Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Official Prologue

Lia's POV

~ July 23, 2017 ~

“Do I really have to go there?”

It was one normal school day. I came home to a news that my parents are requiring me to move out of the country.

“Yes, you have to.” My mother softly told me as she sat beside me. “Your dad has an important matter with his work, and for your kuyas, they have to finish their college program here.”

So many questions were in my head, but my main question was: “But.. I don’t understand. What has that to do with me going to another country? And when are we leaving?” I was sad, not only because I’d be leaving this house, I’d be leaving the life I already have here in the Philippines.

“Well,” My dad sat beside me as well. “I got transferred to Malaysia to be physically closer to my work. Don’t worry, sweet. You’re not going to be alone. It’s me, you, and your mom. And don’t worry about the time we’re leaving; we still have over 7 months to prepare.”

I sighed in defeat; do I have a choice?

“But what about the kuyas? Ron? Tony?” I pouted. “They will stay here until they finish their college program, then they will come and follow us, if it's okay with them.” They are my two older brothers, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, they are nothing but good to me. The thought of leaving them behind saddens me.

I heard a laugh from Tony, “Wow. That’s the first time I heard you worry for us. What has gotten into you?” I rolled my eyes, “I’m concerned of course! What do you think? Well, maybe it’s best that you and kuya will stay behind because I’m the favorite child!”

The next thing I knew, I was running away from my two chasing brothers. Giggles and laughs are heard all over the house.

I told my friends about the departure, and boy, I couldn’t bear to see them sad. I told them when we were hanging out at the mall. The moment I told them; everyone was crying. I felt that I myself was going to cry. Ugh, why does it have to be like this?

What’s even worse that I’m going to be leaving days after the moving up ceremony.

“Don’t worry guys,” I sniffled. “I’ll try to visit! For sure we’ll have trips here on a semestral break and Christmas break.” I smiled, assuring them. “You’re not going to forget us, right?” My friend, Ana, asked, still crying.

“No! Never. You shouldn’t forget me too!” I managed to joke amidst what’s happening. “OF COURSE!” They all yelled in unison, making me laugh. “Okay, okay! Group hug!”

~ March 15, 2018 ~

Months have passed by, and I was able to finish Junior High School with Honors! Yay! I feel so proud of myself because I knew for myself that I worked my way there. After the moving up ceremony, I arranged personal dates with my friends (one by one) to be able to hang with them before I leave for Malaysia. The day before the flight, I was surprised by all of them. How sweet! I really cried!

Right now, we’re already in the airplane, heading to Malaysia. I was just on my phone, scrolling down through the pictures in the gallery. I landed on a photo of me and my friends, I felt a sudden pang in the chest. Guess I’m already in reality, huh? Moving away from the place wherein I grew up and had a life in it already.

We landed in Pulau Rintis airport. After we got our bags from the carousel, we saw a man who was holding a banner with the text “de Vera family” in bold. Damn, I didn’t know someone would pick us up, I thought we were just going to use public transportation. To my surprise, we were brought to a limousine. I had so many questions in mind for my parents, but due to tiredness from the flight, I decided not to ask anymore and just go with it.

We were brought to a village and right in front of a house, I was shocked. Just from the outside, it looked beautiful. What more if we see the inside? We went out of the vehicle as the driver has already started putting out our bags. I helped him too, being the kind and helpful girl, I was raised to be. But I noticed something, the driver only took out the bags of my mom and I. He immediately closed the compartment that contains my dad’s bags. What in the world?

I was about to speak but I heard my mom calling out for me, so I went to her and saw the insides of the house. All I can say is… wow. Comparing to the other houses I saw, this looked very modern. Heck, this is even better than our house back in the Philippines.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, when I looked up, I saw my dad smiling. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I nodded as a response, still amazed of the house we’re going to stay at. I saw my mom chuckling at us, “Well, this is going to be our new home now.”

Suddenly, the driver came in as well. “Sir, we’re ready to go.”

Go? Go where?

“Baby, say good bye to your-“ My mom was immediately cut off by my dad asking her to give us a minute. She nodded then proceeds to start unpacking in the house. My dad also did the same to the driver, he obeyed then went out.

My dad gestured me to sit on the couch, he sat beside me as I faced him. I can see that he was sad, and I’m sad too. “Lia,” He let out a short pause to clear out his throat. “I’m going to this place, and they are requiring me to stay on-site for quite a while.” The moment I heard that, I felt the tears were forming in my eyes.

He continued: “Now listen, I don’t want you to feel alone while I’m gone, which is why I have a gift for you.” I nodded as I wiped my tears away. He left the couch for a while to get something.

All these thoughts are in my head, it’s too much. Everything’s happening too fast. I need to breathe. Please. Slowly, I broke down. I’m this type of person who doesn’t do well when sudden things happen, in short, I get overwhelmed easily.

My dad came back, holding a sphere object. It was color Purple, my favorite color. I wiped my tears, then I received the object he was holding. “What is this?” I was staring at the object as he spoke, “Oh you’ll find out. Sonobot activate.”

The sphere turned on, which startled me. The moment I saw his eyes, I gasped as I placed him down on the couch, and went away from him. It suddenly grew hands out, and started floating, which scared me even more. “W-What is this?”

“Sonobot reporting for duty, sir.” It spoke. Her voice was feminine, but deeper than mine. And wait, sir? She’s probably talking to my dad.

“Lia, this is Sonobot. She’s going to help and guide you throughout everything, while I’m gone.” He then turned to Sonobot, “Sonobot, she’s your new master. Please obey her orders and do your best in helping her.”

Helping me? For what?

“Yes sir.” It flew to me, and spoke to me. “Hi Lia!” Wow, she’s excited. “I’m excited to be with you. Don’t worry! I’ll be good to you. Please be good to me as well.” My heart melted after hearing that. “Of course, I will.”

“Good that you two are getting along at the first meeting. Now Sonobot, would you mind helping Lia in taking her bags into her room?” “Yes sir!” The sphere proceeded in taking some of my bags.

I walked to my dad and gave him a hug. It’s really thoughtful of him giving me a companion as he will be gone for a while. It’s great also that she’s here because she can help me and my mom in the house.

“By the way dad, where did you get her?” I asked while looking up to him.

“Uhm, it was made.”

“Yeah, but where did you get her? Were you the one who built her?”

The next thing he said kind of confused me, “You don’t need to know that, my daughter.” Why is he suddenly calling me that? So weird. I let out a laugh. “What’s with that way of addressing? And why is that, my father?” I mimicked him.

“The less you know, the more peace of mind you get.”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 01: New Beginnings 

~ April 5, 2018 ~

One of the reasons why I’m worried in leaving my home country is because of the new school I’ll be entering. New school means new environment, which means new people. New school also means a new kind of curriculum.

Oh yeah, have I mentioned that schools in Malaysia starts around January? Meaning, I’m late for a quarter in a semester. Which is why I put in extra effort to catch up in the lessons I missed. This sucks. I just moved up from 10^th grade and I started 11^th grade immediately. Oh well, no break for me, I guess.

It’s almost been a month since I started my classes here in Pulau Rintis School, and I must say, I’m impressed with the education system they have here. I’m currently in Year 11, which is called senior high school back in the Philippines, and upper secondary education here.

So far, I’m starting to adjust well with the new environment. I already made friends whom I go out lunch with. There are times that I suffer from the school works, because of how late I entered this term, but it’s okay. I can manage. It’s all for the dream, yeah?

I’ve always wanted to be an economist; I’m curious about how the production and distribution of wealth happens in a country. I also want to know more about the system of the production, buying and selling of goods and services. Economics is general itself and there are varieties of options after taking that course; getting a job, taking up a Masteral’s degree, or even go to law school. It sounds exciting yet scary in the same time, lol.

Currently, it’s 5 PM and I’m hurrying up to get home by walking. My classes always end at 3 PM, but since I have to catch up for some missed classes, I have been going home at 5 PM ever since I started schooling here. Since it’s Thursday and we have no classes tomorrow, I decided to stroll around the neighborhood for a bit, since I never got the chance to do that since I started school right after I arrived here.

As I walked around, I kept on looking at the sky. There are a lot of clouds today, I thought. Because of that, I didn’t see what’s in front of me which resulted into me bumping against a lamp post.

“Ouch!” I cried, realizing what just happened. I grunted because of my stupidity, then I just walked away. 5 minutes after that, I come across a huge stall, well, it was like a small shop with seats and a counter. There was a signage that says Tok Aba and Boboiboy’s Kokotiam.

I didn’t know there was a cocoa shop near us? How come I never noticed? Oh yeah, because I was busy catching up with school since I entered late. Sighs. I walked towards the shop, seeing an old man fixing some things.

“Uhm, hi.” I politely greeted. “Are you guys still open? I know it’s kind off late, but I was thinking if I can order a drink.” Hell yeah, my water bottled is already finished. I felt the need to have a refreshing drink.

The old man in front of me chuckled, “Of course. We’re open until 9 PM. You’re still early for closing time.” I felt my cheeks going red, did he assume that I wanted it to close? Watch your words next time, Lia. Hay.

“G-great. Can I have a…..” I stared at the menu in front. “Uhm.. One special ice chocolate… Yeah, that’s all. One special ice chocolate.” I said as I got my wallet from my bag.

I paid him 10 RM, then he gestured me to sit down. Once I sat down, I took out my notebook that has all the reminders I needed for my requirements. I sighed in relief as I checked it, I have around 4 more pending to go. Ugh, better than 15, right?

“You know, I haven’t seen you before.” I heard the old man starting a conversation as I heard him using machines to prepare my order. “Are you new here?” I looked at him with a small smile, “Yeah. I actually moved here from the Philippines, around a month ago. I started schooling here as well right after moving in. This explains the reason why I’m still in my uniform, I just came from school.”

“At 5 PM?”

“Yeah, I have to catch up on the missed classes. It has been like this ever since I started studying here. I’m like, 2 months late from the official start of classes so I really had to work hard to catch up.” I felt like crying after saying that, it wasn’t really easy since I’m still adjusting to all the new things.

I saw his face fell, I guess he was pitying me. “Oh, poor you. It’s not that easy to adjust to everything. Given the fact you came from a different country.” I sighed, “Yeah. That’s life, I guess.”

There was silence after that conversation, I resumed in checking my notebook. I was overthinking that I might missed something. I didn’t even notice the man serving my order, which startled me. “Oh my. Thank you so much. Sorry, I was checking my notes.”

He smiled, “That’s alright. Say, to cheer you up, if you come back here again, your order is on the house.” I was shocked. What? I was about to answer, he spoke again. “Then after your next visit, I can give you some discounts. I really admire people who work hard, even if it means going beyond their limit.”

My heart melted upon hearing that. For a stranger like him, I felt comfortable with him already. “Wow, uhm.. I don’t know what to say… Just.. Thank you.” I introduced myself to him, and he did as well. He’s the owner of this shop, can’t you believe it? He’s THE Tok Aba.

We had a short talk about how he brought up this shop, operations have been going ever since the year, 1967. I was amazed, for sure he made a lot of profit with this shop. I also heard from him that his grandson, although I forgot the name, helps him in managing this shop.

“Do you know him?”

“Who?”

“Oh, my grandson. Boboiboy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. No, I don’t know him.” Should I know him?

“That’s alright. You’re new here, you’ll eventually know more people here in the neighborhood.”

After I finished my drink, I thanked Tok Aba and told him I’d be back soon. “Take care, Lia! Go home as quick as possible, it’s getting dark.” I left the cocoa shop afterwards, all lightened up because of what happened. I took out my phone to message my mom, who is still at work right now. She didn’t have a trouble finding a job because her job back in the Philippines, relocated her to the branch here in Malaysia.

My mom works at Lazada Group; it’s a technology company that focuses on e-commerce. She’s a senior associate there, specifically in logistic operations. They do the quality control and operations. To everyone who loves online shopping, Lazada is for you guys.

I sent a message to her saying that I’d be home in a bit. I told her about Tok Aba’s Cocoa shop, which was the reason why I’m later than before. I was scrolling on my phone afterwards, still walking to my house. With my attention not on the road, once again, I bumped into something.. Oh wait, it’s someone.

“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry. Agh, I keep on bumping into things lately.” I apologized as I shoved my phone to my pocket. I looked at the person in front of me. Oh my, he’s tall. I thought, as fear was eliciting in my body. All I can say about him is.. he was wearing an orange cap, that has a symbol of B.

He gave me a warm smile, and what he said afterwards washed away my fear. “It’s okay! I guess you’re preoccupied at the moment.” I gave a sheepish laugh, “Yeah, sorry. I just came from school, and I’m heading home at the moment.”

“Oh, at this time? It’s already late. Let me walk you home.”

I kindly refused, and said, “It’s okay, no need. Uhm, I think I’m almost there. I’ll be fine.” Okay, I accidentally bumped into him, yet he still offers to take me home. It’s kind of awkward for me, and in the same time, what if he was a bad man who’s going to kidnap me?

“Don’t worry, I’m not a kidnapper.” He chuckled. “I mean, if that’s what you think. Besides, it would be rude for me not to walk you home. C’mon, it’s getting dark.” I guess I have a companion now.

As we were walking home, he started up a conversation. He said I was a new face to him, and asked me if I was new here. I explained to him about how I got here, and how’s life for me currently. He was surprised with what I said, especially after knowing I study at Pulau Rintis School.

“Oh, I used to study there.” Auw, used to. It’s sad that I won’t be seeing him in school. He told me he was in year 12, which was a pre-university level in their case. He explained that he is in a Biochemistry degree because he had been interested in that since he started going to school. He also explained about the education system here in Malaysia.

I didn’t notice that I already reached home, “Hey, as much as I want to continue our talk, I have to go now.” I pouted. He gave me a warm smile, “Oh no worries. I’m glad to meet you today. Will I see you again?”

“Uhm,” I started, feeling my cheeks go red. “Y-Yeah, I guess. We can just, uh, communicate through social media or something… But yeah of course! I just live here. Wait, we haven’t introduced ourselves to each another!”

Can this day get more embarrassing? I saw him laugh, “Oh yeah. Sorry, I was getting immersed with our conversation to the point I thought we knew each other for around.. years.”

“I’m Lia,” I introduced letting out my hand for a handshake. “Lia de Vera. It’s really nice to meet you. Thank you for walking me home today.” I smiled. He shook my hand and said, “Really nice to meet you, Lia. I’m Boboiboy.”

Crap. He’s Tok Aba’s grandson!  

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 02: Friends

“SONOBOOOOOT!”

I barged into my room, startling Sonobot, who was busy fixing some stuff. “Eh, what are you doing?” I walked towards her to take a close look. “I was just fixing your stuff. It was really messy a while ago!”

“Okay, okay.” I replied, “You have to listen to me right now because something.. happened. And heck, I’m embarrassed for the rest of my life!”

“You’re exaggerating.” “No, I’m not! Just listen to me, will you?” I groaned in annoyance as I started removing my uniform blouse, revealing my white cami top. “Have you heard of Tok Aba’s Kokotiam? The one at the park?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve heard a lot about it. People really head to that place for the both hot and ice chocolate.” She replied, as she flew beside me. “What about it?”

I sighed as I sat down on my bed, “So I went to the shop for the first time, and I had fun. Great service, great drink, in short; great experience. When I was walking home, I accidentally bumped into someone, and it was a guy.”

“And?”

“He was the grandson. The grandson of Tok Aba; Boboiboy.”

I received a giggle from Sonobot. What the? “Hey, why are you laughing?”

“Because I don’t see why are you embarrassed about meeting his grandson. He seems like a nice guy.” I groaned, she doesn’t get it, huh? “I’m embarrassed because I only got to know his name after he walked me home.”

“HE WALKED YOU HOME?!”

“Why are you making that a big deal? That’s not what I’m embarrassed about!” I exclaimed. “The fact that I didn’t know him made me embarrassed. Even Tok Aba asked me if I knew him and I said no, because who is he anyway? Other than his grandson?”

Sonobot shrugged, “Well, he is the grandson of that great cocoa shop. I guess he’s expected to be known. But you’re new here so, I don’t see what’s wrong in not knowing him. You’ll eventually get to know him, I guess.” I heard how her tone went from casual to.. teasing.

“If this is about him walking me home, don’t give it a meaning. Maybe he was just being nice since he saw a girl walking home this late. You can never be so safe nowadays.” I just received a chuckle from her. “You mean, a pretty girl like you?”

“SONOBOOOOT!”

I placed my hands on my face, covering it. I feel my cheeks going red, probably because of embarrassment. I heard laughter from Sonobot, ugh, whatever. I didn’t mind her as I got off my bed and went to my closet, gosh, I really need a bath. I opened a drawer to put back my earrings and necklace that I usually wear.

“Hey, you don’t wear that?” Sonobot flew to me and pointed at my watch. It has a square type face and a purple band.

“Uhm, no.. I don’t wear watches that much.” I smiled sheepishly. “No.. no!” I was taken aback by her response, “You have to wear that. It’s important that you do. I didn’t give you that for you to just keep it in that drawer.”

Did I hurt her feelings with that? I felt shame in myself, she’s right though. As a gift giver, would you want the person not using your gift and just settling aside? Besides, the watch doesn’t look that bad. In fact, I haven’t even got the chance to take a look on its features.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized. “I’ll use it, don’t worry. You know what,” I got the watch and turned it on. It displayed a purple wavy symbol; it looks like a soundwave. I was amazed, “Dang, Sonobot! What kind of watch is this? Wait, where’s the time?”

Sonobot pointed a button on the side, “Press that.” I did as what she told me to do and I saw the time. I can’t believe I got a digital watch! This is so cool. “Thank you, SonoBot! I appreciate it. I’ll surely use it every day.”

---

Boboiboy’s POV

Great, another nightmare. I thought to myself as I sat up on my bed. It’s been 2 years since we last had a battle with Retak'ka. That time was pretty intense; I met the former wielder of my elemental powers, and managed to upgrade my own powers. As the leader of my team, I look out for their safety, even if it means giving up my own life. I know for myself that I’m not afraid to do that.

I got up from my bed to prepare myself, I will be managing the cocoa shop today so granddad can rest. He’s not getting any younger so I have to do my best to ease the burden on him. This lifestyle of mine has been going on for years now, since the last battle we actually had was the one with Retak’ka. Of course, we still communicate with commander KokoCi and admiral Tarung, in case there are threats. So far, we’re at peace.

Today’s a Saturday, and currently, it’s 10 AM. I’m a bit late for work but I’m sure Ochobot would understand, since I was up late doing school work. Yeah, even if I’m one of Earth’s defender, I still want to pursue studies. I feel like I owe it to Granddad, after everything he has done for me.

I arrived at the shop to see my friends: Gopal, Fang, Yaya, and Ying. They greeted me as I arrived. “I’m honestly surprise that you guys are here early.” I remarked.

“We kind off ran out of cocoa today, so we decided to have it here instead.” Yaya replied, placing her head on Gopal’s shoulder. “Same goes for me! So, can we have the special hot chocolate?” Ying asked.

Fang suddenly spoke, “C’mon, Boboiboy! Feed your friends, serve them. They are thirsty!” Gopal laughed, “Boboiboy, the drinks aren’t going to prepare by themselves. Hurry! My Yaya needs it!”

They all laughed after Fang and Gopal’s comment, I just rolled my eyes. “Sheesh, I was just about to start. Ochobot, help me with this, will you?” Then we both started preparing the ordered drinks.

Oh, and to mention it, Yaya and Gopal are in a relationship. I don’t know about Ying and Fang though, but they seem like just friends. I’d sometimes get jokes from them about me getting a girlfriend. I mean, why not, right? But as of the moment, I haven’t met anyone who could be that. And besides, it’s not really my priority right now. My priority is saving the world, in the same time, being a successful person.

I served the ordered drinks of Ying and Yaya. Suddenly Fang and Gopal ordered some ice chocolate, so I started preparing their orders as well. I was so busy in preparing the orders to the point I didn’t listen to the conversation of my friends.

But one thing did catch my attention though.

“Uhm, excuse me, can I order one special hot chocolate?”

It was her.

Lia’s POV

Since today is a Saturday, I decided to visit Tok Aba’s cocoa shop since I said I’d be coming back. Today is surely a hot day, so I just wore a pair of denim shorts, paired with a plain white shirt, and brown sandals. I told my mom I’d be back later, which she allowed me to go.

I was getting near the shop, and I saw a group of people at the shop. Oh, guess I’m not the only one who wants a cold drink in this hot weather. Though I’ll be trying their hot chocolate. I arrived at the shop, the four people did notice me and I saw the surprise in their eyes.

I spoke, “Uhm, excuse me, can I order one special hot chocolate?” The one who was at the shop, preparing some drinks, turned around and to my surprise, it was him. Boboiboy. I saw how surprised he was with my appearance. Is it because of my outfit?

“Lia?” He spoke out. “Wait, you two know each other?” One girl, who was wearing blue glasses asked. I was about to reply, but Boboiboy beat me to it. “Yeah, I actually met her recently. I think it was days ago.” He smiled at me. I nodded, confirming his statement.

“Well, why don’t you make yourself comfortable here? It’s unfair that Boboiboy only knows you and not us.” A girl with a pink hijab said as she gave me a seat. I sat down, and I could feel everyone looking at me. They started bombarding me with questions, which made me quite overwhelmed.

I spoke up to answer their questions. “Uhm, so, I’m Lia de Vera. I came from the Philippines, and I moved here last month. I’m currently studying at Pulau Rintis School, year 11. And, it’s great to meet you guys.” Crap, I was like a new student introducing myself. Well, I’m really a new student.

“Aww! You’re so cute! Don’t be shy!” The girl with the blue glasses exclaimed as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Very nice to meet you! I’m Ying, and this is Yaya, Gopal, and Fang.” She pointed the people who had the respective names.

“So Boboiboy,” Fang, the quite intimidating guy, started. “She’s the girl you’ve been talking about?” Okay, that gave me anxiety. What we he talking about? About how I look? His first impression on me? The fact that I bumped into him because I was carelessly stupid?

“Talking about? What do you mean?” I asked. “Oh, Boboiboy told me the other day he bumped into a pretty girl. He mentioned that she was new here, and I guess that’s you.” The moment he said that, Boboiboy gave ice chocolates to him and Gopal.

“Wait, why didn’t you tell me?” Gopal exclaimed. “Yeah, it’s no fair that you get to meet this pretty girl while we don’t!” Ying said.

I was getting flustered at the conversation, “It’s okay, hehehe. Uhm, at least we get to meet each other now.”

Boboiboy then served my order, and I managed to talk with his friends. Tok Aba suddenly arrived, and exclaimed, “Lia! You’re here! Hey Boboiboy, she’s the one I was telling you about. The one who went to my shop. Wait, Lia, your order right now is on the house.”

I was surprised at what’s happening, but in the same time I was quite enjoying it. Tok Aba didn’t stay that long as he was just checking on us. The conversation between me and his friends continued. It’s nice to meet new people who potentially can be your friends.

“You’re just 14?! You’re so young! Are you sure you’re 14?!” Gopal exclaimed. I sighed, “Relax. I’m turning 15 this coming June 12. I’m a Gemini baby.”

“Oooh! You’re a Gemini? It’s a perfect match for a Pisces!” Fang grinned, then he suddenly earned a smack from Boboiboy. Hmm, I wonder why. Maybe they’re kidding around?

I told them more about myself which include my school life, and how moving here was for me. For some reason, Boboiboy seemed quiet. Maybe he’s tired since he’s the one doing all the work today.

But one thing’s for sure, I can feel him staring at me. Peripheral vision never lies. Why is he like that?

“It’s really nice to meet you, Lia. But I really have to go right now because I promised to help my mom.” Yaya said as she stood up. “Please feel free to come back!” She smiled. “Or, we can arrange an all-girls date! It would be fun.” Ying chimed in.

My heart melted at what they’re saying, I feel welcomed. “Sure, anytime. On weekends, since I have school on weekdays.”

“You know what, we’ll get going too. Uhm, I have something to work on.” Fang said standing up. “Wait! Me too! Uhm, it’s curry day! We’re going to have curry for lunch!” Gopal exclaimed.

Curry day? Is that a holiday? And woah, that was sudden. But yeah, today’s a Saturday, so I understand that they have commitments to other things too. “Okay, bye guys. Thank you so much!”

Third Person’s POV

Boboiboy and Lia were left at the shop. Lia was quietly sipping her ice chocolate, while Boboiboy was, well, quiet as well.

“Your friends sure have the charms.” Lia spoke up, earning Boboiboy’s attention. He smiled, “Yeah. Forgive their sudden questions at you earlier, they’re just that excited when they meet someone new.”

Lia laughed, “It’s alright. I find it comforting though. By the way, are you okay? You seem quiet.” Boboiboy was caught off guard by her question, but he continued to clean the dishes. Why am I nervous around her? My heart is beating fast? What in the world.

“Uh, yeah. Just tired.” He lied yet Lia took the answer. “Oh, okay. Don’t forget to take breaks, even short breaks matter. Since you don’t have much customers today, you can rest for a while. So, you can have more energy later.” She sweetly smiled.

Even though Boboiboy was facing behind Lia, he could feel a smile coming up to his face after that. “Aww, thank you. Yeah, I will do that. After I finish cleaning these dishes.” Lia nodded, “Yes, that’s right. That’s the spirit.”

Later on, Boboiboy finished cleaning the dishes and when he turned around, he saw Lia, who just finished her drink. Lia widened her eyes, “Oh crap. You just finished washing, right? Oh my, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” He sweetly smiled as he got her dish. “I can handle it, don’t worry. No need to pay since granddad said your order is on the house.”

Lia nodded in return, “You know, I find it amazing that you’re helping Tok Aba with this shop. Even with the heavy load from school, you still manage to render your time here. You're a good grandson." 

“Yeah, I feel like I owe it to him since I grew up with him. He did so much for me. This is the least thing I can do to help him.” Boboiboy smiled was washing the used mug, saucer, and spoon. “That's amazing. Keep it up!”

He has to admit, hearing that from her, intensified his racing heart. “Thank you.” Once he was finished, he faced Lia and smiled at her. “Hey, why are you still here? Don’t you have something to do?”

Her response caught him. “I don’t want to leave you here alone. Besides, I have nothing to do. You want to talk about something?”

And they did. All day long.

---

Back in Lia’s house, Sonobot projects a hologram of some, who’s half body is only shown. Apparently, his face wasn’t shown because of a mask. “How’s everything back there?”

“Everything is alright, sir.” Sonobot replied. “She has already met him, sir. I guess the two are got along easily.” Her reply made the man nod, “Good. Has she used it already?”

“Not yet, but she’s already wearing it.”

The man cleared his throat, “Okay. Sooner or later, she’ll be able to use it. It will unleash her full potential. She will make a great asset.” Sonobot nodded slightly, “I see potential in her as well, sir.”

“Good. Just do what you do. And remember, the less she knows, the more peace of mind she has. And more advantages are about to happen.”  

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 03: Powers

Third Person’s POV

It was 10 PM inside an old warehouse. There were three people inside, both wearing black face masks. They were both at the table, as one placed down a map. "Okay, so, here's the plan. We're going to rob the Rintis Bank." The first person starts. “But we have to split; one of us would rob the bank, while one goes attack the convenience store nearby. The other one can either go in the bank or convenience store with us.”

The second person nodded, "I’ll take the convenience store. You go for the bank.” She pointed to the first girl. “You can go with at the bank too.” She was referring to the third person.

Then the second person then walked to a wooden box, and opened it, revealing full of weapons. “They must prepare for us. They won’t see what’s coming for them.”  She removed her mask afterwards, revealing she was a girl.

The other two removed their masks as well. All of them were girls.

“They will pay for what they did to our fathers.” The third girl remarked, as she pointed to a portrait of their said fathers. They were Rob, Robert, and Roberto; the robbers who had an encounter with team Boboiboy years ago.

The first girl gave an evil grin, “Wait ‘til they see us: Rose, Rosan, and Rosanna!”

Rosanna faced the wall and starred at their board, which has the pictures of each member of team Boboiboy. She walked towards it, “It’s important that we take down the others first. The easiest to take down are these two.” She pointed to Ying and Gopal.

“Well, Gopal is. For Ying, well, it depends. She usually pairs up with Yaya, and their powers together are strong. We have strategies on how to take them down together.” Rose replied, as she was looking through their weapons.

Rosan followed at the board, “Yeah, she’s right. The last two standing are these men.” She referred to Boboiboy and Fang. “Boboiboy’s new elemental split surely made him stronger, but has he become wiser to beat us at our strategy?”

They all laughed, excited at their agenda tomorrow.

---

Lia’s POV

Today was actually fun. I managed to get through the first half of the day without worrying about my studies. I sighed in relief, knowing that I finished all the pending school works I had. Right now, I was eating lunch with my friends: Adam and Naya.

“I’m really proud of you.” I heard Naya spoke up. “It’s great to know that you’re already done with the missed school works. For sure, you’re going to pass our classes.” She smiled; Adam gave a thumbs up. “No doubt! Maybe you’ll be part of the honor’s class!”

I chuckled, “Thank you. Right now, my goal is to pass. I know I’m still adjusting to everything.” And that’s true. As much as I want to be part of the honor’s class, I know I’m still finding my way here since everything in school is new to me. Nevertheless, I’ll continue to do my best.

“Calling for Lia! Lia de Vera! Is she here?” I heard someone, a masculine voice, calling for my name. “Lia de Vera? Is she here?” I was confused, why is someone calling for me?

I turned around and saw the security guard of our school. He was facing behind us, yet looking around. “Uhm, excuse me?” I called out, gaining his attention. I raised my hand and waved for him to see me.

He walked towards our table, holding a brown paper bag. “Lia, someone passed by the school earlier and asked me to give this to you. You’ll find out who gave it, it’s in the note.” I was hesitant in receiving the paper bag, who would give this at this time? My mom gave me lunch money, and I don’t think I forgot something.

“Oh, uhm. Thank you.” I just thanked the security guard. “You’re welcome. Have a good day ahead.” And then he left.

I opened the paper bag, the item inside really surprised me. It was Tok Aba’s ice chocolate. I took it out and place it on the table. “Woah! Is that Tok Aba’s ice chocolate?” I heard Adam asked. “Sis, that’s amazing!” Naya remarked.

There was a transparent food container, and I can see that there are chocolate biscuits. Did Tok Aba send this?

I noticed there was a small paper sticked on the container, I got it out and read it:

Got you these to boost your energy! Hope it helps! 😊 Btw, are you free later? Just send me a text!

• Boboiboy

What in the world. Why would he send me these? Maybe it was because I accompanied him when he was left alone in the shop. Yeah, a thank you gift. Of course.

“What does it say? And who is it from?” I heard Adam asked as I saw him reaching out from the note. I drew back my hand, “Uh. Uhm. My mom! Yeah, these are from my mom. I guess she wanted me to feel cool at this hot weather.” I lied, hoping they’ll take it.

And it was a good lie too.

“Aww, that’s so sweet of her! I wish my mom would do that!” Adam pouted. “She will probably do it if you pass Math class.” Nayaa joked, making us all laugh.

I took out my phone and texted Boboiboy, and yes, we exchanged numbers the last time I saw him.

Hi! Thank you for the ice choco and biscuits! Super love them huhu.

And yes, I’m free later!

Surprisingly, he replied a minute later.

Yay! That’s awesome! 👍

Your dismissal is around 3 PM right?

Yes huhu finally

By the way, where are we going?

Don’t want to go out wearing my uniform tho xD Hahah

Let’s decide later, even I don’t know myself 😂

Oh, you can go home to change!

We can meet at granddad’s shop!

Okiii heheh thank you! See you later!  

Today is a good day.

Later on, it was already our dismissal time. I went ahead of Adam and Naya, since they are the cleaners for today. I went out of the school gate and started walking home. Suddenly, I heard someone calling me. “Hey Lia!”

I turned around and saw someone waving at me, it was Boboiboy. He went to me, as my eyes were widened. What is he doing here? “Oh, hi. I thought we’re going to meet at Tok Aba’s shop?”

He grinned at me, “Yeah, but change of mind. It would be rude of me not to pick you up, yet I was the one who asked you if you want to go out.”

“No, no.” I replied. “It wouldn’t be, it’s okay.” I was becoming shy. Is he really like this?

“It’s okay! C’mon, let’s go to your place so you can get into comfortable clothes.” We both started walking to my place, and I was quiet. It’s kind of awkward for me to be with someone whom I just met recently, but it’s okay. I know he’s a nice guy.

“Hey, thank you for the snack and drink earlier. I appreciate it.” I faced him, smiling. He looked at me and returned the smile, “You’re welcome! I knew it would boost your energy, look at you, all smiling and happy.”

His reply made me laugh, “Wow. I never know you’re the mood booster kind of type. Thanks for letting me know then.”

We both had a small talk about my day, until I reached my house. “You can come in. My mom is not here, she’s at work.” I saw him get.. flustered? “What? Oh, no, it’s okay I can wait here.”

“What? No! It’s way too hot to be outside. It’s not as if you’re going to be at my room or something.” I playfully joked, “You can stay at the living room. I’ll be quick, promise. I just have to freshen up a bit.”

He nodded in reply. Then I used my key to enter the house, as I was walking to the stairs, I yelled, “Make yourself comfortable!”

Third Person’s POV

“Make yourself comfortable!” Lia yelled as she dashed up the stairs, leaving Boboiboy in their living room. He just smiled as he sat down on the couch.

Lia barged into her room, interrupting Sonobot from her nap. “Geez! What’s with that?” Lia didn’t reply as she just shoved her things at one corner then went to her closet. “Uhm, Lia? You okay? Why are you hurrying up? Are you in a race or something?”

“I’m going out for a while. Boboiboy will be with me.” She replied as she took out a pair of shorts, a shirt, and undergarments. “I won’t be too long; I’ll inform mom too.” Despite hearing Sonobot’s reaction, she went straight to the bathroom and shut the door.

Sonobot flew out of the room and went down, she didn’t fully reveal herself to the man who was at the living room. She was just peeking and observing him. She was about to run a scan from afar, but the latter turned around all of a sudden, making Sonobot hide.

That was close. Sonobot thought, then she flew back to Lia’s room, who was already dressed up. She was in a pair of black shorts, with a mustard yellow top. She wore her white shoes then dashed out of the room. “Bye!”

She went down to stairs to meet Boboiboy. With the former’s presence, the latter stood up all of a sudden. “Wow, you look great. Really great.” Lia chuckled, “Aww, thanks. C’mon!”

They both went out of the house, and Lia locked their door.

“By the way,” Boboiboy started as they were walking. “Who were you saying bye too?”

His question caught Lia off guard. “Uhm, uhm. My dog.” She lied. She didn’t want to tell anyone about Sonobot, due to the fact that she is a robot.

“Oh, really? You should’ve let me see him, or is it a her?”

“Uhm… next time!” Lia sheepishly smiled.

The two walked until they reached town. Boboiboy was touring Lia around, telling her where she can go to whenever she needs something. “That’s a convenience store. It’s actually one of the best places around. For a store like that, they have everything.”

“Ohh, I’ve heard that too. You think we can go in?” Boboiboy nodded, “Of course. Be my guest.” They both went inside the store and strolled around. Lia went ahead of him, since she has to purchase sanitary napkins. Boboiboy was left behind her, yet he was watching her.

Minutes later, his power watch rang. Good thing Lia was far so he answered it, showing Fang’s hologram. “What is it? I’m out.” He whispered yell, hoping no one would hear him. “There’s a robbery happening at the bank!”

Boboiboy’s eyes widened, “What? At the bank? As in.. the one near the convenience store?” Fang nodded, “I guess you’re there right now. Hurry, we have to rescue the hostages.”

The call ended.

At least it’s not some power sphere hunter. He was hesitant to go because he was with Lia, but duty calls. “Hey Lia!” He called as he rushed to her. “Uhm, I have to go somewhere very important. Uhm, Fang’s at the bank, he needs my help.”

“Oh? Is he okay? I can go if you-” Boboiboy cut her off by saying, “No, it’s okay. Just be here, okay? Stay safe. Call me if anything happens, okay? I’m sorry it’s sudden. I’ll be back.”

Lia nodded, “Okay okay. Stay safe too!”

Boboiboy rushed out, leaving Lia behind.

Once he got to the bank, the rest of the gang were there. “What happened? The police aren’t here yet?” He was panting. “Good thing you’re here! They are all stuck inside. The robber doesn’t want to let them out.” Gopal replied, pointing to the figures, who was wearing a mask, talking to the hostages.  

“I hope no one gets hurt.” Ying said, all worried. “It’s going to be a different case when someone gets hurt.” Yaya added on.

This made Boboiboy frustrated. He had a lot in his mind, but he decided on talking to the robber. He called out the attention of the robbers, and luckily, they went out holding their guns. “Hey, what do you want? You want money?”

This made one of the robbers laugh. “Oh, good to see that you’re here. I thought you guys wouldn’t come.” This made Fang growl, “What do you want, huh?”

“Oh, just some sweet revenge. That’s all.” The both robbers removed their face masks to reveal themselves. “My name’s Rose, and this is Rosanna. You probably don’t know us but, I believe you guys met our fathers before. Rob and Roberto.”

Yaya gasped, “You guys are their children?” This made Rosanna laugh, “Why, yes. After what you guys did to our dads, we feel that we should pay you guys a visit. You guys are proclaiming to be heroes, but really, doing that to our dads?”

“Your fathers are criminals.” Boboiboy harshly replied. “They robbed a bank, took people to hostage, and even associated themselves with our arch nemesis. We wouldn’t do anything to them if they didn’t think of that.”

“You know what? Just let those people go. Leave them out of this.” Fang commanded. “If we’re going to fight, this is not the right place to do it!” He gritted his teeth, dropping every word.

Rose cackled, “You guys are mad already? Just because of what? Less than 30 people here being in trouble because of us?” Yaya groaned, “Less than 30 already means a lot! You’re still harming them!” 

“You think they’re the only ones who will be affected?” Rose replied, earning a confused look from the gang. “Eh? What do you mean?” Gopal asked.

Back at the convenience store, Lia already picked up some things: sanitary pads, a box of milk, and mentos candy. She was lining up to pay her things. I wonder when is he coming back. She thought.

All of a sudden, she heard screams within the store as a voice was followed. “All of you! Get down! Or else, you’ll be shot! C’mon now!” Lia was shocked, she turned to her side and saw people going down. Even the cashier did as well.

When she got down, she managed to whisper to the one near her. “What’s happening?” She was in fear. “I-I guess w-we are hostages now.” The one replied.

Without thinking, Lia tries to walk to the entrance of the store. Despite hearing calls for her, she continued. She managed to hid in the stalls, eyeing on the entrance. There was someone in a black mask, pointing out her pistol. “If one of you moves, I’ll shoot you all! So, get down! Now!”

I have to stop that. Lia thought. She was thinking on how to distract the criminal without getting hurt. Then she saw bottles of iced tea, she grabbed onto two bottles and aimed for the person.

She threw the first bottle, hitting straight to the head, knocking out the person. The second shot was followed to make sure she doesn’t get up. “Everyone out now!” Lia yelled. At her signal, everyone went dashing out of the store. Lia even helped the elders and children get out.

Once Lia was about to get out, she felt someone grabbing her. It was the criminal. “Where do you think you’re going huh?” She pointed the pistol on her head, “Nice shot, little lady. But you think you can get through this?”

Lia tried to get out of her grip, but it was useless. She was held tightly. “Not so fast. You’re not going anywhere!” She was dragged out. “Who are you huh?! Hey! What are you going to do?!”

“It’s Rosan, dear.” Rosan replied, casually. “And I’m going to give you a taste of your own medicine.”

The former was having so many thoughts. I don’t want to die please. “Let me go! Help! Please!” In result, her mouth was covered by a white cloth. No matter how hard she wriggled, she was stuck with the criminal.

Back with the gang, Fang pointed out the mass of people running out of the store. “What’s going on there?” He got the attention of the others. Yaya gasped and turned to Rose and Rosanna, “Do you guys have something to do with that?!”

“I’ll go. Gopal, Ying, and Yaya, you deal with those two. Fang and I will check on what’s happening.” Boboiboy instructed as he and Fang were about to leave, but Rosanna pointed their pistol on them, stopping them.

“What in the world.” Boboiboy reacted, making Rosanna smile evilly. “Not so fast. You better make sure you’ll be able to surpass us before doing that.” She threatened.

Ying was still looking at what’s happening, then she spotted someone being dragged out by a person who has the black face mask. She observed what’s happening, and the moment she found out it was Lia, she exclaimed and pointed out, “Guys, look! It’s Lia!”

The moment Boboiboy heard her name, she looked at where Ying was pointing. This triggered him. “Lia!” With no questions asked, he ran towards her.

Rosanna activated the pistol and shoots Boboiboy a laser beam. Fang used his shadow power to release hands to form a cocoon around Boboiboy, protecting him from the blast. Then Ying, Yaya, and Gopal now attacked the two with their powers.

Fang released the hands, which he was thanked by Boboiboy before proceeding in running for Lia.

Rosan saw Boboiboy heading towards them, so she pointed her pistol on him. “Stay back! If you won’t, I’ll hurt this girl!” Boboiboy stopped, then he summoned a lightning sword. He stared at Lia, hoping she’ll get the message of what he’s about to do.

Lia suddenly side kicked Rosan’s leg, making the latter fall, and buying time for the former to escape. She ran towards Boboiboy who grabbed her, and helped her run. They were running back to a place where Lia can be safe, however..

They both heard a pistol activating, and when Lia turned around, she saw a number of huge bullets heading towards them. Lia accidentally drew her hand out as a way of reaction, and the next thing she knew, the bullets exploded, and even threw Rosan away.

