Another two weeks had passed before Lovino and Matthew were deemed ready to be integrated into normal and superhuman classes. Lovino found himself in energy projection, summoning, and transformation classes, while Matthew was placed into Gilbert's combat class, which apparently consisted of people other than the two boys, a transformation class, and had to be placed in the psychic class due to the lack of anyone who could actually teleport at the school. On top of these courses, the boys were given academic classes that fell within their age. Given that the academy was small in size, the two shared most of their classes, except two superhuman courses. Matthew's parents had still not returned and his worry was beginning to take a toll on him.

The blond boy was currently enthralled in his brother's spar against another of equally, if not larger, build. The boy was also blond with blue eyes, but, unlike his brother, had slicked it back and appeared very serious and calculating in his movements and attacks. That day, like every other sparring day, classes were held outside, much to the other's advantage. Ludwig, as he had heard the boy been called, was Gilbert's younger brother, despite the fact that he was much more mature. Matthew had remembered him as being the boy that led to the dispute when he had first come to the academy, and had also heard Lovino complain about him countless times. The mentions of him had peaked his interest, causing him to study the current match, and even the boy himself, curiously to see what he would have been like had his brother and Feliciano not saved him.

Alfred had just sent a bone crushing punch at his opponent's jaw that sent him flying across the arena. The slap of skin against skin resounded across the empty stadium, defined by the sickening crack of Ludwig's jaw. In any other case, Matthew may have feared for their safety, but he knew that Gilbert wouldn't have paired him with Alfred if he didn't think the two equally matched. Ludwig was quick to get to his feet and wiped the small trail of blood that ran down his chin. His bodied had become bruised from the longevity of the match, but he was still standing strong.

Next to Matthew, Feliciano began to fidget anxiously. He could see how the boy would flinch and recoil at every blow dealt. It was a swift kick to the stomach that sent Ludwig crashing against the wall across the stadium that caused the boy to get up and leave his seat in a hurry.

"C'mon, dude, I've been kicking your ass since we started this match, either give up or start fighting back!" Alfred sent him a cocky grin, before turning to the stands where the students who had, or were waiting to fight, sat. "Hey, Mattie! How's that? Your big bro's pretty awesome, huh?"

Just as Alfred had turned away from his opponent, probably too confident to think him much of a threat, the earth beneath Ludwig had begun to rise and mold itself into what appeared to be a large hammer. He charged at Alfred too quickly for Matthew to even warn him, and swung it straight towards his stomach. The whole thing shattered, but not without having caused a bit of damage to Alfred in the process. He hunched over, draping an arm protectively over his stomach, unable to regain his breath as Ludwig struck him in the jaw with the same force that Alfred had dealt him. His body was thrown across the arena, in the same way Ludwig's had, sliding against the rough ground after it had landed.

Their audience held their breath as they watched Alfred's body lay on the ground, seemingly lifeless. Gilbert stood cautiously as well, unable to determine how severe the damage was. It wasn't until the body stirred that everyone physically relaxed, including Gilbert, whose expression had become annoyed.

Alfred groaned, arm slung over his face. "Not cool, dude!"

"Shut up, Jones, that was your own fault! One of the most basic things to know for hand-to-hand combat is not to turn your back on your enemy, the other is not to underestimate your enemy and you did both. The winner of this match is Ludwig. Take your seats." Ludwig nodded and made his way over to Alfred, helping the boisterous blond to his feet and off of the arena.

"Alright, Leon, Matthew, you're up next." Matthew sheepishly made his way down to the center of the arena where Leon already stood, waiting. The two boys shook hands, calm black eyes meeting shaky violet. The two parted and stepped back, got into a fighting stance, and waited for Gilbert's signal. He walked up to the two and stopped just a few feet away.

"Are you two ready?" Both boys nodded. "Alright, start." He waved them off and returned to his seat in the stands, crossing his arms.

The second those words had left Gilbert's mouth, the raven haired boy slung an orb of energy at Matthew and one behind him. Matthew felt his whole being being sucked in the direction of the small pocket of energy and was suddenly spit out in front of Leon. Unable to keep up with what was happening, Matthew found himself helpless to stop the kick that came at him full force; Matthew only had time to shut his eyes, but reopened them when the painful blow never came. He was now situated a few feet away from his opponent whose back he was now facing as he calmly surveyed his surroundings for any sign of him. The violet eyed boy smiled to himself and charged, full force, at the unsuspecting boy.

