Paradis: The Savior of Humanity
Disclaimers: My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) and all associated characters are owned by Kohei Horikoshi. I make no claim to ownership of this material.
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) and all associated characters are owned by Hajime Isayama. I make no claim to ownership of this material.
I only own my original character, Zack Miller, and his family members. Any other original characters are based in both of the above mentioned universes which I have no ownership over.
Note: This story WILL contain manga spoilers for both My Hero Academia and Attack on Titan, so be warned.
Chapter 3: A New Home
2175, United States of America
Zack sits on the lawn of his hou- no, his father's house, tears falling down his cheeks to water the grass he used to play on. The grass he is no longer welcomed to play on, according to his father. The boy tries to stand up, but gasps and falls back down as pain surges down his leg and hip. He glances down at his right leg and rolls up his pants sleeve. He breathes in sharply, seeing his leg is grazed from being thrown and rolling on the grass.
He gently prods his hip and receives another surge of pain in his lower back. Suddenly, he is startled by the lawn lights being turned off. Dad, no, Kyle must have turned them out, he thinks. He probably doesn't want the neighbors to see me and start asking questions. Bitterly, he starts another train of thought. Maybe they should see me. Maybe I should scream so the whole neighborhood comes out and starts to question why a man would throw out his own son, and for what? Simply having dreams?
He huffs in exasperation. Whatever. Let me just get away from here and think. Attempting to get up once more, Zack grits his teeth as his body protests in pain. He pushes through and stands on his feet, though one is steady and the other is trembling from exertion. Hesitantly, he turns towards the street, and carefully steps forward on his good foot. His foot finds the ground and he remains standing. Now for the hard part. He takes a deep breath and steps forward on his right foot. He whimpers from the pain he feels in his hip, but remains steady.
Strengthening his resolve, he repeats the process and starts walking down the sidewalk Alright, now what do I do? I need to get my leg and side looked at, that is an immediate concern. Zack grimaces in annoyance. But how?! I have no friends who can take me in. I might be able to get to the hospital, but they would probably call that man and mom and tell them where I am. He most certainly won't like that since people will ask how I got hurt in the first place. But what about mom? How would she react? Why did she not stop Kyle? Does she even care about me? The boy shakes his head. Doesn't matter, focus on what you know. Kyle definitely will be unhappy so the hospital is a strong nope.
Zack slows down to a stop and leans against a street light to concentrate. So no hospital, no friends. That leaves one option: grandma and grandpa. Ironically, his grandparents lived in the same city, and only a few blocks north of Kyle's house. However, it was getting cold out, already past 8 pm, and it was understandably dangerous for a ten-year-old to be out walking alone. One may question what Kyle had been thinking, but the boy's father obviously wasn't in a sound state of mind to take this into consideration.
It'll take me less than an hour to walk there, Zack thinks as he starts walking again in the direction of his remaining family. They are all I have left. Hopefully they can help me. With a goal in mind, Zack continues walking forward to the only other people in his life that were kind to him.
Lauren and David Kohn are two individuals of high renown in their respective communities of professional practice and among their city. Lauren Kohn is the head surgeon of the local hospital which Zack was thinking of going to earlier that night to treat his wounds, In hindsight, had he gone there, it is likely the attending doctors and nurses would have immediately phoned her and she would have razed the neighborhood to the ground to find out what had happened to her grandchild. Her quirk, Memorize, allows her to perfectly recall all of the information she sees, whether they be cooking recipes or the procedure to treat appendicitis. With this Quirk, she was able to build her career to becoming one of the top surgeons in the country, saving countless lives in the operating room and saving hundreds more stomachs from boredom with her authentic recipes served during community potlucks and meal donations.
