Sunshine

Chapter 2: Adapt or Die

Nicholas Arc walked into the room only to find his son sitting on his bed in a daze. Nicholas sighed, he closed the door behind him and walked over to his son, and sat next to him on his bed.

"Your lucky the boy's parents didn't try to have you arrested," Nicholas said, "Jaune... what were you thinking?" he asked

Jaune didn't answer at first, no doubt trying to find the right words. "I... I just wanted to be strong like you, I wanted to prove to him that I was just as strong as you are,"

Nicholas looked at his son with a disappointed expression, however, he should be, after all, his son didn't know any better. "Jaune, what do you think strength is?" Nicholas asked

Jaune shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know... but one of the 5th graders said that being strong means that you are the best and that you have to show that you are by beating everyone,"

"For some, that is what strength means, but for me, that's not what it is," Nicholas said "Can I tell you a story son?"

Jaune groaned "Aw dad this isn't going to be another boring lecture is it?"

"Hey now, you got yourself into this mess and your gonna listen to what I have to say, boring or not, you got that?" Nicholas asked

Jaune nodded

"Good," Nicholas said, "Now then, this is about an old friend of mine, she and I were very alike when we were young, and back then we thought the same way some of those boys did, that being strong is what mattered in this world, we did whatever we could to prove we were strong, even sparring against each other, either one of us lost or won during those sessions, we were hailed as two of the strongest people, at the time, that's what we thought strength was, destroying those weaker then you were and proving you were the best..."

"But that wasn't it... right?"

"Yes, however, We- I didn't learn that by myself," Nicholas asked, "You see while we were strong, there was someone a lot stronger than the both of us, she always beat us, no matter how much we trained or thought we had her on the ropes, she managed to beat us, and finally, one day, she knocked some sense into us, she showed us the strength wasn't about crushing those beneath us, or not caring, or proving anything..."

Jaune was confused, "Then what is it about?" he asked his father

Nicholas looked over to Jaune and a soft smile graced his lips, "For her, and later on I, It's about using it to protect others weaker than you, about caring for every innocent life," Nicholas said, "But, truthfully, there are many definitions of strength, everyone has their own meaning, and I'm sure you'll meet other later on who have different definitions of strength" He told his son.

Jaune nodded, "Dad... what happened to your friends?" Jaune asked

Nicholas's expression changed, to one of sadness and he looked to the floor, "Well the one who was like me, she never quite let go of that way of thinking, for I time, I thought she did when she met a good friend of mine, but when she abandoned him and her daughter and seeing as where she is now, I wished she did, I wish she was strong enough to see just how wrong that way of thinking is," Nicholas said with a sigh, "As for the one who showed me what strength was really about, well last I heard she married that good friend of mine and even had a daughter with him, I hear she's doing great,"