Today is the 10th of September, the following weekend on Saturday. The X-Warrior Championship will be held over two days, on the 17th and 18th, which is Saturday and Sunday next weekend. And I was currently busy training, putting in more time than I usually do.

So far, most of the X-Warriors I've met are loudmouths that are all talk and no skill. But that definitely doesn't mean that all of them are like that...so I need to be in top form by next weekend, because I definitely will have a target on my back.

Oh, and this coming Monday, each of the Level Q student teams would be given Missions to embark on. The outside of the Sanctuary was almost fully fortified now, equipped with motion-sensor cameras, combat androids and drones, blast shields, heat sensors, infra-red sensors, a bunch of other sensors that I hadn't ever heard of before, including one that senses XFE.

Hopefully, those will be enough to prevent another group of Wights sneaking in like before, the vacuum idea I'd suggested hadn't been implemented, though it hadn't been scrapped either, they were currently trying to figure out how they might be able to do so...oh, and a few thousand bug-sized drones were scattered across about twenty miles in every direction. So, yeah, it should be pretty safe this time around, and we'd be accompanied by an Ace X-Warrior just in case.

Part of this was training, but more than that, it was because the X-Warriors were swamped right now. Crimes were still very much on the rise in the South Quadrant, and not to mention the fact that about a third of the total number of X-Warriors were killed in the battle at the Wight base camp.

Therefore, students were being sent out to areas where lower-ranked Mutants were seen getting closer. See, when Mutants are killed in a certain area, Mutants of similar strength levels will then avoid that area for a while, but not forever. In other words, if an area outside the Sanctuary is left unattended for long, Mutants will start creeping in closer and closer.

Of course, Ace Mutants won't be deterred by such a simple method...but so far the closest we've ever seen an Ace Mutant to the Sanctuary was the Crocsnek...oh, that's the Ace Mutant that showed up at the end of the battle at the Wight base camp. It was named that because, duh, it has the head of a crocodile and the body of a snake.

So, yeah, no Ace Mutant had ever come close enough to the Sanctuary to threaten it...but if one ever does, we'd probably be screwed. Well, no sense in worrying over hypotheticals right now, so I guess I'll just get back to training. Fame and glory don't really interest me all that much, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to do well in the tournament...

...

...

"Hey, so what kind of Mutants are gonna be in the area we're headed to?" Inquired Mitchell curiously.

"Well, from the info we've been given, it looks like we're going to be heading East from the Sanctuary...there's a toxic lake a few kilometers out, some J and Q-Ranked Mutants have started to proliferate there, so we have to go take them out," I replied, going through the details on my holoscreen.

Today was the 12th of September, Monday, and I was at one of the Teleportation Points in the X-Warrior Zone along with the rest of my team and the Ace X-Warrior who was going to supervise us...which was my sister. Again.

"Time to teleport to the bunker, everyone, let's go!" Called out Kilella, waving us over.

We hopped onto the teleportation platform, as the attendant adjusted the coordinates and activated it...teleporting us to the inside of a bunker.

"How long do we have to discuss strategy and stuff?" Asked Mitchell.

"I don't really know...ten minutes, maybe? You know what, just take the time you need, I don't think we need to rush or anything," Shrugged Kilella in reply.

"We don't need that long. We just need to decide on the ideal formation and then each focus on executing our roles as efficiently and effectively as possible," I surmised objectively.

"I agree, there's no need to complicate things, we should just keep it simple," Agreed Seila with a nod...looks like she's in serious mode.

"Okay, so then what's the plan?" Inquired Suri.

"Hm, let me think...alright, Mitchell, I want you to go aerial, manifest your wings and keep an eye out from above...sort of like a scout, but stay within sight of us, there's no need to go on ahead so don't. Think you can do that?" I asked him.

"Cool, yeah, I can work with that," He replied affirmatively.

"Next, up front will be...Suri and Seila. Suri, you're most effective at close-range, and Seila...you're good at mid-range combat, but...your movements with your expanded blades become kinda rigid when there's an ally in front of you, so you'll be up front," I instructed.

