The authorities didn't "fix" him at all...
They broke him.
- William's outrage at the treatment of his son.
This is the 233rd chapter of unORDINARY.
Summary[]
John and Adrion look on as the bullies walk away. Adrion senses something different between the John that defeated the bullies and the old John that ravaged New Bostin. John however, is disappointed that went too far once again. Adrion cheerfully remarks that John stopped, he listened to him. John says that hearing Adrion speak of this act in such high regard makes him feel even worse about himself. Adrion hastily tells John not to think of it that way.
Adrion admits that he always found John very cool. Adrion admired his friend’s strong attitude, and he was proud to see his friend defeat a plethora of challengers. However, it became difficult to celebrate his triumphs, because they didn’t feel like triumphs anymore. Adrion perks up and says that John was different now: his win over the bullies felt like a real win. Adrion grins and tells John that he is really awesome. John is touched by these words.
Adrion suddenly realises that his shift at U-Mart isn’t over yet. John points to Adrion’s bruises and asks if he will go back to work looking like that. Adrion hastily wipes some blood of his face, and asks if he looks better. John looks at the scratch marks on Adrion’s face, and replies in the negative. Adrion accepts that it will have to do, and runs back to work, but not before telling John that he would like to meet up with him if he stays in New Bostin for a while. John smiles for the first time in a while, and replies in the affirmative.
Back at the Doe’s home, William is examining some papers, when John enters. William greets his son, but frowns when he sees his injuries. He walks up to John and demands to know what happened to him. John says that nothing happened. Exasperated, William tells John that he shouldn’t always boil over before defending himself.
William bandages John’s hand, as John tells him that he tried reasoning with the bullies. William sardonically tells John that a pair of loan-sharks will not change because of John’s arguments. John annoyedly tells his father that both talking and fighting is pointless, so he doesn’t really understand the way out. William sternly tells John that he needn’t resort to extremes. He tells John that he is strong, and he should judge the amount of force he needs to exert to stop a fight from occurring.
John sadly tells his father that every time he uses his ability, somebody gets hurt. William rebuts that this is only because John uses his ability ONLY when he is too angry to control himself. John is stunned, as this had never crossed his mind. William tells John that he never used his ability to deescalate a situation. Flashbacks of John’s brutalization of the royals fly through John’s head. William tells John that he is too afraid of what his ability will do, so he never uses it. That is his problem: by supressing his ability, John forces himself into a corner.
William, now determined to find the root of John’s defeatist mentality, demands to know what John learnt during his readjustment classes. John dejectedly tells his father that Keon told him that he was too violent for society and hence needed to be fixed. William asks how exactly Keon ‘fixed’ John. John blanches as he recalls the fearsome treatment he received by Keon. William holds John by his shoulder and reassures his son. John sighs and tells William that he forced John to reflect on his actions by replaying memories of his brutalization of his schoolfriends everyday.
William is shocked by this revelation, and understands why John has lost all confidence regarding his ability. John shrugs the notion off, seeing it as necessary and done for the better, but to his immense shock, his father hugs him. A perplexed John questions what happened. William tells John that he cannot believe how awfully John was "re-educated". William tells John that although he may use his past to dictate what not to become, he must also understand that he is not the same person that he was. He confidently tells John that he has complete control over what he decides to do with his ability, and as long as he has clear direction, he needn’t fear anything.
Moved, John thanks his father. He tells William that he has realised that holding back isn’t a solution, and that he is still trying to figure out his life so that he doesn’t stay stuck as he is now forever. Williams remains silent. John excuses himself, saying that they have talked about a lot, and he needs some time to let all that has been discussed sink in. William is silently infuriated as his suspicions were finally confirmed; the authorities never "fixed" John. They broke him.
In bed, John ponders over what his father has said, and surmises that he is correct. All the times that he was picked on, and when Seraphina was picked on, he was too scared to do anything. However, his frustration increased. Eventually this frustration caused him to bear extreme resentment to everyone around him. John recognizes that he needs to change. He recalls his father, Claire and Adrion telling him that he has improved, and will continue to do so if he takes responsibility. He recalls Seraphina telling him to give himself a second chance. John confidently decides that he must try.
Three weeks later, John receives a phone call from Vaughn. Vaughn kindly asks John how he has been doing, to which John responds that he is feeling better. Vaughn explains that the reason he called John was because he needed John to return to Wellston, lest his current attendance and grades should weigh him down anymore than they already did. He also permits John to re-enroll as a third year if he isn’t ready to return yet. It is up to him. John, having made up his mind three weeks ago, tells Vaughn that he is ready to come back.
Notes & Trivia[]
- When this chapter was originally released on Fast Pass, John's answer to Vaughn was that he needed time to think about whether he was ready to return. Uru-chan had submitted this version of the episode by mistake. The error was soon realized, and the current version of the chapter was uploaded in less than a week. The re-uploaded episode thus became the version first seen by those who only read for free.
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