"Damn, that was rough," Sean, a newly graduated SeeD, grunted after delivering the final blow to a formidable dragon, his gunblade soaked in blood.
"Nah, just easy-medium," replied a tall figure as he cleansed his Shurikens and neatly tucked them into his dark, hooded cloak.
"What kind of powerful GFs have you taken down, Zyma the Great?" Sean was taken aback by Zyma's comment, only receiving a smirking response from his companion.
"They become more powerful as they age. Usually, I don't harvest GFs this young, but I did it for your sake, man," Zyma collected all of his assassin gear and made his way back to the cave's opening. "So, what's new with your antique collection? Anything interesting for our business?"
"It's okay, but the new class of transferred students from Trabia is coming, and I've already made contact with one of them to acquire a couple of cool items from the War. With a little more polishing, we'll make big bucks."
Zyma was intrigued by the idea of transferred students. Selphie was in the same class as Zyma and most of the Legendary SeeDs, who hailed from Trabia and possessed well-rounded skills, from strength to magical abilities. Her "The End" move could finish off any boss, not to mention dark GFs.
"Any promising ones?" Zyma asked.
"Two are coming this month. One is a silver-haired guy with god-like time-manipulating abilities. He can freeze flying objects, no joke," Sean said.
"Huh?" Zyma nodded. "Sounds impressive. Is he a damage dealer, too?"
"Nope. Just standing behind and freeze, it seems," Sean replied.
"Boring. And the other one? Let me guess, a healer?"
For the sake of gender diversity, having at least one girl in a duo, trio, or quattro party had become a requirement at Balamb Garden and Trabia Garden, something enforced by Xu - Balamb's interim headmaster, and heavily supported by Quistis and Selphie - the world's role model Legendary SeeDs.
"She's a prodigy magic caster, offensive. Holy."
Zyma whistled. "She's gotta find a Suger Daddy. Mommy Xu won't pay for Holy magics to kill T-rex for training."
"That's why she's into trading business," Sean added.
"Pretty?"
"Not sure I can call her that. Besides red hair and burgundy eyes, nothing noticeable. Oh, short. Very short." Sean replied.
"Boring," Zyma exclaimed, puzzled why there was no limit on height - a critical measure for certain kinds of physical training. Of course, there were a few exceptions, like Selphie, but Zyma didn't believe in the odd.
"Maybe you'll see her in your class soon," Sean casually remarked.
Zyma furrowed his eyes. "Why? Aren't they supposed to be in your brother's class? They're that old?"
Zyma had already repeated two years of classes due to his involvement in the battle with Galbadia Garden. Many of his classmates had either perished or been discharged from the school due to injuries sustained during the conflict. This had placed a significant financial strain on Garden, making it difficult to rebuild the school and provide medical assistance to retired personnel. In addition, the school had to fund Legendary SeeDs' journey to defeat Ultimecia in the future, and the journey wasn't cheap.
In the midst of these challenges, Xu had enlisted Zyma for SeeD missions, despite his lack of an official SeeD title. During his dangerous missions, Zyma had managed to accumulate a lot of Gils along the way, so he couldn't complain. However, having to repeat classes during peacetime and endure tedious lectures with students just entering puberty annoyed him. And now, the thought of transfer students, typically around 16 years old, being in his class really bothered him.
"No, they're around 15 or 16 at most. The guy will be joining Raddie's class. But she's a prodigy and competitive as fuck." Sean explained.
"Ah... even more of the annoying type," Zyma understood, referring to Instructor Trepe, who was supposed to be a year ahead of him but ended up being his instructor for many years.
"Alright, I'll drop you off at the Garden and pick up Raddie. Our family is going on a road trip with Ma Dincht today before Zell sets sail for the Deep Sea Research Center."
"Cool, mate. Thanks for the ride."
Balamb Garden. 3F.
"I heard Cid is relocating to the Deep Sea Research Center," Zyma entered the office of the vice headmaster.
"What do you want?" Xu narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess, Bahamut?"
Zyma smirked. "Sounds like fun."
"Assisting a sorceress with growing power is not fun. Zell is a better candidate, sorry," Xu replied, shifting her attention back to her paperwork. "Besides, you haven't officially passed the SeeD exam yet. I can't pull strings for you for that kind of mission."
"You didn't seem to care when you sent me on ten consecutive missions to support your legendary squad," Zyma snorted.
"You've made enough money to sustain your card trading business amidst the chaos, Joker. It's a win-win situation. Look..." Xu glanced up at Zyma from her desk. "We're friends, and I'm always on your side. I'll do whatever I can within my power to help you. But this is peacetime, and people actually have time to scrutinize military records. We also happen to host the two most powerful sorceresses in our school. Please, if you're up to anything shady, wait until you become a SeeD and are off our radar. Okay?"
Zyma smiled and nodded. Just a few more months, and his freedom would truly begin.
"One thing, though..." Xu referred back to a sheet of paper. "I know you're not doing anything to improve your grades, which is a requirement for leading a squad in the next SeeD exam..."
"When..."
"But there's a workaround," Xu interrupted Zyma's protest. "Mentorship."
Zyma furrowed his brow. "Mentorship?"
"Yes, mentorship," Xu nodded.
"Define 'mentorship'," he asked, seeking clarification.
"You mentor someone. Like the way I mentored you..." Xu narrowed her eyes, unable to comprehend why he needed further explanation of such a simple concept in a school.
Zyma burst into laughter, bending over and clutching his stomach.
"What's so funny, Joker?" Xu's eyes darkened even more.
"You... your mentorship. That's a good one, my Queen," he said, straightening himself. "Maybe in Triple Triad."
"That..." Xu pointed at his face, "is an ungrateful mentee."
"Anyway, I'm not good at teaching. Is there anything else I can do solo? Gil-related, perhaps?" Zyma suggested.
"Don't try to buy off Garden's requirements. I've made up my mind, this is just a heads-up for you," Xu snapped shut a massive accounting book. "Now get out before I reconsider this alternative."
Zyma figured babysitting a cadet would be more enjoyable than studying a hundred subjects like prom room dance, so he bit back his protest and headed to his favorite spot—the Secret Area.
Balamb Garden's Training Center.
"How much?" a student asked in a hushed tone.
"500 Gil," Zyma replied.
"That's way too expensive!" the student exclaimed.
"Having an X-Potion disguised as a Potion is cheating. And cheating isn't cheap, mate," Zyma smirked. "Unless you want to face more monsters to earn additional EXP, which costs way more money than 500 by the way."
The student hesitated.
"Take it or leave it. I have plenty of other customers," Zyma urged, and as expected, the student reluctantly handed over several bills for the small bottle. "Thanks, my friend. Come back later; you'll definitely need more of these for the field exam."
"I heard you also have extra padding for fire resistance," the student inquired.
"Custom-made to fit your big stud, mate. Just text me your size a few days in advance and provide a deposit. Consider it done."
The student nodded with relief and left the secret area, clutching his hood tightly to avoid being spotted while trading with Zyma.
Zyma counted the Gils he had collected that night, contemplating how much he would need to spend in order to bribe his future mentee into relinquishing his mentorship duties.
