All the superkids gathered quickly: the neighbouring galaxy needed the very best to help fight the bad guys. But they couldn’t decide who to send.

“We have to be able to see the bad guys through walls if we want to finish them off. That way we can catch them when they least expect it”, said the kids with X-ray vision.

“Don’t listen to them. The only way they won’t escape is if we can go faster than them”, responded the super-speed kids.

“They always fly away. If you can’t fly you can’t be the best superkid”, said the kids who could fly.

“None of this works without our power”, responded the kids with super strength.

...The arguing carried on for a while until the super-smart kid arrived with another, rather ordinary kid, who was small, skinny, and didn’t even have a special suit.

“This superkid will solve our problem”, he said confidently.

“Really?” Nobody could believe it. “What powers does he have? Is he strong? Quick? Does he have secret weapons? How is he going to fight the bad guys?”, they asked, getting annoyed.

“Well I don’t know what he’s got”, responded the super-smart kid. “But it works”.

Everyone complained, thinking it was a joke, and they all started to shout over each other.

But the kid must have some kind of superpower, because a few hours later the superkids had stopped arguing and were celebrating the fact that they all agreed to send him to the neighbouring galaxy.

When the kid arrived at the other galaxy, they were very surprised: nobody had ever seen a superkid without any powers! What’s more, several weeks went by without a single bad guy being caught, so they decided to send him back. Strangely, so many people turned out to say goodbye to him that the leaders decided to investigate. They called the prisons and were told they were almost empty. The police explained that there had been almost no crimes, and nobody had been arrested.

The secret superpower strikes again. There were so few baddies left that the League of Incorrigible Villains kidnapped the youngster in order to find out where his powers came from.

“I don’t have any superpowers”, said the kid. “I’m just trying to make people feel better - I help out when I can, I share my things, I’m quick to forgive, I always smile…”.

As he was talking with the League of Incorrigible Villains, the youngster was juggling, giving out sweets and hugs, telling jokes, treating cuts, preparing dinner, helping out here and there… The baddies felt so relaxed around him that they all forgot to go out and do bad things. Soon they all began to realise exactly what the incredible superpower actually was.

And so the kid carried on: changing the world without capturing a single bad guy. His power was enough to help them feel better, so much so that they stopped wanting to be bad. The secret worked so well that the other superkids ended up forgetting about their powers in order to use this new, special power.

That’s the reason why children like you no longer have any superpowers. Why would you need them if you have the most valuable power of all? You can help brighten anyone’s day.

That’s right. Don’t be afraid to use it. The galaxy needs you!

Translated by Spencer Woods, Manchester Metropolitan University