At long last, the fabled trip to Avalon Incorporated has finally arrived. Two whole days have passed within the blink of an eye. With all the preparations done and most of the Paladins ready, it is now time to embark on the journey to another... city.

Class 1-1, 'Shield' has just returned from their two-day trip. Upon their timely arrival, whispers of their unified disappointment could be heard throughout the campus. While the new Z-Reactor Mark 10 is no doubt revolutionary, most, if not all, the students were bored by the long-winded talks about said reactor and how it will affect the current monopoly of renewable energy. Even the class guardian, Sparkplug, found it quite dull. Overall, the general consensus has been boiled down to 'uneventful.'

With that said, Class 1-2, 'Sword,' is currently being briefed on how they should all behave during the conference. In one of the Academy's spare classrooms, Streetwise, along with two other teachers, talk amongst themselves about everything the other teachers gathered.

Streetwise rocks his new navy blue and black suit, which now features a raised collar, a hood, yellow accents, and white gloves. His mask is now white with cyan lenses and his energy ropes now wrap around his forearms like bandages.

To his left sits Glance, now sporting gunmetal grey armor filled with small yellow lights. His visor now features a metal chin guard, making him look like a modern knight, complete with LEDs!

Finally, to their right sits Aegis, who now has a black body suit complimented by a white jacket with magenta accents. Her black hair remains seated on her shoulders, and a black domino mask rests on her face.

"Well," Streetwise laughs, "this is quite the concise report."

The three teachers look at Sparkplug's report, which is a blank piece of paper. A ketchup stain can be seen on the bottom left corner.

"That's Sparkplug for you," Aegis facepalms.

They move on to Calcite's report, which is twenty pages long, filled with every single minute detail about how they got there, the trip itself and the journey back. One might mistake it for a thesis.

"I ain't reading all that," Streetwise crosses his arms.

"Long story short, he's REALLY impressed with the new generator," Glance smirks.

Finally, another teacher, who goes by the codename 'Expel,' reports his suspicions about the trip to Avalon. However, he cannot fully confirm Avalon's underlying motives. He ends his report by telling the next group to exercise caution.

After gathering all the reports, the teachers now focus on their students. It seems while they were distracted, a few rogue students from section Shield began talking with their fellow first years about the trip.

"Seriously? That's all you did?" T///no-K///ht Julia scoffs.

"Yeah, it was all science bullcrap. It got to the point where some of us were begging for a villain to show." Another student answers. He sports a white and red outfit and goes by 'Rebound.'

"Man, talk about BO-RING."

"Alright, that's enough of that," Glance interrupts, "all those who do not belong to Class Sword, return to your dorms."

A few students groan as they leave. Glance calls attention to himself by clearing his throat.

"Listen up, Class Sword! Our transportation will arrive in ten minutes. Proceed to your designated partner and head for Paladin's Port."

"I thought we were going via bus?" Double Trouble questioned.

"Technically, we still are," Streetwise grins, "it's just a water bus."

Everyone prepares to leave the classroom. Over by the corner, Dreadnought lingers near the window.

He starts staring at the horizon, watching the birds gracefully dance across the morning sky.

It's been a long semester for everyone, and they're only halfway done. They still have so many activities to worry about. Why are they taking this trip now? Dreadnought can't help but feel fatigued, worn down, and even trapped. Did he just trade one prison for another?

"That's stupid," he mutters to himself. Indeed it is, while this school has had its fair share of challenges, he'd rather be at this school at its worst, than be at home at its best.

On paper, this trip sounds like a great chance for rest and relaxation. Yet he cannot shake this feeling of dread, or maybe it's boredom or even disinterest.

Stolen novel; please report.

Dreadnought feels like he'd rather stay in his dorm and study for his midterms.

"Are you alright?" Snooze asks.

"I'm just tired," he replies weakly.

"Maybe this will make you feel better,"

Snooze leans in and lets Dreadnought's head rest on her shoulder.

"Ow!" Matter exclaims. In another part of the room, Julia has just elbowed her in the gut. Matter tries to retaliate, but Julia pulls her in for a really tight hug.

"Maybe this will make you feel better, Matty~," she says in a condescending tone.

"Shut up!!!" Matter shoves her aside.

"Awwwww, what's the Matter, Matter? Feeling lovesick?" Julia laughs.

Glimpse goes between them and pulls Julia aside, "P-please stop teasing her, Julia... You're kicking a horse while it's down."

"You're right, you're right. We should leave that Matter aside," she giggles. Matter pouts and puts her hood back up.

After a few more minutes of prepping, Glance takes charge and leads the students to Paladin's Port, where they find a big white yacht with blue accents. It features sharp and modern angles and can house over thirty people comfortably.

The students go in first, and make their way to their seats. Next are the teachers, but before they all board, Ms. Winter stops them, calling for Streetwise's attention.

