Hearing this, Orphee could only nod helplessly.
His gaze returned to the stage.
As the two spoke, the fourth team member had already stepped up.
Without surprise, he was sent flying once again.
In this manner, no one along the way could last more than three moves against Fred. Soon, it was Chiora's turn.
"After you."
Fred looked at the middle-aged man before him, having no intention of showing mercy.
Hearing this, Chiora took a deep breath and bowed slightly to Fred. Then, without further hesitation, he launched an attack toward Fred.
However, the seemingly fierce assault was once again dismantled by a simple parry from Fred. With a gentle push, Chiora was sent falling to the ground by his own momentum combined with Fred's strength.
Seeing this, the crowd was already numb. No words were spoken, but their eyes turned toward Orphee with urgency and curiosity.
Although they were already convinced of Fred's skill, it didn't stop them from wanting to watch the show.
In their view, Orphee most likely wouldn't be able to beat Fred either.
It wasn't that they were pessimistic about their leader, but Fred simply appeared powerful to a freakish degree.
They just felt sorry for their Captain, who was about to go up and take a beating as well.
At this thought, there was a hint of sympathy in everyone's eyes.
Meanwhile, as Orphee clenched his fists, Fred walked over to Chiora, extending a hand while speaking slowly.
"For an Electronic Warfare specialist, you are quite good."
After summarizing, Fred gave him a few pieces of advice and suggestions, treating him with the same standard as the others.
Fred had his own considerations for doing this.
Winning hearts was one aspect, but a more important reason was that he truly wanted them to become stronger.
He needed them to operate behind enemy lines, not just to sit around chatting. Naturally, the stronger they were, the better.
As for the man before him, Fred had seen his file. He was a technical talent who had been specially promoted to the rank of Captain. It was enough if his basic combat value was acceptable.
Not to mention, Chiora's martial prowess was actually stronger than that of average squad members, including Mickey.
Furthermore, his surname was interesting. From a deeper look, he had two daughters named Luna and Meiling.
It wasn't that Fred was interested in the man's daughters, but rather that these were precious human resources he could utilize in the future.
After all, looking at the later stages, Meiling alone had managed to infiltrate the Fendrissen base.
Even though it was a physical internal intrusion and likely bolstered by the Compass Organization's high technology, being able to perform such a job within Compass already proved her excellence.
As for Luna, although she was known for her infamous "three missed shots," hitting a moving target was inherently difficult, let alone one escaping at high speeds. Add to that the heat generated during high-speed movement, and it was only normal that aiming was tough. Later on, she became a pilot who could hold her own.
In short, the more people, the better.
When the time came for him to retire, he would just hand them all over to Lacus as a gift package. Then, the foundation for maintaining peace would be set, and he could complete his retirement plan.
Plan successful!
While Fred was lost in thought, Chiora, standing opposite him, spoke with excitement on his face.
"Thank you, sir!"
Even though he had seen Fred do the same for the other team members and knew Fred was likely playing "carrot and stick," he still felt a warmth in his heart when Fred offered guidance with such tempered words.
Even within ZAFT, such a composed and gracious superior was rare.
Furthermore, his abilities were immense.
And he looked so young.
For a Coordinator, youth was not a disadvantage but a massive advantage.
There was no longer any dissatisfaction in Chiora's heart. He even felt that being a father-in-law wouldn't be a bad idea.
Of course, it would be best to see what was under the mask first. Although there were no ugly Coordinators, he couldn't trap his own daughters.
However, despite his wandering thoughts, Chiora turned and gave Orphee a "fighting" gesture of encouragement.
Seeing this, everyone around also looked toward Orphee.
The main event was clearly about to begin.
"Who do you think will win, Park?"
Although she didn't particularly enjoy watching people fight, this was Fred fighting. Lenore had unknowingly watched almost the entire session and asked out of curiosity.
"Fred."
"His abilities are already very strong."
Patrick answered without the slightest hesitation.
"However, I don't know about MS combat."
He had thought Fred would only have them compete in hand-to-hand combat, but looking at it now, Fred intended to test everything.
In terms of combat, Fred certainly had no issues.
But in an MS, though Fred was improving, he hadn't yet reached a supreme level.
Still, with the skill Fred had shown just now, even if he lost in an MS, it wouldn't be disgraceful. His subordinates likely wouldn't harbor any dissatisfaction.
In just half a day, Fred had already gathered their hearts.
His choice had indeed not been a mistake.
At this thought, a rare smile appeared on Patrick's face.
On the other side, Fred faced Orphee's successive attacks, appearing completely at ease.
Though the moves the opponent used were somewhat different from standard military techniques, given that Fred's inherent abilities already surpassed his opponent's, he ended the battle within ten moves without surprise.
However, considering that no one else had been able to last that long against Fred, the crowd didn't see anything wrong with the outcome. Instead, the fervor in their eyes as they looked at Fred grew more intense.
Fred didn't give them time to marvel. Looking at the recovered Orphee, he immediately followed up.
"Alright then, without further ado, let's head outside for MS training."
"..."
Seeing their Captain looking refreshed and energetic even after fighting a gauntlet of opponents, the team members looked at each other in silence.
They had just finished hand-to-hand combat, and they were going straight to MS training?
While this level of training was indeed reasonable, today was the Captain's first day on the job. Was he just going to spend the whole day leading them in fights?
This was quite different from the officers they had dealt with before.
It also made them—especially Orphee—feel a deeper sense of identification with Fred. After all, the more reliable their Captain was, the safer they would be, and the easier it would be to rise through the ranks.
In short, while they might not yet say they "adored" their Captain, they at least had basic respect for him.
As for Fred himself, he looked at the group with his usual smile, though the focus of his eyes was not on their faces.
[Combat +0.07]
[Combat (Mastery) 50.02/100]
His combat skill had now passed the halfway mark. And that was halfway through Mastery.
Even if he couldn't yet compare to the "final form" of Athrun, his current ability was likely top-tier.
Based on his understanding of the plot and the current growth trajectory of Athrun, a fully realized Athrun would likely be around 90 in Mastery.
Of course, that was just his own estimation and couldn't be taken as absolute.
However! There was nothing wrong with constantly striving to climb to the peak.
This was what he had always been doing. It was what he would continue to do in the future.
The same applied to piloting an MS.