The simulation pods hissed open, releasing a thick white mist. From its latch, the four teammates rose, eyes sunken from fatigue. Well, all except Xavier, who looked as calm and natural as he could.
The instructor stood, his eyes flickering from the tablet in his hand to the emerging cadets. The other cadets, having finished their simulation earlier, sat exhausted, some even going as far as lying their backs on the floor.
"What the hell were you doing in the simulation?" The instructor's strict and stern voice hit them before they even stepped out.
"You killed the villains, but at the expense of the entire city. What is the usefulness of saving if you were going to destroy the city?" He continued, his voice thundering like a hammer against a gong.
"The difficulty was raised, we had no choice," Morgan countered as he took his stance as the team's attorney.
"Obviously, it will be raised. I initially lowered the difficulty since one of you could not use his power fully. But when I saw he was good, I made it a flame manipulator. Who knew he would still get one shot?" The teacher's brows arced as he stated.
The more he recalled the scene from the simulation, the more he felt his worldview collapse. How was he able to control his powers to such an extent?
Not only him. The students who finished quickly also witnessed Xavier's terrifying power.
"Here, your result slip," the instructor passed a paper to Aiden.
Aiden collected it with a bow and took it closer. Then, like wild chickens drawn to maize, the other 3 flocked around him as they read the words one after the other.
[Teamwork: B]
[Combat power: A]
[Damage control: F]
[Total: C]
All heads turned to Xavier as they saw the damage control.
Feeling the piercing stares that seemed to slice through his existence, Xavier looked up. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to," he pleaded as he saw their eyes plastered on him.
They only shook their head as they saw his expression. Xavier thought they were angry that he destroyed the city, when in fact, they were only wondering how he was able to achieve such a feat alone.
"Class is dismissed, get to your dorms early, before the curfew," the instructor gave a final word to dismiss the cadets.
With practiced steps, they all strode out of the classroom.
Although it was dark outside, Xavier was finally able to see the compound of the Academy, thanks to the neon blue light that lit everywhere.
"First, we go to the cafeteria to grab our dinner," Jordan reminded, rubbing his tummy.
They nodded in agreement. Even Xavier was hungry after all the stress they had gone through earlier.
They strolled towards the cafeteria, passing a wave of students who were also heading for the cafe.
On their way, several thoughts passed through Xavier's mind.
He did not understand the sudden glow that illuminated his body, and how he was able to fight that way.
Although he was conscious and saw everything that was happening, he was not in control of his body. It was like another consciousness descended into his body.
'I should stop overthinking, since it is not harmful; I can easily ponder it later,' he mused internally. It was a pressing issue, but he had to deal with something more pressing: hunger.
As he walked, Xavier observed the surroundings. From the wide arena that was clearly for sports.
'They are considerate, even creating recreational spaces,' he thought.
To the wide laboratory.
Xavier's entire body was giddy with excitement as the thought of entering the laboratory entered his mind. As a science enthusiast, he wanted to see what the force behind the biggest power in the world held.
'I will check later, it is dark,' he comforted. It was too late to go around checking machines; moreover, he did not know if cadets were only granted access during class periods.
Soon, they reached the cafeteria, a wide building with several chairs and tables, each set arranged to accommodate 4 people. Though there were a few at the edge of the room with enough space to contain 16 people.
Xavier and team walked up to the counter.
"Good evening, ma," they all greeted.
The woman looked over 68 with a wrinkled face.
"Good evening," she replied with a bright smile. She took a plate from the shelf before her and began to dish their food.
It was rice, served with curry sauce and grilled chicken breast.
Aiden was the first to take his food. Without even turning to look at them, he ran towards one of the big chairs.
"Acting crazy because of food, he can't even compose himself today that there is a newcomer," Morgan hissed.
"He is a foodie," Jordan added.
Xavier just looked on as they discussed.
The woman served all of them quickly, and they all went to the same seat as Aiden.
"You finished your food already," Xavier could not help but exclaim.
Although he didn't want to join in the conversation, what he saw shocked him. It had been barely 2 minutes, and Aiden had finished his food already.
"Get used to this sight," Jordan whispered with a giggle.
"How are you guys?"
A loud voice came, making the entire team look up slowly.
"Yo, David," Aiden greeted the boy.
David extended his hand for a handshake, which shook the entire table.
David was a boy who stood almost the same height as Aiden, with black hair and black eyes.
Nothing about him was noteworthy.
In the same motion, he shook hands with Jordan and Morgan before turning back to Xavier. "Hi, I am David," he introduced.
"Xavier, their new teammate," Xavier replied.
"You don't need to tell me, though; everyone in the academy knows you," David laughed, slumping into one of the chairs with his food. "You are the 4th X-tier ability user, and probably the strongest among all cadets," he added.
"He is the strongest, even Maya can't do what he did," Morgan interrupted.
The conversation over the meal continued, making the 30-minute dinner break seem shorter than usual.