The examiner stood behind them for what felt like an eternity.

"Is she ever going to leave?" the girl with blue hair thought, her fingers nervously tapping the desk. "How long has it been? I need to figure out a way to make her go away."

Her mind raced, and then it hit her. She remembered her special ability.

"Oh, I’ve got it," she thought, her heart pounding as she discreetly took out the napkin Devon had given her earlier. Concentrating, she imbued the napkin with her essence, a soft white aura enveloping it as it hardened into a makeshift projectile.

"Okay, here goes nothing," she murmured.

She flicked her wrist and launched the essence-hardened napkin across the room. It flew silently, ricocheting off a window near where Cloudy was standing. Then, with precision, it struck the examiner square in the face.

The sharp impact made the examiner yelp in pain, clutching her now bleeding forehead. "Ahh!" she screamed, her hands trembling as blood began to seep between her fingers.

The entire room froze. Every recruit turned to stare, their faces painted with shock and disbelief. Even Cloudy raised an eyebrow, curious about the sudden commotion.

The girl with blue hair tried to keep her expression neutral, pretending to be just as surprised as everyone else.

The injured examiner cried out, "My forehead is bleeding!"

Another examiner rushed over, steadying her as blood trickled down her face. "Recruitments, continue taking the test! You all have 12 minutes remaining to complete it!" he barked, his voice firm, trying to maintain order.

He gently guided the injured female examiner toward the door, her hand still pressed against her forehead. The room remained tense, but the recruits obediently returned their focus to their papers as the door closed behind the two examiners.

The girl with the blue hair smirked subtly to herself, her heartbeat beginning to settle. "Nice!" she thought, feeling a small sense of victory.

“She’s bleeding,” Devon whispered.

“Damn, that was a lot of blood,” the boy with white and black hair muttered.

“She got hit with something... something sharp,” Khmila observed.

“I feel bad for her. I hope she’ll be okay,” Xia added softly, his expression genuinely concerned.

The girl with the blue hair swallowed her guilt, muttering under her breath, “Okay, now I’m feeling bad, but I have to pass this test.” She turned to Devon, keeping her voice low. “Devon, pass me the paper.”

Devon hesitated, torn between her request and the events that had just unfolded.

Meanwhile, Cloudy, standing near the window, was lost in thought.

How did she... Wait, I know what she did. She infused her essence into that napkin to harden it, turning it into a projectile. I thought she was just going to wipe her nose or something... But the precision—she knew exactly what she was doing. The question is, should I report this? Get her disqualified?

His gaze shifted to Devon, who had been talking to the girl earlier. They seem to be getting along... She could be a friend of his. Maybe I should keep quiet about this... for now.

Cloudy crossed his arms.

Minutes ticked by until, finally, the timer buzzed.

A male examiner stepped to the front of the room and shouted, “Pencils down! The timer has stopped!”

The room filled with the sound of pencils clattering onto desks as the recruits complied. Beads of sweat rolled down many foreheads, the tension palpable.

“Now then, it’s time to grade them. Everyone, bring your tests to the desk at the front!” the examiner instructed.

Devon sighed, clutching his test as he muttered under his breath, “I hope I pass...”

Spike stood, his usual confident smirk plastered on his face. “Bebe, I’ll take yours,” he offered.

Khmila handed her paper to him with a smile. “Thanks, honey.”

Xia with excitement and determination burning in his eyes. “Come on, Xia! I know I passed! I’m going to become the best Purger there ever was!” he thought.

“Joey, do you think you passed?” Devon asked, glancing over at his friend.

“Sure I did. The test was very easy,” Joey replied.

The boy with white and black hair leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I need another soda... but I don’t have another dollar on me,” he muttered, checking his empty pockets.

He looked around. “Hey, do you guys have a dollar?”

Joey shook his head. “I don’t.”

The girl with blue hair shrugged. “Me neither.”

Devon patted his pockets and smiled. “Oh, I might have one.”

“Really? You’re a lifesaver,” the boy said.

Devon handed the boy the dollar with a smile.

“Thanks. Hey, what’s your name, by the way?” the boy asked.

“Devon,” he replied.

“Devon, huh? I’m Juno,” the boy said, extending a hand.

