The morning light filtered through the blinds of the college dorm room, casting a quiet glow over Raphael, who was still dead to the world, face-planted on his open textbooks. But while he slept off the exhaustion of a cosmic battle, the rest of the world was moving at a dangerous pace.
Miles away, a massive, heavily armored cosmic transport train barreled through the Wild Abyss the colossal, lawless forrest that stretched between the world's mega-cities. The train hissed with high-tech energy as it approached a massive localized rift, hitting a spatial teleporter that instantly displaced the entire transport closer to its high-security destination. The moment it cleared the rift, the heavy metal wheels slammed back down, screeching as they locked onto the terrestrial tracks.
This was no ordinary transport. Inside one of the maximum-security holding cells, Killian was on his knees, completely immobilized. His body was bound tight with heavy, glowing magical chains, laced with ancient seals and reinforced by state-of-the-art cosmic technology. Elite guards stood watch with their hands on their weapons, flanked by multiple licensed heroes who had been assigned to escort the country's most dangerous inmates.
Despite the heavy security, Killian's mind was in a state of furious chaos. Staring at the floor, he gritted his teeth, his inner thoughts turning manic.
I can't believe I lost, he thought, his chest heaving under the weight of the seals. Who is that kid? This can't be the end of me. I will never bow to their false justice. I am the God of justice... But why didn't my Holy Blessing work on him? Even the strongest people with sealed energy my copy ability completely bypasses it. There is something else about him. It's as if he completely defies Heaven.
He closed his eyes, flashes of the brutal beating in the planetary rings burning behind his eyelids. He remembered the exact moment Raphael's fist cracked reality, and a chill ran down his spine as he remembered a hidden detail. As he was punching me... there was a spirit looming above him. What was that? I have to fight him again. I need to get my sword back from that card. And next time, I will definitely kill him.
Suddenly, the screech of tearing metal cut through his thoughts.
The train car violently rocked, followed by the deafening boom of external explosions. Outside the reinforced windows, flashes of fire illuminated the dark abyss. The guards broke formation, panic setting in as their comms crackled with static.
"We need backup! We need backup! Something is tearing through"
BOOM!
The heavy, reinforced steel door of the cell block was blasted off its hinges, flying across the room and crushing two guards against the far wall. Through the thick, billowing smoke, two massive, grotesque Mutation Chimeras stepped into the room. Their towering, genetically warped bodies oozed volatile energy, their glowing eyes locking instantly onto the chained assassin.
Killian didn't even flinch. He raised his eyes, glaring at the beasts with cold indifference. "What do you want?" he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Did Golrath send you to kill me? Get it over with."
Instead of attacking, a small device on the shoulder of the lead mutation blinked, projecting a flickering, blue hologram into the center of the room. A man stood in the shadows of the projection, his face obscured, but his voice was calm, calculating, and completely composed.
"Me and you never got a chance to truly meet," the scientist's voice echoed through the speaker. "I was the scientist working behind the scenes with the Ogre gang. You were a relatively new asset, so our paths never directly crossed. But I watched the telemetry from your battle against Hero One. I saw your powers. I saw your techniques. And believe me... you and I would make a spectacular team. I believe we can both get what we truly want."
Killian's cold glare slowly melted away, replaced by a dark, sinister smile. He looked at the shattered guards, then back at the hologram. "I'm listening."
With a swift strike from the Chimeras, the magical and technological constraints shattered into pieces. Killian stood up, stretching his freed limbs. Within moments, the mutations grabbed the assassin, blasting out of the shattered train car and flying off into the dark sky of the Wild Abyss, leaving the ruined transport behind.
While all of this was taking place, Raphael was still sleeping heavily in his dorms. He slowly drifted awake, blinking against the morning light, and glanced up at the desk clock.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh no... I'm late! We have an exam today!"
He scrambled for his phone, his screen lighting up with a frantic text from Jax: Where are you, Raphael?!
Panic setting in, Raphael rushed around the room in a blur, grabbing all his textbooks and frantically changing out of his pajamas into his normal clothes. He braced himself, focusing his energy, getting ready to use his super speed to blitz across campus straight to his classroom door.
But just as he was about to burst out, a distant, heavy BOOM rattled the windowpanes. An explosion was echoing across the city.
