The arena is quiet as Sydney stands atop her massive pool of water with a cocky expression.
Sydney:
Good riddance.
Madame Mummy has retreated to the eliminated 1-A students’ seats. She’s standing at the ready.
Zach:
Man… she wasted no time at all.
Wes:
He never stood a chance.
Lilith:
This doesn’t even feel like it’s fair!
Blair:
(Hayze…)
Silver grinds his teeth.
Silver:
(If this fight wasn’t in an enclosed area, she wouldn’t be able to do this, but the arena plays into her strength. Come on, Hayze, don’t let me down.)
Eve:
(I don’t like the guy, but this is just insane.)
Sydney looks over at Madame Mummy.
Sydney:
Will you just call the match already? He’s done.
Madame Mummy:
I’ll call the match when I’m sure of that.
Sydney:
You’re just putting his life in more danger than it already is. I thought you would have learned from last time.
Madame Mummy watches the bubbles that indicate where Hayze is.
Madame Mummy:
(I have to give him the same chance I gave Blair.)
Underwater, Hayze floats near the bottom of the arena, holding his breath.
Hayze:
(Damn, I wasn’t expecting her to do this right from the start. I thought I’d have some time to prepare given her cocky attitude.)
Hayze looks up at Sydney.
Hayze:
There’s no way I can reach the top before I pass out. I only have one choice: I have to use the water quirk. Even though I’ve never used it before, none of the other elements will help me now.)
Hayze starts to run out of air.
Hayze:
(Think fast… what emotion goes with water? Anger for fire, Excitement for lightning, egotistic for wind. What could it be…)
Hayze closes his eyes.
Hayze:
(Think of the ocean, think of lakes or ponds. What could you say about the water in all of those cases? Calm down and think- That’s it!)
Hayze’s eyes burst open and change to indigo.
Hayze:
(Be as calm as the ocean waters.)
Above the water, the bubbles stop.
Sydney:
There, now call the match.
Madame Mummy readies her bandages.
Madame Mummy:
The winner is-
Suddenly a trident bursts out of the water in front of Sydney, narrowly missing her.
Sydney:
What the hell!
As everyone is watching the trident soar into the air, Sydney is suddenly dragged down into the water.
Kevin:
Woah!
Aaron:
Was that Hayze?
Angel:
He swam to the top so quickly that even Sydney didn’t notice!
Underwater, Sydney opens her eyes to see Hayze in front of her, his irises are indigo, and his neck has gills.
Sydney:
(What!)
Hayze removes Sydney’s flotation shoes and punches her, sending her into the arena’s wall; the water softens her impact.
Sydney:
*frustrated grunt* (He has two quirks?)
Sydney reaches in her pocket and takes out a small rebreather.
Sydney:
(He must have revealed that while I was blind during the second round. Curse Killian and Alec for not telling me about that!)
The trident falls into the water, and Hayze grabs it and looks at it.
Hayze:
(Thanks Tara, you didn’t even need to see my water quirk in action to make this weapon for it. You sure are brilliant… or insane, pick one.) Sorry for missing; I’ve never thrown a trident before.
Sydney just glares at him.
Hayze:
What, are you mad that I didn’t drown or because you got wet?
Sydney continues glaring at him.
Hayze:
(Well, she’s pissed… whatever, I’m not sure what her next move will be. Her fight against Blair gave me the impression that she can only manifest water, not control it. So, I shouldn’t have to deal with her making a whirlpool or anything like that. Speaking of impressions, though, my first impression of this quirk is that it is definitely a bit different from the others. My body changed to acclimate me to the water. It’s helpful, but I have to be careful; I’m sure it has weaknesses that the other elements don’t for that very reason.)
Sydney watches Hayze as he inspects himself.
Sydney:
(He’s just floating there thinking, what a prick! I can’t fight him like this; he can maneuver through the water as if it were air. I need to drain the field.)
Sydney snaps her fingers. The water starts dissipating slowly. Hayze notices the top of the water getting closer to his head.
Hayze:
(She’s draining the water? That’s probably wise given her situation, this was her best attack, so she’s probably panicking. I’ll have to finish her quickly.)
Hayze swims at Sydney and tries to punch her, but she glides out of the way, causing him to hit the wall behind him. He pulls his hand back and holds it in pain, dropping the trident.
Hayze:
(Crap, looks like I’m not stronger underwater! I’m just as strong as if I was in base form.)
Sydney snatches the Trident and tries to stab Hayze with it, but he’s easily able to dodge every single swing.
Hayze:
I think you forget that you move slower in water; for me, it looks like you’re in slow motion.
Sydney:
*Frustrated grunt*
Hayze grabs the trident out of Sydney’s hand and repels her away.
Hayze:
(Normally, I’m not one for hitting girls, but what she did to Blair, I’ll make an exception!)
Hayze looks up.
Hayze:
(The water is nearly halfway gone. I’m going to have to get a few shots off with my enhanced movement speed while it still counts!)
