In the Arizona desert, in the middle of the night, a man and woman in their early thirties were laying on a blanket, staring up at the night sky. "Look at that. I'm naming that star Sara," the blonde-haired woman said. "Looks more like a Robert," the black-haired man replied. "You think every one of them is Robert," she said. "Well, it's a popular name. Like pizza. We should order a pizza tonight," the man said. "That's not all we should do tonight. I think we should try again. I have a really good feeling this time," she said while laying on his arm.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm all up for making a baby with you, but are you sure?" he asked. "Yes," she answered softly. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. "Wait, look at that one. That has to be a sign," she said, pointing at the shooting star. "Hmmm... it looks like it's getting close. And that doesn't seem like a shooting get down!" He quickly pulled her closer as a massive ball of fire flew past them, crashing into the desert nearby. The ground shook violently as a giant crater formed. "What was that? No, Stacy, what are you doing?!" the man yelled as Stacy suddenly started running toward the crash site. She stopped at the edge of the crater, staring at a large metallic sphere glowing in the darkness.
"Whoa..." Stacy whispered. "Hey, what are you looking at?" The man froze beside her. "What is that?" "I don't know," Stacy said quietly as she slowly slid down into the crater. "No, Stacy, stop," the man warned while following after her. "Don't you wanna know what it is? We could sell it," Stacy said. "Your family has a weird thing with collecting weird stuff. You don't care about money," he replied. Stacy moved closer, peering through a glowing red window. Inside, she saw something wrapped in green cloth. "I see something," Stacy said. The man leaned closer too. Inside was a brown-haired baby reaching its tiny hands out toward them. "We need to open this thing. We can't leave a baby in there," Stacy said. The man grabbed a rock and slammed it against the window, but the rock shattered instantly. "Well, I'm out of ideas. I'm gonna call the cops," he muttered while pulling out his phone. Stacy stared at the baby as it giggled. Slowly, she placed her hand against the glass. The ship suddenly vibrated.
The entrance split open and dissolved into the walls. "Johnny..." Stacy whispered. Johnny turned around and saw Stacy holding the baby in her arms. "Stacy, what are you doing? Put it back," Johnny said nervously. "It's a him, Johnny. And look at him. He's so small. We can't leave him out here in the desert," Stacy said while staring down at the child. The baby reached for her finger. Johnny sighed heavily. "Fine, I give up. I mean, it's not like we can give him back to his parents or to an adoption department." Some time later, Johnny was filling the crater back in with dirt. "We'll have to come back for it tomorrow," he said before getting into the car. "I think I know a name for him... Yuri," Stacy said softly while holding the baby. "Your father's name? Are you sure?" Johnny asked. "Yes. Because I know he'll change what that name means to me," Stacy answered while looking down at Yuri.
13 years later. Phoenix City, Arizona. Inside a two-story house, Stacy stood in the kitchen making breakfast while music played in the background. "Yuri, get up or you'll miss your bus!" she yelled while pausing the music. Upstairs, in a messy room covered in clothes and school supplies, Yuri laid sprawled across his bed with his blanket half hanging off. He reached for his phone and checked the time. "Mmmm... why can't summer stay a little longer?" Yuri groaned while rubbing his messy brown hair. He dragged himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Some time later, after finishing his hygiene routine, Yuri walked downstairs wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers. "Mom, I can't find my bag," Yuri called out. "On the couch," Stacy replied while setting his plate on the table.
The breakfast had five pancakes, eggs, and seven strips of bacon. "Yeah, man, I am starving... hey, where are my donuts? Did Dad take them?" Yuri asked while checking his backpack. "You know your father can never stay away from snacks. Both of you," Stacy said. Yuri devoured the food in minutes. The next moment, Yuri walked outside as the school bus pulled up in front of the house. "Yo, Yuri!" a black-haired, brown-eyed Mexican boy shouted from the back of the bus. Yuri climbed on and sat beside him.
"Sup, Mat," Yuri said as they did their handshake. "Hey, I got the new iPhone. Look," Mat said proudly while showing it off. "Why? It's just the same as the last phone," Yuri replied. "Who cares? It's new. You just keep your 14, which is not as good as the 16," Mat said smugly. At Greenway Middle School, an overweight blonde-haired boy stood in the bathroom surrounded by three other boys. "Looks like this is gonna be another year with piss pants," a large boy mocked while shoving a hand against the kid's face.
