The Room's decision to show himself bolstered Hope's confidence a little. He looked like a bomb went off in his chest. Well... one kinda did... but that wasn't the point she was getting to. He'd been fighting junior heroes all day and she didn't remember him looking as scratched up as he did. She was doing damage to him! She could hurt him, she could win!

...or so she began to think. His compliment was well received until the room went dark again, and Hope felt another shock to her system. Her legs began to cramp up, her abs began to twitch, her arms were shaking. It scared her how she didn't have full control of her body, that someone could invade her mind and do whatever he wanted. But she let her body hurt and contract, pushed her muscles to seize up, and sank to her hands and knees. She embraced the pain, took it all in. She'd focus on it. Hope was determined, he wouldn't be able to play with her mind as easily if she could only focus her willpower, so she turned it on the pain that she was feeling. It was real. It wasn't an illusion. Her hand ached, and Hope ran it under her mask to spread the toxins coating it across her own skin. She gasped and heaved as the thick scent and burning sensation inflamed her nostrils and lit up her face with throbbing misery.

That was it. He couldn't read her mind if she didn't even read her own mind. She could push through the pain if she just shut her brain down and acted on instinct. She slowly began to rise, but only managed to get one foot on the ground and upright, her other knee to the floor.

[i]Let him get close, let him get close to me! Fight fair fight fair [b]fight fair![/b] I'll [b]destroy[/b] him, I'll put him on the ground if he'd just. GET. [B]CLOSE...![/B][/i]

[color=fff79a][Hope elects to take extra damage from The Room's mental attack, and also chooses to coat her face in pepper spray for damage overtime in attempt to make her mind more difficult to read.][/color]