My Superhero Academy: Darkest Before Dawn

August 23, 2029

Nicole Forscythe, better known to the world as Nike, the hero of victory, was always pleased to see a new crop of up-and-coming heroes. This year’s class was not that big - around 50 people - but then, the auditorium wasn’t that big either. Saint Academy was small by design; Dexter had insisted on it, and she had agreed.

Quality was more important than quantity.

The Saint, before his retirement, had mentioned wanting to create an Academy like this. While many heroes took on trainees, there had never been a dedicated place for them to learn. Some had actually tried organizing hero classes, but it never stuck. Putting a large number of powered individuals in one place with the intent of training them to stop villains tended to make you a massive target for villains.

Nike still recalled when the Department of Metahuman Affairs attempted to establish their own ‘Meta School’. Months of construction, advertising, organization, planning went into it. It was to be the greatest achievement of a generation.

In a single night, the villain Mastermind had stolen most of the funding from federal accounts and demolished every building on the campus for good measure.

That was why this was different. Why it had to be different. Because Saint Academy would, ironically, be different from the Saint. It would not fade; it would stand, continually, against evil. Even if the world lost all hope, it would ensure that there would still be heroes.

She took a deep breath, and smiled as she stepped off the catwalk and fell to the stage below.

---

Saint Academy Auditorium

The auditorium lights dimmed, save for a spotlight on the stage, which brightened, drawing the attention of the assembled students.

From above, as though she were being lowered on a rope, the hero Nike gently descended. She was in her full costume - a white and gold bodysuit and helmet, replete with an actual cape that would have been greatly impractical on most anyone else - and seemed to almost glitter in the light.

Her boots landed softly, almost silently, on the floor behind the podium. She was smiling, brightly, as she looked over the 50-odd teenagers before her.

“Greetings, future heroes.” She began, “I am Nike. As you probably know, I’m the principal of Saint Academy. I would like to thank all of you, deeply and truly, for coming here. In theory, with the aid of technology or learned magic, anyone could be a hero, even those born without powers. But not anyone can muster the courage to risk their lives for the greater good. That courage is what we are here to foster, and support. In the hopes that your courage will inspire the courage of others.”

She held out her hands. “There are many villains in this world. Many more than heroes, at the moment. But while they outnumber us on paper, the truth is that we actually outnumber them. Because while there are four villains for every hero, we have something they do not.”

She clasped her hands together. “Unity. Teamwork. Villains do not simply fight us - they fight each other. Their alliances are without trust, or honesty. They backstab and deceive one another as easily as they do the innocent. That is why the heroes always win; evil destroys itself. Evil is alone. But we have each other.”

“To that end…” Nicole took off her helmet. Her blonde hair was short and naturally curly, and freckles covered her face. Her bluish-green eyes were soft and kind. “Please feel free to call me Nicole. I’m just a person, like you, and I want you to remember that. No matter what, it’s important to understand that we’re people first, and heroes second. Don’t feel like you have to fight the world alone. That’s all I can ask.”

She took a drink from a water bottle, giving the students time to process this. “Now, I believe each of you received your homeroom letter in the orientation packet. Here at Saint Academy, your homeroom teacher will be with you for the entirety of your time here. They’ll be a familiar face, who will offer you support and guidance during your stay here. I ask you please treat them with respect and kindness in return. Of course, while you have a homeroom teacher, all the staff here are dedicated to helping you be the best you can be, so please let someone know if you have any issues. My office is always open, as is that of the school psyche counselor, who you may know as the hero Mindseye.”

“Now, I believe it’s time for all of you to get to class.” She smiled again, pressing her fist against her chest. “Always remember, future heroes, the Saint Academy slogan. It’s the same ideal that we at Wayforward strive for."

She raised her fist in the air, triumphantly. “Forward, together.”

---

Class DY

The class sizes at Saint Academy were small. The classroom that those in ‘Class DY’ found themselves in had no desks for the students. The room was carpeted, cozy looking. In place of desks or chairs were variously colored beanbags, about a dozen, plus one larger beanbag that was obviously intended for the teacher. There was a teacher’s desk in one corner, with a computer built into it.

In place of a whiteboard was what looked like a large computer screen. Were one of the students to touch it, they’d find that they could draw on it with just their finger. Buttons on the bottom of the touch screen - appropriately labeled with pictures of a marker and eraser - switched it between drawing mode and erasing mode. Another button brought up a color palette to select from.

The teacher wasn’t present, but there was text already drawn on the board, in large pink letters. The handwriting was legible, but crude.

