Chapter 8 : The Substitutes Dilemma

[20 August 2115]

BhattTech's Dormitory new Delhi

Maharshi(through phone) : what does that mean ? You are going on mission without us and also taking Pratham with you.

Arya(through phone) : What can i do ? It's direct order from the Prime Minister and your dad himself. And i just can't deny.

Maharshi : Ok so how much time will you take for this mission to complete?

Arya : How could i know ? It can be finished in 1 day or 1 week.

Maharshi : ok then till-

Arya : Or 1 month or may be 1 year.

Maharshi : Stop this nonsense !

Arya : haha, don't worry i will came soon but it's better to find substitutes of mine and prathams. Go and start we are leaving in 2 hours for kashi.

Maharshi : ok understood. All the best for your mission.

Call Ended

Maharshi : Now what to do ?

Maharshi calls his friends and ask them to meet at canteen. Except Pratham and Arya.

Hirak : So this what happened. Huh.

Zeel : Arya can't leave us like this i'm gonna call her back.

Maharshi : She is not leaving us they are just going for a short mission. And she cannot deny it's order directly from the Prime Minister Office.

Jay : And if she denied ?

Maharshi : Than she has to prepare for consequences. Do you have daring to do something like that ?

Jay : Obviously not, Who can deny direct order from the PMO. Even though it's given by CEO of BhattTech.

Hirak : I understood Arya is best candidate for this mission but why Pratham?

Maharshi : It's obvious, Pratham and me both have same ranking but after Arya, Pratham has most experience points.

Jay : And you have more academic points. So according to that you aren't qualify for the mission.

Maharshi : That's correct.

Zeel : See academic is not everything Maharshi.

Maharshi : So our main point is to find substitutes for Arya and Pratham.

Hirak : Finding a substitute for Arya is like finding a duplicate for a legendary sword.

Zeel : And finding a substitute for Pratham is like finding a second-hand frying pan.

Maharshi : Be serious, guys! We need strong replacements. Any suggestions?

Option 1: Aniket

Zeel : What about Aniket?

Hirak : You mean "Turtle Reflexes" Aniket?

Jay : The same guy who once dodged an attack… five minutes after it landed?

Maharshi : Yeah, next.

Option 2: Vihaan

Hirak : Vihaan's strong. A total brawler.

Zeel : Yeah, but he gets way too into fights.

Jay : Last time he sparred, the match ended… but he kept fighting.

Maharshi : How long?

Hirak : An hour. The opponent left, the referee left, and Vihaan was still punching air.

Zeel : We had to hit him with a tranquilizer dart.

Maharshi : What is wrong with these people?!

Option 3: Manav

Jay : Manav's good. He can take a hit like a tank.

Zeel : He only takes hits.

Hirak : Yeah, last time, his opponent kept attacking him, and he just stood there.

Maharshi : …Why?

Jay : He said, "I was waiting for the perfect counter."

Zeel : It never came.

Maharshi : NEXT!

Option 4: Aditya

Hirak : Aditya is fast and agile.

Jay : But he overthinks every move.

Zeel : Last match, he spent 90% of the fight analyzing angles.

Maharshi : Did he win?

Jay : No. He got knocked out in one punch.

Maharshi : WHY ARE ALL THESE OPTIONS SO USELESS?!

Option 5: Sana

Zeel : What about Sana?

Hirak : Finally, a normal choice.

Jay : Yeah, she's calm, disciplined, good at academics, and already a low-tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni's Srapit Jadugar.

Zeel : Unlike certain people, she doesn't overthink or go berserk.

Hirak : But remember the time she got second place in the exams?

Jay : Oh yeah… she did punch through a concrete wall.

Zeel : Correction—she politely punched through a concrete wall.

Maharshi : At this point, that's the closest we have to a stable option.

Option 6: Mohit

Jay : …There's one more option.

Hirak : Oh no.

Zeel : Oh yes.

Maharshi : sighs Go on.

Jay : Mohit.

Maharshi : Absolutely not.

Hirak : He's an intermediate-tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni Srapit Jadugar. He's perfect for the mission.

Zeel : He's also Arya's cousin brother.

Jay : And probably the most arrogant human being alive.

Maharshi : The same Mohit who, when asked why he doesn't follow battle strategies, said, "Because I am the strategy."

Zeel : The same Mohit who once told a mirror it was "unworthy" of his reflection.

Jay : The same Mohit who made a combat robot cry.

Hirak : And the same Mohit who once said, "If perfection had a face, it would look exactly like me."

Maharshi : …I hate that he's actually qualified.

Jay : So, final decision?

Maharshi : Sana is confirmed. But we have to ask Mohit first.

Zeel : Do we really have to?

Maharshi : Unfortunately.

Jay : This is either the best idea or the worst mistake of our lives.

Hirak : Either way, it's gonna be entertaining.

Maharshi (muttering) : I'm surrounded by idiots… and now I have to deal with Mohit too.

Jay : Okay, so first, we need to inform Ganesh sir that we're adding more Jadugars to the strike team.

Maharshi : When's the next available raid? We need to test them in real battle.

Hirak : Let me check.

Zeel : Maharshi, we literally saw death waving at us in Arunachal Pradesh. You're still not satisfied?

Maharshi : Don't be lazy. It's better to verify Sana's battle quality properly. One raid is enough to understand her skills.

