Chapter 597: Pool the flags
"Now that we have settled our players, please feast your eyes on our Pocket Dimension!" Barnaby announced.
As soon as he said that, the stage split in half and crawled outwards, revealing the enormous Pocket Dimension down below.
From first impressions alone, it seemed like they were going to be playing on a single island surrounded by nothing but endless seas.
"The objective of the game is simple. Be the last one standing with the flag, and you shall win the automobile bid!"
So it’s a capture-the-flag game, Michael thought.
Now, if he was playing for real, then being by himself would be a major disadvantage. His flag would easily fall under the enemies onslaught, especially if they ganged up on him.
But thankfully, he didn’t need to win the game. All he had to do was survive for as long as he could without getting eliminated.
Harbinger told him that interacting with these strong Maugnetics would help him increase his strength by a significant margin. True or not, he’d only find out during the game.
"Here are the rules," Barnaby announced. "Each of your teams will be given a flag. It is your duty to keep the flag in your possession, while stealing other flags from the other companies. The team that ends up with all flags under their banner will win the game!"
Michael found this interesting because with the rules of the game, having your flag captured was not an immediate loss for the team or the company. They could have a chance to take back their flag at a later time, given that they weren’t eliminated from the game entirely.
Just then, Dicky approached Michael and tapped him on the shoulders.
"Hey, Michael. We have a little proposition for you," he said.
Dicky gestured for him to come closer to their group, and he was surprised to find that it wasn’t just Bobby who was waiting for him, but also Aerith and Alaric.
All three Legacy leaders were gathered in the same spot.
"Michael. A pleasure to meet you again," Alaric greeted.
"Who would have thought we’d see you here, huh? And here I thought you were just a normal kid back then," Aertih said, putting her hands on her waist.
"Did Dicky tell you why we requested your presence?" Bobby asked.
He shook his head.
"I can explain that," said Alaric. "You see, as soon as we found out that the automobiles would be auctioned off this evening, we all decided that we would work together to obtain it for ourselves.
We knew that the other three organizations from the Major Factions would want this as well, and as much as I hate to admit it, they’re stronger than us. Our chances of winning against them in this bid will be low. But if we band together, we can guarantee our victory."
Michael didn’t think that even the Legacies would have to resort to working together.
"We decided that we’d share the automobile for ourselves and take turns using them," Aerith added. "If you want, we could also help you out."
"So, you want me to join you?"
Alaric nodded, so did the other two. "Not to offend you, but your chances of winning the automobile are astronomically very low. But if you agree to our partnership, then we’ll be willing to lend you the automobiles from time to time."
Now, this was a very generous offer. And if Michael didn’t already own automobiles, then he’d be very thankful for the offer.
[Kukuku...take it Michael. They’re allowing you to blend in with their group. Kukuku... getting stronger will be a lot easier than I thought.]
Since this game didn’t really mean anything to him, he decided to agree to their terms.
"Sure. It’ll be nice to form a team with you guys."
The trio Legacies were glad to hear it.
"That’s great Michael! We can finally work together!" Dicky said, celebrating.
"Here’s our plan," Alaric said, taking charge.
Immediately, his four teammates and the other Maugnetics from the Legacies’ teams listened to his words with seriousness.
"We’ll be pooling our flags together and protecting them from being sieged by the other three teams. We’ll dedicate about two-thirds of our strength to do this to ensure their safety. We have 16 people in total, so 10 people will stay behind.
Meanwhile, six of us will journey out in search of the other flags. I’m sure that those organizations will not work together like us, so it will be a 6 v 5 in our favor."
Alaric’s strategy focused on defense, which was very smart. After all, they would be pooling all of their flags in one location. That was four in total, and if someone was able to steal or siege them, then they’d be two flags away from victory.
"Don’t worry, we’ll stay behind," Dicky assured Michael. "You don’t have to get out there."
[Boring... you have to get out there in the action.]
As much as he wanted to do as Harbinger said, this wasn’t his call. After all, he was just one cog in a very big machine.
Don’t worry. I think there’ll be plenty of action. The other teams won’t be able to resist the four flags that we’ll be protecting.
Alaric spent some more time strategizing with his team, forming the vanguard group who would be attacking the other teams, and decided roles for the defensive team.
Of course, the three leaders of the Legacies were part of the vanguard group, as they were the strongest fighters available. Then, they were allowed to have one fighter each, so the total came to 6 players in the vanguard position.
"Michael," Alaric looked at him. "Your job is simple. If there’s anyone that comes close to the flags, you use that power of yours to shoot them."
They all saw his powers during the game, and knew his capabilities.
Now, his switch would be perfect in this situation, as he could stop an intruder from taking the flags.
However, Alaric and the others knew that he was only in the 4th stage, while they were in the 8th stage. The disparity in power would lead his Aubility to be practically ineffective.
His Unity beam on the other hand, was not bound by Diva cultivation and could hurt them, so it was still useful in this situation.
"It’s very likely that we won’t be able to stay together during our descent into the Pocket Dimension, so the first thing that I need everyone to do is to find my signal. I will shoot it high up in the air and you’ll know that it’s me.
Gather towards this location. Familiarize yourselves with each other so you can help each other out while trying to get to our rendezvous point."
Once Alaric had finished his briefing, Barnaby finally announced to the rest of the crowd to start counting down.
The game was about to start.
"three...two...one....JUMP!"
One by one, the players began to jump into the Pocket Dimension, with their bodies disappearing as soon as they crossed the threshold.
"Good luck, Michael!"
"Good luck!"
He heard Beau and Reena cheering him on from above, giving them a thumbs up before jumping into the game.