Von and his friends panted heavily as they rested on the floor of the training hall. They were being punished by Terrador. He was having them run laps. Their bodies ached and their lungs burned. He looked at them as they rested; he was surprised by the stamina all of them had. He wished he could have it again. It pained him a little to see them like this. But, they had broken quite a few rules. Sneaking out of class, going into the city alone and climbing to the top of the wall. All three of those rules carried sever consequences. They were lucky they were not teens. Their punishments would have been more sever.

Star continued to monitor the vitals of his partner. Everything was normal. His heart rate was slightly elevated. But, that was normal considering the punishment. His lungs were working fine and his blood carried the oxygen through his body. It also took scans of his brain. There was some damage to it. But, it wasn't sever or life threatening. But, it was concerning. It knew the damage was from the program it had run twice. It questioned the existence of the ABP. It was only given to the primes and it was a fantastic program. It allowed them to learn anything instantly. But, every time it was activated, it would possibly kill the prime. It was thanks to it that they were still alive. But, now it had been activated twice. It didn't want to process what would happen a third time.

"Star?" Von questioned.

"Yes, Von? Are you okay?" It asked.

"I'm fine." He replied. "I was just worried about you. You were a little quiet." He admitted.

"I was just reviewing our recent activities." It admitted. "I don't advise using the ABP anymore."

"Oh, like I didn't know that." He was mostly annoyed by the punishment. "Why did they make that program anyway?"

"The ABP was designed to help all of you." It replied. "Unfortunately, it's drawbacks were seen as a nessecary risk."

He wanted to argue back but he knew it was right. The program did help them out of two very dangerous situations. He had mastered both the fire element and the water element thanks to it also. But, the program could also cause a minor problem. Spyro was the only dragon who could master four different elements. His mentor was a special case. If they learned that he could master more than four.

"You're worried?" It questioned. "Remember, Von, I will keep you safe."

Terrador walked in front of the hatchlings and looked all three of them over. He was making sure they understood the consequences of breaking the rules. It did pain him a little to do this. But, it was nessecary. All three of them deliberately broke the rules of the academy. Sneaking out of class, entering the city without a guardian or mentor and climbing to the top of the defensive wall. All three of them were lucky none of them were hurt or worse. But, they did prove something, they proved how skilled they were. And, their teams could use those skills. Which was why he didn't make this decision lightly.

"All three of you understand why you're being punished, right?" He asked. All of them nodded. "You understand why we set these rules?" He got nods from them again. "All of you could have been taken by a slaver. Taken by dragons looking to make a few extra coins. Cheetahs wanting slaves, or worse." He got nods from all three of them again. He glared at them. "Yet, all three of you." He paused a moment before finishing. "Are exactly what out teams need."

That comment earned him curious looks from all of them. His gaze softened and he continued to explain. "There is a unspoken rule here in the academy. A rule that guardians and trusted mentors know about." He admitted.

"Star, is he telling the truth?" He asked.

"I detect no treachery in his words." It ran another scan on him. "His heart rate and breathing are normal. He's telling the truth."

"That is why after speaking with my fellow guardians." He took in a deep breath before finishing. "We are going to allow all three of you to become Protege scouts."

They looked at each other. None of them knew anything about this. None of them could believe they were going to become these scouts. The gasped as the ground in front of them began to shift and move. From the ground nine stones appeared before them. Each of them were colored differently. They looked at the stones as they wondered what they were used for.

"These stones represent your mentors." He looked at Tide. "The blue stone represents Sun breaker." His gaze shifted to Hertz. "The yellow one represents Volteer." He then looked at Von. "The black one represents Cynder."

They stared at the stones in front of them. They understood what was being asked of them now. They were going to have to choose who was going to be their mentor. Terrador stood up and placed a small bag in front of the stones. That was what they would have to put the stones in. he began to walk away from them. He stopped just short of the door.

"I'm going to gather your mentors. Once you all choose come to the guardians chamber." he told them before he walked out of the room.

All three of them looked at the stones in front of them. Each of them had the blue, yellow and black stones. They had to choose between their mentors. Each of them had formed bonds with them. Now, they were being put to the test. They looked at each other and then at the stones. Hertz started to slowly reach for one of them.

