Though Jake had no idea what had been said about him or how much Zack had fought to ensure that he retained the mech his parents had worked so hard to purchase, because in the end, Zack felt it didn't matter if his companions resented him for standing up for Jake.
He just believed he had done the right thing, he didn't mind giving them something to hold against him in the future, even if he might one day regret his choice.
For now, all he cared about was doing what he believed was right.
As for regret, the other two captains had already warned him that if Aiden eventually rose above them in rank considering his talent, there was a chance he might remember this moment and act on it.
But Zack dismissed that thought, because they hadn't been there when Aiden signed the contract and they didn't see what he saw, in his mind, Aiden didn't seem like someone who would be that petty.
_ _
While the three students from Region F waited beneath the F Army Space ship, discussing how much their lives might change once they entered the academy, they suddenly heard a faint mechanical sound.
From the underside of the ship, a circular hatch slowly began to open downward, as a wave of cold air spilled out as the hatch descended, and soon they could make out the three captains standing atop the platform.
Within seconds, the hatch lowered them to the ground, allowing the captains to step off, before the platform retracted back into the ship.
"You've all signed your contracts, which means from this moment forward, you belong to the Region F military, unless you buy your way out, receive an honorable discharge, retire, or are court-martialed," the captain with the eyepatch began speaking.
"Right, we shall now offer you mechs for agreeing to serve under the Region F Army." This time though, it was Zack who spoke as he stepped forward and raised his hand.
Resting in his palm was what looked like a large cube, he wasn't the only one thouugh—both captains behind him held similar cubes, though theirs were noticeably smaller, with a slight motion, Zack flicked his wrist as if tossing the cube upward.
Almost as if it understood his intent, the cube rose into the air and hovered in an empty space to the right of the captains, the other two cubes followed, ascending in the same manner.
Just as Jake thought he had seen everything, it happened.
Zack's cube was the first to react, after emitting a faint, transparent glow, a mech materialized midair beneath it.
Gbim!!
The heavy sound of the mech landing sent a wave of shock through the three students, but it didn't stop there, the other two cubes activated moments later, releasing their own mechs one after another.
Within five minutes, the once-empty space was filled with at least fifteen mechs of different colors and types, and at the very front stood the one that drew everyone's attention—
The Ares Mech, a Rare tank-class unit, on either side of it, the Paragon and Lancer mechs were neatly arranged in separate lines.
"I'm sure that while we were still up there, you all had enough time to decide which mech you wanted based on the options we gave you." This time, it was the third captain who spoke.
All three newly awakened students nodded, while their teacher, who stood a few meters away to give them space, watched with a satisfied smile on his face, though he had not been teaching for long, however; every time his students awakened and reached the moment of choosing their first mech, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
"Gideon, step forward and choose the mech of your choice," the captain with the beret said, pointing toward the side where the new lineup of mech was being displayed.
Gideon's gaze immediately drifted toward the Ares mech at the front, he clearly desired it, but he held himself back, believing it had been reserved for Aiden due to his talent rank.
After all, before signing his contract, he had been told he would get the chance to choose between a Lancer or a Paragon mech, nothing about the Ares mech had been mentioned to him.
Not wanting to embarrass himself, he walked toward the Paragon lineup instead, though his eyes still lingered on the Ares mech for a moment longer.
Mr Charles made sure to teach his students all about Tier 1 to Tier 3 mechs, so they had a decent understanding of what they were choosing, since it is from this range the institution they sign contract with would give them a mech to pick from.
And since selecting a starting mech was incredibly important, he made sure they all understood the topic, however; that didn't mean that they lacked knowledge of other famous mechs either and the Ares just happened to be one of the most popular Tier 3 units.
"I pick this Paragon," Gideon said, stopping in front of one that stood out to him, it was in pristine condition, painted in a striking blue and yellow pattern with subtle design accents that immediately caught his attention.
"Then try fusing the mech into your Hanger System," Zack instructed, as Gideon immediately raised his left hand toward the mech's chest region, from the hand guard on his arm, a small beam of light emerged and began scanning the mech from top to bottom, like a moving sensor.
Once the scan was complete, the light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, Gideon then moved his hand as if pressing something within his interface.
In the next instant, the mech began to distort, its form folding into space before dissolving into a streak of light that shot toward Gideon's hand guard.
It took a full five seconds before the mech was completely absorbed into the hand guard, when it was done, Gideon was slightly sweating, but aside from that, he stood there staring into the air.
Seeing this, those present immediately understood that he was checking his system.
Since only the host could see their system interface, unless it was connected to a mother screen, they assumed he was taking in all the changes: the new improvements, the special ability that came with the mech, and the increase in his overall strength.