Chapter 65: USCT Randomness – Heroic Shenanigans

  Scene 1: Mina's Unfiltered Sass

  Mina stood confidently in the middle of the chaotic battlefield, her body exuding the kind of energy that made you feel like you were standing in front of a furnace. The villain, a hulking figure with a robotic arm, was doing his best to maintain some semblance of composure, but it was clear he was already on the edge. Explosions rang out in the distance, the ground shaking with every blast, but Mina’s focus was laser-sharp. Her fiery eyes, glowing with a mix of annoyance and amusement, were locked onto her target.

  “You think you can just waltz in here and cause chaos like it’s nothing?” Mina sneered, tilting her head, her fiery hair flowing like a living flame in the wind. “Let me break it down for you, darling—you’re trash, and nobody cares.”

  The villain, all 6'8" of him, adjusted his stance, trying to look imposing. His robotic arm clicked and whirred as he prepared for a counterattack. “You’ll never defeat me, you little—"

  “Shut up.” Mina waved him off dismissively, a single flick of her wrist sending a burst of molten lava slithering across the ground. It roared like a beast, making the air shimmer with heat, and immediately, the villain yelped, jumping around in panic as the lava singed the bottoms of his boots. His robotic arm jerked in an attempt to shield himself, but the searing heat was already too much.

  “Not even a challenge,” Mina muttered with a grin. “Seriously, is this supposed to be intimidating? I’ve seen more terrifying things in my school cafeteria.” She shrugged, her sarcasm a blade as sharp as her control over fire.

  The villain, now hopping around like a man with a live grenade attached to him, couldn't get a word out. His face twisted in agony as he tried to escape, but the lava was relentless, creeping closer with every panicked step he took.

  From the corner of her vision, a figure appeared beside her—Melissa. The ever-patient and calming presence of the group, who, despite her gentle demeanor, had no problem handling Mina when she was on one of her more unleashed tangents.

  “Mina, honey,” Melissa said softly, trying her best to sound calm, “can we just... focus on defeating him and not roasting him alive? He’s already having a tough time.”

  But Mina didn’t even spare her a glance, still grinning like a kid in a candy store. Her voice was dripping with mischief. “Oh, I’m just getting started. Watch this.” She cracked her knuckles, readying herself for the next move.

  With a dramatic flourish, Mina raised both hands to the sky, her lava swirling around her like an obedient pet. The air around them seemed to hum with an almost sinister anticipation as she prepared her next fiery attack. Her eyes danced with excitement—this villain wasn’t worth her time, but she was going to make it fun, damn it.

  Melissa, glancing at the villain now struggling to keep his footing, sighed. “If this goes any further, I’m going to have to step in, Mina,” she warned, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. Even she couldn’t help but enjoy Mina’s wild energy sometimes.

  “Oh, you’re no fun,” Mina teased. But despite the playful tone, she lowered her hands slightly, the lava coiling back in response. “Fine, fine. I’ll let you handle it. But I’m so not done with him yet.”

  The villain, still singed and thoroughly fried, managed to let out a pained cry. "You think this is over?!"

  Mina raised an eyebrow, her expression not quite bored but certainly unimpressed. “Please. If you could do anything worth my time, you’d already have tried. Now you're just wasting my afternoon. This is so typical."

  With a flourish, she snapped her fingers, causing the lava to form into sharp, jagged formations that loomed threateningly over the villain. It was clear now that her ‘fun’ wasn’t entirely finished yet—it was just on pause.

  “So, here’s the deal,” Mina continued, leaning closer to the villain, her voice dripping with playful malice, “either you go quietly and make it easy on everyone, or I turn the heat up a little more and you’ll regret it. Your choice, darling.”

  The villain, now visibly trembling, nodded frantically. He’d learned a hard lesson: you don’t mess with Mina.

  Scene 2: The Dance Battle of Class K

  While Mina was off setting villains on fire, the rest of Class K found themselves in the midst of their own strange, impromptu skirmish. The battlefield, which was supposed to be a scene of intense combat, had transformed into something more... unpredictable. Renford, Malachi, Remus, and Krishna stood in the middle of the chaos, but instead of preparing for a fight, they suddenly broke into a spontaneous dance battle.

