Amused by the foolish display of heroism, Tuberous signaled for three or four Sulkers to take care of the small annoyance. The minions scrambled towards the PE teacher, unleashing psychic attacks with every couple of steps.

 

The PE teacher quickly adopted a stance with his left foot planted firmly before him while his right foot gently touched the ground behind him on two toes. With a quick look at his surroundings, he confirmed the attack range of his kicks. As soon as one of the Sulkers entered his attack range, the man struck fast and furious.

 

WHACK! WHACK! WHAM!

 

Two quick bursts of a basic kick sent the Sulker off the ground a couple of inches. A spin kick follow-up repelled the minion out of the attack range. Each kick struck key acupressure points of a human body. Since Sulkers were basically corrupted versions of human beings, their vital areas were similar.

 

The principal watching the whole spectacle from his office couldn’t help but gape in astonishment. The three kicks were well executed. It seemed that the PE teacher would have to study martial arts for a good number of years in order to do something like that. While keeping his eyes on the fight, Principal Jones pulled out a folder from a cabinet and revisited the file he had on the PE teacher.

 

Joseph Liu…age 31…Asian American…no college degree but at least passed high school. The man came in for the job interview drunk, and he barely passed the physical exam to become an assistant PE teacher. Because of the school’s plan to diversify its faculty, we gave him the position. Though he’s not that social, he’s worked at Gracemer Academy for two years before finally promoting to the official position. As for his interests…he plays the flute?

 

“There’s nothing outstanding about his resume and he didn’t mention he could fight. I might need to have a brief talk with him if he survives this battle.” The principal clenched the window sill.

 

Joseph crouched down to dodge a repulsive attack that whiffed past his head. Spinning like a flowing stream, he knocked one Sulker down with a low roundhouse kick. However, another minion tackled him from his blind spot, knocking him off his feet. To avoid the incoming psychic attacks, he quickly rolled out of the way before scrambling back up.

 

Joseph surveyed his surroundings, taking note of the positions of each Sulker nearby. With a ferocious pounce, he lunged towards the closest one, sending it flying with a spear kick. The man knew that these minions were students corrupted by chaos energy, but he did not care.

 

Being raised in a Chinese family, he grew up under the iron rule of the feather duster. It didn’t turn him into a prosperous man but at least he didn’t walk down the evil path. As such, Joseph believed that administering some form of corporal punishment was a viable method in teaching children right from wrong.

 

Joseph bobbed and weaved around a few more repulsions before unleashing a flurry of fast toe jabs at some charging minions, stopping them dead in their tracks. Seeing the man skillfully dealing with the Sulkers, Tuberous harrumphed and signaled a few more to join in the attack.

 

The Asian man was only one person, and he could only deal with a couple of enemies at a time. As the Sulkers surrounded him, the man could feel the pressure of the attacks. Joseph was pushed to a corner. Not to mention attacking, he could barely dodge. Suddenly, he was siderailed by a psychic attack and his tempo was blown off track. More and more hits struck home and the man could only cover his head as he fell from the beating.

 

But he did not give up. Joseph was still clear-minded as he tried to find a way out of his predicament. And then, he heard it. Sounds of hurried footsteps lumbered towards him. The footsteps were firm and resolute. A potential ally has joined in the battle!

 

The principal felt despair when he saw Joseph fall from the numerous attacks. However, as a bystander, Principal Jones saw the newcomer before he arrived on the scene. The man wore a distinctive light-green collared shirt paired with a dark-green tie. In his hands, he carried a metallic meter stick with one end wrapped in duct tape and a metallic protractor with the flat side covered with duct tape as well.

 

This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. The man was preparing since the start of the conflict. The man rushed into the field with steady steps and shouldered a Sulker out of the way. Before the others could respond, he punched out with his protractor and swung swiftly with his meter stick.

 

In a matter of seconds, the man arrived next to the battered PE teacher. “You alright? Can you get up?”

