Jora promptly entered the classroom as the bell rang the next morning. All cadets in the squadron found their seats.
"Alright, everyone settle down, I have an announcement to make."
The cadets quieted as Jora rested his baggage and adjusted his glasses, fixing his complete attention to the squadron.
Nyota and the brothers fully directed their attention to Jora. Already aware of his meeting with Noriko, they were anxious to hear from him about how it went and the news he had to relay.
"I made a few calls and attended a couple meetings, and I have great news for you all: higher-ups, including Noriko, are on board for the initiation of a grand exhibition tournament among the top squadrons, ours being one of them.
Ecstatic, the squadron rejoiced. Nyota, Sage and Kilo did as well. However, they still had other concerns.
"But that's not it," Jora continued. "It will be hosted at the campus's coliseum building, exclusive for large sparring events, with ample enough space for countless guests to see.
Merchants will be present, as well as live broadcasting and, of course, Noriko herself.
It will be at the same location as your graduation in the coming months.
The two-day event is scheduled for just a couple weeks before your graduation date, the day you get to choose what faction you want to become a part of and, depending on how well you perform during your tenure here as a cadet, you get to choose to join the military or police force.
Any questions?" Jora asked, no cadets raised their hands.
"Alright, well you all know the drill." He gestured and made his way to the classroom door.
Per usual, Jora led the squadron of cadets to the outdoor sparring courts. Ahead of the rest of the group, Nyota, Sage and Kilo followed close behind to catch up to him.
They figured they knew Jora enough to be able to read his body language, and it was clear that something had been bothering him.
Creating enough distance between them and the rest of the squadron, they caught up to him, calling his name.
"Jora! How did it go?" Nyota was the one to ask the question.
Jora kept his response short. "It was alright."
"And?"
He laughed a bit. "It's not exactly my first time meeting her, you know. Undoubtedly, Lunanova has its problems, but Noriko has only ever been kind and respectful."
Sage pressed on. "Despite this, you're fearful of her?"
Jora shook his head. "I never said I was. I simply believe she is to be feared."
Although it was clear Jora was withholding information, Nyota, Sage and Kilo struggled to find the right questions to ask. Noticing this, he shared a bit more.
"Look, she knew who you three were, but not only that, she spoke as though she knew I treated you differently than the rest. But she knew Enki, Tatius and Idalia as well.
All I can say is to not worry about her, you three are still very inexperienced. Continue to develop yourselves as agents, and any concern about developing an exposé should be reserved for later."
Jora advanced on to the front doors of the building, Nyota, Sage and Kilo standing in place, in shock as other cadets continued to follow Jora past them.
Accompanied by an unknown cadet, Cadel and Faris had been watching them speak with Jora from a distance at a standstill.
The unknown cadet wore the typical cadet cloak, black in color with two emboldened white stripes. Underneath, he wore a hood over his head, concealing his face.
"There they are," Faris noted.
Cadel grumbled. "Man, I want to spy on them so badly."
"No," Faris retorted. "There's no sportsmanship in that."
"Who cares, Faris? We want to be the best, and I don't know about you, but I'm willing to do whatever I need to get there."
Faris sighed and turned to the peculiar cadet. "What do you think we should do next, Shiloh?"
Shiloh exhaled and shook his head. Without speaking a word, he walked on ahead of the duo, following behind the rest of the squadron.
Cadel scoffed. "I don't like his attitude."
"Get your head out of a ditch," Faris corrected before catching up with the rest of the squadron. "He's a valuable asset, an ally. We'll need him if we're to rival Basilisk. You just need to learn to work well with others.
In fact, that's the very plan for today, to put our names out there. It's been a while, let's remind everyone of who we are."
The entire squadron gathered outside and separated into their common smaller groups to practice and spar amongst each other. Cadel, Faris and Shiloh continued to spectate Nyota, Sage and Kilo from afar.
"So, what's first?" Cadel asked as he and Faris apathetically went through the motions, pretending to battle one another. Shiloh was seated nearby a short distance aside, just enough to overhear their conversation.