"Why don't you leave me alone?" the boy said weakly, his voice shaking. "What was that? You talking back, little bitch?" one of the boys snapped. They shoved him to the ground, stole his bag, and poured water all over him while laughing. The bus finally arrived. Yuri and Mat stepped off and headed inside just as the drenched boy came running out of the school. "Yo, Bobby, you good?" Yuri asked. Bobby ignored him and kept walking away from the school.
"What's his problem?" Mat questioned. A few moments later, Yuri walked through the hallways toward his locker when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a short blonde-haired girl with pink highlights and brown eyes. "Anya. How was California?" Yuri asked. "Weird, but fun. Is that all you have to say to me?" Anya questioned. "Like what?" "How about, 'Anya, I missed you,' and give me a big kiss on the cheek or a hug?" Yuri hugged her.
"I did." "Really?" "Nope," Yuri replied while walking away. Anya sighed. "Boys..." Some time later, Bobby was walking home when he noticed people entering a gym nearby. Instead, he walked into the convenience store next door and headed toward the snack aisle. He grabbed his favorite chips. Then suddenly everything went dark. Bobby looked around in panic as he found himself standing in a pitch-black room. "What is this? Where am I? Who are you?" Bobby yelled. In the distance stood a tall black figure.
"Bobby Crane... you are a simple creature. Pathetic, and almost without will. But you show some promise," the figure said, its voice dark and echoing inside Bobby's head. "Who are you?" Bobby asked fearfully. "Just the one who can give you power. Power to overthrow the ones who tormented you. All I ask is that you use your abilities." The figure suddenly appeared directly in front of Bobby, holding out its hand. Images flashed through Bobby's mind. His bullies screaming. Begging. Humiliated. Bobby slowly smiled. Then he grabbed the figure's hand. A violent burst of energy surged into his body.
In class, Yuri sat at the back with his head resting against his hand. "Summer has officially ended now. I can't believe I'm already this bored," Yuri thought while trying to stay awake. Then suddenly, his vision flashed red for a moment. He squinted as his eyes started burning slightly. "What the...?" Yuri rubbed his eyes and shook his head. After a few seconds, the feeling disappeared. Some time later, lunch finally arrived.
"Look, all I'm saying is that if we spend more time caring for the environment, we can decrease our carbon footprint before high school," Anya said as they sat together at their usual table. "As long as I can still eat my chili cheese fries, then I'm all for saving the planet," Yuri replied while pulling out two plastic bags stuffed with chili cheese fries from his backpack. "It still amazes me that you can eat all of that and still have a six-pack," Mat said while watching Yuri casually devour the fries. "Okay, so now that we're in our last year of eighth grade, it's time we make the club," Mat announced. Both Yuri and Anya immediately looked at him.
"No," they both said in unison. "Guys, just hear me out. Look at this." Mat held up his phone. "I've been researching everything weird that's happened in Arizona. Like the meteor sightings, the unknown Sandman, and I heard some guy got bitten by a snake and gained snake powers." "You should also study schizophrenia, which is probably what whoever made that story up is suffering from," Anya said while eating her vegetables. "Look, all I'm saying is we make the Study of the Unknown Club just to see if we like it. If nothing happens, then I'll never bring it up again," Mat said. Both Yuri and Anya sighed. "Do you at least have a room for us?" Yuri asked. Mat grinned and stood up.
"Follow me." The three walked through the hallways until Mat stopped in front of an empty classroom. Inside was a table in the center and a giant wooden board covered with newspapers, printed articles, pictures, and notes pinned everywhere. "Okay, we literally just started school again. How did you get all of this?" Yuri asked. "I may have snuck in two weeks early gathering equipment. Then I simply turned the club form in," Mat explained proudly. Yuri looked over the board, scanning everything carefully.
Then his eyes landed on an article about a meteor shower that happened in the Arizona desert thirteen years ago. Right beside it was another article from seventeen years ago. Something about it made him pause. Then the bell rang, snapping him out of it. The three headed toward P.E. Outside on the grassy field, the students stood in two rows while the coach faced them with a whistle around his neck. "Alright everyone, you all had your fun eating whatever you wanted all summer, but now it's time to get you back in shape!" the P.E. teacher shouted. He blew the whistle. Immediately everyone started running around the track. A blonde-haired boy quickly took the lead ahead of everyone else.
