The Third Trial - Team Battles

          Yaketsuku sits in his comfy office chair and places a folder down on a wooden desk. There is a knock at the door, to which he responds, "come in." The door opens, and his four comrades enter the room.

          "The first trial is over. The students in the nine sections who passed are progressing to their rest stop. So far, 287 students have been expelled, and another 192 are awaiting re-evaluation," Vanera speaks.

          Yaketsuku looks over at the guys, "Aaron and Remi, can you take care of 192 students that need reevaluating?"

          "Yes, sir," Aaron responds in a deep voice.

          "Of course," Remi follows. Both of them step out of the room.

          "Dragana, do you have the first results of the ten purple coats?"

          Dragana steps forward, "I do." She opens the folder in her hands and reads aloud. "Out of the ten students, Ruben and Avram received negative remarks. Hideo, Olena, Yeva, and Monika received neutral remarks. As you predicted, the ones who received positive remarks are as follows. Alia, who performed the best, Adrion, Roland, and Honoka."

          "I've always had a good eye for this sort of stuff," Yaketsuku laughs. "Remove Ruben and Avram from the list and add two other purple coats that excelled in the first trial," He instructs Dragana. "I'm particularly interested in hearing about this Adrion's results. As I understand, despite his low entrance exam score, he got the highest power score. He did the same test I did and managed to destroy one more than me. I don't know if Mr. River's age is finally getting to him or if this kid is something special."

          "According to the report, his capabilities are far better than expected. Due to his entrance exam scores, it was assumed that he only had great power but lacked intelligence. He proved that wrong with how adaptive he is in combat. In his trial, he chose to focus on defense. Adrion went above and beyond to defend his objective, fight off any attackers, and defend his partner. It is also mentioned that at one point, he did all three of those simultaneously," Dragana finishes.

          "Interesting," Yaketsuku replies.

          Back on the mountain trails, a gust of wind blows, causing tree branches and shrubs to dance along the wind. Kazuo, Ringo, Ivika, and Sylvie walk together to their rest stop. They bumped into each other a kilometer after leaving their first trial location. The four of them spot the sign that identifies the rest stop.

          "Sweet! We made it," Kazuo yells out.

          They all rush forward and spot all the other students who passed. All four enter the resting spot premise and join all the other students about to hear more information. They manage to spot Adrion and Harper in the crowd.

          "I see you two passed as well!" Ivika approaches Harper.

          Harper turns around and then smiles when she sees Ivika. "Yeah. It was looking a little rough, but we pulled through. Luckily I was able to team up with Adrion," she responds.

          "Team up? We had to do it individually for our trial," Kazuo points out.

          "Same here," Ringo says.

          "Who knows how I would have done if mine was an individual trial? You guys are all so great," Harper sighs.

          "I wouldn't say that. I just barely scraped by myself. I know for a fact Kazuo also just scraped by," Ringo laughs.

          "W-what did you say? How dare you assume my results!" Kazuo yells at him.

          "Well, I did have to wait a while for you before leaving," Ivika points out.

          Kazuo slumps down, looking defeated, "You didn't have to say that out loud…."

          All six turn their attention to the makeshift stage ahead of the crowd, where a tornado of fire crashes. Once the flames dissipate, Yaketsuku reveals himself. He has a small group of students with him.

          "Good evening, everyone. I've come here to give you your next set of instructions and to drop off the students who were given a second chance," Yaketsuku announces.

          Harper notices Nyoko, Reva, and Yardena amongst the group.

          "You lot can join the other students," Yaketsuku tells them. The group of twenty-four students get off the stage and joins the rest of the students. "Now then. Everyone listen up. This is where you'll be resting for the night. You'll be able to enjoy a bath here in these bathhouses. There's one for male students and one for female students. The bathrooms are also located inside these same buildings. You will all be given the supplies to set up your own tent. Dinner and breakfast will be prepared for you as well. Before you can enjoy your rest, there is one last trial for the day. You will have until midnight to score 100 points by hunting down a beast. These points will only be for this task and will not be counted as your school points. You will not be able to enjoy any of these amenities until you get a hundred points. If you fail to get them by midnight, you will be expelled. Depending on how long it takes, it will also cost you school points. It'll be free if you can get the necessary points within an hour. Every hour after that will cost an additional twenty-five points."

