The school bell rang throughout the campus and beyond as the students of Cecil Hall swept up the fallen leaves that littered the campus grounds.
"Everything feels so calm and peaceful after those midterms." Becky sighed as she swept the leaves into the dustpan Anya was holding.
"It's a nice reprieve after weeks of mental preparation and exhaustion." Eric added as he held the large plastic bag full of leaves and debris.
"Mmhm, and Papa's peaceful since Eric got two Stella Stars." Anya said as she remembered how their father practically glowed with pride upon hearing how his son scored top marks in two subjects.
"You know, I only met your father twice. What's he like exactly?" Becky asked as Anya dumped the leaves into the bag Eric held open.
"Papa's super cool, fast, he flies, and he takes down super evil villains." Anya boasted about Loid with a proud smile.
"Is that right?" Becky smiled at how the girl exaggerates about Dr. Forger.
'Well, she's not wrong.' Eric hummed, "He's also quite strict, a bit of a perfectionist, worry wart, overly cautious, over-protective and can easily misunderstand things."
Loid sneezed as he worked on paperwork at his cover-job at the hospital.
"Who's talking about me?"
"So, all-in-all, he's a really cool dad." Eric shrugged as Becky stared at him with her mouth gaping at the boy's description.
Becky sighed as she leaned on her broom, "I feel you. I guess it can be very rough when your parents' expectations are so high."
Eric hummed, "You don't even know the half of it." 'Especially when those expectations involve world peace. Pretty tall order.'
"Yep." Anya nodded in agreement with her brother's thoughts.
"Desmond style:" All three looked up in time to see Damian take his broom and turn really fast. "Rolling Sweep!" Damian's 'special' move kicked up a bunch of dust and dirt that got in their faces and produced coughing fits.
Damian stood in the middle of the courtyard with the broom perched on his shoulder and a smirk on his face. The cloud of dirt and dust surrounding him.
Of course, his lap dogs praised him as usual. "Way to sweep away the trash Boss Man." Emile said before Ewen added, "You're really cleaning things up around here."
Eric blinked away the dirt from his eyes while Becky coughed, and Anya sneezed. He turned to glare at Damian in mild annoyance then turned to the trees whose leaves are barely hanging on to. Staring at the leaves, he made a motion with his hand, disguising it as brushing the dirt off his shoulder.
Damian stood superior among the girls who praised him when suddenly, 'wind' blew through him before some leaves and dirt hit him in the face, one leaf made it into his laughing mouth. He gagged, dropping the broom as he spat the leaf out.
Eric turned away to hide a smirk as he listened to Damian spit the taste of nature out.
Anya glanced at her brother trying to act innocent for that little prank. Though the leaf trick gave them a little more work, it's totally worth it.
Becky laughed at Damian once her coughs subsided, "Serves him right, even Mother Nature knows he's a jerk."
"She's also got a sense of humor." Anya added as Eric turned to face his friend and sister.
Eric controlled his facial features, "Indeed she does."
"Hey, uh, Eric Forger?"
Eric, Becky, and Anya turned to face a girl who is in their class. She had a bob cut hairstyle and was clutching the broom she was holding while looking down shyly. "Um, congratulations on getting two Stella Stars. You're the first person in our grade to get two at once in such a short time."
"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say." Eric said, giving the girl a small yet friendly smile on his stoic face. "Personally, I was expecting just one."
The girl blushed at his smile, "So, I, uh, I was hoping to ask if you'd help me study for my next Classical Language quiz." She asked, finding her courage to ask the handsome genius to help her and spend some quality time together.
Eric was about to respond when another girl appeared looking disgruntled, "Hold on, I want to have a study session with him too!"
The bob-cut girl turned to glare at the newcomer, "I asked him first, wait your turn!"
Then more girls gathered.
"Hold on, that's not fair, I sit behind him in class, it should be me!"
"I wanna go first!"
Eric stared at them, feeling clueless and helpless as the girls argued with each other.
"Ladies, I'm sure we can arrange something-"
Becky sighed and grabbed his shoulder, "Forget it Eric, it's a lost cause." She said as she and Anya gently ushered him away from the angry groupies.
"This is the third time it's happened, one girl asks for my help, then ten of them suddenly appear. And not all of them are in our class. I feel bad about not giving them a straight answer." Eric said to Becky and Anya in confusion.
