"It's not just me who should thank you..." Clark's expression became serious, his gaze flickering as he spoke, "When I stepped in to save Dad, I thought I saw figures similar yet different from my own power's aura. They wanted me to thank you, though, this might have just been my imagination..."
"But thankfully, you were there. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have accepted my powers as I do now. I would have been more lost and wouldn't have had anyone to help me make a choice at that critical moment..."
"You're just too stressed, even hallucinating!" Robert laughed, shrugging his shoulders, "So, to celebrate our survival, let's go have a big meal! I'm starving!"
"Shall we go together? To thank you for saving our lives, we want to treat you to a meal..." The lady with two children who came to thank the Kent family overheard Robert's words and extended the invitation.
Not only the lady but also others whom the Kent family had guided to safety under the bridge came forward to express their gratitude.
They hadn't noticed Robert and Clark's superhuman abilities, but the Kent family's assistance during the crisis was a great kindness to them, and they naturally wanted to reciprocate...
"A meal?" Robert's eyes lit up, then he scratched his head shyly, somewhat embarrassed, "That might not be such a good idea... I eat a lot, and I might scare you..."
"Don't worry about the meal. At that moment, we didn't think too much, just felt we should step up..." Jonathan, seeing that the people around hadn't noticed anything unusual about his sons, breathed a sigh of relief and warmly smiled at the grateful crowd, "Besides, my younger son does eat a lot, and he's quite strong. He's a certified eating champion in Kansas City!"
"No matter how big the appetite, we can still afford a meal, and thankfully he's strong and decisive. If he hadn't opened that escape window, our family would have been trapped in the car!" Grace smiled at Robert, shaking her head, then softly told her children, "Mac and Hero, you should learn something from him!"
"Brother, your hairstyle is so cool, why doesn't it fall down?" However, being too young, Mac and Hero didn't grasp the concept of life-threatening crises or gratitude, instead focusing on Robert's gravity-defying hairstyle.
"Mac, Hero, it's not polite to ask such questions..." Grace gently scolded the children, then turned to Jonathan, "Our cars have been blown away or destroyed, we have to walk away anyway, why not find a place to rest properly?"
"Yes, you saved us, and we haven't shown our gratitude. God would punish us!"
"It's just a meal, a token of our appreciation!"
As Grace finished speaking, others also echoed her sentiments. Jonathan smiled helplessly but didn't refuse their kindness, knowing it would make them feel better...
Soon, the group made their way to the nearest city, somewhat disheveled but appreciating the beauty of life after the disaster, engaging in warm conversations.
Jonathan became the center of attention, being more approachable compared to the silent Clark and shy Robert...
"How did you do it before?" Clark quietly asked Robert as he walked beside him.
"The Solar Flare?" Robert raised an eyebrow, smiling, "It's a technique that transforms the energy inside the body into light energy. The burst of energy attracts people's attention, then the pure light stimulates their eyes, obscuring their vision..."
"Solar Flare?" Clark's eyes sparkled with anticipation, "I want to learn that!"
"Ah?" Robert was taken aback, looking at Clark skeptically, "That move isn't that powerful, why would you want to learn it?"
"When you used the Solar Flare, I could still see things within the light, and from the light you emitted, I felt warmth and closeness..." Clark hesitated before speaking.
"Warmth and closeness? The Solar Flare has that effect?" Robert scratched his head. The Solar Flare was one of the most used techniques in the Dragon Ball world, simple yet effective. But he wasn't sure if Clark could learn it, as Clark's energy was different from ki.
"I don't know if you can learn it, but I'll teach you when we get back!" Robert pondered for a moment, then whispered.
"And that way of talking directly in the mind!" Clark rubbed his hands together, looking forward to Robert's response.
Though the crisis and inner turmoil had been challenging, it seemed to have benefited Clark, helping him move past the sorrow of his birth parents' death and appreciate his adoptive parents more, determined to protect them.
"That's telepathy, a form of communication using mental power. I'm not sure if you can learn it..." Robert spread his hands. He had decided to teach the Solar Flare, so teaching telepathy wasn't a big deal.
Telepathy was learned from Master Roshi, a grandmaster of martial arts with numerous abilities far beyond ordinary earth martial artists.
However, telepathy wasn't as mystical as it seemed. It was a use of mental power, allowing for mental conversations. True memory reading was difficult, only accessing recent important memories at most.
Mostly used in battle for silent communication, it was first demonstrated by Master Roshi and Crane Hermit in verbal spats...
Unlike the Solar Flare, which required ki, telepathy was an extension of mental power, so Robert explained some principles to Clark.
"Is that how it works?" To Robert's surprise, Clark's voice soon echoed in his mind, showcasing his incredible talent.
The previous chapter was meant to be a climax, contrasting Clark and Robert's ideologies. In a critical moment, Clark instinctively followed Robert's advice, saving Jonathan and acknowledging Robert's viewpoint later...