Erie watched Jake and couldn't help but think about what he had witnessed. When Jake was speaking to him and Alex, he kept mentioning that he wasn't able to replicate Lilly's ability. He seemed very confident in himself. He shook Erie's hand but seemed disappointed afterward.
Jake's ability couldn't have been Magma Release unless he was just naturally born with talent. "Is he like an avatar or something?" Erie wondered aloud. Then it all hit him. "He shook my hand and felt disappointed. He could have already touched Lilly when Gene and I were with Officer Janet. He kept complaining that he couldn't use her ability yet, but he was able to duplicate himself, and the copies of him could cause damage."
Erie already knew the conditions of the copy ability, but this ability seemed a lot stronger, especially since Jake could replicate energy outside of his race. "This must be a doppelganger or a replication ability," Erie thought. "Which is similar in a way but also different."
Jake couldn't copy Erie's ability because Erie simply didn't have one. Erie looked at Jake as he approached him with a smile. He then asked Jake what was on his mind.
"So I'm guessing you have some kind of replication ability? Or are you a fusion? Able to use doppelganger and replication? How does that even work when it's fused?" Erie asked.
Jake looked down at Erie. "You're very observant, but my family is well-known, so you probably knew that right?" he said, tilting his head. "You see, my family, as I explained before, we have white hair and white eyes or blue eyes. The ones with blue eyes are special. But then there's me. I can create," Jake said with a smile.
Erie looked back at Jake. "So are you going to answer my question or brag about how great and good-looking your family is?"
Jake chuckled. "Fair enough. To answer your question, yes, I have a replication ability. But it's not just that; I can create energy constructs and even replicate abilities to some extent. It's a fusion of doppelganger and replication, which allows me to make functional duplicates that can act independently and use different abilities."
Jake thought, "Erie has a lot of energy reserves, and so does Gene." He then watched Erie walk away and glanced over at Gene, noticing his eyes change colors in the sun. "And so does he. But yet they don't have an ability yet. These two guys are special. I need to stay on their good side, especially when they learn a new ability."
While Erie was walking back towards Officer Janet, he looked over at Lilly and watched her as she was meditating. She was calm and looked as if she was taking in energy from the sun. "My system told me to meditate 30 minutes a day daily for 25 exp. Is this something to do with my race?" he wondered.
Officer Janet told everyone to gather around because the test was finally complete. She then teleported everyone back to the school, which was in the middle of a giant city. Many people were walking in and out of the common area of the facility. All of the students were told to wait for their professors as the others were finishing up their tests.
Students were all zapping into the courtyard at different locations, and the last group of students was finally teleported in. It was now time for all of the students to be assigned their rooms.
Another sergeant stood before all of the students and looked over them as if he were searching for someone in particular. "Ugh, he's always late," he spat. "I guess I'll start without him. I'm tired today and ready to get some rest," he thought to himself. Then he looked at the students. "Okay everyone, follow me as I take you around this wonderful school."
Erie took note of the teacher as he looked at him. The man was of average height but looked extremely athletic. His loose braids hung down to his neck, and he had a huge name tag on his back with the name "Levi."
Levi was pointing out buildings, cafeterias, and training facilities. He was proud of the establishment, after all, he helped build it. He smiled as he pointed, continuously talking about how he was the main contributor to the construction and updates the academy had to offer.
Levi began to shift his bragging towards the students. "Well everyone, we are in peaceful times, but it's still tough. We have to have vigorous training daily. And guys, create bonds, make friends, and have each other's back." Levi took a pause to let his words sink in. "You guys have to grow strong and protect humanity from its invaders. Now get to know one another; you will be family for the next six years or so."
The students started to talk amongst each other while Levi was walking them around the school. Erie began to observe the conversations and noticed that the same process seemed to be repeated: the kids were only talking to those with abilities or high levels like himself. Gene was ignored, Erie was ignored, and a few other students as well. A student walked up to him and asked Erie what his level was, and Erie told him he was a level 1. The student then walked off as if Erie didn't exist.
Gene was walking slowly behind the group of students with a blank look on his face, as were the other two students. This was bound to happen; the social dynamics and politics were apparent. Erie walked alongside Gene and glanced at him while they followed Levi around the school.
A sound was calling both of their names. Gene and Erie looked at each other, then looked up to see where the sound was coming from.
Erie and Gene turned to see Alex hurrying over to them, looking a bit flustered. "Dude, you two are hard to find," Alex said. "You know that medical nurse wouldn't stop grabbing onto me and wouldn't let me leave."
Erie couldn't understand Alex. He had only seen him around school before, and now all of a sudden, Alex wanted to stick by him. "What is his motive?" Erie wondered.
Alex looked over at Erie and Gene. "Hey, mind if I join you guys?" he asked. Then he added with a grin, "Your eyes are cool, by the way!"
Gene smiled and said, "Ugh, thank you, I guess."
Alex grinned back at Gene. "No problem, dude. It's cool to be different."
The students were all chattering while walking across the five-mile facility. They were shown the homeroom, classrooms, and their classroom building. They were also shown a market stand where they could trade their currency. Levi explained every sight with great detail, showing how proud he was of his accomplishments.
As Levi approached the library, he paused and told everyone to hush and admire the structure. The library was built with gold, emerald, and gems, and protected with beams of energy orbs, always on high alert. "This is our best invention. The library contains all the information you will need about our history and knowledge. You are free to come here as many times as you want within curfew and learn." He paused and looked at everyone again. "LEARN, EVERYONE!" he yelled.
Erie couldn't help but chuckle. "This is one passionate guy," he thought. But as he stared at the library, he wondered, "Maybe I can learn more about the Sun Warriors here?" After all, the race wasn't hidden, so there were no secrets about it, but he wanted to learn more about his heritage. He took note of the library's location, and finally, all the students were led to the apartments.
Levi stopped. "This is your apartments, everyone! Please note that an AI named Genius will greet you on your watch every morning. The information Genius gives you is all from your year's general, so please pay attention! Your homeroom teacher will teach you how to navigate your watch according to the daily plan!"
"Now!" Levi yelled, "take a look at your watch! You should see a number beside your name. That number sequence is your room number!"
Gene looked at his watch. "27-GH?" he read out loud.
Erie, hearing this, exclaimed, "So I guess we are roommates, Gene."
Alex then yelled out, laughing, "Dude! No way, dude! I'm 27-GH as well!"
Erie looked at Alex again. "There's no way we ended up in the same room," he thought to himself. But later, he just decided to go with it. It wasn't often that a level 10 would want to be friends with him