Friday, 25 June 2001
Zaboru smiled as he read the message on his phone.
It came from Aldrian Kirk, Aldrich's father.
After years of exhausting treatments, painful uncertainty, and countless nights spent wondering whether his son would survive until morning, the doctors had finally allowed Aldrich to return home. He would still need routine examinations and careful monitoring, but his condition had improved dramatically. He was eating properly again, gradually regaining his strength, and was healthy enough to begin preparing for ordinary life.
Aldrich had beaten leukemia.
Zaboru leaned back in his chair, reading the message one more time before a broad grin appeared across his face.
"Well, that's some damn good news."
He was currently inside his private workshop on the fifty-first floor of ZAGE Tower. Even though it was already late in the afternoon, the building remained busy. ZEPS 4 development had begun across ZAGE's major teams, and Zaboru had spent most of the day helping developers understand Unreal Engine 4, answering questions through Slack, reviewing prototypes, and preventing several overly excited teams from attempting projects large enough to bankrupt their schedules.
Yet the message from Aldrian immediately made every technical issue feel smaller.
Aldrich was going home.
The child who had once looked pale, fragile, and frightened inside a hospital room could finally return to his own bed, eat dinner with his family, and begin thinking about school again.
Zaboru slowly looked toward the reports covering the ZAGE Foundation's cancer programs. The progress made over the last three years was enormous. The foundation now possessed its own medical-research division, but it did not isolate its discoveries or treat knowledge as a private corporate treasure.
With assistance from the Japanese government, international hospitals, universities, and research institutions, medical findings were shared across borders. Failed trials were documented so other researchers would not waste years repeating the same mistakes. Treatment results were compared across countries. Promising methods received additional funding, while equipment developed in one location could be tested elsewhere much sooner than under older systems.
That cooperation had already accelerated progress significantly.
Cancer was far from defeated, and Zaboru understood that no single discovery would suddenly cure every form of the disease. But childhood leukemia survival had improved. Bone-marrow donor searches had become faster. Doctors could classify certain cancers more accurately and adjust treatments earlier. Better infection control helped children survive periods when chemotherapy weakened their immune systems.
Every improvement meant more children could return home like Aldrich.
Zaboru grinned as he looked at the research reports.
"Hehehe... in this world, let's make cancer something people can actually beat."
In his previous life, he had encountered countless conspiracy theories claiming that a universal cancer cure already existed but was being suppressed because treatment generated more money. Zaboru had never known which claims contained any truth and which were simply desperate speculation, but he deeply hated the possibility of profit being placed above human lives.
Treatment should never remain intentionally expensive just because suffering created business.
Research should never be hidden if sharing it could save someone's child.
That was the philosophy he wanted the ZAGE Foundation to follow.
Zaboru exhaled slowly before returning to his computer. He continued typing replies on Slack, answering questions from ZAGE's international development teams. After a while Before he could reply for another questions again, another message notification appeared. This one did not come from Slack.
It came directly from Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee: You busy or not? I'm in Japan. Want to train?
Zaboru blinked in surprise.
Then his grin returned.
Bruce Lee rarely visited Japan without informing him earlier, but the timing could not have been better. Zaboru had already planned to visit Aldrich that night, and Aldrich had become a huge fan of Bruce Lee after watching several of his movies during treatment.
An idea immediately entered Zaboru's mind.
He quickly typed his reply.
Zaboru: I have a better plan, Sensei. Meet me at ZAGE Tower.
By eight o'clock that evening, Zaboru's red Toyota Supra MK4 was moving smoothly through Tokyo's streets.
Bruce Lee sat in the passenger seat with his arms folded, glancing occasionally at Zaboru as the city lights passed across the windshield. He had agreed to come without asking for too many details, but now that they were already on the road, his curiosity had finally grown stronger.
Bruce sighed and asked, "So you dragged me away from training because you want me to visit a boy who recovered from cancer?"
Zaboru chuckled as he kept his attention on the road. "You say that like it isn't a good reason."
Bruce gave him a small smile. "I didn't say it wasn't. I'm only surprised you arranged everything so quickly."
"Aldrich loves your movies," Zaboru explained. "I recommended them when he was still undergoing treatment. Now he's become one of your biggest fans, so I thought your visit would make today even more special."
Bruce looked out the window for a moment, his expression softening.
"You know, Zaboru," he said quietly, "I may only be your martial-arts teacher, but I'm genuinely proud of you."
