"Jachin Due?"
Fred repeated Joule's words.
Meanwhile, the boy began forming his own speculations.
"Yes."
Joule nodded.
Originally, they truly lacked a testing ground, but the Engine Fred had previously modified had exposed their weakness.
Relying solely on computer simulations without practical testing was unreliable, no matter how powerful current computing capabilities were.
After all, reality was full of exceptions and unexpected occurrences, especially in the mysterious and largely unknown realm of outer space.
To address this situation, they had gone through great efforts to establish a laboratory in a hidden and secure location.
That place was Jachin Due.
"Jachin Due's interior has naturally massive rock formations for cover, combined with interference from ongoing external mining operations, which is sufficient to conceal most of their activities.
Moreover, Fred and the others going there wouldn't attract too much attention."
"Alright."
Hearing that everything had been arranged, Fred nodded.
Their progress was faster than expected, but for him, this was good news. Currently, the most important task was completing the Engine research.
Only after that could he find opportunities to move toward MS development.
As their conversation reached a natural pause, Fred eagerly turned his gaze toward Alec nearby.
"Alec, let's spar."
"Alright."
Alec didn't refuse, having grown quite accustomed to this routine.
As for why they needed to fight today specifically?
Fred basically wanted to spar every day anyway, so Alec didn't find today's request unusual.
On the contrary, not fighting would have been strange.
"What?"
Meanwhile, Jiuer, who had been about to return to the living room, froze in surprise upon hearing this.
While sparring sessions were common, someone initiating one as abruptly as Fred was quite rare.
These two had just finished talking and, without doing anything else, were immediately starting a fight?
Wasn't this too sudden?
Was it to demonstrate physical capabilities to her?
That couldn't be - what use would she have knowing he could fight?
Was he a battle maniac?
Thinking about her son's high regard for Fred, Jiuer felt somewhat speechless.
Nevertheless, she quietly stopped in her tracks.
This was a rare opportunity, and regardless of whether Fred intended to show off for her benefit, she was quite curious.
Up in the second-floor activity room, Athrun and the others watching the yard below tacitly set down their controllers.
"I told you brother would want to fight again today."
Athrun lifted his chin, wearing a proud, tsundere expression.
"Hmph, then why didn't you let me go down and fight?"
Yzak snorted discontentedly.
Actually, even before Fred appeared, Yzak had wanted to go down and volunteer.
"If you really fought today, your uncle and aunt would be crying."
Flay teased.
"Hmph."
"Who do you think will win today?"
Nicol changed the subject, looking curiously at the two figures squaring off against each other.
Fred and Alec had fought countless times before.
From Fred initially being at a disadvantage with only occasional counterattacks, to recently showing signs of suppressing his opponent - while they marveled at this, their admiration for Fred only grew.
His progress continued relentlessly, unaffected by any circumstances.
"I think my brother should be able to win this time."
After finishing his analysis, Athrun nervously pressed his lips together.
Hearing this, the others also looked down at the two figures below. No one spoke, but their eyes revealed clear anticipation.
Under everyone's gaze, Fred and Alec soon collided with each other at high speed.
Both moved so quickly that even the Elite Coordinators present had their vision blurred momentarily.
With the sound of fists striking flesh, their punches landed on each other's bodies.
Bare knuckles striking each other brought equal pain to both combatants.
[Combat +0.05]
[Combat (Beginner) 100/100]
[Combat - Proficient↑]
[Reward: Aura Concealment]
[As long as you hold your breath, your presence can be minimized.]
Seeing the first-ever explanation before his eyes, Fred froze momentarily.
His body stiffly took another hit from Alec.
However, after being forced back several steps by this blow, he quickly readjusted himself.
This left Alec, who had been about to stop the fight, standing frozen in place.
Based on Fred's usual capabilities, that distracted punch to the waist should have rendered him unable to continue fighting.
He hadn't gone easy on Fred - that had been Fred's own request.
But while Fred had been distracted, something felt different.
While Alec was still processing his surprise, from his perspective, Fred seemed to suddenly vanish from existence.
Not literally invisible, but Alec could no longer detect the sound of Fred's breathing or his presence.
For sharp-eared Coordinators, hearing was a crucial component of perception.
Yet now Fred gave him the feeling that if he closed his eyes, he wouldn't be able to detect the other's presence at all.
Just as this thought formed, the youth before him moved.
Pushing off forcefully with his toes, Fred charged toward him with even greater speed than before.
The spectators collectively gasped.
Everyone present was an Elite - even those specialized in research understood combat well.
The two hadn't been performing earlier. Fred had taken a solid, heavy punch to the abdomen, yet he had recovered so quickly and charged forward at increased speed.
Both his endurance and combat prowess were astonishing.
"Did anyone else feel like Fred's presence just vanished?"
Yzak couldn't help muttering from upstairs.
"You're seeing things, right?"
Flay retorted as usual while looking at Athrun.
As always, Flay didn't care for someone who frequently disparaged her brother.
As for Athrun, he had clearly become one of their companions.
But this time, instead of joining in the rebuttal, Athrun looked thoughtfully in Fred's direction.
His perception had been more sensitive than Yzak's.
He had indeed felt Fred's presence disappear momentarily.
When Fred charged at Alec just now, there had been no footsteps, even though Fred's muscles were clearly tensed.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Amid everyone's astonishment, the two combatants soon engaged each other again.
However, this time Fred quickly seized the central line in front of Alec.
A continuous barrage of punches rained down like a storm upon the sturdy frame of this burly man.