The sudden explosion caused dust, which stopped the two from running. As it cleared out, there shown Rosan on the ground, trying to get up. Lia was shocked, “What just happened?”

She turned to Boboiboy, who was staring at her. “Y-You.. You did that.”  His statement made her confused, “Did what? Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“Lia, do you have powers?”

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 04: Secrets

“Lia, do you have powers?” Boboiboy asked. Lia was overwhelmed, she doesn’t know what to think. First, she was being abducted, then the next thing she knew, Boboiboy was asking her if she had powers.

“I-I..” She stuttered, trying to get it together. “I-I saw.. this wave coming out of my hand, and.. the bullets were gone.” She looked at her hands, then at Boboiboy. Boboiboy nodded, “We’ll talk later. C’mon, let’s get you to safety.”

The moment they were about to run, Boboiboy was attacked by a laser beam that threw him against a music store, breaking the glass windows. “Boboiboy!” Lia screamed, as she started running towards him.

She heard another trigger coming from the pistol, so she turned around and tried to repeat what she did earlier. Her hands were glowing purple, then she positioned them. She released sound blasts, but to her dismay, Rosan did her best in avoiding them by running towards her, swerving from left to right.

All of a sudden, Boboiboy was transported in front of her, but in a different form, he was Boboiboy Thunderstorm. And he has a thunder blade in his hands, “Hands off!” He slashes Rosan; with the force he used, it threw her away as she was being electrocuted.

Lia was terrified at the scene in front of her, she turned to her left and saw Gopal shooting blasts that converted the huge bullets to biscuits. Ying and Yaya used their powerful combination to finish off Rose and Rosanna, which injured them a lot. Fang used his shadow hands to grab the two, suspending them.

Boboiboy and Lia shared a look, then rushed to Rosan, who was surely down. “Guess you guys are following your father’s footsteps.”

Later on, the policemen finally arrived. Team Boboiboy, with Lia, handed the three women to them. They were being arrested and brought to their cars. “Hah! Regards to your fathers, girls! Hope they’re okay!” Gopal teased, then received a flick on the forehead by Yaya. “You’ll provoke them, hay.”

Boboiboy was busy talking to the policemen, as Lia was just watching. What just happened earlier? I have powers? And these people have powers? How…

“I’m glad you’re okay!” Ying exclaimed as she rushed to Lia, giving her a bone crashing hug. Yaya followed afterwards, and did the same, “Yeah! We were so worried when we saw you back there.”

Lia just gave a soft smile afterwards, “Thank you.” The hug broke afterwards.

“Say, so you have powers?” Fang asked. “You threw that girl away with the purple energy or something! It was so cool! How did you do it? Are you gifted? Like me?” Gopal asked.

“Who says your gifted? Ochobot had no choice to give you powers.” Fang replied, smirking at him. “WHAT?! I WAS CLEARLY WORTHY TO HAVE THIS!” Gopal exclaimed.

Ying and Yaya both sighed at the boys. Then they started asking Lia questions as well, which was overwhelming her.

“Hey, hey.” Boboiboy suddenly stopped the questioning as he arrived. “She’s overwhelmed. Even Lia herself doesn’t know how she did that.” He glanced at Lia who was still in her thoughts.

“Lia.” He softly called her, gaining her attention. “I’ll take you to my place, then our friend Ochobot will do something, like ask some questions, and probably scan you. No harm will be done, I assure you.”

Hearing that made Gopal and Fang snicker. “Take her home.. Dang, this boy is growing up.” Fang whispered. “I know! I’m going to cry!” Gopal replied. Boboiboy saw the reaction of the two, he just gave them that stare.

“We’ll go ahead, I hope things will go well.” Yaya said then Ying nodded. “Yeah! And you know, we really need an additional to our team, right, Boboiboy?” She smirked, wiggling her eyes.

Boboiboy glanced at Lia again, it was a good thing she wasn’t paying attention, due to the fact she was in her thoughts, because she might question the teasing if she paid attention. He turned to the rest, “You know what? Let’s go home.”

The rest all laughed.

---

At Boboiboy’s house, Lia was lying down on the couch as she was being scanned by Ochobot. Boboiboy was beside the power sphere, looking at Lia. He was worried for her because she hasn’t spoken a word, after the battle.

The scanning was finished. “She has a power watch, like you guys.” The sphere pointed to Lia’s watch, “That’s where it’s coming from. She has sound manipulation, which is why she released sound waves earlier that knocked your opponent.”

“Is it from you? Have you met her?” Boboiboy questioned. “No, but I found in the scans that she got this from another power sphere. However, the power sphere is unknown to me.”

Ochobot showed Boboiboy the holographic scan, as Lia was just staring at them. This watch gave me powers? Sonobot is a power sphere? Well, he was the one who gave me this. She sat up, gaining attention from the two.

“Lia,” Ochobot started. “Do you know a sphere? A robotic sphere? Like me?” Lia nodded, “Uhm. Yeah. H-her name is Sonobot. She was a gift actually, like she was given to me.”  

 “So you don’t know that your watch is the reason why you were able to shoot the enemy away?” Boboiboy followed up. “Well, I just found out right now. I never knew the ability of this watch. Sonobot wanted me to wear it always, that’s all she said when she gave it to me.”

Boboiboy nodded and looked at Ochobot. “Lia, I think I have to talk with your friend. I’m doing a lie detector test right now on you, and you’re telling the truth. You really don’t know anything about it.”

Lia nodded, “I’m sorry. I should’ve asked her.” Boboiboy glared at Ochobot, “Way to go in guilt tripping her.” He whispered. The power sphere held his hands up, “Sheesh Boboiboy! I wasn’t guilt tripping her!”

“It’s okay.” Lia gave a warm smile. “It’s just that I really don’t know, that’s all.”

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” Ochobot whispered then flew away. When he was still on Boboiboy’s sight, yet behind Lia, he gave a thumbs up.

Boboiboy sighed then he sat down beside Lia.

“So, you guys have the watches? That’s why you guys are heroes?” Lia asked. Boboiboy nodded, “Yeah. I got it when I found Ochobot. I’ve actually been one, along with the others, since I was 10. It’s really a huge responsibility.”

“I can tell. I assume you’re the leader. Great job.” Lia grinned.

“Thank you. Look, I know everything is overwhelming for you, and I know you have questions. I’ll explain everything to you.” Boboiboy started explaining how he found Ochobot, then how the team was formed. He explained that they were all members of TAPOPS, an intergalactic organization, to help save power spheres from hunters.

He also explained that the gang was known here in Rintis, which caused Lia to sheepishly laugh. “You know, Tok Aba asked me if I knew you and I said no immediately. I was embarrassed. I didn’t know you guys are famous here! So that means, I’m hanging out with famous people.”

Boboiboy laughed, “Well, I don’t really expect everyone to know us. Plus, we’re here for the safety, not for the fame.” Lia nodded, “That’s right. Hands down for you guys.” She raised her hands then slowly lowered them.

“You know,” Boboiboy started, intently looking at her. “We really do need an additional at our team. Things are getting difficult, there are more power sphere hunters out there.” He earned a shrug from Lia, “I don’t know. Everything is new to me, and I’m, you know, inexperienced.”

“Which is why Ochobot and I decided to help you master your powers. Well, together with the power sphere you have, since she was the one who gave you that.” The former pointed at the power watch.

“That’s a great idea.” Lia softly replied. “But I think I need to have a talk with Sonobot first, before everything else. I need to know why did she give me this, and why didn’t she tell me about the abilities of this watch.”

Boboiboy nodded, “Okay. Update us about it. Then we can go there tomorrow or one of these days.”

“Can it be next week? I’m going to observe her during the days.” Boboiboy nodded with her suggestion.

With that, Boboiboy brought Lia back to her house. Before Lia entered, she turned to the former and gave him a smile. “Thank you for earlier. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Good night.”

Once Lia entered her house, the opening of the door caught her mom’s attention. “My goodness! There you are! Where have you been? It’s already 8 PM!” Her mom, Nathalia, ran to her as she was yelling.

“I-I… I was..” Lia tried to make up an excuse. Would she be happy if she finds out that she was almost abducted earlier? Of course not. Would she be happy if she knows I have powers? No.

 “Sonobot told me you were with a boy earlier!” Nathalia yelled. “What did he do to you, huh? Did he hurt you? Is that the reason why you were late?!” The questions were making Lia’s head ache.

“Mom, no. Boboiboy wouldn’t do that.” Lia calmy replied. “Something just happened earlier, like at town. I was… caught up with the mess.” Her reply made her mom’s eyes widened. “WHAT?!”

Lia calmly explained to her mom about what happened earlier, although she didn’t tell her about the powers. After that, Thalia just hugged her. “I’m glad you’re okay! Really, if something happened to you, I don’t know what to do anymore. I’d probably be insane.”

“Mom,” Lia laughed. “You won’t be insane because I’m okay, and I will be okay. Don’t worry.” She hugged her mom.

“I should give something to that friend of yours. It’s a way of giving thanks. What’s his name by the way?” Lia smiled, “Boboiboy.”

“Oh, wow. Well, that’s an obvious name.” Thalia’s comment made Lia laugh.

After that, Lia went to the dining table and consumed dinner. Then she head to her room, only to be greeted by Sonobot. “What happened to you?! You look… tired, and all messed up!” Lia ignored her, as she just placed her bag down a chair and went to her closet to get clothes.

“Eh? What’s with you?” SonoBot was confused with Lia’s sudden attitude. “We’ll talk later.” That’s the only reply she got before Lia closed her bathroom door.

After her bath, Lia was already in her pajamas then went on her bed. She stared at SonoBot, “This watch.. It has powers, doesn’t it?”

“So you already used it?” The power sphere’s reply made Lia groaned, “I knew you were hiding something from me. Why didn’t you inform me?”

“Well, I don’t think you’d be ready for it yet. But I knew that later on, you’d eventually find out.” Sonobot replied. “I gave you this power watch because I know you’re the perfect wielder of the sound power.”

Lia sighed, “You know, you could’ve just told me. I was surprised when I released sound waves earlier. I thought I was hallucinating or something.” Sonobot gave a small laugh, “You know now, I guess.”

“But hey, listen. I don’t know if you know this but, there’s another sphere like you nearby. A power sphere. His name is Ochobot, he belongs to Boboiboy.” Lia started. “He wants to talk to you, both of them want to talk to you.”

“Really?!” SonoBot exclaimed, surprising Lia. “Uhm, what’s with that reaction? And yeah, they are. Don’t worry, they’re not threatening at all. I guess they want to talk to you about intergalactic things.”

SonoBot replied with an okay, then she flew away. But only to be stopped by Lia calling for her again, “Sonobot.. Since you were given to me by my dad, does he know about the power watch? Does he know you were going to give this?”

“I believe not. He actually doesn’t know who am I really. He thinks I’m just a normal robotic sphere who can help in doing chores. Oh, and be your personal assistant.” Lia nodded with the reply.

“Okay, okay. Thank you for that.” She just smiled.

Sonobot left her room to check on something, while Lia was left there, blankly staring.

The power sphere went to another room, it was a room full of storage. She projected a holographic keyboard and typed the words: She has activated her power.

She immediately sent the message then waited for the response. A beep was heard later on, showing the response: Let her be. Just don’t tell her everything.

Sonobot gave a sigh, then she disabled the hologram. She heard someone calling for her, “Sonobot! Would you mind helping me with some boxes?” Nathalia was asking for help.

“Coming!” The power sphere left the room. Before going to help Nathalia, she stopped by Lia’s room and took a peek. Lia was now wearing her power watch and was observing her hands as it emits a purple glow.

Sonobot sighed as she remembered what she was told to do.

“I’m sorry, Lia.”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 05: Ying

3 weeks later.. 

Boboiboy went to the park, and met with Gopal. He noticed his presence, “Hey, how was it?” Boboiboy shrugged, “Great, I guess. But the power sphere is kind of suspicious.”

“Really? How?” “Well, her answers seem weird. Like when she said she doesn’t know how she even ended up in Lia’s hands. Yeah, she was given to Lia as a gift, but where did the giver get her? That’s what Sonobot doesn’t know.”

“Maybe she doesn’t really know. Do you know how can you contact Lia’s father?” Gopal asked. “No, even Lia herself doesn’t know. The day they moved here, is the same day he left for work. It’s really weird.”

“C’mon Boboiboy, give her a break. And give yourself a break too. You don’t have to know everything, you know?” Gopal patted Boboiboy’s back. “Yeah, but I’m worried for Lia. Everything’s sudden for her, for sure she’s overwhelmed.” Boboiboy sighed.

Gopal snickered, “You weren’t like that when Fang had to attack us because of Kaizo before. And come to think, he’s our friend.” Boboiby furrowed his eyebrows, “What are you talking about? Lia’s our friend too. Don’t tell me you hate her.”

“I don’t hate her. Don’t misinterpret me!” Gopal replied, flicking the his forehead causing him to groan. “But you kind of act different around her. I don’t know if it’s just me but even Yaya noticed it.”

“Lia is a friend. She’s new, of course I want to help her with this. This is what a leader should be to his members.” Boboiboy defended.

“A friend who’s pretty, angelic, and delicate. A friend whom you sometimes fetch from her school and bring her back home. Oh, and not to forget, two years younger than you.”

Boboiboy was about to open his mouth to speak but Gopal shush him off. “Shh, shh. I know, I know, it’s okay.”

“GOPAL!!!!!”

Meanwhile at Lia’s part, she was training with Fang while Yaya was just watching them. “Go easy on her, Fang. She’s just starting!” Yaya reminded him.

Fang used his shadow power to construct a tiger and fused with it. He then heads towards Lia, jumps, ready to pounce on her. Before the he was able to pounce on her, Lia was able to construct a purple shield on her left arm to protect herself.

The fusion yet continued to strike her shield, he went on and on, as Lia tried to put up with the attacks. Using her free hand, she emits a purple glow. “Sonic Blast!” She threw sound waves on Fang, throwing him a bit far away.

Yaya was next; she suddenly flew up high and used her gravity power to levitate all the rocks there. She drew her hand out, sending all the rocks to Lia.

Lia released sound waves that serves as a shield for her, once the rocks hit the waves, they were deflected and sent back to Yaya, whom simply avoided the rocks.

Lia released a batch of sound waves that attacked Yaya. Yaya, on the other hand, covered her ears because the sound waves emitted a loud sound. She lets out a yell.

Lia drew her hand out, making the sound waves throw Yaya away.

Lia widened up her eyes, realizing what she did. She rushed to Yaya and help her stand up, “Are you okay? Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

Yaya just smiled at her. “Dang! That was cool, Lia! Except for the fact you threw me away.” She flicked her forehead, earning an Ouch! from Lia. “But hey, you can attack and defend yourself. That’s a great start!”

“Yeah.” Fang replied, who already went back from the place he was sent at. “But you need to discover more what you can do with your powers. Sound Manipulation is strong, you need to utilize it.”

Lia nodded, “Thank you guys. By the way, are you okay? Sorry about earlier.” She sheepishly laughed. “Nice fusion though! I like that!” She gave him a thumbs up.

“Thanks. It really takes practice, you know? Gotta get that skills.” Fang flexed his muscles, earning a look from Yaya. “What? I’m just telling the truth!”

“Flexing your muscles again?! What’s in your head, Fang? Red carrot donuts?!” Gopal, together with Boboiboy, suddenly arrived, surprising the other 3. “At least I have! Unlike you.” Fang sticked out his tongue.

“Sheesh, these two are like kids.” Ying remarked, rolling her eyes. “You act even younger than the youngest one here!” Her comment earned a laugh from both Boboiboy and Lia.

“How’s the training? Did Fang flex his powers too much?” Boboiboy asked Lia. “Not really. He’s pretty good, especially in utilizing his power. It’s something I should be doing as well.”

“Lia can manage in attacking and defending. She did a great start with her powers.” Yaya stated, patting Lia’s shoulders. “You should be proud of her.” She winked at Boboiboy.

"Wow, really? That’s great! Great job, Lia!” Boboiboy praised. Lia thanked him, as she slightly bows.

“Well, we better get going. Looks like it’s going to rain.” Yaya announced, looking at the sky. Gopal nodded, “Yeah. And it’s curry day today, so I have to go back home.”

“It’s always curry day for you.” Fang commented, making the others laugh.

Yaya and Gopal separated from Boboiboy, Lia, and Fang, whom went back to Boboiboy’s house. Once they entered the house, it started to rain. “Thank goodness the rain didn’t fall while we were going here.” Fang sighed in relief.

“How’s the interrogation?” Lia asked. “For sure they’re still talking in my place.” She was referring to Ochobot and Sonobot.

“I’m going to really honest with you,” Boboiboy started. “But I really find her suspicious. She doesn’t know where did your dad get her from.”

“Well, maybe because the robot wasn’t activated when she was given to Lia.” Fang replied. “That’s how Ochobot was. He didn’t know how did Adudu get him right? That’s the same case for Sonobot.”

Lia nodded, “Yeah. And even if I asked my dad, he wouldn’t tell me anything. I even tried following him up about it.” She took out her phone and showed the unread messages she sent to both Boboiboy and Fang.

Hi dad! Thank you again for Sonobot! She’s a huge help!

Delivered

By the way, sorry for asking again but where did you get her? I’m really curious

Delivered

I miss you dad! When are we going to call? I already talked to the kuyas hehe

Delivered

“Kuyas?”

“Yeah, that’s what I call my two older brothers. They’re still in the Philippines, finishing their college program.” Lia replied. “You have.. two.. older brothers?” Boboiboy asked. Fang weirdly looked at Boboiboy. What is it with him all like that?

 Lia nodded, “Yeah. I’m the youngest.”

Fang cleared his throat, “Anyways. But yeah Boboiboy, you can’t assume right away that Sonobot is bad or something. We don’t have any evidence yet.”

“Yeah, you guys are right.” Boboiboy replied. “I guess we just have to wait and see what’s more to come from Sonobot, then we can conclude about it.”

“By the way, have you guys seen Ying today? I’m surprised she didn’t attend the training.” Fang said. “Oh I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her today. Well, honestly, it’s been a week.” Boboiboy replied.

Lia shrugged, “I don’t know either. I hope she’s okay.”

---

The reason why people haven’t been hearing from Ying is because she was captured by Adudu and Probe. They are now in a newly spaceship, and Ying was kneeling down before the alien.

“Hmm, let’s see what this girl can do.” He pressed a small remote, that caused the necklace on Ying’s neck to light up red. Even her eyes glowed red. “Ying? Can you hear me? Stand up.”

Ying did as she was told that made Adudu grin. “See, Probe? I told you our new invention will work! And a bonus point, we got Ying!” He cackled.

“Uhh, Mr. Boss? What we going to do again? And why are we using Ying?” His question made Adudu scowl, “Aish! You’re not listening again! Why don’t you listen next time?! Computer! Explain to Probe what are we about to do!”

“A new power sphere was detected around the neighborhood. And based on my scans, the new power sphere has a hidden power. Mr. Boss wants to retrieve it to unlock its new power.” Computer explained.

“I thought we gave up in hunting power spheres? Wouldn’t Boboiboy react on this?” Probe asked. Adudu groaned, “Sheesh. I don’t care about that. Besides, we’re not going to use the power sphere against them, unless, well, I’ll think about that.”

The alien turned to Ying and gave an evil smile, “Ying, I want you to get the new power sphere named Sonobot. Bring it to me right away!”

“Sonobot? That’s a weird name.” Probe muttered, hoping Adudu wouldn’t hear him.

He gave her a weapon, “Use this binder to capture the power sphere. There will be no way for it to escape. And I want you to get rid of those who will try to stop you, am I clear?” Ying nodded after Adudu’s request. She slightly bows and left.

Adudu gave an evil laugh.

---

Back at Boboiboy’s house, Fang was eating 6 pieces of red carrot donuts at the dining area while Boboiboy and Lia were both at the couch, talking. “No way, were at the top of your class back in the Philippines?”

“Yeah. Can’t say the same right now, the new school environment is challenging. I manage to pass, though. That’s what’s important.” Lia smiled, as Boboiboy nodded. “How about you? How can you manage your studies while you guys are going around the galaxy?”

“Well, we opt for the online classes. We still show ourselves at school when we’re back on Earth. Being a cadet and student at the same time is really challenging.” The dino capped boy sighed.

“I can tell. For sure you guys have encountered a lot of bad aliens out there.”

“Yeah!” Fang suddenly replied, his mouth still full. “But we managed to defeat them because I’m the strongest in the team! Hahaha!” He proclaimed, yet earning no response from the two.

Boboiboy shot a dismayed look at Fang then turned back to Lia, “Don’t mind him. He probably hasn’t drunk his medicine for today.” Lia laughed at him, “Oh my gosh! You’re so mean!”

Fang, hearing the conversation, just groaned. “Whatever, you two. By the way, isn’t Ochobot and Sonobot going to come here? Isn’t this too long for an interrogation?”

“Well, if Ochobot is going to do research, the time consumed is pretty reasonable.” Boboiboy simply replied. “I’ll go check on them. I also have to get something from my house. I’ll bring them back here as I do so.” Lia stood up.

“Are you sure? I can go with you.” Boboiboy offered. Fang snickered, “I can go with you.” He imitated.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. It’s only a matter of going there and going back here. Plus, I need you to watch over him, he doesn’t look okay.” Lia playfully teased as she pointed at Fang, who reacted by, “What? What’s with me!”

Boboiboy and Lia both shared a laugh at Fang’s confused face. “Sheesh, you two wouldn’t let me live.” The shadow boy grunted as he just ate the donuts.

“I’ll be back with them. See you!” Lia waved at them as she started walking to the door. “Okay, okay. Be safe! Call me if something happens. Or when you need anything!” Boboiboy replied, setting his eyes to the girl, before she totally leaves the house.

Once Lia left, Fang turned to Boboiboy. “Hey, what was that for? Why do you need to take care of me?” Boboiboy let out a small laugh before setting his eyes on the television, ignoring Fang’s questions.

Lia was walking back to her place, while doing so, she saw Ochobot and Sonobot coming by. “Oh! There you guys are!”

“Lia?” They both exclaimed as they rushed to her. Lia smiled, “Hey! I was about to go home and get something, in the same time, fetch you guys. But looks like I don’t need to.”

“What were you going to get anyway? You could’ve just sent a message.” Sonobot replied. “Just my lip balm, my lips are getting dry so I have to retouch.” Her answer made Sonobot chuckle. “I knew it. I got it right here.”

The power sphere handed the lip balm to Lia, making her grin. “Yay! Thank you so much!”

“You know, you’re lucky with Sonobot. She’s very helpful and useful.” Ochobot remarked. “And for sure, she’ll guide you in your way in becoming a hero. Well, together with me, of course. We both decided to help you in utilizing your power.”

“That’s great guys. Thank you so much.” Lia chuckled, “C’mon, let’s head back there and update Boboiboy and Fang regarding this matter.”

The moment Lia turned around to walk back, she gasped because she saw Ying from afar, simply standing there. “Is that Ying?” Ochobot asked.

“Ying! It’s been a while! Everyone was looking for you!” Lia exclaimed. “What brings you here anyway? You want to go with us at Boboiboy’s place?”

Ying stayed quiet which made Lia raise her eyebrow. She simply replied, “Give me Sonobot.”

“What?”

“I said give me Sonobot.” She coldly commands, making Sonobot hide behind Lia in fear. “What’s happening? Why do you need her?” Lia confusedly asked.

“I said give her to me or else,” Ying brings out a huge pistol, frightening the three. “Ying, what in the world is in you?” Lia replied. “And no, I’m not going to give her to you. Even Ochobot!”

Ying sighed as she activates her pistol and suddenly shoots Ochobot a laser beam that threw him away. Lia gasped, “Ochobot!” She started rushing to him, leaving Sonobot behind. Ying took the advantage and used the weapon Adudu gave and threw it to Sonobot. It was a ring typed weapon that immobilizes the subject once captured.

Sonobot screams, as she was captured. Lia turned to Sonobot and saw the ring being pulled magnetically back to Ying. “Sonobot!”

“You won’t get away with this, you know.” Lia said, as her hands were already glowing. “Take this!” She threw a purple sphere to Ying, and once she received it, she was suddenly suspended by the sound waves surrounding her.

Sonobot gasped at Lia’s attack, as Ying groaned in pain, the sound waves were giving her deafening noises. Lia intensified the suspension as she was controlling it with her hands.

“Frick, it’s too loud!” Ying was able to activate her pistol, despite the suspension and she used it to attack Lia, which brought her away from the scene.

Once Ying stepped down, she grinned seeing Lia back there, all lied down. Yet, she was able to sit up, panting. Lia used her hand and slammed the ground, releasing soundwaves to travel through it.

The soundwaves on the ground pushed Ying up in the sky, and that’s Lia’s cue to strike another attack. She releases a whole series of deafening soundwaves that attacked Ying straight to the ground.

Lia rushed to Sonobot, then went to Ying to see her all down. “Ying, what has gotten into you? This isn’t you.”

Ying woke up and got up, making Lia back away. “Scared? As expected from a new one like you.” Her remark made Lia growl, as she prepares to attack again. “I’ll show you who’s scared. Sonic-”

She was cut off by Ying releasing a blue energy that made her surroundings slow down, especially Lia. Ying took the opportunity to dash to Sonobot and grabbed her, and went back to Lia.

She had 15 seconds left before the slow-Mo wears off, so she jumped and gave tons of kicks to Lia. Once everything went back to normal, Ying’s kicks on Lia took effect as she was thrown away, feeling every kick Ying gave.

Lia gave a cry of pain.

Ying grinned, as she saw Lia lay down there, defeated. She looked at Sonobot who was frightened at her, “Don’t worry. You won’t be alone.” She walked towards Lia, who already passed out. “Because I’m taking her with us.”

In just a speed of light, Ying left together with Sonobot and Lia in her hands, leaving Ochobot, who just woke up.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 06: Rescue Mission

“Fang, I have to tell you something.”

The two of them were at the park because Ying called Fang to meet up with her. Ying was really nervous; she was both stuttering and fidgeting. Fang was just calm, curious to hear what his friend is going to say. “What is it? And hey, are you okay?”

Ying just nodded, “Yeah, yeah.. Uhm, okay. What I’m going to tell you will be shocking. I hope you’re prepared, because I am.” She gave a big sigh, “I-I… I like you, Fang. I really do. Since middle school, u-uhm, even before that. When you were new to the team.”

Fang widened his eyes, then he nodded. He knew this day was going to happen where Ying is going to confess to him. Her actions towards him gave him signs about the feelings for him.

“I kind of noticed it already.” He started. “I really appreciate the feelings, Ying. But, I can’t return them to you. I just see you as a friend, a good one.”

And that’s where she felt her whole world collapsing.

After the confrontation, Ying just left Fang alone at the bench. “I knew it.” Tears were already in her eyes, but she tried not to let them out. Fang was really the mysterious type of person. He has a lot of secrets, that no one else knows but him. But when he and Ying became close, Ying got to know more what’s beneath that mysterious personality.

And that caused her to have feelings for him. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel the same. Oh well, at least they’re still friends, right?

“Ying? Is that you?” Ying bumped into Adudu, which she was surprised. “Eh? It’s you! Where have you been? The last time I saw you was like.. 2 years ago.”

“Oh, just on a holiday. Say, why are you alone?”

Ying told Adudu about what happened between her and Fang, and to her surprised, Adudu replied by offering her to go at his place to take her mind off of it.

But what she didn’t know was Adudu was planning to use her for something else. The alien created a mind control device that was able to make Ying serve him.

---

Ochobot was rushing back to Boboiboy’s house, he was panicking because of what just happened. He barged in the house, surprising both Boboiboy and Fang.

“Oh, you’re back.” Boboiboy stood up from the couch, but he noticed something different. “Where’s Lia? And where’s Sonobot?”

Ochobot was panting, he was thinking on how to explain things to them. But all he said was, “She got kidnapped. Even Sonobot.” The next thing happened was Ochobot explaining to the men, and both were surprised to know who was responsible for it.

“You’re saying that Ying, our friend, was the one who attacked you guys?” Fang couldn’t believe it. Ying may have anger issues, together with Yaya, but he knew that she wouldn’t to that to the extent someone would get hurt.

“Yeah, and she was really different. Her voice is usually high-pitched right, earlier it was low.” Ochobot replied. “Even Lia said it doesn’t look like her doing it.”

“I should’ve gone with her to you guys. Sonobot is new, and for sure, someone would have their eyes on that sphere.” Boboiboy sighed in frustration. “We have to find them. The fact Ying wanted Sonobot meant she could do something with it. Worse, Lia could get hurt.” Oh boy, he wanted to yell. He never felt this worried before when someone in their team got kidnapped.

All of a sudden, Yaya and Gopal arrived at the house. “You guys have to see this.” Yaya used her power watch to project a hologram of Ying, who was just staring coldly. “Ying? Are you there?” Fang called out.

She wasn’t answering, she just stayed still.

“Why aren’t you answering? What has gone into you?” Gopal asked. “You didn’t just take the power sphere; you attacked your friends too.”

“Where’s Lia?” Boboiboy coldly asked. “What is it with you? We’re power sphere protectors, not hunters!” He raised his voice. Ochobot pat his both shoulders, trying to calm him down.

An evil cackle was heard, as Adudu suddenly appeared. “Oh, it’s you guys. I thought it was somebody else. I haven’t fully paid this ship yet, you know?” He casually said, earning a surprised look from the rest.

“You? I thought you went back to Ata Ta Tiga.” Yaya exclaimed. “Oh, change of plans. You know, I found something interesting. A new power sphere was detected! I think you guys know this. Does it go by the name Sonobot?”

Gopal scowled, “I knew it. You didn’t go to our side! You’re still evil as usual.” The alien laughed, “I didn’t say I’m reverting to goodness. I’m the enemy of everybody here. We’ll never be friends.”

He continued talking, “Hey Boboiboy. I didn’t know you guys have a new addition to your team. Why didn’t you introduce her to us, huh?”

By mentioning that, the gang knew who was he talking about. “Lia.” Yaya worriedly said.

“Where is she?” Boboiboy replied, with a harsh tone in his voice. “Geez! Don’t worry! She’s in good hands, for now. All I will be needing is the power sphere. You’ll see your friend soon.”

And with that, the call disconnected.

Back at Adudu’s new spaceship, Sonobot was on top of a pillar, wires being plugged into him. Lia, on the other hand, was inside a clear cage, her hands were bind by rings. Ying was watching over her, while Adudu was with Computer, having her power watch being scanned.

“Sound Manipulation is the power of miss Lia.” Computer reported, as she flashes the biodata of Lia in a huge screen. “She can utilize this power, and when she does, she can even be stronger than her other friends.”

Adudu nodded, taking note of what was said. He grinned and turned to Lia, “So Lia, how does it feel to be a hero like pesky Boboiboy and friends?” He walked towards her.

“First of all, my friends aren’t pesky, unlike you. And second, I’m no hero. I’m just given these powers, which you shouldn’t be taking.” Lia calmy replied, glaring at him

“Oh, to have a power sphere and be given a power watch, it’s always been a dream of mine.” Adudu said, making Lia cringe. “Well, no wonder you weren’t given that. Just the mere fact of you being a hunter and someone who converts people into bad ones, it’s a no-no for the power spheres.”

“Well, if there’s anyone who’s not fitted for the role, it’s you. Where did you even get this power sphere, huh? Maybe you’re the one who’s the power sphere hunter here.” Adudu growled.

Lia sighed, “Didn’t I already tell you that earlier? I said, Sonobot was a gift to me. She was given by my dad. So, I don’t know where did he get her. Learn comprehension, will you? And let me out of here! Right NOW!”

As she yelled NOW, she kicked the wall of her cage, only for her to be hurt. “Ouch! That hurts! Geez, what kind of cage is this?”

Adudu laughed, “You poor little earthling. You’ll get out soon, just not now.” He points to the huge screen, that is already displaying the map of Southeast Asia. There was a red point on the blue parts.

Blue parts mean body of water, and specifically, the ocean.

“It’s a hot summer for you right? Why don’t you take a swim to refresh yourself?” Adudu turned to Lia, smirking. Lia was frightened; she knew what he meant. He’s going to dispose her, together with the cage, in the body of water.

“You used to live in the Philippines, right? Why don’t we drop you here?” The alien pointed at the map; it was specifically at the Philippine sea. “For sure, that will take you a long time to head back to Malaysia. If you will be able to.”

Lia’s silence made Adudu cackle, “Having a hard time? You have time to think about it.” He placed down the power watch at the table, then he walks away with Probe, computer, and Ying. “Oh, and do me a favor. Try to watch over your friend there. Hope the machine keeps her safe.”

“What does the machine even do?!” Lia asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Adudu laughed, “Relax. She’ll be fine. The machine is just keeping her like that. I wouldn’t dare to damage it since I’ll be using it once I get rid of you.”

Then they all left Lia in the room, who was already frightened.

Back at Boboiboy’s place, Ochobot is doing whatever he can to track the location of Adudu’s spaceship. “Looks like his location is blocked, I can’t even track the exact location.”

“Have you tried tracking Sonobot?” Fang asked. “I did, and I have no response. I have a feeling Adudu turned him off. It’s hard to track a power sphere once they’re offline.” Ochobot sighed.

Boboiboy was on his power watch, doing everything he can to get the location by tracking Lia’s power watch. A holographic picture of Lia was displayed, as there was another hologram saying that it’s searching for the location.

Gopal and Yaya were on the couch, just waiting for them to retrieve the location. Fang joined them in sitting on the couch.

“I’m really worried for them. Also for Ying,” Yaya started, feeling that she’ll cry. “She’s never like that, you know? She may be my rival in terms of work, but she’s a good person.” She laid back on the couch, and sighed.

Fang, on the other hand, was guilty. He realized that Ying went missing after their talk. The feelings of Ying aren’t involved in his guilt, he knew for himself that he couldn’t see her the way she sees him. But one thing’s for sure, he was worried for Ying, as well as for Lia.

The shadow boy turned over to Gopal, who was comforting Yaya.

At the spaceship, Lia was still in her cage. She was sitting down, trying to think of a way to escape. She knew she had to think fast before she gets disposed.

Her thoughts were disrupted as a sudden turbulence happened. She felt everything around her shake which frightened her. “What the heck.” The turbulence was indeed strong that the ship even slightly tilts, which made her cage slide slowly.

But the advantage of that was, the power watch that was placed down on a table fell down because of the sudden tilt. The watch landed on the power button, turning it on.

Because of the watch being turned on, it allowed Boboiboy to successfully track the location. He widened up his eyes, “Guys, I got the location.” His announcement made everyone go to him.

A holographic map was shown, showing the what place is exactly the ship located. “They’re heading to the Philippines? But why?” Fang confusedly asked. “Maybe it’s because Adudu wanted to send Lia back? I don’t know.” Gopal scratched his head.

“Whatever the reason is, we have to get there fast. Ochobot, can you contact commander KokoCi? We’ll be needing a ship.”

The turbulence stopped, and the ship was back to normal. Lia peeked through her cage and saw her power watch on the floor. She then looked at the rings that were binding her hands. She stood up and slammed the rings against the wall.

The wall got a small crack with made Lia grin. She keeps on hitting the wall until cracks were all over it. With a strong kick after, she broke the wall of the cage. The hitting also resulted in breaking the rings.

“Great job, self.” She rushed to her power watch and wore it. “Now to get out of here.”

“Not so fast.” A voice caught Lia’s attention. She turned back and saw Ying.

Oh boy.

To be continued. 

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 07: Welcome to TAPOPS

Ochobot had already contacted KokoCi, and in a while, the spaceship has arrived at Tok Aba’s cocoa shop. The rest of the gang waited for KokoCi to open the door for them to get in.

“Dang, it’s been a while.” Fang said, wandering around the flight deck. Yaya and Gopal went to their assigned chairs and buckled up. Fang followed them.

Boboiboy and KokoCi sat beside each other as they were the ones who’ll be flying the spaceship. Once everyone was ready, the spaceship took off.

“Who are we rescuing again? I didn’t catch what Ochobot told me earlier.” KokoCi said. “Long story short, we have a new friend named Lia and she has a power sphere like Boboiboy. Adudu captured her and the sphere, together with Ying. And now, we’re going to save them.”

“A new power sphere? Where did she get that?” Boboiboy grunted, “We’ll talk about that later. We have to hurry up.” He slowly pushes down the lever, increasing the speed of the spaceship.

Back in Adudu’s spaceship, Ying and Lia were in front of each other, about to attack. “You think you can escape here? Wait ‘til Adudu finds out.”

Lia rolled her eyes, as she uses her sound waves to shut the door close. Ying turned around to see what just happened, which gave an advantage to Lia to suspend her by her soundwaves.

“What in the world?! Hey, let me out!” Ying tried to wriggle out, by the waves were binding her so much, that she couldn’t even move. Lia sighed as she eyed on the necklace Ying was wearing, she went to her and placed her hand on the necklace.

Once she snatched it off, it was like Ying’s mode have changed. “W-Where am I?” She looked at Lia, “Lia? What are you doing here? Where are we?”

Lia snapped her fingers, the soundwaves disappear, releasing Ying. She gave her a hug, “See? I knew it was the necklace that’s controlling you.” Ying was confused, but she hugged her back.

After the hug, Lia rushed to Sonobot and used her soundwaves to remove the plugged wires in her. Ying was still confused, “What happened to her?” Lia sighed, “Well, Adudu had a device on you that controlled you to capture us. He wanted Sonobot.”

Ying was guilty, she didn’t know what came into her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Lia gave a soft smile, Sonobot already in her hands. “What’s important that you’re back. And we have to get going.” She switched on Sonobot, which turned out to be successful.

“Lia? Is that you?” Sonobot asked, but Lia just gave her a big hug. “I’m glad you’re okay!” Ying sheepishly smiled as she approached the two, “I’m sorry about earlier. Adudu was the one who controlled me into this.”

Sonobot just nodded as a response.

“Okay guys, we have to find a way out of here.” Lia stated. “But how are we going to go back there? Surely Adudu won’t let us get away with this.” Sonobot replied.

“We can contact the others. I’m sure they’re looking for us.” Ying replied. “I can’t contact them right now, Adudu has my power watch. We have to get it before we leave.” She sighed.

“I have an idea.” Lia announced.

At KokoCi’s spaceship, Gopal was sound asleep on his chair, which was later awoken by Fang flicking his forehead. “Who even sleeps at a mission?! We have friends in danger.” Fang yelled.

Gopal, who was shocked by the sudden smack, groaned. “Aiya. We’re not even there yet. Can’t a man just take a nap to get some energy?” He crossed his arms, deeply annoyed at Fang.

“Enough fighting, the two of you.” Boboiboy said, hearing their conversation from the front. “And Gopal, Fang’s right. No one sleeps at the mission. No wonder you’re still cadet.”

“Hey don’t talk to me like that! You were a cadet once, like me.” Gopal defended himself. Yaya chuckled, “It’s okay babe. Sooner or later, you’ll be lance corporal too.”

Gopal just groaned; Fang snickered.

The screen in front of everybody suddenly flashed the text Incoming transmission. “There’s a transmission.” Yaya announced. KokoCi pressed a button to answer the transmission, there goes Lia. “Oh! We got them! Thanks, Sonobot.” Lia suddenly said.

“LIA?!” The rest of the gang exclaimed. “Good thing you guys answered. Sonobot here connected the call to you guys.” Lia replied.

“Where are you guys? Are you okay?” Boboiboy asked worriedly. “We’re at a spaceship with KokoCi. We’re going to get you guys.” He stated, as KokoCi waved to Lia. “You must be Lia. I’ve heard things about you.”

“Hope they’re good ones.” Lia replied. “Anyways, we’re still at the spaceship. Adudu had a plan to drop me at the Philippine Sea, which is why we’re heading to the Philippines.”

Her reply made the others shocked. “Like? Drop you? From the spaceship?” Yaya asked. Lia nodded, “Yeah. I was in a cage earlier and he was planning to drop it at the middle of nowhere. But good thing I got out already.”

Fang grunted, “That no for good alien never stops, huh.” Boboiboy growled, “I’m seriously going to finish him after this. No more chances.”

Lia sighed, “You guys have to hurry. We’re going to find a way out of here. Ying’s claiming her power watch from Adudu, and the reason why she attacked us because she was under some mind controlling device. But don’t worry, she’s okay. We just have to get out of here.”

“We’re on our way. We’ll give you a signal once we’re almost near.” Fang said. “Be safe, will you?” Boboiboy asked. “I will. We will.” Lia smiled, ending the transmission.

KokoCi gave a stare to Boboiboy; which he noticed it so he replied, “What’s with the look?”

At Adudu’s spaceship, Ying went back to Lia and Sonobot, already wearing her power watch. “It was a good thing they weren’t there. I just found this on one of their tables. And I also found an exit. We should go.”

And they all left the room. As they ran across the corridor, they saw an exit hatch there. “There. Let’s just stay there as we wait for them.” Ying told Lia, who nodded in reply.

They were almost close to the hatch, however, Mega Probe suddenly appeared in front of them, causing them to stop. Adudu’s laugh was heard from behind them, “So, you managed to get out, huh?”

Lia turned to the alien, “You again?” Adudu grinned, “Of course it’s me. Who else? And you think you’re going to get out of here? Try us.”

Both Lia and Ying looked at each other, then nodded. Lia went for Adudu then Ying went for probe, both using their powers to attack them.

“Sonic Blast!” “Supersonic Kick!”

Meanwhile, KokoCi’s spaceship is on the way to Adudu’s spaceship. The huge screen targeted a spaceship nearby, and the text displayed later on made the gang delighted.

SPACESHIP ACQUIRED: ADUDU’S SPACESHIP

“There it is! Contact them now!” Yaya exclaimed. Fang did the work as he used his power watch to contact Lia.

