Bubble Boy

The neon glow of the city buzzed in the distance as the Bubble Crew stood atop a dimly lit rooftop. Their masked figures blended into the night, save for the soft luminescence of Troy's bubbles floating around them.

Jackson, Inferno, flipped the camera on. "Alright, people. Let's show them how it's done."

Carter, Umbra, gave a lazy wave to the camera. "Another night, another crime-stopping session. Try not to let Bubble Boy steal all the attention."

Troy smirked under his mask. "Can't help it. People love me."

Emily, Psion, rolled her eyes. "Debatable."

The sound of shouting and broken glass snapped their focus back to the street below. A group of masked thugs had surrounded a convenience store, one of them gripping the cashier by the collar while the others stuffed money into duffel bags.

"Showtime," Jackson said, cracking his knuckles as flames flickered along his arms.

Without hesitation, they leaped into action.

The first thug barely had time to react before Troy landed in front of him, launching a bubble straight at his chest. The force sent him flying backward, slamming into a pile of trash bags.

"Bubble Burst!" Troy announced, grinning as he struck a pose.

Jackson let out a loud laugh before hurling a fireball at the ground in front of two approaching thugs. "Infernal Roadblock!" Flames erupted in their path, forcing them to skid to a stop.

One of them cursed and turned to run, only for Emily to lift him off the ground with her telekinesis. "Where do you think you're going?" she taunted, before flinging him into a nearby lamp post with a loud clang.

Carter emerged from the shadows behind another thug, his voice a whisper in his ear. "Boo." The thug yelped, but before he could turn, Carter's shadow tendrils wrapped around his arms and legs. "Umbra's Shackles!" he declared, tossing the man to the ground.

Troy dodged a punch from the last thug, spinning around and launching a bubble that expanded around the guy's head. "Bubble Helmet!" The thug clawed at the transparent sphere, gasping as he struggled to breathe.

"Relax," Troy said, crossing his arms. "It'll pop before you actually suffocate."

The thug collapsed the moment the bubble burst, wheezing for air.

"Well, that was fun," Jackson said, extinguishing his flames. "Let's wrap this up and call the cops."

Troy pulled out his phone, angling the camera towards their downed enemies. "And that, folks, is how you..."

Before he could finish, sharp black spikes shot forward, shattering the phone into pieces.

Troy barely had time to react before two figures emerged from the darkness.

One was tall and clad in sleek, futuristic armor, his eyes glowing blue with pure electricity crackling around his body. The other was grinning like a madman, floating mid-air as metallic constructs swirled around him like living weapons.

Bolt and Construct.

The air grew tense as the two Legion members stepped forward.

"Finally found you, Bubble Boy," Bolt said, stretching his arms like he had all the time in the world. "Man, you're so much harder to track down than we thought."

Troy narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Construct gave a lazy spin in the air. "Orders, man. No hard feelings. We're just supposed to break a few of your bones. Teach you a little lesson."

Troy clenched his fists. "And who gave you those orders?"

Bolt smirked. "Doesn't really matter, does it?"

The crew tensed, instinctively stepping into defensive stances.

"Well," Jackson muttered, fire flickering to life in his palms. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Construct let out an exaggerated sigh, before pointing at them with a wide grin.

"Let's make this quick."

And then, all hell broke loose.

Tension crackled in the air as the Bubble Crew faced off against Bolt and Construct. The neon city lights flickered, casting eerie shadows across the rooftop.

"Let's make this quick," Construct grinned, his metallic constructs hovering menacingly around him.

Jackson scoffed, flames roaring to life around his fists. "Yeah? Then let's make it flashy!"

Troy grinned despite the situation. "You guys give your attacks names too?"

Bolt shrugged, lightning sparking at his fingertips. "I mean, why not? It's cool."

"Finally, someone with taste," Troy said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's dance."

Troy was the first to strike. He somersaulted over Bolt, launching a flurry of bubbles.

"Bubble Blitz!"

The bubbles shot forward like bullets, but Bolt zipped past them in a blur.

"Too slow!" Bolt taunted, appearing behind him, only to get smacked by a surprise bubble explosion.

"Aftershock Bubble!" Troy grinned. "You were saying?"

