Due to what had happened earlier, the principal decided to give the students and faculty staff the day off. Not many recalled what had happened and those who were corrupted somehow had their memories erased of the events that occurred. Maybe it was due to some sort of fail-safe that the monsters implemented during the corruption process.

 

Even those who weren’t corrupted seemed to have had their memories altered. They could only remember that an ugly man came to the school grounds and attacked the students and faculty nearby, which explained the police and ambulances that arrived soon after.

 

Those who were not close to the battle site could not see what had happened. They could only get their information from the rumors that circulated around. As for what was true and what was false, that was up to them to decide.

 

But what was constant for everyone was that five teachers who tried to stop the man were either injured, in a coma, or dead. Many students mourned the loss of Elia, one of the best teachers they had have. They would lay down flowers on the school grounds where the battle took place and write kind words on her nameplate.

 

While everyone went home or to their dorms, Principal Jones was in a private hospital at the foot of the mountains. He frowned deeply as he watched over the statuses of the five original Masked Reformers lying in their beds. Janet was beaten to a coma. Kevan and Curtis were both severely damaged, their entire bodies covered with cloth bandages and casts.

 

Elia was dead, her face covered with a white cloth as nurses wheeled her out of the room. Lastly, John fared better. Though he wasn’t severely damaged, he was traumatized by the experience. His responses were slow and it seemed that he had devolved into an idiot. The chances of any of these remaining four teachers recovering before the school year ends were slim.

 

For such a big matter to occur, the principal did not report to the parents for fear of stirring up panic and chaos. Instead, he reported the situation back to the higher-ups in the Reformative Program via a conference call. The principal gave a quick report on the statuses of the original team and their chances of recovery. Then, he spoke to them about the five new Masked Reformers as well as his thoughts on their first battle.

 

“As I iterated before, the old team suffered heavy casualties. There wasn’t any choice! I had to make the decision of forming a team quickly in order to combat the monster.” Principal Jones retorted when asked why he gave the handbooks’ access to untrained civilians.

 

Situated on the left side of the screen was the leader of the Reformation Program. The man had a graying mustache and wore a pair of owl-ridged spectacles. His hair parted in an 8:2 fashion and he spoke with a New York accent.

 

As for the man on the right of the screen, he was the general responsible for the supernatural division. The man had a rough, typical veteran appearance. He bit an unlit cigar as he argued with the principal.

 

“I say! And I say, how are you sure they are up to the task? If it was me, I’d taken away the handbooks and give it to the next group of elites! Elites, I say!” The general spat out.

 

“General Harris, they have proven themselves by defeating the first monster! I know I shouldn’t have forced this situation on them like that, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They may be diamonds in the rough!” Principal Jones complimented the new team. “Besides, the next group aren’t prepared to go against the enemies.

 

“Huh! You think you’re so smart just because you know a few quotes? If the next group isn’t prepared, how are you sure this ragtag band of misfits will be? Are you sure they’re actually diamonds? I won’t say anything about the PE teacher and the ex-stuntman, but the fatass and the delicate city girl…do they scream ‘diamonds’ to you?” The veteran questioned as he pointed at the pictures of Teo and Sylvia.

 

“Well…I know they don’t look much, but I’m sure they each have their own perks.” The principal reasoned as he, too, somewhat doubt the capabilities of the duo. “But either way, need I remind you, they at least managed to defeat a monster that the elite team could not.”

 

“Alright, alright. Arguing won’t solve anything Harris. Jones, tell me…what are we going to do next? Can we really depend on these five people?” The leader of the Reformation Program mediated.

 

“Fine, I won’t argue with you. I suggest we put a probation period on them and see if they are truly capable. I don’t trust our advanced technology on them.” General Harris acquiesced.

 

“Alright, I agree. Let’s do a week of probation.” Principal Jones nodded.

 

“A week?” General Harris exploded again. “That’s too short! At least a month!”

 

“A month? Do you hear yourself? The Seven Corruptions are here! A lot of things could happen to the team in a month!” Principal Jones protested as he eyed the general and the leader. “Who knows what monstrosities they will encounter in month? This new team needs to be well-equipped for what’s to come. Depriving them of their things would only prove disastrous!”

 

“A week it is.” The leader of the Reformation Program agreed before anyone else could interject. “After a week, if the team survives, we’ll upgrade them.”

 

After the principal ended the conference call, the three men went on their separate ways. General Harris pulled out another cigar and lit it, but he did not lift it to his lips. He stared trance-like at the wispy smoke as he pondered on the next step. He still disagreed with the new team and felt that they would only drag down their centuries of preparation. Shaking his head, he mashed the cigar on the ash tray and pulled out a cellphone. After pressing four buttons, he placed it to his ear and waited.

 

DRRRIIINNNNGG! DRRRIIIINNNNGGG! DRRIII–!

 

CLICK!

 

“Hello?” A gruff voice answered.

 

“Activate Operation Wolf.” General Harris replied before hanging up without waiting for a response.