Hayze swims at Sydney again, but she dodges him.
Hayze:
(Crap, I’m not used to being able to swim this fast, I can’t correct my trajectory after I miss!)
Sydney attempts to kick Hayze, but he dodges.
Hayze:
(We’re just floating around missing each other. There’s only one way this will end.)
Sydney:
(When my water is finally gone, I’ll get you!)
Hayze and Sydney stare at each other as the water continues going down.
Hayze:
(Here we go.)
The water finally reaches where Sydney and Hayze are no longer submerged; Sydney takes off the rebreather.
Sydney:
Finally! I was getting tired of not being able to counterattack!
The water completely disintegrates, leaving a soaked battlefield for them to continue their fight on. The eliminated students finally can see what is going on. Jace has returned in the meantime.
Jace:
So that’s what was going on, eh?
Gus:
Yeah, it looks like Hayze is using a different element than we’ve seen before.
Zach:
It doesn’t look like much happened while they were underwater.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Silver:
(Hayze was at a clear advantage in the water, yet Sydney is barely injured at all. Now what will he do?)
Sydney scoffs.
Sydney:
I’m sure you thought my flood attack was the best of my arsenal, right?
Hayze:
Maybe.
Sydney:
Well, you were wrong!
Sydney forms a vortex of water in the air next to her.
Hayze:
What is that!
Sydney:
Tsunami Cannon!
The Vortex fires a continuous burst of water at Hayze. Hayze dodges the initial blast.
Hayze:
(Huh? I was fast enough to dodge that?)
Sydney frustratingly starts redirecting the blast to follow Hayze as he runs away from it.
Hayze:
(This quirk is made for water, yet I’m moving fast in the air as well.)
Hayze gets a look of realization and stops running.
Sydney:
Giving in, I see!
The blast hits Hayze.
Jace:
Why’d he let that hit him!
Gus:
Maybe he realized it was futile to run from an attack that would inevitably hit him.
Wes:
Man, Gus, that was a lot of big words, save the rest of the dictionary for us.
Gus:
I had some time to read in the infirmary.
Sydney looks at the stream of water as it collides with the wall of the arena.
Sydney:
(he may not drown, but his bones will crack under the immense pressure of my water blast.)
Suddenly Hayze jumps out of the initial vortex and catches Sydney by surprise. He punches her in the face sending her flying backward.
Sydney:
(What!)
Hayze:
(Even my punches hit harder out of water)
Hayze looks up at the Vortex as it falls apart.
Hayze:
(I see… In this form, my body becomes calibrated to move through water much faster, which means it’s more suitable to move through bodies of densely packed molecules such as water. That means when I’m out of the water and back in the air, my body can move faster because air molecules are less packed than water.)
Sydney gets to her feet, visibly angry.
Sydney:
(Where does this guy get off! Two of my strongest attacks have been turned against me. I need to figure out his quirk’s weakness!)
Hayze:
(This fight is going much better than I expected. I know I kind of got lucky with this water ability, but my quirk is Elementalist, so it’s not like this was unpredictable. Plus, I think I’ve played well around her attacks, and-)
Suddenly Hayze drops his trident and falls to his knees and hands.
Karma:
Huh? What just happened?
Alexis:
Maybe he took more damage from Sydney’s attack than he thought?
Karma:
That doesn’t make sense though, why would he be feeling the effects now?
Hayze is gasping, unable to stand up.
Hayze:
(What’s going on? Why does it feel like I’m drowning when I’m not even in the water?)
Hayze gets a look of realization on his face.
Hayze:
(It’s my gills, that’s this quirk’s weakness, I need water to survive like this.)
Sydney looks confused.
Sydney:
(I don’t know what just happened, but whatever it is, I can’t waste an opportunity to take him down!)
Sydney charges at Hayze. He attempts to get up to block but is still struggling to breathe.
Hayze:
(Crap! If I turn the quirk off, she’ll just drown the field again, and I’ll be back to square one, but if I leave it on, I’ll asphyxiate!)
Sydney kicks Hayze in the face knocking him into the air; she then kicks him to the ground.
Hayze:
*pained grunt*
Sydney:
I knew you’d run out of steam eventually!
Everyone in the stadium is surprised by the sudden shift.
Fatal:
(What’s wrong? He just had her on the ropes, now he can barely stand.)
Walker:
It was foolish for him to pin his hopes of winning this battle on something he doesn’t understand.
Houston:
That’s
a little harsh, Damien. I don’t think he had much choice, given his situation. Sydney is quite the feisty fighter, from my experience.
Walker:
It was more foolish to have not prepared for her to flood the arena from the start, but he still agitated her. It was never my forte to take on a student who didn’t fully understand the basics of their quirk, and while he was impressive in his first match, it’s clear his ceiling will be measured purely on his lack of quirk aptitude.
Fatal:
(I sure hope he’s wrong.)
