The Foolish Little Brother

"Come on~"

Jupiter was full of confidence. He also wanted to see just how much stronger he was after all his training than Mark, who had never taken a boxing or martial arts class. Had all that training even been worth it? 😲

"Okay!"

"You asked for it..."

Mark's eyes lit up. He was excited, too. Before he'd gotten his powers, Jupiter had always looked out for him at school, and whenever they'd play around, Mark would lose in an instant. But he wasn't the same person anymore. He wanted to see just how strong he was.

With that thought, Mark swung at Jupiter with all his might!

The terrifying gust of his punch sent the chairs nearby flying!

Seeing Mark strike without warning, Nolan instantly moved in front of Deborah, shielding her from the flying debris.

The force was terrifying. Even though the punch hadn't landed on Jupiter's face, he could tell just how powerful Mark was from the wind alone.

But...

"Brother, you're leaving yourself wide open..."

Jupiter dodged Mark's punch in an instant, then grabbed his right leg and locked him in a chokehold, pinning him in place.

"Hey!"

Mark struggled with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free of Jupiter's hold.

"Give up, Mark!"

Jupiter watched Mark struggle with a grin. The harder Mark fought, the more excited he got. He looked like he wouldn't let go until he'd subdued Mark...

Honestly, Jupiter was pretty pleased. When he and Mark had equal strength, and both were just like ordinary people, that was when fighting technique came into play.

Mark and Jupiter were like Hulk and Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War. Their strength was about the same, but Thanos's greater combat experience let him beat Hulk senseless. In the end, he pummeled Hulk with a flurry of punches, leaving him completely demoralized...

Jupiter was like Thanos, who was skilled at fighting and knew how to use every joint in his body to generate power and hurt his opponent. Mark was like Hulk, who had plenty of strength but didn't know how to use it.

The fight quickly turned into a one-sided beatdown, with Jupiter effortlessly subduing Mark, who had also gained superpowers.

"Mark, give up!"

Jupiter smiled as he urged Mark to concede.

"I won't!"

Mark was stubborn. He insisted he would never give up!

"Listen, Mark. There's no shame in losing to your big brother. You've been losing for seventeen years."

Jupiter kept trying to talk him into it.

"No!"

Mark was incredibly stubborn. Maybe that was what made him Invincible Young Hero!

"Your big brother is getting frustrated! Maybe I'll just let you go today!"

Jupiter shook his head, preparing to release Mark.

"No! Keep trying! I want to break free on my own!"

When Mark saw Jupiter easing up, he immediately protested and shouted.

"Hey!"

Jupiter was at a loss. His foolish little brother was so damn stubborn. He didn't want to give up, but he wouldn't let Jupiter go easy on him, either. He insisted on using the powers he'd just gained to challenge his brother, who'd won more than a dozen amateur bouts and was preparing to go pro in the adult division—a fighter who was practically a master!

Just as Jupiter was wondering what to do, he suddenly felt a tremendous force on his shoulder! In an instant, it pulled him and Mark apart...

Jupiter looked up and saw Nolan. He knew Nolan had stepped in. The only person on the entire planet who could separate him and Mark was Nolan!

Nolan looked sternly at Mark.

"Listen, Mark! I understand that you want to beat Jupiter, but you can't use the strength you've only just gained to defeat someone who's trained in martial arts for ten years! I remember a saying from an ancient country far to the east: 'A fat man isn't made in a day, and steel isn't forged in a day.' It means you have to eat one bite at a time and forge steel bit by bit. The same goes for martial arts. You can't master them in a day."

Nolan used the ancient proverb he'd learned to teach Mark a lesson.

"I understand, Dad."

Mark thought it over for a while. He understood what his father meant, and he didn't want to worry him. He gave a small nod to show he understood...

"And Jupiter!"

"Remember, you're not the same as before. Don't fight inside the house!"

Nolan nodded, then turned to Jupiter, who had been watching the show behind him, and reminded him.

"Oh, got it!"

Jupiter nodded as he looked at the cracked floor and the dishes scattered across the room.

"Good!"

"Now you two brats clean up the house, then we'll eat!"

Nolan heard Jupiter's promise, nodded, and smiled.

"Yes, sir!"

Mark and Jupiter moved like streaks of light, restoring the whole house in an instant—except for the cracked floor...

"As for what you two deserve for this, Nolan's already said it all, so I won't add anything! Now, let's eat..."

Deborah, who'd been standing behind Nolan the whole time, carried the dumplings to the table. She understood that the brothers had just gotten their powers and couldn't help getting carried away. She didn't blame them.

"Great..."

Nolan, Mark, and Jupiter exchanged smiles, took their seats, and began enjoying the food.

"So, Jupiter, did you quit the boxing gym because you got superpowers?"

At dinner, Nolan asked Jupiter with concern.

"Of course~"

"Dad, you understand. If I hit someone now, they'd go flying in pieces."

Jupiter lightly punched the air to show that one blow would turn his opponent into a puddle of mush.

"True..."

Nolan nodded. He knew all about it. When he'd first arrived on this planet, he hadn't been able to control his strength and had accidentally killed several criminals who hadn't deserved to die.

"That's a shame, son. It was your dream."

Deborah felt sorry for her son. She'd seen how hard he'd worked to become a professional boxer and how much effort he'd put into getting stronger. Now that he'd become too strong to compete, it was hard to accept.

"No, I'm doing great. I've never been better!"

Jupiter shook his head. He wasn't at all unhappy about being too strong. He'd worked so hard before only so he'd have a better chance of protecting himself from attacks by Earth's native criminals. Now that he'd awakened his Viltrumite powers, he couldn't be happier.

"Oh! Do you mean you've already found something you want to do?"

Deborah's eyes lit up. She was eager to know what her son planned to do in the future.

Jupiter hadn't said anything, but she had a vague idea. He'd probably follow Nolan's example and become a superhero or something. The thought made her happy. Her husband and both her sons were superheroes—a whole family of superheroes!

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