School of the Shark [Open]

"Impressive, Miss Cogman. Now hit me. Square in the chest."

Lelei pounded his fist against his chest in a very ape-like motion, then took up a stable standing position in between the two groups of students. But just before she could fire off a shot, he gave a time out signal and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Don't want to ruin this too much."

Stripping off his shirt, he exposed his thick muscular torso. He hastily folded up his shirt and handed it to Alfredo.

"Hang onto this, Mr. Summers. You're my right hand student from here on out."

With what looked like a wink, he retook his position and gave Sylvia the go-ahead.
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The blast hit him straight in the chest. The force from the hit itself was very minimal, not evening causing him to flinch. Between his own constitution and the spells, he was fairly invulnerable. But at his own request, the spells still left him somewhat open to damage and injury. The moment the blast dissipated, he began to feel his body fill with a nice dose of poison. His arms and legs twitched slightly and his breathing got ragged. He was still smirking, but it was obvious he was feeling the effects.

"Well done! Ah... But I don't want you to hold back. I don't want any of you to hold back. Urgh... Feel your own power and don't be afraid of it...."

He slumped slightly. Not quite falling to his knee, he motioned Alfredo over to him.

"Mr. Summers. As my right hand student... I'm going to need you to... to support me. If I falter during their demonstrations, push me back up. That is your lesson. Do you have the strength to get me back up?.... Figuratively."

"Nonsense! You won't hurt Alfredo. The spell on the room makes sure I'm the only one who feels anything!"

He was still smiling, even if he was a little shaky.

"Don't be afraid, Miss Cogman! This is your lesson, and everyone else's lesson too. When a challenge comes to you, do not be afraid to give it everything you got! Don't *urgh* concern yourself with What-Ifs. Just give it everything you *ah* got!"

He looked down to his side, where the little bunny boy Alfredo was standing.

"The same to you, Mr. Summers. I'm not asking you to hold me up physically. Even I'm not *urgh* foolish enough to think you can physically support me."

Leaning down, Lelei took hold of Alfredo's free hand and placed it on his back. He would have preferred that he could put Alfredo's hand on his shoulder, but their height different made that an impossibility.

"Your lesson is to give me the strength to push forward, and I know you can do it. Even the strongest among us needs help from time to time, and when they come to you, that is when YOU must dig deep for strength to give to them. No one is stronger than those who have the strength to help others."

His head snapped back up and he looked back at Sylvia.

"Now hit me! I'll know if you hold back!"

Lelei took the full Venom hit on his chest. His fists clenched, the class gasped and murmured. He let out the closest thing he could manage to a growl, which sounded like a loud, low gurgling noise, before faltering to one knee where he stood. He was breathing heavy and his head lulled from side to side as he quietly collected himself in front of the stunned classroom.

A few students tried approaching him, but were stopped when Lelei held up his hand.

"Not yet, for you young ones. This is Alfredo's turn."

His head turned to find Alfredo. The bunny boy would see that Lelei's eyes were slightly blood shot. However, he was not angry or disappointed to find that the young boy had drawn away from him when he needed him. He motioned for Alfredo to come back.

"I know you're scared and easily startled. I do not hold that against you. You can still show me that support I need by coming over here and trying to help push me back to my feet. Maybe rub my fin a little too... You can do it, Mr. Summers. I know you can."

Lelei pointed to the fin on his head, then faced Sylvia again, grinning.

"That was a fine attack, Miss Cogman. I REALLY felt it that time. That was strength. You can take a seat now. Someone else come forward."

Lelei did not keep Alfredo on the spot for too much longer. After getting himself to his feet, with or without the aid/support of Alfredo, he dismissed the bunny boy so that another pair of students from either group could try their hands at the lesson.

After the first few groups, the students began getting bolder, on both sides. The students firing or hitting Lelei with their powers were ready to unleash their full potential with little prodding. Those supporting Lelei were quick to hold the battered shark man on his feet or shout encouragements for him to get back up. Though it could be said that the former group was taking a little too much enjoyment in the lesson, and possibly the wrong kind of enjoyment.

In the end, Lelei was just managing to stay on his feet throughout the entire ordeal, or at least get back to a standing position after falling to his knee. All the while he held a big toothy smile for his students. The last group finished and the period ended. As some of the students filed out, others tried to see if Lelei was actually alright and if they needed to get help for him. He assured them that he would be okay.

Before Sylvia or Alfredo could leave, he approached them, still grinning and dusting off some of the residue from the powers that had hit him repeatedly in the chest.

"I think the two of you did exceptional today. Miss Cogman, I'm really impressed with your growth.

And Mr. Summers, I think you showed more potential and strength than even you were aware of. But be honest with me, do you think I was being too hard on you? I didn't want to mention it during the lesson, but I felt like I may have been pushing you too much..."