Published in Bullet #099-107, 12/31/1977 - 02/25/1978.
Cadet Fireball 1
Determined that college would not be right for him, Fireball makes his case to Uncle Pete who seems to agree with him. At least so it seems until a plane jaunt to 'do some thinking' takes Pete and Fireball southeast to an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea where a surprised Fireball is tossed out of the plane (with parachute!). The island is home to the Academie Florian, an educational establishment that "grounds young gentlemen in the sciences, languages, and sundry subjects not found in the programme of any other college". These lessons will come in quite useful when his old enemy, the Cat, comes to call.
[Note: the 1st issue brings him to the Academy, the 2nd sees him learning a lot there, all leading to the 3rd-on escapade against Catriona.