David Kohn is a retired professor of politics at the local university, which is one of the most sought after universities in America. His Quirk, Hyper-Intellect, allows him to quickly synthesize and link the information in front of him to create the best possible ideas, outcomes or solutions. In his early career, he used his quirk to its full potential as a lead prosecutor and reigned supreme in courtrooms across the county. With his expertise, he has put away the worst criminals and villains the city has to offer, with him even successfully assisting with high profile federal cases and dangerous villain gangs. After 15 years of service, he quickly moved into academia as a professor in law and politics, with a specialization in Quirk law. Beloved by faculty, students, and the local female student body (David was a bit unaware of his chiseled looks and the affect they had on people), the genius retired at the ripe old age of 45, with the excuse of: "My wife wants me to to take a step back from work and enjoy more time with my grandchildren. I am afraid if I refuse, she will no longer cook for me. I am not sure about you, but that woman makes good on her threats, and I will not let my palette suffer for my mistakes!"
Funnily enough, it is Lauren's cooking skills and not her life-saving doctoring ability that attracted the attention of her husband David. When she was in college, she worked part time at a local restaurant after the owner ashamedly admitted to her that "You can understand the recipe better than my wife, and she created it!" One day, David (who was attending the same college) came in with a recipe from his late mother, with a longing to taste her cooking once more. Deciding to take up the challenge, Lauren took the recipe and prepared it within minutes. Then she placed a dish of stewed meat, herbs and vegetables served over rice in front of David, with no experience or preparation beforehand. After just one bite, David silently used his quirk to create perhaps the most important two deductions in his life: 1) This master of the kitchen in front of him could prepare a dish she had seen the recipe to only once even better than his mother could; 2) This woman is the love of his life. If he does not marry her to enjoy more of her culinary gifts and her physical beauty, his recently passed mother would likely come back to life and chastise her son for passing on a girl that you don't see every century.
Now, an observer may ask "Why are individuals such as Lauren and David allowed to use their Quirks when they are not pro-heros?" The short answer: America. The long answer: American Quirk Law is different from Japanese Quirk Law, as well as the Quirk laws of various other countries. The American view is that "If you have a beneficial ability, you should use it," plain and simple. People with healing quirks shouldn't be restricted from using their abilities in life or death situations. People with intellectual quirks shouldn't be restricted from creating new ideas and innovative products or services for people to enjoy. Yes, there was the profession of pro-hero which still required a license as you would actively save people and fight against criminals, but licenses weren't required for other professions such as law, medicine, technology, and culinary arts, among countless others. That being said, American Quirk Law also stated that using one's quirk for wrong doing that harms others physically, mentally financially, socially, or in any other malicious manner is illegal and can be classified as criminal or villainous. This attempt is to ensure that while people are able to use their quirk, they cannot "legally" use them for villainous acts. Regardless of the law prohibiting quirk use for malicious outcomes, it doesn't dissuade others from breaking the law for their own gain. Then again, if people did break the law for their own benefit, then there would be no purpose for the profession of pro-heros. But this is a story for another time. Our story concerns Lauren and David Kohn.
The two shortly started dating after the first meeting, and only a few years later after they had both graduated from college and started their careers, they tied the knot and began their own family with their only child, Rachel Kohn. Rachel inherited the same version of her mother's quirk, but due to American Quirk Law demanding that each individual citizen have a unique quirk name no matter what the quirk actually did, had to register it as Photographic. From there, Rachel grew up, went to the same college as her parents, met Kyle Miller at said college, and together they had two beautiful children, Zachary (or Zack) and Alice.
After approximately 48 minutes of walking, Zack finally stood in front of the door of his beloved grandparents, looking up in longing. The pain in his leg and hip has subsided, but it is still bothersome, not to mention the blood on his leg and the black and blue spots forming on his hip from being thrown down. Thanks again for that Kyle! You are a role model for fathers everywhere! (Meanwhile, a certain fiery-haired pro-hero in Japan sneezes in his home as he is training his two-tone haired son.) Straightening his back to look somewhat presentable despite his pain, Zack knocks on the door.
"Coming! One moment please!" a feminine voice calls out faintly inside the house. After a few moments, Zack hears footsteps approaching the door. Someone quickly undoes the locks, and the door swings open.
