Team Selection Surprises

As the calls for team assignments continued, it became clear to Kenzo that there was no pattern to the selections. Those who followed Tony didn't necessarily stand out as the top candidates.

During the roll call, one of the CREDHOS who came to recruit a new member for their team asked in surprise.

"Is it just me, or did I not receive Kenzo's file?"

"Who's Kenzo?" another person responded, clearly unaware of Kenzo.

However, upon hearing his name, they became curious.

"No, I didn't receive it either." someone else replied to the initial question. This meant that no one had received Kenzo's file.

Had they been present in the Conclave Hall, they would have known that Kenzo had already joined a team, but they weren't high-ranking enough to receive that information.

After a considerably long time, everyone had been integrated into a team—except for the two remaining candidates.

"Everyone's joined a team except for those two candidates," someone from one of the teams pointed out, sparking an interesting discussion.

"It was obvious that no one would want a rich kid who didn't attend the academy on their team."

"Also, despite being very strong, no one would want a liability like Kenzo."

And there it was, discrimination rearing its ugly head once more, and the rich kid was again singled out in a negative light. There was also the fact that Kenzo was being ostracized, something Jaden could never have imagined.

Kenzo was strong, and in such a setting, he should have been revered. But all Jaden sensed around them was jealousy, hatred, and everything that came with it. The world around him seemed toxic, and it was another new sensation.

"Hey, you have no right to speak like that to a hero." Kenzo said with a smile to the one who said that he was a liability.

"Haha, calm down, Ken. You know, for a hero, this kind of discussion doesn't matter." Jaden told Kenzo, although he didn't truly believe his words. He had simply seen similar scenes in superhero movies.

"Oh really? How do you know? You're not a hero." Kenzo asked with confusion. After all, HE was the hero, so how could a non-hero teach him how to behave like one?

"I just know." Jaden replied simply. He wasn't about to tell his friend that he had learned it by watching several superhero movies, definitely not.

However, one question was nagging at him: 'Why do you hate someone you've just met?' Was it natural? But then again, why should he expect people to like him when they first saw him? Was that the right reaction? Perhaps neutrality would have been better, but did true neutrality even exist when it came to human nature?

Man is both good and bad at the same time. It is because he wants to live in society that man must strive for what is defined as good, otherwise there will be nothing but disorder and bloodshed, as man is willing to do anything for his own interests.

Before going to deep, Charlotte's majestic voice rang out after some time, leaving the 'haters' speechless.

"Kenzo Ryo and Jaden Lavender will join the same team."

Meanwhile, the dossier containing all the information appeared on the tablets of all the CREDHOS who were tasked with recruiting members for their teams.

"I believe the old man wants to keep the fact that these two are on these guys' team a secret." thought Karim, who was there just for fun and to follow the rules, but apparently, he had stumbled upon an opportunity he wouldn't let slip by.

Each of the CREDHOS, after becoming a veteran, can choose to directly create a team of up to 5 members with the other CREDHOS from their class. However, it was very challenging for some people to find profiles that aligned with their goals.

Many of them ended up without a team and recruited new recruits who would later become veterans themselves with their own objectives.

Sometimes, recruits wanted to stay with their trainers, filling the ranks of those who couldn't create a team or whose members were insufficient. Those with fewer than five CREDHOS had to train recruits in the hope of filling their ranks.

Zixe and Karim each had two confirmed members, while Sera had only one member left this year.

Rei and Rush, however, still claimed that none of the recruits were up to par, despite having a certain potential. The orders were no longer what they were supposed to be.

There were quite a few people with open slots, but very few were eager to welcome Jaden and Kenzo onto their teams.

"I'll take them." Karim offered before anyone had time to thoroughly analyze the files, piquing the curiosity of those who weren't present during Jaden's presentation in the Conclave Hall.

And if he could have Lavender on his team, it would certainly not be boring.

'So, the stakes are too high to let them join the two Rs, right? they probably want them to gain notoriety before announcing it.' Karim analyzed.

Jaden and Kenzo were officially members of Rei and Rush's team, but they couldn't reveal it just yet. There was too much at stake, and it might create unnecessary panic. People might think they were pressuring the team because of an impending danger.

The crowds were once again in an uproar. As expected, no one had anticipated this result, and no one could imagine that the rich kid and the least intelligent guy in the academy would attract one of the association's greatest.

"Money really does everything, huh, Jaden Lavender?" However, someone couldn't stand this kind of thing, and that someone was Tony Kingsley. He glared at Jaden as if he were a plague.

'Hey, Tony, how about you stop with your standing ovation? It's not acceptable to spew nonsense with every sentence.' That's the kind of line Jaden was thinking about.

"The rich kid has lost his touch, and the idiot right next to him doesn't react. Are you waiting for your master to tell you to attack the hero?" Tony added after receiving a long silence from the guys he was trying to provoke, adding a touch of irritation to their already irritated faces.

Jaden was impressed by the fact that Kenzo hadn't acted at all. The brawler is holding back! What's happening to him? Is he getting soft? Or maybe he's afraid?

Those were the thoughts going through Jaden's mind before he came to a realization.

'No, in fact, that's what I just told him earlier. He... he catches on quickly.'

Not long ago, Jaden had told his teammate that heroes didn't take these situations to heart, that they just let it slide. That was probably why Kenzo wasn't saying anything, even though he had his fists clenched.

At first, Jaden thought he'd do the same as Kenzo, but just after thinking that, he removed the thought from his mind because Kenzo was the hero, not him. If people wanted a fight, then they'd get one. Jaden was determined to start hostilities, but just before he could, someone else chimed in.

"I want them too." It was Zixe's voice, once again leaving everyone in shock, but no one more than Tony.

Why would Zixe want this rich kid deadweight? Did the Lavenders bribe him too? That's what everyone was thinking. What had the Lavenders offered for all this? Because people with Zixe's reputation couldn't be corrupted by money; CREDHOS were very well paid.

However, this time it wasn't just one but two major figures. Who could have annoyed these two at the same time? Everyone could only breathe, waiting for the two to make their choice.

However, as more and more people read the reports, they started offering themselves to recruit these two new CREDHOS.

On the other hand, some, having seen people like Karim and Zixe, decided to stay seated to avoid embarrassment because they knew that the game was in the hands of these big shots.

'So many people, I wonder what's written in my report.' Jaden thought. It's true that several people have elicited more or less the same reactions from recruiters. He had never been to the academy, and it was probably written in his report, so...

'Why does almost everyone want me on their team?'