 

The man in green reached over to clasp Joseph’s hand. With strength disproportioned to his body shape, the white man pulled the PE teacher to his feet. Joseph gingerly touched his bruised jaw and muttered a word of thanks. The two turned their backs against each other and focused on the incoming Sulkers.

 

Meanwhile, Principal Jones mused over the appearance of the newcomer as he stroked his graying beard. In his other hand laid open a file containing the resume of the man in green. Like the PE teacher, this man was not chosen for his knowledge and elitism but rather as a means to diversify the academy’s faculty.

 

Shawn Foley…age 28…Irish American. Received a degree in mathematics at a community college. I especially remembered this guy since he was one of the few who were trying to change his career. I think, in the past, he said he worked as a stuntman.

 

Principal Jones watched the two fight cooperatively. Both were athletic and knew their way around a group fight. Joseph had pulled off one of his sandals and was whacking the minions like they were moles. Shawn’s movements were pretty rough and those swings weren’t really something one would expect from swordplay or bladeplay. But one could appreciate his ability to parry and strike. Could he have picked up a thing or two from his previous job?

 

The principal glanced over at the Masked Reformers with melancholy. There was no hope for the old team. Anyone could see what kind of state they were in. Maybe he could recruit these two men to replace the old team. But, he still needed three more courageous people to step up and take the mantle of responsibility.

 

As he oversaw the battlefield, he noticed a couple of figures hiding behind some trees a few meters off in the distance….

 

“W-What’s happening? Who are they? Who is that!? Am I d-dreaming?” An elderly man rambled as his eyes glued onto the bulbous monster frolicking about in the midst of disorder.

 

Meanwhile, a young woman wearing a yellow blouse cradled herself as she stuffed her ears with her hands. “I d-don’t see anything…I don’t h-hear anything…it’s all fake…it’s all fake.”

 

By her side, a chubby man glistening in sweat silently cheered on the fight. “Come on! That’s it! Give that bastard the ole uppercut! The upper! Upper! Sylvia, don’t be scared. I’m here for y-aish! Come on, what are you doing, you ikemen! Use your upper!”

 

There were a few others who just hid themselves without making a squeak. Everyone in this small cluster had different reactions to the fight that took place. However, when the PE teacher dropkicked a Sulker and sent it flying in their direction, they all tensed up as they poked their heads out to look at the collapsed minion.

 

The unfazed Sulker, buffed with corruption, leaped back on its feet and hissed at those hiding nearby. Terrified, everyone scattered…everyone except the woman in the yellow blouse. Her legs betrayed her as she stayed rooted to the spot. Her eyes widened in horror as the Sulker inched towards her menacingly.

 

Sylvia couldn’t believe her terrible luck. She was just a small-time English teacher. Why did fate have to treat her unjustly so? She had just finished teaching her first class of the day and wanted to sip on some apple juice while basking under the sunlight. But now, she's caught in such a mess. As the Sulker charged towards her, Sylvia could only scream for help.

 

Suddenly, a portly figure stood before her. It was the security officer who ran away earlier after saying that he would protect her. Guess he DID have a conscience. He was trembling with fright, though, but he still managed to shield her from the Sulker. Sylvia glanced at the man with surprise as her impression of him improved slightly.

 

The security officer whipped out a T-baton in one hand and a taser in the other and tried to drive away the Sulker, but its cries drew more Sulkers towards them. Grabbing by the long end, the obese man waved his baton around clumsily. The only times he ever used it was to scare off smokers and beat back rude delinquents. He haven’t really used it to actively attack someone before.

 

As he flailed wildly, maybe one or two swings would connect. However, the majority of the swings struck air. Suddenly, there was a sharp crack followed by a flash of black smacking across a Sulker’s cheek, sending it tumbling to the ground. Surprised by the sudden attack, the Sulkers and the two humans turned to look at the attacker.

 

A flurry of red followed by a pair of slender, unblemished pieces of God’s creation immediately attracted the security officer’s eyes. What a beautiful pair of legs! The chubby man couldn’t help but drool a bit as his eyes turned into hearts…much to Sylvia’s chagrin, who’s view of him dropped back down to before.

