"Alright you two, that's quite enough sparring for today!" The trainer monitoring the match between Tanya and Mei hurriedly intervened before the intense duel got further out of hand. "Let's call it a draw this time!"
Begrudgingly, the exhausted duo separated to opposite sides of the arena amidst cheers and shouts from the riveted students who had observed the incredible bout. Gabriela and Mei's friends swarmed around her while Devon made sure to applaud both fighters' valiant efforts equally, mindful of any brewing jealousy.
"You ladies were both awesome!" he praised sincerely.
Mei smiled happily at the compliment while Tanya managed a subtle eye roll before her expression softened into a grin. "Just a friendly training match, fun to cut loose a bit ya know?" She gave Mei a playful fist bump, though Devon sensed an undercurrent of competitiveness still simmering below the surface camaraderie.
Once the post-training chatter died down and the spectators dispersed back to their classes, Devon pulled Tanya aside briefly. "Hey, that new fire fur move looks really powerful and controlled," he said supportively.
"Thanks D," she replied, clearly enthused by the hard training paying dividends. They both were aware that mastering their volatile abilities safely was crucial preparation for the heroics ahead. The many threats they would face allowed no margin for error.
"Yuh speed and agility improving nicely too. Keep it up!" With an affirming pat on the shoulder, Devon left Tanya energized by the training and eager to push her shapeshifting skills farther. He hoped elevating allies would help counter the dark forces that waited ominously on the horizon, vigilant for any moment of vulnerability.
The remainder of the school day passed in a foggy haze for Devon. During his final class, he slipped outside to splash more cold water on his face. As he did so, a sudden dull boom sounded in the distance followed by faint tremors.
Rumble!
"Bomboclaat!" Devon's dreadlocks stood on end immediately. That disturbance came from the school's direction just now. He instantly accelerated back as caution and fear warring in his pounding heart.
Please, not here...
Skidding to a stop atop the sports field bleachers, Devon's worst suspicions were confirmed. Thick plumes of noxious gas shrouded the Power Training Centre, pierced by sporadic neon bursts and hurled rubble.
Students fled the premises screaming in terror from multiple breached access points. The school was under attack by unmistakable forces. Equipping his hero costume swiftly and covertly, Devon zipped across the field preparing for confrontation.
Entering through a collapsed wall, the scene that awaited inside the ravaged Coco training hall chilled Devon's blood. Gabriela and other students lay unmoving, overcome by the hazy gas flooding the arena. Mei was barely maintaining flickering shields against a two-pronged onslaught.
Poison Dart cackled wildly while unleashing volleys of loaded darts with inhuman precision towards Mei's fading barriers. Nearby, Toxic Tess bombarded the area with searing acid projectiles, shouting, "Where's that coward Cain?! Tell us if you mutants want to keep breathing!"
Before Devon could intervene, a bolt of shadowy force sent him hurtling backwards with a pained grunt. Materializing from swirling darkness was the ring leader himself - Lord Skull!
"Well, well, some fresh meat for my pets to tenderize," the villain mocked menacingly. Smoky tendrils extended from his cloak, forming into snapping phantom creatures hungry for violence. They slithered forth, trapping multiple students.
Devon realized just how gravely the situation had escalated. This surprise attack was masterfully coordinated, hitting the school's most vulnerable targets in broad daylight where heroes had no rapid response primed. Devon gritted his teeth, rapidly strategizing how best to protect the students against these lethal odds.
While Toxic Trio laid waste to the Power Training Centre and the members of staff who opposed them, chaos erupted outside as dozens of brawny men smashed onto campus from all directions. Their bulging azure veins identified them as Loki-7 mutated minions.
"Secure the students!" Principal Harrison shouted as he did his best to get the students who couldn't fight back to safety. Staff with Coco powers hastily erected protective shields as the school became a warzone.
The minions began tearing apart infrastructure, forcing student heroes to engage them. Elementron conjured stone bindings on two while Blaze blasted others back with fireballs. But the Loki-addicts gradually gained ground.
Vice Principal Rabbit radioed desperately for JPCU backup between barricading her office door against pounding blows. Help wouldn't come swiftly enough.
Crouched behind fractured masonry, The Blur covertly surveyed the chaotic scene unfolding within Seacrest High's ravaged Power Training Centre. The surprise attack had struck cunningly, overwhelming the fledgling student heroes completely.
Nearby, Mei valiantly maintained her Noodle Dome against the sisters' ruthless barrage, but the barriers were fracturing fast from the punishment. Gabriela and other classmates lay unmoving nearby, immobilized by Poison Dart's paralytic toxins. Lord Skull himself now encroached with tendrils of living darkness poised to feast on helpless victims.
Things looked unfavourable, yet The Blur refused to let fear or anger cloud his judgement here. As Ras Nine's teachings emphasized: Inhale chaos, exhale calm order. This disaster required a tranquil mind and fluid responses.
Analysing the biggest threats systematically, The Blur identified the optimal tactics. Drawing Poison Dart's fury seemed the swiftest path to halting her body count's growth. With Mei's shields soon to fail, he had to intercept the lethal darts targeting his classmates.
Inhaling deeply, The Blur tapped his inner energy source and decelerated time into a crawl. Poison Dart's volley of darts froze mid-trajectory in this distorted space between seconds. Weaving through them carefully, The Blur gathered up Gabriela and other paralyzed students, whisking them safely outside through the broken wall in a blink.
His stamina was heavily taxed by utilizing Hyper Rush. Gasping, The Blur leaned the last victim carefully beside the others now huddled together recovering. He had evacuated the sitting ducks at least. Time to redirect the villains' rampage outside away from bystanders.
Inside the demolished hall, chaos resumed as The Blur's temporal pocket collapsed. Poison Dart watched bewildered as her paralytic darts struck empty floor where targets had stood a moment before.
"What the hell?! My venoms never miss their target. Who the raasclaat is playing games wit mi!?" she exclaimed in confusion.
Nearby, Toxic Tess ceased her fiery barrage also noticing the sudden absence of victims. Before either sister could react, a small object sailed in, clanging between them and erupting in a concussive flash.
Boom!
As the disoriented duo tried collecting themselves, The Blur shouted from across the hall, "If you harlots are done terrorizing kids, there's an actual fight waiting outside!" Without waiting for a response, he took off, leading the enraged villains away from the site on a wild chase.
"Hmm… a speedster…" Lord Skull observed The Blur's tactical manoeuvres with icy interest. "Let's see how long you can scurry from my grasp, little hero," he uttered sinisterly before dissolving into smoke and shadows to hunt his new prey.