Subject: Associate’s Degree

Doctor Mindstorm,

I’m interested in the associate’s degree program for Superpower Studies. Sign me up, please.

Thanks,

Magical Girl Understudy

I hit ‘send’ and watched as my hopes, dreams, and freedom zipped through the internet and appeared in Mindstorm’s inbox. “We’re both idiots, you know that, right?” I asked Bianca, who’d somehow sprawled across my entire couch.

“Yeah, well, we could un-sign up, but Mindstorm would kill you. I doubt Mays would be happy with me, either. I think you’re right. We should give this a try. It’s got a lot of potential to play well with the minor leagues. Think about all that we could—“

“Learn. I know. You’re spitting my argument back at me.”

“It’s not my fault it was a good argument.” Bianca stuck her tongue out at me.

I stood up and closed my laptop. “Speaking of the minor leagues, we need to meet with Rocko. Today. Like, now. They said we’d kick off in late August or early September, right?”

“Right. They’re probably gonna be high-energy about getting started. Hopefully, they have some information about how minor league Episodes usually play out. They said the ones we did were on the weak side, right?”

“Right.” I really hoped the Ilneat wasn’t too amped. They could be…a lot.

As we walked through my pastel-pink secret base to the door with the star and the ‘Rocko Studios’ label, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the heat and humidity.

[Welcome to Rocko’s Studio. System Disabled. Now arriving Backstage]

“DuPont and Marino! Just the two I wanted to see! I’ve been waiting to get this whole thing kicked off, and boy, do I have a roster for you two.” The Ilneat knuckle-walked on two thick squeezing hands and their feet while the other two grasping hands clutched the almost-ubiquitous cigar and a sheet of paper, which they waved. They grinned, flashing gorilla teeth, and ran a squeezing hand through their thick, otter-like fur. “Grab a drink and sit.”

“I can’t,” Bee said. “You’re blocking the way.”

As Rocko maneuvered out of Bianca’s personal space, a second Ilneat appeared from the Costuming department. They pulled a cigarette from a pack and lit it. “DuPont, got any new costume pieces?”

“Kind of, Pataki. I’m still on the fence about Mom’s suit. It’s evil.”

“Of course it is. I need parts for a new project for you,” they said. “Marino. I’ve got something fresh in the cooker for you, though. I think I’ve cracked how the roo suit works with your powers. After Rocko’s done, come see me.”

Bianca nodded. “What do you have for us, Rocko?”

“Standard ‘Minor League Welcome Package.’ Ahem.” Rocko adjusted the paper and started reading. “’Welcome to the minor leagues,’ blah blah blah. ‘On behalf of the Ilneat Super Network, I, Rocko, would like to welcome you to the minor leagues. Your previous threats have been’ blah blah. You don’t need to hear most of this. Here’s the quick version. Little league? Easy-peasy. Minor league? Neighborhood to City-level threats and problems. You’ll see bigger powers, higher risks, more Extras in danger, and more pick-up heroes and villains. So, DuPont, I know you had a sort of rogue’s gallery with Professor Panic. We’re gonna expand that idea in the minors.”

“Okay.” I’d only had Professor Panic in my rogue’s gallery because he was the only villain in Riverside. “Who’s on the list?”

“First up, we’ve got 3V1L,” Rocko said.

Bianca held up her hand. “Weren’t they a major/minor threat last year?”

“Yes. But then Golden Goose fried the Three Vs, and they’re rebuilding. The One L’s struggling to get them going again, and a couple of minor league heroes should be able to slow that down, leaving Stella-Lunar to deal with real problems. They’re mostly henchman-swarms and low-threat minor leaguers, but they love multi-front operations, so you’ll rarely get a clean win without help.

“We’ve also got Livestream. His gimmick is that he’s an influencer.”

“Seriously?” I asked. I knew about him, of course, but I didn’t realize he was still active in Tokyexico City.

“Yes, seriously. If you fight him, be prepared to go live at a moment’s notice. We’re talking five-second-delay levels of live. He’s unpredictable unless you realize he’ll do anything for TV ratings. The perfect villain, really. Super-jealous he’s not one of mine.”

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“So none of these villains are Rocko Studios villains?” I asked.

“I didn’t say that. But correct. The budget’s just not there for a villain.” Rocko sucked on their cigar and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Next up is Sister Sly. She’s not really in this as a rival to you, DuPont. She’s got a grudge against Marino. Any idea why?”

Bianca thought hard, looking nervous. After a minute, she shook her head slowly and sipped from her water. “No. I’ve never gone out of my way to piss anyone off.”

“That’s what you think. Sister Sly’s gonna be your problem, Marino. And yours too, DuPont, as long as you roll together—which I strongly recommend. Splitting up in the minors opens you up to too much risk. You’ll see what she’s pissed about soon.”

“But what’s her power?” Bee asked.

“Can’t say. Contractually obligated not to,” they said. “The last vil’s also got it out for you, Marino, so don’t go telling me you’ve never tried to piss someone off. The good news is that he’s the most professional minor leaguer I’ve ever seen. The bad news is he’s not with a studio.”