Zaboru glanced toward him before quickly returning his gaze to the road.
Bruce continued, "Creating something like the ZAGE Foundation is not easy. Building an organization is one thing. Keeping it honest and useful is another. You must lose an enormous amount of money every year maintaining those hospitals, research laboratories, schools, and patient programs."
Zaboru laughed. "It isn't losing money, Sensei."
Bruce raised one eyebrow.
Zaboru smiled as he explained, "Some people spend money collecting cars. Some collect paintings. Some build absurdly large houses they barely use. Helping people is like one of my hobbies. Seeing children recover, seeing families return home together, or seeing medical research move forward—that makes me happier than watching numbers sit inside a bank account."
Bruce studied him for several seconds before smiling proudly.
"I've donated whenever I could," Bruce admitted. "But compared to what you've built, my contribution feels small."
Zaboru immediately shook his head. "There's no such thing as a small contribution if it helps someone. Besides, Aldrich isn't going to care how much you donated tonight. He's probably going to forget how to speak when he sees you."
Bruce chuckled. "Then I should prepare for an awkward conversation."
"With Aldrich? Probably. With me? Definitely."
Bruce laughed and lightly struck Zaboru's shoulder. "Watch the road, fool."
Not long afterward, the Supra arrived outside the Kirk household.
The house was fairly large and located in a quiet residential area. The Kirk family was financially comfortable, but even a well-off family could be overwhelmed by years of specialized cancer treatment. Without support, the cost, travel, experimental procedures, and long hospital stays would have placed enormous pressure on them.
Zaboru had already sent Aldrian a message informing him that he planned to visit. However, he had deliberately kept Bruce Lee's presence secret.
He parked the Supra, retrieved a large covered box from the back seat, and walked toward the entrance with Bruce.
After Zaboru rang the bell, footsteps quickly approached from inside. The door opened, revealing Aldrian Kirk.
Aldrian smiled warmly when he saw Zaboru. "Zaboru, welcome. Aldrich has been waiting since I told him you were coming."
Then his gaze moved toward the man standing beside him.
Aldrian froze.
His eyes widened so dramatically that Zaboru had to suppress a laugh.
"Is that... Bruce Lee?"
Bruce gave him a polite smile and extended one hand. "Good evening."
Aldrian accepted the handshake almost automatically. "Good evening. I'm sorry, I just... I wasn't expecting Bruce Lee to appear at my door."
Zaboru grinned proudly. "He's my sensei. And Aldrich is a big fan, so I thought he deserved an additional surprise."
Aldrian slowly looked toward Zaboru, then toward Bruce again. "Aldrich may actually faint."
Bruce glanced toward Zaboru. "You said he was healthy."
"He is. Please don't break him with your aura, Sensei."
Aldrian laughed and invited them inside.
Aldrich's mother greeted them in the hallway. She had already known that Zaboru was visiting, but her reaction to Bruce was almost identical to her husband's. She stared at him for several seconds before remembering to bow and welcome them properly.
The Kirk household felt warm and peaceful. Family photographs decorated the walls, and several of Aldrich's drawings and game posters had been placed near the living room. On one shelf sat his ZGBA, carefully protected inside a carrying case alongside several Pokémon cartridges.
Aldrich was seated on the living-room sofa.
He still looked somewhat pale, and his body remained smaller than most fourteen-year-old boys. Years of illness and treatment had delayed his growth. However, compared to the child Zaboru had first met, the difference was astonishing. Aldrich's body had filled out, his hair had grown back, and his eyes carried life instead of exhaustion.
The moment he saw Zaboru, his entire face brightened.
"Zaboru!"
Aldrich immediately stood and hurried across the room.
His parents instinctively moved as though they wanted to warn him not to run, but Zaboru had already crouched slightly and opened his arms. Aldrich reached him and wrapped both arms tightly around his body.
Zaboru laughed warmly and hugged him back.
"Well, well. Hello, young hero."
Aldrich pulled away just enough to look up at him, speaking so quickly that several words nearly collided. "Zaboru, you won't believe it! The doctors said I'll be able to return to school! Not immediately, but maybe in the next few months if everything remains good!"
Zaboru's excitement was completely genuine. He placed both hands on Aldrich's shoulders and grinned.
"Really? Damn, congratulations! That's amazing!"
Aldrich nodded repeatedly. "I need to study a lot because I missed so much, but I don't care. I want to go back."
"You'll catch up," Zaboru assured him. "You already defeated something far more difficult than schoolwork."
