ARTISTIC BUSINESS - PART TWO: PERSUASION

SUMMARY: Trent returns from school in hopes to convince his father otherwise of getting involved in art. But will it be enough?

DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers in not mine.

A/N: Ties into "White Thunder (1)". This is sorta an extended version of their conversation after school, so I hope you enjoy. Hit me with a reply and May the Powers Protect You Always.

Anton sat in the lounge area of his office reading a book. His body was turned away from the door, so he couldn't tell who would pass through the hall.

Another figure peered into the room as Anton looked up, feeling the presence of the person there. And he could only make one conclusion. It was Trent.

Anton sighed quietly. "Did you have a good day at school, son?"

Trent slowly entered the room and stops short beyond the threshold of the room. "It was okay."

Anton tossed th book on the ottoman and turned the chair to look at his son. "I hope you had some time to think about what we discuss earlier."

Trent nodded slowly. "I did, dad. I just didn't like how it turned out."

Anton sighed again and got to his feet. "I'm only looking out for you, son. I can only go by what I see fit for you." He walked over to his desk and let out another breath. I only ask you abide by my rules."

Trent walked over to his father, slightly concerned. "I understand that, dad. But I gotta know something."

"What's that?" Anton turned to look at his son with confusion.

"Were you ever this way with your own father? Did you ever rebel against anything he said?"

Anton looked at his son again, but a neutral look was on his face. "That's not the basis of this conversation, Trent, what matters here is your future."

"But you must have rebelled, right? You must have wanted to become something other that a businessman. Maybe you could have been a basketball player, a lawyer, or perhaps, an actor. Something other than a businessman."

Anton turned to lean up against the desk. He crossed his arms and looked at his son, intently. He figured his son needed to talk to him greatly about this situation, and he would give it a chance, if he could convince him. "I'm not sure were you're going with this, Trent, but I do bellieve that I made my statement clear. I don't want you to draw anymore. It will give you nothing in return."

Trent collapsed on the chair his father previously sat in.

"Then what if I told you I refused?"

"As long as you're under this house, you follow my rules. I thought I made that clear."

"You did, dad. But..." Trent tried to say.

"Why waste your time and mine by trying to convince me otherwise, Trent? My decision is final. I don't want you to draw anymore."

"But dad..." Trent tried to say.

Anton held up a hand to silence his son. "That is enough. I want you to go upstairs and get rid of all those drawings in your room. Now!"

Trent got to his feet as a spark of anger rose up in him. "Forget it! You're worse than my own father. He would have supported my all the way, but you just can't see it."

Anton forced out a breath as he walked over to his son, hand extended out. "Trent, please. I understand you're upset, but..."

Trent smacked his father's hand away. "Don't touch me!"

"Trent, listen to me..."

Trent scoffed. "Why? So, you can go on and lecture me more about how pathetic drawing is and that being a businessman is so much better? No. Forget it! You may have adopted me, made me apart of the 'Mercer clan', but we're not related by flesh and blood."

Anton sighed sadly. "Well, it is clear that I am not your real father, Trent, but I'm only looking for what is in your best interest. And I don't see it in drawing."

Trent shook his head. "It isn't what I want."

"You can't always have what you want..."

"But it is my life."

"Life isn't always perfect. And you can't always have what you want, but this is your future we are talking about here, Trent. You're gonna throw it away to drawing pictures for the rest of your life?"

"If that is how you're gonna look at it, than yes." Trent nodded.

"Dad, hear me out. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind carrying on the family business, but my passion is in art. It's in drawing. It's what I love to do. It's what people know me as."

Anton sighed again. "But don't you want to be successful?"

"Yeah, I do." Trent nodded. "But not what you're doing. I mean, I like technology and everything, but it isn't one of my strengths. Dad, you told me that in order to understand what we want, we must know who we are as a person. We need to look at both of our weak points and our strong points and distinguish what will benefit us and what won't. It can take a lot of time, but I'm willing to use that time to discover what I want, and it is in art."

Anton lets out another saddened breath. He moved toward his desk and collapsed into the chair located behind it. He could not believe his son was saying all this. And he was surprised to see that he was listening to him. "Wow, son. You really want this?"

Trent looked down slightly ashamed. He didn't want to push this all on his dad, but he spoke the truth. He really wanted this.

"Yeah, I do. I really do."

Anton leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk. "You know, I am upset about your decision, Trent. And I am gonna have to think about it."

Trent nodded slowly. "Dad, I understand that, but business is not my thing. It's where I am lacking. I don't know how else to put it."

Anton let out a breath as he went slightly pale. He loosened his tie and put a hand on his chin, thinking. "You know, something, Trent. I was told that if you had a passion for something you had to make it grow. Sometimes, you gotta put it before anything else just so it can evolve into something better. But are you sure this is what you want?"

"I do, dad." he nodded.

"And college? Where do you expect to go?"

"Well, CalArts, if possible. But, I've also looked at CalTech."

Anton's eyes widened with surprise. "CalTech, huh? You do realize I went there for college, right?"

"Yeah, I do, dad." Trent nodded again. "But I heard it has a lot of great computer programs. Or even science. I was kinda looking into that if this drawing thing couldn't happen."

"Now, Trent, are you sure about this? I don't want you to regret it."

Trent looked at his father slightly confused. "You suddenly care?"

"I've always cared, son. Isn't that what a father is supposed to do?"

"Yeah, dads do care. But this move. I wasn't ready for another one. I liked LA, dad."

"I thought it would have been best to steer clear from the busy city life of LA so we could interact a little more. Ever since your parents died several years ago, you've always tried to avoid me. Or I was always too busy. I was hoping we could change that before you go off to college."

Trent dropped his head guilty. It was true, but he never would have thought his father noticed it. But he did. "I never really thought about that."

"But it is true, right?"

Trent sighed and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"Losing those you love is hard. I won't lie to you about that, Trent. A friend of mine suffered a great loss in the past few years. He lost his parents when he was really young and he really never knew he had a brother until it was too late. And a few years ago, he lost another close friend to a car accident. He has been through a lot, but he still managed to pull through."

"Wow." Trent breathed. "That must be rough."

"It's Dr. Oliver." Anton said simply as another line of dizzines fell over him.

Trent's eyes widened. "Are you serious? My science teacher?"

Anton nodded slowly. "He is a tough character, and I envy him sometimes, but you can learn a lot from him. He knows a lot about family loss."

"I'll bet." Trent furrowed his eyebrows seeing the uneasiness in his father. "Dad, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Trent. Just a little dizzy." he wiped his brow.

"Okay. So, are we cool with this?" Trent asked.

Anton nodded slowly. "I'll think about it. But for now, I need to get some work done."

Trent got to his feet and nodded. "Yeah, so do I."

Trent turned and left the room leaving the man to do his own thing.

THE END

A/N: And you guys should know what happenes from there. Trent gets the dino gem, and we all learn of Anton Mercer's alter ego and etc. So, hope you liked. And I'll catch all ya'll on the flip side. Isang Diwa! Isance Mahal! May the Powers Protect You Always.