"A five-star hotel wouldn't be a five-star hotel without one of the best restaurants you'll ever have. So, since you were one of the last to arrive, let me take this opportunity to show you to the dining hall while I give you a tour of this pigsty." Alan continued his sarcastic presentation about how the Academy worked.
Oliver had already understood how the boy liked flushing his disdain for the New Earth Army, but he could also use the moment to learn more about the place.
"... Weren't we supposed to be in a five-star hotel?" Oliver jabbed, "And for someone who seems to hate this place so much, you sure seem to know a lot about it."
"If I'm not strong, I gotta know things, right?" Alan smiled while flexing his arms, showing off zero muscles.
The two began walking toward the dormitory exit.
"Also, I'm the one telling this story. I can retcon however I want. … cough cough". Alan explained. "Where were we? Oh right. Five-star hotels are only for those in the First Battalion. Pigsty is for us in the Second," Alan explained.
"Yeah, I got that impression when I saw who was being called for each battalion," Oliver commented.
"Right. You'll find three types of losers in the Second Battalion: the nameless... like you." Alan smirked while looking at Oliver.
"Those who are too weak to become Rangers. And finally, those publicly disgraced, being punished for something in their Houses."
Oliver could easily understand the first two "losers" types, but Houses were something entirely new to him. He had never encountered them on the streets of New San Francisco.
"And what kind of loser are you?" he asked, giving Alan a questioning look.
"None of those. I'm a rare breed. A new species of loser. The rebel, the one who doesn't believe in all this crap." Alan took a deep breath after his explanation. Though he spoke of rebellion, his face resembled defeat more than anything.
"I see …" Oliver spoke, although not wholly believing the bullshit Alan was trying to sell.
"Weren't you supposed to hate what I said? Get pissed off and talk about honor or glory and vengeance? You know, like someone who lost their family to the Waves? I don't know." Alan asked while studying Oliver's reaction.
"Maybe. But to be honest, I don't know much about the world, and when you spend a lot of time on the streets, you forget about much of the anger and vengeance and just focus on surviving." Oliver explained.
"Hmm… pretty mature for a 15-year-old," Alan commented.
"What are you talking about?! You're 15 too…" Oliver answered.
The two had walked quite a distance, leaving the dormitories behind and following a trail to a two-story building. On the first floor was the Second Battalion's mess hall, which looked like it came straight out of a prison. As soon as they entered the dining hall, the humidity hit their faces like an invisible wall. The heat and the smell of food overwhelmed anyone passing through.
Once again, they lined up, this time to get dinner.
"So, Mr. Survival, I'll help you out. There's a lot you clearly don't know. For instance, the mashed potatoes are really good." Alan commented while pointing to a nearly transparent goo. Although Oliver trusted his new friend, he couldn't believe the 'mashed potatoes' could be any good.
Alan threw a spoonful of mashed potatoes on his plate without waiting for Oliver to serve. The force of the impact sent the potatoes splattering in all directions. Oliver shot a look of judgment that could have pierced Alan, but the bad mood didn't last long as he caught sight of Alan's gleaming bald head.
They both served themselves, though it wasn't much. The food had a slimy appearance that made it far from appetizing. The boys searched for a table with familiar faces, and it didn't take long before they spotted some they had seen in their barracks.
A conversation was already taking place at the table about what the next few days would be like, and their curiosity was fueling the exchange.
"I heard that each barrack gets assigned a lead instructor, and they need at least five years of frontline experience." One of the girls commented.
"Five years?! Impossible. It's too hard for someone like that to return and still want to teach." Another boy responded with a look of disbelief at what they were discussing.
"With five years of experience, anyone could land a better job, not to mention already having a fortune saved up." The same boy explained to the others at the table to finish the discussion.
The group consisted of boys and girls of different sizes, but they all looked starved and worn out. Still, they struggled to choke down the army's slop. The only exception seemed to be Oliver, who was shoveling the food down his throat. The slop still disgusted him, but he had eaten far worse—his cooking. He had never learned how to cook properly, so whenever he had to put his culinary skills to the test, he knew his taste buds were in for torture.
Alan watched Oliver with a mix of curiosity and awe. To him, it was impossible to imagine someone eating that food without chewing and pushing it down whole just to avoid tasting it.
Then, one of the boys caught the group's attention.
"I think it would be good for us to introduce ourselves." One of the boys sitting furthest from the group spoke. "We're not here to make friends, but we need to know each other since, at some point, we'll need to work as a team."
Several cadets agreed with the boy, some because of the logic he presented, while others simply wanted to get to know their fellow battalion members.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Emma." A girl from the other side of the table waved to everyone. She was one of the few who looked healthier, with rosy cheeks and slightly curly hair.
"Great! Well, my name is Damian. But my intention with these introductions was to go a bit beyond our names. How about sharing our Boons and Glitches? Seems like basic information." Damian smiled again at the table, looking for support from the other recruits. "For example, my Boon is telekinesis at Pawn level, and my Glitch is that I can only use it on things I can see and when I'm focused."
Oliver stretched across the table to see who was speaking. For the first time, he got a clear look at Damian. Similar to Emma, he was one of the few who seemed well-fed. His face flushed, and a faded scar ran across his nose, stretching from one eye to the other.
"Telekinesis? Like moving things with your mind?" Oliver commented, just loud enough for Alan to hear.
"Yeah. It's not one of the more common Boons, but his level is pretty low," Alan replied.
The rest of the cadets understood Damian's proposal and agreed it was a good exercise. Each shared their names, where they came from, and Boons. Meanwhile, Oliver watched all this with a curious gaze.
'Boon? Glitch?' Oliver thought, feeling confused about what the others were talking about. Still, he kept a neutral expression, noticing that the others at the table seemed to understand.
He already knew it was something about the Ranger Armor, possibly the powers he had seen during the battle, but he still didn't understand how it all worked.
The introductions continued, and Oliver listened to powers of all different kinds. One girl could control plants, while another boy could set his entire body on fire. But what impressed him the most was that many of them had some kind of limitation. The girl who controlled plants could only manage two at a time, and the boy with fire had a high-calorie consumption, making it quite dangerous for his health.
Finally, only Alan and Oliver were left to introduce themselves.
"Hello! My name is Oliver; I'm a Nameless from New San Francisco, and my Boon …" Before Oliver could continue speaking, he felt Alan jab him in the ribs with an elbow. "I don't know my Boon or Glitch."
Oliver looked at Alan in confusion, not understanding the reason for the elbowed. Alan, on the other hand, smirked at Oliver's response.
"Well... I guess I'm the last one. My name is Alan. I'm from the outskirts of New San Francisco, and I also don't know my Boon or Glitch."
The atmosphere at the table became awkward as the two boys refrained from sharing more, but the conversation soon moved on, with the others still intoxicated by the novelty of being in the New Earth Army.
After finishing their meals, the two boys walked back to the dormitory.
"You thought quickly. Even though the excuse is weak, it was smart to say you didn't know your Boon or Glitch." Alan congratulated him with a broad smile on his face.
Oliver glanced at Alan, noticing the boy seemed impressed with his "wits."
"Hum, but I really don't know my boon," Oliver spoke.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Alan stopped walking and looked thoughtfully at the boy.
"To begin with, what is a Boon or a Glitch?"