Before Zack is a tall woman of 5'8" with brown shoulder length hair and green eyes. She is wearing a simple cream blouse and a long brown skirt. This is Lauren Kohn. She looks down to see Zack. "Zack! Sweetiepie, what are you doing here? It's late. Are your parents and Alice here?" she questions with a smile. Zack shakes his head in response. Suddenly, Lauren notices the faded tear tracks on Zack's cheeks glinting in the light from the entryway. She frowns, realizing something is wrong.
Without taking her eyes off her grandson, she commands her husband's presence. "David, front door now. Something is wrong." She kneels down in front of Zack and tenderly puts her hands on the young boy's shoulders. "Come inside Zack," The boy nods his acceptance. She gets back up and quickly guides the boy inside the comfort of her house, locking the door behind them.
"What is it Lauren? What's wrong?" A set of heavy footsteps approach from the hallway, revealing the other occupant of the house, David Kohn. David is a man of imposing stature, standing at an impressive 6'2". He has well kept, swept-back black hair reminiscent of a businessman. He has a blue dress shirt and tan pants held up by suspenders. Beneath his clothes, he hides a strong and muscular body, a result of various martial arts that he has been practicing as a pastime for the past few years after his retirement from academia. He looks at wife, then down at their visitor. Upon realizing it is his grandson, his eyes widen slightly. He kneels down on his haunches to get at eye level with the boy he has come to love. "Hi Zack. Why are you here? Where are you parents?" he questions softly.
Zack looks at his grandfather for a few moments in silence. Both grandparents have a look of concern on their faces. What if they agree with Kyle? What if they are like mom, what if they do nothing like she did? What if they just send me back out? Zack fears. He brushes off these thoughts. No they wouldn't. They aren't my mom, and they certainly aren't my Kyle. They are always supportive of me. I should just tell them.
Gulping the saliva accumulating in his mouth, he quietly whispers, "Dad kicked me out." In front of him his grandfather stiffens, looking like he has been frozen. He feels a slight pressure on both shoulders, and realizes that sometime between coming inside and seeing his grandfather, his grandmother has put her hands on his shoulders as a show of silent support. He also realizes that he has stopped trembling. How long have I been trembling?
"Say that again," Lauren says behind him in monotone.
Zack repeats what he said, with a little more strength. "Dad kicked me out."
"Why?" Lauren asks.
"I told him I was researching hero schools that I could go to," Zack admits quietly.
There is silence for a few more moments. Lauren eases up the pressure of her hands, but keeps them placed on Zack's shoulders. It is a grounding presence, but not enough to be bothersome.
"That's all?" David asks. Zack nods in confirmation. Everyone is quiet for a few more moments.
Suddenly, Lauren removes her hands from Zack and walks with a purpose towards the front door. "I am going to talk with him," she states as a fact. David gets up and quickly walks along with her.
"Lauren, no."
"Lauren YES!" his wife states in response as she grabs her car keys and her medical bag. Zack tries hard not to notice the handle of a bone saw sticking out of the bag's zipper. She reaches out and grasps the door knob, only to be stopped by David gently wrapping her in a hug from behind.
"Honey, we both know you are going to do more than just talk with him," he says softly.
"And we both know that you want to do the same thing I want to!" she snaps. "Look at our grandbaby! How could he do something like that over him just doing research?!"
"You're right Lauren. You are absolutely right," David placates. "But he is still married to our daught- wait," he cuts himself off, and turns back to Zack, "Zack, what about your mom? Does she know he did this?"
Zack hesitantly nods in confirmation. At his admission, both Lauren and David look even more shocked. Suddenly, Zack grunts out in pain and falls on his ass. Out of concern, Lauren and David quickly run to him. Realizing what must have happened, the grandmother carefully questions, "Did he hurt you?" Zack nods, a new cycle of tears beginning to stream down his face. "Show me."
Zack carefully lifts up his pant leg and shows them the graze on his right leg, at which both elders gasp. The blood is dried, and the wound is slowly starting to scab, but it looks painful on a ten-year-old boy. He slightly pulls down his waistband and shows them the bruise on his side, which has indeed turned black and blue.