 

The beauty in red expertly wielded her long whip-like object with each lash sending a Sulker rearing back. As she strutted towards the two adults, she fought off the Sulkers with more enthusiasm than normal. Her head was slightly lowered but if anyone could see her expression, it was that of pure bliss.

 

She coughed elegantly for a bit before raising her head to look at the security officer and Sylvia. “Mr. Bates…Miss Pembroke, are you two okay?”

 

“We’re fine, Ms. Walker, thank you for helping us.” Sylvia nodded back as she elbowed the security officer since he was still staring at the woman in red with googly eyes.

 

“Please, just call me Rachel.” Rachel smiled brilliantly.

 

“Okay, Rachel, you can call me Teo.” Mr. Bates wiped away some slobber with the edge of his sleeve.

 

“Call her Ms. Walker, Mr. Bates. You’re not close to her!” Sylvia kicked Teo.

 

“You’re not close with Rachel either!” Teo dodged as he retorted back.

 

“You–!” Sylvia pointed, surprised that Teo would talk back to her.

 

“Relax! It’s fine.” Rachel chuckled as the woman held up a hand to mediate the two. “By the way, just to clarify, my pronouns are they and them not she and her.”

 

“O-Oh…okay.” Sylvia blushed unknowingly as she realized her mistake.

 

“Enough of the small talk. Let’s focus more on what’s going on here.” Rachel smiled as they tugged on their flogger.  

 

While the Teo and Rachel defended and protected Sylvia, the young woman started throwing whatever she could get her hands on at the minions. It started with sand and pebbles but quickly, she turned to bigger rocks and even broken bricks.

 

However, a repulsive psychic attack landed by their feet, sending sand and dust flying. Avoiding the scattered debris, the three adults separated from each other. Sylvia stumbled back, tripping over Elia’s cold body lying askew on some pavement. Her hands reached out subconsciously and touched the yellow handbook.

 

A voice echoed in her mind.

 

IF YOU WANT POWER, USE THE HANDBOOK!

 

“W-Who? Who’s talking? Who said that?” Sylvia held the handbook up to her chest defensively and looked around in slight panic.

 

NOW’S NOT THAT TIME FOR THAT! DO YOU WANT POWER OR NOT?

 

“I-I do…I do want power!” Sylvia firmly replied. “What…what should I do to get power?”

 

OPEN THE HANDBOOK, READ THE TRIGGER WORDS, AND TOUCH THE PAGES WITH AN OBJECT TO ACTIVATE THE HANDBOOK.

 

“Open the handbook? I-I think I saw her do it too.” Sylvia muttered as she turned to look at Elia.

 

The young woman stood up and opened the yellow handbook. The first page had the school’s insignia as well as a black-and-white picture of a grizzly bear. A few words were neatly printed under the picture.

 

Sylvia took a deep breath and read the words. “Soul of the E-Educator. Y-Yellow Reformer.”

 

Sylvia patted herself for an object to use and pulled out a small notebook out of her breast pocket. She tapped the notebook on the handbook. Suddenly, a mechanical voice played out from the metal covering of the handbook.

 

DING! TO DEVELOP AND TEMPER THE PERSONALITY AND MIND OF THE STUDENT!

 

Before Sylvia could react, the yellow handbook scattered into millions of brightly yellow-colored particles. The particles surrounded Sylvia before solidifying and transforming into the teacher’s battlesuit. The sudden transformation surprised the young woman as she dropped her small notebook.

 

Principal Jones couldn’t help but yelp in surprise as well when he saw the transformation. He did not know that Sylvia could transform like that without much problem, even if he had given her some instructions via the handbook. Looking at the battlesuit, he could tell that the synchronization was nearly perfect. The principal reached into the cabinet and pulled out three more files.

