Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 16: Final Phase Of The Cadet Exam! Jax Vs. Soma!

Upon completion of the second phase of the Cadet exam, the remaining testers enter room 30D. In this room are six seats arranged in the center, and at the front, an upper middle-aged man with green hair, eyes, and a mustache. He wears a pristine Ozanian Academy Uniform adorned with many medals and gleaming golden amulets, signifying a high ranking. "Sit down so we can start the test."

"Good evening, class. My name is Bartholomew, One of the three Admirals of The Academy, and I will be your instructor for this phase. This phase will be a 3v3 simulation where two teams will command opposing fleets to defeat each other. Since Jax and Soma have the highest scores so far, they'll be team captains. I'll leave it to you guys to pick your teams."

Jax and Soma approach the front of the classroom, feeling the eyes of their classmates on them. "Since you have the highest score, you pick your first teammate, Soma."

"With pleasure! I choose my best friend, Tsukamoto."

"Okay, Jax, whom do you pick?"

"I'll take Rojo!"

"Who do you pick next, Soma?"

Soma looks at a taller, lanky teenage Hybrid: Cat Class creature. "I'll take that guy!"

"Yuki is the only one left. He will be on Jax's team."

Everyone lines up horizontally according to their teams. "Ok, everyone, now that we have our teams set, let's go to the simulation room so I can brief you on how this exam will go."

Bartholomew and the testers enter the simulation room. This room has a large projector screen which will oversee the battle later, and six chairs with dome-shaped objects known as Neuro Simulators. "Everyone, please head to the three seats on the opposing sides of the room."

Bartholomew turns on a TV screen with instructions. "For this simulation, you must destroy the enemy's Main Frigate to win the battle. You all will have 20,000 ships at your disposal. You'll have the option of choosing stingers, Ozanian Fighter ships, Heavy Ships, and Transport ships, which carry up to 1,000 ships of any kind and are nigh-invulnerable to other ships' blasters. However, Transport ships can't deal any damage. How you distribute your ships and how they'll spawn throughout the battle will be up to you. During the battle, you'll have the option of choosing three bonuses. One bonus will be a 5,000-ship reinforcement, the next will be impenetrable shields on a legion of 4,000 ships, and the last is a blaster enhancement on a battalion of 7,000 ships. Once you enter the simulation, you'll have 20 minutes to discuss your strategy with your peers."

Bartholomew presses a green button, and then they hear a whirring sound as the dome-shaped objects descend over their heads. "Simulation Commenced," says The P.A. system.

When they enter the simulation, they are met with the sight of the long window showing them the space environment and three black chairs behind the control panel. Jax's eyes widen in awe as he twiddles his thumbs and moves his body around in the surreal replication of reality. "Wow! This feels so real!"

"Yeah, it's like we're actually in the real world," says Rojo.

Suddenly, Yuki creeps up behind Jax and Rojo. Yuki is a chubby human child with brown hair and gray eyes, wearing glasses, a dull gray long-sleeved shirt, and green shorts. "I think we should decide our strategy for the battle," said Yuki, who has a lisp in his voice. A glistening strand of snot dangles from Yuki's nostril.

"We'll figure it out. Just let us get used to this space around us."

Rojo gestures at the stringy snot hanging precariously from Yuki's nostril. "Hey, um, you got a little something hanging from your nose, man."