Taking the exam to enter Crystalline Star Academy had been something Jungkook dreamed about for a long time. Actually, all the students in his class tended to dream about being accepted into CSA. Even if you weren't selected to be a potential candidate for Crystalline (and with him being male, that was exactly the case), CSA was still one of the best in class for education, both high school and university level. Every year there was an open exam to CSA: if you passed, you were accepted, full ride scholarship and housing paid while you attended if needed. Thus Jungkook found himself this month of August along with fifteen other accepted students following one of the most well known professors of CSA.

"Welcome everyone!" Dr. Kan exclaimed all too excitedly, "Arguably, this could be the first day in your new lives, but that would be making a lot of assumptions about all of you which we want to avoid so follow me as I take you to the dormitories!" Without waiting for a response, Dr. Kan spun on his heel and was already marching off in a direction. Jungkook, along the other students, scrambled after him, the professor not even looking back at them all,.

But then just as suddenly he spun back around, making a girl in the front scream in surprise (or was it a guy? Jungkook couldn't actually tell).

"I forgot! Please take a moment to look at your student indentification cards," upon the students all responding, Dr. Kan continued, "the dormitories are split depending on what classification you fall under. For the females here, you have three options: Operative, Support, Research. Alas, male specimens, you have only two. No Operative for you. Everyone know what their card says? Great! Moving on!" Dr. Kan spun back around again with a flourish and was trekking back to the dorms once more.

"The east wing is for our Operatives. This means congratulations! You are a potential candidate to become the newest member of Crystalline! Or in the event we can ever duplicate the crystals, you will be considered for those! But that hasn't happened yet so don't get your hopes up too much!" His laugh was the only one as some of the girls in the group looked to each other warily, "You're learning will be focused on the ability to be a proper fighter. But don't neglect your actual education! Like I said, there aren't that many spots open! So if you ever want to drop from the program, or if you do not make the required marks, we can switch you to the Support or Research route. Or you can leave the academy altogether with a letter recommending you to another university."

"Now! To the center wing is where the Support students will reside. If you were brought in as a support role, you showed good aptitude to be one of the many handlers or coordinators for Crystalline. It takes a whole team for just one member. And don't think you'll be missing much. You too will receive combat training as in dire needs, our Support staff are capable of defending civillians and a downed member of Crystalline. You will also, if chosen to pair with a Crystalline member, be responsible for monitoring their health and well being during battles. There is rarely a bond closer than that of a member of Crystalline and her main support. But, again, six members. So if you covett that head role, then you better hope one of the current ones retire or you're chosen for the new one! Otherwise, you too can use the skills here to continue a career elsewhere. Don't put your eggs in all one basket now, you hear me children!" Jungkook looked at his ID and nodded in understanding, reading his classification as such.

"The west wing is for our Research students. You'll get to see me all the time! Isn't that fantastic!" There was some mumurs of 'yes', but for the most part the students remained quiet, "Simply put, this is where we continue our study of the Alterverse, and the continued development of our technology. But for those of you less than savvy with the tech part: no worries! We also study physiology and chemistry as by now you should be aware that the Alterverse is not quite like Earth. If any of you ever feel like the frontlines are nowhere near where you want to be, come talk to the Research department and we'll get you squared away!"

Dr. Kan paused, looking to the students almost expectantly. A few coughs, clearing of throats, and still Dr. Kan did nothing except stare at them. A few more moments, and finally Dr. Kan motioned as if to shoo them all away. Jungkook fidgeted from foot to foot, looking to other students who appeared just as confused as he was. A few seconds more, and finally Dr. Kan made an "oh!" with his mouth and rifled through his messenger bag.

"I have your dorm assignments here! As new students, you will be located primarily on the fifth floor until rankings and finalized curriculum is decided. Ah, except one. Jeon Jungkook?" He called out, to which Jungkook held up his hand, "you will be on the first floor," he handed Jungkook a paper, "room location and map is there. Carry on. Your flootmates are expecting you. Go on then!" The professor literally pushed Jungkook towards the support dorm, like a mother would do a child to get on to class, before turning and continuing his handing out of room assignments to the remaining students, "after you all settle in, there will be an exhibition match this evening to show you what your upper level classmates are working on. Be early if you want front row! These exhibitions are always a hot topic!"

