63 Rematch Round

Micu shrugged, "Do whatever you want. Isabel already knows our usual strategy. So try and be unexpected. I'll adapt to you." Ralnas rolled his eyes, "Really? That's your master tactician advice? Do whatever you want?" Micu apologized with his hands, "Really that's all I've got. We have Anna now so we have different tactics but Isabel has a fifth member so she'll also be different. We just have to play to our strengths." Ralnas let out a deep sigh. "You could just say that you need me and Jayce to bail you out. You don't have to make up an excuse." Micu glared at his friend. "I'm not making up an excuse. Those are the facts." Ralnas patted him on the back. "It's okay buddy, we got you this time." Micu realized Ralnas was trying to get under his skin and let out an annoyed grunt.

Jayce winked at Micu and then leaned against the wall. "Ready Anna?" Anna shook with surprise before facing Jayce. "I think so." Jayce nodded, "It'll be fine I promise. Ralnas may not act like it but he's the worst member of the team. You'll do better than him no matter what." Ralnas violently turned to face his friend. "Excuse you?" Jayce smiled, "I'm just saying facts." Ralnas clenched his fingers into fists before relaxing. "Very funny Jayce." He stomped over to his chair grumbling to himself the whole time.

The room was then bathed in a red light. "Contestants please prepare to choose your weapons for the coming round. Each contestant may carry up to three items." Jayce growled, "I hate that ladies voice. First order of business is to replace her." His three friends laughed heartily. No one got as worked up over small details as Jayce did. The walls of the room faded and they were once again in the armory from before. Anna did her best to look natural in the setting but she hadn't competed in any events since her own exam a year ago. Noticing the other four were already scrolling through tablets she quickly found the open one and began to explore all the options.

She paused as she came to the gun she had used during her own competition. Remembering the other three who had once been part of her team she choked back her emotions. Deciding that maybe seeing her using the same weapon would inspire them to reach out she repeated her decision. She felt the weight of the laser carbine settle on her back. She quickly opened the tab to customize it and colored it to the green Jenira was wearing. Smiling to herself she glanced around.

Micu was stuck between two different sniper rifles. He hadn't had the chance to really use the gun last time but didn't know if he had liked how it felt. At the same time, he wasn't sure if he should just try a completely new gun on a whim. Finally, he decided to flip a coin. Opening the app on his watch he flipped a coin and chose the new rifle. Feeling the gun attach itself to his back he grinned as it felt heavier. He then selected a grappling hook and a smoke grenade as his other equipment. He sighed with relief as he watched the tablet descend into the floor. He noticed Anna looking at him. "Pick your gear," he said as he pointed to the console still hovering before her. She nodded quickly and began scrolling through the options.

She decided to get a higher tier scope for her gun and a flashbang grenade. Giving Micu a thumbs up as her console also descended into the floor. Above the two of them were green checkmarks. To their right, the other three were still in the process of selecting their gear. Micu walked over to Anna and ushered her to the bench that was positioned next to the boxy robot that opened the door to the Coliseum floor. "They might be awhile." He muttered as he leaned his head against the wall. Anna smirked but said nothing.

Ralnas and Jayce were having a blast trying to decide what they should use in the battle. "You should choose a ninja build. Throwing stars, katana, smoke bombs, you know the ladies love a ninja," Jayce said as he scrolled through the options. Ralnas cackled then paused, "Do ladies really love ninjas?" Jayce hesitated, "Uh I think so? I guess we could ask Jen." He turned his head, "Hey Jen! Do girls like ninjas?" She looked up at him annoyed, "Really? This is what you two are focused on right now?" Jayce shrugged, "I guess girls don't like ninjas." Ralnas started chuckling to himself as he continued to scroll. Ralnas finally decided on his weapons for the round.

He selected a thick energy shield, a sub-machine gun that he could wield one-handed, and a small jetpack. "I'm going to be a floating ball of pain," he said triumphantly. Jayce looked over the equipment now festooned to his friend. "A jetpack is a quick way to get yourself killed." He scolded Ralnas. His friend just lifted his arms in contempt. "You haven't seen me using one." "No actually I have, that's why I said it was a quick ticket to death." Ralnas glared at him. "Too late anyway, I already made my choices."