Walker:
(Hayze has shown a knack for strategy, but you can’t plan around something you don’t know. He beat Silver, but he exhausted himself near exhaustion without taking a hit, and if Silver had chosen to use his last supply of dust, he wouldn’t even be here right now; His quirk is helping him, but it’s also holding him back.)
Hayze picks his face up from the dirt and looks at the forest. He sees water dripping from the doused tree leaves.
Hayze:
(It’s not that far away, I have to build up the strength to try and get over there, or else…)
Hayze starts to get up. Sydney walks over to him.
Sydney:
You know you were about to make me look horrible, but now here you are groveling on the ground before me.
Sydney kicks him back onto the ground and starts pressing down hard on his lower back.
Sydney:
I’m gonna break your spine as payment for wasting my time and forcing me to reveal more of my moves before the final round.
Hayze:
(Can’t… move…)
Hayze looks at his trident lying on the ground.
Hayze:
(Dammit… If only I had that…)
Sydney notices where Hayze is looking.
Sydney:
What do you think you’re telekinetic now too?
Hayze’s eyes widen.
“
Tara:
All the tools inside the EMILY have been created to supplement his many elemental abilities. He can control that element, so the tool helps him do that. “
— Chapter 15
Hayze:
(That’s it! Tara, if you did this, you’re a genius!)
Hayze reaches out for the trident.
Sydney:
Pfft, like that’s going to work.
Suddenly the trident begins moving.
Sydney:
What!
Hayze:
(Yes, Tara!)
The item flies into Hayze’s hand; he then knocks Sydney off of him by rolling over and smacking her with it.
Sydney:
How!
Hayze breaks the trident over his knee, revealing that water was inside the base of the staff. He then pours the water over his gills, rejuvenating him.
Hayze:
(Tara knew that similar to my other elements, I’d be able to control water as well. So she filled the trident with liquid so I could telekinetically control it. I really owe her a lot for this tournament.)
Sydney gets up.
Sydney:
Ugh! You are getting on my last nerve, just give up and lose already!
Hayze:
No. Way.
Hayze runs for the forest.
Sydney:
I didn’t say you could run!
Sydney runs after him in anger.
Hayze:
(She’s too frustrated to think about what I’m doing; I can already feel myself weakening again… it’s a good thing I’m almost there.)
Hayze reaches the forest as the rain of the floodwater still falls from the treetops. Sydney runs in and immediately realizes what Hayze is up to.
Sydney:
(Huh? Water… he tricked me!)
Sydney attempts to turn around, but Hayze runs in front of her.
Hayze:
You can’t beat me.
Sydney:
*frustrated grunt* I’ll show you!
Hayze swipes his leg under Sydney, knocking her off her feet and into the air.
Sydney:
AH!
Hayze punches Sydney into the ground, knocking her out cold.
Hayze:
(That’s game…)
Hayze returns to normal and falls to his knees.
Hayze:
(I need to be careful using that quirk again.)
Madame Mummy walks into the forest and examines Sydney.
Madame Mummy:
The winner is Adam Hayze.
The crowd cheers.
Zach:
They sure changed their tune towards Hayze quickly.
Jace:
Damn, that guy can persevere.
Gus:
Yeah, but he got lucky to fight a girl.
Wes:
Didn’t you lose to a girl.
Gus:
No, I lost to a ghost girl.
Wes:
Fair enough.
Colossus returns to the teacher’s section.
Colossus:
The first match of the quarter-finals is over already?
Houston:
Dammit! Another one of my students! I only have one left…
Fatal:
I knew he could do it!
Walker:
*nasal grunt* (For all his faults, there’s definitely one thing I’ll give him credit for: he doesn’t give up, even when he’s dying of asphyxiation, he still thinks of a way out.)
Hayze heads down the tunnel as Sydney is taken away by stretcher.
Hayze:
Semi-finals time; I’ll have to pay attention to this next match. I’m either gonna have to fight Justus or Angel; both could be a challenge, especially given my inexperience. I’m proud of myself for making it this far, but I still wanna go a little farther.
Voice:
You sound determined.
Hayze looks around confused, then a tall, slender man in a lab coat walks out of a separate hallway in front of him.
Man:
The passion of youth is always so inspiring.
Hayze notices he’s wearing a ring with a pink gem with the Greek symbol Iota.
Hayze:
Are you wearing a fraternity ring?
The man laughs.
Man:
You put on quite the show out there; I can see U.A. picks their students wisely.
Hayze:
Thanks… but who are you?
Man:
Just call me Iota.
Hayze:
That’s not ominous at all…
Iota:
You amuse me; good luck with the rest of the tournament. I hope we meet again.
Iota walks away. Hayze looks back at him.
Hayze:
(That guy gives me the creeps, but I’ll be polite.) Yeah, you too.
Hayze walks in the other direction. Iota takes out a piece of paper and starts writing on it.
Iota:
(Adam Hayze, his quirk evolved at the age of 17 years old with no explainable reason.) *giggles to himself* (Dr. Moore, you’re up to your old tricks again.)
Iota’s Paper:
