Bullies

1 week passed since then, and he still didn't made a single step to unlock the Inner Strength that his father talked about. But he still trained as hard as before.

He was still at school, his teacher Hank was teaching grammar, but while Billy kept his usual blank look, Alice seemed to be fidgeting, it was hard for her to look at Hank like before.

Run slowly learned to be more normal with Billy at his side, and the day before he said that he would have welcomed Billy and Alice to his house.

After the teacher finished to explain and the lessons ended for today, Billy and Alice followed Run, who was smiling the entire time.

Run: We have almost arrived, hey Alice, everything's alright? I saw you were quite worried about something.

Alice flinched and waved her hands as she smiled.

Alice: D-Don't worry, just some things of the past.

Run shrugged and kept guiding them, however, in the middle of the way, someone stopped them… No, a group stopped them.

It was a bunch of children around 10 or 11 years, and all of them were snickering or grinning at them, especially at Run, who had an unamused face.

Child 1: Hehe, it's the Mr. Know-it-all.

Child 2: Hey, did you made all of our homework? Or do you need another lesson?

Billy expected things like things to happen one day, but he was prepared for this.

Billy: Hey Run, did you do it or no?

Run: No, I don't have time for their things.

Billy smiled and patted Run's shoulder, who turned around towards Billy.

Billy: Leave it to me, you just make sure that Alice is safe, ok?

Run: Huh? What are you talki-

He was pulled back, near Alice, as Billy walked towards the group of children with a smile on his face.

Billy: Hey guys.

Child 3: Who are you? Are you trying to defend him?

Billy: Trying? Nono, I am defending him. And I will break everyone that tries something on me or the others behind.

Alice: Billy, you can't do it! They are too many!

Billy: Too many fucking victims!

The children gasped and one of them yelled.

Child 1: He said a curse word!

From the group of 10, 2 stepped back, before going away. While the other 8 tried to look intimidating, but they were unsuccessful due to Billy's tall body and his piercing cold gaze, and when they saw that their intimidation didn't worked, another kid stepped back.

However, the other 7 children threw themselves at Billy, Run shielded Alice as she yelped in surprise, but she couldn't do anything other than watch.

Billy backed away from them, and more than half of them stumbled down, the other 3 tried to punch and grab Billy, but he pushed their hands away before he attacked on their stomachs and faces, thanks to his strength of around 46 kilograms for each arm, a single attack was sufficient.

2 children kneeled in the ground while taking deep breaths and started to cry, while another was rolling on the ground holding a bloody nose, he was crying too.

Then the other 4 got up and rushed at Billy, he got immediately surrounded and 2 of them grabbed his arms, but even then, Billy didn't had a problem with dragging them in the ground as his arms got around.

Soon, the 4 children were in the ground and 3 of them were crying, while the last one was trying to get up to keep fighting… Fuck no! 

*Pow!*

Billy rushed at that child and kicked his face, making the kid fall unconscious. Billy was cleaning his body from dust, when he heard Alice's voice shouting at his back.

Alice: BEHIND YOU!!

Before Billy could turn around, the 8th kid, that didn't left and just watched, had a brick on his hands and slammed it on Billy's head, Billy stumbled forward as his head started to bleed, he fell in the ground.

Billy: FUCK!

He tried to get up, but the child threw the brick to Billy's head again, and took deep breaths as he tried to regain his energy from lifting that brick, when he saw Billy not moving, he smiled and kicked him in the sides.

Billy slowly pushed himself up from the ground because the kid couldn't hurt him that much with the kicks. So when the kid tried to throw another kick, he grabbed the incoming kick, scaring the child.

Billy pulled the leg, making the child fall in the ground. Billy was gritting his teeth in anger as he climbed over the child, who was frightened. Billy stood on his knees over the child, blocking his movements, and then he grabbed his arm, before a crack was heard.

The child's arm was bent in an irregular manner, and he screamed and cried in pain like a banshee as his arm was hanging around his elbow. After that, Billy got up and rubbed his head in a painful manner.

Billy: Fuck…

Run and Alice rushed at him, worried about him.

Run: Hey! Are you alright?!

Billy: Yeah, give it a week or 2 and it will pass.

Then they heard a cloth ripping off, and both of them turned around when they saw Alice removing one of her sleeved and called Billy with a worried tone.

Alice: Billy, come here.

Billy shrugged and went to Alice, who told him to lower his head as she started to cover the wound with an handkerchief before binding it on his head with her cloth. When she successfully did it, she hugged him as hard as she could, surprising Billy.