  It started with Krishna, who, with a cocky grin on his face, broke into a ridiculous moonwalk, the smoothness of his movements almost defying the sheer absurdity of the situation. He dodged a laser blast with a casual sway of his hips, narrowly missing the searing beam as he slid backward across the floor like he was on a smooth dance floor instead of a battlefield.

  “You call that a move, Remus?” Krishna teased, still moonwalking effortlessly. “I thought you were supposed to be cool, bro.”

  Remus, usually the serious one, stood for a moment, giving Krishna a blank stare. Then, with an uncharacteristic grin creeping onto his face, he threw his head back and began shaking his shoulders in a move that was borderline embarrassing. His arms twisted and spun as he incorporated some wild twirls, spinning like he was auditioning for a backup dancer role in a boy band. "Oh, I’m just getting started, Krishna."

  Malachi, ever the show-off, saw the challenge and responded in full force. With a grin that could only be described as pure mischief, he executed a backflip that defied all logic—his body twisting mid-air in a way that felt physically impossible, landing with a flourish as if he had practiced it a hundred times. “Let’s show them how heroes really dance,” he said with a wink, throwing a quick spin before immediately dropping into a wave-like motion, his body moving in sync with the chaos around him.

  Renford, always the unpredictable one, jumped in next with his own bizarre routine. His arms flailed in every direction, almost as if he was trying to swat invisible flies. His legs twisted in exaggerated motions as he somehow managed to get his body into a kind of dance that could only be described as "flailing but with style." His movements were chaotic but oddly captivating, the kind of thing you’d expect from a guy who couldn't be bothered to follow any rules, including dance ones.

  The villain they were supposed to be fighting, an imposing figure with glowing red eyes and a mechanical arm, stood frozen in utter confusion, his weapon hanging limp at his side. His face twisted in bafflement as the heroes continued their absurd display. “W-What are you...”

  Krishna, who had just completed a perfect set of splits and somehow followed it up with a flawless headspin, grinned up at the villain like he was the star of the show. “Broke, that’s what we are, bro,” he said, snapping his fingers dramatically. The motion seemed to punctuate his words like a mic drop, as he spun around on the floor in a dizzying circle before finally coming to a halt, striking an overly dramatic pose.

  Malachi, still in his fluid dance mode, added in a sing-song voice, “Yeah, we’re broke, but at least we got style.” He shot the villain a look that screamed, "You really don't want to mess with us."

  Remus, who was now performing a smooth body roll, shot the villain a wink. “You’re not gonna beat us with that laser. You’d be better off challenging us to a dance-off.”

  The villain, visibly shaking with frustration and bewilderment, didn’t know what to do. He had come to fight heroes, not a group of absurdly talented, ridiculous dancers who were somehow making an already chaotic situation even more confusing.

  “I’m so done,” the villain muttered, his confidence draining away faster than his ability to hold a weapon properly. He attempted to raise his arm to retaliate, but it was clear he was completely out of his depth. “This is... this is ridiculous.”

  Krishna, already halfway through a spin, laughed. “Yeah, bro, you’re in the wrong battle if you think you can win with that attitude.” With a final dramatic move, he snapped his fingers again, throwing a mock salute to the villain before high-fiving Malachi.

  The villain, utterly defeated, dropped his weapon and raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright! You win! Just stop dancing.”

  Krishna, Malachi, and Remus exchanged knowing grins. “That’s what we thought,” Krishna said, dusting himself off and walking over to Melissa, who had been watching the entire spectacle from the sidelines. “You’re up next, Melissa. We’ve already crushed him with our moves. Time for you to end this.”

  Melissa blinked slowly, then glanced at the villain, now sitting on the ground with his hands behind his head in a surrender position. “You guys are a mess,” she muttered with a smirk, but there was no denying the satisfaction in her voice.

  “Eh,” Krishna shrugged nonchalantly, “heroes gotta have fun, too.”

  Scene 3: The Trio of Terror

  On the opposite side of the battlefield, a whole different kind of destruction was taking place. Aliyah, Yelena, and Emma had come together to form an unlikely, yet utterly terrifying, trio. With their combined abilities, they were more like a storm than a team, each of them contributing to the chaos in their own distinct ways. The villain they were facing stood no chance—his fate was sealed the moment they decided to turn him into a target.