“Theseus? Really?” I asked. We’d never beaten Theseus before. In fact, the last time they’d fought, Bianca had ended up in the hospital overnight. I wasn’t confident we could handle him in a no-holds-barred minor league fight. Then again, we’d grown a lot, and he’d always been minor league, so maybe we had a shot now. We’d have to find out.

“Yeah, really. He bailed on his producer and signed up with some robotics firm in Tokyexico. Apparently, he’s the ideal super for testing prosthetics’ potential, and all he asked for was, and I quote, ‘phenomenal destructive power.’ Thornberry was furious. They went straight to the System and tried to get him booted, but that damn thing’s got a mind of its own sometimes, and they weren’t in a negotiating place. Now it won’t even talk to Thornberry, the idiot.” Rocko did not sound like he felt bad for Thornberry.

“So, to sum it up, a villain organization, an influencer, a revenge-minded loony tune, and an old frenemy?” We could totally handle that.

“Loony-tune, huh? Closer than you think. Yeah, that’s your rogue’s gallery, plus whatever bullshit the Student Supervillain Society gets into,” Rocko said. “Now, to business.”

Rocko only cared about business sometimes. “What do you need from us?”

“Easy. Two Episodes every week. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

I shut my eyes and rubbed the side of my head. For some stupid reason, I’d hoped I’d be home free in the minor leagues. I didn’t have ambitions for the majors—not really, at least. Those heroes and villains hit too hard, and the penalties for failure were brutal. I would be happy just floating on the bottom half of the minors. But Rocko wanted more.

“I’m in classes too, Rocko. That’s not always going to be possible.”

“Alright, I’m a reasonable Ilneat,” my producer said. “I’m willing to do one a week, but that puts a ton of pressure on the studio. If we’re cutting down that much, you can’t run any little league Episodes unless you get the minor league one done first. Deal?”

“Deal,” I said. A moment later, Bianca repeated me.

The second we did, Rocko relaxed. “Good, good, that’ll give us a solid release schedule. Hopefully, we’ll climb quickly. Gotta get you up in the ranks before…well, that’s a surprise. Now, with great power comes great probability of people dropping into your Episodes. I’m talking pick-up heroes and villains. You’ve done it to Magical Girl Honeycomb a few times, but it happens all the time in the minor leagues. The whole thing turns into a free-for-all. So, here’s my advice. You get a warning that Stella-Lunar or Golden Goose is dropping in, you leave. Abandon the Episode.”

“Won’t that go against what you just said?” Bianca asked. “You want one a week, no matter what.”

“Sure do. What I don’t want is for the two of you to get killed in the crossfire. GG is a walking collateral damage machine. So, if she shows up, you don’t owe me an Episode that week. I want you two alive. You’re up-and-comers, and if nothing else, think of it as protecting my investment.” Rocko took another puff from their cigar, and I relaxed. It’d be nice not to have to try surviving an enraged Golden Goose to get the win, even if she wasn’t aimed at me.

“Besides, I’m sure you two would be willing to find another Episode out of the goodness of your hearts.”

----------------------------------------

[System Enabled]

We walked the four blocks to Nico’s Barbecue. Unless you counted the Orientation Episode as a day off, it was the last day before classes, and I had a feeling that tomorrow would be nothing but work. So, we were out on a date instead of planning out the future, figuring out our schedules, or trying to see what Sister Sly and 3V1L were all about. Bianca had picked the place—somewhere she could be as messy as she wanted without consequences. She’d be covered in BBQ sauce, but so would everyone else.

“So, I’m not saying they’re wrong here. I’m just saying that for the next two semesters, we do the bare minimum for them and focus on locking down this degree. Once that’s done, we’ll have plenty of time to push hard, career-wise.”

“That’s shop talk, Bee.”

“Shit. Okay, how about this? We get the barbecue, eat up, and then hit up Confluence Park. It’s a train ride away, but it should have a pretty nice sunset between the towers. We can talk about you moving in with me.” She grinned at me, obviously baiting me into a response.

It worked.

“You wouldn’t even let me see your room, and you want me to move in with you? Unbelievable. Plus, Walnut Tower’s the best room on campus. It has good views, not many neighbors, and you and I can leave from the roof! You should move in with me.”

“Nah. Big glass windows are a problem for me.”

I tried to pretend that didn’t hurt, but Bee must’ve seen the look on my face because her arm was around me before I could say anything. “Sorry. That was out of line. You’re working on it, and I need to be better about letting go. That’s something Jessie said I had a problem with, too.”

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to.” My mood was crushed. She might not have meant to, but it sucked so much that she could accidentally put all that guilt on me.

Then she kissed me, and the green apple smell got stronger. “I really don’t mean to. If you want me to move in, we can talk about it later, but right now, let’s focus on having a good last day of freedom. Orientation’s going to be a pain in the ass, and I want to enjoy some Annie time before that whole mess blows up.”

“I know. And I do want you to move in. We could use Walnut Tower as our main base and Hickory Hall as a secret emergency retreat. Plus, I sleep better when you’re around, even if you’re a space heater.” I forced a smile. “There it is!”

The goofy, pig-shaped sign for Nico’s Barbecue glowed a light orange in the dusk. Bee broke into a run, dragging me along. “I’m going to eat so many ribs!”

I trailed in her wake. The start of this semester already felt a lot different than the last one, and we hadn’t even started the Orientation Episode.