Chapter 6: The training begins

"You look really hyped up about this whole thing, pal," Max said when they've left the city. "Well, as far as I can tell at least."

"There's a lot of stuff I want to try out with my quirk that requires way more space than a house can provide me, so I can't waste that opportunity," he said. "Gotta find a limit to the weight I can lift with Blackfire and how dense it is in a solid state."

"Oh, so you've already given a name to it, huh?" Max chuckled. "What about the rest?"

"I've thought about calling blue fire 'Cremation' but it sounds kinda stupid. I'm still thinking about how should I call the red fire," he grabbed his chin. "I don't think I need to name orange flame, though, since it's just a normal fire."

"Do you have any super moves by now?" Max asked.

"I have some ideas about it, why?"

"Make sure to give them proper names."

"Why the hell I should do that?"

"Just imagine how badass it would be: you, standing all alone, surrounded by hordes of enemies, crossing your arms on your chest, collecting all the fire you have, and screaming:" he threw his arms out "FIRESTORM! And just incinerating all of them."

"Put your hands on a wheel, dammit," he said bluntly. "And don't you think that screaming out your actions kinda ruins the element of surprise?"

"But it sounds cool," Max shrugged.

"I'm not interested in being cool, Max, I want to be effective," He looked out of the car window. "Anyway, where's your house?"

"Oh, it's in a couple of hundreds of kilometers."

"Why you've built it so far away from the city?"

"Well, let's say that I don't like it when there're too many people around," he started. "Besides, it's more than perfect for your upcoming training."

"Don't tell me that you've built your house just for me to train in it," the boy deadpanned.

"...Maybe?" the older man smiled.

"There are way more useful ways to waste your money, you know. Like burning it to provide some heat or light a cigarette," he said. "Where do you even get so much money from? I know that being a doctor is a well-paid profession, but not that much."

"I used to work for the mafia and now I'm just spending all of my savings," he answered with a grin.

"Har-har."

They sat quietly for ten minutes or so, before Jalyn asked, "What am I going to do there anyway? You'll just keep teaching me how to fight or there's gonna be something new?"

"Jesus Christ, kid, it took you way too long to finally ask it," he complained.

"Just answer the question, Max," he said with a small smile.

"Jeez, kids these days are something. Ever heard of the word 'Please' ?" he really tried to sound offended.

"Max, if you won't answer the damn question, I swear I'll burn your car."

"Okay, okay," he chuckled, "there's definitely gonna be a lot of new stuff. First of all, you'll have to wake up at five in the mornin-"

"Turn the car back." The sound of doors locking and the car speeding up was his answer. "For fuck's sake, Max."

"It's too late to back down, maggot, Uncle Max's Hell Camp doesn't take 'No' for an answer."

"..." Jalyn was glaring at him. "Just tell me what we're going to do."

"I see you've already accepted your fate, huh?" the boy ignited his left cheek with a blue flame. "JUST KIDDING, DAMMIT!"

"Answer. The. Question."

"Okay, well, as I've already said, you'll wake up at 5 in the morning and run 10 kilometers, then you'll do your usual warm-up, then we'll train in fighting for 3 or 4 hours, after that you'll run another 10 kilometers and then you'll follow it up with obstacle race," the kid looked at him with interest, "then I'll teach you how to fight with melee weapons and climb up the buildings, then we'll go to the shooting range and I'll teach you how to, well, shoot, then you'll practice with your quirk and then you'll run another 10 kilometers, wash yourself and go to bed."

"Is there anything else we're gonna do? I think it's not enough," the boy snarked. "How about you'll teach me some robotics or quantum physics?"

"Oh, c'mon, kiddo, it's not that much. Besides, I won't force you to become a fucking pro in all of this shit, I'll just make sure that you'll be good enough so you won't die in your first serious fight. You know, the one that includes actual criminals and not a bunch of bullies," he said

"Another question."

"Go ahead, kiddo."

"Why do I need to learn how to shoot?"

