"What if I join hands with them?"
The voice came from the midst of the boys, and they couldn't help but make way for the person who had spoken.
"Fred?"
They all said in surprise, including Emmy.
"Fred, what are you doing?"
Blake shouted from behind, clearly angry and confused.
Fred, on the other hand, didn't say anything. He had his head down as he walked towards Emmy. The words he said earlier came out with confidence, but looking at him now, Emmy could see that he was nervous.
'This stupid boy, does he think we can win with him joining us? He's just another problem for Alice to worry about. Now I'm afraid we can't make a run for it.'
Emmy thought dejectedly.
Alice, meanwhile, pointed her sword at Fred, prompting him to halt.
"Who is he?"
Alice asked Emmy, who simply shrugged and gave a straight answer.
"He's just someone I met on the team. He's not that important, don't mind him."
The boys couldn't help but laugh.
"Fred, are you trying to betray us?"
One of the boys said, laughing.
"I'm sure you know the consequences,"
Another added.
"Whatever the consequence is, I can't continue helping you guys. I'd rather use my ability to help good people than you scum,"
Fred said with frustration in his voice.
Then something clicked in Emmy's head as Fred said those words.
'Damn, his ability.'
He hadn't thought about it before. If Fred could use his ability on Alice, Blake and his friends wouldn't stand a chance.
"You should let him touch you,"
Emmy whispered into Alice's ear.
"Do you trust him? What's his ability?"
Alice asked.
"I think you should grab him instead. You'll know."
Alice didn't say anything else. She put her sword down, then grabbed Fred's hand and pulled him behind her. At first, she felt nothing, but after a dozen seconds, a wave of energy surged through her very being. Her energy, strength, speed, and stamina—everything seemed to be multiplied.
She turned around, looked at Fred, then smiled and dismissed her sword.
For a moment, everyone was confused by her action. Then, one of the boys suddenly screamed.
"Arghhh!"
The boy at the front screamed as he was sent flying back.
"Fred, you bastard! Everybody run!"
Blake shouted as he quickly moved back into the elevator and descended.
The others took off running through the hallway.
Emmy looked at them in surprise and couldn't help but laugh.
"Ha ha ha! A bunch of cowards. I can't believe they ran."
Alice gave him a strange look and said,
"You should thank him instead of blabbering around."
She then turned to Fred, bowed slightly, and said,
"Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."
Fred took a step back.
"I-it's okay. I just can't stand those guys bullying anymore. And I wanted to help Emmy,"
Fred said with a nervous smile.
"I guess we're friends now,"
Emmy said with a smile, and Fred nodded, returning the smile.
"Can I ask where your class is?"
Alice asked, curious.
"Oh, my class isn't in this building. I'm a year one student. I shall take my leave now,"
Fred said, turning around to leave.
"Hey, wait. Aren't you afraid they'll come for you?"
Emmy asked with concern.
"Don't worry, they can't kill me,"
Fred replied with a smile and then stepped into the elevator.
"What an interesting fellow. He betrayed his group just to help you,"
Alice commented, staring at the elevator as a blue radiance shone within it.
"You're mistaken. They're not his friends. He's just an asset to their group because of his ability. And he didn't just help me; he couldn't continue getting bullied by them while they pretended to be his friends and used his ability. That's why he's looking for someone strong he could befriend and who could protect him,"
Emmy said, also staring at the elevator as it descended.
Alice turned to look at him, smiled, and said,
"So sad you're a weakling. The boy would be disappointed in you."
"Hey, you don't need to tell me that. He already knew I was a weakling before now,"
Emmy replied, running after her.
"You should really get your brother to scare those guys away. I'm sure they'll still come back for you. Only gods know what you've done to them; that doesn't look like mere bullying,"
Alice said, walking with measured steps down the hallway.
"They're Eric's minors. I angered them yesterday in the team and got on their bad side. I never knew it would get to this. I thought that bastard would keep them in check. But don't worry, I've got plans for them,"
Emmy replied.
"By the way, how did you know I was in trouble?"
Emmy asked, thinking of what would've happened if Alice hadn't appeared in time.
"I was just strolling around when I saw them ganging up on a helpless boy. I wouldn't have intervened if I knew it was you,"
Alice replied.
"Oh wow, so you were actually looking for me because you hadn't seen me in class. How nice of you,"
Emmy said with a smile.
"Idiot, dream on."
---
Some hours later, the bell rang for lunchtime, and Emmy spared no second grabbing a few snacks before heading to the school pitch. To his surprise, he found Fred on the field, running around with beads of sweat rolling down his face. He was already out of breath.
The coach could be seen sitting on the bench under the tent with a bottle of water in his hand, watching Fred run on the field.
Noticing Emmy, the coach turned around.
"Oh, Emmy, you're here."
"Coach."
Emmy greeted him, bowing his head. Then he quickly moved to the changing room, changed into the team's training kit, and joined the coach.
"He was here about an hour ago, claiming he had nothing to do in class. So I took the chance to put him through some training,"
Coach Enzo said, pointing at Fred.
"The boy has some skills and a lot of potential. His overall stats are above that of someone who just awakened, but he lacks confidence. He's a natural midfielder with no confidence,"
The coach continued.