Present day: Matthew is informed by Brother Paul that that the Ottawa Church is on the trail of Predator X, and it’s still hunting…

The Astonishing X-Men are meeting in a classroom, realizing that they have been failing their students as teachers of the Institute. Cyclops lets all of them that that is about to change, that they are all going to get to know the team. Beast is examining Dust who has a dislocated shoulder she hasn’t told anyone about because she didn’t want to be a bother. Beast reassures her that after going head to head with Belasco that she is entitled to do a little bothering. A nearby Pixie has become quite the chatterbox since becoming part of the younger team. She’s been getting training from Amanda Sefton and Dr. Strange, but she has to wait until she’s eighteen before she can take the vow of silence and learn more. Beast admits that he hopes Strange will take her early. Pixie asks Sooraya why she wears the burqa and is scolded by Nehzno who explains what is is. Excited Pixie thanks Nehzno for rescuing her in Limbo and asks about his powers, which he explains will ultimately kill him. Mercury breaks an awkward silence asking the others how old they are.

Anole is playing pool while Santo and Laura try to convince him to cut his other limbs off so that he can turn into some sort of dragon. X-23 agrees to do it saying she would cut him at the glenohumeral joint and it would be over quickly. Anole protest and Santo calls him a sissy. Anole is bothered by this, but Mercury interrupts asking everyone how old they are.

Josh sits in his room alone, and Mercury comes in to ask how old he is and Josh Elixir begins to talk about cell aging and cell death. A freaked out Mercury mentions she will just ask David. She finds Julian who is still having trouble using his powers on small items. She asks the age of the cuckoos (age 2 artificially aged to 15). He wants to know why and she explains that it has to do with Matt Landru. At his funeral, she realized that somewhere out there is the youngest mutant on the planet. The Cuckoos are helping her search for who it could possibly be using cerebra and the Runaways kid is not registering. They remember Beak’s son Tito, who Julian blurts does not count. Emma comes on and says she needs to see Julian and Cessily in her office.

Colossus and Beast are waiting for Santo to arrive when Rockslide and Anole crash down in front of them. Santo telling him to not be sensitive and Anole shouting for him to shut up…five minutes later…Beast has explained to Santo that he has the power to blow up and reform. Beast wants to test this theory, but Santo freaks out and disagrees, what if he doesn’t come back? Anole calls him Sissy and Santo decides to blow up to take him down. As Colossus shields them from the explosion Beast thanks Victor and then tells Rockslide to reform. Rockslide does, but he’s no longer is his Limbo rock form. Now Beast wants to see how well he reforms when someone else shatters him, and Anole readily volunteers.

Surge asks Hope, Sooraya, Cessily, Josh, and finally Laura what happened to David while in Limbo before Laura explains every detail. She walks away clearly upset about something and not in the mood for Pixie who shows up. Cyclops shows up telling Surge they need to talk. She tries to say she’s busy and Pixie tells Cyclops she’ll talk with him, but Wolverine informs Megan that he’s meeting with her, in the danger room…as he lets out his claws. Emma’s talk with Cessily and Julian doesn’t go to well as Mercury rips into her for letting Kevin go and not helping him. They mention they know she has lost touch since the Purifier attack and that the two of them think she’s pretty sad and walk out slamming the door. Emma just looks on. Kitty phases into Josh’s room and ask him what’s going on only to get the same weird response that Mercury got earlier and she excuses herself. Nic Gleason and Alani are eating ice cream, when Pixie flies through being chased by Wolverine, who curses unicorns. Nicolas not looking to happy about being one of the youngest mutants says he hates this place.

The students are gathered tallying up everyone’s ages. David comes in and wants to talk to Nori, but she blows him off. Nicolas freaks out about being the youngest mutant when Mercury realizes that Indra forgot to count himself, and that Indra is the youngest. David begs Nori to look at him, but she turns to Julian and kisses him, surprising David and the rest of the students. X-23 unsheathes her claws, and Santo tells Indra he’s dead.

Elsewhere, a trap is set and some Purifiers watch it. One asks what it is, and the other says it’s a burqa worn by a mutant. Predator X approaches and shreds the Burqa. Whoever wore it is going to die. Matthew hears this and thanks God.

Review: There used to be an air uncertainty every time I picked up this book. I wasn’t sure what would happen to the characters I had come to love, and if one of my favorites would be killed. As I apprehensively picked up issue 31, a sigh of relief could be heard after I finished it and realized no one had perished. A year later, those moments are gone. Craig Kyle and Chris Yost have really proven that they can change these characters and have them grow without the continuous slaughter of their classmates. Even the soap opera dramatics have become more appropriate, as the writers have seem to finally figured out the age group of their characters which came so natural for the books former writers.

Laura is fitting in more, and fans have become more accepting. You can see the responsibility of being the leader have its consequences on Surge. Santo still steals each scene and plays off of Anole well. Josh becomes more and more interesting…and each character now has their own unique voice. I didn’t care to much for the over talkative Pixie though.

With the last arc and this issue, Skottie Young’s art has just continued to amaze me. I really wish he’d stick with the book, even more so, knowing that Ramos will be taking over.