Chapter 3
The next day, Mandalay took Eron to her estate. Eron sat in the back seat. The trunk of the car was filled with everyday items bought by UA for Eron, as well as books on learning to read and write, because as it turned out, Eron could talk to them, but he didn't know how to write in Japanese.
Eron looked at the trees passing by. The car drove quietly and relatively slowly. The gentle morning sun shone through the dense treetops. The boy stuck his hand out the window, feeling the wind. The forest smelled of everything it should smell like. Resin from the trees, mushrooms growing in the shade after rain, numerous flowers between which various insects flew, which were still unknown to Eron.
Mandalay glanced in the rearview mirror every now and then, observing the boy in silence. She thought she had done the right thing by taking him with her. The hustle and bustle of the city could be detrimental to his adjustment to civilian life.
Eron closed his eyes and shook his head... he had just imagined a droid patrol emerging from behind the bushes... And these were just the local animals with their young. He looked up, but no enemy fighter flew over the treetops.
Mandalay noticed the boy struggling with himself.
Mandalay turned off the main road onto a side path covered in gravel. Small stones crunched under the wheels of the car, and Eron looked ahead. In front of him he saw a mansion built mainly of wood. The unfamiliar architecture was alien to him... but also strangely appealing.
"This is our home and the base of operations for the Wild Wild Pussycats. There used to be a hot springs resort here. We bought the land."
Eron didn't answer right away. This wasn't a clone trooper barracks. This wasn't a Jedi temple. This was something... with a soul... something natural.
Mandalay pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the engine.
The boy opened the door. As his boots touched the ground, he heard the sounds of the forest. Dozens of birds chirping to each other. Somewhere nearby, water flowing in a stream. The rustling leaves of trees. Then he sensed something in the power... someone was watching him. Eron looked toward the house. In one of the windows he saw the silhouette of a small boy, who disappeared as soon as he noticed them.
Mandalay didn't notice her nephew, busy unpacking her groceries. Tiger, Ragdoll, and Pixie-Bob emerged from the main entrance. It looked as if they had been waiting for them to arrive.
"KAWAIIIIII!" - Pixie-Bob howled. She ran towards the boy. Eron acted instinctively. He took the appropriate stance to repel the attack.
Pixie-Bob stopped mid-step, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw the boy in a fighting stance. She was a pro hero, but what she saw in the boy's eyes was experience.
Pixie-Bob took a step back, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. Eron blinked. He slowly moved his hand away from the lightsaber. He bowed his head slightly, but continued to watch these people closely, especially Pixie-Bob.
"I'm sorry. It was a reflex. I'm so sorry, ma'am."
Pixie-Bob looked at him with slight embarrassment, but then smiled broadly, as if nothing had happened.
"I'll let you get away with it this time. Remember that, boy. I'm a TEENAGER at heart!"
Tiger sighed, rubbing his face with his hand, but the smile in his eyes betrayed amusement.
"And a very noisy teenager at that."
He approached Eron. He glared at him. He was surprised when the boy returned the glare.... a tough competitor
"Hello boy. I'm Tiger. If you intend to stay here for a while, we'll see each other often. I expect you to take part in training if you want to become a pro hero."
"From what I understand, in order to save people, I need a document confirming that I'm a pro hero?"
"Yes. If you do it without the permission of another pro hero, or without a pro hero license, you could be arrested."
Eron narrowed his eyes.
"Then it would be better if whoever wants to arrest me was prepared for the consequences."
Tiger raised an eyebrow, but instead of anger, a shadow of appreciation appeared in his gaze. He understood that this boy was different from his peers. Three years of war would change anyone.
"Strong words, young one... let's see if there's any strength behind them that can support this argument."
Ragdoll, who had been rocking on her toes and barely restraining herself from exploding with energy, chimed in with a happy smile.
"And I'm Ragdoll! My quirk allows me to observe and monitor up to 100 people at once! I can also learn their weaknesses thanks to it! Yours, for example, are..."
Eron felt a strange power trying to break through his mental shield.... He pushed it away firmly. Ragdoll staggered on her feet. She... couldn't feel the boy with her quirk... it was as if he had become... invisible to her.
"Don't ever try to enter my mind again"
Eron said calmly but firmly.
Ragdoll froze. For a long moment no one spoke. Even the forest seemed to fall silent. Ragdoll felt the animals around her run away as far as they could.
Tiger narrowed his eyes. Without looking away from the boy, he asked.
"Ragdoll?"
"I... I can't feel him, Tiger... I can't feel him with my quirk..."
Pixie-Bob, who had been joking earlier, now stood silently as well. Her expression betrayed concern. She looked at Mandalay, as if looking for an explanation. Mandalay decided to resolve the situation.
"Eron. Can you tell them about your abilities?"
Eron was silent for a moment. Mandalay's words reminded him that these people didn't want to hurt him.
"I'm sorry. I overreacted. I can't explain it to you in just a few words... can we sit down somewhere?"
Mandalay replied.
