Ice!
13: Chapter 13: Heatblast: Oh No!
Ice!
Having switched into serious mode, Johnny was still too stubborn to yield.
Looking down from above, he said calmly, “You can’t touch me.
Give up.” He could easily kite the guy forever, though he couldn’t actually hurt him either.
Rather than remaining at a stalemate, it was better to wrap this up quickly.
If they kept fighting, dawn would break soon.
If people discovered two mutants here, it wouldn’t end well for either of them.
Of course, all of this hinged on the other guy giving up first.
Johnny wasn’t the type to back down.
Four Arms looked up with a wicked grin.
“If this form can’t hit you, then how about this one?” His extra arms retracted into his body, his frame rapidly shrinking as flames burst across his skin.
As the words left his mouth, Heatblast flew into the air, locking eyes with Johnny.
Johnny blinked, frozen.
He glanced down at the ground, then back at Heatblast before him.
In the next instant, his pupils shrank to pinpricks, his face twisting in ghostly horror.
*He has a mutant fire-controlling ability too?!* *How is that possible?!* Johnny’s brain turned to complete mush.
He racked his memory, desperately trying to recall if there were ever two mutants in the world with the exact same power.
Seeing Johnny staring at him in utter bewilderment, Owen Vance felt thoroughly satisfied.
*Now this is the kind of reaction a main character deserves!* he thought.
Heatblast went to slide his hands into his pockets—only for them to slide fruitlessly down his thighs, his confident smile freezing along with the motion.
*Ah, right.
Heatblast doesn’t have pockets.* *Failed flex.
Requesting a redo.* …
Johnny thought furiously, and Owen showed no intention of interrupting him.
*Wait!* Johnny realized that the key to solving a problem was finding the core of the issue.
Right now, the core issue was: if the guy had fire powers, why hadn’t he used them from the very start?
Johnny pondered with utmost seriousness, a sudden, overpowering dread washing over him as if he had walked into a trap.
The answer wasn’t hard to guess.
Either the guy was a total freak whose brain was wired wrong and who just liked getting beaten up…
Or he didn’t have the power back then!
Arriving at the guess closest to the truth, Johnny’s heart nearly stopped!
Though blazing with fire, he felt an icy chill wash over him as if he had fallen into a frozen abyss.
*Fuck!
So he came looking for me to use me as a catalyst to evolve his own power?!* *Can this motherfucker really evolve his powers based on the person he fights?!* Catching the astonishment in Johnny’s eyes, Owen knew it was time to move.
Whatever else he lacked, Johnny at least possessed basic intuition.
Sensing Heatblast’s aggressive intent, Johnny panicked and turned to run—or rather, fly!
He wasn’t retreating; he was merely conducting a tactical, paced, strategic withdrawal!
After all, he was genuinely terrified that if they kept fighting, the guy would just get even stronger!
But after dodging a fireball the size of a semi-truck, Johnny realized his mistake—the guy was already in his complete form!
Deciding to contact the other members of his team, Johnny turned his head frantically.
“Who are you?!” Heatblast conjured a massive fireball in his hands.
“I’m the reinforcement summoned by the monkey!
Take this!” “Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” Johnny shot straight up into the air to dodge the strike, black lines of exasperation practically forming on his forehead.
*Reinforcement summoned by a monkey?
When the hell did I offend a monkey?!* Thinking back to Owen’s previous nonsense, Johnny felt on the verge of a mental breakdown!
He wanted to know what the fuck this guy was babbling about!
*We’re both from Earth, so why can’t I understand a single word he’s saying?!!* *What the hell does ‘flicking your wrist rapidly to accelerate a bullet’ mean?!* *And what is this monkey business?!* *What kind of gibberish is any of this?!* The situation quickly devolved into Heatblast giving chase while Johnny fled in front.
“Fire-Fu!” “Fireball-Fu!” “Grand Fireball-Fu!” Heatblast’s signature ability was fire manipulation, and under his control, the flames actually curved in midair.
Johnny didn’t dare attack, cautiously keeping an eye over his shoulder while trying to figure out how to contact the other three members of the Fantastic Four.
