Bowling Alley

"Have you been following me?" Bella questioned with a straight face.

Max couldn't really tell if Bella was angry, but he knew that she wasn't happy to see him, or for the fact that he had been stalking her. Just as he was about to say something, his inspection activated.

< Name: Bella Logan >

< Mood: Happy >

'So I can also inspect someone's feelings?' Max said to himself as he gulped. Even though the inspection showed that Bella was happy, her expression said otherwise.

"I didn't mean to stalk you or follow you around," Max mumbled. "I just wanted to thank you for yesterday."

"You already did," Bella responded with a more serious expression that kept Max speechless.

Seconds later, Bella chuckled, "I'm just kidding. You should have seen your face." She continued her laughter.

Max sighed deeply, "Pssshhh...! Please don't do that again! You had me hanging there for a second."

Bella's lips curled into a faint smile. "I was just kidding earlier, but now I'm serious. You really have to stop following people around, especially in a place like this. It's not safe."

Max nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I just felt like I didn't get to properly thank you for helping me."

Bella sighed, "Well, consider it done now. Just remember to be cautious in the future. This isn't like any ordinary school."

"Copied!" Max replied. "So, are you a friend of Jacob's?"

Bella raised an eyebrow, "Jacob? You know him?" She asked.

"Technically, we attend the same school, but we didn't exactly get along." Max said.

Bella nodded in understanding and reassured Max not to worry about Jacob, that they simply happened to share similar powers, and that was the topic of their conversation.

"Do you mind if I ask about your ability?" Max inquired. However, noticing Bella's poker face, he quickly added, "Okay, I get it. You don't have to tell me."

'If only I had more experience points,' Max thought.

Bella, sensing the need to shift the mood, suggested, "How about we study together in a group hologram? That's why I was here anyway."

During a group study, a hologram appears in the form of a ring around the students, ensuring that whatever they say within those rings remains private and unheard by others. That one why the library was super quiet and whispers could be heard loudly.

****

Caleb woke up shortly after Max left their room. He noticed a cup of coffee that Max had likely ordered for him, but he didn't feel like having it.

James, however, couldn't resist the tempting steam coming from the coffee. He asked, "Aren't you having the coffee?"

Caleb replied, "I prefer tea," and went to freshen up. When he returned, he found James had already finished the coffee.

"Hey, Caleb," James began with a confident tone, "we should explore outside the school together. With me by your side, those jerks won't dare approach."

Although Caleb had intended to stay indoors for the day, James's suggestion made him reconsider. After all, exploring was what he had originally wanted to do.

Beyond the school gates, they found themselves in a sprawling military city, surrounded by soldiers attired in dark green suits, while their stripes emitting a faint green glow.

Outside, the dark green suit was the standard for soldiers, while civilians who were probably families of the soldiers put on casual clothes.

Soldiers who work in the military school wear white suits, while those outside wear dark green suits to differentiate themselves. James and Caleb also noticed the second-year students in their navy blue suits.

In that very moment, Caleb's thoughts raced back to Dax's haunting threat from the previous day: "When you encounter someone in a navy blue suit, surrender your points and walk the other way." However, Caleb had little cause for concern, as he didn't possess any points to surrender, and, furthermore, James stood steadfastly by his side.

The city felt like a digital wonderland filled with animated characters. It featured game stores, canteens, parks, bowling alley, and even supermarkets. But to access these amenities students needed points, and most had used theirs up.

Students like James and Caleb, who didn't have any points left were simply wandering around, observing others enjoy these wonderful things as they watched.

"There are so many places to go. Where do you think we should start?" said James.

"I don't know, you decide."

"Hm... how about bowling? I don't think we'll need any points for that," James asked.

"Sounds great. Let's go for it!" Caleb agreed. In his mind, he wondered, "Why did James think that bowling would be free? Sure, they could enter the alley, but they'd likely need points for the game."

****

Just as Blake had instructed Gary, he approached Dax and delivered the message to him.

"I told you, Blake said not to harm anyone," Ronin warned Dax, but only to receive a threatening slap.

"How does he expect us to get points without instilling fear in them? And what better way to make them fear us if we don't put them in their place?" Dax groaned angrily. "Damn it! I can't believe I'm being punished because of a first-year asshole." His anger grew.

Gary didn't have a choice but to report exactly what had happened yesterday to Blake, and Dax understood why he had to do that.

"Let's get going then," Dax said to Sayer and Ronin.

"We've been to the bowling alley three times this week. Why is it always there?" Sayer complained.

"Quit the complaining." Invincible Gary said as they made their way into the military city through their own part of the school building.

Their destination was the Bowling Alley, the same place James and Caleb had chosen to visit. By now, James and Caleb were already there, watching people enjoy the game.

James' expression was unreadable when he discovered that game points were also required to play the game.

Caleb considered saying "I told you so" to James, but he realized that he didn't actually tell him openly in the first place.

"Why does everything in this school and city have to cost points?" James grumbled.

"What did you expect? Your housing, training, and meals are free, so it's fair that they want something in return. I think if we had worked for these points, some people wouldn't have wasted them so quickly."

James raised an eyebrow at Caleb, realizing Caleb was talking about him. So, he decided to make a point as well.

"I believe if we had worked for the points, some people wouldn't have lost them to bullies," James remarked, keeping an eye on Caleb's reaction, But what happened next caught him off guard.

Caleb immediately dash towards a table nearby and hid himself. James wasn't sure of what was going on, he found it hard to believe that what he said was what made Caleb rush to hid.

He looked around and found nothing out of the ordinary, so he approached Caleb and asked him what the matter was.

"They're here, the second-year students are here." Caleb stuttered.

At first James wasn't sure why that was a problem, because on their way here, they had walked pass countless second-year students and Caleb didn't act like this. There were even second-year students in the alley so why the strange behavior now.

While James was contemplating, he realized that Caleb was referring to the ones that attacked him yesterday and collected all his points.

"Where are they?" James asked, leaning down to Caleb, who had almost hidden himself under the table in fear.

Caleb was even afraid to point at their direction as he didn't want them to sight him. The worst part was that, one of them was invincible and could spot him if he's not well hidden.

Since Caleb wasn't forthcoming with information, James scanned the surroundings himself. Gazing straight ahead, James found three students on navy blue suits and he knew it was them.

James smiled and stood on his feet, ready to kick some asses and probably retrieve Caleb's points. To him, this might be their ticket to being able to afford the game.

He wasn't thinking about the fact that the second-year students might be stronger that him.