After an awkward walk, we arrived at the front gate but failed to exit the building.

Outside was swarmed by journalists. All of them were eager to get even a single word from the Chancellor's mouth. The sheer intensity of the noise created by the journalists was nothing short of astonishing.

Chancellor stopped several steps away from the door. "Ah, I was almost exiting the building." He turned towards me. "Sorry, young Leo. It appears that my arrival somehow got out to the public. The media picturing us together won't be a problem for me, but sadly, I can't say the same for you."

I slightly bowed forward. "Thank you so much for caring about me, though I am thankful. The game hasn't started for me, and I have no plans for exposing my identity this early."

A devilish smile appeared on the Chancellor's face.

"What? That smile doesn't mean any good." I broke my polite character.

He smirked, "Oh, it's about the game, but don't let me spoil the surprise." He began walking towards the exit but stopped one step behind the door. "Five, escort Mr.Leonard to my vehicle using the back door, and don't get spotted." 

One of the winged bodyguards grabbed me by the arm and escorted me to the other side of the building while the Chancellor and other bodyguards moved forward to greet the journalists.

***

[Name: Julius ????

Position: Leader of the United Defence Council and de facto leader of Earth.

Allies: The High Chancellor

Nationality: Unknown

Affiliations: United Defence Council

Height: 2 meters and 54 centimeters

Age: Unknown, but assumed to be at least over hundred and fifty

Abilities: Unknown number of abilities, but some known ones are: teleportation, energy manipulation, enhanced physical strength, endurance, and speed]

***

Chancellor took his time and gave a lengthy speech that satisfied journalists' urge for information before entering the armored black limousine parked at a secluded alleyway.

"Ah, sorry about keeping you waiting. There were many young journalists in the crowd. I saw the insatiable thirst for information and the relentless pursuit of breaking news in their eyes and got fired up." He said. There was no shame in his voice.

'That firing up caused me to wait here for an hour.' I held my tongue. "Oh, don't worry about keeping me waiting. Of course, giving a slightly altered version of the same speech about humanity's future to some journalists on every occasion is certainly an excuse worthy of my time, and it's not like you forcefully changed my schedule without a prewarning anyway. I hope you took adequate care to find the best pose for your front-page photograph and didn't rush because I was waiting for you here. I like the ones that put your long silver hair into the center, how to say it, they make you look more uniting." I said. I found being passive-aggressive towards him more enjoyable anyway.

"Well, I never looked them that way, and I am also glad you are not annoyed by this." He snapped his fingers twice. "To the airport, let's not waste more time."

The car began accelerating forward. After taking some turns and evading indie news networks on ambush, we entered the highway. Roads were surprisingly clear of any vehicles.

"Now, now, Leonard, how are you doing." Chancellor decided to start a conversation.

"I am doing good. Entrance exams added some action to my stale life. I could have done even better if it wasn't for the battle competition." I said.

"Well, I am just here to talk about that. I made you fight in these two matches because of formality. Congratulations." He began clapping his hands. "You can now be an official student of Arsenal. Your class will be just two hours away from your junkyard." He said.

"Your offer is tempting, but I made my decision long ago. I will not join Arsenal. No matter how much you try to persuade me." There were four major academies: Horizon, Hammer, Dragon, and Arsenal.

Hammer and Dragon were closed to the outside, so Horizon and Arsenal were my only two options, and between the two, the Chancellor's words were divine rules in Arsenal, compared to Horizon, which was the most free-spirited amongst the academies.

"Alright." He agreed.

"No- Wait." That was unexpected for me. I was sure he planned something to persuade me to join Arsenal. "Do you mean it?" I asked out of confusion.

"I mean it. What do you think I am, a cruel tyrant? You are free to make a choice, my pupil. My current goal is to bring you to a special place. Have you hacked documents about X program, or were you too busy preparing for the matches?"

"Do you mean the special classes for hand-picked students to find a successor for legendary hero trio who all died two decades ago to increase hope in public? Were those documents even secured?" I said.

"Good. That means you also know you have an invitation, a gilded one, served on a silver platter."

"And what if I decline it?"

"Sadly, your freedom of choice ends there. I talked with your father, and he already accepted it."

"What? I know my father. He won't accept such a thing without consultation with me!" I shouted.

