/ Ryan's Cockpit /
"Damm it!" Ryan muttered in frustration, his face twisted with annoyance. He had initially believed the duel would be over in a matter of seconds.
[Team RIZZER!! Respond to me!] Ryan urgently called out through the communications channel.
[What's up, Ryan? I'm a bit preoccupied right now!] came RIZZ reply, with the sound of gunfire audible in the background over the channel.
[Advance, you squad ! I'm backing you up with my squad! We can't afford to lose to those commoners!] Ryan exclaimed, still relentlessly firing at the enemy.
[Alright!] RIZZ responded energetically.
A group of 5 S.A.M.S broke away from the main formation, bravely advancing into the midst of the enemy fire. Despite the commoners lower power, they can managed to inflict damage over time.
(Alright, now we just have to wait.) Ryan thought to himself before shouting through the comms, [Team Ryan, cover Team RIZZER!]
[YES!]
[OK!]
As everything seemed to be going well, two Jormungandr mechs suddenly emerged from the right and left side, taking four S.A.M.S hostage.
This left 10 S.A.M.S to continue their fire on the meat shield . But it didn't change the situation much.
Ryan's voice came through the comms, his tone laced with determination, instructing the two S.A.M.S who were with the left Jormungandr to come back.
He recognized the way that the S.A.M.S , he know who was inside this one; .
As the two S.A.M.S returned to their positions, Ryan, with a mixture of confidence and a hint of arrogance, approached the mech and opened the comms channel.
[ How do we meet again, Julien? ]
Julien opened his comm channel and replied, [ Yo, Ryan, what a surprise. Fate always finds a way. ] His tone exuded a mix of confidence and casualness.
Ryan scoffed contemptuously over the comms and added, [ You commoners, acting like tenacious cockroaches, refusing to be squashed. ]
He quickly dropped his minigun to the ground, creating a smokescreen that reduced visibility for Julien.
Julien quickly assumed a defensive position while Ryan used the cover of the jungle to hide.
Ryan voice resonated through the jungle, full of arrogance and mockery, [ YES !!!! Like cockroaches, indeed! Don't given up !!! but it'll be even more satisfying to crush you in the end. Ha ha ha! ]
As Ryan taunted him, he launched a barrage of missiles in Julien's direction. Julien skillfully maneuvered his S.A.M.S, zigzagging between the tall trees to evade the incoming projectiles.
Ryan sneered as he saw Julien evasion, taunting him, [ Yes, that's right, hide from us! You commoners always slink in the shadows! ] He continued by taking out his machine gun and firing at the jungle, creating a storm of destruction.
Julien S.A.M.S skillfully maneuvered through the barrage of bullets and explosions. He knew he had to bide his time and find an opportunity to turn the tables.
As he zigzagged between the trees and shrubbery, he calmly activated his communication device, making sure to keep his voice steady.
[ Ryan, you've got a big mouth, but can you back it up? ] he taunted over the comms.
Julien was an agile pilot, and he had experience with these simulation battles.
His cool-headed demeanor under pressure often allowed him to outwit his opponents. As he continued to evade the onslaught of gunfire, he plotted his next move.
[ Of course I can! ] Ryan replied as he pressed a button on his control panel. It was labeled "first features."
His interface, which had been projecting outdoor images, shifted to a grayscale color scheme, allowing him to see through the trees. A red silhouette revealed Julien hiding spot.
(You're MINE!!!!) Ryan thought with fierce determination, his eyes locked onto the red silhouette, his fingers squeezing the triggers of his joystick.
With a burst of concentrated fire, he let out his final salvo of missiles, each rocket racing through the dense jungle canopy, leaving fiery streaks in their wake.
Julien knew he was marked, so he slid with his the crouch pedal, all while simultaneously accelerating, maneuvering through the dense jungle.
"Gotta shake him off."
He narrowly avoided the missile barrage, performing evasive maneuvers that allowed him to dodge the incoming projectiles, but an unfortunate tree took the hit, causing it to explode into splinters.
"Almost got me there!" Julien exclaimed, his face displaying a mix of panic and relief, accompanied by a small, tense smile.