"Just in case," he shrugged.

"Max, I'm not planning to increase my kill count, you know," the kid said. "And guns are used solely for that purpose."

"Not if you know where to shoot," he joked.

"Do I look like a fucking Bullseye to you?" the boy asked. "I don't think I'm accurate enough to shoot people and deliberately miss vital organs."

"No, you're not. Not now at least."

"I don't think one summer is enough for me to develop it that much."

"Who said anything about only one summer?" he gave a shit-eating grin.

"You've gotta be shitting me," Jalyn said.

"That's for your own good, kiddo," he smiled. "But don't worry just yet, we'll start your training next Monday. So you have plenty of time to waste."

"Today's Saturday."

"I know," he said. "Anything you wanna do for these two days?"

"Well...'' he grabbed his chin. "There is a thing or two I wanna test out."

"Oh? Care to tell me what it is?"

"Do you have a taser?" he asked.

"Yes, wh-" he slowly turned his gaze at him. "I'm not gonna tase you."

"We'll see about that," he deadpanned.

Masochistic much? Max thought.

"Welp, here we are, kiddo," Max said. "So, whatcha think?."

"Well..." he was looking at a very ordinary two-story house. "It's smaller than I've expected."

"That's what she said."

"What?" the boy asked flatly.

"What?" Max shrugged.

"..." he looked at him and sighed. "So, is there some kinda 'It's bigger on the inside' shit's going on? Otherwise, I'm not sure how the hell I'm supposed to train in here."

"Well, there is a huge-ass basement under the house but that's it," Max said. "So, what're ya gonna do now?"

"First, I'll unpack my stuff," he started listing, "then I'll go take a shower, gotta freshen up after the road, then I'll train with my quirk, but I'll need your help with it."

"Thus is an honor of mine, kind sir," his self-proclaimed trainer smiled. "How can I be of service?"

"Get the most powerful gun you have... and some explosives as well, if you have any," he grabbed his chin. "I'll also need a barbell with weights, 50 kilograms on each side."

"Sure, no problems, but I won't fucking shoot at ya, If that's why you need a gun." he clarified.

"Don't worry, I don't want you to shoot at me," the kid said, "not yet at least."

"You worry me, kid."

"I'm going to give you a shit-load of grey hair in a few years, Max," he smiled. "So you better get ready."

"You creepy bastard," he laughed. "See you in the basement in half an hour," he said as Jalyn entered the house.

"Holy." he finally arrived in the basement. "Fucking." it was at least four times bigger than the house itself. "Shit."

"Told ya it's huge," Max grinned at him.

"So, did you bring the gun?" he asked.

"You're standing in the biggest fucking basement you've ever seen and you're just getting straight to the business?" Max was clearly dumbfounded.

"Yes," he deadpanned.

"Just show some surprise, goddamnit." he sounded a bit resentful.

"I did."

"When?"

"When I've stepped in here," he said. "So, where is the gun?"

Max sighed and went towards the case on a table.

He opened it and started assembling something

"Okey-dokey," he said as he turned around, a sniper rifle in his hands. "Let's go to the shooting range."

"The hell is that?" the boy asked.

"Hm? Oh, that's DSR-50, a german sniper rifle," he smiled at kid. "You better not see what it can do with a human head."

"How good is it?" the boy asked.

"It's considered to be one of the most powerful guns in the world. So, what it is that you wanted to test out?" he asked, checking the ammo.

"I want to know how durable the Solid Blackfire is. If it's bulletproof, it's great, if it can withstand explosions, it's even better." Jalyn answered, spinning black fireball around his fingers.

"Okay then, do your stuff," Max said as he sat down on a chair and placed bipod legs of a rifle on a table.

Jalyn created a small cube out of Blackfire and solidified it.

"How far should I place it?"

"It's doesn't matter, really, I'll hit it anyway."

He then moved it to a distance of approximately 10 meters.

"Feel free to shoot when you're ready," he said.

