Bubble Boy

Exterior – Main Lab Roof – Moments Later

The world stood still for a breath.

Then Troy moved.

He flew at the Orphan with a sonic boom, fist cocked back like a missile.

The Orphan barely had time to glance up.

CRACK!

The blow collided with a force that sent shockwaves across the entire lab. The Orphan blocked with one arm but it wasn't enough. The impact launched him like a meteor through the roof and into the open sky, dropping Gladiator's limp body in the process. Troy caught her mid-fall, cradling her gently before laying her on the cracked floor.

His eyes never left the hole in the ceiling.

He rose, slow, silent, bubbles orbiting him in a death spiral.

Then he vanished.

Exterior – Desert

The Orphan slammed into the desert sand miles away, dragging a burning trench through rock and steel. His body groaned, limbs disoriented.

Then, BOOM.

Troy descended like a god, the sand and sky splitting around him.

News choppers buzzed above.

Screens lit up around the world.

Interior – Various Locations

Nightangle Academy Cafeteria

Everyone froze mid-bite.

Jackson stood. "That's... Troy ?"

Carter grinned. "He's doing it. He's actually doing it."

Emily stared at the screen, jaw slack.

Kasey clenched her fist, blue eyes burning.

Annie sat and watched with a worried expression .

"Go, Troy..." she whispered.

The Legion Watchtower

Starman watched from his throne, unreadable.

Seaman narrowed his eyes. "You think your son can handle him without killing."

"I know he can."

Bolt chuckled nervously. "He's glowing again. The Orphan stands no chance."

Construct leaned forward, eyes wide. "He looks... beautiful."

Void said nothing. But something flickered behind her eyes. Regret? Rage? No one could tell.

Mr Mars watched silently and expressionless.

Exterior – Desert Battle Zone

The Orphan rose, cracking his neck.

"Power level's changed," he muttered. "That punch? Felt like an SS."

Troy hovered, eyes glowing. "Leave. Now."

The Orphan smirked. "Or what?"

Troy didn't speak.

The bubbles answered for him.

Dozens of blackened, vibrating spheres spiraled around him. The air trembled. The light bent.

The Orphan charged with a scream...

Troy blinked forward.

BAM!

The Orphan flipped mid-air, catching Troy's next punch and countering with a slam that cracked the desert again. They clashed like titans, neither yielding, shockwaves reaching the choppers.

Interior – News Broadcasts – Global

"Who is he?"

"Some say it's Bubble Boy from The Legion. But that... that can't be right."

"No F-class has ever done this."

" He's not really an F-class..."

"He's the son of Starman."

Exterior – Desert Edge

The Orphan's mask cracked. Blood dripped from his mouth.

"You're holding back," he spat. "Why?"

Troy hovered over him, face calm. "Because I don't kill."

The Orphan snarled. "Then you'll lose."

Troy closed his eyes.

"I'd rather lose than become like you."

And in that moment...

The sky pulsed.

A massive bubble formed behind Troy... transparent, glowing, layered with energy. Inside it: silence.

A perfect sphere of judgment.

"You get one chance," Troy said. "Leave. Or go inside."

The Orphan stepped back.

Then lunged.

Troy flicked his fingers.

The bubble swallowed him whole.

And the world watched, breathless.

For a moment, the world held its breath. Inside the radiant sphere, the Orphan stood perfectly still, floating in suspended silence. The light shimmered, casting ghostlike waves across the sky.

Then...

CRACK!

A spiderweb of black spread across the bubble's inner surface. A soundless pulse rippled outward as the Orphan's five fingers pressed against the interior, decay blooming like an infection. Energy warped. The perfect sphere began to rot.

BOOM!

The bubble shattered like fragile glass under a god's hammer, the pieces evaporating into the wind. Troy reeled back, eyes wide but not surprised.

"You really don't know when to quit," he muttered.

The Orphan stepped forward, body coated in sweat and blood. His smile was feral.

"You're strong, Bubble Boy. Stronger than they say. But you can't win."

Troy didn't answer.

He moved.

They collided mid-air like meteors, fists slamming against fists, knees into ribs, shockwaves erupting with every blow. Their battle left the desert floor splintered and steaming, molten rock bleeding from cracks.

The Orphan twisted, dodging a spinning backhand and countering with a double palm strike to Troy's chest, Decay surged into him.

Troy grunted, pain wracking his body as the energy tried to corrupt his core. But his bubbles spun inward, forming a translucent shell around his heart, neutralizing the rot.

He launched forward...BAM!...uppercutting the Orphan into the sky, then chasing him, leaving a spiral of wind and light.

Above Earth – Stratosphere

They broke the sound barrier a dozen times over. Troy's bubbles turned black with speed, snapping around him like whips. The Orphan kicked him into orbit but Troy propelled back in a swirl of bubbles and headbutted him through a passing satellite.

Interior – Legion Watchtower

Void's eyes widened. "That bubble control... he's shaping physics."

Mr. Mars leaned forward for the first time in years.

Starman said nothing. But a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Not joy. Not pride. Challenge.

Exterior – Returning to Earth

The two slammed into the desert again, dust erupting into a storm. The Orphan emerged first, limping. His Decay arm glowed, trembling.

"I'm stronger!" he screamed.

"You're cruel," Troy said simply. The top his suit was burned away, chest bleeding, but his eyes were serene. "And I'm not here to prove I'm stronger. I'm here to stop you."

He raised both arms.

A sphere of light erupted, bigger than a house, hovering above his palms. Inside it, hundreds of smaller bubbles rotated like stars.

"You want power?"

"GREAT BUBBLE STAR" Troy shouts and hurled it.

The Orphan raised his arms, and the world erased.

The sphere hit.

A silence.

Then...

KA-THOOOOOM!

A dome of destruction rolled across the sand. The ground vaporized into glass. The Orphan was swallowed by the cascade of light and energy, ripped off his feet, tumbling like a ragdoll.

When it ended, nothing moved.

Troy descended, gently, like ash on a breeze.

The Orphan lay in a crater, unconscious. Mask gone. Face bruised. Mouth bloody.

He was defeated.

Interior – Nightangle Academy – Cafeteria

"YEEEEES!!" Jackson leaped up, throwing his tray.

Kasey punched the air. "LET'S GO, TROY!"

Emily laughed, tears in her eyes. "He did it. Bubble Boy actually did it."

Annie smiled with relief.

Interior – Legion Watchtower

Seaman smirked. "Guess you were right."

Bolt whooped. "THAT'S OUR GUY!"

Construct stood in stunned silence, a rare frown of awe tugging at his lips.

Mr. Mars exhaled. Just once.

Void's lip trembled.

Starman stared at the screen.

Then turned it off.

Exterior – Desert Battlefield – Sunset

Troy stood tall.

Bruised.

Bleeding.

But unbowed.

Behind him, the clouds parted and sunlight broke through.

He didn't raise his arms.

He didn't cheer.

He just looked at the Orphan, unconscious and breathing.

And whispered, "Thank you for pushing me."

The cameras captured everything.

And the world cheered.

The Eye of the World had opened.

And its gaze had found a true hero.

Then Eidolon appeared and picked up the orphan and smiled at Troy and disappeared again.