Raphael ducked into a quiet alleyway, quickly changing back into his worn work clothes before ducking through the back entrance of Squid King Alien Burgers. The moment he stepped through the doors, a loud, grating voice roared across the kitchen.
"You're late!"
His boss, Mr. Squid, a stout alien with twitching tentacles and four arms, stomped right up to him, his mandibles quivering with rage.
"I told you the one thing I do not accept in my kitchen is lateness!" Mr. Squid bellowed, slamming a clawed fist against a counter. "I knew it! I shouldn't have hired a damn human teenager!"
"Look, Mr. Squid, you have to understand," Raphael pleaded, holding up his hands. "There was a massive fight breaking out with some S-Class superheroes down the boulevard. I think they were chasing down a supervillain... I got completely caught up in the lockdown trying to sprint back."
"Lie! Excuses!" Mr. Squid barked, his eyes narrowing. "There was no attack taking place today."
"Come on, boss, take it easy on the kid," interrupted Varn, a lanky, blue-skinned alien cook with four arms who was flipping patties nearby. "Give him a break. Remember your first job? Besides, he's not lying about the commotion. Look at the monitor."
Varn pointed a spatula toward the glowing news display mounted in the corner of the dining room.
"...stunning reports coming in live from Sector 4," the news anchor announced over the broadcast. "Top corporate heroes Phoenix and Falcon Man were spotted high in the skyline engaging in localized aerial bombardment, causing widespread destruction across several blocks. While initial reports suggested they were pursuing an unclassified supervillain, the Superhero Organization has yet to release an official statement."
The screen abruptly cut to a field reporter standing outside the precinct amid flashing emergency lights. She rushed toward a stretcher where paramedics were wheeling a battered Falcon Man toward an waiting ambulance.
"Falcon Man! Falcon Man, over here!" the reporter called out, shoving a microphone into the chaos. "Can you tell us what happened up there? Eyewitnesses claim you and Phoenix caused massive collateral damage during the chase... and some witnesses even report seeing the two of you inside an active establishment down in the Red Light District prior to the incident! Is that true?"
Before Falcon Man could answer, a squad of tall alien operatives dressed in pristine black-and-white Superhero Organization suits forcefully cut through the crowd. They stepped directly in front of the camera, blocking the lens.
"No further questions will be answered at this time," an operative stated coldly, pushing the press back as the ambulance doors slammed shut. "Clear the area."
In the kitchen, Raphael stared at the monitor, a sudden wave of panic hitting him in the chest.
Damn it... Raphael thought to himself, his jaw tightening. I forgot all about Falcon Man. In all the chaos with Phoenix, and Luma, I completely forgot to deal with him!
Mr. Squid scoffed, crossing his upper arms. "Fine! Consider this your absolute last warning. And since you were late, you're on closing duty tonight. You'll shut down the shop and mop every inch of the floors."
"What?!" Raphael groaned. "Boss, come on, I have to study! I've got major exams for my classes tomorrow morning!"
"You should have thought about your classes before you were two minutes late," Mr. Squid snapped coldly. "Responsibilities are something you better get used to it's called being an adult. Now get to work!"
"Aren't you being a little harsh on the kid?" murmured Zylia, an alien worker with iridescent purple scales and slender, needle-like fingers who was prepping sauces at the line.
Mr. Squid whirled around, glaring at her. "You want to stay behind and help him mop?"
Zylia raised her hands in defeat. "I'm good."
Mr. Squid grunted, turning on his heel and marching off toward his office. Raphael sighed, stepping up to the grill alongside Varn to start cooking the orders.
"Cheer up, kid," Varn said smoothly, tossing a handful of seasoning onto the grill. "Don't look so down. He'll get over it eventually he's just venting."
"Is he always this strict?" Raphael asked under his breath, scraping the cooktop.
"Nah," Varn replied, shaking his head. "He's been a total nightmare ever since he failed the health inspection last year. The official food critic tore this place apart in his review. Business plummeted, and Mr. Squid's been paranoid ever since. I keep telling him to move on, but the guy holds a grudge."
