High School Level - Year 10

• Motorbikes
• Science Fiction Movies

• Writing Science Fiction Stories
• Maintaining, building, enhancing and restoring Motorbikes

Pyrokinesis

• Pyro has the ability to manipulate fire, psionically controlling it to grow in size, shape, and intensity from only a small source within his vicinity. He is able to achieve this even without looking at the source and is completely invulnerable to the effect of extreme heat and fire. Anything he chooses to create has greater solidity than normal flame thus allowing for contact with other solid objects. An example of this would be if he created a giant wolf the fire version would be able to act exactly like its real-life counterpart, hunting and physically attacking its prey.

Weaknesses

Pyrogenesis

• While John has learnt full control over his ability he cannot create the element himself. Therefore, to have instant access when needed, he must carry around his choice of a painted Zippo lighter at all times. If he is interrupted, knocked out or simply turns his interest away from his fiery creations they will immediately revert to an ordinary flame.

• St. John Allerdyce
• Dropped the Saint part when given the opportunity by his new foster Mum. Also considered taking on his foster family's last name but in the end, decided Allerdyce was a part of who he was.

• Nicole 'Nicky' Evans (Adopted Mum)
• Shaali 'Sha' Evans (Adopted Sister)
• Crystal Evans (Adopted Niece)
• Detective Ryan Shaw (Mentor and Father Figure)

Born and raised by his Australian parents, Pyro found himself abandoned at a young age after his mutant powers manifested. In and out of foster homes until he was nine, he was finally placed with an Australian family whose single mother had a fourteen-year-old mutant daughter of her own. What John hadn't been aware of at the time was that when Nicole Evans had been given his file to decide upon she had suspected there was more to the arson charges laid against him. It had been proven without a doubt he was responsible. The reason the State gave: St. John Allerdyce was an angry and unstable Pyromaniac. The arresting Officer's opinion differed, however, his report leaning more to the assumption John was lashing out because of never having a family of his own. When he came to live with Nicole, his juvenile record was a long one, the single mother warned he may not be the best fit, expecting at any moment she would want them to take him back again.

By now, John had long ago built up a barrier, keeping people at arm's length by using sarcasm, arrogance and anger as a form of defence. While he was curious about his foster sister he still treated her the same as he would anyone else, strongly believing this placement was yet another temporary one. Better off letting them think he was a jerk than ever allowing anyone to get too close to him.

Over time, John found himself getting a little too comfortable for his liking. It really didn't look like he was going to be kicked out anytime soon and that negative side of him refused to allow him to accept that. Three and half months into his placement he decided to test out whether this family really was genuine by doing exactly the same thing he had done in all his other foster homes throughout his young life, set fire to something and see what their reaction would be. It was odd that he chose an old run-down barn that was on its last legs anyway, further down the back of the property and thus far enough away there was very little danger to the farmhouse or even any of the animal dwellings set up around the place. Young eyes watched his beloved element leave his lighter, for a brief moment actually hesitating, yet still enjoying the satisfying sound of the hay and wood catching fire.

It wasn't long before his Foster Mum and Sister came running, to his surprise first checking if he was alright then standing beside him and remaining silent as the barn was reduced to very little under the watchful control of the pyrokinetic who had set fire to it. His eyes narrowed when Shaali simply stated, "You didn't light that with just your lighter, did you." It seemed they already knew what he hadn't told them yet. He was a mutant with the ability to manipulate established fire into a form so strong he could've wiped out the entire farm in an instant. Pyro's reaction was to basically ask what it was they were going to do about it, his hackles up and anger rising. Their response was not what he'd been expecting at all, Nicky managing a smile and assuring him that he'd actually saved them some time because they had planned to knock down the old barn anyway, they just hadn't got to it yet.

No, they weren't going to kick him out and they didn't believe what his file stated. There was more beneath the surface of a kid with an almost constant angry and somewhat sad look on his face. On that same day, as the final flames died down it was revealed to him that Shaali too was a mutant, her ability to absorb electricity and use it first and foremost to heal something John found absolutely fascinating. Especially when over the next few days she deliberately directed it to cause even the tiniest spark just for him to start controlling it any way he wished. It was this trust bestowed upon him and the genuine love he realized Nicole and Shaali was showing him that soon overrode the negative voices and allowed a young boy who'd never known what it was like to be cared for to truly believe he really was... home.

