The screen stayed lit.
Rows of names.
Stats.
Cold, calculated values that reduced heroes to numbers.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The new headquarters was silent in a way that felt unnatural, as if the walls themselves were waiting to be tested.
Chitki lowered her tablet slightly.
"These rankings are based purely on collected combat data," she said. "No bias. No favoritism."
Peppy squinted at the board.
"…Why does my IQ say F-minus."
Poppy didn't look up. "Because you tried to eat a screwdriver, thinking it was a lolipop last month."
"That looked DELICIOUS."
Bandri folded her arms, eyes scanning the list carefully.
Her name sat lower than Bandy's in almost every category except endurance.
She glanced toward him.
Bandy avoided her gaze.
He sat quietly on a bench, legs dangling, fingers wrapped tightly around the edge. Hoping Bandri would stop glaring at him.
Mr. Monkey leaned against a wall, phone in hand.
"So… if these numbers go up, do we get rewards?"
Tema answered without turning.
"I don't know."
"Then I don't care."
Chiki hopped onto a railing upside-down, grinning.
"HAHA! Unknown IQ! That means my IQ is 10000!"
Chitki didn't even look at him.
"It could mean negative also."
Bear glanced sideways at Chiki.
"…That's worse."
Tuka scoffed when he saw his own stats.
"Battle IQ higher than my IQ? That's stupid."
"You punch smarter than you think," Peppy said helpfully.
Tuka stared at her.
"…I don't know if that's an insult."
Tema stepped forward, finally facing them.
"These rankings are not labels," she said calmly. "They're warnings. They show what we lack—and what we must protect."
Her eyes lingered briefly on the names marked Severe Injury — Recovered.
Chiki.
Tuka.
Bandy.
Chitki.
"And they show," Tema continued, voice firm, "why Kunter reached us at all."
That sobered them.
The room shifted.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Resolve.
Chitki tapped her tablet once more.
"Rankings will update monthly. Real combat only. Training simulations won't count."
Peppy cracked her knuckles.
"Good. I hate fake fights."
Bandri placed a hand on Bandy's shoulder.
"We'll get stronger," she said quietly.
He nodded.
Outside the massive glass windows, the city glowed peacefully under the evening sky. Too peaceful.
High above the new headquarters—far beyond radar range—a shadow crouched atop a steel spire.
Watching.
Waiting.
Observing.
The ranking screen flickered once.
Drayke flashed a grin, familiar with their stats.