A few moments passed in steady routine before Zylia leaned over the prep counter, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Hey, Varn," Zylia called out. "Ready for a smoke break? The floor is dead right now we can spare five minutes."
"Yeah, definitely," Varn said, unfastening his apron. He turned to Raphael. "You coming, kid?"
"Yeah, sure," Raphael said. "I don't smoke, but I'll step out for some fresh air."
They slipped out the back exit into the alley. A handful of other kitchen staff of various alien species were already gathered near the dumpster, chatting in hushed tones. Zylia sparked a joint, taking a long drag before exhaling a plume of sweet-smelling purple smoke. She turned, casually offering the blunt to Raphael.
"No thanks, I'm good," Raphael said, waving his hand.
Zylia chuckled, taking another drag. "Man... I wish I had that kind of self-restraint when I was your age."
Nearby, Varn reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a small, glass vial filled with a faint, iridescent fluid a concentrated dose of the super-drug.
Raphael's eyes widened. "Yo, Varn... what are you doing with that? That stuff is poison. Trust me, I've seen what it does to people."
"Relax, kid," Zylia chimed in. "He's used to it. He'll be fine."
"Don't speak for me, Zylia," Varn grunted, holding the vial up to the light.
"Shut up," she scoffed lightly.
Varn looked at Raphael with tired, heavy eyes. "Don't worry, kid. I know how nasty this stuff is. But it's too late for me... I'm already hooked. Don't worry, though I don't take a whole dose, or I'd go feral like those monsters on the news. All I need is one single drop. It keeps the withdrawal shakes away and keeps me from going insane."
Unstopping the vial, Varn carefully tapped a microscopic droplet onto his tongue. Within seconds, his eyes flared a vivid neon blue, his posture straightening instantly as a surge of artificial adrenaline flooded his system.
"Aah... yeah! That's it!" Varn grinned, slapping his hands together. "Come on, let's get back inside and crush these orders! I feel incredible!"
Zylia rolled her eyes, throwing her cigarette stub to the ground. "Ugh, calm down. I hate when he gets like this..."
As Varn sprinted back through the rear kitchen doors in a hyperactive blur, Raphael felt a cold jolt of realization hit his gut.
The super-drug...
He reached down, his fingers frantically digging into his front pocket to check for the vial sample he had collected earlier. His pulse spiked as his fingers met empty fabric. He switched sides, rapidly patting down his jacket, his jeans, and his back pockets.
Nothing.
Panic flared behind his ribs as his mind raced back through the night's events. Did I lose it on campus? Did it slip out when I was dodging those mobsters at the amusement park?
Then, the vivid memory of the aerial brawl in Sector 4 flashed across his mind—the brutal exchange of blows with Phoenix, the shockwaves tearing through his clothes, and the dimensional rift carving through space.
Damn it... Raphael thought, clenching his fists in silent frustration. I must have dropped it during the fight with Phoenix and Silver Hawk. Now I've gotta find a way to track down another sample.
The group headed back inside, stepping back up to the line. Raphael watched in silent concern as Varn moved with unnatural, hyperactive speed, flipping burgers and packing bags at three times his normal pace.
Suddenly, the front chime rang as the main entrance doors swung open. A group of wealthy patrons stepped inside, led by a tall, imposing figure wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat and an immaculate tailored suit.
From across the kitchen, Raphael saw Mr. Squid freeze. His boss's eyes dilated in sheer panic. Mr. Squid hurriedly wiped his greasy hands on his apron and practically sprinted to the front door, his demeanor flipping from arrogant tyrant to terrified, groveling host. He shook the man's hand vigorously, bowing nervously as he escorted the party to the best booth in the house.
Raphael leaned over to Varn, staring through the pass-through window. "What's going on out there? Who is that guy? I've never seen Mr. Squid treat anyone like that."
Varn paused his hyper-speed flipping, his glowing eyes tracking the man in the cowboy hat.
"That's him," Varn whispered grimly, his blue skin shifting slightly under the neon lights. "That's the food critic. He hasn't set foot in this place in over a year... and he just walked in."
