There was just so much to consider - so much he hadn't even thought about.

  Inspiration struck moments later.

  He could use the same technique he'd used to beat Liefield.

  Julian wrapped his legs around the Patchwork's cockpit. Then he accelerated and slammed his machine into the ground, burying both of them into the wall. The Patchwork's weaknesses included its lightweight and low maneuverability.

  "Tyler! Get him! Get him!"

  His friend drew his sword and charged forward.

  Julian slowly inched closer, slamming the stubs of his shoulders over the Patchwork's thrusters to hinder any escape. It was a dirty trick to use a suicide tactic in a two-on-one battle, but he had to do what worked. Brandon was just too good!

  There was a tremendous bang.

  The two machines went spinning out of the wall, and Julian slammed to the floor. The massive grappler arm reached into the cockpit and crushed him like he was a grape.

  He respawned in the loser's lobby, the white room with screens to watch his teammates fighting through their camera perspective. Emma turned to him and shook her head.

  "Did you see what he did there?"

  Julian hadn't. One moment, he'd been grabbing Brandon. The next, there was a bang, and he'd fallen out of his pilot chair. Mere milliseconds later, he was dead.

  Julian pulled up the replay. Brandon had fired the massive shelling cannons without anchoring himself with the plate. Naturally, his lightweight machine went spinning away. He'd used the massive kickback to free himself from Julian's trap.

  Not anticipating the sudden movement, Tyler had overswung.

  The Patchwork slipped around Tyler's Mech and grabbed the Roar by the waist. The two Mechs struggled furiously together. As soon as the Roar ran out of Liquid State Eternium, Brandon smoothly shifted the claw into bombardment mode and fired at zero range. The Cerberus Roar was torn clean in half.

  VICTOR: SWEETSHOT303

  As the four of them respawned on the lobby, all Julian, Emma, and Tyler could do was shake their heads in amazement.

  Brandon had beaten them three against one with an experimental machine.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  BRANDON EAGERLY EMBRACED Tyler.

  "I should come up to Chicago sometime and visit you guys."

  "Yeah, that'd be great! What do you think I can do better?"

  Tyler was serious about eventually getting to compete against Brandon, who eagerly anticipated a real challenge. It was clear how much Brandon loved the game. After all, he was the only pro who still found time to grind out the ranked ladder even after spending hours scrimmaging and hunting for the best loot.

  "Well, you're pretty new. So the biggest thing is just figuring out all the game mechanics and items. You don't even know your own Mech yet."

  Brandon smirked.

  "You were kinda just blasting randomly out there."

  Tyler laughed.

  "Yeah."

  "Well, that was the right strategy, but you need to get the specifics down."

  Brandon called up an image of his latest Mech, having it hover over his head just like all the other players showing off their designs had done. He started tapping at it, manipulating the joints on the strange spherical design.

  "I'm still learning the full limits of this one, but look at this."

  He shifted the bombardment arm.

  "On this Mech, I know that can move the limb up all the way here in less than a second. In terms of the maximum length it can stretch..."

  He pushed a little more. Because of the Guardian X's stubby joints, it could only go a little further. It would have been much further on a typical machine.

  "It can only go here. So I know exactly where I need to be before I can move."

  With a tap, Brandon transformed the bombardment arm.

  "I have this much time before I can switch from shooting mode to grappling mode."

  He simulated a flight then halted it with the hover plate.

  "I'm sure you noticed me using the plate to stop on a dime. That took a lot of practice, and it isn't actually instantaneous. I need to enter the command about half a second before I intend to stop. But because I anticipate that, it seems to you like I can stop immediately."

  Brandon dismissed the machine.

  "It's stuff like that. You need to move the Mech like it's part of your own body. What's the maximum speed? If you need to escape, what's the farthest you can run? Exactly how many blasts can you use before you run out of power? Energy weapons are tricky - that's why I usually prefer solid weapons and the ammunition system."

  Brandon went on and on, listing all sorts of essential statistics. These were things that came up every single battle, yet although Julian had used his Starlight R for years, he wasn't sure if he could answer even a quarter of those questions.

  Julian pulled up his status screen and got to work. He had an instinctual knowledge of how far the Starlight R could stretch, but he didn't know the precise amount.

  Tyler nodded thoughtfully. He immediately summoned the Roar above his head and started moving the model around, but Brandon stopped him.

  "Do that in your spare time. You're in the Forever Fortress! You should just find out in action!"

  Brandon pulled up his status screen and frowned.

  "Uh, how do I call Grunts again?"

  Emma hastily pulled up her screen.

  "Ah, I need to give you guys permission. Hang on."

  Moments later, the CALL GRUNTS option appeared in the bottom corner of all their screens. Julian grinned. Ordinarily, CALL GRUNTS was a command only available to official Fortress Masters. Emma's innovation of a parts launcher was incredible.

  "The best way to do this is just to practice on the Forever Fortress! Call up some Grunts here and try these drills on them. I just transferred you a list of training exercises. Start simple at first and then build up from there."

  Tyler summoned a line of opponents then flew off to battle them."

  Before Brandon could leave, Emma hastily stepped forward.