Devon shook it. “Nice to meet you, Juno.”

The girl with blue hair crossed her arms and pouted slightly. “Devon, you never asked my name,” she teased.

“Oh, sorry. What’s your name?” Devon asked, turning to her.

“I’m Aokami,” she said with a small smile.

Juno smirked. “Aokami? Doesn’t that mean Blue Hair? Very fitting,” he said, chuckling.

She laughed. “Well, that’s my nickname.”

“Hmm... What’s your actual name?” Juno asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No way—it sounds funny,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Come on, tell me,” Juno pressed.

“Yeah, I want to know too,” Devon chimed in.

“Me too,” Joey added, leaning in with interest.

“Umm… It’s Ōkashira…”

Juno struggled to hold in his laughter.

“You better not!” Ōkashira warned.

Devon turned to Joey, confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means big head,” Joey replied.

Juno couldn’t contain himself anymore and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. He nearly fell out of his chair.

“It’s not funny!” Ōkashira exclaimed.

“Wait, why would your parents name you that?” Juno asked between laughs.

“It’s not funny!” Ōkashira grumbled. “They named me that because when I was born, I had a big head!”

Juno wiped his eyes, still chuckling. “Well, at least they were accurate. Your head does look big.”

“What!” Ōkashira exclaimed. “Devon, tell him it’s not as big as he thinks!”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“I mean...” Devon hesitated.

“What do you mean by ‘mean’?” Ōkashira shot back.

“Joey, help me!”

Joey shrugged and said, “I mean, it does look a little on the bigger side.”

“Huh!?” Ōkashira stared at him, stunned.

Juno chuckled, unable to hold it in.

“Oh, you three are assholes!” Ōkashira grumbled.

“Hey, Juno started laughing! I was just being honest!” Devon protested.

Juno grinned, “Calm down, big head, it’s not that serious.”

Ōkashira shot him a glare. “Hey, Joey, do you have a phone?”

“Yeah, I do,” Joey replied, handing it to her.

Ōkashira smirked as she infused her essence into the phone, then hurled it at the wall. It ricocheted off and struck Juno in the face.

“OW!” Juno yelled. “Oh, you’re getting it now, big head!”

The two began to bicker, exchanging playful jabs as Devon and Joey laughed at the chaos unfolding.

Meanwhile, Cloudy observed the scene from a distance, a smile creeping across his face. “Hm… I’m glad Devon is getting along. Looks like he found a little friend group. I should call Momo about this. She’ll be so happy to hear it.”

After a while, a male examiner stood at the front of the room, holding a stack of graded papers in his hands.

“All the papers have been graded,” he announced. “I will now pass them out. If your paper has a ‘P,’ that means you’ve passed. An ‘F’ means you’ve failed. If you receive an ‘F,’ I strongly recommend stepping out of the classroom immediately.”

The room was thick with tension as the male examiner carefully placed each paper face down on the desks. The process felt agonizingly slow, the size of the classroom only adding to the pressure. Every recruit sat frozen, their nerves stretched taut as they waited for their fates to be revealed.

After what felt like an eternity, all the papers were finally handed out.

The examiner stood at the front, his voice cutting through the silence. “Now then, on the count of three, I want you all to flip your papers and see your results.”

Ōkashira wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, thinking, Come on, come on…

Devon clenched his fists tightly, silently whispering, I will pass for you, Momo.

Joey sat in his chair, calm and collected, exuding an air of unshakable confidence.

Juno, meanwhile, leaned back with a carefree smirk, thinking to himself, Can’t wait to grab another soda after this.

“Three... two... one... flip!” the examiner announced.

All at once, the recruits flipped their papers. The room filled with the sound of rustling paper as they stared at their results. The atmosphere grew heavier as the weight of success or failure settled in.

Among the 100 recruits in the classroom, a significant number immediately rose from their seats and left the room in shame, their faces downcast. The sound of their retreating footsteps echoed through the tense silence.

Now, only 40 recruits remained in the room. Across the trials as a whole, out of the initial 1,000 candidates, only 759 recruits remained in the running for the Purger Trials.

Devon exclaimed, “I passed! I passed!”

Ōkashira let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”

Xia pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!”