"Lauren," David starts. His voice has a dangerous edge to it, one that Zack has never heard before. "Zack needs you. Help him. I will go give our son-in-law and daughter a talk."
Having gone into doctor mode, Lauren nods in agreement and focuses on the immediate way she can help the boy in front of her. She tosses the car keys over her shoulder which are immediately caught by David in one hand. She then opens her medical bag to take out a bottle of disinfectant and a pack of bandages. David turns around and heads toward the door.
"David," Lauren calls out, stopping David from exiting the now open door. "While I would like more grandchildren, I am sure that our dear Kyle would still be able to provide some with a good kick to the family jewels."
"Yes dear," David affirms. "This shouldn't take long. I will be back soon." With that, David exits the house and closes the door.
Turning her attention back to her sniffling grandson, she puts on a small smile. "There, there. Don't cry. We'll get you all better in no time."
"What do I do now Grandma?" Zack questions as he looks down at his lap. "What if I can't go home?" He feels two soft hands gently grasp both of his cheeks and lift his head up to look at his grandmother.
"Don't worry about that sweetie. Leave that up to me and grandpa. We will take care of you." She gets up on her feet. "Now," she starts. "Let's get those bruises looked at." With that, she takes Zack's hand and leads him to the kitchen to treat his wounds.
David Kohn was a smart man, even without his Quirk. It is for this reason that he was banned from Las Vegas twice: the first time for always beating the house in every game he played; the second time was for figuring out a loophole that allowed him go back to Vegas and proceeding to clean out each and every casino for millions of dollars until the city as a whole refused to allow him onto any casino floor. It is also good to note that he performed both of these feats without his Quirk, as Quirk usage is prohibited by all casinos and playhouses world wide and enforced by quirk suppressants and/or quirk-erasing cuffs if necessary. Put this natural intellect together with his Quirk Hyper-Intellect, and it is no wonder why he had such a successful career in law and had a perfect conviction rate. He had such a nationally recognized reputation that he was even offered a lucrative position as a federal prosecutor, but turned it down so that he wouldn't be far from his family or put them at risk with his work.
Suffice it to say, if David Kohn wanted to do something, he would get it done. Which is why the moment after he had seen his grandson's injuries, he already had a plan of action concocted. Currently, David had completed a 10 minute drive to his son-in-law and daughter's house, and was ready to execute said plan.
David rapped sharply on the door. After a few moments his daughter came and opened it, looking perplexed at her father's presence. "Dad? Why are you her-"
"Hello Rachel, is Kyle home?" David questions, striding past her and making his way to the living room.
Rachel quickly locks the door, then increases her strides to catch up with her father in confusion. "Yes, but dad, why are you-"
"Kyle, there you are," David declares after turning the corner into the living room. There he sees said man sitting at the dining table working on his laptop. Upon hearing his name, Kyle looks up at the unexpected visitor, perplexed as he takes a seat at the table across from him.
"David, what brings you here at this hour?"
"Nothing really, just my grandson." At this, both parents freeze. Rachel slowly takes a seat next to Kyle as her husband narrows his eyes at his father-in-law.
"What about him?" the man asks carefully.
"Oh, just the fact that he showed up at my front door 15 minutes ago, trembling like a leaf and hurt. Looks like someone threw him, funnily enough."
Rachel flinches at this while Kyle gives a quick gulp. "I see," Kyle says. "Did he tell you what happened?"
"Yes, actually. He said that you, Kyle, threw him out of the house," David says with a brief chuckle. "You kicked him out. Over him just telling you about his passions. Would you care to confirm that?"
"Well a-a-actually daddy, he wa-"
David interrupts his daughter by holding up his hand. "I am not talking to you yet Rachel. I am still discussing something with my son-in-law. You can wait your turn." At this, Rachel purses her lips, and quietly views the proceedings.
"Yes," Kyle states firmly, not denying his actions.
