
Ash:
It’s time to show off my ultimate technique!
Gus:
Not if I stop you.
Gus takes a big inhale, Ash starts running to the left.
Ash:
(I just have to avoid this attack!)
Gus:
G2 Shroud!
Gus exhales a cloud of smoke at Ash, but she continues running, so Gus rotates his body to follow her with his attack.
Gus:
(She can’t outrun me forever!)
Ash keeps moving, desperately trying to stay ahead of the gas.
Ash:
(Almost… There!)
She reaches the knife she threw earlier and grabs it. She then dabs Gus’ blood on her fingertip and puts her palms together.
Ash:
I’ve got you now!
Gus:
Huh?
Ash:
Ghost Combat: Astral Style!
Suddenly Ash and Gus pass out, falling to the ground unconscious. Gus’ smoke attack ends, and the gas slowly dissipates.
Madame Mummy:
(What?)
Everyone is visibly confused.
Blair:
What! What just happened? Hayze?
Hayze is mesmerized.
Hayze:
(She dabbed his blood… then they both passed out. She couldn’t have…)
Fatal stands up from her seat.
Fatal:
Another double knockout? Really?
Colossus:
How did she do that?
Fatal:
Damien? What happened?
Walker smiles.
Walker:
Sit down; the match isn’t over yet.
Fatal:
Huh?
Colossus:
What do you mean?
Madame Mummy examines Ash and Gus.
Madame Mummy:
(I… guess it’s over?) We have a double-
Suddenly a portal opens behind her, and Walker comes out of it.
Walker:
Not so fast.
Madame Mummy:
Walker, what are you doing here? I was about to call the match.
Walker:
That would be jumping the gun, Madame Mummy.
Madame Mummy:
What? But they’re both out cold.
Walker:
Maybe physically, the battle is over, but it’s continuing somewhere else.
Gus opens his eyes and looks around.
Gus:
Uh… what just happened?
Gus looks down at his hands and sees they’re translucent; he then notices his own unconscious body on the ground.
Gus:
Woah… is that me?
Ash:
Cool, right?
Gus turns around and sees Ash.
Gus:
Oh, hey, Ash-
Ash punches him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Gus:
*groans* Ow…
Ash:
Welcome to the Astral Plane.
Gus:
I figured… What the hell is this attack?
Ash:
Ghost Combat: Astral Style, it’s my secret weapon for one on one combat. Once I get a dab of your blood, I can bring you into the astral world where we can duke it out. We can only leave once one of our spirits is knocked unconscious!
Gus:
That’s fine, I may be lazy, but I’m still stronger than a girl!
Ash:
Maybe in the real world, but there is a different set of rules in the Astral World.
Gus:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m sure there are.
Gus inhales and then exhales, but no smoke comes out.
Gus:
Uh… what?
Ash:
Sorry, Gus, but no quirks in here.
Gus:
But this is your quirk!
Ash:
Well… then, I guess no quirks for you!
Gus throws a punch at Ash, but it doesn’t phase her at all.
Gus:
What?
Ash:
Your punches won’t hurt me here.
Gus:
Wh- why not?
Gus throws 10 more punches at Ash, but they’re completely ineffective.
Gus:
Okay, what’s going on? Why am I so weak?
Ash:
In the Astral World, since we aren’t in our bodies, we have a different strength: Spiritual Strength. Our punches are as powerful as our spirit. That’s the risk of this move; I have to have a stronger spirit than my opponent for it to work.
Gus:
So then why can’t I hurt you?
Ash:
Because a lazy guy like you who judges people based on gender has the weakest spirit of them all!
Gus:
Hey!
Ash:
Oops, sorry that was a little rude, anyways less talk, more fight!
Ash starts punching and kicking the shit out of Gus. After her barrage of attacks, he falls to the ground, barely conscious.
Gus:
(Huh, I lost to a girl… this bites.)
Gus passes out.
Ash:
Yes!
Back In the real world…
Madame Mummy:
I see, so that’s what’s going on.
Walker:
Just give them a few minutes. The winner will be whoever gets up, I assume.
The crowd is booing loudly.
Eve:
Will these jerks shut the hell up?
Silver:
I wonder why Mr. Walker is holding off Madame Mummy from declaring the match?
Eve:
Who knows, maybe Ash’s final attack did more than just knock them out?
Silver:
Hm… maybe.
Walker and Madame Mummy continue waiting.
Walker:
(Come on, Ash.)
Madame Mummy:
I can’t wait any longer, Walker. We can’t keep the audience waiting.
Walker:
You don’t have to, look.
Ash is on her feet, visibly exhausted.
Madame Mummy:
Well, I’ll be damned.
Walker:
*nasal grunt* (Good work.)
Ash gives a thumbs up and a big smile.
Madame Mummy:
The winner is Ash Wright.
The crowd is confused but still cheers; Walker teleports back up to his seat.
Fatal:
Nice save.
Walker:
Ash told me about her ability beforehand to prevent her match from being called early.
Fatal:
Smart thinking on her part, that would have been really bad if Madame Mummy stopped the match when Ash still had a chance to win.
A stretcher comes out for Gus, and he’s taken to the infirmary. Ash stands up and admires the crowd cheering for her.
Ash:
(That’s right! I’m aiming for the top!)
Ash heads down the tunnel. Kevin returned to the competitors’ stands during the fight.
Kevin:
Huh, Ash is kind of badass.
Angel:
Yeah, she got really fired up.
Aaron:
I’m just glad the first round is over.
Kevin:
Yeah, I’m ready to get back in that arena.
Aaron:
Ha, me too!
Hayze smiles.
Hayze:
(Nice job, Ash.)
Blair:
Hey, it looks like I’m not the only girl from 1-A to move on.
Hayze:
Yeah, well, you’d better get ready; you’re up again.
Blair:
Oh yeah, you’re right.
Madame Mummy stands at the center of the arena.
Madame Mummy:
Alright, everyone, the first round is now complete.
The crowd cheers.
Madame Mummy:
We will now update the bracket.
Killian cheers.
Killian:
Yeah! Let’s go!
Alec:
You guys are lucky you get to fight this round.
Sydney smiles while Tobias is expressionless.
Madame Mummy:
It’s now time to begin the intermittent round with our first match.
Blair stands up.
Hayze:
Good Luck.
Blair:
Thanks, but I won’t need it!
Blair walks up the stairs and locks eyes with Sydney.
Sydney:
I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you.
Blair:
Oh, yeah? Why not?
Sydney:
You’ll see…
Blair:
(Yeah, right.)
Blair and Sydney depart.
Killian:
(Ha-ha, it’s finally time for us to show these 1-A clowns just how inferior they are!)