Lia, who was still in a fight with Adudu, does her best to keep her safe. The alien uses his martial arts skills by throwing punches and kicks to Lia, who kept on her summoned shield to protect her from the attacks.

While the left hand was the one holding onto the shield, she uses her right hand to hold soundwaves. Adudu was still attacking her, so she released the numerous soundwaves to throw him back. She followed up by suspending him with solid sound. She rushed to him and finished him with a strong punch and kick, knocking him out.

She grinned seeing the state of the alien, then turned to Ying to see her knock down Mega Probe. All of a sudden, her power watch rang and when she answered the call, a hologram of Fang appeared. “Hey, we’re outside. Hurry up.”

Lia nodded, “Time to go guys!”

KokoCi turned the ship into 90 degrees, so that the hatch of the ship will be across the hatch of the other ship. He pressed a button to stabilize the ship, preventing any harm. Boboiboy and Fang were going to fetch Lia, Ying, and Sonobot. The hatch of KokoCi’s spaceship slowly opened.

Ying, on the other hand, pressed a button to open the hatch. She saw both Boboiboy and Fang waiting for them on the other side. The difference between the two spaceships is KokoCi’s hatch has a door lowered that can serve as a connecting bridge, for Adudu’s there was no lowering door, only a sliding one.

Lia and Sonobot went to Ying and saw the two.

“One by one guys, you can’t go together at the same time.” Boboiboy said. Lia nodded, and let Ying go first. She took a leap to get to the other ship. Sonobot slowly followed her by flying across.

Lia walked backwards slightly, she was about to go and take a leap, however a robotic hand caught her. All of them were shocked, then Mega Probe appeared and grabbed Lia on his hand. A small hatch from Probe opened, revealing Adudu. “Hey! Going home already? The fun hasn’t even started yet!”

“Let her go!” Boboiboy growled. “And go home? No! If I can’t have her, no one else should!” Adudu replied, as Mega Probe just threw Lia away, making her fall down the sky. “LIA!” Sonobot cried.

“No!” Boboiboy yelled as he looked down.

Mega Probe just went back in the ship as the hatch closed. In quickly sped away, surprising all of them. “We can’t let them get away!” Fang exclaimed.

“Get back in there! I have to save Lia!” Boboiboy told the rest, who quickly obeyed him. Boboiboy transformed into Boboiboy Cyclone and used his hoverboard to fly down and save Lia.

Ying, Fang, and Sonobot went back to the flight deck.

“Where’s Boboiboy and Lia?” Yaya asked. “No time! Chase Adudu’s spaceship now!” Fang commanded. KokoCi nodded, then he closed the hatch of the spaceship and took off for Adudu’s spaceship.

Boboiboy Cyclone was flying down to save Lia, who was still falling. He tried to increase the speed of his hoverboard. But even if he did, the gap was still far since Lia was thrown down first. He flew down through a pile of thick clouds, which blurred his vision, yet he still continued to go down. “Lia!” Because of the thick pile of clouds, he lost track of Lia.

However, from afar, he saw a purple glow of energy that was emitted. He was met by Lia who flew up to him, using her soundwaves. Cyclone was surprised, “Y-You can fly?”

“Well, I was told to utilize my power. I didn’t know I could do this either, I just tried it.” She sheepishly smiled. “You doing great!” He praised her, earning a warm smile from her. “Thank you. Now we have to go back up there, we have a green alien and a purple robot to catch.”

And with that, they both flew back up.

KokoCi’s spaceship was still chasing Adudu’s spaceship, who were continuously releasing missiles to prevent them on getting to him. “Hold on!” KokoCi said as he drove the spaceship, and swerved from left to right to avoid the missiles.

Everyone else was at their designated seats, all holding onto there. Ochobot and Sonobot were holding onto a seat as well.

Adudu, on the other hand, was rejoicing as he sees that the spaceship chasing them was afar. “Fools! Can’t even get a lead on us!” He was laughing, but not until he saw Boboiboy Cyclone in front of him.

“Cyclone Rush!” He projected a spinning cyclone that sucked the whole spaceship and made them vulnerable. Adudu and Probe were both screaming for their lives. But that’s not all, Lia was flying from the side, all ready to strike an attack.

“Sonic Sphere!” She threw a huge purple sphere, once it contacted the spinning cyclone, it made them even more vulnerable with all the loud soundwaves everywhere. She grinned as she moved her hands, making the soundwaves create an explosion within the cyclone.

The next thing that happened was Boboiboy and Lia bring an injured Adudu and Probe inside the spaceship. They both earned hoorays from their friends. Both Yaya and Ying rushed to Lia and gave her a bone crashing hug.

“You were amazing back there! I was so surprised! I’m so proud!” Yaya exclaimed. “Yeah, you guys totally knocked those two out.” Ying replied, pointing to Adudu and Probe, who were both sulking.

“My ears hurt.” Adudu cried, “It’s like I’m going deaf!”  He wailed like a lost puppy. Probe snickered, “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have ears.” His reply made Adudu mad. “Quiet you! Stop being an additional noise!”

Fang and Gopal, who were listening to their conversation, laughed. “All right that’s enough talking. Time to bring you at your place.” Fang said, as he and Gopal dragged Adudu and Probe to another room, jailing them.

“She’s amazing, right?” Boboiboy was grinning at the comment of the girls, so he decided to join too. Both Yaya and Ying nodded. Lia smiled at him, “Thank you. I definitely need to learn more, though.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem.” KokoCi suddenly said, as he walked towards them. “Lia, this is KokoCi. He’s a commander of an intergalactic organization called-” Lia cuts Ochobot off, “TAPOPS. Yes, I know. Boboiboy told me about it.”

She reached out her hand for KokoCi to shake it. “It’s great to meet you, commander.” KokoCi shakes her hand, “So you already know TAPOPS, huh?” Lia nodded.

The alien grinned, “Ohh, so it means I can do this again!” All of a sudden, music was played. It was the theme song of TAPOPS. “TAPOPS mengembara satu galaksi..” He started singing and dancing, which caused the annoyance of the others, even of Gopal and Fang, who just arrived at the scene.

However, for Lia, it wasn’t really annoying. She moved to the beat and hummed the song.

Once KokoCi was done, he was surprised to see Lia not exasperated. Usually when he does this, he’d get looks from the rest of the team. He gasped, “You.. You’re not annoyed by the song?”

The rest of the gang stared at Lia, who nodded. “Yeah, it’s not bad.” She simply replied.

KokoCi was so surprise, to the extent that he yelled. “YOOOHOOO!” His reaction surprised the others. “What in the world..” Fang whispered.

“You’re in! You’re in!” KokoCi exclaimed, pointing to Lia. “Welcome to TAPOPS! You’ll have your inauguration right away! When do you want to have it? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? You decide!”

“WHAT?!”

---

And today’s the day. KokoCi arranged the inauguration of Lia nearby Tok Aba’s cocoa shop. He insisted the others to invite their parents, especially Lia’s mother. There were chairs and a stage, and almost everyone is seated.

“What is this again?” Nathalia, Lia’s mother, whispered to Sonobot. The power sphere led her to the front row and they both sat down, “Uhm. You’ll see.”

All of a sudden, Boboiboy approached the woman. “Hi Mrs. de Vera, I’m Boboiboy, one of Lia’s friends.” His introduction caught the woman, “Oh, it’s you! Yes, Lia told me about you. Thank you for saving her.” They both shook hands.

“And you can call me auntie. I really don’t like being called Mrs. It makes me feel old!” Her comment made Boboiboy laugh. “Okay auntie. And you’re welcome. I’m happy to help.” Then he left to sit down, in between Tok Aba and Fang.

Fang leaned over to whisper to Boboiboy, “Nice introduction.” He teased. “Oh shut up, will you? I’m just being nice.” Boboiboy replied, keeping his voice down. “You could’ve said, I’m Boboiboy, a friend of Lia who likes to take her home every day.”

In return, Boboiboy smacked Fang which made him yelp. “Ouch! Ouch! Okay, I’ll stop! Huhuhuhu.”

“Yeah awesome.” Boboiboy grinned.

KokoCi and Motobot were already on stage, both talking about Lia. “Where is she? It’s almost time.” KokoCi whispered.

All of a sudden, Lia arrived. “Sorry I’m late!”

Her appearance surprise everyone, especially because of her new outfit. She was wearing a windbreaker jacket that has the colors purple and white. She’s in her black denim jeans paired with purple and white boots. She also has fingerless gloves, and a simple purple headband to complete the look.

“WOWWWW!” Everyone else exclaimed, causing Lia to smile sheepishly. “Yeah, this is my hero outfit now.”

KokoCi asked Lia to come up on stage, and that’s where the inauguration started.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and power spheres.” He started. “We are gathered here this morning to inaugurate one new lance corporal into TAPOPS, Lia!”

“Huhuhu. And I’m still a cadet.” Gopal sulked, making Fang sneered. “That’s what you get for changing almost everything to food.” His reply made Gopal annoyed, “Why you-” He was cut off by Boboiboy, “Shh. Have some respect will you guys?”

Gopal grunted as Fang just snickered. “Whatever.”

“Her duty is to travel across the galaxy to seek and rescue more power spheres, along with her friends. Hopefully she will-” KokoCi was cut off by Gopal, “Make it quick KokoCi. Everyone is getting bored with your blabbering.”

Gopal’s comment earned a dismayed look from others, KokoCi just glared at him. Lia was, well, feeling the second-hand embarrassment.

“What are you doing?! You’re ruining it!” Ying whisper yelled. “What? I’m just saying.” Gopal simply said. Boboiboy sighed in frustration, “Whatever Gopal.”

KokoCi groaned, yet he turned to Motobot. “Bring me her badge.” Motobot, who has holding the tray that has Lia’s badge on it, strolled to Lia, with KokoCi following. KokoCi pinned the badge on Lia.

“You are now an official member of TAPOPS! Congratulations, Lance Corporal Lia!” KokoCi did the mandatory salute, which Lia followed him. A round of applause was heard from the audience.

Nathalia was taking pictures of Lia on her phone, Boboiboy stood up and gave whoops and hollers, and Sonobot was looking at her, with pride.

After that, Lia went down to meet with her mom and Sonobot. Her mom leaned over her and whispered, “You still have some explaining to do with the powers thing.”

Lia smiled sheepishly, “I know. I’m sorry for not telling you.” Nathalia just smiled, “It’s okay. Just promise to tell me first next time, okay? Especially if it’s about that. I don’t want my kid wandering off to space without me knowing.”

The girl gave a kiss on her cheek, “Will do, mom.”

“Lia! Let’s take a group pic!” Ying called for her. Nathalia nodded at Lia and let her go to her friends.

A camera was on a tripod as the rest of the gang were there. Ochobot, Sonobot, Motobot, and KokoCi were there as well. All of them positioned in front of the camera, with Lia in the middle with Boboiboy.

“Say spheres!”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 08: TAPOPS-U

The team were in a van that was being driven by Gopal’s dad, Mr. Kumar. They were heading to a place that was a bit far from the village.

“I can’t believe we’re going to see the new TAPOPS base! And it’s now on Earth!” Yaya said. “Yeah, I know right. What’s great is that we don’t have to be there always, we can easily go home to our families.” Ying replied.

“I don’t think so, commander asked us to bring our bags with packed clothes that will last for a week.” Gopal sighed. “At least it’s only for a week! We used to stay in the station for months. The homesick feeling was real.” Ying frowned.

“I’ve heard that the new base is temporary only since the one in space is still being repaired.” Yaya commented.

While Yaya, Ying, and Gopal were conversing, Lia was at the right side of the van, doing her school works. She was so busy that she didn’t notice Boboiboy, who just arrived upon her.

“Looks like someone’s busy.” He remarked, sitting down beside her. Lia suddenly raised her head up and saw him, “Oh shoot. Sorry sorry, have you been sitting here for a while?”

Boboiboy shook his head, “Just now. And it’s okay, I know how it feels to juggle school and superhero duties. You’ll get used to it.” He smiled at her. “Yeah, thank you.” She slightly bowed to the leader.

“So you brought all of your school things?”

“Yeah, since commander said that we’d be staying for a week, I feel that I need to bring everything. Although we’re on a short break since there’s a school holiday so the load is not that heavy, I assume.” Lia replied.

Boboiboy nodded, just smiling at her.

“I’m feeling a bit nervous. I’m going to meet more members of TAPOPS.” Lia said. “What if they don’t like me?”

“Hey don’t think of that.” Boboiboy placed a hand on her shoulder. “For sure they’ll like you. I asked commander to tell them about you so that they already have an idea about you.”

Lia sighed in relief, “Well that’s somehow a relief. Thanks a lot.” She leaned back at her chair. Boboiboy did that as well.

“Oh by the way, where’s Fang?” Lia asked. Boboiboy stood up and looked everywhere, “There he is.” He pointed to the back as Lia stood up to see where he was pointing. Fang was on his phone, doing something. It made him smile a bit.

Boboiboy and Lia looked at each other, then Lia spoke up. “You look happy.”

Fang looked up and saw the two, he furrowed his eyebrows. “And that’s none of your concerns, thank you very much.” He proceeded in doing things in his phone.

The two just sat down, with Lia shrugging and Boboiboy rolling his eyes. “Never mind about Fang, he just reminds me on why he is that annoying.” The boy’s remark made Lia laugh.

The van has arrived in a forest, with Ochobot calling out for them. “Hey guys, we’re already here.” Everyone started getting their things, as one by one stepped out from the van.

Gopal and Mr. Kumar talked for a bit before Mr. Kumar left to go back.

There was a cave nearby which surprised all of them. Ochobot and Sonobot lead them inside the cave, there was huge station. Everyone, especially Lia, was in awe. Once they got inside the station, they were greeted by commander KokoCi and admiral Tarung.

“Ah, they’re here!” KokoCi exclaimed. “Welcome to our new station! TAPOPS-U!”

“Wow!” Everyone reacted, making Tarung smile. “It may not be the same as the one in space but surely, this is better.” Then he spotted Lia, “Ah, you’re the new girl. Lance Corporal Lia, I assume?”

Lia slowly walked and saluted. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, admiral.”

“Same here. I hope these friends of yours haven’t tire you out yet. It will be more tiring here in TAPOPS since things here are serious.” Tarung remarked, grinning. Lia gave a soft laugh, “Not really. They’re great, and I’m looking forward in working here.”

Tarung nodded, and turned his back. “C’mon everyone, time to tour you around.” Everyone followed the commander and admiral as they went on touring the new station. KokoCi explained the specific rooms to Lia so that she would know where to go.

As they were going on, Kaizo suddenly arrived surprising everyone, except for Fang.

“Hey, you’re back.” Boboiboy said, smiling. Kaizo nodded, “Yeah. And I brought another one who’s back.” A girl arrived. She is fair skinned and has dark brown hair. She was wearing white cropped sleeveless hoodie with a green stripe, grey turtleneck sleeveless dress with two green stripes at the ends, dark tights and white boots.

The rest, excluding Lia, widened up their eyes, especially Fang. “LEIZEL!!!!!”

Yaya rushed to her and gave her a bone crashing hug. Boboiboy, Lia, and Gopal just smiled, while Fang is still surprised. Ying was just looking at them.

“We missed you! It’s been a while since we last saw each other. And you didn’t even message us!” Yaya’s comment earned a chuckle from Leizel. “Sorry. I was so busy with training that I don’t even open my phone. But hey, I’m back now.” The hug broke off.

Then Leizel spotted Lia and widened up her eyes, yet she was smiling. “Hey, you must be Lia!” She walked towards her. Lia was about to reach her hand for a handshake, but Leizel just hugged her. “I’ve heard about you. Finally, a Filipina!”

“Oh, you’re from the Philippines too?” Lia asked, hugging back. “And seriously, what do you guys talk about when it comes to me?” Her question made the rest laugh.

“Well,” Leizel pulled away. “Commander told us how you rescued your power sphere and saved Ying from Adudu’s mind control shenanigans. It’s really a great start.” She smiled.

“Thank you, heheh.” Lia sheepishly smiled.

Fang walked to Leizel and smiled, “Hey. It’s great that you’re back.” They both gave each other a light hug. Everyone turned quiet and just looked at them.

“Aiya, what are we waiting for? I want to see our rooms!” Gopal suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. Fang and Leizel broke from their hug, while Ying just gave an awkward smile.

Then, they all continued to walk around the station until they proceeded in discussing about the room assignments of each member.

“We’ve done adjustments at your rooms, and we’ve changed the ones who will be with each other.” KokoCi started, as Tarung took out name plates. “Here are the ones who will be roommates.”

The admiral started putting the name plates on each door. Since there are 7 of them in Team Boboiboy, three rooms are available, and it will be 2, 2, and 3 per room. The roommates were:

Boboiboy and Fang

Gopal and Yaya

Ying, Lia, and Leizel

“What?! I’m roommates with him?” Fang sighed in exasperation. Boboiboy just rolled his eyes, “You think I wanted this to happen? Quit complaining.”

“Oi, I’m not complaining. I was just saying!” Fang defended himself. “Yeah right.”

Gopal and Yaya were both happy, because they were roommates. I mean, they’re both boyfriend and girlfriend, so they’d have time for each other.

“Hope you guys won’t break the bed.” Fang muttered.

Lia smiled knowing Ying and Leizel would be her roommates. Leizel rejoiced and rushed to Lia, “Filipina! Yay! I’m glad we’ll be roommates.”

Lia smiled, then she turned to Ying who was just quiet. “Ying!” She called out for her.

Ying, who was drowning in her thoughts, snapped back to reality. “Oh, sorry. Uhm, yeah. Yay.” She just smiled and walked to Lia.

Ying wasn’t that happy knowing Leizel will be there with her. Lia was an exception; she gets along with her well. But when it came to Leizel, there was a feeling of tension. Yet she set her feelings aside because she wanted to be professional. Plus, it would be hard for Lia to witness their tension, since she’d be stuck in the middle of them.

“We’ll start with work tomorrow. Feel free to do anything you want.” Tarung announced, making everyone look at him. “I expect everyone to be at their very best. The world doesn’t stop, and so will we in being rescuers of power spheres. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes admiral!”

Lia’s POV

Today went well. We arrived at the new TAPOPS station because the one in space was destroyed. I met more members in TAPOPS and so far, it has been going well. Ying proceeded in bringing her stuff inside, so does Leizel.

It was announced that I’ll be with them in the room, I was happy. I wanted to know Leizel better since we both came from the Philippines, and Ying, of course I like being with her. She’s nice, sweet, and fun to be with.

What caught me off is the way Leizel and Ying acted towards each other, or maybe that’s just me thinking?

“You need help with your stuff?” A turned around and see Boboiboy. I glanced at my mini luggage and duffel bag. Maybe I do need help. “You can help with that duffel bag. It’s a bit heavy. It has my school things.”

Then he carried my bag, and to my surprise, it was an effortless carry. Is he that strong to the point he doesn’t mind?

We went in to our room, Ying and Leizel were both fixing their stuff. I asked Boboiboy to place down the bag beside my bed. There were three beds in this room.

“What? And ours is still the bunk bed!” Boboiboy whined, earning a laugh from the rest of us.

“Consider us lucky then.” Leizel replied, grinning. “Must feel weird being with Fang in the room.” I said, laughing.

Boboiboy groaned, “I’m just wishing that this is dream.”

I saw Ying walked out of the room, then Leizel proceeded in fixing her things.

“I better go. Still have to fix my things.” Boboiboy said. I nodded, “Okay. See you!”

Then he left the room.

I started fixing my things. There was a closet in this room, so I placed my clothes in there to prevent having a messy bag. I didn’t take anything from the duffel bag since my books, and worksheets are there. I’ll just bring them out when I need them.

“From which part of the Philippines do you come from?” I heard Leizel asking me. “Metro Manila. Specifically in Quezon City.” I replied.

“That’s nice! I come from a small town in Mindanao. Since when did you move here in Malaysia?”

“Uhm.” I tried to recall, as I was still fixing my clothes. “2 months ago. I’m still kind of new so.”

I heard her gasp, “Really? Wow. You’re really new! But I’m glad you’re here.”

I closed the closet and engaged to another conversation with Leizel. We talked about experiences in being new here in Malaysia, we also talked about being new here in the team, since she was new before.

“Why did you move to Malaysia then?” I asked. I saw her reaction with my question, I assumed it was a sensitive. “Oh, sorry. Was it invasive?”

She just smiled, “No. It’s alright. It’s just that I don’t usually talk to others about this. But since it’s you, I feel that I can trust you.”

She proceeded in telling me her backstory, how she ended up getting adopted by Kaizo to go training with her in space. Her power is energy manipulation, and got it from a power sphere named EnerBot. I saw how she was getting sad as she was telling me the story.

I went to her and sat beside her, because I saw the tears forming in her eyes.

I gave her a hug, not saying anything. I heard her chuckle, “It’s okay. It was a difficult process but I’m glad that I’m here. Plus, I met a fellow Filipina, which is you. I would not feel alone anymore.”

I smiled as I pulled off from the hug, “That’s great to know. I’ll do my best in being a great friend to you.”

Then, she leaned over me to whisper something to my ear. “So, it’s you and Boboiboy?” I shot her a confused look, “I’m sorry?”

“You and Boboiboy.” She repeated, grinning. “I think he likes you.”

“What? No.” I replied. “I mean, I don’t think so. He was just being nice to me, and I’m sure he’s like that to you guys as well.”

Some people who are being nice are often to be mistaken as them liking you. I just don’t get it. Boboiboy’s a nice person, and with him being the leader, for sure he always lends a hand to others.

“And that’s where you’re wrong. I mean, yeah, he helps us. But he’s not too nice, you know what I’m saying?” Leizel replied. I was confused. What does she mean by not too nice?

I wanted to speak more about it, but Ying suddenly went back so I just nodded at what Leizel said. I saw how she reacted when Ying arrived, she became quiet. As for Ying, she just looked at me, then smiled. “Hey, Yaya and I will be going around to check the station. You want to join us?”

“Uhm, sure.” I replied. I glanced at Leizel, who was just staring straight ahead, not looking at Ying. I cleared my throat as I went back to Ying, “Can she join us? It would be better if it’s all of us girls.”

I saw Ying shrugging as a reply, “If she wants, yeah.”  I stood up and pulled Leizel up to join us. We went out of our room to meet with Yaya, who was just waiting for us at the hallway. “There are you guys! Let’s go!” She exclaimed as she joined us.

We were all walking around, I was at the edge, and so was Yaya. Leizel and Ying were both at the middle. I noticed that when Ying talks, she directs it to me, but not to Leizel. Is there something going on?

“By the way, wasn’t Fang notified that I’d be coming back with captain Kaizo?” Leizel suddenly asked.

I noticed that they stopped walking so I stopped as well.

“I don’t know? He doesn’t talk about you.” Ying replied, which made me look at her. I saw how Ying was firm with her reply. I glanced at Leizel who just gave her a fake smile, “Oh, okay.”

Yaya and I looked at each other, I raised an eyebrow, hoping she would get my message. Yaya cleared her throat and said, “Why don’t we go on..”

We continued walking, as if nothing happened. I was confused because of what happened, but it’s none of my business so I shouldn’t think much about it.

As we roamed around the station, we spotted newly made facilities such as the training area, library, and the cafeteria. There some rooms that aren’t accessible to us, only ones like commander KokoCi and admiral Tarung can access it.

“I’m going to the library. I need to find a cook book there.” Yaya announced. “Another cook book? Don’t you have a lot of them?” Ying asked. “Yeah, but I need more!”

“I’ll just go back the room. I’m quite tired since I just arrived.” Leizel said, yawning slightly. Ying grasped on Yaya’s arm, “I’ll go with you. I think I need to read a book to clear my mind.”

That was weird.

They all looked at me, probably going to ask about my plans.

“Uhm. I’ll just go around more and head back to the rooms. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” I smiled, reassuring them. Leizel patted my lower back, “Okay then. Keep safe!” She heads off.

Both Ying and Yaya threw a flying kiss, which I returned one as well. Then we went to our separate ways. I continued to go on, looking at everywhere. For a space station based on Earth, it exceeded my expectations. Everything here is high on technology.

“You must be lost.” I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to see admiral Tarung. I froze, yet I was able to recover and do the TAPOPS salute. “Admiral.. Uhm. No not really. I was just looking around.”

I saw him smiled.

It was a good thing it’s past 7PM. I’ve heard that between 7 AM – 7 PM, he goes like an angry tiger. Then on 7 PM – 7 AM, he’s just a calm kitten, I guess.

“Do you mind coming with me?” I nodded immediately. Of course I’d go with him, he’s the freaking admiral of this organization.

He led me to a room, in which he took out a card and had it scanned. “Only high-ranking members can go in. But I can give you an exception since you need to know more about what we’re up to.”

Once the scanner was the done, the door immediately open. I followed admiral inside, then the lights turned on. I gasped; it was full of power spheres. They were placed in a vault.

“This room is for the rescued power spheres. We stored them here for safety. Some of these were rescued by Boboiboy and the others, the rest just came up to us, seeking for refuge.”

I observed every vault that has each power sphere on it. Wow, so this is what they always do? It’s a big thing.

“You were offered a role here in TAPOPS because of your bravery in saving your power sphere. A power sphere can cost a lot of lives once they’re in the wrong hands. We’re glad that you’re here, Lance Corporal Lia.”

I looked at admiral and smiled. “Thank you, admiral.”

Then he led me a corner in the room. It was only a plain wall, but for some reason, it was able to open by a door slowly swinging back. We both went inside and saw portraits of.. aliens.

“These are the ones who wanted to get their hands on the power spheres. This is why TAPOPS is formed, to rescue and protect the power spheres.”

I looked at every portrait in the room. I even read the names below each portrait. The ones I only know here are Adudu and Probe. Retak’ka and Bora Ra were the ones mentioned to me by Boboiboy, whom they had an intense battle with.

I continued to look at the portraits as I took note on the names. Ejojo, Captain Vargoba, Gijimo, Jero-Jero, Jokertu, Jugglenaut, and so on and so far.

One thing caught my eye. It was another portrait, but it had a cloth as its cover on it. I grabbed on the cloth, “Admiral, what’s this?” I slowly pulled the cloth off.

“Wait! You aren’t supposed to-” It was too late. I saw the one in that portrait. I widened up my eyes because of how it looked.

Admiral went to me and saw how frightened I was, he sighed and got the cloth. He placed back the cloth on the portrait. “You okay?”

“Yes I am. I was just frightened because of how it looked.”

I couldn’t even describe it. But based on the portrait, she, or he, has red armor all over the body. She/he was wearing a red mask, which covered almost everything except for the mouth, lower cheek, and chin.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“That will be explained in another time.”

We both left the room, then admiral did something to lock it again.

“I believe it’s dinner time. You can head to the cafeteria so you can join your friends. And if possible, don’t tell them about this.”

It was weird that for someone new like me, I already got exposed to this. But I’ll take it as an honor. I nodded and saluted to admiral, then I headed off to the cafeteria.

One thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t forget the things I saw today, especially the portrait. What frightened me was the appearance.

But you know what frightened me more?

It’s the feeling that I’ve seen the mask before.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 09: Assessment 

Third Person’s POV

It was already past 10 AM, and team Boboiboy were already in the training arena. Admiral Tarung was on his other personality, which is scarier. Together with them are Ochobot, Sonobot, and commander KokoCi.

“We’ve done countless of trainings before to strengthen your abilities. But since Lia wasn’t there yet when that happened, we’re going to conduct another one today. With the longtime of not having to fight with villains, this training is for the enhancement of your powers. You are all obliged to comply with this. Do you understand?” Tarung said.

“Yes commander.”

“Since you guys are 7 in total, one will be excluded from this test. The person who will be excluded is to be decided by you guys since you know your teammates very well.” KokoCi said.

At that moment, everyone looked at Boboiboy, since he was the only one with multiple powers. If Boboiboy goes on one team, that team could immediately over power the other.

“Lance corporal Yaya,” Tarung called. “Any nominations?”

Yaya nodded, “We all nominate Boboiboy, admiral. I believe that’s already given since he has multiple powers, unlike us, we only have one power per person.”

Boboiboy sighed, he knew this was coming. Oh well, at least he was excluded.

Tarung nodded and called Boboiboy to join with them.

“Uhm, admiral.” Fang called. “Has Lia and Leizel taken the test?”

“Oh yes they did.” Kokoci answered for Tarung. “In fact, they were the ones who even got higher than you guys!” His reply surprised the rest.

“WHAT?!”

It was 7:30 AM, Lia and Leizel were on their seats at the training arena, answering a written test that was given by Tarung and KokoCi.

“You haven’t taken this test yet? You were a part of the team for quite a long time.” Lia said, as she was writing down her answers. “I never got to take this test. Kaizo already took me to space for training. And to correct you, I wasn’t part of TAPOPS until Kaizo brought me back.”

“No talking!” Tarung yelled, making Lia and Leizel nod in fear.

Answer the following questions in about 20-25 words.

1. Who are TAPOPS’ neighbors?
2. How many kinds of Power Spheras?
3. List the total of Power Sphere in the Galaxy.
4. What was the dangerous path/route that commander KokoCi had mentioned before? Explain them in 60-65 words.
5. Who is the first General who created TAPOPS’ choreography?

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, I thought I’d escape the written exam thing in this agenda.” Lia muttered. “Oh well, good thing Leizel and I reviewed last night.”

30 minutes later, the time for the test is done.

“Times up!” Tarung announced. “Pens down, and submit all of your papers! NOW!” He stomped his foot. The stomp was so powerful that it managed to shake both Lia and Leizel, and make their paper and pens be thrown to the air.

KokoCi jumped up high to get their papers then proceeded in checking them.

The two girls sighed as they laid their heads down. Then Leizel turned to Lia, “Psst. How was it for you?” Lia turned to Leizel and shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess it’s okay.”

“We did great.” Leizel and Lia both fist bump each other.

“Leizel! You got 9 mistakes in total. 91/100!” KokoCi announced, making Leizel sigh in relief. Lia grinned at her, “Yay! Great job! I’m proud of you.” Leizel returned a flying kiss to her.

KokoCi cleared his throat, earning the attention of the two. “I can’t believe this… Lia, you just have 3 mistakes. 97/100! Your mistakes were… missing 3 words!

Both girls were shocked at the announcement, especially Lia. “3 words?! I missed 3 words?”

“In question number 5! The instruction says about 20-25 words, and in this question, you forgot 3 words!” KokoCi showed the test paper to Lia. When Lia counted the words, she sighed. “I kind of ran out of words.”

Leizel giggled, “Hey! That’s okay! At least you got most of them right.”

“You’re right.” Tarung butted in the conversation. “No one even got this high as you guys. This means you two passed the test!” He yelled.

The two girls cheered, as they gave each other a high five.

Tarung grunted, causing the two girls to look at him. “It’s now time for…..” His watch suddenly set off an alarm, signifying that it’s snack break. The red aura in him went off and he suddenly smiled, “Snack break!”

“I don’t mind them gaining a higher score than us.” Yaya stated. “As long as it’s not Ying who got higher than me, I’m okay with that.” Her statement caused Ying to glare at her, “What did you say?!”

“ENOUGH!” Tarung shouted, stopping the two from fighting. “As I was saying earlier, you guys will be divided into two teams. And since Boboiboy’s the one who’s excluded, he will pick who goes with each other.”

“Because he’s the leader, huh.” Fang muttered, hoping no one would hear him.

Boboiboy observed each and every one of them, his eyes fell on Lia, who was just smiling at him. It caused him to smile like an idiot.

“Uh, Boboiboy..” Ochobot called him out, causing him to snap back to reality. “Sorry. Uhm.. Okay, for Team A, we have Lia, Leizel, and Fang.” He announced. “Then for team B, Yaya, Ying, and Gopal.”

Everyone nodded at their leader’s announcement.

“You have 5 minutes to go to your teams to discuss your strategies and moves, and possibly, combinations. Time starts now!” Both teams went for a meeting to discuss things.

Leizel was happy that she got to be with Fang in this one. She looked over Ying and caught her staring at them. She didn’t mind, as she just proceeded in discussing over with Lia and Fang.

Ying was feeling bad, Yaya just held her hand and whispered, “Be professional.”

The 5 minutes were over, then both teams went on the opposite sides. Lia was nervous, this would be the first time she’s training with the most of them, she wanted to be at her best.

The others were eyeing on them. “Are you all ready?” KokoCi asked them. They all responded with a “Yes commander!”. Tarung turned to Boboiboy and gestured him to do something. Once the dino capped boy got it, he said, “Battle starts now!”

Both Yaya and Ying started with their known combo, Y&Y. Yaya used her gravity power to hold on Ying, who was forming her powers by running in place. Once Ying finishes, Yaya released her, making her run fast towards them.

Ying jumps up and does a somersault, making her position her feet down towards Leizel, for she will attack her with kicks.

Lia proceeded to Gopal, who was somehow frightened with her. “I don’t know about you, but you’re scary! But I can do this! Take this!” He released numerous green energy bolts towards her.

She reacted by releasing continuous soundwaves, hoping she could deflect the bolts. However, once the bolts reached the soundwaves, it turned into food, specifically spaghetti noodles.

“That’s your power?” Lia exclaimed, making Gopal laugh. “Works every time.”

Lia tried hard to think fast. She knew she couldn’t attack towards him, which gave her an idea. She formed purple energy in her hands and released soundwaves to the ground. She manipulated them to travel through the ground, heading to Gopal.

Gopal was about to attack, but the soundwaves got there quickly, blowing him off. Lia turned to Fang, who has already fused with his shadow eagle. He flew up to Gopal and attacked him.

Once he was out, Lia turned to Leizel, who released an energy blast to block off Ying who was about to attack her with the kicks. Ying was blown off, but able to recover as quick as possible. Leizel rushed to her and attacked her by using hand to hand combat, where Ying was weak at.

Yaya was about to help her out, but she was called by Lia and Fang. “Y&Y no more, I guess.” Fang sneered, making her growl.

“Powerful Punch!” Yaya flew to the two, with her fist glowing pink. Lia went ahead and leaped over, using her sound waves so she could accelerate to Yaya. Once they were close to each other, Lia gained the upper hand as she attacked first. “Sonic Punch!”

Her fist released powerful soundwaves that blew Yaya upward. Lia’s soundwaves were too strong that it threw her against the wall that was at the corner of the room.

The power spheres, Ochobot and Sonobot were amazed at Lia’s power moves. “She has what it takes.” Ochobot whispered. “Well, I gave her the powers so.” Sonobot replied, very confident of Lia.

“Fang!” Tarung called out to Fang. “Attack Lia! you’re on the other side now! Go!”

Lia was surprised to hear that, but she knew this was a part of the training, any modifications can happen.

Fang obeyed Tarung and immediately went for Lia, who was taken back. From shadow eagle, he changed it and fused with a shadow tiger. He was running towards her, then suddenly disappeared. Turns out, he used his power to travel through the ground, and once it passed Lia, he reappeared, then he pounced on her.

Using the claws, he attacked her by continuously giving striking scratches. She covered her face to avoid gaining scratches, but since Fang was still going on, her arms were the one who’s receiving it.

Her mind went blank, she doesn’t know how could she strike back since she has both arms defending herself. She groaned, feeling the scratches in her arms.

Boboiboy was shocked, “She might get hurt.” He was about to leave for them but Tarung stopped him. “You are not allowed to help! Let her bounce back!” Boboiboy sighed in defeat then he continued watching them.  

Back with Lia, she was still under Fang, trying to get out from his grip. Fang gave a small chuckle, “You can’t get out huh? Take this!” He lift up his hand, about to strike her again but Lia was able to hold that hand off.

She was panting, even when she held that off, Fang was stronger than her that he was able to lower his hand on her. She had to attack. “Get out of my sight!” Then she lets out a screech; soundwaves went out of her mouth which attacked Fang by throwing him away.

Like Yaya, he was thrown against the wall. Then Lia got up, and used her soundwaves to fly towards him. “Sound Bolt!” She released 3 consecutive sound waves, that were in the form of bolts, that exploded once it all went to Fang.

When the dust cleared of, Fang, who was now back to his original form, was on the ground. It’s a good thing that he, together with Yaya and Gopal, weren’t that injured as they were expected to be.

Everyone, even Tarung, were astounded with how Lia managed to strike back on Fang. Boboiboy was amazed at how Lia bounced back.

Lia turned to the last 2 girls, who were still fighting each other. “You got this Leizel!”

Leizel, who was able to stop Ying in kicking her by grabbing her foot, smirked. She holds a white bolt in her hand then charges it at Ying, delivering her against the same wall where Yaya and Fang got hit.

Leizel saw Yaya, Gopal, and Fang who were still on the ground. She turned to Lia, “You did that?”

“Yeah. Admiral told Fang to go against me since I took out Yaya and Gopal.” Lia smiled sheepishly. Yaya, who has now recovered from Lia’s attack, raised her hands. “Time out, please.”

That means Team A won.

“HOORAY!” The two power spheres cheered, then the others gave them a round of applause. Lia smiled and thanked them, then she rushed to the others and helped them up.

Yaya groaned, as she stretched her body. “You did great back there. I’m proud.” She smiled at her, patting her back. “Thank you. Sorry for earlier, I hope you aren’t that hurt.”

“A little bit, but that’s okay. I’m still standing here, don’t you see?” Yaya giggled, and so as Lia.

Gopal grinned, “Weren’t you amazed at my powers? I turned your soundwaves into food!” Lia chuckled, “Yeah. That was amazing! You have unlimited food then.”

Once Fang got up, he walked to Lia. “Sorry for the scratches.” He pointed to Lia’s arms that have scratches from him. “It’s okay. Although they quite hurt, I’ll just put betadine on it.” She gave a warm smile.

Boboiboy went to them, and gave Lia a hug which surprised her, yet she hugged back. The others smirked at Boboiboy, with Fang nodding. “I see where this is going.” He whispered to Yaya and Gopal.

“You did a great job back there! For a moment there, I got scared than Fang might finish you.” Boboiboy told Lia, as he pulled away from the hug. Lia returned a grin, “Thanks! Don’t worry, I’m still here. Although Fang has to pay for going to the other side.” Her joke made the others laugh. Fang raised his palms, "Aish. Admiral told me!" 

"I know. I just kidding, hot head." Lia flicked Fang's forehead, making him moan in pain. "Geez, that hurts!"

Leizel walked to Ying to help her up, however she refused and just got up and left her. Sheesh, I was just going to help. She just rolled her eyes then head to the group.

Tarung cleared his throat, gaining the attention of all. “Lance corporal Lia, you have done very well! You have passed the assessment!”

“Assessment?” Lia replied, in confusion. “I thought the assessment was the exam.”

“That was the written part while this is the practical part.” Tarung grinned. “And you passed both! You have what it takes to be a part of us!”

KokoCi nodded, “And the exam earlier, you took it with Leizel right? She didn’t really need the test since she was already under Kaizo, even before she joined Team Boboiboy. We just made her took the test for the sake of you having company.”

Lia was surprised, her eyes widened up as she turned to Leizel, nodding as a way of confirming KokoCi’s statement. She turned back to Tarung and KokoCi and did the TAPOPS salute, “Thank you admiral and commander.”

Ochobot and Sonobot flew to Lia, with Sonobot suddenly hugging her. Lia laughed as she patted the head of the power sphere.

“Okay everyone, it will be lunch break soon. You may go back to your rooms for now to take some rest. After the lunch break, we’ll discuss about the mission. Do I make myself clear?” KokoCi said.

“Yes commander!”

Everyone exits the training arena. Ying and Yaya were both talking about their excitement in the mission, with Gopal butting in all of a sudden. Fang and Leizel were both quiet, while Boboiboy was telling Lia about the possible planets they can go to.

“You don’t get sick on flights, right?” Boboiboy asked. “Uhm, it depends. I guess I’ll manage this one. Good thing I brought a pack of medicines, in case of emergency.” Lia replied.

“Looks like you’ll be the girl scout of the team.” Boboiboy joked. Lia shrugged, returning a scrunched-up face, “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I wonder what we will be having for lunch. Hope it tastes good!” Gopal said excitedly. “For sure it won’t be curry.” Fang replied with a sneering tone.

They all laughed as they all continue to walk.

---

Somewhere in the galaxy, there was a space station residing along. In a particular room in the station, there was someone who was using a huge computer to communicate with someone calling. Minutes later, the callee answered, however it was only an audio call.

“Sir, it’s reported that they will be heading off to Planet Babar.” The man nodded, “This is noted. Thank you.” Then he ends the call. Then, using the computer, the man flashes every member of TAPOPS that includes their personal information, ranking then powers.

It went from Tarung, KokoCi, Kaizo, the power spheres, Ochobot and Sonobot, then Boboiboy, Gopal, Fang, Yaya, Leizel, Ying, and Lia.

Lia

14

2003-06-12

Sound Manipulation

Lance Corporal

The man gave a sinister smile, “We’ll see each other soon.”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 10: Planet Babar

Team Boboiboy, together with KokoCi and Tarung, were at a room. They were discussing about the mission.

“Planet Babar; a mysterious, foggy world that has mostly swamps in it. The planet itself is not desirable to go to for visitors, but there are a lot of residing animals. Also, we detected a power sphere that has been hiding there for some time.” Tarung said, as KokoCi flashes the information about planet Babar.

Yaya cringes at the appearance of the planet, “It looks like the Amazon Rainforest.” Ying sighed, “Only scarier. Who knows what kind of species we will be encountering?”

“Proper equipment must be brought, including the emergency kits in case something happens to you. Think of this as a camping trip but on a jungle area.” KokoCi said, earning groans from everyone. “Relax, if you get the power sphere immediately, you won’t have to be staying there for a long time.”

