Meeting Bartland (2)

Fred, standing nearby, was paralyzed with shock, his eyes wide as he stared at Yuka. 'Who is she? Is she really the same Yuka who gasps for air with every step? How can she so effortlessly defeat a space pirate? Is her usual frailty just an act?'

Fred's thoughts raced wildly, from suspecting Yuka to be an accomplice of the space pirates to considering her a secret agent in deep cover. Then he remembered a post that had gone viral on the forum at the start of the school year, along with the recent conversation between the man and Yuka.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him.

His eyebrows shot up, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "You're the old man saving the spaceship?"

Yuka was considering whether to hit Eagle on the head with a coconut she'd picked up. She paused and replied, "Can we not talk about that?"

"So you really are?" Fred's mind was shaken, and he muttered in disbelief, "No, that can't be..."