Raphael paused, his hand on the doorframe, his mind torn. They will be fine, he told himself, trying to shake it off. I can't be a hero 24/7. The cops can deal with it. I have to pass this class.
But before he could take another step forward, the faint, overlapping sounds of people screaming carried through the air. He grimaced, his heroic instincts violently pulling at him. Maybe... maybe it won't take me that long, he reasoned. I can run over, fix it, and be right back before the professor even hands out the test papers.
Suddenly, his enhanced hearing picked up a very specific, sharp scream slicing through the chaos. It was a voice he recognized instantly T-Rex, the little boy he had just saved from the wreckage the day before.
"I can't just leave him," Raphael muttered.
Ditching his textbooks, he bolted forward, spotting a dense, hidden bush nearby on the campus grounds. He ducked behind it in a flash, rapidly tearing off his civilian clothes and swapping into his silver-and-black suit in a fraction of a second. With a booming surge of his crimson Battle Spirit, he launched himself into the sky, rocketing toward the smoke plumes in the distance.
The crimson aura of Raphael's Battle Spirit cut through the heavy smoke like a comet. Below him, the streets of the lower city were in absolute chaos. Citizens were sprinting in every direction, screaming in terror as they were pursued by a terrifying new threat: people who looked and moved like hollow, mindless zombies.
Raphael's eyes locked onto a little girl who had tripped and fallen onto the hard pavement. Directly above her, a snarling, crazed man his veins bulging with a volatile, unnatural energy lunged forward, teeth bared to bite her.
Boom!
In a fraction of a second, Raphael moved at lightspeed, dropping from the sky and striking the zombie in the chest. He didn't use lethal force; instead, his fingers blurred with pinpoint precision, striking the exact pressure points needed to sever the motor functions of the rampaging attacker. The man collapsed instantly, paralyzed but alive.
Raphael quickly helped the trembling girl to her feet just as her frantic mother rushed over, scooping her up. "Hurry up and get out of here!" Raphael urged, waving them toward safety.
As they ran, Raphael scanned the street. Dozens of these zombie-like individuals were flooding the area. Suddenly, several of them halted, snapping their heads toward him. Raising their hands, they unleashed a barrage of chaotic energy blasts straight at the fleeing crowd.
Reacting on pure instinct, Raphael dropped to the pavement and slammed his palms hard into the ground. Channeling his Tactile Telekinesis, he seized control of the physical matter beneath him. The ground groaned and shattered as a massive, thick slab of solid concrete ripped upward from the street, forming an powerful barrier that absorbed the energy blasts and shielded the retreating citizens.
Raphael flew back up into the air, hovering just above the wall, his brow furrowed. I can't just cut loose and hurt them, he thought grimly. They're still regular people. They're just completely out of their minds on that super drug.
Suddenly, the screech of sirens pierced the air as a fleet of flying police cruisers descended from the sky, landing heavily on the asphalt. Officers in high-level, armored riot gear poured out, immediately drawing their batons and ruthlessly beating back the advancing horde.
Raphael winced as he watched the scene play out below from the air. Down on the asphalt, the cops were aggressively bludgeoning the infected citizens with their batons. They're being way too harsh on them, Raphael thought, his concern growing. They're still regular people who just need medical help. They shouldn't be beating on them like that.
He was just about to fly down and step between them when a sharp, arrogant laugh echoed right near him.
Raphael turned his head in mid-air, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the roof of a nearby building. Sitting right there on the ledge, completely relaxed, were three licensed heroes. They were casually eating snacks, watching the carnage below like it was a prime-time television show.
Silver Hawk, dressed in a sleek, avian-themed outfit, spoke first with a cruel smirk on his face. "Man, I love watching this. The chaos that takes place in these lower cities... it's hilarious because they don't have any real heroes of their own. It's so entertaining. I told you guys, before we return back to our own districts, we should chill here for a while. Let's have some fun tonight."
The second hero sitting right next to him, Falcon Man, grinned broadly. "You're totally right, Silver Hawk. I can't wait to hit up the Red-Light District later. They've got plenty of those places scattered all around these low-class cities."
"As leader of this group, I approve of this mission," Phoenix said with a dismissive chuckle. "Let's have some fun before we head back. If the Superhero Organization asks, I'll just tell them something crazy happened while we were chasing down an enemy."
Falcon Man laughed, popping another snack into his mouth. "Good! That way we still get paid for those hours."
