Kenji didn't bother with the bus. He spent forty minutes "power-walking" (which, for him, meant vibrating down the sidewalk at the speed of a moped) to reach an abandoned junkyard on the edge of the industrial district. Waiting by a rusted fence was Leo, wearing a faded "Support Your Local Villain" t-shirt and holding a tablet.
"Dude," Leo said, his eyes widening as Kenji approached. "You look like you swallowed a neon sign. Your hair is literally standing up."
"I got hit by the red lightning, Leo! The red one!" Kenji hissed, looking around to make sure no one was watching. "I fried my alarm clock just by looking at it. I need to know what I am before I accidentally level my apartment building."
Leo's face shifted from concern to pure, unadulterated geek joy. "This is it. The Origin Story. The training arc. Okay, move to the center of the yard. I've rigged my tablet with a high-speed motion tracker. Let's see what the Red Blur can actually do."
The Test Results
Kenji stood in a clearing of crushed sedans and rusted scrap metal. He closed his eyes, thinking of the red veins from the night before, and pushed.
Speed Test: Leo yelled "Go!" and Kenji vanished. A second later, a sonic boom shattered the windows of a nearby crane. Kenji was at the other end of the yard, coughing as he accidentally ran through a pile of cardboard boxes.
Result: Mach 0.8. He's faster than a racing car, but he hasn't hit the sound barrier safely yet.
Strength Test: Kenji tried to lift a rusted engine block. As his hands touched the metal, red sparks arched from his fingers. The engine didn't just lift; it melted where he gripped it before he tossed it twenty feet away.
Result: Kinetic Infusion. His strength comes from the electrical pressure in his muscles.
The "Big One" (Thunder Pulse): Leo pointed to a stack of three shipping containers. "Try to hit it with everything."
Kenji drew back his fist. He didn't just punch—he let the "hum" in his chest explode. A sphere of jagged, crimson lightning erupted from his knuckles.
BOOM.
The shipping containers didn't just dent; they were blown apart as if hit by a tank shell. The shockwave knocked Leo flat on his back and sent a murder of crows screaming into the sky.
The Reality Check
"Kenji..." Leo whispered, staring at the smoking crater where the containers used to be. "That wasn't a spark. That was a localized disaster."
Kenji looked at his hands. They were smoking, and his hoodie sleeves were completely disintegrated. He felt powerful—god-like, even—but he also felt a cold shiver of dread.
"The Vanguards," Kenji said, his voice small. "If they find out a kid like me has this much output without a license..."
"They won't just arrest you," Leo finished, looking at his tablet. "They'll think you're a walking nuke. We need a suit, Kenji. Something that hides the glow and keeps you from burning your clothes off every time you sneeze."