Ch.3

Rolling with the Punches

"How do you like this dress, Calvin?" Krystal asked sweetly as she held a golden dress with white swirls around them on her body. Both she, Jim, and Calvin were at the Zoness Shopping Center. With Krystal around, shopping with her is like a suicide attempt of dying from boredom. Calvin is experiencing this event first-hand as he laid down on a seat sleeping from being kept so long while Krystal did her daily routine.

Krystal sighed in frustration and thought 'Why am I not surprised?' and walked over to him and tapped lightly on his head waking him up instantly with a half asleep look.

"Calvin, have you been sleeping this whole time?" Krystal asked with a displeased tone.

"Yes Krystal... I'm sorry if I was being rude to you." Calvin said as he hung his head in defeat and hung his head in shame.

Krystal was a bit surprised at Calvin's modesty and was impressed by it too. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said "It's okay, I appreciate you being honest with me."

"My dad always taught me that it's better to be honest and tell the truth than to lie about it." Calvin said as he made a comforting smile.

"Well, he sure taught you well." Krystal said she put the golden dress back on the clothing rack and looked for more dazzling clothes to try on.

Jim appeared from the Men's section of the store and walked over to Calvin with a smug grin on his face and said "Not so easy is it sport?"

"Remind me to shoot you later, Jim." Calvin replied darkly as he made a glare at Jim's appeal of his plan of ticking him off.

"Relax Calvin, it's not so bad. It's just a few clothes."

"That's easy for you to say."

"You should count yourself lucky, you're not the one who had to spend his time waiting while she was looking through jewelry. I just about lost my mind at that one." Calvin chuckled a bit at Jim's response.

Jim gazed at Calvin's Blue Lantern ring on his right middle finger and said "Although, is there by any chance you could lend me one of those, Krystal might like the creative design."

"Sorry Jim, but this ring is my responsibility. Besides, Adara's elegance doesn't come close to any fashion accessory."

'That is so sweet of you to say that Calvin, thank you. No doubt your father taught you to be a gentleman when it comes to women.' Adara said as she giggled a bit to Calvin's compliment.

"Hey, I am what I am Adara." Calvin said.

"If you two are done having a heart-to-heart chat, I would like to go and get us something to eat." Krystal said as she had lots of shopping bags in her arms.

"Well excuse us your majesty." Jim said playfully as Krystal rolled her eyes and smiled.

As they were walking to the food court, Jim began to notice Calvin's blue shades, but the weirdest thing is that he's been wearing them ever since he got here and never took them off for a second. As if he was trying to hide something.

"Calvin, what's up with the shades, why are you wearing them 24/7?" Jim asked curiously.

"No r-reason... whatsoever"

"Come on Calvin... Take off your shades off and show what you're hiding. What have you got to lose?"

Calvin sighed as he took off the shades and opened his eyes revealing two shades of red on them with no pupils, and it made Jim and Krystal jump a bit. I guess being a human made out of solid energy tends to do that to you.

"Calvin, it's just red eyes. What's the problem?" Jim asked nonchalantly.

"I don't want people to get a bad impression about me."

"Now Calvin, that's just ridiculous. I think they look wonderful on you." Krystal complimented as Calvin blushed a little.

"Th-Thanks... K-Krystal." Calvin stuttered as Krystal giggled at his reaction.

"You are so much like Jim."

"Yeah, except I'm not as uptight." Krystal laughed at his joke while Jim looked a little offended.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Jim shouted.

"Well you are." Calvin said in a matter-of-fact way as Jim shook his head.

But suddenly Calvin bumped into someone who was carrying a tray with food on it and made him slip the tray from his hands in the air. As it fell down, Calvin hastily caught the tray and used it to catch all of the other food as well with inhuman reflexes. Calvin and the rest were shocked at his performance and gave it back to the rabbit and said "He-here you go sir."

"Thanks a lot kid." As he walked away trying to process what happened back there.

Calvin, still a bit spooked at what he just did said "Whoa... That was... just... wow."

Krystal got concerned and asked "Calvin, are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine. Can we get some lunch now?"

The three of them went to a restaurant in the food court to get some lunch, specifically burger and fries and as the female mouse cashier was taking their order for burger and fries, Calvin set his hand near the cashier but unexpectedly blue electricity generated from his hands and started crackling at the cash register which made it explode and forced out all the money from it like a jack-in-a-box.