Then he hands a tablet to Lia. Then everyone else surrounds her to see what’s in the tablet. The tablet shows more information about the planet including the possible animals they may encounter.

“Some animals may look strange to you guys because none of them are existing on Earth. So be careful, we don’t know their abilities. Our goal is to find the power sphere.”

Information about the power sphere is shown, Lia observes every information shown. This is her first ever mission as part of TAPOPS, she wouldn’t want to disappoint them.

“AnimalBot huh? Looks like that’s the one responsible for the animals in the planet.” Boboiboy said as he was also observing the information. “Maybe the animals that were made serves him protection. This sphere must’ve been haunted by different hunters which is why there are animals in the planet.” Lia replied.

“Well, whatever the reason is, we have to get to the power sphere. And get through those possible animals.” Fang stated.

“Ochobot will be opening a portal so you guys can get to the planet immediately. You’ll be bringing your space vehicles with you.” KokoCi’s announcement made the rest, excluding Lia and Leizel, go wow.

Motobot suddenly arrives and went to Lia and Leizel. “Of course, we won’t be forgetting about you two.” Ochobot then uses its powers to open the portal to planet Babar. Then, “Space Vehicle Materialization!”

Vehicles of Lia and Leizel were being summoned, it also made the two of them wear helmets for protection. Lia’s vehicle was a motorbike, like Boboiboy’s, but the style and design were more feminine. It has purple and white colors. Leizel’s was a mini car, it has green and white colors.

The rest of the gang’s vehicles were summoned as well, together with the helmets they will be wearing.

“Vehicles onwards!”

Then they all went into the portal, and arrived at planet Babar. They all stopped for a while, to check if everybody got in together.

“Nice vehicle! I really like how Motobot personalizes the vehicles.” Ying told Lia. “Thank you! It’s going to be my first time driving this, hope I don’t crash.” Lia replied, smiling sheepishly.

Fang looked at Leizel’s car, it was a smaller version of his, and it was personalized into hers. He gave a short smile, hoping she wouldn’t notice him looking at her.

“I wonder how come Lia’s vehicle is a motorbike like Boboiboy’s. Is this a his and hers thing?! Look at Fang and Leizel, both have cars!” Gopal exclaimed. “Why didn’t they give Yaya a jeep like mine?”

Lia looked at Boboiboy's vehicle, it was a motorbike like hers But the difference was the style and the colors. She felt her cheeks going red, it's like a his and hers thing indeed.

What she didn't know that he felt the same.

Yaya sighed, "Aiya. You don't have to take things too deep, Gopal. At least you're the one who's different from ours."

Ying felt her heart shattered at the thought of Gopal's statement. A his and hers thing? She looked at Leizel and Fang's cars. What's with Motobot and he made them have the same vehicles? I don't mind if it was someone else, but her?

"Okay okay, enough. We have to proceed in looking for AnimalBot." Boboiboy announced. Lia took out the tablet then analyzed the information. "According to this, AnimalBot should be over...."

Then she pointed to a place, that was exactly stated in the tablet. She widened up her eyes as she realized that it was a jungle that big. Even the rest were surprised.

"Uh, well. I guess that's our cue." Fang said. "Let's go." Then they all zipped to the jungle area.

Once they entered the jungle, the speed of their vehicles went from fast to moderate. Tarung was right, the jungle itself looked mysterious. When you're in it, it's actually foggy compared to the place outside.

"Good thing we have our vehicles. At least we don't have to walk through this." Yaya said, driving her scooter.

"How are we going to find the power sphere in this place? It's literally foggy everywhere." Ying spoke. "As of now we have to stick together. We can't afford getting lost here." Leizel replied.

Little did they know, they weren't the only ones here in the planet.

Some place near them, a portal was opened then someone came out of it. The person was wearing a cropped red leather jacket that was not zipped, with a black sleeveless top beneath it. It was paired with leather pants and black boots, and also wears red fingerless gloves. The person was wearing a mask that covered her face.

“Already here on planet Babar.” It was a feminine voice. She used a small communicator device to contact someone. Then she walked away.

Team Boboiboy were still in the process of looking for the power sphere, and they were getting frustrated because they can’t find anything with the fog in the jungle. They all stopped for a while.

“We almost spend 30 minutes in here! We still haven’t found the power sphere!” Gopal complained. “It’s because of the fog, idiot! Do you think we’d be like this if there was no fog around?” Fang replied.

Ying sighed at the two, “Aiya. Fighting won’t solve anything! And why don’t we try to locate it with our power watches? Maybe that could help.”

Leizel was already using her power watch to locate AnimalBot, but luck didn’t get to her. It just displayed a notice saying its invalid. “It’s invalid. Looks like the power sphere established something to prevent our watches from tracking it.”

While they were talking, something was lurking behind the behind the trees.

For some reason, Lia turned to the direction where that something just passed by. Yaya noticed that, “Did you see something?”

“No. Uhm, I think I heard something.” Her reply made Gopal groan. “Okay Lia, we’re already having a hard time looking for the power sphere then you’re going to tell us that you heard something, even though we heard nothing.”

“Why are you picking a fight? She just said she heard something because that’s what her ears perceived, duh!” Boboiboy replied, raising his voice. “Boboiboy, it’s okay. He was just-” Lia was cut off by Leizel saying, “I mean, I wouldn’t blame him. He was indeed picking a fight.”

Ying scoffed, “And since when did you learn how to butt in to conversations? Are you involved in this?” Leizel clenched her fist, but she managed to stay calm. “I was defending Lia. You would do the same right? Gopal was clearly offending her with his words!”

“Of course, I’d do the same. But don’t expect me to do that to you.” Ying replied nonchalantly. “Oh, since when did this become about me? We were talking about Lia earlier!” Leizel replied, almost yelling.

As the two were arguing, Lia heard that something coming closer to them. She turned to her right side. That’s where it’s coming from.

Boboiboy growled, “Would you two stop fighting?! We’re on a mission here! I know you guys don’t like each other but keep it professional here!”

Everyone else was taken back, especially Fang.

“I know we’re all friends and belong to the same group. It’s normal to have misunderstandings and probably not like each other. But we’re in a mission, a mission given by TAPOPS, which currently, we are working on it.”

“Boboiboy..”

“And right now, we need to find the power sphere. If that gets into the wrong hands, who knows what can the hunters do with it!”

“Boboiboy..”

“And I won't allow that, I’m sure you guys too! And-”

“Boboiboy!”

He turned to Lia, who has been calling her for numerous times. “What?! I’m busy talking here!”

There was a deep silence, and Lia heard that something from nearby. She suddenly summoned a purple energy and released soundwaves to her right side. No one spoke about that, but a roar was heard afterwards.

“I knew it.” Lia stated.

Everyone else was surprised. It didn’t take long as the creature finally showed up. It was a dinosaur, specifically a Tyrannosaurus rex.

“What in the world?!” Gopal screamed. “MOVE EVERYONE GO!” Ying yelled, as she zipped away with her mini scooter. The others did that as well. The dinosaur left and chased them.

Everyone was speeding up their vehicles to escape the dinosaur, but it was catching up on them.

“You were right! There was something! I’m sorry Lia! Please forgive me! I don’t want to die!” Gopal cried. “H-How did you know something was coming forth us?! I didn’t even hear anything!” Yaya said.

“Uhm. The footsteps of the dinosaur create soundwaves, right? Footsteps in general. Yeah, I can hear that, even it’s from afar!” Lia replied.

The dinosaur gave another mighty roar, as it was able to accelerate its speed. The one directly in front of him was Gopal, which made him scared to death. “It’s catching up on us! What are we going to do?!”

“We should attack it now!” Fang yelled. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. It must be controlled by AnimalBot. If we attack it, it will think that we’re the hunters.” Yaya replied.

“And what are we going to do? Just keep on like this? We have to do something at this point!” Leizel exclaimed. Fang grunted, as he used his car to turn around and go over the dinosaur, and he flew behind him. “Shadow Grasp!” Beams of shadow went out from his car as they wrapped around the legs and body of the dinosaur.

“We can’t just leave him back there!” Gopal yelled, as they were still going on. Leizel made a U-turn using her car so she could head back to Fang to help him. Ying did the same.

“Sheesh. These two have drama but when it comes to Fang, they act as if nothing happen.” Gopal remarked.

“Lia, can you use your power to locate AnimalBot?” Boboiboy asked. “I can try echolocation, but I have to stop and be focused.” Lia sighed.

Yaya and Gopal both looked to each other, as if they were mentally communicating. Then they both nodded, “We got you. We have an idea.”

The next thing that happened, Lia was still in her motorbike, but the others are now surrounding her. She just sighed, “I thought this idea of yours consists of something extraordinary. Goodness.”

“Dey, at least you have us to watch you out.” Gopal replied, grinning. “Hurry, before something else arrives.” Yaya said.

Lia nodded, then she closes her eyes. A purple aura surrounds her, then she channels her energy to send out soundwaves. The soundwaves were directly sent to AnimalBot, who was revealed to be captured by the unknown woman earlier. The animal attack was caused by her manipulating AnimalBot.

AnimalBot yelped, as the unknown woman was doing something to it. The soundwaves automatically returned to Lia.

“Crap. I got its location, and.. someone got it already.”

“WHAT?!” The others exclaimed.

“I wasn’t able to detect who it is, but it’s a hunter for sure.” Lia replied. Boboiboy growled in frustration, “So many hunters in the galaxy. Sheesh. We have to go as fast as we can before the hunter leaves.”

However, Lia sensed another presence nearby because of the soundwaves made. It froze her, “Guys.. There’s another one nearby.”

“What?” Yaya asked in disbelief. Gopal whined, “Another one?! Then what are we still doing here! We have to-” He was cut off by another animal arriving. It was a hybrid, and it’s something that you won’t see on Earth. It was a wolf merged with an eagle, and it was indeed enormous. It was that enormous that its mouth was able to grab on Gopal’s jeep, and fly away.

“AAAAAAHHHH!”

“Gopal!” They shrieked.

“HELP MEEEE!”

Boboiboy growled, “We have to save him!” Yaya shook her head, “I will save him. You guys get to AnimalBot. To be able to stop this, we have to get to the source.”

“Will you be okay?” Lia worriedly asked. Yaya nodded and gave a soft smile, “Of course, I will. Now go! There’s no time to lose!”

Boboiboy and Lia both departed for AnimalBot. Yaya used her vehicle to fly after Gopal.

Now that they were heading to AnimalBot, they were both accelerating the speed of their motorbikes.

“How long ‘til there?” Boboiboy asked. “As of now, we’re still on behind. We have to find a way to get there faster.” Lia sighed.

The elemental master grinned, “You came to the right person! Elemental Power! Boboiboy Lightning!” Boboiboy transformed into the first-tier form of his lightning element.

“Of course, Lightning all the way.” Lia laughed then, “I’ll use mine then!” Then, she uses her soundwaves to merge it with the vehicle.

“Lightning Dash!” “Speed of Sound!”

They both dashed their way to the location of AnimalBot. They arrived at a swamp area, but there was no power sphere nor hunter.

“Where did they go? I swear the waves came from here.” Both of them looked around the swamp, until Lia detected another presence with the soundwaves. “Something’s coming.”

All of a sudden, a swarm of huge bees arrived. And when we say huge, it’s as big as a regular cat.

Lia screams, “Are those bees?! They aren’t supposed to be that big!” Boboiboy was surprised as well, “Looks like it sensed that we were coming. This has to do something with the power sphere.” 

The bees charged at the two of them.

“Boboiboy Triple Split!” Boboiboy split into three: Earth, Lightning, and Wind. All of them have their respective motorbikes.

With Lia, the three Boboiboys charged at the bees. Lightning uses his blade to strike the bees with lightning. Wind twists his motorbike to create a huge wind whirlwind that would spit away the bees. Earth created a huge rock around him, then he used his motorbike to strike the bees, making the rocks crushed them. Lia, on the other hand, was releasing a series of soundwaves to the bees that created an explosion, thus destroying them.

They continue to attack the bees, but they just keep on coming.

“Aiya, they keep on coming!” Wind exclaimed, then he continued attacking the giant bees. Lightning was getting pissed, as he kept on striking the bees with lightning. “Does anyone of you have a plan?!”

“I got you!” Lia replied, as she flew straight to the bees. She prepared her powers as the bottom part of the motorbike emits a purple glow. “Sonic.. Bomb!” A huge pack of soundwaves were released that created a strong explosion, like a bomb. It was so strong that even the three Boboiboys were thrown back.

Once the dust from the explosion was cleared off, there were no signs of bees. But they saw Lia, passed out on her motorbike, which was floating in the water. The three Boboiboys merged into one, then went for Lia.

“Lia, Lia..” He softly shook her, yet she wouldn’t wake up. He started panicking, he looked around to see if anyone from the team has arrived, but no one. He never felt this kind of fear whenever one of the members were injured. Sure, he’d be worried, but at this point, it was on a different level.

An evil laugh was suddenly heard, then the hunter arrived, with AnimalBot in her hands. AnimalBot was now turned off. “Wow, looks like it took a lot from your friend.”

“Oh, so it’s you?! What do you want, huh?!” Boboiboy snarled. “Simple. I want to get this and defeat you and your team.” The hunter replied, nonchalantly. “And I know I’ll be able to do it. Look at you, you’re the only one here. Where are your other friends? Looks like they were defeated by the animals I created.”

“Maybe not!”

All of a sudden, Fang, Leizel, and Ying arrived. They were followed by Yaya and Gopal.

“Seriously a wolf merged with an eagle?” Gopal asked, crossing his arms. “You better think twice before messing with our team! We just defeated your minions.” Leizel said, glaring at her.

Fang grunted, preparing his powers. “What are we waiting for?! Let’s fight now! Shadow-” The hunter raised her hand, halting Fang. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. You can have it.” She tossed AnimalBot to him.

Despite being taken aback, Fang was able to catch the power sphere.

The hunter gave a small evil chuckle, “Oh by the way, can you this to your friend: deep down, she’s very shallow.” She was referring to Lia.

“Don’t let her escape!” Boboiboy shouted.

“Energy Blast!” Leizel attacked the hunter by releasing white energy towards her, thus creating an explosion. Once the dust was cleared off, the hunter was no where to be seen.

“Did you… destroy her?” Gopal asked. Leizel shrugged, “I don’t know. I think so?” She was unsure.

“No, you didn’t. The hunter escaped! Great job, Leizel.” Ying scoffed. Leizel rolled her eyes, “Hey. I tried! I was the one who attacked it before you guys.”

“Enough with the fighting, guys. Yeah, the hunter escaped but at least we have the power sphere.” Gopal said. “We can worry about the hunter later. Right now, we have to get back and get her to safety.” Boboiboy added on, referring to Lia.

 Yaya and Leizel both went to Lia and took a look at her. Yaya sighed, “She’s knocked out. We have to get going.”

Leizel used her power watch to contact KokoCi. Seconds later, the hologram of the commander appeared. “Commander, we got the power sphere. We’re ready to go back.”

---

Back at the space station, a portal appeared. The hunter walked out, “Looks like she has what it takes, master. She knocked the bees I summoned for them.”

In front of her was someone who’s facing a big screen. “Good. It’s great to see that she’s growing. Soon enough, she’ll be one of us.” Displayed at one side of the screen was the newly built TAPOPS station in space. Then at the other side, was a picture of Lia.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 11: Going home

“The less you know, the more peace of mind you get.”

“Deep down, she’s very shallow.”

At the medical bay of TAPOPS-U station, Lia was lying down on a bed. She was still passed out, and there was an IV in her hand. Minutes later, her eyes slowly opened. In the room with her were Gopal, Yaya, and Ying.

They heard a soft moan which caught their attention. Yaya widened up her eyes, “Lia?” She rushed to her. Gopal and Ying followed, and the moment they saw Lia awake, they gasp. “Lia!”

At another room in TAPOPS-U station, where the discussion of the mission happens, Sonobot and Ochobot were there together with Boboiboy, Fang, and Leizel. Holographic results of Lia’s medical tests were shown.

“Well, even without her powers, Lia gets sick easily. She gets tired easily, she can faint easily, in short, she has a weak resistance to events like these.” Ochobot reports. Leizel examined the report, “She even has low blood pressure, and her heartbeat can go irregular. Poor her.”

“She takes her vitamins, right? And for sure she has supplements.” Fang said. “Yeah. Although, this is the first time she has fainted ever since last year. Her mom said she used to have fainting spells almost every month.” Sonobot replied.

Boboiboy gave a deep sigh, “Then it happened because she did a huge explosive attack. I could’ve stopped her, or I should’ve known about her condition.”

“Aiya Boboiboy, it’s not your fault,” Fang said, lightly patting his shoulder. “We just have to teach Lia how she can use her powers without draining herself. We can’t have another incident like that again, she might be forced to withdraw from TAPOPS.”

Boboiboy just nodded, he was still worried for her. The moment he saw Lia being treated in the medical bay pained him. She looked so vulnerable, and this made him want to protect her even more.

Ochobot noticed how Boboiboy was feeling down ever since what happened to Lia. He witnessed how Boboiboy treats the other members, and he was sure that he treats Lia differently. There were times some of them get injured because of the mission; when Gopal broke his arm because he fell from a tree, Yaya getting scratches from a creature in a planet, Ying spraining her ankle from tripping, Leizel passing out from too much energy use, Fang suddenly vomiting because of the nausea of the planet’s weather. Of course, as a leader, he got worried for them.

But with Lia, it’s on a whole different level. Lia was out for almost 8 hours, and Boboiboy couldn’t help himself from going back and forth to the medical bay, just to check on her.

All of a sudden, Ying arrived. “Guys, she’s awake!”

Her announcement made them all rush to the medical bay, and when they got there, they saw Lia, who was already sitting up, smiling softly. “Surprise?”

Leizel dashed to her and tackled her with a hug, “Thank goodness you’re awake! We thought you’ll be waking up tomorrow since you were heavily passed out earlier.”

“Sorry for that. It happens quite a lot.” Lia smiled sheepishly. Yaya crosses her arms, “Aiya. Don’t scare us like that again! We were about to bring you to an actual hospital!”

“Excuse her, she’s exaggerating. We weren’t about to bring you an actual hospital since we have this MedBay.” Ying spoke up, making Lia laugh.

Boboiboy slowly walked to Lia, who smiled at him. He didn’t say anything but he hugged her. She was surprised but she hugged him back.

Gopal smirked at what Boboiboy was doing, he chuckled. “My boy, doing what I did. He’s a grown-up.” He whispered to Yaya and Fang. “Don’t ruin it.” Yaya just replied, smiling at the two.

“You know, for a man like you who’s 2 years older than me, I didn’t know you were the worrying type of guy.” Lia joked, earning a laugh from the others. “Aiya, don’t make fun of me. I was really worried.” The leader pouted.

“I know, I was just kidding, I’m sorry.” Lia ruffled his cap, smiling. “I’ll be more careful next time. I probably won’t do that again, unless you want me to so I can keep your fangirls away.”

Her joke made everyone else erupt in laughter, especially Fang. “Then the fangirls won’t like him anymore, they’ll end up going to me and I’ll be more popular!” He didn’t get any replies from him, just their stares that meant second-hand embarrassment.

Fang rolled his eyes, “Hmph.”

All of a sudden, Tarung and KokoCi arrived, surprising everyone. Tarung was in his other personality since working hours are over. Team Boboiboy did the salute to greet them.

“I see you’re now awake. How are you feeling?” Tarung asked Lia. “I’m okay. I feel that I’ve recovered from the mission. I’m sorry for making you guys worry.” She slightly bows her head.

“No need to be sorry. Even heroes get tired, you know? You just have to manage it.” Tarung calmly replied. “That’s right. And well done to all of you for being able to retrieve the power sphere. However, the hunter escaped, am I right?” KokoCi said.

“Yeah. We’re don’t who they are and where did they come from. They just used the power sphere to attack us, which eventually was given to us. Then the hunter escaped.” Yaya replied.

“We tried to search on the hunter that you saw, however, there are no results, for some reason.” KokoCi said, sighing. “That’s odd, commander. You guys can usually tell who are we up against.” Boboiboy replied.

“Maybe this is just one of the amateur hunters, you know, like Adudu and Probe. Probably don’t know what they’re up to with the power sphere.” Fang suggested. “I just remembered something. The hunter left a message for Lia.” Ying spoke up.

“Wow, talk about leaving messages.” Gopal remarked, Ying just sighed. “She said that deep down, she’s very shallow. I don’t know what does it mean though.”

Lia suddenly went quiet, she started thinking about the message. Deep inside, I’m shallow? Like I’m not a deep person? What?

“We’ll worry about the hunter later, for now, congratulations on obtaining the power sphere!” Tarung congratulated, making everyone erupt in a round of applause, and some hoots and whoops. “AnimalBot is already in the vault and surely, it will be safe there.”

KokoCi nodded, grinning, “Also, I have another announcement. As of now, we’re all cleared in terms of missions. I will still be requiring you guys to stay until the end of this week so we can monitor some things, in case there will be an emergency mission. After the end of this week, you guys will be taking a break.”

“YAY!!!”

---

5 days later...

The van that TAPOPS used to send the gang home, has already arrived in front of Tok Aba’s shop. One by one, everyone gets out and to their surprise, their parents are waiting for them. Tok Aba for Boboiboy, Mr. Kumar for Gopal, Nathalia for Lia, Mrs. Wawa for Yaya, and Aunty Yang for Ying.

They all went to their parents to give them greetings, hugs, and kisses.

“I don’t know why I don’t miss you this much, probably because your station is just here on Earth.” Tok Aba remarked, hugging his grandson. “Aiya atok, I miss you every day and this is what I get from you?” Boboiboy sighed, making Tok Aba laugh.

Mrs. Wawa and Aunty Yang are doing their typical rivalry conversation as they leave the cocoa shop. Nathalia, on the other hand, kisses Lia on her forehead then checks her from top to bottom. “Don’t you have work today, mama?”

“No, I went for a day off because I had to run some errands. And hey, you’re not hurt, right?”

“Not really,” Lia replied. However, when Sonobot went to them, she whispered to Nathalia about what happened to Lia. The mom looked at her and furrowed her eyebrows, “We’ll talk later at the house.”

Lia sheepishly smiled, “Okay.” She noticed Fang and Leizel were just watching all of them. She saw the sadness in their eyes, so she went to them. “Hey, if you guys aren’t busy, you can head to my place for some killing time.”

Leizel smiled at how thoughtful Lia was. “Thank you. But it’s okay, you might be busy since you’ll be going back to school in a few days.”

“No, not really. I’ll just be doing some school work but you guys won’t be a burden.” Lia replied, then she held both Leizel and Fang’s hands. “I insist. Please. It’s kind of boring at the house.” She pouted, making the two laugh.

“Alright. But hey, shouldn’t Boboiboy come with us?” Fang said, as he turned to see Boboiboy, who was already doing his chores at the shop. “I mean, it would be great to go to Lia’s house, right?!” He made his voice louder for Boboiboy to hear.

Lia and Leizel both laughed at his action, then Boboiboy turned to Fang, hearing what he said. “What? You guys are going to her house?”

Leizel giggled, “Goodness! He really heard it. You have very sharp ears!” Lia smiled, “And yeah, they are. Would you like to come? You can go after you do your work.”

Boboiboy nodded, “Yeah, I’d love to. I’ll follow you guys. I’ll be there after this.”

Lia brought Fang and Leizel to their house. They were surprised at how it looks.

“Feel at home. I’ll be preparing some snacks. What do you guys want?” Nathalia asked them. “Uhm, anything would do, Mrs. de Vera.” Leizel replied.

“Instant mi goreng noodles would do.” Fang nonchalantly replied, earning a look from Leizel. “Aish, don’t ask too much!”

Nathalia chuckled, “It’s okay. And do call me Aunty, will you? Mrs. sounds so old. And yes, instant noodles for you, Fang. Would you guys like the same one?” She turned to Leizel and Lia. They both nodded.

Nathalia went on to the kitchen with Sonobot helping her.

Lia led them to her room. “So, this is my room. Nothing much though.” Her room was neat. The walls were painted Lavender. Her room had a bed, a study desk, a vanity desk, and some shelves that were on the wall.

Leizel was amazed, she instantly went inside and roamed around, much to Fang’s enjoyment. Lia chuckled as she sat on a study chair, “Feel free to see everything. I’ll just be checking my notes for school.”

Fang observed everything that Lia has in her room. His eyes went to a shelf wherein there were picture frames. He looked at every frame as there were pictures of Lia: kindergarten and junior high school moving up ceremony, elementary graduation, her with her group of friends, and when she visited a temple during her trip to South Korea.

Another picture frame caught his eyes; the family picture. He noticed that there were two older men, which are her brothers. There was Lia, herself, and her mom. He saw another man there, who looks older than all of them. He widened up his eyes. Why does it look like I’ve seen him before?

He turned around and saw Lia, who was still on her study desk, reviewing her notes. Then he saw Leizel, just sitting at her vanity desk observed the things that were there. He sighed as he just disregards what he saw.

Minutes later, someone was knocking on the door. “Come in!” Instead of Nathalia entering, it was Boboiboy, holding a tray of cooked instant mi goreng. Leizel raised her eyebrows, “Okay aunty, since when did you become Boboiboy?” 

Boboiboy sighed, “Aiya. It’s me!” Fang laughed, “Wow aunty, I can’t believe you can shapeshift into other people now.” Lia joined them, “Mom... What happened to you? You look like Boboiboy!” She fake cried, much to Boboiboy rolling his eyes.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” He placed down the tray on a small table that was beside Lia’s study desk. Leizel and Fang both rushed to the table and got their food, so did Lia. Then they both munched on their food.

“You’re not going to eat?” Lia asked. Boboiboy shook his head, “No, I’m quite full. Thank you though.” Then he asked her, “How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?”

“From the battle?” She replied. “Well, yeah. I’ve recovered already. Although, I think mom’s going to give me another lecture about it.” She sighed.

Leizel flicked her forehead, making her moan in pain. “We really have similarities. You should bring energy bars like me; I take them whenever I get tired from my powers.”

“You mean Fang brings your energy bars.” Boboiboy corrected, smirking. Leizel returned a glare, “Whatever you say, Mr. leader.”

All of a sudden, Leizel’s power watch was ringing which made her stop eating. “I’m going to take this. Excuse me.” Lia nodded, then Leizel went out of the room.

Boboiboy shifted over to Lia’s bed, he asked permission if he could sit at the edge of her bed so he could be closer to her. He was allowed to do so.

“Uhm, Fang.” Lia called, earning his attention. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this if you don’t mind.” The shadow boy raised his eyebrow, “Okay. What is it?” Before asking, Lia looked over at the door, then she looked back at Fang. “Is there something between you and Leizel?”

Her question made Fang choke on his food, alarming Boboiboy and Lia. Lia was about to go and help him, but he raised his hand to halt her. He was able to recover from the choking, as he kept on clearing his throat. Then he drank water.

“Sheesh, who knew such a question would make you choke?” Boboiboy remarked. Fang glared at him, “Whatever. And to answer your question, Lia. Uhm… Well, it’s quite complicated.”

“Oooh.” Lia made her mouth go “:o”, Boboiboy laughed. Fang sighed, “Aish. Well, I do have these feelings for her, but it’s kind of complicated because it will hurt someone.”

“And that someone is Ying, right?”

Fang nodded, then he explained to Lia about how things happened. It turns out, Fang used to secretly like Ying back then, but they were too young and oblivious to know such a thing. When they started at TAPOPS, that’s where Fang’s feelings began to fade since he doesn’t get to talk to her, plus there was a time Ying seemed distant to him.

He explained that when Leizel came, he felt she was the only one who really understood what he went through in his early years. They both shared the same feeling of having to train at a young age.

“Does Ying know you like Leizel? And does Leizel know Ying likes you? And does Leizel know you like her?” Lia asked, making Fang groan. “Talk about your questions, huh. But I don’t know if Ying knows that I like Leizel, and Leizel doesn’t know as well that I like her.”

“They have tension with each other. I’ve noticed it back then. Maybe Ying sees that both of you like each other.” Boboiboy said. Lia gave him a soft smile, “But hey, despite the tension, I don’t think you should hold yourself back from Leizel. She’s an awesome person, and I’m glad to know that she helped you become a better person.”

Boboiboy nodded, “Yeah. And about Ying, you should clear things out with her. In that way, she and Leizel can start clearing things out with themselves. It’s kind of sad seeing both of them like this.”

Fang lowered his head, feeling guilty. “I know. I’m really guilty about it, the two had a great start in their friendship then this happened.”

“It’s not your fault, things just happen all of a sudden, you know?” Lia comforted him. “I’m sure things between them will settle eventually. You guys got this.” She gave a small smile.

After more exchanges between the three of them, Leizel went back. “Phew. Wow, I didn’t realize I was out for that long. Sorry for that.” She proceeded in finishing the noodles, unaware that she was the topic of the conversation earlier.

“No problem. Is everything okay?” Boboiboy asked. “Yeah, it was just Kaizo. He informed me about my training with him. We were supposed to head back next week, but he postponed it, until further notice.” Leizel nonchalantly replied.

“Is he okay? And why didn’t he call me?” Fang grunted as he asked. Leizel giggled, “He feels that I’m the younger sibling, not you.” She joked. “Just kidding, but he will call you later. Just wait for it.”

Boboiboy found himself staring at Lia, who was drinking water. Her ivory skin tone matches with her chestnut brown hair, which was shoulder length. She was wearing a light pink crew neck t-shirt paired with black trousers. He got so lost in staring at her to the point he didn’t hear Fang calling for him.

“Oi, Boboiboy!” He was snapped back to reality with Fang smacking his head, causing him to yelp in pain. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“You weren’t listening.” Fang replied, wiggling his eyebrows while smirking. He knew Boboiboy was staring at Lia, that’s why he wasn’t listening. Leizel and Lia didn’t mind the two, they were already used to seeing them like that.

Leizel continued talking, “As I was saying, Kaizo told me that TAPOPS found information about the hunter we encountered. Although, it’s not that much. All they know is that hunter belonged to an organization that is still unknown, as of now.”

“Organization? Like the Tengkotak Gang?” Boboiboy asked. Leizel nodded, “Yeah. They also said that it’s hard tracking them down, it will take months to know more about it.”

Lia sighed, “Looks like we just have to wait and see what’s going to happen. We’ll stay prepared then.”

Everyone else agreed with her.

She heard a sound from her phone, meaning there was a notification. She picked it up and saw the notification. It was a message, a message that made her speechless.

From: AA Dad

Hello, Anak ko. Sorry for the late reply, was caught up with work. And I miss you too. I’ll be going home quite soon.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 12: Just a normal day. 

It has been 4 months ever since the last mission happened. A lot of things have happened, and mostly they were good for Lia. She was able to celebrate her 15^th birthday with her new friends- team Boboiboy, and even KokoCi and Tarung. She has grown closer to her new friends, and she felt happy.

Despite her father’s absence, she grew closer to her mom as they are the ones together in the house. Lia also became close with her power sphere, Sonobot, and was able to train harder to enhance and utilize her powers.

It was a school day today, and currently, it’s 6:30 AM. Lia was already in her school uniform, which consists of the white long-sleeved school blouse that has the school's logo on the left side, with a dark navy-blue necktie. She wears the school skirt, which is pleated, knee-length, and has the same color as the necktie and a black belt. (She tucks in the blouse to make it look neat)

To complete the look, she wears a pair of white socks that covers her ankles, together with black May Jane shoes that have 2-inch heels. Her hair was just let down as she has a blue metal hairclip, pinned at each side of her hair that would enhance her look.

She was at the cocoa shop, waiting for Leizel to arrive so they can go to school together.

Leizel was originally one batch higher than Lia, in short, she was in the same batch as the rest of team Boboiboy. However, she was pulled off school because of the urgency to train in space, as it’s her requirement to Kaizo. Now that she’s back, she’s currently repeating the year.

Tok Aba, together with Ochobot, are the ones managing the shop since Boboiboy had classes too, at his post-secondary education.

“He went to school already?” Lia asked in disbelief. “Yeah, unfortunately, he has a 7 AM class. You know him, he can get late because of waking up late, he has to avoid that since it’s already post-secondary.” Ochobot replied.

Lia nodded, as Tok Aba served her hot chocolate. “Thank you, granddad.” Her reply made the elder furrowed his eyebrows, “Oi. What did I tell you before?”

“Ah, uhm. Thank you, atok. Hehehe. Sorry.” Lia smiled sheepishly, making Tok Aba grin. “Haah! That’s right.”

All of a sudden, Leizel arrived. “I have arrived!” She exaggerated, just earning a sigh from Lia. “It’s about time. What took you so long?”

“I had to pour a bucket of ice water just to wake her up.” Fang, who suddenly appeared in front of Lia, replied, much to her surprise. “Since when did you get here?!”

“Just now?” His reply made Lia groan.

Leizel sat down beside Lia, then she ordered the shop’s special hot chocolate. She shares the same look with Lia, the differences were: instead of a long-sleeved blouse, she wears a short-sleeved one; her socks were black knee-high ones and black Mary Jane shoes don’t have any heels. Her hairstyle was half up, half down, with a white ribbon tied onto her hair to make it neat.

“Eh, why do you guys don’t have the same length of sleeves? I thought the standard was the short-sleeved one.” Fang asked.

“We’ve been friends for months and you just saw our uniforms like this?” Lia replied. “Sheesh, looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Fang remarked, making Leizel laugh. “Well, she’s right though. I guess you haven’t seen the uniforms yet since you guys left the school last year.”

Fang slightly raised both palms, “Aish. It’s not my fault. Whenever I see you, it’s either you’re in a casual outfit or your hero outfit.”

“Yeah, you’re right. My bad.” Lia replied, doing a peace sign. “Oh, and to answer your question, in upper secondary, we’re now allowed to pick what we want. They implemented that rule this school year only. And to my annoyance, my mom forced me to wear the long-sleeved blouse because she kept on insisting that it would look better on me.”

Fang and Leizel laughed at her, even Tok Aba and Ochobot. They found her cute when she was ranting about her school blouse.

After consuming their orders, Lia and Leizel went to school.

Fang finished his drink, then he went back to the haunted house. As he arrived there, he projected a holographic photo of Lia’s family picture. His eyes went to her father. He sighed then he contacts someone by sending a message:

Go to the house after your class.

Around 2:30 PM, Boboiboy arrived at Fang’s haunted house. He seemed tired, but when he got the message, he opted to go because it sounded urgent.

“Wow, you look terrible.” Boboiboy sighed at what Fang said. “Aish, I slept late last night because I had to study for this test, which took only 1 hour. After that we had a 3-hour class in Chemistry and a 2-hour class in Biology.” He gave a slight yawn.

Fang always respected how Boboiboy was as a person. They didn’t go along at first, but as time passes by, he knew he could count on him as a friend. Boboiboy isn’t just a hero, he is also a student who has dreams. The fact he still manages to study hard despite the tedious missions, it increased Fang’s respect.

Not only Boboiboy, but even the others. Gopal was busy with his diploma in Culinary Arts, which to be honest, everyone else wasn’t surprised anymore since he loves food and can make meals. Yaya was with her diploma in Business, which to everyone else’s surprise since they thought Yaya will be taking up Culinary Arts, for her love of making meals. Oh well. Yaya could use her learnings to put up a food business. Ying was in Computer Science & IT, which again, didn’t surprise everyone else for she is very technical, especially in computers.

Fang, on the other hand, was taking up a diploma in Aircraft Maintenance. And again, no one was surprised because they knew how he was knowledgeable about those things. He is a humanoid and has been into spaceships countless times. He even has experience in properly maintaining a spaceship, and repairing its different parts.

He never pictured himself pursuing a life on Earth because he grew up in space, and he is a humanoid, to be exact. But ever since he has entered Earth, he found a home.

“You can head back after this; I just have to discuss something.” Boboiboy groaned in return, making Fang roll his eyes. “Sheesh, don’t worry. It’s not Chemistry, you idiot.”

“Okay then, tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s about Lia’s dad. I know this conversation has been going on for months, but I just feel weird whenever I think about it. Her dad looks familiar to me.” Fang started. “And I feel that I’ve seen him somewhere, I just don’t know where. But for some unknown reason, I feel skeptical about this.”

“So, what are you saying? That her dad is a criminal? Fang, you haven’t even met the person yet.” Boboiboy responded, furrowing his eyebrows. “And it’s kind of unfair for Lia that we’re having this conversation. We’re suspecting her dad who just hasn’t been present lately because of work.”

“Aren’t you curious about what’s his work that will explain the reason of his absence?” Fang asked again. “I did ask. Lia said that his work involves him going to different countries. What else do you want me to do? Ask her mom? I don’t want to be invasive, that’s their family privacy.”

“You weren’t like that when the others suspected Leizel.” Fang commented. “You insisted back then that Leizel was a power sphere hunter.”

“Correction, her parents, well adoptive parents.” Boboiboy defended himself. “And I was right. What’s worse is she knew about it and didn’t tell us. That’s even worse than not knowing what’s up with your parents.”

Fang grunted, “Okay, fine. That’s her fault, and she admitted it. But what if it goes the same for Lia?”

“Ochobot secretly did lie detector tests on her every time we talked about it. And I honestly feel guilty about that, because we’re accusing someone who doesn’t even know a thing about that.” Boboiboy retorted, taking Fang aback.

Fang was thinking if he should speak more, but he realized that Boboiboy was right. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions this fast. It was wrong of him to accuse Lia of such a thing. Besides, if Lia was a hunter, why was she so determined to get Sonobot back from Adudu? She had to fight off Ying just to rescue the power sphere. And why was she hardworking when it came to the TAPOPS mission?

“I’ll be going. I need to help atok with the shop.” Boboiboy stated, then he walked away. Before leaving for good, he turned around to Fang and said, “I hope we’re clear regarding this conversation. Message me if you have an actual topic to talk about, that doesn’t involve Lia and her family.”

He left Fang, who was shocked.

Boboiboy was walking back to the cocoa shop; he has a lot in mind right now. He remembered how they all find out that Leizel’s adoptive mother and brother were affiliated with Retak'ka. They assisted the alien in locating him, thus creating an intense battle, which damaged the TAPOPS station, and almost ended him.

What’s worse was, Leizel knew that it was going to happen; she told them herself. He remembered how furious he was because it brought danger to them. In the end, when Retak’ka was defeated, her adoptive mother and brother both went to jail.

That also explains why Leizel left with Kaizo. Other than Kaizo wanting her to train with him to enhance her powers, she also left because she knew everyone else on the team was hurt by what happened.

But it has been 2 years, for the sake of the team and as a leader, he knew he had to let that pass. Besides, she helped in defeating them.

“If your thoughts are waves, you’d probably be drowning already.”

He turned around to see Lia, who was way behind him. She waved and head towards him. He managed to put up a smile as he saw her. “What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“Same question. What are you doing here?” Boboiboy laughed at her, “I just came from Fang’s place. I’m heading back to the shop.”

“Oh, the creepy house?” He once again erupted into laughter, “I’m glad you knew that.” Then they both walked together, heading back to the shop.

“So, uhm... How’s school?” Lia sighed, “Fine, I guess. Just the usual. Discussions, formative assessments, summative assessments, and some activities.” Boboiboy nodded, “Lucky you. I had 3 hours in Chemistry and 2 hours in Biology.” Lia gave a small chuckle, “That’s okay. That’s pre-university for you. You got this.”

“I kind of miss Rintis school, gosh, I wish I was there again and not into some kind of Science degree that has a 2-3- hour class in one subject.” Lia nodded at his statement, “Maybe when you have free time, you can go back. Think of the fangirls swarming you.”

“Aish. I’m not looking forward to that.” Boboiboy groaned, making Lia giggle. “Boboiboy! OMG Boboiboy! Notice me, please!” She mimicked his fangirls, much to his annoyance.

“By the way, where’s Leizel? Shouldn’t you guys be together?” Boboiboy asked. Lia shrugged, “She said she had an important matter to attend to. So I went alone.”  

Once the two arrived at the cocoa shop, there were a lot of customers there; to the extent that Tok Aba brought out additional tables to be occupied by the customers.

“We’re going to be drained today.” Boboiboy remarked, sighing. “If you need assistance in serving the orders, I can help.” Lia offered.

“What? Hey, no, it’s alright. You might have some things to do.” Lia shook her head, “Well, I have homework in 2 subjects and I need to study for a quiz tomorrow. But it’s okay, I can render 30 minutes, or even 1 hour. 1-hour maximum. It’s the least thing I could do.”

“You sure? I’m not forcing you okay.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Lia proceeded in helping Boboiboy, Ochobot, and Tok Aba with the shop. She doesn’t have experience in preparing the orders, so all she did was serve them and took down the orders.

As some of the customers leave after consuming their order, new ones arrive. Lia took a look at her watch, it was already 3:10 PM. Maybe she can stay a bit longer, she will feel guilty if she leaves them like this.

“You know, you can go if you want to. I don’t mind. You have to do your studies.” Boboiboy told Lia, who was already at the counter. “But what about you guys? I don’t want to leave you guys alone with this. They’re a lot.”

“Aiya, it’s okay, we can handle it,” Boboiboy reassured, grinning. “We’re kind off used to this already. Atok actually likes this because it brings in more profit.”

Out of the blue, they heard someone calling out for them. “Uhm, excuse me. I would like to place an order.”

“Oh shoot.” Lia panicked, as she turned around. She saw a man from afar, seated on the table, waving to her. She took her notepad and pen then went to the customer, “Good day, sir. What would you like to order?”

The man was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. She couldn’t see more about the person, but she didn’t mind. It was sunny today so she understood the need for sun protection.

“I would like some iced chocolate, 3 pieces of Boboiboy’s Chocolate biscuit, and...” The man took off his sunglasses then continued, “It would be a delight that my daughter would be serving these orders.”