"Well, considering you're at the top of Classical Language, they really want to have you as their tutor." Becky stated with a deadpanned look as she glanced behind her at the rabid fangirls who don't realize their Eric is gone.
"Perhaps I can schedule a group study session in the library if they're having trouble with that subject." Eric suggested as he held his chin with a thoughtful look.
"That's not gonna work out too well." Anya said sharing a look with Becky who immediately had an image in her head where Eric is trying to show a massive group of female students the basics in Classical Language, but none are even attempting to listen while they shove each other to sit next to him.
"How so?"
Becky and Anya sighed in disbelief, "Oh, Eric." Yeah, this boy is hopeless.
'I hate him!'
Anya gasped softly when she picked up on the thoughts of a boy who passed them. She looked around left and right to pinpoint those thoughts.
'I will never forgive you Desmond! I'll hate you for as long as I live!'
Anya turned to where Damian and company stood as a young boy with a triangle-shaped head and short black hair held a dustpan as he approached Damian with a dark expression.
"I brought you a dustpan Damian."
"Great, thanks." Damian said when the kid approached him, but barely acknowledged.
"Who is that guy there?" Anya asked as she pointed at the kid near Damian.
"Hm," Becky followed Anya's finger, "that's George Glooman. He's one of our classmates."
"'Glooman.' Huh, where have I heard that name before?" Eric hummed as he tried to remember, it felt familiar.
Anya picked up on Glooman's thoughts.
'I don't understand. How'd he get a Stella?!' George Glooman clenched his teeth as he glared hatefully at Damian. 'How did my plan fail?! I mean I specifically had my butler hire a master spy to change all his test answers, so he'd fail them!' He thought to himself as he remembered giving his butler three months' worth of allowance to hire a spy to do the job.
Anya's face filled with shock, 'One of our classmates is a real spy boss? That must've been the guy our Papa out-spied.'
Anya took her brother's hand and began to draw out a message into his palm.
GLOOMAN DAYBREAK
Eric's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the boy. 'He's the one who hired that sad excuse for a spy?'
Anya wrote 'YES' into his palm.
'Hmph, somehow that actually makes sense.' Eric deadpanned as he watched the boy, 'Still, what did Damian do to this kid to make him want vengeance?' Eric thought about that question for a moment then sighed, 'What am I saying? It's Damian, of course he pisses people off.'
Anya turned to Becky, "Hey, I'm curious about the other guy, what's his deal?"
This question caught Becky by surprise before a coy smile replaced it. "Oh wow, I guess you're just boy crazy in general. Aren't you Anya?"
"Over my rotting carcass." Eric interjected upon hearing those words.
Becky waved off Eric's concerns, "Oh relax Eric, I wouldn't bother with him. He's...Gloomy." She said as she turned to watch Damian and his friends leave Glooman.
"That's not just a nick name, is it?" Eric rhetorically asked as he sensed something about to happen.
'I can't give up already.' Glooman vowed as he reached inside his uniform, 'I'll find a way to get him expelled!'
Anya's face filled with shock, 'HE'S TRYING TO GET SY-ON BOY KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL?' She then frantically drew letters into Eric's palm.
Eric stared at his sister in confusion as he tried to follow what she was trying to communicate through their hands.
GLOOM EXPE DAMON
Eric's eyes widened then turned just in time to see Glooman throw something onto the ground behind Damian.
'This should do the trick!' Glooman grinned as he put his plan into action. "Hold on," He spoke aloud as he crouched behind Damian to pick up the object, "looks like... a cigarette butt."
Damian, Emile and Ewen turned to look at Glooman.
"Wow Damian, I thought you knew better." Glooman stood up, still holding the cigarette butt he 'found'.
"Huh, I never smoked in my entire life." Damian stated as he approached Glooman with the broom still on his shoulder,
"Professor! Can you please come here?" Glooman called to the teacher supervising the cleanup.
"Hey, stop it, would you, it isn't mine!" Damian protested as he touched Glooman's shoulder to stop him.
But then the boy did something unexpected, he punched himself in the face and fell away from Damian.
"What's the matter with you?" Damian asked as he and his lackeys stared at Glooman in confusion.
Eric sighed as he, Anya and Becky witnessed this display. "Now I see."
The professor approached them with a stern and questionable expression. "Explain yourselves."
Glooman put on a pitiful act, "I found a cigarette butt and when I tried to tell you, Damian ran up and sucker punched me!"
Damian exclaimed, "What?"
