"Ohhh," Jake said as realization finally dawned on him, that explained why the man seemed so kind, he had not expected anyone to extend an olive branch to him at all, but it seemed the captain standing before him held deep sentiment for his parents, which was why he had come to meet him.
"I think you can probably guess why I came to see you, your parents always said you were a smart kid, so I will not waste time beating around the bush," Captain Zack began.
"The other two captains who came with me believe it would not be wise for you to join the Region F Army, claiming you would only be a waste of resources, but I think that is a complete lie. I believe you have far more potential than they can see," Captain Zack said to Jake.
Jake could tell the man was probably saying all this to make him feel better, but he could not help liking him.
"So, just like the boy before you, I am offering you the same deal I gave him, if you choose to join, I will let you pick between a Paragon mech or a Lancer mech as your gift, and beyond that, before your parents died, they had been saving up to purchase an Ares mech."
"Though they did not live long enough to receive it, I will make sure their son inherits the mech they worked so hard to buy, you will receive it along with the gift mech, as long as you agree to join the military," Captain Zack concluded.
The moment Jake heard the offer, he could not help smiling in joy, he had never expected his worry over how to get a mech to be resolved so effortlessly, without a second thought, he immediately asked for the contract and signed to join the Region F Army.
Seeing this made Captain Zack smile slightly, but then a small sound from somewhere ahead of them drew their attention.
Jake noticed the looks on the faces of the people who had just tried to cajole Aiden into joining their organizations and region, and from their expressions he could tell that their conversation with Aiden probably had not gone the way they expected.
Immediately, they turned and headed toward where the Region D students were standing, hoping to try their luck with the prodigies there instead.
Captain Zack looked genuinely surprised, but after Aiden opened the document he had been given earlier by the F Region captains to sign, he could not help smiling, he walked over to Aiden, with Jake following behind him.
"I know of your family and how much you feel indebted to the region, but do you really believe the choice you are making now is the right one?"
"You should know that it will be very difficult for you to make progress compared to your peers in the other cities, simply because you chose the Region F army as your sponsor," Captain Zack said.
But Aiden only smiled, using his left hand to scratch the back of his head.
"I know, but it is not like they see me as a priority talent worth building, they just want to get me on their side so they can show Region D that they have a prodigy too, i also do not think it would be any easier for me if I chose them," Aiden said, causing Jake to look at him in surprise.
The fact that even Mr. Charles who had advised him to accept the highest region that came for him not saying anything after hearing Aiden's words made Jake feel as though there was something the few of them understood that he did not.
Thirty minutes later, the old man returned to the stage to address the students.
"I'm sure by now most of you, if not all of you, have already chosen a sponsor, whether they are from your current region or from a higher one."
"I'll give you all thirty minutes to collect your promised mech gifts. In the next hour, a battle will be held to determine the class you will be placed in, and the higher you rank in the upcoming competition, the better your reward will be. So go on now and see your new babies." The man finally ended his speech, and at that moment, every student present went off with the teams they had signed contracts with.
As their sponsors in the academy, the organizations and armies would provide them with support, and in return, the students would have to join their group and follow the orders given to them.
_ _
In a small corner where the Region F Army had parked their spaceship, the two other captains waited for Zack to return, while the three students they had just recruited stood below the ship that levitated in the air chatting with one another.
Even their teacher was there with them, listening quietly and offering a few insights about what to expect in the academy battle that was coming.
They had read plenty about it, and they knew that mech warriors often deployed their mechs whenever the F region came under attack to help control the situation, but this was the first time they would actually be fighting as mech super soldiers themselves, so they could not help feeling nervous.
_ _
"I say we give the Ares mech to Aiden, and promise the other kid another Ares later. For now, all we need to do is arm Aiden well enough for the tournament so he can perform at a top level, secure a good position, and in return gain the resources he needs to grow even stronger," one of the two captains, the one with an eyepatch over his left eye, said.
"Also, since he chose us, doing this can be seen as an act of goodwill from our end, and we need all the help we can get to raise him, because we have never had a rare talent decide to stay behind before, the faster we help him grow, the better our city situation might become," the second captain, the only one wearing a beret, chimed in.
"His name is Jake Fernandez, son of a good soldier who, together with his wife, once served under my unit. And no, you will not be taking his mech as an incentive. If you are all that desperate to please our new recruit Aiden, then let's break the bank and get him another mech. I'm sure we are more than capable of that," Captain Zack shot back.
"But none of the mechs we can acquire in a short period of time would be as strong as the Ares mech..." the captain with the eyepatch said, but before he could continue, Zack raised his hand, stopping the conversation.
He could tell exactly why they were doing this, they were cutting back on funds, and since they knew that spending money to get a new mech for Aiden would mean dipping into their already drained reserves, they had instead turned their selfish eyes toward the supposed inheritance of Jake.
Because Jake had no one backing him and his talent was weak, they felt they could cheat him out of it.
Earlier, they had already held a meeting about Jake's situation even before the awakening due to what his parents left behind.
Before the awakening process, the discussion had been simple: if Jake awakened, they would give him the mech regardless of his talent, but if he didn't, the Region F Army would pay him the full cost of the mech, while the mech itself would belong to Region F, they had even discussed paying it in two installments to ease the burden on the F region already strained budget.
But all of a sudden, Aiden came along, and they all seemed to have forgotten their promises, fortunately, Zack had stood by him to the very end.