Bubble Boy

Eidolon opened his mouth...

WHAM!

Troy's fist crashed into his jaw, hurling him out of the lab like a missile. Glass shattered. Metal groaned. Eidolon's body tore through layers of concrete and steel before blasting into the sky, vanishing in a blur.

News helicopters already swarmed the scene like vultures. Cameras zoomed in, catching every frame.

Bubble Boy rocketed after him, propelled by a swirling surge of bubbles that glowed a blinding blue.

"You think you can touch her and walk away?!"

He caught up in seconds, driving a barrage of bubble-fists into Eidolon's face, chest, stomach. The sky quaked.

Eidolon blocked with his forearms, twisting midair. "Troy, listen...!"

"SHUT UP!"

Troy's aura exploded. Thousands of microscopic bubbles shimmered around him like dust motes, each carrying crushing force.

He flung them forward. "You're a monster!"

Eidolon twisted, dodging the swarm. Some clipped him, sending sparks off his skin.

He gritted his teeth. "I didn't want this! I only wanted to survive!"

BOOM!

Troy landed another hit... this one launching Eidolon down toward the city. He crashed through a billboard, skidded across rooftops, and slammed into a water tower, cracking it in half.

Eidolon wiped the blood from his mouth. "You're stronger than I expected..."

Troy descended like a meteor, slamming his foot toward Eidolon's face.

CLANG!

Eidolon caught it.

The two hovered in the air, locked in a deadlock.

Cameras zoomed in from every angle.

Troy snarled. "You hurt Annie."

"I saved her life!" Eidolon growled. "I gave her back the strength I took."

"You took it in the first place."

"I HAD TO!" Eidolon shouted, pushing Troy back. "You think I wanted to be made this way? You think I chose to be a weapon?!"

Troy launched forward again, delivering a spinning kick that Eidolon barely dodged.

The crowd below gasped. Pedestrians had stopped to watch the battle play out on their phones and nearby building screens.

Helicopters lit up the scene with floodlights.

"You're just like him," Troy said, coldly. "Just like Starman. Always using people. Always justifying the pain."

That struck a nerve.

Eidolon's eyes flared red.

"I am nothing like him," he said. "He abandoned me. Treated me like trash. I clawed my way to survival while he got to play hero. You were born with purpose. I was made in a cage."

Troy's jaw tightened.

And then...

BOOM!

Eidolon struck. A single punch to Troy's gut sent him hurtling back. He caught himself midair, coughing, but smiled.

"Now we're talking."

The skies lit up.

A dozen sonic booms cracked through the clouds as the brothers collided again and again. Shockwaves rolled out, shaking nearby skyscrapers.

"Enough!"

"No... you started this!"

"You don't understand...!"

"Then make me!"

Each punch was a blast.

Each clash a storm.

Their auras burned like twin suns, red and blue spiraling in the sky.

News Anchor (Live):

"...The battle between Bubble Boy and the Syndicate leader is escalating at an unprecedented rate. Civilians are urged to evacuate the downtown area... I repeat, this is not a drill..."

Suddenly, Troy landed a crushing uppercut to Eidolon's chin, sending him spinning midair.

Eidolon stopped himself.

His nose bled.

His eyes burned.

Something shifted in him.

The calm cracked.

"Fine," he growled. "You want to fight me? Then you better mean it."

He roared, blasting toward Troy. The sky split in half.

Now he was fighting back.

Blow for blow. Speed for speed. Power for power.

Troy blocked, but Eidolon ducked low and slammed a fist into his ribs, then spun behind him and threw him into a glass tower.

Troy burst out the other side, roaring with fury. "I'm not letting you win!"

They clashed again, energy tearing through the clouds, making it seem like gods were at war.

Below, citizens watched in awe.

On every screen, the battle raged.

And somewhere in the chaos...

Starman watched.

Floating high above Legion Tower. Arms crossed. Unmoving.

Expression unreadable.

He was silent as the fight between his sons burned a hole through the sky.

Exterior – Skies Above Earth

The heavens trembled.

Troy and Eidolon shot upward, sonic booms cracking behind them like thunderclaps as they pierced the stratosphere. Air turned thin. Clouds scattered. The stars blinked into view.

And still, they clashed.

Fist against fist. Light against fury. Each strike a miniature supernova.

Back in Nightingale City...

The battle had become the event of the century.

Every screen across the globe displayed it.

In classrooms, homes, news stations, war rooms, prisons, space stations even across other worlds, the fight played in real time.

Exterior – Legion Tower – Observation Deck – Night

The Legion watched in silence.

Starman stood at the edge of the platform, arms crossed, eyes glowing faintly red. He said nothing.

Behind him:

Gladiator, trembling, her knuckles white on her sword. "They're going to kill each other."

Bolt whispered, "Those drones keeping up?"

Construct just stared, for once… speechless.

Void had her arms folded, her expression unreadable, but her foot tapped, restless.

Mr. Mars's eyes glowed dimly emerald. "They're evenly matched. For now."

Seaman narrowed his gaze. "Something's coming."

Cut to – Orbit

Troy slammed into Eidolon, sending him flying into the void of space.

BOOM!

The clash shattered nearby satellites, leaving a ring of glittering debris.

News helicopters couldn't follow but space drone-cams did.

Streams exploded online. Billions tuned in.

The feed glitched, then stabilized...

Troy, surrounded by a blazing blue aura of bubbles, roared as he soared forward, fists raised.

"You're not getting away...!"

WHAM!

Another hit. Another flash of light.

Eidolon grunted, absorbing the blow. "You don't stop, do you?"

Troy's voice cracked with emotion. "You hurt Annie! You tore apart my family!"

"I am your family!" Eidolon snapped back. "I didn't ask to be made... I didn't choose to be your brother!"

Troy froze.

"What...?"

Eidolon's eyes shimmered.

"You think you're the only one who can use bubbles?" He held out his hand.

POP.

Tiny, glowing red bubbles shimmered to life around him. Hundreds. Thousands. They mimicked Troy's, except darker, sharper, more chaotic.

"...We have the same mother."

The universe itself seemed to stop.

Back on Earth – News Broadcast

"Breaking news... the villain Eidolon just claimed to be the brother of Bubble Boy... confirming speculation about his origin as a clone of Starman..."

"He's using bubbles, just like Troy... is this real?"

Legion Tower

Gladiator gasped. "No way..."

Bolt choked on his soda. "WHAT?!"

Construct, quietly: "They're both sons of the Monster."

Void's mouth opened, then closed. Her gaze darted toward Starman.

Starman didn't move.

But his jaw clenched.

In Space

Troy stared, eyes wide. "...That's not possible."

Eidolon's eyes narrowed. "You feel it too. Don't lie."

The glowing red bubbles began to swirl around him in complex patterns, clashing with Troy's blue.

"You're not the only one born of pain."

Troy grit his teeth. "I don't care who made you. You chose this path."

Eidolon screamed, launching a wave of red bubbles that curved around space debris, locking onto Troy like missiles.

Troy countered, his own bubbles expanding into shields, spinning with centrifugal force, popping the red ones on contact.

Then he burst through the cloud, rage blazing.

"You're not my brother!"

They collided again, this time, a silent explosion of light and color.

Their bubbles mixed, red and blue spiraling like twin galaxies.

And across the world...

Everyone saw.

They were the same.

Brothers. Sons of the symbol of peace and the monster beneath the mask.