The pilot matching process did not last a long ti. Once all 94 competition chs received their respective pilots, a short break ensued in order to prepare for the next phase of the tournant.
This gave the ch pilots at least half an hour of ti to familiarize themselves with the machines that had won their favor.
During this ti, the Journeyn were allowed to et with the pilots in order to explain how their chs worked and how to maximize their advantages.
After all, it wouldn't do for the chs to trip on their feet or misfire their weapons in mid-battle.
As Ves moved to the backstage area where all of the chs and ch pilots were temporarily placed, he briefly studied the profile of the fellow who picked his lancer ch over the three other ones.
The difference in strength between all of the ch pilots wasn't that big, but Ves already took a liking for Gregory Haloscar.
The man was 37 years old. Though he was younger than many other strong ch pilots, he possessed a sufficient amount of experience and training to propel him to the forefront among his colleagues in the tournant.
The man originally grew up from the galactic heartland and lived there for most of his life. After graduating from his ch academy, he imdiately got accepted into one of the security companies that operated under the umbrella of Hysphalin Industries.
After years of loyal service, he was randomly invited to beco a part of the huge migration wave to the Red Ocean. That was how he ended up in the new frontier.
Though Gregory Haloscar was rely a company grunt, he was still a diligent ch pilot who took his training seriously and kept polishing his skills every day. Though lancer ch specialists like him didn't have many opportunities to put their abilities to use in actual battles, he had volunteered to take part in nurous ch duels and competitive events like these. He recognized that it was important for him to confront real chs piloted by actual humans in order to keep his fighting instincts sharp!
This was especially important to lancer ch pilots who were expected to charge straight into the enemy! If they beca more hesitant or grew rusty, then they were no good anymore with lancer chs!
Once Ves understood the background of Gregory Haloscar, he floated upwards and approached the cockpit of his newly-made ch.
Like any enthusiastic ch pilot, Gregory had imdiately entered the cockpit of his chosen ch at the first possible opportunity.
"Hello, Mr. Haloscar."
"Ah, Mr. Larkinson. You've built a fine ch." The man generously praised. "I have to admit that I originally had my eye on a lancer ch developed by another tournant participant, but this lancer ch… now that I've co close to it, I was glad I listened to my instincts. Why is this ch making feel so strange and welco?!"
"That's what I call a glow. It's one of the auxiliary features of my living chs."
"Pardon? What did you just say?"
It figured that Gregory would respond like this. There was no reason for a random stranger from the galactic heartland to know anything about glows and living chs.
Ves proceeded to give the bewildered ch pilot a crash course on living chs and glows. He tried to condense his explanations as much as possible, but Gregory still had a lot of questions.
"I still don't know why an object like a ch could be alive as you and I." The man scratched his head. "And what do glows have to do with this, anyway?"
The continued lack of understanding prompted Ves to smack his palm against his face.
"Just interface with your ch and feel it for yourself. I designed the Pontifical Lance with newcors to living chs like you in mind. I've added nurous accommodations to this ch that should help you get up to speed on its most important features. Rember that you must treat your ch with respect and that you should be open to its ssage. I can promise you that you'll be able to show much greater strength in battle as long as you are in sync with your ch."
"Is that truly the case?"
Ves grinned. "Just trust on this. My design specialization is taphysical man-machine symbiosis. I know more than any other ch designer in this tournant on how to bring ch pilots closer to their chs."
Despite Gregory's obvious skepticism, he was willing to give it a shot. In any case, he settled for this specific ch over alternatives because he felt good about it in so indescribable way. A part of him just felt that this machine could give him the recognition that he craved.
Company personnel like him generally lived stable and boring lives. Compared to going rcenary or entering into the military, working for the security departnt of a normal company was a low-risk career.
While the probability of dying was much lower to Gregory, the lack of combat and the long days of boring training and guard duty could grind down any ch pilot. It took a great amount of effort for company ch pilots to stay motivated and push their strength further.
If they stopped improving after a point, they would probably retire without accomplishing anything significant in their careers!
This was why Ves did not have to worry that Gregory would only do a perfunctory job. Every ch pilot in this event wanted to do their best to stand out and receive greater attention from their superiors!
Soon enough, the Pontifical Lance ca online. The company ch pilot began to receive his first proper introduction to living chs.
This was an incredibly magical experience to soone who had never been exposed to Ves' work before.
"Wow. I couldn't imagine how a ch can be alive when it isn't a bioch, but now I'm convinced!"
Ves floated backwards as he sensed his ch reaching out to Gregory Haloscar. The two made tentative contact. The lancer ch did not overwhelm its ch pilot with everything right away, but instead conveyed its distinctive features one step at a ti.
