The Mech Touch

Chapter 2102 Bring Home The Glory

Joshua Larkinson felt as if he was living in a dream.

Not only did he pilot one of the most powerful mechs designed by Ves Larkinson, he also became a part of the clan!

As one of the few adopted members who didnʼt possess a compound name, he had become one of the famous individuals of his ʼkindʼ. Many people, particularly the younger ones, looked up to him as if he was a hero.

While Joshua didnʼt feel comfortable with all of the respect he received, he reluctantly accepted it. Even though he was very young, he always made sure to retain his humility.

No matter how many compliments he received, that was no reason to sit back and relax.

He wasnʼt even the strongest mech pilot in the Larkinson Clan. That honor was reserved for Jannzi and Tusa.

He smiled at the woman he dated. Both of them sat in a lounge room for mech pilots on standby.

He still couldnʼt believe he managed to gain Jannziʼs attention!

The only problem was that trying to form a relationship with an expert candidate was anything but simple.

”Would you like to go out on a date?” He asked.

Jannzi frowned. ”We donʼt have time for such frivolities. According to what I have heard, the clan patriarch soon intends to head into the Nyxian Gap for some reason or another. We need to increase our strength as much as possible when we still can. While there is nothing wrong with our individual combat skills, our teamwork and coordination can still use a lot of work. My Shieldbearers still have a lot to go before they are ready to form a unified shield wall.”

The Shieldbearer Unit was a new addition to the Avatars of Myth. Commander Melkor had transferred Jannzi and Tusa out of their old mech companies and put them in charge of their units centered around their strengths.

The goal was to form a cadre of elite Avatars that could not only support the efforts of the expert candidates, but also learn from them. Even if the cadre had no hope of advancing to expert pilot, at the very least they came closer than any other regular mech pilot!

Of course, it took a very long time to train these elites up to this point. Jannziʼs burden increased considerably ever since she was put in charge of a squad of eager Shieldbearer mech pilots.

Joshua knew that. He wanted to take Jannzi out for a date for a very long time. So far, he didnʼt have much luck!

”You need to learn how to relax, Jannzi.” He said. ”Too much work and no play is no good. Even your fellow truebloods know that. I know you are.. frustrated.. by the fact that you havenʼt made any progress towards expert pilot. Isnʼt that proof that your current approach isnʼt working?”

”You.. have a point.”

”Look. Our Larkinson Clan is anything but weak. We drill every day. Whatʼs the harm of taking the evening off? Our free time shouldnʼt always be spent on additional training.”

His words caused Jannzi to contemplate them carefully. After a moment of consideration, she uttered her reply.

”No. Everything can wait. I have heard too many stories about the Nyxian Gap to neglect its danger.”

Joshua wanted to palm his face!

Some days, he questioned why he decided to pursue a relationship with Jannzi. Though she was just an expert candidate, she already acquired some of the majesty and bearing of an expert pilot!

This had caused Joshua a lot of difficulties. Many times, he felt as if Jannzi was high above the clouds while he was still trudging through a pool of mud.

Rather than let Jannzi float beyond his grasp, Joshua wanted to match her height!

If she could become an expert candidate, so could he! As a much-lauded mech pilot in the Avatars of Myth, he refused to believe he didnʼt have what it took to become a demigod!

Once he advanced to expert candidate, Joshua would fully be able to treat Jannzi like an equal. When that happened, they wouldnʼt be so distant to each other anymore!

Ever since he joined the Avatars of Myth, Joshua had fulfilled all of the ambitions set by younger self.

He became a member of the Avatars.

He piloted nearly every LMC mech that had been released.

He received the privilege of piloting a masterwork mech.

He distinguished himself in battle.

Joshua found that it was hard for him to get fired up after he made all of those accomplishments. What was there to aim for? He was already a Larkinson. He already piloted a very great mech.

Yet once he recognized that he wouldnʼt be able to maintain Jannziʼs interest if he remained a mortal, his drive to improve ignited once again!

He wanted to achieve a breakthrough! He wanted to advance to expert candidate!

”Youʼre right.” He spoke with a determined voice. ”Training is important. We canʼt neglect its performance. Iʼll make sure to train as diligently as possible tonight!”

Elsewhere, another pair exhibited a lot more jubilance.

”Yes! We did it, Raella! We finally received our charter!”

Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson embraced his girlfriend in a hug and boldly kissed her. ”It took some time, but those old fogeys finally did the right thing!”

”Hahaha!” The female Larkinson looked ecstatic! ”Though I always wanted to become a mech athlete, itʼs not that bad to run our own competitive circuit!”

Fighting a war and becoming just another cog in the machine wasnʼt to her liking at all. She already had a taste of what that kind of life was like when the Bloodclaws were compelled to defend the Bentheim System against the sandmen.

The constant slog of battle and the depressing amount of casualties had left her with a life-long distaste for war. While she was still willing to participate in a battle when asked, she would never do so with a smile, unlike many other Larkinsons.

That said, anyone who called her a coward deserved to get punched in the face!

As the pair slowly wound down, they studied the documents they received that outlined what they were permitted to do and donʼt. They also skimmed through their budget and the support they were entitled to receive from the other divisions of the Larkinson Clan.

It wasnʼt much.

”Balls!” Vincent cursed. ”Those old fogeys sure are stingy! What can we do with such a pathetic budget? I wanted to throw some Bright Warriors in the duelling arena!”

