Integration Classes

The soft chorus of birds singing fervently broke the morning silence, and the first rays of the sun shone through Fera's window, painting the floor in a vibrant gold. Fera, with the precision of a clock and an unbreakable routine, got out of bed. Every movement, from preparing his own breakfast to leaving his brother's carefully on the table—covered by a concise note that simply said: "Don't be late"—was a familiar dance he performed every morning.

After washing up and dressing, Fera set off for the academy. As he walked the streets, his mind was no longer at home but mentally reviewing the details of an investigation into some mysterious artifacts. His tutor had given them to him in advance, and although Fera didn't consider the information vital, he deeply hated skipping any detail. Although the academy was not far, the journey felt endless, as if each step brought him closer to an inevitable destination.

Finally, the doors of the Southern Academy rose before Fera, imposing and familiar. Upon crossing the threshold, the students' hustle and bustle enveloped him: laughter, conversations, and the sound of footsteps filled the halls, creating a chaotic but familiar symphony. As Fera walked down the crowded corridor, heading toward his classroom at a measured and observant pace, a whirlwind of nervousness burst into his field of vision.

Suddenly, a familiar figure materialized in front of him, almost crashing into him. It was Jin, a teammate, with his hair slightly messy and an urgent expression on his face, his breath ragged as if he had been running non-stop.

Jin, breathless—"Fera, we still have time! Can you help me review the artifacts? Knowing the tutor, it could be a pop quiz."

Fera, in a calm voice—"It's okay, Jin. We'll go over the most important things. I doubt he'll make us do the whole topic."

Jin, relieved—"THANK YOU! I don't know how to thank you. I know, I'll buy you lunch!"

As they walked down the hall, something felt different. In the distance, they heard the footsteps of someone coming in a hurry. As they became more visible, they realized it was Alex, Fera's brother, approaching angrily.

Alex, angry—"FERAAAAA! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP!"

Alex, now close to the two and about to say more, felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. Startled and fearing it was Parker, Alex slowly turned his head to see who it was.

León, in a charismatic voice—"Have you calmed down, or do you prefer a hit to the head?"

The voice belonged to León, another member of Group A. This team was under the tutelage of John Parker, a retired professional Hero who now served as a professor. The four looked at each other, and a realization hit them: none of them were in the classroom yet! This was a problem, since at the academy each professor was only in charge of four students per course. Without hesitation, they all ran toward their destination.

The four, out of breath, stopped abruptly in front of the classroom door. When they opened it, the first thing they saw was their tutor, Professor John Parker, standing by the desk with a frown and four folders in hand. His gaze was so serious that he didn't need to shout for them to get the message. He motioned for them to come in and take a folder each. "They are twenty pages," he informed them, "it's a pop quiz. You have one hour." Then, in the same unperturbed voice, he added that after they finished, they would go to the training field to practice.

A murmur of resignation spread among the boys as they took their folders. León, upon opening his, immediately noticed something. The questions didn't match the topic they had been told to review at all. He tried to get Fera's attention with a discreet tap, but he realized something. Fera... with a pale face, had stopped processing the information. His gaze was fixed on the sheet, but his brain had already fried.

At that moment, John Parker, in an almost casual but unmistakably firm tone, dropped the final bombshell. "One detail I forgot to tell you," he said with a barely noticeable smile that didn't reach his eyes, "this quiz is about some research we saw three weeks ago. If you don't remember, that's not my problem." The irony dripped from every word, and the desperation on the students' faces was palpable.

The four young men surrendered to the inevitable reality of the quiz. The hour flew by, and as soon as time was up, they handed in their folders. Without wasting a second, they headed to the locker rooms and changed quickly. Their next destination was the special training room, a space designed exclusively to practice their abilities. Located in the academy's basement, this reinforced room allowed students to visualize and use their powers without the risk of damaging the facilities.

John, in a commanding voice—"Fera, your ability is only for area and not for combat. You'll go last."

