L

Iremacht looked behind his shoulder and spotted someone following him. Judging by the wings, it was one of the Mandarian brothers. He activated Enhanced Mode and didn't see any gold stars on the wings, so it must've been Mandara. Iremacht smiled; Mandara was his new challenge and he was glad they could have a showdown before the other two arrived. 

 He started sprinting for the shooting range, determined to get there first.

M

Mandara raised a brow as he saw Iremacht sprint away from him, but then a smug smile graced his lips when he realized what Iremacht was doing. Mandara took to the sky and flew in the direction the kid was running in, easily passing him. He spotted the shooting range and dove for it, landing just outside of it and patiently waited for the slow poke.

L

"What the - " Iremacht skidded to a halt and gaped at Mandara's figure already standing outside the shooting range. "You were just - I saw you - oh, you cheated!" 

Iremacht stomped towards the Mandarian with dramatic steps and said, "I definitely would've beat you if I had wings. But I'll get you back with real skill once I get my hands on a gun." 

 He approached the stall at the front and went for his preference - the sniper. 

M

Mandara smiled smugly at Iremacht, "Well maybe next time you know not race a winged country." 

He then flapped his wings once to drive his point across. He followed Iremacht to the stall and also picked out a sniper rifle. 

"I hope your as good as you say you are, because I can't wait to see the look on your face when I smoke you." he teased in a good-natured but competitive way. It had been a good while since he fired a gun last so he was definitely excited.

L

Iremacht raised his eyebrows when Mandara also chose the same type of gun as him. That made the competition much more interesting, since he'd competed against MA's handgun last time. 

 As usual, Iremacht made his way to the line of fire of the farthest target in the shooting range. It definitely wasn't over 2,000 meters away - he couldn't remember the exact record Mandara had recited, only that it had sounded REALLY far. Iremacht refused to let that deter him. He took aim. His red eyes flashed. 

 Bang went the gun and the first bullet hit the edge of the center. It was better than last time, but not a bullseye. 

M

Mandara hummed, quite impressed with how close to the center Iremacht's first shot was. 

"Not bad, definitely good for a first shot." He complimented, but frowned at the fact that that was the furthest target, it wasn't nearly far enough for him, but he shrugged and aimed for it anyway. He didn't even set the rife down on the counter when he fired, he just shot the target dead in the center, but didn't stop at one shot, instead firing twice more with the two other bullets going through the first hole he created. When he was done showing off, he lowered his gun and waited fore Iremacht's reaction.

L

"H-how did you..." Iremacht was lost for words. His eyes were starting to look like the size of the frying pan he had used to cook breakfast. Mandara had looked so relaxed; he didn't even steady his gun, he just shot like it was second nature. 

 Iremacht finally stuttered, "I'm...going to pretend I didn't see that. You shot two more bullets, so I'm going to shoot two more. For real this time." 

He was saying that more to reassure himself as he took aim again. He focused every cell in his body on this moment, so much so his Enhanced Mode was strained enough to cause a sore in the back of his eyes. 

He fired another shot and it inched a bit closer to the center. He fired the third shot, which still inched closer but wasn't the bullseye; it was like his bullet holes were forming a line towards the center. After that shot, though, Iremacht had to put down his sniper and rub his eyes with a faint wince.

M

Mandara chuckled at Iremacht's reaction, it was very satisfying to say the least. As he watched Iremacht fire the other two shots, he decided to help the kid out a bit, setting his rifle down and leaned to the other's level. 

"The problem is your trying too hard Iremacht" he said as he set the kick stands up on Iremacht's rifle. "You have to relax, don't strain yourself, just focus on hitting the target, and keep both eyes open so your depth perception can work in your favor." He then stepped back to let the kid have another go.

L

Relax. Iremacht repeated Mandara's advice in his head as he took position behind the sniper rifle again. His eyes still hurt but he kept them both open and focused on the target in the distance. The line of his previous bullet holes had gotten closer to the bullseye - he just hoped this next one could score the finishing mark. 

 Iremacht took a few breaths to calm his beating heart. Now that Mandara was coaching him like this, he felt more pressure than before. Pressure to impress, to do good, to get some results. He closed his eyes briefly to rest, opened them, and fired the shot. 