"Of course Eron. Let's unpack the groceries in your room and go have some tea. In the meantime, I'll see if Kota is ready to meet you"
The five of them were sitting at the table. Kota was absent, which saddened Mandalay. Tiger had prepared tea for everyone. He sat down heavily at the table and said.
"Come on, kid. Tell me about your quirk." Eron closed his eyes and began to tell.
"I don't have any quirks, as you call them. I am a person sensitive to the 'Force'. It is an energy that permeates and connects all living things. It connects the entire universe. Someone who is sensitive enough to the 'Force' can learn to use it. With the 'Force' I can sense people, influence them, attract and push objects away from me. I can stop a tree falling on my head and then throw it to the side. I can strengthen my body and jump great distances without harming my health. I am stronger, faster than ordinary people. I know Jedi Masters who can predict the future and see into the past. I was a Padawan. A Padawan is a Jedi who is in training and has not yet become a Jedi Knight." Ragdoll held a cup of tea in both hands, staring at Eron as if enchanted. Pixie-Bob stopped nervously jiggling her leg, and even Tiger stopped stirring his tea and leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. Ragdoll spoke first.
"So... it's not a quirk?"
"No. I'm sorry I... pushed you away so abruptly. It was a reflex."
Eron bowed his head slightly. His words were sincere. He did it out of habit. Tiger crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, kid. You have impressive skills. Worthy of a hero."
Pixie-Bob had to ask.
"Why do you talk about this 'Force' as if it were a person?"
"According to Jedi teachings, the force has a will of its own, and they themselves must listen to it and follow its will."
"Something tells me you don't believe what you're saying," Tiger said slowly, not wanting to provoke the boy.
"Because I don't believe. Jedi are supposed to protect everyone who needed help, but according to the dogma of the order, you can't do anything because the 'Force' didn't tell you to do it. Of course, at this point I'm explaining it briefly. The crux of the problem in my opinion is that the Jedi Order has forgotten what Jedi are supposed to do. That's why I stopped believing in it. When I passed suffering civilians, one of the masters told me that it was the will of the 'Force'. When a man died, due to a Jedi mistake, the same Jedi said that it wasn't his fault, but the will of the Force. When I fought on the front lines, I was surrounded by clones, and young Jedi who fought in this war because the Jedi Council told them to." Ragdoll looked at the boy with empathy. She couldn't understand how the child had coped in the war, and from what she understood during Hellbound's interrogation... the war had been going on for 3 years, Eron had been in it since the beginning of the conflict, and the war itself was brutal. Mandalay looked at the boy with a mixture of pain and sadness. She felt the pain of losing Kot's parents, but this boy had been going through it every day for three years.
Pixie-Bob looked like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She wasn't smiling anymore, like she had when she greeted Eron today. Now she was looking at the boy like he had just said something... she couldn't even name it.
Tiger was thinking hard.
(This kid... he stuck to the rules that had been taught to him by that whole order... and when they failed, he created his own rules... his own code of conduct... he didn't say it, but you could feel it coming from him.)
Tiger nodded slowly towards the boy. A sign of respect from one warrior to another. He had to ask anyway.
"What are you planning now, Eron?"
The boy who had been called turned his eyes to Tiger. His gaze was tired, but there was a maturity in them that was hard to find in his peers.
"I don't know. All I know is that I'm going to try to help people. With or without this whole pro hero license."
"Kid... you can't act without it. I've already said it."
"And I've already said that anyone who tries to arrest me has to be prepared for the consequences."
"You have too much anger in you, kid."
"I won't let anyone force me to watch others suffer when I can help them. No official will scare me with the lack of some document."
Tiger was silent for a moment, his gaze never leaving Eron's. Tiger felt that he had to take the initiative to control the boy.
"If you're going to act as a hero, you need to know that in this world, chaos and good intentions rarely go hand in hand. It's too easy to cross the line."
"It wouldn't be the first time."
Ragdoll spoke carefully.
"Eron...did you have to...during that war..."
Eron stood up from the table. He walked over to the open window. His hands were clasped behind his back. He stood straight and spoke like an officer to his soldiers.
"In war, you often get orders that you may not agree with, but you still have an obligation to carry them out. If not you, then someone else. You can only minimize losses. I had to decide who to save and who to leave. I had to give orders for desperate assaults to soldiers who knew they would die. So stop telling me about consequences. You have to understand two things, Tiger. First - I understand perfectly well what consequences are. Second - If I was able to go with my men to the assault, then I will definitely not back down from anyone. Do not... Test... Me...."
Tiger slowly rose from the chair, his movements calm but full of tension. This was not what he expected from this kid. He took a slow step towards Eron, his figure tense, like the tiger he based his name on.
"What if I do just that? What will you do if I stand in your way?"
Eron said without looking at him.
"I'll get you out of the way."
"And what if I don't let you?"
Eron turned his head slightly in his direction, staring defiantly with one eye at the man.
"Come closer and you'll see."
Pixie-Bob froze in mid-motion, her hand with the tea shaking slightly. Ragdoll stiffened, holding her breath. Mandalay jumped up, ready to react. Too late. Tiger moved towards the boy to teach him humility. Mandalay only managed to shout.
