A caravan moved down the road without exceeding the speed limit, unhurried, as if it had all the time in the world, and indeed, it had, at least for the last month of the summer vacation.
Its driver was a smiling yet haggard man, whose appearance would surprise anyone not close to him, for a condition weakened him. His name was Toshinori Yagi, a magician shunned for his idealism of becoming a Symbol of Peace, for he broke all the mysticism that the magical world represented."Not that I care too much," he told himself, for even if he could not belong to that magical world that gave him the chance to save everyone, he had found something more important: a family, a legacy.
He turned his gaze toward the rearview mirror, reflected by the simple interior that occupied just the necessary space—not overly cramped to punish his guests with a stifling sense of claustrophobia, but not stingy either. For this journey, he had equipped what was essential: a small kitchen on the driver's side with three drawers below, above them a sink with some dirty dishes (he mentally reminded himself to delegate that task to one of the occupants), a small microwave, and a cutlery holder. On top, three cupboards waited to be filled with those dishes and cups.
A window gave the cleaner the feeling of being watched while finishing their task. In front of the kitchen, a small table adorned with little seats on both sides had another window at the same height; next to it was the door. A closed bathroom with showers and a small clothing storage area across completed the visible space.
Behind, and covered by a curtain, were two small bunk beds, suitcases with clothes (one tidier than the other), action figures and comics, and textbooks.
—Good morning, Grandpa— announced a sleepy voice as the opaque curtain was drawn aside.A small 10-year-old with green hair emerged from the comfort of his room, leaving the world of dreams and tranquility.
—Good morning, Izuku— said Toshinori warmly. —I must say, I'm surprised you woke up before Gwen. After all, she's the kind who believes that to be efficient, you must make the most of every second of the day.
—Yeah, well— mumbled the green-haired boy, still sleepy, as he headed to the bathroom, taking out his toothpaste and brush —Actually, she stayed up late studying the books we got from Hex's grandfather last time. She hasn't told me much, but I think she's designing a spell that will let her fly—
Suddenly, his eyes sparkled. He stopped brushing to rinse his mouth and speak again, now more awake and excited, his green eyes gleaming with joy.
—Can you imagine it, Grandpa?— he asked, though he didn't expect an answer. Toshinori simply smiled helplessly; a small drop of sweat slid down his forehead. —Many times our battles need to be fought on solid ground for safety; you never know when the Omnitrix might run out of power mid-flight, or in your case, because of your time limit—. He paused to catch his breath and continued. —If Gwen develops this spell, which I'm sure she will because she's amazing, we could design a new way to attack. I wouldn't need to use Stinkfly or Heatblast to move through the air; Gwen could carry me on her back or something like that, then I'd transform and fight without worrying about falling into the void. That would also benefit you—you wouldn't waste unnecessary time jumping from great heights to recover.
Gwen arrived, about to speak. She was a 10-year-old girl, with reddish hair and green eyes, Toshinori's niece. But if you asked him, she was everything he wasn't: responsible, studious, practically the voice of reason for this little group and their adventures.
—He's in fan mode, isn't he?——Excited about your new spell, actually—. He made a "so-so" gesture with his hand.
—S-so that's what it was, it's n-not finished, I'm not even sure if I could make it work—
The mumble stopped.
—Of course you can do it, Gwen!— he exclaimed. —Remember! If my goal is to become the greatest hero in the world, yours is to become the greatest sorceress of all!—
—Ha~ d-don't say things out loud, dummy!— She blushed slightly; she had to admit, this whole summer had changed her a bit. Before, she couldn't have imagined exclaiming something like that.
Before magic and aliens, villains and thieves, her only goal was studying, finishing high school with top grades, and enrolling in one of the most prestigious universities in the United States.
"Maybe if I hadn't agreed to travel with Uncle Toshinori and Izuku, I'd still be buried in equations and history books, knowing nothing about the truth of this world. I wouldn't have been able to help so many people either.""Yeah, being the greatest sorceress of all doesn't sound bad."
Izuku left the bathroom and gave up his place to Gwen. His messy, unkempt green hair contrasted with the neatly combed red hair of the girl. Even after sleeping, her discipline was impressive.
—Izuku, before you woke up, I made a small stop at a gas station; consider that the pantry is FULL capacity HAHAHAHA—. A laugh escaped the blonde while driving; he had to admit it, it had become a habit—bad jokes were, above all, part of the job."Grandpa Toshinori...""Uncle Might..."
He didn't care about the lack of reaction, continuing his lively laughter as little disputes broke out behind him—children's things, he thought.
"So we've reached our last stop. Who would have thought this wonderful summer would ever end?" They had been driving for hours, and Izuku, who thought it best to watch the road from the table covered in scattered books, had no better idea than to recall the magnificent summer, its astonishing beginning, and, consequently, its inevitable end."Even today, it's hard to believe that what seemed like a typical caravan trip from the United States to Japan became a heroic odyssey."
—Hey, Gwen——What's up?——If you had to make a history report about our "boring and monotonous trip," how would you do it?— he asked, his eyes sparkling.
Gwen's fingers stopped over the keyboard. She looked up at Izuku, and for a moment, they shared the feeling weighing on them. She sighed, squinting at the computer.
