- A few days before the Practical Exam. -
In a well lit conference room on the M.A Campus, a secret meeting was underway. Seated at the various tables was the teaching staff closely associated with Class 1-A.
"With the supposed connection between the League of Villains the Punisher, there's a strong possibility of the reinvigoration of villains," Principal Lee began. "Naturally, it would be better to nip that in the bud before they get antsy, but alas, we can't prevent everything."
"Regardless," said Hawkeye, taking point. "As a school, we should be taking every precaution. The League has already attacked twice during school related activities if we count the city assault. The fights are only gonna get tougher from here."
"Initially, the robots were used to lessen the risk of injury during the Entrance Exams. Not to mention ease the complaints from parents and others who thought the tests were too intense. But at this point in their training, having the kids fight against robots is no longer practical."
"We could just ignore them, or tell the haters to shut the hell up," put in Deadpool, munching on a chimichanga. "It's not like they're the ones actually teaching the rugrats."
"Well we can't exactly do that, can we?" Snarked Emma Frost. "I understand why you'd want to alter the exam," said Vision. "But to have the children engage in team combat against fully trained heroes..."
"It is a bit unfair..." Danger nodded. "And if we beat 'em too easily, we won't be able to grade them," Deadpool interjected. "What if there was a handicap in place?" Asked Professor Foster, now wearing his Goliath costume. "One of my students has come up with an intriguing device that I think could benefit the exercise."
Matthew Murdock turned to the seat on his right, "Principal Lee, your thoughts?" The older man pondered a moment, "Yes, I'm also in favor of changing the Practical Exam. What can we do to keep the students from being in even more danger? The answer's simple: they must become stronger."
"Agreed," nodded Colossus. "I have no objections," added Emma. "Good," said Murdock, bringing up some papers with braille writing. "Let's move on to determining the teams. First off, we have Roberto Reyes. Generally speaking, he's a good student. But he has a tendency to use brute force when faced with adversity. He's just now learning to use a greater aspect of his Quirk, but it requires more control than he's currently capable of."
He lowered the page and brought up another, "Additionally, there's Ava Ayala. She's a good all-rounder, a capable fighter with a brilliant mind. But ever since her withdrawal from the Sports Festival, she's been obsessively driven to prove herself."
The teacher raised his head towards the others, "I would be an effective opponent for them, with my Quirk being able to cancel out theirs. Reyes can't effect me with his Penance Stare and will have to battle with more finesse. As for Ava, I would keep her off balance and fight unpredictably, meaning she'll have to think strategically and take decisive action at a moment's notice."
"No objections!" Declared the teachers, almost in unison. "Next, Parker and Thompson, I'm leaving them up to you, Stark," Murdock nodded towards the thin man sitting at the end of the table, who looked up in surprise.
"For these two, I didn't pair them up based on grades or ability. It's more so to counter-balance each other," Murdock added seriously. "They already don't get along all that great, and Thompson's attitude has been growing steadily worse ever since the Sports Festival."
He could hear Tony's heartbeat quicken nervously, and smell the faint scent of fresh perspiration. "I know you have a soft spot for Parker, he did intern for your company last summer," said the blind man. "I'm asking you to instruct them well..."
In the present, Tony Stark thought back to the meeting while he stared at his young opponents. Always seeing everything, aren't ya Red? He thought to himself.
"Now then," said Principal Lee, bringing out a pair of yellow handcuffs. "The time limit for this exam is thirty minutes per team. You pass by either capturing your teacher with these handcuffs, or making it past them off the stage to the finish line."
"Capture or Escape..." Pondered Amadeus, eyeing the teachers. "It sounds like the combat training." "Is it really ok to run away?" Asked Kamala. "Of course!" Replied the Principal brightly.
"After all, you scamps will be up against someone waaayyy better than you!" Put in Deadpool. "Better... than us?" Seol questioned. "Well duh!" The red suited hero replied, "We've been about that hero lifestyle for years, that comes with a level of experience you newbies are nowhere close to!"
"This time, your exam will be much closer to an actual battle," said Danger. "So for that duration, think of us as villains." "If you think you can beat a villain in a fight, fine," put in Hawkeye. "But, in cases where the gap's too big between your ability and theirs, the smart thing to do is run and get reinforcements."
I'm sure a few of you understand this well, thought Daredevil, his head tilting towards Peter and Roberto. The boys felt a chill go up their spines, as if the blind man could see them.
"So, we fight and win, or run and win," Peter muttered. "Got it in one," replied Iron Man. "Obviously, with the difference in experience in mind, you'll probably wanna run like hell. But not to worry, certain precautions have been taken to level the playing field."
"For example," Goliath spoke up. "I'll only increase my height up to 30 feet, not my full potential of 60." "And we will be wearing compressed weights to make it harder to move," said Colossus, putting on a set of bracers. "Not to mention, those of us with potentially lethal support gear will not be using them," Hawkeye added, glancing at a specific teacher. "Isn't the right, Wade?"
Deadpool crossed his arms and looked away indignantly, "Yeah yeah, rubber bullets and butter knives for me... Frigging killjoy." "Same with me," said Iron Man, his visor raising up. "No heat seeking missiles and my repulsers will be set to half power. That should let you fight me fairly."
Peter let out an exhale of relief. The idea of battling against his idol was hard enough, doing so with him at full power was nightmare inducing. His new partner, however, had different thoughts on the matter.
"'Let us fight you'?" Asked Flash, his eyes narrowing. "Aren't you taking us a bit lightly?" Tony chuckled, "Are we?" A dangerous glint was in his eye, as if foreshadowing the man's determination.
