Bubble Boy

Silence.

The dust settled, revealing a massive hole in the warehouse wall where Orion had been blasted through. Cracks spiderwebbed across the steel, debris crumbling to the floor. Everyone stood frozen. Even Starman, hovering high in the night sky, narrowed his glowing eyes.

Inferno groaned, clutching his burnt shoulder. The dozens of tiny bubbles surrounding him shimmered like floating embers, popping softly as they absorbed the lingering flames. Jackson's breath was heavy, but the pain was nothing compared to the shock.

"Troy…?" Annie whispered, her wide eyes locked on him.

Carter and Emily watched in stunned silence. The Troy they knew was gone. This wasn't the clumsy, easygoing guy they used to bully, nor the struggling hero fumbling his way through fights. The man standing before them, bathed in the dim glow of his bubbles, radiated pure confidence.

Then, a shift in the air.

A shadow loomed over the hole in the wall. Footsteps echoed as Orion stepped back into view.

He was unharmed.

Not a scratch. Not a bruise. The only thing he did was casually wipe the dust off his shoulder.

Troy's smirk faded. "You've got to be kidding me."

Orion's red eyes burned like twin suns. "Impressive," he rumbled. "I wasn't expecting that."

Troy cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, well, neither was I."

Orion tilted his head. "You've grown stronger. A lot stronger." His gaze darkened. "But tell me something, Bubble Boy, why do you still hesitate?"

Troy's jaw clenched. "What?"

"You had the power to finish me just now," Orion said. "But you didn't."

The words sent a ripple through the battlefield. Inferno's fingers twitched. Annie's breath caught.

Troy's eyes sharpened. "And you've changed too," he said. "You were different before. A real hero." His fists tightened. "Now you're just like Starman."

Orion's expression darkened. His fingers flexed.

"Careful," he warned.

But Troy didn't back down. "I admired you," he admitted. "A real hero in the Legion. Someone who actually stood for something. But now? You're his shadow. Just another monster."

Orion's expression hardened. "You don't understand."

"No," Troy said coldly. "I understand perfectly."

The two stared each other down. The tension was suffocating.

Then they moved.

Orion vanished from sight, a sonic boom ripping through the air.

Troy's reflexes, honed from training with Shadow, kicked in. He dodged at the last second, narrowly avoiding a fist that obliterated the ground where he had stood. The shockwave sent debris flying.

Troy countered, spinning mid-air as a swarm of tiny bubbles formed around his fist.

"Bubble Barrage!"

The bubbles shot forward like bullets, each one glowing with condensed energy. Orion crossed his arms, tanking the attack. The moment the bubbles made contact, they popped...but instead of vanishing, each explosion rippled against his skin like miniature shockwaves.

Orion stumbled.

The crowd gasped.

"He made him move?!" Carter blurted.

But Orion was far from finished. He lunged, faster than before, throwing a devastating punch.

Troy's hands blurred as he summoned a massive bubble, enveloping his entire body.

"Bubble Shield!"

The punch connected.

A deafening boom shook the battlefield, sending tremors through the ground. The shield held for a split second, then shattered like glass.

Troy skidded backward, flipping in the air before landing on his feet. He exhaled sharply. "Okay… that hurt."

Orion didn't let up. He appeared in front of Troy instantly, a crimson glow building in his eyes.

Troy's instincts screamed.

"Bubble Slide!"

A slick, shimmering path of bubbles formed beneath him, launching him away just as Orion's laser fired. The red beam tore through the battlefield, carving a deep trench in the ground.

Orion's eyes followed him. "You're fast," he admitted. "But not fast enough."

Troy smirked. "We'll see about that."

He flicked his fingers. More bubbles formed, larger this time.

"Bubble Storm!"

A whirlwind of bubbles swirled around Orion, spinning faster and faster. He swung his arm, attempting to disperse them, but...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each bubble detonated on impact, hammering him from all sides. Orion's body shook from the relentless barrage.

Starman's eyes narrowed from above.

Orion gritted his teeth. "Enough."

He slammed his foot down. The shockwave obliterated the remaining bubbles.

Troy soared backward, flipping gracefully before landing on a rooftop. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip.

Orion stared up at him. "You've improved," he admitted. "But you're still weak."

Troy grinned. "Then come show me how strong you are."

Troy stood on the rooftop, bubbles swirling around him in a slow, hypnotic dance. Orion hovered below, eyes burning with crimson light.

Then Orion smirked.

A blur of movement. A flash of red.

The next second, Orion was gone.

Troy's eyes darted around. Where...

A scream.

His heart stopped.