Finally escaping the professor and the crowd, Jungkook heaved out a sigh of relief once the first floor dorm door shut behind him. The dorms walls are clean and white, the occasional insignia of CSA adorning the walls to break up the monotany or a vibrant green plant. It really reminded him of some hospitals he'd been to. From one room emerged a pair of girls, both wearing the uniform of the school but one with a blue band and the other with a red band on their upper left arms. While passing, the blue one paused to give Jungkook an odd look.

"Are you lost? First years should be on the upper levels."

"First year?"

"Unless you forgot your ranking band?"

"Uh, no, I was told to come here. Where is this room?" He handed the paper to the girl asking the questions.

"Oh, you're the new trainee. Taking Dongho's old room, eh? End of the hall, second on the right. Hoseok should be getting your room ready right now, so he'll take care of you. If you need anything, I'm here too, just ask for Park Jiyeon. Good luck!" The girl urged the other with the red band, who still was giving Jungkook an odd look, to continue on. It ended with Jiyeon actually dragging the other to move along.

Arriving at his room, Jungkook punched in the code given to him on the paper. As the door opened, he jumped back when he was greeted by another person. Both shouted in surprise, Jungkook stumbling backwards into the hall. After a moment of gasped breaths from both, the other in the room let out a loud laugh and extended his hand out in greeting.

"Hi! I'm Jung Hoseok. You're Jungkook I guess?"

"Y-Yes," He stammered, still calming his heartbeat, and shook Hoseok's hand in return.

"Scared the daylights out of me!" He laughed and urged him back into the room, "Sorry about that. I was just going out to see if you were with the newbies still. Come on in!"

The room was also white, much like the halls. A desk was built into the far left wall while a bed was built in next to it. Shelves hung on the oppostie side, a small screen for a television between them, and computer was set up already on the desk. While sparse, the room was spacious enough, and the electrical equipment present did appear to be new and of high quality. His belongings already had been set on the bed, ready for unpacking. Jungkook's foot brushed against a box near the door. It was filled with some knicknacks, a poster, and books.

"Dongho's stuff he left. Jiyeon is going to see if he still wants it before we toss it into the free stuff box in the student lounge," Hoseok knelt down to close the box, "nice guy I guess, but never really cared for his stuff too well. Took me forever to get this place cleaned up for you!"

After a short tour of the room where Hoseok showed him how to turn on the computer and TV, he handed Jungkook a blue armband.

"Only your first day and you get one of these. Took me 2 years to get here!"

"What is this anyhow?"

"Class ranking. They told me you aced all the examines, both mental and physical, and already had more than enough experience to qualify for one of these. That's right?"

"Is that unusual?" Jungkook already knew the answer.

"Unusual? Ha! People around here are already calling you the Golden Recruit. You're training stats have already been leaked!" Hoseok laughed when Jungkook groaned and slumped down on his bed, head held in his hands, "they're just scores. I'm sure everyone will cool off once you actually start training with us. Natural aptitude or not, you still have to learn to be a Support. Let's go meet Jimin and Taehyung. They're across the hall from us."

Leaving the room, Hoseok motioned to the room next to Jungkook's, farthest away, as his own. Across from Jungkook's room was Jimin's, though they passed it to go to the room across from Hoseok's: Taehyung's room. Even before they knocked, Jungkook could make out two voices shouting and hollaring inside the room. Hoseok knocked once, waited, and then let himself in.

Sitting next to each other on the bed, a pair of boys each held controllers and were staring intently at the screen in front of them: one with black hair and the other with dyed pink hair. A game was being played, appearing to be the latest "Crystalline Fighters" console game. One was playing a girl in red while the other was a green one. They didn't acknowledge the entry of Jungkook or Hoseok, still engrossed in their game. The red one suddenly flared up and the screen was filled with flames.

"Yes!"

"That was cheap!" The one playing the green one, the pinked haired one, exclaimed, tossing the controller aside, "Garnet is too easy to spam that fire attack!"

"Don't be mad because you picked a character you can't play. Should have stuck with Citrine!" The black haired laughed, shoving the other's shoulder slightly, before noticing Hoseok and Jungkook, "Oh! You came!"

"Jeon Jungkook, meet Kim Taehyung," the pink haired boy waved, "and Park Jimin," the black haired one nodded, "guys, meet the newest addition to our group."

"Tell me: is it true your parents are escapees from Alterverse abduction and that's why you are so good at being a support member: because you're the product of genetic tampering by the Alterverse?" Taehyung suddenly asked in all seriousness.

