[ Merlyn Mansion, Star City ]
Tommy had been feeling incredibly uncomfortable lately. He'd been forced to take the bus and squeeze into crowded subway cars. With his allowance cut off, he didn't even dare to hang out with his old friends. Most days, he just called them and pretended to be sick. So, when he heard he might get his pocket money back, he lit up like a Christmas tree. He even poured his father a glass of water—his first time in years—and sat down obediently, beaming. "You can talk now, old man."
Seeing his son smiling like a cat who'd just smelled tuna, Malcolm knew exactly what that grin meant. Still, he calmed himself, took a breath, and asked in a low voice, "What would you do if you encountered a kidnapper? Have you ever thought about that?"
"Where are the bodyguards? You didn't forget to pay them, did you?" Tommy asked, completely baffled by the question.
That's the difference, Malcolm thought. Thea might overthink things and lean toward paranoia sometimes, but at least she was cautious. I can beat ten of your so-called bodyguards myself, he mused, but that wasn't a discussion for today. "If you're out with Laurel, you wouldn't want a bodyguard following you 24/7, would you?"
Of course not. Who wants someone hovering nearby during private moments? Tommy looked down, clearly thoughtful. He wasn't stupid. He could tell his father was building up to something. "What are you trying to say?"
"You need the ability to protect yourself—anytime, anywhere."
"You want me to carry a weapon now?" Tommy asked, thinking he had figured it out.
"No. You need training," Malcolm said, his voice firm.
Tommy chuckled until he realized Malcolm was serious. His smile faltered. "Are you for real? You want me to take combat training? Like... military-grade training? Special forces stuff?"
Malcolm didn't answer directly. They hadn't talked like this in ages, but even with a few exchanged sentences, he could analyze his son's mental state. He saw his weaknesses clearly now. Time to act. "You want to protect Laurel if a crisis ever hits, right?"
Tommy nodded instantly. That was a no-brainer. What man didn't want to protect the woman he loved?
"You don't have to go to Merlyn Global tomorrow," Malcolm said. "I'll train you. Give you the power to protect her."
Tommy's first reaction to the news that he didn't have to go to work was pure joy. But hearing the rest made him sit up straighter, his posture radiating purpose. It hit him hard. This was a mission—his mission.
Then came the doubt. "You'll train me? Do you even have the skills for that?" Tommy asked, squinting at Malcolm like he was seeing him for the first time. "Aren't you a businessman? You look like a regular guy."
Malcolm, now a veteran in teaching thanks to months with Thea, knew when to stop explaining and start showing. He took his son to the mansion's garden and there he pulled out a bag of tennis balls and handed them to Tommy. "Toss one in the air. I'll take care of the rest."
But the first lesson went... poorly.
Tommy, still hung up on the idea of his dad knowing martial arts, spaced out and ended up throwing the entire bag into the air.
Tennis balls rained down everywhere.
Malcolm was so stunned he couldn't even shoot. Holding back his frustration, he ordered, "Pick them up. One at a time this time!"
The second attempt went better. Tommy was soon awestruck by Malcolm's accuracy and speed. But when Malcolm asked if he wanted to learn, Tommy posed the question Oliver Queen had once wanted to ask Yao Fei but never did: "Why not just use a pistol?"
Malcolm finally understood how Yao Fei must've felt.
Why is he so stubborn? Malcolm grumbled inwardly. You see? Thea doesn't talk this much nonsense!
He wanted to say that pistols were ineffective against him—but he wasn't Thea. His reflexes had dulled. His perception range is less than her. At close range, a bullet could still hurt him. Instead, he echoed the words once told to him by Ra's al Ghul: "Pistols are tools for the weak."
He instantly regretted it. Tommy's blank stare made it clear he'd completely missed the point.
Malcolm sighed. "After my training, you'll be able to dodge bullets or at least move the moment someone raises a gun."
"Can you do that?" Tommy asked, eyes wide, as if listening to a bedtime fairy tale.
Malcolm swallowed. What could he say? He nodded firmly. "Yes. I can."
Inside, he was groaning. Maybe I should've said I'd give it a try. Or that I was injured and couldn't perform at full strength.
Thankfully, Tommy wasn't cruel enough to ask for a live demo. He nodded, a bit in awe. "Alright, I'll trust you. So how do we train? And where?"
Malcolm thought over the matter and ultimately decided to keep everything as it was. It seemed the forest training sessions couldn't be canceled just yet. He would return to his role as an instructor and take on a new round of teaching—even if, as always, he had only one student.
...
[ Forest, Star City Outskirts ]
Seeing that it was still early, he took Tommy into the dense forest. The location remained unchanged, the air still carried the same familiar scent, but the people present were no longer the exact same pair as before.
Next, Malcolm, believing he had gained some teaching experience, repeated the same method he had used with Thea. But within just five minutes, he began to regret that decision. Tommy, while sharp and intelligent, had physical attributes that left much to be desired. Frankly speaking, he had no talent whatsoever—just an ordinary person through and through.
He truly lacked natural ability. Coupled with years of indulging in nightlife, his perception had dulled significantly. If Malcolm's own aptitude were the benchmark, then Thea stood ten miles ahead of it, while Tommy lagged ten miles behind. They were both his children, yet how could their innate qualities be so vastly different?
For the entire night, Malcolm patiently guided Tommy as he focused on hitting a ten-meter target. If his memory served him right, when he had trained Thea, she had landed a bullseye on her very first attempt and moved on to the next lesson. Even he had taken three days to master that distance during his training in Nanda Parbat—and that had been in middle age. Tommy, on the other hand, was only twenty!
But Tommy had grit. He didn't give up. If something didn't work, he doubled his effort. That persistence warmed Malcolm's heart. For the first time, he began to truly understand his son.
Their relationship slowly began to thaw. Tommy was less defensive. And Malcolm, despite the weariness, felt a strange peace.
As the night wore on, Malcolm sat on the ground and quietly removed the bandage around his ribs. Fresh blood had seeped through. Just then, Tommy turned to say something and froze.
His father's abdomen was bleeding.
"What happened to you? Is it serious?" Tommy asked, alarmed.
Malcolm was moved by his son's concern. The stab was worth it, he thought. But telling him the truth—that Thea had stabbed him—would only lead to chaos.
He crafted a lie. "There's an underground group gaining power in Star City. I was investigating them... got nicked. Nothing serious."
Tommy didn't know that the so-called underground group was, in fact, Malcolm himself. But the explanation made perfect sense. Of course his dad would be cautious and want to train him. He's like a secret hero, Tommy thought, almost starstruck.
He clenched his fists. "Don't worry. I'll be careful. And I'll find whoever hurt you. I promise."
[To Be Continued...]
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[Enjoying Thea's journey? Drop a review or power stone! <3]