Hirak : Found it. There's an open raid slot in Chennai… day after tomorrow.

Maharshi : Perfect. We're going.

Maharshi raises his hand for a group high-five.

Zeel and the others sigh, exchange tired glances, and lazily raise their hands to meet his, clearly unimpressed with his enthusiasm.

[20 August 2115]

Mid Air In Flite New Delhi to Kashi.

Arya sat by the window, staring at the clouds as the plane sliced through the sky. The wind currents shifted outside, but her expression remained unreadable, lost in deep thought. The luxury compartment was quiet—until Pratham walked over.

Pratham : Hey Arya, what are you doing?

Arya : Nothing special. What do you want?

Pratham : I guess... you're not happy with the mission?

Arya (still staring out the window) : No, there's nothing like that.

Pratham : Oh really? Then why do you look so tense?

Arya didn't respond, completely ignoring him.

Pratham : Hey Arya, do you know why Kartik sir chose me instead of his own son Maharshi? We're the same rank, same age, even in the same class. Then why me?

Arya : It's just because you have more experience points than Maharshi. Nothing else.

Pratham : You know that's not the only reason.

For the first time Arya glaced at him.

Arya : What do you want to know?

Pratham : I'm not a fool like Zeel. You, Prime Minister, and Kartik sir definitely discussed something really important and top secret. You can't reveal it now, but I can totally understan—

Arya : Pratham, Kartik sir is a man of principals. Do you really think he would promote some kind of nepotism?

Pratham : That's not what I meant. But… never mind. It's useless trying to get anything out of you.

Pratham sighed and walked back to his seat. Arya exhaled and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, from her seat, Riva silently observed the entire exchange.

[21 August 2115 (morning)]

BhattTech Academy new Delhi.

Sana stood in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by the heroes. Everyone was in their academy uniforms. She had no idea what was happening, awkwardly shifting in place, giving a weird, nervous smile.

Maharshi : Hey, Sana, do you want to join our team?

Zeel (grinning) : Come on, Sana! It'll be fun!

Sana : J-Join…? Your team…?? B-But why so suddenly?!

Maharshi : There's a vacancy, and we all agreed you're the best fit for our strike team.

Sana : A-Ah, that's really nice, but—

Maharshi (ignoring her) : Perfect! Welcome to the team!

Sana : W-Wait, I didn't even—

Jay (nodding) : It'll be great to have a Jadugar like you!

Sana : Th-Thanks, but—

Zeel (dramatically) : You and I will DOMINATE the battlefield! We'll be legends!

Sana : Wait, legends? Battlefield?!

Jay : I'll inform Ganesh sir right away.

Sana : HOLD ON! I HAVEN'T SAID—

Maharshi : We're leaving for a raid in Chennai tomorrow. Be ready in the morning!

Sana : A RAID?! TOMORROW?!

Maharshi (nodding) : Don't worry, we'll give you equal chances. Your participation will be considered.

Sana : THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT—

Zeel (already halfway out the door) : Okay then, see you tomorrow morning! Bye-bye!

Sana (panicking) : NO, WAIT! LET ME SPEAK!

The heroes had already exited the classroom, leaving Sana standing there, her mouth still open, completely clueless and horrified. She slowly sank into a chair, staring into the void.

Sana (muttering) : I think I just got drafted into war…

[21 August 2115]

Kashi International Airport

The moment Arya and Pratham stepped off the plane, the deafening roar of the crowd swallowed them whole. It was as if the entire city of Kashi had gathered at the airport, their voices rising in a chaotic chorus of cheers, chants, and desperate attempts to catch a glimpse of Arya. Security struggled to hold the tide of people back, their barricades bending under the sheer force of the crowd's excitement. The air was thick with the scent of flowers being thrown in Arya's direction, and holographic banners with her name and image flickered above the terminal.

Pratham, still descending the plane's stairs, felt his knees lock for a moment. His heartbeat quickened as he took in the surreal sight—thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people losing their minds over one person. He had read about Arya's rising fame, but this... this was something else. His grip tightened around the rail as his mind struggled to process the magnitude of the scene in front of him.

Pratham (in shock, wide-eyed):

F-For real...

Arya, walking ahead with a composed, almost detached demeanor, barely spared the crowd a glance. She adjusted her coat, her expression unreadable beneath her dark glasses. The kind of calm that came from witnessing this level of admiration—no, worship—multiple times before.

Arya (coolly, without turning):

First time?

Pratham swallowed hard, glancing at her and then back at the sea of people.

Pratham (still overwhelmed):

Y-Yeah…

His voice barely reached his own ears over the chants of "ARYA! ARYA!"

echoing through the air. Some were waving massive posters of her mid-battle, others had her name painted across their foreheads. A group of young trainees in academy uniforms were practically crying with excitement, shouting praises about how she was the strongest Srapit Jadugar alive.

Pratham felt a strange mix of awe and unease. Was this what it meant to be an Ati-Khatarnak Shreni? Was this the level of reverence Arya had earned through sheer strength and fearlessness?

Meanwhile, Arya sighed softly, pushing her sunglasses up.

Arya (muttering to herself): Every damn time…

She stepped forward, unfazed, as if walking through the eye of a storm. So many officials are standing there to welcome her. Among them there is a Lieutenant Commander Surya Pratrap Singh standing with bouquet.

To be continue