"Is that really him?" Raphael asked, his eyes locked on the front booth.
Beside him, Varn was moving erratically, his hyper-accelerated body trembling from the super-drug. "Yes, that's him! We can't mess this up, man!"
"Calm down before you burn the entire kitchen down," Zylia snapped, rolling her eyes.
Suddenly, Mr. Squid burst into the kitchen, his tentacles flailing in sheer panic as he yelled over the hum of the fryers. "Listen up! I want everyone giving this your absolute best! He ordered one of everything on the menu. I don't want a single mistake, do you hear me?! One screw-up and you're all fired!"
As everyone scrambled into a frantic, high-speed cooking frenzy, Zylia muttered under her breath, "It's not our fault he's a picky eater. Ever since he became the lead food critic, everyone's scores have plummeted. I hate this guy so much."
A picky eater, Raphael thought to himself, pausing for a fraction of a second as memories flashed in his mind. My younger brothers and sisters were picky eaters. Whenever they wanted something specific, I always had to travel across the planet just to get them the exact ingredients they liked... Wait.
An idea sparked in his head. I wonder...
Without another word, Raphael slipped away from the line, walking quietly out of the kitchen and approaching the group's booth in the dining area. He placed a polite hand on the food critic's shoulder.
"I hope you guys are finding everything to your liking," Raphael said smoothly.
As he made contact, Raphael discreetly channeled a microscopic pulse of his Tactile Telekinesis, skimming the surface of the critic's mind in that brief second to pluck out the one hidden memory the deeply buried culinary craving the man had been secretly longing for for years.
Across the room, Mr. Squid spotted him and went pale with terror. "Hey! What are you doing out here?! Get back in the kitchen right now!"
Panicking, Raphael bolted back through the kitchen doors, ducked into a blind spot by the storage lockers, and pulled out his phone. His fingers flew across the screen, searching databases for a very specific botanical signature.
"Aether-Bloom..." Raphael murmured under his breath as the search results loaded. "So this is the exact taste he's obsessed with. Let's see... where does it grow?"
His eyes widened as he read the coordinates. It's on the opposite side of the planet. Deep inside the Xylophian Mire a volatile, hazardous swampland.
Raphael turned to his coworkers on the line. "Hey! Can you guys watch my back? If Mr. Squid asks, tell him I'm in the bathroom. I just gotta run out to my car real quick I forgot something crucial!"
"Yeah, we got you," Zylia said, tossing a basket of fries. "Just make it snappy! He might actually fire you for real with the way he's losing his mind right now."
"Thanks!" Raphael said, rushing out the back exit into the alley.
In a sudden blur of motion, he slipped into the shadows, transforming instantly into Hero One, and launched straight up into the sky at his absolute top speed.
The world below him was staggering in scale a gargantuan cosmic sphere where individual continents spanned the width of entire galaxies and ocean ranges stretched endlessly into the horizon like liquid abysses. Pushing his body to its absolute limit, Raphael tore through the stratosphere as a blazing streak of crimson light, crossing light-years of terrain in a desperate race against the clock until he finally broke through the heavy, humid mist and descended into the murky, bioluminescent depths of the Xylophian Mire.
The swamp-forest was a dense maze of twisted, toxic roots and glowing fungal mist. Floating down among the murky waters, Raphael spotted clusters of the vibrant, glowing purple Aether-Bloms sprouting straight out of the thick moss.
He landed softly on a wet log and reached out, grabbing the stem of a flower to pull it free. But the moment he yanked, the dark water beneath him violently erupted.
A massive, armored beast known as a Gorgon-Croc a terrifying, mountain-sized fusion of an alien alligator and an armored hippo burst from the depths, snapping its razor-sharp jaws shut right where Raphael had been standing.
Raphael blinked, darting backward through the air as the beast roared, sending shockwaves through the swamp. "Okay... I see why this plant is so rare and impossible to get!"
Dodging a sweeping tail strike, Raphael sighed. "I'm sorry, I really need this!"
