The next day, Danso got ready as he usually does. The only difference was that he woke up thirty minutes earlier to ensure he was on time for the DMMS trial. He got up from his messy bed, removed his black blindfold from his eyes, which he used to sleep, and freshened up. After he came back from the restroom, he cleaned up his home, cleaned up his bed, took the shiny gold keys to his house, and left his home. He walked towards the Battle Restaurant using the maps function on his phone as the morning sun blazed over him. After a few minutes of crossing roads and not using shortcuts since he had time now, he reached the restaurant. The Battle Restaurant's green sign was a clear indication that this was the restaurant. Danso grabbed the handle, then opened the door and was immediately greeted by a bandaged Kevin.
"Hi, Danso! Is it the battle offer again?" asked Kevin.
"You are not gonna battle in that condition now, will you?" questioned Danso.
"Oh, he won't, but I'll battle for him," barged in a loud Sasha.
"I am not in the mood to fight such a strong opponent so I'll pay this time," replied Danso
Sasha and Kevin both fell to the floor as they heard that Danso would pay for the food and not rob the restaurant by misusing the battle offer like he normally does. Danso was worried and rushed to the back of the reception.
"You're going to pay for the food?" whispered Sasha and Kevin in unison.
"Yes, I can't look bad in my trial now, can I?" responded Danso.
"Well, that's settled! Do this every time, alright?" pleaded Sasha.
"No, now for my order a cappuccino, fries, and the restaurant's special chicken strips," said Danso.
"Basically, the usual, I'll throw in a salad for free, you need healthy food, and if you don't eat it, I'm complaining to Sasha," threatened Kevin.
"Fine," shrugged Danso. "How much for the food?" he questioned.
"Three gold coins," replied Kevin.
"You guys are the ones trying to rob me here," laughed Danso as he gave Kevin the money and sat down at a table for one.
After the food came, he ate, and as he was about to finish eating and leave, Sasha and Kevin both yelled good luck to him. Danso smiled and wished them a good day before taking his usual route to the bus stop. The headquarters is a massive building downtown, and since Danso lives uptown and the Restaurant is in the middle of the two, he had to take a bus since the distance was too much. Danso, in his brain, calculated how much time it would take from here to the headquarters and added in traffic as well.
"I wonder what the first trial for the rest of the people would be? I guess I'll never know!" pondered and praised himself.
Once Danso reached the bus station, he sat down on the plastic and uncomfortable chairs and started scrolling on his phone, trying to waste time by using social media and trying to calm himself down before the big day. Once the bus arrived, he climbed on and went to the back of the bus to try to make the bus ride as smooth and calm as possible. He viewed the tall and giant buildings of downtown, where the financially wealthy reside. The trees were swaying with the wind, and the morning birds were chirping, creating a harmonious sound that sounded like a lullaby.
Danso then proceeded to fall asleep and turned on a timer for ten minutes. After five minutes, the bus suddenly came to a stop. The wheels screeched, and Danso woke up due to the unusual event. He peeked out the window to see what the issue was, and he removed his headphones and put them and his phone in his bag. Danso saw a black eagle with lightning stripes across its body fighting what seemed like a mutated rhino. He then viewed a kid commanding the black eagle to attack with its wings. The attack got blocked and split the train in half. The passengers started screaming, and one man got stuck.
"Help me please!" shrieked the man with blood covering his leg and thigh.
Danso cut the metallic bus part that was covering the man's leg and told one of the firefighters who arrived on the set to take care of him. Surprisingly, the firefighters seemed ok with allowing a young teenager to fight a mutated rhino. Danso walked towards the battle site.
"One of Baltrax's experiments got loose again? Such a drag, I'll end that company one day," swore Danso as he unsheathed his sword.
The kid continued fighting decently, but he seemed very tired. The kid made the eagle unleash another attack that seemed to enrage the rhino. The rhino then proceeded to drag his legs across the ground, which meant only one thing. It was going to charge a rush attack that the kid would not be able to handle, and it would be too dangerous for the surroundings. As the rhino charged, Danso slashed the rhino with his sword.
"Nice job, kid, leave the rest to me, alright?" said Danso.
"Uncle, get away, don't be a sassy adult," replied the kid who shattered Danso's mind and heart into pieces.
"The audacity of this generation," thought Danso.
The kid then summoned a bull with demon horns and a fiery mane that pushed Danso aside and onto the floor. The kid then charged the bull with soul energy on the legs and horns to make it faster and the impact of the attack stronger. He then unleashed the bull like a bullet out of a gun.
"Shadow enhanced companion sorcery:- Enhanced Demon Bull" yelled the kid.
The bull charged at the rhino and stabbed the rhino on its stomach. The rhino shrieked with pain as blood started flowing out. The rhino landed with a thud onto the ground and shrieked one last time, a death cry, before perishing. Danso then went and approached the kid.
"Yo kid, that was crazy impressive!" praised Danso.
"Thanks, uncle!" replied the kid with excitement while eating his chocolate from his pocket.
"For the last time, I am not an uncle!" scolded Danso
"Ok, uncle," bullied the kid.
"Eugh," said Danso disgustingly.
"What's wrong, uncle?" questioned the kid.
"Well, imagine being so immature that you can't differentiate between an adult and an uncle," stated Danso.
"What?! You're the one who called me a kid," responded the kid.
"I mean, it's because you are right?" replied Danso.
"Then that makes you an uncle!" concluded the kid.
"Nevermind with this nonsense, what's your name?" questioned Danso.
"I am Haruki Takahashi! I am fourteen! I am the youngest member of the DMMS!" praised Haruki.
"Wow", Danso thought. "Alright, Haruki, Chiro told me to come to the DMMS Headquarters today, since the bus is broken due to your reckless fighting, you have to drop me off on your pets," requested Danso.
"Fine, uncle," accepted Haruki. "Shadow Companion:- Dragon Rider" summoned Haruki.
In a flash, a black dragon with a rider appeared, and Haruki mounted the back of it. Danso followed and mounted the backseat. They set off for downtown and DMMS headquarters.
"What's your ability?" asked Danso.
"It's called Shadow Companion, and it allows me to summon beasts using soul energy. Since I have massive quantities of soul energy, I can summon anything I need or want," explained Haruki.
"That is so overpowered for a kid," whispered Danso jealously.
After five minutes of riding on a dragon, they finally reached the DMMS Headquarters.
"Look, we are here," pointed Haruki to the Headquarters.
The Headquarters was blue with glass windows covering the building. Danso sensed soul energy surrounding the building, so he assumed it's like the battlefield in the Battle Restaurant where the alkanium is infused with soul energy.
Danso then opened the door and entered the building, and went to the receptionist and found Emily. She was in a uniform this time, which was a contrast from her informal look during their first meeting in the alleyway. Emily saw him and rolled her eyes.
"Am I that annoying to be around?" asked Danso.
"Yes," responded Emily.
"Weird too sometimes," added Haruki.
"Never mind, I'm here for the first trial. What is it?" questioned Danso.
"You mean the second? And the trial is that you'll be a DMMS member for two weeks. After the two weeks, all the confirmed members have to vote to keep you in or out," explained Emily.
"You can choose to leave right now if you want," persuaded Haruki.
"No thanks," replied Danso as he walked into the main lobby of the DMMS Headquarters.