It's been a couple of days since Gavin agreed to help me. The first order of business was to train me. Though I don't see the point of working out, I'm the strongest guy in the world after all. Honestly, how would training me even work? What, am I supposed to bench press, planets? Either way, he says he needs time to set up everything, and he'll let me know when he's ready.
All I've been doing in the past couple of days is reading Manga and carefully, gently playing with my dog and sister. Right now, it was nighttime, and I was at my laptop using Discord to text with Emily.
[BigRedJ] : Yeah I've just finished the first volume, any Manga recommendations??
[Emi] : my hero academia is something u might like, it's a superhero manga like one punch.
[BigRedJ] : Yeah, thanks! I'll go check it out.
I wanted to ask her about her father, but I hesitated. Would that be too insensitive of me? I mean, we've been friends for a few days and still aren't that close. I mean, I haven't seen her in person since back at the library. I don't want to ruin our friendship, but at the same I'm desperate for an answer about her dad's condition.
[BigRedJ] : Hey, how are things with your dad?
I held my breath as I waited for her to respond. Sweat poured off my body, and I prayed to multiple gods that I hadn't made Emily angry.
[Emi] : he's okay, gotta get out of the hospital actually why ask?
I let out a sigh of relief, thank goodness she isn't mad. Or maybe she is, I can't tell without seeing her expression.
[BigRedJ] : Just curious.
Now that I know her dad is okay, I immediately want to switch to another topic. Even after I saved an entire city from nuclear destruction, I still felt incredibly guilty for my actions. I mean, it's messed up that I'm friends with a person whose dad I put in the hospital. My brain went through different kinds of topics to bring up, so I settled to talk to her about the Near Toronto Tragedy. It was what most people online are referring to as the incident where Toronto nearly got blown up.
It was still called a tragedy because everybody thought I was dead. I didn't have an official name, but people often called me the Hero Of Toronto or HOT for short.
[BigRedJ] : What do you think about the Near Toronto Tragedy, do you think the hero could still be alive?
Of course, I knew the answer to that question; I'm still typing with Emily after all. I wanted to make small talk, and I was also curious if what I did made her forgive me.
[Emi] God I hope not
I guess she still hates me. I sighed tiredly.
[BigRedJ] : Why? Do you have beef with him?
Again, I knew the answer to that. Honestly, it was kind of messed up asking the question; it's almost like I'm taunting her. What was I thinking of sending that to her? I want to delete it, but it's too late. She's already seen it.
[Emi] : It's nothing, i just dont trust the guy, i guess???
[Emi] : gotta go now, sleepy. Chat you later.
[BigRedJ] : Okay goodnight.
I sighed and closed my laptop. My heart is still heavy with guilt, and memories of that day are still fresh in my mind. My only solace is that I will do better from now on. But now, I feel bored, unsure of what to do tomorrow. A ping on my phone catches my attention.
I reached out to retrieve it. I have a new message from Gavin. Looks like I have something to do tomorrow.
RED
The Next Day...
JUSTICE
Gavin told a story to the parents how he wanted to take me fishing at a lake. My folks, of course, agreed, I could see from their bright expressions that they were happy I was spending time with my Godfather and instead of staying locked in a room to do who knows what. We got inside his pickup truck, which held a couple of big pieces of equipment.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." He said, starting up his car before we drove off to our destination.
It didn't take that long to arrive, only thirty minutes, and we found ourselves in a pretty isolated place. There weren't any buildings from what I could see; the only structure was that warehouse-looking thing in front of us. There was only one road that stretched only a couple of kilometres before ending abruptly. Where are we?
"What is this place?" I asked.
This time, Gavin answers my question. "This was an old military plane hangar, I own it now to store my helicopter and private planes."
I blinked. The way he said it made it sound like it wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry, I didn't realize being old makes you somehow rich enough to buy this kind of stuff.
"How rich are you exactly?"
"Batman kinds of rich, come on. Let's not waste too much time."
We exit the car, giving me a good look around at this place. I floated up into the sky, trying to search for any people or buildings, but we're truly alone. I dropped down as Gavin pulled out a portable table and placed his laptop on it. After typing down something for several moments, he walks up to me and gives me a pair of black goggles.
"What's this?"
I looked at it critically, it sort of reminded me of the SEE goggles, though it noticeably looked less advanced and looked like just a step away from breaking apart.
"It's actually the prototype version of SEE goggles, the AR wear. It doesn't have many functions, but it'll allow us to communicate and allow you to not get lost when you head for the moon."
I looked at the device critically before my brain caught on to what he just said. I look at him dumbly.