Chancellor raised his hand, palm facing outwards. "Let's not overreact. I have no plan on using your brain in the front lines. What I want you to do is play along. Remember, you are a contender for my succession, but you will need strong people behind you. Take this program as an opportunity to recruit them."

I took a deep breath and relaxed. "Alright, this makes so much sense."

"But don't think I am playing favorites. If I say what I gave to others, you might even think I am neglecting you. So I will give you two wishes at the end of this day. Use them wisely." Now, that sounded very good.

The rest of the way, we bickered. I talked passive-aggressively, and he answered by taking them as if they didn't mean anything aggressive.

After some time, the limousine stopped. "Sir, we arrived." The driver pressed a button, and the doors opened.

"Follow me." Chancellor exited the car.

I followed Chancellor and got into a private jet. We flew for an hour, and immediately after the plane landed, we jumped into a car and drove for an hour before arriving at our destination. A large building complex, still under construction, in the Sonoran desert, away from civilization 

"Is this where we board the space shuttle?" I said with a sarcastic tone.

"At this one, I agree with you. It was a badly planned road trip." Chancellor smiled. "But, no, we arrived, young Leo.

"Here." Chancellor offered me an old-school USB stick. "You will get into the complex's system and gather whatever data you can even if I say don't, so here is a summary."

I put the USB in my pocket. "I'll examine that later. Let's move for now."

"Of course."

I followed Chancellor to a large spectator room decorated with various pieces of expensive furniture, albeit the highlight of the room wasn't the amount of taxpayer money spent on these luxuries. The room looked at dozens of arenas where countless kids around my age sparred with each other. Chancellor threw himself into a chair. He almost knocked down the furniture. "Don't stand there. Get yourself comfortable." He pointed to a sofa with his hand. "Let's watch the next match."

I followed his order and sat down. There was a holographic screen showing a zoomed view of selected arenas.

"You are the only one to enter here amongst those kids." Chancellor began changing between arenas using a retro-style TV remote until it showed a sparring match between a muscular guy and a white-haired girl in a Soviet-style military uniform.

The girl had long silver hair styled into a neat bun. The girl's eyes exuded an air of determination and focus. Her overall looks, combined with the sense of authority her attire gave, made her emanate a strong aura. She took my interest.

"Oh, you are interested in Sonia?" Chancellor got up and moved closer to the screen. "She uses her saber, a mysterious artifact more durable than a starmetal weapon, but that's not her power. She can temporarily steal the strength of her opponents." He pointed towards her opponent. "Her opponent is also great. His name is Warren, and he is simple, like his powers. He is capable of flight and has record-breaking super strength and endurance."

Warren launched himself into the air with a thunderous roar, then changed his trajectory towards Sonia to deliver a punch.

Sonia swiftly dodged the attack and caused Warren to hit the ground. The power behind Warren's punch shattered the ground beneath them, made the terrain hard to traverse, and the sound of cracks reached all the way here.

But Sonia didn't care. She immediately got into a counterattack. She kept dashing around Warren and launched attacks from all angles. Her onslaught of slashes looked like a dance from here, but Warren's body was tough enough to endure it. Sonia's saber bounced back with sparks after each attack.

Chancellor closed the screen. "Now, to that surprise, I was talking about. We are here to find you allies. Get up and watch them, and tell me if anyone takes your interest."

I got up and moved closer to the window. "All these kids are strong. None of them are suitable."

"Then what do you have in your mind." He asked with a sinister smile on his face.

I pulled out the USB from my pocket and threw it at him. "Give me access to the UDC database, a month, and a direct phone line to you when the school asks for a reference."

Chancellor caught the USB after it bounced on his chest. "I can do that, but with one condition. I will arrange a match between you and one of those people a week later. I will do as you told me if you win, but you will listen to me if you lose."

I crossed my arms in disappointment. "What about my wishes, Mr. Genie?"

He raised his hands with two fingers up. "Direct access to my database and references, but I feel generous." He raised one more finger." You can ask me one more thing, but I won't accept it if it's too much."

"I ask for a more flexible rule for equipment. A five-tone limit would mean guaranteed defeat against those heavyweights."

"Granted it, now, you want to hang a bit more or-"

"No. I need every second." I turned towards the door. "Let's move."

Chancellor chuckled. "Glad to see you this enthusiastic, young Leo."