ICEBREAKER

Get to know your classmates! Feel free to show each other your powers, but don’t break anything! I will be in soon!

There was no name; it was signed only 'Your Teacher' followed by a heart.

Edited by kagescorpionakki on May 16th 2020 at 2:01:13 PM

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

What will happen if I draw on the screen?

A few visions played out. None of them had him get in trouble, so he figured, Why not?

Skye Rothach tapped on the marker, then ran his finger across the board. Red. He frowned slightly, then tapped the eraser and wiped the board clean. He opened the color palette, picked out a soft blue color, then began absently doodling whatever came to mind.

As he doodled, he let his mind wander, back to when he'd first been accepted into the academy. His father, a vigilante the media called Blitzkrieg, had never been prouder, hugging him and laughing and declaring that Skye was going to be the hero that toppled the Pandora organization.

Skye had chosen not to tell his father that his only power—precognition—was completely useless in toppling crime organizations.

His precognition told him that more people would arrive soon, so until then, he ran his fingers up and down and around the screen, soon covering the screen with blue swirls.

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Saint Academy Auditorium

The small, hooded figure outright blended into the crowd of comparably more colourful up-and-coming heroes than stood out. Which Lucy was fine with. It also meant the gentle, muted rippling of her outline remained mostly unnoticed. It was hard for her to stay calm surrounded by something as massive as this. Even if the room itself wasn't that big, the display was certainly grand.

She merely stood in mute awe as the principal gave her speech, dazzled by the extravagance on display and having to squash down a creeping feeling of envy. So this was what a real hero was. She didn't seem real.

By the time she proclaimed the school's slogan Lucy couldn't keep eye contact with her any longer. Her voice dropped to the most barest of whispers, likely unable to be heard even by the people right next to her. She was fine with that. It came out more conflicted than resolute.

“...Forward... t-together.”

She sighed through her nostrils, and didn't look back up from then on.

---

Class DY

To say Lucy was surprised by the furnishings would've been an understatement. It was... nice. Cosy. Almost aggressively so. She paused in the doorway, uncertain. She didn't look right here. But the warmth of the place and its atmosphere soon drew her in. She glanced at the digital ‘whiteboard’ a moment.

...Cute.

She didn't dare touch it. Merely picked out a... beanbag. Which she tried to look at least somewhat dignified sitting on. She failed. Miserably.

She ended up in a partial slump, feeling stupid and internally kicking herself.

There was a boy drawing on the screen now. She hadn't noticed him on first coming in. She barely flicked her eyes towards him now. Would they get in trouble for that? The teacher seemed nice through the writing alone. Then again, it was just writing...

She was overthinking things. She just stayed quiet, and aimed to do so until necessary. At least she took comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only artist. The boy had a good sense of colour.

Edited by Enirboreh on May 16th 2020 at 7:23:01 PM

bork

Class DY - Homeroom

---

Ortrun breezed into the class, like a spring... breeze. It was the first day, so she arrived in her only suit, an old, burgundy thing but functional. She also came with a potted plant of the same lilacs she had notched over her ear. This was going to be her homeroom, and it be unkind to show up with nothing to add to it.
This place is like our living room. Even down to the bean bag chairs. It just needed more colors but the guy at the screen/board was taking care of that it seemed. She left her first day gift plant on the windowsill, and slowly sank into a beanbag chair closest to the teacher's desk, trying to make as little noise as possible. With her small size, it wasn't that hard to sit quietly.
If only I knew a song about Nike... She had put alot of work into this place. Ortrun curled around her guitar. This was clearly the smile and chat about nothing part of class. She was not good at that. Until the teacher came in though... She could do something for the class. Her work would never match the sheer je ne sais quoi that Nike brought earlier but she gently started to play the guitar tab to Winds of Change so her classmates could walk in on light music.
Unless they liked quiet. She would shut up the moment someone asked. And she kept her eyes screwed shut, partly to focus on playing. Partly because she did not want to see the people the first time she played in public anywhere.

Edited by CenturyEye on May 16th 2020 at 11:51:07 AM

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Class DY

That entrance ceremony had been crazy! The nameless girl had never seen so many people in a single place before. Then again, her experience with people had been lacking on all kinds of fronts, she reflected with a bitter expression.

A smile returned to the girl's face as she opened the door to the classroom. This was it, the real beginning of her new life. She'd never seen the classrooms before, so she took a good look around. (Technically, nobody could stop her from wandering wherever she wanted, but she didn't want to risk ending up somewhere she wasn't supposed to be and getting in trouble, so she'd kept her exploration to a minimum). It looked... comfy. She liked comfy, comfy was way nicer than anything she'd experienced before last month.

