The first test was endurance. Consisting of a 5k run, students were lined up behind one another, divided into six lanes. Zephyr was behind Dominic in the third lane.
Both Christina and Nia were elsewhere, mixed in with the crowd.
"Do you see that screen over there?"
Dominic pointed to the center of the track where the instructors sat. Beside them was a vertical screen that displayed everyone's names.
"All of us are ranked by our times for every test. Currently I'm ranked second for the 5 kilometer run."
Even though achieving second was already an impressive feat, Dominic's voice didn't hold any semblance of pride.
Zephyr squinted, focusing on the details. Next to Dominic's name was a time that made his breath catch in his throat.
17 minutes and 34 seconds.
'That's fast!'
Zephyr had always considered himself relatively fit, but running 5 kilometers in under 18 minutes was a different league entirely. He felt his heart pound a little quicker as a sliver of doubt creeped in.
'Wait…if Dominic's record of 17 minutes was only second place, who's first?'
Zephyr's eyes darted upward as he felt his eyes slowly widen.
Nia Sterling–15 minutes and 4 seconds.
15 minutes?
His lips trembled.
That was beyond exceptional; it was borderline superhuman. It was obvious that some of it had to be attributed to genetic enhancements the Sterlings gave their heirs, but Zephyr knew to achieve such a time required an ungodly amount of effort. Would he be able to beat that as is now?
Impossible.
Zephyr felt his jaw tighten slightly as he redirected his attention forwards.
'Let's not get ahead of ourselves.'
He felt a bitter taste rise in his throat, but quickly forced it down. Why was he comparing himself to these people anyway? They weren't just students—they were the products of influential backgrounds, grown with the best training money could buy, and enhanced by genetic modifications that gave them a head start in life. They were practically engineered for success.
In contrast, Zephyr was an outlier in this sea of talented individuals. He was just a kid from an ordinary background, a baseline human through and through with no prestigious lineage to speak of.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture as the female instructor raised her arm.
'I just need to improve at my own pace.'
In the instant she swiped it downwards, the run had begun. Among the students, some started off slow, wisely pacing themselves for the long haul, while others bolted forward with all their might, eager to gain an early lead. The sound of pounding feet echoed around the track, a rhythmic thunder that spurred everyone on.
It didn't take long for the top-ranked students to pull ahead, their movements fluid, almost effortless. Meanwhile, the rest of the class formed a loose conglomeration behind, each runner finding their rhythm.
Zephyr was one of the ones who ran forward with all his might.
Even still, there were four others ahead of himself.
He grits his teeth silently as he continued to run, the gap between himself and those ahead only growing wider.
'How is she so quick?!'
Nia's frame was smaller than his own, yet with each step she continued to pull ahead of the second place runner Dominic. For lack of a better word to describe it, her athleticism was ridiculous.
After what felt like an eternity, half an hour had passed, and the last student finally stumbled across the finish line, gasping for breath. Zephyr bent over, hands on his knees, his lungs burning as he fought to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow, pooling on the track below. He forced himself to glance at the screen in the center of the track, where the results flashed up for all to see.
Fifth place. Twenty minutes and five seconds.
If it had been anyone else, they might have been overjoyed with such a result, especially on their first assessment. But Zephyr's expression remained indifferent.
'Not good enough.'
Maybe this was why Dominic didn't sound proud of his second place.
Aside from his addition, there were virtually no changes amongst the top ten ranked students.
"Good work, everyone. Please make your way to the gym to measure your strength like usual," the female instructor called out, her voice cutting through the post-run haze.
She glanced at Zephyr, her eyes lingering on him for a moment, assessing.
"The rest of the tests will go unsupervised. For those taking the assessment for the first time, follow your peers. If you're confused about anything, Instructor Davis and I will be in the lounge."
***
A few hours later, Zephyr had completed his first physical assessment. He wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead as he stared listlessly at his locker.
The results of the physical assessment had been...sobering.
Shooting had turned out to be his best event, yet even there, he only managed to secure fourth place. His weakest trait had also turned out to be strength, ranking sixth out of the class.
Nia, on the other hand, had dominated. She ranked first in every area for the girls and only dropped slightly in overall rank in upper body strength compared to Dominic.
"I still have a long way to go…" He muttered quietly to himself.
A few seconds later, the locker room door swung open, and Dominic walked in, followed by a group of male students. His hair was damp, and a blue towel hung loosely around his neck as he used it to dry off. The other students, noticing Zephyr, exchanged awkward glances before quickly moving to their own lockers.
"Zephyr, you could've just taken a shower here, you know? The facilities are quite nice," Dominic suggested with a friendly tone as he stuffed his gym uniform into a black duffel bag.
Zephyr looked up from his locker, his expression calm, if a bit tired. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a small nod, then added, almost as an afterthought, "Has Nia always been first?"
Dominic paused, his hand lingering on the locker door. "Since her enrollment? Yes."
The locker door closed with a soft click, the sound echoing softly in the quiet room.
"Don't feel too discouraged though. It would actually be strange if someone from the galactic heartland didn't achieve those results."
Zephyr managed a small smile.
"I guess you're right."
In fact, he was actually quite glad now that Nia was on his team. If Zephyr ignored his own inferiority complex and her eccentric behavior, it could be said that there was no better option. The more he looked at it that way, the less his own shortcomings bothered him.
He gathered his belongings and slung his bag over his shoulder, feeling slightly better about himself.
"I'll be leaving first then. See you guys around."
Dominic gave him a nod as the other students instinctively made way for him to pass.
'I guess I'll meet up with Christina and Nia then.'
After sending them a quick message to meet him at the training hall's entrance, Zephyr stepped outside.
***
Christina pinched her nose the closer she grew to Zephyr, frowning.
"You reek of sweat."
He shrugged.
"I haven't taken a shower yet after all."
Ignoring her reaction, Zephyr looked at Nia who had let her hair down, now wearing the academy's regular uniform.
"Are you guys planning on heading back to the dorms?"
It was getting late, but Zephyr couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to discuss. Before their physical assessment today, she had stated that the three of them were going to form a team. It wouldn't be weird if he wanted to know some more information, right?
Nia yawned, covering her mouth with one hand before replying slowly:
"I'm planning on grabbing something to eat first. Would you both like to join me?"
Christina glanced at Zephyr, still pinching her nose as if the smell was physically painful.
"I'd love to, but Zephyr needs to take a shower first. I can't enjoy a meal with him smelling like that."
"Wow…you didn't have to put it that way."
"But it's true!" Christina shot back.
Zephyr let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head before turning towards Nia.
"Just to be sure, we are going to discuss what you meant about us being a team in further detail right?"
Nia tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. "That's the plan, but Christina's right—you really need to take a shower first."
He held up a hand, cutting off any further commentary on his hygiene.
"Actually, I have somewhere to be, which is why I didn't shower right away."
Nia raised a brow, curious.
"Where do you need to be?"
Zephyr hesitated for a moment before replying:
"The academy's mech hangars."
Both girls had a surprised expression on their faces.
"The hangars?" Christina asked with an odd look.
He nodded quickly.
Although Kenny had probably already left, he still had the spare access card. Zephyr wanted to inspect the Squire that he had piloted and assess its damage–if possible, conduct some of the repairs himself.
"I'll end up smelling like oil and grease after anyway so it wouldn't make sense for me to shower earlier."
Nia stared at him for a moment before turning towards Christina.
"We can just eat in the hangars then. Is that okay with you Christy?"
The blonde girl smiled lightly.
"Fine with me."
Nia turned attention back to Zephyr.
"There you have it. We'll discuss everything there."