"Excuse me?"
He raised a brow. "You'd never been to the moon? But you've been in space before."
"Yeah...?" Where is he going with this?
Gavin looks at me, utterly flabbergasted at what I said. It's like I said, multiple racial slurs in his face.
"You mean to tell me that despite knowing you're able to survive the harsh conditions of space, you've never been to the moon!?"
"No?"
"...You're a weird kid."
"The heck did I do!?"
I shake my head, frustrated and confused as to why he is suddenly being all weird.
"Look, whatever I'd never gone to the moon, so what? What's the point of me going there? Am I going to stick the Canadian flag there?"
Gavin shakes his head. "Nope, you're going to fly there and back as fast as you can. I need you to test your full speed before we go over your strength."
"I thought, we are going to practice limiting my power? How does this help me get better control?"
Gavin shakes his head, tsking, a knowing, smug grin on his face. I rolled my eyes. Oh god, kill me.
"Oh my naive pupil, how can you limit something when you don't know its maximum?"
I opened my mouth to speak, mainly to criticize his nonsense, before stopping and allowing his words to repeat in my brain. I suppose it does make some sense, how are you able to hold back if you don't even know how much you need to hold back on? Gavin may be an obnoxious old coot sometimes, but he should know what's going on...hopefully.
SPEED TEST:
After, I stood over a circle that Gavin drew. I watched him typing away at his laptop while I stood waiting for his signal.
"Okay, it's ready. Your AR wear should tell you where to go back, so you don't end up going to Florida or something when you go back to earth. Also, if you don't reach the moon within five minutes, immediately head back."
I gave him a thumbs up. Gavin nods, returning to his laptop. "Get ready!"
I cracked my neck. I tensed my legs and stared directly up at the sky. Full speed, not messing around, Gavin said.
"Go!"
As the word left his lip, I pushed myself off the ground and into the sky. I raised my arms in front of me, enjoying the speed I was going. It didn't take long for me to reach the atmosphere and into the deep void of space. I've only been off planet a couple of times and hadn't returned here for about a week. It's always pretty awesome seeing all the other planets near Earth.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to do any sightseeing. My gaze locked on the small grey sphere. The sphere instantly increased in size rapidly, or rather, I was getting close to it in a short amount of time. Once I was about a kilometre away or two, I slowed down my speed, fearing I might accidentally crash on the moon. My feet landed on a ghostly grey floor, and I scanned my surroundings.
It was eerie, but at the same oddly beautiful. It was honestly kind of relaxing just standing here. Was this the reason Gavin was annoyed at not visiting the moon sooner? I sorely regret not coming here before. It looks like it would be a great and quiet place to do homework or read some books. Wait, I feel I just forgot about something.
I turned my face to the earth, oh right! I instantly jumped away from the moon and started heading towards my planet. My AR wear showing me the exact location for me to land. As I descended from space, my whole body was caught on fire, though it didn't hurt me, so I paid it no mind. It didn't take long for me to reach the ground, striking a heroic landing pose while I did so.
I looked at Gavin, who gave me a look of confusion. I opened my mouth to say something, but then only to realize that I was buck naked, the only clothing I had was the AR wear, pretty durable for a prototype.
"Dang it!" I quickly went inside Gavin's pickup truck to retrieve my bag, where I had spare clothes.
I put them on before I went to Gavin.
"Why did you come back? Did you forget something?"
Now it was my turn to look confused. What in the world was he talking about?
"I, uh, went to the moon and went back to Earth. You said I do that."
His eyes and jaws widened. It looked kind of comical, and I fought the urge to laugh at his dumb expression. He looks at his laptop and back to me, then to his laptop and then to me and then to his laptop and then-
"Will you please tell me what's going on?" I crossed my arms, looking annoyed.
He points a shaking finger at me. "You went to the moon and back in eight seconds. If the computer's data is right, your speed reached twenty to thirty percent of the speed of light?"
I blinked. "Is that fast?"
"Is that-of course it's fast!" Gavin threw him up in the air.
"Nothing is that fast. How did you do that and why didn't you...wait." He grabbed his chin, clearly thinking about something.
I wanted to ask, but decided to let him fester with his thoughts. It took about half a minute before he went to his laptop.
"Hey, don't leave me hanging, what's up?"
Annoyingly, Gavin didn't say anything for a while. Making me wait for him to elaborate on his confusing words.
"Gavin-" I started, but he quickly interrupted me.
"Were you going at your full speed when you were chasing the bomb?"
What kind of question is that? Of course, I would go full speed to catch it! I mean, if I didn't, Toronto would be vaporized right now!