  Aliyah, as usual, floated effortlessly in the air, her control over wind a beautiful and terrifying thing to witness. With a flick of her wrist, the air around her began to swirl violently, a gust of wind strong enough to knock the villain off his feet. He tumbled backward like a ragdoll, helpless as he was shoved across the battlefield by the sheer force of the wind. Aliyah’s eyes glinted with amusement as she watched him struggle to regain his balance. “Don’t bother getting up, sweetie,” she called to him, voice laced with smug satisfaction. “I’m not finished yet.”

  Yelena wasn’t far behind, using her earth manipulation to raise massive boulders from the ground, the stones grinding against the dirt with a sound that could make anyone’s spine shiver. With a grunt, she swung one of the boulders, slamming it down onto the villain’s feet, effectively pinning him to the ground. “You really should’ve picked a different fight, buddy,” she said, her grin widening like a predator enjoying a hunt. She slammed another boulder on top of him, this one crashing down with a thunderous boom, trapping his body in a rock prison.

  Emma, not one to be left out, zipped around the battlefield with such blinding speed that she seemed to be in multiple places at once. She was a blur, a whirlwind of fists and feet, each punch landing in rapid succession with the kind of precision only someone with super speed could achieve. She smirked as she delivered blow after blow, each strike hitting faster than the villain could comprehend. “This is too easy,” she said through a laugh, her voice almost teasing as she zoomed around him.

  “You’re going down, loser!” Yelena shouted, her voice dripping with mockery as she slammed another boulder onto the villain’s head with exaggerated force. The impact caused the ground to shake, but the villain, now trapped and disoriented, could barely even move.

  “I hope you enjoyed your last breath,” Emma quipped, her speed not letting up for even a second as she delivered yet another rapid punch to the villain’s torso. He gasped, breathless, struggling to find any strength to fight back, but it was like trying to swim against an ocean current. He couldn’t keep up with them.

  Aliyah, still floating casually above the scene, waved a hand, sending another gust of wind that swirled around her teammates, adding more speed to Emma’s punches and pushing the boulders deeper into the villain’s body. The wind howled like an animal ready to devour its prey, intensifying the already brutal assault. She grinned, enjoying the sight. “I’m just making sure you don’t get away. You know, for your own good.”

  By the time the villain even thought about trying to move, it was already over. The trio had worked in perfect harmony—each of them using their powers to complement the others in a way that felt almost unnatural. The villain, now reduced to a crumpled, barely recognizable heap, was left groaning beneath the weight of Yelena’s rocks and the relentless barrage of blows from Emma. He had been defeated before he even knew what hit him.

  Aliyah, Yelena, and Emma casually walked away from the wreckage they had left behind, as if the battle had been nothing more than a casual stroll in the park. Emma dusted her hands off with a satisfied grin, her speed having allowed her to deliver the final hits before the villain even had a chance to comprehend what was happening. “That was fun,” she said, glancing at Yelena, who was still grinning widely at the destruction.

  Yelena wiped a bit of dirt off her hands, the satisfaction of victory gleaming in her eyes. “I’m always down for some boulder smashing. Too bad this guy didn’t even put up a fight.”

  Aliyah, hovering beside them, rolled her eyes but smiled. “Yeah, he really should’ve known better than to mess with us. I told him not to bother getting up. Did he listen? No. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance.”

  By the time the others finished up with their own battles and rejoined them, the trio was already on their way to the next target, leaving nothing but the echo of their laughter and the sound of the villain’s pitiful whimpers behind them. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and in the end, he had only one thing to say: never again.

  Scene 4: Toki's Shadowy Execution

  The battlefield was a chaotic mess, but amidst the chaos, Toki stood apart. His figure was like a silhouette against the violence unfolding around him, detached and eerily calm. His gaze was distant, not at the villains he could easily obliterate, but at the shadows he was commanding. The world seemed to shrink around him as his connection with the darkness grew stronger. With each breath, the shadows around him stretched and twisted, like they had a mind of their own, growing darker and more ominous by the second.

  A villain, cocky and unaware, stood in front of Toki, proudly launching a last-ditch attack with a series of devastating energy blasts. They grinned as they fired, thinking they were about to finally finish off their adversary. But Toki didn’t even flinch. His focus wasn’t on the villain, it was on something far more terrifying—the very essence of the dark energy that surrounded him.

