Life with superheroes

Mike tapped Charles on the forehead, saying, "Your powers have just awakened, and you're not in control yet. I'll call your teacher to let them know you'll be practicing at home for now. Until you've reached a stable level, avoid crowded places."

'No school?' Charles thought, cheering silently. Outwardly, he nodded obediently. Beside him, Eric's eyes brightened as he covered his head, whining, "Oh, Dad, my head hurts too! It hurts so bad!"

Smack!

Mike flicked Eric's head, giving him a stern look. "Nice try, but your abilities are nothing like Charles's. Off to school for you. You'll practice with Charles every evening, and you can teach him what you learned that day. I'll work with him at home."

"Home school?" Eric's face fell. He shot Charles a pitiful glance before he suddenly perked up. "Wait a minute—my powers? I have abilities too?"

Eric had been so caught up with Charles's skills that he'd forgotten about his own. He glanced over at Clark, hoping to hear confirmation but careful not to meet his father's gaze.

Thwap!

Mike rapped his head again, a smile hinting at his lips. "Yes, but it's different from Charles's."

"Oh," Eric replied, a bit disappointed. "What exactly can I do, then?"

"Why don't you tell me? Let's go over what happened."

With his arms crossed, Mike looked expectantly at the three brothers, adding, "And don't leave anything out."

After a moment's thought, Clark spoke up, explaining everything that had happened.

"They hit you?" Mike's eyes darkened.

Charles's face brightened, and he eagerly piped up, "Dad, I can figure out who they were!"

Though he didn't know everyone's names, he had memorized their faces and could easily find out who they were. But Mike shook his head.

"Just stay home and rest until you feel better."

"Oh…" Charles mumbled, disappointed.

"So, they backed off and the steel pipes were twisted?" Mike rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding to himself. "Sounds like magnetic control."

Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise.

The boys exchanged looks, their admiration for Mike's quick deduction apparent.

"All right, Charles, get some rest. Eric and I will go see what he can do."

Although Charles wanted to join them, he was exhausted, so he nodded and headed to his room.

Downstairs, Mike took Clark and Eric outside to test Eric's abilities.

Mike placed a spoon in his palm, holding it out to Eric. "Try to move it."

Eric stared at the spoon intently. But nothing happened.

After a few attempts, Eric rubbed his dry eyes, sighing. "I can't do it…"

"You don't give up that easily," Mike replied. "Think back to what you were feeling when it happened and try to relive it."

Eric scratched his head, giving the spoon a hard look. But he couldn't summon that same feeling.

Then Mike leaned down and whispered, "Imagine the spoon is Charles, and he just took your favorite toy."

Snap! The spoon bent slightly.

Seeing this, Mike's eyes lit up. "Now imagine he broke it, blamed you, and told me you did it!"

Crack!

The spoon crumpled, twisted into a ball of scrap metal in Mike's hand.

"Good job!" Mike tossed aside the metal and clapped Eric on the shoulder, while Clark watched with an uneasy smile.

"Remember that feeling," Mike instructed. "Now, see if you can use your power without getting worked up."

Eric looked at the crumpled spoon, exhilarated by his progress.

"Okay, keep practicing," Mike pointed to the metal ball. "Try to straighten it back out."

Eric eagerly sat down to continue his training, while Clark approached Mike, asking hopefully, "Dad, don't I get—?"

"You can pull up a chair, grab a book, and enjoy the sun," Mike replied with a chuckle. "And you're back to school tomorrow."

"...Oh." Clark muttered, deflated.

That night, after his sons went to bed, Mike worked late into the night. He didn't think anyone had realized what happened, but to be safe, he used his "Memory Editing" skill card to erase any lingering recollections among the kids who'd witnessed Eric and Charles's abilities. Once he confirmed that they hadn't spoken to anyone, he finally relaxed.

Training their skills was tedious, but luckily, both Eric and Charles took it seriously. Their sibling rivalry pushed them to compete, making impressive strides each day.

After two weeks, Charles had learned to control his powers enough to go back to his regular routine, and Eric had mastered summoning his abilities calmly.

Both of their abilities were still developing rapidly, and Mike couldn't help but feel excited about their potential.

__________________

Watching the three boys head into school, he sighed, quietly hopeful for their future. "I hope things won't get too hard for them…"

With a final look, Mike got back in his car and drove off.

Hearing the car pull away, Clark turned to his brothers with a grin. "Dad's gone."

Eric and Charles exchanged mischievous smiles.

"Hehehe…"

Clark's face twitched, shaking his head. "Seriously, don't take this too far."

"Relax," Charles replied with a smirk. "Besides, I'm not even planning on telling Dad who they were."

Clark sighed. He'd heard this plan a dozen times in the past two weeks.

"Don't worry, Clark," Eric said, patting his brother's shoulder. "We'll avenge you someday."

Clark paused, thinking of the poor kids who were about to become targets. "Just don't get carried away," he warned. "Remember what Dad said."

"We got it!" Charles said, waving dismissively. "Don't worry, we won't go overboard…"

With that, he dragged Eric along.

Clark muttered to himself, "Dad told them not to go too far, so they'll probably stick to small stuff…"

He wasn't wrong. Charles and Eric had spent two weeks brainstorming small, "gentlemanly" forms of revenge.

Some of their ideas were simple. For example, Eric planned to control the metal on their belts so they couldn't unbutton their pants, leaving them embarrassed. Or Charles could manipulate one kid into accidentally cursing out another, starting fights among their group. And then, Eric would make a metal object appear on the ground just in time for one of them to trip.

It only took one day for them to get their revenge, and after venting their frustrations, they left the kids alone. They might not know who'd set them up, but at least their pride remained intact.

Mike, of course, was aware of the pranks. Since they hadn't hurt anyone or used their powers to bully others, he turned a blind eye.

But one day, he discovered that Charles had used his powers to spy on other people and even take notes on what he learned. Mike realized he had to intervene before things went too far.

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Please do vote with power stones.