by R. H. Tang
Had Seedster known?
You weren't allowed you to change your Ace unit after locking in for mini-game day, which meant he must have completed his machine before entering the pod. Had he guessed that the first stage was a race?
Julian had no idea what the mini-game Selection percentages were. For competition matches, Julian had already memorized the rates various stages like Cityscape, Beach, or Void would appear.
Was race just a common type of challenge? It was certainly one of the most iconic.
Julian's hands tightened against his triggers as he quickly formulated a plan. The first thirty seconds of the race were a grace period where no player was allowed to use offensive attacks. He had to get the largest lead possible then destroy Seedster with his bazooka. Even if his opponent escaped with his Overdrive, it wouldn't last for the entire circuit.
In the absolute worst-case scenario, Julian could wait for Seedster to lap him, and then gun him down before continuing. That would leave Birthday as his only viable competition.
The match began, and Julian streaked forward. His Mech started off running on the ground, using the boosters to increase his speed rather than taking flight. Birthday tried jumping over him, but it was a waste of time. The Guardian X couldn't grab a significant lead. Cityscape was just too cramped of a stage.
The rocket streaked far ahead of the rest of them, using the grace period to its full ability. The launcher looked nasty, but Julian knew he'd win if it came to a fight.
As it'd done in the competitive matches, Phillips's machine started by staying still. It might have been a good move in a battle, but it was a horrible choice in a race. Strangely, the two standard Guardian X units shifted around her instead of taking off. A faint inkling of curiosity tickled the back of Julian's brain, but he shoved it out of his mind.
It didn't matter.
He had other things to worry about for now.
He and Birthday's speedy Guardian X were neck and neck, touching the first and second checkpoints within seconds of each other. Just when it felt like he was gaining on Seedster, the skilled pilot immediately activated his Overdrive boost, soaring past the third and fourth checkpoints in moments.
Julian eased his triggers forward a little further. If he had to guess, he was still a bit faster than the Guardian X, but not enough to make a big difference. The match would come down to whoever was the better pilot—whoever could do a better job of dodging through the city.
Immediately before the peace timer ran out, Julian saw an opportunity. Carefully staying low to the ground, he turned and edged towards the right, streaking through a narrow alley that cut straight through two streets and emerged at the third checkpoint. Too late, Birthday veered wildly, hoping to cut Julian off and take the shortcut for himself, but there was nothing he could do.
Julian grinned. His work had paid off. It was a good thing that Dynamic was known for his skills on Cityscape. While studying to beat him, Julian had memorized every single shortcut.
Julian burst through the corridor and tagged the third checkpoint. When he was halfway to the fourth, the scattered noise of beam bullets forced him to turn around. Julian twisted and spun his machine from side to side to avoid the spray of Birthday's pistols.
His imperfect dodge helped Birthday gain some more, but Julian had a trick up his sleeve. He took one quick look at the map, memorizing exactly where he was. Then, without turning around, he slapped his smoke grenade against the nearest wall.
Gray smoke billowed through the air. The thunk of Birthday's Mech crashing through a wall was one of the most satisfying noises Julian had ever heard.
He spun his Mech around and raised his beam bazooka.
Birthday was stuck one of the office buildings on the far corner.
Julian fired four times in rapid succession, one for each building. If Julian collapsed the whole thing on him, he'd get eliminated. It was worth slowing down to destroy his second biggest rival.
There was an enormous explosion. Birthday was so frustrated that Julian could hear the thunk of him slamming his hand against the dashboard even through the virtual reality headset.
The destruction of his machine immediately pushed him all the way down to a sixth-place finish.
Julian whirled around and continued his dogged pursuit of the blazing red rocket. With his only other competitor in the race destroyed, all Julian had to do was pass Seedster, and then first place was his.
Julian crossed the fifth checkpoint, a towering skyscraper with a prominent ballroom at the top.
Seedster was rounding out his first lap.
His Mech was still glowing bright red, indicating that the Kingbreaker's signature Overdrive bonus was still active. Overclock provided a sharp increase to speed and maneuverability, but it wouldn't last forever.
Julian pulled up his status screen and examined the rocket's statistics.
- General Data -
Pilot: Seedster
Machine: Rocket Gamma
Class: Kingbreaker
Sub-class: Wild
Designation: Ace Unit
- Statistics -
Melee: C-tier
Shooting: S-tier
Speed: S-tier
Maneuverability: S-tier
Defense: B-tier
Cohesion: S-tier
- Parts -
Movable Shield (Full Custom) [x2]
Hyper Destruction Launcher (Full Custom)
- Abilities -
N/A [Kingbreaker]
Julian's current Mech was around the middle-half of the S-tier. Even assuming that Seedster's was in the upper limits of the S-tier, his current speed could only be explained by a single factor. Julian took a closer look then saw it.
Based on the slight fizzling Julian observed at the end of the rocket's thrusters, it seemed like Seedster was making a critical mistake.
