Gotchard in DC Ch 17

Isaac stretched, his muscles relaxing after the previous night's exertion. He had taken down a significant operation, and, in his book, that warranted some R&R. No Geki Dojo tonight, baby! He mentally fist-pumped, deciding on a night of mindless TV and maybe a new video game.

He stepped into the Geki Dojo. The rhino statue glowed faintly, and Masters Gorrie, Michelle, and Pyon all turned their attention to him.

"Masters! May I take the night off?"

Master Gorrie stroked his chin. "Hmm, rest is important, young Kondo. Even a rhino needs to graze."

Michelle clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Rest your body, relax your mind! A change of pace can spark new insights!"

Pyon nodded in agreement. "Balance is key. Too much training can be as detrimental as not enough. Rest well, Isaac."

Isaac grinned. "Thanks, Masters! Appreciate the support." With a final bow, he exited the Geki Dojo, already picturing himself sprawled on the couch with a bag of chips.

Lying on his soft bed, Isaac closed his eyes, letting the day's events fade away. He focused on his breathing, trying to clear his mind. Just gotta chill. No superheroes, no alchemy, no training. Just… nothing. Sleep came quickly, pulling him into the depths of slumber.

He found himself in a desolate landscape, a monochrome world of gray. The ground was cracked and dry, stretching out to a horizon that blurred into a gray sky. There were no landmarks, no signs of life, just an endless expanse of muted tones.

What the heck is this? Did I accidentally wander into Silent Hill?

He started walking, his footsteps echoing in the silence. Time seemed to lose all meaning. Minutes stretched into hours, or perhaps it was the other way around. He had no idea how long he had been walking, only that he was alone and lost in this dreary realm.

Then, in the distance, a figure appeared. It was blurry and indistinct, but it was there, a single point of contrast in the gray expanse.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over him. I know that silhouette… but from where? He couldn't quite place it, but something about the figure resonated deep within him.

Without conscious thought, his legs began to move. He started running towards the figure, the gray mist swirling around him as he picked up speed. As he ran, the landscape began to change. The mist thinned, revealing more of the desolate world around him. The gray sky became more defined, and the cracked earth beneath his feet grew more distinct.

"What exactly is going on? Where is this place?" he wondered, his thoughts slowly returning to him. The closer he got to the figure, the clearer his mind became.

When he was about a hundred meters away, he finally saw some details. Purplish-black hair, a set of dark clothes… It clicked.

Seeing the color of the figure's hair and clothes, Isaac understood why she felt familiar. Wait a minute… that's the girl from the warehouse! What is she doing here?

He had just encountered her tonight, and she had left a very deep impression on him, but how could she appear here? Could this strange dream be related to her?

"You are...?" he began, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Please, can you help me?"

Isaac had just calmed his complex thoughts and was about to ask the girl a question. But before he could finish speaking, the girl reached out her hands to him and uttered something completely unexpected to Isaac. Her voice carried a hint of urgency and pleading.

"What did you say?" Isaac asked, momentarily stunned. He rubbed his ear, thinking he might have misheard her. "Did you say 'help'?"

"Help..."

Seeing Isaac's actions, for some reason, the girl suddenly became somewhat agitated. She took a step forward, seemingly wanting to get closer to Isaac.

But at that instant, the world tilted. Everything began to spin violently, as if he had been tossed into a washing machine on high speed. He felt his consciousness fading, the girl's voice echoing faintly in his ears.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Isaac bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath. His forehead was slick with sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. The dream, or whatever it was, felt incredibly real. The girl's pleading eyes, the desolate landscape, the disorienting spinning sensation – it was all etched into his memory.

He glanced out the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, painting the room in a warm, golden glow. A new day had begun, but Isaac's mind was still trapped in the strange dream.

"Who exactly is she? Why did she appear in my dream? What does she want my help with?" he murmured, replaying the scene in his mind. The girl's plea echoed in his thoughts, stirring a sense of unease and curiosity.

Time passes. In the lush green campus, verdant lawns and tree-lined avenues with blooming flowers intertwined, creating a pleasant scenery, with students chatting and playing as they came and went.

Walking along the campus paths, Isaac frowned slightly. Neither the campus scenery nor the events happening around him could capture his attention; his entire focus was on pondering that dream.

"Isaac, Isaac, Isaac!!!"

Suddenly, a strong force came from his shoulder. Isaac instantly snapped out of his contemplation. He heard a familiar, somewhat gritted voice, almost shouted into his ear.

"Kara? Is something wrong?"

Slightly lowering his body, he escaped from the grasp of a certain Kryptonian who had almost dislocated his shoulder. Isaac took two steps back to create distance, then turned to look at the blonde Kryptonian girl, forcing a smile as he asked.

Despite all his precautions, he still couldn't escape the Kryptonian girl's clutches. His previous plan to maintain a certain distance from Kara had failed after he accepted Kara's invitation to go home together last time.

"Isaac, what were you thinking just now? I called you for a long time, but you didn't respond."

Seeing Isaac's series of practiced reactions, Kara pouted unhappily, feeling somewhat wronged and hurt in her heart.

Although Isaac was not avoiding her as he had been recently, every time she touched him, he would always slip away quickly.

"Nothing, I was just pondering a physics formula, so I was a bit distracted and didn't hear you call me. I'm sorry."

Facing Kara's suddenly approaching face, Isaac reached out and scratched his cheek, giving an excuse with a somewhat shifty gaze.

Of course, for Isaac, most high school subjects no longer posed a challenge to him. Besides inheriting the original body's recollections and knowledge, his own learning ability also played a significant part.

"Oh? What physics formula could make you so engrossed? Didn't you finish all of high school physics already?"

Rubbing her chin and narrowing her eyes slightly, Kara looked up and down with some suspicion, seemingly not quite believing the excuse he had given.

"Because that's not a high school physics formula. I've already started self-studying some university physics."

Truly not expecting Kara to suddenly become shrewd again, his eyes darted around, and he quickly added another patch to his excuse.

However, in a sense, Isaac was not being untruthful. He had indeed started self-studying some university-level subjects.

"Then do you have time later? Come to the learning center with me; I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Tilting her head, Kara was half-convinced by his explanation. After pondering for a moment, she took a step closer, looked directly into Isaac's eyes, and invited him as she had last time.

"Alright, but I can only stay for a bit. I still have some business to handle."

Taking a step back, he subconsciously wanted to refuse, but after seeing Kara's expectant eyes, he could only sigh softly in his heart and gently nodded, accepting her invite.

Well, there's no way around it. I'll just have to find a chance to slip away later.