"I know, I'm working on it," Sighed Seila, looking a bit frustrated with herself.

"Katie, you'll be at mid-range, about ten to fifteen meters behind them. And I'll be behind you, about twenty-five to thirty meters from the front."

"Okay...but won't I be blocking your view?" She inquired skeptically.

"No worries there, I'll use this to raise my line of sight," I replied, pointing at my back.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask...what is that, some sort of fancy backpack?" Asked Mitchell curiously.

"Sort of...primarily though, it's a jetpack."

"For real?" He responded skeptically.

"Yup. I'll be walking most of the time, except for when we're about to encounter Mutants...we'll be counting on you for that, keep a sharp eye out and alert us as soon as you stop any, I'll respond and activate the jetpack to get into position," I explained.

"Alright, I got it."

That wasn't all that this jetpack could do though...it could also store stuff, like a backpack, which made it easier to carry around my Square Blaster, Poison Smoke Bombs and X-Blades. Oh, and it could also extend out into armor for my arms and chest...though that feature was a little bit rigid still, so I won't be using it today, since despite providing a solid defense, it slows me down a fair bit.

Ruby was working on making it more flexible and easier to move around in, because as it was right now, activating the armor feature only inhibits my movements...and besides, since I'll be at the rear, I don't really need armor. I would like to have it as an option for the tournament though...weapons are permitted, so yeah.

Anyway, I still have a few days before then, so for now, I'll just focus on the task at hand...this Mission should be a simple one, but I'm not letting my guard down...because things have pretty much gone wrong every time I've gone outside the Sanctuary.

That time with the Two-Headed Serpents, then that time with the Wight ambush, and then the appearance of the Crocsnek Ace Mutant during the attack on the Wight base camp...yeah, my historic record with going outside of the Sanctuary hasn't been great.

"Alright, is everyone clear on their roles?" I asked, looking around inquiringly at each of them.

"Crystal clear," Replied Mitchell with a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I got it," Added Suri.

"Me too, I'm good to go," Said Seila with a nod.

"Same here," Chimed in Katie.

"Then let's head out, shall we?"

...

"Hey, really nice work, little bro! Your people skills have improved so much," Remarked Kilella, poking me with a grin.

"Could you not?" I sighed in exasperation.

It was about ten minutes later, we had left the bunker and were currently headed east...or more accurately, at a slight north-east direction. At this pace, we should get there in forty-five minutes at the soonest, though it shouldn't take more than an hour at most.

We had deployed in the agreed-upon formation, and my sister was hanging around the back with me, which was kinda annoying because she made it hard to focus...I mean, yeah, I might be being a bit overly cautious, but still, better safe than sorry, right?

"Hey, do we know which Mutant species we'll be fighting when we get there?" Mitchell asked into the communicator, sounding bored, "Oh, and it's all clear as far as I can see, no Mutants in sight at the moment."

"Alright, keep looking out...and as for the Mutants, four species of Q-Ranked Mutants have been seen in the specified area, and a few J-Ranked Mutants too. The Q-Ranked types are, uh...Fishsnakes, Biteys, Fancy Clack-Clacks and Lubes," I replied, cringing slightly as I said the species' names out loud.

I guess I should explain what each of those Mutants are...Fishsnakes are vicious aquatic eel-like creatures, Biteys are piranha-like Mutants...individually, they're pretty weak, but they usually move in large groups and are rarely ever seen alone or in small groups. They aren't much of a threat so long as you're on land, but if you fall into a body of water in which a large pack of them are in, you'll be eaten alive in a matter of seconds, right down to the bone.

Ugh...Fancy Clack-Clacks are lobster-like Mutants...I should also mention that regular Clack-Clacks are crab-like Mutants...and Venom Clack-Clacks are scorpion-like Mutants, and unlike the other two which were both Q-Ranked, it was K-Ranked and a lot more dangerous.

And finally, Lubes are...

"Oh, God...are you serious?" Groaned Suri in dismay.

"I think I'd rather fight a K-Ranked Mutant than a Lube," Sighed Seila in agreement.

So, yeah...Lubes are slime Mutants...

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