The Mech Touch Chapter 4076 Training Results

Chapter 4076 Training Results

As Hopecrest ch Academy continued to embrace their War Squires, its ch cadets started to make a na for themselves.

Whenever they competed against each other in both formal and informal competitions in a virtual practice setting, the Hopecrest cadets quickly started to win more battles.

The improvent was not that obvious at first. Even though Mickey and the rest mainly relied on the MSTS to conduct their simulation training, they could not use it to connect to conventional virtual training environnts.

The cadets were all forced to hop inside their old and shabby simulator pods in order to compete in the periodic virtual exchange sessions.

It was only after a couple of months had passed that the Unicum Group finally spent a portion of its limited budget on acquiring a batch of newer simulator pods.

The group was able to save a lot of money because it no longer had to invest in new training chs.

Once the ch cadets of Hopecrest ch Academy were no longer handicapped in terms of technology, they started to show off their newly-acquired skills properly whenever they competed against their peers from the other ch academies!

Although most colonists on Maylard II considered these inter-academy exchanges and competitions to be playful distractions, the leaders of the L9 Alliance paid closer attention to the results.

They did not forget the fact that the Red Ocean was a dangerous frontier. Although the alliance had tried its best to hide from all of these troubles by colonizing a remote and relatively resource-poor star system, trouble might knock on its doors eventually.

If not for the fact that it took a lot of ti and funding to build up their colony settlents, they would have invested even more in building up their ard forces!

While the L9 Alliance was unable to strengthen its defenses at this early stage, it did not lose perspective of the future.

The ch academies played a vital role in training strong and qualified ch cadets to serve as loyal soldiers in the future.

Previously, the alliance treated the students of Hopecrest ch Academy as a lost cause, but the changes that recently took place caused everyone on Maylard II to change their prior impressions.

Among the nine local ch academies, Hopecrest started to rise from the bottom!

This beca especially galling to the cadets who attended larger ch academies that were much better funded and equipped!

The opponents that the cadets of Hopecrest wanted to beat the most were the smug students of Clear River ch Academy.

Unlike Centire Hill, Ulrton was large and prosperous. The group behind this colony settlent managed to reach the Maylard System without losing any ships and cargo, so the colonists did not suffer from any critical shortages when they built up their frontier city.

Clear River enrolled almost three tis more ch cadets as Hopecrest and also possessed much more comprehensive training systems, at least initially. The ch cadets from Ulrton were able to train and polish their skills with decent training chs and modern simulator pods for a longer ti.

Yet no matter how much cadets who attended Clear River practiced with their ordinary training chs, they found it progressively harder to beat their rivals from Hopecrest.

Many people found this to be difficult to accept! Ulrton was the second-largest settlent on Maylard II while Centire Hill was smaller and poorer!

Two years after Hopecrest received a donation from the Larkinson Veteran Foundation, Mickey Lankos and many of his fellow cadets had undergone drastic changes.

As Mickey beca 15 years old, he grew taller and heavier. He also carried himself with a lot more confidence due to his consistently high performance during his practical lessons.

As he and his fellow Hopecrest cadets hopped into the recently-acquired simulator pods, he showed no fear or hesitation when he was assigned to duel against a Clear River cadet.

Two different virtual chs appeared onto a simple grassy plain.

The virtual ch that Mickey had chosen to pilot for this duel was a generic second-class rifleman ch.

"I really wish I could pilot a War Squire or at least another LMC ch."

Unfortunately, he and the other ch cadets could only choose from a limited selection of basic machines that were suitable for beginner pilots. While the available choices were more powerful than training chs, they were far behind in terms of power and comfort.

Despite these differences, Mickey did not find it troubleso to control his machine.

The sensor system of his rifleman ch already spotted his opponent.

An identical rifleman ch had already started to open fire several kiloters away!

None of the incoming laser beams struck their mark as Mickey's ch hastily bowed and hid behind a low hill.

By using the existing terrain features as cover, Mickey was able to fire back while keeping him mostly safe.

Not much happened after the initial exchange of fire. The problem was that both sides adopted the sa conservative tactic, thereby achieving little else but burning and heating up a lot of dirt.

Both Mickey and the cadet from Clear River knew that they had to move closer and gain a favorable angle in order to make more progress.

That required them to expose their chs, however! If any of them got caught in the open, then they would likely invite hits without being able to retaliate!

Usually, a standoff like this turned into a waiting ga. The opposing ranged chs should ordinarily continue to take potshots at each other while hiding behind until their energy reserves or the ti limit compelled them to take risks.

Mickey did not abide by this convention.

As soon as he noticed that they had fallen into this pattern, he took the initiative to break it first by commanding his virtual ch to jump out of cover and sprint forward as fast as possible!

"What!"

The cadet from Clear River was initially surprised, then elated when his opponent's ch appeared in the open!

The Clear River ch fired its laser rifle at the exposed target, only for most of its shots to miss or only land glancing blows!