 

The general rubbed his eyes gently as he sighed deeply. Meanwhile, the leader of the Reformation Program forwarded all the information provided by Principal Jones to the Research Division and ordered them to prepare for equipment modifications. Afterwards, he also picked up his phone and made a call. It was to the Elite Division.

 

When the other side picked up, he instructed. “Continue training the next elites. Speed up their process and have them look over the new items the Research Division will be creating. Have them familiarize themselves with the items no matter how lame they looked. Understood?”

 

“Understood.” Came the short response before the other end hung up.

 

The leader hung up as well as he slouched on his comfortable chair. Like General Harris, he also didn’t trust the new team. He would have the Research Division make new items based on this team, but he doubt they would live long enough to use them. Thus, it seemed best if the new group of elites were to train using these weapons in case the worst-case scenario occurred. While the leader relaxed, the principal of Wild Academy left his office soon after the call. He made a trip to the hospital once more to check up on the five original Masked Reformers before leaving for home.

 

The next day….

 

As the students chat while loitering outside the academy, waiting till the last minute before going to class, the principal called Joseph, Shawn, Teo, Rachel, and Sylvia to his office. Principal Jones wondered about what he should say to these five. Where should he start? Of course, before he even began, he noticed Teo walking up to him sheepishly and handing him a bag of what smelled like freshly-baked pastries.

 

“H-Here’s a little bit of something something for you. Hope you go easy on me.” Teo looked down at his feet as if he was a young child caught for doing something bad.

 

Principal Jones chuckled before tossing the bag back to the chubby security officer. “I know that’s your breakfast, Theodore. You’re not in trouble. Why? Did you do something that requires giving me food bribes?”

 

“No! No…I didn’t do anything wrong.” Teo exclaimed as he reached into his bag hungrily and pulled out a chocolate croissant.

 

“Oh.” The principal raised his brows and stared at Teo with an amused look.

 

“I swear!” Teo exclaimed as he held the half-eaten croissant in his mouth and raised his left hand up while placing his right hand on his chest.

 

“Fine, I trust you won’t do anything too demeaning.” The principal replied.

 

“Why did you call us in today sir?” Shawn asked as he noticed that the people in the room all had something to do with yesterday’s incident. Was their secret exposed?

 

Sylvia also noticed the same thing as she timidly inquired. “D-Did you see w-what had h-happened?”

 

The principal nodded as he looked at the expressions of the five adults. Joseph frowned a bit but didn’t say much. Shawn and Teo felt some panic as their faces flushed. Sylvia hid her face in her hands in embarrassment while Rachel only chuckled.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m on your side. Your secrets are safe.” Principal Jones waved his hand dismissively.

 

As Teo and Sylvia sighed in relief, Shawn questioned the principal’s intentions. “What do you mean? A-Are you related to all of what happened yesterday?”

“Somewhat.” Principal Jones nodded. “I’m part of a special military program known as the Reformation Program. We knew that these monsters would attack our academy, but we didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

 

“You kn-knew? Why didn’t you have the military come over to protect us?” Sylvia couldn’t help but ask.

 

“The military aren’t specially equipped to handle these situations. Even if they came in numbers, they won’t be of much use. We were able to produce some equipment through the centuries of research, but only have enough for a small team.” The principal explained.

 

“Were those teachers part of all this too?” Rachel asked as they pulled out their handbook. “Is this the technology you meant?”

 

“Yes, those teachers were an elite team that had undergone rigorous training from our program. Those handbooks you have are the byproduct of our many years of research, which transforms the users into a superhero team called the Masked Reformers.” Principal Jones nodded. “The handbooks were supposedly made for the elite team, but you were chosen to take their place after their fall.”

 

“Chosen? You mean that voice?” Sylvia recalled the mechanical voice from her handbook.

 

“That voice was from me.” Principal Jones replied, much to the shock of everyone else in the room. “I was observing the battle from my office yesterday. When I saw you stepping up despite clear disadvantages, I took a chance. Luckily it all worked out.”

 

“Yea, luckily.” Teo muttered before Sylvia elbowed him in the ribs.

 

“So what now?” Rachel wanted to know what would happen to them from now on.

 

“Well…I was thinking you five would stay–.” Principal Jones began but he was interrupted by a sudden outburst.

 

“No! Never! I-I can’t go through something like that again!” Sylvia immediately rejected as she pulled out the yellow handbook from her bag and placed it on the principal’s desk. “You can have this back. I’m done. I’m sorry.”

 

“N-No need to apologize, Miss Pembroke, I understand.” Principal Jones uttered, a little caught off guard by the immediate rejection. “Thank you for being considerate and I hope you can keep all of this a secret.”

 

“I will.” Sylvia sniffed before excusing herself from the room.

 

The principal scratched his beard in contemplation and looked at the other four. Before he could speak, Joseph pulled out the black handbook and placed it on top of the yellow handbook. He gave a small bow and followed Sylvia out the room. It wasn’t that the PE teacher was scared of what’s to come like Sylvia was, but rather, he just felt that it would be too much of a hassle.