"Okay, Yuri, smoke this guy please," Mat said while breathing heavily. "It's way too hot though... but I'll try," Yuri replied lazily. Then he sped up. Within seconds he caught up to the blonde-haired boy. "So you're the fastest kid in the school," the boy said while running beside him. "I'm nothing special," Yuri answered smugly. The two pushed faster and faster, refusing to let the other pull ahead. After four laps, they finally stopped. Both dropped to the grass breathing heavily while sweat dripped down their bodies. "Wow... so those rumors weren't fake after all. You do track?" the boy asked. "No. Just gifted. That's what my parents say at least," Yuri replied.
Then his attention drifted toward the girls playing baseball nearby. More specifically Anya. He watched her swing the bat perfectly. Her hair moved under her cap as sweat glistened on her skin in the sunlight. Suddenly Yuri's eyes started burning again. This time it was much worse. He immediately stood up. "You good?" the blonde-haired boy asked. "Yeah," Yuri muttered quickly before walking off. He rushed toward the bathroom while clenching his eyes shut.
Once inside, he stumbled toward the sink and splashed water onto his face repeatedly. Breathing heavily, he slowly looked up into the mirror. Around his blue pupils was a faint red glow. "What is going on?" Yuri whispered nervously. "This better not be some type of pink eye." After a few moments, the burning finally eased. Yuri sighed and walked back outside. Only to see Anya waiting for him. "Yuri, are you okay? I saw you holding your eyes like you were in pain," Anya said worriedly.
"I just had something in my eyes," Yuri replied. "And you were staring at me. I look good, don't I?" Anya teased with a grin. "Pff, that's ridiculous," Yuri said. But then Anya took off her baseball cap. For a second, Yuri couldn't even deny it. She looked incredible. "I gotta go," Anya said before jogging back toward her team. Yuri kept staring after her. Then his eyes slowly began glowing red again. Yuri quickly shut them tight and turned away. The moment he opened them, a thin red beam shot out from his eyes. SHHHHHHKKK! The beam sliced straight through the bathroom wall, melting clean through it. Yuri froze in horror. "This is way more than just pink eye," he thought while panicking.
It was almost night in the middle of the desert. Bobby slowly opened his eyes. Everything felt different. He looked down at himself and froze. He was slimmer now. Muscular. His face looked sharper and more mature, and he was noticeably taller. "Whoa..." Bobby whispered while touching his face. "I'm better... I feel stronger now." He slowly stood up. "That weird guy really came through. And all I have to do is use my abilities. How? What even are my abilities?" Bobby looked toward a large rock nearby and slowly held out his hand.
Suddenly, the rock became surrounded by a glowing blue force field. Bobby's eyes widened. Then he slowly closed his hand. CRRRRKKK! The massive rock instantly crushed into dust. Bobby stared at it in shock before a grin slowly spread across his face. "Now this is what I'm talking about," Bobby said. "Now no one will ever take advantage of me again." Later that night. Inside a rundown house, a man sat on the couch watching TV. The front door creaked open. Bobby walked inside silently.
"I heard you skipped school. Where were you all day?" the man asked in a threatening voice. Bobby ignored him and kept walking toward his room. "Hey, didn't you hear me, you fat shit?" the man snapped while standing up. A moment later, Bobby's bedroom door slammed shut. "Bobby, open the door now!" the man yelled while banging against it. "Go away. I'm busy," Bobby replied coldly while sitting at his desk. The banging continued. Bobby's expression slowly darkened in annoyance.
His eyes turned pitch black. He held out his hand BOOOOM! A burst of blue energy exploded from his palm and slammed into the door. The door blasted off its hinges and smashed into the man, sending him flying into the wall. CRACK! The man screamed as his leg and arm bent unnaturally. Bobby slowly walked toward him while the man desperately tried crawling away in fear. Bobby knelt down beside him with a twisted smile. "You always said I needed to man up," Bobby said, his voice darker now.
"Well, look at me. All manned up." He looked down at the broken man. "And you? You still look pathetic." Bobby slowly stood back up. Blue energy surrounded his foot. Then SLAM! He brought it down on the man's head. The room became silent. Blood spread across the floor. Bobby stood there breathing heavily. "There's no more noise..." he muttered. Then reality suddenly hit him. Bobby grabbed his head and screamed in horror. "What did I just do?!"
Deep beneath the Earth. At the planet's core. A gigantic muscular humanoid sat chained in place by a mysterious dark metal wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso. The heat of the Earth itself surrounded him, yet he remained untouched. "Mmmm..." the being growled deeply. "Human despair... the greatest source of food." His glowing eyes slowly opened. "I need more power. Then this planet... and this galaxy... will belong to me." Meanwhile, back at Yuri's house.
