ZERO SHIFT

As Josuke settled into his new room, lying on the bed scrolling through his phone, a knock came at the door. It was Bento.

"Josuke," Bento said, "Kyle has called you to meet with the others. Follow me."

Josuke got up, put his phone down, and followed Bento to Kyle's office. Once inside, he was met with four individuals waiting for him.

Kyle greeted him with a wide grin. "Josuke, let me introduce you to your teammates."

The first person was Arthur Pendragon, wearing a tank top and sweatpants. Arthur had an athletic build with short, messy blond hair and sharp blue eyes. He stood with a cool demeanor, arms crossed as he glanced briefly at Josuke and then looked away.

Kyle smirked, "Don't mind him. He's our emo kid."

Arthur immediately frowned. "No, I'm not. Stop calling me that."

Kyle laughed. "Okay, okay. If you say so."

The next person was Ace Strongman, dressed in a tight body shirt and sweatpants. Standing at an impressive 6'3" with a muscular build, Ace had a confident grin. His bold personality showed as he looked directly at Josuke and asked, "I have only one question for you."

Josuke blinked, confused. "Uh, okay."

Ace's expression turned serious. "Is it true that Vice Commander Maya is your mom?"

Caught off guard, Josuke stammered, "Well…"

Ace interrupted, "Answer me."

"Yes, in a sense," Josuke admitted. "She was the one who signed the adoption papers for me."

Kyle jumped in. "It's something I actually requested for from the orphanage, but Maya snatched it from me. Never mind that though, let's continue."

Ace dramatically fell to his knees as if struck by some unseen force.

"What's his problem?" Josuke asked, bewildered.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "He has a crush on Mrs. Grumpy…Maya."

Josuke couldn't help but chuckle as Kyle continued with the introductions.

The next person was Lily Hearts, who was much livelier than the previous two. Dressed in the standard ranger uniform, Lily had a playful energy about her. She was shorter than the others at 5'5", with a slim, sexy athletic build, long purple hair, and golden eyes that sparkled with mischief.

She eagerly extended her hand to Josuke. "I'm Lily. Very nice to meet you! I'm looking forward to working with you."

Josuke smiled and nodded as they shook hands. "Same here."

Lastly, Kyle introduced Hinata Jewel. She sat quietly in the corner, shyly avoiding eye contact. She was dressed more casually, almost like a gardener, with long black hair and blue eyes. Her posture was gentle, and she seemed nervous, glancing up only briefly.

"Hi… I'm Hinata," she spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's nice to meet you."

Josuke gave her a kind smile and reached out to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Hinata."

She blushed slightly as she gently shook his hand, her touch soft and delicate.

Arthur crossed his arms, waiting after Kyle finished introducing Josuke to the team. "What's the point of all this, Kyle?"Arthur final spoke up.

Kyle, now sitting behind his desk, raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Arthur sighed, continuing his frustration. "We've all read his file. Why are you adding someone without proper training? Can he even summon a Full Bringer?"

Kyle leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Firstly, anything concerning his training is my business. And besides, while Full Bringers are the primary weapons for rangers, we still have other manufactured weapons that can get the job done. You started with one before summoning a Full Bringer yourself, remember?"

Josuke, standing quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. "Wait… what's a Full Bringer?"

Arthur, stopping his argument with Kyle, shot a glare at Josuke before turning back to Kyle. "You've got to be kidding me. He doesn't even know what a Full Bringer is?"

Before Kyle could respond, there was a knock on the door. Maya walked in, dressed casually in an oversized shirt, shorts, and crocs, carrying some documents and a ranger badge. She placed them on Kyle's desk.

"This just arrived for Josuke," Maya said, dropping the items on Kyle's desk.

"Thanks, Maya," Kyle said, as she started walking out. However, Ace, still kneeling on the floor from his earlier crush-induced defeat, grabbed onto Maya's leg.

"You… can't leave me!" Ace dramatically pleaded, causing Maya to sigh in irritation.

As she tried to shake Ace off her leg, Arthur, still upset, turned to Maya. "You're not going to say anything about this? This kid has no experience, no training! Why is he being added to the team?"

Maya, finally freeing herself from Ace's grip, glanced at Arthur with mild annoyance. "Look, kid, Kyle made his decision. He even argued with the elders about it. If you think I can oppose that, you're mistaken. It's final. Deal with it." She left the room, leaving Arthur even more frustrated.

Arthur scowled. "Am I the only one who sees that this boy isn't qualified?"

Lily and Hinata, who had been quiet until now, stepped in to calm the situation. "The commander already said he'll train him, Arthur," Lily said with a smile. "I don't see a problem."

Hinata, shyly nodding in agreement, added, "Y-Yes, no problem."

Arthur's face twisted in frustration as he snapped back. "He's going to slow the team down! Can't you all see that? " Lily and hinata had gone out of the office to meet up with maya.

Ace, finally standing up after Maya's departure, chimed in. "I have to agree with Arthur. His lack of experience… and his lack of knowledge, especially about Full Bringers, will affect the team."

Josuke, still curious, asked again, "What is a Full Bringer?"

Kyle sighed, sensing the rising tension in the room. "Alright, Josuke. This—" he summoned his Full Bringer, a sleek silver sword with a glowing emerald embedded in the hilt, " is a Full Bringer. It's a manifestation of one's soul and desires."

The sword shimmered and disappeared as Kyle continued. "Full Bringers are unique to each ranger. They're a ranger's true power. But… not the only power. There's more to being a ranger than just having a fancy weapon."

Kyle then turned his attention to Ace and Arthur, who were still fuming. "You two make strong arguments, I'll give you that. But the fact remains this boy has limitless potential. I couldn't let that go to waste. And how can someone slow the team down when I've picked him? In terms of power, he's equal, if not more powerful, than the both of you."

Both Arthur and Ace were stunned silent as Kyle added, "Take a look if you think I'm wrong. He's already on your level, Level 5."

Arthur and Ace exchanged shocked glances, processing what they had just heard.