After the first battle, both classes gathered around their home school teacher for an assessment of their performance.

"Explain what you learned all or what you would do differently," said Eret.

"Well, if I'm not brawling with my enemies, then my power is kind of useless," said Dogsbreath as he removed his helmet. "If that had been real, Faith would have just murdered me before I ever hit the ground."

"I need to be able to give more detailed instructions to the bugs I call," said Wartihog.

"And I pretty much nailed it!" said Clueless cheerfully with a goofy grin. "I think I probably made some new fans. It's cool those warm feelings aren't something you can control, so let's hear some praise. I'm not shy."

Heather rolled her eyes and looked at Eret. "We lost Dogsbreath and Wartihog quick. It was a massive blow to our team's morale. I wish we could have one without losing anybody, but we were sloppy out there."

"The binding cloth," said Bard. "I can even use a tenth of what I've learned from you. It's so frustrating."

"There's a reason they call it training," said Eret. "The scarf is hard to use; it took me six years to master. Move on, but don't forget this feeling."

"Right," said Bard, still looking upset with himself.

"The two who went through work studies dug deep into their reflections," said Olaf.

"Not surprising, they face those Mafia villains," said Tuffnut. "I heard it was a pretty intense raid. If you have experience fighting like that, it changes the way you think and how you approach a battle, even a training battle like this, I guess."

"Make you wonder how the others are going to respond to this training," said Ruffnut.

"Compared to the others, that brain-dead shock jock look like a total moron," said Ingrid, who was covering her mouth to prevent her from laughing.

"Listen up," said Eret looking at all of them. "Dogsbreath, you should focus on forcing your opponents into a head-on fight."

"Yes, sir," Dogsbreath nodded.

"Wartihog, it's exactly as you said, increase the accuracy when you control animals. Don't rush; just think about your enemy's weaknesses."

Wartihog nodded.

"Clueless! You weren't serious at the start! Are you only strong when your team is in trouble?"

"No," said Clueless looking crestfallen.

"Heather, focus on how to recover from a mistake instead of the mistake itself."

"Yes, sir."

"Use what you learn today to improve your future, dismissed," said Eret and walked away.

"Yes, sir!" they nodded.

Bard looked at the binding of began reimagining the fight and seeing what he could have done differently.

"Even though he won, he's still painfully aware of his inexperience," said Midnight noticing Bard fumbling with the scarf. "Yet instead of getting dismayed, he's been playing a match in his head to find ways to improve his performance."

"He certainly reminds me of Trapster when he first started," Forge noted.

"Now there's a scary thought if ever there was one," said Stoick.

Blood King, meanwhile, was trying to suppress the rain built up inside him as he looked down upon his class.

"Do you know why you lost? Or shall I explain it to you?" he asked as his eyebrow twitched.

All of them merely nodded.

"Bear was your focal point, or wait, was Faith your ace?" said Blood King as his range buildup to the boiling point. "If you only come together as a team, you could have taken them all!"

"Mr Blood gets scary when he is mad," Salem quivered.

"It's not in Faith's nature to deceive; forgot to consider that beast man, didn't you?" said Cael as he walked by.

"You're correct, and as a result, we allowed our opponents to come up with a plan," said Bear looking ashamed and looking at Faith apologetically. "You have my sincerest apologies."

"Fire spares no one," said Faith.

"What a shame," said Cael and his eyes turned to Bard. "But I learned something swell; he's good. I'm looking forward to having him on my side." He then promptly rushed over to Bard. "Bard, buddy! Let's come up with a plan to make Class A cry like toddlers, something that will really ruin their lives!"

Hiccup and his team, which consisted of Agnar, Fishlegs and Ruffnut, just looked at them.

"He's just talking to himself," said Agnar.

"That being said, we should come all the plan ourselves," said Hiccup and opened up his notebook. "First thing, we should brainstorm some ideas on how to best approach our match."

"I'm down with that, Hiccup," said Fishlegs.

"Let's do combos like a super move in a game!" said Ruffnut.

Speedfist team, consisting of Ranger, Magnus and Sven, gathered around to discuss a battle strategy themselves.

"We should strategise as well," said Speedfist.

"Ranger is a strong focal point," said Magnus.

"I am?" Ranger blinked.

Snotlout teammates, who were Ingrid, Calder and Tuffnut, approached Snotlout.

