Elaine vs Tenshi:
Elaine immediately dashed towards Tenshi to engage in a close quarters combat. She is aware that Tenshi has her Harp shotgun and she believes that she won't use the shotgun since it's overkill for her
As soon as Elaine entered Tenshi's vision, Tenshi smiled and asked towards the control room
"No holding back, right?"
Chris nodded to which Tenshi saw from several meters across. She then smirked and raised her left hand towards the incoming Elaine
A ring of light formed around her left wrist and a ring of light with two spikes manifested behind her back
Elaine immediately halted her steps afte scanning Tenshi's stance. She panicked and dread washed over her. She turned around and ran for the nearest wall to take cover. But it was too late
"Judgement!"
*Shiiing!*
Tenshi shouted and the ring of light behind her spun rapidly and hovered above her head. Pressure washed over the area where Tenshi's hand is aiming and then the ring of light unleashed a beam of bright light
The light washed over Elaine and she was decimated on the ground. She couldn't do anything because Tenshi literally used a power from the heavens
Elaine forgot that she was against Tenshi and that she has multiple Heavenly Prayers, not just Order. Her reasoning was clouded when she lost against Sheena and hastily made a rash decision by only limiting Order
"Haaah... Haaah..."
As the light dimmed down, Elaine was seen kneeling on the ground with her hands on the floor. She was breathing heavily as her clothes were a little burnt and pieces of the cloth are torn. There are also patches and smudges of dirt across her clothes and skin
She looked pitiful
Tenshi then aimed her Harp shotgun at ger head, indicating that she won the match
"That's match! Tenshi, get out of there! You're next Celine!"
Tenshi jumped up the observation deck and Celine came down the stage. She then walked towards the downed Elaine and crouched in front of her
Elaine abruptly lifted her head and looked at Celine's expressionless face. Celine slightly widened her eyes because of what Elaine looked like
Elaine looked scary with her hair ruffled and dirtied face. Her eyes are filled with the feeling of unfairness and hopelessness. Her mouth is quivering with her teeth biting down on the tip of her lower lip, which caused it to bleed. Celine frowned at Elaine's state
"No martial techniques!!"
Elaine shouted for Celine's restriction condition and everyone approved
~~~
Elaine vs Celine:
Elaine tried to push herself up but she couldn't. Instead, she threw a right hook at Celine. She should at least try and land a hit on her even if she doesn't stand a chance
But her efforts are wasted when Celine effortlessly caught her fist with her left hand. Celine then placed her right hand in front of Elaine's forehead in a flicking gesture. She released her middle finger and hit Elaine
*Flick*
Elaine flew a few meters back from the force of the flick and her forehead became red like a tomato. It also became bruised and slowly turned violet
Elaine lied down on her back and tears slowly formed at the corner of her eyes. Celine stood up and looked at her laying body. She then turned around and left
"That's match! Mark, get in there!"
~~~
Elaine vs Mark:
Mark jumped down from the observation deck and softly landed next to Elaine. He also observed Elaine's behavior, only to be slightly regretful
"Elaine, even if you don't have as high of a combat power as us, you have a powerful support ability and you can give us information that we wouldn't have known. Besides, we can always stay by your side and protect you. You don't have to worry about you being a liability. As the leader of the squadron, I'm telling you, you're as important as our radar to Celine as our vanguard. Even her can't collect to much information like you do. All of us have flaws that each of us can fill. So, don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"
Elaine's noise cancelling headphones already broke and her blindfold was undone from Tenshi's Judgement and Celine's flick. She heard everything Mark said and tears slowly dripped down the sides of her head
She was touched from Mark's words and it made her feel better, but her heart becane heavier and heavier
"I surrender"
Elaine said as she looked at Mark's symphatetic eyes. She also knows that she won't be able to do anything againt her
All she wanted is to be capable to one day assume the position of Squadron Leader. But she can't achieve that because of her ability and her combat capabilities. Being the leader means you get more merit and respect, Elaine blindly followed that ideology and became blind to the bigger picture in front of her
Still, she cared about her members, but that's just it. She never daw them as family and friends and she only put a facade so that everyone won't be suspicious of her
Even right now, she's faking her tears so that everyone that see her would feel bad for her. Inside, she is smiling but her heart is black
That's at least what Philip saw from her heart since the start of the mock battles
Mark came closer to her and helped her stand back up. She gladly accepted the help on the outside but reluctantly grabbed his hand in the inside
She fake smiled, only for her to widen her eyes and abruptly turned around to look at the control room. She saw that Philip was looking at her with disappointed eyes and slight killing intent. It was the same for E-1 as she was looking at her as if she read her whole being
"What's wrong?"
