Jack was packing, although the weirdly dressed older teenagers were saying that he was going to help, he didn't exactly trust them to follow through on their word.
"Teenagers rarely followed through on anything they say," a little adult man's voice inside his head that sounded strangely familiar. Maybe it was his dad?
Jack was in the middle of packing his satchel with what looked to be throwing knives when a knock was heard on the door. Jack dropped his satchel and kicked it under the bed before calling out, "Door's unlocked!"
"Hey there, Jack," said the darker skinned older girl dressed in orange and yellow. With her was the Khaki Karate Kid.
"Whatcha want?" asked Jack, defensively as he sat on the bed over where he'd kicked his satchel--hoping his legs were long enough to hide the satchel from direct view, despite being an inch or two off the ground.
"You want to come rescue Ethan with us, right?" asked Ken.
Jack nodded.
"Well, before you come, we need to do something to allow you to help us,"
"What do you need to do?"
"Well, first we have to explain a few things."
Jack sighed exasperatedly before crossing his arms and waiting for the explanation. The Karate Kid sat down next to him and started talking about two of Grit City's best crime fighters: The Blue Boxer and Lumberjack.
On he talked about how the two found a magic lamp, rubbed it, and were turned into two boys who then tried to join with Ken as his sidekicks only to get tossed around like rag dolls and to wake up with a concussion and no memory of--wait a minute.
"Are you saying I'm the Blue Boxer?" asked Jack with confusion.
"No, you're Lumberjack, Jack. Ethan's the Blue Boxer."
"That sounds like some weird made up after school cartoon."
"After school cartoon?" asked Ken with some confusion.
"Yeah, cartoons that come on after school is over," explained Jack as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"There hasn't been after school cartoons since all those cartoon channels started appearing online, at least for... twenty or more years," explained the girl.
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's an old way things used to be like, not how they're like now. If you needed any kind of proof that you're not really supposed to be a boy, that there was it," said the girl.
Jack sat with that thought for a moment. But if he wasn't supposed to be a boy, then why didn't he remember being old?
"Jack, as much as you're happy being a kid again, and I've seen the way you were out there playing with Ethan, you're having fun thinking you're a kid again, we need your adult mind and memories back if you're going to join us in rescuing Ethan."
"And how are you going to get that back?" asked Jack suspiciously.
"There's a spell which will allow me to heal your concussion and right your brain--but there's a bit of danger to it. You could end up losing all your adult memories for forever if it's not done correctly."
"And if I don't do the spell, would my memories come back?"
"Eventually, as the brain heals, but if you want to go the natural route, you're not coming with us now," explained the Karate Kid.
"And why not?" demanded Jack.
"Because it was risky enough taking you into action when you had your adult memories intact. Taking you now, when you're an unskilled kid again is just asking for trouble."
"But I wanna do it."
"You could get hurt even worse, perhaps even do some permanent brain damage this time."
"Yeah, or I could gamble on her maybe scrambling my brain now for forever. At least if I come without her messing with my head, there's a chance I could help rescue Jack and not get badly hurt, and heal naturally," explained Jack.
"Your adult mind has training to deal with certain scenarios and skills--do you know how to use a grappling rope or climbing spikes? How about how to throw a throwing knife?"
"Maybe it'll come back to me, if I try it. Like riding a bike."
"It's too dangerous to gamble with your life like that. Already you were struggling to do things you could do as an adult."
"If I'm really a man, then you should let me choose what I wanna do."
"You're not getting anywhere with the kid, Khaki... let me try."
"I'll check with CT on where he is with hacking into that mainframe of hers," said the Karate Kid with a sigh before leaving the room.
"Look, Jack, I can't guarantee that everything will work out all right--no matter what you choose. Maybe you're right and your skills will come back to you on instinct, like riding a bike. And what if they don't? What if we take you into the Sorcerer Scientist's lair and you freeze up, can't get a knife in the right spot, mess up your throws, and can't climb worth a damn. You've then not only put yourself in danger--you've put me, and Khaki and CT in danger too--because what do you think we're going to do if we see you struggling?"
Jack was silent, in truth he didn't know.
"We'd stop focusing on rescuing Ethan and work on protecting you from danger, and the Sorcerer Scientist would see that, and throw everything she had at you, and you'd end up captured along with the rest of us."
She let her words hang in the air for Jack to ponder them, to which the dad voice inside his head said, "she's got a point, ya know."
"Which is why, as big of a chance there might be something that goes wrong long term, we need to try and bring your adult memories back. It's just the safest option if you're going to join us."
"Will it hurt?" asked Jack, in a small voice.
"Not at all," said the girl.
"Then do it... do it for Ethan," said Jack
"Lay down, and I'll cast the spell," said the girl, and Jack obliged.