Spike smirked. “Heh, I’m very smart.”

“Yeah, you are, babe,” Khmila said with a grin as they rubbed noses affectionately.

The examiner addressed the room. “To those who passed, congratulations. You will now move on to the second trial, which will begin in five days.”

“Five days? What do you mean by that?” Xia asked, raising his hand.

The examiner explained, “Each trial takes time to complete. We give recruits breaks to train and prepare themselves for the next challenge. We don’t run them all in one day. During this break, you’ll be staying in assigned rooms, but you’re allowed to share rooms with other recruits if you wish.”

Devon’s eyes lit up. “Really? Oh, that means we can all hang out!”

“Yeah, I like that idea,” Juno added, nodding with enthusiasm.

“All right, then. With no further questions, everyone is dismissed. But before you leave, grab a card—those are your room numbers,” the examiner announced.

The remaining recruits stood up and began filing out of the classroom, each taking a card from a bag by the door.

“Come on, guys, let’s go,” Devon said, motioning to his friends.

Devon’s friends followed him toward the door, chatting excitedly about their results and the next trial. Just as Devon was about to leave, Cloudy stepped in front of him.

“Devon,” Cloudy said in a calm but firm tone.

“Cloudy? You were here the whole time? I didn’t even notice,” Devon replied, blinking in surprise.

“Yeah, I see you’re getting along with people,” Cloudy said.

“Yep, I think I made some new friends,” Devon replied with a smile.

“Well, friends are very important. They help you get through life,” Cloudy said, placing a reassuring hand on Devon’s shoulder.

“Understood, Cloudy,” Devon said with a nod.

“Oh, here, Devon. I let this slip my mind.” Cloudy handed him a letter.

“Who’s this from?” Devon asked, curious.

“Momo.”

Devon’s eyes lit up. “Momo?”

“Make sure to write her back, and bring it to me when you’re done.” naked Cloudy.

“Got it,” Devon said, tucking the letter carefully into his pocket.

“Devon! We got our room cards!” Joey called out from the doorway.

“Coming, guys! Nice talking to you, Cloudy. See you later!” Devon said as he dashed out the door

Cloudy stood alone in the now-empty classroom, a faint smile on his face as he recalled a memory. In his mind's eye, he saw a younger Devon walking alongside Momo. The boy was full of energy, goofing around, jumping, and making all kinds of noise.

“Devon, hush!” Momo scolded, her patience wearing thin.

“No!” Devon exclaimed defiantly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Without missing a beat, Momo lightly bopped him on the head. “Ow!” he yelped, rubbing the sore spot. “Where are we going anyway?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

“We’re going to a friend’s house. You’ll be staying there for a while,” Momo replied, her tone firm yet kind.

“Is it a he or a she?” Devon asked, tilting his head.

“He,” Momo answered simply, her steps steady as Devon continued to chatter beside her.

Momo knocked on the wooden door of a modest house nestled deep in the woods. The door creaked open to reveal a man with long white hair cascading past his shoulders, wearing a finely crafted hat. It was Cloudy.

“Momo? What are you doing here?” Cloudy asked, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity.

“I need to leave little Devon here for a while,” Momo said, her voice firm but exhausted. “I’m taking a little break for myself. Can you watch over him?”

Cloudy raised an eyebrow. “Let me see him.”

Momo stepped aside, gesturing behind her. “He’s right he—” She froze mid-sentence, her eyes darting to the empty spot where Devon should have been. “Where is he?”

Cloudy frowned. “You tell me.”

“I don’t—I don’t know! He was just here!” Momo exclaimed, panic creeping into her voice.

Suddenly, a muffled thud echoed from inside Cloudy’s house, followed by a series of clatters and a boyish giggle.

“ That coming from inside my house!”

Cloudy and Momo ran inside and saw little Devon making a mess and eating all the food and snacks he could find.

“You little menace!” Cloudy shouted.

“Bad Devon! Bad Devon! Bad Devon!” order Momo.

Cloudy swiftly rushed over and grabbed Devon by the waist, gently but firmly pulling him down from the banister.

“Now, why the hell are you making a mess?” Cloudy asked, his voice sharp as he set Devon back on his feet.

