San Francisco.
Dane trudged home from the subway station, his heavy feet dragging along the sidewalk. He carefully avoided the urine stains in the corners, silently criticizing the lack of hygiene among some Americans. Exhausted, he finally found a relatively clean spot and slumped down, not wanting to get up.
In an effort to adapt to American culture, Dane decided to join the school football team shortly after enrolling. He knew that the school prized the football league, and a championship would secure him a big scholarship. Dane, an orphan who lacked financial resources, saw this as an important opportunity.
Fortunately, following his reincarnation as an American, Dane may have been short on cash and affection, but he certainly didn't lack determination and physical prowess. His impressive stature caught the eye of the coach, who wasted no time in enlisting him on the team.
With just a bit more determination and effort, he believed he could contend for the quarterback spot. Dane's eyelids started to droop, drained by the late training sessions, as he pondered this.
Nonetheless, he promptly rekindled his resolve. This locale was far from secure, and he needed to stay watchful to avoid becoming a victim of theft. Nevertheless, as he looked around, he sensed that something was amiss.
"Hmm, why is there no one around?"
Dane scanned the empty carriages and felt a chill. It was not even 8 o'clock yet; where was everyone?
As he wondered, Dane realized that something was wrong with the view outside the window. Flashes of light zoomed past him, piercing the window and even his nose.
"What is this?"
Dane recoiled in horror, but he was too slow to dodge the light. A beam of light stabbed through his body and came out of his back.
"What is going on?"
The subway accelerated suddenly, and the flashes of light outside the window blended into one, blinding his eyes.
Dane looked up and saw a row of strange symbols on the door frame, and the window was filled with snowflakes.
Dane felt a flicker of recognition, but before he could recall where he had seen it before, the subway came to a halt. The massive inertia flung him out, making him tumble and roll.
Thankfully, Dane had a sturdy body, and he regained his senses quickly. At that moment, the subway door opened.
Dane rose from the ground, walked out of the subway door warily, and discovered that he was not at any familiar subway station but on a rocky path that seemed natural and secluded.
Dane's sense of déjà vu grew stronger. He looked around and saw only one way ahead of him, so he followed it. When he reached the end of the path, he saw a man—an old man in a red robe with unkempt hair and dark skin.
"Dane Davis!" the old wizard called out.
Dane answered instinctively with an expressionless face, "I'm here."
"You will inherit my power and become the new protector of the Rock of Eternity," the wizard continued, his voice growing urgent.
"Come, grab this staff, and shout my name, SHAZAM!"
Wait a minute, something's wrong with this situation, isn't it? Dane felt it was necessary to test the inheritor before granting them power. For instance, testing their pure heart.
He glanced behind the old man and saw that the statue of the Seven Deadly Sins was still there. So, that bald villain, Dr. Sivana, hasn't shown up yet. Don't you have to test young people first?
Dane always thought there was no such thing as a free lunch, especially with the power of Shazam. This power was a force based on a contract of magic. It was too easy to manipulate that contract.
The ancient wizard gazed at the young man in front of him, feeling a sense of helplessness. "Dane Davis, why do you hesitate?" he asked.
"Mr. Wizard, don't you have to test me or something before I inherit your power? Dane asked cautiously.
The ancient wizard was silent for a moment, but then muttered under his breath, "Why are you all so stubborn, no matter which world you come from? Come on, say it with me, SHAZAM!"
Dane had no choice but to go along with it, and together they shouted, "SHAZAM!"
He was struck by a bolt of lightning, and he sensed a tingling sensation all over his body as a wave of power flooded every cell of his being.
He grew taller and taller, reaching 6 feet, 5 inches (about 196 cm) before stopping. His jacket transformed into a red spandex suit, with golden ornaments on his wrists and waist and golden boots on his feet. The most eye-catching thing was the lightning symbol on his chest. Dane quickly looked down and saw that it was not an LED light like in the movies but a real lightning bolt that looked almost identical to the one on Black Adam's chest.
Dane was left in awe of his new powers, and he couldn't wait to see what the future held.