Inspired by OK K.O.! Let’s be Heroes
By cartoons4ever77
Carol arrived in a room that heavily resembled a dojo, with her classmates just as confused by the setup. Including herself, there were only sixteen students in the room, with the teacher nowhere in sight. However, she and the others were caught off-guard when after taking their seats, a puff of smoke appeared in front of them that made them gasp in shock. When the smoke cleared, her and her class gasped in amazement.
Their teacher appeared to be a middle-aged, well-toned, fair-skinned man with thinning black hair, a matching goatee, and cerulean eyes. He wore a white gi with a black belt, matching pants, and a red headband. This was Sensei Shen, a long-retired hero and former member of POINT.
Carol knew all about Sensei Shen from his Pow Card, having amassed a sizeable collection over the years. In fact, he’d been one of the heroes that inspired Carol to become one herself. She couldn’t help but form an excited smile in his presence.
“Greetings, young heroes. It’s an honor to meet you all,” Sensei Shen said amicably as he flashed them a warm smile. “You are quite lucky to have gotten me as your teacher, but none of you would be here if you weren’t qualified.”
“It’s an honor, Sensei Shen!” the entire class declared as they bowed their heads in respect for the seasoned hero.
“Please, you youngsters make me feel like I’m a million-years-old!” Sensei Shen said, flattered by such early praise. He then formed a serious expression and said, “But be warned. Flattery gets you nowhere on the path of becoming a hero.”
“Of course, Sensei Shen!” Carol declared, which instantly made all eyes in the room glare at her, much to her surprise. Carol nervously sweated as Sensei Shen approached her and asked, “What’s your name?”
“S-Silver Spark, Sensei Shen!” Carol stammered, immensely flustered by such a question from one of her idols.
“Let this be a lesson, my students,” Sensei Shen stated before he formed a harsh glare at her and said, “A hero’s name must be earned, not given. What is your real name?”
“Oh, it’s Carol, sir!” Carol replied anxiously, which elicited some chuckles from her fellow students, but Sensei Shen glared at them, which stopped them in their tracks.
“Exactly. Never forget that,” Sensei Shen said warmly as he went back to the front of the room. “Until you prove your worth by the academy’s standards, to me, you’re all civilians.”
“Hey, that’s bogus, Sensei Shen!” a random classmate called out, which made the retired hero focus on him now.
“Whatever you think of me from my past or of my present actions means nothing to me. The only thing that does matter is turning you all into the next generation of heroes.” Sensei Shen said directly to the troublemaker, which instantly made him sulk in his seat.
“But, why? We’ve all proven our worth, haven’t we?” another classmate questioned, which now made Sensei Shen focus on her.
“That’s not the idea. On your own, you’ve all become powerful heroes with impressive power levels, otherwise you’d all be applicant washouts,” Sensei Shen began as he formed a serious expression and took out a lump of coal from his gi. “The fact is even though you’ve all earned the right to be here, by POINT standards, you’re all coarse and rough around the edges, much like this lump of coal. However, with my training…” Sensei Shen trailed off as he effortlessly crushed the mineral in his right hand. Surprisingly, when he opened it up, a flawless diamond was now in his palm. “You can truly shine. That is the goal in my class and for the next four years.”
“Wait, what are you talking about, sir?” Carol asked curiously, with Sensei Shen forming an amicable smile towards her.
“You see, despite the different room numbers for your classes, if you have me for homeroom, I teach the rest of them and you’ll have me as your teacher until graduation,” Sensei Shen revealed, which made the entire class gasp in amazement. “There are many things to learn about being a hero, which is mainly what this class will involve. However, you cannot advance without learning the basics.”
“Aw, what?! We have to start at the beginning?!” a different classmate complained, which made Sensei Shen form a harsh glare towards him.
“Yes, because you will never shine without learning the basics!” Sensei Shen said intensely as he continued. “Remember that no matter how difficult it may be to start from the beginning, there are no shortcuts. The key to becoming a true hero is through hard work and determination! Alien, human, robot, or otherwise, it doesn’t matter! You all have the potential to shine and with you all under my wing, even at graduation there will be no dull stones among you!”
“That sounds amazing, sir! But, isn’t it a little difficult?” another classmate questioned in awe, which made Sensei Shen form a neutral expression towards him.
“Yes, yes, it is. The fact that you’ve all made it this far is worthy of the history books…but there is no shame if you cannot endure my teachings,” Sensei Shen stated as he gestured to the door. “At any point, you are free to leave, but if you do and you take the exam again, no matter how far you came before, you will always come back here and re-learn everything. This is what sets our academy apart from the rest. If you feel like you cannot survive, leave now and spare yourselves a re-education.”
A beat of silence followed with each of the students shooting Sensei Shen a determined glare, all intent on staying. With such a sight, Sensei Shen formed a subtle smile, grateful that his students had taken the first steps to greatness.
“Very good, my students. Now, let’s take it from the top,” Sensei Shen said as he started his lesson.
“Of course, Sensei Shen!” the entire class declared in determined unison.
Fiendish Fan Fiction 