Principal Lee clapped his hands twice, getting everyone's attention. "Alright, that just about takes care of the preliminary rules. But before we begin, there's currently have uneven number of you. I believe we're missing something very important. Or should I say, someone?"
With that, the old man stepped aside to reveal a boy in a familiar looking costume. The green bodysuit now has an open chest with the collar popped up, showing off a yellow inner fabric. Underneath was a padded dark green shirt with a yellow dragon emblazoned on it. The class collectively gasped: Danny Rand was back!! He attempted to maintain his serine composure, but one could easily tell he was anxious.
"H-Hello... everyone," Danny said nervously. He put his fist into his palm and bowed to the other students. "I'm sorry if I made you all worry. After everything with my father, there were... things I had to take care of, as well as to atone for... I truly hope you'll accept my return..."
For a moment, nobody said a word. Then, Gwen Stacy walked forward, stopping right in front of the boy. Then without warning, she wrapped him in a great bear hug and lifted him slightly off the ground, swinging him from side to side.
"DANNY!!!!!" She exclaimed joyfully, eyes starting to tear up. At that moment, the rest of the class surged forward to welcome the boy back amongst their number. The only student who didn't react similarly was Flash. However, in spite of his reserved demeanor, he was secretly glad to have a return to normalcy.
"Welcome back, Danny!!" "Good to see ya, Fist!!!" "Get over here, man! I want a hug too!!" The teachers looked on happily at the joyful reunion. Even Deadpool wiped a tear from his mask, "Friendship... It truly is magic..."
As the greetings and hugging began to subside, Danny noticed 2 students in particular waiting to see him. Peter and Roberto got in closer, and the boy stepped forward to acknowledge the ones there for him on that life changing night.
"Hi guys, it's good to see you again," he said quietly. "You look well," said Roberto. "How's the chest?" Danny pats the front of his new uniform, "I'm more or less recovered, still have a scar though."
"You doing better?" Asked Peter, quietly so the others couldn't hear. Danny nodded, "Yeah, working with Shang and Katie, plus seeing the therapist, it really helped get my head back in a good place. I feel like I can start moving forward again."
"Well it's good to have you back, man," Peter said, lightly hitting his arm. "It just hasn't been the same without ya." Roberto nodded in agreement, "Gwen has been uncomfortably clingy as of late. Speaking of..."
The two looked at the girl in question, who'd been riding Danny piggyback style and hugging from behind. "Is she going to be there all day?" Finished the boy. "Yeah Gwen, we probably can't take our exams like this," Danny added sheepishly. "Oh hush, let me have this!" Gwen chided lightly, nuzzling into him.
"Excellent!! The class is full, once again," Principal Lee said with a smile. "Now, we'll announce the rest of the teams, as well as the teachers they'll be up against!" He indicated a screen with a list of the matchups.
1) Carl Lucas and Daniel Rand vs Deadpool
2) Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen vs Emma Frost
3) Gwen Stacy and Nico Minoru vs Hawkeye
4) Wanda Maximoff and Sam Alexander vs Danger
5) Pietro Maximoff and Seol Hee vs Principal Stan Lee
6) Ava Ayala and Roberto Reyes vs Daredevil
7) Amadeus Cho and Laura Kinney vs Colossus
8) Azari T'Challa and Kamala Khan vs Vision
9) Kei Kawade and Groot vs Goliath
10) Peter Parker and Eugene Thompson vs Iron Man.
"Alright, each team will take the Practical on one of the prepared stages," said Daredevil. "Team One, seeing as one of your members only just arrived, you'll have 10 minutes to come up with a strategy." He turned towards Deadpool. "That'll give you enough time to get in position."
"And remember," added Principal Lee. "Nothing too crazy, ya hear me?" "Loud and clear, maestro!" Deadpool salutes his boss before skipping off into the training grounds. His intended opponents watch him leave.
"Those waiting their turn can either watch the exams or come up with strategies with your teammate," Daredevil said. "When your group is called, make your way to your designated stage. That's all." With that, he and the other teachers walked into the Monitoring building.
"We've got this, yeah?" Asked Tandy with confidence to her partner. Tyrone nodded, "I've been working on my portals. I can get us in and out within seconds." "Isn't that cheating?" Asked Kei. "They didn't say we couldn't do it," Tyrone shrugged.
Azari turned towards Amadeus, "Shall we discuss a plan of attack?" The young Hulk nodded, "Absolutely! I've got a few ideas in mind, but you've got a better handle on combat tactics. Whatcha got?"
The teams began to chat amongst themselves as a few of them entered the building. Flash turned away, arms folded and deep in thought. The expression on his face clearly said "Leave me alone". Peter knew better than to press him, and also went inside to watch the first few matches.
Within a darkened area, a large viewing screen stood proudly before a control panel. Sitting up front was a surprise guest: Claire Temple, the Night Nurse.
"I'm gonna be kept busy today..." She muttered, mostly to herself. "Hey, Wall-Crawler!" Peter turned to see Wanda enter the room with a smile. "You came to watch too?"
"Yeah, it's not often we get to see our teachers in action," said Peter. "Plus, my partner isn't feeling particularly chatty right now..."
"I uh, see..." Wanda replied sympathetically. "As for me, not much can get through Sam's head. You know how much of a hothead he is..." "My condolences," Peter could just image the boy rushing gung-ho into battle.
"Anyways, I figured watching the fights before mine would give me some ideas," Wanda went on. "Win or lose, I'm giving it my all. But I do wanna win." "Heh, that makes two of us," chuckled Peter, before turning to the screen. "Oh! Here we go!" The first battle was about to begin.
