~~~

Yohan had had enough.

He had attended the Superhero Academy for 3 years now, but he was still stuck at E-rank, the lowest of the low. All the school did, was praise and adore the Golden Boys, the pride of the next generation of superheroes. Meanwhile, the other students would probably end up as a replacement side-kick to an unknown D-rank. But they didn't seem to care; all eyes were fixed on the Golden Trio.

'Oh wow, Lucius! You're stunning! I heard you got another boost up yesterday. Highest defence points in the history of our school! The Heavenly Aegis of the Golden Boys!'

'Hawkes! Hawkes! Look over here, please. The Archer of Evil. KYAA, he looked at me! I can die happy now!!!'

'Oh my gosh. It's Adrian! The leader of the Golden Boys. Mr Perfect. The next Superman! Marry me!!'

...And that was just the fanboys.

Perhaps it was the sheer ludicrousness of the superhero world, or the frustration from not progressing for 3 years, or maybe even the fact that he was doomed to be a coffee holder for a minor hero, that made Yohan join them.

'Sure, call me a traitor. But I was never a superhero, to begin with. I'll gladly join the Dark Side.' Yohan replied to the hooded figure. It had suddenly appeared in front of him whilst he was wallowing in self-pity at the back of the school.

'Good. You'll start tomorrow.' it cackled, it's voice hollow as if it were echoing in a dark cave.

'I won't be late!' Yohan said enthusiastically.

'You can't be late.' the figure whispered, then it vanished as silently as it had appeared.

Well, this choice would either be a major turning point in his career or lead to a colossal downfall. There was no going back now.

~~~

Yohan woke up the next morning feeling grumpy as usual. He had slept in for 20 mins, so he didn't have time for breakfast.

'Hey, Yohan! Good morning! You're running a bit late, so I hope you don't mind me going first. Lucius and I are going on a morning marathon to raise money to buy superhero costumes for low ranking heroes. See you at school!' Adrian said cheerfully as he hurried out the door, an hour early, wearing a crisp spotless uniform.

Oh, did I mention? Adrian, the ace of the school, was Yohan's younger stepbrother.

Yohan just scowled.

Half an hour later, Yohan was trudging to school, slumping under the weight of his bag. He would be late, but he didn't want to get on the crowded school bus.

'I wonder where the villain's academy is. The mysterious dude said I would just know. Oh, my shoelaces are untied.' Yohan mumbled.

As he bent down to tie them, a white van skidded to a stop beside him, and 2 men jumped out, put a hood over Yohan's head and huddled him into the back. Yohan didn't resist. 'They're probably taking me over to the Villain's Academy now.' he thought.

Poor Yohan. Dear readers, this was an actual kidnapping.

After 20 minutes, the van jerked to a stop. A strong arm grabbed Yohan by his scruff and flung him to the floor of what seemed to be the base. They took off the hood and snarled at him.

'Wow. You guys are good actors. If I didn't know any better, I would be terrified right now.' Yohan laughed, 'Ok, so do I show you my skills now so you can assess me?'

The kidnappers blinked at each other questioningly. They had chosen to kidnap Yohan because he seemed to be easy prey, what nonsense was this little kid spouting?

Yohan stood up and cracked his knuckles. 'Alright, let's go!'

He charged at them and took one by surprise. He knocked one of the men out with an electric shock, but that was as far as he got. They quickly recovered and pummelled the kid.

'Oww!' Yohan yelled, 'That hurts! Stop, stop!' He curled up into a ball, protecting his head, 'How many times have I been in this position before. Why won't things change?' Yohan thought.

'That's enough.'

A large man, wearing a grey pinstripe suit entered, the room became silent. The boss?

'If we harm another super, we'll get in trouble. You know how tense the relationship between the supervillains and us, common criminals are these days.' the man boomed.

'But boss... he attacked us first.' a kidnapper grumbled.

'Oh, did he now? Well, I can't just sit by and watch my employees be abused.' The boss smirked, took a few steps backwards and ran towards Yohan as if he was taking a penalty. The ball being Yohan's face.

A few seconds before contact, smoke exploded and blinded everyone. Yohan heard a few strangled gasps from the kidnappers and shouts from the boss.

'Shh. You're safe now.' A small voice whispered in his ear. She dragged him to the corner of the room. 'Stay here. Mew will be with you.' and with that, she hurried into the smoke to join the fight.

'Mew?' Yohan wondered.

'Meeew.' mewed a cat, snuggling its head on Yohan's lap. It was a dark purple and had a blue gem embedded in its forehead.

The rescuers were already done by the time the smoke settled. The boss and kidnappers were unconscious and tied up by some black... tape? With glaring red eyes.

'Aww. That was easy. I was hoping for something exciting,' a tall boy said. The girl who had dragged Yohan shoved him playfully, 'Always the thrill-seeker, huh.'

The boy walked over and pulled Yohan up. 'Name's Minho. Sorry for the wait. Let's get you to the Villain's Academy.'

'C'mon Mew.' mumbled a small boy.

The cat unfurled its tail to reveal 5 dark tentacles. It grabbed them each, and they plunged into darkness.