Shutting Up Competition

The incident began just as we arrived at the waiting room next to the dock for Eva's Hunter Frigate.

Since the area was open enough, the interior was visible from the hallway—and with the transparent windows, her ship could be seen by anyone passing by.

I assumed the initial purpose of this setup was for publicity, but at the same time, it gave other teams a chance to "scout" their potential competition.

"Hah! What's this trash doing here, participating? Is the AGP turning into a dump yard now?!"

...And that voice, laced with ridicule, started it all.

The moment the man spoke, I turned toward him instantly, evaluating him. He was tall, roughly two meters, with a humanoid build—but his entire head was concealed by a specialized metal mask.

Extending from the back of his head were two long electrodes, their metal tips releasing violent electric sparks—almost as if they were reflecting his current, excited mental state.