Mike kicked his dad off of him and stood up. He then formed a ball of fire in his hand. His opponent smirked.

"I see you have improved," he said.
"More so than you," Mike replied.

By now, people were screaming and running for cover. Police sirens went off in the distance.

"So young and naive. You have no idea about the struggles in this world. If you did know, you would have joined me in an instant," his dad said, shaking his head.

Mike threw the fireball at him, but he dodged it with ease.

"At least I have more guts than you!" he yelled.

"Ha! You don't really believe that, do you? If you do, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought," his opponent replied.

He then made a sword out of electricity.

"See if you can beat this!" he exclaimed as he attacked.

Mike quickly made a fire shield and blocked him. His dad smirked.

"Very good. I guess I may have underestimated your abilities," he said.

"Yeah and I guess I underestimated yours," Mike replied as he finally managed to push him away.

He then made another fireball and threw it again.
"Ow!" his opponent exclaimed.

It skinned his dad's leg, making him jump to the side. He chuckled.

"Actually, it didn't hurt. I did feel the heat, though," he mentioned.

Mike narrowed his eyes. His dad then made an electric bow with an arrow already notched.

"There's still time to join me," he mentioned nonchalantly.

"My answer is still the same," Mike growled.

"Well, you can't blame me for trying," he replied as he pulled back the arrow.

Before Mike could react, the arrow hit him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain and fell onto his hands and knees as electricity coursed through his body. The arrow fizzed away, but it left a searing third degree burn in its place.

So that's what getting struck by lightning feels like.

He heard his dad's heavy footsteps coming closer, but he couldn't bring himself to get up. His entire body felt like it was vibrating. His opponent then kicked him in the side, knocking him onto his back.

"At least you tried to put up a good fight," he said with a smirk.

He pinned Mike down by putting a foot on his chest.
"You...would really kill me?" Mike asked.

"Like I said, I will if you force me to. It is not my first choice, but because you are my son, I am offering you one last chance," he replied.

Mike fell silent as he felt his whole body heat up and replace the vibrating feeling. He started to feel stronger, which in turn made him more confident.

"My answer is still no!" Mike yelled as he swept at his father's legs.

He had been caught off guard, so he fell on his back with a grunt. The sirens were getting louder and the police had already arrived. They formed a barrier around the two dueling men. Mike jumped up to his feet.

"Stop in the name of the law!" he heard an officer order.

However, he did not respond, nor did his dad. First, Mike's hands caught on fire. Then, the flames travelled up his arms and continued to his shoulders. The fire kept spreading until it covered his entire body. His opponent gasped as murmurs rose from the crowd that had gathered.

"I will not let you win," Mike growled.
His father stood up slowly.

"H-how did you manage that? I have been training all my life and I still have not been able to do that," he said, completely ignoring his son's statement.

"You know you can just surrender now. There is a nice, cozy jail cell waiting for you," Mike smirked in reply, making his hands into fists.

His dad came out of his daze and narrowed his eyes.

"I will never surrender!" he shouted as he jumped towards Mike.

Fire and electricity clashed, sending small sparks and embers flying. Mike punched him in the gut before kicking his stomach. His opponent recovered quickly and punched his shoulder. He retaliated by throwing a hook punch. Mike hit him hard in the face, knocking him out and leaving a scorch mark. As he calmed down, the fire on his body faded away.

"Stop!" an officer ordered.
Mike put his hands up in surrender.

"Listen, this man was mad. I am the good guy, here. Plus, he tried to kill me. I swear I mean no harm. Please, just let me go and you will never see me here again," he pleaded.

The policemen looked at each other for a few moments before one that was a woman with long red hair spoke up.

"Go before we change our minds," she said.

He mouthed a thank you before running off with no one following. As he drove back to his uncle's house, he thought of an excuse for why he was injured. When he got back, William rushed to him.

"You are all dirty and dusty! Oh, and you are hurt! What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Since things had calmed down, Mike had started to realize how much his shoulder hurt.

"I lit off a firework for the movie and it sort of backfired," he replied.

"You should not be playing with those, kiddo. Maybe the movie is not a good idea," his uncle said gently.

Mike sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose you are right. I will not work on it anymore," he promised.

William smiled.

"Good. Now why don't you go get cleaned up and then we can tend to the burn," he suggested.

Mike nodded his head before going up to his room. He picked out a dark grey long sleeve shirt and grey sweats. Then, he jumped in the shower and got clean quickly.