"Shall we go again?!" Astrid asked.
Still gasping for air, Oliver raised an eyebrow as he studied her. She was clearly in better shape—her earlier matches must have ended so quickly she hadn't even broken a sweat. Oliver shook his head slightly in response, and the girl widened her eyes and pouted.
"Ah! I should've stretched out this match more," she muttered softly as she prepared to leave the arena.
Oliver started to rise, brushing dust from his uniform, but since there were no more rounds, he sank back down instead. He tried to wipe the sweat off his face while glancing at the ongoing battles.
In one of the distant rings was Katherine. Unlike the other matches, hers was still ongoing, which was surprising given that she usually finished all her bouts in under a minute.
Oliver recognized her opponent. He was one of the other standouts from the First Battalion. He was one of the few bald recruits in the First Battalion, but that went unnoticed next to the mountain of muscle he carried.
Those muscles greatly influenced his battle style. Every move he made carried tremendous force, shaking the arena. His Ranger Weapon was a heavy mace, which caused minor fractures in the ground when it struck the platform.
On the other hand, Katherine was quick and agile enough to keep this from becoming a problem. However, in the limited space of the arena, she had to use her maximum speed to avoid being pinned down, which was taking a toll on her stamina. She was already breathing heavily, and her face was flushed red. Despite striking at the armor's weak points with precision, her attacks barely left a mark. Every thrust seemed to reach his skin but failed to penetrate.
Oliver tried to put himself in Katherine's shoes and gauge whether he stood a chance against the boy. Not likely. He knew that if Katherine's sword couldn't do any real damage, his weapons wouldn't fare any better. To make matters worse, he wasn't confident he could evade every attack. The moment he got hit, the match would be over.
The alarm blared before Oliver could analyze further, marking the end of the round. All the students exited the platforms and returned to stand near the captain.
"This was just the first of many lessons yet to come. Understand that there is a clear difference in performance between the two battalions, but combat will be the best way for you all to learn." Musk spoke.
The old captain walked until he was close to the recruits.
"Don't get comfortable. The recruits you fight today are the ones chasing you tomorrow. Every second, they're getting stronger. Every second, they get one step closer to evolving. One step closer to mastering combat techniques." Musk scanned each recruit as he spoke.
The captain paused briefly, his expression shifting to a more somber tone before continuing.
"And don't think it'll change once you leave the Academy. The Orks may seem barbaric, but above all, they are cunning and ruthless. They are always lurking, waiting for a mistake to seize the advantage." As he finished speaking about the Orks, his voice carried a unique hatred, the kind that only someone who had fought through countless Waves could understand.
The class absorbed as much as they could from Musk's teaching. After the recent fights, many of them already felt they were improving. Whether due to gaining more combat experience or their bodies developing, the students felt the difference. Oliver was no exception. Looking at his status, he noticed the clear distinction between physical and combat training.
"For today, you are dismissed! I look forward to seeing you in the next training session," Musk concluded, slowly walking toward the gym's exit. Alongside the students' conversations, the sound of his prosthetics made small whirs and scratches as he moved.
Like at the beginning of the class, several groups formed as the recruits left the gymnasium. Some discussed the battles, while others talked about their following classes. Meanwhile, Oliver was distracted, wondering what would be for lunch. As his stomach reminded him it was ready for the next meal, the boy headed for the gym's exit.
Just as he reached the door, a red blur zipped past. Oliver blinked, and there stood Astrid, staring straight at him.
"Great fight," she said, grinning wide. "Next class, come straight to my arena. I want a rematch."
"Okay," Oliver answered.
After receiving his confirmation, the girl quickly resumed walking, leaving him behind.
'Was she friendly… or just insane?' Oliver wondered, the question lingering as he walked away.
Over time, Oliver and Alan settled into the Academy's rhythm. The first days had been chaotic, but routine quickly took over.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Oliver was impressed by everything he had learned. Finally, the combat lessons weren't as overwhelming. Nonetheless, victories were still rare, especially against the trio from the First Battalion.
However, the most significant change in the past two weeks was one he had kept secret from everyone, even Alan.
At last, he could evolve.
Three days ago, he had finally gained enough experience to level up. His curiosity urged him to click, but he remembered the pain and bleeding from using his Boon. He feared that evolving might have a similar effect, so he was waiting until they covered the topic of evolution in the next class with Captain Caine.
But there were still a few things Oliver wanted to improve in the coming days that he hadn't been successful with so far in his time at the Academy.
The first was his lack of contact with the First Battalion. He rarely got to talk with Isabela, mainly because there were no classes with her, and every barrack was assigned to a specific battalion. Although they had chatted while walking from one training session to another, they hardly ever had time. Moreover, the gap between the classes also made it hard to get closer to Katherine, although he figured it wouldn't happen even if they shared more classes.
His second goal was to finally defeat the trio from the First Battalion. Every day, he honed his skills, but they improved along with him, making the gap between them remain the same.
Oliver and Alan continued being the two students who arrived early for every class, not out of enthusiasm but because both boys liked getting to the cafeteria earlier to avoid the long lines. This left plenty of time for them to be the first ones in the classroom. Sitting in the chair he had grown accustomed to, Oliver began to notice a few changes.
"Hey! What's that?" Oliver blurted out without thinking.
Alan looked at his friend, confused.
"You're not bald anymore?!" Oliver said.
"Screw you," Alan muttered, dropping his head onto the table.
Still, it wasn't the long, shiny hair the boy used to have before joining the Academy, but it no longer reflected light like it had before. Another thing was that Oliver could finally say that Alan was his friend. The two had gone through so much in these two weeks that he had never felt so close to anyone else, perhaps only his parents.
Even with his head resting on the table, Alan could still feel Oliver's gaze.
"What is it?!" Alan asked.
"Nothing, just checking if you still reflect light," Oliver said.
"Ha! Funny. Let's not forget you were bald too," Alan shot back.
"Yeah, but mine wasn't a solar panel," Oliver said, holding his hands apart to mimic Alan's shiny head.
The exchange of friendly insults had become normal between the two, and for anyone who understood the art of male diplomacy, it was one of the main signs of friendship.
After a few more stabs, they finally began to talk normally, discussing what they expected from the next class. Caine had earned the class's respect, making every student eager for his next lesson. So much so that, despite being early, just minutes after the boys arrived, other waves of recruits began filling the room.
At last, the instructor arrived.
"I can see..." Caine paused slightly, noticing the sarcastic smirks on some students' faces.
Many of the students still believed that Caine was blind because of the special glasses he wore. However, the captain chose not to dispel this misunderstanding among his students.
"I can see that you're all eager for today's lesson. Well, you have a great reason to be excited," the captain explained.
"Today, we'll finally talk about Evolutions. The key that saved humanity from extinction."