The recruits found themselves back where everything had started for them. They had just finished running the Track and doing the obstacle course again. They all noticed a stark difference in their physical abilities. Kenji was still at the top by a large margin, but they all clocked inhumanely fast times. They all noticed they could run a full sprint for extremely long periods without fatigue; their top speed eclipsed olympiads. Dr.Varma also informed them the previous day that this was just the beginning. 

Their bodies were reborn, and they had no documented physical or mental limits. They could become countless times more robust and faster with time. And now, time was in abundance. Their longevity was massively increased, and they needed to fully explore those limitations. They had come to find that the Nano-Machines even acted as a Global translator, allowing them to speak and understand multiple languages they previously could not. Everything felt new and incredible to all of them. They were all extraordinary young adults, to begin with, and now their potential could be fully explored beyond their imagination. However, with such power often came hubris. 

“Where’s Zac? Is he afraid we might jump him now that we're Chasers?” A cocky recruit asked. 

Standing in for Zac, Franky looked at him like an idiot. However, it was Ume who responded, 

“It’s Instructor Zac, Sensei Zac, or Mr. Zac. Show proper respect. He’s preparing for tomorrow.”

“Hehe, preparing? What? Is he Batman or something?” The same recruit asked mockingly. 

“Kinda, yeah. Well, I mean, Zac's not disgustingly rich like Batman but he has a lot of resources to work with. Adding on to that he doesn’t have a no killing rule.” Franky looked up at the mocking recruit with pity in his eyes. Franky knew that Zac would be at a heavy disadvantage against seasoned Chasers, but not these pups.

“I think you guys have a misunderstanding about Zac. He’s not here as a favor to you.” Helena walked towards the recruits standing in the middle of the field. The other Mentors were trailing behind her. 

“He knows what your Programs are capable of, but he doesn’t know how you will use them. He wants to keep things fun for himself and stay in the dark. He even allowed us to come today and assist you for the next 10 hours.” An average-built Spanish male spoke. This was Micheal’s mentor, alias Duendes. 

When the recruits heard this, they began to tense up a bit. Was this still just a game to Zac? Many of them didn’t want to believe it; they had been tricked time and time again. They felt this was just their mentors trying to get under their skin. In their minds, Zac was impressive… for a human, but they were beyond that now and would continue to grow beyond him. The mentors all saw the looks on their pupils' faces and just sighed. These kids wouldn’t be satisfied until they had their faces beat in. 

“I hope you all keep that energy. That sadistic prick won’t be satisfied otherwise.” Alais Mawu, a youthful Black American woman, said as she motioned for Travis to follow her. 

Kenji was about to head off with Franky when he turned towards Ume, 

“Zac’s not here to assist you. Are you going to be fine by yourself?” 

“After talking with Mr. Devin and my Uncle yesterday about my Program, Sensei Zac was able to compile a thorough and detailed training regimen for me to follow. It details how I should progress without choosing a specific path for me. If I never saw Sensei Zac again, this regimen could hold me over for several decades.” Ume responded flatly as she walked away from the training grounds to find her own spot to play around with her Program. 

“Ah, alright… bye,” Kenji responded awkwardly. 

“You look a little disappointed,” Franky said as he looked over his shoulder at Kenji.

“Just a little bit. I didn’t get the chance to copy her Program yesterday. I was curious.” 

“What?!” Franky turned around and stared at Kenji, the shock plain for anyone to see. 

Genkei was looking at a pair of vests and gloves that Helena had just tossed at his feet. 

“What the hell is this?”  He asked. 

“Just something I had the Twins cook up when I heard about your Program. Put them on!!! But activate your Program first.” Helena shouted gleefully. 

“Okaaaay. Initiating Program: Stockpile.” Genkei said tentatively. He slowly put on the gloves and vest. He felt his body twitch, and then his mind opened up as he gained access to his abilities.

“Now what?” 

“Now say ‘system start, Block Breaker,” Helena commanded. 

“Alright, system start, Block Breaker,” Genkei repeated. The gloves and vest lit up. That was followed by the sounds of something winding up. The sounds of endless thumping echoed. Genkei grunted and doubled over before he began to stabilize himself. 

