Project 7 the First: The Hero's Great Come Back

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Good morning to you all!" said the president of the academy.
Everybody was in the auditorium listening to the president as she announces the winners of the hunting spree. Everybody sat beside their partners hoping that they would win.
"It's a wonderful day to announce the winners of our hunting program. I know that everybody did well in the hunt. Now is the time to end the spree by declaring the top three pairs," she stepped aside and showed the powerpoint. "Please step up here on the stage when you see you and your partner's name.
They were all shocked to see what the powerpoint revealed:

1st Placers:
Gavin Striker and Athena Guiller
-Class Sapphire
-805, 693 monsters

2nd Placers:
Justin Barret and Lance Garen
-Class Onyx
-695, 441 monster

3rd Placers
Yuki Shinata and Clarrise Ordel
-Class Diamond
-540, 307 monsters

Everybody was shocked to see Lance's name in second place. Whispers started spreading all through out the auditorium.
Lance and Justin went on stage followed by the others. They were presented medals for great hunting.
"Congratulations to our top 3 pairs of hunters," said the president. "Please proceed to your seats, dear students. Now, the main topic. We are already ending the first semester. On the second semester, we will be having another system. During your semestral break, we encourage you to train more than you have ever done because when you come back you will be grouped randomly from different classes. If you're lucky you might get group mates from your class."
Then, a person raised her hand and said, "What if most people in the group are weak?"
"We already got that covered," said the president with a smile. "You see, we don't only group you randomly; but we also see your potential to see if your group is a balanced one. It's already taken care of. We already got the groupings posted at the school lobby. Once you see your teammates, please go to you assigned room in the other building behind the school across the field if you noticed it. I mean, the campus is really big. Now, there are 336 people in this batch that will be divided into forty-eight groups containing seven people each. Like what I said earlier, all the groups are equally distributed with skilled people although you might think that some people in your group are weak. If you train harder, your team might get stronger. Oh, I almost forgot that each group has their own adviser. They will be the one who will explain the system further. Now, please proceed to the lobby and check your room and teammates. Good luck with your trainings and future activities. Until we meet again, my dear students."
Everybody left the auditorium with their partners chatting about the system. Some are excited to know their teammates while some did not bother.

It was crowded with people in the lobby. Some were pushing others to the side while some already went to their destined rooms in the other building. Lance was still with Justin. They were irritated with the people fighting over the groupings. They waited for people lessen until they were the only ones left.
"So, are you ready?" asked Justin.
"I'm just nervous. I have a feeling that we won't be teammates," said Lance with doubt in his chest.
"I know. Hey, at least we got along. And, we did our best and won second place," Justin said in glee.
"Well, here we go."
They walked closer to the list posted on the bulletin board. they read a note first. Written in all caps in red said, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE ARMARUS BUILDING AFTER CHECKING YOUR TEAMS AND ROOM ASSIGNMENTS. There was a picture beside the note. It was a picture of a red building- probably the Armarus building. Then, they searched their names and teammates, and sadly they were not in the same team.
"Room 3E. I guess that's third floor room E. You?" said Lance.
Justin sighed and said, "Room 1G."
"So, my guts were right," Lance said sadly.
"Hey, cheer up! You won't depend on me anymore. It means you're on your own now.
"You're right."
The walked to the school grass field and were surprised to see the scenery. They saw a tall, wide, red building with a glass dome. It was obviously the building in the picture they saw on the bulletin board.They were awestrucked when they saw it.
They went inside the red building and looked around them. They were in a round lobby. In front of them was a wide staircase. There were two hallways: the right and the left. They looked above and saw the glass dome. It was beautiful with the blue sky above. The walls were creay white and floors were granite. The floor in the lobby has a huge logo of the academy in the center. It looked more like a mansion than a school.
"Wow! I'ts amazing in here," said Lance.
"Well, of course!" said a voice from nowhere.
Then, a woman appeared before them in a business attire. Her hair was pinned into a bun and her make up was a little bit dark. Her look did not quite suite her style because she smiled sweetly. She held a clipboard which probably is a list of the teams. "I'm guessing that you're lost, correct?" said the woman. "Oh, my name is Miss Armina."
"Good morning, ma'am. I was just wondering where Room 3E would be?" said Lance.
"That's easy! Remember that rooms A, B, E, and F are at the hallways to your left while rooms C, D, G, and H are to your right. Yours is 3E which is located in the third floor to your left. Is that clear?"
"Clear enough. Thanks!" said Lance.
"Anytime! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to," said Miss Armina. She disappeared leaving the two guys alone.
"So, This is goodbye," said Lance.
"Hey, bro, we will still meet again someday. So, don't say goodbye yet!" Justin repremanded in a nice way.
Lance laughed and said in a calm voice, "Fine."
"For now," he stretched his hand to Lance, "we're rivals."
"For now," said Lance as he reached his hand and shook it. "'Til we meet again, then?"
They released each other's hand. Justin looked at him with a challenged look and said, "'Til we meet again indeed!"
The parted ways and went to their room assignments. That was the last conversation they had for now. Now, they will be facing another chapter with new people. Lance had a feeling that he can survive the semester without relying on others. He has a strong heart in him. But, will he rise to the top? Who knows?

***End of Chapter 20***