"First, we take note of their MO."
"And then?" Slightly annoyed, Cadel continued to probe. It was clear he was eager to fight.
"Then, we battle."
Nyota and the brothers were stationed on a court, each assuming one of its corners. Despite just getting outside, they had already stretched and were fighting each other fervently.
Kilo enveloped his fists in red flames and darted for Sage.
Still watching intently, Faris began noting their Modi Operandi. "Kilo Hikari, raging demeanor. MO appears to be Red Flames."
Unamused, Cadel gave Faris a gaze out of the corner of his eye. "That's it? That's really what you want me to do?"
"Give it a try."
Cadel rolled his eyes and directed his attention to Nyota and the brothers' court.
Sage dodged Kilo's attacks. Before he could catch his balance, Sage kicked him in his back, a trail of blue fire emitting from his foot.
"Sage Hikari, was it? More so reserved and calculated in combat, and Blue Flames just might be his MO."
Pleased, Faris nodded his head. "And lastly…" He and Cadel focused on Nyota, but they were confused because he hadn't used his Modus.
"...What was his again?"
They had remembered from Cadel's last match with Nyota that although the battle ended in a draw, Nyota never used his MO for the rest of the squadron, aside from Sage and Kilo, to see.
Sage and Kilo focused much on each other, allowing Nyota to fly in with a kick of his own, his entire body charged with electricity, blue sparks emitting all over.
Shiloh stood up and began walking over to the court, both hands in his pockets. "Nyota Atar, humble but a powerhouse all by himself.
He bears the potential of a generational talent. Modus: Blue Lightning."
He chuckled to himself. "Don't you two worry about him. He's all mine."
Knelt down to the ground, Cadel looked up at Faris, who returned his gaze.
Not only did Shiloh speak, but he laughed as well. As quiet as he was, he just might have been partially demented.
"Wait," Kilo called, signaling to the side of the court. "Check it out."
Nyota and the brothers paused and watched Shiloh, Faris and Cadel as they approached.
"Hey!" Faris called to them, with a raised hand. "Remember us?"
Nyota and the brothers looked at one another, then back. "Yeah, I do." Nyota responded with a smile. "It's been a minute."
Faris waved his comment away. "Eh, I wouldn't say it was that long. We just came to say that we saw you sparring and couldn't help but to ask for a challenge, a rematch of sorts as practice for the tournament. What do you say?"
"So, you want to spar?" Kilo jumped in, breathing heavily. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm down for that."
"A rematch, but between all five—no, six—of us at once. I see you've brought a friend with you." Sage looked at Shiloh, observing how dark he appeared.
Nyota agreed, retreating to a side of the court. "Come on up."
Faris, Cadel and Shiloh made their way onto the opposite side of the court.
"Faris," Cadel whispered. "You're being way too nice. They're the enemy."
"In time, Cadel," Faris calmed. They may be opponents, but they aren't adversaries until the tournament."
"Rivals, nemeses, it doesn't matter. It's all the same thing in my head." Cadel countered. "I have no intention of making friends, only making it to the top of the echelon."
"Ready?" Kilo interrupted, catching the two off guard as he, Sage, Nyota and even Shiloh waited for their signals.
They nodded. "Of course! On your signal. Just know, there won't be any ties this time."
"We'll see about that," Nyota responded as he charged at Shiloh at a high speed. Sage and Kilo dashed for Faris and Cadel respectively.
--
Jora was seated on the small concrete steps leading outside to the front courts, returning texts on his phone. Idalia, Tatius and Enki exited the campus building and appeared behind him.
"Lieutenant Newman!" They called, grabbing his attention.
"Ah, yes! Idalia, Tatius, Enki! I'm quite pleased to see you." He put his phone away, stood up and shook their hands. "What brings you all out here?"
Tatius replied. "Just here to spy on tournament competition. Instructor let us out for a bit, we're just on a little stroll."
