"I feel that someone is under mind control, one of the students over there," Ms. Evonne warns as she senses the presence of mind control.
"I think we should go there now," Ms. Odessa replies, urging them to head to the canteen immediately, and they proceed.
After the fight in the canteen, they cleaned up the mess caused by their altercation. To prevent Xander, Kazan, and Blake from harming anyone else, they placed auto-electrocuting handcuffs on them. Suddenly, Finley stood up in front of them, clapping his hands in admiration for what they had accomplished. However, they noticed that his voice had changed, taking on a charming tone.
"I'm impressed; I never thought your mysterious power could be so strong and unpredictable," Finley says to Connor in a woman's voice.
All the students were surprised to see Finley, and they were curious about what had happened to him.
"What happened to him?" Ivan asks Connor.
"He is under mind control," Sandra suddenly replies.
"But who is controlling him?" Hoka asks her.
The professors arrived suddenly, and Ms. Evonne approached the one who was controlling Finley.
"Vera, why are you controlling him?" Ms. Evonne asked.
"Evonne, it's nice to see you again. You can sense my power already; you have grown stronger, but you still aren't enough to defeat me," Vera replied.
"What do you want from him?" Ms. Evonne asked.
"We just want to invite him to join our organization to help bring peace to our world against those who wish to stop us. Don't waste your time here at the academy; you can discover your powers on your own, young man, and the same goes for all of you," Vera replied, extending an offer to Connor and the other students to become part of her group.
"Why me?" Connor asks her.
"Because you are special. We want you to unlock your full potential with us, to help build a bright future, and, ultimately, you could become part of our family," Vera replies loudly so that all the students can hear.
"Connor, don't listen to her," Ms. Evonne warns him as he contemplates what Vera has said.
"Don't worry, young man, I understand you. You might not think so right now, but if you'd like to talk about it, just take a moment to concentrate and call my name," Vera said while gently touching his face and winking at him as she said goodbye.
After that, Finley fell unconscious, and Connor quickly caught him before he could hit the ground.
"Attention all students: please disregard what she said earlier; she is a villain. I hope you understand her true intentions in inviting all of you to join her." Mr. Stanford warned the students.
"Now, you may return to your respective classrooms, except for those students involved in the earlier fight," Ms. Odessa instructed.
As all the students returned to their respective classrooms, those involved in the fight were instructed to stay behind.
"All of you, please proceed to the principal's office now; we need to talk about this," Ms. Evonne said to the students involved in the altercation.
Once they arrived at the principal's office, they discussed what had happened and the offers the villains had made to the students, particularly to Connor.
"Regarding the fight earlier, I don't see anything wrong except for those who instigated it and harmed their classmates," Mr. Stanford said, glaring at those responsible for starting the fight.
"We just went over our academic rules, but it seems many of you chose not to follow them. For now, we'll consider this a first offense, and I hope you all will not repeat this behavior," Ms. Odessa warned the individuals who initiated the altercation.
"And after all these years, they have returned to invite all the students in this batch, particularly Connor. We must be more vigilant in protecting our students and fellow professors; I hope this group does not fall prey to them this time," Mr. Viktor warned his fellow professors.
"Sorry to ask, but who is Vera?" Yuto inquired of the principal.
"Vera was once a student and a candidate for the chosen champions, but her life took a turn when she lost her mother and was betrayed by someone she loved. This led her to the tempting offer from the 'Outsider Dominion,' a group of villains that seeks to dominate our world," the Principal explained to them about Vera.
"Have you ever fought them before?" Ivan asked again.
"Yes, we have fought them many times before, but not every time. We have always won when we faced them directly. However, they are skilled at exploiting our weaknesses as heroes. Fortunately, we have managed to find ways to save the day, but sadly, not every day turns out that way," the principal explained to the students.
"So they defeat you through fighting, or do they have other methods, like recruiting students to become their allies?" Yuto asked the professors.
"Yes, that was our weakness as professors," the principal replies sadly.
"We hope you will stand by our side and be heroes with us to rectify the times we didn't save the day and to help make our world safe together," Ms. Odessa tells the students.
"Being a hero is not just about saving the innocent and defeating villains; it's also about making a difference without causing harm to others," As Mr. Stanford explains what true heroes do, Connor begins to reflect deeply on his words.
"The question is, why do they insist on having Connor as their ally?" Yuto asks the professors.
"It may be because of the power he possesses, I suppose," Ivan replies, though he is uncertain about his answer.
"That's one possible reason; however, we need to explore other possibilities," Ms. Evonne responds to the students.
"What about you, Connor? What do you think they want from you?" Mr. Stanford asks Connor.
"As she told me, they want me to become part of their family. I'm not sure what she means," Connor replied, his curiosity piqued.
"I think that might be one of the reasons they need you, but we'll figure it out," Mr. Stanford responded.
"For now, you may return to your respective classrooms," Ms. Odessa instructed, and the students complied.
As the students leave the principal's office to return to their respective classrooms, the professors discuss how to protect the students in the academy from the villains.
"We need to find a way to protect them at all costs," Ms. Evonne warns the other professors.
"I am about to increase the strength of the Barrier surrounding our Academy and even within the Battle Area to provide enhanced protection for the students against villains," the principal stated.
"That's great to hear, sir," Ms. Odessa replied with gratitude.
Just then, Mr. Walter arrived at the principal's office and asked to speak with him.
"Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Mr. Walter asked the principal.
"Sure, you can say it here so everyone can hear you, Mr. Walter," the principal replied.
"We will have an important meeting at Centrio Capital with regional heroes and leaders from around the world, and all the professors of the academy must attend," Mr. Walter explained.
"When is the meeting, sir?" Ms. Odessa asked.
"In a few weeks, Miss Odessa, is there a problem?" Mr. Walter asked her.
"Yes, sir. It's about the villain's offer to the students earlier, after the fight in the canteen," she explained, discussing what had happened.
"Yes, Miss, I saw that earlier," he replied.
"One professor must stay here to ensure that all the students are safe in the academy," Ms. Odessa tells the other professors.
"But all professors are expected to attend, Miss," Mr. Walter replies to her.
"We'll figure this out, Sir. Don't worry," Mr. Stanford responds.
"Much better to focus on our students for now; we have a lot to do for them," the principal told them.
"Understood, sir," Miss Odessa replied.
Meanwhile, Connor and his friends returned to their classroom with Sandra. As they entered, Sandra casually took her seat as if nothing had happened earlier. Connor glanced at her, lost in thought, before sitting down beside his friends.
"It's much better to leave her alone for a while. I hope we can have a conversation someday," Connor thought to her.
To be Continued...