Kai stood in front of the rows of sleek workout equipment and the expansive running field, a faint unease settling over him. He was in decent shape—he'd played basketball during his freshman year of high school, though mostly as a benchwarmer. He'd quit after that season, but he had stuck with the workout routine he'd picked up during training. He figured he could handle the physical conditioning part of the program, but that wasn't what worried him.
What really gnawed at him was the idea of being assigned to temporary units. Kai wasn't exactly the social type; he preferred keeping to himself. The thought of getting to know new people and, worse, being expected to work well with them felt exhausting.
Still, he couldn't deny the practicality of it. His ability was more of a support type, and that made teamwork essential. He could hold his own at a distance, but the real strength of his portals lay in their utility—they could move people, supplies, or even provide quick escapes when things went south. Kai sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked out over the training field.
This wasn't just about him anymore. If he was going to make it through the program, he'd have to figure out how to work with his team—whether he liked it or not.
The instructor stood before the recruits, their sharp gaze scanning the group.
"For now, we'll assess your physical abilities. After this fitness test, you'll be assigned to three-person units based on your results and the mask abilities we were informed of beforehand," the instructor explained.
"To start, head to the bench press station. Begin with just the bar, and gradually add weight until you reach your limit and can no longer lift it. Once everyone has completed this task, we'll move on to the next exercise. Let's get started."
The recruits exchanged nervous glances before shuffling toward the equipment, the tension in the room palpable.
Kai approached the bench press station, his palms slightly sweaty as he prepared himself mentally. He laid down on the bench and grabbed the bar, lifting it easily to get a feel for the motion. Starting light, he slid on two 25-pound plates, bringing the total weight to 95 pounds.
"Alright, let's do this," he muttered under his breath, focusing as he lowered the bar to his chest and pressed it back up without much difficulty.
Gradually, he added more weight. At 135 pounds, he still felt confident, the bar moving steadily with each rep. By the time he reached 185 pounds, he was starting to feel the strain, but he powered through.
"You're doing great, Kai," one of the instructors said, standing nearby to supervise.
Kai nodded and added two more 25-pound plates, pushing the total to 235 pounds. His arms trembled slightly as he unracked the bar and lowered it carefully.
"Come on," he whispered, pressing upward with every ounce of strength. The bar moved slowly, his muscles screaming in protest, but he managed to lock out his arms.
With a relieved exhale, he racked the bar and sat up, wiping the sweat from his brow. His chest heaved as he caught his breath.
"235. Not bad," the instructor noted with a nod, jotting it down.
Kai allowed himself a small smile before stepping away to let the next recruit take their turn. Despite the effort, he felt a sense of pride—it was a solid start to the day.
Kai moved from station to station, each exercise testing his limits but pushing him to keep going. After the bench press, the instructor directed the recruits to the next challenge: the deadlift.
Kai placed his feet shoulder-width apart and gripped the barbell, his back straight as he pulled. At first, 185 pounds felt almost effortless. As the weights piled on, he struggled a bit more, but he managed to power through. When he reached 315 pounds, his muscles burned, and the bar hovered just above his knees for a moment. With a grunted effort, he locked his legs and stood tall, completing the lift.
"315. Not bad," the instructor commented.
Next up was the sprint test. Kai stood in position, his legs twitching in anticipation. At the sound of the whistle, he shot off the line, pushing himself to run full speed. The short 100-meter dash left his chest heaving and his legs burning, but he managed to clock in at 12.5 seconds, slightly above average for the group.
"Alright, good," the instructor noted, marking it down.
Then came the pull-up challenge. Kai grabbed the bar and immediately started pulling himself up, his arms aching with each rep. He was able to complete 14 before his arms began to give out, falling just a few shy of the top scores, but still respectable for someone who wasn't a natural at upper body strength.
After that, they moved to the plank challenge, holding a position on the floor. Kai gritted his teeth and focused, maintaining the plank position for just under three minutes before his core screamed in protest. It was above average, but only by a few seconds.
The final test was the vertical jump. Kai crouched, took a deep breath, and launched himself into the air. He cleared just under 28 inches, a solid score but far from the highest.
At the end of the tests, Kai was exhausted, his body aching from the combination of effort, but he had pushed himself through each challenge without backing down. He wiped sweat from his brow and stood, catching his breath as the instructor gathered the results.
"Not bad, Mendoza. You're above average across the board. We'll see how well you do when we move on to more specialized training."
Kai nodded, feeling a sense of quiet pride. He hadn't crushed the tests, but he had done well enough to prove he could hold his own. That would have to be enough—for now.
After cooling down in the student lounge while waiting for team assignments, someone around Kai's age approached him. The guy had blond hair, green eyes, and striking good looks—definitely the type to turn heads.
He sat down next to Kai and took a swig from the bottle of water in his hand. "I kind of expected more from Mister Gold recommendation," he said with a smirk. "You're a pretty normal guy. I can tell you at least have a sports background. So what's the story? How'd you get a recommendation from the Nathan Dark?"
Kai glanced at him. The guy didn't seem to have any malice in his gaze—he was just an extrovert.
"Honestly," Kai started, "I have no clue myself. You remember that lunatic who attacked a while ago?"
The guy nodded, his attention piqued.
"I was there during the attack, and after some crazy shit went down, I awakened my mask ability. I helped the guy fighting the lunatic not die. Apparently, Nathan Dark was watching the whole damn time, and he swooped in to give me a recommendation."
Kai sighed and took a drink from his own bottle. "I honestly didn't really want to join. Where I'm from, the A.M.I. doesn't exactly have the best... reputation. But my uncle convinced me to come. I didn't even realize Nathan Dark was such a big deal."