Thank the heavens above, I managed to return home. Although it took three freaking hours to find the house even with the aid of my flight ability. But that was three days ago and this is now. It was nighttime and everybody was asleep, everybody except for me. I snuck out, thanks to my powers and was now in the sky lying down as I watched the stars.
I couldn't stop smiling after that day. My family was a little freaked out by my sheer happiness but I told them that I had just made a new friend. It's just...wow, I can't believe I have honest-to-god superpowers! It was almost too good to be true unless I was in a coma after the GATE incident and this all in my imagination.
First of all, I doubt it because that's just a lazy theory and honestly terrible writing. Not to mention it doesn't feel like a dream. Anyways, having powers is awesome, I could finally get excited to go outside. For the past three days, I've been doing nothing but flying around the world and testing out my other abilities. I have super strength, easily lifting a boulder five times my size.
Next, super speed and flight, are my favourite part of my arsenal. I even snuck into Disneyland and went on rides for a couple of hours. However, when you're able to fly even faster than planes, the rides seem to get stale. Still pretty fun though! I have another ability I discovered although I found it in a not-so-pleasant way.
It happened yesterday, I was flying around having fun. But I wasn't paying attention and even with my supernatural silhouette sense or what I call my Mind's Eye, I was too enamoured with my powers to notice the mountain in front of me. So I crashed pretty hard on top of Mount Everest. It's a good thing I'm pretty tough, otherwise, I'm sure, I would end up being a tomato soup. Thankfully I was durable.
Unthankfully though, I can still get hurt. When I got to my feet, it turned out my right arm was bent in the wrong direction. And I screamed like a little girl, bawling my eyes from the pain. Though as suddenly as it appeared, the pain vanished and I looked in awe and disgust as my right arm repaired itself. Ugh. I can still remember the feeling and hearing the shifting of bones as my arm healed itself.
It was gross and uncomfortable. But I guess it was okay. At least I found out that not only am I tough as steel, but I can heal any wounds that would make Wolverine jealous.
So yeah I'm practically Invincible.
However, I ended up running into a problem. Not with my powers, I love my powers. I don't have any problems with them. My only gripe with my situation is that my entire future has changed. Sure a ten-year-old shouldn't think about where they end up, but when you have no friends and not many hobbies you tend to think of stuff. I accepted the fact I was going to work in some dead-end job, maybe getting married and being miserable all the time.
Like seriously, from what I'm hearing from other mature people, being an adult sucks. But, now with my powers, the game has changed. I'm no longer the weak powerless Ben, no I'm the guy who could probably knock down adults with my pinky. What I'm trying to get at is that now that I have these powers, what can I do to capitalize on them? It would be a shame to just live like I always do except I'm more special than others.
I mean what would I even use my powers for? Knock out, Jimmy Bullard? Okay I'll admit that sounds like fun, but I mean aside from making life easier, my powers would just be wasted here. So what should I do? I crossed my arms and floated a bit higher.
Maybe become an athlete? I could get popular, though I doubt that career would be long-term. Cause I'm pretty sure they'll ban me as soon as they realize they can't win. Be a streamer? I'll get a lot of followers flying to all sorts of places.
But I don't think so, that seems too lame. I sighed at my lack of ideas. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and opened it. I decided to stroll through social media. Maybe I could get some ideas from there. I scrolled through news and bloggers, but none of them are what I'm looking for.
At this point, I was about to call it quits until my eyes landed on something. There was a random Twitter user who posted himself smiling and on his hand was one of the first published comics of Superman's first issue. Wait a moment. My heart skipped a beat and neurons fired in my brain like gunshots. This was it, this is how we get set for life.
Becoming a superhero!
Think about it! In this day of age, a lot of people dig superheroes and there are many media outlets out there. Honestly, it's to the point it was becoming all too much. While I didn't care for this kind of genre, millions do! Think about how awesome it would be!?
Not only people will think I'm the coolest kid on the block, but I could probably profit from this superhero thing! I can see it now, me living in a huge house with practically infinite money! A supermodel wife. Millions of fans and friends. My family beaming with pride.
I squealed in delight, no I squealed like a teen girl meeting with their boy band. That's how excited I am. I'm set for life and finally, everyone can acknowledge me! I flew back into my house, using the window to get back inside. I grabbed a pencil and paper and started to make my plans...
RED
The Next Day...
JUSTICE
I sat on the summit of Mount Everest. It seemed I was unaffected by the cold, but I could still feel the cool air hitting my skin. I always enjoy feeling the cold air wrap itself around me, especially when it's not too freezing. And now thanks to my powers I could enjoy both the high view and sensation without freezing to death. Or maybe i can survive because I'm Canadian.
Regardless, I'm here along with my notebook and pencil, planning out my future, hero names and possible costumes. I would do this thing back at my house, but Athena and Poochie were getting rowdy, bothering me to play with them. And while I love them, right now I'm thinking about my future and so I decided to isolate myself on top of this mountain. Nobody was there and I could sense if anyone was nearby so I could book it before anyone saw me. Not that keeping my identity a secret is important.