With a burst of telekinetic force, he struck the creature's exact pressure points, sending a concussive shockwave through its thick hide that knocked the massive beast unconscious with a heavy splash.
Raphael quickly reached down and plucked a handful of the glowing Aether-Bloms from the creature's mossy crest.
Clunk.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to violently tremble. Raphael spun around, his jaw dropping as the fog parted. Rising up around him were dozens more Gorgon-Crocs and these ones weren't babies. They were ten times larger, towering over the swamp like living mountains.
Raphael swallowed hard, holding the flowers tight. "Ah... okay. So that was just a baby, I guess. Hey there, big guys. Look, I'm so sorry just pretend I was never here!"
With a furious roar, the colossal beasts charged at him all at once. Raphael blasted into the air, dodging crushing jaws and whipping vines as he zipped between their massive heads. Moving with blinding precision, he struck their pressure points on the fly, dropping the giant beasts one by one into slumber before swiftly plucking the giant Aether-Bloms right off their crests.
Arm loaded with more rare Aether-Bloms than he could comfortably carry, Raphael paused near a patch of clear sky above the swamp, hovering just above the mist.
Wait... while I'm already out here flying at top speed, I might as well make this dish unforgettable, Raphael thought to himself.
He pulled out his phone, his fingers blurring across the screen as he searched for extra rare ingredients to pair with the flower.
"If I'm going to pull this off, I need to elevate this whole damn plate," Raphael murmured, scanning the culinary results. "Magma-Melt Tomatoes from the scorching peaks of Dragon-Skull Mountain for a smoky glaze... Starlight Tubers from the dark caverns of Mount Goliathon for the crispest fries... and a pinch of Kraken-Crust Sea Salt from the abyss to tie it all together."
Taking full advantage of his blistering speed, Raphael veered off course into complete chaos across the globe.
First, he streaked up the volcanic slopes of Dragon-Skull Mountain, frantically dodging torrents of plasma fire from a nest of colossal, slumbering dragons to snatch a bunch of glowing Magma-Melt Tomatoes straight off their scorching vines.
Without breaking stride, he plunged into the pitch-black caverns of Mount Goliathon, ducking swarms of razor-clawed giant bats and boxing a ten-story-tall Alien Sasquatch in the jaw just to unearth a heavy sack of golden Starlight Tubers.
Finally, he dove straight into the crushing pressure of the Abyssal Trench, snatching a crystal of Kraken-Crust Sea Salt right out from under a horde of snapping crab-bees before they could swarm him.
With his arms piled high with legendary alien produce, exotic seasonings, and fresh battle scars, Raphael rocketed out of the ocean and blurred back toward Sector 4.
He touched down in the alley behind Squid King Alien Burgers, stripped off his suit back into his civilian clothes, gathered his harvested ingredients into his arms, and pushed through the back door.
Standing right there waiting for him with crossed arms was Mr. Squid, his four eyes blazing with fury.
"Sneaking out during the most important hour of the night?!" Mr. Squid roared. "I knew it! You're a snotty, irresponsible brat! I shouldn't have ever hired you. You're fired! Get your stuff and get out of my restaurant right now!"
"No, Mr. Squid, please you don't understand!" Raphael pleaded, holding up his hands. "I had to grab something essential! Please, just give me one more chance. Let me cook one dish for him. I promise it will blow his mind away!"
"No! Get out of my sight before I have security throw you into the street!" Mr. Squid shouted, turning his back and storming off toward the dining room.
Varn and Zylia walked over, looking sympathetic. "We tried to cover for you, kid," Varn sighed. "He checked the bathroom, realized you weren't there, and went ballistic."
Out in the dining room, Mr. Squid approached the food critic's booth with a nervous, sweating smile, setting down the final plates. "So... what do you think, sir? Did we pass?"
The food critic picked up a fork, took a bite of the final dish, chewed slowly, and then slammed his napkin down with a look of utter disgust.
"I've tasted enough," the critic declared flatly. "I love absolutely nothing about what I just tried here. I give this entire meal a four out of ten."
