Rosebelle, gasping for breath and still visibly shaken, muttered to herself, “Alex... you jerk.” She hit the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  However, amidst the turmoil in her mind, a realization dawned on Rosebelle. She had emerged victorious. The crowd’s cheers for her filled the arena.

  Gathering what was left of her posure, Rosebelle tried tain her sense of self. She muttered with a hint of defiance, “Alex will e crawling bae... with an apology once he knows Roselle’s been killed… yeah…”

  Angie, Sarah, and Michigo looked over towards Roselle’s body. Angie ented, “This is bad. She’s... she’s not moving at all.”

  Sarah added, “She’s lost a lot of blood.. You… you don’t think….”

  Michigo stared at Roselle’s battered body. “This ’t be happening,” she said while trembling. “There’s no way Roselle be...”

  The trio suddenly noticed that Sadie was o be found. She had disappeared without a word, leaving them puzzled.

  “Where is Sadie?” Sarah asked in a panic. “Don’t tell me she abandoned us now, of all times.”

  Angie, sing the arena suddenly poiowards a spot oher side of the battlefield. “Over there!” she shouted. “Sadie beat us to it!”

  Sadie, who had silently disappeared in the chaos, was now kneeling beside Roselle. Her face was calm yet sad. She reached out aly touched Roselle’s shoulder.

  In an astonishing turn of events, Roselle began to stir. Her friends watched in awe and disbelief as Roselle rose to her feet albeit slowly. Roselle got her posture steady and took her fighting stance

  Sadie stepped bad said, “She’s still able to fight. This isn’t over yet.”

  Rosebelle turo Roselle and ughed. “Look at you,” she sneered. “You look like yonna fall over any minute now. One blow should totes be enough to finish you off.”

  Rosebelle dashed forward with lethal i. The crowd’s cheers grew louder, anticipating the final blow.

  Just when Rosebelle closed in, Sadie moved closer to Roselle and whispered something in her ear. It was words that no one else could hear. The whisper was like a spark, igniting something within Roselle.

  Roselle’s eyes sharpened. With pure strain, she dashed forward, meeting Rosebelle’s charge head-on. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest but she pushed through the pain.

  She focused her fht, not on dodging Rosebelle’s strike, but oifying the perfeent to attack. She saw the best opening, a split-sed gap in Rosebelle’s defense, and aimed for it with precision.

  Roselle gathered all her remaining strength and threunch she called “Photo Strike.” The punch was imbued with all her resolve.

  The impact against Rosebelle was immense. As the punch ected, Rosebelle spat out blood, her body unched into the air with incredible force. She crashed through a pilr. The entire room shook from the collision. Dust and debris filled the area. The spectatasped, watg in awe. Some began vocal:

  “I ’t believe what I just saw! Did she e back from the dead?”

  “Who khis was going to turn into a full-blown anime showdown?!”

  “That’s the kind of epieback you only see in the movies!”

  Sarah, inspired by Roselle’s incredible eback, began ting, “Roselle! Roselle! Roselle!”

  She turo Michigo, who had tears of joy in her eyes, and urged, “Join in, Michigo! Let’s show Roselle our support!”

  Michigo nodded and joihe t, “Roselle! Roselle! Roselle!”

  Angie joihe chorus, “Roselle! Roselle! Roselle!”

  The crowd started to join in as well. The t grew louder and more enthusiastic with each passing sed.

  Roselle, standing tall in the ter of the arena, could feel the overwhelming support and encement from her friends and the crowd.

  Rosebelle awakeo find Roselle standing over her. In her anger, she immediately shed out with a flurry of blows, aiming for Roselle’s fad body; however, to her shod frustratiotacks seemed to have no effect. Roselle stood there, taking the blows with a calm look.

  With each strike, Rosebelle’s frustration grew. She swung wildly, but still, Roselle remained unharmed. It was as if Rosebelle’s strength had been drained, and her blows were nothing but feeble attempts against her resolute oppo.

  Roselle finally spoke, “Your way of violends here,”

  Rosebelle asked while trembling. “Why? Why ’t I hurt you anymore? What ged?”

  Roselle looked at her with passion. “Rosebelle, you have nth left in your punches. Your abilities have ive side effects, and you used one you never used before. After you lost trol, all your power disappeared.”

  Rosebelle sank to her knees. She began to cry with free falling tears. “I wao be strong like…for reals...”

  Sadie retrieved a pair of sturdy handcuffs and approached Rosebelle. She handcuffed Rosebelle and spoke with a tone of authority. “These cuffs were made by Juliana Kintovar”

  The name Juliana Kintovar seemed t bells in Rosebelle’s mind, but she couldn’t quite pce it. fused and disoriented, she asked, “Juliana Kintovar? Who’s that?”

  Sadie replied, “I’m surprised you don’t know about your own mother. Juliana Kintovar is the brilliant stist who is trying t down Shadowcroft. It’s funny... You work for the same anization your mother is trying to take down. It’s almost as if you were brainwashed... We have alot of questions for you, Rosebelle. You are... the key to Shadowcrowft.”

  Rosebelle’s eyes widened. “My mother? I didn’t... I had no idea.”

  Sadie remaiern. “It’s clear that you’ve been maniputed and used by Shadowcroft. We o uand your e to them and your mother’s work. It’s time to break you free from their influence.”

  Roselle held one arm and tried to move over to Sadie. Sadie’s gloomy face became more sad when she saw Roselle’s dition. “Roselle, you’re in no shape to be moving around right now. You’re badly hurt.”