Mark asked, seeing Elaine being agitated
"It's nothing"
Elaine lowered her head with pained eyes. She then began walking back to the control room while lightly limping. Mark caught up to her and assisted her
~~~
After a few minutes, Rue came in the control room and handed Chris an electronic tablet when everyone has returned to their seats
"What happened to your eye?"
Chris noticed the eye patch on Rue's right eye. Philip looked at Rue with uncaring eyes but when Rue turned to look at him, she received it as a threat
"Lab accident"
"Really? Be careful next time"
"I will"
Rue then left the control room and sat next to Satou at the observation deck at the oppositie side. Chris then inspected the tablet Rue gave him
"Hmmm..."
Chris frowned at the results from the tablet
"Elaine, we conducted this mock battle to improve your abilities and flexibility when fighting against unexpected enemies. The results of your battle only increased by 5%! What happened?"
"They have too much combat ability than I do. Even if I learned a little martial arts and sword fight, I still couldn't match them"
"Is there a lesson that you learned?"
"..."
Elaine paused to review the battle and think of a lesson that she learned. Chris and Mark expected a good answer coming from her since she's the Radar, but Philip didn't expect anything and that she would only disappoint them
"It is to train harder and improve my combat skills so I can at least defend myself"
Mark and Celine frowned at Elaine's answer and Philip just scoffed
"I see... I see..."
Chris, however, was very disappointed. The fact that Elaine said that with confidence makes him think that she didn't learn anything from this training. Her improvement will be hindered and that will cause problems in the squadron
This makes Chris and Mark think twice about the future of the squadron. Elaine is still an important asset because of her radar, but what if she became an actual liability?
For Philip, he knows that this squadron is already doomed. He doesn't know how or why, but by the looks of it, it will stem from Elaine, probably
"That's good..."
That's all what Chris has to say to Elaine's answer. He then quickly moved on
"Alright, next for the mock battle is Sheena. Go to the stage please"
"Yes"
Sheena quickly came down the observation deck and jumped on the stage
"Elaine, do you want a second chance against Sheena?"
"I politely refuse. I don't have a chance against her in combat"
That was another test by Chris and she failed it. Hia disappointment grew bigger and bigger. He decide to let it be and keep testing her
"Then, Tenshi, you're up against Sheena"
"Yes, sensei"
Tenshi stood up and elegantly walked out of the control room and entered the stage. Chris crossed his arms and turned around to watch the fight on the overhanging window, without blocking anyone's vision. He wasn't worried about the fight nor he's looking forwards to it. He's worried about Elaine's standing in the squadron
Meanwhile, Rue also jumped down on the stage when Sheena stood in position to hand over her restriction. Sheena was facing Rue and waited for her to come
"I have these for you"
"Headphones"
"Headphones?"
"Yes, it has all kinds of music in there. It changes every five seconds and the genre ranges from classical, to lofi, to hard rock, to rave"
"Why? This doesn't seem to restrict me at all?"
"I'll tell you a secret..."
Rue came closer to Sheena to which she also came close
"This mock battle is arrange so that the restricted individuals on the stage will have their abilities amplified. With Elaine being blindfolded and removed her sense of hearing, she should be able to use her radar more efficiently and effectively"
"How does listening to music help my ability"
"Apparently, according to our studies and observation, you Touch Upgrade ability depends on the state of your mind. If you're relaxed and tried to upgrade something, then the level of upgrade is lacking and underwhelming. If you're angry, then the upgrade level is aggressive and fearful. If you're too concentrated, then the upgrade level is very intricate and detailed. We'll test it inducing music to your brain with different atmosphere will affect your upgrade quality"
Hearing Rue's explanation made Sheena's heart pump. She wasn't aware of this perk of hers and it opens so much potential on her ability. Her face beamed and she became very excited
"Okay then, that looks like it made you excited. Upgrade this headphone and you will be able to switch between music genre with your mind"
"Okay"
Sheena wore the headphones and music played immediately. She tried switching between music genres with her mind and it switches in an instant. She then nodded at Rue
"Alright! Good luck on your mock battle!"
Rue jumped back on the observation deck next to Satou
It was then that Tenshi arrived and landed above an obstacle as she looked down on Sheena
They stared at each other's eyes and both of them are smiling. They looked forward to this fight because both of them are almost toe to toe when it comes to combat
Sheena was vibing with the music and she just switched it into an intense and suspenseful music that makes her blood pump at high speeds. She then shouted Tenshi's restriction
"No use of the Harp shotgun!"
Everyone agreed and the battle started