"I'll go first."
The Twilight Bullet, who had been exclaiming in surprise just moments before, now stepped onto the training platform on his own initiative. He gave Fred a slight bow and continued.
"My apologies!"
"Mickey, this is my order, not an apology."
As he spoke, Fred was also observing the early-appearing character standing before him.
According to the information he had obtained, the other party had only just enlisted not long ago.
He had joined ZAFT during its recent reorganization into a formal military organization.
Due to his high abilities, he was promoted and brought in.
Most of the others here were individuals like Andrew, who had been active since before ZAFT was officially established.
The fact that Mickey could receive an exceptional promotion from among these people undeniably proved that his abilities were absolutely reliable.
Although there was no military rank assigned to him yet, and he was only a Green Uniform, Red Uniforms were not something one could be directly promoted to. That required graduating at the top of one's class from the military academy later on.
If he hadn't encountered Kira and then lost his mental stability, there wouldn't have been any issues.
The first thing Fred needed to do after taking over as commander was to temper their mental fortitude.
Although Coordinators were indeed physically skilled, their psychological resilience tended to be considerably lower.
It seemed the more capable a person was, the more pronounced this problem became.
However, Fred had considerable experience with this kind of training plan.
After all, hadn't he managed to straighten out Yzak before? Now he was a fine young man.
Of course, before he could truly train them, he needed to make them respect him first.
Otherwise, everything would be empty talk.
Looking at Fred's bold and confident demeanor, Mickey, who stood before him first, was surprised.
After all, the young man before him, though wearing a mask that only revealed his lips...
It was clear that he was definitely not old.
Moreover, he appeared to have the bearing of a refined gentleman.
To Mickey, he seemed more like a researcher than a combatant.
Could he fight? Mickey didn't think so.
But if he couldn't fight, why would he take on a gauntlet of opponents?
Mickey also didn't believe the other party was that foolish.
These two conflicting thoughts left him, and his teammates watching from not far away, in a state of confusion.
Such boldness, if backed by strength, would naturally make them rally more closely under his leadership.
But if there was no strength behind it, it would simply be an embarrassing spectacle.
They didn't know whether he belonged to the category of having strength or not.
However, they would probably find out very soon.
As the people below held their breath and focused intently, and Mickey put on his boxing gloves, the atmosphere at the scene grew even more tense as both men completed their preparations.
"Captain Orphee, do you think the Captain can defeat Mickey?"
Another team member couldn't help but ask their captain beside him out of curiosity.
Although Mickey was an ordinary team member, and a newly promoted one at that, their squad was an elite unit to begin with. Mickey's hand-to-hand combat skills were among the best even among these team members. That alone showed how strong Mickey was.
"Perhaps he can?"
Looking at Fred's still calm and composed demeanor, like that of a grandmaster, Orphee murmured in response.
"However, it seems he intends to use a war of attrition—that's rather arrogant."
Someone couldn't help but frown.
Calling Fred, their new superior, arrogant was already overstepping.
But relatively speaking, Fred's arrogance implied he looked down on them, which was why they were angry.
"Watch your words."
Upon hearing this, Orphee did not agree but instead cast a stern, authoritative glance at the young man and continued.
"Captain Fred's strength has nothing to do with personal grudges."
"As Coordinators, as Aces, we must view matters rationally."
"Understood?"
They could discuss who would win or lose, they could question the other side, but they must not show contempt.
After all, Fred was undeniably their superior and had no personal grudges with them.
Moreover, his adjutant was right here.
Though he was some distance away, it was unclear whether he had heard.
That man named Alec clearly seemed to be Fred's confidant.
If he mentioned this in front of others later, they would be the ones to suffer.
Regardless of the other's abilities, the relationship was real and tangible.
"I understand, I'm sorry..."
Under Orphee's words, the young man lowered his head.
The others also grew more serious upon hearing this.
"Good, be more careful next time."
Orphee's gaze swept across the scene before returning to Fred.
He wondered if this man was truly as capable as Joule had said.
That's right—although he had earlier claimed not to know much about Fred's background, as a confidant of Representative Joule, she had privately given him some hints.
That usually stern superior had used many adjectives when speaking of Fred: very capable, full of mysteries.
But when Orphee, noticing Joule seemed to think highly of Fred, proactively asked if she wanted him to look after Fred, Joule shook her head and refused.
Though her expression was unreadable, he could guess some of her meaning.
She believed Fred could manage on his own.
She had likely been serious at the time.
However, she hadn't elaborated further, so he didn't know just how capable Fred truly was.
Based on his own speculation alone, he couldn't gauge the extent of Fred's abilities.
Amidst everyone's varied thoughts, Fred now faced the young man who was ready, a gentle smile visible on the only part of his face—the corner of his mouth.
"You go first. If needed, you can also wear a helmet."
For training that could enhance his abilities, Fred was practically itching to begin.
In response to Fred's lighthearted joke, the tense atmosphere around them noticeably eased a little.
Mickey, standing before Fred, was momentarily stunned before replying, "That won't be necessary. We're not aiming for vital points... right?"
Mickey's latter words carried a hint of uncertainty.
"It's a joke, just a joke."
Fred looked at this version of the Twilight Bullet, so different from his impression, and chuckled.
It wasn't exactly out of character—perhaps just the nervousness of facing a superior for the first time.
Like when he had met a new leader for the first time in the past.
If that new leader had also invited him to a fight, he would have been even more nervous.
Thinking this, Fred didn't continue the small talk but instead raised a hand in a gesture of invitation.
"Go ahead."
"My apologies."
Once again offering an apology, but this time after speaking, Mickey did not hesitate further. The young man pressed his toes forcefully against the ground and swiftly closed the distance.
To ordinary eyes, it was a speed so fast that only afterimages could be seen, astonishing even among the surrounding spectators. Yet in Fred's view, it was all perfectly clear.
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