The Only Choice
Those who passed the exam with outstanding marks had to go up onto the stage. Standing in front of so many people... whoever it was would surely feel an immense amount of pressure.
"Jeff."
"Uh-huh!"
I let myself be pulled along as Shine took my hand. We squeezed through the endless crowd, finally arriving in front of the massive stage, where I swallowed hard. Yes. The ones who had achieved those outstanding marks were Shine and me. It seemed that quickly neutralizing an opponent without taking any damage yielded a high score.
I looked up at the judges' panel, where Amy, Victor, and Rain were seated. When our eyes met, Rain waved at me. Everyone sitting up there was undoubtedly a Team Leader-level figure. I shifted my gaze from the three of them to scan the others. From Vapor, the woman I had met at the training ground before, to faces I had never seen—every single one of them exuded an extraordinary aura.
Feeling overwhelmed by their intense stares, I hid behind Shine. As if protecting me, Shine stepped forward to block their view. But even if she could block the eyes in front of us, she couldn't shield me from the crowd standing behind. I think I'm going to throw up. My palms were slick with sweat from the sheer nerves.
"Everyone, step forward."
Shine and I weren't the only trainees who had achieved outstanding marks. A long line of trainees stood beside us. Amy, looking down at the crowd, stood up and spoke. At her command, the trainees began to ascend the stairs to the stage.
"Let's go."
While I was hesitating, almost everyone else had already made their way up. Shine pulled me along, leading me onto the stage. Standing on the elevated platform with an unobstructed view, I looked back at the long line of successful candidates. There weren't many. Less than three hundred in total. Among them, only five had achieved outstanding marks: Shine, myself, and three strangers. They were all busy exchanging glances with one another.
"You've all worked hard," Amy said to those gathered on the stage. "I don't like long speeches, so I'll keep it brief. Those of you who achieved outstanding marks will be assigned directly under the Team Leaders of each team. You'll shadow them and learn various things."
"Excuse me..." a young man standing next to me said, raising his hand. He seemed to have a question.
"Yes, go ahead."
"You said we'll be assigned under the Team Leaders, but do we get to choose which team we join?"
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice. The Team Leaders choose you. Of course, you can refuse if you really want to, but..." Amy trailed off, her gaze locking onto the young man. "Are you going to refuse?"
"No, ma'am!"
"Good. Then let's begin."
With that, Amy sat back down.
Begin what? I wondered. Just then—Thump! With a heavy, violent crash, the stage beneath our feet shook violently. I stumbled, losing my balance, but Shine caught my hand, keeping me from falling over.
"I am Cairo, Leader of Team Blaze."
The man who spoke as he stood up was an absolute giant. He was even taller than Amy—well over two meters. My neck ached just trying to look up at him. His fiery gaze swept over Shine, me, and the other candidates. He ran a massive hand through his reddish-brown hair, pushing it back. With his bangs cleared away, his full face was revealed, exposing the incredibly fierce, intimidating features of a rugged middle-aged man.
"Jeff. I offer you a place. Join my team."
Once the man named Cairo finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the hall. I stood there, trembling with nerves, completely frozen, until a tiny droplet of water splashed against my cheek and snapped me out of it.
"Huh?"
My mind had gone completely blank, but Cairo's words replayed in my head. Jeff. That was my name. And he just asked me to join his team? Panic-stricken, I waved my hands frantically, my face crumpling into a tearful grimace. My eyes darted around the room, passing Shine before landing on Rain. Rain gave a small chuckle and shook her head. Next, I looked at Amy. Our eyes met, but she offered no reaction whatsoever.
"Your answer."
"Yes!"
Perhaps because I had kept him waiting too long, Cairo demanded an answer with a slightly displeased frown. Startled, I blurted out reflexively, "I refuse!"
The moment the words left my mouth, Cairo's expression began to crack. It seemed he had never even considered the possibility of being rejected.
"Are you... are you serious?"
"Yes!"
"I didn't mishear you, did I?"
"No!"
My voice grew louder with each response. Because my throat was so tight from tension, my voice cracked, producing a rather comical squeak, but I was in no position to care about that. Whispers and murmurs erupted from all directions at my rejection. The noise only made me shrink back further, curling inward. I felt as though I had committed some terrible crime, and tears threatened to spill over.
"Fine. Then, Shine."
Cairo shifted his gaze to Shine. He opened his mouth, a flicker of hope in his eyes. Or rather, he tried to.
"I refuse too."
Two consecutive rejections. His jaw dropped, looking utterly devastated.
"If Jeff doesn't go, I'm not going," Shine said, squeezing my hand tightly. The warmth spreading from her palm slowly melted the tension in my body.
Still in shock, Cairo rubbed his weary face at Shine's audacious declaration. Letting out a heavy sigh, he pointed to the young man who had raised his hand first. Without a moment's hesitation, the young man accepted. Cairo handed him a flame-shaped emblem and sent him down from the stage.
Next, another Team Leader stood up.
"Jeff."
He, too, singled me out first.
"I refuse!"
I turned him down without hesitation. The first rejection had been hard, but the second was easy.
"I refuse too," Shine added, rejecting him as well.
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. The rejected Team Leaders looked utterly dumbfounded, while the ones who hadn't made their picks yet chuckled at their expense.
"Jeff."
"I refuse!"
"Jeff."
"I refuse!"
