Chapter 198 Field Day
"Luckily for you, trainees, the teams aren't pre-determined this time. We will be going back to the traditional route and have the highest-ranked trainee pick their team," Bone announced.
The other trainees, especially those in the lower ranks, groaned in defeat.
"Ah, I wanted to have Ren on my team, but I guess Zeth will take him now."
"Having Ren in your team is a cheat sheet. You can just sit there and do nothing while waiting for him to produce a song."
"Right? That's what I wanted to do in the first place."
June clicked his tongue as he glanced at the trainees behind him. They could have lowered their voices or something. Ren definitely heard what they were talking about.
"So, we then call for Zeth, the ever-consistent first-ranked trainee in 'Rising Stars' since the beginning of the show," Minho called, and the other trainees burst into cheers.
Untouchable. Right now, Zeth was completely untouchable.
"You may pick 4 other trainees for your team," Bone instructed.
Zeth nodded and took the mic from him. He wandered his eyes around the room, looking a bit conflicted. It seemed like being in the top 25 had made even the first-ranked trainee nervous.
In fact, everybody was more nervous than usual.
The thought that the finale was right in front of their eyes made them feel like the stakes were higher this time.
"First, Yuri," Zeth said, making the 11th-placed trainee sigh in relief.
June nodded in acknowledgment. Aside from Ren, Yuri was the other trainee who had a legitimate background in making and arranging songs.
"I'll also take Jaeyong," Zeth continued.
And at that moment, June knew that something was…strange.
June glanced at the trainee to his right and frowned. Is Zeth not going to pick Ren?
"Jaxon, you're in my team, bro," Zeth said, causing the loud trainee to rejoice while running to the front. The two of them did a "bro-hug" before Zeth picked his last member.
"And last but not the least…."
The other trainees held their breaths. There wasn't any doubt that they would like to be chosen by Zeth. It was like a one-way ticket to the finale. A performance with him meant that they could suck up to Zetherealists and maybe make it to the debut line.
"Akira," he said.
Akira looked at Zeth with wide eyes, pointing at himself. "Me?" he asked. The others chuckled at his surprised reaction. Akira slowly made his way to the front, with the others murmuring in envy for their team.
"Akira writes harmonies really well, too. I'm jealous."
"And Jaeyong is good at rap-making. Their song is going to be fire."
"But why didn't he pick Ren? Did something happen?"
"Casper, it's your turn," Minho said. The tall and handsome trainee confidently walked to the front. June frowned as he looked at the trainee's broad shoulders.
Ah, they had similar builds when he was still Jun Hao.
No…Jun Hao's body was definitely better, but the kid didn't lag behind.
'Must be nice,' June thought.
It was frustrating since no matter how hard June tried to build muscle in this body, he still looked lean!
"Who do you pick as your first member?" Bone asked.
"Ren," Casper said without any hesitation.
Ren, who appeared to have been in a daze, looked up when he heard his name.
"You were called," June said.
"Oh," Ren said, his voice quite hoarse. "Thanks for that."
With that, he started walking to the front. June frowned as he observed Ren. There was definitely something strange going on with him.
"Daeho," Casper continued. The serious trainee walked to the front with a calm expression, patting Casper's shoulder as a sign of gratitude.
"Hmm," Casper said, thinking of the next person to choose. He wanted a good vocalist and someone who would match the aesthetics of the team.
Casper and Daeho were both tall with athletic builds. Ren was also on the taller side, just bordering 6 feet, but he had a leaner body. Casper continued looking around the room until he saw him.
"Jangmoon," he said.
The room suddenly turned quiet—like they couldn't believe that Jangmoon had been picked to join Casper's team.
"He called me, right?" Jangmoon absent-mindedly asked C-Jay.
C-Jay sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Lucky bastard. Go to the front."
"Yay!" Jangmoon practically skipped as he went to his team.
June looked at the team before him and shook his head. It would have been pretty cool to team up with Ren, considering his production skills, but June knew he couldn't fit into their aesthetic.
He needed to overdose on BenBen gummies first to do that.
However, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine when Casper locked gazes with him. For some reason, Casper's gaze looked…meaningful, causing horror to fill June's mind.
Oh no.
Truth be told, Casper had one member in mind who he really wanted to perform with. He was secretly praying a while back for Zeth not to take his desired member and had to restrain himself from doing a happy dance when Zeth actually didn't.
He picked the three other members on a whim since he merely focused on his most desired teammate.
Then, Casper brought the mic to his lips.
"The last member of my team will be…June."
***
June pursed his lips as he stood between four tall pillars. Sure, he lagged a couple of inches from his teammates, but he was still taller than the average Asian guy. He even reached up to the upper portion of Jangmoon's neck!
June was not short.
But did they have to make him stand in the very middle? Now, he looked shorter than he actually was!
"I'm so happy that we're performing together once more, big bro," Jangmoon snuggled up at him.
June merely sighed and accepted his fate. He glanced at his side and saw Casper looking at him like he wanted to say something. June raised his eyebrows in inquiry, but Casper quickly looked away.
What a strange kid.
"Now that you have been divided into 5 teams, we will now decide what genre you're going to incorporate into your performances," Minho announced, capturing the trainees' attention.
"Please don't let the higher-ranked trainees pick the genre first again," C-Jay shouted from across the room.
"Don't worry!" Bone exclaimed. "The choosing of genres wouldn't be based on ranks this time."
A collective sigh of relief was heard in the room.
"How is it going to be decided then?" Bin asked.
Minho and Gun excitedly looked at each other. "Of course, we can not forgo yet another staple in Rising Stars! This time, however, the stakes are much higher. You can win not only cool prizes but also the opportunity to choose your performance's genre first!"
"Get dressed in your respective shirts and meet us at the back of the Azure building in 15 minutes. It's time for a Field Day!"
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