Just as Matthew raised his arm to strike, Leon turned and Matthew's eyes met his own. At that sight the violet eyed boy found that his resolve crumbled and his abilities began to fail him. Having caught sight of Matthew at last, Leon grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder and onto the hard ground.

Matthew let out a loud "oomph" as the wind was knocked out of him and the impact left him momentarily stunned, too stunned to even react as a fist approached his face, lightning fast.

"Stop! Alright, that's enough, stop the fight." Leon froze, just centimeters away, as Gilbert stood from his seat and ran to the scene along with Alfred.

Realizing the fight was now over, the dark eyed boy instead stretched out his hand to help his companion up just as Gilbert ran up to the two, with Alfred not far behind.

"Mattie, are you alright? Do you need to go to the infirmary or something, bro? I can go get Katyu-"

"N-no, I'm fine. I-I probably shouldn't have gotten distracted, but I'm fine. Nothing's broken, see?" He moved around a bit to prove his point, but couldn't help but wince at the pain that surged through his back. His brother caught sight of his discomfort and was confronting the guilt ridden boy at once.

"Dude, Leon! You know he's as weak as a human!"

"Really, Al! It's my fault, besides it's not Leon's fault he's stronger than me. You've hit me harder plenty of times!" Matthew stepped in between the two, facing Alfred.

"W-well, yeah, but that was totally an accident! He could have killed you with that first kick!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to! It's easy to get carried away. You were going all out on Ludwig, too!" Matthew threw his hands up in exasperation, forgetting all about his coy nature in front of his brother. He stepped closer to Alfred, standing to his full height, allowing their similar statures to show.

"Ludwig can take it. You can't." Leon backed away from the two, having been all but forgotten in their spat. Gilbert stepped up and pat his shoulder, nodding back towards the others as a way of telling him to take his seat. The raven haired boy nodded, but not without casting a glance at the timid blond, who he had yet to apologize to. Gilbert shook his head, signalling that it probably wasn't the best time, and the boy nodded and walked back to his seat.

"I'm not a child, Alfred! I can survive being thrown in a sparring match!"

"Alright alright, that's enough. No fighting in the arena unless my awesomeness declares it." He pushed the two apart, then turned back to the class, that was still awaiting his instruction.

"The winner of the match was Leon. That's it for today, class is over! Now get out of here, go change!" All of the students walked out, with the exception of Matthew, who was locked in place by Gilbert's stare. Once the others had left Gilbert turned his full attention to the boy in front of him.

"Are ya sure you're okay? Not just the fall, but you slipped up right when you were going to land a blow. You were doin' well when we were practicing, so what's wrong? " Matthew fidgeted and glanced down at his hands. "Are you uncomfortable with all these people around?"

He considered the question. It might be that he was a bit uncomfortable, but he knew it wasn't that, or at least just that. Matthew shook his head no. He heard Gilbert sigh and was guided towards one of the benches.

" Alright, what's wrong Mattie? It's not just the sparring that's got you messed up, right? Lovino said you'd been kinda quiet lately." Matthew looked up, detecting genuine concern in the man's voice and seeing it reflected in his eyes.

"W-well Mom and Dad have been g-gone for a really long time and I'm just w-worried, plus none of my teachers have been able to see me in any of my classes, and I would have been marked truant if it weren't for Lovino and someone sat on me in my transformation class and I don't wanna hurt anyone! I was about to hit Leon, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him or anybody! I don't want to do that..."

Gilbert hummed in understanding. Matthew was a sweet boy, so he understood how he would have trouble now that he actually had to hit people. As for his classes, he knew Matthew wasn't the most vocal of people, so he didn't doubt that his presence went undetected. He only wondered how long that person had sat on him. All-in-all, Matthew didn't seem to be doing so well in his new environment.

"You know, " violet eyes looked up at the sound of his voice. " Your parents were some of the best heroes this place spit out, other than the awesome me, of course. They'll be fine, and you don't really need to hurt anyone in the tournament, just prove your worth as a hero."

"The what?" Gilbert blinked in shock.