 

Sylvia Pembroke…aged 25…born and raised in New York City. There’s not much to talk about her except that she came from a family of nobler status. Her father is a renowned novelist while her mother is a famous singer. Like her parents, she studied words and came to this school to become an English teacher. Her qualifications are decent and she has a superb memory.

 

Theodore…no, I mean…Teo Bates…aged 28…moved to the states from Canada. Used to be a food blogger but became a security officer at our academy due to some personal reasons that he would not say. There’s not much to say about him either except that he had displayed pretty good reflexes for someone his size. I especially remember this guy as he was the only interviewee who brought snacks and drinks for the interviewers.

 

Rachel Walker…aged 33…moved here from the Bay Area. Didn’t really said what she did for work previously but she did mention that she provided therapy services for high-end clients. We suggested that she could apply for a counselor position at our academy, but it seemed that she was adamant on the Arts and Crafts teacher job. She said she had experience painting and building…swings?

 

As Sylvia and the others marveled at her new outfit in amazement, a Sulker rushed towards the new Yellow Reformer. The security officer called out in warning. Sylvia, in a state of panic, thrust out her hands in an attempt to push away the attacker. Suddenly, a large book flew out of nowhere and smacked the Sulker in the head, knocking it out. The book flew back to Sylvia and floated around her.

 

Sylvia looked at the book in surprise. “W-What’s this?”

 

THIS IS YOUR WEAPON.

 

A voice in her helmet told her that the book was her main weapon – that it was the small book she had previously used to tap on the yellow handbook. Somehow, when she dropped the book in surprise, the small book had enlarged in size without her notice. Now, it floated around her and moved according to her will. With a reliable weapon coupled with the power from the suit, Sylvia bravely charged into the fray and even managed to fend off a couple of Sulkers.

 

“Wow, look at her go!” Teo exclaimed as he marveled at the transformation. Unlike his fellow colleagues, Teo was a big fan of superheroes.

 

“What amazing power! Imagine the pain and pleasure I could deal if I had something similar!” Rachel unabashedly muttered, their voice somewhat low so that Teo or Sylvia could not hear what they had said.

 

Perturbed by the abilities of the suit, Teo and Rachel also wondered if they too could power up if they found a handbook to use. The duo searched around and saw the blue handbook by Janet’s unconscious body as well as the red handbook next to Kevan’s battered state.

 

Teo reached out for the red one but it was immediately snatched away by Rachel. He was about to retort, but when the beauty winked at him charmingly, he could only swallow his words and smile foolishly. The security officer lumbered towards the blue handbook and picked it up. Similarly, a mechanical voice resounded in their minds.

 

OPEN THE HANDBOOK, READ THE TRIGGER WORDS, AND TOUCH THE PAGES WITH AN OBJECT TO ACTIVATE THE HANDBOOK.

 

They were both surprised as well, but they quickly acknowledged the voice and opened their respective handbooks. On the blue handbook, aside from the school’s insignia, there was a black-and-white picture of an elephant. As for the red handbook, there was a picture of a mountain lion. Words appeared below the pictures as the duo read them out loud.

 

“Heart of the Educator! Blue Reformer!” Teo tapped his T-baton on the blue handbook.

 

“Passion of the Educator. Red Reformer.” Rachel nonchalantly replied as they placed their flogger on the red handbook.

 

The two handbooks burst into particles and enveloped the two new Reformers. In a matter of seconds, they too transformed into the Blue and Red Reformers. Surprisingly, the battlesuits were able to stretch and entirely cover the two adults’ curves. Teo marveled at his increase in overall combat ability while Rachel couldn’t help but admire the sleekness of their battlesuit.

 

Intrigued by the transformations and the benefits they bring, Shawn picked up a green handbook and kicked the remaining black one towards the PE teacher. While tumbling towards Joseph, the black handbook opened and the PE teacher stopped it with his sandal. The green handbook had a picture of an alligator while the black handbook had an image of a wild turkey.

 

“Body of the Educator! Green Reformer!” Shawn roared as he tapped the bandaged end of his meter stick on the green handbook.

