The Heart of the Underdog

The next day, Remond went to school, his mind preoccupied with his uncle's last words.

"What am I supposed to do now? Can I really protect the serum?" he thought, clutching his bag tightly. The serum was safely tucked away inside, but the weight of responsibility felt heavier than the bag itself.

Lost in his thoughts, Remond wasn't paying attention to where he was going and accidentally bumped into someone—a broad, intimidating figure. He looked up and froze. It was one of the bullies who had harassed him the day before.

"Uh! Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Remond stammered, startled as he instinctively stepped back.

The leader of the bullies, a tall, burly boy with a smug grin, looked down at him. "Oh, look who's here! Our little friend came over to say good morning to us. Right, Remond?" His tone was mocking, dripping with menace.

Remond's heart raced. Stay calm. Don't escalate. "Um... yeah, sure," he muttered awkwardly, forcing a weak smile as he hastily greeted them.

Before the bully could retort, the class bell rang, cutting the interaction short. The bully shot him a glare. "You got lucky, punk," he said before heading off with his gang.

Relieved, Remond let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Man, that was close. I need to be more careful—I can't afford to attract any more trouble today. Sid will know what to do. With that thought, he hurried to his classroom.

---

When Remond entered the room, he immediately spotted his best friend, Sid, sitting in his usual seat near the window. Sid's rugged features were set in a serious expression, his usually approachable demeanor replaced with something colder.

"Hey, bro, I have something serious to discuss with you," Remond said as he approached Sid's desk.

Sid didn't even look up. "Not now, you idiot," he snapped, his voice low but laced with frustration.

Taken aback, Remond frowned. "Hey, what's wrong? Why the sour face all of a sudden?"

Sid turned to him, his eyes narrowing. "That's because you're so reckless, you moron! I spent the whole night at the police station in case they found you, and it was all for nothing. And now, instead of apologizing, you come here with some other problem?" His voice rose slightly, and heads in the classroom began to turn.

"Bro, calm down—you're making a scene," Remond whispered, his face turning red as he glanced at the curious onlookers.

Sid's expression softened slightly as he noticed the seriousness in Remond's eyes. With a heavy sigh, he relented. "Fine. We'll settle this later."

---

After class, the two of them walked to their usual hangout spot: a bench beneath a tall pine tree in the southwest corner of the school complex. The spot was secluded, quiet, and familiar—a place where they could speak freely.

Before Remond could say anything, Sid crossed his arms and glared at him. "First, say you're sorry for making me worry all night."

Remond groaned. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, jeez! You're such a pain."

Sid smirked slightly but didn't reply. His silence prompted Remond to continue. "Now that that's out of the way, I have a major problem to talk about. But first, tell me—what did the police say about the fire at Dr. Edwards' place?"

Sid's face grew somber. "I know this is hard for you, but they said it was caused by a short circuit. They're calling it an accident. Don't tell me you think it's something else."

Remond hesitated, then nodded. "I do. And if you want to know why, let me show you."

Sid raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening. Go ahead."

Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Remond pulled the serum bottle out of his bag. The liquid inside glimmered faintly, catching the light. Sid's jaw tightened as he listened to Remond recount everything he had experienced—the explosion, his uncle's final words, and the strange glow that had surrounded that serum bottle the previous night.

When Remond finished, Sid exhaled sharply and leaned back against the bench. "This feels... off. Dr. Edwards was definitely hiding something. Whatever this serum is, it has to be important. But what does it do? We can't trust the police with this—not when we don't even know who might be involved. Our best option is to keep it safe ourselves."

Remond nodded, feeling a small sense of relief that Sid believed him. But before they could discuss further, Sid suddenly went rigid, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed onto the bench.

"Sid!" Remond shouted, grabbing his friend's shoulders and shaking him, panic creeping into his voice.

From behind the bench, a soft yet authoritative voice cut through the air. "Hand over the serum, kid. It's not something to play with."

Remond spun around and froze. A woman stood there, her stance calm but commanding. She wore a sleek black jumpsuit and an face mask, and her ponytail swayed slightly as the wind picked up. Her glasses reflected the sunlight, obscuring her eyes but not the intensity of her presence.

"Who... who are you? What did you do to him?" Remond demanded, stepping back instinctively, clutching the serum tightly.

The woman tilted her head. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. I don't want to hurt you—yet. Just give me the serum."

Adrenaline surged through Remond as he clenched the serum bottle in his hand. "Like hell I will!" he shouted. Sid was unconscious, and the woman's calm demeanor only made her more intimidating. But Remond's fear was quickly replaced by something else—a determination to protect the serum, no matter what.

The woman sighed, her voice tinged with irritation. "Then you leave me no choice."