I'll eventually let everyone know about my abilities, but I can't get popular if they don't know who Ben Armstrong is after all. I wanted to hide it because I wanted it to be a surprise and dramatic once I revealed my identity. I'm not like Peter Parker who is scared of supervillains because he doesn't want them after him. I don't have any villains or anyone who threatens me. I'm the strongest after all.
I mean what kind of bozo picks a fight with a guy who could break trees in one punch? Anyways, this is what I have written so far:
Find a Cool Superhero name
Get a cool suit.
Beat up a few bad guys and Jimmy Bullard.
Reveal identity after a few months.
Profit.
Now that I made my foolproof plan, it's time to pick a cool-sounding name. Because it would be lame if I didn't have any. I wrote a few names that popped into my head.
Strongman
First of all, adding 'Man' when I was a child was a bit awkward. It's like calling a female baby a woman. And secondly it feels too generic. Then again the biggest superhero names are basically what they are, plus 'Man.' I'm looking at you Spider, Bat and Super...mans, er-men.
Invincible
While I am practically...Invincible. And I'm pretty confident I can take on anyone in this world. I still don't want to risk getting hurt or losing and then getting made fun of because of my name. Besides I'm 90% sure that name is taken.
Boulder Crusher
Nah. Sounds cool, though.
Lord Power
Cringe.
Big Ben
Okay, but, no
Justice Boy
"Justice and Big, huh..." I muttered.
Big Justice
This...this name, it's...kind of mid not going to lie. While I do like the 'Justice' part of the name, 'Big' not so much. Especially since 'Big' isn't a word to describe me, I mean I'm shorter than most kids in my age group. But it's the only name that is semi-descent I guess, so I suppose my hero name is Big Justice until I find a good hero name. Now that's out of the way it's time to draw some possible suits.
I can't have me looking like a trash bin, I wanna look good in the camera. Thanks to my super speed, I was able to draw several designs for my suit, though it seems just because I can draw fast doesn't mean my art looks decent. My drawing kind of looks like I'm trying to draw Roblox characters. As for the suits themselves, while very flashy, I knew it was going to be hard to make any of them. I barely have any money to myself and I have no clue how to make clothing.
Isn't that what girls usually do? I guess I'll just make do with whatever I get my hands on and pray it looks good.
RED
A Few hours later...
JUSTICE
The sun was beginning to set. I arrived home from my usual flying routine and went inside my wardrobe, hoping to find at least semi-decent clothes I could Frankenstein into a superhero costume. Too bad I didn't have any so I had no choice but to grab what little money I saved up from Birthdays and Christmas and headed to the Clark Store. The Clark store wasn't too far away from my house, not that anything is far away from me anymore. It was a small one-story building run by one man.
The Clark store usually sells all kinds of things, candy, materials, tools and most importantly at the moment clothes. I've been there a couple of times myself to purchase some candy whenever I have cash to burn and my parents are actually on good terms with the owner. Though I don't know him personally, I just know he is a regular old dude who owns a small shop. I walked about five minutes before I spotted the building. It was pretty isolated, it was built across a wooden bridge.
There with only little land to stand on, was the Clark Store, surrounded by water. Yeah, this town is a pretty decent sight for tourists due to our large body of water on the north side. However, I don't understand why anyone would isolate themselves like this. Why build a shop away from the whole town? Either way, I crossed the bridge and looked at the building with a gulp.
It kind of looks abandoned honestly, the owner should rework this place. It kind of looked intimidating even though I knew there was no real danger. I gulped one more time before stepping inside. The shop was organized despite its outward appearance. There were all sorts of books, tools and other stuff in a neat pile.
I used my Mind's Eye to spot the owner, who got up from his seat at the counter and came into view where he greeted me with a smile.
"Oh, kid. Looking for some more candy?"
Gavin Clark is this man's name. You know when I say regular old man, but , he is kind of...unique. What I mean is that this dude is a literal beast. Standing probably 6 '7 feet in height, adoring with rippling muscle that shouldn't be seen at his age. He looked like Hulk Hogan, but somehow even bigger.
Mr. Clark had white hair with a small beard. He was wearing his usual tight-fitted black shirt that didn't hide how much of a muscle god he was. Even knowing I had powers, I felt intimidated by his physique.
"N-not today, Mr. Clark. I'm looking for some new clothes to wear."
He hummed. "Okay, do you need any help?"
"No, I'm good, I can find it."
I gave him a nervous smile before I quickly headed to the clothes section and started browsing. Most of them were clothing made in the 90's and a good chunk of them aren't even my size. I felt a large silhouette approach and I had to resist the urge to sigh.
"You see, that shirt over there." Mr. Clark went to my side and pointed to a shirt that had showcased a cartoon girl with red hair tied to pigtails.
"That's a limited edition Asuka shirt, it's yours for only fifty dollars!"
"Uh, that's okay, I don't watch cartoons."
He frowns and gives me an offended look. "It's Anime."
"Uh, yeah I don't watch Anime."
