After being released, the guy smiled at Nora. “Nora! Ross!” A dark-haired, blue-eyed man wearing a plain white lab coat wrapped the two teenagers in a hug. The lab isn’t that far out of the way away, so we might as well stop by and double-check.” “I guess we should just assume they’re still at the lab and running late?” The silver tamer fell into step beside the pinkette as she began walking towards the exit. She left a note saying that she was going to stop by Parum’s lab first, and that we should meet her by the entrance to Khan Woods.” “I think” – Ross rolled his eyes as Nora yawned again – “They both left with Regina this morning. “Where is Ri? And Coco and Atlas?” The cat had been gone when Ross woke up, and he hadn’t seen the robot yet either. “How are you and Ri always half-asleep still?” Ross retorted as he glanced around for multiple shades of blue. “How are you always so awake in the morning?” Nora grumbled, glasses lifting up as she rubbed her eyes. “See? So don’t try to return that badge again.” You’re growing, unless you think the Ross of a couple of weeks ago would have ever admitted that he needed to work on his faults?” The orangette winced and shook his head. “Nora’s correct, but even if your actions against Vados weren’t enough, then what you’re doing right now just proves that you did earn that promotion. “Hey.” Damn it, the Admin was using Miss Flora’s ‘look-at-me’ tone. I can’t believe I’m having to tell you this, but stop being so stubborn and take the silver badge, Ross.” You did as much as the rest of us, minus Ri, against Vados. “Really,” Nora huffed as Ri wrapped his fingers around the badge. Coco whacked Ross’s leg with a sharp flick of his tail, which always stung way more than it should, considering there was fabric between the feline’s limb and the teen’s skin. “Tryin’ to knock some sense in,” the older girl said as she hit his head with her bat again. It’s dumb, but I’ve got too many screw-ups to work on before I’ll even be close to- Ow!” The orangette rubbed his head with his free hand, glaring at Riley over his shoulder. “Thanks, but… I don’t think I’ve earned it. The burn scars on Nora’s arms might be almost healed, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d gotten hurt because he ran off to fight against Vados without thinking. Ri might have forgiven him, but that’s just how she was. Ulzar, as much as he wanted to accept the promotion, the past week had made him painfully aware of his faults. “I don’t…” he sighed, holding out the silver badge to the woman. Ri tackled Nora in a hug, but Ross began to walk towards the Admin before his two best friends could pull him into the pile. Nolan’s cheers drew him back to the present just in time to hear the Admin turn to him and Nora, telling them that they had both been close to being promoted anyway. Ross stared in disbelief at the small item in his hand, not fully hearing what the others were saying. And you all impressed Edward with your battling skills.” Alongside helping the new Queen of Monsters rise and begin restoring the world’s balance. “You all helped stop Vados from, at the very least, slaying all Nexomon. Then Riley’s, Finns’, Nora’s, and finally his. “As for the rest of you….” The orangette watched Admin Alicia step around her desk and drop something into Nolan’s hands. The main point is that the fifth rank is similar to the previous fourth, but you have to be eighteen to apply.” Ri practically collapsed in relief, and Ross teasingly jabbed her in the side. Edward suggested ‘Grand Master’, which is probably what we’ll go with officially. For now, it’s Guildmaster with an upper case ‘G’. “Bronze, silver, gold, guildmaster – lower case ‘g’ – and…. “So, we’re officially adding a new rank.” The Admin explained, digging around in a desk drawer for something. The gold badge pinned on her chest gleamed as the morning's sun reached through the Guild’s windows. Pink, green, and white caught his eye as Nora, yawning, made her way over. They’d all agreed on a set time to meet up, and if Nora, Ri, Coco, and Atlas didn’t hurry. ‘ Why are they so damn slow?’ Nolan and Riley had probably already finished training and left, while Finn had gone home the night before. With a sigh, the orangette let his head roll back and gently thump against the plaster. Leaning against one of the columns by the Guild’s entrance, Ross found himself tapping his foot on the ground.
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