"I-what?"

"Because that's the latest rumor," Jimin offered, "but not the only one!" Jungkook felt like going back to his room to hide for a while at that revelation, "don't let it get to you. These are the same people who asked if Hoseok was some sort of robot built on Alterverse solar panels, hence why he never seems to need to sleep or rest during practice." Hoseok nodded, chuckling to himself.

"That was fun."

"You play? Want to go a round?" Taehyung offered the controller to Jungkook, "Jimin and I always get a few rounds in before a bout."

"Bout?"

"That's right," Hoseok explained, "the exhibition this evening. Jimin and Taehyung are basically battlng it out with their partners, Hani and Minri, to show the newbies what it's like. I tried to get Reni to do it, but she had to go to a photoshoot or something, so we didn't have enough time to prep."

"Reni?"

"You'll meet her soon!"

"Come on!" Jimin dragged Jungkook over to sit bewtween him and Taehyung, "just a few rounds!"

The game was a licensed fighting game using the likeness of the current members of Crystalline as fighters, and then some other original characters. The characters were designed to look far more cartoonish than real life, using the cell shading style that had a reemergence of popularity lately. All of the attacks were bright and colorful, and everything was so fast paced. Jungkook owned it too back at his home. It really was a fun game. Jungkook quickly selected Tourmaline, the member with a pink ombre hair, and Taehyung laughed at his choice.

"Oh yeah, you and Yunyi will get along."

"Yunyi?"

"Man, they didn't tell you anything," Jimin quickly selected Garnet and the opening animations began, "Yunyi is your partner, operative."

"You'll be working with her the same way I work with Hani!" Taehyung whistled when Jimin soundly knocked back one of Jungkook's attacks, "she's," Taehyung paused, mulling over something in his mind, "intense. But you'll be fine, I'm sure!"

"Obsessed is the better word, HA!" Jimin whooped in victory when he won thefirst round of the game, "if you think we train hard, you have to see her. She even gives Minri a run for the most single-minded training method."

"But it means Yunyi is one of our most well rounded Operatives," Hoseok interjected, "she's got focus, tenacity, and the desire to do well!"

"Well, Minri is a lot nicer."

"Your biased opinion," Taehyung added, quickly also telling Jungkook that his special attack meter was full and he should do something with that.

"Tell me Minri isn't nicer than Yunyi. I dare you," Jimin defended, "not saying Yunyi isn't. She has her moments. But Minri would never tell me 'do you actually want to be here? Do you think this is a game?'."

"To be fair," Hoseok interjected, "Dongho didn't take anything seriously."

"Still not very nice."

"Nice or not," Jungkook finally spoke, doing the special and winning the second round of the game as Tourmaline's wind special broke Garnet's defenses, "isn't the point to do well though? If this other guy wasn't trying, she probably had the right to be angry."

"Shhht," Jimin hushed him, "you've not seen anything yet. Yunyi is fine. At least none of us are Reni's manager." The other two agreed, Hoseok shaking his head though he was laughing a little, "that poor bastard."

"I love Reni and all, but even I don't know how he handles her," Hoseok then added, "anyhow, you're assigned to be Yunyi's support. That means eventually you'll be doing bouts like these in the near future. Yunyi is single minded, but she is one of the best."

"It's amazing you're being assigned already. I wasn't assigned to Hani until late year two-GET HIM KOOKIE!" He interrupted himself to cheer as the youngest began a combo against Jimin, "most of us had to be training at least a year before being partnered up with an operative. You're the weird exception."

"Oh shoot," Hoseok pulled out his phone, "Reni is asking when we'll be down to meet her in the cafeteria. Hurry up and beat him Jungkook."

"Where is the loyalty?!" Jimin mocked hurt in his voice, "Trading me in for the newer model!"

"Well hurry up and lose so we can get ready for the bout," Taehyung whined a little, but laughed at the mock glare Jimin gave him.

"You too?!"

"But seriously Jungkook," Taehyung asked as the game came dangerously close to ending, "are you actually from a lab underneath the school? Is that why you're so good at this?"

Jungkook has absolutely no words for that.
 

After being shooed out of the room so the pair could get ready for the bout, Hoseok led Jungkook towards the cafeteria. Along the way, he was introduced to the campus more. The library, housing both physical and digital books, the labs where a lot of the research students spent their time and he would be expected to go to for some of his classes, the training rooms for Operatives and Support, and en route to the cafeteria the hall of awards. Depsite being a specialized Academy, CSA still seemed to pride itself on its academics and sports. Hoseok left him there a moment while he left to call Reni to see where she was.