The rejections kept piling up. Even the Team Leaders who had been sitting silently began to whisper among themselves. Some wondered who on earth Shine and I were, while others grumbled that we were playing too hard to get. Ignoring all their stares, I simply held Shine's hand tighter.
After what felt like an eternity, Amy's turn finally arrived. Judging by how they were standing up to call names in the order of their seating, it was definitely her turn. Just as I expected, Amy stood up.
"Amy?"
"But Amy doesn't have a team, does she?"
The other Team Leaders murmured in confusion. It seemed nothing like this had ever happened before.
"I am Amy, Leader of Team Harmonize. Jeff."
"Yes!"
I answered joyfully the moment she called my name.
"You're coming, right?"
As if asking something completely obvious, she extended her hand with a playful smile. I nodded vigorously and practically leaped toward her. Amy reached out, catching me and pulling me into a warm embrace. The crowd gasped in shock, but Amy acted as if their stares didn't exist.
"Good job, Jeff. You worked so hard."
"Yes."
Amy showered me with praise. As she gently stroked my hair, the tension in my face melted away, and my entire body relaxed. I snuggled deeper into her embrace, rubbing my cheek against her shoulder.
"Alright, down you go."
Amy gently set me down and pulled a small silver emblem from her pocket. It was a lion's head, looking almost identical to the design Shine had sketched before.
"Wait! Amy, did you actually form a team?"
"Yes."
A woman sitting nearby cried out in shock. Amy merely nodded, as if wondering what the big deal was.
"Don't tell me... it's because of those kids?"
"Yes."
I hid behind Amy's legs, peering out at the stage. Shine hadn't been called yet. It seemed like only one trainee was assigned per team, so what was going to happen to Shine? As I looked at Shine with worried eyes, Amy patted my head.
"It's alright. Go on down."
I nodded, clutching the silver emblem tightly as I stepped down from the stage.
After Amy came Rain. Sitting at her seat, she suddenly leaped high into the air, scattering droplets of water in every direction. The tiny droplets danced in the air, weaving a brilliant rainbow.
"I am Rain!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, as if introducing herself to the entire world. Every eye in the room locked onto her. "I used to be the Leader of Team Raincoat!"
Standing atop her desk, Rain spun around gracefully and continued, "But not anymore!"
The murmurs grew even louder at her declaration. Team Raincoat seemed to be a fairly famous team.
"I am now the Second Leader of Team Harmonize, Rain! And I choose Shine!"
Rain's eyes locked onto Shine. Shine stared back at her. Shine didn't say a word. As the silence stretched, Rain's confident expression began to crumble. Just as Rain's face was about to dissolve into tears, Shine finally spoke.
"Fine."
"Yay!"
Rain squealed with joy. Leaping down from the desk, she skipped over to Shine and handed her a silver emblem.
"Hey! Wait a minute! What the hell is this 'Harmonize' anyway, and what do you mean by 'Second Leader'?"
The moment Shine took the emblem, a man with a deeply disgruntled expression stood up, shouting in anger. I racked my brain, trying to remember who he was. Spiky, dirty-blonde hair. An irritable face. Slit eyes. I think his name was Kevin. Or maybe not. Either way, he didn't make a very good impression.
"It's a brand-new team we just made," Rain replied, looking back with an innocent expression as if she couldn't understand what the issue was. Dumbfounded by her nonchalance, Kevin's mouth worked soundlessly.
"If you have a problem, go complain to Jean. He's the one who approved it," Rain added boldly. At the mention of the name 'Jean,' Kevin's anger instantly vanished. He shut his mouth tight and hung his head.
"No complaints, right? Shine and Jeff are ours."
Rain declared triumphantly. She was so swept up in her own confidence that she didn't even notice her skirt had ridden up. I quietly sent a tiny spark of electricity toward her exposed pale thigh.
"Eek!"
Feeling the sharp prick, Rain jumped. Realizing her skirt was bunched up, she hurriedly smoothed it down. Fortunately, her panties hadn't been exposed.
Rain went back to her seat. Shine descended from the stage, clutching her emblem. She immediately walked over and pressed herself right against my side. We were supposed to stand in neat rows, but she didn't care about that at all.
"Shine, we have to stay in line."
"No. I want to be close to you, Jeff."
I glanced nervously at the instructor standing at the very front. But even the instructor was busy walking on eggshells around Amy and Rain, completely unable to say a word to Shine and me.
After Rain, it was Victor's turn. Everyone's eyes locked onto his mouth. Standing up, Victor ran a hand through his hair with a thoroughly annoyed expression. It was a habit of his whenever he was forced to do something he absolutely hated.
"I am Victor, Third Leader of Team Harmonize. I choose no one."
Having delivered his brief declaration, Victor slumped back into his seat. The hall fell into a stunned silence.
With that, the official ceremony came to an end, and the after-party began. The arena where the exams had taken place was soon filled with tables of delicious food. As Shine and I stood there blankly, holding hands, people kept their distance, whispering among themselves from afar.
"Hey, guys!"
Just then, Rain, who had disappeared with the other Team Leaders, burst back into the arena with a loud shout. She waved at us and started running over, her small footsteps echoing surprisingly loud in the space.
"Rain!"
"Amy and Victor are waiting!"
She immediately grabbed Shine's hand and mine, pulling us along as she took off again. Shine and I exchanged a quick glance before running after her. We dashed through the bustling arena and down the long, winding corridors. Though people stared as we passed, running alongside Rain made even that feel like fun. A soft smile spread across my face.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!
The sound of three pairs of small feet echoed in unison down the hallway.