Once, Jonathan advised Clark to wait until he was ready to face the public's gaze before deciding whether to step forward. After over a year of transformation, Clark felt he was finally ready!
When Clark returned to the Kent farm, Robert's injuries had almost fully healed. Sensing Clark's presence, Robert's eyes lit up, and he quickly appeared before Clark, eagerly asking, "So? Clark, who is stronger between you two? Who won?"
"Of course, I won." Clark looked Robert up and down, and upon seeing that Robert's injuries had indeed healed, he finally relaxed and glared at Robert, saying, "Next time you encounter an enemy you can't beat, don't rush in recklessly!"
"But how would I know if I can beat them if I don't rush in?" Robert shrugged, looking innocently at Clark and counter-asked, "Can you now tell the strength of everyone, Clark?"
"No." Clark paused for a moment, realizing that there was indeed a problem. Even he couldn't be sure of a superhuman's strength, despite having x-ray vision.
"See! You can't tell an opponent's strength either, so why did you go looking for trouble with that green-skinned person?" Robert teased Clark once more.
"Because I'm confident in my strength!" Clark replied, annoyed.
"I'm confident in my strength too! Besides, how could I miss out on facing such a strong opponent? Plus, he was the one looking for trouble…" Robert said matter-of-factly.
"When you can beat me, then you can be confident in your strength!" Clark glared at Robert, then explained, "I fought with that Martian, and I realized he isn't really a bad guy…"
"What? How is that possible? That guy looks so strange, and his aura is very odd, and yet he's not a bad person?" Robert exclaimed in surprise.
"Hm? Wait, he's a Martian? Are there humans on Mars? Mars is so close to Earth, how come they haven't been discovered by humans?"
"When I passed by Mars during our fight, there were no signs of life left. So, it seems he, like us, is the last survivor of his planet…" Clark shook his head and softly said, "Mars hasn't been destroyed, but its civilization has. But you won't encounter him again. He promised to stay away from you if he senses you…"
"So, he's not an enemy anymore?" Robert raised an eyebrow. Then, realizing something, he looked at Clark in astonishment and asked, "Wait! Did you just say you passed by Mars? You fought in space? Clark, can you survive in space? Don't tell me you've been in space these past three days…"
"Yes! Not just me, that Martian can survive in space too. But from what I've observed about you, it seems you're not capable of that yet. So, don't go around saying you're confident like that anymore." Clark seriously advised Robert.
"This is indeed a problem. I wonder if I can overcome it…" Robert didn't rebut Clark's words this time, instead seriously contemplating how to survive in space.
In the presence of qi, Robert could use it to form a barrier around his body to temporarily isolate the vacuum of space and create a closed-loop inside his body.
But this was not a long-term solution, as qi would deplete, especially if Robert fought in space, consuming even more qi!
"Can Namekians survive in the universe?" Robert thought of the Martian hunter, similar to Piccolo, and then remembered he might have some undeveloped abilities.
"Hmm… It seems not viable. I remember Namek was destroyed due to environmental sacrifices, which led to the destruction of its atmosphere and cosmic rays killing many Namekians. If they could survive in space, they wouldn't be affected by cosmic rays…"
"What about transformation? Can transforming help me survive in space? And do I have other racial abilities? It seems the ultimate potential isn't just Saiyan abilities; there might be many abilities waiting for me to develop, so having the ability to survive in space isn't impossible…"
"Robert, what are you thinking about? Why are you silent?" Seeing Robert lost in thought, Clark frowned and comforted him softly, "Not being able to survive in space isn't a big deal. With your transformation, creating a space suit isn't impossible; it just wouldn't be convenient for fighting."
"Hmm, that could be a solution." Robert snapped back to reality and nodded in agreement.
If they were accidentally sent into a space environment, this method could provide a temporary solution. Although it would temporarily affect their fighting power, it could give Robert a chance to adjust.
"Clark, you're back!" While the brothers were talking, the Kents and the Danvers came out. The Kents sighed in relief and called out to Clark softly from the sky.
"Sorry for making you worry. I thought I'd be back sooner…" Clark apologized to the Kents quietly.
"It's okay, as long as you're safe. Are you hurt?" Martha hurried to Clark as he landed, carefully examining his body with concern.
Unable to help it, Martha was worried about Clark sustaining injuries similar to Robert's. She knew Clark was strong, but she had no concept of his strength.
Just like Martha thought Robert was strong until he returned with a gaping hole in his stomach, carried by Kara, and remained unconscious for a day before waking up.
"Don't worry, I'm not hurt." Clark posed to show off his robust physique, jokingly saying to Martha, Jonathan, and the others, "I'm much stronger than Robert. I definitely won't come back injured!"
"Pfft! If I stayed outside for three days, I wouldn't come back injured either!" Robert understood Clark's gesture and pretended to be dissatisfied, easing Martha and Jonathan's tension.
"Still, Clark's physique is much stronger than mine. It's disappointing that even the most powerful attacks can't breach his defense…"
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