A wall for football awards, academic decathalons, track awards, had Jungkook not known better he might have assumed this was no different from another university. But at the end was the most prestigious award wall: Crystalline. Class photos of the top ten students in Operative and Support classes abounded, the aging of the photos prevalent. Everytime the lineup of Crystalline changed, a new group photo of the girls was taken.

Always six of them: Red Garnet, Green Peridot, Pink Tourmaline, Blue Saphire, Violet Amethyst, and Yellow Citrine. In some photos they were pictured with their current Support, and in others the Support team was separate in their own group photo. Jungkook paused to look at one of them, recognizing his uncle in the Support role for a group of Crystalline that felt like a generation ago. Uncle Jungmin would be impressed with Jungkook's current position if he was still around.

At the end before the cafeteria stood a girl with rose gold colored hair. She too was studying the awards and photos intently.

"Hard to believe they put so much effort into sports too," he commented.

"It is," she responded, taking her eyes away from the picture she was viewing, "But I guess it can't all be Crystalline around here. Not everyone comes here to just be part of it," she raised her brows in surprise and walked over to look at his blue band, "You are...?"

"I'm Jeon Jungkook," he introduced himself, feeling a little embarassed by the suddenly intense stare she had on him, "You are?" The girl silently regarded him another moment.

"You're like...a real new student aren't you?"

"Just got here today."

"And you're already part of the upper ranks of the Support class? How did you manage that?" The nervousness he felt at being stared at by a pretty girl was now replaced by the feeling of a prey animal about to be destroyed by a lioness, "Prior training? Past experience?"

"Uh...I don't really...I just did well?"

"...highly unlikely," she narrowed her eyes at him, but then relaxed her posture, "but I guess not unheard of. You said Jungkook right? I'm Cheon Yunyi."

"Oh....OH." Jungkook immediately offered his hand to her, bowing just a little respectful, "yes, Jungkook. We're going to be working together right?"

"Yes," she returned the greeting, "but I am still curious how you managed to get this rank so quickly. Not sure why they didn't just reassign one of the more senior members to me."

"I couldn't say."

"Well, lets work hard together, okay? With Garnet coming up on her thirtieth birthday, everyone will be scrambling to get those top slots. Can't be left behind, am I right?"

"Right," he nodded in agreement. While the previous feeling of being a prey animal was gone, he still felt a little uneasy under her gaze.

"I mean it. We need to work hard towards this."

"I under-"

"Yunyi!!" A happy voice sang out, and suddenly a girl with dakr hair in braids was draped across Yunyi's back, giving her a tight back hug and resting her head on the pink haired girl's shoulder, "Come with me and Hobi to eat lunch with the new guy-oh hello!"

And immediately Jungkook recognized this girl.

"You...you..."

From playing Citrine in the TV adaptation of Crystalline "The Power of the Crystal", from the TV Cfs about sparkling fruit juice he totally bought cases of just because she told him to, this was one of the girls he once has a poster of in his locker back in his freshman year of high school.

Reni.

Kim Reni.

Why hadn't it clicked before when Hoseok mentioned his partner Reni? It was a big deal when Reni openly applied to CSA. And more so, when she passed exams and tests to be one of Operative class. Kim Reni, young actress and arguably idol, could be the next member of Crystalline in real life instead of just playing one on TV. The one who arguably bumped up the female enrollment at CSA by walking through it's doors.

Jungkook felt someone shove him, waking him from his self induced awe trance at Reni. Hoseok was next to him, giving him an all knowing grin. Yunyi was busy trying to push Reni off her, complaining that it was inappropriate when she was meeting her partner for the first time, and Reni complaining that Yunyi needed to loosen up and smile. Please smile!

"Ugh," Yunyi finally disengaged Reni and stood straight, fixing her uniform back to its tidy appearance, "is this a thing now?"

"Everytime until you smile and say 'Reni my love!' when you see me!" Reni giggled when Yunyi deftly ducked away from her attempt at another hug. She pursued her as Yunyi kept avoiding her until the pink haired girl found a place behind Jungkook, using him as a barrier between her and Reni.

"Oh! You're Jungkook! I'm-!"

