Observing Duels

In an open field of an undeveloped area on the outskirts of the city, mechs of a wide assortment of different models were lined up outside the sky carriers. Aside from the carrier he rode in, there were several others being used to ferry every mech the students used. Zephyr couldn't hold back the wide grin plastered on his face as his eyes were glued onto the machines.

'From left to right, there are several Knight models of every variant! Not only that, someone has a current gen 2R-3 Ranger Mk. II! It was a highly maneuverable ranged mech that is capable of using energy rifles as well as kinetic rifles!'

All of these mechs were current gen military grade mechs of the Republic! The amateur mechs he had piloted back at home couldn't even compare. If these are all personal mechs of the rich scions that attended the academy, the mechs the academy provided shouldn't be too shabby either right? 

Zephyr balled his hand into a fist to stop it from shaking in excitement. 

'I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. I'm here to observe today. I'm not even dueling.'

After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Instructor Margaret's voice entered his ears.

"We will now begin the duels. The winner is decided either when their opponent's mech is unable to continue, or if the opponent surrenders. No lethal attacks are permitted. If we have deemed you to break this rule, you will be expelled immediately. Understood?"

""Yes ma'am!"" the students responded in unison.

"I will now call participants. In the future, there will be other instructors to monitor you so we conduct multiple duels simultaneously. For now, we will hold one duel at a time so the rest may observe."

Instructor Margaret pointed to her left. "Those who are only intending to watch, move over there. The rest of you, start up your mechs. You will be called up when it is your turn."

Zephyr made his way to the designated area, only a few students following him.

"For someone who talked so big on their first day, only watching. As expected from a spoiled brat who got in through the back door." A snarky voice said behind him.

He paused and glanced back.

Was this guy serious? 

"What are you looking at? Don't tell me you want to kick me again? Resorting to violence like a rabid dog."

If Zephyr remembered correctly, it was the tall kid he had knocked down on his first day of class. What was his name again?

'Yankee? That doesn't sound quite right. Oh well.'

Zephyr locked eyes with him for a moment, then turned and continued walking, joining the small group of students who had decided to watch.

The tall kid scoffed before making his way to one of the mechs parked near the carrier.

Zephyr watched him closely in the corner of his eye, as he boarded a medium-class mech sporting a tower shield and shotgun.

'If I recall correctly, that should be the Rioter D-3. It was a mech that specialized in armor penetration and close quarters combat due to the durability of its shield.'

Aside from being an incredibly uncommon mech, it was also extremely expensive. Hardly any military divisions utilized it due to its unreliability and high cost of operation.

Even so, it was a powerful mech with an incredibly low skill ceiling. Based on Yankee's personality, Zephyr deduced that he was someone who relied on the specs of a mech to win duels. After figuring out how easy it was to pilot the Rioter, instead of choosing a mech that suited him best, he continued to rely on a high spec, expensive mech.

Zephyr let out a long sigh.

'Yankee still has a long way to go.'

"Um, I didn't expect to see you here."

Zephyr turned to see a blond-haired girl wearing glasses beside him. Her hair was tied into a bun, one of the two hair styles being worn by the female students. She stood about a head shorter than himself, her gaze downcast making it difficult to make out the features of her face.

'Someone actually talked to me?' He thought to himself, surprised.

"Although I have a pretty good idea of your impression of me, I assure you that I'm not as arrogant and pompous as you think." Zephyr smiled.

"I have a hard time believing that," she replied weakly, turning away from him.

Zephyr scratched his head awkwardly unsure of how to respond.

"What's your name? I'm Zephyr Vael."

"I already know your name." She averted her eyes. 

"Actually, everyone knows your name. Right now, you're known as the transfer student with the lowest grades in the academy's history." She remarked softly.

For a brief moment the conversation stalled.

'Well this is awkward.'

Just as he was about to speak again, the girl straightened.

"I'm Christina Garland. Daughter of the current head of Garland Electronics."

Zephyr's eyebrows shot up. Garland Electronics was the largest provider of energy cells in the Republic! He remembered begging his father to upgrade their mech with a Garland energy cell instead of a cheap knockoff.

"I didn't realize I was talking to someone so important. I apologize if I sounded rude." Zephyr bowed politely.

Christina held up her hands hurriedly. "You don't need to be so polite. I'd much rather you talk casually with me."

She fidgeted slightly, unable to look him in the eye.

'Maybe she's not good with people,' Zephyr thought to himself.

"Is that so?" He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Christina. I hope we get along well in the future."

She took his hand hesitantly, smiling. "Likewise."

The two shifted their attention towards the open field where two mechs were already facing off against each other.

Both were medium-class mechs of the Knight mech line. Mechs from the popular Knight line were humanoid styled mechs equipping melee weapons from swords to spears and axes. Oftentimes they also have a shield equipped for different situations. Their model name 'Knight' is due to its design being heavily influenced by knights from Old Earth.