Fera already knew this, so he simply headed to the last spot without a fuss. His ability didn't usually attract much attention, although it was incredibly useful in combat. With Fera in his position, the first to go was Jin, who activated his Rearc ability. This ability allowed him to create objects from a piece of paper, on which Jin had to describe or simply draw the object. However, each creation consumed a considerable amount of energy, which meant that ammunition was always very limited.

Jin, with determination—"Okay, here I go!"

Jin created two axes. Since he himself forged his weapons this way, his training focused on perfecting his movements and fighting style. John deployed five practice drones for Jin to fight. Jin grabbed his axes, formed an "X" with them over his chest, and launched into combat.

The first drone charged with a hydraulic punch. Jin, quick as lightning, slid across the floor, the steel of his axes gleaming as he made a perfect transversal cut. The drone split in half with a metallic screech, its internal circuits sparking as they hit the ground.

The second drone, trying to flank, came up on his left. Jin, without even looking, spun around, the axes a silver blur that severed the automaton's leg joints. It fell with a thud, leaving only three.

The next two drones, with unexpected coordination, joined together. Their systems synchronized, their arms transforming into energy cannons.

Jin, surprised—"WHAT?! When did these things learn to do that?"

John, in a firm voice—"Focus, Jin!"

Jin tried to dodge the energy blast, rolling agilely. The explosion hit the ground where he had been seconds before. However, the moment he got back on his feet, he forgot about the third drone that had been waiting for its opportunity. This last one pounced, landing a direct hit on Jin's leg and taking him down. Lying on the ground, Jin groaned in frustration.

Jin—"That's so unfair! Who programmed that? They caught me off guard!"

León, in a mocking and confident tone—"Is little Jin going to cry? Stop whining and watch."

León prepared for his turn. His Beast ability allowed him to transform his limbs into those of an animal, specifically a lion, although for now only his arms changed. John had told him that if he improved his ability, he could evolve it and even transform completely.

John, in a challenging voice—"León, you're more trained. You're going to practice with ten drones."

León was surprised, but to impress everyone, he prepared and adopted a defensive stance. The drones, seeming a little more "animated" and with noticeable aggression, all launched at the same time. One hit him with a clean punch to the back. This infuriated León, who, with a primal roar that vibrated the air, launched a sonic shockwave that pushed them all away, interrupting their coordinated assault.

It seemed the drones had learned new tactics, as some attacked from a distance with energy bursts to prevent León from getting close. León felt pressured; frustration and worry built up. He was afraid of losing without having taken down a single one.

From the control room, John watched, smiling, and muttered to himself: "...It was about time..."

At that instant, something stirred within León. A new energy flowed through his veins. For the first time, he began to transform his legs. His muscles swelled, his skin covered in thicker fur, and his lower limbs became robust and feline. This caused a drastic increase in his speed and agility. He lunged, becoming a blurry streak of strength and reflexes. He took down five consecutive drones with devastating swipes and charges, his newly formed claws tearing open the metallic casings as if they were made of paper. But the burst of power was too much. The new form exhausted León greatly. He fell to the ground, panting, his limbs slowly returning to normal.

John, proudly—"Congratulations, León, on your new form! Train it for next time."

León, lying face down on the floor, raised his hand in a thumbs-up, an exhausted smile of satisfaction on his face. He was removed from the field.

Now it was Alex's turn. His Procec ability was defensive; it allowed him to create hexagons as barriers.

John, instructing—"Alex, one drone and four turrets. You must defeat the drone while defending yourself from the turrets. If one hits you, you're out."

Alex, in an arrogant voice—"Easy! This is a piece of cake!"

When the combat began, Alex noticed that the drone was quite agile and moved non-stop, dodging his attempts to trap it. The four turrets, located in the corners, did not cease their attack, firing energy bursts that forced Alex to constantly cover himself with his shields. Covering himself with his barriers, Alex thought of a way to reach the drone. He began to generate walls in front of the drone to make it crash, but it kept dodging each one with frustrating skill.

Alex, angrily—"You stupid robot! Stop dodging and just fall down!"

The drone didn't stop for anything and, suddenly, began to transform its arm. An energy blade formed and launched a precise attack at the bottom of Alex's shield.

