Growing Pains

Superman - though he really preferred to think of himself as Clark Kent - had seen a lot of different reactions to his arrival since he decided to reveal his powers. Hope, fear, resignation and the like were fairly normal, but it was weird to see pure joy from someone who had been attacking the city moments before.

“Oh hey, you look way stronger than the other guys…and you can fly too! That’s great!” The young alien chirped, making Superman wish he could talk her down somehow. Fighting children didn’t exactly sit right with him, so if this could be resolved peacefully…

“Who are you and why are you attacking the city?”

“Oh, did you not hear? I’m Califa and I’m here to take over the planet!”

Take over the…was she serious?

“So you’re gonna have to beat me if you wanna stop me!”

The tailed child suddenly flew forward and punched him in the face, sending him flying backward. Superman winced at the hit and quickly stopped his momentum before he ended up going through a building.

Contrary to popular belief he did feel it whenever someone hit him -at least a little- it just usually never did anything to him.

He was also glad that the child, Califa, had only used those orbs on everyone else. That punch would have done some real damage to a normal human.

-o-

I just punched Superman.

I JUST PUNCHED SUPERMAN!

Oh it did absolutely nothing and I wasn’t holding back so I knew I was screwed, but I didn’t care. This was like getting the chance to fight Muhammad Ali, or George Foreman, or Mike Tyson in their prime. Even though I knew I was going to lose, just the opportunity was enough for this to be the best moment of my life!

I was also so distracted by my thoughts I failed to follow up after that one hit I almost missed Superman flying back towards me. Weird, I would have thought my Ki sense would have…Ki sense wasn’t a natural Saiyan ability.

My eyes widened as I remembered that.

Huh, wonder how I’d go about learning how to - thoughts for later. Superman was back.

“You’re kinda tough huh?” I pretended like I didn’t know he was a Kryptonian, no need for awkward questions later.

“Just a little.” The Man of Steel replied. “Any chance we can talk this out? Come to an agreement?”

Bleh, I knew my physical age would make him hesitate but I didn’t want to just float around talking. So I was going to move this along a tiny bit…

“Sure! You have to beat me first though!” Then I blasted him in the chest with a solid beam of Ki.

That did about as much damage as me punching him (meaning none at all) but it did send him rocketing out of the city where I followed as fast as I could. No need to trash the city during my introduction after all.

I caught up to him just when he was recovering and punched him again, straight into the ground.

Superman ended up in a crater while I just hovered overhead. I still couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Flying, superstrength, and shooting lasers from my hands? That was just way too cool, and an opponent I could give it my all against and not worry about hurting? I couldn’t ask for a better introduction to my new abilities.

A blue and red blur burst out of the crater and a completely unharmed, if slightly dirtier, Superman was suddenly in front of me still wearing a stern expression.

I didn’t want him talking more so I flew forward with the intent to punch him in the face, but he caught my fist before it hit like I was a normal human twelve-year-old. Then he caught the second one just as easily.

“I think that’s enough of that. I beat you, so let’s have that talk now.”

“You didn’t beat me!” I immediately protested. “You didn’t even hit me once!”

He raised an eyebrow and pointedly wiggled my still captured hands. “I didn’t need to hit you to beat you and I’m not going to fight someone that, despite causing a panic, hasn’t really hurt anybody. Now then, who sent you and why just you?”

Internally I was fuming. This was how my first fight was going to end? A few good strikes and then captured like some little kid? No way. So I did something Superman wasn’t expecting at all.

I poked him in the eye with my tail.

He reeled back enough that I was able to bring my foot up and kick him in the jaw, both freeing me and putting a little distance between us.

“Fine…if you aren’t going to fight me then I’ll just have to wreck a few buildings until someone who will fight shows up.” With those parting words I turned back towards the city. I wasn’t actually planning on wrecking the place. Maybe blow up a few decorative bits, get Superman to take me seriously, then take things from there. But I didn’t even get that far.

Instead I barely heard Superman mutter behind me. “Ma always said you had to have a firm hand with children…”

Huh, wonder what that was abou-

*SMACK*

“AIEYEEP!!” I yelped howled in outrage.

He…He just…He SPANKED ME!

“Do you give up?”

I turned to face him with fire in my eyes. “No, I don't give up! I’m going to-” He vanished in a blur.

*SMACK*

“Do you give up?”

I flew at him ready to pound him so far into the ground they could use it as a well.

*SMACK*

“Do you give up?”

I shot Ki blasts everywhere I thought he would move.

*SMACK*

“Do you give up?”

I mined the area with tiny orbs of Ki ready to explode at the slightest touch.

*SMACK*

“Do you give up?”

I erupted in an omnidirectional surge of Ki that reduced everything around me to rubble.

*SMACK*

*SMACK*

*SMACK*

“Do you give up?”

I…I tried flying away as fast as I could.

*SMACK*

“I GIVE UP ALREADY!” I cried screamed, tears flowing out of my eyes and holding onto my butt.

Superman appeared in front of me again, this time looking at me with something like sympathy and regret in his eyes. Something told me he had gone through something like this before and didn’t like that he was forced to do the same.

That look reignited the fire inside me.

He ruined my first fight, spanked me like some misbehaving child, and now he felt bad about it?!

“Now that we got that out of the way, I have some questions and you are going to answer them young lady.” he said firmly. “Do you want to answer them here or do you want to land on the ground first?”

I answered that the best way I knew how. I reared one leg back…

…Then I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could before sticking my tongue out and flying away.

“This isn’t over! I’m gonna get way stronger and then I’m gonna beat you up!” I promised as I flew into the distance.

Superman didn’t say anything. He just remained hunched over midair holding himself, but I figured he heard me anyway.