Lia was taken aback. “Dad?”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 13: Reunion

“I would like some iced chocolate, 3 pieces of Boboiboy’s Chocolate biscuit, and...” The man took off his sunglasses then continued, “It would be a delight that my daughter would be serving these orders.”

Lia was taken aback. “Dad?”

It was Andres, her dad.

The girl was speechless, to the point she just froze. She even dropped the notepad and pen. Boboiboy widened up his eyes as he saw what’s happening, he was about to rush to her but Tok Aba stopped him.

“It might be a family matter. Don’t interfere.” Boboiboy nodded, then he continued with the preparation.

Tears were forming in her eyes, as her dad stands before her. It’s been 5 months since they last saw each other. He widened up his arms, gesturing for a hug. She rushed to him and gave him a hug, then she cried.

“W-What happened to you? Why haven’t you communicated with us for the past few months?” She cried; tears were continuously streaming down on her face. “Sorry love, I’ve been so caught up with work that I even forgot to call you. No worries, I’m already here, at least for the next few months.”

“That’s amazing.” Lia pulled away from the hug, wiping her tears. She gave a warm smile, “It’s great to have you back. Wait, does mom know?” Andres nodded, “I’ve already met up with her while you were at school. She told me you stay here after school so I decided to come here and surprise you, looks like it worked.”

She chuckled, “Yeah, it really did.” Then she picked up the notepad and pen then wrote down his order. She made sure she took note of the right ones. “Oh, add another iced chocolate for you. It would also be a delight that I get to hang out with my daughter.”

“Right on it!” Lia dashed to the counter and gave the notepad to Ochobot, who handed it to Boboiboy afterward. “I’ll have these served. You go there and bond with your dad.” Lia smiled at what he said, “Thank you, Boboi!”

Then she went back to her dad.

Boboiboy saw how happy Lia was as she was now talking to her dad. As the two converses with each other, he couldn’t help but smile. He stole a glance at her before continuing in his work.

As Lia was talking about what has happened while he was gone, Andres kept on stealing glances at Ochobot. He observed how he moved, how he talked with Boboiboy. Once his eyes were on Boboiboy, he quickly placed it back on Lia’s, who was just grinning while talking.

He didn’t realize that his mind has been drifted away, not until when Boboiboy was there, holding the tray of orders. “Here are your orders, sir.” He mentioned the names as he placed them down on the table, one by one.

Andres took out his wallet and paid him, “Thank you. And thank you as well for welcoming my little girl. She was worried that she wouldn’t make any friends, but I see that you’re already a friend of her.”

Boboiboy nodded, then he smiled. “It’s great to be her friend.” Lia smiled at his remark, then sipped on her ice chocolate. “Oh, by the way, he’s Boboiboy. The others that I’ve mentioned are not here yet, maybe next time when you go back here, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Andres nodded, smiling. Then, he cleared his throat then turned to Boboiboy, “Oh, and thank you for keeping her safe. I’ve heard you saved her from some robbers, right? I commend you for that. You know the world nowadays; you can never be too safe.”

“Ah, yeah. You’re always welcome. Well, it’s part of my duty as Earth’s defender.” Then he went back to the counter to prepare for more orders.

“Hey dad, since you’re back, I have a question.” Lia took a sip from her ice chocolate then continues. “It’s about Sonobot. Did you know that she’s a power sphere?”

“Uhm, no.” He replied nonchalantly. “I thought it was just a regular robot. When she was given to me, the giver said that it’s for me to have a robotic assistant, but I didn’t need her so I just gave it to you.”

He continued talking, “Why? Did she give you powers?”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Lia asked in confusion. “Uhm, well you said she’s a power sphere. So I guess that’s what she does, she gives powers, that’s why she’s a power sphere.” The dad replied nonchalantly.

Lia nodded slowly, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that some people have been asking me about it and I just tell them that you were the one who gave it to me, not knowing it was a power sphere. But hey, who gave you Sonobot?”

“Aish, little miss. You ask too much.” Andres sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes are closed. Lia kept quiet. Is he mad at me?

“The less you know, the more peace of mind you get, wouldn’t you want that? I’m sure it was overwhelming for you to know that you have powers, right?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry dad.” Andres just gave a smile, “No worries. Now drink up.”

It was now 10:30 in the evening; Lia was at her study desk, studying for her quiz tomorrow. She had just finished doing her assignment in Mathematics and Science, which she had dealt with for the past 3 hours. Now, she was studying the Malay Language.

“La sangat sukar.” She muttered, then sighed in frustration. (It is very difficult).

Even though it has been 5 months, Lia still struggles with some of her academic work. The curriculum is different than the one she was used to, and some of the subjects she’s taking are new to her as well. She’s passing the class, yes. But in order to pass, she stays up late just to get things done.

All of a sudden, her power watch started ringing, making her groan. She wasn’t supposed to answer it because she was busy studying, but it kept on ringing so she answered it. Once she did, a hologram of KokoCi appeared, surprising her.

“Commander?”

“Oh, Lia! You’re still up! And what are you doing?”

She was about to reply, but holograms of the rest started appearing. Boboiboy, Fang, Gopal, Yaya, Ying, and Leizel.

“Aish, commander. Do you know how late it is?” Gopal yawned. He was in his sleepwear and judging by his looks, it seems like he woke up because of the call. “At least you were sleeping. I’m still studying.” Lia mumbled, hoping no one would hear her.

“What is it, commander? Is there something wrong?” Leizel asked.

“We have an update regarding the hunter you’ve encountered months ago.” His announcement made everyone else shocked. He continued, “According to our findings, her name is Aisha.” A holographic photo of the hunter was projected, she was still wearing the mask.

“Aisha belongs to Orangpina Jahat Inc., it’s an organization led by humanoids in the galaxy.”

“Do you have information about the organization? Who exactly leads it?” Lia asked.

All of a sudden, someone was knocking on her door. “Illana Rei! We’ve been calling you countless times already! Open the door please.” It was her dad.

Being startled, Lia hangs up in the call then rushes to open the door, revealing her dad. “Uh, dad! I didn’t know you guys have been calling, my bad.” She lets him enter, then he observes her room. His eyes went to her desk, full of books and papers.

“You’re still studying?” Lia sighed, “Unfortunately, yes. I just had difficult homework, and now I’m studying for a quiz tomorrow.” 

“You should head to sleep right after that. Your brain will have a hard time functioning when you lack sleep.” Lia nodded, then she kisses the cheek of her dad. Andres placed a kiss on her forehead, then said goodnight.

Once he left the room, Lia shuts the door and locks it. She immediately went back to her desk and went back to the call. The holograms reappear.

“Oh good, Illana Rei is back.” Yaya teased. “What happened back there? You look startled.” Fang asked. Lia scratched her nape in awkwardness, “It was just my dad. Nothing much happened.”

KokoCi nodded, then continued talking. “As I was saying, we don’t have any idea on who exactly is part of Orangpina Jahat Inc., only Aisha here is known to be part of that organization.”

“How did you know she came from there if you don’t know the rest of the members?” Leizel asked. Ying groaned, “Aiya. He’s doing his best. Discovering members isn’t easy. Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“I was just asking.” Leizel replied with a scowl on her face. Yaya sighed, “They’re at it again.”

“Enough!” KokoCi yelled. “I called all of you to disseminate this information, and also to warn you guys about them. We don’t know the exact people in this organization, and most of them are humanoids. You guys have to be safe when you go with people. You’ll never know that maybe they’re a spy.”

“We’ll keep you updated. This is all for tonight.”

The Next Day

The Malay Language was the last subject of the day, and their agenda was the quiz. Since it’s dismissal time, the teacher allowed some students, who weren’t finished, to extend their time for 15 minutes.

Leizel was outside the classroom, waiting for Lia to finish the quiz. 5 minutes later, Lia went out of the classroom. “Hey, how was it for you?”

“Average, I guess. I didn’t really have a hard time. Although there were tricky parts.” Lia sighed, as they began to walk out of the school. “Same, I honestly feel that I will get a low score here. I kind of left some items unanswered.”

Lia lightly pats Leizel’s back, then pulling her close with one arm. “That’s okay. We’ll study hard for the next one, okay?” Then they both did a fist pump, “Here’s to surviving the Malay Language, hopefully.” Leizel said.

Once they left the school gate, they both stopped because... Boboiboy and Fang were right in front of it, they were both smiling at them.

“There are they!” Boboiboy said, waving to the two of them. They both went to girls who were just standing because they were surprised. “Eh? Why aren’t you guys moving?” Fang asked in confusion.

“Uhm. What are you guys doing here?” Lia asked. “Picking you up, what else?” Boboiboy replied grinning. Leizel looked at the two men, raising her eyebrow. “Ah, I see what you two are doing. Lia, they’re going to ask us to do something. Don’t fall for that!”

“Aiya! It’s not like that.” Fang scowled. “The rest of the gang are at the shop and you two are the missing ones. We decided to pick you guys up because…”

“Because what?” Lia raised her eyebrow. “Because I miss you and Fang misses Leizel.” Boboiboy realized what he just blurted out, so he followed up by saying, “I mean.. we, as the team, miss you. And Leizel too.”

Lia and Leizel looked at each other, then...

“We just told you that we missed you, and now you’re making us carry your bags!” Fang exclaimed. With Boboiboy, they were carrying the things of Lia and Leizel, who were just walking.

“We’re tired. We did a lot of things today, so our body is kind of weak to carry out stuff.” Leizel replied playfully. Lia laughed, “Go boys!”

Boboiboy just gave a smile, much to Fang’s annoyance. “Sheesh, and now you’re smiling too?!”

“Her bag is not that heavy; I’d carry it all day.” His comment made Lia widen up her eyes. Leizel heard it too, she nudged Lia and leaned over her to whisper, “See. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Leizel, what’s in your bag? Rocks?” Leizel laughed, “Maybe more than rocks.”

They all arrived at the cocoa shop, Ying and Yaya were doing some work on their laptops, while Gopal was talking to them about something while drinking ice chocolate. Ochobot was the one who noticed them, “They’re here!”

When they saw both Boboiboy and Fang, they laughed. “Looks like you guys became servants!” Gopal hollered. Ying took out her phone and took some pictures of them. Yaya kept on teasing how ridiculous they looked.

Fang rolled his eyes, placing down Leizel’s things on a vacant chair. Boboiboy does the same.

“Ochobot, we’ll get the usual.” Leizel ordered.

Lia went to Ying and Yaya and peaked at what they were doing, “Woah. Looks like you guys have a lot of requirements.”

“I know right.” Yaya sighed, as she continued to type in her laptop. “You got this! Woo! Fighting!” Lia slightly raises her fists and grins at them. The two chuckled and imitated her.

Boboiboy proceeds in the shop to help Ochobot make the orders. Lia, Leizel, Fang, and Gopal just talked about some things, leaving Ying and Yaya, who were both busy with their requirements.

He finds himself staring at Lia again, he doesn’t know why but he couldn’t help it. He observed every action of hers; the way she chuckles, wiggles her eyebrows, scrunches up her face, and everything else.

“You might melt if you keep on staring at her.” He suddenly heard Yaya. He turned to her and saw her smirking at him, so does Ying. “It’s not just her. I was also staring at the others.”

“So you admit that you were staring at her?” Boboiboy sighed at Yaya’s comment. She was right, and it was just her, Lia. Ying giggled, “Because of that, another order of ice chocolate please!”

The orders were served, each and one of them converse with one another. They shared laughs and giggles. “And he was 145 cm 3 years ago! Now look at him, he’s already 176 cm! He’s just 17!” Gopal said.

“You were that short before?!” Lia exclaimed in disbelief. “Yeah, he was really short. We used to have the same height. And now, he’s taller than most of us!” Ying replied.

“I’m sorry, but how did that happen? He went from 145 to 176 in a span of three years! Isn’t that impossible? Or maybe I’m not used to knowing it.” Lia said. Fang chuckled, “Maybe you’re not used to it.”

Gopal leaned over to Lia and whispered something in her ear. “Puberty hit him that late, then a sudden growth spurt happened.” Then he began to explain things about what Boboiboy did to help increase his height. The things Gopal was telling her surprised her, it was kind of awkward knowing them. 

“Hey, I know what you’re going to tell her! Aish Gopal! Stop that!” Boboiboy yelled, rushing to them then pulled Gopal out. Lia laughed, “It's okay. Besides, it happens.”

Boboiboy scratches his nape in awkwardness, as the others were still laughing.

“Hehe! I’m the tallest here.” Gopal proclaimed, earning groans from both Boboiboy and Fang. “Well, the difference between the three of you isn’t that big. But yeah, it looks like Gopal’s the tallest here.” Yaya replied.

“At least I’m not the shortest now.” Leizel smirked, then turned to Lia.

It’s true, Lia was the shortest. Although the height difference between her and Leizel wasn’t that huge, it was obvious. She is 155 cm after all.

Amidst the laughing session, Fang’s power watch rang. He answered it immediately projecting Kaizo’s hologram. “Pang, there’s a sudden attack at the new TAPOPS station.” His announcement surprised everybody.

“Commander and admiral went out to check the new station in space, then all of a sudden they were attacked. KokoCi was able to send out a distress signal to me, I tried contacting them but there’s no reply.”

“Who could’ve initiated the attack?” Yaya wondered. “There’s no time to think about that. We have to go to space.” Fang replied. “But how are we going there? We usually use the TAPOPS spaceship, which is used by the commander.” Gopal said.

Kaizo gave them a stern look, signifying what the answer was.

Lia got the answer, “Aish Gopal, who else? Him, of course.” She pointed to Kaizo.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? We have a station to save.” Boboiboy announced, making everyone else agree with him.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 14: Attack on TAPOPS station

Within 5 minutes, Kaizo’s spaceship has arrived at Tok Aba’s shop then took the gang in. Lia and Leizel were already in their battle outfit. The two power spheres, Ochobot and Sonobot, joined them as well. After that, it departed to TAPOPS station.

Everyone was seated in their seats as the ship left Earth. Lia was staring at the window; she couldn’t believe that she was currently in outer space.

“It’s your first time, isn’t it?” Kaizo all of a sudden spoke to Lia which startled her. “Yeah, I’m kind of nervous. I have a fear in flying in airplanes actually.” She scratches her nape in awkwardness.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe here. And I certainly hope you won’t vomit in my ship.” Everyone else, including Lia, erupted in laughter.

Kaizo accelerated the speed of his ship, then the next thing that they knew, they have arrived at the newly built spaceship of TAPOPS. The exterior design is as big as the previous one, but it is bigger.

The whole gang were in awe. “This is the new station?” Yaya asked, as she got off her seat and went to the window. The other girls followed her and observed the view from the inside.

“Woah! I really hope that our rooms here will be better than the ones we have on Earth.” Gopal exclaimed. Kaizo sighed, “Worry about commander and admiral first. We have a long way to go.”

The spaceship was parked in a parking area, which was inside the station. Everyone hopped off the ship and went inside the station. It was a good thing Kaizo has an access to one of its secret entrances.

Inside the station was dark and quiet. The lights were dimmed, and the area was a mess.

“It seems that they already attacked this place.” Boboiboy stated. “Do you have an idea on who could be responsible for this?” Leizel asked Kaizo. “I don’t know, but the enemy looks strong. Even the communication lines were cut off.” He sighed.

“We have to find them first. Lia, can you use your power to locate them?” Yaya asked. Lia nodded, “Right on it.” Then she concentrates on her power by closing her eyes, she slowly lifts her arms, as she releases soundwaves.

The soundwaves travelled all the way to a room. However, when it contacts a telekinetic field, it caused an explosion which shocked Lia. “Aaah!” Her concentration was disrupted, as she fell on her knees, hands on her head.

“Hey, hey.” Boboiboy rushed to Lia and helped her up. Fang has his eyes widened up, “What just happened?”

“I couldn’t locate them. I think something blocked my soundwaves which caused the disruption.” Lia replied as she was rubbing her ears. “Be careful with your echolocation; there are still limitations when you do that.” Sonobot remarked.

Kaizo nodded, agreeing with Sonobot. “We have to split into groups. We don’t know who are we fighting, but our objective here is to find commander and admiral.” Then he started assigning the ones who will go together. The power spheres will go with Kaizo for extra safety.

“Pang, Boboiboy, and Gopal. Yaya and Ying. Leizel and Lia.” Kaizo announced. “We’ll keep in touch using the watches. Be careful out there.” The power spheres went to their respective owners – Boboiboy and Lia, to wish them a good luck before they all separated.

The room where Lia’s soundwaves reached was the TAPOPS’ jail station. There was a telekinetic forcefield that was all over the place which explains why the soundwaves were blocked. KokoCi and Tarung were on one cell, both of them were passed out. There was also an energy ring that was binding the two of them.

The big screen was on, displaying team Boboiboy who were split into groups. Someone was monitoring them. An evil chuckle was heard, “Seems like they’re ready to face something wicked.” The person holds red energy in their hands.

Back to team Boboiboy, they walked across the corridors. The boys were doing fine, however Gopal was a bit frightened since it’s a bit dark everywhere. Y&Y were checking on every room they encounter, to see if there are signs of the commander and admiral. The Filipina girls were heading to a place, which Leizel was leading them.

“You said that your soundwaves must have reached a room that’s far from here?” Leizel asked. “Yeah, I don’t know what kind of room. But I know it went that far.” Lia replied. “I think I know where that room is.” Lia started to walk faster as she follows Leizel’s lead.

Meanwhile, Yaya and Ying still haven’t gotten a sight of the commander and admiral. They both sighed in frustration as they stopped by the cafeteria. “Where else could they be? We almost looked into every room.” Yaya said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sat down.

Ying was about to reply, but she was cut off by a sound. “What was that?” She turned around, however there was nothing. Yaya heard the same sound, she stood up. All of a sudden, a group of robots rose from the ground, they had a red aura around them which made them pass through the floor.

They both gasped. Yaya was about to attack but Ying just pulled her out at the cafeteria and ran for their lives. As they were running across the hall, another pack of robots rose from the ground. The two turned around and saw another pack of robots.

The two looked at each other, then they sprang into action. The robots simultaneously let out laser beams which Ying stopped using her powers; not only that but also her whole environment has stopped. Yaya quickly took Ying away, and placed some of the robots that were in their place earlier. Once the countdown was over, the released laser beams attacked the robots that were standing on that place.

“That was a great idea!” Ying remarked, making Yaya grin.

Since there were still more robots, both of them decided to attack on their own. More laser beams were being released as Ying was now running to them. She kept on swerving to the left and right to avoid the lasers. As she was almost near, she gave a high jump and somersault to be able to kick those robots away.

For Yaya, she used her gravity power to capture all the robots. She projected a pink sphere that magnetically grabs more robots. Once it was done, “Ying!” Yaya propels the sphere towards her. Ying sped up to the thrown robots and kicks her way to it, creating a blast.

The dust was cleared off, broken parts of the robots was on the floor.

“We did great! Yay!” Yaya rejoiced, giving Ying a high five.

But it wasn’t long until more robots were summoned, alarming the two. “Aiya! Not again!” Ying whined. Yaya growled, “Don’t worry! We’ll put a stop to this!”

All of a sudden, someone appeared behind the two of them. But that person was so swift that even Yaya and Ying didn’t notice that there was someone behind them. The hands emit a red glow as it wiggles its fingers, releasing a mist-like form that floats into the head of Ying, in the form of neurons. Then the person disappears.

Ying suddenly froze which surprised Yaya. “Ying? Hey are you okay?” Yaya shook her, and called her name numerous times, but she didn’t move an inch. As for Ying, she doesn’t know why she wasn’t moving. It’s like she was caught in a trance.

She started having hallucinations, which frightened her. She saw scary things, including her family and friends, that are now dead. She lets out a scream, thinking that the scene is real. “No! How did this happen?! NOOOOO!”

“Ying! Snap out of it!” Yaya intensely shook her.

The robots charged at them which alarmed Yaya.

As for the boys, they were already fighting the robots with their powers. Boboiboy has already split into three- Lightning, Light, and Leaf. Lightning kept attacking the robots with his lightning blade, slashing them as he travels quickly. “Take this! Lightning Blade!”

“Light Shot!” Light concentrates the light element to his fingers; the he continuously releases beams of light to destroy the robots.  “Stunning Leaf Shuriken!” Leaf summons leaf-like shurikens then throws it at the robots, immobilizing them. “Now Fang!”

“Shadow Finger Prick!” Fang releases streams of his shadow that attacked the stunned robots by crashing onto them, destroying them. The rest of the robots were handled by Gopal, who shoots green bolts, turning them into food.

“Can you do something else instead of that?!” Fang yelled over to him, seeing that there were more robots coming. Gopal groaned, “Okay fine! Diamond Transformation!” His whole body turned into diamond.

“That’s more like it!” Fang used his shadow power by creating whips that grabbed Gopal, “You might vomit after this, so sorry in advance!” He used Gopal’s diamond body to smash the rest of the robots. Since diamond was the hardest mineral, it was strong enough to destroy the robots.

Leizel and Lia were heading to the TAPOPS jail area, since that’s the farthest place from them. Also, it’s a jail area and it must be far from the ones residing in the space station. “I’m worried about the others. They haven’t communicated yet.” Lia said.

“Me too, but I’m sure they’re okay.” Leizel replied.

“I don’t think so.” A voice suddenly replied, startling them. Lia senses a presence behind them, thanks to her soundwaves. She turned around and saw someone from afar. Leizel did the same then gasp. “Hey you! Show yourself!”

The person walked forward to reveal itself. Leizel widened up her eyes, it was the hunter they encountered months ago. “Is that Aisha?” Lia asked.  

“Ugh! It’s you again!” Leizel replied, still glaring at the hunter as she clenched her fist. “What do you want now? Where’s commander and admiral?” Lia yelled. Aisha laughed, “Relax ladies, they’re fine. You guys should be worrying about yourself.” Then her hands started glowing red, she started blasting energy bolts to them.

Leizel was able to project an energy dome around her and Lia, shielding them from the bolts. However, the bolts were too strong that once it contacted the dome, an explosion happened. The explosion was strong enough to stumble down the two.

Lia’s hands started glowing purple, she immediately punches the ground, releasing the soundwaves that travel towards their opponent. She stands up then moves her arms, “Sonic Vortex!” Soundwaves were released, creating a vortex that made her go spinning around while making her vulnerable, because of the deafening soundwaves.

Aisha let out a cry as she was already in pain, she couldn’t even move as the soundwaves whirls her. “Leizel!” Lia called. Leizel got the message as she channels her energy, “Energy Blast!” Once she released a white energy bolt, it blows up the vortex once there was contact. The hunter was thrown away.

Aisha was able to get up despite the attack, she saw that there was dust everywhere due to the blast. She suddenly saw Leizel heading for her, then she was attacked by combat skills.

Leizel was throwing in some punches and kicks, which the hunter was able to avoid. Looks like the hunter has experience in combat too. Whenever Leizel was about to strike her, the hunter summons a shield, blocking her attacks.

The Filipina girl growled as she swings her leg, trying to attack from the side, however the hunter did a slight back bend to avoid it. She grinned, showing her hand that holds her red energy. The next think that happened, Leizel was blasted away.

“Hey you!” Aisha turned around and saw Lia behind her. Lia lets out a hellish scream of her soundwaves that stunned the hunter. Because of that, she was unable to react, giving Lia the advantage to leap towards her and attack.

“Sonic Punch!” Lia punched the opponent, throwing her away because of the soundwaves that came out of Lia’s fist. Aisha was down on the ground, then Lia walked towards her. “Look I don’t know who are you but whatever your plan is, it’s not going to work.”

“Maybe for you.” All of a sudden, the hunter used her power to restrain Lia. “Huh? What?” Lia tried to wriggle out, but the red energy that was on her body was too strong to escape from.

Aisha levitated Lia, then she stood up. “You’re not the only one who has powers like that, do you know that?” She clenched her other fist resulting that made the energy hurt Lia.

Lia lets out a cry in pain which made the hunter chuckle. She then walked away, bringing Lia with her. They both entered the TAPOPS’ jail. Lia was breathing heavily as the energy was still hurting her. Then her eyes went to one of the cells in the jail, she widened up her eyes as she realized it was KokoCi and Tarung.

“What did you do to them?! And what do you want?!” Lia shouted as she was trying to wriggle out of the grasp. “You know, I actually did this to assemble all of you guys here, especially you.”

“Me? What’s with me? Do you even know me?” Lia asked in confusion. Aisha faced her, “I know you with all my heart.” Her nonchalant reply surprised Lia. With all of her heart? What does she mean?

“First you tried to capture AnimalBot then attacked us back then at planet Babar, and now you’re doing this? I won’t allow that.” She was now channeling her energy in her mouth, then she lets out another hellish scream which struck the hunter, resulting the energy grasp to be disabled.

Lia got down, but she stumbled because she still feels the pain in her body due to the energy earlier. The hunter recovered then growled at Lia, “Sheesh! You sure know how to attack! I won’t let you get away with this.”

“Oh really?” A voice replied.

Lia turned around and saw Boboiboy, Fang, and Leizel who just entered the room. “You know, if you mess with her that means you mess with all of us.” Leizel said.

“What is this? You guys against me? I won’t have that! Take this!” Aisha projects a red energy blast towards Lia. Lia was unable to react due to the sudden attack, but Fang immediately lets out his shadow power to form a dome around her, protecting her from the blast.

“Elemental Power! Boboiboy Lightning!” He transformed into his Lightning form, then he summoned a lightning blade. He uses the lightning speed to disappear and reappear behind the hunter, he was able to slash his way through. He did the slashes repeatedly to increase the damage, which was by electrocuting her.

Leizel followed by shooting an energy blast towards the hunter. She was followed by Fang creating a black mass out of shadows. Lia, who was now outside the dome made by Fang, delivered the final piece by releasing sound bolts from her hands.

“Energy Blast!” “Shadow Attack!” “Sound Bolt!”

Their powers attacked Aisha as an explosive force happened. The force was so strong that it blew her away, and broke her mask. As she was still lying down, she realized that her mask was broken in half. She held onto it to prevent it from falling down.

Despite feeling weak, she stood up but she kind of stumbled. “You win this time. But mark my words, I will come back.”

She turned around then created a portal.

“Get back here!” Lia angrily yelled as she charged for her. Aisha instantly released an energy beam to prevent Lia from getting to her, then she hopped in the portal and disappeared.

“Lia!” The rest yelled in panic. Lia was able to form a purple shield around her that protected her from the blast. Although the blast was strong that once it contacted the shield, it made her stumble down.

Boboiboy rushed to her, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He helped her stand up. Fang and Leizel followed. Lia nodded, “I’m okay, don’t worry. But she escaped again!” Leizel sighed, “Just like what happened before. The portal was the way to escape. I wonder how does she do that.”

Boboiboy spotted KokoCi and Tarung in one cell, “We have to let them out.”

“And bring them to the MedBay, they look injured.”

Later on, team Boboiboy, along with Tarung, KokoCi, Kaizo, and the power spheres were at the MedBay, which is quite bigger than the one on Earth. The higher-ranking men in TAPOPS were already awake. Ying was passed out on a bed; she’s now being scanned by Ochobot. “It looks like the hunter used its power to make her hallucinate, which explains the hallucinations and sudden break down she had earlier.”

“Will she be okay?” Yaya asked worriedly. “She will. The effect already lessened. It will wear off approximately in a few hours.” Ochobot replied. Leizel sighed as she looked at Ying, “Aisha’s powers... She has a lot of them. She can project energy blasts, do some mental manipulation on Ying then-”

Fang butts in, “Then she can put those robots to life. The robots that attacked us earlier were in the storage room here in the station. And as far as I can remember, they are not fully functioning which is why they’re just at the storage.”

“Aisha sure is powerful, and the organization, Orangpina Jahat. We need to gather more information about them because for sure, this won’t be the last encounter.” Boboiboy spoke up. “We’ll continue to do our research on them. For now, you guys should take a rest. This mission was sudden.” Kaizo said.

“We’ll leave as soon as Ying wakes up.” Yaya stated. “We can’t just bring her home like this. Aunty Yang will be furious.” Everyone else agreed with her. “Let’s leave her resting here, you can accompany her Yaya. The others can help us fix up this messed station.” KokoCi said.

Everyone else went out of the MedBay, leaving Yaya and Ying. KokoCi, Tarung, and Kaizo head out to a different path, as they will be resting as well. The rest went to the opposite path.

Lia was thinking deeply as she walked with the others. She recalled what Aisha just told her. Then she remembered the message she relayed on Ying.

“Deep down, she’s very shallow.”

“I know you with all my heart.”

What were those supposed to mean? Is it possible that Aisha has been spying on her? And if yes, how?

She felt someone placing a hand on her shoulder, she slightly looked up and saw Boboiboy. Judging by his face, he was concerned for her. “Aisha said she knows me.” She announced, making everyone else stop then look at her.

“Aisha told me earlier that she knows me, which is why she keeps on going back for us. I just don’t know how and why.” Gopal cleared his throat, “Maybe it’s because of Sonobot. When Boboiboy had Ochobot, Ejojo, our former enemy, was able to track him and attack all of us.”

Lia nodded, then she felt tears on her eyes. “Maybe that’s why Aisha keeps on coming back... she wants to take Sonobot from me! I can’t let that happen.” Tears were slowly falling down. “And maybe she wants to take Ochobot too! This won’t happen. I won’t allow that.”

“Lia..” Sonobot said, flying to her owner. Ochobot flew to her as well. Lia let out a deep sigh, as she held her chest. She tried to control her breathing. Boboiboy was alarmed so he wrapped his arm around her to prevent her from passing out.

“Back then, Ejojo was able to know us because of Adudu. He was intrigued with our powers, especially after knowing about Ochobot. Maybe that goes the same for Aisha.” Fang speculated. “That’s actually possible. For sure possible enemies can search about us, members of TAPOPS. You know alien technology, very hi-tech. Anything can happen.” Gopal remarked.

“Whatever the reason is, we’ll make sure she doesn’t get near any of the power spheres.” Leizel comforted Lia, referring to both Sonobot and Ochobot. “Yeah, and look at us. We’re a team, right guys?” Everyone else agreed with Boboiboy.

Lia nodded as she wiped her tears. Then she smiled softly, “Thanks guys.”

Then they all walked away, heading to the cafeteria so they can find something they can eat. Once they found something to eat, they all sat together and talk with each other. The conversation went from teasing Boboiboy, making Fang pissed off, and everything else that they could relate on.

Lia was still thinking about the events earlier. She has so much in mind regarding it to the extend she started theorizing on how could Aisha know her. A part of her thinks that maybe it was because of Adudu, although they are now locked up somewhere. But since he wanted to capture Sonobot before, maybe he had informed someone regarding a new power sphere.

Another part of her is thinking about another reason, which is seemingly absurd. However, she will keep this to herself for now.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 15: Graduation

“Wahoo! Freedom!” Lia and Leizel ran out of the school the moment they passed their papers to the teacher. They just finished doing their final exam. “We did it! Yay!” The two were rejoicing, Lia was jumping up and down while Leizel was giving out some whoops and hollers.

“Here’s to finishing year 11! And heading off to pre-university!” Both Lia and Leizel did a fist bump. “And here’s to our graduation!” They both cheered. Then they started walking out of the school. “I was actually surprised when I found out about the pre-university thing, I thought you just head straight to college.” Lia said.

“Right? If we were in the Philippines, we’d still have another year in high school then head straight to college. I guess it’s kind of the same.” Leizel replied, unwrapping the candy wrapper then sticking the candy into her mouth.

Lia nodded, “Yeah, I guess.” She took out her phone to text her mom that she just finished the last exam, then she shoved her phone into her pocket. “Since the school’s over, what are your plans for the break?”

“Hmm, well after graduation I’d be going with Kaizo again for training. But it will only take how many weeks.” Leizel pouted. Lia widened up her eyes, “What? Training again? Do you always have to go with him? You’ll tire yourself out again.”

“It’s part of my duty being part of his team. Remember that I’m a private in his team along with Fang.” Lia nodded, “So Fang will go as well?” She gave her a smirk, much to Leizel raising her eyebrow. “Uhm. Yeah, and what’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, nothing. Just asking.” Lia returned a wink, making Leizel groan. “I know what you’re thinking.” Lia giggled, “I’m not saying anything! Geez, calm down, woman!”

“Yeah, whatever.” Leizel just rolled her eyes. “So how about you? What’s your plan for this break?”

“YOU’RE LEAVING?!”

Lia and Leizel were already at the cocoa shop. Everyone else was there except for Ying, who still had classes this afternoon. Lia broke the news to everyone that she’ll be leaving for the Philippines some time after their graduation.

“As in leave? Forever?!” Lia was about to respond but Gopal kept on rambling. “Wait... What about us?! The team?! Don’t you like it here?! Are we not enough for you?! What about your duty in TAPOPS? What about-”

“HEY!” Lia screamed, making Gopal stop. Everyone else was just looking at her, waiting for her answer. The girl sighed, “Relax. I’m just going there for a vacation. I still have family members there, you know? Like my older brothers.”

Fang groaned at Gopal, smacking him. “You didn’t have to exaggerate like that. You should’ve let her finish talking.” Gopal frowned, “I was surprised, okay? And of course, I was worried!”

“Worried for who?” Yaya asked. “Duh! Worried for Boboiboy! For sure he feels-” Boboiboy suddenly smacked his head, making him yelp in pain. “Ouch! What was that for?! You two keep on hitting me! No fair!”

Lia chuckled, “Aiya. No need to worry, guys. Besides, I’ll be leaving on the 15^th of December. I’ll be back before the new year.” Leizel gave a sulky pout, “So you won’t be here for Christmas? And my birthday?! That’s sad.” Yaya immediately gave Lia a bone-crushing hug, “Noooo! I refuse to let you go!” Leizel did the same thing, “Me too!” 

Fang looked at Boboiboy and gave him a smirk. He clenched his fist and placed it near Boboiboy’s mouth, it was like him holding a microphone. “So, how do you feel that miss Lia is going back to the Philippines for a vacation?” He acted like a reporter.

“Since when do you do this?” Boboiboy asked in annoyance to Fang’s action. “Aiya. Of course I’m sad. 2 weeks is actually long.” He crossed his arms, sighing. Lia giggled, “Don’t be. I’ll keep in touch with you guys, of course. Plus my comms will be open so in case there’s an emergency mission, you can call me anytime.”

Gopal grinned as he nodded, “That’s good! And hey, Ochobot can teleport us to the Philippines. We won’t be needing a passport nor airplane!” Fang sighed, “Aish. Don’t use him like that. He can get drained if he keeps on using it, remember?”

“Well, I can do that. But only for emergencies, okay?” Ochobot suddenly butts in their conversation. Yaya, Leizel, and Gopal all gave a loud hurrah, making Lia giggle. Boboiboy served the ordered ice chocolate of Lia and Leizel, then they started drinking it.

“When’s the graduation? We want to attend.” Yaya said, pulling away from the hug. “Uhm, I think next week? It’s next week, right?” Leizel turned to Lia, who nodded at her question. “Yeah, it’s next week. Will you guys go?”

“Of course. We’ll find a way to attend.” Fang affirmed, smiling at the two of them. Boboiboy grinned, “No need to question that. Of course we’ll go!” Lia chuckled, “Yay! That’s great! Thank you, guys!”

They all did a team huddle handshake.

The day of the graduation came. Everybody was assembled at the auditorium, then the ceremony started. Lia and Leizel both swear they could feel the embarrassment once their names were called so they can receive the diploma because they both received some yells, whoops, and howls once they went up to the stage.

And of course, those yells, whoops, and howls were from the rest of the gang. Ying kept instructing Yaya to take their pictures, and it must be a perfect shot. The boys did a hilarious thing by raising up a placard that has the words:

CONGRATULATIONS LIA AND LEIZEL! FLY HIGH!

- TEAM BBB

“That’s something you don’t see every day.” Lia muttered as she received her diploma that was given by her parents. Once the ceremony was over, Lia and Leizel were taking pictures with their school friends. The gang was just at the back, waiting for them.

“Shouldn’t we go to them?” Gopal asked, scratching the back of his head. “Let’s wait for them. They’re still with their other friends.” Ying replied.

The two Filipina girls then arrived, causing them to cheer. “Yay! Pre-university for you two! Congratulations!” Yaya gave them a tight hug, Ying followed, “Congratulations guys! You did well.” Leizel gave her a soft smile, “Thanks Ying.” 

“And whose idea is this?” Lia asked, pointing to the placard. Boboiboy grinned, “It was mine! Well, me and Fang. I’ll give him the credit.” Fang rolled his eyes, “Yeah, you better do. I initially brought this up and you were the one who confirmed it.”

“Geez, these two won’t stop fighting, huh?” Gopal remarked. Then he turned to the two, “Really proud of you guys! That’s why we should celebrate!” Leizel smirked, “Will it be your treat? Oh wait, yeah! It should be yours! I used to pay for your food before. Think of this as repayment to me.”

Lia laughed, “So you guys are exchanging now? Gosh.”

The ceremony started around in the afternoon then ended around 6 PM. Since it was almost dinner time, the gang decided to celebrate at Lia’s house, since there will be food prepared. The living area and dining area were decorated as if it’s an actual party.

Lia went down the stairs, already changed. She was wearing a cropped buttoned cardigan paired with an A-line denim skirt, and her shoes were nude gladiator sandals.

Ying let out a gasp, then smirked. “Aiya, it’s orange!” She pointed to her top. Everybody else noticed the color, then they grinned. “Oh, I see. It’s orange. Now I know!” Yaya teased, giggling.

“Huh? What’s with the orange? Does it look bad on me?” Lia asked, feeling a bit shy. “No, no! It really looks great! We just like the color orange, am I right?” Leizel replied, wiggling her eyebrows as she looked at Boboiboy.

“Aish. Don’t make everything about me.” Boboiboy whined, but deep inside, he was really flustered. They were right about the color Orange, it was his color, and Lia’s wearing an item of clothing that has his color.

Fang let out a fake gasp, “Is that a blush I see?” He pointed at Boboiboy’s face. Gopal noticed it too, “Aiyoyo! I can see it too!” Their remarks earned a groan from Boboiboy, then he glared at them.

“Guys, it’s time to eat.” Lia’s mom called them. Gopal immediately rushed to the table, much to the annoyance of others. “He thinks it’s his birthday, huh?” Ying said, crossing her arms. “Aww, that’s alright. This isn’t just for me and Leizel, it’s for all of us!” Lia assured.

They all started eating, then a conversation was initiated by Gopal which brought laughter to everyone. Even Lia’s parents, who were at the kitchen fixing some things, laughed when they heard the conversation.

“The secondhand embarrassment I felt when I saw the placard, I’ll never forget that.” Lia spoke up, sighing. “It’s like you guys were at a concert or something!” Leizel added on. “More like a parade…”

“See? I told you we shouldn’t use the placard.” Ying told both Boboiboy and Fang. “Don’t you guys like it? It’s called support.” Fang said, raising his eyebrows. Lia chuckled, “Well, thank you for the support then.” 

Yaya finished her last meal, “Mhmm. The food’s amazing! Thank you so much, aunty!” The others repeated what they said, then Lia’s mom went out of the kitchen. “Aww, you’re very welcome. I’m glad you guys liked it.”

“Sorry for the no chicken curry.” Lia apologized to Gopal. “Aiya! No worries! I’ll have one when I get home.” Gopal replied, grinning. “Eh?! You’re going to eat again after this?!” Boboiboy asked in disbelief.

Andres suddenly arrived, surprising the gang. He was holding a box of cake, “Hope you guys have room for dessert.” Cheers from the girls and Gopal were heard. Boboiboy and Fang stole a glance from each other, then they both looked at Andres, who placed the box on the table.

The girls and Gopal were already getting their slices of cake. Boboiboy and Fang were just seated there, watching them. “How about you guys? Don’t you want cake?” Startled by the voice, Boboiboy turned around and saw Andres smiling at them.

“Uhm, yes we will get cake. Maybe a bit later. My stomach is a bit full from all the food earlier.” Boboiboy replied, scratching his nape of awkwardness. Fang nodded, “Same goes for me.”

Boboiboy could feel that Andres’ smile towards him was different, it wasn’t that genuine at all. Or maybe he was just overthinking it? He turned to Fang, who mouthed at him, “Awkward.”

Andres cleared his throat, “So wait, what are all of your names again? I keep on forgetting. I want to remember those since you guys are the friends of my daughter.” Ying grinned, “I’m Ying!”

“Yaya!” “Gopal!” “Leizel!”

Ying pointed to the other boys respectively, “And they are Boboiboy and Fang.”    

“And you guys are known to be the heroes in this town? Right?” Yaya nodded, “Yes sir. Along with Lia, of course! She makes a great addition to our team.” She wrapped one arm around Lia and pulled her close to her.

Lia smiled sheepishly, “That’s me.”

“As long as you guys keep safe. You know the world nowadays; you can never be too safe.” Andres warned them. “Will do! And don’t worry, we’ll make sure this little girl doesn’t get hurt!” Gopal ruffled Lia’s hair, much to her annoyance. “Aish! What do you think I am? A dog?!”

The graduation celebration went on. They played games such as charades, classical musical chairs, and even truth or dare.

“Woah, looks like someone’s stepping up.” Lia remarked at Fang who chose dare. Fang shrugged, “No harm done, right?” Boboiboy smirked, “Me me! I have a dare for him. I dare you to call the person who’s in your recent text messages.”

“It must be captain Kaizo. Will he answer?” Yaya asked. Fang simply took out his phone to check who was that person. Minutes later, Leizel’s phone started ringing, surprising everyone else.