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  Without a word, Toki raised his hand, and the shadows responded immediately, like obedient soldiers following their master’s command. The villain’s energy blasts fizzled out in mid-air, absorbed into the creeping darkness that now spread across the battlefield. The shadows coiled and twisted around the villain, slithering over their body with an almost unnatural hunger.

  The villain’s face twisted in confusion and then in terror as the shadows squeezed tighter, first around their arms, then their legs, constricting with the cold, suffocating pressure of the dark. It wasn’t physical strength that crushed them—it was the sheer malevolence that dripped from Toki’s shadows, tightening like a vice, suffocating them with each passing second.

  Toki remained eerily calm, his eyes barely even acknowledging the villain’s panicked struggles. “It’s too late for that,” he muttered, almost as though he were speaking to himself. “I never forget. I just make things… darker.”

  The shadows tightened, now wrapping around the villain’s neck, pulling them down into a crumpled heap. They gasped, struggling for breath, but no matter how hard they fought, the shadows held them in an unrelenting grip. The world around them blurred as the last of their breath was squeezed from them.

  Toki smirked, eyes glinting with cold satisfaction. He hadn’t even had to look up or break a sweat. The darkness had done the job for him—precisely, mercilessly. There was no grand display, no grand speech. Just the quiet execution of a villain who had dared to stand against him. The shadows around the villain began to dissipate, leaving only the stillness of the aftermath.

  Toki turned away slowly, already moving on to the next phase of the battle, his expression as unreadable as always. But just as he began to walk away, Mike, ever the skeptic, couldn’t hold back his thoughts.

  “That sounds cringe,” Mike said, his arms crossed and a look of disapproval on his face.

  Toki didn’t even break his stride. He barely spared Mike a glance, his voice a low drawl over his shoulder. “Get in line, Mike. You know what they say—the darker the better.”

  Mike just shook his head, grinning in spite of himself. “Whatever, man. You do you. idiot”

  Scene 5: The Roast of the Century

  Off to the side, while the rest of Class K were wreaking havoc in their own ways, Hajun and Mike were engaged in what could only be described as the most savage roast battle the battlefield had ever witnessed. The target? A random criminal who had tried to pull off a botched robbery, and now, he was trembling like a leaf caught in a storm.

  The criminal had barely gotten a few steps away when Hajun, with a wicked grin stretching across his face, blocked his path. “You think you can rob this place and get away?” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. His eyes gleamed with mischief, and he cracked his knuckles in that way that only made the criminal’s panic escalate. “Buddy, you couldn’t even rob a candy store without tripping over your own shoelaces.”

  Mike leaned in, joining the fun with a sarcastic tone that would’ve made any roastmaster proud. “Yeah, man. I’ve seen better criminals on TV shows. You? You’re just a sad punchline. I wouldn’t even let you be the villain in a bad sitcom.”

  The criminal, hands trembling as he held them high, tried to muster up a shred of dignity. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!” he snapped, but the words lacked conviction, his voice cracking under the pressure of the roasting duo.

  Hajun leaned in closer, his smirk widening. “Oh, we know plenty,” he said, his tone menacing yet playful. “Like how you couldn’t even outrun a five-year-old. Hell, you probably trip over your own feet just walking into a room. And don’t even get me started on how you look like the kind of guy who buys a ticket to a show and falls asleep halfway through.”

  Mike couldn't hold back his laugh, practically snorting at the image of the criminal falling asleep during a show. “Seriously, you’re a literal dumpster fire, my guy,” he chimed in, his arms folded and a look of mock pity on his face. “Just extinguish yourself already. The world’s got no use for a failed criminal like you.”

  The criminal, who had once been filled with bravado and anger, now stood there, barely able to hold himself together. His face flushed with humiliation, his knees knocking together as he glanced between Hajun and Mike, both of them showing no mercy. Each insult hit him harder than the last, breaking his resolve like a fragile glass being dropped on the floor.

  “Come on, man,” Mike said with a cocky grin, “did you even think this robbery through? Because if you did, I’ve got to say, your ‘plan’ is about as well thought out as your hairline.”

  Hajun chuckled darkly. “Oh, and don’t get me started on your fashion choices. Who told you wearing that leather jacket makes you look tough? News flash: it’s doing the opposite. You look like a second-rate knockoff villain from a kids’ movie.”

