Kira really wanted to rest now, but unfortunately, the cockpit hatch was locked tight and wouldn't budge. What's more, the simulation program had already started without his input, and his opponent reappeared before him. Unlike the sword-wielding Gundam Exia or the lance-bearing Gundam Cherudim, this time it was the bulky, heavily armed Gundam Virtue, its massive cannons at the ready.
"A firepower-specialized unit? In that case..."
Seeing Gundam Virtue's thick armor and the twin cannons in its hands, Kira immediately judged it to be a heavily armored, firepower-focused machine. That meant it would have overwhelming long-range capabilities but poor mobility. His best bet was to stick with the Sword Striker Pack and engage in close combat.
However...
Kira's assessment wasn't wrong—compared to Gundam Exia and Gundam Cherudim, Gundam Virtue's mobility was indeed lacking. But only relatively so. Gundam Virtue was a solid B-rank machine, while the five X Series Gundams were only C+. Thus, Gundam Virtue's shortcomings weren't much worse than Strike's.
Moreover, Kira faced another challenge: Gundam Virtue's overwhelming firepower suppression.
The moment the battle began, Strike moved—and so did Gundam Virtue. While Strike charged forward, Gundam Virtue simply locked its shoulder-mounted beam rapid-fire cannons onto its target.
"Gundam Virtue, eliminate the target."
"Damn it!"
The rapid-fire cannons fired, their beams streaking straight toward Strike's face. Kira, startled, immediately maneuvered Strike to dodge left and right while inching forward, trying to close the distance.
But then, Gundam Virtue raised both arms—its beam cannons fired. Two thick beams shot out, one from each side, pinning Strike between them. The beams barely grazed Strike's body, but the horizontally extended anti-ship sword melted away in the searing light.
With its left and right escape routes cut off, Strike could only leap into the air to evade the relentless beam attacks, breaking free from Gundam Virtue's kill zone.
Midair, Strike—now deprived of its main weapon—wasn't about to sit idle. Its right hand drew the beam boomerang from its left shoulder, the pink disc slicing through the air in an elegant arc toward Gundam Virtue. At the same time, its left arm fired the rocket anchor, aiming straight for Gundam Virtue's face.
"Naive."
Tieria merely uttered those words as he watched the attacks coming from both sides. Then—
"What?!"
In Kira's view, Gundam Virtue's knee compartments suddenly opened, extending two mechanical arms that ignited pink beam blades. With swift strikes, they sliced through both the beam boomerang and the rocket anchor.
By then, Strike hadn't even landed yet—and a pitch-black cannon barrel was already locked onto it.
"Can't dodge!"
Though Kira had already experienced defeat in the simulation twice before, at this moment, he felt the chilling presence of death flooding his mind. The temperature around him plummeted, as if freezing his very soul.
Crack—
A seed shattered in his mind. Kira's pupils vanished once more as he slammed the pedal to the floor and shoved the control stick forward.
Gundam Virtue unleashed its full firepower—all of it aimed at Strike.
The Strike Gundam, which originally had no leverage in midair, suddenly erupted with intense flames from its back at the critical moment, forcefully propelling it toward the ground.
"What?" Tieria frowned slightly at the sight. In such a short time, it should have been impossible to react, yet the Strike Gundam had dodged his fatal strike.
Not only that, but the Strike Gundam landed heavily without pause, discarded its cumbersome backpack, drew two small daggers, and charged straight at the Gundam Virtue.
The Gundam Virtue attempted to maintain its fire suppression, mimicking its previous strategy, but the Strike Gundam's movements had changed—becoming erratic and impossible to lock onto.
As the Strike Gundam closed in, Tieria grew serious. No longer standing still, he began retreating while maintaining fire suppression, denying the Strike Gundam any chance to close the distance. What had been a one-sided battle now entered a stalemate.
...
"His movements have changed," Setsuna remarked, watching the battle intently.
"It's happening—Seed Mode," Lyle said, his usual playful expression replaced by focus as he observed every second of the fight.
"Has the S.E.E.D Gene's ability finally awakened?" Yang Hui mused, recognizing that Kira had entered Seed Mode—and for the first time, not under life-threatening circumstances.
This was the second purpose behind Yang Hui's decision to have Kira face Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria in succession: to help him gain control over Seed Mode at will.
After its initial awakening, Seed Mode could be mastered, but it wasn't an instantaneous process. Mastery required time and experience.
