"That was great", one of them said, grinning from ear to ear.

"That went better than expected", another one added.

We were back in that room full of higher-ups.

"Put some points on the line, and these students will do anything", one of them chuckled.

"I've got to admit, the mini-games in building A were boring, but in building B, it was certainly entertaining".

"It was all because of that boy. What was his name again? He was the boy that challenged Johan on the first day".

"Let me see", one of them looked down at his papers showing a list of students. "Here, Malakai Junior".

"He was brilliant. We need to move him up a class, he's too good for 1-C".

"You're not going to do that!"

Half of the men rolled their eyes as soon as he spoke up. To give you more context, there are seven higher-ups. Six of them have stayed in the same position for quite some time now; however, one of them has only been in this position for three years. So he was the odd one out and the one that was disliked by the rest of them. He wasn't like the rest of them, so he was often alienated from the group. Unlike the others, he was heavily involved in recruitment this year, bringing in many different students and attracting big shots. He was in charge of looking at the applications, and he even did most of the interviews, a job a higher shouldn't be doing. Therefore, even though he didn't personally know these students, he still felt responsible for them. Seeing the others enjoy making them run around to entertain them didn't rub him the right way. Treating this like it was a circus. Yes, they were competing for a huge cash prize and other rewards, but it is still early, yet they are already changing things and planning on changing more. However, he was outnumbered. Despite being the reason why they were smiling, he wasn't given the plaudits he would've thought he would have gotten before the year started. Did he do all this for their praise? Or did he want to see a change in this academy himself? The three years he had been here, it was different at first, but the next two years were underwhelming and felt similar. Thinking about that, he could see where the other higher-ups were getting at, but it didn't change the fact that these were still students. They couldn't go overboard.

"You're not changing students and transferring them to different classes", he clarified.

"Okay, fine", the one who brought up the idea quickly gave up.

"I've got to ask. Where did you find Malakai? He's from the UK, yes? And why did you decide to put him in 1-C?" One of them asked, giving him a cold stare.

"There's nothing interesting about it. His application was good, and he did well through the interview stage. Why he is in 1-C is all down to him. I didn't place him there; it was all down to the tests beforehand," he answered in a passive-aggressive tone.

"He didn't do well in those tests?"

"He did well enough to be in 1-C", he replied.

The tests decided what class the students would be in. The tests were all about knowledge, so they were an IQ test, a written test, and a psychological test to see how the student thinks. The combination of the results would determine their class. So, being in a higher class doesn't necessarily give you an advantage in challenges, but it is a different story for exams and assignments. Therefore, the students in higher classes are more likely to gain higher points through exams and assignments than those in lower classes. However, for challenges, this could be flipped the other way around.

"He didn't win, but I'm sure if he wanted to, he could've".

"He needs to learn that friends won't help you win here". They decided to stop listening to him and isolate him from the conversation.

"Mr Ledge's son also reached the semi-finals".

"When I first heard his son was coming to this academy, I expected better than a 1-E student".

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One of them smiled and said, "As this was a success, I think the next challenge should be changed". The odd one out didn't say anything. He just looked at him with a straight face. "Do you have a problem with that?" he asked him.

"Whatever I say, you will do it anyway. What's the point of getting my opinion?" he replied.

"No, no. If you're still sour about the mini-games, we're all sorry for not telling you. But this time, I'm letting you know".

"Do whatever you want," he said, rising from his chair and making his way toward the door. "But, if there is a problem, I'm not helping you fix it", he said before leaving.

All the men watched him leave and were glad he had left.

"Ignore him; what changes are you planning?" One of them curiously asked.

"It's going to be good. I just need a bit of time because this challenge will require a lot of preparation".

6:18 PM

Micheal and Leon were relaxing in their dorm, playing on their PlayStation. For them, it was a typical Wednesday.

Ping!

Micheal picked up his phone with his right hand while still holding the controller with his left. He wasn't paying attention to the game anymore.

"What?" Micheal's reaction after reading the text he got was that

"What's up?" Leon asked, looking at him surprised Micheal, of all people, reacted like that.

