[@Eisenhorn]
Yes, and that is what I'd like to clear up. The numbers I gave you are hard synchro rates; they are the rates you'll start combat with. In combat your synchro will be soft, and prone to fluctuations depending on what happens to the Frame and inside the pilot's head. Once combat is over the hard synchro will change depending on how the soft synchro behaved. For someone to achieve negative hard synchro means the pilot has gone at least slightly mentally disturbed or the Frame smashed into a cube/ripped apart. For the purposes of the mock battle, however, there won't be soft synchro fluctuations due to it being a "safe" fight, but hard synchro will be affected by the actions taken in it.

I'll add this to the synchro info in the OP.