The game at the academy took hold of various different people at various locations throughout the known galaxy. Everyone would find entertainment from the games, regardless of things like age and class. Even the Evolved, the enhanced super soldiers created by Andrew Braye, could be persuaded to take time to watch occasional matches.
"Lady Angel, I believe there is something you will want to see."
"What is it, Jewel? And I've told you before, you don't have to call me 'Lady Angel.' We're on first name terms, and have been for a long time now. Just call me Kaya."
"The academy games."
"The games? Why would I care about the academy games?" Kaya asked.
"You once told me of a boy you knew, who could not awaken Evolved powers. What was his name again?" Jewel asked, leading her to the point.
"Gus. Gus Braye."
"Then I believe you will like to see the current game."
***
"Going into round two, and the game is already looking interesting. Adam, why don't you walk us through what both of these teams will be thinking at the moment."
"Well, the Blades will have their moods raised after that first one, that's for sure. But it will be interesting to see whether they stick to the plan or try to outplay their opponents. If I'm the leader, I'm sticking with the strategy, just because it's the first game, the first day, and you don't really know your squad all too well yet.
As for the Reapers, well, pressure's on. Can they claw back the round to tie us up, or will they just lose? This is what will be running through their heads now. For me, there are two choices: Counter the rush with a rush of your own, or set up far more defensively. But, interesting situation for the first game already, so exciting times ahead."
"You heard it here, folks. Can the Blades secure the W, or will the Reapers force us to a decider? Find out in round 2, coming up now."
The arena was heavily favoured towards a rush style strategy. The amount of crates and other bits of debris in the makeshift scrapyard shut down a lot of longer ranged sights, and really restricted the utility available to them. Once he had something, Gus gathered the others around him.
"Okay, we go for the same thing."
"The same thing? We'll be destroyed!" Joel exclaimed.
"Normally we would, but we need to even the odds, and I don't feel like playing their game. My knee does not bend. Joel, Teala, can you two get rid of the crates around the bus?"
"We can get it done," Teala responded. "But why?"
"Anten, use your swarm to delay the rush. Just buy them time. We'll stick to the same three sided strategy, but this time we will hold the advantage. By removing the cover that clogs up the middle, we can leverage the ranged supremacy we likely hold over them to catch them in a crossfire. We trade each other out, and win the round."
"I get it. You want to turn this into a game about skill and teamwork, away from the mindless rush they've got going on," Connor said.
"Not really, not at all. I just want to punish them for that rush, and force them to play by my rules. Like I said, I will not bend the knee and play by their rules."
As soon as the round started, the Blades were assailed by a swarm of Anten's cybernetic machines as they moved forward. With their visibility lost, they could only wonder what the loud bang that shook the arena was.
They quickly moved to the bus, and took it over just like they had in the round prior. Finding the same three at the bus as they did last round, they quickly became complacent, thinking that this round would play out the exact same way as the last.
Their complacency proved to be their downfall. Relaxing as they moved up, they did not notice that the crates, which last round provided cover to the flanks, were now not where they had been. Before they knew it, they were assaulted by a barrage of fire from both the office side and the row of cars. While they did manage to take out a couple of the Reapers, the Blades were utterly destroyed.
"And they've done it! The Reapers manipulated the arena to their benefit, and it paid off. What's more, they've just overturned the elimination deficit, and now they lead in that metric."
"Indeed a huge round for the Reapers, Michael. For those who do not know, in the leagues there are different ways to obtain points. The main way is winning, which is related to the objective, but another is scoring through a Kill:Death ratio. Teams will get a single point for each kill that they have over their deaths. After the round win, they have achieved fifteen 'kills' and suffered twelve 'deaths.' The reason it is big for them is that, should they win the match, they increase the gap between the other squads in their platoon."
"Of course, we already know that the first segment of the season, like usual, is the inter-squad league, but why should these squads care about this section?" Michael asked.
"It's a really simple reason: prestige. The winning squad will have a slightly better claim to the dominion of their platoon when they move into the combined platoon competitions later in the year. Of course, there are other factors, but a smart commander will take all of the advantages available to them."
"Good strategy, Gus," Claire said as they all returned to the area near their door.
"Yeah, but try not to bait us again. Getting shocked sucks, it feels so weird," Anten said.
"Hopefully, I shouldn't have to this time," Gus said. "If I'm right, then they'll be panicking, worried that their strategy needs changing. If that's the case, we can manipulate them to our benefit, force them to play our game. We engage them across the arena, trade each other, and win."