“Oh really? I’m the recent one?” Leizel asked, blushing. Fang nodded, “Well, you’re the only person I talk the most within text messages.” Gopal lets out a sharp gasp, while Boboiboy wiggles his eyebrows.

Lia turned over to Ying and saw her looking at them with a faint smile, she knew she was hurting. She wanted to talk to her about it, at least let her know that she’s there for her. She saw Yaya pat her back softly.

The games went on until 9:30 PM. It was time to go home. Ying was the first one to leave, Lia knew she couldn’t handle seeing both Fang and Leizel, so she understood that. Yaya and Gopal both followed since Yaya has curfew around 10 PM. The ones who were left offered to help clean the house since they were the ones who were there.

Fang and Leizel were fixing up the living room, while Boboiboy and Lia were fixing the dining room. Lia noticed how Fang and Leizel get along; Fang doesn’t usually get along much with the others, but when it comes to Leizel, he felt like himself. She smiled at the two of them, then proceeded in fixing the table. She was packing away the used placed mats, while Boboiboy was wiping the table.

She sets her eyes on Boboiboy, then spoke up. “Are you okay?” Boboiboy looked up at her, “Me? Uhm... Yes, why’d you ask?” Lia sighed, “I kind of noticed you being quiet, since we ate dinner. Is there something wrong?”

Boboiboy couldn’t admit to Lia that he was feeling weird ever since he saw her dad look at him differently, it was like something was up. But he tried to disregard that thought, he may be overthinking too much.

“Oh, about that... Yes, I’m okay. I’m just… tired, I guess.” Lia nodded, understanding what he meant. “You should go right now. We’ll handle the rest.”

“Wait, I haven’t given you this yet.” All of a sudden, Boboiboy brought out a small white box, much to her surprise. “You got me a gift? Wait, you didn’t have to. This is too much.” The boy still handed her the box, smiling. “I insist.”

Lia opened the box and saw a bracelet. It was a beaded one, most of them are black while there is one bead that’s white. What caught her eye was the cylindrical bead at the middle, it had a design.

“Is this... my zodiac sign? Gemini?” Boboiboy smiled, “Yeah. I’m not really good at picking gifts but I hope you like this one.” He showed his wrist, which has the same bracelet as Lia, but the design was connected to his sign, Pisces.

“Omg, we have matching bracelets! This is great, B! Thank you!” Lia exclaimed. “And I like the design. It’s minimal. You did a great job in picking this.” Boboiboy chuckled, “I’m glad you like it.”

Watching them from afar was Andres, he was observing the two of them, especially Boboiboy. He had so many thoughts in mind, but he didn’t speak up for the sake of his daughter.

After cleaning up, Boboiboy, Fang, and Leizel left.

Andres walked over Lia and gave her a hug. Lia returned the hug, “Thank you for helping mom today with the party. And for being here at my graduation. I thought you’ll go back to work before this.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He replied, kissing her forehead. Then he eyes on the bracelet Boboiboy gave, “About that Boboiboy... He’s the leader of your team, right?”

“Yeah, ever since they were formed.” Andres nodded, “Is it because he got the power sphere?” Lia’s eyebrows curved and rose up, “Uhm… Yeah. Well, he was the first one to- wait… How do you know that?”

Andres mentally slapped himself, however, he remained calm. “Uhm… I heard it from someone. Yeah, it was Sonobot.” Lia just smiled, “Yeah, that’s reasonable.”

A yawn slipped from her mouth, “I’m very sleepy today. I think I need to head to bed.” Andres smiled, “Make sure to take a quick shower, kiddo. Better to sleep feeling fresh.”

“Will do, dad.” Lia kissed her dad’s cheek then started walking away, “Goodnight dad. Love you.” She went up the stairs. However, she went back down, slowly in order not be heard. She peeked on her dad, who was now talking to somebody on his phone.

“Ah yes, yes. After my trip to the Philippines, I’ll be going back. I have to spend time with my family, especially my daughter.” Lia observed his expression as he said that, then continues to listen to him.

“Aish, who said you have the right to talk back at me?! Just do as what you’re told.” Andres sudden retort surprised Lia. She has never seen her father like that, at least, to her. She knew that among her siblings, she was the favorite of her dad which is why he acted soft and loving to her.

“You’re a disappointment,” Andres said, clicking his tongue. “Just do it your work properly, or else you’re fired.” Then he ended the call. Lia has her mouth wide open; how could he talk like that?

“Why won’t people understand that the less they know, the more peace of mind they get? Wouldn’t they want that? Sheesh.” Andres headed to the kitchen. Lia slowly went up the stairs and right straight to her room, she was breathing heavily. What’s going on? Why is he that mad?

She sat on her bed and continued to think. “He did mention to me that he was a boss after all. Maybe his subordinate won’t do the task that made him angry.” She mumbled. She reassured herself that it was like that, she knew her dad can be strict when it comes to his work, she was just surprised at how Andres acted. “Some bosses are like that, I guess.”

Little did she know, once she went up the stairs and went back to her room, Andres took a peek at the staircase where Lia was. He took out his phone and went to an app, where he could view the surveillance camera that was installed on the first floor.

His eyebrows furrowed once he reviewed it; the time he was talking to someone, Lia was there at the staircase. She stayed until he was done talking on the phone, then she left.

“Shit.”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 16: Hangout 

"Aww, c'mon! It will be fun! Don't be such a bummer." Yaya said, giving out a sulky pout.

The gang was currently having a video call; Ying proposed going to the mall to hang out. Fang, however, didn't like the idea because he doesn't have fun when he goes to the mall.

"Eh? What are we going to do there? You might just leave us hanging because you'll go to the clothing stores." Fang grumped. "Hey, don't be like that. The only one who'll be doing that is Lia." Leizel defended herself.

"OI!" Lia reacted, crossing her arms, much to Boboiboy's laughter. "I mean, she isn't lying though." Lia sighed, "Whatever... Anyways, it would be fun! Let's go watch a movie. I've heard this movie called The Meg; it was released just last week. It's already at the cinemas."

Yaya nodded, "Oh yeah! I've heard of that too. It's a shark movie. It has good reviews from the audience. Let's go watch that." Gopal grinned, "Yeah! A movie date would be refreshing with all the things that had happened before. We need this break."

"I'm in!" Lia chimed in. Then Boboiboy, Gopal, Yaya, Ying, and Leizel confirmed their presence too. Fang sighed in defeat, "Eeesh. Okay okay, I'm in." His remark caused the rest to cheer.

Lia was already in the car, along with Boboiboy, Fang, and Leizel. The others were already at the mall waiting for them. Nathalia was the one driving them to the mall, "So what movie are you guys watching?"

"The Meg, aunty. It's a shark movie." Leizel excitedly replied. "Eh? I never know you like shark movies." Boboiboy commented. "She does. She'd probably have a pet shark one day." Fang joked, earning a smack from Leizel that made him yelp.

Lia laughed at her friends, then she checked her bag if she's gotten everything. Along with the bag, she's wearing a black sleeveless top that goes under a white cropped cardigan that was opened. She's also wearing a pair of denim jeans that were a boyfriend fit. Her shoes were color white sneakers.

She noticed Leizel's outfit- a white dress with black boots and she was wearing an oversize hoodie. "Is that yours?" She asked. Leizel shook her head, "It's Fang's." Her reply earned a fake gasp from Boboiboy.

Lia nodded, smirking. "I see... Ikaw talaga!" Her remark caused Boboiboy and Fang to look at her confusedly. Leizel laughed, "Alam mo, tuloy mo lang 'yan."

("I see... Oh you!") ("You know what, just continue that.")

Lia and Leizel started conversing in Tagalog, much to the confusion of both Boboiboy and Fang. 

"Tignan mo yung dalawa na 'to. Nagtataka na yata kung ano mga pinagsasabi natin." Lia remarked, referring to the two men. Leizel laughed, "Hayaan mo sila." 

("Look at these two. They're probably wondering what we're saying.") (Let them be) 

Boboiboy leaned over to whisper at Fang, "Do you think she meant we're both good-looking?" Fang nodded, "Well, I hope that's what they're talking about. She is right on that part." 

Once the car stopped right in front of the mall entrance, they bid Nathalia goodbye. Lia leaned over to give a kiss to her mom before exiting the car. They all went to the mall and went to the cinema, where Yaya, Ying, and Gopal were waiting for them.

"Finally!" Gopal exclaimed once seeing the four. Yaya waved the tickets to them, "We already got them. The next showing time is 1 hour from now. We should get some snacks first."

Ying noticed Leizel's outfit and saw the hoodie. She felt a pang in her chest because she knew who owns the hoodie she was wearing- it was Fang's. She sighed as she just faced the others.

"Oh, good. Where do you guys want to get a snack?" Lia asked. "We can just choose our own. We just have to be back here around 11:30 since the movie will start around 11:50 or 12 PM." Ying said.

Leizel nodded, "Sounds good. I'll go over to Gong Cha to buy some milk tea. Would you guys like some?" Yaya gasped, "Oooh! Me! Me! I want one!" Gopal grinned, "Sounds good to me!"

Ying crossed her arms, "I'll go find a nachos store. I think I want some nachos." Fang nodded, "Okay... And I'll just find a red carrot donut store here."

Yaya turned to Boboiboy and Lia, "How about you guys? Where will you be going?" Lia thought for a while as she was stroking her chin, "Hmm... I'll probably go to McDonald's and buy something there."

Boboiboy nodded, "Yeah, where she's going." His remark made Fang and Gopal wiggle their eyes. "Oh, okay... Where she's going... Interesting." Fang said, teasing Boboiboy. Gopal gave out a giggle.

Lia didn't mind, she knew how Fang and Gopal mess around with Boboiboy. She didn't take the teasing deeply, and besides, did it mean anything?

The gang separated to buy their preferred snacks.

Boboiboy and Lia were now lining up in McDonald's. Once it was their turn, they ordered together so that the preparation will be together. They went to the side afterward to wait for their orders.

"The chicken nuggets look big." Boboiboy remarked, earning a laugh from Lia. " Yeah, I like it that way. Along with my large fries, drink, and Oreo Mcflurry."

"You're sure quite the eater. I thought Gopal was the only one like that." He laughed. "Well, now you know." Once they received their orders, they left the establishment and walk back to the cinema. "What time is it?" Boboiboy looked at his watch, "11:10. We're a bit early."

"Good. It's better than being late." Lia replied. An awkward silence fills in them until Boboiboy broke the ice. "Uhm... hey, I have a question."

"Hmm, what is it?" Boboiboy cleared his throat then proceeds to the question, "Do you... uhm... Okay, this is awkward but... do you used to have crushes back in the Philippines?"

Lia nodded, "Yeah. I feel that crushes are normal to happen. I did quite have a lot." Boboiboy widened his eyes, "A lot?"

"Kidding." Lia gave a small smile, "Well, just a few. Mostly because of looks, never got a chance to get close with them or something. And if you're also going to ask if I've ever had a boyfriend, the answer is no. Though, almost..."

"Almost?" Lia nodded, "Yeah. Uhm, it's complicated to explain. But we're better off as friends." Boboiboy nodded, "I understand. You can tell me whenever you're ready, okay?"

"Thank you. How about you?" Boboiboy strokes his chin, "Uhm, for me... Well, only had a few crushes. They're all outside of Rintis. I think the last time I had a crush is before I came here... Oh yeah, I've never been kissed too."

"Wow, I didn't know that." Lia giggled, "But you know, that's normal. Though I actually expected that you'd be having a girlfriend. I mean, with your status right now, a lot of women want to date you."

"Aiya, if it's the fangirls again—" Lia chimed in, "No, no! I mean, look at you. You're heroic, calm, and kind. You're a good man for yourself."

Boboiboy secretly blushed, "Uhm... Thank you, hehehe." Lia then shows him the bracelet she was wearing, it was the one that he gave. "I really like this, thanks a lot for this. Does anyone else have this?"

"Have that? Why would they have that?" Boboiboy asked in confusion. "Oh, it's because we have matching ones. I assume that the others have too so we could all match."

"The bracelet is for you, and the reason why I have one too is that... I want to match it with you." Boboiboy swears he could bury himself in the ground after saying that.

Lia smiled, "That's sweet. I love that idea. It's our friendship bracelet." Boboiboy awkwardly laughed, "Yeah. Whatever you say."

They arrived back at the cinema area; Fang was already there. Lia snickered, "You look like a lost boy."

"Whatever." Fang rolled his eyes, then set his eyes on the food they were holding. "Wow, that's a lot. We're going to be eating after the movie."

"I know. I can still eat after. I just really had to order these because I'm already hungry." Lia replied. Minutes later, the rest already arrived with their drinks.

They all went inside the theater and went to their assigned seats. The capacity was a bit full, so the seats they got weren't beside each other. Though the rows were consecutive, front, middle and back.

"Dibs on this part." Gopal pointed to their two seats in their front row, he dragged Yaya with him as they both sat. Fang pointed to the two seats two rows behind Gopal, "We'll be here. C'mon Leizel." Ying sighed upon hearing that.

The three seats on the middle row will be occupied by Boboiboy, Lia, and Ying. "Who'll sit at the middle?" Lia asked. Ying looked over to Boboiboy, she wiggled her eyebrows then turned back to Lia. "You will. Hehehe."

"Sure." They all sat down in their seats. Several movie trailers were played before playing the actual movie. And once it did, they started munching on their food.

The movie was approximately 113 minutes long. Some scenes surprised the team, especially when the megalodon devoured a human being that was floating in the water. That scene really startled Lia to the point she lets out a loud gasp that caught the attention of the other moviegoers.

Boboiboy was trying hard not to laugh at how Lia reacted, while Ying was feeling secondhand embarrassment because of Lia. Another scene surprised Lia that made her shout, "Oh my gosh!" Her reaction made the rest laugh silently.

After the movie, they all made fun of Lia's reactions while watching the movie. "They were staring at me?" Lia asked in confusion. "Goodness, I don't know if you're acting or what but you're so oblivious. It's cute!" Yaya exclaimed, pointing to Lia's face of confusion. Ying laughed, "Not all, don't worry... But I gotta admit, the secondhand embarrassment was real!"

Fang imitated her loud gasp as Gopal was laughing too, "She was funny earlier. Although I understood how you felt when the big shark appeared. It can eat our space vehicles!"

"You'd be shredded in no time too." Fang snickered. "Eh?! What did you say?!" Gopal growled. The two started bickering, much to the entertainment of the rest.

They all went to a pizza place to eat late lunch. They were talking about the movie; how they felt about it. "Suyin was great! She could have been the main character though; I feel that Jonas was overhyped." Ying spoke up.

Lia nodded, "Yeah, true. But great job to him though, I wouldn't be that confident enough to take down a shark with just a small submarine."

"This is why we have powers." Gopal replied.

Their food arrived and they all ate while throwing some jokes and stories, much to all of their delights with one another. After eating, Yaya suggested that they should go to the arcade. Upon arriving at the arcade, they first availed the cards that are filled with points/money. They decided at three of them will be getting the cards— Lia, Gopal, and Ying.

The boys did a challenge at the basketball ring that Fang won, given that he is good in that sport. He smirked, "I beat you." He was referring to Boboiboy. "Oh, whatever. This isn't a competition." Boboiboy replied in annoyance. Gopal shrugged, "Well, technically this is one."

Lia and Yaya were both playing table hockey; every time they both hit, they laugh. "This is fun! This is actually my first time to be out with you guys at the mall." Lia said, smiling. "Really? Aww, I'm glad you're having fun! There's more to go, of course." Yaya replied, then she successfully hits the goal, much to Lia's surprise. 

"I won!" Yaya exclaimed as Lia sighed. Ying was playing a game in one of the stations. The same goes for Leizel, but a different game.

Later on, the gang gathered up at a photo booth. They all fit inside, so they took some pictures together. Lia suggested that the girls should have a pic together, which they agreed to.

"Just so you know, we don't need pictures together." Fang said, referring to him and the boys. Boboiboy sighed at Fang's remark, "As if we wanted one with you."

After the girls took a round of photos, Yaya and Ying went to one station, followed by Gopal. Lia and Leizel took photos together at the booth, while Boboiboy and Fang were waiting for them.

"Hey, have you told her?" Fang asked, lowering down his voice. Boboiboy gave him a look in confusion, as Fang continued. "Uhm... About her dad. Like, our suspicion."

"Not yet, but I will soon." Fang nodded, "And how about your feelings?" Boboiboy sighed, "It's nothing, Fang. I'm not keen on the idea of having a girlfriend yet."

Fang raised his eyebrow, "You're out there being different to her yet you're not ready for a relationship?"

"Hey, it's not like that. And I don't treat her differently from you guys. I'm just... being a leader."

"Tell that to her, can you do it?" Boboiboy was taken aback by Fang's question, he tried to answer it but the shadow boy crossed his arms and said, "Knew it."

"You don't have to tell her now though. Let the feelings grow." Lia and Leizel went out of the station, much to the boys' surprise. Leizel smiled, "Hey! C'mon, let's play more games." She dragged Fang away. Lia laughed at how she did it, "Well, that's a drag indeed."

"Uhm, Lia... Can we talk?" Lia turned to Boboiboy, "Yes, sure. What is it about?" Boboiboy didn't know how to start the conversation; he ended up saying, "How about we take photos too?" 

"Sure!" They both went inside the booth to take pictures. "Hey! Don't do that to me!" Lia whined as Boboiboy did a peace sign on her head.

After taking pictures, they waited for it to be developed. Boboiboy decided it was the right time to talk about it. "I want to be very honest with you... I feel uneasy when your dad is there."

Lia looked at him, curiosity was on her face. "Hmm, why? Did he do something?" Boboiboy shook his head, "Not really... It's just that..."

Lia waited for Boboiboy to finish his words, which he did. "Fang told me he recognized him, he felt suspicious of him not being with you guys all the time."

"He recognized him? I wonder where did he first meet him." Lia replied. Boboiboy then continued, "And for Sonobot... I still have this feeling that he's on to something, I just can't tell what is it."

"Boboiboy, I do appreciate your concern. But about my dad leaving us, it's really for work. He's not doing something illegal." Lia placed a hand on his shoulder, "And for Sonobot... I know you guys have experience betrayals, like what happened with Leizel... I just want you to know that I don't think Sonobot would do something that will endanger us."

Boboiboy nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I just want you to be safe, you know? Please keep your guards up. We don't know if people around us are the good guys or bad guys."

"I will don't worry," Lia assured, smiling at him. "Thank you for the concern, I really appreciate it." Boboiboy smiled, "You're welcome. Stay safe when you're in the Philippines, okay? I'll miss you."

"You're acting like I'll be gone for a year. Two weeks isn't bad." Lia replied. Boboiboy nodded, "Yeah, I know... It's just that... I really feel comfortable around you, and I like you. So it's going to be weird not seeing you for two weeks."

"Like me? Like... as a friend, right? Because I'm a nice person and teammate?" Once again, Boboiboy wanted to bury himself under the ground with her question. Is she really making me explain this? Doesn't it seem straight to the point?

He smiled sheepishly, "Uhm... Yeah. A good person, teammate, and friend." Lia, please. I'm going to die of embarrassment!

"That's nice. I like you too, as a friend. I really appreciate how well you treat me considering I'm new to the team."

After the photos were developed, they both went outside to meet their friends. They spent a lot of time at the arcade, then some of them went to the clothing store to buy something much to the boys' annoyance.

They went home around 5:30, all were happy because of the fun that happened in the mall. Nathalia was the one who picked up Lia, Boboiboy, and Fang.

The respective parents of Yaya, Ying, and Gopal picked them up, while Leizel went alone because she needed to go somewhere else before going home.

Lia was seated in between Boboiboy and Fang, she could feel something going on.

She leaned over to Fang and whispered, "Do you know him?" Fang was surprised at the sudden question, yet he responded, "Not really? He just looks familiar." Soon enough, Boboiboy and Fang were dropped off at the shop, then Nathalia and Lia went back home. As soon as they went home, they were met by Andres.

"How's my little girl?" He went to her and kissed Nathalia first, before kissing Lia on the forehead. "It was fine! A bit tiring though, and I kind of spent some money." She sheepishly smiled as she shows the shopping bag she has.

"Ahh, that's alright. You know that I want you to have the things you want." Lia smiled, "Thank you, dad." She then walked away but remembered something, "Oh, uhm... Dad? Can I ask you a question?"

Andres nodded as he sat on the couch, "Sure." He gestured her to sit with him, then she did. "One of my friends, Fang, said that he kind of recognized you. He said that you look familiar. By any chance, do you know him?"

"Uhm... No. And if yes, I would've told you." Andres replied nonchalantly. "Maybe that friend of yours thought I was someone else. I do look good; I have to admit." Lia raised both eyebrows, "Are you joking?"

"No." Andres' reply made Lia laugh, then he laughed too. "Well, I was joking on the look good part." Lia shook her head, "Well, you do look good dad. It's where I got my features." Andres grinned, "This is why you're my favorite child."

Lia gave an awkward laugh; she knew that her being the favorite child made her brothers have these hard feelings on her. She knew it wasn't her fault yet she felt guilty. She was thankful that even with the hard feelings, they treat her well.

"Anyways, about Fang... Well, yeah. Maybe he thought you were someone else." Then she stood up and told her dad she was going to take a shower, to which he nodded. As she walked away, she heard her dad talking to her again.

"When you're in doubt, throw it out and have a little faith. Remember that, anak."  

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 17: Surprise Visit

Lia’s POV

It was December 15, meaning today’s my flight back to the Philippines. I’ve informed some of my friends regarding it, and they were really excited. My former school always holds a three-day event to celebrate the school’s year of existence, and tomorrow will be the official start of the event. Though I’ll be visiting on the second and third day, to allow one day for my relatives. I was already on the plane. In 30 minutes, we’ll be landing in Manila. It feels surreal to go back to my home country.

About Sonobot, we decided not to bring him to the Philippines. She also insisted that she stays with Boboiboy to be extra safe. I’m sure she’s in good hands. Boboiboy takes care of Ochobot very well, no doubt he’ll do the same with Sonobot.

The plane landed, we waited for the signal to get out of the plane. Once we got out of the plane, we went to the immigration area then to the carousel to claim our bags. I was so happy. I can’t wait to see our old house, my relatives, and of course my friends.

When we got our bags, my dad led us outside. There was a car waiting for us; someone got out of it and to my surprise, it was one of my older brothers.

“Kuya!” I exclaimed, running to him. It was my second older brother, Ron. “Wow, you look taller.” I rolled my eyes, “Aish. That’s what you’re going to tell me after not seeing me for months? Whatever!” He laughed then pat my head, “Biro lang. Hot-headed mo talaga noh!” (Just kidding. You’re really hot-headed)

He greeted mom and dad and helped us load our bags to the car. Once we got it, he drove us out of the airport area. “It’s a good thing you’re available today, where’s Tony?” My dad asked.

“Uhm… He said he has something to do with his classmates. School-related, I guess.” Ron shrugged. “On a Sunday? Hey, are you guys resting from your schoolwork? I know it’s difficult, but at least take a break.” My mom said, pouting.

“Don’t worry mom, we do take breaks. Medyo mahirap lang gawin ‘yun pag taga UP.” He sighed. (It's a bit difficult to do that when you're from UP)

I always admired how hardworking my brothers were. Tony was taking up his Master’s degree in Public Administration, while Ron was in his last year, taking up Biology. Sometimes I wished I was as great as them, but I know that I’m great in my own way. I feel a bit envious that they get to study in their dream universities. As for me, it looks like I’ll be taking college in Malaysia, but that’s okay. I know I’ll still do great and be successful.

“So, how’s life there? Were you able to make friends?” Ron asked me. “Uhm… Yeah. At first, it was hard but I got the hang of it.” I smiled, then I pulled out my phone from the bag and opened it. It was currently 5:30 PM, I decided to check on the group chat I was in with the rest of the gang.

130 unread messages

I’m not surprised. Having all of them in one group chat is honestly chaotic. Gopal will all of a sudden blabber about something, while Ying and Yaya constantly challenge each other with some things. I guess they don’t like using private messages, huh?

[3:15 PM]

Leizel

@Lia de Vera miss you already :<

Yaya

Me too :/

I hope you liked the biscuits I gave you; you can eat it during the flight

I sighed. The truth is, I actually threw away her biscuits because of the fact it makes people faint. Plus, she puts fried onions in it. Who even does that? Yet I messaged her a thank you.

Fang

Don’t cry @Boboiboy

I let out a soft laugh as I continued reading the conversation. It was mostly them teasing Fang about Leizel, then Fang roasting Boboiboy, and then it’s all about Gopal’s addiction to chicken curry. These people are one of a kind.

I sent them a message, telling them I was already in the Philippines. To my surprise, Boboiboy has seen the message already. Then he sent me a private message saying that it was a good thing I updated them. He said he was getting worried about not me sending a message.

I chuckled, then replied to him: “Sorry! I forgot to open my phone. Talk to you later when I get to my house.”

It took us around 30 minutes to head back to our house. Once the car stopped, I looked outside and grinned. We’re home! I got out of the car and started helping my brother in putting the bags in.

“Wow, it still looks the same.” I heard a sigh from Ron, “Uhm… Obviously? What do you think? We’re going to have the house renovated while you guys were gone?” I turned to him and shrug, “I don’t know. Unless you have the money, I guess.”

My parents told me that we would be having dinner with my extended family on my mother’s side- grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This is exciting. I immediately brought my bag to my old room.

“Omygosh!” I cried, seeing two cockroaches on my bed. “AAAH!!! Help me!!!” In just a second, I heard my mom running up the stairs. I pointed to her where were the cockroaches, much to her surprise. She laughed then simply killed them. How did she do that?!

“You’re still a baby, huh?” I groaned at my mom’s comment. “I just can’t deal with cockroaches, you know? And really? Seeing that when I get in the room? Huhuhu.” After thanking her, I proceeded in changing the bedsheets because there’s no way I’ll be sleeping with those bedsheets that were touched by the roaches. Later on, I prepared for the family dinner.

As I prepared for dinner, my eyes set on the necklace nearby. I sighed as I got it, this was from Iris, my older sister who presumably died years ago. Yeah, presumably because we’ve never found her anywhere. I remember that day, I came home from school to that news. We were devastated, especially mom. This was one thing my family never wanted to talk about anymore, but of course, in our hearts, she was still with us.

I wore a ribbed polo dress that was color beige, then I wore a pair of white sneakers. I fixed my hair and face a bit to look more presentable. I already met my other older brother, who constantly teases me about everything.

“Your hair grew longer, I’m impressed.” I groaned at Tony’s comment. “Uhm… Duh, because I didn’t have my hair cut for the past few months. You’re weird.” He just laughed at me. Once we were all ready, we left our house and drove to the restaurant where we’ll be meeting my other family members. They were all happy we’re back.  

“Congratulations, by the way! I heard that you have to go to pre-university before college.” One of my aunts said. I nodded then explained about the education system there, and I also thanked her. “You still look the same, still beautiful.” I grinned at my grandfather’s comment.

“Thank you, atok.”

“Atok?”

Crap. Did I just call him atok??

“Oh, I mean lolo. Hehe, atok is grandpa in Malay.” I smiled sheepishly, scratching my nape. That was so awkward! I can’t believe I just said that. Well, at least they mean the same thing.

While the food wasn’t served yet, I talked to my grandparents, telling them about the life I have in Malaysia. I also managed to engage in a conversation with my cousins, it’s great to be back.

The food was served and we all ate. Afterward, we all left the restaurant. The place we went to has an open space, like a park, and there were various restaurants here. At the open space, there was a band playing. There was an ice cream store nearby; I and my cousins decided to buy ourselves a treat. As we all walked there, I couldn’t help but feel something weird.

I turned around to see a guy who was just standing, he was wearing a hoodie and a cap. He also has a face mask that covers his face, except for the eyes. That’s weird. I felt afraid, thinking it might be a robber or something. Good thing he walked away.

I checked my phone to see how many missed calls from Boboiboy, and one from Fang. I sighed; I was about to call Boboiboy back but I decided not to, I’m out with family after all. For sure he’ll understand that.

We all bought our ice creams and enjoyed the night.

The next day, we had another agenda. We all had a lunch date and stayed at my grandmother’s house. It was fun catching up with them.

There was a playground nearby their house. Together with my two older brothers, and 3 little cousins, we went there to play. I was assisting one of my cousins, who was 5 years old, and a little girl. She was climbing up to slide down. “Be careful.”

For some reason, I turned around because that’s a force of habit. I caught one man who was from afar, he was just looking at me. I couldn’t really see the face since my vision isn’t 20/20, I just assume he was looking at something else.

My cousin slid down the slide and went back up to do it again. I quickly put out my phone and opened it to see if I have any unread messages. As usual, I do, from the group chat. But I also had one from Boboiboy, privately.

He messaged around 12:00 PM, which was 45 minutes ago.

Haven’t heard from you since yesterday. Hope you’re doing well there!

I smiled, then typed out this message: Sorry about that. I got tired from the family dinner. I’m great! I hope you are as well. See you soon!

After replying, I shoved my phone back into my bag and watched my cousin slide down again. After the playground date, we all head back to my grandmother’s house and left for our house.

The next day was the nerve-wracking part. I’ll be visiting my old school and be seeing my friends. I messaged my best friend, Elena that I was on my way. My old school was a bit far so Tony would be driving me there. I’m now wearing a pair of straight-cut jeans with a purple cropped top. My shoes are white sneakers.

Did I mention that I’m fond of purple?

I arrived in front of the school and went in, and to my surprise, I saw my friends waiting for me in the waiting area. “There she is!” Ana yelled. “Lia!!” They all shouted as they rushed to me, each and one of them trying to give me a hug.

It feels great to be back.

I walked around the school with them, then we settled at the cafeteria. It still looks the same. Since I was visiting, one of my friends named Hana decided to treat me. We were all eating as we were talking. Although it was mostly me who was telling them stories since they kept asking me.

“Good luck with the extra education! I’m sure it will help you become competent for college.” Elena assured me. “Thank you.” I smiled, then we continued with our talk. The topic has shifted to life here in my old school, this school year. As one of my friends was talking, I couldn’t help but look at the other students who were at the canteen as well. They were all wearing the same shirts; the school issues a shirt every year to celebrate its years of existence. It was sad that I’m not one of those students who gets to wear them.

After eating, they led me to the open field where there were rides such as a flying swing, Vikings, and teacups. I was a bit nervous to ride on the Vikings, because last year, I fainted when I rode it, much to my friends’ entertainment. After riding all of those rides, we went to court where most students were.

I couldn’t help but think about the gang, I wish I was enjoying this with them too. Although we did have a hang out at the mall, the amusement park would be great too. Most of them are busy with their degree, which I don’t really complain about.

Oh, have I mentioned that students are required to hold a booth? One booth per class.

Some of my friends returned to their booths because of their duties. Elena remained with me since her shift at the booth was done. “You don’t want to try the booths?” She asked me.

I shook my head, “They’re the same anyways.” We both laughed at that, and it was true. It’s always the same kind of booth. I was still studying here last year, so I know what kind of booths are there.

Elena and I both catch up by telling different stories to each other. I mentioned to her about meeting new people in Malaysia. However, I left out some parts which were about my powers and TAPOPS.

Afterward, we both went to the restroom since we both need to pee and fix ourselves. I was the one who finished first so I washed my hands. There was a huge mirror in the restroom, while the exit was across it. I looked at myself in the mirror, then adjusted my top.

All of a sudden, I saw a dark figure behind me. I was so startled that I let out a scream and ran to the corner. I slowly turned around to see that the figure was gone. Elena rushed out of the cubicle, “Hey, what happened?”

“I saw someone behind me, I just don’t know who it is.” She went to me and hugged me which I hugged her back. I just hope I was hallucinating earlier.

The rest of this day was normal. The dismissal time was around 2:30 PM; there were some food establishments nearby the school so I and Elena went out on a date to catch up even more. She’s my best friend after all since I was in elementary.

We both went to a milk tea shop and stayed there until 5 PM, then we went back to our respective homes.

As I got ready for bed, I received a message from our group chat.

Yaya

It’s Ying’s birthday tomorrow! Yayayayay! What are we going to do? @Ying

Ying

Sleep. That’s what we’re going to do. Huhuhu.

Gopal

Dey, that’s boring! You’re not going to celebrate?

Ying

With my family, yes. We can do it the day after tomorrow!

I decided to reply: “Meanwhile me at the Philippines: o__o” A few minutes later, my message received laugh reactions from almost all of them, except for Leizel and Fang. After talking to them for almost an hour, I bid them goodnight.

The next day, the first thing I did was greet Ying with a happy birthday. I also took note of what she wants for her birthday so I could buy her a gift here and give it once I return to Malaysia. I’ll be going to my old school again later, but around 5 PM because a play will be starting at that time.

I got ready around 4:30 PM then I left my house. In 30 minutes, I already arrived at the school. Since a play was happening, there was an entrance ticket that needed to be paid. I paid for my ticket then went to the place where the show was going to happen.

I saw some of my old classmates and batchmates who were seated at the chairs. I found out that not all students are required to join this. Luckily, they were welcoming enough to let me sit with them. The play started and honestly, I was enjoying it. The ones who were playing the main characters executed their role perfectly. It was also like a musical since there were parts that they’re singing.

“Oh, you’re back.” I heard a masculine voice. I turned around and saw him- ah, it was my old crush, well, probably the one that got away. I gave a small smile, “Yeah.” He sat down beside me and for some reason, it felt awkward.

Months before I left for Malaysia, he confessed that he liked me and it was nice because I liked him too. Though I broke the news to him that I’d be leaving for Malaysia, he said that things won’t change for him. We were in the courting stage as time passed by.

Until one day, a week before my moving up ceremony, he told me that he wasn’t up for it anymore. He realized he wouldn’t be able to handle the long distance. As much as it pained me, I had to let it go.

The only one who knew this was Elena, otherwise, no one else knew. I felt guilty not telling this to Boboiboy, but I vowed to myself that I will tell him later on. For sure he'll understand why I haven't told him about this yet.

We shared a small talk, just catching up on one another. There was a feeling of nostalgia, but I didn’t mind that anymore. “I hope you’re happy.” I told him, smiling. I saw the guilt across his face, yet I kept on smiling. The smile I had wasn’t fake, it was real.

All of a sudden, I felt my watch ringing. Good thing there was another segment ongoing, so the noise will be overpowered. I excused myself from him and went to a place where no one was there. Once I answered the call, Boboiboy’s hologram appeared.

When I saw him, I felt happy. I recalled what we’ve talked about at the mall before, it crossed my mind that what he said had a different meaning. Though I wanted to play safe, so I’ll take it as a friendly gesture. "Hi Boboiboy. What's up?" I smiled. 

“Where are you?” He suddenly asked me which took me aback. Wow, no hi or hello. “Uhm, I’m at my old school.” I saw him shooting me a surprised look, “At this time? It’s past 6 PM!” I calmly explained to him the reason why I was here.

He nodded, understanding what I said. “Okay, okay. Anyways, I called you because I didn’t hear from you today. I got worried."

"You called me because of that? You know text messages exist, right?" I sighed. I know he was being a protective leader, but really? This kind of call? In the middle of the school's play?

He sighed, “Wait. Let me explain. There’s someone out to get you. You have to be careful, and if possible, leave. Right now.”

“Leave? Leave where? Leave the Philippines?” I asked, my voice was raising because I was surprised. “And who’s going to get me? How did you know?” I’m really confused about what’s he saying. What’s going on?

“No time to explain. Just go. If possible, go tell aunty and uncle. Ochobot will be opening a portal back to Malaysia. Please do it.” I can see in his eyes that he was worried. I was too shocked to even reply. This is so sudden.

I was about to reply but I heard someone else talk, “I don’t think you can go.” I was startled, then I turn around and all of a sudden, I saw lightning swords heading towards me. It's a good thing I was able to react and bent down to avoid them.

I immediately ended the call between me and Boboiboy and ran away. I was terrified, who was that and why did it attack me all of a sudden? Since I was at the fields, I had to run my way to the edge to get to the exit. However, as I was running, slabs of the earth grew in front of me, blocking my way. I quickly turned left to go around it, but another pack of earth slabs grew. I was out of mind; I didn’t know what to do.

I yelped as I felt something wrapping around my body, restraining me. It was a vine. I tried to wriggle my way out but it was no use. Another pair of vines appeared and got my arms, I was fully restrained.

I saw a figure nearby; it was dark so I couldn’t see who exactly is it. But I saw the eyes were glowing scarlet red. “I don’t think you can go sweetheart.” I saw him walking towards me, “You haven’t even met me yet.”

The moment the figure revealed itself, I was surprised. My eyes widened as my lips were parted. It was a man, with white hair. What terrifies me is that...

“Boboiboy?”

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 18: Reverse

  Third Person’s POV

Lia was restrained by the vines that were summoned. The figure revealed itself which surprised Lia. The man has white hair with a black streak. His skin was pale and his clothes were dark. His eyes are scarlet red which frightened the girl. What’s more frightening was…

“Boboiboy?” She couldn’t believe it. Were her eyes deceiving her? The man looked exactly like Boboiboy, except for the clothing, skin color, and possibly, attitude. The man grinned at her, “Oh no, sweetheart. I’m not him. I have a different name. Why do you guys think I’m him? Is it because I look like him?”

“Uhm… Yes.” Her reply made the vines tighten around her which made her yelp. “Aish! What was that for?! I was telling the truth!” The man walked towards her and leaned over her, looking straight into her eyes. “Oh yea, you’re Lia.”

“How do you know me? And who are you?” The man gave a chuckle, “My, my. You’re really determined to know who I am, huh? Well then, let me introduce myself. My name’s Reverse.” Lia furrowed her eyebrows, “Reverse? Boboiboy Reverse?” Reverse grunted, “Will you stop calling me that? I hate it when people call me Boboiboy.”

“I mean, you look like Boboiboy. So I assume that you’re one of his elemental forms.” Her reply made Reverse summon a lightning sword and point it at her, frightening her. Reverse cracked a laugh upon seeing her frightened, “Wow, you were so confident earlier and now, you’re as scared as a kitten.”

“Look, if you want to fight, not here. We’re at a school. There are a lot of people there and I can’t have you and me fighting here.” Reverse gave her a smug look, “Ahh, so you’re requesting now? Hmm.”

All of a sudden, he summoned a hoverboard that’s similar to Boboiboy Cyclone’s. He rode on it and brought Lia who was still restrained by the vines. They flew away, much to Lia’s surprise. He really followed my instruction?

Reverse brought Lia to a place where there was an open field. Lia widened her eyes as she realized where they were. “You brought me to my brother’s university! This is one of their open fields.”

Yep, UP Sunken Garden.

“You said not there so I brought you here, don’t be choosy. You should be thankful I haven’t finished you earlier.” Reverse let go of Lia from the vines, she stumbled down. Lia looked up and saw how Reverse looked at her, it’s as if she was his prey.

She stood up and did a stance, ready to fight. “Look, I don’t know what’s with you and Boboiboy, and I don’t know why you’re after me but I wouldn’t let you get away with this.” Reverse raised his eyebrow, giving her a smug smile, “What are you going to do?”

Lia already has her hands glowing purple, she growls. “Sonic Blast!” She releases a series of soundwaves that blows Reverse away. However, Reverse did flip to land safely. “I guess you forgot that I have the same powers as him, right?”

Reverse constructed a thunder blade that was similar to Boboiboy Thunderstorm’s. Then he suddenly disappeared using his lightning speed. Lia was shocked until she heard swift moves all around her. Reverse was disappearing and reappearing on different sides to confuse Lia, who couldn’t even track where exactly he is.

“He keeps on disappearing!” Lia exclaimed, much to Reverse’ enjoyment as he reappeared way behind her. He darts towards her, ready to slash her. It was a good thing she turned around and saw it coming, she immediately created a barrier around her.

When the blade contacted the barrier, it created an explosion. Once the dust was cleared off, nothing happened to the shield. Reverse was determined, he did his best in slashing the barrier.

Lia knew he would be able to break it, she couldn’t even hold him off for a while. She has to attack now. She growled, then let out a hellish scream that released continuous sound waves that threw him away. She diminished her shield.

Reverse landed on the ground; he felt his ears aching. He placed his hands on his ears and rubbed them, “Aish. How dare you scream that loud?!” Lia winked, “What? I’m not a sound kid for nothing.”

Reverse then holds a ball of wind, “Cyclone Rush!” Lia knew what could do so she used her soundwaves to jump up high to avoid it, now she’s flying. He revenged on her by throwing a pack of wind discs that multiplies itself.

Lia released sound bolts from her mouth that destroyed the wind discs, which angered the opponent. He summoned his thorny vines and sent them out to Lia, which wrapped around her legs.

The boy smirked as he swirled Lia around, then kept on slamming her on the ground. As he kept swirling her, the girl was getting dizzy. Reverse grinned as he tossed her up for one last time, then releases go of the vine which sent her straight to the ground.

She felt her vision going blurry because of the multiple hits on her head, yet that didn’t stop her from standing up. She was a bit dazzled, but she was eager to take him down. “Sound…” Her hands were glowing purple, “Vortex!” She released soundwaves directly to the ground that traveled its way to Reverse.

The soundwaves were released under him, it created a vortex that made Reverse vulnerable. His whole body was being whirled; he couldn’t move because the movement was rapid. Lia was controlling the vortex; she saw how he was affected. She amplified the soundwaves in which worsen the state of Reverse.

“So loud!” He cried. He couldn’t take it anymore; he used another power to free himself from the vortex. The power was strong that it took off the vortex and exploded. One the dust was cleared, Reverse was on the ground, fire on his hands.

“Crap.” Lia muttered.

“Fireball Attack!” He launched multiple fireballs towards Lia, which alarmed her. For defense, she launched continuous soundwaves that were able to deflect the fireballs back to Reverse.

