Having finally found so many sparring partners, he naturally couldn't let the opportunity slip by.
He had also reviewed their training records.
Although they were all aces, MS hadn't been around for long after all. Combined with his own continuous training, his other skills, and the boost from his meals, he should be able to beat them.
Of course, it wouldn't matter much if he couldn't win.
After all, with this groundwork of combat experience laid, they wouldn't truly turn against him just because of the results of MS battles.
As long as he didn't die, he would eventually surpass them one day.
With that thought, Fred took a deep breath and quickly followed up.
"Let's move out."
The youth's voice carried a commanding tone, and no one dared to question it—they simply responded in unison.
...
The journey was silent, and they soon arrived at the training area outside the space sector.
After all, the existence of MS was no longer a secret, so there was no need to hide it.
Moreover, the military forces of the surrounding Council Nations had already withdrawn.
In short, it was safe enough.
While Fred was engaging the others in MS round-robin battles, on the other side, Chen—who had also temporarily retreated back to Nova—stared at the intelligence before him, lost in thought.
"The masked man? He really said that?"
"Yes, our people did happen to spot a masked man appearing in April City."
The adjutant confirmed, then continued with slight confusion.
"But it shouldn't be the same person we encountered last time, right?"
"No, it very well could be him..."
Chen snapped back from the intelligence before him, his expression growing grave with contemplation.
If his intuition wasn't wrong, then that youth might be the core of everything.
"Find detailed information on him as soon as possible, before the Atlantic Federation discovers anything."
He didn't know how much the Atlantic side knew, but they had been relentlessly searching for the scientists who developed the GINN and the Laurasia-class.
What they intended to do went without saying.
Nothing more than assassination and recruitment.
However, the scientists they had managed to turn were mostly those researching the outermost aspects.
They knew little about the specifics of the actual research.
Even the Atlantic Federation found it difficult to penetrate PLANT's defenses.
After all, this wasn't on Earth—it was in space.
The Atlantic Federation's power was hard to project onto PLANT's space colonies.
Missiles and the like were out of the question entirely.
Assassination was far more difficult than on Earth.
As for recruitment, PLANT maintained round-the-clock protection—or rather, surveillance—over its internal scientists.
They couldn't find an opportunity for now.
If the Atlantic Federation couldn't find an opportunity, then East Asia—with even fewer spies in PLANT—had even less of a chance.
But they weren't without advantages.
In Chen's view, that masked youth named Freed was a breakthrough point.
From the attack at Mendel last time, the other party was very likely a commander within ZAFT responsible for high-level covert operations.
And he believed the breakthrough lay with Fred not just for that reason alone.
More importantly, in his view, that person was different from the typical ZAFT personnel.
Making contact and having an open conversation might be a good opportunity.
Especially now that MS capabilities were gradually being recognized by the outside world.
Aside from those stubborn old fossils in Blue Cosmos, including Halberton and others, everyone was seeking external cooperation.
They naturally couldn't afford to fall behind.
This was a brand-new race.
Given the increasingly chaotic situation, this competition was becoming all the more important.
"Yes."
Hearing Chen's words, the adjutant's expression turned serious, and he quickly floated out of the room.
Meanwhile, Chen, gazing through the thick window at the twinkling starlight outside, found his heart unable to settle.
"I just hope we're in time."
As Chen murmured to himself, Fred, on his end, looked at the GINNs lined up before him under remote control. Though drenched in sweat and breathing raggedly, his calm expression remained unchanged.
"You lost."
There was no need for Fred to say it—the round-robin had just ended, and he had barely managed to finish it by relying on his Spider Sense.
Orphee, the last one, had been the most troublesome, truly possessing strength on par with Alec. But Fred had barely managed to take him down by trading wounds.
If they had all attacked at once, he definitely would have been in trouble.
However, although Fred wasn't satisfied with his performance, the others didn't see it that way.
Fred's squad members went without saying, but even Patrick watching the monitors and Lacus at the April City residence were both struck with the same silent surprise.
"He's improving so quickly. It seems that even with MS, he can keep getting stronger."
Recalling the perilous battle Fred had just fought, Lacus let out a long sigh of relief.
Fred growing stronger was a good thing.
Her father's negotiations weren't going smoothly, and minor conflicts would likely continue in the future.
The worst-case scenario would be a complete severance of trade relations between the two sides.
However, building on the foundation Fred had created, they could impose a trade embargo targeting the Atlantic Federation or, more specifically, Blue Cosmos.
But there were too many rules and regulations involved.
Father probably wouldn't have a moment's rest for quite some time.
Thinking about this, Lacus took another deep breath, then turned her gaze to the documents before her.
Fred was advancing, preparing—she too had things she needed to do.
The world was about to enter an even more chaotic landscape, and they had to become stronger as well.
...
Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, CE 69 came and went, and CE 70 arrived in an instant.
Fred hadn't been idle during this period either.
The High Mobility GINN had completed its research and was handed over to Patrick.
As for their secret research at the Clyne Factory, it had moved into studying external armor for the GINN—just one step away from the CGUE.
Of course, such conventional research was never the best approach.
"The Mobile Suits we're building now have a 25% performance increase over ZAFT's mass-produced units, but that's still not decisive."
Fred looked at the data on the paper before him and let out a soft sigh.
Though time was pressing, there was nothing he could do—he was only one person, and even with Albert Heinlein's help, there wasn't much better they could do.
Besides, Heinlein hadn't fully grown into his potential yet, so there was no helping that either.
For certain technologies, they'd still have to steal from the Dawn Organization.
Better to steal them early, or there would be even more variables.
As for his team, he hadn't been idle over the past year or so either. Not only had he drilled them into cohesion, but he'd also run several simulated combat exercises and even conducted a few counter-terrorism operations. Everything was ready.
"Big brother~!"
While Fred was still studying in his office, a voice suddenly appeared, interrupting the young man's thoughts.
"Lacus, what's wrong?"
Fred said as he stood up and opened the door.
Standing outside the door was that silhouette, growing ever more mature.
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