Chapter 16 - Am I The Only One With Powers?

"Wait. That's not fair. If I am to tell you about my troubles, then you have to tell me yours too!" Ethan remembered how Sui didn't tell him or even her own brother about the debt their family was under and how she was the only one working hard to pay it back.

Of course, he knew she didn't tell them to not worry them but likewise, he also didn't want to tell her or even his own mother that he was getting bullied to save them from any headaches. As a man, shouldn't he learn to deal with his own problems?

Besides, now he was even more determined to not tell Sui, especially since she had her hands full, paying back the debt she owed those thugs.

However, even after he demanded that she follow the same conditions, Sui creased her brows and said firmly, "No. That is not how things work. I am the one older than you and stronger than you. So you will listen to me and not worry about my troubles. And as long as you do, you will be safe and happy."

"Fine!" Ethan could see that she was pretty stubborn about it, based on how adamant her tone seemed. So he decided to indulge her by accepting her one-sided condition, though inwardly, he was still determined to help her out while also taking care of his own business, which was Ken and his gang.

However, he was moved by how much she cared about him and wondered if it was because he was her best friend or something more…

"But one day, I will be stronger than you, then you will have to listen to me," Ethan said, not wanting to feel small before her, especially since he was not the same Ethan as yesterday. He wanted to make sure she saw him as a man and not someone weak she had to protect.

This was the only thing stopping him from wanting to get even closer to her.

Even if he and Sui were best friends, he felt something more than that whenever she looked at him. Every time she looked at him, he would feel as if his nerves were firing all at once, and with Sui spending so much time with him, he just couldn't resist developing feelings for her.

But Ken had destroyed his self-confidence and self-esteem since the beginning of college and only now has he started to recover it.

So he wanted to first get rid of his inner demons by taking care of Ken and then focus on getting what he wanted and appear strong before Sui as well.

Sui's expression became contemplative upon hearing his words, but then she immediately nodded to his astonishment, "Okay…I will listen to you if you become stronger than me. But till then, you are to do nothing dangerous like what happened today. Like standing in front of a gun."

"Great," Ethan said with a smile since he didn't feel that this was impossible anymore.

"Okay. Let me work on your assignments now," Ethan said as he leaned forward to take her laptop.

Sui left after a while with a strange expression on her face as Ethan reluctantly looked on. For a moment, he thought he really didn't mind her sleeping over, but then he shook his head and decided to focus on something important he had been wanting to do.

He didn't feel like sleeping, especially after all the crazy things that happened today. He wanted to know if he was the only one who suddenly got superpowers. So he took his laptop out and opened a search engine to type,

[ Can people get superpowers? ]

Of course, when he searched this, he only got people answering them in a fantasy scenario, though these answers were quite familiar to someone like Ethan, who was an avid consumer of fantasy and superhero books and movies.

Some realistic answers were that one should do scientific research on their power's quality. For example, if it was flying, then one should study aerodynamics, aeronautics, and whatnot.

But Ethan wasn't a fan of this idea since not all superpowered people were Ph.D. graduates.

Still, having some basic knowledge was something he appreciated.

The other popular answer which he also supported was that superpowers were a trait that was beyond human science, and one should rely on their own instincts and focus on what they want to achieve using their powers.

He felt that this was probably true since the moment he got his power, he was able to move the metal around him. To him, it felt like having an extra limb or muscle which he could use whenever he wanted.

And to become more adept at using his powers, he needed to develop this 'muscle'. And the most common mantra was 'practice' coupled with trial and error.

He looked at an old soda can on his table and motioned with his hand as it levitated into the air before rushing towards his palm by itself.

Ethan then tried moving it back and forth and realized something. Whenever he wanted the can to come towards him, he would feel an attractive force emanating from his hand.

But whenever he wanted to move it further away from him, he would feel a repelling force emanating from his palm.

And this feeling made him remember the times he played with two bar magnets.

"Like repels...opposites attract…Wait a sec...did my body really turn into a giant magnet with the capability to attract or repel whenever I like?" Ethan mumbled with a contemplative expression as he pulled back the soda can into his hands.

He also tried placing the soda can on other parts of his body, like his arms and legs. And whenever he wanted to 'attract' the soda can, it would cling to his skin no matter where on his body, and whenever he wanted to repel it, it would be very difficult to even make it approach his body using his hand. It felt no different than trying to bring together two like-sided magnets.

However, he realized that when he used his body to attract or repel metals, his energy was draining away like a broken dam, making it hard for him to even maintain it for more than a couple of seconds. If it was only his hands, then things wouldn't be this bad.

But then he thought of something, and as he inspected the soda can, he mumbled to himself, "Aluminum is not a magnetic material...Then how am I able to attract or repel it?" This baffled Ethan, and the only explanation he could think of was, "Don't tell me I can magnetize even non-magnetic metals??"

Ethan found this discovery astonishing since this would theoretically mean that he could control all metals!

He had no idea how his body was inducing such magnetic properties on other non-magnetic metals, but he was not one to complain.

This fact made him jubilant since metals existed pretty much everywhere around him, and if he had a certain amount of power over them, then wouldn't he have the potential to become someone powerful beyond his dreams?

'Get back to reality, Ethan,' He chided himself to get back from the dream world and focus on learning more about his powers.

He tried bending the soda can inwards just like what he did earlier and could feel that this time the repelling force from his palm was only acting on a small part of the can, which was making it bend inwards.

And when he tried to stretch the metal outwards, he felt the attracting force emanating from his palm.

He realized that doing simple things like moving or bending these small or lightweight metals didn't require much focus for him.

But whenever he focused on moving heavier objects like those 10 kg dumbbells, he would feel as if his entire body and mind's energy was draining fast to the point he could only lift one of them for a short while.

'Maybe I just need to practice lifting them just like lifting weights…' Ethan mused as he had already made plans to daily lift weights, not using his hands but using only his powers.

He felt that no matter what changes happened to his body, he would now have to train his powers to develop them since he wanted to do more with his powers and help his mother live a better life.

She had been suffering and doing all the hard work all alone for all these years despite her health condition. And only when he got into college did he realize how pathetic he was without having any real power to help himself, let alone his mother.

His family already had financial burdens, and now Ken was an extra major headache he had to take care of.

Thinking about all this, coupled with the fatigue he was experiencing, he dozed off to sleep before he knew it.. However, not long after, he felt like his mind was slipping into another reality.