After the break between the first competition and second competition came to an end, Kasandra and Kaiden went back to the enormous training room that Ezra had prepared for this day. While Avery headed off to grab the special equipment he had prepared to fight his overwhelmingly powerful opponent.
When the two Woest siblings arrived, they found Ezra already waiting inside.
Along with his two laser pistols, he now wore some durable body armor, and there was a long pole and small circular device with a handle attached to it affixed to Ezra’s back.
Clearly, this was his full combat gear, and he struck an imposing figure.
"And where might Avery be? I highly doubt he chickened out simply for losing the first round." Ezra said jokingly to Kasandra and Kaiden.
"He’s busy getting his gear together. He’ll be here shortly to beat you." Kasandra said defiantly.
A wry smirk formed on Ezra’s lips at this response. He could tell that she was confident in her partner’s abilities.
"Not to belittle him, but I believe that my chances of victory here are greater. Avery has excellent potential, and he has worked hard to improve himself, but he is still green. I’m sure as veterans yourselves that you already know this."
"That’s all true, but you’ve yet to see where Avery really shines. He’s good at thinking on his feet and using anything at his disposal. Don’t think you’re going to beat him easily just because you’re stronger and have more experience." Kasandra warned.
Almost if on cue, Avery appeared out of a set of large double doors.
When Ezra saw him, for the first time his composed expression slipped, and he stared in wide-eyed astonishment.
With heavy steps that left loud bangs in their wake, Avery walked forward. Covered head to toe by a suit of heavy power armor.
Its exterior was covered by thick plating, and it stood at a bit over three meters tall. While wearing it, Avery was the one towering over Ezra.
"So, this is how you plan to combat me. It’s not a bad idea, but I have beaten foes in power armor before."
"I don’t think that I will give me an automatic win, but it certainly does help to level the playing field. Before, all you would have needed to do was get up close to me and that would be it. Urs crushed me the same way hundreds of times. But that won’t be the case now." Avery said, his smirk hidden behind the armor’s helmet.
Still, his tone allowed Ezra to tell what sort of expression his opponent was wearing.
He had in fact planned on forcing his way into close combat with Avery and using his superior strength to incapacity his junior that had learned from the same mentor.
Without another word, Ezra turned around and walked towards the entrance of the training room. It was time for them to fight it out and see who would come on top. There was no more need for words or posturing.
Yet, before Avery could head towards his own starting position. Kasandra called him over and shooed her brother away so that he was out of earshot.
"You’d better win this. And when you do, I’ll make sure to reward you tonight."
Kasandra then whispered to Avery everything she planned to do, and he felt his face heating up and his motivation rising.
"Well, I definitely can’t lose now. Not with my beautiful girlfriend counting on me." Avery said, operating his power armor and heading into the training room.
Once inside, he could see Ezra waiting at the opposite end.
Only a few moments later, he received a message from the program asking if he was ready.
After he confirmed that he was, the field began to change rapidly.
For their battle it would be simulating an urban environment as it had during the later parts of the shooting challenge.
Otherwise, it would have just ended up with them blasting each other from afar with long range weaponry. And since few battles were fought on fully open fields without any obstacles, it would hardly be considered an approximation of what a true fight would be if they did.
’It looks like the armor’s weapons and system are all working at peak performance. Which they better considering how much this thing cost. Also, my laser rifle and laser cannon are fully charged and ready to go.’ Avery thought, doing one last check on everything with his power armor’s heads-up display.
He was currently piloting a top-of-the-line power armor named the Sterkur MK VIII that was manufactured by Darthing Industries just like his weapons.
To get it customized the way he wanted and fully upgraded with the absolute best armor, weapons, sensors, and shielding available, had cost a little over seven hundred thousand Krenin.
That was enough to purchase a fully kitted out small ship good enough for a two star mercenary. Some older models of power armor that were still perfectly functional and quite strong could be bought for as little as twenty thousand Krenin. Going to show just how outrageous the price for the Sterkur was.
To fight Ezra though, Avery needed the best, so he spared no expense on the piece of equipment that would both protect him and give him the strength necessary to beat his foe.
When a timer counting down from thirty seconds appeared, Avery reached up and grabbed his laser rifle and laser cannon that were mounted on his back. Wielding one in each hand.
Their stocks and triggers had been switched out in order to be used alongside his power armor. Fortunately, they had bene made by the same company, so they worked perfectly together.
’I should have more firepower than him. If I can keep my distance and whittle him down, I can rely on my armor’s shields and plating to protect me.’
Avery had turned the entire dynamic of the battle on its head by bringing in power armor. Still, Ezra had fought through several real battles in the past. There was no telling what he or the two weapons he had equipped besides his laser pistols were capable of.