"Four?!" Mr. Squid gasped, gripping the edge of the table. "No, please! That's a failing score! Can't you give us at least a six so we can pass?"
"Enough with this begging," the critic snapped, standing up from the booth. "Your food is mediocre at best. A four is being generous. We're leaving."
"Please, wait just try one more dish!"
Everyone froze as Raphael stepped out from the kitchen doors, holding a freshly prepared plate garnished with the glowing, fragrant petals of the Aether-Blom.
Mr. Squid's eyes bulged out of his stalks. "What are you still doing here?! I fired you! Get out!"
Before security could grab Raphael, the food critic suddenly stopped in his tracks. His nose twitched. He turned around slowly, taking a deep, disbelieving sniff of the air.
"...That smell," the critic whispered, his expression shifting from annoyance to pure shock. "Could it be...? Give me that."
The critic and his entire crew slowly sat back down in their seats. Raphael slid the plate to the center of the table.
As Mr. Squid watched in stunned silence, the critic took a single bite. For a second, the entire table sat in dead, echoing quiet.
Then, the critic's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh my god..." he choked out, his voice trembling. "It couldn't be... This flavor... It tastes exactly like the home-cooked meals my grandmother used to make when I was a kid."
Instantly, the rest of the inspection crew dug into the dish, gasping in unison.
"I have never tasted anything so incredible in my entire life!"
"The depth of flavor! What is this?!"
"Seconds! Please, we need seconds!"
Minutes flew by in a blur of pure culinary ecstasy. By the time they finished, the food critic wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up from the booth with a rare, genuine smile on his face. He stepped up to the front counter, sliding an official evaluation slate across to Mr. Squid alongside a sleek, metallic flyer.
"To be frank, your entire menu barely earned a four out of ten," the critic announced, his voice echoing across the quiet dining room. "However... that final dish alone? That was an absolute ten out of ten a masterclass in flavor that elevates this entire establishment to a solid seven out of ten."
Mr. Squid gasped, his mandibles trembling in shock as he stared down at the slate.
"Whoever crafted that burger is an absolute prodigy," the critic continued, tapping the metallic flyer on the counter. "The Interstellar Culinary Championship is taking place next month. I expect your chef to compete. I'll be sitting on the judging panel personally, and I look forward to seeing what else they can do. Have a wonderful evening."
With a polite nod, the food critic and his entourage turned and walked out the front doors, leaving the restaurant in stunned silence.
Mr. Squid whipped his head around, practically diving across the counter to grab Raphael by the shoulders with all four of his arms.
"You're hired!" Mr. Squid shrieked with uncontainable joy, his face beaming. "Your job is officially back! I knew I liked you, kid! I always knew there was something special about you! I don't have the slightest clue where you managed to source ingredients like that, but starting tomorrow, we're adding it to the permanent menu we'll call it The Raphael Special!"
Raphael let out a massive sigh of relief, offering a tired smile. "Awesome. So... I guess I don't have to stay and clean the floors now, right?"
Mr. Squid's smile instantly vanished as he crossed his upper arms. "What? Of course not! You still have to mop every single inch of this place. Now get to work!"
As the last of the customers filtered out into the night, Raphael grabbed a mop, shaking his head with a small smile as he began scrubbing the grease-stained floors of Squid King Alien Burgers.
The front door chimed softly. Raphael turned around to see Maya stepping inside, looking stunning in a stylish, well-fitted outfit.
Raphael blinked, taking in her appearance. "Oh... wow. You look really nice, Maya."
Maya caught his eye, her pointed elf ears twitching slightly as a faint flush touched her cheeks. She quickly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged off the compliment with a confident smirk.
"Well, I had to dress up a little bit for our date," Maya said smoothly, before immediately catching herself and adding, "I mean our friendly date. Not an actual date. Just two friends hanging out... so you can prove to me that you can actually cook, loser."
She stepped forward and playfully punched him in the arm, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Honestly, I still bet the food is going to taste like absolute trash."
Raphael rubbed his arm, grinning back. "Oh, we'll see about that! I beat you at video games, and now I'm gonna show you that I'm an even better chef. After you take one bite of my food, your eyes are gonna roll back into your head."