 

Principal Jones sighed. He hadn’t expected one of the two muscles of the team to leave. He glanced hopefully at Shawn and noticed the man’s heroic expression. Shawn had decided to stay. He had felt that it was the right thing to do. Since he was chosen, he had the responsibility to see it through.

 

Pleased with Shawn’s decision, the principal turned his attention towards Teo and Rachel. “Will you two stay and continue being Masked Reformers for the sake of this academy and its students?”

 

“Definitely!” Teo pounded his chest as he felt that the handbook’s power was a chance for a higher calling. Not to mention, he had always wanted to be a superhero ever since he read his first comic book.

 

Rachel also agreed without any argument. Unlike Teo and Shawn who acknowledged the responsibility, Rachel just secretly wanted to exercise their dominance and deal out some pleasurable punishments. Of course, Principal Jones didn’t know what they were thinking and assumed that they agreed due to their duty as a teacher.

 

“Principal Jones, can you tell us some more about what we’re dealing with here?” Surprisingly, Teo took the initiative and asked.

 

“Sure, let me briefly explain from the beginning. Some hundreds of years ago, our academy’s founder received a prophecy spelling the disaster that would befall the academy as well as the doom of all humanity.

 

The perpetrators are known as the Seven Corruptions. They are demons whose goal was to possess the academy’s students and infiltrate the noble society in order to wreak havoc and sow dissent and eventually enslave all of humanity.

 

Our founder, along with a few others, formed the Reformation Program in order to prepare for the disaster. There are two divisions in the program – the Research Division and the Elite Division. I am part of the Elite Division.

 

The Elite Division trains a team for each generation of principals. The team is placed on standby within the faculty and is prepared to go into combat the minute our academy detects the Corruptions’ presence. I, as this generation’s principal, managed the former Masked Reformers.

 

The Research Division specializes in advanced technology and ritual magic in order to create and provide equipment for the elite team. Later, I will introduce you to them and have you upgraded with better equipment that suits your fighting styles.

 

Currently, because you are an external factor, the Reformation Program as well as the military that supports it had decided to place you under probation in order to see how well you fare this coming week. But, I’m sure you’ll be able to get through it even without the other two’s help.” Principal Jones optimistically replied.

 

This massive info dump took a while to digest, but after a few minutes, the three Masked Reformers were able to acknowledge and accept the information. Teo more so than Shawn and Rachel as he believed that such lore was iconic in a superhero setting. It was at this time when Shawn voiced his concerns.

 

“We might do we well this coming week with just the three of us, but what about later on? Don’t we need five? Who will replace the other two?” Shawn asked.

 

“It’s true that we need five as some equipment you will be using later on requires five people to control. I’m not sure who we can expect to replace the other two, but I’ll notify the Reformation Program later on and have them decide on the replacements.” Principal Jones slowly enunciated. “It could be two of our best from the previous generation of elites or someone from the military.”

 

After resolving a part of their worries, the principal dismissed the three. He didn’t immediately report to the higher-ups about the vacancy of two of the Masked Reformers. He had hoped that maybe, as the week goes by, Joseph and Sylvia would come to their senses and acknowledge their rightful duties as heroes and guardians of this academy.

 

And so, the day went by without a hitch. The principal had to substitute some teachers to replace the ones who suffered accidents yesterday, but it didn’t affect the students’ studying all that much. There were some conspiracy theories about what had really happened but such gossip could not stand firm as the student council made short work of it upon the principal’s request.

 

Finally, when the last bell rang, it was time for a school pep rally. The academy’s soccer team had made it into the state finals and will be squaring off against their long-time rivals – the Telamar Academy soccer team. Those who wanted to attend could do so, but a pep rally wasn’t generally all that interesting. To the young students, compared to video games and VR capsules, it seemed more of a waste of social time.

 

Nevertheless, the soccer team attended as required along with a few groups from each grade. In a matter of minutes, the gym bleachers were loosely filled with chatty students. As soon as the hour reached its end, the assembly began. A teacher approached the podium in the middle of the gym and gave a detailed summary of the exploits of the soccer team leading up to the finals.

 

After the speech, a group of cheerleaders organized a performance and a cheer to boost morality. They pranced around the stage energetically and flipped all over the place. The performance exuded confidence and inspiration as the boys on the bleachers whistled and cheered. The cheerleaders led one last chant before bowing their heads for a finale.

 

As the gym quietened and the audience watched with anticipation, a cloaked figure walked through the gym doors towards the center. The hidden figure drew the eyes of everyone present as he carried something large and wrapped with cloth over his shoulder. Was this part of the show? Was that a guitar over his shoulder?

 

Suddenly, the cloaked figure flung back his cloak with a flourish and revealed his stately and grotesque appearance. The large item over his shoulder was revealed to be a giant golden spoon. The figure was a bipedal demon of sorts wearing a crown and displaying a majestic aura.

 

Dark chaotic energy seeped out from the monster’s body and possessed the cheerleaders beside him, transforming them into yellowish costumed imps. The minions dropped their pom-poms and giggled through their masks which had up-arrows for eyes.

 

The demon released a sigh of satisfaction and glanced at the scared students and faculty before him. “Please to make your acquaintance. I am Prince.”