However, Ryan refused to relent. He continued firing relentlessly with his machine gun, maintaining a relentless pursuit.
"You can't escape, Julien!" Ryan declared with a determined expression, his voice resolute and echoing through the comm system.
Julien rapidly circled around the STRIKER ver B, hoping that Ryan would eventually run out of ammunition to keep up the chase.
"Come on, run out of bullets already!" said Julien in frustration, his voice filled with an edge of desperation.
But...
"I've got plenty more where that came from!" Ryan replied with a smirk, his voice cool and confident.
Julien realized he couldn't keep evading like this.
His Jormungandr assumed a posture reminiscent of an elite athlete. He aimed with his left arm, while his right hand held the lance at the ready. With determination, he targeted Ryan.
With a sudden and fierce motion, the Green S.A.M.S released the lance.
*FIOUUUU!*
The spear shot forward like a high-speed projectile, aimed directly at Ryan.
Seeing Julien impending attack, Ryan easily sidestepped it with a simple step to the right. However, all of this was part of Julien's plan.
While he remained discreet, Julien executed a diving jump toward a specific minigun on the ground.
In the face of Ryan smooth evasion, Julien couldn't help but smile. "You think I'd bet everything on a single throw?" he taunted, gripping the minigun he had dived for.
Ryan, now realizing Julien strategy, gritted his teeth. "Clever move, commoner," he grumbled as he prepared for Julien next move.
Julien, determined and confident, aimed the newly acquired minigun at Ryan. "Time to level the playing field" he declared with a fiery glint in his eyes.
==================================
/ Meanwhile, Otto group... /
Since the group had separated from Julien's team, Otto, Emi, and Tatsumi hadn't exchanged a single word.
Otto was at the front of the group, piloting a Strike, while Emi was in a Strike as well, and Tatsumi was controlling a Jormungandr on the back.
The dense jungle seemed to close in on them as they pushed forward, and the atmosphere was charged with tension.
The continuous hum of their S.A.M.S was the only audible sound, each pilot vigilant and ready for any potential encounter.
Otto finally broke the silence with a nostalgic attempt at conversation.
He said, "It's been a while, Tatsumi. This place really reminds me of the forest we used to play in behind the orphanage."
Tatsumi reply was cold , lacking a liveliness in his voice, "Yeah ."
Undeterred, Otto continued, trying to rekindle their camaraderie. "Remember that time we found that abandoned bird's nest in the tallest tree? We were so excited."
Tatsumi, although his voice was still lifeless, replied with a brief nod, "Yeah."
Emi, who had been listening to their exchange, sensed Tatsumi's lack of enthusiasm and decided to intervene.
She said, "Otto, maybe Tatsumi isn't in the mood for reminiscing right now. Let's focus on the task at hand."
Otto nodded, understanding Emi point, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the disconnection between them.
The silence had returned, but it was abruptly shattered as their interfaces alerted them.
[ A Enemy spotted 70 meters ahead. ]
An enemy was dangerously close, and they couldn't understand how it had gotten so near, given their distance from the main group.
Tatsumi broke the silence with an unusual coldness in his tone, "Go on ahead; I'll catch up."
Emi, sensing her brother's willingness to sacrifice, spoke with a tone filled with sadness, "I can't abandon you again !!!!"
Inwardly, Tatsumi was filled with an incomprehensible mix of emotions. He couldn't understand why they were taking this so seriously in a simulation.
Otto added, "Don't do this, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi's inner thoughts raced, ( DA F*CK !!!! we're in a f*cking simulation !! LET ME GO !!!! )
Emi was still determined not to leave her little brother alone, and Tatsumi found himself at a loss for words.
He finally spoke up, "You know we're in a simulation... right?"
His words left both Emi and Otto dumbfounded. They had taken the duel so seriously that they had forgotten it was all a simulation, and death was not a real threat.
Emi looked at Tatsumi with a mix of realization and embarrassment. She muttered, "Oh, right, I forgot..." while Otto scratched his head, wearing a sheepish grin.
Tatsumi let out a sigh; this was precisely why he had been avoiding getting too involved with his sister.
She was just too emotionally invested in everything, and he couldn't focus when she was constantly by his side.