Interstellar: Return of the Villain -
Chapter 31: Pre-training
Chapter 31: Pre-training
Zinnia caught up to Lyra and blurted out, "My brother and his friends always say I’m not like other girls. Are all of them supposed to be this much trouble?"
Lyra shook her head, replying, "Not really. Jealousy and rivalry aren’t just a girl thing."
Lyra was more interested in what people did rather than who they were. She judged others by their actions, believing that stereotyping groups often led to misunderstandings about individuals.
"Everyone’s got their own thing going on, like us. We’re both girls, but we’re different," she continued.
Zinnia nodded, adding with a grin, "Exactly! I mean, I’ve got curves and I’m pretty confident about it." She puffed out her chest playfully, catching the eyes of some passing boys and bursting into laughter at their reactions.
Lyra just smiled at Zinnia’s playful side.
When Zinnia saw Lyra grabbing their shared hoverboard, she was confused, "Aren’t we heading back to the dorm?"
Lyra shrugged, "Dorms are for resting, but we’re at a military school. We don’t need that much rest."
Zinnia was impressed, "Wow, no wonder my brother told me to stick with you. I want to be a top student too!" She quickly grabbed a hoverboard, "So, where are we going?"
But before she could finish, Lyra was already zipping away on her hoverboard, leaving a trail of bright blue flames.
"Wait up!" Zinnia called, racing after her.
By seven in the evening, there was a freshman orientation meeting scheduled.
Vivian had been busy prepping since her afternoon nap, pampering herself with face masks, hand masks, and foot masks, while enjoying delicacies in her dorm. Now, she was meticulously applying makeup.
As six o’clock rolled around, Mandy couldn’t help nudging her, "Vivian, we need to hurry! We don’t even know where the Grand Hall is, and we’ll be in trouble if we’re late."
Vivian, still in her headband, was debating lipstick shades in front of the mirror, "Relax, it’s still early. We can just ask someone for directions."
Just then, Lyra and Zinnia walked in.
"You two haven’t left yet?" Zinnia asked as she grabbed her uniform, "Remember, uniforms are mandatory."
The official outfit for the Department of Command and Strategy was a formal dark blue, complete with a silver chain across the chest, resembling stars in the night sky.
Both the men and women wore military pants and boots, with a belt that gave everyone a statuesque look.
Zinnia giggled when she saw Lyra’s uniform, "Lyra, why’s your uniform so big? You look like you’re wearing a man’s uniform."
Lyra shrugged, putting on her hat, "I had it tailored to the smallest size. It’s fine, I’ll grow into it."
It was actually all because she had to control her physical growth to lessen the effects of the Soul Spike. After getting rid of one with Lavaberry, she’d already grown five centimeters. Without that, she wouldn’t have met the height requirement for the academy.
Zinnia thought Lyra was just being stubborn and chose not to push the subject. Even with genetic improvements, a nineteen-year-old woman typically wouldn’t grow much more beyond another two or three years.
As they headed out, Mandy called after Zinnia, "Do you know where the Grand Hall is?"
Zinnia replied, "Yeah, it’s between the entrance hall and the administration building, right behind the academy’s flag."
Mandy wanted to ask where the flag and administration building were, but Zinnia was already out the door. She sighed and turned to Vivian, "Vivian, it’s six twenty..."
Vivian snapped, "Why are you so annoying? If you wanted to go with them, you should’ve just gone. I didn’t ask you to wait for me." She put down her lipstick and glared at Mandy.
Feeling hurt, Mandy quietly said, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to," and sat down on the couch.
When they finally hurried to the Grand Hall, the freshmen were already lined up by their numbers, and the roll call for the School of Combat And Commanding had started.
Vivian blew a kiss to the boy who showed them the way, "Thank you!"
They quickly found their spots and joined the lineup just as their names were called. Vivian responded with a charming smile, "Here!"
The instructor’s expression softened a bit at the sight of the cheerful girl.
"Thank goodness we made it," Mandy whispered in relief once the instructor moved on.
"I told you we wouldn’t be late. Why were you in such a hurry?" Vivian replied smugly, trying to flip her hair but only managing to flick the air since it was tied up. She tugged irritably at her uniform, muttering about how ugly it was.
Inside the Grand Hall, a solemn mood hung in the air.
Thierry, representing the freshmen, delivered a passionate speech, followed by a closing address from the principal.
Seeing the plump old man, Lyra remembered she hadn’t submitted the recommendation letter. However, since no one had questioned its authenticity from the application process to enrollment, she figured they already knew.
NMA valued efficiency, so the orientation meeting wrapped up in half an hour.
After that, their class met their coordinator, Freida, and their instructor, Webber.
After a brief introduction, Freida announced loudly, "Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin pre-training. In a month, the School will hold internal competitions, so everyone needs to be prepared. Instructor Webber will explain the details."
She stepped back, letting Webber take the stage.
"Pre-training will focus on physical conditioning and adapting to military academy life, including combat techniques, weapons, and mecha training. There will be daily assessments. If you don’t pass, you won’t earn credits and may even be expelled. So prepare yourself for that," he said, casting a glance at a young woman in the front row.
Lyra suddenly felt a sense of unease.
"Starting tomorrow, wear your training uniforms. We’ll kick off with a weighted long run at five in the morning. No excuses," Webber announced.
Lyra had always known the physical demands at NMA were intense. But the next morning, when she heard they had to run around the entire campus, she felt the real sting of pre-training.
The academy spanned a quarter of an island, with the full circuit being at least 600 kilometers. Even with levitation car, it would take over an hour to complete.
Lyra knew her stamina wasn’t up to the task, unless she walked the entire way.
"No superpowers or auxiliary tools are allowed," Webber announced. "We’ve got robots monitoring the course. If you don’t finish by noon, there will be a punishment. Since this is your first training session, we won’t deduct credits. Instead, we’ll shave your heads!"
"Now, strap on your sandbags and get ready to go," the instructor commanded.
Everyone looked horrified, realizing the challenge ahead was enormous.
"Lyra," Zinnia whispered reassuringly beside her, "If you can’t keep up, I’ll help you."
Lyra shook her head, "No need." She knew that with such a grueling task, few would have the energy to assist anyone else.
Zinnia seemed confident in Lyra, thinking she could handle it. But less than twenty minutes into the run, Lyra started to fall behind.
"Lyra?" Zinnia quickly moved to support her.
Lyra’s lips were pale, and she was struggling to breathe, making a wheezing sound. "Cough, cough... You go on without me," she gasped.
As their classmates passed by, some gave sympathetic glances, while others, like Jorath, sneered. He called out, "What a wimp!" and ran away, laughing with a few others.
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