          You can hear loads of students gasping in surprise while the few purple coats around remain calm.

          Yaketsuku raises his hand in the air. "You may now begin," he swings his arm down, and the students dash into the forest. Yaketsuku steps off the makeshift stage and joins the kitchen staff to help them cook the student's meals. After forty minutes, he looks up at the open field and then returns his eyes to the pot. After a second of processing, he looks back up and spots Adrion setting up his tent. "Would you look at that," he mumbles. He hands the ladle to one of the ladies and walks to Adrion. "There's always one or two students every year that manage to complete this trail before the hour ends," he says to Adrion.

          "Hmm?" Adrion looks back at him.

          "The only reason the first hour is free is that students aren't expected to complete it that fast. Two years ago, it was the Sovereign Light Uriah and the Supercharged Bullet Shun. Last year it was the Glutinous Dragon Ichiro. So far, you're the only one this year, but I'll still need to check the report on the other two zones."

          "What's with all those titles?" Adrion asks.

          "Oh, those? They're given to students who are considered elites. I'm sure you'll get your own soon, considering your current results. If you want, I can pick yours out now, hahaha."

          "Sure, doesn't really matter to me," Adrion replies as he's trying to figure out how to set up his tent.

          "I'll think of one and pitch it to some evaluators you'll encounter soon enough. By the way, you got to show me your powers. I've been intrigued ever since I heard you have dual magic," Yaketsuku tells him.

          "Sure," Adrion responds. He brings up his hands near chest level, and with his left hand, he creates water. "My main magic is fusing hydrogen and oxygen atoms to create water or hydrogen peroxide. I can create it from anywhere on my body. The second magic can only be created and manipulated by my right hand. It's a special fluid that gains different properties when mixed with different liquids. Water causes it to harden, so it's best for making structures like weapons. Hydrogen peroxide creates a non-Newtonian fluid that absorbs high forces, so it's great for shields. Depending on the environment, I have to adjust the ratios." He gives a little demonstration to Yakestuku.

          "What an interesting combination. With just two magics, you're able to have five different abilities. I can't wait to see what you're capable of in the near future. Well, I have to head back and fill out some paperwork. Good luck with the rest of the training camp. See you," Yaketsuku takes his leave.

          "Bye," Adrion says and returns to setting up his tent. Once done, he cleans himself off in the bathhouse. When he steps out, he notices all the other purple coats in this zone setting up their tents. Some of the blue coats are beginning to return as well. Adrion walks over to the pop-up kitchen stands and gets something to eat. He eats a couple of bowls of beef stew and then returns to his tent.

          "You sure finished quick," Ivika walks over to him and drops off her tent supplies near Adrion.

           "Honestly, I'm not surprised," Ringo also shows up with Harper. "I have a lot of information on beasts, and Harper is a hunter, yet it took us this long."

          "I decided to stop holding back. I guess the first trial hyped me a bit since it took a lot more effort than I'm used to."

          "You have the nerve to tell us you've been holding back the whole time when we've been trying since day one, geez. Yet you can barely prop up a tent. Look at this mess," Ringo says and drops off his tent supplies. All three set up their tents near Adrion's and go clean themselves off. Sylvie returns in the third hour and does the same. Kazuo returns on the fourth hour, exhausted. He barely manages to set up his tent, cleans himself off, and gets a bowl of cold stew. The kitchen ladies have already wrapped up and left. Kazuo heats his food with his powers to consume it and climbs straight to bed.

- 5:00 am

          A bell goes off, waking all the students. They all climb out of their tents, still rubbing their eyes from being tired. Vanera is standing in the center to give out the next instructions.

