Trials of Funo (episode)

Trials of Furno is the first episode in Rise of the Rookies.

Synopsis
A shipment of C-4000 explosives descends to a Merak 9 Mining Center. A Drop Ship follows, and the Alpha 1 Team grapples down from it. William Furno requests permission from Preston Stormer to descend, but Stormer refuses. Rotor then attacks, and the heroes return fire. XPlode then arrives and begins dueling with Stormer. At the Hero Factory, Nathaniel Zib and Quadal maintain contact with Alpha Team.

The battle drives the Heroes into a mine, when Furno again asks to descend, but Stormer once again refuses. Meanwhile, Natalie Breez and Mark Surge watch from Mission Control, as Stormer continues dueling with XPlode. Stormer disarms the villain, but XPlode launches his explosive spikes, distracting Stormer, and flees, leaving Rotor for the Heroes. Furno is finally allowed to come down and bind Rotor in hero cuffs. After much taunting, Rotor whirls and shoots at Furno, causing Stormer to shove him out of the way and allowing the villain to escape.

Back at Hero Factory, Akiyama Makuro speaks with Professor Zib on Furno's potential. When Alpha Team returns, Furno hits the Training Sphere, vowing to earn Stormer's respect and get revenge on Rotor. Some time later, Stormer decides to take the rookies on a training mission. He, Surge, and Breez find Furno lying exhausted on his Furno Bike in the Training Sphere, and take him to recharge his Hero Core before setting off.

Whilst flying through space, Stormer receives an emergency call from an Explosives Plant on Lemus 2. At the plant, XPlode and Rotor are making off with two crates of explosives when they notice a Hero Pod descending. Rotor easily shoots it down, but the pod was merely a decoy. Meanwhile, the Heroes safely make their descent elsewhere.

The team charges the villains, but Stormer takes the brunt of their attack and is knocked unconscious. Breez and Surge drag him to safety, while Furno grabs his bike and takes on the villains. XPlode flees on his vehicle, and Rotor is subdued and cuffed by the budding Hero. Stormer, revived, congratulates Furno, and the rookie drives Rotor into the Drop Ship. The Heroes return to Hero Factory in triumph.

Heroes

 * Dunkan Bulk
 * Jimi Stringer
 * Mark Surge
 * Natalie Breez
 * Preston Stormer
 * William Furno

Villains

 * XPlode
 * Rotor

Minor characters

 * Akiyama Makuro
 * Lucy
 * Nathaniel Zib
 * Quadal