Nova lowered the paper, incredulous. “I got accepted?”

“They didn't provide me any additional info," the wolf admitted, “But I can assume you did.”

The panda wasn't really expecting him to give a serious answer but at least he wasn't hallucinating.

“Oh God, I can't believe it!” He wanted to scream, showing his full excitement for the happy news, but when the engine of Marvin's car began to run, he realized he couldn't.

“DAD! NO! WAIT! I GOTTA GO TO SCHOOL!”

The panda effortlessly chased after him, struggling as hard as he could to send a sign to stop but Marvin started the car and left.

“What's wrong dear?” Isabelle asked, “Did you need something?”

“I gotta go to school! They accepted me!” He quickly explained as he showed the letter to her before proceeding to wave his paws in the air as a last resort.

Marvin looked through the mirror and saw his son waving excitedly. “Ah…he’s such a good boy. I'll miss you too.” He extended his left paw to greet him.

“NO DAD, I'M NOT SAYING GOODBYE YOU IDIOT!”

“Nova! You shouldn't say such things about your father,” the polar bear scolded, picking up her phone. “I'll just call him, then he'll come back.”

Isabelle called his number and waited until the two bears started to hear an annoying ringtone coming from their house.

“Please tell me that's a coincidence,” Nova begged.

His mother lowered her ears, disappointed. “He forgot his phone.”

“Well…I mean we could walk there but it'll take some time. I still have no idea when busses come.”

“Let's take the taxi dear," she sighed, “It's the easiest solution.”

“I hope you don't mind," the wolf chimed in, “but I did call a taxi before and it'll be here in a few moments.”

The two bears glanced at each other confused.

Nova blinked. “Uh…thanks, but how did you-"

“I received a warning about a problematic parent. I took precautions and I'm glad I did,” he explained, walking on the sidewalk.

“Problematic you say?” Isabelle remarked, showing signs of increasing anger.

Nova, seeing how close his mother was from hurting the wolf, saw the car getting closer and opened its doors and pushed them inside.

“Oh! Look at that! The taxi is here!” He mumbled, “let’s go, let’s go we don’t want to waste more time, right?”

The polar bear loved Marvin no matter his flaws. Whoever dared to offend him was destined to pay the price for that mistake. Their son was the only one allowed. They're a family and she was devoted to both.

“Morning, what is your destination?” The driver asked the wolf that sat next to him.

“Please bring us to W.P. High School.”

The tiger turned around. “That area is restricted unless one of you is a student from there.”

The wolf didn't hesitate and showed him a badge. It contained the school initials embraced by a shining red phoenix behind them.

“Okay then.” He nodded, starting the engine. “We will be there in twenty minutes. Should I charge the school for the ride?”

“Yes, they already have it covered.”

The driver softly hummed as he turned the radio on. “Alright.”

“So uhm…who are you anyway?” Nova asked the silent canine.

“"Ryuu, a student from 1B, fifteen years old. Pleased to meet you Nova.”

“Uh, yeah… Sure!” The panda reluctantly murmured back, feeling uncomfortable that he knew his name already. “Nice to meet you too. She's my mother Isabelle, and the panda who left before is my father, Marvin.”

“I was there yesterday,” he coldly affirmed. “There's no need to tell me.”

Nova remembered how he opened up in front of everyone in the school and, as much as it helped soothe his relationship with his father, now every student and teacher knew about him and he knew nothing of them.

“Your challenge was interesting. My approach would've been completely different. I wonder what he saw in you when he decided to interfere.”

The panda stayed silent, guessing he must've been referring to that black crocodile.

“Are you going to be my guide around school?” Nova asked, clueless as to why they would send another student to get him and not just deliver the letter alone.

“Kinda. That is also included.”

“Is there something else we should know?”

“Leave that to Yvonne. I'm sure I would confuse you more. Better to seeing things for yourself first. You can ask questions later.”

“Fair enough…” He shrugged, settling back in his seat.

“Dear, you looked anxious. Is everything alright?” Isabelle inquired, placing her paw on his knee.

“Yesterday we didn't give the best first impression and now I'm afraid I'll get too much attention,” he sighed.

“It's alright. You're not alone. I'm here. I'll scare them away!”

Nova didn't know if that should reassure or concern him. “Thanks, I guess…”

Before he could plug in his headphones and turn on some music to escape the awkwardness, his smartphone vibrated.