"Kim Reni!" He said all too quickly, feeling his face heat up in embarassment.

"Oh," Reni smiled, flipping one of her braids over her shoulder, "of course you know me. You're a fan I take it?"

"Uh, well..."

"Reni, stop, you'll make him turn into a tomato," Hoseok chided, though he seemed equally amused by this reaction as she.

"So, tell me, what roles are your favorite of mine? Huh?" She leaned in closer to Jungkook expectantly, "Come on! Don't be shy! I love meeting with my fans!"

"Enough already," Yunyi finally saved Jungkook, taking his arm, and pulling him to the cafeteria, "we've only got an hour before the bout. Has Hoseok shown you the cafeteria yet?"

After the initial embarassment, Jungkook was relieved when Reni stopped teasing him. Dinner was a quick affair of sandwiches and water, and it was a quick trip to the arena area. Reni and Hoseok were obliging, taking time to show Jungkook every sight he had potential questions over.

"The arena lets us train as if we were in a real battle. It's fantastic. Have you seen the big, professional arena they have for the civvies," as Reni liked to call anyone not part of CSA, "so they can have sport like tournaments? It's exactly that! But ours is so much more sophisticated."

"Most training will be done in the training rooms. Wooden weapons, no real chance of injury unless you're dumb. We as Support even train there. I'll have you spar Taehyung next week to begin with," Hoseok explained while they continued their walk to the arena, "he's good at sparing."

"And you can meet the other girls later," Reni also added, "they're great fun! Well, most of them are. I'll make sure you know who to stay away from."

"Hani and Minri are both top ten, so the bout should be impressive," this time Yunyi gave her own insight, "you've met Jimin and Taehyung right? Good. They're both fairly competent at their Support role, so make sure you learn a lot from them."

"Me too!"

"Reni too!"

"Reni you are an Operative!"

Entering the arena, Jungkook was astounded by the number of students crowded in. Reni was quick to explain that training was straight forward, but these exhibitions tended to be very much spectacle. Operatives would be in full 'armor', Support used all their tools, and there were even shows of power. Hoseok mentioned the flames or Garnet or the whirlwinds of Tourmaline? Those all were possible. Fortunately, most students saw them with their armbands, and were easy to move out of the way so they could stand front and center. Reni insisted they be standing since sitting meant possibly sitting behind someone with a big head, and she was not for that life. As they took their seats, Hoseok drew Jungkook's attention to the arena.

Standing off on the sidelines on opposite sides, head's covered by transparent visors (Jimin's green, Taehyung's yellow) and black headsets, Jimin and Taehyung engaged two girls.

"Okay, so," Reni said to Jungkook, motioning to Taehyung and a blonde girl, "That's Hani. We like her!"

"Also, Taehyung's operative," Yunyi interjected, shrugging off the arm Reni had slung over her shoulders, "probably the fastest operative here, and really good with those projectiles."

"Also amazing at makeup! She showed me this beautiful gloss that makes your lips look like a galaxy and-!"

"Get your priorities straight already," Yunyi grumbled, shooting an annoyed glare at Reni who simply ignored her and continued to tell Jungkook about the nail polish the pair had used the other day and-

"Jimin is with Minri," Hoseok continued, pointing to the black haired girl with Jimin, "also fast as hell, but-ow!" He yelped when Reni yanked on his arm, distracting him, "Why?!"

"I was talking!"

"You'll see the difference here in a second," Jungkook's partner sighed, "but I'm betting Minri wins this round."

"No way," Reni stopped pulling on Hoseok's ear to interject. Hoseok pouted at her, earning him a light pat on the cheek and a cheery 'sorry!' before Reni continued, "Hani is too hyped for this! She's been looking forward to the bout for days!"

"Minri is better trained."

"Hani has badassery!" To Yunyi's chargrin, Hoseok nodded in agreement, "See? I'm right! Hani will rip Minri apart!"

"For heaven's sake this is a exhibition! No one should be trying to rip anyone anything!"

"Tell that to her fanboys," Hoseok motioned to a crowd in the upper bleachers. Sure enough, a sea of "We <3 U Hani!" and other rather embarassingly adoring signs made a small sea of color and paper. Hani took a moment to stop talking with Taehyung and waved at the crowd, earning her a cheer and "WOO!!" from them. In particular, a blonde young man in the front wearing black framed glasses had a light up heart and was cheering the loudest. Following Jungkook's gaze, Yunyi also looked at the man and sighed once more, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Seokjin why are you so embarassing..." She muttered to herself, though Jungkook was close enough to make it out.