Raphael's blood boiled. He recognized them instantly. "I know you guys," he spat, his voice dropping an octave as he hovered up to their eye level. "You're the heroes who were standing around last night during the incident with the hero killer. What are you doing just standing here now? You're not going to help these people?"
Falcon Man scoffed, tossing a piece of food into his mouth. "It's not our job to help them, kid. Not our city. Besides, we don't have a single official mission or contract to protect anyone here. No one in this dump is paying us. Heck, no one down there even has superhero insurance."
The third hero, Phoenix, shrugged, leaning back against the ledge before his eyes hardened. "Yeah, we recognize you too. You're the rookie who actually defeated the hero killer. Hey, thanks for doing that, by the way. Saved us some paperwork."
Phoenix leaned forward, glaring down at Raphael with cold, rising anger. "But look, you do you, kid. If you wanna waste your time saving these low-class citizens, go right ahead. It's honestly more entertaining for us to watch anyway."
His voice dropped, dripping with condescension as he eyed Raphael's aura. "Just because you defeated the hero killer doesn't mean you're above us, or that you can talk to me like that. We are high-level heroes. You are nothing but a wannabe, a copycat, a little kid playing catch-up. We won't stay in this dump for long anyway. Now go save your little people these low-class citizens, the pawns of society."
Disgust washed over Raphael. Without wasting another word on them, he dived back down to the street to help the police.
Near a patrol car, an officer was losing control, repeatedly punching an infected man whose face was already bloody and unconscious. Raphael stepped in, grabbing the officer's arm and firmly pushing him back. "That's enough! He's already down. They're just infected, you don't have to do all that!"
"What did I tell you about treating the infected like animals?!" a booming voice barked.
An older, seasoned officer named Captain Vaelen strode over, glaring at the aggressive cop. Vaelen was from an ancient alien lineage; though human in shape, the intricate tribal tattoos etched across his skin pulsed with a faint, crimson-red glow, reflecting his frustration. He reached into his tactical vest and shoved a specialized, high-tech firearm into the officer's hands. "These are the new weapons. They have something close to the cure. This gun is supposed to nullify the super drug and put them to sleep safely. It is still not too late to reverse the mutation if we act fast."
To demonstrate, Vaelen raised his own high-tech rifle, tracking a group of lunging infected. He pulled the trigger, firing a succession of bright laser bullets. The moment each laser bullet struck a zombie, it dissolved, safely releasing the neutralizing chemical compound directly into their bodies. One by one, the targets dropped to the pavement, completely unconscious but very much alive.
Vaelen turned to Raphael, nodding in appreciation as the young hero simultaneously blurred through the crowd, his fingers striking pinpoint pressure points to safely incapacitate three more zombies alongside the captain's gunfire.
"No problem," Raphael said, pausing as he looked at the weapon Vaelen had passed out. "But what are these? I've never seen these guns before."
"They're loaded with a specialized chemical compound," Vaelen explained, wiping sweat from his forehead as his red tattoos flared with heat. "It completely nullifies the super drug's effects, at least temporarily. If we're lucky, it can even cure the host, though it's still in the prototype phase and not one hundred percent effective for most of the infected. But honestly, this street skirmish is barely our primary objective right now. A new syndicate weaponized this outbreak. They just raided the nearby municipal hospital, releasing all the infected patients undergoing treatment and breaching our local holding cells to free the inmates."
Raphael's eyes widened. "What? Where are they heading now?"
"I think they're already targeting the other medical facilities," Vaelen responded grimly. "These thugs are from the lower-class districts of our city, and they've already hit multiple hospitals freeing the infected to cause a distraction while they steal the concentrated super drug supplies the hospitals use for research."
BOOM!
A massive, ground-shaking explosion erupted blocks away, painting the morning sky in a violent shade of orange.
Vaelen's tactical radio instantly exploded with static and panicked screams. "Dispatch, we have another hospital going down! Sector 4 is on fire! They're burning it to the ground! Hurry, we need backup, hurry"
Suddenly, a deep, arrogant voice echoed from just around the corner, carrying over the loud crackle of static and distant explosions.
"Listen up!" the voice barked ruthlessly to the surrounding thugs. "We are the new gang ruling this city now. This is our golden opportunity. One syndicate falls, another rises! Take all the drugs! Take them all! Free all of our future customers and slaves, and burn the rest!"