"Is this true?" The professor questioned the second son of the Desmond family, "If you've done what young master Glooman claims, you're in serious trouble!"
"Lord Damian would never sucker punch somebody sir!" Emile immediately came to his defense.
"That George Glooman is a filthy liar!" Ewen added as he pointed a finger at Glooman who smirked in victory.
The professor didn't buy it. "You two are his little flunkies, so I can't trust your version of this."
"They're telling the truth sir." Eric said as he Becky and Anya walked side-by-side as they approached them.
"That's right." Anya stood in between Damian and Glooman with a firm stance and strong look to her usually innocent face. "Sy-on Boy wouldn't do that. I saw the whole thing." She said as she gave Glooman a direct look, "That boy threw himself down."
Glooman lost his smugness and began to panic.
"We saw it too." Becky added as she linked her arm with Eric's as they stood beside Anya.
Eric nodded, "All three of us can vouch for Desmond." His green eyes caught Glooman's, "As for the cigarette, he pulled it out of his uniform and just dumped it behind Desmond."
Glooman gulped at the glare he received from the blonde boy. He witnessed Eric during the dodgeball game and how demonic he became during art class that day. Commoner or not, Glooman's smart enough not to mess with this kid.
"Also, Desmond is hopelessly incapable of throwing a proper punch without injuring himself." Eric's blunt comment caused Damian to glare at him.
"Excuse me?"
"And there's the fact that I don't smell smoke coming out of his mouth."
"Really? You can tell?" Becky asked curiously.
"Trust me, we thought our dad quit smoking, but he only smokes when we're not around." Eric then had a discomforted look as he inched away from Damian. "I know the difference between bad breath and smoke breath, and Desi's mouth stinks too much to ever touch a cigarette." He raised a hand to wave off the offending smell.
"Hey!" Damian was red in the face with anger at that insult.
The professor heard enough and decided to let this one go. "Stop this horseplay and leave me be. You've got cleaning to do. Honestly." He walked away from the group.
Damian turned to Anya in confusion after he calmed down from Eric's insult. "Why'd you...?" He tried to ask, but could not get the words out. 'Why did you help me?'
Anya kept her back to Damian and smirked to herself, "Hmph, like we'd let you expelled while I'm watching."
Damian blushed at Anya's declaration.
"By the way," Eric turned to face Damian, "you're welcome."
The red-faced Damian glared at the siblings plus friend. "No one asked you to help me, I could have handled that on my own." He sulked as he crossed his arms. He can't believe Eric vouched for him the way he did.
Eric shrugged, "Yes, you could've. But I wanted to get this done quickly and avoid further drama. Plus, panic is not a good look for you."
"I wasn't panicking!" Damian denied, "Besides, this wasn't any of your business."
"He's right, why did you have to get in the way?" Glooman stood up and glared at Eric and his friends.
"Hmph. Simple, if Desi gets expelled, I'll never get the satisfaction of becoming Imperial Scholar before him." Eric stated as though it was the most basic truth in the world.
"That's actually a pretty good reason." Becky nodded with a hint of pride for Eric.
"And cool too." Anya added.
Eric then turned his attention to Glooman, "As for you, hand it over." He held out his hand expectantly.
"Huh?"
Eric loomed in closer to his face with wide frightening eyes that made Glooman lean back in fear.
"The cigarette. Do not make me ask again." Eric 'gently' requested Glooman who trembled before he shakily dropped the cigarette butt into Eric's hand.
Eric's face reverted back to calm as he dropped the piece of garbage into the plastic bag to join the leaves.
"Okay, he's yours now." Eric said to Damian and took a step back since this matter is between Desmond and Glooman.
"Wait, what?" Glooman realized too late as he tried to make a quick escape, only to be grabbed by a very angry Damian.
"Hold on, I got a problem with you too!" Damian began as he fisted his hands in Glooman's uniform and glared angrily into the boy's tear-filled eyes. "Who do you think you are, and why do you want to get me in trouble?"
Glooman began to cry, "Because...it's all over! My whole life is over!"
"Huh?" Damian's anger vanished as he witnessed the boy blubber.
Damian, Eric, Anya, Becky, Ewen, and Emile brought Glooman to a shaded part of the tree where he explained his situation.
"Your family's company went bankrupt?" Damian asked as Glooman laid his hand on the tree and bowed his head.
"That's right. Today officially." Glooman clarified.
"Well, sorry to hear that I guess." Damian said with a look of confusion, "But all of that has nothing to do with me."
