The next afternoon, Roy arrived at the combat field earlier than usual.
The survival test was only two days away.
Everyone in the academy was talking about it.
Some students were confident.
Others were nervous.
A few were already making plans to target specific teams.
Roy wasn't interested in any of that yet.
He stood in the middle of the training field, looking at the four people who would fight beside him.
Leo Blaze.
Jay Frost.
Jenny Frost.
Jones.
Five people.
One team.
Leo looked around.
"So, Captain, what's the plan?"
Roy crossed his arms.
"We train."
Leo blinked.
"That's the plan?"
"For today."
Jay nodded.
"That makes sense. We still don't know how everyone fights together."
Jenny looked at Roy.
"And the survival test isn't just about individual strength."
"Exactly."
Roy turned toward the field.
"We've all gotten better individually. But that won't matter if we're constantly getting in each other's way."
Jones raised his hand.
"So what are we doing?"
Roy pointed toward the opposite side.
"Three-on-two."
Leo frowned.
"Three-on-two?"
"Me, Leo, and Jones against Jay and Jenny."
Jay smiled.
"That's unfair."
"That's the point."
Roy stepped forward.
"The two-person team has to survive. The three-person team has to take them down."
Jenny understood immediately.
"We're practicing disadvantages."
Roy nodded.
"If we're surrounded during the test, we won't always have equal numbers."
The five students took their positions.
Leo stood beside Roy.
Jones stood behind them.
Jay and Jenny faced them.
The instructor watching from nearby raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Jay immediately rushed forward.
Roy moved to intercept him.
Their training swords collided.
Jay pushed forward, forcing Roy backward.
At the same time, Jenny moved around the side.
"Leo!"
Leo turned.
"Fire Wall!"
A wall of flames appeared between him and Jenny.
Jenny stopped before touching it.
She changed direction.
Jones raised an Earth barrier.
Jenny jumped over it.
Leo tried to follow her movement.
That was his mistake.
Jay suddenly broke away from Roy and rushed toward Jones.
"Got you."
Jones raised both hands.
"Earth Shield!"
Jay's sword struck the shield.
Roy noticed what was happening.
They're separating us.
"Leo, back!"
Leo turned too late.
Jenny was already behind him.
She tapped his shoulder with her training sword.
"Out."
Leo froze.
"What?"
Jenny smiled.
"You left yourself open."
Leo looked at Roy.
"Captain?"
Roy shook his head.
"She got you."
Leo sighed.
"I hate this exercise."
Jay laughed.
A few minutes later, the match ended.
Roy and Jones were still standing.
Jay and Jenny had been eliminated.
The instructor blew the whistle.
"Good."
Everyone lowered their weapons.
"But your biggest problem was communication."
Roy nodded.
He had noticed it too.
They were all trying to play their own roles.
They needed to operate as a single unit.
The instructor continued.
"During the survival test, you won't always have time to explain your decisions. You need to understand what your teammates are trying to do."
Roy looked at his team.
"Again."
Leo groaned.
"Already?"
"Again."
They started another round.
This time, Roy changed the strategy.
He didn't try to control everything.
Instead, he gave everyone a simple role.
"Leo, pressure the enemy."
Leo nodded.
"Got it."
"Jenny, control their movement."
"Okay."
"Jay, protect our rear."
Jay nodded.
"Jones, create openings."
Jones smiled.
"Finally, something I can do."
Roy looked at everyone.
"And I'll adapt."
The second match began.
This time, everything was different.
Leo attacked first.
A controlled fire blast forced Jay away from his position.
Jenny immediately froze the ground behind him.
Jay couldn't retreat.
Jones raised an Earth pillar.
Jay jumped over it.
Roy was already waiting.
He tapped Jay's sword aside.
"Out."
Jay laughed.
"That's much better."
Jenny immediately attacked Leo.
Leo blocked.
She attacked again.
Leo stepped backward.
Roy moved to help him, but stopped.
Jenny was trying to pull him away from the others.
