CHAPTER 31: WELCOME TO SQUAD 7

When Ren arrived at Ward 11, Shin and the rest of Squad 7 greeted him warmly.

The ward was still a work in progress with buildings under renovation and walls half painted, considering the often battles they had to face defending the ward. But despite all this, the place was alive with smiles and cheerful voices of the ZEAL members and its citizens.

"Yo," Shin said with a smile as he offered a handshake. "I heard about what you did during Squad 4’s mission against the Smileys. Can’t believe you got that strong in such a short time."

Ren shook his hand, smiling back. "I still lost. And I barely protected anyone. But I’m hoping I can learn a lot here."

Shin wasted no time and showed Ren around the ward. The walls that were once covered in graffiti were now gone, and the constant brawls that used to erupt on every corner had all but vanished. Since Squad 7 took control, the ward had changed drastically for the better.

To Ren’s surprise, it was nothing like he remembered. The last time he’d set foot here, the place was chaotic as danger lurked at every corner. Now, people walked freely without fear of being jumped or mugged and their faces were bright with smiles as they went about their day.

"I can’t believe you guys turned this place around so quickly," Ren muttered.

"It took a lot of hard work from the warden and the squad." Shin replied. "At first, the people didn’t trust us at all. Talking to them felt impossible. But over time, they warmed up to us and even helped with the rebuilding. Sure, we still get the occasional invasion attempt from other gangs, but now the people trust us with their safety. I think they’ve always been warm at heart, it was just buried under the chaos the Skull Frames brought when they ruled this place. I’m just glad we could reclaim it and bring real peace."

They continued strolling through the ward as Shin pointed out the key spots. The barracks, the training grounds, even the small shopping district tucked between rebuilt streets. Covering the entire place took nearly an hour before they finally made it back to the main HQ.

Shin led Ren into a modest room. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a desk with a couch in front of it, and a few bookshelves lined up on the walls.

"So, Warden Valen’s not here?" Ren asked.

"He’ll be back in a few minutes." Shin said. "Actually, he told me to bring you here at exactly this time. Anyway, I’ll leave you here for now. I’ll take you to your room once the Captain’s done talking with you." With that, Shin stepped out of the room.

Ren’s gaze wandered across the room, and he found something unexpected. The shelves were packed with books, and the desk was filled with neatly arranged pens. He never would’ve guessed that the captain of Squad 7 was a reader, maybe even a literary enthusiast.

"I guess Warden Valen’s into books." Ren muttered. "I wonder if he’s written any."

As if on cue, the door swung open.

"Well, I have written a few." Came a calm voice from behind. "If you’d like, I can let you borrow some of my work."

Ren turned to see Valen Cruz step inside. His black and violet hair matched the sharp glint in his eyes. Ren couldn’t help but stare at the bandages wrapped around parts of his body. Despite his curiosity bugging him, Ren didn’t dare ask why. A part of himself knew that he shouldn’t. But he knew one thing for sure. This man was far stronger than him and Shin.

"I’d appreciate that." Ren replied with a small smile.

Valen couldn’t help but let out a smile. As if overjoyed by the fact that someone would read his own work.

"Well, I’m assuming you already know why you’re here." he said, settling into the chair behind his desk.

"Yes. I was told this is the best place to learn how to use my core release to its full potential without tearing my body apart. And that you’re the best person to train me." Ren replied, his eyes clearly steady with determination.

"Mm. Well, it was one of Kaien’s schemes."

"Ahhh." Ren said, as if everything suddenly made sense.

"So you do get it! That sly fox. I was wondering why he dragged me into that meeting when I had nothing to do with the mission."

"With all due respect, Warden Valen, we probably should’ve expected this from Kaien."

"That’s true! And yet, somehow, we keep falling into his traps."

They both leaned back, staring at the ceiling, nodding in unspoken agreement like two veterans bound by a shared history of being outplayed by Kaien.

"Anyway." Valen said, grinning. "Since you’re my brother in arms against Kaien’s tricks, you can drop the honorifics. Just call me Valen. Shin does it all the time."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Not every day I meet someone who understands the pain of dealing with Kaien. But I’ll admit, he was right about one thing. You’re a good hearted kid."

"He said that?"

"Yes. Despite being a sly fox, he’s still a great guy." Valen said.

"Can’t argue with that," Ren replied. "Anyway, does my training start now?"

"Well, considering you just got out of the hospital, no. The best thing you can do is rest for a week. But...." Valen raised a finger, "I’m not telling you to sit around doing nothing. You can still learn a lot while resting."

Ren tilted his head. "Like what?"

"For the next week, I want you to watch the others spar. Not just Shin, everyone. Pay attention to their habits, tendencies, strategies, and how well they work with their Drive Core abilities. Let your body rest, but train your mind and your eyes."

Ren nodded. "Alright. I guess that’s a productive way to rest. Then what happens after that?"

