CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY

[ FIGHT AGAINST AKUMA ]

I watched Zack struggle to his feet, his eyes filed with determination despite the blood trickling from his mouth. "You sure you're okay?" I asked, guilt weighing heavy in my chest. I knew I had gone too far with the punches but I couldn't stop myself

"Of course I am fine," he grunted, wiping his mouth. "You did what you had to. Akuma won't go easy on you, and neither should we. We know what wee were getting into when we decided to help you out. Don't hold back Fred. Akuma won't go easy on you."

Thomas nodded, his face serious. "Fred, you're stronger than you think. But Akuma... he's on another level. We need to be prepared for anything."

I knew they were right. Training with them had shown me my weaknesses, but it had also revealed my strengths. The system task had been a small victory, but the real battle was yet to come. "Thanks, guys. I won't let you down."

As we wrapped up our training session, a knock at the door interrupted us. I opened it to find Dian