 The bullet ended up on the other side of the bullseye, still within the center circle but skipping over the middle. He let out a frustrated hiss, "Why can't it just - how do you do it?"

M

"Like I said before, you need to relax." Mandara said again leaning down to show him. "You have to completely block out any and all distractions, don't worry about the people watching you or the noises surrounding you, make it so there is only you and your target in the whole world. And when it is a windy day like this, you want to aim just a inch in the opposite direction of where the wind is blowing." 

 Mandara then moved Iremacht's hand and gun an inch to the left, "There, the wind is blowing to the right so it will push the bullet to the right. Now try again, and remember to focus on nothing but the target." he said stepping back again.

L

"O-Okay. Wind factor. Nothing but the target," Iremacht repeated. He prepared to fire another shot. 

Meanwhile, Wehrmacht had finished his breakfast and asked MA if he wanted to head to the shooting range to see how the other two were doing. 

 "Either Iremacht is surprising everyone today by not pulling pranks AND beating Mandara, OR he is most likely getting his ass kicked," Wehrmacht guessed.

M

MA chuckled, "I definitely think the latter, Trigger once held the world record for the longest sniper rifle shot, he shot a bullseye at a target that was 2,286 meters away, but knowing my brother, he is probably giving Iremacht some pointers." MA stood up, "But how about we go find out instead of just talking about it."

L

Wehrmacht agreed and they started towards the shooting range. 

 At the range, Iremacht's Enhanced Mode wasn't pressured towards aiming anymore; it was focused on blocking out everything else in the world so it was just him and the target. His breathing gradually steadied. Soon it was just him, the target, and Mandara standing behind him. It was difficult to block out Mandara and not feel the need to prove himself. 

 But he needed to hit the target first before he could prove himself to anyone. It was just him and the target. Him and the targert. Iremacht opened fire and the bullet went through the hole already made in the bullseye. 

 "Did - Did I do it?" he whispered.

M

Mandara inspected the target from where he was standing and when he didn't see any new holes in it, he nodded and gave a small applause. "Yes Iremacht you did, well done." He patted Iremacht's shoulder with pride. "To bad your father isn't here, I'm sure he would be just as proud as I am. Speaking of which, I wonder where he and Thunder are, they sure are taking their time."

L

"I'd like to enjoy my breakfast and a nice stroll," Wehrmacht answered, emerging into the shooting range. They had just arrived as soon as Mandara had finished speaking, so Wehrmacht was able to overhear the last part. He asked, "And what should I be proud of..." 

 He answered his own question when he looked at the target in the distance. By the beaming look on Iremacht's face, Wehrmacht knew the teen had finally hit the center. 

"Then you're right, Mandara," Wehrmacht said. He clapped Iremacht on the shoulder. "I am very much proud." 

 Iremacht's smile grew even wider and his eyes were so bright they almost turned pink from the the way they shone.

M

"I am as well," MA said when he too saw the target, "But I also want to know how many of those bullet hols are yours Trigger." 

Mandara playfully punched MA's arm, "Let the kid have his moment Thunder, I'll tell you later." He then turned to Wehrmacht, "If Iremacht is this good with the sniper rifle, then I am interested in what you have to offer."

L

Wehrmacht glanced at MA, remembering their previous competition with handguns. That had been a fun round, but Mandara was presumably more skilled than MA. 

 "I'm decent," he said modestly but Iremacht interrupted, "Dad's the best! You should go against Mandara, that would be epic!" 

 Wehrmacht hummed, flicking his wings in amusement, and looked at Mandara to see whether he wanted to have a round.

M

Mandara smiled smugly at Wehrmacht, "Sure, lets see just how far I can kick your ass this time." 

MA also smiled as Mandara was reloading, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself in to Wehrmacht." 

 Once Mandara got the rifle ready, he did the same thing with Iremacht and shot three times into the existing hole in the center, again not steadying his weapon before he did so. The last bullet actually went completely through the target and hit the wall behind it.

L

"Not bad," Wehrmacht said, genuinely impressed. "I'll say the same thing I said to MA, looks like you haven't lost your skill with your age." 

 He took his turn behind the rifle. Wehrmacht, however, had to steady the rifle before he fired and also let loose three bullseye shots. 