"After a week of recovery, you’ll help with construction."

"Construction?"

"Yes. Carrying materials, plumbing, roofing, hauling things, basically all the grunt work that needs doing."

"Huh???"

Ren stared, clearly lost, but Valen didn’t give him the chance to argue.

"And one more thing, no using your Drive Core ability until I say so."

Ren’s mind was instantly filled with questions, but one look at Valen’s expression told him it was pointless to complain. With a gloomy face, he left the room, already wondering what kind of "training" he’d just signed up for.

Just outside the room, Shin spotted him with his head down.

"Yo, what happened in there? Why do you look like your whole world just collapsed?" Shin asked.

"Plumbing." Ren muttered.

"Ohhh." Shin nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I’ve been through that." he said with a casual laugh.

Shin then led Ren to a small apartment where he’d be staying during his stay with squad 7. It was a two story place, a bit smaller than Squad 4’s, but freshly painted, and unlike Squad 4’s so called "home", it wasn’t a rundown apartment.

"You’ll be staying here with two other guys. They’re easy to get along with, so don’t worry." Shin said as Ren stood at the door, still eyeing the place.

Guess not all apartments in ZEAL are falling apart. Ren thought as he followed Shin inside.

The interior was neat and compact, just a working kitchen and a small living room on the first floor. Sitting on the couch were two guys already smiling at him. Both had a vibrant and easy going air around them.

"That guy on the left with the brown bowl cut is Botan. The other one, with the black hair and middle part, is Isamu." Shin introduced. "And as you both already know, this is Ren. I’ll leave him in your care, alright?"

The three shook hands, exchanging polite smiles. After the introductions, Shin left for some errands Warden Valen had ordered for him to do.

Then silence...

They sat together on the couch, none of them speaking. Ren kept his mouth shut, not because he was unfriendly, but because he was shy. It always took him a while to warm up to people he’d just met.

That was until Botan broke the silence with his loud and energetic voice.

"So, tell me, how’d you beat the Smileys’ leader? I heard that guy was strong! Are you on the same level as the Vice Captain? Or maybe even stronger?"

"I wouldn’t say that. He’s a lot stronger than me." Ren replied, a bit shyly. "And to be precise, I didn’t actually win against Grin."

"But you did win, at least until he went berserk and used that weird Forbidden Ritual thing! That’s totally cheating!" Botan argued.

"Yeah, exactly! If he didn’t cheat, you clearly would’ve defeated him." Isamu added.

"Well, if you put it like that, I guess I did win." Ren admitted, though his voice was still a little down. "But I still lost the battle, so it doesn’t really matter."

"Don’t be ashamed! You took down a low 7 star threat! And you’re still getting stronger!" Botan said proudly, puffing his chest. "Anyway, my Drive’s pretty normal, I can bend water and that’s about it. If I were ranked, I’d probably be a high 4 star, maybe a low 5 star at best!"

"Well, mine’s just as boring!" Isamu said with a grin. "No elemental stuff for me, I just boost my body’s performance. I’m about the same level as Botan."

"But one thing’s for sure, we haven’t given up yet!" Botan declared with a confident smirk. "We’ll catch up to you and the Vice Captain if you guys decide to slack off!"

"Yeah! Though the Vice Captain will probably beat the crap out of us tomorrow in sparring." Isamu added with a laugh.

Ren couldn’t help but laugh too. These two were good people, he could tell right away. They weren’t just friendly, they were willing to push themselves to compete with him in a healthy way.

He had always thought Shin was his only rival in Squad 7, but now he knew he was wrong. After hearing Botan and Isamu’s words, Ren realized he’d have to work even harder, because he didn’t plan on being left in the dust by these guys if he started slacking off.

"Well, I’d like to see you guys try." Ren said with a small smile and the two grinned back at him.

"So? You starting training tomorrow?" Botan asked.

"Unfortunately, not yet. The Captain told me to rest for another week. My body’s pretty banged up after all." Ren replied, looking at the bandages covering his limbs. "But you’d better give it your all out there, because I’ll be watching and learning a lot from you."

"Sure thing!" Botan said enthusiastically.

"I doubt you’ll learn anything from me, or us." Isamu laughed. "The Vice Captain’s just gonna slam us into the ground in less than ten seconds. Fifteen seconds at best!"

"That’s true. But we’ll give it our best! I won’t let myself be disgraced in front of a new face!" Botan admitted with a chuckle. "But I still can’t wait for a week to pass! I’ll get to see Ren spar by then!"

"Uh..... I don’t think you’ll see me spar even after a week." Ren said, scratching the back of his head. "I’m uhh..... plumbing."

"Ohhhhhh" the two said in perfect unison, nodding in a way that made it obvious they knew exactly what that meant.

"What’s with plumbing and this squad?!" Ren shouted, his voice echoing through the apartment as Botan and Isamu burst into laughter.