The next morning, at dawn, Peter received a call from the school while on the farm.
"Dad, what happened?"
After hanging up, Azu rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked curiously. Last night's flying practice had left him feeling a bit drained.
"The school bus was in an accident. The car's radiator fell off, so you won't be able to take the bus to school for a few days," Peter replied.
Azu nodded. "Alright, I don't really need the bus anyway. I can run faster than it."
"Running to school is a good workout," Peter said, placing a slice of toast on Azu's plate with a raised eyebrow, "but next time, make sure you don't end up flying, John."
"I know, Dad," Azu replied, picking up the toast with a glum expression.
Last night's training had ended in failure. He couldn't quite grasp the feeling of flying, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be able to.
"Did anyone get hurt in the bus accident?" Azu asked, pushing his worries aside.
"I don't think so."
"That's a shame."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "?"
He shot Azu a stern look, causing the boy's heart to skip a beat. Azu quickly clarified, "I mean, Dad, Ms. Rachel might be disappointed. She always wants real patients."
"Who's Rachel?"
"Rachel is the school nurse. She complains that she only sees two types of 'abnormal' patients."
Azu shared what he'd overheard with his super hearing. Intrigued, Peter asked, "Oh? Which two types?"
"One type is athletes who come in bruised and sore, refusing to sit out, no matter how much it risks their careers."
Azu took a bite of toast before continuing. "The other type is girls with 'mystery ailments' who show up frequently before exams. They'll claim to have ear infections, pneumonia—even bronchitis as a last resort."
"They know the substitute exams are easier than the regular ones," Azu added, puzzled. "If they know the exam is multiple choice instead of an essay, their symptoms usually get worse."
Since Azu had never been sick, he didn't understand the connection between illness and exams. "Dad, does being sick really help you avoid exams?"
Peter fell silent. Is that common here too? He shook his head, determined to squash Azu's mischievous thoughts.
"No, John, using dishonest tricks is shameful."
Azu nodded in understanding, adopting a serious tone. "If there's an exam I don't know how to do, Dad, I can just read the other students' answers with my eyes. I don't need to pretend to be sick."
Peter: "?!"
He looked at Azu, wondering how often the boy had cheated.
Cheating this way was worse than faking sick! After giving Azu's backside a few swats, Peter sent him to herd the cows.
"Come on, cows, let's go," Azu called, trying to nudge the lead cow along, but it ignored him.
"Into the pen, now. Move!" he ordered, patting the cow's backside, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, he put his hands on his hips, thinking of a solution. Maybe a little super strength would help.
Grabbing the cow, Azu hoisted it up, making it moo in surprise. Carrying it out of the barn, he felt pleased with himself—until a squirt of milk hit his face. Startled, he licked his cheek out of reflex, surprised by the taste.
"John?"
Hearing Peter's voice, Azu quickly set the cow down, trying to act nonchalant. Peter eyed the milk on Azu's face and then glanced at the cow on the ground.
"Are you alright, John?"
"I'm fine, Dad."
"Good. Time to get to school."
"Yes, Dad," Azu replied, relieved, and quickly ran off. Watching him leave, Peter thought he'd better not let Azu handle the cows in the future.
At Smallville Elementary, Azu and Clark put their bags in their lockers.
"Azu, have you heard about the alien spaceship?" Clark asked.
"No, not interested," Azu replied, more focused on how to fly.
"They say there's a shadow falling from the sky—it might be an extraterrestrial," Clark said excitedly. "Some kids are starting a science club to investigate. And lately, some townsfolk say their livestock has gone missing."
Clark turned, his eyes shining with excitement. "Maybe aliens are real, John! They say a lot of cattle mutilations are tied to aliens."
Annoyed, Azu slammed his locker shut. "There's no such thing as aliens. I'd sooner believe in vampires."
Clark sighed as Azu walked away. So much for getting him to help investigate.
Later that afternoon, after school, Clark stayed behind to check out the science club. By the time he left, Azu was already gone.
"No bus means I can just run home," he muttered, walking out.
As he passed the parking lot, he heard shouting. Stepping closer, he saw upperclassmen bullying a classmate in a baseball cap.
Clark recognized him—his name was Adrian.
A tall older student punched Adrian, who hit the wall with a cry, blood dripping from his nose. Another student kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back.
"Hey, stop it!" Clark shouted, stepping forward.
The three older boys looked over, sharing a glance.
"And who the hell are you? His buddy?"
"I'm his classmate," Clark said, stepping between Adrian and the bullies. "My name's Clark Podrick Kent."
"I don't care, kid. If you don't want to end up like him, you'd better get lost," sneered the largest student, cracking his knuckles.
"No!" Clark replied firmly. "You can't hurt him!"