And she had classmates! 3 of them, at least so far. A boy doodling on the screen, a girl sprawled on one of the beanbags, and another girl strumming an instrument. This was probably her first time interacting with other kids her age, so she had to try not to mess it up.

"Umm... hi!"

Edited by PossiblyQuiteInsane on May 16th 2020 at 2:52:40 PM

Class DY - Homeroom

---

Ortrun mouthed hi and a wave in the general direction of the voice, not opening her eyes for a few seconds because it took that long for her manners to catch up with her. I started this.
She managed a small smile after a moment and nodded, repeating with sound this time, "Hi." Now what? 'Are you here for class?' I would say dumbly... um...
"Maybe you could push the bag up against a wall?" Ortrun glanced at the struggling girl now that her eyes were open. "You're not supposed to really sit up in it. My parents say they only get beanbags so that people have to just relax and not try to look too dignified." I just implied that she looked undignified...
"Oh right," She awkwardly pivoted back to the girl she'd left with just a 'hi'. "Do you like bean bags?" That was the best she had.

Edited by CenturyEye on May 16th 2020 at 12:09:25 PM

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Ryan Brady - Class DY

Ryan was feeling pretty excited to get to start his new school year here, especially after how long it felt since he got to actually stay in one place and socialize. Aaron was off at the office giving the information in about Ryan's powers, the requirements for handling him, and personal history, and while Ryan got it that Aaron needed to be safe about this, he just hoped Big Bro was gonna be back in time for goodbyes.

The decorations and stuff here were pretty amazing, and Ryan looked around - this school was definitely nicer than all the other ones he'd been to. He just hoped they had a Football team, then he'd be all set to enjoy himself here. Ryan got a notification on his phone then, and he took his cell phone out - a gift from Mr. Noble - to see that there was a news notification.

In light of the opening of Saint Academy for classes, Technology and Investment leader Isaac Noble has stepped forward offering to construct comprehensive infrastructure for the surrounding areas, and stepped forward plans for free cellphones and wifi.

"Whew, sounds pretty sweet..." Ryan said to himself, and then decided to go ahead and try and make some friends here. Seeing some kid doodling on the board and being pretty quiet, Ryan went up to the guy and made his first move. "Hey bro, what're you up to? ...You the artistic type?"

Edited by NickTheSwing on May 16th 2020 at 12:09:23 PM

Who is this? After reviewing his visions, Skye said, "Hello, Ryan. My name is Skye." He swept his finger across the screen. "My father is Blitzkrieg. You might've heard of him. He's a vigilante." He absently wondered how much of his father's exploits had been recorded, and resolved to watch old news to see. "You're the radioactive hero, aren't you? I'm the precog."

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Class DY

Oh, okay. More people were coming in. Lucy tried to straighten up but the beanbag refused to cooperate with her. She idly considered using her ink but she didn't want to creep people out this early. It was only when she was addressed by someone—to which she visibly froze—that she was given an out for her... predicament.

She barely nodded at the other girl, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights as she managed to let out an inarticulate grunt of acknowledgement. Turning around to do as advised, she pushed the beanbag further towards the wall and sank down against ir so that she was instead sitting on the floor—using the beanbag more as a back support as she quietly twiddled her fingers around in front of her.

Well, that helpful someone had a guitar at least. That was nice. She let it serve as a distraction for her a little, and offered a tentative smile towards them in an effort to make up for her fumbled attempt at gratitude seconds before. Her gaze fell immediately after. She realised she had no ties here.

Her throat suddenly felt dry at the thought. She swallowed nervously, but was shaken out of her thoughts by the arrival of someone else. Someone who'd apparently mastered the ability of basic vocal introductions.

Oh god.

“...h-hi...” she barely breathed out, not even managing to look at them. Was that seriously all she could muster up? She'd barely even heard herself that time.

All the better for it.

This is supposed to be an icebreaker.

Edited by Enirboreh on May 16th 2020 at 8:20:21 PM

bork

Ryan Brady - Class DY

"Uhh, how'd you know all that—-" Ryan almost fell backward in surprise, losing his footing in the process, and calmed quickly, "oh, ohh...yeah!" Ryan's mind started working on the whole "precog" thing, and he quickly realized how this guy probably got all that information. "Precog, right, probably saw me giving my name and my power..." He chuckled somewhat awkwardly and nodded, "Yeah, you uh, you got it just right. My big bro Aaron got me enrolled here. Said it'd be the best place for me."

He looked around, and did admit he felt more safe here. Most likely whoever his fake parents were working with would probably not attack this school or anything. Lots of heroes working around here.