"Glooman..." Eric placed his fist into the cradle of his palm, "Hang on, is your family perhaps the owner of Glooman Pharmaceuticals?" Eric asked the boy when he finally remembered where he heard that name.
"Not anymore. It was Desmond's family's company, they pushed us over the edge." Glooman said, growling slightly as he kept his back to the two groups.
Ewen held his chin as he recalled something, "Yes, that's right. I remember hearing something about the Desmond Group and Glooman Pharmeceuticals on the news recently."
Eric hummed as he remembered seeing that particular information on the news as well. "Now I see, that's why you went after Desi, this is all to get back at his family." 'Can't say I didn't see this coming down the line, given who his father is and how many enemies he acquired during his business and political careers.'
A leaf landed on Glooman's shoulder as he clenched his hands tightly. "I thought that if you failed the exams and got expelled from school altogether, then maybe your family would be too freaked out to bother crushing us."
Damian looked offended by that statement. "Crushing you? That is not the way my family does business. Understand? Besides, it's not like I'm the one who's making all those decisions."
"He's right, you better leave him out of this." Becky said in defense of her classmate. Even if the kid's a jerk, it's still low to make a kid pay for the actions of their parents.
"I second that. I'd be sad if he's gone because of you." Anya said, making Damian blush and turn away slightly so she doesn't see his face.
Eric nodded and crossed his arms, "Even if you did get him expelled, it would not change your family's situation. The reason I understand, but it's not worth it."
Glooman turned to Eric and Damian, "I suppose you have a point. But still," He looked down then turned away again, "I'm going to be forced to drop out of this school all because of these adults."
"Wait, you're dropping out?" Damain asked in surprise.
"If I can't stop the company from going bankrupt, my family will lose it. We'll be flat broke afterwards, and that means I won't be able to keep going here." Glooman explained as the wind blew through their clothes.
Eric tool a step forward, "Did your father tell you?"
Glooman stared at the ground sadly, "He didn't have to, I overheard him talking to his subordinate. Father didn't know how to tell me in person, but I could hear the devastation in his voice." He then turned to face Eric and Damian, "To be honest, I actually envy you two, Damian's a popular kid from a prominent family, and Eric's the strong and resilient type who's always looking out for the kids here as the class medic. It's no wonder you got those Stella Stars and how all the girls like you." He added with a look of bitterness.
"That's not true Glooman, Desi and I got those Stars because we worked really hard to earn them. As for girls liking me in particular, that is also untrue. Daughters of rich men do not like sons of psychiatrists." Eric added as though it's the simplest fact in the world.
Damian turned to Becky and Anya and whispered quietly, "Does he seriously not know?" He asked incredulously as he pointed at Eric.
Anya whispered back, "No, he can be a real big dummy at times."
Becky nodded and sighed, 'Oh Eric, if only you knew.'
"Forger's right though, Lord Damian got his Stella because he deserved it, not because of his family." Emile exclaimed, defending their boss.
"That's true, maybe you'd be popular too if you weren't such a gloomy loser! That's the reason why nobody likes you!" Ewen chimed in as he pointed at Glooman.
Those hurtful words struck Glooman to the core. More than that, Damian didn't appreciate his lackeys saying such things. Eric, Becky and Anya shared the same look as Damian.
"Come on." Damian muttered in disbelief at them.
"His flunkies are jerks too." Anya commented beside Becky.
"Wow, talk about rubbing salt in the wounds." Eric commented, unable to believe the audacity of these two.
Unfortunately, Glooman pretty much reached his breaking point and began to cry. "Just shut up all of you! No can understand the kind of stuff I'm going through! My dream was to spend the next ten years of my life at this amazing school. But that won't happen now, so that means my dreams are over!"
The six kids could watch silently as Glooman had his emotional breakdown.
Next thing they knew, Glooman began running around the tree collecting fallen leaves and putting them in his garbage bag, then tossing some of them out. "If I'm dropping out after this, why am I even bothering cleaning up this stupid courtyard!" He blubbered, "But I guess it's kinda poetic in a way, isn't it? Garbage like me deserves to take care of the other garbage!"
"Listen, nobody thinks that about you, okay? So calm down." Damian tried to pacify the sobbing mess that is Glooman.
Glooman fell to one knee, unable to handle the weight of his situation. "Why me? Why does the world hate me?"
"Cheer up, it's not that bad." Damian didn't believe in his own words as they watched Glooman cry. "How about I buy you some juice or something?"