“I was hungry!” Devon exclaimed, a mischievous grin still on his face. “I didn’t eat anything before we came here!”

Cloudy let out a heavy sigh. He turned his gaze to Momo, who stood nearby.

“Momo,” Cloudy said, his tone more serious now.

Momo winced, realizing she had, in fact, dropped the ball on this one. “Well, I wanted my break,” she muttered defensively, avoiding Cloudy’s eyes.

“You’re lucky this place is stocked with food, or else I’d be sending you both back out to find something to eat,” Cloudy remarked.

Momo sighed, defeated. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, Cloudy. I just thought... he needs time to adjust.”

Devon, now completely distracted by a bowl of fruit he’d grabbed from the counter, muttered, “I’m fine now.” He shoved an apple into his mouth with enthusiasm.

Cloudy chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, I can tell. Okay then I will look after him Momo. go enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you so much, Cloudy.” She then went to Devon and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back, okay?”

“Yeah.” He took another bite of the apple.

Cloudy sank into the chair, letting out a long exhale. “Okay, Dev—”

“I’m bored!” Devon interrupted.

Cloudy rubbed his temples, already feeling the exhaustion creep in. “Already? You just got here,” he thought, a mix of disbelief and resignation.

“Well, okay,” he finally said aloud. “What do you want to do?”

Devon tilted his head, considering for a moment before his face lit up with excitement. “Mmmmm... Fight me.”

Cloudy blinked. “Huh?”

“Fight me! I want to wrestle!” Devon repeated, bouncing on his heels with enthusiasm.

“Wrestle?” Cloudy asked, “Why wrestle?”

“Because I saw it on TV! Those guys fighting each other—it’s so cool!” Devon exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. “And because it’s fun! Plus, I’ll totally win!”

Cloudy responded. “I’m not going to wrestle a kid. Besides, if I wanted to, you’re too small and fragile. I might end up breaking your bones. You don’t want that, do you?”

Devon puffed out his chest, undeterred. “I don’t care! Wrestle me now!”

Cloudy sighed, shaking his head. “Really? He’s this stubborn?”

“Okay, fine,” Cloudy said, standing up. “I’ll wrestle you.” He moved into a playful sumo stance, lowering himself slightly. “Alright, Cloudy,” he thought to himself, “just let the kid win, and he’ll be happy.”

“I’m gonna get ya!” Devon shouted, charging forward. Cloudy grabbed Devon and effortlessly picked him up. “Ha! I won. You can’t escape—”

Before he could finish, Devon balled up his tiny fist and punched Cloudy square in the face.

Cloudy yelped in surprise and stumbled back, dropping Devon.

“OW! Devon!” Cloudy growled, rubbing his cheek. “Why did you punch me?!”

Devon dusted himself off, a triumphant grin on his face. “That’s what they do on TV! I had to escape from your grasp!”

Cloudy sighed, rubbing his sore face while muttering under his breath, “Damn, that kid's punch was furious. Felt like I got hit by a rock going at lightning speed.”

Cloudy rushed forward and grabbed Devon again, this time tossing him gently against the wall. "There. I won," he declared.

But Devon wasn't one to give up. He jumped up quickly, grabbed the chair Cloudy had been sitting on, and hurled it with surprising force. Cloudy barely dodged it, ducking just in time as the chair clattered against the floor behind him.

“What the—? How can he lift that chair with his tiny body?” Cloudy muttered, wide-eyed, as he turned to face Devon.

Devon charged forward with surprising speed and launched himself into the air, landing a dropkick square on Cloudy’s face.

Cloudy stumbled backward, clutching his nose as blood began to trickle down. “Ow! Are you serious, kid?!” he exclaimed.

“That’s what they do on TV, right?!” Devon said, striking a victory pose.

Cloudy held up his hands in surrender, still rubbing his sore nose. “Okay, okay, you win. I give up, kid. You’re too much for me.”

“Yeah! I told you I’d win! I’m the champ!”

Cloudy sat back, still nursing his bruised nose. "How is this kid so strong at his small age? Was he born like this?" he thought to himself.

He leaned forward, rubbing his chin. "Devon," he asked, "how are you so strong? You're just a kid.