"What about us?" Tuffnut asked.

"Snotlout, let's get on the same page," said Ingrid.

"The page is staying out of my way!" Snotlout snorted.

Ingrid and the others didn't look surprised in the slightest by Snotlout's attitude.

"Of course," Ingrid sighed.

"We'll be up against Bard in the fifth match," said Hiccup. "And his voice modifier is a big threat."

"Sticky acid floating blade for the win!" Ruffnut cheered.

"What the heck is that?" Agnar frowned.

"There are plenty of places to hide," said Speedfist.

"It will be a pain to find the enemy," said Olaf.

"I'm on it," said Magnus.

"Their team is going down! I don't need any help from anyone!" Snotlout yelled.

Ingrid and the others just sat there shaking their heads; they knew it wasn't going to be easy working with Snotlout, but they had a lease hoped he would even consider working with them.

"We can save Speedfist for our trump card if we're in a bind," said Sven.

"Uh, before you rely on me, there's something I need to tell you about my superspeed," said Speedfist.

"Instant kill floating bomb!" Ruffnut cheered.

"None of these terms makes sense!" Agnar scolded.

Soon all the teams were discussing plans for their respected battles.

"It would seem as if everyone is getting into this training exercise," said Stoick.

"Come on, was a battle strategy is the first step of coordination," said Forge. "The first team didn't have a concrete strategy in mind which is why they had some problems at the beginning."

'The end of the school year is almost upon us,' said Stoick as he looked at everyone. 'Everyone has been working on perfecting their powers and fighting techniques. Hiccup has become better at using his super strength and has incorporated it with his technical expertise. Most have already got the provisional licences; a few even fought against some powerful villains and bounced back.

In the midst of all these events and troubles, they pushed on earnestly to achieve their goals, and now they have the chance to compare themselves to other students choosing the same dream. They'll gain a better understanding of where they are; in a way, this is a rehearsal for the rest of their lives.'

Eret and Blood King then approached them.

"So Stoick, what did you think of Bard?" Blood King asked.

"He's great, and he has guts; it's telling that the first emotion he felt after the match was frustration," said Stoick.

"This is a test for him, a good showing that he could end up transferred," said Eret. "I'd wager he's eager to show off in his next match. Well, Blood, I think it's time we start the next match."

"I know," said Blood King and then took in a deep breath. "Second-round teams to the field!"

The second-round team consisted of Astrid, Ragnar, Helga and Olaf for Class A. For Class B, they would be facing Kaia, Felicia, Zag and Nero, whose skin was pitch black and wearing a completely black skin type costume.

While the two teams were making their way to the respective bases, both Astrid and Kaia began talking to one another.

"Hey, Astrid," said Kaia.

"What is it, Kaia?" Astrid asked.

"Why would you'd be in the pageant?" Kaia asked curiously. "I thought I'd see you there. I'm sure you would have stood a good chance."

"For some reason, Mr Eret failed to tell us something like that would be taking place," Astrid admitted. "I also had singing practice, so I would have had time to prepare for it. I suppose he deemed that a pageant wouldn't be necessary for my hero progress."

"Well, if I had to choose between taking part in a beauty pageant or singing a duet with my boyfriend, I know what I would choose."

Astrid's face immediately turned bright pink. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Kaia looked at her rather surprised. "Sorry, I only assume that the two of you are pretty close."

"No, we're just friends," said Astrid, emphasising the word friends.

"She does have a point, Astrid," said Helga. "I mean, you guys do hang around a lot, you did do your internships together, you both took part in the Mafia raid and then the two of you somewhere beautiful duet."

Astrid then became even pinker. "But it's not like we're a thing."

"If you ask me, the two of you are perfect for each other," said Ragnar. "Okay, admittedly, you were rather hostile towards him when you first met, but after our first exercise, you really did warm up to him."

"Can we set my love life aside, not that I'm saying that I have a love life and focus on the exercise?" said Astrid strongly.

"Have it your way," Kaia shrugged. "If you want to be utterly honest, your grades and powers are both greater than mine. I want to be my own hero, which is why I am dying to try my hand against you today."

Astrid smiled. "You and me both. I'm gonna fight you with all my heart and soul."

"Looks like everything is starting to heat up," said Nero and then turned his gaze to Ragnar. "You know, Ragnar, you and I are practically opposite of one another. You get power from sunlight, and I get my power from the shadows; I'm looking forward to seeing which one of us beats the other."