  Roselle, despite her injuries said, “I’m fine…”, but wheook a step, her bance wavered and she would have fallen if not for Sarah catg her by the shoulder. She held Roselle up and shook her head with a smile. “You big liar. St to act tough.”

  Roselle let out a weak chuckle.

  Sarah tinued, “We also have to talk about, especially on how you did the most reckless thing. You know you don’t go to the gym but still wao face that behemoth of a woman.”

  Roselle grinned, “Hey, I wht?”

  Sarah lowered her eyes and then raised her voice. “That’s not the point. You could’ve been crushed! We o take better care of you, Roselle. You’re not invincible, no matter how many times you get up.”

  Roselle sighed. Her smile faded slightly. “I know, I know…”

  A few hours ter, the group made way to a hospital room. Michigo and Sarah were inside, sitting by Roselle’s bedside. Roselle, though still injured, appeared to be rec. Her breathing was steady, and her plexion seemed better than before.

  Outside the room, Sadie and Aood in the hallway, keeping a close wat the situation.

  The doctor, a man with a British at ehe room and approached Roselle’s bed. He examined her with a thoughtful look, then turo Michigo and Sarah.

  “It’s quite remarkable, what we’ve observed,” the dan. “It appears that Roselle’s body now tains what we only describe as super cells. These cells have dispyed incredible regeive properties, and they seem to have pyed a signifit role in her recovery.”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Super cells? What’s the differeween those and regur cells?”

  The Doctor responded. “Regur cells have limitations in their regeive abilities. They repair damage to a certaient, but not at the accelerated rate we’ve seen in Roselle. Super cells, oher hand, appear to be capable of a mradual healing and regeion rate. They even repair damaged lungs acc to the test results. It’s a truly unique development, one we’ve never entered before.”

  Michigo exged a gh Sarah before returning attention to the doctor. “But what caused this? How did Roselle acquire these super cells?”

  The doctor paused for a moment and then raised a finger. “That, is a question we don’t have an ao at the moment. We’ll o duct further research to uand this phenomenon. In the meantime, We will keep an eye on Roselle’s recovery. This is a remarkable development, but we o e doesn’t have any unforeseen side effects.”

  After the checkup, Roselle was sent to y in the bed with a bandaged forehead. She looked up at Michigo and Sarah who came to check up on her. Both of them wore worried looks. Roselle gave them a smile. “It’s okay, really. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  Michigo and Sarah exged relieved gnces. Michigo squeezed Roselle’s hand. “You scared us back there, you know. We thought we were going to lose you in that fight…but you somehow pulled it off…”

  Roselle’s smile remained, but her eyes reflected gratitude. “I’m only alive thanks to you guys. Your support is what helped me to keep going past my limits.”

  Sarah stared for a while before deg to speak. “Roselle, there’s something we o talk about, something I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid...”

  Roselle’s brow furrowed in curiosity. “What is it, Sarah? You tell me anything.”

  Sarah g Michigo and discreetly signaled for her to leave the room. Michigo raised an eyebrow and excimed. “Aw, e on, I won’t tell anybody, you know that, Sarah!”

  Sarah replied in a hushed tone, “It’s just... it’s embarrassing, Michigo. I’d rather discuss it privately. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything ter.”

  Michigo nodded uandingly ahe room.

  Sarah hesitated for a moment before she began to speak. She reted the events that had transpired one week before Roselle’s suspension.

  “I met Rosebelle,” Sarah admitted. “At first, I didn’t know what to think. She looked exactly like you, but she was so different, like a twisted version of you. She tried to vince me that she was you, but I didn’t buy it. And when I didn’t, she... she knocked me out.”

  Roselle gasped in surprise. Sarah tinued. “When I woke up, I met Alex…Alex forced me into things I’m not proud of,” Sarah fessed. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “I... I wasn’t pure anymore, Roselle. I was scared to tell you because Rosebelle threateo destroy my life if I ever said anything with just one word. I wao tell you, but I was too afraid. Now I’m just so embarrassed and ashamed of myself.”

  Rosellelistened ily to Sarah’s fession. She reached out aly squeezed Sarah’s hand. “I knew half of the story, Sarah,” she said softly. “I always had a feeling that something like this was the case, but you ’t bme yourself. You had no trol over what happened, and they used your retionship with me as bckmail. Rosebelle was the oo bme for how she acted, but now we know she herself was being used. The real vilin in all of this is Alex.”

  Sarah looked at Roselle with a hopeful gaze. “You really think so?”

  Roselle nodded. “I know so. Rosebelle was a victim, just like you were. Alex maniputed her and tried to use her against us. But now we have the ce to ge things and stop him from hurting anyone else.”

  Sarah wiped her tears away. “You really like to see the best in people, don’t you? I mean, you were just in a fight with Rosebelle, and you already seem tive her.”

  Roselle tilted her head slightly. “Does it really seem that way?”

  Sarah nodded. “Yeah, it does. It’s one of the things I like about you, Roselle. You always try to uand others, evehey’ve hurt you.”

  Roselle smiled faintly. “It’s not always easy, but I try. I guess I just believe that most people are good at heart, even if they make mistakes. Sometimes, those mistakes areirely their own.”

  Sarah leaned over and ed her arms around Roselle. “You really are a big bunny at heart,” Sarah murmured affeately. “I love you.”

  Roselle chuckled softly, thinking back to her colle of bunny figurines and plush toys. “I love you too, Sarah.”