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This Can't Be Right... Right?

My team and I got caught up on all our classes after our... absence. Finally, the weekend came back to us and we could continue training. I pointed my team, already in their pilot jumpsuits, to the sim pods. We booted them up and entered a different map: War Games. My team appeared out of nowhere and we got started. "As you know, we don't have much time before the IMC is upon us. We're gonna be cramming in fucking everything over the next few days. Today, you will master parkour. Mercury, wallrunning will be difficult for you due to your robotic legs, as it was for me. However, they won't hinder you once learn to do it right." I snapped my fingers and a glowing blue track appeared in the air, connecting two buildings. It had no bottom, only two sides. I ran the track with ease, bouncing between the walls before landing on the building at the end. "Run the track," I ordered.

Ilia was a natural at it. Emerald picked up the skill quickly. Mercury surprised me. He was able to run the track easily. Probably from the way he moves when he kicks, if I had to guess. "Okay, you guys seem good at this," Kane complimented. "Let's have a little race. Wallrun along the edge of the map and whoever makes it back first wins. One thing, though. You can't touch the ground." He unholstered his Wingman Elite and pointed it at the sky. "Go." He squeezed the trigger.

The three pilots raced to the walls, gaining momentum and switching between the walls they ran on. They were soon out of sight. "Place your bets," I said. "A hundred credits on Ilia. Two words: grappling hook," I said.

"Hundred on Merc. He's shown that he knows how to handle himself off the ground." Kane crossed his arms.

"One hundred on Emerald. She's very nimble, able to stay off the ground while maintaining momentum relatively easily." Viper looked back to sharpening a Pulse Blade.

"Viper, this is VR. Sharpening a knife won't do anything."

"Shut it, Kane." Viper looked on at where the pilots were coming from.

Ilia grappled the edge of the platform we were standing on and brought herself onto it. She was followed by Mercury and Emerald was not far behind him.

"Pay the fuck up," I said to the Apex Predators. Kane sighed and Viper remained emotionless.

"Were you guys betting on us?" Mercury asked.

"Possibly. Anyway. You seemed to do well with that. If everyone feels good about this, we can move on. Just know that there are no do-overs in the middle of a fight." I crossed my arms. My team nodded. "Great. Right now, we'll do some one-on-one training to learn the ins and outs of your tactical abilities. Mercury will be working with Kane, Emerald with Viper, and Ilia with me."

We all went to different corners of the map. I beckoned Ilia to follow me. "Conveniently, the Apex Predators have the same tactical abilities as the ones you guys chose in Angel City. That's why I have the pairs ordered the way I did."

"Then how come they don't look the same?" Ilia asked.

"Kane and Viper have custom helmets, unlike the stock helmets that Emerald and Mercury use."

"Is your helmet custom?"

"I wish. No, we look different because technically, my tactical is cloak. I'm wearing just a stock cloak suit. I stole a grappling hook from a pilot I killed on my way out from the IMC and the Predators. Anyway, to use grapple to its full extent, you'll need to do some parkour. Say if we wanted to get to the top of that building." I pointed up and fired my grappling hook. "It's too far away. But, if I do this..." I wallran to gain momentum and jumped to a new wall. Once I was high enough, I turned 180 degrees and fired the grappling hook, it lodging into the side of the building. My momentum allowed me to swing over the top of the building and land on my feet. "Try it!" I yelled down to Ilia. She performed the maneuver flawlessly, and I was honestly impressed that she was able to do it despite learning pilot level parkour an hour ago. "Now That we're up here, we can see the entire battlefield, while most pilots can't even reach us."