Raphael stared at the rising plume of thick smoke. His enhanced hearing picked up a heart-wrenching sound cutting through the distant chaos it was the little boy from the day before, crying out in pure terror. "Mom, please wake up!"
Raphael's energy violently flared, his aura crackling as he began to levitate into the air.
"Hey! Take me with you!" Captain Vaelen shouted, his glowing red tribal tattoos pulsing with fury. "If anyone is going to put those bastards under arrest, it's going to be me!"
Without a word, Raphael grabbed Vaelen by the shoulder and launched into the sky, rocketed forward at incredible speeds.
High above on the rooftop, the three corporate heroes watched them streak across the sky.
Falcon Man narrowed his eyes, popping another snack into his mouth. "Hey... didn't Rocket Boy say that kid was a troublemaker? To me, he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy."
"He looks like a goody-two-shoes to me," Silver Hawk sneered, leaning back against the ledge. "He thinks he can boss us around. I don't like him. Maybe we should do Rocket Boy a favor and just get rid of him. Heck, he isn't even a licensed hero."
Phoenix chuckled, his sharp eyes following the red streak of light. "You're right, he is technically breaking the law. But who cares? As long as that little brat stays out of our way, I don't care what he does. But let's watch and see... he interests me."
Meanwhile, a massive hole had been blasted straight into the side of the municipal hospital. Standing amidst the rubble were three high-ranking syndicate thugs, laughing maniacally at the destruction they had wrought. Outside, the infected patients they had prematurely released were spilling into the streets, creating a chaotic frenzy.
"This is way too easy," laughed Krakena. She was a young woman belonging to a half-squid alien species, dressed in a rugged biker outfit adorned with skulls. Multiple powerful squid tentacles extended from her back, effortlessly twisting and twirling around dozens of stolen vials of the concentrated super drug. "Soon we'll have so many more vials to sell. The boss is gonna be proud."
"All the corporate superheroes were busy last night, and the cops arrested all our competition," Halo chuckled, holding up a glowing vial of the drug. "They did all the heavy lifting. Now we get the promotion. This stuff is our ticket to freedom. The more of this we sell, the more this city rots. They're gonna feel the exact same suffering we've felt. We're gonna bleed this city dry... turn it into a total zombie wasteland."
Bedrock grinned, his rocky jaw grinding together as he bumped his massive stone fists. "Yeah! We do good! We take drugs, we sell! We don't sleep on floor no more!"
Suddenly, a barrage of laser fire erupted from the smoke, striking the rubble around them.
Halo smiled, his eyes flashing maliciously. "The cops are back. Looks like they want some more. They never learn their lesson. This is our city now."
With a flick of his wrist, Halo unleashed a searing beam of light energy that ripped straight through the officers' riot armor, obliterating their front line. Beside him, the massive Bedrock slammed his stone fists into the ground, tearing open massive fissures in the concrete. The retreating officers fell into the gaping trenches, and with a cruel grin, Bedrock closed the earth back up, crushing them beneath the street. Krakena blurred through the remaining squad, her powerful tentacles punching, squeezing, and snapping the armor of the officers to death.
In the dark corner of the ruined lobby, little T-Rex huddled in absolute terror. He was crying hysterically, desperately shaking his barely conscious mother.
Halo watched the last surviving officer try to crawl away through the blood and debris. Leaning down, Halo effortlessly picked him up by the throat with one hand. "You know, it always interested me when I was little," Halo whispered venomsously. "Whenever I used to cry because people were breaking into my house, I'd call the cops. I'd pray for a superhero to show up. And guess what? They never did. But the second a government building or a giant corporation needs saving, there you guys are. To the rescue."
Halo tightened his grip. "You officers only listen to power to the people who have power over you. But guess what? We're the ones with the power now."
He snatched a concentrated vial of the super drug and ruthlessly injected a massive, multiple-dose cocktail straight into the officer's neck. Halo dropped him to the floor. Within seconds, the officer's body began to violently seize, his muscles bulging and tearing as the unnatural mutation took hold.
Halo smiled down at the transforming cop. "Another customer. He'll wake up soon wanting some more."
Krakena cackled, her tentacles writhing. "They always do!"
Bedrock stared at the glowing vials in Krakena's grip, his simple mind fascinated. " I try it?"