"I see," David responds. "Well, that makes my decision easier." David takes in a deep breath, and then starts the next stage of his plan. "In two days time, you and Rachel will be signing custody of Zachary over to myself and Lauren."
At this, Rachel and Kyle both protest.
"Daddy you can't!"
"Why the hell should I!?"
"One at a time," David placates. "Kyle you first. You manhandled my grandson. That itself is inexcusable. The fact that you did so simply for the boy voicing something he was passionate about and had not even committed to is unacceptable and out of line. Now, I genuinely hope that your mandhandling him doesn't apply to my daughter, or even my granddaughter, does it?
"Not at all David! I would do nothing of the sort."
"Good. Otherwise I would have called the local pro-hero on patrol concerning domestic violence charges. Not only that Kyle, I would have dragged your name through the mud and have you disbarred as a lawyer. You seem to forget, it was me and Lauren who helped you open your law practice in the first place, with a loan from both of us and a recommendation from me, yet this is how you repay us?" Both parents are in shock at this admission. "Now, onto you Rachel," the brunette says, turning to his daughter. "I would expect this behavior from Kyle, but from you? Zack's mother? That is the biggest disrespect you could ever give to both me and Lauren."
"Daddy please. It isn't serious. I was going to let him back in a few min-"
"Isn't SERIOUS?!" For the first time during the conversation, David has raised his voice, scaring both parents (and unbeknownst to all but David, the young girl listening in to their conversation at the top of the stairs). "Oh this is very serious Rachel. My grandson wandered alone on the street for at least 40 minutes on his way to our house. At 8 P.M. He didn't take the bus, as there are no stops anywhere near our house! He doesn't even have a phone to call a rideshare, and I severely doubt that given the situation that either of you would drive him to us, now would you? And Rachel, if you did intend to bring him inside after a few minutes and you did see that he wasn't where your husband threw him out, then why the fuck are you not out there looking for him right now?"
Rachel just sits there opening and closing her mouth in the poor mockery of a goldfish. David sighs in response. "Unbelievable. This is not how Lauren and I raised you, to be needlessly cruel to your own child. For your sake, I hope that you at least treat your remaining child the proper way, and support her and her dreams. Now, I will be sending over my lawyer tomorrow with the appropriate documents for you to sign custody of Zachary over to me. Are we in agreement?"
"Yes." Kyle says without hesitation. David looks unsurprised at this, yet Rachel looks at her husband in surprised apprehension.
"I need an answer from both of you, Rachel. After your poor actions and worthless excuses tonight, I genuinely don't feel as though this is a proper environment for my grandson. I know that your mother would agree with me, if not be more rash and simply take emergency custody of Zachary without either of your consent."
Rachel bites her lips for a few more moments in thought, then gives a quiet, resigned answer. Yes."
David nodded. Internally, he was using his quirk to process this information. Just as I thought, but I wish for once I was wrong. Kyle has obviously built up his disdain for Zack and sees his dream as pointless without even knowing what his Quirk is. Meanwhile, my foolish daughter is siding with him since she sees him as the authority of their household. Not only that, but she probably fears what may happen if Zack does become a hero. He may get hurt, but isn't that true of anything in life? A chef can cut off a finger while chopping vegetables, a dentist can get in a car crash on the way to work. Anything can happen, but that is just the way of life. Most likely she wanted to bring him back inside earlier, but Kyle wouldn't let her. He probably convinced her to let Zack suffer a bit and come to his senses and "give up on his dreams" for once and for all. If he did stay outside the house and didn't come to me and Lauren, they may have only let him back in if he swore on his life to give up on being a hero. However, they surely must not have anticipated that he would make the trek to our house.
Still, David sighs internally, to give up on your own son without so much as a fight? Disgraceful. She is not fit to be a mother to Zack as she has practically given up on him already. I truly hope she doesn't make the same mistake with Alice. If she does, we will take her in too, but that is unlikely. He glances up at the stairs briefly and notices the young girl's slipper peeking out from behind the railing. Hopefully she will understand one day why this happened. She and Zack have always had a good relationship. I hope they continue it, despite this ordeal.
