Karna the Guardian

- -

Karna!

Time to wake up. Karna!

Does this ever happen to you?

I keep having that same dream over and over again.

Well, it happens to me often.

This is the story of a young hero

and how he became a superhero.

Karna, time to get ready for school.

Get up now. Take a quick shower and come down for breakfast.

I'm coming, Mom!

A rare disease has been wreaking havoc

all over the world. It has been named

Metaphysical Degeneration Syndrome,

and it is causing chaos and worry among everyone.

So far, there has been no--

The mighty superhero, Justice Eyes,

will destroy this vile miscreant!

-No disease can escape him! -Hmm?

...or what causes it, and there are no clear symptoms.

The true scale of this disease

is only starting to come to light.

Dad, the villain, Thunder Lights,

also unleashed a virus on the city!

But Justice Eyes crushed it--

That's enough, Karna.

The Medical Association urges the public

to exercise utmost caution

and to limit exposure to anyone infected--

Hey, enough television now.

-Eat your breakfast. - Hmm?

Wow, that smells amazing!

I'll be done for if I miss the school bus again.

I must run faster!

Huh?

That old lady needs help crossing the street.

Hero Theory Number One.

"When people are in trouble, a hero must step in to help,

on the double."

-Hey! -Huh?

- -Okay, stop!

Hero Theory Number Two.

"A hero makes sure a child's future is secure."

I won't let him fall into that manhole!

- -

Hero Theory Number Three.

"Do good deeds for everyone. No exceptions!"

Mr. Bus Driver, stop!

Ah! All right, no problem!

This is the perfect time for some more hero training!

-I'm done. -

Why is this school so far, anyway?

I can't run any further. Huh?

Hey, champ. Good morning. How's it going?

Uh, good morning, Uncle Daksh.

Did you miss the bus again today?

Would you like to ride with us to school,

or would you rather suffer?

Please, Yamini. Can't you see I'm dead serious

about my hero training?

But there's nothing wrong

-with taking a little break. -

Ah, so is this hero training a regular thing for you?

You bet, Uncle!

Hero Theory Number Four.

"Train, help people,

train again, and keep on training nonstop!"

Sounds like a plan.

Sure, but before rushing to save the world,

shouldn't you become a hero first, Karna?

What does she know anyway?

There is something I've been wanting to ask you.

What kind of hero are you?

What do you mean by that?

I mean, are you the magic type,

the muscle type, or the spandex type?

Well, if you must know, I'm the hero--

Oh, you're the sleepy hero who always sleeps in.

- -Oh, no, I've got it.

The hero who's always late.

Uh, this is getting personal!

Ah, the hero who scores zero in exams.

Emotional damage!

-Just shut up, Yamini! -

All right. Enough, Yamini.

You're being too harsh on him now.

So tell me, Karna, is there any hero

you admire the most?

Aha! My favorite hero?

Oh, no, Dad, why'd you have to bring up this topic?

My favorite hero isn't of this world.

He exists only in my dreams.

A hero who helps the weak

and crushes the mighty villains,

whose face shines like the sun.

And his aura radiates pure, positive energy.

The hero of your dreams, huh? Hmm.

He sounds quite strong.

How could anyone choose a hero that exists only in their dreams

-as their favorite? -If you could only see him.

All right. Karna?

Um, yes, ma'am!

Hmm.

You just passed.

That's great! At least I didn't get a zero!

You'll never amount to anything that way, Karna.

- - Yamini?

Yes, ma'am.

Congratulations, dear. Full marks. Well done.

-Thank you so much, ma'am! -

Wow, that's so cool!

- Yeah. - Number one

in the class for a reason!

Ready, set, go!

Gosh, look at her. Yamini is so cute!

She's not only pretty, but gifted, too,

in academics and sports!

Yamini is an all-rounder in all sense of the word.

Still feels like a dream to have a girl as perfect as her

studying in our school!

I just don't understand how an awesome girl like her

could become friends with this buffoon.

W-- What was that? Yamini's awesome?

Yeah, it's not fair! How the heck

did you even become her friend?

You should introduce us, too!

Sure, I'll introduce you guys to her. No problem.

But only if you can beat me in a race first!

Ready, set, go!

Shoot! I guess I have to introduce them now!

Straight up unreal, Uncle Ronnie.

Tell me those are the Hero 7 figurines!

The whole squad of 15 villains, too. Want them?

The 15 villains, too? Yes, yes, yes!

Uh, but can I get it for this amount?

For this amount, you will only get secondhand comics.

For you, I can even throw in a mango juice box as a bonus.

So how about it? Do we have a deal?

How could I say no to such a sweet deal?

- -

Karna, stop lying around and be useful to me.

I need you to get some groceries for me from the market.

I'm busy right now, but okay.

Karna, when did you shoot up like this?

What do you mean, Dad? Am I taller?

Huh? What-- What happened here?

Is it stuck?

-Why'd it break off so easily? -Did you just destroy the door?

Oh, dear! What happened? Are you all right, Karna?

Yeah. I'm okay, Mom.

It's the door that's not okay now, I guess.

What's going on?

That handle must have been getting old.

I didn't grab it that hard.

At last, I've broken free from Aditya's bind.

I can feel my strength growing.

I sense that something has shifted in the cosmos.

Wow, I feel so light and energetic today.

This is my training finally paying off

and slowly unlocking my hero mode!

Is the bus late today or did I come early?

It doesn't matter. I'm not skipping training!

I'm running to school!

Whoa! What's happening?!

Huh?

Hold on. What in the world's going on here?

Are my hands actually glowing with power?

I feel really strong all of a sudden!

I guess I really am turning into a hero!