Johann's Hope

'It doesn't matter how I do it, I will get a new partner!'

This was the resolve that Johann had woken up with but now he was in dismay.

Johann and Juan were seated outside in a public park. Many students littered the beautifully maintained grounds. There were plenty of fountains and ponds, with all sorts of creatures like fish and swans moving about.

Johann was seated on a wooden bench with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth like a veteran insane asylum patient. Juan found it amusing but he could not help but feel pity for the boy.

"Look at the bright side; at least we have incredible chemistry! Trust me dude you won't regret having me as your mission partner."

Johann looked at Juan and sighed in resignation. His demeanor was beyond his age to the point that Juan started to question if Johann was 17.

"Juan, I honestly have nothing against you. It's just that my circumstances are a bit unique, so I need people to rely on. I used to rely on my roommate and Mission partner but now..."

Johann looked at the lackadaisical blue haired youth before him. Juan did not give off any feelings of power. And he was only bronze origin energy.

'Even if Juan is part of the Louw family, he is just a vassal who took their name. The family won't send him many resources. That and his Origin means he won't achieve anything sigh.'

Juan sighed once again and continued, "To make matters worse you are both my roommate and Mission partner. At least if you were only my roommate I could bank on my on my Mission partner or maybe even yours. As a first year there is no doubt you would have gotten a Mission Partner who is at least a year above you. But now you are stuck me with. Mission partners who are both Bronze Origin without resources in Vector's Edge. If not screwed then what are we?"

Johann's dismay stemmed from the fact that he had gone to the Administration Division but he could not apply for a new partner. The clerk that served him said that Johann could not change his partner because the decision to pair him with Juan came from too high up the ladder.

Johann understood that nobles often had no control of their futures, especially at a young age, unless they were ground breaking prodigies. If you were a prodigy, the family would bend over backwards to develop you for the battlefield. Of course noble families were different with unique laws, and the Jaegers were no different.

Valdios was Jaeger territory. They were the Dukes of Valdios. It was impossible to be the city Mayor without the family's support.

Jaegers, being the most populated family, also had the most intense competition. To ensure that the most talented in their clan succeeded the clan heads would not hesitate to sacrifice a Bronze Origin like Johann, despite the fact that he was from the Head Family.

'Perhaps the clan pulled a favor and wanted to link sister with a good partner, so they cut a deal with the Louw and dumped me with him...'

Johann had learned that his little sister, a Gold Origin prodigy, was and been linked with a freshman Louw who was at the Peak of Silver Origin with incredible battle prowess that could trump some Gold Origin powerhouses.

While Enigma Origin was the most important factor in determining power, it wasn't the only one. Ability type, how compatible you are for your ability.

For example, most flame type ability users train themselves to have tempers. It was discovered that anger was the best emotion for triggering fire type skills. Hence even if one has Gold Origin, if they have an apathetic personality they would be as weak as a peak bronze origin user.

The Louw girl was apparently quite the pampered princess with a fiery temper to match. And her physique matches her ability very well.

'Peak Silver Origin with the perfect harmonization of mentality and body. The Louw girl will be important, especially when she gets her Edge Summoning. Her and my sister will probably get along.'

It was common sense among students that the older mission partner would guide and protect the younger one. But there were exceptions to this, albeit they were quite rare. Juan was hoping that his sister would be paired with him. Even though he wasn't talented his knowledge of theory and ability to teach were top notch. His own father had admitted it and forced Johann to put more effort into training his sister, leading Johann to reduce his own training time.

Alpha, Beta and Gamma abilities needed time and research. Even if two people have the same abilities they will have different physiques, bloodline abilities, personalities and habits. This results in there being fewer similar fighters the higher up one goes in the food chain of power.

Johann was able to fully understand his ability. Worse he was a Beta type user. His was an esper with telepathic and telekinetic abilities. This is known as the ideal esper combination and the trademark of the Jaegers. Telekinesis was a rare power and an incredibly feared one...bur only from Silver Origin going forward. Johann was sure that the best he could do is fling small boulders at best. Telepathy was rare but not as rare as its esper counterpart.

Beta abilities are from the brain, which constantly re-wires as one grows. Neurons become specialized over time and are extremely sensitive and numerous. Beta abilities are the hardest to control and need the most amount of research to understand, hence Johann's frustration.

'At least if I was an Alpha type I could just work out to make up for the deficiencies but I'm not... '

Alpha Enigma was the easiest to power up with. It was less reliant on Talent in Origin and more reliant on physical training and the compatibility between body ability type and mentality.

Gamma was equal in that all factors had to be balanced for one to train properly while Beta put emphasis on research and Origin.

Johann's sister was an Ideal Esper with Gold Origin. Hence she was seen as one of the family's successors. With her families' resources and guidance, her path was going to be smooth sailing. Juan could see that Johann was getting lost in his own world; hence he decided to change the subject.

"We my friend are not screwed, in fact, I would say that we are quite blessed." Said Juan as he leaned back on the bench. He had a mysterious smile as he looked at the beautiful clouds floating above.

'Does he know something I don't?' Wondered Johann.

Juan turned his head to his Partner and smiled oddly.

Juan looked at Johann with an expression the latter was not used to.

"Why are you looking at me like that? And what do you mean blessed?" Asked Johann with a worried tone.

"Let me answer you in a bit but first I have a question for you. Why are you so Hell bent on relying on someone else? Don't you have your own hands?"

Johann was tempted to scoff in disdain. To him this question was ridiculous.

"Did you not hear Headmaster Voight? The main goal for us students is to survive! Not grow stronger, but survive! Vector's Edge is made up of the best of the best because of the spartanic training regimen. If we were simply in Vector we would have a few years of safety as the training there is reasonable. To be honest, were it possible I would join Vector instead of Vector's Edge to increase my chances at survival. But all nobles are forces into VE. I can only leave if I underperform. But the system is designed to kill off the weak. So-"

"In other words it's push forward or die right?"

Juan interrupted Johann because he felt that the latter would not stop.

"Yeah." Replied Johann weakly.

"So the solution is simple bro." Said Juan as he stood up and stretched. The boy continued, "I was once asked a question. If I could travel back in time and change something what would I change? And I said I would change nothing. One cannot travel in time. We are stuck with what we have. We waste too much time crying over wasted time. This results in us making decisions without putting thought into what we can do.

Failure is the mother of learning. Instead of pining on, do something to increase your survival. You can start by being less pessimistic. I'm not the wisest person on Earth, but I know that your pessimism will lead to a quick death. So pull up your big boy pants and work with me. Because like it or not, we are stuck together for the rest of your VE school life."

Juan's tone became more and more serious as he spoke. This caused the usually reticent Johann to feel slightly intimidated.

'Why am I feeling intimidated by a Bronze Freshman?'

Juan's words irritated Johann, but the latter could not help but admit to himself that the former had a point.

'At this rate I will die quickly'

Johann was no fool. He had quite the high IQ and EQ. He understood that his options were limited and that his depression wouldn't help. But he was simply stuck in a rut. Depression was a truly frightening thing that people often underestimate.

'What gives him so much hope, he is clearly no fool. What gives him so much motivation? What makes him think this will work?'

Juan thought for a moment before he spoke in a helpless tone, "This is what I don't like about Skywalkers."

Johann almost jumped in fright when he heard these words. Countless thoughts ran through his mind as he shakily pointed a finger at Juan.

"Juan, you are one of The F-Fa-Fallen?" Stuttered Johann.

Juan didn't reply and just smiled back. Johann was genuinely afraid of Juan at this moment.

'So that's why he was so confident, this changes everything!'