"Alright then," David says as he gets up. Rachel and Kyle rise to their feet as well. "I will be going home. Zack shall be staying with Lauren and I. My lawyer will be over tomorrow with the documents. You will be signing them and returning them to me in two days. If you don't then I will file a domestic violence report with the local heroes and police."
David starts walking to the front door with Kyle and Rachel trailing behind them. "Oh, I forgot one thing." He spins around and swiftly knees Kyle in the balls. Stunned and in pain, Kyle whines and falls to his knees with his hands around his balls, Rachel quickly kneeling by his side to comfort him. "That was from Lauren, who couldn't be here herself as she is mending my grandson's wounds. And make no mistake,"
David lowers his voice gravely and leans in closer to Kyle (partially for affect and partially to avoid reaching the ears of the girl still on the stairs but unable to see the three adults), "had Lauren been here tonight and had neither of us had no want for more grandchildren, she would have cut off your cock and fed it to you. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir," Kyle grunts out, still cupping his groin in pain.
"Good. See to it that you treat your remaining child with the respect that you didn't have for your first-born." With this, David Kohn opens the door and closes it. His plan complete, he heads back to his car to return home and contact his lawyer concerning custody documents for the new addition to his household that he and his wife would happily care for. Meanwhile, he would reserve the ride home to think of a new plan and overcome a new challenge: how to prepare Zack to become the best hero he could possibly be. Not something he would anticipate creating a plan for, but a good change of pace from constant martial arts practice and his wife's obsession with k-dramas.
Zack wakes up early the next morning. Sleep weary, he is at first not sure where he is. Slowly, he recalls what happened the previous night. After having his wounds treated by his grandmother, she treated him to a quick dinner of spaghetti bolognese and the latest episode of her next k-drama obsession. After David returned home, both of his grandparents insisted that he go to bed early and rest after his ordeal, to which he couldn't agree more. He had made his way up to one of multiple guest bedrooms which was his usual resting place when he and his family stayed over on visits.
My family which I am no longer a part of, the young boy thinks. Shaking his head to respress the painful reminder, he heads down stairs to the kitchen. As soon as he crosses the threshold, his grandmother ushers him to his usual spot at the dining table, already set up with a bowl of cereal and milk and a mug of hot chocolate. Across from him, his grandfather is reading the news on his tablet, sipping at his coffee. His grandmother comes with a plate of fresh fruit and places it in the center of the table, taking her place at Zack's side.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence. David sets down his mug and tablet and looks up at his grandson. "I hope you slept all right Zack, all things considered."
Zack nods his head. "Yes grandpa. I slept fine. I hope the same for you both." He turns his head to his grandmother. "Thank you for the first aid grandma."
Rachel gives a kind smile and playfully rubs Zack's hair. "You're welcome sweetie pie."
"Now then," David brings the attention back to him. "You have a decision to make, Zack." The boy focuses on his grandfather. "Your father, unfortunately for him, has failed to be a decent parent to you and protect you and your interests. Your mother, surprisingly to me as her father, has managed to do the exact same thing." Zack lowers his head to look in his lap at this confirmation concerning both of his parents, feeling his grandmother's familiar hand pat his shoulder in comfort.
"So, if you are alright with it, your grandmother and I would like for you to live with us from now on." Zack nearly gives himself whiplash with the speed at which he snaps his head up at his grandfather in disbelief. Said disbelief quickly turns to happiness as he jumps out of his chair and clenches his fists in excitement.
"Really?!" he squeals. Kyle gives a small nod. "Yes, I would like that very much!" He turns to his grandmother and gives her a strong hug which she returns and outdoes in strength. Detaching from the doctor, he sprints around the table and does the same to his grandfather, who gently wraps his hands around him in response.
"There is also the matter of your schooling and future career." At this, Zack looks up at his grandfather in question. "Be honest with me Zack. You don't feel productive at school do you?"
Zack takes a moment to consider, then gives an answer. "Not really, no. I keep up with the material, but I feel like I am limited in what I can learn."
