Ezra could feel the shift in the room the moment Amara stepped in behind him. New recruits always caught people's attention, but this felt different. It wasn't every day someone showed up who had built their own Jaeger, and it definitely wasn't every day that Ezra found himself introducing someone who had already fought Kaiju before she even hit Moyulan's entrance gates. The rest of the cadets were going to have opinions about that—Vik especially.
As soon as they entered, Ezra noticed the murmur in the air, and he wasn't surprised when Ryoichi was the first to speak up, practically bouncing off his bunk.
"Pentecost. We're gonna be trained by a Pentecost!" Ryoichi's voice carried a mix of excitement and awe.
Ezra's stomach twisted at the mention of Jake's we go again,he thought, not for the first time wishing people wouldn't make such a big deal about Jake being a Pentecost. Jake already had enough on his plate without that added weight. Ezra opened his mouth to deflect the conversation, but, of course, Vik cut in before he could.
"So?" Vik's voice was sharp, cutting through the excitement like a blade. "Not like he was the one who died helping close the Breach. He's never even been in combat."
Ezra felt a familiar tension coil in his chest. Vik was always like this—ready to take anyone down a peg. He caught the slight narrowing of her eyes as she glanced toward Amara, already sizing her we go,he thought again, feeling a twinge of always has to make things harder.
"Hey," Ezra said, stepping in before things escalated. He kept his tone sharp enough to get her attention, but he didn't want to start a full-on confrontation. Not now. Amara was already standing there quietly, clearly feeling the tension herself, but there was something calm and unshaken about her as she gave a small, "Hi."
Ezra was about to introduce her properly when Vik moved in, her voice laced with disdain.
"Heard you built your own little Jaeger," Vik said, crossing her arms as she stared Amara down. Her words dripped with skepticism, as if she couldn't believe someone who wasn't even from Moyulan had done something that impressive.
Amara straightened, her expression cool and collected. "Yeah. Actually. Scrapper. I operated her too with this solo bay..."
Ezra couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration for how calm Amara stayed. Most people would've been rattled by Vik's attitude, but Amara didn't 's tough,Ezra 'll come in handy.
But Vik, predictably, wasn't about to let it go.
"Yeah?" she shot back, cutting Amara off before she could finish. "You want to put junk together, be a mechanic. Moyulan is for pilots."
Ezra clenched his jaw, the annoyance does she always have to push like this?He wasn't going to let Vik ruin Amara's first impression of the team.
"That's enough, Vik," he said, his voice firmer now. He met her eyes, and for a second, it looked like she might push back, but then she rolled her eyes and turned, stalking off with a .
Ezra let out a quiet breath of relief as Vik walked away. He turned back to Amara, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "Welcome to the team," he said, trying to smooth things over. "We're a bit rough around the edges, but we're a family."
Amara's expression softened, though there was still some caution in her eyes. "Thanks," she replied, her voice steady but a little tentative.
"Yeah," Ezra added, nodding. "I'm Ezra."
He could see Amara taking everything in—the layout of the room, the dynamic of the other cadets, and then, finally, her gaze drifted toward the doors where his mom had just left. He wasn't surprised when she put two and two together.
"Beckett? As in...?" She gestured toward the door, her eyes wide with realization.
Ezra felt a flush of embarrassment creep up his does everyone always notice?He gave a casual shrug, trying to play it off. "Yeah," he said. "She's not usually that stiff."
It was true—his mom was all business in front of the cadets, but she wasn't nearly as intense when it was just him and Raleigh at home. He didn't blame her, though. She had to keep up appearances, and he respected her for it. But still, it made him feel weird when people pointed it out. He wanted to stand on his own, not always be "Beckett's kid."
Before he could dwell on it too much, Jinhai bounced over, a grin plastered across his face like always.
"Hi! I'm Jinhai, Ou-yang Jinhai," he said brightly, looking between Ezra and Amara. "I see you and Vik are already buddies?"
Amara looked a little confused. "Vik?"
Suresh, lounging on his bunk like he always did, chimed in with a lazy grin. "It's short for Viktoria. But you don't want to call her that."
Amara's brow furrowed, clearly still thrown off by Vik's hostility. "Yeah. What's her problem?"
Ezra sighed, glancing at Vik's retreating form. He knew exactly what her problem was. "Took her three shots to pass the entrance test."
Jinhai snickered beside him. "Yeah. Don't think she likes how you landed here," he added, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Amara's expression hardened a little at that. "It's not my fault. Recruiters never come around back home."
Ezra nodded, understanding more than she might realize. "Doesn't matter now," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Now you're in the big leagues."
He could tell Amara was tough—she had that edge about her, the kind that came from surviving something rough. She might not have followed the usual path to Moyulan, but she was here now, and Ezra had a feeling she'd hold her own.
Jinhai, always one to lighten the mood, grinned again. "Hey, know any Russian?"
Amara blinked, thrown by the random question. "No?"
Jinhai laughed. "We'll teach you some. Calms her down," he said, nodding toward where Vik had stormed off.
Ezra chuckled, shaking his never missed a beat."Yeah, maybe that'll help," he said, shooting Amara a smile. "Come on, let's get you squared away."
As they walked toward the bunks, Ezra couldn't help but glance over at Amara again. She was quiet, but he could tell there was something more going on beneath the 's been through a lot,he she's tougher than she respected that. It wasn't easy to get to Moyulan, let alone with a story like hers.
Yeah,he thought to himself as they reached the 'll fit in just fine.
