As Christopher and Kristine entered the training grounds, they observed the clear divison between the cadets from Bordentown and Camport Military Academy. Both of them were split into two seperate groups.

The twins started to make their way towards their group when they spotted a blue-haired girl heading in their direction. Her vibrant hair color contrasted sharply with the other cadets in the training grounds They didn't recognize her so they knew right away that she was from Bordentown.

She seemed to have an agenda in mind, perhaps intending to intimidate or bully them. But as she neared them, it was clear that their appearances was causing her to turn into a bundle of nerves.

Lori put on a brave face and approached the twins. She had a casual smile on her face, attempting to mask her nervousness. "Hey, you two," she said. "I'm Lori Blackwell from Bordentown. Are you the two who killed that Psi Beast this morning?"

Christopher couldn't help but notice Lori's blush gradually deepening as she got closer. He responded with a friendly, charming smile, "Yes, that was us. It was really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time."

Kristine chimed in, with a beaming smile of her own. "Yeah, we are just glad we could help."

As Christopher observed Lori's demeanor, he found her struggle to maintain her cool and collected attitude amusing. She fumbled over her words, trying to sound unimpressed, "I mean, it's not like it was that big of a deal or anything. I heard it was already injured from those gunshot wounds. Don't get too cocky."

Christopher replied, "Well, we're just glad we could take it down before it could hurt anyone."

"Right," Lori scoffed, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "Well, I'm sure I could have handled it just as well." She crossed her arms, her body language seemingly familiar to the twins.

Kristine exchanged an amused glance with her brother after seeing Lori's stereotypical actions. A wave of telepathic communication began between them.

"Seriously, is this a real-life tsundere?" Kristine asked her brother, her voice ringing in his head.

"No doubt about it," Christopher replied telepathically, stifling a chuckle. The edge of his mouth could be seen twitching as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "Even her blue hair reminds me of an anime character."

"Yeah," Kristine smiled at the thought as their conversation continued. "I'm expecting for her to say 'baka' and storm off any second now," she said, imagining the scene.

Christopher barely contained his laughter, a small snort escaping as he responded in their private telepathic exchange. "Let's just hope she doesn't start throwing punches."

The twins continued their telepathic conversation while Lori looked at the two, puzzled by their barely stifled laughter.

Then, Kristine turned to Lori and agreed with her. "I'm sure you could have," she replied diplomatically, her smile still warm and genuine.

"You know it," Lori said as her eyes darted between the two. Her competitive spirit rearing its head as she pointed her finger at them. "We got ten Psions, and we're all highly skilled. You guys better not get in our way."

"We're all on the same side here, Lori. Let's work together to find those missing civilians." Christopher, still wearing his charming smile, said while gently pushing Lori's pointing finger and hand down,

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Lori, caught off guard by Christopher's touch, jerked her hand away before responding.

"Fine," she mumbled, her cheeks reddening further. "Just don't fall behind."

"We'll do our best to keep up," Christopher reassured her.

"Well, we should probably head back to our group now," Kristine interjected. "It was nice meeting you, Lori. See you around."

"Take care, Lori," Christopher added, giving her a friendly wave.

**

As the twins walked away, Lori stood there, watching them, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. A fellow Bordentown Psion snickered nearby, "You really nailed it there."

Lori's face turned a deeper shade of red as she scowled at her nosy comrade. "Shut up!" she hissed, stomping in their direction in a huff, leaving her fellow Psion cadets to chuckle at her antics.

Another one of her fellow Bordentown Psion cadets called out to her sarcastically, "Nice job, Lori! Way to assert our dominance!"

Lori whipped around to glare at the smirking teenager, her cheeks still burning. "I wasn't trying to assert anything! I was just introducing myself!"

A female cadet named Lucy, who happened to be one of Lori's closest friends among the Psions, stepped in to defend her friend. "All right, cut it out, guys," she chided, a playful smile on her face. She walked over to Lori and gave her a warm, joking hug. "You know they're just messing with you, Lori. But seriously, you've got to admit it was a bit embarrassing."

"Fine, I'll admit it was a little embarrassing. But they caught me off guard, okay?" Lori sighed, rolling her eyes but secretly knowing her friend was right.

"Don't worry about it. We all have our moments. Besides, it's not every day you meet Psions as smoking hot as those twins, right?" Lucy grinned, patting Lori on the shoulder.

"Well, their looks won't mean anything on the battlefield." Lori huffed, crossing her arms.

"True, but it doesn't hurt to appreciate some eye candy while we can." Lucy smiled while recalling the twin's appearance.

The two continued bantering for a few more moments before Captain Bradshaw appeared, interrupting Lori and her rest of the cadets.

"Settle down, everyone," he commanded with a firm voice. "We've got work to do."

The cadets immediately fell silent, turning their attention to the captain.

"We've recently scouted a wolf's den inhabited by a Psi Beast leader," Captain Bradshaw informed them. "The cadets from both academies will be assisting me in this operation in three days. For now, you'll be marching and conducting military exercises together."

Whispers and murmurs rippled through the cadets from Bordentown when they reacted to the news.

"I can't believe we're going to be fighting Psi Beasts already," one cadet whispered nervously.

"Are we even ready for this?" another asked, eyes wide with fear.

Shock and disbelief colored their expressions; they hadn't expected to face Psi Beasts so soon, and they certainly didn't feel as capable as the twins who had already taken one down. They were only normal teenagers after all.

Lori, as the de-facto leader of the group, tried to calm them down. "Hey, we've trained for this," she reminded them. "We can handle it. We're Psions."

"Yeah!" One of the Psions cadets tried to hype themselves up.

Over at the group of cadets from Camport Military Academy, they react the way.

Even Kevin and Gurpreet exchanged worried glances, feeling a surge of inadequacy. They, too, were Psions, but they couldn't help but feel inferior to the twins who had already proven themselves in combat.

Gurpreet's thoughts raced, concerned about their ability to measure up. "I hope we can keep up with them," he muttered under his breath.

Kevin heard him and nodded. His brow furrowed in concern. "Yeah, we need to step up our game."

Captain Bradshaw addressed the cadets once more. "Military exercises will begin in a few hours to build camaraderie between the two of you," he said, gesturing to the two groups of cadets. His tone showed that he was leaving no room for argument.

The cadets collectively groaned at the news, remembering the long, uncomfortable bus ride they had just endured. Their bodies ached and their energy was low.

"All right, everyone," Captain Bradshaw continued, ignoring their displeasure. "I know you just got off a long bus ride, and you're probably tired. Take this time to stretch, hydrate, and get yourselves ready. Meet back here in a few hours to start the exercises."

The cadets reluctantly dispersed, heading to their respective academy areas to recuperate and prepare for the upcoming exercises.