"No, big guy," Halo snapped, waving him off. "I know you aren't the brightest up there, so listen to me. You don't want to try this. It'll make you stronger, sure, but a dose like this might completely destroy you on the first try. Come on, let's grab the rest of the vials. There's got to be more in the research lab."
Before they could move, a faint, trembling sob echoed from the corner.
Halo turned, his eyes locking onto little T-Rex crying over his mother. A dark smirk spread across Halo's face as he walked over to the child. "Well, look who it is. I remember you. You used to live in my neighborhood. I used to sell to your mother all the time until you guys moved away. What a small world."
He looked down at the woman, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Looks like your mom needs a fix," Halo said, casually trying to press a vial toward her.
With a sudden burst of bravery, T-Rex slapped the vial out of Halo's hand. "Leave my mother alone!" he screamed.
Halo's eyes darkened. "Wow. We got a rowdy one here. Pretty strong kid, too." He reached into his coat and pulled out another syringe, tapping the glass. "Maybe I should just make you my next customer."
BOOM!
A shockwave rattled the entire structure as the ceiling tore open. Raphael slammed down into the debris, his crimson Battle Spirit radiating massive power, with Captain Vaelen landing perfectly right beside him, his high-tech rifle already raised.
Raphael's eyes locked onto Halo, his voice dropping to a deadly, echoing calm.
"Leave him alone."
The heaviness in the air snapped into action the moment Raphael's warning echoed off the broken walls.
Halo's eyes widened in brief surprise, but a dark smirk instantly replaced his shock. He spat on the ground, gesturing to his crew. "Krakena! It's one of those superheroes. I thought they all left last night."
Bedrock growled, his massive stone feet cracking the floor tile with every step. "Who cares? We still smash them!"
"It's just one hero," Halo sneered, adjusting his grip. "He ain't gonna stop us. Get 'em!"
As Bedrock and Krakena charged forward, Halo violently grabbed T-Rex and his barely conscious mother, dragging them both back toward the inner lab where the rest of the super drug vials were stored.
Krakena rushed Raphael first, her massive tentacles blurring through the air. Raphael dodged and ducked, his arms coming up to block as her heavy limbs smacked against his guard, sending violent shockwaves through the lobby. Debris rained down as massive craters splintered into the walls and floor.
"No longer will we be bullied by you heroes!" Krakena shrieked, her voice echoing with years of built-up rage. "No longer will you upper-class and middle-class citizens push us down! No longer will we live in the slums! This city is ours!"
Raphael ducked under a lethal strike, his voice firm as he called back over the chaos, "I'm not like the rest of the heroes! I can help you guys, but this isn't the way to do it! You don't have to do this to escape your situation!"
"You don't know my life!" Krakena screamed, driving a colossal tentacle straight for his chest. "You're just a spoiled hero and a spoiled, upper-class citizen!"
Raphael sidestepped the strike with fluid precision, rushing past her guard. Channeling his power, he struck her directly in the chest with a rapid combination of precise palm strikes. The internal vibration surged through her, rattling her organs and instantly cutting off her energy flow.
Krakena collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. Looking down at her gently, Raphael whispered, "I promise... I can help you guys find another way. I can see the pain in your soul."
"Shut up..." she coughed out, glazing over as she hit the floor. "...you worthless hero."
Raphael spun around just in time to see Bedrock towering over Captain Vaelen, his massive, boulder-like fists raised high, about to crush the tattooed officer to death. In a fraction of a second, Raphael blurred across the room, throwing himself right between Captain Vaelen and the descending blow. He raised his arms, blocking the strike head-on. The sheer collision created an acoustic shockwave that cracked the foundation beneath them.
"Get out of here!" Raphael shouted to Vaelen.
Vaelen scrambled back to safety as Raphael threw himself into a furious exchange, trading blinding punches back and forth against Bedrock's dense, stony hide.
Realizing he couldn't overpower Raphael in a straight fistfight, Bedrock roared, channeling his elemental power into the earth. He slammed both palms into the ground, opening a massive, gaping fissure right down the center of the building. The seismic shock split the municipal hospital and neighboring structures clean in half.
As the ground caved in, Raphael lost his footing, falling straight down into the crumbling abyss of dust and concrete.
