The moment the lobby doors shut behind Dr.
Frost, silence lingered for exactly three seconds.
Then Adrian stood up.
“Well,” he announced loudly while stretching his arms behind his head, “this is easy.”
Several people looked toward him immediately.
Adrian grinned.
“Okay, the coolest seven people after me should come to me…”
He gestured lazily toward his side of the room.
“…and Ria can take the, ah… rest.”
The sheer shamelessness of the statement stunned the room for half a second.
Then Sasha burst out laughing.
“You’re unbelievably full of yourself.”
“And yet,” Adrian replied smugly, “still technically captain.”
Ria pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I already regret this.”
Damien leaned against the couch quietly.
“You got promoted into a headache.”
“That’s exactly what happened.”
The room quickly became divided.
Not officially.
Naturally.
People gravitated toward whichever captain they felt matched them better.
And honestly…
Adrian had an irritating amount of charisma.
Even Damien had to admit it.
The guy was narcissistic, loud, and clearly in love with his own reflection, but he also had the natural confidence of someone people instinctively followed.
Especially under uncertain circumstances.
Drew was the first to stand beside Adrian.
The blond-haired boy shoved both hands into his pockets casually.
“Well,” he said, “if this becomes a disaster, at least it’ll be entertaining.”
Adrian pointed dramatically at him.
“See? He gets it already.”
“Don’t mistake tolerance for loyalty,” Drew replied.
Too late.
Adrian had already mentally adopted him.
Sasha walked over next.
The red-haired woman crossed her arms.
“I’m only joining because someone responsible needs to stop you from naming the squad something stupid.”
Adrian looked offended.
“I have excellent naming sense.”
“You absolutely do not.”
Behind Sasha, a shorter girl quietly followed close beside her.
Silver.
She barely spoke above a whisper.
“I-I’ll go too…”
Sasha glanced sideways.
“You don’t have to follow me everywhere.”
Silver immediately looked worried.
“I can go back if you want…”
Sasha sighed.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Silver stayed glued beside her anyway.
Damien almost found it funny how opposite their personalities were.
One looked like she punched tanks recreationally.
The other looked frightened by aggressive weather forecasts.
The remaining members slowly chose sides.
Kyle, Leo, Prince, and James eventually drifted toward Adrian’s side, mostly because the majority had already formed there.
That left the remaining group with Ria.
Bobby dropped onto the couch beside Damien with a relaxed grin.
“Well,” he said, “guess we’re the leftovers.”
Ria immediately looked at him.
“I prefer selectively curated.”
“Sounds fancier.”
“That’s because it is.”
Damien glanced toward Bobby briefly.
The guy looked easygoing compared to most people here.
Athletic build, relaxed posture, and the type of smile that naturally lowered tension in conversations.
Beside him sat Jack, who seemed equally relaxed though much quieter.
Sylvia walked toward Ria almost immediately.
Unlike Ria’s calm serenity, Sylvia carried sharper energy.
Dark hair tied neatly behind her head and observant eyes that looked like they analyzed everything around her constantly.
She sat beside Ria naturally.
“You okay with being captain?” Sylvia asked quietly.
“You hide stress very well.”
“I’ve had practice.”
The two clearly already clicked faster than everyone else.
Grace, Lisa, and Sandra eventually joined them as well, leaving the squads fully separated.
Adrian looked around proudly.
“Well then,” he announced, “behold. Clearly the superior squad.”
Sasha rolled her eyes instantly.
“You picked half your team based on vibes.”
“Leadership intuition.”
“That’s not a real thing.”
“It is if I say it confidently enough.”
Drew laughed quietly.
“I hate that logic actually works sometimes.”
Ria stood slowly from the couch.
“Since apparently we’re doing this properly…”
She looked around at her group.
“…we should probably decide squad names before Dr. Frost comes back.”
Adrian snapped his fingers.
“Already got mine.”
“Of course you do,” Sasha muttered.
Adrian spread his arms dramatically.
“Ladies and gentlemen…”
Drew sighed immediately.
“He practiced this in his head already.”
“…welcome to Squad Nova Reign.”
A few people blinked.
Sasha stared at him.
“That sounds like a luxury spaceship brand.”
“It sounds glorious,” Adrian corrected.
Drew rubbed his forehead.
“I can’t even tell if it’s terrible or weirdly cool.”
“Exactly,” Adrian replied proudly.
Shockingly…
Most of the squad actually approved.
The name carried Adrian’s exact energy.
Confident.
Flashy.
A little overdramatic.
But memorable.
So ultimately the name stayed.
Squad Nova Reign
Meanwhile on the opposite side, Ria’s group handled things very differently.
No dramatic speeches.
No self-worship.
Just actual discussion.
Sylvia leaned forward slightly.
“If we’re naming this squad, it should represent something stable.”
“Or something dangerous,” Bobby added casually.
Jack nodded slightly.
“Dangerous sounds cooler.”
Grace looked thoughtful.
“What about something connected to Aether?”
Lisa shook her head.
“That sounds too generic.”
Sandra spoke quietly for the first time.
“Something calm but strong would fit better.”
Ria listened silently for a moment.
Then Damien finally spoke.
“…Eclipse.”
The group looked toward him.
Damien shrugged slightly.
“Quiet. Rare. Powerful when it happens.”
Sylvia nodded almost immediately.
“That’s actually good.”
Bobby smirked.
“Way cooler than Nova Reign.”
From across the room Adrian pointed dramatically.
“I heard that betrayal.”
Ria ignored him.
Then after a brief pause, she nodded.
“All right then.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
A faint smile touched her face.
“Squad Eclipse.”
The group quietly agreed.
The name fit them strangely well.
Less flashy.
More controlled.
But still dangerous beneath the surface.
Eventually both teams finalized their structures.
Squad Nova Reign
Captain: Adrian Vale V III
Vice Captain: Drew V II
Members:
Graham V II
Sasha V II
Silver V I
Kyle V I
Prince V I
James V I
Squad Eclipse
Captain: Ria Valen V III
Vice Captain: Damien Gray V II
Members:
Bobby V II
Sylvia V II
Grace V I
Lisa V I
Jack V I
Sandra V I
Adrian stared across the room smugly afterward.
“So basically we’re rivals now.”
Ria folded her arms.
“No.”
“Friendly rivals?”
“No.”
“Emotionally complicated rivals?”
“Please stop talking.”
Drew laughed while Graham shook his head quietly nearby.
Speaking of Graham…
The guy had barely spoken much so far, but Damien noticed something important about him.
He observed everything.
Tall, dark-haired, calm.
The type of person who stayed quiet long enough for people to underestimate him.
Which usually meant they were dangerous.
“You think Frost planned these squads beforehand?” Graham suddenly asked.
The room quieted slightly.
Sylvia answered first.
“Probably.”
Adrian smirked.
“Obviously he gave me the stronger squad.”
Sasha immediately elbowed him in the ribs.
“You literally got assigned one extra V II member.”
“Exactly. Science.”
Before the conversation could continue further—
The massive lobby doors opened again.
Instantly the room settled.
Dr.
Frost walked back inside calmly carrying another transparent data tablet.
His silver eyes scanned both squads briefly.
Then he nodded once.
“Good,” he said.
The holographic systems around the room activated again.
It seemed the squads had already been entered into Verdancy’s internal network.
Dr.
Frost looked toward all sixteen of them.
“Now that you are all settled in…”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“…how about I explain the schedule and everything you need to know about Verdancy…”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“…and this Superhuman Unit.”