"Seokjin?"

"I'll take you to meet him and the other research guys later," Hoseok offered, "But first! They're getting ready to begin!"

Sure enough, the arena shimmered, the virtual reality shifting to become a plain, almost galaxy-esque void that the girls both stood in, facing off. A few moments later, each girl placed a visor similar to the ones the boys were wearing on.

"Have you seen an arena battle before?" Hoseok asked, "Alright, each of the girls has a 'demi gem' on their gauntlet. Think of it like the Star Gems, but in a temporary form. Dr. Kan developed those years ago, and they are useful for training. Let's the girls-"

"Operatives," Yunyi finally corrected.

"-operatives fight as if they were really magical girls like Crystalline." Sure enough, the girls each wore a metal glove on their left hand, and Jungkook could make out the shine of a clear stone embedded in them even from a distance, "The gauntlets are programed and attuned to the style of each operative. And a gem can be embedded to basically turn on the programing the gauntlet has. Think of it like the guantlet has a direct link to the brain, and the gem is a battery. The gems are only good for about an hour when fully activated though."

"Dr. Kan says this is based on Alterverse tech," Yunyi added, smiling faintly, "and that alterverse physiology allows for a deeper attuning to the tech they use. So using that, he could make temporary armors. In fact, their society is supposed to be based on this sort of symbiosis that allows them to..." Yunyi trailed offer, shaking her head and waving for Hoseok to continue.

"Those headsets are linked to the ones their support are wearing, and they can advise, analyze, and monitor the operative's status. You'll be starting this sort of training with Yunyi come Monday."

"Can they actually hurt each other?"

"Sure can," he answered, brow furrowing just a little, "those training gems are still weapons. If they have the intent of hurting each other, they can."

"You have to treat these training bouts as if they were like any other. The weapons will be real, and so will be the power surges."

"Surges?"

"Just...you'll see. Just watch," Yunyi directed him back to viewing the battle.

Taehyung first made a movement with his hand, and before him opened a virtual yellow panel, reminding Jungkook of a computer console in some ways. Jimin also had one opened, this one green. This, Jungkook recognized. Virtual consoles that allowed support to keep tabs on the important things such as health. Minri and Hani both exchanged words, though with thr rising shouts and cheers from the students around him, Jungkook couldn't make it out.

A bright flash a moment later made him look away for a second before it faded. The girls were now in white versions of what he knew were Crystalline dresses, lacking any of the fancier details he knew the real dresses had. Only the shock of color from their visors made them contrast. In Minri's hands was a white bo staff, while Hani had a white cross-bow-gun hybrid in her hand. Oh. There was the difference.

A chime rang out, and the two girls immediately moved. Duplicate images of the consoles the support team had were blown up on the large screen for the crowd to see. Heartrate, stress level, even something called "SP" was present on the consoles. And suddenly, he could hear the girls speaking. He assumed there must be mics in the headsets as well.

"Catch me if you can!" Hani taunted, a big grin on her face as she jumped back quite a distance. Minri didn't respond, instead rushing forward a few steps as a speed Jungkook could barely keep up with visually. Hani's bowgun flashed white, and a series of white bolts of light shot from it towards Minri.

Minri sidestepped quite a few, having to pause her forward attack in order to avoid the onslaught. Hani's laughter accentuated each shot that nearly landed on Minri, making the crowd cheer louder in response.

"Come on! Just get over here already and try and hit me!"

"And this," Yunyi shook her head before muttering to Jungkook, "is where Hani messes up." Before Jungkook culd ask her to explain, the crowd began to gasp and talk louder and more excitedly. Hani had paused her attack momentarily, but the light around her bowgun grew brighter and with a shout of 'LOVELY BEAM!' (making Yunyi snort just a little), a brighter, bigger bolt of light shot out towards Minri. The shot hit right where Minri was, and the arena exploded in light and a loud bang. When the dust and light settled however, Minri still stood there, appearing unscathed. Nor had any of her vitals changed on the console.

"Oh crap...!" Hani cursed, and she instantly spun around. Minri had appeared behind her, staff already wound back to strike. Jungkook did a doubletake, and the figure of Minri that had been hit by Hani's attack phased out. Fortunately for Hani, she was quick enough to dive to the right, avoiding the hit of the staff. Soon, Hani was backpedalling as she dodged and sidestepped the fast attacks from Minri.

