Chapter 46: "You'll Catch Me, Right?"

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Scattered rubble lay around as dust spread outward from the collapsed windmill.

"Azu!"

Clark snapped out of his daze only two seconds after seeing Azu buried under the fallen windmill. Immediately, he threw down his backpack and sprinted to the windmill, waving his hand to disperse the dust as he began digging through the stones with his hands.

"Hold on, Azu! I'll get you out!"

As he dug frantically, he called down to the buried Azu with tension in his voice.

"Huff... Huff!"

Finally, after what felt like ages, Clark pulled Azu out from under the rubble.

Azu's face was covered in dust, his clothes were tattered, and he stared blankly, his mouth slightly open as if frozen in shock.

Clark, concerned, asked, "Azu… are you okay?"

"I…"

Azu wiped the dust from his face and, still a bit dazed, asked Clark in confusion, "Did I… just fly?"

He was still somewhat out of it.

"It looked like it," Clark said, relieved to hear Azu talking.

As long as he was speaking, his head was probably okay.

"I… I was running faster and faster, then suddenly I felt myself lift off the ground. When I looked down, I got scared and fell," Azu said, patting his chest nervously.

Thinking about it afterward, it all felt frightening for him, someone who was afraid of heights.

Clark looked at Azu with a bit of envy, "You flew like a bird! I wish I could do that too."

"But… I broke the windmill again," Azu muttered, not wanting to discuss the experience. Looking at the broken windmill, his face scrunched up in distress.

He'd accidentally destroyed their home a few days ago, and now the only windmill on the farm. If his dad found out, he'd surely be mad.

Azu looked at Clark, pleading, "Clark, you'll keep this a secret, won't you?"

"Of course," Clark nodded solemnly. "I won't tell anyone."

That Night..

At the Podrick farm, thanks to Clark's "confidentiality," Peter quickly found out about Azu's collision with the windmill.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Azu stammered, inwardly cursing Clark the "traitor." He looked up at his father anxiously. "I… I didn't mean to."

"To be honest, I know you didn't mean it," Peter said, much to Azu's surprise. Peter didn't get angry, just continued, "Dad's not going to punish you for an accident."

Peter, proud of his own fairness, reassured him, "I'm a reasonable father."

"John, can you still fly?"

He was intrigued by Azu's new flight ability. The watch granted him superhuman physical abilities, and his strength, speed, endurance, and defense now far exceeded that of an ordinary human. But he couldn't fly or shoot laser beams like Azul seemed to be able to.

Now that Azu had awakened his flying ability, Peter was already imagining Azu being his "free" ride around Earth or even a quick trip into space.

"No, I can't," Azu shook his head dejectedly. "I tried to remember what it felt like, but it just doesn't work."

"Is that so?"

Peter set down his knife and fork, looking thoughtfully at Azu. "Maybe… we can start some special training."

"What kind of training, Dad?"

"Training… to help you fly like a young eagle."

On the newly repaired barn roof, Azu stood nervously on the edge, calling down to Peter below. "Dad, do I really have to jump again?"

"Yes, don't hesitate," Peter replied.

"You'll catch me, right?"

"Of course. Every time."

Half an hour passed since the "young eagle training" began.

Azu had jumped from the rooftop over twenty times, each time landing straight down without even a hint of flight. The boy was so engrossed that Peter began to wonder if they had conspired to trick him into playing the "catch the kid" game.

Peter had caught him by hand over twenty times already. Even with his superhuman physique, he was starting to feel the strain.

"Hold on!" Peter called, stopping Azu as he prepared to jump again.

"John, when you jump, do you feel afraid?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm a bit scared."

"I see, John. When you jump, your focus shouldn't be on your fear. You need to think of your excitement for flight."

"I… I'm not sure I can do it, Dad."

"You can," Peter reassured him. "Remember that show you love, Family Feud? Richard Dawson hosts it, and you nearly always guess the most popular answers. There are no right answers on that show—only the most popular ones."

Azu, standing on the rooftop, thought back. "You told me once that things can feel harder when you're standing in the spotlight."

Peter snapped his fingers. "Exactly, John. When you're in the spotlight, your nerves take over, and the answers you know seem to disappear. Remembering that feeling of flight isn't so difficult, right?"

Azu nodded hesitantly. "I think I understand, Dad."

"Good. Let's try again."

"Ah-choo!"

At the Kent farm, Clark, the "snitch," accidentally sneezed, causing a plate to clatter loudly to the floor as he rushed to pick it up before his mother, Martha, saw.

With Jonathan away on errands, it was just Clark and Martha at home.

Martha came out of the kitchen with a plate of freshly baked cookies. "Wash up and get ready to eat," she told Clark.

After washing his hands, Clark sat down, stuffing a few cookies into his pocket. "I want to save some for Godfather and Azu."

Seeing her son's thoughtfulness, Martha felt a pang of pride.

"Mom, some of my classmates were talking about an alien spaceship landing near town," Clark said, munching on a cookie.

Martha, shocked, almost dropped her cookie.

She coughed to cover her surprise. "An alien spaceship? Did they say when?"

"No, just that someone saw a shadow moving across the sky. Some think it was an alien ship, others say it was Chupacabra, a monster, or aliens."

Relieved, Martha relaxed. She'd thought an actual spaceship had arrived. Because Clark himself had come to Earth on a spaceship, the very mention of it made her nervous, worried they'd come to take him away.

"Maybe it was just a meteor," she said. "Clark, Chupacabra and aliens don't exist."

Clark nodded, muttering, "If only I could fly like Azu, I'd catch the spaceship myself."

"What was that, Clark?" Martha asked.

"Nothing," Clark replied, quickly shutting his mouth.

He had promised to keep Azu's secret.