ZOOM!
Omni-Man arrived home right after saving the world again. He stood behind the couch, where Debbie was sitting alone watching TV. He immediately noticed Mark was nowhere in the house.
"Where's Mark?" Omni-Man asked, wanting to know where his son had gone.
"Testing his powers," Debbie replied, changing the channel.
"Hm?" Omni-Man looked surprised.
"He sent me a message saying he'd be home late since he just unlocked his powers," Debbie explained casually. "Oh, and before I forget, he also said he wants you to train him later."
Omni-Man stayed silent for a few seconds. Debbie turned around and saw her husband pause for a moment. She asked, a bit confused, "Are you okay, Nolan?"
"I'm fine. It's just… surprising."
Debbie noticed something was off with Omni-Man, but she didn't think much of it, she assumed it was because of work or exhaustion. She turned off the TV, got up from the couch, and approached him.
She trailed her finger along Omni-Man's chest, then grabbed his hand and interlaced her fingers with his as she said seductively, "Now let's get you out of that costume."
Omni-Man smiled, picked her up, and used his super speed to head to their room.
While they had their hanky-panky time, Mark, on the other hand, was in deep water, literally underwater.
He was holding his breath and doing shadow fighting, launching kicks and punches in the depths. This was the closest thing he had to gravity training.
An hour or so later, he flew up above the water and took a deep breath. He was already regretting his choice. The same laziness and procrastination that plagued him in his past life crept into his heart and mind.
He really didn't want to do this. It was painful. If there were no hidden danger, Mark would have done it half-heartedly, or not at all. But since Nolan, his father, was Earth's first threat, he had to give it his all.
"Let's go again."
Mark flew back down into the deep water, where he could withstand the pressure and every inch of his body felt the pain and cold.
He came up with this training method because of a manga called Kengan Ashura. He remembered the main character training underwater, and he also recalled the science of how water pressure increased dramatically with depth.
He trained for hours until he saw the sun beginning to set. He flew back to the shore, grabbed the clothes and shoes he'd left there, and shook the water off his body by moving really fast.
Then he flew home as fast as possible. His eyes were heavy; he was exhausted and sleepy. When he arrived, he descended into the backyard.
Debbie and Nolan were at the dining table, just starting to eat dinner. When they noticed Mark, they greeted him.
"How was your day at the sea?" Debbie asked, smelling the seawater on him.
Mark sat down at the table, exhausted, and looked at his family. In his heart, he sighed. This family would soon be broken.
"Exhausting and fun," Mark replied with no energy, picking up food and putting it on his plate. He did have fun, though, he enjoyed flying around, the freedom of flying with no restrictions. But that was it. Everything else was pure pain.
"What were you doing?" Nolan asked, wondering why Mark was at sea.
"I got curious and dove deep underwater. The sea is the safest place to test my powers," Mark replied, telling the lie he'd already cooked up.
"Did you hurt your body doing that?" Nolan asked, knowing how strong the pressure was underwater.
"Yeah, but it was fun." Mark replied with a tired smile. "So, when can we start training?"
"Tomorrow, if you'd like," Nolan answered.
"That's great. So, where can I get a suit?" Mark asked, remembering that Nolan had someone who made his costume.
"Are you trying to become a hero like your father?" Debbie asked, looking at her son's face.
"Yeah," Mark replied. "I want to help people too."
"We can meet him tomorrow as well, if you want," Nolan answered with a smile.
Mark gave him a thumbs up and nodded in agreement.
Right after dinner, Mark headed to his room and fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He was exhausted from the day.
. . . .
The Next Day,
Early in the morning, in a green field, Mark and Omni-Man floated above the sky, talking before Mark's training began.
"Don't hold back. Fight me for real," Mark said, putting his guard up in a wide stance. He decided to follow the way of Bas Rutten.
"Are you sure?" Omni-Man asked, surprised by Mark's request.
"Yes," Mark said confidently.
"Are you sure?" Omni-Man asked again.
"Yes—"
Before he could finish, Omni-Man launched a punch straight into Mark's face, sending him flying through the sky and crashing down to the ground.
Since Mark had only just learned to fly and could barely control himself in normal situation, let alone during a fight, he couldn't right himself in time.
On the ground, a small crater formed with Mark in the center. "Argh!" His nose bled, and he held it, terrified by the sight of his own blood and the pain coursing through him.
Omni-Man descended to check on Mark, worry and concern on his face. He thought he might have used a little too much strength since Mark had been sent flying.
"Mark, are you okay?" Omni-Man asked, his tone concerned.
"I'm fine," Mark said, his voice trembling, his whole body trembling, but he pushed through. He needed this. He pressed one nostril and breathed out to clear the blood, then did the same on the other side.
'I asked for this. I need to see it through.'
He stood up, looked at Omni-Man, and rushed straight at him, winding up a massive punch. Omni-Man raised his hand to block it, but Mark's attack pushed through the defense, he had used his forearm, and it struck Omni-Man's ear.
Omni-Man's head moved slightly to the right. Seeing this, Omni-Man prepared to catch Mark's next attack. But Mark switched it into an uppercut. Unfortunately for Mark, it would have worked if he'd been faster. Omni-Man saw it coming, caught the uppercut, and headbutted Mark's face, sending him crashing to the ground again.
Mark was in pain, but he forced himself to get up.
"Do you still want to continue?" Omni-Man was impressed, seeing his son push through the pain and keep fighting.
"Yes. Come on, Dad. Don't hold back on me," Mark said, gritting his teeth and making fists with both hands. He flew straight at Omni-Man, who waited for him to attack.