Kara exhaled sharply and stood up, gritting her teeth as she locked eyes with Clark.
"Fine. If you believe no one can control you, then I'll make you listen," she said, launching herself into the sky and charging toward him.
Clark was already braced for her attack and quickly dodged to the side. Though he couldn't fly yet, his strength and speed, while still inferior to Kara's, allowed him to hold his ground.
After Clark dodged, he attempted to move behind her for a counterattack, but Supergirl intercepted him again.
Bang!
She swung her fist with brutal force, the rush of air exploding on impact. Clark took the hit square in the chest and was hurled backward.
Kara wasted no time. She flew forward and threw another punch that struck Clark's chest, twisting his trajectory and sending him crashing into the earth. Dust billowed and the ground trembled with the force of his landing.
Thump!
Kara landed and looked toward Clark's fallen form. Before she could move again, a beam of heat shot out from the dust cloud that had obscured her vision.
Kara, caught in a blind spot, barely had time to extend her arm as Clark activated his Heat Vision.
Sizzle!
The intense red beams collided against Kara's armored body, sending sparks scattering. She frowned, holding her arm up to block the attack.
Suddenly, the power of the Heat Vision diminished. Clark lowered his gaze, stopped firing, and closed in fast, punching her and sending her flying backward.
Nearby, Green Lantern watched with mild concern. "Should we step in?"
Wonder Woman glanced at him. "We could, but isn't this their personal conflict?"
Despite the warrior instinct burning inside her, she kept her calm, measured composure. She and Green Lantern stayed on the sidelines, uneasy but still watching.
As the fight intensified, a clear advantage formed. Kara exploited Clark's inability to fly, keeping him on the defensive.
Kara charged again at Clark, who was just rising from the ground, and punched him hard, sending him flying backward once more.
Clark lay sprawled on the earth, body aching, gasping for air.
"I'm your family, Kal," Kara said, hovering above him with a sneer.
Clark coughed up blood and spat, "You're not my sister. You and Jor‑El are aliens, and you want to control me. That won't ever happen."
He pushed himself up, turned into a gust of wind, and shot away.
At that moment, a city bus honked violently as it approached the speeding blur. The driver stomped on the brakes to avoid a collision, nearly shaking from the sudden stop.
The driver leaned out his window, eyes wide, as bundles of U.S. dollars began fluttering down from above.
"Holy—!" he muttered, stepping out of the bus and scooping up the cash.
Passengers followed suit, spilling out and scrambling for bills raining from the sky. Within seconds, the entire street turned into chaos as people fought for the money.
Kara's view was blocked by the crowd, and Clark had vanished somewhere into the city.
Seeing Clark disappear into the congestion, Kara finally chose not to pursue him further.
"That escalated in ways I didn't expect," Green Lantern said as Kara drifted over, recovering from the fight.
He shrugged. "Need a hand? I'm not great at tracking, but my ring can boost my senses. I could try to follow him like you do."
Kara shook her head. "No. Clark isn't ordinary. After this, he'll be even more cautious."
Green Lantern hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure what happened between you two, but Clark feels different. The Clark I knew wouldn't act like this."
"Maybe you should talk to Adrian," Green Lantern suggested. "My impression of him isn't perfect, but he's good with handling volatile situations."
"Adrian?" Kara repeated. Then her expression twisted with remembered humiliation. "That bastard."
…
At the Kent Farm, Jonathan hung up the phone and cursed under his breath.
"Martha?" he said, turning to his wife.
"The agriculture office called," he explained. "They're reducing this year's farm subsidy by twenty percent. They want to push organic initiatives, but they're strangling farms like ours."
Martha squeezed his hand, sympathetic.
Jonathan sighed and then asked, "Have you heard anything about Clark lately?"
"No," Adrian replied, stepping into the living room. Chloe had called him about another robbery in Metropolis. They suspected the suspect was Clark Kent. Adrian hadn't told his parents; there was no point worrying them without confirmation.
Jonathan looked weary as Martha comforted him.
"There's something else," Adrian said, handing them a black envelope. "An invitation. It's for Lex Luthor's funeral."
Jonathan froze, staring at the envelope. "Lex Luthor's funeral?"
Martha's face turned pale. "But… they said he was missing. Now he's confirmed dead?"
"According to Dr. Helen," Adrian said without emotion, "Lex and his wife were on their honeymoon flight when the pilot hijacked the plane. During the struggle, Lex gave his only parachute to Helen and went down with the plane. A tragic love story, supposedly."
He paused, skeptical. "But honestly, that feels off. Lex wasn't the type to sacrifice himself."
Without another word, Adrian left the room.
Jonathan sank into a chair, stunned. "I just stood at his wedding," he murmured.
Martha forced a smile. "Clark will be okay. He just will."
Outside the farm, Lana rode her horse, Tyson, stopping as she reached the Kent property. Worry creased her face. Seeing Adrian approaching, she turned to leave, but he was already there.
"Hey," she said nervously.
"Out for a ride?" Adrian asked coolly.
"Yes," Lana smiled, though unevenly. "Tyson's doing better. Aunt Neil helped me get him from a friend. I'm just… riding."
Adrian nodded and reached out to stroke Tyson's mane, then prepared to leave.
"Adrian," Lana called quietly. "I heard what's happening with Clark. And Lex… Pete's still in the hospital, Chloe's in Metropolis. It feels like everything important is slipping away."
Tears glistened in her eyes, but she forced a smile.
"Goodbye," she said and rode away. Tyson picked up speed, and soon Lana was gone from the farm's entrance.