  "What about me? What do you think I can improve on? I need to get better at the movement knowledge stuff you mentioned too. I was just wondering if there was anything else."

  Brandon grinned.

  "Yeah, I'd be happy to help!"

  Julian stood there awkwardly. He wanted to ask Brandon for help too, but he didn't want to interrupt Emma. It felt like waiting outside a teacher's office. When would be a good time to ask? Should he just say that he also wanted advice?

  "I would say the biggest thing is communication. You were right that with your team composition, the best bet was to go inside and start shooting. If I wanted to chase you, I would have had to funnel myself into the castle walls. If I didn't chase, I would have run out of energy. But I won because your team split."

  He smiled.

  "If I know Tyler, the reason he didn't go that way is that you didn't tell him to beforehand. There's no way he wouldn't want to support a teammate."

  "Yeah, I didn't."

  "Yeah! Like it's great to be able to recognize stuff like that. It's a big strength. The most important thing is just making sure your team knows too. That's especially true with a specialized role like sniping. You just train yourself to see stuff most people don't."

  Brandon walked to the edge of the viewing platform and then zoomed in on the castle. As soon as they'd left, the same kind of white and olive green Grunts Maxwell summoned earlier had started repairing the walls. Julian wasn't sure where the parts to build these Grunts were coming from. He'd have to check in with Emma after Brandon finished explaining everything.

  "The other thing is that you need to be more cognizant of your set-ups. That one was just too obvious. It's not just about hitting the perfect shot. You also need to think about what the other player is seeing too. In that case, you made a sudden move to drive me to the left. Based on where I was standing, there was only one place you could be."

  He pointed at the wall.

  "You see what I mean?"

  Julian and Emma immediately saw it. Brandon was an outstanding teacher. Tyler used to always rave about what a good teammate and captain Brandon was. Now, Julian knew exactly what his best friend had been talking about.

  "I doubt could have hit a shot from that angle. It was really impressive to identify it. But it wasn't a good spot because it told me exactly where you had to be. That's the other big thing to keep in mind, just think of what your opponent is thinking."

  "Got it, got it."

  "And get an Ace unit when you can - it doesn't matter too much since Grunts are more flexible, but it's nice to have."

  Then he turned to Julian.

  "Do you mind if I give you some advice too?"

  "Yeah, of course!"

  "Have you taken a look at your report recently?"

  "The what?"

  "The report in the Database! You've reached a top 2,000 ranking before, so you're in it."

  Brandon smiled.

  "I mean actually, you usually land in it once you're in the top 5,000 or so. There's a lot of people aspiring to get ranked who write out reports of everyone else floating around the area."

  "I haven't. Should I look now?"

  The Database was a community record which reported on previously played matches. Overdrive players could also detail information about their fellow opponents or teammates. It included a profile of strengths and weaknesses along with a list of commonly used Mechs. Julian had heard about it, but he'd never taken it seriously. He didn't get the point of looking people up before games.

  Some pilots swore by it, though. There was always a guy every two to three matches who would read up on everyone in the Database before playing. Usually, it was just to get a better sense of their teammates and adjust to their strategies to fit their team. But there were players who could be pretty irritating about it. They'd get mad if the Database told them that their teammates wouldn't be able to play their preferred style. It was sort of like how Liefield spent all his time moaning before the mission about being paired up with two kids.

  Julian wasn't surprised that Brandon liked using it. Tyler and Brandon were very alike, and Julian's roommate was a fiend for game film.

  "Yeah, it's always worth a glance."

  Julian started pulling up his report.

  "Did you take a look at mine before the match?"

  "Yeah, I peeked at it again before our match just to check and see what strategy to use, but I've read it a few times. I mean, you were almost in the Selection last time, so I wanted to keep an eye out for you."

  It was pretty amazing.

  Julian was a decent pilot, but he was barely outside the top 500 on Overdrive. Even though Julian followed the pro scene, he couldn't tell you who was on every top team. He also wouldn't be able to name every member of every Fortress. But even though Julian was just a nobody, Brandon knew who he was.

  "The biggest thing is to take it with a grain of salt. I've noticed that people tend to remember the bad more than the good. I think my page is just members of the Cal clan complaining about me."

  Brandon laughed, but it was clear that he was still irritated. Julian doubted Caliber Gaming would make the World Championships without their superstar Grunt player, but if they did, Brandon would relish eliminating them.

  "I'd ignore some of the harsher comments, but I think they generally make some good points. I was able to get a lot out of reading mine. For you, I do think you need to work on your game knowledge and overall preparation. You guys were going for a long-ranged strategy, but you used your typical Mech instead of an escort-type unit. Ideally, Emma would have gone for the Ace, and you would have adjusted your Mech for her. Even though she couldn't, it still would have made sense to change your machine."

  Julian nodded. Tigger's younger son - Robby - had been able to carry them while playing as a support. It was essential to put your teammate in the perfect position.

  "Frankly, your control skills are a lot better than someone who is just in the top 500. I think you could go pretty high if you trained. For a while there, I thought you might have outshot me. You just needed a better gun."

  "Thank you."

