"Good morning, Mr. Xia."
Marshal Stacker stood in a black suit and coat at the edge of a room centered by a flat sparring platform. He nodded as Natsuki walked through the passage.
Rust clung to every surface in the Shatterdome. The whole space leaned dark.
"Morning, Marshal." Natsuki in his floral shirt nodded back, crossed past the platform, and joined Mako at the Marshal's side.
Across from them—five Jaeger pilots waiting for selection. Other pilots had come to watch.
Like Cherno Alpha's crew: Sasha and Aleksis Kaidanovsky. Russian couple. Him imposing, her striking.
And Crimson Typhoon's Wei Tang triplets, crew cuts neat and identical.
Selection hadn't started. Raleigh stood among them, exchanging greetings.
"I heard about the cafeteria."
"Let me apologize for Chuck." Marshal Stacker's tone was complicated. "The boy's not bad at heart. Just lacks some... polish."
He knew most of what happened in the base. Understood his people.
"I get it." Natsuki nodded.
"Rebellious kid. I'm not holding it against him."
The Marshal's worry eased.
He'd been concerned Chuck's behavior might damage cooperation. But Mr. Xia wasn't temperamental. Kind, even.
While they talked, selection began.
Five candidates would spar with Raleigh using staffs.
The test showed chemistry. Better chemistry meant harder to break through defenses.
Also, only similar skill levels worked. Too wide a gap, and a pilot's subconscious placed the other unequally—tanking drift compatibility.
"Both sides, prepare." Mako spoke as referee once Raleigh and his opponent held staffs.
"Begin!"
Muscles bulged under Raleigh's shirt. His gaze sharpened. Footwork shifted. He charged the buzz-cut youth across from him.
Fierce offense. Unpredictable techniques.
Staffs cracked against each other.
Natsuki observed their movements.
Raleigh had training.
"His style's pretty... casual, though?" Natsuki made conversation with the Marshal.
Raleigh had foundation, but his techniques were hard to read. Solid momentum, though.
One word: reckless.
"That's his style." Before the Marshal could answer, Mako—eyes locked on Raleigh—spoke first. "Unpredictable street-fighting."
She'd done homework.
"You know him well?" Natsuki's lips curved. Teasing.
"Of course." Mako nodded immediately.
"To find his perfect match, I reviewed every mission record. Took notes on everything."
"Wow." Natsuki's smile deepened. Village gossip energy. "If it's just work, you wouldn't need that much detail."
Mako froze.
On the platform, Raleigh knocked down his opponent. She snapped back, called the next candidate.
After announcing start, she turned. "It's necessary."
"Partner selection must be taken seriously."
"So... you prepared candidates with almost no chance?" Natsuki watched the second candidate crumble under Raleigh's offense. Glanced at the others. Didn't buy it.
Who Raleigh had chemistry with was obvious.
These five didn't have it.
"I..." Mako wanted to explain. Seemed stuck.
Marshal Stacker spoke.
"I finalized the list."
"She's not on it." Heavy voice.
Natsuki glanced between the Marshal, Mako, and Raleigh defeating another opponent.
"You know who has the best chemistry with him, right?" Puzzled.
The Marshal had to see it.
"Is she your daughter?" Blunt.
Not letting Mako participate—most likely the Marshal couldn't bear sending her to battle. Age difference supported it.
Marshal Stacker didn't respond immediately. Nodded silently.
Sighed. "Adopted daughter."
"She's not ready for the battlefield."
While they talked, Raleigh defeated his third opponent.
He stood on the platform, leaning on his staff, looking their way.
"Hey!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Doesn't anyone see something wrong here?"
Raleigh couldn't hear them, but he wasn't blind. He shouted at Mako.
"How about we skip this?" He raised his staff, pointed it at her. "You spar with me."
When they'd met, he'd sensed their chemistry.
He'd expected skilled opponents. After a few rounds, he was certain—only one person in this base could partner with him.
Higher drift compatibility meant more power. No reason to sideline his best match.
Piloting Jaegers meant risking your life.
Mako's eyes lit up. She turned to Marshal Stacker, gaze hopeful.
Let me go, let me go...
The Marshal made final decisions. Her name had been on the list. He'd crossed it off.
Atmosphere at this point, Mako boldly rebelled.
Marshal Stacker hesitated.
He kept her out because of trauma. Worried it would affect combat. Not other reasons.
"All right."
"If you don't want to, forget it."
"Xia, how about you spar with me?" Seeing no response, Raleigh shifted targets. Grinned.
He wanted to test Natsuki's skills.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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