  The criminal was shaking now, his face pale, eyes wide with dread as he crumpled under the barrage of insults. The two heroes didn’t stop. No, they were just getting started. Every roast, every jab, was delivered with the precision and cruel wit that only Hajun and Mike could manage. The poor guy was nearly begging for mercy, his pride shattered beyond repair.

  “Okay, okay! Enough!” the criminal whimpered, his voice breaking. “I get it, okay?! I’m a failure, a joke! Just—just don’t hurt me!”

  But Hajun wasn’t done yet. He leaned in even closer, his voice a whisper of doom in the criminal’s ear. “Oh, we’re not done, buddy. You see, the problem with you is that you don’t know your place. You’re not even a speed bump on the road of life. You’re just... roadkill.”

  Mike cracked his knuckles, cracking a grin. “And guess what, pal? We’re the ones running the show. Welcome to Class K’s Roast Session. Your tickets? Already expired.”

  With that, Hajun and Mike turned their backs to the defeated criminal, not even sparing him a second glance. The criminal, reduced to a trembling mess, dropped to his knees, his will broken, a shadow of the person he had been moments before.

  The two of them walked off, practically in sync, still chuckling to themselves. “Dude,” Mike said with a grin, “that was honestly one of our best ones. He’ll probably need therapy after that roast.”

  Hajun shrugged, wiping a tear from his eye as he laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m sure he’s used to disappointment. Can’t be any worse than his criminal career.”

  Scene 6: Darius the Hacker Extraordinaire

  Darius was in his element, and anyone who knew him could tell this was where he thrived. While the rest of Class K was wreaking havoc out on the battlefield, blowing up villains and dancing like they were in a music video, Darius had a much more methodical approach. He wasn’t out there tossing boulders or frying enemies with lava. No, he was sitting comfortably at a nearby console, his fingers dancing across the keyboard with the kind of precision that only someone like him could pull off.

  The villain’s base was full of high-tech security systems—laser grids, heat sensors, drone patrols—but Darius had no fear. He knew exactly what he was doing. "Oh, you think you're safe?" he muttered to himself, the words practically dripping with sarcasm. "That's cute."

  He leaned back in his chair, tapping away, a smirk forming on his face as the code he was running infiltrated the enemy’s systems like a knife through butter. The screens in front of him flickered to life, displaying lines of code, security schematics, and scheming villainous plans.

  Seconds passed, and it was like watching a symphony unfold in real-time, except the instruments were the villain's most high-tech weaponry. Darius didn’t even break a sweat as he bypassed the first layer of firewalls with ease. Alarms blared across the building, but that only made Darius more focused, his fingers moving faster, his mind working quicker. One by one, enemy drones that were patrolling the halls started glitching and dropping from the air like flies. Their mechanical limbs spasmed before they hit the ground in a heap of malfunctioning circuits and sparks.

  "Bet you didn’t see that coming," he said, his voice oozing with quiet confidence. “This is too easy.”

  Security cameras blinked out of existence, and the walls that once hid the villain’s secret weapons began to reveal their weak points. He wasn’t just breaking into systems—he was dismantling everything from the inside. The villain’s high-tech fortress was falling apart at the seams, all because Darius was pulling the strings like the puppet master he was.

  He snickered to himself as a giant laser cannon—one of the villain's most prized weapons—froze in place, its deadly beam aimed uselessly at an empty corner of the room.

  A notification popped up on the screen, detailing the last layer of the villain’s security system. "Really?" Darius muttered, leaning forward. "This is the big finale?"

  He cracked his knuckles, a devilish grin spreading across his face as he cracked the final encryption. The screens in front of him began displaying a live feed of enemy soldiers scrambling in panic as their security system failed them completely. The doors that were supposed to be locked shut? Wide open. The drones that were supposed to patrol the area? Dead in the air. Their last line of defense? Completely obliterated.

  "Now, that’s what I call efficiency." He leaned back again, watching as the villain’s headquarters began to self-destruct, all thanks to his relentless hacking.

  “Damn, I’m good,” he said aloud, his voice filled with both amusement and satisfaction. The base's alarm system went haywire as the entire structure went into lockdown mode, but by then, it was far too late. Darius had already turned off their ability to lock the doors, so it didn’t even matter.