—Well, if there were a way to start a report about our "boring and monotonous trip," it would be—. She looked out the window for a few seconds, then returned her gaze to the green-haired boy. —It all started when I was invited by my then-"ordinary" uncle—. There was a cough mixed with laughter. —When I entered the caravan, I found a small green-haired nerd who couldn't even speak a word to me without blushing and stammering—She ignored his "hey." —Relax, my first thought was that you were adorable; you have to admit, in the first days, you couldn't look me in the eyes for more than twenty seconds—
—Let's skip that part, please…— The girl shrugged with a smile, and Izuku sighed before imitating her.
—First night: marshmallows over the fire, no internet, no books, surrounded by insects and nature, sitting on an uncomfortable log full of splinters—
—The sky was beautiful. I remember taking a moment to walk along the trail. I had never camped before; I wanted the full experience—, Izuku added.
—Suddenly, a trail of light covered the sky and approached the ground——You thought that was a good idea…——Yeah, well, it wasn't my brightest idea, anyway— —I followed the impact trail, and there, in the middle of a crater, was a sphere. Suddenly, the ground broke, and I fell toward it. The sphere opened with a green glow; there it was. ——A space watch, spoiler, weeks later we'd discover its real name——It stuck to my wrist, I transformed into Heatblast and burned the forest, then got hit with a fire extinguisher, and Grandpa helped me fix the mistake——We were surprised by robots searching for the watch— Gwen added, then smiled —And we defeated them—.—Yes, we did—.
From then on, homework or sadness faded into the background. Both children began recalling every villain they had faced, every problem or situation they once thought impossible, and how they had solved it.
The story extended minutes, then hours. They detailed every tiny detail, as if that history assignment were another enemy, waiting for the heroes to recount their experiences with meticulous care—or else, failure meant a failing grade, one of the worst nightmares, the enemy of every child.
—We traveled to space, met the watch's creator——We got amulets, learned magic—"But most importantly," both thought, though they didn't say it.—We learned the truth— Toshinori concluded —Children, you have no idea how proud I am of you. This world has many bad things, but also good ones. You gained power but never faltered; your hearts were always in the right place, and that is why I will always be proud of what you are and what you will become. Even if I am not here to see it.
—As far as I'm concerned, this trip couldn't have had a better ending. I know it's sad to see it finish; at your age, it seems like the end, that once it's over, nothing can compare—but that's not true. The end of one adventure is the beginning of another—.
—What makes me happiest is that you were able to connect. Both of you are wonderful young people, capable of many things. Together, you faced challenges that would make any adult tremble, even me—.
—But Grandpa, you were always with us, smiling, saving the day—.
The elderly man sighed. Suddenly, he appeared older than he really was.
—Izuku, Gwen, listen carefully—. He looked at the rearview mirror while forming a weak smile. He thought it was a bad moment to say it and almost restrained himself. No, they must know. At some point, they must keep in mind that things don't always end well. The hero doesn't always win, and a smile isn't always genuine. —You are still young. You must not fear what comes, but you must be prepared. Even someone like me, who has faced many villains, feels fear. Sometimes, I am terrified—
This surprised them both; the skepticism vanished from their faces. They unconsciously understood that this was a lesson from an adult, a hero, one with so many and varied confrontations, dwarfing the not-small but minor list of fights. They knew, deep inside, even if they didn't admit it, that All Might's streak of victories, the vigilante, was not absolute.
—Being a hero is not easy. You don't always achieve a perfect victory, God forbid. I wish with all my heart that you don't. But if one day something hits you so hard that you can't get up, rely on those you consider your family to lift you—
The sign announcing their imminent entry into Fuyuki distracted him for a few seconds, time he used to let the information sink into their innocent minds while formulating his next words.
—I didn't have a perfect life. I gave up many things to become the Symbol of Peace. Don't get me wrong; perhaps due to the intervention of alternate agents, I couldn't fully achieve it, but its essence, yes. Even if the world doesn't know the help I've given, even if everyone I've saved forgets me, I know I fulfilled what it meant for me to be the Symbol of Peace. Inside, I know a small part of me went with them, and from now on, when someone is in trouble and needs a hand, they will be the next to extend it. Isn't that what it's about? Any act, no matter how small—even lending a hand—if the intention is to save or help, is a hero in my eyes—.
All tension left his face, and his smile returned, the hopeful one that had inspired them so much.
—The truth is, I smile because I am scared. Scared of not being up to the task—but that's okay. Being afraid isn't wrong. I smile so others feel safe, and by doing so, I give myself courage to face my fears and surpass my limits. My mistake was placing all the weight on a single figure because, in the long run, nothing can be held by a single pillar; when that one support breaks, everything it sustains falls. What I want to hold up is hope, freedom, justice…—
—Now I want you to ask yourselves, what kind of heroes do you want to be?— He didn't expect an answer. —Don't carry all the world's problems on your own. Now there are two of you, soon there will be three, and one day, you will be surrounded by people who share your intentions and will make the world a better place—.
As the caravan entered a city that seemed peaceful but where the ashes of future wars, betrayals, and vile acts smoldered in its corners—acts that would make even the most evil alien species recoil—Izuku, Toshinori, and Gwen Tennyson were left speechless. The question posed by their grandfather and the weight of his words sank deep into their minds.
"What kind of hero do I want to be?""What kind of heroine do I want to be?"