As soon as Winter Break ended, and Spring Semester was underway, Airic took his Platoon straight back to the training schedule they had been following the entire year. For two hours in the morning they did formation drills, and 2 hours after class they used the simulators or did hand to hand exercises depending on how many of the simulators they had reserved for the day.
The first month had gone smoothly as they became even more proficient than they had been before they left. It also helped that they were all told of the games that would be held in a months time, to determine exactly who would go to represent the school.
The number of complaints the day it was announced was extreme, as he had signed up for 100 of them 3 days that week already. The other 3 days he only had 50 of them scheduled, as his Divisions worked on different aspects every week.
"Cadet Lieutenant, perhaps you can shed some light on a situation that has come up. I am told you are deliberately attempting to circumvent the ability of the other squads to pose a challenge to yours by overbooking the simulators for training." General Shank said half amused.
"Sir, I have scheduled my squads for extensive training. However if you check simulator logs for the last several weeks you will see no deviation from the amount I scheduled this week. In fact we are scheduled to train my 1st Division with the first Division of Cadet Major Davis one day, And Cadet Captain Evermont on another." Airic said indicating the days on the schedule and who exactly was scheduled to be using the individual slots.
General Shank pulled up the records from first semester and noticed he had not exaggerated. No more than 50 slots a day, or 1 Division of his troops were going into the simulators. He was always cross training with or against other divisions, always while the rest of his troops did other training modules for the day as a squad or division. One day a week they did the entire Platoon, and those simulations were generally the most extreme ones they could dream up for combat training.
"Why such extensive training Lieutenant?" Shank asked him as he reviewed the records.
"Some of us began preparing for this competition at the beginning of the year sir. We hope to show that this Cadet Class is the right choice for one of the Platoons selected to represent our school." Airic said as Shank was surprised.
"Very well, for the time being your training with the other Divisions is cancelled, and the record will reflect you have been Coinciled that you may not reserve more than 50 simulator slots more than one time per week for no more than 2 hours." General Shank said with a smile.
"Sir, we have one weekly training session as an entire platoon for exactly 2 hours requiring a full 100 slots. Will that still be allowed?" He asked quickly.
"100 is more than 50, and is allowed one time per week. Each Platoon will receive the same orders, and will have to determine the best way they can achieve that." Shank said as Airic smiled.
"They are only looking at the evening schedule sir. The Simulator lab opens at 0500, same time as the exercise yard each morning. There is 2 hours each morning available as well, where not even we are scheduled to be there. If it would be prudent for us to utilize that time instead of the exercise yard, we can."
Shank smiled as he looked at it, and sure enough the 300 simulators had no signups between 0500 and 0700. Airic was well known for running his Platoon through the Physical Fitness yard each morning between 0500 and 0700, and not utilizing the lab. "You go ahead and keep doing what you have been doing Cadet Lieutenant, and you will have a good chance of being one of our representatives. They tell me that your Platoon also uses a portion of the drill grounds each day at the same time after class."
"Yes sir, we use about a quarter of the drill grounds and the Arena. We would be happy to restrict ourselves to one or the other." Airic said being accomodating.
"No, they should have lodged complaints long ago if they were so serious they be listened too. Especially as you have made no secret about all the extra training your troops undergo." Shank said with a smile that there would be a better display than the usual drabble they had to deal with.
It was that very afternoon they found thier first conflict, as the alert had been sent to all of the platoons now, not just the one Airic Commanded. None of them could reserve more than 50 slots per time slot, except for one time per week which was assigned by General Shank.
Airic was the first one to laugh when he noticed that all 8 Platoons had been given an hour each in the morning, and 2 a day for three hours in the evening would be able to use them. The other hundred sims were open game, and Airic had 50 of them still reserved from before the changes as General Shank had been adamant he keep his reserved slots.
"What, ya think you are gonna be selected to represent the school?" One of the 4th years demanded angrily from him.
"It is what we have been working on all year, you didn't recognize the event simulation the last time we co-op in the simulator last week?" Airic asked him as the seniors were amazed he admitted too it so freely.
"You must want to be bug food." The other said as Airic laughed at him.
"The problem with you threatening me, is you have our roles reversed. I am not the mosquito you threaten to squish because you are bigger than me. I am the elephant who sits on your ass and does the squishing." Airic said using an analogy he thought the guy might be able to catch. Your problem is you have spent 4 years halfassing your training, and expect everyone below you to give you a break so you special seniors can go to the precious games one time. Tough luck boys, I plan on going to the games all 4 years to set the record. So get the hell out of my way, and don't threaten those who are more powerful." Airic said as his 2 squads got in oast the seniors who were blocking thier way as the Seniors looked stunned. They never expected him to admit it so freely and openly, let alone be ready to stand up for himself and tell them exactly what he was going to do.
It wasn't the first time that week he had problems, as each of the years quickly heard of the challenge that had been backhanded so easily by him, and the Commanders wanted to make an example of him. The last day the Seniors and Juniors waylaid him in the training Arena, under the guise of tutoring them on a basic Elemental move, before he realized it was a trap of all 4 Platoons against him, without his sword.
"You really should have chosen a different person to try and intimidate guys." He said as 200 students 2 and 3 years older than he was circled around wanting a piece of him. Only the 4 Commanding Officers were there so far however, and Airic smiled as he looked around at them.
"You really should try and not change everything, our system was working long before you came along." The Senior Major said as Airic looked at the other Senior was a Captain before he looked at the two 3rd years.
"So tell me than, if you two Seniors are so great at what you are doing, why are the Juniors the same ranks as you?" Airic asked confusing them as he appeared to not get they were here to kick his ass to save face. "Must be so awe inspiring to your men, that 196 of you have to encircle your four Commanding Officers just so they can bully a single Freshman. As I said however gentlemen," Airic said as he took off his jacket and dropped it on the floor as he assumed a ready posture for what came next.
He ducked as the punch from behind sailed over his head, and he used the momentum if his attacker to perform a truly amazing throw that saw him flipping through the air before crashing into the other Senior who had planned all of it.
The two Junior Class Officers saw it as he turned to them, and they raised thier hands. "Peace, alright. This was thier stupid plan and we thought it would be good to keep things the way they were. It is one of our spots you are saying you want to steal next year." The Captain said as Airic looked at him.
"Do you know why the school holds the competition for each Platoon every year?" Airic asked him. "So the best can go represent our school. Those slots do not belong to you, you earn them through hard work and dedication. So fight for the chance to represent who you are, not because someone gave you a gift. But because you fought for what you wanted, persevered to Victory, and took what you wanted by sheer force of will. If you think you can intimidate me into backing down, you should know I haven't backed down from a fight in my entire life." Airic said as he picked his jacket up off the Arena floor as he looked at the Senior Commanders. "Bring it boys, cause you will find this class is not as weak as you think." He told them as he forced the senior class to make a hole for him to walk through so he could go to his own Squad Training session.
"He just threw Tommy 30 feet easy, how the hell did he do that?" One of them asked quietly as he walked out and they looked at how everything was arrayed. It was actually only 22 feet, but without the other boy essentially catching him it would have been really close to 30 feet before he had landed.
"He did it himself, all I did was direct his movement. It was his own momentum after all." Airic said as he had heard the question in the silent gym and decided to answer as he made a more dramatic exit now as the door slammed shut behind him.