In the futuristic training room of De Great Labs, the nominees sat quietly on a long bench, anticipation etched across their faces. All eyes were locked on the glass chamber in the center of the facility, where the very first trainee would undergo his initiation. The atmosphere was thick with excitement and nervous tension.
The one leading the training session was none other than Joyce who the top-ranked figure in the academy, admired not only for her overwhelming strength but also for her charisma and beauty. She carried herself with a calm yet menacing aura, the kind that made everyone present instinctively straighten their backs in respect.
Her crimson battle suit clung perfectly to her figure, the upper portion sleek and reinforced while her red cowgirl boots dug firmly into the ground. A blue cheerleader skirt, short yet flexible, hugged her thighs and swayed gently with each of her movements. Her lips were small but tender, her features striking, and her very presence felt both commanding and magnetic.
Joyce stepped into the glass chamber, her gaze settling on her opponent who stood opposite her wearing nothing but his ordinary school uniform. She raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you have a battle suit? How am I supposed to train you without one?" Her brown eyes glistened with a faint trace of concern.
Johnson shifted uncomfortably. His palms were slick with sweat, and his stance betrayed his unease. "I… I don't want to wear a battle suit," he muttered.
His words trembled, his hands shaking as his knees wavered beneath him. "I'm… not ready…" he admitted in a fragile voice.
Before he could lower his head further, a pair of delicate hands lifted his chin. He looked up, startled, into a pair of deep blue eyes. Her face was flawless, and the glasses perched on her nose lent her an intelligent sharpness. Her round, pink lips softened as she whispered.
"You don't have to feel nervous. It's just your first day of training."
Their eyes locked. Seconds turned to eternity. To Johnson, those five seconds felt like a year. At first, her gaze chilled him to the bone, but then it shifted into something reassuring, something that steadied his fear. For the first time, his body relaxed. His fear began to melt away.
"Why is she being so nice to me?" he thought wildly. "I barely even know her. Am I really that important?"
His chest tightened, his heart raced, his face grew warm. He blurted out with hesitation, "Um… Joyce… can you please go easy on me?"
Joyce chuckled softly, her laughter like bells. With a smile, she tapped his face gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to hold back, dear. Now put on your suit."
Johnson flushed, embarrassed by her casual touch. He leaned closer, whispering almost desperately, "Can we… take this somewhere else?"
"Of course," she said without hesitation. With a light tap on his shoulder, the world shifted in an instant.
Suddenly, they stood in the blazing Sahara desert. The sands stretched endlessly in every direction. Johnson blinked, stunned.
"You can teleport anywhere?" he asked in awe.
"Yes," she answered smoothly, floating into the air with effortless grace. "I can potentially move to anywhere matter exists, as long as I have a visual." Her tone shifted, now carrying authority. "You might need to wear your suit now."
"Right… just give me a second."
Johnson pressed the face of his watch, and in an instant his multicolored suit materialized, wrapping around his tall muscular frame. He laced his sneakers tight, adopting a ready battle stance.
"I'm going to teach you three things," Joyce said, her voice calm but firm. "It's going to be intensive for the next three days. Oh, and I almost forgot...you're going to be here for the next three days straight."
Johnson hesitated, then clenched his fists. "I don't really mind. But my sister… Please, can you tell her? So she won't be worried. And my aunt too."
"Your aunt has already been informed, as well as your sister," Joyce replied, clearly growing bored of the small talk. Then her eyes flicked over his suit with sharp curiosity. "Cool suit, by the way," she added almost absentmindedly, her gaze studying its matter composition with a deep fixation.
"Thanks," Johnson said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's begin."
"Are you ready?" Joyce asked, her voice lowering with intensity.
"Yes!" Johnson affirmed, his resolve burning in his eyes.
"Then let's see you cross this."
With a flicker of her will, the ground beneath Johnson liquefied into a vast pool of water. Without hesitation, Johnson sprinted forward, his feet crackling with electricity as he dashed across the surface.
"I can't stay this long on water!" Johnson shouted as he covered kilometers in mere seconds, his voice ragged with effort.
Joyce raised her hand. Spikes burst upward from the water's surface, their jagged points forcing him to leap, weave, and swerve. Steam hissed as the water grew hotter by the second.