Aldrich smiled proudly.
Then he finally noticed the man standing behind Zaboru.
His expression went blank.
He stared.
Bruce Lee smiled patiently.
Aldrich slowly pointed at him with a trembling hand.
"B-Bruce Lee?"
Zaboru laughed. "Yep. He's my sensei, so I brought him with me."
Aldrich looked toward his father as if asking whether this was real. Aldrian nodded while trying not to laugh at his son's complete disbelief.
Bruce approached and crouched slightly so he would not tower over the boy. He gently placed one hand on Aldrich's head and said, "Zaboru told me you're a fan."
Aldrich's mouth opened, but his voice barely came out.
"I'm... a really big fan."
Bruce chuckled. "Then I'm honored."
Aldrich looked as though someone had handed him the entire world.
Zaboru allowed the moment to settle before lifting the large box he had brought inside.
"And I have something else for you."
Aldrich looked curious as Zaboru placed the box on the coffee table and removed the cover.
Inside were five handcrafted action figures.
They were not ordinary commercial figures. Every piece had been personally designed by Zaboru and produced by HanDai, ZAGE's official merchandise subsidiary. Each figure represented Aldrich as a different hero, complete with his face, hairstyle, clothing details, and carefully sculpted expressions.
The first showed Aldrich standing proudly beside Blaziken. In this world's Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the default male protagonist name had been named Aldrich in his honor, and the figure recreated him as a Pokémon Trainer with Blaziken guarding his side.
The second figure showed Aldrich wearing a Mega Man-style arm cannon, his body lowered into a battle stance while the weapon gathered translucent blue energy.
The third depicted him dressed as Link, raising a sword above his head while carrying a shield on his back.
The fourth showed Aldrich wearing a Spider-Man costume and crouching in a classic spidey pose.
The final and largest display showed Aldrich standing beside five Choujin Sentai Z-Man Sentai. He wore the Z-Red Sentai suit and stood at the center of the formation with one fist raised toward the sky.
Each figure is huge it has it's own background.
Aldrich stared at the figures without moving.
Even Bruce, Aldrian, and Aldrich's mother looked stunned by the quality. The paintwork was detailed, the poses were dynamic, and each figure's face clearly resembled Aldrich.
Zaboru grinned as he watched him.
"These are completely unique," Zaboru explained. "HanDai made only one set. Nobody else in the world has them." Zaboru grinned and said "If you sold this it could worth millions of yen but i know you won't right?"
Aldrich slowly looked toward him.
Zaboru's smile softened.
"You beat cancer, Aldrich. Do you understand how proud I am of you? You're a real hero. You inspired your family, the doctors, the nurses, the researchers, and many people inside the ZAGE Foundation. These figures are only a small reward for what you accomplished."
Aldrich's eyes immediately filled with tears.
He looked down and wiped them away quickly with both hands.
"Thank you, Zaboru," Aldrich said, his voice shaking. "But I won't cry anymore. I'm going to be tough."
Zaboru crouched beside him and gently placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Tough guys are allowed to cry."
Aldrich looked at him.
Zaboru continued with a warm smile. "Being tough doesn't mean you never become scared or sad. It means you keep moving even when you are."
Bruce's expression softened as he listened.
Then he knelt beside Aldrich and said, "Zaboru is right. And honestly, you're already stronger than I am."
Aldrich blinked in disbelief. "What?"
Bruce smiled and explained, "I have fought many people. I have trained through pain, traveled across countries, and faced many challenges. But I never fought cancer. You did. And you defeated it while you were still a child."
Bruce lightly tapped Aldrich's chest.
"You should be proud of yourself, young man."
Aldrich's eyes lit up.
Meeting Zaboru had already made the night special. Receiving the figures had made it unforgettable. Hearing Bruce Lee call him strong turned it into the best day of his life.
For more than an hour, they remained together in the living room. Aldrich showed Bruce his favorite movie scenes and attempted to copy several martial-arts movements he had seen. Bruce gently corrected his stance while reminding him not to push his recovering body too hard.
Zaboru watched with a broad smile.
At one point, Aldrich tried to perform a fast kick, lost his balance, and nearly fell onto the sofa. Bruce caught him easily.
Bruce chuckled and told him, "Strength first. Speed later."
Aldrich nodded seriously, absorbing the advice as though it were sacred knowledge.
Zaboru added, "And school first."
Aldrich immediately looked less enthusiastic.
