No way, Allen thought to himself, completely caught off guard. They're all here?
"Got room for a few more?," Stephen asked, a grin forming on his face.
"What are you all doing here?," Allen asked them, confused. "I thought-"
But before Allen could finish, or Mr. Garet or Ms. Florence could say anything, Sarah was practically already on Allen, grabbing him by the arm.
"Oh Allen, how I have missed you!," she exclaimed, holding him so tight as Allen tried to pry her off of him. "It's been too long!"
"What?! I just saw you the other day, and we've seen each other almost daily for weeks now!," Allen exclaimed as he tried to fight her, to no avail. She had a really tight grip when she wanted to.
Allen looked over at the rest of them with his eyes wide open, practically begging for help. However, Stephen and August were doing everything they could to hold their laughter. So much for helping him.
Thomas seemed a bit jealous that Allen was once again getting the 'special treatment', but he immediately calmed down when Cecily gave him the usual glare.
"Alright, alright! Quiet down, all of you!," Mr. Garet raised his voice, annoyed with the sudden noise in his office.
Not much reaction came from everyone, except for Sarah, who was still grabbing onto Allen, had turned to look at him and stuck her tongue out at him, simply to spite him. Mr. Garet did not take too kindly to that, giving her a deadly glare.
With the rest of them continuing to chat it up, Ms. Florence finally had enough and raised her voice. "Alright all of you! Either sit down or stand, I don't care, as long as you do it quietly!," she commanded, her voice very stern and direct.
"Yes ma'am," all of them said at once, instantly complying with her words. They all either had a good idea or general idea of what Ms. Florence was like, and they did not want to see her angry.
Once all of them had settled down, and had either taken a seat or stood off to the side, Stephen was the first to speak.
"Wow Ms. Florence, I'm quite honestly surprised that you of all people would be working with Allen and the rest," he commented, with an exaggerated shrug.
"And what is that supposed to mean?," Ms. Florence asked, her brow furrowing.
"Well, considering your natural lazy nature, I would've thought-"
But before Stephen could finish his sentence, Ms. Florence had already thrown a book at him, a rather nasty hit to the face. Stephen had almost crumbled over with the amount of force that was put into it.
"Worth it," Stephen grinned through the pain, as he tried to regain his balance.
"You idiot," Cecily spoke up, putting a hand on her forehead in disappointment.
The rest of them just awkwardly smiled, unsure whether to laugh or avoid saying anything further. Unlike Stephen, the rest of them did not want a book in their face. Especially Thomas, who frequently gets that same treatment from Cecily when he says something dumb.
"Now that all of you have finally settled down, let's get down to business," Mr. Garet spoke, as Ms. Florence and the rest of them listened. "Now, all of you are former members of Allen's little training club, correct? August and Sarah, I don't need an answer from you two"
"Yes sir," Thomas nodded.
"Indeed," Cecily answered.
"Correct," Stephen gave a small thumbs up.
"Alright, as long as all of you remain quiet and respectful, I will allow you to stay in my office, for the time being," he looked at each and every one of them. "Am I clear?"
"Yes sir!," they all answered at once.
"Hmph, good enough I suppose," Mr. Garet closed his eyes as he leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms.
"Well as you would put it Walter, more allies, the better," Ms. Florence reminded him.
"Yes, yes, I know Danet," Mr. Garet responded with his fingers to his forehead, presumably trying to fight off a headache. "With the amount of resources Ellen has, we'll need as much people as we can get, while also remaining relatively small in size"
"You are all trying to fight off Ellen's ways, while trying to return my father to his position, right?," Stephen asked, curious. "I only know as much as I can guess, as well as what you all did during the official tournament announcement"
"That would be correct, Stephen," Ms. Florence answered him. "Walter and I may not fully… agree… with your father's methods, but he is certainly a better pick then Ellen Marion, of all people"
"That makes sense, just unfortunate I've been kept out of the loop," Stephen shrugged. "I would've liked to help"
"As much as we would've appreciated the efforts, keeping you in the loop before the announcement would have been dangerous," Mr. Garet advised him. "With William being your father, Ellen would've caught onto us faster if you had been involved"
"I suppose that's a fair point," Stephen said, with an understanding smile on his face. "I may not be as close as I could be to my father, but regardless being the son of the former head director wouldn't help you keep your temporary secrecy"
"Quite the intuition, Stephen," Ms. Florence let out a small chuckle. "If only you used your brain most, if not all the time, you'd be quite the mage"
"I may not use my brain all the time," Stephen started to say, with a finger up to emphasize his point. "But at least my intelligence isn't going to my upper body inste-"
But once again, before he could finish his sentence, another book was thrown at his face, with high accuracy.