Minri kept up the assault, the staff whirling around her almost effortlessly. To Hani's credit, even if all she had was the bow gun, she was ableto parry some of the attacks with that weapon effectively. And then, Minri spun and the staff flashed with white light. The weapon segmented, becoming a fluid cord that acted more like a living whip. Hani swore loudly when the weapon actually smacked into her arm, forcing her to drop the bowgun. Her opponent disarmed, Minri's weapon became engulfed by flames, and with the same fluid movements, the whip sent forth arcs of flames towards Hani.

The blonde girl dropped low to the ground, and contrary to what Jungkook assumed she would do, she rushed forward, dodging past the flames. Jungkook was perplexed as Hani did terribly when close to Minri, but then he saw the bowgun.

"She's taking a chance to get the gun back," he said to Yunyi who nodded.

"Hani at a distance is great. But there's one problem with this plan."

"What?"

"Minri is fantastic at close range. She's playing a dangerous game. Hani is a really aggressive fighter, she can keep four of the trainees at bay easily. But against Minri? I don't know."

"Ha, Minri overthinks things," Reni huffed, "she's going to hesitate and then BOOM Hani wins."

The crowd gasped, and Jungkook returned his attention to the bout. Hani slid forward, barely clearing an arc of fire, and her hand grabbed the bowgun. All at once, she turned the gun towards Minri, a bright sparkling bolt of light already flaring to life. But at that same instance, Minri's staff came back together, and it was a mere inch from slamming down into Hani's chest. If either flinched then the other would take their 'killing' blow.

A buzzer went off and the crowd errupted in a cheer. Both Hani and Minri relaxed and the fight was over.

"Huh...well. Guess we were both wrong. Oh well! Let's go see them!" Reni took Jungkook by the arm and pulled him along with her to join the two girls on the arena,

Minri reached down and help Hani to her feet. Their attire faded with a quick flash, and they stood in their uniforms again. Taehyung and Jimin joined them, each separating to talk with each other.

"Hani!"

"Hi!" The blonde girl waved to Reni as they approached, "Did you see that? Wasn't that attack amazing?"

"Lovely beam? Absolutely!"

"Hani, this is Jungkook. Yunyi's new partner," Taehyung spoke while still checking a handheld device, "and you're energy surge wasn't very high today. What's up with that?"

"Pshaw. If I really used everything I had in that shot, the fight would have been over too soon! That's not fun! Especially for them!" Hani pointed at the cheering fanboys, giving them a quick finger heart that had them hooting and hollaring even louder.

"Good match man," Hoseok gave Taehyung's back a friendly slap once he arrived, "you two up for some celebrating? We have to welcome our newest!"

"I guess. But ughhh, I'm so tired. Oh, Jungkookie, you'll carry poor little Honeymoon to our destination won't you?" Hani smiled sweetly, sidling up next to him, "you're tall and handsome enough to do that right?"

"Uh, I-" Jungkook stammered but was fortunately saved when Yunyi appeared and took him with her to go check on Jimin and Minri.

"You overdid the surge, you know that?" Jimin was speaking with Minri.

"It's flashier that way."

"Yeah, but you would have had her if you just kept up the attack."

"I know but..." Minri rubbed her arm.

"Is your arm still hurting? You gotta tell me things like this-"

"Oh, Yunyi. This is Jungkook?" Minri said quickly when she spotted them approaching, "hello. I'm Shin Minri."

"Are you coming out with us?" Jimin asked, putting away his handheld device, "Hoseok mentioned wanting to do something."

"Sure," Yunyi shrugged, "no classes tomorrow anyhow."

"I'm...going to pass," Minri bowed a little, "I've got to meet with my mom tonight. I'll see all of you in the training on Monday, yes?" Quietly excusing herself, Minri left them. Jimin mentioned he would meet them at the dorm later before going after Minri to finish up their bout wrap up.

"Tae! I don't want to do this now. Can't we just go have fun and you'll put something fantastic together tomorrow morning?" Hani's voice complained loudly. She was currently thwarting his attempts at scanning her with the device.

"Well...welcome I guess," Yunyi finally offered Jungkook, "for better or worse right? Get ready because come Monday things are going to be real tough."

Jungkook nodded, watching as Yunyi went to join the others.

Crystalline Star Academy was going to be an interesting place.