While waiting in the break room for the other two pilots to show up, Xiao checked the upcoming match summary again.
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Match Type: Casual
Mech Weight Class Allowed: Light Mechs only
Format: 3 versus 3
Arena: Casual Standard
Win Condition: All opposing mechs can no longer continue combat
Attendance: 6000
Salvage Reward: 6
>
The upcoming match had the most spectators out of all her matches and it still paled to the attendance of a small tournament match. Luckily, the salvage reward was decent with two per mech organization. Because this was three mech organizations working together, there was agreement that the pilots should have two days of practice sessions to get to know each other better. Xiao chose to arrive early so she wouldn’t be the one to hold the others up. Ten minutes after her arrival, the second pilot arrived.
“How are you doing?” said the man who offered his hand. “I’m Huxley! I’m a new pilot with a 3-0-0 record and I pilot the mantis mech.”
“Hi! I’m doing fine! And you? I’m Xiao and I have a 2-0-0 record with my ant mech.”
In the back of Xia’s mind, she was quite shocked to see someone pilot the mantis mech with an undefeated record. Mantis mechs were known for their close combat capabilities. Given that most weapons used by light mechs were close range, a melee mech was a challenge for anyone who wished to master it.
“How do you do it? I heard that a mantis, with its limited armor, struggles to get solid hits in without being ripped to shreds.”
“I’ll demonstrate later but the short answer is that I use jump jets.”
Xiao and Huxley then discussed each other’s fighting style when the third pilot arrived late. The man tossed his bag onto the ground before walking over.
“Two nobodies? I guess it’s better having two fodders as allies than fighting one versus three.”
Xiao immediately had a dislike of the man. His attitude and body language screamed how superior he felt compared to others. Huxley went up to shake hands but the man refused to return the gesture.
“Don’t waste my time here! Here’s the rule! Call me boss as I call the shots! Don’t get in my way and you get another win! Got it?”
Without another word, the man walked out of the room, claiming that he had more important matters to attend to. Xiao wasn’t sure how she should approach this matter so she turned to Huxley.
“We’ll see his skills later in the practice. If he is as good as he is, then we’ll support him.”
“Doesn’t he make you frustrated? He acts like we’re nobodies.”
“He’s not wrong though. We might both be undefeated but we faced mostly new pilots who are also unproven. Once we face good pilots, we might realize the gap between ourselves and them.”
For the next hour, Huxley spoke about the cruel reality all mech pilots faced as they looked to gain a spot in the tournaments. Pilot careers were on a timer as those with fifty matches and no tournament spot were forced into retirement. Once retired, the individual could no longer be a pilot anymore. To gain a spot, a pilot had to win enough matches for a chance at the relegation matches. For small fries like them, a chance alone seemed nearly out of reach given how many pilots were fighting for those same spots. Therefore, one relied on any advantage given to them as long as one didn’t cheat.
“When you think about it, luck is also a tool available to pilots. If you get an easy win due to a powerful ally, you don’t complain about it either. The free win might net you some good salvage that can get you further in the competition.”
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“I agree with your outlook but I still don’t like that guy very much.”
“Like or dislike, we’re fighting to win together. Never forget that we leave our emotions out of the matches so we can perform at our best!”
The duo then got changed before making their way to their respective mechbay. For the practice session, they were using one of the practice facilities at the Mech Pilot Academy. The Mech Pilot Academy was one of the top academies for up and coming pilots and only those with wealth and status could send their kids to attend. The academy stated that over half of its students make it into the tournaments which was higher than the other academies. Xiao wasn’t sure how they got access but she had a feeling that at least one of the mech organizations had the right connections.
“What academy did you attend?” asked Huxley.
“I…I didn’t attend any academies. I got through the entrance academy and worked my way up.”
The young woman steeled herself as she waited for Huxley’s response. In the mech pilot circles, she was known as an Outcast. Outcasts were those who never attended academies because their background didn’t afford them so. According to the latest stats, Outcasts made up one percent of those who obtained a tournament spot. Statistically, her odds were incredibly small and she would be made fun of for it.
“That’s pretty impressive,” replied Huxley. “I hope we can both make it as mech pilots in the tournaments!”
The man offered his hand and his smile was actually genuine. Xiao took the hand.
“Don’t get mad when I beat you!”
The two exchanged a laugh before they proceeded further into the academy. As they approached their mechbays, they could already see the crowds of students gathering in the hallways. It wasn’t unnatural for students to watch practice sessions of existing pilots. This was an excellent chance for them to gauge their abilities and scout out possible competition. As soon as the two of them showed up in their pilot suits, they got all the attention of the students.
“Huxley! You’re back! We get to see you practice, right?”
In an instant, the two of them were surrounded by female students who all vied to get Huxley’s attention. Xiao had to struggle to get herself out of the crowd. Seeing that the man wasn’t going anytime soon, she chose to meet up with her group first.
I shouldn’t be surprised that he came from an academy. No outcast is foolish enough to pick the mantis.
As soon as she entered the mechbay, Xiao got to work by checking her ant mech with Wattan. The two of them went through all the checks, noting that the mech was ready for combat. This might be a practice session but they were treating it seriously.
“Are you alright, missus?”
“I’m nervous! Huxley came from the academy and I suspect the same goes for the other pilot. How big is the gap between them and me?”
“If you are defeated already, then that gap cannot be overcome.” Wattan stood up to stretch. “My advice is to not worry about winning and losing. Yes, your record matters. However, your record means nothing if you cannot compete with the best. Learn and improve. You’ll get knocked down over and over like all pilots. The best pilots are those who get back up every time! This is also a practice session so treat it as much.”
“Thanks, Wattan! I won’t let the gap stop me from becoming the very best!”
“Good! Time to put that experimental flamer to good use! I expect to see a good practice session!” Wattan turned around but he stopped. “Don’t worry about the repairs! I’ve seen much worse!”
Xiao did one last check on her loadout, eager to try the new template Twan made. She specifically looked at her weapons.
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Component: Left Arm
Armor: 40/40
Structure: 20
Subcomponent(s):
Upper Arm [Basic gear that makes up an arm, 1 Slot]
Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
Small Laser [2 Damage, +2 Heat per use, 2 Slots]
>
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Component: Left Torso
Armor: 40/40
Structure: 20
Subcomponent(s):
2x Flamer Ammo (Basic) [Contains 20 ammo, Can explode for up to 5 Heat, 2 Slot]
Experimental Flamer [0 Damage, +2 Heat to target per 2 seconds, 1 Ammo consumed per 10 seconds, 2 Slot]
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Component: Right Arm
Armor: 40/40
Structure: 20
Subcomponent(s):
Upper Arm [Basic gear that makes up an arm, 1 Slot]
3x Light Machine Gun Ammo (Basic) [Contains 50 ammo, Can explode for up to 5 damage, 1 Slot]
Light Machine Gun [1 Damage, +10% Critical Chance, 2 Ammo consumed per shot, 1 Slot]
>
I need to keep my flamer a secret until I get a clear shot. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what format we are doing for this practice session. A free for all can get messy since I’m obviously the weakest among the three. I better prepare for an early exit.
With her preparations done, Xiao headed out to the practice field with her mech.