Raella angrily whacked him in the head. ”I told you to stop dreaming! The LMC may be making a lot bank lately, but that doesnʼt give us the luxury to ruin Bright Warriors for fun! Besides, a duel between those mechs will be as boring as hell. Their defense is impenetrable but their offensive power is weak.”

”Itʼs just that itʼs going to be so disappointing to play around with cheap third-class mechs. Thereʼs hardly any way we can build any hype around a match between two different trash cans.”

”We have to start somewhere, Vincent. I think this is a test from the Larkinson Assembly. As long as we can turn our dueling circuit into a success, the assemblymen will definitely see the value we provide! Only a formal competition involving real mechs can entertain the bored mech pilots and other personnel in our clan!”

As they studied the document even further, they quickly recognized another problem.

”They arenʼt providing us with a fighting venue.” Raella frowned.

”Is that important, babe?”

”It is if we want to hold landbound duels! We canʼt assume that we will always have access to the dueling arenas of a planet like Cinach VI. Since our clan is nomadic, itʼs important that we have continuous access to the appropriate facilities!”

”How do we do that?”

Raella grinned. ”Why, buy an arena ship of course! While they arenʼt very common, they exist. They look like regular transport or cargo ships from the outside, but their interior is pretty much hollowed out in order to provide as much space for an arena as possible!”

”That sounds… amazing! However, our budget…”

”Iʼll think of something.” She said. ”If nothing works, Iʼll barge into Vesʼ design lab and squeeze his neck until he coughs up enough money!”

”Um, heʼs well-guarded, you know.”

”Ah. Yeah. I forgot about that.” She grimaced. ”Heʼs not the old Ves anymore. Well, weʼre still friends. If her Hexer girlfriend can wrap him around her fingers, then so can I! Hehe. I may not have spent much time with Ves, but I know how to push his buttons.

”Blegh!” Vincent pretended to vomit!

Smack!

”I didnʼt mean it that way!” Raella insisted while placing her hands on her hips. ”Letʼs leave the arena ship aside for the moment. If thereʼs no progress on that front, we can still go through with holding duels in space.”

There was no need to pay for real estate in space. There was too much emptiness to go around!

The only issue was that they still needed to anchor some fixtures in space. Otherwise, it would be too easy to inflict collateral damage on a nearby ship or mech!

After going over all of the boring documents, they finally got to the fun part.

”We get to name our own competition circuit!” Vincent happily noted before scratching his head. ”Uhm, did we figure that out yet? What should we call it, babe?”

”Hmm..” Raella took this issue very seriously. ”We need to set a name that will stick. Ten or twenty years from now, our Larkinson Clan will probably be a lot bigger. The name must still be worthy enough for our successful circuit!”

”How about the Fight Club?”

”Too generic! Thatʼs the stupidest name Iʼve ever heard!” Raella crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. ”Let me think. It has to sound classy. If you look at the names of the other mech games circuits, they always reference some sort of cup, award or region.”

”How about.. The Larkinson Master Series!” Vincent suggested.

”Hmmm… itʼs not quite there yet. Itʼs getting there, but I need a bit more grandeur.”

”Oh, I got it!” Vincent exulted. ”Letʼs call it the Larkinson Championship Series!”

Raella weighed the name. Though it didnʼt sound as exciting as she hoped, it exuded plenty of class. That was important if she wanted it to be taken seriously several decades from now.

She did not go through all of this trouble to quit after a few years. She was in it for the long run!

Since she wanted to build an entirely new institution based around mech competitions, she had to make sure it possessed a solid foundation. After the brief amount of time she spent with Ves, she knew the importance of coming up with a memorable name and a solid brand!

”Alright.” She nodded. ”The Larkinson Championship Series doesnʼt sound as bad as your other suggestions.”

”Mark my words, Raella! The LCS will become the most prestigious and impressive circuit in the Larkinson Clan!”

That remained to be seen.

After they settled the name, they began to consider the hierarchy.

”It says here that there can only be a single director in charge.” Vincent patted his chest. ”I happen to know a thing or two about leading an organization!”

Raella ignored his boast and quickly filled in her own name as director! ”Sorry, but this job is mine! The LCS is my brainchild!”

”I thought it was our brainchild!”

”You can be the vice-director.”

”Second place is just the first loser!”

”Perhaps itʼs a better idea if you donʼt manage our circuit at all, Vincent.”

”What?! Youʼre kicking me out already? I havenʼt even showed off my awesome management skills!”

”Itʼs either that or forfeit your chance of competing. We canʼt allow any LCS personnel to take part in the very competition we organize! Thatʼs just stupid!”

”Oh. Youʼre right.”

”So if you want to show off your manly charm on the arena, you better butt out of my business and do your own thing. If I were you, I would get in early and organize my own team.”

”Thatʼs.. Thatʼs a brilliant idea, Raella!” He crowed, already becoming enthralled by his fantasies! ”I can become the champion of the LCS! I will lift up trophy after trophy! Witness me, Raella. Iʼll bring home the glory as soon as I win the first finals!”

”Uh huh.” Raella scoffed. ”What will your team name be? Ricklinʼs Rollers?”

”Nah. Thatʼs already done and over with. Let me think…” Vincent tapped his finger against his chiseled chin. ”Oh, I got it! TSV!”

”And that stands for…”

”Team Solo Vincent!”

”Are you sure about that? I donʼt see how the word ʼteamʼ fits in that combination.”

”Itʼs perfect, haha! It doesnʼt matter how many teammates I have. Iʼll be the one who will be carrying them all to victory! I can already imagine the chants from the crowd. TSV! TSV! TSV!”