Monday, August 31
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It turned out that TU was excited to have us back, too. When I woke up, an email awaited me.
Subject: Reminder: Superpower Studies Meeting
To Magical Girl Understudy
Doctor Mays here for the TU Department of Superpower Studies! This is a reminder that today (Monday, August 31), the department is having an all-students meeting in the training room from 11:00 to 12:00. If you are currently enrolled as a super-student, whether hero, villain, or vigilante, your presence is requested. Subjects to go over include:
1. TUSSA and SSS presidency vacancies
2. The Orientation Episode
But wait! There’s more!
3. New educational opportunities at Tokyexico University.
Refreshments will be provided. Don’t miss out on this exciting beginning-of-semester informational meeting! Now yours for just one easy payment of showing up!
Doctor Mays
Head of Superpower Studies
Tokyexico University
I looked at the clock. 10:15. I’d slept in, and I loved it. I most likely wouldn’t get another opportunity to, and I wanted to enjoy it. I thought about crawling back under the covers and skipping the meeting. Nothing about it said it was mandatory. But inside information on the Orientation Episode felt too good to pass up, so I dragged my butt out of bed.
I grabbed Tails and transformed into my pink, pastel-purple, and gold filigreed magical girl costume, then checked to make sure the tiara and tights were on perfectly. I’d been suited up the day before, but this was my official public-facing debut as a minor leaguer, and I wanted to make the most of it. Once I was satisfied that I’d checked all the boxes and looked my best, I headed through my secret base behind the maintenance door.
It was much the same as I’d left it before heading to Riverside—and later, to Tortuga West—for summer break. Fang Swee’s power kept it pristine, and the only real changes since last year were a pair of new TV screens. One showed a completely blank list, with four slots and empty spaces for information, while the other showed a map of the University, Mid-Town, and Poudre districts of Tokyexico City. I had an area of responsibility now, but I couldn’t say what the list was for.
I jogged up the stairs and then opened the door to the roof. [Starwave Sail] had upgraded into [Solar Wing], and I wanted to see what it could do in a non-combat situation. The sailboard had never been too unmaneuverable, but it sounded like [Solar Wing] outperformed it on that front.
I spread my arms, said, “[Solar Wing],” and jumped off the roof.
Within a second, I could feel the difference. The two pink-red wings popped from the red, off-the-shoulder sleeves on my dress, and they shifted in the air with my every thought. I swung my wand around a few times to see how sudden arm motions disrupted them, sure they’d be thrown off, but they flexed and adjusted every time I moved to keep me mostly flat in the air. When I tried to stop, they beat slightly, hovering me three hundred feet over Walnut Tower’s roof.
I pulled a couple of loop-the-loops, did a barrel roll, and then steadied out.
Below me, the Mr. Felsic statue loomed, and I ducked down toward it. A familiar supervillain stood there, eating an apple and watching me. Gourmet. The big woman snorted as I landed and popped the uneaten half of her apple into her mouth, chewing. “Snack, good to see you. I was worried you’d gotten too high up for us.”
“Nah, I’m in it to graduate,” I said. “Theseus bailed, though?”
“Yeah. He got an offer from some corp. ‘Be our supervillain, solve our problems, test out our prosthetic weapons!’ I couldn’t believe his studio let him go, but I guess it’s not that different than me and Gourmet’s Glutton Hour.”
“So he’s still out there?” I asked. “Like, in town?”
“Yeah. Hi Wombat,” Gourmet said.
“Still Fursona,” my sidekick said from inside her kangaroo fursuit. “What’s up with Theseus?”
As Gourmet repeated herself, looking annoyed, we headed inside, past the theater classroom where we’d taken Superpower Ethics, and into the training room. Super-students filed down the stairs into the arena itself, and we followed. I saw Punch and Grapple, the melee-focused super-twins. Grapple nodded while Punch glared at me and turned away.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I shrugged. You couldn’t win every battle.
Almost every super-student, from Flare and The Crumb to Springlock and Milo, plus three or four I didn’t recognize, stood packed into the arena, mumbling and talking with their neighbors. Tensions flared, a few arguments got heated, and Punch started walking toward me.
“Doctor Mays here with some exciting news!”
The whole room froze—not because the meta-powered professor had stopped us, but because he was talking and we weren’t frozen. He grinned. The four superpower studies professors stood on a low stage: Doctor Mays in his button-down shirt and khakis, Doctor Jackson in a pantsuit, and Tennyson and Mindstorm in silver super-suit and black-and-white spiraled catsuit, respectively.
“Thank you all for coming. I see a few faces missing, so I’m counting on you to spread the word to your friends and associates,” Doctor Jackson said. “Welcome to TU’s 2042 school year. We’ve got a busy year ahead of us, some students more than others, so let’s jump into it. Tennyson?”
Tennyson took the mic. The poetry-reciting, teleporting superhero grinned widely as he started talking. “Yeah, exciting news on the student superpower clubs front. Ikenga and Monologue, the presidents of the Tokyexico University Student Superhero Association and the Student Supervillain Society, respectively, graduated in May. That leaves both clubs without leadership, so elections are in order. I’m taking over sponsorship of both clubs since Doctor Mays is stepping into a new role, and I think we should have elections on September 24th. Any disagreement?”
