"Now, let's talk." The old man said menacingly as he placed a gun on the desk.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I think there's some kind of misunderstanding here—"
BANG!
A bullet whizzed past Alex's head, embedding itself into the wall behind him.
"Next time, I won't miss," the old man said coldly. "I talk, you listen, and you answer when I ask. Clear?"
Alex sighed, unfazed. "Yeah, sure." He casually glanced around the office, seemingly uninterested.
The old man twitched in irritation. "Y-you..." His hands clenched the gun tighter. "Take this seriously, damn it!"
"Look, if you're trying to intimidate me, I hate to break it to you, but you're not scary enough." Alex met his gaze with a bored expression.
The old man's face turned red with rage. "I'll show you how scary I can be!" He shouted, firing multiple shots in frustration.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alex easily dodged the first two bullets and casually caught the third in mid-air, holding it between his fingers.
The old man froze. "H-how did you—"
Before he could finish, the office door swung open.
"Grandpa?!"
Mellon rushed in, looking around the room in alarm. "I heard gunshots! Are you okay?" Then she saw the gun in her grandfather's hand and gasped. "Wait—why do you have a gun?! Were you trying to kill someone?!"
The old man immediately straightened up. "Of course not, sweetheart! This gun has rubber bullets. I was just… testing his character."
Alex held up the bullet he caught. "Pretty sure this one's real."
The old man blinked. "Impossible! The gun with real bullets is in the other drawer." He opened another drawer and pulled out a second gun. "See? I'll prove it."
He pointed at the ceiling and fired.
Bang!
Instead of piercing the ceiling, the bullet bounced off, ricocheting wildly around the office.
Alex effortlessly caught it mid-air and smirked. "Well, it is bouncing like a rubber bullet, but maybe next time, keep track of which one's which?"
The old man chuckled awkwardly. "Haha… I guess I mixed them up. But like I always say, all's well that ends well, right, Mellon?"
Mellon sighed. "Grandpa, you're unbelievable." She turned to Alex apologetically. "I'm sorry about this. He didn't mean to hurt you. He just worries about me too much."
The old man cleared his throat. "No, Mellon. I should be the one apologizing." He turned to Alex. "Because of my wealth, many people try to get close to my family with bad intentions. I've had to be cautious… maybe too cautious."
He exhaled deeply before continuing. "But you don't seem to be one of those people. So, I'm sorry for how I treated you."
Alex shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it. I wasn't mad—if anything, I was more amused by the whole situation." He chuckled. "Anyway, I never introduced myself. The name's Alex."
The old man smiled. "Good to meet you, Alex. My name is Bryon, but you can call me Grandpa if you want."
Mellon beamed. "Alright! Now that's settled, let's go! There's so much I want to show you!"
With that, she grabbed Alex's arm and dragged him out for a tour of Alba Corporation.
---
Kame House
After spending a week at Alba Corp., Alex finally left Orange City. Mellon had insisted he stay longer, but he knew he had to keep training. Instead of flying, he took a small boat, letting the sea breeze clear his mind.
When he finally arrived at Kame Island, he stepped inside the house.
"Hey, Master Roshi, I'm back!"
Inside, Master Roshi, Krillin, and Turtle were lounging in front of the TV.
The old master glanced up and adjusted his sunglasses. "Oh, Alex! Good to see you again. It's been a while."
Krillin stood up and walked over, looking Alex up and down. "Dude, you look stronger."
Alex smirked. "You have no idea."
Krillin grinned. "Well then, how about a little spar? Let's see how much you've improved."
They both headed outside, taking their fighting stances.
Master Roshi followed them out, stroking his beard. "Be careful, Krillin. Alex has gotten a lot stronger."
"Don't worry, Master Roshi." Krillin cracked his knuckles. "It's just a spar, right?"
Alex smirked. "Shall we start?"
--- to be continue