He suddenly disappeared using his lightning power, and once the fireballs struck the tree, he reappeared, smirking. He dashed towards her, and with his swift moves, he was able to disappear again and reappear behind Lia, however on the air. His fist was flaming.

“Blazing Fire Punch!” He released the fire in a form of a blazing knuckle, which surprised her. “Sonic Blast!” She used her soundwaves to hold off the blazing knuckle. The knuckle was so strong that Lia was having a hard time, she even starting sweating.

Reverse landed across her, watching her struggle made him smirk. He brought out a minigun then released blocks of concentrated ice, which struck Lia by blasting her away, then freezing her whole body.

“What in the world?!” She squirmed to get herself out but the ice was too strong that it really restrained her. “It’s frozen!” She exclaimed, making Reverse grin in satisfaction. 

He summoned his quake fists then punched the ground repeatedly. Earth slabs kept appearing below Lia that broke the ice, but attacked her body since the slabs were that hard. As it kept going up, it increased the pain on Lia.

Lia lets out a scream of pain, much to his delight. He gave one last punch on the ground that diminished the slab, making her fall down. Reverse suddenly appeared on the air, now with his solar visors. “Solar Beam strike!”

A destructive solar beam was launched from his eyes, that attacked Lia so bad. Her loud screams were heard as the beam didn’t stop. Once it did, Reverse landed on the ground and saw Lia, laid there, helpless. Her body was a bit burnt from the solar beam strike, she was weak.

Reverse used the earth power to trap Lia within a vault-like earth slab. She couldn’t move, but she didn’t try to wriggle out because her body was giving up on her. He wasn’t done yet; he used his lightning power to electrocute her.

Lia cried in pain, “Please stop…” Reverse was evil, he doesn’t take any commands like that. Her request made him do it more, much to her pain. She passed out after being electrocuted.

Reverse plastered a smirk as he walked to her, he grabbed her face with one hand, then, on the other hand, was his flaming fist. “Get ready to feel my wrath, sweetheart. Blazing-”

“Slow Mo Speed!” Ying suddenly appeared then she set out blue energy that slowed down Reverse from hurting Lia. Yaya was flying her way towards them, “Don’t you dare hurt her!” She punched Reverse upward, the gravity power in her first was so strong that it blasted him up high.

Then, she used her gravity power to lure Gopal, who was in his diamond transformation, to him. She swatted Reverse repeatedly by using Gopal. Diamond was the hardest mineral, so it crushed him and gave him injuries such as scratches and bruises.

Leizel, who was on the ground, warmed up her powers. She holds a white energy sphere, “Energy Beam!” She launched out a white energy beam that struck Reverse hard. Once done, he started falling down.

Upon the sky was Fang, fused with the shadow eagle. “Shadow Dragon Fire!” He blows a very strong shadow-colored fire to Reverse that damaged him even more. It wasn’t finished yet as the three elemental forms of Boboiboy- Lightning, Fire, and Light appeared. They set off for Reverse.

“Red Hot Flaming Punch!” Fire released fire in the form of a blazing knuckle. “Light Force!” Light released a strong force of light that attacked Reverse. Lightning released his lightning blades that electrocuted the opponent.

Reverse took in their attacks and it really harmed him. His body fell to the ground, all injured with some wounds, bruises, and burnt on the skin

The three Boboiboys landed as well, then reverted back to the original form. His eyes went to Lia, who was being helped by the others. “I’ll break this.” Leizel referred to the earth slab that was trapping Lia.

“No way! You’re going to hurt her!” Ying replied, furrowing her eyebrows. “Quit fighting! It won’t make a difference.” Gopal, who was back to his normal form, shouted. Then he used his power to change the slab into jelly, then Leizel and Yaya pulled Lia out. They laid her to the ground.

Boboiboy rushed to Lia and kneeled down to check on her. He was internally panicking; he checked her pulses to know if she’s alright. “I can feel her pulse, it’s just low.” The others were worried. Lia looked seriously injured.

Reverse stood up which caught the attention of Leizel. “Hey you! Why did you attack our friend?” She growled. Yaya has her eyebrows furrowed; her fists were clenching. “Why did you come back, huh?!”

He gave an evil laugh, “I just found out about her, so I decided to pay her a visit. Looks like she had too much fun which ended her like that.” Boboiboy was furious upon hearing what Reverse said; he stood up and angrily yelled, “If something happens to her, I swear you’re going to pay for this.”

“Well, something already happened.” Reverse’s comment made Boboiboy growl. He was about to attack but Reverse halts him. “I don’t want to deal with you guys today. I had enough.” Then he suddenly disappeared, much to their surprise.

“What?!” Boboiboy exclaimed as he ran to the spot where Reverse was. “Where the heck are you?! Come back here!” He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and he felt his body heat go high. He was angry.

“We’ll handle that later, Boboiboy. We have to get help for Lia.” Fang said as he was kneeling before her. He was checking on her, “She’s heavily passed out. She needs to rest.”

Leizel used her power watch to see where’s Lia’s house located. Once she found it, she informed the rest. Immediately, Boboiboy went to Lia and kneeled down again. He observed her whole body, there were some burnt areas due to the lightning and solar power.

He didn’t realize that he had tears forming in his eyes but he quickly wiped them away. He carried her bridal style, “Let’s go.” He told the others.  

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 19: Explanation

Back in Lia's house, they were all in her room, including her parents, Ochobot, and Sonobot. Lia was laid on the bed, still passed out, as she was being scanned by Sonobot. Nathalia was crying, as Andres was comforting her by hugging her and patting her back.

"Sonobot, does she need to be brought to the hospital? What if she needs medical attention?" Nathalia panicked; her voice was raised.

Andres looked at the rest of the gang, "What happened to her?" He calmly asked.

The rest of the gang were too afraid to speak up, but they know they have to. Leizel was the first one who spoke up, "She was attacked by someone whom we have been looking for quite a while. According to Boboiboy, Reverse, the enemy, followed Lia to her old school then brought her to the field. That's where the battle happened."

"Where were you guys when this happened?!" Nathalia demanded an answer which frightened all of them. "And did you guys know this will happen?!"

Fang cleared up his throat, "No, aunty. We were alerted by Boboiboy's radar senses that he would be after Lia. He tried to warn her, but Reverse arrived beforehand."

"Radar senses?" Boboiboy sighed, "It's a long story, aunty. I'm really sorry for what happened to Lia. Even us, we were surprised by the sudden attack." He lowered his head, feeling guilty.

Nathalia didn't mind what Boboiboy said, she just rushed to Lia. Sonobot was done scanning her, "Okay, I'm done. I got her results." He projected a holographic presentation of her results.

"So far, she's fine. The burnt on her skin is temporary, it just needs to be treated with something cold. It's a good thing the lightning strike didn't damage her internal organs. Her watch is fine too. She just needs to take a good rest."

"My sweet baby girl..." Nathalia cried, caressing her face. Everyone else looked at them in sadness. Andres suddenly left the room, getting the attention of Boboiboy and Fang. Even Sonobot saw what he did.

A groan was heard from Lia much to everyone else's surprise. Her eyes slowly open, "Uhh.. What happened? Where am I?" Yaya gasped, "She's awake!"

Boboiboy rushed to the bed, but he kept his distance. Of course, her mom's there, she should be the first one who'll talk to her daughter.

"Babes, are you okay? Please talk to me." Nathalia pleaded. Lia gave a faint smile, "I'm okay. I just need to eat." Her mom let out a cry of happiness then tackled her in a hug, much to Lia chuckling.

Later on, Lia was already eating her favorite meal- a McDonald's chicken sandwich, large fries, and 6 pieces of nuggets. She was eating on her bed, as the rest watched her. Leizel giggled, "You look cute. You're eating like a child."

"This is my go-to food. I really love this." Lia replied, munching on her sandwich. She turned to Ying, "By the way. Happy birthday! Sorry this happened on your special day." She pouted.

"It's okay. What's important is that you're okay." Ying smiled at her, the continued, "Are you okay? How do you feel?" She was still worried for her. "I feel a bit better. Although I still feel pain in my body. Reverse really got me back there."

Boboiboy sat on her bed, across from her. He stared at Lia, feeling guilty. Once Lia noticed him, she gave him a warm smile. "If you're going to apologize, you don't need to. I'm glad you guys arrived before he finished me."

"The moment I sensed him; I knew he was after you. I got so worried, then this happened. I'm really sorry." He lowered down his head; he couldn't even look at her. Lia sets aside her food and went to Boboiboy, she hugged him. "Aish, don't be sorry. I just told you!"

She ruffled his hair then continued, "I'm not mad. I was just surprised, you know? And of course, I was afraid. Reverse has your exact powers and your looks. I think you have to do some explaining." 

Boboiboy stole a glance at the others, gesturing him to tell her the whole story about Reverse. Then he turned back to Lia, who pulled from the hug, and started telling her more about him.

After the battle with Retak'ka, Boboiboy was overwhelmed. A lot of things happened, including the revelation about Leizel's parents. After being awoken at the space hospital, he still felt the stress, despite Retak'ka being defeated.

Everyone else rejoiced at his awakening, I mean, who wouldn't be? Boboiboy was fine, that's important. As the rest bonded with the Cendawa Tribe, Boboiboy was left alone, watching them.

Was it worth it to risk his life for the galaxy? He kept on asking himself for almost every day of his life, ever since he started being a hero. He knew that whenever he battled with somebody new, his life was at risk. Almost every battle, he faints which made him question himself.

When the night fell, he went outside and took a walk. He was still thinking about his own question. He loved what he was doing; saving lives, saving power spheres, meeting new people, and protecting the whole galaxy. He knew this was his specialty, being courageous and heroic.

But was it enough for him to give up his life whenever it's at risk? He knew he could do that, well, he has been doing that with no doubt. He prioritizes others first before himself, but why does it feel weird for him? It doesn't seem fulfilling for him. Maybe 50-50.

He found himself at a forest, he sat down on a huge rock as he kept on thinking. He stared at his watch, as he started recalling the times they were at battle. He also recalled how much pressure was on him, since he is the leader of his team. With that, tears were in his eyes. He started crying hard, he was so confused.

His crying was so hard that he started being surrounded by a dark aura, his power watch started to malfunction. The lightning symbol on his watch shifted to the other symbolic elements- Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Leaf, Light, and... Reverse. 

He lets out a yell as he channeled his energy and released it. That's how Reverse was born. He looked exactly like him, the only difference was the skin color, which was pale, his eye color was scarlet red, and his clothing was dark.

Boboiboy widened up his eyes, he didn't expect he'll be releasing another version of himself. "Who are you?" Reverse gave an evil grin, "I'm you, duh. But worse, and stronger." Reverse summoned a thunder blade then attacked Boboiboy.

The next day, Boboiboy told everyone about what happened. There were mixed reactions: Ying and Yaya couldn't believe it, Fang was pissed, Leizel, Gopal, and Ochobot were worried for him.

"You made a clone?! An evil clone?! What is this Boboiboy?!" Fang scolded him. Boboiboy lowered his head, not daring to look at the rest. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden."

Ochobot started scanning Boboiboy. Minutes later, he detected what was the cause. "His stress level is so high. It must have affected the power watch that ended up creating another you."

"You're stressed out? Of what?" Yaya asked. Boboiboy sighed, "Of everything, okay? A lot of things are on my plate right now, that's all." Leizel raised her eyebrow, "That's all? Boboiboy, you just created a clone of yours! An evil clone. He could be dangerous."

"He already is." Fang pointed to some of the bruises and burnt areas Boboiboy has on his skin, "The fact he attacked you last night speaks a lot. We have to take him down."

"Did he mention anything to you? Like any of his plans?" Ying interrogated. Boboiboy shook his head, "Not really. He just said he wanted to take over the galaxy."

All of a sudden, Fang's power watch rang. He answered it; Kaizo's hologram was projected. "There's an attack going on another planet. Sources said that it's Boboiboy who's doing it."

Once Kaizo saw Boboiboy with them, he widened his eyes. He was unable to speak because he was confused.

Fang sighed, "You mean the clone of Boboiboy's now attacking another planet. Yeah, we got that. Send us the coordinates. We'll be there." Kaizo was about to reply, but Fang diminishes his hologram.

Boboiboy was guilty, he knew he was responsible for this. Every time he was under stress, something bad regarding his powers happened. First, he unlocked the fire element that caused arson in the village. Then he had the water element that ended up flooding the village. And now, it happened again, much worse than before.

"We have to put an end to him."

"So you're saying that... Reverse is not an elemental form. He's another version of you, like the bad one. And you've been looking for him for years?" Boboiboy nodded, answering Lia's question.

Ochobot butt in, "Boboiboy channeled his stress into a clone, his clone. Reverse is Boboiboy, but the other side of him. Hence, they're now two different people."

"We had TAPOPS search for him as well, he wasn't found until earlier." Fang added on. "He was and will always be a threat. We had some notices that he already attacked other aliens on different planets." Lia nodded, understanding the explanation.

"But why was he after Lia?" Yaya asked Boboiboy. Boboiboy shrugged, "I don't know. He didn't tell me anything else. He just wanted to get to her." Gopal smirked, "Maybe he has a crush on her."

Leizel groaned, "Aish. He just literally attacked her and almost ended her, and you're going to say he has a crush?" Gopal raised his palms, "I was just guessing!" Ying rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

"Whatever the reason was, I'm sure he wanted something from Lia." Ochobot stated. Lia sighed as she turned to Sonobot, "Maybe he wants you. Why are you such a big deal to everyone else?!" Her frustration made Sonobot raised his palms, "How do I know?"

Yaya and Ying both slightly laughed, Boboiboy just sighed. "We just have to keep our guard up and protect Lia."

"Wait, so how do we defeat him?" Lia asked. Ochobot pointed at Boboiboy, "Well, he's the only one who could do it. It's his clone after all."

Lia widened her eyes, "What? No. Not just him! He shouldn't be left out. We'll all help him, right guys?"

Everyone else agreed with her, making Boboiboy smile. He looked at Lia, who was grinning at him, giving him a thumbs up. She pats his back, "We got you, B. You're not alone here." His smile widened, feeling comforted by Lia.

"The moment you sensed him again, just tell us. So that we won't be surprised by him anymore." Yaya told Boboiboy. "And I guess we should have a plan, you know, where we can lay out all of the possible strategies we can do so that things will be easier for us." Ying added on.

Lia nodded, biting on a chicken nugget. "Reverse has the same power as Boboiboy, and we all know he has 7 elements. If it's one of us against him, it's going to be hard. So we have to plan out our combo moves too."

"I like that!" Leizel approved, grinning. "We also have to keep on training then. Utilizing our powers more will make us stand a chance against this Reverse." Fang nonchalantly said. "As long as you will treat us food after, then sure."

Gopal's remark made everyone else laugh, well except for Fang who just rolled his eyes. "For this once, okay." Gopal gasped, then he rushed to Fang. He started shaking him, "What?! Are you serious?! Don't tell me this is a prank!"

"It will be considered a prank if you won't stop shaking me!" Fang shouted, making Gopal stop. He crossed his arms, "Dey, I already did. So, keep your word okay!" Much to Fang's annoyance, he rolled his eyes again.

"Wait!" Yaya yelled as she checked the time. It was still Ying's birthday. "Let's all sing a happy birthday for Ying." They all went on singing her a happy birthday, then talked about random things. Laughs and giggles were heard from Lia's room.

Boboiboy couldn't help but think about Reverse; he was frightened because he knew Reverse has the same powers as him, and since he is evil, for sure he's stronger. But when he looked at the rest of the gang, he knew that they would be with him at this difficult time.

He then gazed at Lia, who was joking with the others. He was happy with how she got along with others. He observed how she laughed, the way her eyes crinkled, and how she pouted when Ying teased her about something. He felt his heart fluttering.

He admired the way Lia insisted that he shouldn't be alone in battling Reverse. For someone new to all of this like her, she's very brave and wise enough to propose a plan that would help them all defeat Reverse.

He gave out a soft smile as he recalled what she said earlier. "We got you, B. You're not alone here."

Sonobot followed Andres to the bedroom. She took a peek and saw Andres, who had his back turned. He was talking to someone. The power sphere couldn't understand that much because he was speaking in Filipino; which she is not that fluent in yet but she knows some of the words.

What caught her attention was...

"Sa isa mo nalang gawin yun. Oo, kilala mo na yung tinutukoy ko."

Sonobot left and went to a vacant room. She remembered what Andres said earlier and translated it.

Just do it to the other one. Yeah, you know who am I referring to.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 20: Jealousy

Lia was excited to go back to Rintis. She had fun in the Philippines since she spent Christmas there but she was also looking forward to seeing her friends again in Rintis despite seeing them weeks ago.

Andres didn't go with them back home, since he'd be doing something back in the Philippines with Tony and Ron. After claiming their bags from the baggage carousel, Lia and Nathalia went to the exit to catch a train that will transport them to the train station nearby their village.

The train ride will take around 30 minutes during which Lia slept for the whole ride. When they arrived, they waited for the signal to disembark. Once they did, they hopped on a taxi that will take them to the village.

Upon arriving at their house, Lia smiled. She missed Pulau Rintis so much, even if she was gone for 2 weeks. She looks at her phone to check the time- 12:15 AM on December 29, 2018. She knows that she'll sleep again after this.

"Should I get Sonobot from Boboiboy?" She asked her mom. "It's too late, we can't just bother him. You can get Sonobot tomorrow." Nathalia replied as she puts out the last bag from the car. They both thanked the taxi driver and went back to their house.

The next day, as Lia wakes up she sees a familiar sphere flying by her. "You're back!" Sonobot screamed as she hugs Lia who just sat up. The Filipina smiled, hugging her back. "You're acting as if we didn't see each other in the Philippines."

"Well, I miss my owner! Doesn't she miss me?" Sonobot replied as she crosses her arms. Lia chuckled, "I miss you too, Sonobot. How was it at Boboiboy's place? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I also helped out at the cocoa shop. It's actually great to do that, I'm considering doing that every day." Lia nodded at what Sonobot said with a smile, "You should. I'm sure atok needs extra help."

Then they both went down the stairs so Lia could eat breakfast. She brought her phone alongside with her and as she waits for the food to be prepared, she finds a text... it was from Boboiboy. She checked the time he sent the text and the current time, there was a 40-minute gap. Ooops.

[8:30 AM]

Boboiboy ⚡
Selamat Pagi!
What time did you arrive last night?

Hi omg sorry late haha I just woke up
Good morning! I understood that one yay
Around 12 AM! I'm still a bit tired pa

To Lia's surprise, the moment she sent the reply, he already saw it in a span of 10 seconds. He replied later on.

It's okay hehe I knew you're still sleeping when I sent that 👍🏼
Dang that's kind of late... Are you okay?

I know right 😭 But yea i'm oki!
Are you at the shop? I'll go there around noon

Right now? I'm not, I'm studying at my house
But since you're going later, I'll go visit hehehe

Great! See you! <33

She then eats her breakfast after chatting with Boboiboy. Later on, she was now doing some household chores to help her mom. She was currently sweeping the floor in the living room, and while at that, she was tuning to a song.

"It's Simple! Y! E! S! Hey!" She even dances to one part of the choreography that made her stop sweeping the floor. Sonobot arrived to see Lia's dance that made her surprised, "Oi!"

The girl immediately stops with a gasp and turns around to see Sonobot. She gives a sheepish smile, "Hehehe. You can't deny that this song is so catchy." Sonobot nodded, "Yeah, TWICE's songs are catchy. I keep on hearing their songs at the cocoa shop."

Lia proceeds in mopping the floors, then she goes to her room to clean it. She also swept and mopped it for the floors to be clean. She also fixed her desk for it to be less messy. She changed her bedsheets since the last time she changed them was around 2 weeks ago.

She sorted out the things in her closet, since New Year is approaching, she wanted to approach the new year with everything clean. It took her an hour to finish sorting the clothes, which she took a bath afterward.

She got dressed to go to the cocoa shop. She also brought a bag of gifts which she bought in the Philippines for her friends.

"Mom, I'll go ahead." Lia said as she goes to the door with Sonobot. "Okay, keep safe!" Once she heard her mom's reply, she leaves the house and heads to the cocoa shop. Upon arriving, she saw that the others were there.

Yaya was the first one to spot her, "Guys! She's here!" The rest were surprised to see Lia as the girls ran to her squealing. "Yay! Welcome back! We missed you!" Leizel exclaimed as she gives her a bone-crushing hug. Yaya and Ying joined in the hug.

"We didn't expect you today, we thought you'd be coming tomorrow since you might be tired." Ying said with a smile. "I missed you guys too!" Lia replied chuckling at her girlfriends. "Of course I'll come here, I have gifts for all of you." When they pulled away, they helped Lia bring the bags to the shop.

"Wow, this is heavy. What's in the bag?" Yaya asked as she placed one of them on top of a chair in which Ying and Leizel did the same. "You'll see." Lia winked at them which made them even curious.

Fang smiled at Lia's appearance, "Welcome back." He gives her a fist bump much to her chuckle. "Thanks, Fang." She smiled then turned to Gopal who braces in for a hug, "Wow, it's been a while. It's like I haven't seen you for a long time!"

"Didn't I see you weeks ago when you guys came to the Philippines?" They all laughed at her remark. Tok Aba sighed, "Look at them, Lia. They've all been missing you as if you were gone for a year! Especially Boboiboy."

"Oh, speaking of him... where is he atok? He's not here." Lia asked as she notices Boboiboy's absence. Fang was about to reply, but a masculine voice was suddenly heard, "Lia!"

Lia turns around to see Boboiboy heading to her with a big smile on his face. She chuckled as she went to him, "So you kept your word, huh? How's school work?" He didn't reply but he swoops in for a hug that took Lia aback, yet she hugs him back.

"I'm glad that you're back." He said with much longing that made Lia blush a little. "Thank you, hehehe. Sorry for not texting you last night," She pulled away from the hug. "I got sleepy."

"It's okay. 12 AM is late anyway, you had to rest. For sure the travel was tiring." The two had huge smiles on their faces, just staring at each other without them talking to each other.

"EHEM!" They heard the rest yell to them. Lia turns around to see them giving them a smug look. "Can we open the bags now? We want to see what's inside." Gopal asked, implying that he couldn't wait for it.

Yaya giggled, "You can't make us wait with all the bags you brought, Lia." Lia laughed, "Sorry." She went to them with Boboiboy following her. "Go ahead guys, open them." She grinned.

The moment she said that, Ying and Gopal started opening the bags. To their surprise, there were some packed snacks, jars of jam, and even some clothing like graphic t-shirts.

"WOW!" The rest yelled, astonished at what Lia brought. Leizel brought out a pack of Pancit Canton noodles of Lucky Me, "Omy... It's been a long time since I ate this!" Gopal was surprised as he saw some chocolate that was from the Philippines. "ChocNut? Dey, I've heard of this. They say it's good!"

Yaya brought out an Ube jam and observed it, "Purple yam? Wow, this looks good, Lia! I can't wait to taste this! I'm sure my mom and little brother would like this too." Fang saw the graphic shirts, "Can I get this?"

"Go get whatever you want, guys. That's all for you guys to share." Lia said as she sits down on a chair. "Sorry if it's not that much." Her apology earned a look from Boboiboy, "Not much? It's like you brought food that can feed the city!"

"Okay, that's exaggerated." Ying commented as she got some keychains that were found in the bag. Leizel was feeling nostalgic when she saw the things which is why she got as much as she can. "Hala!!!!! Jellyace!!!"

Boboiboy widened his eyes when he saw some other snacks and graphic t-shirts, much to his liking. "Wow, these are all great. Thank you, Lia!" He smiles at her. "Thank you, Lia!" Fang yelled afterward.

The others also thanked her which made her smile. "You're welcome! Just get what you want to get." She also handed a keychain and refrigerator magnet to Tok Aba. "This is nice! Thank you." He grinned at her.

The gang got as many souvenirs as they can get from themselves. Nothing was left from Lia's bag that made her chuckle, she was happy that her friends appreciated the gifts she brought for them.

Afterward, some of them had to go back to their houses because of some errands and chores to do. The ones who were left at the shop were Boboiboy, Lia, Leizel, and Yaya along with Tok Aba and the two power spheres helping with the shop.

Boboiboy was now helping out in the shop since customers started arriving. The other three were at one side, talking with one another as they consume their drinks and some snacks Lia brought.

"Sorry for not being here at your birthday, I hope you liked the souvenirs I got you." Lia said giving a small smile. "Like it? I love it! It made me miss the Philippines even more." Leizel exclaimed.

Yaya laughed, "You probably should visit too, so you won't feel homesick." She took a bite of the potato chips Lia brought, "This is Piattos? Wow, it's so good!" Leizel didn't reply to Yaya's first statement, she just gives out a small chuckle.

"Potato chips and iced chocolate, a weird but underrated dynamic." Lia remarked much to the other girls' laughter. They all spent the next hour just talking and tuning to the music being played at the cocoa shop.

When the chorus of BBoom BBoom played, they all danced in their seats which made them laugh. "You memorized it too!" Lia exclaimed as she saw Yaya dancing along with them. "Well, that song is overplayed here so I kinda got the steps."

Afterward, Yaya received a call from her mom asking her to go home. She bid them goodbye, and sooner or later, Leizel had to go back to her house too. Lia was left alone in her seat, watching everyone else in the shop.

"Why didn't you go yet?" Boboiboy's sudden appearance and question startled her, making him laugh. Lia sighed, "Geez, you really like a grand entrance, huh?" She playfully rolled her eyes.

"Surprise then." The elemental hero sat across her with a grin. Lia chuckled, "Anyways, uhm... I'm waiting for Sonobot, plus I don't have anything else to do... How are you by the way?"

"I'm great," He replied enthusiastically which made Lia grin. "Like, I'm kind of done with most of my school work, and with the no-duty calls from TAPOPS, I feel a bit relaxed. A bit because we still have Reverse on the line."

Lia nodded slowly as she sighs, "Yeah. I'm glad you guys arrived before he can do anything else. Battling him is no joke, especially when he has the exact powers of yours."

"What's important now is that you're okay, we'll handle Reverse later on. For sure he'll be back," He firmly said then he changed the topic, "Anyways, enough of Reverse... I want to know how are you."

"I'm fine. I really had fun back in the Philippines, I missed my old house, my old environment, my friends, and also the food." Lia replied. Boboiboy nodded, bringing himself to smile, "That's nice to know. What else did you do there?"

Lia started telling Boboiboy about the things she did. She visited some historical sites like the National Museum and planetarium, hung out with some of her friends, and spent Christmas with her family which meant a lot to her.

Despite not coming from the Philippines, Boboiboy enjoyed listening to her stories about her trip. He saw the glow in her eyes when she talks about her home country, he knows how much she misses it.

He admires how Lia was able to adapt to the environment here in Rintis. Moving away from your home country suddenly was hard for her, but he saw how much she did it, which made him proud.

He observes her actions as she continued in her storytelling. The way she grinned when she told him about how much food she ate in the holiday, the way she laughed when she remembered how drunk her cousins were that she had to take care of them, and the way she smiled when she mentioned her friends.

"You should go with us next time, I can tour you around... Well, in the malls because I'm not good at direction outdoors." Lia smiled sheepishly making Boboiboy laugh, "I'd love to."

"Oh, by the way, I want to tell you something," Lia said, making Boboiboy look at her intently. "I saw him, the guy I told you about. The one who was about to be my boyfriend before."

Boboiboy swore he could feel his chest go heavy after hearing it, yet he maintained his composure. "Really? What happened? How did you see him?" Lia sighed, "At the school play I attended. He just sat beside me and I acknowledged his presence. We just had a small talk and yeah, that's it."

"Nice," Boboiboy monotonously replied. "Very nice... Uhm, how did you feel?" Lia shrugged, "Weird... I don't know, it's weird. Although there was a nostalgic feeling which I didn't mind anymore."

"What's his name? If it's okay?" He asked. "Uhm, Miguel. Miguel Dizon. He's from a school that's nearby my old school." Lia replied with a small smile, not seem to notice Boboiboy's change of mood.

The elemental hero nodded, "Okay... Nice, very nice... Amazing, astonishing, astounding..." His trail of words made Lia notice his behavior, "Wow, nice choice of words. Are you okay?"

"Yes!" His reply was enthusiastic, way too enthusiastic to be real. It took Lia aback; he just plastered a fake smile, "Yes, I'm okay. Very great! Super great! Hehehe!" He stood up.

Lia softened her look, "Are you sure? Did I say something wrong? Is this about me seeing him? I didn't see him on purpose, he just came by my seat that day." Boboiboy shook his head, "No, you didn't! Don't worry, and I know it wasn't on purpose. Yeah, awesome!"

He left Lia who was confused by his actions. She started to think about what went wrong that brought out that behavior of his. On the other hand, Boboiboy started overthinking his actions.

Why was he even like this? It's not as if Lia went to him to get back together? She even said that she didn't mind about him anymore. He knew Lia didn't have feelings for him anymore but the thought of them being together that day bothered him.

Is he jealous? Why would he be jealous? Does he like her?

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 21: Happy New Year! 

"Why didn't you tell her?"

Boboiboy was back at his place, Fang was there as well because he sometimes eats dinner at the house. It was no secret that Tok Aba serves great food, making Fang go to their house almost every day.

They were both currently at the table, both waiting for Tok Aba to finish serving the food. They wanted to eat when he's there. Boboiboy told Fang about Lia which made him question the elemental hero.

"Are you jealous?"

Boboiboy shrugged. He didn't know why is he feeling this way; he knew that there was nothing wrong with what Lia said. Fang raised his eyebrow, "Well, you said you were bothered at the thought of them together at the play Lia attended. Why do you say so?"

"Because I'm concerned for her, imagine meeting the guy who hurt you. I couldn't imagine how she exactly felt that day." Fang sighed at his friend's reply, he isn't buying the reason stated.

"Well, you could've told her about your concern. And honestly, Boboiboy, if you're just concerned for her about what she felt, you could've told her that right away. But you acted differently and just left her. That doesn't explain the concern you just said." Fang replied.

Boboiboy sighed, "So what are you saying?" Fang gave a smug look, "I'm saying that you have feelings for her and you're feeling jealous with their interaction. Just imagine this, the moment Miguel saw Lia, he realized that how much of a great person he let go off back then."

"Can you stop? I'm getting pissed off with hearing his name." Boboiboy grunted then he rolls his eyes, "Whatever Fang. Thanks for nothing, you're worsening my feelings with your comments."

"Oi! I was just trying to help," Fang defended himself feeling annoyed at what Boboiboy just said. "If you need a second opinion, try to ask somebody else. Make sure you talk to Lia as well because a new year is coming, I'm sure you don't want to enter the new year with that feeling."

After dinner, Fang went back to his residence and Boboiboy helped Tok Aba clean up the table. As he was washing the dishes, he heard Tok Aba ask, "Is everything okay? I heard you and Fang talking about Lia."

Crap. He thought as he continues washing the dishes, "Uhm, yes atok. It's just about Lia seeing someone back in the Philippines." He heard a chuckle from his granddad, "And you're jealous?"

"What?" He reacted turning to him to see the smug look on his face, "No, atok. Why would I be jealous? He's just her friend, I guess." Why do they think I'm jealous? I was just concerned for Lia!

"Yeah right, tell that to her. Based on your conversation earlier, you get pissed when you hear his name. Right, Miguel?" Tok Aba's teasing made worsen his thoughts about Lia seeing Miguel back in the Philippines.

I mean, what if that Miguel wants to get back together with her? Will she allow that? Ugh, why does that look... wrong for me? And why him?!

He wasn't mad at Lia; he knows for a fact that she didn't do anything. Just the thought of the two of them together... it doesn't sit right with him, which made him wonder why because does he even like her?

He just sighed as he goes back in washing the dishes, trying to ease his mind. Once he was done, he bid his granddad a goodnight and went to his room. Ochobot was already in his area, sleeping. He knew the power sphere got tired at the shop.

He got his pajamas from his closet then went to the bathroom to take a bath. Once he got out of the bathroom all dressed up, he heard a ring from his phone. He went by the table to pick it up, it was a notification from Lia.

[9:55 PM]

Lia de Vera 🌷

Hi, are we good? I kind of feel that we're not because of your reaction earlier :< Let me know if something's wrong, thank you hehe :c

Guilt came to him as he reads her message. He didn't mean to leave her off like that, he knows that's where he was wrong. He just couldn't shake off the negative feeling he has about Miguel. And so, he replied to her:

(BBB)

Hi, I'm sorry about earlier.
I'm not mad or anything at you.
I'll explain when I'm ready, something just came up earlier

Oh, sorry to hear that :// I should've asked you if it was okay for me to tell you about him
I'm just here! <3

The two continued to chat much to Boboiboy feeling better. He was now laughing because of the videos Lia sent. Most of them were her just singing at the karaoke when she was in the Philippines.

He also got some pictures of Lia doing cute poses, which she just took minutes ago for him to feel better. "Hay Illana Rei," Boboiboy sighed as he lies down on his bed, then he looks at their conversation. "What have you done to me?"

2 days later, it was New Year's Eve. Some of the members of the gang are coming to Lia's place to welcome the new year together. Lia was currently in her room, preparing what to wear.

Sonobot was gazing at the clothes on her bed, "Okay... You have brought a lot of clothes here. You have anything in mind on what you're going to wear?" Lia sighed, "I'm thinking if I'll go with a dress, pants, or skirt. What do you think?"

"Aish, do you think I know anything about fashion?" Lia shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe? No need to get annoyed, it's an almost new year! Hope your resolution will be getting less annoyed at your owner."

Sonobot sighed, "Whatever." After 30 minutes of still thinking and pairing some clothes, Lia has finally decided to wear something. She immediately took a bath then prepared herself.

"Wow, so much for a new year look." Sonobot playfully said as Lia was fixing herself at her dresser. "Whatever," Lia replied as she was putting on light foundation. Sonobot chuckled, "I was kidding. You look beautiful... Who else is coming here?"

Lia sighed, "Leizel and Fang only. The others prefer to spend Chinese New Year as it's their tradition... But that's okay, I respect that," She smiled. "And I'm glad those two are coming."

"What about Boboiboy?" Sonobot asked that made Lia shrug, "He said he'll be at the shop with atok. They're high on foot traffic now since people want to spend the new year at their shop. They extend their working time in the holidays."

Later on, Lia finished fixing herself. She didn't really put on so much makeup, just the basics like foundation, eyebrows, contour, highlight, blush, mascara, and lipstick. She wore a necklace that her mom gave to her for Christmas.

She checked the time, it was already 7:30 PM and she heard the doorbell ringing. "I think it's them, c'mon." She rushed down the staircase with Sonobot, just in time for Leizel and Fang's entrance to the house.

Fang was wearing a Maroon striped buttoned-up shirt paired with black pants and white shoes while Leizel was wearing a black dress with a white cropped cardigan and a pair of black sandals.

They all greeted each other with a hello and a hug. "Oh wow," Lia laughed at Fang's outfit. "Your outfit looks familiar..." Leizel winked at Lia, "Try to guess what's the inspiration of his outfit."

"You're like one of the guys from Ateneo," Lia remarked as she cracks a laugh. "With your outfit and demeanor, it completes the package." Fang groaned, "Oh, c'mon. Let me live, this is the nicest top I have. Unless you want me to wear the space outfit again."

"Just kidding." Leizel replied as she does a peace sign. Fang just crosses his arms that made the Filipinas laugh at him. Then they heard someone clearing their throat- it was Nathalia who was smiling at them. "C'mon now, let's eat."

They all proceeded in eating dinner. Fang was telling a story about how he met Boboiboy and became his rival back then which made them laugh because of how competitive he was back then.

He also mentioned that he and Leizel would be going back to space to train with Kaizo around January.

"When will you guys be back?" Lia asked as she took a sip from her drink. Leizel shrugged, "I don't know. The shortest time we would be out is... a year." A gasp was heard from the sound heroine, "No way... Seriously?"

Fang nodded, "Uh-huh. You'll probably miss us, huh?" Lia sighed, "Just Leizel, not you." The shadow hero rolled his eyes, "Heh, whatever."

Leizel then started telling a story about how Lia sleeps at night in the TAPOPS-U station, much to her embarrassment. "She's the last one to wake up, auntie. Work time starts around 7 AM and she wakes up around 6:45!"

"Some things never change," Nathalia remarked as she sighs. "At her old school, she had the guts to wake up around 7:00 AM even when classes start at 7:20, and take note the school is a bit far from our old home."

"Hey!" Lia reacted, giving a sulky pout. "That was only one time... well I guess three times." Nathalia laughed at her daughter's reaction, "Don't lie, babes. Better admit your mistakes.

Fang snickered, "Yeah right, tell that to the security guard then. Good thing you're not our batchmate because Yaya would be giving you punishments." Leizel groaned as she remembers that, "The suffer back then."

After dinner, they helped clean the dishes then they proceeded in doing some fun things. There's a karaoke app on the tv so they pushed Fang to sing first since they know he's a good singer.

"Really? I'm not even good at it. I crack my voice when I do a high note." Fang replied, yet he still got the microphone. "Let's go, Fang! I'm sure it's not that bad." Lia cheered, grinning at him.

The next thing that happened is Fang singing a song so perfectly that it shocked the two Filipinas. He was singing Too Good at Goodbyes by Sam Smith, and he was doing it effortlessly.

"Lia, can one's voice impregnate a person?" Leizel whispered to her. Lia responded by giving her a look, a "WTF" look. "Mars, sana okay ka lang." ("Girl, I hope you're okay") Leizel just shrugged, then she goes on cheering for Fang.

After Fang's solo, they both gave him a round of applause, whoops, and cheers. He grinned at them, "Now that's one thing I'm better at, take that to Boboiboy." Lia playfully rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Mr. Solo."

Fang sang more songs much to his liking, and much to the Filipinas giggling and cheering for him. He was satisfied with the praises and attention he gets from the singing. "Thank you, you're too kind." He did a bow.

The doorbell was rung that caught their attention. "Eh? Who could that be?" Fang asked. "Are we expecting more guests? It's just us right?" Leizel added on. Lia shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's the neighbor, probably going to complain about Fang's singing."

Fang rolled his eyes that made them laugh. Nathalia called out for them, "Can you please open the door? I'm doing something here!" Lia nodded, "Okay, I'll get it."

She left the living room and went to catch the person at the entrance. When she opened the door, her eyes widened at the visitor- it was Boboiboy, Tok Aba, and Ochobot. "Uy! Oh my gosh!"

Boboiboy was wearing a brown polo shirt with cream pants and white sneakers and he wasn't wearing his orange cap. Lia was taken aback by his appearance, she's used to seeing him with the color orange and black. Although Boboiboy Earth's clothing is brown it was like she saw a new side of him.

Wow, he's so handsome. She was starstruck when she saw him.

Leizel and Fang followed her and were surprised at the visitors. "Eh, Boboiboy? Atok? What are you guys doing here?" Leizel asked in confusion. Boboiboy grinned, "Well, we decided to close early today. We feel bad that we won't attend this gathering."

"What? You don't have to... What about the customers at the shop?" Lia answered, surprised at what just happened. "It's New Year, I need a break. It would be better if we'll welcome the new year together." Tok Aba replies, smiling at her.

"Well, come in then! We just started the karaoke." Lia beamed then she allowed the visitors to enter. "Mom! Boboiboy and atok are here! Oh, with Ochobot too!" The moment she said that Nathalia rushed to the living room with Sonobot.

Both were surprised at the sudden arrival, Sonobot went to Ochobot to talk about some things while Nathalia escorted Boboiboy and Tok Aba to eat in the dining area. The other three went back to singing.

It was Leizel's turn, she chose A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carton. Even if she's the only one holding the microphone, Lia and Fang tuned in with her. "'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles If I could just see you tonight!"

Realizing the lyric, Fang suddenly went to Boboiboy who was heading to the living room, and did a fake cough. The elemental hero looked at him in confusion, "Eh? What's with that? And don't give me a cough!"

"You went here for her, huh?" Fang said as he gives a smug look to him. "Heh, whatever." Boboiboy rolled his eyes, walking to the living room where Leizel was already done and Lia was clapping her hands.

Leizel grinned then he hands the microphone to Boboiboy, "Your turn!" Boboiboy shook his head, "No, no... Give it to her." He pointed to Lia who agreed, "Yay! Me! Me!" Leizel chuckled as she hands the microphone to her.

Lia chose one of her favorite Taylor Swift songs- Shake It Off. Boboiboy smiled as he sat on the couch, "I forgot she's a Swiftie." Fang was clapping his hands as soon as Lia started singing. Leizel was howling.

When her favorite part came on, she sang it with her whole heart:

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like, "Oh my God!"
I'm just gonna shake
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over baby?
We can shake, shake, shake

Boboiboy suddenly remembered Miguel when Lia said ex-man, his face shifted from a smile to a frown. Fang noticed his sudden change of face which made him lean over to his friend and whispered, "You haven't told her, huh?"

"I'm planning to, don't worry." He monotonously replied. He waited for Lia to finish the song and when she did, he gave her a clap with a small smile. Fang and Leizel do the same too.

"Thank you! Heheh!" Lia smiled then hands back the microphone to Fang. Fang agreed to sing again, much to Leizel's pleasure. When he started singing, Leizel automatically cheered for him.

Lia sat beside Boboiboy, "Hi mr. handsome, are you okay?" Boboiboy blushed at the pet name. He remembered how he was insisting Ochobot to check on his outfit and look good for Lia. It worked for him.

Hey, focus!

He nodded with a smile. He was thinking if he should tell her about his ill feelings about Miguel, but that would imply that he's jealous.

Well, nothing will hurt, right?

"I want to talk to you about the other day," Boboiboy started as he looks at her. "Look, I'm sorry about my sudden reaction about Miguel. It's just... I feel uncomfortable knowing you saw him again. I know that guy hurt you, that's my concern."