Rather than carefully controlling his Overdrive usage, he was using it all up immediately. Using Overclock at maximum speed would only last for about two and three minutes. It was only used for melee Kingbreakers to charge a position.
Using Overclock at 100% speed frayed your Mech's thrusters and caused long-lasting damage. As a general rule of thumb, it was far better to remain at around 80% usage. It lasted longer and was far safer. Patient play would have allowed Seedster to complete the vast majority of the race with his critical boost active. Now, the rocket's performance would be sharply decreased as soon as the boost ended.
Seedster's boost had only given him a small advantage. Speeding through the first map without using shortcuts had only put him three checkpoints ahead of Julian. At best, Overlock probably would only last for another lap or two.
The starting line came back into view as Julian rounded the next corner.
"What?"
The bizarre sight shattered his focus. He barely caught himself before he crashed into a wall. Phillips and the other two machines hadn't left the start point.
The Power of Nine had spawned four thrusters—two at the shoulders and two at the ankles. The boost packs were similar to Julian's own but increased Speed even further at the expense of Maneuverability. The choice between the arm-mounted rocket boosters and Phillips's spread-out set of four came down to pilot preference.
Her Mech was perfect for a race, but it hadn't escaped the starting point. Leontime's burly Guardian X had the frail machine in a headlock.
In hindsight, Julian realized what must have happened. The other two machines had abused the peacekeeping effects of the grace period to lock her in position. As soon as the timer ended, they'd grabbed onto her.
Now, one Mech was trying to shoot her as the other held her down. Her Mech struggled awkwardly back and forth, twisting just the perfect amount to avoid the blasts. Even after restrained, it seemed like she had the same psychic abilities she'd claimed earlier.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much else she could do. Her gangly frame was much more lightweight than the Guardian X's, and her machine was built for speed, no
t for combat. The Guardian X slowly crushed her with raw power.
Despite her skills, Phillips was good as eliminated.
Julian didn't understand what was happening.
Why would Leontime and Six3r give up any opportunity of winning just to attack Phillips?
Weren't they trying to win the race themselves?
Seedster's rocket whizzed by. The Hyper Destruction Launcher fired, obliterating Phillips's machine.
There'd been no time for her to avoid the massive blast. Even the Guardian X grabbing her was caught up in it. The red lightning evaporated one of its arms and sent it crashing to the ground. Instead of finishing off the downed Guardian X, the plane spiraled through the startling line and continued on its path.
Julian's eyes widened.
He didn't want to believe it, but it was the only possible explanation for what he'd seen. Six3r and Leontime had allied with Seedster. They weren't trying to win. They were just hampering the competition for him.
The thought had barely crossed Julian's mind before the two Guardians lunged towards him, swords drawn.
He raised his bazooka and desperately backpedaled. It seemed counterintuitive to retreat in a race, but he had to get out of melee range.
Fortunately, his Mech was still significantly faster than theirs.
They swapped to rifles and fired a few blasts, but he successfully managed to escape.
Rage and confusion furiously battled in Julian's brain. What was going on? Why were Six3r and Leontime giving up their chance of competing?
He shook his head.
He had no time to worry about their motivations.
The only thing that mattered was figuring out how he could continue forward. After driving him back, the two Mechs took up positions around the first checkpoint. He couldn't pass that position without getting destroyed.
He raised his bazooka for a long-range attack and fired, but the two Mechs easily dodged. Six3r and Leontime were top 200 players. Julian punched well above his ranking, but beating both of them at once was impossible.
Julian fired again and again, but all they did was dodge. Now that he'd retreated, neither Mech stepped out of their position. They had no intention of destroying him. Their only goal was to stop him from getting to the next checkpoint. With his two henchmen guarding the checkpoint, Seedster was guaranteed to win. No wonder he'd burned through his Overdrive so early.
His goal had been leaving Julian as behind as possible during the grace period. The only hole in his strategy was if Julian shot him down during the grace period.
As soon as he thought of Seedster, Julian realized his second problem.
His senses fully alert, Julian twisted and dove towards the left as fast as he could. Red lightning missed him by inches.
Seedster had finished his first lap, and now he'd rounded back to kill him from behind.
Julian raised his bazooka.
This was his only chance.
He was still one lap ahead of both Six3r and Leontime, who hadn't even moved. If he could just blow Seedster apart, the match would be his.
Searing covering fire pushed him back before he could fly. Once again, Six3r and Leontime had taken the most risk-free approach. Their bullets weren't meant to kill him. They were just trying to drive him out of position so he couldn't get a free shot at their boss.
Julian cursed.
Why would anyone play like this? Didn't Six3r and Leontime want to become Fortress Masters?
He took a deep breath and again reminded himself to stay calm. He could complain all he wanted after Mini-Games Day ended. For now, he had to survive. What could he do to win the map?
The two Guardian X units had given up any hope of winning to stop him from moving forwards. Seedster's rocket had already lapped Julian once. Soon he'd do it again. He was completely snared in their trap. There was nothing he could do.