  While the rest of his classmates were undoubtedly dealing with the villain’s minions outside, Darius knew this battle was already over. The villain, no matter how powerful they thought they were, had been defeated from the inside out. All because one hacker had taken a seat at a console and done what he did best.

  With a final tap, Darius disabled the last of the enemy’s data servers, and with a satisfied sigh, he stood up. "Alright, time to go show the others how it's done."

  He pulled his hood up, walked out into the chaos, and left the villain’s collapsing base behind him, knowing he was the true MVP of this mission.

  Scene 7: Raiden Just Being Raiden

  And then, we had Raiden.

  While the rest of Class K was caught up in the madness of their chaotic battle, Raiden was doing what he did best—being absolutely chill. He wasn’t one to get swept up in the adrenaline of heroism, especially not when he had the perfect setup for an afternoon of pure relaxation.

  There he was, sprawled out in his dorm room, legs propped up lazily on his desk, a chilled drink in hand. The hum of the battle outside, the crackle of distant explosions, and the occasional shout of combatants didn’t faze him in the slightest. In fact, it barely registered. Why would it? He had everything he needed right there—a comfy chair, a cold beverage, and zero expectations to actually fight anyone.

  He leaned back and took a leisurely sip from his drink, savoring the coolness that tickled his throat. “Man, it’s a good day,” Raiden said with a carefree grin, scrolling through his phone like he had all the time in the world. The screen flashed with random memes and social media updates, and he absently liked a few posts, his fingers flying effortlessly over the screen. “No reason to be in the middle of all that noise. Let them handle it.”

  The sound of a distant explosion rattled the windows, causing Raiden to glance up, but only briefly. “Eh, sounds like they’ve got it covered,” he muttered, tapping his phone screen again. A text popped up from Emma, something about how the villain of the hour had been 'served', but Raiden wasn’t in the mood for a victory report. He just nodded along to the beat of his own internal soundtrack.

  In fact, Raiden didn’t even seem to be aware of just how absurd the situation was. His classmates—his fellow heroes—were out there battling for their lives, throwing around fire, ice, and metal, but Raiden? He was perfectly content to binge through videos of skateboarding cats. He didn’t need the thrill of combat. His usual calm and quiet demeanor had never been more apparent than right now.

  When the alarm system in the school went off, signaling that the fight was over and the campus was secure, Raiden didn’t rush to join the celebration. No, he lazily pushed his phone aside, took another sip from his drink, and then stretched like a cat waking up from a nap. He kicked back into his chair, his hands behind his head, looking more like someone on vacation than a hero. “Alright, guess it’s time to join the party... if I must.”

  Raiden wasn't oblivious to the battle going on around him. He was just... different. He had his priorities, and fighting villains wasn’t always at the top of the list. In his eyes, the real victory was in the quiet moments. The moments where he could kick back, relax, and just let everything else happen around him. No stress, no rush—just pure, uninterrupted peace.

  So, as the world continued to erupt outside, Raiden’s only real battle was deciding whether to keep watching videos of dancing penguins or switch to something more thrilling. One thing was for sure—he was going to savor every moment of it. And if anyone needed him? Well, they’d have to find him first... preferably while he was sipping his next cold drink.

  Scene 8: Class K – Chaos Unleashed

  Class K was, as always, a bundle of energy, a tornado of mischief wrapped up in a mix of youthful rebellion and chaos. The classroom was nothing short of madness. Loud voices, the clatter of chairs, and the occasional burst of laughter echoed in every corner, much to the annoyance of the few who tried to focus on their work.

  Remus was chilling in the corner, happily devouring a hotdog, his eyes scanning through some old-school comic book. He was enjoying his snack like it was the most important thing in the world, savoring every bite. That was, until Renford, being Renford, decided it was the perfect moment for some drama.

  With lightning speed, Renford swooped in and swiped a piece of Remus’s hotdog right out of his hands. “Thanks for the snack!” Renford grinned mischievously, taking a huge bite. Remus blinked in surprise, his face showing a mix of shock and mild annoyance.

  “Hey! That was mine!” Remus shot back, narrowing his eyes.

  Renford shrugged nonchalantly, clearly enjoying his victory. “Eh, I figured you were done with it anyway. You’re always eating something.”

  Meanwhile, Krishna was sitting off to the side, minding his own business—well, mostly. He was munching on some food from the cafeteria, enjoying the peace that came with his little corner of the chaos. But then Renford, still smug from his hotdog heist, eyed Krishna’s food like a hawk.

