Carl Gallagher didn't need a throne.
He needed a direction.
The Problem Named Carl
Luke saw it before anyone else said it out loud.
Carl wasn't angry.
He wasn't broken.
He wasn't cruel.
He was overflowing.
Too much energy.
Too much aggression.
Too little structure.
That was how boys became kings of nothing—White Boy Carl, feared for a year, buried or locked up by twenty.
Luke wasn't letting that future load.
Leadership — Engaged
Leadership Trait: ACTIVE
Subject Compatibility: HIGH
Intervention Window: OPEN
Luke didn't lecture Carl.
He watched him.
Running until his lungs burned.
Punching walls that didn't punch back.
Smiling when things exploded—controlled or not.
So Luke gave him something better.
The Conversation
They talked on the roof of the apartment building, city noise humming below.
"You like rules?" Luke asked.
Carl scoffed. "I hate rules."
Luke nodded. "You hate pointless ones."
Carl hesitated.
Luke continued, calm and direct.
"You like winning. You like being tested. You like knowing exactly where the line is."
Carl didn't deny it.
"There's a military prep school outside the city," Luke said. "They'll run you until you drop. Then they'll make you get up."
Carl's eyes lit—not fear.
Interest.
"They gonna mess with me?"
Luke smiled faintly. "Every day."
Excess Energy, Spent Properly
The school wasn't gentle.
5 a.m. wake-ups.
Cold showers.
Drills until muscle memory replaced impulse.
Carl thrived.
Not because it was easy.
Because it was honest.
No hustling.
No pretending.
No chaos disguised as power.
Just effort in. Result out.
The Shift
Fiona noticed it first.
Carl slept.
Ate.
Stopped carrying weapons like toys.
Ian noticed next.
"He's… calmer," Ian said.
Luke nodded. "He's tired in the right way."
System Update
High-Risk Trajectory Redirected
Crime Kingpin Probability: TERMINATED
Discipline Index: SHARPLY INCREASED
Karma Gain: HIGH
Future Leadership Potential: STABLE
Carl's Words
The first weekend Carl came home, bruised and grinning, he tossed his duffel down.
"This place sucks," he said.
Luke raised an eyebrow.
Carl added, quieter, "I think I like it."
Luke didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Some energy wasn't meant to be suppressed.
It just needed a battlefield that didn't destroy the soldier.