Before Bolt could respond, Jackson roared forward, flames coiling around his arms.

"Infernal Smash!"

His blazing punch collided with Construct's metallic shield, sending a shockwave through the rooftop. Construct whistled, shaking off the impact.

"Damn, that was solid," he admitted. "Guess I should step up my game." He extended his hand, forming dozens of metal spikes.

"Iron Rain!"

The spikes launched toward the crew like missiles.

Emily's eyes glowed as she raised her hands.

"Psionic Barricade!"

A shimmering telekinetic barrier appeared, deflecting most of the spikes but one grazed her arm, making her wince.

Carter emerged from the shadows behind Bolt, whispering:

"Midnight Grip."

Shadow tendrils wrapped around Bolt's legs, holding him in place.

"Gotcha," Carter smirked.

Bolt blinked. Then he smirked back.

"Lightning Step."

With a thunderous crack, he vanished, reappearing above Carter.

"Thunder Strike!"

He kicked down with electrified force, sending Carter crashing into the rooftop.

Troy and Jackson moved in sync, trying to keep Construct on the defensive.

"Bubble Barrage!"

"Infernal Tornado!"

Construct dodged effortlessly, weaving through their attacks. Then, with a flick of his fingers, the air was filled with spinning saw blades.

"Bladed Waltz!"

Emily barely had time to react before one of the blades struck her shoulder. She gasped, her vision swimming.

"Tch...!"

Then, a second blade slammed into her side.

She hit the ground, unconscious.

"Psion's down!" Jackson shouted.

Troy's heart pounded. Damn it!

Carter tried to shadow-step away, but Bolt appeared in front of him.

"Not this time."

"Storm Barrage!"

A rapid-fire series of electrified punches sent Carter flying. He crashed into a water tower and slumped over, unmoving.

"Inferno, we gotta..."

Before Troy could finish, Construct swung a massive iron hammer.

It slammed into Jackson, sending him rocketing through a nearby building. The wall crumbled as he vanished from sight.

Troy turned to face the Legion duo, alone.

"Well," Bolt cracked his neck. "This was fun."

"But you're the star of the show, Bubble Boy," Construct added, his grin widening.

Troy barely had time to react before Construct raised his hands. The ground beneath him rumbled.

"Concrete Shackles."

Massive cement blocks formed around Troy's hands and feet, locking him in place.

"Ah, crap..."

He fell backward, unable to move.

Bolt and Construct stepped toward him.

"Now, for the fun part," Bolt said.

The first kick cracked his ribs.

Troy gasped, pain shooting through his chest.

The second punch made his vision blur.

The third made his head snap back, blood dripping from his nose.

"Still breathing?" Construct mused. "Tough little guy."

Bolt crouched beside him, voice eerily calm.

"Listen, Troy. You're pissing off Starman. That's a bad idea."

Troy spat blood. "Screw him."

Construct chuckled. "Wrong answer."

Another punch. Another crack.

Troy let out a hoarse scream.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, Construct flicked his wrist. The cement around Troy's limbs shattered.

Bolt took a picture of bubble boy's broken state.

"You get one warning," Bolt said, standing up. "Quit while you're ahead."

Troy wheezed. Not a chance.

Then, the temperature spiked.

A low, furious growl filled the air.

Jackson emerged from the rubble, his body wreathed in molten flames.

His eyes burned with an infernal glow, the air around him distorting from sheer heat.

The ground beneath him melted.

Construct took a step back. "Okay, that's… kinda scary."

Bolt raised his hands. "Relax, Inferno. We're not here for you."

And with that, they vanished into the night.

The fire around Jackson dimmed as he fell to his knees, chest heaving.

Troy groaned. "Dude, you took your time."

Jackson smirked weakly. "Had to make an entrance."

Carter and Emily stirred, groaning as they regained consciousness.

Jackson pulled Troy up. "C'mon. Hospital run."

A few hours later, the four of them sat in a hospital room, bandaged up.

Carter winced as he leaned back. "Damn, we got wrecked."

Emily huffed. "Understatement."

Troy, lying in bed with bruises all over his face, groaned. "Did we at least look cool?"

Jackson grinned. "Hell yeah."

The room burst into laughter, pain forgotten, if only for a moment.