The next day they were in the SIM lab working on drift compatibility. Ezra stood off to the side of the simulator, watching the drift attempt with a sinking feeling. He could see the struggle on Amara's face even from where he stood. The connection just wasn't clicking, and the way her body tensed every time she tried to sync told him all he needed to know—this wasn't going well.
"Come on, Amara," he muttered under his breath, hoping she'd find her rhythm.
The AI's voice crackled through the room, cutting through the tension.
"Hemispheres out of alignment. Warning."
Ezra could see Suresh's frustration growing as he tried to hold the drift.
"We need to reconnect!" Suresh shouted, his voice strained as he fought to keep the link stable.
"I know! I'm trying!" Amara snapped back, her voice edged with panic.
But it was no use. The simulator lights flickered as the AI continued to call out errors.
"MAGLEV deactivated."
Amara's voice cracked as she muttered, "I just can't get this."
"That sucked," Suresh muttered, clearly not thrilled with how things had gone.
"Drift simulation terminated."
Ezra grimaced. He felt for Amara—it wasn't easy trying to drift, especially with all the pressure of being the new kid, and the room full of cadets watching her every move didn't help. She stepped out of the sim pod, looking frustrated and exhausted, her shoulders slumping as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Analia strode over, her boots echoing sharply against the floor as she approached. Ezra could already tell by her expression that she wasn't pleased, though she kept her voice calm as she addressed Amara.
"You know," Analia began, her tone even but firm, "when I heard you gave November Ajax a run for his money, I thought we might have something here. What's holding you back?"
Ezra's heart sank. His mom wasn't exactly the sugarcoating type, and he could tell she was trying to figure out why Amara wasn't syncing in the drift. But he could also see the nervous frustration in Amara's face, and he knew this wasn't going to help.
Amara bit her lip before blurting out, "How am I supposed to drift in this thing? It smells like feet."
Ezra stifled a , no. Not the right move.
Analia raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Feet? Really? Cadet, I was expecting a better excuse."
Ezra winced internally, knowing that his mom was about to push harder. He'd seen this before. She wasn't going to let anyone get away with excuses, especially not a weak one like that.
Before Analia could continue, Jake stepped forward, his voice cutting in. "You're putting her up against Kaiju that almost killed veteran pilots. Doesn't make any sense."
Ezra tensed. He knew Jake meant well, but questioning his mom's methods in front of everyone wasn't the best idea. He could see the flicker of tension in Analia's eyes as she turned to face Jake.
"You got a problem with the way I teach, Jake?" she asked, her voice cool but with a hard edge.
Jake crossed his arms, clearly frustrated. "She's just a kid."
Ezra's eyes flicked back to Amara. She didn't look like she was enjoying this conversation either, but he could tell she wasn't about to step in. She was still catching her breath from the failed drift.
Analia's expression hardened, and Ezra braced himself. "So were all the other pilots who went through this program," she said, her voice calm but pointed. "Including you."
Jake didn't back down. "But not you."
Ezra's breath hitched slightly, feeling the tension between the two of them rise. This wasn't just about Amara anymore—it was about something deeper, something between Jake and his mom that had been simmering for a while.
Analia squared her shoulders, her tone taking on an unmistakable sharpness. "No. I was personally trained for seven years by a seasoned Jaeger pilot before I ever stepped into one or even onto a military base. By the time I stepped into a Jaeger for the first time, the world was falling apart, and I had no other choice."
Ezra shifted his weight, feeling the weight of his mom's words. He knew her story well, knew how much she had sacrificed and how hard she had fought to get to where she was. It wasn't just experience—it was survival.
"Raleigh and I were a perfect drift match because he had been the one to train me, and we were married," Analia continued, her eyes locked on Jake. "I may not have gone through some academy program to get where I am, but I have the training, and I have the experience. Unlike you."
Ezra felt the tension spike in the room. Jake's jaw clenched, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to say something. His expression darkened, his frustration boiling over.
"At least I didn't—" Jake started, his voice rising.
But Analia cut him off sharply, her eyes flashing with authority. "You are dismissed for the day, Pentecost. My quarters, two hours."
The room fell silent. Jake looked like he was about to argue, but then he shook his head and stormed out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him with a hiss.
Ezra exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the tension dissipate slightly. His mom was tough, but this... this felt different. There was something raw in the way she had responded to Jake, and it left the room feeling heavy.
Analia turned back to the rest of the cadets, her voice steady as she addressed them. "Ryoichi, Renata, you're up. Show our new recruit how it's done."
As the next pair of cadets prepared for their simulation, Analia walked over to where Amara stood, her expression softening slightly. She gently placed a hand on Amara's shoulder, her tone much gentler than it had been moments ago. "If you need the extra practice, the system is here for you to use. Don't hesitate to ask Ezra or Jinhai for help."
Ezra felt a small surge of pride at the mention of his name. He wanted to help Amara. He knew how hard it was, being new to this world, trying to prove yourself.
"Thank you, Ranger Beckett," Amara replied, her voice quiet but grateful.
Ezra caught her eye as she stepped away from the simulator. She looked tired, frustrated, but he could see the determination in her eyes. She wasn't giving up—not yet.
As the next drift simulation began, Ezra stayed close, watching the screens as the cadets synced up. He glanced at Amara, thinking about how tough the first few days always were. He wasn't sure what had gone down between Jake and his mom, but right now, his focus was on making sure Amara didn't get discouraged.
She's got what it takes,he just needs time.