From that night on Pyro settled into normal life. He began going to school, Grade 4 at Clifton State Primary while his foster sister was Grade 9 at Clifton State High. Unfortunately, old habits do tend to die hard, John's continued issues with authority figures seeing him sent to the principle's office on a regular occasion, his probation officer called in many times. Nicky too was always contacted and when she was unable to attend in person she could thankfully rely on a man who had become like a big brother to her foster son.

Constable Ryan Shaw, the arresting officer in the first proven case against him took the young boy under his wing, following his journey through the foster system closely. With previous experience working with kids from broken homes, Shaw helped those who would let him, laying down the law when it was needed but looking into other options through the courts to teach them some valuable life lessons. For many of these children Juvenile Detention was not the only answer and when it became apparent Pyro's latest foster home looked to be a more permanent one, the Constable did all he could to help Nicole get through the seemingly endless red tape.

Maybe it was this initial support from the cop or perhaps the fact he could see just how genuine his foster Mum really was that eventually produced a feeling of confidence the firebug had never felt before. This became more apparent when, at the age of 12, Nicky handed him an envelope containing adoption papers already completed and signed, John hesitating none in agreeing to make this loving family of his official. He seemed to thrive even more after the visual representation of this arrived in the mail, unsure how to react when Nicky had the document framed and hung on the family wall in the entrance hallway.

He'd become a normal teen with day to day disagreements with his adopted Mum and typical squabbles with his adoptive sister, the two of which grew so close they didn't really have what could be called real fights anyway. Gone was the constant rage and the need to burn anything and everything in sight, replaced with a focused control learnt during regular training sessions by himself or with Shaali. They helped each other hone their mutant abilities and soon found out another thing they had in common... a love for bringing to life their imaginations via the written word. Sci-Fi became a passion they both shared by being genetically special themselves and just loving everything about space, technology and the possibilities each of these offered beyond the normal level of human thinking.

Where Shaali was his confidante in these two areas of his life it was Shaw who first introduced him to the thrill of riding a motorbike, teaching him how best to maintain, build and enhance them. John had already had a knack for tinkering with the mechanics of any type of machine, from the smallest of drills to the oversized engine of a mining dump truck, Ryan soon encouraging him to study for a Trade Certificate. The Firebug's interest was lost the moment he mentioned the word 'study', claiming he was doing enough of that at school. Besides, his highschool Mechanics class was all the fun he was looking for without the more intense testing required of a higher learning course.

Because of this innate skill, John decided not to go through to Year 12, graduating in Year 10 and becoming fulltime at the Kawasaki Motorbike store he'd been working at for the past six months. Once he was 16, old enough to get his Learner's Permit, it wasn't a car he'd been saving for. Far from it. About eight months later he was able to proudly show off an all-black Kawasaki Ninja he customised with digital print Natural Flames and orange around the rims. Rather than continue to travel back and forth long distances from the farm to the city, it was decided when John turned 18 he could move in with a couple of his mates, his work then only a block away instead of a full hour. Problem was, boys will be boys, no matter how grown up they claim to be, Pyro soon legally able to go clubbing and drink to his heart's content. It got him into a few fistfights and other altercations, nothing ever too serious and quite often either his friends or Shaw would have to literally carry him home.

In the city, Pyro's days consisted of hard work and even harder fun, the firebug taking advantage of the fact he was at a point in his life where he didn't have to worry about much and could simply just enjoy himself. His work ethic saw him offered a managerial position at Queensland Bike & 4WD, which he took without hesitation, soon earning a name for himself within many motorbiking circles. He began travelling all over Australia to aid in fixing any mechanical issues that arose with individual clients, sometimes on the spot during a racing event. He often thought of one day owning his own mechanic company and, finally, after ten years gathering experience, knowledge and contacts working for someone else he made the decision to hand his position over to another and head to do that Trade Certificate Ryan, Shaali and even Nicky often still nudged him about.

Connection to Iceman here Pending...

