Time was like silver sand slipping through your fingers: the tighter you grasped, the faster it escaped.
Oblivious to everything around him, Eno Kamal was rapidly improving his MS piloting skills with help from Athrun and the others.
Sometimes, we had to admit that certain unorthodox methods could indeed provide people with unusual help and improvement during certain special periods.
Like right now—
"Going toe-to-toe with Dearka in close combat after just over half a month? That progress seems a little ridiculous."
Michel watched the scene before him, his expression grave.
Dearka usually seemed a little unserious and was always stirring things up, but there was no question about his MS piloting skills.
When it came to piloting an MS in one-on-one combat, aside from Yzak, Athrun, and Nicol,
the other cadets would have a very hard time against Dearka. Even if they gave it their all, the best they could manage was a hard-fought victory.
Yet Eno Kamal had only been there for a little over half a month, and he already had what it took to face Dearka head-on.
It was an improvement so obvious that ordinary cadets could hardly accept how fast it had happened.
"Dearka isn't that strong in close combat. With Eno's talent, this situation isn't as ridiculous as you're making it sound."
Rusty calmly explained the situation before them.
When it came to close-quarters MS combat, Rusty had always been stronger than Dearka, though he fell a little short in overall ability.
"Not everyone's a genius, Rusty. And he's only been at it for a little over half a month."
Michel was at a loss for words over Rusty's comment.
"The stronger our teammates are, the safer we'll be. Isn't that a good thing?"
Sometimes, Rusty really couldn't understand how some cadets thought.
They were teammates, classmates, and comrades in the same camp.
Why would anyone envy a teammate's strength in a situation like this?
"Hmm... I guess you're right."
After hearing Rusty out, Michel realized that he did have a point.
"So the stronger Eno gets, the better our chances of winning—and the more likely we are to survive on the battlefield. In that case, we should do everything we can to improve our comrades' skills. Nicol's done a better job of that than any of us."
Rusty still remembered who had brought Eno into their circle.
Nicol could be a bit of a bleeding heart, but there was no denying that he'd shown excellent judgment this time.
"Are you sure he didn't just want to play the good Samaritan?"
Michel shot back.
Nicol's personality was, to put it mildly, a little hard to describe.
"As long as things turned out well, that's what matters," Rusty replied.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sparks flew across the screen as steel clashed.
By now, Eno had grown used to the sight. He piloted his machine and fought as he pleased.
He turned and swept out a leg.
In Eno's hands, the MS moved with the agility of an extension of his own limbs.
Bang!
But, as expected, Dearka blocked the kick. Before Eno could react, the MS Dearka piloted accelerated and threw a straight punch.
Watching this familiar scene, Eno suddenly furrowed his brow. He piloted his machine into a half-crouch and turned sideways, positioning Dearka's incoming fist and arm above the MS's right shoulder.
As the machine turned its back to Dearka, its steel hands clasped upward, grabbing the right arm of Dearka's MS.
At the sight, a flicker of surprise crossed Dearka's eyes. It was the same move Athrun had used to throw him to the ground a few days earlier.
But he reacted quickly, bracing his free left hand against his opponent's lower back.
Yet almost as soon as his left arm moved, the MS Eno piloted sank into a half-crouch.
Bang!
With a shuddering roar from the MS's legs, Dearka's screen tilted at a familiar angle.
"...Was I too slow to react?"
Crash!
The next second, as Dearka stared in confusion,
the MS he piloted was flipped straight onto the ground.
"What the hell?"
"Dearka lost?"
"You've got to be kidding me. How'd he lose?"
"Why does that shoulder throw look so much like the one Athrun used on Dearka?"
"He beat Dearka in less than a month? What kind of freak is this?"
"..."
Rusty watched what had just happened, his eyebrows lifting slightly. He could accept having strong teammates, sure, but the problem was how fast it had happened... His mind accepted it, but emotionally, he still couldn't quite take it.
Instructor Kelvin sighed and lowered his headset, his gaze drifting toward PLANT's artificial sky.
Once I've taken this batch of cadets out, I'm applying to go back to the battlefield. Whoever wants to be an instructor can take this damn job.
"Dearka actually lost?"
The commotion was impossible to ignore, even for Yzak, who was in the middle of a fight.
But when he saw which MS was lying on the ground, surprise still crept across his face.
Athrun's brow furrowed slightly, too.
"Wow, Eno's amazing! He beat Dearka already, and it hasn't even been that long!"
Nicol, for his part, praised him without a care in the world.
Hearing what sounded like Nicol's "mockery," Dearka felt a little annoyed.
He immediately slapped away Eno's hand as he tried to help him up, then got to his feet on his own.
Watching Dearka walk away, Eno didn't know what to say. He could only let him go.
"Um, I-I'll go check on him."
Nicol had also realized something was off with Dearka. After speaking, he hurriedly piloted his MS over to him.
"Sorry for the trouble—"
"Hey!"
Eno had just started to say something when Yzak's voice came through the cockpit: "Eno, fight me!"
"Yzak?"
Eno looked surprised.
"Are you in or not?"
"I'm in!"
Eno had actually wanted to test himself against Yzak, who was reputed to be the strongest ace gatekeeper, for a long time.
As for Yzak's skill...
Apart from not having a cheat—that is, the SEED Factor—his ability was unquestionably in a league of its own.
Athrun or Kira, neither of them could gain much of an advantage without using the SEED Factor.
In other words, without the SEED Factor, Yzak could hold his own against any pilot.
So, in a way, the basic measure of whether a pilot was a true super ace was whether they could beat Yzak Joule.
Watching the two of them start fighting the moment the exchange was over,
Athrun finally got a rare chance to rest.
"Athrun, let's have a go!"
But before Athrun could catch his breath, Rusty had already piloted his MS over.
"Rusty?"
Athrun was taken aback.
"And me! I'll take my turn after you two. I haven't felt this fired up in ages."
Michel had joined them, too.
"You guys... What..."
Athrun was at a loss for words.
"Eno's catching up fast. You can't afford to fall behind, senior Athrun."
After saying that, Rusty piloted his MS straight into the fray.
Eno's presence had given their class quite a shock.
Or rather, he had given the cadets across the entire MS training base quite a shock.
A top-ranked student from the command track had started from scratch and, in less than a month, gained the upper hand against Dearka, who had consistently ranked in the top ten.
That already put him ahead of ninety percent of his fellow cadets. Catching up to seven months' progress in just one month was a shock and a half.
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