David nods in acceptance, then pauses to carefully articulate his next thoughts. "Let me ask you a different way: do you feel productive socially? Do you have any meaningful relationships there?" "Do you have any friends?" goes unsaid, but is essentially implied.
Zack, by comparison to his wizened grandfather, shows no hesitation with his response. "No. Most of the kids just avoid me. It's because of my Quirk status still being Undetermined." His grandmother forms a frown on her face at his admission and tsks in exasperation from her place across the table.
"I see," David replies. "Taking that into consideration, I would like to make you an offer." Zack perks up in curiosity. "I would like to pull you out of that school. Instead, I will take up your schooling. I still have my teaching license, and I am pretty sure I outclass most middle schools if not high schools in terms of education. And if you want to be a hero, you will need to have a flexible and understanding teacher to help you make time to learn fighting skills while maintaining the quality of your education."
"Don't leave me out honey," Lauren chuckles from the side. "I think I could teach Zack a thing or two about medicine and being a physician. If he can't be a frontline hero, he could still be a medical hero or a doctor if he so chooses. Plus," she grins mischievously, "ladies do love handsome doctors." David glares at her for taking away his spotlight. After a few moments of silence, she huffs out in exasperation. "What? Can't let you have all the fun by teaching him. All the doctors reporting to me have learned everything I have to offer. Plus, I want to give him something useful too. And stop being melodramatic!" Lauren snaps as her husband has continued to stare at her in annoyance. "For someone who complains about my k-dramas, you certainly like to act like the main characters when things don't go their way! Maybe you are the reason why my streams are being marked as watched!"
Despite the domestic bickering in front of him, Zack beams at the prospect of learning under his grandparents. "Yes, I would lov-"
"However," David interrupts his fast response, a grave look upon his face. "It will be no easy task. I will be the most difficult and demanding teacher you have ever had. You will be exercising both your mind and body to their absolute limits, and increasing those limits just to push against them again until it becomes painful. To say nothing of your grandmother and what she has planned for you. She has so much medical knowledge to pump into your mind, you will wish your quirk manifests and it is an exact copy of hers. You will fail and fall at times, but then you will have to make a difficult decision: will you get back up and continue even knowing that you may fail again?"
David pauses, and softens his features. "But that is only if you want to be a hero. If you would rather just live a normal life and not go into heroics, your grandmother and I will support you. As long as you have the determination to do something, we will help you do it. Whatever profession, whatever company, whatever you want to do: we will make it possible. The rest is up to you."
Zack takes a few moments to digest this and think of his answer. I am at a crossroads. I have one path that will take me to my dream, as improbable as it may be and as much as my father hates it. No, he scoffs internally. That man will have no hold on me anymore. Grandpa said as much, why else would I be coming to live with him and grandma? It will be hard, but I will have support. On the other hand, I have an easy chance of stability. A normal life, a path to a job with a steady income, and a peaceful existence.
He frowns at that last thought. That may make some people happy, but…but that isn't what I want! All my life, I have wanted to do something that makes me happy. I can't be happy with normal. I want to do something that matters, something that will give my life meaning. Something like saving people, like helping them give their lives meaning. I can't think of anything else that will make me happy. Like grandpa says, it won't be easy. But then again, when has anything in my life ever been easy?
After a few minutes of consideration, Zack looks up at his grandfather in resolution. "I want to be a hero. I know it will be hard, but there is nothing else I would rather do. I am ready to work for my dreams!"
Unbeknownst to Zack, David sees a spark of determination behind his eyes. A far cry from the sorrowful boy who had shown up at his doorstep the previous night, in pain and upset. Taking the confirmation of his offer, he stands up and gently lays his hands on the young boy's shoulders. "Good. I would expect nothing less. Now, let's make you a hero."
AN: Hello readers, it is I, AkaDeca. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for the 5 month hiatus. Life happens, but I will continue this story.. Please feel free to leave comments, and be sure to let me know if you would like to beta read.