From the back hallway, Varn and Zylia emerged, shedding their blood-stained aprons for the night.
"Have fun closing up, kid! You did good today," Varn called out, tossing his spatula into the sink. As he caught sight of Maya standing near the counter, his blue eyes widened. "Woah... is this the girl you were talking about earlier? Wow. An elf? She's gorgeous elves are literally one of the most beautiful species in the universe!"
SMACK!
Zylia slapped Varn squarely across the back of his head. "You act like I'm not standing right behind you!" she barked, grabbing him firmly by his long blue ear. "Just so you know, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Aow! Hey! Ow, ow, ow!" Varn yelled, getting dragged out the back exit by his ear. "It was a joke! I was just being friendly! I was being friendly!"
The heavy exit door slammed shut behind them, leaving the restaurant in quiet peace.
Raphael chuckled, setting his mop aside to finish up the rest of the closing duties. Sizzling up a fresh, customized meal on the grill using his culinary skills, he brought out two steaming plates to a booth. They sat down together, the neon signs outside glowing softly against the windows as they ate and shared easy laughter.
Maya picked up her fork, taking a tentative bite. Her eyes instantly widened.
"...Wow," she admitted softly, savoring the flavor. "Okay... this really is amazing. I was completely wrong. You really can cook."
Raphael leaned back, puffing out his chest with a triumphant grin. "Told you so!"
They continued eating, but as the minutes drifted by, Maya noticed Raphael's smile fading into a distant, reflective stare. He chewed his food slowly, his eyes fixed on the tabletop.
"You're a lot quieter than usual," Maya noted, tilting her head. "I thought you'd be bragging way more, or making jokes like you always do. What's wrong?"
Raphael sighed, leaning his chin into his palm. "Nothing really... I just... I've got a lot on my mind. School... and especially all this hero stuff."
He looked up at her, his expression turning serious and vulnerable. "Ever since I started being a hero and living this double life... every day, I feel like I'm questioning what it even means to be a hero. What it means to represent justice... What is justice?"
Maya softened, her hands folding over her plate. "You seem better than most heroes I've ever seen. Why are you questioning yourself so much?"
"Because the Superhero Organization is supposed to be justice," Raphael said quietly, his voice dropping. "But ever since I became a hero, I've seen them do things... horrible things that I don't agree with. So I don't even want the label of a superhero anymore. But isn't a superhero supposed to represent justice? And who am I to believe that I'm more 'just' than the entire system? The people who elect and govern these heroes... who am I to go against them and what they decide is right?"
He lowered his head, staring down at his hands.
"I'm just... questioning everything. How do I know I'm actually doing the right thing, and that I'm not just turning into... into the Hero Killer? Or turning into those corrupt heroes I despise? What if all of them genuinely believe they're fighting for justice too?"
Maya listened quietly, her eyes full of empathy. "Yeah... that does sound really complicated," she said softly. "But... just stick to what you told me when you first started."
Raphael looked up, blinking. "What was that?"
"You told me you just wanted to help people," Maya reminded him with a warm smile. "You just wanted to leave people with a smile on their face. If you ask me... if that's not justice, I don't know what is. Maybe the world makes it a lot more complicated with all their rules and laws. But you're just one person, Raphael. Don't put so much stress on yourself."
She reached across the table, placing a hand gently over his.
"If you ever need to talk to anyone about anything, you know I'm always here. And so is Jax. I know for a fact you'll make the right decisions. You always have... even though you're a big idiot sometimes."
Raphael broke into a sudden laugh, the heavy weight in his chest lifting instantly. "Hey! You're the idiot who was questioning my legendary cooking!"
Grabbing a loose fry from his plate, Raphael flicked it right at her forehead.
"Hey!" Maya gasped, her mouth popping open in utter shock as the fry bounced off her nose. "You jerk!"
She immediately snatched a piece of food off her plate and threw it right back at his face, sparking a chaotic food fight across the empty diner booth as they both laughed into the night.