“You crazy woman!! Why didn’t you warn me?!” 

“I did!!!!!! I told you to activate your Program!” Helena responded with a hurt expression. Genkei took in several breaths. She was right, and he should have known better. He hadn’t known her long, but she wasn’t hard to figure out. It didn’t stop him from being upset as he glared at her. His body was jolting from the constant pounding he received from the vest and gloves. 

“What the hell is this?” Genkei asked. 

“A prototype. Small pistons constantly bash your body, allowing you to store kinetic energy without relying on your target. It was made on short notice, so bare with it for now. But this should be good enough to see how much you can store. And help us figure out if you can simultaneously store kinetic energy from different sources.” Helena explained, and Genkei nodded his head. 

“Wait, how are you going to test that second bit?” Genkei asked. 

“Initiating Program: Blow Back.” Helena sent a punch in that instant, and a concussive force blew Genkei off his feet. Program: Blow Back; allowed Helena to manipulate and generate powerful concussive waves. This should make Genkei a terrible match-up for her under most circumstances. However, in her mind, it made him the perfect training dummy.

“You better focus!! You might die!” Helena’s laugh filled Genkei’s ears as he looked up to see her crash down on him from the sky with an ax kick. Genkei dodged out of the way instinctively but was blown away again by the concussive force that followed her kick. 

Akiko once again found herself sitting in a lotus position with a katana resting in her lap.

“Our Programs are simply a tool. If it can assist us on our path of the sword, then great. If it can not, then it is simply a hindrance. Program: Flare is the ability to increase heat values and manipulate those bodies of heat. Ejecting heat into your blade can make it more deadly but weaken it. So tell me. Will you abandon your Program or the way of the sword?” Hachiman asked. 

Akiko had not moved; her eyes remained closed as she meditated. She had thought about this already. Chasers had enhanced regenerative capabilities. However, if she cauterized wounds with her heat, it would be impossible for them to heal or reach the same healing level they usually could.

However, doing so would compromise the integrity of her blades. Even if it was made with modern techniques, and they could make heat-resistant weaponry, she still ran the risk of warping her blades. She didn’t honestly believe that Hachiman wanted her to abandon her Program. Her fighting style had to be an expression of herself. Abandoning her Program would be abandoning a piece of herself. She opened her eyes and stared at Hachiman, 

“Neither.” 

“Good, so what will you do?” Hachiman was satisfied with her response. 

However, the fact remains that heat did not mix well with the blade. There were several synthetic materials they had to alleviate the issue. Still, nothing could stop the heat she could produce from negatively affecting her blades. 

“If blades can not handle my heat, I need to make a blade of heat.” 

“And how will you do that?” Hachiman asked. 

He knew the Flare Program could manipulate bodies of heat, but he didn’t think she’d be able to control it to such a degree, at least not as a fresh recruit. He was correct in his assessment, and Akiko had already thought of this.

“Argon gas.” Is all Akiko said. 

A smile stretched across Hachiman’s face as he motioned for her to follow him. 

“Where are we going?” 

“We’re going to see The Twins. They head up our R and D department. They use a Unique set of Programs that are strictly utility in nature. Program: Blueprint and Program: Creator. Blueprint allows the Chaser to determine the logistics and components needed to make nearly anything. Creator allows the Chaser to assemble anything they have a clear vision of, with their mind, as long as they have the needed materials. Working in tandem, they can make just about anything in a matter of moments. I’d assume they’d be fairly busy today.” Hachiman chuckled as the two of them left the training room. 

“Are they in Japan?” 

“No, they are in Finland. It’s about a 4-hour round trip. So spend that time in meditation.” Hachiman said. 

Akiko had a confused look on her face. 4-hour round trip? There was no way they could get to Finland that fast from Japan. But she then remembered what her sensei had just told her. The Twins could make anything if they had the needed materials. Making an aircraft that could accomplish such a feat may be possible. Akiko smiled as she started to rethink her initial idea. She could get a little more creative with her designs if they could do such things.