"No." Tide reached and grasped his wrist. He looked at her with a curious look. "Neither me or you should make this decision." She said.

"What?" He questioned. "Then, how are we going to?"

"Von, will choose for us." She cut him off.

To say all of them were shocked would be an understatement. She had just said something that was completely out of nowhere. Before they could ask she explained the reason for her decision.

"He's the one who helped us get out to Warfang in the first place. He's also the one that saved me and you." She explained.

"But, what about?" Hertz started to say.

"All three of us want our mentor." She admitted. "I really want to keep learning under Sun Breaker. Just like you with Volteer and him with Cynder." She paused for a moment. "But, we can't have what we each want. This is a test." She finished.

"Star?" He questioned.

"This is a test." It confirmed before it started to select the best candidate. "I recommend."

"No." He cut it off. "I have to do this myself, Star."

It remained quiet and kept the results to itself. Von sighed heavily as he looked down at the stones in front of him. This was not going to be an easy decision. He looked at his friends; they had anxious looks on their faces. He shut his eyes and began to think about who to choose. A few minutes later he got up and walked over to one of the walls.

"Von, what are you doing?" Hertz asked.

They got their answer when he walked back with the cap of one of the mushrooms. He had used his tailblade to cut the cap off and hollow it out. He placed it in the center and then sat back down. He looked at both of them.

"I want you both to turn around." He told them. "If this is a test. We need to trust each other to make the right decision." He explained. "I don't want either of you to see who I choose." He looked down at the mushroom. "So, please, trust me. Like I trust both of you." He finished.

For a moment they sat their in silence. They then looked at each other and nodded before turning away from them. He silently thanked them before looking at the stones in front of him. Slowly, he reached for one of them and picked it up. He then placed it underneath the cap and collected the two stones he didn't choose. He then gently tapped Tide's tail and turned away. She turned to face the cap and saw that he had taken his two stones. She understood why he did that. Now, it was her turn to make her decision. Her paw trembled as she reached for one of the stones. She stopped just short of them. She looked at them and then balled her claw. She picked up one of them and looked away as she placed it underneath the cap with his. Like he had down she picked up the two stones she had left and tapped Hertz's tail. He took in a deep breath as he turned back around. He was the last one to make the decision. His heart began to beat a little faster as he looked at the stones. He wished he knew what they chose...no, he trusted them and they trusted him. With a nod he quickly picked up one of his stones and placed it under the cap. He picked up his and hid them beneath his tail blade.

"Okay." He said causing them to turn back towards the cap. "Well, shall we see our mentor."

They nodded to each other and Von reached for the cap. His paw rested on it and he took in a deep breath. He looked at his friends and they both nodded at him. He slowly lifted the cap and revealed their choice.

0-0-0

Inside the guardians chamber the mentors waited patiently for their answer. All three of them had been told the importance of this test. If the hatchlings couldn't come to a unanimous decision; they would not become scout proteges and their lives would continue as normal. Volteer understood the importance of this unmentioned test. It would reveal their decision making skills. It would prove they could work together as a team and not let personal feelings get in the way. This test was notorious for failing many different teams. He looked at the other two. Sun breaker seemed to be indifferent about the decision. While Cynder worried about who had been chosen.

When the doors opened all of them looked and saw the three slowly entering the room. They saw Von carrying the small bag that had been left with them. Terrador slowly walked towards them and collected the bag. He then walked back to the other and looked at each of them. All of them prepared themselves to see the answer. Without wasting another second he undid the bag and emptied the stones from it. Volteer smiled proudly. Sun breaker simply rolled his eyes. Cynder was the only one who gasped in shock. All three of the stones were black. They had chosen her.

"Congratulation's Cynder." Terrador spoke as he turned towards her and smiled. "They have chosen you." He chuckled at her stunned look.

Volteer smiled proudly at her; while Sun breaker had got up and made his way to the exit. As he passed the three he stopped and looked at Tide. He smiled at her before walking away. Volteer followed after him; he stopped as he passed Hertz. Instead of smiling he gently nuzzled him and wished him well. They then walked further into the room and towards Cynder. All three of them stopped just in front of her and smiled. She looked at all three of them and smiled back at them.