Kay walked to the courtyard and stood still, concentrating as she closed her eyes. Silence filled the place.

“Why did you call us here?” Joana exclaimed.

“It better be important!” Lena said.

“The boy is going to train!” Ryuji replied.

“Train now?” Yan exclaimed.

They watched from afar, waiting for Kay’s next move.

Without opening her eyes, Kay suddenly moved, extending her open hand as if trying to hold something in the air. However, after a moment, she remained completely still.

“What was that?” Lena exclaimed, intrigued.

“Stay still. Soon you’ll understand why this training is exhausting, both physically and psychologically,” Ryuji murmured, without taking her eyes off of him.

The leaders continued to watch in silence, attentive to Kay’s every move.

Her body began to flow in a series of precise and rapid attacks. Eyes still closed, he advanced with spins and high kicks, his feet almost floating above the ground in a sequence of blows that seemed impossible to defend against. Each punch and kick had a controlled energy, as if it were aimed at a specific target—even though there was no one else in the courtyard besides him.

Kay increased his speed, sliding his feet and twisting his body with the grace of a dancer, but the intensity of a seasoned fighter. He jumped, spinning in the air before delivering a side kick that ended with him landing lightly.

“Those are…” Yan murmured, impressed.

“He’s recreating the fight he had with me… but in my vision. He’s mastering my style while he trains!” Joana said, surprised.

“And that’s possible? Remembering a complete fight, every detail… it should be impossible!” Lena exclaimed.

“That’s what he was doing this morning. I don’t know what he was fighting, but it certainly wasn’t human!” Ryuji stated.

“Is that possible?” — That's why you said he was training. I thought it was a half-hearted training — Yan admitted.

Kay finished Joana's last move and then stopped, motionless.

— Is he finished? — Lena exclaimed.

— Now comes the problem — Ryuji replied.

Kay was staggering and coming back with a discouraged expression.

— What's gotten into him? — Joana exclaimed, a little irritated.

— Just watch — Ryuji said.

Kay walked straight past them and went towards the bottle. He opened it and poured...

— It's finished — Kay said sadly.

He put the bottle aside and, discouraged, continued walking to the dormitory, going straight to the room to sleep.

— Sugar? — Lena asked, surprised.

— It's a lot of pressure. Coffee is his reward, if he doesn't have it he won't recover! And I don't think drinking it only in the morning will solve it — Ryuji explained.

— Mira seems used to it. So he trains like this every day? How can his mind handle it? — Lena exclaimed.

The scene changed. The bedroom door opened.

— He's back? We thought he would take longer! — Kratos said.

Kay lay down on the bed and soon fell asleep.

— He looks exhausted. What the hell happened? — Slayer exclaimed.

— Did he manage to control the suit? — Sky asked.

— The questions will have to wait for tomorrow — Kratos said.

Slayer threw a knife that hit the handle of the door, making it close.

— All he had to do was lift it and close it — Kratos commented.

— You can go next time if you want — Slayer replied.

The next morning, the soldiers were already on standby in the courtyard.

“Your colleague has completed his training to master the suit. It seems that our training methods won’t work on him, so he is exempt from my training. Also, at the request of the leaders of the first and fourth squads, Mira will be in charge of the division’s coffee!” — Yan announced.

“What is it?” Mira exclaimed, surprised.

“The captain has already been informed. You start tomorrow,” Yan replied.

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“Wait, sir! I can’t make coffee for an entire division!” Mira said, agitated.

“If you want to use the kitchen to make coffee for your friend, that’s the deal!” — Yan stated.

“Okay…” Mira murmured, worried.

“If you want to blame someone, blame your friend and Lena, who ordered a huge amount of coffee from your supplier!” — Yan added.

"Supplier? It's my mother!", Mira thought, embarrassed.

"I already mentioned it yesterday. Today we're going to test your compatibility with the weapons. First, go to the armory, choose the one you think is best and come back here!" — Yan instructed.

"Right!" — the recruits responded promptly.

"He slept with the suit... It seems he really managed to tame the ghoul. He's good material for my study!", the scientist thought, watching Kay as he slept.

After a few minutes, the recruits were in the courtyard with their weapons.

"Get out of here, you crazy woman!" — Kay shouted, running away.

"It won't hurt! I promise it'll be quick!" — the scientist said, running after him.

"What's going on?" — Yan exclaimed.

"This crazy woman here was saying some strange things while she was in my room!" — Kay said, still running away.

"It'll be quick! I just need a little of your blood!" — said the scientist.

— Don't go begging for blood from others while holding an axe! — Kay replied.

— I knew it, I should have taken you while you were sleeping! — the scientist muttered, irritated.

— She was in our room? — Kratos exclaimed.

— You can't go into the men's wing, you know the rules! And what are you going to use that axe for? — Yan asked, intrigued.

— This? I thought it would be a good weapon for him and I wanted to deliver it personally. I just want to do some experiments with him, it's not every time we find a 100% — explained the scientist.

— So that was it! I could have told you before... — Kay said, scratching his head, a little embarrassed. — But I already have my weapon.

— Keep training! — ordered the scientist, while Kay accompanied her to the laboratory.

