"You all performed admirably. Be proud that you finished in the top half of the first qualifying round," Major Damien said to the assembled Academy students. "Your classmates who didn't succeed will be cheering as you compete in the next qualifying event. I know what you're thinking, when is the next event? How much time do you have to prepare?"
Damien grinned widely. These qualifiers weren't just to pick the kids with the most augments or best muscles, he designed them to weed out the weak-willed too. From the battlefield, he knew that it wasn't the body that gave out first, it was the spirit. Someone who couldn't overcome their own insecurities, who gave up before they really gave it their all, wouldn't be able to compete at the highest level no matter how great their augments were.