  Julian wasn't sure if he could have outdueled Brandon, but it was still an incredible compliment. And for all he knew, he really could have won. The arm-mounted submachineguns were only there to ward off missiles or hold enemies in place for his sword. They weren't a primary range weapon.

  "Anyways, take a look. Look at your last few matches, and see if you notice any prevailing trends. That's the best way to improve. Like you actually already have the control skills, you just need to improve your strategic skills. Like you said, habits and thinking."

  Tigger had almost certainly taught his kids the same thing. It all went back to thinking.

  Perhaps Julian could beat Dynamic if he improved his strategic thinking. According to Brandon, Julian was already there in terms of his control skills.

  "Again, I'd take the comment with a grain of salt, though. Most of the people who update the Database are butthurt about a recent loss and want to blame people."

  That meant that Julian's report was almost certainly terrible. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. From what Brandon said, the star player's report wasn't much better. That meant that Julian shouldn't beat himself too much about his.

  Pilot Name: Julian

  Main Unit: Starlight R (Click for Information)

  Strengths: Close Combat, Control Skills (Click for Teammate Comments)

  Weaknesses: Can't Play Grunts, Easily Discouraged, Not a Team Player, Bad Game Knowledge (Click for Teammate Comments)

  Julian felt particularly offended by the middle two weaknesses. Sure, he couldn't play Grunt units, but he wasn't more easily discouraged than the people who would quit trying in the middle of the game. And he was definitely a team player.

  Brandon noticed that Julian was feeling down.

  "Hey, it's not everything. Like I said, most of the people who update the Database are just mad. But look. If you can figure out which of the criticisms are real, and then improve on it, that's how you become the best. And not just that."

  He raised a finger.

  "You can use the Database offensively too. Sure, you can't see who your opponents are before the match starts, but based on the Mechs they are using you might figure out at least who the Ace is. If you study the Database, then you'll have a big leg up ahead of time. You'll know how to attack them."

  Huh.

  Julian hadn't thought about it that way before. He scrolled back and forth, flipping to the players above and ahead of them. Even the pilots he recognized as good players had a long list of Weaknesses. Perhaps he could learn to exploit them. The one-on-one battle system seemed like a particularly easy way to attack the ladder and quickly rank up. Most pilots who challenged you to one-on-ones only did it because they were confident they could beat you.

  Julian took another look at the invite. Dynamic was ranked around the 280s, and he'd already beaten Julian twice before. Even a single win against someone of Dynamic's caliber would propel Julian to the top five hundred.

  Could he turn the tables with the Database? What were Dynamic's weaknesses?

  "So first, I'd fix what you think are the biggest problems listed for yourself, and then research people around you. That's part of how I climbed up so quickly. Do you have anything else you want to ask about?"

  "No, not at all. Thank you so much."

  It was such an honor. Brandon had not only battled them but then provided individual tips and suggestions. It wasn't every day you could get coached by a World Championship finalist.

  "No problem. Now, if you don't mind, I want to shoot down a few of these things before my meeting."

  Brandon's grin went from ear to ear as he summoned a different Guardian Patchwork. This new unit was a mass-fire type. It retained the same hover plate and backpack cannons, but a two-barreled bazooka had replaced the flamethrower and Bombardment Arm. The explosive weapon required both hands to hold, meaning that Brandon couldn't use his typical grafted attachment. It was the perfect set-up for killing a bunch of Grunts at once. Mass-fire units were a vital part of any party looking to grind through as many missions as possible.

  Instantly evaporating enemy Grunt units with strong area of effect attacks meant that you could efficiently clear maps.

  However, they were near worthless in competitive play, so seeing a superstar level player with one was rare. They couldn't compete with more specialized Artillery units that also allocated Credits to shields or close-combat weapons. Spraying and praying was ineffective when most of your opponents had top-tier stats in Defense and Mobility. You either needed concentrated blasts from a sniper or a more well-rounded unit that could contribute additional benefits. Typically, if you saw a mass-fire Mech in a competitive match, it was a beginner who was just starting to move from missions to player vs. player battles.

  But Brandon always did what was optimal, even if he didn't need to. He'd thrown away his signature Bombardment Arm just to do a better job of killing AI Grunts.

  Seeing Brandon's flexibility forced Julian to take a much harsher look at his own play.

  As Brandon said, the comments could be harsh, but you had to decide for yourself what to keep. Julian got pretty discouraged at times. He wouldn't curse out his teammates or anything, but he often shut down in the middle of a discouraging battle. And although his teammates on the server wouldn't know, he frequently gave up entirely and logged off after a tough loss.

  As for his teamplay, he was a one-dimensional player. Although he always tried his best, his Starlight R could only be used for a single purpose, and he had no Grunt experience at all. If someone looked at him in an unflattering light, it could seem like he wasn't trying to cooperate.

  He clicked the In-Depth Report, which featured several detailed discussions from players who'd played with him. As Brandon said, it was full of critical comments.

  "This guy cost me my game to get into the top five hundred!"

  "Said he had to play the Ace, but couldn't carry us."

  "Kept swerving in front of me and making it hard to shoot."

 

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