"I'd suggest you cover your ears, kiddo."

*BANG!*

"Welp, that's it. Now bring that shit over here and we'll see if it's damaged in any way," he said. Holy shit, I forgot to put the suppressor on.

"WHAT?!" Jalyn screamed, wincing and clearing his ear.

"Damn, kid, I told you to cover your ears," Max scolded him.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, I've got an idea!" he hit his palm with his fist. "I might teach you a sign language as well."

"I CAN'T FUCKING HEAR YOU, MAX!"

"I SAID 'BRING THAT SHIT OVER HERE' !" he screamed back.

The kid nodded and called the cube back placing it on a table.

"Holy shit. Not even a dent. Wait, is there supposed to be a dent in the fire?" he grabbed his chin. "Dammit, kid, your quirk gives more and more questions."

"Yeah, no shit."

"You've recovered already?" he sounded amazed.

"As you can see," he snarked.

"It took five minutes for me when I shot from this fucker for the first time," he complained. "How the fuck you've recovered so quickly?"

"Fuck if I know," he shrugged.

"I guess that's all you've wanted to test out, huh?"

"Nope, there are at least two bullets that need to be fired."

"Okay, go ahead," Max said pulling the bolt of the rifle.

Jalyn started reforming the cube, making it as thin as paper and then he moved it to the position.

"Whenever you're ready," he said covering his ears: they were still ringing.

He was looking at the black rectangle, saw a bullet flying towards it and flatten against it. So its toughness doesn't depend on its width, huh? Good to know.

"So, what's next?" he looked at the kid. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Taking off my sweater," he deadpanned.

"I can see that. But why?" he asked.

"Blackfire is my armor. How do you think I can know for sure that it won't fail me when I'm shot at?"

"You want me to shoot you? Kid, that's insane!" he protested.

"Max, the last bullet you've shot looks more like a coin now. So it should be fine..." he paused. "I hope."

"Kid, are you serious? What if something will go wrong? What if your body coverage works differently?"

"I need to be sure, Max."

"Jalyn, I don't want to shoot you," he hesitated.

"Max, please," the boy said. "If I'll change my mind, I'll just turn the heat on and melt the bullet before it reaches me."

"But what about your limit?"

"It's enough to cover the front of my torso without exhausting," he looked at him. "Max, everything will be alright, I know it."

"..."

"It's better to be sure now," Jalyn warmly smiled.

"Okay," Max sighed. "You better not fucking die today, kid," he smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, Max."

He put his sweater on a table and redirected black flames from his forearms to his torso and solidified it.

"I'm ready, Max. Do it," he said as he moved away from him.

Max hesitated a bit, but still placed his finger on a trigger.

And then he pulled it.

A shot rang.

Jalyn felt a bullet hitting his armor.

And then he flew back for a couple a dozen centimeters.

The air left his lungs when he hit the ground, he quickly extinguished the Blackfire and touched the place the bullet contacted.

It was a bit sore but that's it. No blood, nothing. He sighed with relief and started laughing.

"We did it, Max!" he shouted. "IT WORKED!"

Max was looking at him, tears in his eyes.

"Jesus fuck, kid."

He ran at him and hugged him.

"We are never doing this again," he then let go and looked at the kid: he was smiling. A genuine, happy smile he hadn't seen in three years was now on his face. It was enough for Max to cry. All I had to do to make you smile was to shoot you from a fucking anti-materiel rifle. He then looked him in the eye: it was burning with a mix of blue and green flames. "Is it okay for your eye to burn?"

"What?" he asked.

"Your eye," Max repeated. "It's burning."

"Oh, nevermind. It happens when I get overemotional."

"Okay then," he stood up. "So, are we done here? I don't feel like shooting anymore today."

"Yeah, it's fine. You can go and take some rest now, I can handle everything myself, just tell me where the barbell is."

"Let's go, I'll show you. Why the hell do you need it anyway?"

"I need to find out how much weight I can lift using 'Tendrils'," Jalyn said.