Alice: ...Don't get hurt anymore… *Hic*

Billy's eyes widened when he felt something wet on his back, thinking that it was her tears, some moments later, he started smiling and held on Alice's hands that were on his chest.

Billy: I'll try my best…

Run: Heh, Alice has a crush!

Alice's face went completely red, however she still hugged Billy, and using his back to cover her face.

Billy: Whatever, thanks for the help, Alice. Hey Run, let's go to your house, I doubt that these guys will bully you now that one kid is heavily injured.

Run: Still… Wow, you broke his arm!

Billy: Hehe, well, he made me angry.

Soon, they reached Run's house, where a couple of people on their 30s welcomed them, the mother seemed fragile, as if she was sick, but the father seemed a lumberjack, and the house was actually pretty good, so their life was stable enough for a doctor.

However, if the mother was sick, either the illness is more rare or dangerous than he thought, or she just got sick recently. Otherwise, it was just how she was born.

Run's Mother: Oh sweetie! What happened to your head?!

Billy: I just fought against some people…

Run suddenly came in front of Billy and spoke in an apologetic tone.

Run: It was my fault, the people that he fought were my bullies…

Run's Father: Ah, I understand. Fortunately nothing really bad came out…

Run: ...Well, about that…

After Run explained what happened between Billy and the crippled kid, Run's Father came towards Billy and said, while head patting him.

Run's Father: Haha! Great! I would like to meet your father, maybe he can teach my son something!

Billy: Heh, well, the training was pretty hard, so I doubt that Run could do his training.

Run's Father: C'mon, it can't be that bad!

Billy: Sir… Even if I am 10 years old, I am doing 5 cycles of 50 push-ups in a single hand while lifting my entire body, 100 sit-ups with my arms behind the head, and 5 kilometers of running without a single pause. I would rest only for 10 minutes before I repeat that, and at the end, I would go to shower and directly go to sleep without eating or drinking anything.

Run's Father coughed as saliva entered in his throat from the surprise.

Run's Father: Now I understand how you could easily break the kid's arm… Oh, about him. Be careful because his parents might come here for you. When does your father come?

Billy: At the 17:00, like every day.

Run's Father looked at the pendulum and saw that it was the 16:20, it was actually a good coincidence.

Run's Father: Then everything will be alright. Now go upstairs and play with my son, you and Alice are the first friends he ever got until now, and I don't want for him to lose you two.

Billy: Yes!

Then Billy got upstairs, where he found Run and Alice standing in a slightly average room, there was a bookshelf with many books, a normal bed, table, everything was normal.

Run: Hey Billy! I have some poker cards, do you want to play with them?

Billy's eyes widened in pleasure as he grinned.

Billy: Yes, can I hold them for a bit, I played with them some time ago but I think I got rusty.

Run: Sure.

With a smile, he handed Billy a single deck of 56 cards, he looked at them for some seconds before he started to shuffle hem, his speed surprised Run and Alice, who kept watching as how fast he shuffled them.

In some minutes, he passed from normal shuffling to making two smaller decks and mixing the cards. After that, he laid the cards on the table and asked.

Billy: What card do you want?

Run: A 2 of clubs.

Alice: A King of hearts!

Then Billy picked the first card of the deck, revealing an ace of diamonds, Billy frowned a bit before he placed the card on the top of the deck, and picked it up again, revealing a 2 of clubs.

Run/Alice: WOAH!!

Run: How did you do it!?

Alice: It's awesome!

Billy: It isn't ended yet, I still need to find the King of Hearts. Run, hold the card.

Billy gave Run his 2 of clubs and picked the second card, revealing a King of spades, Billy frowned and he passed to the third… fourth… And so on, until he reached the last card, but when he turned it around…

Joker!

Alice/Run: Ah! It's a Joker!

Billy: Strange… Where is the King of hearts…?

Billy picked the card that Run was holding, and looked at it, before smiling, then he gave it to Alice.

Billy: Take it.

Run/Alice: Huh?

Alice looked at the card, and gasped. Run was curious and looked at the card too, but his eyes widened when he saw that it was a King of hearts.

Alice: H-How did you do it?!

Billy: Hehe, a magician doesn't reveal his secrets.

Alice pouted while Run laughed, then Alice playfully punched Billy, who started to chuckle. Suddenly, Run's Father's voice was heard.

Run's Father: Hey Billy, they are here!

Run: Huh? Who is here?

Alice: Hey Billy, is it your dad?

Billy: Nah, I think it's the parents of the kid I crippled, I'll go down to deal with it.

Alice and Run nodded with a worried expression as Billy got out from Run's bedroom and reached the entrance.