“Hey Nova! I found something interesting while lurking around for information.”

It was a message from Cody. So far, Nova has told him everything.

“I'm heading to the school right now. Seems like they accepted me.”

“Really?! That's awesome dude! I can't celebrate with you but…we can add to the list of things to do when you visit me again.”

“There's this guy here that said to not ask until we arrive but I'm curious…”

“Okay, okay…here's what I've found on the internet. Jungle Madness is an old sport created to showcase the best of the best. It's a sport that combines both strength and mind.”

“Alright…sounds cool, but what do you need to do?”

“Well…it doesn't say. There are examples but none of the challenges are similar.”

“Like they were all different?”

“Yeah, exactly. My theory is that the participants decide everything together; challenge, rules and winning condition.”

“Thinking back to what happened yesterday it does make sense. If only I knew this sooner. The wolf here made it sound like something overly complex.”

“Maybe it is? What I found referred to the Jungle Madness practiced ages ago. I think they took the basic idea and improved it.”

“I see…so they're bringing back an old thing from the past. Did you find something else?”

“On the forums I found rumors about three schools practicing it. Your school, the Wonder Phoenix, the Golden Dragon and the Majestic Chimera.”

“All of them contain mythological creatures; is that some sort of connection?”

“I was getting to that part. Basically, the headmasters are lions.”

“What? Are you serious? All of them?”

“Yes, there is no doubt they're all connected. A big family? They must be rich as fuck.”

“Well, it doesn't matter. I wonder why they care so much about this old sport though.”

“Sorry, that's all I could find. Everything related to Jungle Madness in the present has been hidden and covered up.”

“I read an article about this. They said that they will organize tournaments to show off their new discipline.”

“Maybe they're still working on it?”

“Guess I'll discover it soon.”

Nova put his phone away and waited in silence, letting the radio’s dialogue fill the silence.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The panda stepped out of the car and walked towards the gate while Ryuu dealt with the taxi driver.

He touched the iron bars and tilted his head closer.

Wonder Phoenix was a school for the best students, for people who already knew what they wanted to do. Nova didn't know. He received help from a stranger, his position was undeserved. He felt…out of place.

“What are thinking about?” Isabelle asked, noticing him spacing out.

“UH- NOTHING!” He panicked. “Why does there always gotta be something Mom? There's nothing to hide, nothing to say.”

His mother didn't believe his terrible acting. “Nova.”

“I swear it's nothing! Just some dumb thoughts.” He shrugged, heading for the intercom.

“Don't press it,” the wolf warned, stopping his finger one moment before it would push the button. “That is just bait. Whoever attends the school gets inside using another way; the school way.”

Ryuu took out a magnetic card and shoved it inside the intercom. There was a small space between the buttons but Nova would never think to insert something inside. The intercom whirled to life with mechanical sounds and returned the card.

“Okay, we can go now.”

“So basically, if you ring the school knows it's a nuisance,” the panda inferred, remembering yesterday.

“Yes, you could say that.”

His mother had the same reaction Nova had the first time he walked through upon entering the school.

“I feel like that whoever looks after this garden puts his love and soul into it. Like, look at these bushes! They're perfect replicas of real animals. The fountain is lovely too.”

The polar bear inhaled the fragrant smell of earth coming from the well preserved area.

“Don't praise Raymond's work too much. That frog can be quite obnoxious,” the wolf muttered, waiting for them to walk inside.

“I'm guessing this guy is the gardener?” The panda questioned, reaching him.

“Don't worry. You'll meet him soon anyway. I won't ruin your first meeting.”

The hallway was deserted except for a lone hippopotamus carrying around a trolley. Judging by his clothes, the mop and the bucket filled with water he must've been the cleaner. Every student was attending their respective daily class.

Nova noticed that the guy and Ryuu exchanged glances with each other while the group passed by. He proceeded to examine the strange things the wolf carried along with him.

When they reached the headmistress office the panda scanned his surroundings with caution. The gorilla he met wasn't there anymore; he really was another student. Did the school hire its own students? It was weird.

The headmistress was speaking on the phone when the group walked in, yet she quickly closed the call to greet them.

“Good morning Ryuu. I suppose this is Nova and his mother?” She inquired, sitting down.

Isabelle hurried to answer. “Good morning. We came as soon as possible. My name is Isabelle and yes, I'm his mother.”

