Erythropoiesis 2.3
Dodging to the side, I grabbed the dummy, threw it over my shoulder, and tossed it to the ground. Pinning it down, I twisted its arm into a hold, after which I struck its jaw and a few pressure points. Had I done all this to a real person, they would be in the hospital for a long time, but I was practicing with a dummy, and not a simple one, but one filled with some sort of metallic sand, which made it difficult even for me. However, after just the third strike, the coach called out to me and told me to stop. And judging by his voice, I had done something wrong again.
"It's not bad overall, the technique is there, but you need to work on your strikes. You don't risk hitting with all your might, which is good considering your strength, but you need to exactly control it, not just always hold back. Because when you get into a real fight where you need to give it your all, you simply won't be able to force yourself to do it. And you know what that will lead to? You'll just get kicked to a pulp by those who aren't used to holding back."
Coach Davis was my jiu-jitsu mentor, breaking down my mistakes. He was a bald man in his thirties or forties who looked at me sternly with his arms crossed. We rarely got to train one-on-one, so I practically always practiced only with dummies. Of course, because of this, my progress slowed down, and it didn't reflect particularly well on my skills.
To be honest, I had been thinking for a long time about taking up another sport, because I clearly wasn't catching stars in this one. Yes, even though I had the mind of an adult, it didn't help me become a good fighter in any way, since even after practicing for several years, I knew relatively little and was only marginally better than an average person. In short, the result was disappointing. I think I could take up boxing next; that way I could at least punch the heavy bag without holding back...
"Let's do it again, but this time don't hold back. And yes, focus already. In a real fight, you won't have an hour to think about your own things, which is why you need to be able to gather your strength just like this," he snapped his fingers in front of me, "manage to strike, and that's it. Whether you hit or not doesn't matter, the main thing is to enter the right state. You have powers, and therefore, most likely, you will use your fists not in simple competitions, but in real brawls. And in a real fight, there are no rules or time to warm up. So start over and make it look pretty this time."
With a heavy sigh, I start over, dragging the dummy aside. I will definitely need to think about changing the type of training. I might learn something here, but there are limits...
I stopped in my tracks, turning my head sharply to the side. Davis and I didn't hold our sessions in his dojo, but in a specially designated room where no one would bother us. Except walls didn't really matter much to me, because I could feel people even through them. And while I was training, I hadn't noticed, but my sense had been trying to tell me something. Something very important, but seemingly incomprehensible and complex.
I managed to figure out this sensation only now, when I used my power to its fullest during a short rest. And because of this realization, I even felt somewhat sick. Various thoughts started coming into my head, which I chased away quite quickly. Even though it will be unpleasant, there are things that just need to be done. Because it's the right thing to do.
"Excuse me, but I urgently need to step out for a bit. I'll be right back." I said this phrase quickly, after which I practically ran towards the door. Not even listening to the coach's angry comments, I left the training room and walked at a fast pace towards the target. This place was quite popular in our town, so there were quite a few people of all ages here. Mostly children and teenagers, but there were enough adults too, towards one of whom I was currently walking.
It was a man in his thirties who was probably on a break right now, because he wasn't training but chatting with a woman unknown to me. I had excellent hearing, thanks to which I could hear them even from afar, but I was absolutely not interested in the topic of their conversation, which is why I simply used my power, trying to make sure once again that I wasn't mistaken. Otherwise, this whole situation could become quite the scandal. I perfectly understood this, but I had to do the right thing.
"...No, I've been coming here for quite a while now, as you can tell. I admit, I've gotten pretty buff here and lost quite a bit, he-he. So, if you have any questions, you can always ask me how to..."
They only noticed me when I got close enough to the couple. The moment I was right next to them, they stopped talking and completely shifted their gaze to me. The woman looked with surprise and confusion, while the man was clearly more upset at being interrupted.
"Kid, what do you want, huh? Don't interfere, adults are here... Wait, aren't you that squirt who..."
He started saying something to me, but I paid no attention to it. I had gotten this close not just for the sake of it, but to precisely study his blood in maximum detail. My brain simply begged that I was wrong, but no, my sense told me loud and clear that I was right. Well, this is going to be unpleasant and very awkward. Very.