"Yeah?"
"Hmm, that's weird because with your speed, Atlas would've never been able to touch you, and you would've stopped that bomb before it was even a few kilometres away from the city." His tone was serious; it made me stand up straight and gulp.
"While you're not quite at the speed of light, you should be fast enough to defeat Atlas in a few seconds, that's how fast you are!"
I gave him a weak shrug.
"Maybe, I got faster?"
Gavin slowly shakes his head, "I don't think that's it, kid."
He stopped typing and gave me a critical look. Gavin eyed me up and down before nodding to himself.
"Okay, I have a theory, but I'm not sure about it just yet. For now, let's continue the tests."
I wanted to argue, I wanted to know what his theory about my power is. But seeing his stern expression destroyed any feelings of rebellion inside of me. So yeah, I have no choice but to follow his instructions.
STRENGTH TEST:
I was once again in space, just chilling as I waited for something. Gavin really wasn't clear what I was looking for. Right now, we're trying to determine my strength, though finding it will be much harder than figuring out my top speed. I mean, there isn't anything on Earth, I could lift that would push me to my limits. We decided to skip trying to find something for me to lift and instead my striking strength.
I was in space in search of something to hit, mainly a meteor.
"Dang it, I thought meteors were all over the place!"
"Relax, you'll find something." Gavin chimes in on my AR wear.
"Also, I find it weird how you're able to talk in space. Sound isn't supposed to travel in that place. In fact, how are you even breathing?"
I shrugged. "I guess my powers break the laws of physics?"
It took about five minutes until I found something. It was an asteroid, a very LARGE one. It was nearly spherical in shape; it kind of looked like a small planet if it weren't for those sharp, jagged sides.
"Woah, how big is that?"
The AR wear scanned the large object, and after loading for several moments, it showed me the numbers. At first, I was confused because I didn't know what the numbers meant since I didn't exactly have any comparisons.
"Wow, you found a big one!" Gavin chimes in.
"That's roughly the size of half of Toronto!"
"Holy crap, really!?"
That's one big boy all right. It was just about twenty kilometres away from me, giving me a good view of its immense size. The sight of it made me feel small, not in a bad way; I was just absolutely fascinated by the immense size of the thing.
"Now, destroy it," Gavin said bluntly.
"Excuse me, what did you just say to me?"
"I want you to destroy it, it might be useful to gauge your strength!"
I looked at the large meteor, unsure if I could even dent the thing, let alone destroy it.
"Do you think I could break that thing?"
"You never know until you try."
True, but at the same time, I don't want to break my arms trying to destroy this thing. Still, I'm kind of curious, I guess there's only one way to settle this. I flew away, letting the distance between me get further and further before stopping. I turned around and cracked my knuckles. I eyed the asteroid with uncertainty and yet at the same time with determination.
Or at least I hope I was looking at it that way. I took a deep breath before I darted forward, my fists in front of me. My heart rate increases as I near the asteroid. I roared as I felt my fist slam against the hard surface. Cracks formed around where my fists were before the whole asteroid exploded into a million pieces. The once large meteor with a comparable size to a city was shattered into small pieces never will it be whole again.
I would feel a lot prouder of myself if I weren't from the pain of my knuckles. It showed muscle and blood, though mercifully, my healing factor quickly got to work. Repairing quickly, under a couple of seconds.
"Yikes, that hurt!"
I tended to my fist despite already being healed. "Okay, I think I'm ready to go home now!"
"Don't be a baby." I can feel him rolling his eyes back on Earth.
"We still have several more tests to go!"
I whimpered.
RESISTANCE TEST:
Somehow, Gavin had a lot of strong poisons in his car. He made me consume them while having an antidote at the ready. Other than hurting my tongue with the foul taste and a minor headache I was okay. Aside from swearing to never drink alcohol as an adult.
DURABILITY TEST:
Allow myself to get by even a larger meteor, which hurts a lot. A couple of bones were broken. Then bathe in the sun. Actually, being in the sun felt kind of nice. Aside from blinding me, it felt like a hot bath rather than the horrifying death I thought was going to happen, but of course, that also means my clothes, other than AR wear, were once again reduced to atoms. Thankfully, Gavin had spare clothes.
IQ TEST
While I hate tests, it's honestly a welcome break from the physical stuff. I sat on the ground tapping on the buttons of the tablet, which asked several questions about science and all sorts of things. Meanwhile, I see Gavin training, lifting his pickup truck and using it as weights. He's actually been training while I do my other tests.
I finally finished, putting the tablet down and walking up to him. Right on time, too, because he sets the car down with a grunt, he cracks his neck and rotates his shoulders.
