The Ring Academy of 5

Chapter 4. The Start of Something New

    

Remi Lincoln (Rank Division 10)
Zelch Academy. 12:34 AM.

    The train stops abruptly, causing me to be fully awake. Voices of men and women yelling, telling people to get up and get in. I grab my duffle bag and go into the aisle before any of them can get to me. I work my way through and to a door where I can get out. Several if not hundreds of men and women dressed in different colored armor and suits wait for us at the entrance, a helmet not allowing us to see their faces. I try not to look at them as I go inside.
As I go inside, the first thing I see are multiple training areas, but absolutely no training pads in sight. The 12 main weapons are spread out across the place. The Academy is ridiculously huge, but tryouts are the only reason why it is the size it is now.
"ATTENTION PLEASE!" The loud voice causes me to flinch. I look past the crowd and see a man in black and blue in the very middle on the podium. "THERE ARE OVER A THOUSAND OF YOU GUYS. I NEED YOU ALL IN A SPECIFIC ORDER."
People quiet down, but chatters go on every now and then. From where I am, I see at least 700 people.
"RANK 1'S IN THE LEFT BASED CORNER. RANK 2'S ARE RIGHT BESIDE THEM. HURRY UP!"
His voice was ridiculously loud, I felt as if I cringed within each word.
Half of the crowd I was standing in along with others follow directions and rush over to the corner. They struggled to line up correctly, causing the mans demeanor to drop.
"RANK 3, 4, AND 5'S ARE ACROSS FROM THEM. LINE UP BY RANKS."
At least 800 other people came up. I didn't know that there were this many people in one place. I look at the tons of people running to their spots. I get pushed several times but I stand my ground.
"RANKS 6. 7, AND 8, GO TO THE RIGHT CORNER."
Once again, hundreds of people rush over, not giving 2 shits about other people. I hold my bag tight, but the weight and wind of other people knock me down. I quickly grab my bag and try standing up. A hand offers in front of me, a black haired guy in a yellow shirt stands in front of me. I take his hand. He pulls me up before running to his station. I scoff at the thought of me literally just falling in front of tons of people.
"RANK 9, 10, 11, AND 12's STAY WHERE YOU ARE."
Everyone settled, I go on my tippy toes and look around. It was ridiculous.
"ALRIGHT. WELCOME TO ZELCH ACADEMY TRYOUTS. YOU'll BE HERE FOR 6 MONTHS." He pauses before snorting a laugh "SORRY, SOME OF YOU WILL BE HERE FOR 6 MONTHS. WE'D BE LUCKY IF EVEN A QUARTER OF YOU STAY." He scouts the room. "RANK COLORS. RANK 1, IS ORANGE. 2 IS GREEN. 3 IS PURPLE. 4 IS PINK. 5 IS BLACK. 6 IS YELLOW. 7 IS BROWN. 8 IS BLUE. 9 IS TEAL. 10 IS RED. 11 IS GREY AND 12 IS BEIGE."
Red was never my color, but I'm not really complaining.
"As you know," he quiets his voice, "this academy is..pretty big. You'll get your own rooms. Of course, you won't keep them unless you decide to make it to the academy. Now. Your room number and pass code will be sent to your GYPT in 3...2...1.." the room fills with ding's. I open my GYPT. Room 826. Password 10276. "There." He sighs, "you'll go to your rooms, Carry your own luggage, go to sleep and wake up at 5:45 for early morning training and scouting. You'll start sparring tomorrow as well. You'll see mentors in your rank's colors watching your every fucking move. Let's start off well today, shall we?"
With those words, everyone starts moving, either heading for the stairs or the elevator. I put my GYPT in my pocket and look around. I grip my bag tightly as I start moving with the crowd. Out of the blue, I run into the same guy who helped me up.
"Sorry," he begins, "I swear I can get so lost so easily."
"Uh no. Your fine. I'm just as lost as you are." I force a smile. I walk with him with the crowd.
"I'm Zack by the way. Rank 6." He holds out a hand. I take it.
"Remi. Rank 10." Nice guy. "So. What floor?"
"5. I'm pretty sure they randomize the rooms. It would make more sense."
"I mean with the amount of people here, I wouldn't give much care on who lives where."
  "Exactly."
  "So your rank 6. Spear?"
  "Yeah. It's..weird. I sort of had to train myself. I'm pretty satisfied with it." He rubs the back of his neck. "My dad wasn't able to train me but he supported me. Even when I came out, he supported me, which is..pretty rare in GreyRose."
"Sounds..like an amazing dad if you ask me. My mom trained me with the staff first actually, but I guess it just was a better option for bow staff. Never really dug the sharp ends." We continue to follow the crowd.
"Eh. I don't blame. The amount of cuts I've gotten from that painful shit is crazy." I startle a laugh.
  "Do you know the name of that...guy who was announcing everything?" I ask.
  "How do you not? That's James McKinley. He was the top academy student 5 years ago. The best bow staffer GreyRose has ever seen." His voice was enthusiastic.
  "Mm. Right."