"Don't you mind if I look at it?"

"Sure, why not?" he shrugged.

There was a training room in the house itself with a lot of training apparatus.

Jalyn was now standing in front of a barbell with 100 kilograms on it. He opened his palm, letting one tendril out of it.

"Don't you think that it's a bit hea- Holy shit!" he screamed out when he saw the tendrils lifting the barbell with ease. "Goddamnit, kid!"

Two more tendrils got out of the back of his hand and grabbed for another two 50 kg weights that were laying nearby and putting it on the barbell.

And then repeated the process twice.

"You just lifted 400 kg, kid," Max said, wide-eyed. "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy," he slowly spun the barbell around himself with tendrils coming out of one hand and covering his chin with another. "Max, how much does your car weigh?"

"A couple of tons for sure. Wanna try to lift it?"

"Yep."

"Let's go then. But the moment I see that you're feeling bad, I'm knocking you the fuck out, capiche?"

"Uh-uh," he mumbled absentmindedly.

Thank god he wants to be a good guy. Max thought. If he decides to become a criminal, the whole city'd be fucked.

They were outside now.

Jalyn took a deep breath and sent two tendrils under Max's Mercedes. And then he tried to lift it.

Well, that's easier than I've expected, he thought as the car was swiftly lifted off the ground.

He then looked at Max, his mouth was agape.

"I'm feeling fine, Max," he said with a smug smile.

"No shit, kid," he said. "So, is there anything else you need?"

Jalyn grabbed chin. What if I'll cover my arms with Black armor and try to lift the car? Just to see if I'm able to. But I'll need to cover my spine with it as well, so it won't break in case it really works.

He headed towards the car, black flames covering his hands alongside his forearms, a bit of black fire covering his spine. I should cover my knees as well for a good measure.

"What are you doing, kid?" Max asked, but then he realized what's about to happen. "Wait!"

Now or never. He shoved his hands under the car.

And lifted it.

But unlike the tendrils, he felt the weight. It's working! His arms were shaking. It's way harder, but it works! he slowly put the car on the ground and fell on his ass, his heart beating like crazy. "Fuck me," he muttered.

"You're scary as fuck, kid," Max said.

"Subtle as fuck, Max."

"Subtlety isn't my thing, kid. You, of all people, should know that already," he sighed. "Anything else you'd want to try out? How about lifting the whole house? Or we can go back to the city and you'll lift the tallest building in the city? Or, even better, let's go to Japan and see if you can lift Tokyo Skytree?"

"Nah, I'm done for today," he laid down on the ground. "I think I'll take another shower and go to sleep. What time is it?"

Max looked at his watches, "It's 9 PM."

"Yep, let's call it a day."

"I'll make sure that the rest of your summer will go just like today," he smiled as he lifted him. "Now, let me help you to get to the bathroom."

Jalyn fell asleep pretty quickly. Jeez, kid, it's just the first day, you know, Max thought.

He was sitting in the kitchen, a bottle of Jack on his left, half-full glass in his right hand.

'Not planning to increase my kill count', huh? I wish it was possible for you, but knowing the society we live in, I don't think that's an option, he turned the TV on. Let's see what happened today.

*... was found with numerous stab wounds and was horribly disfigured. This is the fourth incident this year. Police thinks that this might be the job of a serial killer. Now onto the next news...*

Holy shit, what the fuck is happening with the city? All the scum on the streets went crazy over the past three years or something? And this "Anti-Abnormal Society" piece of shit is growing larger with each day.

He drank another shot and filled the glass.

How are you planning to fight it, Jalyn? What are you going to do with all of it? he sighed. There's no way I can change your mind about this. No one can. But I'll make sure that you'll be able to fight against all of this shit that's coming your way. he chuckled. A seven-year-old kid lifted a fucking car. You really are amazing, you know. There's so much I want to teach ya.

This summer promises to be really funny, huh?

That's it for today. Thanks for reading.