The Mech Touch

Joshua Larkinson felt as if he was living in a dream.

Not only did he pilot one of the most powerful mechs designed by Ves Larkinson, he also became a part of the clan!

As one of the few adopted members who didn't possess a compound name, he had become one of the famous individuals of his 'kind'. Many people, particularly the younger ones, looked up to him as if he was a hero.

While Joshua didn't feel comfortable with all of the respect he received, he reluctantly accepted it. Even though he was very young, he always made sure to retain his humility.

No matter how many compliments he received, that was no reason to sit back and relax.

He wasn't even the strongest mech pilot in the Larkinson Clan. That honor was reserved for Jannzi and Tusa.

He smiled at the woman he dated. Both of them sat in a lounge room for mech pilots on standby.

He still couldn't believe he managed to gain Jannzi's attention!

The only problem was that trying to form a relationship with an expert candidate was anything but simple.

"Would you like to go out on a date?" He asked.

Jannzi frowned. "We don't have time for such frivolities. According to what I have heard, the clan patriarch soon intends to head into the Nyxian Gap for some reason or another. We need to increase our strength as much as possible when we still can. While there is nothing wrong with our individual combat skills, our teamwork and coordination can still use a lot of work. My Shieldbearers still have a lot to go before they are ready to form a unified shield wall."

The Shieldbearer Unit was a new addition to the Avatars of Myth. Commander Melkor had transferred Jannzi and Tusa out of their old mech companies and put them in charge of their units centered around their strengths.

The goal was to form a cadre of elite Avatars that could not only support the efforts of the expert candidates, but also learn from them. Even if the cadre had no hope of advancing to expert pilot, at the very least they came closer than any other regular mech pilot!

Of course, it took a very long time to train these elites up to this point. Jannzi's burden increased considerably ever since she was put in charge of a squad of eager Shieldbearer mech pilots.

Joshua knew that. He wanted to take Jannzi out for a date for a very long time. So far, he didn't have much luck!

"You need to learn how to relax, Jannzi." He said. "Too much work and no play is no good. Even your fellow truebloods know that. I know you are.. frustrated.. by the fact that you haven't made any progress towards expert pilot. Isn't that proof that your current approach isn't working?"

"You.. have a point."

"Look. Our Larkinson Clan is anything but weak. We drill every day. What's the harm of taking the evening off? Our free time shouldn't always be spent on additional training."

His words caused Jannzi to contemplate them carefully. After a moment of consideration, she uttered her reply.

"No. Everything can wait. I have heard too many stories about the Nyxian Gap to neglect its danger."

Joshua wanted to palm his face!

Some days, he questioned why he decided to pursue a relationship with Jannzi. Though she was just an expert candidate, she already acquired some of the majesty and bearing of an expert pilot!

This had caused Joshua a lot of difficulties. Many times, he felt as if Jannzi was high above the clouds while he was still trudging through a pool of mud.

Rather than let Jannzi float beyond his grasp, Joshua wanted to match her height!

If she could become an expert candidate, so could he! As a much-lauded mech pilot in the Avatars of Myth, he refused to believe he didn't have what it took to become a demigod!

Once he advanced to expert candidate, Joshua would fully be able to treat Jannzi like an equal. When that happened, they wouldn't be so distant to each other anymore!

Ever since he joined the Avatars of Myth, Joshua had fulfilled all of the ambitions set by younger self.

He became a member of the Avatars.

He piloted nearly every LMC mech that had been released.

He received the privilege of piloting a masterwork mech.

He distinguished himself in battle.

Joshua found that it was hard for him to get fired up after he made all of those accomplishments. What was there to aim for? He was already a Larkinson. He already piloted a very great mech.

Yet once he recognized that he wouldn't be able to maintain Jannzi's interest if he remained a mortal, his drive to improve ignited once again!

He wanted to achieve a breakthrough! He wanted to advance to expert candidate!

"You're right." He spoke with a determined voice. "Training is important. We can't neglect its performance. I'll make sure to train as diligently as possible tonight!"

Elsewhere, another pair exhibited a lot more jubilance.

"Yes! We did it, Raella! We finally received our charter!"

Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson embraced his girlfriend in a hug and boldly kissed her. "It took some time, but those old fogeys finally did the right thing!"

"Hahaha!" The female Larkinson looked ecstatic! "Though I always wanted to become a mech athlete, it's not that bad to run our own competitive circuit!"

Fighting a war and becoming just another cog in the machine wasn't to her liking at all. She already had a taste of what that kind of life was like when the Bloodclaws were compelled to defend the Bentheim System against the sandmen.

The constant slog of battle and the depressing amount of casualties had left her with a life-long distaste for war. While she was still willing to participate in a battle when asked, she would never do so with a smile, unlike many other Larkinsons.

That said, anyone who called her a coward deserved to get punched in the face!

As the pair slowly wound down, they studied the documents they received that outlined what they were permitted to do and don't. They also skimmed through their budget and the support they were entitled to receive from the other divisions of the Larkinson Clan.

It wasn't much.

"Balls!" Vincent cursed. "Those old fogeys sure are stingy! What can we do with such a pathetic budget? I wanted to throw some Bright Warriors in the duelling arena!"