 "Huh, guess I haven't lost my touch," he said, a little relieved. "Though how you manage to fire on a whim amazes me, Mandara."

M

"Thank you," Mandara said "being behind a gun just feels natural to me, in fact Thunder has mentions numerous times that I should have been the militant entity instead of him," he then turned to MA, "-which I would have been if he didn't turn down being king from father." 

 MA rolled his eyes, "Well guns weren't even a thing back then, if they were and father saw how good you are with them, he definitely wouldn't have let me turn it down." 

Mandara hummed in agreement and turned back to the targets. He analyzed the layout in his mind and walked a few feet away to shoot another target at an angle, he took aim and fired, not only hitting the center, but the bullet when through the target and hit another that was angled behind it, striking a bullseye on that one too.

L

Wehrmacht shook his head in bewilderment. If Nazi Germany had made Mandara an official enemy, this country would've been a force to reckon with on the battlefield. Iremacht was equally taken aback by Mandara's skill. 

 "You're good," Iremacht said to his father. "But you're not THAT good, that's for sure." 

 "Hey, have a little faith in me," Wehrmacht said, nudging Iremacht. 

 "Are you going to try challenging that stunt?" Iremacht countered. 

 Wehrmacht smiled nervously. "Ah, maybe some other time. Let's not hog all the targets and give the other shooters some space." Despite his words, there were only a few other people at the shooting range.

M

Mandara looked around but didn't see that many people, he turned back to the Germans, "There isn't that many people here Wehrmacht, or are you just scared I'll embarrass you in front of everyone?" 

MA made an exaggerated "ooh" sound at the shots fired, then said "Now you have to keep going Wehrmacht, you can't possibly let him say that." 

Mandara on his end was smiling smugly at his opponent.

L

"You won't let me off, hm?" Wehrmacht sighed. He picked up the rifle, took one look at the positioning of the targets, and made his way to where Mandara had stood. Again, he had to steady himself before firing, but the bullet went through the same holes that Mandara had already blown for him. 

 "And there you have it," Wehrmacht said, smiling when Iremacht let out a cheer to congratulate his father. 

M

MA also applaud and even Mandara hummed in admiration "Well I'll admit I may have underestimated you, very well done." 

With that being said though, Mandara wanted to test Wehrmacht further, but how. A bird flew overhead and that gave Mandara the perfect idea. 

He looked back to Wehrmacht, "So, you may be pretty good on the ground, but how good are you in the air?" 

Without waiting for an answer, Mandara took off into the sky, and when he was at his desired height he fired at the farthest target and once again hit it dead in the center. When Mandara came back down, MA was the one who was cheering.

L

Wehrmacht froze when Mandara went airborne. After the shot was fired and Mandara came back down, the German smiled in admiration but did not lift his rifle. 

 "I'm going to have to pass on this one," he said. 

 "Awww, come on, Dad!" Iremacht whined. "You can totally do it. You were born for this!" 

"Perhaps...years ago...But I've been grounded for too long." He smiled sadly as he went back to the stall and returned his rifle. "I've lost the ability to aerial duel or aim from up there. I would've lost anyway."

M

Mandara face fell at Wehr's explanation, he forgot that the German was grounded by EU, and it made him feel like he took things too far. 

"I'm sorry Wehrmacht, I had no idea you couldn't-" he stopped himself from saying that last part, not wanting to cross any more lines. He also turned in his rifle, not wanting to continue. "I-I didn't mean to cross any lines, I guess I was just being to cocky, I'm sorry."

L

"Nein, you're not at fault," Wehrmacht said. "Your aim is truly legendary. I wish I could be a better sport but circumstances get in the way sometimes. No need to dwell on it." 

 Iremacht touched his father's hand in reassurance. Then he suddenly remembered, "Mandara and MA were supposed to pick up their stuff from Germany's place before coming here. Darn, I was too hasty again for doing this first."

M

MA and Mandara's eyes widened when he said because they had completely forgot about that as well. Mandara hastily took out his pocket watch and breathed out in relief when he saw the time. 

"Don't worry Iremacht, we still got two hours and forty-five minutes till we have to leave." he put away the watch before continuing, "though it still is a good idea to head over there anyway, see what Germany and Bundie are doing." 

MA nodded, "I am slightly curious as to what they got up to when we left."