As for special abilities, every mech type comes with a unique ability imprinted into it during its creation, so once a super soldier integrates a mech into their hangar, they gain direct access to that ability, even when they are not inside the mech.
It's similar to when a character equips an armor in a fantasy game, where certain effects or resistances are granted simply because the item is equipped in the character's loadout, that's how special abilities function.
Of course, the effect is usually stronger when the super soldier is inside the mech, but even outside of it, using those abilities, especially in life-threatening situations adds a certain thrilling edge to it.
For the Paragon mech, its special ability is called Boost, it's considered one of the most basic abilities, but at the early stage, it is highly sought after because it provides a noticeable increase in speed.
This boost can be used to evade otherwise fatal attacks or to suddenly increase movement speed during combat, giving the user a chance to finish a fight quickly, the Boost ability lasts for about six seconds and has a relatively short cooldown, which makes it even more desirable.
That's one of the main reasons it remains popular, the Paragon is an attacker-class mech with decent speed, good energy capacity, and overall balanced performance, making it ideal for super soldiers who already envision themselves as frontline fighters, after composing himself, Gideon stepped aside.
"Jake, step forward and choose your desired mech," the captain with the eyepatch called out. Without wasting time, Jake walked toward the Paragon lineup, though he made sure not to get too close just yet.
[ Status ]
Mech Name: Paragon
Class: Attacker
Rank: Common
Special Ability: Boost
Star: ⭐
[ Description at Current Level ]
A mech with good speed and sufficient energy to equip decent weapons. Overall, a well-balanced unit with solid endurance.
Everything about the Paragon mech practically screamed perfection to Jake for his current level, if not for the fact that Jake already knew he would also be receiving the Ares mech, he would have definitely chosen the Paragon without a second thought.
But now that he knew the Ares mech was guaranteed, a different idea had formed in his mind, so he decided to go for a Lancer instead.
Gideon, who had been watching him from the side, immediately showed a look of shock, and he wasn't actually the only one with such expression, Aiden and Mr. Charles were both visibly surprised as Jake walked past the Paragon lineup and headed straight toward where the Lancer mechs stood.
As for the F Region military captains, although they were surprised by his decision, however; they didn't react strongly, after all, they were aware that Jake would still be receiving the Ares mech.
Zack, in particular, didn't mind Jake's choice. In the military, there was a saying:
There are no weak mechs, only weak pilots, a super soldier who could master a mech and seamlessly integrate its special abilities as if they were their own was always respected and not only in the military for that matter,
And while some mechs were considered superior to others, there had been many instances in history where so-called "weaker" mechs emerged victorious.
However, those pilots usually had strong talents, something Jake clearly lacked.
Still, Zack chose not to interfere with Jake's choice.
As for the other two captains, they didn't care enough to think deeply about it. To them, Jake was bound to fail sooner or later, so it was better he did so in a weaker mech—at least that way, the Region F Army might save some face during the tournament.
[ Status ]
Mech Name: Lancer
Class: Scout
Rank: Common
Special Ability: Jump Jets
Star: ⭐
[ Description at Current Level ]
A high-speed mech with low energy, low endurance, and low power. It was designed with a single purpose, which is to prioritize speed above all else.
Without waiting for the captain's instructions, Jake immediately raised his left hand toward the mech, as a new notification appeared before him.
[ Fuse Mech into Hangar (Y/N) ]
Without hesitation, he selected Y using his mind, just like before, space distorted around the mech before it compressed into light and shot toward his hand guard, seeing Jake act on his own made Zack nod slightly in approval.
Not too far away, Gideon let out a quiet snort, ever since the awakening, he had been subconsciously comparing himself to Jake.
Knowing that he could never surpass Aiden, he had instead found comfort in measuring himself against someone weaker, and Jake, with his Common talent, became that easy target for him.
Watching him choose the Lancer, a mech which was smaller and, in Gideon's eyes, inferior to the Paragon, only reinforced the belief he had about Jake.
To him, the gap between them was only widening more with Jake's choice, because it was common knowledge that the Lancer had a thin armor, which had helped make it one of the fastest mechs due to carry lesser armor load, but also one of the most fragile, since its lack of durability had earned it the reputation of being the "uncrowned weakest mech."
Though it had its strengths when one knew how to use it perfectly well, however many still felt its weaknesses often overshadowed its great sides.
In contrast, the Paragon boasted stronger armor, broader plating at the shoulder regions which made its head smaller, and with better endurance too, making Gideon feel justified in his choice.
But then—He noticed Jake moving again after already picking a mech.
Jake was now walking toward the Ares mech, at the same time, Jake could already feel the changes within his system, the Lancer had appeared in his Mech Hangar, confirming the successful integration.
He had once had three empty slots shown to him in his Mech hanger, but now, within his system interface, the Lancer stood firmly in the middle slot, he could see it all clearly in his system interference, just like it was in the game.
Without wasting any time, he began walking toward the Ares mech, his urge to fuse with it obvious.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!"
Gideon suddenly shouted, unable to hold himself back, as he couldn't understand why Jake was already using his Hanger System to scan the Ares mech after he already got the Lancer mech, and then what baffled him more was the fact that none of the Military captains were even stopping him.
All this time, Gideon had believed the Ares mech had been brought out specifically for Aiden.
But now, seeing Jake, someone he had already assumed would live a mediocre life as a super soldier, attempting to claim it, he completely lost his composure, his demeanor changing instantly.