"...Do you know if they have a Football team here, and uh, if I'd make the cut?"

Iona Bassano - Class DY

The swinging of a white cane hitting against the doorframe of the classroom preceded Iona's figure popping through the doorway, sunglasses adorned over her eyes, smiling softly.

"Excuse me, is this Class DY? I can't exactly tell."

As much as she could heighten her senses, it would never help her read words on things like door plates or windows. She'd gone through several classrooms already with the same question, only to be told it wasn't the right class. Still, she sensed the presence of several people in here already, and the Academy's student base didn't seem too large to begin with, so her hopes were still high.

Sue — Classroom

Sue burst into the classroom, ready to take on the world! Well, sorta. Truth be told, she was more ready to eat a horse or beat the shit out of something. Maybe she was just restless? Especially after that opening speech. Listening to such a rousing declaration got her good and fired up!

Problem was, there wasn't much to do until class started. Nothing to punch, nothing to eat, not even anything to explore. What was a monkey to do?

Well, whatever. Like the shiny floaty lady said, they couldn't take on the world alone, right? Might as well make friends!

She closed her eyes, reciting aloud something she'd heard during her first couple of months out of the jungle. 'Einy... meeny... meiny... MO!" As soon she opened them up, she lept towards the first student she saw and shook their hands like a vibrator on speed. And for better or worse, that was the soft-spoken little girl in the dark hoodie.

"Hiya! I'm Sue! How do ya do? So, whatcha doin'?"

Class DY

"Bean... bags? The girl stared blankly at the girl with the guitar for a second before realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, these?" She plopped herself down in the nearest one, testing it.

"Yeah, they're comfortable. I like comfortable things." She sat there for a little bit, oblivious to the quiet greeting from the other side of the room, before deciding she should probably try her hand at introductions.

"I, uh, open things. Locks." She said, nodding to nobody in particular. "So I can get in anywhere, and stuff. Sometimes I don't even realize the door was locked in the first place."

"One moment," Skye said, unfazed by Sue's sudden arrival. He looked towards Iona. "Right class," he said. "Hello, Iona."

Then, he looked back at Ryan. "If there is, it might not exist for a while. My powers are being rather uncooperative." He ignored the slight ache in his limbs.

Edited by LilyTheLitten on May 16th 2020 at 12:27:55 PM

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Auditorium

It was hard to be young. Sometimes, the past seems like a web you just can't shake off, and there was something to be said about someone who couldn't respect authority or stay out of the bad side of people being asked to trust others.

Miguel could trust, for the most part, but the question is, would he manage to be considered worthy of trust.

Class

Miguel had managed to get a good seat in this cozy classroom, and he didn't know how to approach the others, so there he was, sitting down and snapping his fingers, looking at the small flame coming out of his fingertips.

To the future, I guess

Wake me up at your own risk.

Ryan Brady - Class DY

Aww, dammit...and the last time I got to play was...right before Vengeant got me into that fight.

He looked where it seemed the precog was going and saw there was a blind girl entering the class. He decided to step up and try and help her out in case she needed anything. Ryan hoped that she'd be okay if anything happened, but just in case, he'd be sure to watch out for her. "Yeah, you're in the right place. Name's Ryan Brady. If you need someone to carry stuff or help you get to the next class, you can count on me."

Iona Bassano - Class DY

The blind girl was admittedly slightly taken aback at how the voice talking to her knew her name, but the feeling of chi pooled up in his head area gave her an inkling as to why.

"Either my reputation precedes me or somebody's been messing around in my head without me knowing."

A good hearted chuckle accompanied a grin as she stepped into the classroom, tapping her cane on the ground once, the sound bouncing off everything in the room like a cascading pulse.

"Beanbags? An interesting choice for seating arrangements. But at least they're soft and comfortable!"

Cane sweeping low in front of her, Iona made her way to a beanbag chair, carefully feeling her way around it as she lowered herself onto it. Sunglasses slipped into her pocket, it would've been rude to keep them on, as she stared straight ahead. With how normal her eyes looked, one could never tell that she hadn't seen a thing in her life.

"Yes, I'm Iona. Bassano. And don't worry, I'm more than capable of getting around by myself, Ryan. Is there something written on the board up there?" She turned towards where she last heard Skye, finger pointed towards the chalkboard.

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on May 16th 2020 at 9:40:50 PM

Class DY

Well, she was apparently passed over. She was okay with that. Saved her the embarrassment, at least. She tried to take a moment just to process; get used to the atmosphere and the people. Though there were still more coming in... was that a monkey girl–

OH GOD.

