visualpurple: thanks for the compliments and comments.
ChoFrog09 and Nina Wyndia The Third: I favor V/Q also. Duncan doesn't stand much of a chance, especially when Violet finds out Quigley is alive.
WhoKnows: I still think Kari was irresponsible, and being under stress was no excuse. She left a baby in the hands of a stranger who had no credentials, and she gave the new "sitter" no instructions about the baby's special needs (like, "Here, you're going to need this fire extinguisher, Mister.") The latter wouldn't have been a good thing under the circumstances, since Syndrome might have pulled off the kidnapping if he had been forewarned of Jack-Jack's powers, but it would have demonstrated Kari's concern for others.
Chapter 3, Athletics
The two older Parr children found the classes they had to take from Mr. Remora and Mrs. Bass at Prudence Preparatory were as boring as they were worthless. Mr. Remora ate bananas constantly and told boring, pointless stories that he expected them to memorize in every detail. Mrs. Bass required them to measure assorted objects using the metric system and to memorize every measurement. Dash couldn't even entertain himself by pulling pranks, because Nero had installed high-speed video cameras and motion detectors around his desk.
Jack-Jack found the work he had to do for Vice-Principal Nero as worthless as it was boring. Nero had a box of pieces of wire and Jack-Jack was expected to bend them into staples. It wasn't hard to bend them using his metallic-form morphing powers, except that he had to do it when Nero wasn't looking.
Each evening, they had to listen to hours of Vice-Principal Nero's tuneless sawing at the violin, which he called his "atonal masterpieces." They were never sure if Nero really thought his music was good or if this was another bizarre way of punishing them, but it was sheer torture whatever his reasons.
One evening, before the concert, Dash came running into the orphans shack with a flyer he found stapled to the announcement board.
"Look at this," he said excitedly to Violet.
"TRACK TEAM TRYOUTS," the flyer read. "Coach Genghis, the renowned athletic trainer, will be holding tryouts for a new track team this evening." Stapled to the flyer was a note from Vice-Principal Nero. "This is at the same time as my violin concert, so if you go you will owe me a bag of candy. Siblings attending this school either go to my concert together, or the track tryouts together, so if the Parrs go they will owe me three bags of candy."
"More crazy rules aimed just at us," Violet complained.
"Gleesh!" agreed Jack-Jack.
"Never mind that," said Dash. "It's track! I've wanted to go out for track for ages!"
"Mom never wanted you to go out for sports because it would give away your powers," said Violet.
"She's not here, and this new school is driving me bonkers with boredom. Please? I'll only win by a little tiny bit," begged Dash.
"Oh, all right," said Violet. "You deserve some fun after all we've been through."
They told the Rydinger Triplets about the event, but Duncan and Isadora declined to go.
"Athletics isn't really my thing," Isadora said.
"We'd like to go and watch," said Duncan, "But we can't afford to buy Nero candy."
"We can't either," said Dash. "He'll have to bill Mr. Poe. Good luck to him trying to get anything from that guy."
The sky was dark when the three Incredibles reached the sports field. A man in a turban was standing beside the track. They couldn't make out his face because of the poor light and because he was holding a megaphone to his face.
"I'm Coach Genghis! All of you proceed to the starting line and put on your training weights!" he said through the megaphone.
"I'm the one trying out," Dash called. "My sister and brother are just here to watch."
"The school requires all of you to try out, or none," said Coach Genghis. "Which will it be?"
"Dash, Jack-Jack and I shouldn't have to try out. I've got a funny feeling about this," said Violet.
"Gooo woow!" said Jack-Jack, meaning, "Me, go out for track? Give me a break!"
"Oh, c'mon," said Dash. "It won't hurt. You'll get eliminated right away."
All three were standing by the starting line. The training weights were metal circlets to clip around their ankles. Violet and Jack-Jack were still hesitating when they felt the weights snap on. Dash had gotten impatient and put them on himself and his siblings at super-speed.
"Ready, Coach Genghis," Dash called.
"So am I," said a familiar gloating voice. Count Genghis lowered his megaphone.
"Syndrome!" said the three Parrs together. Even Jack-Jack had learned to say his dreaded name.
"Got you this time," Count Buddy said. "Those are Superhero Output Restraining Exercisers, or S.O.R.E. for short. I just invented them and they're ready to test; you're the guinea pigs."
Dash tried to run at him. Violet tried to cast a force field. Jack-Jack tried to morph. All failed.
Syndrome chuckled, "Hoo heeek hee! They work! Your powers are blocked. Am I a genius or what?"
He pressed a button, and the exercisers forced their feet to run around the track, or crawl in Jack-Jack's case. Without his powers, even Dash found this difficult.
"I decided just killing you wasn't enough any more," said Syndrome. "After all you put me through you have to suffer first. Now give me 2000 laps: hup-two-three-four! Mwah heee hah haw!"