Calvin and the others flinched from the explosion as a couple of people looking very jumpy at the scene. Calvin stuttered with nervousness and said "I-I-I am SO sorry Miss. It w-was an-an accident."

The cashier reassuringly replied "It's alright sir. You didn't do it. The cash register is probably acting up again, just take your food and well, forget this happened."

Jim and his friends took their lunch with them to a nearby table and began to eat albeit making their presence a lot less troublesome without Calvin's powers gone awry.

Adara said to the amazed but shocked teen 'Calvin, you have to be more careful with your powers.'

"I'm trying Adara, it's just that I'm having a hard time controlling them what with me being the newbie to this superhero gig."

Jim stopped his eating and placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Don't worry Calvin, you'll get control of your powers. It just takes a little practice and a little effort and you'll be better in no time. "

Calvin nodded in agreement and thanked him for his concern.

Krystal began to fell curious about this situation and spoke to Jim in telepathy 'Seems like you and Calvin are alike in more ways than one.

'Most likely yeah, I can only wonder how well he can use his power or if he'll let it control him.'

'Don't think such silly thoughts Jim, we both know Calvin we'll use his power for the greater good. I can feel it.'

'I know, just wondering. Who knows, he might have to face against me someday. But hey, I'm a space giant with powers empowered by the sun. I can easily squish him flat with my own foot.'

Krystal smirked with amusement and thought 'Getting a bit arrogant aren't we? Size doesn't matter in battle, and you never know what tricks Calvin might have up his sleeve.'

'Well if you say so and-' Jim instantly interrupted his telepathic conversation as he saw Calvin making a lovestruck stare at something.

Jim arched an eyebrow and said "Calvin what are you staring at?" as Calvin answered his question by pointing his finger at someone.

And that someone happens to be a white vixen, who appeared to be at Calvin's age and appeared to be very beautiful. She had shoulder length white hair with a silver star-shaped hair clip in it and white fur that shone like pearls, possessed red eyes with matches the same color and luster you find in rubies and it didn't even look like contacts, a red velvet dress covering her chest and stomach and made a v-line around the shoulders, a white skirt that went all the way down to her ankles which were covered with golden colored sandals. This vixen appeared to be having a good time because of her warm smile. But she caught notice of Calvin staring right at her and turned around but he wasn't there to be seen so she shrugged it off and went back to whatever that made her happy.

As Calvin crawled out of the table, he still maintained his blissful expression and what made it even stranger is that he began to glow a pink aura around his body as he sighed in affection. Jim and Krystal began to grin and nodded in agreement that they were thinking the same thought, that Calvin has fallen in love.

Jim made a grin and began to tease him by saying "What's the matter Calvin? Don't tell me a certain girl has caught your eye?"

"Uh uh uh... N-No, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me Calvin, you're glowing pink, you're acting like Cupid shot you, and you been staring at the girl for quite a while now. Face facts, you like her."

"Oh Alright, I admit it. I like her, HAPPY!" Calvin shouted in frustration as Jim laughed a bit.

Krystal asked Calvin "If you're so interested in that girl, then why not go talk to her?"

"I d-d-on't know if I c-can."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Just go walk up to her and say hello. How bad can it be?"

"You're not making this easy for me."

"Fine then, I'll talk to her and tell her you got something to say." Krystal replied as she got up and began to walk but Calvin intervened by standing in front of her with his hands out.

Calvin hastily said "NO WAIT!"

"You're sad Calvin." Krystal replied as she pouted in disappointment.

But then a certain voice that sounded fair, gentle, mystical, like how you would hear from an elf's voice approached them and said "Um excuse me."

As Calvin turned around, he looked like he was about to faint, the white vixen appeared right in front of him with a curious expression on her face and she looked like she wanted to talk.

Adara sighed and said 'That's the thing about love, makes you do stupid things you'll regret.'

Jim watched Calvin acting like a fool for love in front of his girl and chuckled in amusement and said "Oh ho ho ho! This is gonna be good."

Krystal sat back down and made the same teasing expression and said "I agree, okay let's have a bet. If Calvin manages to perform a good impression on the girl and made a job well done by getting her phone number, you give me 30 bucks. If Calvin screws up and ends up making a idiot out of himself and drives the girl away, I owe you 30 bucks. Deal?" Krystal held out her hand waiting for Jim to mark his part of the bargain.

Jim smiled with confidence and shook her hand and replied back "Deal."