Hitting cruise to catch up an afterburnering pilot

[Akumabito]

But you WERE thrusting away to even escape his friends, right?

I mean ... you can't have it both ways. You either stay in the fight or you don't.

But I was still in the fight, still within gun range of one of his group, and had not hit cruise.

This isn't a catch 22, it's a simple scenario that should be answered under the rules.