Chapter 15 Sun Bath

In a certain room, a teenage girl named Caitlyn was busy working on her homework. When she noticed something interesting going on in the news. The reporter was in the middle of talking about the Kaiju that had been fighting the guardians earlier in the day.

Caitlyn watched the screen with some interest as her town was the most likely to be affected by it had things gone wrong. Some people had full confidence in the guardians and weren't worried while others like her family attempted to pack everything and leave but luckily things never got to that point as things were taken care of.

So far no news had been reported on how it was defeated but in the end, it didn't really matter since they were all safe anyway. Brushing her hair with her fingers she glanced back down at her work when the reporter mentioned something that fought her attention.

"Just in our on-field report Jessica Sky has managed to get new info on the battle that happened but more importantly on who put an end to it. That's right folks I said who. The guardians had aid from this new superhero who came in and gave the edge needed."

As the host said this the screen began to change as it showed the image of a young man wearing bright red and blue. The suit hugged his frame tightly revealing his impressive physique but what caught her attention the most was his face. Something about him looked familiar but she couldn't pin it down.

While she tried figuring this out the footage continued on to the interview. Where he revealed his superhero name Ultra-man but it was when he spoke that something in her head clicked.

"No… that can't be right. There's no way he's a superhero" Caitlyn tried to deny this but the more she looked and heard the more obvious it was. To the point that it made her wonder why she hadn't realized it sooner.

"But to think Brandon would be this new hero Ultra-man? Isn't he worried about people figuring it out?" Caitlyn figured that if she realized this then so should everyone else but reality is often unexpected.

At school, Brandon was the type to wear baggy sweaters and pants and rarely interacted with others. He wasn't bullied or anything but was simply reserved. Most at school eventually just ignored him and put him in the back of their minds. Well, all except Caitlyn.

Being an honor student she took all her classes seriously and it helped that she enjoyed learning and had even started learning from online college programs. With this sort of track record, very few matched her at school and one of those people happened to be Brandon.

He almost always managed to keep up with her because of this she mentally took notice of him in a competitive way. But this won't be the same for everyone else as it would be practically impossible for them to link the image of a nerdy quiet kid. To the image of a muscular caring hero that saved their town.

Something similar to this was once mentioned by Atom Eve. People subconsciously erase the possibility of a hero being someone they know. Even if it may seem outright obvious.

Now that Caitlyn knew his identity she couldn't help but be curious. To most heroes are like Alien existences that are out of reach but here she has one in her town! Though he might not go to her school anymore, she does know where he lives.

"That settles it when I have time I'll head over to the Breyer farm just to be sure"

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"Your fight was impressive and it was definitely a good decision to use gravity against that creature but you were reckless. You wasted a perfect opportunity to strike by playing 'hero'." Zod explained with a slightly annoyed expression as he showed footage of the battle.

On the screen, Brandon landed in front of War Woman and fired his heat vision against the serpent saving her life. Watching the footage Brandon couldn't really see where his fault lay. Yeah, he saved her but what did Zod expect? For him to let her take that hit?

"I see you're not understanding what I meant. In no way am I reproaching your actions in saving that individual but in the way you did it." Lifting his arms Zod began expanding the footage to right before his arrival. In the image, it showed Brandon flying aiming right for the battle.

"You were flying at Mach 3, had you punched the Serpent at that speed it would have been enough to disorientate the creature. Giving you not only the element of surprise but also a good blow changing the flow of the battle. Instead, you made a dramatic entrance and attempted to overpower the serpent's attack. Which succeeded but it was reckless."

Upon hearing that explanation Brandon understood what Zod meant and he was right. When he arrived he saw War Woman in trouble and went straight to help her but attacking the Kaiju first would have been better.

Zod watched as Brandon reflected on this and looked satisfied. As long as one was willing to acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them then they'd never truly fall. With his lesson done Zod slowly faded away back into the ship giving his son more time to learn from this.

Left in place Brandon continued reviewing the battle in his mind. For a first-timer, he did alright despite the mistakes he made. The monster was defeated and the day was saved but he could be better. 'No, I have to be better. I'm lucky that this battle took place far from people but had it been in a city?' The thought terrified and he knew such things were possible. The battle in Chicago between Mark and his father was a clear example of this.

"I need to be stronger and I know exactly how" Walking out of the ship Brandon gazed up at the sky while pieces of ice began floating around him. Crouching down he lifted his arm and took off.

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Beyond the earth's atmosphere, Brandon floated in place looking down at the earth. He'd come here previously during the battle with the King Serpent but he didn't get to enjoy it completely. However this time was different, there were no enemies to fight or a battle to finish. Instead, he could just enjoy the view and it really was amazing.

As he floated there, he was reminded of why he had come in the first place when the sun began to rise from the horizon. 'The source of a Kryptonian's strength is our ability to draw power from the sun. The longer we bathe in its light, the stronger we become' This was something almost every comic fan knew and he was about to experience it firsthand.

[Image]

Closing his eyes Brandon began absorbing the solar radiation like a sponge. The process left him amazed as he actively felt his body improve by the second but it wasn't enough. One thing was to grow stronger but he didn't just want that. No, he wanted to completely understand what was happening.

If he really wanted to improve then knowing how his own body worked was the first step. Looking down at his hands Brandon's eyes took on a slight blue tint as he activated another one of his powers.

X-ray Vision

Most people think that it's one of Superman's lamest abilities but that actually isn't true. If all it could do is see through walls then that would be right but it goes far beyond that. A Kryptonian's vision is so great that they are able to see things on the atomic level. It was this specific capability that Brandon wanted to take advantage of as he began inspecting his body on the cellular level.

Looking down at his hands Brandon began to see what he was looking for, 'Cells'. They appeared to be in an ecstatic state absorbing all the energy coming in. As his cells did this they were actively strengthening themselves and improving their efficiency.

But this wasn't all… Cells have a process that involves combining Oxygen with electrons and protons to build energy but his cells looked like they completely stopped doing this. Instead, Solar energy became their main supply to the point where they stopped taking in anything but solar energy. Now normally this would mean his cells were degrading in some way because they weren't taking in the necessary material to survive but instead, it looked like they had become better off without it.

By not taking in Oxygen or other chemicals this meant that he technically didn't really need to breathe or eat. As long as he has the sun's energy in his body or has it nearby then he'd be completely fine. This was unexpected but a welcome surprise.

'So this is how Superman travels through space without issue. Nice to know I have this too' Brandon smiled at having this discovery and decided that he'd stick around in space a while longer. If the sun's energy was as effective as he'd seen then he'd absorb as much as he could before heading home.