"I deserved that," Stephen had a grin on his face, before falling over again.
Allen, August, and Cecily let out a disappointed sigh, while Thomas tried to avert eye contact from both Cecily and Ms. Florence, like he would be next if he was not careful.
"I would permanently shut both your father and your mouth if I could," Ms. Florence glared at him, holding up another book to emphasize she'd do it again if necessary.
"And I don't doubt that," Stephen agreed with her, his hands in the air as he got up.
"If we may get back on topic," Mr. Garet interrupted, with a grunt.
"Of course," Ms. Florence agreed, with a slight nod.
"Yes sir, won't happen again," Stephen promised, as he took his place once more.
Highly doubtful of that one, Allen thought to himself, holding in his laughter.
"So if I may ask something," Thomas spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Yes Thomas?," Ms. Florence directed her attention at him.
"From what I know, you have all been training Allen to prepare him for the tournament, right?," Thomas asked, wanting clarification. "Why train and work with him?"
"Alright, I'll explain this one Danet," Mr. Garet jumped in. Ms. Danet gave him a slight nod.
"As all if not most of you are aware, with Ellen Marion now head director, and with the removal of Martha Clark as one of our vice directors, she has been able to impose rules and regulations that harm the lower ranked student body. Everyone still with me?"
All of them nodded, waiting for Mr. Garet to continue.
"As the only vice director, I am the only one who could stand up to Ellen and her nefarious ways. However, with the Triumvirate backing up her every action, even I am limited to what I can accomplish"
"Therefore, after speaking with Ms. Florence, one of the few teachers I could trust, we came to a straightforward solution - we'll need support from several of the students affected by her ways, in addition to a few other teachers we can trust"
"I'm assuming this is also where Allen comes into the equation?," Stephen asked, jumping in.
"Indeed," Mr. Garet nodded. "Out of all of the students, not only was Allen Fleming affected the most by Ellen, but also one with the most potential to assist us in standing up to her"
"Once Allen agreed that it would be in both of our interests to cooperate, we have been using these past weeks, before the tournament started, to train him up for the tournament no doubt Ellen is rigging into her favor"
"To help him pass his conditions, correct?," Stephen asked. "If I recall correctly, he needs to win four consecutive duels, as well as make it up to C rank? Placed on him by my father, funnily enough"
"On point," Ms. Florence jumped in. "Ellen Marion is no doubt aware of Allen's conditions, so there's no doubt in our minds that she will do what she can, whether small or large in action, to have Allen lose before he wins four duels in a row"
"Luckily I've already won my first duel, very easily at that," Allen added. "But, there's no telling how my next three duels will go"
"Very true," Stephen nodded. "But what's the point of choosing Allen? I'm glad you are looking out for my friend, but how does supporting him support you in your endeavors?"
"An expected question, but nonetheless a good one," Mr. Garet chimed in, clearing his throat. "Due to Allen's unique nature, a mage wielding a weapon capable of putting him in advantage against other mages, regardless of the element, he already stands out, weak in spellcasting or not"
"Our hope is that if Allen Fleming can make a stand in the tournament, with him already making a notable appearance in his first duel, perhaps those above would notice him. Allen's words would become more firm, and it would be easier to see the error of Ellen's ways. We would have a better chance of removing Ellen Marion from the head director position, collectively returning William Windblade as Head Director, and Martha Clark as the other Vice Director"
Thomas, Cecily, and Stephen took a moment to process the information just conveyed to them. Thomas and Cecily seemed to agree, thinking it's a rather solid plan, even with its potential flaws. Stephen, however, seemed a bit conflicted.
"A good plan and all, but it seems rather flawed," Stephen brought up. "While I trust in Allen's capabilities, there's still no guarantee that he will pass his conditions. Even if he does, again no guarantee that they'll remove Ellen simply over the fact that he stood out in the tournament"
Thomas and Cecily nodded, also agreeing with Stephen's statement. August had his eyes on him, as if pondering the fact.
Mr. Garet sighed before answering. "We are aware of the many complications our plan has, and I acknowledge your way of thinking. We knew from the start this whole thing would be a gamble. But in my opinion, a gamble we put effort into is far better than sitting around doing nothing about it. As long as I can strike out against Ellen and her ways, then it's all fine to an old man such as myself"
Stephen had a hand to his chin, lost in thought before finally speaking. "I suppose that's fair enough. I can see you have limited options regardless. But, I do have a suggestion…"
"Let's hear it," Ms. Florence spoke up, crossing her arms as she and the rest of them awaited his suggestion.