Bedrock stood above the glowing, dusty trench, slamming his massive hands together in a triumphant clap as he burst into loud laughter. "Haha! Shiny red man dead!"
Suddenly, the ground deeply trembled. A violent surge of crimson energy tore through the rubble, and Raphael burst out of the earth like a meteor. His fist smashed directly into Bedrock's rocky jaw with catastrophic force. The stone monster's eyes rolled back as his entire massive body went airborne before slamming back down onto the pavement, completely knocked out cold.
Raphael didn't pause for a second. His enhanced hearing caught the distinct, panicked scream of T-Rex coming from deep inside the facility.
Flying through the shattered hallways, Raphael reached the central lab. There sat Halo, surrounded by dozens of concentrated vials packed into a tactical bag. But Halo's face was twisted in manic desperation he had T-Rex locked in a chokehold by his throat, holding a glowing needle filled with the volatile Superdrug right against the child's neck. Beside them on the cold floor, T-Rex's mother was violently seizing, her body convulsing from the unstable injection. T-Rex was sobbing hysterically, his little hands fruitlessly clawing at Halo's arm.
"You better leave, or else I'll kill him!" Halo screamed, his hands shaking violently as he pressed the needle deeper into the boy's skin. "You're not taking this opportunity away from us! We're not going back to the ghetto! To the lower districts! Sleeping on the floor! You're not going to arrest me, my friends, or my family. We run this city, not you, you superhero freak!"
Raphael held up his hands, slowing his pace, his voice calm and pleading. "You don't have to do this. On my way here, I overheard your conversation... I'm not like the rest of the heroes. I understand. You and your family are starving, and you need money. But this isn't the way to do it."
"It's the only way possible!" Halo shrieked, tears of rage mixing with the sweat on his face as he drove the syringe downward toward T-Rex's neck. "It's the only way to gain power and respect! It's the only way I know! You heroes made this world you did this to us, you superhero freak!"
SHIN!
Raphael moved faster than light can travel, tearing through the space between them. He violently separated Halo's grip from the boy, safely pulling T-Rex away while delivering a heavy, ringing punch straight to Halo's face.
Halo stumbled back, spitting blood, before launching himself back into the fight. The two exchanged a furious barrage of kicks and punches, light energy clashing against Raphael's crimson aura.
"You heroes are always getting in my way!" Halo yelled, throwing a wild strike. "I'm tired of y'all getting in my way! I'm not going to jail! My brothers, my sisters, my gang they need me to come back home! Without me, they don't eat! They need someone to pay the bills!"
"I'm not like the other heroes!" Raphael shouted back, catching Halo's fist in mid-air. "I can help! Who is your family? How much money do you need?! I can find a way to help you!"
Halo gritted his teeth, tears of rage in his eyes. "Shut up! Don't worry about who they are! I will never trust a hero freak somebody who works with the government and the cops! You snitch!"
"You say you need a hero to help you," Raphael said, holding Halo's arm firmly, "but when one of them is standing right in your face offering to help... you don't accept it!"
"Because you don't mean it!" Halo roared. He broke his arm free and gathered all his remaining light energy into his palms, channeling a massive, blinding beam straight at Raphael's face. "Now die, you hero scum!"
Raphael didn't flinch. Sweeping his arm in a fluid arc, he executed a perfect Force Counter Flow, catching the raw kinetic and spiritual energy of the beam and redirecting the massive blast directly back at its caster.
BOOM!
The reflected blast slammed Halo backward into the reinforced wall, completely knocking him unconscious as his light energy faded into quiet sparks.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind him as Captain Vaelen walked into the lab, looking over the defeated thug with an appreciative nod. "Good job, kid."
Over the next few minutes, Raphael stayed by the police's side, pacifying the remaining infected citizens with precise pressure points and securing the stolen Superdrug vials. Stepping out into the shattered streets, Raphael channeled his Tactile Telekinesis, taking absolute control over the surrounding matter. With a massive surge of power, he lifted the fallen concrete and reassembled the ruined hospital, fusing the structures back together and making it stronger than ever, along with all the damaged neighboring buildings and blocks across the district.
As the emergency response teams began clearing the streets, Raphael stood near the police cruisers, watching medical personnel load Halo, Krakena, and Bedrock into transport vans bound with heavy power-dampening restraints.
