"Then count to three, and we'll attack together."
"Three... two..."
The moment "one" was uttered, both of them ejected simultaneously from opposite sides.
Two Mobile Suits traced identical narrow arcs through the air before turning to face each other.
As soon as their fire control Radars locked onto each other, they opened fire almost simultaneously.
The Vulcan Cannons mounted on their third Mechanical Arms fired at the same time.
The Radar warning buzzed annoyingly, but Fred showed no reaction, remaining completely focused on the combat display before him.
Andrew's Work Pod had already shifted direction the moment it fired.
Executing an extremely unnatural maneuver, it performed a sharp drift that easily evaded what should have been a fatal blow.
Though just an ordinary Work Pod, under Andrew's control it moved with the agility of a dragon swimming through space.
As for Fred, he concentrated intently on the rapidly approaching bright yellow tracer rounds that streaked toward him like deadly needles.
His Mobile Suit wasn't as fast as his opponent's,
but now a structure resembling a Propulsion Unit had appeared on the lower right side of the frame, from which intense blue light suddenly erupted.
Illuminating the previously dark underside of Fred's Work Pod.
With force applied from the side, the Work Pod began spinning like a top while advancing forward, simultaneously dodging the deadly Vulcan Cannon attacks.
The first exchange ended with neither managing to hit the other.
Witnessing this scene, everyone collectively gasped in astonishment.
"Freed... is that a modified Work Pod? Who modified it for him? It's just a sparring match, does he need to go all out like this?"
Someone in the security office couldn't help but comment.
This remark drew agreement from those around them.
After all, modifying a Work Pod like this could potentially cause an explosion if anything went wrong.
It was just a sparring match, yet Fred seemed to be risking his life.
And there was a sense that any victory would feel somewhat unfair.
However, Alec quickly interrupted the growing commotion among the crowd.
"Freed modified the Work Pod himself. Since he has confidence in it, that counts as part of his capability."
Alec's voice carried a cold intensity.
Hearing Alec's words, the others fell silent one after another.
Indeed, Fred was a researcher himself. If he really modified this Mobile Suit on his own, then there couldn't be any claim of unfair advantage.
But... even though he was a researcher, was modifying a Work Pod really that simple?
That was machinery meticulously crafted by engineers through countless refinements.
Just like the New Type Transport Ship that Fred had previously participated in modifying and improving.
No matter how much experience one had, sudden modifications could still lead to problems.
However, recalling Fred's various performances during previous modifications, they couldn't find any grounds to refute the point.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Hub, Yuri who had been quietly observing Fred was also shocked.
Though he knew Fred had been quietly working on something with his Work Vessel,
he never imagined it would be modifying the Engine structure.
But... with his previous experience modifying the new type Engine, could it be that Fred actually had confidence in this?
If that were the case, it would be truly remarkable.
"Brother, that's amazing!"
Athrun's face lit up with excitement as he processed what had happened.
He had almost forgotten that aside from his combat skills, Fred possessed even more impressive research capabilities.
Flay, standing nearby, was equally thrilled, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"What's so amazing about that?"
Yzak frowned as he looked at the modified work vessel.
"Isn't it just taking advantage of added equipment?"
Yzak's thoughts aligned with most of the security personnel present.
"Brother was the one who modified it! He didn't have someone else do it!"
Hearing Yzak's comment, Flay retorted discontentedly toward the young man.
In other words, this was Fred's own capability.
"Uh... what?"
"What do you mean, what?"
Athrun looked up at the bewildered young man and asked with amusement.
"I mean why would Fred know how to modify equipment!!"
Yzak said irritably.
"Didn't you know? Brother Fred is a researcher."
"In agriculture!"
As soon as Athrun finished speaking, Yzak immediately countered.
"But brother can modify things too."
Athrun said with schadenfreude.
"..."
Yzak fell silent upon hearing this.
Was this normal?
Why was it that while they were all Coordinators, Fred seemed capable of everything?
Researching agriculture was one thing - after all, their elite Coordinators could generally handle one or two fields. But why could he even install engines?
Anyone would know that even though it was just a basic modification, it would be impossible without solid foundational knowledge.
By now, even Yzak with his delayed realization understood why their fathers had asked Fred to teach them Mobile Armor control.
"...I can't beat a professional researcher?"
Yzak asked Athrun with a grim expression.
Athrun didn't speak, merely looking at him with an expression that seemed to ask if he was being deliberately obtuse.
"...Damn!"
After muttering a curse under his breath, the young man's gaze toward the screen held a hint of concealed admiration.
This admiration didn't show on his face, but respect for the strong was only natural.
One could say that even if Fred lost this time, his status in Yzak's mind wouldn't diminish in the slightest.
Not that it would have decreased if he'd lost before either.
After all, he still remembered what Fred had said after their first encounter.
One should never mock someone who gives their all.
Win or lose, this was his principle.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side where everyone was astonished.
Andrew's eyes also brightened slightly as he said, "It won't explode, will it?"
"It will."
Hearing Fred's response, to Andrew's astonishment, they saw Fred remotely disconnect the propulsion unit's binding, causing it to drift away before automatically shutting down.
"One-time use only."
Andrew remarked with admiration.
"What else? Where would I get a new engine? That was an old one."
Fred's voice carried laughter.
Simply put, he had taken someone's discarded old engine and temporarily modified it into a disposable propulsion unit.
After all, no matter how much he wanted to win, this was just a practice match.
Temporarily modifying a disposable piece of equipment to test an idea and demonstrate his capabilities was enough.
There was no need to go all out.
Otherwise, if it exploded, that would be the end.
"Haha."
Hearing Fred's matter-of-fact words, Creuset couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"I'm growing fonder of you by the minute."
"Too bad I'm not a woman."
As Fred spoke, the Vulcan Cannon once again aimed and fired at Andrew.
"Indeed."
Listening to the alarm in his ears, Andrew also chuckled while charging toward Fred.
The battle between both sides resumed once more.