Currently on the left side, the Knight mech with blue accents equipped a spear with a lightweight guard fastened to the forearm of its left side. Zephyr nodded in approval at the student's choice. It was a loadout that was practical and focused on powerful attacks while maintaining good range of motion. 

Facing off on the opposite side was a Knight mech with orange accents equipped with a two-handed greatsword. Without a shield, normally it was expected for the armor to be a little heavier to compensate. What differed however was that the armor actually seemed even lighter than the standard Knight mech.

It was a unique loadout, geared towards speed and power. Whoever piloted the orange Knight either had extreme confidence in their skills or was testing their own limits. Regardless of the reason, Zephyr had a lot of respect for those willing to take a risk. 

"Who do you think will win?" Christina asked, her gaze still locked on the two Knights facing off against each other.

Zephyr rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That blue Knight has a much more balanced loadout. If both pilots had the same skill level, I believe the blue Knight has the edge."

"I thought so too. But the guy piloting the orange Knight is quite talented, you know?"

"Do you know him?"

"Dominic Folin. Were you listening when the instructor called out the names?"

"Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention," Zephyr chuckled dryly, scratching the back of his head embarrassed.

"Well…" She began slowly as the duel was about to commence.

"Dominic Folin was the highest ranked pilot during our academy's middle school division. With a record of 56 wins and 3 losses, most people would avoid challenging him to duels. His only losses stem from duels prohibiting melee weapons against others ranked in the top 5," Christina explained.

It wasn't difficult to deduce Dominic was a melee specialist from what Christina said. Considering how he only lost three times in ranged combat, it would be safe to assume he was quite proficient in that field as well.

'Let's just watch for now.'

"Three…two… one…begin!" Instructor Margaret's voice sounded as the two opposing mechs came to life charging towards the other.

Immediately, the blue Knight thrusted out its spear and simultaneously raised its left arm ready to guard. In response, the orange Knight turned its greatsword facing the edge to the ground using the large surface area of the blade to block the incoming thrust.

The sound of metal rang out as the two weapons collided, neither incurring significant damage. Both mechs disengaged as they began to circle one another, searching for an opening.

The students standing around him covered their eyes reflexively at the noise as Zephyr felt his body shake in excitement.

'That orange Knight…let's call him Orange for now. He's good.' 

Despite having less armor and no form of obvious defense akin to a shield, he managed to use his weapon to fend off an attack without taking any damage. The maneuver to an untrained eye seemed simple, but with metal giants weighing several tons, a single thrust of the spear could topple a building. The ability to disperse the force behind it required an incredible amount of skill.

Christina glanced at Zephyr, noticing his excitement.

"Impressive, right?"

"Very," Zephyr replied, his eyes glued to the duel.

It was completely different from the amateurs he went against back at his father's workshop. This was what he was looking for!

The two mechs engaged once more, this time orange was on the offense. Blue stepped back hastily, unwilling to engage head on. With every step Blue took, Orange advanced two steps in response. Due to the difference in weight from the armor, Dominic's mech was much faster.

'Although Blue's build is balanced, that light guard can't take a full blow from Orange's greatsword. Blue needs to be on the offensive, using its spear to keep distance.' Zephyr analyzed.

Mere seconds later, Orange had closed the gap between the mechs, reducing the effective range of Blue's spear. In a desperate last attempt, the Blue Knight swung its spear in a wide horizontal sweep in an effort to gain some distance from Dominic. As if predicting his opponent's thoughts, the Orange Knight's frame ducked, the spear missing its mark completely. The whirring noise from the Orange Knight's motors began to grow with intensity as it gripped its sword tighter and swung.

The Blue Knight was completely defenseless after it missed its strike, the greatsword digging into the gap between the torso and right leg of its opponent causing it to lose balance and fall helplessly to its side.

The entire length of the duel was no more than a few minutes.

"End of the duel! Dominic Folin is the victor!" 

Even from a distance Zephyr could hear his cohort cheer as Dominic climbed out of his mech's cockpit.

'So that's Dominic…'

He had brown hair trimmed short with a classic buzz cut and wore an honest and straightforward expression. His build was athletic, not yet bulky, but firm with well trained muscles. If Zephyr had to describe him, Dominic looked like a typical stereotypic soldier.

"Does Dominic come from a well known family too?" He asked Christina, curious.

"Most definitely. Although he doesn't come from a corporate family, the Folins have had a long military history with the Republic. Every generation, they have at least one member that has achieved the rank of general."

Zephyr switched his gaze over to the fallen mech. Currently it was being moved out of the way by other mechs managed by the academy as the cohort began to reshuffle themselves preparing for the next duel. 

The pilot manning the Blue Knight wasn't bad, but his opponent was simply too good. 

'Would I be able to win against Dominic as I am now?' Zephyr questioned himself.

He shook his head disapprovingly.

'What am I thinking about? I don't even know what mech I'll be using.'

It was indeed too soon to think about beating Dominic. Right now, Zephyr needed to prioritize staying in the academy. And to do that, he needed to continue analyzing his competition.