Captain Vaelen looked up from his digital clipboard, adjusting his tactical gear. "I heard a lot about you these past couple of weeks," Vaelen said, his glowing red tribal tattoos dimming slightly. "Honestly, I thought it was a lie. People said there was a hero out here working for free, saving citizens just because it was the right thing to do. I'm glad to know you're not a myth. Thanks for the help, kid. Seriously... we all owe you one."
"Glad to help, Captain," Raphael replied softly, watching the medical team drive the syndicate thugs away. A frown tugged at his lips as he turned back to Vaelen. "Do you think you can lighten their sentences? Or go easy on them? They just... they have kids and families to support."
Vaelen sighed deeply, looking down at the tactical report in his hands. "For the level of crime they just committed? Destroying a municipal hospital and endangering hundreds of lives? I don't think so, kid. But... if there's anything I can legally do to lighten the charges or look after their families, I'll let you know."
Raphael looked at the ground, bowing his head slightly. "Thanks, Captain."
His eyes shifted to the high-tech rifle slung over Vaelen's shoulder. "So... this is the gun with the chemical compound inside?"
Vaelen unclipped one of the specialized prototype vials loaded into the side of the rifle and held it up to the light. "Yeah. But like I said, it's only a temporary fix. It has less than a fifty percent chance of actually curing the infection permanently."
Raphael stared at the glowing vial, remembering the encrypted research files he had downloaded from the Scientist's laboratory mainframe earlier. If I cross-reference this compound with the Scientist's database, Raphael thought, we might actually be able to stabilize it into a real cure.
He looked back up at the officer. "Do you mind if I take one of those with me?"
"No problem at all," Vaelen said, handing the prototype vial over. "If anyone can figure out how to put it to good use, it's you."
Raphael carefully slipped the prototype cure into his belt pouch, right next to the stolen Superdrug vial he had secured earlier.
"If you ever need help around here again," Raphael said, offering a warm smile, "just let me know."
With the chaotic street battle settled, Raphael flew over to the front entrance of the hospital where T-Rex was waiting beside his unconscious mother on a gurney. Raphael gently walked them both into the front administrative office to get them officially checked in for emergency care.
The woman at the reception desk typed quietly on her screen before looking up with a sympathetic, yet rigid expression. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said to T-Rex. "Your family has run out of medical credits, and your insurance was canceled last month. That includes your father... he's already been moved out of his room."
T-Rex's lower lip trembled, and he burst into heavy, helpless tears, clutching his mother's hand.
Raphael stepped forward, his heart sinking. "How much is it? To cover her care and get them a room for a couple of months?"
The receptionist looked at Raphael's hero suit, double-checking her monitor. "With full treatment and recovery care? It's 50,000 credits."
Without a second of hesitation, Raphael reached into his suit compartment, pulling out the payment card containing the stipend money given to him by the Superhero Organization after his previous major battle. He handed it straight to the woman.
"Take it," Raphael said firmly. "Cover everything."
The receptionist's eyes widened, but she quickly processed the transaction. T-Rex looked up at Raphael with wide, tear-filled eyes, throwing his arms around the young hero's waist. "Thank you, Hero One! Thank you so much!"
Raphael kneeled down, patting the boy's head with a gentle smile. "I told you... I will always be here for you. Just promise me you'll keep playing baseball, and I will keep practicing with you if you do. Try to stay away from kids like the ones I just had to deal with."
T-Rex wiped his nose, nodding hard. "I promise! I will practice every day!"
BZZZZ! BZZZZ!
The loud, frantic buzzing of his phone inside his pocket shattered the moment. Raphael pulled it out, his stomach dropping as he read the frantic text from Jax on the screen:
JAX: WHERE ARE YOU?! THE TEST IS BASICALLY ALMOST OVER! THE PROFESSOR IS ABOUT TO COLLECT THE TEST!
Raphael's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh no... I forgot!"
He quickly looked down at T-Rex. "I gotta go!"
Before the boy could even wave goodbye, Raphael ignited his Battle Spirit energy and rocketed into the sky, tearing through the clouds at Mach speed toward the university campus.
Reaching the grounds in a blur, he dove into the bushes, rapidly stripping off his suit and pulling his civilian clothes back on in a microsecond. Panting heavily, covered in a light layer of sweat
and dust, he sprinted up the stairs of the academic hall, sliding around the corner, and cautiously cracked open the back door of the lecture hall...