"You're dropping all this ridiculous Monster Hunting nonsense right now," Theresa says to him the next day, with an air of finality. "I'm serious. End of discussion."
"Mom, you know I can't do that," Justin sighs. Lying on the couch, with his back against the arm and his injured leg propped up on a pillow, he turns his eyes to Jerry, raising his eyebrows as if to ask him for help. "Tell her, Dad. I can't just quit."
"Uh, it is part of his independent study, honey," Jerry says, rising the occasion, although the way his own eyes crinkle at the corners show that he's not entirely convinced, himself. "If Justin's going to complete his wizard training, he does need to do one."
"And it has to be Monster Hunting?" Theresa snaps at him, her dark eyes blazing. "Haven't you people ever heard of bird courses? There has to be something less dangerous that he can do instead. Like...Magical Basket Weaving or something."
"Oh, dude," Alex pipes in, from where she sits on a stool in the kitchenette, leaning against the island. "If that's seriously an option, then I so know what I'm signing up for. Right, Max? Up top!"
Grinning, she holds up her hand to her younger brother, where he stands behind the island. Beaming, Max starts to high-five her back, but hesitates as Conscience, standing next to him, pointedly clears his throat. Max frowns at him, Conscience shakes his head softly, and then Max slowly lowers his arm, adopting a solemn expression.
"We, uh, don't think that's very appropriate, Alex," Max says, jerking his head towards Conscience, "and frankly, we're shocked by your insensitivity."
"Good call, buddy," Conscience nods, patting him on the shoulder and giving him the thumbs-up.
"Thanks Roy," Max says.
Alex glowers at them for leaving her hanging, then sits up straight on her stool and tucks her hands in her lap, withering slightly under the glare she receives from her parents. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."
"Theresa, honey," Jerry sighs, with a shake of his head, "no offense, but becoming a full wizard is not exactly the same as earning a liberal arts degree at a college in Mexico. Justin has the potential to become one of the greatest wizards of his generation, and Monster Hunting is a very prestigious field! Completing this independent study could open a lot of doors for him in the wizarding world!"
"It could also land him in an early grave!" Theresa snaps, coming around the couch to poke her husband in the chest. "And if your son's safety doesn't mean as much to you as his potential, then maybe—"
"That's not why I can't quit," Justin breaks in suddenly, loudly enough to cut her off. He sets his jaw and crosses his arms over his chest as his parents turn around to regard him.
"I've been in touch with the Monster Hunters' Council," Justin explains, "and apparently there's an unusually high concentration of unregistered monsters lurking in the city for this time of year. Chancellor Tuttitutti has never seen anything like it. It's as though somebody took every creature described in the Monster Manual and set them loose on New York."
"Pfft!" Max scoffs, a little louder than absolutely necessary. "Like anyone would really be stupid enough to do that!"
"Yeah," Conscience says flatly, staring pointedly at Max. "As if."
Max blinks at him, then looks down at his shoes, muttering something about how he'd like to see them prove it.
"The Monster Hunters' Council is doing the best it can to contain it, but they're stretched pretty thin," Justin continues. "So some of us in the independent study program have been granted provisional field promotions to Junior Monster Hunter, and assigned to patrol a low priority region. So right now, the only thing standing between those creatures and the innocent citizens of Greenwich Village...is me."
"Uh, have you ever actually been in the West Village, egghead?" Alex snorts, as she scarfs down a piece of sliced pickle. "Because I sure wouldn't call them all innocent..."
Justin casts an angry glance over his shoulder at her, before turning back to his parents, resolute. "It's up to me, Mom. I have to stop them, before anyone else gets hurt."
"But what about you?" Theresa protests, sitting down on the edge of the couch next to him, cradling his face in her hands. "This is very dangerous, mijo! That thing could have killed you! Surely there must be more experienced wizards who can take care of this!"
"The Monster Hunters' Council is training Emergency Wizards even as we speak," Jerry volunteers, "but that could take weeks. Justin's right, honey: until then, he's pretty much on his own."
"Mom, listen," Justin says, taking her hands in his and pulling them off his face. "I can do this, OK? I can handle this. The wisp just caught me off-guard, is all. I wasn't ready for it, I know, but I'll get ready. I'll make myself—"
"OHMIGOD!" Max shouts suddenly from the island, making the rest of the family jump. "Do you know what this is? This is that scene in Batman: Year One, when Bruce Wayne gets his ass kicked the first night he goes out, right? And he almost dies, because the bad guys aren't afraid of him? But then the bat crashes though the window while he's sitting there, almost bleeding to death, and he takes it as a sign that he has to become a bat himself! And that's you, man! You're, like, BATMAN right before he becomes BATMAN!"
The rest of the family—Conscience included—stares at Max like he's insane, but Justin smiles smugly and narrows his eyes, clearly liking the sound of this.
"I am," he nods to himself, dropping his voice an octave. "I'm Batman."
"Oh please, are you kidding me?" Alex scoffs around a mouthful of pickle. "Dude, you got your butt handed to you by a glorified Lite-Brite. You haven't caught a single monster on your own yet, without help. You're barely Robin!"
"Alex!" Jerry says sharply, even as Justin's shoulders slump against the arm of the couch.
"No Dad, she's right," Justin says, before Jerry's lecture can really get warmed up. "I am barely Robin. Bruce Wayne honed his mind and body for years before he became Batman, and I've only been Monster Hunting for a couple of weeks. I'm not good enough, fast enough, or strong enough. I'm too soft. But mark my words..."
And here, Justin stands up, wincing slightly as he shifts his weight off of his sprained ankle, and strikes a heroic pose, his chest squared and his jaw set with determination.
"...I shall become a bat."
There's a heavy moment of silence as the rest of the family reacts to this pronouncement. Jerry beams at him with something akin to pride, while Theresa frowns at him in concern. Max grins like this is the most awesome thing he's ever seen. Conscience stares at Max as though he's lost his mind. And Alex rolls her eyes, swivels on her stool, and starts flipping through the gossip magazine that's open on the counter in front of her.
"Yeah, good luck with that," she mutters indifferently, as she plucks another pickle slice up off her plate. "But if you start wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants, I'm so telling everyone at school that you've been lying about us being related all these years."