The door opened.
Sound crashed in. Cheering. Roaring. Screaming. Pure chaos.
A massive crowd stood beyond. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Energy radiating like heat.
Most were Treuthis. Squid-like aliens. Vibrant. Their tentacles were colorful. Bioluminescent patterns ran along them. Pinks. Purples. Greens. Each one unique.
Their bodies were bulbous heads. Large eyes. Multiple colors. Some had patterns. Stripes. Spots. Spirals.
But their clothing was something else.
Baggy. Flowing. Layers of fabric. Silk-like material in clashing colors. Geometric patterns. Ceremonial robes mixed with street fashion. Urban culture and ancient tradition merged.
The makeup was bold. Aggressive. Swirls around eyes. Lines across foreheads. Colors that shouldn't work but did. Artistic. Memorable.
Some wore headpieces. Elaborate structures. Coral-inspired. Shell-adorned. Metal frameworks with hanging ornaments that jingled.
Humans stood among them. Residents. Assimilated. Same style. Baggy robes. Face paint. Tentacle-inspired accessories. They'd adopted the culture.
Security officers formed barriers. Struggled to contain the crowd. Bodies pressed forward. Hands reached. Tentacles waved. The energy was wild. Uncontrolled. Passionate.
"THE GIFTED GENERATION!" Someone screamed.
The crowd erupted. Louder. Impossible but true.
Team PKJ entered last. Far behind the other teams. Tactical. Deliberate. Pamela's decision. Keep isolated. Stay hidden. Avoid attention.
A cadet stepped forward in front of all teams. Blocked the path. Arms spread wide. No. Tentacles. Tentacles spread wide. All of them. Creating a display. Creating presence.
A Treuthi. Native. Home planet advantage. His skin was bright violet. Vibrant. Eye-catching. Bioluminescent spots dotted his tentacles. Pink. Orange. Yellow. A living light show. His academy uniform was pink. Modified to fit his form. Sleeveless. Tentacle-friendly. Gold ornaments adorned his body. Confidence incarnate.
He spoke. Loud. Projected. Voice booming. Accent thick. Exaggerated. Theatrical.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Treuthis and humans alike, innit!" His tentacles gestured. Emphasized. "Feast your bloody eyes! The GREATEST competition this galaxy has EVER seen has arrived on OUR shores, bruv!"
The crowd roared. Louder. Feeding off his energy.
"You see these cadets?!" He pointed. Swept his arm. "These are the ELITE, mate! The STRONGEST! The most BRILLIANT warriors this generation has to offer, yeah?!" He paused. Let it sink in. "And they've come to OUR home, haven't they! To prove themselves! To show the galaxy what they're made of, proper like!"
Chants erupted. "C'velli! C'velli! C'velli!"
The name repeated. Echoed. Became rhythm. Became thunder.
"And I!" C'velli pointed at himself. Both tentacles to his chest. "I will show them, won't I! Show ALL of them! That Ozyra! That the Treuthis! That WE are not just hosts, bruv! We are COMPETITORS! We are CHAMPIONS, innit!"
The crowd lost their minds. Absolute chaos. Beautiful chaos.
Juli watched. Grinned. Turned to Pamela. "That squid guy's pretty cool. Hehe."
Pamela smiled. Small. Patient. "Not a squid guy. A Treuthi. This is his home planet."
Juli's thumb shot up. "Okay, PamPam."
Officers cleared a path. Firm. Professional. The crowd parted. Reluctantly. Still cheering. Still chanting. But controlled now.
The teams followed. Through the masses. Toward the city. Toward the examination site.
A figure appeared. Large. Imposing. Female.
A Treuthi. But different. Older. More refined. Her tentacles were silver-white. Age marks. Wisdom marks. Her clothing mixed formal wear with traditional Treuthi design. A fitted jacket. Ornate. Royal blue. Gold trim. Ceremonial robes beneath. Layers. Elegant. Powerful.
Officers snapped to attention. "Cadets. This is Madam P'reri. Queen of the Royal Nation of Ozyra. The Pelagis."
P'reri spoke. Her voice was clear. Articulate. Accent similar to C'velli but more refined. More formal. Authority in every syllable.
