Bubble Boy

Troy vs. Xeno – The Duel for Earth

Troy's Backyard – Daylight Broken

The garden was silent. The air still.

Petunias quivered. Sunlight flickered through broken clouds.

Troy "Bubble Boy" stood barefoot on the grass, his fists clenched.

Before him, the alien general Xeno loomed, a towering, obsidian-armored Xyphorite with crystalline horns and a permanent sneer etched into his jagged face.

Behind Xeno, three more Xyphorite soldiers hovered inches above the ground, their bodies radiating menace.

And behind Troy…

Zoe, only seven, held tightly to Sam's hand.

Annie stood at their side, pale but unshaken. Her eyes were locked on Troy's back.

"Is this the part," Xeno said, voice like frozen stone, "where you beg?"

Troy didn't flinch. "No. It's the part where you leave my home."

Xeno chuckled.

With a wave of his hand, a shimmering hologram projected from his gauntlet, floating in the air above Troy's flowerbed.

The Live Feed

Multiple cities across the world.

Xyphorite soldiers.

bombs.

All hovering above global capitals. Lights blinked on each warhead.

"This is mercy," Xeno said. "One-on-one. You win, I deactivate them. We leave. You lose…" He paused. "Everything burns."

Zoe whimpered. Sam pulled her tighter.

Troy's eyes narrowed. "Deal."

He floated into the sky, leaving the grass untouched.

Xeno followed.

Upward, Into the Stars

They soared through the atmosphere.

Clouds burst apart. Oceans curved below them.

And then silence.

Space.

They faced each other, Earth spinning beneath their feet like a fragile marble.

Global Newsfeed – Explosion of Reactions

@HomeFrontWatcher: HE'S FIGHTING ABOVE EARTH!! This is REAL.

@BubbleVsXeno: Please don't let this be another martyr story.

@MomOfTwoHiding: We're in London. One of those bombs is above us. We're watching with our kids.

@HeroDad: My son just asked, "Will Bubble Boy win?" I said yes. Please don't make me a liar.

@PowerOfOne: One man. One planet. One chance.

The Duel Begins

No words.

Xeno struck first.

A spear of red energy fired from his eyes , ripping past Troy's cheek. Blood flew into the void.

Troy responded with a wall of translucent bubble shields, layered and humming. He rocketed forward, ramming Xeno into the side of a passing satellite, which exploded on impact.

Xeno retaliated, fists like collapsing stars. Each blow cracked the vacuum. Troy ducked, weaved, threw back counters powered by years of pain and peace.

They moved faster than the eye, two comets clashing, lighting the heavens.

Back on Earth – Troy's Home

The Xyphorite soldiers stood motionless outside the house.

Inside, Annie hugged Zoe. Sam stood by the window, clutching a kitchen knife.

The bombs hummed louder on the hologram.

Global Newsfeed – Midfight Reactions

@StarmanFan91: This is the hardest fight I've ever watched. And he's not even using a weapon!

@GalaxyGuts: That satellite hit was INSANE. I felt it from here in Brazil!

@NoSurrender: I saw Bubble Boy cry when Mr. Mars died. Now he's fighting like Mars reborn.

@LastHope: They said Earth had no gods. They were wrong. He's ours.

Space – Blood and Determination

Xeno clawed across Troy's chest, tearing open skin.

Troy answered with a punch that cracked one of Xeno's horns on his helmet.

They separated, both panting, floating.

"You're dying," Xeno hissed.

Troy wiped blood from his lips. "So are you."

Then Troy closed his eyes.

He remembered Annie's laugh. Zoe's little feet on the stairs. The faces of every hero that fell.

He opened his eyes.

And glowed.

Bubble Surge

Energy exploded around him, blue, pure, endless.

Few minutes later.

Backyard Impact – Earthquakes in the Garden

A streak of blue light hurtled from the sky.

Troy smashed into the earth like a meteor, his body skidding across his own backyard, tearing up lawn, flowers, and fence alike. The ground split beneath him. Petunias vaporized. The impact shattered every window in the house.

He came to a stop at the porch step, bloodied, smoking, unmoving.

Zoe screamed. Sam clutched her tight. Annie rushed forward, tears in her eyes, but froze at the sight rising behind him.

Xeno descended.

His boots crunched against the fractured brick pathway. His armor hissed, letting off steam as he approached the fallen Bubble Boy.

Troy coughed blood onto the grass and tried to crawl.

"Still breathing?" Xeno laughed, his voice soaked in contempt. "How human of you."

He spat on Troy's back, running off his back as it touched flesh.

Then a kick to the ribs. Another. And another. Troy groaned, curling instinctively to shield his stomach.

"You gave Earth hope," Xeno growled. "That was your crime."

He grabbed Troy by the hair, lifting his battered face to eye level.

"You lost. They die."

He threw Troy back down, like garbage.

Global Newsfeed – Despair Erupts

@BubbleIsBroken: No… no no no no no, GET UP TROY!

@HeFellSoFar: He's back on Earth. He's not moving. Oh god…

@WatchingFromToronto: My whole family is in the basement right now. There's a bomb above us. I'm crying. I'm really crying.

@ThisCan'tBeTheEnd: Someone do something. ANYONE.

@Zoe'sEyes: She's watching. His daughter is watching this.

Xeno Raised His Arm

His soldiers straightened, eyes glowing.

Above the holographic feed, all cities flared bright as the bombs were armed, runes pulsing, countdowns beginning.

Xeno turned, his grin cruel and jagged.

"Drop them."

The soldiers obeyed.

One by one, the bombs slipped from their hands, slowly falling toward New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Cairo, Sydney, Moscow, Rio, Toronto, London and more.

Screams erupted across the globe.

Backyard – Time Freezes

Zoe screamed, "DADDY!!"

Annie gasped, hands trembling.

Troy moved.

Barely.

One hand dragged against scorched earth.

Then another.

He coughed, blood pouring from his nose, lip split, one eye nearly swollen shut.

But he rose.

Not standing.

Just kneeling.

And through cracked lips...

He whispered:

"…not…yet…"