"Reset."
They stepped back again.
The sequence had broken.
Again.
No surprise.
No reaction.
Just repetition.
Kai stood in position.
Breathing steady.
Trying to stay focused.
Trying to correct what he could not see.
Mateo stepped forward.
Executed.
Clean.
Unchanged.
Luna followed.
Adjusted.
Maintained.
Kai stepped in.
He watched.
Waited.
Moved.
Wrong.
"Stop."
Kai stepped back.
Silence.
This time, Mateo did not move immediately.
He stayed where he was.
Facing forward.
Then he turned.
Looked directly at Kai.
"Why are you here?"
The question landed without warning.
Kai frowned.
"What?"
Mateo did not change his tone.
"Why are you in Tiger Squad?"
Kai stepped forward slightly.
"I was placed here."
"That is not what I asked."
Kai's jaw tightened.
"I'm here because I earned it."
Mateo shook his head once.
"No."
Simple.
Direct.
Final.
Kai felt it immediately.
"You passed the phase," Mateo continued.
"Acknowledged."
A pause.
"But that does not mean you belong here."
Kai stepped closer.
"I made it through."
"Barely," Mateo said.
Kai clenched his fists.
"That still counts."
Mateo held his gaze.
"It counts as survival."
Another pause.
"Not capability."
Silence.
Kai felt the pressure rise.
"I'm improving."
Mateo's response came immediately.
"Not where it matters."
Kai stepped forward again.
"I just need more time."
Mateo shook his head.
"You are costing us attempts now."
The words were sharper.
More direct.
Kai frowned.
"We're all making mistakes."
Mateo did not hesitate.
"Not equally."
That landed.
Kai felt it.
He tried to push back.
"I'm not the only problem."
Mateo nodded once.
"Correct."
A pause.
"But you are the largest one."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Kai looked away for a moment.
Then back.
"I'm fixing it."
Mateo stepped closer.
"No."
Kai's jaw tightened.
"I am."
Mateo held his gaze.
"You are reacting."
A pause.
"Not reading."
Kai did not respond immediately.
Because he knew that was true.
That made it worse.
Mateo continued.
"This squad has a ceiling."
Kai frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Mateo answered.
"It can only perform as well as its weakest link."
Kai felt that.
Clear.
Direct.
No room for interpretation.
"And right now," Mateo said, "that is you."
Kai stepped forward.
"So what, I just leave?"
Mateo's answer was immediate.
"No."
A pause.
"You either reach the level."
Or...
He did not finish the sentence.
He did not need to.
Kai understood.
Or he gets left behind.
Kai clenched his fists.
"I'm not holding you back."
Mateo did not react.
"You are."
Kai stepped closer.
"I'll prove it."
Mateo nodded once.
"You need to."
Silence.
Luna stepped forward slightly.
"Reset."
Her voice cut through the tension.
Neutral.
Controlled.
She did not take sides.
She did not intervene in the argument.
Only redirected.
They reset.
Kai stepped back into position.
His focus sharper now.
But heavier.
The words stayed.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
He was not just struggling.
He was limiting them.
Mateo turned forward again.
Focused.
Done with the conversation.
Luna returned to observation.
Unchanged.
Kai stood between them.
The gap was no longer implied.
It was stated.
Directly.
Clearly.
He did not belong.
Not yet.