Yakov was kicking some bad guy butt while remaining in America. Granted, he felt a little lonely while the other heroes were spending a good time in Paris, and it made him feel a little left out. Deep down, he wondered the next time the other guys were to go somewhere, he would be able to go with them all while another superhero stays behind to protect the city. Yakov has seen Paris countless times in his life, and it's beauties. At least he still had his son to be with and spend time with while he is in Royal Woods. It gave him and Leon a chance to reconnect and get to know each-other some more while he remained here.

The Steel Soldier managed to put some bad guys in their place like Abomination by using his metallic bare hands by wrestling him with his powerful strength. While Krunk was strong, he was no match for the strength of the Ukranian cyborg himself.

Another instance was; stopping a few bank robberies and burglaries while he stayed behind. When he was not beating up bad guy butt, he would spend most of his free time hanging out with Leon and do some father-son bonding that they still needed to make up for lost time. Leon meant so much to Yakov and he would die protecting his only son, along with his own ex-wife, even though they have unofficially divorced one another.

"So dad," said Leon. "What was it like in Pripyat?" he and his father were sitting at Burpin' Burger and having some Peppy soda.

"Pripyat was a remarkable city. Back then, it wasn't even called Pripyat. It was a nice little farm that me and your grandparents lived in during the prosperity that Vladimir Lenin was giving all of the Soviet Union after the weak Tsar has been overthrown."

"Wow. I know it sounds weird, but you're like... older than a dad, dad." Leon admitted sheepishly. "Not that there's anything wrong with it."

Yakov chuckled and said: "Oh do not worry, my boy. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but not words. In most situations, actions speak louder than words."

"Mom told me that?." the boy smirked. "Well, sorry you're not in France with Lincoln and the others."

"Ah, do not worry about me. Paris is a city I have seen countless times, and I already know the city and it's perimeters. I'm sure that they are all doing fine on their vacation. Luna said she would call me on my phone whenever she felt like it."

"Good. You... ever want to go back to Pripyat?"

"I would really love too!" Yakov smiled. "Even if it wasn't called Pripyat when I was a kid, it was still my home that I grew up with." he frowned and looked at his left side. "But the problem is, ever since the disastrous Chernobyl affair, the very land in that part of Ukraine that I have lived in is no longer habitable, and no longer safe. According to research, it might take a thousand years or more before Pripyat will become hospitable again."

"I've read about it." Leon admitted before taking a sip of his drink. "Some people are still living in it illegally."

the Cybernetic human made another laugh and said: "That is so true. They do that because it was the only home they have ever known in, and has no desire to move. Those kind of people cannot be happier anywhere else. But... I suppose I am more immune to radiation. Perhaps... yes, of course."

"What is it?"

"The old farmhouse that me and my parents used to live in is still standing after the disaster. My home was a little bit outside of Pripyat on the west side of the ghost town, close to the country of Belarus. Not to mention that; Pripyat is only many miles north from Kyiv, the capital city of my home country. I had friends there that I had to leave behind while leaving to America."

"Right. Because of Joseph Stalin, huh?"

"Yes. That monster was so notorious, no one was safe from him, not even members of the Communist party of the state." Yakov sounded a little bitter. "He ruined what Communism stood for, and he turned it into a tyrannical, totalitarian dictatorship where one wrong word can lead you to death in a second."

Leon smiled, and he said: "It's okay, dad. At least he's not alive anymore."

"Da. That's true. That was a long time ago, so I just move on. Who am I kidding? It wasn't even called Ukraine anyway, just part of the Soviet union." his phone vibrated and he looked at the pictures his hero friends in Paris sent him. He smiled and his teeth was showing. "Ah, this is very nice. Look at what the kids have shown me."

"Wow, Notre Dame, the Pantheon, Arc De Triomphe." Leon looked at the phone screen in awe as his father slid more pictures of the kids' time in Paris. "I can't believe you're missing this."

"Like I said, I have been there before, and there is always another day."

"So what about Jackal? Does he give you a lot of money to catch bad guys?"

"He does. The man gives me more than a fair share of cash for villains he wants to be put on ice. Former Soviets like me are no strangers to the freezing weather."

"Like a bounty hunter?"

"Mercenary is more like it. But I am still a hero. I put down any villain in their place when there is a crime involved since that is a Superhero code that they follow. At any moment, a convienence store could be held in a hostage crisis where people would die if no one does anything about it. The world can be a scary place, Leon. Always watch your step when you face it. You'll never know when something dangerous and deadly will pop out at you like a lynx in the snow."