Cagalli sat back in the cockpit and initiated basic training, muttering nonstop under her breath.
"What the hell! That jerk only knows how to scare me! These basic drills are completely useless! Just jumping forward, backward, left, and right—what's the point? Are they expecting soldiers to perform gymnastics on the battlefield?"
"Whether it's gymnastics or not, you'll find out soon enough."
"Eek—!"
"Thud!"
Yang Hui's voice suddenly echoed through the cockpit, startling Cagalli so badly she jumped and hit her head on the ceiling.
"What are you doing!? Do you have any idea how terrifying that was!?"
"With nerves like that, you still want to pilot an MS in battle?"
Faced with Cagalli's outburst, Yang Hui's calm mockery was the perfect counter—one she couldn't even argue against.
"Lesson one: No matter what happens on the battlefield, stay composed."
"Tch."
Though still visibly annoyed, Cagalli stopped venting at Yang Hui and quietly took his advice to heart.
Of course… how long she'd remember it, or whether she'd even apply it, was another matter.
"Beep beep beep…"
"A duel request?"
"Accept."
"Fine, I got it!"
After accepting Yang Hui's challenge, an identical M1 Astray appeared on her screen.
"Are you looking down on me?" Cagalli immediately demanded. She knew Yang Hui had a custom unit—one far more powerful. While she didn't think she stood a chance against it in an M1 Astray, his choice still pissed her off, making her feel underestimated.
"Lesson two: No pointless chatter in combat."
The moment he finished speaking, the countdown reached zero.
Yang Hui's machine accelerated abruptly. Before Cagalli could react, a pink beam filled her entire screen. The next instant, the cockpit dimmed, and the words "DEFEAT" glared back at her in stark black.
"Beep beep beep…"
Another duel request arrived. Furious, Cagalli accepted and immediately lashed out: "You coward! That was a cheap shot—!"
"Already forgot lessons one and two?"
"Uh…"
"And here's lesson three: This is war, not a duel. There's no honor, no rules—only kill or be killed."
The countdown ended again. Yang Hui's machine charged forward once more, and Cagalli still couldn't react in time. The only difference was that she now saw how his machine drew its Beam Saber and pierced her Mobile Suit.
"Beep beep beep…"
"Accepted!" Cagalli bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. The crimson trickled down her pale neck and soaked into her collar. This time, she didn't dare speak, watching the countdown with tense focus. The previous failures had left her slightly afraid—but far more determined.
She would defeat Yang Hui. She'd prove she wasn't just some spoiled princess throwing tantrums.
Same as before: a sudden advance, drawing the saber, a direct thrust.
This time, Cagalli's machine wasn't a helpless lamb. Panicked, she raised her shield just in time to block the Beam Saber's strike.
"I blocked it!"
But… it was a futile struggle.
With her vision obscured by the shield, all Cagalli saw was another pink beam flashing from a different angle. A cold gleam—and her shield-bearing left arm was severed clean at the shoulder. Then…
"Failure."
Cagalli was dumbfounded. Once again, she had no idea how she'd lost.
"Beep beep beep..."
"Accepted!"
The simulation battle began anew—the same movements, completely unchanged. She raised her shield to block the Beam Saber's direct thrust, yet met the same outcome. This time, however, before the screen went completely dark, she caught sight of Yang Hui's machine having somehow discarded its shield, now wielding a Beam Saber in each hand.
"Again!"
Countless failures, countless restarts. Cagalli's simulated battles with Yang Hui felt like playing a game, constantly cycling between save and reload.
Without exception, Cagalli was defeated by Yang Hui every time. The duration she lasted only increased by four or five seconds at most. Each time she confidently thought she'd predicted his next move and launched a preemptive counterattack, failure was all that awaited her.
As the battles piled up, the time Cagalli's machine could endure grew shorter and shorter. In the end, she simply stood motionless, allowing Yang Hui's machine to cut her down.
"Beep beep beep..."
"Sniff... sniff..."
The incoming duel request now sounded unbearably grating to Cagalli's ears. She refused to accept it, curling up in her seat with her legs drawn close, burying her face in her knees as she wept.
"Creak—"
The cockpit suddenly opened. The light was harsh, yet it couldn't illuminate the emptiness in Cagalli's eyes.
"Have you given up?" Yang Hui asked her calmly.
"Sniff... sniff..."
"Have you given up?"
"Sniff... sniff..."
"Answer me! Have you given up!? Cagalli Yula Athha!"
The roar, laden with pressure and fury, made Cagalli stiffly turn her tear-streaked face toward Yang Hui. Her vacant eyes met his icy, enraged gaze, and she shrank back like a helpless little girl.
"Answer my question!"
"I... I..."