"User is running at ten percent of full capacity. Increasing speed to fifteen percent," Jake, the artificial assistant in his watch, reported.
Lightning erupted across Johnson's body as he vaulted into the air, his speed surging. But then, without warning, the ground split wide open beneath him.
"Ahhh!" he cried, plummeting downward.
Joyce reacted instantly, snapping her fingers. The illusion vanished, the desert returned, and she swooped down to catch him before he hit the ground.
"Are you alright, John?" she asked, her tone unexpectedly gentle.
"Yeah… I'm okay," Johnson said, panting heavily. Then he straightened, fire in his eyes. "Let's continue. Make it harder this time."
"As you wish," Joyce replied, her lips curling.
With a single thought, the desert transformed. Ancient stone paths rose from beneath the sand, weaving like serpents across the dunes. Towering ruins erupted, covered in vines and glowing carvings. Crumbling bridges arched over deep chasms while fire traps ignited between shattered walls. Massive tree roots burst upward, curling across the paths like ancient guardians.
The wind howled as the battlefield solidified into a mythic gauntlet.
"What the hell is this?" Johnson muttered, his body tensing.
"Seems like you play a lot of simulation games, Joyce," he said with a smirk, bouncing side to side as electricity flared along his limbs.
"Begin!" Joyce commanded, hovering above as a blast of wind rushed past her face. She raised a metallic shield, forged from desert sand, to block the gust.
Johnson launched forward like a comet, his aura flaring behind him. With each heartbeat, his speed surged faster, his control tighter.
Joyce shadowed him from the skies, reshaping the terrain on the fly. Walls rose, gaps closed, traps triggered. Every move tested his reflexes to the edge.
"Focus!" her voice rang out. "Don't just run. Learn!"
"I'm trying!" Johnson yelled, lightning bursting across his frame. "Jake, how fast can you take me?"
"That depends on you, master," Jake replied bluntly. "Your ability is still at fifteen percent. You know you can do better than this."
"I know!" Johnson roared, leaping onto a circular bridge, sliding beneath a fallen arch, and vaulting across swinging blocks.
Joyce whispered into his ear at light speed, her voice chillingly close. "I'm going to be serious from now on."
His eyes widened in shock. "Wait… you weren't serious before?"
Suddenly, two monstrous beasts appeared. One floated in the air wielding a spear, its form cloaked in shadow. The other prowled on all fours, its fangs glistening, its hide thick and scarred.
"What the hell is this?" Johnson cursed, sprinting faster, his heart pounding.
"Run or get eaten!" Joyce declared, her voice booming. "And mind you, it is an endless game. You cannot stop, Johnny!"
She blasted the path before him, leaving nothing but open air.
"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!" Johnson screamed as his body carried him forward into the abyss. "Oh fuck! I'm definitely gonna die! Jake, save me!"
"No I won't," Jake answered coolly. "What do you do if you are falling through the air?"
Johnson's mind raced at hyper speed. Images flashed. Memories surged. He remembered the time he had fallen into a river, the plan he had crafted to create a whirlwind with his momentum.
"Oh… I remember. I wanted to.."
"Then do it before you go splat on the ground!" Jake barked.
Without hesitation, Johnson spun his body midair, rotating violently until he generated a whirlwind with his motion. The wind caught him, slowing his descent until he landed safely. He staggered but immediately resumed sprinting, refusing to lose momentum.
Joyce's eyes narrowed, impressed. "He spun his body to avoid the impact and kept running. That is both smart and instinctive."
With another thought, she altered the battlefield again. Oxygen filled the atmosphere unnaturally thick, fueling combustion. Sections of the ground now glowed ominously, primed to explode at the slightest touch.
Hovering above him, her voice thundered across the battlefield.
"You have successfully entered Level Three of your training! You must avoid the volatile ground using aura manipulation and survive. Otherwise, you will explode!"
As if that was not enough, she blasted the two beasts with her power, causing them to swell in size, their roars echoing across the battlefield. Then, with a smile of cruel amusement, she unleashed a volley of light-speed blasts straight at Johnson's back.
The trial had only just begun.