This was a fitting approach for a ch designed with the the of Prophetic Guidance in mind. The Pontifical Lance was developed with the need to provide active assistance to the ch pilot.
"So far, so good."
Ves could sense that Gregory Haloscar did not reject the entreaties of his own ch. Even though everything he experienced was all new and unexpected, he did not exhibit any serious rejection.
"Good."
As long as there was an opening, any living ch could build a rapport with its own ch pilot! This was a pattern that Ves had witnessed too many tis to count.
Out of all of his living chs, the Pontifical Lance was the best at winning over strangers!
Ves originally wanted to call his competition ch the Friendly Reminder, but he rejected it because it sounded too cuddly unrelated to battle.
If he wanted to attract a strong ch pilot and put him in the right mindset, he needed to give his ch a more ostentatious na that conveyed a certain degree of power.
Though Ves was sure he could have co up with sothing better than 'Pontifical Lance', it t all of his requirents. Not only did it sound stately and powerful, it also alluded to its religious undertones.
As Gregory and many other ch pilots quickly learned what their chosen chs were capable of, the High Tide Tournant finally entered its most exciting phase!
The first chs were being called to enter the transford arena that had been especially prepared to host multiple matches at the sa ti.
In order to make sure that the High Tide Tournant ended in a single day, it was necessary to hold multiple matches at once.
One of the consequences of this decision was that the effective space for each duel was a lot less than it could have been. This explained why only four of the competition entries were lancer chs. The relatively cramped arena spaces were just too limiting towards this ch type.
Ves and his other competitors all moved to a special elevated spectating platform in order to see all of the competition chs in action.
Four different duels started at the sa ti. At first glance, most of the competition chs were fairly good in their own way. Ves was not sure if his lancer ch was able to co out on top against three of them. One was another lancer ch that possessed thicker armor while the other one was a powerful kinetic gunner that was able to fire strong, obstructive nets.
Only one of them caused Ves to feel so much dread that he knew his lancer ch couldn't stand a chance against this monster.
[Just look at the Phazeon dance! This light marauder ch is making a complete mockery of the opposing light skirmisher! Although the Zima Fang does possess a surprising amount of mobility for its weight class, the Phazeon is just a bit faster and more agile.]
[That's not the strongest aspect of the Phazeon. Have you noticed how the Zima Fang has attempted to perform risky maneuvers in order to trade blow for blow? While I admire the guts of its ch pilot, each ti the Zima Fang's daggers strike against the surface of the Phazeon, the weapons just sink halfway into the surprisingly flexible armor plating before going no further!]
[As expected of a machine designed by Katien Tievos. Although it might not be obvious due to her decision to develop a light ch, she is actually a defensive specialist. Her expertise in designing semi-fluid armor systems is being put to good use here. While ordinary light chs are vulnerable against any form of attacks from chs, the Phazeon is a clear exception! Against any opposing machine without a strong form of attack, this resilient light marauder ch is practically assured of victory!]
Ves and many other ch designers threw a glance at one of the six ch designers standing at the front of this spectating platform.
As a centrist, Katien Tievos possessed a lot more advantages than many of the other Journeyn. Ves could already see from the Phazeon that its design was simply more refined than his own work.
However, he was glad to see that its construction was actually rather unremarkable. Though Miss Tievos certainly possessed a great amount of skill in fabrication, she was not as abnormal as Ves when it ca to producing a high-quality ch.
"Does it actually matter?"
A better design conveyed a lot more obvious strengths to a ch than a good construction. At this level of competition, it was impossible for soone like Katien Tievos to produce an awful ch. As long as it worked as intended, that was already enough!
The first round of matches ended fairly quickly. As expected, there was no suspense in the outco between the Phazeon and the Zima Fang.
Ves sympathized with the designer of the latter. The Zima Fang not only had the bad luck to match against a ch designed by a centrist, but also happened to fight against another light ch!
Confrontations between light chs often devolved into a contest between speed and other performance paraters. There were very few ways the Zima Fang could have co out on top against such an excellent opponent.
If the ch pilot of the Zima Fang was a lot better than the ch pilot of the Phazeon, then the match might have ended differently.
It was too bad that the opposite was the case. The stronger competition chs were generally paired with the stronger ch pilots! This resulted in a clearer division between the weak and the strong.
The High Tide Tournant was set up in a way that made it less likely for the forr to overco the latter!
This was definitely concerning to Ves. He deeply hoped his Pontifical Lance wouldn't get matched up against another strong opponent.
Once the partitioned arenas were cleaned up, the next round of matches were announced.
Ves suddenly jerked when he heard the na of his own ch.
[In the third arena, Ves Larkinson's Pontifical Lance shall duel against Ereben Seinlin's Dominant!]
"Noo!"
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