Tentacle Extension: the ability to generate tentacles and/or tentacle-like appendages.

Josh and Tiana stand side by side in front of Hayley's studio for the first time in months. After the weekend, she practically begged them to continue training with her and Tyler. They only agreed after she mentioned that they'd be sparring individually with her, just for the chance to finally kick her ass.

"So, who's going in first?" Josh asks. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. They're both a little rusty.

"Really?" Tiana rolls her eyes. "This is Hayley, not Alley Cat. Don't be such a scaredy bird."

"I'm not scared! I'm just... overly cautious, is all."

She shoots him a disbelieving look. "You're not seriously going to make me go first."

"If it's not that big of a deal, why don't you go first?" He challenges.

"... fine. We go in together."

Josh smiles and grabs her hand. "Together. Like always."

"You can't have Kitty Hawk without her trusty soulmate." Tiana pulls him by the hand inside, finding the main lobby shrouded in complete darkness.

Though Josh can see perfectly fine, he knows that Tiana can't. He squeezes her hand and she squeezes back, nails poking at his palm.

"Uh, hello?" She calls out. "Do you see anything?"

"No. The room, it's... empty."

The hairs on Josh's neck start to stand. He looks back and jerks to the right just in time to see someone zip between the two, slicing the back of his hand.

"Ow!" He and Tiana shriek at the same time.

Hayley turns on the tips of her toes, somehow across the room already, and throws something shiny directly at Tiana.

"Tati, watch out!"

Tiana summons a disc in front of her, the throwing knife dissolving the moment it touches the dark energy. Josh instinctively drops to the ground, hearing the whiz of a knife coming at him.

"Yo, what the hell is this?" She demands.

"Fighting Alley Cat is life or death," Hayley says, her voice hollow.

"We know that!" Josh shouts, tracking her in the darkness. Once the second knife is coming at him, he makes a small portal, launching it back at his mentor.

Hayley grabs it from the air, spinning it between her fingers. "You're getting better at controlling space, but you're not ready yet. Alley Cat will focus on the two of you, and you won't always see him coming."

Josh can't move in time to avoid a pair of hands grabbing his head, wrapping around a thick leather band around his eyes. "Hey! That's unfair."

"You have more than five senses. Better learn how to use them." Tyler's voice trails somewhere behind him, but without his night vision, Josh can't track him well enough.

He hears Tiana grunting somewhere to his far left, the soft hits of her connecting punches echoing in his head. Despite having acute hearing, Josh can't figure out where she is.

"Tia- ah!" He doesn't get to finish his sentence, bring immediately tackled to the ground. "What the hell?"

"Focus on your enemy, not on your friends," Tyler hisses in Josh's ear, boot digging into his chest. "Be offensive, not defensive."

Now thoroughly pissed, Josh grabs Tyler's ankle and yanks him down, teleporting him to the other side of the room. "You're an asshole," He growls.

"Now that's what I'm looking for," Tyler chuckles.

"What, your dickishness?"

"No. Your rage."

Josh takes a deep breath, trying to control the blood rushing to his head, and tries to still himself. Every sound doubles in volume when he holds his breath. The consistent thud, thud, thud of a heart echoes behind him. He spins, kicking his leg out, and connects with Tyler's side.

Tyler grunts, dropping to the floor. Josh feels for him, grabbing the front of his shirt and punches him in the face.

"Ow, Jesus! Be careful, angel!"

"Fuck you."

He can hear the smirk in Tyler's voice. "Well, if you're into that..."

Startled, he doesn't react when Tyler grabs his shoulders and throws him across the room. Josh groans, sliding across the slick wooden floor.

"I hate you," he mutters.

"Where the hell are you, Hayley?"

Josh hears Tiana and manages to crawl towards her voice, getting back to back with her. "Sorry I was late, Ty fucking tackled me."

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," she snickers.

"Uh-huh. Sure you can."

Tiana's wing curls around Josh's torso. He grabs the top of it and pulls her around him, making a small portal just in time to send the knives aimed at them through and onto the couch in the corner of the room. Josh's skin prickles, and before he can react Tiana creates a bubble of black around them, a glowing sphere around them.

"How can energy literally made of darkness glow?" He asks, pulling off the blindfold.

"Who knows." Tiana perks up. "Oh, my god, I'm so stupid."

"What?"

"I have Umbrakinesis, remember?"

Josh laughs. "Oh, right."

"Okay. I have a plan, but you're going to have to distract them," she says.

"How long?" He asks.

"Seventeen seconds."

"I can do that."

A small part of the bubble retracts, big enough for Josh to crouch through. As soon as he's outside of the dark energy's safety, he's attacked from behind, the edge of a blade kissing the sides of Josh's upper arms. He takes off, sprinting in circles around the room.

Tyler manages to grab hold of his left wing, yanking him to the ground. He presses the knife to Josh's throat, threatening but not painful.

"You'd be dead right now," he whispers, digging it in enough to make him squirm. Josh grins up at him, and Tyler looks back in confusion, glowing eyes narrowed slightly. "What? You're not angry anymore."

"Oh, no, I'm passed. But I'm much for happy for this."

Tiana screams, and the room explodes in light. Black tendrils explode out of her like quills on a sea urchin, stabbing through the every surface they landed into. One comes dangerously close to their faces, cutting Tyler's cheek and Josh's ear.

Hayley's hanging from the ceiling by her sleeve, which is snagged on one of the spines. The fabric tears and she falls right on top of Tiana.

Tyler stares down at the younger boy, either impressed or superbly pissed off. Josh just smiles even wider.

"How'd we do?"

"... good enough."