          "Everyone, please put away your tents and grab breakfast for the day. After that, you are to head out to your next trial location. You have two hours to get there. The three zones will be mixed to form two zones. Fourteen students failed to hunt a beast last night. Another five dipped below five hundred points. All nineteen from this zone have been expelled. If I were you, I'd get a move on."

          Every student put the pedal to the metal, quickly folded their tents, and dropped them off. Most students gobbled their breakfast, and a few left without getting any. After traversing the trail for half a kilometer, the path splits into two. Adrion, Ivika, and Ringo take the left path. Harper, Kazuo, and Sylvie take the path on the right. Adrion and the other two hike roughly a kilometer and a half before arriving at their third trial location. Adrion notices that Alia and Roland are in this zone with him. They spot the alumna who will be proctoring the next trial. She has long peach and pink colored hair. The blue in her iris is like a reflection of a clear blue sky on a sunny day. Despite wearing some sort of light armor made of padded leather, she is lying on a sunbathing chair with a large open umbrella over her. Once she notices the students approaching, she lowers her sunglasses and looks back at them. She stands from her chair and leaves her sunglasses on the table next to the chair. She picks up an ice-cold drink and takes a sip from the straw.

          "It's about time you all showed up. I want every one of you to stand within that large square," instructs the alumna.

          Everyone walks over to the drawn square in the ground and stands inside it. Adrion notices a few old familiar faces here from the entrance exam. He spots Asahi, the stone stalactite guy, and Ritsu, the strength enhancement student.

          “My name is Abelone Lassen. I graduated as a Platinum plate, holding the third spot. Today, I'll have you all teaming up in groups of four and battling each other in a free-for-all. The teams will be set randomly to gauge how good you guys are at adapting to partners you're unfamiliar with," she announces. Abelone looks at the roster, gazes at Ivika, then Alia, and finishes with Adrion. "You three, come with me for a second."

          The three seem confused but follow Abelone and one of her assistants away from everyone else. Her tough demeanor instantly disappeared into a cheerful expression. "You three are from Drago Hall Dormitory, aren't you?"

          "Yes," reply Adrion and Ivika as Alia remains silent.

          "Ahhh, this is so amazing! I remember the good ol' days back when I was a student. I was also in Draco Hall Dormitory, you see. Though we had a different matron back then if it isn't already obvious, hahaha."

          "Really! That's awesome," Ivika tells her.

          "You know what, screw my rules. I want to see what you guys can do in a team!" Abelone exclaims.

          Her assistant clears her throat, "Ahem! Need I remind you what Yaketsuku said?"

          Abelone froze in place, "Erm… but I really want to see what the current Draco Hall dormitory is like." She fake sobs onto her assistant.

          "Well, those are the rules. Ask Yaketsuku himself if you want."

          Abelone waves her right hand rapidly, signaling no, "Absolutely not. I'd like to keep my head on my shoulder." She turns to Adrion. "It appears I can't team you and Alia in this trial for reasons. Ivika, feel free to pick who you want to team up with."

          Ivika turns and looks at both of them. It's clear that it isn't an easy choice for her. "Uhm. Well… I've trained with Adrion before, so I'll go with him."

          "Alright then. Your other two partners will be chosen at random. Alia, you will have three random partners."

          Alia and Ivika walk back with Abelone's assistant. Adrion is about to follow, then turns around to face Abelone. "You seem to be the right age," he says.

          Before he can finish his sentence, Abelone's mind immediately jumps to conclusions. "Right age? No, no, no. It can't be. Could this kid be interested in older women?" she thinks to herself.

          "Were you in school with Emiko?" Adrion completes his sentence.

          Once Abelone realizes, she calms down. "I'm surprised you know about Emiko being an Alumna."

          "She told me about it a few days ago. Though she did say not to tell the other students." Adrion replies.

          "I see," she says aloud. She then thinks to herself, "they're keeping secrets?!?" Once Abelone calms herself again, she says, "Emiko likes keeping it a secret since she lost most of her power a while back. Since she held the second position in the Platinum Plate, she feels embarrassed when people now hold her to that standard. She's my best friend, and the two of us made it as close to the top as we could. It sucks what happened to her, but she decided to be the matron of the dormitory we were at."