"Apparently, the first-years had something called mini-games, and they got points from it", Micheal told him.

"What? Who told you?" Leon questioned, also not paying attention to the game anymore.

"A guy I know in the year above us. He was told to supervise, and he got given points for helping out", Micheal replied.

"Mini-games? What did they do?" Leon kept questioning, finding it hard to believe.

Micheal kept reading the messages he was getting. "He's telling me they played games like Red Light, Green Light, and dodgeball. Everyone was in pairs, and the pair that came out on top got 100 points." Micheal summarised the text to Leon.

Leon thought about it for a moment. "First years, huh?" he thought. "Did Malakai win?" Leon was intrigued to know.

"Good question. I'll ask him." Micheal wasn't thinking about Malakai until Leon mentioned him. Micheal sent a text and asked if a boy with a scar across his nose won. "I didn't see anyone with a scar on their nose. He was probably in the other building. The mini-games were split into two groups; he must have been in the other group", Micheal read out.

"I guess we have to find out later," Leon said, picking up his controller again and resuming his game. Micheal zoned out for a second. "Why are these first-years getting special treatment?" Leon complained out loud.

Leon's comment brought Micheal back, "Maybe they're switching things up this year", he replied. "Or maybe because these students are special", Micheal mumbled so Leon couldn't hear.

"What did you say?" Leon asked, not hearing the last bit as he focused on the game.

"Nothing. I was just thinking I should've got Malakai's number when we talked to him," Micheal said, looking through his contacts and ensuring he didn't have Malakai's number.

"You could get his phone number through email", Leon suggested.

"That's lame, getting his number through emailing him. He'll think I'm a weirdo", Micheal laughed.

"You got a point. Do you want to be his friend?" Leon asked. Even though they talked with him at the club and Malakai said they were friends, they haven't really considered him friends yet.

Micheal thought for a second, "I guess. I just want to see what happens to him".

"What do you mean?"

"He challenged a third-year and won, and he isn't even in class A. Surely you're interested in where he's going to place?" Micheal replied.

"Kinda, but not really. We've got our own shit to worry about", Leon said, understanding his point but at the same time not caring.

Micheal leaned back on the couch after hearing his opinion, "I cba for that", he said.

"Bro, you're the only one who can catch her. Why are you acting like you're out of the race? It's only the start of the year", Leon tried to motivate. Micheal kissed his teeth; he didn't want a lecture. "You said it yourself to Malakai. It's not unachievable to get to her", Leon continued.

"That was the drink talking; you know alcohol gives people unrealistic confidence", Micheal argued back, cutting him off from saying more.

"You weren't drunk when you were talking to him; you looked fine to me", Leon pointed out while concentrating on his game.

Micheal rested his head on the couch and looked at the ceiling, "After what happened at the end of last year, I'm not sure anymore".

"Who cares? That was last year; she might slip up this year and do horribly on some of the challenges." Leon replied, believing in Michael.

"I don't think so", Micheal said, staring into space.

Leon paused his game and looked at Micheal, "You know what? I'll get Malakai's number so he can talk some shit to you", Leon said. Micheal scoffed. "Or even better, I'll call your girlfriend to come lecture you", Leon continued.

"Who's my girlfriend?" Micheal questioned.

"Chloe".

"Nope! I'm good. You've motivated me enough", Micheal laughed. He rested his head back on the couch and continued to look at the ceiling, trapped in his thoughts.

"What's going to happen to us this year?"

LEADERBOARD

1) MALAKAI JUNIOR (1-C) - 648 POINTS

2) ALEXANDER BURRELL (1-A) - 594 POINTS

3) FRANK CARTER (1-A) - 586 POINTS

4) MARK HARISON (1-A) - 577 POINTS

5) KENNEDY SMITH (1-A) - 573 POINTS

6) RYAN LEE (1-B) - 561 POINTS

7) LORENZO DEMARCO (1-B) - 561 POINTS

8) BRI LOPEZ (1-A) - 555 POINTS

9) SYDNEY HAYES (1-A) - 551 POINTS

10) EVE MASON (1-A) - 549 POINTS