Ranta finally broke the heavy silence.
— Well… here goes. I'll introduce myself. Ranta Chihiro, 16 years old.
But despite his initiative, the atmosphere remained heavy.
Atela suddenly felt a slight pressure on her hand.
As if someone was holding onto it.
She looked down.
A small girl with black hair and a timid gaze was hiding behind her.
— Me… I'm Marie Lumina… nice to meet you…
Surprised, Atela crouched down to her level.
— Hey… you're really young. Did you get lost? How old are you?
Marie hesitated, kept her head down, then replied in an almost inaudible voice:
— Actually… I'm in your team… and I'm 9 years old.
A pause fell over the room.
No one really knew how to react.
Ranta spoke again, between respect and fascination:
— The required age is between 9 and 18… but almost no one dares to try. Especially since you only get one attempt…
He paused.
— She's really courageous.
Hajime, on the other hand, saw something else.
She passed the elimination round without difficulty… where even adults failed.
Atela, touched, gently hugged Marie.
— Don't worry… everything will be fine.
Noa introduced himself without hesitation:
— Noa. 15 years old.
Ranta shook his hand with a warm smile.
— Nice to meet you. I hope we'll get along well.
Another boy spoke.
Tall. Dressed in red and black.
Black hair with a red mohawk-like stripe.
Cold gaze.
— Kobra Kanix. 17 years old.
From the couch, Hajime followed:
— Hajime Chota, 15 years old.
A slight smirk.
— Try not to get in my way… it would be better for you.
Atela immediately judged him as arrogant.
Ranta preferred to ignore the tone.
Suddenly, a door opened near Kobra.
A plain-looking boy entered… holding an ice cream.
— Huh? You're already here? I'm Solar Luna. 13 years old.
Kobra stared at him.
— Hey… where did you get that ice cream?
— From the freezer.
— Can you get me one?
Atela stood up, Marie still clinging to her.
— Atela, 15 years old. And yes… I'm part of the team.
Hajime looked at her from the corner of his eye.
— I thought I recognized you…
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
— Angel clan, right? So… princess of the kingdom of Revia.
— That's right.
Noa looked at her in surprise.
— How come some people know who you are?
Atela lowered her voice slightly:
— I don't know… The Ava only erased memories related to my role as Guardian.
She paused.
— People can still remember me… just not that part.
Hajime stood up, stretching.
— Alright. Now that introductions are done… let's talk about innate techniques.
He continued, more seriously:
— Harman said there are 50 teams of 10. So 500 participants.
Kobra sighed.
— We already know that.
But Noa understood.
— Yes… but in the end, only 50 will remain.
He raised his head slightly.
— So… 5 teams.
Silence.
— We'll have to fight other teams to make it.
— Exactly!
The radio crackled again, and Harman's voice echoed once more.
Ranta and Atela exchanged a quick glance.
As if he were listening to everything.
— You must learn about your teammates… their techniques… their fighting style. Prepare your strategies.
Everyone immediately focused.
— An opposing team will be assigned randomly. You will choose 5 members for the first round… and 5 for the second.
He added:
— You are not required to change the composition.
A short pause.
— The team with the most victories moves up in rank. In case of a tie… you continue until a difference is made.
A shared thought crossed the group.
They would have to fight repeatedly.
— Killing your opponents is forbidden. And you cannot change members during a match.
Then, more seriously:
— But above all… choose a leader. It will be decisive.
Noa thought back to the elimination phase.
That boy… the one who crossed the door first.
His eyes slowly closed.
— Will he be in the top 5…?
A moment.
Then his gaze hardened.
— Doesn't matter…
A certainty settled in.
— He's strong. Very strong.