Ragnar looked at Nero seriously. 'Nero Darklight, his power allows him to merge with shadows and move freely within.'

Nero smiled at him, no doubt gauging him as well. "The more sunlight you absorb, the stronger and longer you can maintain your plant form, but how strong are you within the shadows?"

"I have battled in darkness before, so don't become a pushover," Ragnar warned.

"Oh, I know very well you're not."

"Uh, those two aren't shining at all," said Olaf.

With that, everyone began making their way towards their bases.

"Both teams are at their bases, and now it's time," said Blood King as he looked at the monitor. "Team Kaia, tear them to pieces! Start the second match!"

"Stop with a biased commentary!" Ruffnut protested.

"For real," the rest of Class A agreed.

Kaia's team then bumped fists.

"Okay, team let's go!" said Kaia.

"Right!" they nodded and ran off.

"Kaia looks like a really important part of your class dynamic," said Tuffnut looking at Tab.

"Yeah, she gets the job done! No matter what!" Tab yelled.

"Why are you yelling?" Tuffnut asked, covering his ears.

"That's a brilliant class representative for you; she's smart and decisive even under pressure and so awesome!" said Tab. "She's also brave risking herself on the front lines when others are counting on her! Not to mention her attitude rocks! Without her, we would have killed Cael and become a bunch of fools like him now!"

"Uncalled for!" said Cael.

"Think of her as our class's big sister," Tab continued. "She inspires us to do our best."

"If that's the case, I wonder if Astrid's plan will work?" said Ranger.

"What is she up to?" Sven asked.

Astrid's team were now on the move, but they had no idea where the enemy was located.

"So, what is your plan for finding the enemy?" Ragnar asked. "We don't have a scout from our team, unlike the others."

"That's not entirely accurate," said Astrid and then she created a drone out of thin air.

"You think it's really a good idea to use your powers like that so early on into the match?" Helga asked.

"I've been training on maximising my creative abilities, and it is important that we know where the enemy is hiding," said Astrid and released the drone.

Kaia and her team were on the move as well, and Kaia had already predicted would Astrid was planning.

"They pretty much know what our powers are by now, but we have been improving on them in developing new move, so they have to be ready for anything," said Kaia as she and her team came to a stop and looked up. "That's why first they'll try for some recon."

Floating above them was the drone that Astrid had created, and Kaia quickly enlarged her fists and clapped them together to create a powerful gust of wind. This caused the drone to fly uncontrollably and hit the pipes, smashing it to bits.

Astrid had seen everything from a tablet just before the drone was destroyed. She still got the exact position of Kaia's team.

"I found them; they're located near the chimneys," she informed them. "Let's move!"

"They have to know opposition by now," said Kaia and looked at Nero. "Nero, it's time to do your thing."

"Just leave it, Necro," he said the small bow before sinking into the shadows.

Astrid and her team were making their way through a series of pipes.

"C'est Magnifique, we've already know their location," said Olaf.

"Astrid, I hate to point out the obvious, but there is a strong possibility that Kaia knows we're heading her way," said Ragnar.

Astrid nodded. "I know, and no doubt they'll send their fastest teammate to delay us, and with all the shadows, we know that's going to be."

A split second later, Nero jumped out of the nearby shadow and quickly kicked Ragnar in the face.

"Ragnar!" Astrid yelled.

"I'm good!" said Ragnar, quickly extending his arms to grab Nero, but he had already jumped into a nearby shadow.

"Quite the sneak attack," said Fishlegs looking rather nervous.

"Yes, but I have no doubt Astrid was expecting this," said Hiccup. "When it comes to battle tactics, she outshines me. I spent most of my time thinking on-the-fly, but she's able to keep a level head and focus on the task at hand."

Nero was jumping from shadow to shadow, attacking Astrid's team without any kind of break. Clearly, he was trying to keep them on their toes, preventing them from launching any kind of counter-attack. Plus, the noise from their battle was alerting the rest of Kaia's team of their location.

"Helga, we need some light!" Astrid yelled.

"Okie, dokey!" said Helga and quickly jumped into the air directly in front of the sun. "Say cheese!"

She then created a powerful flash of light that caused the shadows to shrink. Nero was forced to jump out of the shadows and into the open. Astrid then quickly created some nets and tossed them at Nero, who was dashing towards the nearest shadow.