He raises his eyebrow before shrugging, grabbing random black pants off the rack and showing it to me.
"This here is black pants."
"Y-yes I can see that?"
"But this specific black pants is special because-" I mentally tuned Mr. Clark.
While he is a nice man, the problem is that whenever you enter his shop to buy something, he becomes a very annoying salesman. Even when I'm just trying to buy candy he is always trying to make me buy some other item. He even tried trying to pitch having me buy a woman's dress. Aside from him, I can't seem to find suitable clothes for my hero costume. I suppose I could ask him, just so he can stop talking.
"Hey, Mr. Clark, do you have any clothing that is kind of like a superhero would wear?"
"What do you mean? I don't have any Halloween costumes just yet."
"Oh not like that, I just want a civilian suit that a hero would wear like that guy with a flaming skull for a face that wears a leather jacket and stuff."
He quirks a brow. "Oh may ask why?"
I gulped. "W-well it's for a p-party and I kind of want to go in as a made-up superhero rather than a previously established one."
"Oh, I see. What kind of superhero are you going for? Edgy, heroic, brooding or would you just get some ripped shorts and paint yourself green?"
"Uh, I'm looking for something c-cool."
"That's not narrowing down much."
I nervously laugh. True, I didn't have any idea what vibe I was going for. If I tried to be edgy, I don't want to come across as trying hard, especially since I don't have any dead parents to warrant that kind of emo behaviour. Maybe Superman type of vibe, we do have similar powers aside from the laser eyes. I just gave Mr. Clark an awkward smile.
He rolled his eyes and told me that he was going to look for something. Nearly ten minutes later, he plopped some clothes as well as some items on the front desk.
"I'll be in the washroom for a quick bit, go pick whatever you like, kid." With that, he disappears to go off the washroom leaving me there trying to find anything decent.
The first item that caught my eye was goggles used for skiing. The frame was colored red while the remaining colors that held the frame were white. While I didn't have any problems flying fast and it didn't bother me even as the wind caused my eyes to water, I suppose I could use it to protect my eyes. It could also help me protect my identity for a while before my grand reveal. It's a good thing my glasses are no longer needed.
Once I gained my powers I found my vision was no longer blurry and pretty much ditched them. Besides, they are always falling off whenever I fly. I grabbed the goggles and inspected them. It seems to be in good condition, so I'll take it. Now what to wear? I need something for my top, the bottom and my shoes are already covered. I could use the pants in my closet and call it a day.
I focused intensely trying to find a suitable top. There was a leather jacket with a skull insignia located on the left breast. Too emo for me. A long red robe. I'm not a wizard. I was just about to give up until my eyes spotted an interesting piece of clothing.
I grabbed it and held it to my face, giving me a closer look. It was a red pullover hoodie. There wasn't anything interesting about it other than two black lines that ran across the upper bicep. It was simple but with the right pieces, I could make it work. I sensed Mr. Clark was coming back.
"How much are these?" I say lifting the goggles and hoodie.
RED
An Hour Later...
JUSTICE
I look at myself in the bathroom mirror before striking in a fighting pose. My vision was red thanks to the goggles, but it suited my eyes well. As for the hoodie, it felt comfortable enough. I was wearing black pants and was wearing red running shoes I never wear them because I don't play any sports. Honestly, I don't look too bad, though something was missing. Sure this wasn't the best costume in the world.
But I felt even with the poor-looking suits, they had something, something that this costume lacked. But what was it? I tried to think of Batman, Superman and Spiderman, they had simple suits, but they had so much character. My costume looks bland in comparison. And those three suits had something they had in common.
It's in the tip of my tongue but for some reason, I'm just having a brain fart.
"Ben! Can you hand me the black spray can in the garage!?" My mother called out from another room, spooking me.
I got out of my costume and dressed in my pyjamas at superspeed. "Okay!"
I shout back, a little annoyed. My Mom enjoys making weird art and often asks me for supplies located in the garage. Like seriously why can't she just bring all that stuff in her art room? I unintentionally looked to my right to my laptop, on my desk that was still on. I was searching for random superheroes trying to find inspiration for my suits.
The image I clicked on was Superboy, Superman's clone. He wore just a simple black shirt and called it a day. Honestly, that is so lazy for the writers to design their superhero characters. Like the only way you could tell he was Superboy...is the...'S'...on his chest...huh. I stared at the symbol unblinking, the gears in my head turning.
"Come on, Ben. Can I please get my spray can?"
RED
The Next Day...
JUSTICE
It was morning. I did my usual routine of eating breakfast, walking Poochie, forced to be Athena's dress-up doll and after that, I was finally free. With a quick farewell to my family and then a quick change of clothes I leaped up in the air in the sky, feeling a cool breeze brush my face. I looked down at my chest, and on it were the letters B and J I sprayed my chest with a black spray can. To finish, I also sprayed a circle around the BJ.
I laughed as I soared to the sky. I felt so free, I felt mighty, I felt unstoppable.
"Look out, world! I'm Big Justice, ready to save the day!"