The next day, all the children from the Lightning Nation were gathered in one of the hotel halls.
Dan clenched his fist as he walked in, feeling the weight of the moment. (Time to make another appearance... This break has been good for me. I've recovered and grown stronger.)
As he stepped further inside, his senses sharpened. A powerful aura filled the hall, thick with tension and intensity. It sent a chill down his spine. (What is this terrifying presence? It's overwhelming...)
"Dannnnn! Over here!"
A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Rebecca waving at him with a bright smile.
Dan exhaled in relief. (At least I know someone here.)
He made his way over to her table, noticing another boy seated beside her.
"Come sit with us!" Rebecca urged.
Dan nodded but couldn't shake his curiosity about the stranger. (Who's this guy?)
"Yo, Dan," the boy greeted casually.
Dan raised an eyebrow. "Yo... How do you know my name?"
"Oh, Rebecca told me about the peculiar Lightning Nation boy," the boy said with a grin.
Rebecca smacked him on the head. "Shut up."
Dan chuckled.
The boy rubbed his head and sighed. "Sorry for not introducing myself properly. I'm Chase."
Before Dan could respond, another boy walked up to their table, his gaze locked onto Chase with an air of hostility.
Silver, a knight exam candidate from the Lightning Nation's 10th branch family, "The Ronnie."
"Hey there, Number One," Silver said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Chase groaned and got up from his seat. "I'm not in the mood for your anger tantrums, Silver, just—"
Silver suddenly grabbed Chase's wrist. "Just what? Wait for the 'precious Number One' to tell me what to do?"
Chase's expression darkened. "Get your damn hand off me, you asshole."
Silver smirked. "See? You can get angry."
Rebecca quickly stepped between them, forcing them apart. "Chill, guys! Why do you always have to prove who's stronger, 'Top Two'?"
Dan blinked in surprise. (Huh? These guys are the top two strongest in the Lightning Nation? Is Silver stronger than Ash? No... Ash only talked about Chase, not him. So what's special about Silver?)
"Tch," Silver scoffed, stepping back. "Forget it. I'll deal with you later."
Dan exhaled. "Wow, that was intense."
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Don't mind them. They just like showing off."
Before Dan could respond, his attention was drawn to a girl entering the hall—except she wasn't really walking. She was sleepwalking.
Rebecca sighed. "Eli…"
Dan tilted his head. "Eli?"
Rebecca walked over and shook the girl's shoulders gently until her eyes fluttered open.
Elizabeth, a knight exam candidate from the Lightning Nation's 5th branch family, "The Fross."
"H-H-Hey, Becca… has the event ended?" she mumbled drowsily.
Rebecca groaned. "It hasn't even started."
Dan chuckled. "That's a funny girl." (She doesn't show any expression at all.)
Chase leaned closer to Dan. "Don't be fooled by her appearance. She's the third strongest from this nation in the tournament."
Dan's eyes widened. "What? Then what's Rebecca's position?"
Chase smirked. "Fifth."
Dan hesitated before asking, "Then who's—"
Before he could finish, the hall fell silent as a female knight entered.
Rika, Captain from the Lightning Nation. A powerful lightning chi user from the 6th branch family, "The Stills."
She scanned the room before speaking, her voice commanding attention. "Now that you're all here, let's discuss what you must achieve in the final round of the tournament."
Dan straightened. (Yes, this is it! The challenge that will push us all forward!)
Rika continued, "As you know, we hail from the strongest nation. Being number one means never slacking off and never losing. When you fight, fight with everything you have. You must have the mindset of winners. Show the world what you're made of, you lumps of talent—the well-known Prodigies."
The room erupted with cheers.
Dan grinned. "Woah…"
Chase nudged him. "I know, right? She basically just told us not to lose."
Rebecca's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I love it!"
Elizabeth yawned. "I'm so tired…"
Dan clenched his fist. (Fine then… It's time to take my training to the next level!)
As he sat there, he suddenly felt Rika's sharp gaze on him.
(Is she looking at me?)
Rika studied him for a moment before thinking to herself, (So this is the boy everyone's been talking about. Let's see if he lives up to the hype… or if he'll bring shame to the nation.)
She crossed her arms. "One last thing—show your branch family the might you possess."
Dan frowned. "Branch family?"
Rebecca whispered, "Oh yeah… you don't have one since you qualified from a different zone."
Dan nodded. "I'll find out after the tournament, once I finish the exam."
Rebecca patted his back. "That's the spirit! Don't let it get you down."
Somewhere Else in the Hotel…
In a quiet room, two knights sat across from each other, locked in an intense game of chess.
Francis, Vice-commander from the Fire Nation's 11th branch family, The Purples, smirked. "Looks like I'm going to win again, old man."
Greg, a Captain from the Fire Nation's 13th branch family, The Denvers, scowled. "You think so? I can't wait to wipe that stupid smile off your face."
Francis chuckled. "Checkmate."
Greg slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it! Let's play again."
Francis leaned back. "Fine, fine."
At that moment, a woman entered the room.
Catherina, Vice-commander from the Fire Nation's 8th branch family, "The Ross."
She crossed her arms. "Would you two stop this? Get to the meeting room so we can finalize the exam matchups."
Francis sighed. "Alright, alright… Guess we'll continue later, Greg."
Greg grumbled. "Fine."
As Francis stood, he noticed Catherina staring at him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
She scowled. "Your damn annoying smile pisses me off sometimes."
Francis clutched his chest dramatically. "Ouch. That hurts."
Then, his expression shifted slightly as he leaned closer. "By the way, Cathy… did you hear? One of the princes is showing up."
Catherina narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
Francis grinned. "The youngest person ever to attain Imperial Knight status at the age of sixteen… from our wonderful Fire Nation."
Catherina's expression darkened. "Rickson?"
Francis nodded. "Yup. And you know why?"
She remained silent.
Francis smirked. "Because he sees this final exam as something epic."
Across the hotel, competitors from every nation prepared for one of the biggest moments of their lives. Each one was ready to prove their strength, show their talent, and carve their path as future knights.
The Rank Battle was about to begin.