"The tournament? It's like the exit exam for the school. Once you've completed the required academic courses you can compete to graduate and become a hero. It's held right here. Did nobody tell you about that?" Matthew shook his head again. He wondered why they would leave such an important piece of information out during his orientation. A part of him worried that it was because the founders considered him ineligible to become a hero, but he attempted to reassure himself that they must have simply forgotten and shook the thought away, deciding that he didn't know very much about Gilbert and was rather curious.

"How many tries did it take you to graduate? " Gilbert cackled at the question, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd been asked.

"Of course my awesomeness graduated after the first try! Toni, Franny, and I would go out on assignments all the time! No villain or criminal could stand against my awesomeness, and I guess Antonio and Francis were pretty cool too. " He sent a smirk towards Matthew and winked, causing the boy to become flustered, but a certain thought confused him.

"Why don't you go on assignments anymore? I heard from Lovi that Antonio goes, and Alfred says Francis goes, and classes get canceled sometimes because the instructors go on assignments, but why don't you? " Gilbert's smile faltered for an instant, but was quickly replaced, albeit more forced; He let out a strained laugh and turned towards Matthew.

"My awesome power was too overwhelming for the world to handle, so my old man and Romulus decided I wouldn't go on any more missions. You know, to keep people from being blown away by my awesomeness."

Gilbert's smile infamous smirk faltered again and Matthew decided not to pursue the topic of how it happened, but he was still rather curious about Gilbert's power.

"I thought your power was enhanced senses and abilities?" Matthew cocked his head to the side. Gilbert let out another strange cackle and wrapped an arm Matthew's shoulder.

"As if the awesome me would have such limited powers!" He turned his attention away from Matthew and scanned the arena for any dispensable object, finally laying his eyes on a tree some twenty feet away. He nodded towards it, sending a cocky grin to the boy beside him.

"Watch." Just as Matthew obediently shifted his attention to the object in question, beam of light shot out of his eyes, aimed at the sapling . In a matter of seconds its shape collapsed and it was reduced to a pile of dust.

Matthew could only stare at it in awe, as it took him a few moments to completely comprehend what had happened. The complete destructive power of Gilbert's ability overwhelmed him and even scared him a little.

"T-that's terrifying." He didn't mean it in an offensive way, but was too shocked to determine the impact the words would have on the man beside him. His mind began to wonder if he had ever used it on a person, or if he had ever lost control before. It must have been terrifying when he first developed his ability, if not for him, then for those around him. He also began to wonder what Gilbert had done to be bumped down from his role as an active hero. Surely the destruction he could cause was very high, but he couldn't help but wonder how high. His thoughts began to fill him with fear for the man beside him, and he couldn't help but feel a sudden discomfort at his close proximity.

"Don't worry, birdie. I wouldn't hurt you." Matthew saw, what he thought was, a small reassuring smile spread on the man's lips and he couldn't help but believe him. He physically relaxed and reprimanded himself for being so foolish as to fear someone who had shown him nothing but kindness since he had arrived, and who he had actually become quite fond of.

Deciding that it was best to change the subject, Matthew searched for a possible topic. His mind stumbled upon the one thing that had been plaguing his thoughts for quite some time. He put on his best smile and puppy dog eyes, the same that had done wonders at breaking down Lovino's will, and tugged at Gilbert's shirt.

"Gil?" The man looked up, surprised by the sudden use of his nickname. He found that Matthew had moved closer, no longer worried about his safety. "I was wondering if you could keep me company for a bit? Lovi has classes until 4 p.m. today and I'm not really good around other people and Alfred's hanging out with his friends and I over think things when I'm alone and I keep worrying about me pare-" Gilbert raised a hand to stop him, a wide grin on his face.

"So you want my awesomeness to help distract you, right? Awesome, we're going to the park." He stood from his seat and Matthew followed suit. Unsure of what he was going to do next, Matthew sat, dumbstruck that Gilbert had actually agreed, and even more shocked at his sudden change of behavior.

"T-that sounds great... oh, um, b-but I should change a-and shower first." It suddenly occurred to him that he had been sitting out under the hot sun for the past two hours and he began to feel ashamed at the thought of having sat next to the man covered in sweat and having had him have his arm around him, but Gilbert didn't seem to mind only nodding and sitting on the bench.

"Alright, go change and shower, I'll wait."

"W-won't you get bored?"

