Yeshua took another deep breath, waiting for the Setsuka to pop its half-destroyed head out of the other zone. He was waiting patiently and wasn't going to mess up again. He didn't want to lose. He couldn't lose. He had to win.
The lights of the cockpit quickly trickled out to only the basic ambiance. The displays switched from an observation of the outside world to the classic placeholder warning image that the Framework had displayed before the fight began. The boy's expression changed suddenly, confused as to what was going on. Did he lose?
"Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to!" he laughed over the intercom. "Leave your Framewerks where they are at, the mechanics will retrieve them. There will be choppers shortly to escort you all back to the base. Assemble at the briefing hall and prepare for hearing your results."
The voice stopped, but soon continued:
"Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait," spoke Lorenzo as he cackled over the intercom before turning off the communications.
The word "no" repeated over and over in Yeshua's head. He was so close to victory. He was so close to being able to finish the battle. The headset he was wearing found itself thrown into the corner of the cockpit. His hands came up to his forehead and grasped his scalp. The nails on the tips of his fingers began to dig into his skull, expounding the pain onto himself. His hair rustled and turned under the pressure, his eyes now blades to the cold, metal floor below him. Shaking his head back and forth, the boy made incoherent squabbling sounds. The pain only grew more severe.
Before he could truly break his hands, Yeshua threw his arms towards the hatch above him, twisting the metal release valve until the door came flying open. The new sunlight burnt his skin. He yanked himself to above the Anzu's hatch and sat on its rip, soaking in the warm sunlight in the middle of the green field. It was beautiful.
Yeshua slowly ran his shaking hands through his hair. He kicked the side of the hatch in another fit of anger before looking up at the tower as the sun rose magnificently above it. A small sigh escaped his lips.
"I need a haircut."