“U-Um–!” she stammered, taken aback by the sheer speed Sue had appeared in front of her and letting her poor arms be ragdolled around for a good few seconds before she thought to pull them back. She promptly shrank into herself, intimidated by the monkey girl as her brain clicked into overdrive trying to formulate a response. “I-I... I-I'm just... here. Um...” she trailed off, trying to regain a semblance of composure as she took in Sue's appearance. “I'm uh... I-I'm Lucy.”

...

...

Really?

Look, I'm trying.

“S-Sorry, I'm...” she continued to stammer, seemingly settling back into a pace as she instinctively tugged at her hood. It was already in place. Of course it was. She drew in a shaky breath. “Nerves. N-Nervous. Sorry. I don't mean to be... to be rude or anything...”

Wish I had that energy.

No you don't.

It's not all bad...

But I'm here.

...then I guess I don't...

Even more came in. Lucy tried to ascertain who they were but Sue was a presence difficult to ignore. There was apparently a blind girl? Someone with... fire. She didn't know. She flicked her eyes up at Sue again. She felt very tiny.

...She was tiny anyway, but it was more to do with principle than anything.

Edited by Enirboreh on May 16th 2020 at 8:50:04 PM

bork

"Close," Skye said, leaving the board and walking over to the beanbags. "I'm not a mind reader, though my powers are partially psychic." The other part, obviously, was time.

He lightly sat down on a beanbag and let his eyes trail over the class. Who are these people?

From there, he got a list of names: Ortrun Oelberg, Lucy Livingston, Sue Wukong, Iona Bassano, Miguel Diaz. The last girl, however...

Skye frowned, turning to her. "Why don't you have a name?"

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Ryan Brady

"I'm gonna go break the ice with the rest of the class. See ya around. Nice to meet both of you."

Ryan was relieved that Iona was confident and capable of taking care of herself. Then again, she would probably not be here at the Academy otherwise. He looked around the rest of the classroom and decided to expand his social horizons beyond the two he'd met already. Skye seemed pretty cool if kinda weird what with his powers and the way he seemed to cheat at convos, and Iona seemed nice.

He started toward the group of three that seemed to have formed.

One of them was a very active looking monkey girl - Ryan really found himself liking the amount of energy she seemed to have.

Then there was a short and rather withdrawn girl...and a rather pale and very shy girl.

Making his approach more slowly so he didn't surprise them too much, Ryan made his introductions, "Hey yo, what's up? Let's break this ice."

Edited by NickTheSwing on May 16th 2020 at 12:53:39 PM

Class, Burning Sky

"It says 'ICEBREAKER Get to know your classmates! Feel free to show each other your powers, but don’t break anything! I will be in soon!'" Miguel said, hearing the blind girl's question. His voice sounded kind of tense, but he could only keep going on.

Well, that's a plunge, let's see how it lands

Wake me up at your own risk.

Sue — Classroom

Uh, wow. Sue wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that. The girl barely got out a response. Maybe it was her? Maybe she'd come on a bit too strong?

Before she could properly mull it over, Ryan came on over. He was actually kinda hot! "Heya! Name's Sue! And yeah, no, nothin' much. Just makin' the rounds. Not like there's much else to do. I mean, you'd think they'd give us more to do than just sit around and twiddile our thumbs! Like, they couldn't hand out some refreshments or a punching bag or something?"

Class DY

She started at the question that could only have been directed at her. Most people had names, after all, at least as far as she was aware. But the boy shouldn't have known about her yet. She certainly hadn't brought it up herself.

A variety of emotions flashed across her face as she puzzled this out, followed by a lingering dark look that the thought of her past always prompted, before her bright smile returned as she decided it didn't matter.

"I just don't. Never had parents or anything, so I never got one. Is it that weird?"

Ryan Brady - Class DY

Well, she definitely thinks a lot like I do. Maybe we can hang out some time!

Nodding quickly in agreement with the monkey girl, Ryan did wish that there could be more for them to do. Maybe some kinda crazy, robot-smashing first exam kinda deal where the students would like, rack up points or something. That'd be one hell of a introductory thing. Ah well, at least there was socialization. "My name's Ryan Brady, nice to meet you, Sue. Yeah, wish we could go and do something. Wonder what else the teach is gonna have us be doing. Can't wait to really explore the campus around here."

Edited by NickTheSwing on May 16th 2020 at 1:18:42 AM

Skye blinked, tilting his head. "It is. I don't have parents, and I have a name. Why don't you have—" He paused, a vision playing out. "Oh. I see now. My condolences."

With that, he settled back into his beanbag.

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."