Battle Royale

Time quickly passed, and the eve of the final test arrived two days later.

Unlike the other candidates, who wore expressions as if they were attending a funeral, the three of them were filled with confidence.

There was no helping it; they had been training together for the past two days, and the others simply couldn't close the gap between them.

Furthermore, their coordination had become increasingly proficient during this period.

The three spots were essentially theirs.

Whatever the others were fighting for, they were only competing for the remaining two.

Of course, while confident, the three were not arrogant; they gathered together early in the morning just as they always did.

"So, anything to say? Say it quickly so I can go back and catch some sleep before the assessment."

Moody, who had been pulled aside by Draco, yawned and spoke.

It wasn't that he was lazy.

But with only twenty-four hours of practice time, maximizing the duration meant that someone inevitably had to pull an all-nighter.

In plain terms, they didn't know when ZAFT would attack, so they had to be prepared to fight at any hour of the day.

Draco didn't answer, merely rolling his eyes at Moody before saying coldly.

"I've asked around; the content of this final assessment has been finalized."

"It's a melee."

"...Are you stating the obvious?"

Hearing this, Moody looked at him with an expression that asked if he were an idiot.

"A melee! A free-for-all until only one person is left!"

Draco glared at Moody again and said.

Faced with this news, Xu De was not particularly surprised, his face remaining calm as he spoke.

"We had already guessed as much."

"If the higher-ups insist on us deciding a winner, it's only natural."

Teamwork, individual combat ability, and tactical thinking—none could be lacking.

It was not strange for such a decision to be made.

If anything, it was within their predictions; it was just confirmed now.

The three of them would eventually have to fight each other to be the last one standing.

"That's not all. I also heard that if you take first place, there's a 500,000 credit bonus, plus a private room at the military academy, priority access to the flight simulators, and unlimited gym hours."

"And it's estimated that the position of future squad leader will also be given priority consideration."

Draco said quietly.

"Hiss..."

Hearing these conditions, Moody drew a sharp breath.

500,000 was a lot, and when combined with simulator access, it was an immense temptation.

It wasn't that the higher-ups were stingy with the simulators.

But in the military academy, usage was strictly scheduled in batches, and they certainly wouldn't open the Gate of Opening in the middle of the night just for one person.

Therefore, priority access was incredibly useful—it was essentially a privilege that allowed one to win at the starting line.

And then there was the squad leader position.

The treatment for a leader was certainly higher than that of an ordinary member.

Its value was also much greater.

It made it easier to connect with more people.

It would be a lie to say the three of them weren't tempted.

After another moment of silence, Moody's gaze swept over the two of them.

"What?"

Draco asked coldly.

"So, if I win, will you two listen to me from now on?"

Moody laughed.

"That wasn't the deal, but are you trying to make a bet?"

Hearing this, a hint of interest finally appeared on Draco's icy face.

"Of course. Whoever wins gets to lead."

Moody had considered this carefully; after all, future competition would only become more intense, so they naturally needed to stick together.

The three of them were only cooperating for the time being because of a common goal.

However, if there were a leader, this group would be bound together even more tightly.

Furthermore... both of these men were the elite of the elite; if he could secure their strength, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

When that time came, why worry about a bright future? He himself would be the light.

"What do you two say?"

Meeting Moody's gaze, Xu De also lifted his eyes to look at him.

Moody's words had hit the mark perfectly.

To survive here, and even to strike back, he needed power.

Facts had proven that a three-man team was stronger than one person alone.

If it were them, the future at Heliopolis would be much more certain.

The prerequisite, of course, was winning.

Combining the way the two had trained previously, Xu De began calculating the win rate in his mind.

Draco, who also hadn't answered immediately, was doing much the same thing.

"You two sure have a lot on your minds."

Looking at the two across from him, Moody teased.

"Fine."

Ignoring Moody, Xu De answered after a moment of silence.

If he wanted to keep winning, the strength of the three was crucial.

Moreover, once they arrived at the unfamiliar California Military Academy, having each other to look out for would be even more important.

After all, the candidates were not limited to just the five selected from here.

In short, the step of becoming a Gundam pilot was not so easy to complete.

Accumulating strength as early as possible was what mattered.

Whether it was the five hundred thousand, the priority usage rights, or the advantages of a leadership position, these were all things Xu De wanted to grasp.

He was greedy, but greed was the greatest driving force for progress in this world where one didn't know what to believe.

"I can do it too."

Following closely behind Xu De, Draco spoke as well.

"That settles it!"

Hearing the two agree, Moody's sleepiness vanished, and his entire demeanor became visibly excited.

"I'm going to win! You two just wait to be my underlings."

Moody smiled brilliantly, as if he could already imagine his future days with a green dragon on his left, a white tiger on his right, and a Mickey Mouse in the middle.

"Hmph, just make sure you admit defeat when the time comes."

Looking at the two before him, Draco also let out a cold laugh.

As for Xu De, he didn't speak, merely lowering his eyes silently to continue analyzing the combat patterns the two had displayed during training over the past two days.

Both men had flaws in their personalities; as long as he analyzed them properly, his win rate remained quite high.

His experience was right there.

Meanwhile, in another room, Bella was nervously blocking her uncle, who was heading toward the training area.

"Uncle! Do you think Xu De has a chance!?!"

"...How would I know?"

Cook said, speechless.

"You've been watching every day! How could you not know!"

Bella pouted, dissatisfied.

"...Generally speaking, he should still have a chance."

Cook answered helplessly.

"However, if others team up during the melee, it might be quite troublesome for Xu De."

"Didn't he form a team?"

Bella asked.

"He did, but they'll have to fight in the end, and there's a high probability it will end up being two against one."

Cook shook his head.

Moody possessed the instincts of a beast, while Draco's calmness complemented the other perfectly.

Although Xu De possessed the strengths of both, as things stood, he didn't seem to have pulled far enough ahead of them to guarantee a victory.

Who would emerge the victor was hard to say.

"How despicable!"

Hearing Bella's accusation, the corners of Cook's mouth twitched.

However, he held back and did not refute the young lady's words.

"I want to go over and see, too!"

Bella declared.

"Fine, but stay in the corner and don't make any loud noises."

Having anticipated this, Cook replied as such.