Yuri stood in front of his mirror squinting intensely at his reflection. "Come on..." Yuri muttered. "How did I get it to work before?" He narrowed his eyes harder. Nothing happened. His phone suddenly rang. Caller ID: Mat. Yuri answered. "Yuri, come outside. I got something," Mat said before immediately hanging up. Yuri looked out the window and saw Mat and Anya waiting outside waving at him. He slipped on his shoes and headed downstairs. "Mom, I'm going out for a bit! Love you, bye!" Yuri yelled while rushing out the door.
"Be safe!" Stacy called back. Outside, Yuri looked at them tiredly. "Okay... what is it?" "We're going to the Sonoran Desert," Mat announced proudly. "Before you say anything," Anya interrupted, "I thought this was dumb too. But there've been some strange things happening out there lately. Plus we can check the area and make sure nobody's throwing trash around." Yuri glanced at the sun barely visible on the horizon. "Fine. But we're not staying out all night."
The three grabbed their bikes and headed toward the desert. Some time later. The group walked through the Sonoran Desert using their phone flashlights to see through the darkness. "Hey guys, check this out," Anya said. The boys walked over. On the ground was a massive rock completely crushed into dust. Mat immediately started taking pictures. "No way this just happened naturally," Mat said excitedly. "Something did this."
"Okay... I'm officially getting creeped out now," Anya admitted nervously. "Can we leave?" But Yuri noticed something else. Footprints. He slowly started following them deeper into the desert. "Yuri?" Mat called out quietly. Yuri ignored him. Then a glowing blue light appeared in the distance. Yuri carefully moved closer and froze. Large rocks were floating in the air.
Then they violently slammed into the ground one after another, shaking the desert. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yuri's eyes widened. Standing in the middle of it all was Bobby. Yuri slowly backed away in fear. CRUNCH. He accidentally kicked a rock. Everything stopped. "Who's there?!" Bobby shouted. A massive rock suddenly launched toward the sound. Yuri barely reacted in time. He jumped away and rolled down into a sand pit. CRACK! His head smashed against a rock. Everything went black.
"Mat! He's over here!" Anya yelled. The two rushed over to Yuri lying unconscious in the sand. Anya quickly checked his pulse. "He's okay," she said with relief. She carefully examined the bleeding on his forehead. A few moments later, Yuri slowly groaned awake while clutching his head. "Ouch... I'm definitely gonna feel that tomorrow," Yuri muttered. "You don't seem to have a concussion, so that's good," Anya said while checking his pupils carefully. "What happened?" "Uhhh..." Yuri winced while sitting up slowly. "It was Bobby. He was moving rocks with his mind or something. He tried to kill me." Mat and Anya exchanged a look. "I think you hit your head too hard," Mat said carefully. "Come on. Let's get you home."
The next day, Yuri walked through the streets toward Bobby's house. "I really hope he still lives here," Yuri thought while knocking on the front door. No answer. He peeked through the window and saw nobody inside. Then his phone rang. "Yuri, where are you?" Anya asked. "I'm at Bobby's place. I told you guys I saw him doing that weird stuff," Yuri replied. "Is that Yuri?" Mat asked from the other side of the phone. "Yuri, you hit your head too hard. You probably hallucinated everything. Plus Bobby's right here at school. Honestly, I think he dropped a couple pounds too."
"You guys just keep him at school while I check this out," Yuri said before hanging up. He walked around the side of the house and climbed over the fence into the backyard. "Hello? I'm not a robber. Just..." Yuri paused awkwardly. "Actually, I don't even know why I'm doing this." He noticed the sliding back door was slightly open. Slowly, he stepped inside. "Hello?" Yuri called out cautiously while looking around the dark house. Then he froze. A trail of blood stretched across the floor leading into another room. Yuri hesitated before slowly grabbing the doorknob. Click.
He pushed the door open. His eyes widened instantly. A headless man sat slumped against the bed. "W... what?" Yuri stumbled backward in horror. Meanwhile, back at school. Mat and Anya quietly followed Bobby through the hallway. "Let's just ask him," Anya whispered. "Ask him what?" Mat replied nervously. "Hey Bobby, were you lifting rocks in the desert because Yuri said so?" Before Anya could answer, Mat's phone suddenly rang. "Hey Yuri." "Mat, get away from Bobby and call the police! I think he killed his dad!" Yuri yelled through the phone.