Bruce laughed. "Your hero has spoken."
Eventually, exhaustion began showing on Aldrich's face. His condition was much better, but his body still required time to recover fully.
His mother gently suggested that he rest, and Aldrich reluctantly agreed. Before heading toward his bedroom, he hugged Zaboru one more time and bowed awkwardly toward Bruce.
"Thank you for coming."
Bruce smiled. "Continue getting stronger."
Aldrich nodded proudly. "I will."
After the boy carried his figures toward his room with help from his mother, Zaboru and Bruce prepared to leave.
Aldrian and his wife accompanied them to the door.
Before Zaboru stepped outside, Aldrian quietly called his name.
"Zaboru."
Zaboru turned.
Aldrian's expression trembled as he struggled to find the right words.
"Thank you," he finally said. "Thank you for helping my son. His recovery still feels like a miracle."
His wife reached for his hand, and Aldrian continued.
"There were times when Aldrich was so weak that we thought he had given up. Then Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire released, you come give it to him by yourself and the protagonist's default name was Aldrich."
Aldrian laughed softly, though tears had begun gathering in his eyes.
"He was so proud. He kept telling the nurses that he had become a Pokémon Trainer. Even when his condition became worse, he kept saying he couldn't die because he still needed to become a Pokémon Master."
Zaboru's expression softened.
Aldrian wiped his eyes and continued, "Sometimes he even said it in his sleep. 'I'm going to be a Pokémon Master.' It became something he held onto."
He bowed deeply.
"For that, and for everything else, thank you."
Zaboru immediately stepped forward and stopped him from bowing too far.
"You're welcome, Mr. Aldrian. But Aldrich did the hardest part himself. We only helped give him more reasons to keep fighting."
Aldrian looked toward the hallway leading to his son's bedroom.
Zaboru smiled.
"He really is one tough guy."
On the drive back, Bruce remained quiet for several minutes.
Eventually, he looked through the window and smiled thoughtfully.
"My vision may have been too narrow," Bruce admitted.
Zaboru glanced toward him. "What do you mean?"
Bruce rested one arm against the door and explained, "I used to think games were mostly a waste of time. Entertainment. Something people used to escape when they should be improving themselves."
He paused before continuing.
"But games helped that boy continue living."
Zaboru nodded slowly. "Games, movies, music, books—any of them can change someone's life. Sometimes people don't need a grand answer. They only need one more reason to survive until tomorrow."
Bruce smiled. "The things we call "not important" may sometimes become the most important things."
Zaboru chuckled. "Exactly, Sensei. Life isn't only work, food, and survival. Sometimes the most beautiful parts are the extras."
Bruce Lee sighed "I see... "Extras" huh"?
The mood inside the Supra became quiet but comfortable.
Then Zaboru's stomach growled.
Bruce looked at him.
Zaboru cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's eat gyoza. My treat."
Bruce laughed. "Your philosophical speeches always end with food."
"That's because wisdom requires calories."
They stopped at their favorite restaurant and spent more than an hour eating gyoza while talking about training, movies, ZAGE, and Aldrich's recovery.
At one point, Bruce looked at his student and said with a teasing smile, "Unfortunately, you are already married. If you were still single, I might have wanted you to marry my daughter."
Zaboru nearly choked on his gyoza.
After drinking water, he sighed and replied, "Unfortunately, Sensei, I'm already very married."
Bruce laughed loudly. "Yes. And your wife would probably defeat both of us if we continued this conversation."
Zaboru nodded seriously. "Ayumi is terrifying when she smiles too calmly."
After dinner, Zaboru drove Bruce to his home in Japan. Once his teacher entered safely, Zaboru continued toward the Renkonan household alone.
The night had already become late, but he still felt unusually light.
Aldrich was home.
The foundation was working.
Cancer research was advancing.
For once, the world felt as though it was moving in the right direction.
Then Zaboru remembered the next day's schedule.
A grin immediately appeared across his face.
Hell yeah. Sheriff Juan 5 releases tomorrow.
He tightened his hands slightly around the steering wheel.
Let's see what Sonaya has been cooking.
After spending the evening celebrating one of the greatest victories of his life, Zaboru was already excited to spend the next day playing his rival's newest game.
Some things about him would never change Zaboru The Gamer.
To be continued.
AN : honestly at first i want Aldrich to not survive but still i've noticed its just too f*cking depressed for me to write that, i want happy stuff especially related to cancer i hate that shit so yeah Aldrich Survive.
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