Seeing Heatblast riding a cloud of fire like a vehicle, Johnny’s heart sank.
The guy’s mastery over fire far surpassed his own.
He truly couldn’t handle this alone.
From behind, Heatblast thrust both hands forward, testing out another ability as he yelled, “Star-Absorbing Technique!” Just as Johnny was about to mock the absurd name, he suddenly noticed everything around him slowing down.
“Huh?” Mid-air, Johnny flailed like a confused swimmer before plummeting straight toward the ground.
!!!?
*My power was forcibly deactivated?!* As he plunged, Johnny saw two thick pillars of flame streaming from where he had just been straight into Heatblast’s hands.
*Did he just siphon me dry?!* Their eyes met, and Heatblast waved his hand, sending a fiery tornado rushing down.
Engulfed in the vortex, Johnny braced himself, wondering if he was about to die—only to feel his feet gently touch the ground.
He rapidly checked his body.
The suit designed by Mister Fantastic was completely intact, and there wasn’t a single burn on his skin.
Running his hands through his intact hair, Johnny stared with wide, utterly stunned eyes.
His jaw dropped wide enough to fit an entire loaf of bread!
It was true—wrapped inside that fiery tornado, he hadn’t felt a drop of intense heat, nor had his body suffered the slightest bit of harm!
*How the fuck…?* *How is this possible?!* *Is this even fire?!* To this, Owen Vance silently thought: *Chill out.
I learned this from a kid.* *Though I use it way better than he does.* A heat wave descended from above, and Johnny looked up to watch Heatblast land gracefully.
In his eyes now, Heatblast was no longer just a person.
*He’s a god!* This level of fire control was precisely what Johnny had always dreamed of achieving!
Crossing his arms, Heatblast landed smugly.
“Now, who’s cooler?” Owen Vance was immensely satisfied with this newly unlocked Heatblast form.
Naturally, he was much stronger than Ben Tennyson’s original Heatblast.
Not just because Owen was an adult, but because— Breathing heavily in excitement, Johnny paced in circles around Heatblast, studying him.
“I need to know—how did you do all that?!” Owen Vance replied earnestly, “Studying, day in and day out, plus a teeny-tiny pinch of talent.” Johnny blinked in confusion.
“Studying?
But you only unlocked this power a few minutes ago!
You didn’t have time to study!” Owen hummed smugly.
“That’s why I need that pinch of talent.
With it, three minutes of studying equals a lifetime of work for anyone else.” Johnny stopped in his tracks, his eyes lighting up with delight.
*There’s actually a talent like that?!* His heart in his throat, Johnny asked cautiously, “So…
take a look at me.
Do I have that talent?” Heatblast glanced at him.
“Nope.” Johnny raised an eyebrow in protest.
“You didn’t even look properly!
Why are you so sure I don’t?!” He desperately wanted Heatblast’s level of fire manipulation.
Especially that flame tornado that transported people without harming them—if he wanted to keep being a superhero, he *had* to learn that!
Heatblast didn’t even look back at him this time.
Clasping his hands behind his back, he said calmly, “Because your eyes lack innocence.” “…” Johnny stood dazed.
*What does any of this have to do with my eyes?!* Seeing Heatblast turn to walk away, Johnny snapped back to reality and rushed to block his path.
“Where are you going?” Heatblast looked at him with a mix of surprise and disgust.
“Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?” Johnny steeled his resolve, opening his arms wide.
“You can’t leave until Reed gets here!” No matter how he thought about it, Johnny felt Mister Fantastic needed to know about this.
Reed was the smart one, so it was best to let Reed talk to Heatblast.
After all, before letting such a powerful mutant walk away, they had to determine where he stood.
“Oh?” Heatblast raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
“And how do you plan to stop me?” Johnny caught sight of a nearby river out of the corner of his eye, remembering his duty as a superhero.
Spreading his arms, Johnny tackled Heatblast into a tight embrace and leapt straight off the edge.
*Splash!* Both of them hit the water.
Immediately after, a notification popped up in front of Owen: [Form Unlocked: Cryo-Heatblast] Holy crap!
Ice!