  A mischievous glint sparked in Krishna’s eyes. Before Renford could grab anything, Krishna leaned forward, slyly tapping a hidden bottle of hot sauce beneath the fries Renford was eyeing. Renford didn’t notice the stealthy addition, too focused on his victory.

  “Bet you won’t even know what hit you,” Krishna muttered under his breath as Renford grabbed the fries, digging into the steaming pile with gusto.

  It didn’t take long for the heat to hit Renford like a ton of bricks. His face flushed bright red, his eyes watering as he choked on the fiery burn. “What the—KRISHNA!” Renford howled, looking like he had just been set on fire. Krishna was on the floor, howling with laughter, practically rolling in his seat at the sight.

  “Just a little extra flavor for you,” Krishna said, casually wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. “Enjoy the spicy experience, my dude.”

  Malachi, who had been silently observing, rolled his eyes at the spectacle but clearly wasn’t going to let it slide. He moved in, nudging Krishna’s side in mock frustration. “You know, we really need to stop letting this place get out of hand…”

  Krishna smirked, then without any warning, grabbed Malachi and—yes, you guessed it—put him in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu move. Specifically, an Achilles tendon lock, because... well, he could. Malachi’s eyes widened in both confusion and slight pain, but he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him.

  “Dude!” Malachi growled, tapping out. “You know that’s illegal, right?” But Krishna wasn’t done. Before Malachi could even get comfortable again, Krishna quickly adjusted the move for round two. Malachi let out a dramatic sigh as he was once again caught in the maneuver.

  “I swear, one day you’re going to put me in a real hold, and I’m going to make you regret it,” Malachi muttered.

  Meanwhile, Yelena had taken a break from pranking everyone in sight and was now playfully tossing a rubber band at Aliyah, who was desperately trying to focus on a textbook. Every time Yelena aimed, Aliyah deflected it with a gust of wind, making the rubber bands go flying in every direction.

  “Come on, just let me read in peace,” Aliyah grumbled, shooting Yelena a sharp look, but Yelena only laughed, launching another rubber band.

  Toki had joined the fray as well, his shadows creeping across the classroom as he subtly manipulated them to steal pens, erasers, and a few student ID cards from his unsuspecting classmates. “What are you guys looking at?” he’d say with a mischievous grin, as if nothing was amiss. But the moment someone realized their stuff had gone missing, he would disappear into a cloud of darkness, only to reappear again moments later.

  And just when it seemed like the madness would never end, the footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy, deliberate steps that everyone in Class K had come to recognize. Dave. The legendary Chained Hero. His footsteps had a rhythm—a cadence that was unmistakable.

  The room instantly froze. Without missing a beat, Class K scrambled into their usual “we’re totally normal” positions. Chairs straightened. People who were mid-laugh quickly covered their faces or pretended to be deep in thought. Krishna casually dropped the Achilles lock on Malachi, who quickly sat up and adjusted his shirt. Yelena and Aliyah stopped their rubber band battle, both trying to act casual while glancing nervously at each other.

  When Dave walked in, he took a long, hard look at the room. Class K seemed eerily normal. Too normal. Like they had suddenly realized that they couldn’t risk getting caught in one of their usual chaotic states.

  Dave squinted, his steely eyes scanning the room, trying to figure out what had changed. But no, everything seemed perfectly... boring.

  “You guys are always the worst,” Dave muttered, shaking his head with a small smile that made it clear he wasn’t really mad, just amused by their antics. “I swear, you never take a break.”

  After making sure the class wasn’t planning anything too destructive, he turned around and walked out, muttering to himself about how Class K was “one step away from burning down the school with all the chaos they cause.”

  Outside the classroom, Dave met up with other heroes and began talking about his usual experience with Class K. “Honestly, they’re the most chaotic group of heroes I’ve ever seen. I can’t get anything done when they’re around. Half the time, I can’t even tell if they’re here to fight or start a party.” He chuckled to himself. “But... they get results. Just don’t ask me to babysit them again.”

  And just like that, the calm outside the classroom lasted only a moment before the noise picked up again. Inside, Class K had returned to their rowdy, unpredictable selves, fully aware that Dave had no idea they were all just moments away from turning the next break into absolute pandemonium.