"I most likely speak for the rest of us here, which includes Thomas, Cecily and me, who have been kept out of the loop this entire time. I would believe that it would be in everyone's interest if you allowed us three to join your cause"
As Mr. Garet and Ms. Florence contemplated the matter, both Thomas and Cecily nodded in approval. Allen, who would prefer this outcome regardless, looked over at August, who just shrugged with a smile on his face. Sarah looked around at the rest of her friends, as though she might feel they could get in the way of her time with Allen.
"Well… I suppose it would be more beneficial to have you three then not at all…," Mr. Garet spoke, as he stroked his facial hair in thought.
"Hmph, as much as these kids can annoy me at times, especially one of you…," Ms. Florence turned her attention to Thomas for a moment, who just awkwardly smiled. "...Walter, I think we should really consider Stephen's suggestion. As I told you earlier, the more allies, the better for all of us collectively"
"Hmph…," Mr. Garet looked like he was exhausted from thinking about the matter. "Fine, fine, as long as you all promise to behave yourselves, I'll allow you all in"
As the rest of them cheered, Stephen seemed like he had something to say.
"I just have one condition," he put a finger up.
"And? Spit it out," Mr. Garet leaned forward in his chair.
"As long as we can all work together and train together when time allows," he said, with a large grin on his face.
"I would presume that would come with the territory, Stephen," August piped in, a smirk on his face.
"I'm aware smartass," Stephen glared at him, as August tried to hold back his laughter.
"Language," Ms. Florence glared at him.
"Yes ma'am"
"Ugh, yes. You all can train, like you did in your training club days," Mr. Garet sighed. "Long as you let us focus on Allen's room for improvement, we will allow you to work with us, in addition to receiving help from us time to time, when time allows"
"And the training club is back in season!," Stephen announced, with everyone cheering with him.
"Quiet down!," Mr. Garet commanded, with all of them complying. "Yes, but not officially or on paper. But if that's what you want to call yourselves again, fine with me"
But as everyone continued to celebrate, there was something that Allen recalled that didn't sit right with him.
"Everyone," Allen raised his voice, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Yes Fleming?," Ms. Florence asked, as they all awaited him to speak.
"What about Rose Marion, our Student Council President? Not only is she a dear friend to us, but also a former member of the Training Club. She's practically being controlled and used by her own mother!"
The room began to fill with tension, as everyone was reminded of the other person they've all been worried about. The former training club members remained silent, as they didn't know what to say.
"I do agree that is a problem," Ms. Florence jumped in. "Your friend or not, she is the Student Council President, and would prove to be a good asset to us if she agreed to cooperate"
The rest of the former training club members nodded in approval. The training club, whether official or not, would not be the same without their confident, talented, and occasionally hot-tempered Rose Marion.
"So we need to-"
"However," Ms. Florence immediately interrupted Allen. "Our main focus is you, not Rose Marion. With her practically under Ellen's spell, it would prove to be a tedious task to get her to our side. Once we ensure you can pass your conditions and have a safer ride to the top, we can then start diverting some of our attention to getting Rose back"
"Thank you," Allen smiled, grateful for any help they can give.
"But do not be mistaken," Mr. Garet chimed in. "We do intend to get Rose to our side, one way or another. You come first, as highlighted by Danet. Once we've ensured the firm groundwork for you, we can work to get Rose over to our side. Once that happens, our success will be much more likely"
Everyone nodded in approval. They needed to all win their duels, especially Allen, if they had even the slightest chance to win against Ellen Marion with their "small resistance". With Stephen, Thomas, and Cecily now joining their cause, they will now have even more flexibility. They will get Rose back. No, they have to get Rose back, one way or another.
After answering a few more questions the rest of them had, Mr. Garet wrapped up things in his office and practically threw them all out of his room, leaving Ms. Florence and himself to continue their investigations.
For the rest of the time the former training club members, now all associated with Mr. Garet's "small resistance", they all discussed recent events concerning their classes and the tournament.
Allen advised them he made sure to stick around for Thomas, Cecily, and Stephen's duels. He was glad to see that all of their duels ended in their victories, effectively moving them to the second round.
August and Sarah (with Sarah being limited to changing back to Alice, for reasons concerning Ellen), may not be participating in the tournament themselves, but made sure to stick around as well. August agrees everyone is getting a lot better, while Sarah admits she mostly pays attention to Allen's duel, to no one's surprise.
In addition, they all made sure to have Allen promise that he won't leave them like that again, as he is a good friend to them all.
As they continued to chat it up, though having to leave back to their dorm rooms soon, Allen contemplated one last thought.
I'm very glad to have good friends that I can count on such as these, he thought. I would've never guessed that I would be having this much fun, despite recent events. I'll do everything I can to win my next duels, and we will for sure get Rose back!