"Yes, I'm that kid with superpowers. And therefore, I advise you to listen to me—you need to go to a hospital as soon as possible."
The man now looked much more surprised, clearly not understanding what was happening. Denial, the first stage of accepting the inevitable.
"What are you talking about..."
"Haven't you had any strange symptoms lately? Joint or stomach pain, fatigue, or weakness? Or rapid weight loss? Hmm, yes, there is definitely no mistake here, I see how the lymph nodes have enlarged... I advise you to go to an oncology center as soon as possible and get checked to see if everything is alright. It's still a fairly early stage; there are good chances of survival. But I strongly advise you not to waste time, because blood cancer is one of the most unpleasant and dangerous types of this disease. Curable, but only if you hurry."
At my last words, the man turned pale, as if he had seen death itself. But he shouldn't have; stage one cancer is quite curable, although it will take a lot of time. Leukemia is a dangerous thing, especially because of how difficult it is to detect in the early stages, but there is hope. He clearly didn't understand what to do or even say, and the woman next to him cast a very sad and regretful look at him. And seeing it, the man suddenly got heated, and real anger appeared in his eyes.
"Are you kidding me!? No... this can't be true. I'll sue you..."
I wasn't listening to the guy and simply shook my head in annoyance, after which I turned and walked back to the training room. Anger, the second stage. Keep helping people, yeah. But I wasn't too mad at this fool; all people react sharply when they find out their life has taken a very unpleasant turn. Besides, I was absolutely sure that he had practically zero chances of suing a supe kid who literally saved his life.
I'd probably even win if he turned out to be so stupid and ungrateful as to decide to take me to court. Vought would definitely intervene in the matter and try to take full advantage of such an opportunity to spin the case to a national scale. I think in such a case they would even splurge and provide one of their lawyers, who would easily tear this case apart. And since practically anyone would take my side, I would lose nothing and only gain. However, I didn't want that, because I simply felt sorry for the man. I heard him starting to sound louder and louder, clearly falling into a panic. The third stage of acceptance. I think he'll soon run to the hospital, continuing not to believe my words until the bitter end. Well, I've already done all I could, so his life is now in his own hands.
. . .
I took the bus home, continuing to read my book. Using the ability while moving caused quite a headache, because the power kept throwing arrays of information about every living organism with scarlet liquid I encountered, which forced me to immerse myself in reading. However, the whole trip took me only about twenty minutes, which is why I didn't worry too much about it. Getting out of the vehicle, I headed towards my house. Today was a fairly decent day, the sun was shining pleasantly, but it was relatively cool. It was still quite warm in the States in early autumn, which is why...
I stopped abruptly, turning my head toward the house. My eyes saw only white walls, but I also had much deeper and more subtle organs of perception. My "blood vision" was working at full capacity right now, and I couldn't fail to notice that there were currently five people in my house: Indira, Paul, and three individuals unknown to me. Presumably two men and a woman. But I was much more interested in something else entirely.
Years had passed since I left Red River, but over the few months I lived there, I remembered one very special feeling. The sensation of a heart beating much stronger than usual, and blood strikingly different from normal, as if power itself had been added to it. I studied my body every day, and, developing my skills, I began to understand the difference between a simple human and a supe much more accurately. It was as if something else was present in the blood of the latter, whether it was some mixture or just a hormone that turned an ordinary person into something greater. And right now I was unequivocally certain that there was at least one superhuman in my house.
Well, it seems Vought possesses persistence. Do they really want me to become part of that stupid show so badly? Or is this a test of how I'll behave upon seeing Indira and Paul near corporation people? I doubt it, since according to my senses, my parents and the guests were together and located in the living room, and that's not the best time to discuss secrets, for they must perfectly understand that I was supposed to arrive soon. This means the Vought people deliberately caught a moment when the whole Shetty family would be gathered. Probably to discuss something very important. For them, at least.