"What are you training for?"
"What? It's good for your health regardless of your age." He grins, opening his water bottle before chugging it in his mouth.
"Yeah, I guess, but I feel like that's not the only reason," I muttered the last part, but he heard me.
He freed his water bottle from his mouth and smiled at me. "You could tell, huh?"
His smile briefly transformed into a frustrated frown before his grin came back.
"I was frustrated. I feel I should've done a lot more to help you than some old guy screaming at your ear."
Ah, so that's what this was all about.
"It's fine, you're old and I have powers. Your advice is forty percent of the reason why Toronto doesn't look like a wasteland right now."
"Maybe so, but I've experienced a lot. And I like to think I'm one of the strongest guys in the world, but I knew I was useless if I fought Atlas. I might still be a super soldier, but without my suit and lack of training and combat for years, I'm weak. And I have to rely on a kid who has no business in that situation, powers or not."
He looks at his open palm before clenching it. "I might be old, but I'm still a soldier. I need to get back in shape, in case you need extra muscle for a fight."
I looked at Gavin worriedly. While I get what he is saying, I still don't like him going out in the field like me. I may be young but I understand that soldiers go through a lot of crap in their life. It won't be fair to him just because I want to become a superhero.
"It's fine, besides I'm the strongest guy here, I doubt you'll need to actually help me in that kind of way-"
He interrupts by shaking his head.
"Listen, kid, you shouldn't be thinking that way that you'll be the strongest forever."
"B-but I am the strongest..."
"And you are! From what I've seen thus far, no living being is close to your level. But there is one rule in the universe. That just because you're the strongest today doesn't mean you will be the strongest tomorrow."
I tilt my head quizzically.
"I don't get it..."
To Gavin's credit, he doesn't look annoyed or frustrated; instead, he was patient.
"Tell me, before humanity ruled the planet."
I scratched my head. "The Dinosaurs?"
"And what happened to them?"
"They died."
He nods. "It's not just that, think of all the most powerful empires in history, the Romans, the Greeks. All of their mighty power eventually fell."
"I get what you're saying now, but didn't they last for long periods of time?"
Gavin nods. "True, but now you exist."
Gavin pokes my chest. I exist? I gave him a dumb look, thankfully, he elaborated on his words.
"In simple words, your existence is impossible. You break the laws of physics and can survive mankind's greatest weapon. You are impossible. But at the same time, because you exist, that means nothing is impossible."
He looks at the sky. "That means anything can happen. Aliens could show up, or a zombie virus could happen. And most importantly, a creature out there lurking, a being that can one-shot you."
I scoffed in disbelief. "That's im-"
I cut myself off. "Oh."
Gavin laughs, ruffling my air, I growled, lightly tapping his hand away, careful to hold back my strength.
"That's why you shouldn't be satisfied with your strength, because you might find yourself in a situation that isn't enough. Now come, let's finish the rest of the tests."
RED
A bit later...
JUSTICE
I lay on the ground, panting. Sweat covered my body. I removed the AR wear.
"Are we done yet?" I say weakly.
Gavin walks up to my tired body before tossing a paper at my face.
"Come on, let's head back, your mom says it's almost time for dinner."
I got up grumbling before reading the piece of paper.
Speed:
Relative |20%-30 %| Speed of light. (Travelled to the moon and back to earth in about 8 seconds.)
Stamina:
Superhuman
Durability:
Mountain Level (Able to withstand a nuke rivalling Fat Man on the face with some damage / Striking Strength should scale to durability.)
Striking Strength:
Mountain Level (Destroyed Asteroid the size of half of Toronto.)
Combat Skills:
None, LOL
IQ:
Average
Battle IQ:
Below Average
Abilities:
Laser eyes: Within Ben's body, there is a powerful energy. This energy can be used as a weapon by shooting a beam of light out of Ben's eyes, allowing him to have a long-range attack.
Shock Attack: A lesser way to manipulate the energy within him, Ben can electrify his hands for extra damage or other usage.
Mind's Eye: Ben can see 360 degrees around him, making it hard to sneak up on him. If he focuses, his range of sight increases, and he can see people's silhouettes through walls.
Regeneration (Mid-Low): Not only is his skin tough, but by the off chance he is hurt, his body can repair itself so fast that the wound was never there.
Flight: The ability to soar into the air without needing wings or any gadgets. He does this by affecting his gravity, which he can increase or decrease, allowing him to fly.
"Huh, I'm pretty op."
"Come on, I'm starving!"
I floated myself up before walking back to the pickup truck.