Dashing through the other sessions were easy. Noel and Remi succeeded like they always did. That was never in any doubt. Adam and Liam were also able to make it through. Adam was not pleased even though it was his third success. It was as a Top when he wanted to Bottom. Therefore, he was not giving it any value. How petty in the heart could one person be? Guy breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it to 3 synchronizations. The week prior, the instructors at the party had said something really important. While you needed to have 5 successes to pass the program, it was not the end after the tenth week. There would be something big called a "shake up" for everyone who did not get to 5, but still had 3 successes recorded. Everyone in this squad had at least 3. Guy and Adam were the only ones that had not passed already among the group. None of the instructors elaborated what it meant. All they said was for everyone to do their best. It made sense. There were still 4 weeks left when they said it. More than enough time for some last minute breakthroughs to happen there.
It was now the start of week 9. Adam and Remi were going to be partners. Fabien had already decided that. Guy had already outright rejected Noel before, so that was not happening. Guy and Calvin had poor chemistry. All of their previous attempts had failed. Maybe something could work now that they had spent so much time apart. It was a long shot, but possible. They had time in which they learned how to emit decent pulses on their own. That was a moot point though. Fabien ordered Guy to partner up with a hybrid for the last 3 weeks. If Remi was taken, that only left a choice between Noel and Henri. Guy decided to go with Henri. "At least it won't be cheating if we do manage to synchronize." he grumbled. Henri rolled his eyes at that. Guy wanted to be left alone. Henri did not want to deal with someone so openly xenophobic. The pair did not do any of the recommended mental exercises or spend any time bonding together. Henri spent his free time with Calvin and Adam when his slacking off took the form of gossiping or shooting the shit with Calvin. Guy read or talked to Fabien.
Eventually, it was time to go to the main hall. Henri had gotten the blue bottoms to the pilot suit. He was now a Switch. That was a milestone that he could be very happy about. Henri came her because he wanted to be a hero that all of the people in his village could see and look up to. His mother and grandfather would be proud of him. It was only the start, but he had come so far already. He still got letters from them every so often. He also wrote letters back to them when he had something to share and the pen and paper to write it down. Knowing that they were cheering him on almost brought a tear to his eyes. He ate and drank in abundance as a result. Other boys in the program got recognized as well, but it did not matter. He had earned his status as a Switch. He was the one that was currently 6 out of 8. Henri still had 2 long weeks to go. More than enough time to get even more successes under his belt. He was not even worrying about Guy. If it did not work out, he would poach Calvin again on the last week. Guy could choose one of the 2 twins for their last simulations at that point.
Feeling confident, he let the week pass by. Once again, it was the appointed time for their squad to use the simulator. Calvin and Adam were having a conversation early in the morning. Henri woke up a bit later than them. After a while, it was clear they were talking about something substantial. Henri did not want to feel left out. It made him feel uncomfortable to see his friend having fun without him. He got up and made his way over. Neither of them seemed to mind since he kept quiet. All of them sat together as Calvin continued the story. This was not a funny story. It was a story about him as a child with his younger brother. It was pretty wholesome. After that, it was time for them to do their chores. Adam took his time, but Calvin still had some more story to tell, so the 3 were all going slower than usual. When they were done, it was time to go to the hangar. Xanadu was waiting for them. There was no problems until Guy and Henri got into the session. Guy sat down on the group and refused to even cooperate. "I am not doing it with you. Fabien told me to partner up with you." he said.