He turned just in time to see Orion standing a few meters away, his hand wrapped tightly around Garden Girl's throat. Annie's legs dangled helplessly in the air, her green hair matted with sweat, her fingers clawing at his iron grip.

"Troy!" she choked out, her voice weak.

Orion's other hand lifted, a faint glow building in his eyes. A killing blow.

"No...!"

Troy moved before he could think. His feet left the rooftop in an instant, a massive burst of bubbles propelling him forward like a jet. He reached out...

And something inside him snapped.

A rush of power unlike anything he'd ever felt before exploded from his body. His skin tingled, his muscles pulsed, and the very air around him bent.

Then he was there, standing between Annie and Orion in a blink.

Not with his bubbles.

With speed.

True speed.

Faster than sound.

Orion's eyes widened in shock. "What..."

Troy's fist slammed into his gut.

A shockwave erupted.

Orion's body bent inward before he was launched across the battlefield, crashing through the remains of the warehouse wall like a human missile. The impact sent out a deafening boom, the ground shaking beneath their feet.

The bubble crew watching in shock.

Starman, still hovering above, narrowed his eyes.

Troy barely noticed. He turned, catching Annie as she fell. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear, confusion, but also something else.

"…Troy?" she whispered.

He gently set her down. His hands were shaking. His whole body was shaking.

The power.

It was still there.

His bubbles still floated around him, but they were different. Bigger. Brighter. More unstable. His skin hummed with raw energy, his senses sharper than ever before.

Then, movement.

Orion emerged from the rubble, coughing, gripping his ribs. His suit was torn, his expression unreadable.

He looked up at Troy.

And for the first time, there was doubt in his eyes.

"What… was that?"

Troy's lips curled into a smirk.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I kinda like it."

Orion clenched his fists. "That power..."

A boom.

Troy was in front of him before he could finish, moving so fast Orion barely had time to react. His eyes widened, his hands coming up to block...

Too slow.

Troy's fist crashed into his jaw, sending Orion flying back again.

He barely hit the ground before Troy was on him again.

Another punch.

Another explosion of force.

Orion grunted, twisting mid-air, trying to counter...

Troy blurred behind him.

A knee to the spine.

Orion gasped, pain shooting through his body.

Troy didn't stop. His movements were relentless. Faster. Stronger.

A fist to the gut.

A kick to the ribs.

Orion barely had time to register the attacks before the next one came, each strike landing with the weight of a bomb. His body was breaking under the pressure.

He tried to retaliate...

Troy caught his wrist.

And crushed it.

The sickening crack of bone echoed through the battlefield.

Orion screamed.

The crowd watching from the sidelines recoiled. They felt a chill run down their spines.

This wasn't the Troy they knew.

This wasn't Bubble Boy.

Orion crashed into the ground, coughing up blood. His vision was blurring. His ears were ringing.

Troy is… stronger than me?

No.

That shouldn't be possible.

This wasn't just raw strength. This was something else.

Then he saw it.

Troy's eyes.

They weren't just glowing anymore.

They were burning.

With the same red energy that Starman wielded.

No way…

Troy took slow steps toward him, his expression blank.

Cold.

Merciless.

Orion tried to push himself up...

Troy grabbed him by the throat.

Lifted him off the ground.

The glow in his eyes intensified.

And then...

A flicker of red light.

Orion's breath hitched.

Troy's laser vision was charging.

Pointed directly at Orion's skull.

Orion's heart pounded.

He had never been afraid of Troy before.

But this?

This was something else.

Panic surged through him. He struggled, trying to break free, but Troy's grip was unshakable.

This was it.

He was going to die.

And then...

A voice.

"…Troy."

Troy didn't blink.

Annie.

She had stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper.

"…Please."

His grip tightened. His vision tunneled.

Kill him.

Kill him.

KILL HIM.

Then...

A hand on his wrist.

Annie's.

Her fingers trembled, but her touch was warm.

"…This isn't you."

Silence.

Troy's breathing slowed.

The red glow in his eyes flickered.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

"…Annie?" His voice was hoarse.

She gave him a shaky nod.

And just like that...

The rage shattered.

The power fled.

Troy's fingers uncurled. Orion dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Troy staggered back, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

He looked at his own hands.

At the fading strength in his fingertips.

At the devastation around him.

"…What did I just do?"

Then...

A slow clap.

Troy's head snapped up.

Above them, Starman hovered in the sky.

His lips curled into something almost resembling a smile.

"Well," he mused.

"…That was unexpected."

Troy's blood ran cold.

Because for the first time...

There was no mockery in Starman's voice.

Only interest.

And that terrified him more than anything else.