Jayce rolled his eyes and then made his own selection. He went with two pistols and then a cloak that let him have limited invisibility if he didn't move for 3 seconds. He wrapped the cloak around himself with a flourish and bowed to Jenira. She laughed at him and made her final choices as the clock above them hit 20 seconds until the round started. She chose to keep it simple and chose a laser rifle and two fragmentation grenades. She patted them lovingly as she grinned at Jayce. He returned her smile and the five met up in front of the boxy robot. "Are all competitors ready?" Micu glanced around, "We are." The robot nodded and rolled over to the wall and pulled a lever. The large metallic door descended slowly.

The robot turned to face them. "Rules are simple. If you are hit in a vital organ you're dead. The computer will calculate damage. First team to lose all five members loses." It then rolled away into the black. The door finally reached the floor and a smoky light filtered into the room. Micu took a mental note of the choices of his four teammates and then gestured them forward. "Everyone on guard. We don't know how close to the other team we spawned."

Before them was a decaying cityscape with smoke obscuring the top of some of the buildings. The four teenagers moved with a calculated menace. Anna was surprised by how methodical these four were. She had taken her fair share of combat classes but never had developed the laser-like focus of the four before her. Micu led the five down an alley before holding up a hand for them to stop. "I'm going to climb this building and try and get a good vantage point." The other three were instantly crouching down and covering all angles around them. Anna jumped to try and fit into their formation. Jayce smiled, "Don't worry, we've been doing this exact routine since we were six." Anna was dumbstruck.

Micu shot his grappling hook up and after ensuring it was adequately secured to the building he began climbing. "Halfway up," he whispered. Down below him, the other four were tense. Every noise was met with a tightening of the grip on their trigger. Anna felt her breathing was heavy due to hearing not a single noise from those around her. Then the familiar "pop, pop, pop," of a rifle firing. She swiveled to see Jenira firing at some poor soul who had entered their firing line. The boy hit the ground with a thump and dissolved away.

A roaring sound shook the ground and Anna realized that there was a crowd watching them from above. She glanced skyward but only saw the murky sky. Jenira let out a thin breath. "Got one," she whispered. Anna was feeling more and more out of her league with these four. Sure she had been part of team Pure but these four were probably better than most of her teammates she thought to herself. She hadn't even heard the boy making noise before he was already gone. Micu's voice shook her from her thoughts. "I'm in position. Follow the road in front of you. I think I see someone trying to set up an ambush. I need you to lure him into the open."

The other three were already moving in a disciplined line and Anna quickly fell in behind them. With Jayce in the front, they stole from shadow to shadow barely giving Anna time to catch her breath. "I really need to get back in the gym," she thought to herself. Jayce paused and the other two in front of her split their vision to the left and right sides. "Anna when we stop you cover the back," Jayce whispered in his mic. Anna wanted to smack herself in the face for forgetting one of the things they had worked on yesterday. She whirled around and saw a shadow moving towards them. Her eyes bulged and she instinctively sighted her scope and was about to fire when a loud, "Bang" echoed through the city. The figure slumped over and dissolved.

"I knew you had that Anna but what can I say. I'm a greedy man for kill stats." Micu happily said into their team chat. Anna felt her body relax as the boy's body fully exited the simulation. Again the crowd above them was thunderous in its approval. Anna smiled despite the stress of the situation. "You four really are incredible," she whispered. Feeling a tap on her shoulder she turned to see Jayce ushering them forward once again. She also noted three nods to acknowledge what she had just said.

"Two down, three to go," Ralnas said happily. As they moved into an open courtyard they heard an eruption of fire as bullets rained down on them. Jayce threw himself into Ralnas and managed to knock both he and Jenira to the ground. "Anna get down!" He shouted. The machine gun fire peppered their area. Jayce had managed to knock them out of the direct line of fire but there were still injuries. Ralnas groaned as he saw the same leg had been hit by a stray bullet. "I need to invest in some padding for this leg." Jayce was peaking around the corner they were pinned in. "Jen watch the front. Ral watch the back. Anna, you rotate between the two. I'm going to try and distract them." He took off running the way they had just come.

Micu's voice buzzed in their ears. "I'm using the grappling hook to get near you. Give me a few minutes." Jenira glanced over and was met with a stream of bullets. "We're not going anywhere don't worry." Ralnas pulled himself to rest against a trash can and held his shield gamely over most of his body. "Well, the shield was maybe a waste." He said as his eyes darted over the alley. Anna felt an extreme sense of calm despite everything that was happening. "You four can handle this though," She said confidently into the team chat. She heard a pained laugh come from Ralnas. "Isabel is one tough cookie. But I think we've got this." Anna smiled and nodded as she joined Jenira taking pot shots towards the machine gun positioned somewhere in the courtyard.