Why does it still feel a bit heavy even though I said that?

"I understand. Thank you for the concern," Lia returns a small smile. "But I want you to know that whatever he and I had before, it's nothing now. It always has been ever since he dumped me."

"What if he wants you back? He went to you, right?" Boboiboy asked, still feeling the jealousy in him. Lia chuckled, "Why would he? He already has a girlfriend, that's why he was at my old school. His girlfriend plays one of the major roles in the play."

Boboiboy widened his eyes as his lips part. He was speechless, so Lia continued. "And even if he wants me back, I wouldn't allow it. I deserve better, Boboiboy. I know for myself that I do."

He slowly nodded, taking everything she just said. "Okay, okay... I'm sorry." Lia smiled, "No need to be sorry. Thank you for the concern, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable about it." She leaned over and hugs him.

Boboiboy was surprised at the sudden hug, yet he hugged her back feeling... warm.

"Guys, it's 1 minute 'til New Year! Better go out to see the fireworks!" Nathalia called out to them. The teenagers excitedly went out of the house; the adult, elder, and power spheres followed them.

Their neighbors were now outside, and it's down to the last 5 seconds.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The fireworks started displaying in the sky that made them astonished. As it was displaying, they started greeting each other a happy new year. Boboiboy went to his granddad and Ochobot to greet them.

Lia went to hug her mom and kiss her in which she did the same. She greeted Sonobot and Ochobot too. Sonobot hugged her, much to her chuckling. "Don't forget your resolution okay!"

She also greeted Tok Aba, which he hugged her that surprised her. Yet she hugs back, smiling. "Happy New Year, atok!" Once she pulled away, she went to her friends.

The Filipinas both hugged each other as they were jumping; they were also giggling. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!"

Boboiboy and Fang were both watching them with a smile, then they greeted each other. "Happy New Year," The shadow hero said giving a fist bump. "Thanks for being a great leader."

"Now that's a change," The elemental hero replied, returning the fist bump. He smiled, "Happy New Year to you too. Hope this year will be great for us." He really does hope because he knows Reverse is still out there. He hopes that he will just go away forever, but he knew it isn't that way.

As he started to think about him, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Lia, smiling at him. "Happy New Year!" She hugged him, in which he hugged back with a warm smile.

As she pulls away, "You'll be fine this year. And if you're thinking about Reverse, he'll be defeated. We're with you, B. I'm with you." She softly pats his shoulder, making him smile. "Thank you. It means a lot. Happy New Year, Lia."

They continue to watch the display of fireworks. The set was amazing that it really made the viewers in awe. Boboiboy kept on stealing glances at Lia, who was observing the fireworks.

He saw how she was amazed when another firework came up, he loved hearing her oohs and gasps whenever something new came up. He felt his heart racing incredibly. As he looked away from her, he thinks about earlier.

He then realized that he was jealous of Miguel because of the thought of them getting back together, but when she assured him earlier that it won't happen, he felt a little bit better. A little bit because he still didn't admit he was jealous.

He also thought about what she said about Reverse; he saw how caring she was of him. No one else in the gang except for her has been like that, maybe Gopal and Fang because he's also close to them.

But when it comes to Lia, he feels warm at her- everything about her. She's the only one who makes him feel that way. After so many thoughts about her, he concluded for himself.

I like her.

A/N: Hi! I did a double update cos why not :') I hope you enjoyed this one!  Btw, I have two days left until I find out if I'll get in to my dream university :') Pls hope that I'll get in huhu.

Finally, BBB admits he likes Lia 👍🏼😛 Oh yeah, one reader suggested the their ship name should be Boili HAHSHSHAHS how does that sound? Leave a comment below! Keep safe everyone! <3

Chapter Text

A/N: It's my 18th birthday today, and in honor of it, I decided to make a special chapter! This takes place after Chapter 21 so it's already the year 2019 :> Thank you!

"Are you sure they won't find out that we're still awake?"

Boboiboy and Lia were both at the washroom, still in their pajamas. It was 11:30 PM, Boboiboy wanted Lia to teach him more about skincare so he convinced her to do her skincare routine with him.

"Yeah, we just have to keep quiet." The elemental hero replied with a grin. Lia sighed, "Whatever you say, Mr. leader. Here, take this." She handed him an orange-clothed headband.

He intently looked at it, "Is this for the hair?" He then saw Lia putting on hers, which was color purple. "Yeah, you're right. Hehe." She then helped him put it on and saw the look on his face afterward.

"Aiya, I look silly." He remarked with a sigh as he sees his bangs raising upwards with the headband. She laughed, "I think you look adorable. C'mon, let's start." She got her facial wash then places the right amount of it on her palms.

Boboiboy took the bottle wash from her and did the same. Then they both apply the facial wash around their faces. They both rinsed it afterward; Lia was the first one to be done. She smiled as she watches him washing his face.

She got a cloth towel and handed one to him as he finished. "If I were you, don't rub this on your skin. Just pat it." She demonstrated it as he observed how she does it, he then follows it afterward.

"That feels refreshing," He remarked as he looks at himself in the mirror. "I don't really do this because I thought it was unnecessary since I take baths." She nodded, "That's the common misconception, yet it still depends on the person."

She brought out a small bottle from her kit, it has liquid on it that made Boboiboy puzzled. "It's toner. It removes any last traces of dirt that's stuck in your pores." She handed him a cotton pad.

She puts some amount of it on the pad then wipes off the excess dirt on her face. She noticed that he didn't follow, instead, he was gazing at her. "You want me to do it to you?" She smiled at him.

"Ah, uhm..." Snapping back to reality, he stuttered. "I mean, it's okay, right?" He smiled sheepishly. "Of course!" She got the pad he was holding then applied the toner on it. She proceeded in wiping off his face.

He felt his heart racing as he stared at Lia, who was intently doing her job. No wonder her skin looks nice, she does these kinds of things... Has she gotten prettier? I mean she's always pretty but this time, she's glowing.

Little did he know the girl was thinking and feeling the same.

I mean, look at him... He's so handsome. That white streak of hair... Wow, how come he doesn't have a girlfriend yet?

"Done!" She showed him the cotton pad and how dirty it was, although it was just a little. He was grossed out to see the excess dirt on the pad, "Okay, I should do this every day. I can't believe I have that kind of dirt."

"It's okay, at least you now know. Skincare is important, especially for us since we're exposed to different planets meaning different environments." She replied with a smile. She threw the cotton pads at the trash can.

"I'm liking this," He grinned. "Can we do this together every day?" She blushed at his question, "Every day? With me?" He nodded, "Yeah. I'd love to do this with you. Think of it as our bonding time. We don't really have time to bond with each other domestically with all the hectic missions."

DOMESTICALLY?!?! She froze when she heard that, then she observed the look on his face. He was still grinning at her, and at the point, she could melt with how warm she was feeling.

"Sure, I'm happy too." They went on inputting the moisturizer. Boboiboy observed the moisturizer she has; it was aloe vera gel. "This is actually multi-purpose, but I use this for moisturizing my face since my face goes well with this. I guess it will go well on you too since it's aloe vera, it's gentle naman."

They both applied it to their faces respectively; the elemental hero was surprised at how cold it was when it's on his skin. "Wow, it has a cooling effect. It feels soothing." He smiled as he looked at himself.

"Yeah, it's why I like it." She chuckled as she returns her things in the kit. "And that's it. You can sleep with that on, it can serve as a sleeping mask." He nodded, "Sweet, I like it. C'mon, let's go?"

They both exited the washroom, still wearing the headband. "You want to keep that on? You know you can remove it." Lia remarked as she glanced at him. "Well, you're still wearing yours so..." She returns a nod.

"Wait, I just remember." The elemental hero glanced at his watch that displays 11:50 PM. "It's 10 minutes before your birthday!" Lia nodded, "Yup, I can't believe I'm turning sixteen. Well, not as if that's the legal age already."

"You'll get there soon," He replied with a wink. "You know, I still can't believe that you're 2 years younger than me. For someone as mature as you, you don't act like 16... But your height does look like one." He playfully stuck his tongue.

"What the freak. Thanks for letting me know." She rolled her eyes as she groaned. The elemental hero laughed at her reaction. "And what about you? 145 cm to this tall? You probably used a power to increase your height."

"Excuse me? I am deeply offended." He playfully said that made Lia laugh. "Congrats on being offended then." They continued to talk about random stuff until they arrived at their respective rooms.

"Well, looks like it's time to go." Lia started with a small smile. Boboiboy cleared his throat, "Uhm, on a second thought... Do you want to get your birthday gift now?" Lia widened her eyes, "You got me a gift?"

He nodded, "Of course. It's your birthday so I got you a gift." She mentally slapped herself, well of course for giving. Duh!

"Oh, uhm... Sure! I wonder what is that." She raised her eyebrow at him. He winked then went into his room for a while, leaving her outside. She started to think about the possible thing she could receive.

A watch? No, that's too expensive. Jewelry? Well, he did give me a bracelet before so I don't think he'll reuse that idea. Maybe a mug?

He went outside holding a gift bag which surprised her. Once she got it, she noticed that it was a bit heavy. "Go on, open it." She opened the bag and the moment she saw what was inside, she gasped.

"You got me scented candles?" She brought out one of them, which was properly packaged. "How did you know I wanted them? Oh my gosh..." He chuckled, "Didn't you flood the group chat with your messages that you wanted them?"

Upon realizing it, she laughed sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I forgot." She observed it, then realized the scent. "Pomegranate?" He nodded with a grin, "Check the other one." He got the first candle from her then watched her take out the second one.

"Soy candle?! What the freak, B! These are the scents I told everyone about in the group chat." She beamed with widened eyes. "I really took note of it, and I made sure I would be the only one who'll be getting you those." He proudly said.

"So you know the gifts of the others?" She asked. "Well, we had to know as well. We don't want any duplication... And you think those are the only ones I got? Check for more." He winked.

He handed back the other candle for her to return in the bag. Once both candles were returned, she brought out something vintage- it was a CD in its holder. There was a design in the holder that shows these words. Euphoric Melody

"You have a CD player, right? So, uhm..." He started to get shy. "I have been listening to great songs lately so I decided to make you a playlist of my favorite songs. It uhm... reminds me of you."

As soon as he said that, Lia looked at him with amusement. A blush was slowly creeping on her face as she feels her heart beating fast to the point she couldn't speak. She soon regained her composure, "Wow, uhm... This is great, B. Thank you."

"You're welcome," He gives out a toothy grin. "Do you know why Euphoric Melody is the title of the playlist?" She shook her head, "Other than the fact that it sounds like a great name for a playlist, no. Why?"

He laughed nervously as he crossed his arms to ease himself, "So uhm... Melody is usually the memorable aspect of a song... Well, I searched for that meaning earlier." Lia chuckled, "I didn't know that."

They both laugh for a while until he continued, "And... you're a memorable person, like... for some reason, I remember you whenever I see things that are... beautiful. Like you're the first person to pop in my mind."

"For the euphoric... you make me happy. You really do." He meaningfully said. "I'm going to be honest. Among everyone in our gang, you're actually the only one who knows the deepest things about me. I mean, of course I can tell Gopal that too but... when it comes to you, it hits different."

Lia nodded with a huge smile on her face, she was deeply touched by him. He then went on, "I love how I'm close with you, you really understand me and my whole personality. I thank you for that. You mean so much to me."

"Wow, that was... touching," She replied with a chuckle. Her eyes were softened and her smile was warm, "I'm glad I'm being that to you, and I hope you know that you mean so much to me as well. I love... our connection."

Boboiboy checks his watch- it was already 12:00 AM

"Oh look! It's already midnight! Happy birthday!" He went in to give her a hug in which he practically cradled her in his arms. "Aaaah, thank you! Thank you so much for the gift, B. I love it." She hugged him back. The two were practically giving their all in the hug, with their hearts beating as one.

When Boboiboy pulled away, he has a huge smile on his face. "I'm starting to think that I should call you Li. So, we can be "B and Li", you get it?" Lia chuckled, "I like the sound of that. It rhymes too."

After a few minutes of talking, they had to go back to their respective rooms before they can get caught by the higher-ups- KokoCi and Tarung. The girls' room was two-room away from the boys', so he brought her back.

"Goodnight, B."

"Goodnight, Li."

After sharing one last hug, Lia went inside the girls' room. She spotted her two roommates fast asleep on their respective beds, so she went back to hers. She sat on her bed after placing his gift on the side table.

A thought came into her mind- she went to get the playlist from the gift bag and got the portable CD player. Her portable CD player has earphones connected to it which won't bother her sleeping roommates.

She placed the CD in the player and started listening to the first song played. She chuckled upon hearing the introduction of the song Boy with Luv by BTS. This was an upbeat song that made her slightly move to tune it with the beat.

She looked around to see her sleeping roommates, she mentally reminded herself not to be too loud or else she might disrupt their sleep. The next songs were great, some were upbeat while some were mellow.

The next song took her aback. It was Enchanted by Taylor Swift. As one of her fans, she knew the deep meaning behind this song.

The lingering question kept me up
Two a.m., who do you love?
I wonder till I'm wide awake

She started to think about him. It was like this song was speaking to her- it was like Boboiboy was speaking to her. She has been noticing his gestures toward her; it already crossed her mind that it meant something else, something deeper but she didn't want to cling onto that assumption.

But she knew in her heart that she has eyes on him- ever since she saw how protective Boboiboy was of her. The event that struck her was the time that Reverse attacked her, she knew how worried he was for her. Also, she saw how caring he was, how much of a great friend he was. He always checks up on her, bring her favorite snack whenever she's in a bad mood, and he's the person she can always talk to whenever she needs something.

That's what she appreciates in Boboiboy- he is an emphatic person. He understands how it feels to be under pressure with being a student and hero at the same time. She recalled the countless times they have shared deep talks with each other; from their likes to their dislikes. From their hopes and dreams to their biggest fears.

And New Year's Eve, she knew that time was memorable for them. When they both watched the fireworks display in the sky, she caught him stealing glances. And has she mentioned how handsome Boboiboy was? She recalled the times she sees him without his cap which made her feel things.

I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I 'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

"You are my euphoric melody as well, B." She lay down on her bed, with a soft smile. "And I was enchanted to meet you as well. I will always be."

And that where she knew that she likes him.

A/N: There you have it! Hope you guys enjoyed it! It's already July 20 here so yes it's my day today :> Hehehe keep safe! 

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 22: Close Encounters

The gang has been working extra hard to enhance their skills and utilize their powers. They all know that Reverse is powerful; considering he's a clone of Boboiboy and has his exact powers. Both Leizel and Fang went back to space for their training with captain Kaizo which will take them a while before they come back. The rest who were back on Earth make their visits at TAPOPS-U station, where they train, help retrieve power spheres, and discuss Reverse.

It's been over months since he came back. Within that time, Lia was able to develop her skills in crime-fighting, with the help of the others of course. She knew Reverse went for her and will come back for her, so she pushed herself to be the best she can so that she can help in defeating him.

At the same time, she was already in pre-university, taking up the degree of Law. She was about to get Economics but she realized that it would be better if she took up Law in pre-university so she could get admitted to the undergraduate law degree. So far, she has managed to balance her time in studies and work in TAPOPS. Her motivations are her family and friends.

TAPOPS station in space was now finished, some changes happened after the attack of Aisha, but they were able to make it better. The moment it was done, the high-ranking officials required the gang to head to the new station, and that's where they are right now.

They were in a room, discussing the list of planets Reverse attacked for the past months. After the last encounter, Reverse didn't come back for them yet, but for sure he will and that's what the team is preparing for. And in the same time, they were also discussing the power spheres to be rescued.

"B, I think I got it," Lia announced, reviewing the information being projected in the hologram. "Reverse was released in planet Quabaq, which is approximately nearby the following planets: GogoBugi, Kadruax, and Gurunda. But there were no signs of an attack in these planets."

"Maybe because it would be easy to look for him when he went on those planets. For sure he'll go far from Quabaq." Boboiboy replied, much to Lia nodding. "That's right. Because of that, he went on to other planets far from Quabaq. Based on the sources, he went to Buru, Chura, and Viriato, which for sure looks new to you guys."

"Yeah, I haven't heard of them 'til now." Lia nodded, then continued speaking. "According to my searches, Reverse has recently been to those planets and used his powers. Since you two share the same powers, it was easy to track him down."

She typed on the keyboard; it suddenly projects an invalid output. "Oh shoot, now I lost the track." She groaned.

Boboiboy rushed to the monitor and did something, but it also displayed the same thing. "Eeesh! We were already close in getting him!" He grunted as he stomped his feet. Lia sighed as she went to him and softly pats his shoulder, "It's okay. We'll try again next time."

At the same time, Yaya, Ying, and Gopal entered the meeting room. They were welcomed by a grumpy Boboiboy and a disappointed Lia. "Eh? What happened to you guys?" Yaya asked.

"We lost our track on Reverse. We were almost there in obtaining the coordinates of his location." Lia answered as Boboiboy was still grumpy about it. "Aiyoyo! That's not good. He must have set that on purpose so you guys won't be able to find him." Gopal replied.

Boboiboy exhaled deeply, "It's okay. Better luck next time, I guess..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Anyways, Li, what's the update about the power sphere commander was talking about?"

Lia went to the monitor to display the information. "This is planet Exo. Some aliens are residing on this planet, including a power sphere named AgeBot. It's capable of manipulating the ages of a person, and even an alien. It can accelerate or reverse the age, and worst, it can turn them back to dust."

"And AgeBot is from planet Umur, but it was forced to exile because several hunters came for it, and now that it's at Exo," Lia reported.

Boboiboy gazed at Lia; he was smiling. For someone as young as her, she was able to do things like these already. It made him proud to see her like that. Back then when she first knew about her powers, she was overwhelmed and timid. But now, she really proved that she has what it takes to be in TAPOPS.

"Ehem, earth to Boboiboy! Hello? Are you done looking?!" Boboiboy snapped back to reality as he realized that Yaya had been calling him. He looked at her and saw a smirk on her face.

"Ahh, uhm... Great job with the information!" Boboiboy recovered; he was a bit stuttering that caused the others to chuckle. He, together with Lia, earned a round of applause from the other three.

Lia chuckled, "Thank you." Ying nodded with a grin, "You both look cool by the way. Power duo!"

"More like a power couple." Gopal muttered, hoping Boboiboy won't hear him. Yaya raised her hand, "So wait, we're going there too? At Exo? Didn't commander say that we have another power sphere to look for today?"

"Yes, I did say that." KokoCi's entrance to the room surprised everyone else. "I have no choice but to split you guys into two teams."

He went on assigning who will go to Exo, and who will go to the other mission. "Yaya, Ying, and Gopal. You will head off to another planet, you will retrieve this power sphere." He gave them a tablet that has information about the planet and power sphere.

The three of them read what's on the tablet. "SolBot, it holds the power of the life light. It's originally from planet Aelius. However, it was captured by the Auroran tribe of planet Abnus, for the sake of having sunlight on their planet. They believe that the sunlight is a blessing for them since Abnus is a dark place."

"Well, they have a pretty good reason in capturing the sphere." Gopal's remark earned a look of exasperation from the others. "What? I'm just saying!" Ying groaned, "Aish! Don't you see what's happening? Abnus was a dark place before, and the fact that they captured the power sphere for the sake of sunlight means something."

"I mean, it could be just for the sake of light." Yaya's comment earned a groan from Ying and KokoCi. "Aiya, look at this!" Ying shoved the tablet near Gopal and Yaya's face.

"SolBot's powers don't just revolve around light, it's also death. It grants Death Light Manipulation; any user can manipulate death light into forms of photons that can destroy life. Not only that, with the power sphere, they can destroy the souls of any living person."

Yaya and Gopal were speechless, then they both read the information carefully. Then Gopal laughed sheepishly, "Uhm... Hehehe. Sorry." Yaya did a peace sign and apologized as well.

Ying pulled back the tablet and read more, "It says that SolBot is neither on Aelius or Abnus. It's on a different planet called Gobi. It must have gone there to hide." Yaya nodded, "And the Auroran tribe are probably looking for it now." 

"Affirmative. This is why the three of you should retrieve SolBot before the Auroran tribe. Then, we'll secure it first until it's safe for it to go back to Aelius." KokoCi then turned to the other two. "As for Boboiboy and Lia, you will go to planet Exo and rescue AgeBot before any other hunters get it."

"Yes, commander." They replied.

Later on, Yaya, Ying, and Gopal departed for planet Gobi. They took the spaceship, while Boboiboy and Lia had their vehicles as Ochobot opened a portal for them. They went in the portal and now, they're at planet Exo.

Exo was a beautiful planet. It was a Tundra-like area; not much tree growth because of the low temperature and short growing seasons. Lia gaped, "Wow. I wonder why AgeBot went here."

"I don't know. We'll find out soon. C'mon." Boboiboy replied. Then they both zipped in one direction to find AgeBot.

Little did they know, someone was there watching them from afar. They gave an evil grin.

Meanwhile, Gopal, Yaya, and Ying have landed on planet Gobi. It was a gloomy deserted area. Once they went down the spaceship, Gopal was surprised at what the place looked like. "Good luck to us finding SolBot." Yaya and Ying both looked around, then Ying took out the tablet and read from it.

"It says here that SolBot could be here anywhere. We just have to get to it before the other does." Ying stated. Yaya nodded as she pointed in one direction, "We'll take that path. C'mon!" They all got going.

As they were walking, Gopal was frightened. He was overthinking that someone is following them. "Why do I feel that someone is following us?" He spoke as he kept on turning around, yet he doesn't see anything.

"Aish Gopal, you're just overthinking. You have to be brave at some point." Ying replied in annoyance. "Dey, wouldn't you be afraid if you're out alone here on this planet?" Ying shrugged at Gopal's question, "I don't know. I'm not alone right now."

Gopal groaned; Yaya just chuckled. "Don't worry, we're here! Besides, once we get the power sphere, we'll be going back. And we're going to eat chicken curry!" Gopal cheered as he hugged Yaya as they were still walking.

Ying, who wasn't even looking at them, just sighed at the liveliness of the two. "Must feel great having someone to like you back." She mumbled, still eyes on the screen.

There was a group of aliens from afar, spying on the three people. One of them was holding pellets. The pellets were thrown towards the three, much for Yaya noticing it. "Guys! Incoming!"

They weren't able to react that much, due to the sudden throw. Once the pellets reached the ground near them, they generated a wide area of smoke. "What is this?" Ying asked in confusion. She couldn't see that much with how wide the smoke was.

Yaya tried to fly out of the smoke, but she ended up seeing missiles heading towards them. "Ying! Release your power! Now!" Ying released her power that ended up slowing down the missiles. Yaya used her gravity power to get a hold of it then turn it back. She waited for the 15 seconds to end, then released the missiles back where they came from, it created an explosion.

She got down, as the smoke started clearing off. The three of them were all safe. However, a roar was heard. All of a sudden, aliens appeared around them; all were angry at them.

"Looks like the Auroran tribe got us." Ying panicked. Yaya growled, "Nonsense! We're going to stop them." Her remark provoked the Auroran tribe. One of them, their leader, roared out, "Attack them!" They all charged for them.

Alarmed by the charging, the three went out to attack as well. 

Back at planet Exo, Boboiboy and Lia were looking for AgeBot. Lia used her echolocation to locate where AgeBot could be. Now, she was leading the way. They once arrived at a place where huge rocks were everywhere. Boboiboy took out the tablet and it says that there is a high detection of a power sphere in that area. "We're here. We just have to look exactly for it."

They both went around, checking every spot in that area. It was not until Lia found something that was placed on top of one of the huge rocks. It was round and has the colors green and pink. "Boboiboy! Over here!"

Boboiboy rushed to Lia to see what was up. He saw the object that was on top of the huge rock. He took a glance at his tablet to compare the appearance of the power sphere and that object. Both share the exact features.

"Wait." He used his power band to make a quick scan, much to Lia's surprise, "You can do that?!" Boboiboy grinned, "Yeah. Ochobot taught me this one. I think you can do this with yours too."

"I really hope so. Why wouldn't Sonobot teach me such a thing." Boboiboy laughed at Lia's slight misery, then the scan was over. A holographic picture of AgeBot appeared, it was the same as the one that's on top of a rock. "That's it alright."

Lia slowly went to AgeBot then got her hands on it. It was offline. She lightly pats the sphere, "There, there. You're safe with us."

All of a sudden, "AgeBot activate." The power sphere opened its eyes, Lia was startled to the point she dropped it. AgeBot didn't mind, however, it prepared its power as it started glowing white. "Age decrease!"

The white energy was directed to Lia, it was so bright that even Boboiboy covered his eyes. Once it was over, Boboiboy opened his eyes; he gave a loud gasp. He saw Lia, but she was different. 

She was still in her clothes, but she looked smaller and younger. Her hair is styled in two pigtails. She noticed Boboiboy's expression, "Hey! What's with that face?!" She crossed her arms, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Lia... How old are you?" Lia giggled, "I'm 5! Duh!" She stuck out her tongue. Boboiboy was speechless then he looked at AgeBot. The power released decreased her age, which is why she's now 11 years younger.

Then, a water wave was formed and it carried Lia and her motorbike. It lured her away from them. Boboiboy was shocked, "Lia!" However, Lia didn't mind. She was astonished as she was being carried. "Wow! Is this a ride?! Yay!"

Boboiboy was about to follow her, but a branch of vines suddenly went around his motorbike that stopped the vehicle from moving. He was shocked, but what shocked him, even more, was Reverse suddenly appearing in front of him. He was controlling the water wave and vines.

"Surprise. You miss me?"

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Official Chapter 23: Age Problem

Boboiboy growled as he saw Reverse, he felt his blood boiling. He went out of his motorbike then spoke, “So you’re the one responsible for this?!” Reverse gave an evil chuckle, “Well. I’ve heard you guys are coming here, and there’s also a power sphere here. I’m hitting two birds with one stone.” 

He then pointed to Lia, who was far from them. The water wave was just taking her around as she squeals; she was indeed having fun. “Yay! Yay! This is nice! I like this!” She wiggled her arms as she was yelling.

“I think I accidentally told AgeBot that you guys were the hunters and I was the savior. It’s kind of hard to tell, yeah? We look alike, you know?” Reverse mentioned, angering Boboiboy. “What do you want?! You’ve been attacking different planets, and now you’re here, claiming power spheres!”

“I mean, what else do I want? I want to end you; I want to end all of you. I can start by dealing with you first because, without you, your team will be shattered!” Boboiboy clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, “Tsk. As if that’s going to happen! Boboiboy Thunderstorm!”

Once transformed to Thunderstorm, he summoned his thunder blade. He dashed straight to Reverse, ready to strike him. Then he suddenly disappeared and kept appearing everywhere. This was one way to confuse him.

Reverse was calmed, he plastered an evil grin. “Ah, so you think I’ll be frightened with that move?” All of a sudden, Thunderstorm appeared behind Reverse, about to slash him. But Reverse knew this was going to happen, so he had a cyclone ball in his hand, and before being slashed, he struck Thunderstorm with the cyclone ball that threw him away.

Then Reverse transformed into Cyclone; he used his hoverboard to set out for Boboiboy Thunderstorm. He has another cyclone ball in his hands, “Cyclone Rush!” He projected it to Boboiboy Thunderstorm, creating a spiraling tornado that sucked him in and tossed him to the air.

Boboiboy Thunderstorm grunted as he was being spiraled around the tornado. This was one of his powers; he shouldn’t lose to him. He clenched his fist, using his lightning power to cease the tornado.

“Boboiboy Triple Split!” Not only Thunderstorm appeared, but there also goes Blaze and Earthquake. Reverse gave an evil chuckle as he copied what Boboiboy did; there goes Reverse Cyclone, Reverse Ice, and Reverse Thorn.

They all set for one another.

Meanwhile, the water wave suddenly disappeared, dropping Lia in her motorbike. She gave a yelp as she contacted the ground, “That hurts!” Then the men fighting from afar caught her attention, “Eh? Why are they fighting?”

Then she spotted AgeBot nearby. She hopped off the motorbike and went to the power sphere, “Hey you! Why did you make me younger?! And why are they fighting?” Not only did the age decrease affected her appearance, it also affected her way of thinking.

“My master told me that you guys were the ones who want to get me.” AgeBot nonchalantly replied. “What?! Your master?! Is it that one?” Lia pointed to one of the Boboiboys, AgeBot said no. It said that it was Reverse.

“Aish! You’re so stupid!” Lia stomped her feet, glaring at the power sphere. “Reverse is the bad guy! Not Boboiboy! They just look alike but Boboiboy is the good guy!” Her remark annoyed AgeBot. “Shut it, before I turn you into a baby.”

Since Lia was now a kid, she got scared. She obeyed AgeBot then went back to the bike, crying.

Back to Boboiboy and Reverse, their respective elemental forms are battling one another: Boboiboy Thunderstorm against Reverse Cyclone, Boboiboy Earthquake against Reverse Thorn, then Boboiboy Blaze against Reverse Ice.

Reverse Cyclone gave an evil smirk as he moved himself in a cyclone-like ball, creating a shield. Then he sets off for Boboiboy Thunderstorm, who readied himself with his thunder blade. “Thunderstorm Vortex!” he spun his blade round and round that created a vortex of lightning, then he threw it at Reverse Cyclone.

When the vortex and cyclone-like ball collided, it created an explosion. Once the dust was cleared off, Boboiboy Thunderstorm was nowhere to be found. He then reappeared behind Reverse Cyclone then slashed him with the thunder blade, electrocuting him.

Blaze and Ice; the mere mention of these names scream polar opposite. Boboiboy Blaze was holding his fire chakrams, as Reverse Ice smirked. “Fire Chakrams throw!” He launched multiple chakrams.

Reverse Ice created a huge wall of ice that protected him from the chakrams, however the wall was slightly attacked by the chakrams. Reverse Ice then created his ice slide and slid his way towards Blaze, holding his minigun. “Blizzard Blast!”

Blocks of concentrated ice made their way to Boboiboy Blaze. He gave a high jump to avoid the ice, he growled. “Fire Breath!” He emitted a flamethrower from his mouth that immediately attacked Reverse Ice.

Reverse Thorn gave a playful smile, “Ensnaring Thorns!” He released thorny vines that made their way to Boboiboy Earthquake. Earthquake ran away which made the thorny vines chase him.

He gave a leap to further himself away from the vines, then turned around to grasp on the ensnaring thorns. With all of his strength, he was able to pull Reverse Thorn and spin him around. He slammed him on the ground, then brought him up again, then slammed him again, until he gave a final spin and threw him away.

As the intense battle continues, the three Reverses: Cyclone, Ice, and Thorn were easily defeated by the three Boboiboys. However, they didn’t give up. They got up and rushed to their respective opponents again.

Reverse Thorn bounced back by using its ensnaring thorns to capture the three Boboiboys, who weren’t able to react because of the sudden movement. It immobilized all of them.

“What the?!” Boboiboy Thunderstorm snapped. Boboiboy Blaze growled, “Let us out!” He released fire energy that blasted away the vines, but Reverse Thorn was so determined that he was able to hold them back again.

“How can he do that?!” Boboiboy Blaze exclaimed, much to the three Reverse’s delight.

Then, Reverse Cyclone created a huge cyclone with his hoverboard, trapping the three Boboiboys inside. Reverse Ice brought out his minigun again, the blasted continuous blocks of concentrated ice that once it contacted the cyclone, froze, including the three Boboiboys.

With satisfaction, the three Reverses merged into one. However, he wasn’t done yet. He transformed into Reverse Solar, one of the strongest elemental forms. He gave a high jump as he was ready to attack, his eyes were glowing yellow.

He released a powerful solar beam from his eyes that broke the frozen ice and directly attacked the three Boboiboys. It was so powerful that it immobilized them as they were being hit by the beam.

“No! Boboiboy!” Lia cried as she watched the three Boboiboys merge back to one then pass out. She saw how weak and burnt he was, he couldn’t even move. Reverse Solar transformed back to his old form, then landed on the ground.

Lia knew she had to do something, she can’t just sit back and watch Reverse defeat her friend. She assured Boboiboy that she will be there for him and that’s what she’s going to do.

“Hey!” The 5-year-old screamed to Reverse as she dashes for him. “You’re going to pay for this,” She concentrates her powers in her hands. “Sonic Blast!” A stream of sound waves was released to the evil clone.

Reverse chuckled at the kid as he simply dodges the sound waves. “Your powers aren’t that strong with your age decrease, huh?” Lia was put to a stop as she saw the clone smirking at her.

“Reverse Blaze,” He transformed to Blaze then released his fiery breath at her. Scared from the attack, Lia runs away from it. She realized that it could hit AgeBot too, so she grabbed her and made a run.

The flamethrower was still following her so she did a leap to avoid it, “Sound Bolt!” With one hand, she was able to project sound bolts to the clone, who diminishes it by using the fire chakrams.

The fire chakrams attacked Lia that made her fall to the ground, wounded and slightly burnt skin. The kid lets out a cry in pain as she saw blood gushing out from her arm, she holds it and sighs in relief knowing it wasn’t a deep wound.

Thorny vines set out for her that immediately seized her, the power sphere backed away when it saw Reverse setting for her. “You think you can escape me, huh? You and your little power can’t stop me.”

“Let me go.” The kid cried as she wriggles to get out. “Let you go? But why?” Reverse cackled as he lets out a fire chakram that was blazing. “It would be a bummer if I don’t finish you.”

Lia was afraid of the fire chakram that was going to be used against her, she felt her tears pulling up in her eyes. It made her scream, so loud that sound waves released caused destruction in the area.

Reverse was thrown away, disoriented by the sudden attack. Even AgeBot, who crashed onto a rock that took effect on Lia’s age decrease. As the dust cleared off, Lia was out of the vines, back to her normal age.

“W-What…?” She looked around in confusion and when she spotted AgeBot, she realized that her attack crashed her to a rock that probably pressed a button. “Yes! I’m back!” She then saw Reverse got up, all angry at her.

“I hate it when you use your scream! I will shut you up!” He threatened that made the girl chuckled, “I like to see you do that.”

Reverse transformed to earthquake. Then used his powers to trap Lia’s legs, much to her surprise. Then he punched the ground, allowing huge rocks to be levitated. He sets the rocks off for her.

Lia grunted, then let out continuous sound bolts from her mouth that once it contacted the rocks, exploded them. Reverse went on with the rocks as Lia went on with the bolts. Realizing that his attacks were being destroyed, he transformed into Reverse Ice.

“Ice Cannon!” He started firing blocks of concentrated ice at the running girl. She swerves to the left and right to avoid getting hit then she used her speed of sound to lunge at him, holding power in her hands.

She released sound waves that blasted Reverse Ice away. She bent down, placing her hand on the ground, and concentrated her sound waves there. “Sonic Earth Crush!” The vibration on the ground ended up opening a hole beneath Reverse that made him fall in it.

She used her soundwaves to elevate all the rocks she saw and covered the hole.

However, an earth golem got out of the hole which surprised Lia. “You think you have what it takes?!” Reverse was within his earth golem, manipulating it. “I’ll show you what it takes!” He manipulated the golem to smash its hands on her. The hands were blocked by another earth golem.

There goes Boboiboy Earthquake, controlling his own earth golem. “Hands off her!” His earth golem gave a punch, throwing it away. Then Boboiboy Earthquake created pillars of the earth to grab the other golem’s legs.

Lia turned around to see the three Boboiboys- Earthquake, Thunderstorm with his thunder blade, and Cyclone with his hoverboard. Cyclone grinned at her, “Care to join us?” Lia smiled as she joined them.

“Wow, the original 3.” She giggled seeing Earthquake, Thunderstorm, and Cyclone. They all laugh. “Kinda miss this so we’ll do it again, this time it’s better.” Earthquake replied with a wink.

Cyclone used his wind power to carry him, Thunderstorm, Lia, Earthquake, and the golem. They all went up high in the sky and did a loop so they can launch their way to Reverse and the golem.

Earthquake stretched out the fists of his golem, as Thunderstorm and Cyclone were on top of each arm. “Thunderstorm Slash!” One fist has a huge thunder blade on it. “Mega Cyclone Drill!” The other fist of golem now has a cyclone drill.

Cyclone grinned, as he made them head to Reverse faster.

“Fiery Breath!” A flamethrower was once again fired, coming from the golem’s mouth since Reverse was still within it; it was continuously launched toward and collided with the combo movement, overpowering each other.

Reverse’s attack was strong that it slowly overpowered them. Lia cleared her throat then got ready, “Sonic Scream!” A stream of soundwaves was released from her mouth, contacting the fire breath. She intensified her scream, making it hellish.

Earthquake grinned, seeing Lia’s soundwaves slowly overpowering the fiery breath. “Great job Lia!” Then the Boboiboys strengthen their powers, allowing all of them to make their way to Reverse and the golem.

Once they strike Reverse in the golem, an explosion occurred that blasted them away. Once the dust cleared off, Reverse was there, injured on the ground. And the golem was nowhere to be seen.

On the other hand, the three Boboiboys and Lia were slightly scraped on their faces and arms. All three merged back into one, then helped Lia up. “Are you okay?” Lia nodded, “Yeah… Just… tired, and my throat hurts.”

“We’ll have that treated once we come back to the station.” He assured her.

A moan from Reverse was heard, alerting the two. They immediately went for him, and to prevent him from getting up, Lia placed one foot on his chest. “You better stop this shenanigan or we’ll finish you.” Boboiboy threatened.

“Oh really?” Reverse returned a laugh. “I’m surprised. And my oh my, I just want to say it was a great decision of mine to head here, I knew you guys would be coming here.” Lia raised her eyebrow, “How did you know we’re coming?”

Reverse didn’t answer her question, he just laughed. “It’s funny that you guys really don’t have any idea why am I doing this.” Lia widened her eyes in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Reverse replied with a smirk. “The more you find out, you’ll realize how little do you know! Then I will finish the both of you, especially you, Boboiboy!” Boboiboy was pissed off, he summoned a lightning sword and shoved it near his neck.

“What’s wrong Boboiboy? Are you afraid that I’ll get little miss here? I thought your priority was saving the galaxy!” Boboiboy growled, “You better shut or I’ll end you with this sword.” Lia was taken aback by his threat to the clone.

“You think I’m scared of you? Of the two of you? Nonsense!” Reverse retorted. “It’s you guys who should be the ones afraid. As I will go back for you!” Dark energy encompasses his body, surprising both Boboiboy and Lia. Then he disappeared.

Lia widened up her eyes, “Did he just… disappear again?” Boboiboy growled as he threw away the lightning sword that electrocuted a rock. He stomped on his feet and shouted, “That guy! Now he’s going to get back for us again!”

Lia went to him then softly pats his shoulder, “Hey, hey. Don’t stress yourself too much. We’ll find him, and we’ll defeat him. We just have to train harder, and if possible, have the others with us.”

Boboiboy looked at Lia, he just gave her a hug. He knew he was overly stressed because of this; he needed comfort. Lia hugged back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. “It’s okay.”

After a minute or two of hugging, he pulled away and gave a soft smile, “Thank you Li. It means a lot.” Lia chuckled, “Of course! I got you!” Then they turned to AgeBot who was rubbing its head.

“You crashed it there, didn’t you?” The elemental hero asked her with an eyebrow raised. “Uhm, my sonic scream did… It’s nice because I can just release it wide, not just in a narrow way like how I did earlier.” She slightly grinned.

“I like how you use your powers. It’s versatile, great job.” He praised her making her chuckle, “Thanks B. I just have to get my throat treated because that was one heck of a scream!”

Boboiboy laughed, “I can tell. If you did that on me, I’d probably go deaf.” Lia shrugged her hands, “You can never tell until you experience it.” She giggled making him playfully roll his eyes.  

They both went to AgeBot, who apologized to them for not knowing about Reverse. They introduced themselves as members of TAPOPS, an intergalactic organization that will protect them. AgeBot agreed to go with them.

All of a sudden, a spaceship was seen descending. Both of them were surprised, and even surprised when they saw who was it. It was Ying, Yaya, and Gopal. Once the door was opened, there goes Ying.

“We got SolBot!” Ying announced. Lia clapped her hands, “Yay! Great job guys!” Yaya then arrived, “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go back!” She helped them by using her gravity power to bring in the motorbikes.

Once they all got in the spaceship, they took off and left the planet.

AgeBot and SolBot were both offline, as they rested. They were placed in a safe place in the spaceship. Ying was the one driving the ship, as Gopal and Yaya helped Boboiboy and Lia with their scrapes.

“He escaped again?! Dey, that Reverse is one of a kind! He must’ve felt scared when you guys overpowered him!” Gopal exclaimed. Boboiboy sighed, “Yeah. But we’ll get back to him. We have to. I guess today isn’t the day.”

Yaya gave Lia medicine for her sore throat, as well as water. As Lia drank, Yaya sat across her. “Really? You were changed into a kid? That’s what AgeBot does?” Lia nodded, “It can also increase your age. If you want to be an old lady, just ask it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The gravity heroine replied sighing which made Lia laugh. “Kidding aside, mission accomplished for all of us. Yay!” She playfully wriggled her arms like a kid much to the others’ amusement.

As Lia and Yaya continued talking, the elemental hero sets his eyes on Lia. He recalled what Reverse said. Are you afraid that I’ll get little miss here? I thought your priority was saving the galaxy!  

Yeah, that’s his priority. But ever since Lia came, he developed his liking for her. It started with a small crush which explained his protectiveness of her; then it went into a liking of her which he realized last time.

And now, it has developed to something else, something deep.  

After earlier, he realized how scared he was to lose her. Even earlier when he was defeated by Reverse, all he could think was her. 

Goodness, I’m falling in love.