Chapter One: Instructors
The firm iron tone of Mr. Pym's voice alerted Reptil that it was a no nonsense day. That usually meant that an ex-Avengers foe was going to pop up to act revenge upon the teachers and anyone who gets in their way. So far, they had tackled the Juggernaut, confronted the Absorbing Man and faced Korvac, the villainous Demigod thanks to their Teacher's hidden pasts. Not bad for a bunch of teenagers.
As class leader, Reptil's assigned job was to overlook his colleague lives to make sure they stayed in line. So far, he had failed. First, three of them go and demand answers from the Green Goblin himself – the personal torturer of the Academy's students and America's Dictator during the Dark Reign. This was followed by more antics as some of the gang decided to pay the Hood an unwelcome visit. Finally, Finesse had been conspiring with Quicksilver because she wants him to train her in the ways of the mass-murderer known as Magneto, Quicksilver's biological father!
"Repeat what I said Reptil!" demanded Mr. Pym fiercely. All of the students were glaring at him, their eyes popping out of their heads like an amphibious pond animal.
"Sorry, sir. I don't know."
"Ah" a mixture of dismay and frustration greeted this reply. "Where you in another dimension, Mr. Raptor?"
Underneath her protective suit, Hazmat desperately tried to contain her fit of giggles. All of the others just continued to single him out.
"Sorry sir; it won't happen again!"
"Well," continued Mr. Pym as Reptil forced himself to regain his attention. "As I was saying before, all of you shall be split up today since I have booked individual trainers to fit everyone's nutritional needs!"
"Isn't nutrition a term usually reserved for healthy, edible substances?" pointed out the sinister Finesse to Mr. Pym's dismay.
"It was a poor metaphor," groaned Mr. Pym solemnly as Tigra and Justice dismissed the rest of the students for their intriguingly unique tutoring.
"Are you certain that this is safe?" Mettle's voice quivered as he shifted his gaze to the patchwork face of the looming Thing. "I mean, you are one of the strongest heroes, aren't you?"
Ben Grimm's booming cackle echoed around the training compound. This was enough to make Mettle take a few hesitant steps backwards. Even the most powerful member of the Academy was reluctant to spar with a member of the internationally acclaimed FF.
"Are you ready," the Thing found that a fitting answer.
"No!" whimpered Mettle cowardly as the Thing drove a fist into his stomach, sending him spiralling backwards. Eventually a solid brick wall cushioned his tumble.
"Can we try again please?" quizzically questioned Mettle as he patted himself down for any traces of injuries; even the most resistant of heroes can be vaguely injured in a conflict.
The Thing didn't bother to reply as he began his second attack…
"Apparently," informed the Sub-Mariner to the mystic Veil. "You can't swim. Is my informant correct?"
Namor inflicted fear upon Veil. Sometimes, she felt like he bathed in the glory of seeing a weaker specimen squirm under his gaze. Being in sort of his own territory – the Academy's personnel pool – made the Sub-Mariner more at ease. Miserably, she shook her head.
"Well then," Namor swept her off her feet before tossing her into the pool. "Now is a perfect time to learn!"
The shocking sounds of splashing water sacred her to the core. Things were going bad enough until Namor summoned an estranged Kraken that lurched out of the water before waving its floppy tentacles around its head in an unusual fashion.
"Pym and Tigra said I could include numerous obstacles," smirked Namor mockingly. Either torturing innocent children was his idea of a summer pastime or he really disliked the Academy.
Ever since she joined the Academy, Veil had almost died on numerous occasions but this one took the biscuit. Dissolving, she prepared for combat…