In theory, Seed Mode was triggered by emotions—when a certain feeling reached its peak and broke through the limits. This was the conclusion Erica Simmons had reached through her research, a conclusion Yang Hui agreed with.
In the anime, Kira and Lacus seemed capable of activating Seed Mode effortlessly, as if it were a convenient plot device for the protagonists. But in reality, such phenomena had logical explanations. Kira and Lacus weren't exceptions among exceptions.
Yang Hui speculated that Kira and Lacus weren't activating Seed Mode at will—rather, beneath their calm exteriors, certain emotions had already peaked. Whether it was worry or anxiety, they simply didn't show it outwardly.
There was another aspect of Seed Mode that required study: its side effects. Such a sudden surge in physical capabilities couldn't be entirely without drawbacks. While Yang Hui recalled that Seed Mode accelerated stamina and mental exhaustion in the anime's setting, who knew if there were other hidden consequences?
Just to be safe, further research was necessary.
"It's about to end."
"Yeah."
The battle on screen was nearing its end. Kira's sudden burst of power had momentarily suppressed Tieria, but as the fight dragged on, the Strike Gundam's movements gradually lost their explosive sharpness, entering a weakened state. The scales of victory began tipping decisively in Tieria's favor.
"Exhausted already? Then let's end this."
Seeing the Strike Gundam's unsteady footing, Tieria judged that Kira had reached his limit and decided to conclude the battle. The menacing maw of his cannon once again targeted the Strike Gundam.
But just at that moment—
"What!?"
The seemingly unstable Strike Gundam suddenly kicked off the ground with tremendous force, propelled by its rear thrusters. In an instant, it closed the distance to the Gundam Virtue. The Armor Breaker dagger thrust upward from below, piercing deep into the Virtue's waist armor amidst a shower of sparks and the screech of grinding metal.
Simultaneously, the cannon fired, its brilliant light engulfing the Strike Gundam's lower half.
"BOOM!"
...
"Zzzzt—"
The cockpit housing Kira opened, revealing him weakly lifting his head toward the source of the light. There stood Yang Hui, extending a hand toward him.
"Well done, Kira."
"But... didn't I lose?" Kira responded haltingly, grasping Yang Hui's hand as he helped him out of the simulation cockpit.
"Overall, you lost the three-round match. But this single round... was a draw." Yang Hui said cheerfully, his eyes flickering sideways with a teasing smirk.
Following Yang Hui's gaze, Kira's lips twitched. There stood Tieria, his face dark with displeasure, while Lyle stood beside him with an infuriatingly mocking grin, patting Tieria's shoulder and saying something that only seemed to darken Tieria's expression further—likely nothing complimentary.
"Clap clap clap..."
Suddenly, the surroundings erupted into thunderous applause, accompanied by cheers and praise.
"Incredible! You actually took down Lieutenant Colonel Erde!"
"Holy hell! You avenged us all!"
"Hahaha! I don't know who you are, but you're my brother from now on!"
"Amazing work! Keep it up!"
"Great effort!"
...
Only then did Kira notice that all the simulation cockpits in the area had opened. Every MS pilot undergoing retraining had witnessed their battle and was now applauding and cheering for him.
"Ahaha, th-thank you." Though Kira suspected they were unintentionally painting a target on his back, he still smiled in response, sensing their genuine admiration.
At that moment, Tieria approached. His icy expression made Kira instinctively step back—had Yang Hui not been supporting him, he might have stumbled.
Kira braced for trouble, but instead, Tieria extended his hand.
"This..."
"Good fight. You're exceptional. I apologize for underestimating you earlier."
Hearing this, Kira paused briefly before smiling and shaking Tieria's hand.
"Not at all. I just got lucky. You're incredible—not just you, but Mr. Seion and Mr. Dylandy too."
"Luck is part of strength. I'll challenge you again when there's a chance."
"I think I'll pass on this," Kira said with a wry smile, trying to decline. He had never enjoyed combat in the first place. If it weren't for Yang Hui convincing him to help improve the training system, he wouldn't have even stepped into the cockpit.
"...I look forward to fighting alongside you one day."
With that, Tieria left. Setsuna also gave Kira a nod, signaling his approval and recognition.
"Back to training!" Tieria's icy voice echoed throughout the training base. The spectators, who had been enjoying the show, shuddered and quickly scattered into the training grounds, afraid of drawing Tieria's ire.
(End of Chapter)