The new headquarters was quiet in a way it had never been before.
Not the uneasy quiet of fear,
but the controlled silence of preparation.
Large transparent screens lit up the central hall, stretching from floor to ceiling. Blue grids flowed across them like water, data constantly shifting and rewriting itself.
Everyone had gathered.
Some leaned against railings.
Some sat on crates.
Some—like Peppy—had already sprawled across the floor, munching on snacks she definitely wasn't supposed to bring inside.
"This place still smells like new paint," Peppy said loudly. "I give it three days before it smells like sweat and regret."
"Optimistic," Poppy replied, adjusting her glasses.
Tema stood near the center, arms crossed. Her gaze wasn't strict—just observant. She wasn't here to judge.
She was here to understand.
Chitki stepped forward, her mech arm softly humming as she connected a cable into the main terminal.
"Before we move forward," she said, voice calm and precise, "we need data. Not titles. Not assumptions."
The screens flickered.
"Today," Chitki continued, "I'm presenting a baseline assessment. Based on recorded combat, recovery speed, adaptability, and stress response during the Kunter incident."
Tuka cracked his neck.
"I am about to leave everyone behind!."
Bear glanced sideways. "I think I know who needs a reality check."
Tuka glared. "Say that again."
Chiki grinned. "Guys guys—I make bombs so I win by default."
"…That's not how it works," Bandri muttered.
The first profile appeared.
---
BEAR
Strength: A
Speed: B+
Durability: A
IQ: B
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: A+
Potential: UNKNOWN
Special Moment: Blocked Kunter's strike and countered with high-output energy discharge.
Bear stared at the screen silently.
Peppy squinted. "Why does your potential look like it's screaming?"
Chitki answered without looking back. "Because the data refuses to cap it."
Bear shrugged. "Huh. Rude."
---
TUKA
Strength: A+
Speed: B
Durability: B+
IQ: C
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: A++
Potential: S
Special Moment: Engaged Kunter head-on using Kyokushin techniques despite overwhelming disadvantage.
Tuka clenched his fist when the endurance rating appeared.
"That's right," he said quietly. "I don't fall."
Bear replied, deadpan, "You flew pretty well though."
Tuka lunged. Chiki physically held him back.
---
CHIKI
Strength: B
Speed: A
Durability: A
IQ: UNKNOWN
Battle IQ: UNKNOWN
Endurance: B
Potential: UNKNOWN (VOLATILE)
Special Moment: Momentary precision movement under extreme pressure; unregistered reaction pattern.
Chiki blinked.
"I got some GODLY stats!."
"No," Poppy said. "It's concerning."
Tema's eyes lingered on the word volatile longer than the others.
---
BANDY
The room went silent as his profile appeared.
Strength: C-
Speed: B
Durability: C
IQ: S
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: B
Potential: S+ (UNSTABLE)
Special Moment: Partial Awakening; large-scale energy manifestation under emotional collapse.
Bandri inhaled sharply.
"This idiot is lacking everything except intelligence." she said.
"I know," Tema replied softly.
---
CHITKI
Strength: C
Speed: B
Durability: B (with suit)
IQ: S+
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: C
Potential: S
Special Moment: Maintained battlefield coordination until suit failure.
Peppy clapped. "NERD POWER!"
Chitki ignored her.
---
PEPPY
Strength: A+
Speed: A
Durability: B
IQ: F-
Battle IQ: B
Endurance: A
Potential: A
Special Moment: Nothing
Peppy stared.
"…HEY."
"To be honest," Poppy said gently. "Be glad that you survived."
---
POPPY
Strength: C
Speed: C
Durability: C
IQ: S
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: B
Potential: B+
Special Moment: Battlefield prediction under crisis.
---
BANDRI
Strength: B
Speed: B
Durability: A
IQ: B
Battle IQ: B
Endurance: A
Potential: A
Special Moment: Protected non-combatants during shockwave collapse.
---
MR. MONKEY
Strength: C
Speed: B
Durability: B
IQ: A+
Battle IQ: A
Endurance: B
Potential: B
Special Moment: Nothing
Mr. Monkey looked up from his phone.
"…I feel underappreciated."
---
WATER BEAUTY
Strength: A
Speed: A
Durability: B
IQ: A
Battle IQ: C+
Endurance: B
Potential: A
Special Moment: Nothing
She scoffed. "This system is flawed."
Chitki replied calmly, "So was your positioning."
Silence.
---
MUKA
Strength: UNKNOWN
Speed: UNKNOWN
Durability: UNKNOWN
IQ: S++
Battle IQ: UNKNOWN
Endurance: UNKNOWN
Potential: UNKNOWN
Special Moment: Nothing
Chiki yelled,"WAIT WHO IS THIS GUY AGAIN!?."
Chitki explained,"You see that guy over there sleeping on a bean bag?, yeah that's him."
Chiki screamed,"MR. POTATO CHIPS ! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE SO OP !!"
The screens faded.
Chitki disconnected the cable.
"This was the ranking," she said. "It's kind of a mirror to all of us."
Tema stepped forward.
"Numbers don't decide your worth," she said. "But they tell us where we stand."
Her gaze swept across all of them.
"And where we need to grow."
The assessment was over.
The real test had finally begun.