"Tiger NO!"
Eron didn't reach for his lightsaber. He drew 'The Force'.
An invisible force unknown to Tiger... pushed him away. He rose in the air, as if something was holding him by the neck. Eron wasn't strangling him... yet.
Mandalay looked at Eron. His hand was raised slightly and the gesture looked like he was holding someone... Tiger by the neck.
"Eron please stop!"
Eron stood still. Hand outstretched, concentration written on his face. There was no fury in him, but something much more dangerous. Absolute control.
Tiger was floating half a meter above the floor, his feet helplessly searching for support. He wasn't choking, but his neck was tense. He felt like he could be crushed. He could feel the power of that invisible hand. This wasn't something he could overcome.
"Eron, please stop!"
Mandalay repeated, louder this time, with clear panic in her voice. She stood between him and Tiger, looking into his eyes. She calmed down instantly and said gently.
"Eron... look at me. Look at me, please"
The Padawan looked at her.
"I see... you told him not to test you. Now we all know why. Please... put Tiger down on the ground..."
Eron's hand dropped. Tiger groaned and fell to his knees and cleared his throat. He breathed deeply, but didn't say a word.
Pixie-Bob walked over to help him up. Ragdoll sat at the table with her mouth open, not knowing what to say. She was terrified by the boy's power, who not only blocked her quirk on him, but also.... could do such things.
Tiger wasn't angry. He wasn't furious. He was surprised and full of respect for the boy's strength.
Mandalay took a deep breath. For a moment there was complete silence.
Eron lowered his head a little. He relaxed his muscles.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have challenged you in your own home, Tiger."
Tiger finally got to his feet. He shook his head, as if to shake off the feeling of helplessness as he levitated.
"No, young one. I was the one who tricked you. I see you've been gentle with me... that means you can hold back from throwing a punch... very good."
"Maybe so... but I should have shown more respect and humility."
Tiger flexed his muscles, standing like a hero on parade.
"The most important thing is that you were honest with us! I'm sure you'll become a great pro hero, boy. Just remember that the war you fought in is far away. You're not at war anymore...at least not physically. I understand that in your head you're still on the battlefield. I won't tell you what to do, but I'll help you in any way I can, kid. That's what real heroes do."
Pixie-Bob gently nudged Tiger in the side.
"Are you trying to give a moralizing monologue?"
"Oh, come on. You just ruined this profound moment."
Ragdoll laughed quietly, but her smile was genuine. The atmosphere at the table slowly began to relax. Even Mandalay allowed herself a quiet laugh that would have been unthinkable a moment ago.
Eron looked at everyone, slightly surprised by the change in mood. He couldn't understand it. Mandalay looked at him warmly.
"Ready to see your room?"
"Are you sure I can stay?"
Mandalay smiled gently at him.
"Eron... you can stay as long as you need to. No one will throw you out. This is your home from now on."
Eron was silent for a moment, as if trying to process the words. Foreign words... even his parents didn't want him when he finally met them during the war. Up until now, the word 'home' had been... a fantasy. Something unavailable to the likes of him.
"Thank you..."
"Oh, stop it... come on, I'll show you your room."
.
.
.
Eron looked around the room. All the members of the Wild Wild Pussycats came to see his reaction. The room was large...very large and furnished. The wooden floor creaked slightly underfoot.
Ragdoll spoke up.
"Is everything okay?"
"Are you sure...this is my room?"
Pixie-Bob butted in.
"What? Don't like it? We could always throw Tiger out of his room and you'll have a view of the setting sun!"
Tiger snorted, pretending to be offended.
"Hey! It's your room that faces the west!"
"Yeah! But I'll take yours and give mine to Eron!"
"You little thing!!!!!"
Eron looked at them with wide eyes. For a moment he looked completely confused. Ragdoll giggled at his expression.
"Don't worry. It's normal for us. In fact, we sometimes tease each other, but tell me now. Is the room okay with you?"
"This room could serve as quarters for half the company..."
"Ah, yeah! In the army, they share rooms! Calm down, Eron. This room is JUST FOR YOU!"
Ragdoll shouted happily.
"Hey, Eron! Just say the word, and we'll throw Tiger out of his room together!" Pixie-Bob said with a laugh.
Tiger groaned theatrically and clutched his heart.
"And you dare call yourself a hero!? You want to throw your friend out of his own room!?"
Eron watched this scene in silence, increasingly surprised, increasingly... disarmed. The tension that had been with him for months... eased. Slightly, but eased. "I've never seen adults act like this. I always thought adults were serious in every situation..."
At that moment, all three of them turned to him, as if he had said something completely incomprehensible. Mandalay decided to explain it to him.
"Being an adult doesn't mean you have to forget how to laugh."
"Or how to be an idiot by choice!" Tiger laughed, pointing a finger at Pixie-Bob.
Pixie-Bob lifted her head proudly and put her hands on her hips, as if she had just received a medal.
"As usual, you're confusing terms Tiger! This isn't idiocy, this is... high-class chaos that I have perfect control over!"
End of Chapter 3