“I requested your presence here because, as you know by now, we reached our final decision. It wasn't easy, some of us were contrary. We have severe rules about choosing new students, and for some, this result could be seen as…unfair. It may result in hate from your peers, but if you really have what it takes I'm sure you will be able to change everyone's opinion.”

She placed a huge pile of paperwork on the desk. “This is the contract. Every student gets a personalized one based on our judgement. You're free to take your time reading through it.”

“Oh…” Isabelle’s eyes widened. “That's…that's a big looking document.”

“It is important we provide everything useful for the parents. In the contract you'll find the teachers’ info with their programs, school rules, our objective as a school and, of course, the payment amount and their due dates.”

The polar bear nodded, wanting nothing more than freedom from the mountain ahead. “Perfect. So…where should I sign?”

“Forgive me but I must insist. We consider this moment extremely valuable for you in case you may not like what we offer you now have the power to step aside.”

“But…this could take hours!” She wailed internally.

“Don't worry. Your son will be allowed to join his new class for today. It will be a good experience for both of you.”

“Now?!” Nova panicked, shutting his mouth instantly.

“Ryuu will guide you. You have nothing to fear,” she explained, handing over two single papers. “I want you two to sign this right now though.”

The bears picked it up and read the title,

Vow of Silence

“What's this about?”

“We would like to avoid any kind of information leaking outside unless we, the school, agree on it beforehand. This paper ensures us that you won't talk about the school system or share our teachings outside, or worse, on the internet. It will be considered a privacy violation and we will be able to take legal action.”

“Alright…” Isabelle and Nova signed.

The wolf stood up and opened the door, communicating to the panda it was time to go.

“Can't I have a copy to bring back home…?” Isabelle begged.

“There are some focal points I'd like you to see first but I guess I can help you out.”

“Thank you…” She whispered in tears.

“Nova, wait. Before you go,” the headmistress called, and waited for him to turn, “Have you found your aspiration?”

The panda bit his lower lip, clutching his left arm. “I'm sorry. I don't know yet.”

“I won't pressure you but this will influence your position.”

The panda gulped, pretending it didn't affect him and walked away.

Ryuu raised a brow, not understanding why he felt overwhelmed and lost already. He hadn't seen anything yet.

“You okay?”

Nova felt like someone was punching his stomach from inside. He didn't realize he was sweating and panting until the wolf asked.

“No point in hiding it.” He admitted, sliding down until he sat on the floor.

“Not everyone figures out what they want in life if that is what's bothering you.”

“Yeah…you nailed it. I'm panicking due to the pressure. I feel like I don't deserve to stay here. Yvonne examined me from head to toe, her face was totally saying I'm letting you in out of pity.”

“You're exaggerating. Take a deep breath.”

“I'm not ready yet! I thought I was but maybe I'm not. I can't handle everyone looking at me now that I’m walking into their class and interrupting their lesson.”

Ryuu chuckled, “I find that hard to imagine.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you. Wait, check for yourself first. Your thoughts will be shattered the moment you meet them.”

The panda stood up. In the end, he wasn't wrong. “Okay, I'll trust you.”

Ryuu led the way, “Just follow me and-"

“WAIT! I forgot to ask her which class she assigned me to!”

“It doesn't matter. Come on.”

“What do you mean it doesn't? I'll ask her, just give me a moment.”

Annoyed, the wolf took his paw and dragged him forward. “I told you I know everything already. Just listen to me.”

“What if Mom needs to tell me something? I left so suddenly! She may need some help with reading the documents! Are you sure you remember the correct information? What if you get confused!”

“You. Think. Too. Much.”

“Okay, okay! You win! Just let me go now! I can walk there on my own!”

Every attempt he made to escape from his grasp failed miserably. Ryuu didn't let his arm go until he reached the classroom.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Nova, paralyzed with fear, stared at the door in utter silence.

“Knock on the door,” Ryuu advised from behind.

“Are you sure this is my classroom? What if you're wrong? Imagine how embarrassing that would be!”

“Yvonne told me that you've been assigned to my class under the guardian's request.”

“C-Can’t you do that on your own?” His voice trembled. “You should be the one who goes first. It's your class anyway!”

“No, you need to overcome this illogical fear.”

“Illogical?! IT'S NOT ILLOGICAL.”

The wolf extended his paw, knocked for him and stepped back.

“That's so unfair…” He gulped.

“You should say something.”