"I don't know, Tatius." Enki interjected. "I think calling them 'competition' may be giving them too much credit."
"Sure, but don't tell Idalia that. Remember, you don't want to insult her boyfriend in front of her."
Idalia rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I don't have my eyes on anyone!" She protested. "I'm here for one purpose and one purpose only of becoming an honorable member of the armed forces."
Jora laughed, that was until his amusement quickly developed into subtle apprehension. Through the large windows aligned against the wall with the front entrance, he recognized a rare yet familiar face.
It was Noriko strutting down the hallway, accompanied by her usual entourage of Elwin and a couple other guards dressed down in black.
He knew exactly what she was there for. After all, he had been contacted directly and was made aware of her awaited presence on campus.
He knew exactly that she wanted to see the progression of the cadets for herself, along with meeting the select few at the top of their classes, including the likes of Idalia, Enki and Tatius, as well as his three mentees. So why was he so on edge?
Perhaps, that was exactly why.
Regardless, he tried to conceal the jittery sensation that made his stomach drop as best as he could. He wouldn't have been helping his case if Noriko noted he was visibly disturbed, not again.
They exited the front doors, attention directed to the very person they were looking for, Jora.
"Ah, yes! Lieutenant Newman!" Noriko started, arms raised with enthusiastic surprise. "It's a pleasure to see you, again."
Elwin stood behind her at attention, his arms rested, one hand clenched onto the opposite wrist.
In an attempt to conceal his uneasiness, Jora nodded his head with a smile and a small, "Director."
She shook his hand, then directed her attention to the Big Three, shaking theirs as well.
"And you all are?"
"Oh my goodness…" Idalia froze and gave a starstruck smile. "Is it… is it really you?"
"In the flesh."
Tatius started, "Wow, I… it really is quite the honor! Tatius Paxton."
"Idalia Alejo."
"Enki Thorsten! I couldn't be more honored!" He let out an exuberant smile and laugh.
Jora didn't know much about the Big Three's characters. But from what he noticed, Enki was quite the boastful, ignorant type.
Tatius was usually knackered, and Idalia… well, she was her typical, euphoric self.
Yet, from a simple shaking of hands, it was clear Noriko's influence could humble even the most prideful.
"Ah, yes! The Big Three on campus! I've heard quite a bit about you. Pleased to meet you all." She greeted them.
"I wanted to congratulate and thank you for your vital assistance in the defeat of the Midas Mafia in the southwest. It's actually part of why I'm up here today."
"Ah, no problem at all." Tatius assured. "We're forever grateful for the opportunity, and we couldn't have done it had it not been for exceptional leadership and allies. We're here to spectate them now, actually."
"You don't say," Noriko responded enthusiastically.
Chills traveled down Jora's spine. It almost sounded as though she was being sarcastic. Not only that, but she was made aware that she was much closer to Nyota, Sage and Kilo then she probably ever thought.
Or maybe not. Maybe she did know anything and everything. The thoughts refused to leave Jora's conscience alone, and his heartbeat accelerated.
Tatius nodded. "Yes ma'am. Nyota, Sage and Kilo are their names. As much as I'd like to consider them rivals more than anything, especially for the upcoming tournament, they have my utmost respect."
Noriko laughed. "Oh, isn't it bold to assume you'll see them in the final stages?"
Enki shook his head. "If not them, I wouldn't have any clue as to who else. They're the only ones I'd ever bother considering the slightest bit formidable."
"I see."
Jora figured it was suspect to not say anything about his pupils. It had seemed as though the Big Three were doing his job for him, so he intervened.
"Yes, very talented and invested in their duties, I truly couldn't have asked for better cadets to instruct, although I am quite fond of their entire squadron as well. They've all been working hard to develop their skills and knowledge."
"Sure, of course," Noriko reassured. "Glad to hear it."
Both of them turned their attention to the court where Nyota, Sage and Kilo were sparring with Shiloh, Cadel and Faris.
In fact, the entire squadron had paused their training to watch the frankly awaited rematch.