Super Powereds: Year 3 by Drew Hayes Read Free Book Online Page B

just a question of who got the axe first.”
    “So you drop the one more closely related to fighting, rather than the one about a bunch of mental mumbo jumbo that won’t do you a dick whip of good,” Professor Cole said.
    “Learning to think on my feet has actually done me a lot of good.”
    “I’m sure it did, but you’re nearing the end of what you’ll get out of it. Once you’ve learned to fight with your head, there’s only so much Focus improvement a person with a purely physical power can do. You should be training your body, learning new skills to help give you options in battle.”
    “I’m a bare-handed fighter. What do you think I’m going to get out of a Weapons course?”
    “For starters, if nothing else, it will teach you how to deal with other Supers who do use weapons. For another, you shouldn’t be a bare-handed fighter. If you had listened to anything I said last year, you’d understand that a weapon’s primary purpose is to magnify your strength, to up the level where you can compete, something I’d have thought would interest a person like you.”
    Roy let a sarcastic retort die on his tongue. Those were actually good points, and a few months ago, they’d have been wasted on him. However, after Vince’s year-end shitstorm and the summer spent under tutelage, Roy’s ego had finally started accepting the fact that if he wanted to reach the finish line, it would mean taking every advantage he could get. Heroes were top tier, and you didn’t reach that summit by turning down things that might give you an edge.
    “Maybe you’re right,” he conceded. “I guess, since I’m going Close Combat anyway, I don’t risk much by taking another year of Weapons instead of Focus.”
    Professor Cole blinked in evident surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t been expecting her arguments to work; she’d just been making them out of habit. Within seconds, her eyes were back to normal, but Roy knew what he’d seen in that brief instant.
    “Glad you’ve deigned to stick around. Try not to get in the way of the students actually trying to learn.”
    Roy flashed his smarmiest possible grin.
    “No promises.”
    *              *              *
    “Thank you, Alice. No need to say anything, I accept your desire to drop my course without objection,” Professor Pendleton told her.
    “I didn’t say I was dropping your class. I literally just walked up to you,” Alice protested. She’d spoken briefly with Professor Hill, who had already known she would want to continue her Control lessons, and had then walked over to the dark-haired Subtlety teacher, only to be met with his odd greeting.
    “I know, you didn’t need to say it. Busy day, just thought I’d speed things along.”
    “Okay, well, you’re wrong. I’m keeping Subtlety. That’s what I came over to tell you.”
    Professor Pendleton arched an eyebrow in the practiced manner that only a man who has spent over a decade in prison with little else to do is capable of. “Are you sure that’s wise? Given what you learned about your powers last year, Control and Ranged Combat would offer you a much more useful set of skills.”
    “I’m keeping Control, but Ranged Combat is redundant in a few areas. Subtlety is unique. I learned a lot last year.”
    “I should remind you that you won’t have a teammate to cheat off of this time, though,” Professor Pendleton said. “Even if you excel in Control, a poor assessment from your other course could hinder your chances of moving on. With that in mind, are you absolutely certain you want to keep my course for another year?”
    Alice felt a strange pressure on the sides of her head, like there was a swelling going on under her temples. Her eyes narrowed, and it took conscious effort not to raise her voice or clench her hands into fists.
    “I’m positive. Or do I need to remind you that I cleared your tailing exam all by myself, as well as keeping passing grades on most of the