 

“Force of the Educator. Uh…Black Reformer.” Joseph eyed the other Sulkers, daring them to come up.

 

Similarly, the two handbooks dispersed and enveloped the two men. Soon, they also transformed into the Green and Black Reformers. Joseph glanced down in surprise to see that his sandal had increased in size and became slightly slenderer at the heel end. He reached down to pick it up and found that it fit in his hand more snuggly than before.

 

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Joseph replied, a bit overly enthusiastic.

 

The five started to converge together as they fought back. Sylvia manipulated her book to whack the backs of the Sulkers’ heads while Teo swung his baton and zapped his taser. Rachel watched their rear as they whipped some Sulkers into shape.

 

Meanwhile, Joseph was on a kicking spree as he efficiently kicked each Sulker in the crotch, causing them to lower their heads so that he could deal the finishing blow with his large sandal. Shawn was busy dodging psychic attacks while blowing away Sulkers with his meter stick. Overall, the five new Masked Reformers fared better than the previous team.

 

And this brought joy and hope to the principal. Upon seeing them transform and deal with the Sulkers with relative ease, Principal Jones couldn’t help but smile as he saw victory in the near future. He was a bit concerned with Joseph’s ball-busting moves as well as the obvious and suspicious excitement coming from Rachel, but that was beside the point. The point was that they were winning. The five displayed their skills and defeated the rest of the Sulkers.

 

An enraged Tuberous roared with disappointment as it entered the battle and confronted the Masked Reformers. “Impossible! How are you doing better than the first team? You are but a bunch of half-assed misfits! Impossible! I can’t fail, I can’t fail!”

 

The bulbous monster disregarded the attacks the Reformers threw at it and charged towards Joseph like a mad bull. “Body Slam!”

 

Right before impact, Tuberous expanded in size and mass which increased its attack power by nearly double. The monster’s hardened body smashed into the Black Reformer, sending him tumbling into the Green Reformer. The Yellow Reformer swatted Tuberous heavily with her big book, but only made it turn its cheek slightly in annoyance.

 

Tuberous was about to snarl some expletives when the Blue Reformer cursed at its mother and stuck his taser into the monster’s side. A full blast of 50,000 volts rushed through Tuberous’s nervous system, causing some tingling and mild paralysis. However, the monster recovered quickly with its superhuman endurance and swatted the fat man off his feet.

 

It turned towards Sylvia with its mouth opened and screamed. “Shriek Bomb!”

 

A high-pitched, ear-piercing ball of turbulent sound formed from Tuberous’s mouth and hurled itself towards Sylvia. The Yellow Reformer waved her book in front of her like a shield, blocking the brunt of the sound bomb. However, even though the momentum disappeared, the sound was still there. The dissonant noise exploded near Sylvia, stirring her insides and weakening her body.

 

The Yellow Reformer stumbled but was supported by the Red Reformer. Rachel looked at the chubby man lying face first on the ground with his plump butt sticking up. The Red Reformer couldn’t help but smile as they strapped their flogger and aimed at Teo’s tush.

 

CRACK!

 

“YEEEOOWWW!” Teo roared as he leaped to his feet, his hand rubbing his left butt cheek as he winced in pain.

 

The security officer turned to see who had hit him and found Rachel chuckling and winking in his direction. Teo grimaced and blushed, an unlikely combo of emotions, but slapped himself awake when he sensed the killing intent surrounding Sylvia.

 

“Now, now. Sylvia, I’m just teasing Teo. No need to get so worked up about it.” Rachel also sensed the young woman’s ferocious aura.

 

“Who cares what he likes! Hmph!” Sylvia snapped as she threw her book at Tuberous.

 

“Hahahaha!” Shawn roared heartily with laughter as he stood up.

