Skill

The simulator was more than capable of producing truly intelligent opposition—it could even simulate specific Cybertronian opponents almost accurately.

It felt almost sybaritic for a mere personal session, and he flung himself into it with delight, giving the simulator free rein to throw different opponents at him. It first took him through an exhilaratingly difficult dogfight against Starscream, Thundercracker, Skydive, Air Raid, and Vortex, who proved so complex a set of opponents that Cyclonus greatly regretted that the Aerialbots except for Slingshot would all have to go into quarantine: they would have made a devastating offensive combination to hurl at the Quintesson aerial drones.

He managed to outfly them long enough to bring down Air Raid, which left a weakness in the line, and then Thundercracker; but with the two of them down, the computer had Starscream order Vortex into a vulnerable position that Cyclonus recognized as a trap a moment too late. Even as he took Vortex and Air Raid down, Starscream managed to hit him directly in his aft engine control center with a concussion missile, and the simulator ended and informed him he had been brought down.