The Spar and Musings

A week had passed since my birthday, and things were going well for me. My family had finally come around to supporting my new business venture, especially with my dad's approval. He had been initially skeptical, and even Alfred had similar concerns about the superhero concept, which was a bit eerie, but I understood their perspectives, given their backgrounds.

Next on my agenda was deciding on a name for my company, which turned out to be an unusually stressful task. My dad suggested using the Walton name, but I felt that it would overshadow my sister's presence. I considered "Walton Brothers," but it still felt incomplete. After much contemplation, I settled on "Blue Corp" as the parent company and "Valiant Comics" as the subsidiary name.

Now that the naming issue was resolved, I had to face an equally daunting task - a spar with Greg. His ego had taken a hit, and he was determined to prove himself against me. We agreed to have the spar in front of the family, which made things a bit more tense.

As I came downstairs, Greg greeted me with a taunt, calling me a "pipsqueak." We all laughed it off, and I assured my mom that it was just a friendly spar.

During the pre-spar banter, Cass mentioned how she wished Natalie, Greg's girlfriend, could be there to witness him being bested by his younger brother. We laughed together, but Greg was not amused.

"Don't involve Natalie in this, and Mom, you too!" Greg protested.

As we prepared for the spar, Greg made a comment about not needing a combat outfit, and I teased him back about not needing one because he was a "weakling." I suited up in a prototype combat suit, a high-tech creation designed with Alfred's help.

The spar began, and in just a minute, I had emerged victorious. Greg, however, claimed that he had been going easy on me, which didn't sit well with Cass and my dad.

"Move on, Greg. Duke has combat experience, and you don't. Don't be a sore loser," my dad advised.

As the family continued to discuss the spar, I stepped away to the balcony to have a moment of reflection with Alfred. I expressed my appreciation for the world I had come to know during my travels.

"You're right, Alfred. This world is truly unique and full of differences - from infrastructure to culture. It's been a fascinating journey," I mused.

Alfred agreed, and I playfully asked him about his opinion on a hypothetical Superman and Zod fight in Astro City. Alfred assured me that the fight would cause some damage, but it wouldn't be as extravagant as portrayed, given that the world was built around supers and used sturdy materials from the rift.

As I admired the sunset and exchanged light-hearted banter with Alfred, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the path I had chosen and the support of my family. My journey was far from over, but I was ready to embrace the challenges that lay ahead as 'Tim Drake' and as the one who would bring change to this world through Valiant Comics.