 

The comedy between the three had helped him relax. Even Joseph chuckled a bit. Having loosened up, the five were able to focus on their opponent. Joseph, Shawn, and Teo rushed in to deal melee damage while Sylvia distracted it with her flying book. Rachel stayed by Sylvia’s side to protect her as they fended off incoming Shriek Bombs with their flogger.

 

Slowly but surely, a blow struck home and Tuberous felt that its time had neared to an end. The bulbous monster could not believe that this raggedy band of misfits could actually prove themselves to be its bane. They were too dangerous to the Seven’s cause. If it were to die, it must take at least one of them with it.

 

A glint flashed in its eyes as it reached out and bear-hugged the Green Reformer. With an iron grip and a fierce determination, it mentally roared out its final move – Tumor Explosion. Tumor Explosion was a powerful and deadly self-destruction technique where Tuberous would generate enough heat within its body that it started to mutate the tumors and spread its growth. In a matter of seconds, a massive explosion would occur, releasing all of the pent-up heat that had been produced.

 

“That suicidal resolve…Red! Pull Green out!” Joseph commanded as he noticed something unusual in the Tuberous’s state.

 

The Black Reformer bounded towards the bulbous monster and aimed two heavy strikes towards Tuberous’s right shoulder. Two booms followed the two heavy sandal chops. Before the monster could react, its shoulder went limp as strength seeped out from its arm. Its shoulder had been dislocated!

 

While Joseph quickly retreated, Rachel wrapped their flogger around Shawn’s neck and yanked him free. Luckily, the battlesuit protected Shawn from any unnecessary choking. As the Green Reformer broke free from its grasps, Tuberous raved in foaming anger. It had already executed Tumor Explosion. There was no turning back. Before it could utter another word, a giant crack appeared on its body as intense heat flowed out.

 

BOOM!

 

The five Masked Reformers hit the deck, covering their vitals as the explosive debris bombarded them. Soon after the fiery blast, they picked themselves up and surveyed the scene. Sulkers, corrupted by chaos energy, started reverting back to their original states. The students seemed to be a bit battered and bruised, but nothing serious.

 

The five new Reformers had already deactivated their suits and rushed over to help the students. Apparently, those who were corrupted could not remember much of what had transpired. A group of ambulances soon arrived as paramedics rushed into the scene to check up on the survivors.

 

A white cloth was placed over Elia’s body, covering her face. Unfortunately, she had passed away due to too much damage and blood loss. The other four were in critical condition as they were quickly transported to the emergency room.

 

After the five new Reformers checked up on the students to make sure they were okay, they quickly went on their separate ways. The whole ordeal was a lot to process. They, who were forced to do something in this particular situation, needed time to adjust. While they continued about their jobs, two groups were busy deciding their fates.

 

One was Principal Jones who was in the process of organizing the five’s character profiles before emailing them to the higher ups in the Reformation Program. The other…was a young student? No…the demeanor of the young student wasn’t that of an adolescent but rather one wise with age.

 

“So…Tuberous lost, eh?” The young student stroked his beardless chin as he gazed at the aftermath of the battlefield from a nearby rooftop.

 

The thought of his subordinate dying to a bunch of newbies angered him as he slammed his clenched hand on the railing, leaving behind a sizeable dent. Suddenly, six more figures of immense power appeared behind the young student, their figures blurred and hidden within the shadows.

 

One figure pulled out a hand mirror and gazed into it for a while before casting gazes at the young student by the railing. “Frenzy, your little toy is all broken to pieces. What a disappointment.”

 

The young student, Frenzy, didn’t know whether the figure was mocking his monster or him. He looked back with uncaring eyes and remarked. “You narcissistic bastard. If you got what it takes, why don’t you send in one of yours and see whether it’s a disappointment or not?”

 

The figure, unaffected by Frenzy’s snarling comment, gently tucked the hand mirror back into his jacket. “Alright Frenzy. Let I, Privilege, show you how it’s done.”

 

With that said, Privilege disappeared followed by the other five. Frenzy clenched his teeth as he continued staring at the battle-ridden school grounds. After some time, he too vanished into thin air.