          "What happened to her?" he asks.

          "I'm afraid I can't tell you. Not without her permission, that is. Although, I'd prefer you didn't ask her about it." Abelone tells him.

          "Alright. I'll keep my nose out of it," Adrion promises and walks back.

          Once Adrion steps back into position, one of Abelone's male assistants gives more details. "I don't know what they have been telling you guys, but for the remainder of this camping trip, there will be no more needless expulsions. Everyone in this zone and the other zone survived the first day. You will have to do terribly for us to consider you for expulsion. In this zone's trial, you will be doing team battles and will be evaluated as a team. Even if one person did bad, you'd be fine as long as the team did well. But like I said, we will no longer be weeding you out. Not even the team who comes in last, unless it is necessary."

           Another assistant rolls out a stand on wheels, holding a map of the mountain. The map shows a belt that starts with red on the left and then blue on the right, wrapping around the mountain below the halfway point. Red is labeled with a "1" and blue is labeled with a "2".

          Abelone takes it from there, "You guys are in zone 1, depicted by the red belt. This entire half will be utilized for this trial. All ninety-three teams will start in a different location. To score points, you will have to take these from your opponents." She holds out a purple armband and a blue one. "The purple band is worth five points and given to the team leader. The blue one is worth one point and given to everyone else on the team. If you're wondering what point is there in even trying, just remember your results show merit. What you do here may determine what the school does with you in the future. Also, it's known that those who reach the Silver gate first tend to make it into the Golden or Platinum Plates. The team that comes in first in this team battle will be given a head start. We will now assign the teams."

          After an hour, the teams have been set. Adrion and Ivika are teamed up with two blue coats, Lina and Spiro. Lina has short silver hair with grey eyes. She's shorter than Ivika but has a similar build. Spiro is a short guy and has a small scar near his left eye. He has short red hair, which he has slicked back. Adrion spots Ringo with three other blue coats, one being Ritsu. Roland and Alia also have three blue coats in their teams. Adrion doesn't recognize any in Alia's team, but he does notice Asahi in Roland's team.

          A female assistant walks over to Adrion and his team. She is holding a clipboard and a bunch of armbands. "So, who is going to be the team leader?"

          "Of course it's going to be me!" Spiro raises his voice. The assistant stares at him for a few seconds and turns to look at Adrion, who has a hand raised slightly into the air. She then turns to the girls.

          "I vote for Adrion," Ivika speaks up.

           Spiro gets irritated at Ivika's choice and then turns to Lina.

          "Uhm. I also vote for Adrion," Lina says quietly.

          "Lina! How could you pick him?" Spiro questions her.

          "Well, I've seen the results of some of his regulated battles. I was also in the same first trial as him. I can tell he's the best fit for that role."

          The assistant writes on her clipboard and then hands a purple armband to Adrion. Once she gives blue armbands to the other three, she moves on.

          "Tell me about your abilities," Adrion asks the other two immediately.

           Lina speaks out first, "I have string magic. Apart from tying things, I can also use them to control things. Similar to using a puppet, though the duration depends on who or what I use it on."

          Spiro looks away, still pissed from earlier, "I have smoke magic. I can create a smoke cloud or create illusions."

          Abelone rips off the mountain map to reveal five profile shots of students. She raises her voice to announce again, "before you guys are dispersed, there is one last thing you need to know. The teams that have any of these five students are considered golden teams. Knocking out anyone on their team is worth double points. Knocking out these students in particular, well, they're worth triple points."

          Everyone looks at the board to memorize them. The five students on the board are all purple coats. Alia, Adrion, Lucian, Monika, and Roland. Lucian was just added, but these are the purple coats being secretly evaluated. Adrion and his team instantly feel the gazes of their opponents. The other four teams are receiving the same kind of pressure from everyone else.

          "Now then. Shall we get started?" Abelone finishes with a wide grin.