Julian frowned.
There was nothing he should do.
Six3r and Leontime were still behind him.
Phillips and Birthday were already eliminated.
If nothing went wrong, Julian would comfortably finish in second place. As soon as he'd seen Seedster's Mech, Julian had already accepted the possibility of a second-place finish on this race. The end result had been far more unfair than he'd thought it'd be, but that was fine.
The Mechanical King's inside information gave Julian an insurmountable advantage. He could easily the later rounds.
If Julian freaked out and charged forwards, he'd finish in fourth place and lose three points. All he had to do was stay calm and try again the next round. As frustrating as it was, Julian's goal wasn't to show up the other team's alliance. His goal was to become a Fortress Master.
Julian withdrew to the eighth checkpoint, which was four streets down from the finish line. Then he ducked into a narrow hiding spot he'd discovered during his studies. The back alley was pinned by a whole row of restaurants and covered by an armored truck parked at the back corner. The position was completely safe.
It could only be accessed with a short hop from the nearby hotel rooftop. He raised his bazooka and watched. If anyone dove in, Julian could kill them.
When the rocket roared above him, Julian had to steady his hand to keep from risking a wild shot.
As good as the position was on defense, it was weak on the attack. If Seedster charged in, Julian was nearly guaranteed to kill him. Shooting at a streaking rocket was a very different story.
If he missed, they'd uncover his position.
A strong second was fine. They were playing games all day. He was still in the driver's seat.
He could settle for seven points and worry about everything else after.
The map ended, and Julian sighed.
Although he'd done the right thing, it was still hard to get the sour taste out of his mouth.
25
The updated scores flashed at the base of the screen. With only one mapped played, their scores simply reflected the results of the first round.
Seedster: 15 points
Julian: 7 points
Six3r: -3 points
Leontime: -3 points
Phillips: -7 points
Birthday: -15 points
Julian raised an eyebrow.
He'd suspected it, but it was good to know for sure. The scores could go into the negatives. On top of that, ties led to both players receiving the lower number of points. Six3r and Leontime must have spent the entire map guarding the first checkpoint. It was a bit surprising that neither of them tried sneaking forwards and grabbing a checkpoint for the third-place spot.
They probably hadn't realized how the ties worked.
The other alternative was that it didn't matter to them. Maybe they only wanted to help Seedster qualify.
Julian took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He had to take the long view. They would probably play at least twenty Mini-Games today, maybe even more.
He had to start developing a strategy. How could he beat Seedster even with two players supporting him?
Beneath the updated scoreboard, Julian saw the hovered Mechs his opponents were thinking of selecting. Once again, Seedster, Six3r, and Leontime had all chosen the Guardian X, but Julian knew it didn't mean anything.
Phillips was once again using her Force of Nine.
Birthday had switched things up, moving away from the Guardian X and towards the Zombie Grunt, yet another competitive staple. The Zombie Grunt boasted both high firepower and powerful regenerative capabilities.
Birthday was probably switching up his machine just because of his earlier last-place finish. It was a common tactic high-level players used to reset their mental game. It always felt terrible to load right into a Mech you'd lost on. Of course, the Zombie could just be another feint, a ploy to hide Birthday's Ace until the last second.
Julian felt a little bad for Birthday. Unlike the Seedster trio, Birthday hadn't done anything dirty.
He shrugged and tried to push away his gu
ilt. The Selection was a competition. Julian had shot down Birthday's Guardian fair and square.
A golden light flashed across his screen, and the familiar crown materialized at the base of his display.
THE MECHANICAL KING'S BOON: KNOWLEDGE
THE SECOND MISSION IS AN UNDERWATER TREASURE HUNT
Course: Beach 2
Goal: Find the underwater chest!
Time Limit: 30 minutes
No Combat Grace Period: N/A (Separate Spawn Points)
Points Awarded
1st place: 15 points
Everyone else: -3 Points
The point distribution was the same as before, but the mission couldn't have been any more different.
Treasure Hunt missions weren't Julian's favorite. He'd always sucked at them as a kid, but now that he knew the maps, things should be much easier.
The most interesting change was the separate spawn points. Based on where you landed, you might end up with an incredible advantage. There was a chance you could spawn right next to the chest!
On the other hand, it also meant there was no combat grace period. If you found someone, your best bet was killing them on the spot.
Ah.
Julian grinned as he realized the perfect item. He'd used drones to significant effect during his match against Dynamic. The spherical camera orbs were perfect for this mission. They'd help him find enemies and treasure alike.
Previous knowledge of the map gave Julian another enormous advantage. He was the only player who knew they were playing on Beach. Underwater battles were finicky. There were plenty of typically reliable weapons, like beam swords, that couldn't be used beneath the sea.
Julian smiled as he equipped the drones to his machine.
The first time Julian had used drones, Emma had taught him an incredibly neat trick—simply having your Mech hold the scouting cameras before single combat duels. You lost the ability to recharge, but you just needed to find your opponent during a one vs. one mission.