— What was that? — asked Yan, returning to the team.

— Is he going to be okay? — asked Mira, worried.

— Go ahead, she just has to do some tests on his suit — Yan replied. — For those who chose weapons, go to the shooting center. Breno will be in charge of supervising you. The rest of you, follow me to the simulation room.

They went to their designated areas.

— I thought you were the type to fight hand-to-hand — Thais commented.

— It must be scary to be in front. I think a weapon gives me more security — Mira replied.

— I understand. In my case, look at this beauty! — Thais said, showing the weapon.

— It's a pretty big gun, isn't it? — Mira asked.

— It's an MP5. The shots from that gun do a lot of damage! — Thais stated.

— Have you ever used one before? — Mira asked, surprised.

— Of course I have! — Thais said, confident.

— Have you? — Thais exclaimed, surprised.

— In my game! — Mira added.

— I see, it was in the game — Thais replied, laughing.

— And why did you choose that one? — Thais asked.

— I've used one of those before — Mira replied.

— To start, how about you, Mira? — Breno called.

— Me? — Mira exclaimed, startled.

— Don't be scared. Come here! — Breno said.

Mira went forward.

— This whole area up front... Do you see these rails? The targets attached to these rails will move along them. It will be a test with moving targets! — Breno explained.

— What if I fail? — asked Mira.

— We have ammunition for all weapons. We're going to test you with several, so you don't have to be afraid of missing. To start, five targets for five shots — said Breno, encouraging her.

— Okay! — replied Mira, determined.

Mira took her position, took a deep breath and held the pistol, trying to steady her hands. Breno watched closely, waiting for her to fire the first shot.

She aimed at the target and, with a quick movement, pulled the trigger. The shot echoed across the field, but the projectile missed the target, hitting a point completely off center. Mira frowned, took a deep breath and tried again. This time, the shot didn't even hit the firing panel, flying straight to the back of the yard.

— Yeah... I think I need more practice — she muttered, trying to stay confident.

Breno just waved for her to continue, but Mira started to sweat. The weight of the pistol, even though it was light, seemed to challenge her hands, which trembled a little more with each missed shot. Of the five shots, none came close to the target.

“Let’s try another weapon. How about a submachine gun?” suggested Breno, trying to give her another chance.

Mira picked up the submachine gun, took a deep breath and aimed at the target, hoping that the automatic weapon would offer more ease. She pulled the trigger, and the weapon fired in quick bursts. But, instead of hitting the target, the shots scattered in all directions. The recoil of the weapon destabilized her, and Mira almost lost control of the equipment. The projectiles flew far away, some even hitting the ground in front of her.

“That doesn’t look good to me either…” said Mira, unable to hide her frustration.

Breno sighed, but without discouragement.

“Okay, maybe a rifle will help stabilize the shot, since it has a firmer base. Come on, try again.”

Mira positioned herself with the rifle, resting it on her shoulder, with the sight aligned with the target. She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the gun more present this time, but struggling to maintain her posture. As she pulled the trigger, the strong recoil of the rifle pushed her body back, and the shot went completely off-axis, hitting an area of the dashboard that wasn't even being used for training.

"Ugh! That's even worse!" Mira exclaimed, a little desperate, as she tried to correct her position. She fired another shot, and once again the rifle shot far from the target.

After a few minutes of trying, Mira was already visibly frustrated.

— Okay, Mira. I think we’ve seen enough — Breno said, with a calm expression. — It turns out that you’re not compatible with firearms. Nothing serious; not everyone is. Grab a bladed weapon and go to Yan. He’ll be able to guide you to something more suited to your skills.

Mira nodded, her face still burning with embarrassment. As she walked away from the shooting range, she found Kratos, who had an equally dejected expression. He looked frustrated, staring at the ground with his hands clenched into fists.

— You too? — Mira asked, surprised.

Kratos nodded, shaking his head.

— The suit hinders my movements with a bladed weapon. I’ve been defeated several times by a dummy! — he said, his voice thick with frustration.

— In my case, I didn’t hit a single target... I was very embarrassed. — Mira sighed, rolling her eyes.

Kratos gave a forced smile.

— Good luck, Mira. You’ll need it.

— You too! — she replied, trying to keep her tone positive as she walked away.

Mira headed towards the combat simulation area.

“What are you? A ninja?” Yan exclaimed, impressed.

“Sir?” Slayer replied, a little confused but satisfied.

“It was perfect! Main weapon: a katana. Secondary weapon: shurikens! Leave your weapons and take this paper to the person in charge at the armory.” Yan handed the document to Slayer with an expression of approval.

Mira, watching the scene, was open-mouthed. “He’s the one who destroyed those dummies? All of them?” she thought, surprised to see the amount of debris on the floor.

As he passed Mira, Slayer stopped for a moment.

“So, how was it?” he asked, with a half smile.

“I was horrible…” Mira admitted, letting out a sigh.

Slayer shrugged with an understanding expression.

“I already imagined you would be better with bladed weapons. Good luck, Mira!”

“Thanks!” — she replied, grateful as she watched him walk away.

Feeling a little more confident after the brief conversation, Mira prepared herself for the next phase.