Okay, I'm gonna be honest. I feel that the Prologue could have been a bit longer, but then again, I didn't want to go spilling the entire can of Pork'N'Beans all over your screens. So I'm okay with what's there.

Anyway, here's the -ACTUAL- chapter. Have fun.

08:45, Hyrvus Academy, Far East...

Rays of light beamed in the fortified building, and the shadows of human figures fell upon the floors. Military styled uniforms covered each and every one of them as they chattered in the hallways, laughter and commotion flooding the air.

A voice on the PA rung out. "Attention, all Cadets. Orientation will begin in 15 minutes. I repeat, orientation will begin in 15 minutes."

A female Cadet walked out of the crowd, and approached a boy with a book in front of his face, and a salvaged music player ringing in his ears. Her long, straight dark red hair stood out in the light, a smile on her face enhancing her figure. The boy, his black hair accompanied by his short bangs in front, focused intently on the book he was reading.

In the days of Economic War, a pilot known as White Glint was regarded as one of the greatest AC pilots to exist. This book was written in his memory by someone known only as "Strayed", another legendary pilot from the Economic War, known for being the reason that humanity was able to take to the stars.

He gazed out the window, thinking solemnly. "It must have been tough, making such a hard decision to kill that many people so that humanity could have a better chance at existing. But thanks to him, space was able to be colonized...hell, people stopped fighting for a while and the planet wound up being habitable again. And White Glint..."

His thoughts were interrupted when a voice caught his ears, and he sighed, closing his book.

The female nudged his arm, and gave a warm smile. "Morning, Ryoma. I see you're as distant as ever."

Ryoma Watanabe, 19. An above average Cadet, he lost his parents at the age of 13. Was enlisted as a Cadet the same year prior to losing his parents. A bit of an open minded sort, his prowess for improvisation and his general intuition for piloting craft has warranted him worthy of a kept eye by the Guard Corps.

He scoffed, as if annoyed. "God, you never leave me alone, do you? I swear, you're as clingy as clingy can be."

She frowned, her finger pointing at his face. "Don't give me that, you asshole. You're the one sitting here asking for someone to pay attention to you."

He smiled, as if he expected the remark. She gave a sigh, and decided against arguing with him. It was way too early for it. "I'm sorry," He said. "I'm just used to a little me time early in the mornings. You're the only one who bothers me, but I guess it's fine since it's you, Celine."

Celine Fërdheit, 18. One of the higher ranked Cadets of the academy, she's known Ryoma since they were juniors. A bit of an annoyance to Ryoma, but he tolerates her for the most part. Moved to Far East with her parents from the Mid-Continent as a result of her father becoming a craft designer for the Hyrvus Corporation. An otherwise ordinary girl with nothing extraordinary that stands out.

The girl smiled again, shaking her head. "Ugh, I swear. You can be a complete jerk sometimes. I should be used to it, but still."

He placed his book in his bag, and shrugged. His watch ticked towards the 9 mark, and he started walking towards the classroom. "Come on, we'll be late. This is our last day, after all."

Celine gasped, and walked with him, speed walking a bit to catch up. "Oh, that's right! We have pilot tests this afternoon!"

Ryoma sighed, and smiled as he walked into the classroom, Celine behind him. The bell rung, and after a few moments of chatter and late students rushing in, everyone relaxed for a bit. A few moments afterwards, a thin, tall man walked in, his white uniform adding to his figure. His white gloves grazed the desk, and he sat down, a smile on his face. His medals and emblems shined in the room, the sun adding to their dominant glare. At once, everyone in the room faced forward and saluted without hesitation.

"Admiral Nagai."

He waved his hand, nodding, his wavy black hair complimenting the motion. "At ease, everyone. You're all looking quite healthy and ready."

Admiral Nagai was a high ranked officer in the Guard Corps even before becoming an instructor at the academy. After taking up the role of such, he has become infamous for his father-like aptitude for teaching and guiding the Cadets of today. One can argue that his teaching methods create soldiers that live longer than others.

Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "As you all know, your last day of training is at hand. Today will determine whether you will become a worthy addition to the city's Guard Corps, or if you'll be the back of a part shop helping fix what you wish you could pilot. Today is the day you become the decider of your own fate, and the first step towards that is dependent on your performance here in this final test. I trust you've all been keeping practice like Ms. Celine Fërdheit here."

Celine gave a heartfelt nod, scoring hopeful glances from the other Cadets. Everyone sat down, grins and smiles on their faces. Ryoma however, sat back down with not so much as a nod, his mind wandering off in other directions.

Admiral Nagai saw Ryoma's expression and rose an eyebrow. "Hmm? Watanabe, is there something on your mind?"

"No...nothing. It's just that I'm excited." Ryoma clenched his fist, and gave a small smirk. "Today is the day I can finally show what I'm made of, and show that my training wasn't for naught. I'll prove that I'm the best today."

"Hm. Your worth, huh?"

The admiral smirked, and nodded. That kind of confidence, focused yet humble, assurance yet not arrogant, surprised him. "This will be a fun graduation test." he thought to himself. "He's only above average at best, yet there's something about him..."

With a smile, he clasped his hands together, and checked his attendance chart. "Everyone present, good. Alright, we can get ready for the test."

One of the students raised his hand, confused. "Test? Is it a written exam?"

"Nope. There's no point of a written exam. This is going to be a test of piloting skills. Today, you will be pitted against each other in a battle to see who the better pilot is."

Everyone gave worried glances. Ryoma nodded, and Celine gave a smile in his direction. "She confuses me sometimes." he thought to himself.

"Now now," Admiral Nagai continued. "This isn't to say that you're doomed from the start. We're not looking just to see if you will be better than your colleagues. What we are looking for isn't a victory, but your piloting habits, your potential, your physical and psychological standings. You may be able to beat your friends in a friendly match, but if you don't have the mindset for piloting Normals, you are worth less than a Cadet who isn't good at piloting them, yet has the dedication and the potential to be the best. That is what we are searching for today. Some of you may have already passed in that regard, but it still helps to know where your faults lie."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Ryoma piped the next question. "So who are our opponents?"

"Ready to get started already, Watanabe? I like that. And since you mentioned it, here are a copy of the brackets. Take one and pass them along, you know the drill."

The paper hit Ryoma's desk, but he didn't notice it until a few minutes later; he was too busy thinking about what to do after his academy days were over. He smiled a bit too, as he planned his battle strategy on his soon to be opponent.

"Hmm...should I fight offensively? Use my opening momentum to my advantage? No, that won't work if they're used to hotheaded pilots...Oh, what about defensively? ...No, that would only let them fight at their own pace as well. I should be pressuring them. Shit, I don't even know what kind of craft we'll be using. Do we get to pick our own layouts? Probably not..."

"Uh...Ryoma?"

Celine's voice snapped him out of his trance. "What is it?"

"Uh..."

It wasn't until he picked up the paper that he saw the problem, and he placed his face in his palm the moment he glanced at his own name in the bracket.

His first opponent was Celine.

"Hehe, we'll be the last up to fight too! This is great, we get to finally face off and see who's better!"

Ryoma shook his head, and cursed the gods that may or may not have existed in the boundless sky. So much for an easy win, he thought to himself in silence.

"Goddammit, this is gonna be a long day..."

And as far as this chapter goes...well, it's fine. I wish there was a different way to introduce the characters, but I can only do so much without sounding stupid, so just accept the narrative and leave it at that, lol. I DID say this might be bad. But hey, that's why this is gonna be a reasonably long series; it's good for practice.

I'll have the next one done sometime within next week. I have free time in abundance, so we'll see where it goes.