After fooling around for a while, Caroline started getting more curious about the ability itself. She reminded herself not to get too carried away. There were things she needed to do. When she got close again, within about ten feet, she reached out and lightly patted the shoulder of the soldier in front of her. This time, the illusion before her had changed. The man now looked like the black bear she'd once seen at the zoo as a kid, saluting her with a paw raised. But since the soldier was wearing a uniform and her ability required skin contact, Caroline slid her hand slightly upward and brushed her fingers against his neck. It was a light touch, barely noticeable, like she'd accidentally missed his shoulder. The black bear froze for a second, surprised that she had touched him. At that same moment, Caroline felt her Zero System on her wrist vibrate. That meant the ability had been successfully copied. Her heart leapt with excitement. So this is the purple energy ability! She had never managed to copy anything like it before. But just as she was celebrating inside, the illusion suddenly vanished. The soldier who had been casting it must have cut off his power. Around her, the other soldiers blinked in confusion, returning to reality. "Ken, what's wrong?" one of them asked. "It's still lunch break. Come on, let's keep playing!" Caroline's hand was still resting awkwardly on Ken's shoulder, which made the scene a bit awkward. She quickly patted his shoulder and smiled. "Nice ability you've got there. Well, you all go ahead and keep playing. I was just passing by." Caroline quickly said goodbye and turned to leave. But before she could take a single step, Ken Robson suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her hand! Caroline froze, completely startled. "Hmm, what are you doing?" His grip was firm and far too confident. Yep, she thought helplessly, definitely one of Francis's soldiers—smooth and fearless. Ken's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at her. "Ms. Sinclair! The Colonel told us that if you ever come by—whether you want to touch us, shake our hands, or even, uh ... need us to take off our shirts so you can touch us directly—we're supposed to cooperate fully! So, Ms. Sinclair, where do you want to touch first?" Caroline stared at him, speechless. Wait—what did Francis tell these guys exactly? "Start with me! My ability's the best!" one soldier shouted. "No, no, Ms. Sinclair, try mine! It's incredible!" another called out. "Ms. Sinclair, I already have my hand out. Come on, just start with me!" ... Suddenly, Caroline was surrounded by a group of way too enthusiastic young soldiers. From their chatter, she quickly realized what was going on. Francis had told them about her ability to copy powers through touch. Not only that, but he'd also told them to cooperate with her. Caroline knew Francis meant well. It did make her job easier. But still, this was not how she wanted things to go! What she didn't know was that Tyler happened to be on his way to see Francis. He walked in right at that moment. From a distance, he saw Caroline trapped in the middle of a noisy crowd of soldiers, looking completely overwhelmed. His brow tightened. And when he heard them mention that Francis had arranged it, his face darkened even more. Colonel Sutton, what the heck had you done? Before he could even think it through, Tyler was already striding over. Caroline tried her best to handle the situation, but it was too much for her to handle. "Guys, calm down! Line up, okay? One at a time!" Despite her flustered tone, she still shook hands with a few of them and managed to copy one new ability. Just then, she felt someone brush past her and lightly pat her shoulder. She turned around. Tyler was standing right behind her; his expression was complicated, to say the least. Caroline's face turned red right away. The scene was beyond embarrassing. If strangers saw her like this, fine—but Tyler? Really?"Tyler—what are you doing here?" she asked. "You looked like you were in trouble," he said with a sigh. "So, I come to check on you." As he walked closer, he caught bits of the soldiers' conversation and quickly figured out what was happening. Caroline was copying abilities through touch. He understood the situation, but still, something about it felt weird. Caroline wanted to disappear when Tyler arrived. Determined to save at least a little dignity, she straightened up and clapped her hands. "Alright, guys! Enough fooling around. Line up properly. One at a time!"