Road Of Advancement

Captain Ward rose from his front-row seat and walked on stage. Theodore had seen him around on campus a few times. His impression was pretty shallow. He considered Ward a showman. Someone who smiles to the camera because they know they're frontpage material.

He was very loved under all students. To the point where many females confess to him every year.

This personally led to Theodore disliking the man. However, Theodore had seen clips of the man piloting. His performance caught the eyes of many respectable outfits and military regiments, and not for any other reason than that the man was an absolute beast when piloting a mech.

He was ruthless to his opponents, cold and calculated. If he could secure the win, he would. He was as ruthless with himself as his opponent. His skill was nothing short of godlike compared to the average of U4. He himself was probably the sole reason why U4 could compete at the front.

This was also widely discussed on campus. Theodore thought this would lead to stress and unharmonious relationsh.i.p.s between his teammates, that was not the case. His teammates had been so thoroughly defeated, they simply set themself up as his support. They followed him around, dutifully fulfilling their designated tasks on the battlefield. This smooth cooperation made the entire squad very formidable. Though also very vulnerable. If captain Ward was taken out, it would be very hard to keep the squads' performance up to par.

Captain ward introduced each of his teammates as they too rose to their feet and ascended the podium under loud applause. Even though everyone clapped as enthusiastic as before, it didn't match the grandeur under which Ward took the stage.

The ceremony continued and each of them was given a star medal in commemoration of this special event. As the selected U4 squad, they were the cream of the crop, the best the university had to offer. The university had already invested much in these cadets. They hoped the pilots would honour their alma mater and push the university forward even after they had graduated.

The same happened to U2 and U3. Nobody seemed to surprised about the selection of both teams. They were more or less the same as the teams that ended in last years selection.

After U2 was properly decorated and honoured for their selection, it was time for the first official selection of U1.

"Each selection is a hard-fought decision. It is almost never that the entire staff is unanimous is their decision. Of course, U4 is an exception to this rule."

"Picking the squad for U1 is always the hardest battle. We have little to go on but our own observations. Picking a good squad is more than just picking the best pilots. It's about building a functioning team. Each pilot has his strength and weaknesses.. What does a pilot bring to the table for the team? Does the pilot mesh well personality-wise? Which pilot would lead the squad?"

"The first year squads are notorious for their many mutations. Even with our extensive analysis and experience, we cannot guarantee that each roster will be the same for the rest of the year, let alone the next four years."

"U1 is also special because it's the only year there are three squads that are picked. We do this every year. Experimenting with different rosters, different line-ups and analyzing the cooperation between cadets is an important part of the first year U1 team forming. In the end, each semester a team will be disbanded. This means that every semester twelve cadets will be eliminated from the roster. We will keep challenging each of our cadets to perform their absolute best. Even if you're selected now, don't get complacent. You will have to continue fighting each semester to retain your spot."

"Without further ado, let us announce the third, second and third roster of U1. Starting from squad three we have the following selection:"

1. Avery Adair 7. Gerard Kingsley

2. Riley Yepsen 8. Brandon Truce

3. James Arthur 9. Vance Oakley

4. Freid Ince 10. Jimmy Neutron

5. Adrian Low 11. Phillip Deuces

6. Spencer Iowa 12. Ruben Annink

The first twelve names were not very interesting to the top contenders. They were considered bench warmers, third picks, pilots who were at the bottom of the inter-academy squad listing. Nonetheless, each of these pilots was very happy to make it this far. Only Avery seemed to be unhappy with her selection. Theodore could only shrug at the sight of her pouting. With her being in 21st place on the ranking, she could've made squad two too. But as a special pick, the expectations were probably a lot higher than her current achievements.

Since he hung out with her for a bit, he had a decent impression of her. At the very least she was hard-working. He wondered what part of her evaluation made her into a special pick? Alas, if she wanted to make the second or first squad, she would have to prove herself.

"Second squad."

A new list of people lit up, one by one on screen.

1. Anthony Hollow 7. Evert Lock

2. Arthur Levi 8. Curtis Jackson

3. Lillian Oakley 9. Micheal Angelo

4. Trevor Huille 10. Kevin Ranger

5. Iona Clever 11. Theodore Thompson

6. Alistair Azerty 12. Julio Cruz

Theodore blanked out as he read his name. Second squad, eleven, Theodore Thompson.

He hadn't made it. He also noticed early on that Anthony and Arthur hadn't made it either.

Arthur was seventh on the leaderboard, it must've been a shock to him to read himself on the second squad roster. Arthur on 7th, Theo on 12th and Anthony on 13th. Each of them fell outside of the first squad by a small margin.

"First squad." The last squad was announced.

1. Etana Ketana 7. Julian Brandt

2. Dwight Hightower 8. James potter

3. Gaméz Rodrigues 9. Ricky Ross

4. Zeus Regus 10. Vincent de Ruyter

5. Quince Cross 11. Martin Scorsese

6. Davey Walter 12. Gavin Feldt

A few people were cheering, happily congratulating their friends.

But for a few people, the first string team was a complete disaster.

Everyone knew it was probably a deliberate move by the academy.

With Dwight, Zeus and Davey in one team, it was guaranteed to be a tense atmosphere in the team.

Just the political involvement of these Duke descendants and the prince already laid a bomb underneath their squad cooperation. Frankly, it would be a miracle if they managed to make this teamwork. But perhaps, that was the challenge for the cadets; could they put aside their political goals and ambitions to work for the academies goals?

They had very conflicting personalities and Theodore could only lament the faith of his friends who were thrown in with the egos of the respective heirs.

He himself was slowly adjusting his mindset. In hindsight, the second team would be a much more harmonious place to settle into. He would be able to get along with Arthur, Anthony and Alistair anyways. With their score on the leaderboard, they were simply the designated core of that team. Even though they lacked stars like Dwight or Etana, he felt they could make it work based on their mutual wish to progress.

It was to bad he couldn't be in a team with Gaméz, Quince and Julian. But whatever, he'd have to improve himself and show that he belonged in the first squad to make that happen. They were better pilots, and he couldn't argue against their selection.

"Alright, settle down. These picks might have some of you questions. But these are the picks of the academy and you are to accept it. We will continue to review all cadets and we strive to compete with these teams on the highest possible level. The inter academy matches are coming up at the end of the semester. I expect you all to work your hardest and to represent our academy with dignity and pride."

"Alright. There is only one thing left to do for our selection procedure. I would like to invite all three U1 captains to the stage to obtain their honorary medal in commemoration of this special event."

"I would like to ask for Avery Adair, Theodore Thompson and Etana Ketana to join me on stage."