Glooman growled and faced him.
"Um, guess that won't really help. Sorry." Damian said when he realized what he just said.
"It was a nice attempt though." Eric said under his breath as they all watched Glooman with the same discomforted expressions.
Glooman stood up with his back to them. "I would love a drink right now." His voice cracked when he spoke. "It'll help... since today is going to be my last day of school. I should accept it while I still can."
Emile turned to Damian, "So, should I grab something?"
"Uh, yeah, sure."
...
Glooman sipped his apple juice box then released his straw with a pop. "Thank you, I feel a tiny bit better." He said, sounding less sad after that bout of crying.
"That's good." Damian said with a blank face.
The wind blew through the trees as Glooman looked up at the smoke billowing out of one of the chimneys of the cafeteria building.
"Although, I never got to order the deluxe caviar bowl. I always wanted to get that from the cafeteria." Glooman said with a somber expression. "Now, it's just going to be another one of those regrets that eats away at my soul for the rest of my life."
Everyone stared at the boy with furrowed brows and looks of mild irritation.
Glooman sat in the cafeteria eating his last meal at Eden with a look of pure bliss on his face.
Damian stood behind him looking so done with life.
Eric, Anya and Becky sat at the same table trying to enjoy their lunch. Then the kid began to talk about how he wished he got a Stella Star and how couldn't get one because of how worried he was about his family's company.
"I'm starting to regret not minding my own business." Eric frowned as he stabbed his fork into his fruit salad.
In the courtyard, Glooman spun as he was now in the circle of his classmates.
"...and what I like next-"
Emile finally had enough and spoke everyone's thoughts, "Listen up kid, you're pressing your luck!"
Eric nodded as he held his sister's hand, he was on the precipice of unleashing his dark side on this kid for all his guilt tripping demands and just scare the living piss out of him. 'For once, I'm actually grateful to Bucktooth.' Eric thought to himself as he took a deep breath to calm his irritation.
Glooman lowered his head, "Around this time next month my family probably won't have a Dalc to our name. Before you know it, I'm pretty sure I'll get trafficked into Westalis and end up sold on the black market. I'll spend the rest of my being someone's sad little slave." He said as tears peaked at his eyes. "Woe is me."
'Yeah, they won't buy you even for a very cheap cost.' Eric deadpanned at the dramatics of this kid.
"Can I at least enjoy these last few moments of happiness before a lifetime of sorrow?" Glooman's voice cracked, "Or am I so worthless I don't deserve that too?"
A small hand patted him on the shoulder, making him turn around to see little Anya give him a kind and assuring smile. "Don't worry, the West isn't such a bad place."
'Papa and his boss lady are both nice.'
"She's right," Eric said as he stepped forward patted his little sister's head affectionately. "If they have kids who have dreams just like you, then it's no different."
Eric let out a long sigh then locked eyes with Glooman, "You love your family, don't you?"
Glooman nodded, "Yes."
"I bet they love you just as much, your father especially. I can tell the reason why he couldn't tell you is because he never wanted you to worry or think bad of him." Eric stepped closer and placed a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, "Right now, he needs you to be strong for him, because that will keep him going. No matter what happens, try and be there for him and show him your support."
"How do I do that?" Glooman said as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
The corner of Eric's mouth quirked up, "Well, for my mom, I made her a tomato rose to cheer her up because she loves flowers. I believe a bouquet of flowers would be perfect." He said as he gave Glooman a firm squeeze then took a step back beside his sister.
Glooman stared at Eric, his little sister, then at all his classmates as his vision blurred with tears once again. He felt touched by their kindness and compassionate words. Wiping at his eyes with a sniffle, Glooman spoke again, "Can I please just ask for one more thing? I was really looking forward to the choral performance at the end of the school year. That was my chance to connect to you all through song." He shut his eyes tight to stop his tears, "No, never mind. I'm asking too much."
Eric blinked at him then turned to Becky with a soft smile, a silent message spoken between them. Becky returned the smile as she took a deep breath began to sing the first notes to the song. A moment later, Damian joined in and began to dance. Emile and Ewen clapped their arms on either side of Glooman like comrades. Soon, everyone sang together, even Eric as he twirled his smiling sister and Becky. The students of Cecil Hall no longer felt like separate bodies, they were one spirit. This act of kindness brought a smile to Glooman's face as he cherished this moment with his fellow classmates.
