(Re-)Intro
What had Max said? 'Practice every day. Push your powers.' Something like that.. It's hard to recall things you didn't really pay attention to, even if you have an eidetic memory. So it was on half-remembered advice that Bart had decided to engage in a little superspeed exercise.
Today's trial seems to be endurance, as eyewitness reports register yellow and red streaks at regular intervals, near the borders of California.
It is on his fifth pass of Los Angeles that Bart's eye is drawn to a group of youths in a speedboat, zipping along the waters and dragging another boy behind, wearing a parachute. Bart changes his path, instinctively maintaining the cadence necessary to keep him afloat even while matching speed with the parasailer.
"Parasailing, huh? I read about that. Aren't you supposed to be airborne?"
The boy startles, nearly losing his grip on the bar. "Wha-? Jeez, you scared the hell out of me.." The youths in the boat spot Kid Flash, pointing and murmuring amongst themselves. "Yeah, can't seem to get the boat up to speed today.."
Bart grins. "I think I can help - hold on to the bar!" He twists his body to allow him a view of the slack parachute, and begins to whirl his arm in a tight circle. A strong, directed wind kicks up - filling the chute almost instantly, and lifting the boy suddenly into the air. "Whoa!"
Bart flashes a thumbs-up sign to the parasailer. "Better, yeah?" He calls out.
The boy shakes his head, taking one hand off the bar for an instant to point towards the boat. Bart turns back towards the boy's friend - and shifts his perceptions into high-speed mode as he sees the pilot of the boat, apparently distracted by the superhero sighting, neglecting to avoid a slow-moving yacht.
He moves like lightning towards the speedboat, coming up along the starboard side and beginning to push the bow to port - kicking up an enormous spray on the water as he churns his legs, trying to shift the boat's angular momentum just enough.. "Hang on!" He shouts over the sound of the engine as the sudden directional shift tosses the passengers around a little.
There's a near-miss with the yacht, and the pilot of the speedboat finally manages to cut the engine. As the boat drifts to a stop, Bart pulls himself up on the front of the boat, taking a quick breather. "You guys gotta be more careful.."
A cheer goes up from the passengers. "Man, that was AWESOME!" adds one possibly inebriated teen.
Bart starts to contradict him, but pauses, re-thinking. Nobody got hurt, and the adrenalin was definitely pumping. "Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn't it?"
Today's trial seems to be endurance, as eyewitness reports register yellow and red streaks at regular intervals, near the borders of California.
It is on his fifth pass of Los Angeles that Bart's eye is drawn to a group of youths in a speedboat, zipping along the waters and dragging another boy behind, wearing a parachute. Bart changes his path, instinctively maintaining the cadence necessary to keep him afloat even while matching speed with the parasailer.
"Parasailing, huh? I read about that. Aren't you supposed to be airborne?"
The boy startles, nearly losing his grip on the bar. "Wha-? Jeez, you scared the hell out of me.." The youths in the boat spot Kid Flash, pointing and murmuring amongst themselves. "Yeah, can't seem to get the boat up to speed today.."
Bart grins. "I think I can help - hold on to the bar!" He twists his body to allow him a view of the slack parachute, and begins to whirl his arm in a tight circle. A strong, directed wind kicks up - filling the chute almost instantly, and lifting the boy suddenly into the air. "Whoa!"
Bart flashes a thumbs-up sign to the parasailer. "Better, yeah?" He calls out.
The boy shakes his head, taking one hand off the bar for an instant to point towards the boat. Bart turns back towards the boy's friend - and shifts his perceptions into high-speed mode as he sees the pilot of the boat, apparently distracted by the superhero sighting, neglecting to avoid a slow-moving yacht.
He moves like lightning towards the speedboat, coming up along the starboard side and beginning to push the bow to port - kicking up an enormous spray on the water as he churns his legs, trying to shift the boat's angular momentum just enough.. "Hang on!" He shouts over the sound of the engine as the sudden directional shift tosses the passengers around a little.
There's a near-miss with the yacht, and the pilot of the speedboat finally manages to cut the engine. As the boat drifts to a stop, Bart pulls himself up on the front of the boat, taking a quick breather. "You guys gotta be more careful.."
A cheer goes up from the passengers. "Man, that was AWESOME!" adds one possibly inebriated teen.
Bart starts to contradict him, but pauses, re-thinking. Nobody got hurt, and the adrenalin was definitely pumping. "Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn't it?"