"Hold still, damnit! How are you able to juke so much while still remaining upright?!"

At their ages, the ch cadets had all beco decent shots if they focused on marksmanship training, but they were not yet proficient in hitting chs that were performing evasive maneuvers.

What frustrated the Clear River cadet the most was that Mickey's rifleman ch was making use of nurous advanced movent skills than normal.

While this made it so that the approaching rifleman ch was constantly on the verge of losing its balance and falling flat on its stomach, its pilot just so happened to make the right moves to keep it balanced!

What was even more amazing was that Mickey managed to maintain the balance of his virtual ch on rough and uneven terrain!

"I refuse to believe I can't take you down before you get close!" The opposing ch pilot roared!

Yet try as he might, he continually misjudged and missed his shots. The few hits he managed to land were mostly lucky accidents that he wasn't able to repeat on a consistent basis.

This wouldn't have happened if he was older and more practiced, but at this ti his frequent misses caused him to beco less stable in his attacks.

He beca so consud by his struggle to hit the mobile rifleman ch that he did not notice that the opposing machine had already co close enough to circle around the hill his rifleman ch was hiding behind!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Laser beams seared through the air and struck the rifleman ch that was hastily lifting itself up on its feet.

Unlike the shaky and inconsistent attacks from the Clear River ch, the rifleman ch controlled by Mickey consistently struck the sa target!

Three laser beams seared through the protective plating covering the left knee joint of the Clear River ch.

While the cadet in control of the distressed machine at least managed to react quickly enough by turning its fra and using its undamaged leg as a shield, that only prompted Mickey to aim his ch's rifle at the other joint!

Both virtual chs struck each other with laser beams. Though they tried their best to remain as elusive as possible, the pilot of the Clear River ch was not only behind in movent skills, but also lost his cool due to the setbacks he suffered.

Although Mickey's rifleman ch eventually suffered a breach in its armor as a couple of laser beams penetrated a section that had already been damaged during the approach, the machine was at least able to remain standing.

The sa could not be said for the Clear River ch. The machine helplessly tipped over and fell onto its back after laser beams literally lted through both of its knees.

It was not difficult to determine who had won this duel after that.

"Mickey Lankos has won. That is one additional point for Hopecrest!"

Mickey's classmates cheered but did not exhibit much surprise when they heard this result. They had long known that Mickey was fiendishly difficult to beat in ranged combat!

In the end, Hopecrest won the friendly exchange yet again when its cadets won over two-thirds of the simulated duels.

When all of the cadets erged from the simulator pods and patted each other on their backs, Mickey was only mildly satisfied with his victory.

"This is just a ga to us. There's no aning in these fights." He muttered and shook his head.

He dread of participating in real battles where his life and the lives of his comrades were at stake. He continued to think fondly of how he 'fought' alongside the Larkinsons and destroyed many dwarven chs during the Battle of Fordilla Zentra.

That was a real battle!

Even the AI-controlled opponents in the MSTS were more challenging and stimulating to fight against than the kids from the other mach academies. To Mickey, the differences in skill and effective performance beca greater and greater with each passing month.

When Mickey attended Hopecrest the next day and finally received an opportunity to train with the MSTS again, he eagerly hopped inside Rabarber and initiated a connection right away.

Unlike before, the cadet did not enter a simulated room where he could choose his training scenario.

Instead, he ended up in a strange gallery that not only looked incredibly expensive but also featured rows of chs and statues.

Each of them exuded a sensation that Mickey was quite familiar with. Their glows seed to turn the gallery into a sacred temple that must never be profaned!

"Good morning, Cadet Mickey." Little Five's familiar electronic voice sounded.

The tiny golden ch appeared on the cadet's shoulder and sat on it like a bench.

"Hello, Little Five. What is this all about?"

"I have good news for you. Ever since you started to train with Rabarber and our MSTS, we have constantly tracked your performance and rate of improvent. While your starting point was rather low, we have personally witnessed how quickly you mastered the skills necessary to beco a proficient ranged ch pilot."

"All of that is thanks to you and the other Little Spirits." Mickey gratefully stated. "I wouldn't have improved so quickly without your lessons and advice."

"You don't need to act modest, cadet. We have instructed many ch cadets since the War Squire went on sale, but your diligence and persistence is notable even when we compare you to the students who attend better ch academies. This is also why I pulled you into this gallery. You see, your overall performance has reached a threshold that makes you qualified to receive a new and promising opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

Little Five grinned as he jumped from Mickey's shoulder and floated towards the statue of the giant golden cat.

"The Larkinson Clan formally wishes to offer a special scholarship to you, Cadet Mickey. If you choose to accept our scholarship, we will bring you over to the Davute System and enroll you into our exclusive ch academy on Davute VII, the First Star ch Academy. There, we will cover all of the expenses associated with attending it until you graduate. How is that an opportunity?"

Mickey completely froze.