"Welcome. All of you, yeah?" She gestured. Inclusive. Warm despite her formality. "Welcome to Pelagis Prime, innit. Capital city of the Pelagis. The royal nation of this water planet. Ozyra, proper like."
Her large eyes swept the cadets. Measured them. Assessed them. "You honour us with your presence, you do. May your examination be fair. May your efforts be rewarded. May the best among you rise, as it were."
They walked. The queen led. Officers followed. Teams trailed behind.
Juli noticed the bubbles. Really noticed. They weren't static. They moved. Shifted. Expanded. Changed shape. Accommodated. The gas inside was breathable. Perfect mixture. Perfect pressure. Technology and biology working together.
The city opened before them.
Pelagis Prime.
The architecture was insane. Buildings curved. Flowed. Like frozen water given form. Towers spiraled upward. Others spread wide and low. Connected by bridges. By tubes of water where Treuthis swam between locations.
Colors dominated. No building was one shade. Art covered every surface. Geometric patterns. Ocean scenes. Cultural symbols. The city itself was a canvas.
Houses came in various shapes. Domes. Pyramids. Organic blobs. Some looked grown. Bio-architecture. Coral-based. Shell-reinforced.
Businesses boomed. Shops lined streets. Stalls sold goods. Food. Art. Technology. Vendors called out. Customers browsed. Mixed economy. Mixed culture.
The city was alive.
Juli looked up. The turquoise sky stretched above. Clear. Beautiful. Neighboring planets visible. Far but distinct. Visible to the naked eye. Giants in the cosmos. Close enough to see. Too far to touch.
The sun looked wrong. Different. It spiraled. Rotated visibly. Like a disk seen edge-on. Like a galaxy compressed. Light came from it. Warm. Alien. Strange but comforting.
"The bubbles, yeah?" P'reri spoke. Noticed Juli's gaze. "Technology our ancestors invented, they did. Long before my time. Before recorded history, innit." Pride filled her voice. "Without them, proper. Interaction with other civilizations would have been impossible, wouldn't it. We would have remained isolated. Alone, like."
She gestured at the city. At the crowds. At the diversity. "But now, yeah? We are connected. We are part of something greater, we are."
Juli's attention shifted. Movement caught his eye.
A festival. Nearby plaza. Dancing. Cultural.
Treuthis moved in ways he'd never seen. Their tentacles became instruments. Created shapes. They coiled. Uncoiled. Twisted. Braided. Eight limbs working independently. Creating art.
They moved in circles. Spirals. Synchronized yet individual. Some spun. Rotated their entire bodies. Tentacles extended. Created wheels. Living mandalas. Others undulated. Waves passing through their forms.
The music was percussion. Drums. Water-filled containers struck rhythmically.
This world was incredible.
Juli reached out. A small bubble drifted past. Tiny. Blue. Delicate. His finger touched it.
It bounced. Didn't burst. Just bounced. Harmless. Playful.
Juli smiled. Genuine. Pure. Wonder in his eyes. In his expression. In his entire being.
Pamela watched. Her silver eyes softened. She'd never seen this side of him. The curious boy. The one full of wonder. Full of excitement. Full of joy unmarred by combat. By rankings. By expectations.
Just. Juli. Being Juli.
She blushed. Genuine. Real. Not the embarrassed flush from before. But something deeper. Something tender.
The rankings painted him as something dangerous. Something to fear. A monster in human skin.
But this. This was beautiful. This was the truth. He was no monster. He was simply. Beautiful.
Her refined thoughts whispered. Perhaps the rankings are incomplete. Perhaps power alone cannot define a person. Perhaps there is more to strength than destruction.
She smiled. Soft. Private. Just for this moment.
Kade noticed. His grin was knowing. Amused. He looked at his friend. Then at Pamela. At her eyes glued to the blonde boy.
He said nothing. Just grinned wider. Let it play out. This was good. This was right.
The multi-purpose center appeared ahead. Large. Modern. Different from the cultural architecture. More functional. More standard. International design. Built for purpose.
The long walk ended. The examination site reached.
But the memory remained. The wonder. The beauty. The moment.