On the second day of practice, Xiao joined the other two pilots in the Mech Pilot Academy simulation wing. They were provided with MTS uploaded with their mech information. The first day was meant for a practical session that allowed the three of them to get familiar with each other in actual match conditions. They would spend all of their second day virtually to cut down on the costs, especially when it came to rarer subcomponents that were harder to replace. From what she heard, Zander’s mech lost an arm with some expensive subcomponents after her mech was incapacitated.

“I’ve already set up multiple scenarios to serve as our practice stage,” said Huxley. “I’ve used possible templates of the opponents we’re facing so it will hopefully get us more prepared.”

Xiao definitely felt disappointed with the MTS combat simulation. It simply couldn’t compare to the real thing, especially after her combat with Zanders where both sides had a fierce battle to see who was eliminated first. The AI was too predictable and couldn’t make full use of their loadouts. Still, she couldn’t deny that Huxley put a lot of work into it. While the loadouts were determined through observation, the young woman could already envision what the mechs were designed for.

If only the simulated mechs lasted long enough for me to try out things…

Both Huxley and Zanders agreed that AIs didn’t pose any threat so the three pilots took turns fighting as the enemy mech. Through combat and discussion, the group came up with a few strategies for the upcoming battle.

“Do you think our opponents will do the same?”

“Unlikely,” said Zander before he took a sip of his energy drink.

Huxley explained that teamwork was unlikely because, for whatever reason, their opponents came from rival pilot academies that hated each other’s guts. He didn’t know how they organized the match but such was the reality. If those pilots lacked teamwork during the match, then their odds of winning should be that much higher.

“I can deal with all three of them easily,” boasted Zander.

“Until you meet another Xiao,” replied Huxley.

Xiao thought the two of them would get into a fight but Zander actually backed down.

Maybe he’s reasonable after all. Just a little arrogant at times.

The three of them spent the entire night discussing how to better fight the upcoming battle. Xiao was shocked at how little she knew as the other two pilots were extremely knowledgeable. Huxley was kind enough to explain everything she didn’t know and Zander was somehow not expressing his impatience over every little pause. When they left the simulation wing, Xiao was saddened by how quickly everything ended. This was exactly what she envisioned as a mech pilot where she was surrounded by competent pilots who could teach her much. They then went to their respective residence on the campus and wouldn’t meet again until the day of the match.

Can’t wait to see them again! Should be a fun match!

Xiao checked her phone and, to her surprise, there was a message for her. Except for her father who wouldn’t message her until after the match, she had no one else who would bother. She opened the message, noting that the sender was one of the friends she messaged in the cafe. Knowing that she couldn’t sleep without reading the message, she opened it.

<

Hey Xiao,

I’m surprised to see you reaching out to me! It’s been so long that I was certain you forgot all about me. As for me, life can be better as I recently got laid off. Want to meet at the cafe for old times sake? We haven't gone there for a long time, haven't we?

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Regards,

Lei

>

Xiao immediately replied back to the message, hoping her friend could make it in two days. Any time later would be too close to the match and she didn’t need more distractions by then. Seconds after she sent the message, Lei replied that the time worked for her. Excited to see her friend again, the young woman laid down on her bed with a big smile on her face. Then, sleep embraced her.

__________

Xiao picked the same corner table as the one she sat with her father. With some time to kill, she rehearsed how she should talk to Lei. She knew too well the feelings one went through after a layoff. The job market wasn’t getting any easier as there were too many people competing for the few open positions. She tried a few different conversations in her head but they all felt cold, as though she was merely speaking to a stranger. A few attempts later, she gave up and chose to just follow the flow of the conversation. She hoped that she wouldn't make it awkward, especially when mechs took up all of her attention in the last couple of weeks. Then, she saw Lei and waved her hand, getting her friend’s attention.

“I’m sorry about your layoff,” said Xiao. “I was recently laid off too.”

“So we’re in the same boat?”

“Not quite.”

Xiao shared her time at Zavaso and her time as a pilot. By the time she finished, she noticed that Lei became a fangirl whose eyes simply glowed after hearing her story. Realizing that she spent too much time on herself, she asked Lei what she was doing before getting laid off.

“I never got a chance to be a pilot so I pivoted into graphical design for our marketing team. We were doing well but the company went bankrupt from a single match. Now, I’m just trying to find a place that’s willing to take me. As you can see, it's not going that well.”

Lei took a deep breath before asking Xiao if Zavaso was hiring someone with graphical design skills. The young woman understood why her friend was worried. The two of them worked to become pilots which was a very niche field. If their dreams didn’t work out, they either had to go to school for different certification or they could work at a minimum wage job for the rest of their lives. Lei might have experience with graphical design but her lack of certification and lack of a good portfolio would eliminate any chance of an interview.

“Let me check,” said Xiao.

As soon as Vesna said there could be an opening, Xiao took Lei to her office. The three of them were in Vesna’s room where Lei’s evaluation took place. The little girl brought up Xiao’s website, stating that Lei needed to improve its overall aesthetics without moving away from the theme. An hour later, Xiao was impressed by what Lei did in such a short time. She didn't know her friend had such artistic skills.

“Can you start tomorrow?” asked Vesna. “We can provide you with a room in the office and food while you work for us. You’ll also get to watch Xiao’s matches live for free, sometimes at the actual arena.”

“Yes!”

Lei embraced Xiao and kept thanking her. Embarrassed, Xiao told her friend that she would reciprocate the gesture as well. Once Lei filled out all the paperwork, Xiao told her friend to go back and pack up all her things. After Lei left, Xiao thanked Vesna for giving her friend a chance.

“You got it wrong, Xiao. I didn’t give her the position because she was your friend. I picked her because she’s actually good at her job. I was very impressed!”

When she returned to her room, Xiao hoped that her other two friends also replied. However, she had no more messages. She prayed that they would be alright before going to the mechbay. She had learned a lot from Huxley about MTS setup so she spent the rest of the day changing parameters to suit her needs. Her goal was to further master zigzagging her mech using jump jets. As shown on the second day, Huxley was able to make his zigzag nearly impossible to predict, allowing him to dodge nearly all attacks from almost point range. Xiao knew that, if she could achieve that, then she could get close reliably to use the flamers to their maximum potential.

I know for a fact that most people will panic if a mech with flamers charge at it.

Xiao also invested time in addressing her response to pressure. As she learned from her practice matches, she had a bad habit of closing her eyes when things get dicey. As a pilot, she had to keep her eyes open at all times so she could respond accordingly to the situation. To do so, she purposely had herself outnumbered so she could not only force herself to stay calm but she could also properly evaluate unfavorable situations to come up with a plan. The young woman admitted that she was ambitious but, bit by bit, she felt she was making progress, however small that progress might be.