[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 33: Performance

"The Rosario's mobility is overwhelming. I'm surprised it holds up under heavy use. How did she do it in only twelve hours?" Carlos wondered.

"She's got a strong grasp of the basics." Ves answered based on his own experience. "As long as you know your stuff, you don't have to spend a lot time wrangling two different components together even if they are slightly incompatible. Don't look at the flashy flamethrower and shield, its the seamless arms and legs that really make it stand out."

Compared to the clunky patch jobs many of the previous mechs showcased, the Rosario looked as if the mech had been worked on for weeks instead of half a day. Hans brilliantly pushed his mech to the limits. As his fuel kept expending, he dropped more and more fuel cells, lightening the load which in turn raised the Rosario's speed. Any mech in its way got burned, and those that held out a little longer got bashed by the Rosario's deadly shield.

"It's starting to accumulate damage." Ves noted. He already expected something like this to happen. The gauntlet had a grueling reputation for a reason.

The light mechs was the Rosario's Achilles heel. These mechs took advantage of the Rosario's lack of long-ranged weaponry and kept out of its range. Their superior speed allowed them to dog the Rosario and keep pelting it with lasers, rockets and ballistics. Though their threat was minimal, the numbers added up to a significant amount over time. Hans couldn't avoid taking more damage.

The gauntlet ended before the light mechs finished the job.

"Give it up to Patricia Schneider! Her Rosario is the first mech to successfully pass the gauntlet!"

The entire crowd including Carlos and Ves gave Patricia a hearty applause. It truly impressed them all for accomplishing this much in only twelve hours of time. The woman basked in the cheers with a modest smile, as if the victory took little effort.

A couple of other contestants followed next. None stood out too much except those made by the elites among the developers. Like Patricia, the designs of their work were sober, featuring not too much toys but using the few they had to their fullest potential. Their designs also focused on maintaining integrity, allowing Hans to push their mechs harder without letting it fall apart around him. Most of the other competitors couldn't even accomplish that much, leading to some embarrassing moments when a leg or an arm fell off. One mech even lost its head after it got hit by a single shell.

After about half the contestant's work had gone up the stage, the presenter announced the end of the testing. "Due to a shortage in time, we will pause the testing and resume it later tomorrow morning. Don't worry, Hans will continue familiarizing with the rest of the mechs tomorrow in order to allow him to run the gauntlet without interruption."

The day had stretched on rather late. Many of the contestants hadn't eaten a proper dinner even. Ves dreaded the interruption as his mech hadn't gone up yet. Carlos came up to him and slapped his back, relishing the chance of comforting Ves instead of the other way around.

"Haha, don't stay up all night. It's going to be okay. I looked at your mech and its a badass design. Nothing will go wrong tomorrow."

Ves exited the venue with all the other contestants. Half of them already shook their heads with resigned expressions, while the other half dealt with the anxiety in a variety of ways. Unlike most of them, Ves possessed a decent amount of confidence in his design, so he didn't stew too long over the wait.

He went back to the hotel and embraced a grouchy Lucky when he entered his room. "Hey there buddy. I hoped you haven't missed me long."

The cat bit his hand a little to let his dissatisfaction known. It quickly perked back up when Ves fed it a mineral he picked up along the way back. Lucky's company distracted Ves from his worries, letting him fall asleep even as Dorum's nightlife grew vibrant at the end of the first half of the Young Tigers Exhibition. Many new young talents had shown off their chops, and the most shining stars among them would compete in the second half of the competition tomorrow.