"My awesome thoughts make me incapable of being bored." Matthew let out a soft laugh as he walked towards the locker room. Talking to the man really helped him clear his mind of his previous worries, but caused new worries to bloom. What if Gilbert got sick of him? What if he thought he was boring? He knew he wasn't the most interesting person in the world, at least not his personality, his origins still seemed to be a hot topic.

Those thoughts continued to consume his mind even as he approached the arena. Once again, a small part of him couldn't help but think the worst, that the man wouldn't be there, that he'd grown bored or decided he'd changed his mind, but when he stepped in he saw Gilbert still on the bench, now laying down instead of sitting. His eyes were closed and his arms were behind his head, probably thinking. A single red eye popped open as Matthew stepped onto the arena. It quickly looked over Matthew before the other opened and a confident grin spread on Gilbert's face. He jumped up and walked towards the small town, looping an arm around Matthew and dragging him out as he passed.

Tino's rapid footsteps echoed through the empty halls as he quickly approached the founder's office. Romulus was attending to some paper work when the small Finnish man burst through his doors, agitated and out of breath. He looked up and, upon seeing who it was, stood cautiously and made his way over to him.

"Tino, wha-"

"They want to come." Romulus stared at him, confused.

"Who-"

"The world leaders. They want to come and see the school."

"That's ridiculous! Why the sudden request?"

"I-I dont know they've never taken much of an interest, but at the meeting they said that they needed to see the school or they'd be forced to ban us from entering any country." Romulus stayed quiet for a moment, face distorting to show his annoyance.

"T-they said it was just to see how we operated, to make sure there would be no future dangers... "

"Son of a bitch!" He slammed his fist on the table, then turning his anger on Tino. "I established my school on open waters so they couldn't fuck with it or my kind and if they think they can send government bastards to 'watch' the school operate, then they are gonna have another thing coming. So you go back and tell them that I don't regulate their schools to make sure they don't spew the criminals my alumni protect them from, so they have no right to step foot on these grounds!"

The small man held his hands up in surrender as he spoke, fearing for his safety in the presence of the outraged hero. "... I-I'm sorry. I can't, they've already set it in stone. I'm afraid that if we reject their request they'll practically declare a war..." Romulus became enraged. He looked just about ready to hit something and Tino was becoming wary of his actions when Alaric stepped into the room.

"Tino, you can go. I'll call you back when we need more details. " The man looked hesitant, looking back to Romulus for instruction. He quickly flicked his hand, telling him to go, but just as he approached the door, Romulus called out to him.

"Where's Mathias?"

"H-he... w-well him and the others are still trying to talk some sense into them... I'm the only one that was... well... allowed to leave." Tino bit his lip nervously. To be completely honest, it was more like they were being held there as a kind of security that Tino would return with answers, mainly invitations to the school, but he decided not to let Romulus know that for his own safety and for the safety of all others, furniture included.

"Tino, I think you should leave." Tino nodded at Alaric's urgent tone and scampered out of the room.

HAHA! I'M LATE, BUT NOT THAT LATE! So, originally this chapter wasn't supposed to have new heroes, but then it was kinda boring to read. Ya know? Like, no action, so I added two fight scenes and introduced Ludwig (finally), although there's not much you can take out in terms of his personality from this appearance... BUT ANYWAY! Things are starting to build up! :D

Matthew Williams: Invisibility, teleportation, intangibility

Mathias Køhler: forcefield generation, energy blasts, superhuman strength and endurance

Berwald Oxenstierna: Adamantine body armor, absorption, superhuman strength, endurance, and reflexes

Lukas Bondevik: Astral projection, summoning, telepathy, energy blasts

Tino Vainamoinen: duplication, echolocation, superhuman reflexes and agility, healing factor

Alfred F. Jones: Superhuman strength, agility, endurance, stamina

Feliciano Vargas: Superspeed, healing factor, superhuman stamina

Francis Bonnefoy: illusion, possession, power neutralization

Alaric Beilschmidt (Germania): superhuman strength, flight, telepathy, reduced aging

Romulus Vargas (Ancient Rome): Superhuman strength and endurance, flight, reduced aging

Lovino Vargas: Fire and heat manipulation, infrared vision

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo: animal communication, animal morphing, enhanced senses

Leon Wang (Hong Kong): portal creation, superhuman speed, agility, and strength

Ludwig Beilschmidt: elemental transmutation, superhuman endurance and strength