Boom!

  A white streak sshed across the sky before abruptly vanishing mid-flight.

  Inside a diner in Smallville…

  Azuma Shoyo was eating lunch.

  He'd taken some time to fully savor what it felt like to be Superman.

  And honestly?

  It was awesome!

  In both his lives combined, he'd never felt as exhirated as he did today.

  His ears twitched suddenly, and he looked up toward the diner's entrance.

  A tall figure pushed the door open—a man with a dusty backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing a baseball cap, looking travel-worn.

  It was none other than Crk Kent, the very person Azuma had extracted the [Man of Steel] trait from not long ago.

  "Crk?!"

  A waitress recognized him as he stepped inside.

  "You're back? I heard you went traveling," she said, brushing her hair back with a smile at the tall, handsome man.

  "Yeah, just got back. Gonna grab something to eat and head home," Crk replied with a nod, then walked toward Azuma's table.

  "Can I sit here?" he asked, gesturing to the seat across from Azuma.

  "Go ahead," Azuma said with a grin.

  He couldn't help but feel a fondness for the guy who'd indirectly given him this incredible power.

  Crk set his backpack down and took a seat.

  "What'll you have?" the waitress asked, approaching with a warm smile.

  "Today's special, please," Crk said.

  "Got it—one special, coming right up," she replied, swaying her hips as she walked off.

  "Friend of yours?" Azuma asked, gncing at her before turning to Crk.

  "Old cssmate," Crk said.

  Truthfully, though, they weren't close. Back in school, Crk wasn't one of the popur kids.

  Sure, he was tall, built, and good-looking, but he'd been a pushover—prime target for the school bullies.

  At least, that's how most of his cssmates saw him back then.

  "Looks like your old cssmate's got a soft spot for you," Azuma said with a teasing smile.

  Crk didn't want to dwell on old cssmates. His expression turned serious as he leaned in. "Who are you, really? What are you doing here?"

  "Me?" Azuma took a bite of his burger, chewing casually as he spoke. "I introduced myself earlier. As for why I'm here—obviously, I came to find you."

  "Find me? Why?" Crk pressed.

  Azuma grinned mysteriously, then stretched out a hand. A spoon on the table slowly floated upward.

  "Because of this," he said.

  It wasn't telekinesis or anything fancy—just his bio-force field wrapping around the spoon.

  Crk clearly sensed it too. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Azuma.

  "You're also—"

  Crk nearly shouted it, but he caught himself, realizing this wasn't the pce for that conversation. He tamped down his excitement.

  "Let's talk after we eat," Azuma said with a slight smile.

  Crk nodded.

  That was exactly what he'd been thinking.

  …

  Half an hour ter…

  Azuma and Crk stepped out of the diner after lunch.

  "Looks like you've got a busy night ahead," Azuma teased, smirking at Crk and the note in his hand.

  The waitress had slipped Crk her number, and Azuma had caught a glimpse of it—a string of digits with an obvious intent.

  "I'm not pnning to call her," Crk said earnestly.

  "Too bad! She'll be disappointed tonight," Azuma replied, feigning pity for Crk.

  "Can we talk now?" Crk asked, steering the conversation back. He wasn't interested in flirting—he just wanted answers about Azuma's identity.

  Was he like him?

  "Curious? Then keep up," Azuma said with a grin before vanishing in a fsh.

  It wasn't teleportation—just sheer speed!

  Crk blinked, then took off after him.

  The two raced through Smallville, out into the suburbs. Azuma gnced back at Crk catching up, then shot into the sky, no longer holding back. In an instant, his speed hit its pnetary max!

  "Crk, let's see who's faster!"

  Crk looked up, and with a boom, a sonic cloud burst around him. His speed rocketed to Mach 200 as he chased after Azuma.

  A few minutes ter…

  Azuma nded in a vast savanna in Africa.

  A nearby herd of wildebeests startled at his sudden descent, stampeding off in a dusty frenzy.

  Boom!

  Almost instantly, Crk touched down beside him.

  "I'm faster," Azuma said with a grin.

  "You got a head start," Crk countered. He didn't think he'd lost—their speeds were clearly neck-and-neck.

  "Azuma, are you… like me?" Crk asked, taking a deep breath, his voice trembling with excitement. If the answer was yes, it'd mean he wasn't alone on this pnet!

  "You mean, am I like you—a Kryptonian?" Azuma smiled. "If that's what you're asking, then yeah, it's exactly what you're thinking."

  "Really?!" Crk excimed, his voice rising with emotion. "But… my father told me Krypton was destroyed."

  "Did he ever say you were the only survivor?" Azuma asked.

  Crk shook his head.

  No, his father hadn't said that.

  "Truth is, you weren't the only one who escaped Krypton that day. But most didn't make it—they perished along with the pnet," Azuma said, spinning a serious-sounding tale off the cuff. "I got lucky. I managed to get out just before it blew up."