VR WARS Volume II - Coalition Army

REFLECTIONS

It was agreed that the only people logging in to the Bermuda Server that afternoon were to be Rui and Angelo. In doing so, they would be the very first in the country to test the newest functions that came with the newly updated patch deliberately designed for settling disagreements among the competitors: Arena mode. Though the majority of the coalition's PXF’s were already set in place for the upcoming competition, the various chairmen and the rest of the academic board agreed that unnecessary power expenditures were to be avoided whenever possible, given their precarious financial situation. But that didn’t mean the broadcast happening inside the virtual world couldn’t be transmitted to every piece of hardware available throughout the campus.

Immediately after hearing the latest news, everyone dived on their tablets, smartphones, and computers to potentially witness the fated duel representing two entirely different social classes. On a lonely spring day that had yet to shed its winter cover, oblivious to most, history was in the making.

“Sorry, guys…I did it again,” while his tone was somewhat heartfelt, the excitement was also implicit in Angelo’s expression when he addressed his officers.

Having come this far, both as friends and now as comrades-in-arms, everyone merely smiled and paid no heed to this new “situation” created by their commanding officer. And while most of the UAT’s command chain giggled and teased along the way, it was the second-in-command’s obligation to pronounce some worthy concerns regarding Angelo’s opponent. “Of course, this is all fun and games, but… Rui is not some run of the mill type of guy that you can shove away with only brute force.”

“…I know.”

From the time he had assumed command, one crucial directive instigated by Angelo into his students was the habit of studying in detail their opponents' strengths and weaknesses – as well as that of their allies.

When the neurotransmitter already sat on Angelo’s head, Big Richie’s eyes met Rui’s standing on his own PXF on the other side of the room whilst Pedro gave him instructions. Without batting an eye, the pair seemed to be engineering some ingenious strategy to finally shut down Angelo’s unruly momentum and finally put down his silent revolution once and for all. The mere sight of their ‘allies’ conspiring made the steadfast giant Ricardo shiver in unease, so much so that he wasn’t sure of the outcome anymore.

But, even if Angelo did lose, it would only hurt his pride and nothing more. There was no way for Pedro or anyone else to remove Angelo from the UAT's command, not with the competition looming in the distance and not without risking another full-scale rebellion, this time by a united UAT.

What an incredible guy! To have come this far pretty much on his own… Ricardo, otherwise known as ‘Big Richie’ to his friends, thought to himself while gazing at his commander. He had believed in him from the very first moment, when he shared a spot next to Angelo on those muddy English fields in their debut battle where everyone faltered in that pivotal clash and only the ‘Angel of Death’ was left alone, holding the line. Wounded, isolated, hopelessly outnumbered, the meek lone wolf unleashed its deadly sharp fangs, delaying repeated attacks by their sister university until at last Ricardo and Leonardo rounded up the survivors for one last victorious stand.

Incredible as he may be, even if he did defeat Shaun of Ireland and countless others, Angelo so far hasn’t faced anyone who has mastered any form of combat. He still needs to clear the gap that comes when facing off against someone well-versed in the art of the sword.

That, someone, was none other than the current national fencing champion, Rui Soares.

“He hasn’t lost a match in any official competition,” Ricardo pointed out, with his eyes still fixed on the pair from across the room. “Then again…there’s always a first time for everything, right?”

Angelo vaguely smirked at the inciting remark; with the neurotransmitter already fixed in position, surrounding his head, he voiced the word ‘Lock,' thus sending his mind to the battlefield once more. His body plugged into the high-tech machine was nothing more than an empty vessel now.

“…”

“I know he’s good, but do you think he can win against a national champion?” This concerned voice came from Rafael or ‘Rafa,’ a member of the UAT’s Elite unit, baptized now as Phoenix Unit.

The UAT’s representatives sent to the meeting incorporated an entourage belonging to the Elite unit, mainly its core officers: Marco Sanches, Vera Soares, and Rafael Garcia. This small hundred-twenty man unit had been the most challenging obstacle to bar Angelo’s path before finally taking control of the institution as a whole. Standing high above the rest of the regular student population, due to their social backgrounds alone, the previously known as Elites were among the backbone of the country's newest nobility.

Famous for their talents in every aspect of human society, from politics to the practice of martial arts, these people had roots in all public and private institutions across the country. They were the cream of the crop, the ones to lead the country into a new golden age, ‘Elites’ was the general term used by the media and most of the population, but the people ingressing in their ranks were better known as Generation Prodigy.

All education facilities had their own branch of these geniuses amidst their academic boards; Rui held Coimbra, Pedro ruled Lisbon, and the UAT had Valadão. To this effort, it naturally came as a shock to everyone when they learned that a regular student had suddenly overthrown the UAT’s prodigy branch. This rebellious stage lasted for over two months, with both sides vying for supremacy over who should control the army—only coming to an end upon Angelo’s awakening of both his AWP and his skills in the field of battle, winning them the day at Teutoburg Forest.

After all the fallout had settled, Angelo decided to name Marco’s unit to preserve some of their dignity that had faded, but mostly to maintain good relations among the prodigies; he knew very well that they were the strongest group at his disposal.

It was from the ashes of defeat that the name Phoenix came to be born. The only unit in the entire UAT to receive a name and not a number.

“Hmm…Hard to say,” the captain of the second battalion, Leonardo Mendonça, answered Rafa’s question, pondering over the live broadcast that was about to commence.“…Granted, he’s got all those crazy techniques of his; maybe he can.”

“…He’s never lost to anyone so far, not one on one at least,” Marco added reflectively.

“Whatchtink, Richie-boy?”

“…You know 'em better than I do, Kat…” Ricardo sat down in one of the chairs to watch the live transmission and nonchalantly conveyed his feelings. “Our commander’s abilities, that is.”

“Gye-he-he.”