As Rocky walked out of the principal's office, he found a smiling middle aged man waiting outside for him, as for a moment Rocky's face beamed with joy.
"Pope Cole!" Rocky said, sounding exhilarated as he chuckled and rushed up to greet the man.
The red eyed Sophia, who followed Rocky out of Liam's cabin, felt confused by Rocky's reaction, as she warily noticed Rocky's interaction with the man from a distance.
"Oh bless the Gemini Gods, you look so strong! It's only been a few months since I last saw you" Pope Cole said, as tears of joy began flowing down his cheeks upon noticing Rocky's transformation.
Rocky was much taller and stronger than Pope Cole last saw him, so his astonishment upon seeing him again was justified, however, Rocky felt embarrassed by his exaggerated reaction when he began crying non-stop.
"Jeez Pope Cole, you can't embarrass me here, it's campus grounds, also look behind me, the Champion Of Poseidon is watching on, is this the face you wish to show her?" Rocky asked, as upon the mention of Sophia's presence, Pope Cole's demeanor saw an instant shift.
His tears dried up, his chin pointed upwards as he gazed down upon Sophia with a stern look in his eyes.
"I was wondering why it smelled like a sea of rotten fishes..... now I know why-" Pope Cole said, as even Rocky was left mouth agape by this insult.
Sophia, feeling as if this was just not her day, decided to not retort against this cheap shot, as she waved at Rocky and took her leave, but not before glaring back at Pope Cole once.
"If you give me the order, I shall execute that woman for you right here, right now-" Pope Cole said, as Rocky chuckled and shook his head in dismissal.
"Let her be, haha, principal Liam will turn you into a specter if you dare touch her" Rocky said jokingly, as Pope Cole tried to say that he did not care about the consequences, however, held his tongue.
"So Pope, why are you here? Is everything okay back home?" Rocky asked, as he knew that unless there were special circumstances, the university did not allow visitors within its campus grounds. chapter hosted on m,vle-mpyr
"Yes.... The monster outbreak.... It's finally about to begin" Pope Cole said, as Rocky paused in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat.
Rocky was no stranger to monster outbreaks. As a kid, those used to be the most stressful times where all the normal human families gathered together and watched the climber's fight against the beast tides.
He still remembered the days when he and Riva would hug their mom and dad while watching the climbers fight on the TV.
I cannot even comprehend what you plan, my noble master" Pope Cole rumbled as he broke down into a prayer right down in the middle of the university campus.
At first, Rocky found the Pope's illogically religious behavior to be slightly irritating, however, over time he had started to view it differently.
When he had lost everything within the snake-men chamber. There was a moment when he did nothing but frantically pray to Gemini gods to give him the strength to pull through the difficult times that he was facing.
Before, he could not understand it. However, he could see it now.
Religion provided an anchor for men that were lost.
Living life by certain rules, following a moral code, having faith in an entity, all these things helped channel one's internal energy in a positive direction and prevented one from feeling as if their existence was purposeless.
"Praise Gemini-" Rocky murmured under his breath, as he too joined Pope Cole in his prayer.
***********
( Back On Earth )
The man who was the most happy with Rocky's return was not Pope Cole, but rather Climber Association Leader Cody, as he half expected Rocky to not return.
Unlike other climbers who had a financial bond with the climbers association and were forced to contribute to the defense of the planet, Rocky had none.
When it was time to pay his university fees, first Pope Cole decided to step-up and then the university decided to waive off his semester fees, because one of the teachers was kind enough to offer Rocky a scholarship.
Under such circumstances, where Rocky had no compulsion to return to Earth and risk his life fighting for it, Cody did not expect him to return, however, he was glad that Rocky did.
When Rocky first decided to come out as the Champion of Gemini and made his talent results public, Cody thought he was an immature brat hungry for attention, however, that opinion changed slightly today.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target, good job everyone! ///