Seeing her like this, Yang Hui shook his head. The cold intensity vanished, replaced by profound disappointment.
"Lyle, take Cagalli home. She is not to leave her room without my permission."
"Understood."
"Yang Hui! You can't do this to me!"
The moment she heard Yang Hui intended to confine her, a flicker of defiance returned to Cagalli's eyes. Summoning the last of her strength and courage, she lashed out with all her frustration and resentment.
"Then tell me—what can you do?"
"I... I..."
"Someone who gives up when faced with setbacks can do nothing."
"I didn't!"
"Then I'll ask again—have you given up? Cagalli Yula Athha!"
"I haven't!"
"Then continue. My time is precious. I don't have any to waste on playing house with you."
Without waiting for her reply, Yang Hui closed the cockpit again and returned to his own station, sending another duel request to Cagalli.
The familiar sound rang out, grating against Cagalli's frayed nerves like noise, sharp as a blade, filling her with dread.
Trembling with fear, Cagalli hesitantly reached for the control sticks—only to immediately pull back. She reached out again, then withdrew once more, as if they weren't MS controls but terrifying monsters.
"Five seconds. If you don't start, we won't."
That was the voice Cagalli loathed yet feared the most.
In the end, a sliver of unwillingness managed to pierce through the overwhelming terror. Her trembling hands gripped the control stick as she accepted the duel request.
Lyle watched Cagalli, who was being pushed to the brink by Yang Hui, and shook his head with a bitter smile before shouting at the others, "What are you all standing around for? Get back to training!"
"Huh? Yes, sir!"
Yang Hui's relentless questioning had been so loud that everyone in the training room had stepped out of their cockpits to watch. They couldn't bear to see Cagalli being hounded like prey by Yang Hui, cold and merciless, but none dared to speak up. They were genuinely afraid she might break—after all, she was Orb's princess.
"Everyone, start with Level 4 basic training. If you don't finish Level 6 by lunch, no food for you!"
"Aww!" (xN)
The simulated battle between Yang Hui and Cagalli continued unaffected by the groans around them—loading, defeat, loading, defeat, over and over.
Still, Yang Hui could see that Cagalli was slowly regaining her focus. Though her movements were still full of holes, she was no longer as stiff as a corpse.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Hui didn't issue another duel request. Instead, he left the cockpit and walked away without a word.
Seeing this, Lyle shrugged and remotely opened Cagalli's cockpit from the outside. She was slumped weakly in the seat, her chest rising and falling faintly, drenched in sweat as if she'd been pulled from water.
"He… left?"
"Do you think you can keep going right now?"
"I cou—"
"Lesson Four: No matter how tough it gets, never give up. I think you've learned that now. Lesson Five: Analyze the battlefield based on reality, not throw your life away meaninglessly."
"Tch… You—you sound just like that bastard…"
"Yang Hui taught me this too, so naturally, I'm passing it on to you."
"..."
"I've already contacted Mana. She'll be here soon to take you back. All the battle logs have been sent to your PAD—review them when you rest."
"You guys really have a sick sense of humor. Not only do you humiliate me here, but you want me to keep humiliating myself afterward?" The brief rest had restored a bit of Cagalli's energy. Though she still didn't want to move, she could at least muster her usual tsundere tone.
"Then, Lesson Six—"
"There's more!?"
"…Review. Study the battle logs, identify your shortcomings, and correct them next time."
Today's lessons were finally over. Lyle didn't bother engaging further with Cagalli—she wasn't his type anyway. Unless Yang Hui ordered it, he had no interest in dealing with this stubborn, prideful princess.
Soon, Mana, who had raised Cagalli since childhood, arrived to take her away. Though her heart ached seeing Cagalli so exhausted, she knew this was Yang Hui's doing—and that it was for Cagalli's own good. She didn't dare say anything more.
After a bath and a change of clothes, Cagalli lay in bed, replaying everything that had happened. Resentment and frustration welled up inside her.
Cagalli knew Yang Hui could pilot an MS and that he was skilled, but without facing him as an opponent, she could never truly understand what it felt like. Moreover, during his only battle in North Africa where he defeated the Desert Tiger, it had been a Pyrrhic victory—costing him nearly as much as his enemy. This had lowered her estimation of him.
It wasn't until today that she finally realized what it truly meant to face Yang Hui in an MS. Even in a simulation, the sheer pressure he exuded and his ruthless efficiency in eliminating targets were undeniable.
"What's th
e big deal? So he's just a good pilot, huh? Nothing special!" Cagalli vented. If she hadn't been too exhausted to move, the furniture in the room would have suffered for it.
"Hahaha, seems like you took quite the beating today."
"F-Father!"
(End of Chapter)