"First place… Shin!" The headmaster called out. Suddenly, a huge uproar broke out among the other classes.
"Ah, wait!"
"No, wait!"
"You're kidding!"
"He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
Shin walked past the students in the other classes, who were all gossiping amongst themselves in hushed tones.
"I'm sick of him!"
"Look at him!"
"He's not even good enough for 1-A!"
"He's kinda cute, though…"
Shin ignored all the remarks about him and approached the headmaster, grabbing the small stack of papers, and approached the first pod in the auditorium.
The headmaster proceeded to call names one after another, and the students approached and started lining up next to their Dive Pods beside Shin.
"I'm not going to lose to you again this year, Shin!" A feminine voice rang out beside him, snapping the young man out of his head.
"Huh?" He muttered, turning to see the blue-haired girl with a slender face staring at him with a soft smile on her face.
"Oh, Lucy!" He smiled back. Despite being the school's princess, student president, and head of class 1-A, she never treated him terribly.
"Ya know, if you ever want a study partner, I'm always available." Shin said with a smile, challenging her playfully.
"I'll take you up on that offer if I ever need help becoming a pariah." Lily giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Oho!" John exclaimed loudly, walking up behind Shin and wrapping his arm around his neck, pulling him against him, "Is the orphan trying to flirt with the princess? That's rich!"
"John!" Lucy exclaimed, shaking her head, "That's rude!"
"Oh, don't worry, princess!" John grinned, "We're buddies; he knows I'm just playing with him."
Shin remained silent, staring at Lucy blankly and ignoring John's provocations. He knew Lucy had a slight crush on him, but she had been betrothed to John since before they were born.
"Don't get all high and mighty just because you were number one overall! Remember that you're second to both Lucy and I!"
"Yes, I know. You're the strongest, yet still continue to lose to me." Shin said flatly, turning his head toward Lucy, "Maybe you should tutor your fiancé, Miss President."
"I've tried multiple times, yet still he doesn't get better…" Lucy sighed, looking down and shaking her head before peeking up at Shin, giggling.
"You!!!!" John gritted his teeth, his face growing red, squeezing Shin's neck with his arm.
The young man grabbed John's wrist, quickly breaking the headlock, and ducked under his arm, twisting it as he stood behind him, applying pressure.
"Just because you're number one in the physical exams doesn't mean you can beat me, John." Shin warned softly, applying pressure, and the boy began wincing in pain before shoving him away.
"Just wait until I get my Unique Class!" John threatened, grabbing his shoulder and glaring at Shin.
"You think that will be enough to close the gap?" Shin asked, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at him.
"Of course, it will!" John pointed at him, "I'll beat you at the Cross-Graduation Tournament and all the other schools, too!"
"Care to make it interesting?" Shin asked, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Heh!" John scoffed as he walked away, "Like some poor orphan kid like you has anything I want."
Shin rolled his eyes and returned his hands to his pants pockets. Lucy leaned over and whispered an apology, but he dismissed it.
It wasn't her fault she was engaged to a boy with an antiquated mindset. Sierra walked past, smiling at Shin briefly, making her way through the rows of pods until she reached hers.
"Alright!" The headmaster exclaimed, clapping his hands as the teachers approached the podium and stood on both sides.
"Congratulations on making it to the final year here at United Federation Grand Academy! In these last few months, you will all be tried and tested on everything you've learned."
The headmaster continued with his speech before each student was permitted to synchronize with their Dive Pods.
These pods were specially designed for the school and were scrubbed and cleaned before being reset back to the factory settings after the year ended.
Each student would only be able to access their pod until the end of the year, at which point the school would forward their information to CyberNexus to ensure they could access the servers.
Even the teachers had a unique pod that allowed them to access the private server without impeding their ability to log into their everyday accounts.
Shin pressed the virtual button on the sleek shell of the pod, and a loud hiss rang out as the device split and opened, equalizing the air pressure.
The top of the pod split, revealing a metallic frame over a viscous gel-like substance. Countless lights flickered along the frame as Shin lifted the frame.
He laid down on the cushion and was surprised as it gave way and effortlessly formed around him, creating a perfectly comfortable bed around him.
He grabbed the frame and pulled it down around his body, sliding his finger along the edge and triggering the sensor to close the pod.
Moments later, the shell enclosed Shin, and a faint pale blue light appeared, softly illuminating the inside of the pod.
*DING*
"Greetings, User." A soft voice spoke within the pod, "Please wait; initialization has begun."
A dozen tubes extended from the top of the pod pointed toward Shin. They hovered a few centimeters from his body before a dozen electrodes were shot out.
They attached to his uniform and connected to the nodes designed into the clothing.
"Tch!" Shin clicked his tongue as needles shot through the fabric and pierced him in various places before the electrodes locked into place.
"Initialization complete." The voice announced as a monitor appeared on the top of the pod, revealing an artificial woman.
"I am E-V4, but you can simply call me Eva. What is the User's name?" The AI asked.
"Shin." The young man answered, looking around with his limited range of motion.
"Welcome, Master Shin." Eva replied, "Would you like to begin the dive process?"
"Yes." Shin replied as he laid his head back and closed his eyes.