Kenzo and Jaden had all eyes on them as they stood in the arena welcoming all the former CREDHOS aspirants because almost all the recruiters wanted them on their teams, leaving those who had been spewing nonsense speechless.
Jaden contemplated joining the one with the most famous members, of course, but since Kenzo had to be on the same team as him, he knew it was a choice he wouldn't make alone.
So he decided to turn to Kenzo so they could have a little discussion about which team to choose. However, they didn't quite have time to react because the voice of a woman who had almost traumatized Jaden rang out.
"The two brats are on my team; the report has been modified, you can take a look at your tablets." Sera said, leaving Jaden in shock. Why weren't they allowed to choose when it was their right?
It's dictatorship; the guys are deprived of what rightfully belongs to them.
Jaden did not like this ending at all; he wanted there to be suspense, for the top teams to feel the pressure, thinking, "Choose me, choose me," but no, that tigress had to come and ruin everything.
Kenzo was rather excited; he went straight from his confusion. He didn't know who to choose from among all these CREDHOS, and Sera had just saved his life by saying that.
Plus, she was super strong; that's the impression Kenzo had of this scary woman after their little fight.
However, on the bench of veterans and elites, there was only disappointment, especially among those who had seen the potential in the two recruits, like Zixe and Karim.
'She caught us off guard this time. Why did they decide that she would be in charge of them?' Karim wondered, still in his analysis mode.
He knew that even though Sera and Rei didn't exactly get along, they had more in common than one might imagine.
So it was probably Rei's suggestion because he would feel more at ease if his protégés were with someone who aligned somewhat with his objectives.
While Karim was deep in thought, Zixe was quite disappointed, although he didn't show it at all.
'It would have been interesting to have these two new recruits.' he thought. He had noticed some interesting things during their fights with Sera; they were good recruits.
As each of them was lost in their thoughts, Anna snapped Jaden and Kenzo out of theirs by saying, "Welcome to the team!" while smiling as if it were big news but also as if it were nothing at all.
'Welcome to the team?' Jaden thought, and it could only mean one thing...
"You're with Sera?" Kenzo asked after coming to the same conclusion as Jaden. He was a bit surprised that someone with such a welcoming demeanor would be with that tigress.
"Un." Anna simply accepted, further confusing Kenzo. She seemed too nice to be with Sera.
During this discussion, Jaden came to a conclusion.
'So, she knew we were on her team from the beginning.' This implied a lot from Jaden's perspective.
Given everyone's reaction, he was 99% sure that only those who were in the Conclaves room with them last time knew about his situation. If Anna knew they would be on the same team, it meant that Sera trusted her implicitly.
If that was indeed the case, she must know nearly everything the others knew despite her lower rank, which would likely be a considerable advantage over the members of her promotion—Sera must be telling her a lot.
Right after these announcements, everyone went about their business. The new members were supposed to be briefed by their new teams, and they needed to start adapting because the HOUMs wouldn't wait before launching an attack.
The sooner they were ready, the better it would be for the entire population. Some had given rendezvous to the new members, while others, like Sera, went directly to the HQ with her new recruits.
During the journey to the HQ, Jaden contemplated how he had been treated by the new recruits. What did it all imply? He had been seen as an outsider, and everyone believed he didn't belong among the CREDHOS.
He thought the same, but the fact that other people felt the same way, and not in a good way, left him with a multitude of emotions—none of them positive.
Who could blame him? That's exactly how humans are. They can criticize themselves, but if someone else criticizes them on the same subject, they'll try to defend themselves – it's like self-defense.
People often perceive criticism as attacks, and Jaden was no different. After all, he's just a man like everyone else.
He came to a conclusion as he thought about all these things.
'I have to prove to everyone that I'm up to the task.' He had an intensely focused expression when he thought this sentence.
A new goal was born within him, and it was somewhat of a blessing – the fact that Rei and Rush weren't there for his debut.
Otherwise, all his efforts would have been attributed to them. Although it wouldn't be much different with this team, it would still be easier than with the other two.
Jaden never believed in geniuses. He thought that anyone could be talented as long as they put in the effort.
He believed that he was who he was because he trained like crazy, and unlike others, he didn't waste his time doing nothing.
He could have done many other things in his free time, but he dedicated it to studying, and every time he tried something new, he gave it his all. In a relatively short period, he became skilled.
People marveled at him, saying he was a genius, but for him, it was a way to downplay his efforts.
Attributing his talent to genius would mean saying that he does nothing, that he goes somewhere and reaches a certain level. However, he couldn't keep explaining to everyone that he was putting in effort.
Initially, he did try, but he noticed that almost no one believed him. The majority believed he was simply blessed with a certain power of understanding they called genius.
"Sigh."
Jaden sighed as he thought about all these things. However, if he had any doubts about giving his all as a CREDHOS before, they were undoubtedly eradicated after this interaction with the members of "his class."
As he pondered all these things, Jaden came to a realization.
'So, was that why Rei and Rush sent me to the academy?'
Jaden was speechless. If all of this was just a plan to motivate him, then these guys were really scary. They knew that the new recruits would react negatively to the sight of a rich kid who had never been to the academy joining their ranks.
So, they decided to bet on these reactions to motivate Jaden. However, why were they so sure it would work as motivation? He could have given up after this kind of treatment; he could have almost anything he wanted, so why would he want to live this kind of life?
'If I wasn't strong enough to endure this kind of thing, I believe I wouldn't really belong among them.' That was the logical conclusion to all these reflections.
If Jaden had decided to quit after just this little test, it would mean he wasn't up to the task, and it would be better to sideline him. The test was, therefore...
'About my resolve.'
'You managed to fire me up.' thought Jaden, facing these super-strong guys who doubted him and the new recruits who considered him the shame of the CREDHOS.
While he was lost in these thoughts, they arrived at the HQ and chose an empty room where no one could disturb them before beginning the meeting that marked the real beginning of everything.
Once all four were seated, Sera stood up and began her speech.
"You two, kids, you're not really on my team, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you." she said, scanning Jaden and Kenzo with her eyes and then continuing, "On the contrary..."
She left a devilish smile at the end of those words, sending shivers down the temporary members' spines. However, she didn't give them any time and continued.
"However, you're still too weak. Although your elemental affinities are powerful, you have much to learn in combat without relying on them. You could barely fight without using your basic impulses last time, and I'm sure it was just instinct. It would still be almost impossible for you to do it again."
When those words were finished, Jaden felt like he had been hit. After the fight with Sera, he had tried to eliminate his senses during combat training but with little success, or at least no consistent success. He could do it from time to time, but in a real battle, it might not be enough.
While he was thinking about all of this, Sera added. "Now, let me introduce you to Anna. She's been with me since last year, but you're the same age. She's just much more talented than you and joined the ranks before you did."
Then she continued without giving the two kids a chance to argue about their talents. "During this initial phase, she will teach you how to fight without your basic impulses. At the academy, you were able to fight against low-level HOUMs, so from today, all missions involving a Class C average-level HOUM will be yours."
Sera looked at Jaden and Kenzo as if she were stating a simple fact without any consequence.