"You go on ahead guys. I've gotta talk to our dean."

The two other teachers nod and leave them be. Streetwise fixes the bag on his shoulder as he approaches her.

"Here for a kiss of Good luck?" Streetwise laughs.

"Eat shit," Ms. Winter bites back, "Focal Point reports that another Twelve member has been spotted."

"Wait, don't tell me," Streetwise shakes his hand in front of Winter, "They were spotted near the Avalon factory with a small group of villains scouting out the facility?"

"I hate you."

"That's what I like to hear," Streetwise chuckles.

"Just," Ms. Winter sighs, "remember where your priorities, your responsibilities lie. Clear?"

"Crystal. Besides, there's no need to worry, I'm Invinc-"

HOOOOOOOOOONK, goes the water bus. Aegis laughs as Glance points to his wrist. He then makes a 'wrap it up' gesture with his hands. Ms. Winter glares at the two of them as Glance yells, "Sorry!"

"Well, I better get going. We're like ten minutes behind schedule anyways," Streetwise rubs his neck.

"Don't do anything stupid," Ms. Winter crosses her arms.

Streetwise laughs, and he puts his hands on his head. He pretends to grab something as he hands it to Winter. She tilts her head and grabs the pretend thing.

"There," Streetwise quietly laughs, "I'm leaving all my stupid with you."

A hint of red appears on Ms. Winter's face but it quickly goes away. "It's heavy."

"I know, but take care of it, alright? That's my whole personality."

Ms. Winter softly laughs as Streetwise gives her one last salute before boarding the cruise.

"You took your sweet time," Glance remarks.

Streetwise just shrugs. After resting for a bit, the three teachers make their way to the main seating area.

While the yacht is indeed big, its size doesn't really justify roaming around. The only places worth mentioning are the main seating area and the deck. The rest are pretty much off-limits for all the students. It really is a glorified water bus.

If one were to divide a class of fifteen into pairs of two, there would be a remainder of one. It would be cruel to leave this person alone, thus giving one group a third wheel. In the first pair of seats, Dreadnought and Snooze try to get comfortable. His bag is placed in the compartment above, while hers is on her lap.

Next, we have what can only be described as a 'couple of bros.' That would be Magnetic Monopole and Fortune. Interesting that they have not chosen to capitalize on a moment like this. But Fortune brought his Avalon Swap, and they happened to be playing Fable of Stormbringer, so they looked content for this trip.

Now what is the opposite of a 'couple of bros?' A couple of gals, of course. And this couple has had their fair share of ups and downs. Matter and Julia have teamed up, or well Matter has been coerced into becoming partners. Julia has laid off her insults, at least for now, and the two have learned to cooperate, at least for now.

Moving on, we go back to 'a couple of bros' yet again. This time we have Double Trouble and Sure-Shot. Now, the sad thing about this pair is they are two people who wanted to capitalize on this opportunity but failed. Thus, they can only seek solace with each other. At least it will deepen their friendship, right?

After those guys comes the trio. Smokescreen and Wildlife have adopted Abaddon into their group. The three of them can be seen watching the movie playing on the TV near the front.

Out of all of these pairs, only two have seized this opportunity. First, there is Gateway. Rumor has it that he had his eyes on someone for quite some time. No one could confirm who he truly likes, but thanks to this trip, the class now has an idea. During this trip, he has partnered up with none other than Meraxes. Currently, they are sitting near the back. Gateway tries to strike up a conversation, but Meraxes' cold demeanor has shut him down. Gateway is not one to give up, and he is determined to make a connection somehow.

And last, but certainly not least, the final pair of White Mask and Glimpse. It seems that White Mask has made his choice, and has asked Glimpse to be his partner. During the days leading up to the trip, White Mask deliberated on who he should partner up with. It was a faithful encounter in the dorm lounge that wound up sealing their fate together...

White Mask was craving cereal and wanted to go make some when he happened upon Glimpse, all alone, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Mornin," he says.

"G-Good morning, White Mask," she smiles

"So, um, are you excited for the trip?"

"kinda, not really. Tech isn't my thing."

"Same, I've got a tech guy for that, but he can only build basic shit. Like my smoke bombs and grappling hooks."

"I see."

"He actually owns a local bar if you're into those kinds of things."

"I think Julia would appreciate that more than me," she says while looking away.

"Yeah, she would; maybe I should ask her to be partners," he says, giving Glimpse the side eye.

"I think she wants to partner with Matter, given the whole Dreadnought thing."

"Shame, how bout you then? Whaddaya say?"

Glimpse looks at White Mask, who is looking away. With all his experience in fighting, this sort of thing is not his forte. She smiles and accepts his offer. White Mask smiles back and gives her an approving nod.

And with that, everyone has partnered up and the journey to another city is halfway done. Next time, the Paladins will arrive in the city, and witness the unfolding of a new era.