He wasn't entirely sure why, and really, he didn't much care that at least one guy in the same class didn't seem to like him very much. Stephen was one of those 'I think I'm better than everyone else' types, which grated the firebug to no end. Those were the same kinds of people he'd gotten into mostly verbal fights within the past, unable to control that lingering need to lash out at anyone who got in his face and made him feel like that useless kid once again. While most of the time they backed off or were just too drunk to bother taking it any further, this guy wouldn't let up, picking on anyone he deemed unworthy of being in the same room with him. John held his tongue many times, even when it was directed at him but on one occasion when Stephen began a tirade on one of the youngest members of the class, this boy about 15 and present because he was thinking of leaving school early and following his passion for building things, Pyro couldn't hold back how he felt any longer.

Grabbing the guy by the arm and pulling him away, John told him to shut the hell up and leave the kid alone. Of course, this led to his classmate getting full on up in his face and shoving him in a dare to see what exactly he'd do about it if he didn't. It wasn't any of this that saw Pyro's fist curled and heading towards Stephen's face, however. No, it was what he next said about the teen probably being from a broken home where his parents were on drugs that drove John's fist fair into his nose, breaking it right sideways. Anything further was stopped by the class teacher, both of them sent to the main office after a detour via the nurse to crack Stephen's nose back in place. Both reprimanded and suspended for a couple of days, it would've stayed that way if the vengeful Stephen hadn't bailed up Pyro at his bike and demanded he apologised for what he had done. Yeah, like that was going to ever happen. In response to John simply swinging his leg over his vehicle and getting ready to leave, Stephen literally reached out and yanked him off, pushing him to the ground. Of course, now, it was on, and the brawl that ensued was enough to get them both charged and facing jail time, banned from the Tafe Campus for life.

Fortunately for him, the now Detective Ryan Shaw of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) used the fact John had been sticking up for someone else to pull a few strings, giving him the option of moving back into the farmhouse and serving out his sentence under House Arrest. He would have to meet the further requirements of helping out his family with the Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation centre plus the foster care side of things and deal with regular visits from both his probation officer and Shaw himself. For the right reason the wrong way, he'd let his anger get the best of him and he spent the next two years making up for it. Thing is, he didn't really regret it. Not entirely. He was pretty sure he wasn't the first person nor the last to strongly believe Stephen had had it coming to him.

About a month and a half before his House Arrest was due to finish, John was in the middle of feeding the family's dogs when Shaali arrived back from her latest rescue callout. It was a Sunday and she'd received a phone call earlier that afternoon about a stray dog glimpsed rushing through the hole in a fence surrounding a vacant parking lot. At least, that's what the person had thought it was. The animal had moved way too quickly to hide behind a pile of rubbish for her to really get a good look. Pyro loved to have a go at his sister for bringing home all the strays she could find but when he turned around to see what she pulled out of the car on this occasion he realized this was no ordinary stray. He saw grey coloured feet and as she cleared the car and came towards him, ruby coloured... was that hair? Let's just say the moment he realized it was a mutant child cradled in Shaali's arms he was out of the small feeding shed near the back door of the house and rushing over to help.

With their Mum busy elsewhere on the farm, at Shaali's behest, John ran a warm bath for the severely malnourished and very scared little girl then proceeded to mix up some Hydralyte, an electrolyte powder used for severe dehydration. He soon learnt she'd managed to tell Shaali her name was Crystal and once she was bathed, had her drink and was then sipping on a small mug of pumpkin soup, they managed to get some more details out of her. Originally from a loving family who immediately kicked her out when her hair and skin started changing colour, an all too familiar story to Pyro. After a brief moment of controlling how he truly felt about that, it was him who then picked her up, gave her a hug and promised her everything was going to be okay. Like Shaali, he was suddenly overcome by an extremely powerful sense of protectiveness, one hundred per cent behind the decision his sister soon made to reach out and adopt Crystal as her own. Because Nicky had been a loving and successful foster parent for such a long time and they had connections in the AFP, within a year John Allerdyce was officially known as Uncle Pyro.

Now 36, John is still working on the farm, Crystal's presence a key reason why he eventually decided never to leave for an extended period again. Keen to help in any way he can to ensure Shaali's dream of opening a school for orphans on a section of their property become a reality, Pyro jumped at the chance to accompany her to Westchester, New York to check out Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They'd heard a lot about it and even some possible rumours that there was an entirely different meaning behind what the public understood the 'Gifted' part of the name to be.