The crowd buzzed. I could already see Tearjerker and Iron Fist, the top two student villains on campus with Monologue out of the picture, sizing each other up. I didn’t envy either of them that challenge; running the SSS sounded incredibly thankless—or super-lucrative, based on Monologue’s theft of a hundred students’ book money last year.
On the other side of the room, Springlock nodded at her boyfriend, Milo, as his fingers flew. She’d make a fantastic president for TUSSA, and as far as I was concerned, she had it in the bag. The only possible competition, Sara-N-Dipity (whose power wasn’t luck), couldn’t compete. I could already see the battle lines being drawn for TUSSA. Punch, Grapple, and Sara against Milo, Springlock, Fursona, and me. If the incoming freshmen split their votes evenly, the best girl would win.
And it’d be Springlock.
“Wonderful,” Doctor Tennyson said. He clapped his hands. September 25th. That’s a Friday. We’ll know who the club presidents are on the 28th. I’m looking forward to sponsoring both organizations, and I know that in the aftermath of the conflict-heavy inter-club rivalry of the last few years, we can cooperate.”
“We’re going to need it,” Mindstorm muttered.
Doctor Jackson took the mic. “Next, some incoming freshman information. Wednesday is Orientation Day. As you all know, it’s an opportunity for us professors to corner the incoming freshmen, register them, and remind them that on-campus superheroics are a step up from their small ponds.”
I winced. That’d been me last year, convinced I was hot stuff because I was coming off a big victory in Small Town Super. It hadn’t gone well, and I couldn’t imagine it’d go better for most of the incoming class. At least they’d have powers to use, even if they lost quickly.
“So,” Doctor Jackson continued, “I want to go over a few ground rules so we’re all on the same page. First, try to keep massive property damage to a minimum. Tokyexico University wants to maintain its beautiful grounds better than last year and needs our help. Keep destructive powers under control.
“Second, remember that this is a minor league-leveled Episode for a reason. We want the freshmen to bite off more than they can chew by getting involved. It’s meant to be a challenge for them, one that they almost always accept, thanks to the brain worm. Don’t take it easy on your fellow supers here.”
Iron Fist cracked his steel knuckles loudly enough that the microphone picked it up, sending a squeal of feedback across the room.
Mindstorm grabbed the mic, looking bored. “And third, do not take shots at the professors. We all have our roles to play. Villains, you’re making problems. Heroes, you’re solving them. Tennyson, Mays, and Jackson are the evac team. And I’m…here to keep the professor team safe so they can…do their jobs. Make my day, vils. Just do it.”
She handed the mic to Doctor Mays as an uncomfortable silence descended across the room. Doctor Mindstorm could absolutely carry out that threat. She could almost certainly beat TUSSA and the SSS if they fought her together. I shivered, remembering that she’d been in my head last year, and the ill-fated attempt to fight her in this training room. What a disaster that’d been, and she hadn’t even been using mind control.
Mays waited for the room to refocus. “And now, the big news. You’ve probably noticed that there were holds on your accounts. We’ve done that because we have an exciting opportunity we’re hoping a few of you take advantage of. Doctor Jackson and I have been working on this for two long years, and as of today, I’m stepping down as club sponsor and abdicating all my non-educational responsibilities.
“Instead, I will run the Department of Superpower Studies as it expands from a minor-only program to one with an associate’s degree! We’ve been working in tandem with several organizations, from the Mutual Assistance League to 3V1L to the Tokyexico Council of Heroes, and we’ve developed a two-year program that we all believe will prepare supers of all stripes for bright futures.”
He held up a hand, cutting off the small smattering of applause. Fursona held her hands up, mid-clap. I hadn’t started yet.
“The reason we put holds on your accounts is simple. We need at least twelve of you to step up and try the associate’s program. The TU administration is hesitant about giving our program more of a presence; in the long term, this will mean hiring more professors. They’re understandably concerned about the potential for Doctors Brick House and Father Thyme to carry on their rivalry on-campus if we hire, so we need your help to prove this can be successful.”
He handed the mic to Doctor Mindstorm. The supervillain seemed to stare directly at me, her eyes boring holes into my brain as she spoke. “If you choose to…pursue….the associate’s program, your advisor will set your schedule. It will include three superpower studies courses per semester and additional courses in physics, psychology, acting, and…Ilneat Studies. Fifteen credits each semester, with must-pass pressure. This is a generalization. Older students may have already…covered…some of these courses.
“If you want to give it a go, please email your advisors as soon as we end this meeting,” Doctor Mays said, taking the mic back. “Anything else for the good of the department?”
“Yeah,” Doctor Tennyson said. “All four of us are willing to put extra effort into ensuring associate’s degree students succeed. This does not mean cheating for our students.”
He glared at Mindstorm for a moment. The villain didn’t look embarrassed at all. I couldn’t imagine her cheating to help me, but I didn’t know who else had her as an advisor.
Tennyson cleared his throat. “Each of us will host rotating study groups once per four weeks. That means you’ll have access to a different professor outside of office hours once per week. I strongly suggest you take advantage of that.”
“And with that,” Doctor Mays said, “I’m closing this informational meeting. Please email any questions so we don’t waste the last days of summer.”