As I moved, I tried to listen to what they were saying. Supes possess a special, much more developed hearing, which, according to Brink's words, was close to a dog's. This specific thing I hadn't tested and took the professor's word for it, but I knew for sure that in this life I could hear much better than in my past one. Not to the level where I can hear people through thick walls or at the other end of the street, but still very well. However, the only thing I could hear right now was a soft and high-pitched voice, clearly belonging to an unknown young woman.
Entering the house, I saw that everyone was already settled in the living room and engaged in an active conversation. My adoptive parents were sitting on the sofa, looking as serious as possible, and looking at two men in business suits and a woman seemingly straight out of a comic book. She was dressed in a white spandex suit that covered almost her entire body, while truly accentuating the woman's figure. She had white hair and fairly pale skin, and on her head was something like a crown or even a tiara, seemingly made of icicles.
It's funny that I knew perfectly well who this was, but only thanks to comic books. Ice Princess, a relatively famous young heroine who gained popularity in visual novels and comic books, but hadn't yet grown to the level of movies and TV series. Largely because her ability to create and manipulate ice was so strong that the girl could barely control it, freezing absolutely everything she touched without her special suit. I even had one volume of her comics, and it was one of the few that could be considered truly good. Worthy drama, an interesting ability, a decent plot, and simply good artwork rarely come together, but every case is worthy of attention. And that's why it was so strange to see a living comic book hero who came to your house.
The moment I stepped inside, everyone turned their heads in my direction. The two men in suits looked as ordinary and uninteresting as possible, as if they had just stepped out of the office, which starkly contrasted with the woman's unusual appearance.
"Hi, Mark. We have... some guests here." Indira was the first of my adoptive parents to speak, and from her tone, only a complete fool wouldn't understand that she wasn't particularly pleased with the visiting company either. And this was already interesting. I was practically one hundred percent sure that Indira worked for Vought not only as a psychologist but also as my overseer. However, right now she looked noticeably annoyed, as if she didn't like the presence of Vought people. Which was very strange and equally curious. Paul sat next to her and looked as if he didn't understand what was happening. Honestly, I was even ready to believe that, since I still doubted whether he knew even a single corporation secret.
"Um, hello?" I said, beginning to examine everyone questioningly.
The moment the corporation people saw me, both men turned slightly in my direction, allowing me to see a whole stack of papers they were holding. But much more interesting was the reaction of the "superheroine". Honestly, I didn't know if she did any useful deeds in real life and whether the girl wasn't just an actor portraying a hero. Anyway, the girl turned to me and, with a snow-white smile and open arms, started walking in my direction.
"Oh! You're Mark, right? I'm so glad I got to meet you! I admit, I've been waiting for you!"
The woman's voice was soothing and melodic, but one could barely noticeably feel the artificiality in it. And the smile—that's the kind professional actors and models have when they perform at various meetings or events. Beautiful, pleasant, but no less fake because of it.
"And I'm glad to meet you... I guess?"
Honestly, I didn't even know how to react in such a situation, which is why I looked maximally confused and oblivious. Sometimes you don't even need to act; you can just let genuine emotions out.
"No need to be shy, dear! I know you're a fan of mine, and there's nothing wrong with that! You know, when I was about your age, I managed to meet the Crimson Countess, who was also my idol back then! And who knows if I would have achieved what I have if the heroine hadn't become my role model. And so, know that if you ever need help becoming great, you can always turn to your queen, heh."
She spoke leaning in slightly, looking right into my eyes. I must admit, she was truly beautiful. Except behind this whole performance, one could feel a simple act. Trying to interrupt all this, Paul spoke up.
"These people came to discuss your participation in some show. Something like 'The Real Hero', right? Well, in principle I don't see anything wrong, so why not..."
"Nothing wrong, except that such a lifestyle is harmful and will lead to nothing good. I have seen too many unhappy children whose parents tried to turn them into superstars at the cost of their childhood. We are always ready to support Mark's endeavors, but not at this cost."
Indira looked practically furious, clearly not rejoicing at the opportunity that had appeared. And I felt her heart—right now she was completely sincere. Sincerely furious and annoyed. And either I had been a fool all along, slandering Indira, or Vought is not devoid of internal conflicts.
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