Ryu chuckled and smiled. *we all learn something new every day.* he said, swallowing the chocolate.

Madeline looked over and grinned. *that would be great! Thanks!*

Ryu looked back at her. *its great! I really like it.*

"Sounds good," Asuka says. "Just tell me how long you're going to be using cave and give me a heads up when you need it, and I'll get you a place."

Choji wonders a bit about Ryu's powers and asks, "Does that happen with anything else? For example, can you use laptops or will you melt the mouse and keyboard?"

Madeline grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Ryu blinked and stared at Choji like they had two heads. *. . . I dont know what a computer is, but I cant catch mice in the wild. Too small and too fast.*

Madeline choked on her chocolate before swallowing it and laughing.

Choji falls into a stunned silence, machinery eerily still before he sputters back to life with a choppy breath. "Ah? You don't know what computers are?" he repeats, hands fluttering to his mouth once he realizes his volume. "Sorry, that was a little rude. It's like, well, a larger phone."

He reaches into his pocket to reveal the small back screen, an older model.

Asuka laughs, not even bothering to hide it. "Oh boy, have I got a whole new world to show you. Madeline, you know anywhere we can get some heat resistant electronics?"

Madeline was still giggling when she looked at Asuka. *give me a few hours after class today and theyll be made.*

Ryu blinked, nodding slowly.

As Asuka begins to laugh at Ryu's confusion, the teacher walks in. A man, his hair mused and a woolen jacket settled around his shoulders, paired with a dress shirt and black pants.

"Welcome to your first day," he says, though his voice lacks the excitement typically paired with the greeting. "I'll be your home room teacher. The first lesson will be outside, so group up in teams of four and get ready."

Madeline smiled and Ryu blinked before the teacher walked in and they focused. Madeline stared at the teacher and listened like a model student, while Ryu studied the teacher similar to a predator examining a rival.

When the teacher told them to pair up, Madeline snorted. *done.* she said, hopping up. *everyone ready to go outside?*

Ryu shook himself and nodded.

(Remember my Kirby character and the half-light half-dark Pit? Theyll be returning :D)

(Eyy, looking forward to the reunion! :D)

"Yep," Asuka says, popping the word. Choji nods and follows, curiosity evident in his posture.

When they arrive at the fields, it's to the sight of an obstacle course dug into the ground, with jutting rocks and mountain sides made from mud and stone.

"We'll take your first assessment today to evaluate the flexibility, planning, and teamwork that was left out of the entry test. Continue to the center of the course and retrieve the dummy that I've left at the bottom. Whichever team arrives back at this location with the dummy is the winner. If there's any damage to it or if no one finishes in fifteen minutes, it's an automatic loss for everyone."

Ryu nodded and shifted into a combat position, before frowning and growling as his ambient heat caused some small plants to catch alight.

Madeline looked over. *that could be a problem.* she said, pointing her wrist at the fire and pressing a button on her gauntlet, causing Fire Extinguisher spray to shoot out and extinguish the fire. She then looked at the others. *whats the plan?*

Choji looks down at the muddy course, leading into the mouth of the cave. "I'm sure they'll be more obstacles inside, but we might be able to avoid the first section by flying."

"Can any of your machines carry us?" he asks, turning to Madeline.

At this, Asuka turns to Ryu with a smile. "In that case, do you think you can carry me while you're flying?"