Raella angrily whacked him in the head. "I told you to stop dreaming! The LMC may be making a lot bank lately, but that doesn't give us the luxury to ruin Bright Warriors for fun! Besides, a duel between those mechs will be as boring as hell. Their defense is impenetrable but their offensive power is weak."

"It's just that it's going to be so disappointing to play around with cheap third-class mechs. There's hardly any way we can build any hype around a match between two different trash cans."

"We have to start somewhere, Vincent. I think this is a test from the Larkinson Assembly. As long as we can turn our dueling circuit into a success, the assemblymen will definitely see the value we provide! Only a formal competition involving real mechs can entertain the bored mech pilots and other personnel in our clan!"

As they studied the document even further, they quickly recognized another problem.

"They aren't providing us with a fighting venue." Raella frowned.

"Is that important, babe?"

"It is if we want to hold landbound duels! We can't assume that we will always have access to the dueling arenas of a planet like Cinach VI. Since our clan is nomadic, it's important that we have continuous access to the appropriate facilities!"

"How do we do that?"

Raella grinned. "Why, buy an arena ship of course! While they aren't very common, they exist. They look like regular transport or cargo ships from the outside, but their interior is pretty much hollowed out in order to provide as much space for an arena as possible!"

"That sounds… amazing! However, our budget…"

"I'll think of something." She said. "If nothing works, I'll barge into Ves' design lab and squeeze his neck until he coughs up enough money!"

"Um, he's well-guarded, you know."

"Ah. Yeah. I forgot about that." She grimaced. "He's not the old Ves anymore. Well, we're still friends. If her Hexer girlfriend can wrap him around her fingers, then so can I! Hehe. I may not have spent much time with Ves, but I know how to push his buttons.

"Blegh!" Vincent pretended to vomit!

Smack!

"I didn't mean it that way!" Raella insisted while placing her hands on her hips. "Let's leave the arena ship aside for the moment. If there's no progress on that front, we can still go through with holding duels in space."

There was no need to pay for real estate in space. There was too much emptiness to go around!

The only issue was that they still needed to anchor some fixtures in space. Otherwise, it would be too easy to inflict collateral damage on a nearby ship or mech!

After going over all of the boring documents, they finally got to the fun part.

"We get to name our own competition circuit!" Vincent happily noted before scratching his head. "Uhm, did we figure that out yet? What should we call it, babe?"

"Hmm.." Raella took this issue very seriously. "We need to set a name that will stick. Ten or twenty years from now, our Larkinson Clan will probably be a lot bigger. The name must still be worthy enough for our successful circuit!"

"How about the Fight Club?"

"Too generic! That's the stupidest name I've ever heard!" Raella crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "Let me think. It has to sound classy. If you look at the names of the other mech games circuits, they always reference some sort of cup, award or region."

"How about.. The Larkinson Master Series!" Vincent suggested.

"Hmmm… it's not quite there yet. It's getting there, but I need a bit more grandeur."

"Oh, I got it!" Vincent exulted. "Let's call it the Larkinson Championship Series!"

Raella weighed the name. Though it didn't sound as exciting as she hoped, it exuded plenty of class. That was important if she wanted it to be taken seriously several decades from now.

She did not go through all of this trouble to quit after a few years. She was in it for the long run!

Since she wanted to build an entirely new institution based around mech competitions, she had to make sure it possessed a solid foundation. After the brief amount of time she spent with Ves, she knew the importance of coming up with a memorable name and a solid brand!

"Alright." She nodded. "The Larkinson Championship Series doesn't sound as bad as your other suggestions."

"Mark my words, Raella! The LCS will become the most prestigious and impressive circuit in the Larkinson Clan!"

That remained to be seen.

After they settled the name, they began to consider the hierarchy.

"It says here that there can only be a single director in charge." Vincent patted his chest. "I happen to know a thing or two about leading an organization!"

Raella ignored his boast and quickly filled in her own name as director! "Sorry, but this job is mine! The LCS is my brainchild!"

"I thought it was our brainchild!"

"You can be the vice-director."

"Second place is just the first loser!"

"Perhaps it's a better idea if you don't manage our circuit at all, Vincent."

"What?! You're kicking me out already? I haven't even showed off my awesome management skills!"

"It's either that or forfeit your chance of competing. We can't allow any LCS personnel to take part in the very competition we organize! That's just stupid!"

"Oh. You're right."

"So if you want to show off your manly charm on the arena, you better butt out of my business and do your own thing. If I were you, I would get in early and organize my own team."

"That's.. That's a brilliant idea, Raella!" He crowed, already becoming enthralled by his fantasies! "I can become the champion of the LCS! I will lift up trophy after trophy! Witness me, Raella. I'll bring home the glory as soon as I win the first finals!"

"Uh huh." Raella scoffed. "What will your team name be? Ricklin's Rollers?"

"Nah. That's already done and over with. Let me think…" Vincent tapped his finger against his chiseled chin. "Oh, I got it! TSV!"

"And that stands for…"

"Team Solo Vincent!"

"Are you sure about that? I don't see how the word 'team' fits in that combination."

"It's perfect, haha! It doesn't matter how many teammates I have. I'll be the one who will be carrying them all to victory! I can already imagine the chants from the crowd. TSV! TSV! TSV!"