Alex, with a smug challenge—"You're going to play with those, huh! Look what I just discovered, you stupid robot!"

John was surprised; the rest of the group was also stunned. Alex, with a shout of defiance, formed a massive hexagonal shield beneath him, which began to hum. With a thrust, he began to fly! This was a major development in his abilities, as it had always been exhausting for Alex to move himself and his bubble. With this new move, Alex managed to get closer to the drone. He was about to launch a blow with a reinforced shield when the drone made a gesture that Alex interpreted as mocking and changed places. Alex, blinded by anger and the euphoria of his new power, didn't see the hexagonal wall that he himself had forgotten. He crashed into it head-on. The impact left him knocked out, falling from his bubble like a doll.

John, with an ironic smile—"You did well, Alex, but next time watch your step and stop being so arrogant."

Alex, groaning, but with arrogance—"Blah, blah, blah. Next time I'll show you what I'm really made of, you stupid drone."

It was Fera's turn. There weren't many hopes, as his Termoarc ability only generated a heat map. John prepared an environment filled with vapor to make it difficult for Fera to see. He, with only a dart gun, had to hit the drones in constant motion without being able to see them.

Fera was a brilliant strategist. No matter what kind of environment they put him in, he always ended up victorious. And so he did.

As soon as the test began, Fera gave a few turns on his own axis, making brief pauses. His eyes narrowed as his ability activated, projecting a mental map of the vapor and the drones' movements in his mind. He shot into the air in calculated bursts, with no visible target. The sound of the darts cutting through the vapor was the only clue to his precision.

An instant later, John removed the smoke, revealing the arena. The five deployed drones were immobilized, each with a dart stuck directly in the center of its head. Fera's precision was absolute, even while blind.

John, impressed—"Fera, well done. Is there any test you can't win?"

Fera shrugged, a faint smile on his face.

Once reunited in the control area, Group A discovered that another professor was also watching. It was Mimic, the tutor of Group F, with his unsettling mask and black suit. A professor of few words, but when he was with John, he couldn't stop talking and bragging about his students.

Mimic, in a grave and resonant voice—"Impressive! BRAVO! Let me tell you, I'm surprised, but my kids are more advanced than yours, John! Just so you can see, I'll give you a short demonstration."

Fera, whispering—"Is that Yellow? The one from the rumors...?"

Mimic pointed to the arena with his cane. "There is my favorite student, Yellow. He always shows me the best of himself in fights."

Mimic, in a challenging tone—"John, please, can you deploy the 2.0 drones that can become invisible?"

John, with an ironic smile—"It seems you never lose the habit of raising monsters."

Twenty invisible drones were deployed in the arena. Below, Yellow stood still for a moment, his twisted eyes directed toward the window, a macabre and chilling smile that no one could see. Every step he took was not just a movement; it was an act of creation. From his feet, shadows detached, which, like night-creeping vines, materialized on the ground. These shadows, as thin as threads, but as sharp as thorns, slid across the arena, a silent and deadly choreography.

With just three steps, and without even lifting a finger, the shadows pierced the twenty drones. There were no explosions, no sparks. Only a soft and disturbing metallic whisper as the dark appendages perforated and dismembered the metal with an eerie ease. The arena was transformed into a garden of shadow flowers, each "petal" a drone pierced, dismembered, and lifeless, a monument to Yellow's brutal efficiency.

Mimic, in a satisfied voice—"I'll be leaving..."

Group A turned around and, to their surprise, Mimic and Yellow had disappeared. John gave them some words of motivation to lift their spirits, and the group headed to their classroom. On the way, Fera saw something strange. A figure with a scythe, a hidden face, and a dirty body appeared in the distance. Fera tapped León's shoulder to make him look.

León, with disinterest—"Stop hallucinating, Fera, there's nothing there. Maybe you're still scared by Yellow's demonstration."

However, at that instant, the figure raised its head. Its gaze fleetingly met Fera's, and then the entity vanished into thin air. In the background, a girl with bright, light blue hair, beautiful and shy, seemed a little small. She looked at Fera and ran off.

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