Don't chase.
Roy stayed where he was.
Leo understood.
"Fire Burst!"
Jenny jumped away.
Jones raised an Earth wall behind her.
She was trapped.
Leo moved forward.
Jenny looked around.
"Seriously?"
Roy smiled.
"Out."
The exercise ended.
This time, they had worked together.
No one had acted alone.
The instructor nodded.
"Much better."
Leo wiped his forehead.
"So that's what we're supposed to do."
Roy nodded.
"We have five different abilities. We need to make them work together."
Jay looked at Jenny.
"Our Frost abilities can slow enemies down."
Jenny nodded.
"And Leo's Fire can force them toward us."
Jones added, "My Earth can control the battlefield."
Everyone looked at Roy.
He shrugged.
"I can move around and fill whatever position is needed."
Leo smiled.
"So basically, you're the annoying guy who shows up everywhere."
Roy laughed.
"Pretty much."
They continued training throughout the afternoon.
They practiced different formations.
One formation focused on defense.
Another focused on surrounding an opponent.
They practiced retreating without breaking formation.
They even practiced what would happen if one member became separated.
During one exercise, Jenny was cut off from the others.
"Jenny!"
Jay started moving toward her.
Roy stopped him.
"Don't."
Jay looked confused.
"But she's alone."
"She can handle herself."
Jenny immediately created a Frost barrier.
Two training opponents rushed toward her.
She froze the ground beneath them and moved away.
Jay smiled.
"Right."
Roy nodded.
"We don't panic when someone gets separated."
Jenny returned to the group.
"Good call."
Roy looked at everyone.
"The survival test will probably try to make us panic."
Jones frowned.
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
Roy looked toward the academy walls.
"But if I were designing the test, I'd do it."
Leo nodded.
"Separate teams. Limited resources. Unknown terrain."
"And other captains," Jay added.
Roy nodded.
"Exactly."
The five became quiet.
They had all heard about the other team captains.
Ken Blaze.
Kriest Range.
Rin Fex.
Jack Lu.
And Roy.
Every captain had a reputation.
Some students were already saying Roy had been given the position because of his recent performance.
Others believed he was too inexperienced.
Roy didn't care.
He knew he still had something to prove.
Not to the academy.
To himself.
Later that evening, the team sat outside the training field.
Leo leaned against the wall.
"So, Roy."
"Yeah?"
"Why do you think they made you captain?"
Roy thought about it.
"I don't know."
"You don't think it's because you're strong?"
Roy shook his head.
"Being strong doesn't automatically make someone a leader."
Leo smiled.
"Good answer."
Jay looked at Roy.
"What kind of captain are you going to be?"
Roy looked at his teammates.
"I don't know yet."
He paused.
"But I'll make sure everyone gets through the test."
Jones smiled.
"Even if we lose?"
Roy nodded.
"Even if we lose."
Jenny looked at him.
"That's not exactly what a competitive captain would say."
Roy shrugged.
"Winning matters."
He looked toward the distant training grounds.
"But nobody on my team gets abandoned just because winning becomes difficult."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Leo smiled.
"Alright."
He stood up.
"I'm in."
Jay stood too.
"Same."
Jenny nodded.
"Same."
Jones raised his hand.
"Obviously."
Roy smiled.
For the first time, the five of them weren't just students assigned to the same team.
They were becoming something more.
A team.
---
That night, Roy returned to his room.
He placed Raijin beside his bed.
The sword remained completely still.
Roy stared at it.
The survival test was approaching.
He didn't know what waited inside the designated area.
He didn't know what the other teams were planning.
And he still didn't understand why the academy had so many secrets surrounding him.
But he knew one thing.
He wasn't entering the test alone.
Roy closed his eyes.
"Two days."
A faint spark of Lightning appeared around his fingers.
"Let's see what we're capable of."
Outside his window, the academy remained quiet.
But somewhere across the campus, another student was preparing for the same test.
And five captains were about to lead their teams into a competition where only one team could finish on top.