Conditions

"Why are you so insistent on becoming an MS pilot?"

Instructor Natarle looked at Ino, truly unable to comprehend his train of thought.

Countless people begged to enter the command track and couldn't get in, yet here was Ino, who had made it in only to try and run away.

"Instructor Natarle, it's not that I must be an MS pilot, but in my view, the combination of powerful MS and ace pilots will inevitably become the deciding factor in the direction of the battlefield," Ino said with conviction.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Which cultist did you hear that from?"

Instructor Natarle was furious the moment she heard it; she wondered which bastard was trying to poach her talent.

Are MS strong?

They are, otherwise ZAFT wouldn't have been able to gain a foothold in space warfare.

But to say that MS could directly determine the outcome of a battlefield was simply absurd.

An excellent MS pilot might be able to take on five or ten enemies.

But could you take on a hundred? A thousand?

What is a battlefield? A battlefield is not a one-man show; no matter how strong an individual's power is, it cannot change the course of a war.

If MS were truly that powerful, ZAFT wouldn't be recruiting so many young people into the military academy.

"Instructor Natarle, I am speaking the truth. Future warfare will inevitably be based on MS as the primary unit, and under the catalyst of war, the performance of MS will surely undergo a leap in evolution."

Ino could not directly explain the future he knew, so he could only describe it with this speculative attitude: "With the Earth Alliance currently being suppressed by MS, they will certainly find ways to build their own. You know as well as I do how powerful human creativity is when it comes to weapons of violence."

"Given the Earth Alliance's foundation, who knows what kind of MS they might come up with."

"Therefore, I have reason to suspect that in the future, MS will evolve into the protagonists capable of deciding the battlefield's direction. Furthermore, unlike the human body, MS do not tire, provided they aren't shot down."

"They can maintain considerable combat effectiveness indefinitely. I have reason to be certain that in the future, certain powerful elite pilots and formidable machines might even become entities capable of taking on a thousand enemies. If their numbers are sufficient, they could single-handedly tip the scales of a war's victory or defeat!"

"Ino, are you even listening to yourself?"

Instructor Natarle was shocked by Ino's response.

MS taking on a thousand enemies?

Do you think this is a game where you can use cheats?

As a battlefield commander, she knew very well where the performance limits of an MS lay.

Even the most optimistic members of the staff wouldn't dare spout such nonsense about MS taking on a thousand enemies.

"Instructor Natarle, you cannot use current thinking to understand the possibilities of the future. In the age of cold weapons, who could have guessed that there would be weapons capable of easily destroying an entire city?"

Ino also knew how ridiculous his words sounded to people of the present.

In truth, if he didn't know the future, he wouldn't believe such absurd things either.

But unfortunately, there are no "ifs." Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne... their existence destined the presence of another cheater, Kira Yamato, known as the Ultimate Coordinator.

That guy could treat a front-line battlefield like a fireworks show; no one could withstand him.

But none of this had anything to do with him.

Right now, he just needed to become an MS pilot and then leave this place that could cost him his life at any moment.

Natarle watched Ino's expression and silently picked up her water cup to take a sip, trying to calm her nerves.

She truly felt that Ino was just being stubborn and unreasonable here.

But Ino's final point was correct: one cannot use current, fixed thinking to understand and determine the development of the future.

After all, this is the age of thermal weapons; a single nuclear bomb could cause hundreds of thousands or millions of casualties. If MS could reach that level, they could indeed change the course of a battlefield.

But the question is, is it possible?

Even if it were, how long would it take to incubate—

"Wait, I almost got led astray by you, kid. Even if the kind of MS you're talking about really appears in the future, what does that have to do with you?"

Instructor Natarle suddenly realized.

She didn't deny the possibility of the future Ino spoke of.

But the problem was, what the hell did that have to do with him?

"It does, what if I happen to be that kind of excellent pilot?"

Ino replied shamelessly.

"..."

Instructor Natarle opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say the word "shameless" out loud.

Having talent in command didn't mean one had the same talent for piloting an MS.

Coordinators are not omnipotent.

"I am your prize student, after all. Do you have so little confidence in me?"

Ino noticed the twitching of Instructor Natarle's mouth.

"You think you have it?"

Instructor Natarle retorted, "I acknowledge your talent for battlefield command and your grasp of the big picture, but that doesn't mean you possess the same aptitude for piloting a Mobile Suit."

"What if I do? What if I actually have that kind of talent? You know full well what my learning ability is like."

Ino countered.

This really wasn't Ino just spouting nonsense.

Because he had received specialized training in the Eurasian Federation since he was a child, his ability to learn and mimic was terrifyingly high.

As long as it wasn't something beyond his capabilities, he could imitate it to a great extent.

This was also the reason why his predecessor had been able to stand out from that research institute.

"There aren't that many 'what ifs' in this world; do you think this is a movie?"

Instructor Natarle was rendered speechless. How had she never noticed before that this brat Ino was so thick-skinned?

Could it be because she hadn't spent enough time around him?

"Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets their mind to it... wait, no, for one who puts in the effort! You have to believe in me. What if I'm the kind of Mobile Suit pilot who can turn the tide of a battle? If you don't let me practice, wouldn't you be burying a genius for ZAFT?"

Ino didn't care about his pride anymore; bragging to save his own life was nothing to be ashamed of.

Instructor Natarle's lips twitched. What kind of brain and logic led him to say something like that?

"For the sake of ZAFT's future, I ask that Instructor Natarle approve my transfer application. Thank you."

Ino had completely let go of all inhibitions. Since he had already bragged this much, it didn't matter if he kept going.

"Hiss, fine... I'll sign it!"

Instructor Natarle was defeated by Ino's shamelessness.

Besides, this guy was the type who wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall.

Now that he was dead set on becoming a Mobile Suit pilot, she couldn't manage his life forever.

"Thank you, Instructor!"

Upon hearing this, Ino's face lit up with joy. He pointed eagerly at the signature line on the document and said, "Just sign right here."

"Don't get too happy yet; my signature comes with conditions," Instructor Natarle replied.

"Whatever the conditions are, just name them. As long as I can transfer, everything is negotiable," Ino said with a carefree smile.

As long as he could learn to pilot a Mobile Suit and then escape to Earth, any condition was fine.

"It's simple. You claim to be a genius at piloting a Mobile Suit, right? If you don't reach the top three in the Mobile Suit graduation exam in two months, then get your ass back here and stay the top student of the Command Department!"

Instructor Natarle said with a chuckle, "You're a genius, aren't you? Then show me that genius!"

"What? Top three!?"

Ino was stunned. What kind of concept was the top three?

If he remembered correctly, the top three were Athrun, Nicol, and Yzak.

Trying to catch up to their seven months of hard work in just two months—even if he were cheating, he wouldn't be able to keep up.

And did she think they were the only ones in the entire school?

The total population of PLANT was sixty million.

The number of people in the eligible age range of fifteen to seventeen was around three to four million.

Due to the fall of Junius, the vast majority of eligible students in PLANT had chosen to enlist in the military.

The December Colony Cluster alone had about three hundred thousand military academy students, and the main military academy in December City where he was located had about sixty thousand.

Setting aside members of other specialties, there were nearly thirty thousand peers belonging to the Mobile Suit pilot track.

In two months, to become one of the top three out of over thirty thousand elite Coordinators... even cheating didn't work like that.