Mat slowly lowered the phone. Bobby had stopped walking. "Why are you following me?" Bobby asked quietly. "We weren't following you," Mat replied, though his voice shook slightly. He grabbed Anya's hand and tried to walk away but suddenly a glowing blue force field surrounded them. "I really didn't want to do this," Bobby muttered. Then he noticed the group of bullies walking nearby. Bobby slowly raised his hand. Blue force fields instantly trapped the four boys in midair.
"This is for stuffing my head in the toilet," Bobby said coldly. One of the bullies suddenly exploded. Blood and pieces of flesh splattered across the hallway walls. Students screamed in terror and started running everywhere. "Now then..." Bobby smiled darkly. "Wait, wait! Come on man, you don't have to do this!" one bully cried. "Those were just pranks! Just jokes!" "Jokes?" Bobby snapped. His eyes darkened into pitch black. "Pulling my pants down in front of my crush? Punching me in the stomach until I lost weight? Those were all just pranks?!"
"Don't do it, Bobby!" Anya screamed. Bobby raised his hand then suddenly FWOOSHH! Two red beams blasted through a classroom window and slammed into Bobby, launching him into the wall unconscious. "Guys, are you okay?" Yuri yelled while running toward them. "Yeah..." Mat said shakily. "I guess you were right. But where did those beams come from?" "I don't know. I just got here," Yuri lied quickly. "Come on, I already called the police." The surviving bullies ran away in panic.
"When Bobby wakes up, he'll go after them," Anya warned. At that exact moment Bobby slowly stood back up. Without hesitation, he unleashed a massive force field shockwave toward Anya. "Anya!" Yuri shouted. He jumped in front of her and took the blast head-on. BOOOOM! Yuri was launched backward through a classroom, crashing across the floor. "Yuri!" Anya screamed. Mat charged toward Bobby and threw a punch but Bobby casually blasted him into a locker, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Then Bobby grabbed Anya by the throat and lifted her into the air. "Why did you have to do this?" Bobby asked bitterly. "All I wanted was to show everyone how wrong they were about me." His grip tightened. Anya clawed desperately at his hand while struggling to breathe. Across the destroyed classroom, Yuri forced himself up despite his injured ankle. "No... Anya..." Yuri growled. His eyes began glowing bright red. "Let her go!"
A massive red beam exploded from Yuri's eyes. Bobby immediately raised a force field to block it. The hallway shook violently as the two powers clashed against each other. Anya's vision slowly started fading. "AHHHHH!" Yuri screamed as the beam intensified, growing larger and hotter. Bobby gritted his teeth and used both hands to strengthen his barrier. "I will not lose!" Bobby roared. Cracks slowly spread across the force field.
Then SHATTER! Yuri's beams blasted straight through. The beam slammed into Bobby and launched him through the school windows and into a concrete wall outside. Yuri immediately shut his eyes, stopping his attack. Then he collapsed unconscious. Outside, Bobby's body smoked heavily. Half of his torso was badly burned, and his left leg was completely gone. "H-help me..." Bobby whispered weakly. Suddenly everything around him went dark. Bobby found himself standing once again inside the black void. The shadowy figure appeared before him.
"Good job creating despair," the figure said coldly. "But now it's time for you to pay up." The creature grabbed Bobby's head. Bobby screamed in agony. Back in the real world, Bobby's body became completely motionless. Only flashing red and blue police lights reflected across his lifeless eyes. The next day. Yuri sat in a hospital bed eating food while watching TV. "See? Told you he was okay," Mat said while walking into the room. "How are you feeling?" Anya asked. "Hungry," Yuri answered immediately. Mat laughed. "I saw your mom making enough food to feed a football team, so I think you're covered."
"Yeah..." Yuri smiled weakly. "She was extremely worried." Anya looked down for a moment. "What do you think happened to Bobby?" "I don't know," Mat admitted. "But I heard he's basically a vegetable now and locked up in an asylum." Then he looked toward Yuri. "But who saved us? Did you see anything?" Yuri stayed quiet for a second. "No," he finally answered. "I was knocked out." Anya sighed with relief. "I'm just glad everyone's okay." The three sat there silently for a moment. Deep beneath the Earth. At the planet's core. The gigantic chained creature slowly opened its glowing eyes. "So... there are other beings on this planet after all," it growled. The chains around its body rattled violently. "It won't matter." A dark grin slowly spread across its face. "Because the moment I break free... I'll make this entire planet kneel before me!"