At the end of the school day, Glooman was officially ready to leave his school, but he was stopped by Damian who gifted him his stationary. Soon, the Cecil Hall students gave Glooman their going away presents, even Anya who offered him a leaf she found on the road. Eric gave him a handmade gift, an origami camellia flower to symbolize perseverance.
Glooman walked away with a grateful smile as everyone yelled their goodbyes to him.
Eric silently waved at the departing student the turned to Damian, "I'm impressed Desmond, I never imagined you'd go out of your way for someone who tried to get you kicked out." He said as the students dispersed.
Damian scoffed with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his lips. "He already has it rough, no need to kick a man while he's down. Besides, even though I wasn't involved, I still felt responsible for his pain." He added with a hint of guilt he tried to hide.
The corner of Eric's mouth quirked up, "The weight of your family name is heavier than we thought. A child should not be blamed for the actions of their parent."
Damian looked down from his spot on the staircase, "Yeah." He took a deep breath and exhaled then turned to Eric, "Listen, I-well-" He sighed, "Thanks for the help earlier. I really did think I was a goner." Damian said as his mind reeled back to that moment when the professor looked ready to expel him on the spot for a false crime.
Eric breathed out a small laugh and leaned back on the stone rails, "I did it for me. Remember what I said, I can't beat you if you're not here to lose in our contest."
Damian gave Eric a challenging smirk, "You don't have all the Stellas just yet Forger. There's more than one way to get a Star."
Eric's small smile widened with its own challenge. "I'd be disappointed if you're not putting enough effort." He chuckled under his breath, "I already have a sport I'm quite interested in."
"Oh, yeah, what is it?" Damian asked, curious what kind of sport this accident-prone boy will get into.
"I'll let you know later." Eric pushed away from the rails to join Anya and Becky who were half-way toward the school entrance as they gave him and Damian some privacy. "Until then, I wish you good fortune in our next battle." He waved behind him as he walked further away from his rival.
Damian stared at Eric's retreating back then turned away towards his dorm. He smirked, for once, he didn't feel irritated by the commoner who basically one ups on him in their rivalry. Despite the various insults traded between them, Eric was willing to take his side when the occasion called for it, and it did. It felt nice when he had his back, and while he loathed to admit it, he does owe Forger for the help.
Bond yawned loudly while Honey Ninja stretched her long body.
"...and then he walked away." Anya finished the story of George Glooman's last day at Eden.
"Such a beautiful story." Yor said in awe at her children and their classmates.
"It was quite an eventful day." Eric stated from his spot beside Yor with Loid in the armchair diagonal from them.
"Yes, indeed." Loid face became serious, "Although, Glooman Pharmaceuticals isn't going bankrupt, they just got bought out."
"Hm?" Eric blinked twice, "Wait, then that means..."
"Gloomy won't go away?" Anya asked their father.
"...That George is gonna have a really hard time tomorrow." Eric finished with a sigh, "Poor kid."
As Eric predicted, George Glooman returned the next day completely red in the face with embarrassment. He was sweating under the scrutiny of his fellow classmates and other students from their grade.
"In his defense, he didn't get the whole story from his father." Eric deadpanned as he and Becky glanced at the still embarrassed Glooman that morning. Eric just finished explaining Glooman's family's business situation.
"Are you kidding me, and after all that?" Becky whispered as she glared at the kid.
Damian, who sat a row behind them leaned over and seethed, "You mean to tell me the idiot put us through that for nothing?" His face was red in anger and disbelief.
Eric turned to Damian and his lackeys, "He's six years old, it's easy for kids that age to misconstrue information like that. None of us knew either." He calmly explained to his classmates, "Let's try and cut him some slack, he's already stewing in his own embarrassment."
"Yeah, right. I'm getting my stuff back." Damian gritted his teeth as he glared holes into Glooman's head.
"Me too." Becky seconded that notion with arms crossed.
Eric's shoulder's slumped, "Can't say I didn't try."
And that's it for the Glooman introduction. Personally, I wanted Damian and Eric to have that one little moment of comradery. Eric defending his rival while insulting him just felt right.
As for the sport Eric will take up...I'll let you wonder.
One other thing I want to address, after careful deliberation, I don't think I'll write the sequence where Yor brings Eric his gym clothes. We've all seen that episode, it's original and fun. But even if I did write it, it won't be that different from the episode. I apologize for that.
However, I'll be writing something different for the next chapter that isn't in the manga yet.