One of Astrid's nets did manage to catch Nero, but not before he reached the nearest shadow and then quickly sunk into it.

"He vanished!" said Olaf.

"We won't be a to catch him so long as there is any chance for him to escape," said Astrid. "This is the first I've seen this power in action."

Nero then reappeared above them, laughing, and he looked down at Ragnar. "Ragnar Keatson, I swear that I will vanquish you. Your powers come from the sun while mine come from the shadows; let us see which one of us is the most powerful."

"If that's what you wish, but you may end up regretting challenging me!" said Ragnar as he produced some thorn-like blades on his palms.

Nero merely laughed and sunk into the shadows. "Then show me what you've got."

"He's moving through the shadows again," said Astrid.

"Still only one of them attacking?" said Olaf. "This is unexpected."

"Isn't this the same planet failed in the first match?" Sven frowned.

"It is a pretty smart move; in an area like this, I'd say he definitely has the upper hand," said Ranger.

Ragnar frowned. 'His eyes were fixed on me, but when I get the feeling, I was never his to market.'

'Class A is in the dark,' Nero smiled. 'I set an emotional trap before the match even started. You probably think the one I'm after is you, but that's not true. Misdirection is the key to my design.'

Nero continued travelling through the shadows within the pipes until he approached Olaf and grabbed his cape, pulling him along.

"Olaf!" Astrid yelled.

Olaf screamed as he was pulled along the pipes by Nero.

"Trickery," said Faith, looking displeased. "How despicable he is. Wretched soul, repent at once!"

'This cramped integrated stage gives me plenty of pathways,' said Nero as he dragged Olaf towards his base. 'I have speed on my side, and Ragnar is only able to glide, which means they can't possibly catch up to me. There's no way.'

His words did seem true as Astrid and Helga were chasing after him, but they were having a hard time keeping up.

"Do you think I was slow?" said Ragnar's voice, much to Nero's surprise. "I told you would regret challenging me!"

He turned his eyes, and to his astonishment as he saw Ragnar flying directly towards him at an incredible speed. Ragnar had created a set of leaflike wings and was flying across the air like a kite, but for some reason, he was moving rather quickly.

"Wait! He can fly!" said a stunned Class B.

Class A was also rather bewildered themselves.

"Look at Ragnar go," said Fishlegs.

"That's so awesome!" Ruffnut cheered.

"But how is that possible?" Agnar asked.

"Wind currents," said Hiccup and everyone turned to look at him. "You see, the tall building is the stronger the winds that swirled around it, and Ragnar is using those to fly through the air. And willing to bet that he came up with that plan in order to fight in the city more effectively."

Ragnar continued to fly after Nero. 'It's true I'm at more home in the forest, but when I'm fighting the city, I need to find a way to adapt. All my time spent at the Fat Gum Agency has paid off.'

He soon overtook Nero and grabbed Olaf, and then flew even higher up into the air.

"What an unexpected rendezvous!" Olaf yelled.

Nero looked up at them and narrowed his eyes. 'Plan a was a failure.'

"Olaf, light the place up, and Ragnar, cover the area!" Astrid yelled.

"I will give light to the shadows!" said Olaf and fired his laser.

He fired a barrage of small lasers across the entire area, causing the shadows to disappear, forcing Nero into the light.

"There he is, Helga!" Astrid yelled.

"I see him, let's him!" said Helga as the two of them chased after him.

Nero jumped onto the ground, but he was soon surrounded by Astrid and Helga.

"That's as far as you go!" Astrid yelled.

"We won't let you escape," said Helga.

"Launching a surprise attack alone, bold move and certainly unexpected," said Astrid. "No matter because I expect the unexpected."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Nero smiled and ran off.

"Stand down!" Astrid yelled as she and Helga chased after him.

"You don't know when you're beat," said Helga.

Astrid then suddenly noticed the mushroom growing on her nose, and seconds later, muscles began appearing on Helga too.

"Mushrooms? What the heck?" Helga cried.

Nero laughed. "So it's true, Kaia is better than you."

Kaia and the rest of her team were hiding out, and she just stood there smiling.

"It's just like our brilliant class rep said," said Felicia as mushrooms began to grow all around her. "If we see too much like then Plan A failed. So we start Plan B. Cute little mushrooms, everybody!"